FM16: Glasgow Celtic - The Celtic Way

Glasgow Celtic – The Celtic Way

Welcome to the Celtic FC thread! For a more detailed history lesson you're best off looking elsewhere, but the short story is 98 honours: 46 League Titles, 36 Scottish Cups, 15 League Cups and one European Cup won by those heroes above.

But big Billy McNeill leading out a team of (practically) Glaswegians on a sunny day in Lisbon is far from where the club currently finds itself. For many years we haven't been graced by the presence of such attacking flair, home grown talent, or European exploits. Celtic are no longer eating at the table of the big boys and that is the first thing that must be rectified. Celtic Park is no longer a fortress, where Europe's elite come and leave empty handed, where teams are scared to play at. That is not to say that we haven't seen Parkhead jumping, the able managerial stints of O'Neill and Lennon did bring back those wonderful Champions League nights, knock-out football, and big names. Seville was no Lisbon but it was a good time to follow Celtic, with a team who cared, idols in the green and white, and many heavyweight scalps.

Alas, though, Celtic has become a selling club. The biscuit tin mentality. Year on year we see our best players leave and be replaced by a 'project', and this is where we find ourselves under Ronny Deila. We are are a team with a 'plan', one that must rebuild season after season, and a team that has had it's pride severely dented by becoming the team that gets scalped - the team that the traditional minnows of European football do not fear. '5 year plans' are all well and good but when managing Celtic you must have a grasp on the here and now. This means that initial expectations must, must, be to navigate the early European qualification rounds and bring Continental football to Celtic Park and aim for the treble domestically. To not get embarrassed in the Champions League, or to have a good run in the Europa League must also be the aim. This will require shrewd tactics and great man management, if you can do these then feel free to look to the future, to create your own 5 year plan, to build your dynasty and become a club legend.

We must bring back the thunder and we must hear the roar, but the storm clouds cannot evaporate after a season, and the roar must not be overwhelmed by the minnow's squeak. We are Celtic Football Club, more than a football team, the fans deserve better, and Celtic must once again strike fear into the hearts of the mighty. I leave you with McGougan33's wonderful video which encapsulates the essence of Celtic Football Club, the bar has been set and now is the time to deliver.

Celtic Team Guide

Goalkeepers

GK Craig Gordon – Craig should be your number one. He's highly rated and experienced but he is getting a little bit old and could be injury prone. Still, you should get at least his contract length out of him and maybe a slight extension.

GK Logan Bailly – In my game I had to bring Logan in early due to an injury to Gordon. Despite his low mental attributes he seems to perform well but will probably struggle against Champions League teams.

GK Leo Fasan – Young and fairly solid, he may develop really well if he gets games. Struggles in the air for a big man though. I probably wouldn't expect him to take over the number 1 shirt any time soon but he is probably useful to keep around if he is willing.

Summary of position: Strong, you won't have to worry about this position for a while but maybe look to your intakes for a decent long term successor to Craig Gordon or further afield. Mabe have a look at Scott Bain of Dundee.

LB Emilio Izaguirre – Izzy looks very strong this year especially going forward. He also has the pace to cover for any marking or positioning errors that he may make from time to time. Domestically he will be amazing, but when defending is needed another option may be required. Possibly try Mulgrew in those games, I have found him to be pretty consistent though and a replacement, if it's like for like, may cost a lot!

LB Kieran Tierney – A mini Izzy with bags of potential. I was initially unimpressed with his defensive attributes but he seems to play well and will probably develop. Give him plenty of domestic games. I have and he's averaging way over 7/10. Michaelhill suggested a focus on tackling which seems to be working well.

CB/L Tyler Blackett (loanee) – Purely cover, he's not a CB and he's not a LB. Not really sure where he fits in but probably keep him until O'Connell returns from Oldham. How far is it to Manchester?

CB/L Charlie Mulgrew (Can play CM) – Decent ball playing defender and LB cover but can go missing. Also makes a decent steady playmaker in midfield. Also a decent option as Anchor Man a we don't have much steel in midfield now Wanyama has gone. Utility man.

CB Jozo Simunovic – Bags of potential, could be the next best CB to grace the hoops. He's still young and a bit raw though but has decent mental stats so you can focus on his technical attributes.

CB Dedryck Boyata – Jozo's partner at CB. Great technical and physical stats but dissapointingly a little light mentally and even at 24 looks like he doesn't have much potential. Game time should improve a couple of those dodgy mentals though.

CB Eoghan O'Connell (out on loan) – Lacks pace and determination but has a lot of potential, should get lots of games when he returns, probably solidly third choice. The loan should do him good if he level is high enough.

CB/R Efe Ambrose – Here is he, Mr. Bombscare. Punt him as far as you can. He has decent stats but is always prone to clanger a la real life. Already cost me points when I've given him a chance. Trouble is you may be a bit light on numbers if you sell early.

RB Mikael Lustig – Experienced, classy, Swedish International. One of the first names on the teamsheet, but here's the caveat, when fit. Very solid defensively.

RB Saidy Janko – Exact opposite to Lustig, a little lacking defensively but plays like a winger going forward. Domestic football should be meat and drink to him saving Lustig for the big nights.

Summary of position: Contrary to real life we look strong and well stocked. There's room for a few sales which can be easily supplemented by the likes of O'Connell, Findlay, and Fisher (Lustig replica) coming through the ranks. Not very Scottish though, and I'd be wary of those mental stats going up against the best forwards of Europe, and some average ones.

CM Scott Brown – Captain fantastic. Can play whatever role you give him in midfield, brings bite and energy to a pretty lightweight team.

CM Nir Bitton – Classy, modern footballer with the physique to boot. Will run the midfield if you let him but, a slight injury risk!

CM Scott Allan – Basically a more attacking version of Bitton and can play further forward. If given space those technicals and mentals will open teams up. But can't defend and may pick up niggles.

CM Stefan Johansen – A weird one, bags of pace, energy and aggression but not a footballer does this make. I'd cash in but play around with him and you may be surprised at how he performs. I know I advocate selling him but that work rate may be needed in the CL.

CM Liam Henderson (out on loan) – A little disappointing really, can't defend but doesn't possess that much technical quality. A good loan, and a focus on those stats may see him flourish though.

AM Stuart Armstrong – A tad mediocre but still very young. He's a good all-rounder and will do a decent job wherever you put him. I play him as a left inside forward and he could become very good there.

AM Kris Commons – First things first, he's old and his physicals are going. But his technicals are outstanding. Give him a static role and watch him assist and score for fun. I love the guy.

AM James Forrest – All legs and not much else really, but that's good enough for the SPL. His pace will tear teams a new one, especially coming off the bench. He needs to be man managed though for fitness and injuries.

AM Gary Mackay-Steven – 20 flair! Plus pace, tekkers, finishing, and off the ball, he's fantastic. Or at least he looks fantastic, dig into his report and you'll see he doesn't enjoy big games, injury prone and inconsistent. I'm sensing a theme in this team.

AM Callum McGregor – He starts injured but once he's fit and training you'll see so many little green training arrows that you don't know what to look at. He starts with underwhelming attributes but comes up with the goods on the field and has plenty of room to develop. I considered selling him due to the abundance of attacking midfielders but he deserves a chance.

AM Tom Rogic – Again somebody who had to win me over, like GMS he's injury prone and inconsistent but give him a Commons role and he scores goals and sprays the ball around. Might still be one of the first to move on but you'll enjoy him before he goes!

AM Calvin Miller – Probably has random attributes but always seems to have pace and finishing. He causes many problems from wide left cutting in and offers something different to Armstrong, mainly pace. At 17 he's doing the business and progressing well, has the potential to be a Celtic great.

AM Ryan Christie (out on loan) – This guy I can't wait to get back from his loan spell where he isn't doing too well really. Could offer a dynamic touch to the AMC position but also has the physicals and quality to play out wide. Depends who I get rid of either in January or at the end of the season.

Summary of position: Very well stocked and full of quality, especially when you include the likes of Mulgrew at CM. One possible worry is how fragile the players look, injury prone and inconsistency is rife but they're only young and could develop mentally. Young, Scottish and full of unpredictability. It's a nice headache trying to find a formation to include all of these players and heavy rotation is needed to keep everyone happy. This may also be one of the strongest areas in the U20's too, Nesbitt, Thompson and McMullan have all had game time from me.

ST Leigh Griffiths – For me, the main man. He'll score for fun and feed off the creativity behind him. He's a hot head though, I've already fallen out with him but he still scores. Be prepared for him to miss as many chances as he scores though unless his morale is through the roof.

ST Nadir Ciftci – An excellent option when you don't want Leigh. Physical and aggressive, he can create chances through strength. Not a poacher but also not a target man though so I'd be interested in how you play him.

ST Carlton Cole – Target Man. Plan C. Physical and experienced, and capable of banging in a beauty. Helps keep your attack varied.

ST Tony Stokes – Probably best described as a false 9. But he will infuriate, he won't like not playing, and do you really need four strikers especially with Miller able to play up front too.

Summary of position: Again, strong! Extremely varied with different options and with Miller and McMullan coming through (maybe not out and out strikers) the future looks bright. I've seen lots of top quality young strikers on this game too, like Jason Cummings and Jordan Larsson both are not unrealistic options.

Personally, I'd look to shift a couple of players and upgrade them with youth prospects but I like to trim my squads. I wouldn't see the need to buy as of yet. The squad looks strong and with plenty of depth but they are young and it's a project, hello Ronny! There are a lot of young Scottish prospects this year though so maybe try and keep the same signing policies as the current team do, it's all about nailing those tactics for the big games and molding your team into a cohesive unit. Everyone will play the squad differently, and see players differently, but that's for the discussion! I've been playing around with the team for a while now and I still can't decide on a formation or starting XI. When I do get settled I'll look to do a quick write up on tactics as that's an area of the game which I find interesting! More interesting is how you guys see the team so post away!!! M'on the Hoops!!!!

Reserved for Final Patch Changes.

There we go Bhoys, it's come a day early because my evening plans have gone awry. It's a little thrown together and I'll probably look at it again soon. For now though, get posting lads haha! I'm just settling into a full session to get to grips with the squad and tactics. I love this version already!

Delighted with my start to the season (if not suspicious of the beta results - Partick Thistle gubbed us 4-1 and also beat Hearts 7-1!!!!)

My star man is Nadir Ciftci who has netted 15 goals in 11 games playing as an AF in my 4-2-3-1

Other notable players have been Callum McGregor, James Forrest and GMS all of whom have contributed with goals and assists

The biggest success so far though has been that I have guided the team to the CL group stages following a 4-2 aggregate defeat of Ludogorets - absolutely delighted although true to reality the board refused to give me a bigger slice of the pie for transfers so no significant purchases made yet.

Desperately need a CD and AMR

Hail Hail

Tempted to start my career with Celtic, what transfer budget do you start off with?

£2m with little chance of getting any more

Yeah £2.2m, but you can supplement that with sales (80%). I've been bringing in £6/7m from unwanted players.

Nice to see you sticking with the Ronny 4-2-3-1 Larsson, I take it you're walking the league?

Yeah £2.2m, but you can supplement that with sales (80%). I've been bringing in £6/7m from unwanted players.

Nice to see you sticking with the Ronny 4-2-3-1 Larsson, I take it you're walking the league?

13pts after 6 games - top on GD with Thistle in 2nd and Aberdeen in 3rd

Who have you managed to offload? All i have shifted is Stokes for £1.1m and Boerrigter on loan!!!

CL Group Draw sees me in with Chelscum, Shakhtar and Ajax - i am setting my sights on 2nd spot

I have won league first season and came 3rd in UCL group. Knocked out Europa league 1st KO.

Team has a Scandinavian feel with Augustinsson at LB, lewicki and fossum in midfield and banggaard and Sviatchenko at centre half.

Bitton constantly injured, sold a lot of crap and 2nd season budget of £23m

I got £18million in September after qualifying for the CL

I have won league first season and came 3rd in UCL group. Knocked out Europa league 1st KO.

Team has a Scandinavian feel with Augustinsson at LB, lewicki and fossum in midfield and banggaard and Sviatchenko at centre half.

Bitton constantly injured, sold a lot of crap and 2nd season budget of £23m

Just sold Bitton based on that assessment to AC Milan for £4.5m - squad aren't happy though

13pts after 6 games - top on GD with Thistle in 2nd and Aberdeen in 3rd

Who have you managed to offload? All i have shifted is Stokes for £1.1m and Boerrigter on loan!!!

Johansen was my biggest sale at £5m, and then Stokes £1m. Got my eyes on shifting Ambrose and probably McGregor or Rogic but not immediately.

Some crazy budgets being offered in some saves! Haven't the board looked across the city?

Johansen was my biggest sale at £5m, and then Stokes £1m. Got my eyes on shifting Ambrose and probably McGregor or Rogic but not immediately.

Some crazy budgets being offered in some saves! Haven't the board looked across the city?

They clearly have in my save as both attempts i have made to have budget increased have been met with a warning around the need for financial responsibility

Finding this years version quite challenging- alternating between 4-2-3-1 and 4-5-1 on FM Touch. Qualified for the CL but finished bottom with 3 points (3 home draws against Atletico Madrid, Ajax and Juventus, had chances to win all those games as well). Current challengers are Hearts in the SPL, 8 points ahead with a game at Tynecastle to come. Away form has been dodgy so I expect to struggle.

Top scorer is Leigh Griffiths with 21 goals in 30 games in all with Kris Commons weighing in with 11 in 25. Ciftci has been injured most of the season. Brought in Cummings for 500k but has been a fringe player.

Best signing goes to Angel Reina on loan with 6 goals and 2 assists in 11 games.

Looking forward to spending £13m transfer kitty in January

Just finished the first season, very very bizarre season for me...

Won the league but only just; finished on 78 points with Aberdeen second on 75 points, I had to beat them at home on the final game of the season to wrap up the title. Also won the Scottish Cup but was dumped out of the League Cup by Motherwell in the QF.

The shocking thing is that I made it to the semis of the Champions League - not sure if it's my tactics but we seemed to fare a lot better in Europe than domestically. I play with a 4-3-2-1 formation but SPFL has been much more difficult than I expected and not really sure why.

Made a few signings but the team is still very much a work in progress, transfers for 1st season below (includes the January 2016 transfer window):

IN

Iver Fossum - £2.4m

Andrija Zivkovic - £850k

Harry Souttar - £200k

Petar Stojanovic - £1.1m

David Pavelka - £675k

Bartlomiej Dragowski - £4m

Amr Gamal - £400k

Mohammed Elyounoussi - £1.6m

I also have Hummam Tariq coming in the summer - £2.1m

OUT

Anthony Stokes - £1.4m

Dedryck Boyata - £475k

Nadir Ciftci - £1.5m

Logan Bailly - £235k

Tom Rogic - £220k

Carlton Cole - £250k

Also lots of loans outgoing and didn't renew contracts for Mulgrew, Forrest, Fisher, McMullan and a few other youngsters at the end of the season.

Must say Zivkovic has been amazing as has Griffiths. Tbh Cole wasn't bad either but I sold him because I want to mould a team from youngsters, I have a policy whereby I try to get rid of players over 30. Will be looking to offload Commons, Izzy and Ambrose. I really need to improve my defence.

Started with the standard budget of £2m but it was boosted to £18m in January. My budget for the 2016/2017 season at the moment is also sitting at £18m. Still haven't thought of transfer targets so will be spending a few hours scouting.

I didn't renew John Collins or John Kennedy's contracts as both are poor. Brought in Olde Riekerink as Assistant and also signed David Fevre as physio - brought in a couple of other coaches throughout the season so ask me if you're interested to know who.

My mac died not long after my post last night and my save wasn't on the cloud so had to format and start again. Sold Bitton, they all kicked off and Armstrong was the ringleader so he has been told to gtf. Playing with wingers this save and proving quite effective so far.

I didn't even make it to the first Euro qualifier before Griffiths had thrown a hissy fit at me haha!

Just started a save there. Plan to offer out pretty much everyone and see what sort of offers I get. None of the South Americans I hoped to bring in seem to be interested yet the likes of Ruben Neves and Chambers are interested. Really tempted to blow whatever I can bring in on one of those two then fill the gaps with freebies.

Don't be scared to play the youths - especially domestically and in the early rounds of the European qualification. Tierney, Janko, Allan, Miller all impressing so far. Also given minutes to Thompson and Nesbitt. Can't wait for regen day!

This team write up is like being back at School haha. Phew.

Has anyone signed Jordan Larsson, how's he looking on this years game?

Has anyone signed Jordan Larsson, how's he looking on this years game?

Just started scouting him - early reports are positive - will report back once completed....

Has anyone signed Jordan Larsson, how's he looking on this years game?

I've signed him in January of first season. First 6 months he spent in the u20's with an occasional bench appearance. He scored two on The last day of the season away at Swinecastle when the league was won. He's gone on loan to Augsburg this year

What's his potential like seany? Care to post a screenshot?

What has everyone's youth intakes been like so far? I'm trying not to get too attached to my beta save and I quickly hurried onto regen day but it was shocking, one player at 2.5 star, simply not good enough fora club with our facilities. Even worse when I like to promote from within and not sign too many players!

What's his potential like seany? Care to post a screenshot?

What has everyone's youth intakes been like so far? I'm trying not to get too attached to my beta save and I quickly hurried onto regen day but it was shocking, one player at 2.5 star, simply not good enough fora club with our facilities. Even worse when I like to promote from within and not sign too many players!

I'm at work till 10 so I will when I'm home

And my first youth intake was *****. I've had all the facilities increased though so should be better next year

ok, so finished my first season and just thought I would let you know how it went. safe to say it was a very good season - domestic treble with the league wrapped up in march, league cup final was a 1-0 win over dundee utd, scottish cup final was a 5-0 win against aberdeen

the biggest achievement however was a champions league quarter final against barcelona, 2-2 after the first league at home but went on to lose 2-0 at the nou camp despite barca playing 83 minutes with 10 men

Season Review

i made 7 transfers in total, with 5 for the first team.

fossum was probably the most disappointing, mainly due to the fee paid and the return given although i think he could still go on to be a top player.

zivkovic was an absolute revelation, with 20 goals and 23 assists in under 50 games. PSG and Monaco are sniffing around him and I'm worried his 15m release fee could get triggered, but for 1m to bring him in initially it was money very well spent.

rossbach became my no.1 after an injury to Gordon who then couldn't reclaim the spot. i paid 24k to bring him early in august rather than wait for him to join on a free in January. has all the qualities to be a top goalkeeper

mazuch was brought in on a free in October and took a month or two to get going but became a key CB for me by the time the business end of the season came round

saeter was a January buy to replace allan and started playing his way into the first team before some disruptive injuries, but looks like he could be the best CM in the team after another full season or two

my other signings were harry souttar and a Latvian winger called vorobjovs. souttar is very much one for the future and i didn't expect much from vorobjovs but he manged to score 4 goals in 7 cup games so there is some promise there but still see him as more of an investment signing who will get sold on in a season or two

Transfers

Fossum

Zivkovic

Rossbach

Mazuch

Saeter

ive provided screenshots of a few of our players after the 1st season below. with regards to ciftci, he was played as an inside forward on the left side which makes his goal return very impressive.

tierney and janko are absolute class. tierney got a scotland cap during the season and is starting next season as first choice LB, janko as first choice RB.

called christie back from loan in january and he immediately became a first team player.

GMS and griffiths had very good seasons too and jozo looks like he could be a solid enough CB for years to come

Christie

Ciftci

GMS

Griffiths

Janko

Jozo

Tierney

coming into the second season and ive moved cole on to ipswich although he did have a good season and was a great target man for those games where its hard to break defences down or where you need to hold the ball up against teams in Europe

johansen is going if i can find a buyer. i cant think of one good game he had and I'm quite well covered in his position anyway. boyata is also being moved on.

so far ive got Charlie Austin coming in on a free and virgil is coming back for 5m

got about another 10m to spend so looking for a top winger to bring in. its unbelievable some of the players that are deemed realistic signings for us

i tried to embed postimg pics in the above post but it wouldnt work for me. anyone know why it might not have worked? had to use links instead

Larsson not in my game even though I have Swedish league loaded :/

Where are we all playing zivkovic? He's not been great for me and Spittal is keeping him out the team.

Also am I the only one that has Scott Allan playing outstand as an AP?

Thank you Mr Lawwell

Qualifying for the CL is vital in this although I've made £16M on transfers out this year

Evening boys. Been a while!

Work and family issues took over for a long time there.

1967 thanks for the nod in the OP, im digging it so far!

Really struggling with my save this time round, cant get a tactic I am happy with in the league, and some very sore results in europe. Qualified for the CL Group stages after getting Molde ( yes that molde ) in the final qualifier, after losing 0-2 in the first leg, I won 2-0 in the second after a halftime bollocking and went ahead to win the game on penalties, albeit one penalty seemed to glitch out (opposition keeper dove to the left very early, a good 2 seconds before the shot, then Scott Allan fired it at the keeper where he had dove, and it was saved ).

Only got 4 points out of a group with Juventus, CSKA and Leverkusen, including being humiliated by the first two once.

Knocked out of the slc by stranraer in the 3rd round, absolutely fuming with that!

Right now, top of the table by 3 points but my form is hit and miss, and I am not convident of winning the title yet.

Evening boys. Been a while!

Work and family issues took over for a long time there.

1967 thanks for the nod in the OP, im digging it so far!

Really struggling with my save this time round, cant get a tactic I am happy with in the league, and some very sore results in europe. Qualified for the CL Group stages after getting Molde ( yes that molde ) in the final qualifier, after losing 0-2 in the first leg, I won 2-0 in the second after a halftime bollocking and went ahead to win the game on penalties, albeit one penalty seemed to glitch out (opposition keeper dove to the left very early, a good 2 seconds before the shot, then Scott Allan fired it at the keeper where he had dove, and it was saved ).

Only got 4 points out of a group with Juventus, CSKA and Leverkusen, including being humiliated by the first two once.

Knocked out of the slc by stranraer in the 3rd round, absolutely fuming with that!

Right now, top of the table by 3 points but my form is hit and miss, and I am not convident of winning the title yet.

Speak and he shall appear, good to see you. Yeah I just couldn't leave that video out, I still watch it loads!!

I'm still trying not to get attached yet, but I can sense that this year may be the one where I stay at Celtic for a long, long time. There's a lot to build upon, and a lot of players to develop to add real longevity to the save.

Also, I've updated the second post, have a browse of the squad analysis chaps and discuss away!

What are everyone's thoughts on Simunovic? I just feel I can't trust the guy. He wanders

Likewise mate! Its incredible, gives me goosebumps everytime!

Im not attached at the moment, I agree, the squad is a serious project which needs alot of work, and the academy at the moment is not producing the quality of players it should.

Will have a read at it shortly.

He was ok for me, I dont play him that much, I tend to stick with Boyata and Ambrose, although I will be shopping for a young cb very soon.

No why Efe!!!! I'd rather play Sutton at CB!

Hmm, Jozo, I haven't given him a fair shot yet but he seems to get a good rating. I know that's not everything to look for. Did anyone else have a slight problem with his fitness, like really unable to play twice a week?

No why Efe!!!! I'd rather play Sutton at CB!

Hmm, Jozo, I haven't given him a fair shot yet but he seems to get a good rating. I know that's not everything to look for. Did anyone else have a slight problem with his fitness, like really unable to play twice a week?

I know its killing me slightly, but hes my best cb for now. Look at Angelo Fulgini, looks a good bpd.

He looks good, maybe a tad pricey though? Had an agent offer me Zach Clough of Bolton, probably available for £1.9m! That looks like a bargain, maybe some Lenny favouritism going on there? Griffiths, Cummings, Clough and Larsson as your four strikers? AF/F9 partnership?

I let Collins take charge of quite a few matches whilst I messed about and he nearly blew it. I retook charge for the last 3 games needing to overhaul a 4 point gap on Inverness and I'm very happy that we did it, 9 points including an 80th minute Armstrong goal against Dundee United (1-0), a late, late Griffiths winner away at Swinecastle and a last day 2-0 win at Inverness! Quit on 90 minutes though I want to save the achievement.

Really liking the look of a 4-3-1-2 (domestic), 4-1-3-2 (European) set up.

Although I really don't want us all to have the same starting 11, I can't speak highly enough of Sviatchenko as the rock solid CB. Outstanding.

He looks good, maybe a tad pricey though? Had an agent offer me Zach Clough of Bolton, probably available for £1.9m! That looks like a bargain, maybe some Lenny favouritism going on there? Griffiths, Cummings, Clough and Larsson as your four strikers? AF/F9 partnership?

I let Collins take charge of quite a few matches whilst I messed about and he nearly blew it. I retook charge for the last 3 games needing to overhaul a 4 point gap on Inverness and I'm very happy that we did it, 9 points including an 80th minute Armstrong goal against Dundee United (1-0), a late, late Griffiths winner away at Swinecastle and a last day 2-0 win at Inverness! Quit on 90 minutes though I want to save the achievement.

Really liking the look of a 4-3-1-2 (domestic), 4-1-3-2 (European) set up.

I am playing one upfront atm, 4-2-3-1 for now, and its working again. I am 10 points clear with 7 games left.

I got rid of Collins sharpish, and just brought in a coach who was good at judging potential and ability, I prefer my assistant managers to just do the press conferences.

Although I really don't want us all to have the same starting 11, I can't speak highly enough of Sviatchenko as the rock solid CB. Outstanding.

I think that wont be the case mate, there is always some players we will have similar.

I am bringing in Trindade de Vilhenna on a free, Larsson, Rossbach, Wahlqvist and Zivkovic coming in next season to bolster the ranks.

id seriously recommend to everyone to wait until october and sign mazuch on a free for CB. he can be snapped up on a pretty low wage (8k) and he will be a 3 1/2 or 4 star player

i went through most of the season trying not to use efe, but i had to give in because he is the best CB we have in the game. rather than sell him for 1 or 2 mil, my plan is to play him, hopefully get his value up and wait for a team to put in a fairly decent offer. if no one comes in for him, then at least i have a decent CB (in the game) as part of my squad.

jozo is a project, but he never really had a bad game for me in the first season i played. put him on concentration training and he could be a very solid defender for us. boyata is terrible though.

Last night I sold Efe. My centre half pairing is Sviatchenko with Boyata/Simunovic rotating.

Where do you all play Johansen? I have him on the bench most weeks. When he does play I have him in the AMC role as a shadow striker. He is nowhere near the ability of Scott Allan. Allan when played as an advanced playmaker is out of this world with his passing.

Gordon also retired on 8th Dec of first season with an injury.

I've signed Zoet for £3m as replacement. Looks very good

Last night I sold Efe. My centre half pairing is Sviatchenko with Boyata/Simunovic rotating.

Where do you all play Johansen? I have him on the bench most weeks. When he does play I have him in the AMC role as a shadow striker. He is nowhere near the ability of Scott Allan. Allan when played as an advanced playmaker is out of this world with his passing.

i played him as an AMC in a shadow striker role, but he wasnt the greatest to be honest. he's much better played at CM as a BWM but i already have brown in that role with fossum as back up so i sold him after the first season

Yeah I'll sell this jan window that's just opened I think.

Won't go offering him but I'm sure palace or the usual clubs will come in for him.

£5m?

Yeah I'll sell this jan window that's just opened I think.

Won't go offering him but I'm sure palace or the usual clubs will come in for him.

£5m?

i think i sold him for about 6m and i think i could have got about 8m if i held out a bit. that was after a full season that included a CL QF though, a lot of my player values had gone up considerably.

i think i sold him for about 6m and i think i could have got about 8m if i held out a bit. that was after a full season that included a CL QF though, a lot of my player values had gone up considerably.

I got to groups, then finished bottom and come the end of the season after the break, my players value had dropped dramatically. So weird, getting offers of like 3 mil for bitton, when i was getting 10 mil offers last season, and now folk arent going back to the 10 mil:/