Official Cambridge United Thread (9.3.0) - Amber and Black Army

Cambridge United Football Club is a professional football club from Cambridge, England. They are currently playing in the Conference National, where they have competed since 2005 following their relegation from the Football League after 35 years.

Cambridge United, often referred to in national footballing circles as simply Cambridge, ignoring their smaller but older neighbours Cambridge City, have been one of the more successful smaller clubs in English football, having had two spells in the league's second tier and reaching the quarter-finals of the FA Cup twice and Football League Cup once. The club has close links with Cambridge Regional College, a team formed in 2006 to effectively compete as United's reserve team to avoid FA rules which prohibit reserve teams playing at certain levels of the football pyramid.

The club is based at the Abbey Stadium on Newmarket Road, Cambridge, which currently has a capacity of 9,617 made up of terracing and seated areas. Although the club has traditionally worn amber and black at home, it has experimented with a number of designs of shirts including plain amber with black trim, amber and black squares and, presently, striped shirts.

Notable former players:

Andy Sinton, Alan Kimble, Dion Dublin, Liam Daish, Lee Philpott, Steve Claridge, Gary Rowett, John Filan, Carlo Corazzin, Jody Craddock, Danny Granville, Micah Hyde, Trevor Benjamin, Martin Butler, Dave Kitson, John Ruddy, Robbie Simpson.

Current squad

1 GK Danny Potter

2 DF Dan Gleeson

3 DF Anthony Tonkin

4 MF Daryl McMahon

5 DF Phil Bolland

6 DF Wayne Hatswell

7 FW Mark Beesley

8 MF Andy Parkinson

9 FW Scott Rendell (on loan from Peterborough United)

10 MF Jon Challinor

11 MF Courtney Pitt

12 DF Josh Coulson

14 MF Mark Convery

15 MF Paul Carden

16 MF Ben Farrell

18 MF Robbie Willmott

21 FW Chris Holroyd

22 MF Craig Bussens

23 MF Darren Quinton

24 DF Jordan Collins

25 MF Jai Reason (on loan from Ipswich Town)

26 DF Rory McAuley

28 FW Danny Crow

Club Information

Full Name: Cambridge United Football Club

Nickname: The U's

Founded: 1912 as Abbey United

Manager: Gary Brabin

Major Rivals: Peterborough, Histon

Icons: John Taylor, Dion Dublin, Steve Claridge, Paul Wanless, Dave Kitson, Robbie Simpson, Scott Rendell

Favoured Personnel: Lionel Perez, Jamie Guy, Martin Butler, Jody Craddock, Gary Johnson, Roy McFarland

Media Prediction: 3rd

Club Captain: Paul Carden

Club Vice-Captain: Danny Potter

Financial Information

Estimated Value: 625k

Balance: £147,501k

Transfer Budget: £0

Wage Budget: £12.25k p/w (Currently Spending £12.149k p/w)

Challenge

Can you take Cambridge Utd back to the brink of the Premier League or go one better and get them into the Premiership? In 1992 Cambridge were just 1 game away from becoming founder members of the Premier League and now find themselfs outside of the football league in the Blue Square premier (Conference). After a few years in the Blue square premier it now looks like Cambridge Utd are ready to regain there football league status. Last season Cambridge reached the play-off final but missed out at Wembley to Exeter.

Budgets are tight but there is a should be enough in the squad to mount a challenge for the title.

Good Luck.

Nice one on doing the amber army , i'll definitely do a cambridge one at some point, i go watch them loads

I have started a new game on 9.3.0 and i'm going to take my time to get my tactics right as this is always something i have overlooked in the past and just kept my tactics to a basic. I would idealy like to have 2-3 tactics ready to go for the start of the season so i will be trying them all out during the pre-season games.

I would 1st like to have a 4-4-2 formation with 2 flat banks of 4 with one MC doing a more attacking job and the other a defensive job. I would also like to have a more narrow formation which would have a DMC with either 3 players in the MC positions or with one of them in a AMC position. Im undisided on the 3rd formation but im thinking of either having a 5-3-2 formation with wingbacks and 2 DC's or trying something with 3 up front.

Squad wise i am happy with it, any signings i make will depend on how the players perform during pre-season, if they do ok then i will just try and make a few loan signings to add to the depth of the squad, If i feel i need to sign someone then i will maybe look at signing a few players on free transfers should i need to. Not having Courtney Pitt avalible at the start of the season limits my options in the wing position so that my be something i have to look at.

I will post again at the end of pre-season to let you know how that goes.

WOW nice one was shocked to see a thread about the mighty U's, in the 9.1.0 i took Cambridge to the premiership and won it, I might start again with my beloved team, by the way folks If you have Setanta be sure to tune in and watch The mighty U's beat the village idiots tonight

You should start a new game. If played as them in all versions on the game and this will be the 1st time ive played as them in FM09 (Excluding the few games i played as them in the demo).

I will be at the game in H*ston tonight cheering the lads on! Come on United!

I will also be there tonight Yeah just loaded up a new game with United, Jai reason isnt there on loan!

And like you've said in thr first thread definitely need a left winger with Courtney being out injured, so i shall look into some loan signings especially with tight budget.

Chris Holroyd is looking good stats wise but im sure i will start Rendell as a lone striker in a 4-2-3-1 formation, Paul Carden doesn't look too good!

Im not sure who the United researcher is but hes got a couple of things wrong, Mark Beesley's best position is still as a MC when he's defo more of a AMC/ST and John Challinor IMO should be an MC as natural position although he does like to get forward so would have his next best position as AMC but not as his natural position.

On the Jai Reason front, if you make a bid for him for a season long loan and 0% wages you will be able to get him in. stats dont look brilliant but when you get him the coaches think he is way better that what is already there so is worth getting.

Agree with the Beesley thing, i am re-training as a AMC in the hope i can use him in the way Brabin currently is behind 2 strikers.

Huge Cambridge fan, can't see them often now though 'cos I'm at uni in Portsmouth. Got to Lewes (great atmosphere!) and will be cheering the lads on tonight as well via Setanta. Come on the U's!

The only long term game I've had on 09 has been with CU. It's now October 2023, we finished 3rd in the EPL last year having finished 5/6th for a few years. Won the Euro Cup and FA cup 2 years ago and the League cup last year. FINALLY had a new stadium built, a 28 000 all-seater. Have the best striker in the world (worth 34million) and he's pretty much keeping near the top single handedly.

I've only played a short game with the new database but copying Brabin's 4-3-3 seems to work pretty well (not sure how you'd explain his 5-2-3 wingbackish type thing to the match engine though!).

I hope Brabin has the option in his post-match interview to complain about the linesman

Right im should finaly ready to get Pre-season underway tonight (I told you i was going to spend alot of time on getting my tactics sorted). Ive been reading the Tactical Theorems and frameworks 09 thread and have decided to create a 4-4-2 formation using the 'rule of one' system. Im going to hope to use a MCa (Maybe Challinor or a new signing) and MCd (Carden) with a STa (Holroyd) and STd (Rendell). My back 4 is going to be pritty standard.

Signings wise im going to maybe look at bringing in a quick striker to cover for the STa position if Holroyd get injured and doesnt perform or a target man/skilled stiker to cover Rendell. In the midfield i think the ML position needs some cover due to Pitt's injury so will look to bring in someone there and i may also look to sign either a defensive or attacking midfielder, which one will depend on how carden players, i hoping he can do a good DM job for me. Im happy with defence but may bring in loan cover, and the same goes for a backup keeper.

Pre Season Round-up

Right pre-season is over, not too much activity in the transfer market, only signed Fred Sears on loan from West Ham for the season. Im dont think there will be too many more signings during the next few weeks but wouldnt rule out one or two. Having only 1 GK is something i may need to look at and bring someone in on loan.

I asked the board for a Parent club and they came back with Arsenal and Coventry. I desided to go for Arsenal, i know i am going to struggle to get any of there players to come on loan but in the future i know im going to have some great young players to pick from. Also Arsenal are paying 40k more per year and for a club in the BS Premier this is nice.

Games wise pre-season went well only loosing to Sheff Wed at home. Here are the results:

vs King's Lynn 1-1 (Bolland)

vs Sheff Wed 0-5

vs Cambridge City 6-0 (O.G, Sears 3, Rendell, Quinton)

vs Rhyl 4-0 (Parkinson, Sears, Convery, Holroyd)

vs Luton 0-0

vs Mildenhall 3-0 (Holroyd 2, Rendell)

So onto the start of the season, here are the teams i play against in the 1st month:

Northwich (Away), Kidderminster (Home), Barrow (Home), Eastbourne Boro (Away), Kettering (Home) and Weymouth (Away).

i would be very disapointed not to come out of this month in the top 3 but we shall see.

How is everyone doing then?

hi all currently doing a cambridge season in my 2nd season in lg 2 after a storming season in BSP i recommend people to get Kris Renton on loan for the whole season from norwich ST he banged me 32 goals in 46 games with rendell upfront with him its awseome!!

any going to wembley on sunday i cant wait just got my tickets through today!!

shocking result for the cambridge boys at wembley but it was nothing but deserving with the performance we had anyway always automatic next year come on lads

hows everyone doing with cambridge united then boys and girls?

I just managed to get them promoted to the premiership in my 8th season. Not looking good about staying up though...

Season 1- promoted by becoming champions on last day by a mighty difference of 1 point from Oxford, helped by some free transfers suggested by Carden, one of whom, William Huck, became my captain the next season.

Season 2 - Struggled to start with, but loan signing of Macheda really helped me, and he and holroyd fired me up to the playoffs. Unfortunately went out in the semis.

Season 3 - Serene progress to promotion in 2nd place with Macheda coming in on loan again, and a couple of more free signings from the previous season, including a very decent cb, Kevin Franqueville, again suggested by Carden. (what is it with Carden and his french suggestions....)

Season 4 - A brilliant run at the beginning of the season was helped by 2 youth products who went straight into the first team, at ages 16 (RW) and 17 (ST) respectively. Crucial signings of Robin Previtali and Magnus Eikrem guided me to 6th but sadly I went out in the Playoff finals.

Season 5 - Finally got a budget of more than 100k, and signed a brilliant regen cb and a great fullback, Sylvain Carre, they helped me to a great 1st position.

Season 6 - My regen ST youth product really came of age, firing in 20 and Previtali fired in 25 as I defied prediction to come just outside the playoffs in my first season in the Championship.

Season 7 - Was solidly mid-table until a great string of results at the end of the season just pushed me into the playoffs, where I was unlucky on penalties in the semifinals to Ipswich.

Season 8 - My regen CB and ST now becoming fully established players, a couple more regen signings saw me safely in to the playoffs where I gained promotion to the Premiership with a 2-1 victory over Leeds.