FM10: Official Valencia Club de Fútbol Thread

I found Valencia to be one of the most challenging and, at the same time, fulfilling games on FM09. The challenge of trying to over-haul Barcelona and Real Madrid, whilst looking over your shoulder at the ever improving Athleico Madrid and Sevilla, is immense and exciting.

Valencia is Spain's third-largest city with a population of some 740,000. It lies on the Mediterranean coast some 350km south of Barcelona. Madrid is a similar distance inland.

Honours:

La Liga winners:

Season 1941/42

Season 1943/44

Season 1946/47

Season 1970/71

Season 2001/02

Season 2003/04

Spanish Cup:

1941. VALENCIA CF 3 - ESPAÑOL 1

Mundo (2), Asensi

June 29. Chamartín Stadium(MADRID).

1949. VALENCIA CF 1 - ATHLETIC DE BILBAO 0

Epi

June 29. Chamartín Stadium(MADRID)

1954. VALENCIA CF 3 - FC BARCELONA 0

Fuertes (2), Badenes

June 20. Chamartín Stadium(MADRID)

1967. VALENCIA CF 2 - ATHLETIC DE BILBAO 1

Jara, Paquito

July 2. Chamartín Stadium(MADRID)

1979. VALENCIA CF 2 - REAL MADRID 0

Kempes (2)

June 30 . Vicente Calderón Stadium(MADRID)

1999. VALENCIA CF 3 - ATLÉTICO DE MADRID 0

Claudio López (2), Mendieta

June 26. Olímpico Stadium(SEVILLA)

2008. VALENCIA CF 3 - GETAFE 1

Mata, Alexis, Morientes

April 16. Vicente Calderón Stadium (MADRID)

Spanish Super Cup:

1999.

First Leg: VALENCIA CF 1 - FC BARCELONA 0

Claudio López

August 8. Camp de Mestalla (VALENCIA)

Second-leg: FC BARCELONA 3 - VALENCIA CF 3

Albelda, Sanchez, Farinós

August 15. Nou Camp (BARCELONA)

UEFA Cup:

1961/62.

First-leg: VALENCIA CF 6 - FC BARCELONA 2

Guillot (3), Yosu (2), Héctor Núñez López

September 8. CAMP DE MESTALLA (VALENCIA)

Second-leg: FC BARCELONA 1 - VALENCIA 1

Guillot

September 18. Nou Camp (BARCELONA)

1962/63

First-leg: DINAMO DE ZAGREB 1 - VALENCIA 2

Waldo, Urtiaga

Second-leg: VALENCIA 2 - DINAMO DE ZAGREB 0

Mañó, Héctor Núñez

2003/2004

VALENCIA CF 2 - OLYMPIQUE DE MARSELLA 0

Vicente, Mista

May 19. Ullevi Gothenburg (GOTHENBURG)

European Cup Winners Cup:

1979/80.

ARSENAL 0 - VALENCIA CF 0

Penalties: Arsenal 4 - Valencia CF 5

May 14, 1980

European Super Cup:

1980/81.

First-leg: NOTTINGHAM FOREST 2 - VALENCIA CF 1

Felman

November 26, 1980

Second-leg: VALENCIA 1 CF - NOTTINGHAM FOREST 0

Morena

December 17, 1980

2004/05.

OPORTO 1 - VALENCIA CF 2

Baraja, Di Vaio

August 27, 2004. Luis II Stadium(MONACO)

The Mestalla, the current home of Valencia.

The Nou Mestalla - the 73,000 all seater stadium that Valencia will shortly move into.

Brief History:

Valencia Club de Fútbol, Los Che, are a La Liga team. The team was founded in 1919. The club's first president was chosen totally at random by the toss of a coin. Octavio Augusto Milego got the call right and he was elected as president ahead of Gonzalo Medina Pernás and Valencia Club de Fútbol was born. The clubs first match took place on 21st May 1919 and they lost 1-0. The historic first line up was : Marco, Peris, Julio Gascó, Marzal, Llobet, Ferré, Fernández, Umbert, Martínez Ibarra, Aliaga and Gómez Juaneda.

Valencia did not have a stadium until December 1919 and played at various local pitches throughout the region. On the 7th December 1919 the clubs first stadium, Algirós, was opened. It remained the clubs home until 1923 when the team moved to their current home, the Estadio Mestalla. The Mestalla was officially opened on 20th May 1923.

Around the same time that Valencia moved into the Mestalla the idea of a domestic football league in Spain was being talked about. However, as Valencia at the time were still a relatively new team they had to wait a number of years before they could join the league. Valencia won the League championship for the first time in the 1941-42 season.

The 1940's was a mixed decade for the club. They won three league championships, in 1942, 1944 & 1947, and finished as runner up twice, in 1948 & 1949. They were also successful in the Spanish Cup, which at the time was considered to be far more important than the league, winning the trophy in 1941 &1949. They also finished runners up on three occasions, in 1944, 1945 & 1946. So as you can see the 1940's earmarked the real emergence of a Spanish football giant.

After the success of the 1940's, the 1950's proved to be a disappointment for Valencia. The club failed to win the League, although they did finish as runner up in 1953 to an excellent Barcelona team. The club however did manage to win the Spanish cup in 1954, this time beating Barcelona. In 1957 a flood really affected Valencia and a few years of turmoil and poor results followed.

In the early 1960's Valencia was accepted in Fairs Cup, a competition that back then was exclusively entered by invitation, and not by way of a good position in the league. Valencia won the competition in 1962 with a 7-3 aggregate victory over Barcelona. They won the competition again in 1963, this time beating Zagreb in the final, 4-1 on aggregate. The league was again a disappointment with no league titles and no real challenges either.

The 1970's saw Valencia win the league title again in 1970/71. The manager who led them to this was the great Alfredo di Stéfano. Alfredo di Stéfano managed the club on three separate occasions, but his most successful spell came between 1970-74 where, as well as La Liga, he also finished as runner up on 2 occasions and reached 3 Spanish Cup finals, unfortunately losing them all. Valencia ended the decade by winning the European Cup winners cup, beating Arsenal on penalties in the final.

Valencia started the 1980's well by winning the European Super cup, beating Nottingham Forest, and in doing so became the first Spanish club to win the trophy. The 1982/83 season was bad for the club, only avoiding relegation on the last day of the season by beating Real Madrid 1-0 and other results going the clubs way. The club came under increased financial pressure, much of which was bought on by the world cup being held in Spain in 1982 and the club having to invest in upgrading the Mestalla. The 1983/84 & 1984/85 seasons were some of the darkest days in the clubs history. The debts began to build up and many players did not get paid during this time. Players were sold to try and service this debt and many young players had to be used.In the 1985/86 season the unthinkable happened, Valencia were relegated to the Second Division. That put an end to 55 consecutive seasons in the elite of the Spanish football, with four League titles, five Copa del Reys, two European Fairs Cups, one Cup Winners' Cup, one Super Cup and a history full of great footballers of international standard. The relegation was the saddest day in the history of Valencia CF.

Valencia were crowned champions of the Second divison in their first year following relegation. The fans had rallied around their club and the numbers of season tickets and club members actually increased. With the reduction in wage bill due to dropping down a division and increased gates the club were able to rectify their financial position. The club slowly built themselves back up and finished the 1988/89 season in 3rd and the 1989/90 season in 2nd.

Recently Valencia won La Liga in the 2001/02 season and again in 2003/04, a season which saw them come from 8 points down on Real Madrid to overhaul them to their 6th, and to date, final league title. Valencia have failed, again to date, to win the biggest trophy of all, the European Champions League despite reaching 2 consecutive finals in 1999/00 & 2000/01.

Valencia CF made a decision during 2005–2006 to construct a new stadium complex in north-west Valencia. The club will move into a new 73,000 all seater stadium, Nou Mestalla, in 2010.

FM2010.

Board Expectations:

Continental qualification through the league: £875k transfer budget - £850k wages

Title Challenge - £1m transfer budget - £925k wages

Winner - £1.1m transfer budget - £950k wages

At the start of the game the club is spending about £592k on wages, so you can adjust your budgets to increase your transfer budget. If you believe you can win the title and set this as your level of ambition you can adjust the budget to get about £18m in transfer allowance. If you ask the board for a higher wage budget this will be accepted, and you can either then use this for wages or extra transfer money again.

The clubs bank balance is reasonably good with about £30m in credit. You do however have to contend with a loan of £43.5 million, so be careful with how much you spend!

Squad Analysis:

Goalkeepers:

Probably the weakest area of the squad. Moya should be your first choice goalkeeper. He is decent, but no more than that. He is a good shot-stopper but is poor on crosses and decision making. Cesar will provide you with back-up.

Target - Sebastian Frey would be a good target. He can be prised away from Fiorentina for £20m.

For the future - Alphonse Areola who is at PSG at the start of the game has great potential. He can be signed for £725k in compensation, potentially rising to £1.9m. Vincenzo Fiorillo from Sampdoria is another target for the future. He was great on FM09 and seems to be equally good on FM10. He can be purchased for about £5m.

Right Back:

You have 2 different options at right back with Miguel and Bruno. There is not much overall difference between these 2 players, and it depends what you look for in a full back. In my opinion Miguel is the better attacking right back with Bruno the more solid defensively . I would say you will be ok in this position for a year or 2. Neither player is going to set the world alight, but for the price you would have to pay to get a better player I do not consider it to be worthwhile. However there are some players you can target should you wish to.

Target - Rafinha starts at Schalke. He is very good in defense. He could do with being trained in his positioning ability and strength to help him with his defensive game. He is very good for a full back at getting forward. Should be able to buy for about £13m.

For the future - Cesar Azpilicueta. He is at Osasuna. One of my favourite signings on FM09, hopefully he will develop just as well in FM10. Spanish which is a bonus, but it does push the price up. Expect to pay somewhere around £18m.

Left Back:

Another weak area of the team. Asier Del Horno and Jeremy Mathieu are your choices for the left back position. My problem here is that neither is great at actually defending. Both have weak stats in positioning and tackling. Mathieu is slightly the better player overall. I would definitely look to offload Del Horno if possible as he is on high wages for the club as well. You should be able to raise about 1.5m from his sale as well as freeing up £30k in wages.

Target - Jose Enrique at Newcastle is not a bad option. He should be transfer listed at the start of the game and you can get him for about £2m. He is Spanish and young-ish. Good at defending and ok going forward.

For the future - Emiliano Insua at Liverpool. He could turn out to be an excellent acquisition for the club. He will cost you though, £12m, which is quite a lot for the first season. He can be used in rotation however, so if you could offload both current left backs he could be viable.

Center Backs:

The big difference here is the big blow of the loss of Alboil to Real Madrid. You have 5 players who can play here, although personally I would discount Maduro from this as I do not believe he is good enough to play at Center Back. Your first choice options should be Alexis, generally good defensive stats but let down by perhaps a lack of pace but that should be countered by a good anticipation level, and Marchena. Marchena is fantastic in all areas other than pace/acceleration. Again though he should be able to compensate this with his concentration and anticipation being very good. Back ups here are Navarro and Dealbert. Neither are good enough to start against the top sides but both should provide decent enough cover. I would not look to really strengthen this area in the first season.

Target - Alessandro Gamberini from Fiorentina could be a target should you decide to strengthen here. He is a very good defender, with all the important stats being very good - possibly only let down by decisions. You will have to pay about £11m. If you feel you just need some cover in this area - how about bringing back a a former player - Roberto Ayala. Yes you will only get a year out of him, but if needs must?

For the future - Nicolas Otamendi from Velez is your man. Probably good enough even at the start of the game to rotate with the other center backs, he will surley turn into a future star. Get him whatever the price but you should only have to pay £4m.

Central Midfielders:

I am going to put all the central midfielders here, be they defensive or attacking. I guess most people will play with a defensive/attacking combo, but for ease I am going to put them all together. You have the 2 old hands here in Baraja and Albelda. Both are more than capable of being used for the first season. They both lack pace, to be expected, but both still have the mental stats to perform at this level. Albelda is the better of the 2. Maduro is looking very good and looks to have the right stats to play as a defensive midfielder. Fernandes and Banega should be your more creative central midfielders. Fernandes is good in all areas, but only his physical stats jump out. He is still only 23 and has time to improve, and with the right training schedule to improve his technical attributes he could become a good player. Banega, for his age, is very good. Technical stats are good in most areas and you should perhaps focus the training on his physical deficiency's. You have a young player, Michel, in the squad who is an attacking midfielder. Again at 20 his stats look impressive and with the right training could become a good player. I would look to offload Nacho Gonzalez as soon as possible. He is not a bad player, but you have 7 central midfielders and he, in my opinion, at 27 is the one you can get some money for and use to improve other areas. I would not look to improve here in the first season.

Target - If you don't feel the ageing players are up to it then have a look at Sebastian Kehl of Dortmund. He looks really good, but the downsides are that he is 29 and will probably set you back £7m.

For the future - Obvious ones here really - Zuculini at Hoffenheim can run your midfield in a few years. Martin Galvan at Cruz Azul has the potential again to be great and will only cost you £1.4m potentially rising to £3.7m - worth a punt.

Right Midfield/Winger:

Again you have 2 real options here Joaquin & Pablo Hernandez. Hernandez is not good enough at the moment to hold down a regular place. Both players are old fashioned run up the line and get crosses in type wide men. Hernandez is very quick so you could decide to utilise his pace. Joaquin is the better of the 2 and he is a very good player. He is not really going to help out defensively though, and against the bigger teams this may cost you. I would probably look to offload Hernandez and bring in a replacement.

Target - Darijo Srna from Shakhtar. For me this guy has got a little bit of everything. His workrate and teamwork are incredible. He is not going to be a Ronaldo type player and beat 5 men on his own, but he is good at what he does. For me I would say he is the Croatian David Beckham. He will set you back £16-18m . There are Spanish options here in Jesus Navas & Mikel Arteta of Sevilla and Everton respectively. I am not sure how much they would cost you.

For the future - Eduardo Savio from Lanus looks a hot prospect. It does look like he will need a few years to develop though. a fee of about £4m should secure his services.

Left Midfield/Winger:

You have several options here. David Silva is the one that sticks out. He looks incredible, and along with Villa, is your best player. You do have the option of moving Silva inside to an attacking central midfield role which would then free up the left side and you could use perhaps Mata, Alba or Vicente. Vicente is transfer listed at the start of the game and you will need to judge quickly if you want to sell him or not. To be honest, depending on your chosen formation, I would sell him. Silva and Mata are brilliant players and the left side of midfield you are well covered for. Alba is only 20 and looks promising but you need to improve his strength and balance. I would not look to improve here the first season.

Target - A few players come to mind if you want to improve here. Angel Di Maria can be bought from Benfica for and is a good option. £6m should get you Di Maria. Ben Arfa from Marseille is another and he will cost you about £17m . Again Mikel Arteta is an option for the left midfield.

For the future - Really Angel Di Maria or Ben Arfa would fit in here but they are quite well known anyway. Other players you can look at are Douglas Costa from Gremio, he should cost you about £9m, or Diego Buonanotte from River although you will really have to work on his physical attributes.

Forwards/Strikers:

Villa, Zigic & Miku are your striking options. Everyone knows about Villa, one of the worlds top marksmen. I would just try to teach him to place shots, this worked really well on FM09, and should work a treat again. Zigic proves a good foil for Villa. He is a physical beast. Almost unbeatable in the air. If you set your tactics right, with classic wing-play, the guy is unstoppable. I don't know much about Miku, and he starts the game transfer listed. I would suggest he is good enough for back up, but not to use against the bigger teams. I would look to sell him if you can get a decent replacement in at the right price.

Target - Andre-Pierre Gignac from Toulouse is a great option. He is just an all-round great striker. Quick enough, strong enough and a good finisher. He should set you back £8m.

For the future - Mario Balotelli from Inter. I am sure everyone knows this guy from FM09, and if anything he is better on FM10 by the looks of it. At just 18 he is going to improve considerably but he will set you back a bit - £32m to be precise.

Conclusion:

Well I hope that will entice you to try a game with Valencia. The challenge is there. Can you wrestle the league title back from Real Madrid and Barcelona? Can you replace the 2 richest clubs in the world as the dominant force in Spanish club football? Can you do something that no other manager of Valencia has done - win that elusive first Champions League trophy?

Good OP mate

Great one.

Thought I would give a quick update and try to get this thread kick-started a bit.

I have just gone past the close of the first transfer window. Here are my transfer dealings in the first window:

I was fairly happy with most of the deals I done. I am sure that Otamendi will be a star for Valencia. Srna was always the one player I wanted, he will bring a defensive stability to the midfield that will prove crucial against the bigger boys. Gignac was my final purchase. To be honest I didn't really want to bring in a striker during the first window, but Zigic had to go as I had to many non-Eu players in the squad.

Vicente was sold due to having an overload of left sided midfield players. Hernandez went due to Srna coming in and Zigic went as explained above.

Here is my squad:

I decided to play a 4-4-1-1 formation. At home I give the players a bit more freedom, have the team play a bit more fluid and let them roam a bit. Away from home I tighten it up a bit and restrict there roaming.

The season started off well enough, qualified for the Euro cup group stages and won my only league game to date against Espanyol.

I intend to add a bit more information to the OP when I have finished the demo, ie best formations/tactics, backroom staff etc.

Excellent OP...one of the best so far

End of Demo review

I have now finished the demo version of FM10 as Valencia. I must say first of all how impressed I am with this years version of the game. I think that it is so much easier to just pick up and play compared to previous version, whilst still keeping the challenge for experienced users.

I think that a game with Valencia appears to be more difficult than in FM09. The loss of Albiol is a factor in this. I also think that a few players have been tonned down since last year. I think they have the stats of most of the players exactly right.

As you can see I ended the demo in 4th place in the league. I tohught that was a fair position, I would expect Valencia to push for a Champions league place in the first season. They are certainly not going to challenge Barca or Real for the league title in the first year.

My only 2 defeats came to away at the Nou camp to Barca and away to Zaragoza. I had too many draws against sides I really should have been beating. I was very happy with my defensive record. Only conceeding 10 goals in 17 games is a good achievement I think, especially as I feel I don't really have 2 full-backs that I trust in defence. I need to, not score more, but nick the odd goal, against some of those sides I have been drawing with. That is probably just a case of tweeking my tactics a bit against some of those lesser sides.

As you can see my results against teams that should be near me in the table, ie Villareal and Sevilla, have been good. It is against teams like Almeria and Getafe that I should really be looking to pick up the 3 points.

Again as you can see my players all performed quite well. I had a few injuries throughout the demo and had to play players I didn't really want to. David Villa was my stand out performer. 19 goals in 23 games - 12 goals in the league. The guy is lethal!

I will carry on with the demo when the full game is released. I intend to play until the end of the season and then re-start with more leagues running.

I will also edit the OP later on today to go into more details about the tactics/formations I would recommend.

Loan debt seems to be too low in the demo compared what it's irl.. hopefully it's changed not later than the first update comes out. I think Valencia doesn't have that kind of transfer money at the moment.

I think the actual loan debt is about right from what I have read and heard, I don't think it is too far out. Don't forget to get that kind of transfer kitty involves you setting your target as league winner and adjusting all the budget from wages into the transfer funds.

davehanson, how did you manage to sign Srna and Otamendi? Where did you get the cash? Must have sold a few players right? Also are there any free players/loan who can bring in?

davehanson, how did you manage to sign Srna and Otamendi? Where did you get the cash? Must have sold a few players right? Also are there any free players/loan who can bring in?

I set my board expectations to title winner. That gives you a budget of £1.1m and a wage budget of £950k per week. You don't use anything like that kind of budget so you can adjust it all into the transfer funds. Once you have done that go to the board and ask for more wage's to be made available. You can then roughly get a transfer budget of about £18m.

Then obviously any sales you make can go towards your transfer targets.

I finished 11th with Valencia in my demo. I started really well, but had major problems with injuries/suspensions. I didn't sign anyone in my demo. I kept the squad as is.

The major areas to strengthen long-term would Right-Back, Centre-Back and Centre-Midfield. Villa and Silva are immense. The squad has a lot of potential and with a bit of tweaking, there is definitely enough scope to really challenge

Wow really nice tactics there. How come you sold Pablo? In real life this guy is one of the best players in the team alongside Villa, Silva and Mata. They havent rated him well (I havent played the game yet)?

Also disappointing they havent rated Dealbert hasnt been rated as well.

Amazing OP, makes me feel like I need to expand my Man City thread as it looks rubbish compared to this one

I probably will have a Valencia-save myself at one point... Man City, Palermo and Valencia I've got planned.

How's the finances for Valencia now? I know they got it fixed in the short-term in real life but supposedly they still have major issues from a long term perspective? Is this reflected in FM10 in anyway? I know the demo is only 6 months but is there a massive loan draining money or something?

Edit: Sorry just noticed it's already been discussed... :o

Also, has anyone tried David Silva as a Trequartista (Attack), just looking as his attributes he must be amazing in that role?

Does people set David Villa as a Complete Forward generally?

Wow really nice tactics there. How come you sold Pablo? In real life this guy is one of the best players in the team alongside Villa, Silva and Mata. They havent rated him well (I havent played the game yet)?

Also disappointing they havent rated Dealbert hasnt been rated as well.

Really just as I explained in my OP, imo both Hernandez and Juaquin are very similar players, they seem to be typical old fashioned (which isn't a bad thing) wingers. I just feel against the bigger teams that this will cost you as they don't have the defensive capabilities.

By the way when the actual game comes out there is no way I would recommend setting your target to win the league - I don't think you have any chance with Barcelona and Real in your league!

Amazing OP

Also, has anyone tried David Silva as a Trequartista (Attack), just looking as his attributes he must be amazing in that role?

Does people set David Villa as a Complete Forward generally?

Silva I used in various roles as I tinkered and messed about with tactics. To be honest he seems to play well wherever you put him. One of my favourite positions for him would be in an AMR role in a Mourinho-esq 4-3-3 tactic. Try putting him there then setting his role as an inside forward - tears defence's apart when he come's inside as it just opens up so many options for him.

I had too many draws against sides I really should have been beating.

Welcome to Anfield '09

I finished 11th with Valencia in my demo. I started really well, but had major problems with injuries/suspensions. I didn't sign anyone in my demo. I kept the squad as is.

The major areas to strengthen long-term would Right-Back, Centre-Back and Centre-Midfield. Villa and Silva are immense. The squad has a lot of potential and with a bit of tweaking, there is definitely enough scope to really challenge

I think you are spot on with most of your obeservations there. You are going to have problems at right back as neither Miguel or Bruno are the best at actually defending.

You have Alexis at center back who isn't bad and Marchena, who I am very impressed with. Actually Navarro did very well for me on the demo and if you can just add Otamendi you should be ok for at least 3 or 4 seasons.

I am going to be interested in the CM position. For me young Michel impressed during the demo. I am also going to be interested as to how Fernandes and Banega develop as the game progresses.

How does Michel do in the CM position? I always thought he was more of an AM, thus could be used as backup to Silva. Banega and Fernandes were both average in 09. I d be quite dissapointed especially if Banega doesnt turn into a world class player, which he really is proving to be with Valencia this season.

How does Michel do in the CM position? I always thought he was more of an AM, thus could be used as backup to Silva. Banega and Fernandes were both average in 09. I d be quite dissapointed especially if Banega doesnt turn into a world class player, which he really is proving to be with Valencia this season.

You can see from one of the screenshots above that for me he scored an average rating of 7.19 and scored 5 goals in 12 starts from a central midfield position.

I've been sitting here for about five hours now, after having got bored for some unknown reason with my Celtic save (and just giving up), trying to find a team that will keep me interested for longer than half a season. This excellent thread has spurred me into action! I'm going to play as Valencia and my long-term plan is domestic domination and European glory! Looking forward to re-reading the OP as I first start to plan my strategy.

You have picked a good team

I acquired Srna (for a whopping 17m), and it's just as well because my other strong right-mid, Joaquim, got an injury that will see him out of action for 6-7 months in my third pre-season match. I went for Otamendi, but he ended up plumping for Palermo instead of Valencia, which was frustrating. I have about 4.5m left, and I really need to try and find cover for the right-mid spot, beacause if Srna gets inured I've got absolutelly no cover.

btw, I know how to "print screen", but how do you then paste that onto the boards here? Thanks.

Paste it into paint, save and then upload it to an image hosting site.

Paste it into paint, save and then upload it to an image hosting site.

Thanks for that. Seems a bit fiddly- it would be nice if there was a simpler way of doing this.

I am keen to boost my DM area? Any suggestions? How is this guy called Annan-good enough to play at Valencia. My scouts say he will be the 3rd best DM if he joins. They also recommended Makelele, but i am not prepared to pay 1.5 Mill Pounds for a 36 year old.

I am currently trying to get the best out of Zigic in an offensive shape (Zigic as target man, support; formation is 4-2-4 with a dmc and mc shifted and aml/amr). Although I set cross target to target man, it seems that he doesn't play well (1 goal in 5 games, compared to Villa with 5 in 6). Has someone had success with Zigic?

@jeesh: I signed Camacho for about 6 mio. Euros. I like that he can play both DM and MC and you can use him right away without the need to wait 1 or 2 saisons until he is good enough.

I acquired Srna (for a whopping 17m), and it's just as well because my other strong right-mid, Joaquim, got an injury that will see him out of action for 6-7 months in my third pre-season match. I went for Otamendi, but he ended up plumping for Palermo instead of Valencia, which was frustrating. I have about 4.5m left, and I really need to try and find cover for the right-mid spot, beacause if Srna gets inured I've got absolutelly no cover.

btw, I know how to "print screen", but how do you then paste that onto the boards here? Thanks.

If I was you I would probably re-train either Fernandes or Michel to play as a RM. Fernandes is listed as unconvincing at the start of the game and Michel as awkward. You could probably get them trained within 2-3 months. I don't see an awful lot of point in splashing out a lot of money, that Valencia don't really have, on what will effecitvely be a 3rd choice RM when everyone is fit.

However if you really do want someone instantly then Beckham would be not a bad option. He already has Spanish as a language, wont cost you the earth (about £400k), and will probably only want a one year deal.

Also the only way I know how to do screenshots are to do as Hopey said.

I am keen to boost my DM area? Any suggestions? How is this guy called Annan-good enough to play at Valencia. My scouts say he will be the 3rd best DM if he joins. They also recommended Makelele, but i am not prepared to pay 1.5 Mill Pounds for a 36 year old.

Any of the following would be good signings:

Etienne Capoue of Toulouse

Moussa Sissoko of Toulouse

Gokhan Inler of Udinese

Clement Chantome of PSG

All of them are usually interested in coming to Valencia. I have to be honest I don't know how much any of them would set you back. I am in the process of tapping up Sissoko & Capoue for next season.

Annan, on paper, looks a decent player. How much do you think you can get him for? I would say that Sissoko is and will be a better player than him, it just depends what you have to spend and how much you can get each player for.

I am currently trying to get the best out of Zigic in an offensive shape (Zigic as target man, support; formation is 4-2-4 with a dmc and mc shifted and aml/amr). Although I set cross target to target man, it seems that he doesn't play well (1 goal in 5 games, compared to Villa with 5 in 6). Has someone had success with Zigic?

@jeesh: I signed Camacho for about 6 mio. Euros. I like that he can play both DM and MC and you can use him right away without the need to wait 1 or 2 saisons until he is good enough.

I have got Zigic to play ok. He has an average rating of 7.02 and has got 7 goals in 11 appearances for me so far. I have him set as a target man in either a lone striker role or in a pair. He is on a support setting when playing alongside someone and an attack setting when playing as a lone striker. Target man instructions are set to mixed.

I have decided to go without a new DM signing for the first 6 months. Will consider the players you mention during the January Transfer Window.

Btw a wider pitch is more suitable for Valencia right?

Playing a 4-2-3-1 with Villa as lone striker, Silva in the hole and Mata/Joaquin on the wings

Not sure who to get, I bought Annan as a DM and he seems decent, i've got Kryvtsov as a defender (he looks amazing) but I still feel I could use a loan signing for CB. I've got 10.5m to spare

Transfer Ins -

Areola (40k)

Annan (2.5m)

Kryvstov (2.7m)

E. Salvio (3.7m)

Outs -

Mirano (500k)

Nacho Gonzalez (3.2m)

Pablo H (11.25m)

Baraja (1.5m)

Who should I get? Really not sure who to get to improve the team, my tactics seem a bit hit and miss at the moment in pre-season and i'm not sure where to spend the money on (although it's obvious a lot of areas need upgrading). I'm trying to sell Zigic as he could fetch a fair bit and i'm only using the one striker.

David Luiz for CB. Don't you need a RB as-well?

David Luiz for CB. Don't you need a RB as-well?

Unless he has sold either Miguel or Bruno he should be ok at right back for the first year. I mean it is an area that can be improved upon but I would say there are far more pressing positions to worry about.

Luiz for a CB is a great shout. Also have a look at Otamendi from Velez, you can usually purchase him for about £3.5m - £4.5m, or take him on loan for a season. For your budget though you might be able to get Gamberini from Fiorentina. I must admit I haven't had him on the full game but he does look excellent. Your other option could be Ayala as a short term measure.

I have to say that's a great price for Hernandez, I have never been able to get more than about £7.5m for him. Did you negotiate it in installments or was it all up-front?

Zigic is really difficult to get rid of for anything like decent money. I have only been able to sell him once and that was for only £3.4m on the demo. I decided to keep him on the full game and use him as back up and another option if I wanted to play 2 up top. If you can use him correctly you can get some really good performances out of him.

I have decided to go without a new DM signing for the first 6 months. Will consider the players you mention during the January Transfer Window.

Btw a wider pitch is more suitable for Valencia right?

Think it really depends on how you play or how you want to play tbh. If you use 2 out and out wingers (Mata/Vicente & Joaquin) then I guess a wide pitch would be best.

If I was you I would probably re-train either Fernandes or Michel to play as a RM. Fernandes is listed as unconvincing at the start of the game and Michel as awkward. You could probably get them trained within 2-3 months. I don't see an awful lot of point in splashing out a lot of money, that Valencia don't really have, on what will effecitvely be a 3rd choice RM when everyone is fit.

However if you really do want someone instantly then Beckham would be not a bad option. He already has Spanish as a language, wont cost you the earth (about £400k), and will probably only want a one year deal.

Also the only way I know how to do screenshots are to do as Hopey said.

I haven't been playing for the past three of four days, with work dominating my life, although I hope to pick things up again at the weekend. I ended up selling Fernandez, and a few others, in an attempt to rake in some much-needed cash, and Srna and a cheapo forward, whose name escapes me, are the only purchases that I made before the transfer deadline. My squad is very thin as a result, and I do fear for my team up until the transfer window re-opens in January. Losing Joaquim so early was a bit of a blow, as if I'd kept him fit then I could have played him at right-mid with Srna at right-back. Zigic has been on fire for me in the opening eight or so games proper. His finishing has been clinical, and he's working very well indeed as a target man. The left-mid, Mata(?) has also been playing exceptionally well. The big disappointment so far has been Villa, who I've been playing alongside Zigic as a complete forward. His average rating is, unbelievably, less than 7, and he really needs to up his game. Looking forward to getting back into the swing of things sooner rather than later.

If I use 2 up front, Zigic & Villa, I also use Zigic as a Target man. I did use Villa as a complete forward like you, but have now switched that to an advanced forward and he seems to be performing very well, so far...................

Great OP mate!

This post's going to be a little rushed as i'm in work and have to keep an eye out for the boss lol.

Started with Valencia last night due to a mix of this thread and the enjoyment I got out of the game in 2009. First impressions were that some of the attacking players are looking very good, especially the wingers. Obviously going to make Villa and Silva the centre of my team so today will be spent thinking up a tactic I can use to utilise these players best. Any suggestions? I'm going to play Silva in the centre as I missed out on getting Van Der Vaart on loan (to Everton :S.)

The defence is fairly dodgy and the defensive minded midfielders are getting old but i've decided to keep the majority of the team until at least January. The left side of defence is probably the biggest cause for concern but I think Mathieu can do a half decent job at least.

Can't fully remember my ins and outs upto now but i'll give it a go and edit when I get home:

In:

Di Maria

Areola

Beckham (Jan) - more for coaching, cameo roles.

Otamendi

Out:

N.Gonzalez

*rubbish left back*

two more fringe midfielders.

I have now finished my first season, getting 3rd with 66 points, 27 (!) behind league winner barcelona. I won the European League and lost in the Spanish cup semi finals.

Top Scorers in league: Villa 23 goals in 32 games, Adriàn 20 in 24 (2) and Zigic 7 in 15 (12).

General formations: -counter: DR DC DC DL -control: DR DC DC DL

DM DM

MR MC ML MC

AMR AML

ST FC ST FC

At the begin of the season, I used Zigic as ST (target man), but was disappointed (I think, he is to slow in my formations), so I used Adriàn as a regular, who was extremly good as target man.

Liked to play counter football, as i could drop my defence deep which was useful for the lack of speed Alexis/Marchena have.

Players in: -summer 09: Adriàn for 4 mio €; Camacho 6 mio; Obasi 9.75 mio

-winter 09/10: Rodwell (1.9 mio for loan, then used 11.5 mio future fee clause to make move permanent)

Players out: -Vicente (loan), Dealbert (loan+future fee accepted for 1.6 mio), Nacho 2 mio, Lillo 0.675 mio, Miku 2 mio, Hernandez 8 mio

-summer 10: Mata to Real Madrid for 35 mio €

Best signing: Adriàn

Worst signing: Obasi (played him as AMR/MR, but will now use him as cover for Villa)

Won twice against Real, but failed many times against underdogs (I think I am not the only one) as my backroom advice warned, especially if they play 4-2-3-1 with two MC's.

Aims for the 2nd season: Close the gap to Barca/Real; get better fullbacks and an AMR; add more depth into squad in general; pass the Champions League group stages.

About Pablo Hernandez - Atletico enquired and i replied asking for 11.25m + 10% of next sale (thinking they wouldn't bid for that), turns out they did so i accepted

I also ended up buying Gamberini for 15m (over 48 months), as well as a very good keeper regen (next Iker Casillas, ironically from Madrid youth as well) and I could've bought Camacho for 4.8m but decided against it for the moment.

David Villa has 4 goals from 3 so far and 14 from 9 including friendlies.

Do you think I could sell Hernandez and have enough money for Camacho?

Just started my game. Will post my transfers etc, when the window is closed.

David Villa has started with 11 goals in 4. Jeez.

Thank you for your inputs Dave Hanson. Greatly Appreciated. Ughhh i feel your pain Mr. DNA. I installed the game on Monday and still stuck in September. 12-14 hours a day working is eating up my precious FM time.

Btw mates, in the few matches that i have played i have been scoring a lot of goals. In fact in both Liga games i scored 3 each. But the trouble is i am conceding as well although i mostly play with the contain strategy. I have Otamendi and Marchena as CB's with Alexis and Dealbert as backup. I dont mind winning 1-0 or 2-0 or even 2-1. But 3-2, 4-3 is definitely not my game. Any tips?

Would you play Silva as a Trequartista or Advanced Playmaker?

Villa as an Advanced Forward?

Would you play Silva as a Trequartista or Advanced Playmaker?

Villa as an Advanced Forward?

I keep fiddling about with things at the moment until I am totally happy with it. Currently I am using Silva as an AML and as an advanced playmaker. Villa I am obviously using as a FC as a Trequartista, and it seems to be working really well.

Just to say also that I am really glad that people have enjoyed the thread and are now starting to enjoy playing FM10 as Valencia.

I had almost finished the continuation of the demo game about 3 or 4 days ago when my HD decided to commit suicide and lost all my data. I have however started a new game and will post some information about it when I reach the January transfer window, that might be tonight or tomorrow. I have made some, well, 'interesting' signings. I just hope I get Champions League football next year or I am in trouble.

@davehanson: Villa as FC and Trequartista, very nice idea. Didn't think about that. Do you have two or one striker?

Just finished my first season with Valencia. A lot of success!

Firstly i got into the Champions League by ending third behind mighty Barca and Real Madrid:

Secondly i won the UEFA CUP by beating Panasthinaikos in the final after extratime goal by David Villa.

Speaking of David Villa, look at his record season:

This season I've bought a couple of youngsters (Otamendi and Kiko Femenia(Hercules)) and and the team hasn't changed much:

@davehanson: Villa as FC and Trequartista, very nice idea. Didn't think about that. Do you have two or one striker?

I play, at the moment, with 2 strikers. It is kind of a 4-4-2/4-3-3 hybrid.

Marchena

That is an outstanding season. Villa looks like he was on fire! What instructions do you give him?

Any other players that stood out for you during the season. Well done again

Marchena

That is an outstanding season. Villa looks like he was on fire! What instructions do you give him?

Any other players that stood out for you during the season. Well done again

David Silva ofc also did a great jo scoring 14 goals. Also Banega was a joy as the more creative of my two MC.

Biggest surpirse was Dealbert and Míchel who both did a good job, in a lot of matches were they had to start due to injuries.

David Villa is set as a "complete forward" and oh my he is indeed complete