FM12: CSKA (Sofia) - The Bulgarian giant hungry for European glory.

[Bane]

Welcome to the official CSKA (Sofia) thread!

CSKA (Sofia) has won 31 A PFG titles and 19 national cups and is the best performing Bulgarian football club based on the all-time national statistics. Internationally, CSKA (Sofia) has reached two European Cup semi-finals, four European Cup quarter-finals and one Cup Winners' Cup semi-final, also making it the best performing Bulgarian club in European club competitions.

★ We start off with a brief history lesson... ★

Before you read further anything about CSKA (Sofia) you’ll have to be familiar with all their names in order to not get confused. CSKA (Sofia) has carried a plethora of names throughout its history. In chronological order, they are as follows:

• Septemvri pri CDV - September at the Central House of the Troops in 1948 and 1948/49.

• Narodna Voiska - People's Troops in 1950.

• C.D.N.V. - Central House of the People's Troops in 1951 and 1952.

• Otbor na Sofiyskiya Garnizon - Team of the Sofia's garrison in 1953.

• CDNA - Central House of the People's Army from 1954 and until the 1961/62 season.

• CSKA "Cherveno zname" - CSKA "Red Flag" between 1962/63 and 1967/68.

• CSKA "Septemvriysko zname" - CSKA "September's flag" between 1968/69 and 1984/85.

• CFKA "Sredets" - Central Football Club of the Army "Sredets" from 1985/86 and until 1988/89.

• CSKA - CSKA - Central Sports Club of the Army since 1989/90 to present days.

Nickname(s) : The Army Men (Armeytsite), The Reds (Chervenite)

★ And now, let's begin... ★

PFC CSKA (Sofia), commonly known as CSKA or CSKA (Sofia) (internationally) is a professional football club based in Sofia, Bulgaria. The club was officially founded on May 5, 1948. The club's abbreviation stands for Central Sports Club of the Army At present, however, the club does not have any direct ties to the Bulgarian Army. Since its formation, CSKA (Sofia) has won 31 A PFG titles and 19 national cups and is the best performing Bulgarian football club based on the all-time national statistics. Internationally, CSKA (Sofia) has reached two European Cup semi-finals, four European Cup quarter-finals and one Cup Winners' Cup semi-final, also making it the best performing Bulgarian club in European club competitions.The club's home colours are red and white. CSKA (Sofia)'s official home ground is the Bulgarska Armiya (Bulgarian Army) Stadium with a capacity of 22,015 spectators. To date, the club's biggest rivals are Levski Sofia, and matches between the two sides are commonly referred to as "The Eternal Derby in Bulgaria". (As you can see the following statistics the results are in favour of our biggest rivals. Go and give your best to make those statistic positive for our side!)

★ Pre-CSKA years... ★

On October 28, 1923, Sofia football clubs Athletic Sofia (founded in 1910 as Klub Futbol) and Slava Sofia (founded in 1916) merged into Athletic Slava 1923, or AS-23 (short for Officer's Sports Club Athletic Slava 1923), under the patronage of the Ministry of War, which provided the equipment. In 1931, AS-23 won the Bulgarian championship and The Tsar's Cup, followed by another Tsar's Cup in 1941. The stadium of AS-23 was named Athletic Park (finished in 1938) and was on the spot where the Bulgarska Armia stadium now resides.

On November 9, 1944, with the partnership of Mihail Mihaylov, an accountant at the Ministry of War and a patron of Shipka Sofia, a unifying agreement was signed, merging AS-23, the then united team of Shipka-Pobeda, and Spartak (Poduene) to form Chavdar Sofia. Gen. Vladimir Stoychev from AS-23, who at the time was fighting on the front in World War II, was appointed (by telegram) as the new club's chairman. Lawyer Ivan Bashev, a future Bulgarian foreign minister, was appointed club secretary and the person in charge of football. Chavdar played at Athletic Park, which was soon after renamed Chavdar Stadium. The coaching position was given to Bulgarian middleweight boxing champion Konstantin Nikolov, who mainly oversaw the players' physical training, while team captain Nako Chakmakov was in charge of tactics. With the help of Mihail Mihaylov, on February 15th, 1948, Chavdar became the departmental club of the Central House of the Troops ("Centralnia Dom na Voiskata") and took on the name of CDV. Major Ivan Mirski was chosen as the club chairman.

★ A new giant is born - 05.05.1948... ★

In May 1948, an agreement was signed between FC Septemvri Sofia and CDV for uniting under the name of "Septemvri pri CDV" (Septemvri at CDV). The board of the newly created club included the following members: Honorable Chairman - Lt. Gen. Georgi Damyanov, the Minister of Defense, Chairman - Maj. Gen. Boyan Balgaranov; Deputy Chairman - Col. Tashev, Petar Mihaylov, Aleksandar Valchev, and Lyubcho Kralev, plus five more members. The contract was signed on the 5th of May, 1948, which is officially considered the club's date of foundation. The club's first official game took place on May 19, 1948, against Slavia Sofia at Yunak stadium - 1:1. Septemvri pri CDV eliminated Aprilov (Gabrovo) and Spartak Varna on its way to the finals.

The team reached the national final, where it faced Levski Sofia, losing 1:2 in the first match. The decisive second match took place on September 9th, 1948, under referee Stefan Danchev. Septemvri pri CDV consisted of: Stefan Gerenski, Borislav Futekov, Manol Manolov, Dimitar Cvetkov, Nikola Aleksiev, Nako Chakmakov (captain), Dimitar Milanov, Stoyne Minev, Stefan Bozhkov, Nikola Bozhilov, and Kiril Bogdanov. Goalscorers: Dimitar Milanov (2) and Nako Chakmakov (1). It was an emotional 3:1 victory, sealed by Nako Chakmakov with a last-minute goal, giving Septemvri pri CDV its first championship title.

In 1950, the definition of "Narodna" (Peoples) was added to the name of the Central House of the Troops, changing it to Central House of the People's Troops (Centralen Dom na Narodnata Voiska), or C.D.N.V. for short, effectively changing the club's name as well. The following two years, C.D.N.V. won two titles in a row. In 1951, the Army club clinched their first double. In 1953, the club was renamed by the authorities again, this time to "Otbor na Sofiyskiya Garnizon" (Team of the Sofia Garrison), and most of the key players were illegally transferred out. The title was lost undeservedly. The following year, the club was renamed to CDNA (Central House of the People's Army), and the years between 1954 and 1962 marked one of the most successful periods for The Reds, who won 9 consecutive championship titles, an unprecedented achievement in Bulgarian football to this day.

First ever champions with Septemvri pri CDV

★ The star is rising (1960s)... ★

In 1962, CDNA was united with DSO "Cherveno Zname" to form CSKA "Cherveno Zname" (Central Sports Club of the Army "Red Flag"). The Central House of the People's Troops ceased its affiliation with the club, which was taken over by the Ministry of People's Defense. CSKA (Sofia) finished third after Spartak Plovdiv and Botev Plovdiv in the 1962-63 season. The following season, CSKA (Sofia) had its worst performance in the Bulgarian championship to date, finishing 11th in the final table. The famous coach of the Army Men, Krum Milev, was released after the end of the championship. CSKA (Sofia) did not recapture the title until 1966. During the 1966-67 season, CSKA(Sofia) reached the semi finals of the European Cup, where after two 1:1 draws with Inter Milano, a third match was played which CSKA (Sofia) lost 0:1. The next two seasons were again unaccomplishing for The Army Men, as they finished in fifth and second place consecutively. CSKA(Sofia) was again joined with Septemvri Sofia in 1968, and the club took on the name of CSKA "Septemvriysko Zname" (CSKA "September's Flag"). The team clinched the title in 1968-69 with the help of recent acquisition Petar Zhekov, who won the Golden Shoe as the top goalscorer in Bulgaria.

★ Big European clashes? Not a problem for “the Army Men!”... ★

From 1971 to 1973, CSKA (Sofia) won three consecutive titles and eliminated three-times European champion AFC Ajax 2:1 on aggregate (0:1 and 2:0) in the 1973–74 European Cup. In the 1/4 finals, the Army Men lost 1:4 to Bayern Munich in the first leg in Germany and bowed out of the competition after winning 2:1 at home. Between 1975 and 1979, the club won two more titles.

★ The Golden '80s... ★

Season 1980-81 was again a memorable one for CSKA (Sofia), winning the Bulgarian championship once more and twice beating European champion Nottingham Forest, both times with 1:0, before being stopped by the future European Champion Liverpool FC with a 6:1 on aggregate in the quarter finals of the European Cup. The very next season, CSKA (Sofia) reached their second European Cup semi final in a row, eliminating Spanish champions Real Sociedad, Glentoran F.C., and reigning European Champion Liverpool after losing 0:1 in England and wining 2:0 at home with two goals by Stoycho Mladenov. In the semi final, the Reds again faced Bayern Munich. The first leg was held in Sofia and started with a full dominance over Bayern, as by the 18th minute CSKA (Sofia) were leading 3:0 in front of 85 000 spectators who saw the European final in their dreams. But the final result was 4:3 for CSKA (Sofia). In Munich, the club suffered a 4:0 defeat and left the competition. In the domestic championship, CSKA (Sofia) did not let go of the title until the 1984-85 season, where they fell in second behind Levski, but managed to reach the Bulgarian Cup final.

★ Old name back, new trophies in... ★

The name CSKA (Sofia) was restored for the 1989-90 season and the club won the title again. In March 1991, Valentin Mihov was chosen as president of CSKA (Sofia). The club bought some of the most talented Bulgarian players, including Yordan Letchkov, Ivaylo Andonov, Stoycho Stoilov among others. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Defense concluded their cooperation with the club. Despite numerous problems the club had with veterans, army officials, and fans that season, CSKA (Sofia) won the title again in 1992. They were later eliminated in the first round of the Champions League by Austria Vienna after losing 1:3 in Vienna and winning 3:2 in Sofia. In the meantime, Valentin Mihov became president of the Bulgarian Football Union and Petar Kalpakchiev was chosen as president of CSKA (Sofia). Kalpakchiev wrangled with the club's administration over their decisions to replace several coaches, one of which was Gjoko Hadžievski, considered to be leading the club in the right direction, and eventually Kalpakchiev was fired. The owner of the Multigroup conglomerate, Iliya Pavlov, took over the chairman's position, but ultimately his sponsorship also proved insufficient to overcome the club's ineffective management. Five coaches were changed in just one season, with Tsvetan Yonchev being coach for just one day. In Europe, CSKA (Sofia) beat Juventus F.C. 3:2 in the first round of the 1994–95 UEFA Cup, but the result was annulled by UEFA because of the delayed player-indexing of Petar Mihtarski. Juventus were awarded a 3:0 victory. In the second leg in Torino, with the consequences of that decision hanging over them, CSKA (Sofia) succumbed to a 5:1 defeat.

In the summer of 1995, CSKA (Sofia) made a strong selection and eventually the club included half of the youth national football team of Bulgaria. Plamen Markov was appointed coach, but after a disappointing first half of the season, he was replaced by Georgi Vasilev, who had previously won three Bulgarian titles (one with FC Etar Veliko Tarnovo and two with Levski Sofia). Vasilev managed to win a double with CSKA (Sofia) for the 1996-1997 season, entering the second qualifying round of the Champions League against Steaua Bucharest. After a dramatic 3:3 in Romania, CSKA (Sofia) fell 0:2 at home. Vasilev was unexpectedly released from the club at the beginning of the second half of the 1997-98 season after a 3:0 win over PFC Spartak Pleven. Coach Petar Zehtinski took his place. That year, the club saw the return of Hristo Stoichkov, Emil Kostadinov, and Trifon Ivanov, but the three of them argued for the captain's band. Stoichkov played in just four matches and left CSKA (Sofia) right before the derby with Levski to play for a club in Saudi Arabia. After the end of the season, Trifon Ivanov also left the club. CSKA (Sofia) finished the season in third place.

In the summer of 1998, Dimitar Penev took the lead as coach for a second time. CSKA (Sofia) reached the second round of the UEFA Cup, and won the Bulgarian Cup, but disappointed in the domestic league, finishing in fifth place in 1998-99. That season, the young talents of Martin Petrov, Stilian Petrov, Dimitar Berbatov, and Vladimir Manchev started to play a bigger role in the team. There were problems with player-indexing due to some unpaid obligations to FC Neftohimik. In the domestic championship, CSKA (Sofia) had only 16 players registered for the 1999-00 season and some un-indexed players took part in official UEFA games. Consequently, at the shareholders meeting at the end of 1999, the club ownership was transferred to businessman Vasil Bozhkov, who became majority owner.

★ The new millennium... ★

CSKA (Sofia)’s modern history ain’t that bright to be precise. Ever since the new millennium started CSKA (Sofia) had won only 3 Domestic titles – 2003, 2005, 2008. And the proper celebration was always darkened by some scandals. All until 2008 when everything almost collapsed.

★ The 2008 crisis... ★

In June 2008, only days after CSKA (Sofia) won its 31st title, UEFA notified the Bulgarian Football Union (BFU) that the club would not receive a license for participating in the UEFA Champion's League because of unpaid obligations. The BFU then speculated that this could also result in CSKA (Sofia) not being able to take part in the domestic championship, effectively turning it into an amateur club. Attempts to arrange a settlement with UEFA proved unsuccessful and CSKA (Sofia) lost its right to compete in the UEFA Champions League in favor of runners-up PFC Levski Sofia. The person widely blamed for the crisis was president Alexander Tomov, who resigned shortly after and was arrested and tried for embezzling millions of levas from CSKA (Sofia) and Kremikovtzi AD.

The problems with the license exposed the club's weak financial situation and led to chaos and panic, prompting many of the key players to flee, including coach Stoycho Mladenov himself, who left saying he was not happy with the fire sale of so many important players. The future of CSKA (Sofia) looked grim, its status as a professional club hanging in the balance. In the midst of the crisis, Dimitar Penev was given the coach's job for the third time and burdened with the task of saving the club. With almost all senior players gone, Penev was left to rely on members of the CSKA (Sofia) youth squad. Ultimately, CSKA (Sofia) managed to fulfill all licensing requirements set by the BFU and was allowed to compete in the A PFG. Despite all the difficulties, and to the surprise of the whole football community, Penev's young squad claimed the Bulgarian Super Cup in August 2008, overcoming PFC Litex Lovech by 1:0.

★ Season 2010 – 2011, started awful, finished great... ★

Preparing for their upcoming European campaign, in the summer of 2010 the club hired Bulgarian specialist Pavel Dochev as coach, who embarked on a recruiting spree in order to strengthen the ranks. The most notable additions to the squad were Algerian national goalkeeper Raïs M'Bolhi from Slavia Sofia and Irish international striker Cillian Sheridan from Celtic FC. Other newcomers included former Ghana international William Tiero, Dutchman Gregory Nelson, and four Italians: Giuseppe Aquaro, Christian Tiboni, Marco Esposito, and Fabrizio Grillo. After some bad results, including a 0-1 loss against rival Levski Sofia in the Eternal Derby and a 1-2 loss against Chernomorets Burgas, Dochev was fired from the club. His place was taken by the unknown Macedonian manager Gjore Jovanovski, who kept his job for just 3 months, before being replaced by his assistant Milen Radukanov due to unsatisfying results. Radukanov brought a sudden change to the club, bringing CSKA (Sofia) back to the winning road and eventually claiming the Bulgarian Cup at the end of the season.

★ Season 2011 – 2012... ★

After a very strong second half of the last season (away win against CSKA (Sofia)'s biggest rival PFC Levski Sofia (3:1) and other really strong games), starting off rather inconsistent but finishing 3rd and winning the Bulgarian Cup and Bulgarian Super Cup things are looking really great for CSKA (Sofia) so far. With only 8 games from the new season the team is sitting comfortably on the top with 8 wins in 8 matches. Having a stable manager and bringing in some really skilled players in the summer break had really paid off for now. But unfortunately the season is still at the very beginning so no conclusions can be made so far. After 11 games played (8 won, 1 lost, 1 draw) Milen Radukanov was fired nobody knows exactlly why but that is a common practice in CSKA (Sofia). On the wheel now is Dimitar Penev (for fifth time in his coaching career). And after 1 game, against CSKA (Sofia)'s fierce rivals - Levski (Sofia) (won 1-0) things look stable so far.

CSKA (Sofia) ex-manager Milen Radukanov really lifted up the team since

he was employed.

★ The Stadium... ★

The team's home stadium, Bulgarska Armiya, was completed in 1967 and stands on the same spot as its predecessor, Athletic Park. It is situated in the Borisova gradina park, named after Bulgarian tsar Boris III, in the center of Sofia. The stadium has four sectors with a total of 22,015 seats, of which 2,100 are covered. The pitch length is 106 meters and the width is 66 meters. The sports complex also includes tennis courts, a basketball court, and gymnastics facilities, as well as the CSKA (Sofia) Museum of Glory. The press conference room has 80 seats. In 2010, the stadium was closed as the construction of a new stadium was planned and CSKA (Sofia) played their home games at the national stadium Vasil Levski until the beginning of 2011.

Balgarska Armiya Stadium

★ Final words by the author.. ★

CSKA (Sofia) is the most successful club in Bulgarian history. Having 31 domestic titles will present a very interesting challenge because the fans want their 32 title but there is very big competition for it. Four teams are competing for the gold medals – Levski, Chernomorets (Burgas), Litex and the new sensation - Ludogorets (Razgrad). Will you make the fans happy and bring back the glory days depends on you and your managerial skills! Go for it.

Please excuse me for that sprawling history lesson but I think that when you start playing a club you should first know it's history. At least that's what I do. And, hey, maybe some of you guys will love CSKA (Sofia) and play on regular basis, nobody knows. If you're not satisfied of the threads size, please, don't read it or just skip parts. CSKA (Sofia) is a small club with not so bright history as the Europian giants, it fits in one page, take your time and read it in other case don't judge or complain. I’d gladly accept any advices, criticism and even writing corrections because as you can guess I’m from Bulgaria and my English isn’t flawless. Good luck playing and most important – Enjoy!

P.S.: Many of you may find my thread 99% similar to the previous one, well yes - it is. History still isn't changed and that's why I decided to copy/paste the history part. The in game information in the following posts will be different compared to the last years.

Do it for

[Bane]

★ In game information about CSKA (Sofia)... ★

This is just a brief info about CSKA (Sofia) and as you can see on the trophies screenshot you're dealing with a true national giant. This automaticly means that the goals set for you will be high and it will not be that easy to complete them.

★ Season expectations... ★

Season expectations clearly state your two options (everything else will be counted as a complete failure). You should do your best to win the league and find a spot in Europa League/Champions League. You have a great squad to achieve that and my advice is to go for 'Title Challenge'. As I always say - it is better to overachiev than just achieve! Your transfer kitty isn't that important in the situation you're in beacuse you will mainly rely on freebies and in that case that 50K difference isn't that important!

[Bane]

★ Possible formations... ★

There are three possible variations that you can use with CSKA (Sofia):

• 4-2-3-1 - This should be your main setup. This formation gives you the option to use all your best attacking players at one. As well it is stable defensively (if you set it right that is, a thing that I do not achieve often). You should look to buy at least 2 MC/DMs. Galchev and Yanchev are very well built partnership but the second one is old. This leaves you with only one fit player for 30+ matches which is not enough. This formation is also used by CSKA in real life.
  
• 4-2-3-1 (Deep) or 4-1-2-2-1 - The first option is like the one above only with two DMs instead of MCs. Galchev is fully capable to play that role (he played it not once or twice irl) but in FM you'll have to retrain him a bit. The second option is not that good when it comes to players but might provide more defensive cover for tight matches. Since you're going to shop for MCs in the first window there will be no problem to use it but this should be your occasional formation. Don't even consider losing the AMC spot! It is the main spot for CSKA.
  
• 4-2-2-2 - This is a rather all-out-attack formation playing with two upfront covered by two wingers/inside forwards. I'd recommend this if you need a goal. Losing the AMC spot is compensated with the second striker where you can put Michel Platini who is equally good compared with Junior Moraes or you can even retrain Ianis Zicu to play as a striker and stick him up there! This is totally up to you.
  

★ Squad analysis... ★

[highlight]GKs:[/highlight]

^ First Choice: Rais M'Bolhi : Your number one keeper. Rais is great! Compared to the keepers in "A" Group he is pure class. The only downside about him is that he is on loan and I don't know whether he will accept a contract offer. Nevertheless he will do great job in the first season. Stick to him, flatter him and offer him a big deal if you ever reach contract talks. He deserves it. Rated CA/PA : 4.5 / 4.5

# Backup: Ivan Karadzhov : Ivan Karadzhov is not the best but he is good. His in real life performance shows improvement. He is not as good as Rais M'Bolhi and he will be only a backup. If you decide you can sell him but that won't be a smart move at least in the first season. Keep him as a backup and if M'Bolhi rejects any kind of deal use Ivan until you find a better keeper. Rated CA/PA : 2 / 3.5

* Hot prospect/s: Bozhidar Stoychev is the one to look for. He is on loan at Akademik (Sofia) in the first season. When he comes back you can use him as a hot prospect backup until he develops. The thing is that I cannot say whether he will be good enough to be you number one choice in the future or he will be a total fluke. It depends on luck I guess.

+ Who to buy:

- Who to sell/release: Blagoy Makendzhiev, Zdravko Chavdarov : Not much to say about those two. You have more than enough keepers for the first couple of season therefor you can bring some fresh money by selling those two. They are completely no good!

[highlight]FBs:[/highlight]

^ First Choice: DL: Rumen Trifonov : Rumen is really good and profitable. Very stable FBs (nevermind his natural position is AML, just retrain him) and most of all a home grown player. He is well-rounded and consistent. He is in a great age to play first class football. Rated CA/PA : 3 / 3

DR: Ivan Bandalovski : Bandalovski is a natural diamond! He is one of (or even the best) the best DRs in Bulgaria. He has all the right stats to be a good fullback and he is on the right age to achieve glory. Never ever sell him or at least don't sell him in the coming 4-5 years. With the money you get on the wheel of CSKA you won't be able to find anyone better than him. You will get a lot of offers for him because of his skills and because in this years manager he seems to be underdone. His price is merely £170K. In real life he got offers for £1M which is his real price. If you, by any chance, get an offer for him for £3M+ you could consider selling him but I don't advise you to do so. Rated CA/PA : 3 / 4

# Backup: DL: Ademar : Ademar is as good as Rumen Trifonov. Or even better but I personally prefer Rumen because I'm a big fan of his and I like the fact that he is home grown and younger. But if you decide to play Ademar you won't do wrong. The only disadvantage about him is that he is 30 years old and counting. Rated CA/PA : 2.5 / 2.5

DR: Martin Dechev : The kid has potential. This describes him enough. Whether he will become first class defender or he will fail is up to your training schedule. That kid spent the last season playing on loan and he is back now hungry for first team action. The problem here is that you have Bandalovski who is young enough and good! Maybe try to loan out Dechev for a season or two and when he comes back give him some first team apps against weak opponents and in cup games until he is ready to replace Bandalovski. Rated CA/PA : 2 / 3.5

* Hot prospect/s: Aleksandar Dyulgerov and Milen Kikarin are rumoured to be hot prospects. The first is out on loan and the second is in your U19s. Keep an eye on them but don't have high hopes on them.

+ Who to buy:

- Who to sell/release:

[highlight]DCs:[/highlight]

^ First Choice: Kostadin Stoyanov & Plamen Krachunov : CSKA (Sofia) immovable objects in the defense line. Kosta Stoyanov is older, skilled and determined and Plamen is young, with high potential. This should be your first choice partnership. Play them together and I think you'll be satisfied with the results they produce. Kosta also bangs in some headers from corners and other set pieces. Rated CA/PA : 3.5 / 3.5 .. 2 / 3.5

# Backup: Apostol Popov : Apostol Popov was last year's first choice for Stoyanovs partner but a bad series of injuries brought him down and maybe that's the reason why he is underrated in FM. This is the main reason why he should be nothing more than a backup. Rated CA/PA : 2.5 / 2.5

Denis Halilovic : Hadn't had the opportunity to watch Denis play. He came to Bulgaria with a good biography and career behind him but as I can see in FM he is not good at all. You can even look to sell him! Rated CA/PA : 2.5 / 2.5

* Hot prospect/s: Pavel Vidanov : Pavel Vidanov irl performance is rubbish but for third year in FM he is made extremely good. Keep him close and use him when he is needed, I think he will pay off. Rated CA/PA : 3 / 3.5

The other one to look for is Angel Granchov. He is considered a great tallent and maybe that's enough to keep an eye on him. He might turn good.

+ Who to buy:

- Who to sell/release:

[highlight]MCs:[/highlight]

^ First Choice: Todor Yanchev : The heart and soul in the midfield and in CSKA. Todor Yanchev is the captain and as such he is your best player but besides that he is getting older (currently 35). He is also your playing assistant manager. My experience with him shows that he will play at least 3 more years but he is not that reliable. Definitely look for someone to replace him in season two. Rated CA/PA : 4 / 4

Boris Galchev : The other great MC in the squad. The reason I'm saying 'the other' is because you have only two. He will play at least 4-5 years for you and he is rather consistent but that is not enough. As he gets older he gets more injury prone and that will be very bad if you hadn't brought anyone classy. Rated CA/PA : 2.5 / 2.5

# Backup: Petar Stoyanov : Not much to say about him because he is not getting much first team play time. I don't know what to do with him. If you manage to bring 2 good MCs then sell him but if you decide to not spend money in the first transfer window then definitely keep him as a backup. You'll need him. Rated CA/PA : 1.5 / 1.5

* Hot prospect/s: Georgi Amzin from the U19s shows some potential. You can even bring him in the first team due to the lack of backup but I doubt that he will pay off right away. The best is to keep him in the U19s until he gets promoted then decide what to do with him.

+ Who to buy:

- Who to sell/release:

[highlight]WINGs:[/highlight]

^ First Choice: AML: Spas Delev : He is maybe the best player in your squad. He is young, fast and flamboiant. Stick him on the left wing and play him as an Inside Forward/Attack and watch him destroy. He is a bit underdone in FM tho, this is rather disappointing because he had a great run it "A" Group last season. He should have been paied more attention. Don't you dare sell him. He is your key player! Rated CA/PA : 4 / 4

AMR: Gregory Nelson : The dutchman is really lethal for your opponents defences. I'd recommend to play him as Winger/Attack or Support. Set instructions for him to swap wings with Spas and watch the deadly duo destroy! Rated CA/PA : 2.5 / 3.5

# Backup: Aleksandar Yakimov : One great prospect. Came from Pirin (Blagoevgrad)'s youth system. He is really hot property and I think he will compete with Gregory for the AMR spot in few years. That's just my thought tho, he might turn out to be rubbish. Rated CA/PA : 2 / 3.5

* Hot prospect/s: Anton Karachanakov : Another Pirin youth team player. He is also looking very good and versatile. He is also young and you can loan him out for the first one or two season. Rated CA/PA : 1.5 / 3.5

Stanislav Kostov : And yet another Pirin player. Stanislav got some first time action irl and he did great. Fast and creative he is really going to be a star when he becomes older. That is also reflected in FM, Kostov is pacey, creative and a good finisher. People rumour he is going to be the next first choice AML if Delev is sold. Rated CA/PA : 2 / 4

+ Who to buy:

- Who to sell/release:

[highlight]AMCs:[/highlight]

^ First Choice: Ianis Zicu : The star in CSKA squad. Romania's top goalscorer was brought in CSKA and given high hopes and for now he is paying off. In real life he has 11 apps and 9 goals and he is the current top goalscorer in the league. Use him in the AMC spot. Hadn't decided which role/duty will fit him but I'm thinking something between Inside forward and Advanced playmaker. Will try him and I'll give more info about that. Also set him to swap positions with the ST as that is what he does irl. Will see if that is a good move in FM or not. Rated CA/PA : 4.5 / 4.5

# Backup: Sasa Zivec : The Slovenian kid came with a good career behind him. Being wanted by Schalke he is considered as hot prospect but until now there is nothing remarkable in his playing. He had few chances but disappointed the fans and the coach. In FM he looks rather good. With room for improvement and reasonable current ability he could become good. It might be worth keeping him. Rated CA/PA : 2 / 3.5

* Hot prospect/s:

+ Who to buy:

- Who to sell/release:

[highlight]STs:[/highlight]

^ First Choice: Junior Moraes : Junior Moraes was the main topic all the pre-season. All covered with conflicts he came to CSKA touted as a great scorer but not been able to play in the first matches due to some suspensions from FIFA he wasn't able to show what he can do. Now after everything is all sorted out he gets more and more play time and his quality begins to become evident. Scoring 3 goals in 7 matches and 1 assistance it looks like he will be the main scorer along with Zicu. In FM he is great. Definitely my first choice at the ST spot Rated CA/PA : 3.5 / 44

# Backup: Michel Platini : Michel is not bad, he migh be good as Junior but I'm not a big fan of his and that's mainly why I choose Moraes. But that is just my opinion and it's up to you who to orchestrate the attack! Also he is older than Junior and by my standards this is a disadvantage. Rated CA/PA : 2.5 / 2.5

* Hot prospect/s: Anton Karachanakov, Stanislav Kostov

+ Who to buy:

- Who to sell/release: Stanko Yovchev : Just release him don't even wait for someone to offer a deal for him because no one will. He is rubbish!

[Bane]

Reserved post - If there are many ppl playing I'll creat a section named "Records"

[Bane]

Reserved post - Future patch updates 1

[Bane]

Reserved post - Future patch updates 2

[Proto Tarkula]

Great presentation of our history, mate, hope that the other information will be presented at the same level

[Bane]

Thanks a lot. I'll give my best to present the further information as interesting as it can be and I hope that this year CSKA (Sofia) will be much more tempting compared to last year.

[TomTranmere]

Considering these or Litex, on FM11 I did a 10 year+ Litex save and had great fun... thinking it might be a good idea to stay in Bulgaria but switch to Sofia this time round!

[Bane]

You won't do wrong definitely. I don't want to compete with the fellow that did the Litex thread tho! CSKA (Sofia) is great fun because your main target is to do good in Europe (mainly because the domestic championship is really low on tough derbies) and achieve that mainly using free transfers. On FM11 I played with CSKA (Sofia) almost like you (maybe around 10 years) and never managed to win Champions league. Even though the feeling you get when you manage to land someone good and famous to play for such a small club (managed to lure away Buonanotte, Lamela and few others) is priceless.

[ronaldo_1978]

Hey Bane glad to see you got this up n running, Will be good for a few Bulgarian teams to have some threads

[Bane]

Thanks ronaldo_1978. I also wish you luck with your Litex thread. I even keep a close eye on it because you last year's hit with Yurchenko was really great and now I spy for some fresh meat And yes, I agree that there should be more info about Bulgaria and Bulgarian teams, there are some really interesting and enjoyable opportunities! I'm still waiting for my copy to arrive to complete my thread!

[theexar]

I started a game with CSKA on release day. I'm making a full reassessment of the club and so far still haven't pressed the "Continue" button. I'm looking at things thoroughly.

So far the main problem I could notice is the lack of backup holding midfielders. Yanchev and Galchev are perhaps the best pair in A group, but the club doesn't have any quality backup players in this position. I should buy a good player, as Yanchev is already 34 and declining phisically.

The other good players in the team are undoubtedly Zicu(CAM) and Bandalovski(RB). The highly praised Spas Delev (AML, ST) I find a bit underwhelming. His sheer battle spirit and speed are formidable, but he lacks in important mental attributes such as Anticipation, and technically is very average. His best position is perhaps as a ST, but Michel Platini and Moraes seem to offer more there.

From the young players Stanislav Kostov (ST) has some amazing attributes and has bags of potential.

I'll try both 4231 and 442 and see how the players perform.

It should be noted that CSKA need to make a good run in Europa League if they are to stabilize their financial positions. That's why I'm considering employing a more conservative tactic for the first half of the season, as continental competitions seem to be very hard (if not impossible) for the skill of our players.

I'll post more updates If I feel like it.

[Bane]

Great to hear that someone started with CSKA! Hope you will be around often and you'll enjoy your game.

I'm quite sorry that I can't give you some info or/and complete my OP but as I mentioned I'm still waiting for my copy of the game.

As for the players and my past and irl experience with CSKA - yes, you most definitely need at least 2 DM/MC (depends on how you play). Galchev was really consistent on the previous FM, I can't comment on that yet. As for Yanchev he is on his way for retirement and you should sign a new player in his spot. Petar Stoyanov (last year's deep backup) was totaly no good last year I doubt he is now since he has no first team experience irl.

Again I haven't used Zicu so far but for Bandalovski you're completely right! He is one of the best full backs in Bulgaria and that is why he is capped for the national team of Bulgaria. Spas Delev on the other hand is really tough to crack and find a place to suit him best. He is quite verastile and even more irl. He plays upfront and AMR/AMC/AML as well. Maybe that's why he is so underwhelming in this years manager. I think that his best role/duty should be AML > Inside Forward (Attack) with Roam from position checked or if you're not satisfied with your forwards which I really doubt you can use Spas as a ST > Poacher!

Stanislav Kostov is definitely the one to look for and keep a closer eye on! Others that should be kept close are Martin Dechev as he is a great and highly potential RB, Georgi Amzin and Angel Granchov.

As for the tactic 4-2-3-1 is pretty much enough and defensively stable. Considering your team there is no better formation than this. That way you could fit in your best attacking players ( Michel Platini/Junior Moraes (ST) - Spas Delev (AML) - Ianis Zicu (AMC) - Gregory Nelson (AMR) )

Hope I was helpful even tho not having the game. I'll try to help more if my help is required! So far I can't wait for my game to arrive! Good luck!

[Bane]

OP is fully updated for now! Good luck to everybody playing as CSKA and keep posted.

[crewe_york]

Just started a save with CSKA and really looking forward to the challenge of trying to bring the club to some success in Europe!

[Bane]

Good going there. I'm still skipping my save until the winter patch but I've played few mins with CSKA and I can say that I'm rather disappointed of the work done by the researchers but that is another conversation. I'm even planning to edit few of the thing when I start playing seriously. Keep updated about your progress!

[Vipertitan]

ust started a save with CSKA and really looking forward to the challenge

[Bane]

I only signed one player - Stephen Appiah on free transfer. As I stated in the OP CSKA needs strengthening in the middle of the park and he is good enough and experienced enough to help the team. I'm also playing without first window transfer budget.

[crewe_york]

Just got around to actually sitting down and concentrating on this save!

First of all got rid of alot of the dead wood lying around in the first team and U19 squad to free up some wages. Sold Makendzhiev for 50k and Chavdarov for 180k and brought in Richard Eromoigbe (Free transfer) for some solid cover in the middle of the park. Also brought a couple of strikers as I like to play 4-4-2 and I doubt Platini and Moraes are gonna be able to play every single game so I brought in Samir Hadji (80k, RC Strasbourg) and Agustin Torassa (80k, All Boys). Yanchev reckons they both have good potential and should be more than capable of standing in if either of the front two get injured or need a rest. Gonna hunt for a back up left winger incase anything happens to Delev!

Just about to kick off the season now. Pre-season went well and the team seem to be playing some great stuff! Heres to a hopefully successful season!