FM10 Official Arsenal Thread - You can win anything with kids!

[arsenal_2111]

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for Football Manager 2010

You can win anything with kids!

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A Brief History

Arsenal FC were founded in 1886 as Dial Square, and were originally based in south-east London. Shortly after their foundation, they were renamed Royal Arsenal, but once again renamed themselves Woolwich Arsenal after becoming a professional team in 1891. 1913 brought about a move to North London for the club, to the famous Highbury stadium, and it wasn't until a year later that Arsenal dropped the 'Woolwich' part of their name altogether and became Arsenal, like they are today. Although the club only finished in 5th place in the league in 1919, they were chosen to join the First Division.

1925 brought along arguably the most famous manager to ever be in charge of Arsenal. Herbert Chapman signed Cliff Bastin and Alex James, two players who are still regarded as excellent players, and he won the first trophies in the history of Arsenal. The FA Cup was the first major trophy to be won, with the club lifting that trophy in the 1929/30 season. A year later they won their first league title, and two years later came a second title.Sadly, Chapman died of pneumonia in 1934, but his legacy continued under Joe Shaw and George Allison and the club continued to win honours.

Tom Whittaker took over the club after the war period. This lead to another spout of success, although this success soon dried up as in the 1950s and 1960s the club spent the majority of their time trophyless. Physiotherapist Bertie Mee brought back success to the club after his appointment as manager in 1966, including their first league and cup double in the 1970/71 season. The clubs good fortunes under Mee, however, soon started fading away and with 1986 came a new manager to Arsenal.

Former player, George Graham, yet again brought glory to the North London club. A victory in the League Cup in 1986/87 - Graham's first season in charge - lead to great optimism around the club. Two years later came his first league win, and arguably Arsenal's finest moment ever came in 1988/89. In the final game of the season, a last minute goal from Michael Thomas against fellow title contenders Liverpool brought the title and great celebration back to the club. In 1995 his reputation was tattered, as it emerged that he had been paid by an agent to sign certain players.

Graham's replacement, Bruce Rioch, only managed the club for one season before leaving after a dispute with the board.

Rioch's short reign was followed by Arsenal's current manager, Arsene Wenger, taking over in 1996. New training, tactics (and not to mention a lot of French players!) lead to much success from Wenger, and Arsenal's greatest season came under Wengers reign. Some of Arsenal's all time best players, including Henry, Vieira, Adams, Seaman, Pires, Ljungberg, Bergkamp, Keown and Campbell played under Arsene Wenger. During the 2003/04 season Wengers side won the league without losing a single game all season, an incredible feat for any team. This earned the team the nickname 'The Invincibles', although none of the players from that team remain after the last Invincible - Kolo Toure - left the club for Man City in 2009. That unbeaten season contributed to a huge 49 games unbeaten, a English record. Arsene Wenger's team has never retained the league the season after they have won it, although they have finished in either first or second in eight of Wengers' seasons at the club. Wenger took Arsenal to the UEFA Champions League final in 2005/06, becoming the first ever London team to achieve this. Unfortunately they lost out to Barcelona, a Jens Lehmann red card contributing to their eventual 2-1 defeat. Wenger has always favoured playing younger players, choosing to develop youth instead of spending a lot of money on big name players.

July 2006 took the team to a new stadium, The Emirates, although this move wasn't quite as drastic as the last move of location. Highbury - the home of Arsenal for 93 years - was just minutes away from the new stadium. The first match played at the stadium was a testimonial to Dutch striker Dennis Bergkamp.

Real Life Starting XI

GK - Manuel Almunia (1) is a strong if not spectaular goalkeeper. Whilst for many a year Almunia has been a backup 'keeper for The Gunners, Jens Lehmann's loss of form, injury and eventual departure to Stuttgart in the summer of 2008 resulted in the Spaniard taking the number one jersey at the club. Since then, Manuel has gone from strength to strength and is now the first choice goalkeeper. As Almunia has yet to be capped for Spain, there has been talk, in real life, or Almunia taking British citizenship which would allow him to play for the England national team.

DR - Bacary Sagna (3) signed for Arsenal from Auxerre in 2007, and quickly established himself as the starting right back for the first team squad. His strong defensive performances in addition to his ability to craft an attacking move have contributed to the player being regarded as one of the best right backs in the world.

DL - Gael Clichy (22) was brought to Arsenal in 2003, signing from French club Cannes after the club were relegated to the French Third Division. Although Clichy first stepped into the Arsenal team during 2005, it wasn't until a year later - when Ashley Cole secured a transfer to Chelsea - that the player became a regular in the Arsenal team. Clichy has since made over 100 apperances for the club, which has hugely contributed to the left back becoming a fan favorite as The Emirates.

DC - William Gallas (10) is often considered the reason Arsenal failed to win the league in the 2007/08 season. His sulk on the pitch after the clubs 2-1 loss to Birmingham City - also the game in which Eduardo got injured - is speculated to be one of the main reasons that the club's season started to go downhill. Gallas was stripped of the Arsenal captincy during the 2008-09 season for criticising his team mates and manager in an interview. Gallas was part of the part-exchange deal that took left back Ashley Cole to Chelsea.

DC - Thomas Vermaelen (5) was signed from Ajax in the summer of 2009 for a fee rising to £10.1million, and is rumoured to have been signed as a readymade replacement for Manchester City bound Kolo Toure. The Belgian central defender scored on his Arsenal debut, in the 6-1 victory over Everton. Vermaelen was perhaps a surprise signing for Arsenal, considering fans had been crying out for more experienced players to be brought in, but early performances suggest that the 23 year old could prove that experience isn't everything.

MR - Theo Walcott (14) arrived at Arsenal with huge pressure on him. With a price tag of around £10million, the speedy Englishman's move from Southampton gained him a lot of publicity at a young age. At just 16 years old when he signed for the North London club, the amounts of pressure on the player were a factor in his failure to establish himself as a regular in the Arsenal team until the 2008/09. Signed as a centre forward, Walcott has been preferred as a right winger during his time in the Arsenal first team.

ML - Samir Nasri (8) is a French midfielder, who often plays on left midfield for Arsenal. He can also play either on the right or centre of midfield, or in the attacking midfielder role behind the striker. He signed for Arsenal in 2008 from Marseille, for a fee rumoured to be in the region of £13million. This followed speculation for many years that manager Arsene Wenger had been chasing the midfielder.

MC - Denilson (15) joined Arsenal from Sao Paulo on the 31st of August 2006. His arrival at the club was largely unnoticed, due to William Gallas, Julio Baptista, Ashley Cole and Jose Antonio Reyes' high profile transfers in and out of the club. This helped to keep the spotlight off the player, allowing him to develop without the added pressure a lot of players at a club of Arsenal's stature would get. His first season playing regularly for the first team came in the 2008/09 season, the departure of former starter Mathieu Flamini left a gap in the midfield that Denilson - along with Alexandre Song and Abou Diaby - often filled in.

MC - Cesc Fabregas (4) is rightly regarded as the best player at Arsenal. The Spaniard has been at the club since 2003, joining from Barcelona as a 16 year old. Since then, he has quickly become one of the best football players in the world, with Barcelona and Real Madrid often linked with a move to bring the player back to his homeland. Fabregas was also made captain of Arsenal in 2008, showing Wenger's trust in the players maturity and ability.

ST - Andrey Arshavin (23) only signed for Arsenal during the January transfer window of 2009, however he quickly established himself as a fan favorite at the club. Four goals at Liverpool - in a game that finished in a 4-4 draw - helped hugely with this, and the general consensus amongst Arsenal fans is that, if Arshavin had been playing for them since the start of the season, they would have been able to mount a serious challenge for honours.

ST - Robin van Persie (11) took a while to establish himself as a player worthy of playing for a team like Arsenal. Although he is now the vice-captain at the club, it took four years for the player to become a household name in England. He signed for the club in 2004, but long spells out with various injuries meant it wasn't until 2008 that he started playing - and scoring - regularly for The Gunners.

Football Manager Info

Nation - England

Year Founded - 1886

Status - Professional

Reputation - Continental

Chairman Status - Loves the club

Legends – Arsene Wenger, Pat Rice, Tony Adams, Patrick Vieira, Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp, Herbert Chapman, Cliff Bastin, Bob Wilson, Ian Wright

Icons – David Rocastle, Ken Friar, Martin Keown, Steve Bould, Lee Dixon, Robert Pires, David Seaman, Ray Parlour, Nigel Winterburn, Frank McLintock, Charlie Nicholas, George Graham, Liam Brady, Ted Drake, Charlie George, Marc Overmars, David Jack, David O’Leary, John Radford, Michael Thomas, Paul Person, Alex James and Freddie Ljungberg

Favoured Personnel – Cesc Fabregas, Alan Smith, Gael Clichy

Fierce Rivals - Tottenham Hotspur, Manchester United, Chelsea

Other Rivals - Liverpool, West Ham United

Finances - Rich

Average Ticket Price - £44.90

Average Season Ticket Price - £1.29k

Season Ticket Holders - 40000

Estimated Value - £336million (Loan Debt: £247million)

Continental Competition - European Champions Cup

Media Prediction - 4th

Stadium - Emirates Stadium (London, 60432 all seater)

Training Facilities - Top training facilities

Youth Facilities - Excellent youth facilities + Youth Academy

Expections - Continental Qualification, Title Challenge or Winner

Transfer Budget - £25mil for Continental Qualification, £29mil for Title Challenge, £31.5mil for Winner

Wage Budget - £1.1mil (£953,800 being spent)

Kits –

Squad

Bold indicates a player is natural in a position

Italic indicates a player is capable of playing in a position

Red indicates a youth player is natural in a position

GK - Manuel Almunia, Lukasz Fabianski, Vito Mannone

DR - Bacary Sagna, Emmanuel Eboue, Gavin Hoyte

DL - Gael Clichy, Kieran Gibbs, Armand Traore, Thomas Vermaelen, Pedro Botelho

DC - William Gallas, Thomas Vermaelan, Johan Djourou, Philippe Senderos, Mikael Silvestre, Alex Song, Havard Nordtveit, Kyle Bartley

DMC - Alex Song, Denilson, Samir Nasri, Abou Diaby, Francis Coquelin

MR - Theo Walcott, Andrey Arshavin, Samir Nasri, Tomas Rosicky Jack Wilshere

ML - Samir Nasri, Armand Traore, Andrey Arshavin, Tomas Rosicky, Henri Lansbury

MC - Cesc Fabregas, Aaron Ramsey, Abou Diaby, Denilson, Samir Nasri, Francisco Merida

AMC - Andrey Arshavin, Tomas Rosicky Abou Diaby, Samir Nasri, Nacer Barazite

ST - Robin van Persie, Eduardo, Carlos Vela, Nicklas Bendtner, Andrey Arshavin, Theo Walcott, Rhys Murphy, Nacer Barazite

Future Transfers – GK - Damian Martinez (from Independiente, September 2nd 2010, £500k)

Squad Analysis

Each position that I have analysed below is an individual position. No formation has been taken into account when writing the below.

Goalkeeper seems to be the weakest position on the team. With Almunia not a particularly brilliant keeper, and aging also, you are left with only the average Lukasz Fabianski and the terrible Vito Mannone in the team. Although Mannone's start to his Arsenal career in real life has been quite impressive, his FM10 stats are quite the opposite and he is not good enough to play in the Premier League. When you arrive at the club, you will be told that Damian Martinez is going to sign from Independiente in September season 2. Although he looks promising, he is 18 by the time he joins and, in my game at least, he didn't look anything like good enough to play for a team like Arsenal. I would recommend an overhaul in this area, selling Almunia for around £4million and buying either the expensive Igor Akinfeev from CSKA Moscow for around £12million or buying Guillermo Ochoa from America (MEX) for a fee of around £7million. Either of these would be an improvement on the current players, although Fabianski is a good backup keeper as he rarely complains about a lack of football. Whilst some may see this as a lack of ambition, it helps to keep morale at the club high so it is very useful. It would be wise to spend some money investing for the future in this area. Vincenzo Fiorillo, from Sampdoria, has great potential and the £2million you would have to pay is fantastic value for money. Alphonse Areola is another player who looks like he has the potential to be a great player. My final recommendation may be a surprise – Scott Loach however is a player very capable of becoming an excellent backup player. Give him games, and he will do well.

Star Man - Manuel Almunia

Youth Prospect - Lukasz Fabianski

Target - Igor Akinfeev (£12million), Fran Ochoa (£7million), Scott Loach (£1.5mil)

Youth Target – Alphonse Areloa, Vincenzo Fiorillo

Rightback is a strong position in the first team. Bacary Sagna is one of the best in the world, and Emmanuel Eboue is more than capable backup. I reccommend keeping hold of both of these players, although I would buy a youth right back as Gavin Hoyte is not capable of reaching the levels required from an Arsenal footballer. Jerome Boateng would be a great buy. This is because, as he can play all across the back four, he would still get playing time even with Sagna and Eboue in front of him. However, he does turn out to be better in right back than any other position in my opinion. This said, he is very expensive for his age, and it could turn out to be a big risk spending the amount of money you will need to to get the German. Lee Hodson is a decent player in this posisiton. Whilst he is unlikely to turn out good enough for the first team, I would recommend him if you are looking for a right back to develop. He will be cheap too – any more than £400k and you have a bad deal – you could snap him up for £250k!

Star Man - Bacary Sagna

Youth Prospect - Gavin Hoyte

Target - None needed

Youth Target - Jerome Boateng, Lee Hodson

Leftback needs a little work, but certainly has the potential to be a position in which you are world class in. Gael Clichy is, like Sagna on the right side, one of the best in the world. However, this position does not have the calibre of backup that right back does. Whilst Kieran Gibbs certainly has potential to become a decent player, a team that are competing for honours like Arsenal normally require a slightly better backup player than Kieran. Joe Mattock will be a name that is familiar to many Football Manager fans, and again he has potential to become a good player. However, his transfer to West Brom means that he may cost more than he would have on FM09, meaning that either Ivan Fatic or Jose Angel may be better options if you choose to get another backup player. However, I wouldn't recommend selling Kieran Gibbs as his versatility - the ability to play all along the left side - is an invaluable asset. The other player who starts at Arsenal who can play in this position, Armand Traore, is lacklustre defensively and, as such, I would avoid playing him in this position unless he is your only option. Considering William Gallas and Mikael Silvestre can cover if needed, the likeliness that Traore will be needed is low.

Star Man - Gael Clichy

Youth Prospect - Kieran Gibbs

Target - None needed

Youth Target - Joe Mattock, Ivan Fatic, Jose Angel

Centreback is a position that has a lot of depth, but no real class. William Gallas is the standout defenender in the squad, however he is aging so it would be wise to bring in a younger player who can step straight into the first team. Mamadou Sakho, from PSG, is a fantastic option and, if the regen system was still around, you may think he was a reincarnation of William Gallas! I would try and sign him, as he is almost certain to become world class. Thomas Vermaelen is the second best central defender in the team, in my opinion. He is a very, very good defender who could play for many teams first teams. However, if you do sign Sakho then he and Vermaelen could probably rotate. Philippe Senderos and Johan Djourou are solid backup players, both with the ability to step in whenever needed. Alex Song, despite being better in defensive midfield, can also play here. Another player you could choose to buy is Nicolas Otamendi, from Velez. My scouts found him almost as soon as being sent to Argentina, and from what I can see he is certainly a top prospect. I mean, just look at those physical attributes! His technical stats look like they have plenty of room for improvement, and personally I think he could be one of the bargain buys of FM10. I got him for £850k, and he has performed very well in the first team for me.One player that you won't need it Mikael Silvestre. With Havard Nordtveit and Kyle Bartley both in the reserves or youth, Silvestre will only be hindering the younger players in the team's development. Buying a youth player is not essential, but it is always wise to secure your future so Vincenzo Camilleri, a player who has impressed playing for Reggina in real life, could be a great buy.

Star Man - William Gallas

Youth Prospect - Havard Nordtveit

Target - Mamadou Sakho (£10million)

Youth Target - Vincenzo Camilleri, Nicolas Otamendi

Defensive Midfield needs some work. Although Samir Nasri, Denilson and Abou Diaby can also play here, Alex Song is your only option if you want a natural in this position to play here. Whilst Song has the qualities to become a great backup, it is clear that you will need a player with the potential to become world class if you want to play using a defensive midfielder (even if it is actually a defensive central midfielder rather than an actual defensive midfielder). Clement Chantome is a fairly good option, a good player with what is normally a good price tag. His versatility is also useful – he has performed well for me all through the middle, and on the right side of defence too. For a slightly better choice, Angelo Palombo can be an absolute monster in this role if player correctly. He will, however, cost over double the price of Chantome so if you are stretched for cash then you may find a cheaper - albeit not as good - option may be in your best long term interests. However, for a team as attackingly talented as Arsenal, you may choose to not use defensive midfielder at all. Moussa Sissoko is a player who, if you get the chance, I would sign because he has decent stats everywhere and with a little work could, in my opinion, become a beastly midfielder.

Star Man - Alex Song

Youth Prospect - Francis Coquelin

Target - Clement Chantome (£7million), Angelo Palombo (£15million)

Youth Target - Moussa Sissoko

Right Midfield is a strong position, with Theo Walcott having the pace to leave all but the fastest or strongest fullbacks behind him. Although his technical abilities - such as crossing - are not what you would normally expect from a player who should be guarenteed first choice, Theo's destructive pace is the reason he can be so successful in your team. Andrey Arshavin can also play here, but I prefer him in a more central role as this allows the best youth prospect in the squad to play more often. Jack Wilshere is capable of becoming pivotel to your team. Whilst his left foot is stronger than his right, I feel this actually benefits the team as he often drifts infield, allowing him to unleash the rockets of long shots he is more than capable of producing. Ideally you would want to keep Jack's path to the first team as clear as possible, so not signing a player for this position will not only help your transfer budget, but Wilshere’s progress too. Whilst a youth player is not really needed, Eduardo Salvio could be a decent buy for you.

Star Man - Theo Walcott

Youth Prospect - Jack Wilshere

Target – None needed

Youth Target – Eduardo Salvio

Left Midfield is a strange position. Whilst in Arshavin and Rosicky you seem to have two players of an exceptional standard, neither of these are best played on the left (the central attacking position is favoured by them both).Samir Nasri is easily the best player for this position – and probably will be for a fair few years! – and Armand Traore is decent backup. Because even Nasri is best played in the middle, you have three top class players who can all play in a position, just not as well as different positions. This means Traore is the only natural left winger in the team, however Nasri should be played here as even an out-of-position Nasri is extremely talented. If he can get past his injury in decent time, you have a very talented player on your hands. If you do want to play Nasri in his natural centre attacking midfield role, there are two players I would recommend for this position. Firstly, Angel di Maria can be avalible for a price as low as £2.5mil, and if you can get him for that price I would go for it, Secondly, Simon Vukcevic looks like he is the FM10 version of Matias Fernandez from FM08. Ironically, it was Matias Fernandez’ transfer to Sporting Lisbon that meant that Vukcevic is often available for cheap to sign. From a look at his stats, any price under £20million could be a bargain! I, however, have got him for £4.1mil so I’d start low and only go higher if needed.

Star Man - Samir Nasri

Youth Prospect - Henri Lansbury

Target – Angel di Maria, Simon Vukcevic

Youth Target - Marko Marin, Guido Marilungo

Centre Midfield posseses the best player in the team – there can be few arguments here. Captain Cesc Fabregas is amongst the best midfielders in the world, and the fact he is also so young puts him above many more. When selecting your centre midfielders, he should easily be the first on the team. Abou Diaby and Denilson are similar in terms of quality, so the difference between these two players will be minimal. Aaron Ramsey is a huge youth prospect; however he is also capable of stepping straight into the first team if needed. He is an ideal player to cover Cesc Fabregas as their games are so very similar. He could even replace the Spaniard if he develops well enough! Francisco Merida is another with big potential, if you worked hard with him and gave him enough games then I feel he could become an excellent player for you. Ross Jenkins, from Watford, could be a good buy as he is a good player both attacking and defensive. He’s a long term project, but could be worth the trouble.

Star Man - Cesc Fabregas

Youth Prospect - Aaron Ramsey

Target - None needed

Youth Target - Axel Witsel, Ross Jenkins

Attacking Midfield is a very, very strong position. Tomas Rosicky is great backup for this role, and Andrey Arshavin has proved himself to be an excellent buy and is probably the best player for this position. If you put Samir Nasri into the equation, you have yourself a triplet of attacking midfielders who could get into a huge percentage of teams across the world. If you choose to improve this position further, Renato Augusto can be a great buy for not a huge price. There are lots of great youth players that you could buy for this position, Sofiane Feghouli and Martin Galvan are two names that should be familiar to Football Manager fans – Galvan especially following the controversy that followed his inclusion in FM09! Benito Nicolas Viola has not been heard of by the majority, but he has excellent potential and can become a very, very good player if he is trained up well enough. It would be wise to buy for the future in this position, as it is one position that can change a match with one kick of a football.

Star Man - Andrey Arshavin

Youth Prospect - Nacer Barazite

Target - Renato Augusto (£7million)

Youth Target - Benito Nicolas Viola, Sofiane Feghouli, Martin Galvan

Centre Forward did not suffer much with the loss of Emmanuel Adebayor. Whilst the Togo forward was an incredible player, it turns out a player capable of replacing him is already at the club, under the name of Nicklas Bendtner. Robin van Persie is the stand out striker in the squad, he is by far the player capable of scoring most goals (be it after passing movements or just long range screamers!). Eduardo is the player who is second best, the Croat is the most natural finisher that has been at the club in a long time. This said, his style of play is fairly similar to van Persie’s. Also, as like Robin he is left footed, you could find that you only have one way you can play up-front. As such, you should partner van Persie with a player who is more capable of holding up the ball, getting a head to corners or free kicks. If you are willing to develop him instead of panic buying, Bendtner is that player. Although you may find you aren’t quite as successful with him as you would be buying another top class striker, the long term benefits (both to the player and to the bank balance!) mean that this could be very sensible. Carlos Vela is a fantastic player, too, who has the potential to become a world class player if given the time to develop. There are three strikers in the youth team who could become decent backup for you. Rhys Murphy is the best known from these, although Benik Afobe and Luke Freeman can also turn out quite well.

Star Man - Robin van Persie

Youth Prospect - Carlos Vela

Target - None needed

Youth Target - Federico Carraro, John Fleck

Star Man is a pretty easy choice. Cesc Fabregas has almost everything to his game. His mental stats are absolutely sensational, with not one under 12. This makes him a great tutor, and I would recommend you get him to tutor Fran Merida at the start of the game. His physical stats and technical stats are also very, very good and there are few players in the whole game who can come close to him. In fact, I would say that only Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are too far ahead of him. His dribbling stat - which is just 10 - is probably his weakest point and if this was a bit higher he would probably be a bit more effective. However, with the rest of his stats as good as they are, the difference this stat makes is minimal. His best position is as a central midfielder, spraying passes all around the pitch to both the wings and the forwards. However, he could also do a job out on the right side of midfield, and either in an attacking or defensive midfield role. That said, I would still recommend he is played in central midfielder to use him to his full potential.

Recommended Formation and Lineup

This recommendation doesn’t take in account any possible signings you may make – from the team you have at the start, I recommend the following. This is a 4-2-2-2 formation, referred to on the FM preset tactics as 4-2-4.

         Almunia

Sagna  Gallas  Vermaelan  Clichy

     Fabregas Denilson

Walcott                   Nasri

     Bendtner  van Persie

Of course, with players as talented as Arsenal has, you could choose to play in many formations. You could choose to play in a normal 4-4-2, a 4-5-1 with attacking wingers or, like Arsene Wenger has favoured in real life, a 4-3-3 formation.

Youth

I haven’t covered the younger players in the Arsenal team much in this post, and there are some extremely talented players in there so I feel like I should. The only order these are in is positional – there is nothing to do with their talent. There are some young players, such as Aaron Ramsey, Carlos Vela and Kieran Gibbs, who are already in the first team, so I haven’t commented on these.

Kyle Bartley is probably the worst of the five youngsters I have chosen to comment on. Normally, he will turn out to be an average player who will be able to play a role in a mid-table team. However, if you get lucky with his PA, and his development as a player goes well, then it is possible that Kyle could become a player who could be good as backup for you. It is unlikely that he will ever become good enough to be a first choice player, but if you do develop him well then who knows?!

Havard Nordtveit starts the game on loan at Nurnberg, a team that are likely to struggle in the German Bundesliga. This could hamper his progress, as they don’t exactly have top class training facilities (well, good if you believe the game!). The first team football is a benefit, but I still believe he would progress further if he was plying his trade at his parent club. Although by the time you get to manage Nordtveit, he will be considerably older than most players you start to develop, I believe his potential is about the same as Kyle Bartleys in that he could potentially become a good backup central defender for you. Let’s just hope that his time at the ‘easyCredit-Stadion’ (what a fantastic name!) doesn’t hamper his progress too much.

Francisco Merida could become the next Cesc Fabregas, in my opinion. His stats start off well, well enough for him to play a backup role in your team. Get him tutored by Fabregas, to try and pick up not only his mental stats but his personality too. This will lead him on his way to becoming a fine young football, but beware – a lot of work will be needed if this guy is going to reach the potential expected of him when he joined all those years ago.

Jack Wilshere probably has more potential than any of the other youth players at Arsenal, and he is probably the player who most managers will spend the most time working on. This is understandable, because he is the most well known player in real life. It is perfectly achieveable that Jack’s stats will become similar to those of the best midfielders around – think Steven Gerrard, or Ronaldinho at his prime – and it is because of this that I would advise you to keep hold of him – even if he fails to improve much – until you can be 100% sure that he won’t become a good enough player.

Nacer Barazite is one of my new favourite players. He has a bit of everything, he can cross, dribbling, shoot from distance, pass through the defence and finish off moves. From all of the young players in the Arsenal team, Nacer starts off with the best stats and this shows in his performances. Although he is natural in attacking midfield, I have actually found that he plays best upfront, partnered by a taller player who can knock the ball down to him. He is my second top scorer this way – second to his partner, Bendtner – and has a handy amount of assists too. 12 goals and 6 assists isn’t a bad return from an untried 19 year old, in my opinion, and I would strongly recommend that you give him first team football to get him to his best.

Mentions go to Henri Lansbury, Francis Coquelin, Rhys Murphy and Pedro Botelho, who if you get lucky could all turn out to be decent backup players for the Arsenal team.

Conclusion

If you’ve managed to get this far – through all 5,762 words of it, congratulations to you!

Last year we weren’t quite the most popular FM09 thread – beaten by about 100 posts by Liverpool. It doesn’t matter though, because they quite clearly cheated. Nah, although we may have lost out, they do say that it’s quality, not quantity that matters.

In all seriousness, I think it’s safe to say that, for the past few years, the Arsenal thread has been notoriously helpful for both experienced and newer users, and I really hope that this can continue. I’m sure it can, and will. I’ve really enjoyed writing this thread, and hope that not only this opening post will be helpful to you, but the whole thread in general.

Good luck everyone!

UP THE ARSE!

[arsenal_2111]

Arsenal Records

This post will be used to record some of the records that have been set by people in this thread. Hopefully this will add some fun and competition into the thread.

Note that to be included in this, you will need to have a screenshot proving that you have achieved something.

Special

First to win all 6 trophies in one season -

Team

Most goals scored in one game -

Most goals scored in one season -

Most points in one season -

Fastest goal scored -

Fastest goal conceded -

Least matches needed to win league -

Largest goal difference at end of season -

Most players in England squad -

Players

Most goals scored in one game -

Most goals scored in one season -

Most assists in one game -

Most assists in one season -

Most MotM awards in one season -

Youngest league goalscorer -

Transfers

Most spent on one player -

Most received for one player -

Most spent over one season -

Most received over one season -

If you have any suggestions as to what else I could include, please let me know. PM is preferable, so I don't miss it.

Cheers!

[arsenal_2111]

Reserved for analysis of squad for a future patch.

[Purefun]

Nice one mate, comes in handy when you are betatesting of course.

[silva_gunner]

Quality page from the looks of it mate

Will read through properly once i've actually tried the demo

[Ty]

Brilliant first post mate You have put in some effort there, that im sure everyone will appreciate.

i have just read every word while my Arsenal demo game loads up Cant wait!

[Cardiovascular]

'Up the Arse' \o/

[John Smith]

Nice one, mate. You've set a high standard for the rest to follow.

[theincrediblehulk]

Looking good matey!! Haven't read through the whole thing but I will eventually!!

You stole my finish!!! :D

[el sid]

Well done arsenal

[tomtuck01]

UP THE ARSE!

I suggested that to the missus the other night but she said "no".

Great opening post Jammy.

[ballinisahabit]

I suggested that to the missus the other night but she said "no".

Great opening post Jammy.

LMAO. Really good opening post mate

[Welshace]

great opening post as is expected mate... the arse will be one of my first games as usual .. on the demo and the full game

[SeanH91]

Awesome, well done James! Just downloading the demo now, not sure who to go, but will probably be Arsenal

UP THE ARSE!!! Wooo haha

[Barnetboyz]

so can we discuss playing as arsenal on the demo in this thread? (currently loading up the demo as arsenal will be my first try) or is it only for the full version?

[Welshace]

its always been allowed for the demo aswell.. considering its just pretty much the full game albeit 6 months worth

[theincrediblehulk]

Yep, we can start discussing about Arsenal right away mate.

[tomtuck01]

so can we discuss playing as arsenal on the demo in this thread? (currently loading up the demo as arsenal will be my first try) or is it only for the full version?

In the FM09 Lyon thread we discussed the demo, giving our own reasonably deteailed feedback.

Here's mine for example.

[Barnetboyz]

Yep, we can start discussing about Arsenal right away mate.

cheers

just created my first tactic :***)

now i need the players to fulfill it

[arsenal_2111]

I've already done a season, failed miserably, but I'll post up the review when a few people get the game going. Actually, not sure if I'm allowed to until the game is released... I'll have to check.

[Barnetboyz]

I've already done a season, failed miserably, but I'll post up the review when a few people get the game going. Actually, not sure if I'm allowed to until the game is released... I'll have to check.

i doubt you would be to be honest

[tomtuck01]

How've you already done a season? :confused:

[el sid]

beta tester

[arsenal_2111]

I've been beta testing the game, and started this a couple of weeks ago. That's how the squad analysis is already there, etc.

I've just started my second season.

Ooooh, beaten by the sidmeister ;D

[bluebirds4life]

I've already done a season, failed miserably, but I'll post up the review when a few people get the game going. Actually, not sure if I'm allowed to until the game is released... I'll have to check.

I'm pretty sure you're allowed to.

[el sid]

I've been beta testing the game, and started this a couple of weeks ago. That's how the squad analysis is already there, etc.

I've just started my second season.

Ooooh, beaten by the sidmeister ;D

sid 1 arsenal 0

[JEinchy]

Can't wait to get started. I didn't expect the demo to be out this early, so I shut off Fifa 10 in record time and legged it up the stairs to my computer. Good thing I have a day off tomorrow!

[Barnetboyz]

looking good so far, granted i haven't signed anyone

needing a defensive midfielder and a box to box midfielder to complete the team

[arsenal_2111]

Watch out with attacking midfielders. With Nasri and Rosicky both out, I thought I was short. Signed Vukcevic (who has fb stats) and Di Maria, before realising that Nasri and Rosicky were in the reserves. So 4 AM LC's, greeeeat

[theincrediblehulk]

Can't wait to get started. I didn't expect the demo to be out this early, so I shut off Fifa 10 in record time and legged it up the stairs to my computer. Good thing I have a day off tomorrow!

If you're this lucky and have a day off the next day after FM comes out while all of us lot have to go to work etc, quit bragging about it!!!

[JEinchy]

The technical term for it is "study day", I believe. So I'll be "studying"...

I do wonder how good Song is on this game - and Denilson. Those two had pretty decent years last year in terms of form. 'Spose I'll find out once Steam hurries up with my download.

[arsenal_2111]

Right, here is my first Arsenal career on Football Manager 2010 – hopefully it’ll be as great as other careers have been and you’ll all enjoy reading through my posts.

This is only the preview - review will come at some later point.

Season 1

I have made no changes to the data, the only things that I have edited myself is to include the English Regional Leagues at the bottom of the English league structure.

Firstly, I chose to set my expectations as ‘Title Challenge’. This gave me a transfer budget of £29million and a wage budget of £1.1million. Although I am notoriously bad first season, I feel a title challenge is a good expectation for my team.

I love bringing through youngsters, making them top class players. I was one of the first to do this with Jack Wilshere on FM08, and there are a few players that I would like to develop in this game. Obviously, Wilshere is still one of these. Havard Nordtveit, Kyle Bartley, Fran Merida are three others who I look forward to developing to their best, and from these I think Merida will turn out the best. However, the player I am going to work hardest with is Nacer Barazite. This guy looks like he has a lot of potential, so I’m going to be doing a few different things to try and get Barazite to his best. Normally, I’d give the player that I am going to work hardest with the number 33 shirt, as that is my lucky number. In the past, I have given this number to Vela (FM08), Wilshere (FM09) and then Aaron Bath, a regen (also on FM09). It’s lucky that Barazite already has the number 33 shirt, so no changes are needed!

Expectations for this season can’t be too high, but I would hope to get to the semi finals at least in both the Carling Cup and the FA Cup. A win in either of these would be nice, but the main aim is for a young team to do well. In the league, 4th place is needed and anything less than that would be terrible. Ideally I’d like 3rd place, avoiding the Champions League qualifying, but so long as I get into UEFA’s top competition I’ll be alright. I’d like to get to the quarter finals in the CL this season – the plan is to progress steadily.

I’ll keep this short, and do a fuller review at the end of the season. Thanks for reading!

[speed_demon]

Great post Arsenal_2111, downloading the demo now and will start an Arsenal save straight away.

[Barnetboyz]

brought back Gilberto for £2.5M cracking player

also not liking the signing on fee although i suppose it makes it more realistic

[tomtuck01]

Do signing on fee's actually matter now then BB?

[arsenal_2111]

Yeah, they do. Players rarely sign on if you don't offer them a realistic amount.

[tomtuck01]

Well I'm reasonably pleased with that. To be honest I use to pay them in FM09 and whayever FM game anyway.

[arsenal_2111]

I have to admit, I never used to :s

Loans are also a lot more realistic, parent teams rarely loan out players without a fee like in real life.

[Barnetboyz]

Do signing on fee's actually matter now then BB?

yes

having to pay Young £1.9M ffs and Dzeko even more

[theincrediblehulk]

Yeah, it does make it more realistic with the sign on fee. I'm sure it'll also make a difference when competing with other teams to sign a player so it's a good thing if you're a smaller club as it'll give you more a chance.

Can't wait to start an Arsenal game once this friggin thing finishes downloading! It's been nearly 2 hours ! Although I reckon I'll be starting a Milan game first as I'll probably be doing a thread of theirs.

[arsenal_2111]

Hulk, what percentage are you on now?

For the beta builds, which were about the same size as the demo, I had to leave it overnight (5-6 hours) so it downloaded fully.

[Welshace]

mine d/l in 6 minutes on a crappy connection through steam tbh.. happy enough

giving it my first look now.

[theincrediblehulk]

Hulk, what percentage are you on now?

For the beta builds, which were about the same size as the demo, I had to leave it overnight (5-6 hours) so it downloaded fully.

Well, I'm almost there now. Got around 225mb downloaded out of 274.5. So around 80+% I guess. The home stretch is the worst!!

[Barnetboyz]

match engine seems hugely improved aswell

just had my first FM10 match and as tradition goes it will be saved \o/ although it was a terrible 1-0 win

[JEinchy]

I've been sitting here for half an hour and it's 79%. I'm getting a bit anxious now, since knowling my luck something will go wrong and I'll have to download the whole thing again.

In the meantime, I'll just begin some work on the Southend thread.

[briancloughisthebest]

starting up a game now

[Welshace]

first impressions :

i have to be honest.. i didnt think id like the new tactical wizard but i was wrong... i think its an inspired addition to the game..

as always it'll take time to get used to the new skin etc.. but i think this years game is definately going to be one of the best first releases yet.

[442master]

just had a look at neymar for santos wow. Arsenals youth team just got better lol.

[arsenal_2111]

Added a part about Vito Mannone into the OP, on jamesb123's request

[theincrediblehulk]

Right, so obviously I can't play as AC Milan on the demo so started an Arsenal save.

Not really got going yet and don't have any comments but I've just see the most atrocious thing ever. Neil Banfield thinks that CHELSEA has the most number of flair players in the League!