AK22 Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Unlucky with the injuries this season, but still did well to win the league. How are you finding the quality of the regens coming through? Is it more difficult to track down and buy decent players? Are the stats all in the right place or are you having to do a lot of retraining? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnakeXe Posted April 28, 2011 Author Share Posted April 28, 2011 Cheers The quality and stat-spread of newgens is definitely the best it's been on any FM since the switch from regens. I've done some retraining (notably Mikhailov), but it's realistic stuff. In Mikhailov's case he was wasted in my playmaker role because his major strengths were athleticism and dribbling - much more suited to a wide role in my system. Finding players to buy isn't really that tricky, my scouts chuck up a couple that interest me every so often, and if they're the right price (both in terms of transfer fee and wages), age and ability then I sign them up. I don't tend to go for established players since they want huge wages - which I've been very careful to avoid. My highest earner is still only on £45,000pw, and I've managed to stick to that without losing one player specifically because of it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
AK22 Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 That's good to know, especially as you're so far into the save now I remember in previous years you be cursed with strikers who couldn't finish and centre back who couldn't jump etc when you got 20+ years into the game. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnakeXe Posted April 28, 2011 Author Share Posted April 28, 2011 Yeah definitely - on FM10 around 25 seasons in my centrebacks would regularly get 20+ goals per season simply because they were members of the select group that could jump - and hence completely cleaned up on set pieces! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnakeXe Posted April 28, 2011 Author Share Posted April 28, 2011 Good news everyone!! New stadium 52,095 capacity Named after me Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattSpurs94 Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Serpente Park does have a nice ring to it..... Just as I predicted Congratz Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnakeXe Posted April 28, 2011 Author Share Posted April 28, 2011 Cheers They did lie about the £207m loan though, only took £86m, the rest came out of our very healthy bank balance - still got £50m left! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crouchaldinho Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Awesome news SnakeXe. Delighted for you! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnakeXe Posted April 28, 2011 Author Share Posted April 28, 2011 Cheers crouchy can't wait to move in! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted April 28, 2011 Share Posted April 28, 2011 Nice one Snake. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnakeXe Posted April 29, 2011 Author Share Posted April 29, 2011 The Squad: 2034 Goalkeepers Daniel Martin - GK - Argentina - Reasonable season last time. Could have done better probably. Still a great keeper. Juan Carlos - GK - Spain - Great backup, couldn't ask for anything more. Defenders Jose Alberto Loureiro - DR - Italy - Really lost something last season, this contract is almost certainly his last. Still gets a game for Italy, shockingly enough. Rocco Signore - D/WBR - Italy - In his 12th year at the club now, part of the furniture. Javier Aramaio - DR - Spain - Excellent attacking fullback. Hopefully he'll keep going at this level a good 3 or 4 years now. Jose - D/WB/M/AML - Spain - His contract is up at the end of the season. He's on a lot of money considering his stature in the squad. Here's your chance, Quinonez. Jose Maria - DL - Spain - Really kicked on as an attacking fullback now. Carlos Quinonez - DL - Spain - Time to start blooding this youngster who has been filed under "promising" for about 3 years now. Rene Kooiman - DC - Holland - His stats may be declining, but the level of performance is still good. Philipp Egger - DC - Austria - Had a great season last time, but surely coming to the end of his career now. Da Silva - DC - Italy - Always relatively solid, he's a bit enigmatic - I'm never sure how good he really is. Nauzet Martinez Gonzalez - DC - Spain - Fantastic player, our key man at the back. Raul - DC - Spain - Signed in January, spent the second half of last season on loan, looks like first-team material. Midfielders Filippo Vitone - AMRC - Italy - Rewarded with a new contract after starting last season well, his form nosedived. Hopefully it was a consequence of my backups playing rubbish frequently, rather than a cause. Walter Gonzalez - AMLC - Argentina - Another brilliant season last time around from Gonzalez, hope he keeps it up. Julian Juarez - AML - Spain - Excellent backup. Carlos Roldan - AMLC - Argentina - I'm converting him to a right sided winger, so will provide cover right across the attacking midfield. Antonio Gola - DM/MC - Italy - Dependable player. Bartul Misic - DM/MC - Croatia - We really missed him when he picked up a severe injury last season, hopefully he'll come back at the same level. Nenad Arnautovic - DM/MC - Serbia - Disappointed me last season. His career with us may be coming to a close. Agustin Lertxundi - DM/MC - Spain - A very capable third choice behind Gola and Misic. Fernando - DM/MC - Spain - Did far better than expected when he got a run of games due to severe injury problems. I've included him over Arnautovic in the Champions League squad, let's hope he repays the faith. Jose Luis Vega - M/AMC - Spain - The one player I really couldn't bear to part with. Igor Mikhailov - M/AMRC - Russia - Has been in sensational form for a couple of seasons now - but I still feel like there's more to come. Gustavo Sanchez - M/AMC - Argentina - Excellent backup for our key player. Oleg Ryzhov - M/AMC - Russia - Talented young playmaker brought in in January. Forwards Joaquin Arguelles - AMC/ST - Spain - Didn't play much last season, he's finished as a lone striker in my system unfortunately. Might have a future as playmaker, we'll see. Marco Antonio - AMC/ST - Brazil - I've been fighting off £50m bids for him this summer - we don't need the money even with the new stadium build, but we sure do need him! Marquinhos Parana - ST - Brazil - Was expecting slightly more from him last year, but never mind, he's got time on his side. Enrique Lala - ST - France - Couldn't give him enough games really, but he did well occasionally - even if 4 of his 6 goals came against Champions League group whipping boys FC Basel. Leavers Javier - AMR - Spain - Wasn't particularly planning on selling him, but a £6m offer from Napoli was too good to turn down for a very average player. Jon Pagola - AMLC - Spain - The great old former captain finally retired. A true Messina legend. Overall We all know that our first-team is as good as it's ever been, but the backups needed to be better than last season in order to give them enough rest to perform as they can in the latter stages of the Champions League. Hopefully Raul and Carlos Roldan will add some much needed quality to our second-string, and improvement from the likes of Lala, Ryzhov and Fernando should further boost their capabilities. Looking to the next season or two, the defensive midfield looks to be the area we'll struggle in. Arnautovic is pretty much finished, Lertxundi and Gola will start to decline in the next season or two, so we'll just be left with Misic and Fernando. Definitely an area to make signings in where possible. Forza Messina! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnakeXe Posted May 1, 2011 Author Share Posted May 1, 2011 Season 24: Winter Break Update The season kicked off with the Supercoppa as usual, this year's opponents were Grosseto. We absolutely dominated them, but couldn't seem to shake them off, and they twice equalised to take the game to penalties. Unfortunately we continue to have appeared to use up all our luck in shootouts in the clean-sweep season, losing 5-4, Mikhailov the culprit. Still, we put that behind us nice and quickly with a 7-2 thumping of Udinese in the first match of the league season, Marco Antonio starting as he meant to go on - 15 goals in 14 starts by the winter break. We continued to win the first 4 league games, before a brace of 0-0s against midtable teams took the shine off. Three more wins followed to put us back on track, before our unbeaten run came to an end with a really disappointing 1-0 home loss to Inter. Like the Supercoppa, we really bossed the game but couldn't finish. This was followed by an inexplicable 3-1 loss away to Pescara. We were 1-0 up and cruising before keeper Juan Carlos decided to throw in two and let a third past him in the space of 10 minutes. We came back at them, but couldn't get the ball in the net - a familiar tale. A run of 5 wins exorcised those demons, before we closed out the year with a slightly poor 1-1 draw away at Roma, to leave us 2 points behind leaders Inter. In the Champions League, we got a reasonable group, with Atletico Madrid, Monaco, and our feeder club Young Boys. We started badly, with a really weird match against Atletico at home that ended 3-3. We got back on track with a narrow win over Young Boys away, before winning both in the double header against Monaco. A 0-0 against Atletico in Madrid left us needing just a point from Young Boys at home to go through - a point we duly got, somehow managing again to pluck a draw from the clutches of defeat, which was in turn snatched from the jaws of victory. Weird. Really tough draw next, last year's runners up Lyon. We always seem to get a tricky one at this stage - might have to have a word with UEFA The Good Marco Antonio's form has been outstanding Raul has come in and done well We're doing well to hang on to an Inter side in great form The Bad The defence has been very poor - Kooiman and Egger seem to suddenly be finished Mikhailov and Gonzalez have been relatively disappointing Arsenal-like profligacy in front of goal on occasions Results 1 - Results 2 - League Table - Squad 1 - Squad 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Raware Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 Looking tight at the top Snake. Tough Champions League draw too. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnakeXe Posted May 1, 2011 Author Share Posted May 1, 2011 Yeah could be a tricky year for us. Haven't failed to pick up a trophy for 6 years now - could that sequence end? Hope not! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnakeXe Posted May 2, 2011 Author Share Posted May 2, 2011 SnakeXe's Messina - Season 24 - 2034/35 Story of the Season: Serie A - 1st, Champions We entered 2035 in second place, hanging onto a rampant Inter's coattails. We started as we meant to continue, with a stunning 5-1 demolition of Grosseto, who had earlier deprived us of this year's Supercoppa. 6 more wins followed, as the goals flowed, before a 2-2 home draw to Napoli ended the streak. That clearly affected us, as debutant Jesus Jimenez let the pressure get to him in the next game, getting sent off in the process of giving a penalty away to gift the game to Gubbio. We came back swinging, though, smashing Fiorentina 7-0 with 7 different goalscorers! Another 5 wins followed, before Jesus Jimenez repeated his trick of getting sent off - but not before Jose Maria had done it himself, leaving 9 men to cling on to Bartul Misic's opener against Reggina. We very nearly did it, but eventually succumbed to a belter from 30 yards to leave with a 1-1 draw. We won the next two, though leaving us needing just one win from the last 3 games to take the title. That win came in the very next game against Grosseto, goals either side of half time securing a third successive Serie A crown! Coppa Italia - Lost in Quarter Final (v Grosseto) A Joaquin Arguelles hattrick saw us through the first round against Sassuolo 5-0, but Grosseto continued their good form over us in knockout competition with a penalty shootout success after a 1-1 draw. Supercoppa - Runners Up (v Grosseto) Lost on penalties after a 2-2 draw. Champions League - Lost in First Knockout Round (v Lyon) After qualifying in rather lackluster fashion from a relatively easy group, we hoped to kick into gear against last year's runners up, Lyon. The away leg was first, and we really struggled. Lyon were strong in the tackle, quick to close down, and incisive in the passing - everything but the finishing, fortunately, as we managed to hang on to only lose 1-0. I hoped we'd put in a better showing at home, and we did, being the better team. However, Lyon brought their shooting boots this time, scoring both their chances to take an unassailable 2-0 lead, despite a consolation from Da Silva. Results 1 - Results 2 - Results 3 - Squad 1 - Squad 2 Transfers - £25.1m Loss Only Javier left, for a £6m fee. On the ins came Carlos Roldan, a tricky winger/attacking midfielder, Jesus Jimenez, a young right back, and for a record £20m fee, Mohammed Benali, a 17-year old defensive midfielder with leading star potential. 5 Most Important Players: 5. Igor Mikhailov - AMRC - Not his best season for us, but he was the best of the rest of our attacking midfielders, who all did quite well. 4. Jose Luis Vega - AMC - Just one short of his bench-mark of 20 assists, but still a great season. 3. Javier Aramaio - DR - The pick of a defence that performed excellently in the second half of the season - pre-Christmas wobbliness notwithstanding. 2. Bartul Misic - DM/MC - Came back flying from a serious injury last season and really gave our midfield the drive and bite it lacked. 1. Marco Antonio - AMC/ST - 27 goals in the league was the best in a long time for a player at our club, but worryingly he got none in 6 games in Europe - maybe explaining why we went out so early. History: Season League Position Achievements ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 2011/12 Serie C2/C 2nd Serie C Cup Runners Up, Playoff Finalists 2012/13 Serie C2/C 1st Serie C2/C Champions, Promoted 2013/14 Serie C1/B 5th Playoff Semi-Finalists 2014/15 Serie C1/B 2nd Playoff Winners, Promoted 2015/15 Serie B 12th 2016/17 Serie B 2nd Promoted 2017/18 Serie A 20th Relegated 2018/19 Serie B 2nd Promoted 2019/20 Serie A 7th Qualified for Europa League 2020/21 Serie A 6th Qualified for Europa League 2021/22 Serie A 9th 2022/23 Serie A 5th Qualified for Europa League 2023/24 Serie A 3rd Qualified for Champions League, Coppa Italia Runners Up 2024/25 Serie A 4th Qualified for Champions League, Coppa Italia Runners Up 2025/26 Serie A 4th Qualified for Champions League 2026/27 Serie A 4th Qualified for Champions League 2027/28 Serie A 3rd Qualified for Champions League 2028/29 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions, Coppa Italia Runners Up 2029/30 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions, Champions League Winners 2030/31 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions, Champions League Winners, CWC Winners 2031/32 Serie A 3rd Champions League Winners, Coppa Italia Winners, CWC Winners 2032/33 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions, Champions League Winners, Coppa Italia Winners, CWC Winners 2033/34 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions, CWC Winners 2034/35 Serie A 1st Serie A Champions Messina 100 Club: A list of those Messina players who make 100 or more appearances for the club under my management. Name Pos Era Apps Goals AvR -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rene Kooiman DC 2019-Present 618 80 7.17 Filippo Vitone AMRC 2018-Present 561 123 7.11 Jose A. Loureiro DR 2020-Present 448 3 7.20 Jon Pagola AMLC 2019-2034 417 78 7.20 Walter Aguero AM/ST 2021-2032 414 146 7.06 Victor Amoruso MC 2018-2029 380 33 6.98 Mauro Quiroga DM/MC 2019-2031 372 17 6.96 Daniel Martin GK 2027-Present 370 0 7.00 Abel Petrillo AML/ST 2016-2031 366 153 7.13 Joaquin Arguelles AM/ST 2025-Present 289 176 7.28 Walter Gonzalez AMLC 2026-Present 287 52 7.15 Nenad Arnautovic DM/MC 2025-Present 279 28 7.00 Stefano Tulino D/DM/MRC 2019-2030 274 17 7.12 Jose Luis Vega AMC 2028-Present 269 28 7.25 Jose D/WB/M/AML 2026-Present 267 6 7.07 Philipp Egger DC 2023-Present 251 38 7.20 Da Silva DC 2027-Present 232 24 7.14 Javier AMR 2025-2034 227 29 7.00 Antonio Gola DM/MC 2028-Present 225 9 7.09 Mauro Vigorito GK 2011-2023 217 0 6.82 Igor Mikhailov AMRC 2029-Present 214 49 7.20 Julian Juarez AML 2029-Present 210 29 7.11 Juan Jose Godoy GK 2023-2027 207 0 6.96 Patxi Rodriguez DM/MC 2017-2026 203 14 6.87 Jose Maria DL 2028-Present 202 1 7.24 Nenad Lukic MLC 2021-2026 188 23 6.98 Mauricio Martin D/DM/MC 2020-2027 187 9 6.96 Nicolas Amodio DM/MC 2012-2018 183 12 6.93 Remi Thouvenin DL 2021-2026 181 0 7.06 Nauzet M. Gonzalez DC 2029-Present 180 35 7.24 Antonio Marino DLC 2013-2021 180 5 6.88 Bartul Misic DM/MC 2030-Present 178 18 7.20 Sergio Real ST 2024-2030 174 31 6.87 Marco Antonio AMC/ST 2030-Present 170 73 7.16 Adem Ljajic AMRLC 2019-2027 170 26 6.91 Mario Ortiz DM/MC 2013-2021 169 5 6.83 Celso DM/MC 2025-2030 169 9 6.95 Nicola Ravaglia GK 2018-2025 164 0 6.90 Enzo Scorza ST 2012-2018 159 82 7.24 Nicolas D/DM/MC 2015-2022 159 5 6.85 Rocco Signore D/WBR 2022-Present 154 0 7.06 Rosario Licata D/WB/ML 2011-2016 146 3 6.92 Francesc Alcalde AMLC/ST 2014-2020 145 45 6.98 Gustavo Sanchez AMC 2031-Present 142 14 6.97 Javier Aramaio DR 2031-Present 140 1 7.28 Luca Tedeschi DC 2012-2018 139 8 7.09 Mogi DRC 2017-2022 134 0 6.76 Diego Farias AMRLC 2015-2019 126 19 6.90 Gonzalo Valdez ST 2022-2026 126 34 6.87 Davide Testa AM/ST 2011-2015 121 40 7.04 Agustin Lertxundi DM/MC 2031-Present 119 2 7.05 Yohann Sallaberry AMLC 2021-2028 117 10 7.01 Ruben AML 2015-2019 103 7 6.86 Fausto Rossi AML 2016-2021 102 18 6.97 Next Season: After two seasons without a proper cup in the cabinet, that definitely needs fixing next season. Other than that, the young players I've been bringing in over the last few seasons could do with some more game time - in particular Quinonez, Benali and Ryzhov look like they're close to first-team level. Quite a few first-team stalwarts of the past decade or so are leaving - Jose, Arnautovic, Kooiman, Egger and Signore are all out of contract - so they'll certainly need to step up. Forza Messina! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flamers Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 Well done on the league Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danger_mouse Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 I didnt realise you were doing a career update thread aswell..nice to see your still having success with Messina after your Big Euro challenge, ive just started a Journeyman save but im missing Mantova to much so may make a thread soon Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted May 2, 2011 Share Posted May 2, 2011 After two seasons without a proper cup in the cabinet, that definitely needs fixing next season. You've won the Scudetto for the past three seasons so how do you work that one out? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 I suppose you could argue that Serie A is a league, not a cup Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnakeXe Posted May 3, 2011 Author Share Posted May 3, 2011 You've won the Scudetto for the past three seasons so how do you work that one out? I suppose you could argue that Serie A is a league, not a cup That was indeed my logic - cup in the sense of a knockout competition, rather than the physical trophy. I didnt realise you were doing a career update thread aswell..nice to see your still having success with Messina after your Big Euro challenge, ive just started a Journeyman save but im missing Mantova to much so may make a thread soon Yeah I got about 5 seasons into a journeyman save and really wasn't enjoying it, so came back - best decision I ever made (FM-wise anyway). Drop a link in here if you decide to start a thread Well done on the league Cheers mate! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crouchaldinho Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Great season for Marco Antonio. Need to get him firing in Europe! Still enjoying reading about this save. Keep it up SnakeXe! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danger_mouse Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Yeah I got about 5 seasons into a journeyman save and really wasn't enjoying it, so came back - best decision I ever made (FM-wise anyway). Drop a link in here if you decide to start a thread Well im going to continue my save from the Big Euro challenge which i have completed now so when i finally get round to making a thread i think i may just drop a link cheers mate. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnakeXe Posted May 3, 2011 Author Share Posted May 3, 2011 Great season for Marco Antonio. Need to get him firing in Europe!Still enjoying reading about this save. Keep it up SnakeXe! Yeah I don't really get it - he did well in Europe last season, maybe the opposition just set up differently against us this season. I really want to make this save more interesting by going with the academy development angle, but it's taking a ridiculous amount of time to get my facilities up to top quality. Surely in the case where a club has a lot of money it should be possible to just blow a load of money on getting the best available facilities - it doesn't make sense to build them up incrementally as FM forces you to. Well im going to continue my save from the Big Euro challenge which i have completed now so when i finally get round to making a thread i think i may just drop a link cheers mate. Awesome, look forward to it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crouchaldinho Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Yeah I don't really get it - he did well in Europe last season, maybe the opposition just set up differently against us this season. Nothing to do with your playing system, I take it? I really want to make this save more interesting by going with the academy development angle, but it's taking a ridiculous amount of time to get my facilities up to top quality. Surely in the case where a club has a lot of money it should be possible to just blow a load of money on getting the best available facilities - it doesn't make sense to build them up incrementally as FM forces you to. Yeah, I know how you feel. It's quite frustrating waiting until the end of each season for yet another upgrade. It takes so long to get the facilities up to scratch even if the money is there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnakeXe Posted May 3, 2011 Author Share Posted May 3, 2011 Nothing to do with your playing system, I take it? Wouldn't have thought so - I played exactly the same way in Europe this season as last, and the same as I play against the big teams in the league. Mind you, he only got 3 in the 6 matches against the other Champions League qualifiers this season - but then he did score a few against Juve and Palermo, who I'd class as bigger teams than Grosseto and AC Milan at the moment, despite their poor season this time round. Yeah, I know how you feel. It's quite frustrating waiting until the end of each season for yet another upgrade. It takes so long to get the facilities up to scratch even if the money is there. Hopefully they'll get there soon, it's not quite got to the point where I'm just mashing "Continue" with no thought between each game but it's not far off. I also feel a bit guilty about the Italian national side being quite terrible - probably as a consequence of the dominant side for the last 7 years barely having any Italian players, let alone developing any from the academy! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lenzar Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Why has the academy intake been so poor? Have the facilities not been improved? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnakeXe Posted May 3, 2011 Author Share Posted May 3, 2011 I've improved them as often as possible (i.e. once per season) for the last few years. Have only ever had one player through who was better than 1.5 star potential. The current status is "Good Youth Facilities + Youth Academy" and "Established Youth Recruitment". Not quite up to scratch for a leading European club yet, but finally Serie A standard at least. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crouchaldinho Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Yeah, you've got to boost that up quite a bit more over the coming seasons. Shame you can only do it once a season though. On another subject, is this your best ever FM save, would you say SnakeXe? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flamers Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 It's stange how it is much slower to upgrade facilities in developed countries, in Iceland I have had "Excellent" for serveral seasons now, still only "Above Average recruitment though... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnakeXe Posted May 3, 2011 Author Share Posted May 3, 2011 Best ever save? Well it's definitely in the top two, the other being my Merthyr save on FM10. I'm not sure I could really pick between them, they've both been great fun! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnakeXe Posted May 3, 2011 Author Share Posted May 3, 2011 The Squad: 2035 Goalkeepers Daniel Martin - GK - Argentina - Slightly poor form last year, hopefully it was just a blip rather than a slump. He did look back to his best in the last 10 games or so, so let's hope that continues. Juan Carlos - GK - Spain - Continues to play second fiddle with aplomb. Ricardo Rocha - GK - Portugal - If you were thinking "that guy sounds familiar" then you'd be right - I've resigned the young Portuguese keeper, who was available for nothing after his contract expired. Still looks a good prospect, needs games though probably. Defenders Jose Alberto Loureiro - DR - Italy - Almost certainly his farewell season now. Jesus Jimenez - D/WBR - Spain - Signed in January for a bargain £3.6m, he's a little card happy (2 reds in 4 appearances last season), but looks promising. Thanks to Aramaio's unexpected departure, he's also first choice. Jose Maria - DL - Spain - Fabulous player. Carlos Quinonez - DL - Spain - Did very, very well in his first season of first team football with us. Looking forward to seeing him develop. Da Silva - DC - Italy - Came to the fore last season as Kooiman and Egger's age caught up with them. Is now an important experienced head in a suddenly young-looking defence. Nauzet Martinez Gonzalez - DC - Spain - Number one centreback for the last 3 seasons now. Raul - DC - Spain - Did pretty well in his debut season for us last year, hope he kicks on from that. Daniel Wansi - DLC - France - £7.5m signing from Bordeaux, already looks like he could do a job having only turned 17 this month. A future Messina stalwart. Gregoire Gauthier - DC - France - One more for now, £13.5m bringing him over from Deportivo. Could prove a bargain. Midfielders Walter Gonzalez - AMLC - Argentina - Seems to be getting itchy feet, but I keep successfully talking him out of a move. Julian Juarez - AML - Spain - Ousted Gonzalez from the team briefly early last season but lost his spot with a bad injury. Carlos Roldan - AMRLC - Argentina - Some genuinely outstanding performances in the back end of last season once he was comfortable at right wing really encourage me. In one game I remember in particular, he tore the left-back to shreds in the 2nd minute, causing him to hit back with a red-card worthy challenge. Then, in minute 5 he lashed in a 30 yard freekick, and finally added a smart far-post tap-in for his brace later in the half. Could be a serious player for us. Antonio Gola - DM/MC - Italy - Solid defensive midfielder. Bartul Misic - DM/MC - Croatia - One of the players of last season, glad he came back from his injury well. Agustin Lertxundi - DM/MC - Spain - Probably just about ahead of Gola as Misic's partner for the moment. Fernando - DM/MC - Spain - Off on loan this season as he'd be fifth choice. Mohammed Benali - DM/MC - Spain - £20m for a 17-year old is a hell of a fee, but then Benali could be a hell of a player. Suffered with injuries in the back end of last season only making 6 appearances for us, but those 6 appearances were very encouraging. Could play a big part very soon, with Lertxundi and Gola both approaching their career's end. Jose Luis Vega - M/AMC - Spain - One of my favourite ever FM players. Unfortunately seems to be a target for opposition rough-housing, as this latest injury shows. Igor Mikhailov - M/AMRC - Russia - Was reasonably good last year, but hopefully he'll be back up to his level of the season or two before that. Gustavo Sanchez - M/AMC - Argentina - Didn't have the best season last year, but then I was going with 2 strikers on occasion so he got fewer chances. Oleg Ryzhov - M/AMC - Russia - Spent the second half of last season on loan and scored twice in the five appearances he made for FC Groningen. Should make a few more for us this season, I think. Forwards Joaquin Arguelles - AMC/ST - Spain - Hit back at suggestions he was finished by hitting double figures last season - keep it up, lad. Marco Antonio - AMC/ST - Brazil - Really exploded into form last season - needs to do the business in Europe again if he's to be regarded as a really great player though. Marquinhos Parana - ST - Brazil - Didn't get many opportunities last season but I'm hoping to use 2 strikers a bit more this season, so he should get a few goals this time. Enrique Lala - ST - France - Still isn't quite good enough to play as a lone striker in my system, so have sent him on loan again, this time to Marseille, hopefully to bring him up to scratch. I have a feeling it may be a question of him or Marquinhos Parana in the end, though. Vitor Goncalves - ST - Portugal - An absolute steal at £4.5m, the proper pacey backup to Marco Antonio we've needed since Arguelles' explosiveness waned. Leavers Rocco Signore - D/WBR - Italy - Jimenez's arrival finally sees him leave after 12 seasons. Javier Aramaio - DR - Spain - On transfer deadline day a £28.5m bid came in from Man Utd, triggered his release fee, and he was gone. Gutted. Good fee for a 31 year old but it leaves us desperately short. Jose - D/WB/M/AML - Spain - Just a year short of the decade with us, a great servant nonetheless. However, he had to go if Quinonez was to avoid stagnation. Rene Kooiman - DC - Holland - Really sad to see him go - and if I'm honest I thought he'd retire when his contract with us expired. Has somewhat ironically joined PSV despite being an Ajax academy graduate. Will keep an eye out to see if he becomes a coach - he's definitely welcome back. Philipp Egger - DC - Austria - A slightly undignified end to a great player's career, as he was really poor last season. Magnificent player for us over the years, though. Filippo Vitone - AMRC - Italy - Really contributed in his cameos last season, which is why it was a shock when he announced his retirement, despite having a year left on his contract. I've signed him on as a coach though, naturally. Nenad Arnautovic - DM/MC - Serbia - Despite his stats holding up quite well, his level of performance really dipped over the last couple of seasons. Sad to see him go, but not too sad. He's joined St Gallen in Switzerland. Overall Well it's really strange to be starting a season without Vitone and Kooiman to be honest. Two of my favourite ever FM players, Messina stalwarts for over 15 years, veterans of 1000 appearances between them. The squad looks in very good shape despite this, with Roldan and Gauthier looking like top-quality replacements for the pair. Despite Aramaio's surprising/disappointing departure, the squad is very strong this season. It should be possible to really compete on all fronts this season, which hasn't happened in the last two. Forza Messina! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flamers Posted May 3, 2011 Share Posted May 3, 2011 Good luck! At least that £28.5m should buy you a good player! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnakeXe Posted May 4, 2011 Author Share Posted May 4, 2011 I don't really need the money though, that's the thing. We're starting with a kid and a pensioner at right back. As I complained when we sold Andy Carroll with 2 hours of the transfer window left, you can't stick a sack of money up front, and you sure as hell can't stick it at fullback. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flamers Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Put enough money in goal and it would cover it? The best system? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romanista1994 Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Good league campaign and you've brought in some stunning players this year who could make the difference in the CL. Roma finishing 17th, however is . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnakeXe Posted May 4, 2011 Author Share Posted May 4, 2011 Put enough money in goal and it would cover it? The best system? Well I'm sure if that was possible Man City would have done it already Good league campaign and you've brought in some stunning players this year who could make the difference in the CL.Roma finishing 17th, however is . I really don't know what's happened to them. They had an absolutely brilliant right-winger come through the academy who they sold off for £35m or so, so hopefully they'll use that money to rebuild the squad a bit. Their manager insists on playing 4-2-4 though, which is okay if you have excellent players, but if not you're asking for trouble. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crouchaldinho Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 So, switching to two strikers this season then SnakeXe, or am I misreading your summary above? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Romanista1994 Posted May 4, 2011 Share Posted May 4, 2011 Well I'm sure if that was possible Man City would have done it already I really don't know what's happened to them. They had an absolutely brilliant right-winger come through the academy who they sold off for £35m or so, so hopefully they'll use that money to rebuild the squad a bit. Their manager insists on playing 4-2-4 though, which is okay if you have excellent players, but if not you're asking for trouble. Should have bought the guy, could have been a new Vitone. I do love playing against teams which use the 4-2-4, the scorelines generally tend to be amusing. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnakeXe Posted May 4, 2011 Author Share Posted May 4, 2011 So, switching to two strikers this season then SnakeXe, or am I misreading your summary above? Looking at switching to two strikers for games against lower to mid table sides that play four at the back (three at the back means a lone striker is usually best of course). I did it in a few games last season, and it seemed effective, and with Vitor Goncalves I have a nice pairing of him and Marquinhos Parana to give Marco Antonio a rest. Should have bought the guy, could have been a new Vitone.I do love playing against teams which use the 4-2-4, the scorelines generally tend to be amusing. I agreed a fee with Roma last summer, but he wanted stupid wages which I wasn't prepared to give. He then joined CSKA Moscow in January for the wages I was offering in the summer. Bizarre! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnakeXe Posted May 5, 2011 Author Share Posted May 5, 2011 Look what came in the post today: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crouchaldinho Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Quality! How much did that set you back? Where did you buy it etc.? Care to help me find a Hellas Verona one! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flamers Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 I have one word: ebay Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crouchaldinho Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Maybe a pair of these for Mrs Crouchaldinho: Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nobby_McDonald Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 I noticed you don't have a photo of those pants on a real woman. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flamers Posted May 5, 2011 Share Posted May 5, 2011 Oh he has those, they are just kept secret Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnakeXe Posted May 6, 2011 Author Share Posted May 6, 2011 Quality! How much did that set you back? Where did you buy it etc.? Care to help me find a Hellas Verona one! It was this one off ebay - the 08/09 third kit, but the only one I could find! As you can see, a bargain at £10.99 plus P&P Couldn't find any Hellas shirts with a quick ebay/Google search... looks like you'll be buying those pants, eh? I did find this, though, which I thought was quite cool! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crouchaldinho Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 I noticed you don't have a photo of those pants on a real woman. Oh he has those, they are just kept secret Precisely. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
crouchaldinho Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 It was this one off ebay - the 08/09 third kit, but the only one I could find! As you can see, a bargain at £10.99 plus P&P Nice one! Every Hellas shirt I find costs £50+ without even adding on the postage. I can't bring myself to spend that much on a shirt! Couldn't find any Hellas shirts with a quick ebay/Google search... looks like you'll be buying those pants, eh? Yeah! I couldn't find any on Ebay. It's been like that for a while. It's a shame because the new tops are awesome looking as well: Anyway, I bet you'll be wearing the special Messina shirt whilst managing them now on FM11? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flamers Posted May 6, 2011 Share Posted May 6, 2011 At least you can find information about your clubs... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SnakeXe Posted May 6, 2011 Author Share Posted May 6, 2011 It's a shame because the new tops are awesome looking as well:[shirts pic] They're gorgeous! I love shirts with no sponsor, they look so much better Anyway, I bet you'll be wearing the special Messina shirt whilst managing them now on FM11? Might have to save it for the big games, or it'll get a bit smelly Chin up, Flamers, least you can go bowling at your club! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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