wils2603 Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 Good evening chaps, wheres the best place to preorder so i can get the beta code instantly/tonight? cheers. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_wilko Posted October 25, 2013 Author Share Posted October 25, 2013 Update- Summer 2014 Alright lads here is my second up date, end of the first season and pre season 2014. Last season Most important things first, where did I finish? BOOM! Third place, slapping aside big spenders Man City, Tottenham and Arsenal to storm into a Champions League place. For a while I was battling it out with Spurs/Liverpool for fourth, but Liverpool fell apart, Spurs were in too many competitions and we just powered our way in. Feel a bit bad for Man City, losing two cup finals and then losing their automatic Champions League place to me More importantly than though, see how close we were to actually WINNING! the title. Three points off! Nearly squeezed into 2nd but the players switched off and we could only draw on the last day. Signings in/out so far In a shock move, Ashley is being tight with the cash. 12 million to spend before transfers. With Remy Leaving I needed a replacement, in comes Andre Schurrle. Santon was chased by PSG and I knocked them back before giving up and demanding 30million. Clearly PSG were keen so off he went for that hefty price tag. In comes Kieran Gibbs to keep a senior player and finally add a bit of Britishness to the first team. Also looking at Caulker from Cardiff who went down last season. Mapou is wanted by Chelsea, and when I told them to bugger off with their 20million offer he decided to strop. I told him to shut up and he has stopped more so he may leave. If he does it will be 1) abroad and 2) for over 20million. If Santon is worth 30, why shouldn`t he be? No one wants Cisse. Guy finished the PL campaign with 25 goals making him the top goalscorer, can`t work out why he`d not be wanted. But, since he isn`t getting any interest then he can stay and fight for his place. TBH I`m neither happy or sad about this, if he scores another 25 goals then I`ve no reason to complain I just hope he is more consistent in front of goal. Worthwhile youngsters Here are the two seeming best prospects in my team, Campbell and Mbabu. Campbell Mbabu Looking forward to seeing these two develop. Look like they could perform in the Premier League now, but not at the level I want. Have to decide between a loan or continue their development myself. And here is everyone`s favourite Welshman, Paul Dummett. What a star. Also have a newgen or two who could be good, but I will look at them in greater detail when they actually show some promise instead of just my coaches optimism. Season aims Told the board and players we will quality for the Champions League (again) but that is the bare minimum I want. We were so close last season I think we can genuinely win the title and that is what I want. Will still use the League/FA Cup to bring through the youngsters, but full strength for the Premier League & Champions League. If we make it to the later stages of the cups I may take them more seriously, unlike last year and make a proper effort to win some silverware. and now I`m off to smash some more pre season friendlies. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DandyDon Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 Good evening chaps, wheres the best place to preorder so i can get the beta code instantly/tonight? cheers. There was a thread in the PC/Mac General Discussion forum that was listing any special offers for pre-purchase. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DandyDon Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 @james_wilko Good season there I've been lucky in that no-one has put concrete bids in and unsettled Yanga-Mbiwa during the summer. He was brilliant for me last season, very much like to keep him. Had a bit of a strange situation develop with Tim Krul lately. In last few games he's given away 3 own goals making a total hash of dealing with lobbed efforts from outside the box. The first one was understandable, we got caught out high up the pitch by a counter attack, Krul started to race out to try and clear but the attacker got there first and chipped it. Krul went racing back tried to tip it over the bar but was only able to tip it up against the bar and it bounced down and in. As I said that was understandable, however in the next match he somehow stepped back over the line after catching an attempted lob under the crossbar. He hadn't been running back from all that far out this time just seemed to make a total pig's ear of it. Couple matches later he managed to tip another lob against the bar and in, and again he was only a tard or two off his line, really should have claimed it easily. Wasn't being pressured by any attackers in the box or anything. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBigBoss Posted October 25, 2013 Share Posted October 25, 2013 Controversial but I'm about to sign Jordan Henderson for Newcastle Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully11 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Thats not too bad id be happy with that first season im currently 5th but only played 5 games and none of the top teams yet Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully11 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 Good evening chaps, wheres the best place to preorder so i can get the beta code instantly/tonight? cheers. Buy the game on steam it will instantly start downloading the beta Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_wilko Posted October 26, 2013 Author Share Posted October 26, 2013 This is getting annoying now, already had to let Santon go `cause PSG were after him and now I am getting constant bids for Sissoko and Anita. Sissoko is now taking a huff after I told Barca to do one, and thankfully Anita signed a new deal so is happy enough. And yet I still can`t sell Marveaux. He`s taking 40k each week and he never plays, I just want rid of him I don`t care about how much someone pays. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully11 Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 First transfer window closed i managed to offload obertan for £5.5 mil and bought in balanta for £8.75 mil. i also managed to sign wilfried zaha on loan for the season i think i had a pretty poor window but im not performing too badly. I did manage to sign all my star players to long term contracts so havent lost anyone of any value. Ill keep you posted on my progress Forgot to add i managed to loan out all my young talent with recall clauses incase of any long term injuries to my first team. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DandyDon Posted October 26, 2013 Share Posted October 26, 2013 This is getting annoying now, already had to let Santon go `cause PSG were after him and now I am getting constant bids for Sissoko and Anita. Sissoko is now taking a huff after I told Barca to do one, and thankfully Anita signed a new deal so is happy enough.And yet I still can`t sell Marveaux. He`s taking 40k each week and he never plays, I just want rid of him I don`t care about how much someone pays. Think I got a bit lucky on my save, with everyone so obsessed at chasing Santon we seem to have gotten away without anyone else being unsettled.. Forgot to say earlier....page 2 already. WooHoo!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_wilko Posted October 27, 2013 Author Share Posted October 27, 2013 Transfer Window Round Up That is how my transfer window ended, did bring in Caulker for 12mil. More than I would have liked but he looks so good it was hard to resist. Means when MYM gets his wish and moves on I have the replacement already in the squad. Very happy to have brought Andre Schurrle in from Chelsea, especially at such a low price. I still plan to use Batshuayi as my AML in the future, and when that time comes Schurrle will retrained as a RAM. Gibbs is another player I am delighted to have signed. Good to have a first teamer who is English, but more importantly who is so good. Hopefully by the end of the season with a bit of training he will be as good as Santon was, I think I`ll start by focusing on his crossing and then work from there. Jack Cork was brought in to bulk out the squad. I saw Stoke had a 2.5mil bid accepted and thought "why not?" Only 25 and provides cover for both Sissoko and Anita in my midfield. Marc Duffy. Good looking midfield newgen. Only 15 and is a 5 star potential according to my coaches. Looking forward to his development. Henry Saivet. Not really sure why I brought him in. He was free and I thought it would be good for squad depth, but then I signed Schurrle so my AML was strengthened and I already had Gouffran who could both wings. Oh well, not on much each week and can be sold in January. Oh and our return to the Champions League is a baptism of fire. First game? Away to Real Madrid, and the other two teams in the group are Shakhtar and FC Twente. Nothing like an easy ride, will just make our success even sweeter. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_wilko Posted October 27, 2013 Author Share Posted October 27, 2013 Just a quick update regarding the two star youngsters; Campbell and Mbabu Both are improving very well, Campbell especially. Here are screenshots of the two of them. Campbell I will soon be changing Campbell`s training programme to improve his creative stats, aiming to bring back the Ginger Aguero from my FM13 game. Mbabu Solid, but not spectacular. But since he is only 19 he looks potentially very impressive. Maybe when MYM leaves and Colo retires I have their replacements in already with Caulker and Mbabu. And here is a shot of Caulker. Look at those stats! He`s alternating with Colo at the moment and it`s hard to put Colo back in the team with how well Caulker plays. Benefit is, no matter which one goes in they all play well. A bit of pressure on them seems to keep the players at the top of their game. Highly recommend picking him up if possible. Future England CB, guaranteed. 10x better than Taylor and Williamson and genuine competition for Colo/MYM. Cost me around 12mil which seems a lot but I could have my first choice CB for the next 10 years. Also turns out the Champions League isn`t much of an issue Succumbed to a close 1-0 loss V Madrid, as expected. But we are pushing for 2nd place in the group, smashed Twente 6-0 and Shakhtar 3-0. Also sitting pretty in the league, 3rd place after 8 games with 5 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss. Our loss was another close one, Man Utd beating us at Old Trafford with an offside goal in the 93rd minute. Our two draws were 0-0s V Tottenham and Liverpool. Both games we could have won but we just couldn`t put the ball away. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spedding Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 Well my last game went belly up with all the changes to the team and me trying to change my normal formation to a 4231 got sacked early on, so i've gone back to my preferred formation of 442. transfers. had to sell ben arfa as he got unhappy about refusing to sell and me wanting a more natural winger. Same with santon and me wanting a left footed left back. tactic squad results so far my loss against doncaster i played the youngsters and paid for it Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_wilko Posted October 27, 2013 Author Share Posted October 27, 2013 Damiao looks a very good signing. He went to Liverpool in my game and they sold him in the second season to Atletico for 6.75mil. I thought about bringing him in, but with only playing one up top I didn`t want someone as young as he is taking over Campbell`s game time. Completely ignored 4-4-2 for Newcastle, mainly to keep HBA in the team. But looks like it is working so far for you which is good to see. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spedding Posted October 27, 2013 Share Posted October 27, 2013 signed him last day off the season as i was originally looking at a different striker and he came up on my news feed in my price range so he'll be rotating with cisse, i've got mbiwa and williams rotating, and surprising shola ameobi is rotating a bit with gouffran in the false nine role and doing well. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_wilko Posted October 27, 2013 Author Share Posted October 27, 2013 Who else sends their CBs up for throw ins? I just changed my instructions so one CB stays back, as well as the opposite full back and have told Anita (my half back) to stay behind so the other CB goes forward. Worked well with Caulker getting a goal V Shakhtar. Might be something I keep using, a bit of height in the box for our throw ins. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fulax Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Any suggestions for a good, cheap defensive midfielder? Got around £3m to spend. I'll have a look at Marc Wilson - might be stretching the 'good' criteria, but I like his versatility. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
dovEs Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Diame West Ham 3.5m. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_wilko Posted October 28, 2013 Author Share Posted October 28, 2013 Wilson is better than you think, in 1 and a bit seasons for me he has averaged over 7 in all his games. Nothing spectacular but very solid. Like how Perch played for Newcastle most of last season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DandyDon Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Mohamed Sissoko is available on a free at start of the game I think. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atytse Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 I needed a cover badly for defensive midfielder and came along a free agent the 2nd season by the name of Simao. Actually a great cover, has heights, some heading and good tackling. Best of all, he's free. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DandyDon Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Absolutely typical....into January of the second season, things going well we're up there challeneging for the Champs League spots and then Ben Arfa gets a torn hamstring in a match against Swansea. He's out for at least 3 months now, meaning for second season in a row he's going to miss the bulk of the run in. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fulax Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Already have Diame - Wilson didn't want to come. Tried to get Kara, but he failed to get a work permit. I've had a bid accepted for Javad Nekounam, and I'll look up Mohammed Sissoko. I might have some more money coming in anyway: Ben Arfa's head has been turned by Real Madrid Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wils2603 Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Hi Guys, finally got round to downloading the beta of steam. First impression are excellent. Really enjoying this years version. It seems more streamlined, easier on the eye and a lot quicker. I have just finished my first full season in charge of the Toon and I managed 3rd place, absolutely over the moon. The team performed much better than I had anticipated. If it wasnt for a few dodgy results at the beginning of the season when the team was adjusting to the new tactic then I think we could have won the league. Anyway really happy with a champs league spot. Here are all the details, let me know your thoughts: - Transfers: I was hoping to get more money from Tiote than I actually did. But his replacements, did more than enough. I have a pre-agreed fee with Dos Santos, who has been very god for me, so I will buy him before his loan ends. I couldnt arrange a fee on Emre Can, annoyingly. But still might try and buy him, hes got great potential. I was really pleased to get Balanta, hasnt played that much for due to the form of Colo and MYM but when called upon he was excellent, but he did get an injury and was out for the last 4 months of the season. Got a fee agreed with Holtby, not sure whether to act on it, he has been good, nothing special, but fee is cheap, so might be good option. Has anyone has success with Holtby? Here is how the team performed: Excellent performances all round. I have wondered whether there is a bug though, some players are playing out of their skin!!! Tactics: Really loved seeing this tactic play out in the match engine, plenty of passes and goals galore. Anita was an absolute beast at Regista, a joy to watch. Future Transfers: I have two youngsters on their way for free due to their contract expiring in the summer. Im really excited about training them up! Vitinho - CSKA Moscow Julian Brandt - Wolfsburg Next season I am going to focus on youth, and start developing youngsters. If you guys have any recommendations let me know, your thoughts are appreciated. thanks Wils Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wils2603 Posted October 28, 2013 Share Posted October 28, 2013 Anyone got any recommendations for tutors? need to bring some people in to help develop my youngsters. Just brought Lucio in to help with my defence. Nearly bought Drogba in for strikers, but didnt want to pay his wages considering he wasnt going to be playing much! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully11 Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 Just gotten through the first January transfer window and im currently in 6th. Ben Arfa wanted away but i had a word with him and told him i would qualify for Europe this season and he seems happy enough to be staying at the minute. Not had any serious bids for him just a couple of £17 mil bids from Zenit ill post screenshots at the end of the season. Wils i had vitinho just about signed then his agent wanted £2mil which i couldnt afford so hoping i can sneakily sign him on a free at the end of the season. *Fingers Crossed* Currently playing Colo in CDM as tiote and anita both have long term injuries so MYM and Balanta are my centre backs atm and seem like an impossible wall to break down Krul not playing as well as i had hoped his average rating is under 7 whereas the rest of the team is averaging between 7 and 8.2. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully11 Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 How is everyone playing Ben Arfa btw he always has a good rating after matches although hes played 24 games hes only got 4 goals and 4 assists. playing as an inside forward on the RAM Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_wilko Posted October 29, 2013 Author Share Posted October 29, 2013 If your defence is good, Krul won't play that we'll as he has nothing to do. Set him to distribute to defenders so he gets a higher pass rating to bump his average up. I play HBA the same way, he may not be getting the goals and assists but if he's playing well he's most likely involved in your attacking moves. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully11 Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 If your defence is good, Krul won't play that we'll as he has nothing to do. Set him to distribute to defenders so he gets a higher pass rating to bump his average up.I play HBA the same way, he may not be getting the goals and assists but if he's playing well he's most likely involved in your attacking moves. Yeah good shout ill give that a try i just feel Ben Arfa should be getting a few more assists or goals. Think even MYM has 4 goals this season Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_wilko Posted October 29, 2013 Author Share Posted October 29, 2013 Try setting him to run with ball often and get further forward. He has quite a few goals doing that for me. At work now but hit January in my second season, will be updating this afternoon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wils2603 Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 Do you guys ever suffer from second season syndrome? I've just started the second season with Newcastle. The 1st season went very well indeed. Finished 3rd, could have won it if it were not for some dodgy results at he start when the team was adjusting to the tactic I wanted to implement. Won the carling cup and got the fa cup final but lost penalties!!! My players were playing out of their skin, Santon won player of the year, av rating above 8!! And there were a host of other top performers. We were dominating possession and having more shots. Now I had a great preseason won all my games, managed to keep all my big players, santon, debuchy, Ben arfa, cabaye, yanga mbwia etc. however debuchy and cabaye are unhappy and have asked to leave as I rejected bids etc. I've just lost my first 3 games of the season, 5-0 to Man U, who I beat twice last season' lost to arsenal and west ham. The tactic is exactly the same. What can be the explanation for this? Is it the morale of senior players affecting the squad? Or have I been found out and I need to tinker my tactic or change it all together? How many of you guys change your tactics season on season? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wils2603 Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 Scully - I had him as an inside forward attack with run with ball often and he got 17 goals for me in season 1. I also had my right back playing as a complete wing back, they complimented each other very well. Often debuchy would do the hard work and pass it to be arfa who would shoot and then score. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully11 Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 Scully - I had him as an inside forward attack with run with ball often and he got 17 goals for me in season 1. I also had my right back playing as a complete wing back, they complimented each other very well. Often debuchy would do the hard work and pass it to be arfa who would shoot and then score. I have debuchy playing as a complete wing back his average rating is above 8 and ben arfa is set to the same as youve suggested i think im just having an unlucky time. if i put zaha there with the same setting he is great. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully11 Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 actually how do i do run with ball often i dont even have that option with the new player instructions Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_wilko Posted October 29, 2013 Author Share Posted October 29, 2013 Go to tactics, player and then click on his position. Should have an option to edit, it's in there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully11 Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 Go to tactics, player and then click on his position. Should have an option to edit, it's in there. Its not there there is only the option to dribble more and get further forward Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_wilko Posted October 29, 2013 Author Share Posted October 29, 2013 Yeah, they are the options. It`s the change from sliders and instructions we used to have. And Wils, it will be cause teams now see you as a threat so focus more on how you play. If you don`t make changes they`ll set up to counter your style. Losing to Man Utd is expected, especially if they have improved from the first season, ditto Arsenal. West Ham is unexpected but anyone can beat anyone in this game so that`s part of the fun. Try tweaking your tactics slightly, it should help. I personally used counter in the first season when we fought our way to 3rd, since changed to a more possession oriented game and have improved massively but so have the teams around me so we are still sitting in 3rd. Can`t seem to slow down Man Utd or Chelsea to help us push up the league. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamzterz Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 I've now started my second season with Newcastle. We finished 6th i BPL in the first season, and won the carling cup. MYM & Santon got a lot of attention in the offseason. Both wanted the move, so tried to get the best deals out of it - and I'm very satisfied! Caulker & Umtiti are there replacements. Also sold Debuchy - could get both Corchia & Walker with money to spare for his price. Real Madrid made an offer for Cissé - and although his was okay, hes getting older - and his value decreases. I'll give Campbell the chance, and Gomis is backing him up. If neither is stepping up, I will buy another striker i january. Transfers Current Squad Added Lingard after a six month injury to Gaitan. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_wilko Posted October 29, 2013 Author Share Posted October 29, 2013 Hamzterz, you won`t be disappointed with Caulker. He has ousted Colo from my team and is just so consistent and so good. January 2015 Update League Table Second highest goalscorers and best defensive record in the league. Very happy with those stats, could do with a few more goals though but that is mainly Cisse letting me down there. Squad Overview Filtered by average rating so people can see just how good Caulker has been. Can`t believe I was debating whether or not to get him having seen how well he has played for me. Honourable mention to our young Welsh superstar Paul Dummett, next highest average rating despite only being a squad player. The fact he hasn`t been called up by Wales in my game is starting to p*** me off though if I`m honest. Fixtures so far Premier League That 4-0 V Chelsea was outstanding to watch, everything I wanted my team to do they did and added a couple goals on top of what I was hoping for. The game above that was a dominant 5-0 battering over West Ham which was very enjoyable. Champions League Holding our own against the likes of Real Madrid is something I didn't expect to happen. The only blemish I would say is the 4-4 with Twente in our last game but I sent out the entire B team for the game as we had already qualified and couldn't take over Real Madrid. Signings Three quality players in Gibbs, Schurrle and Caulker. Two solid squad players in Saivet and Cork and one youngster in Duffy. Not bad for 30mil. Can highly recommend all of these players except Saivet who is just average. He's getting sold this window if possible to add a couple million to the coffers. Here are links to my best young players; Mbabu, Campbell, Dummett, Batshuayi and Tielemans. Batshuayi has spent half a season bossing the Belgian league which is why he has no appearances for me this season, though he's about to play his first game against Doncaster in the FA Cup. High hopes for him as a future AML. http://imageshack.us/f/401/nk40.png/ http://imageshack.us/f/811/ux40.png/ http://imageshack.us/f/802/doxu.png/ http://imageshack.us/f/600/wi36.png/ http://imageshack.us/f/24/stig.png/ Future plans Both Moussa and HBA asked for a transfer before the window and were politely told to sit down and shut up. However, I am planning on cashing in on both with the every improving Batshuayi becoming a starting AML and Schurrle moving to the AMR. Sissoko will be sold and I am intending on signing Wilshere. I know he will cost upwards of 20mil but I want a strong English core and bringing in the likes of Wilshere is a great sign of my intent for next season. Cisse is another who will be let go, be 30 come the end of the season and seems to be decling already. Jackson Martinez of Porto is top of my list of replacements who at 28 will give me cover until Adam Campbell hits the superstar levels I expect of him. Anticipate making around 60million in sales, and will probably spend around 40million bringing in those two players. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DandyDon Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 @wils2603 Great first season, congrats I'd echo James there on second season, I'm up around 3rd place again going into February and managed some decent results against the likes of Man Utd but it's definitely been tougher all round. We've recorded a lot more narrow 1-0 wins this time round and a lot of teams seem to set up more defensively against us. I've tweaked my tactic quite a bit while keeping the same formation, and also changed a few player roles. Assuming I get the players I want during the summer I think I'll be swapping tactics a lot more often in 3rd season to keep opposition guessing more. @Hamzterz Some good transfer business there, like the look of that defense. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamzterz Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 Hamzterz, you won`t be disappointed with Caulker. He has ousted Colo from my team and is just so consistent and so good. I'm very pleased with Caulker! Had a hattrick in Euro League qualification, and is looking very decent. Especialy with Papadopoulos by his side! @Hamzterz Some good transfer business there, like the look of that defense. Thanks! Haidara is playing well, and Umtiti is wonderfull! Adam Campbell is my main man - after just a couple of games last year. He's been really impressing though - banging them in both in Euro League and BPL. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DandyDon Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 2014/15 Season - Progress report Meant to do an update last night when we were about halfway through the season, but ended up getting a little too wrapped up in things and played on till some ungodly hour of the morning (thankfully didn't have to work today so didn't have to tip up bleary eyed after just a couple hours kip) Results so far League as it stands We're having a great season so far, currently sitting top and having secured the first piece of silverware. Has been a tough old battle to get to that position though, we've got the lowest goals scored tally of any of the top fours sides at the moment and we'll need to improve on that next season for sure. I doubt we'll be top for long with Chelsea having 2 games in hand over us and given the way they've been banging goals in I can't really see past them for the title. Assuming we don't get a horrendous catalogue of injuries in the next few weeks I reckon we should hold on to 2nd place though as we have a lot of what you'd term as 'winnable' games in our remaining league fixtures. We've also got an away game at Chelsea and homes against Man Utd and Arsenal in there as well (though with the Gunners struggling at moment we should probably beat them at SJP), but the rest of our matches though are against teams in lower half of the league not in danger of relegation. We made it through a difficult draw in the Champions League, managing 2nd spot behind Real Madrid who really dominated our group. We've landed another difficult tie though in the shape of Mega-Money PSG, but managed an impressive 2-0 win against them in the 1st leg. Won't be too unhappy if they comeback and knock us out in the return leg in some ways though as it would let us concentrate on the league. I played very much a makeshift squad in our second FA Cup tie and paid the price, losing 2-0 to Brighton after missing a host of chances. However I wasn't too upset to go out at that stage as it meant a few games less in a fixture list already very congested by our run to the final of the League Cup. The first trophy Barring Arsenal we had a pretty easy run to the final, but there we had to face a Chelsea team who were in seriously good form. Due to a bunch of little niggling injuries and some jaded players I had to play one or two out of position and had to recall the forgotten man of my squad Simone Pepe. I signed him last season on a free outside a transfer window, but hadn't been able to register him and he didn't play a game for us. This season I had to leave him out of the league and Europe 25s to leave space for the likes of Andre Ayew and other new faces, so again he's only played reserve football for us. Despite all that, he came through for us with a massive contribution in the final, wandering in off the right flank twice to apply finishes to crosses from Fabio and Holtby. This was also Holtby's best game for us so far as he scored one and set up two while continually tearing the Chelsea defence apart in the second half. Now I'm hoping the cup win will act as a spur to the players, rather than lead to the resting on their laurels as it seems to have done for one or two real life teams in recent years. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully11 Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 Well finished my first season in 6th position which i'm happy about considering the amount of injuries i had throughout the season. Been given £10.75mil to spend in the transfer window and have signed Vitinho on a free transfer to play as my LAM im thinking now i need a striker so may look to Jackson martinez if i can offload a couple im thinking of cashing in on Tiote as he broke his foot last season and has come back as a mere shadow of himself but still worth 6 mil and try and offload Marveaux as he is still worth 4 mil. Anyone think of a better striker in my transfer budget who will get goals on his own aswell as from others Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spedding Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 well finished 1st season and finished 7th, just too many draws. have qualified for euro cup. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wils2603 Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 Chaps, I need an urgent response please. Deadline day second season. Just sold Cabaye to Real Madrid for 30M. Had a bid accepted for Grenier (Lyon), he has agreed a contract, was just about to agree the deal when i found out i could get Christian Eriksen for 17M rising to 23M. Cabayes replacement will play cm with in an advanced playmaker roll. Grenier's natural position is cm, eriksen amc. But i dont think this should matter too much. who should i go for?!!!! This could make or break my season!! oh and there is an hour left of deadline day.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_wilko Posted October 29, 2013 Author Share Posted October 29, 2013 Eriksen just shades it imo, can retrain him to be a natural CM I`m sure so I would go for him. Either one is a great signing so there isn`t really a bad option there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
james_wilko Posted October 29, 2013 Author Share Posted October 29, 2013 Actually if you can afford it, get both. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DandyDon Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 From linited experience on FM13, I'd be inclined to go with Grenier as I think you get the best out of Eriksen in his natural AMC position. However as James pointed out they're both great signings. Any chance of being ultra greedy and getting both? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scully11 Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 Chaps, I need an urgent response please.Deadline day second season. Just sold Cabaye to Real Madrid for 30M. Had a bid accepted for Grenier (Lyon), he has agreed a contract, was just about to agree the deal when i found out i could get Christian Eriksen for 17M rising to 23M. Cabayes replacement will play cm with in an advanced playmaker roll. Grenier's natural position is cm, eriksen amc. But i dont think this should matter too much. who should i go for?!!!! This could make or break my season!! oh and there is an hour left of deadline day.... Eriksen all the way for me mate Ive just signed Holtby for £3mil at start of second season which im over the moon with i also keep getting bids for sissoko for around £16mil so may cash in as he doesnt really get used in my formation Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
wils2603 Posted October 29, 2013 Share Posted October 29, 2013 Had a bid in for MYM 34M so i sold him then tried to get both Grenier and Erikson. Got grenier, and was about to get eriksen but it couldnt be agreed in time!!! So annoying. But at least I have the funds for January! thanks for your help. Also with regards to my tactics, changed from control to counter, and removed high line and won last two games. Grenier scored too!! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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