FM14: Chelsea F.C. - The Happy Ones...We Hope

[Bracken]

FM14: Chelsea F.C – The Happy Ones…We Hope

Welcome home Jose

The 2012-13 season promised so much, yet delivered so little. Under the guidance of fan favourite Roberto Di Matteo, with the new exciting signings of Eden Hazard and Oscar, Chelsea fans dreamt of a a new period of dominance at home, and set out to prove their maiden European Cup win wasn’t a fluke. Yet it wasn’t to be. Our hero was dispatched from his job and replaced by a former enemy in Rafa Benitez, and the atmosphere at the club changed dramatically. The love affair between Chelsea fans and Roman Abramovich was severely tested, and despite Benitez delivering a top four finish and a Europe League victory, a change was needed to get the fans back onside and bring harmony back to the Bridge.

There was only one man for the job

So, do you know better than "The Happy One"?

[Bracken]

Basic Info

Club:

Founded: 1905

Location: West London, Borough of Fulham

Nicknames: The Blues, The Pensioners, The Chels

Owner: Roman Abramovich

Chairman: Bruce Buck

Finances: Rich

Estimated Value: £852m

League: The English Premier League

Continental Competition: UEFA Champions League, UEFA Super Cup

Rivalries

Fierce:Tottenham, Millwall, Liverpool, West Ham

Other: Arsenal, QPR, Fulham, Manchester United

Stadium and Facilities

Name: Stamford Bridge

Built: 1876

Capacity: 41, 837

Owners: Chelsea Pitch Owners

History:

Founded on 10th March 1905 in the Rising Sun Pub. John Tait Robertson, a Scottish international was the first player/manager and a squad of respected players was signed, providing a league could be found to compete in.

The Southern League was the natural choice for the location but they were unwelcoming to these upstarts. Undaunted, Chelsea simply set their sights higher and went straight for the northern-dominated Football League.

On May 29th 1905, the Football League AGM dramatically elected Chelsea to the Second Division. Parker again proved persuasive as Chelsea became the first club ever to make the League without having kicked a ball.

The club won promotion to the First Division in their second season, and yo-yoed between the First and Second Divisions in their early years. They reached the 1915 FA Cup Final, where they lost to Sheffield United at Old Trafford, and finished 3rd in the First Division in 1920, the club's best league campaign to that point. Chelsea attracted large crowds and had a reputation for signing big-name players, but success continued to elude the club in the inter-war years.

In 1952, former Arsenal and England centre-forward Ted Drake took charge of the club as manager, and began to modernize and revolutionise the club. A change in badge, style and personnel saw the club begin to rise in English football. Captained by Roy Bentley, the club claimed their fist ever league title in 1955, but it was to be some time before the success was repeated.

After falling in to mid-table obscurity in the late 1950’s, Ted Drake was replaced by player-coach Tommy Docherty, who made his own mark on the team, building a young and talented squad, and bringing Chelsea back into contention for honours. The club were on track for a treble, the League, FA Cup and League cup in the 1964-5 season, but the faltered at the final stages, securing only the League Cup. In three seasons the side were beaten in three major semi-finals and were FA Cup runners-up.

Doherty was replaced by Dave Sexton, who brought new glories to the club, the FA Cup in 1970 after a dramatic 2-1 win in a replay against Leeds United, and the club’s first European victory, the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, in 1971, triumphing over the great Real Madrid in another replay. The late 60’s and early 70’s will be remembered as a great period of Chelsea history, where the club established their reputation as a stylish, swaggering London giant, lead by ‘The King of Stamford Bridge’ Peter Osgood.

The late 1970’s and the 1980’s saw dramatic changes to the Club’s fortunes, suffering relegation to the second division, the loss of star players such as Ray Wilkins, and problems with hooliganism. In1982, Jen Bates acquired the club, for the princely price of £1, questions over the clubs future at Stamford Bridge plagued supporters, and club came close to dropping into the Third Division. However, manager John Neal dragged the club back into the top flight in 1983-84. While they accomplished little, and found themselves back in the second division 1988, they returned immediately and have remained in the top division of English football ever since.

The 1990’s saw a new revolution at Chelsea Football club. Firstly, the club secured their home, Stamford Bridge, after a decade of uncertainty with property developers. The arrival of stylish, accomplished foreign players such as Ruud Gullit, Gianluca Vialli and Roberto Di Matteo lead to a change in both the club’s style and fortunes. Gianfranco Zola joined the club, immediately winning the hearts of the clubs fans. Zola would eventually be regarded by many as Chelsea’s greatest ever player, the Italian magician’s class on and off the pitch will never be forgotten. As player-manager, Gullit guided the team to an FA Cup triumph in 1997, and established Chelsea as a major force in English football. In 1998, Vialli replaced Gullit in the role of player-manager, and guided the team to further successes, the League Cup and UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup, both for the second time in the club’s history, and the third club’s FA Cup in 2000. Vialli also secured Chelsea’s first appearance in the UEFA Champions League, beginning a relationship with the competition that has defined Chelsea in recent years.

Claudio Ranieri replaced Vialli as manager in 2000, securing a place in the 2002 FA Cup Final where Chelsea lost to Arsenal. Ranieri brought in influential players such as Frank Lampard in midfield, and developed John Terry into the dominant force in Chelsea’s defence, eventually giving Terry the captaincy. In 2002/3, Chelsea were locked in a battle for qualification for the Champions league with Liverpool, leading to a dramatic final day encounter between the two teams that would decide their fortunes. There has been perhaps no more consequential match in Chelsea history than that game. Chelsea required only a draw to secure qualification, Liverpool required a win, and they took the lead through Sami Hyypia, but Chelsea fought back. Marcel Desailly scored the equaliser, before Danish winger Jesper Gronkjaer curled the winning goal into the bottom corner, ensuring Chelsea’s return to Europe’s top table.

Then everything changed.

Roman Abramovich took ownership of the club in 2003, and transformed the club into a financial powerhouse. Abramovich poured his own money into the club, funding transfer spending sprees that brought some of the greatest players in world to Stamford Bridge. Ranieri remained in charge for the 2003/4 season, the ‘tinkerman’ seeking to bring domestic and European glory back to West London. Aided by the arrivals of Hernan Crespo, Joe Cole, Damien Duff and others, Ranieri brought Chelsea their highest league finish in decades, finishing second only the ‘invincible’ Arsenal team. The Champions League was also a case of so close yet so far, as Chelsea crashed out in the semi-finals to Monaco, who then lost to Jose Mourinho’s Porto. Despite these successes, Ranieri was unable to hold onto his job, and newly crowned European Champion Jose Mourinho arrived. Ranieri deserves his place in Chelsea history, not only for his own achievements, but for building the foundation for the success that followed.

‘The Special One’ has left an indelible mark on the history of Chelsea football club, the squad still retaining some the stalwarts of his tenure. Mourinho brought unprecedented success to Stamford Bridge, bringing in the first league title in 50 years, then retaining the trophy very next year. He brought in players such as Drogba, Michael Essien, Ricardo Carvalho and many others. Petr Cech and Arjen Robben, both signed under Ranieri, instantly became important figures in the team, while Drogba showed why he would go down as one of Chelsea’s greatest ever strikers. Mourinho’s Chelsea were a formidable prospect for opposing teams, with a home record any club would envy, a winning mentality and an indomitable spirit. In all, Mourinho brought in two league titles, two League Cups and an FA Cup, before suddenly departing the club in 2007. Mourinho’s relationship with Abramovich had severely deteriorated, with rumours that Michael Ballack and Andriy Schevchenko had been signed against the wishes of the manager. Avram Grant, the newly appointed Director of Football stepped into the manager’s dugout once Mourinho departed, and set about surpassing his achievements.

Grant was never taken to heart by the Chelsea faithful, though he did manage to surpass Mourinho in one way. In his solitary season in charge, Grant reached Chelsea’s first every Champion’s League Final. The 2008 Champions League Final in Moscow saw Chelsea hearts broken by an English rival, as Manchester United beat the Blues on penalties. Despite reaching the final, Grant was relieved of his duties and replaced by Felipe Scolari.

Scolari’s reign was short and turbulent. Despite a positive start, results soon deteriorated, and Scolari was relieved of his post and replaced by Guus Hiddink. The Dutchman conducted himself with poise and grace during his short caretaker spell, and many wanted him to take the post full time after he secured another FA Cup triumph for Chelsea. However, Hiddink remained in his post with the Russian national team, and Carlo Ancelotti was given the reins.

The former AC Milan manager brought back some of the confidence and swagger that had disappeared since Mourinho’s departure, and in his first season secured Chelsea’s first ever League and FA Cup double., as well as becoming the first English club to score more than 100 goals in a league season since 1963. Drogba again was a central figure, alongside Lampard, Terry and Cech as the spine of the team. Sadly, Ancelottie couldn’t reproduce that form in his second season, while Fernando Torres arrived for £50m from Liverpool, a club record segning, Ancelotti never got the best out of the Spaniard. Ancelotti lost his job at the end of the season, to be replaced by another former Porto manager, Andre Villas-Boas. ‘AVB’ had worked as Mourinho’s chief scout during his time at Chelsea, and after a short but successful stint at Porto, looked to be the man to fulfil Abramovich’s ambition for attacking football. AVB however proved to be another short-term appointment, suffering a similar fate to Scolari, and losing his job in March 2012. Perhaps Boas’ most important contribution was begin to phase out the Mourinho-era starters, and bring a new, younger core, with Juan Mata arriving to add a creative cutting edge.

Enter Roberto Di Matteo, Boas’ assistant, and a former Chelsea player and club legend. Di Matteo sought to bring belief back to the club, changing the formation and the emphasis. While Chelsea’s league form stuttered, the club recovered from a 3-1 deficit to Napoli, and were making good progress in the Champions League and FA Cup. The end of the 2012/13 season brought the greatest triumphs in Chelsea history, as we gained another FA Cup and finally brought the European Cup, the Champions League trophy, to Stamford Bridge.

Di Matteo’s reign was short lived. An early exit from the Champions League and a dramatic decline in form lead to his early dismissal, with former Liverpool manager and Chelsea pantomime villain Rafael Benitez given the job as the ‘Interim One’ to turn the fortunes of the club around. The fans were never won over by Benitez with his particular brand of football and style of management proving unpopular, and despite winning the Europa League and securing Champions League football for the next season, Benitez departed. He was replaced by the one man all Chelsea fans could unite behind, with Jose Mourinho retunging to his rightful home in the dugout at Stamford Bridge.

[Bracken]

Season 2013/14

The First Team Squad

The U21 Squad

The U18 Squad

The Loanees

The Staff (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3)

[Bracken]

Goalkeepers

First Team

Petr Cech

Undoubted first choice for your first year at least, Cech is one of the worlds best. Reliable, assured and a Model Professional, Cech will serve you well for as long as you choose to give him, and he’s a great tutor. The real question with Cech is his age, he’s 31 at the start of the game, and while that’s perfectly fine for a keeper and he has a good 5-6 years at the top left, the younger players you have coming through mean you’ll have to make a decisions on Pete’s role at the club in the very near future.

Recommendation: Obviously he’s first choice for the first season, but when Courtois comes back you’ve got a choice to make. Second season is when you’ll get the maximum value out of selling him, but if you value loyalty to the club and length of service, then you can either try and rotate Courtois and keep them both happy, or at least keep Pete for a bit longer before letting him leave for first team else where.

Mark Schwarzer

A new signing at the club, and for the first time in a long while Chelsea have a reliable and experience backup. No massive weaknesses, he’s good enough to keep the bench warm and step in for any short injuries to Cech, but if you find yourself in need of a longer term replacement for Pete, he might not be your man.

Recommendation: He’s a short term option as he’s already over 40, but he’s a great short term option to have. You might be able to squeeze an extra season after the first out of him if you’re lucky, but he’s firmly on the decline and really you’ll want to let him retire after season one.

Hilario

He’s been at the club a good long while, but never really had much of a run in the first team, and for good reason. He’s just not up to scratch for a top club, he’s an ok third choice (by which I mean he can sit on the bench if your first choice is injured) but he’s really no more than that. However, he does have a Model Professional personality, so can be a very good tutor, despite his overall lack of ability.

Recommendation: I’ve found you often get an offer or two from Championship clubs in the first window, and if you do it’s certainly worth considering them. Never going to make a real impact on your team, either sell in the first window or let him make a dignified exit at the end of his contract.

Loanees

Thibaut Courtois

This is the one you should be most excited about. Already one of the best keepers in the world, with a little potential left to develop, he’s a ready-made starter when he returns in the second year. He’s fantastic in the air and a good shot-stopper, though he lacks pace so probably isn’t right for a Sweeper Keeper role, but don’t let that put you off, Thibaut has the potential to be the best keeper in the world for years to come. Here he is in October 2017.

Recommendation: Do you need me to tell you? Keep him of course, he’s ready to be your first choice for the next 10 years or more! The only real decision is when to phase him in and Cech out. Be warned though, he doesn’t like being on the bench, and may as for a new contract even in season 1 while on loan.

Matej Delac

Delac is someone who often sneaks under the radar on many Chelsea saves that I’ve seen, but he really shouldn’t be. Ok he’s not outstanding, nor is he British which many people favour, but he’s got the potential to become a very solid keeper. He won’t ever be world class, but if you’re looking for a backup keeper who will be solid enough when called upon, you could do a lot worse than Mr. Delac. Here he is in October 2017.

Recommendation: For me, I’d keep him and try and turn him into your backup for years to come. If you can get him tutored by Cech to make him a Model Pro then you’ll be well on your way. Otherwise, you should be able to make a couple of million of him down the line.

Sam Walker

Out on loan at Colchester United, Sam doesn’t have the potential to ever make it at a top side. Perhaps if you put a lot of work into him you might be able to turn him into a semi-decent backup keeper, but it’s probably not worth the effort to be honest. Here he is in October 2017.

Recommendation: Sell when possible

Youngsters

Jamal Blackman

The best young keeper not out on loan. Blackman isn’t spectacular, but given a good amount of time and attention he can become an acceptable backup keeper. He won’t set the world alight, but he’s unlikely to let you down too much either. If you’re looking for a decent homegrown backup, he’s your best bet. Here he is in October 2017.

Recommendation: Tutor him by Cech or Hilario as soon as you can, get him to be a Model Pro and then loan him out for a season or two, and hopefully you should have yourself a decent-ish 2nd or 3rd choice keeper.

Mitchell Beeney

Similar in potential to Blackman, but with poorer starting attributes. If you get luck with Beeney he could, like Blackman, become a good backup, but it’s a lottery with his PA and he needs a fair bit of work. Here he is in October 2017

Recommendation: I’d concentrate on Blackman rather than Beeney, but if you put in the time then who knows, maybe he’ll come good for you. In my opinion, I’d loan him out then flog him after a year or two.

Ben Killip and Brad Collins

Neither have the potential to ever make it for you.

Recommendation: Sell ASAP.

Defenders

First Team

Centre Backs

John Terry

Captain, leader, legend. Still a fantastic player, despite his lack pace. As long as you play to his strengths, and make sure other players have the pace to cover for him if he’s ever out of position (which is rare) then he’ll serve you very well for a good few years yet. I’m into 2018 and he’s still going strong

Recommendation: Are you mad? Of course keep him! Keep him until he retires, he’s a great tutor and a huge presence at the club.

David Luiz

He might be a bit mad, but he’s also a bit brilliant. A great partner for Terry with his Pace and Anticipation, if you can improve the defensive side of his game he’ll be a real rock and potential future captain. His Concentration and Positioning are real worries, but with improvements there he can be a great player for you. Here he is for me in January 2018

Recommendation: Keep him. You can get a good amount of cash for him if you decide to sell in the first 4 or 5 seasons, but in all honestly he’s a great asset, CB’s with his Pace aren’t easy to come by, and certainly aren’t cheap. Plus, life would be a lot more dull without Sideshow Bob wouldn’t it?

Gary Cahill

Solid and dependable, if unspectacular, Gary gets the job done. His Acceleration is a valuable asset, and his all-round solid attributes mean he’ll rarely let you down. For me I’d put him second in the pecking order behind Terry and Luiz, but he’s still a very good option to have. The problem with Gary is his wage. As financial management has become even more important, and with some of the luxury players like Hazard on massive wages, you’ll look to cut back elsewhere, and Cahill is a prime target. Do you really need to be paying a second choice CB £80k p/w? That’s up to you. If you do choose to keep him, he’ll always be reliable, and is more than able to deputise and eventually take over from JT when the time comes.

Recommendation: I’d keep him...for now. He’s a good option in an area we’re a little light, but his big wages, lack of youth and unspectacular stats mean he could be an option to let go in the future. If you do sell, hold out for a decent offer, at least over £15m I’d say.

Tomas Kalas

Although hampered by injury at the beginning of the season, Kalas can be a good option for the squad right from the first season. Capable of fitting in at RB or CB, he’s got good pace and is decent in the air. He’s got a good amount of room to grow, and if you get lucky with his PA he could become a very solid Premier League player. In my game I’ve found him to be a little inconsistent (which can be expected with youth) and he does tend to get caught out of position, however I feel I didn’t give him a huge chance to prove himself, and with some work on his Positioning and lots of experience, he could be a very good option to have. Here he is on my save in 2018

Recommendation: Keep him or loan him for the first year. CB is a position you’re light on, and with his ability to cover at RB as well he is useful backup from the off. After year one, see how happy you are with his performances and either try and mould him into a good squad player through tutoring and training, or get rid for a decent sum, he should fetch around £3m-4m at least depending on his performances.

Kenneth Omeruo

Similar to Kalas, Omeruo is capable of providing backup at CB and RB from the first season. However, where Kalas was fast, Omeruo is a stronger, more physical kind of player. I’ve found he usually has a lower level of potential than Kalas, making him a more likely candidate for loan and then transfer, but you could get lucky with him or unlucky with Kalas and find the reverse. His stats are all decent with no glaring weaknesses, but he’ll need a good tutor from the off if he’s to become a real Premier League player. Here he is on my save in 2018

Recommendation: It’s really a choice between him and Kalas for the first season, whichever stays will need a tutor and the other should get a good loan to a top division club, so that you can evaluate both at the end of the season and decide to keep one, both or neither.

Right Backs

Cesar Azpilicueta (Dave)

He can run, tackle, dribble, mark and cross. He’s got it all. Dave can easily be your first choice RB for ten years or more, capable of performing any role at RB or RWB with aplomb. He’s even got a great professional personality and decent Leadership ability to boot. This guy should have a nailed on spot in your team for a long time to come. The only irritation I find is his throws. He chucks ‘em in long pretty much every time, whether you want him to or not, and that can be an issue, but if you’ve got good height in there then it can be a useful outlet too, depends how you look at it I guess. Here he is in my game in 2018

Recommendation: I really can’t see why you’d sell him, even if you get a huge offer (and you probably will at some point), unless you’ve got a killer regen you probably won’t find anyone better for the money. Keep him, and learn to love his long throws.

Branislav Ivanovic

Two-goal will never let you down. A great strong physical presence, and not too slow either, he’s a beast at the back. While naturally a CB, Jose plays him at right back and so do I, but he’s more than capable in both positions. His only real weakness is his ability on the ball in the attacking third, he won’t ever really offer a huge amount going forward due to his poor Crossing and Passing. However, at the back he’s a rock, which makes him the perfect competition for Azpi.

Recommendation: I’d keep him for the first season at least while Azpi develops a little more. While Azpi will be first choice going forward, Ivanovic is a great player to have for the big games when you need more cover at the back, and can cover at CB where we’re a bit light. After the first season you might want to consider letting him go if you get a good offer over £15m, he’s on a fairly hefty wage after all, and he’s not the best tutor, but he won’t kick up a fuss about being a backup, and he’ll always do a job when called upon.

Left Backs

Ashley Cole

Ashley Cole’s won a European Cup, A European Cup etc. Still one of the best in the world, but he’s on the way down, and his decline isn’t slow. Don’t get me wrong, for the first year or two he’ll serve you very well, bombing up and down the left flank. His crossing is decent if not great, but defensively there’s no better LB in the world.

Recommendation: The big downside to Ash, like Cahill, is his wage. As Ash begins to decline you’ll start to ask yourself if he’s still worth the big pay packet he’s on. You’ll have to renew his deal every year, and there comes a point where you might have to move him on to bring down the overall spending at the club. It’s a shame, but if you can get him down to a more reasonable level then there’s no reason not to keep him until he retires.

Ryan Bertrand

I think Ryan is much maligned on these forums sometimes. No, he’s not Luke Shaw, he’s never going to be the best in the world, but he’s never once let me down. He works hard, he never complains, and he puts in solid performances game after game. He needs a little work from the start, particularly on his marking, but don’t let his stats fool you, he’s a player who deserves a chance in the first team. Here is he is on my game in 2018

Recommendation: Don’t sell him. I know that most people seem not to rate him, but honestly he’s worth keeping. He won’t complain about being backup to Ash, and he’s capable of filling in any time, and can continue to be backup when Ash retires or leaves. Eventually, if you do decide to sell him, and you’ve had success in which he’s been involved, you should be able to get over £15m for him. I’ve turned down offers of £20m+ from Arsenal in the past.

Young Defenders (Loans and Youth Team)

Wallace

A recent signing and spending the first season on loan at Inter Milan, Wallace is a solid option as a future backup RB. He’s never going to set the world alight, and won’t really ever push to be first choice, but he’s solid and dependable enough, and decent going forward as well as in defence. Here he is in my game in 2018.

Recommendation: After his first season out on loan he’s ready to do a job in the first team squad. It really depends on both where you want to play Ivanovic and how long you want to keep him, but if you let Branislav go then Wallace could well be your man to backup Azpi. I’d say at least give him a season to try him out, after which you should be able to get around £4-5m for him if you choose to sell.

Todd Kane

Another right back who’s out on loan, Kane is one who can also be ready to a job when he returns. Fast, strong and decent in the air, Kane is solid enough going forward and in defence and has the Natural Fitness to . If you can improve his concentration, and have patience with him, he’s a great candidate as a squad player. He doesn’t really have the potential to become top class, but the distribution of his attributes mean he won’t let you down. Added to the fact he’s home grown and a Chelsea fan, there are a lot of reasons to keep him around. Here he is in my game in 2018, he had one year in the first team before I had a youngster with far more potential who I needed to give time to, and so sold him for £2.5m to Norwich.

Recommendation: It’s really a toss up between Kane and Wallace as your future RB squad options. If you’re happy playing Ivanovic there for two years or incorporating Wallace after season 1, then it might be a good idea to give Kane an extra year on loan to develop further, and then he’s definitely ready to give it a go in the first team, and if tutored correctly he can be a good option at RB for a good few years, and more than willing to play as a backup and wait for his chances.

Sam Hutchinson

There’s not a Chelsea fan around that wouldn’t love to see Hutchinson fulfil his potential and take a well earned place in the first team squad. Sadly, it’s just never going to happen. Whilst he goes decent attributes and still has some potential, his injury proneness means you’ll just never be able to rely on him to be a regular option in the side. Much as I love him, and he is a good player on his day, you’re unlikely to ever find him a viable option. Here he is in my game in 2018 after I let him go, and he was without a club for a fair bit of time.

Recommendation: For the romantics amongst you, you could bring him back and hope to give him gams now and again. If you do, you’ll find him mostly injured, but at least a very effective tutor. For everyone else, let him go when his contract expires, in the hope he can find a regular spot somewhere else and stay fit.

Andreas Christensen

A youngster with good potential, Christensen can become a good part of your backline in the future if given good training and you get lucky with his PA. While he lacks Pace, he’s solid in the air and has the potential to be very good mentally. His ability to play CB, RB and DM can be very useful, and he’s young enough that you’ve got plenty of time to develop him before you need to throw him into the first team. Here he is in my game in 2018, he developed pretty well but I found other youngsters with more potential who fit the way I wanted to play in this save.

Recommendation: First up, tutoring is key. Get his personalty to be more professional and up his Pressure, Ambition and Loyalty if you can. In terms of training, I’d say focus on his Pace, Strength and Heading. Once he’s mentally ready, a loan or two will be important for him. I’d say by the middle of season 2 or start of season 3 he should be ready to be phased into the first team, as a backup to JT and maybe even his eventual successor. There’s no reason to sell him any time soon, he’s one of the youngsters you should focus on and if get him to the right level, he’ll be a good option for the Homegrown quota in your squad.

Dion Conroy

He might not look much, but Conroy has the attributes where he needs them, and the potential to develop into a Premier League player. CB’s with pace are so important in the modern game, and Conroy can become one if given the right training and attention. Obviously he needs improvement, so Tutoring and loan moves will be important, but he’s worth the attention. Here he is in my game in 2018, still with the club but out on loan, he’s had one season in the first team squad before I decided another loan would be useful, but as you can see, he’s capable of playing a role as a covering CB to a pretty decent standard.

Recommendation: He’s not somebody I’ve seen featuring in many people’s squads on the forums so far, but if you give him the attention and time he needs, there’s no reason he can’t be a good squad player. Give him tutors, focus on his training, and loan him out a few times, and you never know, he could just surprise you. At the very least he should fetch between £1-2m or more once he’s developed a bit.

Alex Davey

Like Conroy, he’s someone who could maybe play a role in the future if you’re lucky with his PA and pay him enough attention. Needs to work on his Pace and Marking, but he’s got a decent distribution of his attributes and can have a solid potential. If your coaches think he’s got 2 stars or above, I’d say he’s worth paying attention to. Here he is in my game in 2018, I didn’t get lucky with his PA, but it’ll show you at least how his attributes can progress somewhat.

Recommendation: Listen to your coaches. I’d say one of Conroy and Davey will deserve your attention, so whichever has the higher star rating will be the one to focus on. Give them both time, tutoring and loan moves, and you never know, they might be a good option for filling that home grown quota.

Patrick van Aanholt

A perennial loanee, PvA is at Vitesse for the first season. Better going forward than he is in defence, but with the physical ability to be able to play a role in both, PvA can become a decent player for your team. If you’re not happy with Bertrand as an option at LB, then PvA might just be your man. For me, Ryan has the edge, but PvA probably offers a little more going forward, so might be better for some tactical systems. He can also, with a bit of retraining, Here he is in my game in 2018.

Recommendation: Personally, I don’t seem many benefits of keeping PvA instead of Bertrand, but if you do choose to, then you’ll have a decent option along the left flank. If you choose to sell then do it at the end of season 1 as otherwise his contract will run down and value will drop. You should get £1-2m for him plus clauses.

The Others

There are no other defenders really of any note in the youngsters at Chelsea, you might get lucky with someone like Brady or Aina, but it’s unlikely you’ll find much I’d say. Defence is probably a good area for some early investment, with perhaps one new first team player and any promising youngsters you can find.

[Bracken]

Reserved 4

[Bracken]

Reserved 5

[steve dewilde]

Ah finally glad to see you re the one who starts this thread

i guess im not the only one

[essien_5]

Thanks Bracken for starting up this thread! I feel like I can properly get started with the game once I've heard how a few people start out with transfers, formations, etc!

[thegr8anand]

Finally. Thanks Bracken!

[Katone0]

Good job Bracken! Mata is a beast this year. He and Hazard are cutting through every defense in the league with ease. I've heard that you can buy Lewandowski for a ridiculously low price at the beginning of the game. Can anyone confirm this info?

[Guest El Payaso]

Mata is a beast this year. He and Hazard are cutting through every defense in the league with ease.

I know it's off-topic but... That's one of the main concerns in the game for me; you can rely too much in individual skill instead of thinking tactically. In real life good players like Mata and Hazard are playing well when playing right kind of football but never dominating like they do in the game... But that's all for this.

I didn't really play a Chelsea save in FM13 but I've been thinking that I might give it a go this year once again. I've enjoyed those saves quite a bit in previous versions, especially in FM 11. I would stick with that current squad as I don't see Chelsea needing any new players. Van Ginkel/McEachran can replace Lampard in coming years, Torres has always scored for fun for me even after his stats were taken down quite a bit. Maybe replacing Ashley Cole with someone like Coentrao or Shaw is a thing that I would do but not in the first season...

[Bracken]

So the thread is slowly taking some shape, still plenty of stuff I'm going to put in there but it'll do for the moment, I'll try and add some more this evening.

I've started my own game but just a few matches through thus far, how's everyone else getting on? Who are people finding to be their most effective striker at the moment?

[kenmfssrox]

I've heard that you can buy Lewandowski for a ridiculously low price at the beginning of the game. Can anyone confirm this info?

Yes I bought Lewandowski in December for 5.5mil. Cannot risk other clubs snapping him up for free when his contract ends. Best signing ever. Bought Balanta for 9.25mil and Shaw 23mil all at the start, Marquinhos 48mil and Alex Telles for 8mil as backup left back after letting Cole go in Jan for the first season. Also got rid of Bertrand 11mil and Ba 25mil to Real Madrid.

Very tight season with United and Everton, winning the league in the end by 2 points. Lost in FA Cup final to Spurs after Mikel missed his penalty but managed to win the UCL 4-2 after leading Real 3-0 at half time. So a good and quite lucky season haha. Used a 4-2-3-1 the whole season but couldn't get the best out of Oscar. Hazard's a beast

2nd season just began for me due to lack of time and it's more of making profits this time. Ivanovic left for 28mil, Marin 9mil, Essien 9.5 and Torres 11mil. Eto'o is leaving for 4mil as well to Napoli. Still trying to offload Cahill and Moses but to no avail. Peruzzi and 2 other regens are my only signings so far.

[Bracken]

Yes I bought Lewandowski in December for 5.5mil. Cannot risk other clubs snapping him up for free when his contract ends. Best signing ever. Bought Balanta for 9.25mil and Shaw 23mil all at the start, Marquinhos 48mil and Alex Telles for 8mil as backup left back after letting Cole go in Jan for the first season. Also got rid of Bertrand 11mil and Ba 25mil to Real Madrid.

Very tight season with United and Everton, winning the league in the end by 2 points. Lost in FA Cup final to Spurs after Mikel missed his penalty but managed to win the UCL 4-2 after leading Real 3-0 at half time. So a good and quite lucky season haha. Used a 4-2-3-1 the whole season but couldn't get the best out of Oscar. Hazard's a beast

2nd season just began for me due to lack of time and it's more of making profits this time. Ivanovic left for 28mil, Marin 9mil, Essien 9.5 and Torres 11mil. Eto'o is leaving for 4mil as well to Napoli. Still trying to offload Cahill and Moses but to no avail. Peruzzi and 2 other regens are my only signings so far.

Great first season mate, keep up the great work. Who was your main striker before Lewandowski joined? And how did he get on once you signed him? I'm tempted to get him myself but also worried about impacting Lukaku's progress as I'd like him to be my main striker in the future.

[woodydkm]

How are people playing Hazard? Can't seem to get the best out of him in a wide 4-2-3-1 on the left hand side as an inside forward support. Seems very inconsistent for me, although I'm struggling to get the best out of the front 4 as a group

[rGade]

Great first season mate, keep up the great work. Who was your main striker before Lewandowski joined? And how did he get on once you signed him? I'm tempted to get him myself but also worried about impacting Lukaku's progress as I'd like him to be my main striker in the future.

I feel the same. When I eventually start my Chelsea save I want Lukaku to be my main man. I thought about this, and I came to the conclusion that when I eventually start, I'll probably buy Lewandowski cheap, use him until Lukaku return, and then sell him again. Should be able to make quite the profit by doing so.

[kenmfssrox]

Great first season mate, keep up the great work. Who was your main striker before Lewandowski joined? And how did he get on once you signed him? I'm tempted to get him myself but also worried about impacting Lukaku's progress as I'd like him to be my main striker in the future.

Since I sold Ba, I rotated between Torres and Eto'o. They both had some great games for me but were too inconsistent. For eg, Eto'o can score two goals and get a rating of 9.3 but performed 5.6 in the next game. I bought Lewandowski 'cause the two were causing me results and he scored 15 goals for me which is a very good return since I couldn't play him in the UCL. Being a Chelsea fan, I tried to stick to Torres in UCL but by end of season, it was Eto'o that started the semis and finals. It's also important to note that Eto'o gets a contract extension automatically after certain number of games, so even if you prefer Torres, try to get the extension so that you can offload him in the summer. Save on contractual costs as well. I think I got really lucky that Napoli offered 4mil for him though but selling him for 1mil is better than letting him go for free I guess.

How are people playing Hazard? Can't seem to get the best out of him in a wide 4-2-3-1 on the left hand side as an inside forward support. Seems very inconsistent for me, although I'm struggling to get the best out of the front 4 as a group

I play Hazard as Inside Forward AML on attack with 'more risky passes' and 'dribble more'. 33 league games, 12 goals, 20 assists, 7.48 for the first season

[Dyslecix]

How are people playing Hazard? Can't seem to get the best out of him in a wide 4-2-3-1 on the left hand side as an inside forward support.

I'm having very spotty luck with Hazard as well (same formation and instructions).

I play Hazard as Inside Forward AML on attack with 'more risky passes' and 'dribble more'. 33 league games, 12 goals, 20 assists, 7.48 for the first season

I'll tinker with this tonight, what are people doing with Mata?

[woodydkm]

Thanks kenmfssrox I'll give that a bash with Hazard.

I can't recommend James Ward-Prowse highly enough, came in second season and got 5 goals and 20 assists as one of the central midfielders. A lot of the assists came from corners but still a great first season. Lukaku was pretty good for me as well second season, got 25 goals (17 in the league) rotated with Benteke who got a less impressive 18. Lukaku seemed to play the best as an AF, I'm hoping that we can add a few more goals to that next season.

It was a pretty good season all in all, ended up 1st in the league with 99 points and won the fa cup and league cup. Went out in the QF of CL to Barca on away goals after winning it the first season.

Transfer targets for 2015/16 season: right footed CB, right back and right wing.

CB - Would love Marquinhos but might be a bit expensive so will see what I can get Kurt Zouma for.

RB - Gino Peruzzi looks good but has already gone to Dortmund and is valued at £25.5m. Corchia seems a talent and like Zouma should be a damn sight cheaper

RW - Shaqiri is my number one target and my scouts think I can get him for £28m

Any one got any other recommendations?

I'll bring back Chalobah and Will Hughes (who I got in Jan of the 1st season) both of whom have been on loan, and give them so playing time.

Going to get rid of some dead wood too, Eto'o, Willan, Moses, Cahill and possibly Ramires. Depends on who I'm able to bring in

[bazfmmad]

I have just finished first season. Only won league, knocked out champions league by Bayern on away goals. Will do a full update for you guys soon but have a bit of a dilemma. Monaco just offered £25m for KDB. Have initially accepted as backroom staff have advised for most of year he will be wanting a new contract. Just wondered if you think I should confirm transfer seeing as he was only a rotation option last season and I have others in that position? eg Mata, Hazard, Willian

EDIT: Sold KDB with a heavy heart, spoke to him before he left and said he welcome back anytime

[Phil930]

Completed my first season. Quick recap below:

Premier League:

Finished 2nd with 86pts (W26, D8, L4). Finished 7 points behind Utd in 1st, and 9 points ahead of Arsenal in 3rd. West Ham, Newcastle, and Spurs rounded out top 6. Cardiff, Villa and Norwich went down. Surprise was Man City in 7th, who I now fear as Jose has just taken over from Pellegrini!! In summary, United simply outscored everyone with 99 goals (RVP had 34), compared to me with 71. I kept pace through 32 games, but just could not sustain a final push. Ended up drawing a lot of games from winning positions, conceding late goals to mid table teams.

FA Cup

The less said the better. A comfortable 2-0 win vs. Barnsley in 3rd round (rotated team) and quickly followed by a 3-0 defeat to Spurs at White Hart Lane. We did not turn up, and could have lost by 4 or 5. Not good enough.

League Cup

Another poor cup showing, losing to Newcastle 2-1 at St. James park in the 3rd round. My cup draws were a little cruel, but I should have progressed further.

Champions League

My saving grace, and part of the reason my Premier League campaign dropped off. Finished 2nd in a group of Leverkusen (1st), Milan (3rd) and Steaua (4th). Qualification was never really in doubt, but again a late goal cost me 1st place. First knock out round was draw from hell - Barcelona. Things got worse when Cech and Terry were both out, with Schwarzer (<60% match fitness) stepping in. Tied 0-0 at the Bridge in first leg. For second leg, I played 4-3-3 without a striker. Neymar gave Barca the lead, but we played great and Mata equalized. We held on to win on away goals, sorry, away goal! Up next, PSG. Lost 2-1 away in first leg, but completely dominated return leg winning 3-1 (they scored a late goal). Semi finals - roll on Man City. Based on their league form, I was confident, and over the two legs beat them 6-3 (H 3-1, A 3-2). Excellent performance again. Real Madrid disposed of Utd in the other semi, setting up a great final. I'll admit it, I was lucky. Isco and Ramos were injured. Real bossed the game, but in the 79th minute Hazard scored a breakaway goal. We held on and lifted the European Cup. Looking back, the win really reminds me of the way Chelsea went about winning the European Cup in 2012.

European Super Cup

Early season form saw a comfortable 3-0 victory over Bayern, which surprised me.

Overall Team Feedback

Played a 4-2-3-1

GK:

Cech was solid 80% of the time, and kept the most clean sheets in EPL (21). However, he also had some howlers, gifting goals, and was injured twice in the season (arthritis). Schwarzer stepped up against Barcelona, but both Schwarzer and Hilario will be leaving with Courtois rotating with Cech before permanently displacing in a couple of years.

DEF:

Signed Balanta (7.25M) and Doria (9M) - both were excellent, and chipped in with a lot of goals (10 and 6 respectively, mostly from corners). Terry continues to command the defense, but was injured for two months. Cahill was loaned to Arsenal, and will be sold to make room for youth. Luiz played his part, but will likely move him on in the summer too. The reason, in close season, I signed Marquinhos. Defense was already very strong, but I pride myself on a strong backline and wanted to get Marquinhos while he can still learn from Terry.

DL - Cole is refusing to sign a new contract on less than 90K p/w, so I might let him leave on a free and chase Shaw or Sandro (Alaba was first choice but Bayern wanted a cool 229M!!). I also have Jonathan Silva coming back from a season long loan.

DR - Ivanovic and Dave rotated throughout the season. Neither set the world on fire, but both consistent and reliable performers. Will likely keep until I can find a long term RB replacement.

MID:

Signed Pogba (31M) during preseason. Tremendous player who is developing very quickly. Played alongside Lampard and Ramires, with Chalobah given a greater role in second half of the season. Long term, I would like Pogba and Chalobah to dominate my midfield.

ATT MID:

Struggled to get the best out of Hazard (7 goals, 10 assists in PL) and Oscar (7 goals, 8 assists), but both were effective. As recommended above, will try Hazard as inside forward. Mata was superb (14 goals in all comes, 8 goals in PL, 14 assists in PL), and KDB continued to grow. Greatest surprise was Willian with 9 goals in 30 appearances, even debutising upfront. I am considering a 4-3-3 again and moving Oscar to midfield alongside Chalobah and Pogba (DLP).

ST:

One word - awful. Eto'o was off to a flyer in preseason, but then got injured in Oct and never really picked up any form. Scored 12 in 44 appearances and missed so many chances. Torres was even worse. Multiple injuries over 6 months and lack of fitness limited him to 8 appearances (3 starts, 5 sub) with no goals. Schurrle was OK, but also was injured (not severe) at key moments. Willian held down the fort for a handful of games.

Transfers

In - Marquinhos really is a 2014/2015 signed, but was booked to the first season as he joined in June. As such, my transfer spending was a little high. Pogba (31M), Marquinhos (28M), Doria (9M), Balanta (7.25M), Jonathan Silva (4.7M), and two youth players (1.3M)

Out - Ba (14M), Mikel (9M - should have pushed for more), McEachran (3.2M), mutliple free transfers of youth players

Staff

I also overhauled almost all coaches and scouts, probably impacting my consistency.

Season 2:

One target - the Premier League. I'll push for Europe again but really need to dominate the Premier League. Will tweak tactics to refine player roles and continue to bed in young players. However, critical to my success will be a 20+ goal striker. Very short of options. Attempting to unsettle Aguero, and missed out on Lewandowski. I think it will be too much too soon, but I might have no choice but to turn to Lukaku. With Villa going down, Benteke is also an option, but not sure if he is Champions League quality (thoughts?).

I will shift deadwood and really refine my squad with the best youth and a few experienced heads that know the club inside out.

Attempting to sell - Essien (heavy heart), Torres (goodbye, don't let the door hit you), Eto'o (you still here?!?), Cole (greedy and will end up leaving on a free), Schwarzer and Hilario, Bertrand, Luiz (maybe), Marin, Moses, and possibly other young players. The aforementioned will reduced the wage bill by ~25M p/y.

Attempting to sign - Lampard (new contract, still wants 100K + 35K appearance, which is not going to happen), Left back (Shaw or Sandro, with one more cheeky bid for Alaba), and a Striker (any recommendations?).

Apologies for any mistakes above - drafted quickly as want to get back to the game!!

[JackJCFC]

Anyone made anything of any of the youth players so far? I haven't touched my Chelsea save in 3 weeks but going back to it today and Boga certainly looks like he could be a first teamer in a few years. Hoping i can get one or two others to be decent backups too.

[thegr8anand]

In my save Chalobah turned out very well. Just a slight lesser version of Pogba. Rest of my youths were crap.

[KyleBFC]

In my save Chalobah turned out very well. Just a slight lesser version of Pogba. Rest of my youths were crap.

BEAST ! And still only 21, Chalobah is quality

[KyleBFC]

Also how has everyone got the likes of kiwomya, ake, loftus-cheek, baker, swift, feruz and brown to turn out ?

[c.ronaldo7]

Also how has everyone got the likes of kiwomya, ake, loftus-cheek, baker, swift, feruz and brown to turn out ?

I've just started a Chelsea save and a lot of their youngsters look promising, however, the most promising looks to be Jeremie Boga. Be interesting to see how he's developed on other people's saves as his starting attributes on mine suggest he could become unreal!

[kenmfssrox]

I've just started a Chelsea save and a lot of their youngsters look promising, however, the most promising looks to be Jeremie Boga. Be interesting to see how he's developed on other people's saves as his starting attributes on mine suggest he could become unreal!

Boga looks the most promising in my save as well, Chalobah too. The rest are however, crap. Side note - Azpilicueta's really, really good and I have already turned down a straight 25mil bid for him

[Purefun]

How did Lukaku do for you guys in second season?

[thegr8anand]

Lukaku is awesome for me. my main striker. will post his pic later on.

[Bracken]

I'm about half way through my first season now, very mixed performances but some very positive results.

We started brilliantly with three 4-0 wins in a row, then came a run of real grinding results, but we managed 10 wins on the bounce in the League so that's a great feat to begin with. We drew Juventus in our CL group and they delivered my first defeat, 4-1 away from home, absolutely destroyed us, but luckily it didn't particularly hurt morale and we bounced back well, continuing to grind out results without playing brilliantly.

Then we hit a purple patch, thrashing Arsenal 6-0 and Liverpool 3-0 at home and utterly dominating possession which was great to see. We faced Juve at home to secure our place into the knockout round and managed to squeeze out a 2-1 win in the last minute, so that was pleasing too. We're on a fairly even patch of form at the moment, not destroying teams but defending well and nicking a goal or two to keep us at the top above City by 5 points, and we face them up next away.

In terms of players, Hazard and Lampard have been the real standouts for me, with Willian also performing brilliantly. Schurrle started poorly, with a run of bad performances, but he grabbed his first goal as the winner against Juventus at home and now has 3 goals in 2 games, so hopefully that's turned him around.

The problems for me have been three fold:

Strikers - nobody has really made the role their own. Eto'o has probably been the best of a bad bunch, Ba the worst, but there's not much in it and all of them waste far too many chances.

Azpilicueta - can't seem to stop getting ratings of 5 or below! No idea what's wrong with him, he's just performing in a standard full back role, but he's doing it pretty damn badly it seems.

Possession Football - I'm getting between 55-65% of possession every game, but this doesn't seem to be enough for the board who would find it "disappointing" if it doesn't improve. Anybody else struggling with this? Any other criteria (other than possession and short passing) that is taken into account here?

Coming up to the winter transfer window and seriously considering bringing in Lewandowski or a new striker, but still worried about impacting Lukaku, so that's something I'll need to decide before I reach January.

Once I've done my first season I'll post a squad analysis on the opening posts and few other bits and pieces.

[Natedog17]

How did Lukaku do for you guys in second season?

Lukaku has done well for me in both the 4-2-3-1 and 4-5-1 formations as the main man with 23 goals and 8 assists in 34 games so far. Rondon is doing pretty well as his back up/Rotation option.

[tcoleman1]

Waiting for a few update packs from the editors hideaway before I start my save. Will hopefully be tonight or maybe tomorrow night that I get it going. My game will be totally up to date so will probably include van Ginkel's injury as well. Slightly annoying as that happened a few weeks into the season but still hope I can develop him into a great player after his injury. Loaning him out for the 2014/15 would probably be the most likely course of action there.

Although I haven't started I do have a few transfer targets in mind. Everybody seems to be going for Doria/Balanta so I will take a look at them. I really want Pogba so he could form a partnership with Chalobah, could be immense together. Also will look at strikers but will try and hold off until the start of the next season as more players should become available then.

[Natedog17]

So just finished the 2nd season and I am happy with it. I won the Champions league 3-0 against united in the final and came 2nd in the premier league. Unfortunately my team hasnt really got going in the cup competitions just quite yet.

Team:

GK-Cech/Courtois

DL-Cole/Cuevas

DC-Shawcross/Ivanovic

DC-Cahill/

DR-Azpili/Wallace

DM-Mikel/Lampard

MCL-Ramires/Romeu

MCR-Dos Santos/Warde-Prowse/Chalobah(really impressive at the end of the season)

AML-Mata/Schurrle

AMR-Hazard/Oscar

ST-Lukaku/Rondon

Lukaku was impressive this season and scored 26 goals and 7 assists in 41 games. With Mata, Hazard and Azpili leading the assists ranks with 16, 14 and 12. I must say that the whole team really scored and layed on goals for one another rather than a few individuals and I was very happy with the way the team were playing.

Ivanovic was looking to leave earlier in the season as he wanted a new challenge so I would need to push up one of the central defenders from the under 21's or get a new signing in. Kenneth, Kalas and Conroy all look viable options. Cole is looking like he will soon be finishing off as will Lamps. I will look to replace them soon with youngsters from my under 21's team or find youngsters else where.

[Galvanize]

I'm just starting my third season with Chelsea, but i'll give a quick re-cap of my first two seasons:

Season One

Won the Prem by a point over Man United (82 v 81 pts). We were lucky that Cardiff pulled a 3-2 win on them on the final day, as we also suffered a defeat. Fulham knocked us out of of the C1 Cup in the Semi Finals (4-4, away goals) and we were beaten on penalties after a 0-0 draw in the European Super Cup (vs Bayern). Beat Newcastle 3-0 in the FA Cup final and won the Champions League on pens after a 1-1 draw with Madrid.

Transfers:

In: Balanta (£8m), Falcon (£425k), Fernando (£7m). TOTAL: £15.4m

Out: Ba (£14.5m), Mikel (£11.5m) + loans. TOTAL: 28.7m

Season Two

Had a horrific first half of the season in the Prem, we were down in 10th around the halfway mark. Pulled it back however with an unbeaten streak of fifteen games to win the title by twelve points over Man City and Man United (87 v 75 v 74 pts. Beaten in the Super Cup again (2-1 v Juve), along with being knocked out of the C1 Cup (Quarter Finals, 2-1 v Man City) and FA Cup (Third Round replay, 3-2 v Liverpool). We won the Club World Championship comfortably and bagged the Champions League again, this time beating Barcelona 3-2 in the final after they beat Inter on pens after a 6-6 aggregate draw in the Semi Finals (Inter won first leg 6-0, Barca won second leg 6-0)!

Transfers:

In: Sanchez (£14.5m), Cabral (£3.9m), Ignjovski (£6m), Jonathan Silva (£5.75m) + newgens. TOTAL: £57.2m

Out: Cole (free), Eto'o (free), Fernando (£4.5m), Cahill (£11.5m), Romeu (£6.25m), Marin (£8.25m), Kakuta (£1.4m), Cech (£18.25m) + loans + frees. TOTAL: £54.2m

...and that brings us to present day.

Season Three - up to 22 July 2015

Transfers:

In: Inigo Martinez (£25.5m) + newgens. TOTAL: £28.7m

Out: Bertrand (£18m), Ivanovic (£8.25m), Torres (£2.9m), Ignjovski (£6m), Cabral (£5m), McEachran (£3.6m) + frees + loans. TOTAL: £45.1m

I've still got Lampard and Terry on contracts (£115k and £67k) but I will be looking to let them both go at the end of this season. Lampard did actually activate the one year extension during last season as he still grinds out results. 13 goals and 12 goals in successive campaigns from the middle of the park is a great return, especially when Eto'o could only return 7 goals in 15 games (not that bad) and Torres bagged 19 goals in 46 games before turning sour and wanting higher wages than £175k p/w. I have got rid of him, but it does mean covering £90k p/w until the end of the season. I suppose it's better than £165k p/w!

My current first team side looks like this (newgens in italics, click names for screenshots):

GK: Courtois / Ramasco

CB: Luiz / Vranic

CB: Martinez / Omeruo / Terry

CB: Balanta / Magee

WBR: Azpilicueta / Reymond

WBL: Silva / Cuevas / Iriarte

MC: Ramires / Chalobah

MC: Lampard / Musonda

AMC: Hazard / Oscar / Tatters

ST: Mata

ST: Lukaku / Paveley / Althaus

De Bruyne, van Ginkel, Sanchez and Willian are excluded from that list as i'm in transfer discussions with a number of teams for them.

Other notable players include: Jimenez, Boga, Davis, Bowland, Schurrle.

The 5-2-1-2 Wingbacks has been working really well for me, Azpilicueta and Bertrand loved bombing down the wings and the two up top opened up space for the AMC to have a bit of space. I did use 4-2-3-1 when the squad suited it, but more often than not one/two out of Hazard/Oscar/Mata/Sanchez/Willian were injured whilst De Bruyne and van Ginkel were out on loan.

I may try to utilize the 4-2-3-1 more this season, especially if I am to introduce David or Bowland to more first team football. I'm also going to need to beef up the midfield, any recommendations? Song is transfer listed for around £6m, but he wants £160k p/w. Tempting, but i'm hoping there's cheaper options.

[tcoleman1]

Started my Chelsea save this morning. Not done much yet apart from setup some tactics and also scout a few players. Really want to bring Luke Shaw in but gonna play the long game with him (praise him etc.) to get the price down.

[Bracken]

Into February on my game now and it's still very tight at the top, I'm 3 points above City but we're matching each other result for result at the moment, and I've got them up in the cup soon. However, I'm very pleased now with how the team are playing, we're scoring a lot of goals (though conceding too many) and Lewandowski has proven a great signing so far, so I'm hoping that continues. Still struggling with Azpilicueta getting ridiculously poor ratings for basically nothing at all, but other than that, all's going well.

Shipped out Ba in January due to having 4 strikers, sadly nobody wanted him permanently so he's on loan at AC Milan with an agreed £5m fee, hopefully they'll keep him or someone else will come in with the cash in the summer.

Will update again at the end of the season unless any news comes before then.

[Chao Yang]

Seeing the thread up and running makes me want to start up a Chelsea save... but I can't bear shifting Jose out.

I'll probably do it after I put in a few more seasons into my Everton save.

[Bracken]

Seeing the thread up and running makes me want to start up a Chelsea save... but I can't bear shifting Jose out.

I'll probably do it after I put in a few more seasons into my Everton save.

It is a shame to have to have to shift him, I'm also looking forward to doing a non-Chelsea save so I can see how we get on with him at the helm on FM.

[Chao Yang]

I'm four seasons in with my Everton save. He's won the league once in the second season (by 2005-2006 margins) and lost out on penalties in a Champions League final. Looks like he might leave at the end of his 2017 contract though.

Brief highlights for Jose at Chelsea for me:

2014 FA Cup

2015 Premier League

2015 and 2016 Champions League Runner Up vs. Juventus and Barcelona (MANAGED BY BENITEZ *shakes fist*)

64% win percentage with a net positive in transfers as well... which is interesting.

He would have won a few Capital One Cups but I keep knocking him out of it. He's... not fond of me in-game.

Aside from that, his 2016-2017 squad has an average age of 26. He shifted out a lot of the older players after the 2015 Premier league win and he's brought up young players like Andreas Christensen, Chalobah, Boga, Wallace...

Lampard still clocked in 120 league appearances these past four seasons though, scoring 32 goals in all competitions.

I might try playing in a foreign league or lower down the divisions to see how he does without me mucking up his cup runs~ Let me know how he does in your non-Chelsea save when you get around to it Bracken!

[tcoleman1]

Trying to prize Luke Shaw away but Southampton are going to play hard ball. Really only look at some youth signings at this point and just see how the season goes in terms of signings.

One thing I have noticed is that my first teams morale keeps dropping day by day for no reason. Pretty much all of them are on abysmal at the moment and a lot started on higher morale ratings. Any reason why this is happening?

[essien_5]

Started up my Chelsea save, I've made one signing being Balanta for £7.5m (from the sound of things a necessity!). I like to try and keep the squad intact the first season so I've sold no one.

Pre season went well, and the start of the season has been very rewarding. I beat Man City at home 1-0 with a goal from Ramires, and then beat Liverpool 3 days later 2-1 thanks to a brace from...John Obi Mikel! I have West Ham away next before the Super Cup and international break.

I am playing a 4-2-3-1 deep formation with 'control' and 'fluid'. I'm also playing a high defensive line and high tempo, pressing high. I am also using Mikel as a 'Half Back' which seems to be working well - he drops deep and recycles possession well and acts as an extra centre back when defending.

Like tcoleman, I'm trying to unsettle Shaw as I see him as Cole's long term replacement. I'm already his one and only favoured personnel but similarly Southampton don't seem like they are going to let him go cheap. He will be a top target for me next summer though.

[Luke.Graham@hotmail.com]

hey lads.

Started a chelsea career (first FM since 2011), kinda struggled with my fullbacks and inability to score like a lot of people lots of shots, few clear cut chances, fullbacks defending like morons (although in RL they have a bit of late too). How is everyone else going tactically?

I like to stick with

Cech

Azpiculeta Terry Luiz Cole

Mikel

Ramires Lampard

Mata Hazard

Striker

Torres has been downgraded immensely last couple years which is rough given his turn around in form.

Any advice on tactics? What has given you guys success as I see a lot of you have won a fair bit.

[tcoleman1]

Okay this is bizarre. Schwarzer just isn't in any of my squads in the game. I don't know how I didn't notice. I did some editing at the start of the game and with FMRTE (just my age and changed a few non-Chelsea player PA's to reflect real life form). So I don't know what has happened to him.

Edit - I have worked it out now. what happened is that I downloaded the live data update from the editors forum and somebody had retired him from football totally rather than just from international football. Slightly annoying but not something I am going to start a new game over

Anyway that means I am either looking for a backup goalkeeper or I am going to buy a new backup one. Also had a bid accepted for £23.5million for Luke Shaw but he doesn't want to be loaned back to Southampton. Problem is I can't bring him in now and rotate him with Bertrand and Cole. I will either try and give Bertrand a year loan and then have Cole tutoring Shaw or just wait. Problem is I want his determination to be higher than 9. The first game of the Coleman era was a pretty awful 2-0 loss at home to Austria Wien in a friendly.

[JackJCFC]

Having an absolutely terrible 2nd season. Can't settle on a tactic and i've come a game away from the sack twice now. I'll be lucky to get CL football i think.

[JackJCFC]

Finished 7th with just 57 points, lost 15 games in the league. Just awful, couldn't keep a clean sheet at all. Only slight accomplishment of the season was getting to the FA Cup final but we lost 3-2 to a relegated Cardiff

[tcoleman1]

Right, after that Schwarzer hiccup I have decided to sign Jaaskeleinen as my backup keeper on a years contract. Overall on the year he will work out about the same as Schwarzer. Although little things like that really bug me, I have already put in about 4-5 hours on this save so I'm not starting again.

The team is playing a bit better and I have now signed Timo Werner from Stuttgart. He is going straight out on loan for a season and hopefully in 2-3 years him and Lukaku will be unstoppable.

[JackJCFC]

After last season's awful performance the board told me i had to get 9 points from the first 5 games of the season which were; Leeds (A), West Brom (H), Man City (A), Arsenal (H), Liverpool (A). Was dreading the last 3 matches but i managed to pick up 11 points, with wins against Leeds, City and Arsenal so i'm still in a job!

I've finally managed to nail down a solid home and away tactic which has helped alot, getting quite a few pens this season too, 4 in 6 games. Hazard has been on fire for me this season as well playing as the inside forward on the left getting 4 goals 4 assists in 6 games.

[Bracken]

Congrats on keeping the job JackJCFC, sounds like you've had a rough ride. Good to hear you've got a tactic that's working now, mind sharing?

And anyone else too, I'm interested to see what tactic people are rolling with on this one, I keep making little changes to mine, still can't quite get them playing the way I want, the results are fine but the football could be better, so would love to hear how everyone else is getting on.

[JackJCFC]

This is what i tend to use in most matches unless i'm away to one of the big teams or closing out a narrow lead. By no means a perfect tactic but we're scoring plenty and Hazard has been incredible over on the left hand side. We do tend to ship a goal or two a lot of the time but i don't really mind that too much. What i do want to try and do it to make the AMR more effective as they only chip in with the odd goal and very little else at the moment, the player in the middle can be a little inconsistent as well so i might play around with various player instructions for that one.

[Luke.Graham@hotmail.com]

Undefeated top of league after five games, all going great. Get Tottenham away from home. I lose 2-1 after two sketchy penalty decisions, that referee got a 4.8 rating. Figured I was stiff, had Man Utd at home next game. They beat me 2-0, a penalty for them, a red card against me and the referee got 5.1.

Not sure if the game is trying to screw me over or replicate the corrupt nature of football haha. Maybe managers could spend their in game money on bribing referees?

Frustrating, very frustrating.