Official Colchester United thread - The Us need a rebuilding!

[xonnk]

Colchester United FC Guide - FM09

Basic Introduction

Colchester United Football Club is an English football team based in the town of Colchester, Essex. The club currently plays in Football League One having been relegated from the Football League Championship at the end of the 2007–08 season.

The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910. Colchester United now play in the new Colchester Community Stadium, following the last game at Layer Road was at the end of the 2007-08 season.

Colchester United are perhaps most famous for beating Don Revie's Leeds United 3–2 in the 5th round of the FA Cup in 1971. Their highest ever league finish was achieved in 2006–07, when they ended the season in 10th place in the Championship whilst having the division's lowest attendance.

Colchester United Ladies are a very successful part of the club, having won promotion to the FA Women's Premier League Southern Division in 2006-07.

History

Colchester Town, nicknamed 'The Oystermen', were the original local side, established in 1867 and playing at Layer Road from 1909 until 1937, when they were dissolved. The stadium was originally owned by the army, who still have a strong presence in the town, until it was purchased by the club in 1919. Shortly before Town folded, Colchester United was set up. The owners had intended to run both teams, one professional and one amateur, under the same umbrella but the Essex County FA ruled that both teams could not be run under one set of rules, and so Town were wound down.

In the 1947/48 season Colchester, then in the Southern League, produced one of the most notable F.A. Cup runs by a non-league side, beating fellow-non-league side Banbury Spencer in the First Round before beating league clubs Wrexham, Huddersfield and Bradford Park Avenue. They finally fell to Blackpool in the fifth round.

United went from strength to strength, and they were promoted to the Football League in 1950. They lost their league status for two seasons from relegation in 1990 until 1992, when they won a non-league double by collecting the Conference title and the Football Trophy.

In 1996-97 season Colchester were runners up in the Football League Trophy and in more recent times they won promotions from League One (in 2005–06) claiming second place to the Championship.

2006-07 was Colchester's first season in the second tier of English football, and after a slow start they soon entered the higher reaches of the division and there was even ambitious talk of a challenge for promotion to the Premier League. In the end, they finished 10th in the final table above some much more fancied sides including Leeds United, Norwich City and Crystal Palace.

2007-08, however, was less successful, as Colchester finished bottom of the Championship with 38 points and were relegated back to League One.

Basic Introduction

Background

Name: Colchester United F.C.

Nickname(s): The Us

Founded: 1937

Fierce Rivals: Wycombe, Ispwich, Southend

Other Rivals: Cambridge, Peterborough

Club Icons: Joe Dunne, Lomana Lualua, Nail Danns, Mark Kinsela, Karl Duguid,

Favoured Personnel: Hogan Ephraim, Pat Baldwin, Johnnie Jackson, Wayne Brown, Geraint Williams

Media Prediction: 4th

European Competition: None

Team Captain: Justin Coyte

Vice Captain: Kemal Izzet

Staff

Manager: Paul Lambert

Assistant: Ian Culverhouse

Coach: Brian Owen

1st team coach: Joe Dunne

Fitness coach: Davin Carolan

GK Coach: Ademola Bankole

Youth Coach: Gary Karsa

Youth Coach: Marc Tracy

Youth Coach: Mel Jeffries

Finances

Estimated Value: £4.8m

Balance: £2.169m

Transfer Budget: 320k (Promotion), 250k (Play-off)

Wage Budget: 42k (Promotion), 35k (Play-off)

Current Wage: £31.883k

Stadium & Facilities

Ground: The Weston Homes Community Stadium

Capacity: 10,000 all-seater

No. of Season Ticket Holders: 6,000

Average Season Ticket Price: £400

Average Ticket Price: £20

Reserve Stadium: None

Training Facilities: Average Training Facilities

Youth Setup: Average Youth Facilities

First Team Squad

Goalkeepers

Dean Gerken

Mark Cousins

Defenders

James Hammond

John White

Matt Heath

Pat Baldwin

Chris Coyne

Paul Reid

Phil Ifil

Matt Lockwood

Midfielders

David Perkins

Dean Hammond

Kemal Izzet

Anthony Wordsworth

Johnnie Jackson

Mark Yeates

Medy Elito

Attackers

Steven Gillespie

Clive Platt

Scott Vernon

Akanni-Sunday Wasiu

Fabian Batchelor

Squad Analysis

Goalkeepers:

Dean Gerken is the first goalkeeper, and he in my opinion is pretty good, at least for the league 1, he will be getting better, and if he gets to his standards, great offers will be coming for him no longer than next summer, that said, if one has ambitions to do well in Championship or even get promoted, then i suggest looking for a better keeper for next season.

Suggestion: Vincent Enyeama - he should be cheap if he's not already grabbed.

Left Backs:

The first one here should be John White, who seems to have a fine future ahead of him if kept well, yet though because i trust experience and full-backs attacking mentality more, Matt Lockwood got the better of him in my team for the first season, beware though, Lockwood gets older and at about mid season 2009-10, he will no longer be of much use except for dead balls. There's also David Perkins who can play here, but he hasn't done very well for me here.

Suggestion: Steven Hammel - I got him for free from Motherwell on January of first season and he has been a rock at the left side of the defense since.

Right Backs:

I personaly used Phil Ifil here, and he impressed at first season, he didn't start the second season very well though, which made me switch to John White, who is a great prospect that plays both ways of the full-backs. You also have a young prospect in James Hammond here but he's not very good for my liking of a solid defence.

Suggestion: Keep on with them as long as you've got a good left-back already.

Central Defenders:

There's Chris Coyne(An Australian international) and Paul Reid who can be the first two CBs, but i definetly suggest grabbing a new CB before season starts, you will need cover, cause while the likes of Matt Heath and Pat Baldwin may have some experience and tackling, they're just too old to keep up, not up to standard.

Suggestion: Andy Iro all the way! Free to grab from the begining, definetly don't miss the chance.

Left Midfielders:

Johnnie Jackson is great herem though you can use him at central midfield too, i'd suggest he be used here as you have enough cover there. A good future prospect and a fine cover is Mady Elito, while he may not have great numbers, he always impressed for me with his speed and dribbling on the wing. Anthony Wordsworth and Mark Yeates can be used if additional cover is needed.

Suggestion: Don't need reinforcement, though i did get Daryl Murphy on second season so i'd have cover for strikers too, and cause he was offered for almost free.

Right Midfielders:

Mark Yeates is the best player here, he is great if you use wings, he dribbles, he passes, he goes forward, and he scores. Can have Wordsworth as cover here, a great young versatile prospect, as well as re-train Elito and Ifil to Right Midfield too.

Suggestion: Keep it like this, unless you want to take any of the many offers for him next summer, which i did and got 4 mil for him. I got Giuseppe Colucci for free to replace him, he kind of kept me up on the championship.

Central Midfielders:

Here you mostly have defensive ones, the likes of Kemal Izzet and Dean Hammond are pretty good for the League 1, but you definetly need a new one for the Championship, as well as an attacking one, though Johnson can be used there too.

Suggestion: I got Jamie Hamill from Kilmarnock for 80k at January of first season, he looks decent, and a great passer.

Attackers:

This in my opinion is Colchester's weakest area, though many might argue the opposite. I'm a fan of a great goal-scorer i can rely on, and none of the current ones seemed to fit. Clive Platt is one of the best suber-subs i've ever had, as he scores a lot of headers and placed shots when he is subbed in on 2nd half, Wasiu is very quick and did get me some goals on first season, but not very good, while Steven Gillespie has the looks of a good striker, but my raport with him fell as soon as i took charge, he was awful the first few games and i never put him in again, before i sold him, which added with 2 other sells got me into about 800k, that luckily were enough for me to get hold of Daniele Vantaggiato, who almost singlehandedly promoted me to the Championship.

Suggestion: If you can do that with Vanta, great, otherwise try to get a fine poacher for the time being.

Recommended Formation

Vantaggiato

^

|

AMC

^ ^

| |

Johnson Hammond Izzet Yeates

White Coyne Reid Ifil

Gerken

Needing a good playmaker AMC, so i could use my two DMCs and still have an attacking playmaker, i went roaming around around Asia and Africa for brazilian playmakers, and got into Olivera, got him for 140k, sold him the next summer for 1.2m. But he did help me through, despite being 32.

I just had a 9 straight victories serie, and got promoted to the premier league, though i did go into minus on the balance. The TVs saved me though, giving me 32 milion for this year! The board made 20 milion available for me if i can avoid relegation. Let's see if i reach to that.

Hope you enjoy this, and may as many as possible join in with the Us!

[glynnbob]

Colchester United FC Guide - FM09

Basic Introduction

Colchester United Football Club is an English football team based in the town of Colchester, Essex. The club currently plays in Football League One having been relegated from the Football League Championship at the end of the 2007–08 season.

The club was formed in 1937, and briefly shared their old Layer Road home with now defunct side Colchester Town who had previously used the ground from 1910. Colchester United now play in the new Colchester Community Stadium, following the last game at Layer Road was at the end of the 2007-08 season.

Colchester United are perhaps most famous for beating Don Revie's Leeds United 3–2 in the 5th round of the FA Cup in 1971. Their highest ever league finish was achieved in 2006–07, when they ended the season in 10th place in the Championship whilst having the division's lowest attendance.

Colchester United Ladies are a very successful part of the club, having won promotion to the FA Women's Premier League Southern Division in 2006-07.

History

Colchester Town, nicknamed 'The Oystermen', were the original local side, established in 1867 and playing at Layer Road from 1909 until 1937, when they were dissolved. The stadium was originally owned by the army, who still have a strong presence in the town, until it was purchased by the club in 1919. Shortly before Town folded, Colchester United was set up. The owners had intended to run both teams, one professional and one amateur, under the same umbrella but the Essex County FA ruled that both teams could not be run under one set of rules, and so Town were wound down.

In the 1947/48 season Colchester, then in the Southern League, produced one of the most notable F.A. Cup runs by a non-league side, beating fellow-non-league side Banbury Spencer in the First Round before beating league clubs Wrexham, Huddersfield and Bradford Park Avenue. They finally fell to Blackpool in the fifth round.

United went from strength to strength, and they were promoted to the Football League in 1950. They lost their league status for two seasons from relegation in 1990 until 1992, when they won a non-league double by collecting the Conference title and the Football Trophy.

In 1996-97 season Colchester were runners up in the Football League Trophy and in more recent times they won promotions from League One (in 2005–06) claiming second place to the Championship.

2006-07 was Colchester's first season in the second tier of English football, and after a slow start they soon entered the higher reaches of the division and there was even ambitious talk of a challenge for promotion to the Premier League. In the end, they finished 10th in the final table above some much more fancied sides including Leeds United, Norwich City and Crystal Palace.

2007-08, however, was less successful, as Colchester finished bottom of the Championship with 38 points and were relegated back to League One.

Basic Introduction

Background

Name: Colchester United F.C.

Nickname(s): The Us

Founded: 1937

Fierce Rivals: Wycombe, Ispwich, Southend

Other Rivals: Cambridge, Peterborough

Club Icons: Joe Dunne, Lomana Lualua, Nail Danns, Mark Kinsela, Karl Duguid,

Favoured Personnel: Hogan Ephraim, Pat Baldwin, Johnnie Jackson, Wayne Brown, Geraint Williams

Media Prediction: 4th

European Competition: None

Team Captain: Justin Coyte

Vice Captain: Kemal Izzet

Staff

Manager: Paul Lambert

Assistant: Ian Culverhouse

Coach: Brian Owen

1st team coach: Joe Dunne

Fitness coach: Davin Carolan

GK Coach: Ademola Bankole

Youth Coach: Gary Karsa

Youth Coach: Marc Tracy

Youth Coach: Mel Jeffries

Finances

Estimated Value: £4.8m

Balance: £2.169m

Transfer Budget: 320k (Promotion), 250k (Play-off)

Wage Budget: 42k (Promotion), 35k (Play-off)

Current Wage: £31.883k

Stadium & Facilities

Ground: The Weston Homes Community Stadium

Capacity: 10,000 all-seater

No. of Season Ticket Holders: 6,000

Average Season Ticket Price: £400

Average Ticket Price: £20

Reserve Stadium: None

Training Facilities: Average Training Facilities

Youth Setup: Average Youth Facilities

First Team Squad

Goalkeepers

Dean Gerken

Mark Cousins

Defenders

James Hammond

John White

Matt Heath

Pat Baldwin

Chris Coyne

Paul Reid

Phil Ifil

Matt Lockwood

Midfielders

David Perkins

Dean Hammond

Kemal Izzet

Anthony Wordsworth

Johnnie Jackson

Mark Yeates

Medy Elito

Attackers

Steven Gillespie

Clive Platt

Scott Vernon

Akanni-Sunday Wasiu

Fabian Batchelor

Squad Analysis

Goalkeepers:

Dean Gerken is the first goalkeeper, and he in my opinion is pretty good, at least for the league 1, he will be getting better, and if he gets to his standards, great offers will be coming for him no longer than next summer, that said, if one has ambitions to do well in Championship or even get promoted, then i suggest looking for a better keeper for next season.

Suggestion: Vincent Enyeama - he should be cheap if he's not already grabbed.

Left Backs:

The first one here should be John White, who seems to have a fine future ahead of him if kept well, yet though because i trust experience and full-backs attacking mentality more, Matt Lockwood got the better of him in my team for the first season, beware though, Lockwood gets older and at about mid season 2009-10, he will no longer be of much use except for dead balls. There's also David Perkins who can play here, but he hasn't done very well for me here.

Suggestion: Steven Hammel - I got him for free from Motherwell on January of first season and he has been a rock at the left side of the defense since.

Right Backs:

I personaly used Phil Ifil here, and he impressed at first season, he didn't start the second season very well though, which made me switch to John White, who is a great prospect that plays both ways of the full-backs. You also have a young prospect in James Hammond here but he's not very good for my liking of a solid defence.

Suggestion: Keep on with them as long as you've got a good left-back already.

Central Defenders:

There's Chris Coyne(An Australian international) and Paul Reid who can be the first two CBs, but i definetly suggest grabbing a new CB before season starts, you will need cover, cause while the likes of Matt Heath and Pat Baldwin may have some experience and tackling, they're just too old to keep up, not up to standard.

Suggestion: Andy Iro all the way! Free to grab from the begining, definetly don't miss the chance.

Left Midfielders:

Johnnie Jackson is great herem though you can use him at central midfield too, i'd suggest he be used here as you have enough cover there. A good future prospect and a fine cover is Mady Elito, while he may not have great numbers, he always impressed for me with his speed and dribbling on the wing. Anthony Wordsworth and Mark Yeates can be used if additional cover is needed.

Suggestion: Don't need reinforcement, though i did get Daryl Murphy on second season so i'd have cover for strikers too, and cause he was offered for almost free.

Right Midfielders:

Mark Yeates is the best player here, he is great if you use wings, he dribbles, he passes, he goes forward, and he scores. Can have Wordsworth as cover here, a great young versatile prospect, as well as re-train Elito and Ifil to Right Midfield too.

Suggestion: Keep it like this, unless you want to take any of the many offers for him next summer, which i did and got 4 mil for him. I got Giuseppe Colucci for free to replace him, he kind of kept me up on the championship.

Central Midfielders:

Here you mostly have defensive ones, the likes of Kemal Izzet and Dean Hammond are pretty good for the League 1, but you definetly need a new one for the Championship, as well as an attacking one, though Johnson can be used there too.

Suggestion: I got Jamie Hamill from Kilmarnock for 80k at January of first season, he looks decent, and a great passer.

Attackers:

This in my opinion is Colchester's weakest area, though many might argue the opposite. I'm a fan of a great goal-scorer i can rely on, and none of the current ones seemed to fit. Clive Platt is one of the best suber-subs i've ever had, as he scores a lot of headers and placed shots when he is subbed in on 2nd half, Wasiu is very quick and did get me some goals on first season, but not very good, while Steven Gillespie has the looks of a good striker, but my raport with him fell as soon as i took charge, he was awful the first few games and i never put him in again, before i sold him, which added with 2 other sells got me into about 800k, that luckily were enough for me to get hold of Daniele Vantaggiato, who almost singlehandedly promoted me to the Championship.

Suggestion: If you can do that with Vanta, great, otherwise try to get a fine poacher for the time being.

Recommended Formation

Needing a good playmaker AMC, so i could use my two DMCs and still have an attacking playmaker, i went roaming around around Asia and Africa for brazilian playmakers, and got into Olivera, got him for 140k, sold him the next summer for 1.2m. But he did help me through, despite being 32.

I just had a 9 straight victories serie, and got promoted to the premier league, though i did go into minus on the balance. The TVs saved me though, giving me 32 milion for this year! The board made 20 milion available for me if i can avoid relegation. Let's see if i reach to that.

Hope you enjoy this, and may as many as possible join in with the Us!

thanks for starting this thread mate, im gonna have a 10-12 hour session today. currently played 10 w6 d2 l2.i have also been and bought a couple of slovenian players coming in january gonna seee how they turn out. i currently have no transfer funds left which is annoying any ideas who i should sell?

so far i have been playing clive platt and gillespie up front which im not totally impressed with either!! although on the bench i have my arsenal loanees. jay simpson, merida, lansbury, and randall. might give jay simpson a go instead of gillespie. hoping that more people will give this team a go as you've proved i think with a bit of perservarence this team has some potential.

will keep you updated later

[arsenal_2111]

Brilliant thread, looks very good:thup:

[xonnk]

Make sure you keep taking the loanees with you on games, even if you don't always put them on, it will help them blend into the squad.

Your first 10 games seem very good, mine were worse i think, players still blending.

Interestingly, i got the manager of the month awards twice on each league 1 and championship, both at the same months - March and April. That's right, the team gets it's identity after January, and if you are thereabouts at the top by then, you will most probably hit a good run of results and be promoted, that is if you don't continuesly change the tactic and players. (I made a very fitting tactic, based on te TT stuff, if you want it i can send it over)

And to sell, i would suggest that you wait till championship to sell, because the players values raise a lot. I sold Yeates cause he wanted a move, and i got 4 mil for him, helpful to get a few great players and raise the wage budget.

Did you get Andy Iro?

Oh and, if you've got the Russian league selected, send a scout over to scout them up, that league has bags of talent at just 17 years old(especially Saturn), which should be much better to develop than the loanees.

[glynnbob]

Make sure you keep taking the loanees with you on games, even if you don't always put them on, it will help them blend into the squad.

Your first 10 games seem very good, mine were worse i think, players still blending.

Interestingly, i got the manager of the month awards twice on each league 1 and championship, both at the same months - March and April. That's right, the team gets it's identity after January, and if you are thereabouts at the top by then, you will most probably hit a good run of results and be promoted, that is if you don't continuesly change the tactic and players. (I made a very fitting tactic, based on te TT stuff, if you want it i can send it over)

And to sell, i would suggest that you wait till championship to sell, because the players values raise a lot. I sold Yeates cause he wanted a move, and i got 4 mil for him, helpful to get a few great players and raise the wage budget.

Did you get Andy Iro?

Oh and, if you've got the Russian league selected, send a scout over to scout them up, that league has bags of talent at just 17 years old(especially Saturn), which should be much better to develop than the loanees.

okay then heres my update pl28 w16 d7 l5 only scoring 36 but also only conceding 21!! i couldnt get andy iro as he had gone to columbus crew.i have only sold pat baldwin for 250k but have brought in nathan tyson plus my two slovenia players one a left back and 1 a 6ft 6" centre half!

im hoping for promotion this year but will have a very weak squad if i do.

would also like you to send me your tactic to try as mine seems to be going a bit stale.

[xonnk]

Yeah i had a low scoring record too, as well as conceding.

You need quite some reinforcement if you are to do well in championship, especialy at the attack. Keep an eye on the players i suggested above, they might be sold for free or close to that on January or by summer.

About the tactic, i'm not sure if there is any other way to send stuff over here, but if you give me your email i can send it over.

And an update on my premier league adventure:

It started as worse as it could possibly be, Man utd beat me 5-2 at home, and Newcastle kicked my butt 4-0 away, i was already thinking of resigning and running ^_^. But the season has since made a turn and i am on a 4 match unbeaten run. Beat WBA 2-1(H), drew 2-2 with both Wigan(A) and Sunderland(H) and beat Cardiff 4-3 away in a thriller, so i'm now safely sitting at 11th, but more big teams are coming!

Oh and, i was knocked out of the League cup first round on penalties, shamely by a League 1 team, Scunthorpe! My best penalty taker missed it.=(

Edit: Check these out every time to time, they may be bargains at free or close to it:

Jamie Hamill, Steven Hammell, James Brown, Shelton Martis, Julio Cruz, Vincent Plante, Carlos Ruiz, Michele Pazienza, Aleksander Mitreski, Giuseppe Colucci.

[xonnk]

Here's my current squad into Premier League:

[glynnbob]

update on my game lads i got promotion as runner up in my first full season.

one small problem i had was finishing the season half a million in debt,although 1 month off the start of the new season i now have 2.3mill in the bank and a transfer budget of £185k !! bought in quite a few freebies and loan signings. i have also just had a bid of £3.5 million up front for dean gerken(my gk) what should i do? i have had a bid of 85k for howard the st mirren gk accepted and he also looks like a better prospect. if any colchester players are out there what are your tips for staying up with a very weak squad?? any tips on signings etc???

[xonnk]

Well, did you read my recommended signigns three posts above?

Other than that i also sold Gerken, though i sold him cheaper than that and he seems to be a pretty good goalkeeper now, though i have a much better one in Vincent Plante atm who i got for about 300k.

My update: I'm now 10th in the league after a series of good results against the "mediocre" and small teams, but i seem to never be able to get any points off the big clubs. I'm 2 points behind 8th and 3 points above 14th though, so very close.

[glynnbob]

Well, did you read my recommended signigns three posts above?

Other than that i also sold Gerken, though i sold him cheaper than that and he seems to be a pretty good goalkeeper now, though i have a much better one in Vincent Plante atm who i got for about 300k.

My update: I'm now 10th in the league after a series of good results against the "mediocre" and small teams, but i seem to never be able to get any points off the big clubs. I'm 2 points behind 8th and 3 points above 14th though, so very close.

soz mate didnt look at any of your reccomended's but am doing now. i have just been offered andy iro on a free is he any good do you know? looks like a man mountain at 6ft 5" !!. let's me and you keep this thread alive as it looks like we can't drum up any interest here. shame as im really enjoyingthis game my favourite player last season mark yeates!!

[xonnk]

Yeates won't develop any further, he's at his peak, keep that in mind.

And about Iro, he still is a regular at times for me at EPL, and doing very well too, especialy on my Catenaccio tactic where i use a sweeper, and i re-trained him into a sweeper, he is crazy on that position.

[glynnbob]

Yeates won't develop any further, he's at his peak, keep that in mind.

And about Iro, he still is a regular at times for me at EPL, and doing very well too, especialy on my Catenaccio tactic where i use a sweeper, and i re-trained him into a sweeper, he is crazy on that position.

thanks for all the advice mate, i like the looks of jamie hamill who im trying to sign at the moment also gonna bust a gut to get andy iro, will keep you updated thanks once again.

[xonnk]

Make sure you have a more pacey defender to partner Iro though, cause while he dominated the air play and lets no air ball get past him, he is pretty slow and can be ridiculed by a small and quick striker at times.

And no problem, anytime.

[glynnbob]

Make sure you have a more pacey defender to partner Iro though, cause while he dominated the air play and lets no air ball get past him, he is pretty slow and can be ridiculed by a small and quick striker at times.

And no problem, anytime.

just to sign off for tonight and to let you know i sold gerken 3.5million!! bought the st mirren gk and looking at lee from watford as back up.

[glynnbob]

sorry mate i just managed to see giles barnes on the transfer list for £275k do you think he will be good enough to replace yeates???

[!n$oMniA]

hey just saw your above post so guessing im too late. dwayne miller looks like a really good young goalkeeper and is really cheap. i got barnes for colchester in the premiership, he had been on a month to month contract for a season so took a gamble. isnt bad but isnt amazing, prefer yeates in all honesty

for me, yeates has improved his mental stats quite a lot. oh and johnnie jackson is phenominal in any league it seems, i always thought he looked quite good when he used to be at tottenham.

[glynnbob]

hey just saw your above post so guessing im too late. dwayne miller looks like a really good young goalkeeper and is really cheap. i got barnes for colchester in the premiership, he had been on a month to month contract for a season so took a gamble. isnt bad but isnt amazing, prefer yeates in all honesty

for me, yeates has improved his mental stats quite a lot. oh and johnnie jackson is phenominal in any league it seems, i always thought he looked quite good when he used to be at tottenham.

hi thanks for the advice i havent actually signed my backup gk yet so will try for dwayne miller!

any other ideas keep em coming im about to start the new season(my first in the championship) wish me luck!.

i also wish more people were giving this team a go as i think the base is there of a good team.

[xonnk]

Well i only saw Yeates was stuck after i sold him to Bolton, if not decreased ability.

I'm now into the 5 last games, and will be hoping to win many of them if i am to reach Newcastle and get 8th (need some real luck too).

[glynnbob]

Well i only saw Yeates was stuck after i sold him to Bolton, if not decreased ability.

I'm now into the 5 last games, and will be hoping to win many of them if i am to reach Newcastle and get 8th (need some real luck too).

best of luck mate, i've got problems loading mine up again! on my 5th time now i keep going to the match and it freezes on squad number selection for my new signings, any ideas??

[xonnk]

best of luck mate, i've got problems loading mine up again! on my 5th time now i keep going to the match and it freezes on squad number selection for my new signings, any ideas??

Hmmm...try giving them numbers outside the match, then go into match?

[glynnbob]

Hmmm...try giving them numbers outside the match, then go into match?

i managed to sort it mate, started the season and played 7 w5 d2 l0 !! managed a great away win at norwich 5-2 after being 1-0 down and playing rubbish gave it a tweak and couldnt beleive it! i think im starting to enjoy this now.

[xonnk]

Oh man, this is getting nasty and sweet!

I'm now 2 matches from the end of the season, and i'm actualy fighting for 7th place (euro cup place), Sunderland is 7th with 55 points, i'm 8th with 54 points and Tottenham is 9th with 51 points. Sunderland has to play Arsenal and Liverpool, while i have to visit Tottenham and host Everton. I think Sunderland aint getting a win soon, and i may be able to snatch 7th with one win in these two games.

Edit update: Weee, Europe! Here we come!

I managed to get two 1-1 draws against both of them, and Sunderland lost both games! Colchester hits Europe in it's first lifetime EPL season!

[glynnbob]

Oh man, this is getting nasty and sweet!

I'm now 2 matches from the end of the season, and i'm actualy fighting for 7th place (euro cup place), Sunderland is 7th with 55 points, i'm 8th with 54 points and Tottenham is 9th with 51 points. Sunderland has to play Arsenal and Liverpool, while i have to visit Tottenham and host Everton. I think Sunderland aint getting a win soon, and i may be able to snatch 7th with one win in these two games.

Edit update: Weee, Europe! Here we come!

I managed to get two 1-1 draws against both of them, and Sunderland lost both games! Colchester hits Europe in it's first lifetime EPL season!

congratulations mate on reaching europe!! im well into my 2nd season now and my record is currently

pl25 w10 d9 l6 im in 7th position so im more than happy with this. iv'e just played newcastle away and the arrogant sods put a lot of reserves in-the result nufc 0 mighty u's 2 !!! must say once more why don't more people play as smaller clubs and try and bring them up it's a lot more satisfying and i normally play as sunderland. keep us updated xonnk.

[xonnk]

I was given a transfer budget of 45 milion to reach Europe again, and i'm also looking to sell D'Alessandro for about 25 mil as he is unhappy and seeking a move for a year now, i tried re-settling him but he won't!

With about 70 mil with those too, i have no idea who to buy...still looking for my first buy.

[glynnbob]

I was given a transfer budget of 45 milion to reach Europe again, and i'm also looking to sell D'Alessandro for about 25 mil as he is unhappy and seeking a move for a year now, i tried re-settling him but he won't!

With about 70 mil with those too, i have no idea who to buy...still looking for my first buy.

hope i could get that far!! any chance you can send me your tactic mate?

[xonnk]

I already posted about that, i'm not sure how to upload stuff in this forum, so if you give me your e-mail i could send you it.

[glynnbob]

I already posted about that, i'm not sure how to upload stuff in this forum, so if you give me your e-mail i could send you it.

pm'd it you mate

[xonnk]

pm'd it you mate

I sent it over:-)

On the other hand, it is now finaly the end of the summer, and the September begins!

It took me a long time to get done with the transfer campaign, as with all that money and so many positions to fill, i had to put a lot of work in, here are my final transfers. :-)

Sidenote: I got Cuelho as a promising talent for after a few years, i had done the deal a year ago, but to my surprise when he came over his stats were rocketing, and he was already considered as the best defender by my assistant. :-)

I also have two 16yo brazilians coming on 2013, let's hope it happens the same to them as to Cuelho. :-)

[Mark6880]

Hi Xonnk - I sent a reply to your other post (re: signing Adriano for Colchester) but thought best to respond here as well.

What version are you playing? 9.0.1?

What tactic did you use to get Colchester to the EPL? I'm really interested in starting up a Colchester game later so any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers mate

[xonnk]

Hi Xonnk - I sent a reply to your other post (re: signing Adriano for Colchester) but thought best to respond here as well.

What version are you playing? 9.0.1?

What tactic did you use to get Colchester to the EPL? I'm really interested in starting up a Colchester game later so any advice would be appreciated.

Cheers mate

Yep i use 9.0.1 as the 9.0.0 is terrible with all the injuries and stuff.

On my first season with the lack of funds and all that i used a 4-4-1-1 as i posted on the main post of this thread.

Second season in the Championship i started using a 4-4-2 which i did on my own, modified and it works excellent, i can send it over if wanted. I also use a form of Catenaccio tactic to defend the result or play against bigger sides which i also did myself.

[Mark6880]

Cheers Xonnk, if you could send over the tactic that would be great! Can email to DBanksd50@yahoo.com

I'm also playing version 9.0.1 but have never found this Andy Iro bloke that people on here keep raving about, where can he be found and for how much? I play a large database and never found him yet.

What did you do with David Perkins as he is not mentioned in your opening thread?

How much did you manage to sell Matt Heath for as no-one is ever interested in him when I list him and offer to other clubs - same for Wasiu.

Is it worth selling Izzet and Baldwin from the start - Most I have got for them is £200k for Baldwin and £150k for Izzet. Did you get more?

Cheers mate

[xonnk]

Cheers Xonnk, if you could send over the tactic that would be great! Can email to DBanksd50@yahoo.com

I'm also playing version 9.0.1 but have never found this Andy Iro bloke that people on here keep raving about, where can he be found and for how much? I play a large database and never found him yet.

What did you do with David Perkins as he is not mentioned in your opening thread?

How much did you manage to sell Matt Heath for as no-one is ever interested in him when I list him and offer to other clubs - same for Wasiu.

Is it worth selling Izzet and Baldwin from the start - Most I have got for them is £200k for Baldwin and £150k for Izzet. Did you get more?

Cheers mate

Okay i will.

Andy Iro is an USA drafted player but finds himself without a team at the begining of the season and will be playing for the England trialists at the begining, at least that's how it happened on my game.

David Perkins i used on the first season pretty much but sold him on my second season

for 190k, i also sold Izzet to some turkish club for 180k on second season though he is not bad for the championship. Matt heath i sold for 22k to Dunfermile on second season too, as well as Wasiu whose contract expired and i let him go. Baldwin i sold on the January of the first season to Coventry for 325k.

Side news: I just applied and got offered the job of Bolivia, i took them over! Hahaha it's fun, i'm managing both Bolivia and Colchester, i can't wait till mid october for the World Cup Qualifiers!

[Mark6880]

Okay i will.

Andy Iro is an USA drafted player but finds himself without a team at the begining of the season and will be playing for the England trialists at the begining, at least that's how it happened on my game.

David Perkins i used on the first season pretty much but sold him on my second season

for 190k, i also sold Izzet to some turkish club for 180k on second season though he is not bad for the championship. Matt heath i sold for 22k to Dunfermile on second season too, as well as Wasiu whose contract expired and i let him go. Baldwin i sold on the January of the first season to Coventry for 325k.

Side news: I just applied and got offered the job of Bolivia, i took them over! Hahaha it's fun, i'm managing both Bolivia and Colchester, i can't wait till mid october for the World Cup Qualifiers!

Ok will have a look for Andy Iro but never found him yet. Talking of Bolivia might be worth buying Carlos Tordoya for £95k in the first season...how does he rate to Andy Iro?

Because I have edited my database the left back slot could be filled by Lee Hills (on loan from Crystal Palace until early Jan 09).

Any other player recommendations for the first season (either buying or selling)?

[xonnk]

There's no Carlos Tordoya in my game.

About any transfer recommendations, i already posted all of them in my initial post and here and there on the other posts.

[Mark6880]

There's no Carlos Tordoya in my game.

About any transfer recommendations, i already posted all of them in my initial post and here and there on the other posts.

Thats strange, Tordoya plays for a bolivian team called Bolivar or something like that.

Also, another question, I can't find Vantaggiato on my game, what club is he from and how much do you have to pay for him?

[xonnk]

Thats strange, Tordoya plays for a bolivian team called Bolivar or something like that.

Also, another question, I can't find Vantaggiato on my game, what club is he from and how much do you have to pay for him?

He plays for Rimini, is from Italy.

He would usualy cost almost 2 milion, but you can get lucky as i did and have him be unhappy and be sold for a lot less.

[xonnk]

Seems like this thread has gone so inactive, you guys no longer playing with The Us? :-(

Anyway, here's an update on my Colchester on 2012, it's been a pretty sucessful year as it can be seen, but i'm most likely leaving at the end of the year for another team.

(I have also been hired by Ivory Coast, it will be fun to try the World Cup with them)

[Mark6880]

I like your screenshots, im going to start another Colchester as the one ive got ive messed up by making the wrong signings and tinkering with too many different tactics. I'll keep you posted how i get on

[Mark6880]

Hey xonnk, forgot to mention - me and my mate were down the pub last night discussing FM and he managed to get Col U promoted to the championship in his first season (via the playoffs), but how the hell you managed to get out the championship with this team i have no idea! Did you do it first time or did it take you a while?

[Mark6880]

also what are the best leagues to have players loaded from at the start of the game?

[xonnk]

Hey xonnk, forgot to mention - me and my mate were down the pub last night discussing FM and he managed to get Col U promoted to the championship in his first season (via the playoffs), but how the hell you managed to get out the championship with this team i have no idea! Did you do it first time or did it take you a while?

That was the hardest, even harder than EPL, as i had no funds. I wasn't very well up until January and was having to fight for an unlikely play-off, but on January and on-wards i somehow hit a great turn of form, as i guess the squad blended well together. I didn't have any big names other than the deadly attack pair of Lewandowski and Vantaggiato, with D'Alessandro behind them.

I think what i most gained out of, is that i like to shortlist any little decent players i see, my shortlists hit hundreds and hundreds of players, so as soon as there is something wrong with one of them, and there's the chance to snap him up cheap or free, i am told immediatly. Very useful, as most of my championship team was free signings. Also tinkering too much with tactics, not a good idea.

also what are the best leagues to have players loaded from at the start of the game?

I loaded Nigeria on my game, i don't know why but i seem to love Nigeria young players, i regret it though, i didn't get one single good regen out of them, other then staff, most of my staff are nigerians. (That could also be because i never looked much around Nigeria's league anyway, because the board wouldn't allow outside Europe scouting until i reached EPL)

[glynnbob]

sorry for not posting lately but i have just finished my 3rd season with 2 consecutive positions of 15th.im thinking at the moment i might have taken them as far as i can?

with regards to signing i made quite a few from slovakia/slovenia theres some real bargains out in those two countries if your prepared to take a gamble bought a winger called novak for 10k then sold him a season later for 4million!!

i treid your tactic's xonnkk but am still struggling might give them a new season though.

glad to see we have someone new in the thread lets hope we can bounce ideas off each other.

[xonnk]

Hmmm, have you guys tried reading through TT something on forums here?

That's a guide on how to make your own tactics based on your team, as well as how to move in certain match situations and all that, it is a very long one but worth it, try reading it and it will be of much help.

It's called something like "Tactics & Theorems".

Ah, and that seems like Jan Novak, doesn't he play as striker too? I though he was better of a striker than a winger heh. And he has some exceptional long shots. Mark, you should buy this guy first season.

And oh gosh! I just got to the match day of the UEFA quarter finals first leg against Inter, the team i love and support since coming to this world. I'm so getting my butt kicked. They already beat me twice on the group stage. (My 5+1 catenaccio defense just doesn't seem to work against the Ibra-Balotelli miracle.

[Mark6880]

I'll have a look at him, just started my new Colchster game, doing f**king ***** as usual, got loads of injuries, lost 2-0 to Kidderminster in my first pre-season friendly, loaded the game with Slovenia, Slovakia, France, Italy and Poland players but not much success in finding many players who are actually interested in signing for me.

My team is playing like they do IRL which is crap, plenty of posession and loads of chances but no-one upfront seems capable to turn chances into goals.

I take my hat of to you guys for your magnificent efforts with The U's but im now questioning if lower league management is actually for me...I turned down an evening out to play this f**king game tonight and my new computer is getting close to being ripped from the wall and thrown down the stairs because of it!

This game messes with your head. I'm off to watch some Spanish football and hopefully I'll have calmed down by the morning.

[xonnk]

Lol mate, it's okay to not have the nerves to make due with such small teams without real talent, though challenging.

Have you instaled the new patch? While it has made some players stupid, at least it's making them convert one on one chances, that suits the catenaccio game as the counter attacks are converted more now.

It's still early, you should be patient because even if you didn't get many signigns yourself, i think many of hte players at Colchester are new signigns of this year before you took over, so they need blended.

[Mark6880]

Yeah your right mate, patience is a key with being a crappy team like Colchester. I personally think they have one of the better teams in League 1 player for player but need to get them gelling...just like Mr Lambert does IRL.

Yes I have installed the new patch, but just been unlucky with injuries so far.

I'd also like to say on record that after going to the new ground numerous times this season, Scott Vernon is the biggest pile of ***** I have seen in a Col U shirt. He should be ashamed to call himself a striker.

[glynnbob]

I'll have a look at him, just started my new Colchster game, doing f**king ***** as usual, got loads of injuries, lost 2-0 to Kidderminster in my first pre-season friendly, loaded the game with Slovenia, Slovakia, France, Italy and Poland players but not much success in finding many players who are actually interested in signing for me.

My team is playing like they do IRL which is crap, plenty of posession and loads of chances but no-one upfront seems capable to turn chances into goals.

I take my hat of to you guys for your magnificent efforts with The U's but im now questioning if lower league management is actually for me...I turned down an evening out to play this f**king game tonight and my new computer is getting close to being ripped from the wall and thrown down the stairs because of it!

This game messes with your head. I'm off to watch some Spanish football and hopefully I'll have calmed down by the morning.

mate just stick with trust me im one of the most tactically inept managers on here but i finished 2nd in my 1st season i also had arsenal as parent club,who have you got??

with regards to quitting already DON'T!! we need more people playing as the u's although i can see why people don't. im in the process of trying for more firepower as im happy with my defence at the mo having just signed anthony gardnerand collins from wolves.

any help wanted mate keep posting!!

[xonnk]

Oh boy! Now i feel like i've used most of the 2009 luck reserved for me tonight with these two matches against Inter.

First match they come to my stadium full force, they teach me a lesson on how to control the ball and attack, but can't score more than a goal, which i equalise through my only shot whole match. :-)

Second match however, they put in a few reserves, yet they dominate me full-time again, leading 2-0, until i decide i've had enough and put in my league 1 "gung-ho" called tactic, all out attack just for the fun of it, and see what happens below..!

Boy, do i feel extremly lucky.

[Mark6880]

mate just stick with trust me im one of the most tactically inept managers on here but i finished 2nd in my 1st season i also had arsenal as parent club,who have you got??

with regards to quitting already DON'T!! we need more people playing as the u's although i can see why people don't. im in the process of trying for more firepower as im happy with my defence at the mo having just signed anthony gardnerand collins from wolves.

any help wanted mate keep posting!!

Hi glynnbob - thanks for that appreciate it. First thing I do is request a parent club but more often than not Cowling comes back and says he 'see's not point in creating any links with clubs at this time' which really ****es me off! I'd love to get Arsenal as a parent club but I think it seems quite rare they come up. Normally get offered Spurs, West Ham or Chelsea if I am lucky enough to get the option.

Ok season 1 - your advice here lads - do I sell Baldwin, Izzet and Elito to raise more funds as Cowling only given me £200k budget to start with. I also want to lose Heath, Vernon and Gillespie but no-one ever comes in for them. You could offer them to clubs for nothing but still no-one wants to take them.

I have edited my game database slightly and added Alan Maybury (DR), Lee Hills (DL) on loan from Crystal Palace until Jan 09, Jimmy Walker (GK) on loan from West Ham until Jan 09 and Marc Tierney (DLC) on loan from Shrewsbury until Jan 09. Did have Jermaine Easter on loan but put him back at Plymouth now he is injured IRL.

I was looking at Xonnk's post at the top of the page and finally found Vantiaggo from Rimini (only after having to load all players from Italy), he looks great but somehow I dont think I can afford the £1.7m value that he is worth! I also found Andy Iro and despite everyone telling me you can get him for free, he is with a club and they want in excess of £140k for him which is the bulk of my budget. Carlos Tordoya would probably be a cheaper and better option for £85k plus has far better stats than Iro.

The only players who I can think of that will be definate starters are:-

Dean Gerken GK

John White DR

Lee Hills DL - will need another DL once his loan expires in Jan

Chris Coyne DC

Carlos Tordoya DC

Mark Yeates - MR

Johnnie Jackson - ML

Dean Hammond - MC (more defensive of the central pair)

MC - Undecided - any suggestions?

FC - Clive Platt

FC - Undecided - any suggestions?

David Perkins, Paul Reid, Sunday Wasiu, Anthony Wordsworth are half decent back up players in my eyes - please correct me if I'm wrong?

Any other players you guys think I should replace or buy then let me know asap.

I'm going to use one of the Knap tactics which can be found in the tactics forum as had great success with this on my recent Leeds game taking them to the prem. It's a standard 442 formation with both wingers pushing up, one central midfielder pushing up and the other more defensive helping the defence. Both central defenders with arrows back and both full backs with arrows forward.

Again, any suggestions or advice on tactics as well as players for the first season would be greatly welcome guys.

[xonnk]

The only players who I can think of that will be definate starters are:-

Dean Gerken GK

John White DR

Lee Hills DL - will need another DL once his loan expires in Jan

Chris Coyne DC

Carlos Tordoya DC

Mark Yeates - MR

Johnnie Jackson - ML

Dean Hammond - MC (more defensive of the central pair)

MC - Undecided - any suggestions?

FC - Clive Platt

FC - Undecided - any suggestions?

David Perkins, Paul Reid, Sunday Wasiu, Anthony Wordsworth are half decent back up players in my eyes - please correct me if I'm wrong?

Any other players you guys think I should replace or buy then let me know asap.

Again, any suggestions or advice on tactics as well as players for the first season would be greatly welcome guys.

Actualy, i do like Wordsworth a lot, and he even played a few games for me in EPL, he's also young. As well as Reid. Wasiu is only league 1 material.

For the other FC position, try that slovakian guy.

No other ideas at the moment. :-S