FM 13 Tottenham Hotspur- Where 4th Place Is No Longer Good Enough

[Come_On_You_Spurs]

History

Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane. Founded in 1882, Tottenham won the FA Cup for the first time in 1901, making it the only non-League club to do so since the formation of the Football League. Tottenham was the first club in the 20th century to achieve the League and FA Cup Double, winning both competitions in the 1960–61 season. After successfully defending the FA Cup in 1962, in 1963 it became the first British club to win a UEFA club competition – the European Cup Winners' Cup.[2] In 1967 they won the FA Cup for a third time in the 1960s. In the 1970s Spurs won the League Cup on two occasions and was the inaugural winner of the UEFA Cup in 1972, becoming the first British club to win two different major European trophies. In the 1980s Spurs won several trophies: the FA Cup twice, FA Community Shield and the UEFA Cup in 1984. In the 1990s the club won the FA Cup and the League Cup. When it won the League Cup once more in 2008, it meant that it had won a major trophy in each of the last six decades – an achievement only matched by Manchester United.

The club's Latin motto is Audere est Facere (lit: "To Dare Is to Do"), and its emblem is a cockerel standing upon a football. The club has a long-standing rivalry with near neighbours Arsenal. Matches between the two teams are known as the North London derby.

Stadium

White Hart Lane was originally a disused nursery owned by the brewery Charringtons and located behind a public house. The landlord realised the increased revenues he could enjoy if Tottenham played their matches behind his pub and the club moved in. They brought with them the stand they used at Northumberland Park which gave shelter to 2,500 fans. Notts County were the first visitors to 'the Lane' in a friendly watched by 5,000 people and bringing in £115 in receipts, Spurs won 4–1. QPR became the first competitive visitors to the ground and 11,000 people saw them lose 1–0 to Tottenham.

In 1905 Tottenham raised enough money to buy the freehold to the land and became the permanent owners of the ground. As the club grew new stands were added. A new main stand was added in 1909, the East stand was also covered this year and extended further two years later. The profits from the 1921 FA Cup win were used to build a covered terrace at the Paxton Road end and the Park Lane end was built at a cost of over £3,000 some two years later. This increased the ground's capacity to around 58,000 with room for 40,000 under cover. The East Stand development was finishing in 1934 which increased the capacity to around 80,000 spectators and cost £60,000. The pitch was renovated in 1952 which uncovered a number of items from the old nursery on the site and one year later the first floodlights were introduced. These lights were upgraded in 1957 which required the cockerel to be moved from the West Stand to the East and then in 1961 floodlight pylons were installed.

The West Stand was replaced by an expensive (and far behind schedule) new structure and the stadium started its long modernisation process. Various developments and upgrades were implemented over the years and in 1992 the lower terraces of the south and east stand were converted to seating and the whole of the North stand followed to become all-seater the following season. The South Stand re-development was completed in March 1995 and included the first giant Sony Jumbotron TV screen for live game coverage and away match screenings. The capacity of the stadium increased to just over 33,000. In 1997/98 season the Paxton Road stand had a new upper tier added which included the second Jumbotron screen and increased capacity to 36,240 and was funded by a rights issue in 1996.

Minor amendments to the seating configuration were made in 2006 bringing the current capacity of the stadium to 36,310.

2011-12 Season

Last season was a mixed bag for Spurs. The team started terribly, but rebounded to challenge for the title for the first half of the season. Unfortunately, the team was not able to maintain their momentum for the second half, though they rebounded at the end of the season to finish in 4th place. While the position normally qualifies a team for the Champions League, Spurs missed out due to Chelsea winning the competition, and will again be in the Europa League this season. The unfortunate second half cost manager Harry Redknapp his job, as the club replaced him with Andre Villas-Boas. Star player Luka Modric requested a transfer for the second season in a row, this time seeing it granted as he was sold to Real Madrid. Rafael Van Der Vaart soon followed him out the door. The team spent the money filling various holes, including bringing over Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembele from Fulham, while signing Emmanuel Adebayor on a permanent basis.

[Come_On_You_Spurs]

First Team Squad Analysis

Goalkeeper

Hugo Lloris- Lloris is the best of what is a talented group of Tottenham goalkeepers. The France #1 came to London over the summer, with the expectations of being the team’s starter. While this has not necessarily been the case in real life, he should be your #1 in your save. Only 25 years old at the start of the game, Lloris should be your #1 goalkeeper for maybe the next 10 years.

Brad Friedel- Friedel is 41 now, but still one of the best goalkeepers in real life. He is arguably underrated in the game, but still can do a job. Assuming Lloris is your #1, Friedel should be used for cup games, the Europa League, and the occasional start in the league. If Lloris gets injured, Friedel is a capable replacement until he comes back. He might be worth keeping as a GK Coach after he retires.

Gomes- Gomes is arguably just as good as Friedel in the game. He is 31 and still in the prime of his career. He is probably your best choice of goalkeeper to sell, as you can fetch between 1-2 million pounds for him from one of the big clubs, who view him as a potential backup. If you would prefer to keep him, he would make a capable backup when Friedel leaves or retires.

Carlo Cudicini- Cudicini is good enough to start on an emergency basis, but will never get the opportunity with the 3 goalkeepers ahead of him on the depth chart. If you sell Gomes, you might want to retain Cudicini as a 3rd keeper, especially as he makes a good tutor and eventual coach.

Starter: Lloris

Backup: Friedel

Sell: Gomes

Targets: None needed

Full Backs

Benoit Assou-Ekotto (DL)- BAE is once again underrated in this game. While he is a very reliable left-back in the real world, he is average in FM 13. Rated by the staff as 3 stars, he is not one of the team’s stronger players. He is good enough to start, but this will be a position that you will want to look at upgrading. At 28 years old, he’s not going to improve much, so a younger replacement might be a good idea.

Kyle Walker (DR)- Walker established himself as one of the best right-backs in the league last season. Still only 22, he has a bright future ahead of him. Teams like Manchester City will be interested in him at the start of the game, so you may need to work hard to keep him. He is the present and future right back of the team, not to mention homegrown, so do not sell him unless you are offered crazy money.

Kyle Naughton (DRL)- Naughton is capable backup on both sides, though is not particularly amazing at either one. He is comfortable with both feet, and has good speed. He is useful because of his versatility, but is not someone you want as a long-term starter. The bonus of being homegrown helps as well. A useful squad player, but probably nothing more.

Adam Smith (DRL)- At 21 years old, Smith is not fully developed yet. He has 2.5 star potential, so could develop into a useful squad player. Like Naughton, he can play on either side and is homegrown. Barring injury, he probably won’t get many opportunities in the first season, so a loan to a Championship team might be a good idea to further his development.

Centre Backs

Younes Kaboul- Kaboul is arguably the team’s best defender at the start of the season. Last year was a type of breakout season for Kaboul, who established himself as a regular in Harry Redknapp’s lineup. Kaboul is fast and strong, and can also play right-back in an emergency. He is still in his prime and is someone you should want to keep hold of for the foreseeable future.

Jan Vertonghen- Vertonghen is a new addition to the team, with the potential to be a league-leading defender. While is pace is not up with Kaboul’s, he makes up for it with his strength and heading ability. He is versatile and has potential to become team captain in the future. Vertonghen should be a vital part of your team and is one of the underrated signings of the summer.

William Gallas- Turning 35 in the beginning of the season, Gallas has seen his best days already. However, he is still a useful defender to have and can do a job when called upon. His contract is up at the end of the season, making him a perfect stop-gap for an eventual upgrade.

Michael Dawson- A favorite with the fans, Dawson has seen his opportunities fade recently. No longer an automatic starter, his days in a Spurs shirt appear to be numbered. Dawson is slow, but endeared himself to fans with his determination and commitment. He plays his heart out every minute on the pitch, but he is unfortunately not one of the team’s stronger defenders. Unless you are worried about depth, you might want to sell him and use the money to invest in someone else.

Steven Caulker- Caulker is considered to be a future England defender. On loan at Swansea last season, Caulker has managed to become an important part of the Spurs team this year. While he’s not one of the team’s best defenders at the start of the game, you will want to give him plenty of minutes to realize his potential. Caulker should be part of your long-term plans, and developing him one of your higher priorities.

First-choice: Vertonghen and Kaboul

Backup: Gallas and Caulker

Sell: Dawson

Targets: Probably none. You have 5 central defenders in the first-team squad. If you sell Dawson, you might want to look into Mats Hummels, who will often become available for a reasonable fee in January.

Centre Midfield

Mousa Dembele- Dembele was a surprise addition to Spurs this summer, after many reports had Manchester United being in for him. But with the sale of Luka Modric, Daniel Levy worked hard to bring in Dembele to replace him. A different type of player, Dembele will still control the game from the middle of the field. He’s fast, technically-gifted, and strong. He is one of the most important players in the squad and should be one of the first names on your team-sheet.

Scott Parker- Our signing of the season last year, Parker misses about the first three months due to his Achilles injury. At 31 year old, he doesn’t have a lot of prime years left, but he should still be able to do the job for a year or two. A bulldog and hard-worker, Parker is a must for when you need to play defensive. A great choice for captain, and a potential coach, keeping him around is a good idea. As soon as he recovers from his injury, get him into your team.

Sandro- Sandro is another very talented defensive midfielder, and one who will easily keep things steady until Parker’s return. When Parker is healthy, it will be a challenge to figure out how to give both of them minutes. Sandro is a tough tackler, a hard worker, and fast for a defensive midfielder. The young Brazilian should be a part of your team for many years to go.

Jake Livermore- Livermore established himself as an important part of the Spurs squad last season, and has the potential to be an England regular. He is young and needs minutes to reach his potential. He is not the tackler that Sandro is, but is still capable of holding his own. Try to get him into the team during cup and Europa League matches.

Tom Huddlestone- Huddlestone dealt with a lot of injury problems last season, but hopes to be an important part of this year’s squad. He’s a capable tackler, but is creative as well. When Dembele is not playing, Huddlestone should be able to step in and do a job. He has 3.5 star potential in the game, which means you shouldn’t give up on him. He’s slow, but an excellent passer of the ball.

Starters: Dembele and Sandro

Backup: Parker and Huddlestone

Future Starter: Livermore

Sell: None. All 5 central midfielders should be an important part of your Spurs team.

Targets: None, unless you sell someone. Someone like Yohan Cabaye would be an excellent replacement for Huddlestone, but is probably more of a luxury at this point, as your midfield is in good shape.

Wingers

Gareth Bale (M/AMRL)- Bale’s stardom continued to rise last season, and he is regularly being linked with moves to Europe’s biggest clubs. Bale has shown himself to be loyal to Spurs though, signing a new contract in the summer. Bale has lightning pace, and a wealth of technical skill. He is also an excellent header of the ball. He is capable of playing on either side, but is much stronger on the left. Teams like Manchester United will come looking for him at the start of the game, but do not sell him at any cost.

Aaron Lennon (M/AMRL)- Opinion is divided on Lennon with Spurs fans. There is no denying his speed, but his final product still is not up to the standards set by the league’s best wingers. Still just 25, there is still time for him to add that skill to his game. This is a position you might want to eventually upgrade, but there is no rush.

Andros Townsend (MRL)- Townsend is a good backup, who can play on either side, though he is more comfortable on the left. He is 21 and has 2.5 potential. He’ll never challenge Bale for a first-team spot, but would benefit from some playing time in the cup matches.

Starters: Bale and Lennon

Backup: Townsend

Sell: None. Your depth here is lacking already

Targets: Matias Ezequiel Schelotto. A right-winger, Scheletto would be a good backup for Lennon, with potential to eventually take his spot over. He’s young, cheap and very fast.

Attacking Midfielders

Gylfi Sigurdsson- Sigurdsson came over in the summer as a replacement for van der Vaart. The Icelandic midfielder is not very fast, but is skilled technically, a great passer, and an excellent set-piece taker. He’s best in the hole behind a striker, but can also play in the center of the field or on the wings. He’s creative and a great crosser, so giving him a free role might be a good idea.

Clint Dempsey- Dempsey came over on deadline day, to the surprise of many. He is underrated in the game, but can be a valuable part of your team. He is a great header of the ball, and can pretty much play anywhere in midfield or as a striker. He’s not a star, but can help you out in a variety of ways. He will turn 30 in the spring, so he is not a long-term asset.

Starter: Sigurdsson

Backup: Demsey

Sell: None

Target: Alan Dzagoev. Dzagoev’s contract is expiring, which allows you to bring him on board as a free transfer in December. He is an ideal replacement for Dempsey after the first season, and will challenge Sigurdsson for a starting spot, depending on how you want your team to play.

Striker

Emmanuel Adebayor- After a successful loan season, Ade has joined Spurs on a permanent basis. Adebayor possesses great physical skills, making him an excellent choice as a lone striker. He is the club’s highest earner, and will turn 29 in the first season, so you may want to consider offloading him after a season or two. Adebayor should score you plenty of goals, and hopefully his attitude stays positive.

Jermain Defoe- Defoe is the perfect poacher, and is AVB’s first-choice striker this season. He doesn’t necessarily play the role of a lone striker as well in the game. Defoe will score goals, but he also has the potential to go cold for extended periods of time. A useful striker to have, but not one you want to depend on to lead the line.

Starter: Adebayor

Backup: Defoe

Sell: None

Target: Demba Ba. His 7m release clause makes him the ideal compliment to Adebayor and Defoe. Snap him up before someone else does.

[Come_On_You_Spurs]

Club Information and Facilities

[Come_On_You_Spurs]

Tactics

I'm currently in 1st in the league, semis of league cup, 4th round of F.A. Cup and 1st knockout round of Europa League with this tactic. Defaults are control, fluid, zonal marking, direct passing, more roaming. Dembele and Bale have been my two most important players. If we need to score more goals, I bring the outside midfielders up as wingers, or bring Defoe on as a 2nd striker in a 4-4-2.

[Come_On_You_Spurs]

Reserved...

[Come_On_You_Spurs]

Last reserved post

[SRL88]

Nice work fella

[Prowl]

COYS! Going to start a save soon. Too busy with my Everton one at the moment

[Markmilan]

great opening post. Am going to start a spurs save next wkend am looking to do a 4-2-3-1.

[Purefun]

Dembele and Vertonghen.

[rpvw]

Great openings posts!

I've started a game with Spurs. I just hit a rough patch having quite some injuries (Lennon, Bale, Adebayor, Walker, Parker again) and are now lying in 10th position, trailing Chelsea by six points but having played two games less. The EL group phase was easy with my group consisting of Twente, Viktoria Plzen and Salzburg (qualified first) I'm using a 4-2-3-1, with 4-5-1 and 4-1-2-1-2 being my backup tactics.

Incoming tranfers:

Wellington Nem, Leonard Kweuke, Stefan de Vrij, Ricardo Rodriguez, Jores Okore, Ait Fana and Maxym Koval, combined total of 44,5m euro. Dzagoev will be coming on a free transfer in january.

Outgoing tranfers:

Carroll, Falque, Friedel (4m total), planned are Bentley, Jenas in january for a combined total of 5m.

[Robert the Spud]

Good to see Adebayor's work rate and team work have been increased, though Bale's has been decreased I think.

I'll wait till full game is out before starting, so I can put Jenas on loan to Forest in the editor.

[evertonmarc]

Dembele and Vertonghen.

On my Everton save, Dembele is unregistered......and rotting in the reserves, first season

[Robert the Spud]

On my Everton save, Dembele is unregistered......and rotting in the reserves, first season

Wha??? Bug!

[evertonmarc]

Wha??? Bug!

indeed - he's also unhappy and wants to leave. If id have noticed earlier i might have put a bid in for him!

[Robert the Spud]

Very strange indeed. Will run a test on the demo to see if I get the same.

[AustSaint]

Good work, I have been a fan of Schelotto for a few years, I got him for 9.75 million in July of the first year. Another cheap striker is Ademilson, 5.25 million release clause. COYS!

[Robert the Spud]

Due to the paucity of options out wide, I'd recommend everyone get Wellington Nem. Holding onto Bale looks even more difficult this year. I may open to selling at the end of season if a huge offer comes in(£40m+).

[Come_On_You_Spurs]

The Dembele thing seems to be a bug. He was in the reserves when I started my beta save as well. Currently in Feb. of season 1. Sold BAE to Liverpool, and signed Baines. Also brought in Kolarov on loan. Sold Dawson to Fulham and replaced him with Nicolas Nkoulou, who has 4.5 star potential. Just lost to Man City 1-0 at the Etihad, so I am now in 2nd place, 1 pt behind City.

[newguy243]

Just going into 3rd season after winning league 2nd season what do you think of the team,

GK Lloris/Smithies

DR Walker/Naughton

DC Kaboul/Caulker

DC Vertonghen/Papadopoulos

DL Baines/Adam Smith

CM Sandro/Huddlestone

CM Dembele/Willian

AMR Lennon/Zaha

AMC Isco/Sigurosson

AML Bale/Sinclair

STC Falcao/Adebayor

[Robert the Spud]

How has Zaha progressed? Otherwise i'd say you could get better cover GK/RB, and two CF's- One to replace Adebayor who is probably aging by now, and a young prospect. Coulilaby should be coming along?

[newguy243]

Zaha seems to always pop up with goals stats are coming along like Lennons. coulilaby hasn't really done much few poor loan spells.

Naughton is proving to be very good cover. I am trying to bring through a young striker for cover but have the cash if an option comes up

[knap]

Good standard squad, so no need to buy season 1

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[Come_On_You_Spurs]

I've been playing Townsend on the left with Bale suffering a couple injuries and have been very pleased with the results. He might be getting more playing time next season.

[Ginola*]

I'm always Spurs on the game but I'm using the beta for scouting and messing about with the database size so the game isn't too slow. I'll be starting my proper Spurs save on Friday

[pinkthong]

I have started on the Beta version as Spurs - being a supporter, it's the only team I consider playing as. One love.

I too start with a 4-2-3-1 (wide) formation on control, tweaked having my defensive line slightly further back and manually changing my two midfielders to be more defensive, my AM's are slightly more deffensive too (although not by much). It has been my favoured formation for the last couple of editions. I like the ball "passed into space" due to the pace we have in our side, I also like the ball worked into the box.

Dembele is good, but to in my mind he should be more attacking. I am using him as a Deep lying playmaker at the moment, but you don't get the best from him in my opinion. The guy can dribble like Gazza. I am retraining him to play AML as an inside forward, he devistated Napoli in the Europe League when I gave Bale a rest. Siggy, I am retraining to be the deep lying playmaker, given that he likes to dictate the tempo (I have also bought in Isco with Douce as back up) and has great passing attributes. I'm hoping this will reap some rewards as he is brilliant technically, but I don't rate his speed or dribbling... I prefer my AM's to be quicker and slick on the ball. Once they get more used to their new roles, I will stop using them in their prefered possitions. and if Siggy works there, it will hopefully stop me having to buy another CM.

Other signings I have made are Nem and Jetovic (spelt correctly? The guy from Fiorentina). Training Nem as a AMR inside forward (I like to play one winger and on inside forward every match Lennon and Bale being the wingers, Nem and Dembele being the inside forwards). Defoe was hard to sell, but he does not suit the system I play, using a deep laying forward to bring my AM's into the game, he is a bit too selfish for the role. I tinkered with using him as a poacher and using the AM's on support... but it takes away the threat of pace the team has.

The only problem I have is LB. Love BAE, but as the post states, he is underated. Problem is, there is a complete void of good LB at affordable prices. Any suggestions? (I'm aware there is a thread... but it's better to get the oppinion of people who know the squad)

I am most likely going to start again on Friday when the game is officially released, I have just been playing about getting my tactics ready and messing about with the new training system, which I think I am getting the hang of now and seeing some results. I think it is a bit more slick once you get used to it, you do have to keep checking it though.

[london boy]

Spurs have struggled in the saves I've started in the beta. They have a very strong squad, so it is strange to see them in mid-table or lower.

[Robert the Spud]

I disagree about BAE being underrated. i've always gotten really consistent, solid performances from him in fm12. He's not any better IRL than he is the game. Good, solid LB who makes a few mistakes but is still a vital part of the team. I'd put Vertonghen in there though if you don't want BAE, and play Kaboul/Caulker. Otherwise invest in youth like Digne.

[Asim]

After scouting around on the demo, i found Aly Cissokho on the transfer list at valencia even though he just joined this summer.

they want around £5m but to be fair his stats dont seem to be as good as they previously were.

still a good option at left back.

[Prowl]

Who did you guys keep for backroom staff and sack? I'm starting my long-term save

[christrott79]

Who did you guys keep for backroom staff and sack? I'm starting my long-term save

I sacked Freund and Mick Brown, brought in Cruijff and D'Onofrio as ass man and chief scout respectively.

Also brought in Bergamo as defence coach and Andy Cole as attack coach.

I'm just struggling like hell at the minute to find a tactic that works! Lost interest in making my own tactics after FM 2005!

[rpvw]

Who did you guys keep for backroom staff and sack? I'm starting my long-term save

My board didn't let me fire Freund . I did however appoint Phil Cannon as DoF

[Prowl]

Would you recommend Cannon over Comolli rpvw?

[Hackers76]

Started a Spurs game on the demo so only have the small data base. Does anyone know if the database size can be increased on saves from the demo once I have the full game?

I have decided to try a save under the Levy philosophy. Any players I buy will have to have the potential for top dollar resale value. I wont be paying over the odds for anyone and will not let anyone go on the cheap.

FM13 has helped me on my way with this as Ba and Ademilson (coming at the end of the season) both have acceptable release clauses. Also signed Jetro Willems and have Dzagoev coming on a free in January.

Just hoping I can adjust the database size once the full game arrives as I've had a cracking start : )

[Champfan10]

Started a Spurs game on the demo so only have the small data base. Does anyone know if the database size can be increased on saves from the demo once I have the full game?

I have decided to try a save under the Levy philosophy. Any players I buy will have to have the potential for top dollar resale value. I wont be paying over the odds for anyone and will not let anyone go on the cheap.

FM13 has helped me on my way with this as Ba and Ademilson (coming at the end of the season) both have acceptable release clauses. Also signed Jetro Willems and have Dzagoev coming on a free in January.

Just hoping I can adjust the database size once the full game arrives as I've had a cracking start : )

You can add/remove leagues at the end of each season.

[huntelaar19]

Has anyone managed to get Harry Kane even close to decent ? On my save my scouts reckon his best role is complete forward it would seem purely because every stat for this role is just and i stress JUST above ten! Really disappointed, was hoping he'd be very decent for the future.

[Robert the Spud]

I don't think he'll make irl or in game. But you can work very closely with him so he'll become a good squad player. But i wouldn't say it's worth the effort because you'll have to play him alot to get his level up, and Coulilaby is the better option. Livermore is definitely worth keeping, and Carroll/Smith may be the only ones close to being decent squad players. I will definitely look to develop those three.

[AustSaint]

I found a nice Belgian guy called Malanda, he is only 17 but he has a lot of potential. Starts at a Belgian club and will cost you about 2 million pounds. He and Livermore are doing the business as back-ups to Sandro and Dembele.

[Welshace]

I found a nice Belgian guy called Malanda, he is only 17 but he has a lot of potential. Starts at a Belgian club and will cost you about 2 million pounds. He and Livermore are doing the business as back-ups to Sandro and Dembele.

just had a look at him.. looks brilliant.. nice find

[Robert the Spud]

Which club is he from? Demo db isn't showing him

[Robert the Spud]

ah no worries, saw your post in the good midfielers thread

[kccircle]

Playing as Spurs on the 'lite' version. Came 2nd to Manchester United who simply ran away with the league.

Signed Dzagoev, Redmons, Hummels, Willems, Hamsik and Cornelius whilst offloading Gomes, Jenas and Dawson

Play a 4141 formation with a lot of decent wide play coming from Bale and Lennon. Not sure I will continue when the game is released next weekend but really enjoyed my first season and Spurs have a cracking first XI and some great bench cover

[Luken33]

What role are people using Dembele in? He's got kind of scatter gun attributes? B2B seems to make the most sense?

[pinkthong]

I'm training him to play further up the pitch so he can use his key attributes in dribbling and technique. Has played very well for me as an inside forward

[Ginola*]

My board didn't let me fire Freund . I did however appoint Phil Cannon as DoF

You couldn't offer him a mutual termination?

[Come_On_You_Spurs]

Just got to the transfer deadline in my long-term Spurs save. Here are my transfers:

Ben Arfa is Lennon's replacement, and has had a fantastic start to his Spurs career. I also have Alan Dzagoev arriving in January. Defoe and Gallas were part of my plans, but when Hernandez and Cahill were put on the transfer list on deadline day, I had to clear some room.

[Prowl]

Still trying to get my backroom staff sorted. We have some pretty bad staff. The mutual termination fees are killer. Any recommendations?

[Come_On_You_Spurs]

Here's my staff. Not spectacular, but mostly 4 stars. I still have Freund, only because I don't want to pay the money for mutual termination.

[AustSaint]

Angel Vale, a Spanish coach is good and is unattached at the start of game.

[Hackers76]

Still trying to get my backroom staff sorted. We have some pretty bad staff. The mutual termination fees are killer. Any recommendations?

I think you just have to bite the bullet and get rid of a few. The start of the game is the time to do it as there are some decent staff out there without clubs. You'll pay mutual termination fees but wont need to pay any compensation to clubs. All those listed below are not contracted to clubs and will improve your set up.

Angel Vales (as mentioned above)

Tosh Farrell

Ray Wilkins

Paul Winsper

Johan Cruijff

Francisco Ayesteran