Hood Legend Posted October 28, 2012 Share Posted October 28, 2012 Welcome to the LOSC Lille Metropole thread for Football Manager 2013 History – founding and early years LOSC Lille Métropole was formed on 23 September 1944 as a result of a merger between professional clubs Olympique Lillois and SC Fives. Lillois had been in the process of negotiating with Fives as early as 1939. After failing to agree to a merger with Fives, Lillois merged with local club Iris Club Lillois to form Olympique Iris Club Lillois. However, due to World War II and the abolishing of professional football under the Vichy Regime, the club spent most of its existence playing in the amateur war leagues. In 1944, Fives finally agreed to a merger. However, the section of Olympique Iris Club Lillois officials who were representing Iris Club Lillois refused the merger as it meant the club would have to turn professional. The disagreement between Olympique Lillois and Iris Club led to the first merger dissolving. As a result, the original incarnation of Lillois merged with Fives. The club was initially named Stade Lillois and played under the name in two friendly matches ahead of the 1944–45 war championship season. On 10 November 1944, after a directors' meeting, the club changed its name to Lille Olympique Sporting Club. The name pays tribute to Olympique Lillois by retaining the Lille Olympique title and pays tribute to SC Fives by retaining the SC acronym. The club, subsequently, adopted the red and white colors of Lillois as its home kit and took Fives' blue colors as its away kit. Former Fives president Louis Henno was named as the club's first president. After the war, Lille returned to professional football and was inserted into Division 1. Henno brought in the Englishman George Berry to lead the team. Henno also successfully recruited several former players of both Fives and Lillois. The influence of this set of players led to Lille reaching the final of the Coupe de France in 1945. In the final, Lille faced a more experienced Racing Club de France team who humbled the Northerners 3–0 at the Stade Olympique Yves-du-Manoir in Colombes. In Lille's inaugural season in Division 1, the club surprised many by not only winning the league, but also winning the Coupe de France. The team, which was nicknamed the "war machine" by local newspapers, won the league by only one point over Saint-Étienne and were led by René Bihel who scored 28 goals in 26 matches. In the Coupe de France, Lille defeated Red Star Olympique 4–2. After the season, Berry departed the club due to constant interference by Henno and he was replaced by André Cheuva. Despite the departure of Berry, Lille maintained its form under the leadership of Cheuva. The club finished 4th in its second season in Division 1, but compensated for its league performance by winning the Coupe de France for the second consecutive season. The team defeated Strasbourg 2–0 in the final. In the 1947–48 season, Lille finished runner-up to Marseille in the league. However, Lille again remained strong in the Coupe de France winning the competition for the third consecutive season against rivals Lens. As a result, Lille became the second team in French football history, the other being Red Star, to win the Coupe de France in three consecutive seasons. In the next four seasons, Lille regularly finished in the top three in the league. In the 1950–51 season, Lille reached the final of the Latin Cup and were defeated by Italian club Milan. Several big name departures limited the club somewhat, but Lille were still able to capture its fourth and fifth Coupe de France titles in 1953 and 1955. The 1955 cup title would be Lille's last major domestic trophy for many years. Cor van der Hart – Lille’s star player in the early 50’s. After losing some key players the club's reputation on and off the field was severely depleted. In the 1955–56 season, just two years after winning the Coupe de France, Lille finished in 16th place in the league, which resulted in relegation to Division 2 for the first time in the club's history. The club returned to Division 1 after one season, but after two seasons of top flight play, was relegated back to Division 2 in 1959. That same year, Henno left his post as president and Cheuva resigned as manager. The second relegation led to the club enduring financial problems, which resulted in Lille selling many of its best players, most notably Jean Vincent to Stade de Reims for a then-French record of ₣19 million. From 1959–1978, Lille spent the majority of its life rotating between Division 1 and Division 2. In 1969, the club reverted to amateur status and playing in the Championnat de France amateur. Despite finishing in 10th place out of 15 teams, Lille were administratively promoted back to Division 2 by the French Football Federation and the Ligue de Football Professionnel. In 1978, Lille returned to Division 1 and maintained stability by remaining in the league for the next 19 seasons. The club's best finish during the stint was a 6th place finish, which occurred on two occasions; in the club's first season back in 1978 and in 1991. History – recent years In 1994, the club was taken over by Bernard Lecomte who saved the club from falling victim to the DNCG's financial regulations. Under Lecomte, Lille reverted from buying expensive talent and began putting emphasis on developing players through the club's youth system, which led to the recruitment of the Cheyrou brothers and many other youth talents. In 1997, Lille were relegated back to Division 2. Lille returned to Division 1 in 2000 under the Bosnian manager Vahid Halilhodžić. In January 2002, influential movie producer Michel Seydoux purchased shares in the club and became a minor shareholder. That same summer, former Monaco coach Claude Puel was named manager. In January 2004, Seydoux became the majority shareholder and was, subsequently, installed as the club's president. In his first full season of presidency, Lille stunned many French football enthusiasts by finishing runner-up in the league behind Lyon and ahead of the likes of Monaco and Marseille. The club also reached the Round of 16 in the UEFA Cup. The second place position resulted in Lille qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the first time in its history. In the ensuing season, Lille kept its consistency by finishing in third place in the league. On 2 November 2005, the club recorded one of the greatest results in its history by defeating Manchester United in the UEFA Champions League group phase. Claude Puel – Lille manager 2002-2008 In the 2006–07 Ligue 1 season, due to focusing its efforts on four competitions, Lille finished 10th in the league. The club did reach the knockout stage of the Champions League for the first time, but were eliminated by Manchester United. In the next season, Lille formed a talented core of players that helped the team to a 7th place finish in the league. Between 2007–2009, Lille sold several of its core players, most notably Michel Bastos, Jean II Makoun, and Kevin Mirallas. The club's further potential was hampered by the departure of Claude Puel in 2009. President Seydoux sought to eliminate the idea that Lille was a selling club by recruiting Gervinho, Florent Balmont, Rio Mavuba, and Pierre-Alain Frau to compensate for the loss of the departures. New manager Rudi Garcia also inserted the talented youngster Adil Rami as a starter and promoted the club's Belgian youth starlet Eden Hazard to the senior team. The signings and changes immediately paid off with Garcia creating an impressive attacking style of play, which resulted in the club scoring a league-leading 72 goals and finishing in 4th place in the 2009–10 season. The club's success continued into the 2010–11 season when they were crowned Ligue 1 champions for the third time in club history and the first time since 1954. Furthermore, they again finished at the top of the league with 68 goals and striker Moussa Sow was the top individual scorer with 25 goals of his own. In the following winter Sow departed the club for Fenerbahce of the Turkish league. His goals were missed as they failed to defend their league title finishing in third place behind surprise champions Montpellier Herault and oil-rich Paris Saint-Germain under the new ownership of Qatari tycoons. Lille still managed to qualify for the Champions League but were resigned to losing star player Eden Hazard as he moved to Chelsea FC for a fee of £32 million pounds after one of the longest transfer saga’s ever. Eden Hazard during his unveiling at Chelsea FC after leaving Lille. Notable former players Yohan Cabaye (now at Newcastle United) Benoît Cheyrou (now at Olympique Marseille) Bruno Cheyrou (unattached) Adil Rami (now at Valencia) Eden Hazard (now at Chelsea) Michel Bastos (now at Olympique Lyonnias) Jean II Makoun (now at Stade Rennais) Gervinho (now at Arsenal) Ludovic Obraniak (now at Bordeaux) Moussa Sow (now at Fenerbahce) Dante (now at Bayern Munich) Kevin Mirallas (now at Everton) City of Lille Lille is one of the northernmost cities in France, it is situated on the Deûle river near the border with Belgium. It has a population of approximately 230,000 inhabitants and its main industries are mechanical, food and textile manufacturing. Some of the main sights and points of interest include the Lille Cathedral, the Port de Lille and the EuraLille shopping plaza. The city is twinned with several other cities around the world including: Buffalo, Cologne, Leeds, Shanghai and Turin. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hood Legend Posted October 28, 2012 Author Share Posted October 28, 2012 Lille in FM13 Here is some basic information about the club in FM13 as well as the kits and previous honours. As you can see the clubs main rival is RC Lens in which they contest the Nord Derby, a rivalry which exists due to the two clubs close geographical proximity, however this tie is no longer a regular occurrence due to Lens’ relegation at the end of last season. I would also suggest that teams such as Lyon, Marseille & PSG could be considered competitive rivals. This next graphic shows the trophies that Lille have won throughout their history. The 3 league titles were won in the years 1946, 1954 and most recently 2011. They have had most success in the French cup (Coupe de France). Affiliated clubs FC Bourget – France – Lille has first option on players. Diambars – Senegal – Lille has first option on players and allows youth players to train at their facilities. AS Marsouins – Reunion - Lille has first option on players and allows youth players to train at their facilities. Zulte Waregem – Belgium – Lille may send players on loan to gain experience Toucoing FC – France – Lille has first option on players. Mouscron-Peruwelz – Belgium - Lille has first option on players and allows youth players to train at their facilities. Lille may send players on loan to gain experience. Recent league positions Over the past couple of decades there have been many ups and downs in Lille’s league placings but more recently there has been a steady improvement culminating in being crowned champions in the 2010/2011 season. Only once in recent times have they been relegated to Ligue 2, this occurred in the late 90’s but 3 years later they were promoted back to Ligue 1. Finances At the start of the game Lille’s bank balance is £6,959,695. Given the current incomings and outgoings this total is projected to almost double by the end of the season, depending on how much is spent on new players. The main kit sponsorship runs until 2016 and is worth £1.74m per season. The current wage bill is £535,167 per week. Season expectations In the initial meeting with chairman Michel Seydoux he suggests that a reasonable target for the league season would be to finish in a Europa League qualifying place (4th or 5th position in Ligue 1). I agree that this is a reasonable target however you will be allowed to alter this based on your ambition and the board will give you their full backing by providing extra funds. He does not give any extra conditions you should meet with the way you play or transfer policies but given the lack of funds and good youth facilities I would suggest trying to develop some academy players. Here you can see the budgets depending on your targets: An extra £1.5m for Champions league qualification is quite tempting and it is a realistic target but bear in mind that if you fail to do so then your job may be quite insecure. Despite being given a good transfer budget the wages are an issue as they are already higher than what is being offered. This leaves you with two options; either offload some players to get the wage bill down or adjust the budgets by taking some out of the transfers and putting it into wages. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hood Legend Posted October 28, 2012 Author Share Posted October 28, 2012 Facilities At the end of last season Lille moved into their new stadium, the Grand Stade Lille Metropole. It is situated in the Villeneuve-d’Ascq region and has an all-seater capacity of 50186. It is the only stadium in France that has a roof, therefore guaranteeing no games will be called off due to adverse weather conditions. The pitch is 104m by 67m and has a natural grass surface but does not have undersoil heating, although this is not as important because of the roof. Here is a summary of the other facilities: Training facilities – top training facilities Youth facilities – top youth facilities Youth stadium – Complexe sportif de Loos, Loos Training ground – Domaine de Luchin, Camphin-en-Pevele Corporate facilities – Adequete corporate facilities Junior coaching – average junior coaching Youth recruitment – Above average youth recruitment Staff Analysis Good staff Jean-Michel Vandamme – Director of Football – this is a new staff role for FM13 and if you have played as Lille on previous versions you may remember this man as a scout. He has good stats for judging ability and potential and excellent man management skills. He also has low wages compared to other people who could fill this role. Rachid Chihab – Reserves manager – Very well rounded mental stats, good technical coaching and excellent at working with youngsters. He will do a great job nurturing youth players. Claude Fichaux – Assistant manager – He doesn’t have outstanding stats but is fairly solid in all the necessary areas. I will be keeping him on but some players may consider bringing in a replacement. Benoit Delavel – Coach – Not a brilliant coach but good at coaching fitness. If a better option isn’t available I would consider offering him a new contract as a fitness coach. Franck Lefevre – Coach – Similar story to Delavel, apart from he is slightly better and specialises in goalkeeping coaching. If the board will allow you to have two GK coaches I would offer him a new contract as that, if not keep him around on his current contract. Jean-Pierre Mottet – Goalkeeping coach – Excellent goalkeeping and man management stats as well as very good working with youngsters makes this man a brilliant coach and should be kept for many years. Marc Cuvelier – Head physio – He isn’t the best physiotherapist in the world but certainly good enough to remain at the club unless someone much better comes along. Anthony Gillot – Scout – Starts off with 13 for judging ability and 16 for judging potential but considering he is only 29 years of age these stats will likely increase quite a lot making him a very good scout. Potential sackings Orlando Silvestri – Under 19’s manager – His working with youngsters and tactical knowledge stats are not good enough for this role and he also doesn’t offer much in the coaching department. I believe there will be much better members of staff to hire for this position. Frederic Bompard – Coach – Has some decent stats but doesn’t really excel in a specific field so I would relinquish him from his duties and bring in a replacement. Stephane Adam – Under 19’s coach – good at working with youngsters but his best coaching stat is 13 for attacking. If there are better options available I would suggest replacing him. Alain Wallyn – Under 19’s coach – No good stats at all so he should be replaced. Gregory Dupont – Fitness coach – Only has 11 for fitness coaching so is nowhere near good enough therefore must be replaced by someone better. Karim Boukrouh – Under 19’s goalkeeping coach – His stats aren’t too bad so if there are no better coaches to replace him with then he is worth keeping but if there is than I would bring them in. Stephane Grebert – Physio – This one could have gone in either section. He has 15 for physiotherapy which is not bad by any means but some players may want to find someone better. Christophe Demougeot – Chief Scout – In my opinion the chief scout must have better judging stats than 14 in both ability and potential. Georges Heylens – Scout – Really poor stats for a scout and the only good thing is that he is from Belgium as there are many great youngsters coming from there at the moment. I would suggest that you do try to find a Belgian scout but there must be one better than this. Cherif Oudjani – Scout – Similar situation as the previous scout as he has Moroccan nationality but his stats are just not good enough. Maxime Tyteca – Scout – Another scout who is simply not good enough. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hood Legend Posted October 28, 2012 Author Share Posted October 28, 2012 Squad List 1 - Mickaël Landreau – France – GK – Experienced and solid goalkeeper but getting quite old now and a replacement should be found after 1 or 2 seasons. Rating: 7/10 2 – Mathieu Debuchy (vice-captain) – France – D/WB ® – Been at the club his whole career and almost left in the summer for pastures new. An excellent full back and recently forced his way into French national team. One of the first names on the team sheet. Rating: 8/10 3 – Lucas Digne – France – D/WB (L) – The biggest talent to come through the youth system since Eden Hazard. Play him in easy games and cup games, have him tutored by Beria or Debuchy and he will soon become first choice. Rating: 8/10 4 – Florent Balmont – France – DM, M © – At 32 years old he doesn’t have many years left but will work very hard when he plays and has a lot of experience. Rating: 6/10 5 – Idrissa Gueye – Senegal – DM, M © – A good young player with excellent work rate. He will provide good back up for Mavuba and could potentially be a starter in the future. Rating: 7/10 6 – Pape Souare (out on loan) – Senegal – D (LC), WB (L) – Out on loan for the first season but depending on his development he could be good backup when he returns. Rating: 5/10 7 – Dimitri Payet – France – AM (RL) – A good winger that can play on either wing and is two footed, will be first choice on one of the flanks. Rating: 7/10 8 – Salomon Kalou – Ivory Coast – AM (RL), ST – Arrived in the summer on a free transfer from Chelsea. Can play in any of the attacking positions and is capable of moments of brilliance. Unfortunately he is equally capable of making you wonder how he became a professional footballer, some might say he is a poor man’s Nani. Rating: 7/10 9 – Túlio de Melo – Brazil – ST – Very good in the air so provides a different option to the other strikers at the club. Could be a good impact substitute. Rating: 6/10 10 – Marvin Martin – France – M/AM © – The marquee signing of the summer, he cost around 10 million euros from Sochaux. Due to his very good creativity he will be the main playmaker for the team and is equally adept at playing in central midfield or in a slightly more advanced role. Rating: 8/10 11 – Ryan Mendes da Graca – Cape Verde – AM ® – Another new signing this summer, he still has a lot of room to improve before reaching his potential and should be given the chance to do so. Rating: 7/10 12 – Jerry Vandam – Ghana – D/WB ® – Recently returned from a loan spell and could be decent backup for Debuchy but will never be good enough to be first choice. Could be sold to raise funds depending on the future of Bonnart and Sidibe. Rating: 5/10 13 – Adama Soumaoro – France – D ©, DM – Starts off in the reserves as he is still quite young. Given that Lille are a bit short at centre back he could be decent backup or he could be sent on loan to see how he develops. Rating: 5/10 14 – David Rozehnal – Czech Republic – D ©, DM – Seems to have been downgraded from last year and is no longer good enough to be anything more than backup. I would suggest keeping him considering the lack of options in his position, at least until a replacement or two have been brought in. Rating: 4/10 15 - Djibril Sidibé – France – D/WB ® – Another summer signing who looks to have fantastic potential considering he still has 3 stars to fill and his stats already look decent. I would suggest either sending him on loan to a team where he will play regularly or try and give him cup games whilst being tutored by Debuchy. Rating: 8/10 16 – Steeve Elana – France – GK – Arrived in the summer from Brest and will be very good backup for Landreau. Give him a few games in the cups to keep him happy. Rating: 6/10 17 - Benoît Pedretti – France – DM, M © – A very good passer of the ball and would be perfect for a deep lying playmaker role. The wrong side of 30 now so won’t have too many seasons left in him. Rating: 7/10 18 - Franck Béria – France – D (RLC), WB (RL) – An excellent player to have due to his versatility. He can play anywhere in the back four but his natural position is left back and that is where you should play in. He can cover the already thin centre back position if there is an injury crisis, allowing Digne to get more game time. Rating: 7/10 19 – Gianni Bruno – Belgium – ST – Talented youngster that came through the academy. Depending on how many strikers you plan to use it might be a good idea to send him out on loan for some first team experience. Zulte Waregem could be a good location seeing as they are a feeder club from his home country of Belgium. Rating: 7/10 20 – Ronny Rodelin – France – ST – For a 22 year old he looks really poor. Roux, Tulio and Bruno are all better so I would strongly consider offloading him to raise funds for other positions. Rating: 4/10 21 – Laurent Bonnart – France – D/WB (RL) – Not the best player but the fact he can cover both full back positions is a valuable asset. He is in the last year of his contract so I would keep him for the first season but not offer him an extension. Rating: 5/10 22 - Aurélien Chedjou – Cameroon – D ©, DM – An excellent defender and one of the clubs best players. Should be kept at all costs and be one of the first names on the teamsheet. Rating: 8/10 24 – Rio Mavuba (captain) – France – DM, M © – Club captain and a great professional. Sit him in front of the back four and he will break up plenty of attacks. He forms a solid core of the team along with Chedjou, Debuchy and Martin. You should look to build the team around these 4. Rating: 8/10 25 - Marko Baša – Montenegro – D © – A solid defender and should be first choice alongside Chedjou. He isn’t the youngest so will need replaced at some point. Rating: 6/10 26 – Nolan Roux – France – AM ®, ST – A good hardworking striker who has decent pace and movement. I would suggest putting him on a training regime to improve his finishing as it is too low at 12. He will be first choice unless someone else is brought in. Rating 7/10 28 - Viktor Klonaridis – Belgium – AM (RL) – Another new signing in the summer, doesn’t look very good at the moment but has a lot of potential still to fill. I would suggest sending him out on loan for a season, perhaps to Zulte Waregem along with Gianni Bruno to see how he develops. Rating 7/10 29 – John Jairo Ruiz (out on loan) – Costa Rica – AM ® – Youngster out on loan at feeder club Mouscron. Looks to have some potential so re-evaluate when he returns. Rating 6/10 30 – Barel Mouko – Congo – GK – 3rd choice and nothing more. Keep him for more but let him go if Crimi develops well or if Enyeama is kept when he returns from loan. Rating 3/10 ?? – Vincent Enyeama (out on loan) – Nigeria – GK – About the same level as Elana so could be a good 2nd choice when he returns from loan. Rating 5/10 Squad Assessment In this section I shall assess the strength of the squad in each different position including the reserves and youth team players. I will also discuss whether there is any need to purchase players in each area. Goalkeepers First choice in this position is Landreau. Elana provides good back up and Mouko is decent third choice. In the reserves there is Enyeama who spends the first season out on loan but when he returns he could become a good backup. Also out on loan is Oukidja who has the potential to be slightly better than Mouko. There is also Salvatore Crimi who I would recommend sending out on loan to see how he develops. In the youth team there is Mollet who has some potential and Goncalves who will never be good enough for the first team. In my opinion there is no need to strengthen in this area for a season or two until Landreau begins to decline. Position rating: 6.5/10 Mathieu Debuchy Right backs The main man here is undoubtedly Debuchy who is one of the best in Europe. Vandam & Bonnart provide adequate back up although you may want to sell one of them if you think two is enough. Sidibe[/b] has potential to be a starter in a few years’ time so I would look to develop him either by tutoring and game time or finding a suitable club to loan him to. Beria can also cover here. In the reserves there is Adrien Rizzi but I would look to sell him. There is no one in this position in the youth team. I don’t think there is any need to purchase here as you have the present and future in Debuchy and Sidibe as well as good backup. Position rating: 8/10 Left backs Frank Beria is your starter here and you should have him tutor Lucas Digne who with his massive potential will be good enough to take over as first choice in 1 or 2 seasons. Bonnart can provide extra cover here. In the reserves there is Pape Souare who is out on loan, when he returns he can be a decent backup or can be sold to raise funds. Steeven Willems is another reserve player but he has no future at the club and should be sold. There are 4 left back in the under 19’s; Fofana, Lherbier, Tchany & Boussebaine; the latter of which looks to be the only one worth keeping. No need to strengthen here as Digne should be your starter for years to come and there are enough backup options. Position rating: 7.5/10 Aurelien Chedjou Centre backs Your main man here is Chedjou as he is one of the best players at the club and should be partnered by Marko Basa. Rozehnal is the backup option although I wouldn’t trust him in any big games, in fact it would probably be better to use Beria here in an injury crisis. At reserve level there is Souare who can cover and Soumaoro who you may want to promote to the first team to boost the numbers or send out on loan to see how he develops. There is also El-Mourabet, Jean & Mendy but I don’t think any of them have the potential to be first teamers so feel free to raise funds with their sales. The only centre back in the youth team is Florian Petitpretz who could develop into decent backup so is worth keeping an eye on. If you were to make one signing in the first window it would be here. I think there are just not enough players to cover if there is an injury crisis. Whether you purchase someone to partner Chedjou or just another backup or two is up to you but a new signing is a must. Position rating: 6/10 Rio Antonio Mavuba Defensive Midfielders The captain Rio Mavuba is your first choice here but Idrissa Gueye is also a good player so if your formation includes 2 defensive midfielders these 2 will be very good together. Balmont, Pedretti & Rozehnal can also play here but are better suited to their natural positions. Martial Riff & Lacolley are reserve options but I don’t think either are good enough to make the step up and could be sold. In the youth team there is Pavard who could develop well and Mfulu who isn’t quite as good. No need for purchases here as Mavuba is excellent and Gueye is still very young. Position rating: 7.5/10 Central Midfielders This is a position that doesn’t actually pick itself and its personnel is really dependant on your formation. The best player is Marvin Martin who will be the creative force in the team but may play more advanced. The other main options are Pedretti & Balmont who are both good enough to start. In the reserves there is Michel & Gherardi but neither are good enough for the first team and should probably be sold. I don’t think there is any need to purchase here considering the defensive midfielders could also play here if necessary. I would only purchase in the first season if you use 3 CM’s and want another player to cover, otherwise I would wait until the 2nd season as Pedretti and Balmont are both in their 30’s so will need to be replaced eventually. Position rating: 7.5/10 Marvin Martin Attacking Midfielders If you use an AMC then Martin is the man for the job, he has great passing and creativity so will set up a lot of chances for the other attackers. In the reserves you have Pennacchio & Debordeaux but neither are very good so could be sold for funds. In the under 19’s you have Alan Richard who is quite highly rated by the coaches so it might be worth getting him tutored and maybe some minutes in cup games. Other options are Mbemba & Kylian Hazard (younger brother of Eden & Thorgan), unfortunately he doesn’t look as good as his brothers but it might be worth giving him a chance. Whether you purchase here really depends on your formation as the only good player here is Martin. Position rating: 7/10 Wingers I have decided to group left and right as most the players in these positions can play both. The two standout players are Kalou & Payet so they are the starters. Ryan Mendes can provide backup on the right and could develop into a starting option. Klonaridis is there also but he needs regular football to develop so it would make sense to send him on loan. Roux can also cover. Badri is the only reserve winger and he doesn’t appear good enough to make the step up. John Ruiz, Ennafati & Decis of the youth team all have a bit of potential so keep an eye on their progress. Along with the centre back I feel this is the other area of the team where they are a bit short. I would recommend bringing someone in that can play on either wing or if you have the funds then get one for each. Position rating: 6/10 Strikers There are several options here, the two most notable being Nolan Roux & Tulio de Melo. Roux should be first choice but de Melo gives a very different option and depending on formation they could form a good partnership. Other options are Rodelin & Bruno, personally I think Rodelin is not good enough and sould be sold whereas Bruno would benefit from a loan deal. Kalou can also play here. In the reserves there is Damessi, Regnier & De Araujo but they are all awful and should be sold. In the youth team there is Samb, Varez, Defrancq & Origi the latter of which is the only one worth looking at. Once again it depends on formation with this as I believe there are enough options if you play with one up top, however if you use 2 strikers then you might want to bring in another. Position rating: 6.5/10 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hood Legend Posted October 28, 2012 Author Share Posted October 28, 2012 Formations The first formation would be my recommendation. Mavuba as the anchor man will break up attacks and give Martin more freedom in the playmaker role. Balmont’s work rate makes him good for the box-to-box role as he will support both defensive and attacking movements. Kalou and Payet both seem better suited to being inside forwards as opposed to wingers and this will give more movement through the middles and allow Debuchy and Beria to supply the width. In the 2nd formation it has 2 defensive midfielders so will be more solid at the back but will be less fluid in build-up play leaving a lot of responsibility on Martin. Here are some more options that you could use. The first is just a variation of the one higher up, I would only recommend using it against much inferior teams as it could leave you vulnerable at the back. The 2nd is for those who want to try out the big man, little man combination up front (Roux is hardly little but you know what I mean). The differences between the two suggest they could work well together so it might be worth a try. Transfer targets Raul Albiol – D © – Real Madrid – Transfer listed at the start of the game so could be picked up for cheap or on loan. Wages might be a problem but if a deal can be struck I think he would make a great partner for Chedjou. Nicosur Stanciu – AM (RLC), ST – FC Vaslui – Looks to have great potential and can be picked up really cheaply. Given the lack of depth in the attacking midfield areas his versatility could be incredibly valuable. Alan Dzagoev – AM © – CSKA Moscow – Can be signed on a free transfer in January and would provide strong competition for Martin in the attacking midfield role, he would also be capable of covering on the wings and up front. Valentin Roberge – D © – Maritimo – If you can’t afford another first choice centre back then you will still need another back up. This lad looks quite well rounded and would provide adequate cover for the starters. He can be picked up for around £1m and he is French. Enzo Perez – AM (RC) – Benfica – A good right winger that could be a starter if you aren’t keen on Payet or Kalou there. He can also play behind the striker and can be picked up for around £2m. Christian Atsu – AM (L) – Porto - A quick and skilful winger that still has some potential to fill but can be taken on loan with no fee if you require some cover but lack the funds. John Mensah – D © – free agent – Probably around the same level as Rozehnal but if funds are tight then he is good enough to come in as a backup option for a year or two. Royston Drenthe – AM (L) – free agent – A good player to pick up at no cost and considering the wings are a thin area or the squad I think it makes sense to give him a chance even if it’s just a short term contract. Alex de Souza - AM © - free agent - Quite old at 34 but still has amazing stats and won't ask for high wages so surely worth the risk. Lisandro Lopez - D © - Arsenal de Sarandi - Excellent centre back that could be the perfect partner for Chedjou, he could cost around £5-7m. This concludes the guide, if you feel I have missed something or have any other questions please feel free to ask. Thank you for reading and good luck. Allez les Dogues! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hood Legend Posted October 28, 2012 Author Share Posted October 28, 2012 reserved for future use. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hood Legend Posted October 28, 2012 Author Share Posted October 28, 2012 reserved for future use. Thread is now open. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SRL88 Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 Nice work fella. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeesterCat Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 Wow! That is a cracking thread mate, you've surpassed last years one. I'll have a proper look at everything when I get to work and aren't using an iPod sized screen! Any chance of a screenie of the new guys? I'm curious to see if Martin has retained his attributes from FM12 - he could make the loss of Hazard manageable (despite playing like turd in RL). I would have thought that another striker would be a top priority? Roux and big Tulio are ok, but they're no Moussa Sow... As you know I probably won't get FM13, so I'll have to live vicariously through this thread. Allez les Dogues! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hood Legend Posted October 29, 2012 Author Share Posted October 29, 2012 Nice work fella. Thank you. Wow! That is a cracking thread mate, you've surpassed last years one. I'll have a proper look at everything when I get to work and aren't using an iPod sized screen! Any chance of a screenie of the new guys? I'm curious to see if Martin has retained his attributes from FM12 - he could make the loss of Hazard manageable (despite playing like turd in RL). I would have thought that another striker would be a top priority? Roux and big Tulio are ok, but they're no Moussa Sow... As you know I probably won't get FM13, so I'll have to live vicariously through this thread. Allez les Dogues! Thank you very much! I wanted to make it a lot better than last year, couldn't think of a good pun for the title though. Yes I will get those screenshots up for you. I will probably do the whole squad while I'm at it and change their names to links on the squad list page. A new striker would be good but I thought considering there are only 3 centre backs and 2 recognised wingers that they would be priority, if you like I could put up some striker options on the transfer targets section. If you are continuing your fm12 save then feel free to keep us updated on it in here. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeesterCat Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 That's true about the defenders. However, I survived the first season in the previous version without bringing in an extra defender. I used Beria as the reserve DC and used Digne at LB if Beria had to cover. Bonnart is a useful reserve and I kept him for 3 seasons in the end. In RL it looks like Mendes is good enough for the starting eleven, but without seeing his stats I couldn't claim the same for FM. Lenny Nangis was a bit of a God for me at both AML & AMR, but I doubt in the first season he could be bought. Oh and one other thing. There is a player missing from the 'Notable Ex-Players section' - Bayern Munich's very own Dante! He managed an impressive 12 appearances in two years before finding fame at Gladbach and now the Bavarian Big Boys. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
el sid Posted October 29, 2012 Share Posted October 29, 2012 Marvin Martin and Nolan Roux That is all. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hood Legend Posted October 29, 2012 Author Share Posted October 29, 2012 That's true about the defenders. However, I survived the first season in the previous version without bringing in an extra defender. I used Beria as the reserve DC and used Digne at LB if Beria had to cover. Bonnart is a useful reserve and I kept him for 3 seasons in the end.In RL it looks like Mendes is good enough for the starting eleven, but without seeing his stats I couldn't claim the same for FM. Lenny Nangis was a bit of a God for me at both AML & AMR, but I doubt in the first season he could be bought. Oh and one other thing. There is a player missing from the 'Notable Ex-Players section' - Bayern Munich's very own Dante! He managed an impressive 12 appearances in two years before finding fame at Gladbach and now the Bavarian Big Boys. I must admit I didn't know Dante played for Lille, I've added him and Kevin Mirallas who I forgot first time round. If you think of anymore let me know. I don't think Mendes looks that good on here as he has from what I've seen this season, here is a screenshot of him: Also here is Marvin Martin as you requested earlier, personally I think he looks very good... I don't want to clog up the thread with too many screenshots so here are links to the other new acquisitions: Elana - http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u569/GaryFM13/2012-10-29_00011.jpg Sidibe - http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u569/GaryFM13/2012-10-29_00025.jpg Klonaridis - http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u569/GaryFM13/2012-10-29_00014.jpg Kalou - http://i1322.photobucket.com/albums/u569/GaryFM13/2012-10-29_00013.jpg I will add screenshots to the main squad page later but in the mean time if you wish you can view the whole squad on my photobucket account here: http://s1322.beta.photobucket.com/user/GaryFM13/library/ Marvin Martin and Nolan Roux That is all. Great players. You going to have Lille save this year? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
keeley01 Posted October 30, 2012 Share Posted October 30, 2012 Great thread, i thought last years was good but this has out classed it, good work. Once again i have had my mind made up for me on my destination in ligue 1! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hood Legend Posted October 31, 2012 Author Share Posted October 31, 2012 Great thread, i thought last years was good but this has out classed it, good work. Once again i have had my mind made up for me on my destination in ligue 1! Many thanks, I look forward to hearing about your Lille career. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nico_france Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Great trade! By the way it's weird that Eden Hazard is not even a club icon, he had a massive impact during his Lille period Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hood Legend Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 Great trade!By the way it's weird that Eden Hazard is not even a club icon, he had a massive impact during his Lille period Yes I thought he would be at least favoured personnel. Anyone starting a Lille save today? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
nico_france Posted November 2, 2012 Share Posted November 2, 2012 Yes I thought he would be at least favoured personnel.Anyone starting a Lille save today? Sorry mate, but my first save will be for Marseille (OM), that's my favorite team in france i just wanted to check out if there were some hot prospect to steal in that squad Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hood Legend Posted November 2, 2012 Author Share Posted November 2, 2012 Sorry mate, but my first save will be for Marseille (OM), that's my favorite team in france i just wanted to check out if there were some hot prospect to steal in that squad Fair enough. I would say the only real prospects are Digne and Sidibe but I don't know how interested they would be or how much they would cost. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthemanwhocan Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 I was looking for a team to manage that was not in the BPL had good facilities and good set up. Think I might have found it! About to start up a game. If you all would like, I will keep you posted! Cheers, D. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hood Legend Posted November 4, 2012 Author Share Posted November 4, 2012 I was looking for a team to manage that was not in the BPL had good facilities and good set up. Think I might have found it! About to start up a game. If you all would like, I will keep you posted! Cheers, D. Glad you found it here. Lille certainly do have good facilities, especially youth. Yes please do keep us posted! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llew_Arshavin23 Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Love this thread; informative, well structured and well-written Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hood Legend Posted November 4, 2012 Author Share Posted November 4, 2012 Love this thread; informative, well structured and well-written Thanks Llew, I'm a fan of your work also. I'll be having a Dortmund save sometime soon so look forward to posting in the thread. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llew_Arshavin23 Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Thanks Llew, I'm a fan of your work also. I'll be having a Dortmund save sometime soon so look forward to posting in the thread. Thanks, mate I was thinking about a LOSC save, too. Would be a good challenge to try and overhaul Paris Saint-Germain. I'm a big fan of the 2010/'11 Marvin Martin, not to mention Rio Mavuba and Lucas Digne. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hood Legend Posted November 4, 2012 Author Share Posted November 4, 2012 Thanks, mate I was thinking about a LOSC save, too. Would be a good challenge to try and overhaul Paris Saint-Germain. I'm a big fan of the 2010/'11 Marvin Martin, not to mention Rio Mavuba and Lucas Digne. It will be tough to compete with their financial power but I believe the set up here is perfect to attempt it given the strong core and youth prospects. If you do decide to do a save it would be great to hear about it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Llew_Arshavin23 Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 It will be tough to compete with their financial power but I believe the set up here is perfect to attempt it given the strong core and youth prospects. If you do decide to do a save it would be great to hear about it. If, or when, I make a LOSC save, I'll certainly keep you lot updated Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthemanwhocan Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Never wanted to do this before, but, how does one take screen shots and post them here? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hood Legend Posted November 4, 2012 Author Share Posted November 4, 2012 If, or when, I make a LOSC save, I'll certainly keep you lot updated Looking forward to it. Never wanted to do this before, but, how does one take screen shots and post them here? When on the page you want to take it of, hold shift and tab simultaeneously on your keyboard and press F12 whilst holding them, then go on an image hosting site such as photobucket and upload the screenshot then post the link on here. Alternatively you can press 'print screen' on your keyboard, post it into the program Paint and then upload it via an image hosting site. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
DeadPanda Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Nice thread. I like LOSC, had a good single season there during a career once then left. Regretted it, but they wouldn't have me back. Will have to spend a few seasons there in the future. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthemanwhocan Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Where are the screen shots located whence saved? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthemanwhocan Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 Never mind im an idiot..... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hood Legend Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 Never mind im an idiot..... Found it? Its in C drive/program files/steam/user data. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthemanwhocan Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 The above are my transfers out for the start of the season: Tactics: Players In: My thoughts behind the player out are that I have a roster that has a lot of high wages. I didn't expect this chap Roux to do amazingly, (I may be wrong). I figured if i could get some one in on cheaper wages, and a little more potential, then I would be laughing. Any thoughts and or suggestions would be amazing! Tactics: I have gone for a balanced default approach for the start of Pre Season. My thoughts behind the way the midfield is lined up is, I would like my ball playing Centre Back to step up out of the D, and Create a CB plus two DM's defensive line. I am toying with the idea to push forward my Full Backs, and utilise the attack potential that they have. I want to play attractive based soccer. I am aware that I might conceed but I also am aware that I could blow other teams out the water. I will make a defensive/neutral positioned tactic for PSG and Lyon. More on this when I do more on this...... if that makes sense... My players In: I have opted for Dzagoev, as one he is availble as a free agent at the end of the year (December) and is looking quite good, good creativity, good composure and good passing. All attributes I like in my Attacking Mid. Adryan: Well we all know that this kid is dirt cheap and could be a world beater! Need less to say I snapped him up! First thing i did after the meetings. Will provide fantastic 3rd option/rotation to get minutes. I will more than likely use him while I wait for Dzagoev to arrive. Then Use him sparingly to avoid burn out during the latter portion of the season. Malouda: High wages might be a factor. But we need another Winger, atleast one. he has good finishing and decent enough pace. Overall he has the attributes. We will see how this goes. But for e2,000,000 you might not be able to go wrong. okore: Good Young CB, with pace, need him for my cover CB spot. 2 mill cant go wrong either. I hope to achieve success with youngish players that have a fantastic future, and be financially frugal with a view for a few marquee sigings to get that ounce of quality I feel we need. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthemanwhocan Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 If i buy players at like 16-17 and if they head to my youth team, when they become first team regs will that meet the requirement of bring youth players up to first team? Or do they have to be form my Youth team at the start? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hood Legend Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 If i buy players at like 16-17 and if they head to my youth team, when they become first team regs will that meet the requirement of bring youth players up to first team? Or do they have to be form my Youth team at the start? I believe a player counts as home grown if they have been at the club for 3 years between the age of 16-21. You have made some good transfers, not sure about the sale of Roux but its good that you trust Bruno as a starter, he could become a great player. Best of luck for the season. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spikester Posted November 5, 2012 Share Posted November 5, 2012 Another cracking thread. I have always been a fan of French football, and have often managed Lyon in the past, but after checking this out I think it will be a good challange managing Lille or LOSC(not sure what they are meant to be called) Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hood Legend Posted November 5, 2012 Author Share Posted November 5, 2012 Another cracking thread. I have always been a fan of French football, and have often managed Lyon in the past, but after checking this out I think it will be a good challange managing Lille or LOSC(not sure what they are meant to be called) Thank you, it is an exciting league to manage in. Either name is fine to use so its up to you. Best of luck if you start a save and I hope to hear how it goes. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pearly* Posted November 6, 2012 Share Posted November 6, 2012 Very nice thread! I opted to strengten the center of the pitch, bringing in Yttergård Jensen (Tromsö), Petrucchi (Man Utd) and CB Galeano (Indepediente) using most of my transfer budget. I had a £ 2,5 million offer accepted for Albin Ekdal but he chose to play for Udinese and a higher wage in the end. Would have been a great signing to replace Pedretti in the end, though. Thinking of selling Kalou after first season if there's the possibility to bring some cash in, considering his high value. How about it? Oh, and also I'm looking into buying John Guidetti or Macheda in a season or two - perhaps out of a loan deal. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hood Legend Posted November 6, 2012 Author Share Posted November 6, 2012 Very nice thread! I opted to strengten the center of the pitch, bringing in Yttergård Jensen (Tromsö), Petrucchi (Man Utd) and CB Galeano (Indepediente) using most of my transfer budget. I had a £ 2,5 million offer accepted for Albin Ekdal but he chose to play for Udinese and a higher wage in the end. Would have been a great signing to replace Pedretti in the end, though.Thinking of selling Kalou after first season if there's the possibility to bring some cash in, considering his high value. How about it? Oh, and also I'm looking into buying John Guidetti or Macheda in a season or two - perhaps out of a loan deal. Good signings especially Jenssen. Shame you didn't get Ekdal as I've seen him develop into an excellent player. Selling Kalou could be a good idea as he is very inconsistent and at £14m value you could get a good deal for him allowing strengthening in other areas of the team. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthemanwhocan Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 So update after a few games in to the season. I have never actually felt my heart pump as much as it does with this years FM. Fantastic on that effect SI. Anyway, Here is my revised Tactic. I decided to go with some suggestions I have read on the forums and after much deliberation, I went with DMs, one DLP (McArthur, who the fans love!) and (Mavuba) an Anchorman. Here is a screen shot. It is the stock 4-2-3-1 formation with no slider changes or anything like that. I now only use shouts to change things as I go. Fantastic way of playing so thank you to the threads that I have read about starting an honest game. For what its worth, I used to have the name, Sorensoni55hite, so if your reading this mate, thanks! This is a very versatile formation I think. I can increase the width of the team, or decrease the width when I need to too as my IF's cut in. I found that the shhout exploit the middle worked incredibly well against Braga. Was not expecting to smash them six ways of backwards that game. So I was extremely pleased. Apparently that momentum continued into the game against PSG. Was NOT expecting that game, I would have been ecstatic with a draw, and content with a loss of up to 3-0, even at home. They have scored 20 goals and conceded 4 so far. This takes me to the tactics and stats. Here we have their passes against me, Braga on the Left, PSG on the right. In the PSG game possession ended at 50% But I think I completed more passes. I know Mavuba did, he is fantastic at the smaller passing range. Braga was a blow out. As you can see with a balanced and standard strategy, possession is pretty well distributed through out all areas of the pitch. I did use the retain possession shout and exploit the width. Which is where my 1st goal came from. I noticed that they scored most of there goals from crosses, they played a narrow front four so I assumed this would leave space behind the wing backs, as that has to be where they were coming from. The two AM didnt seem to be getting that wide. It worked I guess. Our second was a pen. Here are the shots for and against us. Against: As you can see my team got a little complacent against Braga which resulted in more shots from inside the area than I would have liked. Against PSG however we gave a solid defensive display. Most of their shots were from outside the area. I will take that. We sat and defended well, but as the even possession shows, we didn't just sit back and defend and had some great possession play too. For: As you can see most we had about the same distribution of shots inside and outside as PSG. They were hard to break down. I scored in the first half just before Half time. and again about 50 min mark in the second half. Brage I played on commentary as I was busy but wanted to get through the match. I used exploit the middle and play through defense. Murdered them! Here are my results and fixtures thus far: Really happy with the Results so far. I currently sit top of the table. If any one is interested here are my staff acquisitions. With the training ratings for the U19 and Senior Squad. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hood Legend Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 Excellent post, seems like you have made a very good start to the season. Fantastic result against Braga. How much did you pay for Sidney Sam? I might have a look at him on my save. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthemanwhocan Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 I snagged him on loan. Dont think I have a fee to buy attached. He is brilliant and frustrating at the same time. Sometimes he just whacks it for no reason, other times, he scores belters and is as cool as a cucumber. I only signed him on loan as I was not going to pay Malouda 114k a week. F that. Was also looking for Ademilson as a ST. Stumbled upon him as I scouted Brazil. I think hes at sau poalo? But I adjusted my budget too much to get him on the wages, and didnt have enough for the transfer its self. Thought I could just adjust the budget but the board wouldn't let me. I still have kalou on my list. been there all season thus far..... finding it hard to move him.... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthemanwhocan Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Scratch that just signed Ademilson! 6million 8k a week. Result. Transfer deadline day you beaut! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hood Legend Posted November 7, 2012 Author Share Posted November 7, 2012 I know what you mean, seen it with Nani for years. I wouldn't of bothered with Malouda either, thats about a quarter of the current wage bill. Ademilson looks excellent, maybe you will be able to get him in a future transfer window as he shouldn't be too expensive. It crossed my mind that Kalou might not sell as he seems to be really overvalued for some reason, although even if hes valued at 15m I would probably still accept about 10m for him. Edit: didn't see the latest post, good signing, well done. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hood Legend Posted November 9, 2012 Author Share Posted November 9, 2012 Edit: save file corrupted so I'm having to start again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hood Legend Posted November 12, 2012 Author Share Posted November 12, 2012 2012/13 season review Transfers In Lisandro Lopez - £7.5m - Arsenal de Sarandi Darko Lazovic - £5m - Red Star Alan Dzagoev - free - CSKA Moscow (January) Jakub Blaszczykowski - loan - Dortmund (January) Out Gregoire Lherbier - free - Chamois Niortais Crimi, Soumaoro, Rodelin, Michel, Gherardi, Klonaridis - loans Elana, Mouko, Rozehnal - loans (January) I was very pleased with the players I brought in. Lopez and Lazovic plugged the gaping holes in the squad in their respective areas, Lazovic also able to cover AMC if Martin was unavailable. I tied up the deal for Dzagoev in the summer but he couldn't arrive until his contract expired, a quality player to get for no fee. I wanted an extra attacker in January but had no funds to purchase so when I saw Kuba was transfer listed by request I jumped at the chance to take him on loan and it proved to be a good decision as he made an instant impact. Coupe de France In the 9th round we faced a tricky tie away to Toulouse but came through 2-1 winners with goals from Lazovic and Pedretti. In the 10th round we drew CFA team Beauvais Oise and somehow managed to lose 2-1 in extra time. It was an extraordinary game as we had 35 shots compared to their 6, a type of game that happens way too much with this match engine. Coupe de la Ligue The 4th round gave us a home tie against Brest which we come through as 3-1 victors with a goal from Lazovic and a Mendes brace. The quarters brought a much tougher tie as we faced big-spending PSG but they fielded a much weakened team which we took advantage of to claim a 4-1 win with Payet and Balmont bagging 2 each. It didn't get any easier in the semi-finals as we hosted Lyon but they also used some reserves/youth so we picked up a 2-0 victory thanks to the goals of Lopez and Kuba. The final was an easier opposition in Evian but it proved to be a much harder game as it ended 1-1 after 90 minutes, Roux getting our goal. Neither team could make a breakthrough in extra time and it was to be decided on penalties where we won to claim our first and hopefully not last silverware of the season. Ligue 1 It was an odd league season. We started off with a few dodgy results and hovered around 4th for the first few months. Out form improved in the run up to Christmas and we made up most of the gap to the leaders Marseille. We clung onto the tails of them and champions Montpellier until March where they both began to slip up a little too often. I saw this as a golden opportunity and mounted a serious title assault, depsite tough games coming thick and fast in other competitions aswell. By April we had moved to the top of the league and whilst Marseille continued to falter we pulled away and ended up being crowned champions for the fourth time with 2 games to spare. Champions league In the qualifying round we faced a tricky tie against Portuguese side Braga, I expected it to be difficult but we sailed through winning both legs 4-0. We were handed a very hard group consisting of Porto, Man City and Galatasaray. First up we hosted City and managed a respectable 2-2 draw, before falling to a narrow 2-1 defeat in Porto. At this point I knew it was between us and the Turkish champions for the Europa League spot so it was important that we bested them over the back-to-back matches. At home we ran away comfortable winners with a 4-0 win and also managed to secure a 3-1 victory at their ground leaving us with at least 3rd place guarenteed and a slight chance at qualifying for the knockout stages. The next game a trip to Manchester where we put in a valiant effort but eventually succumbed to a 2-1 loss. Going into the final game against Porto we were on 7 points and they were on 10 but we had a superior goal difference so we knew a victory would put us through to the next round. It was a cagey affair which seemed to be heading for a draw until Idrissa Gueye popped up in the 88th minute to snatch the win and send us through. The knockout rounds gave us a tricky fixture against Arsenal. The first leg was at the Grande Stade and we put in an incredible performance to come away with a shock 4-0 victory which included a hat-trick from Nolan Roux. At the Emirates we knew we had a great chance if we defended well which we did and ended up getting a 1-1 draw to move onto the quarters. Next up was Ukranian side Shahktar Donetsk and the first leg was to be played at the Donbass. The only goal of the game was a penalty converted by Mathieu Debuchy giving us a precious away goal and a great advantage going into the home leg where we completed the job with a 2-0 victory thanks to Roux and Debuchy again. In the semi-finals we came up against the mighty Barcelona but unfortunately it was a step too far for us and they won 4-2 on aggregate. It was a great cup run, far exceeding expectations and I was delighted with the players for their efforts. Summary I was delighted with how the season went as I did not expect to win the league or get anywhere near as far in Europe. The star performers were new signing Lisandro Lopez who finished with a season average of 7.36 and went on to win the fans player of the year award, Marvin Martin who contributed an impressive 24 assists and Nolan Roux who was teams top scorer with 25 goals in all competitions. 2013/14 Transfers In Siebe Schrijvers - £750k - Genk Morgan Schneiderlin - £6m - Southampton Jan Kirchhoff - £9m - Mainz Andy Carroll - loan - Liverpool Sinan Bolat - free - Standard Liege Vladimir Weiss - free - Pescara Jakub Blasczcykowski - loan - Dortmund Mika - £675k - Benfica Emile Dewitte (regen) - £1.1m - Club Brugge Out Pennacchio, Bonnart, El-Mourabet, Regnier, De Araujo, Riff, Souquet, Mendy, Debordeaux, Tchany, Fofana, Badri, Mfulu, Willems, Mollet, Jean, Lacolley, Rizzi, Varez, Mbemba, Defrancq, Petitpretz and Ennafait - free transfers Vincent Enyeama - £2m - Bologna David Rozehnal - £1.2m - Rapid Wien Barel Mouko - £18k - PSG Steeve Elana - £2.1m - Monaco Alexandre Oukidja - £18k - Ajaccio Klonaridis, Rodelin, Soumaoro, Richard, Crimi, Ruiz, Michel, Boussebaine - loans I shall update again after next season. 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Paulista Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 So far I signed Adryan, Lomban (on loan) and Federico Fernandez and Dzagoev will join me in January. So far I am doing really well in the Ligue 1 with only 2 goals conceded in 6 games, but unfortunately I lost the matches where I conceded one and I had one 0-0 draw. I am currently 3rd 3 points behind the leader Valenciennes who are surprisingly very strong. In the CL, which I reached after beating Braga 7-2 on aggregate, I have a tough group with ManU, Gladbach and Benfica. Won against Gladbach 4-1 and played a 2-2 in Lisbon. I will make another update in January. Is it possible that in this year it is easier to get 100 passes for one player? I play with a pretty average tactic, but I have a lot of possession and my players make a lot passes. I had over 60% possession against teams like PSG and Lyon. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeesterCat Posted November 12, 2012 Share Posted November 12, 2012 Glad to see this thread has picked up! I've actually got FM13 in the end, but I'm trying a Liverpool save at the moment while I get to grips with the new systems and ME. I daresay I will create my LOSC save later in the year. Good to see your results, Hood. Love the massive Goalkeeper clear out in season two! I've noticed from my scouting in my Liverpool save that former LOSC youth Malanda has ended up at Zulte permanently and it looks like his stats might have had a boost (could be random). Could be a useful (re)signing? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hood Legend Posted November 12, 2012 Author Share Posted November 12, 2012 Pleased to hear that you have made the purchase. They were all complaining about lack of football and I don't like to rotate goalkeepers so just let them move on. Considering the two that Vandamme brought in (Bolat and Mika) were much cheaper and probably a bit better aswell, I think its a decent bit of business. Quite pleased with my other deals aswell, Pedretti is getting old so Schneiderlin will be a good replacement for him and Kirchhoff is an excellent player, 6'5" centre back with 18 pace isn't something you see very often. Carroll provides a good alternative to Roux as he sometimes goes through goal droughts. I shall check out Malanda when I'm back on it later. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
danthemanwhocan Posted November 14, 2012 Share Posted November 14, 2012 Update! Sorry it has been a while. I started a new job yesterday so been all over the place! So I have had one heck of a season! These are not the most current screen shots, I am currently finishing up my season. I have one last game. I wont tell you what Is riding on this, but It exceeds expectations! I will start with players: Bruno; He has one heck of a season! Played very well when I have started him and came on to save my arse when Ademilson was not firing on all cylinders. Ademilson: As you can see all of his attributes to be a great poacher are being developed nicely! His composure is great as is his finishing and off the ball! With this kind of development I am really excited about this kid! Training Improvements: I haven't actually played him very often. Bruno has had some games as has the youngster! I have been playing well, and my defence has been solid when I needed it to! All of my strikers are young so I am not expecting them to light the world on fire yet! However when Ademilson is a little older I will expect great things from him. Digne: This guy is legit! Too legit to quit! He plays most of my games to be honest! Fixtures and Results Thus Far: If anybody has any requests, please let me know. A proper write up of my season will be completed when I have some time over the weekend! Just wanted to keep you all in the loop! D Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
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