FM 2008: Manchester United - Home of the Red Devils

[gandycoleuk]

I have just completed my 1st full season of my United save and here are the results from May 2008:

Reading (A) - (Premier League) - D 1-1

Chelsea (H) - (Premier League) - W 2-1

Blackburn (H) - (Premier League) - D 0-0

Now, instead of showing my top 5 performers for this season as I've done in the past, I will show each player's stats along with the squad's progress in each position (sub apps included):

Goalkeepers:

van der Sar - 59 apps, 4 assists, 18 clean sheets, 7.05 av. rating

Kuszczak - 4 apps, 0 assists, 2 clean sheets, 7.00 av. rating

My undoubted 1st choice in goal was van der Sar as his form improved month after month and was constantly keeping my side in games with some breathtaking saves. Very likely he will be 1st choice once again next season. Kuszczak was largely a spectator this season but when called upon, he did'nt show any signs of rustiness or loss of concentration and did well considering the limited opportunities given.

Defence:

Bardsley - 2 apps, 0 goals, 0 assists, 6.50 av. rating

Brown - 53 apps, 6 goals, 1 assist, 7.00 av. rating

O'Shea - 35 apps, 1 goal, 1 assist, 6.94 av. rating

Neville - 46 apps, 0 goals, 4 assists, 6.87 av. rating

Silvestre - 15 apps, 0 goals, 3 assists, 6.87 av. rating

Ferdinand - 56 apps, 1 goal, 2 assists, 7.00 av. rating

Vidic - 14 apps, 0 goals, 0 assists, 6.79 av. rating

Pique - 12 apps, 0 goals, 0 assists, 6.75 av. rating

Evra - 52 apps, 0 goals, 4 assists, 7.00 av. rating

Due to Vidic's serious injury, Brown was the one to replace him to partner other 1st choice central defender Ferdinand. The pair performed consistently well with Brown proving himself to be a good weapon in the air from set-pieces. It'll be interesting to see what happens next season as Vidic returns in a month's time. The Serbian international was'nt exactly playing well before his injury so he will have to hit the ground running next season as he will still my 1st choice partner for Ferdinand. Pique filled in for Ferdinand and Brown at various points of the season and did what he was asked with the minimum of fuss. Looks like both he and Brown will be back-up again next season. At right-back, captain Neville did'nt have the best of campaigns although he did start on the treatment table. He went on play a big part in this season but my plans to possibly sign a new right-back will surely spur Neville on even more. Even though Bardsley played last season, it was only in desperate circumstances and expect him to be shipped out this summer. Now to left-back and Evra did a good job for the majority of the season, supplying a few assists to add to this solid displays. Silvestre did an okay job as back-up to Evra this season and also made a few assists and I plan to use him again next season as back-up. One player certainly not leaving this summer will be O'Shea who despite not playing spectacularly well, has that versatile option in defence as he play across the backline and occasionally in central midfield.

Midfield:

Hargreaves - 44 apps, 6 goals, 4 assists, 7.02 av. rating

Fletcher - 28 apps, 1 goal, 6 assists, 6.93 av. rating

Carrick - 19 apps, 0 goals, 0 assists, 6.84 av. rating

Gibson - 8 apps, 0 goals, 1 assist, 6.75 av. rating

Eagles - 10 apps, 1 goal, 0 assists, 6.20 av. rating

Nani - 44 apps, 4 goals, 9 assists, 6.80 av. rating

Park - 20 apps, 1 goal, 1 assist, 6.65 av. rating

Ronaldo - 44 apps, 9 goals, 11 assists, 7.00 av. rating

Giggs - 57 apps, 8 goals, 15 assists, 7.07 av. rating

Anderson - 44 apps, 7 goals, 4 assists, 6.82 av. rating

Scholes - 48 apps, 3 goals, 8 assists, 6.92 av. rating

My 1st choice wingers were Ronaldo and Giggs and both contributed very good seasons as they created plenty of goals as well as chipping in with a few goals. Despite Giggs' form, it's possible I'm looking for a new left winger in the summer who can replace him as he is getting on - this does'nt that I'm planning on selling Giggs though. Back-up for the wingers this season have been Nani for the most part and Park towards the end of the season. Nani did very well considering it was his 1st season in England and certainly showed signs that he could be a good enough back-up to Ronaldo. Park on the other hand, has been quite poor coming back from his injury and will most likely be sold this sumemr. Another winger that could be on his way is Eagles who has been well below standard and was only in the squad at the start. In central midfield, my preferred pair were Hargreaves and Scholes. Hargreaves played superbly well in his defensive role and showed his was a good free-kick taker this season. Scholes took a while to get going this season but towards the end, he was creating plenty of goals and chipping in with the odd thunderbolt here and there. The back-up options for central midfield were Anderson, Fletcher, Carrick and occasionally Gibson. Anderson started the season filling in for Scholes and was one of the outstanding performers in the early part but fell short towards the end of the season which is understandable given his age and inexperience in England. Fletcher and Carrick were rotating throughout the season but it was the Scot who was more productive for the squad, supplying some vital assists. Carrick however, was very quiet and inconsistent but both should stay this summer. Gibson looks a decent prospect and showed some potential at the start and will probably be loaned out next season to see how he develops.

Attack:

Tevez - 43 apps, 26 goals, 8 assists, 6.98 av. rating

Rooney - 55 apps, 35 goals, 16 assists, 7.17 av. rating

Owen - 46 apps, 20 goals, 6 assists, 6.67 av. rating

Saha - 20 apps, 1 goal, 4 assists, 6.30 av. rating

The 1st choice strike force this season was Rooney and Tevez and they certainly showed some frightening chemistry for most of the season. Rooney was my best striker by far as he was the club's top goals and assist provider and my personal player of the season and will hopefully continue or even better this form next season. Tevez took until probably December to really get going and had a real purple patch between December to the beginning of March where his season was effectively finished by injury. Hopefully next season, he can enjoy a full season's partnership with Rooney. My only new signing, Owen, did very well as back-up to Rooney and Tevez and towards the end of the season was when I saw the true scoring potential of the former Liverpool and Newcastle striker. He will be kept on for next season as well but Saha endured a miserable campaign and will definitely be sold this summer as offers are coming in as I write.

Now to the summaries of the competitions in May 2008:

http://img410.imageshack.us/my.php?image=englishpremierdivisionmqo9.jpg

In the League, my victory over Chelsea at Old Trafford took the title to the last day with 3 points between us, Arsenal and leaders Chelsea. Basically, I had to win against Blackburn and hope both Chelsea and Arsenal lost their games at Middlesbrough and at home to Newcastle respectively. In the end, it did'nt matter as I could only draw and Chelsea were crowned champions with their victory. Neighbours City grabbed the 4th Champions League place comfortably in the end and Sunderland and Fulham lost their Premier League lives for at least one season.

Premier League Top 5 Goalscorers:

Young (Aston Villa) - 22

Lita (Reading) - 19

Bellamy (West Ham) - 19

Rooney (Man Utd) - 19

Yakubu (Everton) - 19

Annual Premier League Awards:

Premier League Footballer of the Year - Fabregas (Arsenal)

Premier League Players' Player of the Year - Pandev (Chelsea)

Premier League Players' Young Player of the Year - Anderson (Man Utd)

Premier League Manager of the Year - Grant (Chelsea)

Premier League Players' Team of the Year - Robinson (Tottenham), Geremi (Newcastle), A Cole (Chelsea), Terry (Chelsea), Brown (Man Utd), Ronaldo (Man Utd), Giggs (Man Utd), Fabregas (Arsenal), Lampard (Chelsea), Pandev (Chelsea) and Young (Aston Villa).

After knocking my team out of the Champions League at the semi-final stage, Real Madrid went on to defeat arch-rivals Barcelona 3-2 in Moscow thanks to Raul 30-yard thunderbolt.

In the other European competition, the UEFA Cup, England representative Tottenham suffered penalty shootout heartbreak in the final against German opposition in Schalke.

Annual European Awards:

Champions League Best Player - van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid)

Champions League Golden Boot - van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid) - 12

Champions League Dream Team - van der Sar (Man Utd), Zambrotta (Barcelona), Heinze (Real Madrid), Ferdinand (Man Utd), Brown (Man Utd), Messi (Barcelona), Ronaldinho (Barcelona), Deco (Barcelona), Lampard (Chelsea), van Nistelrooy (Real Madrid) and Tevez (Man Utd).

In the FA Cup Final, the side that beat my players Aston Villa, went on to beat Portsmouth 2-1 at Wembley Stadium. As you probably read about earlier, my players collected the first major piece of silverware this season with a 4-2 victory over Sunderland in the League Cup Final.

Now onto the summer plans that could be made at the club:

Obviously just winning the League Cup but not really doing enough in the other competitions has led my board to feel a little concerned for next season. So here are the possible changes to be made this summer:

Players to Sell - Kuszczak (Foster to be promoted from reserves), Park, Saha and Eagles.

Areas to Strenghten - Right-Back, Left-Wing and Striker. Also need a new assistant manager as Queiroz seems to reject every contract you offer him no matter how much money is put in.

I have £13.6m to spend at the beginning of June so I'd rather use some of that money now until the new budget comes through in 3 weeks time. What area of the squad needs urgent attending to do you think?

Any advice and feedback much appreciated.

[--Galaxy--]

Check out Massimo Neri as an Assistant manager, very cheap wages and extremely high stats. I always use him cant go wrong for Around 1.2k a week.

Your 3rd place finish seems poor for a team of this calibre but it was a close fight according to the league table, better luck next season. i expect a premiership triumph.

IMO a big striker isnt needed so a youngish player with alot of potential should be good after you sell saha. preferably Nathan Delfouneso, Henri Saivet etc. just as a back up to Michael Owen, Tevez and Rooney.

Good Luck for next season. keep at it.

[gandycoleuk]

I've never had Saivet in any of my first teams in the 2nd season. Is he so good that he can be 4th striker in my squad? Just wondering and thanks in advance.

[--Galaxy--]

Saivet should come good if you give him teh odd game and providing you have a decent enough training setup he should improve. i mean you would be playing Owen rooney and tevez as your main 3 strikers and bring saivet on for the less significant games. or have him on the bench if you have an injury crisis.

Hope this helps

[gandycoleuk]

What specific area of the above squad should i strengthen with the £13.6m I have until my new transfer budget comes through? Im at the start of June. Thanks in advance.

[tomtuck01]

gandycoleuk

In my opinion you need another goal keeper. Van Der Sar, (while performing excellently), isn't getting any younger, and Im not sure about Ben Foster, how her performs, etc.

For me you should also sell Silvestre. He also isn't getting any younger and you should cash in on him now and get a better left back to step in for Evra when he is injured/suspended.

[gandycoleuk]

gandycoleuk

In my opinion you need another goal keeper. Van Der Sar, (while performing excellently), isn't getting any younger, and Im not sure about Ben Foster, how her performs, etc.

For me you should also sell Silvestre. He also isn't getting any younger and you should cash in on him now and get a better left back to step in for Evra when he is injured/suspended.

I think van der Sar can go on for a 2nd season and Foster performs brilliantly especially when I had him on Blackburn save - did 7 seasons with them and Foster came in the 3rd season and took over from Friedel and was still going strong last time I checked.

And as for Silvestre, although he's no spring chicken, can still do a good job as back-up to Evra so I wont be selling him just yet.

[tomtuck01]

After starting this game over a week ago I have finally completed my first season with Manchester United, and what a thrilling season it has been. There have been many twists and turns along th way, the goals have flowed, and trophies have been won. So here is a nice long read for you all.....................

Premier League

We led the table for alot of the season, barring the odd couple of "blips," and eventually came out on top, clinching the title in the third to last game after beating Middlesbrough 3-1 at home. Despite leading for so long, we still only finished 8 points agead of second place Chelsea. We scored a more than healthy 84 goals, yet conceded 25, and that will have to be ratified. Throughout the campaign we only lost 2 games; one was away to Arsenal; 1-0, (which we followed up with an 11 game winning run), and the other was away to Manchester City; also 1-0, but at the time of this loss we had pretty much wrapped up the title so it wasn't that big of a blow.

Good results against the usual "big 4" certainly helped during the season. We beat Arsenal at home 2-1, and lost 0-1 away, against Chelsea we drew 1-1 at home, and 2-2 away. And then against Liverpool we won 4-2 at home, and, (as previously posted), won 4-1 away. Against our cross town rivals we faired very poorly. We drew 1-1 at home, and then lost 0-1 away. Suffice to say, the fans weren't impressed. But the title was of course delivered, so poor results against City can be forgiven!

Premier League Table

After such a good season we of course did very well in the end of season awards, scooping 3 of the awards on offer;

PFA Player Of The Year; Dimitar Berbatov (Manchester United)

PFA Young Player Of The Year; Cesc Fabregas (Arsenal)

Football Writers Association Player Of The Year; Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United)

Premier League Golden Boot Award; Cristiano Ronaldo (Manchester United) - 30 goals in 34 apps

Barclays Manager Of The Year; Thomas Lewis (Manchester United)

We also had 7 players in the PFA Team Of The Year.

FA Cup

We didn't have the best of seasons in this competition as we were dumped out at the quarter final stage by arch rivals Arsenal, at Old Trafford no less. We conceded very early on through an Adebayor penalty, after this we bossed the game, but couldn't find an equaliser. Better luck next season I guess.

3rd Round - Stockport (A) 2-0

4th Round - Yeovil (H) 3-0

5th Round - Watford (A) 4-1

Qtr Final - Arsenal (H) 0-1

The only consolation was that I was knocked out by the side that went on to life the trophy. They hammered Portsmouth 4-1 in the final.

Carling Cup

I of course went through this competition resting and rotating many of my players, even playing the odd youngster, though still putting out fairly strong sides as I sought to win my first trophy incharge of United. We turned out some good, if not spectacular, performances and managed to get all the way to the final.

3rd Round - Wolves (A) 2-0

4th Round - Hull (H) 4-1

Qtr Final - Blackburn (A) 2-0

Semi Final 1st Leg - Newcastle (H) 2-1

Semi Final 2nd Leg - Newcastle (A) 1-0 (3-1 on aggregate)

In the final we met Newcastle's Northeast rivals Sunderland. For this game I did put out the strongest line-up I had in the competition aswell as an extremely strong bench incase things went wrong. Playing 4-4-2, we dominated the game, creating many chances. We finally broke the deadlock just before the break as Carlos Tevez bagged hos first goal in over 9 hours of football. The second half was much the same as the first as we again dominated play and created chance after chance. Tevez struck again in the 72nd minute to wrap up a comfortable victory.

Carling Cup Final

Champions League

We pretty much coasted through the group stage of the competition, topping the group by winning 5 and drawing 1 of our games. We bagged 16 goals and conceded 4 as we finished 7 points ahead of second placed Villarreal.

Olympiakos (H) 1-1

Schalke (A) 3-0

Villarreal (A) 2-1

Villarreal (H) 6-0

Olympiakos (A) 2-1

Schalke (H) 2-1

In the 1st knockout round we were drawn again Porto, with the first leg away in Portugal. I thought his would be a fairly tough game, but we completely pummeled them, winning 3-0 with Ronaldo on target twice. The 2nd leg was much more sedate as I rested a couple of players considering the 3-0 margin from the 1st leg, but we ran out 1-0 winners with Nani on target.

The Quarter final stage and a meeting with rivals Arsenal, who had recently knocked me out of the FA Cup. Revenge was on the menu. Again the 1st leg was away from home, and we took the lead early on through, you guessed it, Ronaldo. After tweaking my tactics at halftime to slow down the tempo, we controlled the second half, but late on Robin van Persie smashed in a free kick to level the 1st leg at 1-1. The 2nd leg is pretty self explanatory.

Champions League Quarter Final 2nd Leg

Barcelona were our opponents in the semi final. The 1st leg was again away, but unlike in previous rounds, our performance wasn't all that great. Barca dominated the game and led 2-0 for a long time, fortunately we scored a late away goal through Wayne Rooney to give us hope in the 2nd leg. In the 2nd leg, we bossed the first half, but couldn't find the breakthrough we needed. Disaster struck just after halftime as Barca took a 1-0 lead through Thierry Henry. Minutes later Ronaldo levelled up, but despite us creating chance after chance we just couldn't find a goal that would take the tie into extra time.

Our Champions League dream was over, we were out, a 3-2 aggregate defeat. Thankfully Barcelona went on to beat Inter in the final, so atleast we lost to the eventual competition winner, and Jose Mourinho's side didn't take home the trophy!

Ronaldo's amazing success this season was further emphasised when he won the Champions League Best Player Award, he was also joint top scorer in the competition with Francesco Totti, bagging 10 goals. Ronaldo was also in the Champions League Dream Team, as was Rio Ferdinand.

Top Scorers

Cristiano Ronaldo was of course my sides top goal scorer. Wayne Rooney bagged a very good amount of goals, and Dimitar Berbatov had an excellent goals to game ratio. Carlos Tevez struggled to find the net at times, and twice went over 9 hours without finding the net. But he made up for this by finishing the season with 18 assits.

Cristiano Ronaldo - 47 starts 4 sub apps - 44 goals

Wayne Rooney - 41 starts 1 sub app - 24 goals

Dimitar Berbatov - 26 starts 7 sub apps - 19 goals

Carlos Tevez - 37 starts 4 sub apps - 14 goals

Aswell as Ronaldo's sensational scoring performance, he also finished the season as the clubs top assister (20), the most Man of the Match awards (23), and the best average rating (7.76). Ronaldo also picked up the European Golden Boot to cap off his excellent season.

What Next?

After such a good season, not much needs doing to my squad. Of course I have one or two ageing players who I need to look into replacing, (Van der Sar, Neville, Giggs, Scholes), but I already have plenty of good youngsters out on loan/in my youth team so big spending won't be necessary, unless the right player becomes available for a decent price. In my opinion, the following positions need strengthening;

Golakeeper - I dont need someone to come in for Van der Sar straight away, but atleast someone to challenge him to be first choice. Tomasz Kuszczak is on his way, and Im not sure how foster performs. A goalkeeper who is under 24 is what I want.

Right-Back - Wes Brown performed exceptionaly well in Gary Neville's abscense, but Id still rather play him at centre back. A younger right back needs to be brought in sooner rather than later to challenge/replace Neville. I have thought about persisting with Danny Simpson, but Im unsure about that.

Left-Back - I just need someone who can challenge Evra for a place in the team. He made 48 appearances during the campaign as I had no real quality leftback to come in for him when he was suspended/lacking finess. He would miss a game an immediately walk straight back into the side. He needs to be tested by a younger player.

Im not sure as to what my transfer kitty will be like though, so please, if you are going to make recommendations please dont suggest players who will cost me "funny money."

So far I have just one player departing, as mentioned above that is Tomasz Kuszczak. He is on his way to Portsmouth for £8million. They made an offer of £2.5million, I negotiated and they came back with the offer. Good money in my opinion. Park Ji sung and John O'Shea may also depart.

I am unsire about what to do with youngsters returning from loan spells. Darron Gibson, Fraizer Campbell, and Febian Brandy I have never had an experience with, so I have no idea how they turn out/perform. Any advice on these 3 players would be appreciated.

------------------------------------------

Comments and suggestions are welcome as always, And I'll be happy to upload any screenshots.

Thanks to those of you who took the time to read this!

[Purefun]

Massive update there Tucker some good succes but i expect more from you. Still a great season though in probably the toughest comp. out there.

[gandycoleuk]

I was looking to strengthen my right-back position in the summer before the 2nd season.

I was also looking at Daniel Alves and Mattea Cassani. How much can people can get one of them for in the summer before the 2nd season? Alves is worth £17.75m at Sevilla and Cassani is worth £4.7m at Atletico Madrid. I have £20m to spend.

Thanks in advance.

[Anderrrrrrson-son-son]

Sergio Aguero's been transfer listed on my game for 29.5m.

Is this a fair price or is it possible to negotiate to get him cheaper?

[gandycoleuk]

Aguero's godly on FM08, seems like a good price. What season are you in?

[Anderrrrrrson-son-son]

After my first post more teams became interested, teams such as Barcelona, Sevilla, Lazio and Valencia drove the price up. Still looking at less than the normal 36m release clause he has

[gandycoleuk]

After having ridiculous bids rejected by Sevilla, I have decided to give up on Alves and have instead activated Cassani's £17.5m release clause at Atletico Madrid. I've never bought him before so I thought I would give him a go.

Has anyone else bought him for United on the original patch? And how much more does he improve because he looks very good and also to replace Neville in the future? Thanks in advance.

[Evon]

On the original patch he's ffffb. He'll improve no end. I've got him on 8.02 and he's done amazingly well for me filling in while Neville is injured. Thing is, I got him for about £4m. You paid too much for him. His PA is quite high so he'll be worth it in time but I would have gone in much lower.

[tomtuck01]

gandycoleuk

Cassani is not worth anything like £17.5million, release clause or not. Go fror Francois Clerc of Lyon, he should cost about £6million less and performs exceptionally well.

Anderrrrrrson-son-son

I wouldn't pay that much for Aguero unless you have had him before and know how to get the best out of him. When I tried a game with United a few months back I bought him first season for £29.5million and he was useless.

-----------------------

By the way, thanks alot for reading my post and offering some advice boys!

[Anderrrrrrson-son-son]

Can anybody send me a screen shot of good instructions to use for Aguero, or would he work well under the same instructions as Tevez or Rooney (seems to be same type of player).

[Evon]

He's brilliant. I would definitely buy him. Even if it takes time you can tweak your tactics to fit him in. It's what I did. And he probably would be the same as Tevez and Rooney's instructions tbh. They're all very similar.

[gandycoleuk]

On the original patch he's ffffb. He'll improve no end. I've got him on 8.02 and he's done amazingly well for me filling in while Neville is injured. Thing is, I got him for about £4m. You paid too much for him. His PA is quite high so he'll be worth it in time but I would have gone in much lower.

The thing is Atletico bought him at the start of the 1st season and they would'nt accept anything less than his release clause of £17.5m.

Any chance anyone can upload a screenie of Cassani in say maybe 2010/2011 so I can get a pretty good idea of what he'll look like in the future? Thanks in advance.

[Anderrrrrrson-son-son]

I've got him. Also signed Antonio Cassano from Real Madrid. Can play MC, LM, AMC or ST so good options as back-up to most attacking positions. Anybody else had him before, on recent FM games it was nearly impossible to sign him from Roma. So thought it worth a try. Also sold Kuszczak for 6.5m and using Foster as number 2 and future number 1 after reading other peoples views on here.

[tomtuck01]

Ronaldo's amazing season has just been capped off with his stunning performance in the European Championships. Not only did his Portugal side go on to win the tournament, but he also did the following;

European Championship Golden Boot

European Championship Best Player

He was also named in the European Championship Dream Team, along with Rio Ferdinand and Wayne Rooney.

[thegaffer91]

Just a quick question before i start a new man u game, who do people have as their back up to Ronaldo in the first season in a regular 442 formation? cheers

[Anderrrrrrson-son-son]

I retrained Owen Hargreaves to play there, other options to retrain are Darren Fletcher or if you need to for lesser matches play Chris Eagles. Theres always Ji-Sung Park when he returns from injury, but this is after Christmas. Although if you are looking for a right-back to replace Gary Neville you could but Rafinha as he can play as a right winger as well.

[gandycoleuk]

I am about to embark on my 2nd season in my United save and here is who I bought into the squad from the summer:

I wanted players for right-back, left-wing and striker as Neville needs replacing soon, Giggs likewise and Saha was sold in the summer.

So for right-back, I have bought Mattea Cassani from Atletico Madrid for £17.5m to maybe rotate of Neville before then eventually replacing him. At left-wing, I have a new 1st choice as I have bought Matias Fernandez from Villareal for £16.75m plus 20% sell-on clause. As for striker, I wanted someone who was quite young with lots of potential and after continuously trying and failing to get Saivet to sign a contract with the club, I have settled for Bogdan Stancu from Steaua Bucharest for £2.5m plus 20% sell-on clause. I think Stancu has potential to become a bit of a beast in the future.

Here are the other incoming players from this summer:

Fabio - Fluminense £1.2m

Rafael - Fluminense £1.2m

Piotr Czaplinski - Jagiellonia Free

Here are the outgoing players from the summer:

Park Ji-Sung - Deportivo £5.25m

Louis Saha - Tottenham £5m

Tomasz Kuszczak - Tottenham £3m

So from those summer transfer dealings, here is what my squad looks like for season 2008/09:

GK - van der Sar / Foster

DR - Cassani / Neville / O'Shea

DL - Evra / Silvestre / O'Shea

DC - Ferdinand / Brown

DC - Vidic / Pique

MR - Ronaldo / Nani

ML - Fernandez / Giggs

MC (Defensive) - Hargreaves / Carrick / Fletcher

MC (Attacking) - Scholes / Anderson / Fletcher

FC - Tevez / Owen

FC - Rooney / Stancu

Now onto the preview for the competitions for season 2008/09:

In the League, the relegated trio of Birmingham, Fulham and Sunderland have been replaced by champions West Brom, runners-up Charlton and play-off winners Bristol City.

After finishing 3rd in the League, my players will have to negotiate the Champions League 3rd Qualifying Round as they face Dutch outfit FC Twente, with the first leg to be played at Old Trafford. Here is the draw in full (please note the tie missing from the screenshot is mine):

http://img225.imageshack.us/my.php?image=europeanchampionscupthinz3.jpg

Any advice and feedback much appreciated.

[Evon]

Owen should be first choice because while I love Tevez, he's nowhere near as good as Owen. And you need a new left back to cover for Evra. Silvestre is useless. And I think I've got to about 2010 on my Udinese game but it's on patch 8.00. I'll check.

[Evon]

There's Cassani in 2010 on the 8.00 or 8.01 patch.

There's Cassani in 2007 on the 8.02 patch.

[gandycoleuk]

Owen should be first choice because while I love Tevez, he's nowhere near as good as Owen. And you need a new left back to cover for Evra. Silvestre is useless. And I think I've got to about 2010 on my Udinese game but it's on patch 8.00. I'll check.

I just played my first game of the season which was my Champions League qualifier and I won 4-0 with Tevez scoring twice and setting up the other two goals. His first goal was a thunderbolt out of nowhere.

Although I do agree Owen is a fantastic finisher, Tevez just played on another level for me in the second half of the 1st season for me.

[gandycoleuk]

There's Cassani in 2010 on the 8.00 or 8.01 patch.

There's Cassani in 2007 on the 8.02 patch.

Liking the first screenshot of Cassani mate, waiting to see how he develops for my side.

[Evon]

On 8.00 everybody improves dramatically. It's been toned down alot on 8.02 so if you're using 8.02 expect to knock about 1 or 2 points of most of the stats. If you're on 8.00 then lucky you.

[SinghyEFC4Life]

i started a thread but was told to post here for better answer so here we go.

3rd Season with this current back line:

Goalkeepers:

Iker Casillas

Edwin Van Der Sar

Remy Riou (just bought from Auxerre has very good stats and only 21)

Defenders:

Sergio Ramos

Patrice Evra

Giorgio Chiellini

Owen Hargreaves (retrained to left back because Evra was out for 4 Months)

Rio Ferdinand

Nemanja Vidic

who should i sign i've been told to get a RB and CB (cover for Ferdinand) who should i go for

[lil82]

i have started a game with man utd in a superleague so the premiership consists of all the big teams in europe tith your milans barca madrid bayern chelsea etc so there are no easy games. i was getting a bit bored of england so i spiced it up with them all and its been a thrilling title race both seasons with 5 points seperating the top 5 teams all year. the second tier[championship] has the likes of sporting tottenham and atletico etc. won the league and champ league first year but finished 5th year after but another champ league win saved me from the chop and thus qualifying me for next years champ league .

im at xmas and once again anyone from 7 teams has a shout if they put a good run together.

i have bought some class players and sold some squad players . here is my starting eleven plus subs

gk frey 28m

rb ramos 36m

lb evra

cb vidic

cb rio

dm hargreaves

cm anderson

aml ronaldinho 55m

amr ronaldo

cf tevez

cf rooney

s1 foster

s2 albioul 12m

s3 ash young 5m

s4 nani

s5 zapater 12m

s6 o shea

s7 dos santos 15.5m

got brown sakho savet and kuzsak as other squad players.

my next target is messi 41m release clause and been testing chelsea s resolve with essien as threy were relegated last season and went through 3 managers so far. told you it was a great title race

[Evon]

i started a thread but was told to post here for better answer so here we go.

3rd Season with this current back line:

Goalkeepers:

Iker Casillas

Edwin Van Der Sar

Remy Riou (just bought from Auxerre has very good stats and only 21)

Defenders:

Sergio Ramos

Patrice Evra

Giorgio Chiellini

Owen Hargreaves (retrained to left back because Evra was out for 4 Months)

Rio Ferdinand

Nemanja Vidic

who should i sign i've been told to get a RB and CB (cover for Ferdinand) who should i go for

Only 5 defenders? No O'Shea, Brown or any reserves? Get a RB and a CB definitely and if you don't have any other youth CB's then buy a youth CB. I'd buy for RB Rafinha, De Silvestri or Cassani and for CB Zapata, Samba, Fazio, Barzagli and for the youth CB somebody like Sakho or Nordveit.

[Sampa]

I'm starting to phase Ferdinand out, starting to seem unreliable at the back. So when he went down for a month with an injury I started playing Piqué in his role and he did well. But now I'm playing neither and playing Fazio there instead.

So it's...

RB: Sergio Ramos

CB: Federico Fazio

CB: Nemanja Vidic

LB: Eduardo

[SinghyEFC4Life]

@ Evon - i have sold O'Shea and Borwn because i couldn't not play Ramos in his first season he scored 13 goals (not from corners) i have Pique, Evans, Neville and Danny Simspon but don't really play them.

@ Sampa - is the Eduardo you mean the one who can play in about 7 positions (starts at botafogo)

[Evon]

Well in that case you only need a RB to cover Ramos. Evans and Pique are more than good enough to cover. I'd buy Cassani or De Silvestri because they're young and can play on both sides.

[thegaffer91]

Hi all, a quick question to you all, have any of you tried to sign either micah richards or micheal johnson from the city? if so, could you? what season was it and how much did they cost? what did the fans think? thanks for any feedback

[jod123]

I signed Micah Richards for around £6m as his contract was expiring. I think it was in 2011/2012. The fans don't really mind. I tend to ignore that news item about fans not liking potential signings from your rival as it does not really affect the game in any way. That's what I found anyway.

[DJJOEYT]

sell scholes ? . january 1st year ?

he hasnt been playing due to a lad called anderson-son-son

[thegaffer91]

Cheers for the info jod

joey, i wudnt sell scholes. what if anderson gets injured? also, you will find it very hard to sell him, ive never managed it, and you can use him to tutor any young cms you have

[DJJOEYT]

yeh . well true he is currently tuturing aaron ramsey

but he's unhappy lol [n]

[gandycoleuk]

I have just come to the end of the 1st month in my 2nd season on my United save and here are my results in August 2008:

FC Twente (H) - (Champions League) - W 4-0

West Ham (H) - (Premier League) - W 2-0

Wigan (A) - (Premier League) - W 1-0

Arsenal (H) - (Premier League) - W 3-2

FC Twente (A) - (Champions League) - W 5-0

Liverpool (A) - (Premier League) - D 1-1

Here are my top 5 performers this early into the new season:

Anderson - 1 app, 3 goals, 0 assists, 9.00 av. rating

Tevez - 5 apps, 5 goals, 5 assists, 7.60 av. rating

Giggs - 3 apps, 1 goal, 3 assists, 7.33 av. rating

Hargreaves - 3 apps, 0 goals, 1 assist, 7.33 av. rating

Evra - 4 apps, 1 goal, 0 assists, 7.25 av. rating

Now to my squad's progress for each position:

Goalkeepers: van der Sar has been the first choice in goal for every game this month apart from the 2nd leg of the European qualifier and has been very impressive, especially in the victories over West Ham and Arsenal. Foster had his opportunity in Holland and did'nt disappoint, making a couple of good stops on his way to keeping a confidence-boosting clean sheet.

Defence: Evra has been my top defender in August, scoring the critical equaliser at Liverpool, earning him man of the match. On the other side, Neville has been ever reliable and has been consistent through the month. Due to Vidic still getting himself back to full fitness, Pique has taken a massive responsibility in partnering new captain Ferdinand in central defence and has delivered some mature displays, complimenting Ferdinand very well. Vidic did play in Holland alongside Brown and both were solid in keeping the clean sheet. New signing Cassani has showed his versatility already for my side, playing at right-back in Holland, right-wing in place of Olympics' Ronaldo at home to FC Twente and West Ham and left-back at Wigan and has been solid on all occasions. Silvestre got his chance in Holland too and was solid also and O'Shea has been used regularly from the bench and has'nt put a foot wrong.

Midfield: Scholes has started this season a little better than last as he showed with his composed finish against FC Twente. The place alongside him in central midfield as been shared by Hargreaves and Carrick due to the former's suspension and lack of match fitness. Hargreaves played a major role in beating Arsenal and Carrick has been calm and collected when called upon. New signing Fernandez has been average in his role on the left wing thus far but will no doubt adjust to the style of play given his obvious talents. Giggs filled in for the European game in Holland and was outstanding, scoring one goal and setting up three others. Portugal pair Ronaldo and Nani were absent for the first couple of games due to the Olympics and have been dangerous with Nani laying on an assist in Holland. Anderson came back from Olympics duty for the away leg in Holland and was devastating in his finishing, scoring a hat-trick. Fletcher has been used sparingly from the bench and has been average at best.

Attack: The strike partnership of Rooney and Tevez have started like houses on fire with Tevez in particular scoring goals and setting up goals aplenty. Rooney himself scored a few goals and set up a few and it looks like exciting times ahead with this duo starting the way they have. In the away game in Holland, Owen and new signing Stancu started the match and the former grabbed himself a goal while Stancu looked promising and lively in his first appearance for his new club.

Here are the summaries of the competitions from August 2008:

http://img227.imageshack.us/my.php?image=englishpremierdivisionauw6.jpg

Due to the European tie, my side have played a couple of games less than a few teams and have made a decent start, including the thrilling victory against Arsenal and the point gained at Anfield. Portsmouth lead the way with Aston Villa and Middlesbrough in close pursuit but defending champions Chelsea have made an indifferent start of their title defence.

Premier League Top 5 Goalscorers:

Cani (Newcastle) - 6

Utaka (Portsmouth) - 5

van Persie (Arsenal) - 4

Santa Cruz (Blackburn) - 4

Castroman (Middlesbrough) - 4

Premier League Monthly Awards:

Player of the Month - Kirkland (Wigan)

Young Player of the Month - Bale (Tottenham)

Manager of the Month - Redknapp (Portsmouth)

As you can see above, my players comfortably destroyed FC Twente 9-0 on aggregate in the Champions League qualifiers. Here are the other results from the Third Qualifying Round:

http://img113.imageshack.us/my.php?image=europeanchampionscupthiwt7.jpg

In the group stages, my players have been handed a tricky looking group including German giants Werder Bremen, Ukranian side Shakhtar and French outfit Paris Saint-Germain. Here are how the other groups look like in full:

http://img113.imageshack.us/my.php?image=europeanchampionscupaugib7.jpg

http://img227.imageshack.us/my.php?image=europeanchampionscupauglz0.jpg

The draw for the League Cup 3rd Round was made and my defence begins at home against last season's FA Cup opponents Cardiff. The potential tie of the round looks like Newcastle's home tie against Chelsea. Here is the draw in full:

http://img113.imageshack.us/my.php?image=englishleaguecupthirdrosn2.jpg

Any advice and feedback much appreciated.

[Evon]

I've bought VDV and he's playing like a ****. Anybody got any particular instructions for him?

[DJJOEYT]

i almost threw my laptop out the window ! ...

[thegaffer91]

If i was harry redknapp, id be devistated! imagine the humiliation of saha scoring against you!

[DJJOEYT]

saha is my top scorer !

fantastic pre-season and is , wait for it ....

CONSISTANTLY FIT !

[thegaffer91]

what have you done to get that joey? please let me in on the secret

[SinghyEFC4Life]

@ DJJOEYT - i never get rid of him because i can always get him to accept a coaching role and he usually turns out as a 7 star coach for Technique

[thegaffer91]

just wondering singhy, how many seasons in do you get him as a coach? because after i move him to the reserves he never accepts a new contract, leaves the club at the beginning of hte 3rd season (i think thats when his contract ends) and after a year he dissapears from the game

[SinghyEFC4Life]

usually in the 3rd season when i dont play him i just keep saying he'd be a good coach and then when he says he's going to retire it has a staff profile so i offer him a contract as a coach

[thegaffer91]

ok, ill try that, cheers. what other ones of the 'old guard' (vds, g.nev, giggs) can you get as coaches?