FM 2009 Tranmere Rovers FC - The Deadly Submarine from across the Mersey

[king_johnny]

Club History

Tranmere Rovers were founded in 1884 and play in the Merseyside region of the North West of England. They are a professional side that currently play in Coca Cola League 1. They play their home games at Prenton Park in Birkenhead and the ground holds 16,787 after a re-development in 1995. The club has a good youth system that in recent times has produced Premier League quality players such as Jason Koumas & Ryan Taylor.

Noteable Former Players –

Dixie Dean

Pongo Waring

Ian Muir

John Aldridge

Derek Mountfield

Alan Mahon

Iain Hume

Jason Koumas

Pat Nevin

Johnny Morrisey

Jason McAteer

Eric Nixon

Shaun Teale

Rovers share geographical rivalries with both Liverpool and Everton from across the Mersey. However, most fans don’t regard them as rivals due to the fact that we don’t play them in competitive matches very often. Other local rivals include Chester and Wrexham, again for geographical reasons but as with Liverpool and Everton, we don’t seem to meet in competitive matches anymore. Going a little bit further afield Tranmere and Bolton built up a strong rivalry during the early 1990’s due to the amount of times the club seemed to meet in competitive games. Notable matches against Bolton include 1991 Play Off Final (Tranmere won 1-0 aet) and the 2000 League Cup Semi Final (Tranmere won 4-0 on aggregate). However, both clubs are now at opposite ends of league football and the rivalry has cooled a little. In more recent times a rivalry has built up between Oldham Athletic. This is due to a number of reasons, the first being that current Tranmere manager Ronnie Moore was previously employed by Oldham and was sacked after one season due to supporter unrest. The other being the amount of time that both clubs have spent in League One.

Tranmere won their only league title to date in 1937/38 when they won the Third Division North. This saw the club elevated to the second tier of English football for the first time. The club were to repeat this feat in 1991 when Johnny King oversaw the beginning of the clubs golden period. Relegation from the Fourth Division was saved on the last day of the 1986/87 season and only two seasons later promotion would follow. In their next two seasons in the Third Division the words Tranmere Rovers and Wembley would go hand in hand as the club made two consecutive Johnstone’s Paint Trophy Finals and also two consecutive play off finals. Tranmere would win one each year and in 1991 Tranmere returned to the Championship with the dream of being the third Merseyside team in the Premier League.

The dream was nearly realised on three occasions as Rovers made the play offs however, during their time in the Championship the club would be more well known for it’s exploits in both domestic cup competitions. Tranmere reached the semi-finals of the League Cup in 1994 narrowly missing out on the final on penalties to Aston Villa after leading 3-1 from the first leg. However, in 2000 the club went one better as they reached their first major cup final by reaching the League Cup Final following a remarkable run to the final that saw them beat Premier League sides, Coventry City & Middlesbrough. The Rovers also reached the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup for the first time in their history. The following year saw Tranmere gain even more giant killing scalps as they disposed of Everton at Goodison Park with a memorable 3-0 victory. If that wasn’t enough they then saw off Premier League Southampton after being dead and buried at 0-3 down, the Whites came back to win 4-3. They exited the competition after a 4-2 defeat to Liverpool after once again making the Quarter Finals. All the cup exploits took their toll on Tranmere though as they were relegated back to League 1 after finishing 24th.

Tranmere are now into their 9th consecutive season in League One and have generally been amongst the top sides within the division. In 2002/2003 the club embarked on a 20 game unbeaten streak that saw them finish with 80 points and still not make the play offs (A league record). Tranmere did make the play offs in 2004/2005 but fell at the semi final stage on penalties to Hartlepool. A couple of average seasons have followed but with dwindling finances and a very limited budget can you re-kindle the dream of the Rovers being the third Merseyside football power????

Club Information

Legends: None

Icons: John King, Eric Nixon

Favoured Personel: Iain Hume, Les Parry, Ian Muir, Steven Davies, Steve Yates, Warwick Rimmer, Gareth Roberts, Ronnie Moore, Jim Harvey

Feirce Rivals: Liverpool, Everton

Rivals: Bolton, Chester, Wrexham, Blackpool, Oldham

Stadium: Prenton Park 16,787

Playing Squad

Goal Keepers-

1. Danny Coyne

24. John Achterberg

Defenders-

2. Godwin Antwi (on loan from Liverpool) RB

3. Andy Taylor LB

4. Ben Chorley DC

5. Ian Goodison DC

6. Antony Kay DC / RB / MC

15. Danny Holmes RB (Could be successfully re-trained as a DC)

18. Aaron Cresswell LB

17. Luke Waterfall DC

Midfielders-

12. Steve Jennings MC

8. George O’Callaghan AMC

13. Gareth Edds RB / MC

16. Edrissa Sonko AMR / AMC / FC

23. Chris Shuker AMRL

11. Adnan Ahmed DM / MC

20. Paul Henry AMC

19. Charlie Barnett AMRC

Strikers-

7. Bas Savage SC

9. Ian Moore SC / AMR

10. Chris Greenacre SC

14. Terry Gornell SC

25. Craig Curran SC / AMR

Squad Analysis –

2008/2009 Summer Transfers

In-

George O’Callaghan (Cork) – Looks quite handy for League One. Looks like he has the potential to be a decent creative midfielder.

Gareth Edds (MK Dons) – Looks like a good squad player at best. His major strength is his versatility as he can play in central midfield and at right back.

Bas Savage (Millwall) – IRL has been a revelation but his FM self leaves a lot to be desired. A definite to sell at the earliest opportunity

Edrissa Sonko (Wallsall) - A decent squad player who will do OK on the right wing. Avoid playing him through the middle

Luke Waterfall (Barnsley) – IRL has a good future ahead of him but FM does him no justice. A loan spell away from the club will possibly do him good

Charlie Barnett (Liverpool) – A quality acquisition and is equally effective when used in the middle or out wide right.

Godwin Antwi (Liverpool Loan) – Solid signing at right back but goes back in January.

Out-

Steven Davies (Derby) – Leaves a massive hole on the left wing that needs filling ASAP

Paul McLaren (Bradford) – Again a creative midfield player will be needed as losing his set pieces and passing abilities will be a loss

Robbie Stockdale (Grimsby) – His departure means that you will need to bring in a right back at some point during you Tranmere career

Calvin Zola (Crewe) – A good League One striker on FM08. His replacement isn’t up to standard but a goalscorer would be an improvement on both Calvin and his replacement

The back four is of good League One quality especially Ian Goodison, Antony Kay and Andy Taylor. Expect bids from Championship clubs for the latter two as they both definitely have the potential to play at a higher level.

The middle of midfield is pretty much boxed off aswell with Steve Jennings another who attracts interest from clubs higher up the ladder, and George O’Callaghan. Chris Shuker on the right can, on his day, be one of the best wingers in the division and would definitely not have a problem in stepping up a level.

Up front Greenacre and Ian Moore can score goals and will probably get you 15 a season with Curran coming off the bench to bag his share.

However, the average age of some of the starting 11 is quite high and the back up is extremely in experienced. A new Keeper is a must as Achterberg is concentrating on coaching and past his best and Danny Coyne is approaching 35. Also you should look into getting a right back as Antwi is only on loan until January and as I have previously stated the back up, Danny Holmes is yet ready for League One football. The midfield is unbalanced with an abundance of defensive central midfielders and a couple of right wingers but no left winger. Shuker will do a job on the left but he will not perform to his best so I’d suggest signing a left winger and an attacking minded central midfielder to chip in a few goals. The strikers are an interesting one as Moore, Greenacre & Curran will get their share of goals but will 35 goals between them be enough to take you up with a defensive minded squad? Id offload Savage, as his stats don’t suggest he’s going to cut it as a League One target man, and bring in an experienced goal scorer as in a couple of seasons I feel Curran and Gornell will score goals.

Possible Transfer Targets –

GK – Brian Murphy (Bohemians) 7K

RB – extend Godwin Antwi’s Loan. No-one else stands out within your price range

CB – Dan Murray (Cork) 24K A good replacement for the ageing Goodison

CM – Mascio (Cisco) 42K A quality creative midfielder who you will make a profit off

AM – Lucian Sanmartean (Free) Superb AM available on a free

LW – Fabio (Man Utd) Loan

SC – Robbie Fowler (Blackburn) 5K Ageing but a fantastic goal-scorer at League One level

Oh and slightly off Topic – You will need to invest in another scout to find the best available young talent to enable Tranmere to survive.

Finances –

Starting Balance – 600K

Transfer Budget – 100K (depending on expectations)

Wage Budget – 40K (depending on expectations)

Tranmere’s finances aren’t in that bad a shape really. Don’t get me wrong we cannot compete with the big spenders of the division but we start stable and with a few saleable assets in the squad then you shouldn’t struggle to raise funds if necessary. With the new transfer module in place you will receive offers for your squad players with no trouble and at times good offers for your first teamers.

Miscellaneous

Famous Quotes from Tranmere's legendary manager John King -

"I can't promise anyone success. But I can promise then a trip to the moon"

"Tranmere will never be able to compete with Liverpool and Everton. They are like big liners like the Queen Mary, but I see Tranmere as deadly submarine"

"Finding a striker is like going into a field of mushrooms. Often there aren't any. So when you see one, you make the most of it"

"Aldridge is like a pair of shoes in a shop. You look them over and over again and then you find you have enough money to buy them"

Thank you for taking the time out to read this and I hope you enjoy playing as Tranmere.

Now for the inportant question.....Are you ready for your trip to the Moon????????

[Kevchenko]

Super White Army!

What an excellent post. I've hesitated in starting a fully-fledged Tranmere game thus far, as I wanted to get my feet wet first to make sure I have some ability and understanding of the match engine.

I think Jennings is absolutely key in the middle. He looks 'good' at everything on FM. Interesting to see if his stats improve though.

Ian Goodison at the back is absolutely invaluable as well. I assume the Tranmere fans will already know and agree that when he plays we are a completly different side than when he doesn't!

[king_johnny]

Thanks.

I was the same Kevchenko. I didn't want to start a Tranmere game until I had a decent understanding of the new transfer module and how the ME would affect the game. After a few pactice go's at other lower league clubs and a few championship clubs I decided to give it a go.

Your definately right though, Jennings will be absolutely key to success on FM09. As you say he is 'good' at everything. Ive found that partnering him with O'Callaghan does wonders for them both with George having the Attacking Midfielder role, the two of them tear League One apart.

Goodison is as ever central to what we want to acheive although I think that both Kay and Chorley are more than capable of stepping, or even replacing Ian if thats what you want. I agree our results without Ian over the last 2 and a half years have been nothing short of shocking and an adequate replacement needs to be found

[king_johnny]

Well I've just finished my first season with the SWA.

End of Season 08/09

Players In -

Mascio 45K

Sanmartean Free

Fabio Loan

Possebon Loan

Marakidze 150K (I paid nothing up front but the payment is staggered over the next 2 years)

Guindo 120k (60K upfront and 60K over 2 years)

Robbie Fowler 5K

Dan Murray 20K

Players Out -

Andy Taylor 350K

Chris Greenacre 120K

Adnan Ahmed 50K

Overall, I'm quite pleased with the transfer dealings. I've managed to get some quality players in for League One level and they have performed extremely well. Robbie Fowler has been the pick of the buys, due to him leading the club and league scoring charts with 36 goals! The other signings that have been a sensations were the two loanees from Man Utd (they are my parent club). Fabio has been a sensation when played in the AML spot and has bagged 12 goals. Possebon has had a solid season in the middle and has scored his fair share. Lucian Sanmartean and Mascio have also given us that little bit of quality in the middle of the park.

Tactics -

Through out the season I've opted for a very attacking 4231 formation and by and large it has payed dividends with us out-scoring most sides in the division. Also at times I have gone for a 442 formation this has been mainly used when chasing games. I kept the wide AMs in place and moved the AMC to the Striker position. More often than not this has occupied both of the opposition central defenders and made more space for runs from midfield.

My starting line-up has been (Back up in brackets):

GK Marakidze (Coyne)

RB Antwi / Kay (Holmes)

LB Taylor / Guindo (Cresswell)

CB Goodison (Chorley)

CB Murray (Kay)

CM Jennings - Jenno got a season ending injury 15 games in so I brought in Possebon as his replacement (Barnett)

CM Mascio (O'Callaghan)

AM Sanmartean

RW Shuker (Barnett)

LW Fabio (Cresswell)

SC Fowler (Moore / Gornell)

Season Reveiw

Considering our budget is not the biggest and that the squad was severley lacking in areas, we competed extremely well and finished 3rd. However, as is usually the way with Tranmere IRL we made life difficult for ourselves. We got ourselves into a position (by winning 4 games on the bounce) a few times to really make a run for automatic promotion and then we'd shoot ourselves in the foot by losing the next 3!!!! Really frustrating!! I feel this inconsistancy is showed in our final league record - PLD 46 W 24 D 5 L 17 GF 81 GA 65 PTS 77 GD +16

The lost column is not good enough for a side that wants to go up and neither is the goals against. They are areas that I need to improve on next year.

With 10 games to go we were in a great position, only 3 points behind second place Scunthorpe (with them to play). However we blew up big time and won only 2 and drew 2 of the last 10. We drew Leicester in the play offs and duly carried this form into the first half of the first leg at PP. We went in at half time 3-1 down! Second half we were a different team and managed to level it at 3-3 before Steve Howard won it at the death of Leicester. The second leg was a strange game as we got battered. Leicester hit the woodwork on countless occasions, had 2 goals dissallowed and missed a penalty. But we sneaked a goal just before half time and then won it via a deflection from youngster Terry Gornell with 5 minutes to go. Wembley here we come!!

However, our new found resurgence was not to reappear in the final as we were soundly beaten by Southend and we are condemned to another season in League One.

Cup Competitions -

League Cup -

Round 1 - v Accrington Stanley W3-0

Round 2 - v Hull City L2-3

A potential cup run was ended in the second round after we bravely exited at the hands of Premiership Hull. Following a fine 3-0 win away at Stanley in round one we went into the game sat top of League One and played like it as we quickly raced into a 2-0 lead however we were undone in the second half and lost out 3-2

FA Cup -

Round 1 - v Altrincham W7-0

Round 2 - v Chester W7-0

Round 3 - v Norwich L1-2

Another cup run was ended after defeat at home to a higher division side, again after leading the game at half time. Two 7-0 wins in the first two rounds meant confidence was high when Norwich came to town and at half time a Robbie Fowler goal meant thst fans were dreaming of emulating the clubs quarter finals of previous years. However, the bubble was burst when 2 second half goals sent the Rovers crashing out!

Johnstone's Paint -

Round 1 - Bye

Round 2 - Chesterfield D1-1 (Lost 4-2 on pens)

Less said the better!! Tranmere don't take penalties!!

Looking at next season I feel we need to strengthen the left wing position as Fabio has gone back to Man Utd and I also need to get in another DC to try and stem the flow of goals going in at our end. Also, I feel the squad needs bolstering in general as it was too small last year. Couple this with the fact that the back up has no experience and there is the reason why we blew up at the end of the season. The lads had nothing left in the tank. Ahh well...Rome wasn't built in a day! Heres to next season.

[Kevchenko]

How many goals did Robbie Fowler finish on?

Did he manage to stay in good enough condition to play most games?

I will be starting my Tranmere game when I get home at around 6am, almost certainly going to be using a 4-2-3-1 too, which is interesting. My inital thoughts are that Shucker is going to be quality down the right, but the left is leading a lot to be desired. Very possible I loan Fabio as well, because a return of 12 goals from midfield is/can be the difference between mid table and play offs!

[jamesb123]

Oh my lord, a Tranmere thread.

I'll have to start playing FM again now!

Jennings can be sold for around £600-£700k if you want quick easy cash. Kay can often be sold for more. Chorley can bring in a good £300k. Probably the best players at the club, but you can easily find good/better replacements.

[king_johnny]

How many goals did Robbie Fowler finish on?

Did he manage to stay in good enough condition to play most games?

QUOTE]

He finished on 36 league goals and to be fair he did stay in ok condition. Having said that though I did have to bring him off in most games as he was tired around the 60min mark. On average he managed a goal a game...which at any level is quality. It's not his finishing that sets him apart but its his movement into the channels and knowing when to pull the trigger.

Im nearly a third of the way through season 2 and he is still getting the goals. However, his physical stats have dropped off considerably now so realistically he cannot play 3 games a week. I'm manging to get him through about a game and a half by giving him 2 days off every week. Hope this helps

[Kevchenko]

Fowler is a must then it seems.

Jsut beggining my game now.

Will give a much more detailed post soonish

[Kevchenko]

Okay then, about to embark upon a trip to the moon! First competetive fixture is away at Yeovil in 3 days.

Pre-season friendlies we're promising: (*Assistant in control)

Southport 0 - 7 Tranmere

Vauxall 0 - 3 Tranmere

Tranmere 3 - 3 Galatasary

*Brentford 1 - 3 Tranmere

*Tranmere 3 - 1 Everton Reserves

*Tranmere 0 - 3 Wigan

After coming from 3-0 down against the Turkish Giants to get a draw was enough to convince me I was ready to start the season and therefore I let Shirtliff have a go.

Transfer activity thusfar:

In

Fowler - 5k

Fleetwood - 4k

N'Gotty - 2k

Mascio - 35k (+ 10% future fee)

Ever Guzman - 24k

Tommy Black - free

Season long loans...

Claude Davis (Jamacan Centre half from Derby to team up alongside compatriot and fellow rock Goodison!)

Possebon (man u)

Fabio (man u)

Chesters (man u)

Out:

Ahmed - Bury - 5k

Kay - Bristol City - 500k

Chorly - Burnley - 450k

The million 'made' from the player sales wasn't put back in to the kitty so the team I have now is pretty much the side I'll have for the season, until January at least! Deciding to let both Chorly and Kay go is quite a big decision, as both are good centre halfs and versitile players in this league, however getting N'Gotty for 2k as a back up, and Chesters and Davis both on loan to be is quite sensible.

Fowler is going to be the loan striker, he looks like he will be a class act, and Fleetwood for 4k may or may not be ebtter than Gornell or Curran, but a season long loan out to Vauxall Motors will do Gornell good, and Curran is my back up for Shuker down the right.

So, first game of the season and my 'best XI' is (back ups)

Coyne (Achterberg)

Antwi (Holmes/Edds)

Taylor (Cresswell)

Goodison (N'Gotty)

Davis (Chesters)

Jennings (Possebon)

Mascio (Barnett)

Shuker (Curran)

Fabio (Sonko/Black)

O'Callaghan (Henry)

Fowler (Guzman/Fleetwood)

I do still have Greenacre, Moore, Savage listed in the reserves. Greenacre rejected a contract to move for 300k to Crewe Alex which was a bit gutting. Hopefuly will be able to get those 3 off the wage bill before the deadline comes up... I don't find any of them to be good enough for a League One challenging side, and that is after all... where I want to be. Fowler for experience, Guzman has the potential and Fleetwood is the young gun/Super Sub!(We Hope )

[Kevchenko]

Yeovil 0 - 2 Tranmere

Outplayed in the first half, encouraging team talk and the lads coem out and get an early goal through Fabio to turn the tables in the match. Both teams had 3 CCC and they had 8 shots to our 7, so we can count ourselfs lucky... but with 7 debutants I think thats a fantastic result. Debut goals for Fabio and O'Callaghan have put a big smile on my face, and Guzman averaged 7.4 and looked quite lively which is good. Fowler is out injured for another week or so.

Will play a few more matches before any further updates.

[JT - 26]

Im gonna give Tranmere a go.

>>Loading<<

[stevetranmere]

HI there... im likin the sound of this thread..

steve here.. long term tranmere fan.. started off with man utd to get me into the game a bit, after slight success with a league win i decided to give tranmere a go..!

the story so far...

transfers in...

Duane sinester (ML)

Seyfo Soley (DC,DM)

Marino Promes (AMRL)

Tieme Klompe (DC)

Robbie Fowler (ST)

Brian Kerr (MRC)

Possebon (DM)

Fabio (DL,AML)

Out

well... no one sold as yet but with bulging wage budget it looks like Kay is set for the switch to charlton or sheff utd for 450K...

also brought in a new scout in Don Mackay

Team-(Backup)

Gk Coyne (Achterberg)

DR Kay (Edds)

DL Taylor (Fabio)

DC Antwi (Chorley)

DC Soley (Klompe)

DM Possebon (Kerr)

MR Shuker (Curran)

ML Promes (Sinester)

MC Jennings (o' Callaghan)

ST Fowler (Moore)

ST Greenacre (Gornell)

Playing a 4-1-3-2 formation with possebon playing just in front of the back 4.

First Few fixtures

QPR (h) lost 2-0 (Goodison injured and out for 2/3weeks)

Bathgate Thistle 1-1 (poor game with hardly any chances for both teams, fowlers movement was brilliant though)

Vauxhall 3-0 (first convincing performance and result from the new formation)

with bolton, west ham and bournemouth to play next im hoping the team is getting used to the tactics and hopefully we can get a win and a draw from the final 3 freindlies before the first fixture of the season against crewe at home!

[king_johnny]

Right, end of season and two and yet again another mixed bag. I don't know what it is with Tranmere (either on FM or IRL) but you dont know whether to laugh or cry.

Season Reveiw 09/10

PRE-SEASON PREDICTION - 2ND

First off, in the league we clinched another 3rd place finish courtesy of a fantastic run in the last 10 games. We carried this form into the play offs and crushed Swindon in both legs. The final on the other hand was a disaster from start to finish. Fowler got injured in training the day before the game and that completley buggered us up. We eventually went down 2-0 to Leicester in the final and we are yet again in League One again. Robbie Fowler was again the star turn bagging 27 league goals but he was run really close by new signing Sergi Golubev and Antony Kay who was quality at the back.

Also, I've over seen the development of Terry Gornell who I feel will be ready for a starting bearth in the near future and he will probably get me 10 goals next season after his 7 in 12(15) this term. Also, I have a newgen right back called Jimmy Betts who has been imense. He is 16 and I had to throw him in due a defensive crisis and he hasn't had a bad game since. Definately one for the future.

However, the Cups were imense for us!

FA Cup -

RD 1 - Oldham W2-0

RD 2 - Bury W2-0

RD 3 - Middlesbrough D1-1

RD 3 R - Middlesbrough D2-2 (TRFC won 4-2 on pens)

RD 4 - Blackburn L0-1

Eventually, went down to Blackburn in the fourth round after seeing Middlesbrough off in RD 3. The replay had it all! Boro scored after 18seconds and double their lead right on half time. After some choice words at half time we came out and the reply was instant. Fowler halved the lead and with the last kick of stoppage time new signing Sander Puri levelled. We eventually saw Boro off on pens thanks to left back Moussa Guindo holding his nerve to net the winning penalty.

League Cup -

RD 1 - Rochdale W3-1

RD 2 - Middlesbrough W3-0

RD 3 - Derby L1-0

Another mixed bag to be honest. We coasted past Boro in RD2 with a quality display of attacking football. We had more possession, more CCC and most importantly scored more goals. But after the euphoria of the second round came the dissapointment of RD3. An away tie to Derby was never going to get the juices flowing but it was definately winnable. But in true Tranmere style we didnt turn up and were rightfuly dumped out of the competition.

Johnstone's Paint -

RD 1 - Morecambe W4-0

RD 2 - Chester D0-0 (TRFC won 5-4 on pens)

RD 3 - Rochdale W2-1

RD 4 - Grimsby W2-1

NF L1 - Blackpool W2-0

NF L2 - Blackpool W2-1

FINAL - Peterbrough W2-1

Now although the board dont really take this competition seriously I do. It is a big part of Tranmere's history as it was one of the many catalyst's during Kingy's reign and I've grown up with us being successful in it so I fielded near full strength sides (minus Robbie Fowler due to declining physical stats). Routine wins in the first 4 rounds against lower league opposition saw us into the Northern final where we met old foe Blackpool. They made it difficult and it was 2 in the second half of both games saw us progress. In the final we took on top of the league Peterbrough and we took the game to them. New siging Ransford Osei stole the show with a brace that saw us lift the trophy for the first time in 20 years.

Transfers

IN -

Sergi Golubev 100k - An 18 yo left winger newgen from Dinamo Minsk)

Choi Jin-Su Free - An AM signed on a free was a revelation.

Fabio Loan - Had to get him back in after his first season here. He played more at left back this year and was prob even better

Mark Bunn 60k - Got him in as cover for Makaridze but after 5 games he took over as #1 and stayed there.

Ransford Osei Free - Signing of the season. A pacy Ghanain centre forward that stole the show at the end of the season

Sander Puri 70k - CM signed to replace Mascio

OUT -

Ian Moore 20k

Gareth Edds 10k

Mascio 1M - sold by the board under my nose in the January window. At least I got a decent fee....not that I'll ever see most of the money

Sanmartean 750k - The hero of the season last year departed before a ball was kicked. Didnt want him to go but I needed the cash

This summer I'm going to need a Striker because Fowler hasn't really got another 20 goal season in him. He is playing in less games now so a replacement is going to be a must.

Tactics -

This season I used the 4231 more as an away formation as it allowed us to counter attack and keep possession better. I know you should keep possession better at home but with the way the tactics work on FM09 I thought Id give it a go and it worked for me. So now at home and against the weaker sides I play a John King style 442, with the CMs sitting in and the wingers firing in loads of crossess. It worked a treat as we conceded less goals but socred more, and lost less games.

[Kevchenko]

Another good post King.

Are you now running the game with the latest patch?

My progress has been slow so far, only 5 games in, but 6 wins so far! Undeserved however, I've had two last minute winners so far! - I'm fully expecting the post-christmas fade away to occur.

WHo have you signed to replace Fowler?

Only got 15k from 950k worth of sales is putting me off selling... would be nice if some arab billionaire fancied a punt in league one ?

[bensinger1]

In 2016 i just got tranmere the prem. I am Very rich after a board takeover.

amazing

[Kevchenko]

What season was your board takeover in?

How long did it take from start to finish?

What division were you in at the time?

How much was it?

[bensinger1]

Erm well i quit MK dons in 2012, and had an offer from tranmere, i looked the the offer and saw a budget of 8m, for league 2!! I took the job, and i was top with 8 games to go. My form was sketchy but i went up finishing 2nd. I had 12m to spend in league 1, and signed players such as randall, bullard, mulgrew and preston edwards. I won league 1 finishing up on 105 points, i also won the JPT. In the champ i had 6m to spend. Bit disapointing as my balance was 28m, i signed some other good players but finished 4th, and lost in the semi's of the playoffs. Next year i had 9m to spend and signed fabian delph and a good striker, i finished 2nd in the champ. In the prem i have been given 24m to spend. I have strengthened alot, and i have had a lot of luck but im 5th after about 25 games, i did go 15 games un beaten, now my luck is running low, drawing alot and finally lost. However it has been amazing

[bensinger1]

finished 2nd in the prem in my first year

[Nick Toye]

I have searched for Sanmartean, but he is not on my game. How do I get him?

[Nick Toye]

Ok, this Sanmartean isn't even in the game and I am on the Huge database. Also Robbie Fowler is not available for 5k!

How accurate is this thread?

[EsiTRFC]

Ok, this Sanmartean isn't even in the game and I am on the Huge database. Also Robbie Fowler is not available for 5k!

How accurate is this thread?

Fowler is very cheap. They'll ask for 80k i think? But if you lower it, they should accept

[EsiTRFC]

I just started a new season with Tranmere. Couldnt get fowler for 5k, but ended up with him for 20k which will increase when/if we get promoted. Bought quite a few people though, had to let a few go out on loan. I was givin 100k to spend and 27k wage i think.

Transfrers In

Fowler/ST - 20k

Possebon/MC - Loan (End of Season)

Fabio/AMRL - Loan (End of Season)

Forde Small (Free)

Vos/GK - (Free)

I did buy a few more players than that, but cant remember who. Mostly young people. I bought Vos despite being 38 (Older than Coyne) to take the place of Achto. But he wont be coming until Jan09, so i had to buy another young keeper. My wage bill went quite a bit over, so i changed my budget and was left with 1k to spend.

Players Out

Gornell - 6 Months Loan

Danny Holmes - End of Season Loan

Ahmed - 6 Months Loan

Henry - 6 Months Loan

---

With my wage budget being back on target, i was then pleased to announce a link between my club and Chelsea. They would give 80k a year, aswel as all the usual friendly/players etc. They have already sent me one player on loan but i forgot the name of him. All i know is he plays DC. Not really an amazing player, but handy to have.

Pre Season

I've only had 4 games so far and have another 2 to go. Having what i thought a decent squad at the start of the season has got me worried with the last two games i had. I lost George O, and Cresswell both to injury during a training session. The earlier being out for 3 months. Not to worry however as i still had a lot of players.

Vauxhall (A) = 0-4 W

P'down (A) = 0-3 W

Exeter (A) = 1-1 D

Ebbsfleet (A) = 2-1 L

As you could tell, i was very anoyed with the last two results, especially the latter one. I've got two more games to play during the pre season, Burnley (H), and Spurs (H). Can't see me getting a win out of either of them to be honest. So am not looking forward to it. I shall update again when i get half way through the season

[Blaupunkt]

hi there, ive just started a new game with the latest patch and was wondering what formation people were tending to use, i see a lot of people recommend buying fowler but i am thinking you will be playing 442 or something along those lines?

ive only played the friendlies so far and 1 league game with the tactic ive created for them based on a 4231 - ive not sold anyone yet but i have got a few loan players in, i kept the current coaching staff but promoted the youth coaches to normal ones so they can help with training at all ages.

left wing seems to be a problem for me, according to the ass man, and i could do with a GK to act as cover i think. also if fowler is that good would it be worth me making a new tactic, with 2 up front or possibly a 433 and getting him in ?

[Taytaz]

Took Control of Tranmere in their second season and saw a transfer budget of £1mil???!??

I'm not used tosuch money in this league, so I just did my usual thing of signing good youth players onloan. I got West Hams Trio of Spence, Collison and Sears all on 0% wages. I also signed a Belgian called Houhmets or something for £85k to fill the left wing. Bourdeaux had a great French Prospect in Amine Denaud (sp?) listed for £130k so I coughed up.

I also snapped up Mascio and Henri Anier and am looking at extending

[dannyc44]

sorry for this guys but can someone tell me the f key i need to press to take a screenshot i cant find it anywere!!!!!!!!1 cheers

[Finknottle]

This is an attempt to get this thread up and running again, for FM'10. One good man, Lodgey, may be interested and myself. If any of you have started a save with Tranmere Rovers in FM'10 nip over here and tell everyone all about it.

What formations do you use? Have you taken the advice of your assistant manager at the beginning and used one of the two formations suggested [4-4-2 and/or 4-1-3-2]. Do you untick the transfers in first window option, just to make it more realistic or do you leave it ticked in the hope of getting some transfer cash from the board? If you are able to submit screenshots all the better, because I wish that I could. I can get them to image shack but then it all goes haywire.

What players have you been able to bring in to the club? What about new staff? How is your season progressing? That's about it for now, I hope that there are enough Rovers fans out there to get this going. Kind regards.

[Lodgey]

Yeah, lets get this up and running again!