I got Chiellini for £38m at the start of my game, the scout report said £31m but they kept negotiating to £49m until I bid £38m which was accepted. Chiellini and Fazio are absolutely unstoppable on it, if you can have quick full backs of a quick anchor man in front of them, the defence is pretty much perfect. I use Anthony Annan who easily becomes one of the best holding midfielders on it, he's like Essien only 1/10th of the price. I have de Jong as well but I prefer to use him as a ball winner, whereas Annan is better at sitting and becoming a third centre back, like.



Can get Stevan Jovetic for £13.25m on mine, think I might have to invest but I'm hoping Milan's poor season means Pato will be available.

Managed to close the gap at the top to 2 points at the top after going on an amazing run of form around Christmas time to March. I'd love to win the league, but my last game is Man Utd away.

Thankfully, Chelsea have also got them a couple of games earlier. I've also progressed into the FA Cup Semi Final (where I play Chelsea) and the Quarters of the Europa cup where I face Aston Villa.





I've signed Riquelme on a free transfer for next season and will have a look round for some other players on the cheap. Saha was available on a free from the end of January, but not sure if Everton have re-signed him up. I could do with some cover at the back really and another striker. Torres is a beast and Kalou is awesome up front with him. When I lose Torres to injury (like I did for 3 months early doors) my form dips big time. and Kalou can't seem to do it on his own unlike Torres.



Anyone know of any good, cheap buys? I've had a budget of £2m for this season and I really don't think I'll get much more next season (if I'm in the job obviously).

Well I'm now in charge of Norwich having resigned from Luton in season 2012-13. To use a well worn cliche, I felt I'd taken them as far as I could. I inherited a team in 10th in L1 but with a worringly skinny squad, so reinforcements were brought in. To my surprise Jermaine Beckford was unattached so he was brought straight in. A shocking run of 4 defeats in my first 4 games in charge began put doubt in my mind, but out of the blue, and with the aid of the returning Caleb Folan and a change in formation, we beat Southend 4-1, league leaders Doncaster 4-2 away and Barnsley 4-0. With the transfer window coming up I'm hoping for a big run to the end of the season.

After reading this thread i dusted off my CM -07



Took the York City job in the Conference

1st Season Finished 18th

2nd Season Relegated

3rd Season Champions of the Conference North

4th Season finished 2nd back in the Conference and lost the Play Off final but won the FA Trophy.



Just been offered the Grimsby job who won the Conference.

Started with Liverpool, could see a sacking coming so applied for the Leeds post and got sacked for doing that after finishing 3rd and reaching CL final. Now with Leeds, unbeaten for 8 games, steady side i took on, just struggle at times. Could push for the playoffs.

I just checked and overall i paid £52million for Chiellini, at the start of my second season. I was desperate for one of the best defenders though, because that was my real weakness.



I think i signed Jovetic for a similar price, maybe a little bit more but that was at the start of the game, but he has been a brilliant signing. I signed Julio Baptista, and hes not in the same class.



Anyway, the second season is on the way, and i've made quite a few changes to the team, but it is definatly for the better. This is now my team:



Given



Toure

Mexis

Chiellini

Lescott/Bridge



Maxi Rodgriguez

Modric (Attacking)

Barry

Robinho/Jovetic



Tevez

Villa



Subs:

Lescott/Bridge/Srna

Van Bommel/De Jong

Wright-Phillips

Robinho/Jovetic

Van der Vaart/Ireland

Adebayor

Santa Cruz



Richards

Kompany

Srna

Deco

Baptista

Bellamy

Rodwell (Youngster)

Luisma (Youngster)

Verratti (Youngster)

Oscar (Youngster)





Again, i have many options, and quality options at that going into the second season. I've sold the likes of Johnson, Onuoha and sent a few decent players out on loan as i had no-one wanting to buy them. If i'm honest, i have been trying to offload Bellamy but he won't budge, but hes not going to get much game time. Also, i regretted signing Deco as i don't really need him, but he was free so i couldn't resist. I said that i didn't have the strength in depth, and now i cam confident i do, i feel i have a very strong squad of players.



In the second season, i didn't make the best of starts, i beat Sunderland 4-0, and i thought it was going to be easy and then i drew 1-1 at home against Chelsea, after hitting the post 3 times. I then lost 1-0 away at Wolves, so things weren't as good as they could be. Since then though, i haven't lost a game, and i got a draw 0-0 away against Liverpool, the reigning champions. I am now sitting 2nd in the league, level points with Man United, but its still very early days, we also have level goal difference. I should also get through the group stages of the champions league, quite easily, having already beat Celtic, Galatasary and drawing to Inter Milan at home.

I have found a 4-4-1-1 to be the best formation this time round. After 3 years of finishing 3rd to Celtic and Rangers as the mighty Hibs I started again as Stockport and am currently 2nd in my 2nd season. Having United as my parent club is a boost though as I have Cory Evans, John Bostock, Richie De Leat and some Italian they signed for 2.5 mil on loan!

Iv banned myself from football manager for the time being, at least untill next friday, exams next week dont want my revision time been impeeded by hours and hours of football manager

For some reason, the game was running really slow, and i was forced to tun my laptop off. When i've loaded it back up, my last saved game (my Man City game) has vanished, and is no longer available to load. Does anyone know whats happened or if there is any way to get the game back?

Into my second season as Liverpool now. Finished 5th in my first season, Tottenham finishing 4th on goal difference. Finally got some transfer budget for the 2010/2011 season of £20million. Signed Kris Boyd for £12m, Michael Johnson for £9m and got Van Der Vaart on loan from Real Madrid.



The one annoying thing is when you sell a player, for example, I sold Benayoun for £7.5m but I only got £2m of that money to spend on other transfers...

Totally agree, I am trying to sell him but nobody wants him...



Forgot to say I signed Deco for £750k aswell, he's pretty good..

I got Deco on a free at City, as a back up, and he was pretty rubbish to be honest. Maybe i was using him wrong, but he was playing rubbish and was only really used as a back up so didn't play an awful lot, so all he did was moan despite signing a contract stating he was back up. Lost my saved game anyway, going to start a new one.

Just beat United 6-2 on my City game. Santa Cruz and Adebayor are on fire.

Both are very good on mine too, as well as Tevez. Bellamy is also good, although i found his value dropped quite a lot in the second season, despite him playing well regularly.

I've used him mainly as a back up.



I had an upturn in form when I listened to what Sammy Lee had to say about tactics. It works a treat. 4-4-2 and 4-4-1-1 seem to work very well as formations. Gerrard in particular is class in the 4-4-1-1 formation and Salomon Kalou has been a great signing for me. Him and Torres up front are dynamite as a pairing.



I've won the title after Chelsea blew it at home to Fulham in their 2nd to last game and I went into my last game as champions. Got a Europa Cup Final and FA Cup final to come. I hope I get the £20m you got pal, I could do with a good defender. Agger and Skrtel get quite a few injuries and Kyriagos is w*nk.

I apologise if this has already been posted many times but im not going through everypage (i have read the last 2) I am tempted to get the new 2010 game but i read somewhere that you cannot just have the game info bar along the bottom during the match and you have to have the 3d match engine. Is that correct as it would put me off getting it. Thanks

You don't have to have the 3D match engine at all, I run with just 2D, and if by the infobar you mean the report of what's going on (like in Champ man of old) then that's still there too.

Yes indeed i do just mean the match report in old champ man. Thanks i will have to purchase it then i think

Just make sure that under the 'Highlights' tab under the match screen you select "Only Commentary" - it will speed things up.

Had a massive summer going into my second season.



Sold:



Zabaleta

RSC

Bridge

Bellamy

Given (released)

Etuhu

Caicedo sp

Jo

Logan



And a few others who escape my memory.



Signed:



Lisandro Lopez

Criscito

Mathias Jorgensen

Sandro

Wilshere

Jovetic

Omer Toprak

Eduardo Salvio



As well as a load of youngsters. Things are looking good but I struggle to get the best from Tevez in the 4-4-2, anyone got him firing?

Tevez does very well for me, but i just play him either just behind the striker in a 4-4-1-1 or i play him as a complete forward. Saying that though, all my strikers are a bit hit and miss, they go through stages of being fantastic, then they will be rubbish for a few weeks.

Do you play Gerrard just behind Torres in the 4-4-1-1 formation? Or in the centre midfield role?



Agger doesn't really play for me and Skrtel is constantly injured, ut I have to disagree about Kyriagos, he's a pretty solid centre back for me, probably helped by him being a World Cup runner up with Greece though (he scored my first goal of the season with a cracking 25-yard volley anyway, and he got another in the second game.)



The Europa league puts you too many games behind everyone else at the start of the season, I was supposed to play Bristol City 2nd game of the season but I don't play them until a midweek game after 8 games of the season. For some reason, Reina has gone Sh*t too, I have conceded 11 goals in 5 league games and he had a shocker against Chelsea when I lost 5-1...

I normally use two formations, 4-4-2 and 4-1-1.



4-4-2:



Reina



Johnson

Skrtel / Agger

Carragher

Aurelio



Kuyt (winger)

Gerrard (attacking midfield - attack)

Mascherano (ball winning midfielder - defend)

Riera (winger)



Torres (target man)

Kalou (complete forward)



4-4-1



Reina



Johnson

Skrtel / Agger

Carragher

Aurelio



Kuyt (winger)

Aquilani / Lucas (support)

Mascherano (ball winning midfielder - defend)

Riera / Kalou (winger)



Gerrard (advanced playmaker)



Torres (Target man)

Oli! Is that some kind of sick joke?!