The Footy Manager » Players

FM2010 – Free Transfer Deals & Steals

Niall — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 19:31:50 +0000

Well Football Manager 2010 (FM2010) is coming and we all know when you start the game one of the first things you do is to have a little look at those free transfer deals to get you going. The pickings maybe are not quite as good as they have been in past years but here is a little list of a few players I think are worth a little punt on the free transfer market in Football Manager 2010 (FM2010). This is a little guesswork at this stage but I’ll amend and update once the game is out on Friday.

Attackers

David Conolly – ST, age 32: Great little signing for League 1 clubs

Rune Lange – ST, age 32: Effective target man at mid to low Championship level and below

Michael Mifsud – ST, 28: Will do a great job at League 1 level

Ebi Smolarek - ST, age 28: Very effective in the Championship and lower end Premiership sides

Midfielders

Dietmar Hamann – DM/MD, age 35: GREAT signing for Championship sides although might only sign for some of the bigger ones

Ivan Campo – DM/MC, age 35: Like Hamann will do a great job in the Championship

Matty Holland - DM/MC, age 35: Good signing in League 1 and maybe at the lower end of the Championship

David Noble – AMC, age 27: Good for League 1 but probably not higher

Defenders

Sol Campbell – DC, age 36: Won’t cut the mustard in the Premiership but very effective in the Championship.

Lauren – DR , age 32: Good solid right back for Championship sides

Competition – Underrated Players

Niall — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 19:17:48 +0000

Right guys after the success of our last competition I think it’s time for another thefootymanager.com competition.

Once again it’s a simple comment to win competition which gives everybody who isn’t as gifted with words as good a chance as somebody who is to win. Although I want this one to provide worthwhile information to the thousands of daily visitors to thefootymanager.com so it will take just a little thought.

So what do I do

All you have to do to have a chance of winning is tell us who you think the most underrated players in Football Manager 2009 are in the comment box at the bottom of the page. The more information the better because it helps people looking for potential bargain buys although if you just want to drop a name in then that works just as well.

What can I win?

Well the lovely people at Sports Interactive (SI) have provided us with 3 packs of Limited Edition Football Manager Top Trumps so that is one pack for three lucky people.

I’m not a user of Top Trumps myself but I have flicked through a pack of them and they look very cool and I have looked on Google and can’t see where you can buy them so they do indeed look very limited.

When Can I enter?

Now, get posting in the comments below and I look forward to seeing what you guys have to say.

Participants can post comments until the 17th of January 2009. The comments will be closed on the 18th of January at 00:01 GMT.

FM09 – English Wonderkids?

Niall — Sun, 23 Nov 2008 16:39:06 +0000

This article was submitted by regular site visitor Claude Barry, if you would be interested in submitting an article get in touch.

In FM08 I choose to manage England, Chelsea and Newcastle. I like many others I love signing English wonderkids (which is crucial if you’re managing England as a country) however it seems like most of the good wonderkids in FM09 are from other countries so here is a list of some of the player who have impressed me so far on FM09 and were great on FM08;

Players who are top four Premier League standard

Billy Sharp – Sheffield United
Ryan Taylor – Wigan
Steven Taylor -Newcastle
Curtis Davies – Aston Villa
Scott Flinders- Crystal Palace
Leighton Baines – Everton
Giles Barnes – Derby
Nedum Onuoha – Man City

Players who I would consider good enough to play for England

Joe Mattock – Leicester
Michael woods – Chelsea
Michael Johnson – Man City
Adam Johnson – Middlesbrough
Victor Moses- Crystal Palace
Paul Anderson – Nottingham City
Scott Sinclair – Chelsea
Matt Derbyshire -Blackburn
Chris Taylor – Oldham

These are all of the players that I have found and would consider as wonderkids if you have any other suggestions excluding all of the obvious ones then please comment .

Football Manager 2009 Wonderkids

Niall — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 19:38:42 +0000

As we all know Football Manager 2009 (FM09) is out although we are all having issues running the the bad boy. Although it’s early days I thought it might be a good idea for us to try and identify who we think the new future wonderkids in FM09 are. I’m sure some of the wonderkids from FM08 will be there again (I’m thinking Saivet, Vela, Bojan etc) but I’m thinking we should be able to pull some new names out of the hat. That said feel free to throw in some of the old names in there but you get less kudos if you do.

The obvious (and expensive):

Anderson (AMC) – Man Utd
Balotelli (AM RL, ST) – Inter
Giovinco (AM LC, FC) – Juventus
Walcott (AM LC, FC) – Arsenal
Bojan (FC) – Barcelona
Aguero (AM, FC) – At. Madrid
Dos Santos ( AM RLC, FC) – Tottenham
Fiorillo (GK) – Sampdoria
Galvan (Cruz Azul)
Hamsik (Napoli)
Kroos (FC Bayern)
Pato (A.C. Milan)
Pjanic (Olympique Lyonnais)
Benzema (Olympique Lyonnais)
Saivet (FC Girondins de Bordeaux)
Sakho (Paris Saint-Germain)
Vela (Arsenal)

Less obvious (not so expensive):

Bruna (Liverpool)
Boucher (Havre Athletic Club)
Alamo (Tapachula)
David Rochela (Deportivo B)
Ansaldi (Rubin)
Wijnaldum (Feyenoord)
De Gea (Atletico B)
Diaz (River)
Villaluz (Cruz Azul)
Walter (Internacional)
Wilshere (Arsenal)
Kolodziecziak (Racing Club de Lens)
Paulo Henrique (Santos)
Maidana (Spartak Moscow)
Davila (Chivas)
Nemeth (Liverpool)
Willian (Shakhtar)
Neymar (Santos)
Taison (Internacional)
Welbeck (Man Utd)
Tales (Internacional)
Monzon (Boca)
Hobbit Bermudez (Atlante)
Esparza (Chivas)
Fleck (Rangers)
Dalla Valle (Liverpool)
Delfouneso (Aston Villa)
Shea (FC Dallas)

Right that’ll do to start the ball rolling so who do you think the wonderkids of FM09 are?

What would you like to see in the next version of Football Manager? Let us know in our Football Manager 2010 wishlist.

Bojan Krkić – Player Profile

Niall — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 13:52:04 +0000

Bojan Krkic was born in Linyola (Catalonia) on 28th August 1990. In just one season, from 2006-07 to 2007-08, this promising young forward has made the leap from Juvenil A to the first team. Along the way he played the second part of the season with Barça B in Second Division B.

Bojan joined Barça in 1999 becoming part of the Benjamí A boys squad. His rise through the ranks of the Barça academy teams was meteoric: Aleví B (2000-01), Aleví A (2001-02), Infantil B (2002-03), Infantil A (2003-04) and Cadet B (2004-05). He started the 2005-06 season with the Cadet A team but was soon promoted up to Juvenil A. The pattern was repeated in the 2006-07 season, which he began with Juvenil A and finished with Barça B.

During his half season with Barça B, he scored 10 goals and became the team’s top scorer.

His big breakthrough came in 2007 when he won the European under-17 Championship with Spain, scoring the winning goal in the final against England (1-0). He also made his first team debut with Barça on 24th April against Al-Ahly in Egypt, scoring Barça’s second goal.

Bojan played the 2007-08 pre-season with the first team. But the Catalan forward missed out on the Asian tour due to his participation at the Under 17 World Cup in Korea. He scored five goals in the tournament, and was the star of a Spain side that finished second, while he was also named third best player of the tournament.

Back in Barcelona, Rijkaard handed the youngster his first chances both in the League and the Champions League. He set two records, becoming both the youngest Barça player ever to make his debut in the Champions league and the youngest player ever to score a league goal for Barça. The first record was achieved on September 19 2007, against Olympique Lyon, when he was 17 years and 22 days; the second was against Villarreal, on October 20 of the same year, when he scored aged just 17 years, 1 month and 22 days.

Full Name: Bojan Krkić
DOB: 28/08/1990 (age 17)
POB: Linyola, Lleida, Spain
Clubs: FC Barcelona (2007-)
Position: Striker
Number: 27
Preferred Foot: Right

[ratings]

Football Manager 2008 Bargain Buys

Niall — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 12:19:40 +0000

A few people have been in touch looking for good cheap players in Football Manager 2008 for teams lower down the leagues and without too much cash. Well I’ll start the ball rolling with some players for under 100k. Don’t expect these players to do the business for the likes if Liverpool and Real Madrid but lower down the divisions and in the right term they could be great!

Name: Peter Winn
Age: 18
Position: AML ST
Club: Scunthorpe
Value: 24k
Work permit: No

Name: Fabrice Fernandes
Age: 27
Position: AMRL
Club: Free
Value: Free
Work permit: No

Name: Bogdan Stancu
Age: 20
Club: Unirea Urziceni
Position: ST
Value: 50k
Work permit: No

Name:Mohammad Tadayon
Age:23
Position:ST
Club:Linkoping
Value:1k
Work permit: No

Name: Patrik Lomski
Age: 18
Position: AM/ST
Club: Turun Palloseura
Value: Free
Work permit: No

Name: Owen Price
Age: 20
Position: AMR,ST
Value: Free
Work permit: No

Name: Scott Donnelly
Age: 19
Position: AMRC
Value: Free
Work permit: No

Name: Oscar Carmelo Sanchez
Age: 36 (few years left in the tank)
Position: SW, DC
Club: Bolivar
Value: 7k
Work permit: Yes

Name: Marian Ognyanov
Age: 18
Position: AMLC
Club: Levski
Value: Free
Work permit: No

Name: Alex Fernandez
Age: 20
Position: Striker
Club: Coslada
Value: free (get there quick)
Work permit: No

Name: Sean Evans
Age: 19
Position: D/AML
Club: Man Utd
Value: 35k
Work permit: No

Name: Rhys Day
Age: 24
Position: DC
Club: Aldershot
Value: 30k
Work permit: No

Feel free to submit your own to give people the best selection we can and follow the format:

Name:
Age:
Position:
Club:
Value:
Work permit:

[ratings]

Sebastian Giovinco – Player Profile

Niall — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 23:58:04 +0000

Lets have a little look at yet another of our crop of wonderkids in Football Manager 2008 and this time it’ll be Juventus’ little attacking midfield sensation Sebastian Giovinco.

Giovinco a 21 year old forward for the Juventus primavera squad has made some headlines over the last twelve months and his performances have lead to the “next Del Piero” comparisons which have also been put upon past primavera stars Davide Chiumiento, Michele Paolucci, Rey Volpato, and recently Raffaele Palladino. Chiumiento being the most highly rated out of the group.

Giovinco impressed many at the Copa Carnevale tournament last season scoring twice against Palermo and then again against Malaysian. The young forward seems to have an easier path to Juventus first team football then past primavera strikers, due to the new UEFA regulations mandating home grown talent. Giovinco has impressive skills, excellent speed and finishing abilities which of course encouraged the Del Piero comparisons. The only knock is his size and very small frame but still only 21 has time to develop. He is also a staple in the Italian Under 21 team, he has excelled in the primavera squad and is getting recognition from abroad.

Apart from all this speculation, the forward is being held in high regards and may pass Palladino in the ranks if he continues his impressive form. In the Moggi era a player like this was sure to be loaned out and left to rot (Chiumiento, Guzman, Masiello, Volpato, Sculli). Hopefully with the new management and new regulations Giovinco along with other primavera starlets will be able to stick with the bianconeri.

Full Name: Sebastian Giovinco
DOB: 26/01/1987 (age 21)
POB: Turin, Italy
Clubs: Juventus (2006-), Empoli (2007-2008)*
Position: Attacking Midfielder/Striker
Number: 21
Preferred Foot: Right

*on loan

[ratings]

Henri Saivet – Player Profile

Niall — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 13:16:32 +0000

We’ll have a quick look today at attacking midfielder/forward Henri Saivet who for me is probably the best wonderkid in Football Manager 2008.

While he can technically be picked up for free at the start of the game I have found it pretty difficult to do so and have usually had to pay around £5 million to from his French club Girondins Bordeaux. Either way, when you do pick him up he goes from strength to strength.

Saivet was promoted from the FC Girondins Bordeaux new youth training centre to the first team squad on his 16th birthday making him the youngest professional player in history of the the club. Coach Philipe Lucas, in an interview on the evaluation of 18 years has certified that “Henry is a player who plays with a pleasure and a rare opportunism.” As for Patrick Battiston, he confirmed that “the speed of the game and his technique were the strengths of a game brought forward.”

Full Name: Henri Saivet
DOB: 26/10/1990 (age 17)
POB: Dakar
Clubs: Girondins Bordeaux (2006-)
Position: Attacking Midfielder/Striker
Number: 25
Preferred Foot: Right

[ratings]

Lulinha – Player Profile

Niall — Sun, 03 Feb 2008 14:32:03 +0000

This is number three in our series looking at the wonderkids of Football Manager 2008 and how they are getting on in real life.

Attacking midfielder Lulinha really goes on to get things in Football Manager 2008 and can be picked up for less than £1 million if you get in there early enough… He really is a must and doesn’t have issues signing for Championship sides, the greats have to start somewhere!

Lulinha was born in Maua, a Brazilian village in the State of São Paulo on 10/04/90. He started as a futsal player before joining the Corinthians youth system at the age of 8. A prolific attacking midfielder, he helped the Brazilian national team to win the 2007 U-17 South-American Championship, scoring 12 goals in 7 matches. In 2007 he played in the Pan American Games and scored 3 goals in 3 games.

There is much speculation involving Lulinha’s transfer to Europe, but at the end of 2007 he signed a new contract with his club Corinthians, committing himself to the club until 2012. Corinthian President Andres Sanchez added “to take him off Corinthians, the interested club would have to pay 35 million Euro (£24million), and the player has 25 per cent of his rights”. E

Full Name: Luiz Marcelo Morais dos Reis
DOB: 10/04/1990 (age 17)
POB: Maua, SP, Brazil
Clubs: Corinthians (2007-)
Position: Attacking Midfielder
Number: 19
Preferred Foot: Right

[ratings]

Oscar Ustari – Player Profile

Niall — Sat, 02 Feb 2008 16:02:39 +0000

This is number two in our series looking at the wonderkids of Football Manager 2008 and how they are getting on in real life.

By far and away the best young goalkeeper in the game and a sure fire wonderkid we are going to have a quick look at Oscar Ustari.

Ustari played in children’s league in his native Argentina with Club Atlético Rivadavia before moving to Independiente at age 14. He first shot to prominence as part of a strong Argentinian side at the World Under-17 Championship in 2003 and made his professional debut in the Argentine first division in 2005, later going on to be the goalkeeper for the Argentina Under-20 team that won the 2005 Football World Youth Championship, which took place in the Netherlands (Holland).

On May 15, 2006 he was named by coach José Pekerman as a squad member of the Argentine team for the 2006 World Cup.

On January 4, 2007 reports emerged claiming he has been signed by FC Barcelona on a pre-contract deal due to begin in July 2007, with the fee believed to be in the region of £7 million. As it turns out it was in fact Getafe CF secured his services on July 4, for a fee of £4.5 million.

Full Name: Oscar Alfredo Ustari
DOB: 03/07/1986 (age 21)
POB: América, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Clubs: Independiente (2005-2007), Getafe CF (2007-)
Position: Goalkeeper
Number: 25
Preferred Foot: Right

[ratings]