The football manager Blog

Liverpool linked with Eric Abidal, Do They Need Him?

2011-11-20T00:03:00.001+08:00

Of course, this is all rumors but would Liverpool be interested in Eric Abidal. As some of you may be aware, Abidal's contract is soon running out at World champions, FC Barcelona. As a versatile defender, he would definitely be a great acquisition for any team but I don't think he is a necessity for Liverpool. At the age of 32, he would definitely go against Liverpool's policy of buying young players. Also, although Liverpool has been ravaged by injury problems in the past, their defense has been performing admirably this season. Despite having a lot of experience, he would be a redundant purchase for Liverpool, especially if he is looking for first team football. Liverpool is well packed in the defensive department. At right back, they have Johnson, Kelly, Flannagan and Carragher (as an emergency). In the middle, they have Agger, Skrtel, Coates, and Carragher. At left back, they have the versatile Enrique, Aurelio, and Glen Johnson (who can play on either ends). What do you think? Would he be a good purchase for Liverpool?

Chelsea vs Liverpool: Match Preview

2011-11-18T07:04:00.001+08:00

Chelsea and Liverpool will lock horns at the Stamford Bridge and with two of the former Reds, Fernando Torres and Raul Meireles, more or less establishing themselves in starting eleven, it will be interesting to see who will take away all the glory on Saturday. Other than team pride and glory, there is a lot more at stake. Both teams have faltered recently, both only gaining 9 points from the last 5 games. Games between Chelsea and Liverpool tends to be a cagey affair. There has only been eight goals scored between them in the last nine games.

It will be interesting to see the tactics set forth by Kenny Dalglish. Will he continue to place his trust on Andy Carroll, a player who missed a sitter last time round against Swansea? Or will he make a brave decision and play an offensive line up including Bellamy, Suarez, and Maxi Rodriguez? That said, Liverpool's cause has not been helped by the recent announcement of Luis Suarez's charge against racism. Having been hounded by the media for quite some time, Luis Suarez would not be affected too much by the incident but it would definitely be a huge blow on Liverpool's part if it leads to a lengthy time on the sidelines.

The key battle will lie in the midfield. Dalglish will probably settle with an established partnership between Lucas and Charlie Adam. Despite his passing endeavors, Adam is known to be slow so he will definitely need to be on hand when going up against players like Lampard. Chelsea will have to be wary of Luis Suarez, who may look to bounce back from the disappointment of recent premier league games. Don't forget he scored four times for Uruguay this past international weekend! Who do you think will win? How would this game fare on Football Manager? Let us know.

Liverpool - Charlie Adam: Hit or Miss?

2011-11-16T06:41:00.001+08:00

Charlie Adam hasn't exactly set the world alight when he made his move to Liverpool FC. I think it is fair to say that he did have some great games so far in the Premier League, but his lack of pace and perhaps fitness is not boding well with the tactics that Kenny Dalglish wants to employ with his new-look squad.

While in Blackpool, Charlie Adam was best known for his array of passing and dead ball situations. Whether it is short or long, he was capable of making THE pass at the right moment. In Liverpool, he has shown some glimpse of his passing potential but it seems the pressure is catching up with him. With Liverpool employing a four man midfield, Adam has to cover more ground than he had to do while in Blackpool. I think most Liverpool fans would agree with me that he tends to well in the first half but starts to fade rapidly once the second half kicks in. That said, it is only his first season in Liverpool so it is too early to judge whether he will become a hit or miss. I am fully confident in the Scotsman and he would be able to replicate the success of previous Scottish Liverpool players like the main man himself, Kenny Dalglish.

Now that was in real life. How does he fare in Football Manager 2012? He has great passing attributes so if you are looking for a cheaper version of Xabi Alonso then you may as well invest in Charlie Adam. What do you think? Have you had him in your squad before?

Dirt Pitches available on Football Manager 2012?

2011-11-09T08:23:00.004+08:00

Feel free to correct me if I am wrong but now you can have teams play on dirt pitches on Football Manager 2012. Unfortunately, I took a break with FM2011 so I am not sure if it was available since then but it's still a nice touch by Sports Interactive. It'll be awesome if they add more weather interactivity into future game editions. What do you think?

Small Things that Annoy People on Football Manager 2012

2011-11-09T08:18:00.000+08:00

There has been some great improvements on the latest series of Football manager, but of course not every game can be perfect. In this light-hearted post, we have a look at some of the small but insignificant things that annoy managers in FM2012. Feel free to add your own by using the comment form below!

Mine is the text "Player X will feel he could have won the game for team Y" when said player misses a good chance and his team loses by a goal. No, player X will feel he could have snatched a point. This text line has been in the game for years and years and annoys me every time I see it.

When you concede that a refereeing decision against your team was correct. I had a goal rightly ruled out for offside, and I admitted in the post-match interview that the referee was right.

When the ball misses target, hits advertising boards and bounces back through the net!
The GK then goes and gets the ball which is now back on pitch to take goal kick.

Watching a player wander sloooooowly across to the referee, accept the telling off, then walk away before he receives the yellow card. Dissent methinks.

Subs coming onto the pitch before the player being taken off has left the field of play.

When the ref's performance for giving a penalty is stated for the opposite team.
eg. "Chester were furious with the ref for awarding a penalty in the 84th minute." When in actual fact it was the other team that gave the penalty away so why should Chester be furious!?

FM Player of the Day: Luis Guilherme [Botafogo]

2011-11-09T08:12:00.000+08:00

Name: Luis Guilherme

Nationality: Brazilian

Brazil is a country filled with way too many footballing talents. Over the past decade, countless numbers of Brazilian wonderkids have made their mark in the beautiful game. Unfortunately, most if not all of these talents only shine in the attacking departments. If there is one department which the Brazilians lack in, then it is the goalkeeping department. Let's talking about inconsistent and prone to error. Heurelho Gomez, Dida, Julio Cesar... They are all Brazilian goalkeepers who have been prone at some point in their lives. Luis Guilherme is seen as a Brazilian keeper who can break the trend of bad Brazilian goalkeepers. At the young age of 19, he has already attracted the eyes of big European clubs like Manchester City.

In the beginning of a Football manager game, he has average stats. For example, his handling, kicking, and decision attributes stand at 12. Despite the average stats, he is someone who can improve quickly if he is given regular game time. As displayed by one Football manager, his stats improve dramatically by 2019. For example, his command of the area attribute rises to 16, his handling goes up to 18, and reflexes also go up to 18. If you are willing to take a risk on youth then Guilherme can be your main man between the stick for years to come.

How to become a national team coach on Football Manager 2012

2011-11-06T08:25:00.004+08:00

Tired of only managing a team in a professional league? Why don't you try and broaden your career to the international stage? Be wary about it though. Some chairman won't be too happy with a manager who is juggling with both a national and international team. On Football Manager 2012, you can easily become an international coach if you have a decent reputation as a league manager.

Unfortunately, if there is already a coach in your favored international team, you will probably have to wait a little while until that slot becomes vacant. You cannot unsettle another international coach by expressing your interest in becoming an international coach, although it would be pretty awesome if that was allowed on FM2012.

Your best chance of becoming an international coach is after an international tournament like the World Cup. Normally a lot of coaches get fired or decide to leave by mutual consent at that stage, regardless of how successful they were.

FM Player of the Day: Yaya Sanogo [Auxurre]

2011-11-06T08:19:00.001+08:00

Name: Yaya Sanogo

Nationality: French

Yaya Sanogo is a French footballer who current plays for French team, Auxurre. On an international level, he has represented the French U16, U17, and U19. We think it won't be long until he represents the senior French team. Although he has yet to make many first team appearances for Auxurre, many rate this striker highly.

In the beginning of Football Manager 2012, his stats as a striker does not seem to be that great. For example, his finishing is 14, heading is 15, and technique is 13. However, if you give him a few years then he can turn into a decent striker. According to one Football manager, by 2019, he had awesome physical attributes. For example, his acceleration goes up to 16, balance and jumping goes up to 17, and strength goes up to 18. He can play as a decent target man.

Luckily, he can be purchased for a relatively low transfer fee. You should be able to snap him up easily if you are in the premier league. Some managers have bought him for just 3.2 million pounds and sold him off for 15 million pounds a few years later. What do you think? Is Yaya Sanogo a hit or miss?

What makes a great freekick taker on Football manager 2012?

2011-11-05T05:32:00.001+08:00

In football, it has become a paramount importance for teams to have deadball specialists, like Juninho. How does that fare for managers playing Football manager 2012? In this post, we have a look at what it takes for a player to have great freekick taking skills. Yes, there may already be an attribute on FM2012 that determines the freekick ability, but there is more to it than just one attribute.

Composure
Imagine you are playing in the Champions League final, your team wins a free kick in a great position. 9 out of 10 you will score, but all the pressure is mounting from the opposing fans. What if you miss? Will you be condemned by your home fans for the rest of the life? It is key for players to have great composure attributes when taking a freekick. It keeps them focused on the task at hand.

Creativity
Some managers have commented that creativity is also important for great freekick takers.

Finishing
For obvious reasons, finishing is an important stat for freekick takers, from both short and long range.

Remember, free kicks are not all direct. Therefore, you also want players who can put some great crosses in the box, especially if you have players who can head like Tim Cahill and Mario Gomez. Therefore, decision making is another important attribute a freekick taker should have. If you can find a player who has a mix of all the above attributes then you may have just found yourself a great dead ball specialist.

Freekick specialists in Football Manager 2012
Rafael Van der Vaart, David Beckham, Darijo Srna, Oscar Cardozo, Shunsuke Nakamura

What is junior coaching on Football Manager 2012?

2011-11-05T05:22:00.005+08:00

Football manager 2012 has introduced many new features to the game that were absent in previous versions. One such feature is the junior coaching feature. So what exactly is junior coaching? It determines how well your youth players are coached before they are generated into the game. Therefore, it will most likely affect a player's current and potential ability. By the way, that's little Xavi up there in the photo.

This feature is really useful for those who like to follow Arsene Wenger's policy, youth over established stars. You can increase the funds available for junior coaching by going to the board request screen. Have you had experiences with the junior coaching feature? How well has it fared for you?

Can't hold a lead on Football Manager 2012. What should I do?

2011-11-05T02:53:00.003+08:00

So the game starts off really well, your team scores one (or maybe two goals) in the first half but everything turns dreadful once the game restarts. Your players lose momentum and they become slightly complacent. Are you in this scenario on Football manager 2012? We have a look at a few solutions to help your team hold on to the lead on Football manager 2012.

1. Do your players have a high concentration level?
Talking about complacency, it is important for your players to maintain a high level of concentration throughout the whole game. Some players are infamous for falling apart near the end of the game. This is especially important for goalkeepers. Have a look at your goalkeeper attributes and see if he is worth the risk. For example, some managers have commented that although Fabianski has decent goalkeeping attributes, he has a measly sum of 10 for concentration. If you are talking about an outfield player, perhaps it may be useful to swap him for someone fresh and raring to go.

2. Switch to a defensive mentality
Some people say that offense is the best form of defense but that is not always the case, especially on Football Manager 2012. Sometimes, instructing your team to be defensive and to keep possession is the best way to keep hold of a lead. However, in order to do that effectively, you will need players who can retain possession and have great passing attributes.

3. Don't experiment too much
In reality, teams and players can only do well if you stick with the same formula, providing that it is a winning formula of course. If you keep switching formations and tactics then players may become confused, hence are more likely to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. If you are experimenting like a mad scientist then perhaps you will need to lighten down a little.

Do you have any other tips to hold on to leads on Football manager 2012? Please let us know by commenting below :)

How to set man marking on Football Manager 2012

2011-11-05T02:45:00.003+08:00

Man marking is often seen as a vital strategy whenever you come up against an opposition striker like Luis Suarez. In this post, we will teach you how to set man marking on Football manager 2012. To do so, go on the match day tactic screen, then player instruction, show instructions, and select the players you want to instruct. You should then be able to see a "marking" box that allows you to select a certain opposition player to man mark.

How often should you man-mark? This really depends on your opposition. If you are playing against a player with a lot of flair and technical abilities, you might want to be careful about who you would use against that player. Simply said, a defender with good tackling and heading attributes is not always seen as a good choice for man marking. You might want to consider players who have good marking and game reading abilities such as Mascherano, Cambiasso, and Yaya Toure etc.

Have you had success with man marking? If you have any tips to share with our fellow readers then please post using the comment below. Thanks!

Football Manager 2012 Free Transfers in the beginning of the season

2011-11-05T02:03:00.002+08:00

Is your team low on cash? Don't worry. There is always a plethora of free agents you can pick from in the beginning of the season. We have picked the cream of the crop on Football Manager 2012 when it comes to free agents. If we missed out on any players then please let us know!

Goalkeeper
Richard Kingson
Maik Taylor
Simon Pouplin
Stephan Loboue

Defender
Marco Materazzi
Arne Friedrich
Sol Campbell
Ray Frankel
Laurent Clerbois
Jlloyd Samuel
Stuart Parnaby
Andreas Hinkel

Midfielders
Mahamadou Diarra (must get!)
Richard Hughes
Robert Pires
Moustapha Salifou
Quinton Fortune
Jason Koumas
Elrio Van Heerden
James McFadden
Boudewijn Zenden
Kelvin Etuhu
El-Hadji Diouf (would you really want him?)

Strikers
Danny Webber
Francis Jeffers
Samuel Yeboah
Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink
Marcus Bent
James Beattie

Anyone else you want to recommend on our free agent list?

FM Player of the Day: Mateo Musacchio [Villareal]

2011-11-05T01:31:00.001+08:00

Name: Mateo Musacchio

Nationality: Argentinean

Those of you who have been playing the Football manager series for a long time will be familiar with Mateo Musacchio. He has been labeled a wonderkid since the early days of FM. Now it looks like he is finally fulfilling his potential at Spanish club, Villareal. In the 2009-10 season, he played 22 games and score 3 goals, not a bad return for a central defender!

Musacchio was born on 26th August 1990 (currently age 21). Unfortunately, he is not the tallest of defenders. He stands at 1.80 m. Therefore, he may not be the best when dealing with high crosses but his other attributes makes up for his one downside. Mateo is a defender who is comfortable with the ball so if you are looking for a player who can play from theback then Musacchio may be your man. His current transfer value stands at around seven to eight million pounds.

Mateo Musacchio has great physical attributes. Most of his physical stats are above 15! For example, he has a 17 for strength and stamina. This can only improve should you play him on a constant basis. He also has a high anticipation and marking attribute, which is essential for a defender. What do you think of Musacchio? Would you buy him? Let us know!

Want to play in the Lower English Leagues? Southern, Isthmian & Northern Leagues

2011-11-04T04:24:00.002+08:00

So you already fulfilled your premier league dream by winning with Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea... getting a little bored now are we? If you want to play a lower English team like FC United, Stafford, and Bedworth then all you need to do is download this database modification by Uncle Ron. This should work with Football Manager 2012. What better glory than to lead your regional team to premier league glory (even if it ends up taking over ten season)?

Football Manager Steam Error: "Preparing to launch Football Manager 2012"

2011-11-04T04:18:00.000+08:00

Some of our readers have notified us that they have been having loading issues on Steam. When they click the Football manager 2012 icon, the Steam client opens but nothing occurs after. Are you also having this issue? Here is the exact message reported by the gamer.

What happens is, I click the FM2012 shortcut on my desktop to start it up, which then starts up Steam, saying "Connecting Steam Account: RedFromNZ" but FM2012 never loads like it was doing so previously. If I go to my Games menu and click 'Play', still nothing. If I go to shut down Steam it says something along the lines of "Please quit FM2012 before shutting down Steam."

As of now, there is no official solution to this issue. The best way forward as of now is to send in a ticket to Steam or Sega support. If you managed to fix this solution on your own then please spread the words by commenting below. Thanks!

FM Player of the Day: Thibaut Courtois [Chelsea]

2011-11-04T04:12:00.004+08:00

Name: Thibaut Courtois

Nationality: Belgian

A highly regarded Goalkeeper, especially on Football Manager 2012, Courtois was captured by Chelsea and loaned out to Atletico Madrid since 2011. Astonishingly, he is only 19 years old. Normally, coaches have reservations about fielding such a young keeper due to their inexperience but Courtois is a definitely a whole new level. He has stayed between the sticks for Atletico on seven occasions, and he is expected to be continue being the main man due to his outstanding performances.

Yes, in the picture, he might look like a little kid but don't let that fool you. He has a tall frame (1.98 m) and he is definitely in line to succeed Petr Cech once he retires or transfers from Chelsea. Although he might come at a high price, he is definitely worth the money. In 2011, he might appear to be a little raw on Football manager 2012. His best attributes include Aerial ability (19), Reflexes (17), and jumping (19). If your team is struggling to deal with crosses then you may want to give this young fella a chance because he will deal with them well.

FM Player of the Day: Jonjo Shelvey [Liverpool]

2011-11-03T08:59:00.001+08:00

Name: Jonjo Shelvey

Nationality: English

Jonjo Shelvey is a talented English footballer who definitely has what it takes to succeed at his current club, Liverpool. Shelvey is currently on loan at Blackpool and has already scored five goals in just six appearances. He is a great prospect on Football Manager 2012. You will need to play him on a regular basis in order for him to grow in skills and stature. Although, he is only 19 years old, he is already highly regarded by current Liverpool manager, Kenny Dalglish. According to one football manager, he had to part with 18 million pounds in order to capture the signing of Jonjo Shelvey.

If you are in the English leagues then he would definitely be worth the risk, if you take into account the home grown rules and such. Have any of you bought him or had him in the squad? What do you think? Will you recommend him to other football managers? Let us know!

Football Manager FM 2012 wont start up, MAC OSX 10.6.8 (Mac Book Pro)

2011-10-27T07:53:00.002+08:00

Are you having issues loading Football Manager 2012 on a Macbook Pro? Some users have reported that they were not able to start up FM2012 on MAC OSX 10.6.8. This is the explanation given by one of the users.

"Hello guys I wonder if you could help me with an issue I am having, FM12 installed correctly and everything seemed fine, but when i try and start the game up it looks as though it is about to boot up just fine (preparing to launch etc) and then just stops doing anything. I did see a thread somewhere saying that their graphics card may be under spec but I don't see how my Mac Book Pro would be when it's more powerful than the computer i'm currently using to play the game.
It did the same thing with the demo but i presumed it was just a demo bug, is there anything anyone knows i can do?"

If you are having an issue then you may want to try and delete the gaming cache. To do this, first close Football Manager and other associated programs. Once closed, go to the Mac Finder, Macintosh HD, Users, Home Folder, Library, Caches, Sports Interactive, Football Manager 2012, and delete all the content that appears in the folder. Some users have reported success with the solution.

Carlos Tevez - A worthy risk?

2011-10-27T07:47:00.003+08:00

Most of you football fanatics would know that Carlos Tevez is a big trouble maker. Most recently, he was punished by his club, Manchester City, for "refusing" to come on as a sub during the Champions League match against Bayern Munich. I don't think we will ever find out his true intentions but his history is counting against him. Funnily enough, Sports Interactive has taken account of his situation and many of the football managers have reported him as a reserve team member of the Manchester City.

Unfortunately, he still seems to come at a premium price on Football Manager 2012. Some users have reported that Man City wanted a minimum sum of 51 million. Don't be fooled by such a sum. One of the users on the SI forum wrote that he was able to purchase him for just five million. It just requires a bit of convincing and negotiating. With such as a measly price, you should definitely consider having Carlos Tevez in your Football Manager squad. Here are some quotes from fellow Football Managers on the current situation of Carlos Tevez (based on their game experience).

"He's in City reserves at the start of the third season. Unregistered. With value at 4.1m but 51m asking price."

"Conveniently I'm in May 2014... Tevez is in Man City's reserve squad. He has one more month to go than he's out of contract. He's played one game for City over the past two seasons, probably off the bench since he didn't seem to do anything in it. He's transfer listed by request and has clearly been that way for a while, with no one interested and/or able to pay his wages."

"4 and a bit seasons into my FM11 save, Tevez is a prolific scorer for City scoring 20+ goals in the last 2 seasons."

"Im just starting my 4th season and Mr Tevez was left to rot for 3 seasons at City where he made 3 prem starts and 4 sub apps, scoring twice. He also featured in 12 cup games, scoring 3 times and one sub app in Europe. He is now 30 and moved to Boca on a £16,250p/w contract."

What do you think? Are you willing to take the plunge?

Top 5 Asian Wonderkids in Football Manager 2012

2011-10-27T07:15:00.002+08:00

These days, there appears to be a lot of young Asian players breaking into the European football scene. In this post, we have a look at five of the best Asian Wonderkids in Football Manager 2012. Will you be able to coach them into becoming the next Park Ji Sung? There is only one way to find out. The list is in no particular order.

1. Ki Sung Yeung, Celtic
A Korean footballer plying his trades in the Scottish Premier League. Yes, it is not the best league to play in but he has done with to handle the brutal strength and roughness associated with a typical Scottish player. Over the past year, he has been linked to many top clubs such as Arsenal, Bayern Munich and Liverpool. He is known for great dead ball skills, as displayed in the 2010 World Cup. His playing style has earned him the nickname "Korean Gerrard". At the age of 22, there is still plenty of time for him to become a world class player. Also, he should not be too expensive on Football Manager. So far, he has scored 7 goals in 47 appearances for Celtic. Not a bad return for a central midfielder.

2. Ryo Miyaichi, Arsenal
Ryo Miyaichi is yet to have established himself as a first team player for Arsenal but he is definitely getting close. Due to a high level of competition in his position, he was loaned out to Feyenoord and made a great impression. In 12 appearances, he scored 3 goals. This is a great return for a player who is still only 18 years old! On August 2011, he was granted work permit. Therefore, you won't have to worry about any permit issues when signing him on Football Manager.

3. Shinji Kagawa, Dortmund
Shinji Kagawa is an attacking midfielder playing for Borussia Dortmund. He has set alight the Bundesliga with his deft technical skills. In just 26 appearances, he has already scored 10 goals for the first team. He is only 22 years old so he has more room for development. That said, he is a crowd favorite so it will take some cash in order to acquire him on Football Manager.

4. Atsuto Uchida, Schalke
Atsuto Uchida is another Japanese player plying his trade in the Bundesliga, except he plays for Schalke 04. He plays as right back and has already made 29 appearances for Schalke. He is the first Japanese footballer to have reached the semi-finals of the prestigious Champions League.

5. Heung-Min Son
Last but not least, another korean completes our list of the top five Asian prospects in Football Manager 2012. He also plays in the German Bundesliga for Hamburg SV. As a forward, he has so far scored six goals in 20 appearances. He has received the nickname of the "Korean Mueller" and has even received praises from the German legend, Franz Beckenbauer. Quite a feat when he is only 19 years old!

Special mentions...
Jong Tae Se, Bochum
Yuto Nagatomo, Inter

Football Manager 2012 Wonderkids List

2011-10-23T07:59:00.001+08:00

Goalkeepers
David de Gea - Manchester United
Thibaout Courtois - Atlético de Madrid
Wojciech Szczesny - Arsenal
Bernd Leno - Leverkusen
Marc-Andreter Stegen - Borussia Monchegladbach
Kevin Trapp - Kaiserslautern
Rafael - Santos
Neto - Fiorentina
Renan - Corinthians
Maxym Koval - Dinamo de Kiev
Matej Delac - Chelsea
Pierrick Cros - Sochaux
Jason Steele - Middlesbrough
Colin Coosemans - Club Brugge
Alex Smithies - Huddersfield
Thomas Kaminski - Anderlecht
Alphonse Areola - Paris Saint Germain
Vlado Giljen - Nacional da Madeira
Hobie Verhulst - AZ Alkmaar

Centre Back
Phil Jones - Manchester United

Sebastian Coates - Liverpool
Mateo Musacchio -Villareal
Mamadou Sakho - Paris Saint Germain
Kyriakos Papadopoulos - Shalke 04
Stefan Savic - Manchester City
Joel Matip - Shalke 04
Raphael Varane - Real Madrid
Breno - Bayern Munich
Chris Smalling - Manchester United
Nicolas Nkoulou - Olympique Marselha
Jordi Amat - Espanyol
Ezequiel Muñoz - Palermo
Dedryck Boyata-Manchester City
Grant Hanley - Blackburn Rovers
Claran Clark - Aston Villa
Martin Kelly - Liverpool

Left Backs
Fabio - Manchester United
Jose Angel - Roma
Kieran Gibbs- Arsenal
Ryan Bertrand - Chelsea
Alex Sandro - FC Porto
Arman Traore - Queens Park Rangers
Diego Contento - Bayern de Munique
Gabriel Silva - Palmeiras
Darvin Chavez - Monterrey
Jack Robinson - Liverpool
Gabriel Araujo - Cruzeiro
Juninho - Figueirense
Dodo - Bahia
Kevin Theophile - Catherine-Stade Rennais
Raphael Guerreiro - Caen
Heracles - Atlético Paranaense
Diogo - Anderlecht

More to come. If you have anyone else you want to recommend on Football Manager 2012 then please let us know!

Top 10 wonderkids in Football Manager 2010

2009-07-20T20:03:00.004+08:00

The latest version of Football manager 2010 will be hitting the stores this coming fall and one of the many questions which gamers inquire about is who will be the next generation of wonderkids in this upcoming series. Here are the top 10 possible wonderkids I have identified who may make the grade.

10. Fabian Delph
Strong Central Midfielder who currently plays for Leeds United. It won't be long until this rare English player moves on to a bigger club.

9. Dani Pacheco
17 Year old Liverpool striker who currently plies his trade in the reserve team. We are yet to know how the FM team will rate this gem but he has shown his class in the recent Liverpool friendlies. It surely won't be long until he becomes a first team player. Bear in mind he is only 17 and a former player of the Barcelona Academy.

8. Miralem Pjanic
Attacking Midfielder who currently plays for deposed french champions, Olympique Lyon. This potential wonder kid will definitely not come at cheap price. However, now that Karim Benzema left for Real madrid, will the extra playing time benefit his growth in the real world as well as the virtual world?

7. Victor Moses
English striker of Nigerian descent who plays for English Club, Crystal Palace. He is strong, dynamic and has an eye for goal. Currently age 18, he is already featuring in many of Crystal Palace's first team games. This guy really has the potential to be a wonderkid with even Manchester United inquring about his service.

6. Lee Chung Yong
Korean international who recently signed for Bolton Wanderers from FC Seoul. At age of 21, he may have less time to achieve wonderkid status like the others listed above but he definitely has the trickery and skills to make it to the top. The only problem is... he is pretty light weight. Whether that will prove to be a major flaw of his game in the EPL ... we will have to wait and see.

5. Mame Biram DioufRelatively unknown player who recently signed for Manchester United. The 21 year old Sengalese plied his trade in the physical Norweign League before heading to Old Trafford. He may not appear in time to make it into the FM Man United team but he is definitely a player to look forward to when Football Manager 2010 came out.

4. Douglas Costa
A potential transfer target of Manchester United, Douglas Costa is a Brazilian attacking midfielder who plays for Gremio. Known as the next Ronaldinho (they both started at the same club), he is yet to make regular first team appearances for the Brazilian Club but he definitely has the potential to make it to the top.

3. Marcus Berg
Possibly the oldest out of this list of top 10 players. He raised his stakes by scoring regularly in the recent under 21 European championships. He will not come for a cheap price however.

2. Christopher Butchmann
Currently playing for Liverpool's Academy, Butchmann is a player who can make the grade in English top flight football. His primary position is Left back. With Dossena and Aurelio passing their prime age, his chances of playing for the first team may not be as hard as others believe.

1. Jack Wilshere
Already playing a few times for Arsenal, he has shown his class against English Premier league opposition. If you want him then he won't come for a cheap. The minimum he is likely to be sold for in football manager would be around 16 million.

Other players who could be potential wonderkids in Football manager 2010
Patrick ter Mate (Netherlands) - Vitesse/AGOVV Academy Cutodian
Janick Kamber (Switzerland) - FC Basel 1893
Marc Muniesa (Spain) - FC Barcelona
Dennis Appiah (France) - AS Monaco
Marco Fossati (Italy) - FC Internazionale
Deniz Herber (Turkey) - FC St. Pauli
Jack Wilshere (England) - Arsenal
Lennart Thy (Germany) - Werder Bremen
Luc Castaignos (Netherlands) - Feyenoord
Federic Macheda (Italian) - Manchester United

Top Free Transfers of Football Manager 2009

2009-04-06T18:46:00.002+08:00

Are you starting off with a club with limited finance in football manager 2009? Here are a few players who are free agents which you can take advantage of in the beginning of the 2008/09 season. You won’t come across many that make the grade for top clubs like chelsea or barcelona but most of these players are good enough to play for mid to low division sides so check them out!
Goalkeeper
Sander Westervald (Dutch, 33 years old)
Kasey Keller (American, 38 years old)
Paul Gerrard (English, 35 years old)
Central Defenders
Fernando Couto (Portuguese, 38 years old)
Philippe Christanval (French, 29 years old)
Wing backs
Edu Alonso (Spanish, 34 years old)
Stephan Carr (Irish, 31 years old)
Cesar (Brazilian, 33 years old)
Celestine Babayaro (Nigerian, 29 years old)
Hatem Trabelsi (Tunisian, 31 years old)
Central/Defensive midfielders
Edgar Davids (Dutch, 35 years old)
Thomas Gravesen (Danish, 32 years old)
Albert Celades (Spanish, 32 years old)
Eduardo Costa (Brazilian, 25 years old)
Alexey Smertin (Russian, 33 years old)
Roberto Acuna (Paraguayan, 36 years old)
Wingers/Attacking midfielders
Steve Marlet (French, 34 years old)
Stefano Fiore (Italian, 33 years old)
Gerard (Spanish, 29 years old)
Lucian Sanmartean (Romanian, 28 years old)
Landon Donovan (American, 26 years old)
Strikers
Ronaldo (Brazilian, 31 years old)
Franklin Salas (Ecuadorian, 26 years old)
Juan Pablo Angel (Colombian, 32 years old)

How to use real Holland and German Players in Football Manager 2009

2009-04-06T18:38:00.002+08:00

Have you ever wondered why the Holland and German National team is always filled with random greyed out players? It is because FM didn't obtain the license from those the respectives FAs in order to display the real squad.

To remove the limitation and show real players, read the following instructions.

1. Go to the following Football Manager Directory
C:/Program file/ports Interactive\Football Manager 2009\data\updates\update-910\db\910\lnc

2. Delete the fake.lnc and nleague..lnc files.

3. Start a new game and wah lah, you should now be able to see the real German National team!

English Wonderkids Football manager 2009

2009-04-06T01:26:00.003+08:00

Are you currently managing a Football Manager English team? Do you want to keep your team players as native as possible? Look no further as the list below shows talented English youths who you can groom into World superstars.

Goalkeepers
Joe hart, Man City

Defenders
Jack Rodwell, Everton
Micah Richards, Man City
Ryan Shawcross, Stokes
Leighton Baines, Everton
Joe Mattock, Leicester
Steven Taylor, Newcastle
Gary Cahill, Bolton
Curtis Davis, Aston Villa

Midfielders
Fabrice Muamba, Bolton
Michael Johnson, Man City
Michael Woods, Chelsea
Danny Guthrie, Bolton
Lee Cattermole, Wigan
Jack Wilshere, Arsenal
Dan Gosling, Everton
Henri Lansbury, Arsenal
Billy Jones, Preston
Fabien Delph, Leeds United

Wingers
Theo Walcott, Arsenal
James Milner, Aston Villa
Adam Johnson, Middlesborough
Ashley Young, Aston VillaGiles Barnes, Derby
Paul Anderson, Liverpool

Strikers
Frazier Campbell, Man Utd
James Vaughan, Everton
Jose Baxter, EvertonMatt Derbyshire, Blackburn
Andy Carroll, Newcastle
Daniel Sturridge, Man City
Danny Welbeck, Man Utd
Gabriel Agbonlahor, Aston Villa
Sylvan Ebanks-Blake, Wolves
Billy Sharp, Sheffield United

Football manager 2009 Wonderkids

2009-04-05T22:19:00.001+08:00

Some wonderkids worth looking at on Football Manager 2009.

Goalkeepers
Fiorillo Vincenzo (Sampdoria, Italian)
Sergio Asenjo (Valladolid, Spanish)
Joe Hart (Manchester City, English)
Oscar Ustari (Getafe, Argentinian) Need Workpermit
Guillermo Ochoa (Club America, Mexican) Need Workpermit
Defenders
Marcelo (Real Madrid, Brazilian)
Mamadou Sakho (Paris Saint Germain, French)
Lorenzo De Silvestri (Lazio, Italian)
Davide Santon (Inter Milan, Italian)
Breno (Bayern Munchen, Brazilian)
Jack Rodwell (Everton, English)
Midfielders
Luca Cigarini (Atalanta, Italian)
Sebestian Giovinco (Juventus, Italian)
Andrea Russotto (Treviso, Italian)
Miguel Veloso (Sporting Lisbon, Portuguese)
Anderson (Manchester United, Brazilian)
Attacking Midfielders
Alexis Sanchez (Udinese, Chilean) Need Workpermit
Stevan Jovetic (Fiorentina, Serbian) Need Workpermit
Martin Galvan (Cruz Azul, Mexican) Need Workpermit
Matias Fernandez (Villareal, Chilean)
Toni Kroos (Bayern Munchen, German)
Miralem Pjanic (Olympique Lyon, Bosnian)
Henri Saviet (FC Girondins de Bordeaux, French)
Strikers
Mario Balotelli (Inter Milan, Italian)
Carlos Vela (Arsenal, Mexican)
Alexandre Pato (AC Milan, Brazilian)
Bojan (Barcelona, Spanish)
Karim Benzema (Olympique Lyon, French)

Top Asian Football talents in Football Manager 2009

2009-04-05T22:12:00.003+08:00

Note: You’ll need to set your football manager game to a large database to have access to some of these players. You may also find that you won’t be able to get work permits for a few of these players but keep trying and you might end up lucky.

Goalkeepers

Ali Al Habsi (Oman, Bolton Wanderers)

Ignatiy Nesterov (Uzbekistani, Pakhtakor)

Defenders

Lee Young Pyo (Korean, Tottenham)

Sun Jihai (Chinese, Sheffield United)

Zeshan Rehman (Pakistani, Q.P.R.)

Vitaly Denisov (Uzbekistani, Dnipro)

Kim Dong Jin (Korean, Zenit St. Petersburg)

Song Chong Goog (Korean, Suwon)

Midfielders

Shunsuke Nakamura (Japanese, Celtic)

Park Ji Sung (Korean, Man Utd)

Ali Karimi (Iran, Qatar SC)

Zheng Zhi (Chinese, Charlton)

Adnan Ahmed (Pakistani, Rushden)

Lee Chun Soo (Korean, Feyenoord)

Lee Ho (Korean, Odense Boldklub)

Strikers

Park Joo Young (Korean, AS Monaco)

Seol Ki Hyeon (Korean, Reading)

Yu Dabao (Chinese, Benefica)

Malik Mouath (Saudi Arabian, Al-Ahli)

Younis Mahmoud (Iranian, Al Gharrafa)

Maxim Shatskikh (Uzbekistani, Dinamo Kiev)