Retro Game Walkthroughs for Championship Manager 03/04 (PC Games)
Submitted By: The Stig795
Championship Manager Hints and Tips Guide by TheStig795
Starting off:
First job is to choose your team and profile, a reasonably simple task, but be considerate of your nationality and league. For example, say you're English but are managing a Spanish team, it might be wise to make our nationality Spanish. The reason of this is so you don't get any players having problems with you managing their club.
First jobs:
It may sound silly, but do some research about your club on the internet. Find out what their chosen line up is, their formations and so on. Most likely, it will be the best one to use. This will help, especially if you're using a team you don't know so much about.
Check your stats of your players too. If you see some who don't look too excellent, consider a replacement, but see how he performs in friendly matches before you request for a replacement.
Do similar with staff. It might be good to hire in an assistant manager to help out with some extra details of the club, like contract renewals and recommending players and clubs. Good scouts also are handy, I usually sign scouts with 15 - 20 finding player potential, as well as judging current potential also at 15 - 20. This makes sure they can do a good job for whatever scouting task you want in the future. Coaches usually require coaching outfield / goalkeepers of around 15 - 20, but other stats like motivation and discipline should also be high to get the best out of your squad. Physios only need 20 Physiotherapy, but high motivation and discipline stats may also help too. Hire a lot of staff, but be conscious of your wage bill.
Check out the status of your club as a whole too. Note early in your head how the finances are, the board expectations, the club facilities. For example, if you are expected to get to Europe in the Premiership, look for a good 6th place in the league. Also, if your financial situation is poor but you have top class training facilities, you might want to concentrate at bringing in youths from your u19 squad than signing them from others.
Your next job is to check out the transfer market. If you're content with your squad, don't worry about this as much, but if you're short of defenders for example, it's worth seeing what out-of-contract players or transfer listed players there are you can get for cheap. I've listed below some good players for this. Remember, be conscious about the wage bill, as well as how much you can pay out for a player. Don't over pay for someone, but don't be too stingy. It might be worth making an enquiry, or declaring your interest if your enquiry is dismissed to see what the media estimates you'll have to pay, which will be quite accurate.
Using the media this way also has an advantage at toppling a player you want to your side. Careful 'declaring of interest' will make players unsettled at their clubs, and may make them unhappy there, wanting a move to your club. It may force them to sell their star to you, but be careful. Over use of this without coming good to your promises will make you seem like a liar, and people will 'call your bluff' more often.
If you have the staff, you'll be training your squad. Below I've suggested some training regimes, but you can create your own. Make sure your regime trains most aspects at a high level, but provide rest breaks so your squad doesn't get overworked and ultimately injured in training. It might be wise to make separate schedules for different types of players, like a schedule for defenders and a schedule for strikers. This means they only know what they need to know, since most defenders won't need high finishing, and so on.
Next job is to set up your line up. If you haven't got a sure line up, you can do one of two things: either play your squad in order of value, or you can spend more time and investigate their stats. Unless you have some signings on your mind, it's recommended to make a formation that suits your players, opposed to forcing your players to play a formation they won't like. Playing defenders in a midfield role and so on, is obviously asking for trouble. If you're desperate to play a 3-5-2, it's better to rebuild your squad or buy in suitable players instead.
When editing the finer touches of your formation, be conscious of their actions. For example, if your whole team's game plan is to be 'Gung Ho' (very attacking), make sure your defenders aren't running up to help the forwards opposed to keeping opposing strikers out of trouble. These details can change the way your formation behaves, and can misshape it beyond belief. Be careful in how you play and make sure you have a good idea of what you want to do.
Your next job is to see how your team performs in friendlies. See how they do in a couple of matches and note their ratings. If someone is getting 4s constantly, he may be out of position, or might not be suitable enough for your team, in which case is considerable for replacement. It might be worth tweaking positions and tactics, before going to the transfer market to see if it's your plans wrong, not your players.
Your later friendly matches are more important, since your squad is nearing full fitness. If you're experiencing problems with players at this stage, it's definitely worth placing in a bid for a replacement.
However, your formation might not suit your opponents, in which case you should investigate. If you set your scouts to look at your next opponents, he can point out their desired formation, and any danger men you should consider looking at marking. This may help, by cancelling out a key goal scorer or playmaker.
Into the Season ...:
Hopefully you'll have sorted out a lot of aspects of your squad, and will be performing to standards set.
Keep an eye on your reserve and youth players. By now, some of them will have developed a bit. You'll get updates on performances in u19 / reserve matches with a name of a player who has done well. If any names crop up consistently, it might be worth playing him. A good note of their abilities is the 'form' option. Those consistently getting 7s with the odd 8, 9, or 10 will definitely warrant a trial run in your first team.
Have 2 of everything. If you run out of a player for a position, you're in trouble, since you either have to completely edit your formation, or play someone out of position. It's useful to have multi positional players in your team. someone who can play sides as well as central roles, and those who can defend as well as attack. These players will sort out any injury or suspension worries. If you're not in a transfer window, check your youth and reserve squads for replacements.
It's particularly half way through your season that you want to make sure you're in the position you are supposed to be. If you're below expectations so far, look at bringing in a new face or investigate how your squad is doing. In particular, the morale of players is important. It doesn't register as 'unhappy', but if their morale is poor, you can expect a drop in performance. It might be worth bringing in your replacement who may be of better spirits, to give that position more strength. Morale is affected by the achievements of your club, their situation and many other aspects. You can also buy happiness, and a new contract might cheer them up long enough to get back into winning ways.
Fitness may be a problem also. Players needing a rest may be an issue. You can resolve this by giving them a rest in training schedules, leaving them out of matches you're more confidant of or subbing them off or on, opposed to giving them a full 90 minute haul.
The final matches:
Form is important in these final matches. Unless you've amassed a strong grip on your objective, you will want to win all your matches. Make sure you rest your best players for key games coming up.
If you're facing a disappointing season, get ready to find a new job or look ahead for new buys to net. Make sure it doesn't happen, or the sack will be more realistic.
If your league season is doing poor, you can always concentrate on a cup run. Although the board always prefer the league, if you get a cup elsewhere you may be forgiven for a poor league performance. This will mean rest players for the league matches and prepare for the inevitable, and make sure you're on fine form for any cup matches coming up.
Additional extras to help:
Tactics:
Tactics can make the worst team thrash the undisputed champion. A good formation can usually turn the tide to your advantage. Here are some particularly effective ones.
4-1-3-2: 4 Defenders, a Central Defensive Midfielder, 2 Wingers and a Central Midfielder and 2 Forwards. This tactic is supposed to be so good, it's considered as cheating. It is designed to exploit the defensive flaw in the match engine, where defenders mark the forwards and not the attacking central midfielder. Here, your main goals will come from the central midfielder who will run directly to the forwards between your 2 strikers. He will have to be gung ho so it effectively turns your squad into a 4-3-3. The important features of this formation is you need a DM who is a good ball winner and creator of chances, plus a central midfielder with good pace and finishing. Your wingers also will be important for helping exploit the gap with a precise pass.
4-2-3-1: 4 Defenders, 2 Central Midfielders, 3 Attacking Midfielders and 1 Forward. This is a strong attacking formation, which provides a lot of options for your lone forward. This is good if you want to score the goals, but has a bit of a hole between the midfielders and defenders. This is a good formation to exploit teams who have poor players in the centre of the park, but be ware of their wingers. Your DL and DR players have to be strong to make up the gaps.
4-3-2-1: 4 Defenders, 3 Midfielders, 2 Attacking Midfielders and 1 Forward. Known as the Christmas tree, this formation is like the one above except more secure. The wingers sit back more to help defend, and 2 central attacking midfielders help play the balls through to your lone forward. This is reasonably secure to use, with a strong midfield helping fund your goals.
4-4-2 Central attack: Using the similar trick to the 4-1-3-2 formation above, this can utilise either 1 or 2 central midfielders that run into that central position between the forwards. It is more secure than the previous formation, if you keep a player back, but can either provide more goals or cost more, with the lack of a defensive midfielder to help out.
Training Schedules: For training schedules, it says that specific drills increase only specific attributes, but all you need to concentrate is if it's for goal keeping, attacking, defending, physical training or mental training. Therefore, I concentrate on 3 drills. Overloading, 5 a sides, and Set Pieces, both attacking and defending. A balance of these 3 drills will help all of those attributes concerned, but make sure you also provide rest periods. However, you don't have to if you can afford the odd injured groin.
Players: The following is a list of recommended players and their clubs.
Daniel Braathen - Skied : No matter if you're Manchester United or Macclesfield, Daniel Braathen can score goals by the bucket load. Easily capable of at least 1 goal a game, he has a tendency to dribble up to the goal and score from a tight angle with scary accuracy. Cheap too, can be got for around 60k usually, he is too good maybe. Considered a 'cheat player' by some. I just think he's world class. Plays best as a central forward, maybe slightly left. He can be a winger too, but you won't appreciate him as much. Key features include a 20 in pace, dribbling and technique. This Norwegian forward is probably the best in this game.
Fredy William Thompson - Comunicaciones : A good stable player who can play left, right or the centre of the park. He's a good young defensive midfielder who will keep your centre stable. Not fantastic, his trait is his consistency and he can do you justice in a captain's role. Can be picked up on a release clause for around 550k. Useful if Patrick Vieira is a bit too ambitious for your spending spree.
Trond Erik Bertelsen - Haugesund : Another young Norwegian player left back who will perform well. At 24 k you won't have too many problems getting him, and he'll do well for you, like Fredy William Thompson - consistently. He is good as a winger too, with high crossing and pace, so he's viable in both left sided positions. A good buy if your left side's a problem.
Kasper Schmeichel - Man City : Young at first, you can steal this potential 'Peter' from them for around 250k. He has ok stats to warrant a first team place, but particularly good for his age. As he ages, he'll improve and become a good keeper, consistently getting 7s or 8s, which is abnormal for a keeper. He'll save your club from draws and defeats, and performs in big game situations well.
Igor - Braga : A good cheap buy at 350k, Igor is a forward who will net in the goals in Van Nistelrooy style, with his 20 finishing attribute. Half Brazilian, half Portuguese, no work permits will be needed since he's an EU player. Definitely a handy forward player if you need some assistance.
Alessio Cerci - Roma : An under 17 again with an unprotected contract, you can pick this guy up for around 550k. He starts off ok, but given chances he can become a strong forward who will score the goals. He slotted into my Arsenal side well along side Thierry Henry in his first season, so he must be good. Again, 20 finishing as well as high Technique means he'll be scoring a lot.
Toledo - Catanzaro : 20 Pace and 20 Crossing, this is a dream winger for your right side. He has forward abilities too, but as those stats show, he suits an attacking midfielder role. His only disadvantage is his low teamwork rating of 6, but don't let that put you off of a good right winger, as he'll none the less still stick in ball after ball for your delighted forwards. 240 k is a good price for this player.
Evandro Roncatto - Guarani : Another U17, but requires a bit of speed to beat his eventual birthday. This is a forward who will turn out fantastic soon, with good all round stats plus high finishing. Being left-sided, he'll be pushing Braathen for a place in his ideal position, but he can play well along side. Be quick to get him at the cost of compensation, as his value will soon rise.
Lucio - Leverkusen : If you have the cash, you'll be getting the best defender in the game. 10.75 million is a lot to activate his release clause, but you can guarantee he will keep your defence in tight order. He usually gets snapped up by a big club early on, so be quick in your pirsuit, and offer him something special so he comes to you, otherwise if your rival nets him, don't expect too many goals against them!
Philippe Mexes - Auxerre : A cheaper and younger alternative, Philippe Mexes will soon command a place as a full back or sweeper and will soon become a regular of the France squad. His release clause is a more reasonable 3.6 million, and is a great back up or first team choice for any squad.
Kapo - Auxerre : Around 4 million can pick up this Right hand sided player, he'll again soon develop into a French regular. He plays well either on the wing or up front, with all round stats. He's good for central play too, so definitely a viable player.
Anthony Le Tallac - Liverpool : Costs a lot, but take advantage of his unprotected contract late on in the season. Good all round stats that slowly rise, Le Tallac will be scoring and providing a lot as he goes on for your club and soon develops into a strong scoring player.
Jose Antonio Reyes - Seville : Not at Arsenal in this game, but you can see why he made the jump. Excellent stats and young, this player develops into a formidable left sided forward good for wing or forward play, provided you give him time to adjust. He costs a lot to transfer over, and it can reach the 40 million mark later on in the game, but an unprotected contract can see you net him for under 10.
Thierry Henry - Arsenal : It's bold to think you can buy him, but surprisingly, he does have problems in establishing a first team place in this game. Usually he doesn't get played, and in his last year of his contract doesn't resign due to a lack of first team football. Take advantage of this, and sign him for your club provided you can offer him the wages and you might net one of the world's best forwards. As for stats .. you can imagine, 20 pace, around 20 finishing, and just a fantastic player.
Orri Freyr Oskarsson - Por : A right sided midfielder / forward with reasonable stats, but more of a performer on the pitch than his stats say. A good creator and scorer of goals for around 30k, he'll soon command a first team place in your squad.
Diego - Santos : An attacking central player which will fetch you around 7 million, but his stats speaks for himself. An average of around 16 makes him a more than competant player, and will be one of the best playmakers about. A superb buy. His work permit is a downfall, but it shouldn't be too difficult.
Fernando Cavenaghi - River : Similar to Diego, with good stats, but with 20 determination, 17 dribbling and 19 finishing, he's a clinical and striving striker who will add more power to your front line. Bit more costly at around 7 million, plus a work permit problem too but still a good buy.
Steed Malbranque - Fulham : 4.7 million activates a release clause for a very stable player. Don't expect him to become a star, but expect consistent performances. Not exactly special for the world class teams, but if you have some money he's definitely worth the cash. starts with 13s and 14s all round, and they slowly rise with his age.
Bjorn Zwikker - Ajax : Only 13, don't expect him to be anything special yet, but if you're looking at long term investments, he's a must. As he nurtures in your u19 side, he'll slowly go from 9s to 14s, and on with his age. He'll rack up under 21 caps for his Dutch side and will become a strong player in years to come.
Apart from these mainstays, keep an eye on players who are transfer listed and have expired contracts, since you might be able to get someone special like above.
What to look for in people: These are stats you should keep an eye on for your players or staff, to make sure you get the best out of them.
Goalkeepers: All the GK stats are important. Positioning, Anticipation, Bravery and Determination are all important also. You need not worry about Stamina, Work Rate or Teamwork since these aren’t attributes that they require generally.
Central Defenders: A good central defender needs a good Tackling, Heading and Positioning plus Anticipation. Pace is useful, but Strength and ball winning qualities are what you need. Marking and Work Rate also should be considered. Passing and Dribbling help, but aren’t major, since they are useless without the ball!
Wing Backs: Those defensive attributes above apply, but Pace has more of a role. Again Anticipation is important so they can stop the wingers from getting past. Stamina is more needed as well, plus Dribbling and Crossing are more important in case you want to have adventurous wingbacks.
Defensive Midfielders: Similar attributes to a defender are key, but also Passing and Creativity or Flair might be useful. A good Defensive Midfielder can turn defence into offence with a keen eye for a pass.
Central Midfielders: Team Work, Stamina and Determination are needed for these players. They must be able to command the centre of the park and will have to do so consistently to put the game in your favour. All round stats are required for the best central midfielders, with good attacking and defensive qualities.
Wingers: Pace and Crossing are the immediate options for any usual winger. Flair and Creativity also will make your wingers stronger, plus a good Passing attribute will be useful. Stamina and Agility also helps.
Attacking Midfielders: Creativity, Flair, Passing, Pace … usual offensive attributes are useful for an AM. Finishing could also be considered, plus Long Shot if they can eye up a chance from a way out.
Forwards / Strikers: Finishing is important for any striker, but also consider Pace, Strength and Heading. Team Work isn’t needed too much, with the idea of a ‘greedy striker’ applied. But Work Rate, Determination and similar stats all help.
General stats for improved performances:
Technique seems to refine the abilities of any player in any position. A high rating of this makes your player do his job better.
Teamwork is how well your players can judge how each other plays, how they perform together on the pitch. Midfielders and Defenders particularly need this, so there are no communication errors and mishaps.
Passing is how well your player can pass. This will be important for build up play. Passing is helped with stats like Creativity and Flair, as more ambitious ideas will take form.
Thank you for reading this guide and I hope you found it most helpful!
Starting off:
First job is to choose your team and profile, a reasonably simple task, but be considerate of your nationality and league. For example, say you're English but are managing a Spanish team, it might be wise to make our nationality Spanish. The reason of this is so you don't get any players having problems with you managing their club.
First jobs:
It may sound silly, but do some research about your club on the internet. Find out what their chosen line up is, their formations and so on. Most likely, it will be the best one to use. This will help, especially if you're using a team you don't know so much about.
Check your stats of your players too. If you see some who don't look too excellent, consider a replacement, but see how he performs in friendly matches before you request for a replacement.
Do similar with staff. It might be good to hire in an assistant manager to help out with some extra details of the club, like contract renewals and recommending players and clubs. Good scouts also are handy, I usually sign scouts with 15 - 20 finding player potential, as well as judging current potential also at 15 - 20. This makes sure they can do a good job for whatever scouting task you want in the future. Coaches usually require coaching outfield / goalkeepers of around 15 - 20, but other stats like motivation and discipline should also be high to get the best out of your squad. Physios only need 20 Physiotherapy, but high motivation and discipline stats may also help too. Hire a lot of staff, but be conscious of your wage bill.
Check out the status of your club as a whole too. Note early in your head how the finances are, the board expectations, the club facilities. For example, if you are expected to get to Europe in the Premiership, look for a good 6th place in the league. Also, if your financial situation is poor but you have top class training facilities, you might want to concentrate at bringing in youths from your u19 squad than signing them from others.
Your next job is to check out the transfer market. If you're content with your squad, don't worry about this as much, but if you're short of defenders for example, it's worth seeing what out-of-contract players or transfer listed players there are you can get for cheap. I've listed below some good players for this. Remember, be conscious about the wage bill, as well as how much you can pay out for a player. Don't over pay for someone, but don't be too stingy. It might be worth making an enquiry, or declaring your interest if your enquiry is dismissed to see what the media estimates you'll have to pay, which will be quite accurate.
Using the media this way also has an advantage at toppling a player you want to your side. Careful 'declaring of interest' will make players unsettled at their clubs, and may make them unhappy there, wanting a move to your club. It may force them to sell their star to you, but be careful. Over use of this without coming good to your promises will make you seem like a liar, and people will 'call your bluff' more often.
If you have the staff, you'll be training your squad. Below I've suggested some training regimes, but you can create your own. Make sure your regime trains most aspects at a high level, but provide rest breaks so your squad doesn't get overworked and ultimately injured in training. It might be wise to make separate schedules for different types of players, like a schedule for defenders and a schedule for strikers. This means they only know what they need to know, since most defenders won't need high finishing, and so on.
Next job is to set up your line up. If you haven't got a sure line up, you can do one of two things: either play your squad in order of value, or you can spend more time and investigate their stats. Unless you have some signings on your mind, it's recommended to make a formation that suits your players, opposed to forcing your players to play a formation they won't like. Playing defenders in a midfield role and so on, is obviously asking for trouble. If you're desperate to play a 3-5-2, it's better to rebuild your squad or buy in suitable players instead.
When editing the finer touches of your formation, be conscious of their actions. For example, if your whole team's game plan is to be 'Gung Ho' (very attacking), make sure your defenders aren't running up to help the forwards opposed to keeping opposing strikers out of trouble. These details can change the way your formation behaves, and can misshape it beyond belief. Be careful in how you play and make sure you have a good idea of what you want to do.
Your next job is to see how your team performs in friendlies. See how they do in a couple of matches and note their ratings. If someone is getting 4s constantly, he may be out of position, or might not be suitable enough for your team, in which case is considerable for replacement. It might be worth tweaking positions and tactics, before going to the transfer market to see if it's your plans wrong, not your players.
Your later friendly matches are more important, since your squad is nearing full fitness. If you're experiencing problems with players at this stage, it's definitely worth placing in a bid for a replacement.
However, your formation might not suit your opponents, in which case you should investigate. If you set your scouts to look at your next opponents, he can point out their desired formation, and any danger men you should consider looking at marking. This may help, by cancelling out a key goal scorer or playmaker.
Into the Season ...:
Hopefully you'll have sorted out a lot of aspects of your squad, and will be performing to standards set.
Keep an eye on your reserve and youth players. By now, some of them will have developed a bit. You'll get updates on performances in u19 / reserve matches with a name of a player who has done well. If any names crop up consistently, it might be worth playing him. A good note of their abilities is the 'form' option. Those consistently getting 7s with the odd 8, 9, or 10 will definitely warrant a trial run in your first team.
Have 2 of everything. If you run out of a player for a position, you're in trouble, since you either have to completely edit your formation, or play someone out of position. It's useful to have multi positional players in your team. someone who can play sides as well as central roles, and those who can defend as well as attack. These players will sort out any injury or suspension worries. If you're not in a transfer window, check your youth and reserve squads for replacements.
It's particularly half way through your season that you want to make sure you're in the position you are supposed to be. If you're below expectations so far, look at bringing in a new face or investigate how your squad is doing. In particular, the morale of players is important. It doesn't register as 'unhappy', but if their morale is poor, you can expect a drop in performance. It might be worth bringing in your replacement who may be of better spirits, to give that position more strength. Morale is affected by the achievements of your club, their situation and many other aspects. You can also buy happiness, and a new contract might cheer them up long enough to get back into winning ways.
Fitness may be a problem also. Players needing a rest may be an issue. You can resolve this by giving them a rest in training schedules, leaving them out of matches you're more confidant of or subbing them off or on, opposed to giving them a full 90 minute haul.
The final matches:
Form is important in these final matches. Unless you've amassed a strong grip on your objective, you will want to win all your matches. Make sure you rest your best players for key games coming up.
If you're facing a disappointing season, get ready to find a new job or look ahead for new buys to net. Make sure it doesn't happen, or the sack will be more realistic.
If your league season is doing poor, you can always concentrate on a cup run. Although the board always prefer the league, if you get a cup elsewhere you may be forgiven for a poor league performance. This will mean rest players for the league matches and prepare for the inevitable, and make sure you're on fine form for any cup matches coming up.
Additional extras to help:
Tactics:
Tactics can make the worst team thrash the undisputed champion. A good formation can usually turn the tide to your advantage. Here are some particularly effective ones.
4-1-3-2: 4 Defenders, a Central Defensive Midfielder, 2 Wingers and a Central Midfielder and 2 Forwards. This tactic is supposed to be so good, it's considered as cheating. It is designed to exploit the defensive flaw in the match engine, where defenders mark the forwards and not the attacking central midfielder. Here, your main goals will come from the central midfielder who will run directly to the forwards between your 2 strikers. He will have to be gung ho so it effectively turns your squad into a 4-3-3. The important features of this formation is you need a DM who is a good ball winner and creator of chances, plus a central midfielder with good pace and finishing. Your wingers also will be important for helping exploit the gap with a precise pass.
4-2-3-1: 4 Defenders, 2 Central Midfielders, 3 Attacking Midfielders and 1 Forward. This is a strong attacking formation, which provides a lot of options for your lone forward. This is good if you want to score the goals, but has a bit of a hole between the midfielders and defenders. This is a good formation to exploit teams who have poor players in the centre of the park, but be ware of their wingers. Your DL and DR players have to be strong to make up the gaps.
4-3-2-1: 4 Defenders, 3 Midfielders, 2 Attacking Midfielders and 1 Forward. Known as the Christmas tree, this formation is like the one above except more secure. The wingers sit back more to help defend, and 2 central attacking midfielders help play the balls through to your lone forward. This is reasonably secure to use, with a strong midfield helping fund your goals.
4-4-2 Central attack: Using the similar trick to the 4-1-3-2 formation above, this can utilise either 1 or 2 central midfielders that run into that central position between the forwards. It is more secure than the previous formation, if you keep a player back, but can either provide more goals or cost more, with the lack of a defensive midfielder to help out.
Training Schedules: For training schedules, it says that specific drills increase only specific attributes, but all you need to concentrate is if it's for goal keeping, attacking, defending, physical training or mental training. Therefore, I concentrate on 3 drills. Overloading, 5 a sides, and Set Pieces, both attacking and defending. A balance of these 3 drills will help all of those attributes concerned, but make sure you also provide rest periods. However, you don't have to if you can afford the odd injured groin.
Players: The following is a list of recommended players and their clubs.
Daniel Braathen - Skied : No matter if you're Manchester United or Macclesfield, Daniel Braathen can score goals by the bucket load. Easily capable of at least 1 goal a game, he has a tendency to dribble up to the goal and score from a tight angle with scary accuracy. Cheap too, can be got for around 60k usually, he is too good maybe. Considered a 'cheat player' by some. I just think he's world class. Plays best as a central forward, maybe slightly left. He can be a winger too, but you won't appreciate him as much. Key features include a 20 in pace, dribbling and technique. This Norwegian forward is probably the best in this game.
Fredy William Thompson - Comunicaciones : A good stable player who can play left, right or the centre of the park. He's a good young defensive midfielder who will keep your centre stable. Not fantastic, his trait is his consistency and he can do you justice in a captain's role. Can be picked up on a release clause for around 550k. Useful if Patrick Vieira is a bit too ambitious for your spending spree.
Trond Erik Bertelsen - Haugesund : Another young Norwegian player left back who will perform well. At 24 k you won't have too many problems getting him, and he'll do well for you, like Fredy William Thompson - consistently. He is good as a winger too, with high crossing and pace, so he's viable in both left sided positions. A good buy if your left side's a problem.
Kasper Schmeichel - Man City : Young at first, you can steal this potential 'Peter' from them for around 250k. He has ok stats to warrant a first team place, but particularly good for his age. As he ages, he'll improve and become a good keeper, consistently getting 7s or 8s, which is abnormal for a keeper. He'll save your club from draws and defeats, and performs in big game situations well.
Igor - Braga : A good cheap buy at 350k, Igor is a forward who will net in the goals in Van Nistelrooy style, with his 20 finishing attribute. Half Brazilian, half Portuguese, no work permits will be needed since he's an EU player. Definitely a handy forward player if you need some assistance.
Alessio Cerci - Roma : An under 17 again with an unprotected contract, you can pick this guy up for around 550k. He starts off ok, but given chances he can become a strong forward who will score the goals. He slotted into my Arsenal side well along side Thierry Henry in his first season, so he must be good. Again, 20 finishing as well as high Technique means he'll be scoring a lot.
Toledo - Catanzaro : 20 Pace and 20 Crossing, this is a dream winger for your right side. He has forward abilities too, but as those stats show, he suits an attacking midfielder role. His only disadvantage is his low teamwork rating of 6, but don't let that put you off of a good right winger, as he'll none the less still stick in ball after ball for your delighted forwards. 240 k is a good price for this player.
Evandro Roncatto - Guarani : Another U17, but requires a bit of speed to beat his eventual birthday. This is a forward who will turn out fantastic soon, with good all round stats plus high finishing. Being left-sided, he'll be pushing Braathen for a place in his ideal position, but he can play well along side. Be quick to get him at the cost of compensation, as his value will soon rise.
Lucio - Leverkusen : If you have the cash, you'll be getting the best defender in the game. 10.75 million is a lot to activate his release clause, but you can guarantee he will keep your defence in tight order. He usually gets snapped up by a big club early on, so be quick in your pirsuit, and offer him something special so he comes to you, otherwise if your rival nets him, don't expect too many goals against them!
Philippe Mexes - Auxerre : A cheaper and younger alternative, Philippe Mexes will soon command a place as a full back or sweeper and will soon become a regular of the France squad. His release clause is a more reasonable 3.6 million, and is a great back up or first team choice for any squad.
Kapo - Auxerre : Around 4 million can pick up this Right hand sided player, he'll again soon develop into a French regular. He plays well either on the wing or up front, with all round stats. He's good for central play too, so definitely a viable player.
Anthony Le Tallac - Liverpool : Costs a lot, but take advantage of his unprotected contract late on in the season. Good all round stats that slowly rise, Le Tallac will be scoring and providing a lot as he goes on for your club and soon develops into a strong scoring player.
Jose Antonio Reyes - Seville : Not at Arsenal in this game, but you can see why he made the jump. Excellent stats and young, this player develops into a formidable left sided forward good for wing or forward play, provided you give him time to adjust. He costs a lot to transfer over, and it can reach the 40 million mark later on in the game, but an unprotected contract can see you net him for under 10.
Thierry Henry - Arsenal : It's bold to think you can buy him, but surprisingly, he does have problems in establishing a first team place in this game. Usually he doesn't get played, and in his last year of his contract doesn't resign due to a lack of first team football. Take advantage of this, and sign him for your club provided you can offer him the wages and you might net one of the world's best forwards. As for stats .. you can imagine, 20 pace, around 20 finishing, and just a fantastic player.
Orri Freyr Oskarsson - Por : A right sided midfielder / forward with reasonable stats, but more of a performer on the pitch than his stats say. A good creator and scorer of goals for around 30k, he'll soon command a first team place in your squad.
Diego - Santos : An attacking central player which will fetch you around 7 million, but his stats speaks for himself. An average of around 16 makes him a more than competant player, and will be one of the best playmakers about. A superb buy. His work permit is a downfall, but it shouldn't be too difficult.
Fernando Cavenaghi - River : Similar to Diego, with good stats, but with 20 determination, 17 dribbling and 19 finishing, he's a clinical and striving striker who will add more power to your front line. Bit more costly at around 7 million, plus a work permit problem too but still a good buy.
Steed Malbranque - Fulham : 4.7 million activates a release clause for a very stable player. Don't expect him to become a star, but expect consistent performances. Not exactly special for the world class teams, but if you have some money he's definitely worth the cash. starts with 13s and 14s all round, and they slowly rise with his age.
Bjorn Zwikker - Ajax : Only 13, don't expect him to be anything special yet, but if you're looking at long term investments, he's a must. As he nurtures in your u19 side, he'll slowly go from 9s to 14s, and on with his age. He'll rack up under 21 caps for his Dutch side and will become a strong player in years to come.
Apart from these mainstays, keep an eye on players who are transfer listed and have expired contracts, since you might be able to get someone special like above.
What to look for in people: These are stats you should keep an eye on for your players or staff, to make sure you get the best out of them.
Goalkeepers: All the GK stats are important. Positioning, Anticipation, Bravery and Determination are all important also. You need not worry about Stamina, Work Rate or Teamwork since these aren’t attributes that they require generally.
Central Defenders: A good central defender needs a good Tackling, Heading and Positioning plus Anticipation. Pace is useful, but Strength and ball winning qualities are what you need. Marking and Work Rate also should be considered. Passing and Dribbling help, but aren’t major, since they are useless without the ball!
Wing Backs: Those defensive attributes above apply, but Pace has more of a role. Again Anticipation is important so they can stop the wingers from getting past. Stamina is more needed as well, plus Dribbling and Crossing are more important in case you want to have adventurous wingbacks.
Defensive Midfielders: Similar attributes to a defender are key, but also Passing and Creativity or Flair might be useful. A good Defensive Midfielder can turn defence into offence with a keen eye for a pass.
Central Midfielders: Team Work, Stamina and Determination are needed for these players. They must be able to command the centre of the park and will have to do so consistently to put the game in your favour. All round stats are required for the best central midfielders, with good attacking and defensive qualities.
Wingers: Pace and Crossing are the immediate options for any usual winger. Flair and Creativity also will make your wingers stronger, plus a good Passing attribute will be useful. Stamina and Agility also helps.
Attacking Midfielders: Creativity, Flair, Passing, Pace … usual offensive attributes are useful for an AM. Finishing could also be considered, plus Long Shot if they can eye up a chance from a way out.
Forwards / Strikers: Finishing is important for any striker, but also consider Pace, Strength and Heading. Team Work isn’t needed too much, with the idea of a ‘greedy striker’ applied. But Work Rate, Determination and similar stats all help.
General stats for improved performances:
Technique seems to refine the abilities of any player in any position. A high rating of this makes your player do his job better.
Teamwork is how well your players can judge how each other plays, how they perform together on the pitch. Midfielders and Defenders particularly need this, so there are no communication errors and mishaps.
Passing is how well your player can pass. This will be important for build up play. Passing is helped with stats like Creativity and Flair, as more ambitious ideas will take form.
Thank you for reading this guide and I hope you found it most helpful!