[retired_anafranil]

Not many people playing as Celtic then!

I just finished the first transfer window in my third season. Second season went like this:

SPL: Champions
League Cup: Champions
Scottish Cup: Champions
Champions League: 1st Knockout Round (0-3 Barcelona)

Rangers pushed me much closer in all competitions this season because they made two brilliant signings - Scott Sinclair on loan from Chelsea (who is now a £11m wonderkid in their first team) and Enyeaema in goals (who they are now turning down £10m bids for).

My total transfer activity for 2008/2009 including January was:

In 2008/2009:
Claudio Maldonado (DMC, Santos, £2.5m)
David (DC, Palmeiras, £6m)
Lino Marzoratti (DRC, Empoli/AC Milan, £3.5m)
Adrian Murcia (GK, Hercules, £65k)
Gilberto (ML, WBL, Hertha Berlin, Free)
Guilherme (DL, WBL, Sao Paulo, £7.75m)
Patrik Lomski (AMLR, ST, TPS, Bosman)

Out 2008/2009:
Michael Staughton (£1.3m, Birmingham)
Aiden McGeady (£10m, Everton)
Macjiek Zurawski (£750k, Grasshoppers)
Rocco Quinn (£2m, Birmingham)
Simon Ferry (£2.5m, Sheff Utd)
Mika Aaritalo (£10m, Birmingham)
John Kennedy (£2.5m, Sheff Utd)
Paul Hartley (£1m, Reading)
Thomas Gravesan (£4m, Fenerbahce)

Squad

GK. Boruc/Brown/Murcia
DR. Wilson
DL. Guilherme/Naylor
DC. David/McManus
DC. Marazrotti/O'Dea
DM..Maldonado/Donati
MR. Brown/Nakamura
ML. Gilberto/Lomski
AMC. Modric/Nakamura
ST. Venegoor of Hesselink/Sheridan
ST. Palacio/McDonald


Started my third season now, have a youth talent in the team dubbed "the new Paul McStay" and the best talent of his generation, which was handy. Not many players sold because my team is very young, Guilherme is getting £12.5m+ bids from Man Utd, Roma and Juventus but isn't even complaining when I reject them. Boruc and Nakamura signed new contracts at the end of the season which was useful too.

In 2009/2010:
Mauro Zarate (ST, River, £4.2m)
Thiago (MRC, Barcelona, £1m)
Criag Cathcart (DC, Man Utd, Free)
Sergio Avila (AMLC, Chivas, £3.5m)
Cesar Villaluz (AMR, Cruz Azul, £4.2m)
+ 16 y/o Regens from Italy and Russia with potential to be as good as Maldonado and Guilherme

Out 2009/2010:
Diarmuid O'Carroll (AMC, FW, Morton, £1m)
Virgo, Caldwell, McGovern, McGlinchey, Blade, Pressley away on bosmans

Squad 2009/2010

GK. Boruc/Murcia
DR. Wilson/Caddis
DL. Guilherme/Naylor
DC. David/Marzarotti
DC. O'Dea/Cathcart
DMC. Maldonado/Donati
MR. Villaluz/Brown/McCarthy
ML.Avila/Gilberto
AMC. Modric/Nakamura
ST. Zarate/Palacio
ST. Hesselink/Sheridan

Qualified for Group Stages of CL with a 4-0 away win over Dynamo Kyiv (with the required close call 3-0 home defeat because my team weren't trying and I only had two team talk options ).

[retired_hatediet]

Hi playing as Celtic in first season made the following signings:

In
Jelle Van Damme £750k
Mika Aaritalo £250k
Luka Modric £3.5m
Sergey Ignashevich Free

Out
Jarosik
Pressley

Team usually like this:
Boruc
Wilson Mc Manus Ignashevich Van Damme

Nakamura Modric Donati Mc Geady

JVOH Aaritalo


Donati very defensive and modric is playmaker.have mc geady and naka pushing forward, playing attacking,direct,quick football always pressing and hard tackling.problem is that we're very inconsistent beat barca at home 1-0 and then get beat by aberdeen 2-0 away. As well as this away from home im leaking goals too easily especially in CL.any suggestion?

[retired_anafranil]

Are you still creating chances when you lose or just playing badly? I had very inconsistent results at first because teams kept hitting me on the break. So I changed to a diamond midfield - playing with a proper DMC (i.e not an arrow) really seems to help in the SPL.

Also playing direct and quick is better for counter attacking football imo, if you're playing attacking mentality (which you should in the SPL except at Ibrox) then you might want to slow it down at least to normal so you can pick teams apart patiently. In the CL away, go to defensive.. then direct and quick and turn counter attacking on and it might work better. For home games in the group stage your SPL strategy should work fine (as long as it works in league).

[retired_hatediet]

yeah inconsistency is my main problem.i create dozens of chances,have maybe a goal ruled offside or disallowed a game!!my opponents never have goals disallowed deadly frustrating!do you think donati is good enough as a DMC?IMO hes pish very good going forward but doesnt cut it defensively tried to buy haestad in but he went to lazio!!

[retired_anafranil]

He did the job for me in the SPL in the first season, but I signed Maldonado for only £2.5m the second season and he was much, much better than Donati. That fee was quite lucky though, Juventus unsettled him and made him want to move clubs, then signed him for £2.5m.. but the transfer was cancelled because of the 1 non-EU player a season limit.

I came in and bid for him right after the transfer was cancelled, they accepted the same amount and he moved to me right away! He's very loyal, scores a few important goals and the board and fans all said he was the best signing I made after Palacio. He had 7 stars in my scout reports and coach reports too.

[bluenwhiteflm13]

Can't get into my celtic game this year...duno why...can't find guys i really want to sign.

I reckon you can win the league without signing anyone and i refuse to pay 9m for jean II Makoun or sum1 just for the sake of it.

I need to change my mindset

[retired_adeskins]

I've finally given in. I told myself I would not start as Celtic, and get offered the job after doing well with some other club, but the temptation was to much. Just spent my whole transfer buget on VDV. Let the fun begin

[retired_julienew1212]

Just thought id display my team for people to see

GK - Boruc

DR - Wilson
DL - Van Damme (Anderlecht 600K)
DC - McManus(C)
DC - Goian (Steau Bucharest 1.3mil)

DMC - Donati
MR - Arshavin (Zenit Peterburg 5.5mil)
ML - Nakamura
AMC - Hartley (Not that good on paper top class)

FC - Dica (Steau Bucharest 2.8mil)
FC - Big Jan

Bench
GK - Kotenko (Levadia 250k)
DC - Pressley
DR/L - Doumbe
DC/DMC - Radoi (Steau Bucharest 1.7 mil)
AMRC - Brown
AMRL - McGeady
FC - McDonald

[retired_KONSTANSIS]

In my first season with Celtic I managed to win the league by a point along with the League Cup. Also managed 3rd place in Champions League group and eventually eneded up in QF of Uefa Cup before being knocked out. Now well into my second season and after a shaky start, was knocked out of Champions League qualifying by Fenerbache, I'm storming the league and domestic cups. My team plays 4-4-2 and is as follows:

GK - Mark Brown

DR- Mark Wilson
LD- Jeremy Mathieu
CD- Stephen McManus
CD- Mirel Radoi

DM- Tymoschuk
ACM- Arashvin
LM- McGeady
RM- Scott Brown

FC- Scot Mcdonald
FC- either Sychev or Cavenaghi

Bench
GK - Oier Olazabal
CD - Darren O'Dea
DL - Michael Staunton
LM - Ross McCormack
DM - Hossam Ghaly
AM - Hartley
ST - Cillian Sheridan

[retired_julienew1212]

In my first season won the trebble and got to the quarter final of the champions leage playing Arsenal, Olypiacos and Ajax in the group stage.


First Knockout Round
First Leg: Celtic 3:0 Chelsea
Scorers: Hartlyx2 Dica

Second Leg: Chelsea 3:1 Celtic
Scorers: Lampardx2 Cole, Dica

Quarter Final
First Leg: Sevilla 3:1 Celtic
Scorers: Maresca Kanoutex2, Dica

Second Leg: Celtic 4:2 Sevilla
Scorers: Dicax3 Balde, Kanoutex2

Sevilla went through on away goals

Usual Starting Line-up

GK - Boruc

DR - Wilson/Doumbe
DL - Naylor/Van Damme
DC - McManus
DC - Goian/Pressley/Balde

DMC - Donati/Radoi
MR - Arshavin/Brown
ML - Nakamura/,McGeady
AMC - Hartley/Kahlenberg

FC - Dica/McDonald
FC - Jan VOH/Stancu


Vennegoor, Donati and Wilson very injury prone and out at least half of the season.


Rangers and Hibs also done well with Rangers 2nd in the league and reaching the semi-final of the EURO Cup and Hibs 3rd (1 point difference) and Fletcher scoring 30 league goals. Hibs also got to the finals of both cups.