retired_jvauerbach

Since, to my surprise, no one else seems to be doing this, I thought I’d start a Portsmouth FM08 thread. I say I’m surprised because, after the “big four” I’d have thought that Pompey would be among the next best to play and of course they have loads of money, so plenty of opportunity to bring in new players.

I’ve played just over a season with them. For the first half of the first season, I stuck with ‘Arry’s team, not bringing in anyone new at all, beyond hiring a load of extra coaches. The team did me proud, with Papa Diop, Kanu and Utaka especially good. I moved between a 4-4-2 and a 4-5-1 formation, mostly because I prefer 4-4-2 but the team plays well with more players in midfield, especially away from home. By Christmas I was fourth and looking good.

In the transfer period I brought in Defoe (£8.5 million), Alex from Brazil and Oliviera and Siquieira but then suffered when all of the African players went off to the African Nations. I ended the season in 6th place having reached the semi finals of the league cup. Of those players I bought, Alex has by far the greatest potential, but the fans have a downer on him and I’m still (four games into season two) being criticised for buying him. Defoe netted 19 goals for me, so well worth it, but my top scorer was Utaka with 21, which is very impressive when you consider that he spent over two thirds of the season on the right wing.

I think the important lessons from the first season are:

* Don’t be in too much of a hurry to bring in new players right at the beginning of the game, as the squad is very strong
* If you do OK in the first half of the season, Gaydamak will make quite a bit of extra dosh available for you at Christmas - the trigger for me was holding Chelsea to a draw at Stamford Bridge in the first leg of the League Cup semi final, after which he gave me another £25 million.
* The African players are great, but you’re going to miss them a lot come January which will cause you to suffer, and if you bring in a lot of extra players to compensate, you’ll have a problem with discontented players when they return.
* Benjani, Sol and Distin are not as good as they are in real life (Benji doesn’t get anything like the number of goals) but Nugent is a damn sight better, as is Cranie - play Cranie on the left or in the centre with very few instructions, as he’s very good at making decisions
* Sol is going to want away when teams start asking about him.
* I love Matty Taylor, so played him for the first half of the season, but in this game as in real life Kranjcar is better – play him on the left with a lot of creative freedom and let him take free kicks. He was the fans player of the year in my game.
* Hang on to Begovic – by season 2 he starts to look quite good so at the very least is worth a few quid!

That’s about it for a first post really. If anyone’s interested, I’ll let you know what happened in season two!

retired_snowbunny783

yer nice work 6th is ok considering half the team goes to the african nations. let us no how you go in the 2nd season. you are right benjani's finishing is too low considering the amount of goals he scores in real life.

well ill tell you about my pompey team,
im only in december in my 1st year, and mr Gaydamak just gave me some more money cause ive been doing really well, i got 29m at the start of the season and i brought in a few players
i paid 14.5m for defoe(worth every cent, 5apps for 9 goals in the league, his been out for 3 months with injury) i also brought in Harry Kewell for 5.25m, i brought 17yr old Sotiris Ninis from panathinakos he has been one of my best players and is a fan favourite and the best thing about him is his cheap only cost me 1m and his playing in the greek national team, i aslo brought Andrey Arshavin for 9.75m the russian international has been sensational, i needed a resevre keeper so i got young 17yr old Oier Olazabal for 600k from barca,i got Genero Zeefuik from psv for 375k and he plays in my reserves, i loaned in chris eagles from united cause i had alot of injuries and he has done the job really well so i have keept him as a back up. I have a couple of players coming to me at the end of the season Guy Asulin and Bruno Formigoni. and i have Lefteris Matsoukas from olympiakos coming to me in january for 875k the young name is in the greek squad and his only 17. I have 25m left in the bank.
Marc Wilson(port vale) and Martin Cranie(derby) and frank songo'o(chesterfield) are out on loan, and heres a list of players that i have sold richard duffy to peterborough for 875K,richard hughes to stoke for 2m,Arnold Mvuemba to bordeuax for 2.1m,Jamie Ashdown to derby for 3.1m.

I have played 15 games won 7 drawn 7 lost 1 im on 28 points with a game in hand and chelsea are on top with 35 points. ill let you now how i go at the end of the season.

retired_jvauerbach

Thanks for the tip about Sotiris Nino - he does look amazing. I’d buy him, but I’ve got so many right wingers now, I’d end up dropping really good players.

OK: season two:

Out: Campbell (he insisted) to Aston Villa for £1.9 million, Jamie Ashdown to Reading and Begovic to Derby (both for £2 million) and a tone of players either for free or next to nothing, including Kanu (I gambled that he would accept a lower wage but he didn’t) and Davies.

In: Breno £3.2 million - brilliant defender, get him! - Lomski (free) Cani £7.5 million, Michele Rigione £1.2 million and Angel Moya on a season long loan as I don’t have any backup to David James having got rid of two goalkeepers.

I’m now playing 4-4-2 and, after six games I’m in fourth having beaten Man U but squandered a two goal lead against Arsenal (sound familiar?). Cani’s been injured, but scored against Manure on his debut, while Utaka continues to be amazing.

You seem to be getting much better prices for the players you’re selling than I do, which may be reflects having more patience! Also, for all his promises, Mr G still hasn’t come up either with that new stadium or better youth training facilities, so my long term plans to build a home grown squad aren’t looking too good, and right now, I’ve had to choose four 16-year olds to go into the UEFA cup because I don’t have any home grown players in the reserves or the first team.

This is a point of real concern in real life, by the way – if we do qualify for Europe this season we’re going to have to put up some real dross into the Euro squad! All this European tour stuff might not be so great as we're anticipating.

How are you getting on now you've hit the African Nations?

retired_claire

Sorry to point out, but there already is a Pompey thread, just need to check back a few pages to find it.

retired_claire

It's here, unfortunately down in page 8