FMFormation.net - Football Manager - FM2008 - View Single Post - ~Celtic Fc Team Guide~Re-Written~

FM_Scotland · 09-03-08, 06:06 AM

CELTIC FOOTBALL CLUB

1888

THE FIRST TEAM

GOALKEEPERS

Artur Boruc

27 year old Pole Artur Boruc is a key member of the squad. Highly rated as one of the top keepers in the World, and one of the top keepers on Football Manager 2008.
He has just about everything you want in a top goalkeeper, but poor aerial ability. His high eccentricity also means he is somewhat prone to making stupid mistakes.
Artur has always put in great performances for me, and he is very loyal to Celtic.

Mark Brown

Brown is half decent. He has fairly average SPL stats, which means he puts in decent performances when called upon. Brown isn't really Celtic quality, and should never be allowed to be the number One.
Look to replace the 26 year old with someone younger, whenever you have some money to spare.

DEFENCE

Andreas Hinkel

Hinkel is a pretty good right back. He is decent at defending, and decent going foreword.
His stats tell me he would play play best as a wing back. But i have never had the players to play that formation with Celtic, so I'm not 100% on that one.

Mark Wilson

A good little versatile player we have here.
Mark can play just about anywhere, apart from up front or in goals.
Obviously for the best results you should look at playing him right back. But in my opinion he isn't as good as Hinkel right now.
He can also play left back, due to the fact that he is strong with both feet. Although again, i don't rate him as highly as the clubs best left back Lee Naylor. So i keep 22 year old Wilson to back up both positions.

Jean-Joel Perrier-Doumbe

What can i say about Doumbe. He is an OK right back.
I don't rate him as highly as either Hinkel or Wilson, so he is third choice.
At 28 he is never really going to improve, so he could be sold for around £100k if you wish.
I prefer to keep him as backup to Wilson, incase of emergency.
His contract runs out in the summer of 2008, and i release him then.

Lee Naylor

Naylor is the best left back at the club. Saying that it wouldn't take much considering he is the only natural left back in the first team.
The 27 year old Englishmen is pretty good in both attack and defense. Although he does make the odd mistake, and give away free kicks and penalties.
You may want to replace him in the second season, but he can do a good job in the first.

Gary Caldwell

In my opinion Caldwell is the best centre back at Celtic.
He is pretty much a solid defender, but makes costly mistakes now and again.
At 25 he has a good few years ahead of him, and is a good candidate for the captaincy.

Stephen McManus

For some strange reason SI have taken a dislike to the young Celtic captain. On the 8.02 patch his stats are pretty bad.
Although he has poor stats, he puts in decent enough performances. He also goes for alot of money considering his ability. I have seen him go for as high as £11M. So i would hang on to the 24 year old for now.

Steven Pressley

At 33 'Elvis' still has very good stats, although his pace lets him down. He can put in great performances, but has to be partnered with another centre back with relatively good pace and acceleration.

John Kennedy

Kennedy puts in OK performances. But he is probably the worst player for making mistakes i have ever come across.
For this i cannot accept, so the 23 year old has to be gotten rid of.

Bobo Balde

Bobo is 31. He puts in OK performances, but like Kennedy he is very mistake prone (Probably due to his pathetic 8 for concentration).
So he is no better than the current centre backs at the club, and he is a lot more stupid than any player at the club. To top it all off he is on a massive £28k per week.
Try to flog Balde for anything you can get, heck even accept £0!

MIDFIELD

Koki Mizuno

21 year old Japanese right winger Mizuno is a really good player.
He takes a while to settle into Scotland.
I keep him in the first team as backup. Although he is more than capable of holding his own.
He will only improve and could become an asset to the club.

Shunsuke Nakamura

Shunsuke is one of, if not the best player at Celtic.
He is world class in dead-ball situations, and has the technical ability to walk into any team.
Sadly at 29 he is nearing the end of his career, and his physical attributes will only decrease over time.
Naka is best used on either wing, or attacking midfield. I would not recommend playing him in the centre.
He sometimes decides he wants to leave Celtic, and a lot of clubs come sniffing. However i never let him leave for anything under £10M. If no one stumps up the cash, he is forced to stay, and will still perform to the highest standard.

Aiden McGeady

Aiden is a good versatile player. He can play perfectly on either wing, or in an attacking midfield position.
He likes to try and beat the man. And usually succeeds.
Aiden is very fast and has good dribbling ability. He also chips in with a few goals.
At 21 he still has time to improve, and he could also become a key player for the club.

Scott Brown

Touted as the next big thing in Scotland. The 22 year old is already a pretty solid player, and he can still improve.
Scott can play well basically anywhere in the midfield.
Being 2 footed, fast and able to cross means he can play on either wing. And his tackling and passing ability means he can do the job in the centre.
He is also very determined, and always gives his all.

Barry Robson

Barry is basically an older, more experienced version of Brown.
He can also play anywhere across the midfield. And is strong with both feet.
At 28 he is in his prime, and probably isn't likely to get any better.

Massimo Donati

In my opinion Massimo is one of the best players at the club.
His best position is playing in the centre. And he has the stats to be a very good box-to-box midfielder.
Although he also can do an decent job on the right wing when required.
At 26 he has a good few years in front of him. And his still to hit his prime.
Massimo should be in your team for the years to come.

Paul Hartley

Paul reminds me a bit of Donati, although he is older (30) and not as good.
He is yet another player that Celtic have, that can play anywhere across the midfield. Although i would say Paul is the weakest of the bunch.
Never the less he is still a decent player, and adequate backup.

STRIKERS

Scott McDonald

Australian Scott McDonald is a lifelong Celtic fan.
He is really frustrating to watch. He gets into so many good positions, but wastes lot's and lot's of good chances.
Saying that he usually makes up for them with a couple of goals.
The 23 year old will probably always finish with a decent tally of goals, and should be at the club for a few years.

Derek Riordan

24 year old Riordan is a product of the famous Hib's youth system.
He is a decent player, and does alot of work. But is a poor goal scorer. He never seems to get himself into any good positions, therefore he can't score.
Saying this he does assist a fair few goals, so he can be OK to partner with a proven goal scorer.

Giorgos Samaras

Big Sammy on loan from Manchester City is an alright player in the first season.
He has everything a top class striker needs.
He does fairly well, and scores a few goals. But i would be surprised if he managed anything over 15 goals really.

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink

Really inconsistent player is big Jan. Some games he will hit a double. Then others he will be invisible.
He doesn't do much work either, which i don't like.
So i tend to ship him out.

And so we come to the end of the first team squad.
Now let's take a look at some of the up and coming youngsters at Parkhead.

YOUTH PLAYERS

Gerard Barron

GK
Although only 14, Barron could probably do a good job in the Blue Square leagues.
And at 14 he still has many many years to improve.
He is one of 2 goalkeepers under the age of 16 at Celtic.

Connor Fairley

GK
Connor is 15. And again could probably do a good job in the Blue Square leagues.
He is another young goalkeeper at Celtic who looks to have a great career ahead of him.

Paul Caddis

WBR
19 year old Paul already has the ability to play in the SPL. And could probably be backup to the current full backs at Celtic. But i feel he would benefit more from a season of first team football.
Send Caddis on loan. Allow him to go to another SPL club, or a Championship club.
Do NOT let him go any lower. He will be too good for the league and will not improve on his current level of ability.

Michael Staunton

DC
Michael is 18. He could probably play as backup centre back to most SPL teams. But he will probably improve more by getting regular first team football.
Try and loan him to a League 1 or Scottish First Division team for a season. Then to a SPL or Championship side the next.

Scott Cuthbert

DC
In my opinion 20 year old Scott could easily backup the current centre backs at Celtic. But i feel he could do with some first team experience first.
Do not allow him to go anywhere other than the SPL or the Championship.

Darren O'Dea

DC
Many consider 20 year old Darren good enough to play for Celtic from the off. But i don't think he is quite the finished product.
He will star for any Championship or SPL side, so send him there for a year.

Evander Sno

DM
Like O'Dea, Sno is considered good enough to play this season.
Yes he probably is. But Celtic have better more experiences options to choose from, and the 20 year old would have a hard time holding down a place.
A lot of clubs will come in to loan Sno. So send him where you think he will play first team football at a good level.

Simon Ferry

MC
Yet another Celtic youngster with a bright future.
Try to loan the 19 year old to the Championship or SPL for 2 seasons.

Luca Santonocito

MC
Luca is possibly the best young player at Celtic.
At only 16 he has the technical ability to play in the Championship. Sadly he does not have the physical's.
Keep him in the Under19s till he is 18. Then loan him to the SPL or Championship.
Also ask Massimo Donati to tutor him, as they are both similar players. Plus Donati can help settle the young man into the club.

Rocco Quinn

MC
Rocco has the ability to play well in the SPL or Championship.
He is only 20 and still has time to improve.
Loan him to the SPL or Championship for a year. Then you can decide if he is ready for the first team or not.

Ben Hutchinson

ST
Ben is a fast striker. He has pace, agility, technique, a good first touch and most importantly is an able finisher.
He is not quite ready for the first team yet. But he may well be after 1-2 seasons in the Championship or SPL.

Cillian Sheridan

ST
18 year old Irish striker Sheridan stands at a massive 6'5".
Not only does he pose an aerial presence. He also has pace and a bit of movement.
He has everything to become a class striker.
I recommend loaning him to CC League 1 or Scottish First Division for a season. Then to the SPL or Championship for a further 2.

So we have now taken a look at the youth players. Celtic obviously have many more, but i feel that these are the cream of the crop.
Now lets look at the tactical side.

TACTICS

You should look to play this at home against all the SPL teams, bar Rangers.
Nakamura in the attacking midfield position is a standout performer in this tactic. His through balls can cause plenty of problems for the opposition.

I play this in the tough away games in the SPL. Such as Hearts, Hibs, Falkirk and Motherwell.
I also play it in tough European home games, and against Rangers, both home and away.

I play this tactic in most European away games.
You want to use someone like Samaras upfront, as he as a bit of everything.

TRANSFERS

IN

I think Celtic are missing some backup centre backs.
I like to bring in Brian Mclean from Motherwell for £475k. And Darren Barr from Falkirk from £275k.
They are both 22 years old. And are very able defenders.
If you want someone better then i would go for Sergey Ignashevich.
I am sure most of you have heard of this man, but if you haven't he is the Russia captain and a very good defender. He will cost around £4m.

I would also look to bring in another striker.
I tend to go for Salvador Cabanas or Steven Fletcher.
They both cost around £4m and both do a good job and score lots of goals.

I would also look to bring in Rene Mihelic and Pablo Piatti. Mihelic usually costs £150k and Piatti the same. Although if you load the Argentine leagues Piatti will cost close to £1m.
You can make great profit off both players after a couple of seasons, or you can keep them and they become class.

Also look to bring in any youth players that you know of.

OUT

I look to sell Jvoh for £2m. I just don't like him in the game, but others seem to love him. So it's really up to you on that one.
I also sell John Kennedy. You can get better defenders for less than half of what you can receive for him.
Hearts sometimes offer £1.6m, over 24 months. And 40% of the next sale. Plus Eggert Jonsson. Jonsson is a great young player and i feel this is a good offer.
Sell Michael McGovern for £250k. He is 23 and shit.
Get rid of Balde for anything you can, because he is a greedy bastard and won't accept lower wages.

THE END

Hope you enjoyed, and hope it helped.