As a longtime Football Manager/Champ Man addict, I was heartened to see the game's strong showing in the Gamesblog Best of the Noughties list. It was the only excuse I needed to run some tips for newcomers, or veterans looking to maximise their management potential in the early part of the game.
So then, here we have a 'first eleven' of brilliant purchases, selected by Miles Jacobson, the Studio Director at FM creator, Sports Interactive. These are all available at the start of FM 2010 for less than £500k, and are perfect options if you're starting out - as you really ought to - with a League One or Two side. According to Miles, these were all tested with Bury, with only the English league activated and a medium database size. "All have EU nationality, so no problems with work permits," he concludes.
If you're looking to get in some modest FM sessions over Christmas, this should help you cobble together a skillful and competitive side quite quickly, leaving plenty of free time to work your way up the league...
Goalkeeper
Carl Ikeme: 23-year-old 'keeper, currently playing for Wolves.
Defenders
Salvatore Fresi (DC/DMC): 36-year-old central defender with bags of Serie A experience. Playing with Battipagliese at the opening of FM 2010.
Alejandro Cichero (DC): Venezuelan defender with international experience, plying his FM 2010 trade at Chinese club, Shandong FC. He's 32 so has a couple of seasons left in him.
Jean Ferrari (DC/DMC): 33-year-old currently running out for Peruvian club FBC Melgar as a midfielder.
Allan K Jepsen (DL): 32-year-old left-sided defender with brief international experience. Currently playing for Danish Superliga side, Randers.
Midfield
Elbekay Bouchiba (ML): Dutch-Moroccan midfielder, 30, previously with FC Twente and Sparta Rotterdam. Now with Qatar side, Al Wakra.
Dare Vrsic (AMC): Slovenian international, now playing for FC Timisoara in the Romanian top flight. Just 25 in the game, so could be a good long-term buy.
Marian Aliuta (AMC) - In real-life, a well-traveled Romanian midfielder, voted the best player in Divizia A at the close of the 2002/3 season. In FM 2010, you'll find the 31-year-old playing for Azerbaijan side, Neftchi Baku.
Strikers
Francois Zoko: 25-year-old Ivory Coast striker, available on a free transfer at the opening of FM 2010. Has been called, 'probably the best striker willing to come to League Two' by one FM player at fansite, The Dugout.
Andrei Cristea: Pacy Romanian striker, with international experience. He's currently playing for Dinamo Bucharest, and at 25 is another decent long-term investment.
Marcin Robak: 26-year-old Polish striker currently with Widzew Łódź.
Feel free to add your own suggestions - make sure you include the player's age, current side, transfer status and preferred positions!
