Team Gregginator

The task:
I want you to present to me a vision. A vision of what football really means to you. And to do that, I'm giving you £125m to spend.

With that £125m, I want you to buy a team of 18 footballers, using their TM values as of 25 January 2012 (prepare now but check the values don't go up when you submit). For this 18-man squad, I want you to provide a starting XI, and a briefing on how you want them to play. Not tactics as such, but I want you to inspire the players with a vision for how you want them to play the game.

Now, to help you, I am going to offer you the chance to purchase a manager. You can have another £25m for this - anything you don't spend can be put towards your squad purchases. The manager will be the person who will carry out your vision, who will put it into practice and get the players playing the way you want them to. Not to say that you're choosing the manager's vision of course, but if your vision is of lumping it to Andy Carroll, don't choose Wenger! Manager prices are as follows:

Pep Guardiola - £25m
Jose Mourinho - £25m
Sir Alex Ferguson - £25m
Roberto Mancini - £20m
Arsene Wenger - £20m
Guus Hiddink - £17.5m
Tito Vilanova - £17.5m
Jupp Heynckes - £16.5m
Andre Villas-Boas - £15m
Jürgen Klopp - £15m
Massimiliano Allegri - £15m
Marcelo Bielsa - £13.5m
David Moyes - £13.5m
Diego Simeone - £12.5m
Brendan Rogers - £12.5m
Antonio Conte - £12.5m
Manuel Pellegrini - £10m
Rafael Benítez - £10m
Michael Laudrup - £8m
Chris Hughton - £5m

I will be judging this task on three aspects:

1. The starting XI, including chemistry between players (ie, they have to complement your vision)
2. The substitutes, so you don't buy any old toot to make your first team look better
3. Your vision, including whether your manager is capable of carrying it off

The team with the best XI, subs and vision will win - the prize is still to be determined. Good luck one and all!

I feel as though we can save cash on the manager to put towards the squad. Some good guys around 15m, and having the players is more important imo.

I feel as though the vision needs to come from Gregers though before we can really put together a squad

Just come on, I think a good level manager. For me the stand out money is wise Hiddink

What formation are people thinking? 4-2-3-1 is a touch too obvious, maybe 4-1-4-1?

I thought Moyes money wise was a good one. Then buy the nucleus of Everton which is pretty cheap as a squad on TM (£110m for the lot!)

I think by doing that then you've got a framework, a team that know each other and the manager, you only have to look at QPR as an example of bringing in a new squad of on paper pretty decent players but it just not working.
Then just improve on the weaker areas with TM bargains (ie the likes of Michu for just over 5m).

Aye I agree, Hiddink/Moyes and a hard working group over individuals?

I'd be tempted on Hiddink, get in some strong leaders (Lampard?)

You want to make Chelsea from a few years ago don't you

Is there anything wrong with that team?

Drogba on the bench, Lamps and Terry can still do the job. Cole at lb....

I think we need a blend of youth and experience and that Chelsea wasnt exactly young back then

I think we buy a few West Brom players that Azzy likes or guys that he's brought into his team on here, he's the judge at the end of the day.

Sod it just name the whole West Brom team and hire Steve Clarke.

Go home and crack open some beers for the rest of the week

West Brom + Eriksen (know he has man-love for him) and a few others, bish bash bosh.

Posting here so it appears in my post feed...and FYI, my West Brom team in career mode on FIFA is:

Frey-Debuchy-Kjaer-Alderweireld-Vertonghen-Cole-Fellaini-Eriksen-Sneijder-Ben Arfa-Falcao

Don't let that fool you though, I love me a bit of Grant Holt too!

Can I get a list of 5 people to definitely sign from everyone please

Ashley Cole
Michu
Jagielka
Lescott
Lampard

Apologies for not replying earlier.

Do you want me to think about a theme or anything or just players who are very underpriced on TM?

Players that are underpriced. Ideally a very strong striker

Lambert - 3.1m?

Necid?

Lambert is a good shout, how much is necid?

So we need two gks Forster and One more
Left back - cashley
Cb - 3
Rb - ?
DCM - ?
Cms - lamps, x, x
LW
Rw
Cf - Lambert and x

Manager - hiddink

I personally think you should spend a bit more on a couple of star players who can make something out of nothing.

What position trebs, cam or cf?

Maybe splash out on rvp?

Necid is 4m i think

Maybe get a world class CM/AM and ST.

Ibrahimovic or van Persie would be my recommendations.

Does Ibras attitude fit into a vision though

Rvp for me, how much is he on tm!

38m

Maybe Toni Kroos as well? From memory he's 25-odd million

What about Suarez instead of rvp?

X
X Jagielka X Cole
Kroos X
X Suarez X
RVP

Thoughts on the xs and the bench please

If we're using Suarez and RVP then we're probably looking at hybrid strikers off the wing as opposed to traditional wingers I guess.

Friedel
Rafinha
Caulker/Lescott if cash applies?
Rolfes
Will think on wingers

Think our team needs some youth.

Wanyama to sit beside Kroos at 3.3m?

Zaha is 3.1m if you like him

Mignolet for 4.8m?

Wanyama I thought of, so he's in,

Zaha on the left, sterling on the right

What total are we up to?

For subs, if we're playing that formation, need a GK, FB, CB, CM, Winger, CAM/CF and ST?

Michu on the bench?

How much is he?

5.3

I'll tot it up this afternoon when I stop throwing up

Good night?

Shawcross for 7m next to Jags?

Just dropping in to check on you guys, I see you're making progress with the task. Keep it up

I'll mate, home from work. Think its flu as feel awful.

Shawcross is a good shout.

Lamps on the bench

Rafinhas a good shout at RB, Lowton a decent youngster

Erik Pieters as reserve FB? 3.5m

Good shout gsc

Gregers, let me know if there's anything else you want me to do

Could you find me an underpriced cb for the bench trebs?