Articles > CM 2008: My Top 10 PlayersEach version of Championship Manager is unique in its ability to draw our attention to talented players, whether it be established players or stars of the future.CM 2008 is no different, and whilst the debate rages about who the best players on the game are, I thought I would give my own opinions with my top 10 players of Championship Manager 2008. 1. Aiden McGeady To my mind, Aiden McGeady is without a doubt the best player on the game. Not only does he get a phenomenal amount of assists - gaining 63 in one season and 54 in another for my Sheffield Wednesday side. He also scores a tremendous amount of goals for a winger - 27 in one season [screenshot]. Combine this with the fact that he is lethal from dead balls and can use either foot; the 11m it will cost you to purchase him from Celtic is one of the best investments you can make. In real life, McGeady has spent his entire professional career at Celtic, becoming a full international for the Republic of Ireland in the process. He was named the Scottish PFA Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year in 2008. He has also been attracting interest from several Premiership clubs, with the likes of Sunderland, Aston Villa and Newcastle reported to be interested. 2. Dimitar Berbatov Berbatov is an awesome player, well worth the 30m it will cost you to prise him away from Spurs. Not only is he a deadly finisher, but he chips in with his fair share of assists as well. In his first season at my Villa team, he scored 59 in 59 games and contributed 20 assists [screenshot]. He is quite possibly the best striker on the game and not even at his peak until four years into the game. Berbatov is an established world class performer, currently plying his trade at Manchester United following a deadline day move from Spurs. He has been named Bulgarian Player of the Year five times. 3. Curtis Davies A must for any Premiership team, Davies is in my opinion, one of the most complete centre backs on the game. I hadn’t paid much attention to him in previous games, until I started managing Villa. From there his excellent defensive abilities and eye for a goal made him the first name on the team sheet. Having scored an amazing 16 goals in his first season, it was a ‘no brainer’ to pay the 4.3m West Brom were asking to make his loan move permanent. He has since gone on to oust Rio Ferdinand in the England team, scoring 8 goals in 18 matches [screenshot]. In real life, Davies has made a permanent move to Villa where he is now a regular fixture in the team. After a string of impressive performances, he was named in one of Fabio Capello’s provisional England squads, but has yet to make his international debut. 4. Mixalis Pavlis Pavlis is undoubtedly one of the star finds in Championship Manager. He has been a talisman for my all conquering Sheffield Wednesday team, regularly scoring in excess of 25 goals a season [screenshot]. He can be signed for a worthwhile 5m from AEK Athens, and at 18 years of age will repay that investment, and then some. In real life, Pavlis remains at AEK Athens and is hailed as one of the most exciting prospects in Greek football. He is also a vital part of the Greek U19 team, boasting an impressive record of one goal every two games. 5. Abou Diaby Diaby has been a bit of a revelation for my teams, both at Sheffield Wednesday and Aston Villa. After playing him in the central midfield role, he proceeded to reward me with season goal hauls of 19 and 20 respectively [screenshot]. The tall midfielder has proved a serious threat at corners, a major source of his goals. Such has been his success for me that he is currently keeping Javi Martinez out of my Wednesday side. Diaby is currently a full French international and has risen to prominence in the Arsenal first team. Injuries have held him back some what, but he has the potential to become a long term replacement for Patrick Vieira. 6. Eduardo Ratinho Having spent years searching for a quality right back to replace Bosingwa in my Sheffield Wednesday team, I stumbled across this little Brazilian gem. One look at his stats was enough to convince me to shell out 16m to Derby for his signature and I haven’t looked back since [screenshot]. He puts in solid performances, regularly averaging a 7 rating, he also chips in with the odd spectacular free kick. Ratinho is currently on loan at Fluminese from Toulouse, having not yet made his debut for the French club. The 21 year old has struggled to make a significant impact at his new club, having previously been linked with Lyon. 7. Armand Traore An awesomely quick left back in the Ashley Cole mould, Traore regularly maxes out his attributes in pace, acceleration, balance, agility and stamina [screenshot]. He has been a solid performer for my Aston Villa side, chipping in with some assists and the odd goal. He is arguably the best young left back on the game. The French U21 international has made a few appearances for Arsenal, mainly in the Carling Cup. However, his performances on loan at Portsmouth this season have drawn praise for his ability and the talented 19 year old looks to have a bright future. 8. Jack Hobbs Always one of my first signings, know matter what league I’m playing in, Hobbs is a consummate performer who plays well at either centre back or in the holding role. In my Premier League winning Sheffield Wednesday 2013/14 season, Hobbs played a pivotal role as my midfield enforcer, chipping in with 17 goals as well! [screenshot] Having made his full debut for Liverpool in a defeat against Reading in 2007, Hobbs has struggled to get into the first team on a permanent basis. He is currently on a season long loan at League One Leicester. 9. Ben Sahar Sahar has always been an excellent player for me. However, due to Chelsea’s reluctance to sell, I have only ever been able to get him on loan. One thing he does guarantee you is goals - lots of them. During a successful loan spell with my Grays side in the Championship, he boasted a fantastic goal return of 54 goals in 57 matches; scooping both the Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards [screenshot]. Having played a handful of games for Chelsea, the Israeli international has had loan spells at QPR, Sheffield Wednesday and Portsmouth. Having being given few starts, he has had little chance to show what he is capable of. He is currently on loan at Dutch side De Graafschaap as he continues his footballing education. 10. Arash Borhani A player that probably wouldn’t be in any other top 10 other than my own. But the little known Iranian that I signed for 53k from Paas for my Grays Athletic team was the driving force behind our back to back promotions from the Conference and League Two. Chipping in with a phenomenal 63 goals in 53 appearances in the Conference, and then 31 goals the following season [screenshot]. In real life, Borhani now plays for Iranian giants Esteghlal, boasting an awesome goal scoring record of 23 goals in 26 appearances during the 2008-09 season. He has also attracted interest from clubs in Portugal, Belgium and Turkey. |
CM FOCUS
CM 2010 section
We will soon be starting work on our new CM 2010 section, which should
be up within the next week. I hope to build up some comprehensive lists of all the best players, tactics, set pieces routines and training schedules. I am also hoping to start a new Lower League Section, with help and guides for those who chose to start their managerial careers further down the footballing ladder. If anyone is interested in helping with the Lower League section or any other area of the site, then please send me an e-mail at jonathan@champ-man.com |
