[FIFA 13] Return of Rangers FC

[NML]

The idea is simple enough - Rangers, having been liquidated and losing almost every talented player they have - remain in the Scottish Premier League instead of being forced to the fourth tier. I have taken over, and the end goal is to get them back to being a European staple.

For those unfamiliar, Rangers FC is a historic club, one of the most successful in the UK and have won more league titles and trebles than any other club in the world. They've won the league 54 times, Scottish Cup 33 times, and the Scottish League Cup 27 times, winning all three in the same season seven times. They were also the first British club to reach a European final, and won the Europa League (then the European Cup Winners Cup) in 1972, and were runners up in 1961, 1967, and 2008. Also, in 2005-06, they made it to the final 16 in the Champions League.

This foreign success is something that I will look to replicate. Celtic FC is a clear favorite in the league, but everyone else is junk. Definitely an opportunity to be good right away.

Some nuts and bolts

Half Length: 15 minutes
Difficulty: Legendary
Controls: Full Manual

Team preview next...

 

[NML]

There's some talent, but definitely a lack of depth and some really spotty parts of the team.

LM - David Templeton, 70 OVR
- Templeton is one of the most talented players in the SPL not on Celtic. He's quick, good with the ball at his feet, and solid in the final third. He's actually right footed but has a solid left (4*) so he will find time on both sides of the midfield. If we improve, he'd be an ideal winger. Only 23.

LB - Lee Wallace, 68 OVR
- Absolute athletic freak and has a few Scotland caps to his name. His speed and strength alone will dominate the SPL, and is solid enough on the ball to help in Europe. At 25, there's still a little room to grow here and should hit the 70s before it's all said and done.

ST - Lee McCulloch, 67 OVR
- Team captain and a staple of Rangers. Big and strong, McCulloch can play anywhere in the middle. His tackling and marking make him a liability at center back, but his finishing leaves something to be desired. His best spot might be in midfield. We'll have to see who we bring in.

Then there's the rest of the team. Neil Alexander is serviceable (66 OVR) at keeper, but is 34. Andrew Little (61 OVR ST), Ian Black (63 OVR CM), and Dean Shiels (62 OVR CAM) can fill some gaps. Barry McKay is only 17, but at 61 OVR is definitely one to watch.

Pretty much everyone else is garbage. We have been given a nice transfer budget, but ultimately it's fools gold. The SPL will not provide enough to sustain buying one or two stars a summer. Instead, we will focus on our youth academy and finding some young bargains in the transfer market we can later sell for a profit. In addition, due to their recent liquidation, our financial strictness is set on "strict" meaning I only get 60% of transfers.

We begin the year at 1.5 stars as a team, lowest in the SPL.

 

[NML]

SPL Predictions for 2012-2013

1. Celtic FC
3.5 stars
73 ATT/73 MID/71 DEF
$12 million transfer budget

2. Motherwell
3 stars
67 ATT/67 MID/65 DEF
$2.4 million

3. Kilmarnock
2.5 stars
64 ATT/63 MID/62 DEF
$1.2 million

4. St Johnstone
2.5 stars
64 ATT/63 MID/62 DEF
$600k

5. Hearts
2.5 stars
61 ATT/62 MID/67 DEF
$3.7 million

6. Inverness CT
2.5 stars
63 ATT/65 MID/61 DEF
$600k

7. Hibernian
2 stars
67 ATT/63 MID/63 DEF
$2.4 million

8. Dundee United
2 stars
65 ATT/64 MID/62 DEF
$2.4 million

9. Aberdeen
2 stars
61 ATT/64 MID/62 DEF
$2.1 million

10. St Mirren
2 stars
63 ATT/63 MID/61 DEF
$925k

11. Ross County
2 stars
62 ATT/63 MID/62 DEF
$300k

12. Rangers FC
1.5 stars
64 ATT/58 MID/57 DEF
$4.9 million

 

[NML]

Our transfer work was limited during the summer. We bought one player and brought in another via loan, but other than that we've stood put so far.

We did hire three 3* scouts and sent them to England, Ireland, and Scotland to find some of the next great talent.

RB - Curtis Obeng, 60 OVR
- Bought from Swansea for 600k, has a current value of 625k. Only player that interested me on the transfer market. Young and basically a poor man's version of Lee Wallace, they should pair together nicely. Already bumped up to 61 from pre-season.

ST - Benik Afobe, 66 OVR
- Brought in on loan from Arsenal, just for a few months for now. We've got a couple of youngsters that might be okay, but this guy is a great athlete and will work well in our system.

The rest of our funds went into the youth academy. Hopefully we get a nice haul this season.

On to the games!!

 

[NML]

August went really freaking well

@ Kilmarnock, 1-0 W
vs Inverness CT, 1-0 W
@ Dundee United, 1-0 W

My CB pairing of some Greek dude (60 OVR) and some Brazilian dude (58 OVR) was lockdown. They're both ballers in the air and I tend to press the opposing midfield so they are limited to lots of long balls to the strikers, which they clean up nicely.

Afobe got hurt 15 minutes in to his first game, and will henceforth be known as Deadmong. Deadmong put in a nice first shift, but Andrew Little had nice goals in each of the first two games. Our captain snapped his ankle in the last game and is out 3 months. Balls.

We currently sit, shockingly, at the top of the table. Celtic opened with a 5-0 40lbs box of rape, but followed it up with underwhelming 1-1 draws. Ecuador is apparently abou to offer me their international jerb, which I will decline.

I tried to sell four different players, but none could come to terms with the other club, so they can continue to not play here, I suppose. No reason to fix what ain't broken, so no one else brought in.

Some decent kids came through the first month, but none were signed yet.

 

[DeadMan]

You ass

 

[NML]

September was a mixed bag

@ Ross County, 4-0 W
vs St Johnstone, 2-3 L
@ Hearts, 0-2 L
vs Hibernian, 3-2 W
@ St Mirren, 0-1 L

We continued our hot start against Ross County, with Deadmong getting a brace and Templeton assisting both and scoring as well. Then the wheels came off defensively. After four straight clean sheets, we allowed seven goals in three games. A Templeton hat trick against Hibernian allowed us to still get a win there, but we definitely need some work on the backline.

McCulloch is still seven weeks out, but other than that we're healthy. Curtis Obeng continues to improve and is now 64 overall, and a value of $1.5 million after being purchased for $600k. Templeton is now 72 overall with a value of $2.6m and is probably the leader in the clubhouse for SPL player of the year right now with 5 goals and 3 assists through eight games.

We also had our first few academy signings. Tom Rafter is definitely one to watch - might be our starting keeper next season at just 16 if he can grow a little...

Steven Gardyne, GK - 14
5'7", 170
OVR: 42-58
POT: 64-88

Tom Rafter, GK - 15
5'5", 180
OVR: 55-69
POT: 76-94

Tony Russell, Winger - 14
5'3", 112
OVR: 49-61
POT: 68-86

Despite an up and down month, we sit 3rd in the table, five points behind leaders St Johnstone and three back of Celtic. We get Motherwell (4th) at home followed by Aberdeen (11th) on the road, before the Old Firm gets together for the final match in the first third of the season. Finish the month with visits from Ross County (9th) and Dundee United (5th).

 

[goblue96]

5 foot 5?!?!? No way, he'd be a goalkeeper IRL.

 

[NML]

5 foot 5?!?!? No way, he'd be a goalkeeper IRL.

Yeah he's pretty tiny - although he weighs 180 so he's clearly got some muscle on him. He's also only 15. I've never really paid attention to how they grow/don't grow from the academy.

 

[NML]

Player Bio - Lee McCulloch

- One of the things I want to also touch on in this dynasty is the historical aspect of Rangers, and hit on some of the histories of some of their player. I thought there would be no better place to start then current club captain Lee McCulloch.

McCulloch began his youth career with Rangers, before ultimately starting his professional career with Motherwell. He made his debut at just 18, but didn't really break into the first team until two seasons later. Between the start of the 1999 season and the start of the 2001 year, McCulloch netted 21 goals and earned himself a move to England. While it may have seemed lateral, he signed for Wigan - then in League One (third tier) - for 700k. His time at Wigan was highly successful for both him and the club. Wigan ultimately moved to the Premier League and McCulloch developed into not only a first choice striker, but a solid midfield option both in the middle and on the left. In 2004, he earned his first cap for the Scottish national team in what would be manager Berti Vogts last game. Since then, he has been capped 17 additional times, scoring in a Euro qualifier against Ukraine, his only international goal.

During the spring half of the 2006-07 season, rumors came to that McCulloch was on his way back to Rangers. Early transfers put the deal at 750k, however Wigan quickly rejected that deal. A follow up offer of 1.5m was also denied, as Wigan wanted 2.5m for the Scottish international. Ultimately, the final amount was 2.25m, and McCulloch joined his boyhood club.

It didn't take long for him to make an impact. His first game with the new club was a Champions League qualifier, where he scored on his debut. He would score again in the competition, heading in a corner from American DeMarcus Beasley in a 3-0 win against Olympique Lyon - a vital 3 points in getting Rangers into the third spot within the group, progressing them to the Europa League knockouts.

He was a staple in the run to the 2008 Europa League finals, appearing in all but one game in Europe that season. While they would lose to Zenit, they would go on to win the double - McCulloch ultimately appeared in 46 matches, scoring 7 goals and becoming one of the teams key players.

His next season with the club was marred with injuries, causing the veteran to lose a step. However, he began seeing minutes at center-back and defensive mid, both new positions. This would help him as he continued to age, finding minutes all over the field in the next few seasons. After the collapse of the team in 2012, McCulloch chose to stay with the club and was handed the captain's armband.

In all, McCulloch has appeared 253 times for Rangers FC, scoring 63 goals. He's won three league titles, three league cups, and two Scottish Cups.