Football Manager Fever Hits Celtic
Christian Benitez, Benitez….Benitez…hmm, Christian Beni….GOT IT! He’s that Ecuadorian guy who scores for fun on football manager isn’t he?
So its silly season once again and with the Norwegian strike deal looking as dead as Rangers’ chances of signing a player from the Republic Of Ireland, attention has turned to Santos Laguna’s ex Birmingham loanee Christian Benitez, a player who has almost certainly lived off his football manager reputation when it comes to the reactions of the Celtic fans to the news of the ‘speculation’
“He’s a great player, he’d score plenty up here!” (He scored 3 in 30 for Birmingham)
“I remember him scoring for me in the champions league final when I was Celtic, scored 70 in 2 seasons easy for me…in football manager obviously”
“I once bought him for 500K and sold him for 10 Million in 6 months on fitba manager”
“Lenny he’s in ma fitba manager team the noo….SIGN HIM UP!
“The board should be hung if they don’t fork the money oot this time, this guy is wicked on fitba manager” (my personal favourite)
So it appears its a glourious thumbs up for our little friend from Ecuador! But the more realistic of us will realize, the game isn’t played on a computer, so I’ll now go through some other Football Manager wonderkids and we’ll see how they’ve got on in their careers!
Kerlon – Cruzerio, been in the game since he was 14, Hes now around 22, used to be able to pick him up for 500K and he’d score about 45 goals a season and create 100 every year! His wee dot moved around the screen giving off the ‘I wonder when someone big will sign him’ impression – He’s still in Brazil. His seal dribble hasn’t impressed anyone, least of all ex-Celtic target Cohelo (remember him?!)
Nathan Porritt – Middlesbrough, Young 15 year old in FM2006, used to tear it up down the left wing with some leathal crosses into the box, his FM exploits led to his named being mentioned on that BBC Panaroma documentary about dodgy agents when his own agent tried to flog him to Harry Redknapp. Don’t even know whats happened to this boy, he’s certainly not doing well anyway.
Ryan Conroy – Celtic. Fellow Dumbarton bhoy Ryan used to fill my computer screen with joy with his mazy runs and 10 out of 10 ratings every week, playing in his preferred left wing role, he’d embark on run after run, mostly resulting in a Celtic goal. If anyone had ever gave him a chance they’d realise this! Reality struck though, and Ryan returned from a loan at Queen of the South last week. Waste of a bhoy who has so much natural ability, not just on football manager.
Tagini Babangida – Free Agent – Oh My God, If anyone has Championship Manager 4 lying about, search for Babangida, He’ll sign for almost anyone (had him at Dumbarton) he was a good age but this lad could run past just about anyone and win games single handedly, it actually looked like the guy was playing a different game from everyone else! Surely with skill and pace like that he’d be worth a shout for someone? No, in reality I’ve never seen his name pop up, anywhere.
So Christian Benitez flopped at Birmingham, Sure he worked hard and created lots of chances but he missed chances, and Celtic fans don’t exactly like hardworkers for the team do they? I mean, Fortune springs to mind. But that aside, has Neil Lennon, John Park or Tom O’Neill being playing football manager? If indeed we do sign this bhoy, in time he might just be perfect. Part of me thinks he’d pish it up here, He did make an awful lot of defences look very silly last year, maybe Birmingham needed a better partner? Surely with a natural goalscorer up there, i.e Hooper, Benitez might do well? Only time can tell on this one, but maybe taking a chance of an Football Manager wonderkid will work, or maybe it’ll go like the other ones above and the players will flutter away into the wilderness.
So to Hibs away on Saturday? I see nothing but a comfortable win for Celtic, Hibs didn’t turn up against their rivals, and Celtic will be right up for this one. Yes, I’m going to do it again and back Joe Ledley for the first goal (It’ll happen one day – you watch!)
So with all that said, enjoy your weekend people! And if you’re spending it by playin the new football manager, drop me a message, I’ve got a cracking 18 year old Peruvian to tell you about…