Greetings and welcome to the final top 10 at 10. You’ve all done a great job of celebrating 10 years of this place so thank you for your interaction with these lists but also over the previous 10 years.

For my final list, I’ve put together a list of players who I think are my SOS players. Mostly these will be signings for lower league sides but some of them can do a job elsewhere, which we’ll get onto. Also the prices of contracted players can of course change, so this is just an “in my experience” type deal. Anyway, shall we?

10. Phil Mulryne (AM LC)

Father Phil! Regular, long-term readers of this blog will know of my affection for this creative type. You are of course at the mercy of many random stats but, like most in this list, they have a -1 potential so there’s every chance they’ll be good. What I like about Mr Mulryne is that he’s usually available for loan in the early days, which is a bit of a cheat for this list, but you can certainly take a punt on him at usually less than £1m in the first season or two. So in summary, Division 2/3, loan that boy, Division 1 and above, take a chance and nurture him. He usually has good set pieces too, though that might be pure fortune. Man Utd won’t have a place for him so you know he’s leaving at some point.

9. Lee Hughes (D/M L)

Of all the great players in the Norwegian league, I’m recommending the £50k left back. He’s always highly recommended by your scouts in the lower leagues and invariably plugs a gap on the left side of your team. If he plays, his value will increase and you can sell him or keep him forever. He’s just no fuss. Is he the striker who played for Coventry, West Brom, Notts County etc? There is absolutely nothing to support that on the internet.

8. Michael Twiss (FLC)

Twiss was most recently seen playing a starring role for my Doncaster side as we attempted to win the FA Cup. Unsuccessfully I might add. I always like a Forward rather than a striker in the lower leagues. Simply because you only have 3 subs and a forward can play right up top or in behind. That versatility can go a long way. Twiss is lethal in the lower leagues and will probably be poached off you unless you can use the loan cheat to stop the big club release. An obvious free transfer pickup.

7. Matthew Bound (DC)

I sign Bound a lot as a more basic option compared to some rivals in his position. There’s basically never any competition for his signature which you’d think would be a red flag but he never lets you down and rarely even gets poached. You can’t argue with facts. Look at his Mulhouse career:

6. Andrew Mainwaring (SC)

This is a story that intrigues me, a bit like Lee Hughes in many ways. Mainwaring was firing the goals in at non-league level and the Welsh leagues before moving to Newport in 1997. The researchers obviously saw this as an inevitable star of the future, available from “non-league” for as little as £5k, sometimes more, often a tribunal gets involved. Either way, he’s a bargain as despite looking pretty average on paper, he’s a striker who will score goals for fun in the lower leagues (and maybe higher, but you’re best off just cashing in).

5. Andrew Duncan (DC)

Another cast-aside Manchester United youth, Duncan is available on a free transfer at the start of the game but there’s often competition to snare him, so move quickly! I’ve seen Duncan move from Division 3 to Premier League for £2m or so, which is obviously a big deal to a lower division side. I find him and Bound (scroll up) are the dream starting partnership on a free transfer and you can then bring in Curtis or Gislason on loan and watch them grow together.

4. Graeme Tomlinson (FC)

Another visit to the scrap heap of Manchester leads us to Graeme Tomlinson. After a series of average loan moves, Tomlinson was released from Old Trafford and would join Macclesfield, but in CM9798 he was there to be got from the start on a free. I’ve said this a lot but this lad can really do a job at any level in season one. He was brilliant for my Aberdeen side and unsurprisingly loved it at Cowdenbeath. I even took him to Benfica. Basically, I am Harry Redknapp with Kranjcar, Defoe, Crouch etc. I know what I like.

3. John Curtis (DC)

Oh captain, my captain. Whatever “it” is, John Curtis has it. Could be his -1 potential. Could be his Man Utd roots, like many others in the list. But if he plays regularly, his influence goes up towards 20 and he will captain England and probably your team. The bargain element is very much time dependant. You have to be the first to get him from Man Utd, you’ll probably get a short loan out of him but he will be coveted by many so if you can get that first bid in then you’ve got a centre back for life.

2. Mick Quinn (SC)

You knew I was going to say him, didn’t you? I think with the Micker the charm is that everything about him suggests he should be crap. He probably shouldn’t even be on the game, given that he last played in the 95/96 season in Greece. But there he is, on a free transfer and ready to take on the world. Obviously his off the ball/shooting stats make him an unbelievable goalscoring machine who I would say you can sign at any club in Division 2 or 3. He can do a job at any level, but not prolifically. I will try him at Barcelona or Inter Milan I think to see how he gets on with better players but I predict badly. He likes being the big fish, in all senses.

1. Bjorn Heidenstrom (D/M C)

Here he is again. Mr CM9798, Bjorn Heidenstrom. Better men than me have dedicated time trying to figure out just why Bjorn is the toppest of lads in the game but much like Marc Emmers, whatever you need to have on this game, Bjorn has. It’s remarkable really because Leyton Orient don’t seem to really want him either, making him available for about £50k if you strike very early. His value then fluctuates wildly between £100k and £500k, for some reason, so make sure you get him cheap. That versatility is vital but I think he’s better in central midfield. He takes a mean penalty too, one of the good guys.

That’s it! The end of the list and the end of this series. As ever, I’m sure you have your own bargains and I’d love to hear from you who they are. The Scottish trio of Martin, Lauchlan and Macdonald were quite unlucky (plus Dunn and Ritchie) but they usually cost and won’t move to any old poor team. The 10 year birthday celebrations are over so let’s get on with the 11th. Thanks for reading!