Of course it is too early to tell what all the tweaks and features are and how they have impacted on the game and our in-game experience but aesthetically, how has it changed.

We challenged our editor Danny Chapman about his thoughts so far.

How long have you been playing FM?

Hey Lucas, I’ve been playing FM for well over a decade now, it’s gone massively fast but I still remember the days of FM release day, with several of us round a friends house pounding that space bar until we literally fell asleep in front of our laptops, only to awaken a couple of hours later to do the same thing, happy days!

What were the things that needed fixing in your opinion?

For me Football Manager 2013 was a disappointment, in all honesty I played it the least out of any FM release yet. It just lacked something, an x factor if you like that it just seemed to miss.

There were too many in-game errors, glitches and mistakes made by your team on the field. Not to mention the discrepancies in team form being massively frustrating.

I remember one game I had just beat my club record wins in a row, 23 I think it was, I was top of the league, flying you could say. I had just played my ‘youths’ in a CL game because I had already qualified so was forced in to playing my star-line-up first team against Barnsley in the cup.

Anyway, I was 3-0 up at half time and lost the game 7-3. What?, how can that be plausible.

Don’t get me wrong though, in terms of graphical enhancement, UI and new features FM 13 was the best one yet. For me though the inconsistencies and frustration they caused outweighed the otherwise pristine makeup of the game.

Were you looking forward to FM 2014?

Yes I was massively looking forward to new game but I do wait with bated breath as for me the game needs to improve, but not the look and feel, for me its time to get in to the nitty gritty of the games functions to make it as real as possible.

Whats your first aesthetic impression of the Beta release?

I was both delighted to see some slight changes to the UI and excited to see that no too much had changed, there is a few bugs that need sorting in my opinion, for example the ‘black’ outline that seems to show up on all logos, imagery and comments etc makes it look unfinished.

I realise it is unfinished but that seems a simple thing and something that shouldn’t be seen in the Beta. I hope this is changed and I hope SI are not hoping that everyone downloads an image pack add-on to sort this issue.

The in-game graphics are awesome and you can really pick out the technical differences between players but its too early to tell exactly what has changed in game as i only managed to squeeze in a couple of games after my mass-transfer activity as is a given with a new game.

Your final thoughts on the game so far?

I am impressed but I wouldn’t want to pass judgement until i have been through at least a full season, the one niggling thing that is obvious to me at the moment is that there doesn’t seem to be a massive seed-change since 2013, which in my opinion was needed.

I was half hoping they completely scrapped the 1-20 stats, for me thats the biggest difference between the game and real life, but as 99% of the people I have suggested to would be happy to hear, they haven’t listened!

We would love to hear your thoughts on the BETA so far, just put them in the comments below!

Hailed as the most action packed FM game ever we look set for a treat, although the official launch date is yet to be published, this is sure to come in the next few days but you can now pre-order it from Amazon.

You can buy Football Manager 2014 through Amazon using the button below:

Fans have been promised loads:

• An improved 3D Match Engine
• A tactical overhaul
• More realistic transfers and contracts
• More sophisticated board interaction
• More complex interaction between staff, players and rival managers
• A revamped news system
• An enhanced user interface
• Evolution for Classic mode
• Additional community features
• Extensive tech improvements

Though the details seem like a big step, to real players of the game this announcement only tells us what we expect from the game, natural progression, but do the released screenshots tell us the same story?

Not really, the screenshots seem to only include old features, things that were included in the 2013 and some 12 versions, just laid out in a different way.

For me the time was right for a big seed-change from SI, the last version was a big seller and no doubt this one will be to, but so far I have to say the news and pics look disappointing.

Lets hope that the ‘work in progress’ state is just the start of what is to come.

Today is a big step, its huge in fact for all us fans, but I am yet to pass judgement on the game based on the news and screenshots that have been shared so far.

There does seem to be a couple of small changes that look real good, the way scout reports show up a basic overview in your message area is cleaver, it really saves time and the overview screen that contains some pretty graphs and pie-charts based on a few new KPI’s in the game looks fairly sexy.

It appears that you can now get other players to talk to each other in attempt to ‘get them on board’ which is a nice touch, but nothing groundbreaking.

The biggest change though and something that little detail has been released on is the ‘match plan creator’ which through all intents and purposes looks like you can really drill down on how your team plays during the game, changing the tactics during any given situation without you needing to do it manually every time.

The other glaring feature seems to be ability to loan back to the host club, a great addition that we have spoken about a few times as being needed.

I did just spot a tiny thing on one of the images, ‘manager expectation’ has been included on the screen when negotiating a contract with a player, is that the expectation of the player’s performance at the club or your boards expectation of how you should be performing this season? Only time will tell.

I assume the later, in which case the board expectation options have obviously been widened up to include lots of different scenarios, rather than just your plans for domination.

What do you think? Did you spot anything in the pics that stands out to you? Here is a few more to wet your appetite.

SI say that we can expect to see the following:

You don’t even know the best part yet, it’s all free, well next to free.

Let me tell you how I got to this, for the last few weeks I have been relentlessly loading up old FM saves, clicking space bar a few times than systematically getting bored and turning it off, this ain’t right, we need some fresh enthusiasm and I think I have the cure.

I just bought 5 awesome classic games online from Amazon (which by the way is far cheaper than anywhere online or off) and like a kid at Christmas I just can’t wait for the postman to come in the morning to drop them off, I got’em all for under a tenor including delivery, there’s some real classics here that are sure to sit in my collection for years to come.

For those who prefer playing on a PC/Mac

First up is the legendary Championship Manager 01/02, this has to be the most played game in football management game in history and for me has never been bettered.

Though compared to the previous release there wasn’t too many new features or additions apart from player masking being an optional extra, it was the gameplay itself that really got fans purring.

A game that is leaps and bounds above everything else for one reason alone, the balance between fun and football simulation was utter perfection and this alone set Championship Manager 01/02 apart from every other game in its class.

There was just enough ‘depth’ to the game and the right blend of tactical, transfer and skill was required to get through a season, which you could do at your own pace or super-fast if you wanted to hop through the years quickly.

For those who prefer a retro and no ‘faff’ management game, CM is by far the best instalment over the last 20 years and a must for every Football Manager fans’ collection.

You can get your hands on Championship Manager here from £1.65.

Next up is Football Manager 2005, what a game this was. With 158 divisions and 51 countries to choose from it was first game to also feature the media interaction element that is common-place in the more recent games.

Another awesome new feature of the 2005 version was the ability to start unemployed, this gave the user the ability to ‘play the field’ and possibly holiday for a number of days, months or seasons until the right job came up. Something that I thought really enhanced the options of the game.

Football Manager 2005 was the first FM to really have a smooth match engine, it was stripped right back and is a lot more predictable with dodgy players doing dodgy stuff and better players being more reliable from 4 yards.

You can get Football Manager 2005 from £0.71p here.

Console gamers

LMA Manager 2006 is the perfect accompaniment for the console gamer in need of a football management fix. Though the match engine and graphics are not on a par with its PC counterparts, they are plenty good enough for a console.

It’s retro feel coupled with a really cool menu system and a feature that I really liked in the ‘progression bar’, rather than seeing loads of arrows on FM you get one overall bar that shows the players progression in an easily manageable way makes this the best console option for those who like a pad in their hands.

Though the game didn’t get massively good reviews  these were because all were comparing it with FM on the PC, you simply can’t do that and for me this was massively unfair on this game, trust me its brilliant and will keep you entertained for hours.

You can buy LMA Manager 2006 here for 1p, yep that is one pence.

Second up for you console gamers is FA Premier League Football Manager 2000, though its available on PC and Playstation I reckon the console game is by far the better proposition.

LMA offers the player some awesome options and ways to build and manage your squad, think of all the players at the heights of their careers that you could sign, Rivaldo, Ronaldo, a young David Beckham?  That is enough to get the juices going and this is a great way of turning back the years and building a team that can only dream of bringing Wayne Rooney through the youth set up.

Like LMA Manager, this game is available from 1p, obviously you need to pay postage but that don’t count!

You can buy it here.

The Wildcard

I know it’s not really a ‘classic’ game yet but I had to throw this one in just for what it ‘meant’ to the Football Manager series, for me it is also the best FM since 2005 and one that I hope SI look into for the next release.

Football Manager 2011 is awesome, it just is, it’s the one that I spent the most time playing and one that has been lost by me in the transition from PC to Mac a few years ago, I just bought it, I cannot wait for this game, I will have a bear come next weekend when i smell, am pale and have no blood left in my fingers because this is going to be my life for the next week or more.

I can’t believe that its available on Amazon for £2.30, what a result.

Pretty much every review site out there gave this game a 9/10, most notably for its longevity and they are spot on.

For me the mix of classic old school players like Beckham, Ronaldinho and even the likes of Mark Viduka is a lure that I can’t resist, if you like Football Manager, any of the series, you have to own this game.

I feel like I just stole this game for £2.30 from here.

By my reckoning that’s 5 awesome games for a combined £4.68, what more could you want. I reckon that works out at less than 1p an hour for the enjoyment you will get out of all these, try going down the cinema with a chick for that!

I hope you enjoy the games, let me know if you buy them!

Football Manager has managed to stop the clock, the calendar. Time has ceased to move on. Time has acquired its own sense of values, speed, dimension. Even though it is FM 2011, time has skirted through to 2019, and I am still with Wycombe Wanderers.

But, the grapevine has been greased and Football Manager 2014 is soon to be released, and this fanatic, curiously, cannot wait. But why? I have hopes and dreams of some improvements, though not comprehending the changes wrought in 2012 and 2013 – but notwithstanding, I have a few hopes for FM2014.

Now, football oriented minds far superior to mine have already waxed lyrical of their wants and needs and hopes for the new release. To expound upon these views would merely be re-hashing Santa’s Christmas list. But, yes, of course, I would love to see better and more in-depth team talks; individual player heart-to-hearts; training to make a real valid difference for players; and much more diverse questioning during press conferences.

But … I would love for FM2014 to be much more Aesthetically Pleasing ! (as well)

As someone who has taken Christopher Lloyd’s advice in ‘One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest’ to heart (“play the game, play the game”) – I always play the whole match through – love the match engine ! – I really feel it would be a gem if Sega sharpened up a wee bit in their visual area.

Introduction – Stadium – Walk On

In FM2011, match play begins directly from the kick-off. There are no close-ups of players nor introductions. I just feel it would be nice to see an opening scene outside the stadium, and then switch inside the park to the teams walking out onto the pitch, dissolving to a view of the opening line-ups, similar to the one we see whilst watching the telly. I believe it would be a neat lead in touch and one to really set up the match for those of us  who play the match engine all the way to see how our game plan works (or does not, for that matter – and attempt corrections during the match)

Shirt Numbers and Closeups

In FM2011, we are asked, as manager, to assign shirt numbers to each player – yet just what does this mean ? Not very much, I dare say ! We never see nary one numbered shirt during the match – they very rarely, if ever, come into play. I feel a close-up or two during stoppages in the match – a player scooting over to take a corner – the free kick specialist lingering over a 30 yarder – the goalkeeper brushing the snow flakes from his eyelashes on a cold January night – would add visually to the game. It would also give us a sighting of the shirt / team logo plus a name / number on the back.

Substitutions

Here, I believe, yet another area for visual improvement. In FM2011, we have to be eagle-eyed and very alert to be sure just when the opposition makes a substitution. It turns up on the bottom of the screen on the ticker tape – that is, if it is acknowledged at all. Subs are important ! And many times I have been caught out unawares – the other side may have already made all three of their changes. I feel it would be good, and sensible, to show us the change. For instance, one player coming off over to the bench, and replaced (with a handshake) by the player coming on, and on the screen the numbers and names of the players thus affected should also be shown. This way, we who watch the entire match engine, will know the exact point of the change, and can adjust and adapt immediately, if need be.

Press

I would like to see a visual press conference. That is, the manager standing at the podium with various news-hounds in attendance. We could point at each of them for their questions and they would be recognised as either local/national/international from either newspaper/radio/television media. Their questioning would be much more in-depth and diverse than it is now. We would have a much larger range of answers for them as well. As of now, we have the very same BOOORRRRRINGGG questions asked yet again and again and yet again. We need more variety and some strange and some in-your-face stumping questions, where we, as manager, can get ourselves into real hot water if we are not careful. In response, it would be brilliant to actually see the headline and the story connected on the ‘sports pages,’ or even the video in the ‘sports tv news’ clip.

This would add more options, more fun, more explaining for us as manager, and more interest in the game itself. It would also accomplish the fact of making press conferences much more fun, have much more meaning, and add more interest to the game, than the present press conference options have at the moment.

Fan Chants

Ok, technically, this does not fall under a visual improvement, but still, I feel, this improvement in the audio portion would be, yes, aesthetically pleasing. Would it not be grand to have the fans singing the club songs and chanting the player’s names? FM2011 sees no players ever fall into the fan’s bad books (not during the match) It would be much more interesting if the fans put some pressure on the player in the match, maybe boo someone in disfavour, and, yes, perhaps even get on the manager’s case too. It would bring more fire into the game – seeing how the player would react, and indeed, how the manager responds to game pressure from the fans.

Touchline Instruction

Whilst the match is in progress, would it not be good to yell instructions from the sidelines? – and not just ATTACK or DEFEND. I would like to also be able to issue instuctions to individual players during the match and not just at halftime or prior to the kick off. Perhaps we can light a fire under a player during the actual match play – might be interesting to see the reaction – perhaps the player can then give us their thoughts at halftime or after the match !

Winning Celebration

Now I am talking about winning big here and not just winning a match – but winning a competition – a trophy – promotion. Now there is nary a flutter – it is life as usual – you would never know we had attained something worthwhile. No ecstasy, no happiness, you would not think you had scaled a height. I really think a good celebration should be in order if your side manages to win something !  The players, fans going wild – a lap of honour – a raucous crowd – some celebration is needed ! Needed when a cup win or even promotion has been achieved ! A cup presentation may be in order too – a really good hearted victory celebration for promotion – the players jumping all over each other. Please, FM14, add something for winning – it is a mountain climbed – and should be celebrated as such (even in the visual format)

Annual General Meeting

Now how about, as manager, attending the AGM for your club. The owner, club chairman, could also be present – along with all the fans. The manager could have a selection of words to say and then the floor could be opened to the fans to ask any and all the questions they wish. Perhaps, it could be set up for 20 to 30 questions from the floor. The fans want to hear the manager in person, and of course, it depends on how the season is progressing as to whether you still have the standing of a hero or could come away from the meeting a wee bit worn and beaten down by the experience. You may just have to try all the harder to get the fans and the team on your side again and pumping all in the one direction. I just feel this would, once again, add lotsa spice to the game. Perhaps a groundswell of negative opinion  will be against you but … but, then again, depending on your performance, the fans will support you even more and act as a bulwark against the Board who are, in fact, itching to have any excuse to cashier you and bring in a new man. We would all have to be nimble on our feet, thinking and answering difficult queries, but we just may come away with more allies and be in a much stronger position. The AGM, I think, would be an interesting addition and bring the fans more into play in the game.

Summary

Perhaps my eight points are pedantic, and useless, to most Football Manager players. After all, the name of the game is to get results (well, to have fun as well!!)  and the end justifies the means. , and let us not get carried away with particulars – let us just burst into the room –and empty our weapon – and scatter the inhabitants !! … and just who – surely – plays the whole match anyway ??? We want to play 20 years as quickly as possible (heh heh) and watching our matches is labelled BORRRINNNGGGGG !!!

So, perhaps, my wish-list is only geared towards those of us in the boring section (heh heh) Yes, I would love to see improved tactical formations; coach talks; better training results – but for those of us – pedantic; slow; cautious – some tweeking audio/visuals would just set our imaginations into overdrive and allow us to saunter into the room –threaten slowly and softly – and charm the inhabitants over to our way of thinking

 The tall tales of Eamonn O’hanlon

From all the football books that I read a year, below are my top 5 books that I think are a definite for all us Football Managers to help us improve our game.  These books range from gaining a better understanding of the beautiful game from tactics to player strops, speaking with the people who created Football Manager and FM’ers who have taken things a little too far.

1) Football Manager Stole My Life: 20 Years of Beautiful Obsession

This has got to be the top book every FM obsessed fan needs to read.  Not just to have a laugh at others misfortune, but just to remind us that there is actually a real footballing world out there no matter how good FM is.  This book is written by Iain Macintosh (a sports journalist in Singapore), Kenny Millar (sports writer for The Sunday Post and not the ex striker of Celtic and Rangers) and Neil White.

The book goes into details about Nostalgia, Inspirational stories, and failed FM world beaters who never made it in the real world.  These stories range from a boy taking full use of his parents going on holiday and hooking his laptop up to the big screen TV, to Tonton Moukoko getting calls to this day from avid fans asking him where it all went wrong, and an FM addict is put on the psychologists coach to discover what 20 years as a virtual football manager has done to him.  These are just a handful of some of the funny stories which are within this book.

2) FC Barcelona – A Tactical Analysis: Defending

“If you never concede a goal, you’re going to win more games than you lose” – Bobby Moore.  There has never been a truer word spoken and is exactly what this book is for.  What better team to base your defensive tactics on than Barcelona who went 30 home league games unbeaten during the 2010/11 season.

Pep Guardiola’s blue print to get Barcelona so tight defensively was so good, that it didn’t matter who took over from him when he left, it’s legacy still worked without much effort or changes having to be made by the new gaffer.

This book goes into detail about what defensive tactics Barcelona use and could be used by you for your own FM team or potentially against Barca when you next come up against them.

3) Set Plays: Organizing and Coaching Dead Ball Situations

A slightly older book which was published back in April 2005.  It is still worth a read though as it takes an in-depth look at the single most important aspect of scoring and preventing goals from dead ball situations such as Free kicks, Kick-offs, Goal kicks and Corners.

Good set-pieces can be the difference between no points, one point or three. Taking advantage of the numerous dead-ball situations within FM which occur in matches can work massively to your benefit and by reading this book.  We would all love a Steven Gerrard or Gareth Bale in our team to score a direct free kick, but what do we do with indirect free kicks?  This book can certainly give you plenty of food for thought to how we set up our team in the different situations.

4) Coaching Soccer: Match Strategy and Tactics

Match coaching is often overlooked in football coaching in favour of drills and training methods. This book tackles the tough task of preparing for, executing, and analysing the match.  Sometimes it is not always about putting out your best players but instead trying to outfox your opponent.  To do this, you have to send your scout out the week before to compile a report on how they play.  However, this is only the first stage of operation hoodwink.  It’s all well and good having this information, but what does it mean?!  This book is perfect for that to help you understand the match strategies and tactics used within the footballing world.  Once you understand these, coupled with the Barca defending tactics from the earlier book, the world is your oyster – easy!

Let’s read on and I wonder what book is next – yep, you guess it, attacking.

5) Attacking Soccer: Mastering the Modern Game

So by now, we have mastered the dead ball situations, understood the different strategies, and firmed up our defences.  All what is left to do now is score that all important goal.  This book helps football fans from around the world adore the offensive style of play based on fast passing combinations, spectacular dribbling, and the art of beautifully shot goals. The question regarding this style of game is how to coach your team to embrace fast attacking soccer.

This book is written by Peter Schreiner and Norbert Elgert, who are renowned German coaches who give their answers to the modern attacking game, including systematically approaches.  Every coach can easily shape his training programs with easy to use exercises, but is what you are doing making any differences come match day.  This book should help with making sure you are putting your players through the correct attacking exercises and hopefully bring the end of those dreaded goalscoring drought messages that I get all to frequently.

There is one final book to consider, it isn’t out yet but looks a real treat and you can actually pre-order it now.

The Manager: Inside the Minds of Football’s Leaders

This book is due for release on 29th August 2013.  The book goes into detail on all aspects within the footballing world from the post room to the boot room.  With all the big billionaire owners coming over and running the British clubs more as a business than a hobby, working there must just be like working for a FTSE 100 company.

All stories come from some of the 30 biggest names in the game.  If for nothing else, you will learn real life lessons of what these managers have learnt along their way and what methods they have used.  Could help with those tricky FM team talks or handling the media minefield.

Don’t just put these on your ‘to read’ list and stare at the titles thoughtfully every now and then. Go out, buy them, and then read them and hopefully (like me), it will whet your appetite ready for FM14.  After all, until FM14 is out, what else do you have to do!

If you found this article interesting, why not read our other article about 5 Must Own Classic Football Manager Games for £4.68.

Our e-book guide to winning penalties is exactly the answer, it shows you exactly how to win every penalty shootout, in testing we have won over 99.7% of shootouts and now you can get your hands on this 100% unique guide. It isn’t a cheat, it isn’t editing, it’s a sure-fire strategy that has won us thousands of penalty shootouts in the last decade of Football Manager. The 185th person to download our e-book, Joe ‘Sepherson’ Williams had this to say about it: Hey Danny/FM team,

Sorry to bother you but I wanted to say thanks for publishing this penalties ebook, you don’t know how frustrated FM gets me sometimes, especially penalties, actually punched my screen a few years ago and knocked it off the desk! Lols, mum was not happy. Anyway, in the last week I have had 3 penalty shootouts (I go through seasons mad quick on classic) and have won all of them, I know its a small number so far but I am yet to miss a penalty going on your strategy. Tbh I wasn’t going to buy it as some guy in a forum told me it would be s*** and “couldn’t have any different info in it”. he couldn’t have been more wrong, obviously I won’t tell him that, need to keep my new ‘edge’ a secret. Never lose a penalty shootout again for the price of a ice cream, bargain! Thanks guys, would love to see another book!

We are really chuffed with the feedback that we have so far, so we are going to extend the introductory offer on the e-book, for the next 14 days it will be available for £1.99, it really is a bargain and the details in there are 100% unique. We even offer a 60 day money back guarantee (no-one has requested that so far) for anyone who has seen the information contained in the e-book anywhere online. There is loads more info on the e-book here, or you can buy it through Paypal using the button below.



So, to help you understand what is real and not real, here is what we know for definite so far from the twitter account of Miles Jacobson who is the ‘Head Honcho’ on FM for Sports Interactive: -

Cross Play

No, not cosplay. Miles has confirmed that as well as being on Mac and Windows, it will also be on Linux.

One price for all 3 – so if you have a Macbook, Windows laptop and Linux desktop (for example) you’ll be able to play the game on each of those machines via Steam.  For the more technically minded, the flavour of Linux we’ll be supporting is Ubuntu 12.04 (LTS)

New Languages

There will be New Languages available within the new game.  So good news if you can speak either Greek or Brazilian Portuguese.  Miles confirmed both languages will be added back in January and March.  This is due to the high amount of sales within Greece and Brazil.

Miles does however like to keep us hanging on with little teasers though like the following tweet he posted: -

“Have just finalised the feature set for FM14 to fit in with this years schedule. Happy. But no, I’m not going to reveal anything yet…”

More Leagues

Nothing is confirmed with regards to what leagues will be new to FM14 but Sports Interactive are on the lookout for Joe Public to work for them in a voluntary role to help them with the updating of Non-league teams.  So with this, could we start to see actual real players with real stats further on down the leagues in tiers 8, 9, 10, etc.  This is something that I am anticipating with bated breath.

Note from the editor: This would be amazing, real grass-roots football.

 A Women’s League

It doesn’t look like this will be included on FM14 or even a separate women’s version of FM14 being released at this present time.

The question was posed to Miles and he responded by saying that until it makes financial sense to do so, it wouldn’t be happening.

Steam Trading Cards

This is a new feature that has already been released on Steam and not just available on FM14.  Steam Trading Cards are collectible cards you get by playing games on Steam. Collect a set of cards to earn items that help you customize your profile and show off your gameplay.

Play as Club Chairman

Despite this being a popular request from you FM’ers out there, this doesn’t look like it will be happening either.

Miles has, and quite rightly, pointed out that the game is called ‘Football Manager’ and not ‘Football Chairman’ – a fair point well made.

He also goes on to say that there will not be the facility to save up your own managers wages in order to be able to buy your own football club within the game.

Despite not being able to do this within Football Manager, maybe there is a gap in the market for SI to create this ‘Football Chairman’ game? – although I wouldn’t visit Paddy Power and placing a bet that it will be anytime soon.

Steam

Football Manager 2014 will continue to be available to play through Steam and there are no plans to move away from Steam at any point in the future.

The reason FM is ran through Steam in the first place is to try to cut down on the number of people who illegally downloaded the game.

Since moving over to Steam a couple of years ago, this has been the case so I cannot see them moving away from it anytime soon.

Release Date

Nothing has been decided on a release date yet for FM14 but Miles has confirmed that they are looking at planning the release date at around end of September/beginning of October so keep your eyes peeled for around then.

Note from the editor: I reckon it will be closer to November, but fingers crossed!

Players

Nothing has been confirmed yet but SI are on the lookout for Non-league team researchers.

This could mean that there will be a lot more Non-league teams which can be managed from the off with a full squad of real life players.

Fingers crossed that this becomes a reality as I love managing in the Non-league more than the Premier League.

To keep up to date with FM progress, if you are on Twitter, why not follow Miles @milesSI.  He is being pretty cagey at the moment with regards to new features but come September, I would expect a lot more to be revealed.

In the meantime, keep reading our blogs for all the latest updates and gossip.

If you found this article interesting, why not have a look at another one of our articles listing out our FM14 wish list of new features which we want – some of them are up there with the Hovering Skateboard from Back to the Future!!!

Messi, Neymar, Cristiano Ronaldo, Iniesta, Rooney,… Top players, role models, heroes. Probably the reason why games such as Football Manager are a big success. To actually be the manager of these great players, to live the dream of actually coach them and to manage some of the world’s greatest teams. But who has heard of Marta, Prinz, Hamm, Smith,…? Alan Smith, you mean? No, Kelly Smith! Why is it that there is so little interest in the gaming industry for women’s football? Or is it only following the poor general interest in women’s football in real life?

I guess you can call it evolution. In lots of sports, female athletes had to struggle in getting more attention, more tv coverage and better prize money. In the individual sports – athletics, swimming, tennis – some kind of equality was reached. In team sports this equality is still far gone, with the exception of an Olympic survival every four years. And in the most typical ‘male sport’ of all times, we can still talk about a taboo. Not that women’s football is non-existing. Far from it. But let’s say that 90% of the male spectators don’t even want to discuss the topic: ‘Yes to football, women and cars. But please don’t mix them all together.’ But let’s violate the taboo for once and think about the surplus value of women’s football in gaming.

Boosting interest

Game developers react that there is no demand for women’s football. This is logical, because people don’t know the female players or leagues. You can talk about a vicious circle. Why not boosting attention for women’s football by including it in games? You get an extra dimension to the game, not by adding a brand new feature or a new country league, but by opening the game to both genders. This will open a window for new opportunities. Both male and female gamers get into contact with female players and can become more interested. More viewers to women’s football on television, more spectators to the stadiums, more income, more sponsors,…

Improving the game

Yes, I know, adding a women’s football database will not directly improve the Football Manager game. But there is a kind of attribution to the game of soccer. A few decades ago, I had to agree with critics that said women’s football was lacking in speed, technical ability and tactics. These last 20 years, the world of women’s football changed. More and more girls find the way to the football fields. A count by FIFA in 2006 indicated that 270 million persons were playing football and 26 million of them are women, that’s nearly 10 %. This percentage will only increase in the future. Let’s put it like this: if those percentages in 2006 were turned around, women’s football would look a whole lot better than the men’s game. And as some say on the internet: ‘the dribbling moves of new star Neymar look a lot like those of female superstar Marta’.

Popular teams

Even if the female players are not that famous, the teams they play for are. Also in women’s football, you will encounter teams such as Arsenal, Liverpool, Barcelona, Olympique Lyon, PSG, Bayern Munich, Ajax and Anderlecht. And yes, also my favorite team OH Leuven is playing in the Belgian-Dutch BeNe League. If you are a true fan of these top teams, why not try them out in a women’s football game or database? Ok, the number of spectators will be lower, wages will be lower, some player abilities will be less, but that’s again a new challenge.

Beauty of the game

We can even mention an extra factor of purity: women’s football is not yet dominated by money as much as the world of their male counterparts. Here we can still talk about passion and the beauty of the game. Lots of players play five, ten, fifteen years in the same club. Something we don’t see too often anymore in the men’s game. Foreign female players are mostly ‘attracted’ by clubs because they have a surplus value, not because the club thinks the player can be worth two or three times as much next season. So, ‘attraction’ above buying and selling… Has a nice ring to it, wouldn’t you say?

Sexier game

Game developers may argue that the mainly male audience are not interested in the female players. Are they sure of this? Strangely enough I saw the question for women’s football databases pop up several time these last few years. Why? Active football players, guys whose girlfriend plays football at a local team (yes, you can count me to this group) or perhaps gamers that like to play with female teams because… it’s sexier. Do you like to be the tennis coach of Sharapova? Of course, you do. So why not coaching female football players like Alex Morgan, Louisa Necib, Selina Wagner, Hope Solo, Rachel Unitt or Lotta Schelin? If you don’t know them, just google them. I rest my case. Or not yet…

Small efforts

At least, not before asking the main question: ‘Why not?’ My all-time-favorite game FM doesn’t require big changes. An extra database can be easily created with some ‘local scouts’ that know the local women’s football leagues. Another requirement: female pictures and names for generating new players. But that’s mainly it. Let’s give women’s football the attention it deserves, also in gaming. Let’s give gamers a choice between coaching Messi or Marta.

Tom Schelfhout

Flemish FM fan

Don’t forget to like this page below and get your friends to enter.

Did you know that on the February 12th 2004 Sports Interactive announced that they had retained the rights to the source code of Championship Manager, the game that they had previously been a part of building. Though they were unable to use the name, SI used that as a platform to create the Football Manager series.

This was a real turning point in the history of the game, it could have easily lead to Football Manager not even existing or even worse for Championship Manager to dominate the market but thankfully it didn’t and we have that moment to thank for the game we have and love today.

In 2006, in its first week of release football manager 2006 became the second-fastest-selling PC game of all time in the UK. Proving its worth and increasing the gap between itself and its competitors.

The 2006 game set all kinds of records and was the best-selling version of the game at that point. Though the game was not noted for its massive changes or universal backing from die-hard fans it turned out to be a pivotal point in time for the forthcoming success of the series.

The 2007 version of the game had to be released early, on the 18th October 2006 the game was released due to some retail outlets ignoring the official release date.

Several outlets started releasing the game early, this also happened in the years that followed and lead to the online activation procedure that Sports Interactive use today.

Everton FC signed an official deal with Sports Interactive in 2008 allowing them to use the games database for scouting players and opposition for the coming season and has since been recognised around the world as a reliable source for accurate information on both subjects.

Who can blame clubs like Everton using the game as a network for scouting, though one does wonder what they got out of it (apart from Marouanne Felaini) you could argue that more teams should do the same.

In December 2008 SI announced a lucrative deal with Arsenal, that saw an exclusive version of the 2009 game being released. Included were all official squad player photos and an exclusive Arsenal skin.

Though this version of the game didn’t go down a storm, it only had a small appeal to the fans of the club, I am slightly shocked that this isn’t an angle that SI have used more frequently since.

In Azerbaijani in November 2012, a student called Vugar Huseynzade was given the role of managing FC Baku’s reserve team because of his massive success with the team on Football Manager.

Lucky fella, I know one of our authors has FM mentioned on his CV, as well as his Level 50 in Halo 3, needless to say that he is unemployed.