Football Manager 2005 PC Review

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Everyone's a sport critic. No matter the sport you follow, you always think you can do better than the coach and want to offer advice to improve the team. Chances are it would be destroyed but over the years one sport has given players the opportunity to do this via the Championship Manager series, Football or as some like to call it, Soccer. Sports Interactive has been at the top of the game for years and so many peoplewould have been surprised when they split from Eidos, lost the Championship Manager name and decided to go it alone with another publisher. The result is finally here and it will probably leave most fans of the genre saying, Championship what?

Football Manager allows you to take full control of your favorite club from anywhere in the world. Despite the fact the big focus of football these days is Europe, almost every club in the world which is either professional or semi-professional is represented in some way. One thing which Football Manager does is allow you choose right from the outset which club to control and this has both positive and negative affects. Sure you can jump right into the premier division, and probably be sacked quickly as it is very tough. It is great that you can jump into the frying pan right away but it would have been nice to see a career mode where you begin in something like the English Conference and have to gain the attention of teams like Real Madrid and Chelsea. The club you pick affects the requirements and aspirations of the board of directors. Small club, low money, remain in the premier division; rich club, transfer money available, win everything.

Of course this initial decision determines how the game will play out for you. The challenge in the higher divisions comes from maintaining a healthy team with a ridiculous amount of fixtures to play so its all about man management. Considering you will be in the Champions League (not officially), Nations Premier League, League Cup and the relevant FA style cup, you'll have quite a handful. This is why its best to start lower and work your way up. We found a team just below the premier division much easier to manage than a premier team initially. Football Manager 2005 also allows you to determine just how much you want to manage. Don't want to pick the first team? Don't have to. Manage training? Nope don't have to do that either but of course to really become a successful manager you will have to do it all.

Of course comparisons are going to be made to Championship Manager, considering they also made that franchise and many may be asking what is new for the new franchise, and the answer to that is aheck of a lot. The first is you now have to talk to the media and what you say does affect the matches and the players. If you say the other team will probably beat us before a match, then the game will take that into account and the players morale affected. Everything can affect a players morale. Like in the real world injuries and suspension can have a negative affect while scoring a goal can turn it all around in an instant. You can now also hire people such as scouts, trainers and assistant managers to help you on your way. Football Manager is probably the most accessible title on the market in this genre, and that is definitely a massive positive for the game.