Fedorico Roma Fan

Recently I’ve been reading a few topics around the scene where people have been declaring themselves bored of Football Manager. With the game only being a mere 4 months old I found this news quite disturbing. In my opinion this years edition has been the most addictive version of SI’s masterpiece to date…well, once that nasty skin has been changed anyway. I for one am far from bored of Football Manager 2008; in fact I can’t stop playing it at the moment. So, I hear you ask, what is my secret? To put it simply the best way to enjoy Football Manager is to have a long term game. Let me explain:

First things first; make sure you load all the leagues which take your fancy (computer permitting of course). The more leagues you have loaded the less likely the need to start a new game to manage in a league you had not previously loaded. I recommend that you load at least 2 tiers of about 5 or 6 nations to give yourself options for when you tire of a club. I also suggest starting with a club that you really want to; maybe a club with good young prospects who require you to build for the future. I would however advise that you do not start with a club like Barcelona, AC Milan, Chelsea or alike. Starting with a developing club allows you to have something to aim for, something to build towards. When it comes to setting your past experience there are two options. If you set it at Sunday League Footballer it gives you something to aim at but also limits which clubs will hire you if you get bored within a season or two. Setting it at International Footballer, as I did, means that if you get bored of the club you are currently managing at it is easy to get another job, even at the highest level.

Having a long term game is guaranteed to help you keep playing Football Manager for a long time. In my experience I have found it to be thoroughly enjoyable. In little over 10 years of game time (thats 9 days, 4 hours and 43 minutes of "real time") I have managed at 12 clubs and 4 nations so you could call me a bit of a “journeyman” manager but that is what has helped me to continue playing this game. It’s the variation that has kept me going. I’ve tried different teams in different countries and if I ever feel like one particular job is getting boring I immediately look for a new one elsewhere.

So that’s just a quick guide on how to achieve a game that you can enjoy for a long time to come. No need to keep restarting games every couple of weeks, just begin a game that you know will keep you entertained. If you want my advice start with a club like Salzburg of Austria, as I did. Winning the league is simple enough, keeping you happy and therefore making you want to continue playing the game, but the real challenge comes in Europe. Trying to achieve any significant ground in the Champions League is a brilliant challenge and will make you want to try again season after season. I’ll leave you with this: The key to managerial greatness is persistence, perseverance and playing so much that your fingerprints start to wear off!