Every year I buy the latest football management game from Sports Interactive, and never yet has the series failed to impress me.
When I discovered this year that if you pre-ordered the game you could get access to it as much as 2 weeks earlier than its scheduled release, I was straight to it in pre-ordering the game, and sure enough received access to the title a whopping 15 days before schedule.
The first thing I noticed about the game was that things had been moved around quite a bit. Having clocked up over 2000 hours on Football Manager 2012, I was definitely very used to the old layout, and the big change would therefore take some getting used to. After less than a week of playing the game though, the new interface now feels as natural as ever and it no longer even strikes me as being different anymore; the game is as comfortable and easy to navigate as ever, it just requires a little extra perseverance in the first few days of playing the game whilst you fumble around the new system like a young lad looking to undo a bra strap for the first time.
So how does the game compare to previous entries in the Football Manager series then? Well, truth be told, it's the best Football Manager yet! Press conferences are now more advanced than ever before, the 3D matchday engine of the game has been improved, and for those of you that don't have masses of time as your disposal, there's now a classic mode which enables you to get seasons completed much more quickly as you delegate certain roles and tasks to your backroom staff for a less hands on approach to Football Manager. There's more of an emphasis on the matchday tasks, less focus on controlling other aspects of the club which some people may find to be a little mundane (personally I love the hands on experience that you get with Football Manager, and very much enjoy controlling all areas of the squad, for those with less time/different priorities however the new Classic Mode is definitely a good idea and will no doubt be a much appreciated fresh new feature for the game).
I was hoping that with Football Manager 2013, Sports Interactive would perhaps seek to go a little further down the English football pyramid and offer us the chance to manage clubs below the Conference North/South level, unfortunately this wasn't to be this year however, although perhaps it's something that they'll consider implementing in the future.
Football Manager 2013 plays like an absolute dream; the 3D match engine looks slicker than ever, the game itself feels better than ever with the features that have been added/improved, and all in all I think that Football Manager 2013 might just be Sports Interactive's most addictive football management sim yet.
If you've played any of the past games in the series and been a fan, definitely give Football Manager 2013 a try as this really is a hugely impressive title, and a game that I can most definitely see myself spending a lot of time on throughout the next year. When I think about how much I play this game, Football Manager is most definitely the game that gives me more for my money than any other gaming title I've ever played. It's an annual investment, but one that is most definitely well worth making.
Currently Managing: Leeds United
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Season: 2010/11
League: Premier League
Position: 14th
Played: 38
Points: 40
Top Scorer: Steven Fletcher (11)
Highest Avg. Rating: Steven Fletcher (7.21)
Fans Player of the Year: Steven Fletcher
Major Ins: Steven Fletcher (£5.5 million, from Hibernian), Hossam Ghaly (Free), Liam Rosenoir (Free, from Reading), Emerse Fae (Free, from Reading), Emmerson Boyce (Free, from Wigan), Marton Fulop (Free, from Sunderland), Federico Macheda (Free, from Manchester United), Junior Stanislas (£230,000, from West Ham), Enrico Alfonso (£60,000, from Inter), Keirrison (£4 million, from Coritiba), Chris Eagles (£500,000, from Burnley)
Major Outs: Amaury Bischoff (£3 million, to Toulouse), Lewis McGugan (£2.5 million, to Reading), Andy Robinson (£120,000, to Plymouth), Peter Sweeney (£250,000, to Blackpool), Chris Killen (£350,000, to Norwich), Kevin Kyle (£300,000, to Peterborough), Eric Odhiambo (£150,000, to Bradford)
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Season: 2009/10
League: Championship
Position: 3rd (Promoted Via Play-Offs)
Played: 46
Points: 92
Top Scorer: Jermaine Beckford (25)
Highest Avg. Rating: Jermaine Beckford (7.30)
Fans Player of the Year: Leroy Lita
Major Ins: Ronaldo (£100,000, from Botafogo), Steve Irwin (£1 million, from Liverpool), Lewis McGugan (£110,000, from Notts Forest), Keith Southern (£375,000, from Blackpool), Kevin Kyle (Free, from Coventry), Chris Killen (£400,000, from Celtic), Amaury Bischoff (Free, from Arsenal), Leroy Lita (Free), Lukasz Zaluska (£1.1 million, from Dundee United), Eric Odhiambo (Free), Adam Bodgan (Loan, from Bolton), Henri Lansbury (Loan, from Arsenal), Giles Barnes (£250,000, from Sheffield United)
Major Outs: Luciano Becchio (£500,000, to Burnley), Casper Ankergren (£2 million, to Aston Villa), Enoch Showunmi (£75,000, to Norwich), David Prutton (£250,000, to QPR), Tresor Kandol (£900,000, to Brighton), Paul Telfer (Free, to Wrexham), Ben Parker (£200,000, to Bradford), Scott Gardner (£20,000, to Exeter City), Owen Price (£35,000, to Exeter City)
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Season: 2008/09
League: League One
Position: 1st
Played: 46
Points: 113
Top Scorer: Jermaine Beckford (24)
Highest Avg. Rating: Alan Sheehan (7.17)
Fans Player of the Year: Alan Sheehan
Major Ins: Stephen Carr (Free), Brian Murphy (£16,000, from Bohemians), Federico Macheda (Loan), Henri Lansbury (Loan), Rhys Murphy (Loan), Owen Price (Free)
Major Outs: Andy Hughes (£40,000, to Sheffield Wednesday), David Lucas (£26,000 to Man City), Jonathan Douglas (£150,000 to Coventry), Neil Kilkenny (£475,000, to West Brom), Rui Marques (£250,000, to Birmingham City)
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Season: 2010/11
League: Premier League
Position: 14th
Played: 38
Points: 40
Top Scorer: Steven Fletcher (11)
Highest Avg. Rating: Steven Fletcher (7.21)
Fans Player of the Year: Steven Fletcher
Major Ins: Steven Fletcher (£5.5 million, from Hibernian), Hossam Ghaly (Free), Liam Rosenoir (Free, from Reading), Emerse Fae (Free, from Reading), Emmerson Boyce (Free, from Wigan), Marton Fulop (Free, from Sunderland), Federico Macheda (Free, from Manchester United), Junior Stanislas (£230,000, from West Ham), Enrico Alfonso (£60,000, from Inter), Keirrison (£4 million, from Coritiba), Chris Eagles (£500,000, from Burnley)
Major Outs: Amaury Bischoff (£3 million, to Toulouse), Lewis McGugan (£2.5 million, to Reading), Andy Robinson (£120,000, to Plymouth), Peter Sweeney (£250,000, to Blackpool), Chris Killen (£350,000, to Norwich), Kevin Kyle (£300,000, to Peterborough), Eric Odhiambo (£150,000, to Bradford)
==========================================================================
Season: 2009/10
League: Championship
Position: 3rd (Promoted Via Play-Offs)
Played: 46
Points: 92
Top Scorer: Jermaine Beckford (25)
Highest Avg. Rating: Jermaine Beckford (7.30)
Fans Player of the Year: Leroy Lita
Major Ins: Ronaldo (£100,000, from Botafogo), Steve Irwin (£1 million, from Liverpool), Lewis McGugan (£110,000, from Notts Forest), Keith Southern (£375,000, from Blackpool), Kevin Kyle (Free, from Coventry), Chris Killen (£400,000, from Celtic), Amaury Bischoff (Free, from Arsenal), Leroy Lita (Free), Lukasz Zaluska (£1.1 million, from Dundee United), Eric Odhiambo (Free), Adam Bodgan (Loan, from Bolton), Henri Lansbury (Loan, from Arsenal), Giles Barnes (£250,000, from Sheffield United)
Major Outs: Luciano Becchio (£500,000, to Burnley), Casper Ankergren (£2 million, to Aston Villa), Enoch Showunmi (£75,000, to Norwich), David Prutton (£250,000, to QPR), Tresor Kandol (£900,000, to Brighton), Paul Telfer (Free, to Wrexham), Ben Parker (£200,000, to Bradford), Scott Gardner (£20,000, to Exeter City), Owen Price (£35,000, to Exeter City)
==========================================================================
Season: 2008/09
League: League One
Position: 1st
Played: 46
Points: 113
Top Scorer: Jermaine Beckford (24)
Highest Avg. Rating: Alan Sheehan (7.17)
Fans Player of the Year: Alan Sheehan
Major Ins: Stephen Carr (Free), Brian Murphy (£16,000, from Bohemians), Federico Macheda (Loan), Henri Lansbury (Loan), Rhys Murphy (Loan), Owen Price (Free)
Major Outs: Andy Hughes (£40,000, to Sheffield Wednesday), David Lucas (£26,000 to Man City), Jonathan Douglas (£150,000 to Coventry), Neil Kilkenny (£475,000, to West Brom), Rui Marques (£250,000, to Birmingham City)
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Macheda and Drinkwater Brought in on Loan
Fabio, Sanchez Watt, and Gerardo Bruno all failed to make an impact when I signed them on short term loans for Leeds, so they’ve returned to their respective clubs and I’ve now brought in Manchester United duo Daniel Drinkwater and Federico Macheda on loan until the end of the season.
I first discovered Macheda whilst managing Huddersfield Town back in December, and I got a good couple of seasons out of him in League One, so decided to give him a try with my Leeds team. Drinkwater is a player that I’ve not experimented with in Football Manager before, he had a few League One teams after him on loan though, and he had some promising stats, so I thought I’d bring him into the team to see what he can offer (wage contribution is 0%, so there’s nothing to lose even if he does turn out to be a bit of a flop).
The season has started well for my Leeds United team, and hopefully as the season progresses I can continue to march towards the Championship.
I first discovered Macheda whilst managing Huddersfield Town back in December, and I got a good couple of seasons out of him in League One, so decided to give him a try with my Leeds team. Drinkwater is a player that I’ve not experimented with in Football Manager before, he had a few League One teams after him on loan though, and he had some promising stats, so I thought I’d bring him into the team to see what he can offer (wage contribution is 0%, so there’s nothing to lose even if he does turn out to be a bit of a flop).
The season has started well for my Leeds United team, and hopefully as the season progresses I can continue to march towards the Championship.
