Football Manager 2005

It was my friend Robin who bought this for me as a belated birthday gift three years ago . Knowing I was a fan of the Championship Manager series he spotted this game in a charity shop posted it off to me . Did I mention all this took place three years ago ? Seeing as I'm still playing this computer game today it speaks volumes of its playability

I did have Championship Manager season 2000/01 and because it was such an entertiaing and involving game I felt no need to purchase the developers new range under the Football Manger banner . The comparison between the two are oceans apart . Where as CM used commentary captions to inform the player as to what was happening on the pitch FM shows you the on screen game where " players " ( In reality numbered circles ) kick the ball around on the pitch . The depth to the game is astounding and where as it would take about three hours of continuous play to complete a season of CM it takes closer to nine hours to complete a season here

Playing the game is like entering an alternative universe where your favourite team is managed by you and absolutely anything is possible . With Heart Of Midlothian FC I have won with two exceptions won every premier league title between 2012 and 2041 . I have also made the Champions League Final nine times winning it five times . I have cheated slightly by saving the game before playing a crucial matches but this has led to Hearts FC setting all types of records , failing to lose a game for 112 consecutive league between and 2014-17 and winning 30 league games in a row in season 2014/15 . The problem with this is when you turn off the game and enter the cruel of reality where Hearts FC are concerned the culture shock is heartbreaking

Perhaps the best acquisition made player wise has been Brian Gibson bought for £2million by Rangers in season 2027/28 . From 2028 to his retirement in 2040 he made 530 appearances for Hearts scoring 340 goals including 217 league goals and being the Champions League top scorer three times

There are a few problems with the game . The game is maybe too in-depth especially if you're the type of player who only goes on for half an hour here and there because you'll managed to fit in couple of matches in this period . Not having the manual with the game I didn't realise you had to tie up players contracts or else other teams would sign your stars under a Bosman . I'm not sure if it's a bug but a great number of players spend a large part of the season on the treatment table after being injured and there's an unrealistic aspect to he game where your team is leading by a single goal with five minutes to go but strangely they still play an open aggressive game instead of slowing the play down to hang on to three points

That said I,still still play the game fairly often and enjoy it immensely so if you're reading Robin thanks for the gift