Football Manager Players

I am a fanatical Football Manager player having owned and played every version since it 1993 when it presented the game then as Championship Manager.

I'm interested to find out how many Fishy people play the game, and if those that do always select Grimsby as their team to manage, and whether they just stick to the team's actual squad, or introduce other players as the seasons go by?

Greatest ever in my opinion was Championship Manager 01/02

I've not played it for a good while but was pretty addicted a few years ago. My first version was Championship Manager 2 and I started with Ajax and then Grimsby. I did play a few seasons with Boston once but that was it, only ever played Grimsby (and England when the call came up).

FM2022 is currently free for amazon prime subscribers. You just need an epic account.

https://gaming.amazon.com/loot/footballmanager2022

Quoted from samg

Greatest ever in my opinion was Championship Manager 01/02

100% agree with that.

I’ve played multiple versions, starting with 97-98. For me 97-98 until around 05-06 we’re the better years. As they bolted more and more stuff in, I’ve gradually lost interest over the last 5 years.

Always started as Town though.

Did enjoy playing 01/02 as GTFC during the first lockdown. Obvs Jevons and Rowan were swiftly cast aside for Tsigalko and Madeira.

Quoted from Abdul19

Did enjoy playing 01/02 as GTFC during the first lockdown. Obvs Jevons and Rowan were swiftly cast aside for Tsigalko and Madeira.

Fair to say lockdown went better for you than our friend Tsigalko.

https://www.express.co.uk/spor.....con-dies-aged-37/amp

Used to get so excited when buying the Italians and French leagues , they came on their own disk !

Lmao 05 is my favourite.

Quoted from Abdul19

Did enjoy playing 01/02 as GTFC during the first lockdown. Obvs Jevons and Rowan were swiftly cast aside for Tsigalko and Madeira.

Tsigalko? What magic do you wield? He never gets a work permit for me! West, Kallstrom and Moukoko are must signings at the beginning

I've played a few but found the last one (on mobile) was really hard so gave up quite quickly

Quoted from samg

Greatest ever in my opinion was Championship Manager 01/02

Not opinion, it's fact!

Quoted from Southwark Mariner

I've not played it for a good while but was pretty addicted a few years ago. My first version was Championship Manager 2 and I started with Ajax and then Grimsby. I did play a few seasons with Boston once but that was it, only ever played Grimsby (and England when the call came up).

FM2022 is currently free for amazon prime subscribers. You just need an epic account.

https://gaming.amazon.com/loot/footballmanager2022

Oooo, is it free?

I've been clean from any sort of Football manager game for around 10 years now. My horrific addiction started as a kid with the original Kevin Toms Football Manager game in the 80's/90's, it got a bit out of hand as a teenager with Premier Manager 2 and then went into full blown weeks/months/years of my life lost with Championship Manager/Football Manager.

played a fair few including FM22. The first game called Football Manager I actually played was Football Manager 2 on the Spectrum but it has nothing to do with the later game. Played Championship Manager 99/00 which was my first on PC then Championship Manager 4, which was a farce but it kind of made it fun to play in the same way FM15 was fun because of all the random stuff that could happen in matches. I've played Town a lot but also enjoyed the more recent advent of mods that add in lower leagues where I can start from the bottom of the pyramid and work my way up to league football starting with a team of nobodies.

I think management games got worse the more "realistic" they tried to make the experience. I mostly enjoy transfers, picking the team and playing the games. Tactics and training were fine but once they started with all the press stuff and players whinging at you then refusing to play well because you hurt their feelings it got more dull.

Quoted from Lost in Lincoln

Oooo, is it free?

yeah, an epic account is free. Only cost is your amazon prime

Quoted from Manchester Mariner

I've been clean from any sort of Football manager game for around 10 years now. My horrific addiction started as a kid with the original Kevin Toms Football Manager game in the 80's/90's, got a bit out of hand as a teenager with Premier Manager 2 and then went into full blown weeks/months/years of my life lost with Championship Manager/Football Manager.

Hahaha i call it being clean too. I didn't buy a new FM game since 2008 for the same reason, starts to take over your life. Recently have relapsed but gone back to CM01/02 as it's brilliant. I limit myself to non-work days and for 2 hours max haha Not always successfully!

Quoted from Southwark Mariner

yeah, an epic account is free. Only cost is your amazon prime

Excellent, thank you.  Not played FM for years

Fm12 was the be best. Grimsby had NO good players. Although I had Hearn score an overhead kick from a corner.

As with others started on the Spectrum with Football Manager. Then came Football Director, with its extra £10000  if the match finished with 5 goals! Started CM in 95ish, always start with Town. Had a mammoth career as Port Vale after being sacked. Still got a saved game on the go for FM07 (I followed SI rather than the name) that’s in 2042 as Roma (after getting the sack from Sporting Gijon after Town!!). I’m so superstitious though and if I’ve played it and Town go on a bad spell in real life then I’ll stop, I won’t play on a match day until after Town’s match and I’ve got to save after a win to clearly influence Town’s result!!  

Quoted from 123614

I am a fanatical Football Manager player having owned and played every version since it 1993 when it presented the game then as Championship Manager.

I'm interested to find out how many Fishy people play the game, and if those that do always select Grimsby as their team to manage, and whether they just stick to the team's actual squad, or introduce other players as the seasons go by?

Same here mate.  When i got the very first edition on the Amiga its Championship Manager (Domark), it had random names but then the following year proper names were added then when Sigames split, came the emergence of FM.  I did get the Championship Manager after the split and the game was awful noting like what it was before, atleast we know how took the source code with them lol

[img]https://i.ytimg.com/vi/VneBdWhS2AM/maxresdefault.jpg[/img]
[img]https://www.myabandonware.com/media/screenshots/c/championship-manager-93-a8h/championship-manager-93_10.gif[/img]

I have the last one and i will confess i am the master at this game i have gone NL unbeaten promoted champs and LG2 undefeated promoted champions.

Quoted from goldenfish

Used to get so excited when buying the Italians and French leagues , they came on their own disk !

I last played with around the 00/01 version. The French and Italian players that would come to Town were always shite though - whereas the Scandi's were superb - in particular Swedes - I would always send my scouts there. Can't remember all their names but Kallstrom and Isakson would come to Town and were amazing, think there was a Lunde or something like that (Lunden?) as well...

For 50K i got Crewe's Ashley Ward and Norwich's Ade Akinbiyi bargains haha

This was my life going through school. I even skipped school to play it, stayed awake all night before going to school playing it and was a very large contributor to the fact I earned a grand total of 1 GCSE at C. I held a great degree of pride in being able to spell FUDGE with my results until I grew up somewhere around turning 30.

For me, 97/98 or 01/02 rank as best. Probably 01/02 pips the post but 97/98 was my intro and me and my mates who lived 2 doors down played it religiously.

Currently got a game on the go that I dip in and out of with Town on 01/02, promoted first season and top of Prem in first season. Mark Kerr, David Fox, Kallstrom, Farnerud, Lunden, Selakovic, Mokouko, To Madeira and Michael Dunwell being the key names.

Risky business to moot this and marriages may be on the line, but does anyone know how to start/join a network game on 01/02? Just throwing a tentative suggestion of a game out there.....

Quoted from gtfc_chris

This was my life going through school. I even skipped school to play it, stayed awake all night before going to school playing it and was a very large contributor to the fact I earned a grand total of 1 GCSE at C. I held a great degree of pride in being able to spell FUDGE with my results until I grew up somewhere around turning 30.

For me, 97/98 or 01/02 rank as best. Probably 01/02 pips the post but 97/98 was my intro and me and my mates who lived 2 doors down played it religiously.

Currently got a game on the go that I dip in and out of with Town on 01/02, promoted first season and top of Prem in first season. Mark Kerr, David Fox, Kallstrom, Farnerud, Lunden, Selakovic, Mokouko, To Madeira and Michael Dunwell being the key names.

Risky business to moot this and marriages may be on the line, but does anyone know how to start/join a network game on 01/02? Just throwing a tentative suggestion of a game out there.....

I wouldn’t recommend looking here for resources then https://champman0102.net/  ;)

Quoted from gtfc_chris

This was my life going through school. I even skipped school to play it, stayed awake all night before going to school playing it and was a very large contributor to the fact I earned a grand total of 1 GCSE at C. I held a great degree of pride in being able to spell FUDGE with my results until I grew up somewhere around turning 30.

For me, 97/98 or 01/02 rank as best. Probably 01/02 pips the post but 97/98 was my intro and me and my mates who lived 2 doors down played it religiously.

Currently got a game on the go that I dip in and out of with Town on 01/02, promoted first season and top of Prem in first season. Mark Kerr, David Fox, Kallstrom, Farnerud, Lunden, Selakovic, Mokouko, To Madeira and Michael Dunwell being the key names.

Risky business to moot this and marriages may be on the line, but does anyone know how to start/join a network game on 01/02? Just throwing a tentative suggestion of a game out there.....

Hahaha i thought i was the only one to sign Michael Dunwell and if you want a winger in the lower leagues Garforths Graham Merchant or The swede Kennedy Barcogliou or something like that.

Yes play the game and like it. Have done for quite a while. I prefer the game now as opposed to the the older verisions.More realistic if more time consuming. I tend to start with a conference south or North side and try to work my way up.

Having said that nothing beats the real thing. Ive done a bit of coaching  with a professional club community work in the past and enjoyed it. Some of the youngsters Ive seen eg 14-15 are really good .You want to see people maximise potential. Having said that I think if youngsters enjoy the game and play it thats all that matters.It does them good physically and emotionally. We cant all be world beaters like  Ronaldinho or Pele.

Had pretty much every version from Champ Man 01/02 up to FM20 - dread to think how many hours of my life spent (none wasted) but haven't bought the past few years for a few reasons:

Less time then once had
After FM20 they stopped doing FM Touch on Ipad - I don't own a Switch, the full version is 'too much game' and Mobile version 'isn't enough game' - FM Touch/Classic is about the level of detail I am after
On FM20 I finally won the Premier League with Grimsby in 2040/41 (you heard it hear first) and I haven't played since - 'completed it mate' (?)

I started downloading the mobile versions about 4 years ago, and became completely addicted for a couple of years. Unfortunately now my eyesight is completely f#cked due to this, and now even 2 minutes of looking at my phone results in headaches and double vision!

I totally blame FMH for this, and can no longer play it, which saddens me. And I’m somebody who otherwise hasn’t played computer games since 1993.

Wonderful game for football fans, but don’t buy the mobile phone version or you’ll be Mr Magoo like me in no time.

Quoted from Heisenberg

Wonderful game for football fans, but don’t buy the mobile phone version or you’ll be Mr Magoo like me in no time.

I played the mobile version about 2 years ago for a bit. Was ok but playing football manager on the laptop is far more enjoyable in my view eg much more immersive.

The best game, ever invented. I always play as Town, but also always take over Scunny and sell off their best players for peanuts 😁

Quoted from coddy60

The best game, ever invented. I always play as Town, but also always take over Scunny and sell off their best players for peanuts 😁

That’s what makes it so realistic.

I always almost choose Town, on FM21 I got us up to the Championship with most of the squad we had plus some real decent loan players and some good free agents picked up. Alex Nimely was one that always worked for me in recent years, ex Man City I think he hasn't had a club in a couple of years but often ends up on the game, his stats are meh but I signed him and banged in 32 goals in League Two. I started poorly in the Championship and was sacked after six games as I had to do a Forest and bring in nearly 20 new players just to try and compete and it just didn't work. I took over at Notts County who were 21st in the NL and with a Holloway sized squad but a lot of cash in the bank, five seasons later I've just made the Championship with them.

Historically a lot of time was spent on CM 00/01, CM 01/02 and FM 2005.

Premier Manager 98 on the PS1 was my first manager game love though.

Quoted from Gainsbro_Mariner

I always almost choose Town, on FM21 I got us up to the Championship with most of the squad we had plus some real decent loan players and some good free agents picked up. Alex Nimely was one that always worked for me in recent years, ex Man City I think he hasn't had a club in a couple of years but often ends up on the game, his stats are meh but I signed him and banged in 32 goals in League Two. I started poorly in the Championship and was sacked after six games as I had to do a Forest and bring in nearly 20 new players just to try and compete and it just didn't work. I took over at Notts County who were 21st in the NL and with a Holloway sized squad but a lot of cash in the bank, five seasons later I've just made the Championship with them.

Historically a lot of time was spent on CM 00/01, CM 01/02 and FM 2005.

Premier Manager 98 on the PS1 was my first manager game love though.

You've changed the game entirely! (pun tentatively intended)

Premier Manager 98 on PC was my favourite. Was ok on PS1 but I loved everything about PM98 on computer, most notably stadium building. Takes away from the point of FOOTBALL MANAGER, but would love it if FM ever developed means to have budget control over stadium and give you design options and such like. Used to be a game called FA Premier League Football Manager which had exactly that and it was class.

Think I need to go and calm myself down a little bit, these flashbacks are stirring old addictive traits!

I had them all hahaha

First started off with the 3.99 cassettes for C64 like "The Footballer", Sensible soccer etc.  Also played Premier Manager but also like Tracksuit Manager and Ultimate Manager had the lot including being able to change the ground.

Quoted from gtfc_chris

You've changed the game entirely! (pun tentatively intended)

Premier Manager 98 on PC was my favourite. Was ok on PS1 but I loved everything about PM98 on computer, most notably stadium building. Takes away from the point of FOOTBALL MANAGER, but would love it if FM ever developed means to have budget control over stadium and give you design options and such like. Used to be a game called FA Premier League Football Manager which had exactly that and it was class.

Think I need to go and calm myself down a little bit, these flashbacks are stirring old addictive traits!

Did you ever play Fifa Soccer Manager? I think it was the 96/97 or 97/98 season? Had Bobby Robson on the cover, that for me was way before its time, had really good graphic stadium building on that and the 3D match engine was half decent for it's day. Don't think they revisited one of those for another decade or so but by then it had flopped.

Have owned every year since probably CM4/ Before I started playing LMA Manager on the old playstation as always had a thing for management games?

Getting older now and barely having the time to play I usually do a town save every year and another one which a sort of journeyman where I start unemployed and take any job I can but if a bigger club comes calling with a decent squad and a better opportunity I leave my current club, quite freshens things up moving countries and experiencing different leagues. Quite enjoyed managing in countries I usually wouldn't start a save (Belgium, Turkey, Poland ect).

My first experience was on a BBC school computer. Funnily enough with John Tondeur.
We only played a couple of times, Aston Villa and Peter Withe being the stars.

I cut my teeth with Championship manager on the spectrum 48k moving on to Champ manager 2 on the PC.

I really enjoyed the first football manager handheld game on my ipad….but now sadly it’s way too involved for me to be enjoyable.

the hours i’ve spent
and I always play grimsby, happy days

Edit :- just realised FM mobile is the lighter version of the game ! downloaded….goodbye family xx

The only game I ever liked was Doom.

Mind you it must seem like a version of Football Manager for Scunthorpe fans right now.

i loved 01-02

Taribo West!

Thats the only name I can recall as a must-buy.

01/02 is an absolute classic, I'd be Town and always get Taribo West and Gazza (who was well passed his best but could light up a pitch for half an hour) on a free transfer. Played from CM2 and normally bought a new FM every 2 or 3 years. Took someone's advice and got FM22 for free through prime so there's something to sink a few hundred hours into. Mostly play as Town but very occasionally I dabble in other teams

Quoted from 123614

I am a fanatical Football Manager player having owned and played every version since it 1993 when it presented the game then as Championship Manager.

I'm interested to find out how many Fishy people play the game, and if those that do always select Grimsby as their team to manage, and whether they just stick to the team's actual squad, or introduce other players as the seasons go by?

I’m still on CM01/02. There’s an active online community that have done amazing work updating the game. Even I managed to crack part of the code allowing competition frequencies to be altered. i.e. FIFA Club World Cup every year rather than every 2 years as it was in the original game.

I don’t think I’ve ever played at Town though.

So I'm interested to find out why 01/02 is seen as the best version of the game so far?

Quoted from 123614

So I'm interested to find out why 01/02 is seen as the best version of the game so far?

The imaginary legend To Madeira for a start...

01/02 had some brilliant free agents and also struck a balance between detail and quick gameplay.