Although this is a fairly low-maintenance activity, and can be left to your assistant, it seems like little more than a chore – albeit one that adds a little realism. For example, you're now made to train your players in specific tactics you want to use – you can't just throw them into a 4-3-3 the morning before a match and expect it to work. More casual players who pine for the simpler days of the original Championship Manager series will still find the game as it exists today far too complicated and time-consuming. Because of this divide that I hope you'll forgive me writing a review of two halves, as it were. What about those that didn't enjoy last year's Football Manager, though? It strikes me that FM's audience is split into two camps: those that love the direction the series is heading, and have bought and enjoyed every version and those that gave up at some point, simply because the game, or the rest of their life, became to demanding. It's easy to forget too that there's this year's edition of the absurdly huge and authoritative player database on offer and, while a few niggles like the shallow and repetitive media-handling remain, there's more than enough here to recommend those who enjoyed the last iteration to get on board. Tactical analysis is also now deeper than ever for those prepared to put the hours in. Training has been somewhat improved, and there's a brand new set-piece generator – welcome updates to two parts of the game which hadn't much changed in the past five years. Agents are present in the game for the first time, and handling their personalities to ensure you can keep your star striker's wage demands in check brings player-power realism to the series in a way we've never seen before.

It's no longer simply a case of throwing out offers or platitudes – you have to be reactive and willing to take risks to get what you want. Add in the option of linking in your Twitter and YouTube accounts, and FM 2011 feels fresh, somehow, despite the fact much of what you're doing has barely changed since the series' inception.Ĭontracts and player interactions have been completely overhauled, now working in real-time, so there's a satisfying sense of an actual negotiation taking place. First off, the interface looks better than ever, with a tweaked manager's homepage complimenting a raft of small aesthetic changes – seen also in the noticeably improved 3D match engine.

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