Football Manager: A Documentary

Hello folks,

New to your boards here. My name is Steve and I'm a Media Production MA student making a documentary about the computer game that I love and live for: Football Manager.

You know as well as I do how addictive, enthralling and all-consuming it is.

I'm looking for FM stories; Players' greatest achievements; lowest ebbs; most exciting moments and more. Have you even lost friends or lovers because of it? Is your partner a Football Manager widow? Do you believe you could manage a real football side as a result of you FM experience? Have you ever applied for a real management job?

What stories have you go to tell? I'd like to know any or all of the above from fans and players of the game.

Any particularly interesting stories may result in interviews for the documentary, teller permitting.

I've got a group on Facebook too if you'd be interested in checking that out. Find it here.

If you'd like to talk further about the documentary get back to me via this thread or email me. My address should be on my profile page. Or find me on Facebook. I'm the one with a giraffe mask for a face.

Cheers.

i almost lost my job because of it, twice. about managing a real team based upon the game experience, i don't think so. managing a football team is a very complex thing, sure the game gives you an idea about how a real manager feels, but it's not like the real thing where you have to deal with the players, fans, board, officials and so on. i'm curently a student at a sports collage in romania and even though we are learning basic stuff about all sports(including football), i can say that managing a team(from any sport) it's not something that everyone can do. tha game might help a scout to find players but i think that fm can only give a general idea about a player, so the scout still needs to watch the targeted player. in conclusion i can say that it helps a bit, but not much..

Great idea Steve, i would like to see a FM documentary ... i remeber,few years ago, during fm06 i was so addicted, that when i was watching real time football on tv, i was imagining the players like a little dots (2-D view) :yes
At that point, i said to myself: you're becoming insane,quit playing the game for a while ... and so i did,but couldnt stop myself anymore after a week.
Hope you'll share the documentary with us when it's done.Cheers

hey sup steve dope idea dude... ive become addicted to fm2010 ever since i got it. its given me alot of experience into what a manager feels and how hard it is to manage a team. also the fact that not always things go your way. When i first got it i said i wont be playing it alot but now that i know wat to do i cant turn away. I would love to 1 day manage a real team like kids or something and see how i go.

So far ive been to full on into the game, that i havent even looked for work in a while now. But i try my best.i also have a kid but as soon as she grows up i will teach her how to play. she sits and watches me play the game whic is cool, until she gets abit adjated, then i hand her to her mum.

well yh dude let us know when the doc comes out i would love to watch it
peace...

lol welcome to the site steve, tbh I belive that fm gives you a slight insight into tactics, ever since I have been on fm series I have looked at proper games in a tactical aspect and to see where they are going wrong e.t.c, then playing 5 a side and 11 a side and with my brothers I use what I see in real life football to make choices, like how to become better. For example I play DM now and I have watched scholes and how he uses long passes and his technique in using them. I now use his passing technique and I can pick out 30-40 yards passes. regarding managing in the future I hope to be like an amateur manager, and then move into non-league football management. Sun which teams did u manage kids teams or amateur?

Hi folks,

Thanks for your responses so far. Much appreciated and very useful. Please keep them coming! Will of course keep you all posted on the documentary's progress and hopefully I'll get it up on Vimeo or similar for you all to watch when it's done. Should be September time.

hmm interesting, most people on here are FM nerds!

I used to play it since the CM editions, but back then i wasnt into it as much as i got into it when FM 2005 came out. from there on i got addicted like hell.

the most time i spent was on FM 06 and 07. And i have to admit all 3 years in college were mostly football and FM for me.

I love football and FM, i play football atm. im gonna turn 20 this year :(. but after im done playing football i will definitely go into management.

Imo not everyone who play FM can go into becoming a Manger in real life. Obviously FM is quite realistic and you learn football through it.

but i love football all around and watch it and play it all the time. So i got a bit of knowledge of football, maybe a bit too much hehe.

also i have already good experience on different level of management. as a player other different managers since i was a kid ive learned and seen how things work. so i think i will become a decent manager as i just live football.

but if i become a big manager is nothing i cant predict as of yet :D.

i think some people get over excited by doing well at FM and think they can handle management in real life. I think it still takes experience as player to become a decent manager. You need to be more into football than just FM. but there are definitely some good FM players who would do well in football in real life, or are already doing well in football in real life at different levels.

i hope that helps looking forward to the documentary.

Guy i used to work with applied for the Albion Rovers managers job and gave them a cv with his fm records never got the job shockingly wet myself when he told me tho

Hello again folks. Once again, thank you for continuing to post stories on here. Shooting for the documentary begins in earnest next week. I've got some pretty exciting interviews in the pipline too so I'm hoping they all come through. Will keep you all posted. Keep those stories coming. Cheers, Steve

Hello again folks. Apologies for not having been in touch since May! Time has flown by!

The documentary has been filmed and is almost done. Just putting the finishing touches to the edit. I've been all over the country speaking to all sorts of lovely and entertaining people, including Miles at SI. Hopefully I'll be able to get it online for you to watch in the coming weeks. Check the Facebook group for updates too if you're on there. Just search for Football Manager: More Than Just A Game and it should be there for you to join.

Thanks,
Steve.

Will be waiting for the video to show up online

Please check your inbox mate, sent you an email.

looking forward to it mate! will you have a red carpet premier?:yes