Football Manager Stole My Life

by Iain Macintosh

  ALEXANDER FARNERUD

  Position: AMRLC

  Real-life career: Landskrona BoIS, Strasbourg, Stuttgart, Brondby, Young Boys; Sweden (8 caps, 2 goals)

  In-game high: Championship Manager 03/04

  Unless you were content to play it safe in the hot-seat at a cash-rich super-club or fiddled with the Data Editor (not cool!), then you’ll all be familiar with the tried and trusted recipe for success.

  It’s a simple model adopted by the likes of Porto in real life – scout, buy cheap, develop, sell big and reinvest.

  Alexander Farnerud was the poster-boy for that kind of shrewd stewardship. Available for buttons from little Landskrona, the dynamic attacking midfielder’s value would soar within a season.

  Alexander, you were just a baby when you first appeared in the game…

  Yes! I was only 17 and about to make my first-team breakthrough at Landskrona. I played Championship Manager at that point and in the game I’d already signed for Barcelona by the time I made my real life debut for Landskrona. Family commitments mean I don’t get the same chance to have a shot of it now but for three years I was pretty addicted.

  That seems a common phenomenon in Swedish football.

  It’s very popular in Sweden. Going right back, a lot of the boys in the Landskrona dressing room were right into it. It was the same when I made the Swedish Under-21 squad. We connected over a shared appreciation of Championship Manager. Then I moved to France with Strasbourg and one of my team-mates, Guillaume Lacour, said he knew about me from playing the game. That was a strange experience, but I guess one of the positives from Championship Manager is that you get to know players often before they get their big break.

  Did you ever cross paths with a certain Tonton Zola Moukoko?

  I remember Tonton! He was with Derby County in England, but I knew of him from the Swedish youth international sides. I was in the age group below him and he was a very good player at that time. However, like a lot of young players, it can be hard when you go out into the professional game. Maybe he lost his way a little bit. My own career didn’t hit the heights predicted in Championship Manager but I hope I still have time to play for a big club.

  Tonton still attracts a lot of attention from his adoring fan-base...

  No-one’s ever really mentioned it to me. I guess I’ve missed out, but if people still know my name from the game then that’s pretty flattering. I can understand their enthusiasm having played it myself.

  Who were your team of choice?

  I was always a Barcelona supporter so it was usually them. Thankfully, for a spell, I was good enough to justify signing myself. I’m not sure that would be the case now.

  ANDERS SVENSSON

  Position: AMC

  Real-life career: Elfsborg, Southampton, Elfsborg; Sweden (130 caps, 18 goals)

  In-game high: Championship Manager 00/01

  The Scandinavian leagues are football’s equivalent of the Playboy Mansion – packed with hot up-and-coming young talents eager for a chance to impress.

  If you haven’t scoured each and every club side for bargains galore then it’s tantamount to gross negligence.

  Anders Svensson was one such diamond in the rough. If you could tempt him from Elfsborg – and he didn’t come cheap at around £500,000 – he’d blossom into the goal-scoring playmaker that every manager craves. The real-life version is back playing with The Yellow Ones following a four-year stint with Southampton, where he played in the 2003 FA Cup final defeat by Arsenal. Despite his advancing years, he remains a key member of the Sweden team.

  Are you aware of your Championship Manager legacy?

  Not at all. My big brother was always very keen on the game but no supporter has ever mentioned it to me. I have been playing it for the last couple of years, though, so I know how addictive it is.

  Who gets the benefit of your virtual words of wisdom?

  I play as Elfsborg as they’re the team I’m passionate about. I finished third, then second in the League so I dropped myself to the bench and promptly won the title. I guess I’m quite tough as a manager! I’m getting on a bit now so after a couple of years in the game my stats start to drop.

  The game seems to be very popular in Sweden…

  I know a lot of players who are keen on it, especially in the national team. Our striker Tobias Hysen – who plays for IFK Goteborg and had a spell with Sunderland – has been playing it non-stop for years. He’s been helping me out with bits of advice here and there, telling me who to sign.

  Some of the world’s best up-and-coming young managers have admitted playing the game kicked off their interest in coaching. Is that something that appeals to you?

  Yes, it does actually. I wasn’t something I thought about before I started playing Football Manager but, since I have, I’ve been thinking about it more and more. I find all the elements very interesting – signing players, coaching them and picking the team. It’s something I’d like to explore further when I stop playing.

  Any tips or tricks for our readers?

  I don’t actually sign many Scandinavian players, but I do always try to get the Danish midfielder Mads Albaek from FC Midtjylland. He’s a solid all-rounder. I would also appeal to Sports Interactive to improve the ratings of the young players at Elfsborg. IFK Goteborg’s players always seem to have good potential, but we have some of the best young Swedish players here so it’s time that was reflected in the game. And it would make my job a lot easier!

  CHERNO SAMBA

  Position: ST

  Real-life career: Millwall, Cadiz, Malaga B (loan), Plymouth Argyle, Wrexham, Haka, Panetolikos, Samger FC, FK Tonsberg; Gambia (4 caps, 1 goal)

  In-game high: Championship Manager 01/02

  It’s fitting that Cherno Samba’s surname pays homage to the Brazilian dance and musical genre.

  Quite simply – in our removed-from-reality-Champ-Man-universe – he’s the closest football has come to replacing Pele.

  Available as a prolific, precocious prospect from Millwall, the then-16-year-old could be carefully nurtured to achieve near-flawless striking stats.

  He had it all – pace, power and pinpoint finishing on either foot.

  Back on planet Earth, the once-sought-after teenager has enjoyed a nomadic career that’s taken him to Spain, Finland, Greece and Gambia in search of football fulfilment, before recently putting pen to paper with Norwegian Second Division side FK Tonsberg.

  You might just be the most prized player in Championship Manager history.

  It’s amazing to think people are still talking about this, 10 years on. No matter where I go, people recognise my name from the game and want to talk about it. It’s bizarre, but it’s followed me around since I was 16 so I’m used to it.

  How does the in-game fame manifest itself in real life?

  I’ve played abroad and walked into dressing rooms full of strangers, but a lot of them know who I am. That’s been a good ice-breaker over the years. There can’t be many people kicking about called ‘Cherno Samba’ so it’s always good fun when someone realises who I am, usually in a shop when I hand over my debit card. I phoned up to get an iPhone upgrade and the guy on the other end of the line went crazy, talking about what a legend I was for him in Championship Manager. Thankfully it got me a good deal! That kind of thing happens quite a lot.

  All positive encounters, we hope…

  Someone set up an account pretending to be me on Twitter, which I think is a bit sad. I’d like everyone reading this to know that I’m not on there. I’ve been told he’s even talking to journalists online, in my name. Everything else has been good-natured, thankfully.

  You must have an army of full-time staff dealing with all this attention.

  I wish! I try to answer all my messages but thousands of people still get in touch, from all over the world. I’ve had a few from Russia but there’s only so much I can do when they’re written in a foreign language. I listen to all their stories about the game but most of it goes over
my head. I’m not much of a computer guy.

  Do you think there’s an argument that the hype hindered your progress?

  No, I believe the opposite actually. My talent was maybe exaggerated but it has opened doors for me. It’s up to me to work hard and realise my potential and I believe my time will come. Until recently I played with Samger FC in Gambia. Their Youth Academy is named after me, which is pretty cool. It’s nice to put my famous name to good use. Now I’m with FK Tonsberg in Norway. It’s an exciting new challenge. Who knows what the future holds for me?

  FREDDY ADU

  Position: AM/FRC

  Real-life career: DC Utd, Real Salt Lake, Benfica, AS Monaco (loan), Belenenses (loan), Aris (loan), Caykur Rizespor (loan), Philadelphia Union; United States (17 caps, 2 goals)

  In-game high: Championship Manager 03/04

  It wasn’t just the Championship Manager scouts that got carried away with US soccer sensation Freddy Adu.

  At 10 years old his mother turned down a lucrative six-figure offer to join Inter Milan on the advice of agents. At 14 he became the youngest American athlete in 100-plus years to sign a major league team sport professional contract, linking up with DC United having been first pick in the MLS draft. Within the year he’d played and scored at senior level, whilst at the same time blazing a trail all over Champ Man 03/04.

  He was no short-term fix, but the patient gamer would sensibly swoop for him on a free transfer and wait for him to be granted a work permit. After three or four years’ careful nurturing, he’d explode on to the first team scene like a force of nature.

  His flesh-and-blood alter ego initially lived up to the billing. At just 16, Adu was awarded his first full international cap, with a two-week trial stint at Manchester United coming not long afterwards.

  His star was on the rise and he enjoyed the trappings of celebrity culture – with endless endorsements and a pop star girlfriend.

  Despite the razzmatazz, though, he never really kicked on from there. Benfica handed him his golden ticket to European football in 2007 but a handful of appearances saw him spiral into a succession of ill-fated short-term loan moves.

  Adu’s currently inching his way back to prominence with Philadelphia Union and, with time on his side and a wealth of experience already under his belt, still has plenty of time to live up to his in-game billing.

  Freddy, you’re one of a rare breed that was well known to football fans prior to your breakthrough in Championship Manager 03/04 – even though you were only 14 at the time. Are you aware of the game and your impact on it?

  Yes, I’ve heard of Championship/Football Manager but I’ve never played it. I first became aware of my in-game status from my fans on Twitter. They started telling me all about it as soon as I joined Twitter in 2008.

  How do you feel about that? From an early age you’ve had to deal with a lot of hype but this is a different kind of attention.

  It’s great that all of these people all over the world are getting to know me as a player and as a person through the game. It’s really helped increase my profile and the profile of American soccer in a different way to those who have been able to see me playing in person or on television.

  GARETH JELLEYMAN

  Position: LB

  Real-life career: Peterborough Utd, Boston Utd (loan), Mansfield Town (loan), Mansfield Town, Rushden & Diamonds, Barrow (loan), AFC Telford Utd, Barrow, Boston Utd

  In-game high: Championship Manager 99/00

  Back at the turn of the millennium, ‘the Welsh Roberto Carlos’ could be plucked from Peterborough for a cool £80,000.

  In the real world, the Boston United skipper is perhaps best known for being the inspiration behind Sky Sports’ Soccer Saturday host Jeff Stelling’s book – entitled ‘Jelleyman’s Thrown a Wobbly’.

  Stelling famously commented, “Mansfield Town’s Gareth Jelleyman has been shown the red card for dissent. Looks like Jelleyman’s thrown a wobbler.”

  Wales have been spoiled with flying left-backs called Gareth. Were you conscious of your computer-based credentials?

  My brother got me into the game. He told me I’d always end up captaining Wales and playing for someone like Real Madrid so naturally I was curious.

  Who benefited from your tactical teachings?

  I was playing for Peterborough at that point, so I took charge there. We had a good team with the likes of Matthew Etherington and Simon Davies and I’m ashamed to say I put myself on corner kicks, penalties, free-kicks – everything. And I was always captain. I eventually buckled and sold myself to Real Madrid for £20 million. It still rankles that I didn’t hold out for more. In terms of signings, Tonton Zola Moukoko was my boy. He was brilliant playing in the hole just behind the strikers.

  You wouldn’t be tempted by one last shot at the game?

  I’ve been working for a building firm for the last three years, so between that and my two kids my spare time is limited. I was sucked back into it in 2009 when I had a go with Barrow as I was on loan there at the time. But, after three hours, I’d only played one pre-season game. The game’s moved on too much in my absence.

  Any up-close encounters with the Champ Man community?

  I’d often have supporters say ‘Wow, you used to be great on Championship Manager. What went wrong?’. A few people ask for autographs and tell me how I’ve done in their game. I enjoy all that and you have to see it as a bit of fun. The strangest thing I probably every got was a letter from Sweden asking for a signed photo. The guy was a big fan of the game and said I was his main man. It doesn’t get much better than that.

  FM VS THE PIRATES

  Every year, Sports Interactive sell over 1m copies of the new FM release. However, the number of illegal downloads of the game are also huge.

  Miles Jacobson blogged for Wired, the technology magazine, about the impact of piracy on 2012’s FM app for Android.

  Last week I found myself in one of those ‘good news, bad news’ situations. The good was that more than 100,000 people were enjoying the new Android version of our game. The bad news was that only about 10 per cent of them paid for it.

  It went straight into the top 20 in many European countries, both in the ‘paid app’ and ‘top grossing’ charts, and a 4.4/5 rating. Which sounds like a pretty good start, right?

  We created a handful of ‘skins’ for the game to cover the majority of devices resolutions. Once a player has installed the game on their phone, the handset senses which resolution the phone can handle and downloads the appropriate skin.

  As our sales passed the 10,000 mark, I asked to see the figure for skin downloads... it was up to 113,000. Because every installed copy of the game – legitimately bought or not – needs a skin, we were able to make a pretty direct comparison between our sales figures and our actual user base.

  I tweeted about this 9:1 piracy ratio, calling those that had bombarded us with requests for the game and then pirated it ‘dicks’. I make no apology for this. Anyone who illegally downloads software is a dick.

  My tweet was picked up by a few news outlets, and I watched the comments sections with interest. Most were from people shocked at how high the ratio was, but there was also a handful of piracy apologists claiming that the game is too expensive (which is no excuse for illegal downloading – games are entertainment, not a human right), that it is not available in some countries (for legal reasons out of our hands), that the game should be free to play (not possible with our current licensing arrangements) and the argument that we don’t lose anything from piracy, so what does it matter?

  Piracy is a fact of life for game developers. I’m not stupid enough to think that 100 per cent of pirated games are lost sales – there are, of course, some people who would not buy or play a game if it wasn’t available for free, but there are also some dishonest people who pirate things they would otherwise buy, just because they can.

  The thing is, people who make games do lose from piracy. We lose from the small per cent of pirated copies that are
lost sales, but we also have direct costs, both financial and ‘opportunity costs’, which can be attributed to every version, pirated or not. Whether that be server costs (for skin downloads), support costs (believe it or not, pirates still ask for customer support) and wasted time trying to deal with it all.

  This is an edited version of a blog that appeared in Wired magazine, 2012

  JOAO PAIVA

  Position: ST

  Real-life career: Sporting CP, Sporting B, Maritimo B, Espinho, Apollon Limassol, AEK Larnaca, Luzern, Grasshoppers Zurich

  In-game high: Championship Manager 01/02

  Championship Manager 01/02 was a vintage year for cheap, prolific Portuguese strikers.

  While phantom frontman To Madeira is the stuff of legend, he was no more a must-buy than 17-year-old Sporting Lisbon wonderkid Joao Paiva – available, beautifully, for a nominal fee.

  What did Championship Manager mean to you?

  A lot! I know the game very well. I played it a lot when I was younger.

  Who was your team of choice?

  I remember in one of the early editions you didn’t have as many teams to choose from, so first of all I managed Manchester United. But my real team was Wimbledon. When the Portuguese teams came in I’d play as Sporting Lisbon so I could coach myself.

  You were a goal machine in Champ Man 01/02…

  My main attribute in the game was high finishing statistics, and I always thought that was true in real life too. I don’t need many chances to score. At the time I was one of the most promising players in the Sporting Lisbon youth set-up alongside Cristiano Ronaldo and Ricardo Quaresma. I was the top scorer from an early age and I’d been capped at the various age levels for Portugal. I don’t know how the people behind the game judge the players but I can see why they rated me highly at that point.