"If To Maderia actually existed i'd have invited him to my wedding"
May 11, 2015 11:07 PM Subscribe
Sometimes, I worry about the effect that Football Manager has had on my life. I’ve had girlfriends I haven’t loved as much as my Uefa Cup-winning Southend United side (CM97-98) and friends that I haven’t seen as much as I saw my Nottingham Forest reserves (CM01-02). Why is it that I’ve never stayed up until 3am to write a book, but I did it on numerous occasions to guide Welling out of the Conference South (FM07)?Iain Macintosh wonders whether being addicted to Football Manager a proper medical condition or just a slightly deranged hobby? (SLGrauniad, originally from The Blizzard.)
Iain Macintosh is the editor of The Set Pieces, a newish football blog which by pure coincidence is also running a series about playing Football Manager according to moneyball rules:
This book gave me one rule that became a corner-stone to everything else I did: the theory that the best way to improve a team is by identifying and replacing the weakest links, rather than by splashing out on making the best links even better (pp. 197-222). The other idea that I liked and thus stole is that a clean sheet is worth just over two goals scored in terms of points across the course of a season (pp. 130-131). The corollary to this, then, is a focus on defence over pushing too hard for a win.Bonus FM content from the comments section: How much can Man City be ruined in one season and when you get a regen player so good, you have to create a proper autobiography for him.
Football Manager is the only thing that broke my addition to World of Warcraft.
God knows what's going to break my Football Manager addiction.
posted by somekindofwizard at 12:37 AM on May 12, 2015 [2 favorites]
God knows what's going to break my Football Manager addiction.
posted by somekindofwizard at 12:37 AM on May 12, 2015 [2 favorites]
Heroin.
posted by Sebmojo at 2:12 AM on May 12, 2015 [3 favorites]
posted by Sebmojo at 2:12 AM on May 12, 2015 [3 favorites]
"I went hunting for that disc like Zammo" the comments on this article are an absolute delight :).
posted by invisible_al at 2:32 AM on May 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by invisible_al at 2:32 AM on May 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
I had to give up FM in 2006. It was either that or my wife.
posted by brokkr at 2:53 AM on May 12, 2015
posted by brokkr at 2:53 AM on May 12, 2015
It's the most compelling spreadsheet ever created.
posted by GallonOfAlan at 3:34 AM on May 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by GallonOfAlan at 3:34 AM on May 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
I had to give up FM in 2006. It was either that or my wife.
It's not too late.
posted by Swandive at 4:54 AM on May 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
It's not too late.
posted by Swandive at 4:54 AM on May 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
Having a life filled with spreadsheets, databases and accounting programs I have opted for over two decades of NetHack immersion. It's no wonder, I suppose, that inventory management and assembling an ascension kit are two of my least favorite activities in the Mazes of Menace. But I do get to slay lots and lots of dragons along the way. And nothing will make your day quite like hearing the invisible choir sing and being bathed in radiance as you ascend a demigod. Yep, an addiction...
posted by jim in austin at 4:58 AM on May 12, 2015
posted by jim in austin at 4:58 AM on May 12, 2015
You want me to post the greatest moment in my life again? Oh go on then!
Less pleasantly, West Ham smash-and-grabbed my Arsenal team in FM last night at exactly the same time as Swansea did it in real life. Which was one of those weird moments of (in this case uber-annoying) synchronicity that always seem to happen when you play FM a lot.
posted by garius at 5:06 AM on May 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
Less pleasantly, West Ham smash-and-grabbed my Arsenal team in FM last night at exactly the same time as Swansea did it in real life. Which was one of those weird moments of (in this case uber-annoying) synchronicity that always seem to happen when you play FM a lot.
posted by garius at 5:06 AM on May 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
Stupid Arsenal can't do anything right. Grumble wanted 8th place on the table Grumble
posted by josher71 at 5:25 AM on May 12, 2015
posted by josher71 at 5:25 AM on May 12, 2015
Oh god, reading the Moneyball post now.
Fingers. Itching. Brain. Itching.
Good thing I don't have a laptop powerful enough to run the game.
posted by brokkr at 6:33 AM on May 12, 2015
Fingers. Itching. Brain. Itching.
Good thing I don't have a laptop powerful enough to run the game.
posted by brokkr at 6:33 AM on May 12, 2015
Bad idea to tell you there are browser based versions of classic CM/FM games available then?
posted by MartinWisse at 7:05 AM on May 12, 2015 [2 favorites]
posted by MartinWisse at 7:05 AM on May 12, 2015 [2 favorites]
Probably for the best:
"An error was encountered while processing your request: This item is currently unavailable in your region"
Why Football Manager is unavailable via Steam in Austria, I'm not sure.
posted by frimble at 7:59 AM on May 12, 2015
"An error was encountered while processing your request: This item is currently unavailable in your region"
Why Football Manager is unavailable via Steam in Austria, I'm not sure.
posted by frimble at 7:59 AM on May 12, 2015
I possibly(can't remember why I thought this was a good idea?) introduced FM to my partner back in 2010 and while baffled at its hold on his every waking hour ("wait, you are in 2025 already?), I appreciated the various snarky comments built into the game interface. "Time to change your underwear."
Thanks for sharing these links.
posted by spamandkimchi at 10:44 AM on May 12, 2015
Thanks for sharing these links.
posted by spamandkimchi at 10:44 AM on May 12, 2015
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posted by Swandive at 12:05 AM on May 12, 2015 [1 favorite]