Football Manager 2007

New Features

This level of interaction has now been extended to players. Got your eye on a star forward at a rival club? Let him know how highly you think of him by releasing a statement to the press. This might unsettle him, leading the player to hand in a transfer request. Be warned, however, that this ability to interact is a double edged sword. Telling the press how highly you think of a rival striker may unsettle your own players, who might start to worry that they may soon lose their place in the team.

Football Manager constantly hammers you with opportunities to make decisions. This is reflected through the increased email traffic you will see in this game. Even if you're managing Halifax in the Conference you’ll be plagued by emails every day informing you of injuries, man of the match performances, scouting reports, reserve team results, transfer news, rival club goings on, monthly awards… the list goes on and on, and at times it can get a little overwhelming having to sift through the news that is actually relevant to you. Methodical players, who enjoy taking their time over every decision, will welcome the extra information but for players who are less tenacious managers all this extra news will probably end up being ignored.

Other features will also brighten up your managerial experience. Loading screens now contain useful tips and keyboard shortcuts which were definitely helpful, making me a more efficient player. The loading screens also engage you far more than in previous games. Now scores don't just flash up, but you also get scorers and times they scored - not essential to the game, but helping make you feel a bit more in tune with what is happening in the leagues.

Another new feature that I really liked was the parent/feeder club option. You can now approach your board and request a relationship with either a bigger or smaller club depending on your own side's status. With Barnet being located in London I was able to secure a relationship with Spurs and get a regular influx of young players to bolster my chances. On the flip side, if you're in charge of a big side you might want to give your youngsters some experience at smaller clubs before giving them the opportunity of making the step up. This feature goes some way to bridging the huge gulf between the lower leagues and the top sides.


The tempo of the game has also been improved. Gone are the three day marathon sessions before you actually get out of preseason and things now move far quicker. Still, the game is by no means a jump in, jump out experience and to get the most out of it you need to really dedicate a fair few hours. You'll also need a decent PC to play the game with the larger database (larger database means larger list of players). Despite offering options to run a whole host of leagues from every corner of the earth, the amount of slowdown you will experience on most average PCs will result in most people choosing one league and only a few divisions to play with.

If the previous games in the series appealed to you, then Football Manager 07 will appeal to you, swallowing up hours of your time without you even realising it. If you've never encountered the series (what rock have you been under?) and you're a football fan then you have to give it a try, provided you can afford to abandon your life for the ton of hours required to be a successful football manager. Come on Barnet!