Customer Reviews
A complete joke of a game!! - By: Mr. T. W. Jullings, 13 Oct 2008 
I have played pretty much all of the Football Manager & old Champ Man series, way back to the 99/00 series... which was great fun, if a little simple!
Over the years S.I have made improvements to the game, to the point of last year when FM2007 was released & what a great game to play this was. So much so that I saw no reason why I should not invest another £25-30in the latest installment.
I honestly would have got more joy out of spending that money on a new tin of paint, letting my 70-year old neighbour paint their fence & then being invited round to watch the thing dry, & then coming back the next day to see how the second coat dries... this game is that bad...
Firstly, I'd like to pint out that some of the improvementsin general gameplay mode are nice & are a definite improvement. Player relationships are a bit more realistic, more control over financial aspects, better interaction with the board & improvements to the training system allowing you more customization over schedules, etc etc.
However, all of that good work is undone when you play a game. Just when you think you have nailed on a set of tactics that seem to get all of you big guns firing, BAM!, you are trounced at home to aston villa 5-1. you then draw 0-0 away at derby, having had 20+ shots on target to their 2!! It is like the stupid engine realises that your tactics are SO spot-on that you must be penalised to make the thing close & exciting.
I have a 15 point leadin the premiership after just 16 games! thatin itself was unrealistic, but to then go on a 5 game losing streak & see my lead cut to just 2 points is absolutely ridiculous!!
The countless dodgy offside decisions, the stupid & random opposition sending off's (which you have no chance of capitalising on), the ridiculous possession ration, the crazy number of shots (i played as tottenham at man utd & they had 41 shots on target!!! thats a shot on target every 2.5 mins!!!).
it really ruins the game. Unless all of these infuriating glitches & bugs are rectified, I shall not be returning to the Football Manager series... sort it out S.I!!
Ridiculous - By: Joe, 08 Oct 2008 I've been playing this game for a while now so I think I have enough experience with it to write a review.
The first thing I can say is that if you're an expert at Championship manager/Football manager, then you'll probably excel that this game, or any other future FM game for that matter. However, a lot of users are ones learning the ropes to this game, & this is the worst introduction to a great game series that I have ever encountered. Others have mentioned annoying glitches; 4-2-4, the corner exploit, etc. Yes, they are incredibly annoying, but it doesn't end there. The game is totally unrealistic. My latest New game (I've just begun a new one), exluding the friendlies, all my 8 league games so far have resultedin the injury of at least one of my players. I've decided to alter the hugely unfair balance by using FMM & simply removing the injuries afterwards, & reloading some of the games (including one against West Ham where I was heavily favoured but ended up losing 4-2, had 1 player injured & 2 got straight red cards - wow, the realism) until I get a decent result. Unless you know the game inside out, how every single tactical decision works, then you'll simply flounderin this game. It's THAT bad. It doesn't even rate Man Utd's new hot prospects Possebon, & the Da Silva twins very highly (according to the game, they only have the potential to be good Championship players). Stay clear, this game is terrible.
Somewhat dodgey - By: DavidReviewer, 02 Sep 2008 
This game does at first seem to be a decent upgrade on the previous football manager...more in-depth gameplay, such as being able to choose what type of feeder club you want (after having been at the club for a while) which is great for boosting your finances, & much more. For all this I would have given it a four or even five stars.
BUT, there are those odd moments, which seem to be more prevalent thanin the previous games. Now,in reality, there are numerous times when a team that has more shots on target loses. But when you've lost for the sixth timein a season when you've had as many as thirty shots ON target to the oponents three, it can get quite frustrating.
And finally; this game prides itself on its realism. Its lack of arcade, quick-fix style gameplay. But why on earth would the developers decide to deliberately add silly aspects to the game? In particular I refer to their decision to give Barcelona £100,000,000 EXTRAin TV revenue each season over & above that of any other clubin Spain, thus giving them a huge & unnecessary advantage. To correct this I had to go on the data editor & give them a massive debt (roughly £1 billion which means they have to pay £100m each seasonin debt re-payments) which doesn't exactly help the game much as it makes them pretty much bankrupt & often leads to a board takever which puts them backin an unfair position.
All of which means that, unlike Football Manager 2007 & its predecessors, when I could have played for hours on end, I quickly lose interest & have little desire to go back to it. (That ended up being a little longer than expected!)
Still my favourite waste of time - By: Jeffrey M. Black, 29 Aug 2008 
I've been playing these games since they introduced the 2D match engine backin CM4 (don't get confused - the real Championship Manager of old is made by Sports Interactive & it's this one).
FM2008 does seem much harder than previous games & it's been more of a gargantuan task to take the mighty Stockport County to European glory. Sometimes you get the impression that the AI just won't let you win certain games, no matter what tactics you try (and it's best to pay attention to detailed tactics & save your own versions, rather than relying on the presets).
Then there's the inexplicable 8-1 drubbings as your meticulously constructed team mysteriously fail to show up. Sometimes the post-match anger option just isn't sufficient & I fine half the team out of sheer frustration. I always save it if I've had a good result - it's the only way to keep from kickingin my PC monitor.
Of course, you begin to notice that your Arsenals & Chelseas unfailingly have all the best kids. If you want to give yourself the same advantages as the game's AI, you could always download third party scout programmes, like FM Genie Scout. They'll let you see the hidden stats - long-term potential, injury prone-ness, real transfer cost, etc. It'll help people frustrated because nobody will sign for them. But like Mr. Wenger, you'll end up with a team full of foreigners.
I'll probably finally win something with Stockport, get a few congratulatory messages & wonder why I've bothered. I wish there was more of a reward to it. The best part of the game is when you get to rebuild your sidein the summer. Other than that, it's a bit of a slog.
Then they'll bring out FM2009 & i'll have to startin the lower leagues once more. Remind me why I play this game again. Oh that's right - jumping round the room when your little tiddlywinks score a vital last minute goalin a crucial match. Just like the real thing really.
Football Manager 2008 pc - By: K. Holland, 27 Aug 2008 Those who wait awhile can now pick up the latest offering of football manager for under a tenner -although very little has changed the few tweaks that have been made add little to the overall enjoyment of the game. The last game I bought was 2006 there is now a nice touch with negotiationin transfers but it has always been a great game & has refined itself over the years. All the latest players & stats updated- while away the hours with this addictive game.
