Football Manager 2006 - "A Brand New Season: Day 2" Feature

Day 2 of the Football Manager diaries; a little late I agree, but Iâ??ve truly had to put in everything, coming up for the occasional call of nature and whenever numbers start appearing on the back of my eyelids.

Success has come in a big way; to say Iâ??m adored at Old Trafford both by the fans and the board would be selling it way to short, think the adulation Chelsea fans show to Mourinho and multiply that by ten. Still the game of football is fraught with perils, up and down till the end; a few wrong results could leave United trophy-less and a certain manager looking for a career in League Two.

The Big Kick-Off

Despite the importance of the pre-season friendlies and crucial qualification for the European Cup this is what itâ??s all about; a season opener away to Portsmouth got the campaign off to winning ways thanks to a 2-1 victory and continued to increase morale within the squad.

It could have been a different story had the Quick Tactics not been to hand, instantly pushing the team up the field in pursuit of the winning goal without having to leave the pitch. Like many of the introductions to be found in Football Manager 2006 this may seem like a minor alteration but is one that improves the experience immeasurably, continuing to expand the frightening grip of immersion that the series is famed for. Also coming under this banner of handy improvements is the snapshot, providing essential information such as details on the next match, upcoming fixtures, competition data, player/team stats and financial information all on one handy page â?“ itâ??s an absolute godsend.

Rossiâ??s impressive form during the pre-season earned the youngster a continued place in the first team, putting the hot-headed Rooney on the bench. The decision worked a treat as Rossi continued his goal scoring form and setting up a couple in a 2-0 victory at home to Middlesbrough and the comfortable return leg against M Haifa securing entry into the European Cup group stages with a resounding 3-0 victory. Juventus, Olympiakos and Lokomotiv Moscow were seeded against United; stiff competition but heavy demands expect United to progress into the latter stages of the tournament, so itâ??s fair to say the pressure is beginning to rise!

Confidence amongst the players, board and fans is high as United gear up for the biggest game of the season to date â?“ away to Chelsea!

Bring On The Blues

One particular feature of the new training system that Iâ??ve forgotten to mention is the report from the assistant manager each month, highlighting those that have put in the effort and those that are beginning to slack off. Again itâ??s a touch that helps the manager immensely and continues to break down some of the rather more abstract aspects of previous titles.

Pitting minds against Jose Mourinho wouldnâ??t be the same without stoking up the fire before the matchâ?¦ yes â??Mind Gamesâ? are back and theyâ??re just as entertaining as before. There appears to be a more decisive structure to the options available this time around, with comments listed into various categories such as Positive, Negative and Mind Games. With the message that â??confidence is high at Old Trafford and that weâ??re looking forward to the gameâ? ringing in Mourinhoâ??s ears, Scholes goal inside the first minute got the game off to a great start. It didnâ??t take too long however before Michael Essienâ??s equalised from a dubious corner; a point from Chelsea could be viewed as points gained, but it certainly felt like points dropped this time around.

Wins over Olympiakos, Tottenham and Blackburn continued to elevate my position amongst the fans at Old Trafford, however a 0-0 draw with Liverpool provided the chance to let off a little steam. Not that Iâ??ve got anything against strategically playing for a draw, however when United and Liverpool come together you expect something special and this was never going to occur with the defensive line that Rafa Benitez put out; rest assured a barracking of Liverpoolâ??s tactics followed immediately after the game!

Leading up to the big game against Juventus Wayne Rooneyâ??s goal in the 87th minute spared the blushes against Blackburn and put the hot-headed wonderkid back into contention for a regular role â?“ but with 3 goals from 7 appearances thereâ??s little doubt that the gamble on Rossi worked, finally another decent United youngster may be on the horizon.

With the dour draws at Chelsea and Liverpool far behind the European match against Juventus was nicely set as the biggest game of the season to date; these are the type of games youâ??re never too sure which way theyâ??ll go, a moment of pure inspiration, a moment of madness or merely a dodgy refereeâ??s decision. Despite an edgy start the injury and substitution of Ibramovich unsettled the Italians. A brace from Van Nistlerooy and one from super-sub, Park Ji-Sung, either side of disgraced former Chelsea star Adrian Mutuâ??s consolation earned the first significant win of the season, whilst Blasiâ??s petulant red card was a fitting end to a night of disappointment for Juve â?“ I swear you could almost here â??Leytonâ? being chanted!

Crash & Burn

The Saturday morning headlines quickly changed the mood with a venomous Graeme Souness denouncing Unitedâ??s chances against Newcastle. Now Iâ??m no massive fan of the anger-manager, sure he did the business as a player but as a manager he might as well be back in Turkey. So it didnâ??t take long before my â??Crash & Burnâ? reply found its way back to the Newcastle man; admittedly looking back itâ??s a little churlish, but I thank everybody at Sports Interactive for introducing this feature the first time around. Coming in traditional Newcastle fashion, the expected reply saw Sounessâ?? desire to beat United plastered across the papers. Enough talking had been done it was time to take it on to the pitch, where Manchester United promptly humiliated their Geordie counterparts 3-1 â?“ a quick dig about being tactically outplayed afterwards met with an expected but not typical wall of silence from the hard man â?“ time to celebrate.

Christmas is Coming

A 15-match winning streak takes United to the top of the Premiership at Christmas and qualifying for the second round of the European Cup; Alan Smith has done the impossible and replaced Roy Keane in the heart of midfield and to top it all off the Glazer brothers added an extra £8 million to the already generous transfer budget. Itâ??s shaping up to be a good Christmas for United which makes a change â?“ oh and to top it all off Chelsea are languishing in 5th, if only the same could be said in the real worldâ?¦

The third and final last stretch to the season will follow tomorrow; Premiership Glory, European Champions or sitting outside the Job Centre, weâ??ll have to seeâ?¦