Football Manager 2006 - "A Brand New Season: Day 3" Feature

Day 3 of the Football Manager diaries brings a crashing collapse to those hopes of Premiership glory, European champions and becoming an Old Trafford legend. United's poor-patch finally appears as the team crashes out of Europe quicker then I'm shown the door.

One Minute Youâ??re Up, The Next Youâ??re Down!

Now either something was going very wrong in Football Manager or I was seriously showing the great Sir Fergie a thing or two; a 15-game unbeaten run, Manager of the Month (2 months on the trot), Smith emphatically establishing his place as Keanoâ??s replacement and £30 million sitting in the bank â?“ what more could anybody ask for?

Football is however a funny game; a fitting proverb for whenever something goes wrong in the game - such as a 4-week New Yearâ??s hangover. Draws to Bolton, Man City, Sunderland and Blackburn before being dumped out of the FA Cup at Reading, left United spiralling down the league and opinions of my performance quickly changing amongst board and fans alike (I like to think of it as bringing them closer together).

With a European Cup second-round fixture against Barcelona looming, a home game against Tottenham provided a good opportunity to rest a number of tiring stars. The match turned out to be a nasty one, 5 bookings within the first 30 minutes set the way for the rest of the game. In desperate need of a morale boosting win the Quick Tactic commands ushered United to push forward, whilst Spurs were content to waste time whenever the ball came their way. Time on this desperately needed victory ended without a goal, whilst Paul Scholes picked up a nasty knock to boot.

Football Manager 2006 keeps the player more informed and involved with injuries, such as the ability to administer painkillers to make it through the next match at the risk of a longer layoff. What it doesnâ??t tell you is the reaction a mature player will take to the jabs, which is exactly what happened when I told the physio to treat the ageing midfield dynamo. Insulted at the thought that I would risk the last few years of his career, Scholes immediately slapped in a transfer request days before my season salvation against Barcelona.

The announcement sent shockwaves amongst the team and had the Old Trafford faithful baying for blood - itâ??s only been a month since these guys were painting me as the Messiah! Football Manager easily manages to replicate the ups and downs of football, creating a rare videogame experience that rarely suffers from repetition.

�BARCELONA!!!�

A hard-fought 0-0 draw away in the Nou Camp set things up nicely for the return leg, despite the continued frenzy surrounding my short-term future amongst the sporting media. Increased interaction with the media, players and board helps to enhance the personal feeling of Football Manager, creating a strangely hypnotic, hugely believable gameworld that surpasses the latest 3D visuals for football fans. Believe me Football Manager 2006 builds upon its predecessors, resulting in one of the most addictive experiences youâ??ll ever have with your PC â?“ even when youâ??re staring down the face of adversity and the Glazer brothers!

With Scholes sulking in the reserves the rest of the team banded together and pulled off a string of hard fought victories, ensuring Arsenal didnâ??t speed off to far into the horizon â?“ Chelsea still 5th!

The return game with Barcelona got off to a great start in the 12th minute with a Rooney screamer. Half-time came along with the customary â??We Can Win Thisâ? mantra running through the changing rooms. Disaster soon struck however in the 63rd minute, when an injury to the rapidly developing Park Ji-Sung left only Paul Scholes as a viable replacement in the spot behind Van Nistlerooy and Rooney. Even though we were having our differences, there isnâ??t a more professional member of the squad â?“ or so I thought.

Van Nistlerooy being scythed down in the penalty box after a telling pass from Ronaldo had me waking the neighbours in the early hours; surely this was it, my redemption, a chance to get the boo-boys off my back.

Football however has a wicked side. Iâ??ll admit a moment of complacency left my traditional pre-match tactics regime to one side ahead of this game; Scholes was the default penalty taker and I never got around to changing it. Hesitantly stepping up to take it after one cautionary look to the bench (itâ??s amazing just how much you get out of those little blobs), Valdes clutched hold of the weak attempt, launched it up field only for â??goofyâ? to weave around Ferdinand and launch the ball past Van Der Saar.

The truth is probably far less sinister; Scholes had scoured a handful from the spot this season and was due a miss. Despite a frantic final twelve minutes the refâ??s final whistle came all too soon, leaving United to crumble out of Europe on away goals â?“ a cruel, cruel fateâ?¦

This Is The End

Still red with anger, Scholes was soon sent packing on the road to Middlesbrough; a decision that really helped to redeem myself before 60000 fans baying for blood â?“ at least the Glazers arenâ??t the most hated men at the ground.

To cut a rapidly decreasing story short, after a brief period of watching its prey wriggle and writhe, the Board launched in for the final kill, leaving my one period at Old Trafford neatly behind Dave Sexton and Wilf McGuinness.

Football truly is a beautiful game and Sports Interactive always manages to capture this. It truly is an enigma, rebuffing the trend for increasingly sophisticated visuals and presentation, creating a thoroughly believable, encompassing experience that any football fan should have.

TVG will have a review of Football Manager 2006 very soon provided we manage to prevent Chrisâ?? attempts to take Bristol Rovers to the Premiershipâ?¦