Championship Manager, the most established game in management, has made a stunning
return to form with Championship Manager 2010, a sequel that will wow both hardcore
and casual bosses.
Championship Manager 2010 balances slavish realism and improved accessibility to
create the most immersive instalment yet. The game’s stalwart squad of features
– including a vast world of real-life players, leagues and competitions – is enhanced
with some sensational new signings.
THE NEW FEATURES OF CHAMPIONSHIP MANAGER 2010
An extra dimension: The 3D match engine
CM’s instant show-stopper is the move to fully 3D matches which means you can now
watch your players in action from a TV-style viewpoint. It’s never been easier to
spot who is at fault for goals, judge the effectiveness of your tactics or spy a
potential signing.
Each player can perform 500 different moves, so this is about as close as you’ll
get to running the rule over real stars without buying a dog and camping on the
touchline of your local park pitches. What’s more, a video capture acility will
be a godsend for gloaters. Want to rub your mate’s nose in your Champions League
glory? Then send him clips of your fourth, fifth and sixth goals in the final! The
glory is no longer confined to your bedroom.
Star turn: The set-piece creator
If things aren’t going right on the pitch, CM 2010 equips you with an impressive
repertoire of tactical options too. You can create corner routines and use the returning
‘with and without ball’ tactics to instruct your players on how to perform in possession
and when they’re chasing the game.
But the star turn has to be a set-piece creator. You can use it to set up dead simple
or ultra-complex moves for your players to pull off, watching the results in the
aforementioned 3D match engine. Put in the practice and, like Stoke City, you’ll
have teams cowering every time you get a corner, throw-in or free-kick.
Scouting for buys
When tactics fail and it’s time to draft in new faces, CM 2010 comes into its own.
A superb scouting system provides bargain hunters and big spenders with an incredibly
realistic player search.
The days of sending a single scout to run the rule over an entire nation of footballing
talent are long gone. Now clubs invest millions in scouting networks, and that’s
reflected in Eidos’ superb new game. A map view explains how much knowledge of each
nation you have, and spending cash in that region will increase your chances of
spotting raw talent that could light up your league.
Just beware those exotic duds…
Practice makes perfect
Because football managers don’t always have the money to buy glory, CM’s developers
have gone all out to make training players more fun and rewarding.
Using the 3D match engine you can watch drills and practice matches. Worried about
throwing a young striker into a crunch clash where league points – and your job
– are at stake? Then watch him taking pot shots at the academy or reserves to make
sure he’s up to the challenge.
Best of all, every training exercise has an impact on players’ abilities, whether
you have your stars doing sprint training, tackling practice or attack vs. defence
mini-matches. As everyone knows, success on the pitch is a reflection of the work
put in during training.
And don’t forget to visit
championshipmanager.co.uk, where you’ll find news, views, fun and
games, including:
The Football Council
Meet Championship Manager’s crack team of advisors, the men at the heart of football
making sure CM 2010 is the most authentic football game ever. As well as their work
on the game, Dagenham and Redbridge striker Mark Nwokeji, Director of Manchester
United’s Youth Academy Brian McClair, refereeing legend Graham Poll, former West
Ham and Leeds keeper and successful coach Mervyn Day, and Alfie Alford, sports editor
of the Daily Mail, will all be writing blogs that offer genuine insight into the
world of professional football. Don’t miss out.
Game news
Keep up to speed on all the Championship Manager 2010 gossip in the run-up to launch
in April. Find out about all the latest features, competitions and more...
Football news
Get all the real-world football news from a variety of sources including the BBC
and NewsNow.
History of the game
Find out about the evolution of the world’s most famous management sim. Plus get
patches for previous games.
Join the CM community
As well as reading bogs from the Football Council, you can also write your own so
get your writer’s hat on and get typing. You’ll also find fun and games for members
including Cappo’s Quiz, our Matchday Predictor and the brilliant avatar creator.
ROME - Starring in movies and coaching beach soccer is no longer enough for Eric
Cantona, so the French Renaissance man is preparing for life as a football manager
- at Manchester United or England.
The talismanic forward, crowned "King Eric" by United fans and who captured four
league titles and two FA Cups in five years, retired in 1997 at the age of 30.
Since then his circuitous career has moved into cinema, both as an actor and director,
and back to sport as coach of the French beach soccer team.
However, the 43-year-old is in no doubt his destiny lies at the helm of one of the
world's biggest soccer teams.
"I don't know in how many years' time, but my name is already written on the Manchester
United bench," he said in an interview in Monday's La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"I'm not saying (Alex) Ferguson will go. I hope with all my heart that he has eternal
life with the Reds."
Cantona's Plan B is no less ambitious.
"The only alternative possible for me is the English national team," he said.
"I like Fabio Capello a lot, as a man and a motivator. He's tough, precise and attentive
to details.
"But I assure that sooner or later you will see me at the helm of England because
I'm part of the history of Manchester (United). I'm number one."