By Simon Wright – Follow
me on Twitter @Siwri88
On Thursday,
the world’s leading football management simulation makes its annual return as
Football Manager 2014 (game cover pictured) hits the shelves once again.
The creators
at Sports Interactive have come up with another game that seems like it will be
a huge success for Windows and Apple users.
Those who
decided to pre-order the game early have been able to try out a Beta edition of
the new title a fortnight before the full edition is dispatched to addresses
throughout the land.
So if you
reckon you know how to criticise a team on Twitter, feel a player is not
getting the chances he deserves in real-life or believe the tactics in training
are all over the place, then here is your closest chance to ever taking over as
manager of a football club.
Who knows
what players will decide to do when grabbing their hands on SI’s latest creation?
Do you start with an oil-rich team such as PSG, Manchester City or AS Monaco? Perhaps
attempt to revive the fortunes of an ailing club like Wolves, Birmingham City
or Bolton Wanderers? Or even start from the bottom and work your way to the
top.
There is of
course the chance of international management too and in a World Cup year, it
will be tempting to take a country to Brazil and conquer in the biggest
football tournament in the world.
So here are
some of the new features to keep an eye out for. There are hundreds, so this is
my prime selection:
Presidential Elections – For the first time, Football
Manager will introduce presidential elections for clubs who have an
election-based system. This is more likely if you managed a club from either
Spain or Portugal.
Financial Fair Play – Board Interaction takes on a new
dimension with the arrival of meeting UEFA’s tough but necessary requirement of
Financial Fair Play. If you don’t do this, expulsion from Europe will seriously
harm your dealings in the transfer market.
Staff Budget – Previous hiring of staff members
would take a hit on a transfer budget. Not anymore as with FM2014, there will
be a separate wage budget for the squad and coaching staff. This is a nice
element for clubs in the lower divisions around the world.
Supporter Owned Clubs – Supporter owned clubs will no
longer be sold to businessman in the Football Manager series in a radical
improvement. Portsmouth fans can breathe a sigh of relief.
Fixture rearrangements – FM2014 will feature the ability for
you to request a fixture postponement or rearrangement of a game should a
number of your players are unavailable. This is a much-needed accessory to
avoid backlogs at the end of a season.
Captain reprimands – Your skipper can now receive a
dressing down for bad behaviour and gently remind them they are a role model
and shouldn’t misbehave. I’m talking to you, John Terry!
Editor – A real-time editor will be released
with the game and this will allow you to edit various aspect of a saved game,
not just new games. This feature has been missing since a more passive system
in the 2010 version.
Sacking Agents – If you feel that agents are
becoming too big for their boots, then ask your employed player to sack his
advisors. Manager power is absolutely crucial to stay in control of a club.
Testimonials – Football Manager 2014 will feature
this for the first time. It means you can place special games into the calendar
should a player announce a retirement or if they’ve been a loyal servant to
your club.
Work Permits – Work permits have been a
frustrating element of many previous editions but not so in FM2014. A new
system allows the user to apply for work permits for your own players without
having to offer them a new deal.
They are just
some of the new features to look out for in a title that could well prove out
to be Sports Interactive’s best edition to date.
Football
Manager 2014 is officially launched on Thursday, but click here to pre-order
the game now for access to the Beta version.
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