Football Manager returns before Christmas packed full of new
features for fans of the much-acclaimed series from Sports
Interactive to feast their eyes on. Football Manager 2008 is out
on PC / Mac this autumn, and offers football fans the chance to
take on the greatest job on earth; manager of there favourite
football club!

Bigger, smoother and more in-depth than ever, Football Manager
2008 is packed full of so much newness it could well take a
lifetime to discover every new feature. So we asked Miles
Jacobson, Studio Director at SI Games, to take us through some of
the changes you'll want to hear about most...


Transfer Center

A new way of managing all current transfer and loan bids for your
club, both incoming and outgoing, making it easier to compare bids
and reject or accept them.


Finance Revamp

Sports Interactive have updated the finance area of Football
Manager 2008 to better reflect the ever-changing modern football
world. More information is available to the manager too,
including, but not limited to, corporate matchday income, season
ticket news, investment funds, improved sponsorships, collective
win bonuses and the ability to move around funds from the wage
budget and transfer budget (and vice versa) at any point to help
you in your quest for the ideal squad.


International Management

The international management gameplay has been completely revamped
for Football Manager 2008, including, but not limited to, media
improvements, international retirements, player interaction,
international scouting, improved national pool selection, captain
selection and a separation of international and club morale for
players.


Match Flow

The largest change to matchdays in a Sports Interactive game since
the introduction of the 2D match engine. Match flow brings more
atmosphere to matchdays with match previews, team talks,
opposition player instructions, the match itself, half time and
post match now seamlessly following on from one another. There's
no more pausing to make tactical changes and you'll find a
mini-radar pitch whilst making those tactical changes to keep you
in touch with what's going on in the match.


Confidence

You can now easily tell what your board and supporters think about
your performance in the game through the new confidence section.
This gives you feedback not just on your current progress in
competitions, but also your financial management and signings.


Easier to Use

A much cleaner skin, a brand new advisor system to help you
through various areas of the game, a new notes and notebook
system, better button positioning for simpler navigation and an
updated tutorial and manual. Also, coach reports to make taking
over a new team easier and a new calendar system which lists all
important dates throughout the season help to make Football
Manager 2008 the easiest Sports Interactive game to use yet.


Fan Days

The board can now arrange fan days to boost ailing attendances, or
for matches that are likely to attract a low crowd, with a
long-term affect to attendances if all goes well.


Awards Overhaul

A full overhaul of the awards system inside the game, which is not
only more accurate but also includes new awards, such as the
European golden boot and a 'best eleven', which shows the all-time
(in-game) best XI for all teams and nations.


Match Engine Improvements

A greatly improved match engine, once again utilizing the
footballing brain of Ray Houghton and other tools used by
real-life managers, to make the most accurate simulation of
football in a computer game even more like-life than ever before.
Oh, and the ability to change the pitch dimensions at the start of
the season to suit your style of play better.


Expanded Media

More media and feedback than ever before, plus more detail in
existing media, and a new competition news section to find out
what major things are going on in all league competitions.


Regenerated Player Photos

All in-game regenerated players now have pictures using FaceGen
technology to give each player more personality. This gives the
ability for players to be seen to mature and grow-up looks-wise in
front of your eyes as the game is going on.


Speedyfastier

Saving and loading is now significantly faster, with network
gaming quicker and smoother to play, as well as tactical changes
and match reports being faster than ever before.