Just Call Me Sir Alex (FA Premier League Manager 2001 (PC))

Member Name: TallPaul73

Product:	FA Premier League Manager 2001 (PC)
Date:	15/08/01 (137 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very Addictive, Cheap at £10, A lot of depth

Disadvantages: Sometimes Crashes

The last football management I played was the original Championship Manager way back in 93. I saw this game in PC World for a tenner and thought I’d give it a go.

It’s a very good game. Obviously I can’t compare it with anything but it’s very addictive, very playable and easy to pick up and start playing. You can also play multiplayer which is a bonus.

Basically you are manger of a football team and you are responsible for players, picking the team, staff, finances and the stadium.

When you start this game you are given a choice of what club you want to manage. You get a choice of all four English division s plus the Conference, and most of the major European leagues.

After you have decided which team you want to take control of you are given a choice of 3 goals to achieve normally over a three-year period. The first is the hardest and normally involves getting promotion and having around £10million in the bank. The second is to finish mid-table with about £8million in the bank. And the last is too avoid relegation and finish with about £7million.

If you complete the task, you will be rewarded with cash and then asked to choose another goal from 3 options

If you don’t complete the goal you choose you will be sacked and will have to start again. If you spend more money than you have you will be sacked and have to start again. I was disappointed with this, as it would be better if the game continued and you had to find another job. If you think you are going to fail or you fancy a change you can apply for a job at another club. Mangers are sacked from time to time and you can then try and get their job. You can apply at clubs that still have managers but you will most likely be turned down.

The game layout is very good. You have a menu at the top of the screen with all the options on and all the time you are not playing a game you can see this menu.

The main options
are:

Team Screens
Squad – Change your team line up, formation, shirt numbers and positions
Stats – Full comprehensive ratings for every player in your squad
Individual Orders – Orders for each player to be carried out during games
Team Orders – Tactics for your team as a whole
Specific Roles – 5 players for each of the following roles, captain, penalties, corners and free kicks
Training – Set training programmes for each of your players
Youth Team – Set training for youth players

Transfer Screens
Transfer List – List of all players made available by their clubs
Scouts – Search for players using your scouts
Player/Club Search – Search by name

Calendar
Calendar – Organise future plans and arrange friendlies
League Fixtures – Self-explanatory

Tables
League tables – League tables for every country featured
Cup tables – Cup draws for every country’s cup

Analysis
Charts – Graphs detailing the clubs recent performance both on the pitch and financially
Ratings – Current top performers (players, managers and clubs)
Trophy Cupboard – List of trophies won

Admin
Overview – Breakdown of clubs current financial position
Support Staff – Where the hiring and firing of support staff is done
Stadium – View stadium and undertake building work
Development – Build addition buildings for facilities within your stadium
Maintenance – Invest in pitch covers, undersoil heating etc

Accounts
Cash flow – Easy to view breakdown of finances
Tickets – Set prices and view stadium stats
Contracts – Details on player contracts

EAMail – All your e-mails. Communication centre.

Once you are ready to play you click on the NEXT/MATCH button. This will take you to th
e match view screen which shows the 2 teams and their formations.

There are various ways in which you can watch the game.

3D Match – See the game played in full in 3D. You can change tactics during the game using different keys. You can also see an instant replay of the last few seconds play. The graphics are quite good and because you can see your players you can see if they are playing well or not.

3D Highlight – Same as above but only the highlights.

Fastview – No graphics but counts through the minutes updating player and team stats. Probably the best mode to use unless you’ve got too much time on your hands

Quick match – Instant result. No way of changing tactics or team during game.



Overall, a very challenging and addictive game. At £10, well worth a look

Summary: