Football Manager Stole My Life

by Iain Macintosh, Kenny Millar, Neil White

A celebration of the cult behind the Football Manager (FM) series of computer games, which have been taking over the lives of football fans for 20 years. Meet the greatest players you never saw. Discover how one game can cause 35 divorces, one honeymoon and a police raid. Go the next level with our guide to Extreme FM

Iain Macintosh writes about football for numerous publications in Asia, USA and the UK and is one of the Football 50, the top football writers on Twitter according to TEAMtalk. Kenny Millar is a sportswriter for The Sunday Post. Neil White is a former sportswriter for The Sunday Times. All three are Football Manager addicts.

Genres: Football, Nonfiction, Sports, Video Games, Humor, Soccer, Memoir

260 pages, Kindle Edition

First published August 8, 2012

Reviews

[JD · Rating 3 out of 5]

Football Manager (97/98) stole a few years of my life, but luckily/unluckily I managed to kick the habit. It was one of the funnest games ever and one could lose oneself in it for days down this rabbit hole!! The game got me into football/soccer and it is a sport I have enjoyed to follow ever since.

The book is a look at where the crearors of the game came from, how their idea evolved and how it has impacted countless lives. The best part of the book is a look at the players that were superstars in the game, but how their real life careers never took of and how it unfolded.

I would recommend this book to people who have played the game, and although it is not the most enthralling read, it was nostalgic foe me and I had a nice trip down memory lane. #nufc

[Toby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Football Manager Stole My Life is a look back at the twenty year history of football management simulation game, through development on an Amstrad CPC464 to the world beating behemoth that it is today, filled with the kind of anecdotes that a non-player would classify as lunacy but for the rest of us merely remind us fondly of our own behaviour whilst in a particularly engrossing saved game. But beyond discussions of favourite versions, legendary players and real life footballers who became hooked on the game there's also some serious discussion about the impact of the game on the real life sport it simulates, some intelligent comment from intelligent football people, and an example of what can only be described as "fan fiction" centred on the game players experiences. It's an eye opening look in to a strange world, and a comic endeavour meant to pay homage to something a lot of people spend almost all of their free time thinking about. Much like the computer game it discusses the book is set out in such a way that as somebody interacting with it you find yourself saying "just one more chapter (game)" repeatedly before finally putting it down only through duress. The major drawback for me is that I came to it after seeing the recent documentary, An Alternative Reality, which seems to have taken all of the really interesting and strong aspects of the book as the basis for its content, which detracted from some of the novelty of hearing about divorces that cite the game, honeymoons taken to locations chosen because the game player is currently managing a team in that town and applying for real jobs based on your experience managing that team in Football Manager.

[Gavin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was an enjoyable read from probably my favourite series of games ever. The reason I love the games is for their immersion and depth and level of detail that has not only gone into the games but the level of detail you put in to playing it get the best out of the experience. Unfortunately these aren't traits that the book shares with the game. Don't get me wrong, there is genuine love for the series and an affection throughout the book but the game thrives on stories that can't help but have 'you had to be there' to them.

A new file in FM is an undertaking and something you devote more time than you'd like to admit. The book on the other hand is light, easy and an incredibly quick read. You get an injection of nostalgia that isn't gleaned from reading other stories but from remembering your own. The book is never not enjoyable but it would perhaps be more suited to a magazine special over a couple of months. Ultimately it never recreates the 'just one more game, I promise' feel of FM to that of a really fun book, where you never feel 'just one more page, I promise.' Recommended for fans but this scout report signs off telling perspective buyers to not expect a potential world class purchase with this.

[FusionEight · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit of personal fun here.

[Nick Davies · Rating 3 out of 5]

A slim book at just over two hundred pages, and not a lot of content once you take into account the number of half-blank spreads, photographs and in-chapter quotes taking up a whole page. As a consequence of this, and of the final thirty or so pages being an unfunny bit of fan fiction, I was pretty underwhelmed by this. I understand that a long and dense book on the same subject probably just wouldn't have worked, and I did get an hour or two enjoyment from it.. but it does feel like a amateurish and cobbled-together book, an opportunist stocking-filler containing little more than you could find spending a short time online looking at Football Manager forums.

Maybe it is because I am a relatively low-grade obsessive player of FM, keen on it for a few weeks every few years, but more likely this is a modest effort.

[Brucevsky z Gralingradu · Rating 2 out of 5]

Football Manager to coś więcej niż gra. To źródło niezwykłych historii, które każdy może pisać samodzielnie, zostając trenerem piłkarskim w zaciszu własnego domu. Jako autor kilku takich fikcyjnych karier spisanych w ciągu paru lat przygody z FM-em, czekałem na tę książkę i szykowałem się na podróż, w którą mnie zabierze. Niestety oczekiwania były najwyraźniej zbyt wysokie.

"Football Manager to moje życie" jest zbiorem różnych materiałów poświęconych FM-owi – od krótkiego i chaotycznego wywiadu z twórcami, przez wspominki graczy dotyczące ich kontaktów z grą, po karierę w niemieckim Heidenheim opisaną przezjednego z autorów. Nie byłoby to może samo w sobie złe, gdyby nie kulejąca forma i pobieżność – w żadnym rozdziale książka nie wchodzi wystarczająco głęboko w dany wątek, by zachwycić. A szkoda, bo już sama część o piłkarzach-legendach z dawnych FM-ów, z którymi zdołali się skontaktować autorzy, miała ogromny potencjał. W tym wszystkim na plus działają fragmenty dodane w polskim wydaniu, jak felieton Leszka Milewskiego czy wywiad o tworzeniu polskiej bazy. Są jednak zbyt krótkie i stanowią tylko ułamek całej pozycji, by można było nimi uratować ogólne wrażenie. To książka dla fanów FM-a do przeczytania w leniwe popołudnie, która przypomina trochę klub o dużych aspiracjach, co to w sezonie później nigdy do nich się nawet nie zbliża. Niestety.

[Matthew Andrus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Any one who has ever owned a computer an likes or loves football will have at some point played championship manager or football manager at some point and its fair to say this game would of or still dictates your life.

The book is a mixture of stories and accounts from everyone who has been affected by this award winning addictive football management game.

The book also has career accounts from some of the players that this games massive data base of players knowledge has highlighted as WONDERKIDS on the game, some players have indeed gone on to become world beaters others have struggled with the wonderkid tag.

Overall this is an interesting read but then again I am probably biased as I love the game anyway much to my girlfriends annoyance, although in my defence I have been playing the game longer than I have been with her!

[James · Rating 1 out of 5]

Very disappointed in this. It is a collection of snippets that could have run as 1 pagers in a weekly football magazine that have been stuck together in a 'book' format.

I read an exerpt from the interview with a psychologist that was really interesting and thought it would be a sort-of-novel, maybe from a few peoples perspectives showing how it really had stole their lives.
Unfortunately, that was the best part of the book and the majority of it was based upon 'in the 1999 version of the game, this player turned out to be a superstar, and in reality he could only make the Norwegian second division'. Very dull.

One to avoid.

[Trevor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had been looking forward to reading this since I became aware of it and got it for Xmas.

I liked the story of how CM/FM came about, and some of the superstar players that never made it in real life like Cherno Samba.

Was pleased to hear someone else also had a regen striker called Anatoli Todorov. I had him as well and he was awesome for me!

Having said that there is some rubbish in this book. The last 20 pages are utter rubbish and can quite happily be skipped.

Overall, it's a decent book for someone who knows just how addictive CM/FM is.

It has to be said though, I've never worn a suit whilst playing in a FA Cup or Champions League final!

[Mahlon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book for FM addicts like me, it could also could be helpful in explaining your addiction to WAGS or friends. It certainly made me feel better about my own addiction. While there have been times I've played up to 5 matches a day for weeks on end, right now I only have enough time to play every two weeks.

The best parts of the book were the interviews with the Sports Interactive team, and the interviews with actual players about their legendary in-game prowess. However, the fan fiction at the beginning and end just felt like unnecessary padding.

[Nick · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a good book for those obsessives who have lost days, weeks or longer sat in a room playing football manager. This looks at the scouting systems, how possibly the next future Messi will be found on the database. Also others who did not lead up to their football manager billing. Very good read apart from the end pages which is a fictional story written from a managers perspective in Germany. I thought this was poorly written and more space could have been given to fans perspective of the game.

[Allen Ward · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you ever grew up playing Championship Manager/Football Manager you will relate entirely to the book. Completely accurate.

[Eddie McLarnon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love the game, loved the book

[Adam Dawson · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 / 5 for 'Football Manager Stole My Life' by Iain Macintosh

Before my review, I should mention that I have been a proud and confirmed FM addict, since I first played Champ Manager 2004, which was a gift from my late brother-in-law and best friend, John. At the time I was far more interested in Fifa and Pro Evo on the PS2, and I thought a football management sim would be boring. However, John convinced me to try a season in charge of my beloved Liverpool FC (I'm a lifelong red and a proud plastic scouser). That was it - I was hooked. I have played FM (CM became FM a couple of years later when Sega bought the developers Sports Interactive) pretty much religiously ever since, refreshing my current copy with the latest release every 4 years or so. I'm currently still playing FM17 and have 4 save games on the go; Liverpool FC, Runcorn Linnets FC, Stockport County FC and Newcastle Utd FC. I love this game unconditionally.

I was really looking forward to this book - being such an addicted fan and long time player of the PC game, I'm often surprised that there isn't a wider range of books available based on its success and history, so when an FM book comes along, I want to read it.

This one was a mixed bag - for eery section that was engrossing and hilarious, there was another section that was boring and skippable. the great parts are great, but the poop bits are poop. I'd say 3 / 5ths of the book is great, whilst 2 / 5ths of the book is poop, hence the 3/5 score.

There are some small black and white photos (no colour), but nowhere near as many as I expected. there are whole pages wasted with a tiny Twitter quote, that is rarely in reference to the subject matter of the chapter the quote page is in. The fiction attempt at the end is pants, but the back story about the game's history and development is truly engrossing. The fan stories and game-legend interviews where all brilliant too.

Overall, as a fan, this was an enjoyable read, although there were many skippable pages. I would recommend it to other FM fans.

3 / 5

[Tom Rodwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Could have been so much more

Enjoyed the Extreme FM part - though given it clearly applies to the vast majority (or at least a great deal of) those reading this book, so much more could have been done with it.

Must admit I skipped Iain Macintosh’s fan fiction at the end - which is perhaps testament to the book. Enjoyable as there’s very little FM content in this format - so probably only by default.

[Whataname · Rating 1 out of 5]

I feel bad writing this but the book was extremely disappointing. I'm a big FM nerd myself but while some of the short stories were really enjoyable the overall book was disappointing. Most of the stories were boring, like most players who were asked about their digital version said the same stuff.
Some of the FM stories on the SI Forum are better than this, sorry.

[Jason McCracken · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still hate Jurgen Klinsman for stabbing me in the back and taking my job 20 years ago whilst he was my assistant at Man City AFTER I WON PROMOTION 2 YEARS IN A ROW but I'm not really sure most people would care enough to read a book full of similar stories but that's what about 80% of this book is.

ps. Fuck Jurgen Klinsman!!!

[Noel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The section where they track down the legends of the game is brilliant. Also, the section of how far some fans go. The false number 999 story was a particular highlight. However, psychologist & Heienheim sections were tedious to get through.

[Niall Deacon · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who has played this series since ChampMan93 I really enjoyed this book. It's not a stirring literary tale but it's a series of short articles that are good to fill a spare 5-10mins. Especially liked the "where are they now?" bits on the wonderkids.

[Rob Brown · Rating 2 out of 5]

The story at the end of the book was the best bit. Quite funny and I know it was a charity book but it just got a bit boring (even for a nostalgist) and it was repetitive and poorly edited. At one point there was literally a blank space where there was presumably meant to be a picture or article.

[Sebastian · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not a piece of art. But for those that were spending hours/days on this game it's a travel in time - wonderkids (and interviews with their real-life alter egos), many interesting stories. Those were the times :)

[Robin Peake · Rating 2 out of 5]

Nostalgic

[Mauro · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really good read for everyone that ever got lost in the game.

[Ryan O'sullivan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book was interesting, Iain Macintosh is a favourite... I Just didn't care enough about Football Manager it turns out to learn this much.

Recommend if you're a fan of the series.

[Marijan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exactly what you would expect from this book. Perhaps a bit outdated in 2019 but still a fun read for the fans of the game.

[Brooks · Rating 2 out of 5]

I can’t believe I read this book.

[Jonny Brick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cherno Samba!! Tonton Zola Moukoko!!! Paul Collyer!!! If these names mean anything to you, this book is essential.

[Kavinay · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of the gamer essays are hit or miss, but the player histories and follow ups are the highlight of the book.

[Rachel Gilbey · Rating 4 out of 5]

For me, Football Manager Stole My Life was filled with nostalgia of the versions of the game I have spent many hours playing while in the throws of addiction, remembering previous top signings that the scouts had predicted as wonder kids, and generally reliving parts of my youth and twenties.

It is a mix of a book, with some interviews from the games creators The Collyer Brothers, which take us from the beginning up until around Sports Interactive get involved. We hear from players who had been given great potential as youth players, and see how their careers turned out, and how recognised they still are thanks to what is essentially a computer game. There is a fascinating section about the charities aided by sales of Football Manager - War Child and Kick It Out. There are anecdotes of how Football manager has affected many people, and there is even some fan fiction.

It is a well put together book, that is entertaining, and can easily be read in short spurts, as the chapters and sections are all relatively short. There is even the original pitch document that was used to pitch the first iteration of the game to games publishers in which you can see a lot of the base concepts are still present in the game itself.

I loved reading this book, due to my long running love affair with the subject matter, I was grinning when I saw a brief mention of a forum challenge that I've participated in myself. However if you are not a fan of Football Manager (previously Championship Manager in its early days), or have no interest in footballers, then this probably isn't the book for you, as it really does feel like a pure love fest and a proper celebration of at the time it was published, 20 years of this fantastic series.

[Dave T · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is what it is (and what it is, is bloody awful).

First, a confession: I used to be a real 'Champ Man' addict and up to 2002 I played the game religiously, so the idea of a book dedicated to the series (which later become 'Football Manager' in a dispute that wasn't referred to once) delighted me immensely.

The book read like classic propaganda in favour of a cause and went so far in praising the game and overplaying the importance of it in the sport of football it's almost comical. This wasn't shown as a light hearted thing but portrayed as a life changing event that was wholly good... even when your wife takes your children and emigrates with then while your putting a computer game first on your list of properties. But, hey, that's funny, right?!

I'm a life-long football fan, I know most of the obscure payers mentioned, It's not a long book and it cost me £1.09 on a (kindle) sale. In this basis it was cruising to a two star rating, but, that's until I read the last chapter. Okay, the last chapter was (I think) meant to be a tongue-in-cheek and was written as an adaptation of a real Football Manager season, but it was one of the least funny, least interesting, least entertaining things I. Have. Ever. Read.

I've tried to illustrate some positives but I've failed, I've tried not to swear... and I deserve high praise for succeeding. Utter drivel.

DT 22/08/2013