In a change to our usual footy game reviewing policy, Keith Pullin comes off the bench as a late sub
For 20 years I've been playing football management games, and I can't remember ever playing one as poor as this. Firstly, the name is totally misleading. You can watch the match being played, but actually play in it? That doesn't happen. Alex Ferguson's Player Manager 2003 is about management only - if you can call it managing.
Taking over at Portsmouth, I found Paul Merson constantly struggling for morale. At no point was I informed as to why the poor guy was so unhappy. Probably it was because the crowd had turned against him. After all, he had only scored six goals in his first three matches. And he wasn't alone. By the end of a fairly successful season in which Pompey reached the play-offs, just about every player in the squad was a target for the boo boys. In fact, they were all placed on the transfer list halfway through the season by the board without me even knowing. Quite simply, whatever you do, and no matter how carefully you manage your squad, you are never in control.
