Discussion: National Team Management

It’d be a crime if I didn’t use that image – its so overused.

Now back to the content for today and I’m looking at a quite widely discussed issue (well, I’ve seen an article on it, snippets in others etc.) – features of a national team manager. There is a severe lack of things to do really if you choose to become manager of the National Team in FM 2007. Let’s hope this ‘discussion’ goes better than the last one you bloody miserable lot..

My View

We are all in agreement most probably that by FM 2008 we want to see National Team Management improved drastically as in it’s state now it is really only best to use it as a side job to your main one of managing your club of choice. In Football Manager to manage your country is viewed as your bit on the side so to speak and not a full time job as it is in real life. Most national team managers in the game nowadays will manage a club team as well – I believe the lack of people who solely manage a country for a while is due to the fact they get bored. There are currently few features as a national team manager to make those months of wait for a game seem worthwhile and little help on the scene in the form of guides lets say for an aspiring Mike Basset. So, what do SI and the scene do? Well, here are a few features in my view that could make international management all that bit better:

More Media Input /
Where’s the sense of excitement that surrounds a coming World Cup in this game? Where’s the rumours and major public interest of the new management of a national team that happens in most countries. Now by more media input I don’t mean “let’s turn FM into Footballers Wives” – however much fun that would be – I mean the real big main features of club managing that lack when you take the helm of a country. Manager Interaction for one – do national managers not have the right to criticise others? I think they do. This feature is desperately needed in the game to create a mind game effect and would give the opportunity for the management of a country to become more equal to team management.
Then theirs player interaction. The only time you really get to interact with your players in national team mode is when you occasionally (and I mean that) get rejected for a call up or don’t pick a star player – and they moan. With FM 2007 building a more complex interaction with everyone for managers at club level surely they should include this for when you manage a country also by the next instalment of the game. There are more aspects that could do with much higher media coverage but I won’t go on, you can suggest.

More Staff Involvement /
This applies generally to Football Manager as a game but in NTM (it’s plain what that stands for) staff involvement is, well, near enough nothing. Hiring staff is generally pointless and you could easily get on without them. The only major decisions on this front are the choice of who to manage your youngster team, and you take no part in controlling coaching sessions. They are basically there in name and nothing more – and scouts (see point below) should defiantly be including in the list for members of staff. All in all this a poor feature with general room for improvement.

Better Scouting Network and Training Options /
Do real managers of national teams in the world not scout for the next superstar? Do they rely on a list (‘national team pool’) and the rare media snippet saying this player has great form to choose there players. Well, I’m sure the more incompetent ones do (I’m looking at you Sven) but really you have to realise that national teams have scouts too and they use them to uncovering talent and observe players for possible picking for there next squad. It gives you something to do to fill up those lonely months without much more action that come with managing a national team. I currently manage England and Man Utd (I know – all that glory. I win though, so bah to you!) And really I don’t have the time or the facilities to search for new stars, so I end up using the same old boring squad. But being a focused national team manager and with a good scouting network you could do that, and get great results by having a England squad full of budding talent, waiting to be testing on the international stage and ready to kick out those old timers.
As for training, well, the dust has settled on that part of my FM – I never enter. But for the few weeks NTM get the players a year they could use there own rigorous training system on them to help them prepare for upcoming games/cups. It’s all to add to the realism of it.

Your Views

And I actually want to hear from you this time. Do you agree, or disagree with the features I think should be added into the game to fulfil the National Team experience? Are the any more you’d like to add? Do you actually think its fine as it is? Please do voice your opinion; it’s a discussion and all. If you don’t want to comment email me (although it’s quite a strange thing that you don’t). Have fun…

For further reading, this article is a much longer and in detail look at practically the same issue…