Bumper FM Community Digest

Blooming heck its been a while hasn’t it? I’ve got a whole host of updates for you from the past week, a number of new sites and even one site which I forgot to mention just before I left, which isn’t really getting the attention it deserves.

Although this is going to be a very, very, very, very long digest, the snippets concerning each article are going to be very small, simply due to the fact that there’s so many of them and I want to go to bed sometime before Monday. A quick skim through the list before me says I have 40 items to bring to your attention, if I have missed anything out, I’m sure you can understand why, feel free to leave a descriptive comment so others can check it out and I can include it next time. (this was started early yesterday, so anything written in the past 24 hours won't be included)

Surely the most important news, which I’m sure you’re all aware of, has to be the announcement of Football Manager 2008 by SEGA and SI Games. You can find the press statement, the screenshots and an FM 2008 FAQ, on this very site.

First up from the community; Footygamer have a new article up from community veteran Tom. It’s my duty to bring to you the unfortunate news that he is retiring from his post as owner and administrator of Footygamer and leaving the site in the capable hands of some well endowed sexy and all round great guy called Rob and some other guy called Smiggs who nobody really cares about.

The article is a long and nostalgic look at his time on the scene, which (if I remember correctly having read it a while ago) stretches to five years.

Read Tom's nostalgic resignation article at Footygamer

CM Frenzy have a new guide up which explains more about player and team instructions in Football Manager 2007.

Find out more about Player and Team Instructions in FM2007

CM Frenzy also have a new guide up explaining the ins and outs of using the offside trap in FM 2007.

Find out more about using the offside trap in FM2007

Also from CM Frenzy you can find a look at some of the best Mexican players in FM 2007.

Discover some of the best Mexican players in FM2007

Again from CM Frenzy, you can find a very interesting look at Federations in FM Live. Not sure what Federations are? Neither was I until I read this helpful little article, so check it out now if you’re interested in FM Live.

Find out more about Federations in FM Live

Yet again from CM Frenzy you can find a very interesting series of interviews (I think) with various managers from a particular federation in FM Live.

Check out the FM Live story

CM Frenzy also have the third part in a series of articles which look at Football Management games over the last 25 years, this time looking at the oh so important years of 1990-1991.

Discover more about the 25 years of Football Management games at CM Frenzy

FM Britain have a very interesting and insightful look at why people get bored of Football Manager, something which seems to crop up a lot if you frequently visit the various forums around the FM Community.

The author takes the time to interview a number of people about why they get bored of the game and then uses his research to look into the idea that perhaps the reason we all get bored of FM, is because the community ruins it, something which I’ve often thought, since my early days of running The Gazette.

Check it out

FM G Live have a new team guide up looking at Ukranian side Shakthar in Football Manager 2007.

Find out more about Shakthar in FM2007

FM G Live have also brought back there Goal Of The Week competition for FM2007, if you’ve scored a blinder I’d recommend you check it out.

Find out more about FMG Live's goal of the week competition

FM Player have a very good little thing going on, where by the members can recommend questions to be sent off to Miles Jacobson, however it doesn’t seem to be getting much interest at the moment, which is a shame. Have you got something to ask Miles? If so, head on over to FM Player.

Ask Miles Jacobson's some questions

FM Player also have a league guide looking at the American MLS in FM 2007.

Find out more about the MLS in FM2007

Goal Kick have there first of (hopefully) many “goal kick panels” in which members of the board are asked a series of questions and each give there answers, resulting in a wide range of views being put across on a wide range of issues, all in all, very entertaining.

Although I’m disappointed to here Q’s comment that none of the better sites around the community are run by people under the age of 20. And to think, I always thought he was a fan of the portal, maybe he will be in a few years when I’ve grown up a bit and have a few more hairs on my chest.

Find out what the Goal Kick panel have to say about the community, GK and FM

Also from Goal Kick you can find a review of the FM Community during July.

Read Goal Kick's review of the community for July 2007

Gamespot have a brand spanking new interview with SI Games director Miles Jacobson concerning Football Manager 2008.

Read Gamespot's interview with Miles Jacobson

Throw In have started up a new online competition in which forum members compete with each over using FM07’s network game capabilities, if this sounds like something you’d be interested in, make sure to check it out.

Find out more about Throw In's FM2007 Online Competition

FM2008 News is a fairly messy new site which has sprung up, following the announcement of FM2008.

The site claims to have all the insider gossip concerning FM2008, although I can’t see too much there of interest at the moment, other than the rather interesting video tutorial for FM Live.

Visit FM2008 news for all the latest FM2008 News

One FM have an interesting article discussing the way in which FM2007 is played and the challenges which come with the game.

Check it out

One FM have one of the first actual reviews of the new features of FM2008 around, rather than just a bland copy and paste job everyone else seems to be doing.

Check out One FM's review of the FM2008 Feature List

One FM also have another update in the authors series of articles looking at playing FM Under The Influence (of alcohol).

Find out more about playing FM2007 Under the Influence

One FM also have a little look at the authors personal gut wrenching decision to leave the club he started with, Hayes, and move up a few leagues to take a job at Tranmere Rovers.

Find out more about changing jobs in FM2007

Very finally from One FM, you can find a little look at the authors attempts to take on Challenge FM’s (a new site I’ll discuss in a minute) latest challenge entitled “Freefall Fiorentina”.

Check out One FM's attempt at Challenge FM's Fiorentina Challenge

As you can probably guess from the name, Challenge FM is a site dedicated to Football Manager Challenges. At least I thought it was, but it appears as though, they’re also doing a lot of other things. Including general articles and guides.

Check out Challenge FM

First up from Challenge FM, you could download the author’s very own tactic, based around a solid 4-4-2 formation, this is the third and probably best incarnation of the tactic thus far.

Check out City Slayer's

You can also find a mini rant courtesy of Ash from Throw In, although one does wonder why the owner of Throw In is busy writing for another site when his own site lies dormant.

Check out Ash's FM2007 Rant

Challenge FM’s first challenge came in the form of attempting to save Birmingham City from relegation with just 5 games to go.

Check out Challenge FM's Birmingham City Challenge

That challenge has however since finished and a round up of it can be found here.

Find out how the first challenge went

Challenge FM also appears to be delving into the world of the FM Community with a look at the communities greatest ever contributor and true legend Caleyjag.

Find out why the author thinks so highly of Caleyjag

The second challenge from Challenge FM, which I referenced earlier, is also up and gives you the oppurtinity to download a save game and try and save struggling Fiorentina.

Check out and download Challenge FM's Fiorentina challenge

Finally, Challenge FM have also stepped into the world of graphics with a guide looking at how to make a facepack in FM2007.

Find out how to make an FM 2007 facepack

Another site I’ve come across since my return from holiday is the Football Manager Social Board. I’ve never heard of it before and I’m sure a lot of others haven’t either, but it appears to be very active, despite having some recent problems in which everything was lost and they had to start from scratch (hence the unglamorous layout).

Check out the Football Manager Social Board a forum full of FM 2007 Fans

New sites galore, with our third in a row. FM Offside has made a return with a very simple wordpress blog, packed full of content, focusing primarily on guides as well as various bits of graphics news.

Check out FM Offside

FM Offside are currently running a monthly FM2007 challenge, which gives you the opportunity to save Racing from relegation from the Spanish First Division with just half a season left.

Check out FM Offside Racing challenge

FM Offside are also running a Goal Of The Week competition which you can check out if you’re one for scoring blinders.

Check out FM Offside's goal of the week competition

Also from FM Offside you can find a short story dedicated to one managers attempts to take Werder Bremen to success in FM 2007.

Check out FM Offside's Werder Bremen Story

That story may well have taken tips from this little guide, which explains in a step by step guide exactly how to go about writing a Football Manager Story.

Find out how to go about writing a Football Manager 2007 Story

Staying on the subject of primary school education, FM Offside have a little guide with a few bullet points explaining how to go about writing a player guide for FM 2007.

Find out how to write an FM 2007 player guide

Again it looks as if these guides are being taken on board by the members of the site, with that guide being shortly followed by this player guide looking at Alexandre Pato.

Find out more about Alexandre Pato in FM 2007

That Football Manager Site has a whole host of content. Starting with the second part in the author’s Liverpool story “you’ll always walk with someone”.

Check out part two in the Liverpool Story

TFMS seems like the place to go for the FM 2008 lowdown, with a series of articles all analysing the various screenshots released by Sports Interactive.

Part One of the the FM2008 Screenshot Analysis

Part One of the the FM2008 Screenshot Analysis

Part One of the the FM2008 Screenshot Analysis

Keeping on the subject of FM 2008, TFMS have taken all the news from SI Games relating to the new game and put it all together in a simple set of bullet points, which get straight to the facts, fantastic.

Find out more about FM2008

TFMS also have there monthly overview of what’s been going on within the FM Community with this months “scene watch”.

Check it out

Something which I’ve heard mentioned a couple of times across the various forums since my return, is that the interesting similarity between the signings Sven Goran Eriksson’s been making for Manchester City and the players we’ve come to know as super stars in FM 2007.

Has Sven been playing FM 2007?

TFMS is also looking to expand, expand into what I don’t know, but the owner is appealing for people to BETA test a new area of his site, which I have to say sounds intrigueing.

Find out more about becoming a TFMS Beta Tester

And on one final note, Daigle of The Dugout fame has returned to the Football Manager Community with a staff role at FM Underground.