EPL Talk » Football Manager

Poll: Who Is The Best Manager In The Premier League Right Now?

The Gaffer — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 17:23:09 +0000

Based on current form, who would you say is the best football manager in the Premier League right now? Consider what players he has at his disposal and what he’s getting out of them. Vote now.

Top 10 Soccer Gifts To Add To Your Holiday Wish List

The Gaffer — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 16:00:16 +0000

Depending where you live in this crazy world, it might be almost impossible to find soccer-related gifts in your local stores whether it’s for you or your loved ones. But the Internet is a great aggregator, bringing you a treasure trove of choices. Here are ten recommended soccer items to add to your wish list whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or any other holiday:

Inverting The Pyramid: The History Of Football Tactics. The first-ever comprehensive history of football tactics has already been critically acclaimed after being named to the short list for Sports Book Of The Year Award in England. Written by Guardian journalist Jonathan Wilson, the book is a must-read for fans interested in tactics. Order it today.
Boot slippers. Yes, slippers that look like football boots in the colors of Liverpool, Manchester United and other clubs and even countries like Argentina. They’re the perfect accompaniment for those early Saturday mornings when you watch the Premier League with coffee in hand.
England home shirt. With Fabio Capello having kicked England up the backside, now’s the time to fit yourself into a stylish England home shirt with being snickered at by those football fans who support Brazil, Italy or Argentina.
Bloody Confused. The book by Chuck Culpepper is fast becoming a must-have in the collections of soccer fans who follow the Premier League. Bloody Confused tells the true story of how an American sports journalist moves to England and falls in love with the fascinating game as well as an unlikely club. Order the book today. Or listen to my interview with Culpepper.
Fulhamerica T-shirt. With Clint Dempsey leading the charge, the number of Americans at Craven Cottage are dwindling but the American love affair with Fulham is still alive and well. Support Dempsey and the memories of Americans McBride, Bocanegra and Johnson with the Fulhamerica T-shirt.
Real soccer scarf. There’s something about football scarves that has more of an appeal than replica football shirts. Maybe it’s the tradition. Or perhaps it’s the pleasure of wearing something so comfortable wrapped around your neck or face in your club colors? Whatever the psychological reason, a scarf is a wonderful gift — especially those from Ruffneckwear that are high quality, made from the best materials and delivered with great customer service.
Worldwide Soccer Manager. Everton announced last week that they signed a deal to use Football Manager (aka Worldwide Soccer Manager in the States) to scout players, such is the value and authenticity placed on this game. Go one up on real football managers by ordering the game yourself.
Show your true colors. Every follower of the Premier League needs to have a replica jersey of a favorite team or a club you admire. Instead of searching around the Internet from store to store, the EPL Talk Shop offers the widest selection of Premier League shirts for all 20 EPL clubs. Visit the shop to browse the selection of shirts.
Slingbox. It’s incredible that I don’t hear Slingbox mentioned that many times in soccer circles. It should be on the tis of the tongues of most soccer fans. Simply, it allows you to watch your TV set from anywhere around the world. So if you’re on the road, at work, on vacation or in a different room in your house and you have access to your computer or Blackberry, you can log into your TV and watch live games as if you’re there — or watch games you’ve taped on DVR. The possibilities are mindblowing. Read my review of it from Euro 2008, or go ahead and learn more details about buying it.
EPL Talk T-Shirt. If you’ve enjoyed reading EPL Talk during the past year and you want to show your support, please order an official EPL Talk T-shirt. The shirt reads “For Hardcore Soccer Nuts Only: EPL Talk” and features an image of several players in a defensive wall covering their crown jewels. The shirt is 100% cotton, made by Hanes (excellent quality) and will soon be a collector’s item (only a few shirts remain before they’re all gone forever). Size L. Order today for $15.99 delivered to your door (in the United States).

Visit more holiday and Christmas gift ideas for soccer fans including stocking stuffers, gift certificates and soccer gear for you and your loved ones.

Football Manager Back To Ruin Your (Social) Life

Josh Pedley — Fri, 14 Nov 2008 15:42:08 +0000

Football Manager ruins lives. It doesn’t care whether it’s your marriage, your grades, your health or your job. It doesn’t care if it’s your best friend’s birthday or even your own. It’s the cheating girlfriend or the 12-inch meat feast pizza of the computing world, we know it’s bad for us but we can’t stop going back for more. It can be the last thing you think of at night and the first thing you think of in the morning. It’s the drug they don’t warn you about at school and its back and ready to reap havoc on our social lives like never before. Or since the previous installment was released last November.

Ok that was a bit dramatic but it isn’t too far from the truth. One of my friends had to throw his copy into the nearby canal because it was distracting him from his University dissertation. This year’s edition looks to be the best yet, with a host of new features including a 3D match engine. EPL TALK will give you an insight into Football Manager 2009 next week with an exclusive interview with someone associated with the game, so until then, why not relay your best all-time Championship/Football Manager moments:

Simple Criteria:

Most Memorable Achievement:
Best 11:
Best Buy:
Worst Buy:

Here are mine:

Most Memorable Achievement: Starting in the lower leagues has never really appealed to me but I do love the challenge of taking teams from smaller nations to glory on the biggest stage. On CM 01/02 I took over PSV Eindhoven and despite finishing second in the Dutch League to Ajax, I won the Champions League 1-0 against Real Madrid with a Mark Van Bommel strike in his last game for the club before he moved on to Juventus for £20m. I used that money to buy Dirk Kuyt from Utrecht, goalkeeper Ivan Pelizzoli from Roma and Pablo Aimar, who was out of favour at Valencia, and proceeded to win the next 3 league titles, 2 more Champions League victories, 2x European Super Cup, 2x World Club Championships, 1 Dutch Cup and went 67 games unbeaten in domestic competition. It all fell apart though when I sold Aimar for £40m to Lazio and replaced him with 34 year old Zinedine Zidane, who was clearly over the hill.

Best 11: PSV CM01/02: Ivan Pelizzoli; Michael Lamey, Kevin Hofland, Wilfred Bouma, Mike Zonneveld; Arjen Robben, Johann Vogel, Pablo Aimar, John De Jong; Mateja Kezman, Dirk Kuyt

Best Buy: Playing with a friend on CM 97/98, I was Arsenal and he was Manchester United, we challenged ourselves to buy a striker from the lower league or reserves of a team and turn them in to a star. He went for Sean Divine for £300,000 and who failed to score in his first 15 games. I spent £60,000 on Robbie Keane from the Wolves reserves. He scored 10 goals in 13 games and I sold him 6 months later for £9m.

Worst Buy: On CM 98/99 I was desperate for some extra fire power for my Arsenal team to give one last final push for the title. As transfer deadline day approached I weighed up my options and decided, with 2 hours to go, that Ariel Ortega was the man for me. Some quick-fire bargaining with Valencia saw me pay £15m, £4m more than I wanted to, but I was happy I had got my man. He scored once in the final 17 games of the season and I lost out on the title to Manchester United once again.

Football Manager 2009 Trailer

The Gaffer — Sun, 09 Nov 2008 17:05:24 +0000

The long anticipated launch of Football Manager 2009 is almost here. The new game will be available Friday, November 14. Here’s the official trailer for FM09:

Football Manager 2009 Preview

The Gaffer — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 08:00:00 +0000

One of the most addictive computer games is, without a doubt, Football Manager. Bad news for the wife and girlfriend. Football Manager 2009 is scheduled for release in Europe on November 14, 2008.

Here’s a preview of the new game as well as a trailer with plenty of interviews:

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Thanks to The Offside for the tip.