So it’s time once again to start researching teams for the new Football Manager release. I’ve been inundated with requests from people for more information of what’s involved, what’s expected of you and what you get in return.
Therefore I’ve decided to write-up a little guide so you can decide if you fit the bill for any of the vacant position.
What’s The Job And What Do I Get For It?
The job is to offer your specialist knowledge of the club you support.
In 2018, basic knowledge for players and clubs is available for anyone who wants to look. I can pretty easily get a list of first team players at every SPFL club in the country, and so what I need from you is deeper than that.
Football Manager is renowned for having the most accurate data going, so we need people who are regular attendees at a club’s matches. We need you to tell us how composed the left back at Elgin City is, whether the central midfielder at Brechin City is a tough tackling bruiser or a slight, fast guy with an eye for a pass or which kids in the u20s are destined for greater things. The only way you’ll know that is if you’re a fan of the club and have been regularly watching them throughout the last season. If you’re not a fan of the club who regular attends games, there’s no point in applying.
On the same note, we need guys who can look at the club information and say “Hey, that guy is missing from the Club legend list” or “You’ve not got the reserve stadium set correctly” and also keep us up to date with transfers, contract renewals and non playing staff like coaches/physios/u20s staff.
It’s not a particularly time-consuming job – a few hours between now and September – and the reward for it is a free copy of FM and your name in the credits. As such, while we often get people offering to start going to games so that they could research a club, it wouldn’t be right or fair to expect you to do that. Besides, as I said earlier, when rating players for FM’s release, it’ll be largely based on how players have done in the past year. If you haven’t even started going to see a team play, you won’t be able to offer insight.
What Else Is Required From Me?
Apart from knowing your stuff about your club, there are a few other skills/requirements you’ll need as a researcher for Football Manager.
- Basic IT Knowledge: Put simply, you need to be able to perform simple IT tasks like downloading the files, installing the editors, opening word documents to read instructions and the ability to use the bespoke software we provide. This might sound like the sort of thing everyone can do, but you’d be surprised. To be blunt, if you can’t do stuff like this there’s no point in applying.
- Either a PC or Windows Mirroring Software: The editors don’t work on Macs unless you have software for it that can replicate Windows. We’ve got one or two researchers who go that extra mile to use the editors on their Macs but if you’ve no idea how you would go about sorting that, then unfortunately the research may not be for you.
- Facebook: We use a private Facebook group for research discussion. Most people have Facebook and it works well because I can keep up with who has actually seen any important announcements etc. If you are – for whatever reason – not on Facebook and have no intention of getting a Facebook account then alas this is not the role for you.
- Knowledge of Football Manager: It’s an obvious one, but to be a researcher, it does help to know, have played and understand Football Manager.
- Deadline Keeping Skills: Though the workload is small and the time investment does not amount to much, you’re still doing an important job and so deadline keeping skills are vitally important. We can’t use your work if you don’t hand it in on time.
- A Mature And Objective Outlook: Everyone looks at their club with rose tinted spectacles, but you’ve got to be balanced in how you rate your players.
What Clubs Are Currently Available To Research?
Right now, we’re looking for researchers for the following clubs.
Albion Rovers
Berwick Rangers
Brechin City
Cowdenbeath
Edinburgh City
Elgin City
Peterhead
Queen’s Park
Ross County
Stranraer
If the club you support is not on that list it means there’s someone already researching the club, but things can change and you should look out for any future vacancies om twitter at @sgmilne.
How Do I Apply
If after all that you’re still interested in helping out, email me at officialfmscotland@gmail.com specifying which club you feel you could research and why.