Introduction
I am a great fan of the Championship Manager Series, but I think most people's boy-hood dream is not to manage their favorite club, but to play for it. So a concept arose in my head of a game where you follow a playing career first. It would end up linking into the Championship Manager Series.

Concept

You start out as an 18-year-old player, your job is to make it onto the first team of a club and help lead them to honors. But say for instance that you think your club isn't going anywhere you can demand a transfer or a higher contract. Your job is to make as much money as you can and to win as many honors as you can. When you reach the season that ends when you're 35 years old the game finishes; this is where it would link up with a Championship Manager game. You can upload your playing career into the Championship Manager game and continue your footballing career.

Start Of Game
You start as an 18-year-old player, using the ratings from Championship Manager you can choose the difficulty i.e.

16\20 = Easiest
14\20 = Easy
12\20 = Medium
10\20 = Hard
08\20 = Hardest

But the customization doesn't end there, you can now choose weather you want to be a free agent at the start of your career or play for a club in the 3rd, 2nd, 1st or Premiership division, just because you start in the 3rd doesn't mean you can't play in the Premiership for say Man. Utd. You are free to move to any club provided they want you, you want them and the clubs can agree fees

Premiership = Easiest
1st = Easy
2nd = Medium
3rd = Hard
Free Agent = Hardest

Choosing the difficulty here also determines the amount of points you loose during injury, but we will come to that later.

Personal Features
Now you choose your features i.e. nationality, hair, eyes, height, colour of skin and the positions you play i.e. GK, defender, midfielder or attacker, also you can choose your favourite club.

Picking A Club
I would imagine players of the game would want to play for their favorite clubs depending on the level you picked earlier you can choose your team from each division. But bear in mind if you decide to play for Liverpool you can have less bad games for them than you could for Darlington


Making the Team At the start of the season your club will play pre-season friendlies it is up to you to show your worth in these games to try and make the team, if you have a good pre-season your sure of a first team place, if not you have to wait in the reserve team for the player in your position to either get injured or to have a few bad games himself.

Reserve Team
If you didn't do that well when you got your chance you'll have to stick it out in the reserve team. As in CM3 reserve team games will be played one day prior to any league games. You need these games to keep improving your ratings and to stay fit.

Starting on the Bench
Too good for reserves? Too poor for first team? Then you'll have to sit on the bench. While on the bench you watch the game using CM3s in-game commentary, and you'll just have to wait to be told you're on. Once you get played you have to try putting in a performance that will make the gaffer think about next weeks team.

Starting Here is your chance to make it big, you've started and now you have to show the boss he made the right decision. A few goals and assist bonus wouldn't be bad, don't forget there could be scouts for major clubs in the stands or even the national team coach.

Camera Angles
When you are playing you can choose to play in
T.V. Mode Which follows the ballv Chase Mode Which chases you
First Person Mode View the game as if you were there

Interact With Media
If you are after having a man of the match performance or you are after scoring the winning goal. The media will want to have a chat. This has no real bearing on the game.

News Paper
The day after each game you will receive the morning paper, jump to the back pages and you will see all the big football news including

Possible transfers for you or other big name players Rifts within your camp
Your Manager heading for the sack Your interview
And the match report What other players within your team and in the footballing world are getting

Training
Every Sunday you will be asked what rating you want to improve this week if you think you could use more speed train in that. Your rating will go up 1 point

Week 1 Choose Speed Training Week 2
Speed = 16 Speed = 17

You can also train for a new position but this takes 20 weeks and you can't train for anything else. So your ratings do go up but they don't go down either

Injuries
Football is a mans game so from time to time you will pick up injuries from a stubbed toe to a broken leg. This will result on your ratings decreasing depending on the level of difficulty you chose early on

16\20 = 5 of your ratings will decrease each week you are injured
14\20 = 10 of your ratings will decrease each week you are injured
12\20 = 15 of your ratings will decrease each week you are injured
10\ 20 = 20 of your ratings will decrease each week you are injured
08\20 = All of your ratings will decrease each week you are injured

When you are not playing any games i.e. are injured or in the reserve team, the first teams results will appear if you so wish you can watch it using CMs in game commentary. You will also receive the report on the game the following day.

Agent
All of the present day big name players have agents, these are the people who will milk your club for every penny they have "In Your Best Interests", they will also arrange sponsorship deals with sports companies which will add vital cash to you career earnings. But what type of agent do you want.

Agent No.1 = This guy is a real hard ass, he will hold the club to ransom over five pence, but be warned he isn't that loyal so if you love your club dearly but he thinks you are not getting the best deal he will fill your head with ideas of great riches in an attempt to get a big money move for you. So the question is how much do you think your soul is worth.

Agent No. 2 = This guy is a compromise kinda guy. He will try to get the best deal but understands if you want to stay at your favourite club. But he also can get annoyed with not getting a bigger commission himself and can soon start filling your head with ideas of greatness.

Agent No. 3 = This guy is a sentimental old fool. He remembers the days when you were happy to get paid £25 a game. He will take what they offer just too get you to your favourite club. That's not good if you want to get as much money as possible, which is also part of this game.

Don't forget before you hire any of these you have to sort out the commission they get. Will you cave into their demands?


Contract
Weather you have an agent or decide to negotiate contracts your self you still have to clear all contracts. If you want more money you can reject the contract your agent worked so hard to get. But if you like it its time to put pen to paper.

Sponsorship
So you think you are so good you don't want to buy your own boots, well you can tell your agent to get you a boot sponsorship this will help greatly along your road to become the biggest money earner in football.

Demanding Transfers
Sick of waiting in the reserves or on the bench? Want to get some first team football? Or maybe you think your club is going nowhere and you want to step up a division or play in Europe? Or maybe you just want more money? Well you just march in to your boss's office and give him your transfer request. He might refuse or he might accept either way you'll want to contact your agent and tell him you want out of this titanic club. And let him do his thing. If your boss says you are an indispensable member of his team and he won't let you go what do you do? Do you honour your contract and give 100% each game or do you do a Pierre Van Hooidonk and go on strike and stay in your home country until an agreement can be arraigned the choice is yours

Being Transfer Listed
The Boss doesn't think you're up to playing at his club, but sees you as too valuable to leave in the reserves so he transfer lists you. Hopefully clubs will be fighting over you if so being listed might not be so bad. But if no one wants you except a 3rd division team that is struggling it is decision time. Do you take a step down in an attempt to move foreword? Or will you run out your contract trying to fight your way back onto the team? And hope a big name club will pay nothing for you? The choice is yours.

Being Available for Loan
The gaffer says you're one for the future so he lists you for loan. Crewe comes in and you jump at the chance to play under Dario Gradi and his wonderful youth scheme. But remember you have to keep performing or else your big name club might not want you back

International Player
Weather you are from Trinidad and Tobago or Brazil, every player wants to play for his country (except Ryan Giggs) mainly because there is no feeling like pulling on the jersey of you national team and playing for your country, also it helps that you get paid for each game. So weather you want to play for pride or for money you still have to perform for your club and catch the eye of the national coach.

End of your Career
The knees are squeaky you are stiffer for longer after each game you can't stand to play the 90 minutes any more and these young kids running by you drive you mad. With their weird hair cuts and their flashy cars. If this applies to you its time to hang up the boots. Luckily for you there is a career for you in management so you save your profile up load it onto your favourite Championship Manager game and continue your career in football. The game will end automatically the season that ends when you are 35.

Soccer Star 2000
Colm Gavin
colm_gavin@hotmail.com

If you are into Soccer or Manager games then this is a must read. Thank you Colm Gavin.

Idea Reviewer:
-Vegard Aure-