Football Manager (1982 series)

Did You Know?

• Toms developed the first game on a Video Genie, a clone of Tandy's TRS-80.
• The original game was text-only and converted to Sinclair's ZX80 and ZX81.
• With added animated graphics showing match highlights, it was then ported to the ZX Spectrum.

Football Manager 2

Unlike the original, which was written in BASIC, Football Manager 2 required machine code, so Toms worked with multiple developers for different systems; Bedrock Software handled the ZX Spectrum version.

Football Manager World Cup Edition

Football Manager World Cup Edition was again designed by Toms, with Bedrock Software programming all 8-bit versions. A key figure in the game's management was lost and not replaced, and the deadline of the FIFA World Cup forced the release date, leading Toms to consider the game rushed and unfinished. This was Toms' last involvement with the series or Addictive Games. The game lacks financial elements and transfers but retains basic team management.

Team setup is more detailed, with each player given tactics. Match highlights are shown over three screens, now played top to bottom instead of left to right, with an optional overhead view of the whole pitch. The main addition is the ability to talk to players in the dressing room and to the press via a graphical screen with preset phrases, affecting team morale and performance. Your Sinclair gave a broadly positive review (82%), praising the team talk and reporters' questions but questioning its appeal to new fans. MicroHobby scored it 60%.

Football Manager 3

Football Manager 3 was planned while Toms was still at Prism Leisure on the World Cup Edition, but was created without any involvement from the series' creator. Toms cited artistic differences for the breakdown with Prism. The game was developed by Brian Rogers of Bedrock Software, who had programmed the series since Football Manager 2. Versions were planned and advertised for all platforms of Football Manager 2, but the Atari ST and Amiga versions were never released.

The game is completely redesigned, centred on a graphical manager's office screen where different parts are accessed by clicking items (e.g., the computer for results, the team picture for training). The player's team always begins in the bottom division with aging, low-skilled players with random names (always with middle initials). Individual player attributes are more detailed, with three endurance and five skill values alterable through training; each player has a face shown when picking the team.

Player contracts must be negotiated, and out-of-contract players leave. The transfer market is much improved, with every league team having named players with histories. Matches are shown side-on with the whole pitch on screen, representing the entire game rather than highlights, with text commentary at the bottom. Unlike the previous two games, there is no half-time tactical or substitution change, and the team talk and reporter elements are removed.

Legacy

On 14 August 2025, Curveball Games released it on Steam. Football Manager 2 was included in The Spectrum, released in November 2024.