The game Football Manager (and it's previous incarnation as Championship Manager) has long given armchair football fans the chance to emulate the experience of standing in the dugout every Saturday afternoon, and guiding your chosen team to glory.

As the game has developed over the years, the job has become much more intricate in it's offering, and has increased in complexity to such a degree that Sports Interactive were forced to bring out Football Manager Classic - a dressed-down version of the game -  to afford those who can't spend all their spare time on the simulation.

As the game has become more integrated, players will now identify with certain characteristics of the teams they like to manage. Some like the challenge of starting the game as 'realistically' as possible, working your way from unemployment all the way to the top, whilst others want to join Manchester City or Real Madrid, and immediately work on building their 'dream team' with a generous transfer budget and already-identified talent at the club.

So here are five different types of manager you will find playing Football Manager, and the pros and cons of each characteristic...

Lower-League Management (LLM)

This is a a category which has become more prominent in recent years as the database has got more accurate lower down the footballing pyramid. It's also a personal favourite of mine as well, as it allows for a realistic way of working your way up and building your managerial reputation.

The idea is to go to the bottom league in whichever country you decide to manage, and pick one of the lowest-rated teams (an even harder task is to begin unemployed, and earn your first managerial job.)

You will have mostly terrible players, little to no money to spend on transfers or wages, and the style of play will be very basic.

One of the most entertaining reasons for choosing this life for your manager is that it requires a different skill set than, say, managing Arsenal and having the opportunity to select from top quality players. Working heavily with free transfers and loaned players, there is a much better appreciation for the basics of football management at this level.

One step further is 'pure LLM', which is classed as turning on attribute masking in the settings and making the game as difficult as possible. But it can also lead to a long-term game, and one where the rewards are worthwhile when you get there...

Pros

- Realistic entrance into the world of football management

- Allows you to learn the basics of a new FM game, particularly new features

- More exciting as players are less well-known, so more skill is required to win games

- With tight finances, even the small mistakes can be costly so this style can breed financially-sound managers

Cons

 

- Long-term game, can take many seasons or even decades to achieve notoriety as a manager

- Starting unemployed can mean missing out on at least half of the first season in the game as you wait for vacancies to come up

- Little to no transfer budget and a restrictive wage budget can frustrate any plans to add your chosen player to the team

- In the lower leagues in most countries the standard of football can be frustrating to watch, and can become tedious for those wanting to play attractive, entertaining football

Verdict: While this long-term way of playing the game may not be for everyone (and some may not have the time to build a digital managerial career alongside their real life) it offers a guilt-free opportunity to enter the world of football management in the same way you would in real life. For myself, I enjoy just playing one save and sometimes even stretch one FM game across several years due to the continued enjoyment.

Moneyball

The name derives from a 2003 book which chronicles the financial strategy of Major League Baseball team Oakland Athletics and their general manager Billy Beane.

With revenue tight at the west coast baseball side as opposed to other teams in their league (a situation many English football clubs and fans will be able to identify with), they used a saber-metric approach to analyse statistical data on various players to identify those who, on paper, were the best. The strategy turned out to great success, and now the term 'moneyball' is commonly used in sporting circles to describe a similar approach taken.

This system is one that sometimes works in tandem to LLM due to their similarities with one another. Both are based on poor financial bases and both rely on basic means of scouting and identifying the best players.

But the moneyball strategy doesn't necessarily need to take place in the lower leagues. While it was designed for teams with little money, it can also be an effective way of spending efficiently. And, given that Football Manager has a proud history of having a detailed database which, year-on-year, offers more impressive and intricate ways of assessing a player's individual ability.

Pros

- Allows players to make the best use out of the massive database that Football Manager has to offer

- Gives an in-depth experience of the game

- Uses skills that you would not necessarily use if you were just scouting for names rather than statistics

Cons

- Requires time and patience which some players may not have or may not wish to spend on going through thousands of attributes

- Can lead to tedious game-play and take the fun out playing Football Manager for some

- Searching for the best players statistically can lead you away from players you may want to sign, i.e. more well known players

- When playing with better teams you can risk a fan and boardroom backlash by signing an unknown name who may look good on paper

Verdict: This management style certainly has it's drawbacks to players who just want to get on with playing Football Manager, and it can be a long, drawn-out process. But for some players, this form of managing a team is exactly what Football Manager (and it's state-of-the-art database) was designed for.

Sugar Daddy

There is no doubt that those who play Football Manager probably have a detailed understanding of the best players in the world currently. And one reason to pick up FM and play is a chance to line up Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi and Eden Hazard in the same starting eleven.

But, if you take the approaches listed previously, by the time you reach the stage where you can offer ludicrous amounts of money for the best talent, you will be stuck with a world of 're-gens' (FM-generated players) with those names that you know now long gone in the virtual world.

Therefore, there is some appeal to instantly joining a club which has enough money in place to instantly bring the big names to your door, and it also can bring trophies much quicker than the previous methods. It doesn't even have to be Real Madrid, Barcelona or Manchester City.

Most Premier League clubs will have enough money to spend straight away, and with clubs like Tottenham Hotspur you have assets to sell for a tidy sum of money if you want to replace them with your own choices.

Pros

- The ability to create your own virtual dream team out of real players

- Instant rewards available for those who want to build a trophy cabinet

- For those who prefer short-term saves, this management style is ideal as the novelty wears off after a few seasons on top

- In a similar vein, for those 'casual' players of the game, this kind of save would require the least maintenance once your team is assembled

Cons

- Probably the 'guiltiest' way of playing the game as it offers little challenge

- Avoids any form of managerial development as it drops you in at the 'deep end' of the game rather than working toward it

- While there is an obvious lure to this style, the expectations will be much higher and failure will be much less tolerated

- Spending money on a name instead of finding future prospects will ensure only short-term success. If you want a longer save from this you will need to scout for youth talent who won't be established yet

Verdict: By far my least favourite way of playing the game, as it is nothing less than cheating in my eyes. With Football Manager spending so much time ensuring their database is wide-ranging and accurate, to just focus on the most popular players (whose attributes probably require the least effort to ensure are accurate) is almost wasting such an intricate and complex simulation game.

Already Famous

Like the previous management style, there is a certain attraction to joining a club you are already familiar with. For those who want instant success and to play with the very best straight away, look no further than joining Barcelona, Bayern Munich or Chelsea to get this experience.

You will have the best players, money to add more, the best facilities and there will be little groundwork needed from yourself as you are taking charge of the finished product.

Your biggest (and arguably only) challenge will be maintaining their current status. Just as Chelsea were not content with their performances last season, which saw them outside of the top ten for a large part of the campaign, if you cannot achieve instantly with these clubs you will fast become an unpopular manager and may find yourself out of a job quicker than Jose Mourinho did last season.

It may seem like an easy ask with players like Messi and Ronaldo, but managing the best can sometimes be just as difficult as managing a National South side.

Pros

- Enjoying the thrill of managing the best clubs in the world

- Short-term game for those who don't have the time to spend on an extended career

- No need to spend time developing the club as it will have everything it needs for instant success

- A chance to build a 'dream team' which wouldn't otherwise be possible with a smaller club

Cons

- Another 'guilty' form of playing the game, as everything is handed to you on a plate at the very start

- Dealing with the obvious egos which will come as part of the package, and managing a side filled with stars

- There will be little excitement left after winning a few titles as there is little work to be done at a club like this

- Along with the demands from the players, there will be no excuses for failure in any competition

Verdict: This management style probably ties with the previous one in terms of how it skips over the more important aspects of the game. But there is a reason for choosing this type of save; it's a short term save which can be used to get used to the new features of an FM game. While I would never choose Barcelona or Chelsea, there can be good reasons for picking a decent team you are familiar with to help understand the game better.

Phoenix From The Flames

And, last but not least, there is helping a team recover their past glories. Over the years there are plenty of teams who have fallen from grace across the footballing world. While many struggle to regain their former status, Football Manager gives players the unique opportunity to take a side from a lowly status back to their former high. It also counts for 'phoenix' clubs like AFC Wimbledon or Chester FC (teams built from the ashes of now-defunct clubs), who can rise to the standing of their former club.

This is more of a personal choice, as many will choose a club they knew previously to be great, and want to see them scaling those heights again. They are also, like an LLM game,  long-term save, as they will usually take some time to reach the required level, and perhaps further. So it will require commitment, and a lot of work to not just manage, but also build the club to create something new...

Pros

- A chance to manage a completely new team

- With no previous expectation, there is a world of choice laying ahead of you

- A chance to set your own records with no previous competition

- The save will be a long one, which can be committed to

Cons

- As the club will be new, there will be little guidance available as you join the club

- Like an LLM save, you will be working with mainly unknown players, and it could be some years before you get used to the team you have

- As with most phoenix clubs, while you may have an established fan base, the finances may not be secure for some time, which will hinder you developing the club and also purchasing players

- While there will be less expectation than with a world-class club, the fans will want progress, so you will need to be aiming for fairly regular promotions to remain in the post

Verdict: You may not always get the opportunity to start a game like this (some seasons there may not be a phoenix club in the playable leagues on FM) but, when there is, and you want a long-term save to sink your teeth into, this could be the answer. Who knows, you might become a fan of the club yourself!