GOAL! The Club Manager

Football management game enthusiasts have complained for years that significant developers can't seem to get it right. Then again, it's hard to appeal to everybody when everyone seems to have various knowledge or ideas on how to run a team most effectively. GOAL! The Club Manager is taking a giant stride into the sports management sims dominated by big franchises.

So can it survive and compete against the already established games with years of management experience? This upcoming title will have to do something remarkable to appeal to an audience that's already battling between which football simulator is the best. Let's have a preview of GOAL! The Club Manager so see if it can stand up.

More Pressure, More Fun

Let's start by looking at the game's trailer because it's humorous. Not because it's made to be funny, nor does it have any comedic value. It's simply a trailer threaded with many stock videos of strangely beautiful-looking football fans. So why is this important? Because we can deduce a few things from it that might reflect the overall quality and entertainment value of the game.

If the trailer is in this format, the game might not have the budget to compete with the high flyers. Second, GOAL! The Club Manager could be a game that focuses on the more human side of coaching rather than statistical analysis. Third, the game may parody all the football management sims.

Honestly, at this point, it's hard to tell. Apart from that bizarre trailer, we have a game that's only got some screens at the moment. But they provide a little bit of insight into the game in parallel with our theories. The game definitely will have a small budget because it does not include all real teams (they cost a fortune to get a license).

So what else? GOAL! The Club Manager appears to take a tongue-in-cheek approach with a bit of humor behind the simulation gameplay. It will also be a little more casual than those games that rely heavily on statistical analysis to succeed. That may play a significant role in attracting an audience for football fans who aren't mathematical geniuses. But again, it's hard to gauge the outcome of this game.

It's a Coaches Life for Me

So could GOAL! The Club Manager holds a candle to football sim giants like the Football Manager franchise? I very seriously doubt it - the game is too ingrained in the hearts and minds of football fanatics worldwide. However, a different side to the game might garner itself an audience. That is the fact that there is a focus on the more human elements of coaching a football club.

Round-Up - Pros & Cons

Pros:

• A more intuitive, sleek interface than most football sims
• Focus on the realistic, human duties of a coach
• A casual alternative to the intense analytical gameplay of other games

Cons:

• No release date yet