This one hit the sweet spot. I just keep coming back to it !
The scores were insanely high, goalkeepers were pummeled regularly into submission by god-like strikers, and yet even then there was a great feeling of achievement in managing one of these teams, seeing them progress, and feeling a great sense of satisfaction (and relief) at the end of a successful season.
Several versions later and 03-04 hit the shelves, a much more refined version but it is so much more than that.
03-04 manages to give each player enough managerial options to juggle to maintain a great sense of satisfaction in your achievements, without being overwhelming (or underwhelming).
The interface is, hands down IMO, perfect. It is so easy to navigate and so flexible that you can conduct player searches and renew contracts in the middle of games, if it pleases you, and then return to the action mere moments later.
The masking option is a great addition for players who want a greater challenge, but whatever your preferences in game, the overall package does a supreme job of immersing you into your managerial role and rewarding you with a great sense of satisfaction from that.
The game never gets old !
You will constantly be hunting for that elusive youngster, yet to make his mark on the world, and yet destined to greatness for whichever club can sign him first !
Be the manager to discover this youngster and pay a pittance, or drool over him as he matures under the protective wing of another team, knowing full well you will have to pay top dollar to pry the player away from them.
A point in fact happened to me last season in the game i am currently playing.
I have Bristol Rovers in the Premier League, and during one of my player searches i stumbled across a young Irish striker playing for 'University of Dublin'.
There were already 3 teams interested in the lad, yet none had bid for me - my timing was perfect!
He had a buyout clause of 400,000 pounds....
6 months later in the Champions League Qualifying Rounds, he scored his first ever hattrick for me, away to Deportivo.
I won the match 4-0.
It is immensely rewarding to see players who have just reached their teens blossom in your reserve team, and graduate to the first team, and you will probably be forever searching for youngsters in the easy to use search engine.
I could rave on some more about other features and individual players' nuances, which add an extra dimension as you juggle to keep all your players happy - but i'll stop there.
On one hand, i felt future titles made the interface unnecessarily 'jumbled', and overloaded on the micro-management options.
But on the other hand, i don't need to play them (and can't with this version available), simply because it got everything right.
If you are new to football management you will probably want a new version so that the players are current with their clubs and abilities, but maybe - just maybe - you won't really care about all that if you give this version a crack because it is so damn fun and player - friendly !
May your supporters be dancing in the streets and chanting your name for many seasons to come !