Football Manager 2008

Next up, club financing has been revamped to take in consideration the ever-changing business model of the modern game. Of course, foreign buy-outs and investors ('sugar daddies') is nothing new to the series, but SI has now replicated the way in which big clubs will willingly splash vast wads of cash, despite being financially in debt. Likewise, player contracts have been made more realistic, with Miles admitting they may have got it a little wrong with previous versions: "We had various agents show us exactly how bonuses and contract clauses work in the real world," he says, "and that's something we've now incorporated into the game."

Further into the subject of finance, there are now options of utilising increasingly commonplace ticket pricing schemes too. For example, a midweek Carling Cup clash against Rochdale could attempt to have its attendance bumped by the introduction of 'kid for a quid' specials or 'bring a mate' half-price offers, which can potentially increase numbers further down the line if your team puts on a good show.

The focus on 'fan confidence' is another intriguing new feature. If your loyal following aren't overawed by your team's dour performances or if they feel your transfer activity makes Graeme Souness look like a wheelin'-dealin' genius rather than the hapless buffoon that he is, then expect their disquiet to be felt all the way to board level. Fan feedback will be given after every match, so you'll be sure to know the general reaction of signing Michael Chopra and Diomansy Kamara in a joint deal, worth GBP 28m. However, as in real-life, fans here can be fickle old sods and can dramatically change their opinions on the back of good or poor runs.

So, anything else to talk about? Of course. After an 'unsuccessful' experiment with gamers sending in their mugshots, 'face gen' technology has now been introduced to randomly generate the identities and individual characteristics of the 'fictional' new crop of players that break through, seasons down the line. As well as getting noticeably fatter, skinnier, older etc, SI has made sure that the ethnicity stats are all representative of real life. "It's a small feature, but we spent bloody ages on it," remarks Miles. "It just shows the level of extreme research we undertake at every level of the game."

And what about the match engine? "Well, it's another year spent working on it, making it better and smoother. We've still got Ray Houghton onboard, and you'll notice that the football is more fluid, more of that free-flowing Arsenal style of play. It just goes from strength to strength..."

Which is pretty much like the Football Manager series as a whole, then. If only West Ham can go from strength to strength, too. Fingers crossed that Craig Bellamy will refrain from bashing Tevez in with a rusty nine iron - at least until he finally ends up in Man United shirt. Then he can swing away... Fore!