Has an FM save ever made you follow/adopt/support a football club?

I'm quite interested in how many people have decided to follow/adopt/support a new football club as a result of an FM save?

I know this is actually quite common and that plenty of people end up buying a shirt or attending a few matches.

I'm actually very interested to see how often this happens for lower league clubs, non-League clubs or just smaller clubs that aren't usually very fashionable.

I would have thought that, for a small club, being in FM might potentially attract new supporters/fans. I wonder how many people have played FM with their local non-League club, for instance, and then decided to go along to a few games in real life too. Also, I wonder if some of the more obscure clubs receive requests for replica shirts, scarfs and other memorabilia from fanatical fans who have had a great FM save.

When you think about it, this could be a potential bargaining tool for SI in getting the clubs to help them with research and provide them with player pictures and information, club history etc. For smaller clubs, I wonder if FM could actually attract new fans for the smaller clubs. Now, with the competition editor allowing more and more steps of non-League to be added, as well as other more obscure leagues, I wonder if FM can actually play a part in attracting new fans to these clubs.

So please answer the poll and also post up the details.

From my point of view, it hasn't really happened that way for me. However, the game has reinforced my feelings of partisanship and emotional attachment to the Saints. Since playing FM over the last six years or so, I have become a more fervent supporter of my club (and of the non-League scene in general), as well as volunteering for the Saints FM research position and getting involved in writing match reports for City games and contributing to their website.

I do sometimes wish I would have an amazing save in another country, say Italy for instance, that would give me a lower league club to adopt abroad. Perhaps it will happen in FM10 but not until I've taken the Saints to glory.

Anyway, be interested to hear what people say. Don't forget to add your comments as well as answering the poll.

Regards,

C.

P.S. I've made it multi-option so you can tick more than one choice, in case some of you feel more than one answer is applicable to you (e.g. bought a replica top and attended one game etc.)

In CM 00/01 I took Nuneaton Borough from non-league to Champions League. Players to end up at the club in various (declining) stages of their careers include Paul Merson, Ronaldo, Paulo Montero.... etc.

When I started Uni in 2002, a new friend had to pop up to the midlands to get some stuff from his Mum's - when I heard the drive went near Nuneaton I managed to persuade him to drive by the ground and take a photo of me standing by the gates!

I also have a soft spot and keep an eye out for Sochaux results, based purely on a save game I enjoyed in FM06.

I wouldn't say I've followed a team afterwards - but when I get the oppotunity to manage a club (be it Halesowen, Piacenza or Numancia), I always read through their entry on Wikipedia

Made me a huge fan of Arsenal thanks to Henry,bought lots of arsenal stuff since then.And last year i finally traveled England to watch them.

Also i was a huge fan of Man City when they were in championship.i cant even remeber the year but I will never forget tiatto or pearce

I look out for Alfreton and Scarborough's results after I had memorable saves with them, I didn't exactly take them to the premiership but I still enjoyed both saves, I even had to stop off in Alfreton to see the ground where I had managed when I was driving through!

I wouldn't say that I have started 'supporting' other clubs, but I definitely have so-called 'soft spots' for a few clubs that I have managed all the way back from CM1:

- Crewe

- Boston United

- King's Lynn

- Weston-super-Mare

- KuPS (Finland)

- Pohang Steelers (South Korea)

I look out for Alfreton and Scarborough's results after I had memorable saves with them, I didn't exactly take them to the premiership but I still enjoyed both saves, I even had to stop off in Alfreton to see the ground where I had managed when I was driving through!

aren't scarborough bust now and no longer exist?

i remember seeing them in league 2 years ago but then they got relegatad and just disappeared altogether same with halifax town

i'm slightly more interested in hereford utd but i wouldn't call myself a fan

I wouldn't say that I have started 'supporting' other clubs, but I definitely have so-called 'soft spots' for a few clubs that I have managed all the way back from CM1:

- Crewe

- Boston United

- King's Lynn

- Weston-super-Mare

- KuPS (Finland)

- Pohang Steelers (South Korea)

My mate is always Pohang Steelers on fifa

it happened to me about Fisher

when i went to england with a friend of mine (who sympathized for afc wimbledon) in summer 2007 we visited Champion Hill stadium telling them our story,then we saw a friendly game just against afc wimbledon (fisher won 2-0), we talked to wayne burnett, in the halftime chairman martin eede invited us to have a cup of tea in his office, gave us the official preason programme and the match day team sheet with both lineups plus the cloth team badge. they treated us extremely well.

now that fisher folded last summer and started back in kent league i'll use the league editor to create seventh, eigth and ninth tier it to manage them again

I allways start with a club I dislike, fail with them untill I feel I can manage my club to sucsess

aren't scarborough bust now and no longer exist?

i remember seeing them in league 2 years ago but then they got relegatad and just disappeared altogether same with halifax town

i'm slightly more interested in hereford utd but i wouldn't call myself a fan

No to both. Scarborough went bust in 2007, saving Altrincham. They got promoted from tier 10 to tier 9 last season. Halifax went bust in 2008 saving Altirncham and are in teir 8. Both are new clubs but kept fans of the old clubs.

Oh, and 2006, Canvey Island pulled out of the conference, saving, you guessed altrincham. Luckiest team this centuary. Chester might be going too now

My mate is always Pohang Steelers on fifa

Great thing about this - bet365 do livestreaming from the Asian Champions League amongst other things, so I have actually been able to watch a few of their games. They seem to have a good pairing up front with Denilson and Stevo IIRC!

I have a soft spot for the mighty Posh ever since CM3, I always use them as my main lower league game, can't really do that anymore now their in the championship though. back when mark tyler was starting out and then in the late 90s games simon davies and matty etherington, another one who was a beast was shane tolley, an amc, think he was only in one game though. having said that i'm delighted their back in the championship and on the way up after years of struggling and yoyo-ing between league one and two.

Vauxhall Motors too in the blue square north from taking them to premiership and european glory from the conference a few times.

ever since the champmanager series and now football manager 1 team i always like to play is rushden and diamonds and i now keep a look out all the time for their results and stuffand then i started playin as kettering (decided on sum rivalry) and now i keep a look out for them to lol!

I've played the game since 1993 (CM) and in those ages I used to play as Leicester because that was the name of a famous english academy here in Buenos Aires. I played as Leicester in every CM/FM version and when I saw the way they played in real life (when they were in EPL) I got frustrated as they played really awful!! I carry on supporting them though but its difficult to watch their matches.

I bought a Dortmund top last year... It was the greatest FM game i've ever played, didn't even cheat

Although i do enjoy managing in germany in general, BVB just do it for me, its a shame that they're not pushing for titles anymore.

@gerardpique, I played for the same youth side in Norfolk as Mark Tyler back in the late 80s, East Harling Colts.

None of the options in the OP really fit for me. Mine would probably be -

No, but if I do happen to come across the said team whilst playing FM I have a look and see how they are doing.

It has for me. My FM09 save has opened my eyes abit to the bundesliga, and the fact that its a very competitive league. I watch it now most weekends on ESPN, and especially look out for HSV, who i took to Champions League glory...... COME ON YOU ROTHOSEN!!

Lol, I also thought about starting this sort of thread myself. I thought I was the only one!

Firstly I shoud start by saying that I don't actually support anyone, I only ever watch competitive England games.

I've always been a lower league manager. Right back since the early CM days. I used to play as Rushden & Diamonds when they were in the conference, then in the next version I found that Rushden had been promoted so started playing as Farnborough and then in the next version I found that they were no longer in the conference. So I looked around again and discovered Dag & Red I played with these for a couple of versions, until sadly in fm2009 I found that they too had been promoted

So now I'm playing as Bath City (I live near them) I'm just praying they don't get promoted

However, I will always have a soft spot for Dag & Red, I always keep an eye on how they're doing. I emailed them once to wish them luck and let them know how I found them, lol and I got a response from the finance chairman thanking me for my kind words!

Long live Football Manager!

I played for Fisher Athletic when I was a lot younger, so I suppose if I was to go into LLM then they would be the team for me.

I look out for Panathinaikos's and Dinamo Moscow's results as a result of FM games. I'd consider buying shirts of both teams, and indeed have considered it in the past.

This hasn't happened to me on Football Manager, but back in the day when I played FIFA Manager 06 I had a long-running save with Celtic, and that made me a fan of them.

Lol, I also thought about starting this sort of thread myself. I thought I was the only one!

Firstly I shoud start by saying that I don't actually support anyone, I only ever watch competitive England games.

I've always been a lower league manager. Right back since the early CM days. I used to play as Rushden & Diamonds when they were in the conference, then in the next version I found that Rushden had been promoted so started playing as Farnborough and then in the next version I found that they were no longer in the conference. So I looked around again and discovered Dag & Red I played with these for a couple of versions, until sadly in fm2009 I found that they too had been promoted

So now I'm playing as Bath City (I live near them) I'm just praying they don't get promoted

However, I will always have a soft spot for Dag & Red, I always keep an eye on how they're doing. I emailed them once to wish them luck and let them know how I found them, lol and I got a response from the finance chairman thanking me for my kind words!

Long live Football Manager!

Premier, once here in Argentina there was a person who supported an english team, dont remember the name. He did the same as you, sent an email where he explained how he got supporter of that club. So the supporters paid a ticket and he could go to england to see a match. I tried looking it up on google and couldn't find anything but i swear it was true.

I have on three occasions in 2007 I started following Shakhtar Donetsk from the Ukraine after an enjoyable save with them and hope to one day venture all the way to the Ukraine to watch them, only problem is price of getting there is crazy. Then in 2008 I started following Sparta Prague and actually travelled to Prague for 4 days in which I managed to go to there ground and purchased an Official Shirt and then the team that has taken to me in 2009 is the mighty Interblock from Slovenia and I'm hopefully going there next year.

it happened to me about Fisher

when i went to england with a friend of mine (who sympathized for afc wimbledon) in summer 2007 we visited Champion Hill stadium telling them our story,then we saw a friendly game just against afc wimbledon (fisher won 2-0), we talked to wayne burnett, in the halftime chairman martin eede invited us to have a cup of tea in his office, gave us the official preason programme and the match day team sheet with both lineups plus the cloth team badge. they treated us extremely well.

now that fisher folded last summer and started back in kent league i'll use the league editor to create seventh, eigth and ninth tier it to manage them again

Great story. (Shame about Fisher obviously).

C.

I wouldn't say that I have started 'supporting' other clubs, but I definitely have so-called 'soft spots' for a few clubs that I have managed all the way back from CM1:

Same here.

I'd include Blyth Spartans, Gateshead, Hinckley Town, Messina and Leyton Orient in my list.

Plan to manage Bournemouth this year and will definitely get to some games, but that's due to me relocating down there anyway rather than through FM.

I've been playing as Club America in Mexico a lot recently, obviously haven't managed to get over there and doubt Iever will, but I like to see them win.

i always liked german clubs and through a FM save i must admit i have a soft spot for Kaiserslautern, FM also got me intrested into Werder Bremen and german football in general and i always watch the highlights on ESPN now its a shame they sold diego as he was class and i really liked watching him play but now they have ozil and marin so im happy, i usually check the bundesliga website for results off the club, actually know im talking about i think i will start my Kaisersluatern FM 2008 Save

I will always change my desktop to the ground of the team on my game. And I will post on the clubs forum. I am currently managing Rossendale United

Got a real soft spot for Hellas Verona now after playing with them on FM.

Not yet, but I will probably do a Leicester save on FM12, as that's where I'll be living for the next three years. Hoping to get into a Leicester game, which gets me supporting Leicester so I have an excuse to go and watch them

First option for me. Being in Cambodia i can't get to English non-league games, but i always look out for the results.

I'm managing FC United, have their website bookmarked and was gutted when they lost the play-off final yesterday.

I became a Leeds Utd fan after playing as them in FM2008 when they got -15 points from the FA. Also Southampton in FM2010 after they got -10 points from the FA

Not yet, but I will probably do a Leicester save on FM12, as that's where I'll be living for the next three years. Hoping to get into a Leicester game, which gets me supporting Leicester so I have an excuse to go and watch them

You don't need an excuse!

If I was to move away, I would probably try to find a team to follow. Nothing wrong with splitting your affections if you've moved away from your favourite club in my book.

I became a Leeds Utd fan after playing as them in FM2008 when they got -15 points from the FA. Also Southampton in FM2010 after they got -10 points from the FA

And St. Albans City when they got -10 points on FM11 then?

That's the next team for you, my friend!

I managed Real Valladolid in the online game I am in and now I am very glad they are in the play-off zone..

Yes! I love York City and Richard Brodie! Brodie you're not a **** and I love you!

I have a soft spot for Tenerife. My First FM was in FM09 and the first save I really got into was a random choice of Tenerife. Took the club from potential relegation from Liga Adelante to the playoffs, however failed to get promoted. The team IRL actually got promoted so FM10 I played as them again and managed to get the side to 8th position in the first season with the legend that is Nino grabbing 30 league goals. Never got continuing that save. Now with FM11 took another crack at bringing European Football to Tenerife and despite their relegation last season IRL I completed an unbeaten league season in the first season and the following season a respectable 9th place. The save is on going although season 3 for me is not going as well, only 13th with 10 games to go. But ever since that first save I have played them in FIFA a fair bit and I keep an eye on the results. This season has not went well at all for Tenerife IRL, second bottom and 14 points from safety with 6 games to go is just too much to overcome, so relegation again this season is almost a certanity

Yup, became a Siirtspor fan due to my current save :o

Can't find a replica shirt for love nor money though

i tend to usually stick to Aberdeen for most saves on FM so not really but i have followed players careers after playing the game.

I always notice Rubin Kazan's results in Europe - they were the first team I won major trophies with.

And St. Albans City when they got -10 points on FM11 then?

That's the next team for you, my friend!

Noes Southampton is the only southern team I'll ever manage:P

There are many teams - Southend, Sporting Lisboa, Newcastle, Aston Villa. This game really affects my life.

No to both. Scarborough went bust in 2007, saving Altrincham. They got promoted from tier 10 to tier 9 last season. Halifax went bust in 2008 saving Altirncham and are in teir 8. Both are new clubs but kept fans of the old clubs.

Re: Scarborough, that's correct. Their old ground the McCain Stadium has fallen into disrepair and is in the process of being pulled down, remember seeing Chelsea play there a few seasons back (2004ish) in the FA Cup, a John Terry headed effort being the difference between the two teams ...

Anyway enough nostalgia from me ! Back to the topic, I had a couple of saves I really enjoyed, one being with Dundee in the SPL; and followed them for a couple of seasons (away games mainly) when I lived in Scotland. Also shown more interest in my home town team, York City, after playing with them a fair bit in the past.

Noes Southampton is the only southern team I'll ever manage:P

Try the real Saints - St. Albans City!

Try the real Saints - St. Albans City!

Fine, I'll try St Albans City if you post a career write up of managing starting at Barrow

Edit: I'll also post my St Albans City Adventure too.

I tend not to get an affinity with the club, but I do with players. Obviously, while I'm manager of them, I'll look out for their results, and I do have something of a soft spot for Spurs and Chester because of FM, but I wouldn't say I look out for them.

Adam le Fondre, Tom Kennedy, James Chester, and a few players I've forgotten, I always feel pleasantly surprised when they get a mention on Soccer Saturday.