Digital download activation & patching

In light of the "auto-patching even when you don't want it to" bug in Steam, I'm now thinking about selling my Steam activated boxed version and buying a digital download version. I would very much appreciate it if someone could answer these questions for me:

1. If I buy and download FM2010 from a site such as Direct2Drive, is Steam still involved with activation and / or updating.

2. If I was to download from a site like this, would it start off unpatched so that I only have to update the game if I want to? I notice on this page http://www.direct2drive.co.uk/4/8482/product/Buy-Football-Manager-2010-UK-Download that it mentions version 10.1 - does this mean it starts off patched or is it a mistake?

3. Following on from above, if the download version DOES start off patched, had I better hurry up and download it before 10.2 is mandatory? Or will there always be a way of getting the unpatched download from somewhere?

Sorry if any of these should be obvious but until recently I had never even thought about downloading the game. Thanks in advance

Can someone please advise me on this? Surely someone from SI would know these answers about their own product??

Cheers.

Wouldn't the best way to make sure your game doesn't get patched be to buy a boxed version from a shop and install it in offline mode?

Wouldn't the best way to make sure your game doesn't get patched be to buy a boxed version from a shop and install it in offline mode?

Yeah I'll probably have to do that for now, but I would rather not have to use the disc (partly for convenience, partly because my disc drive is a bit dodgy), so my questions still stand.

Funny, my Steam didnt update FM until I told it to.