My laptop is racist!

Right, first off thanks for this forum, I've never felt the need to post before but have often visited looking for good signings or effective tactics etc, great community here.

I'm still playing FM 2012 but this problem has occurred in previous versions of the game too (definitely in 11 and 09). I'm heading into my 30th season on this current game, have managed quite a few clubs and nations, have won quite a few trophies (inc World Cup with Italy and Spain, Champions League with Man Utd, Chelsea and my beloved Stevenage (hard gruel was that). I try my best to stay true to the spirit of the game but will admit to turning back time on a few occasions when things went horribly wrong (I know....)

So in the game world I'm the most successful manager that has ever lived, and am still 20 years younger than when Fergie retired. After the inevitable mass exodus of international managers that follows every tournament I always get a couple of offers from big nations like Brazil, Spain, Argentina, Italy and so on.....but anytime the England job opens up and I apply for it I get slapped about by the game! This is what I got today, I've seen it before but there are different ones too - http://imgur.com/RZmOxFh

It's astonishing. And for a split second I always think "Yep, they're going to go for an English manager, promote from within or something.....", only to have seen Mancini, Mourinho, Villas-Boas (twice) and other non-English managers take the job. This leaves only one possibility - the game has been programmed to automatically reject any applications for the England job from Irish managers.

Why would such a barrier exist in a computer game? Perhaps my laptop isn't the one with the problem here, I won't call whoever included this in the game a racist, too strong a word, but I'm definitely sending Roy Keane to have words with ya......

There are certainly preferences set for and against certain nationalities.

I suspect England are very unlikely ever to appoint an Irish, Scottish or Welsh manager in FM but are open to continental managers.

Would it happen IRL given the success you've had? I would say you would stand a chance of getting the job especially given you've managed in England at club level.

It's not racism, it's xenophobia.

Yeh I've seen that before too and it's irritating and quite rude really.

But England have to this day only had 2 managers who were not English. But as you say the game employs other managers of different nationalities to the role too.

Yes, set preferences make sense, but surely career history should play a bigger part in the game determining which person the role goes to. In my opinion that's a very poorly thought out aspect in the game, and honestly a little offensive. The Irish and English are all best buddies these days, their Queen and our President having the odd knee's up and sing song over the pint of dark stuff with a whiskey chaser. And it's not as if an Irish manager will have the English national team picking the ball up with their hands and hoofing it over the bar for a point. It's bizarre to me....

I suppose you could be right about that Kenco.

Thanks Eugene, I thought I'd be one of very few to have had this experience and felt a little annoyed, thanks for chiming in. I guess it's not that big a deal, and perhaps some of my fellow Irish would be less than impressed with me for wanting the job in the first place, but the more the game tells me I can't have it the more I want it.....damn....

Happens in FM 14 aswell, it's just a rivalry thing really as England won't hire an Irish or Scot and I presume its the same way around really, I believe (could be wrong) but if you set your club preference to say Man Utd when you start, its likely to get a Man City, Liverpool job etc.

Pretty sure Brendan Rodgers got it in my game after Hodgson went..isn't he Irish?

Well that sucks, shouldn't be part of the game really, there's plenty of people who were born in England but grew up in Ireland, and vice versa, who would hold both nationalities but consider themselves one over the other. So for me to ever land the England job in a Football Manager game I'll have to change my nationality to English, or take a punt on a continental nationality. I know it's only a small thing, and not all that bad, but still it doesn't feel nice.

Rodgers is Northern Irish Lenzar, but yeah that's a head scratcher, half of Northern Ireland would have just as much rivalry with England as the Republic of Ireland would.

Pretty sure Brendan Rodgers got it in my game after Hodgson went..isn't he Irish?

A genuine mistake I'm sure, but he's Northern Irish...huuuuuuge difference in this context.

Happens in FM 14 aswell, it's just a rivalry thing really as England won't hire an Irish or Scot and I presume its the same way around really, I believe (could be wrong) but if you set your club preference to say Man Utd when you start, its likely to get a Man City, Liverpool job etc.

No, I set my club team to Man Utd on saves, and regularly got offered jobs from the likes of Liverpool and Man City.

hi lenzar in my Liverpool game brendon Rodgers is the England manager .maybe as I start with Liverpool

I have had England manager, being English in fm12 13 AND 14.

Can you ever become manager of a team if you are of a rival nationality? It makes sense to me, it'd be like Klinsmann or Maradona managing England.

The same thing happened to me as an Australian (with England as my second nationality) trying to get the England job.

Is there any way of getting official clarification on this? I had originally emailed SEGA to point it out to them (first email address related to the game I found), and a friendly guy called Matis replied and sent me here!

Rivalries are good in sports, of course they are, but in a game I spent quite a bit of money on this brand over the years, not to mention the thousands of hours put in (this game save alone has racked up 130 days play since last September), I feel like a barrier such as this should not exist. If the England job arises and I apply my nationality should not overrule my career history....