Recount your Football Manager stories for us...

[erik86]

I guided Cambridge United to the Premier League on FM 13 and was top of the league after 10 games when I abandoned them to go to Man Utd where I pretty much had an unlimited transfer budget. I ended up winning things with Utd and happily for me Cambridge established themselves as a Top 6 Prem team.

I have also won the CL with Reading (my team) on FM 11 and FM 12 (I think)

[Kraft]

Not much of a story, but FM once nearly got me killed back in 2012.

Was playing FM on my laptop, carried it into the kitchen to make a cup of tea and in between me turning the gas on for the hob and lighting it my Sunderland side concede a goal in the 80th minute of the Champions League Semi-Final Second Leg, our first time ever making it that far, that puts us behind on away goals and I understandably got distracted.

Long story short, gas build up, I passed out, was luckily found a couple of minutes later when my dad arrived home from work and ended up having a lovely couple of days in the hospital as a result.

Please tell me you won the match and eventually the Champions League. Because this story is just above and beyond!

As for my experiences, I've been playing Football Manager since it was called Championship Manager; Two of my favourite stories come from my time in Germany; the first game was FM07 and I was managing Kaiserslautern in the 2. Bundesliga. Sitting third and still in with a chance with instant promotion. We happen to lose a match – no real risk to our promotion chances – however, the board decide to sack me as, “Third isn't good enough.”

1860 Munich, who are squandering around 8th and 7th have an opening after their manager jumps ship (to, ironically, Kaiserslautern). I decide to take up the post at 1860 and I take them upwards. We're eventually battling it out with Kaiserslautern; who still sit third. We're fourth, Rostock sit in second and Freiburg have already won promotion.

Our final match? We're playing Kaiserslautern, of course. It seems almost perfect, all we need is a win against them (who, need a draw to stay secure). The match kicks off and we run out three nil winners in a comfortable, if unspectacular, controlled match. Rostock lose their final match and we leapfrog them on superior goal-difference to go second and Kaiserslautern fall to fourth. A single point away from promotion, taken away by a manager who took them that far in the first place.

However, is that my best story?

No. Not by a mile.

FM12

My Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayern Munich in the 2016 Champions League final. Hannover beat us both to the Bundesliga, Leverkusen beat us to the DFB-Pokal. The Champions League is all we have left for bragging rights. I go down 3 nil in the first-half. I end up spending a good hour stewing in my anger and despair (and my old man telling me, “It's just a game.”) as I tried to seek a way to rectify this tragic start.

I finally bring myself to Second half; Bayern go 4 nil up. I end up throwing the plan out the window and going for all or nothing, even just one consolation goal will just be enough. Whatever I did, in my erratic state of tactical madness, it worked. The score became 4 – 1, then 4 – 2, time began to creep closer to full-time and we soon were 4 – 3 on the board and chasing for an equaliser which eventually came in the 88th minute. (I remember the time because felt the overwhelming urge to throw my cup of tea to the ground in celebration).

But that just wasn't the best bit. Extra-time, right before penalties. Bayern corner. It's cleared, we're on the break – soon it's one on one. At this point I'm out of my chair, I'm willing him to score, I'm urging it. I watch the ball fly around the isolated Neuer and find it's way home in the bottom corner and I wheel away, pulling a Mourinho on my bed; my own imaginary Old Trafford touch line. My dad, all the while, watching me like a lunatic.

I decided to take a bit of a break from the save after deciding I may had been a bit too much invested into the game.

[Indiana Jones]

I've got a few stories. the first one was when I went to a mates house who I knew from work. we decided we would play a game as Dortmund and Bayern. so I headed over to his house with a crate of 20 beers and laptop in hand, thinking this would be a joyous occasion. I got there around midday and we ended up playing for 14 hours straight! bear this in mind seeing as we are both in our 30s with wives and kids... anyway to cap it off, I didn't realise he wasn't much of a drinker, yet every time he got up he offered me a beer, waving an empty can at me. I thought, crikey this lad can drink, so I was downing a can every time. to cut a long story short, I ended up losing terribly and selling my best players and was extremely drunk. in the morning, very hung over, I asked him how come he beat me so resolutely and he nonchalantly said, " I only had 3 beers, you drank the rest, I was drinking coffee!" B*STARD! ha ha

[Chinook2000]

I cannot use a Computer after a few Beers the screen just blinds me I struggle with Football on TV if I'm very drunk as my attention span evaporates.

[Indiana Jones]

when I get 'attached' to a team im managing I always go on ebay and buy one of their shirts so I can wear it whilst im playing. im now the proud owner of a Wrexham shirt, a forest shirt, a bayer Leverkusen shirt, a man city shirt, a farsley celtic shirt, a benfica shirt, a lyon shirt, a goias shirt, a Hartlepool shirt, a rangers shirt... I could go on! it definitely looks a strange sight on the washing line!

[milnerpoint]

One of my best memories is playing on the original Xbox when FM came out on that. Managing my Newcastle team in the days when Van Bommel was a young kid just coming through and i always struggled in Europe for some reason. Drew Roma away in the CL semi final, went over to Rome and lost 3-1, going on 8 at some points. Start the return leg and go 1 down in the first ten minutes and think its all over and done with, been there before and the come back seemed impossible. Got one back just before half time and decided to really go for the second half since there was nothing to lose. Get it back to 3-1 me and the team is cruising looking likely to win and bang, pen against me and Roma score with ten minutes left. I then scored 3 in the last ten minutes to win the game 5-2 and go through 6-5 on aggregate, but when my team scored the 5th i forgot it was half two in the morning and screamed at my TV which prompted my old man to coming running through to my room thinking something was wrong and i was in danger. Got a good 2 weeks grounding, no more FM on the xbox as the disk went into the bin and the xbox was moved into the living room, but my god what a feeling that 5th goal was. Still to this day i remember how good it felt when it went in.

[Celts1888]

I had a champions league final against barca 32 - 33 it finished 4 missed in total I nearly went into cardiac arrest, yes I lost, 3-1 down brought it back to 3-3 90th minute equaliser then to get beat like that was crazy, hopefully 3rd time lucky to win it this year after defeat to bayern 2 seasons before.