Football Manager computer game to help scout players

Drifter

American
Joined
Jan 27, 2004
Messages
68,569
Oh dear.

Premier League clubs are to use the database of computer game Football Manager to help recruit new signings.

Game creator Sports Interactive will provide information for Prozone Recruiter, an online analysis tool used by many clubs to scout talent.

The Football Manager database will supply biographical, contractual and positional details to Prozone.

"The database is a highly accurate and valuable resource," said Prozone chief executive Thomas Schmider.

"It will further enhance the recruitment services that we provide."

Prozone conduct performance analysis and will use the game's information in their system, which aids clubs in their player recruitment.

Football Manager studio director Miles Jacobson added: "For years we've heard stories of real-life managers and scouts using our data to help with the recruitment process.

"From now on, it's official. Real managers around the world will be finding and comparing players using data and a search system that will be very familiar to players of Football Manager."


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/28738388
 
Drifter said:
Oh dear.

Premier League clubs are to use the database of computer game Football Manager to help recruit new signings.

Game creator Sports Interactive will provide information for Prozone Recruiter, an online analysis tool used by many clubs to scout talent.

The Football Manager database will supply biographical, contractual and positional details to Prozone.

"The database is a highly accurate and valuable resource," said Prozone chief executive Thomas Schmider.

"It will further enhance the recruitment services that we provide."

Prozone conduct performance analysis and will use the game's information in their system, which aids clubs in their player recruitment.

Football Manager studio director Miles Jacobson added: "For years we've heard stories of real-life managers and scouts using our data to help with the recruitment process.

"From now on, it's official. Real managers around the world will be finding and comparing players using data and a search system that will be very familiar to players of Football Manager."


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/28738388
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This will be misread by FM players all over the world to mean that signing a player in FM is exactly the same as doing so in real
Life.
 
Sweet. Just use the FM Data editor to transfer Vidal to us & increase our transfer budget to £900million.

Taken as just a database for player histories, contract lengths etc there probably isn't much to rival it.
They use researchers within each country to compile the attribute stats so I guess it comes down to how much you value their opinion but they could probably find out which researchers get it right more often.

Obviously if you buy a player based on the FM database alone you're a god with huge balls.
 
Reports are also coming in that FIFA 15 will also be used in the January transfer window as a negotiation tool after Real Madrid had great results using it on trail this summer.

Ancelloti had this to say:

"before, we had spending power but when I realised I had already spunked most of our transfer allowance on James and still wanted Falcao and Kroos despite having Di Maria and Benzema I simply loaded up my copy of FIFA and used the wage/fee slider to give myself another 70 odd million. Not only that but I was able to offload an injured Moratta just to pad our my funds even more."
 
Premier League managers playing catch up to innovator Moyes once again.
 
I'm now going to start applying for manager jobs and attaching an FM save file.
 
Eboue said:
What's the problem? Aren't the ratings on fm decided by scouts?
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Yeah, they have a huge network of scouts. It may just be a game but there is a hell of a lot of work put in to it.
 
Drifter said:
Oh dear.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it sounds terrible, doesn't it?

Hang on...

The Football Manager database will supply biographical, contractual and positional details to Prozone.
Click to expand...

Oh right. That's perfectly reasonable then. Bit of a non-story. It's not like they're suggesting deciding to buy players based on whether they have a 20 for pace in a game.
 
Fm's database is pretty awesome to be fair. They do a lot of extensive research to put it together using actual scouts. No ones actually going to sign a player based on his stats on a game. But I'm sure it can be handy little tool.
 
Having just taken Wigan from championship to the champions of Europe and England in 3 years in FM14 I think I should start applying to managerial jobs asap!
 
Me and a mate were discussing the other day the young players we had only heard of on FM that turn out, not to dissimilar to how they do in real life....

Lukaku was a beast in FM10
Aguero from FM 07 or something
Neymar and Verratti

But then ofcourse there is Freddy Adu and Kim Kallstrom
 
In fm2008 I used to always sign Lloris, Sakho, Wijnaldum, Aguero, and Henri Saivet.

4/5 ain't bad.
 
If you took each years top 10 wonderkids, I'd imagine the rate wouldn't be that bad, most are there or there abouts I would have thought.. It's only when you extend that net to other good young players that the success rate drops, but I'd imagine in terms of the top 10-15 each year, most go on to be fairly successful.
 
makes sense, it is a massive database with plenty of useful information as a starting point. Particularly contract lengths and possible amounts
 
A lot of scouts contribute to the database.
SiRed said:
Me and a mate were discussing the other day the young players we had only heard of on FM that turn out, not to dissimilar to how they do in real life....

Lukaku was a beast in FM10
Aguero from FM 07 or something
Neymar and Verratti

But then ofcourse there is Freddy Adu and Kim Kallstrom
Click to expand...

Kallstrom had a pretty good career. Nothing compared to the shambles Freddy Adu has had.
 
1. Set corner instructions to attack near post.
2. Assign Fellaini to near post.
3. Profit.

I'm the new Moyes.
 
It's no surprise really. Especially for teams who might not have the option to scout further afield.
 
It is an amazing database. Quite surprised football managers will be using it but I suppose they have their reasons. They may unearth a Cherno Samba, Mika Aaritalo or Henri Saivet.
 
Not really sure what the issue with this is. They have thousands of people scouting for them and being accurate more often than not. It certainly helps clubs, especially smaller clubs how may not be able to afford scouts to stay on the other side of the world for months. This way they can get a shortlist of players and send a scout to go to a couple games, makes it more effective.

I'm sure a lot of teams have been doing it though for a long time.
 
Well the actual FM database is made from pro scouts anyway, its not a bunch of nerds sat in a room giving players random numbers. Apparently SI games who make it have one the biggest scouting networks in the world all providing info for the game.
 
It's a tool definitely with some merit. Actual scouts (or psuedo-scouts) are used to declare the attributes and general ability/potential of the players in the game so it's not completely daft.

That said, it's clearly something that at best is part of a hybrid-approach. You clearly need to see the player etc before purchasing. Otherwise you'll get a few Bebe's at your doorstep.
 
It's very good at spotting superkids for sure but then I guess we only remember the good ones?
 
I remember Solskjær saying that he used to play FM, and that he's been using if after he went into management. Not sure if he's been using a custom database after some of his purchases the last year or so though..
 
I don't understand why so many still see FM as a joke especially when real life professionals use it. Their database is very well maintained by hundreds, maybe thousands of scouts across the world, some professional some armchair, but they all have the common goal of contributing to the database and making it as realistic as possible. If anything I think more clubs should use it especially if they don't have the financial means to scout them through traditional ways, like paying the scout for fare and board.
 
amolbhatia100 said:
Fm's database is pretty awesome to be fair. They do a lot of extensive research to put it together using actual scouts. No ones actually going to sign a player based on his stats on a game. But I'm sure it can be handy little tool.
Click to expand...

Yeah my thoughts exactly, it's not difficult for me to believe they have knowledgeable people who know their stuff working for them. They probably pay quite good money and all.
 
This is sure, FM have an immense datebase, with realistic parameters, can help to know more players, or to do a first screening.
 
So everyone's just going to carry on ignoring the bit where it very clearly says that they're only using it for info on a players background, contract and position, not for rating them?

Fair enough, carry on then. Lets have some more comments about how accurate the ratings are.
 
Eboue said:
How does anyone know if any scout knows what they are talking about?
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Good question.
I didnt phrase my earlier comment very well.
Decent clubs will have scouts who have been told by the manager exactly what he is looking for in players. So do we know if FM scouts are operating to a set of measurable standards or are they just a network of super keen football fans?
 
Stack said:
Good question.
I didnt phrase my earlier comment very well.
Decent clubs will have scouts who have been told by the manager exactly what he is looking for in players. So do we know if FM scouts are operating to a set of measurable standards or are they just a network of super keen football fans?
Click to expand...


I presume they are rating each skill 1-20. I have no idea how football scouting works for clubs but I imagine that at least part includes something similar. If they looked solely at what the current manager wants it would mean they start over every time a new guy comes in, which doesn't sound like a good use of resources.
 
Drifter said:
Football Manager studio director Miles Jacobson added: "For years we've heard stories of real-life managers and scouts using our data to help with the recruitment process.

"From now on, it's official. Real managers around the world will be finding and comparing players using data and a search system that will be very familiar to players of Football Manager."
Click to expand...

Oh brother...it's not like Prozone's set up exactly like Football Manager. I'm sure Prozone's more comprehensive than Football Manager is in terms of performance analysis. On biological, contractual, and positional data, though, I don't doubt Football Manager. That's why I'm not surprised that Moyes used it. It saved him and his team quite a bit of research, yet their scouting still had to be completed by the scouts themselves.
 
Probably a step up from spinning seven million quid on an unknown winger the manager has never seen play
 
BazzaBear said:
So everyone's just going to carry on ignoring the bit where it very clearly says that they're only using it for info on a players background, contract and position, not for rating them?

Fair enough, carry on then. Lets have some more comments about how accurate the ratings are.
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I doubt most people even read the op.
 
Here's something I've never thought about before;

In FM, every Player has a value in every attribute in the game; strength, positioning, finishing, etc...

But has the number of attributes changed over time? Have they added, say, awareness in FM 2006 or "high jumping" in FM 2009? It's just stayed the same hasnt it?
 
rcoobc said:
Here's something I've never thought about before;

In FM, every Player has a value in every attribute in the game; strength, positioning, finishing, etc...

But has the number of attributes changed over time? Have they added, say, awareness in FM 2006 or "high jumping" in FM 2009? It's just stayed the same hasnt it?
Click to expand...
The attributes have changed over the years. Players are human though so it'll be mostly the same attributes just a new measurement or reworking what they use the attribute to measure.
 
Stack said:
Good question.
I didnt phrase my earlier comment very well.
Decent clubs will have scouts who have been told by the manager exactly what he is looking for in players. So do we know if FM scouts are operating to a set of measurable standards or are they just a network of super keen football fans?
Click to expand...
The former. Plus the lead researchers are paid. Get ratings wrong too often and people get replaced. And the customers get a chance to give feedback and changes are effected if evidence is provided so it's not a vacuum.
 
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