In Football Manager 2023, fans also give their assessment of the virtual coach and manager’s performance. A feature that is supposed to depict each club realistically. This requires a lot of effort, as the developer tells us.
One of the new features of Football Manager 2023 is the performance rating by fans. Until now, only the board of directors gave a grade, but now the supporters also comment on transfers, results or playing style. In an interview with eSport, the developer explains to us on what basis the fan profiles are created and which categories there are.
A total of six profile types are available in FM 23: Hardcore, Core Group, Family, Fairweather, Entrepreneur and Casual. The former group “represents the most loyal and passionate part of the fan base”. The core “represents the average football fan”, while family supporters “tend to be moderate and patient”.
The fair-weather fan, on the other hand, is quite different. The latter “is particularly impatient”. Entrepreneurs, on the other hand, are “primarily interested in the stadium’s facilities and the club’s marketability. Should things not go so well on the pitch, it can be assumed that the casual fan type will not be found in the stadium. “He is less passionate and loyal than the average fan,” says Sports Interactive.
Notorious chaos clubs also in Football Manager?
Each club has an individual breakdown of these groupings. How big the proportions are in each case is not randomly chosen, but determined according to certain parameters of reality. For comparison: “A team from a lower league fighting against relegation probably has fewer fair-weather fans in its ranks. This means that the general following is likely to be more forgiving if progress is slow. However, a top team fighting for the title is likely to raise very different expectations. “
What these are can be seen in the “Fan Profile” section. If these expectations are not met, the confidence of the supporters sinks. And the pressure on the board grows. At clubs like FC Schalke 04, this may well lead to a dismissal even in the game, although the sporting goals have been achieved. “While the board tends to focus on goals – be they financial or strategic – fans tend to focus on identity, performances against important rivals and the achievements of individual players,” explains the developer.
You have to be ready to devour “every scrap of information “
To ensure that the distribution of followers reflects reality, Sports Interactive hosts a team “of more than 1,300 senior scouts and assistants around the world”. Of the staff, SI tells us, “They tend to be well versed in their local clubs and leagues, regularly follow first-team matches and devour every scrap of information about their club or league. Whether it’s a club’s finances or the history of the competition.”
Those pursuing this role must be “prepared to watch youth and development teams wherever possible and have a desire to represent players and personnel at all levels as accurately as possible.” Meanwhile, some former members of the team have also “taken up scouting roles with clubs such as Hertha BSC, Watford FC and Plymouth Argyle. “
Influence on the board of directors is also identified – Console version without fan profile
To determine the respective fan attributes for each club, each attribute is measured on a scale of 1 to 20. These attributes include things like loyalty or passion and reflect the nature of a fan base. This is then used in combination “with other factors such as club reputation, league reputation and historical success to create a picture of each club’s fan base”.
The percentages come from these calculations. “Our scouts were also asked to consider the influence of a fan base on the chairman or chief executive to come up with the ‘influence of fans on the board’ metric. This was also done with a scale of 1 to 20. We want to make each club unique,” concludes Sports Interactive.
As already judged in our test, the feature brings life to the simulation. However, not every Football Manager player will be able to enjoy it. The fan profile is not available in the console version. It is unclear whether this will be made up for next year. Meanwhile, it is known that FM 24 will be “the last of its kind”.
