A complete rundown of the new and improved features for this year's footy management masterpiece.

NEW SIGNINGS

A mass of new features will debut in Football Manager 2006 and improve an already immersive gaming experience...

Team-talks

Use new half-time team talks to motivate individual players. You must decide whether to issue a rollicking or use the softly-softly approach to coax your side into putting in a better performance. At full-time you can address your players too, choosing your words carefully to avoid a backlash from huffy stars.

In-game tutorial

An essential guide for the Football Manager newcomer, running to 30,000 easily navigable words and linking to all the screens you'll need to ensure you can enjoy every aspect of the world's best management game.

New injury module

Injuries have been overhauled so your physios report to you, rather than you having to request information from them. You'll now get in-depth injury analysis and options for treating your stars.

Go one-on-one... Unhappy player interactions

Interact with unhappy players to meet problems head on and try to reverse the low morale of key members of your squad. Dropped a player for a big game? Now you've got the man himself to answer to.

Manager contracts

In response to demand from FM fans contracts have been included so you can negotiate your terms of employment with the board and even haggle over transfer funds, giving you more power as a boss 

Take a snapshot

The new snapshot page gives you an indispensable overview of the key stats and info that really matter to you as a manager. Here you can glance at you budget, fixtures and tons of other stats without visiting multiple screens.

Touchline commands

Shout instructions from the dugout with a new 'quick tactics' option, so you needn't wait for a break in play to direct your players.

Go graphical

Baffled by stats? In Football Manager 2006 you can opt to view player info in easy-to-read bar charts instead of numerically. Your finances are far easier to manage with a new graphical option too.

Height and weight

For the first time ever height and weight are included in player stats to make for even more realistic contests on the field of play - now you can really press home your side's physical advantage 

New tactics panel

Edit your team's individual tactics on a straightforward, single screen. Now you'll really feel as if you've got the players in a huddle while you dish out your instructions.

Oi, ref!... Referee profiles

Now the boys in black have profiles so you can see exactly how harsh they'll be. A league table of refs' performance will help you prepare your side to avoid strife with the man in the middle. 

Expand the FM universe

Get some bodies in your squad or snap up promising youngsters by offering contracts to your 'greyed out' players. If they accept, they'll be added to the game's bursting database.

Instant replay

Key highlights are now replayed immediately so you can pick apart every crucial moment of a game. Where did it all go wrong? What did you boys get right? You'll have a better idea in FM2006 than ever before.

Formation panel

See your team's and your opponent's line-up updated live on the match screen - there's no need to halt the excitement by pausing play.

More, helpful new screens

New Player Form a nd Player Stats screens cut through the pages of stats to give managers an at-a-glance guide to their players' performances.

Ticker tape

Configure a news ticker to feed you information and breaking stories from around the footballing globe.

Quick flicks

Jump to key screens more easily with new 'quick flick' buttons.

Fair play

Extra places in European competition are on offer for teams with the best disciplinary records - just like real football.

RAISING THE BAR... THE IMPROVEMENTS

FM 2006 developers Sports Interactive have revisited existing features to add more depth, more accessibility and more fun. Here's how...

More tactics...

Your options on the chalkboard are more wide-ranging than ever. Now you can fine-tune more tactics in more depth, ask players to interchange positions, give more precise target man instructions and even indulge in a bit of time-wasting.

More faces...

Football Manager's legendary database of players, managers and staff increases again from the 250,000+ in FM2005 to over 275,000 in Football Manager 2006 - a move that breathes more life into an already teeming football universe. 

More choice...

Select from well over 5,000 teams in 50 countries to ensure you never face the same managerial challenge twice.

Better training...

Now coaching your players is far easier and quicker with a brand new training module that ensures you get the most from your staff and you can easily monitor the effects of your routines.

Better analysis...

An advanced positions feature now complements the basic version so you can judge exactly how well players will perform in unfamiliar roles and uncover their preferred moves, enabling you to build tactics to suit your stars.

More info...

Now you get reports on the man of the match in your reserve and youth team games, not just your top side's matches. If someone deserves his chance in the first team, you'll know about it.

More realistic...

Ex-Liverpool and Republic Of Ireland legend Ray Houghton has once again provided his expert insight as part of SI's wholesale improvement of every aspect of the match engine. Now matches are more realistic than ever.

Media revolution...

Reflecting the increasing importance of media in the modern game, FM 2006 uses a new 'player bio' system to generate thousands of news stories to flesh out the personalities in the game. There'll also be far more media hype and feedback from experts and fans through the Press in stories that go into more detail than ever before.

More accessible...

Football Manager 2006 is so easy to navigate as SI have focused on reducing the number of mouse clicks needed to access the information you want. The changes will help newcomers and veterans alike.

New match graphics...

The look of the match engine has been improved to feature dugouts, technical areas and a handy icon that appears when your player has picked up a minor knock so you'll no longer play on with a player in pain... unless you have to.

More official...

With a raft of new licences, there are more official kits in Football Manager 2006 than ever before. Plus, kits have been visually enhanced in the game, thanks to community support.

Better commentary...

The number of match comments has been upped again to improve realism and ensure games are more exciting than ever.

Better online play...

Packet size has been optimised on screens with a large bandwidth requirement to make for quicker, more enjoyable network play.

Better comparison...

A new look Compare Players screen makes weighing up two potential signings easier than ever.

It's quicker...

Creating games and loading times have been slashed without any loss of gameplay depth.

Better saves...

Save game files have been compressed so they take up less room on your hard drive.