CM 03/04 Revisited

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Having held off as long as possible during the Coronavirus lockdown I finally succumbed to the lure of another stint of Championship Manager, CM 03/04 was my first experience of the series so the one I’m always drawn back to, although I quite like Football Manager 2005 as well.

An initial struggle with getting the game to load on Windows 10 was overcome after installing the two patches (and much frustration), so the big decision of whom to start with. I recall previously starting off with Norwich (the team I support), Wimbledon (severe financial problems) and Woking (random bottom of the ladder team).

I opt for Norwich once again, they start in the Championship First Division and in real life gained promotion in 2003/04 although the virtual Delia and her board are more lenient and only expect mid-table with a budget of 510k.

The first pre-season friendly is a wake-up call as we get demolished by Galatasary 4-1, next up are Scunthorpe, Bournemouth and Mansfield, who prove to be more our level with two draws and a defeat.

Reinforcements may be required, so left winger Lionel Morgan is bought from financial stricken Wimbledon for 180k, injured for a month but he should be worth the wait. A tweak in formation leads to confidence boosting friendly wins against Everton and Brighton round off pre-season.

This in the shape of the squad heading into the season.

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