It could be that modern managers are now at a sort of disadvantage if they don’t take Football Manager seriously. Journalist Lee Hall used to edit the Official Football Manager magazine and now writes for the Professional Footballers Association Magazine, for which he recently dug up a story about Alex McLeish. “When he was manager of Rangers, he was tipped off by his son, a keen FM fan, about a young kid he’d spotted playing for Barcelona B. Alex’s son said he should sign the player, but McLeish ignored the advice, saying he’d never hear of him. The player was Lionel Messi.”