Summary
Overview
In the inaugural episode of Last Match Then Bed, host Tom Crane and guest Josh Widdicombe explore their shared obsession with Championship Manager 97-98. The pair discuss their playing styles, favorite signings, and the game's addictive qualities before making the show's first major decision: selecting Leyton Orient as the team to manage throughout the series. Josh shares stories of his teenage addiction, including editing the game to create an unstoppable squad, while the duo explore various Division 3 teams and their hidden gems.
Introduction to Championship Manager Obsession
Tom Crane introduces the podcast concept and welcomes Josh Widdicombe as the first guest. They immediately bond over their shared history with Championship Manager 97-98, including a memorable Cornwall holiday where they'd escape to play the game in Tom's car. Josh explains his philosophy that the game creates a complete fantasy world where you have control, making it more about filling in details yourself than modern games with excessive graphics.
- The podcast will follow a Championship Manager 97-98 save with a different guest assistant manager each week
- Tom and Josh used to play Championship Manager together during a Cornwall holiday, escaping to Tom's car with the laptop
- Josh describes the game as a 'complete transportation into a fantasy world' where you have control
- The genius of Championship Manager was dealing with unknown players through numbers, letting imagination fill the gaps
" It is a complete transportation into a fantasy world of which you have control. I think that's exactly it. I think not only do you have control, there are so infinite permutations of the way in which you fashion that world. "
" The genius championship manager, the players' numbers. Before that, you had stuff like Premier Manager, where it would have a literal score, midfield, or it would be passing, 78. But because it was kind of ethereal and there was a slight dealing with the unknown. "
Josh's Championship Manager History and Playing Style
Josh reveals his deep history with the Championship Manager series, starting with Championship Manager Italia for £5 on the Amiga around 1993-94. He describes his tactical approach of playing a narrow 4-1-2-1-2 formation, avoiding wingers entirely, and his unusual method of evaluating players by 'vibing' with their stat shapes rather than reading individual numbers. This unconventional approach came from being so familiar with the game that he could feel player quality intuitively.
- Josh started with Championship Manager Italia for £5 on the Amiga around 1993-94, watching Italian football because he didn't have Sky
- His tactical formation was 4-1-2-1-2, avoiding wingers completely as they were 'a complete waste of time'
- Josh evaluated players by 'vibing' with stat shapes rather than reading individual numbers, comparing it to reading without thinking about individual letters
- He would use average rating and goals more than actual stats once the season started
" I'd go in first thing my first team talk I would say is a moment on the lips a lifetime on the hips and at half time I'd say nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. "
" I wasn't reading it. You know how when you read a book, you don't say that's an R, that's an O, that's a B. I think if you play Tremors of Rage 97, 98 and F, you're not seeing the stats. You're just feeling it. "
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