Thursday, October 31 2002
TCM 2003 Manager Diaries
The official site (http://www.totalclubmanager.com) has posted up 2 new manager diaries. A Manager Diary is generally an account of ones in-game experience. The 2 new ones added include Freddy Pepper managing Forest Hall AFC of the Northern League (Freddy created it with the editor and put them in conference) and Stephen Anugwom's experiences with Wimbledon FC. Other than these two there are 5 others Diaries including Diddie with Chelsea, Simon Jacobs with Barcelona and many more.
Posted by Flame

Wednesday, October 30 2002
More on the patch
The first official patch has successfully gone through testing level one. However, aparently the next testing level is far more comprahensive so even if it does get through successfully it will still be at least a matter of days away. However, it is good to hear that EA are putting this patch under immense testing to iron out the bugs.

Also, Gerald Koelher (lead designer of TCM 2003) has told me that there is an additional feature in the game which will be revealed with the patch. I'm assuming that it is an "easter egg" of sorts, but we will have to wait and see.
Posted by Andrew

Tuesday, October 29 2002
Official Patch in Testing
The official patch is now well into the testing phase. This means that the patch is complete and if it gets through the testing phase successfully it will be released soon. Nova from EA Sports said:

"The patch has been submitted to the two levels of test department we have at this EA UK office. Both CQC and QA are running it through the testing processes we have ready for it.

No release date at the moment, as it strongly depends on how swiftly it makes it through and also what feedback is submitted back from those two departments."

Also, on Saturday I mentioned that the official update will include the "In-Game Physics Update" made by me. However, it was too late to include it in the patch so it obviously won't feature. However, you can still download the "In-Game Physics Update 2.0" from our Downloads Centre.
Posted by Andrew

Another Training Guide
We have added another training guide. This training guide, writen by Rockpsl76 (from the www.totalclubmanager.com forum), is simple to read and gives you constructive hints and tips on how to improve your teams fitness and fatigue. This guide, along with the others, can be accessed through the General Guides section.
Posted by Andrew

Monday, October 28 2002
Portraits and More
Here's what today's downloads update consists of:

• Ajax 02-03 Portraits
• Athletic Club de Bilbao Portraits
• Feyenoord Portraits
• PSV Portraits
• Sevilla FC Portraits
• Villareal CF Portraits
• Ajax Amsterdam Portraits
• Dhurgården IF Update 1.0

Sunday, October 27 2002
Patch News
It has been confirmed by Noam (EA Sports Database Supervisor) that a new database editor will be included in the next patch. Could this contain the stadium editor we do not know but probably not. Other than that, the patch will also fix lots of bugs including "3d Match Mode not working with High End Computers" and "Game Crashing".

Other than that, I will give you an update on the MegaPatch. We are almost ready for our first release. I am also working on a Mega Patch mini site which hopefully will be up in a week.

If you want to be part of this on going project contact me at flame@soccergaming.com.
Posted by Flame

Saturday, October 26 2002
Physics Update v2.0 Released
The second version of the Physics Update has been released. The first version was good enough to be included in the upcoming official patch, here are the the changes in version 2.0:

• Crosses go further, there are even headed goals off crosses
  
• Few more physics fixes
  
• More chances of players getting injured
  
• Referees are stricter, with more cards being given

• Man Utd Portraits & Shirt Numbers Fix
  
• Newcastle Portraits & Shirt Numbers Fix

Patch News
There is no official release date for the patch yet, although we have this news from EA Sports:

"I can confirm that it has reached a final build stage. It will be handed over to complete a series of very in depth testing processes here in the UK. At any time during this process it could go back to development for another build."

Also, I can let you know that the "In-Game Physics Patch 1.0" will be included in the official patch. The physics patch is available (with a second version coming soon) from the Downloads Centre, while full information on the patch is available here.
Posted by Andrew

Good Players
There are now 109 players in the Players Guides section. New players are being added and rated all the time to make your role as a manager easier. Make sure you check it out and if you want to add a player you can do so.
Posted by Andrew

Saturday, October 19 2002
TCM 2003 Online Wins Award
The EA Sports' Total Club Manager 2003 official site has given TCM 2003 Online the 'Premiership Award' for our "outstanding work". We'd like to thank EA Sports for recognising our work. To visit the official site and view the other award winners head over to www.totalclubmanager.com.

In other news, Total Club Manager 2003 has dropped to number 6 on the full-price PC-CD UK charts. It is the 4th week that TCM 2003 has been in the top 6 after reaching number one a few weeks ago.
Posted by Andrew

Friday, October 18 2002
Player Affairs in TCM 2003
Norweigen defender, Henning Berg and Swedish Goalkeeper, Magnus Kihlstedt, have expressed their outrage of the inclusion of affairs in TCM 2003. While English based Norweigen players John Arne Riise, Ole Gunnar Solskjær, along with Valencia's John Carew, have defended the feature and have even suggested they want to buy the game because it sounds interesting. If you can understand the language then check out what Henning Berg has to say, and see the response by clicking here.

Have your say on whether you think this is a good idea or not by voting in the opinion poll to the right.
Posted by Andrew

Variety of TCM 2003 Files
Today's lot of downloads includes a good variety.

• Europe Patch
  
• Ajax Team Update
  
• Roda JC Portraits
  
• Dutch Badges Pack
  
• Portuguese 2nd Division Badges
  
• Portuguese 1st Division Badges (v2.0)

Sunday, October 13 2002
TCM Turkey Patch
TCM Turkey is currently creating a patch for TCM 2003 that will be released in a few days.

Here are the details:

• Turkey, Spain and Italy's first leagues real kits
• Turkey, England, Italy, Spain's badges
• Updated Leagues, clubs and players
• About 500 player and staffs portraits

More TCM 2003 Portraits and Badges
A lot more portraits and badges added today, including:

• AS Roma Portraits
• Ajax Portraits
• Nottingham Forest Portraits
• Torino Portraits
• Roma Portraits
• Reggina Portraits
• Piacenza Portraits
• Eastern Europe Badges

Friday, October 11 2002
TCM 2003 Patch
EA Sports has announced that more details about the patch. The patch will fix tons of bugs such as the game being slower after a couple of seasons, player comparison crashes and training screen crashes. The 3d mode should now also work on all high end computers. This patch will also once again update the database like the previous patch plus it adds two more stadiums to the game, Anfield and Highbury.

For more information click here.

Posted by Flame

Badges and Portraits
Three more badges and one portrait pack in today's lot of downloads:

• Western Europe Badges
• UK & Ireland Badges
• Greek Badges
• Manchester United Portraits

Thursday, October 10 2002
Confirmation
Could this be confirmation that EA SPORTS will release a patch that fixes TCM 2003 bugs? Well this is what Noam (Database Supervisor of EA SPORTS) posted in the official forum as an answer to one of the many bug questions.
-----------------
RabsterUK - Has anyone come accross this problem using the editor to add a new league? I have added a league of 10 teams and the corresponding fixtures need to be played over 4 rounds to equal 36 games. For some reason the editor does not save 4 rounds. If I change to 2 or 3 rounds then the setting is kept but not for 4.
Noam - It has not been forgotten, it will be fixed with the upcoming patch.
-----------------
So could this short post be a confirmation? Check back for more info.
Posted by Flame

Magazine Reviews
Recently 442 and Independent reviewed Total Club Manager 2003. They both gave Total Club Manager a high rating of 4/5. To read the full review purchase 442 or Independent at your closest Book Store/ Magazine Stand.

4-4-2 Magazine
Review: October Issue.
Rating: 4/5
'MP3's aside, there's very little here that you won't find elsewhere. It's just that EA have done it so much better and produced a management game that excels by doing the basics very, very well - a bit like Bobby himself.'

The Independent
Review: 5th October
Rating: 4/5
'Taking players behind the scenes of the gritty world of football management, TCM delves deeper than any other game has done before.'
Posted by Flame

Wednesday, October 9 2002
Relegated to number 3 on UK charts
It seems that EA Sports Total Club Manager 2003's reign at the top of the UK charts is over. It has dropped to number three on the full price PC-CD games, behind two big-name newcomers; Unreal Tournament 2003 has taken up second place, while The Sims Unleashed has gone to the top. However, TCM 2003 certainly hasn't been disgraced, and if you would like a copy of the game (especially if it's not available in your area) you can buy it from the Soccer Gaming Shop.
Posted by Andrew

What makes TCM 2003 good?
There is a new poll to the right, asking "What sets TCM 2003 apart from the rest?" You can select from five different options. Even if you don't like the game you can still vote, with the option to choose "Nothing".
Posted by Andrew

Tuesday, October 8 2002
Italian Team Portraits
Portraits for six more Italian teams:

• Lazio Portraits
• Juventus Portraits
• AC Milan Portraits
• Parma Portraits
• Perugia Portraits
• Modena Portraits

Sunday, October 6 2002
Today's Download Update
Four more files today:

• Inter Milan Portraits
• Bologna Portraits
• Atalanta Portraits
• Art Money Trainer

Cheats Page
I have updated the cheats page. Ever had problems with money in the middle of the season? Ever wanted to buy the whole English National Team? Well we got a solution. With the Art Money trainer (which you can download from the download center) you can change the amount of money in the bank. I have written a detailed guide on how to use the trainer. If you still have problems with using the trainer than don't hesitate to post the problem over at the Soccer Gaming forum.
Posted by Flame

Friday, October 4 2002
Friday's Downloads Update
Here are a few more downloads for you to download:

• Dinamo Tbilisi Team Update
• Coventry City Portraits
• Complete English Badges Pack

Thursday, October 3 2002
New Staff Member
Hi, I am from the other TCM Online (http://www.faplm.com). Well, my site now no longer exists because of some problems. So now I am working with this site. I will be adding some sections and will be working on the megapatch with our German partners FM Source. If you would like to help out with the data for the patch then email me.
Posted by Flame

Wednesday, October 2 2002
A Couple More TCM 2003 Downloads
A couple more files for TCM 2003:

• In-Game Physics Update 1.0
• Portuguese 1st Division Badges

Player Guides Open
Today we are pleased to present you with the Player Guides section. In this section we aim to list all the best buys in the game to make your search for the perfect player easier. Each player is listed with all their important details, with you able to comment and rate each player. There are just under 100 players already and we encourage you to send in your favourite players through the user-freindly "Add a Player" feature. Go to the Player Guides section by clicking on the link to the left.
Posted by Andrew

Tuesday, October 1 2002
TCM 2003 is Number One
After we brought you the news last week about TCM 2003 reaching number two on the UK charts, it has gone one better and is now at number one. This is terrific news for EA Sports and Soccer Games in general, proving it can compete with other highly popular genres. It is on top, with Battlefield: 1942 (last weeks no. one) in second place.
Posted by Andrew

Today's TCM 2003 Downloads Update
3 more great files for you to download:

• Arsenal Team Update
• Chelsea Photos and Shirt Numbers Fix
• Liverpool Photos and Shirt Numbers Fix