While it won’t be released in 2009, the next installment in the popular (extremely popular in the UK) football management series, the aptly named Football Manager, has had its release date announced. November 14th for PC and Mac (as well as the PSP) is the date to scribble in your diaries, especially if you’re in the UK and mad about footie. Two recently released YouTube videos, showing off the new features of the 2009 edition, achieved numbers one and two in the ‘Most Viewed’ category in the UK and the top 20 across the world. The UK love their football.

The new features include a fully 3D match view, showing off the match as it happens, brought to you by Sega’s in-house motion capture studio to reflect realistic player movement on the pitch. You can watch the match from multiple camera angles as well re-watch matches with fast-forward and rewind capabilities, while customising the information you see on-screen in a new full-screen TV view option.

Also in Football Manager 2009, an Assistant Manager is on-hand to help you get the most out of your team, and you are now able to attend press conferences with local and national journalists. Additionally, wannabe managers will have access to transfer rumours as you buy and sell players, while training players to use specific, or ‘preferred’ moves to carry out your game plan. Also new to this edition is the ability to play as a female manager.

If all that isn’t enough, Football Manager 2009 comes complete with the new 2009/09 football season with all of the latest league, club and player data, featuring over 5000 playable clubs from over 50 countries and 350 000 players and staff from around the world. Even if you don’t like football management games, it must be said that that’s a lot of new features.