Development and release Football Manager 3, while already planned when Toms was still working with Prism Leisure on the
World Cup Edition, was created without any involvement from the series' creator. Toms cited "artistic differences" for the breakdown in the relationship between himself and Prism. the game was finally released at the end of 1992. Although versions were planned and advertised for all platforms
Football Manager 2 had been released on,
Gameplay The game is completely redesigned and bears little resemblance to the previous instalments. The game centres around a graphical screen of the manager's office with different parts of the game accessed by clicking on various items (e.g. the computer screen for results and fixtures, the picture of the team for training, and the like). The game features a full 92 team league system (including the
Charity Shield for the first time) and the teams begin the first season in the correct divisions (the 1991–1992 season for most versions, the 1992–1993 season including the newly formed
Premier League in the C64 version). As in previous game, the player's team will always begin in the bottom division; however, the players do not resemble real footballers and have random names (always shown with middle initials). The game always begins with a team of aging players with low skill ratings. There is much more detail for individual player attributes with three endurance and five skill values that can be altered through training. Each player also has a face which is shown when picking the team. Player contracts have to be negotiated and out of contract players will leave the club. The transfer market is much improved with each team in the league having named players for the first time with histories that can be studied when deciding to buy a new player. The matches are shown side-on with the whole pitch on screen. They are also meant to represent the whole game rather than edited highlights. Text commentary is shown at the bottom of the screen as the match is played. Unlike the previous two games, there is no chance to change tactics or substitute at half time. The team talk and reporter elements are also removed in this version.
Reception The game was not as well received as previous versions. Philip Lindey in
Sinclair User suggested it was "difficult to get excited about
Football Manager 3", and that it was overpriced, giving an overall score of 73%.
Stuart Campbell in
Your Sinclair thought the game was "not quite up to the standard of
Football Manager 2, to be honest, with vastly inferior presentation and graphics, and lots of hanging around while the computer thinks and doesn't seem to be working properly", giving a score of 70%. Also arguing it did not live up to
Football Manager 2,
Amstrad Action awarded the game only 38%, ==Legacy==