I’m now more than a week into my football management career with Bromley FC and I have to say it’s not going very well at Hayes Lane.

It’s not for the want of trying as I’ve been busy so far during my short time in charge at the Conference South club.

I’ve got to know my squad, I’ve worked with them through pre-season and by averaging one or two matches a night we’ve already played through a quarter of the league schedule.

Unfortunately my efforts haven’t so far been rewarded by great performances on the pitch or results. After 10 league games Bromley have only managed nine points including just two wins.

We’ve played some nice stuff up front, but defensively we have been a shambles and given away far too many sloppy goals.

I’m going to keep going though. There are some glimmers of hope and hopefully I’ll have enough time to turn things around before the dreaded axe falls.

While my team’s endeavours haven’t been up to much, the game in which this epic footballing story is unfolding has performed much better.

News Shopper:

Football Manager Classic 2015 is easily the best game of its kind available on tablets and is way better than the previously released Football Manager Handheld which it effectively supersedes.

Classic is a mode which has been playable in the FM home computer game for a couple of years. While it’s a streamlined experience compared to the full-blown behemoth main mode, with a few shortcuts that allow time-pressed players to get through seasons much quicker, it still provides a deep and complex simulation.

FMC 2015 is the first time this mode has been ported across to tablets, and overall Sports Interactive has done a very good job.

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There are various reasons why FMC is a Messi compared to the average Premier League player that is Football Manager Handheld and the League 2 duffers that are the rest of the games in its genre, but two things in particular really stand out.

The first of these is depth, especially when it comes to setting up tactics before and during matches. There is a vast array of options, with managers able to tweak every facet of their team in minute detail. It goes way beyond just formation and team mentality here - you can drill down and assign each individual player a detailed set of instructions for how you want them to play.

The other area where FMC excels is the 3D match engine, which provides a great visual representation of how your players are performing under those directions you’ve issued.

FMC combines being able to actually watch matches as if you’re stood in the technical area (rather than just look at flat circles bob about the screen) with being able to alter much of your team’s set-up from the touchline – and the end result is something far more advanced than any other football manager game on tablets can offer. The game manages to create the feeling that you’re really in control and that every little decision has an effect – and it’s thoroughly compelling.

News Shopper:

On the pitch the game is exciting and absorbing. Off the pitch there are a couple of areas where it falls down slightly.

The first of these is a lack of interaction. During the many hours I’ve already played so far I’ve not once had the opportunity to interact with the media or engage with any of my playing staff.

Even at a relatively lowly club like Bromley you’d expect newspapers (such as News Shopper) and radio stations to be asking questions, but there’s been nothing.

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As a manager at any club you’d expect to be able to talk to you players, even on a basic level of praising or criticising them for their recent performances. But, again, unless I’ve missed it, there isn’t a way to do any of this.

Talking to the press and working with players are big parts of the football manager’s job and not being able to communicate leaves the game feeling a bit hollow at times.

News Shopper:

The second slightly disappointing area is the touchscreen controls. The interface feels like it’s been transferred across from a PC screen rather than being entirely native to tablets. Some of the touch areas seem a little unresponsive at times, and some of the game’s many menus can be tricky to navigate such as scrolling lists of player names.

Despite some shortcoming, FMC is still an excellent game and I’m really pleased to see it on tablets. I lavished praise on Football Manager Handheld when it first came out a few years back, but I have also been critical in the past couple of seasons when that series hasn’t advanced or improved. Sports Interactive taking its mobile/portable offering forward in the form of Classic is a great move and I hope it becomes a permanent fixture from now on in future years.

If you’re a footy fan, don’t mind splashing out £14.99 on a game and have an iPad Air or high-end Android tablet, FMC 2015 is an essential purchase.

8 out of 10