Playing Football Manager 2021 can be a truly fist-chewing, desk-thumping, rant-shouting experience - and a good part of that is down the game's use of VAR.
To the credit of Sports Interactive, they have absolutely nailed VAR. The whole concept of a video referee scrutinising the biggest calls of a match is something that has tarnished the beautiful game for many football fans, and this system has now been implemented in FM.
It's maybe a little tough to truly rate this as a Down, for SI has managed to perfectly encapsulate the emotion and oft-annoyance drummed up by VAR
Likewise, another sad reality that FM has delivered is the impending Brexit that's on the horizon, which in football terms means restrictions on foreign players for English clubs. By the time of early 2021, players may have to change their approach or even their playing squad once Brexit arrives.
Again though, it's hard to really label either VAR or Brexit as a negative, for it's merely Football Manager mirroring the real world. That still doesn't make both VAR and Brexit a massive pain in the backside for players, though.
Once described as the Swiss Army Knife of WhatCulture, Andrew can usually be found writing, editing, or presenting on a wide range of topics.
As a lifelong wrestling fan, horror obsessive, and comic book nerd, he's been covering those topics professionally as far back as 2010. In addition to his current WhatCulture role of Senior Content Producer and Presenter, Andrew previously spent nearly a decade as Online Editor and Lead Writer for the world's longest-running genre publication, Starburst Magazine, and his work has also been featured on BBC, TechRadar, Tom's Guide, WhatToWatch, Sportkskeeda, and various other outlets, in addition to being a Rotten Tomatoes-approved film critic.
Between his main day job, his role as lead panel host of Wales Comic Con, and his gig as a pre-match host for Wrexham AFC games, Andrew has also carried out a hugely varied amount of interviews, from the likes of Robert Englund and Eli Roth to Kevin Smith and the Russo Brothers, to Kevin Conroy and Frank Miller, to Bret Hart and Sting, to Mickey Thomas, Joey Jones, Phil Parkinson, and Brian Flynn, to many, many more. Where his beloved Wrexham AFC is concerned, Andrew is a long-standing season ticket holder and an FSA Award-winner for his time co-hosting the Fearless in Devotion podcast.
