James Milner tried everything to sign himself on Championship Manager - but always failed

Liverpool midfielder James Milner is consistent, versatile, a great leader, and all round manager's dream, and as he found out the hard way, most clubs are unwilling to part with him

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Sport

Patrick Austen-Hardy Senior Sports Journalist

16:07, 02 Nov 2022

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Milner was high on his own player radar on Championship Manager(Image: YouTube/This Is Anfield)

Every football manager has had that one transfer target who always seemed to evade their grasp.

Whether it is pesky agents, sky high transfer fees or, on rare occasions, surprising showings of loyalty, some prospects will always be out of reach. And that was the case for Liverpool midfielder James Milner, who could never agree a deal to sign his dream transfer target - himself.

The beloved former England international spent much of his spare time nurturing his beloved local side Guiseley, taking them to the pinnacle of the Champions League on the iconic football video game. But while he achieved plenty for the Leeds based football team, he could never quite secure the signature of one of the most famous players to emanate from the area.

This reminds me, actually, Milner said in his book James Milner Ask a Footballer. I used to play Championship Manager quite a lot. I played as Leeds when I was younger, but what I also liked doing was taking over Guiseley and trying to take them up from non-league.

The best I ever did was getting them into the Champions League. They even expanded the stadium to 13,000 capacity, which, if youve seen Nethermoor Park, would be quite a transformation.

I cant remember who I signed, but I was relying heavily on loans. I was ahead of my time, clearly. But no matter how hard I tried, I could never manage to sign myself for Guiseley.

What football players have you been unable to sign on Championship Manager, FIFA, or Football Manager? Let us know in the comments section below

[Milner was never able to secure his own signature on Championship manager when he was at Leeds]

Milner was never able to secure his own signature on Championship manager when he was at Leeds

I never had enough money to get as far as getting Leeds or Newcastle, or whoever to accept an offer for me, never mind being able to offer myself personal terms.

Milner even delved as low as shamelessly using his press conferences and managers to try and tap up a young James Milner, with charm, schmoozing, and endless compliments.

So instead, I would just try to get as far as getting Leeds or Newcastle or whoever to accept an offer for me, never mind being able to offer myself personal terms, Milner added. "So instead I would just try to keep an eye on myself, check I was doing all right.

I would make a comment about my pretend self in the pretend media every now and then, just to boost my morale. Praise James Milners recent performances. What are you doing, mate? What are you talking about him? Youre manager of Guiseley.

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