I was walking the streets the other day, singing along to 'Rent' by the Pet Shop Boys and earning loads of funny looks (can't think why) when who should I bump into Daniel S from Project CM. I ignored the fact that our meeting was a virtual impossibility as he lived in Singapore and I in Greater Manchester, and instead proceeded to probe him vigorously on his website, Championship Manager, the scene, and like a couple of old tossers we even chucked in some discussion about the weather.

When and why did you start Project CM?

In Singapore, we need to serve National Service for 2 - 2.5 years and I felt that was a good time to learn something useful apart from letting my brain degenerate in the Army. That's when I started learning html in 1999 and practised it by making the first version of Project CM. At that time it was a dodgy little site that no one visited. Well, perhaps a couple of hits per day.

Despite being labelled as a 'comment site' you also include graphics on Project CM, for which I in particular am very grateful (this site wouldn't exist without their free web template, unless I half-inched one from somewhere else). Do you think this aspect is popular, with such dedicated graphics sites as FLM providing the opposition?

I would love it if people started visiting PCM for the articles, but from the stat service I employ, player lists, tactics and menubars are the most treaded sections, so I guess many do at least browse through our graphics. But I would be the first to admit that our creations are nowhere near the standards that FLM have come to set, but we do provide alternatives to colourful menubars that might lose a few points on the practicality side.

Is there ever a point when you might start looking at including editors, patches and other downloads, perhaps with reviews of these?

We actually did for a while, but without any fervour. Prior to the relaunch, I wondered why we should put up something on our site which wasn't the fruits of our own labour. In future we might consider reviewing downloads, but only if we start producing our own freeware.

At CM Stuff, I draw inspiration for articles from current real-life happenings. How do you decide what to write about on Project CM?

Sometimes forums serve up large doses of inspiration, when fresh ideas are actually tossed about amidst loads of drivel. But being a Singaporean and not really tuned to the daily workings and history of real-life football management in the powerful footballing countries, I sometimes borrow books from the library to enrich my knowledge. I've read a few by sports journalists and they have provided me with some useful insight that could be applicable to what I write about.

You also include a number of articles about football directly. Are you concerned that with an entire newspaper industry putting their muscle into (so-called) quality football journalism, that readers will ignore your input in favour of the 'inkies'? Or do you feel you really have something different to say?

I don't think we're trying to compete with the biggies in any way. Our job is not to provide live scores and match reports. What we write are sometimes just personal views on particular issues which are close at heart. We don't say how Venables could have an effect on Leeds, but if the Irish had won the World Cup, I'm sure a few of our staff would have plenty to cheer about in their columns.

I'm impressed with the vibrant community you've got going on the Project CM forum. Is there anything particular you do to keep the interest up, or are your readers inherently mouthy and just like the platform?

Well I guess they are! But we've got a handful of members who come by almost every day to chat and I suppose it's contagious. PCM is lucky to have had quite a few regulars since Day 1 and this has created quite a closely-knit community in the forums.

What can we expect from Project CM in the future?

We don't have any big plans concealed at the moment. Come to think of it, we never do. But the staff members are constantly putting new ideas on the meeting table and if we do come out with something exciting, it's most likely to be impromptu. But at the moment, we haven't set our sights on anything big. Yet.

When did you first get into CM?

That was 9 years ago when I starting playing CM 93.

Favourite team?

In real life I'm a Chelsea supporter but I rarely manage them in the game and I don't know why. I try to change clubs as often as possible to maximise the playability of the game, but somehow always find myself managing Cheltenham at some point.

Favourite player(s) and tactic?

For whatever reason, Mike Duff of Cheltenham. Fav tactic must be the 4-3-1-2. Until it's cracked. I would then change to the 4-1-3-2.

What single thing really irritates you about playing CM? For me it's getting to a certain level and finding I can't get the players I want because they're too attached to their current clubs - I mean, what more can I do?

I never play beyond 4 or 5 seasons. At that time, unknown players would start creeping out and I would find myself struggling to come to terms with managing imaginary players. Plus I hate to see legends retiring one after another. Ryan Giggs at 32? That's painful.

How long do your games last in general? Have you ever played a game that lasts for years, with you jumping from club to club?

Well, as said, mostly 4-5 seasons. I usually start from the lower divisions than try to land lucrative jobs after a season or 2.

A question on CM4. In 'Weekend Whine' I recently suggested that the game can hardly be improved to accommodate the full-scale overhaul that many people seem to be looking forward to in CM4. What do you think?

I think CM4 is going to fall short of expectations regardless of the quality put forth, because people are suddenly starting to expect an un-CM like game come v4. Whereas other games might go the route of putting in excellent graphics and detailed scenarios to navigate in, CM has always been a game which lets the gamer's imagination rule the show. And I fancy that to still be the case in CM4.

If Sigh Games came up to you and said they would make one change to CM to meet your demand, what would it be?

That they actually start pumping in more money to advertise CM as a game for everybody, not just for those interested in football. I hate to see Warcraft being mentioned in every newspaper and Eidos actually saying that their main game is Tomb Raider. CM deserves more respect in the gaming domain and I think SI have been too passive in elevating the status of the game.

Content or Resource? What do you look for in a CM site?

Sifting through player lists and guides no longer makes sense now, so what I look for are articles that can keep me engrossed for a good few minutes. Or else if there's a fresh idea, I would be there.

Which sites make you leap out of bed in the morning, switch on the PC and view straight away?

CM Stuff is definitely one of them. I love reading your articles as you somehow manage to convey the fact that you really do put in a mammoth effort daily in writing something relevant and enjoying it as well. Two other must-visits are CM Star and Under Pressure.

Why are so many new sites cropping up right now, in your opinion? Does this fly in the face of those who claim the scene is becoming stale, or are the 'newbies' one week wonders in so many cases?

I guess the CM Scene is very unique in the sense that few webmasters see other counterparts as rivals. Unlike other gaming scenes where sites compete for latest info, the CM Scene has nothing to compete for as SI is always so tight-lipped. Sites help each other out by giving publicity and this encourages new sites to crop up without dying an instant death.

How can new sites hope to survive with the likes of CM Star, UP, Champman.tv and your good selves dominating the scene?

If they can somehow manage to put in as much dedication as you have in CM Stuff, they can not only look forward to exist alongside the bigger sites, but also to overtake them. And overtaking some of the main sites is something I think your site would accomplish in the near-future. To sum up, quality content that repeat visitors find worth their time to come back.

Why do CM Gamer and The Dugout still get rated so highly for doing so little?

From the viewpoint of regular visitors, CM Gamer and TD might offer little added value, but they're still attracting hordes of visitors by virtue of their high search engine rankings and their good reputation which they have been painstaking building over the years.

I think we both contributed to the recent Under Pressure debate about there being too many CM sites. What did you think of the suggestion that one 'uber-site' be created to house the lot?

I don't think that would be a significant deviation from what we're having now. Sites are now so intertwined with each other, with only a couple like CM Scar and Champmaniacs being cut off from the others. The CM Scene itself is one big umbrella housing the mainstream CM sites. The suggestion put forth is just a twisted version of what is mainly the same thing.

And finally, what's the weather like in Singapore right now? It's chucking down here.

So few factors to play with - hot, wet and dry. So few permutations. But still very unpredictable. Sometimes all three scenarios occur in a single day...like now.

It was at this point when Daniel politely asked me to stop bothering him and let him get on with his life. I grudgingly complied. Thanks and respek for his patience, and please visit Project CM for some quality reading.

If you are a CM webmaster and would like to be grilled on pretty much everything, then let me know at the usual address and I'll make sure I'm in your neck of the woods soon.