Football Manager gamer helps team win in real life2 hours agoShareSaveBen ParkerSuffolkShareSavePardoe KendrickPardoe Kendrick (right) took the reins at non-league side Kings Park Rangers on WednesdayA gamer who took non-league side Kings Park Rangers (KPR) to Premier League glory online helped them win a game in real life. Pardoe Kendrick, 23, took the Great Cornard-based team from the Eastern Counties League Division One North to the top flight on the video game Football Manager 26.Following his online success, Kendrick joined in with a team talk on Wednesday night and suggested a formation change based on his in-game success.KPR went on to beat fellow Suffolk side Framlingham Town 3-2, to go joint top of the table.Kendrick made the journey from his home in Hereford for the match and stated the coaching staff at the club included him in tactical conversations during the game.He suggested a formation change to 4-4-2, which his online team uses – inspired, he says, by football manager Sean Dyche – and stated it was a “really enjoyable experience”.Posting on social media, KPR stated: “500-mile journey and taking the W [win] back home with you. What a man. Thank you.”ContributedKendrick had a good view of the game from the benchHis simulated career on FM26 was inspired by a friend challenging him to make KPR a better side than the Championship outfit Queens Park Rangers.”It started off as a bit of a joke to be honest… I didn’t even know they existed,” Kendrick stated.”I never thought I’d get this far, and as soon as I passed QPR I was like ‘Wow, now I’ve got to try and win the Premier League’.”After contacting the club on social media, Kendrick was invited to take the reins.Pardoe KendrickFootball Manager is a popular game where people can test themselves in the hotseat at clubs across the worldDespite his virtual heroics, Kendrick stated he could not see himself going in to real football management “just yet” but added: “Maybe in the next couple of years.”When asked if he was going to continue leading the video game version of KPR, Kendrick stated: “I’ve won everything there is to win twice over, but I was saying to them, I don’t think I can leave now, I feel like I’m a part of something”.The club are managed by Jamie Cureton, who played for Bristol Rovers, Reading and QPR.Follow Suffolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
