Just Football has today announced that it will release no less than 18 club-specific soccer management games in the UK on October 1. The games, which are currently in development at Smoking Gun, focus on a less obvious selection of teams than Codemasters' upcoming Club Football games, but are sure to appeal to a large number of fans just the same.

　　"We are very much up for it this season, having increased our offering from six clubs last season to 18 this time round," said Scott Phillips, product manager at Just Football. "We learned a massive amount about how to sell these club-specific products via traditional retail and the clubs' retail outlets, most of which are very sophisticated."

　　Each of the games will feature accurate information for the current soccer season, and fans of teams with seemingly ever-changing squads will be able to download free mid-season updates complete with player pictures. The 18 teams that are getting the Club Manager treatment this season include the following:

　　Arsenal

　　Blackburn Rovers

　　Bolton Wanderers

　　Chelsea

　　Everton

　　Hearts

　　Hibs

　　Ipswich

　　Leeds Utd

　　Manchester City

　　Norwich City

　　Portsmouth

　　Reading

　　Sheffield Utd

　　Southampton

　　Sunderland

　　West Bromwich Albion

　　Wolves

　　All 18 versions of Club Manager 03/04 are currently scheduled for release in the UK on October 1. No release dates for the game outside of the UK have been announced at this time, but we'll bring you more information as soon as it becomes available.