This is true. Myself and a friend (youngen on here) were massive Champ Man players, and applied for the vacant Hartlepool United job via email. We both used our Champ Man experience, I had been in charge at Latics for 15 years, won the Premier League and Semi's of Champions League. My friend had a similar successful spell at a club on the game.
A day later, I get a phone call telling me that Hartlepool United were a serious football club, and that they didn't need their time wasted by a joker who had not even left school.......but if I got coaching qualifications, they would consider me. I immediately rang my friend, who told me he had the exact same phone call.