SOMETIMES, even the real thing is not quite good enough.

Perhaps that's why one supporter at yesterday's Saints match brought along his laptop and started playing Football Manager.

It's is believed the photo was taken at half-time - so at least there was no actual football going on at the moment he was snapped playing.

It is thought the fan in question was in the Manchester City end - so wasn't one of the thousands of Southampton fans cheering their team on despite the 3-1 loss.

Football Manager lets players run their favourite club, taking control of everything from who takes throw-in to multi-million pound transfer deals.

It is well known for being addictive and whole communities have sprung up around the game, which is released a new version every autumn.

However, when on the move, most people opt to play a dedicated mobile phone version of the game, so they don't have to take their computer with them.

It is not known who originally took the photograph, but it has been widely shared online since the match yesterday.