Month: July 2020

CM99/00 Revisited: Cult Icons – Part 2

Published on by Chris Fuller

Every version of Championship Manager and Football Manager has its cult icons – those must-buy players whom you can often turn into superstars. Championship Manager 99/00 is, of course, no exception.

We all have our own favourites, whether it’s one of those Swedish wonderkids everybody knows about or that hidden gem you discovered in Indonesia. But for every Zlatan Ibrahimovic who lived up to their superstar tag in real-life, there are at least a dozen who had rather more… modest careers.

I’ve identified 36 of the brightest stars in the CM99/00 database and have tracked their careers to see where they are two decades later. Their names all appear on the title image above, and I’ll look at each of them over two separate posts.

In Part 2, I’ll be looking at players such as Kabba Samura, Stefan Selakovic, Andri Sigþórsson and Mark Tyler. You can read Part 1 in the link provided. Continue reading “CM99/00 Revisited: Cult Icons – Part 2” →

CM99/00 Revisited: Fitba’s Coming Home – Part 10

Published on by Chris Fuller

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My Championship Manager 99/00 story has reached a crucial stage. It’s the summer of 2006, and Scotland are about to participate in their second consecutive World Cup under my management.

Just like in 1996 (see above), the Tartan Army have descended on England for a major tournament. Hopefully they’ll get out of the group this time – and maybe match or even better their heroics at Korea/Japan 2002!

If you want to see just how Scotland got here, you can revisit Part 9 in the link attached before reading on. If I loved bad puns, I’d suggest you “Czech it out”, but I don’t, so… oh. Continue reading “CM99/00 Revisited: Fitba’s Coming Home – Part 10” →

CM99/00 Revisited: Fitba’s Coming Home – Part 9

Published on by Chris Fuller

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We’ve reached the ninth chapter of my Championship Manager 99/00 adventure with Scotland. Will the Tartan Army be celebrating qualifying for a third consecutive World Cup at the end of today’s post?

In Part 8, our attempts to qualify for England 2006 got off to a… let’s say interesting start. You might want to make sure you’re up to date on that before you continue reading this.

When you’re ready, let’s get going… Continue reading “CM99/00 Revisited: Fitba’s Coming Home – Part 9” →

CM99/00 Revisited: Fitba’s Coming Home – Part 8

Published on by Chris Fuller

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I’m now five years into my Championship Manager 99/00 series with Scotland. By now, you were probably expecting me to have been sacked after a 2-0 home defeat to Andorra, which is typically how most Scotland managers end their reigns. Either that, or they get poached by Chesterfield.

But no, it’s gone surprisingly well for us… well, kinda. The previous chapter saw us take part in the 2004 European Championship in Portugal. That’s all I want to say right now.

In today’s installment, our focus is on the first half of the 2006 World Cup qualifiers. Can the Tartan Army take its first steps towards invading England in two summers’ time? Continue reading “CM99/00 Revisited: Fitba’s Coming Home – Part 8” →

CM99/00 Revisited: Cult Icons – Part 1

Published on by Chris Fuller2 Comments

Every version of Championship Manager and Football Manager has its cult icons – those must-buy players whom you can often turn into superstars. Championship Manager 99/00 is, of course, no exception.

We all have our own favourites, whether it’s one of those Swedish wonderkids everybody knows about, or that hidden gem you discovered in Indonesia. But for every Zlatan Ibrahimovic who lived up to their superstar billing in real-life, there are at least a dozen who had rather more… modest careers.

I’ve identified 36 of the brightest stars in the CM99/00 database and have tracked their careers to see where they are two decades later. Their names all appear on the title image above, and I’ll look at each of them over two separate posts.

In Part 1, I’ll be looking at players such as Kennedy Bakircioglü, Mads Jørgensen, Johnnier Montano and the legendary Tonton Zola Moukoko. Continue reading “CM99/00 Revisited: Cult Icons – Part 1” →

CM99/00 Revisited: Fitba’s Coming Home – Part 7

Published on by Chris Fuller

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Hello there, ladies and gentlemen. I hope you’re not feeling too hungover after the madness that was last night, when England were crowned European champions for the first time after a shock victory at Wembley against the mighty Finland. Who honestly expected Jordan Pickford to score a 90th-minute winner with a header from the halfway line?!

Or at least that would’ve happened but for some virus which has absolutely nothing to do with an Irish rock band.

Anyway, seeing as it’s the day after what would’ve been the Euro 2020 Final, my Championship Manager 99/00 story with Scotland has reached quite a fitting moment. The previous chapter saw us qualify for Euro 2004 – and that tournament will be the main focus in today’s installment. Enjoy!

Continue reading “CM99/00 Revisited: Fitba’s Coming Home – Part 7” →

CM99/00 Revisited: Fitba’s Coming Home – Part 6

Published on by Chris Fuller

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My Championship Manager 99/00 story gets back underway now on Fuller FM. I’ve already rewritten history by taking Scotland to one major tournament, and now we’ve got another in our sights.

You join us midway through the Euro 2004 qualifiers, where Scotland are battling England and three other teams for a place at the upcomining continental finals. If you want to see how we got on in our earlier matches, you can read Part 5 right here.

When you’re ready, let’s get going…

Continue reading “CM99/00 Revisited: Fitba’s Coming Home – Part 6” →

CM99/00 Revisited: Fitba’s Coming Home – Part 5

Published on by Chris Fuller

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I’m back with another chapter from my Championship Manager 99/00 adventure with the Scotland national team. I’ll admit it’s still a little strange as a Londoner to be managing our neighbours north of the border, but I’m really getting sucked into this career now.

Of course, our recent exploits at the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan have played a big part in settling me in – and answering my biggest critics. I won’t spoil anything in this intro, but if you haven’t yet caught up with the story (or you just want to relive our Asian journey), you can read Part 4 right here.

In today’s post, I’ll be playing through the first half of our Euro 2004 qualifying campaign. Again, no spoilers, but excitement levels are about to kick up a notch…

Continue reading “CM99/00 Revisited: Fitba’s Coming Home – Part 5” →

CM99/00 Revisited: Fitba’s Coming Home – Part 4

Published on by Chris Fuller

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My Championship Manager 99/00 adventure with Scotland continues right now on Fuller FM. And let me tell you – things are about to get very, very spicy!

Remember the last chapter, where we had to get out of a World Cup qualifying group with Denmark and Spain? Well… if you’ve read that, you’ll know what’s coming up in today’s post. If not, then please check that out first, because there will be obvious spoilers below…

Continue reading “CM99/00 Revisited: Fitba’s Coming Home – Part 4” →