Author: Chris Fuller

Rule Bretagne: Four Years At Rennes – Part 2

Published on by Chris Fuller

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Welcome to the second part of this mini-series summarising my Football Manager 2021 beta career with Rennes. I’ve spent four seasons trying to progress Les Rouges et Noirs from Ligue 1 contenders to champions, while continuing to develop players through the youth system.

In Part 1, we looked at my first two seasons with Rennes, in which we had a few wobbles but gained some valuable learning experience. Could we now kick on in the third and fourth seasons, or would I be leaving France empty-handed? Continue reading “Rule Bretagne: Four Years At Rennes – Part 2” →

Rule Bretagne: Four Years At Rennes – Part 1

Published on by Chris Fuller

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Since the beta dropped in November, I’ve been playing a lot of Football Manager 2021 over the last two months.

If you follow me on Twitter, you might have seen me post regular updates from my beta save with Rennes. I took charge of an exciting young team that was embarking on a maiden Champions League voyage after finishing 3rd in Ligue 1. My targets were to challenge Paris Saint-Germain’s dominance of French football, and also to establish Rennes as a force in Europe, while making use of their renowned youth system.

This save was only meant to run for two or three years, but I enjoyed it so much that I played on for a fourth. Now that my French adventures are finally over, I’ve put pen to paper – or rather, fingers to keyboard – to tell you all about the four seasons.

No… not them. Anyway, in today’s post, I will summarise the first half of an eventful career in Brittany. Continue reading “Rule Bretagne: Four Years At Rennes – Part 1” →

My thoughts on Football Manager 2021

Published on by Chris Fuller1 Comment

It’s been a while, hasn’t it, folks?

There hasn’t been much blog content on Fuller FM lately, mainly because I’ve had a little break from writing… but also because I’ve been playing Football Manager 2021 almost non-stop since the beta came out in November.

For me, two months is plenty of time to get stuck into the most in-depth football management simulator on the market, and see how it compares to previous versions. Releasing a new game in the middle of a global pandemic was always going to be a real challenge, but how have Sports Interactive fared in these unprecedented times?

Have they romped ahead of their rivals like Rangers, or have they had an unmitigated disaster like Sheffield United? The answer is probably somewhere in the middle, but here’s what I think about FM21…
Continue reading “My thoughts on Football Manager 2021” →

Preparing for pre-season on Football Manager

Published on by Chris Fuller

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Pre-season is an often underrated but very important part of Football Manager. It’s during those first few weeks of a new campaign that you have arguably the best chance to set your team up for a successful year.

Your players will return from their post-season holidays refreshed but unfit. It’s up to you to sharpen them up physically and tactically through training and friendlies, so that they can perform to high standards from the first league game onwards. If you fail to prepare, you prepare to fail.

In this article, I will give you some tips for an effective pre-season, while also taking you through how I typically get ready for a new campaign. This isn’t a silver bullet that works for every team, but if you roughly follow my advice, you can’t go too far wrong. Continue reading “Preparing for pre-season on Football Manager” →

Setting up a new game on Football Manager

Published on by Chris Fuller

Football Manager 2021 is being released in just a few days’ time. While thousands of FMers are already getting stuck into the beta, many of us are already thinking of what our first save game will be after the game officially drops on Tuesday 24 November.

There are a lot of questions we ask ourselves before creating a new football universe? How many leagues do I want? How many players? Can my computer cope with it? And, most importantly, will the game run fast enough for me to enjoy?

I hope this guide will give you some useful tips and advice for when you go into the save creation process. Continue reading “Setting up a new game on Football Manager” →

My plans for Football Manager 2021

Published on by Chris Fuller

It’s almost time, folks! After what feels like an eternity, the Football Manager 2021 beta is expected to drop any moment now, which means we’ll soon be falling in love with our favourite game all over again.

With excitement levels now as high as they will be when they start allowing fans back into stadiums, I am now ready to formally announce my plans for FM21’s game cycle. As usual, I’m planning to have a short-term beta save, and then I will begin a long-term career after the game is officially released on 24 November. Continue reading “My plans for Football Manager 2021” →

Retro Review: Giant Killers

Published on by Chris Fuller

If you’ve followed Fuller FM for a while, you’ll know that every once in a while, I like to look at some football management games from outside of Sports Interactive’s catalogue. The quality doesn’t always compare well to Football Manager, but every now and then, a decent bargain comes along.

Today’s review is going to be a bit different from my previous ones. For starters, instead of reviewing a free-to-play or cheap alternative to FM, I’m going back over 20 years for my first ever Retro Review.

So what am I reviewing today? Ultimate Soccer Manager? Premier Manager? Unfortunately not, but once I can get my hands on one of those games, I’ll be sure to review them for you lot right here.

Instead, I’ve been playing a title that is rather less glamorous – and far more obscure – than its late-1990s adversaries. It’s time to look at Giant Killers. Continue reading “Retro Review: Giant Killers” →

The Sporting Life: Where Did It All Go Wrong?

Published on by Chris Fuller1 Comment

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Apologies to SB Nation/Secret Base.

Welcome to what is – sadly – the final chapter of “A Sporting Life”. My Football Manager 2020 adventure has come to a bitter and premature end after a horrific second season – the conclusion of which you can read right here.

Today’s chapter will begin with a review of the 2020/2021 season. I’ll then go into more depth about where it all went pear-shaped for Sporting CP. There are a couple of areas I will focus on in particular… Continue reading “The Sporting Life: Where Did It All Go Wrong?” →

The Sporting Life: Season 2, Part 6

Published on by Chris Fuller

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I’m glad you could join me for the latest – and possibly last – chapter of my Sporting CP series on Football Manager 2020.

In case you missed Part 5, things have gone so badly over recent weeks that my job is now on the line as we head into the final two months of the season. We have seven games left to secure a top-three finish in the Primeira Liga (and a Champions League place) before finishing the campaign with the Taça de Portugal Final.

Failure is not an option. We must deliver. Continue reading “The Sporting Life: Season 2, Part 6” →

The Sporting Life: Season 2, Part 5

Published on by Chris Fuller

I’m back once more with another chapter from my Sporting CP story. We’re heading into the business end of the season, but if you want to catch up first, you can read Part 4 using the link provided.

Today’s chapter will begin with a round-up of the January transfer window, followed by all our results from February and March – including the Taça de Portugal Semi Final against Marítimo.

We’ll also welcome in a new youth intake right at the end. Judging by the preview above, we probably shouldn’t expect a golden generation… Continue reading “The Sporting Life: Season 2, Part 5” →