Author: Chris Fuller

We’ve almost reached the halfway point of my Football Manager 2017 project. That means it’s time for some festive football!

December is always a busy time in the football calendar, and it’s no different where the Counties Championship is concerned. We’ve got SEVEN rounds of matches to go through in each of the four regional divisions. You’ll probably understand, then, why I’ve decided to split the December recap into two separate posts.

Today, we’ll be focussing on the South and West divisions to see how things stand going into the new year. You can read about the latest results from the North and East divisions right here.

Continue reading “The Counties Championship: December – Part 2” →

We’ve almost reached the halfway point of my Football Manager 2017 project. That means it’s time for some festive football!

December is always a busy time in the football calendar, and it’s no different where the Counties Championship is concerned. We’ve got SEVEN rounds of matches to go through in each of the four regional divisions. You’ll probably understand, then, why I’ve decided to split the December recap into two separate posts.

Today, we’ll be focussing on the North and East divisions to see how things stand going into the new year. The second post – in which we’ll be looking at the South and West divisions – will come later this week.

Continue reading “The Counties Championship: December – Part 1” →

I hope you’re enjoying my Football Manager 2017 experiment here on Fuller FM. The Counties Championship is in full flow, but that will take a back seat today, as I’ve got a hankering for some knockout action.

We’ve now seen everybody at least once in the County Cup. 16 teams have made it through to the third round, but we’ve also had some major casualties along the way. You can revisit Round 2 right here if you want to see how the carnage unfolded last time out.

When you’re ready, let’s dive into Round 3 and find out if the cup has even more magic to conjure up…

Continue reading “The Counties Championship: County Cup Round 3” →

Football Manager 2017 action resumes right here on Fuller FM now, with November’s results from my Counties Championship experiment. By the end of today’s post, we’ll be about a third of the way through the league phase, and the division tables will be taking shape.

Staffordshire were among the big winners in the last chapter, but can they continue their October form and strengthen their lead in the West division? And what will happen in the South, where only six points separate the top five?

Continue reading “The Counties Championship: November” →

We’re two months into the Counties Championship, and some early title challengers have started to emerge. While West Sussex couldn’t continue their strong start in September, other sides – like Greater Manchester and the West Midlands – have shown that they might have what it takes to go all the way.

However, only one team will head into October with an impeccable league record. Take a bow, Chris Hughton and his Essex boys, who’ve won eight matches on the spin. Can anybody stop them from running away with the East title?

We’ve got another four rounds of league matches to get through in this chapter, so let’s get cracking…

Continue reading “The Counties Championship: October” →

Teams may be jostling for position in the early stages of the Counties Championship season, but it’s worth remembering that there’s another prize at stake for our 48 teams. With its knockout format and potential for upsets, it really is anybody’s guess who will be lifting the County Cup at the end of the campaign.

Last week, we summarised the first round of cup fixtures and saw the dreams of 16 teams killed before they had a chance to be born. Their conquerors will now be joined in the competition by some of the favourites, including Greater Manchester, the West Midlands, and the two London teams.

Seconds out, Round 2!

Continue reading “The Counties Championship: County Cup Round 2” →

My Football Manager 2017 project is now in full swing, as it’s time for another month of Counties Championship fixtures!

August’s opening batches of league games saw a fair few surprises, not least in the South division. Can Gareth Southgate and West Sussex pick up where they left off, or will the London clubs start to establish themselves as favourites?

And what does September have in store for our other high-flyers? Let’s find out…

Continue reading “The Counties Championship: September” →

Welcome back to my new Football Manager 2017 project. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be finding out what would happen if English football had a county league where all the teams could only use the best players and managers to come out of their counties.

Last time out, I summarised the first month of Counties Championship league matches. August’s recaps will bring good news if you’re from Essex (like me), but probably not if you’re from North London (like… er… me). Hey, I’m from Romford, so I technically qualify for both those counties.

August also saw the start of the County Cup, which will be our main focus today. Here’s the lowdown on Round 1…

Continue reading “The Counties Championship: County Cup Round 1” →

The wait is over. My new Football Manager 2017 project is about to begin for real.

This is the Counties Championship, where I’m pitting the 48 counties of England against each other to determine which ones have produced the best footballers. Just to remind you, each team can only select players who were born or raised in their counties. Everything is explained right here.

In today’s post, I’ll take you through the opening five rounds of league fixtures in each of the four regional divisions. Will the pre-season favourites hit the front quickly, or will August see some early surprises? Let’s find out…

Continue reading “The Counties Championship: August” →

Welcome back to the Counties Championship – a new blog series on Fuller FM. I’m using Football Manager 2017 to find out what would happen if the 48 English counties took part in a national competition using only the best footballers they have produced. You can read more about it right here.

Ahead of the first matches, I’ll be previewing every team, assessing their strengths and weaknesses to predict who has the best chance of claiming silverware. In this article, I will look at the 12 teams that make up the West division.

Continue reading “The Counties Championship: West Preview” →