Author: Chris Fuller

The Counties Championship: South Preview

Published on by Chris Fuller

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 South division.

Continue reading “The Counties Championship: South Preview” →

The Counties Championship: East Preview

Published on by Chris Fuller

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 East division.

Continue reading “The Counties Championship: East Preview” →

The Counties Championship: North Preview

Published on by Chris Fuller

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 North division.

Continue reading “The Counties Championship: North Preview” →

The Counties Championship: Introduction

Published on by Chris Fuller2 Comments

Hello there, and I’m grateful you could join me for a new Football Manager blog series on Fuller FM. This adventure is going to be… quite different from my previous ones.

Over the last few months, I’ve been working on an FM database where the best English footballers represented counties instead of clubs. It’s like cricket in a way, except that the sport is much more exciting, and matches don’t grind on for five days.

I will be using Football Manager 2017 to see what would happen if the FA replaced the money-rich, import-heavy Premier League with a 48-team English Counties Championship. Teams can only use players who were born or raised in their respective counties, and any non-English players who don’t meet the eligibility criteria have been ‘sent home’.

Just to be clear, there are no political motives behind this project. It’s just a fantasy scenario that has interested me for a while now. Perhaps it might have piqued your interest as well…

In today’s opening post, I will explain this experiment and outline how the Counties Championship – and the knockout County Cup – will work. Continue reading “The Counties Championship: Introduction” →

Saving Burnley: Part 4

Published on by Chris Fuller

Welcome back to my short-term ‘bottom at Christmas’ challenge on Football Manager 2020. As you probably know by now, this story has been all about my attempts to pull Burnley out of the Premier League’s bottom three and save them from the drop.

If you missed any or all of the previous chapters, you can read Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 in the links attached. Once you’re up to date, we’ll pick things up in April, when the end-of-season run-in gets underway.

Before Burnley can begin that final push, though, there’s a major announcement we’ll all have to pay attention to…

Continue reading “Saving Burnley: Part 4” →

FM Mythbusting: Youth Intakes

Published on by Chris Fuller1 Comment

youth-intake-previewOne of the most exciting days in the Football Manager calendar is the day when your club’s youth intake arrives. This latest batch of newgens will lead to boundless optimism or incredible disappointment – or something in between.

If your latest batch of youngsters hasn’t excited you, don’t lose hope. That ‘average’ right-back you’ve written off as someone who should quit football and become a bus driver might still become a useful asset. But even if he doesn’t, there are still some things you can try to boost your team’s chances of producing a more exciting intake next time.

In today’s guide, I will give you some tips on how to properly assess your youth candidates and improve your academy. I’ll also look to bust a few myths along the way, using some real-life scenarios. Continue reading “FM Mythbusting: Youth Intakes” →

Saving Burnley: Part 3

Published on by Chris Fuller

I know you’re probably getting fed up of having to stay inside with no live football on, but don’t worry: I’m here with another installment of my short-term Football Manager 2020 challenge.

In Part 1, I took over a Burnley side who were floundering at the bottom of the Premier League. Part 2 saw me go through the January transfer window and add some new faces to a struggling squad.

It’s now February, and it’s more important than ever that we hit a run of form to keep our survival hopes alive. Unfortunately, the PL’s fixture generator hasn’t been kind to us. Time to begin Part 3…

Continue reading “Saving Burnley: Part 3” →

Living with Asperger’s

Published on by Chris Fuller

lookforstarsHello there. My name’s Christopher, I’m 29 years old, and I live in north-east London. I mainly use this blog to write about the “Football Manager” video game series… but not today. I want to write about something much closer to me.

Today is World Autism Awareness Day, when people of the autistic spectrum come together to raise awareness of their conditions. Today, I’m going to write about my experiences of living with Asperger syndrome. Continue reading “Living with Asperger’s” →

Saving Burnley: Part 2

Published on by Chris Fuller

Welcome back. I hope you have been enjoying Football Manager 2020‘s free fortnight. Just remember – FM is for life, not just for (inter)national lockdowns.

Anyway, let’s get back to this story, where I’ve given my task of dragging Burnley off the bottom of the Premier League at Christmas and keeping them in the top flight. If you’ve not read the first chapter yet, I’d suggest you go back to that before carrying on.

Suffice to say, I’ve not had the best of starts at Turf Moor, but a new year has just begun – and so has a new transfer window. It’s the perfect time for me to inject some fresh blood into this struggling outfit and strengthen our push for survival.

Continue reading “Saving Burnley: Part 2” →

Saving Burnley: Part 1

Published on by Chris Fuller

Hold on. What’s this? A new Football Manager 2020 story? But Christopher, I thought you had decided to skip FM20?

Well… there’s this huge pandemic going on right now (you might have heard or read about it), and pretty much all sport has been halted. With football on hold, those lovely folks at Sports Interactive have made FM20 free to download and play until 3:00pm BST on Wednesday 1 April.

While FM20 is free-to-play, I’ve been playing a short-term challenge save, which I’m documenting right here on Fuller FM. I’ve simulated through half a season and have taken over the team that’s bottom of the Premier League, with the aim of saving them from relegation. And that team is…

…Leicester City! Nah, just kidding. It’s Burnley. The title kinda gives it away, doesn’t it?

Anyway, I hope you’ll enjoy reading this little FM20 adventure. Let’s get started… Continue reading “Saving Burnley: Part 1” →