Author: Chris Fuller

CM99/00 Revisited: Now Or Neverkusen – Part 4

Published on by Chris Fuller

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I’ve now completed the first season of my three-year adventure in Germany on Championship Manager 99/00. My efforts to deliver success to Bayer Leverkusen have thus far been… er, without success.

After that agonising end to the 1999/2000 season (which you can read about here), I’m hoping it’ll be second time lucky in 2000/2001. As you can probably gather, I’ve spent big in my attempts to win a Bundesliga, a DFB-Pokal, or even a Champions League (okay, that last one might be a big ask).

So… let’s see who I’ve brought in! (Expect to see a CM99/00 cult icon or two.) Continue reading “CM99/00 Revisited: Now Or Neverkusen – Part 4” →

CM99/00 Revisited: Now Or Neverkusen – Part 3

Published on by Chris Fuller

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Welcome back to my Championship Manager 99/00 blog career. My first season at Bayer Leverkusen is coming to an end, and while our European expedition hasn’t gone too well, we’re still fighting on two fronts. Can we add the DFB-Pokal and/or the Bundesliga to a trophy cabinet that’s not received so much as a second glance since 1993?

This next post will take us through the entire second half of the 1999/2000 season, so an advance warning: it’ll be quite a long read. You can revisit Part 2 right here if you want to catch up first. Continue reading “CM99/00 Revisited: Now Or Neverkusen – Part 3” →

My thoughts on Football Manager 2020

Published on by Chris Fuller

As you might have noticed, things have been a little quiet here at Fuller FM lately. I took about a month away from blogging for health reasons and then started a weekly career series on Championship Manager 99/00 (you can find Part 1 and Part 2 in the links provided).

Why nothing about Football Manager 2020 yet? Well, unlike with Football Manager 2019 (and Football Manager 2017 as well), I didn’t pre-order the latest version or play it on launch. Instead, I held fire and waited for the demo, which came out alongside the full version on the evening of Monday 18 November.

So, for the past week-and-a-half, I’ve been getting to grips with FM20 while taking the reins at Birmingham City for six months. Here are my thoughts on the latest installment of Sports Interactive’s hit franchise… Continue reading “My thoughts on Football Manager 2020” →

CM99/00 Revisited: Now Or Neverkusen – Part 2

Published on by Chris Fuller

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Welcome back to my latest trip down memory lane – or Gedächtnisspur, as they would say in Germany (according to Google Translate, anyway).

I’m managing Bayer Leverkusen on Championship Manager 99/00 and trying to deliver success to a club that endured far too many near-misses in real-life. You can catch up on Part 1 right here, but in today’s chapter, we will continue our Bundesliga title pursuit and attempt to qualify for the second phase of the Champions League.

So, as I believe the saying goes in Leverkusen, “Ich werde im grab deiner mutter kotzen!”

(Sorry? WHAT did I say about your mother?) Continue reading “CM99/00 Revisited: Now Or Neverkusen – Part 2” →

CM99/00 Revisited: Now Or Neverkusen – Part 1

Published on by Chris Fuller

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Guten tag, und willkommen to a brand new series on Fuller FM. Over the coming weeks, I’ll be bringing you updates from my new save on Championship Manager 99/00, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of that game’s release.

A couple of months ago, I was thinking about teams to manage on CM99/00 that would provide interesting short-term challenges. After racking my brains throughout the evening, I suddenly had a Eureka moment… which took me off to Germany.

It’s the summer of 1999. The United States have just won their first FIFA Women’s World Cup, and Brandi Chastain has become an icon for female athletes everywhere. Alex Ferguson has been knighted after winning an historic treble with Manchester United. The UK Number 1 single is “9pm (Till I Come)” by ATB, which will soon become familiar to anyone who plays the critically-acclaimed FA Premier League STARS.

Oh yes, and I am the new manager of Bayer Leverkusen. Continue reading “CM99/00 Revisited: Now Or Neverkusen – Part 1” →

Blog Update #3

Published on by Chris Fuller

Thank you for reading my latest Fuller FM blog update. As you can tell from the title, I have a major announcement to make.

With Football Manager 2019’s life cycle coming to a close just as my third career story reaches its conclusion, I have decided that it’s time to move on. After this post, I will not write any more FM19 content for this blog.

I will explain in detail why I’ve made this decision later in this post, after I’ve written a bit about each of the three stories I’ve covered here. Before all that, though, I want to get one thing straight… Continue reading “Blog Update #3” →

Lyn On Me: Season Review 2024

Published on by Chris Fuller

2024 was a big year for Lyn 1896, who made their long-awaited return to the Eliteserien. 14 years after the original club went into liquidation, Lyn were once again competing with Molde, Rosenborg and all the other major Norwegian clubs.

Could Marit Enstad defy the odds and keep her team in the top flight, or would their battle for survival end in tears? Would they enjoy a lengthy run in the Cupen? All those questions will be answered in this Season Review, which also includes player awards, stats, and a round-up of the domestic campaign.

Of course, you can find all six story chapters from the 2024 season in the links provided: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5 and Part 6. I would strongly suggest you read the last chapter in particular – if you haven’t done so already – before you carry on here.

Continue reading “Lyn On Me: Season Review 2024” →

Lyn On Me: Season 6, Part 6 – BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL

Published on by Chris Fuller

Who says Football Manager doesn’t produce enough drama? Yet another season at Lyn 1896 is reaching a nail-biting conclusion. Whereas last year saw Marit Enstad’s team go to extra-time while chasing promotion to the Eliteserien, they’re now battling to stay in it.

Lyn’s survival has come down to their final two regular-season games – both at home against their fiercest rivals: Stabæk, and Vålerenga. If all goes well, they’ll be safe and sound; if not, a promotion/relegation play-off surely awaits.

You can read Part 5 here to see how Marit’s men got on in the build-up to this finale. When you’re ready, we’ll join the First Lady of the Bislett to see if 2024 ends in ecstasy or agony… Continue reading “Lyn On Me: Season 6, Part 6 – BATTLE FOR SURVIVAL” →

Lyn On Me: Season 6, Part 5

Published on by Chris Fuller

Marit Enstad has worked miracles at Lyn 1896 since her appointment as manager in 2019. Five-and-a-half years on, it looks like she’ll have to deliver the good again to keep her team in the Eliteserien.

With nine games to go, Lyn are just outside the relegation zone, but they are far from comfortable. They also have the prospect of a first Cupen Final since 2004, provided they can beat 1. divisjon side Levanger on home soil in the last four. However, some of the Bastionen are fretting that Lyn’s cup exploits might be disrupting their league form at a pivotal stage in the season.

You can revisit Part 4 here if you want to catch up on the story so far. When you’re ready, we’ll rejoin Marit and her Nordic warriors in their battle for survival. Continue reading “Lyn On Me: Season 6, Part 5” →

Lyn On Me: Season 6, Part 4

Published on by Chris Fuller

Welcome back to my FM19 blog story with Lyn 1896, who are now halfway through their first season back in the Eliteserien.

I’m afraid reality has now started to hit home for Marit Enstad and her team. The last chapter – which you can find here – saw Lyn hit a rotten run of form. and plummet down the table. If you want an idea of just how incompetent their attack had become, think of Adama Diomande at Hull, or Azar Karadas at Portsmouth, or Alexander Sorloth at Crystal Palace.

Before I name even more Norwegian forwards who flopped in England, we’d better crack on with the story. After all, Lyn’s next match is perhaps their biggest yet… Continue reading “Lyn On Me: Season 6, Part 4” →