Author: Chris Fuller

Okay, so you’re probably thinking, “Hang on? The End? Already? But we’re only midway through the third season!”

I’ll tell you now that today’s chapter is not going to make pleasant reading. It’s January 2021, and results at Shrewsbury Town – who ended 2020 on such a positive note – are about to take a major turn for the worse. So much so that I am eventually and shamefully pushed to my breaking point.

At the end of this post, I will seek your feedback on… ‘what happened next’… and I will ask you, “What happens next?” Can I possibly continue as Shrewsbury manager, or is it time to call this a story and do something else?

Continue reading “Floreat Salopia: Season 3, Part 5 – THE END?” →

And so we’re back – a bit earlier than anticipated, for reasons that will become clear over the coming days. It’s just as well that I write my blog posts a fair bit in advance, isn’t it?

Anyway, Shrewsbury Town head into the closing stages of 2020 sitting 4th in League One, and with an automatic promotion place on the horizon. This part includes eight league matches, the continuation of our Pointless Trophy pursuit, and – firstly – our FA Cup opener at home to Newport. Let’s hope they’re as generous as they were last time!

(Obviously, if you haven’t yet read Part 3, I’d suggest you do that first before carrying on here.)

Continue reading “Floreat Salopia: Season 3, Part 4” →

Brexit is in a mess, nobody knows exactly what’s happening, and – as things stand – the United Kingdom is still in the European Union. My Football Manager 2019 career appears to be imitating real-life pretty accurately!

It’s now September 2020. Nearly 12 months have passed since I got a message in-game that the UK would be leaving the EU. Since then, I haven’t heard or read anything about Brexit. Either there’s been an unexpectedly lengthy delay, or my save has somehow bugged out, which would be slightly inconvenient. Just like Laura Kuenssberg on BBC News, I’ll let you know if anything big happens.

This month also sees Steven Gerrard begin his reign as England manager, having left Rangers to take over from Gareth Southgate following Euro 2020. I’m sure Stevie will be a huge success, just as long as he doesn’t lose his first home game 6-0 to France… hey, wait a minute!

Meanwhile at Shrewsbury, we’re looking to climb up the League One table after a stuttering start to the new campaign. We’ve got 13 matches to get through over the next two months, but before that, I want to introduce you to a new signing I made on deadline day. Well, when I say ‘new’…

Continue reading “Floreat Salopia: Season 3, Part 3” →

The Shrewsbury Town players have shaken off their post-season rust and are now raring to go for the 2020/2021 campaign. Having made significant changes to the side that I inherited two years ago, I’m feeling quite bullish about our chances of claiming promotion from League One.

We’ll play our first seven matches of the league campaign in this chapter, as well as beginning what will hopefully not be another brief run in the EFL Cup. Before all that, though, let’s have a closer look at the team…

Continue reading “Floreat Salopia: Season 3, Part 2” →

(No, this is not an April Fool! This really is a new chapter in my “Floreat Salopia” story on FM19!)

My tenure as Shrewsbury Town manager is having a bit of a Groundhog Day feel about it. For two seasons in a row, we have stayed primarily in the League One play-off places, only to falter in the Semi Finals. Another campaign like that, and we might have to adopt “Heartache Avenue” by Birmingham one-hit wonders The Maisonettes as our official club anthem!

Having consistently proven ourselves as one of the best teams in our division, surely we’ve got to take that next big step into the Championship sooner rather than later. Rest assured, I’ve been hard at work in the transfer market, looking for lower-league bargains who can turn this group of nearly men into… well, men.

So let’s not waste any more time. Here’s what we’ve been up to over the summer…

Continue reading “Floreat Salopia: Season 3, Part 1” →

I have now spent two years at the helm of Shrewsbury Town. While we didn’t exactly suffer from ‘second season syndrome’ in 2019/2020, it was perhaps a disappointment compared to what was such an encouraging debut campaign.

In this post, we’ll assess our fortunes in League One, as well as the domestic cup competitions (even though I’d rather not write any more about our Pointless Trophy debacle). Then we’ll have the usual awards, stats and youth development updates, as well as my provisional plans for what will surely be another busy transfer window.

Oh yes, and I’ll cap things off as ever with a general season round-up, looking at all the goings-on in the English leagues and beyond. If you’re a Chelsea fan, you will probably want to skim over that. Just a thought.

Continue reading “Floreat Salopia: Season Review 2019/2020” →

It’s fair to say I wasn’t a happy Easter bunny after the last chapter. Yet more dismal home form for my Shrewsbury Town side resulted in a miserable 30th birthday in-game, and a keyboard that temporarily lost a few keys in the real world.

You’ll be glad to read that I have now calmed down following that debacle. It’s full steam ahead as we try to launch one final push for the play-offs and chase that elusive promotion to the Championship. Will the Shrews be popping champagne corks come the final whistle, or will we have to ponder another year in League One?

Continue reading “Floreat Salopia: Season 2, Part 7” →

During these increasingly uncertain times here in the UK, there is at least one thing I can be sure of. My Shrewsbury Town team on Football Manager 2019 will always have the capacity to amaze and horrify me, often in consecutive games. Such is the life of a lower-league manager.

This chapter begins with the Shrews’ play-off challenge having hit the rocks again, following an encouraging start to 2020. Scoring goals hasn’t been a problem, but keeping them out of our net has. We also need to be more consistent at home if this season isn’t to end in a damp squib.

Continue reading “Floreat Salopia: Season 2, Part 6” →

A new year has dawned, and I’m hoping that 2020 brings Shrewsbury Town a change of fortune. We finished 2019 out of form, out of all cups, and out of the League One play-off places, prompting me to consider a change of tactic – and perhaps some significant changes in personnel.

In this chapter, I will take you through our January window business and introduce you to a future Shrews starlet. We’ll also play ten matches up until the end of February, including mouth-watering home ties against play-off rivals Milton Keynes and Luton – and local rivals Walsall.

Continue reading “Floreat Salopia: Season 2, Part 5” →

The last chapter had everything, didn’t it? Shock victories, even more surprising defeats, an orderly Brexit, a transfer-listing… and even some excitement in the Pointless Trophy! Believe me, though, when I say that we’re just getting started!

November and December 2019 will be jam-packed with games, as Shrewsbury Town open up their FA Cup campaign before setting out to maintain their lofty position in League One. There will also be a mid-season report, where I assess our strengths and weaknesses ahead of the winter transfer window.

Continue reading “Floreat Salopia: Season 2, Part 4” →