Author: Chris Fuller

So… we in the real world are just coming towards the end of 2018. If you’re reading this in Asia or Australia as soon as it’s been published, then you’re probably in 2019 right now. If you’re reading this in March, what took you so long? Also… has Theresa screwed up Brexit completely yet?

Anyway, back in the Football Manager universe, my fourth season at Fiorentina is now in full swing. It looks like I’ve done some fine business in the transfer market, as the Viola have begun the Serie A campaign in solid form and go into September 2021 sitting in the top four.

Now it’s time to see can replicate that in the Champions League. Actually, we’re already on course to do just that, to a point. After all, there are only four teams in a Champions League group, though when you consider the calibre of our opponents, we’d do very well to finish 4th. Please let me know if I’m rambling again… Continue reading “Shades of Deep Purple: Part 35” →

Pre-season is over, and now all the hard work begins in earnest. My fourth Serie A campaign in charge of Fiorentina kicks off with a trip to Bologna, followed by successive home games against Juventus and Pescara. We’re pretty strong starters here at the Artemio Franchi, and I’m confident we can fly out of the traps again.

Before we get stuck into those opening fixtures (not to mention the Champions League draw), it’s about time we had a fresh squad and tactics report, isn’t it? Continue reading “Shades of Deep Purple: Part 34” →

Now that we’ve all had a nice break for the winter/summer holidays (delete where appropriate), it’s about time we returned to work. Welcome to the fourth – and final – regular season of “Shades of Deep Purple” on Fuller FM.

Last season saw Fiorentina finally secure a return to the Champions League, after over a decade away. The Viola are now ready to step up to the next level, and maybe even threaten Inter’s recent stranglehold on the Serie A scudetto. Okay, maybe I’m getting a little carried away, but I’m honestly feeling quite excited after such a strong transfer window. (The updated title image should give you a good idea about one of the players we’ve signed.)

Before I move on to all our transfer business, though, I must update you on some news from elsewhere. That’s because there was a small chance I might not have been managing Fiorentina for another season after all… Continue reading “Shades of Deep Purple: Part 33” →

The 2020/2021 season – my third at Fiorentina – was ‘make or break’. After finishing 6th in successive seasons, we had to qualify for the Champions League this time around, otherwise I would be calling a premature halt to my project with the club.

This post will summarise how we performed on domestic and European fronts, and there’ll also be the usual awards and stats round-up, along with my future plans. If you’ve not yet read Part 32, please go back there before continuing here, because there are obvious spoilers. Continue reading “Shades of Deep Purple: Season Review 2020/2021” →

If we’ve learned anything during this story, it’s that life is never dull at Fiorentina. That has certainly been true in my third season as manager. After disappointingly early exits from both the Europa League and the Coppa Italia, we could yet finish the campaign on a high.

A late-season winning streak has left the Viola on the cusp of guaranteeing qualification for the Champions League and extending my stay in Florence. There’s even a chance that we could overhaul what was once a huge lead for Inter and snatch the Serie A scudetto from their grasp. That said, we’ll almost certainly need to beat them at the Artemio Franchi to stand a chance of achieving the improbable.

So, without further ado, let me take you through the final four games of the league season, starting with a potentially troublesome visit to Atalanta… Continue reading “Shades of Deep Purple: Part 32” →

The 2020/2021 season is almost over, and after some excellent results, I’m now more confident than ever that Fiorentina can qualify for the Champions League. If we can keep up our form in April, there’s no reason why we can’t secure a top-four finish before a tricky run-in May.

We will start off this month with a couple of difficult fixtures against Napoli and SPAL, though we should have it in us to beat Palermo and Chievo on home soil in the next two. Mind you, we’ll have to deliver the goods without one of our main men… Continue reading “Shades of Deep Purple: Part 31” →

A premature exit from both cups means that Fiorentina have just Serie A left to aim for as we come to the business end of the 2020/2021 season. That might actually prove helpful, giving us plenty of time to prepare for each match while our top-four rivals have their eyes on other prizes.

Today’s chapter will see us go through four matches in February, and another two in March. The last of them is against none other than our greatest foes Juventus, who appear to be coming back into some form after a shaky first half to the campaign.

We must start, though, by announcing that one of Fiorentina’s first-team players has been sold late in the winter transfer windows. He wasn’t one of our key men by any stretch, but he will be missed. Continue reading “Shades of Deep Purple: Part 30” →

Another new year has been chimed in, and it could be my last in Fiorentina. With 18 games to go in the Serie A season, it’s still anyone’s guess as to whether we can hold on to a Champions League place, and thus convince me to continue this purple project for a bit longer.

There will be some major spoilers in this part, you’re not yet up to date with “Shades of Deep Purple”, please read up on Part 28 before continuing. Continue reading “Shades of Deep Purple: Part 29” →

IT’S CHRISTMAAAAAAAAAAS! Well… almost.

Yes, it’s that wonderful time of year when everybody writes their festive wishes to Father Christmas – or just order their gifts off Amazon, depending on their age. That’s true both in real life and in this story, where the faint sound of sleigh bells ushers us into December 2020.

Have we been nice enough to get what we really want – a Europa League knockout place, and a strong chance of finishing in Serie A’s top four? Or will naughtiness be our downfall, meaning we end up with nothing bar yet another novelty jumper? We’ll find out soon enough, but first, there’s a very early Christmas present that needs unwrapping… Continue reading “Shades of Deep Purple: Part 28” →