Chris Fuller

Floreat Salopia: Season 1, Part 1

Published on 1 February 20199 July 2026 by Chris Fuller

Hello there, readers, and welcome to the start of my new Football Manager 2019 story. I have taken over the reins at Shrewsbury Town, who lost in the League One play-offs last season and need a new manager to propel them forward.

If you missed the story preview, which details the club’s history and outlines my long-term plans for this career, you can still find that here.

Today’s opening chapter is quite a long one. It’ll start off with a quick rundown of the board’s initial expectations. Then I’ll take you through the squad I’ve inherited, along with some of the backroom staff who’ll be assisting me. Lastly, I’ll look at our results from pre-season before leaving you with the tactics I’ll be using during the early stages of my Shrewsbury career.

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Floreat Salopia: Preview

Published on 30 January 20199 July 2026 by Chris Fuller

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s almost time for me to start another Football Manager 2019 adventure on Fuller FM. In “Floreat Salopia”, I will take the helm at Shrewsbury Town, with the aim being to take this unheralded club from League One and to new heights.

In this preview post, I will take you on a journey through the history of Shrewsbury and its football club. I will also have a quick first look at some of the players at my disposal, as well as detailing my main goals for the save.

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Viola 93: Part 3

Published on 27 January 20199 July 2026 by Chris Fuller

Hello once again, and welcome to the final part of my Championship Manager Italia mini-series. I’ve been managing Fiorentina in Serie B, and with more than half the season gone, things have been going… rather smoothly, I’d say.

In this closing chapter, I’ll round up the final few months of the 1993/1994 season, as the Viola pursue a league championship and two cup competitions. I’d experienced so much disappointment in FM19, but could this Fiorentina career end in glory?

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Viola 93: Part 2

Published on 25 January 20199 July 2026 by Chris Fuller1 Comment

This is the second part of my Championship Manager Italia mini-series. I’ve taken charge of Fiorentina in the 1993/1994 season, and the aim is to lead them back into Serie A at the first time of asking. A strong run in either the Coppa Italia or the Anglo-Italian Cup would also be quite nice.

However, difficult times could be just around the corner. Mario Cecchi Gori has stepped down as club president due to ill health, with his son Vittorio taking over the reins. Let’s hope that the growing uncertainty around the club’s financial future doesn’t affect us on the pitch.

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Viola 93: Part 1

Published on 23 January 20199 July 2026 by Chris Fuller1 Comment

Welcome to a new mini-series on Fuller FM. This is something a bit different…

Having just finished my four-season Fiorentina story “Shades of Deep Purple” on Football Manager 2019, I’ve caught a bit of a calcio bug. Before I begin my next FM19 career back in the familiar surroundings of England, I want to enjoy one more fix of Italian football.

So, where better place to go than to a time when Italian clubs were at the very top of the European game? That’s right, folks. It’s time to switch Channel 4 on and spend your Sunday morning in the company of James Richardson, because we’re going back 25 years… to Championship Manager Italia. GOLLLLLLLLLAZOOOO!

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Blog Update #1

Published on 22 January 20194 July 2026 by Chris Fuller

Hello there, readers. This isn’t going to be a very long post, but I thought I’d just update you all on how the first three months of Fuller FM have gone. I’ll also give you a heads-up on what to expect from me in the near future.

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Shades of Deep Purple: Season Review 2021/2022

Published on 18 January 20198 July 2026 by Chris Fuller

Fiorentina fans had plenty of reason to be excited about the 2021/2022 season. Having ended a long absence from the Champions League, hopes were high that we would do ourselves justice back on Europe’s biggest stage. Meanwhile, the Viola looked to wrest the Serie A scudetto from Inter’s grasp and become Italian champions for the first time in 53 years.

My fourth and final season as Fiorentina manager proved to be my most dramatic yet. My quest for silverware came down to the final weeks, after which I would leave Florence either in glory… or simply as a glorious failure.

CAUTION: If you have not yet read Part 42 – the closing chapter in this story – then PLEASE read that before continuing here. I’m sure you don’t want the ending to be spoiled.

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Shades of Deep Purple: Part 42 – IL FINALE

Published on 16 January 20198 July 2026 by Chris Fuller1 Comment

After nearly three months, and 45 blog posts, “Shades of Deep Purple” has come down to this. As the 2021/2022 Serie A season, it really is all or nothing for me and my Fiorentina team.

The Coppa Italia has eluded as, and so too has anything resembling success in Europe. Serie A represents my final chance of leaving Florence with any silverware on my CV. If we can overhaul Napoli’s advantage at the top of the standings, it will end the Viola’s 21-year wait for a major trophy, and a 53-year wait to become Italian league champions.

And so, unlike Britain’s politicians, let us immediately get on with the matter at hand…

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Shades of Deep Purple: Part 41

Published on 14 January 20198 July 2026 by Chris Fuller

I’ll tell you something about this Fiorentina team: when we can get ourselves on a roll, we are very difficult to stop. We enter the final three months of the 2021/2022 Serie A season in an incredible vein of league form. Unfortunately for us, Napoli are themselves proving very difficult to beat.

I’ve got six league matches for you in this latest chapter, and there’s no doubt about which is the biggest. If both teams can continue their excellent runs, Fiorentina vs Napoli at the Artemio Franchi on 10 April – the day before my 32nd birthday – could well decide the destiny of this season’s scudetto.

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Shades of Deep Purple: Part 40

Published on 11 January 20198 July 2026 by Chris Fuller

We’re now in February 2022, and Fiorentina are ready to do battle with Napoli on two fronts. As well as contending for the Serie A scudetto (alongside Udinese), this month sees the Viola and the Partenopei cross swords in a two-legged Coppa Italia Semi Final.

It’s sure to be a real ‘clash of the titans’, involving two sides who are back to their best after many, many years in the shadows. Fiorentina’s recent form harks back to the 1999/2000 heyday of Gabriel Batistuta and Rui Costa. As for Napoli, they haven’t been this good since 1990, when Diego Maradona and Careca were in their pomp, and I was but a newborn baby.

Okay, I think that’s just about enough 90s nostalgia, don’t you? If I carry on like this, I might as well rename the blog “BuzzFeed” and start posting video clips from “Kenan & Kel” all the time. I’d also give my articles more clickbaity titles like, “You Won’t Believe What Enrico Chiesa’s Son Looks Like Now!”

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