Chris Fuller

Keeping your save files safe in Football Manager

Published on 30 November 201814 July 2026 by Chris Fuller2 Comments

Those are the seven words every Football Manager player dreads reading. We’ve all been there. You’re 20 seasons into your FM career and are about to lead Blyth Spartans into their first Champions League Final when you realise – to your horror – that the save file has been corrupted.

My worst experiences with this date back to Football Manager 2007. A career with Millwall in League One corrupted within a few in-game months, and I also lost an Arsenal save shortly after winning the League Cup with them. On both occasions, I didn’t have any backups to – pardon the pun – fall back on.

Once bitten, twice shy. Twice bitten, third time determined to never let it happen ever again. I have always taken precautions from FM11 onwards, and I haven’t had a single save game corrupt on me since.

I hope this guide helps you to back up your own Football Manager careers and protect them against corruption (that’s the data file kind, not the Manchester City kind):

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Shades of Deep Purple: Season Review 2019/2020

Published on 28 November 20188 July 2026 by Chris Fuller

My second season with Fiorentina is done and dusted. It was a campaign that started with so much promise, but we were ultimately left disappointed and with bitter tastes in our mouths. Even so, there were a few green shoots of optimism that suggests things might be looking up for the Viola in 2020/2021.

This post will round up our domestic and European campaigns in 2019/2020. There’ll also be some awards and statistics before I detail my plans for the future.

Put it this way: I am going to have a very busy summer. With Harry Redknapp currently enjoying the company of Noel Edmonds and Charlotte from ‘The Inbetweeners’ in the Australian jungle, I’m taking up his mantle as football’s top wheeling-dealing Londoner.

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Football Manager and Me: Part 2

Published on 27 November 20184 July 2026 by Chris Fuller

It’s hard to believe that I have been playing Football Manager (or Championship Manager, as it was) for nearly two decades. I was eight years old when I first set out to prove myself as a virtual Arsene Wenger, and I’m still going now as I near my thirties.

My love affair with CM/FM, like any relationship, has had its peaks and troughs. I’ll go through some of the trials and tribulations I’ve had on this game since I was introduced to Championship Manager 3 during the 1998/1999 season.

I should note that I have retrospectively played the original Championship Manager (released way back in 1992), CM2, and CM97/98 since I started out with CM3. I shall not be recounting those earlier games in this article, though I may look back at them in the future.

In this second part, I will chronicle my experiences from Football Manager 2011 – which got me back into the series after an anger-induced break – to the recently-released FM19. You can read Part 1 here.

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Shades of Deep Purple: Part 22

Published on 25 November 20188 July 2026 by Chris Fuller

2019/2020 has been a season of disappointment for Fiorentina. Inter outclassed us in the Quarter Finals of the Europa League, and with four games to go in Serie A, we’re already guaranteed to fall short of last season’s points tally.

However, this campaign could yet end in glory. The Viola’s long wait for a first trophy since reforming will be over if we can overcome Napoli in the Coppa Italia Final. That would also guarantee us a return to the Europa League Group Stage. Otherwise, we’ll need another top-six league finish to make sure we’re contending for European honours next season.

Whatever happens in May, you can be sure it’ll be nail-bitingly tense…

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Shades of Deep Purple: Part 21

Published on 23 November 20188 July 2026 by Chris Fuller1 Comment

Welcome back to the second season of my Fiorentina career on FM19. It’s been a frustrating campaign in Serie A, but we head into April still chasing silverware domestically and further afield.

Today’s chapter includes both legs of the Europa League Quarter Final with Internazionale, and perhaps even the first leg of the Semi if we come through that. Wish us luck!

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Shades of Deep Purple: Part 20

Published on 21 November 20188 July 2026 by Chris Fuller1 Comment

The matches keep coming thick and fast for my Fiorentina team. We’re still fighting on three fronts, but is it possible to reach the Coppa Italia Final, progress to the latter stages of the Europa League AND maintain a top-six placing in Serie A? With a squad that’s perhaps lacking depth?

The next few weeks will tell us a lot about whether we’ve got what it takes. Join me on this eight-game trek through what is literally THE biggest chapter of “Shades of Deep Purple” so far. (Nearly 3,800 words long at the last count.)

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Football Manager and Me: Part 1

Published on 20 November 20184 July 2026 by Chris Fuller

It’s hard to believe that I have been playing Football Manager (or Championship Manager, as it was) for nearly two decades. I was eight years old when I first set out to prove myself as a virtual Arsène Wenger, and I’m still going now as I near my thirties.

In this first part, I will chronicle my experiences from the Championship Manager 3 demo to Football Manager 2008 – a game so buggy that it almost killed my enthusiasm for this franchise completely.

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Shades of Deep Purple: Part 19

Published on 19 November 20188 July 2026 by Chris Fuller

January 2020 was a truly incredible month for Fiorentina – and we only played four competitive matches. We’ve now got NINE to look forward to in a fun-packed February! I don’t think I have it in me to cover them all in one mega-chapter, but I’ll be sure to cover both legs of our Europa League first knockout round match at least.

Also on the horizon in this chapter is the first leg of our Coppa Italia Semi Final, along with a bunch of league matches against lowly opponents. I might have some very encouraging news on the contract front as well…

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Shades of Deep Purple: Part 18

Published on 18 November 20188 July 2026 by Chris Fuller2 Comments

2019 was a year of immense promise but substantial disappointment for Fiorentina. As I enter the second half of my second campaign with the Viola, I’m hoping the new year will bring new fortune.

Our vision for 2020 is to retain a top-six finish in Serie A and win a cup competition, ending a club hoodoo that has gone on for close to two decades. The Coppa Italia looks like our most likely source of silverware, and it’s our Quarter Final which kicks off an eventful January. After that, it’ll be time to delve into the transfer market…

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Shades of Deep Purple: Part 17

Published on 15 November 20188 July 2026 by Chris Fuller2 Comments

My worst run as Fiorentina manager appears to be over – and with Christmas fast approaching, it’s just as well.

This chapter will feature our remaining six games in December 2019, including our last Europa League group fixture, and our first match in this season’s Coppa Italia. Before all that, though, we need to talk tactics…

P.S. If you’re still new to this story, you can now catch up on any parts you might’ve missed by visiting the “Shades of Deep Purple” page, which has a list of every chapter published so far. (You can also access this page by hovering over the FM19 tab on the menu bar.)

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