Category: Shades of Deep Purple

A new season is about to begin at Fiorentina. After some significant improvements in the transfer market, and some very positive results in pre-season, I feel like we’re ready to launch a strong – and sustained – push for those Champions League places.

Today’s post will include an updated squad and tactics report, as well as the opening three matches of our 2020/2021 Serie A season. The Europa League Group Stage draw is also due to take place, so we’ll soon find out who we’ll share our Thursday nights with for the foreseeable future. Continue reading “Shades of Deep Purple: Part 24” →

After a short break from Football Manager 2019, I’m now back in the swing of things with Fiorentina. After two 6th-place finishes in a row, my third season at the Artemio Franchi really is make-or-break. Either we end our long wait to return to the Champions League, or I end my Viola tenure in disappointment and return to England.

The summer of 2020 has seen plenty of upheaval with regards to the playing and backroom staff. I’ve not left a single stone unturned as I look to take this great club back where it truly belongs. Continue reading “Shades of Deep Purple: Part 23” →

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. Continue reading “Shades of Deep Purple: Season Review 2019/2020” →

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… Continue reading “Shades of Deep Purple: Part 22” →

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! Continue reading “Shades of Deep Purple: Part 21” →

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.)

Continue reading “Shades of Deep Purple: Part 20” →

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… Continue reading “Shades of Deep Purple: Part 19” →

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… Continue reading “Shades of Deep Purple: Part 18” →

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.)
Continue reading “Shades of Deep Purple: Part 17” →

After a short interlude, my second season at Fiorentina continues with plenty of match action. In this chapter, I’ll take you through the whole of November, plus the first two matches in a packed December schedule.

Can Fiorentina bounce back after a recent downturn in form and secure a place in the Europa League knockout rounds, or is there more agony to come for the Viola? If it’s the latter, I fear this story might not continue for much longer… Continue reading “Shades of Deep Purple: Part 16” →