Glenn Hoddle

[WhiteJC]

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2010/07/02/2005312/glenn-hoddle-in-contention-for-fulham-managers-job-as-club?
Glenn Hoddle in contention for Fulham manager's job as club target replacement in same mould as Roy Hodgson
Ex-England boss joins shortlist of Curbishley, Eriksson, Hughes & Mowbray

Glenn Hoddle is in the frame to take over as manager at Fulham as the club target a training ground-style coach in the mould of ex-boss Roy Hodgson, Goal.com UK can reveal.

Alan Curbishley, Sven-Goran Eriksson and Mark Hughes are on the board's radar but there is also strong support for a manager who will not disrupt the coaching structure already in place at Craven Cottage.

Goal.com UK understands that former England boss Hoddle and ex-Celtic and West Brom manager Tony Mowbray are considered to fit the bill as high calibre tacticians who can minimise the changes for players used to a coaching-oriented culture.

Hoddle, who was also considered for the West Ham post after Gianfranco Zola was dismissed, is believed to be interested despite his commitments to his own football academy in southern Spain.

The 52-year-old former Tottenham boss has not returned to management since stepping down as Wolverhampton Wanderers boss in July 2006 but he is still regarded as an original thinker with a strong coaching reputation.

Despite being sacked at Celtic, Mowbray is also well regarded at Craven Cottage for his managerial spells at Hibernian and West Bromwich Albion.

Former Charlton and West Ham manager Curbishley, who has been out of work since his acrimonious departure at Upton Park in September 2008, has a strong connection to Fulham as his erstwhile No2 Mervyn Day is now part of the club's scouting team.

Eriksson, who has stepped down as Ivory Coast manager, remains a strong contender but support is dwindling for Hughes.

It is believed that hiring the Welshman would require too dramatic a change to the club's coaching set-up because Hughes would want his close-knit backroom staff of Mark Bowen, Eddie Niedzwiecki, Kevin Hitchcock and Glyn  Hodges to join him.

Fulham chief executive Alistair Macintosh has been charged with identifying Hodgson's successor. He will whittle down the shortlist before presenting the names to chairman and owner Mohamed Al Fayed.

Although the non-World Cup players return to pre-season training next Tuesday, club sources say they are in no rush and a more realistic timeframe is to have the new manager in place by the time the first-team squad set off for their pre-season tour to Sweden.

Fulham will strongly resist any move by Hodgson to return to Craven Cottage and buy some of the leading players.

Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy is considered a more viable target for Hodgson than defender Brede Hangeland, who signed a new four-year contract last November and is valued at £10m by the club.

[Logicalman]

Good indications there for the Brede, as the Poo won't have too much cash in the war chest, and splashing out in the region of 50% of it on the Center Back won't go down too well with the kop I wouldn't imagine.
They can have the Smurph, his time is almost up for first-team football anyways, and unless the Poo relinquish Gerrard, there won't be room in the team for the pair of them up north.

Glen is a dark horse in recent times, but the article makes a lot of sense, especially as to why we shouldn't entertain Hughes and his entourage.

[Lighthouse]

Murphy was making the point on radio about the MD asking the players for thir thoughts on the new manager. I would have thought asking the training and back room staff is more likely. I will not be thrilled with whoever the new man is. There isn't a big enough name out there that deserves Fulham. But we will support and cheer and hope that this year things don't totally implode. Good luck to whoever it is.

[Logicalman]

I agree, though I have to point out, as many others on this MB have already, that RH wasn't exactly a big name when Mo appointed him, and that will also be a plus for any new manager to view the club as a potential success story. Whether or not they might also feel that RH is TOO hard an act to follow, egotistically that is, is another matter.

[OldBrownShoe]

Regarding Glenn Hoddle in his last club management position, this may be of interest (from Wikipaedia):

Hoddle was linked with a return to Southampton in early 2004, but opposition from supporters meant chairman Rupert Lowe pursued alternative targets.[23] Instead he returned to management in December 2004 with Wolverhampton Wanderers, again succeeding Dave Jones. Wolves lost only one of remaining 25 games but failed to reach the play-offs because 15 of those games had been draws. Wolves were expected to finish in the top 6 under Hoddle in the 2005–2006 season but again draws cost them with Wolves drawing 19 of their 46 league games. They were also one of the lowest goalscoring teams in the division scoring just 50 goals in the league all season. Wolves finished 7th, 8 points off the playoffs. Wolves fans turned against Hoddle and there were chants against him during the last home game of the season against Watford. [24] The board kept faith with Hoddle, but he stepped down on 1 July 2006, stating differing expectations between himself and the club as the reason for his departure.[25][26] In his time with Wolverhampton Wanderers, the club drew 34 league games in his 76 games in charge, spanning over two seasons.