Friends of Fulham

 
Midfielder unsure over future

Spurs midfielder Lewis Holtby is putting talk of his future at White Hart Lane to the back of his mind until the summer.

The German international has seen his chances of regular football come to an end with Spurs when former boss Andre Villas-Boas, the man who bought him to the club from Hamburg, was axed. Current head coach Tim Sherwood has different ideas and Holtby has been allowed to join Fulham's fight against the drop and that is where his concentration will lie until the summer. "First of all I just think about Fulham and I just want to stay up," he said. "I want to have a really good 13 games left and I want to show what I can do. "I am very happy to show the PL what my abilities are and I am really happy that I am connecting. "I am looking forward to the next games."



Read more at: http://www.clubcall.com/tottenham-hotspur/midfielder-unsure-over-future-1710911.html? (http://www.clubcall.com/tottenham-hotspur/midfielder-unsure-over-future-1710911.html?)

 
Fulham decision to replace Meulensteen with Magath surprising but could save season

(http://www.london24.com/polopoly_fs/spt_wk7_14_felix_magath_1_3322505!image/1384520859.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_490/1384520859.jpg)
Felix Magath has been appointed as the new Fulham manager.
(Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images)

Fulham's decision to replace Rene Meulensteen with Felix Magath was a surprising one but it could save their season, according to Supporters' Trust member Dan Crawford.

Magath was appointed on Friday night, with Meulensteen's departure not confirmed until the Dutchman himself announced he had be relieved of his duties.

The Whites currently sit bottom of the Barclays Premier League and are four points from safety with 12 games remaining.

Crawford admits he was not expecting the change at the top but feels Magath could bring something new to the club's survival bid.

"I was very surprised," he said.

"We had all read that he might have two games to save his job but you just assumed that the performances and fight they showed would have been enough.

"We have got a week's break now before a massive game against West Brom so it was the last time we could make a change.

"Magath has never managed outside the Bundesliga so getting him to come in to a team in this position is a bit of a coup and we have a £12million striker [Kostas Mitroglou] who is yet to play.

"You always need something or someone special and, in Magath, it looks as though the club have brought in an experienced fire-fighter."

Magath has won three Bundesliga titles during his managerial career but now faces a different challenge after being tasked with keeping Fulham in the top flight.

Crawford is hopeful Fulham will see a response to the appointment, something that never occurred when owner Shahid Khan decided Meulensteen was the man to replace Martin Jol in December.

"We haven't won a league game since January 1, we are out of FA Cup, bottom of the league and running out of time," he added.

"You have to look at the season we have had - usually you get a bounce off a new manager and that is something we haven't had.

"The defending has been abysmal for most of the season, you hope that someone who is a disciplinarian will come in and get things right, he won't take any prisoners and has virtually no margin for error.

"We are in the last chance saloon and everyone recognises that, it slaps a little bit of desperation but that is par for the course given the situation we are in."


http://www.london24.com/sport/fulham/fulham_decision_to_replace_meulensteen_with_magath_surprising_but_could_save_season_1_3322769 (http://www.london24.com/sport/fulham/fulham_decision_to_replace_meulensteen_with_magath_surprising_but_could_save_season_1_3322769)

 
Do ex-Manchester United pair regret their Fulham move already?

Ryan Tunnicliffe and Larnell Cole left Manchester United for Fulham in January to reunite with Rene Meulensteen.

Many managers are given considerable funds only to be shown the exit shortly after spending them. Such is football.

But what of the players who join a club under one manager only to quickly see him replaced by another? How much of their decision is based on the man they expect to play under, and how much on the club they are joining?

In the case of Larnell Cole and Ryan Tunnicliffe, the two players joined Fulham to reunite with Rene Meulensteen – a man who they had known at Manchester United during his 12 year spell at Old Trafford.

But now, just over two weeks after the duo arrived at Craven Cottage, it is Felix Magath who will be calling the shots and picking the team.

At 20 and 21 respectively, Cole and Tunnicliffe would have believed themselves ready for first-team action. Indeed Tunnicliffe has paid his dues in terms of loan spells and possesses the talent to succeed in the top flight.

Cole is a slightly different story, having enjoyed an excellent season for United's under-21s last year, and a loan spell would have surely been his best option – until the pull of Meulensteen of course.

The moves made sense. The former United coach knew these players and they knew him. He obviously had faith in their talents. In essence, there was no risk involved from either party.

As Tunnicliffe told Sky Sports after the move, "I've known Rene since I was nine and there was talk when he took over that he was interested in me, so it's just picked up steam this week really and I'm here now and glad to sign

"Rene didn't have to sell Fulham to me, for a start they're in the Premier League and I want to play at the highest level. I know René and I know he's a great coach so I'm just excited to work for him."

But that excitement was temporary, with the Dutchman no longer in charge. And while both players still have the chance to make a difference at the club and build long and successful careers in London, you wonder what they are thinking now, and if they would have made the same decision had they known what was to come.


http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2014/02/15/does-ex-manchester-united-duo-regret-their-fulham-move-already/? (http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2014/02/15/does-ex-manchester-united-duo-regret-their-fulham-move-already/?)

 
Premier League Relegation Betting: Taskmaster Magath has the tools to save Fulham

Fulham are on to their third manager of the season after the Cottagers replaced Rene Meulensteen with experienced German coach Felix Magath. Our Bundesliga columnist Kevin Hatchard takes a look at Magath's highs and lows.

Earlier this week Felix Magath was bidding to take charge of crisis club Hamburg, the team he helped win the European Cup as a player in 1983. Just hours after revealing that the Hamburg board had blocked his appointment, he was installed as the new Fulham boss on an 18-month contract after the brutal dismissal of Rene Meulensteen. The Cottagers have hired a proven winner with a glittering CV as a player and a manager, but his methods are far from universally popular, and he has some recent failures against his name.

Magath, who is the first German to take a manager's role in the Premier League, was an attacking midfielder of some distinction in his playing days. He was a key player in a glorious period for Hamburg, as they won three Bundesliga titles, became European champions, and won the European Cup Winners' Cup. He also won 43 caps for West Germany, before a knee injury ended his career in 1986.

As a manager, Magath has had plenty of success. He did the league and cup double with Bayern Munich in both 2005 and 2006, but in 2007 his relationship with his squad became strained. His unwavering focus on punishing fitness drills and his aloof and unapproachable attitude alienated his players, and results suffered. Amidst accusations that he had lost the plot both in terms of tactics and man-management, Magath was sacked.

To his immense credit, Magath then went on to eclipse his "double-double" at Bayern with an even greater achievement. He took over a Wolfsburg team that was 15th in the Bundesliga, and turned them into champions within two years, with Manchester City striker Edin Dzeko providing the attacking thrust alongside Brazilian strike partner Grafite. While Magath's obsession with fitness had been derided towards the end of his Bayern reign, it paid off at Wolfsburg. Their title success was built on a ten-match winning streak in the second half of the season, and all those runs up and down the artificial hill at the training ground (dubbed "Mount Magath") had borne fruit.

Having delivered Wolfsburg's first major trophy in 64 years, Magath promptly jumped ship and joined Schalke. Fans of the Royal Blues were hoping Magath could whip their unruly players into shape. Although he led Schalke to second in his first season in charge, a familiar pattern soon emerged. He gradually lost the dressing room (the imposition of arbitrary fines for small errors in games didn't help), and the team's form imploded. Magath had favourites who were spared punishment and criticism, but some players were treated exceptionally harshly, including a trio who had been left to rot in the reserves for three months by the time Magath was replaced. Jefferson Farfan, who was fined 100,000 euros for arriving late to training after the winter break, summed up Magath's methods as "ugly", and stated his treatment of players "destroyed the group."

Schalke sacked Magath in March 2011, and his second spell at Wolfsburg was also a failure. Magath is unusual in German football in the respect that he demands total control of transfers, and he embarked on a dizzying merry-go-round of arrivals and departures. In one transfer window, he brought in eight players, four of whom were left-wingers. Constant chopping and changing gave the team no rhythm or cohesion, and Magath left with the side bottom of the Bundesliga.

The former Norway striker Jan Aage Fjortoft, who played under "Medicine Ball Magath" at Eintracht Frankfurt, has some tremendous anecdotes about the manager's erratic behaviour on his Twitter feed (I won't spoil it for you here). Tellingly, when it was suggested that Magath sounded like the worst manager in the world, Fjortoft disagreed and said he rates him highly. That's the key point when considering Magath - he always gets results in the short-term, even though his methods are corrosive in the long-term.

The 60-year-old takes charge of a Fulham side that is bottom of the table, trading at 1.44 in the Relegation market and 2.32 in the Rock Bottom market. With Magath in charge and £11million striker Kostas Mitroglou added to the Cottagers attack, I expect there to be an upturn in fortunes at Craven Cottage, at least in the short-term. After that, who knows what havoc the erratic Magath will cause?

Recommended Bet
Lay Fulham in the Relegation market at 1.44


http://betting.betfair.com/football/premier-league/taskmaster-magath-has-the-tools-to-save-fulham-150214-140.html? (http://betting.betfair.com/football/premier-league/taskmaster-magath-has-the-tools-to-save-fulham-150214-140.html?)

 
Chaos Reigns at Craven Cottage
   
I`m in shock this morning!

I`d heard the rumours doing the rounds that Rene Meulensteen`s position, in charge of the first team, was in danger but I didn`t really believe, after encouraging performances against Manchester United and Liverpool that he`d be kind of axed.

I say kind of axed because Rene is still employed by the club but will be working under our new manager Felix Magath, the former Bayern Munich boss.

Now quite whether that is acceptable to the Dutchman or not remains to be seen, I suspect that he`ll be pushed towards the door sometime in the next 72 hours.

But whilst accepting that results suggest a second change, this season, was needed I`m stunned at the timing of it.

Magath takes charge, having been given an eighteen month contract, knowing he is expected to keep the club in the Premier League but with a squad of players he cannot change, courtesy of the transfer window being shut, would it not have been better to orchestrate the change earlier?

Further confusion reigns with the insinuation that Fulham were always intent on employing a new manager, even when Rene was give the role but without the grand title, which beggars belief that it took so long to do so.

Chaos is the word that springs to mind and the whole situation, in my opinion, makes Fulham Football Club look amateurish!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=349735#ixzz2tTNaleGF (http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=349735#ixzz2tTNaleGF)

 
Meulensteen - An Act of Fear!
   
Rene Meulensteen`s reign as being the person in charge of the first team lasted a mere 75 days.

His record, of 10 points from 13 games is, strangely enough, identical to that of his predecessor, Martin Jol`s spell this season.

In being axed by Fulham, at a critical stage of our season, Meulensteen becomes the third shortest tenure of a Premier League manager, nestling in behind Alan Shearer who spent 59 days in charge of Newcastle and Les Reed who spent 40days in charge of Charlton.

Speaking about his axing, Meulensteen revealed,

"I knew the owners were freaking out a little bit that there was the possibility of the club going down."

"The way forward we have discussed with the club was about longevity and in this case it is clearly an act of fear."

There is speculation in the media today that Meulensteen could beset to join Ole Gunnar Solksjaer, at Cardiff, if so we`d like to wish him well and hope that his time in charge hasn`t dented his enthusiasm to become a top manager.


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=349737#ixzz2tTNnRMvx (http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=349737#ixzz2tTNnRMvx)

 
A Warm Welcome to Felix Magath
   
With Meulensteen shoved to one side, it is now down to Felix Magath to steer us away from the relegation zone.

Magath, the first German to manage in the Premier League is keen to get started in his new role remarking after his appointment,

"Here we go again, I`m coming back into football."

"It`s a fantastic working environment for any coach and footballer."

"This amazing club and it`s amazing owner Shahid Khan have totally convinced me and given me the managerial responsibility."

"I`m looking forward to the football and, even more so, to the work."

The German certainly has the pedigree for the job having previously worked at;-

• Hamburg (1995-97)
• Nurnberg (1997-98)
• WerderBremen (1998-99)
• Eintracht Frankfurt (1999-01)
• VfB Stuttgart (2001-04)
• Bayern Munich (2004-07)
• Wolfsburg (2007-09)
• Schalke (2009-11)
• Wolfsburg (2011-12)

As for managerial honours the sixty year old has won:

• Bayern Munich - Bundesliga - 2004-05 and 2005-06
• Wolfsburg - Bundesliga - 2008-09

But some might say keeping Fulham Football Club in the Premier League will top all of the above!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=349738#ixzz2tTNzYwhi (http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=349738#ixzz2tTNzYwhi)

 
Where Does This Leave Curbishley and Wilkins
   
The sudden and very dramatic appointment of Felix Magath as the new Fulham manager leaves the futures of Alan Curbishley and Ray Wilkins in doubt.

Brought in by Rene Meulensteen to try and halt the plunge through the relegation trap-door, it remains debatable whether one, both, or neither will be wanted by Felix Magath.

According to the media, no immediate decision has been made on either of their futures but it is being suggested by the tabloid press that Fulham Football Club will review their positions in the coming days.


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=349740#ixzz2tTOCEVJ2 (http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=349740#ixzz2tTOCEVJ2)

 
Why Meulensteen Had to Go!
   
For those who are a little unsure why Fulham Football Club had a sudden and very dramatic change in managerial status last night, our owner, Shahid Khan, offered a brief explanation.

This is what our owner had to say,

"With 12 matches remaining, we can no longer post empty results. Action was required."

It remains to be seen whether the action carried out was the correct action.


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=349741#ixzz2tTOLIYmV (http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=349741#ixzz2tTOLIYmV)

 
Fulham fans surprised by Meulensteen sacking

Fulham's decision to replace Rene Meulensteen with Felix Magath was a surprising one but it could save their season, according to Supporters' Trust member Dan Crawford.

Magath was appointed on Friday night, with Meulensteen's departure not confirmed until the Dutchman himself announced he had be relieved of his duties.

The Whites currently sit bottom of the Barclays Premier League and are four points from safety with 12 games remaining.

Crawford admits he was not expecting the change at the top but feels Magath could bring something new to the club's survival bid.

"I was very surprised," he told Press Association Sport.

"We had all read that he might have two games to save his job but you just assumed that the performances and fight they showed would have been enough.

"We have got a week's break now before a massive game against West Brom so it was the last time we could make a change.

"Magath has never managed outside the Bundesliga so getting him to come in to a team in this position is a bit of a coup and we have a £12million striker [Kostas Mitroglu] who is yet to play.

"You always need something or someone special and, in Magath, it looks as though the club have brought in an experienced fire-fighter."

Magath has won three Bundesliga titles during his managerial career but now faces a different challenge after being tasked with keeping Fulham in the top flight.

Crawford is hopeful Fulham will see a response to the appointment, something that never occurred when owner Shahid Khan decided Meulensteen was the man to replace Martin Jol in December.

"We haven't won a league game since January 1, we are out of FA Cup, bottom of the league and running out of time," he added.

"You have to look at the season we have had - usually you get a bounce off a new manager and that is something we haven't had.

"The defending has been abysmal for most of the season, you hope that someone who is a disciplinarian will come in and get things right, he won't take any prisoners and has virtually no margin for error.

"We are in the last chance saloon and everyone recognises that, it slaps a little bit of desperation but that is par for the course given the situation we are in."



http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/fulham-fans-surprised-by-meulensteen-sacking-30012958.html (http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/fulham-fans-surprised-by-meulensteen-sacking-30012958.html)

 
A blagger's guide to new Fulham manager Felix Magath
The Cottagers are unlikely to want for fitness and discipline, but there's far more to their new boss.

While the shock axing of Rene Meulensteen may be unseemly, the news that he will be replaced by Felix Magath should Fulham fans rejoicing.

Whether that will be a sentiment shared by the playing staff that occupy the Premier League's bottom rung is up for debate, with the German mostly known as feared disciplinarian.

One thing's for sure, Magath is in possession of enough managerial smarts to have steered Bayern Munchen to successive league and cup doubles.

"Big whoop" you say? Fair enough, but he repeated the trick in 2008/09 with Wolfsburg, a far less fashionable outfit, having previously laid the groundwork for Stuttgart's Bundesliga victory in 2007.

Fulham can be backed to defy 9/25 favouritism in bwin's Premier League relegation betting at a 39/20 that looks twice as nice a price since Magath's appointment.

The German boss reached the highest peaks in his playing days, notching the winner in the 1980 European Cup final for Hamburg and reaching successive World Cup finals with Die Mannschaft.

As a manager he has been attributed various nicknames, 'The Torturer' and 'Saddam' among them, due to his Spartan training regimes.

Lengthy runs in which players were not allowed so much as a drop of water and another jag up a Swiss mountain that saw Wolfsburg striker Grafite carried down on a stretcher, exhausted, are just some of the tales that emanate from his legend.

However, there is much more to the son of a Puerto Rican soldier and a German mother than fear and retribution.

While in the long run his methods may begin to grow irksome to his charges they have had a fantastic knack of bringing the best out of sides in the short term.

Magath inspired Wolfsburg to their only ever Bundesliga title and Schalke to a second-place finish in just his second season at both clubs.

Earlier in his career he took over a Stuttgart side battling relegation.

Through the astute promotion of young talents such as Mario Gomez, Kevin Kuranyi and Phillipe Lahm turned them into a Champions League side capable of seeing off Manchester United.
In a similar situation at Craven Cottage his track record of forging a winning blend of innocence and experience will be vital.

His tactical default, which won him the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg is a particular brand of 4-4-2 that some observers have likened to a diamond formation.

However, while it may look so on paper, the central-midfield retains two holding players while the supposed wide men are also quite narrow, with width provided by the full-backs.

Playmaking responsibilities are shared out between all the members of the middle band while up front the line leader and number ten are encouraged to interchange.

With the Cottagers having employed a 4-4-2 variant in 15 of their 26 league games to date Magath's staple setup should be easy for Fulham to adopt.

Fulham to stay up @ 39/20

- See more at: http://bwinbetting.com/leagues/premier-league/blaggers-guide-fulham-manager-felix-magath,51986.html?#sthash.BukXGuVI.dpuf (http://bwinbetting.com/leagues/premier-league/blaggers-guide-fulham-manager-felix-magath,51986.html?#sthash.BukXGuVI.dpuf)

 
Fulham firm favourites to be relegated despite appointing Felix Magath

Rene Meulensteen has been replaced as Fulham manager by former Bayern Munich coach Felix Magath.
The Dutchman, who succeeded the sacked Martin Jol in December, told BBC Sport that he had been fired but he remains under contract at Fulham.

Meulensteen, who won four of 17 games in charge, told BBC Sport: "They have hit the panic button on emotion and fear - but hey ho, that's football."

He was not mentioned in a club statement  announcing Magath's arrival.

Fulham chairman Shahid Khan said: "With 12 matches remaining, we certainly can no longer post empty results. Action was required."

Magath, 60, has signed an 18-month contract at Fulham, who are bottom of the Premier League. He has won the Bundesliga three times as a manager, most recently with Wolfsburg in 2009, and is the first German to manage in the Premier League.

The experts have not been impressed and Fulham remain firm favourites with the bookies to get relegated. They are a best priced 4/11 for the drop and sit foot of the table and four points from safety.

Joe Ross of betting website www.footyinsider.co.uk (http://www.footyinsider.co.uk) said:

'When will new owners learn, changing managers like your underpants never works. Three managerial changes, three styles of play, three different dressing room styles in only two thirds of a season and you can't see Fulham recovering. They look as certain as any side in recent seasons to drop down to the Championship unless Magath is a miracle worker.'

FD



http://www.footballtradedirectory.com/news/2014/february/fulham-firm-favourites-to-be-relegated.html? (http://www.footballtradedirectory.com/news/2014/february/fulham-firm-favourites-to-be-relegated.html?)

 
Exclusive – Collins: Fulham situation is a 'shambles'

Former Fulham star John Collins has labelled the club's situation a 'shambles', after the Cottagers sacked Rene Meulensteen after just 75 days in charge last night.

Owner Shahid Khan was quick to replace him with former Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg boss Felix Magath, who has joined on an 18-month deal, but Collins believes the decision to appoint a third manager this season is baffling.

"It's a shambles, it's really strange," he told the Weekend Sports Breakfast.

"Over the last couple of results things look like they could be turning a corner and then all of a sudden you hear this news last night.

"When you sign players, you think a manager will be given time. Hopefully the new manager will come in and have an impact, but it's a tough job and they're in a difficult position."

The timing of the decision to replace Meulensteen has confused many, including Collins, who admitted that he feels sorry for the five players who arrived in January.

"You have to wonder what these new players are thinking when they are hearing that a manager who has persuaded them to come to this club, told them his plan, his vision and what he's looking from them. Now they'll be thinking 'what kind of football club have I joined?'"

Collins, who enjoyed three seasons at Craven Cottage, including helping Fulham gain promotion to the Premier League in 2001 conceded that the Cottagers have simply not been good enough this year, and reluctantly tipped them for relegation.

"This season it's been poor from start to finish and they're in a really difficult position. If I was a betting man then Fulham will be big favourites to go down. Fingers crossed they can stay up, but it's going to be difficult."


Read more at http://talksport.com/football/exclusive-collins-fulham-situation-shambles-14021579937#YFfsPhaL2YvXzxde.99 (http://talksport.com/football/exclusive-collins-fulham-situation-shambles-14021579937#YFfsPhaL2YvXzxde.99)

 
Brevett: Fulham players will be shocked

Former Fulham captain Rufus Brevett believes the current squad will be shocked at the decision to replace head coach Rene Meulensteen with ex-Bayern Munich boss Felix Magath.

The Whites currently sit bottom of the Barclays Premier League and have not won a league fixture since a 2-1 victory over West Ham on New Year's Day.

Meulensteen was appointed as Martin Jol's successor in December but, having been unable to steer Fulham out of the relegation zone, he also lost the faith of owner Shahid Khan.

Brevett, who currently manages Southern League Premier Division side Arlesey Town, reckons the players will struggle to once again adapt to new ideas.

"The players will be shocked," he told Press Association Sport.

"Some are players that Meulensteen brought in in January and they just won't know what has happened.

"As players you have got to get on with it, it is your job. They have to take responsibility but it is true, you do also need continuity in what you're being told is expected of you.

"Just as they are getting used to Meulensteen's methods and the things that he wants, he is gone and another manager comes in - it will be very difficult for him with 12 games to go, it doesn't happen over night."

Magath, who has won three Bundesliga titles during his managerial career, now has 12 games to turn things around at Craven Cottage after becoming Fulham's third manager of the season.

Brevett feels a relegation battle requires a different approach and also did not rule out Khan making another change in the summer if Magath fails to keep the club in the top flight.

"He owns the club and will do what he thinks is best," added Brevett.

"He has brought a new manager in with 12 games to go, if Magath doesn't keep them up is he going to bring in another manager to get them out of the Championship? How much does Magath know about that division?

"Sometimes when a new manager comes in you get a new kick and hopefully if they do that they might have a chance.

"The confidence is low and it is going to take a completely different mindset, there are a lot of differences between fighting to win things and trying to stay in the league. We will have to wait and see what he comes up with.


http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/brevett-fulham-players-will-be-shocked-30013109.html (http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/brevett-fulham-players-will-be-shocked-30013109.html)

 
Rene Meulensteen sacked: What Fulham should be prepared for under Felix 'the torturer' Magath

(http://www.independent.co.uk/incoming/article9129668.ece/ALTERNATES/w620/Magath.jpg)
The 60-year-old German is known as an unltra-disciplinarian and fitness fanatic

If the Fulham squad have any intention of enjoying the rest of the season, they should forget it. Right now.

One look at the nicknames should tell them all they need to know.

Their new boss Felix Magath is an ultra-disciplinarian and fitness fanatic who has been dubbed the 'Torturer' and 'Saddam' due to the brutality of his training regimes, which have reduced players to tears.

The 60-year-old could make Sir Alex Ferguson look soft.

Any player not prepared to live up to that old sporting cliche of giving 110 per cent would be advised to give the Cottagers' Motspur Park training ground a wide berth.

Magath has managed at the very top of the game in Germany, winning back-to-back league and cup doubles with Bayern Munich and the title with Wolfsburg.

The former West Germany international has managed eight current Bundesliga clubs, with this his first job outside his homeland.

But his dictatorial style has made him a divisive figure.

Germany's Bild newspaper revealed the incredible fine system he operated in his second spell at Wolfsburg, which reportedly ranged from 100 euros for every minute a player was late for training to 1,000 euros for an unnecessary backpass.

He has ordered dawn cross-country runs, held multiple training sessions daily and is even said to have assigned his players essays on their ambitions.

One run up a Swiss mountain while in charge of Wolfsburg reportedly ended with players in tears and striker Grafite collapsing and being carried down on a stretcher

In another tale Magath is alleged to have asked Hasan Salihamidzic to perform single-arm press-ups when he has suffered a fractured arm.

His two year-spell at Schalke ended amid player unrest, with striker Jefferson Farfan quoted as saying: "Magath's military methods are ugly. Their humanity is questionable."

Fulham's players have been warned.

PA


http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/rene-meulensteen-sacked-what-fulham-should-be-prepared-for-under-felix-the-torturer-magath-9130671.html (http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/rene-meulensteen-sacked-what-fulham-should-be-prepared-for-under-felix-the-torturer-magath-9130671.html)

 
Team News: No Dimitar Berbatov for Monaco

Dimitar Berbatov remains on the bench for Monaco against Bastia in Ligue 1, despite scoring an extra-time winner against Nice in the Coupe de France on Wednesday.

Nicolas Isimat-Mirin and Geoffrey Kondogbia come in for Eric Abidal and Lucas Ocampos.

Bastia, meanwhile, have named an unchanged team to the one that beat 10-man Toulouse on Tuesday.

Former Liverpool striker Djibril Cisse starts up front for the hosts.

Bastia: Leca; Modesto, Squillaci, Harek, Diakité; Palmieri, Cahuzac, Romaric, Yatabaré; Ilan, Cissé

Monaco: Subasic; Fabinho, Kurzawa, Carvalho, Abidal; Moutinho, Toulalan, Kondogbia; Rodriguez, Germain, Riviere


http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/bastia/team-news/team-news-no-dimitar-berbatov-for-monaco_138323.html (http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/bastia/team-news/team-news-no-dimitar-berbatov-for-monaco_138323.html)

 
Magath relishing Fulham task


Felix Magath has welcomed the challenge of keeping Fulham in the Premier League as he expressed his delight at being appointed their new manager.

Magath replaced Rene Meulensteen late on Friday night and the former Schalke boss is relishing the challenge ahead.

Reports have claimed that Fulham want Meulensteen to remain as assistant to Magath, but with the former Manchester United coach claiming he was sacked it remains to be seen if he will take up the role.

Magath, who signed an 18-month contract, has been charged with keeping the Cottagers in the Premier League.

"Here we go again, I'm coming back into football," said Magath. It's a fantastic working environment for any coach and footballer.

"This amazing club and its owner Shahid Khan have totally convinced me and given me the managerial responsibility.

"I'm looking forward to the football and, even more so, to the work," continued the former Bayern Munich manager.

Fulham's decision to replace Meulensteen with Magath has shocked many fans and pundits, but Supporters' Trust member Dan Crawford believes it could save their season.

"We have got a week's break now before a massive game against West Brom so it was the last time we could make a change," said Crawford.

"Magath has never managed outside the Bundesliga so getting him to come in to a team in this position is a bit of a coup and we have a £12million striker [Kostas Mitroglu] who is yet to play.

"You always need something or someone special and, in Magath, it looks as though the club have brought in an experienced fire-fighter."


http://www.setanta.com/ie/magath-relishing-fulham-task/? (http://www.setanta.com/ie/magath-relishing-fulham-task/?)

 
Can Meulensteen return?

News broke yesterday that Rene Meulensteen has been replaced at Fulham as manager by Felix Magath, the German manager who won the league with Wolfsburg a few years ago.

"We had an extensive meeting on Monday afternoon as our meetings have been very good throughout," Meulensteen told Sky Sports about his relationship with the chief exec. "Good open dialogue and good discussions as I explained why Fulham were in this position. But it wasn't an easy starting point taking over from Martin Jol. We've had some really good performances but not results and it knocks confidence. We knew we had to put some new life into the team with some new players, more energy and quality, and we addressed that in the transfer window and got some new players in. But I've not been given enough time to finish the process. Everyone could see the difference in the performances against Manchester United and Liverpool – and what direction I was taking."

Meulensteen hasn't actually been sacked, contrary to early reports, with the club rating his ability as a coach but doubting his authority to hold a managerial position. Still, he will be leaving the club in the next few days when the terms of his departure have been finalised, with his position having been made untenable.

Since leaving United last summer, Meulensteen has had two posts as manager. The first was at Anzhi in Russia and lasted just 16 days. His stint at Fulham lasted 75 days. Both have mitigating circumstances and shouldn't be used as a stick to beat him with, but it hasn't been the greatest of starts.

Does his future lie in management though? In Sir Alex Ferguson's autobiography he talked about the people he had worked with who he believed at the time clearly had a future in management. Steve McClaren was someone he singled out, as well as referring to Carlos Queiroz as "the closest you could be to being the Manchester United manager without actually holding the title". There was no mention of Meulensteen though.

The Dutchman left the club on good terms after being offered a position at United by David Moyes. Meulensteen's hands on approach to training suited Ferguson, who was happy to take a step back, whilst it clashes with Moyes' training methods. Moyes likes to get his hands dirty and so there wouldn't be room for Meulensteen to continue with the same responsibility that he enjoyed under Ferguson.

Meulensteen may feel like he hasn't been given a fair crack of the whip where management is concerned, and may be keen to make it third time lucky with a different club. But there's always the possibility that he might be starting to realise that management isn't for him. Robin van Persie referred to Meulensteen as one of the best coaches in the world, and maybe that's where he real strength lies and where he should remain.

Would there be a position for him at United still? A week ago there probably would have been, but not now.

Following United's 2-2 draw with Fulham, Meulensteen was very smug in his post-match interview about how easy it had been to defend against United's tactics. It was an unnecessary dig at Moyes. Meulensteen could have easily focussed on the strength of his own approach to the game without saying that our tactics were "straightforward" and "easy" to defend against. He then went as far as making suggestions on what United needed to do in future, saying: "You need a little bit of creativity and a bit of variety at times to open teams up. But it's not for me to talk about Manchester United and what's gone wrong."

Maybe he is bitter about the fact he couldn't continue on at the club, even if that was a decision of his own making. Maybe he does believe that Moyes isn't a good enough manager and he is frustrated to see "his" players employed in such an unimaginative way. But these remarks have made any return to United impossible, as it would totally undermine Moyes.

I have great memories of Meulensteen at Old Trafford from the days when the Premier League trophy was lifted in front of the home fans. He would be going round the pitch with the players, geeing up the supporters and thoroughly enjoying himself. I think it was dreadful for the club that he left, given what a significant role he had played in our success over recent years, but it was something that couldn't be avoided. I do wish Meulensteen the best of luck wherever he goes, even though a return to United is off, but I imagine he'll think twice before giving a smug interview next time around.


http://therepublikofmancunia.com/can-meulensteen-return/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=can-meulensteen-return (http://therepublikofmancunia.com/can-meulensteen-return/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=can-meulensteen-return)

 
Fulham claim that Rene Meulensteen has not been sacked
Club refute the Dutchman's comments that he has been "released" by Alistair Mackintosh, the chief executive, from his contract

The confusion at Fulham continued on Saturday with the club insisting that Rene Meulensteen had not been sacked despite Felix Magath being brought in as the "first-team manager" over his head.

The future of Alan Curbishley, the recently appointed technical director, is also in serious doubt after it emerged that he had not been consulted in the abrupt decision to replace Meulensteen, after just 75 days in charge, with Magath.

Fulham dispute that Meulensteen has been sacked with the club refuting the Dutchman's claim, made live on radio on Friday evening, that he had been "released" by Alistair Mackintosh, the chief executive, to make way for Magath, who has signed an 18-month contract and takes over on Sunday.

Magath, who has won three German titles, is due to meet Fulham's backroom staff at the club's Motspur Park training ground. In theory, therefore, Meulensteen would be expected to report for duty but that is highly unlikely to happen unless he has a change of heart.

Ray Wilkins, who was appointed Meulensteen's assistant in December, has admitted that he is "completely in the dark" over his own future at the club which sits bottom of the Premier League with just 12 matches to go.

Meulensteen, who held the title of head coach, is understood to now be seeking clarification from Fulham as to what is happening but does not expect to return to work at the club.

A source close to him said yesterday that the "reality is he has been terminated" from his job and that negotiations are expected to now take place over his severance package. "Rene will be calling for clarification – but as far as he is concerned his job has gone," the source said.

Meulensteen is said to be clear that he was given responsibility for the first-team when he succeeded Martin Jol and so has effectively been dismissed with Magath now handed those duties. It remains to be seen whether Fulham dispute this.

The 49-year-old has been under increasing pressure in recent weeks having collected just 10 points from 13 games. But the timing of his removal is, nevertheless, bizarre given the backing he received in the January transfer window - with Fulham spending more than £15 million – and he has overseen an huge improvement in the last two performances in drawing with Manchester United and losing narrowly to Liverpool.

Magath's first game will be the vital away match against fellow strugglers West Bromwich Albion with Fulham's players due to meet their new manager on Monday.

Fulham had insisted they would back Meulensteen for the "long haul" and also last week dismissed suggestions that Curbishley would take over unless results improve. The former West Ham United and Charlton Athletic manager was employed as a 'mentor' to help the relatively inexperienced Meulensteen.

However, it does seem that Meulensteen is correct in stating that Shahid Khan, the Fulham owner, has hit the "panic button" because of the club's plight and the prospect that they will be relegated after 13 years in the top flight.

Employing Meulensteen was always a gamble although now turning to Magath, who becomes the first German to manage in the Premier League, represents a desperate last throw of the dice.

In a statement following the decision to hire Magath Khan stated the former Bayern Munich coach – who had been expected to return to Hamburg – had been brought in on the recommendation of Mackintosh. However it is understood it was the American billionaire, whose representatives were at the club last week, who insisted that a change was made as Fulham head towards relegation.

Curbishley was not aware that the change was about to be made and although Fulham may want to keep him in place it is difficult to envisage the role he will take alongside such an experienced – and headstrong – manager as Magath.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/fulham/10640943/Fulham-claim-that-Rene-Meulensteen-has-not-been-sacked.html (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/fulham/10640943/Fulham-claim-that-Rene-Meulensteen-has-not-been-sacked.html)

 
Why Fulham's decision to sack Rene Meulensteen is beyond ludicrous

You go through a range of emotions as a Fulham fan – mostly disappointment, sometimes jealousy, jubilation on occasion. But rarely anger.

Rarely has this humble club riled its own fans, and never to such a distasteful extent as when Rene Meulensteen was given the boot, to be replaced by the dictatorial Felix Magath. The fury was palpable.

It was a decision that came largely out of the blue, following an impressive upturn in form that coincided with Meulensteen's overhaul of this previously lifeless squad.

What Meulensteen had done, and it was no mean feat, was inject some energy into this team. He had inherited a squad of non-believers who seemed quite content in their free-fall towards relegation under Martin Jol.

He changed it around; pandered to our hopes and wishes that a team of average 30 somethings could be changed into a group of lively, talented players.

Meulensteen encouraged youth, handing no fewer than eight under 21s their first team Fulham debuts in his brief stint at Craven Cottage.

Simply, the Dutchman made us believe that, no matter our short term fate, there was a future for this club and that that future would be bright.

(http://metrouk2.files.wordpress.com/2014/02/1000x8106.jpg)
Former Wolfsburg coach Felix Magath has been charged with keeping Fulham up (Picture: AP Photo)
Now, though, the clubs is in a shambles. Sacking two managers in one season is a PR nightmare and though that shouldn't really matter, our status as a popular, loved, unpretentious club is being slowly eroded by a series of decisions that, politely, can only be described as astonishing.

Jol's tenure was flawed and he should have left months before he did but even his departure was handled with the utmost incivility. And now Meulensteen is the one that must bear the brunt of our newly acquired, non-committal hire-and-fire system.

But before this turns into a tirade of disapproval from a man who is both ashamed and embarrassed by the actions of his club, let's at least find some positivity.

Magath does, after all, come with pedigree. His record, though hardly unblemished, is sound; in particular his ability to pull clubs like ours out of the mires.

It could also be said that Meulensteen, in the short term at least, was indeed failing in South West London, possessing a points tally that was no more complimentary than that of Jol's.

For that, perhaps the decision is understandable, and perhaps the decision will save our season.

But for everything else, for what this club is becoming and what it is leaving behind in the process, it is an abomination.


http://metro.co.uk/2014/02/15/why-fulhams-decision-to-sack-rene-meulensteen-is-beyond-ludicrous-4305805/? (http://metro.co.uk/2014/02/15/why-fulhams-decision-to-sack-rene-meulensteen-is-beyond-ludicrous-4305805/?)

 
Fulham Dragging Themselves Into Further Chaos

Managers get sacked prematurely nowadays, and that's something which all of us non-football club-owners just have to accept. But there are ways of instituting change, and then there's just creating club-wide instability through a lack of communication.

Jason Burt summarises the situation at Fulham neatly in his Telegraph column today, and really paints a picture of a club knee-jerking their way through a series of decisions.

Felix Magath is now employed at Craven Cottage, but that is the only aspect of this which doesn't seem to be shrouded in ambiguity.

Last night, Rene Meulensteen was adamant that he'd been sacked, but today he's seeking further clarification of his employment status. Ray Wilkins is quoted as saying that he's "completely in the dark" in the dark over his future. Nobody has heard anything from Alan Curbishley.

How can this happen?

How can a Premier League club make such a significant decision without informing their other members of staff how they'll be impacted? It's staggering; Shahid Khan is an experienced sports-team owner, and Alistair Mackintosh is no fool – both of them know full-well that this process has not been conducted properly. So what is the justification for the complete absence of professionalism here?

...and what do the players think? What are they walking into at their next training session? Yes, this may all be happening away from the pitch, but that doesn't mean that the first-team squad are immune to the destabilising effect that this will inevitably have on the club as a whole.

We always accuse clubs of panicking at this time of year and sometimes we do them a disservice by doing so, but not in this instance – this looks every inch like an anti-relegation strategy being implemented on-the-hoof.



http://thepremierleagueowl.com/fulham-dragging-themselves-into-further-chaos/ (http://thepremierleagueowl.com/fulham-dragging-themselves-into-further-chaos/)

 
Fulham left dazed and confused by René Meulensteen exit
• Rufus Brevett, former captain, believes squad will be 'shocked'
• Brevett says players will have to adapt to Felix Magath's ideas

Rufus Brevett, the former Fulham captain, believes the squad will be shocked at the decision to replace their head coach René Meulensteen with former Bayern Munich coach Felix Magath.

Fulham are bottom of the Premier League and have not won a league match since a 2-1 victory over West Ham on New Year's Day.

Meulensteen was appointed as Martin Jol's successor in December but, having been unable to steer Fulham out of the relegation zone, he also lost the faith of the club's owner, Shahid Khan.

Brevett, who manages the Southern League Premier Division side Arlesey Town, reckons the players will struggle to once again adapt to new ideas. "The players will be shocked," he said. "Some are players that Meulensteen brought in and they just won't know what has happened. As players you have got to get on with it, it is your job. They have to take responsibility but you do also need continuity in what you're being told is expected of you.

"Just as they are getting used to Meulensteen's methods and the things that he wants, he is gone and another manager comes in – it will be very difficult for him with 12 games to go. It doesn't happen overnight."

Magath, who has won three Bundesliga titles during his managerial career, has signed an 18-month contract and has 12 games to turn things around at Craven Cottage after becoming Fulham's third manager of the season. The futures of the technical director, Alan Curbishley, and the assistant head coach, Ray Wilkins, are unclear.

Brevett feels a relegation battle requires a different approach and also did not rule out Khan making another change in the summer if Magath fails to keep the club in the top flight. "He owns the club and will do what he thinks is best," Brevett said. "He has brought a new manager in with 12 games to go, if Magath doesn't keep them up is he going to bring in another manager to get them out of the Championship? How much does Magath know about that division? Sometimes when a new manager comes in you get a new kick and hopefully if they do that they might have a chance.

"The confidence is low and it is going to take a completely different mindset, there are a lot of differences between fighting to win things and trying to stay in the league. We will have to see what he comes up with. Fulham have flirted with relegation a few times but nothing as serious as we see now, it is massive. Financially and for the fans as well. It means everything to stay in the Premier League. They will be doing their upmost to stay there."

Dan Crawford, a Fulham Supporters' Trust member, said fans were also surprised by the decision to sack Meulensteen, though results may have justified it. "I was very surprised," he said. "We had all read that he might have two games to save his job but you just assumed that the performances and fight they showed would have been enough.

"We haven't won a league game since 1 January, we are out of FA Cup, bottom of the league and running out of time. The defending has been abysmal for most of the season. You hope that someone who is a disciplinarian will come in and get things right, he won't take any prisoners and has virtually no margin for error.

"We are in the last chance saloon and everyone recognises that, it slaps a little bit of desperation but that is par for the course given the situation we are in."

Magath will not face the media until he hosts a press conference previewing Saturday's match against fellow strugglers West Bromwich Albion. A win in the German's first game would see Fulham close the gap on their 17th-placed opponents, but a defeat could see them cast further adrift with time running out to continue their 13-year stay in the top flight.


http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/feb/15/fulham-rene-meulensteen-rufus-brevett? (http://www.theguardian.com/football/2014/feb/15/fulham-rene-meulensteen-rufus-brevett?)

 
Sky sources: Ray Wilkins sacked by Fulham but Alan Curbishley kept on

Ray Wilkins has been sacked by Fulham but Alan Curbishley will remain as one of new boss Felix Magath's backroom staff, according to Sky sources.

Fulham owner Shahid Khan dismissed Rene Meulensteen as first team coach on Friday night, and installed German Magath in his place.

Wilkins, hired to be Meulensteen's assistant, has now left too, but Curbishley - the club's director of football - will keep his job.

Wilkins and Curbishley joined the Cottagers before New Year to assist Meulensteen with their experience and knowledge of English football.

But the trio failed to turn things around at Craven Cottage and Fulham remain bottom of the Premier League table.

Meulensteen was in charge for just 75 days and picked up just 10 points from 13 games.

Battling performances against Manchester United - a dramatic 2-2 draw at Old Trafford - and Liverpool, a 3-2 defeat at home, failed to save him.

Fulham are yet to confirm the departure of Meulensteen, but are likely to in the next 48 hours.

Magath, who has won the Bundesliga twice with Bayern Munich, arrives with an 18-month contract and a reputation for helping clubs avoid the drop.

He was being strongly linked with Hamburg, helping out embattled coach Bert van Marwijk in their scrap at the wrong end of the table in Germany.

Magath instead chose Fulham because he wanted full control of a club and Cottagers owner Shahid Khan got his man with 24 hours to spare - van Marwijk was sacked by Hamburg on Saturday night.


http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11681/9168883? (http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11681/9168883?)

 
Fulham's coaching hire isn't expected to affect Clint Dempsey's loan

Fulham of the English Premier League announced Friday that it has hired Felix Magath as head coach, replacing René Meulensteen. That is relevant, of course, because Sounders FC's Clint Dempsey is currently on loan with the Cottagers until the end of the month.

So will the coaching change affect the agreement and perhaps lead to an early return?

"No, it doesn't affect it at all," coach Sigi Schmid said. "You don't know how Felix Magath is going to approach it in his period of time right now with the team. It's what was agreed to, so you sort of let it sit unless there is something that comes to the forefront that should change it."

Fulham currently sits last in the Premier League, so all points are valuable. The team has one game remaining during the span of Dempsey's loan, an away game Feb. 22 against West Brom — a big one in the relegation battle.


http://blogs.seattletimes.com/soundersfc/2014/02/15/fulhams-coaching-hire-isnt-expected-to-affect-clint-dempseys-loan/? (http://blogs.seattletimes.com/soundersfc/2014/02/15/fulhams-coaching-hire-isnt-expected-to-affect-clint-dempseys-loan/?)

 
Goodbye Rene Meulensteen – the man we barely got to know
by DAN on FEBRUARY 15, 2014


Even in the phenomenally harsh world of professional football, Rene Meulensteen's sacking as Fulham manager seems particularly brutal. After just 75 days, the man asked to halt an alarming slide once Martin Jol had reached the point of no return was also clearing his desk, having just taken a point at Manchester United and been a matter of minutes away from a creditable draw against the country's most in-form side. As Meulensteen's former boss at Old Trafford, Sir Alex Ferguson, once famously remarked: 'Football. Bloody hell.'

The suspicion even after his own whirlwind appointment was that Meulensteen might prove to be a much better coach than manager – something only enhanced by the swift addition of Alan Curbishley and Ray Wilkins to his backrom team The grim statistics suggest that his short stint in charge was remarkably similar to the start to the season which Jol presided under. Bar a spirited and frenetic hour against Tottenham, there wasn't much of a new manager's bounce: a battling win at Norwich was followed by the hapless humiliation at Hull and defensive disasters at home to Sunderland, who were then bottom of the table, and Southampton.

Meulensteen was open and honest in his dealings with the press – perhaps far too honest when it came to discussing his hopes of signing Ravel Morrison – and his sunny disposition hinted at a genuine belief that Fulham could pull another incredible feat of escapology. But it was difficult to decipher what his approach would be. He started with an extra central midfielder, supplementing the regular duo of Steve Sidwell and Scott Parker with the apparently ageless Giorgos Karagounis, which helped Fulham see more of the ball and begin to dictate the play. Then, the Greek veteran was unceremoniously jettisoned and the natural width offered by two genuine wingers also disappeared without explanation.

It was almost as though Meulensteen was an attacking coach at heart but the perilous nature of Fulham's predicament paralysed his purest instincts. The situation called for dogged discipline rather than the rampaging forward that saw his side stripped of the ball far too easily against the lesser sides. The more defensive shape, with a holding midfielder and wide players tucked in to support a struggling back four, was an apparent admission that he was too gung-ho in those games against Sunderland and Southampton, which you fear might already have settled Fulham's fate.

It is ironic then that Fulham's best displays under Meulensteen were battling, backs-to-the-wall efforts against Manchester United and Liverpool. It was here were we saw pragmatism and tactical planning married to good effect: Meulensteen's inside knowledge of United's gameplan, as well as the bravery to drop the likes of Brede Hangeland and Parker, effectively stifled the champions, even if the home side should still have penetrated far more successfully with the amount of the ball they had. Against Liverpool, Fulham were far more adventurous and probably deserved the half-time lead they didn't quite manage. Sasca Riether's tired, late lunge at Daniel Sturridge proved very, very costly indeed.

Any assessment of Meulensteen's brief tenure at Craven Cottage isn't complete without considering the lamentable performance in the FA Cup replay against Sheffield United. Fulham, admittedly much changed from the eleven Meulensteen might consider his first choice, were painfully pedestrian and barely hinted at an attacking threat throughout the 120 minutes. Indeed, Clint Dempsey's angry squaring up to Harry Maguire and company after the final whistle was about as dangerous as the home side looked all evening. That, rather than the late failure against Liverpool, might have been the night when Fulham's panicked hierarchy decided a change had to be made.

Of course, a managerial novice was always likely to make mistakes. Meulensteen has paid for those with his job – and only future results can tell us whether that was a wise decision. But the Dutchman also restored the hunger and passion that had been missing for so long to a flagging Fulham side. He gave a first-team debut to Dan Burn, a promising centre back previously on loan at Birmingham, who has taken his opportunity eagerly and barely put a foot wrong. We've also seen the emergence of promising young talents in Muamer Tankovic and Moussa Dembele and the addition of Ryan Tunnicliffe and Larnell Cole – largely drawn to London by the prospect of working with Meulensteen again – hinted at an eventual reshaping of the side with the future in the mind. A progressive playmaker finally arrived in the January transfer window in the shape of Lewis Holtby, who has immediately energised a team sorely lacking creativity.

Meulensteen might not look back favourably upon his time at Craven Cottage. It ended as surprisingly as it started – and Meulensteen has returned to the north west to regroup. Fulham's failure to mention him in the statement that spoke of his replacement was regrettable and, the real sadness is that we're saying goodbye to an amiable man who we were only just getting to know.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2014/02/goodbye-rene-meulensteen-the-man-we-barely-got-to-know/? (http://hammyend.com/index.php/2014/02/goodbye-rene-meulensteen-the-man-we-barely-got-to-know/?)

 
Felix's ruthless regime should make Fulham fit for a survival fight

Fulham's players will be in for the shock of their lives when they arrive at the training ground on Sunday to meet new manager Felix Magath.

While the position of head coach Rene Meulensteen remains unclear - Meulensteen believes he has been sacked, the club say he is still employed - stories concerning the strict training regime employed by Magath abound, and former Sheffield United and Middlesbrough striker, Jan Aage Fjortoft tells them better than most.

Fjortoft played under Magath, the 60-year-old former Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg coach, at Eintracht Frankfurt, and he once famously said: 'I don't know if Felix Magath would have saved the Titanic - but the survivors would have been in top shape.'

(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/02/14/article-0-1B7F7C7300000578-950_634x442.jpg)
Discipline: New Fulham manager Felix Magath is known to be strict with his players
(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/02/14/article-0-06360F850000044D-183_634x424.jpg)
Pedigree: Magath with the German Cup, which he won two years in a row with Bayern Munich
Now a TV commentator, Fjortoft, 47, says he enjoyed his time under Magath, who achieved the unique triumph of winning the league and cup double two years running with Bayern Munich and then won the championship with unfashionable Wolfsburg. But his training methods were unique. 

'The Fulham players have to be aware that you have never had, and you will never have, a manager like this in your career,' said Fjortoft. 'A player at Hamburg collapsed on one of his training runs and was left in the forest. And when he finally arrived at the hotel, he got a fine for being late for breakfast.

'On our first training camp on the beaches in Portugal we were running for an hour and 20 minutes. We were doing some warm-down runs and stretches and some of the players were mumbling: "There's a player missing".

'We thought he was on the bus hiding but when we got on the bus he wasn't there and nobody dared to say to the coach. The bus started driving and I went up to the coach and said, "Er, trainer, there is a player missing".

'He was like, "What?!" And I said, "We can't find him". So we turned the bus around and got out and we saw on the horizon a player, just shuffling along. I started laughing and Magath started laughing and we were both trying to hide it. And the player had actually collapsed on the beach and had bruises on his face.

'Another time, we went to a big mountain with a natural climbing wall and we had ropes for safety and the security. But even so I was a bit cowardly and saying, "I can't do it. I have two children". All of a sudden Magath starts climbing up the mountain all on his own without any safety ropes. And we were standing at the bottom saying, "Come on, trainer. Watch out! Watch out!" So we tried it as well -but with the safety ropes.'

(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/02/14/article-0-0635DC4C0000044D-746_634x411.jpg)
Double trouble: Magath's spell at Bayern also resulted in them winning two Bundesliga titles
(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/02/14/article-0-0636B5AF0000044D-977_634x416.jpg)
Popular: Hamburg fans campaign for Magath's return in 2007, although the appointment didn't materialise
(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2014/02/14/article-2559746-1B80078B00000578-643_634x478.jpg)
Runner-up: Magath played in the 1982 and 1986 World Cups, finishing second on both occasions
Fjortoft says that the players willing to buckle down and get on with his tough training will thrive - but they will have to accept his way of doing things

'Let's put it this way: he doesn't like player power,' said Fjortoft. 'That's a mild way of putting it. You never knew when training would be, you never knew how long it would be. When you started running, you never knew when it would stop.

'We were training unbelievably under him. And he is running in front of everyone - I wouldn't be surprised if he still does. At Frankfurt we would do an hour-and-a-half of high-tempo running, and he had his blue jacket. And I knew to survive I had to visualise this blue jacket and stay one-and-a-half yards away from him then I would be all right.

'I was dying every training session in training camp but I survived and at the end I was like Rocky in the ninth round, knocked out, and I would say, "Is there any chance we can run again?" He likes that kind of character.

'He would always have a run himself before a team meeting and would have had a shower. He was coming in like a boxer, sweating all over the place. And then he would be drinking his tea, watching 25 grown men sitting around for ages. That's his speciality.

'Next he would take the biggest cake in the world and is eating that for ages, and then he starts. And his first question will be - and he will pick out a nervous player who never likes to speak - and say, "What do you know about the opposition?"

'But he's known for getting teams out of relegation trouble. When I was at Frankfurt, we were eight points from safety and we turned around and were the third best team in the second half of the season.'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2560351/Felixs-ruthless-regime-make-Fulham-fit-survival-fight.html#ixzz2tTUeIvAe (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2560351/Felixs-ruthless-regime-make-Fulham-fit-survival-fight.html#ixzz2tTUeIvAe)
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

 
Former Fulham boss in line for Hamburg

Bundesliga strugglers Hamburg have sacked manager Bert van Marwijk after seventh straight defeat and they could look to former Fulham boss Martin Jol, [football] direct news understands.

Hamburg were well beaten by rock-bottom side Eintracht Braunschweig on Saturday to compound Bert van Marwijk to a seventh consecutive defeat in the Bundesliga that has seen them drop to second from bottom.

The club finished seventh in 2012/13, but are now facing a relegation battle. However, it is understood that they will approach former coach Martin Jol, who recently lost his job as coach of Premier League side Fulham.

Jol coached Hamburg for one season in 2008 and guided them to a semi-final place in both the Europa League and German league cup.

The German club now see it as the perfect chance for Jol to return to the club and keep them in the first division.


http://www.footballdirectnews.com/premier-league-news/40683-former-fulham-boss-in-line-for-hamburg.php#.UwCBxv0dObA (http://www.footballdirectnews.com/premier-league-news/40683-former-fulham-boss-in-line-for-hamburg.php#.UwCBxv0dObA)

 
A Fulham Fan Writes: Maybe Magath Is A Masterstroke?


On the back of impressive performances against Manchester United and Liverpool, albeit only gathering one point in the process, it looked like Meulensteen was shaping a side that was capable of beating the dreaded drop to the Championship.

The point gained at Old Trafford was hard fought and built on an impressive defensive base, and the narrow loss to Liverpool, on Wednesday, showed that at home Fulham were willing to go on the attack.

However, news broke yesterday that Meulensteen had been relieved of his duties, and German Felix Magath, who has earned a reputation for bailing teams out, and avoiding relegation, had been instated as Fulham's third manager of the season.

The first reaction to the sacking was shock. Meulensteen had been in charge for just 75 days, and after being backed heavily in the January transfer window it seemed Chairman Shahid Khan was fully behind his manager.

Warning signs were in place after the additions of Ray Wilkins and Alan Curbishley to the back-room staff, which posed the question as to how much power Meulensteen actually held in his role as "Head Coach".

The next reaction was confusion. Although Fulham had made a statement regarding the appointment of Magath as the new manager, there was no mention of his predecessor, and this confusion was only stopped when Meulensteen himself came out and announced the decision to remove him.

It is unlikely that Meulensteen will want to stay on at the club in any other coaching role, and therefore a severance package will be agreed between the Dutchman and Fulham.

When the shock and confusion had cleared, it became easier to see why Fulham had made the surprising decision. With a paltry 10 points from 13 games, Meulensteen had not improved upon Martin Jol's results, and if anything, was doing worse.

Although he had brought the average age of the squad down, the defensive frailties were still being exposed, and the lack of attacking prowess on show was worrying to Fulham fans.

Only time will tell how much of an impact record signing Kostas Mitroglou will have at the cottage, but with only 12 games left, and Fulham stranded 5 points from safety, the board were not willing to wait and find out.

So who is Felix Magath? The German is nicknamed the "Fireman" for his ability to keep teams up in the face of relegation, having saved both Stuttgart and Wolfsburg in the German Bundesliga.

He also has pedigree at the other end of the table, winning the Bundesliga with Wolfsburg, with a squad containing Fulham players Ashkan Dejagah and Sascha Reither, and the League and Cup double with juggernauts Bayern Munich.

He is well known for having a fierce managerial style, with a less kind nickname of "Saddam", due to his emphasis on fitness and conditioning.

The move to hire Magath, who will be the first German coach to manage in the Premiership, is a very risky one. However, with a reputation for turning teams around, Shahid Khan has a firm eye on the future with the appointment.

If Fulham are unable to avoid the drop, then Magath has a better history of reinvigorating clubs, and Khan will believe that Magath has the ability to help Fulham get out of the Championship at the first attempt, something which Meulensteen would not have been trusted to do.

If the move pays off, then it will be a masterstroke, and Fulham fans will finally be able to look up the table once again, rather than fearing relegation.


http://threeandin.com/archives/35193? (http://threeandin.com/archives/35193?)

 
Kostas Mitroglou to make Fulham debut against West Brom after two-goal salvo for U21 side

The Greek, a £12million signing from Olympiacos on deadline day, will be hoping to fire the Cottagers to safety

(http://i1.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article3101691.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/Fulham-v-Southampton-Premier-League-3101691.jpg)
Ian Walton
Raring to go: Mitroglou (centre) will start against the Baggies
Fulham's new record signing Kostas Mitroglou will make his first-team debut at West Brom next Saturday.

The £12million deadline-day signing from Olympiacos scored twice for the club's Under-21 side in a 5-3 win at Aston Villa on Wednesday.

Mitroglou, 25, was signed in the knowledge that he was not 100 per cent match fit but he has now been pencilled in to start the relegation clash at the Hawthorns.

The Greek striker scored with his first touch in the Under-21s match and then added a 25-yard wonder strike – which was only topped by Fulham's Czech goalkeeper Marek Rodak completing the scoring with an 80-yard punt.

The Cottagers will be hoping new manager Felix Magath can help them avoid relegation in the coming weeks.



http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/kostas-mitroglou-make-fulham-debut-3149080#ixzz2tTWBxnIy (http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/kostas-mitroglou-make-fulham-debut-3149080#ixzz2tTWBxnIy)
Follow us: @DailyMirror on Twitter | DailyMirror on Facebook

 
A Statistical Look at Rene's Reign

As to be expected, there is much gnashing of teeth over Rene's sacking. The performances in the past 6 days suggested that maybe a corner had been turned, that maybe this "toilet bowl" of a season was finally getting some draino. Or, *gasp*, the bathroom was finally getting remodeled.

What's also expectedly absent from so much of the writings are any form of research or analysis of Rene's reign. But hey it sounds good to say Fulham are the next QPR or Cardiff or Leeds United. And that "madness" has taken over and we hit the "panic button" and that our "absentee owner has no idea who Felix Magath is". I rarely assume anything different from the sport's fans.

But pop open the hood and you'll find Rene's reign has been a bit of a dumpster fire to put it bluntly. Let's look at some advanced stats from when Jol got canned to the current day.

{Warning, I'm going to use some of those newfangled things known as statistics. If you're one of those "stats are bad" types, then just jump to the bottom where I discuss goals. You know, another type of statistic.}

TSR   SV%   SH%   PDO
Jol   0.316   70.5   27.9   984
Rene   0.371   65.1   25.7   908
In case you don't know, TSR means Total Shots Ratio, SV% is Save Percentage, SH% equals Shot Percentage, and PDO is Scoring % + Save %. Read full definitions here. These are important because they, especially TSR, usually have a strong correlation to goal difference and points. Also, all stats are from James Grayson's blog.

The only positive you can really deduct from the above is that Fulham are no longer getting outshot as exponentially as they were before. Each of the remaining metrics were down. It's not good enough, it's not sustainable, and the "moral victories" of the past week simply cannot paper over that fact.

For context, let's look at Tony Pulis and compare what he's accomplished, arguably with far less than what Rene has had to work with, to his predecessor.

TSR   SV%   SH%   PDO
Holloway   0.429   58.7   23.1   818
Pulis   0.461   67.9   20.2   881
His god-forsaken style aside, we see that Pulis has increased the teams TSR, SV%, and PDO. In layman's terms, he's shored up the defense despite the slight downtick in shot conversion (which is mainly due to his god-forsaken set piece/long-ball system). This is a sign of progress beyond what the current table shows, as standings can occasionally be disguised by smoke and mirrors (HI THERE WEST HAM IN 11TH!). This is why Crystal Palace have gone from regulation certainties to a steady lower/mid table finish.

If you don't want to read or acknowledge all those fancy stats, here are some more basic ones:

One tenet of Rene's reign was to go into the half tied at 0-0 or something thereabouts and have it fall apart. In fact, Fulham have been drawing at halftime a league-leading 15 times this season. Of that, 8 were under Rene.

Not bad on the surface, but only twice did Fulham get a result of any capacity in those matches: both wins, both in his first four games, both solitary goals. In total, when drawing, the club conceded 17 goals while scoring only 4 after halftime. Take those two victories away and it's 2 GF and 17 GA.

Plus plus plus only in one game, his *second*, did Fulham take a lead into halftime and see out the result. Need I remind you we're currently 20th?

Regardless of how you slice it, regardless of what disaster* of a squad you have, regardless of all the feel-good-emotions we've accrued in the past week...that's beyond terrible.

It was a bungled removal from office. But Kahn really had no choice.

{*Okay, fine, it was a disaster before he got here. Martin Jol should have been fired last spring and we're reaping that now. Also, MAF should have sold the club earlier or at least attempted to have *some* liabilities for the future owner, and we're reaping that now. Also, until Mitroglou's record fee, we're also reaping not spending more than £500,000 on a striker for nearly 5 seasons (and that was on David Elm!) UPDATE: Since Berbatov, not Mitroglou, which was officially "undisclosed". And on and on.}


https://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2014/02/15/a-statistical-look-at-renes-reign/?

 
Felix Magath will provide the laughs at Fulham
JAN AAGE FJORTOFT has given Fulham fans an insight into the wacky world of Felix Magath.

(http://images.dailystar-uk.co.uk/dynamic/58/photos/434000/620x/52ff8296c255a_felix.jpg)
QUITE A CHARACTER: Felix Magath [GETTY]
The former Middlesbrough and Sheffi eld United striker played under Magath for three years at Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany.

And while he believes Magath is a brilliant manager, he revealed a string of incidents that shine a light on some of his stranger methods.

Taking to Twitter to give the Fulham fans his view, the former Norway striker wrote: "Whether Felix Magath would have saved the Titanic, I do not know. However, the survivors would have been in top shape."

And, after labelling Magath "The Fittest One", Fjortoft recalled an incident during his time at Frankfurt.

"Once, we were finished running at our training camp and a player had disappeared.

"We had to look for him. We found him – he had collapsed."

In a series of revelations, Fjortoft said the new Fulham chief "asked a player to come to his dressing room and sat with him for ten minutes with not a word said before letting him go."

And he has warned the Fulham players they could be fined for stepping out of line.

He wrote: "At Schalke, two players changed position at a corner – Magath gave both players a 10,000 euro fine.


http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/365628/Felix-Magath-will-provide-the-laughs-at-Fulham (http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/365628/Felix-Magath-will-provide-the-laughs-at-Fulham)

 
Things will never be the same at Fulham now that they have appointed Felix Magath
NEW Fulham boss Felix Magath will meet his players tomorrow – and things will never be the same again.

(http://images.dailystar-uk.co.uk/dynamic/58/photos/428000/620x/52ff7d48b48d5_felix.jpg)
TOUGH GUY: New boss Magath has a reputation for ruling with an iron fi st [GETTY]
Magath, the first German to manage a Premier League club, is notorious in his homeland for hard, often controversial, training methods with a heavy emphasis on discipline, fitness and conditioning.

Something, sources claim, that has been missing at Fulham for some time.

But Magath, who has been nicknamed Saddam, after the Iraqi dictator, and Qualix, a mash of his first name and the German verbqualen, which means 'to torture', by his former players should not have any problems in that area.

The West London club have only won six league games all season and currently sit bottom of the top flight, four points from safety.

Owner Shahid Khan, after replacing Martin Jol – who he sacked in December – with Rene Meulensteen, decided another change was needed.

Dutchman Meulensteen was let go on Friday, with a statement released by Fulham sighting only one league win so far this year as the reason why he was dismissed.

Khan added: "I'm very happy to welcome Felix Magath to Fulham Football Club.

"Felix is an accomplished manager with honours in the Bundesliga and a hunger to replicate his success with in the Premier League.

"I'm especially impressed with the reputation Felix has for coming into clubs at difficult times, often late in the season, and lifting them to their potential and beyond."

Meulensteen has already spoken of the decision to let him go after just 76 days in charge at Craven Cottage,saying: "I knew the owners were freaking out a little bit that there was the possibility of the club going down.

"We talked with the club about longevity and in this case, it is clearly an act of fear.

"I couldn't care less what they put in the statement, to be honest."

(http://images.dailystar-uk.co.uk/dynamic/58/photos/429000/78429.jpg)
PRESSING THE PANIC BUTTON: Fulham chairman Shahid Khan sacked Rene Meulensteen after just 76 days [GETTY]

It's clear, then Meulensteen thinks the Fulham hierarchy have acted far too swiftly by giving him the boot to rely on some-body with no experience of English football.

Meulensteen, of course, was part of the managerial team under Sir Alex Ferguson at Man United for six years and before that was in charge of youth and reserve teams.

It begs the question, then, why Khan has entrusted his club to Magath.

Jol, despite his vast experience in the English game, was let go five months after Khan took over with his replacement lasting just two and a half.

Its a game of intrigue that should suit Magath - once called "the last dictator of Europe" by a former player - whose other great love is chess.

In 1985, he played Russian Grandmaster Garry Kasparov.

And Magath, who has been given an 18-month deal at Craven Cottage by Khan will need all of his mental abilities if he is to save Fulham from the drop this season.

He said: "This a club steeped in tradition, and it's owner have convinced me.

"I would like to thank the club and owner for this faith."

Magath has been out of work since he left Wolfsburg in 2012 but won the double twice with Bayern, adding a third Bundesliga with Wolfsburgh in 2009.

He is likely to meet Fulham's backroom staff including Alan Curbishley and Ray Wilkins tomorrow.

Fulham said they would announce their backroom staff in the near future.


http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/365626/Things-will-never-be-the-same-at-Fulham-now-that-they-have-appointed-Felix-Magath (http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/365626/Things-will-never-be-the-same-at-Fulham-now-that-they-have-appointed-Felix-Magath)

 
Felix Magath: Mad or messiah? Fulham's new manager has a fierce reputation as a football dictator, but his controversial methods get results – in the short term

Out in Monaco, Dimitar Berbatov would have heard the news, given a shudder of relief that he was no longer at Craven Cottage and lit another cigarette. It is safe to assume that he and Felix Magath would not have got on.

The man who has been charged with the improbable task of rescuing Fulham from relegation following his shock appointment as manager on Friday night to replace Rene Meulensteen, has a couple of nicknames in Germany. One is "Saddam" and the other is "The Torturer". His belief in discipline and fitness is absolute.

Brian Clough was once contacted by Sammy Chung, then managing Wolves, who argued that the men who had just won Nottingham Forest the European Cup by overcoming a Hamburg side that included Kevin Keegan and Magath looked flabby and out of shape. "I can take them on a training session that will make them physically sick," said Chung. Clough replied that when the FA started awarding points for making footballers vomit, he could come over. Magath would have invited him in.

When he was manager of Bayern Munich his pre-season routine involved sending his players on sapping runs through Alpine woods in the summer heat. When they returned, Magath would have hidden their water bottles, just to see how they reacted. Lukas Podolski, for one, did not react well.

However, Podolski did not have to be taken away on a stretcher, a fate that overtook Wolfsburg's Brazilian striker, Grafite, when he collapsed in the middle of a mountain run. Yesterday's headline in Bild, Germany's biggest-selling newspaper, was unequivocal. "The English are already trembling."

Jan Aage Fjortoft, who played under Magath at Eintracht Frankfurt, tweeted: "Dear Fulham fans, never will you say again, 'the players didn't run enough, the players don't train enough, the boss is not clear enough'."

However, if that were all the first German to manage in the Premier League brought with him to London, he would not have been hired. Fulham are not bottom of the table because they not fit, they are last because they have – the 2‑2 draw at Manchester United apart – been defending like a rabble. Playing chess as relaxation, suggests amore subtle side to Felix Magath.

His opening moves are invariably good. Magath's history is of a man who makes an instant impact before eventually falling out spectacularly with the men who hired him.

Nuremberg, Werder Bremen, Frankfurt and Stuttgart are all among the clubs he has dragged clear of danger but he lingered only at the last. The Neckarstadion, where he took Stuttgart into the Champions' League, provided the platform for a move to Bayern Munich. The players may have loathed him but Magath won the Double in each of his first two seasons in Munich.

Then came a move to Wolfsburg, a nondescript town dominated by the Volkswagen works. They had no more right to expect championships than did Nottingham Forest before Clough. Within two years, they had won the Bundesliga.

Yet when the former Frankfurt centre forward Bachirou Salou described Magath as the "last dictator in Europe" he was not referring to his training methods. Magath is a man who wants control. He is arriving not as Fulham's head coach, Meulensteen's title for his 75 days at Craven Cottage, but the club's manager.

What tempted him to leave Wolfsburg at the height of his success was an offer from Schalke, where he became director of football. But whatever his title, Magath's methods do not change. When Schalke lost 5-0 to Kaiserslautern, he ordered the team to train in shorts in temperatures of minus four. Gloves were forbidden.

Jermaine Jones, Schalke's American midfielder, who like Magath is the son of a US serviceman and a German mother, criticised the policy of playing two holding midfielders. His reward was to be banished to reserve-team football.

When Magath returned to Wolfsburg, his last job before joining Fulham, there were seven games to go, Wolfsburg were second bottom of the Bundesliga, two points from safety. Curiously, he was succeeding Steve McClaren, who like Meulensteen was one of Sir Alex Ferguson's lieutenants who found management tougher without the old curmudgeon.

Magath saved Wolfsburg from the drop before leaving 20 months later. But rescuing Fulham will require the tactical acumen of a Napoleon as well as the barked orders of a Saddam Hussein.


http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/felix-magath-mad-or-messiah-fulhams-new-manager-has-a-fierce-reputation-as-a-football-dictator-but-his-controversial-methods-get-results--in-the-short-term-9131158.html (http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/felix-magath-mad-or-messiah-fulhams-new-manager-has-a-fierce-reputation-as-a-football-dictator-but-his-controversial-methods-get-results--in-the-short-term-9131158.html)

 
Fulham: "A weekend off – I don't think so!!"

While some teams are jet setting across the world and taking a break from the excursions of the Barclays Premier League as well as others participating in the FA Cup, for Fulham it is a totally different story.

At the start of the season many would have tipped Fulham to be lingering around  mid-table at best, and although the bottom half of the Barclays Premier League is separated by just eight points, it is fair to say that Fulham looked destined for the Championship. Beating Sunderland on the opening day or that 4-1 triumph over London rivals Crystal Palace are just a couple of highlights of what has been a disappointing season to say the least for the West London Club and the sacking of Rene Meulensteen in the last 24 hours hasn't made matters any better.

The sacking of Martin Jol at the start of December was the right choice with the team lacking in confidence and looking beleaguered every time they went onto the pitch. Relieving Meulensteen of his duties though could be seen as quite harsh but shows the predicament that Fulham are in. Meulensteen seemingly knew he had little time to save Fulham from the mire and even stated to the BBC after his exit that he knew his time was up, going on to say,  "I think everyone understands football and knows that this is going to the wire. Yes, Fulham are bottom of League but if you win some games you are back in it.' They have hit the panic button on emotion and fear. I was told by (chief executive) Alastair Mackintosh, it was clear and straightforward and that is what happens in football.'That's the problem with owners who don't understand the Premier League. They were very scared of Fulham getting relegated and I think that is what made their decision.

"Fulham are bottom of League but if you win some games you are back in it.'They have hit the panic button on emotion and fear"

It is also reported that the Dutchman had little say in the transfer of Kostas Mitroglu from Olymipakos who cost a club record fee of £12 million and also the decision for Phillipe Senderos to join Valencia for the rest of the season leaving them short if first choice defenders, in an area where they have definitely struggled all season. People might also forget that Meulensteen was Martin Jol's right hand man for much of the first half of the season and would have spent a lot of time with the first team players but defensively Fulham are still shipping goals and their attack are still not posing any kind of threat thus leaving owner Shahid Khan looking at a dilemma and seeing that the club are still not getting results also having really not changed their playing style. The defeat against Sheffield United in the FA Cup replay last week showed how lacklustre the Cottagers have been all season and although a dogged hard-fought  performance against Manchester United leaving Old Trafford with a well-earned point and a spirited performance losing 3-2 to Liverpool, it hasn't been enough in the weeks building up to these types of games.

Looking back at the transfer activity in the summer and the signing the likes of Scott Parker, Fernando Amorebieta and Adel Taarabt haven't reinvigorated the team at all. Amorebieta signed as a free transfer in the summer had rave reviews in Spain but has struggled with the pace in England and hasn't settled at the back at all. Parker certainly hasn't got the legs any more that has seen him prowess Premier League pitches over the last few years and Taarabt was always going to be a gamble signing from QPR in the summer, brought into the side to give a bit of flare and link up with Dimitar Berbatov but both have played like individuals and have departed a sinking ship in the January transfer window, which probably tells you the character of two of them. There is no doubt Berbatov still has the attributes and possesses the goals to be a top striker but he has cut a disgruntled figure throughout this season and has played more for himself than the team hence why he wont be a big miss.

The arrivals at Craven Cottage in January does offer some hope though, as well as Mitroglu, who has a sensational scoring record in Greece, Fulham have secured loan deals for Lewis Holtby, Johnny Heitinga and William Kvist and the club and fans will be hoping Darren Bent along with the Greek international striker can lead the line giving them some much-needed fire power now Berbatov has left. The question is why wasn't the money spent over the summer when Khan first entered the club and also promoting a very promising youth set up at the Cottage and things could possibly be a different story.The club also have one of the oldest playing squads in the Premier League so the need for an influx of youth or younger players determined to play football should have been more of an incentive to scour a variety of fresh faces.The futures of Ray Wilkins and Alan Curbishley have been thrown into doubt and tonight the club have confirmed that Wilkins has been sacked but Curbishley will remain in his position as technical director.

What next?

Fulham have since appointed Felix Magath on a 18 month contract to replace the outgoing Meulensteen and it will be up to the German to see if he can change the fortunes of the London club. He has got quite a job on his hand to keep a well-preserved historical club in the top flight of English football and in-store some belief into first team affairs. Magath is bringing a good reputation and record to West London with him, winning three Bundesliga titles as manger of Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg respectively but has never managed outside of his native country so a Premier League relegation scrap will be new territory for the German and remains to be seen if he will succeed.


http://www.footballrants.com/england/premier-league/fulham-a-weekend-off-i-dont-think-so/5056? (http://www.footballrants.com/england/premier-league/fulham-a-weekend-off-i-dont-think-so/5056?)

 
Fulham fans back Magath change

The Fulham Supporters' Trust were surprised by the decision to replace Rene Meulensteen with Felix Magath.

Dan Crawford, of the FST, said fans were also 'surprised' by the decision to sack Meulensteen, although results may have justified the change.

"I was very surprised," he said.

"We had all read that he might have two games to save his job but you just assumed that the performances and fight they showed would have been enough.

"We haven't won a league game since January 1, we are out of FA Cup, bottom of the league and running out of time.

"The defending has been abysmal for most of the season, you hope that someone who is a disciplinarian will come in and get things right, he won't take any prisoners and has virtually no margin for error.

"We are in the last chance saloon and everyone recognises that, it slaps a little bit of desperation but that is par for the course given the situation we are in."


http://nz.sports.yahoo.com/football/a-league/news/article/-/21500768/fulham-fans-back-magath-change/? (http://nz.sports.yahoo.com/football/a-league/news/article/-/21500768/fulham-fans-back-magath-change/?)

Quote from: WhiteJC on February 16, 2014, 09:30:13 AM

Fulham fans back Magath change

The Fulham Supporters' Trust were surprised by the decision to replace Rene Meulensteen with Felix Magath.

Dan Crawford, of the FST, said fans were also 'surprised' by the decision to sack Meulensteen, although results may have justified the change.

"I was very surprised," he said.

"We had all read that he might have two games to save his job but you just assumed that the performances and fight they showed would have been enough.

"We haven't won a league game since January 1, we are out of FA Cup, bottom of the league and running out of time.

"The defending has been abysmal for most of the season, you hope that someone who is a disciplinarian will come in and get things right, he won't take any prisoners and has virtually no margin for error.

"We are in the last chance saloon and everyone recognises that, it slaps a little bit of desperation but that is par for the course given the situation we are in."


http://nz.sports.yahoo.com/football/a-league/news/article/-/21500768/fulham-fans-back-magath-change/? (http://nz.sports.yahoo.com/football/a-league/news/article/-/21500768/fulham-fans-back-magath-change/?)

Where does it say that the fans back Felix?

http://www1.skysports.com/watch/video/tv-shows/9169143/chaos-at-fulham (http://www1.skysports.com/watch/video/tv-shows/9169143/chaos-at-fulham)

 
Is this still Fulham?

by Sheepskin Junior

When I fell in love with this club, we were a well organised, confident, Premier League side. We had a Chairman who's first priority was what was best for the club and, above all else, the fans. Mohammed Al-Fayed was a man of the club, through-and-through. When the time came for a manager to be moved on, through performance or otherwise, he took the decision and made it clear to everyone what was happening. I presume there weren't any bitter tastes left in the mouths of those relieved of their duties; Chris Coleman still speaks fondly of his time at the club. I was proud to be Fulham then. Even in the Great Escape season, when it looked like we would be playing Championship football, I still had faith in the club. We sacked Lawrie Sanchez, he was given a great amount of time to get the team playing his way, it didn't work out, but we were good about it, and brought in Uncle Woy.

Surviving that year was one of the best moments of Fulham I can remember. The sheer jubilation of knowing that next season, you won't be playing the likes of Doncaster Rovers or Sheffield Wednesday, but you'll be playing the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal for another year. I walked in to school the next day looking and feeling like we'd just won the league, I was that happy about finishing 17th because we had done it the Fulham way.

Now, however, things are changing.

Since Shahid Khan took over from Al-Fayed, things have changed around Fulham. While before, sinking quickly down the table was given time to change, this time around, sinking was given an age, far too long before any action was taken. Now, as a mere fan, I wouldn't know the inner workings of the club, and why it took so long for Jol to be pushed, but I think all Fulham fans would agree, it was too long. Things needed to start turning around faster, and that didn't come.

When Rene came in, he had a very difficult squad to work with. The likes of Berbatov, Ruiz, Taarabt, Kasami, Senderos, Hughes and Riise perhaps not being the players they should week-in, week-out. His first opportunity to change that was in January, allowing 5 out of the 7 aforementioned players to leave. That, immediately, lowered the average age. Bringing in Dempsey was, perhaps, the deal in January that didn't work out so well, but, bringing in Kvist, Tunnicliffe, Cole, Heitinga, Holtby and, hopefully, Mitroglou has made an amazing difference to the shape and playing style of the team. It seems strange that we would allow Meulensteen to make these transfers in January, only then to give them 3 games to play as a unit. We had a poor result against Southampton, but that was expected. Against Manchester United and Liverpool, however, we had two outstanding performances, earning 1 point (and being robbed of another, but we'll skip over that) out of two games that were almost certainly going to be annihilations.

We were turning a corner, and then it all fell apart at the hands of Khan, or whoever was actually in the country overseeing the club. At this time last season, if a similar thing had happened, for starters, Al-Fayed would have allowed more time for results to turn in our favour, but he would have made perfectly clear whether or not someone had lost their job at the club or not. The fact that even Rene doesn't know what's going on astounds me. He was the manager and suddenly a new manager (a fourth manager!) has been appointed. I understand bringing in Wilkins as assistant. I also understand bringing in someone of Curbishley's experience, not to undermine the management, but to help them. What I don't understand, and I'm struggling to keep this PG, is why we would then bring in someone with Magath's reputation, in a country he's never managed in.

One thing I have read, is that Magath doesn't like players that don't follow his instructions to the letter. That means anyone with a football brain is likely to be offloaded. I'd say that means goodbye to: Parker, Sidwell, Kvist, Burn, Riether, Heitinga, Karagounis, Richardson, Riise, Tunnicliffe, Stockdale, Stekelenburg, Kasami, Tankovic, Hangeland and Kacaniklic. Not something I would personally agree with.

The handling of the situation, the sheer lack of patience, the idiocy and the general ignorance to the football suggests that Khan knows very little about how football works. And I mean real football, not the American version. We are bottom of the Premier League. In 2007/8, we were never bottom. I'm sorry, Mr Khan, you have changed everything I love about Fulham. I'm sorry, Mr Khan, I don't believe you are the right person to be head of this club.



http://www.friendsoffulham.com/wordpress/?p=475 (http://www.friendsoffulham.com/wordpress/?p=475)

 
QPR manager Harry Redknapp wants to tempt Scott Parker away from Fulham

Redknapp sees the former England captain as crucial to the Premier League promotion charge at Loftus Road

(http://i1.mirror.co.uk/incoming/article2843179.ece/ALTERNATES/s615/CS51981817LONDON-ENGLAND--2843179.png)
2013 Getty Images
In demand: Redknapp wants to take Parker to Loftus Road
Harry Redknapp wants his old field marshal Scott Parker to quit Fulham and join him at QPR, writes Alan Nixon of the Sunday People.

Redknapp is desperate to have the former Tottenham star swap west London clubs and lead the Hoops' Premier League charge.

Parker is part of the squad but has slipped out of their starting XI.

Now Redknapp would like him on loan for the rest of the ­campaign to team him up with Joey Barton in ­central midfield.

Parker snubbed Rangers for Fulham in the summer when he left White Hart Lane, but playing under Redknapp again may appeal.

The 33-year-old would have to ask to leave for the move to happen, with Redknapp willing to take on his contract – and throw in a bonus.

Parker wants to play, and if he stays out of Fulham's line-up the move will get closer.



http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/fulham-transfer-news-qpr-manager-3150868#ixzz2tU4d3ALa (http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/fulham-transfer-news-qpr-manager-3150868#ixzz2tU4d3ALa)
Follow us: @DailyMirror on Twitter | DailyMirror on Facebook

Quote from: WhiteJC on February 16, 2014, 11:34:36 AM

Is this still Fulham?

by Sheepskin Junior

When I fell in love with this club, we were a well organised, confident, Premier League side. We had a Chairman who's first priority was what was best for the club and, above all else, the fans. Mohammed Al-Fayed was a man of the club, through-and-through. When the time came for a manager to be moved on, through performance or otherwise, he took the decision and made it clear to everyone what was happening. I presume there weren't any bitter tastes left in the mouths of those relieved of their duties; Chris Coleman still speaks fondly of his time at the club. I was proud to be Fulham then. Even in the Great Escape season, when it looked like we would be playing Championship football, I still had faith in the club. We sacked Lawrie Sanchez, he was given a great amount of time to get the team playing his way, it didn't work out, but we were good about it, and brought in Uncle Woy.

Surviving that year was one of the best moments of Fulham I can remember. The sheer jubilation of knowing that next season, you won't be playing the likes of Doncaster Rovers or Sheffield Wednesday, but you'll be playing the likes of Manchester United and Arsenal for another year. I walked in to school the next day looking and feeling like we'd just won the league, I was that happy about finishing 17th because we had done it the Fulham way.

Now, however, things are changing.

Since Shahid Khan took over from Al-Fayed, things have changed around Fulham. While before, sinking quickly down the table was given time to change, this time around, sinking was given an age, far too long before any action was taken. Now, as a mere fan, I wouldn't know the inner workings of the club, and why it took so long for Jol to be pushed, but I think all Fulham fans would agree, it was too long. Things needed to start turning around faster, and that didn't come.

When Rene came in, he had a very difficult squad to work with. The likes of Berbatov, Ruiz, Taarabt, Kasami, Senderos, Hughes and Riise perhaps not being the players they should week-in, week-out. His first opportunity to change that was in January, allowing 5 out of the 7 aforementioned players to leave. That, immediately, lowered the average age. Bringing in Dempsey was, perhaps, the deal in January that didn't work out so well, but, bringing in Kvist, Tunnicliffe, Cole, Heitinga, Holtby and, hopefully, Mitroglou has made an amazing difference to the shape and playing style of the team. It seems strange that we would allow Meulensteen to make these transfers in January, only then to give them 3 games to play as a unit. We had a poor result against Southampton, but that was expected. Against Manchester United and Liverpool, however, we had two outstanding performances, earning 1 point (and being robbed of another, but we'll skip over that) out of two games that were almost certainly going to be annihilations.

We were turning a corner, and then it all fell apart at the hands of Khan, or whoever was actually in the country overseeing the club. At this time last season, if a similar thing had happened, for starters, Al-Fayed would have allowed more time for results to turn in our favour, but he would have made perfectly clear whether or not someone had lost their job at the club or not. The fact that even Rene doesn't know what's going on astounds me. He was the manager and suddenly a new manager (a fourth manager!) has been appointed. I understand bringing in Wilkins as assistant. I also understand bringing in someone of Curbishley's experience, not to undermine the management, but to help them. What I don't understand, and I'm struggling to keep this PG, is why we would then bring in someone with Magath's reputation, in a country he's never managed in.

One thing I have read, is that Magath doesn't like players that don't follow his instructions to the letter. That means anyone with a football brain is likely to be offloaded. I'd say that means goodbye to: Parker, Sidwell, Kvist, Burn, Riether, Heitinga, Karagounis, Richardson, Riise, Tunnicliffe, Stockdale, Stekelenburg, Kasami, Tankovic, Hangeland and Kacaniklic. Not something I would personally agree with.

The handling of the situation, the sheer lack of patience, the idiocy and the general ignorance to the football suggests that Khan knows very little about how football works. And I mean real football, not the American version. We are bottom of the Premier League. In 2007/8, we were never bottom. I'm sorry, Mr Khan, you have changed everything I love about Fulham. I'm sorry, Mr Khan, I don't believe you are the right person to be head of this club.



http://www.friendsoffulham.com/wordpress/?p=475 (http://www.friendsoffulham.com/wordpress/?p=475)

Outstanding article 0001.jpeg

Yeah he summed everything up to a tee.

Don't agree at all - the club is run by AM and S'Ol who are the directors - one assumes that the new owner just wants results - the panicking has been done by the FFC directors who realised that we are in the mess we are in by their own negligence in not getting rid off Jol - who was patently useless - and everyone inside the club knew this.  Then we panicked by appointing RM in the first place post-Jol, probably panicked into buying an injured  Greek striker for £12m and now we have gone for a hat-trick of panics with Magath - who can't be worse than RM anyway