News:

Use a VPN to stream games Safely and Securely 🔒
A Virtual Private Network can also allow you to
watch games Not being broadcast in the UK For
more Information and how to Sign Up go to
https://go.nordvpn.net/SH4FE

Main Menu


Saturday Fulham Stuff (22/02/14)...

Started by WhiteJC, February 21, 2014, 07:34:16 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

WhiteJC

 
West Brom's Zoltan Gera ready for clash with Felix 'nice guy' Magath
New Fulham manager Felix Magath today insisted he will stick with his strict training regimes as he prepared to launch his survival bid at The Hawthorns tomorrow.

Former Cottagers midfielder Zoltan Gera, who could line up against his old club for Albion tomorrow, believes up to eight clubs are fighting the drop.

And German Magath insists he will keep faith with his hardline methods, declaring: "No-one has died".

Magath earned a reputation as "the fireman" in his homeland after taking over in difficult circumstances to great success at Nurnberg, Werder Bremen and Eintracht Frankfurt before joining Stuttgart, who he guided to Intertoto Cup success at 2002, which brought him to the attention of Bayern Munich.

Successive Bundesliga titles followed, and Magath would go on to also guide Wolfsburg to the domestic championship in 2008-09.

Magath's reputation was built on tough discipline – with one former player Eintracht Frankfurt player Bachirou Salou labelling him as the "last dictator in Europe".

He said: "Why should I change my training? At the moment I am the most successful (club) coach of Germany. Why should I change?" he said.

"Until now everybody has loved my training. No-one died. I am a nice guy, very nice."

Gera will hope to regain his starting place tomorrow against his former employers and the veteran midfield man said: "There are about eight teams fighting against relegation, which is crazy.

"There is not much difference between a lot of the teams in the bottom half.

"There is a top six, then another four or five, and then the rest. The teams in those groups are very similar to the others.

"I have very good memories from my time there (Fulham). It's a great family club.

"I enjoyed every minute of my time in London but that time is gone. I came back here and I'm very happy I did. It's going to be a big game for both clubs."


http://www.expressandstar.com/sport/west-bromwich-albion-fc/2014/02/21/west-broms-zoltan-gera-ready-for-clash-with-felix-nice-guy-magath/?

WhiteJC

 
Premier League: West Brom v Fulham match preview



A look ahead to this weekend's Premier League fixture at the Hawthorns

The Hawthorns this weekend will see two of Premier League's bottom four clubs go head to head, as West Brom take on Fulham on Saturday.

Fulham are routed to the bottom of the league table and recently removed Rene Meulensteen as manager in favour of Dutchmen Felix Magath. It is the second change of manager at Carven Cottage following Martin Jol's sacking in December.

West Brom have also appointed a new manager in recent months with Pepe Mel taking over after Steve Clarke was shown the door also in December.

All change then for these two clubs since they drew one all back in September.

Both set of fans will be hoping the chopping and changing at their clubs with pay dividends come the end of the year and this game will be vital for either team's chances of avoiding the drop.

Both sides put in positive displays against Liverpool and Chelsea respectively last time out but points are key at this stage of the season and West Brom and Fulham will should be striving for victory come Saturday.

KICK-OFF: Saturday, 3.00pm

PAST MEETINGS...

Fulham 1 (Sidwell) West Brom 1 (McAuley), Premier League, September 2013

West Brom 1 (Lukaku) Fulham 2 (Berbatov, Kacaniklic), Premier League, January 2013

Fulham 1 (Berbatov (2), Sidwell) West Brom 0, Premier League, September 2012

Fulham 1 (Dempsey) West Brom 1 (Tchoyi), Premier League, February 2012

West Brom 0 Fulham 0, Premier League, September 2011


http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/premier-league-west-brom-v-fulham-match-preview-9144397.html

WhiteJC

 
Renewed optimism ahead of Fulham FC clash

Baggies fans are being urged to play a major part in the resurgence of West Bromwich Albion for the visit of Fulham on Saturday.

Fresh from a mid-season sunny break in Jerez, Spain, Pepe Mel's side will have renewed optimism against the Cottagers following three sterling 1-1 draws against Everton, Liverpool and Chelsea.

But now it's time to earn a vital win against Fulham who prop up the Premier League.

Head coach Mel said recently: "Now I must ask you to make even more noise for us!

"We must all do everything we can and when the season is over, we must all be able to look at each other and say that we did everything to make success happen."

Albion legend Tony 'Bomber' Brown is also urging the fans to play their part.

In his programme notes for the Chelsea game he said: "You need to stick with the team through 90 minutes, whatever is happening, and give the players your complete backing right the way through.

"Create an atmosphere that they love, one they have no fears about playing in and I can tell you from my own experience of playing for 20 years, you will make a massive difference to the way they play. They will be more confident, more willing to try things if you back them even when things are going wrong.

"We are all in this together, we are all blue and white, we are all Albion fans who want the best for the club.

"Now go and show it by creating a wall of positive noise that will make our players feel ten feet tall every time they play here. It's up to you!"

Saturday's fixture will be the 36th League meeting between the two sides at The Hawthorns with The Baggies holding the upper hand with 20 wins, 7 draws and 8 defeats since the first encounter on 25th April 1908 that ended in a 3-1 victory for The Baggies in the Division Two clash. Goals from Willie Jordan, Harry Wright and Billy Thompson sealed the win.

The first encounter at The Hawthorns in the top flight resulted in an emphatic 4-1 win for The Baggies on 3rd December 1949 in a Division One clash. Two goals from Dave Walsh and one a piece for Billy Elliot and Ray Barlow was sweet revenge for Fulham pipping Albion to the Division Two title the previous season.

Albion's best victory against Fulham in the top flight came on 8th September 1962 at The Hawthorns as Derek Kevan went on the rampage notching four goals and two more came from Keith Smith in a 6-1 thrashing in front of a crowd of 19,304. Kevan was Albion's joint top scorer during the 1962-63 season with 14 League goals alongside Alec Jackson.

The Baggies also hit six of the best against Fulham on 6th November 1965 in a 6-2 victory. Ray Wilson opened the scoring with his first of three League goals for Albion; in addition Tony Brown and Graham Lovett bagged two goals apiece with Clive Clark getting the other goal. At the time former Albion manager Vic Buckingham was in charge at Craven Cottage and Bobby Robson played for Fulham.

In 1968 Albion beat Fulham in the BBC TV quiz show Quiz Ball. Alan Ashman, John Osborne, Doug Fraser and Jeff Smith of Moto Cross fame won virtually at the last gasp.

Albion's first win in the Premier League came against Fulham on 31st August 2002, a solitary Darren Moore goal sealed a 1-0 victory. The Baggies' last victory against the Cottagers at The Hawthorns came on 23rd October 2010 thanks to goals from Youssouf Mulumbu and Marc Antoine Fortune in a 2-1 victory.

The Baggies may welcome back Jonas Olsson, Billy Jones and Stephane Sessegnon into the squad for Saturday's game.

Here's to Pepe Mel's first victory as Albion's head coach!



Read more: http://www.lichfieldmercury.co.uk/Renewed-optimism-ahead-Fulham-FC-clash/story-20676649-detail/story.html#ixzz2tzGi36o1


WhiteJC

 
LAWRO'S PREDICTION

West Brom v Fulham

What has been going on at Fulham is just daft.

Since Martin Jol was still manager and they appointed Rene Meulensteen as head coach to work alongside him in November, things have gone from bad to worse at Craven Cottage.

Now Meulensteen has gone and Felix Magath has been parachuted in.

Magath is expected to keep them up, and he has got 12 games left to save them, but he arrives at a club which is in a right mess.

For me, the decisions which have been made in the last few months have been the main reason they have plunged to the bottom of the table quicker than anybody else. They also keep conceding goals by the barrel-load.

West Brom look a bit short of firepower up front but I am still backing Pepe Mel to get his first win as Baggies boss.

Lawro's prediction: 2-0
Katy B's prediction: Being a Palace fan I need this one to be a draw. 2-2


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26272372

WhiteJC

 
West Brom v Fulham: Baggies prepare for life without Nicolas Anelka who faces 'quenelle' hearing



The French striker will not be fit enough for Saturday's match against Fulham

West Brom striker Nicolas Anelka could be out of action until near the end of the Barclays Premier League relegation run-in if an independent Football Association panel decides his 'quenelle' gesture was racist in nature.

The Frenchman faces a minimum five-match ban after being charged by the FA for the gesture he made after scoring against West Ham on December 28. Anelka insists the 'quenelle' is an anti-establishment gesture, but others say it is widely regarded as being anti-Semitic.

The 34-year-old has denied the charge and requested a personal hearing, which is expected to start next week and run for a few days.

Albion head coach Pepe Mel has revealed Anelka will not be fit enough to face Fulham on Saturday despite returning to training after a shin injury on Thursday, which means the striker may not feature before the FA hands down a verdict.

"Nicolas had his first training session on Thursday so it's impossible that he plays against Fulham," said Spanish coach Mel.

"He is out. He's fit and he's good after the injury but he hasn't trained enough.

"As for the other thing - sorry, I'm the head coach only. I'd like the better outcome for Nicolas and West Brom but I respect the FA and its decision is good for me."

Asked if he was frustrated by the time taken to settle the matter, Mel said: "It's the rules. For me, what's important is that Nicolas was injured (anyway) and it wasn't possible for him to play in recent matches.

"In the future, I don't know."

Struggling Albion are one place above the relegation zone, ahead of Sunderland on goal difference only.

However Mel, who replaced the sacked Steve Clarke last month, remains absolutely certain that they will preserve their Premier League status.

"I am sure, of course," he said.

"West Brom will be playing in the Premier League, I'm sure.

"But more important for me is that the players think that too. I'm the coach, I don't play. That's the players.

"I agree with (captain) Chris Brunt that we need to win five games."

PA



http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/west-brom-v-fulham-baggies-prepare-for-life-without-nicolas-anelka-who-faces-quenelle-hearing-9144572.html

WhiteJC

 
Crisis club Fulham seek fresh start with Magath


Slump: Fulham have picked up one point from their last six matches

FULHAM will look to put a week of off-field drama behind them and focus on their bid to avoid relegation when they travel to fellow strugglers West Bromwich Albion in the Premier League on Saturday.

The west London club are bottom with 20 points, four off safety, and last Friday appointed German Felix Magath as their third manager this season following the dismissals of Martin Jol and Rene Meulensteen.
The club confirmed this week that assistant coach Ray Wilkins and technical director Alan Curbishley had been let go just weeks after they were appointed, while first team coaches Mick Priest and Jonathan Hill also joined the exodus of backroom staff from Craven Cottage.

Fulham, ever-present in the Premier League since 2001, have picked up one point from their last six matches and have brought in Magath in the hope that the noted disciplinarian can arrest their slump.
"We're going to get the full German experience from him and I definitely think he'll help us achieve our goal of staying in the Premier League," midfielder and fellow German Lewis Holtby said.

Record signing Kostas Mitroglou could be in line for his debut after arriving from Greek champions Olympiakos Piraeus lacking match fitness.
West Brom are outside the relegation zone on goal difference and, despite a creditable 1-1 draw with leaders Chelsea last time out, are without a win under new manager Pepe Mel.

Manchester City will be licking their wounds from Tuesday's Champions League defeat by Barcelona when they host Stoke City today, their final outing before they meet Sunderland in the League Cup final on March 2.

After picking up one point from their last two matches against Chelsea and Norwich, the Citizens will be desperate to rekindle their title charge.
They are in third spot with 54 points, three off Chelsea and two behind Arsenal.

Stoke striker John Guidetti is unable to play as he is on loan from City but is confident his new team can cause an upset against his parent club.
"The manager (Mark Hughes) has lots of experience, having played and scored many goals in this league, and he's coached a lot in this league too so he knows how to get a result in these sort of games," he told the club website (www.stokecityfc.com).

Sunderland, who are battling for top-flight survival despite their cup form – which has also seen them reach the FA Cup quarter-finals – could move out of the relegation zone with a point against Arsenal.

Chelsea will look to hold their advantage at the top when they host Everton in the early kick off (2.45pm), themselves in need of victory to close the gap to fifth-placed Tottenham Hotspur.
"We lost the last game in the FA Cup and we don't want to lose two in a row. That would be bad," striker Demba Ba told the club's website (www.chelseafc.com), referring to last Saturday's 2-0 defeat at Manchester City.
"We are just going to do everything on Saturday because it's important to get back to winning ways, it's important for the title race and it's important for our confidence."

Cardiff City are second-bottom, two points off 17th place, and victory over Hull City is crucial as they seek to avoid an immediate return to the Championship.
West Ham United, who play Southampton, appear to have hauled themselves out of danger with three consecutive victories and have not conceded a goal in four matches, their best run of clean sheets since 1986.

"Four in a row is really, really difficult in the Premier League," goalkeeper Adrian said. "We have to keep going in this direction."

Today's late kickoff sees Manchester United travel to Crystal Palace (7.30pm) as the champions aim to keep in the race for a top-four spot.

On Sunday, Liverpool bid to bounce back from their FA Cup defeat to Arsenal when they host Swansea City while Newcastle United play Aston Villa (both 3.30pm).
Spurs hope their trip to Ukraine where they lost to Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk in the Europa League on Thursday will not have weared them out ahead of their visit to Norwich City on Sunday.



http://cyprus-mail.com/2014/02/21/crisis-club-fulham-seek-fresh-start-with-magath/?


WhiteJC

 
West Brom v Fulham



By Steve Bower
BBC Match of the Day commentator


BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: The Hawthorns Date: Saturday, 22 February


TEAM NEWS

West Brom midfielder Claudio Yacob has been ruled out for the visit of Fulham with a hamstring problem.

Nicolas Anelka has returned to training but will not be fit in time, while Billy Jones, Stephane Sessegnon and Jonas Olsson are all in contention after recovering from injuries.

New Fulham manager Felix Magath could have record signing Kostas Mitroglou available after a knee problem.

Maarten Stekelenburg and Fernando Amorebieta are doubtful with injuries.

MATCH PREVIEW

The stakes for staying in the Premier League are becoming higher and more clubs are reaching for the panic button far more quickly than in previous seasons. West Brom and Fulham epitomise the lack of patience exacerbated by the desire to stay in the top flight.

I was at Craven Cottage back in September to see them draw 1-1. Having led West Brom to an eighth-place finish last season, Steve Clarke losing his job was a highly unlikely scenario, as was Martin Jol being the first of three Fulham managers this season.

The Fulham script has been a remarkable one. To replace Martin Jol with his assistant and then allow Rene Meulensteen to bring in seven new faces last month and yet end his tenure after just 75 days shows the desperation but also perhaps a lack of courage at board level.

So the Premier League now prepares to welcome its first German manager. Felix Magath says he's faced worse situations in his career but that was in the Bundesliga, where his knowledge was impeccable having been in charge of eight different clubs.

Now he has to learn quickly about the English league and his new players with only 12 matches to pull off Fulham's escape.

His need to hit the ground running is emphasised by the fact that he has to face Chelsea, Manchester City and Everton in his first six matches and must lift a team that has lost 14 of their last 18 league games.

His opposite number is still searching for his first victory in charge of West Brom. Pepe Mel has impressed some with three comebacks at home to gain a draw each time, but he needs to start winning.

Whatever the outcome, this will be another huge result in the survival battle at the bottom and you cannot underestimate the impact of three points for either club.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head
Fulham have not lost any of their last six Premier League games against West Brom (W3, D3).

West Bromwich Albion
Pepe Mel has failed to win any of his five Premier League games as head coach of West Brom. He has drawn three matches and lost two.

Albion have only won one of their last 17 matches in all competitions. That win came against Newcastle at the Hawthorns on New Year's Day.

West Brom have drawn 12 of their 26 league games this season - at least three more than any other side in the division.

Sixteen players have scored for the Baggies in the Premier League this season, more than any other side.

Fulham
New Fulham boss Felix Magath is the first German to take charge of a Premier League game.

Fulham have taken one point from their last six league matches - in a 2-2 draw at Manchester United.

The Cottagers have conceded 58 goals in their 26 Premier League matches - an average of more than two a game and 14 more than the next worst side.

They have already used a league-high 34 players in the league this season. That is five more than they did in the whole of 2012-13.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/26202590?

WhiteJC

 
New manager analysis: Magath needs to emulate Pulis and Sherwood

As Felix Magath becomes the twelfth man to take charge of a Premiership club during the current campaign we take a look at whether changing managers has helped clubs this season.

Those 12 includes four caretakers at Sunderland, West Brom, Cardiff and Crystal Palace while there have also been mid-season changes at Tottenham, Swansea and Fulham who have now changed manager twice with Magath replacing Rene Meulensteen just 75 days after he had replaced fellow Dutchman Martin Jol.

Meanwhile the likes of West Ham and Norwich City have resisted the temptation to sack their bosses despite being under pressure at different times of the season.

The widely held belief is that changing manager can give a club a short term lift which can improve results, of course not all these managers have been dismissed solely due to results but what do the stats say about the results for teams who have changed during this season?

Well of those teams four have seen an improvement in league results since their new manager took charge, Tottenham, Palace and Sunderland, while Garry Monk's tenure at Swansea is in its early stages his two league games have produced a win and a draw.

The board at Tottenham will certainly feel their decision to replace Andre Villas-Boas with Tim Sherwood has been vindicated, the team have picked up 23 points in Sherwood's 10 games in charge, just four shy of the total they managed in 16 games under AVB, that is a win percentage of 70% compared to 50% a run which has put them in contention for a Champions League spot.

Crystal Palace and Sunderland both appeared destined for the Championship but have had a renaissance under new managers Tony Pulis and Gus Poyet.

When Pulis took over at Selhurst Park Palace had won just two of their first 12 games, under Pulis they won six of the next 13 a win percentage of 46% compared with 16.6%.

Poyet replaced Paolo Di Canio after just seven games of the season when the Black Cats had just one point on the board, the next 18 games under Poyet has seen six wins giving them a fighting chance of staying in the league meanwhile securing a Capital One Cup final place and progression in the F.A Cup.

Cardiff's win percentage under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is similar to what it was under Malky Mackay although after only five games for the Norwegian it is perhaps too early to draw a conclusion from that.

The same could be said for Pepe Mel at West Brom who have yet to win in the Spaniard's five games in charge, while Fulham gathered exactly the same number of points in Meulensteen's 13 games in charge as they did in the first 13 under Martin Jol.

These figures suggest that of those faltering clubs the ones which have acted earliest have seen the biggest improvement in results.

While there are many examples of managers getting a club out of a rut if they are given time to do so, West Ham this year for instance, fans of Norwich City might look at Crystal Palace and Sunderland's results since changing managers and wonder what might have happened if their board had acted when Chris Hughton was under pressure.

Tottenham are the only team who were in the top half when they changed manager, so it could be said that the acid test of these decision will come at the end of the season with the other six clubs still facing the prospect of relegation.

Will Felix Magath have success at Fulham?



http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2014/02/21/new-manager-analysis-magath-needs-to-emulate-pulis-and-sherwood/?

WhiteJC

 
Premier League: Felix Magath is confident he will succeed in his new role at Fulham


Felix Magath: New Fulham boss is confident he can succeed at Craven Cottage

New Fulham boss Felix Magath believes he is familiar enough with English football to succeed in his new position.

The 60-year-old brings a wealth of experience to a first coaching role in England, winning the European Cup as a player at Hamburg and also reaching two World Cup finals with the German national team.

Magath won three Bundesliga titles while in charge of Bayern Munich and Wolfsburg, and he is preparing himself for a different challenge at Craven Cottage.

And while Magath's knowledge of the Premier League is restricted to television coverage, he will call on his experience of coaching teams against Manchester United, Arsenal and Chelsea as he attempts to save Fulham from relegation.

"Sure it is a little bit better if you know all of the players in the league, but over the last year, I have seen many games from England when I was at home," said Magath.

"I have played against English clubs and also the national team, for clubs I have managed against English teams, Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester.

"I don't know as much about the players as you, but I think I know enough from England, the Premier League and from football."

Meanwhile, Magath has denied former Wolves boss Mark McGhee, who played alongside the German at Hamburg, is lined up to join the support team at Craven Cottage.

"There is no plan to bring in anybody else - at the moment I am not thinking about that," Magath added.

"I know Mark very well, not only from when we played together, and I also visited him when he was manager at Wolverhampton Wanderers.

"So I know him, he is a friend of mine, but at the moment I only focus on the next game. I don't think about the next season or who can join me, because I am only focused on winning games."


http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/9177418/felix-magath-is-confident-he-will-succeed-in-his-new-role-at-fulham?


WhiteJC

 
Dress sense, medicine balls & dictatorship: What Felix Magath will bring to Fulham


With new Fulham manager Felix Magath set to make his Premier League bow at West Brom on Saturday, German football expert Titus Chalk explains exactly what Cottagers fans (and players) should expect from their new boss...

Congratulations, Fulham! Having ditched the Wacko Jacko statue, you have managed to import an almost equally polarising figure to the banks of the Thames. In case you don't know what you're in for, allow FourFourTwo to introduce you to the man affectionately known by his former charges as "Saddam".
Here are just five things the latest Bundesliga émigré will bring with him to London...

Medicine Balls
Like a deluxe Iain Dowie, Felix Magath likes his players fit. Renowned for running players into the ground in training, he has even earned a famous Asterix-stlye nickname "Quälix", which rhymes with Felix, but comes from the German verb 'qualen' – to torture.
Think we're exaggerating? In his doomed second spell at Wolfsburg from 2011 to 2012, he once led the squad on an arduous run through the woods. When they arrived at the end, they found that, like a sadistic drill commander, Magath had emptied their water bottles. His lesson in "sharing resources" backfired and his side were sucked ever-deeper into relegation trouble.


"THIS is how you rehydrate": celebrating Bayern's 2005 Bundesliga in traditional style
In Magath's defence, though, fitness can be key when you're scrapping at the bottom (or, whisper it Fulham fans, launching a promotion bid in the Championship). In 2000, Magath saved a seemingly dead-and-buried Eintracht Frankfurt from the drop with his no-nonsense physical regime (featuring medicine balls more often than footballs) and made a big impression on some of his players. Jan Age Fjortoft said at the time, "I don't know if Felix Magath would have stopped the Titanic going down, but the survivors would have been really fit."
Given Fulham's languid play for much of the season, perhaps a jolt of tough love is just what they need. Quite the contrast to the smoking-behind-the-bikesheds double-act of Martin Jol and Dimitar Berbatov.

Baggage
While a handful of Bundesliga players praise Magath for the structure and discipline he brought to their careers (title-winning Wolfsburg duo Grafite and Diego Benaglio, for example), he has left a huge trail of disgruntled players behind him. "I'm always accused of spreading fear and putting players under pressure, but I'm actually one of the nicest guys in the world," says Magath. But others disagree. As Schalke's Jefferson Farfan put it, Magath was the only coach who left nothing positive behind when leaving the club, "only fines" for the players who broke his rules.


My way or the autobahn: Magath is a decisive figure
In the Bundesliga, those players queued up to put one over their former tormentor when he brought his newest team to town. At Fulham though, the score-settling may be internal. After a promising start at Craven Cottage, Lewis Holtby now faces the prospect of trying to impress a manager who sent him out on loan twice whilst at Schalke. Though Holtby has greeted Magath's appointment with professional stoicism, he must be cursing the latest potential blip in a stop-start season.

Style
Magath might now be a tarnished brand in the Bundesliga, but there's no denying he brings an impressive managerial CV with him to Fulham, including three league titles. He is also a snappy dresser – second only perhaps to Karl-Heinz Rummenigge in the German football style stakes – and has more charisma than Alan Curbishley, Ray Wilkins and René Meulensteen put together. The sacked Meulensteen was obviously part of some glorious years at Old Trafford, but has not been able to shake the hang-dog air of a perpetual number two since leaving the Theatre of Dreams.


"Oh, these guys? Yeah, they always follow me around"
While image should not be everything when it comes to touchline appointments, Fulham owner Shahid Khan oozes flair himself (look at that 'tache!) and almost certainly did not buy a football club in buzzing London out of modesty. Magath – a heavyweight appointment, however polarising – has already attracted more column inches than Fulham's largely dire football has all season. Just the kind of lustre today's modern breed of franchise – sorry, club – owner is looking for.

Power
Magath is roundly castigated in the Bundesliga for his dictatorial bent and his stipulation that he must have complete control over footballing matters when appointed at a club. For a country like Germany, where the model of technical director plus coach prevails, it is an almost vulgar flexing of the muscles, but one that slots right into established British football culture. Strong-man Magath says it is so important to him, because he wants the players he brings in to be completely accountable to him and vice-versa. Cynics would say though, that he simply hates compromise of any kind.


Schalke fans disliked Magath's use of social media
Either way, once he had finished talking up his credentials to take over farce-engulfed Hamburg on Facebook and opted for an English relegation fight instead, it was only a matter of time before Messrs Curbishley and Wilkins received their P45s. This may be Magath's chance to show he is simply misunderstood at home (like, say, Robert Huth) and better adapted to rain-soaked kick-and-rush in the birthplace of the beautiful game.

Expensive tastes
Magath's penchant for power might have been less roundly derided in Germany had he used it well. Unfortunately, his habit of spending his way out of problems (and into new ones) has proved incorrigible. In his second spell at Wolfsburg, the half-Puerto Rican Penfold lookalike haphazardly splashed €70 million on players in just 18 months, building up a disastrously unwieldy squad of 32. Trusted players suddenly found themselves ditched without explanation and morale plummeted to rock bottom.


Strongman-management: Magath likes a show of strength

Essentially, as Magath fell out with players, his only answer was to buy new ones who had no idea what they were letting themselves in for. One un-named Wolfsburg player said at the time, "I had imagined it would be tough with Magath, but it was even worse than that." Fulham fans should be glad he arrived after the winter transfer window closed – though they may come to miss the careful stewardship of the Al-Fayed years when the transfer market re-opens for business.

Magath (perhaps rightly) has no truck with modern players earning big bucks and not pulling their weight. Anyone caught slacking will be mercilessly shipped out (Bryan Ruiz should be frantically calling his agent now about extending his PSV Eindhoven loan move). Change is coming to Fulham, in the form of "the last dictator in Europe," as Jan Age Fjortoft calls him.

Expect the serenity of the Cottage to be seriously shaken.



Read more at http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/dress-sense-medicine-balls-dictatorship-what-felix-magath-will-bring-fulham#Zf7V0q58CsWv2ovr.99

WhiteJC

 
Felix Magath's bite just as bad as his bark

There is a story told about Felix Magath in which he sent his players on a training run through a forest, then hid their water bottles upon their return.

It is supposed to reveal him as dictatorial and tyrannical, which is not an entirely unfair assessment, since it leaves out crucial details. Magath was angered by an incident in Wolfsburg's 3-0 defeat at Bayern Munich in which no player had checked on the well-being of the goalkeeper Diego Benaglia after he had collided with Arjen Robben.

Magath felt they had abandoned a teammate and wanted to challenge them to help each other. So he emptied all but 10 water bottles to encourage them to share. Unorthodox, perhaps. Unwise, maybe. But it was not an act wholly without logic.

Still, Magath comes with a fearsome reputation. As a profile in Spiegel magazine noted last week, Magath these days is "more feared than loved" in Germany, something that had contributed to his inability to land a job since leaving Wolfsburg in October 2012.

Too many are too scarred by the stories of the special hill Magath had constructed on the training pitch at Wolfsburg so he could have players run up and down it, or by the anecdote of the Brazilian striker Grafite, now playing for Dubai's Al Ahli, collapsing on an Alpine walk, or by the reports that he rarely believes players are really injured and has in the past made supposed malingerers jog around a pitch for two hours.

Yet Magath is successful. He saved Nuremberg, Werder Bremen and Eintracht Frankfurt from relegation in the late 1990s, having been parachuted into crises. He led Bayern Munich to two German doubles and he even won the league at unfashionable Wolfsburg. It is just that his methods, the relentless drilling, the demand for absolute focus and fitness, seem a little old-fashioned.

Certainly, Dimitar Berbatov, Bryan Ruiz and Adel Taarabt, none exactly noted for their diligence, will probably feel they did well to get out of the club when they did, leaving in January. But, realistically, Magath's notorious regimen is unlikely to come into effect until the close season, anyway. Hammering players now is only going to exhaust them.

Yet the issue with Fulham is less Magath himself than the fact there is another new man there at all. Rene Meulensteen was in charge for 75 days, in which time Fulham played 13 league games, the same number they had played this season under predecessor Martin Jol. Both managers won 10 points this season, and the goal difference was better under Jol.

That reflects poorly on Meulensteen, there is a sense that he was ousted just as the club was moving his way. He off-loaded eight players in January and brought in seven, and while the past two games, against Manchester United and Liverpool, yielded only a point, the performances were good enough to suggest things were trending in the right direction.

That is backed up by the underlying stats that show shots conceded per game dropping from 19.8 under Jol to 17.5 under Meulensteen, while shots on goal increased from 8.1 to 13.8.

Given that Alan Curbishley and Ray Wilkins, hired to strengthen the back-room staff, were also dismissed this week, you wonder who has been dispensing advice to the owner, Shahid Khan.

If, as Chris Anderson and David Sally argue in The Numbers Game, games between sides of roughly equal ability are 50 per cent decided by luck, 13 games isn't enough to judge anybody or anything, particularly not if he is reshaping the squad as he goes.

None of which changes Magath's job, which is to drag Fulham to safety in the final 12 games of the season. They are four points from safety and realistically require a minimum of 15 points and perhaps as many as 18 to be safe.

Magath's claim that Saturday's game against West Brom is the biggest in the club's history is an exaggeration – the 1975 FA Cup final and the 2010 Europa League final were bigger, for starters – but with four of Fulham's remaining games against sides in the top six, and West Brom fourth from the bottom, it is clearly hugely significant, both in terms of setting the tone for the rest of the season and actual points.



Read more: http://www.thenational.ae/sport/english-premier-league/felix-magaths-bite-just-as-bad-as-his-bark?#ixzz2tzL6kq2G
Follow us: @TheNationalUAE on Twitter | thenational.ae on Facebook

WhiteJC

 
West Bromwich Albion v Fulham: match preview
Read a full match preview of the Premier League game between West Bromwich Albion and Fulham at The Hawthorns on Saturday Feb 22, 2014, kick-off 15.00 (GMT).


Believe: Felix Magath leads Fulham for the first time, at West Bromwich Albion, on Saturday Photo: EPA

Saturday, February 22, 2014
West Bromwich Albion v Fulham
The Hawthorns
Kick-off: 15.00 GMT.
TV: Highlights, BBC ONE Match of the Day.


WBA (Possible, 4-2-3-1): Foster; Jones, McAuley, Dawson, Ridgewell; Brunt, Mulumbu; Gera, Morrison, Berahino; Anichebe.
Out: Anelka (leg), Popov (neck), Yacob (hamstring).

Fulham (Possible, 4-4-1-1): Stekelenburg; Riether, Heitinga, Hangeland, Riise; Dejagah, Parker, Sidwell, Richardson; Holtby; Bent.
Out: Briggs (hernia), Etheridge (thigh).
Tests: Amorebieta (knee), Mitroglou (knee), Stekelenburg (eye).

Referee: Mike Dean. Matches: 17, R3 Y61.

Betting: Home 8-11, Away 10-3, Draw 13-5.

Team News
West Brom will be without striker Nicolas Anelka and midfielder Claudio Yacob for Saturday's Barclays Premier League relegation scrap with Fulham.

Anelka, facing a possible Football Association ban after being charged over his controversial 'Quenelle' gesture, is back in training following a shin injury but not ready to play.

Argentinian midfielder Yacob misses out with a hamstring injury suffered against Chelsea last time out.

New Fulham manager Felix Magath will run the rule over his squad before deciding whether to make sweeping changes for a first Premier League match in charge at West Brom.

Striker Kostas Mitroglou is one of several fitness concerns, with goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg (eye) and defender Fernando Amorebieta also set to be assessed.

Defender Matthew Briggs continues his long-term recovery.

Match Notes
Felix Magath has already shown he is not adverse to hyperbole by branding this the biggest game in Fulham's history.

There is little doubt a win at the Hawthorns could prove pivotal for the man previously known in Germany as 'The Torturer', although West Bromwich Albion are also battling to avoid losing their Premier League status.

Pepe Mel's command of English is improving with each passing week but he needs to get his ideas across quickly if he is to navigate a route to survival.

Stat of the game: Fulham are unbeaten in their last six Premier League games against West Brom.

John Percy's prediction: WBA 3 Fulham 2.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/premier-league/10642630/West-Bromwich-Albion-v-Fulham-match-preview.html


WhiteJC

 
Felix Magath: can he save Fulham?

Felix Magath is a man with a reputation. Known throughout Germany for his often brutal training methods, the new Fulham manager has now brought his ideas to the Premier League. But can he keep the league's bottom club in the division?

Born in Aschaffenburg, West Germany in 1953, Magath's managerial career began after a successful playing career, during which he won the European Cup with Hamburg in 1983 and finished as a runner-up at both the 1982 and 1986 World Cups. After being forced to retire after the 1986 World Cup due to a knee injury, Magath moved into coaching, and in October 1995 was appointed manager at Hamburg.

The unusual management style the new manager brought to the club proved a catalyst in turning their season around. Rooted to the bottom of the table when Magath came in, the fitness and discipline-based training regime he installed at the club saw them climb from the relegation zone, and eventually qualify for the UEFA Cup.

Following his time in the Hamburg dugout, Magath went on to guide Nürnberg, Werder Bremen and Eintracht Frankfurt away from relegation, with all three clubs having been in real danger at the time of his appointment. Thus Magath began to earn himself something of a reputation as a 'firefighter', a short-term fix for a team's relegation worries, although he frequently found himself dismissed during or after his second season.

By this time, Magath's often brutal training methods were having an impact in Germany. Inspired by the training sessions the manager himself endured as a player, players were rigorously conditioned, and although they were unpopular (Bachirou Salou, who played under Magath at Eintracht Frankfurt, referred to him as "the last dictator in Europe"), it could not be denied that the methods Magath employed were effective.

Magath also went on to turn round the fortunes of Stuttgart and Wolfsburg, leading the latter to the first Bundesliga title in their history in 2009. However, he was less well-received at Bayern Munich and Schalke, despite winning two league-and-cup doubles with the former, mainly due to the rigorous training regime he subjected his players to.

During his time with Wolfsburg, the training methods Magath employed grew ever more notorious, with reports suggesting that he was pushing his players too far; after one training session, Magath instructed his players to run up a nearby mountain, causing star striker Grafite to collapse.

It's unlikely that Magath will remain at Craven Cottage for the long-term. But if Fulham are to stay in Premier League against the odds this season, there is no better man to steer them there than Felix Magath. If his new charges can adapt quickly to his unusual methods, they stand a real chance of pulling off a great escape.



http://ballsybanter.com/new/recent-posts/430-the-german-is-the-man-charged-with-turning-fulham-s-fortunes-around?

WhiteJC

 
The Magath Era Begins

Felix Magath is prepared for his first match in charge and the new Fulham Manager knows the stakes are high.

The Magath Era Begins on Vimeo


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/february/21/magath-era-begins?

WhiteJC

 
OPPOSITION VIEW - FULHAM Q&A

Ahead of Saturday's crunch game with Fulham at The Hawthorns, we speak to Chris, who amongst other things writes for Fulham website HammyEnd.com. He gives his views on the game, Jol, Meulensteen and much more. You can also find Chris on Twitter at @ChrisGilbertson

It's been an interesting last few months at Craven Cottage to say the least. Your take on it? Were the sackings of Jol and Meulensteen right?

It was the correct decision to get rid of Martin Jol, and one that was probably several months overdue. Meulensteen has on the face of it been a bit unlucky as performances were slowly beginning to turn around. Unfortunately time was running out and it's hard to put up a convincing argument to say he should have stayed in charge as his lack of management experience was showing.

It's obviously been a disappointing season at Fulham results-wise, any particular reason why you've struggled so badly? On paper you've still got some decent players.

Yes we have some good players but the key point is that they were good players. Our squad at the start of the season resembled something of a retirement home and had an abundance of flair players who couldn't play together. Since the clear out at the end of January the squad looks a lot better but time might be running out. Our defending has been our Achilles heel all season, our goals against record is the worst in the league.

The big question, can you and will you stay up?

Ah the £60m question. I'm a lot more confident with Magath in charge but fear it will be too little too late. Unless new signing Kostas Mitroglou produces a stunning goal return we might just have too many shortcomings.

Player of the season so far?

Don't really have one. Probably Scott Parker or Steve Sidwell. The key is to play one of them at a time. With 7 goals to his name Sidwell is taking our nickname for him of the 'special one Iniesta' a bit too seriously.

Has any player been particularly disappointing so far this season?

Hard to know where to start. Darren Bent has been particularly lackadaisical since his loan move but he has scored a few useful goals. The now departed trio of Berbatov, Bryan Ruiz and Adel Taarabt promised much but singularly failed to deliver. Fernando Amorebieta's failure to settle has gone under the radar, but he was signed with a big reputation to be our centre back for the long term and is now 4th choice and more likely to get in the team at left back.

Who's likely to pose the most threat to Albion on Saturday?

If he plays Kostas Mitroglou will be our danger man. He scored two goals in the first 20 minutes of his debut for the Under-21's against Villa last week including a 35 yarder. Otherwise loanee Lewis Holtby is a cut above the rest of our squad.

Is there a particular weak-link in the Fulham side that Albion should be looking to exploit?

The full backs are particularly susceptible, especially on the counter.

Any memories that stand out from previous Albion v Fulham clashes?

Doing the double over you last season was a particular highlight.

Are you happy to stick with your prediction of Chelsea for Premier League champions?

Yes, though hopefully we can dent their progress next weekend.

Back in September you predicted the trio of Hull City, Crystal Palace and Sunderland to go down but as it stands right now they all seem more than capable of staying up. Which three teams do you now see dropping down into the Championship?

This is a near impossible question to answer as the three seem to change every week. Cardiff seem in real trouble, while the two of us don't look great. In an attempt at optimism I'll go for Cardiff, Norwich and Hull.

Prediction for Saturday's game?

Hopefully we can take advantage of a new manager bonus but a draw would be a decent result. 1-1.



http://www.albiontillwedie.co.uk/201314/previews/home/fulhamq&a.html?