FULHAM'S MAD DESCENT UNDER MAGATH

[Jack Deane]

http://www.thesefootballtimes.net/#!fulhams-mad-descent-under-magath/cxj9

It was half time, and Felix Magath entered the dressing room with Fulham losing. With the team in grave danger of relegation, was there to be a rousing speech from the manager? What words would he use to galvanize his players ahead of the second half? Well in this case, Felix Magath decided to threaten his players in German.

Fulham went on to lose the match and the dressing room reception after was equally frosty. This time, Magath decided to silently glare at each player in the face before leaving the dressing room. Fulham went on to be relegated.

Magath's predecessor René Meulensteen didn't have the results but he commanded respect from the players. To put it simply, he wasn't hated by the squad which is why Magath's appointment ended Fulham's chances of survival.

Lewis Holtby was asked when at Spurs if he could cope with Louis van Gaal as boss. Holtby said he wouldn't have a problem, "after all, I've survived Felix Magath". Yet did Spurs loanee Holtby know he would toil under Magath again, this time at Fulham. Brought in under the impression he would be working with René Meulensteen, a fortnight later, Holtby was forced to face the Magath nightmare along with the rest of the Superwhites' squad.

The club had lacked discipline as a result of the Martin Jol era but appointing someone with Magath's reputation didn't look too wise given how fragile the squad were. Disliking your boss doesn't necessarily incapacitate you from doing your job but when your boss is Felix Magath, it's difficult.

Magath could not get another job in his native Germany despite a managerial CV boasting several Bundesliga titles and a few relegation escape acts. Any employer knows that a CV will rarely tell you everything.

What was missing were the stories of Magath being an extreme authoritarian with a penchant for medicine balls, how swathes of professionals in Germany have had an open dislike for Magath and how, even if there may be an initial rise, by the end there will be chaos at the club.
"His [Magath] main tool is to try and mentally and physically batter his players and then hopefully get some results out of that," said former club captain Brede Hangeland after leaving in June.

Stories from within Fulham back up Hangeland's claims. The militaristic training regime under which players suffered last season has continued in pre-season. Such has been the autocratic control of Magath, some at the club are saying FFC now stands for 'Felix's Football Club'.

Once in football, a manager could get away with 'showing the players who is boss' but today, players are football's empowered pawns. Continually and sadistically punishing them in such a regressive manner is unlikely to yield results. Perhaps it's indicative of how effective Magath's methods are now that Fulham haven't had a positive bounce since his arrival.

Still, the Germans' squad this season has some talented players, which in part is down to the excellent work of the club's academy. Now is the time for the likes of Patrick Roberts to deliver. Elsewhere in the squad though is a reminder of what Fulham has become.

Firstly, there's Kostas Mitroglou, representative of poor business in January, after arriving for £12.4 million and playing just 153 minutes. His cost to Fulham averages around £81,000 per minute on the pitch.

More poignantly, Ross McCormack arrived in July from Leeds in a deal worth up to £11 million. Yet, this comes when the club has been trying to save money by making staff redundant. Signing a player for that amount doesn't send out the right message about the ethos.

Even before the start of last season, Fulham's predicament wasn't healthy. Martin Jol, the manager who created the platform for the ensuing chaos, talked of how he was after "a top-12 finish."

The team had performed poorly for the majority of 2012/13. Bringing in Dimitar Berbatov and playing him in the same position as Bryan Ruiz stunted attacking creativity. Playing with nothing resembling a midfield left a slow defence vulnerable.

The club and Jol also pledged to build a younger team as they then proceeded to shaft most of the squad who had helped Fulham to the greatest achievement in its history in reaching the Europa League final.

The irony was the average age of replacements - players that would never share the same bond with the fans - was not radically lowered. Seeing 35-year-old club captain Danny Murphy make way for 35-year-old Giorgos Karagounis was particularly odd.

The end of the Mohamed Al-Fayed era lit the fireworks then for the crisis that would unfold in new owner Shahid Khan's first 12 months. The club's thirteenth year in the Premier League certainly provided a mighty bang, with Magath's appointment a spectacular finale.

More thoughtless signings such as Darren Bent and Adel Taarabt were made with no hint as to where they'd fit. Jokes were cracked on social media as to how the likes of Berbatov, Bent, Taarabt and Ruiz could ever work together. Like most gags, this one was funny because it was true.

Somehow though, Fulham won games. A victory in October against Stoke was detrimental but worst of all, was the 4-1 win against Crystal Palace.

The season's biggest victory was a terrible result with owner Shahid Khan watching on next to the away end at Selhurst Park. Because, even against what at the time was weak opposition, the result legitimised Jol's reign for another six matches. Fulham lost each of those six games.

Martin Jol's successor was already at the club before he went. In November, René Meulensteen came in to work with Jol, who was assured his job was safe before being duly sacked 18 days later.

Meulensteen only lasted until February even if performances did improve. Despite January signings made with him in mind, Meulensteen was the second Dutchman sent flying from Craven Cottage in February and then the madness of Magath followed.

Supporters merely booed at Craven Cottage. Fans at other clubs would have been stronger given what the Fulham supporters had had to endure. Media scrutiny will decrease with Fulham now in the Championship but Brede Hangeland's lone cry in June still remains a good indicator of what has happened to Fulham. 

On the 16th August, Magath will still be the manager as Fulham host Millwall - a paradox as the club of "no one likes us, we don't care" travel to "everyone likes us, but no one cares".

By Archie Rhind-Tutt. Follow Archie on Twitter @archiert1

[ToodlesMcToot]

Apparently, Magath has been working behind the scenes for Fulham for several years now. I don't see any other way a provocative headline like that is at all applicable.

[Riverside]

Fulham had descended before Magath arrived .
The MAF wind down and the Jol era saw to that .

Rene I don't think had a chance and cannot be blamed for the descent .

Magath I don't think was the manager to get the best out of demotivated pensioners .
So if his appointment was all about survival he was certainly the wrong choice .

HOWEVER . I am hopeful that he is the manager to build a new team from scratch .
Hard work and fitness being essential to his management style.

[Lighthouse]

As a player who has played under Jol and Rene and got really tired after 70 minutes of football. I hated Felix who shouted at me. Me a blimmin millionaire. No warm coco at the end of the game with some nice marshmallows to tip into it. Felix actually wanted us to train and there was no way we were going to put up with that. So after another awful first half display. We came in and expected out inflated egos to be massaged and flattered, But Felix only goes and shouts at us.

So Fulham fans, try as we didn't, you can blame it all a very rude German who didn't pick the players he was given and expected us to actually run when we were very tired. So don't come running to us when things don't work out. We never ran anywhere and we are not about to start now.

[Burt]

So long as Felix fixes the problems with tactics, fitness, age of squad, etc. etc. then I really don't care whether he is popular with the players or not. He was employed to get a job done, not have a love-in with the players.

[Holders]

Quite well-written. I wonder if Archie is related to Julian Rhind-Tutt the actor, or his brother Malcolm who used to work for the CEGB in Newcastle.

[Ordar]

As a player who has played under Jol and Rene and got really tired after 70 minutes of football. I hated Felix who shouted at me. Me a blimmin millionaire. No warm coco at the end of the game with some nice marshmallows to tip into it. Felix actually wanted us to train and there was no way we were going to put up with that. So after another awful first half display. We came in and expected out inflated egos to be massaged and flattered, But Felix only goes and shouts at us.

So Fulham fans, try as we didn't, you can blame it all a very rude German who didn't pick the players he was given and expected us to actually run when we were very tired. So don't come running to us when things don't work out. We never ran anywhere and we are not about to start now.

Amazing :)

[DeuceBigelow]

Fulham had descended before Magath arrived .
The MAF wind down and the Jol era saw to that .

Rene I don't think had a chance and cannot be blamed for the descent .

Magath I don't think was the manager to get the best out of demotivated pensioners .
So if his appointment was all about survival he was certainly the wrong choice .

HOWEVER . I am hopeful that he is the manager to build a new team from scratch .
Hard work and fitness being essential to his management style.

:plus one:

[ToodlesMcToot]

Quite well-written. I wonder if Archie is related to Julian Rhind-Tutt the actor, or his brother Malcolm who used to work for the CEGB in Newcastle.

I find it to be a vehicle to bash a manager who had little to do with where we ended up. And, the amount of time actually spent speaking about what Magath did while actually working for Fulham reflects the level of his involvement in our demise. The article reads well, but there's really no substance that supports the assertion made in the title. There's little here that elevates Archie's work over much that's written every day.

Somehow Tutt comes to the conclusion that we were going to survive the drop with Rene at the helm. Is it the 41 goals conceded during his 11 game run that is so convincing? Our club was relegated well before Rene was hired. Mentally, they were incurable....IMHO.

[bobbo]

What a scathing attack on Felix it seems you either do or think you know more than the rest of us.talk about come in like an express train - I see it's your first post - take a breather before your next one eh.i too was particularly disappointed with some of his selections last season but as I said in a post a couple of days ago , I'm more than willing to give him a chance.after all despite his hard line discipline reputation he does have a good record

[fulhamborn and proud]

can't we just wait and see,its a long old road to the end of the season,,please

[ToodlesMcToot]

What a scathing attack on Felix it seems you either do or think you know more than the rest of us.talk about come in like an express train - I see it's your first post - take a breather before your next one eh.i too was particularly disappointed with some of his selections last season but as I said in a post a couple of days ago , I'm more than willing to give him a chance.after all despite his hard line discipline reputation he does have a good record

Jack Deane may very well be Archie Tutt (the author of the article) but, you may want to find that out before laying into Jack for posting the article.

[The Old Count]

http://www.thesefootballtimes.net/#!fulhams-mad-descent-under-magath/cxj9

It was half time, and Felix Magath entered the dressing room with Fulham losing. With the team in grave danger of relegation, was there to be a rousing speech from the manager? What words would he use to galvanize his players ahead of the second half? Well in this case, Felix Magath decided to threaten his players in German.

Fulham went on to lose the match and the dressing room reception after was equally frosty. This time, Magath decided to silently glare at each player in the face before leaving the dressing room. Fulham went on to be relegated.

Magath's predecessor René Meulensteen didn't have the results but he commanded respect from the players. To put it simply, he wasn't hated by the squad which is why Magath's appointment ended Fulham's chances of survival.

Lewis Holtby was asked when at Spurs if he could cope with Louis van Gaal as boss. Holtby said he wouldn't have a problem, "after all, I've survived Felix Magath". Yet did Spurs loanee Holtby know he would toil under Magath again, this time at Fulham. Brought in under the impression he would be working with René Meulensteen, a fortnight later, Holtby was forced to face the Magath nightmare along with the rest of the Superwhites' squad.

The club had lacked discipline as a result of the Martin Jol era but appointing someone with Magath's reputation didn't look too wise given how fragile the squad were. Disliking your boss doesn't necessarily incapacitate you from doing your job but when your boss is Felix Magath, it's difficult.

Magath could not get another job in his native Germany despite a managerial CV boasting several Bundesliga titles and a few relegation escape acts. Any employer knows that a CV will rarely tell you everything.

What was missing were the stories of Magath being an extreme authoritarian with a penchant for medicine balls, how swathes of professionals in Germany have had an open dislike for Magath and how, even if there may be an initial rise, by the end there will be chaos at the club.
"His [Magath] main tool is to try and mentally and physically batter his players and then hopefully get some results out of that," said former club captain Brede Hangeland after leaving in June.

Stories from within Fulham back up Hangeland's claims. The militaristic training regime under which players suffered last season has continued in pre-season. Such has been the autocratic control of Magath, some at the club are saying FFC now stands for 'Felix's Football Club'.

Once in football, a manager could get away with 'showing the players who is boss' but today, players are football's empowered pawns. Continually and sadistically punishing them in such a regressive manner is unlikely to yield results. Perhaps it's indicative of how effective Magath's methods are now that Fulham haven't had a positive bounce since his arrival.

Still, the Germans' squad this season has some talented players, which in part is down to the excellent work of the club's academy. Now is the time for the likes of Patrick Roberts to deliver. Elsewhere in the squad though is a reminder of what Fulham has become.

Firstly, there's Kostas Mitroglou, representative of poor business in January, after arriving for £12.4 million and playing just 153 minutes. His cost to Fulham averages around £81,000 per minute on the pitch.

More poignantly, Ross McCormack arrived in July from Leeds in a deal worth up to £11 million. Yet, this comes when the club has been trying to save money by making staff redundant. Signing a player for that amount doesn't send out the right message about the ethos.

Even before the start of last season, Fulham's predicament wasn't healthy. Martin Jol, the manager who created the platform for the ensuing chaos, talked of how he was after "a top-12 finish."

The team had performed poorly for the majority of 2012/13. Bringing in Dimitar Berbatov and playing him in the same position as Bryan Ruiz stunted attacking creativity. Playing with nothing resembling a midfield left a slow defence vulnerable.

The club and Jol also pledged to build a younger team as they then proceeded to shaft most of the squad who had helped Fulham to the greatest achievement in its history in reaching the Europa League final.

The irony was the average age of replacements - players that would never share the same bond with the fans - was not radically lowered. Seeing 35-year-old club captain Danny Murphy make way for 35-year-old Giorgos Karagounis was particularly odd.

The end of the Mohamed Al-Fayed era lit the fireworks then for the crisis that would unfold in new owner Shahid Khan's first 12 months. The club's thirteenth year in the Premier League certainly provided a mighty bang, with Magath's appointment a spectacular finale.

More thoughtless signings such as Darren Bent and Adel Taarabt were made with no hint as to where they'd fit. Jokes were cracked on social media as to how the likes of Berbatov, Bent, Taarabt and Ruiz could ever work together. Like most gags, this one was funny because it was true.

Somehow though, Fulham won games. A victory in October against Stoke was detrimental but worst of all, was the 4-1 win against Crystal Palace.

The season's biggest victory was a terrible result with owner Shahid Khan watching on next to the away end at Selhurst Park. Because, even against what at the time was weak opposition, the result legitimised Jol's reign for another six matches. Fulham lost each of those six games.

Martin Jol's successor was already at the club before he went. In November, René Meulensteen came in to work with Jol, who was assured his job was safe before being duly sacked 18 days later.

Meulensteen only lasted until February even if performances did improve. Despite January signings made with him in mind, Meulensteen was the second Dutchman sent flying from Craven Cottage in February and then the madness of Magath followed.

Supporters merely booed at Craven Cottage. Fans at other clubs would have been stronger given what the Fulham supporters had had to endure. Media scrutiny will decrease with Fulham now in the Championship but Brede Hangeland's lone cry in June still remains a good indicator of what has happened to Fulham. 

On the 16th August, Magath will still be the manager as Fulham host Millwall - a paradox as the club of "no one likes us, we don't care" travel to "everyone likes us, but no one cares".

By Archie Rhind-Tutt. Follow Archie on Twitter @archiert1

It's cobblers. I don't agree with any of this.

Welcome to the board.

[Holders]

Quite well-written. I wonder if Archie is related to Julian Rhind-Tutt the actor, or his brother Malcolm who used to work for the CEGB in Newcastle.

I find it to be a vehicle to bash a manager who had little to do with where we ended up. And, the amount of time actually spent speaking about what Magath did while actually working for Fulham reflects the level of his involvement in our demise. The article reads well, but there's really no substance that supports the assertion made in the title. There's little here that elevates Archie's work over much that's written every day.

Somehow Tutt comes to the conclusion that we were going to survive the drop with Rene at the helm. Is it the 41 goals conceded during his 11 game run that is so convincing? Our club was relegated well before Rene was hired. Mentally, they were incurable....IMHO.

I just said that it was quite well-written, not that I agreed with it!! Just wondered if anyone knew who Archie is as I used to work with Malcolm.

[Peabody]

Whoever he is, he comes across as someone who has a lot of axes to grind.

[blingo]

http://www.thesefootballtimes.net/#!fulhams-mad-descent-under-magath/cxj9

It was half time, and Felix Magath entered the dressing room with Fulham losing. With the team in grave danger of relegation, was there to be a rousing speech from the manager? What words would he use to galvanize his players ahead of the second half? Well in this case, Felix Magath decided to threaten his players in German.

Fulham went on to lose the match and the dressing room reception after was equally frosty. This time, Magath decided to silently glare at each player in the face before leaving the dressing room. Fulham went on to be relegated.

Magath's predecessor René Meulensteen didn't have the results but he commanded respect from the players. To put it simply, he wasn't hated by the squad which is why Magath's appointment ended Fulham's chances of survival.

Lewis Holtby was asked when at Spurs if he could cope with Louis van Gaal as boss. Holtby said he wouldn't have a problem, "after all, I've survived Felix Magath". Yet did Spurs loanee Holtby know he would toil under Magath again, this time at Fulham. Brought in under the impression he would be working with René Meulensteen, a fortnight later, Holtby was forced to face the Magath nightmare along with the rest of the Superwhites' squad.

The club had lacked discipline as a result of the Martin Jol era but appointing someone with Magath's reputation didn't look too wise given how fragile the squad were. Disliking your boss doesn't necessarily incapacitate you from doing your job but when your boss is Felix Magath, it's difficult.

Magath could not get another job in his native Germany despite a managerial CV boasting several Bundesliga titles and a few relegation escape acts. Any employer knows that a CV will rarely tell you everything.

What was missing were the stories of Magath being an extreme authoritarian with a penchant for medicine balls, how swathes of professionals in Germany have had an open dislike for Magath and how, even if there may be an initial rise, by the end there will be chaos at the club.
"His [Magath] main tool is to try and mentally and physically batter his players and then hopefully get some results out of that," said former club captain Brede Hangeland after leaving in June.

Stories from within Fulham back up Hangeland's claims. The militaristic training regime under which players suffered last season has continued in pre-season. Such has been the autocratic control of Magath, some at the club are saying FFC now stands for 'Felix's Football Club'.

Once in football, a manager could get away with 'showing the players who is boss' but today, players are football's empowered pawns. Continually and sadistically punishing them in such a regressive manner is unlikely to yield results. Perhaps it's indicative of how effective Magath's methods are now that Fulham haven't had a positive bounce since his arrival.

Still, the Germans' squad this season has some talented players, which in part is down to the excellent work of the club's academy. Now is the time for the likes of Patrick Roberts to deliver. Elsewhere in the squad though is a reminder of what Fulham has become.

Firstly, there's Kostas Mitroglou, representative of poor business in January, after arriving for £12.4 million and playing just 153 minutes. His cost to Fulham averages around £81,000 per minute on the pitch.

More poignantly, Ross McCormack arrived in July from Leeds in a deal worth up to £11 million. Yet, this comes when the club has been trying to save money by making staff redundant. Signing a player for that amount doesn't send out the right message about the ethos.

Even before the start of last season, Fulham's predicament wasn't healthy. Martin Jol, the manager who created the platform for the ensuing chaos, talked of how he was after "a top-12 finish."

The team had performed poorly for the majority of 2012/13. Bringing in Dimitar Berbatov and playing him in the same position as Bryan Ruiz stunted attacking creativity. Playing with nothing resembling a midfield left a slow defence vulnerable.

The club and Jol also pledged to build a younger team as they then proceeded to shaft most of the squad who had helped Fulham to the greatest achievement in its history in reaching the Europa League final.

The irony was the average age of replacements - players that would never share the same bond with the fans - was not radically lowered. Seeing 35-year-old club captain Danny Murphy make way for 35-year-old Giorgos Karagounis was particularly odd.

The end of the Mohamed Al-Fayed era lit the fireworks then for the crisis that would unfold in new owner Shahid Khan's first 12 months. The club's thirteenth year in the Premier League certainly provided a mighty bang, with Magath's appointment a spectacular finale.

More thoughtless signings such as Darren Bent and Adel Taarabt were made with no hint as to where they'd fit. Jokes were cracked on social media as to how the likes of Berbatov, Bent, Taarabt and Ruiz could ever work together. Like most gags, this one was funny because it was true.

Somehow though, Fulham won games. A victory in October against Stoke was detrimental but worst of all, was the 4-1 win against Crystal Palace.

The season's biggest victory was a terrible result with owner Shahid Khan watching on next to the away end at Selhurst Park. Because, even against what at the time was weak opposition, the result legitimised Jol's reign for another six matches. Fulham lost each of those six games.

Martin Jol's successor was already at the club before he went. In November, René Meulensteen came in to work with Jol, who was assured his job was safe before being duly sacked 18 days later.

Meulensteen only lasted until February even if performances did improve. Despite January signings made with him in mind, Meulensteen was the second Dutchman sent flying from Craven Cottage in February and then the madness of Magath followed.

Supporters merely booed at Craven Cottage. Fans at other clubs would have been stronger given what the Fulham supporters had had to endure. Media scrutiny will decrease with Fulham now in the Championship but Brede Hangeland's lone cry in June still remains a good indicator of what has happened to Fulham.  

On the 16th August, Magath will still be the manager as Fulham host Millwall - a paradox as the club of "no one likes us, we don't care" travel to "everyone likes us, but no one cares".

By Archie Rhind-Tutt. Follow Archie on Twitter @archiert1

It's cobblers. I don't agree with any of this.

Welcome to the board.

I think it is a load of old cobblers too. TBH whatever it is you are trying to achieve is completely pointless on the approach to our first game of the season. The Words Are Tedious. Work it out.

[BestOfBrede]

http://www.thesefootballtimes.net/#!fulhams-mad-descent-under-magath/cxj9

It was half time, and Felix Magath entered the dressing room with Fulham losing. With the team in grave danger of relegation, was there to be a rousing speech from the manager? What words would he use to galvanize his players ahead of the second half? Well in this case, Felix Magath decided to threaten his players in German.

Fulham went on to lose the match and the dressing room reception after was equally frosty. This time, Magath decided to silently glare at each player in the face before leaving the dressing room. Fulham went on to be relegated.

Magath's predecessor René Meulensteen didn't have the results but he commanded respect from the players. To put it simply, he wasn't hated by the squad which is why Magath's appointment ended Fulham's chances of survival.

Lewis Holtby was asked when at Spurs if he could cope with Louis van Gaal as boss. Holtby said he wouldn't have a problem, "after all, I've survived Felix Magath". Yet did Spurs loanee Holtby know he would toil under Magath again, this time at Fulham. Brought in under the impression he would be working with René Meulensteen, a fortnight later, Holtby was forced to face the Magath nightmare along with the rest of the Superwhites' squad.

The club had lacked discipline as a result of the Martin Jol era but appointing someone with Magath's reputation didn't look too wise given how fragile the squad were. Disliking your boss doesn't necessarily incapacitate you from doing your job but when your boss is Felix Magath, it's difficult.

Magath could not get another job in his native Germany despite a managerial CV boasting several Bundesliga titles and a few relegation escape acts. Any employer knows that a CV will rarely tell you everything.

What was missing were the stories of Magath being an extreme authoritarian with a penchant for medicine balls, how swathes of professionals in Germany have had an open dislike for Magath and how, even if there may be an initial rise, by the end there will be chaos at the club.
"His [Magath] main tool is to try and mentally and physically batter his players and then hopefully get some results out of that," said former club captain Brede Hangeland after leaving in June.

Stories from within Fulham back up Hangeland's claims. The militaristic training regime under which players suffered last season has continued in pre-season. Such has been the autocratic control of Magath, some at the club are saying FFC now stands for 'Felix's Football Club'.

Once in football, a manager could get away with 'showing the players who is boss' but today, players are football's empowered pawns. Continually and sadistically punishing them in such a regressive manner is unlikely to yield results. Perhaps it's indicative of how effective Magath's methods are now that Fulham haven't had a positive bounce since his arrival.

Still, the Germans' squad this season has some talented players, which in part is down to the excellent work of the club's academy. Now is the time for the likes of Patrick Roberts to deliver. Elsewhere in the squad though is a reminder of what Fulham has become.

Firstly, there's Kostas Mitroglou, representative of poor business in January, after arriving for £12.4 million and playing just 153 minutes. His cost to Fulham averages around £81,000 per minute on the pitch.

More poignantly, Ross McCormack arrived in July from Leeds in a deal worth up to £11 million. Yet, this comes when the club has been trying to save money by making staff redundant. Signing a player for that amount doesn't send out the right message about the ethos.

Even before the start of last season, Fulham's predicament wasn't healthy. Martin Jol, the manager who created the platform for the ensuing chaos, talked of how he was after "a top-12 finish."

The team had performed poorly for the majority of 2012/13. Bringing in Dimitar Berbatov and playing him in the same position as Bryan Ruiz stunted attacking creativity. Playing with nothing resembling a midfield left a slow defence vulnerable.

The club and Jol also pledged to build a younger team as they then proceeded to shaft most of the squad who had helped Fulham to the greatest achievement in its history in reaching the Europa League final.

The irony was the average age of replacements - players that would never share the same bond with the fans - was not radically lowered. Seeing 35-year-old club captain Danny Murphy make way for 35-year-old Giorgos Karagounis was particularly odd.

The end of the Mohamed Al-Fayed era lit the fireworks then for the crisis that would unfold in new owner Shahid Khan's first 12 months. The club's thirteenth year in the Premier League certainly provided a mighty bang, with Magath's appointment a spectacular finale.

More thoughtless signings such as Darren Bent and Adel Taarabt were made with no hint as to where they'd fit. Jokes were cracked on social media as to how the likes of Berbatov, Bent, Taarabt and Ruiz could ever work together. Like most gags, this one was funny because it was true.

Somehow though, Fulham won games. A victory in October against Stoke was detrimental but worst of all, was the 4-1 win against Crystal Palace.

The season's biggest victory was a terrible result with owner Shahid Khan watching on next to the away end at Selhurst Park. Because, even against what at the time was weak opposition, the result legitimised Jol's reign for another six matches. Fulham lost each of those six games.

Martin Jol's successor was already at the club before he went. In November, René Meulensteen came in to work with Jol, who was assured his job was safe before being duly sacked 18 days later.

Meulensteen only lasted until February even if performances did improve. Despite January signings made with him in mind, Meulensteen was the second Dutchman sent flying from Craven Cottage in February and then the madness of Magath followed.

Supporters merely booed at Craven Cottage. Fans at other clubs would have been stronger given what the Fulham supporters had had to endure. Media scrutiny will decrease with Fulham now in the Championship but Brede Hangeland's lone cry in June still remains a good indicator of what has happened to Fulham. 

On the 16th August, Magath will still be the manager as Fulham host Millwall - a paradox as the club of "no one likes us, we don't care" travel to "everyone likes us, but no one cares".

By Archie Rhind-Tutt. Follow Archie on Twitter @archiert1

090.gif    :046:  096.gig  :dead horse:

[YankeeJim]

Welcome to the board to be sure. However, this post is old news and honestly a bit of a troll.

[Roberty]

I am struggling to see what the title has to do with the content of the article since most of it concerns the mistakes made during the period when MJ & RM were in charge.

"More poignantly, Ross McCormack arrived in July from Leeds in a deal worth up to £11 million. Yet, this comes when the club has been trying to save money by making staff redundant. Signing a player for that amount doesn't send out the right message about the ethos."

With regard to the statement about ethos I would say it is sending out the correct message about our new culture (ethos) - cut the fat to invest in what matters - younger, fitter and more committed players.

In any event time will tell but from what I read on this board there is a good deal more optimism than there was at any time during the previous two seasons.

[Holders]

Whoever he is, he comes across as someone who has a lot of axes to grind.

Or a young journalist looking to make his mark. At least, unlike some of them, he can actually string a few words together.