The Kaiser speaks

[YoungsBitter]

Magath released another missive to the fans:
Edits -
"I do believe that with you driving us on last Tuesday, it helped us considerably. It was not only the victory against Brentford that was much needed, but more so the manner in which we won. I was very pleased with the fight and commitment my players showed throughout the game. The team spirit was also excellent and, in my eyes, it was a very professional performance.
This is a process that requires time, but we are convinced that we will be able to compete in the upper echelons of the Championship. I would also like to mention that not only do we have a young team, but a predominantly English team, hence we are very much promoting English talent. One should understand, that we simply cannot irresponsibly buy players at inflated prices, an example of this being the price of 12 million pounds quoted to me for a top Championship goalkeeper.
Our most recent signing Gabor Kiraly is a welcome addition to our squad. He has a world of experience having played here in England, both in the Premier League and the Championship, and also in the Bundesliga. He has been brought in to support and develop our young goalkeepers, thus adding more stability to this position. Having said this, and knowing how ambitious he is, I am sure that he will be fighting to be our starting keeper.
The current position of the team is not dissimilar to the predicament I had in VfL Wolfsburg, where I was brought in to build a new younger team. In the first half of that season we did struggle, but still managed to finish fifth in the division. This rebuilding is a position that other Managers are also finding very difficult, but given the time required they will achieve stability and success in the future.
Contrary to statements made by previous players, we are working with a very positive attitude and a feeling of togetherness exists within our squad. This enables us to work in an environment devoid of selfishness. Having assessed the squad over the past five games, I do believe that we are getting closer to an established starting 11, which will result in more stability.
The support you give the side can never be underestimated and I hope that we are able to repay you with a positive result on Saturday.
All the best!
Felix"
Full text http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/august/28/thoughts-from-the-manager

My quick takes: he does like to blow his own trumpet, he knows he is getting stick from fans, where is Sarah Brookes? he gets that its times to stick to a settled 11 and he knows a 38 year old keeper is not exactly a fan pleaser..

[Berserker]

I think it's a nice piece actually

[Barrie]

yeah, where is Sarah? 

[The Bronsons]

yeah, where is Sarah? 

In goal on Saturday, maybe.

[YoungsBitter]

Its tough to decide on how much is PR for its own sake and how much is heart felt. As its not the first effort I probably side on the fact that he does desire some acceptance by the fans and so is actually making an attempt to give his side of the story.

[grandad]

More good PR. What else do people expect him to say. The important paragraph you did not include in your edit says it all. The finger points directly at MAF. Here is the paragraph

As you already know during the season 2012/13, many of the top players who contributed greatly to the success of the Club were sold. This money was sadly not reinvested into improving the squad, hence the team fell into decline. Investment into the football club has been forthcoming with the arrival of Shahid Khan as Chairman in July 2013, though the slide into the Championship was not avoided. With the support of Mr Khan, we made the decision to develop a team with much younger players.

[bucksfulham]

yeah, where is Sarah?  

Having a rest after changing Magath's  pigeon English into something respectable.

[MrProphet]

I'd agree a good piece but don't like the idea of "were getting closer to an established starting 11"  says were in for another scratch your head selection on Saturday.

[f321ffc]

"Investment into the football club has been forthcoming with the arrival of Shahid Khan as Chairman in July 2013, though the slide into the Championship was not avoided. With the support of Mr Khan, we made the decision to develop a team with much younger players."
WHERE IS THE INVESTMENT? 079.gif



 

[nose]

it reads beautifully but is wrong on the anlysis of what happened last season. mr jol finished the season before on a slump and continued with a bizarre attitude last season.... the board broiught in anew ,manager and didn't give him enough time to show what he could do following the transfer window. magath arrived too late!

what felix did in the cloise season was dismantle the old team, we all agreed with that, more or less even though he let far too many players that would have been useful go. he then has not re built the squad with enough experience or physical power and has not the first idea what his best 11 are or what formation we should be playing.

i doubt his judgment completely, we let a very good goalkeeper leabve and replaced him with a far worse player and now brought in a pensaioner that most of us have barely heard of.

we are not in the slightest like wolfsburg.

frankly i would rather he didn't communicate if that is what he puts... i wpould prefer him to say, sorry fulham fans I have personally made a few errors of judgment but have learned from that and will put them right in the future... not the rubbish and fiction he spouts there.

if the team on saturday greatly resembles the team last tuesday with burn and david starting, that at least will be something positive.

[Arthur]

I'd agree a good piece but don't like the idea of "were getting closer to an established starting 11"  says were in for another scratch your head selection on Saturday.

I also think it's a good piece.

'...getting closer' suggests that it won't be exactly the same starting XI as Tuesday, but that doesn't have to mean that there will be wholesale changes.

[RaySmith]

I think it's a nice piece actually

:plus one:

He seems to be honestly trying to address fans' concerns, and to answer recent criticisms - I appreciate a response, rather than just ignoring, to these reports, which are concerning.

If there really is a good spirit amongst our current squad, then this will be evident in games. So far, I haven't seen evidence that there isn't this spirit, though obviously the defeats can affect confidence, but we have generally been playing pretty well, considering the great inexperience of this team.

I would think the young players appreciate Felix playing them in the first team, and they are an established group of players used to playing together, now forming the nucleus of our first team.

A couple of wins will do wonders for confidence.

[K33NY]

yeah, where is Sarah?  

personally I think Magath doesnt like the interviews and/or maybe Sarah (why I dont know, Magath probably dont know himself) I think he likes to show hes the boss, and that he said, We dont do these interviews this season, I dont like them, you can ask me some questions and add text you think looks good, but I am the boss and I dont do these stupid interviews, I need time to make my players run for 3 hours, then make them play 11vs11 and interupt them every 5 minutes.


Just not on these words but som very terrible half german english :P

[Buffalo76]

£12M for a Championship goalie??????? This keeper got 4 hands? 1500.gif

[YoungsBitter]

The focus on youth is obviously something he has got agreement from Khan as being the way forward both philosophically and commercially and most of us would applaud that. He has in fairness brought in some older players in McCormack, Hoogland and Bodurov which do add to the balance of experience and in the Kiraly hiring he has added an experienced keeper to help Joronen and Bettanelli, a role he obviously did not think Stockdale could do.
Most of our discomfort has been the seemingly random line up changes. He is signaling in this that he has heard that and its stopping.
I do think that he actually does want to hear/receive approval and thats why he makes an effort to clarify what he is trying to do. I agree this approach allows him to communicate fully whereas the spoken English is not his strength.
I just wish we would hear more in detail about the training as a lot of that seems to be rumour and inuendo.

[AnotherVicHalomLoveChild]

Can I be interviewed by Sarah - pleez..

[ffc73]

So let me get this right.  So this is an article from a guy that wants to engage with the fans, the same guy that on Tuesday night walked across the pitch in front of said fans (four times) with his head to the ground without even acknowledging that the fans were there.

Having said that had he done so he would no doubt have received a torrent of abuse.

[MrProphet]

More good PR. What else do people expect him to say. The important paragraph you did not include in your edit says it all. The finger points directly at MAF. Here is the paragraph

As you already know during the season 2012/13, many of the top players who contributed greatly to the success of the Club were sold. This money was sadly not reinvested into improving the squad, hence the team fell into decline. Investment into the football club has been forthcoming with the arrival of Shahid Khan as Chairman in July 2013, though the slide into the Championship was not avoided. With the support of Mr Khan, we made the decision to develop a team with much younger players.

Well this paragraph changes my previous comment

Is he stupid? Where is the investment from Khan that he promised to get us back up? He's made the mccormack money back on sales alone.

For someone who clearly wants to interact with and keep the support of the fans slagging of MAF is really the way to go about it

[AnotherVicHalomLoveChild]

The focus on youth is obviously something he has got agreement from Khan as being the way forward both philosophically and commercially and most of us would applaud that. He has in fairness brought in some older players in McCormack, Hoogland and Bodurov which do add to the balance of experience and in the Kiraly hiring he has added an experienced keeper to help Joronen and Bettanelli, a role he obviously did not think Stockdale could do.
Most of our discomfort has been the seemingly random line up changes. He is signaling in this that he has heard that and its stopping.
I do think that he actually does want to hear/receive approval and thats why he makes an effort to clarify what he is trying to do. I agree this approach allows him to communicate fully whereas the spoken English is not his strength.
I just wish we would hear more in detail about the training as a lot of that seems to be rumour and inuendo.

Surely our "discomfort" has been in losing for so long, well within the Premier league & the Championship so far?

[howitis]

What a load of s**t !!!! Do they honestly believe that we are that gullible ? Khan and Magath are killing our club and we are in a far worse position under these clowns irrespective of the division we are in.

Our previous chairman reached out and utilised some of the best brains in football. I am sick and tired of the current management passing the buck and blaming the previous owners. All the demise has happened under Khan tenure and we are on a slippery road.

The sickly PR spin talks of £12m goalkeepers - so we end up with a £200k Bulgarian has been. We sign a load of journeymen and appear completely absent in the transfer market. The RM deal was nothing but a PR stunt !!! Please don't tell me that FM had tracked him, he doesn't know a single player in the championship.

We have been sold a dud. It's painful to except but our club is in dire straits and whilst we have a lunatic at the helm and an owner with alternative commitments we are in for a depressing time.

Wake up, smell the coffee - we are f****d and it's not Al Fayad who is to blame.