Friday Fulham Stuff - 02/07/21...

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Why Marco Silva will be a good fit for Fulham
Sammy takes a look at the new boss at Craven Cottage, Marco Silva and dissects why he should be a success in SW6.

On Thursday, it was announced that Marco Silva has become the new head coach at Fulham FC. It's put a quick end to a slow burning managerial saga that pretty much started as soon as Fulham were mathematically relegated against Burnley on May 10th.

Whilst Marco Silva has been in the conversation (Jack even mentioned his name on Tuesday's podcast), he hasn't been one of the top names banded about, either by fans or bookies.

The other candidates

5️⃣ bookies favourites for the next #FFC manager

▫️ Chris Wilder
▫️ Steve Cooper
▫️ Neil Lennon
▫️ Slaven Bilic
▫️ Javier Pereira

Who would be your pick (if any)?

— Fulhamish (@FulhamishPod) June 28, 2021

Of the five listed above, my preference would have been Eddie Howe, although I would have accepted Javier Periera given his past links to the club. I'm interested to see what happens next with Javi, he tweeted recently that he's been given working rights to remain in the UK, and given that his managerial experiences in China are not going brilliantly (his side Henan Songshan Longmen are last in the Chinese Super League) maybe he would be interested in a move back to Fulham in a renewed shake-up.

Chris Wilder was the first choice of many, and he was wonderfully championed by our very own Charles Jones in this article here. Clearly, Wilder is a clever man – and as Charles points out, if his name was Cristiano Wildinho, who didn't have a broad Yorkshire accent, he would probably be rated far higher within the game.

One big unanswered question with Wilder though, is that he is famously wants control over the whole football club, including transfers. Like it or loathe it, Fulham are wedded to the Director of Football structure, and it's hard to see them wavering from that for anyone.

Previous Experience
So with Silva the new man in the dugout, what can we expect?

As I'm sure you know by now, his three most recent clubs have all been in the Premier League with Hull, Watford and Everton.

With that in mind, I've got the opinion of fans from all those teams for a guage on what we can expect

Hull City
Despite relegation, his job at Hull was hugely impressive. The Tigers were a complete shambles when he arrived in January 2017, and were staring relegation square in the face. From 19th position, he managed to get Hull to the safety of 17th with three games to spare, but sadly three defeats at the end of the season saw Hull sucked back in to the mire.

Whilst ultimately, Silva couldn't save them, for me getting them even close was a remarkable achievement.

Hull fan and broadcaster Dan Morfitt said: He'll have a season to hopefully plunder some decent loans for you. It can be a bit gung-ho or nothing but he needs a stable club and Fulham will give him that. We should've stayed up... All the very best.

Mixed reaction, but for me, that even under difficult circumstances, Silva is able to pull rabbits out of hats.

Watford
His time at Vicarage Road is controversial to say the least. After a blistering start, his attention was diverted by Everton who famously had a £10m bid declined by Watford, only to terminate his contract months later with an eventual £4m settlement

This for me is Silva's biggest negative. He showed a complete lack of loyalty to Watford as soon as a moderately better offer came calling.

Here's two opinions by From The Rookery End, a Watford podcast also partnered with The Athletic.

Mike Parkin said: Had Watford playing genuinely scintillating stuff before he decided he wanted a new job and downed tools. Won't find too many Hornets' fans with many kind words to say, but before he did the dirty he had us looking good.

Dave Walker said: Before his head got turned by Everton he had us playing superbly well and we were right up there in the table. His overall record speaks for itself, however.

Surprisingly positive reactions, but as expected, with the caveat over loyalty. On this one, part of me thinks that the scenarios are a bit different for Marco, and that he has surely had his fingers burned from having his head turned so drastically. If he takes Fulham up, and is then in demand, surely there aren't many clubs who could either realistically sway him or realistically want him?

After two years out of the game, it looks like he's on a mission to resurrect his career, name and image. Repeating the same trick twice would be a very risky game. Then again, as they always say, a leopard never changes its spots.

Everton
Once Silva made the daring move to Merseyside, there was one golden rule, 'don't love it up'. Whilst his first season was fantastically Everton; 8th place and out in the 4th round of the FA Cup, his second season was a disaster. Three straight defeats, including a 5-2 defeat to neighbours Liverpool left Everton 18th and Silva heading for the exit door.

Dave Downie, from the excellent Blue Room podcast gave his thoughts on Silva: I'm slightly different to most, I thought some of his ideas were very good, but think he needs a way of keeping the squad on side.

From chatting to Evertonians, I think Dave is certainly more positive than most, but again, it's an encouraging sign to me that the potential is there, as long as he keeps everyone happy. However, it's quite clear that is a challenge for Silva.

Can Silva produce Gold?
With just over a month to the season, Silva doesn't have long to get to work. He has some big challenges ahead to unite a dressing room that is understandably fraught after a second relegation in three years.

I'll admit, my first thought when I saw Peter Rutzler tweet that Fulham had provisionally agreed a deal with Silva, was that it was a bit of an underwhelming move.

However, with a bit of time to ponder, and maybe a sprinkling of foolish optimism, I think it's the right move, for the following reasons.

    He will be desperate to prove himself and re-establish his reputation after a high-profile failing at Everton (a historically difficult club to succeed at)
    He is capable of producing exhilarating football that's fast and direct, something we've missed at Craven Cottage under Ranieri and Parker.
    As mentioned by Tom Barclay, he's a fan of Aleksandar Mitrovic. I also hope that Silva is a high-profile enough manager to potentially convince Mitro to stay.
    He has worked under different Director of Football structures, including the Pozzo family at Watford, so will likely be comfortable with Fulham's slightly unconventional boardroom.
    His assistant is Luis Boa Morte, a cult Fulham hero (and my all-time favourite player) – little more to be said than that!

Maybe this is me looking through rose-tinted glasses, but in my opinion, this is a good fit for Fulham, and one I'm hopeful can breed success and a swift return to the Premier League. All aboard HMS Piss The League!



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/post/2021-07-01-why-marco-silva-will-be-a-good-fit-for-fulham/

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Marco Silva reunites his Everton staff at Fulham

MARCO SILVA is bringing the same five assistants who worked with him at Everton to Fulham, TGG understands.

The Portuguese manager, who was with the Toffees from May 2018 to December 2019 and has not managed since, was named as Fulham boss this evening.

The inner circle of five assistants he is reuniting at Craven Cottage are:

    Bruno Mendes (Head of Performance): Worked at Benfica for 17 years, setting up the famous Benfica Lab, before arriving at Everton in July 2018. Lasted just 17 months with the Toffees before he was sacked along with Silva.
    Luis Boa Morte (assistant): Made 250 appearances for Fulham as a player. Worked alongside Silva from June to December 2019 at Everton. Has just gained his Uefa Pro Licence from the English FA.
    Goncalo Pedro (first-team coach): Long-time lieutenant of Silva's. Worked with him at Estoril, Sporting Lisbon, Olympiakos, Hull, Watford and Everton.
    Hugo Oliveira (goalkeeper coach): Ebullient and highly experienced. Worked for Portugal and Benfica before linking up with Silva at Hull, Watford and Everton.
    Antonis Lemonakis (analyst): The only non-Portuguese member of Silva's inner circle and another Pro Licence coach. First worked with Silva at Olympiakos and has been with him ever since, at Hull, Watford and Everton.

Silva, 43, replaces Scott Parker, who moved to Bournemouth at the start of the week and took five assistants with him.



https://trainingground.guru/articles/marco-silva-reunites-everton-staff-at-fulham

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How Marco Silva masterminded Estoril's remarkable rise

You've probably read or remember all about Marco Silva's previous English adventures. Impressive with his back against the wall in a doomed relegation battle with Hull, his strong start at Watford was allegedly derailed by underhand approaches from Everton – whom he took to eighth in another excellent opening after finally being installed at Goodison Park before things fell apart. If you've only examined the Premier League record, it is easy to see why there are still plenty of question marks surrounding this Portuguese enigmatic. But Silva's first managerial experience – his role in the remarkable rise of Estoril – remains instructive in answering why the Fulham hierarchy have picked him as their successor to Scott Parker.

To call the young Silva's first job a steep learning curve is more than a mere understatement. He had retired after six seasons as Estoril's whole-hearted right back and was looking forward to learning his trade as a novice director of football at the second division outfit. He threw himself quickly into the role, persuading his old team-mates to stick with a struggling side, and acted as a bridge between the stalwarts of the dressing room and unproven new owners.

When things didn't go well on the field, those same owners made a bold call – they sacked Vinicius Eutrópio and handed the reigns to a 34 year-old without any managerial background to speak of. Silva took over with Estoril in tenth – in grave danger of dropping into the third tier – and the supporters had modest expectations, seeking a period of solidity, before perhaps turning to a more seasoned hand. Silva started with a defeat but then lost just three of their next 24 matches, winning the second division by five points and securing a promotion that is still marvelled at today.

Silva's intimate knowledge of the set-up, his modest nature and expertise at man management were all real assets. Captain Goncalo Santos raved about his impact. "All of the players believed in him. It was the best time for Estoril and a lot of players improved under him. The best quality is that he is like a friend, he asks everyone how they feel and he is always helping them. That's the kind of coach everybody likes, he is like a father." Goncalo still counts Silva as one of his closest friends today.

Very few observers gave Estoril much of a chance amongst the big boys. The papers tipped them they go straight back down. Silva tinkered with his tactics slightly, but remained largely true to the team that had delivered promotion. His faith was rewarded remarkably as Estoril finished fifth and qualifying for the Europa League for the first time in the club's history. They beat Sporting at home and drew with Benfica by adopting an adventurous passing style and pressing the opposition relentlessly.

It was assumed that this fluke couldn't be repeated especially as Silva's star players left for pastures now. Estoril lost leading scorer Steven Vitória on a Bosman, Licá and Carlos Eduardo to Porto, but Silva shopped smartly over the summer, bringing in defender Yohan Taveres and wingers Javier Balboa and Sebá, who quickly established themselves in a new-look side. The fundamentals of his approach didn't change – Estoril were just as fearless in their second season.

Silva's side were tough to beat at home, even though they struggled to attract more than a thousand home supporters, but were even more impressive on their travels. They notched up nine away wins – including Porto's first home league defeat in seven years – and beat Sporting 1-0 in a tactical masterclass that was widely recognised as being the result that persuaded the Lions to poach one of Europe's most promising coaches at the end of the season. Astonishingly, Estoril finished fourth assuring automatic qualification for the Europa League group stages this time.

Silva went on to enjoy success with Sporting, finishing third in the league, and delivering the club's first silverware in seven years after lifting the Portuguese Cup following a penalty shoot-out win over Braga. He shrugged off the setback of being dismissed five days later for not wearing the club's official suit by guiding Olympiacos to seventeen straight domestic wins – a continental 21st century record – on their way to winning the title with six games to spare. Silva oversaw a famous triumph over Arsene Wenger's Arsenal at the Emirates in 2015 and, far from being finished in English football as many leading correspondents claimed after his Everton sacking, he's relishing a new challenge in a country where he feels he has unfinished business.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/07/how-marco-silva-masterminded-estorils-remarkable-rise/

[WhiteJC]

Boa's Back, the Silva Sweetener
Standpoints, in light of Marco Silva's appointment as Head Coach, are virtually split straight down the middle where optimism and pessimism's concerned. A manager that favours flare, enticement, Silva bears hallmarks of an innovator, yet when the going gets tough, his eye tends to wander, taking the easy way out of troubled waters when fresh opportunities beckon. He is not necessarily a builder of legacies, he starts hot and ends tepidly, although having taken an 18-month hiatus from the game, the 43-year-old now has a chance to compose something special, afresh, in SW6.

The Portuguese tactician's career in the dugout's staggered, with tenures reaching immeasurable heights of excitement to gloomy depths of despair but fear not, this sharply-cladded coach has a certain man by his side that understands precisely how our expectant club ticks, a sweetener in the Silva deal that goes by the fabled name of Luis Boa Morte Pereira.

A fellow countryman of Silva's, Boa Morte will enhance the Iberian spice that Silva will generously marinade our stale identity with, however I imagine the former juggernaut of an attacking midfielder will also seek to temper his partner's systematics in an advisory manner that prompts intelligence, method and sporadic lunacy, befittingly.

Hearts thumped frantically during his six-and-a-half year stay, his impulsiveness had backsides perched on the edge seats whenever his influence took centre stage at the Cottage, and beyond, and while he may only be our new head honcho's presumed second in command, Silva will soon know what it really means to lead our misguided club into battle.

Of course, Silva and Boa are no strangers to one another's coaching styles. Indeed, they temporarily conducted operations at Everton in 2019, although when we, a fan base starved of congruence, are clamouring for wholesale changes, this is the perfect tonic to soothe our collective angst, and it's a very astute decision from the Khans, Shahid and Tony, to employ a competent purveyor of practice with a partner that simply gets what we are all about.

Boa's personal first-team managerial resume may be limited – he's only taken charge of one senior outfit, Sport União Sintrense, of Portugal's third division, back in 2017 – although he is familiar to the customary routine training field rigours, as a respected figure of authority, and that is precisely how it was during his playing days. It's a fair reflection, having Boa back at Motspur Park, permanently, will feel like a brand new, bank-breaking signing to the entire camp and that has to be embraced and appreciated.

He's taken charge of Sporting CP's youth ranks, he's overseen operations at Portimonense SC's U23s, he assisted Marco Balbul's Maccabi Haifa, briefly, in 2019, and he was also a scout at Arsenal between July 2015 and January 2017. If anything, Luis' background experience bodes very well for our aspiring starlets, as he will recognise progression and ability within the likes of Fabio Carvalho, Jay Stansfield and Sylvester Jasper, among other promising students, naturally.

A wiggler of hips, a friend of the exhilarating, a breaker of ankles, a dismantler of opposing XIs, Luis will insight a resurgence within Fulham's forlorn playmakers, he will ignite the very fuse dampened by Scott Parker's obstructive blueprints and more importantly, he will reintroduce a vital feel-good factor that's been left to fester in the cold for far too long.

Yes, Silva certainly has a point to prove and doubters will regurgitate various mishaps and misfortunes of his previous ventures, but with his trusted compatriot by his side, daubed a legend by the supporters, the former Hull City, Watford and Toffees representative will surely steer the Whites towards the Premier League once more, because Boa lived and breathed that particular stage so radiantly.

Defining promotion against Huddersfield Town, terrorising that lot up the road with scandalous sorcery, Luis from Lisboa captured our imaginations, inspired a generation (of which I personally belong), and left the banks of the Thames in January, 2007, with our eternal love and gratitude. Now, 15-or-so-years later, he returns on a strict mission, motivated to stamp his influence, a second coming that's both divine and wholly essential. He boasts an affinity for the club and its following, and the sentiment's mutually shared.

Ola, Marco! Bem Vindo de Volta, Luis! Excuse the risky translations, blame it on Google, football's coming home, so is the Dead Snake, come on you shaggin' Whites!



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/post/2021-07-01-boas-back-the-silva-sweetener/

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Silva sticks with tried and tested backroom team

Marco Silva will be reuniting with his trusted lieutenants as he takes charge at Fulham, according to Training Ground Guru.

The club's announcement of Silva as Scott Parker's successor at Craven Cottage only confirmed that Luis Boa Morte would be returning to his old club as assistant manager. Training Ground Guru reports that the Portuguese head coach will be recruiting the same five members of staff who worked under him in his last job at Everton.

These include Bruno Mendes, the head of performance who created the famous 'Benfica lab' during his time at the Portuguese giants, Goncalo Pedro, an experienced coach who has been at Silva's side throughout his managerial career, former Portugal national team goalkeeping coach Hugo Oliveria, who was part of Silva's team during his three previous English managerial reigns, and Greek analyst Antonis Lemonakis, who first worked with the new Fulham boss at Olympiacos.

Stuart Gray, who has been trusted to run pre-season training since Parker left for Bournemouth on Monday, is expected to remain on the Fulham coaching staff.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/07/silva-sticks-with-tried-and-tested-backroom-team/