Is Mark Hughes now "our" manager?

[NorthernWhite]

For a while, it just felt like Mark Hughes was the manager of Fulham and the fans didn't have an affinity with him, myself included. After some good results, and more importantly, good performances even when we've lost, is he now accepted as our manager by most on here?

For me, he's now "our" manager rather than the bloke that followed Roy and I hope he stays for a long while, makes this his home and buys more players like Dembele!

[ImperialWhite]

Certainly my worries about Hughes are gone now - we have the 6th best defense in the league, and are top of the fair play table. The results improving helps too, of course. Think I'll give it a full season, though!

[Lighthouse]

Fulham are a different team under Hughes. We play differently. I said last night that for the first time I could see the Mark of Hughes on the way we moved and played. Almost as if the front 4 players are Hughes and the rest still play a bit Roy. Best of both Worlds.

[White Noise]

I've said before I really like the bloke as a person and a professional. He is the sort of bloke you would want with you when your back is against the wall.

I think he needs to suffer with us and triumph with us a bit more before we will feel he has earnt it but I am sure when he leads us out at Wembley this season (and does a Nobby Stiles type jig with the lid on his head) we will all feel he is Fulham through and through.

[mrska]

The saying 'In Hughes i trust' didn't used to roll off off the tounge, but it certainly does now. Listening to him speak.. he certainly seem to know what he's doing and its good to see abit of passion and affection for the club creeping in. He certainly is getting the best out of our players  and im liking the free flowing attacking football we're playing..

Nice to see his reaction to the Duff goal last night..  a clenched fist and a little jig...

IN HUGHES I DEFINITELY TRUST  !

[AlFayedsChequebook]

I was originally unconvinced, but with so many strikers out, he did do a decent job. We have only really been in the relegation zone for a few games this season, which considering our troubles is pretty good.

I know he has good pedigree (for the most part) in the transfer market so am excited about some younger, preferably unkown, faces coming in this summer.

Hopefully we can achieve mid table safety this season, anything else is a bonus.

[BalDrick]

He's, finally, starting to show he's a good manager. He had a run of poo luck early on, which obviously didn't help, but you'll always see a team slip back a bit before moving forward when a successful manager is replaced.

I don't really want to fall back into the trap of him being 'ours' - once bitten and all that. On a slight tangent, in the studio last night Cookie referred to Fulham as 'they' rather than 'us' - first time I've seen him do that since he left I think. He wasn't exactly incisive though, nor was Clarkie it has to be said.

[LBNo11]

...ahem, well I have been pretty vociferous in my opinion of Hughes. I thought he had tried to change our previous managers style too quickly and the players had struggled to adapt from the previous very repetetive training style.

The last 8 games has seen a better understanding by the players who had looked so lost and confused up until then, there is a happy blend.

Is Mr Hughes 'Our' manager? Well I fully expected a few renditions of 'Mark Hughes Blawhiarmy' last night, as it was there were one or two but they were not picked up by the majority; it will come.

For me I am happy that Mr Hughes has us playing well, but I cannot help feeling that he is temporary, and I cannot fully 'take' to him - but as long as he gets the results I will enjoy...

[The Equalizer]

...ahem, well I have been pretty vociferous in my opinion of Hughes. I thought he had tried to change our previous managers style too quickly and the players had struggled to adapt from the previous very repetetive training style.

The last 8 games has seen a better understanding by the players who had looked so lost and confused up until then, there is a happy blend.

Is Mr Hughes 'Our' manager? Well I fully expected a few renditions of 'Mark Hughes Blawhiarmy' last night, as it was there were one or two but they were not picked up by the majority; it will come.

For me I am happy that Mr Hughes has us playing well, but I cannot help feeling that he is temporary, and I cannot fully 'take' to him - but as long as he gets the results I will enjoy...

Every time the Hammersmith end tried to sing it they were drowned out by some out of time Foghorn Leghorn...  :59:

[Tom]

People need to have more faith on the board.

[TonyGilroy]

For me I am happy that Mr Hughes has us playing well, but I cannot help feeling that he is temporary, and I cannot fully 'take' to him - but as long as he gets the results I will enjoy...

Since Bedford Jezzard I don't think any manager has lasted more than about 3 years. Coleman might have had 4 years, I'm not sure, but in effect they're all temporary whatever the reason for their leaving.

[DukeTyrion]

I must admit to never really liking Mark Hughes as a person, or manager of another club, however when he came to Fulham I 'wiped the slate clean' in order to get fully behind the team and see where he could take us. Initially I was somewhat disappointed as he seemed to be removing the 'defend as a team' principle without adding anything going forward, but recently things seem to have changed.

The addition of Dembele (whilst not quite the natural finisher yet) does pull opposition defences all over the place and we do seem to be trying to move from defence to attack somewhat quicker, which makes for a better game to watch in many respects.

The things that have impressed me though as firstly the Cups where we do seem to actually want to progress, but also his handling of the transfer window. We have brought in 3 players for a minimal outlay, one of which was attacking cover than we only needed for 6 months, but he has also started to tidy up the wage bill of players who are unlikely to wear the white, even in an injury crisis.

So yes, initially I was somewhat sceptical, although I tried not to be, but recently what I have seen has given me a new wave of optimism which hopefully will stay with me for a while.

[AlFayedsChequebook]

People need to have more faith on the board.

Is this 'he is sh1t'/ :tom: :tom: :tom: :tom: tom?

[Fulham_Adam]

Never doubted him for one second and even after the West Ham game I said he would get us into the top 10.  :003:

[Airfix]

I was pretty excited to have him on board and, even when things were going poorly for us, I bore in mind that we had been woefully unlucky with injuries etc.  When a new manager comes on board, there is always a period of adjustment - remember when Hodgson joined, we didn't win a game for some time, finally escaping relegation on the last day of the season and look what happened after that.

Whilst I know we had some great times under Roy, I never really felt that we were an all-round attacking unit - our defence was unquestionably solid but we did seem to rely too heavily on Bob to get us the goals (and were fortunate in that he did).

Now that Hughes is boss, I hope that the steely resolve when defending continues but one thing I have definitely noticed is an increase in the creativity of forward play.  We seem to have developed some cracking tactics and two in particular stick in my mind:

1. The "AJ-out-wide-crosses-to-the-incoming-Dempsey-who-scores" move which has got at least one goal and come bloody close on a few more occasions and
2. The "Murphy's-deligtful-chip-over-the-top-to-the-running-forward-who-scores" move (as evidenced by Duff last night) which has also had great success.

In general, however, I am really pleased to see that Hughes' persistence and belief in his tactics is now reaping rewards and I declare that I am a fully paid-up member of the "Sparky Appreciation Society".

:airfix:

[AlFayedsChequebook]

I was pretty excited to have him on board and, even when things were going poorly for us, I bore in mind that we had been woefully unlucky with injuries etc.  When a new manager comes on board, there is always a period of adjustment - remember when Hodgson joined, we didn't win a game for some time, finally escaping relegation on the last day of the season and look what happened after that.

Whilst I know we had some great times under Roy, I never really felt that we were an all-round attacking unit - our defence was unquestionably solid but we did seem to rely too heavily on Bob to get us the goals (and were fortunate in that he did).

Now that Hughes is boss, I hope that the steely resolve when defending continues but one thing I have definitely noticed is an increase in the creativity of forward play.  We seem to have developed some cracking tactics and two in particular stick in my mind:

1. The "AJ-out-wide-crosses-to-the-incoming-Dempsey-who-scores" move which has got at least one goal and come bloody close on a few more occasions and
2. The "Murphy's-deligtful-chip-over-the-top-to-the-running-forward-who-scores" move (as evidenced by Duff last night) which has also had great success.

In general, however, I am really pleased to see that Hughes' persistence and belief in his tactics is now reaping rewards and I declare that I am a fully paid-up member of the "Sparky Appreciation Society".

:airfix:

This one is not a new tactic - see Murphy to Davies against Hamburg. This move comes from having inverted wingers, which of course was started by Hodgson.

[richie17]

I'm taking to him now too.  I recently read Jim White's excellent "Manchester United: a biography" (researching something else) and it really emphasised how good a player Hughes was.  Also: he got his nickname (Sparky) from Ron Atkinson, who was being ironic because Hughes was so quiet, but you hear stories of how hard working, how tough he was, and in some ways it's nice to have some of that in a Fulham manager.   Also noteworthy that Alex Ferguson found Hughes "funny", funny peculiar rather than funny ha-ha.   He's not part of that Ferguson inner-circle and so much the better for it.

[FulhamRob]

...ahem, well I have been pretty vociferous in my opinion of Hughes. I thought he had tried to change our previous managers style too quickly and the players had struggled to adapt from the previous very repetetive training style.

The last 8 games has seen a better understanding by the players who had looked so lost and confused up until then, there is a happy blend.

Is Mr Hughes 'Our' manager? Well I fully expected a few renditions of 'Mark Hughes Blawhiarmy' last night, as it was there were one or two but they were not picked up by the majority; it will come.

For me I am happy that Mr Hughes has us playing well, but I cannot help feeling that he is temporary, and I cannot fully 'take' to him - but as long as he gets the results I will enjoy...

Always admired him - back to his playing days - and was thrilled he took over as manager, but have always had that nagging doubt at the back of my mind that we are only a stepping stone for him. There doesn't appear to be a real affinity between him and us although I believe that is starting to change. Having doubted some of his decisions this season I can't deny he seems to have got us playing as a good unit. Long may it continue.

[White Noise]

If we get 3 seasons out of Sparky I will be happy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fulham_F.C.

[Burt]

Is he a good manager? Yes.

Is he starting to turn the boat given what he inherited and the fact that these things take time? Yes.

Are we playing good football? Yes.

Will he keep us up? Yes.

Is he taking the FA Cup seriously? Yes.

Does he want success? Yes.

Now, despite the positives listed above, I am finding it hard to "warm" to him in the way that I did with Hodgson, Coleman etc. Its hard to put my finger on it but I suspect it is because I can't see an emotional connection between him and the club, and that deep down I know we are a stop-gap to his next "big" job. 

I am probably completely way off base with this, its just my perception, and regardless if he keeps things going the way they are currently going then he gets a big thumbs-up from me.

:54:

See?