Manager Rumors

SoCalJoe · Aug 25, 2014

Haven't seen one minute of football since the WC, so can't comment on anything currently happening on the pitch with Fulham, but I was surprised/concerned that Magath was allowed to continue at the end of last season. Was he the reason they got relegated? No of course not, but you could make the argument they were playing better under Rene (which I know isn't saying much). Revolving door managers is not a recipe for success, but is Felix going to be the manager 2 years from now? Is he the type of manager that is capable of gelling and building a young group into a winning squad? If the answers are no then you pull the trigger and sooner the better. I honestly don't get the 'he has 2 more games' mentality. If you are that close to sacking a guy, then go ahead and do it.

dcheather · Aug 25, 2014

http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/fulham/news/riise-magath-is-ruining-fulham_173177.html

"Former Fulham defender John Arne Riise has spoken out against the Felix Magath regime and accused him of 'flushing the club's philosophy down the toilet.'

Magath took charge of the Cottagers last season, but could not prevent them from being relegated and has now overseen four straight Championship defeats.

Riise, who left the London outfit after three years earlier this summer, has denounced the German's "ancient" coaching methods and criticised his dictatorial and impersonal treatment of his players by highlighting an incident as recent as this weekend, following the 5-1 loss to Derby County.

"With his arrival, they've flushed everything that the club stands for down the toilet," Riise told Norwegian TV. "His methods are ancient. I really like Fulham. It's a real family club with a great stadium, but with Magath everything gets flushed down the toilet.

"I spoke to a few players after the Derby match. Once they returned to London, Magath ordered a team meeting at 10.30pm. Then, the next morning, players were ordered to run for one hour, then another training session at 2.30pm. It's not the way to get the boys going.

"And [his] training methods are terrible. All football sessions are 11 vs. 11, working on tactics. Magath is silent for 40 minutes. It is a shame, but I fear for Fulham. Responsibility lies with Magath and the guys upstairs. They knew exactly what they were getting with this guy."

Fulham have reportedly identified former Tottenham Hotspur player and manager Tim Sherwood as apossible successor to Magath if they decide that a change is required in the coming weeks."

jumpkutz · Aug 25, 2014

I'd kind of like to know if he truly doesn't believe in video. Because with the technology available in this day and age, you truly are a dinosaur on the verge of extinction if you don't. It's too good and too prevalent NOT to utilize. In any sport.

AggieMatt · Aug 26, 2014

If I have time I might try & find it. I'm sure I mentioned it here when I read it b/c it struck me as so odd. His reason was that he sets up his team to play the way he wants & to dictate the match, or something to that effect. Don't remember if I linked the article back then.

dcheather · Aug 26, 2014

http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/foo...w-to-battle-on-at-craven-cottage-9690849.html

'Mohamed Al-Fayed is to blame, not us' - Fulham duo Felix Magath and Shahid Khan vow to battle on at Craven Cottage

Defiant: Khan and Magath will no give up on Fulham (Daniel Hambury/Stella Pictures)

MIHIR BOSE

Published: 26 August 2014

Updated: 10:42, 26 August 2014

EXCLUSIVE

Fulham supporters were calling for Felix Magath to go even before their side were hammered 5-1 at Derby on Saturday.

That defeat left the club bottom of the Championship and with just three wins in 16 games since owner Shahid Khan appointed Magath in February.

Anger will increase should Fulham lose their Capital One Cup derby at Brentford tonight — a match between two sides who were worlds apart last season with one in the Premier League and the other in League One.

Khan, though, will not be swayed by the chants of “Magath out” that rang round Craven Cottage after last week’s defeat by Wolves.

The German is Khan’s third manager since he bought the club from Mohamed Fayed a year ago and despite the sackings of Martin Jol, whom he inherited, and Rene Meulensteen, the billionaire insists he is not a hire-and-fire man.

“[The sackings were] very little to do with me,” says Khan. “It was to do with the results and then the manager decides whether they have the internal strength, the fortitude to make the club successful. Or they feel a change is better.

“We chose Felix as we wanted somebody with experience of dealing with the threat of relegation. Even then, we knew we might not be successful and if, God forbid, the worst happened how would we deal with it.

“We knew the Championship was more physical. You’ve got to have a Plan A [to avoid relegation] and a

Plan B [for promotion]. Felix was the ideal person to execute both plans.”

Magath is working on Plan B and that has involved a huge overhaul of the squad with older players weeded out and six brought in from the Academy.

Championship Results: Sorry Fulham go bottom

The German believes this is the only way forward and lays the blame for the club’s plight on the previous owner.

Fayed spent around £200million on Fulham in 16 years, taking them from the old Division Two to the Premier League and keeping them there. However, in the closing years of his reign, the outlay on signings diminished.

“The problem we had was that the owner before had not spent money,” says Magath. “The club sold the best players and brought in average players. You cannot go on doing that for a long time. That is why we are struggling. Now we have the chance to change things. I also did this in Stuttgart in 2002. They were a club without money.

“I did that for years at Schalke 04. I took out older players and put in younger ones. I learned to work with them. We were very good, very successful and we developed some players for the national team.”

Leaning forward, he proudly mentions two players who had huge roles in Germany’s World Cup triumph.

“I brought Philipp Lahm into the squad at Stuttgart,” says Magath. “He then became a national player, our [German] captain and one of the most successful players in Germany, even in the world. I also took on a young goalkeeper Manuel Neuer. He was the third goalkeeper in Germany when I stepped in at Schalke. After I left, he was No1 in Germany and now he’s the best in the world. I hope to be as successful here with Fulham.”

Magath can already see one of the club’s youngsters emulating Lahm’s rise. “I’m convinced Patrick Roberts will be a player, not only for the Premier League but for the national team as well in the next few years.”

The England Under-17 winger has already caught Liverpool’s eye but for all the talent he and Fulham’s other young players have, Magath accepts they need a few old heads around them.

“In a new team, you have to build up a leadership,” says Magath. “My captain, Scott Parker, is a very good leader. But he needs beside him one or two who can support him and that is what we have to build up now. In the matches so far we have had a lot of possession but not found the way to scoring. We will.”

When Magath was appointed much was made of his famed intense training sessions. But he says: “You in the press cannot deal with normal things. So you make a special thing of my training principles. The English work very hard. I have changed a little bit, a bit more passing, a bit more tiki-taka and I hope I can convince everybody that strength plus technical skill will make the perfect mix for promotion.”

Hopes of a swift return to the Premier League look distant following Fulham’s dreadful start.

However, Magath says: “I am not depressed. If you are relegated, that is a chance to make things new. If you do new things, you will never be right in everything. In our situation you have a tough time at the beginning if you change a lot. The beginning is the most dangerous period. I was prepared for that. I know how things work but it is a long season. If you win five or six games in a row, you’ll be up in a short time.

“Mr Khan knows that now is the time for changes. He knows because he has done that in his company. He knows he is not a football specialist but is a very successful leader of a company. I like working with Mr Khan. Our objective is to get back into the Premier League at the end of the season. Mr Khan relies on me to bring us back.”

However, Magath says the pressure for an immediate return to the top flight is not from the owner but from himself. “I want it. I want to play at the highest level, therefore I’ve come to England. I have not come here to play in the Championship for the next five years.”

Khan also owns Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL, where relegation does not exist, and despite his first year in English football ending in a painful new experience the American businessman is happy to be here.

“I have no regrets about buying Fulham,” he says. “Absolutely not. This is a perfect club for what we wanted to do. It’s absolutely historic, small and has just the perfect fan base. It brings me a lot of joy and pleasure. The fans couldn’t be nicer to me frankly. I was there for the Millwall game. I got there early and I stayed late, talked to them, listened to a lot of people.

“We invested significantly last year and we’re investing significantly this year but we’re doing it in a way which is for the long haul. We’re moving forward, even on bricks and mortar, waiting on approval at Craven Cottage. It’s a great venue but we need to improve it. But we are not going about it in a foolish manner. Clubs shouldn’t be counting on an owner just as a benefactor. I’m very optimistic and, under Felix’s leadership, we want to come up and be a sustainable club in the future.

“We’re basically at the reinvigoration stage. It’s almost going back to the future.”

Then, with a laugh, he refuses to speculate when that future will arrive, saying: “You can’t say whether it’s a year or longer but we’re going to do all the right things. And I am not going to give up.”
Click to expand...

AggieMatt · Aug 26, 2014

Obviously we don't know when the interview was conducted but the timing is rather unfortunate.

pettyfog · Aug 26, 2014

There's a right fit and a wrong fit for every level of endeavor. Fulham at the moment is a perfect fit for someone like David Moyes. That Moyes flamed out at ManUre means nothing. Fulham is not ManU.

My way or the highway may work in der faderland but not in a herd of cats like Brit footy.

For a guy to actually say what McGaff supposedly said implies he is blind to the 'optics', meaning the perceptions that fans {and plenty of players} dwell on.

dcheather · Aug 26, 2014

AggieMatt said: ↑

Obviously we don't know when the interview was conducted but the timing is rather unfortunate.
Click to expand...

Said almost the same thing in FB group. We'll see if this backing has any credibility in the next few days or week. There is an international break after Cardiff, yes?

jumpkutz · Aug 26, 2014

Yes ma'am, there is.

1-9 September 2
(For the African Cup of Nations Matches the
period is from 1-10 September)

dcheather · Aug 27, 2014

http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/foo...am-job-if-club-axes-felix-magath-9693970.html

Glenn Hoddle in the frame for Fulham job if club axes Felix Magath

Craven Glenn: Former England boss is highly regarded at Fulham

TOM COLLOMOSSE

Published: 27 August 2014

Updated: 14:50, 27 August 2014

Glenn Hoddle will be a contender for the Fulham job if the club lose patience with Felix Magath.

The German earned breathing space with a 1-0 win at Brentford in the Capital One Cup last night but after relegation last season, Fulham have made a dreadful start to life in the Championship, losing their first four matches.

If results do not improve, Fulham will be forced to consider Magath’s future, despite making assurances this week that he was safe. Should that happen, Standard Sport understands Hoddle would be high on the list of possible replacements.

Daniel Hambury/Stella Pictures LtdExclusive: Blame Al-Fayed, not us!

Hoddle is currently working as assistant to Harry Redknapp at Queens Park Rangers. He was sounded out for the vacant post at Crystal Palace but turned it down, partly from a sense of loyalty to Redknapp.

The former England manager, who has not had a club job since leaving Wolves in July 2006, has numerous commitments within the game, particularly as a television pundit. His decision to reject Palace raised doubts about whether he is genuinely interested in a full-time return to management.

Hoddle would not be the only runner if Magath were dismissed as it is thought Oscar Garcia, the former Brighton coach who left his post at Maccabi Tel Aviv, also has admirers at Craven Cottage.
Click to expand...

AggieMatt · Aug 27, 2014

No link, but saw it mentioned that someone asked Kit about the job, and he replied with a smile and said Hughton was there. Smells like Jol/Meulensteen so it might have some validity. As rumors go, at any rate.

dcheather · Aug 28, 2014

@timmyg's article on cravencottagenewsround:

http://cravencottagenewsround.wordp...n-hired-felix-and-why-hes-still-our-manager/?

AggieMatt · Aug 28, 2014

Perhaps. A couple of things though. Jol, himself, stated he requested Meulensteen be added to his staff at the start of the season. After his foray in the Middle East came to a short and abrupt halt, he then joined Fulham. FFC attributed the selection and hiring of Magath to Mackintosh. It was said that Magath was someone that Mac had been keeping tabs on for a while prior to reaching out to him about the job.

That said, it could explain why Khan trusts Magath and is willing to give him time to get it sorted.

You had me nervous Tim. I thought you were going to compare Showalter to Magath directly, which I would have taken issue with. From his comments, age and experiences though, I don't foresee him taking any lessons from Buck.

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