The Secret Footballer

dcheather · Feb 19, 2014

http://www.teamtalk.com/fulham/9173358/ ... mistake-a-

The Secret Footballer criticises Fulham's decision to appoint Rene Meulensteen and explains how Manchester United can fund Wayne Rooney's deal.

As a footballer playing in the Premier League, the Secret Footballer wondered whether people would be interested in knowing what life is really inside the game.

After a hugely popular weekly column in a national newspaper and two best-selling books, he has now joined TEAMtalk.

His anonymity lets allows him to tell fans how it is, from inside the game without the shackles of pre-conception or fan bias.

Read the Secret Footballer's regular insights from inside the world of football at thesecretfootballer.com and follow his views on Twitter @TSF.

After discussing Michael Laudrup, Leeds, Manchester United and Lee Cattermole last Wednesday, this week TSF gives his thoughts on Rene Meulensteen's brief spell in charge of Fulham, as well as Wayne Rooney's prospective new bumper contract.

Fulham mad to appoint Meulensteen

Some people are better at being an assistant than a manager, that's just a fact - Brian Kidd, Carlos Queiroz...René Meulensteen.

What amazes me is that certain chairman of other clubs continue to fall for 'Brand Manchester United' as if whatever comes out of Old Trafford has been sprinkled with holy water at some point along the way. It's the same with many of their players, too.

Meulensteen is just the latest example. United won everything while he was at the club and that persuaded the board of Fulham to make him their manager - but he was untested as a No.1 himself.

Don't forget in his only other jobs in the hot seat, he signed a three-year deal with Brondby in Denmark only to leave after six months. And he lasted just 16 days after replacing Guus Hiddink at Anzhi Makhachkala in Russia.

What made their choice even more bizarre was that there are a great many managers out there who specialise in turning about the fortunes of clubs that find themselves at the wrong end of the table.

If I'd been on the Fulham board during the selection process, I'm afraid I'd have rebuffed Meulensteen's name as a possible candidate as quickly as it had been brought up. You just have to wonder what some people really understand about football.

A great coach does not a manager make

At Old Trafford, you'll be hard pushed to find a player who doesn't like or respect Meulensteen as a coach.

However, although he is famed for helping to improve Cristiano Ronaldo, it's important to realise that when you have a selection of the best players in the world, coaching them to improve individually is not your priority.

The skillsets that really need to come to the fore are: how well can I get along with egos? How well can I put on a session for them that reflects the tactics that the manager is employing at the weekend?

For example, if you're playing against a back three, you would perhaps put on a session that encourages the players to exploit the areas of the pitch down the sides of those three players.

A coach at the top level is less about coaching the players to become better in their own right; it is more about tactical awareness on the pitch, setting them up to play a certain way and improving the team as a whole.

Now you might think that sounds like perfect management material and, in theory, it is. But there are mitigating factors.

Firstly, it was Meulensteen's inaugural management job in England, so he was untried. Secondly - and because of that - the players had no respect for him as a manager even if they did as a man.

And thirdly, they were in a terrible position and feeling sorry for themselves. In my view, that calls for a manager who can come in and shake things up, similar to Paolo Di Canio at Sunderland when he kept them up at the back end of last season.

Too many cooks spoiled the broth

The last thing you'd ever want to do when going into a new club that are really struggling is to tell a group of players that have no confidence whatsoever to start passing the ball around like Barcelona.

In fairness to Meulensteen, he didn't. He removed the flair players and brought in players who would dig in and run themselves into the ground while trying to nick a goal with a solitary striker and an advanced midfielder.

My good friend at Fulham had this to say: "The players liked him [Meulensteen] as a coach but we didn't seem to have a man at the top. We seemed to have three managers [Meulensteen, Alan Curbishley and Ray Wilkins] and that made it difficult.

"We'd defend for our lives in every game, home and away, so we'd set up to concede possession right from the off. We weren't going to win the majority of games because if we didn't score, we'd inevitably lose because we just couldn't keep the ball out of our net.

"He was a nice man but we desperately need a leader at the top, not 'The Supremes'."

And Meulensteen's failure to convince his players sums up the danger in employing a coach, no matter how good they are on the training pitch and no matter how much the players enjoy their sessions. Being a manager is completely different.

The traits required to make a good manager are being able to delegate and make tough decisions.

You probably heard Joey Barton once say that Sir Alex Ferguson "couldn't coach to save his life". And no matter how much I dislike Barton, he's right about that.

But he missed the elephant in the room. Ferguson wasn't a coach; he didn't have to be, because he's the best football manager of the last 25 years. And his job involved hiring the best coaches to work with him.

Meulensteen may have been one of those, but he was never the right manager for Fulham.
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BarryWhite · Feb 19, 2014

My good friend at Fulham had this to say: "The players liked him [Meulensteen] as a coach but we didn't seem to have a man at the top. We seemed to have three managers [Meulensteen, Alan Curbishley and Ray Wilkins] and that made it difficult.

"We'd defend for our lives in every game, home and away, so we'd set up to concede possession right from the off. We weren't going to win the majority of games because if we didn't score, we'd inevitably lose because we just couldn't keep the ball out of our net.

"He was a nice man but we desperately need a leader at the top, not 'The Supremes'."
Click to expand...

If it became known that the players had no confidence in Meulensteen & Company's ability to lead them then they really did have to go as soon as possible. I don't know if Felix has time to turn this around but there is no way Fulham survive the drop with a lack of player confidence.

dcheather · Feb 19, 2014

Some Q & A too:
http://www.teamtalk.com/fulham/9173403/-

Think I got all the relevant Fulham related questions and answers.

Q: You say Meulensteen wasn't suited to improving players individually but surely the qualities he does have that you described (tactical ones) are actually more important when you take over a struggling team midway through a season? The players should already be good enough but the tactics clearly haven't worked.by FFC_Fanatic 8:11 AM↑0

A: The players aren't good enough, clearly. I think Meulensteen is better suited to being a coach and I base that on players that I've spoken to at Fulham and Manchester United. If he is adamant that management is for him then I'd at least try to be a little more choosy in which club I joined.

The Fulham job, with the position they're in, is not suited to somebody like Meulensteen who needs time to put in place a style of play. Fulham need a manager that can come in and set the place alight with enthusiasm and motivation. On another note my friend at Fulham has already told me a couple of horror stories regarding Magath's approach.
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:shock:

Q: You mentioned you spoke to a Fulham player recently, I wondered if he shed any light on the Berbatov situation?by HarryD edited by The Secret Footballer 8:13 AM↑0

A: As I understand it, the Berbatov situation is cut and dry. Does Dimitar Berbatov want to play in a relegation team? No. Does he fancy winding down in a tax haven at a decent side for one last enormous pay day? Yes.
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Q. With an owner like Shahid Khan having to be out of the country a lot, does this create a distance from with the Chief Executive and players ?by FFCSW6 edited by The Secret Footballer 8:32 AM↑0

A: It seems to be the mould now for foreign ownership, I'm told that Mansour hasn't been at City for a while and it doesn't seem to have affected things. Levy at Tottenham is left to his own devices while Joe Lewis sits in The Bahamas being a billionaire. This is just another example, there is no reason why it cant work so long as you have excellent and capable staff on a day to day business.

My friend who runs one of the biggest retailers in the world is in the same position, he spends all his time abroad; it hasn't stopped his business achieving incredible growth across the UK despite a dodgy market.
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Q: As a Fulham supporter, I'm keen to hear how Magath will turn things around for us. Can you elaborate on Magath's techniques?by AshleyP edited by The Secret Footballer 8:44 AM↑0

A:I'm told that Magath had Tunicliffle and Larnel Cole in to train in the morning, then play 90 minutes in the afternoon and then train again the next morning. Now, I dont expect to hear violins here but let me tell you that that is absolutely unheard of in football and has immediately set those two players against Magath.

My friend at Fulham told me it has become like a closed camp where players are training constantly to get fitter and fitter. It may work, of course - it's certainly a radical departure from what has gone before!
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dcheather · Feb 19, 2014

BarryWhite said:

My good friend at Fulham had this to say: "The players liked him [Meulensteen] as a coach but we didn't seem to have a man at the top. We seemed to have three managers [Meulensteen, Alan Curbishley and Ray Wilkins] and that made it difficult.

"We'd defend for our lives in every game, home and away, so we'd set up to concede possession right from the off. We weren't going to win the majority of games because if we didn't score, we'd inevitably lose because we just couldn't keep the ball out of our net.

"He was a nice man but we desperately need a leader at the top, not 'The Supremes'."
Click to expand...

If it became known that the players had no confidence in Meulensteen & Company's ability to lead them then they really did have to go as soon as possible. I don't know if Felix has time to turn this around but there is no way Fulham survive the drop with a lack of player confidence.
Click to expand...

Yeah, agreed and thought as much earlier in another thread. But the last two games I thought showed the players getting some confidence and some team spirit--would we have survived under Rene? Extremely unlikely, but part of me would have liked to have seen that conclusion.

As for the quotes above about Cole and Tunnicliffe, I imagine Magath is testing Rene's signings to see whether they're loyal to the club or Rene?

SoCalJoe · Feb 19, 2014

I hate journalism where it states how players feel without having a clue whatsoever. 'Tunnicliffe and Cole are set against the manager'. What a total load of bull$#!&!!! Youngsters, new at a club (which means they are as quiet as church mice), and hungry to play in the Prem will run through a wall for an opportunity and probably wouldn't even complain to their parents on a private phone call.

dcheather · Feb 19, 2014

Joe, the secret footballer is most likely Dave Kitson...his friend at Fulham is most likely Steve Sidwell, his teammate from his Reading days.

They were (Tunnicliffe and Cole) brought into the team pretty quick into the first team and they're very young. I thought for sure they would be playing with the youth team, so perhaps he's making earn their spots by having them work extra? Just seems a little unusual for them to be singled out like that--trying to make things seem more balanced in terms of fairness with the players that have been there longer I suppose.

Clevelandmo · Feb 19, 2014

DCHeather said:

A:I'm told that Magath had Tunicliffle and Larnel Cole in to train in the morning, then play 90 minutes in the afternoon and then train again the next morning. Now, I dont expect to hear violins here but let me tell you that that is absolutely unheard of in football and has immediately set those two players against Magath.

My friend at Fulham told me it has become like a closed camp where players are training constantly to get fitter and fitter. It may work, of course - it's certainly a radical departure from what has gone before!
Click to expand...

Unheard of? Wasnt Klinsman putting the RW&B boys through similar workout regimens? Of course that also led to discord and anonymous quotes to the media.

dcheather · Feb 19, 2014

Clevelandmo said:

DCHeather said:

A:I'm told that Magath had Tunicliffle and Larnel Cole in to train in the morning, then play 90 minutes in the afternoon and then train again the next morning. Now, I dont expect to hear violins here but let me tell you that that is absolutely unheard of in football and has immediately set those two players against Magath.

My friend at Fulham told me it has become like a closed camp where players are training constantly to get fitter and fitter. It may work, of course - it's certainly a radical departure from what has gone before!
Click to expand...

Unheard of? Wasnt Klinsman putting the RW&B boys through similar workout regimens? Of course that also led to discord and anonymous quotes to the media.
Click to expand...

Yes, I don't have a problem with the team putting extra work if that's what the manager deems as necessary. And as long as they're physically fit to do it as well.

The eye opener for me is singling these particular two players out. But I think it's to show the team that these guys are willing to put in the extra work to earn their spots--which will perhaps earn them some respect from the older players.

SoCalJoe · Feb 19, 2014

Thanks Heather on insights on who might be the secret footballer. I like Sidders a lot, but hope its not true that he is the informant. Will be interested to see if he is on the bench on Sat.

AggieMatt · Feb 19, 2014

Not so sure they were "singled out". Not every player would be eligible to be plugged into the U21 match. We also don't know the circumstances. Briggs played that last match at left cb. It could have been a late decision to plug holes in the side and since they are the youngest and the newest boys in the first team, it would seem logical to use them in that situation. I'm not saying they weren't singled out, just that there could have been a good explanation behind that decision.

As for the increased training, based on our fitness in matches FFC has been a country club too long. We've got ground to make up on that front. It's also a good avenue for leaders in the squad to identify themselves. If you see the star player working hard, you tend to follow suit.

Sounds like more evidence that Rene hadn't done enough to instill confidence in the team or to enable their belief in him to lead them.

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