SA Footy

All the FFC message boards say that Mark Hughes has signed as Fulham Manager.

I am a little disappointed Jol or Ottmar aren't there but Hughes has a reasonable record @ Blackburn & Man City.

Thought I'd add this...

Fulham only have £20m to spend on transfers. The new rules regarding 25-man squads will mean that Man City (Hughes former club) will be paying for players to literally do nothing. Whilst I’m sure they can afford it, it wouldn’t surprise me too much, for instance, if there was an offer to pay 50% of some players’ wages if they might come to the club on loan until January, or even the end of the season.

This is going to be an interesting couple of months for us Fulham fans.

What changes will Hughes make to the management staff, playing staff and style of play?
How well will Hughes and the players gel? And, perhaps most importantly of all, how will the start of the season pan out?

After waiting for what seems like ages, it would have been nice to have got a genuinely world-class manager.

Hughes is probably as good as Fulham could possibly expect to get at this moment, I am actually more interested than excited in how this appointment will develop.

Yeah, I read this on a Spurs forum too.

IMO - not a bad signing for Fulham at all. He's really good at working with shoestring budgets.

On your point for Fulham having 20m, that won't pay for 50% of the Citeh tea lady's wages unfortunately. But if Fulham could snare a SWP, Bellamy, Ireland or the like, they'd be doing well.

Fulham Football Club has today confirmed the appointment of Mark Hughes as its new Manager on a two year contract. Hughes begins his work with the team immediately, following their return from pre-season tour, and will take charge in the dugout for the friendly fixture against Werder Bremen on August 7, and will be officially unveiled to the media at a press conference on Tuesday August 3.


The Chairman, Mohamed Al Fayed, said:

‘I would like to welcome Mark Hughes to Fulham. I know that he understands my vision for the Club, and believes in what we want achieve.

Mark Hughes commented:

‘I am happy to have joined Fulham following much speculation regarding the appointment of a new Manager. I have discussed my aspirations with both the Chairman and Alistair Mackintosh and believe that we are aligned in our aims for what can realistically be achieved here.

‘I am joining on the back of two of the most successful seasons in the Club’s history, and that in itself brings with it the challenges of expectation and ambition. I am confident that with some additions to the squad, hard work and commitment, we can move this Club forward in the right direction.

‘I hope the Fulham fans will enjoy some special times during this season’s campaign and we will work hard to achieve that. I’m looking forward to working with the squad as soon as possible, and in making sure the on-pitch preparations are complete before the first competitive ball is kicked in August.’

Time will tell I guess...

LEH wrote:‘I am happy to have joined Fulham following much speculation regarding the appointment of a new Manager. I have discussed my aspirations with both the Chairman and Alistair Mackintosh and believe that we are aligned in [b]our aims for what can realistically be achieved here[b]

Survival this year ?

Err... we've managed to stay in the top flight for a decade JTC.

Remind me again, How long did Burnley do that???

Ouch.....

LEH wrote:Err... we've managed to stay in the top flight for a decade JTC.

Remind me again, How long did Burnley do that???

Well I have to say, more than your mob mate. Take a look at the history books. Fulham were a no-nothing club until the Egyptian came along and pumped money in. The original Arab investor.

I'll save you the bother of looking.

Years in the top Flight
Burnley 55
Fulham 22

League Champions
Burnley 2
Fulham 0

League Runners Up
Burnley 4
Fulham 0

Top 5 finishes
Burnley 14
Fulham 0

FA Cup Winners
Burnley 1
Fulham 0

FA Cup finalists
Burnley 3
Fulham 1

Ok we are no Man U, but we have a damnsite better record than Fulham

Oh and by the way, Fulhams highest finish is 7th, something "little" Burnley have achieved 22 times

johntheclaret wrote:Oh and by the way, Fulhams highest finish is 7th, something "little" Burnley have achieved 22 times

Premier League???

The old Div One is ancient history... Wimbledon were in that FFS

LEH wrote:

johntheclaret wrote:Oh and by the way, Fulhams highest finish is 7th, something "little" Burnley have achieved 22 times

Premier League???

The old Div One is ancient history... Wimbledon were in that FFS

So Liverpool's 18 titles won't count then LEH, nor will the the 4 European Cups they won (in a comp where only the champions of each league competed, unlike today where you can finish 4th and still qualify and where you can finish 9th and still get into Europe )

I guess using your arguement Aussie Rules didn't exist until the AFL

But you are right, 33 years was a long time to wait for a shot at the big time. Still, let's see how we go this season. If we can make it back, we should be better prepared, and who knows??