Rene Meulensteen joins Fulham as new head coach

A new coach was one of the possible changes we could make. There's certainly alot for him to work on.

 

Excellent news and follows the comment from C58 on another post:

""Ali Mac has told a fan that he "understands the fans frustrations, and isn't sitting back doing nothing". He wasn't prepared to go into any detail but added, "call me in 3 weeks and we will see if you're still not happy".

Don't know if that means bringing in someone to help Jol or replace him. However, it is encouraging that some sort of 'rescue plan' is in motion. ""

Also on FFC website:
http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/november/13/meulensteen-arrives?utm_source=Social&utm_medium=AllSocial&utm_campaign=TB

 

So that means he gave him a shed load of money...

Good luck to Rene

as long as the players don't have to listen to Double Dutch too much..........

 

I don't understand what is meant by head coach alongside Martin Jol. Is he assistant manager? I know 'head coach' is the term often given to managers nowadays e.g. Villas-Boas at Spurs. I'm happy with the appointment of something new but I'm not sure how this will work and what RM's day-to-day will be. Anyone able to shed some light?

 

superb news! A quality coach. I'm very excited about this appointment, fresh eyes on the situation and new training methods. All in all a good signing!
Will he have the balls to drop Berbatov? Could also see some good signings coming our way too, maybe he has some good connections abroad.

It's not too late though is it? No, of course it isn't. 6 points in the next too games will see us on 16 points and potentially mid table mediocrity! What I'd do for a bit of mid table mediocrity right now!

 

Baffling! some weeks ago we were told he was on his way to the UAE to take up their national coaching job.?
A name i suggested before Jols apointment was Bob Bradley. Acordingl to several reports he now appears in the managerial equasion.
Another aspect the concerns me is Kahns statement to day saying that Fulham mus be financially sustainable,
does that include monies from being in the premiership or do they go into the chairmans coiffers.
If one wants success ,and a certain amount of self sustainability without gate price increases, a minimum of 30.000
tickets must be sold on home games,this again brings into question the new stand.

 

A good appointment but one that possibly hints at the chairman's diminishing faith in Jol.

If results don't improve, guess who will be leaving and guess who will get the top job…...

 

I'm not sure about diminishing faith but a nailed on successor if things don't get better.

"Chief executive Alistair Mackintosh has convinced Khan that Jol should be given more time to turn around Fulham’s season, although Meulensteen will be regarded as a possible successor should the former Tottenham, Ajax and Hamburg manager not do so."

 

This is a positive move made by the club to deal with our diminishing form. He was very highly rated by Sir Alex Ferguson which is no mean feat, but I also remember reading that Jol was wanted by Fergie as well at some point as a coach. The club are clearly aware of the predicament we are in and this is a good temporary solution. One that also leaves the door open to change if it fails, if Jol fails to deliver May be Rene May step in.

Come on you whites

 

Swans fan in peace, This could make our visit a more difficult then it already could be . You've got quality and you're a better side than your current position in league just hope it's not the same results the last time we met .early days but with sunderland, stoke and Newcastle picking up points anyone of us could drop down away from relative mid table safety .

 

It could make the game harder for you. Who knows, you might even face something resembling a defence haha.

As is probably evident this appointment has rekindled some hope for me. As A Fulham fan living in Manchester I've been told that I can rest easy, because Rene will get us defending properly as a team again, like Utd. do. Apparently if anyone can teach Bryan how to defend, it's him. My source is as reliable as a chocolate kettle but i've always been a sucker for hope...

COYW

 

I find it interesting that Meulensteen has been given the role of head coach rather than assistant manager. It may just be semantics, but I feel like this is a not very subtle reminder to Jol that his coaching set up is not good enough.

I've heard alot of good things about Meulensteen as a coach, which bodes well. However I have a sneaky suspicion that he is now on a 6 month audition for Jol's job.

 

Jol can consider himself lucky that the Club were prepared to find this solution. Had Rene Muelensteen turned us down again, I doubt if Jol would have still been at the Club. Don’t know what incentives were offered to Rene this time round but they must have been considerable.

As others have said, the most significant move is the Club saying that he will “work with Jol” (not “for&#8221. Known for his liking for routines and repetition in training, Rene's inclusion can only be positive. It remains to be seen where the choice team selection lies. And, just as importantly tactics. In the Club announcement Rene said,

“ I’ve spent many hours talking with Martin Jol and we share a vision of how football should be played . It’s our job to make sure we can bring this vision to life on the pitch for the fans.”

I’m not sure where that apparent synergy takes us, tactically. However, the underlying fact, and indeed why the Club have acted, is that a change in attitude, effort and organisation are essential if we're going to stay in this Division. Let’s hope that his 'life on the pitch' vision is accurate - it's been a 'bitch' so far this season.


Another hope is that Rene maintains his Man United reputation of working with youngsters and that he becomes the focal liaison person with the Academy. It just as essential that the rift with the Academy coaches is mended.

 

Can only be positive for us. COYW.

 

With Rene as Head Coach, which I'm guessing entails handling training and day to day affairs with the players what is Jol's role? Picking the team? Watching training from his office window?

Given the apparent absence of team spirit and Jol's tendency to single players out for criticism post - match (and revelations about Brede's nerve injury makes Jol's comments after Cardiff even more bizarre) he's probably not the most popular guy amongst the squad. Rene appears to be very highly rated as a coach and popular with his players. It just strikes me that if Jol isn't leading training anymore there aren't many jobs left for him to do that he's shown himself to be capable at - talking to the press, motivating players, picking a formation.

I'm not keen on the idea of Rene taking over if Jol were to go. It's all a bit Bryan Ruiz for my liking, if we have got one of the best coaches in the land then use him as a coach, there is a big difference between that role and manager.

 

Must agree silkship,The new coach must do just that,if Jol is still allowed to oversee selection and tactics
it will look like same as, same as, ,a recipe for disaster.

 

Hopefully is not the case. His name was in the mix earlier as a new coach. Jol himself might be finding difficult and asked for help...

I think the move is good in any case. If Jol continues the same this gives Rene the time to learn what not to do... If Jol gets the sack will have someone on the helm immediately.

 

I've got mixed feelings about the appointment. He's clearly a good man to bring in, so him arriving is definitely grounds for optimism. And yet...

I don't see how this ends well for Jol. If we do badly, Jol will still get the blame and be let go. If our form improves, everyone will say it's down to the new man. Either way, Jol is undermined. It reminds me of when Middlesboro brought in Terry Venables to work 'with' Bryan Robson a few years ago. Either way, Jol seems destined to leave sooner or later as a result of this. And if he does, as someone said above, RM's presence might put off any other candidate to replace Jol, and he doesn't have a great deal of experience as an actual manager. As a coach, he's a great appointment, as a manager he's a risk.

Funnily enough, the last time I can remember a new coach undermining a manager and then very quickly replacing him was when Jacques Santini abruptly left Spurs shortly after the appointment of a new assistant manager by the name of... Martin Jol.

In summary, as a short term fix, this looks promising, but I can't see the Jol-Meulensteen dream ticket lasting for long. It might have been better to grasp the nettle and make the change now rather than this half-measure.

 

Meulensteen will probably bring in new training methods and tactics to the team. It might give players a new lease of life, and be the catalyst to boosting moral.
Khan seems to have backed Jols judgement by bringing in a new Coach he wanted at what costs as a month ago Rene was off to Qatar.
On the down side Jol says that he and Rene use to spend hours talking tactics, but they don't seem to have been implemented so far to any benefit.

I've always felt that Jol might move on in the summer anyway as he seemed to be hinting he was being limited in what he could do under his present budget and seemed frustrated to not be able to challenge further up the table. But who knows with Khan coming in what his remit is.
Meulensteen seems to have a good reputation as a Head Coach, with Ferguson taking him back to ManU and Hiddink taking him to Anzhi, so maybe Hiddink
if not in management could be a replacement to General manager in the summer or sooner.

 

I hope this bloke has some say in team selection but nevertheless he's reputed to be very good at exploiting opposition weaknesses, something which Jol claims to be able to spot but proved woeful at taking advantage of.