please log in to view this image The Fulham goalkeeper David Stockdale has apologised to the club's supporters following the team's relegation from the Premier League after 13 years as a top-flight club but believes Felix Magath is the right man to restore them to the elite in a year's time. Stockdale was one of Fulham's more impressive performers during the season having ousted Maarten Stekelenburg, who joined from Roma last June. A summer of cost-cutting is anticipated at Craven Cottage, with the Dutch goalkeeper one of those expected to leave, as the club readjust for life in the second tier, with the owner, Shahid Khan, and Magath having made clear the attitude of some senior players in a bloated squad had been unacceptable. Khan, who bought the club from Mohamed Al Fayed last July, offered an apology for the part he played in their relegation in his programme notes for Sunday's final league game against Crystal Palace. Asked if those sentiments were echoed in the dressing room, Stockdale said: "Definitely. The chairman is saying it but I believe it is down to the players. We cannot shift blame on to anyone else. We need to stand up. We are big enough people and we get paid a lot of money to do the job we are doing, so why shouldn't we take the responsibility on our shoulders and not blame other people? "The truth hurts. You cannot get away from it. You got relegated and you have got to deal with it. If you can look yourself in the mirror and say to yourself you gave 100%, then you will go to bed nice and easy. But, I tell you what, I didn't go to bed nice and easy this week. Because this is the club I love and the club that gave me a chance. I am an honest person and I always think about what I could have done better. I go through every one of my games. No one is perfect but it is about looking back and improving, showing that you care. Personally I feel disappointed because we got relegated. It is not just about my performances. It is about the club staying where it should be." There were promising signs in Sunday's draw, with Cauley Woodrow and Chris David scoring their first goals for the club. Fulham, whose under-18s were runners up to Chelsea in the FA Youth Cup, have other young talents who will be given their opportunity by Magath next season. "They gave the manager something to think about next year," added Stockdale, who was on loan at Hull City when they clinched promotion to the Premier League in 2013. "It has got to be a mix. You have got to push the youth along, really bring them through, but there have got to be experienced heads as well because the Championship is not easy. It is not going to be a walkover. Just because you are Premier League players now it does not make you Premier League players next year. "It is nice that we know now Magath is staying. There is no reshuffling or rejigging. He has got to do his job and, if he does that, and gets people behind him who believe in him, and in whom he believes, then we are going in the right direction. You need someone with a bit of grit and determination and we know he has got that. At Hull we had a bit of team unity and a manager, in Steve Bruce, who was a bit like this one: someone who was not afraid to make decisions when he had to. We had togetherness. We'll need that because it is a 46-game season in the Championship and you might be going to Bournemouth on a wet Tuesday night and then QPR at the weekend. It is a totally different level." Source: http://www.theguardian.com/football...vid-stockdale-relegation-apology-felix-magath
Interesting that a player who looked a bit marginal in the Jol era has become a talisman for the future. His efforts over the last games were a rare bright spot and his openness and determination a good sign for the future. COYW
Stockdale is the type of player that fits into Magath's plans and similar to Roy's philosophy. Wants to be at the club and wants to be part of a team.
Those of us who have expressed doubts about Stockdale in the past have tended to say something along the lines of 'he'll be great at a Championship club'. Well, now that's us, so let's hope we were right! Seriously, I agree with the comments above. Quite apart from his goalkeeping (which I don't have any doubts about at the level we're going to be playing), his attitude seems to spot on. If it rubs off on some of the others, particularly the youngsters, he could be a vital part of our recovery.
Exactly the right attitude. I think he benefitted from FM being at Fulham. So many players take their position of pro fiotballers for granted. DS certainly doesnt, his passion for Fulham, the club that took a chance on him, is terrific.
"... Magath having made clear the attitude of some senior players in a bloated squad had been unacceptable." That line is interesting. Magath, being German, won't put up with any prima donnas in the club the way most European managers would. If memory serves, during his first game in charge Magath benched Holtby who, at the time, was certainly our best player in terms of quality and effectiveness. I suspect it was a "shot across the bow" for most of our players, as if he was saying, "I'm in charge now, and I'll bench anyone who doesn't toe the line." I think there will be a lot of that in the coming months. I suspect that by November or December of next year, this team will be fully disciplined and schooled in the FM model, and anyone who doesn't like it will find themselves out in the cold.
Me, too. At its best, Fulham was always a team-first kind of group. Even former big-money players like Duff and Murphy always seemed to put the group before themselves. Then in steps Dimitar Berbatov and suddenly you've got a player who's above everyone else, a star amongst the little planets of Fulham. I think that's when the rot started. He saved our bacon last year, but his attitude spread like cancer as the year went along. The last five games of 2012-13 were sickening to watch.
David Stockdale has really come out over the past few months - helped by being a permanent #1. Had the commitment and the balls to say the right things - good rapport with the fans (including on Twitter). He will be a vital part of the dressing room next year. COYW!
Demps you have got it spot on. Professionals need leadership, those who do not put in the work will not be welcome. Stockers has been very professional over the years and is getting his just desserts. Would also point out that Richardson seems to have excelled under Felix's management.
I'm very optimistic, Froggy, about our future under Felix. If Khan really does loosen the purse strings and Felix is given the lattitude to shape the team as he likes, I think we could be headed for great things.
