Felix Has GONE

[Super Brian McBride]

The worrying part of the statement is 'and will personally and immediately lead a thorough search for the new First Team Manager of the Club'.

There are a lot of managers out there that talk a good game and also talk a lot of BS and someone like a Pulis or Warnock could probably BS their way into a job at an interview.
But so far since he took over some of the PR he has said has been BS.
The advice he must have taken about the managers he has hired and sacked has been flawed. On his record so far it has been poor judgement. Backing Jol too long, taking on Mulensteen but then adding Curbishly and Wilkins (we got 3 Managers) and then Magath as the last gasp panick to avoid relegation.

He's going to be bombarded with suggestions from fans, managers agents, uncle tom cobbly un all, everyone telling him who'd make a great manager.
No one can guarantee their suggestion will be right and can keep us up. Lets not go down the same route as last season thinking there's no way we will get relegated. So he has to get this one right.

Who ever takes us over has got to get us winning our home games and being hard to beat away from home.
Solid defense, creative midfield and scoring attackers, get the confidence back in the team, easy isn't it.

 

[kunye]

Just seen on BBC sport that Danny Murphy has said he has great affinity with he club, and should he be approached
regarding the managerial position he would give it serious consideration.
Good news or what

 

[Bidley]

The worrying part of the statement is 'and will personally and immediately lead a thorough search for the new First Team Manager of the Club'.

I don't really see how that's worrying, depends how you spin it. It could mean he's acknowledging the advice he took on his previous hirings and firings were flawed and he wants to take the bull by the horns. More likely it just means he's looking for a replacement, which would be pretty obvious. However you look at it, he's the owner and he'll have the last say, whatever is said in a statement like this.

 

[Surlyc]

What happens to Felix's backroom staff now? I can't say that there is much evidence that the coaches he brought in helped us in the slightest, in fact we look badly undercoached. I imagine they will stay until a new manager gets to make the decision on them, but I wouldn't miss any of them.

 

[fulhamish1977]

I don't really see how that's worrying, depends how you spin it. It could mean he's acknowledging the advice he took on his previous hirings and firings were flawed and he wants to take the bull by the horns. More likely it just means he's looking for a replacement, which would be pretty obvious. However you look at it, he's the owner and he'll have the last say, whatever is said in a statement like this.

This probably refers back to the statement when Felix was appointed that suggested it was on Ali Mac's advice and that he'd been responsible for the January signings. Mackintosh has come in for a lot of stick since.

As for the search - great opportunity over the next four games for Kit to make the job his. Three home games and a winnable trip to Birmingham. Not saying it's going to be easy, but a nice little run now could earn him his chance.

 

[Cravingawin]

Just to add a little balance. FM had a great track record, it was a gamble but he had a great cv. Tigana was relatively untested and had no experience in English football management. This was a amble but it paid off. The Magath gamble didn't pay off. The Muelensteen debacle is a completely different matter. That was poor all round.

I am not only craving a win but also some sensible appointments and stability.

 

[Captain Morgan]

Danny Murphy is one of my favourite ever Fulham players, possibly second only to Simon Morgan, and we've all said that he has the potential to be a great manager. I'd love to see him in charge at the Cottage one day, but I don't want him to be our next manager. If we are to go with an inexperienced manager, Kit Symons has better credentials right now.

As SuperBrian hints above, all of us to a greater or lesser extent are shooting blind when we put forward the claims of different managers. People who have won league titles elsewhere can fail (can't they, Felix?) and people with unspectacular cvs can flourish. Whoever gets the job, we'll need to be patient and give them the chance to prove themselves. I can't speak for anyone else, but when Roy Hodgson was appointed, the only exciting thing about it, initially, was that he wasn't Lawrie Sanchez.

Looking at the list of candidates at thesackrace.com ( http://www.thesackrace.com/teams/fulham ) he's my gut reaction to the leading ones:

Tim Sherwood: wouldn't be my choice - didn't do as well with Spurs as everyone thinks he did, and would have poorer resources with us.
Chris Houghton: Uninspiring. He has a great track record at this level with Newcastle and Birmingham, to be fair, but I don't think he'd be a good long term option.
Neil Lennon: Possibly better than the other two, although there are plenty of managers who do well with Celtic and then struggle when they move over to England
Alan Pardew: Please no.
Glenn Hoddle: For experience and playing style, it's hard to argue against Hoddle. As a younger manager he had issues with man-management and (if you've ever read Tony Cascarino's book) ego. I'd be uneasy about Hoddle, but I also recognise he could be a spectacular success.
Kit Symons: In with a shout, if we decide not to go for an experienced number 1
Tony Pulis: Please, please, please no. Anyone but Pulis.
Steve Clarke: One of the better options out there.
Brian McDermott: Also one of the better options. Has the added bonus of good, recent experience in the Championship and a past connection (albeit as a loanee player) with Fulham.
Danny Murphy: See above
Micky Adams: You should never go back. He's a legend at Fulham and should remain so, but his time has been and gone with us.

Looking at the longer odds, a few interesting names caught my eye:

Karl Robinson has done great work at MK Dons, and been there for four years. That, to my mind, is right at the low end of what we should consider experience-wise. He'd be a bold but interesting appointment.
David Moyes: If he'd consider coming to a club at our level, he'd be fantastic. Appoint him and commit to giving him time to build us up and he could be one of the best appointments in the history of the club. I don't see it happening though.
Roberto DiMatteo: A better suggestion that a lot of the names above him.
Paul Ince: Please no
Lee Clark: Ummm, a few years ago I'd have been very keen. Now I'm not so sure. Maybe.
Eddie Howe: As I've said before, this guy has a glittering future ahead of him, but I can't see him leaving Bournemouth to go to another Championship club right now. If he was willing, he's possibly the best choice of all, in my opinion.

One other name I haven't seen mentioned is Sean O'Driscoll, another with a Fulham connection as a player. If you ignore the last two or three years of his career, his credentials are excellent. However, the last few years haven't really worked out for him, and I don't know if that's just the way things have gone, or if he isn't the manager he once was. I used to watch his Bournemouth team quite a lot, and he plays good, attacking football. He has bags of experience at Championship level and at avoiding relegation. He's won promotions in his career too, so he isn't just a fire-fighter and survivalist. I'd be amazed if he got the job, but he wouldn't be as bad a choice as some people would doubtless portray him to be.

Sorry, that turned out to be a longer contribution than I intended. Are there any good candidates that I haven't covered?

 

[Bidley]

Danny Murphy is one of my favourite ever Fulham players, possibly second only to Simon Morgan, and we've all said that he has the potential to be a great manager. I'd love to see him in charge at the Cottage one day, but I don't want him to be our next manager. If we are to go with an inexperienced manager, Kit Symons has better credentials right now.

I think everyone suggesting Danny would want him to come in alongside Kit. At least I would anyway.

Pretty much agree with the rest of your assessments though, although I wouldn't be massively keen on McDermott.

 

[Fulhaman]

I don't think so. Very comprehensive. I would have liked to see Ranieri to be honest, but as he has recently been appointed the Greek manager it can't possibly happen but I do have a bit of a soft spot for old Claudio. Mind you, he is as bad as Felix was for tinkering with the line up.

Of all the managers listed above I, too, think Moyes would be the most spectacular appointment, but realistically he would never come to us. Not just because we are a championship club but also because of the wages he would require.

There may be some foreign manager lurking out there who isn't on the bookies radar who could get the job from left-field but I hope we are done with the left field appointments for the time being. The last two have not exactly worked out.

I don't think Pulis would be a terrible choice, his success and style of play at Palace showed he is not the one dimensional manager he is sometimes portrayed, but he wouldn't be my first, or even fifth choice. Plus there is the baggage that some supporters would find hard to accept. He'd never be popular, but he could be effective, especially at making us difficult to beat, which is really what we need at the moment. And he knows this league and how to get out of it at the right end.

My personal choice for the appointment would be Eddie Howe (with Danny as his No. 2 in a perfect world) but agree with you that he is very unlikely to come to us. He has a good thing going with Bournemouth and I don't see him letting that go for us, despite our supposed "bigger club" status.

 

[Captain Morgan]

I don't think so. Very comprehensive. I would have liked to see Ranieri to be honest, but as he has recently been appointed the Greek manager it can't possibly happen but I do have a bit of a soft spot for old Claudio. Mind you, he is as bad as Felix was for tinkering with the line up.

Of all the managers listed above I, too, think Moyes would be the most spectacular appointment, but realistically he would never come to us. Not just because we are a championship club but also because of the wages he would require.

There may be some foreign manager lurking out there who isn't on the bookies radar who could get the job from left-field but I hope we are done with the left field appointments for the time being. The last two have not exactly worked out.

I don't think Pulis would be a terrible choice, his success and style of play at Palace showed he is not the one dimensional manager he is sometimes portrayed, but he wouldn't be my first, or even fifth choice. Plus there is the baggage that some supporters would find hard to accept. He'd never be popular, but he could be effective, especially at making us difficult to beat, which is really what we need at the moment. And he knows this league and how to get out of it at the right end.

My personal choice for the appointment would be Eddie Howe (with Danny as his No. 2 in a perfect world) but agree with you that he is very unlikely to come to us. He has a good thing going with Bournemouth and I don't see him letting that go for us, despite our supposed "bigger club" status.

I'm not a betting man, but if I had to bet on one of the current crop of young managers to go and manage England at some point in the future, I think I'd put my money on Eddie Howe. If he did come, he'd almost certainly bring his assistant, Jason Tindall, with him. Tindall was the assistant manager when Howe was first appointed at Bournemouth, but he went with him to Burnley and then went with him again when he came back to Bournemouth. If there was room for Danny in an Eddie Howe regime, it wouldn't be as number 2.

 

[Cottager58]

Danny Murphy is one of my favourite ever Fulham players, possibly second only to Simon Morgan, and we've all said that he has the potential to be a great manager. I'd love to see him in charge at the Cottage one day, but I don't want him to be our next manager. If we are to go with an inexperienced manager, Kit Symons has better credentials right now.

In his press conference today Kit said,

“Danny Murphy is a Fulham legend and someone I know personally. That’s something that would have to be addressed hopefully when I get the job.”

 

[Bidley]

Only other person I can think of who Captain may have missed would be Owen Coyle. No, I don't want him either!

 

[FulhamIreland]

Stockdale and Sidwell both seem convinced that Kit is the right man for the job.

David Stockdale @stockogk1313 · 7h
For me the job at FFC has one mans name on it. Kit Symonds knows the players and also has their respect!

Steve Sidwell @sjsidwell · 22h
Best of Luck to Kit and the coaching staff. The right man for the job ! Good luck lads

Most people will have their 'favourites' for the job but I don't think anybody will be unhappy if Kit gets it, whether he was their first choice or not.

 

[Cottager58]

In the meantime it will be equally interesting to see what happens to the 'coaching' staff and whether Kit gets someone in to help him. I'd fully expect to see Oral and Lenz joining Felix on their bikes. Peter Grant? Don't know - it was a strange appointment in the first place.

What happens to Felix's backroom staff now? I can't say that there is much evidence that the coaches he brought in helped us in the slightest, in fact we look badly undercoached. I imagine they will stay until a new manager gets to make the decision on them, but I wouldn't miss any of them.

Both Oral and Lenz have gone. I understand that Peter Grant will be looking after the U21s pro-temp, as Kit concentrates on making the 1st team job his permanently.