After a rollercoaster ride for Fulham so far this year, their season has taken another twist, with the board deciding to sack René Meulensteen as first-team manager, after just 75 days in the job. Not only that, they have already found the Dutchman’s replacement, in the highly experienced Felix Magath, most recently of VfL Wolfsburg until late 2012. Many are astounded at the decision by Shahid Khan to relieve Meulensteen of his duties only a couple of months after putting the 49-year-old in charge of The Cottagers.
This continues what has been a poor season for Meulensteen so far. After having 12 years at Manchester United in three different roles, with just a year out to take charge of Brøndby, new manager David Moyes decided he did not want the Dutchman on his coaching staff, and the former assistant manager left. He quickly found work again, with Anzhi Makhachkala, first as assistant coach under Guus Hiddink, and when the former Chelsea manager was sacked, Meulensteen stepped up to the big job. However, in a strange turn of events, he lasted just 16 days before being sacked in odd circumstances by Suleyman Kerimov.
He joined Fulham in late 2013 under Martin Jol, and was expected to take charge of the London-based club if Jol was sacked. In early December, the deed was done. It was then a series of ups and downs for the new manager, and despite a number of transfers in January, there wasn’t much improvement – a draw at Old Trafford being the highlight of his tenure. However, few expected him to be sacked so soon.
Magath’s roll of honour includes several very prestigious honours. The 60-year-old spent much of his career with Hamburg, making over 300 appearances in 10 years. After retiring, the midfielder took up coaching. Since becoming Hamburg’s manager in 1995, he has took over clubs as large as Bayern Munich as well as smaller sides like Schalke and Stuttgart. The West German international has been described as very tough in his role, and Fulham fans can expect their players to now put a lot more effort in. However, if the former Wolfsburg man can turn around The Cottagers’ fortunes, it may well be a minor miracle with just 12 Premier League games to go.