Fulham have announced that manager Rene Meulensteen has been sacked by the clubs Chairman Shahid Khan, after a poor run of results.
The sacking of the Dutch manager comes in the wake of very limited progress made at the club over recent weeks and months.
Meulensteen took over at Craven Cottage in November, following the sacking of compatriot Martin Jol.
The former Manchester Unitted boss took over as manager at the club, after coming in as an assistant manager at the West Londoners.
However, Meulensteen failed to build upon his side’s poor League position, and endured some poor results as manager of the side, with home defeats against the likes of Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton, and a horror FA Cup defeat against Sheffield United.
Meulensteen’s position was put under further doubt, after Alan Curbishley and Ray Wilkins were appointed as members of Meulensteen’s back room staff at the start of the year.
And it now appears the defeat against Liverpool was the final straw, with Khan moving swiftly to bring in a replacement.
Khan has announced the appointment of German manager Felix Magarth, who will take charge at the club immediately.
Magarth will now be tasked to turn round a side who are tipped for relegation.
Chairman Shahid Khan issued a statement.
“I am very happy to welcome Felix Magath to Fulham Football Club. Felix is an accomplished manager with multiple honours in the Bundesliga and a hunger to replicate his success with Fulham in the Barclays Premier League. I’m especially impressed with the reputation Felix has for coming into clubs at difficult times, often late in the season, and lifting them to their potential and beyond. Felix knows that is precisely the task awaiting him at Fulham, and he made it abundantly clear that he wants and is ready for the opportunity.
“Our Club has shown promise in recent matches, but the fact is we have not won a league match since January 1. Given our form, we can no longer merely hope that our fortunes will finally turn. And with 12 matches remaining and at least four points separating us from safety, we certainly can no longer post empty results. Action was required.
“Alistair Mackintosh did a wonderful job during the January transfer window to improve our Club. This week, Alistair recommended Felix, with his history of producing results for Clubs with similar challenges as ours, as the new manager of Fulham. Alistair’s recommendation received my complete approval and Felix has my unequivocal support.”
By Ben Reardon
@BenReardon1
