MAGATH: I’M THE RIGHT MAN TO SAVE FULHAM
Battling hosts off foot of the table
FELIX MAGATH is confident he is the right man to lead Fulham back to the Premier League after his side moved off the bottom of the Championship table following a draw with Cardiff City.
Tim Hoogland put Fulham ahead in a first half which they dominated only for Kenwyne Jones to peg the home side back with his fourth goal of the season after the break.
Despite seeing their side get their first home goal and point of the season, some home fans jeered Magath as he headed down the tunnel after full-time.
But the German is adamant he can take the club forward.
“I can understand the fear of the fans and I’m not glad about this (position),” he said.
“But we have a new situation and we had to make a cut, it was necessary for this club to start again from the beginning and that is what I have done.
“I’m the right the man for this, the only one, not the special one, the only one.
“I have no doubt that we are able to get promoted at the end of the season.”
In the two teams’ first meeting in the second tier since March 1985, Fulham dictated the early proceedings with Scott Parker firing a 20-yard shot wide in the third minute.
The hosts got the goal their bright start deserved in the 22nd minute when Ross McCormack, after his initial corner was cleared and played back into his path by Parker, floated in an in-swinging ball from the right which Hoogland converted into the far corner with a glancing header.
With Fulham fans raising decibel levels, Magath’s side pushed for a second and McCormack nearly provided it five minutes later when his corner almost went straight in at the near post only to be pushed away by David Marshall at the last moment.
The home side pressed for a second soon after half-time with Parker having a left-footed shot palmed away by Marshall.
But Jones, rejuvenated in the second half, made the home side pay shortly afterwards when he knocked Peter Whittingham’s looping ball down into the path of Mats Daehli before receiving the return ball and drilling home from inside the area.
Although his team were pegged back Magath thought his side’s display showed signs of encouragement for the future.
“We showed everybody that we are developing and our forward play is improving,” he added.
“I think we controlled the game against Cardiff who is a very good team and one of the favourites for the Championship.
“It happens all the time if you are playing very well and playing nice and not scoring it is often so that you concede a goal and that is what happened to us.”
Hoogland nearly snatched a winner for Fulham in the 91st minute when his deflected 30-yard strike was tipped behind by Marshall and from the resulting corner substitute Thomas Eisfeld headed well over the crossbar prompting howls of derision from the home fans.
After conceding his side where second-best in the opening 45 minutes Cardiff manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer was pleased with the way his team fought back.
He said:“I was very pleased with the boys second half, they were a completely different side to what was there in the first, we were on the front foot moving our feet quicker and moving the ball quicker.
“The attitude and the response in the second half was very pleasing.
“I think in any game of football away from home you’re going to be under pressure, whatever team you play against, and we’ve just got to be able to withstand that pressure when it comes.
“Fulham did well, they played some slick passes, they have some talented players who could move the ball and they deserved to be up at half-time.
“But in the second half I think we earned the points and I think a draw was fair.”