Kit's Friday (and 1st) Press Conference

AggieMatt · Sep 19, 2014

Addressing the media on Friday afternoon, Kit Symons expressed his delight at being handed the role of Caretaker Manager at the Club.
The former defender – who made 129 appearances during his playing days with the Whites – has taken temporary charge following Felix Magath’s departure on Thursday, and he’s keen to grasp the role with both hands.
“I’m really excited about it,” he beamed. “It’s a great opportunity for me at a club I know very well and love very much, so I’m very excited about it.
“It’s all been a bit of a whirlwind to be honest. I got the call from Alistair Mackintosh on Thursday afternoon to go over and speak to him and he explained the situation and what was happening.
“Obviously with the time difference over in the States things were very much ongoing throughout the course of the afternoon. He told me the Chairman had given me the responsibility of taking on the job on a caretaker basis and it all went bonkers after that really.”
When questioned by a reporter as to whether he’d like the role on a permanent basis, Symons was forthright with his response.
“Yeah, very much so,” he replied. “I’ve done the caretaker role a few times and many different jobs within this Club and other footballs clubs, so it’s certainly something I feel I’m ready to do now.
“I’m hoping to be here for a long, long time in this role and move the Club forward. I’ve got big ideas, I’ve got big plans, I’ve got a definite way of how I want to work, how I want my staff to work, and how I want my players to play.
“There has been a lot of change here and stability, in my opinion, is what’s needed now and I aim to give the Club that stability.”
His long-standing affiliation with Fulham has unsurprisingly made him a popular figure with the supporters, and he was delighted to be told he was the overwhelming favourite to get the job in a recent fan poll.

“That’s fantastic, really good,” he said. “It’s a huge boost for anyone going into a new job, or having a new experience, if you’ve good people behind you. That’s the overwhelming feeling I get – of genuine support from everyone, and that’s brilliant. That’s all I can ask for.
“The general feedback and the number of text messages and stuff I’ve had from people; if goodwill won you games of football we’d be moving up the table sharpish because the support I’ve had from everyone’s been brilliant.
“I played here and had two promotions. We had some fantastic times on the football pitch and some great memories. I’ve done the scouting, worked with the Under-18s, the Under-21s more recently.
“I think the Fulham fans know I’m 100 per cent committed to the Club, and that’s what they want to see from everyone connected to the Club, and that’s what they know I’m going to give them.”
It was put to him that someone who knows the Club, as he does, can only be beneficial at this time – a notion Symons agrees with.
“I think that will definitely help,” he admitted. “Not wishing to big myself up too much but no-one understands the fabric of this Club better than me.
“I understand what the fans want, what the people working within the Club need, and what these players need now. It’s a big job, without a doubt, but I’m really, really excited and very confident that we can start moving up the table very, very soon.
“It’s been a difficult time for the Club, there’s no getting away from that, you can’t escape from the fact that one point out of [a possible] 21 is not a great return by any stretch, so it’s been a difficult time.”
That solitary point gained means Fulham currently prop up the Sky Bet Championship table, but our new caretaker boss doesn’t believe we’ll be there for long.

“We’ve certainly got a squad that’s a lot, lot better than what the league position says at the moment,” he stated. “We’ve got some very, very good players here and it’s down to me now as the person in charge to pick the right team for the right game, and win games of football which, ultimately, is what this job is all about.
“The first thing I’m going to look to do is to really galvanise everything, really pull everyone together and get everyone singing off the same hymn sheet, so to speak.
“We want to get the supporters right behind us. This is a family Club and if we act in that way then things are going to be fantastic for us.”
The 2014/15 campaign has seen the Whites field a huge variety of players across the seven matches so far.
“I think everybody wants and craves stability now at Fulham and I aim to give that, certainly,” Kit said. “You want to play a settled side as much as possible, but also the games come thick and fast so you will need a squad to use and rotate and rest players, but I believe certain areas of the pitch need to be settled, for sure.
“I’ve spoken to a couple of the players and they’re incredibly positive. I’ve got full confidence in the way I coach, the way I train, the way I manage, and these players are going to love it.”
One individual who is yet to feature for the Whites this season is Bryan Ruiz. The forward captained Costa Rica to the Quarter-Finals of the World Cup this summer and is a player Symons is looking forward to working with.
“Bryan was one of those players I had a conversation with,” he revealed. “He’s a fantastic footballer and in the conversation we had on Thursday night he was very upbeat, very positive.
“That’s a great start and I was delighted with the conversation and I’m looking forward to moving on and I’m looking forward to seeing him in training.”

With regards to his training methods, Symons has a very distinctive idea of what he’s looking for.
“It’s quite simple really – I think we have to do the basics well,” he explained. “I work on an attacking day, a defending day, a transition day, and on set-pieces. Now, other than those four things I don’t think there’s too much in a game of football that you need to worry about.
“So if we’re prepared and coached and ready for those situations then we’ll be in a pretty good place.
“There’ll be a lot of work. Like I said, I break it down quite simply; we’ll have attacking days, defending days. On the defending days we’ll be doing a lot of hard work, linked into the opponents we’re about to play against and how we think we can nullify their threat.”
Symons’ first game in charge of the Club will be in front of the home fans when Blackburn Rovers visit Craven Cottage on Saturday. And while he’s obviously looking to get off to the best possible start, he won’t be panicking if Fulham fail to pick up three points.
“It would be a brilliant start if we won, everyone would be delighted,” he admitted. “But as much as ultimately I will be judged on the results of the team, my focus is on the work that you do, the preparations for the game because the result actually takes care of itself and is pretty much a by-product, I feel, of the work you do, the environment you create, and so on and so forth.
“So that will be my focus; getting these players into the best frame of mind, the best physical condition come each matchday. And that will be my full focus. I’m not putting everything on the result on Saturday – I would love a win, of course I would, but I won’t become disillusioned or throw the towel in if we don’t get it.”
Click to expand...

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/september/19/kits-first-presser

Talk is cheap and we've had more than our fair share of cheap talk over the last 2-3 years, but I have to admit he says a lot of encouraging things here.

AggieMatt · Sep 19, 2014

Here's the video....and Sarah's back.

dcheather · Sep 19, 2014

perhaps we should take a peek at some of the training photos:

so many smiles:

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/september/19/symons-takes-training

I really hope those smiles are still there after tomorrow's match.

encorespanish · Sep 19, 2014

That's what enjoying the game of football looks like! Apparently that's been forgotten for some time now. Good to see Bryan back in the fold, for training at least.

pettyfog · Sep 19, 2014

Forgive me for barging in. All fans are excused for exhibiting a certain amount of healthy cynicism. - 'Cookie Coleman'

In reply to Heather below, you are absolutely right. should'a thought about my own wording when I said 'barging in'

dcheather · Sep 19, 2014

pettyfog said: ↑

Forgive me for barging in. All fans are excused for exhibiting a certain amount of healthy cynicism. - 'Cookie Coleman'
Click to expand...

Shh. Not right now. I agree though we may be jumping ahead of ourselves. But let us cheer something! We haven't had much to cheer for the past year and half.

dcheather · Sep 29, 2014

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...-post-with-victory-over-Bolton-Wanderers.html

"Kit Symons is in pole position to land the Fulham job and could secure the post if he beats Bolton Wanderers on Wednesday.

Symons, the current caretaker manager, has the support of influential Fulham board members and secured the club’s first league victory of the season on Saturday at Birmingham City.

Felix Magath’s difficult tenure was finally ended earlier this month and Symons has stepped in, losing only one of his three games so far.

And while chairman Shahid Khan had pledged to lead a “thorough search” for Magath’s successor, Fulham are edging closer towards appointing Symons on a permanent basis.

A former player for the club and coach of the under-18 and under-21s sides, Symons will strengthen his claims with a victory over Bolton at Craven Cottage on Wednesday."

astroevan · Sep 29, 2014

dcheather said: ↑

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/fo...-post-with-victory-over-Bolton-Wanderers.html

"Kit Symons is in pole position to land the Fulham job and could secure the post if he beats Bolton Wanderers on Wednesday.
.....
Click to expand...

I find these absolutes to be highly obnoxious. Does one victory (or defeat) truly make (or break) one's career?

Also, I certainly hope that our chairman's exhaustive search is not cut short due to victories over arguably inferior teams - a League One squad, Birmingham City, and Bolton (the two teams immediately above us in the table).

tim · Sep 29, 2014

I dunno. I think Kit may be the man for the job. For all the reasons that have been stated here and elsewhere. We'll see what happens Wednesday, but to everyone's point, it's nice to have a brief reminder of what drew many of us to Fulham football in the first place.

Forum	Title	Date
Fulham FC News and Notes	Fulham v Blackburn--Kit's first match in charge	Sep 19, 2014
Fulham FC News and Notes	Fulham v. Leeds, Friday, March 19	Mar 16, 2021
Fulham FC News and Notes	Fulham away to Millwall..Friday	Apr 19, 2018
Fulham FC News and Notes	Fulham at Brighton & Hove Albion on FRIDAY	Apr 13, 2016
Fulham FC News and Notes	Fulham v Wigan on Friday	Apr 9, 2015

Kit's Friday (and 1st) Press Conference

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