The Arbeloa era won't feel that different - at least initially

It's a new manager, but it's the same Fulham.

Credit: IMAGO

After what has felt like an eternity, Alvaro Arbeloa has been appointed as the new manager of our beloved Fulham.

I had predicted that Marco Silva would be saying goodbye. I trusted my prediction so much that I stayed behind after full time for the first time in 23 years at the final game of the season against Newcastle.

I’m no expert in body language or lip reading, but from where I was sitting behind Marco in the Riverside Stand, no European football meant he was very unlikely to stay.

Benfica has the largest club membership in world football. Benfica will be competing in Europe next year. Benfica are expected to challenge for league titles. Like any great company man, Marco executed a project with conviction. It is a shame he wasn’t open about his intentions with the fans. We would have given him an almighty send off.

Marco kept fans in the dark for reasons known only to him. Tony Khan seemed to be kept where it was darkest. Marco’s decision to leave had surprised him; Marco could have been making a point. The announcement that Ricardo Pepi was signing for Fulham was met with a very blunt “you know more than me” from the former manager. The writing had been on the wall. Clearly, Tony should have spent more time reading Fulhamish.

So, time for a new era. But do not expect this to be the start of something entirely ‘new’.

Fulham are unlikely to reinvent themselves. Having a former Real Madrid manager at the helm doesn’t mean Fulham are suddenly shopping in Bayley & Sage instead of Sainsbury’s (and occasionally Waitrose).

Arbeloa arrives in comparable circumstances to Marco when he arrived. Both had been beached on a managerial island whose inhabitants endured unique career trajectories.

Like Silva, Arbeloa wants his team to play on the front foot. Like Silva, Arbeloa was predominantly a right-back. Like Silva, Arbeloa has a point to prove. Like Silva, if Arbeloa doesn’t make a success of this move, he is unlikely to get a role at a similar level again anytime soon. The appointments are therefore comparable.

Every time we watch Fulham we’re always moderating hope. Many fanbases across the country would see this as an appointment that signified substantial change. But this appointment was announced in the middle of the World Cup, at a quarter to midnight on a Tuesday. The manner of the announcement confirmed something that we’ve known for a long time. Fulham don’t play by the new ‘football media playbook’. Fulham stick to their formula. Fulham are old school.

When the season opens with one of the biggest games in the Fulham calendar, we should go into that game with our usual management of expectation. Sure, Silva made results against our biggest rivals a regularity, but that is the reason why he’s no longer with us.

Arbeloa is at the start of his journey. We will be lucky to get a point in the season’s opener. Arbeloa should set his sights on the reverse fixture in April. Arbeloa must focus on shaping the environment surrounding the team for when they step out at Stamford Bridge. If Arbeloa goes into that game with confidence, his first season will have been a success. The first game is, almost, a free hit. Get a result and he’ll be a cult figure from day one. Play well and lose, and he can take the positives forward and cut to the reality check. Arbeloa won’t and shouldn’t be judged that early.

First, the lack of glamour. Second, the need to motivate and clearly instruct players with less talent than the Real Madrid squad. Arbeloa will learn these two things will define him quickly. The board will back him for fear of sacking him too soon. He’ll be given a reasonable time to string good results together. But string good results together he must.

As fans, we may have to get used to someone who is much calmer on the touchline. Marco was known for making the fourth official’s life difficult. Arbeloa seems to be a stoic figure. Arbeloa would do well to keep it that way. Fulham are well established now; and Arbeloa doesn’t need to act exasperated when he’s got Florentino Perez singing his praises publicly.

As the season continues many may say “Arbeloa is creating a path for the academy players”. This may be true. It separates Arbeloa from Marco. But the cynical side of me acknowledges that an emphasis on the academy conveyor belt predates Arbeloa.

Fulham have already built a top-class academy. The focus on youth arrives just as the SCR rules come into effect. Those in the know will tell you the new regulations reward trusting and developing youth. When Josh King was introduced to the starting lineup last term, Fulham laid down a marker.

Hence the Arbeloa appointment makes sense for all parties. He is widely renowned for his time managing Real Madrid’s youth teams. Much like Marco was handed a project, Arbeloa has been handed a new phase of what is likely to be the same project. The initial execution of the new phase will still feel very ‘Fulham’. With our mid-table rivals playing more games than ever, maybe this time, a very ‘Fulham’ execution will leave us with something bigger to celebrate.

Only time will tell. Remember though: Fulham don’t do new school.