He may not have been first choice but the appointment of Mark Hughes as Fulham manager is a fantastic move by the London club.
Sven Goran Eriksson and Martin Jol were first considered for the role - with the latter formally approached and offered a deal.
But when that move collapsed Hughes seemed the natural choice - especially as he worked with Fulham chief executive Alastair Mackintosh at Manchester City.
His budget will be considerably smaller at Craven Cottage than at Eastlands but that could actually work in his favour.
I believe the takeover at City worked against Hughes as he struggled to deal with the increased expectations - the online odds never suggested he would break the top four, but that's what his bosses seemed to think would happen. He was also an uneasy fit with the owners, who you always felt preferred a glamorous continental manager rather than the Welsh grit offered by Sparky.
There will be no such pressure at Fulham, with chairman Mohammed Al-Fayed backing his man 100 per cent.
On the pitch you can argue that Hughes is in a bit of a no-win situation, joining a club that has just enjoyed two of its best ever seasons - finishing seventh and then reaching the Europa League final - and many would argue the only way is down. The Premier League football odds certainly suggest that is the case.
But luckily for the Cottagers the nucleus of their side remains intact and with a few shrewd additions there is no reason why they can't break the top ten again and maybe even set up another European adventure for the following season.
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