Rene Meulensteen took over a Fulham fraying at the edges – according to former defender Aaron Hughes.
The Dutchman may have gone a long way to repairing the damage with a heartening 2-2 draw at Manchester United yesterday, but his hands were tied when he took over in December.
Hughes exited the Cottage door to join QPR where he plans to help inflict damage on Derby tonight, but reckoned the new Whites boss inherited a squad that lost its focus over the last two years and sees a club still deep in trouble despite the heroics at Old Trafford.
“Some of the solidity, if you like, had slowly if not exactly faded away wasn’t as regimented as it had been in the previous couple of years,” the defender explained.
“He’s taken over a side in a difficult place, and it’s not easy. Down there, things go against you. I think it’s stringing two or three results together it turns the mood.
“They’ve had two or so good results, but it’s getting ones off the back of that, that’s been missing like other teams have.”
Hughes reckons he has nothing to prove to his old club while he tries to forge a career with his new one.
“I enjoyed arguably the best three or four years of my career there, and I left Fulham with fond memories,” he added.
