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'Cottagers Confidential' has been one of the better football blogs in the SB Nation family, and we continue our long-standing tradition of Q&As with them by speaking with Andrew there.
RBM - Martin Jol just had to go didn't he after that horrific start to the year? Any regrets or unfinished business there?
CC - Jol, just seemed to want out. I think it's possible at his age, he wasn't up for the daily grind of coaching a team. Which makes the Meulensteen appointment make much more sense. If Jol was looking to step into more of a director of football position, Meulensteen would have been the perfect head coach.
RBM - How about the new man in the spotlight Rene Meulensteen, what have you learned about him so far?
CC - The most exciting thing about Meulensteen is that he seems to have a plan. Too often with Jol, it seemed as if he just picked a side and told them to go out there and run around. When Meulensteen picks a squad all the players seem to make sense and have defined roles.
RBM - What are you expecting from the team for the rest of the year? Maybe a FA Cup run to salvage the season?
CC - Honestly, I just want the club to stay up. If they can stay up, the future is pretty bright. They have some good young players, a great academy, and plans to redevelop the Riverside stand. If they can just get through this year, I believe Fulham can become a perennial top 10 side.
RBM - Rumours have now surfaced that Dimitar Berbatov wants out - are these substantiated or just hearsay?
CC - It doesn't shock me. Berbatov is out of contract at the end of the season. He's not in the plans going forward and only came to Fulham to be paired with Jol again. If the club can get anything for him, it wouldn't shock me to see him go.
RBM - The January transfer market is approaching rapidly, who/where will Meulensteen be targeting to improve the squad?
CC - Meulensteen has been linked with basically every single player that is on the fringe's of the Manchester United side. He was very popular there, and the media is just jumping to the conclusion that those players would like to come play for him again. Ideally I'd like to see a LB, a CB, a CM, and a striker be brought in. Though that's a lot of business to be doing in January.
RBM - Finally, a score prediction for Saturday. Who are you expecting to shine for either side?
CC - My heart says a 1-1 draw. My head says a 2-1 defeat. There's simply too much quality on Everton right now. I just don't think Fulham can hang with them unless they get a lot of lucky breaks. I see Romelu Lukaku having his way with our CB's. And if Gerard Deulofeu starts, I don't see how they can contain him.
