The French revolution

IF the FA want a few pointers in their quest to find a replacement for Kevin Keegan then they should take a stroll down the Fulham Palace Road.

For, if the case for appointing a foreign coach isn't strong enough already, then a quick look at the methods of Jean Tigana should settle the issue once and for all.

There was an air of sceptism when Harrods owner Mohammed Al Fayed plumped for the ex-Monaco chief as a replacement for Paul Bracewell in the summer.

However, Tigana has since pulled off a mini French revolution of his own, leading Fulham to the top of the table on the back of nine straight victories.

Tomorrow, they are hoping to stretch that record into double figures at the expense of Blackburn Rovers.

"Jean's success hasn't surprised me. Only the fact that he came here in the first place," said John Collins. "I thought that being a manager in a foreign country and not speaking the language was a near impossibility, but he's proved me wrong.

"We're playing at the maximum possible level.

"There's a confidence, a plan, a structure here, a reason for doing everything.

"Too many clubs I've been at, it's just been a case of killing time and training for two hours.

"But here, the lads have never played as well in their entire careers and there won't be a team better prepared than us physically in Britain at the moment."

Such planning and attention to detail were evident from the moment Tigana stepped into Fulham's training ground.

Blood tests, dental examinations, dietary control, three training sessions a day and training seven days a week have become the norm. But if the players were sceptical to begin, they are genuine followers of the faith now.

"There may have been a few moans early on, but not now," said keeper Maik Taylor.

"Some weeks we are working seven days, but that doesn't matter and the results are there for all to see on the pitch.

"We have doctors testing us all the time for muscle to weight ratio and the pounds have been falling off all the players.

"Every one of us is feeling great at the moment, full of confidence and totally happy with the way we are playing as a team, starting from the back."

Even Tigana, himself, has been amazed at how quickly the players have started to take his message on board.

"I've been surprised that the Fulham players have never questioned me because we changed their system completely in pre-season," said Tigana.

"But they did it willingly. No gestures, no moods.

"In France it's more difficult because the players are more Latin.

"That's why I make it a priority to have total professionals like John and Chris Coleman at a club to pass on the message." Taylor expects Fulham's perfect start to be put to the tes by Rovers tomorrow. But with confidence currently sky-high at Craven Cottage, he fears no-one.

"Blackburn have so many quality players they should still be challenging for promotion this season and they are sure to want to spoil our record.

"But we are playing some good stuff at the moment and we are also keen to extend our run and there's no doubt we pose a threat going forward," said Taylor.

As for Tigana, he prefers to concentrate on the bigger picture.

He rarely speaks in the press, prefering to let his players' actions do his talking.

And, at the moment, they are busy helping him explode the myth that great players sometimes find it difficult becoming great managers.