Fulham Manager Jean Tigana, a man used to playing and managing at the highest level , last night marked the eve of Fulham's first major European fixture by outlining his ambition to take Mohamed Al Fayed's club into the Champions League inside two years.
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Fulham Manager
Jean Tigana enjoys first senior European game with Fulham |
Fulham breezed through this summer's Intertoto Cup to set up tonight's clash with the team who finished second in last season's Croatian championship. Futher encouraged by his team's excellent domestic form - with the thrilling 3-2 comeback victory against Tottenham followed by Saturday's 3-0 thrashing of Sunderland - Tigana spoke of his plan to continue Al Fayed's fairytale success story with the Londoners.
Former France midfielder Tigana was one of the finest players of his generation and invariably did things with style - a philosophy he took into management at Monaco.
But although he has enjoyed success in England with Fulham, winning promotion to the Premiership and guiding them to the semi-finals of the FA Cup last season, something has been missing. Until now.
"I have missed Europe of course I have," he said. "For me, European football is a gift, something special. When you have had a good season it is a reward and a bonus.
All my life I have played in Europe, it is my passion. Tonight's game is important as it's Fulham's first in the UEFA Cup. "Now I want to play in the European Cup this year or next. That's my target."
Tigana, on crutches with his right shin and foot in plaster after an operation, added: "The players have progressed in a year at the higher level. "And our midfielders have scored many goals this season, which is the difference from last season. "When we started in the Intertoto, the aim was to play in this game. "We got through many stages to get here - but there's no target now as it's a discovery for me and the players. "It's very important for the players to get experience at a higher level."