saw this posted on another forum, has been transcribed from a Norwegian football Podcast - good read and there's some insight in to a few of our ex players habits behind the scenes
The Felix Magath cheese story
"I always try to see the good in people, but he was an awful human being." "He had penalizing extra workouts. Once after we lost a game we got back home to Fulham at 1 a.m. He then forced us to run laps around and around between 1am and 2am. It was absurd"
"I once got a dead leg, which is pretty painful. I went to the club doctor and he wanted to drain the blood with a hypodermic needle, which is the common way of doing it. However he also informed me that due to a new policy Magath had to approve all medical procedures."
Hangeland then went to Magath's office asking if he was allowed to do this. Magath answered with a calm "no, it's not okay".
Magath then told Hangeland to go to Tesco's to buy cream cheese. Hangeland was then supposed to put this on his thigh with some alcohol. It couldnt be gin or vodka, it had to be medicinal alcohol.
Most importantly however, Magath told him that while he was doing this "you have to call your mother." Hangeland at this point was sure it was a practical joke. Hangeland then asked "why do I have to call my mother?". Magath replied saying that if Hangeland called his mother with this mixture on his thigh he would get a biological reaction helped by motherly love.
End of the story, Hangeland was in bed with his wife that evening and opened the cream cheese. His wife promptly told him this wasn't going to happen, he didn't do it.
Every episode the guest on this show has to make a themed 11. Brede Hangeland chose the 11 laziest players he's played with.
Brede Hangelands all-time lazy 11, 3-4-3
KEEPER
Wayne Hennessey: He used to just lay down in the gym on one of those thick blue matts while we were working out and he just relaxed while the rest of us worked out. Increadibly uninterested in the gym.
DEFENCE
Chris Baird: Completely uninterested in the gym and cardio workouts. Whenever they were doing cardio or were in the gym hed go ask the coach "when can we go play football?"
Zdenek Grygera: Great guy, good friend. When he arrived in Fulham he went straight to the coach and said "I don't do weights", and he didn't. He was such a positive guy that it sort of ended up just being alright.
Erik "Panzer" Hagen: Great footballer and panzer center-back, he was a big, strong, guy but it must have come from his genes, certainly not from the gym. He was a wonderful man!
MIDFIELD
Wilf Zaha: Amazing physique and very athletic, huge potential. On some mondays he'd come over to me and say "I'm starting my program now!", he'd clearly decided to start during the week-end. We'd then go to the gym together and he'd do like 5 pushups, sigh, and leave. It felt like he had a new years resolution every monday. Would be increadible if he was serious.
Jimmy Bullard: Great player, but so increadibly weak. Never interested in going into the gym, at all. Clear cut player for this team.
Mousa Dembele: You know what he's going to do but you can't stop it. Maybe the best player I've played with, will be surprised if he doesn't end up at a club like Real Madrid. Struggles a bit with his physique but what he has is natural, never lifted any weights. Increadible balance. Only player, apart from "Panzer"-Hagen on the team that had the right to not work out.
Bryan Ruiz: Costa-rican who played great everywhere but for Fulham. Was never near the gym, don't think he even knew where it was. Always wore long sleeves and gloves, wouldn't be surprised if he showed up with a scarf and beanie during games, absolutely hated being even marginally uncomfortable. If it was cold or we were away to Stoke he'd never come along.
ATTACK
Bobby Zamora: A strong man, but hated the gym intensely. Whenever it was time for deadlifts he'd start feeling his hamstring etc. This happened every single time we went to the gym. Fantastic guy though, I forgive him for being a great player and guy. One of the hosts mentioned Zamora had a great leap, Hangeland replied "didn't like heading the ball though."
Dimitar Berbatov: I've never seen a man get so many massages in my life. I'm certain he spent more hours getting massaged than he trained. Whenever we were in the gym working out Berbatov was getting massages. I knew the guy who gave him massages and usually at the end of the season the players give the physios a gift, a trip, a car, money whatever. He'd massaged Berbatov for hundreds of hours this season and he got, nothing. Absolutely nothing. Host mentions Berbatov having a six-pack and they conclude that this was because he ate very healthily and basically starved his way into a six-pack.
Emanuel Adebayor: Only played with him for 6 months but a quick story. I played for Fulham and he played for spurs. We were attacking and I was marking Adebayor in the midfield, suddenly he says "ahhh, I'm hungry". I replied "what?". "I can't wait for the game to finish, I'm so hungry. Do you know a good restaurant in London Hangeland?". Later when he came to Palace I started to realized where this came from. When we had strength workouts he would sit in the gym with just a cup of coffee and a muffin. He was being paid by City, Tottenham and Palace at the same time, and he was sitting in the gym drinking coffee. Incredible natural talent, very lazy.
continued...
Heia fotball is a norwegian podcast/radio show about football. As it was in Norwegian I'll do my best to translate.
The Felix Magath cheese story
"I always try to see the good in people, but he was an awful human being." "He had penalizing extra workouts. Once after we lost a game we got back home to Fulham at 1 a.m. He then forced us to run laps around and around between 1am and 2am. It was absurd"
"I once got a dead leg, which is pretty painful. I went to the club doctor and he wanted to drain the blood with a hypodermic needle, which is the common way of doing it. However he also informed me that due to a new policy Magath had to approve all medical procedures."
Hangeland then went to Magath's office asking if he was allowed to do this. Magath answered with a calm "no, it's not okay".
Magath then told Hangeland to go to Tesco's to buy cream cheese. Hangeland was then supposed to put this on his thigh with some alcohol. It couldnt be gin or vodka, it had to be medicinal alcohol.
Most importantly however, Magath told him that while he was doing this "you have to call your mother." Hangeland at this point was sure it was a practical joke. Hangeland then asked "why do I have to call my mother?". Magath replied saying that if Hangeland called his mother with this mixture on his thigh he would get a biological reaction helped by motherly love.
End of the story, Hangeland was in bed with his wife that evening and opened the cream cheese. His wife promptly told him this wasn't going to happen, he didn't do it.
Every episode the guest on this show has to make a themed 11. Brede Hangeland chose the 11 laziest players he's played with.
Brede Hangelands all-time lazy 11, 3-4-3
KEEPER
Wayne Hennessey: He used to just lay down in the gym on one of those thick blue matts while we were working out and he just relaxed while the rest of us worked out. Increadibly uninterested in the gym.
DEFENCE
Chris Baird: Completely uninterested in the gym and cardio workouts. Whenever they were doing cardio or were in the gym hed go ask the coach "when can we go play football?"
Zdenek Grygera: Great guy, good friend. When he arrived in Fulham he went straight to the coach and said "I don't do weights", and he didn't. He was such a positive guy that it sort of ended up just being alright.
Erik "Panzer" Hagen: Great footballer and panzer center-back, he was a big, strong, guy but it must have come from his genes, certainly not from the gym. He was a wonderful man!
MIDFIELD
Wilf Zaha: Amazing physique and very athletic, huge potential. On some mondays he'd come over to me and say "I'm starting my program now!", he'd clearly decided to start during the week-end. We'd then go to the gym together and he'd do like 5 pushups, sigh, and leave. It felt like he had a new years resolution every monday. Would be increadible if he was serious.
Jimmy Bullard: Great player, but so increadibly weak. Never interested in going into the gym, at all. Clear cut player for this team.
Mousa Dembele: You know what he's going to do but you can't stop it. Maybe the best player I've played with, will be surprised if he doesn't end up at a club like Real Madrid. Struggles a bit with his physique but what he has is natural, never lifted any weights. Increadible balance. Only player, apart from "Panzer"-Hagen on the team that had the right to not work out.
Bryan Ruiz: Costa-rican who played great everywhere but for Fulham. Was never near the gym, don't think he even knew where it was. Always wore long sleeves and gloves, wouldn't be surprised if he showed up with a scarf and beanie during games, absolutely hated being even marginally uncomfortable. If it was cold or we were away to Stoke he'd never come along.
ATTACK
Bobby Zamora: A strong man, but hated the gym intensely. Whenever it was time for deadlifts he'd start feeling his hamstring etc. This happened every single time we went to the gym. Fantastic guy though, I forgive him for being a great player and guy. One of the hosts mentioned Zamora had a great leap, Hangeland replied "didn't like heading the ball though."
Dimitar Berbatov: I've never seen a man get so many massages in my life. I'm certain he spent more hours getting massaged than he trained. Whenever we were in the gym working out Berbatov was getting massages. I knew the guy who gave him massages and usually at the end of the season the players give the physios a gift, a trip, a car, money whatever. He'd massaged Berbatov for hundreds of hours this season and he got, nothing. Absolutely nothing. Host mentions Berbatov having a six-pack and they conclude that this was because he ate very healthily and basically starved his way into a six-pack.
Emanuel Adebayor: Only played with him for 6 months but a quick story. I played for Fulham and he played for spurs. We were attacking and I was marking Adebayor in the midfield, suddenly he says "ahhh, I'm hungry". I replied "what?". "I can't wait for the game to finish, I'm so hungry. Do you know a good restaurant in London Hangeland?". Later when he came to Palace I started to realized where this came from. When we had strength workouts he would sit in the gym with just a cup of coffee and a muffin. He was being paid by City, Tottenham and Palace at the same time, and he was sitting in the gym drinking coffee. Incredible natural talent, very lazy.
continued...