A Big Year Ahead

Kagisho, welcome to the Club. Your move was a long time coming, how did it feel to finally become a Fulham player?

 

It had been a long wait, but I’m very pleased to be a Fulham player now. I had always wanted to play in the Premier League and the Club has given me that opportunity.

Growing up, like a lot of young South African players, playing in England was the dream because it has been the best league in the world for a while now.

It was frustrating waiting for my work permit to be granted, but the Club stood by me from the beginning – it was just a matter of waiting for my moment. I came close to joining a year or so ago, but when that didn’t happen the Club continued to follow my progress. So even though I wasn’t a Fulham player, I knew I had to do well last season, because they would be watching.

Moving to a different country is always a difficult step, how have you settled in? Do you feel at home yet?

It’s been a big move for me leaving South Africa where I have grown up. But it’s been a good few months now and I do feel very settled. I think I have adapted to my new surroundings very well, and it’s been a good move for me. Everyone has been really friendly and that has helped me settle quickly. The staff and players have been great.

And what have you made of your new team-mates?

There are some very good midfielders at this Club, really good players like Danny Murphy, Simon Davies and Damien Duff. They have a lot of experience and I can learn from that. It is going to be tough breaking in because this is a team with a very strong midfield. It’s a strong squad all round and I think we can do very well together.

So what attracted you to Fulham? Was there a particular reason why you decided to join the Whites?

There was so much that appealed to me. First of all it was the opportunity to achieve my dream of moving to England and playing for a team in the Premier League. I watched Fulham when I had the chance and it was clear that it was a team that would suit my style of play and allow me to play to my strengths.

And what are those strengths, what do you bring to the team?

Well, I like to play in the centre of midfield and although I like to get on the ball, I can also make important tackles. I feel that I have a lot to give this team and hopefully I can show that. I like to keep the ball moving and believe I have the attributes to do well in the Premier League, that’s what the Manager has signed me for.

You made your debut against Manchester City in the Carling Cup, what was that like?

That was a great moment and one that I had been waiting a long time for. It was an exciting game and I think we were unlucky not to beat them. During the game I believed that we had the ability to get the win, and when Kolo Touré scored that late winner it was very upsetting. Overall I was very impressed, and I think we showed that we can compete against a team with so many big names. I was pleased with my start.

You then made your Premier League debut against West Ham, but it was an afternoon that would end disappointingly for you wasn’t it?

Of course, it was a disappointing moment for me, a red card on your league debut is never something that you want to happen. I think I was quite unlucky and it’s something that I want to forget about now. I wanted to offer more that day, so it was an unfortunate incident. I think my contribution up until that point had been good, so it was a shame.

As a result, you were given a three-game suspension, that must be frustrating considering all you want to do is kick on…

It hasn’t been easy because obviously I haven’t been able to play as a result of the sending off. But I’ve been working hard in training and hopefully I will get another chance to show what I can do soon. Ideally you want to be able to get a run of games going, but I haven’t been able to do that. But I’m confident the fans will see the best of me soon.

You impressed a lot of people while playing in the Confederations Cup over the summer, it was possibly the first time Fulham fans had seen you in action…

Yes it was a good tournament for me. I was very happy with how I played and I had some very good feedback. My statistics from the games were high and I was pleased with my contribution. I played in all five games as South Africa reached the third place Play-Off where unfortunately we lost to Spain. But it was a good tournament for us and gave us a lot of confidence for what is an important year ahead.

By important, you mean the 2010 World Cup…

That’s right, and it’s something that I’m very much looking forward to. The 2010 World Cup is being held in South Africa, my home country, so I’m hoping to be involved. I have 32 caps now, so I have a lot of international experience and obviously my aim is to be part of it. It will be a wonderful moment, not just for the people of South Africa, but for the whole of Africa. It will be the first time a major tournament has been held on African soil so it will be a very special occasion for us all.

And what do you hope to achieve with Fulham?

As I have said, I know that it will be difficult competing for a place, but that is my goal. That is why I came here, to make an impact. It’s a big year for me, and hopefully I can be successful for club and country. I would love to play more games for Fulham, although I will have to be patient – but I’m determined to work as hard as I can.