It’s a subject I hoped not to touch on for the meantime, yet, Roy Hodgson’s departure from Fulham is looking all the more imminent. Liverpool are, without doubt, close to luring our manager away, and if he does leave, it will be difficult to take on the chin for us Fulham fans.
The ex-Inter Milan boss has provided nothing short of a miracle for our humble club, and what he’s done for Fulham FC will be hard to repeat, never mind better.
However defeatist the attitude may seem, perhaps it’s time Mr Al Fayed drew up a preliminary list of potential gaffers who have the guts to take charge in what will now be quite a pressurised job.
The media haven’t quite jumped the gun, and, after the scouring the net, only two names have been briefly linked with what may soon become a vacant post at Craven Cottage; Sven-Goran Eriksson and Mark Hughes.
The only logical reason behind these two suggestions would be that our current chief executive, Alistair Mackintosh, has worked closely with the pair of them in his previous stint with the now mighty, Manchester City.
It’s safe to say that there is not a vast array of talent in the unemployed-managers market as it stands, so if there ever was a good time to lose Hodgson, this certainly isn’t it.
Alongside Eriksson and Hughes, few fit the bill for managing a side who lost out on a huge European success in extra time, just over a month ago. However, from a brief list of jobless managers, there are a number who could potentially step up to the plate.
Alan Curbishley. There’s no doubt the former West Ham and Charlton manager has the ability to bring out the best in the players available to him. He’s a good man manager who has a proven record, but, his mid table mediocrity at both aforementioned sides might be a slight deterrent to us.
Tony Mowbray. Very much a long shot here, but his attractive brand of football is something I feel would keep continuity from Hodgson’s era. On the downside, of course, are his recent disappointments at both West Brom and Celtic.
Gianfranco Zola. Again, from the outside, this would seem like a weak choice. His inexperience and poor return on results at West Ham certainly work against him, but his positive nature and youthfulness may be a bright aspect at our currently stable club. There’s no doubt he has the potential to succeed, but his ‘nicey-nice’ approach to the game would make him a big risk.
Sven-Goran Eriksson. I can’t say I was delighted to see his name linked with us. The job he did at Mexico was far from admirable and he is well known for his ‘exploits’ while at the helm of the English national team. He does, though, have a rather good record, although, mainly abroad. In that sense, he holds similarity to Roy, and his tactical nous could prove incredibly beneficial to us. The Swede would also bring Premier League experience to the table as his job with Manchester City was, despite being labeled otherwise, actually quite competent. Whether he would be popular with the fans is another subject altogether.
Mark Hughes. Without doubt, my preferred choice. Again, he is a former Manchester City manager, but, he has a clean slate in that the Welshman possesses no real blemishes on his record. The role he played at Blackburn was key to their success, and there’s no doubt he could replicate that with the supported funding from our own Mohammed Al Fayed. It remains to be seen whether Mark himself would jump at the chance to take control here in London, though.
I for one hope he does. However, what do you guys think?
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