Fulham is a hot mess. For all that’s gone on over the last few days, weeks, months at Craven Cottage -- that’s all you really need to know.
For those of you trying to get all the recent Fulham drama straight - we’ve got you covered:
On December 1st, Martin Jol was sacked by Fulham after two-and-a-half years in charge and immediately replaced by long time Manchester United assistant coach, Rene Meulensteen.
On December 24th, Fulham appointed Alan Curbishley as first team technical director. Six days later, the Cottagers appointed Ray Wilkins as assistant head coach.
How the balance of power at Fulham would pan out under these three was anyone’s guess, until last Friday when things got really weird and the club appointed Felix Magath as first team manager.
Most presumed the Magath hiring meant Meulensteen had been fired. Indeed, even the Dutch manager believed this to be the case as he took to the radio to explain that chief executive Alistair Mackintosh had told him that he had been “released.”
Fulham, however, have since come forward to claim that Meulensteen has not been sacked. He’s merely been “relieved” (thanks?) of his first-team duties after only 75 days at the helm. What role Meulensteen currently occupies at the Cottage, no one seems to know and the fact that he faces a fight to secure a pay-off from the club (he’s on a contract until 2015) only complicates things further.
Just when you thought things couldn’t get any more bizarre they did on Monday when Curbishley and Wilkins were reportedly sacked the club.
So there you have it. New Fulham owner Shahid Khan is not hitting the panic button, he’s positively smashing it. Guess that’s what happens when you suddenly realize the club you paid $300 million is four points adrift of safety with 12 league matches to play.
Welcome to the Mad House.