The Tanner Report

So it’s Kit. No surprise here. I have often said that Chris Hughton would be better suited to achieve promotion but Kit has brought stability to the team and deserves a longer crack at the job. Everyone agrees he is a nice guy and part of a tradition going back well before my first game in 1962 of an old player stepping up as manager. In my time ex-players Chris Coleman and Malcom MacDonald served the club well as managers and let’s hope Kit does the same.

Some fans commented that the Capital Cup is far less important than the league so Kit was right to field his young charges. I wonder if they now feel this, given that had we preserved our two goal lead we would be playing Chelsea in the quarters. The fans and club would have benefited from the buzz of a local derby that has been keenly contested over the past 13 years.

It was also right to give Kit a contract until 2016. He will remain under pressure to perform whilst it gives time to assess him and if necessary bolster the team around him. I am not in favour of a football director as I have never seen this work.

The best feature of all in this is the owner Shahid Khan finally made a Fulham decision sensitive to the club ethos and with input of Fulham men. We and indeed his investment have paid a heavy price for the owner ‘s lack of knowledge but you cannot fault him for the way he has approached the selection process. Given that we still have one year of parachute payment and he has been prepared to invest the outlook is much brighter and the gloom has lifted.