The Tanner Report

Judging by the emails from fans in my inbox Fulham supporters are underwhelmed by our activity – or more accurate lack of it- in the transfer window. We have sold 2 integral players to our success last season, Scott Malone and Sone Aluko, and from  the money received  replaced them with 2 forwards Rui Fonte and Aboubakar Kamara, midfielder Ibrahim Cisse and various loanees including a left back Soares from Porto, Ono from Liverpool, Graham from Wolves and Norwood from Brighton. There is such a credibility gap that even when we apparently bid £15m for Newcastle’s Dwight Gayle one knowledgeable fan emailed me in terms “I will believe it when I see it’ and another joked that we have more left wingers than Jeremy Corbyn (Ayite, Ono, Mollo and Graham)

The upshot is that our squad looks weaker and thinner than last season but most worrying, if it is the case Head Coash Slavisia Jokatovic ‘s transfer choices have been overruled by vice chairman Tony Khan, his mate Craig Kline and chief scout Brian Talbot, whose son has been recruited and gone from manager of Chesham to European Scout. After 4 head coaches (Martin Jol, Felix Magath, René Meulensteen and Kit Symons) who failed to arrest our decline – and in Magath’s case contributed to it – we finally have one in SJ that can not only have Fulham challenging for promotion but also with the most exciting football we have since seen Jean Tigana. Our real worry is that with West Ham and Crystal Palace still winless SJ will be off to one of these clubs.

I have some sympathy for owner Khan as he has seen money squandered on the likes of Mitrogl0u, £13m for a forward who was unfit on signing and hardly played. He has secured Ryan Sessegnon and Tom Cairney and it was he who appointed SJ. He is one of Americas’most successful businessmen and must surely be seeing a return on his investment which can only come about with Fulham back in the Premier.

Mohammed al Fayed’s parting advice was to keep the fans’ support on board and it is really here that Khan has failed. For all his carefully crafted phrases in his programme notes about being a custodian for the Fulham family the reality is that he and his son have their  own way of doing things, especially in the recruitment area, which most fans have not bought into. Another Fulham fan commented after the 1-0 defeat from Sheffield Wednesday “There is something wrong here” …