Al Fayed and Khan standing on the pitch. nice moustache, Al Fayed!

Yesterday marked a very important transition for our club. New ownership often comes after weeks of media speculation, protests from fans and a lot of stress for both supporters and workers at the particular club. Thankfully the deal was done in Fulham style with it kept very quiet and then announced officially. We only had any inkling that something was going to happen on Wednesday and then, before we knew it, everything was done by Friday night! Apart from perhaps the Michael Jackson statue, the fans of Fulham Football Club certainly haven’t had a lot to complain about over the past 16 years since Al Fayed took the club over. He saw us through a number of promotions and has put a lot of money into the club to improve things. We have lasted in the Premier League for 12 years for a number of reasons but one of the biggest reasons was that we have had solid leadership from the very top of the club. Al Fayed was certainly charismatic and would often say exactly what he thought and I guess that gained him a lot of fans. I liked the way he ran the club as he was involved and rarely missed a home game. He had great communication with both Alistair Mackintosh, the manager, the players and the fans. Some fans have grumbled about not enough money being put in the club but I believe that Al Fayed has done more for Fulham than we can even appreciate. Business has been steady at Fulham with us spending more than £10million on very few players but we have gotten through. If I’m honest, I don’t think he could have done more for Fulham so it is probably a good time for him to sell on. The incredible thing is that new boss Shahid Khan takes over a club that is completely DEBT FREE. Not many places around the UK are in this sort of position so Al Fayed has been an outstanding business man and a guy who genuinely had Fulham in his heart. Khan has big shoes to fill. Although it is sad to see Al Fayeds’ reign come to an end, I do believe that this is a positive move for Fulham. It was always going to have to change at some stage and Al Fayed is convinced that he has found the right guy in Khan. This can only be a good thing. Khan is also no stranger to owning a sports club as he own National Football League team Jacksonville Jaguars. I hoping that he is careful if his dealing and doesn’t start to over pay players and spend ridiculous amounts on people QPR style. What we need are steady transfers and continued trust in Jol and the management team. With a change as big as this often comes a very unsettled club so Khan has to ensure that this doesn’t happen. I’m excited about what is to come at Fulham. We have a guy who seems very willing to invest in the club, we have plans for a stadium upgrade and there is a full summer to make transfers and improve the squad. All the best, Al Fayed, you have been great. Here’s to the future! COYW