Fulham boss Chris Coleman is sure that he has the backing of chairman Mohamed Al Fayed but he understands the billionaire owner’s concerns after pouring millions into reviving the club.
“He’s fine but he’s like any other chairman, he wants the team to win, but I don’t think he’s getting nervous,” Coleman said.
“Whatever happens, if we’re still in the Premiership at the end of the season I think I can hold my head up. There’s been no talk of a change, everyone’s 100% behind me.”
Coleman added: “To break into the top 10 you are talking about a chunk of money – or you keep ticking along and adding to the squad like we’ve been doing, maintain our status, try to build the foundations a bit bigger, finish a few places higher and then we go for it.”
“People have short memories. The chairman’s put in £170million in the 10 years he’s been here, which is astounding, staggering, and if he hadn’t we wouldn’t be where we are now. I joined as a player in the old Second Division, halfway down and going nowhere really, playing in front of crowds of 7,000 or 8,000. It’s remarkable how far the club has come in that space of time and a lot was spent on getting promotion. So I’m not complaining. I knew the job when I took it. We’ve had a little bit to spend but I knew all the big spending must stop.”
Much of the £12million received from Manchester United for Louis Saha was spent on the return “home” to Craven Cottage and Coleman accepts the move was crucial for the club’s development.
He added: “That was the main thing as far as I was concerned. Now we are back at the Cottage it’s a much better ground, we want to extend it for next season, put another couple of thousand on it if we can to take us up to about 25,000 and the club is moving forward. We’ve just got to get the three wins we need to make sure it continues.”
