This seasons seems to go from calamity to calamity. We perhaps re-entered the Premier League with an air of complacency, but even at that we have fallen so far below our expectations for this season it’s painful. One hundred million pounds later and we have a squad filled with talented individuals but with limited team spirit.

We have shown flashes of a strong side this season, but we have lost our soul and identity, especially when we brought in Ranieri. Let me be clear, I wasn’t fully against the sacking of Jokanovic. I thought that he was out of his depth and the fact that he played a different defensive line in each of his Premier League games showed that he clearly didn’t know what he wanted from his squad. However, sacking him when we did to bring in Claudio Ranieri, was in my eyes, the biggest mistake that has been made this year. We went from a very attacking manager, to one who sets up with five at the back and it wasn’t going to end well. Hindsight is a great thing.

However, my biggest issue with Ranieri isn’t necessarily his footballing style. It can work with the right squad, as we witnessed when Leicester won the Premier League under him, but it has been a disaster on the banks of the Thames. My issue is the treatment of Ryan Sessegnon and Tom Cairney. Say what you want about Jokanovic, but he allowed Sessegnon to flourish and become one of England’s hottest prospects while giving Cairney the captain’s armband and allowing him to be the heartbeat of the side got the best out of him. The relationships that Jokanovic spent a long time developing have been destroyed in 14 Premier League games under Ranieri. I have never been the sort of person who wants a manager to go at the first sign of trouble, but if Ranieri went now I’d be happy. He hasn’t improved things anywhere near enough to justify Jokanovic’s sacking, and while I can understand why Jokanovic had to go, Ranieri was the wrong choice to replace him.

I don’t think it will happen, but IF Ranieri was to go this week, I’d be content with Scott Parker until the end of the season, then let the owners and board have a good think about who to bring in for the long term. What should be happening right now in the board room is discussions about our long term future on the pitch, and I don’t think Ranieri is the one, even if he pulls a miracle out of nowhere and keeps us up. He has been poor for both squad and fan morale.

But who should take over? Who would be willing to take us on? We can’t be that unattractive of a prospect, with owners who are clearly willing to put their hands in their wallets, but sometimes potential managers will look at owners track record with sackings etc and make a decision based on that. The Khan’s have owned Fulham since July 2013, approximately 66 months ago, and in that time five managers have been sacked.

I’ve seen a few names mentioned online so I’ve put together a list of five managers who we could potentially look at. REMEMBER that some of these may be completely unrealistic, but I’m looking at new up-and-comers alongside managers who are currently out of work.

• Scott Parker- If Ranieri goes before the end of the season, I’d imagine that the Khans will turn to Parker to get us through to the end of the season. It might be too soon for him to take over the official managers position for the long term, but look at how well Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard are doing in their first positions. Cairney’s comments on how motivational Parker was in the dressing room for the Brighton game shows that the players already have a real respect for him. Is it too soon for him? Probably. Will he make a great manager one day? Quite possibly.

• Vincenzo Montella- The Italian only played about half a season at Fulham, but became a fans favourite very quickly. He has a decent record with some big name clubs including Roma, Fiorentina, AC Milan and Sevilla. He guided Sevilla to their first Champions League quarter-final with a 2-1 victory over Manchester United but his league form was the worry for owners, and he has been out of work ever since he was sacked at the end of April 2018. He might be out of our reach, but he already has an affinity with Craven Cottage, so maybe we could tempt him home.

• Steven Gerrard- This is possibly the most unrealistic of my five candidates as he currently has Rangers challenging for the title in Scotland. He also gets European experience at Ibrox, so I think he would only be tempted away from Glasgow by a Premier League move. He has made a very positive start to his managerial career, though, so it could be a very fun addition if it was to happen.
• David Wagner- Wagner worked wonders with a poor squad at Huddersfield, so what could he do with a bit of financial backing? He likes to play his football like his friend, Jurgen Klopp, but he just hasn’t had the players to do that this season. He is a passionate manager, and one who like to have a real relationship with the club he works for which is something that Fulham fans love to have. He also knows the Championship and knows what it takes to get promoted, so if we end this season with a relegation I would be confident that he could get us back up.

• Lee Johnson- Johnson has done very well with Bristol City, but I get the impression that he has brought the club as far as possible. He could be ready for a new challenge, and Fulham could be an attractive one for him. If he is promised funds, then he might feel like it’s time to move away from Bristol. His teams are well drilled and are attack focused, things that I feel that we need at Fulham.

The only thing I am sure about right now is that Fulham are going to have to make changes on the pitch and behind the scenes this summer. Whether we manage to survive or not, we need to find our identity again.

#COYW