Michael Madl makes rallying cry as Fulham fear dropping into League One

(Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
Giuseppe Muro1 April 2016

Shahid Khan had plenty to ponder with Slavisa Jokanovic when he visited the Fulham training ground during the international break.

Fulham are in danger of dropping out of the Championship after a run of six games without a win that leaves them one point above the relegation zone.

It is not unusual for Khan, who was in London on a scheduled trip, to drop in at Motspur Park, but the American owner is concerned by the position the team is in. He used his latest visit to speak to Jokanovic about plans for the summer, which suggests he has faith in the 47-year-old Serb for now. But both men will be aware that League One beckons unless results improve in their remaining eight matches.

Fulham are lying 21st after winning just three times in 15 matches since Jokanovic took over in December. They face of a crunch game against MK Dons tomorrow knowing a defeat at Craven Cottage would see them drop into the bottom three.

Khan could never have anticipated Fulham would be in this position when he bought the west London club for around £150m nearly three years ago. Fulham had just finished 12th in the Premier League. But relegation followed 12 months later and things have not gone to plan since.

This was supposed to be the season they challenged for a return to the top-flight, but a push for the play-offs has not materialised.

Kit Symons was sacked in November following an inconsistent start. Two different caretaker managers took charge for seven games before Jokanovic was appointed, but results have not improved. Any plans to strengthen the squad in January were hit by a transfer embargo for breaking financial fair play regulations last season. They have taken 11 points from a possible 42 this year and that form has left them in a precarious position.

Defensive problems have been a big part of the problem. Fulham are the second highest scorers in the division but lapses at the back continue to cost them. They have conceded 64 goals, including 29 from set pieces, which is by far the highest in the second tier.

Defender Michael Madl believes a lack of concentration is to blame. “We have to be more solid,” he said. “We know our situation is difficult but we still believe in ourselves and that we have enough to get out of there. The spirit is still good. We are working well on the training ground and we have to show that at the weekend.”

Fulham have lost half of their home games this season but Madl believes the two-week break has done them good ahead of the visit of MK Dons. “It was good for us mentally,” said Madl. “We worked really well during the break. We know it is a massive game.”

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in