Were Fulham right to hit the panic button and sack Rene Meulensteen?

Fulham’s decision to sack manager Rene Meulensteen is an all-too-familiar action that epitomises today’s disposable Premier League.

It was an action summed up perfectly by Meulensteen himself, who claimed the club hit the panic button too soon in an attempt to resurrect their depleting season.

But were they right to, what with Fulham’s status as a Premier League team reaching its expiry date? Perhaps.

It’s a difficult one that requires hindsight in order for it to be praised or criticised fairly.

On a human level the once humble club has in some ways shed a reputation for being, shall way say, old school and genuine, and that is something that will undoubtedly disappoint the fans.

That said, time is as they say very much of the essence, and with an unproven man at the helm, were Fulham destined to stay up?

While it is unfortunate, sometimes a ruthless, selfish approach is required to compete with the big boys of the league, and an experienced head like Felix Magath’s could be imperative for survival.

Looking beyond the disrespect show towards Meulensteen however, brings to light, in some ways more worrying, confusing and pressing issues.

A board of any club is meant to bring with it leadership and stability, but Fulham’s has seriously contradicted this by making big decisions at the wrong time.

Martin Jol was in charge for far too long – where his failure to make substantial transfers to bolster an ageing, sporadic team stripped of its talismans were not pick up on or considered.

On the contrary, Rene Meulensteen wasn’t given any time to show the world what he could do.

Drafted in without being named outright manager, Meulensteen’s job at Fulham required more than just keeping the team up, it involved filtering the deadwood and rebuilding from scratch.

Credit to the club they accomodated this, giving Meulensteen the funds that perhaps Jol wasn’t given so that he could bring in no less than seven players – with Konstantinos Mitroglou’s transfer being the clubs record spend.

The fact that he was then sacked within weeks of completing these deals defies all common sense, with the aforementioned striker settling into a team with a manager under no obligation to play him.

Fulham it would seem is indeed imploding and unless the characteristically frenetic Magath can restore some calm and media anonymity, the club is destined for further disaster.