Fulham’s 2013-14 campaign will live long in the memory for Whites fans - but not for the right reasons as two managers were sacked, the club were relegated from the Premier League and they conceded the second most goals in the history of the division.
New faces arrived in the summer as the likes of Fernando Amorebieta, Scott Parker and Holland international keeper Maarten Stekelenburg signed up, however the big news was announced in July as Shahid Khan purchased the club from Mohamed Al-Fayed.
The billionaire car-parts entrepreneur paid around £150million for the Whites to add them to his business portfolio, which also includes NFL side Jacksonville Jaguars, but did not foresee the disastrous season that was to follow.
An opening-day victory at Sunderland suggested otherwise as the Whites got one of their longest journeys of the season out of the way early on, picking up three points in the process, but it was not a feeling Cottagers fans became accustomed to this term.
As we reached December, Khan took action. Martin Jol, who had been in charge since June 2011, was sacked after a run of five straight losses and left Fulham 18th in the Premier League table.
Rene Meulensteen took over despite having only been appointed as the club’s head coach the previous month. He made a decent start and was allowed to put his stamp on the squad in the January transfer window.
Greek striker Kostas Mitroglou was signed from Olympiakos for a fee of £11million, Lewis Holtby arrived on loan from Tottenham, John Heitinga joined from Everton and Meulensteen raided former club Manchester United for Ryan Tunnicliffe and Larnell Cole.
Real questions began to be asked of the new boss following an embarrassing FA Cup exit to League One Sheffield United, although the Whites came back fighting to claim a point at Old Trafford a few days later thanks to Darren Bent’s late leveller.
They were unfortunate not to earn another point in the next match against Liverpool but went down 3-2 courtesy of a late penalty to the Anfield club and Meulensteen became the second managerial casualty of a turbulent campaign at the Cottage.
His replacement was former Bayern Munich chief Felix Magath. The German was known for his disciplinary methods and had a reputation as a survival specialist after guiding five Bundesliga teams to safety in the past.
That’s exactly what was needed at the Cottage as the spectre of relegation drew nearer. Few gave Fulham a chance but Magath seemed to re-inject belief into his players and back-to-back wins over Aston Villa and Norwich gave them hope.
However, the German was furious as his team threw away a two-goal lead at home to Hull City in April and they slipped through the trapdoor at Stoke City following a crushing 4-1 defeat at the Britannia.
It brought to an end Fulham’s 13-year stay in the Premier League but promising attacking midfielder starlet Chris David scored a stunning equaliser in the final game at home to Crystal Palace salvaged a 2-2 and gave Whites fans hope for a bright future.
Fulham finished the season down in 19th place, four points shy of safety, with nine wins from 38 games.
The Championship awaits in 2014-15.
