Could the Cottage Crumble?

Roy Hodgson achieved a first European final for Fulham and deserved a crack with a bigger club as he enters the twilight of his career. Fulham, on the other hand, face the difficult job of finding a replacement that can keep up the momentum under Hodgson. One bad move, and Craven Cottage could be in the Championship.

Undoubtedly, Hodgson maximised the potential in the Fulham team - they were far greater than the sum of their parts. The Londoner's style of training ground routines, repeated over and over again until the team could play together with their eyes closed, produced the best from a bunch of forgotten men, Premiership rejects and continental unknowns.

The bosman signing of Mark Schwarzer was a masterstroke; Danny Murphy was rejuvenated, Bobby Zamora was prolific and pushing an England call up; Brede Hangeland came from nowhere and became a defensive colossus. Even Chris Smalling, a rare product from the reserves, came in and impressed, securing a move to Manchester United in the process.

Hodgson saved them from relegation, secured a Europa League place, then a European final. Talk about a tough act to follow!

The good news is there has yet to be an exodus of players, following Hodgson's wake. The vultures, however, have started to circle. Arsenal have sniffed around Schwarzer and Hangeland, Birmingham had interest Zamora. And with a new manager coming in, transfer targets identified by the shrewd Hodgson may be missed as the new man settles in.

Lets examine the candidates. Alan Curbishley, with a record of doing quite well with small teams, save one season at West Ham, would be relatively cheap and would hopefully do a pretty solid job, keeping Fulham up without too much hassle. On the other hand, he has upset various members of the current Fulham playing staff, having managed and sold half a dozen without much shedding of tears. If he comes in, can Fulham survive a disgruntled squad that would undo all Hodgson's hard work or, even worse, a major upheaval of the squad?

Mark Hughes is available. His wages may be slightly higher than Fulham would want to pay, but Hughes does have a point to prove after his tenure at Manchester City, would have the respect of the players, and his stint at Blackburn shows he can get the best out of a workmanlike team. He may even attract a few quality players.

Sven Goran Eriksson is available, inevitably. His club record is still impressive, but would Fulham have the transfer budget that the Swede would need to produce the goods? Gianfranco Zola has also been linked and, like Hughes, he has a point to prove. He could bring a more attractive style of football than his rivals, which might balance out the lower results than will come after Hodgson's peak.

A new and interesting name into the mix is that of Huddersfield manager Lee Clark. A young manager and former player, Clark has had the Yorkshire club playing some impressive stuff, albeit in a lower league. Being a former player and British, Clark would be afforded time to mould the time into the style he wants, and would be happier dealing with the relatively restrictive Premiership budget that Fulham operate under. But after an epic European adventure, would Fulham fans and players be happy giving another manager a step up the career ladder?

In my view, Hughes, Clark and Zola, in that order, should be the favoured candidates. There is a good balance of determination, ambition, respect (from fans and players), and realism. Fulham cannot match the highs of last season - transition will bring inconsistency, although I would not be surprised to see the Cottagers mount a domestic cup run - but the last thing they want to do is employ someone who rocks the boat, puts them in a relegation battle and then gets the boot before Christmas.

Fulham have the advantage that mid-table sides have in that they can plan for the long term. They can unearth diamonds and sell them for a profit, and every once in a while make a headline or two. One bad move and the club may never recover. At Fulham, with its lack of big name stars, the man who is manager is all important.

Personally, I hope they make the right choice.