Premier League is never easy for new teams and Jokanovic deserved time

WHEN Fulham were promoted to the Premier League it was the perfect reward not only for the players and fans, but for manager Slavisa Jokanovic, who had worked tirelessly to get them there.

This is a manager who took charge of a club threatened by relegation to League One in his first season and steered his side to safety with 11 points to spare.

He went on to reach the play-offs in his second season and won promotion into England’s top flight back in May.

We all love a good fairy tale and this was certainly

the perfect beginning. Twelve weeks into the season the story has changed and, ironically, the man that knows the exact meaning of the word fairy tale has been appointed to save the day.

A hero to Leicester City fans, Claudio Ranieri is now back in the Premier League and, as much as I’m excited for his return to the top flight, I don’t believe that Jokanovic should have been cast as the villain so soon.

The teams at the bottom of the table are playing a different game to those at the top.

Survival is the No.1 focus, and to survive you have to be better than just three other teams in the league. Fulham may be at the bottom but are only one win away from joining the pack and that one win could come against Southampton on Saturday. If it does, that completely changes the story, does it not? Only four points separate the bottom seven teams.

Life in the Premier League for a newlypromoted side is never easy, so it was always going to take time for Fulham to adjust. Add to that the signing of 12 new players and it is clear the manager needed time – as he quite often said – to figure out his best 11 and most notably his defence.

Rising to the challenge and overcoming obstacles is nothing new to Jokanovic. In the Championship last season Fulham went on to grab promotion after winning just four of their first 17 games.

They ended up finishing third after going on a 23-game unbeaten run. With the sacking of Jokanovic we are once again reminded of just how tough it is to be a manager in the top flight.

A manager being sacked for not delivering results is nothing new but, in this instance, I believe he could have turned things around.

So let’s see whether Ranieri can change Fulham’s fortunes.

The impossible was achieved with 5000/1 odds of winning the Premier League with Leicester City, so what’s 7/5 to avoid the drop?

MANY fans seem to believe that the title is already Manchester City’s. I’m not too sure.Don’t get me wrong, they are flying this season and, somehow, Pep has managed to improve a side that broke records across the board at the same time as he evolved as a manager.But the major difference between where we are now and where we were last season is that the chasing pack are not too far behind.Right now, five points separate the top four – last season it was 11.City are two points clear at the top, last season it was eight at this stage.After this weekend’s fixtures, we’re a third of the way through the season, I think the run of games up until the New Year will be a defining period.I LOVE Sergio Aguero’s new locks. I actually think the greyish-blond suits him. Players often come in for a bit of stick for their hairstyle choices but I’m backing Sergio with this one. Currently leading the line for goals scored this season, the Manchester City marksman is making the case that blondes really do have more fun!