Fulham owner ‘not satisfied’ with poor start – Jokanovic

SLAVISA Jokanovic admits Fulham owner Shahid Khan is unhappy with the club’s start to the Premier League season.

Cottagers boss Jokanovic met with Khan following Saturday’s 3-0 home defeat to Bournemouth.

The loss stretched the west London side’s winless run to seven top-flight fixtures, including four successive defeats.

Fulham make the daunting trip to Manchester City in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup tonight and Jokanovic acknowledges that his team must improve.

“After the (Bournemouth) game we were talking and he asked me about the situation, about which way we are looking for solution,” the Serbian said of his meeting with Khan.

“He wasn’t satisfied, like me, and our supporters, but for another side this is a long process and the situation is in our hands to reach our target in the end of the season.

“We cannot give up, this is completely absurd after a few games in the Premier League. We must accept all the criticism because we need to be strong enough to understand that negative comments are part of football, we must be brave and push hard to find solution.

“I believe we are strong enough and have enough quality to change the situation, we cannot change it in three days or two games, we must be available to work for many months and trust we have enough power to get our targets.”

Fulham’s early-season struggles after promotion from the Championship follow a summer spending spree in excess of £100million.

The Cottagers have the worst defensive record in the top flight, with 15 of the 28 goals they have conceded coming in the last four games – including a 4-2 defeat at fellow promoted side Cardiff City.

Jokanovic says his team are working on tightening up at the back.

“If you observe the situation we try change some things, we didn’t find a good answer but we know it’s not enough and we aren’t doing a good job, we must push forward, adapt ourselves and be more solid,” he said.

“We try to find solution in different ways, we need to be more calm and understand what is the best way for us to play football.”

Defender Joe Bryan will miss out with a hamstring injury, while midfielder Kevin McDonald is suspended.