ONE glance at Slavisa Jokanovic's CV and it is obvious why Fulham went for the former Yugoslavia hardman to stop the rot.
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| Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic following the 1-0 home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday |
Defeat in his first game in charge against play-off chasing Sheffield Wednesday meant Fulham slipped to 19th in the table, just six points above the relegation zone. It was their 10th loss of the season.
At Watford last season, Jokanovic got the best out of strikers Troy Deeney and Odion Ighalo while instilling a competitive streak and fighting spirit that is so sorely lacking at Craven Cottage right now.
A disagreement over a new contract saw him leave Watford in the summer and he was soon appointed as manager at Israeli club Maccabi Tel Aviv, where he led them into the group stages of the Champions League for the first time in 11 years.
Yet while his star was rising, Fulham's was sinking. Kit Symons was sacked in November with the club in 12th, and the decline continued as the search for his replacement dragged on.
Finally they called on Jokanovic, stumped up compensation of £367,000 to secure his services, and his return to the Championship was confirmed.
His priority is to address their defensive problems. Fulham have conceded an eye-watering 43 goals this season - only Rotherham and Bristol City have leaked more - but they are also the top scorers in the division with 40.
Jokanovic, a tough defensive midfielder for the former Yugoslavia, Tenerife and Chelsea during his playing days, described it as "crazy numbers". "It is finding the correct balance between attack and defence," he added.
"This team does need some fresh blood and we are thinking about some players who can help us in the future.
"I am not thinking about selling my key players like McCormack or Moussa Dembele. This is not my plans. I try to stay with my more important players. They are good players, I have only been working with them for two days but I expect both can offer more things than they did against Sheffield Wednesday.
"Listen, I am the new person in the city. We make our first step against Sheffield but we can't be happy with the first step we made. I believe this team has quality, this team can play better football than we do now."
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| Jokanovic left out Cauley Woodrow in the defeat to Sheffield Wednesday |
Jakanovic also displayed his ruthless side for his first team selection as he left out Cauley Woodrow, who had scored two goals in last Tuesday's 4-1 victory against Rotherham.
Asked if it was a tough decision to make, he responded: "No. I am the manager. I always have a reason and that's it."
Sheffield Wednesday have proved a nuisance for Jokanovic. They scored a late equaliser in the final game of last season against his Watford side to deny them the title, and on Saturday they upset his Craven Cottage welcome party.
Flying high under their manager Carlos Carvalhal, they fully deserved their victory and are seventh in the table, just two points off the play-offs. A stunning first-half 30-yard strike from Ross Wallace proved decisive and it was a goal that delighted their Portuguese manager.
"Earlier in the week, I joked with Ross that he never scores goals like this," Carvalhal said. "I said he did it for Celtic 25 years ago but why not for us?
"Of course I was joking, it was not 25 years and I didn't make him score, but it was a nice coincidence."
The two sides will meet again next Saturday in the FA Cup at Hillsborough, an early chance for Jokanovic to claim some sort of revenge.
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