Turning The Tide: Can New Signings Help Fulham Avoid Relegation?

Some things just haven't changed.

A new year is upon us in the English Premier League and Fulham Football Club finds itself in the same position as last year.

That’s right, again they’re battling against relegation and fighting to stay in the top flight of football in England.

That's not to mention the countless number of Cottagers' fans scratching their heads in confusion over the direction the club is headed.

Of course, all this is sure to happen when you've done as poorly in the transfer market as former Fulham manager Lawrie Sanchez did. Despite spending over £20 million on players in the summer transfer window, it looks as if Fulham will be in a dogfight right until the very end.

The players Sanchez brought in during that transfer window just simply haven't paid off for Fulham.

Diomansy Kamara, the most expensive acquisition from West Bromwich Albion at £6m, still hasn't shown the promise that the hefty fee might have indicated he possessed. Northern Irish internationals Chris Baird (Southampton: £3.02m) and David Healy (Leeds: £1.5m) both have proven inconsistent during their time at Craven Cottage and find themselves struggling to hold down a spot in the Fulham starting 11.

Combining the total wages of the three players mentioned above, we can see that Sanchez invested over £13 million of his transfer budget on players in the second and third tier of English football.  It's no wonder that Fulham finds itself a bottom feeder in the Premier League heading into the stretch run.

With these questionable moves, Sanchez found his team sliding quickly down the table, failing to demonstrate consistency during the months leading up to the most crucial period of the season. After only 17 games as manager at Fulham in the 07-08 EPL season, he found himself clearing out his office at Craven Cottage after resigning from his position on December 21st.

The move was unsurprising taking into account the run of poor results. With fellow Premier League managers facing the heat from their respective clubs in Jose Mourinho (Chelsea), Sammy Lee (Bolton), Martin Jol (Tottenham), Chris Hutchings (Wigan), and Billy Davies (Derby), Sanchez was just another casualty in a highly competitive league.

Consequently, the Fulham board parted ways with the Northern Irish manager and released statements regarding the state of the football club.  "Losing Premiership status is a proposition that simply can't be contemplated," the club said.

It also went on to address the importance of staying in England's top flight of football: "The club is confident that it will find the right replacement to increase its chances of remaining in the Premiership, which is of vital importance.”

With the drama finally unwinding at Craven Cottage, Fulham was quick to appoint a highly respected English manager in Roy Hodgson. Backed with an impressive CV after reigns with Finland, Blackburn Rovers, Internazionale, and Udinese, Hodgson has earned the reputation as one of Europe's most respected managers.

Now, he finds himself facing an upward battle to bring Fulham out of their misery. Given the opportunity to utilize the January transfer window to his advantage, Hodgson hasn't hesitated to bring in reinforcements.

After failing to successfully complete a move for Watford's Marlon King, Hodgson opted to go for Kansas City Wizards striker Eddie Johnson after he was granted a work permit from Home Office. Blessed with an excellent frame and blazing pace, Hodgson will be expecting him to perform well and bring a spark to a Fulham squad that is in need of help up front.

Johnson will be just another addition to a growing list of Americans joining the West London club. Having already played with Kasey Keller, Carlos Bocanegra, Clint Dempsey, and Brian McBride on the American national team, Johnson's transition to England should be almost seamless.

Another welcome addition to Hodgson's squad will be the presence of Finnish veteran Jari Litmanen. Considered by many critics to be Finland's greatest footballer ever, the national captain has worked under Hodgson and brings a world of experience to club.

Fulham supporters will be a bit skeptical about whether Litmanen can avoid the injury troubles that have plagued him for a great part of his career. But if he can stay healthy, there is no doubt that Litmanen's presence both on and off the pitch will have a positive effect on Fulham's bid to stay in the Premiership.

Rounding out Hodgson's wish list is Rangers' striker Daniel Cousin. Rumored to be unhappy with the Scottish lifestyle, the French hitman would be yet another addition to a lackluster striking force that has failed to produce for Fulham this season.

That being said, if the transfer is to go through for Cousin, Fulham would have spent well over £10 million on strikers alone in a season.

It just goes to show that finding the right quality players is more important than the quantity.

Hopefully, from the Cottagers' perspective, Fulham chairman Mohamed Al Fayed will have learned a very expensive lesson, and will never again place an inexperienced Premiership manager (like Lawrie Sanchez) in the position of handling such a large transfer budget.

But luckily for him, there's still time to get it right.

That is, if Hodgson and his new signings can save Fulham from a season in the second tier of English football.