Hodgson seeks financial backing

Hodgson: Targets

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Fulham boss Roy Hodgson says the board must offer financial backing if he is to take the club forward.

Hodgson steered Fulham to safety in his first season in charge at Craven Cottage after joining the club during a troubled spell.

Since then, the Cottagers have become a regular fixture in the top half of the table and could finish as high as seventh place this term.

However, Hodgson believes that to have a realistic chance of challenging for Europe in the not-too-distant future, the club must add to their paper thin squad.

Targets

Asked his targets for the club, Hodgson said: "That is not just a question for me, but also for the chief executive of the club and the owner Mohamed Al Fayed.

"It is up to them to decide. If things go okay this season and we do achieve our goal of stabilising the club and being less relegation prone - which I said was the aim from day one - then we are looking better and it will be up to the chairman to decide where he wants to take the club.

"There is no doubt that to take the club to the next step, it won't be purely down to the coaching and preparation we try and do, it will also be down to recruitment - what players we can bring in to strengthen what is a very fragile squad."

Hodgson admits that so many departures this term has left the club stumped in terms of rotation options in the league and in their FA Cup challenge.

Vacant

"To be fair we have let a lot of players go, but they were players in the long term that I am not sure were ones we would have wanted," he added.

"So the spaces are vacant, they are waiting, but what they are waiting for would have to be a matter for discussion.

"We have to make certain that we get over the finishing line, to make certain we are talking about another season in the Premier League and I am certain that when and if that day comes then there will be that discussion."