Manager Chris Coleman may have all the latest technology needed to analyse football games however he appears to be lacking an up-to-date understanding of customer relations.

To claim that Fulham fans have "a thing" about Andrew Cole is thoughtless to say the least and at worst is an attempt to ignore the problem by shifting the blame to the customer. It should be noted that managers who lose touch with their customers don't tend to last long in the entertainment industry.

Fulham fans like to see a player trying and early in the season the vast majority were pleased and impressed with how Andrew Cole played. However a run of 10 games with one goal, against the backdrop of most of the squad under achieving and the club struggling against relegation, would understandably make paying customers short on forgiveness.

Andrew Cole's performance against Newcastle was arguably his worst of the season, appearing to be behind the pace and generally uninterested. Now there may be a perfectly acceptable reason for his poor performance but the customers cannot be blamed if they are unaware of the reason. The level of abuse Andrew Cole drew was made worse by his substitution being an opportunity for the fans to express their general dissatisfaction with the squads' performance, certain other players would also have received a hostile farewell if they had been chosen as the first sub. Chris Coleman may not like it but if he wants to retain his position even into the medium future he should at least try to give the impression that he respects and values Fulham's fanbase.

As far as Andrew Cole is concerned he should know by now how easily pleased football fans can be. All he has to do is to increase his work rate during games, hopefully score a few goals, and "the thing" Fulham fans will have about him is admiration and adulation.

The Fulham Pundit