“Risk free” was a strange way to describe Claudio Ranieri’s appointment, especially given Shahid Khan learned the hard way that risk in English football is much greater than the relegation-free NFL, where he also has skin in the game.

The American billionaire owner of Fulham had his words thrown back at him on Wednesday at Craven Cottage via the classic bed-sheet protest banner, and a day later that once risk-free manager was on his way.

“Risk free? Are you watching Tony Khan” was the question posed by disgruntled Fulham fans to Shahid’s son Tony, the youthful vice chairman and director of football operations at the club, although strictly speaking not in charge of managerial appointments.

Like Ranieri once did, Tony answers direct to his father, the Fulham chairman, and that was why the Italian’s sacking and Scott Parker’s promotion was not announced until the afternoon of Thursday. Fulham’s big calls are made on US time, not GMT.

They face Chelsea today with Parker the third manager of the season, ten points from safety at a club where the weather can change quickly. The Khans’ intention was always to tame this unpredictable sport with the prioritising of data analysis in recruitment, Tony Khan’s specialism. As things have turned out, Fulham have been just as prone to the vicissitudes of the game as any other but that does not mean they are in any mood to change.