Glenn Moore: Fayed struggles to keep the fans happy as quest for home continues

Chairman has polarised Fulham supporters' opinions as they contemplate an uncertain future away from their beloved Craven Cottage

According to the fixture list Fulham are 'at home' to Manchester City today. But Fulham fans know they are not really at home. Today they play at Loftus Road, the home of Queen's Park Rangers. Tomorrow they could be at White City, at Stamford Bridge, in Hounslow, or some yet-to-be identified site in Surrey or Middlesex. What appears likely is that they will never again play at Craven Cottage, their historical, emotional and spiritual home.

The club's announcement earlier this week that they could not afford the planned redevelopment of the Cottage confirmed the fears of many fans. To judge from the response, it has polarised the support.

The most extreme allege that this has always been Mohamed Al Fayed's intention and he will now sell the Cottage, a prime site adjacent to the Thames, for housing and walk away with a profit. Others still have faith in 'Chairman Mo', who rescued the club from the twin threats of bankruptcy and the Conference, and believe he has the club at heart. They feel if the price of staying at the Cottage is saddling the club with a huge debt then it is not worth paying, especially as the club is financially dependent on a man in his 70th year.

There is also a related divide between those who would prefer to see Fulham stay at the Cottage whatever the level, and those who are happy to move if it means staying in the Premiership. This is not just a split between long-serving supporters and the ones wooed by the club's revival. For every fan who writes, on the club website's message board, "Real Fulham fans would rather be playing in the Ryman League at the Cottage than in the Premiership at Loftus Road", there is one who responds: "I have had a gutfull of watching crap football in crap conditions. I loved the Cottage but stuff it if it means going down again." Only Fayed knows the reality.

As even the basic facts about him are disputed (his age and name, he is said to have added the 'Al' and to be four years older than claimed) it is unsurprising that many Fulham fans find it hard to do as the club suggest and "place their trust in him to do what is best in the long-term interests of the club".

Having twice interviewed Fayed, I believe he genuinely enjoys being chairman and, while the reflected glory is clearly a motivation, I am not convinced money is. That said, he is a businessmen and the current economic climate is difficult. He may also, given the team's struggle this season, and his dissatisfaction with some players' value-for-money, be less prepared to underwrite the club.

One fact is uncontested: despite a considerable investment by Fayed, the Cottage, though atmospheric and steeped with tradition, is unfit for Premiership football. If it is impossible to achieve a cost-effective redevelopment (a claim the supporters' group BacktotheCottage.com contest), Fulham must move.

Precedent proves this need not be fatal. Southampton fans were as emotionally attached to The Dell as Fulham to the Cottage. It too seemed an integral part of the club. Few would return there now. The St Mary's ground has been a huge success both in financial and footballing terms. The increased capacity means attendances have doubled and Saints fans are proud of the facilities, of England's recent visit, and of the atmosphere they have created.

New stadia at Middlesbrough, Sunderland, Bolton, Leicester and Derby have brought a similar reaction even if in the latter cases the clubs have subsequently struggled to meet the financial burden. The latest new ground, Hull's Kingston Communications Stadium, attracted 22,319 on Boxing Day.

The difference, though, between all these clubs and Fulham is that they play in one-club cities. While Saints' fans like the fact that St Mary's is even closer to the church which shares its name and gave rise to the club, they would have identified with almost anywhere in the Southampton area. Fulham is a district, not a city. Does anyone seriously imagine Charlton would now be prospering as they are had they not gone back to SE7? Arsenal fans may be attached to Highbury but they are happy with the club's current moving plans as Ashburton Grove is within a goal-kick.

To date the only suggested venue for Fulham which could be regarded as being local is Stamford Bridge and that is not a popular option. Ground-sharing will only work in England if both clubs are equal partners in a new stadium. As Wimbledon are finding, tenancy is the first stage towards extinction.

Wimbledon also faced the London problem: few suitable sites and high prices. If a location could be found, perhaps the two could ground-share at Putney – three of Fulham's previous nine grounds were south of the Thames. More probable is a deal with QPR, whose Loftus Road ground needs updating, if a site within Hammersmith & Fulham cannot be found.

Wherever Fulham go, it is a decision which needs to be made with great care and with the involvement of supporters, many of whom currently feel left in the dark.

Players, managers and chairmen may come and go but, for the most part, a club's ground and support are constants. Change one without the consent of the other and a club will never be the same again.