So the month ahead is crucial for Coleman, with any managerial change, should it happen, likely to take place ahead of January's transfer window.
Saturday's visit to Carrow Road has already been described as "a massive game" by the Fulham manager. A home victory would allow Norwich, tipped by many as favourites for relegation, to leap-frog above Fulham, who then face United and Arsenal in two of their next three fixtures. As such it is difficult to see Coleman's position becoming more secure over the coming weeks, though it is worth recalling the faith Fayed showed in the Welshman when he appointed him as Jean Tigana's successor in May last year.
Fayed's thoughts on Coleman's position might also be tempered by the outcome of his recent travails in the High Court. The Harrods owner has lost two cases within the space of a month, one against the Metropolitan Police and the other against Tigana, at a total cost of around £ 7million. Providing a new manager with the salary and transfer funds to make the role attractive would necessitate more expenditure.
Yet financial backing will also be imperative for Coleman if he does remain at the helm. Fulham's squad are painfully thin, so much so that players have little fear of being dropped, as illustrated by the manager's thoughts on tonight's team selection. "I would love to have gone bang and left six out and brought six new faces in but we can't do that - we have still got too many players out," he said.
Injuries have certainly not helped Fulham's cause. Lee Clark and Jerome Bonnissel have yet to play this season, while Claus Jensen, who arrived from Charlton in the summer, has been plagued by problems and is still nursing a damaged hamstring. Ian Pearce and Sylvain Legwinski have also made limited appearances.
However, the treatment room should not be used as an excuse for performances as abject as that which Fulham's supporters were forced to endure against Blackburn on Saturday.
Playing a 4-5-1 formation at home to a side who were bottom of the league and without an away win smacked of negativity. It is a system that brought rewards last season, though for much of that campaign Louis Saha was charged with leading the line. Andy Cole is a totally different player to the Frenchman, and much of his career has been spent feeding off the industry and understanding of a partner.
Yet in Tomasz Radzinski and Brian McBride, Coleman has the players capable of supporting the former England international in attack. Coleman has urged his players to be brave and courageous, but he might benefit from showing similar qualities in his team selection against Chelsea tonight and at Norwich on Saturday.
