Olly Greenwood/AFP/Getty ImagesIt's been a dreadful season for Clint Dempsey's Fulham. Can the Cottagers turn things around?

For some managers, the January transfer window can't come soon enough. Take David Moyes and Mark Hughes. I'd wager that the bosses of Everton and Fulham, respectively, will be the most enthusiastic observers of the countdown clock on New Year's Eve. Heck, they might even get a head start by watching the festivities in Australia.

Both clubs are in the middle of borderline train-wreck seasons when so much more was expected of them, especially Everton, after top-12 finishes in 2009-10 -- Everton at No. 8 and Fulham at No. 12. They sit at the bottom of the form table (performances in the past six games): four draws and two losses for the Toffees, three draws and three losses for the Cottagers. Fulham's seven-game winless streak is also tied with Everton for the longest current streak in the league.

Needless to say, Moyes and Hughes are in the market for some help, particularly on the goal-scoring front, but neither one has a City-sized war chest. As Hughes told the media this week, the most pragmatic solution is to acquire a blue-chip loaner for the second half of the season.

Which is why Everton and Fulham are thought to be in a fierce race to sign Landon Donovan in January.

The American winger could help turn around the fortunes of either club. Donovan was a key ingredient at Everton last season, of course, scoring twice in 13 appearances in all competitions during his 2½-month loan spell. Returning to Merseyside would make perfect sense. It'd be a comfortable fit for him, a place where the fans and players would welcome him with open arms.

But from the perspective of a neutral, to say nothing of a supporter of the U.S. men's national team, it'd be much more engaging to watch Donovan join up with Clint Dempsey and Eddie Johnson. Fulham could certainly use Donovan's playmaking ability.

This time last December, Fulham was in ninth place with 26 points and a plus-six goal differential; the team had scored seven more goals and allowed three fewer. Now Fulham is on the precipice of the relegation zone, with 16 points in 17 games. Hughes' men have 10 stalemates from 17 league matches; only Ipswich in 1992 has started a season with as many draws since the inception of the Premier League. Blame Sparky for the stalemates, if you like. Remember, this is the guy who was sacked at Man City after 17 matches for too many draws (eight).

Hughes' misfiring has many Fulham supporters calling for his head. Perhaps they're having flashbacks to the last days of manager Lawrie Sanchez's reign. Indeed, the situation under Hughes has eerie similarities with Sanchez's time at the club, when he was sent packing in December after two league wins in the first five months of the 2007-08 season.

No doubt supporters are also having trouble wrapping their minds around the fact that this is also the same team that Roy Hodgson guided to the Europa Cup final last year, and now can't seem to buy a win. Where once there was decent passing -- enough to dismantle Juventus -- now there are long balls and players looking homeless, as if they're unsure of their responsibilities. Hughes bears responsibility for that.

Paging Martin Jol ... or Martin O'Neil.

Fulham is also woeful away from home. Its past 11 league wins all have come at Craven Cottage, and the team hasn't won away in the league in 26 matches, since Aug. 15, 2009, against Portsmouth. That's tied with West Ham for the longest current streak in the Prem.

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Ross Kinnaird/Getty ImagesLandon Donovan was a success with Everton. But would he entertain the idea of joining Clint Dempsey at Fulham?

On some level, the Cottagers should be counting their blessings that the club isn't propping up the EPL table, as they have scored only 16 goals in 17 league matches. Only West Ham United (15) and Wigan (13) have fewer tallies in league play. No one would have pegged Fulham for going down this season, and the team should stay up, if only because of the poor quality beneath it.

Then again, if West Ham rolls the Allardyce, there could be a revival at Upton Park.

Hughes, meanwhile, has that shoe-gazing look after matches -- you know, the kind that typically precludes a manager being sacked. (Fun drinking game: Do a shot for every time Sparky says "obviously" in an interview to explain away the team's poor play. Fair warning: You'll have a hangover for days. Obviously.)

It also seems, well, obvious that Hughes will put on the charm to court Donovan, if Donovan decides to play abroad again. Although the Cottagers are decent in the back -- nine goals conceded away from home in eight league matches is respectable -- they need to find a way to put more pressure on opposing keepers. Midfielders such as Dickson Etuhu, Danny Murphy and Simon Davies are not going to light up the scoreboard. Andy Johnson hasn't rediscovered his old form since returning from injury, though if he does find his scoring boots, it would be like a new signing for the team. And fellow forward Bobby Zamora, out since September because of injury, isn't set to return until sometime in January or February if all goes to plan.

And nothing at Fulham has gone to plan.

It's folly to think Hughes can replace Zamora's 17 goals in all competitions from last season with a short-term loan deal. Bringing in Donovan is no silver bullet. But he would be a massive boost to the side. With Donovan, Fulham could add bite to an attack that's all bark -- on a good day -- and take some pressure off Dempsey. He's Texas tough, leading the team with five goals, but he can't carry the Cottagers by himself to mid-table safety.

Whether Donovan would want to join the Cottagers over the Toffees, or even entertain another loan deal, remains to be seen. He told the L.A. Times a couple weeks ago that he needed more time to mull a decision.

In the meantime, Hughes will have to hope his players can cope with the glut of fixtures during the festive season. "A lot of games are coming up," he told the press Saturday after yet another draw, a 0-0 stinker against Sunderland. "Things can change very quickly."

Fulham fans better hope so.