It took several weeks for the club to fill the vacancy and after a lot of press speculation, the board offered the position to Frank Osborne, who reluctantly accepted. Osborne, of course, had played for the club with distinction in the Kelso era, and was the first Fulham player to be capped by England.
Financial pressures led to his transfer to Spurs in 1924 but, when his playing days ended at Southampton in 1933, he took up a sales rep's job with Fulham chairman John Dean's company in Putney. It took special dispensation from the FA to allow him to become a director in 1935, which is where he still was at the time of Peart's death.
From 1948 until his retirement in November 1964 at the age of 68, Osborne had some managerial responsibility at the Cottage, either solely or with a team manager, whilst he became general manager or secretary manager.
His was a unique career, matched only in its longevity by his former playing colleague and subsequently trainer, Frank Penn. The two made their debuts within two years of each other (Penn was the earlier) and they retired with in six months of each other (Penn was the later) after a combined stay at Fulham of 82 years.
Although a player of some renown in his day, Osborne was not a track-suited manager. Intensely superstitious and fond of practising his golf swing in his Cottage office, he steered Fulham to the Second Division title in his first season, with the assistance of team manager Eddie Perry.
For the next four seasons, Osborne was the general manager and assumed responsibilities for the team again in 1953 for another couple of years until the next team manager was appointed.
Whilst he was not necessary in charge of team affairs, Osborne was the key figure at the Cottage throughout the post-war period right up to his retirement. Once he left, he never returned, and lived quietly at his Epsom home until his death at the age of 91 in March 1988.