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The past month has been tough. Four losses in five league matches, including conceding the deciding goal in stoppage time on two separate occasions and then chucking away all three points against Everton. At one point we were seventh in the table, two points off fourth. We’re now 12th.
Our downturn in form has caused a downward spiral in the stands. I’ve seen a lot of discourse that effectively boils down to two words: “typical Fulham”. I mean, it’s hard not to look at it that way right? Every year it feels like we graft through the winter fixture congestion, dragging ourselves into pole position for European contention, only to implode once the tulips start to blossom. A year ago today we were eighth in the league, three years ago we were sixth. We know how those seasons ended.
The Everton game two weeks ago was the flash point. Like a grim version of the scene in Ratatouille where the food critic tastes a dish that transports him back to his childhood, when Bernd Leno punched that corner into our own net, we all had that horrible flashback to the turning points in all of our recent seasons. Crystal Palace in the FA Cup, Chelsea at home in the same season, Liverpool in the Carabao Cup semi-final, Chris Kavanagh at Old Trafford. Every season is stamped with a game that we can all look at and go “yep, that’s when it all went wrong”.
But what if the Everton game wasn’t the start of annual descent? What if it was our nadir?
This side has got something. It is by no means perfect; there are quite obvious flaws. But in terms of talent, it’s possibly one of the best we’ve ever had. Scraping past Stoke probably should have been another warning sign, but it’s unfortunately given me hope.
Watching Oscar Bobb grow into that game, bobbing (sorry) and weaving past the Potters, Kevin on the other flank, frankly taking the piss out of Ashley Phillips; it was titillating.
Where I hope the past 30 days don’t define Fulham’s season, I know the next 30 will. Four games against teams in the bottom five and a fifth round tie at home against Championship opposition. This is where Fulham need to make a statement.
This season has been all about runs, chaining results together. No one around us has found consistency in performances nor results. While we went six games unbeaten and flew up the table, Bournemouth went winless in 11 and fell to 15th. They now sit three points above us. Yes, that potentially sounds demoralising, but it’s also motivational - it shows what can be done.
This is why we can’t give up yet. Why can’t this team be different to the ones that let us down before? Yes, maybe we are fallible at the back, light on numbers in midfield, and lack a talisman up top. Those things are all definitely true.
However, we’ve also got one of _the_ most exciting forward lines in the league. Right-backs lie awake at night, panicking about how they will deal with Kevin and Samuel Chukwueze. Left-backs lie awake at night, packing about how they will deal with Harry Wilson and Oscar Bobb. The prospect of being able to watch any combination of those four players is incredibly exciting.
Beyond that though, we’ve got one of the best one-on-one defenders in the league back to fitness in Kenny Tete, we’ve finally got two strikers to choose from, and Harrison Reed is making a late run for the England squad (slight hyperbole). We have some, not all, of the ingredients that we need, but there’s enough there to get me salivating.
Sadly, I think we know that talent isn’t the problem. This team can beat anyone other than Man City. It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, what matters is when we’re playing them. When something is on the line, this team do not thrive. This is Marco Silva’s quandary.
If he can find a way to get this team to stand up when it really counts, then we’re onto something here. Don’t give up on them just yet.