Jack and Loz at the Cottage - Season Review 2021/22

POSITION: Championes of the Championship!

POINTS: 90

GOALS SCORED: 106

GOALS SCORED BY MITRO: 43

ASSISTS BY HARRY WILSON: 19

GOALS CONCEDED: 43

NUMBER OF CLEAN SHEETS: 18

NUMBER OF PITCH INVASIONS: 2

PLAYERS OF THE SEASON: -

Best Second Division Player Ever: 🔥

Best Newbie: Harry Wilson

Best Loanee: Neco Williams

Best Renaissance: Tim Ream

Missing Him Already: Fabio Carvalho

GOALS OF THE SEASON:

Gold: Mitro #43

Silva: Tom’s emotional thunderbolt against Cardiff

Bronze: Neco’s outstanding volley against Swansea (no medals for the celebration though)

HAT TRICK OF THE SEASON: the one against West Brom because Mitro scored one of them at the Hammy End

BEST 7-0 WIN OF THE SEASON: Luton at home

OUR FAVOURITE GAMES: Preston and Luton at home (obviously) and QPR away

OUR LEAST FAVOURITE GAMES: Reading and Forest at home, and anything featuring Coventry

SOME MOMENTS:-

Good: the goals, the hat tricks, the records, the pitch invasions, winning so many matches, winning promotion, winning the title - so nearly everything in fact!

Bad: Denis leaving, Fabio leaving and Scott Parker’s delusional comments about the team and the Club

Poignant: Denis coming back for the trophy presentation, Tom’s tears and the events after Millwall at home

EMOTION OF THE SEASON: Pride

We ended our Season Review Blog on the hugely disappointing 2020-21 season with the words, “Fulham have fallen before. We will rise again.”

But last May the Club was in a state of uncertainty. Fulham had been in touching distance of Premier League safety when the season fizzled out, and Scott Parker’s relationships with both Tony Khan and Aleksandar Mitrovic had irretrievably broken down.

The loan players departed (a mixed blessing when one of them was the lazy and duplicitous RLC) and, after a naive attempt to play both sides against the other, Parker left the Club for Bournemouth. The door would have hit him in the way out but it didn’t knock any new tactics into him, as Cherries fans were to discover.

Despite our stirring words, the future looked bleak. How would Club recover from its third relegation in recent years? Where would Fulham find the strength and inspiration to rise again?

THE SILVA ANSWER RANG

After being linked with all the usual management suspects, most fans were surprised when an outsider suddenly became the favourite. The official announcement swiftly followed: Marco Silva was returning to England and taking on the Championship.

In what was left of pre-season it became clear that the Fulham board had made an excellent appointment. Right from the start, Marco struck all the right notes. He arrived with an old mate who just happened to be Luis Boa Morte. He made it clear he was a big fan of Mitro. In fact, everything he did, everything he said and, indeed, everything he wore, suggested that he was a very good fit at a club which prizes hard work and family values over naked ambition and success at any cost.

We returned to the Cottage after the long, hard months of lockdown for a friendly against Charlton and it felt like we’d never been away. This was our first look at Marco’s football and at Harry Wilson; we welcomed back Boa and admired the shimmering beauty of the Riverside stand. The match didn’t raise the heart rate but it did raise expectations. The team had a clear plan of attack and an organised defence. We knew even then that Mitro was the key to success. We knew even then that there would be no settling for anything less than the title. We were going to win the league.

THE FACE OF ALL THE WORLD HAS CHANGED

The season began with a 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough. Harry made a Pog-like instant impact and never looked back. A refreshing, new style of football was much in evidence - sustained attack with crosses flung into the box at every opportunity. But we still couldn’t defend a one goal lead, wasted chances and gave the ball away too much. Kenny Tete caught the eye looking polished and unruffled, while on the other wing Antonee Robinson was fast but purposeless. More worryingly, Mitro was huffing and puffing and earned a yellow card rather than a goal. Our tainted hero was starting the season looking ominously burnt out.

The team felt like a work in progress but we’d been saying that for 4 seasons - this one had to be different.

Things improved rapidly with a 5-1 win at Huddersfield featuring Mitro’s first goal. It was a random one but we guessed it would be the first of many. No one could have known just how many.

By the time we won at Millwall, in a match of fast accurate passes and fluid movement, Mitro had reignited but it was Fabio with his skills, trickery and driving runs who was Man of the Match. Neeskens Kebano was superb, showing signs of the Championship Dynamo he would soon become. But there’s always a But - the narrow scoreline belied our dominance but we couldn’t find a third goal and no Fulham fan was surprised when Millwall scored. This was Marco’s first experience of Fulhamishness - anything can go wrong and something almost certainly will.

August concluded with a businesslike win over Hull and a sublime team performance to trounce Stoke. Against Hull, Mitro looked keen and deadly after months of barely smouldering while Seri was reincarnated. Parker didn’t play him in the Championship, Ranieri barely played him in the Premier League. What a difference a manager makes.

SEEING THAT I STAND UNWON

September began with Marco’s first mistake - a bad team selection and worse tactics led to a dismal 1-0 defeat at Blackpool. We bounced back to win 4-1 at Birmingham in a scrappy and bruising game including 2 goals for Mitro, now firing on all cylinders. It was a strange match of unattractive football on a scuffed up pitch. Birmingham used the dark arts but Fulham knew all the counter charms. We were relentless in attack, lethal on the counter, resolute and ruthless.

We crashed back down to earth with a 1-2 loss to Reading in which the only positive was team pet Muniz’s debut and first goal. This match showed that Fulham were already favourites for the title. We had a target on our back and every opponent would run a bit harder and fight a bit longer to beat us. It was a game of misplaced passes with an MIA midfield. We attacked too slowly and were ridiculously erratic with our chances - 25 shots produced 1 goal.

I SEEK NO COPY NOW OF LIFE’S FIRST HALF

After we squeaked out of the cup on penalties, we drew away at Bristol City then put an end to mediocre results by beating Swansea 3-1 in a match featuring Mitro’s first first half hat trick of the season. He had scored 10 goals in 10 games and was already on track for breaking records, but it was a nerve racking game full of reckless defending, poor decision making and, for Swansea’s goal, comical goal keeping. The Triangle of Doom was back in a new, more exotic but more deadly form, O Triangulo do Ruina. Gazzaniga was on his final warning and we found it hard to manage a lively opponent. Fulham had the best team in the league but were dangerously inconsistent.

FORMED OF THE SAND, FIT TO SHIFT AND BREAK

Every now and then we fall apart. Marco cut a wet and forlorn figure as Fulham fell to their worst defeat of the season at Coventry. He said the players were too tired to play only days after the Swansea game but picked most of them to start anyway. The defence flirted with chaos then simply collapsed. Everyone was appalling, especially Gazzaniga who had turned into a liability, and Onomah who had reverted to being statuesque in the wrong way. Our supposedly large and strong squad looked feeble and disparate. There was no way back when we went behind and, like his predecessors, Marco had no plan B. We needed some new ideas and some resilience.

HERE ENDS MY STRIFE

These were impressively delivered after the international break in a 4-1 win over QPR. Marco had learnt from his mistakes and made reparation for them so that when plan A was derailed by injuries Plan B went live. Rodak back in goal was a sight for sore eyes while Seri’s control of the game was a visual delight. When QPR scored the defence didn’t crumble although the performance was far from perfect.

More wins followed including a comprehensive 2-0 defeat of Cardiff and a 4-0 rout away at Forest. Seri was the Eminence Grise against Cardiff - pivotal and untouchable. Our prodigal captain returned and produced one of the moments of the season - in front of his own home end, in the midst of a raging storm with emotions riding high he scored a stunning goal and his weren’t the only tears surreptitiously wiped away.

Mitro’s second hat trick of the season came against West Brom. 18 into 15 shouldn’t go but Mitro was at the white hot top of his game - loving the fans, the responsibility and the attention, not to mention the trust of his manager. Of course, Mitro grabbed the headlines but this was a great all round performance in which West Brom’s errors were forced by the pace and perseverance of the whole team.

Hurricane Fulham hit the Championship at the start of November with our first 7-0 win of the season. Blackburn were in the wrong place at the wrong time and couldn’t deal with a team which was a phenomenon, a freak event. The fact that Mitro scored “only” once said it all. Kebano was the star - it was the best we’ve seen of him in 5 years and he played with adaptability and tenacity as well as his customary panache.

But Fulham were perfect in every department - Harrison Reed’s interceptions, Hector’s tackles, Antonee’s running; Muniz finding his dancing feet. Our short passes were quick, intricate and precise, our long passes were accurate and unstoppable. We were frighteningly clinical. The ruthlessness was refreshing, the work rate, team spirit and exuberance were inspiring.

Bournemouth now lay dead ahead in the path of the hurricane. Fulham’s season had been shimmering with potential but had now exploded into life.

We went on to beat Barnsley 4-1. Kebano shone again having been transformed from impact sub to essential starter. It was an entertaining game with a useful reminder that we weren’t as dominant as we liked to think - the defence suffered a momentary loss of reason for Barnsley’s goal. It felt like these big, easy wins weren’t a true test of the team. Was this season just a warm up and we’d only see their true potential in what happened next?

BETWEEN THE GOOD AND BAD

What actually happened next was a flat line in form leading to a series of unsatisfactory draws. This was linked to a mystery illness which swept around Motspur Park, decimating everyone in its path. We first saw the effects in the lacklustre goalless draw against Derby in which there was no Mitro or TC and the unknown goalie Las was on the bench. Marco could only make 2 subs because everyone else was too ill to play. Tim Ream was statesmanlike, calm and inscrutable while chaos raged around him and whilst we queried Anthony Knockaert’s inclusion in the line up he was agile and pacy. Everyone else was out of sorts, there were lots of wasted chances and no one was sure what to do without Mitro so they just passed the ball around the box a lot.

In the next draw, 1-1 against Preston, having spent half a season insisting that weren’t a One Man Team, in turned out that we actually were a One Man Team and Tim Ream was the man. He scored for the first time since 2017 while Preston’s goal have been disallowed for breaking every rule in the book. The players were still under the weather and there was no link up, lots of wayward passes and some terrifying last ditch defending. We were flaky Fulham and we missed Mitro again, even though he was on the pitch.

LOOKS BACKWARDS ON THE TEDIOUS TIME HE HAD

December began with a tale of two managers - the grudge match which was Fulham v Bournemouth. The encounter featured a taunting rendition of We Are Top of the League from the stands and an exquisite performance from Tom Cairney from the bench. He was creator, provider, dictator, inspirer. Risk averse Scott Parker played for a draw and would use any means to get it including Parkering the bus after Bournemouth’s flukey goal. But he forgot that time wasting at the Cottage always comes back to bite you and the home stands celebrated Tosin’s goal almost as passionately as Tosin himself. The match was a shuddering reminder of a past best forgotten and confirmation that we are now on the right path. As much as anything else, it’s refreshing to have a manger who thinks more about football than his wardrobe.

It was 1-1 again at Luton where Fulham didn’t look like the best team in the league or even the best team on the pitch. We were slow, indecisive and tentative. We gave the ball away far too much even for Christmastime. Marco started moaning about officials which didn’t help and wasn’t classy. We just needed to score more goals, get on with winning the title and remember that sometimes the games you don’t lose are the ones which matter.

This was an even more important lesson after we risked Omicron to watch Fulham lose 1-0 to Sheffield United. There were no mitigating circumstances and no redeeming features. Kebano regressed to his time as an impact sub, Harry to the time when he’d had a bang on the head. The Triangulo featured heavily in United’s goal and the Strong Man and the Samba dancer didn’t link up. The team looked flat and disjointed, there was no flair and no grit. We had lost our way and mislaid our mystique. We arrived at the winter equinox feeling like we were already experiencing the longest night. But we had also reached the midway point in the season and we were still on top. The league was ours to lose.

SHALL I NEVER MISS

After an enforced and extended break due to a series of postponements, Fulham beat Bristol City away in the FA Cup and Reading away in the league. This was our second 7-0 win of the season and it was clear that team and the coaches had used their time away from competition wisely. We went on to beat Bristol again, 6-2 at home and Mitro scored his third hat trick of the season. He looked hungry, menacing and terrifying. He was a pass master and an executive assistant, a playmaker, a generous general and a one man proponent of total football. But it was Kebano’s acute angle goal which was the best of the match. Defensive frailties resulted in 2 Bristol goals but we showed some overdue resilience to come back from a losing position twice.

3 days later we ridiculously won 6-2 again, this time against Birmingham. Mitro didn’t score but he helped others shine, including Fabio who added a sparkling edge to the team’s exploits and scored twice. When we slipped into a higher gear we were unplayable. There was possession with lethal intent, mesmerising intensity on the ball. This was Championship football at its entertaining, unpredictable best and Fulham were scoring goals for fun. But, despite our ever improving goal difference, the defence was coming undone quickly and often. And, of course, they weren’t having to defend against Europe’s most prolific goal scorer - he was back helping them out.

It is worth mentioning 2 stats here: first, we scored 19 goals in 3 games. Secondly, Bournemouth’s goal difference was +20 for the season; ours was +15 for the week.

A gritty 3-2 win away at Stoke followed then a 1-1 draw against Blackpool at home, which will sadly be remembered for reasons other than the result….

A FINE SAD MEMORY

….a sentiment that was carried over to the Millwall game. We won 3-0 but everyone has forgotten the goals and remembers only the tribute to Paul Parish at the end of the match. Inspired by Paul’s incredible family, everyone at Fulham drew together in the days after his death. What followed the final whistle will live as long in the memory as the scenes at Wembley 4 years before. Quietly but purposefully, the players and coaches made their way over to the Hammersmith End, applauding. Led by Tim Ream, they embraced Paul’s family, one by one. Neco Williams, new, young and uncertain stood a little apart but took his turn - and sealed his place as one of us. Last but not least were Luis Boa Morte and Marco Silva.

At the end, Tom raised his arm - part salute, part farewell and, still applauding, the group in black and white turned and walked away.

We have seen Fulham Football Club in all its moods - hopeful, frustrated, struggling, triumphant. But that was something else.

Later that week we won away at Hull then came down to earth with a bump with a loss to Huddersfield at home. The team that has been making life hard for themselves since 1879 had to make winning the title difficult. Our passes went awry, build up was slow and directionless. Mitro being on the cusp of breaking a record was becoming a problem as his teammates were more eager to create a goal for him than they were to win the match.

FIRE IS BRIGHT, LET TEMPLE BURN, OR FLAX

Mitro set fire to the Championship goal scoring record against Peterborough and it was like a weight had lifted from his shoulders. But it was Seri who ran the show, dictating pace and patterns of play. His exquisite first touch and expert reading of the game meant he could put the ball on a Silva platter for his teammates.

Three wins followed. First a smash and grab in Cardiff then a routine win against Blackburn in which Fulham showed you can’t win ‘em all in style. We had become adept at dealing with stubborn defences, at applying patience to a problem. Kebano’s and Wilson’s goals came from a combination of team effort and individual skill. After that we went to Swansea and demolished them 5-1. We were no longer just contenders, we were the Champions elect.

NOT COLD - BUT VERY POOR INSTEAD

It was now March and, in the 1-1 draw with Barnsley, the defence veered from dangerously casual to full on Triangulo do Ruina. There was no pressing from Seri and Reed in midfield and everyone was wasteful up front. Harry scored a great goal but missed an easier one while Tim Ream was left battered and bleeding.

The players looked jaded and sluggish against Barnsley but by the time they played West Brom they were running on empty. This was the team’s 4th game in 11 days and it showed in every tired pass, every wasted corner and every defensive mistake. Despite that, Marco’s sub policy was sub par and we slid to exhausted defeat.

MY FOOT’S GLEE

But Silvaware awaited and after an 18 day break we enjoyed an easy win at QPR. Ream and Reed were fantastic but it was Mitro who excelled, adding 2 more goals to his total. His penalties have gone from gambles to certainties and he was challenging the all time second division record.

Middlesbrough away felt like a crucial match and so it proved. It punished the players both physically and mentally as they scrapped to a 1-0 win in appalling conditions against a formidable opponent. After so many victories, this was the first time the team was taken to its limits and passed the test. We saw the Fulham Press - Chalobah threw himself around while Harrison harried and hounded. We saw the team’s true mettle as they refused to settle for a draw. The defence was last ditch but didn’t lose discipline. And as the rain lashed down, Mitro leapt above everyone else to secure the points and score #38, one of his very best. This was a victory which defined what the team was about and showed why they would be champions.

WERE MOST IMPOSSIBLE FAILURE

The run-in went off the rails for a while with a 1-3 loss at home to Coventry, followed by a 2-1 loss away at Derby. The Coventry game was only slightly less bad than the last time we played them, and only because it wasn’t raining. It was Tim Ream’s 250th game for the Club. There were mistakes from everyone including him and especially from Rodak. Not only was our decision making bad but the execution of those bad decisions was poor too. For some reason, Coventry had found us out but the lesson is that we need to react better to being 2-0 down at half time because next season its going to happen a lot.

DID I SEE ALL THE GLORY AS I DREAMED?

The Silva lining from these defeats is that promotion happened at home under the lights in a resounding 3-0 win over Preston. Joe Bryan, always a good bet on a promotion night, was tough, agile and intelligent, Rodak made some great saves and Reed put in a classic CDM performance. The Silva medal was secured, and the title was in our sights. We invaded the pitch in the shadows of the best stand in the country which is about to grace the best league in the world.

A 1-1 draw at Bournemouth left everyone frustrated and Marco Silva so furious he literally saw red. The title was still so near yet so far when we lost at home to Forest. The players looked tired and emotional after their promotion celebrations and their play was nervy and indecisive. Ultimately it didn’t matter but we conceded a very poor goal and when we went behind there was no Plan B again.

Things didn’t go quite down to the wire and we secured the league in spectacular style with our third 7-0 victory of the season, this time over hapless Luton. On an incredible night, Tom scored the team’s 100th goal of the season, Seri scored his first and Mitro scored his 43rd. In the stands, the atmosphere was amazing - we didn’t stop swirling our scarves or singing all night. On the pitch, the match was like an exuberant exhibition with no weak links and no sitting back. Yes this is a team full of flair and finesse but behind it lies hard graft, team spirit and clever coaching.

The less said about the last match of the season the better, but we now know what happens when professional athletes party too hard, even if those parties are fully deserved.

Now the black and white streamers have settled and the cheers have died away, we can look back on what has been a truly incredible season. Seeing goal after goal after goal; watching Mitro score so many times you lost count; singing We Are Top of the League for over half season; knowing this was a special team with a special manager; feeling a connection with the players and a sense of belonging to the Club; loving being back at our second home; winning our first title for 20 years.

It was a season full of passion, thrills, grit and glory. Everyone contributed but there were three men without whom Fulham’s success would not have been possible.

THE SILVA ITERANCE

When Marco Silva met Fulham Football Club they had things in common - a point to prove and a shared destination. They both wanted to get back to the Premier League. Although Marco’s appointment was a surprise, it made perfect sense. An ambitious, experienced manager was offered the best team in the Championship (not to mention the best ground and the best fans) and given a realistic target. What we didn’t know was whether this would be a short term marriage of convenience, or something deeper.

While the season started well, it was at Millwall in September that we grasped what sort of journey we were on. The improvement in the players after 5 weeks of coaching from Marco and his colleagues was astronomical. It wasn’t just a revolution in style - the speed and quality of attacks, it was the fact the players looked so happy and united. They were playing football like its meant to be played, like its fun.

Marco got Mitro playing the best football of his life. He improved Kebano immeasurably, he rejuvenated Seri and brought us the stellar services of Harry and Neco. He took Fulham to the top of the league and kept us there, almost unassailable.

Of course, there were missteps and calculated risks which weren’t calculated carefully enough. He didn’t know Fulham and he didn’t know the Championship and sometimes it showed. He seemed to think we would win at Blackpool just because we were the better team; but the players were tired and struggling and the league is totally unpredictable.

The refusal to get to grips with rotation was a recurring theme and a continuing cause of dropped points. Even by March, just before the loss to West Brom, he didn’t seem to get it: “Nothing surprises me in this competition as it’s really tough,” he said. Wise words but he shouldn’t therefore have been surprised that after an arduous run of games, half his squad were knackered.

Amongst the stupendous victories were others which concealed the problems with the defence (Swansea at home, both 6-2 wins), and there were times when you didn’t know what you were going to get (Reading at home, Barnsley away). The team was too inconsistent for us to feel comfortable with anything less than a 3 goal lead in a match and a 6 point gap at top of the table.

Plan B clicked seamlessly into place against QPR then disappeared for most of the season. The defence often felt insecure and once we went behind we may as well have gone home. Team selections were sometimes random (Coventry away) and substitutions often so. We understand that, especially towards the end, Marco was testing the players for their commitment and fitness for what lies ahead but the season was harder than it should have been; we are being really harsh here, but we should have won the league by more than 2 points.

But enough of the criticism. Marco quickly discovered the ways of our quirky club (“We are Fulham and this is how we like to play”) and he worked hard and learnt fast. He took players who were available to his predecessors and Silva polished and repurposed them. He added the cultured danger of Wilson and the raw talent of Muniz and created a team of lethal power that he kept playing at a furious intensity for (almost) as long as they needed to.

Is he a genius, as the song suggests? We’re not sure. He’s passed his first test in flamboyant style but the real challenges await. We have no doubt that he’s prepared a shopping list for the summer sales and he’s made us excited rather than fearful about what next season might bring. We like his charming accent and his monochrome wardrobe, not to mention his energy on the touchline and his honesty to the press.

Understated but never under appreciated and definitely never at a loss for words, Marco Silva has brought more than just stylish football to Fulham. He’s given us something as elusive as quicksilva - an identity.

We hope this season is only the start of a special relationship. Marco Silva and Fulham Football Club are a match made in heaven.

AND LOVE IS FIRE

How did he do it? How did he score 43 goals in a season? It felt unbelievable while it was happening and it’s still unbelievable now. 43 goals - 23 with his right foot, 7 with his left, 12 with his head (and one with some unidentifiable body part) none of them hit from more than 15 yards out. Of course, it’s all about technique, and instinct, and skill honed over years of practise. Of course, it helps when you’ve got Harry Wilson and Neeskens Kebano to feed you the ball.

But it’s not just that. It’s confidence and consistency. Once Mitro started scoring, he couldn’t stop. If there were 20 minutes in a game without a Mitro goal you felt short changed. “People just want more and more,” as his song says. And let’s not forget he came back from a season in the Wilderness to do it. He didn’t just break records with talent and flair, he did it with resilience and tenacity, and the self-belief to rise above doubts and calumny.

Mitro’s always been a prolific scorer (when a manager has allowed him to be) but this season eclipsed all others. And he wasn’t just scoring goals. Every match we saw some new skill or quality; he was firing in crosses, creating opportunities, helping out the defence. And that went both ways - his teammates pushed and supported him all the way.

The other big difference this season was Mitro’s fitness - he looked trimmer and faster as well as more alert. He was working harder on the pitch, and no doubt off it as well. It’s obvious he’s popular with his teammates, and that’s not surprising given how generous he is - a more selfish striker could have scored more than 43. And he’s a fan favourite too. How could he not be when you went to a match knowing that it was usually a question of when, not if, he would score?

Opponents felt that too - they weren’t just terrified, they had nightmares. He was uncontainable and unstoppable; simply too good for most Championship defenders.

Which brings us to the next question. Will Mitro succeed in the Premier League next season? Our answer is yes. In this team, with this manager, he can better the (fairly impressive) 11 goals he scored 3 years ago. He’s in the prime of his career and the form of his life. He’s ready to make his mark on the Premier League, to prove the doubters wrong.

He picked up some yellow cards, but not many. These days, he may be on fire but he’s not a hot head. This was the season Mitro came of age. “Everyone in Serbia knows what Fulham means to me,” he said, and hopefully he knows what he means to Fulham.

I HAVE GROWN SERENE AND STRONG

The third member of our Triumvirate of Glory is Tim Ream.

Fans have speculated whether Tim is so Fulham through and through that he bleeds black and white. Sadly, this proved not to be the case as he dripped disappointingly red blood onto the pitch with alarming frequency.

Beyond this willingness to put his neck/nose/forehead on the line, Tim got on with the job of organising the defence calmly and efficiently. After a solid start to the season, he came into his own with his majestic performance against Derby and kicked on from there – alert, decisive and brave. Yes, there were mistakes but the reason these stood out was because there were so few.

There are leaders and those who lead. During Tom Cairney’s long sick leave Tim became captain on and off the pitch. His no nonsense attitude during matches extended to dealing with boisterous fans on twitter but he could be funny, thoughtful, dignified and self-effacing on social and actual media too.

250 appearances in these fickle times is a remarkable achievement. Tim will be at the Club for at least one more season, news which he confirmed in a tweet describing Fulham as “home.”

NOR LIFT MY HAND SERENELY IN THE SUNSHINE

Fulham have often suffered from a surfeit of good goalies and this season was no exception. We are big fans of Marek Rodak and overall he was excellent, our Man of the Match against a dynamic West Brom side and often the sole force behind a clean sheet (Preston at home, QPR away). His distribution was usually good, against Bristol City it was perfect.

Gazzaniga meanwhile was an experienced pair of hands and, for a while, a stylish top knot. He is a great shot stopper but his distribution was erratic (and isn’t that the easy part of the job? The bit where you’re proactive?)

But they both made mistakes - Gazzaniga, fatally at Coventry, and Rodak more cumulatively as the season wore on (Sheffield United, Coventry and Forest at home). We aren’t going to dwell on these because we appreciate goalkeeping is a tough gig but we’re guessing there might be a replacement on that shopping list we mentioned.

AND FEEL SAFE AS GUARDED BY A CHARM

Next to Tim Ream in the heart of the defence was, more often than not, Tosin, a man head and shoulders above most Championship defenders. Our Man of the Match at Birmingham, the scorer against Bournemouth, Tosin was (nearly) always assured and in control. Occasionally he was replaced by our old favourite Michael Hector who always acquitted himself well. But what was notable about Hector, once a star of the team, was that he looked rustic and clumsy - the anchor had become the weak link because everyone around him had improved.

One thing Ream, Hector and Tosin all had in common was the ability and awareness to play long diagonal passes to the forwards which were simply outstanding.

At Fullback we were spoiled for choice. On the right, the cool and classy Kenny Tete competed with the thinking fan’s coffee drinker Denis Odoi and then the precocious talent of Neco Williams. Kenny was brilliant against Luton but Neco had already showed his quality with his goals and his assists - his pass to Mitro on his home debut was so good that Mitro barely had to move to put the ball in the net.

On the left, Antonee Robinson divided his critics but did more right than wrong while Joe Bryan, with fewer chances to shine, received more sympathetic reviews. This may be a debate which rumbles on. It depends what’s on the shopping list.

THOU HADST THE POWER AND OWNST THE GRACE

The other players weren’t just Mitro’s supporting cast and this is particularly true of the midfield who chipped in with goals (in both senses).

Whilst we were expecting Josh Onomah to thrive in the brutal battleground of the Championship he was dropped in favour of Nathaniel Chalobah who had a season best described as “mixed”. Both, however, were bit part players when Harrison Reed, popularly known as the Inexhaustible Scooter in Italy and Jean-Michael Seri were on form. Unfortunately, Seri and Reed couldn’t seem to play together. We’re looking forward to watching Harrison harry the Premier League and we’re sad to say goodbye to Seri who seemed, late on in his time with us, to have found requited love.

We’ve already mentioned Tom Cairney’s tear-jerking goal against Cardiff but when he was fit he was brilliant and Marco used that fitness and brilliance well. From his gossamer goal against Birmingham to his magical strike for #100 Tom brought a dose of lethal skill and a touch of grace whenever he played.

There is no need to dwell on Fabio Carvalho and his scintillating skill. Fab was with us for too short a time and whilst we wish him well, we can’t help thinking about what might have been.

UNTIL THE LENGTHENING WINGS BREAK INTO FIRE

There were revelations on both wings with the arrival of Harry Wilson and the reinvention of Neeskens Kebano. Harry is fast, skilful and creative, full of razor sharp trickery. We love his signature move - the sprint to the bye line and reverse sweep of the ball, and in all our praise of Mitro let’s not forget that 19 assists (and 10 goals) is also an incredible achievement.

Kebano was lively and nimble; foxtrotting on the ball, mesmerising defenders and thrilling the crowd.

Finally, we have to mention Ivan Cavaleiro, the Forgotten Winger, who won Cameo of the Season for his performance off the bench against Huddersfield, such was his sharp, decisive play and his clever interactions.

STRIKE UP AND STRIKE OFF THE GENERAL WAR

Because Fulham had the best striker in the world, no one else got much of a chance up front. Muniz was energetic, enthusiastic and endearing but very green and we were hoping to see more of Jay Stansfield than we did.

We’re including Bobby Decordova-Reid in this section because weren’t sure where to put him. A bit like Marco at times. But Bobby had a really good season. When Mitro wasn’t scoring, Bobby often was; in the chaos of Coventry at home, Bobby was the only player to show any composure in front of goal.

BETWIXT THE STARS AND UNACCOMPLISHED FATE

At the time of writing, there have been no arrivals but they’re desperately needed. We have to attack this Premier League campaign; to play it our own way. We cannot constantly be the plucky underdogs, we have to compete and thrive.

We do believe it will be third time lucky with a better manager, better organisation behind the scenes (while Tony Khan remains Director of Football this seems to be a titular role only) and more experience in most positions.

Marco, like Fulham, has unfinished business in the Premier League. This could be his, and our, last chance for a long time. We know he’s a risk taker - could that be a mixed blessing next season? It’s also worth noting that he seems to have persuaded Fabio to play for Portugal but not to sign for Fulham - the worst of all worlds for English fans. And talking about missed shances is going to sound a lot less charming if we’ve just lost to Brentford.

But we believe that Marco will get the players he wants - like Harry last summer - and that those players will be the ones we need. We think he will keep us in the Premier League. Next season will be incredibly tough, but Fulham will be ready.

VERY WHITELY STILL

What a season - exciting from start to finish and always with that sense of anticipation that we were going to achieve our destiny. It’s a very different experience going up automatically than via the play-offs and not necessarily a less stressful one. Suffice to say, we hope we’re not in contention to win another league title for a very long time.

It wasn’t always easy or enjoyable. It’s tough at the top; when you’re out front on your own there’s nowhere to hide. But we won the race and got our rewards - promotion, and two of the best nights ever at Craven Cottage. Off the pitch, the Club has truly felt like a family, a feeling we must try to retain with tougher times ahead.

Fulham are back in the Premier League, where we belong. We wanted Silva, we struck gold and there could be many golden years to come.

Bloggers note: the sub headings are taken from Sonnets From the Portuguese by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. Apart from the obvious connection, the poems are about passionate, enduring love.