Jack and Loz at the Cottage - Blog 307

Date: 10th May 2025

Opposition: Everton

Score: 1-3

Fulham goal scorer: Raúl Jimenez

Weather: summery

Atmosphere: disappointed

MOTM: obviously Not Applicable but shout outs to Raúl for the goal, ESR for the assist and Martial Godo for a tantalising glimpse of the future

Lunch: picnic by the river

Drinks: Pinot Reedio by the river in the sunshine.

Dinner: Bua’s Thai

In the last three years, Fulham Football Club’s reputation as a yo-yo club has been replaced by a frustrating habit of fading out early. Our seasons start strongly and end badly. To draw comparisons with other sports, we are the cricket team that suffers a batting collapse, we are a marathon runner who never achieves negatives splits.

This season might have been different. Amazingly, in April, Fulham were battling for a European spot. Incredibly, after Sess’s last minute winner against Southampton we had 8th place in our hands. Surely, with this huge prize in our sights, we would fight to the end to claim it.

Because we are Fulham, and we have been making life hard for ourselves since 1879, last weekend things didn’t go our way and Marco Silva spent the evening after the Villa game taking his mind off football by watching football.

So Everton at the Cottage was a Must Win Game. It was a glorious early summer afternoon. The sky was as blue as our visitor’s kit and the sun shimmered on the river. The music crescendoed, the flame throwers blasted like dragons, the Putney Enders swirled their flags and our battered squad strode out onto the pitch looking proud, brave and determined.

Things started so well. Fulham had the better of the early exchanges. Organised and full of intent, we looked like the higher quality team while Everton were focused on their last hoorah at Goodson next week. There were signs of what people who are paid to write this kind of thing call overplaying the ball around the box and that we call faffing about at the front, but Raúl was looking threatening, Harry was looking lively, Berge was in control and ESR was more involved in the game than usual.

The goal was a fantastic one - which is lucky as it was the single highlight of the match. As we all know already, the enigma who is Emile Smith Rowe can be annoyingly anonymous but sometimes he reminds you that he’s actually one of the most skilful young players around. His assist was one of those aides-mémoire and Raúl didn’t hesitate to take advantage of it.

Of course, a second goal was needed but despite Harry’s best efforts it didn’t arrive and due to naivety, exhaustion, blind optimism and/or ineptitude Fulham allowed Everton a toe-hold in the game, Everton mixed some metaphors and grabbed it with both hands and ended the half by scoring a comedy goal.

All might not have been lost had Fulham come out fighting in the second half but Everton came out fighting instead, scored two quick fire goals then sat behind the ball, dabbled with time wasting, defended competently (especially shots from Harry and Sess), got lucky with VAR and saw the game out. Fulham meanwhile went from bad to worse to point where even people who are paid to write this kind of thing would describe the intricate but ineffectual passing around the Hammy End box as faffing about at the front.

Contrary to some reports, the players aren’t on the beach - they’re knackered and the squad is threadbare. Fulham subs may have scored more goals than any other team’s this season but that was never going to happen on Saturday although it was refreshing to see both Josh and Martial inject some much needed energy into the side when all hope was lost.

And that sums it up. Another season which promised so much delivers nothing new. Yes, there were some great matches (Chelsea away, Liverpool at home, doing the double over excellent Newcastle and Forest teams) and some great Moments (the last minute winner against Brentford, Sess’s goals, beating Man U on penalties) but we’re back where we started - a mid table Premier League team.

But let’s not forget - that’s what we spent the yo-yo years wanting to be.

Random musings: -

- A big factor in the team’s fading form is injuries, the latest victim being Castagne who’s status instantly switched from scapegoat to cult hero when he revealed that he’s been playing through injury for some time. How many others are struggling too?

- In the absence of a set piece coach, the team watched some tik tok videos and copied an idea where you have a corner taker and a er….shadow corner taker who stands next to him and whose only role is to raise one or other arm before the ball is struck. Needless to say, this didn’t work

- It was great to see members of the 1975 FA Cup Final squad at half time. 70% of them were called John which must have been confusing on the pitch

- The Johns were followed by the women’s team who have won the league and promotion in spectacular style. Their fantastic season deserves all the recognition, inspiring a new generation of fans and increasing interest in the women’s game in young and old alike.

- Ivan’s guest in the Riverside was Adama who looked like a (very fast) rabbit in the headlights. He’s a great guy but one of the few failures of the snappily named Marco Silva Home for the Rehabilitation of Footballers Who Have Lost Their Way

- With Marco serving a(nother) ban, Gonçalo was on the touchline. He seems calmer

- We can still beat our record points total and do the double over Brentford.

Inevitably, given recent performances and results, negativity is swirling through the Fanbase. Social media posts begin, “I’m not Silva out but…” People ask, “Has Marco taken us as far as he can?” Marco’s not perfect - his preference for a small, easy-to-manage squad has contributed to the injury crisis and the squad’s exhaustion, and his lack of a Plan B has come back to bite us - but some fans need to be very careful what they wish for.

That doesn’t mean though, that this summer isn’t huge in terms of future requirements. This season, competing for Europe was a by-product of some stunning results from us and some miserable campaigns from others. If it’s going to be a genuine, planned-for goal next season then we need a bigger and better squad. If Marco stays, as we very much hope he will, the room is big to improve in some areas for him too.

In this week’s press conference, the key takeaway wasn’t the assertion that he hadn’t spoken to other clubs and sees his future at Fulham, it was his message to the board - bring me the players I want and I will stay and make them fight for you.

Fulham fans have a long, nervy but potentially exciting summer ahead. Meanwhile, we may not have Europe, we may have players and managers who come and go, but we will always have drinks by the river on sunny Saturday afternoons. We will always have Fulham, and that’s all that really matters.