With the season only one day away, it is time to have an objective look at where FFC are. What can the long suffering Fulham fans expect this coming season? With Ross McC finally sold, the pessimism amongst some fans has already surfaced. How long before some of our fans turn on Slavisa? I don't think that Slavisa will get too much criticism from the average fan, but there will always be that small minority who would moan if we didn't win the Champions League every year. The bigger reality is that the fans will start blaming Khan and the board, but that will be mainly on social media, as for all the rebellious talk our fans don't do protests in the manner of Leeds fans.
So, what can we expect? Slavisa is the man for this club and given the right backing he will take the club forward. In the summer there had to be a clear out, and with 10 or 11 players gone, we should have expected to see a minimum of 12 replacements. So far there has been 7, but, with a month left in the transfer window, expect at least 4 new arrivals. The late arrivals will need time to bed in, so for the start of the season we can expect the current squad to make up team selection. The defence looks much more solid with Madl being clearly a class act, and Kalas guaranteed to be a Premier league star in the future. In front of the defence there is likely to be two holding midfield players and I would expect that to be McDonald and one of Parker or Tunnicliffe. Ayite will give us pace and width, with Cairney and Aluko alternating in the number 10 role although I would expect Aluko to be further forward. The problem lies up front with Smith being a target man at best. Surely it must be time for Woodrow to be given a decent run of games, and the high regard with which he is thought of in the England set up suggests that his day will come. Humphries is one for the future and may get some game time this season. The next week will let us know if we have a new CF in place, so guessing who will be our main striker is a lottery.
In three weeks time we will know where FFC stand with regards to the coming season. A tough 4 opening games means that we will either be fearing another relegation battle, or getting carried away. Newcastle are the favourites and getting this game out of the way nice and early may just be a blessing in disguise. They may not be in their full stride and we may just get a win. Preston away is always difficult and their improvement last term means they will be difficult to beat. Then comes the conundrum that is Leeds. We don't know what we will get, and Gary Monk may have been a Swan through and through, but he could be another Tim Sherwood, who has the passion for his own club but cannot transfer coaching skills to another club. Cardiff at home completes this sequence, and their ambition means they will be tough to beat. Much will depend on these 4 games as far as confidence goes.
Pre-season showed that FFC were preparing for life without Ross McC, and there were many positives to take from those games. At home against a near full strength Palace showed that there is much more organization and shape to the team, so we should not see the amount of goals conceded being anywhere near as high as last year. Goals for may be a bigger problem, however Middlesborough showed last season that you don't need to have the leading scorer to do well in the Championship. I expect Aluko to be the star, and depending on who we sign, expect goals from midfielders. Realistically a mid table finish will be what we should be expecting, but I have a funny feeling that Slavisa will take us to just outside the play-offs.
© Nic Smith
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