In Appreciation of Fulham 2017-18

Win or lose on Saturday, it will be the end of a team that has had an extraordinary run. If Fulham makes it to the Premier League, new faces will come in and higher caliber teams next season may make things not quite as fun next year (although I feel like Fulham and Villa will play a better match at Wembley than the one today for the FA Cup). If Fulham doesn’t make it to the Premier League then the team will be gutted and our top players, and likely the manager, will head to the Premier League without the club. In that scenario Fulham should come away with a nice wad of cash, but they’ll be starting over. Either way, the end is here for a remarkable and memorable team.

I realized in the Derby match that every one of the starting players have earned my respect and appreciation. So before getting caught up in the inevitable changes that will follow the playoff final, I’d like to take a moment to appreciate the guys on this team and what they’ve accomplished.

• Bettinelli turned things around on defense and probably could have gotten enough additional points for Fulham to get automatic promotion if he’d been able to play all season.
• Fredericks was always a workhorse on the right side sprinting up and down the field (hopefully he finally gets a goal on Saturday).
  
• Odoi has achieved legendary status after that header against Derby.
• Ream regularly shuts down opposition attacks just as they are getting started and his excellent passing out of the back can have a domino effect that leads to scoring chances.
• All we needed from Targett was a left back with a pulse so Sessegnon could stay up top, but he’s done so much more by slipping perfectly into Fulham’s playing style.
• McDonald stepped up into a larger leadership role this year and made critical plays at both ends of the pitch.
• Cairney isn’t scoring like last year, but he’s still great at unlocking defenses and making opportunities.
• Although I’m always terrified he’ll get a red card for an over enthusiastic tackle, I love watching Johansen fly around the pitch and cause trouble with and without the ball.
• When Kamara first got playing time I thought he was too selfish to fit in with Fulham, but over the past few weeks he’s been an inspiration. Kamara has been able to reinvigorate the offense when it seemed drained and he has proven himself to be a team player by motoring back to cover on defense.
• Mitrovic was finally The One who was able to unlock the scoring potential that we all felt Fulham was capable of.
• Sessegnon is a joy to watch. He is an amazing player and a terrific person too. He deserves success and accolades at the highest level of football. That may not come with Fulham but we can always say “We knew him when…”
• Finally, when given the decision making authority he was looking for, Slavisa Jokanovic put together a record-setting run that will have a permanent place in Fulham lore.

Fulham has given us plenty to cheer about this season and it is unfortunate we only get to watch this version one more time. This team has done a lot, but closing out 2017-18 with a Wembley victory would be the perfect end for one of the best Fulham squads ever.

 

Great stuff Micah, that should go on the front page.

Pluses and minuses about returning to the Prem for sure, but the thought of Slava not being the manager is a scary proposition.

 

I agree wholeheartedly with everything my right honourable friend has said here. Barring a complete and utterly shocking collapse at Wembley (which, let's face it, is highly unlikely) this is a Fulham team for the ages. What they've done is nothing short of amazing, given where they were just over five months ago. After the 1-nil loss at Sunderland, we were in 12th, with just 29 points. And, as has been pointed out, we were 17th six months ago after the 1 all draw at home to Derby. We all know what happened after the Sunderland loss. The longest unbeaten streak in club history. You can point to a lot of things, as Micah has so eloquently done, but it comes down to an age old cliche: They came together as a team. And at the end of the day, it IS a team game. They've brought a great deal of joy to a fan base that's been through some lean times since MAF decided to sell, and although other clubs have been through longer and leaner times, this club and their fans truly deserve better. It's been a heckuva ride, but the final chapter is about to be written. This edition has taken the "fulhamish" term and stomped it into the ground. I'm going to enjoy watching them at the big house, will probably lose my voice, and keep them firmly ensconced in my memory banks for a very long time. It will be a little sad to see so many of them for the last time in a Fulham kit, but I'm just going to drink it in, savor it. Pretty sure we'll be able to wear the famous black and white against Villa Saturday, and I'll take great comfort in that. It's only right.

 

Very true. But the writing was on the wall... or should I say, his back.