OPPOSITION VIEW: FULHAM

With Sunderland recently losing their unbeaten home record and Fulham losing three in a low in the league, both sides will be looking at this game as 'winnable' and hoping for a positive result on Sunday. We spoke to Sam from Fulham Focus to discuss this game, midtable obscurity, and some key Cottagers who may leave in the summer...

So it's a real midtable clash tomorrow, what's been the story of Fulham's season so far?

Win a couple of games and dream of Europe, lose a couple of games and fear relegation. The reality is neither of those will be possibilities come May, and we will happily settle for another season in the Premier League.

So, instead we look for magic moments along the way that will mark this season down as a memorable one. We’ve had some already – the derby wins at home to Brentford and Chelsea, and the stunning goals scored by Harry Wilson, Harrison Reed and Kevin – and hopefully there are a few more still to come before 2025-26 concludes.

Are you happy with this midtable position? Was the aim purely to stay up or were you expecting to push higher up the table?

Football fans always want more but, in truth, midtable is where we’re meant to be right now. Most of the pre-season predictions among the Fulham Focus team placed us between 12th and 15th, and it’s hard to argue with those views with just three months of the campaign remaining.

There could have been an opportunity to kick-on in the summer after another solid showing last term, but the club failed to back Marco Silva in the right positions, instead choosing to pursue their bizarre dream of building a squad full of technically proficient wingers only.

Of course, there’s always the chance the cards could fall kindly and a European spot is nabbed against the odds, but if you’re not ready for it then it could easily backfire down the line; just look at Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace this year. We’re not ready right now… but with this manager, we could be.

Thoughts on manager Marco Silva?

I love him, and immediately fear the end of the relationship whenever certain Premier League clubs lose faith in their managers (cough… Spurs!... cough).

Like all geniuses, he’s not without his flaws. He has a habit of allowing games to drift when changes are clearly required. His prickly nature on the touchline often feeds negatively to his players rather than firing them up. And he occasionally thought Adama Traore was a viable option from the bench.

But his impact on Fulham’s recent history cannot be underplayed, and he’s definitely in the conversation for being the club’s best ever manager. Since storming to the Championship title, he has reinvented his squad and playing style time and time again, squeezing everything out of the players at his disposal. All that’s missing now is a cup or a foray into Europe.

He’s out of contract at the end of the season and his future is a constant talking point. Were he to go, it would be heartbreaking but he would leave with our blessing. The bigger problem is what would happen next because I fear the direction the club may end up taking without him.

Harry Wilson is your top scorer with eight goals, what kind of player is he?

A scorer of great goals rather than a great goalscorer. That said, he is having a wonderful season that very few Fulham supporters saw coming. His performances and stunning strikes have helped elevate him from a Marco Silva bit-part super-sub to the driving force among our forward line.

We’ve been told it’s just a purple patch. We’ve been told he’s a flat track bully. We’ve been told he’s exceeding his numbers at an unsustainable rate. And just as our fanbase are about to concede to those views, like all great magicians, he pulls yet another rabbit out of the hat.

As a player, he’s technically excellent, creative, and brilliant at operating in tight spaces. While he can disappear in matches, he only needs the slightest sight of goal to unleash his wand of a left foot. And as Marc Cucurella found out to his cost, he’s also more than capable of running in behind should defenders get too close.

His contract runs out in the summer, do you think he'll leave and where will he go?

We’d love him to stay if only for his continuing knack of scoring dramatic goals against Brentford. The problem is his form has put him in complete control of negotiations, and reports suggest that his representatives are demanding a deal that would make him one of the best-paid players at the club. There weren’t too many Fulham supporters protesting when he appeared off to Leeds in August, but now we are up in arms at the very thought of losing him on a free.

His performances have certainly made other clubs take notice, and it was casually suggested by Fulham Focus’ very own Cottage Tactico a few weeks ago that Aston Villa would be a good fit for him. Since then, that suggestion has grown into a substantiable transfer rumour. Were Villa to claim a Champions League space then adding Wilson to their squad without having to pay a transfer fee would be a smart move. Like Marco Silva, I hope he’s still with us next season. My gut feeling is he won’t be.

Other than Wilson, who are some of your best players?

A year ago, the immediate answer to that question would have been Antonee Robinson, who was so integral to our play down the left-hand side. Since being rushed back from knee surgery, however, he has looked a shadow of his former self. Whereas before he had a strong claim to being the best left-back in Europe, he’s currently the third-best in our squad.

Instead, Alex Iwobi has become the player who makes us tick. An expert at dropping deep to find space, he can progress us up the pitch and into attacking areas better than anyone. Fellow Nigerian Samuel Chukwueze has shone since arriving on loan despite personal disappointment at AFCON followed by the trauma of losing his mother. Everything he does – both on and off the pitch – is positive, and he is a consistent goal threat. The third of our Super Eagles, Calvin Bassey, hasn’t hit the heights that saw him crowned Player of the Year last season, but he remains an exciting centre-back on the ball, whose pace and power helps to cover for the defensive deficiencies of his partner Joachim Andersen.

On the other side of things, which of our players have caught your eye this season?

Granit Xhaka appears to have taken on Luke O'Nien’s mantel of setting the standards at the football club; all we need now is for him to save a dog from drowning. I heard that he's back in training, but hopefully he won't be thrown back in to start against us.

The rest of Sunderland’s summer recruitment has been equally impressive to an outsider. Nordi Mukiele looks like he’s been a revelation in defence, and not just for FPL players, while Noah Sadiki has caught the eye when crashing box-to-box. The success of a newly-promoted club can often depend on its goalkeeper, and in Robin Roefs Sunderland seem to have found an excellent one. His displays have been a key reason for the club’s defensive over-performance this season.

Are you coming to the match?

Yes, I’ll be travelling to Sunderland with my seven-year-old son. We actually live in Scotland so it’s one of our closer matches. I reminded him of the trip on the walk to school yesterday, and he said, “oh yeah, it’s going to be really noisy at the stadium” so he is at least prepared for what awaits.

It’s my first trip to the Stadium of Light since a rearranged game on a Thursday night 20 years ago. Sunderland were already relegated, hadn’t won a home game all season, and then we pitched up and capitulated, losing 2-1 to a team containing Nyron Nosworthy and Chris Brown.

What's your score prediction and goalscorers?

I feel the first goal is so important in this one; in fact, it could well prove to be the only one of the game. If – and it’s a big if – we are able to stand up to the atmosphere inside the Stadium of Light then maybe we can prevail and bring an end to our losing run.

Raul Jimenez scored the winner in the reverse fixture. He’s only ever scored home and away against the same club for us once in a single season, and that was last year versus Newcastle. Perhaps he thrives in the north-east air. Sunderland 0-1 Fulham (Raul Jimenez 28’).

Finally, for the reverse fixture Fulham Focus predicted Sunderland to finish between 10th and 12th, whilst you guys were expecting to finish lower-mid table. Happy with that prediction?

I believe it was my FF colleague John Clarke who laid down those predictions. We refer to him now as the Oracle after he correctly recalled a random Fulham goalscorer from a game at Torquay in 1971 to win last summer’s close-season quiz. In short, who am I to argue?!