Preston 1 Fulham 2
Fulham lie third but surely as it’s alphabetical we should be second behind Bristol City and above Huddersfield. Most of the so-called experts had Huddersfield at the other end and Newcastle who have lost both games at the top. Can we maintain our best start since Jean Tigana’s side stormed the Championship beginning with 11 straight wins? Obviously the squad needs strengthening. We have a group of 18 that needs to be 24 on the basis that you can lose a third through injury, suspension and poor form.
The positives are that Matt Smith with two goals in two matches is proving a reliable replacment for McCormack – who is yet to score for his new club Aston Villa. Our defence is more durable only conceding one championship goal to date. Most of all in Slavisa Jokatovic we have a Head Coach who can deliver success as he did with Watford. His game management is superior to anyone of the six predecessors notably controlling a game once Fulham are ahead with skillful deployment of substitutes. An awful lot of dross have worn the Fulham shirt these last 6 years when each season was worse then the one before but he seems to have shipped this out. Chairman Khan must back him with at least a £20m budget, in reality £6m as £14m was obtained for McCormack.
On Tuesday we go to Leeds, a dysfunctional club that lost to Birmingham who are now under Chinese ownership but the fans get behind Leeds as it was once a great club. Then we entertain Cardiff at home.
Confidence levels must now be high. Matches are looked forward to, there is a spring in the step of supporters going to Craven Cottage, a run without defeat assumes a momentum of its own. Lets get it on!