Fulham

Drew Heatley
Fan writer

Which player is flying?: Ryan Sessegnon has been brilliant covering for Antonee Robinson at left-back. He has kept that attacking impetus on the left while stepping up the defensive side of his game.

Which player is floundering?: Calvin Bassey was our player of the season in 2024-25 but has found it tougher this time round, making a few high-profile errors that have cost us points.

Tactically I think we... need a plan B. Our success is dependent on the mix of our central midfield three. Josh King has been great in the 10, but our double pivot of Sander Berge and Sasa Lukic is too defensive and strips us of any creativity.

I want my manager to give me more... of Jonah Kusi-Asare because Marco Silva insists on only playing 35-year-old Raul Jimenez up top, and he is knackered. With Rodrigo Muniz out until at least February, Silva needs to forgo his misgivings about our young on-loan striker's inexperience and put him in the mix.

Our fans seem obsessed with... Silva's future. It is understandable as his deal runs out in the summer. We know Shahid Khan travelled to London last week to discuss Marco's future, but whether it came in the form of a warning over results or a plea to ink a new contract remains to be seen.

But they should be thinking about... how many points we can get before Christmas. Most of our points this season have come at Craven Cottage, and four out of our six games pre-Christmas are at home. We must use them to pull away from the pack.

My expectations for the season were... a top-half finish but are now (upper) bottom half. A strong start is essential for clubs like us if we want to make an impact. Our ambitions will have to be scaled back now, though we are still in the Carabao Cup.

Score for the season so far: 4/10.

One sentence on how you're feeling right now: We must do better, or risk undoing the progress made in the past three seasons.

Find more from Drew Heatley at Fulhamish, external

Harry Wilson's 13 goal contributions for ales in that time consists of nine goals and four assists.

It is comfortably more than any other player with Tottenham's Brennan Johnson next with seven.

Over the past week, we have been asking you to send in the best Premier League XI your club could have put together.

We know football existed before 1992 but as a Leeds United fan asked our experts on the club to name theirs - using the Ask Me Anything form on the Whites - we stuck with their parameters.

Here's BBC Sport's Fulham fan writer Drew's effort.

And you can ask us about the Cottagers using the Fulham Ask Me Anything form at the top of this page or here

Find more from Drew Heatley at Fulhamish, external

Image source, Getty Images

Fulham forward Harry Wilson is set to captain Wales for the first time in the country's final World Cup qualifier against North Macedonia on Tuesday night and ex-Wales striker Robert Earnshaw believes it is "perfect timing" for him to step up.

Regular captains Aaron Ramsey and Ben Davies are injured, while Ethan Ampadu - who led Wales in their 1-0 win against Liechtenstein - is suspended.

"Harry Wilson has become a key player for Wales over the last couple of years," Earnshaw explained on BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast. "Firstly, he has grown into a goalscorer. Secondly, he is regularly playing in the Premier League at Fulham.

"He has found a team where he isn't going out on loan all the time, a team that appreciates him. Also, with Gareth Bale retiring and Aaron Ramsey in and out of the team, he has grown into a leader.

"Captaining the team against North Macedonia is going to be great for him, it is a great responsibility.

"In some ways, he has already been taking up a level of responsibility at international level anyway. Whether you look at this World Cup qualifying campaign or the last one, he has always been a key man.

"He has really grown into a top player so I think it is perfect timing for him to step up. I'm really looking forward to seeing him do it."

Listen to the full podcast on BBC Sounds

We have, roughly, run the numbers and here is the XI your submissions have produced.

There's a distinctly mid-2000s flavour to this Fulham side, perhaps not a surprise given the perennial success of that side under first Jean Tigana and then Chris Coleman and Roy Hodgson.

Back Aleksandr Mitrovic and Louis Saha to score a bucketful of goals while current wing-back Antonee Robinson will bring pace and athleticism to the ever-reliable defence from that era.

We reckon this side would have plenty of fun in the Premier League.

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

The statistics might say playing at home is an advantage - but what happens when it is not?

So far this season, 53% of Premier League matches have been won by the home team - the highest ever rate in a single campaign.

On the flip side, just 26% have been won by the away team - the lowest rate since 2010-11.

However, this has not been the case for all teams.

For some, being on the road has been more favourable. Tottenham are perhaps the most contrasting example having the joint-most points away from home with 13, but the second-worst in front of their own fans with just five points.

In the second part of her chat with BBC Sport, performance psychologist Marie Cartwright explained: "With crowds when playing away from home, there is a reduced scrutiny as a whole for away teams in that those crowds expect the home team to be the ones in charge. The players feel less judged. The pressure is on the other side.

"Another reason could come down to something in psychology I like to call simplification of the task. The team has a better collective identity when they are away.

"The human brain still goes back to the cavemen days. We have to, as a collective, fight for something. We have to protect our name. It goes back to that hunter-gatherer-against-danger mentality.

"When players are in front of a home crowd, there can be a bit of playing up to the individuality.

"I really do believe that collective identity has a strong enough influence because it amplifies the purpose and the belonging - let's belong together, let's be stronger together."

The focus might be on the players' performances being impacted by being home or away, but what about the managers?

Wolves, West Ham and Nottingham Forest make up three of the bottom four for their home records so far this term, and all have changed their manager in recent weeks.

"100% managers and coaches can be affected, and sometimes even more so because there is so much riding on that one person," Cartwright said.

"The decision-making is the main thing. The crowd is chanting - 'take this player off, do this' - and it can lead to rushed decisions, particularly when the noise becomes relentless.

"Then there is the emotional regulation and touchline behaviour. A manager is pacing up and down, mirroring the stress state, and players see that. It can lead to mimicking and players feeling that stress too."

The impact on teams psychologically playing home or away is apparent, so how can they make the most from these different conditions?

"Our brains are wired to think negatively - it's a protection mechanism," Cartwright said.

"So when it comes to performing home and away, those players and managers who deal with it best are those who know how to use the noise and scrutiny and move on quickly from it - an ability to have a reset routine and regulate their emotions in these pressurised situations."

Read more from Marie in part one of her chat around the impact of playing at home here

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Image source, Getty Images

"Home advantage gives you an advantage."

It is a quote - among many - attributed to the famous former England manager Sir Bobby Robson - a simple, yet fair reflection of a historical format of football.

For as long as teams have played in leagues, games taking place home and away has been the norm, with the idea that playing at home will be to the benefit of that team.

But what is the impact of playing at your own ground in front of your own fans?

In the first part of her chat with BBC Sport, performance psychologist Marie Cartwright explained: "Home impact can be viewed in two ways. Sometimes it does have a positive impact, and what happens is there is an elevated motivation.

"What that means is the crowd energy increases adrenaline and that creates a momentum in effort and intensity in the players. It is also a familiar environment for the players, so that means it reduces the cognitive load. They don't have to think as much about anything else other than their play because they know the pitch, they know the routines, they feel settled.

"However, there are a couple of potential negative impacts as well, with the potential intensification in pressure in the home fans, most times, expecting dominance from the home team. That can lead to mistakes from players feeling bigger to them.

"There can then be what we call a threat state. The players might perceive consequences as high, so they feel they might be facing more criticism when they are at home."

While those who watch football know there are more factors than just where the match is being to take into consideration, the statistics do suggest the influence is there.

Since the Premier League started, the home win percentage has outweighed the away win percentage in all bar one season - the Covid-hit 2020-21 campaign in which fans were largely not allowed admission saw a 38% home win rate compared to 40% away win rate.

So how a team handles this additional crowd pressure seems to be a key factor.

"In psychology, there is something called the challenge and threat theory," Cartwright said.

"In reality what that means is a 'challenge state' can push the player into thinking, 'I've got this, I've got the resources to cope with this'. That leads to better decision making and quicker reactions.

"The threat state, on the other hand, players might think the consequences outweigh their ability to cope. In any match context, that can mean they have a narrow sense of focus, the focus is not quite the same, so the play becomes slower because of overthinking."

"It can also be called 'red brain or blue brain' - with red brain being the one with fear-based dialogue and internal negative self-talk, while blue brain is the cool, calm and collected one that can handle its emotions.

"What sits in the middle of these is distraction. How a player responds to distraction and filters out the noise, like the crowd, can impact which of these mindsets they move into and ultimately how the team performs."

Read more from Marie in part two of her chat about why teams some teams play better away from home and how it impacts managers - that will be on this page early next week.

Image source, Getty Images

Here's another clutch of selections for your best Premier League XI.

See what you make of them.

Omari: 4-2-3-1. Van der Sar, Robinson, Hangeland, Hughes, Finnan, Dembele, Murphy, Boa Morte, Marlbranque, Dempsey, Saha. Defensive solidity, attacking flair and incredible quality.

Jolyon: 4-2-3-1. Van Der Sar, Finnan, Robinson, Hangeland, Andersen, Bouba Diop, Murphy, Duff, Dempsey, Malbranque, Saha. It has everything. A strong yet creative defence. Robust, brilliant, goal-scoring midfield. And the best striker we've ever had.

Brodes: 4-3-3. Van Der Sar, Robinson, Coleman, Andersen, Finnan, Palhinha, Dembele, Malbranque, Boa Morte, Duff, Berbatov. Solid at the back with overlapping full-backs, Palhinha holding midfield, Dembele's dribbling and Malbranque's creativity. Wide men that track back and the speed to supply the genius of Berba.

*We don't think Coleman made a Premier League appearance for Fulham but given he did elsewhere and the role he played with the club, we're happy to flex.

Jack: 4-2-3-1. Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hangeland, Bocanegra, Robinson, Palhinha, Cairney, Boa Morte, Malbranque, Dempsey, McBride. Proper characters and ballers who have shone since I have been following Fulham.

Jon: 4-4-2. Schwarzer, Finnan, Hangeland, Hughes, Robinson, Wilson, Murphy, Palhinha, Boa Morte, Dempsey, Mitrovic. A combination of Tigana/Hodgson/Silva players. Wilson just makes the cut due to lack of options on right. Silva to fight Hodgson for boss spot.

George Mills
BBC Sport senior journalist

In a recent addition of the Football Extra newsletter, Roger asked BBC Sport: Players are frequently injured on international duty - such as Chris Wood for New Zealand last season, which may have ultimately cost Nottingham Forest a Champions League place. Are clubs compensated by the country or does insurance cover compensation?'

Since 2012, Fifa's Club Protection Programme has covered the salary of players injured on international duty - although there are some conditions.

Firstly, the player must be out of action for a period of at least 28 consecutive days and the injury must have been sustained during an "accident", which is defined in very boring and legally-specific detail in Fifa's guidelines, though it covers most of the examples you could think of.

The scheme pays the salary of an injured player up to the maximum amount of €7.5m (£6.6m) until they are declared fit to return for their clubs.

Transfermarkt lists Chris Wood as missing 18 days - three games - with the hip injury you mention from last March, suffered on international duty with New Zealand. As he returned inside 28 days, Forest would not have been eligible to claim compensation.

There are a couple of clubs who will currently be beneficiaries of this scheme though, including Newcastle United, whose £55m summer signing Yoane Wissa is yet to make an appearance since suffering a knee injury while playing for DR Congo.

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We wanted your suggestions for Fulham's all-time best Premier League XI.

And you delivered!

Here's a first bunch:

Stuart: 4-4-2. Schwarzer, Robinson, Finnan, Hangeland, Hughes, Boa Morte, Malbranque, Dembele, Murphy, Saha, Mitrovic. Very, very difficult and apologies to the many fine players I've had the pleasure of watching!

Reg: 4-3-3. Van der Sar, Finnan, Robinson, Hangeland, Andersen, Murphy, Palhinha, Malbranque, Mitrovic, Boa Morte, Dempsey. This XI has a decent balance with Mitrovic receiving plenty of goalscoring opportunities. Goals would surely come from the creative midfield too. A sturdy defence with attacking full-backs not forgetting the ever-reliable Van der Sar in goal.

Nick: 4-2-3-1. Van der Sar, Brevett, Hangeland, Coleman, Finnan, Dembele, Murphy, Boa Morte, Dempsey, Duff, Saha. Balance of solid with flair.

James: 4-4-2. Van der Sar, Finnan, Hangeland, Symons, Robinson, Davis, Clark, Palhinha, Cairney, Saha, Berbatov. This is the best balance of players that harks back to our early years as upstarts in the Premier League, through the good years and bad, right up to the current crop of players.

Kit: 4-3-3. Van der Sar, Robinson, Hangeland, Hughes, Tete, Palhinha, Dembele, Murphy, Mitrovic, Dempsey, Saha. Best players from my lifetime.

It's international break so let's have a bit of fun to pass the time.

Now we know football existed before 1992 but for the purposes of this little exercise, keep it Premier League please.

So tell us, who would be in your dream Fulham Premier League XI?

The debate starts here.

Send your suggestions

Image source, Getty Images

On Tuesday, Fulham Under-21s were eliminated from EFL Trophy with their third straight defeat, this time falling to a 2-0 defeat at group-topping Colchester United.

It meant the Whites finished bottom of their group after picking up no points across their matches.

Sin bins? Bonus points? Two goals if you score from distance?

Imagine a world in which you could reinvent football.

It's a dream, of course. Just a bit of fun. But stick with us.

What if you had the power to change any of the game's laws and potentially bring to an end countless hours of discussion about handball, offside, video assistant referees, or anything else you want to?

Some of BBC Sport's familiar football faces have offered their own potential rule changes.

Watch them above or read more here

Fulham. Everton, West Ham, and Nottingham Forest are monitoring Arsenal full-back Myles Lewis-Skelly's situation after England boss Thomas Tuchel said the 19-year-old needs more minutes to be considered for his squad. (Caught Offside), external

Meanwhile, the Whites are set to offer manager Marco Silva a new contract despite a difficult start to the season at Craven Cottage. (The I - subscription required), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column here

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Drew Heatley
Fan writer

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As football fans, we love to make excuses.

We make them to friends and rival fans when debating contentious decisions; we make them when defending one of our players' dubious actions on (or sometimes off) the pitch.

And we also make them to ourselves when things are not going too well.

That is what I have been doing with Fulham lately.

The include - we have a lot of injuries, Marco Silva did not get the central midfielder he craved during the summer, and, when you look at our individual opponents, our results are not that surprising.

But Saturday's insipid loss to Everton saw us struggle to justify the way this campaign looks set to be going.

Results elsewhere mean we sit just one point above the relegation places with nearly a third of the season played.

We are no longer waiting for the table to 'take shape' – we are being sucked into a battle to avoid the drop – a battle that will only get more intense as we approach the busy festive period.

This is the fewest number of points we have had at this stage in the season since we returned to the Premier League under Silva.

We now find ourselves staring into yet another international break licking the wounds of another loss. These periods have long been blamed for interrupting the flow of seasons, but this term they present opportunities for Marco to figure out just what has been going wrong.

When you dig down, it is hard to pinpoint a reason. We have been at the races in all our games, Saturday aside. Injuries have certainly played a part; Rodrigo Muniz's return from the treatment table was halted as he limped off less than 20 minutes after coming on. Whatever the cause, we need to find a fix, fast.

Some 10 of our 11 points this season have come at Craven Cottage. We host high-flying Sunderland when we return from the break. Despite their form, we must get three points – no excuses.

Find more from Drew Heatley at Fulhamish, external

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Everton and Fulham.

Here are some of your comments:

Everton fans

Anton: Not a vintage performance by any stretch but a game we would have definitely lost in the past few seasons. Kept a coherent shape for pretty much the full 90 and didn't drop our heads when chances were (once again) squandered. Having said that, Thierno Barry had by far his best outing for us. Still a long way from the finished article and desperately needs that first goal, but he will hopefully take a confidence boost from this match.

Mike: The switch of James Garner to right-back immediately gave the team more natural balance and threat. We have to keep with it and not revert back to overly cautious mode. Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall had his best game, as did Barry.

Alex: Solid performance from the Blues. We created plenty of opportunities and could have won 3-0 or 4-0 with some decent forwards. We don't have the luxury of time to wait for Barry and Beto to get up to speed. We withstood pressure from Fulham, which was pleasing as we would usually end up conceding. Michael Keane has been immense since David Moyes took over. Decent performance all round.

Terry: Everton are so badly in need of a striker and a midfield general. They have the makings of a good team but need the aforementioned in January or it is a long season again.

Fulham fans

Ian: Fulham were very lacklustre. Everton deserved the win and could have scored more. There are many issues currently frustrating fans. Something has failed since the close season, and the players need to find the fight as it is going to be a long, hard season.

James: I don't know what to say. Once again, they completely fell apart and did not perform. Fulham cannot keep going like this if they want to stay in the Premier League.

Nikolai: Weak. Poor defending and too many in forward positions are not decisive enough. Kevin looks out of his comfort zone in the Premier League and we are missing a good striker. No offence to Raul Jimenez, but we are not dangerous enough going forward. The relegation battle will be on soon enough.

Mike: Things need to change - and fast. We desperately need a decent striker because the ones we have got are not Premier League class. It might also be time for a change of manager. I love Marco Silva to bits, but I believe he has taken us as far as he can. It is really looking like it is going to be a desperate fight to stop relegation.

Pundits Alan Shearer and Theo Walcott join host Kelly Cates to bring you the action and talking points from Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Everton 2-0 Fulham

• West Ham 3-2 Burnley

• Sunderland 2-2 Arsenal

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Fulham's victory over Wolves last weekend was a third win from their latest four home league matches, but form away from Craven Cottage is giving serious cause for concern.

Only Wolves, who travelled to Chelsea for Saturday's 20:00 GMT kick-off, have fared as badly as Silva's Fulham this season, both sides managing just one point.

Saturday's defeat means Fulham have lost five consecutive away league games under former Everton boss Silva for the second time, having previously done so between November 2023 and January 2024.

Other than making comfortable saves from Alex Iwobi and Raul Jimenez, home goalkeeper Jordan Pickford was untroubled in the first half as the visitors struggled to pose a threat.

Rodrigo Muniz forced Pickford into action within minutes of replacing Jimenez, but the Brazilian striker – without a goal since the opening day of the season – was withdrawn 17 minutes later as Silva opted to introduce Adama Traore for the final stages.

Iliman Ndiaye's last-ditch clearance denied Kevin a clear sight of goal midway through the second half, but that was the closest Fulham came to getting level before Keane's late effort effectively ended their hopes of a point.

Fulham boss Marco Silva, speaking to BBC Match Of The Day after their 2-0 defeat against Everton: "I think we got what we deserved. We played the first 20 mins of the second half - nothing more. It's not good enough at all. We didn't cope. It's a moment for us to blame ourselves and look at ourselves in the mirror."

On substitute Rodrigo Muniz being subbed off: "Like all the teams we need all our strikers for the demands of the Premier League. The impact (from him) was good in the first moments. But after he felt something again (injured)."

On Josh King: "He is a player that has been very good all season. Nothing new this afternoon."

Did you know? Fulham have lost five consecutive away Premier League games for just the second time under Marco Silva, after also doing so between November 2023 – January 2024.