Why the next month will be crucial for Fulham under Slavisa Jokanovic

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Fulham find themselves in an odd, albeit welcome position this year. For the first time in four years, the Whites are no longer languishing at the wrong end of the table battling the drop. In 2016/17, the Cottagers have been mixing it up at the top half of the table, challenging for the play-off spots. Yet with this much-improved league position comes increased pressure and insistence to succeed at all costs.

Many supporters viewed the January transfer as a perfect opportunity to strengthen the side and build a team that could cement their place in the top six. With a productive January and the signing of a proven goalscorer and midfield cover, Fulham would finally have the ideal squad to challenge for promotion.

Yet as the window slammed shut on January 31st, the Fulham faithful was displeased. The Whites had signed Gobi Cyriac on loan from Belgian club Oostende and extended Lucas Piazon’s loan deal from Chelsea until May. That was it. To many, this signaled an egregious letdown on the part of Shahid Khan, Fulham’s American owner. A supposed failure to back manager Slavisa Jokanovic would surely lead the Serbian to walk come May?

The reaction to the transfer window has been much overblown, however. Fulham still signed Cyriac, an impressive striker who is a commanding physical presence, clinical, and perhaps most importantly, can score a penalty. Extending Piazon’s loan deal was also shrewd business, as the creative midfielder has shown guile and has filled in brilliantly in the absence of Floyd Ayite.

Furthermore, to portray the board and the powers that be at Fulham as not backing Jokanovic is delusional. Over the summer, the Whites signed fourteen players. Stefan Johansen, Tomas Kalas, Floyd Ayite, Sone Aluko, Kevin McDonald, Chris Martin, and Scott Malone are just a selection of the first team starters who Fulham recently acquired. The shrewd summer spending spree doesn’t reveal a manager who is not being fully backed.

In addition, Khan and the Fulham board stood behind Jokanovic in perhaps his biggest battle: the Chris Martin transfer saga. As the Scottish striker urged to be recalled by Derby, even refusing to play, the club took a firm stance that under no circumstances would Martin depart to their Championship rivals.

Fulham now find themselves situated in tenth position, six points off the playoff places, albeit with a game in hand. The next month will be crucial for Fulham’s promotion hopes, however unlikely they may be.

The Cottagers’ next five matches are all against teams below them in the table. Fulham play host to Wigan and Nottingham Forest before traveling to Bristol City and Cardiff to close out the month, and face off against Preston at home in the first week of March.

These sides are 23rd, 15th, 20th, 17th, and 11th respectively; simply put, the Whites need to win each match if they stand any hope of being promoted. These are the type of matches that Fulham need to get maximum points from if they are to finally build a winning run that is integral to any promotion campaign.

A particularly sobering statistic is that Fulham have failed to win more than two league games in a row all season. Draws have consistently hampered Fulham’s momentum; turning such draws into wins is vital in the Championship run-in.

In the next month, Fulham’s true character will be shown. Are the Cottagers genuine promotion contenders, or just naive hopefuls who will falter during the final stretch. No matter what happens, an illuminating next four weeks are in stow for the Fulham faithful.