Fan View: Fulham

Ahead of Fulham’s trip to St. Andrews tomorrow afternoon, co-editor Rob Wildey caught up with Dan Crawford, Fulham fan and writer of Hammy End.

Slavisa Jokanovic had led Fulham into a flirtatious grab at a play-off place. What is the fans general opinion of him?

Jokanovic is probably our most popular manager since Roy Hodgson was at the helm. He seems to have very clear ideas about how he wants his team to play, what standards are acceptable and has pursued excellence from the outset. He’s quite outspoken and has come out with some memorable quotes in the short time he has been at the club, which has only served to endear him to the fans just as much as the clear improvement on the pitch in recent months. Tying him down to a long-term contract would be a real coup.

What has Jokanovic done differently to his predecessors?

First of all, he’s been a breath of fresh air and not been afraid to lay down the law and ship out the under performers. He carried out a complete overhaul of a terribly unbalanced squad in the summer and quickly reshaped a very leaky defence. The improvement on last year’s laughable back four has been remarkable. The team also now has a very definitive style and pattern of play – and we’ve played some lovely, eye-catching football at times this season. Jokanovic has also been unafraid to give young players a taste of senior football – sixteen year-old Ryan Sessegnon took his opportunity in the EFL Cup earlier in the season and is now putting together a serious claim for a regular first-team spot.

What would represent a good season for Fulham?

Back in July, I would have honestly said an upper mid-table finish would have marked real progression from the two Championship relegation battles we have endured recently. But, even with the lack of striking back-up, it is clear there is enough quality in the squad to seriously threaten the top six, so you would hope that Fulham could put together a late run at the play-off places. With the division being such a competitive league, it is so tough to predict the results a day in advance so guessing what the final table might look like seems futile.

How big a loss was Ross McCormack?

It looks as though letting Ross leave was not as devastating to Fulham’s prospects as some people feared. There’s no doubt that he’s a ridiculously talented footballer and you can’t argue with his Championship scoring record. But it was clear that he couldn’t fit into the 4-2-3-1 system that Jokanovic was looking to employ and, once clubs were offering to match the sort of money we paid Leeds for his services a couple of years ago, it became an attractive deal for Fulham. McCormack’s struggles at your rivals have been well documented, whereas Fulham – despite losing both him and Moussa Dembele – look a far more cohesive side where everybody knows their role.

Which Fulham player should Birmingham City be wary of?

I’d be looking at shutting down the central midfield, where a lot of Fulham’s creativity comes from, if I was Gianfranco Zola. Tom Cairney’s lovely left foot steals most of the headlines, but the introduction of Stefan Johansen has really energised the midfield and offered more balance to the side. Johansen had a bit of an iffy start, but has become a regular source of goals and assists from a deep lying position. He also has boundless energy to get up and down the pitch and seems made for the hustle and bustle of the Championship.

If you had to sign one Birmingham player for the Fulham squad, who would it be and why?

A lot of Fulham fans were sad to see Kerim Frei depart Craven Cottage after such an explosive start to his career during our Premier League years as a nippy, young forward and we’ll be very keen to see how he is getting on at St. Andrew’s. I’ve always been a big fan of David Davis, for his energy, tackles, defensive cover and reading of the game. His never-say-die attitude also endears him to the fans and the fact that he signed a new contract last month amongst all the turmoil that had followed Gary Rowett’s departure must have been a real boost.

What is your prediction for the game?

St. Andrew’s is a notoriously tough place to get a result and I hope Fulham won’t be lulled into a false sense of security by Zola’s struggles to get a win. We saw from the way Birmingham began the season that there’s plenty of quality in the squad and I’m expecting a hard-fought, close contest. My predictions of results of late have been disastrous but, for whatever it’s worth, I’m going for a 1-1 draw.