Is Marco Silva's passion harming us when things go wrong?

As the Whites once again fail to galvanise in the face of injustice, we ponder if our gaffer must change tack.

Managers shape their sides in their image.

Manchester United under Sir Alex Ferguson hustled, harried, and bullied their way to late wins, much like their gaffer did to the officials on the sidelines.

Sam Allardyce’s Bolton Wanderers were no-nonsense journeymen who got results - with a hint of ‘Sam Allardicio’ flair in players like Jay-Jay Okocha or Youri Djorkaeff.

Marco Silva has given his side a clear tactical identity during his time at the club. And it’s becoming increasingly apparent that they mimic him emotionally.

We all know the famous chant: ‘Silva’s right - the refs are shite’. And while if Marco has said that verbatim he’d have watched a large chunk of games from the stands, he is frequently outspoken when it comes to top flight officials.

Let me be clear at this point: the standard of refereeing when it concerns Fulham of late has been abject at times. I am in total agreement. But our ability to turn those decisions into fuel that drive us on is lacking - and that could be down to the way Marco reacts.

Old Trafford origin story

George Rossiter highlighted it in his player ratings on the weekend - this all started at Old Trafford at the Mother’s Day Massacre. Red cards for Willian, Aleksander Mitrovic and Silva saw us completely capitulate and crash out of the FA Cup. It was the first indication that when Marco sees red metaphorically, the boys feel like they can follow suit.

We saw it a few months later at St James’ Park. Silva was incensed that we didn’t get a free-kick for foul on Raul Jimenez by Newcastle’s Jamaal Lascelles. Minutes later our Mexican lost his head by driving his arse into Sean Longstaff’s face. Silva was later charged by the FA for saying referee Sam Barrott couldn’t handle the pressure.

New approach needed

I’m not suggesting we muzzle our passionate manager. I know that fire in him is part of what makes him such a successful coach. But it’s clear that there is a mentality issue within the squad when it comes to decisions going against us.

Against Chelsea, when Josh King’s goal was disallowed, you just knew that was it for us. There wasn’t a question of whether we’d harness the anger and turn it into a positive. That was our chance.

It’s strange, because if we go a goal down, we’re quite good at turning things around. Just look at Brentford. We did it last season against the Bees, Chelsea, Liverpool, Newcastle and Southampton. Adversity isn’t the problem - it’s the perceived injustices from the system.

Silva’s comments post-Villa were measured and will ensure he avoid any further FA scrutiny. But he needs to address how he and the team react in the moment. To borrow from Scott Parker parlance: “we live in a world where” VAR - and therefore referee’s decisions - are more influential in games than ever before, so it’s crucial that we don’t wilt when things don’t go our way. And if we can’t turn them into a positive, at least don’t let them snowball into a larger negative.

Whether it’s a psychologist giving a session, or Marco himself leading by example and gee-ing the boys back up rather than remonstrating with officials, something needs to change as we’ve already lost six points - not just from the terrible decisions, but from the reaction.

We can’t change the decisions that go against us, but we can change how we let them impact our game.