The 2025/26 season: Fulhamish Roundtable
The team look back on a mixed campaign for the Whites.
So, that’s it. The season’s over and mid-table mediocrity has been secured. With so many unanswered questions, this summer will be an interesting one. But for now, here’s how team Fulhamish see the season just gone.
Sammy James
Obviously it is disappointing that we came so close to qualifying for Europe, but actually after a couple of days of reflection it is important to remember that there were some pretty special moments this season. We’ve had wins over our two biggest rivals at Craven Cottage and a ridiculous shortlist of goals including TC’s screamer against Newcastle, Wilson’s plethora of beautiful strikes especially that one against Palace at the Cottage, and who can forget Harrison Reid’s dramatic equaliser against Liverpool?
However I think it’s pretty clear that this cycle under Marco Silva is coming to an end and whether Marco stays or goes, Fulham are going to need a pretty big churn of players. Our performances towards the end of the season weren’t acceptable and we shouldn’t let a nice final-day win over Newcastle gloss over that.
11th is an acceptable position in the table, but we should be wary that some of our contemporaries seem to be pulling away from us. We need to become smarter as a football club and probably the first way of doing that is by employing a proper director of football. Otherwise I fear that we will be left behind by the likes of Bournemouth, Brighton, and dare I say Brentford.
Jack Collins
The last few weeks have been somewhat of a slog in the world of Fulham Football Club, albeit with a tonic of a final day win in the sunshine, and despite the completely correct assertion that we shouldn’t take mid-table stability in the Premier League for granted, my general feeling about this season remains one of apathy.
It should be noted that some of this is self-inflicted - choosing to go on honeymoon for the period of the season that saw our best form, the win over Chelsea at the Cottage, and Harrison Reed’s glorious leveller against Liverpool is almost certainly playing into the mood; but it is not just that which sours the apple for me.
In the last two seasons we have now seen the teams we were promoted alongside - Nottingham Forest and Bournemouth - both qualify for the Europa League; whilte Crystal Palace’s glorious days in the sun feel like they’re living our dreams out in the flesh in front of our eyes.
I have long feared for an aging squad, the drawn-out discussions with Silva have dampened my flame for a manager I adored (who now seems to see us as a fallback option if nothing better comes along), and the transfer saga we played out with Ricardo Pepi and PSV in March feels like it’s going to be a harbinger for another summer of leaving things late.
There are optimistic notes amongst the cacophony of chaos, but without a pretty remarkable summer and some high-level change I can see regression in the tarot cards. Standing still in the world of football is, as ever, ultimately going backwards.
George Cooper
Watching Fulham this season has at times felt like watching a Christopher Nolan film: flashes of brilliance, sometimes finding yourself asking “what am I watching here?”, very long, and when it’s all over, you’re left with more questions than answers...
Premier League safety is of course a fantastic achievement, but failure to do anything more “exciting” than that means that this season will ultimately be filed under “frustrating”. I can’t shift the feeling that if Marco had been decisive one way or the other earlier on in the season, that we’d be in a much stronger position going into next term.
There were some brilliant moments of course; beating Brentford and Chelsea again, and those wondergoals from Harrison Reed and Harry Wilson, but they were few and far between in a season where it felt like we had much more to offer.
That said, I’m very excited to see what this team is capable of come August, and hoping that a few decent signings and clarity on what’s happening with the manager will give this club the boost it needs to give the fans what it yearns for next season; a domestic final and/or European qualification.
Elizabeth Barnard
The end of 25/26 feels unique. During the previous four years under Marco Silva, there has been a cohesive theme to each season. It might have been domination in the Championship, being the surprise promotion package in the Prem, or even adjusting to life post-Mitrovic or Palhinha. We’d had runs in the cup which had ended with a bang, not a whimper.
This season has had some great moments as a supporter - from the Harrison Reed goal to the win over Chelsea at home (all in one week in January!). Honestly though, I can’t say that any moment this season qualifies in my all-time favourite Fulham moments. This season feels characterised by “what if?” What if we’d just beaten basement-boys Wolves? We’d be in Europe. What if Silva had played a full-strength team against Southampton in the FA Cup? Well… We’d have been knocked out by Arsenal in the quarters.
This is a big summer of change ahead and I hope it doesn’t start with the manager. I still believe Marco Silva is the best person to lead this club into 26/27, but I hope next season there is a little bit more to get the hearts racing.
Drew Heatley
It’s been such a tough season to gauge. Mid-table mediocrity sparks a whole host of existential questions. Are we good? Are we shit? Why do we love football? Is it to tread water successfully or is it for glory?
There have been moments of glory, of course. The wins over Brentford and Chelsea at the Cottage. Harrison Reed’s thunderbastard against Liverpool. But the overriding feeling will be one of disappointment. Two points off Europe is a bitter pill to swallow. And no one is able to think about next season until Marco makes his decision. A busy and interesting summer ahead.
Dan Goga-Cooke
I was asked at the weekend about how I thought this season would be remembered in the future. My answer was that I think it will fade into obscurity. The highs weren’t astronomical, some of the lows were pretty bleak (Southampton), and I think it’s ended up a pretty forgettable season.
It feels appropriate that we spurned the chance to qualify for Europe, or challenge in the cups, given how often we were uninspired by this team; we know we didn’t deserve it.
However, maybe it shouldn’t be defined so negatively. Maybe it should be the season that reminds us of how far we’ve come. 15 wins, 52 points, two points off Europe, and we’re all underwhelmed. I don’t even think you can say this is what we all dreamed of when we were pinging between the Championship and the top flight; it’s more than we dreamed of. We longed for survival and stability and we’ve surpassed that once again. I’m making sure to never take that for granted.
If this is the final time we see Marco and some of his key players, it’s sad that the era ended not with a crescendo, but a fading out. Regardless, it’s been an absolute pleasure.
Jack Kelly
A season of highs, lows, and great goals. 52 points and an 11th place finish is a solid season for Fulham on paper. But there will be a feeling of what might have been. Fulham missed out on European football by a single point. But, another season where Fulham were comfortable in the Premier League cannot be sniffed at.
We beat both west London rivals this season and recorded our first win at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. There were some memorable nights, as well as some dark days.
The contributions from Harry Wilson and Raul Jimenez were pivotal, while we saw solid seasons from Calvin Bassey & Alex Iwobi.
The emergence of Josh King is something to be very proud of. The additions of Kevin & Oscar Bobb make me feel optimistic for the future - but first we have to face a crucial summer. Marco Silva, whether he stays or goes has got a lot out of the squad, and has done wonders in his five seasons. But, as he addressed recently, we missed the cherry on the cake.
Joe Sansom
Another season of what might have been. Some great performances and wonderful goals, but plenty of underwhelming moments as well. While I’ll never take being a mid-table Prem team for granted again, there has to be more to all this; I just wonder if Marco will be there to oversee it. I’m going to enjoy a summer away from calculating our percentage chance of securing Europe, but it’s time to put Fabrizio’s tweet notifications back on…
Avais Malik
Yet another season that can be chalked up to ‘what could have been’, but it was still comfortably the least fun we’ve had since Marco took charge. It started with such potential, with exciting signings through the door (eventually), and batting away offers for Muniz in time for that triumphant equaliser away at Brighton.
But what followed was a frustrating stop-start season rife with poor performances, injuries and frustrating decisions by the manager. There were highs, like TC and Reed’s equalisers, Wilson’s form and GOTS, beating our rivals at home and 15 league wins; but there were deep lows, particularly the season defining week losing to West Ham and Southampton. Missing out on Europe by two points is all the more painful when you think of the many opportunities we managed to squander.
Sadly, the football has been overshadowed by contractual issues. Not having a clear decision from Marco regarding his future all season has put a dark cloud over the club and fanbase, and as the season comes to a close, it’s disconcerting to still not know what the future of this club looks like.
The supposed indecision going beyond the season is a farce, and no one wins, certainly not the fans. It is painfully clear drastic changes are needed, both at board level and, based on the brand of football this season and Marco’s behaviour, probably with a new manager too. Let’s hope the right decisions and changes are made, quickly, because the potential is there for a very exciting Fulham for us to enjoy.
Piers Cottee-Jones
Previous seasons saw a 5-0 December drubbing of West Ham and Nottingham Forest, yet this year, with an AFCON depleted squad, those 1-0 wins felt just as significant. Our swashbuckling best swapped for a grittier and more tenacious Fulham in a season where our form was as confusing as a Marco press conference on his future.
But it feels more like a season of “what ifs”. From that magical moment where Muniz held that scarf over his head at Brighton to being injured and out of form, Leno’s save at Brentford stopping them getting Europe and that VAR decision denying our King at the Bridge. Watching the resplendent performance of Tom Cairney against Newcastle, I couldn’t help but keep wondering ‘what if’ we had brought on our trusty vintage Rolls Royce for a spin against Wolves. We may just be taking that Rolls around Europe.
Despite this, we have been treated to the season of screamers: Wilson at Spurs, Cairney against Newcastle, Wilson against Palace, Kevin at Old Trafford, Iwobi against Spurs, and of course, Reed against Liverpool.
As Marco continues to convince the board to alter their structure and strategy, I can’t help but notice his record from our first season back in the Prem: 15 wins, seven draws and 16 loses for 52 points. This season? Exactly the same.
So, my final thought this season - what if the board gives Marco exactly what he wants?