Why Tom Cairney needed to be given 'one more year' at Fulham

Sometimes, a sentimental decision can be the correct one.

‘One more year, Tom Cairney’ was the cry from the Hammersmith End after Fulham’s final match of the season against Manchester City. It was a strange occasion for everybody involved, and TC even said so in his first interview with the club after signing his new contract with Fulham.

Nobody was really at fault for the impasse over whether Tom Cairney would be remaining at the club. Tom obviously wasn’t sure about whatever offer was on the table, and Fulham didn’t want to overpay for a 34-year-old midfielder.

It was clear though, Tom’s 10 years at Fulham couldn’t end like that. If and when he goes, there needs to be a proper occasion where both Tom and the fans know that this is the last time.

Of course, the champagne TC memories roll straight off the tongue. The late equaliser from outside-the-box versus Leeds United at the Cottage, the late clincher away at Griffin Park and of course, his most memorable goal of all - the winner in the 2018 play-off final against Aston Villa.

From the moment he arrived at Fulham under Kit Symons, I remember being excited about what Tom Cairney could bring to the club. A silky midfielder with a deft touch and a wand of a left-foot. His first goal against Brighton and Hove Albion at the Cottage (in an otherwise miserable 1-2 defeat) was a sign of things to come from Tom.

Tom’s journey at Fulham has been tumultuous to say the least. The first seven seasons he spent in black and white were spent either fighting relegation or chasing promotion. While we all remember the highs, there were some lows in among it all.

The decision to give 25-year-old Tom the captaincy over natural leader Kevin McDonald was a hot topic at the time, especially given Tom’s inability to lift himself mentally when matches weren’t quite going to plan. However, that early captaincy call is paying dividends now given his immense respect throughout the club.

Injuries were also something that held Tom back; the two most severe ones came during our unsuccessful attempts at staying in the Premier League. The emotion Tom showed when he made his comeback against Cardiff City in 2021 was definitely one of my all-time favourite Cairney moments.

Those two failed attempts in the Premier League, which of course were not exclusively down to Tom by any stretch, did raise the question of whether he could cut it in the top flight. After that second relegation, there was a distinct possibility Tom could live in the Cameron Jerome vortex: clearly too good for the Championship, but never quite good enough for the Premier League.

Of course, the man who would overcome that lurking tag for Tom would be Marco Silva, who has moulded Tom one of the most unique roles in a football squad that I’ve ever seen; the second-half swashbuckler. His Premier League stats since promotion have been so unique:

• 22/23: 6 starts, 27 sub appearances

• 23/24: 14 starts, 20 sub appearances

• 24/25: 3 starts, 22 sub appearances

Marco identified that Tom had three main qualities: a brilliant touch, incredible football intelligence and an eye for a cutting pass. Injuries and age meant that Tom was rarely going to be able to manage 90 minutes of Premier League football, and those three qualities would be much more effective in the final 30 minutes of matches rather than the first 60.

It’s a role that no doubt frustrates Tom - nobody wants to be a sub - but it has suited his attributes to a tee. Over the past three seasons there have been many memorable TC cameos, most recently the games against Brentford home and away, where his presence on the pitch directly contributed to Fulham recording a famous derby double.

Of course, it would be foolish to ignore the fact that Marco is starting to utilise the TC switch a little less often. There were also a couple of moments last season where bringing on Cairney was counter effective, most notably against Chelsea at the Cottage.

Fortunately though his subsequent performances against Southampton at St Mary’s and then at the GTech were more than enough to prove that Tom’s still got more than enough top flight pedigree left in the tank. Sorry Ryan Reynolds…

Tom stated in that interview with the club that his one piece of unfinished business is to return to Wembley and reach a cup final with Fulham. It would be, of course, the fairytale ending. There would be no more fitting individual to lift this club’s first major trophy than Tom.

While that would be the crowning glory that would cement Tom’s place in FFC folklore, TC’s done more than enough already to prove that he is this century’s Mr Fulham. He’ll likely be used sparingly this campaign and there is an argument to suggest that there’s no room for sentimentality in Premier League football, but I believe long-servants like Tom are the rare exception.

Sometimes, your heart should rule your head, and I’m glad that Fulham have allowed Tom to have an encore at Craven Cottage.