Preview

Club football is back, and of course so is Before the Whistle. George Singer takes a look at Fulham's latest test against Derby County, as Slavisa looks to get this season back on track.

In the latest edition of Before the Whistle, George Singer takes a look at the Whites' trip to Molineux, and assesses how Fulham can set up to cause an upset and leave the Black Country with all three points.

In the latest edition of Before the Whistle, George Singer takes us through how Bristol City will set up against the Whites tomorrow night, and how Fulham can best attempt to stop the Robins' winging their way back to the West with all three points from Craven Cottage.

In the second of Fulhamish's new preview series, George Singer takes a look at Saturday's opponents, Bolton, and figures out what the Whites will have to do to stop the Trotters wandering away from the Cottage with any points at all.

On Saturday we visit Aston Villa, a team in strong form having won 4 out of their last 5 league games. After a poor start to the season, Bruce's Villa were under pressure, again failing to meet the high expectations from Villa fans over this expensively assembled squad. The Villans looked in real trouble – and many were touting Bruce to be the next Championship manager to lose his job.

As clubs gear up for action again following the international break, Fulham face an in-form Preston North End side at the Cottage as the Whites go in search of only their second home league win of the season so far.

With an important three points taken in Nottingham on Tuesday night, Fulham's attention turns to a visit to one-time home Loftus Road.

Fulham continue to search for a winning run after falling foul of yet another late equaliser at the Cottage against Middlesbrough at the weekend. The opportunity to bounce back, however, comes quickly, as the Whites travel to the City Ground to face Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night.

Of all the games to follow up a nervy and grim defeat up north to Burton Albion, playing recently relegated Middlesbrough, on an all-competitions five-game unbeaten streak, and with probably the best strike force in the league, is one you'd probably want to avoid.

For two teams on the same amount of points, it would be fair to say that there can be found fewer larger contrasts in optimism for this season than between Fulham and Hull City.

So, the World Cup Qualification break is over and it's looking far better for some of our internationals (Ollie Norwood) than it is for others (everyone else).

Saturday's trip to Ipswich has become quite a big affair. Obviously seasons are not won or lost at this stage, and it would be ludicrous to suggest that we're somehow relegation fodder after three draws and a loss to credible opposition, but in terms of morale around the club, a win would do wonders for everyone's nerves and mentality.

The Championship has got off to its blistering pace of start that we should probably have gotten used to by now, but it still feels like a lot of games already!

Fulham are on the road for the third game in a row on Tuesday night, although the trip to Elland Road will be far cry from the notoriously difficult to access and half-empty stadiums encountered in both Wycombe and Reading, you would imagine.

For the fourth time in under a year, Fulham fans will make the short and unnecessarily arduous trip up the M4 to face Reading at the Madjeski Stadium. To pretty much everybody's displeasure, Fulham will start their away campaign in the exact place that it ended so agonisingly last season.

So, the Championship is back for 2017/18 and Fulham kick off their season against seasoned opposition in Norwich City. The Canaries were expected to push for promotion last season and will be determined to make up for lost time in this campaign.

We're very much in the heart of the playoff storm and at the half-way point in the tie, it's Reading who are in the slightly more enviable position.

Well, we've made it this far, and today feels a bit like the 'deep breath before the plunge', to quote from a famous Tolkien trilogy.