View From The Town End: Fulham

Although this season hasn’t been quite as good as some Fulham fans wanted, with hopes high of a push for automatic promotion after relegation from the Premier League, they’re still sitting pretty. The Cottagers sit third going into the New Year - a strong position for rookie manager Scott Parker to have guided them into at this stage.

To learn more about what’s gone right, what could be going better, and most importantly what will happen at Craven Cottage on New Year’s Day, we spoke to Ben Jarman from Fulhamish - a podcast and website covering all things Fulham.

How would you sum up Fulham’s season so far?

Inconsistent. Fulham are excellent and below par on a weekly basis. Fulham have the firepower to cause any teams issues, but defensively suspect. Delighted to be third.

How good a job has Scott Parker done as manager?

Scott has shown a lot of potential; the win against Leeds demonstrated his tactical nous but his reluctance to change things quickly can be his undoing. Ultimately his ideas are positive, but he needs time to find balance.

What are the main strengths of this Fulham side?

Aleksandar Mitrovic is a good place to start. Without his goals we would be sitting in 18th this year. Bobby Reid is really starting to find form and you’ll struggle to find a team that holds the ball as well as us.

Any weaknesses that Reading should try to exploit?

Centre-halves, and the space behind the full-backs. Fulham get sucked in too much and leave themselves open to counters all too often.

How do you see the rest of the season panning out?

Hopefully with some fresh legs in January Fulham can push on and challenge the top two, but the minimum we should be aiming for is play offs.

How will the game go, and what will the score be?

2-1 to Fulham, but with Reading causing a lot of issues on the counter and chucking everything at Fulham for a last-minute equaliser.