Thursday Fulham Stuff - 07/05/26...

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Bournemouth sold out: Ticket Exchange open
Tickets for our this weekend's fixture against AFC Bournemouth have now sold out. Thank you for your incredible support!

Marco Silva's side will face The Cherries at Craven Cottage on Saturday 9th May, kick-off 3pm in our penultimate home Premier League fixture of the season.

TICKET EXCHANGE
For all 25/26 Season Ticket Holders unable to make the fixture against AFC Bournemouth, the Official Fulham FC Ticket Exchange is now open. This is the Club's official resale platform which allows other supporters to purchase your seat for this match.

If your seat is resold on the Fulham FC Ticket Exchange, you will receive credit that can be used on future ticket purchases.

The Ticket Exchange deadline for Fulham v AFC Bournemouth is 1pm on Saturday 9th May.

Any unsold tickets after these deadlines will be returned to their original owners. Season Ticket Holders are encouraged to list their seat as soon as possible to have the best chance of their seat being sold.

Please refer to the updated Fulham FC Ticket Exchange webpages for further information and step-by-step guidance on selling and buying tickets.

TICKET EXCHANGE INFORMATION

LIST YOUR SEAT ON THE TICKET EXCHANGE

BUY TICKETS ON THE TICKET EXCHANGE

Full terms & conditions for the Fulham FC Ticket Exchange can be found here.

MATCHDAY HOSPITALITY
The only way to guarantee your seat now for our Premier League clash against AFC Bournemouth is with Matchday Hospitality.

Supporters can browse our packages here or enquire by emailing hospitality@fulhamfc.com.

https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2026/may/06/bournemouth-sold-out-ticket-exchange-open/

[WhiteJC]

Is Marco Silva a man out of time?
Do we need to reframe the way we play football - and does that mean parting ways with our manager?

"To murder my love is a crime, but will you still love a man out of time? - Elvis Costello, Imperial Bedroom

Recently, I came across a chart that I found concerning. I'm republishing here with a link to the article in which it appeared (which I recommend reading).



What the chart shows, based on the two dimensions of direct speed and passes per sequence, is that Fulham - with a payroll of £77m - under Marco Silva is playing the same style of football as Man City, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool. Clubs with payrolls (not including bonuses) of £235m, £185m, £144m, and £177m respectively.

The question is, given new SCR rules and if Fulham truly want to take the next step, can we afford to keep on trying to play like Man City, Arsenal and Liverpool with a budget half the size?

The other thing you can notice from the chart above is the non-big six Premier League teams with similar budgets to Fulham that are ahead of us in the table, namely Bournemouth, Brentford and Everton, are all grouped together on the other side of the chart. They play direct and fast and not slow and intricate football.

One could argue that perhaps Fulham has found a market inefficiency and is purposely not competing for players with other mid-table clubs. But, I actually think the opposite is happening. Fulham - because of its style of play - needs to compete with the likes of Man City to get the midfielders and wingers you need to make a "slow and intricate" style of play work in the present day Premier League, while other teams seem to have realized it is cheaper and more practical to buy, direct and fast players.

And, because of SCR, Fulham will no longer be able to afford buying highly skilled older Premier Leaguers, we may soon find it more and more difficult to get the personnel needed to make this approach work.

Marco don't press
I am a Marco Silva person. I love the guy. He's been amazing for Fulham and I've wanted us to keep him. And, when I started writing this piece, I was simply trying to better understand how we played under Marco and so started looking at Opta and, as I said above, what I found gave me pause.

For example, did you know that Marco doesn't really press (and has not for a few seasons)? Fulham is last in the league in terms of sequences pressed (per game).



Now pressing is down overall in the Premier League but it is notable how seldom Fulham presses.

And, as we don't have the best players for slow and intricate play, like Man City or Arsenal, and don't have a system designed to take advantage of quick turnovers or direct speed (that come from pressing or other types of more direct play), it means that we can, and often do, struggle to get the ball into the final third in a good position to score.

As a result, Fulham ends up generating a lot of low value shots when we do get into the final third. This is evidenced by Fulham's relatively low xG per shot. Because, by the time we do get the ball into the final third, we are often trying to take a shot against a settled defense.



When you look at the impact of Fulham's slow direct play along with xG per shot, you can see that Fulham ends up far away from the likes of Man City and Chelsea because we lack the talent to consistently produce high value shots from slow intricate play.

And, while we do better than other teams, like Villa, on this score, we don't have lots of players that can convert low xG shots into goals (apart from Wilson) while teams like Villa have many that can do this (not surprising given their £143m payroll).



Fulham, because we don't have ways to go direct and fast and because we don't have elite midfielders and wingers, needs to rely on other ways to get the ball in the final third and score.

So, we put in a lot of crosses and do other things like bring in Joachim Andersen, who is very good at making long passes into the final third. We have also tried to add more speed and dribbling on the wings to give us more threat when our slow and intricate play does get the ball near the goal (with the addition of Kevin and Chukwueze, for example).

Perhaps, one of the reasons why Fulham have often struggled to win later in the season is tied to this style of play. Our skill players are older (e.g. Tom Cairney) and can and do wear down. Additionally, we necessarily have a more limited bench than other teams because of our financial situation.

So, we get stuck trying to make Silva's system work with Harrison Reed in the midfield. This means that it gets harder for Fulham to, with its slow and intricate type of play, to get the ball into advantageous situations later in the season. It also makes it easier for other teams to stop us from doing so (when we are worn down and playing with less than ideal personnel).

And, I worry that Marco's insistence on pushing forward with his slow and intricate system even when the team doesn't have the players to execute it is wearing thin with our players.

Sometimes, like against Arsenal, it seems like the team just shrugs and gives up even though they are professionals and clearly want to win. Yes, Silva still is passionate and encourages them to "be brave" but it seems likely that Harrison knows he is not going to beat Declan Rice on the ball no matter how brave he is. And, the rest of the team also knows that they can't "Man City" top competition when they are outmanned even if they really, really want to.

Where do we all go from here?
I wonder if one of the reasons why Marco hasn't left Fulham is because, in reality, his style of play is mainly attractive to a very small, elite group of teams in the Premier League that have the financial means to make it work.

He is not a good fit for other teams with budgetary limitations who don't want to play "slow and intricate" football with limited talent. So, as others have noted, if he does want champion league football, he's likely going to need to go Europe where his modified possession-oriented style of play is a better fit and easier to execute. I hope Marco gets his wish. He deserves it.

I also now hope that Fulham will move on from Marco because I don't think it is likely that his style of play will get us to the next level with the new financial restraints.

Yes, I do enjoy our attractive style of football and worry that many of the players he's recruited are going to possibly be bad fits in a new more direct system but waiting longer to make a change is not going to make things easier. Because, unfortunately, it does look like Marco Silva might just be a man out of time.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/p/is-marco-silva-a-man-out-of-time

[WhiteJC]

Everton, Fulham, Crystal Palace vying for Isaac Price
Crystal Palace, Everton, and Fulham are reportedly keen on signing 22-year-old Northern Irish international Isaac Price from West Bromwich Albion in the summer transfer window.

According to a report by Sports Boom, Crystal Palace, Everton, and Fulham are interested in Isaac Price. The three mid-table Premier League clubs are eager to bolster their first-team squads by signing a versatile midfielder in the coming months, with the Merseyside outfit preparing a bid to re-sign the 22-year-old West Bromwich Albion prospect. Meanwhile, the EFL Championship club will demand around €20-25 million to part ways with him.

Who is Isaac Price?
Isaac Price has established himself as one of the best young prospects in the EFL Championship since joining West Bromwich Albion from Everton in January 2025. Born in Pontefract, the young midfielder spent his formative years in England and graduated from the youth division at Everton. However, the 22-year-old had to bide his time before landing on his feet, and he has become an asset for West Brom.

Price has enjoyed a solid 2025/26 campaign, amassing eight goals and four assists in 49 appearances across all competitions, having been a mainstay in the middle of the park for the EFL Championship club. Meanwhile, the Northern Irish international's progress has piqued the attention of several well-known Premier League clubs, including Crystal Palace, Everton, and Fulham.

Premier League move on the horizon?
Crystal Palace will dip into the market for a versatile midfielder this summer amid uncertainties surrounding the long-term future of the in-demand Adam Wharton, amid his links with Liverpool. Even if the Englishman remains at Selhurst Park, they will need a long-term replacement for Daichi Kamada, who may leave Crystal Palace as a free agent this summer.

Meanwhile, Everton's interest in Isaac Price is understandable. The Toffees are scouring the market for a versatile midfielder amid Idrissa Gueye's advancing age. With the Senegalese international in the twilight of his career, Everton must sign a long-term successor. Meanwhile, it is unclear if Merlin Rohl will complete a permanent move to the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

As for Fulham, Sasa Lukic has fallen in stature this season, and the Cottagers need a reliable first-choice midfield partner for Sander Berge. Several candidates, including Richard Rios, have thus emerged on Fulham's wishlist, with Price also a viable target.

Meanwhile, West Bromwich Albion's asking price of €20-25 million makes the 22-year-old Northern Irish international an appealing target for Crystal Palace, Everton, and Fulham. However, with Everton preparing an offer to re-sign the youngster, a return to the Merseyside club may be on the cards.



https://thehardtackle.com/transfer-news/2026/05/06/everton-fulham-crystal-palace-vying-for-isaac-price/

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Newcastle tickets
Tickets for Fulham's final Premier League fixture of the season against Newcastle United will go on sale from Thursday.

Secure your seat at Craven Cottage for the final time in the 2025/26 campaign as we host The Magpies on the last day of the season on Sunday 24th May, kick-off 4pm.

Tickets for this fixture will go on sale to 2025/26 Members on Thursday 23rd April at 10am. 2025/26 Season Ticket Holders will be able to purchase additional seats from Tuesday 28th April at 10am, before tickets go on sale to Supporters with a Previous Booking History* on Thursday 30th April, 10am.

Any remaining tickets will then go on General Sale** from 10am on Tuesday 5th May.

Tickets can be secured from Thursday online at fulhamfc.com/tickets, from the Fulham FC Ticket Office in person (Mon-Fri, 9:30am-4:30pm) or by calling 0203 871 0810 (Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm).

All supporters will be able to secure up to four tickets per person for this fixture. More information regarding on sale dates and pricing can be found here.

BUY TICKETS FROM THURSDAY

*To qualify for Booking History status, supporters must have purchased a Fulham FC Men's First Team ticket in the past five years. Booking History status is not valid if supporters have only previously purchased tickets against the same opposition, in this case Newcastle United.

**Subject to postcode restrictions - Fulham FC will be monitoring bookings and any tickets purchased by supporters who live in the vicinity of Newcastle (and local areas) who do not have a previous booking history with us, will be terminated.



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2026/april/20/newcastle-tickets/

[WhiteJC]

How to watch Fulham vs Bournemouth live: Stream link, TV channel, latest team news, prediction
Bournemouth look to keep hold of pole position in the race for sixth place when they visit still-hopeful Fulham on Saturday at Craven Cottage.

The Cherries haven't lost since January 3, though there have been eight draws in their 15-match Premier League unbeaten run. They still have to host Man City and visit Nottingham Forest, and they lead seventh-place Brentford by a point.

That said Fulham have 48 points and sit 11th, as there are five other teams besides the Cottagers and Cherries who are within five points of sixth.

The Premier League has been a true gauntlet this season, and Fulham like many others have struggled to string together wins while doing enough to compete for more. A 3-0 loss to Arsenal last time out leaves their last seven games at LWDLWDL.

For live updates and highlights throughout Fulham vs Bournemouth, check out PST's live blog coverage below.

How to watch Fulham vs Bournemouth live, stream link and start time
Kick off time: 10am ET Saturday
Venue: Craven Cottage — West London
TV Channel: USA
Streaming: Watch on USA

Fulham team news, focus
OUT: Kevin (ankle), Alex Iwobi (thigh), Ryan Sessegnon (unspecified) | QUESTIONABLE: Emile Smith Rowe (thigh), Sander Berge (illness)

Bournemouth team news, focus
QUESTIONABLE: Lewis Cook (thigh), Julio Soler (thigh), Justin Kluivert (knee)

Fulham vs Bournemouth prediction
The Cherries are slight favorites even away from home. They have more reliable attacking weapons healthy and a strong chance to take and keep hold of this game. Fulham 1-2 Bournemouth.



https://www.nbcsports.com/soccer/news/how-to-watch-fulham-vs-bournemouth-live-stream-link-tv-channel-latest-team-news-prediction