Wednesday Fulham Stuff - 20/04/22...

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Fulham promoted back to the Premier League

Cottagers seal immediate return to top flight in 2022/23 after Tuesday's victory over Preston

Fulham have secured an immediate return to the Premier League for the 2022/23 season, earning automatic promotion after a one-year absence.

The Cottagers ensured a top-two finish in the Championship with a 3-0 home win over Preston North End on Tuesday.

Fulham began the Championship campaign with four wins from their first five matches, and had only one defeat in 17 between October and January.

Familiar faces return
The 2022/23 Premier League is set to feature the return of Aleksandar Mitrovic, who has set a record for the number of goals scored in a single Championship season, netting 40 times.

There will also be a return to the competition for Fulham head coach Marco Silva. The Portuguese has previously managed Hull City, Watford and Everton in the Premier League.

Fulham have spent 15 seasons in the Premier League, with a seventh-place finish in 2008/09 their best in the competition.

The Cottagers have alternated between the Premier League and the Championship over the last four seasons, earning promotion in 2017/18 and 2019/20.

Fulham's players and fans will be eagerly waiting for the release of the 2022/23 Premier League fixtures on Thursday 16 June ahead of the opening weekend of the campaign, on 6 August.

Which clubs will join Fulham?
AFC Bournemouth currently sit second, four points clear of third-placed Huddersfield Town, having played two matches fewer, as they look to secure the second automatic promotion place and a return after two seasons away.

Luton Town, Nottingham Forest and Sheffield United occupy the other playoff spots, from which the third promoted club will be decided in the final at Wembley on 29 May.



https://www.premierleague.com/news/2567479

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How Marco Silva steered Fulham straight back up

Scott Parker's departure from Craven Cottage dragged on desperately. But when a young head coach whose early promise gave way to unimaginative and turgid finally made the move to Bournemouth that he had been angling after for an age, Marco Silva was the compelling candidate to replace him. It was something of a surprise that the Portuguese coach, bruised by his brutal sacking at Everton, was willing to contemplate rebuilding his career in England's second tier but after an outstanding interview, Fulham owner Shahid Khan didn't want to meet anyone else.

Silva was passionate from the outset, brimming with desire to prove himself in English football, and had done his homework. He stressed that there would be a reset of Fulham's footballing philosophy, with an accent on adventure after the safety first approach adopted by Parker. He was clear about keeping Aleksandar Mitrovic – who certainly would have left SW6 if Parker had remained at the helm – and building an expansive side around the Serbian striker, after convincing the number nine in an early phone call that brighter days lay ahead. What most impressed the Fulham hierarchy was his detailed dossier on the club's squad, with plans for the promising academy prospects, which went well beyond the obvious stars, such as Fabio Carvalho, who had flourished when he was finally released on senior football with the Whites already down. Nobody could quite have predicted Jean Michael Seri's redemption story back in July.

Silva's single-mindedness was also on display in the way that he made it clear that he knew what had derailed the tenures of previous occupants of the Craven Cottage hotseat. He stressed that he wanted the final say in acquisitions and immediately identified the proven pedigree of Welsh winger Harry Wilson as a creator for Mitrovic. You can't quibble about the Liverpool wide man's productivity in his first season beside the River Thames – he has added exceptional quality along the right flank and darted dangerously in on that wand of a left foot. There's clearly room for Wilson to improve in the top flight, but his promising link-up with Neco Williams hints at a promising Premier League combination.

Silva's back-room team made an immediate impact upon their installation at Motspur Park. Luis Boa Morte was more than just a link with the last Fulham side that stormed away with the second tier – he is an outstanding coach in his own right; you only need to observe his influence over Neeskens Kebano, who is enjoying the most productive season of his career, to confirm this. The way in which the Congolese winger has terrorised full backs throughout this campaign – typified by a totemic display in the promotion-clinching win over Preston – has been a real tonic in such trying times. Other backroom figures have played a pivotal role too. Bruno Mendes is credited with Tom Cairney's early return from a serious knee injury, Goncalo Pedro has both improved Fulham's stamina and kept the key men fit despite a raft of coronavirus postponements cramming fixtures into shorter windows and Antonis Lemonakis has been key in crafting a brilliant variety of inventive set pieces.

The transformation of Fulham's football in such a short space of time has perhaps been overlooked given how serenely the Whites have surged to the top of the table. They have been setbacks, of course, but the Whites have delivered several superb showings – especially away from home. The seven-goal shellackings handed out at Blackburn and Reading will live long in the memory, but Silva's stylish side also hit four at Nottingham Forest – whilst at home Fulham spanked Bristol City and Birmingham City 6-2 in quick succession and cruised past West Brom with ease at a time when the Baggies appeared to be genuine promotion contenders.

The biggest contrast between Silva and Parker was in the way the new man emboldened his side to go out and take the game to the opposition, whilst remaining miserly at the back. Much of that is down to the chemistry between Tosin Adarabioyo and Tim Ream, an absolute revelation at the heart of the defence even at the age of 34, whilst at the other end of the field, Mitrovic looks like a man reborn. The Serbian has always been at his best when he has a point to prove and he has played this season as if he wants to ruin Parker's reputation. He reached the staggering 40 goal mark with a brace against Preston, but more than the glut of goals, Mitrovic's all-round play – from the range of his passing to his hold-up play and dropping deep to dictate proceedings – has been magnificent, indicating that he can certainly make his mark in the top flight – as his outstanding performances in Serbia's World Cup qualification demonstrate.

There are still plenty of points to ponder for Silva as he plot a route to Premier League safety over the summer, but it is worth reflecting on the fact that this is one of the most successful Fulham sides in the club's history. They have played with verve, electricity and always looked to attack the opposition, which represents a welcome change from the recent past. Fulham have scored 98 goals in 42 matches – and could yet compile a final points total in the high nineties. Given that the current financial fair play restrictions prevent the amassing of a squad packed with top tier quality like the one Jean Tigana had at his disposal and that finances have been stretched by a pandemic, these are achievements not be sniffed at. Silva has Craven Cottage purring in delight again – and London's original football club will be back at English football's top table come August. Prolonging their stay is now the Portuguese perfectionist's new priority.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2022/04/how-marco-silva-steered-fulham-straight-back-up/

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Fulham promoted: Can they break yo-yo sequence and stay in Premier League?

Fulham look in a stronger position this time around with a shiny new stand at Craven Cottage, a proven goalscorer and Marco Silva impressing

Fulham 3 Preston 0

Heady days at the Cottage, Fulham are back in the big time. Swimmers who take a dip in the rooftop pool at the club's opulent new Riverside Stand will have a choice of views next season: Premier League football on one side and a view of the Thames on the other.

If the experience is anything like the club's last two visits to the top flight, then Fulham fans may opt for the view to Putney Bridge rather than the Craven Cottage turf, but that is for another day.

It was party time for Marco Silva and his players who secured the club's third promotion in five years and their first without needing the Playoffs since 2001.

It helps of course if you have a striker who can score 40 goals in a season, as Aleksandar Mitrovic has now done after adding two more en route to victory against Preston.

This was, in truth, a procession for Silva's side with Preston offering little by way of resistance.

Liverpool bound Fabio Carvalho joined Mitrovic on the score sheet as chants of "the Whites are going up" rang round Craven Cottage.

Consecutive defeats against Coventry City and Derby had seen the jitters creep in despite Fulham topping the table since mid-January and even Mitrovic – as close as you can get to a sure thing in the Championship – had drawn a blank in those fixtures.

It was a nervy opening five minutes again here as Preston, with seemingly little to play for, twice went close early on through Cameron Archer and Ben Whiteman.

But cometh the hour, cometh the man as those inside the Cottage breathed a collective sigh of relief with the much needed opening goal. Of course it was 'Mitro.'

His 39th goal of the season was simple in its creation. Joe Bryan drove forward and slid the ball into the Serbian's path where he touched the ball between the legs of the onrushing Daniel Iversen.

Carvalho's goal came 11 minutes before half-time with a first time finish into the far corner after Neeskens Kebano's cross had deflected into his path, before Mitrovic swept in his second four minutes before the break.

There was a rare foray forward for Preston at the start of the second half as Rodak saved magnificently to turn Archer's shot onto the crossbar.

An awful pass from Bambo Diaby then let in Mitrovic for a hat-trick chance. Iversen got his leg to the attempt and the ball looped onto the roof of the net.

Iversen then made an impressive double save to deny first Carvalho and then Mitrovic as Fulham laid siege to the away goal. No further goals came but a mass pitch invasion greeted the final whistle.


Are Fulham better set to establish themsleves in Premier League this time?
By Nick Szczepanik

The end of another season approaches: time for Fulham to change divisions again. This will be the fifth campaign in succession in which the club have been either promoted to, or relegated from, the Premier League. The aim now is to end that sequence, stay up for the first time since 2012-13, and banish their growing reputation as a sort of Norwich City by the Thames.

On the face of it, Fulham have one big advantage over many promoted teams, in the form of a proven goalscorer. Serbia striker Aleksandar Mitrovic has 38 league goals this season, only four short of Guy Whittingham's post-war record in a 46-game season, set in 1992-93.

Two seasons ago Mitrovic hit 26, so would seem to be improving, and at age 27 he is arguably at his peak. But last season in the Premier League he found the net only three times. Is he, like Fulham, too good for the Championship but not quite good enough for the top flight?

Questions also surround Marco Silva, the manager. At one point in his career, Everton wanted the Portuguese so badly that they ended up paying Watford a reported £4 million in compensation for unsettling him. But Silva's record in the Premier League is unpromising. He failed to keep Hull City up in 2017, and was sacked by Watford in January 2018, only eight months into a two-year contract, and by Everton in December 2019, after a little over 18 months in charge.

However, his tenure at Fulham since taking over on July 1 last year has been successful by any measure. His team have twice won 7-0 on the road, at Blackburn Rovers and Reading, and they scored 22 goals in four matches – all won – in January. So impressive has been their march to the title until recently that you almost wonder whether successive stumbles at home to Coventry City and away to Derby County with the finish line in sight betrayed some inner misgiving that the top division is not a place where they belong.

Yet they are unquestionably a better team than the one Scott Parker took up through the play-offs two years ago. Harry Wilson and Fabio Carvalho have creative, attacking quality, while Antonee Robinson and Neco Williams are adventurous full-backs. The problem is that Carvalho is expected to join Liverpool when his contract expires on July 1, while Williams is already a Liverpool player. Extending his loan would be a good piece of business.

Too many loan signings, though, were a disruptive factor in Parker's team after promotion, with loyal performers who had taken the team up squeezed out. Joachim Andersen played well after arriving from Lyon, but missed the crucial early weeks through injury, and Ruben Loftus-Cheek had a disappointing season, scoring only once in 30 appearances.

Spending big money in 2018 did not work either, but at least Fulham have had time to plan in 2022 rather than waiting to discover which division they will be in until after the play-offs, as in 2018 and 2020.

Finding support for Mitrovic, and perhaps competition, will be essential, as will better service than he received last time. Wilson, Jean Michael Seri and Harrison Reed all have Premier League experience and Neeskens Kebano has pace to burn on the wing, but replacing Carvalho with another source of danger for defences is a must.

At the back, Tim Ream is a fan favourite, but the 34-year-old United States defender was denied a chance to build up his top-flight know-how last season by Andersen and Ola Aina, another loanee, so alternatives alongside Tosin Adarabioyo are needed.

At least the fans will have more viewing options this time, with the spectacular £80 million Riverside Stand, including a rooftop pool, almost ready to seat spectators and transform the homely Cottage into a more daunting arena for visitors. Whether they will have reasons to raise that roof next season remains to be seen.



https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2022/04/19/fulham-promoted-can-break-yo-yo-sequence-stay-premier-league/

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Fulham seal promotion back to the Premier League

Fulham earned their fifth promotion to the Premier League in five seasons following their 3-0 win at home to Preston North End on Tuesday night.

Marco Silva's side went into the season as title favourites and have led the Championship table for much of the year, and after missing out on the chance to clinch promotion in their last two games, finally did so at the third time of asking.

Two goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic - who has now scored 40 in the Championship alone this campaign - and one from Liverpool-bound Fabio Carvalho sealed a routine victory by the River Thames.

Fulham director Tony Khan took to Twitter to revel in the result, commenting: "Thank you very much to all of you Fulham supporters! You all deserve this special night! Congratulations to you supporters, and congratulations and thank you to the Fulham squad and Marco & the entire club staff! We're back in the Premier League! We're going up! Come on Fulham!"

Though this is Fulham's third promotion in recent times, this is the first time in this recent run that they have secured an automatic spot back to the top flight.

The Cottagers beat Aston Villa 1-0 in the 2018 play-off final, while they defeated west London rivals Brentford behind closed doors in the 2020 edition.

However, they were immediately relegated back to the Championship on both occasions and will be hoping to buck this yo-yo trend next season.



https://www.90min.com/posts/fulham-seal-promotion-premier-league

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Silva hails 'brilliant' Fulham after promotion is sealed

It was a case of mission accomplished for Marco Silva after Fulham's promotion back to the Premier League was confirmed.

Silva was installed as Whites boss last summer, tasked with taking the club back to the top flight at the first time of asking – and the Portuguese has delivered.

A 3-0 win at home to Preston sealed Fulham's triumph – and underlined their status as the Championship's stand-out team this season.

"The first goal for us was direct promotion," Silva said. "It is important for all at the club, not just me.

"I knew why I came here to Fulham and what the club wanted from me.

"We knew that would be difficult, but the players have grown since the beginning of the season and we have that desire. We have been so dominant for most of the season.

"Nothing is guaranteed in football and you have to keep working hard and the challenge is hard for next season. But we have to be positive and show full desire and ambition.

"It is difficult but it is a fantastic challenge. Our boys have been brilliant in my first season in the Championship."

Aleksandar Mitrovic has been the star man, with his two goals against Preston taking his goal tally to an incredible 40 for the season.

Silva said: "All season he has been exceptional.

"There has been a lot of games, not just for Fulham but for the national team (Serbia), so I have to manage his condition. You know how he can play with his energy when he is fresh."



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/silva-hails-brilliant-fulham-after-promotion-is-sealed

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Fulham secure Premier League return as Aleksandar Mitrovic brace seals Championship promotion with Preston win

Fulham secured promotion back to the Premier League in emphatic fashion as Aleksandar Mitrovic took his tally for the season to 40 with a brace in a comfortable 3-0 win over Preston.

The Cottagers could have secured their spot on Good Friday but a 2-1 defeat at Derby was the first time they had suffered successive defeats this season.

However, they bounced back at Craven Cottage and took the lead with their first real chance of the game as Mitrovic slotted home.

Carvalho added Fulham's second and just before half-time Mitrovic made it 40 Sky Bet Championship goals when he took a touch and fired the ball past the Preston goalkeeper.

The Serbian forward had already cruised past Ivan Toney's Championship scoring record with 14 games remaining in the season and now sits just two behind Guy Whittingham's 42-goal haul from a 46-game second-tier season for Portsmouth in 1992-93.

Fulham have been dominant in the second tier this season and secured promotion with 26 wins, eight draws and just eight losses, having scored 98 goals.

Preston came close to taking the lead in the fifth minute when Cameron Archer ran down the left before playing in Ched Evans, whose shot rebounded off Tosin Adarabioyo and the home side were able to scramble the ball away.

Goalkeeper Marek Rodak had to be alert again two minutes later to tip Ben Whiteman's effort over the crossbar and keep the score level.

Fulham scored from their first real attack of the game, with Joe Bryan coming inside from the left and cleverly playing in Mitrovic behind the Preston backline for the Serbian to slot home through the legs of Daniel Iversen.

The Cottagers had a chance to add to their lead in the 24th minute when the ball came in from Neeskens Kebano to Mitrovic and he backheeled the ball to Carvalho but his shot was wide of the target.

The home side doubled their advantage just after the half-hour mark when Kebano's ball into the box took a fortunate deflection into the path of Carvalho and he fired a first-time shot into the back of the net.

Fulham added a third just before half-time, with Mitrovic scoring his 40th of the season in clinical fashion, taking a touch and firing home after being played in by Harry Wilson, who tops the Championship's assist charts.

Mitrovic came agonisingly close to his hat-trick less than five minutes into the second half when he pounced on a loose ball and ran through on goal, only for Iversen's outstretched leg to divert the ball onto the crossbar.

Iversen then denied the 27-year-old again in the 53rd minute as Fulham continued to press for a fourth goal, but they lacked the same intensity as the first half and the scoreline remained 3-0, with jubilant fans pouring onto the pitch at the final whistle with their Premier League place confirmed.



https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/fulham-premier-league-promotion-aleksandar-mitrovic-championship-b995118.html

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Fulham news: 40-goal Aleksandar Mitrovic chasing more records
Fulham striker becomes first player in almost 30 years to score 40 goals in an English league season - could he yet break more marks?

Aleksandar Mitrovic fired Fulham back into the Premier League as he scored his 40th goal of the season.

The Serbian striker became the first man in almost 30 years to hit that mark during a league season in England by bagging a brace in the Cottagers' promotion-clinching 3-0 win at home to Preston.

Speaking about his achievement, Mitrovic told Sky Sports: "Four games still to play, so let's try to make the number a bit higher. I had great numbers this season but I had good players around me this season.

"We created a lot of chances and scored a lot of goals. I think it's been an amazing season for myself and for the team as well."

Portsmouth's Guy Whittingham was the previous man to achieve the feat, scoring 42 times back in 1992/93, although Pompey missed out on promotion that season - ironically on goal scored. They went on to lose in the play-offs.

Post-war record
With four games still to play, Mitrovic could still eclipse that mark, while even Derek Dooley's 46-goal season for Sheffield Wednesday in 1951/52 - the second tier's post-war record - may be in reach.

The second tier's all-time record is held by George Camsell, who scored 59 goals for Middlesbrough in the 1926/27 campaign.

The overall English league record belongs to Everton's Dixie Dean, who netted 60 times in the top flight in 1927/28.

Mitrovic's feat in numbers
Twenty-six goals in his 40 league appearances

A goal every 93 minutes

Scored 2+ in 11 matches

Three hat-tricks

Six penalties

The former Newcastle striker has now been either promoted or relegated in every one of his seven seasons in the English game.



https://www.planetsport.com/soccer/news/fulham-news-40-goal-aleksandar-mitrovic-chasing-records

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Marco Silva: Fulham belong in Premier League, says boss after sealing promotion

Fulham have now been promoted in each of their past three Championship campaigns

Fulham are "back where they belong" in the Premier League after securing promotion back to the top flight, says head coach Marco Silva.

Victory over Preston was enough to ensure the leaders could not be caught by anyone below second-placed Bournemouth in the Championship.

Two goals from Aleksandar Mitrovic, either side of a Fabio Carvalho strike, got the job done.

"It feels fantastic to get this club back where it belongs," Silva said.

He told BBC Radio London: "Ourselves, we enjoyed it but the way we make the fans proud of us is fantastic and I have to say I'm proud of our players because from the first day they have worked really hard."

Silva said his staff would enjoy the night but focus will quickly switch to the challenge ahead.

"It will be a huge challenge for us but we have to do the right things to prepare," he said.

"When you achieve something so important early in the season, that gives you time to prepare in the right way and we have to do that."
'Mitrovic can score goals at top level'

Mitrovic's second goal of the night was his 40th this season and he has eclipsed the Championship record of 31 set by Ivan Toney last season.

Veteran centre-back Tim Ream said the team were a "different animal" to the one relegated under Scott Parker two seasons ago and he believes Mitrovic, 27, is ready to have a big impact at the top level.

"We all believe he can [score goals] and that's all that matters," the 34-year-old told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"He believes he can and Marco believes he can, when you have the belief of your manager anything is possible

"We know what makes him score goals and the service he gets so let's see - he did it in the first year, he had 11 goals in a team that got relegated which is pretty good."

Fulham's play-off final matchwinner of two seasons ago, Joe Bryan, said the team should "take stock" of what they have achieved this season.

"It's very hard to come down from the Premier League and try to instil a different mindset and training method and go straight up, we've got a very, very good squad," he told BBC Radio London.

Fulham can all but seal the Championship title with victory away at Bournemouth in their next match on Saturday.



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/61157678

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Magical Mitrovic fires Fulham back into Premier League at first attempt

LONDON: Fulham secured promotion back to the Premier League in emphatic fashion as Aleksandar Mitrovic took his tally for the season to 40 with a brace in a comfortable 3-0 win over Preston.

The Cottagers could have secured their spot on Good Friday but a 2-1 defeat at Derby was the first time they had suffered successive defeats this season.

However, they bounced back at Craven Cottage and took the lead with their first real chance of the game as Mitrovic slotted home.

Carvalho added Fulham's second and just before half-time Mitrovic made it 40 Sky Bet Championship goals when he took a touch and fired the ball past the Preston goalkeeper.

The Serbian forward had already cruised past Ivan Toney's Championship scoring record with 14 games remaining in the season and now sits just two behind Guy Whittingham's 42-goal haul from a 46-game second-tier season for Portsmouth in 1992-93.

Fulham have been dominant in the second tier this season and secured promotion with 26 wins, eight draws and just eight losses, having scored 98 goals.

Preston came close to taking the lead in the fifth minute when Cameron Archer ran down the left before playing in Ched Evans, whose shot rebounded off Tosin Adarabioyo and the home side were able to scramble the ball away.

Goalkeeper Marek Rodak had to be alert again two minutes later to tip Ben Whiteman's effort over the crossbar and keep the score level.

Fulham scored from their first real attack of the game, with Joe Bryan coming inside from the left and cleverly playing in Mitrovic behind the Preston backline for the Serbian to slot home through the legs of Daniel Iversen.

The Cottagers had a chance to add to their lead in the 24th minute when the ball came in from Neeskens Kebano to Mitrovic and he backheeled the ball to Carvalho but his shot was wide of the target.

The home side doubled their advantage just after the half-hour mark when Kebano's ball into the box took a fortunate deflection into the path of Carvalho and he fired a first-time shot into the back of the net.

Fulham added a third just before half-time, with Mitrovic scoring his 40th of the season in clinical fashion, taking a touch and firing home after being played in by Harry Wilson, who tops the Championship's assist charts.

Mitrovic came agonisingly close to his hat-trick less than five minutes into the second half when he pounced on a loose ball and ran through on goal, only for Iversen's outstretched leg to divert the ball onto the crossbar.

Iversen then denied the 27-year-old again in the 53rd minute as Fulham continued to press for a fourth goal, but they lacked the same intensity as the first half and the scoreline remained 3-0, with jubilant fans pouring onto the pitch at the final whistle with their Premier League place confirmed.



http://keirradnedge.com/2022/04/19/magical-mitrovic-fires-fulham-back-into-premier-league-at-first-attempt/

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Thought this would be a good article to paste from the Athletic for non-subscribers to have a read of:

How Silva powered Fulham to promotion: Igniting Mitrovic, reshaping rooms and introducing birthday cakes
Peter Rutzler
Apr 19, 2022

Marco Silva was impatient. As a manager, he is not the type that likes to take a back seat and delegate responsibilities. But in July 2021, he had to leave others to it.

Quarantine meant confinement in a London hotel before he could meet his new squad and begin picking Fulham up from the floor after relegation. In the meantime, he was confined only to meeting with his staff daily to discuss the team and their plans, while assessing player profiles and rewatching video clips of the team as they began pre-season, under experienced coach Stuart Gray.

It would be more than 10 days before Silva could get his hands physically on his new team after his appointment. Fulham had missed out on 52 days of preparation for the new season, courtesy of the Scott Parker saga, that dragged on. Gray and his interim team, which included Colin Omogbehin and physical performance coach Jack Grinstead, had to step in to make sure pre-season began on a sure footing before Silva's appointment. They were all playing catch up.

The manager with a point to prove had taken over a squad with a point to prove — at a club in the same boat. Fulham were described as trapped on the "rollercoaster" of promotion and relegation by Parker, and after four years of yo-yoing between the first and second tiers, there was concern now that this ride might begin to stall.

A lot of money had been spent trying to put  and keep the team in the Premier League but after a season behind closed doors — one that saw only five wins in the league — discontent was seeping into disillusionment among supporters. With Parker's exit for Bournemouth protracted, frustration was simmering. What direction was the club heading in? Did they have a long-term plan?

Silva's appointment marked a clean slate for everyone and brought hope that this time, it might be different. There would be a new lease of life for players who looked destined to exit, and within weeks of his arrival, the feelgood factor began to return.

Fulham were expected to achieve promotion this season, considering the strength of their squad. But even then, no one could have predicted how emphatic this season would be.

There would be no time for the play-offs and the angst and uncertainty that comes with it. This time, promotion has been delivered in style, playing swashbuckling attacking football and eviscerating some opponents. In Aleksandar Mitrovic, they had one of Europe's most potent goalscorers and, with the goals racking up, Fulham set their sights on breaking records too.

This is how they did it.

Fulham's squad was not a happy one after relegation. That is always the case when any team is relegated, but there were players who had become disillusioned. The seven loanees Fulham recruited for the Premier League had all departed and took their disappointment with them, but some of those who remained had been cast aside in the top flight — for the second time in three years. Tim Ream said he found motivation by reminding himself that many people would love the chance to be able to train as a professional every day, while Denis Odoi described it is as the most difficult season of his career.

"From Monday to Thursday, everything was fine," Odoi said. "But I'd get down to the Friday and the Saturday when I wasn't involved, I'd be training by myself or with two or three others with the under-23s. That's not fun."

Fulham wanted to use these former promotion-winners in the Championship, many of whom had won promotion twice before. Silva needed to bring them back on side.

He provided a genuine fresh start, and any notion of a hangover quickly dissipated. "There was a little bit of that the first time we got relegated," Ream said in July. "But I don't see that this year. I see a hunger."

Others were brought back in from the cold. Jean Michael Seri seemed set for another loan spell in Europe, but Silva told him of his admiration for his talent that dated back to the Ivorian's brief time in Portugal with Pacos de Ferreira. Impressive displays in pre-season meant the coach wanted to keep him — and Seri was sold on the vision. Within weeks, his sweeping passes and dinked through balls saw him serenaded by the fanbase. A player once dismissed as a dud signing had a new lease of life.

"Everyone is enjoying working with him," Alfie Mawson, who was not involved last season, said in October. "We're very together. We've built a very, very solid core. The gaffer said before training the other day that it's not only the starting XI and the benches, it's all the lads who are fighting to get on the bench. The lads on the pitch are looking after their spot and we've got to look after ours on the bench as well, because there will be lads coming in. The healthy competition is brilliant."

Fulham maintained a big squad and competition was fierce. A regular grievance of Silva was that he could not include more players in the squad.

The blank slate had an impact. Neeskens Kebano has gone on to have his best season in Fulham colours, thriving in Silva's front-foot philosophy, scoring nine goals and providing six assists. After spending the latter half of the Premier League season on loan at Middlesbrough, Kebano would have been forgiven for seeing his future elsewhere but that was a conversation, it is understood, that never happened. He made more consecutive starts than in any other time during his five years at Fulham, and that faith in his ability has encouraged him to take more risks without fear of being dropped.

Odoi too found a place in the team, usurping Kenny Tete in the line-up and, owing to his good form, he retained his position — an encouraging sign for his team-mates. Silva did not want to lose Odoi in January, but a long contract offer from Club Bruges in Belgium was something the defender wanted to pursue. Ream, meanwhile, is having a superb season too, after many had written him off.

But it is Mitrovic who has experienced the greatest renaissance.

The Serbia striker was on his way out at the end of last season. His relationship with Parker had reached a point where if the Bournemouth coach stayed, he would not. Those close to the player say communication between the pair had become strained and his future was in serious doubt.

For Silva, it was a priority to keep Mitrovic. He phoned the 27-year-old before arriving at Motspur Park, outlining his style of play and how integral he believed he could be. Silva had wanted to sign Mitrovic before, and his tactical set-up, based on a 4-3-3 with use of a target man to lead the line, seemed a good fit.

At the same time, vice chairman and director of football operations Tony Khan was trying to encourage Mitrovic to commit his future. Mitrovic had received three offers from Dynamo Moscow and the finances on offer were appealing. But the trust Fulham had in their star player was put into writing in the form of a highly lucrative new contract. Mitrovic signed that five-year contract in late August — he has not looked back.

Fulham's creativity has been unrivalled and Mitrovic has always been a penalty-box striker who, if provided with chances, will score. But this year has seen his game transformed and confidence sky high. He is, without doubt, the Championship's finest ever marksman and his goal tally of 40 goals from 38 appearances is unparalleled in the modern era.

When available for selection, he has not gone more than two successive matches without scoring, and is closing in on Guy Whittingham's 42-goal haul, the record for the 46-game format, achieved with Portsmouth in 1992-93. He will also have his sights on Frank "Bonzo" Newton's 43 league goals, a club record, set in 1931-32.

But he has been about more than just goalscoring. He has seven assists, the most in a single season of his senior career. His role in Silva's tactical set-up, dropping deep to link the play and create space for midfield runners, has set him apart. He looks — and feels — a far more complete player, and says he feels fitter than ever too.

"When you watch us you would probably think he is just this goal machine but he's not, " Harry Wilson told The Athletic. "He drops deeper, and the wingers can run in behind. His range of passing is great. That's one of the threats. When he gets that chance, he always seems to find me."

Like Fulham and Silva, Mitrovic's target now is to prove his goalscoring ability, reflected in the second tier and internationally with Serbia, in the Premier League. He is now in a team that is playing to his strengths.

Fulham had 10 promotion winners in their matchday squad on the opening day of the season. There is no doubting that the strength of personnel built over half a decade provided a strong base and automatically made Fulham heavyweight promotion contenders.

But recruitment made them stronger.

Transfers have been a contentious area at Fulham, particularly after two failed attempts at staying in the Premier League. They are overseen by Tony Khan, who also works with the Jacksonville Jaguars as chief football strategy officer and runs All Elite Wrestling, which he owns. He divides his time between those roles, and is based in the United States.

The club initially sought to recruit a director of scouting last May — an on-the-ground presence to link recruitment to the coaching staff beyond just chief executive Alistair Mackintosh. Candidates were interviewed for the role and the process is believed to have reached an advanced stage, but after Silva's appointment and an academy restructuring, which saw Huw Jennings take on a more holistic role as head of football development, this was all put on ice in October. The reason for that, club sources say, was because the process was felt to be working well, with Silva working effectively with Mackintosh and Khan.

Mackintosh is Silva's day-to-day contact on the ground at Motspur Park, while Khan is said to speak with Mackintosh near daily. Relationships between Khan and coaches has come under scrutiny, with former coach Parker publicly reprimanding him last season. But there have been no such issues this season. Khan and Silva communicate frequently and there have been no disagreements over targets.

In the summer, they set to work quickly and secured key targets early. Paulo Gazzaniga and Wilson were top of the list and were soon secured. Financial Fair Play remained a problem, but Fulham were able to negotiate a deal for Wilson that saw him initially arrive on loan and then become permanent next season. It was structured in a way that meant Fulham would pay nothing of the £12 million agreement in the first year.

Wilson has been an inspired signing. Another with a point to prove, he chose to step outside the Liverpool bubble in order forge a path back to the Premier League. He has made the right flank his own, thriving under the attacking freedom. He has registered 16 assists and 10 goals, and only Mitrovic has been involved in more goal-ending open play sequences than the Wales winger.

A back up striker to Mitrovic was recruited in Brazilian Rodrigo Muniz in August. A recommendation of Silva, Muniz met Khan's approval and was signed after a protracted negotiation, complicated by a COVID-19 diagnosis. His minutes have been limited by the form of Mitrovic, but he has still contributed. His five goals from 403 minutes exceeds Mitrovic's goals per minute strike rate.

Fulham kept the core of an impressive team and beside last year's loanees, they only lost Andre-Frank Anguissa in the summer window. The Cameroon international made clear his intention to play at a higher level, amid interest from across Europe, he was left out on the opening day of the season for the game with Middlesbrough. He came back for the trip to Huddersfield Town, encouraged to play while under contract, but soon got his move to Napoli on loan and signed a new contract at the same time to protect his value.

That move was sealed late in the summer window and while his exit was expected, Silva would not be left without a replacement. Proven promotion winner Nathaniel Chalobah was brought in on a free and would become an important midfield asset. The same happened in January, when Neco Williams was brought in from Liverpool after Odoi's departure. The Welshman too made an immediate impact.

The one transfer that did not work out was a loan move for Domingos Quina, who struggled with the competition and returned to Watford in January. A key reason why he struggled was because of the consistency of Fabio Carvalho, who has lit up this season.

Carvalho, an academy product, only made his debut for Fulham last season but has thrived this year under compatriot Silva. His electric form attracted a whirlwind of interest and, after he turned down a Fulham contract in late 2021, it became clear that his future would continue to be debated.

In January he almost joined Liverpool, only for the deal to collapse in the final hours owing to a lack of time to file a deal sheet for his loan back to Fulham. Silva had made it a red line that Carvalho stayed until the end of the season, underlying his importance to the team.

Despite the late heartbreak, it is testament to the player's character that he has maintained his form. He has been undroppable for Fulham.

Silva is felt to be a trusted adviser for Carvalho's family and he has played a key role in ensuring the player has maintained his form and focus. The coach remained determined to keep hold of him, but despite his overtures — and a good contract offer — it became inevitable that Carvalho would leave this summer.

Earlier this month, The Athletic confirmed that he will leave the club now after a standout season, joining Liverpool for £7.7 million after add ons. His exit will be a disappointment for Fulham supporters, but he leaves having played a key part in an historic campaign.

On his first day, Silva arrived at Motspur Park bright and early. He was greeted by Mackintosh, and was impatient to familiarise himself with his new surroundings, meet the staff and then, finally, get to work.

After his tour of the training ground, he entered the domed indoor training facility where his squad waited. Some he had spoken to on the phone, but this was his first full meeting — a chance to sense the mood and make a first impression. The non-performance staff were sent out, and it was then that the promotion push began.

Silva likes to keep things private. He does not enjoy others watching his training sessions, but that is not to say he is a coach who is distant. He goes out of his way to greet all members of staff, ensuring everyone feels part of the project.

But matters regarding football and the senior side were kept tightly compact, partly, perhaps, to cultivate a sense of togetherness and unity. This was important after relegation and the positive atmosphere built from the dressing room outwards.

Improving the spirit in the dressing room would be key and Fulham had a well-balanced group. They have been promoted three times now in five years and much of this current squad have come together over that time. They know each other well, and that has created a comfortable environment where new young players, like Carvalho, Tyrese Francois and Jay Stansfield, can feel at ease, and the older ones too.

There have been no cliques this season. New rules came into force; the players had to mark everyone's birthday, and players and performance staff had to sit together at lunch, with the room reshaped to bring people together and small fines for those who are late. On a player's birthday, the catering staff will make them a small cake and the team have a ritual where the squad form a tunnel and the birthday celebrant has to run through it, while getting hit by his team-mates.

The players quickly bought into this way of doing things and the little details have made a difference. A strong group of players regularly play a dice game similar to Perudo after lunch and on the coach to away games, which can become lively, while on the training pitch, fun is actively encouraged.

"They've come in with their clear ideas and they've made it very clear what what they want and how they want us to play," said Ream. "And one of the big things is playing with a smile on your face."

But there was a serious side, too. Silva is very much in charge of all work on the training field, and his sessions are known to be tactical. "The first few days were very tough," said Williams, after signing from Liverpool. "I was coming off every training session sweating and tired, saying to the lads, 'Is it always this hard?!"

Silva, with a clipboard in hand, will stop sessions frequently if he sees something he does not like. He will pull players aside to outline details in more depth, and conducts individual chats after training. There are a lot of 11 v 11 sessions, and there is an emphasis on moving the ball forward as quickly as possible and keeping things simple with the team's movements. This is appreciated by the players.

His staff have played key roles. A hugely important factor this season has been their lack of injuries, and the methods of Bruno Mendes, Fulham's head of physical performance, have played a part. Silva and his team generally avoid frequent higher intensity work, and take a personal approach to players' fitness and wellbeing, as well as based on data and monitoring intense match loads. One notable example of improvement has been the return of Tom Cairney after a year of knee trouble. When Silva was appointed, Cairney lasted one session before Silva told him he should not train unless he was completely without pain. When he did finally return, coming off the bench against Cardiff City in October to break the deadlock, Cairney struggled to hold back the tears.

First team fitness coach Goncalo Pedro is also very popular, while Silva's assistant, Luis Boa Morte, is Silva's eyes and ears, often animated on the touchline and happy-go-lucky on the training field. He is fluent in French, once an asset during his playing days under Jean Tigana at Fulham, but today that helps communicate ideas plainly with Kebano and Seri.

Another huge, if understated, part of Silva's backroom team is Antonios Lemonakis. The performance analyst, who first worked with Silva at Olympiakos, is highly valued by Silva for his in-depth tactical analysis. He is thought to be influential regarding how the team adapts to different opponents, especially on set plays, finding the gaps which Fulham can exploit. Silva recently name-checked his importance in a press conference.

Silva spoke regularly about implementing his tactical "idea", or his philosophy, at Fulham, and insisted after his appointment that it may take time to do so. But it did not take long before a clear attacking identity began to emerge. Fulham's work on the training ground was soon visible in pre-season. They have adopted a 'positional' style of play, based around a 4-3-3 system. It places great emphasis on the No 6 position, linking the play from deep and helping to sustain attacks, while it requires the wingers to stretch out wide and the midfield No 8s (or 10s) to go beyond the centre-forward. Mitrovic would also drop deeper, helping to create space and spread passes into wide areas.

Fulham have worked on specific, simple open-play structures. One key play for example sees Mitrovic swing first-time passes around the corner to Wilson — an instinctive movement that has delivered goals. What has been so impressive Fulham this season is that they can do everything. They lead the way for 'build-up' goals, constructed over long passing sequences, and are among the best teams that counter-attack too. Their attacking threat was underlined just five games into the season, when they registered an expected goals value of 4.29xG against Stoke City. That was Fulham's highest since Opta records began in 2010-11. Since then, they have beaten that value twice.

Set pieces have also made an enormous difference. Silva's first challenge was to move the team from a hybrid zonal/man-marking system into one that was fully zonal, and the team have since conceded only five goals from non-penalty set plays. In attack, they work on countless routines in training, from free kicks to corners. Fulham regularly spend the final day before a game going through set-play routines, which can be tedious for players. But it has paid off, with Fulham scoring 25 from set plays, 19 excluding penalties, both more than any other team in the division.

The players have fully bought into Silva's fine details approach — it has delivered a memorable season.

It is pouring with rain and Fulham are at risk of being washed away. Harrison Reed is pleading for calm from his team-mates, but the visitors have all but lost their heads. Fulham are 4-1 down to Coventry City and have imploded.

Silva has to compose himself as he walks into the press room after the game. He sits with his hands together, lent forward over the desk. There was only one place to start.

Were Fulham fragile?

The trip to Coventry in October marked an intake of breath. It raised all kinds of alarm bells and threatened to derail what had been a stunning start. This was a big learning curve. After defeat at Blackpool following an international break, it was clear to Silva that he would need to rotate players throughout the season to sustain their promotion push. At Coventry, the way in which errors had compounded one on top of the other concerned the head coach, who said afterwards that he had learned a lot about his players from that game. This was the "old Fulham", and something that had to be addressed.

It would prove a key moment, not just because of the result, but because of the response that followed.

Silva and his staff do not make knee-jerk reactions to set-backs. They will take time away to consider and evaluate, and then return to work on matters in training. In the dressing room after Coventry, Silva stressed the importance of "courage". Courage to fight against adversity, but also to stick to the team's principles, no matter the circumstances. "Home and away, we have to play the same way," Silva said of that game.

After the debacle at the Ricoh Arena, five wins followed and the fifth made everyone sit up. It came at Ewood Park, on a cold November evening when the final score would require brackets. Blackburn Rovers 0 Fulham 7 (seven). Something special was brewing.

The win immediately drew parallels with the Tigana season of 2000-01 — and they were not misplaced. This was a fifth win in succession, the first time Fulham had won that many matches in a row since Slavisa Jokanovic's promotion-winning team in the January and February of 2018. It was a fourth clean sheet in a row, too. Fulham were ruthless and unrelenting.

It was a trait they would sustain throughout the season — and one that came from the top. At half-time, Silva told the team not to stop. "We have to keep being serious," he said. "It is the best way to respect our opponent and the fans. Keep going, keep going, try to do the right things."

That became a mantra. Like many clubs, COVID-19 interrupted Fulham's season over December and that saw fixtures piled high for January and February. Fulham had a few cases of their own during the Omicron wave but they were determined to keep their matches on. In the end though, their opponents called them off. That meant they would have to wait to rectify a poor run of form — five games without a win. Their response would again be emphatic.

Another 7-0 win followed away to Reading before 6-2 home victories over Bristol City and Birmingham City.

The goalscoring was unprecedented. Fulham had hit 70 goals with 20 matches left to play, a total that ensured they were most prolific team in all of Europe's first and second divisions and just five shy of Norwich's title-winning total for the 2020-21 season.

They had become the first English Football League team to win two away games by seven or more goals in a single season since Liverpool in 1895-96. It was dizzying stuff for a fanbase that had been served just nine home goals last season.

What it also showed, however, was how the team had evolved, developing a steely edge that meant they could react better to adversity. A new Fulham.

Those early fears began to make way and points were recovered from (rare) moments when they were in a losing position. First to Bournemouth, then Bristol City and then Stoke City away, where Muniz showed he could be a valuable stand-in for Mitrovic. This translated into a grit and resilience, which brought hard-fought points away to Luton, Hull City, Cardiff and Middlesbrough. The match at Hull City, a miserable afternoon that saw the pitch become a mud bath, was celebrated enthusiastically in the dressing room.

Fulham did not play well, but still won the game: the mark of champions elect.

For many, promotion was a foregone conclusion and Fulham were determined to get the job as soon as possible. During the March international break, the players and staff discussed the importance of staying focused. There was a gap to the chasing pack, but if they wanted to end the season strongly they would need to approach the run-in with a mindset of winning everything. They wanted to be champions.

A run of five difficult away games in a row yielded three wins and a draw. The wins over QPR and Middlesbrough in particular, felt decisive.

Defeats by Coventry again and then Derby were not in the script but Fulham's dominance had been such that they did not matter. The job was finally completed on Tuesday night, where a 3-0 victory over Preston North End confirmed what we knew: Fulham are Premier League again.

Promotion this year marks a clear success for Fulham, and while they were always fancied to achieve an immediate return to the Premier League, nobody could have foreseen a campaign like this one. Silva maximised the ability of his talented players — resulting in a campaign that could rival that of Tigana's, the first automatic promotion for the club in 20 years.

But there is still more to do.

Fulham have made history this season, inflicting record home league defeats on Blackburn and Reading, but they have their sights firmly set on cementing their place in the record books.

With 98 goals to their name, they are vying to become the first second-tier side since Manchester City under Kevin Keegan to hit 100 in a season, and surpass Reading's record of 99 for the Championship era.

They are a win away from tying the club record for away wins in a season —  14, held by Tigana's side. The highest goal difference achieved in the second tier was by Liverpool in 1895-96, standing at 74. They are 13 goals away from that.

Above all, though, Fulham want the title. They have a team packed with promotion winners but few have a league title to their name. The club has only won six titles in their history.

"Now is not about being promoted," said Seri at the start of April. "It's about being champions."