Getting off to a strong start.
That has to be the message that Scott Parker instils in the team following the release of Fulham’s fixture list for this season.
After the initial rush of frantically looking at who we have on what dates (like a rare home game on Boxing Day, or who we have on your birthday), it’s time that we step back and actually take a look at the grander picture of the season and how things will shape up.
So my big takeaway when looking at these fixtures, is that once we get Arsenal out of the way, we have got arguably the best start that we could possibly have asked for, especially if you compare it to the likes of West Bromwich Albion and Leeds United.
Both of them will face four teams that finished in the top seven last year, whereas we only face one in the form of Leicester City. Add to that we play the two other promoted sides, and some teams that struggled last season in the form of West Ham, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, everything is set up for us to have a fantastic start to the season.
Will we stay up this season?
Yes
No
But we have to take advantage of that.
A great start will set us up nicely for the rest of the season, but if we start poorly against the teams that we’d expect to do well against, then there’s not going to be enough wiggle room for us when we come up against the big teams in the division.
Get as many points up on the board as we can early, I don’t think it’s impossible for us to get 14 out of the first three months, and then that should give us a great foundation to work with.
Fail to do that, and I’m afraid it’s going to be 2018/19 all over again.