'Time for a hard reset' at Fulham

[ASFN Admin]

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Marco Silva has a podium place alongside Jean Tigana and Roy Hodgson as the greatest Fulham managers I have witnessed in my lifetime. But his time has come to a natural conclusion.

I say natural because – as we are all acutely aware – his contract is up in the summer. The club wants to make him one of the highest-paid managers in the Premier League, but this season has shown that perhaps that offer is too generous.

Our insipid finish to a campaign that promised so much has left the whole fanbase flat. Marco's continued coyness when asked about his future has worn so thin I no longer wish for him to sign it.

There is the old adage: "Be careful what you wish for." You only have to look at West Ham, one game from dropping out of the Premier League just three years after winning the Conference League for evidence of that.

But I understand where the fans were coming from.

Premier League consolidation is great. But it is not the be-all and end-all. It is not why we became fans of the beautiful game: to successfully tread water for a decade or longer. That is not glory.

We want more - and with the prices all modern football fans are expected to pay for everything from matchday tickets to replica shirts, it is hard to argue we do not deserve it.

Shahid Khan has ploughed millions of his own fortune into Fulham, no-one is disputing that. But given the rate the Premier League is evolving, our transfer fees are increasingly uncompetitive and our scouting is not astute enough.

Couple that with a manager who looks – and sounds – like he has hit his ceiling, and it is time for a hard reset.

Silva said after our 1-1 draw with Wolves that this summer is "one of the most important for the club's future". And while his inaction is at odds with that statement, I agree with him.

I only hope that Marco – and the club – start acting like it soon.

Find more from Drew Heatley at Fulhamish

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