Fulham

Image source, Getty Images

An independent regulatory commission has handed Fulham boss Marco Silva a one-game touchline ban and £90,000 fine for comments he made following Fulham's 1-0 defeat by West Ham United on 4 March.

The Portuguese boss spoke to BBC Match of the Day straight after the Premier League match, sharing his aggrievance around certain decisions he felt went against the Cottagers.

"The referee's decisions were at a very low level in my opinion," Silva said. "It has been a little bit the story of our season when John Brooks has been involved with us.

"Even our penalty [shout], I repeat again that John Brooks took and decided against the on-field decision. It's very difficult to understand these mistakes against ourselves, but it is what it is."

An FA statement on Thursday said he admitted the charge of "acting in an improper manner by making comments in a post-match interview that imply bias and/or question the integrity and/or are personally offensive" towards a match official.

However, Silva's suspension has been paused pending an appeal and he will be present on the touchline for this weekend's fixture against Liverpool.

The Premier League's return this weekend brings trepidation for some and excitement for others.

Football's emotional rollercoaster becomes intense at this time of year, unless of course mid-table mediocrity has taken a grip of things in recent months.

So how are you feeling as a Fulham fan with just a handful of weeks left to go?

The league form reads: LWWLDW

The next three league fixtures are: Liverpool (a), Brentford (a), Aston Villa (h)

Let us know how you're feeling here

Huzaifah Khan
BBC Sport journalist

Fulham boss Marco Silva has been speaking to the media before Saturday's Premier League game against Liverpool at Anfield (kick-off 17:30 BST).

Here are the key lines from his news conference:

• Silva confirmed Kenny Tete is out but defender Calvin Bassey is fit for the trip to Liverpool.

• He added everything is "going well" for Kevin after he had surgery on a foot injury he suffered against Sunderland in February.

• On whether Fulham are aiming for Europe, having the chance to close the gap to this weekend's opponents in fifth to just two points: "We set ourselves in a position where we can fight for something very difficult to achieve but achievable. Something where we wanted to be in that fight."

• He added: "The importance of each game is going to be bigger than before because we are just going to have seven games to play. And I said the motivation is there on the top as you'd expect. We fought very hard to be in this position right now."

• On his future, with his contract set to expire this summer: "I think I mentioned to you before the international break or before the Burnley game, we don't need to have an international break to speak about things. We have been speaking about many things, and one of them is our technical situation with the club."

• On whether any progress has been made to keep him at the club beyond this season, Silva replied: "When the news is going to be clear, you are going to know."

Listen to full match commentary of Liverpool v Fulham live on BBC Radio 5 Live at 17:30 BST on Saturday

Follow all of Thursday's Premier League news conferences and the rest of the day's football news

Got a question about Fulham? Get in touch here and we'll seek answers from our experts

Fulham forward Harry Wilson has been reflecting on his first-ever interaction with Marco Silva, prior to signing an initial loan deal to join the Cottagers in July 2021, admitting that "everything he said in that phone call was true".

Since then, the Wales international has gone on to make 180 club appearances, scoring 36 goals and providing 45 assists along the way.

"He was the one that brought me to this club," Wilson told Football Focus. "I was his first signing so we have been together for four and a half years now.

"It has been really good [working with him], even from the first chat I had on the phone with him before I signed. We talked about the way he wants his teams to play and the way he sees me playing in the team.

"When I look back on that conversation, everything he said in that phone call was true.

"Looking back, it is amazing to see everything that's come true for me. I don't think either of us knew where we were going to be in four and a half years.

"So to have won the Championship and then had three solid seasons in the Premier League, that is great."

Dale Johnson
Football issues correspondent

Image source, Getty Images

The Premier League will have at least five teams in the Champions League next season after securing a European Performance Spot for the second straight year.

The extra place was confirmed on Tuesday as Arsenal beat Sporting 1-0 in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie.

Uefa awards an additional place to the two leagues with the best overall performance across the three European competitions.

The race for fifth place in the Premier League, currently held by Liverpool on 49 points, is exceptionally tight.

Just seven points separate Arne Slot's side from 13th-placed Bournemouth.

Chelsea (48) sit in sixth followed by Brentford (46), Everton (46), Fulham (44), Brighton (43), Sunderland (43), Newcastle (42) and Bournemouth (42).

If Aston Villa, who are fourth on 54 points, win the Europa League and finish outside the top four, the Premier League would have six teams in the Champions League.

The same logic applies to Liverpool, who face Paris St-Germain in the first leg of the Champions League quarter-finals on Wednesday.

If either win a European trophy and finish fifth, then sixth would qualify for the Champions League via the EPS place.

If both win European trophies and finish fifth and sixth, that would put seventh into the Champions League.

Nottingham Forest are in the quarter-finals of the Europa League. They could emulate Tottenham by winning the competition and finishing in the bottom half of the table.

Just like last season, that would create a sixth team in the Champions League for the Premier League too.

Drew Heatley
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

Nothing quite beats the optimism you feel heading into the first game of the season. Everything is new - and anything is possible.

That is how it feels going into Saturday's game against Liverpool. It will have been a full three weeks since our most recent league game - and it feels like longer.

By virtue of our early FA Cup exit, Marco Silva has had a week-long "pre-season" with his full squad, preparing them for this mini seven-game campaign, with the prize at the end of it being a return to European football after 14 years.

Our first game back is against last season's champions, Liverpool. Their "pre-season" has been a miserable one, losing 4-0 to Manchester City in the cup.

We have lost just once in our past five games against the Reds, giving us confidence going into the game at Anfield. With an extended period of time to view the tools at his disposal, Marco's starting XI will be telling.

We are 10 points off our record Premier League points total and two wins from equalling our high of 15 league wins. Yet we sit in the strange position of knowing that we could achieve both and still finish outside the top eight - and miss out on the Conference League.

It is, on paper, a far from easy task. Four of our seven games are against teams above us in the table, while two of our opponents below - Bournemouth and Newcastle - sit within two points of us.

The flip of that is that any results we achieve will have a greater impact on the table. It is a fascinating mini-season, and after three weeks of twiddling our thumbs, Fulham fans are champing at the bit for proceedings to resume.

That pre-season optimism is in the air - and rightly so. Anything is possible, after all.

Find more from Drew Heatley at Fulhamish, external

Image source, Getty Images

With fifth position looking set to be a Champions League spot for a second consecutive season, the form of Chelsea and Liverpool has left the door open for another team to possibly pip them to that place.

Brentford, Everton, Fulham and Brighton might not have expected to be fighting for a place in Europe's top club cup competition at the beginning of the campaign, but with all four within six points of fifth place it could yet become a reality.

At the time of writing, supporters think the eight-placed Toffees are most likely to reach that spot, with the current poll standings looking like this:

• Brentford - 21%

• Everton - 60%

• Fulham - 7%

• Brighton - 12%

Add your choice here

Drew Heatley
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

We are in the middle of a three-week break from watching Fulham, thanks to the international break and our FA Cup exit.

But the club have given me plenty to chew over during this downtime, thanks to the recently published stance on away fans sitting in home stands wearing full colours.

In a meeting with the Fulham Supporters' Trust,, external the club said on record: "If an away supporter's presence has a negative effect, then we will intervene. If there is not a negative effect then we will not intervene."

At best, these comments are tone deaf. At worst, they feel antagonistic.

Craven Cottage is a hotbed for away fans of Premier League clubs buying tickets in the home ends to watch their sides because it is the easiest way for them to do so. So to all but endorse that activity is disappointing.

It once again calls into question how clubs view supporters in this modern era of football. We feel like customers, nothing more.

Fulham, in particular, indicate that is how they see us. In literature published last summer about the club's hospitality venture, Fulham Pier, the club apologised that it might sometimes be closed when "the local football team" was playing, detaching itself from the very thing that enables it to offer such a lucrative new revenue stream. The wording was later changed, external after consultation with the Supporters' Trust.

Couple this with ever-rising matchday ticket prices that prevent the next generation of Fulham supporters from germinating, and you can see why many fans fear for the future, despite success on the pitch.

While football clubs, or more accurately the custodians who currently own them, are gradually changing the way they treat loyal fanbases, our relationships with the entities that we have poured our lives into have not changed. So the gap between the two looks to keep widening.

But despite how frustrated we might sometimes feel, we just cannot quit the clubs we love.

So, these near month-long hiatuses are the longest breaks we will ever have to endure.

Find more from Drew Heatley at Fulhamish, external

Nicola Pearson
BBC Sport journalist

Over recent weeks, it has felt like the race that nobody wants to win.

Aston Villa,Liverpool and Chelsea have all been dropping points as they battle for a Champions League spots.

A win before the international break has given Villa just a little more breathing room in fourth, while defeats for Arne Slot's Reds and Liam Rosenior's Blues have left both clubs struggling to cement their place in Europe's premier club competition next season.

Their respective difficulties have given other teams, who at the start of the season could only have dreamed of the chance to secure Champions League football for next campaign, an opportunity to do just that.

With it all but certain that the Premier League will get an extra Champions League place for the second consecutive season, fifth is set to be enough to secure that ticket.

Brentford and Everton are just three points off that coveted spot, while Fulham are five points away and Brighton six.

Reaching form at the right time could be crucial, and if we take a look at the points-per-game record of those four chasing teams from their past seven results, it could give us an idea as to who has the best chance of toppling the traditional 'big six' teams for that final place.

If Brentford's PPG continues into the final seven games, it would take them to 56 points, while Everton's PPG of 1.7 would take them to 58 and just ahead of the Bees.

Fulham, meanwhile, have a form of 1.4 PPG that would take them to 54 points and not quite enough to overtake the two above, and in-form Brighton with 1.7 could get them to 55 points but that too would not take them past Brentford and Everton.

With so much left to play for and the pressure on the likes of Chelsea and Liverpool - who still have play each other - to reach their Champions League target, it could leave an opening for someone else to go on the ultimate European adventure.

Of the four sides eyeing an unexpected Champions League opportunity, who do you think has the best chance of sneaking into that fifth spot?

Make your choice here

Fulham's Antonee Robinson has been added to Manchester United's list of left-back targets for this summer. (Football Insider), external

Want more transfer stories? Read Wednesday's full gossip column

Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

Drew Heatley
Fan writer

Image source, Getty Images

It was Benjamin Franklin who said nothing is certain in life except death and taxes. That rings true in SW6 as we inch towards the end of the season.

Chiefly, no-one knows the future of Marco Silva, who is entering the final three months of his contract.

The win over Burnley on Saturday will do little to mask the fact that this uncertainty has threatened to derail our campaign.

That might seem like hysteria, but it is the only way I can rationalise our recent hot-and-cold form, which has meant us falling behind in the race for Europe - and out of the FA Cup.

Despite all this, there were a few positives to take from the weekend - none better than academy graduate Josh King bagging his first league goal.

It was not a pretty one (his mazy run from the halfway line minutes earlier, reminiscent of Michael Owen for England against Argentina at the 1998 World Cup, would have grabbed more headlines), but it illustrated King's growth this season and put pressure on his rival for the number 10 role, Emile Smith Rowe, as the pair continue to trade places in Silva's starting XI.

Another shining light was Harry Wilson's return to the scoresheet.

The Welshman now has 11 goals and seven assists in a banner year, but while no-one knows how Silva's story will end, it looks increasingly likely that Wilson's time at Fulham is drawing to a close. And he's bowing out in the best possible way.

With so much up in the air, it is difficult to predict where the Whites will end up in the table with seven games left to play.

But one thing is for certain: it is set to be a fascinating summer.

Find more from Drew Heatley at Fulhamish, external

We asked for your thoughts after Saturday's Premier League game between Fulham and Burnley.

Here are some of your comments:

Fulham fans

James: It was a great game. Amazing performance from the team and a well-deserved three points. Super happy that Josh King got his goal as it is a major confidence boost for him and the rest of our season as we push for Europe.

Brian: Job done, but not without another show of misplaced passes and static defending. Burnley gave us a game and (almost) deserved their goal. So proud that King finally got his goal - cracking lad and fully committed. We're all hanging on Marco Silva's decision now and hoping he'll stay...

Miles: We lacked tempo for 60 minutes until Burnley scored. More late subs from an ever-belligerent Silva in that regard. Anyway, we hit third gear thereafter, driven by man of the match Harry Wilson (who will be moving on to bigger things in the summer, no doubt). Reservations remain about Silva's in-game decision-making, but we are up to eighth. COYW!

Steve: Nice result for us. But it leaves us flirting with the European places, which I believe would be our undoing - how many other 'small' clubs with limited playing resources have crashed and burned with the extra workload? Ninth will be just fine, thank you, until we can increase the size/depth of our squad.

Burnley fans

Tom: Burnley are finished now and it's far too late to do anything about it. They have a squad of, at best, average players who are totally demoralised and confused by the strategic and tactical incompetence of their 'coach'. Since that is the man who put this 'squad' together, it is clear who is responsible for the club's decline. It is hard to see how this Burnley can even survive in the Championship since the few players who know how to play football will leave as soon as they can.

Joe: I don't know why I keep watching. It's pathetic and I, among others, just want this season to end. Scott Parker doesn't know what he's doing and it's clear to see - the players have given up, the fans have given up and the owners might not even know this is happening as they're probably sunning themselves with their other club. The future looks grim.

Graham: Another "almost" afternoon. Almost an early lead. Almost the better football. Almost a penalty save. Almost a Premier League team.

John: Sitting back after taking the lead had disaster written all over it. If Burnley had continued playing as they had up to the goal, they would have probably got at least a point.

Pundits Alan Shearer and Wayne Rooney join host Mark Chapman to bring you the action and talking points from Friday and Saturday's Premier League fixtures.

Watch on BBC iPlayer here

And listen back to full match commentaries on BBC Sounds:

• Everton 3-0 Chelsea

• Fulham 3-1 Burnley

Steven Sutcliffe
BBC Sport Journalist

Image source, Getty Images

Fulham had failed to score in their three previous outings in all competitions, with defeats to Southampton and West Ham by the odd goal included in that run.

And, just after the hour mark, it appeared as though they were allowing another fixture and possibly the chance to feature in Europe next term, to drift away from them.

Josh King, 19, who had impressed with his drive from midfield provided the impetus for the home side to turn the match around.

The manner of his goal appeared to drain the opposition players and inject some much-needed intensity to Fulham's overall display.

Their passing and movement sharpened up and once Harry Wilson added the second the outcome was rarely in doubt.

With Fulham in an almost identical position to last term, when they finished 11th after ending the campaign with five defeats in seven games, Marco Silva's big challenge now will be to ensure his players deliver a strong finish to the season.

Fulham boss Marco Silva speaking to BBC MOTD after their 3-1 win over Burnley: "First half was not sharp, the game was not fluid from us and they had chances but we did too. Every time we arrived in certain areas we did create, but not so fluid or quick in our offensive organisation. It's not so easy to break down and their position in the table but they have been difficult to beat. Second half we started losing but from the first minute it was better - the intensity and the way we pushed more forward. We got the tempo we needed and we need a certain type of dynamic that was not there first half but was for the second. Impact from the bench was good too. Scored two goals but had more chances to score. A deserved three points for us.

On Josh King: "Top moment for him. He was really working hard and looking for it for a long time. He has to have more impact in terms of assists and goals and he always has the right mindset. This will be the first of many because he has the talent and he always has the right mindset to listen and learn. Already a very good level and I'm sure he has a brilliant future ahead of him."

On Harry Wilson: "Top season from him so far. I hope he can continue and he has decisive games for his national team so after that I hope he comes back healthy and with more positivity to help us in the last seven games. The numbers are there, performance as well, last week we missed him a bit because he wasn't at his best. He made a big effort to help the team against Nottingham Forest but he's back now and back on the scoresheet."

On Raul Jimenez's penalty: "He knows how to do it and he's top. He's so cool, so precise and that is the reason why he has the record. We are confident that when we get these moments he will score. He never stops completely, the last move when he decides to go, he goes and doesn't stop."

On European football: "We are there and we are going to fight. We have to be pleased to be in that position. We have to create positivity around the club and the fight because three or four years ago no one would believe we would be in this position, but now we look forward and demand more from ourselves. It's nice, I want to put more of this kind of pressure on us."

Did you know?

• Fulham's Raul Jimenez has scored all 14 of his Premier League penalties, extending his own record with the best 100% conversion rate in the competition's history.

Whether you were at the game or following from elsewhere, we want to know what you learned.

What did you make of Fulham's display?

Have your say on Burnley's performance

Come back on Monday for a selection of your replies

Fulham make two changes to the side that started their 0-0 Premier League draw at Nottingham Forest last Sunday.

Timothy Castagne and Rodrigo Muniz come in as Raul Jimenez drops to the bench and Kenny Tete misses out.

Fulham XI: Leno, Castagne, Andersen, Bassey, Robinson, Iwobi, Berge, Wilson, King, Bobb, Muniz.

Subs: Lecomte, Reed, Jimenez, Cairney, Chukwueze, Lukic, Sessegnon, Diop, Smith Rowe.

Burnley are unchanged from their 0-0 draw against Bournemouth in the English top flight, a week ago.

Burnley XI: Dubravka, Walker, Humphreys, Esteve, Hartman, Mejbri, Laurent, Ward-Prowse, Foster, Anthony, Flemming.

Subs: Weiss, Worrall, Ugochukwu, Edwards, Florentino, Tchaouna, Ekdal, Broja, Barnes.