Have Fulham finally picked up pace for the final third of the season?

It’s been a while since Fulham fans have felt this way. They have just lost 1-0 to Manchester United. However, the club can justifiably use the following word for the first time since the end of October and beginning of November: Momentum.

I can’t back this up with stats. It’s not something you can measure or score. But it sure as hell is something you can see and feel. Momentum is such a huge part of not only football, but sports in general. It can fill up a team with confidence like a faucet fills a cup. But if the manager doesn’t use it properly, it can go to waste.

And wasting momentum is one of the most egregious mistakes a manager can make, especially when it’s as rare as it has been around Craven Cottage this season.

If that’s not enough, the momentum has appeared after a defeat. It’s not often you’re gifted such a valuable asset after grabbing 0 points from a match. Even Martin Jol, who is a very result-oriented manager, could feel the confidence coursing through the veins of the club after the match:

“I thought this was one of our best performances at home this year – we were very good and organized. We had a lot of players who have played all these games in the last few weeks and still we looked fresh and energetic. I thought we did ever so well.”

To hear that from Jol after a loss is incredibly telling, because we know Martin almost always wants the results no matter how the team plays. Sometimes he gives excuses, but they don’t always come off as excuses because he follows them up with something to the effect of, “we were good because of [insert excuse here] but ultimately lost so we need to work harder on [blank].” None of that today.

It’s been a long time since Fulham have put together back-to-back solid performances, probably since a 4-game stretch where we beat Villa 1-0 at home, then the disappointing draw to Reading, followed by 2 big draws against Everton and Arsenal (that one at the Emirates). That’s the last time they have put at least 2 good performances together. After that, the draw at Stamford Bridge was good, the win over Newcastle was decent, the win at West Brom was solid, but the team couldn’t follow any of them up with anything but a whole lot of nothing. After Chelsea? A 3-0 demolition at the hands of Spurs. After Newcastle? Losing 2-1 to become QPR’s first win of the year. After West Brom? A piece of dirt draw with Blackpool, only saved by Giorgis Karagounis’s screamer with the clock ticking down. No run of good form. No solid streaks. Just consistent inconsistency. Just a bunch of one-and-done’s.

If Martin Jol wants to pull away from the relegation zone, now is the time to do it. While not the easiest stretch in the world, Fulham’s next 3 matches are at Norwich (14th), home against Stoke (10th), and at Sunderland (12th).

Following a pretty solid win over West Ham and one of the most positive losses that I’ve ever seen, this could be the time. There’s been energy, there’s been creativity, and there’s been a spark. Coming up could be the stretch that Martin Jol secures this season (and next) for Fulham. But first, he has to send the message to the team that in order to make that happen, they have to continue doing what they’re doing, not change too much, and use their energy. If not, this could be a very difficult season to swallow.