Hope

Brian McBride's header on Saturday gave Fulham hope that next season may not be spent in the Coca-Cola Championship Division. For me, this is the first time for awhile I have felt good about Fulham's chance to avoid the drop.

If they are anything like me, most Fulham fans have been looking at the remaining fixtures for some time now, projecting wins, draws, and losses. What is so great about the three points grabbed from Everton is that most of us had checked that one off as a loss. In a post last week, I looked at past EPL tables and determined the average minimum number of points to safety was 35. At the time Fulham was fifteen points short of that with nine games to play. My most likely route to avoid relegation was four wins, three draws, and two losses. Newcastle, Derby, Sunderland, Reading, and Birmingham were the mostly likely three pointers(if that's an acceptable term).

With three points in tow following the Everton win, three wins, three draws, and two losses should keep Fulham afloat. Four wins and anything else is a distinct possibility now as well, but let's focus on the other scenario for a second. If Fulham cannot win three of the five matches listed above, they do not deserve to stay up. If they manage to win three, I believe they will stay up. That is what gives me hope as we close this season. It is no longer a situation where Fulham needs to claw and scratch and grab results they do not necessarily deserve. They are in a spot where they should expect to succeed. I know Everton is just one team, and it was just one match, but it has given me a much brighter outlook.

The only question is: Has Fulham built up my hope only to break my heart in the final eight games?