The 2018/19 season was one to forget for a lot of Fulham fans, as the club followed up the high that was their 23-game unbeaten run in the Championship to being relegated during a humiliating season for the Whites.

The Whites spent a large part of that season being ridiculed for the amount that they spent in the summer window, then failing to back up the results with the investments that were made, some of them very late in the window.

The team didn’t get off to the best of starts during the league campaign, losing three of their first five games and only winning three games before the turn of the new year. In Cyrus Christie’s eyes, there was only one reason why the results didn’t come for the team, and that was a lack of cohesion within the team, both on the pitch and in the dressing room, largely brought about because of the way the signings were made.

“Last season when you go into the into the Premier League, a lot of the players came in late and obviously it is vital that you get your players in over the course of the preseason so everyone can gel.

You know, I think, for me, personally, I don’t think there was a massive team camaraderie that year, we said as well that it was chopping and changing all the time, there was no real settled team, so I think a lot of people thought that they weren't being given a fair crack to prove themselves and getting that run of games.”

“At the end of the day, you need three or four games to get up to speed running, it’s hard to jump in and out for six or seven games because you lose your match sharpness. It's tough to replicate that in training because obviously, match fitness is completely different, you can't replicate that.”

That cohesion wasn’t helped by the fact that the club changed manager’s in the middle of November, as the club replaced Slavisa Jokanovic with Claudio Ranieri, and with a change in the dugout came a monumental change in the way the side played.

“At times, we didn't play to a standard that we were capable of and as players, it wasn't the kind of philosophy that we were used to, you know, you've gone from attacking football under Slavisa Jokanovic to Ranieri a more structured, Italian kind of way of playing.”

A disjointed season brought about a lot of bad performances from the players, and as a result there weren’t too many people that could come out of the season with their heads held high. Although Christie ultimately admits that it played a major role in how the season played out, he does believe that given the decisions that were being made in the dugout, they were put in a very difficult position to begin with.

“I don't think we gelled as a team and it was maybe that was the ultimate reason, maybe it was the way we were playing or the managers or whoever else there is to blame. I think if you ask any of the lads, none of them can come out with credit, maybe Mitro [Aleksandar Mitrovic] who scored 13 goals.

And then Callum Chambers who got player of the year obviously plenty of people thought he did really well. So, you know, different people will believe that they should have performed but at the same time, a lot of them were getting rotated in and out, you know, mentally and physically it’s frustrating.”

The club have gone back to its roots somewhat this season, keeping a strong core of players who were around for the 2017/18 promotion season, such as club captain Tom Cairney, top scorer Mitrovic, midfield generals Stefan Johansen and Kevin McDonald, defenders Tim Ream and Dennis Odoi, as well as more fringe players like Aboubakar Kamara and Neeskens Kebano.

And if Fulham are to be more successful in the Premier League should they get promoted again, it might be worth them keeping hold of these players rather than making wholesale changes once more.

This week sees the launch of Football Beyond Walls, an initiative that pairs young people and professional footballers for a game of FIFA and a meaningful conversation about their lives in lockdown.

The first footballer taking part is Fulham's Cyrus Christie - who took on two teenagers at FIFA. You can see the results in this brilliant film.  https://vimeo.com/415466197/45f135a012

Ahead of the launch, he spoke to FLW about his involvement in the initiative and his thoughts on mental health and Fulham’s promotion chances.