Fulham fans and the cheeseboard meme, how much is really true? | OneFootball

Fulham’s cheeseboard-on-the-train meme endures, but their away following looks far more familiar. On the road, they behave much like everyone else.

On a Sunday service from London St Pancras to Nottingham, most tucked into sausage rolls from a popular bakery and cans of 1664. At the station there were chants, empties binned in a hurry, and one fan almost walked into a post.

“I think what you see online is a bit of a stereotype,” Fulham fan Charlie said. “Don’t get me wrong, there are some posh Fulham fans, and I’ve seen a bottle of wine being shared on a train before with some posh snacks, but not a cheeseboard yet.” He was speaking to The Athletic.

At home there are quirks, including the supporter once pictured slicing a Victoria sponge, and little taste for boos or “manager out” rows. “Fulham fans might buy a bottle of Champagne to be funny and ironic on an away day train, but the Victoria sponge guy, I can’t defend that, that was just incredible,” said Sammy James, founder and host of the Fulhamish podcast.

Owner Shahid Khan has leaned into exclusivity, via the Riverside development and contentious pricing. Fulham sell the Premier League’s costliest season ticket at £3,084 in the Riverside Stand, many match tickets top £100, and protests pre-date Covid.

Khan has spoken of maximising a wealthy, well educated fanbase and the ground’s location, which James said, “I think that was a huge misstep from Shahid.” With Fulham almost certain to stay up for a fourth straight season, prices seem unlikely to fall. After a drab 0-0 at Nottingham Forest in torrential rain, the away end looked like any other, Stone Island included, sprinting for the train.

Source: NY Times