Fulham all-time record goalscorer has some advice for their young, misfiring striker.
Seven points from a possible nine across their last three games has seen Alvaro Arbeloa and Fulham turn a corner in a season that was beginning to look very bleak indeed — but one huge problem remains.
Their striker, Gonzalo Garcia , is not delivering the goods. This weekend's 1-1 draw at Aston Villa saw the signing from Real Madrid jump from second in the list of the Premier League 's biggest xG underperformers to outright top. Stats from Opta show he should have 2.98 goals more than the one he has scored so far.
But Gordon Davies, the chipper Welshman whose 178 Fulham goals is a club record, sees "a lot of similarities between himself and myself when I came to the club".
Though Fulham are squandering an awful lot of chances, Davies is not worried.
"Gonzalo Garcia is 22 years of age, started life off as a winger, and has now been pushed into the centre-forward position," Davies tells Standard Sport. "All of those details relate to myself. I was 22 when I joined Fulham; I used to be a winger; I was moved to centre-forward. I didn't do badly, even though I started off very similar to him.
"Fulham fans must keep giving him the applause, keep behind him even if he misses chances. I'd always had the ability to score goals, and I look at Garcia and he is the nearest thing that I've seen to my playing style and position."
I'd always had the ability to score goals, and I look at Garcia and he is the nearest thing that I've seen to my playing style and position.
Gordon Davies
Gordon continues: "I think he is a natural goalscorer. He will score goals. He's got the pace to beat players, as well.
"Here's what advice I would give to him if I was sitting down with him. It happened in the Villa game: he gets out wide or is drawn out wide to receive a ball, will play a short pass or two or three, still be involved when the ball is wide, and then when the ball comes into the box he's not in the box. I would turn round to him and say: get the ball wide to another white shirt, then forget about the ball.
"Make the run, get into the box, and then you're there when the ball finally comes in. I think he will do well for us, but we need to get him in the danger areas and get him the service."
Fulham's record scorer, now 71, insists the similarities do not end there.
"Garcia scored on his Premier League debut — the nice header against Chelsea — and I scored on his full league debut away at Blackpool. But for at least my first six months at Fulham, I was missing a lot of chances. Scoring a few, but I was missing a lot.
Gonzalo Garcia has been backed to rediscover his goalscoring touch (Getty)
"And fair play to the Fulham crowd — they stuck with me. They could see I was a willing runner, chasing lost causes. They could see the potential; at least I was getting those chances. I owe everything I achieved in my career to Fulham. They could have easily turned on me. If it wasn't for the Fulham faithful, my Fulham career could have been very short-lived.
"They can see that Garcia works his socks off, not only going forward but tracking back. He's got a very big heart, is willing to work, but what I would say to him: work harder in the danger area.
"The pressure is on him and unfortunately [Rodrigo] Muniz isn't playing at the standard Fulham want, so it's as if it is all down to him. But I think Garcia will score quite a few goals for us this season. We are going to give somebody a good hiding in the next month."
