Realised that Lawro predicted a 1-1 draw! Although the law of averages says had to get something right.
And now I am worried. He is predicting us to win... "Sunderland rode their luck a little bit against Manchester United on Tuesday but ended up with a really good win in the first leg of their Capital One Cup semi-final. It is back to reality for the Black Cats now in their relegation fight and it is these games that are the important ones for them, against another struggling team. The Cottagers have shaken up their entire coaching setup with the arrivals of Alan Curbishley and now Ray Wilkins to join manager Rene Meulensteen. After getting thrashed 6-0 by Hull, they bounced back well to beat West Ham in their last league outing, and another home win here would be huge for them. Sunderland are still down amongst the dead men but, since Gus Poyet took charge in October, they have not been that bad. The Black Cats have been playing OK and have been competitive in games, but their big problem is that they look goal-shy. They seem to have to make an awful lot of chances to get a goal and that means they make things very difficult for themselves. Lawro's prediction: 2-0"
Hope he's right for a change. I've watched Sunderland a few times; they lack quality, but not spirit. I don't think they'll lay down and die for us.
Can't really argue with him this week..... But then again it's a matter of principle not to concur with him... Arsenal have not beaten Fulham at The Emirates since 2010 but I just cannot see anything other than a Gunners win on Saturday. Fulham beat Norwich in their FA Cup replay on Tuesday night but that was against an under-strength Canaries team and does not hide the Cottagers' own issues, particularly at the back. They have been conceding a lot of goals recently. Brede Hangeland is back in the centre of the Fulham defence after injury and he will undoubtedly make a difference, but I am not sure that will happen straight away, and certainly not on Saturday. Even teams who are well organised defensively going to The Emirates now might stop Arsenal scoring for a while, but they do not stop them winning. Lawro's prediction: 3-0 C O Y W !!!!!!!!
Like a youngster watching his first slasher film, I'll be watching this one through my fingers. 5-0 for the home team.
This week's prediction is another defeat, which is welcome. I am not worried about Lawro's comments as much as his guest which I am highlighting and I believe is what most of the fans believe about our current state of affairs. "This is a big game for both teams, with Swansea and Fulham both sitting just above the relegation zone. Swansea striker Wilfried Bony is a player I have been looking out for since the start of the season, because he arrived with a big reputation. He has always looked decent but he has suddenly kicked on, which is exactly what Swansea need to get out of their slump in form. Fulham were quite good defensively in their last Premier League game, at Arsenal, but I just do not see them scoring goals on the road. Lawro's prediction: 2-0 Gail's prediction: Wilfred Bony has hit form recently and Fulham have leaked goals all season, Swansea have been playing well without picking up too many results. They need to start winning and Fulham are the perfect club to play to start a good run going. 4-1"
'Fulham have leaked goals all season'. Yes, but most of that was with Hangeland either missing or playing while not properly fit, and a lot of it was with Stockdale in place of the injured Stekelenberg. Neither of those are still the case, so I don't expect us to be as defensively generous as we have been. It's the kind of comment that is easy for people who don't follow a particular team closely to make without analysing the reasons behind the trend, or whether those reasons still apply.
Captain I agree, but the average fan who does not pay attention to details will not know the difference, as we all know in this forum.
Captain/Madness - absolutely right! I think a 1-4 defeat unlikely (LWB with the emphasis on B!!) and would be looking for at least a point. COYW !!!!
Captain do you see what I mean? We are a punch bag that we make everybody look a super team. That's what the average fan sees and that's what everybody believes. This has relegation written all over!
Yeah, losing this one is a big blow. I still think we'll survive though, but maybe that's just my innate optimism. It's better to travel hopefully and all that. We could do with a transfer window boost in the next couple of days, to inject a bit of a morale into the squad (and the rest of us).
I, like you Captain, thought we would stay up, until last night, now I'd say I'm about 60% convinced we will go down. The early performances under Rene filled me with hope that he would get us out of the mire, but as the teams around us have all vastly improved (Sunderland, Palace, Hull) we seem to have gone backwards if anything. The Southampton game really has become a must win after last night, because we won't be getting anything from Utd/Chelsea.
Just replied to you on the other thread before I saw this, Bandit. There's no such thing as a 'must win' at this stage of the season. In 2008 we failed to win most of the games I had earmarked as must wins in February and March, then started winning the more difficult ones in the run in. Don't give up hope. I'll admit, that Southampton is a big game for us though.
I only say must win because if we lose to Southampton, that will be four straight defeats, and the players will know that going into games against two of the best sides in the league, hardly morale boosting. And this is not the Fulham of old that can give any team a good showing, even the big boys. Worst case scenario is SEVEN straight defeats, and looking at the way Saints played last night, it's a distinct possibility. Can you see our relegation rivals failing to pick up points in the next three games?
No. I'm sure some, maybe even all of them will pick up some points. But my point was that even if that happens, even if we're bottom after the next three games, that won't necessarily mean it's game over. There's still time to put together a run of results (though, barring a good end to the transfer window, it's getting harder to see where that's coming from). Sorry, it's a pet hate of mine when people in football - managers and players as well as fans - start talking about 'must win' games long before it's anything of the sort. But, in the hope that this won't turn into one of our pointless arguments where we disagree over tiny details, let me say again that I agree with you, the Southampton match is a massive game for us. We could really do with a win.
West Ham are unlikely to pick up anything tonight against Chelsea to be honest, Sunderland might get something against Stoke but then that plays into our hands as well.
Lest we forget him, the Bollock has been keeping abreast of transfer happenings. And, wow, he is even mellowing towards us albeit with caution. "Southampton have had their sticky patch and have turned things around of late. They played very well in their draw against Arsenal on Tuesday and will fancy their chances of going to Craven Cottage and winning. Fulham have the worst defence and worst goal difference in the Premier League and have not won in the league since New Year's Day. But the Cottagers are at home and they could have a couple of new faces in their team by kick-off because William Kvist has joined on loan from Stuttgart. Loanee Adel Taarabt has joined AC Milan and Dimitar Berbatov looks like he is on his way out, so you can see why Fulham boss Rene Meulensteen is trying to get another striker, Konstantinos Mitroglou, from Olympiakos. I thought Fulham would have turned the corner by now, but defensively they are still very poor - and very porous. A draw on Saturday would be a big step in the right direction for them. Lawro's prediction: 1-1
