Just got back from the game and really frustrsted. We were good in the first half but wanyama was awful. Second half we started ok but then clyne came on, lalana switched and we fell apart. Holtby to blame I am afraid. He was providing no cover for riether and we got found out. All the goals came from the right. Trouble ahead. United then liverpool. Last 10 games will be massive
Then away to WBA, then we have Chelsea. Yesterday's positivity has been completely wiped out in 45 minutes.
What is our problem ? (2 )major factors = 1 fitness,after 45 /55 min they are knackered whose fault obviously the coaches, they must realise the fitness level in training matches. (2) left full back position we are overrun week in week out in this area, us unknowledgeable fans have known this for some time,so why havent the highly paid experts. Rene stop F.....g about and bring in a couple of our under 21 squad.
Sorry rosc on today's performance Richardson played quite well. It was worrying how high up the pitch riether was, if anyone looked poor today it was he. To blame Richardson for today is unfair. Not much came down our left today, when lallana switched to the ldft he battered riether, but as previously mentioned riether had no help from Holtby.
Holtby didn't provide defensive cover but in fairness he's an attacking midfielder, he shouldn't have been out on the right in any case. Not sure what Dejagah has done to the last 2 managers for them to dislike him so much. Holtby I thought was our best player for the first hour. He made things happen. Burn was our best player overall I think. Hangeland didn't cover himself in glory. I think we need to play this line up to stand any sort of chance: Stek Riether - Hangeland - Heitinga - Richardson Parker - Holtby - Kvist Dejagah - Mitroglou - Kaca The only thing giving me any sort of optimism is our run in.
Sorry lads but.. although a lot of teams could possibly be relegated at the end of the season, I think Fulham are starting to solidify their position at the bottom there. Hope you can dig yourselves out, there are much more deserving teams I want to see relegated.
On my way back from the game. At half time I was really positive and hopeful we'd get all 3 points let alone 1. I think the truth of it is we're just not good enough. Minimal investment (or reinvestment for player sales) is coming back to haunt us. To maintain your position and tread water in the PL you have to invest and we haven't done that the last few seasons. Look at how much the clubs around us have spent compared with us, we haven't even reinvested the cash from the sale if the Ds.... We're going down and deserve to.... Even with the players we bought in the last few days. Even this window we spend £11 mill on the Greek fella and 6 mil or so in the summer, the rest have been frees... compared to how much tv money we've received??????? Lets face it were going down...
Walked back from the game with a Southampton supporter. His most telling comment was, "you weren't up for it today". To which I'd add, woeful team selection The only players we put any pressure on today, were our own. Nobody seemed to want the ball and when we did have it we were clueless and/or sloppy. Playing at home with no wingers and one up front... woeful team selection
Agree Froggie Rchardson,looked good in a poor team,ther are 3/4 players who are not premier standard,Richardson amongst them and i reiterate, the left rear flank has been our weakest link all season. Its no good postees saying this one or that one is ok . Facts show = we are bottom of the league, = worst defensive record, = and are hammered by teams whose players on paper are no better than ours Something is teribly wrong.
I was listening to the radio. Have to say I am starting to incline the problem is management. Poor team selection. No width again. When we played at the flanks we created chances. Sorry for this one I blame the manager. Not the players.
Fulham Ireland s team is how we must set up from here on in. Start defending from the front and take some pressure off the defence. Holtby has to play in the middle with a free role, whilst he did not hold his position his ball play and passing were brilliant. One big positive today was kvist, he was excellent. We can still get out of this with the new players, there are plenty mors games to play Keep the faith Coyw
Why this team didn't start today? Why Holtby played wide? Why is Duff still playing and not Dejagah or someone from U21s? Why the subs were awful? Kasami as a winger? Enough with my rant. I am loosing faith on the ability of the staff. Utd is in turmoil and they just have lost 2 players with an injury. If we go there and get slaughtered that will be the case. The players chased and fought today. But there was no way to get forward. Twice Bent went to the right and once Duff and we created chances. Otherwise we were too narrow. If they think they are not up to the task, get the U21s in now. It's not rocket science!
Our team selection screamed out the result - why was Holtby on the wing - why did duff start, where was dejegah and kaca and why did kvist start given he's not match fit Even more importantly, why was parker taken off before kvist. Far too many mistakes made - demspey looked past it. Richardson was abysmal - worst of the worst - I don't know how anyone could consider that a good performance - he couldn't even control the bloody thing let alone do anything with it. Holtby a positive - only one with a football brain - highlighted how **** the others around him are. Hope not yet completely gone - but I have a feeling that we'll be down before we get to the winnable games at the end of the season
Seriously why is everyone blaming Richardson for today. Yes he miscontrolled a few passes but his defending, the role he is there to do, he did very well. Why else do you think Lallana was switched to the opposite flank. I am not going to deny that he has struggled this season but get off his back for today. As for having a dig at kvist, he was great in the defensive role today. He was controlling and pushing Parker and Sidders forward. He made good interceptions and broke up their play. Southampton outplayed arsenal last weekend and we kept them very quiet for the first hour of the game today. Yes, we have a big issue that needs to be dealt with. If bent had buried his 2 very good chances, which he should have, the game would have been very different. Mitroglou has been bought in because he is a brilliant finisher and he will dispatch the chances that bent had today. If we can get in front in games things will change. I understand that there is an awful lot of frustration around at the moment, but we cannot write off the team yet, the new players need to be given a chance. The management need to find where they will be best suited. To continually berate the same players is simply unfair.
Konstantinos will give you a real threat. Powerful ,pacey and superb finisher a sort of Beefy hardworking Berbatov but in his prime. Just provide him the service . If he was English he would be England's no 9 and worth 35 million. Good luck and l hope you stay up.
I agree with pretty much all points. We played far too narrow, lacked confidence in the 2nd half to press forward. Baffling formation, almost like we played for a point. I don't think the red did us many favours and Southampton could have down to 10 men at the strike of half time. My biggest grumble of the day was the hoards of Fulham fans that left early when the 3rd goal went in on 75mins. Looking at the hammy end it was like Moses had parted the sea! I chose to stay to the ugly bitter end and support the team (then had several beers and a big moan)!
I left on 75th minute and will think very hard to go on Tuesday and next Wed. Have given a lot of time recently and need to focus more on more important things... Thinking of the come backs of Sunderland, Cardiff, West Ham even Stoke have done and is depressing! This does not mean I give up on them but I am seriously gutted with the result! As for Richardson I think he did well. Good night for now.
For a coach who came from a club who played wingers day in day out I'm baffled as to his team set up at Fulham?
To clarify my earlier post, the dig wasn't at Kvist but the manager for taking Parker off before him. Kvist hasn't played much football recently and he tired toward 60-65, although the whole team deflated around then. Richardson did make two good interceptions in the second half, and there was one defensive header that he got to another Fulham player, but otherwise he was poor and I can't see how it can be denyed. He wasn't there on the left flank overlapping, he went backwards a lot (although the lack of a winger on the left played a part in that), his concentration lapsed on numerous occasions, his poor passing put Burn under too much pressure and his first touch let him down more times than is acceptable for a professional. I agree that Bent should have scored, it might have been different but the margin of the scoreline suggests otherwise. I'm not writing the team off, but my worry is that by the time we get to the winnable games in April/May the contest will already be over.
Frogman, you have my vote 100%. Why don't others see the positives. We could have been a couple of goals ahead at HT, and lets get all the new boys available and with at least a few days training together, JCA!
