The bad news from today's press conference is that Ryan Fredericks has been ruled out, with a "slight numbing that flared up". Nothing serious but enough not to risk playing him. Others who need fitness tests are Hutchinson and Bodurov; which only adds the problem of having limited cover at the back. That news about Freddy has scuppered my team selection somewhat - not in the back four, who I guess will be unchanged, but at right wing half. The front two of McCormack and Dembele are also unlikely to change. So it's the midfield (as always) that still prompts reflection. Or not. Because Kit, despite this being an away game, I suspect will stick with the same starting line up as against Blackburn - .....................Lonergan............... ..Richards...Stearman..Ream..Husband... .......................Tunnicliffe.................... ...Cairney.........O'Hara........Pringle... .............McCormack..... ...............................Dembele.......
Agreed. I can't see any change to the starting eleven this weekend, unless it's forced by a late injury.
Agreed, consistency is important. I feel positive, I like the guys in the squad, they are committed and want to be at the club (it seems). Finally we have a back four that looks solid, a midfield with some creativity and talent and decent work rate. A front 2 who seem to like playing alongside one another. I really want the win, my brother is an Owls fan. COYW
Some pre-match stuff – • Hutchinson has been suspended and can’t play. Not ours but Wednesday’s Sam Hutchinson. He received his fifth booking of the season in Tuesday night's goalless draw at Bolton and will sit out a one-game ban - must be some kind of record. • There will be no loan for Dan Burn to Sheffield United. Kit has made it plain he needs all hands on deck after our two other (cover) central defenders pulled up injured this week. However, he admitted Burn is in demand, and hinted if it was down to Dan, he would be off to Bramall Lane for a stint. • There will be a minute's silence before kick-off and both teams will wear black armbands in tribute to former England and Wednesday goalkeeper Ron Springett, who died last week. Quite fitting in every respect since Ron was born and bred in Fulham.
This could be a massive game for us I feel, while a defeat away is not the end of the world and a draw very acceptable if would could just get a win it could have a huge impact, it would most likely put us just outside the play offs with a game in hand, on top of that it would be four straight wins and unbeaten in five, in any league but especially one as tight as the championship confidence and momentum can be massive. Like I say not winning wouldn't be the end of the world but do have a feeling that a win could be a massive moment in our season and where it's going. As pointed out before 5 of the top 6 last season were in the top ten after ten games.
please log in to view this image Was McCormack actually playing? Sounds as though he and our defence were still at the squad photoshoot for most of the game. Yet again the big question is what on earth do they do on the training pitch to practice defending corners/free kicks? Despite the two goals there also appeared to be an awful lot lacking when it came to making clear cut chances. With over 60% of the possession only 1 corner (and that in extra time) and 9 attempts at goal (3 on target) is a poor return. Have to question the substitutions and their timing again.
PROBLEM Could it be that the coaching managerial staff are not up to it, there are some talented players in the squad,+ a creative midfielder languishing in the under 21s, no wonder some do not want to sign extended contracts. For me before its to late KS should learn his craft at a level more suitable to his ability. Will the next 2 matches see an improvement, I do hope so, but I doubt it.
Kit blames the players in this BBC interview and says, “.. maybe that’s what we should do (put hours in on the training field)” Link to interview – http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34302267 He also told the local paper, “Take them (the goals) out of it and we played pretty well” Dumfounded by his logic !
With the squad we've got now we should be going into every game expecting the win. When he had a team of academy players they probably didn't notice his floundering, it can't now be lost on such an experienced group. Bring in someone with experience and talent and we'll be flying.
Sitting on the fence here. I thought his substitutions were all positive. Dan Burn played well when he came on. Weds pretty much had 4 chances and scored 3. There was a lot of players who were absent yesterday but was that Weds cancelling out our players? Should have won and we shouldn't have let them score from corners. Disappointed yes but a chance to get back on track in midweek.
And I was fudging the issue with my earlier comment Craving. What I should have more explicitly questioned was why the heck did he leave McCormack on? And on the same player, it really is time to remove him of the captaincy. Being kind, the responsibility is affecting his performance; being cruel he's not up to the task. Whatever, it's not in any event a role best suited to a forward. The obvious and preferable candidates are O'Hara or Stearman (who would be my choice).
I was trying to make it look better than it was FI. What's your thougthts on the game? Too many went missing. Missed opportunity really.
At this point I've only seen the 4 minute highlights on the clubs website. I'll form a proper opinion when I watch the full replay. It's not looking positive at the moment though.
Faint praise from a Wednesday fan, summerising our performance in his blog – ” From a Fulham point of view, it was poor defending from set pieces. It wasn’t good enough. They improved second half but lacked a cutting edge in attack. McCormack, who we reportedly bid £10m for in the summer, I can’t confirm if he was on the pitch and if he was, he was anonymous. As I’ve said, they’re not a bad side and they will have a good season.” Indeed, his blog overall seems to be a decent assessment of the game, albeit from the other side - Link: http://www.owlsalive.com/rambles/2015/09/20/fulham-2015/?
Apart for our poor ability to defend the headers from set pieces, another thing that annoyed me from the game, was our inability to control the ball first time, many of the players needed 3 touches before they had it under control. There wasn't any flow to our play, hardly any instant crosses or first time shots, always need 2 or 3 touches to control the ball, making it easy to defend against. Only in the last 10 minutes was there any urgency, and the ball moved forward quickly. When your sub Center Half has more shots on goal than your 2 forwards it says it all
