We didn't take our chances in the first half to put the pressure on them. We seem to fall into the same trap each game. First half Riether was able to make some good forward runs and put in crosses. Second half Saints targeted his side to counter attack down, Hangeland had to pull out of the center to cover because Riether was up field. Because of sloppy passing our attacks brake down, and put pressure onto the Center Backs. That's happened a lot for goals we've given away this season. The solution could be to put Riether in for Duff and have another fullback in his place, making a more solid back 4. But you have to wonder why Damien gets in before Dejagah, as Dejagah seems a better combination with Riether. For me Damien has lost his pace and really only contributes at corner kicks, but today Holtby was taking all the kicks with more accuracy. For me Richardson didn't play well today. His touch and passing is poor. There have been to many games when he has been taken apart by the opposition, again the likes of Kacaniklic who's very lightweight in tackling hasn't helped.
We keep blaming individuals... It was the formation plain and simple. Riether was going forward nobody to track back the right side left exposed. Richardson was going forward nobody to overlap with because Duff can't take anybody anymore and Holtby cuts in to the middle... Had Dejagah and lightweight Kaca been in there would be more space for both the wings and the middle. Could have started with two of Parker, Kvist or Sidwell. We can't get the chances, we get punished and after that we don't seem to have the belief to get back. The optimism was to show that we can get at least a point today.
Whoever says that the ummpphhh from the transfer day has not gone would be failing to acknowledge the reality... Some of the fans have started turning on Rene... Not me but he has a share on the recent displays especially against Sunderland and Soton. He needs to understand that we have some players who are responding to the crowd. Use them at home games. We are sailing in the wrong direction. Bravery is needed and calculated risk. Some of the actions: 1. Bring some of the youngsters to address the left side problem, simultaneously dropping Duff, JAR. Never to play in PL again unless for injuries. 2. Play with the wings and Holtby in the middle. Make the most of space we can generate. Stop playing players out of position. Dejagah and Kaca are wingers with all good or bad they have. Kasami is an attacking midfielder like Holtby. If we don't have any more wingers bring the youngsters in. 3. Drop Bent. Enough is enough. He lost it. Can't score in an open goal. He is not even an impact sun. Hopefully Mitroglou will take action soon. If not give Hugo a chance. 4. Leave Dempsey for the cup games. Sorry Clint you are passed it. Got us all the advertising that Khan needs in the US. You are not up to it.
Whilst it is important that we concentrate on our team, I think we have to remember that all the other teams around us have equally tricky run ins. Norwich have a horror show for the final four games. A lot these teams also have to play each other. There is going to be a huge amount of tooing and froing between now and the end of the season. If mitroglou can come in and give us a goal threat it will do wonders for the team. An observation on yesterday's performance was that when we conceeded our heads dropped immediately. I have not seen a lot of our performances this season but as I understand it this has been apparent for most of the season. Why is this ? If as a team you feel that goals are hard to come by it can have a hugely negative effect on the whole team. We have only scored 3 goals in the last 6 premier league games. Going a goal behind means there is very chance of us getting back into the game.having a striker up top who will hopefully be a genuine goal threat should lift the team and give us more belief. Belief is what we need at the moment. The team needs to feel it is able to win games. Rene has to take responsibility for doing this. He can start by getting a first eleven and sticking with it unless injuries prevail. We have 2 left backs in the under 21 team, tom Richards and Sean kavanagh. If as everyone wants Richardson to be left out, does anyone know if these guys can fill the void ? There are still 14 games left before the end of the season, plenty enough time for us to get on a mini run. 3 straight wins gives us 9 points and with other results could catapult us up the league. It is going to be very hard to achieve but it is also going to be very hard for others to achieve this as well. We bought players, quality players, who could turn this around.
Froggie there is no belief amongst the team and there is no belief within the supporters. The rot is too big to patch. Has been going on for too long! The run of games will never come as we are not consistent. 14 games is a lot but the gap is widening and goal difference is worsening. I find it hard to believe. Their morale if that is the issue is not going to get any better with the upcoming fixtures. Actually might get worse if we fail to take anything from the next 4 games. Which then will leave us 10 games... Doom and gloom. We have to have a go at Man Utd. They have injuries and are all over the place. Think Murphy summarised our situation yesterday very well. Roy would not believe his eyes with the Fulham he was watching yesterday.
Fair point madness but I refuse to give up on our team with 14 games still remaining, a lot can happen in that time, confidence can be restored and we can get out of this. Murphy is right, Roy would not have believed what is going on but he is not our manager anymore and Murphy does not play for us anymore. What is important now is that the team need our support and our belief.
I watched the game this morning on Match Choice. I thought we were as good as Southampton in the first half. But as soon as we conceded, it all seemed to fall apart. So I'm not giving up either. I think we have the players, but they need a shot of confidence. Unfortunately, our next two EPL games are likely losses.
Most of the teams who are doing well in the Premier defend from the front. Southampton were putting us under pressure to kick long and not pass out from the back, but in the first half we couped, but letting in the first goal put the pressure on, and our CB were left exposed after that. It's been the wide midfield that haven't produced. Duff, Dempsey and Kacaniklic have been passengers, most games. You wonder why no Dejagah before Duff ? Let's hope the new guys can help, Holtby looked good, not sure we can have 3 DM Kvist, Parker, Sidwell. Maybe this is why Ruiz isn't good enough for the Premier 'Meulensteen wants Fulham playing fighting football but that is not my style,' Ruiz said. 'I should be using my talent, not scrapping for every inch.' If you then have 3 players or more (write your own list) Ruiz, Berbatov, Kacaniklic, Taarabt, Bent? with that attitude you are defending with only 7 players while the others have an attitude of that's not my job to do that!!!!
We may be bottom and have Man Utd and Liverpool and Chelsea coming up next but it is still very tight at the bottom and I'm certainly not giving up hope yet. When we went 2-0 yesterday down large sections of the crowd instantly got up and went home. I think that was poor. Yes it's going to be difficult but for fans to just give up like that sends a message to the players. We need to be behind the team to the end and keep the belief that we can win games even when we do go down in a game. Our first half was good and if we'd have taken one of our chances first half things might have been a lot different. Come on, we can we do it !
Enjoyed my 1st visit to the cottage for obvious reasons. The concourse was a nightmare, but it's a great old ground. Sadly your old players are not as great. Duff & Bent should be put to stud with immediate effect. The lack of confidence is tangible. You edged the 1st half and although Boruc made some good saves I can't say I ever felt our goal was especially under threat and only set-pieces where the two big lads could get forward did I think we might concede. Holtby looked good and the Greek lad sounds like a player so I wouldn't give up hope yet. Having said that I don't think relegation would be terrible and I would be positive about the long term future of the club as the academy is performing well. The club seems to be stuck in a transition period. Strong leadership is required
strong leadership on the field, right formation and discipline. (Oh, I miss those two wonderful rows of 8 players when Roy was in charge) said in dream like state with floaty music in the background. BUMP! Oh, just nodded off there! I really want FFC to be in the prem next year. I really want the team to start winning again, I really want the whole crowd to stay the full match. get the middle one right and the 1st element is fixed and also the 3rd! COYW In Rene I trust!
OK, maybe we weren't the most dynamic, or entertaining, team in the league to watch, thumping the ball forward for a BZ-lead counterattack, but we were a terror back then. We crushed league minnows and (at the Cottage) took scalps from all the big teams. The team Roy fielded would beat our current team 5-0 every day of the week. And what's the between then and now? IMO, heart and teamwork. Roy's team, at least at home, fought like wildcats.
Ah, that's how we did it back then - 16 players on the pitch! I don't think they'll let us get away with that this time.
I've only seen the MOTD highlights, so others can tell me if I'm wrong, but this confirms the impression I've got from comments on this board and elsewhere: We could easily have been winning at half time, and if we'd got the first goal it could have been a very different story. This isn't meant as a dig at Bent, but the fact is we've just signed a prolific goalscorer who, sadly, wasn't available for this match. If you swap Mitroglou for Bent (which is surely what's going to happen), we should become a much more clinical side in front of goal, and games like this one possibly go from defeats to wins. Of course, there's always the risk that Mitroglou takes time to adapt or gets injured, either of which would be disastrous for us, but the scenario that sees us throw of our doldrums and suddenly transform into a winning team isn't that far-fetched. And the fact that the next two games are tough ones could be another positive: nobody expects us to win these games, so let's take the pressure off and just have a go at them. Anything we get out of the games is a bonus - an exceptionally precious one, but a bonus nonetheless. It gives us two games for the new signings to bed in where defeat isn't so catastrophic. Can you imagine if we lost the next two games due to unfamiliarity and we were playing, say, Palace and West Brom? That would be far worse than losing to Man United and Liverpool. What the team needs, on the pitch and in the stands, is some unremitting positivity for the next two games. Who knows, maybe Mitroglou finds his feet and gets a goal or two. It might result in some unexpected points, but even if it doesn't it boosts everyone's confidence - 'hey, we've got someone who can make a difference' - and sets us up for the rest of the run in.
I was at the game and if Bent had put away one his chances it may have been different, although I suspect we wouldn't have kicked on and invited Southampton pressure. In the few minutes leading up to their first goal we were very poor with the ball. It was going between the keeper and defence without any intent, too often we lumped it up, and gave possession back to the them. They had the ball for 69% of the game, away from home. We didn't do anything with it and the lack of width meant players had to go backwards before hoofing it up to Bent. Twice, TWICE! in the second half he jumped under or past a high ball, coming no closer than a foot to it. That is pub league stuff. I'd like to know what the story is with Dejegah is - when he plays we look dangerous on the right, but he didn't even make the bench. I've not seen anything to suggest he was injured. Duff can't start, and putting him up against Shaw for periods of the match was cruel. Riether rose to the challenge and they had some good duels. Reither's body language isn't always positive but he certainly looks to put the effort in. Holtby's stats for the game are actually not great with a 56% pass completion rate - I'd still have him in the middle with one of Sidwell, Kvist, Parker and Kara - we need him to be on the ball most. Starting on the left he managed to have the most touches but that's not the position to have your playmaker in. He did win 4 'aerial duels' and completed 3 key passes though. There was one ball he played in the first hall that served to highlight how slow Bent now is. It's been written so many times now over the last 2 years that it almost seems pointless. I can't understand why we keep going back to a false 4-3-3 which ends up with 5 midfielders trying to play in the middle and the ball constantly going back. Our team is, on the whole, quite old and slow and this system only exacerbates it. There was one point in the second half where we broke on a counter that was led by Parker and Duff, which is almost comical. The first game Rene was in charge we played a great system with width, pace and quick diagonal balls from central midfield to the wings. The most worrying thing about yesterday was how quickly we gave in, before they scored we had run out of ideas and bringing Dempsey on immediately after wasn't going to change our lack of penetration. I hoped for a point, even thought we could sneak a win, although with transfer business done so late it was going to be a weakened team and the result was perfectly in line with our season. There are 14 games and 42 points left to play for - we need to get something during the tough run coming up just to stay in touch, then we might be able to scrape through on the last few matches. Going through the fixture list I'd say Fulham of old could find 21 points in there - here's hoping.
This is exactly what I think but you have written it better than I could. From all accounts this Mitroglou is strong and hard to get the ball off, and can score goals. That's what we need, someone to take on the defences. A little belief within the team will go a long way. I'm expecting nothing against Man U, Liverpool or Chelsea but I'm expecting to give the rest a bloody good go.
I've only just got up the confidence to re-visit this thread. Silky has it in a nutshell, so I'm knd of wishing I hadn't. The only thing I'd add is in regard to the various comments by others about the fans. And that is, as soon as people saw the team selection the atmosphere went flat; apart from the odd muttered "what the xxxx" and other uncomplimentary remarks it was so quiet. And even a kind of okay first half didn't lift the omniprescence. The thing is, if the crowd don't start with any belief and the team's performance then reinforces that pessimism, don't blame the fans.
I think if the crowd could see that the selection merited a more spirited and energised performance with players playing in their role, a formation that meant we didn't give the ball away cheaply and a passing game that meant going forward and not back then the atmosphere would lift completely. Can anyone blame the fans for being disgruntled? I agree that a more positive atmosphere is required and that comes from the team sheet. We know what it will take, RM needs to now. He had the kahunas to get shot of Billy big Bollo**s Berbatov, now he needs to make some big decisions in selection. COYW
Exactly that... Every time I get more and more depressed by the time the 60th minute comes I am deflated... And a few others next to me! The football we have been playing apart from 2-3 games when Rene first took over has been pathetic. Nothing to cheer about.
