I guess most saw the game either at the ground or on TV so would know exactly how bad things were in the first half! THE GAME Much like the majority of the season we couldnt play well enough for 90mins to get the much needed result. Fulham began the much brighter of the two sides and looked like they wanted it more from the off. We seemed to stand off them and let them get into their rhythum very early on. We found ourselves under pressure and just like last season we gave them a penalty within the opening 15 mins. Samba making a clumsy challenge - although from our view in the stands (right behind it) it looked soft but having heard a few reports it wasn't. The ref wasnt helping matters either - missing blatant goal kicks and giving them corners and soft free kicks. Awful from him. But we cannot blame the ref when our 12.5million pound CB decides to play around on the edge of our own area, get dispossessed and concede a easy 2nd goal. Pathetic tbh. And it got worse - clint hill scoring an own goal. Memories of the 6-0 last season came flooding back. It really was one way traffic. Adel managed to get us back into the game with a nice finish so 3-1 at half time. Then, unlike the Villa game we came out of HT all guns blazing. Attack after attack. Remy got us a corner within 10 seconds of the restart and not long after that we got a penalty. Cue muted celebrations from the R'ss fans with the prospect of going 3-2. But like our other two pens this season we missed again. Simply cannot do that when 3-1 down. Thankfully Remy soon made amends with a finish from the underside of the bar so game on. But we just couldnt get that equaliser and despite Sidwell being sent off on 78 mins we couldnt break through. Left ourselves with too much to do. And also disappointingly once again most of the players failed to clap the amazing fans. Two away games running now. Thanks. THE RATINGS CESAR - 6 - looks nervous and could have done better with the 2nd goal (although not helped by samba at all). But generally didnt give a positive feeling to the defence with a few wayward kicks. TRAORE - 6 - first half struggled to get forwards and was often left with 2 players to mark. second half better as we attacked more but poor quality crosses. SAMBA - 4.5 - not good at all. no idea what he was doing for the 2nd goal, fouled for a penalty and failed to make an impact up front late on. Barely did anything to create a chance. Didnt win the headers he should have been winning. HILL - 4.5 - tormented in the first half by Berbatov and with a booking rightly taken off at HT. Couldnt afford to go to 10 men. BOSINGWA - 7 - left marking 2 like traore was but did well overall. got forward very well and if only adel had let him take the free kick which adel snatched off him (literally). couldnt have asked any more of him. MBIA - 8 - MOM - ran ran and ran again. we didnt have much control of the midfield as we went all out attacking but he worked very hard, and chased all day forcing mistakes and winning the ball back alot. shame the others didnt have his energy. JENAS - 6 - wasnt ever in control in midfield and struggled to make an impact. when we attacked he was calm with the ball but thats it really. TAARABT - 6.5 - didnt have much influence in the first half until his goal and tbh I would have subbed him had he not scored as things were not working. improved in the second half but snatched a free kick from bosingwa and wasted it. won the penalty, which remy missed. TOWNSEND - 7.5 - always a threat but double marked much of the time so struggled to get crosses in. never gave up and full of energy. REMY - 6.5 - started on the wing and was ineffective until moved alongside zamora in the second half. missed the crucial penalty which would have made it 3-2, but made amends with the 2nd goal shortly after - a nice finish again. ZAMORA - 6.5 - struggled really. had a couple of half chances but put them well over the bar. but fought hard. SUBS: ONUOHA - 5 - dodgy at best. mis timed two headers, sliced two clearances and never looked comfortable. HOILETT - 5 - barely noticed him and was double marked it seemed like. MACKIE - 6 - barely had enough time to impact but gave us a boost with his energy. THE FINAL WORD Too little too late again I'm afraid, and we failed to capitalise on our pressure. We really should have been equalising with Remy's goal, had it not been for the missed penalty. We started very poorly, and for a game of that magnitude the players just didnt turn up in that first half and whilst we gave three easy goals away Fulham deserved it. You make your own luck sometimes. We were awful, especially in defence. The midfield was overrun and imo it was wrong not to start with another defensive minded player alongside Mbia. We should have gone 4-4-2 straight from the off, instead played zamora on his own up front and he barely had a look in. It was only once Remy came inside that we threatened. But the blame for this lies squarely with the players imo. Awful first half, with an improved second half, but the damage had been done. Imo thats us down now. We needed 6 points from Fulham and Wigan.
Thanks Judo! To give credit to Zamora where it is due he had a very good shot extremely well saved well into the 2nd half when I and one or two others on here thought he should have been sustituted. The situation we are in I understand Harry playing with Adel, Remy and Townsend in agressive midfield positions along with M'bia and Jenas, but they needed to work back defensively more than they and particularly Remy, was doing first half.
Good report. Mbia def MOTM for me though there is deabte elsewhere about his overall performance. Agree with your ratings. How can the Brazil goalie get a 6?!! Only at QPR.
Shocking about players not applauding fans again. I think they have all given up & resigned themselves to their new ventures next season. Can't see many of them staying if we do go down, not sure I'm that bothered if they can't be arsed with those that pay their wages.
Cheers Judo. Agree with most of that, however, I thought bringing on Onuoha gave us pace at the back and allowed us to squeeze further up the pitch, thus reducing the space for their midfield. I'd have given him a 6. As for Zamora, I thought that, apart from the one shot that was miraculously saved, he was tripe. A 5 at best. Townsend too was terrible in the first half and would only have got a 6 from me, as he improved a little in the second half. Terrible that the players didn't clap the fans...........really pisses me off that.
Why the **** did Remy start on the wing??..rediculous. Towsend was double marked and because he was on the right wing(being left footed) he kept cutting in on his left and was easy to read. Zamora looks like an old man.He can hardly move FFS!. Did anyone see the reaction of the team when Tarbs scored?...you guessed it,heads down,noone giving a ****,nothing. Said it all really. I'm sick of this sorry arsed team and cant wait for the final nail in a few weeks time.2 seasons of misery...and goodnight
Nice one once again Judo. Pretty depressing stuff isn't it. I was going to say that Harry started the wrong team and tactics, but it doesn't seem to matter who plays. The goal threat of Remy being played out wide is criminal. Especially when Zamora was absent bar one shot. Zamoras inability to move is a joke, he should never be playing. Adel looked overweight and lacked pace. His passing was awful even the short five yarders were failing and when he took a free-kick he hit the wall with it. Samba's performance has been well documented here and elsewhere but Cesar was just as bad. His recent performances have been nothing short of shocking since the City game. God only knows why we can only perform for one half of a game, Harry doesn't seem to either. It's so infuriating, especially when we start like that in a very local derby in the situation we're in. The fans deserved better. I think I dislike Fulham more than Chelsea now. Their fans are such ****ers. I never got one abusive text from my Chelsea mates after they whooped us 6-0 last season. Last night my phone was buzzing more than Jordans vibrator on a Saturday night from those fecking Ruperts. ****e club, ****e ground and ****e fans. They didn't even start singing until added on time. Don't start me on those clapper things they all had either. What a complete **** stain of a club.
Thats been a major problem for us Nines - not being able to play for 90 mins. Not the performance we needed and should expect in such a big game. The Fulham fans were a disgrace. Did you go to the game? Stupid clappers that the announcer had to make them use! Awful fans. I dont think i could ever hate them more than the scum but Fulham is a prime example of everything that is wrong with the Premier League. A club more worried about getting tourists through the door to boost attendances!
