From one point I think this team can't save us from the other I think that there are a few players who care as put the effort in. If Felix reverts back to Holtby, Kvist and uses Kara wisely we might turn it!
Not a chance if we continue like this. Unless Mitroglou starts scoring and the flops start performing. The first can happen the latter no way!
So depressing. Do you FM was trying a different combo? Why did Dempsey start when he was leaving straight after? Why didn't Holtby start. Too many questions??? Parker shouldnt start, for me he is the weak link. Our passing was non existent in the second half, gave the ball away, no one was confident with the ball. Just too depressing. I really thought we had the quality to do well at the beginning of the season, shows what I know! I think the championship wouldn't be that bad. Will it?
Like you, and I imagine every Fulham fan, that question has taxed me all weekend Bidley. However this explanation by Felix beggars belief - "Fulham manager Felix Magath said it was a tactical decision to drop on-loan Tottenham midfielder Lewis Holtby to the bench for the Whitesâ defeat against Chelsea. The German has arguably been Fulhamâs best player since joining from Spurs until the end of the season, but he was dropped in favour of fellow loanee Clint Dempsey, who made his final appearance before returning to Seattle Sounders. Fulham missed Holtbyâs invention and were firmly beaten 3-1, leaving them rooted to the bottom of the Premier League and in serious relegation trouble. But Magath said: âThe reason [Holtby was dropped] was that we wanted to fight against Chelsea because they have the better players. âYou have to prepare for a game where Chelsea has control over the ball and we have to fight, and I think for 45 minutes it was the right way. Lewis is a player who is thinking forward, who is very skilfull and can make good passes, and against Chelsea you will not create many chances â nobody will.â Source: http://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/football-wls-boss-explains-lewis-holtby-omission
Seems like he did it just for the sake of it - to stamp his authority on the team. Remember him saying in his first video that he wasn't going to watch back our games from before he joined, it was all about looking forward. Don't get the sense of that if forward means Sidwell and Parker despite the past telling us it doesn't work. Dempsey and Kasami were odd selections, Kasami because of position - Dempsey because he's past it. Mitro should have been on the bench, if only to play the last 10 mins. I hope we see him next week. Dejegah had a bit of a shocker - our front 4 central players - Bent, Dempsey, Parker and Sidwell - lacked any kind of pace. If we're going to rely on experience then Kara has to come in for Parker - Scott isn't looking up to it and his passing has been poor.
I think, from what I read yesterday, Felix will be giving them some intensive defensive training this week. His quote for the first goal, that someone picked up the ball and ran 90 yards without anyone touching him (welcome to the Fulham team of 2013/14) was the first time he had ever seen that. It's good if he kicks their arses from here to next weekend for failing in their professional duties. To be honest, he looks a bit shell-shocked at how inept and poor the squad he has inherited is. I bet he didn't think it would be this bad when he signed on the dotted line.
Very strange team selection ... Stek had another poor outing. I can't see why Dempsey was inserted and Holtby left out. That makes no sense at all. My hope is fading.
What do you reckon to the Felix explanation mentioned above DR? That apart, he said in his first interview that he had previously been interested in Dempsey. Surely then he would know that Dempsey's not a fighter, in the "getting stuck in for 90 minutes" sense.
By Magath's logic neither Dempsey or Bent should have started either - if we weren't going to create chances (and the likelihood of that reduced without Holtby) why play two up top who are only good for poaching and offer nothing else with or without the ball. Should have gone for the 4-6-0 formation then with Holtby at the tip of the midifeld. Got a horrible feeling we've brought someone in completely unsuitable for the English league. Much like PM (and Gordon Brown exemplified this) it's not enough just to be good at management (or the nitty gritty), the press and personality are also important. I'm not sure this authoritarian approach will work - Holtby is a worker and a creator, our best player by miles. If neither he or Mitro figure in our first team we might as well not bother turning up for the remaining games. The old alpha male leadership model is outdated - no one operates successfully and for a sustained period working like that. It's all about getting people to buy in. Back we go to playing players out of position and unsuitable combinations. Awful team selection, Rene made some bad ones, but for me that was the worst of the lot. Chelsea were poor first half (at one point Cech held it for a few seconds and then lumped it straight to Stek)- that's what kept it close. They beat us without leaving first gear. We managed 3 shots on target - it took until 39m to have one. Almost 39m later we managed another, and scored from it. The type of goal we've seen this season, no real build up play, scrappy toe in from a set piece. Kara had a good impact when he came on - he should have been starting and playing until he's puffed out every week, we've not seen enough of him. He's the leader we're crying out for. Next weeks selection a mystery, back to flinging panini stickers up the staircase and picking the players who land closest to the top.
There is goes the post for this week regarding team selection against Cardiff... Actually Kostas will be playing according to his last interview... The rest 10 are to be part of the Panin lottery system!
I think he's been one of our best players this season, albeit without much of a challenge. Couldn't say he was at fault for any of the goals against Chelsea, and even the equaliser for WBA, he kept us in the game up until that point with some worldies.
Yes, he had some tremendous saves in the West Brom game and yes, goalkeepers only need to make one mistake. However a mistake it was and it cost us points. So far as the Chelsea goals were concerned, you are correct Bandit that the fault lay elsewhere but he could and should have made things more difficult for the scorer. He was slow off his line and then went down far too early.
But on the basis of the entire season, I think he's saved us more points than he has lost. As for the Chelsea criticisms, I think you're nit-picking a bit there 58.
