How long will it take us to realise that we can't defend for 45 mins a score like 1-0... Not Jol's fault but the players seem to switch off. In any case happy with 1 point but disappointed that we could have bagged 3.
Very unlucky ! We were extremely good first half and easing it. I think we tried again to defend that lead second half and failed miserably again. So many goals conceded this season in the last 5 minutes ! Does my nerves no good at all. Must keep it it in perspective though we played well and looked very comfortable with this new team and looked very dangerous first half - good confidence booster to Sa also. Roll on Monday !
Is it not Jols fault though? Before halftime when we were one-nil up, we carried on playing well, as a team should. However, during the 15 minutes of halftime something changed dramatically, hence, one has to feel that Jol was a large part of the problem. Watched the match and the second half was dreadful, similar to arsenal after we got our goal. We played for the 50 moinutes in the way a team should only play the last 3. Terrible, we should have had three points, and i'm gutted we didn't
Before the game I would have happily taken a draw, so as disappointed as I am this is still a good result for us. Our away performances have shown gradual improvement lately, next away game is at blackburn where we should fancy our chances of getting all three points.
Gilly why Jol is the problem? The team came out controlled the game in the first 10 mins of the second half and then just dropped back... Tactically the subs were like for like given the availability of players. Anyway roll on Monday!
Not meant to be full on criticism of Jol, or any of that Jol out crap, which i would hate to see, but I do feel he can only be described as uninspiring. We sat back far too early, why did we not just keep playing, we only had a 1 goal lead!!!! I disagree that we controlled the first 10 of the second half- from what i can remember Norwich took it to us straight away, and our players straight away bailed out. We have the potential to be very good, but someone needs to sort out these performances where so often we only play for one half. If i had not watched the match, I would have taken a point, but having watched it im pissed off.
Gilly same here, really annoyed but think once Murphy was gone we lost the leader of the team. Personally, have criticised Murphy a lot but he is our leader. He commands the team. Once he was gone it seems that players started falling back to defend and were frequently out of position. Thinking a bit more about the changes maybe we should have replaced Riise with Briggs or Duff to give some fresh legs. One point that I wanted to make is Ruiz defensively. He tends to stay up and not follow the attacking player. Berbatov style... Jol needs to address that as we can't afford this. Also, where on earth the 4th official got 5 mins of added time?? In any case we got a good result and there is only one way... Upwards with a couple of good signings especially up front.
Totally Gilly. I don't care who was responsible, the tatics are plain ridiculous - Odense can you be ?. The subs were equally ridiculous - leaving nobody up front - and they are down to Jol.
And last one before my stop for New Year. Fulham boss Martin Jol after his side were denied victory by a Norwich goal deep in injury time: "It would have been nice to end this year on a very good note and after seeing the first half I really thought we should have scored a second, but we had some tired legs out there and they always look strong in the air. But in the fourth minute of injury time it is disappointing. Sometimes one goal is enough but it wasn't to be today. Two goals would have been a better cushion but in hindsight perhaps they deserved it." Think that says a lot. I believe tactically we choose to push for one half only and try to soak the pressure for the other one. This can be the first or the second depending the team... Happy New Year to everybody http://www.not606.com/images/smilies/badger.gif http://www.not606.com/images/smilies/f_bubbly.gif http://www.not606.com/images/smilies/party-smiley-048.gif
Have said it before Murphy is a great captain who commands the defence well,possibly none better. But at his age he can only last possibly 70/80min.we must in this window buy a couple proven class defenders,none of the bargain basement players.
Heard Jol shout to Duff in injury time "Don't towel him, stand off". That's the kind of genius we have managing us. And we wonder why quick teams pick us apart...
Just got in following a meal with some friends who live in Norwich. My take on our performance is that it is abismal,ok some of you may say we played well for 45min, well my friends matches are played over 90min. Wilst tyring not to be to critical of Jol,he does not seem to be a very inspirational in installing enthusiasm amongst the team. On paper Norwich were no match four our back four,but in the last 30 min there was a lackadaisical attitude in our man to man marking,and this is the third time this season this has happened. Starting at the back : we have in Stocky a very quick thinking athletic goalkeeper,but he must learn to command his area, with authority, and more positional alertness. full backs,its no good jostling and re arranging,we need 2 quality new ones . A new defending midfielder,and a c/f. The teams we have beaten or drawn against this season apart from QPR,was not down to our performances,but more like our opponents being below par. We should have picked up points from the likes of Blackburn,Norwich, AV,Swansea & Wolves ,and now the bottom clubs have started to gather confidence we cold find ourselves in a real dogfight. Jol you came to us with a reputation is it not time you proved it.
The same Blackburn who have taken four points from Liverpool and Man Utd away recently? The same Blackburn we failed to beat or even score against at home? The same Blackburn who may well have AJ starting up front for them who will likely have a point to prove to Jol? Sa scored a good goal so credit where credit is due. However he was back to his awful self in the second half, the guy loses possession so easily it's incredible, the same could be said for Frei, who also had a cracker of a first half, but Sa is old enough and experienced enough to know better.
FFC4L if that is the case we will be in trouble. Ray needs to get some of his weight into this. Bandit I think you have a point. Frei was out of sync in the second half. He was not getting the help needed either. Sa was under a lot of pressure and don't think he could have done much better. The problem is that when we put the ball down and pass quickly we can tear teams apart. The commentators were really impressed with the ease we could get to Norwich's half and then pick them apart. But we are lacking firepower. Both AJ and BZ can't take any defender. Now on the Blackburn game. They got 3 chances in the game and took them. We got more than 3 chances with AJ against utd and HE failed on all of them. We can't blame Jol for that or anybody else. So Blackburn are welcome to have him.
Seriously FFC_Madness, if you watch our wing backs they always stand off. All that did was confirm to me that it's Jol telling them to do that. Then in the interview he says something completely different, suggesting we shouldn't have let them cross. But Duff was told to give the Norwich player space to let them create a situation where they could (They didn't score from that cross, but they did when they got the ball round the next time). The guy beggars belief. He is an incompetent fool on the level of Sanchez. Jol has a far greater squad than Sanchez ever did, remember. We'll see how he stamps his authority on the squad in this transfer window. I am not positive about the rest of our season.
I watched the Utd game and the stat that Blackburn only had three shots on target is not the most important one. The stat that they only allowed Utd a handful of shots on target is far more important. I don't remember Bunn making a save that was out of the ordinary.
