In his lunchtime press conference the Manager confirmed that Mawson was still in the early stages of his rehab and indeed the next step - a check on his operation - is 6 weeks off. Anguissa, he said, was back in training but nowhere near fit - from what, goodness only knows. And of course Kamara is in the Blue Yonder. Brighton we well know are strong, robust and well organised. They've had a tricky run of games and while playing pretty well, didn't pick up many points. So Chris Hughton will look to this one as an opportunity to get back on track. He's likely to go 4-1-4-1. With the every ready Murray up top. We might get to see David Button again. He's been deputising while Matt Ryan was off at the Asia Cup but with Australia surprisingly knocked out on Friday who knows. If Button is chosen forget all the nervous tick-tacky stuff when he was with us. Brighton are a direct side and so is he these days. Another old boy in the pecking order is Dan Burn. Signed in the summer, Dan didn't formally join Brighton until this month and on Saturday he was their MOTM in the FA Cup draw with West Brom. Suspect it will be the usual rear guard of Dunk and Duffy on parade however. A fair few have suggested that we've never recovered from our last match against Brighton; fourth game into the season playing delightful football, two goals to the good and then two self-inflicted blunders meant it ended 2-2. A point at theirs would have been taken before the game but this now felt like a crushing loss and confidence ebbed away. Well, we no longer have the 'delightful football' but we sure as heck still have the 'blunders'. Ranieri playing 5 at the back has given a sense of solidity but the sloppy goals continue to go in. A significant number that we've conceded, certainly since the turn of the year. has been because of the full backs NOT getting close to opposition players out wide and/or cutting out crosses. So, the whole raison d'etre of playing 5 at the back has to be questioned. Ranieri won't change though and we'll see the same team which he put out against Spurs. Maybe a tinker up front while he wonders about Vietto et al.
The chap tonight is Lee Probert. please log in to view this image Probert of course was in charge of that 2-2 draw against Brighton at theirs in the beginning of September. Don't know if it's because he's getting long in the tooth but Mr Probert, although he does plenty of matches, doesn't do all that many Premiership games. We last saw him on 8th December in the defeat at Old Trafford - the one where he sent Anguissa off after 2 yellows. Since then he's ref'd 5 matches and only 2 of those were in the EPL. In those games the Bristol Rovers supporter has managed 21 yellows and 3 reds, so keeping well up on his discipline stats. As he is on his penalty awards - he now stands at 9 in a total of 18 games.
A dismal, wet, sloppy and unfortunately typical first half by Fulham. Then what a transformation as the Cottage was morphed into a snow globe, and ... Snow Snow Snow Welcome to our party Grab ya coat Gonna have some fun Time to get this season started Ranieri accepting that his defensive line up wasn't going to stop us leaking goals had a lot to do with the change. To be honest I'm still buzzing and it hasn't really sunk in yet. Might have a go tomorrow to explain but for now ... the second half was without question our best team performance of the season so far.
Surely tonight shows why we follow football and a team like Fulham. Most of the season has been awful with one disappointment after another. After 20 minutes tonight it felt like all hope had gone. Then the second half happened. The lows make the highs feel much sweeter. No doubt over the next few months we will have similar highs and lows, but tonight gives us hope. I only followed it on my phone and I am buzzing - what must it been like to be there. COYW
Where did that 2nd Half performance come from. Ranieri throwing 'caution to the wind' and going for it. Mitro thrived on the old fashioned battle and the ref let them get on with it.
My initial thoughts: - the first half was dire, not helped by being soaked and freezing. - Babel is clearly not fit, but looks like the player we thought Schurrle would be. In other news, we looked much better without Schurrle on the pitch and he should not start again for a while. - this is presumably the end of the 5-2-3 formation, as the extra width has not helped us close down crosses into the box at all. 4-3-3/4-5-1 would seem to fit our players much better. - Cairney needs to be on the field. He is so calm in possession and, in essence, exactly what Seri & Anguissa are not. Incidentally, calmness on the ball is very hard to measure as a 'metric'. - Rico kept us in the game with two great saves. He has not been well served by the defence in front of him. - Calum Chambers continues to grow game by game. He is certainly not a defender, but he is growing into a good midfielder. And what a hit! - Mitrovic... what can I say. We need passionate players if we have any hope of survival and Mitrovic embodies that. - I am still not entirely warm. Freezing cold rain is just horrible.
Sure enough half way through the first half he abandoned his defensive 5 at the back but not at all convinced what subsequently happened was Ranieri's by design. For the remainder of that first half we were just as aimless, Cairney who he'd brought on, was stuck out on the right wing and the long ball forward was still the main team tactic. Also believe Ranieri struck it lucky when he was forced to take Schurrle off at half time with an injury. But for that bad tackle (which deserved a red against the Brighton guy) Schurrle would have stayed on. The players that started the second half had been brought in to play football by passing on the floor and hold possession. And that's exactly what they did. But not only that , the five in midfield (I'd include Babel) were interchangeable. They switched around, formed 'triangles' and actually wanted the ball - not one player went hiding in that half (something you can't always say of late). Pivotal to so much, as SuperBri and Surly say, was Mitrovic. Yet here again the change in style by the others made a huge difference. Rather than have to back pedal hoping to reach long punts, Mitro was being provided with crosses from the wide where he could attack the ball going forward. Still can't properly put into words the second half transformation. Indeed should have just summarised in two lines ... 1 We played as a TEAM, possibly for the first time this season, and not simply a hodge podge of individuals; and 2 Don't believe the outcome was because of any tactical brainwave by Ranieri.
That win could make all the difference to our confidence. My friend said to me at half time "I would be nice to see one more win before we go down" I replied "I don't think we will see it tonight" I didn't see that second half performance coming what so ever, and it could have been six. As we've said, we played like a team and if we can keep that going we have a chance, a chance we would not have had if we'd have lost that. - mind you we need to follow it up against Palace. Forgotten how good it is to win, great night.
