It was “Summer Signing” day at the Cottage so no press conference for Kit. please log in to view this image
So, no injury or any other info but might as well get the ball rolling. The obvious question is, do you change a winning team? There again, it is an away game; so different tactics? There again, it’s not against the strongest of opposition! So, my answer would be .. No! But what about O’Hara? He’s been MOTM in all of our League games to date and appears to have recovered from his ‘Monday Night’ illness. A consideration is the one SuperBri has already pointed out - in all those games everything gets played through him and opposing teams only need to gang up on Jamie and we’re stuffed. Also, with him as the focal point, it has encouraged the constant across/backwards play which inevitably slows the game down. Whereas on Tuesday night we had something different - a central midfielder running straight at the opposition, drawing their players in and creating spaces for our own boys please log in to view this image Arguably we could play O’Hara with Tunnnicliffe at the expense of LVC or Cairney. But why do that? Both of those will give us outlets and (some) width, which the Jamie/Ryan combo wouldn’t. Elsewhere, Hutchinson could return and Ream go to left back. But why do that? There’s no benefit in introducing another learning curve for our back four, with only this game to go before the break. Leave Ream as Burn’s partner. The other ponderable is in fact a no-brainer - Pringle to start ahead of Kaca. So, basically it's as you were - ………………….Lonergan……………… ..Richards……Ream…..Burn……….Voser.. ………………….Tunnnicliffe…….. …………..LVC………………….. ….Cairney……………………..Pringle…. …………………McCormack… ………………..Dembele………..
I like that team Cottager though you could easily swap LVC for O'Hara. I don't like Voser at left back but not a lot we can do about that. Talking about Voser does anybody know how Garbutt is getting on?
I thought Kacaniklic was good against Huddersfield. I also didn't think O'Hara was the one responsible for the tendency to pass the ball backwards. In most of those situations, the critical moment comes long before the negative ball back to the keeper or last defender. The actual pass that gets everyone annoyed is a reasonable one to make. The problem comes when someone well into the opposition half has the choice of an attacking pass that risks losing the ball, or a safer option. On the evidence of the Huddersfield game (the only one I've seen in the flesh this season, admittedly), O'Hara is the midfielder most likely to go for the attacking option. The good thing about those passes in that position is that even if we lose possession - never a good thing - it's in a position that isn't immediately dangerous. By the time it comes back to a defender in his own half, a misplaced pass almost certainly leads to a threat on our goal, so they are probably correct to err on the side of caution. My point is, if we want to cut out those frustrating moves that come to nothing, we need players who are more willing to take a chance when in the opposition half. Dropping O'Hara removes the player most likely to do that, and most likely to do that successfully.
He's posted pictures doing gym work in the last week. So I'm guessing just keeping fit generally but not yet running about.
Team Change - Husband in at LB for Voser (if we signed JH in time ie before 12o'clock). Although Kit didn't have his press meeting (or an internal one with Sarah Brookes), some team information has been passed to the local paper. Beats me why the Club 'communications' people can't pass on the same stuff via the website. Anyway - O'Hara and Hutchinson are fit to play. Bodurov has a swollen knee and is unavailable. No word on Matilla but presume either still injured and/or not in contention. The paper also confirmed that Matt Smith is out for at least another month and poor old Marcus Bettinelli is to have surgery next Tuesday - only after that will the extent of his injury be known..
Wouldn’t disagree with much of that Captain. An awful lot our play in the League games so far has gone through O’Hara however and it has had some negative consequences. For example, because he’s the player that has made himself available more than others - to his credit and a massive plus - players pass to him when other options are possible (in other words they’ve taken the safe outlet) and either of the following happened: * a forward looking player(s) stops running (‘cos he realises he’s not going to get the ‘first phase’ ball) * a forward looking player(s) holds his run (anticipating the ball going to O’Hara) In each of the scenarios the opposition have had time re-group and/or close the forward player(s) down. Also O’Hara’s forte is the ‘cross field pass’ rather than the ’slide rule forward pass’. Unfortunately we have played with such little width that the number of opportunities for him have been limited. So he’s held onto the ball, probably longer than he’d want (which is really where my alluding to slowing the game down comes from). Not saying any of this happens all the time by any means. Nor am I convinced about Tunnicliffe’s consistency. However, Ryan did some basic things on Tuesday night which have been lacking in our side for some time. I’ve already mentioned his direct runs forward but when was the last time you saw a Fulham player do one of the most basic things of all in football ..pass and move.. ? So, what I was really saying was, give him another chance to boss the midfield. With O’Hara there as well I feel he’d be a tad stifled. All of that said, I’m going to recant. Kit will play O’Hara. And it’s a lottery whether Tunnicliffe, LVC or Cairney will be the sacrificial lamb. Unless of course he plays all three with McCormack up top and Dembele is the one who drops out.
The fixtures mean we drop into bottom 2 with Blackburn & Bolton drawing, so 3 points gets us out the bottom, but a defeat means holding up the league. So COYW!!!!!!!
Lonergan, Richards, Ream, Burn, Husband; Cairney, Tunnicliffe, O'Hara, Pringle; McCormack, Dembele. Subs - Lewis, Hutch, Voser, Mattila, LVC, Kacaniklic, Woodrow. I feel a bit happier and content with this team, particularly with the defence. With the additions of Ream and Husband it gives us a bit more stability and balance to the defence. The Hutchinson and Bodurov partnership was giving me nightmares!! Feeling hopeful for today, hopefully the players have took confidence from the midweek win and carry it on into this game.
Great start for us, and as is usually the case, a former player goes back to score against his old team.
Lonergan saves the penalty. Ross cracks the bar. Good signs! Darn - conceded. Worrying! Cauley!!! The ups & downs of FFC
Feels like the international break is coming at a bad time for us, just when we were starting to get going. Hopefully it won't affect us too much and we can keep it up after the break.
Two wins in less than a week. Is this what supporting a successful team feels like? I could get used to this.
Only just back from the Olympic Stadium having switched sports for the weekend, and to find out that result ... 'over the moon' !!! You're comments are interesting GS since I'd also picked up this quote from Kit: "We made it hard work for ourselves conceding a penalty and giving away a stupid goal but overall I’m very pleased with the performance. Until you get that third goal it’s never quite comfortable. We rode our luck a little bit and Lonners (Andy Lonergan) made a great save from the penalty." Having gone ahead so early, did we sit back in the second half? Anyone know as well whether McCormack did in fact play further forward like he said he wanted to?
Only listened to GJ but it sounded like a very good first half from ourselves raced into a two goal lead and Ross could have had a third missing a one on one . Second half they improved and came at us which you expect a home team two nil down to do, Penalty save was massive but the most pleasing thing for me was when it got back to Two one I was expecting a last ten minute onslaught nervous times and the usual last minute goal conceded but it never came it sounded like we ride out the last tem minutes well keeping possession and obviously getting the late goal ourselves.
Just watched the highlights and a quick point on Dembele, his movement for the first goal was very very good, yes he should probably have done better with the header himself but it created a goal and he did very well, then only a coulee of minutes later he did extremely well again setting up Ross for a one on one which he should have scored..... I think this run in the team will do him good.
