Fulham 3 United 0 - view from the sofa

[Nicolaus_Copernicus]

Fuck me, we've lost again

And my phone was playing up, so i've had to wait to get home before posting my nonsense. So it's more distilled than my usual nonsense.

 

[Woodwardfan]

As a matter of interest WWF, did you go last night? I did. As I have done for 90% of the games this season, and my opinion is my reality & my view based upon what I witness first hand. Not sugar coated, not said to get a reaction, my honest appraisal.

The 10 players, is based on the following: Blackman, Long, Reed, Wilson, Wright, Donaldson, Lafferty, Carruthers, Thomas, Lavery, Ched Evans, Hussey & Hanson. That's not being controversial, that's being honest. You could probably add of couple more to be contrary/provoke a debate. We have serious problems coming our way and they need to be addressed. The strike force needs a radical overhaul, we have overloaded ourselves with fairly similar stodgy central midfielders and lack pace.

Strategy? As much as I respect CW, he isn't the 2nd coming of christ. The way we set up leaves obvious holes to exploit, and we don't counter it. It worries me that our back 5 couldn't work out how to stop Mitrovic & Ojo last night in the 1st half, or at least hamper their progress. It worries me that Fredericks their right back puts the cross in for their 1st Sharp is the one tracking his run on the byline. It worries me that at the speed and ease they broke from our move to their 3rd goal. It worries me that our front 2 seem to operate in isolation to the other, with very little interaction. It worries me that we continue to waste Sharp's abilities. Mitrovic & Lasogga in recent games have shown what a target man should do. Take the ball in and build play through them, linking up with pace. We play passing football to feet and don't make runs into the box nor support play. We don't put crosses in. That's what Brooks got annoyed about, we get to the edge of the box and that's it. We were summed up last night by two moments. 2nd half, nearly 15mins to go, we eventually won a free kick, 5yrds inside their half, a chance to deliver something. O'Connell knocked it square & short, 5 yrds short to fleck, who have it him back, he then knocked it 5 yrds short to Holmes, who knocked it straight back, O'Connell then knocked it short to Stearman, a similar distance, who turned and put it all the way back to Blackman. The other was again at a similar time, the ball got played to Duffy on our right wing, 20 yrds into their half, he took a touch, he looked up, the cross was on, he cruyffed it back and played it all the way back to the CB on the half way line. Simple stuff like that WWF.

I'll bet a pound to your penny that if the ownership situation is not sorted out sufficiently to allow the investment of money in the close season, CW will not be at the club much longer. He is not stupid. And if that is the case, then next season will be an eye opener for some people.

As much as I wish for more investment, part of our problem as a club is not looking after what we have. If Wolves, Fulham & Cardiff get promoted this season, that'll be 7 ex-blades and an ex manager going up, to join the ones already there. Let's not pretend that Fulham have an expensively assembled squad, they haven't. I don't know what they pay out in wages, but their success is based upon sensible acquisitions, retention of talent & the property use of the loan market. Do you honestly think that if Sessignon was a United player he'd still be playing for us? Do you think we'd be holding out for £50m?

And I stand by my comment about Holmes. If the best someone can say about him is that he was a crowd favorite at Charlton, then that says it all. He isn't good enough for the United I want. Who out of the top six teams in this division would he start for? None. Who out of the top 6 teams in the division attempted to sign him? None. A 30 yr old (31 in June) journeyman, above average League 1 at best.

Well reasoned post but the 'United you want to see' is being built by our manager. He cannot change the 6 years damage before he arrived or tbe squad he inherited. He can't change the budget he's given. It will take him longer than you hope for and the man can only perform miracles for so long. The quality of the current squad is way higher than 19 months ago.More investment is not always the answer though.

Wilder us operating in a new environment for him with tools he knows well. That suits him and it suits me for a sensible period. Yes the stakes will need to increase but let's grow with the manager and the players. It's so easy to get ahead of ourselves.

S6 threw money at the job and wasted the lot as indeed we did in the past. Let's discuss again at the beginning of next season by which time our 3 new signings will have been with us 7 months, not a long time in games played but just enough time to settle in.

Your sweeping comment re Holmes is premature and helps nobody. He is actually the type of player who can make that difference in the final third of the pitch, an urgent player who speeds things up and takes risks.

 

[Nicolaus_Copernicus]

Well reasoned post but the 'United you want to see' is being built by our manager. He cannot change the 6 years damage before he arrived or tbe squad he inherited. He can't change the budget he's given. It will take him longer than you hope for and the man can only perform miracles for so long. The quality of the current squad is way higher than 19 months ago.More investment is not always the answer though.

Wilder us operating in a new environment for him with tools he knows well. That suits him and it suits me for a sensible period. Yes the stakes will need to increase but let's grow with the manager and the players. It's so easy to get ahead of ourselves.

S6 threw money at the job and wasted the lot as indeed we did in the past. Let's discuss again at the beginning of next season by which time our 3 new signings will have been with us 7 months, not a long time in games played but just enough time to settle in.

Your sweeping comment re Holmes is premature and helps nobody. He is actually the type of player who can make that difference in the final third of the pitch, an urgent player who speeds things up and takes risks.

 

[Dnblade]

What a pass by Cairney inside Sharp for Fredericks to get behind us when there didn't seem any space,then Fredericks lays it across for the first.
The second looked real quality first time touch....class finish,not much we can do about that...then Stearman tries to find Brooks and they hit us on the break for the 3rd...game over....Looked like we were ok for half an hour until the first goal,and if Billy scores,it could have been different...No disgrace,they've got a lot of quality...maybe most sides just park the bus against them...they look every bit as good as Wolves,if not better on that showing along with the one at the Lane.

 

[sitwell]

Don't know if its because you see a different game live to on TV ,but I think that is your worst report for a long time. Seem to have it in for Evans (your new Flynn ?) only superseded by a frankly fucking pathetic couple of posts from NC. Shit thread.

 

[Nicolaus_Copernicus]

Don't know if its because you see a different game live to on TV ,but I think that is your worst report for a long time. Seem to have it in for Evans (your new Flynn ?) only superseded by a frankly fucking pathetic couple of posts from NC. Shit thread.

Fair do's.

 

[Pedro's Winger]

Well reasoned post but the 'United you want to see' is being built by our manager. He cannot change the 6 years damage before he arrived or tbe squad he inherited. He can't change the budget he's given. It will take him longer than you hope for and the man can only perform miracles for so long. The quality of the current squad is way higher than 19 months ago.More investment is not always the answer though.

Wilder us operating in a new environment for him with tools he knows well. That suits him and it suits me for a sensible period. Yes the stakes will need to increase but let's grow with the manager and the players. It's so easy to get ahead of ourselves.

S6 threw money at the job and wasted the lot as indeed we did in the past. Let's discuss again at the beginning of next season by which time our 3 new signings will have been with us 7 months, not a long time in games played but just enough time to settle in.

Your sweeping comment re Holmes is premature and helps nobody. He is actually the type of player who can make that difference in the final third of the pitch, an urgent player who speeds things up and takes risks.

Wilder's already made it obvious that lack of investment doesn't suit him and he has no obligation to put United's interests ahead of his own career.
If another club came in for him offering a better opportunity and more investment, a response of 'be patient, let's grow together, let's not get ahead of ourselves etc' isn't likely to get him to stay.

 

[Woodwardfan]

Wilder's already made it obvious that lack of investment doesn't suit him and he has no obligation to put United's interests ahead of his own career.
If another club came in for him offering a better opportunity and more investment, a response of 'be patient, let's grow together, let's not get ahead of ourselves etc' isn't likely to get him to stay.

Disagree but time will tell.

Wilder is a big Blade and would only leave if he thought it would either serve a purpose for the benefit of the club or if he was let down. Mc Cabe won't let him down that I know. Others? Who's to say?

 

[coolhandluke]

And my phone was playing up, so i've had to wait to get home before posting my nonsense. So it's more distilled than my usual nonsense.

I'll refer you to a post I made a couple of days before we played Fulham ....

I can't see us getting anything . I think they've just got a little bit too much for us . We're a team that appears to ' fit ' a finish of somewhere between 10th and 5th . Fulham are top 3 material . Nothing wrong with any of that its just the natural order of things .

I sincerely don't understand your doom ridden prognosis . It's abundantly clear what's happening at the Lane right now . CW has assembled a good team that's capable of giving virtually anyone a game on our day . But what we all now know is we are 2 maybe 3 top quality signings away from being a team that's really pushing for the playoffs or one that's potentially good enough for them which is what we are now . Why the angst ? Why the claims CW is about to leave ?

 

[coolhandluke]

Wilder's already made it obvious that lack of investment doesn't suit him and he has no obligation to put United's interests ahead of his own career.
If another club came in for him offering a better opportunity and more investment, a response of 'be patient, let's grow together, let's not get ahead of ourselves etc' isn't likely to get him to stay.

Forget it Pedro . He's a Blade and there's not a fucking chance in hell he'll ever manage you lot .

 

[Nicolaus_Copernicus]

I'll refer you to a post I made a couple of days before we played Fulham ....

I sincerely don't understand your doom ridden prognosis . It's abundantly clear what's happening at the Lane right now . CW has assembled a good team that's capable of giving virtually anyone a game on our day . But what we all now know is we are 2 maybe 3 top quality signings away from being a team that's really pushing for the playoffs or one that's potentially good enough for them which is what we are now . Why the angst ? Why the claims CW is about to leave ?

I have a tendency to dwell on the negative, see dragons when others see windmills I made the comment to my mate last night, that add sessignon, ojo & mitrovic in our side & we're top 2. You could argue that that is £100m of talent, and applies to a number of sides, but it's just 2 quality loans & a quality academy graduate. In our case, ojo, mitrovic & a fully fit Brooks. Fine margins. We are 90% there. However, I'm fearful that, for whatever reason we've peaked, hit the glass ceiling and will start to regress. I am shit scared of ever going back to the 1st division. Shit scared. As a club, we spent that long looking into the abyss that it had started to look back into us. Possibly that fear is groundless, but our post December tail off has got me jittery.

I'm not saying that CW is currently clearing his desk at Shirecliffe, but football being what it is, I think he'll be in demand at the end of the season, and I know he's 100% blade, but i just hope that off field nonsense doesn't influence him. Don't get me wrong, there'll be none happier on here than me, come this time next season, if we're top 6, CW's still the manager, Brooks is still playing for us & Holmes is the star player. I'll gladly take the abuse.

 

[Pedro's Winger]

Disagree but time will tell.

Wilder is a big Blade and would only leave if he thought it would either serve a purpose for the benefit of the club or if he was let down. Mc Cabe won't let him down that I know. Others? Who's to say?

He already feels let down and he would be unlikely to turn down a better opportunity on the grounds that it doesn't benefit United.
Big summer coming up.

 

[Woodwardfan]

He already feels let down and he would be unlikely to turn down a better opportunity on the grounds that it doesn't benefit United.
Big summer coming up.

If Wilder feels down then he should'nt. We fans should be sending him big messages loud and clear - every post we write.

McCabe also.

McCabe needs a great manager and has found one at last.

Wilder needs a big fan as owner and has one.

How are you contributing Pedro? Doing your bit? Edit: take that back, out of order.

 

[coolhandluke]

I have a tendency to dwell on the negative, see dragons when others see windmills I made the comment to my mate last night, that add sessignon, ojo & mitrovic in our side & we're top 2. You could argue that that is £100m of talent, and applies to a number of sides, but it's just 2 quality loans & a quality academy graduate. In our case, ojo, mitrovic & a fully fit Brooks. Fine margins. We are 90% there. However, I'm fearful that, for whatever reason we've peaked, hit the glass ceiling and will start to regress. I am shit scared of ever going back to the 1st division. Shit scared. As a club, we spent that long looking into the abyss that it had started to look back into us. Possibly that fear is groundless, but our post December tail off has got me jittery.

I'm not saying that CW is currently clearing his desk at Shirecliffe, but football being what it is, I think he'll be in demand at the end of the season, and I know he's 100% blade, but i just hope that off field nonsense doesn't influence him. Don't get me wrong, there'll be none happier on here than me, come this time next season, if we're top 6, CW's still the manager, Brooks is still playing for us & Holmes is the star player. I'll gladly take the abuse.

I fully understand what you're saying and it's a great point you make about the 3 Fulham stars in our team, we'd be an awesome prospect .

But we all have concerns and doubts that run along similar lines . The boardroom shenanigans simply have to be sorted out . As things stand now we are not in a position to strengthen next season after consolidation this year . We've seen the calibre of players we need and they don't come cheap. Neither the Prince or KM can finance these deals alone . Indeed both of them together can't do it either so it needs sorting .

On the CW front I don't fear his head being turned elsewhere for at least another season . Wilder IS one of us and he's desperate to realise his professional ambitions with us . But he won't have the piss taken out of him either so something very positive has to happen sooner as opposed to later .

There's something in my analysis about CW's future tenure here that does lend weight to my concerns though and that's when I focus on what could be interpreted as a slight blemish on CW's track record as manager in the professional game . After he got Oxford promoted back to League Football ( A great achievement on its own ) he did appear to stagnate somewhat during his time there . A very common accusation that was thrown at him from the fans of Oxford was that he was just incapable of refreshing things or trying something new once momentum had been lost . Some of it was clearly sour grapes once he'd left but he was responsible for 2 and a half season's of mediocrity . During his time there though he was never really backed financially and I do doubt he'd get bogged down in the same manner even if he was managing the Club he supports .

Time will tell I suppose.

 

[Woodwardfan]

Serious thread. Disagree with Sitwell, it's quality, just differing views.

Any 'sharks' by any strange chance?

Let me guess Nah, it's about football

 

[Steve Mackan]

We ,like a lot of clubs in the league, are in limbo somewhat now. The current crop can't better what they have done and we don't have the money to push on. I feel we will continue to be a Championship side who often threaten the top 6 but never quite have enough to get over the line. That's not meant to sound negative as it's a huge jump to where we were 2 seasons ago but that next step is the hardest as about 18 other Championship clubs will tell you.

I can't help but be slightly more optimistic than this, though I do agree that our current squad is unlikely to a greater amount of points than we ultimately accrue this season. However, a win puts us right in the mix for 6th place this season and, with a game in hand and other results, it could be closer than most think.

With an easier run in than most around us, it's surely more likely that we'll finish strongly than it is that we'll fall away

 

[Addison]

I fully understand what you're saying and it's a great point you make about the 3 Fulham stars in our team, we'd be an awesome prospect .

But we all have concerns and doubts that run along similar lines . The boardroom shenanigans simply have to be sorted out . As things stand now we are not in a position to strengthen next season after consolidation this year . We've seen the calibre of players we need and they don't come cheap. Neither the Prince or KM can finance these deals alone . Indeed both of them together can't do it either so it needs sorting .

On the CW front I don't fear his head being turned elsewhere for at least another season . Wilder IS one of us and he's desperate to realise his professional ambitions with us . But he won't have the piss taken out of him either so something very positive has to happen sooner as opposed to later .

There's something in my analysis about CW's future tenure here that does lend weight to my concerns though and that's when I focus on what could be interpreted as a slight blemish on CW's track record as manager in the professional game . After he got Oxford promoted back to League Football ( A great achievement on its own ) he did appear to stagnate somewhat during his time there . A very common accusation that was thrown at him from the fans of Oxford was that he was just incapable of refreshing things or trying something new once momentum had been lost . Some of it was clearly sour grapes once he'd left but he was responsible for 2 and a half season's of mediocrity . During his time there though he was never really backed financially and I do doubt he'd get bogged down in the same manner even if he was managing the Club he supports .
Time will tell I suppose.

Agree with what you say about the Boardroom needing to be sorted out sooner rather than later thats why there is concern about investment and CW needing to feel he is being supported moving forward.

Oxford was a different time for CW he has come on leaps and bounds as a Manager since then and he didn't have Alan Knill and Prestridge as his back up. Good interview last night where CW was honest enough to admit he'd made the decision to wait to change formation until half time last night and we got done with the second goal. Suspect it was Knilly in his ear suggesting this and thats why as a team they are learning and improving together as they go along in the Championship.

 

[Woodwardfan]

I have a tendency to dwell on the negative, see dragons when others see windmills I made the comment to my mate last night, that add sessignon, ojo & mitrovic in our side & we're top 2. You could argue that that is £100m of talent, and applies to a number of sides, but it's just 2 quality loans & a quality academy graduate. In our case, ojo, mitrovic & a fully fit Brooks. Fine margins. We are 90% there. However, I'm fearful that, for whatever reason we've peaked, hit the glass ceiling and will start to regress. I am shit scared of ever going back to the 1st division. Shit scared. As a club, we spent that long looking into the abyss that it had started to look back into us. Possibly that fear is groundless, but our post December tail off has got me jittery.

I'm not saying that CW is currently clearing his desk at Shirecliffe, but football being what it is, I think he'll be in demand at the end of the season, and I know he's 100% blade, but i just hope that off field nonsense doesn't influence him. Don't get me wrong, there'll be none happier on here than me, come this time next season, if we're top 6, CW's still the manager, Brooks is still playing for us & Holmes is the star player. I'll gladly take the abuse.

That's much better. Less post match emotion. Give it three years.

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

As I've said on other threads, I think we hold Wilder in much higher regard than the rest of the footballing world. Outside of S2, who would be interested?

He's had one season at this level and has shown he's a great coach but has still made a lot of mistakes.

Certainly no PL club would take the gamble and none of the clubs above us would swap managers with us. Therefore it'd be a club below us, and why would that be appealing to him?

He's bloody lucky to have us!

 

[Woodwardfan]

Agree with what you say about the Boardroom needing to be sorted out sooner rather than later thats why there is concern about investment and CW needing to feel he is being supported moving forward.

Oxford was a different time for CW he has come on leaps and bounds as a Manager since then and he didn't have Alan Knill and Prestridge as his back up. Good interview last night where CW was honest enough to admit he'd made the decision to wait to change formation until half time last night and we got done with the second goal. Suspect it was Knilly in his ear suggesting this and thats why as a team they are learning and improving together as they go along in the Championship.

Anybody get the impression CW listens to Pressridge more and Knill less during games these days?

 

[super_pig]

I'll happily set up an 'Arsewatch', every month I'll check whether the hole in my arse is still there & if not I'll let everyone know.

i’ll be awaiting updates with interest.. i could design you a sensor and it could report here in the form of State of Nics hole.. operational/ non operational
is foxter up for a bit of dashboarding??

 

[IdLiketoRogerMoore]

As I've said on other threads, I think we hold Wilder in much higher regard than the rest of the footballing world. Outside of S2, who would be interested?

He's had one season at this level and has shown he's a great coach but has still made a lot of mistakes.

Certainly no PL club would take the gamble and none of the clubs above us would swap managers with us. Therefore it'd be a club below us, and why would that be appealing to him?

He's bloody lucky to have us!

 

[Pedro's Winger]

As I've said on other threads, I think we hold Wilder in much higher regard than the rest of the footballing world. Outside of S2, who would be interested?

He's had one season at this level and has shown he's a great coach but has still made a lot of mistakes.

Certainly no PL club would take the gamble and none of the clubs above us would swap managers with us. Therefore it'd be a club below us, and why would that be appealing to him?

He's bloody lucky to have us!

Teams like West Brom, Stoke etc if they come down look obvious examples of clubs who might be interested.
Or more ambitious Championship clubs. Doubt he'd go for various reasons but if Leeds ever looked like getting organised and serious, Wilder would look an obvious fit.

 

[I should coco]

He already feels let down and he would be unlikely to turn down a better opportunity on the grounds that it doesn't benefit United.

ITK alert!
I didn't realise you knew him so well. Are you neighbours on Tom Lane or his regular golf/bridge partner?

 

[Deadbat]

A total of 54 for the Blades and something approaching, say, 95 for Fulham is reasonable and objective then?

I would say that was about the difference between the two sides. They were that much better all over the park. Fulham were great but United other than first 10 were never in it, passing was slow and poor, defenders bullied and we had no control of the game. It was a bit of a hammering sadly.

 

[Deadbat]

Don't know if its because you see a different game live to on TV ,but I think that is your worst report for a long time. Seem to have it in for Evans (your new Flynn ?) only superseded by a frankly fucking pathetic couple of posts from NC. Shit thread.

I re-watched the game today and Evans was as poor or should I say as ineffective as I remembered. We had no control of midfield from start to finish other than first 10 mins. His sole contribution seemed to be to turn and play it backwards. The Fulham midfielders in contract first instinct was to turn and go forward. They made space and did it quickly and advanced. He and others (Duffy and Fleck not much better) were so slow in terms of how they did things and wanted forever and needed way too many touches to do things.

I think he is steady but not he has been very inconsistent game by game. Like Lundstram neither have put two good games together.

Like the Flynn comparison!!! Good memory. i did not mind him for United but like Evans another flat track bully who played well against the poorer teams and nowhere near as effective against the better ones.

Flynn by the way could not get in the Oldham side end of last season and this - he then was released and is now playing in the 2nd tier of Scorland for St Mirren at only 29 (his peak) so has not exactly gone on to do much since he left us!

As i say my opinion but i would suggest you also re-watch and look at the speed/movement/touch and way Fulham players move out of zones/areas of the pitch - nothing was fixed and midfielders constantly got into the box. Not sure we had one midfielder get ahead of the strikers all night - it was all very fixed. Not criticising the players in a sense - they did their best and it was not lack of effort. They were just better. Much better.

 

[CaptainMorgans]

I would say that was about the difference between the two sides. They were that much better all over the park. Fulham were great but United other than first 10 were never in it, passing was slow and poor, defenders bullied and we had no control of the game. It was a bit of a hammering sadly.

Called it exactly as I saw if from the stand Deadbat, an excellent report.

The gulf was massive. They smelled the weakness down our left side in the first half and with predatory instinct began to mobilise 3 or 4 players down there to take on Stevens. For all the talk of Sessegnon (who was also impressive), it was the movement of their right wing back, Ojo, that was doing most of the damage. Enda Stevens, I have felt for a while, is a bit out of his depth at this level, but as you noted - O’Connell and Fleck were not getting out to him to support in defence. It was inevitable that a goal would come down that side eventually, in the end two did and it could have been more.

Sadly, there was an air of inevitability about the whole night for me. I predicted we’d get tonked about 4-0 by Fulham beforehand. I told my neutral mate, who occasionally watches our games on Sky with me, that we’ll start both halves well (we always do), but that we’d likely not take chances and then run out of steam. This has been a regular pattern to a lot of our losses. We’re also the perfect opposition for Fulham, in that - we don’t attempt to shut up shop, we’re not too physical and not much of a threat from set-pieces. We’re a bit of a poor man’s Fulham and were always likely to be outclassed, unless they had an off night (form told us this was unlikely).

Despite the result, it was a pleasure to see their team. Ojo, Sessegnon, Cairney, Johannson and Mitrovic were all superb. They played with a fluidity and speed that I haven’t witnessed from any team this season. Every player was so comfortable at receiving the ball in tight areas and moving it on. They played with purpose and weren’t afraid of taking risks. Indeed, there was a moment when their goalkeeper sprayed a beautifully weighted, chip pass out to the right wing, which made the Blade behind me remark “we’re in trouble if even their keeper plays like that.” Sadly they didn’t just beat us at the fancy stuff, our back 3 were given a torrid time by Mitrovic all evening and Sharp and Donaldson (abysmal, again) were bullied out of it at the other end.

It was my first time visiting Craven Cottage and I have to say it’s a really nice little ground, with bags of character, wasted perhaps on the least passionate set of football fans you’ll ever come across (epitomised by the use of clappers). They, by and large, seem just to be local, middle class folk, who turn up in the good times and probably go and watch the cricket / rugby in the bad times. It’s not necessarily a bad thing, just worlds apart from what we’re used to.

On my way to the stadium there had been delays on the District Line due to a signal failure at Wimbledon. Owing to this, I uncharacteristically took the decision to leave the ground fairly early. I took the scenic route back to Putney Bridge station and walked along a quiet path, through the leafy park, on the river front, with the noise of the stadium fading into the distance. The river was glistening with city lights, the bridge was up ahead, lit by those old lantern style street lamps and in that moment it just became obvious to me why even a club like Fulham, with a smaller fan base and inferior facilities, are so much more investable than ourselves. I’m a London Blade (now) and I do miss home from time-to-time, but putting myself in the shoes of a wealthy foreigner (investor, or footballer) I could just see why there is no competition. It just feels like a good place to be.

 

[BladesOnToast]

What summed up last night for me was the 5mins or so leading up to their 3rd goal. We had possession of the ball for that whole period(it felt like 5 mins anyway, probably wasn't actually that long), must have passed it dozens of times in that time, mostly between the halfway line and their 18yard box, with most of Fulham's players back behind the ball, and during that time it seemed we offered no threat whatsoever, no idea how to get beyond tapping the ball back and forth, no momentum to the play, the Fulham players didn't seem in the least concerned, it was so clueless it felt humiliating to watch. Then their bloke snatches the ball off someone (Brooks?) and ten seconds later they've rushed down the other end and scored.

It felt like countless times when we had the ball in a promising position we'd hold up play and then find ourselves in that scenario - countless times this season in fact.

The silver lining to last night was our fans, superb throughout. I was in the 'neutrals' bit with a Fulham fan who was really impressed, I had to explain to him that the rhythmic synchronised calling out of thematic lyrics is known as "singing" and it's something some football fans do to support their team, maybe the Fulham fans should try it? and that if a group of fans repeatedly strike the palms of their hands together in enthusiasm, then there's really no need to hand out bits of folded cardboard

 

[Pierre's PC]

Serious thread. Disagree with Sitwell, it's quality, just differing views.

Any 'sharks' by any strange chance?

Let me guess Nah, it's about football

Fuck off now with that shark shit. It's tedious and no one gives a crap about your personal vendettas.

Edit : Apologies Deadbat for derailing the thread.

 

[Balham]

I re-watched the game today and Evans was as poor or should I say as ineffective as I remembered. We had no control of midfield from start to finish other than first 10 mins. His sole contribution seemed to be to turn and play it backwards. The Fulham midfielders in contract first instinct was to turn and go forward. They made space and did it quickly and advanced. He and others (Duffy and Fleck not much better) were so slow in terms of how they did things and wanted forever and needed way too many touches to do things...

As i say my opinion but i would suggest you also re-watch and look at the speed/movement/touch and way Fulham players move out of zones/areas of the pitch - nothing was fixed and midfielders constantly got into the box. Not sure we had one midfielder get ahead of the strikers all night - it was all very fixed. Not criticising the players in a sense - they did their best and it was not lack of effort. They were just better. Much better.

Think you've hit on it here Deadbat. Our midfielders don't have movement ahead of them so they do the sensible thing and keep possession by playing it square or backwards. Unfortunately, you had a chalk-and-cheese comparison up front with Mitrovic and Donaldson while the Fulham wingers were able to provide an outlet: as they had the edge on our wingbacks in terms of pace it stopped Baldock and Stevens getting forward as effectively.

One small criticism hinted at earlier was that Wilder waited until half time to change things around. We had the personnel to go to 4-3-3 (and match Fulham) even if it wouldn't have been perfect: a back four of Baldock - Stearman - O'Connell - Stevens with Evans - Basham - Fleck in midfield and Duffy - Donaldson - Sharp up front. That would have covered the width of Fulham's attacking better. Holmes for Donaldson at half time would have given us the option to drop into a 4-5-1 too.