Fulham away to Crystal Palace

Obvious 6 pointer at Selhurst Park. Roy’s boys will be organized to be sure, but not an impossible task. I do like the fact Palace played in FA Cup last weekend (impressive 2-0 win over Spurs) and then played Wed. giving us an extra day of rest. It’s all hands on deck from the traveling support to the last guy in the bench. Somehow, some way we have to come away with at least a point.

 

Not sure this is really a 6 pointer, as there's no way in heck Roy is getting relegated.

That said, I'd be feeling a lot more positive about this match had Palace, who will be outout Zaha because lol, had not got Batshuayi late yesterday. Oof.

 

All I know is that they keep playing that Pajtim Kasami goal from Selhurst Park in 2014. Hopefully the current Fulham squad can capture some of that same magic.

In case you've forgotten....

 

Anything that's not against Liverpool, Tottenham, the Manchesters, Arsenal and Chelsea is a six pointer at this stage. Zaha applauding Andre Marriner twice this week for the double yellow red jackpot is a pretty significant break for us. Our main issue, still, is keeping the ball out of our net. And what did we get during the window? A forward (Babel). A midfielder, albeit a defensive one (Nordtveit). And a winger (Markovic). Watching Glenn Murray outwit, outfight and just generally abuse Odoi and LeMarchand Tuesday has been the norm this season. Even though we came back to win, and kept them off the board in the second half, it's clear Denis, whom I love, isn't a Premier League center back. Come to think of it, none of our cb's are PL quality defenders. But...it's a team game, right? I still don't think we can avoid relegation, but the Brighton result has sparked a glimmer of hope. If we can somehow get 3 at Selhurst, which should be possible, it will at least make things more interesting. Momentum in sports is one of life's great mysteries. Two in a row for THIS team would be cause for slight murmuring. What was the name of that old TV show..."One Day At A Time?"

 

On forums I keep reading that Nordtveit is a defensive midfielder but most articles I read state that he can play in the backline. In one article I read Hangeland stated that Nordtveit should replace Odoi in the backline.

 

What an absolute shit show "performance" from the boys.

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I can't find the words to describe that loss. All I feel is anger at the moment.

 

They’ll be bottom half of the Championship playing like that.

 

With all due respect to Roy, if Fulham can’t put a single shot on goal against Crystal Palace I can’t envision this team not being relegated.

 

I just don't understand why Ranieri would go back to the formation that put them in a 2 goal deficit just 4 days ago. He should have put the team that scored 4 goals back on the field to start today. Just doesn't make any sense

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I don't pretend to know the intricacies of tactics, personnel and "systems" of this game, but... the right honourable gentleman previous is correct. There's tinkering, then there's just sheer lunacy. This match was there for the taking, IF, if, we could have mustered anything resembling an attack. Eight shots. None on goal. The most common trait of losing teams is this: being consistently inconsistent. One thing is painfully obvious. Claudio Ranieri is NOT the person to lead this team at this time. The more I watch, the more amazed I am at the 2015 Leicester City Premier League title. Given the length of the season and the quality of the opposition, it's hard to call it a fluke. But it sure seems like it is. Problem is, there needs to be a change, not on the touchline, but in the boardroom. And that ain't gonna happen. A different coach isn't going to make a difference at this point. But that's the only move left.

 

I also will not claim to be an astute tactician and I am not that knowledgeable regarding the styles and personnel on most other teams, but Fulham went toe to toe with Tottenham for 92 minutes, didn’t allow Burnley a single shot on target, got smoked by Arsenal, beat Huddersfield, drew Wolves, drew Newcastle..... and did it all with that 3-4-3 (or 5 at the back) formation. The only change in formation in the last 7 league games was the second half vs Brighton. Raineri was going back to the same formation he has pretty much used since the beginning. Yes, the formation change worked against Brighton but it’s obvious that it’s not his first choice and perhaps one half wasn’t enough to make him seriously consider a permanent change. He did make the change again today at half but to no avail. So the bottom line here is.... Fulham flat out stink.

 

That was my thought too as I drearily watched this match. I thought back to last spring that it was pretty clear that Ryan Fredericks was going to leave Fulham when his contract expired. The club knew months in advance that they were going to need a new right back. Instead of putting money into making gains at that position we get an unproven player on loan and then end up starting our backup from the Championship. Poor management is what got Fulham into trouble at that position.

Then there is Odoi, who wasn't a regular starter at CB last year. He could be brilliant but he could also lose his composure and blow a match. Again, it was clear a year ago that we needed a better option at CB. The club can be forgiven for expecting more from Ream since he seems to have struggled returning from injury, but why they didn't get at least one player to stiffen up the central defense is a mystery.

It was celebrated when Craig Kline was shown the door but with the exception of last January's transfer window (bringing in Mitrovic, Targett, and Christie) player selection seems to have gotten even worse. This season has been such a heartbreaking waste of opportunity.

Ranieri's in-game management is head-scratching, but the problems go so much deeper.

 

I assume that they thought Mawson would be that player. But he can't stay healthy.

 

Okay. They're toast. Now it would take the Greater Escape.

 

You're right. In my severe state of woe I wasn't thinking straight. Thanks for helping me snap out of it!

 

And what is bonkers is you could easily argue Fulham's transfers were better when Kline was here (he left 11/17, but IIRC was frozen out well before then). More players from 2016-17 are still a part of this squad.

I don't know how much was responsible for him vis-a-vis Tony when he was here, and enough has been written about this past summer, but take 2017-18 as a whole: of the 14 players brought in (7 on loan), only 3 remain: Cisse, Christie, and Mitrovic. Ouch.