Fulham vs. Barnsley

Fulham hosts bottom of the table Barnsley on Saturday. This is a chance to revisit what is probably the most head-scratching loss of the season for Fulham. Barnsley was the opening match for Fulham who came in as clear favorites having just come down from the Premier League while Barnsley was newly promoted. Barnsley came away with a shocking 1-0 victory. Barnsley had opportunities to score even more and looked to be Fulham's equal both on paper and on the pitch. I left that match hoping that Barnsley was just far better than everyone expected.

Since then, things have gone in entirely different directions.

Barnsley went another 18 matches over almost 4 months before they got their next win. They have been at the bottom of the table for most of the season. Meanwhile Fulham got their act together and are now battling at the other end of the table. Barnsley comes to Craven Cottage with the worst away record in the league. They have just one away win (oddly enough, at our mid-week opponent Millwall). This should be Fulham's easiest matchup of the season.

But this is the Championship where anything can happen so it is good to keep in mind that Barnsley have managed to get two draws against top of the table West Brom this season.

Fulham might have Knockaert back after a mid-week illness. Reed is still out and as mentioned by @astroevan Kongolo is done for the season.

 

At least the squad shouldn’t be overlooking these guys....fingers crossed. A little dangerous when a team gets caught looking to pad their GD, instead of putting in a 90 minute shift.

 

I realized that as tight as things were last week they are even tighter this week. There are 6(!) teams that have a shot at holding second place by Saturday evening (yes, in order for Bristol City to be in second they would have to beat Leeds by 15 goals - but still technically possible!). Everyone else around Fulham is facing much stiffer opposition so they need to make the most of this opportunity.

 

Forrest have done us a favor and scored in extra time! If we get all three, we're within four of the top!

Carnival is in full swing in New Orleans, hope all my Fulham friends around the world are enjoying it somewhere.

 

Damn, I wish I was in New Orleans right now, this is the perfect time for day drinking . This pushes past Fulhamish into the realm of utter disbelief. Asses kicked by Barnsley???? All I got right now is a line from the The Thing:

 

Wow. Disappointed to say the least.

 

Guess you were right about Cauley Don. Sheesh, how embarrassing.

 

Highlights via Barnsley:


I forced myself to watch the whole miserable thing - at least I didn't have to sit in a downpour like the home fans. We have a new expletive in our house after the match. We shout "RODAK!" when something goes horribly wrong. He's had a couple of outstanding games, but today was probably the worst performance I've seen from a Fulham keeper since Mr. Sweatpants. Every goal Barnsley got came from a Rodak mistake.

But that doesn't mean the rest of the team gets off easy from this one either - after all, there was a goose egg on the Fulham side of the score board. If I was feeling charitable I'd say that the terrible playing conditions - high winds, heavy rain, soaked pitch - made it difficult for Fulham to play their game. The midfield Cairney, McDonald, and Onomah played terribly - they lost possession frequently and never seemed a threat. The team did look better in the second half, but could not produce any scoring. What the highlights don't show is that in the first two minutes of the second half Fulham had a number of shots from around the six yard box but couldn't get anything to go in. After the second goal Parker put in both Reid and Kamara and they brought a spark but it wasn't enough.

Somehow Fulham managed to stay in third place despite this woeful performance but I think we will regret the six points given up to a team headed for relegation.

Oh, and Cauley Woodrow is a standup guy. He clearly came out there today with more motivation and grit than anyone currently wearing black and white. Despite having his way with the Fulham defense he kept his celebrations to a minimum in front of his former club. Thank you Cauley, I wish they'd never let you go.

 

The result was disappointing but I was surprised to open the table to see not much had changed.