Fulham vs. West Brom

Fulham hosts West Brom at Craven Cottage Monday afternoon at 12:30 EST. The game will be carried on NBCSN.

It feels like if Fulham doesn't get a positive result from this match it could be the end of Parker's time at the Cottage. It has been a nightmare start for Fulham with just a single point after facing almost 1/3rd of the league. This has been a worse start than Fulham's prior two Premier League campaigns that ended in relegation. As the weeks wear on, Fulham is falling father and father behind. There are four points separating mid-table Arsenal from the top spot, but four more points for Fulham would only get them even with Brighton in 16th.

West Brom has only had a marginally better start earning just three draws and no wins. Fulham drew with West Brom in both matches last season in the Championship. Another draw or loss would keep Fulham rooted in the relegation zone, but a win would likely allow Fulham to get just outside and maybe find a glimmer of hope.

 

A ‘Must Win’ in the first week of November sounds silly, but it is just that. The schedule after Brom & Spam is worth repeating; @Everton, @Leicester, @Citeh, home to Liverpool (a single point from those four would be more then expected). Thus Fulham needs 4 pts from the next two, and to be honest a win seems a helluva more likely on Monday. Scotty isn’t going to survive that schedule, but he deserves a Prem win for the heart and soul he has put into the club. COYW

 

Battle for 19th. Win and maybe Fulham can try to improve upon their 18/19 mark. Lose and I might have to quit biting my tongue to keep from mentioning what I think they’re chasing.

 

I vowed a few matches ago to not take off work anymore for Fulham games, but I still got some use or lose leave, so I'm doing it. Come on Fulham. Don't ruin my day off.

 

Don’t care how, don’t care who, don’t care where, don’t care if we get a gift from the ref.....

 

Andersen, Lemina and Reid in for Ream, Loftus-Cheek and Cavaleiro.

I agree with with Joe. Just get the three points!

 

That was awesome!

 

Much more purposeful in attack and it showed in the results. I thought the team were better getting back quickly and with urgency when possession shifted. Didn’t understand lifting Lemina unless he got hurt and I missed it. Thought he and Anguissa were very effective thwarting the WBA midfield which led to a pretty easy day for Areola. Mitro looked much more motivated today as well. Great strike by Aina.

While it was a much more positive performance, as Timmy said, Fulham can get away playing like this against Championship clubs. WBA look every bit as overmatched at this level as FFC, possibly moreso. Johnstone was poor for them. That was some of the worst distribution from a keeper I’ve seen in quite a while. He’s lucky they saved him from a third goal.

Regardless, much needed 3 points and a clean sheet. Hopefully the boys can carry on that level of urgency against better sides and build on their confidence.

 

It’ll be hard to get opposition as awful as WBA many more times this season, but this was better. Let’s build on it!

 

As others have said, West Brom was terrible, but getting a 2-0 win against terrible teams is what Fulham needs to do to stay up. There were lots of things I liked in this match. There was a lot more purpose with the possession. Players in the midfield were moving off the ball into space. The back line passed forward or carried the ball forward rather than passing sideways first. Two great assists from Mitrovic. Lookman and Robinson worked together better (Robinson looked good at both ends of the pitch). After Fulham had a close call playing from the back they stopped playing from the back - and it worked out just fine! Most importantly a clean sheet and a win!

Happy highlights, finally:


Shorter highlights with a happy GJ:

 

COYW!!!!

 

This is what I think we learned from this match. You don't have to be overly deliberate to play out from the back. The new guys kept the ball moving and used good individual dribbling to break the high pressure that's been causing us fits now for months. That was the biggest difference I saw from recent performances, along with a notable increase in positive energy. We weren't just running around like a bunch of rabbits in a thicket. The increase in effort, speed and quickness was well channeled. West Brom may have been masquerading as the little sisters of the poor, but we made sure they looked that way too.
We'll have to improve to beat the Hammers, but I believe it's possible now, whereas before, well, let's just say it was more unlikely. West Ham certainly aren't world beaters, definitely not in the same class as the big six or however many there are now. I liked what I saw Monday night (finally), I only wish Parker had done it sooner. But he did do it, and I wouldn't change a darn thing, lineup wise, come Saturday afternoon.
There's a changing of the guard in progress. Guys who contributed to promotion in 2018 and last season are dropping like flies. Christie, Mawson and Knockaert have already been loaned out, Odoi, Bryan and Rodak are warming the pine, Stefan Johansen, Kevin McDonald, Neeskens Kebano, Josh Onomah, Maxime LeMarchand, Michael Hector and Aboubakar Kamara are on milk cartons. And if we somehow manage to string together a run of clean sheets, Tim Ream might be headed stateside sooner rather than later.