Fulham @ Bolton {pre and post-match}

Uphill battle, but winnable.

Despite their high table position, things aint all rosy with Bolton... their attendance {and apparently, support} has been sparse enough that Anelka is threatening to leave.

 

I have a good feeling about this match. As Pettyfog pointed out, Bolton might be in 5th place, but they are not invincible. They are without Kevin Davies which is a good thing for Fulham. Fulham must sort things out in the back or Nicolas Anelka and El-Hadji Diouf could cause a lot of problems.

Fulham will figure out a way to pull this one out. It might be a late goal or perhaps even an early goal. I am usually not too confident when Fulham goes on the road, but for some reason I am thinking Sunday will be a win for the Cottagers. I hope they prove me right.

 

i agree. if bolton feels like showing up, they're really good. otherwise they're terrible. oh yea, and our road form is a joke.

but i think the outcome of this match will depend upon who cookie starts at CB. i attribute the embarrasment at sheffield (amongst other things) to pearce and knight not having it together. i hope its Boca and Christanval, but i think Knight may get the nod because Boca just played a match in AZ (which is practically half way round the world). i also dont think Dempsey will play much as he is in the same situation as Boca, but i may be wrong. also, whats the deal with niemi?

so here it is, my first ever(!!) projected line up:

Niemi (if healthy)
Rosenior--Christanval--Knight--QQQ
Routledge--Brown--Volzy--Davies
HH--McBride

Bench:
Aeroplane
Radz
Boca or Pearce
Diop
Dempsey or Jensen

 

I am not exactly sure what the situation with Niemi is. I know he hurt his head during the Christmas fixtures, but something else seems to be troubling him. There is no report on an injury on www.physioroom.com.

I had a bad feeling about this when Fulham was vigorously looking for a keeper during January. You don't hunt for a keeper during January unless you are in big trouble with your current keepers. The Fulham staff must know something about Niemi's condition that we, the public, do not know.

I hope he is able to come back relatively soon as I do not have much trust in Lastuvka. He is okay, but watching him alone during a match can raise your blood pressure.

 

I can't either. I just have a feeling about this one. Look for McBride to get on the scoresheet.

 

Flip-flop Knight with Christy, and I think you may be spot on. Diop and Aeroplanino are obvious subs. Radz to sub too, if Davies does not start showing us a bit more. Boca and Dempse get a breather on this one.

Final: Bolton 1 - 2 Fulham

 

I can't help but agree with PCB's 2-1 to the whites. I would love to see Jensen or Diop in the middle of the park instead of Volz, but I don't think either has enough fitness.

Diop was magic when he came on against the Gordies. The only danger of starting Knight is that he may look good while still being rubbish, depriving Boca of a start for a while.

Did Boca play for the US? Good result by the way.

 

Oh yes. Boca not only played, but was one of the shining stars. His confidence was very obvious. For whatever reason, two of the other Yanks Abroad, Dempsey and Bobby Convey (Reading) look like they left a large part of their game at baggage. Tim Howard (Everton), the keeper, looked pretty solid, I thought.

 

I'm not surprised Dempsey was not at the races, he's only played 70 minutes for Fulham. The international scene is not the place to re-discover your form. I hoped he got a full 90 minutes in, he could do with match fitness.

Boca should be confident, he has played with increasing confidence over the last month, with a centre back partner who he is getting some understanding.

 

I hate to be the pessimist of the topic, but I'm probably the only one who isn't too excited about this match. Bolton will launch long balls all day, and if that strategy doesn't work, then they'll try to get themselves into a dead-ball situation using any means necessary (don't be surprised to see Diouf take a dive or two).

Prediction: a 0-0 or 1-1 draw, and no Cottager subbed out due to injury.



P.S.: for GB -- he played for 75 minutes and did relatively well. That said, I don't expect him to play much against Bolton.

 

FWIW, Claus came off the bench in the 71st minute in Denmark's friendly on Tuesday, so he must be somewhat ok.

 

Claus is out with a virus, he's the Chris Kirkland of midfielders.

I hate Bolton, I hope we stuff them, but it will be tough. 1-1 seems reasonable.

 

I understand Boca is out. Suspension? Dempsey was pretty gassed at about 70 minutes on Wedndesday. So FFCinPCB looks about right. Kudos to USA!!!!

A draw would be a fine result at Bolton.

Not to get too far ahead, but Spurs look very defeatable in the FA matchup! A draw with ManU would be fantastic. Then a couple of wins in March and we could be solidly in the top half with an FA push!!

 

Thanks KR, 75 minutes is another really good step up in levels, from playing 35 minutes last week. I want to see him match fit and start because it is hard to get use to the prem coming on a as a sub.

 

I had a look at the table this morning and everyone but one team lost in front of us. If we win tomorrow it's back to the top ten!

 

Good thing I'm an early riser, but not a fan of the 5:25 am kickoff.
Hopefully the boys will be ready right from the get-go, a draw at the tennis shoe would be pretty good. If Niemi isn't starting you have to give a big advantage for Bolton w/Jaskelienen (my spell check doesn't know it either) over Lastuvka. I'd love to see a McBride repeat of his brace in that stadium a couple of years ago.

 

It's another tough game on the road, but Bolton have been up and down. Which team will we face? I see a draw - (2-2). McBride and Rout with the goals.

I'll go with the same line up previously posted. Smertin will be on the bench for this game, so we might see him sub in.

 

Well, I can't say I didn't expect it. It was always going to be a tough trip to Bolton. With that performance, though, we would have been very fortunate to steal a point.

Liam's passing/crossing really does leave a lot to be desired...