line up Looks like the same line up. RH says he is happy with the way they are playing??????????????? They had better win today, because next week is going to be really hard. I feel so sorry for CD he is being treated so badly.
RE: line up Great win today and yes Hodgson didn't change a thing. He is a patient man. The chat room was lively today and there was much banter and frustration when Newcastle came back to tie it up. Frankly, I thought we played incredible the first 30 minutes, and then poor to very average the rest of the way. I'll take the 3 and we are now in 10th!
RE: line up Way to step up and win 3 points. This game showcased some of the best passing and ball control I've seen from Fulham all year. And while Murphy and AJ scored the goals, the man I was impressed with in this match was Pantsil. He was fighting for the ball each and everytime, he was pushing the ball up the field and had some great crosses towards the center. Take away that shite throw-in in the first half and he had a pretty damn good game. Bullard looked much better in this game as well. I really just wish Simon Davies would stop being afraid to take a shot or two. I think Pantsil has gone for goal more than Davies this year. Anyway, good win, and a great jump up to 10th. Now lets keep the momentum going and beat the shite out of Tottenham. +goal differential is a good thing.
RE: line up Could have been a Season Saver right there....time will tell. Considering where both clubs were in the table, this was a HUGE match!
Really great win today, fantastic performance by a few of our boys. Also, a very good atmosphere from the home crowd which I'm sure pushed the Whites on! Just one note should go to Captain Murphy, congrats on his 100th league goal! Also, if you haven't seen his very classy post-match interview then you can see it towards the bottom of the BBC Match report http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/footbal ... 709047.stm A very articulate look at the game...
Brede was my MOTM. He was so solid back there. And a complete beast in the air. Whenever he had the ball, he was so calm. On their goal, they were clearly offside. =P And I think he was the one who kissed Schwarzer on the back of the head after the last save, funny. 8)
This team is death on my nerves I was happy to see Cacapa in their back four from the start, he is their answer to last year's Chris Baird model. More to come in a day or so.
Finally, finally got to see a match--and a great win! When the penalty was called my happy dance took over. 10th is a great place to be right now--climb a bit, drop a bit, still in an ok place. I'd like to see more goals from open play, but I'll take 3 points however we can get them. COYW!!
And Roy avoids my wrath for at least one more week. Its really nice to see AJ getting goals now. Maybe there is a method to Roy's madness...
I tried just cutting and pasting from the offside, but the formatting is off. So go there to see my thoughts.
A word about AJ. There's a thing that strikers have when they're in the mood, and AJ definitely has it. That's three goals in his last three matches, and more is to come. He evidently thinks that Zamora is the biggest reason why. If that's the case, then my opinion about Z-bird don't mean Cacapa. I LOVED the way we played today. The lads lost their way from time to time, but we're not the Hungarian side that whipped England's ass at Wembley in the '50s. The best news was that the back four and the Aussie never looked like they were going to give in. I never thought the Toonerville Trolly was going to get another goal. Three more on Saturday sounds about right to me! Well done Mikey and all the rain-soaded dredges at the Cottage. Hope you got something warm inside you when you got home. Man, it's GOOD to get three points. Bring on The Spuds!
Match Report on the Offal puts Dempsey's play in good light, which I agree with - his pass set up the penalty and his powerful run was a thing of beauty. Go Fulham! Sit Gera!
RE: line up have faith my friends and you shall be repaid a thousand fold....... or somthing like that-a hell of a win that,same again next weekend and we will be laughing!
This match was truly a "Tale of Two Halves". For most of the first half I thought Fulham played inspired football. The passing was crisp and for a change ended by putting the ball into dangerous positions. We were quite unlucky not to come away with a goal when Jimmy Bullard put the ball on target in the waking moments of the match and Zoltan "I need a witchdoctor to remove the bad mojo" Gera's strong header was saved off the line by a Newcastle defender. Fulham to me looked as dangerous in the first thirty minutes of this match as they have all season and it seemed only a matter of time before the White's would score. Fortunately, the first half run of bad luck come to a crashing halt when what should have been a simple header by Newcastle's Cacapa was sent directly into his teammates back and fell to the feet of Andy Johnson who sent a thumping left-footed shot into the net for the first goal of the match. On the defensive end of the pitch Mark Schwarzer must have felt like he was on a bit of a vacation as his net was rarely threatened. The back four handled everything Newcastle threw at them with relative ease but worrying signs appeared in the final ten minutes of the half as Newcastle began dominating possession and the play took place mostly in Fulham's defensive half. The tenor of the match completely changed in the second half. If the first half could be titled "Beautiful Football the Hodgson Way" the second half had to be titled "One Hundred and One Ways to Try a Fulham Fans Nerves". Newcastle began the second half the way they ended the first and were the dominant side . This half it only seemed a matter of time before the Magpies netted to equalize the match with the pressure they were exerting. When the equalizing goal came in the 57th minute I am sure I could not have been the only Fulham fan to wonder if we had used up our supply of good fortune as Ameobi's goal was scored from what I was certain was an offside position. It appeared Newcastle were not going to be happy with just tying the match and continued pressing Fulham. After a couple of stoic saves by Schwarzer and more pressure from the Magpies Hodgson decided a change was in order bringing on Clint Dempsey for Zoltan Gera in the 64th minute. Only moments after entering the match Dempsey flicked a pass forward to Andy Johnson who was first to the ball and fouled by Fabricio Coloccini giving us the opportunity to recapture the lead. I wondered if it would be Johnson or Danny Murphy who would step up to take the PK and was quite happy to see the captain step forward and tee the ball up. It is not that I think AJ would not have taken the shot well but I have come to the opinion that Danny Murphy has a higher content of ice water flowing through his veins than blood. I had no doubt that the ball would be hitting the back of the net and once again captain Murphy did not disappoint putting us ahead 2-1. Simon Davies attempted to allow Fulham fans the opportunity to breath in the final twenty minutes of the match going just wide of the right hand post but we fans were left to holding our breath or utilizing whatever stress reducing crutch we have become fond of. Michael Owen was presented with a golden opportunity to tie the match just before the 80th minute but only managed to knock the cross away from the Fulham goal. In the final fifteen minutes of the match, after Bobby Zamora was removed in favor of Erik Nevland, Fulham were far to often prone to giving the ball away and quite frankly reduced to lumping the ball up the pitch to nobody in particular as they attempted to hold on to three precious home points. Only the massive presence of Brede Hangeland winning one after another aerial ball provided me any comfort in the closing minutes of a match that seemed to be played primarily within thirty yards of the Fulham goal. In the end the Whites defense held firm and we chalked up another three points on the table climbing from 18th to 10th.
Nah Mike already had a match report up and I did not get to watch the match until late. I spent the better part of the afternoon watching Katie do her best Mark Schwarzer/Andy Johnson imitation. Sometimes I just get carried away when I post.
So Sunday Sportsfest for me started off well with the good guys pulling one out. I'd have to completely agree with BarryP's point - the first half was a game where Fulham were playing some damn good soccer. Even the commentator said, for the first time I can remember all season, that Fulham was playing some "excellent football." The second half, well, the Fulham XI were playing like a bunch of desperate dudes; but fortunately, so was Newcastle and they couldn't settle. Clint Dempsey deserves more minutes because he did a lot more in 30 what Davies and Gera did for the first 60. Granted, Davies became more instrumental bombing up that right side to kill time and keep Newcastle honest; but he wasn't all there all the time. Anyway, the second half from minute #80 on really got me worries, especially after Chris Baird got into the game. But fortunately, the Whites held on and I was pleased. And as an aside, 3 out of 4 teams I support won on this Sunday. Unfortunately, the Devils did not make it 4 for 4.
