Fulham at Swans

Don't know too much about the Welsh side, but from what little I've seen of them, I've been impressed with Vorm. I think with better support in front of him, he could be outstanding.

They've been pretty good at home for a newly promoted squad.

Anybody else know much about them?

 

I didn't make it into the chat room, but listened to GJ for the second half. From all accounts, it sounded like those "Fulhamish" games we've all come to *love*. From what I could tell it sounded like Swansea dominated in the first half, but we kept them out and then in the second half both sides got plenty of chances and we couldn't put away ours and they put away theirs. From what I heard, Clint's penalty sounded like the one he took against Chelsea last year. It's puzzling that he can't put them away- but to be fair, I'm not sure who on the pitch I would rather have take it at that point- maybe AJ.

You were right, JumpKutz- it sounds like Vorm had a great match. Not sure if anyone who has FS+ can enlighten us on more details...

~ Steve

 

Here are some highlights -> http://www.socceroverthere.com/?p=7570

 

Really the first half was boring and it wasn't until the second half that things picked up. Swansea got a goal and we dominated from there. We have a few great chances and didn't finish. This has been the story of the season and it's really hurting us. I don't understand why we can't finish with the players we have, but hopefully we find a forward because we won't do much of anything without one.

The positive that we can take is that Davies played. So at least we will have another option to start or come off the bench.

 

Frustrating for sure. The first half had Swansea with a lot of meaningless possession.

They managed to mount a little more pressure in the second, which led to the first goal (although it needed a deflection to get through).

We certainly had our share of chances in the run of play; Ruiz probably had the best when Dempsey put him through clear on goal.

I'm baffled too why Dempsey couldn't produce something better from the spot.

Good to see Frei and Sa getting some time in the league (not to mention Davies--fantastic to have him back). Frei's one contribution was a big one, earning the penalty.

 

We were watching ManU on ESPN and heard Macca delight in reporting Dempsey's owngoal. So I went to the chatroom to be with y'all when Dempsey redeemed himself. But it didnt happen. :shock:

Only Jimsig and I were in the chatroom. Sorry Don if you were there and no one showed up at game time. I have to figure out how to get GJ on my Mac because there were no online streams that I could find. Thanks Jimsig for giving me the play by play, even though it was pretty much all bad news. I couldnt stomach watching the delayed broadcast. Maybe later in the week I can stomach it to see Frei, Davies, and assess how we did without Murphy.

Fulhamish as others said

 

Looking at the Swansea lineup there are a bunch of guys who, 2-3 years ago, were plying their trade in the 2nd and 3rd divisions. And one up and coming Dutch keeper. Swansea's strategy is to maintain possession through safe passing. So given those facts and the talent disparity in our favor, I'm dumbfounded why we wouldn't put them under constant pressure and force turnovers.

Instead, we sat back, held our shape and watched Swans essentially play four corners with the football for a half. We let them set the pace of the match, get comfortable, and keep their fans in it.

We did apply more pressure in the 2nd half, due in part to them laying back further after taking the lead, and our offense picked up. Unfortunately we weren't able to convert those chances into goals.

However, when you have a setup/lineup as offensively challenged as the one Jol is fielding these days, you should be trying to create more chances, not fewer of them. It's not like we were facing a potent offense. We were more aggressive against Liverpool who are infinitely more dangerous, and what do you know, we won. We played as passive and genteel as, well, swans, and we got beat. There's been a correlation between our aggressiveness and our results all season.

I love Dempsey, but he should never take another penalty again. He is terrible from the spot.

One last gripe. If we're going to play 50/50 balls from the back to AJ, why not just kick the damn thing out for a goal kick? Statistically, we've got much greater odds of getting possession off of their resulting goal kick than that.

Obviously I'm just an ignorant American, but if I can see these things, then surely Marty Bagodonuts and his brilliant Dutch footballing mind can figure it out. Or can he? We can't afford to leave points on the table this year and we just left 1-3 yesterday.

Mo, save yourself the aggravation. Our midfield was pretty good defensively and ineffective offensively. Simon looked rusty as you'd expect. But it was good to see him back and getting to play a Prem match in his homeland.

 

Crazy weekend and had to help my father-in-law first thing in the morning on Sat. and missed the match. I just shake my head that so-called professionals like Jol and Zamora can't figure it out. I've seen Clint take about 4 or 5 pks and they are in the same exact spot every time. The first thing you tell a 11 year old when taking one is to pick a spot before putting the ball down and trust it. Clint should stay after practice and work with Murphy who buries it in the corner every time.

 

:lol: Quote of the month. Thanks for the impassioned write-up Ag.

It is starting to get infuriating with Jol. This is the best squad Fulham have had since I've been following but we dont look anything near it. Jol said this is the hardest coaching job he's ever had. Funny because fixing Fulham's current problems doesnt look that difficult to the rest of us.