Fulham vs Wigan - The Kitchen Sink Game!

I think the team will be psyched and ready tomorrow because LS was having a negative effect on the team. They still could use Pacino's Inch by inch speech, though.

 

Yes, there's a lot going into the mixer. Excuses after excuses have won us nothing and the LS experiment has failed. Let's hope the team comes out and shows some heart. Plays with some pride and take the game to Wigan. Maybe this is the wake up call we need. I surely think so. Like usual - it will be another close one. Koumas will not get the late equalizer this time. FFC (2-1).

Niemi
Omoz - Hughes - Steph - Boca
Davies - Smertin - Dempsey - Booze
Healy - Kamara

 

I am quite excite about todays game, if nothing else I am going to see if I can start a chant of "Lewington's Black and White Army" going. Lewington is a club stalwart who has been and and around Fulham most of his professional career. He was the manager during the late 80's when none other than the might Gary Barnett graced the Craven Cottage playing surface.

"Lewington's black and white army. Lewington's black and white army. Lewington's black and white army. Lewington's black and white army. Lewington's black and white army. Lewington's black and white army...."

 

Should of had the game won in the first half. I think this is the season that Fulham are going down. I try to be optimistic, but this was the game where 3 points was an absolute must and we failed yet again.

 

totally agree. unless jesus christ or someone of his stature comes and manages this club, we're doomed. yes, only 4 points separate 14th-19th. but there's no way in hell fulham is getting 3 points at spurs and birmingham. and january is a very tough month, so fulham can conceivably not get a point until february.

although i'm glad we got a point today, we're through. see everyone in the CCC next fall.

 

This was the first game I have been able to see in a while, I liked the attacking mentality in the first half but then both teams went blah until both goals late in the second.

Fulham just doesn't have very good finishers. Bouazza had a nice cross and Davies missed it. I think I have seen that same type of play multiple times with Fulham always missing out on touching the ball towards the net.

The lack of a center midfielder also hurts a lot. They never seem to have control of the ball in the middle of the field.

I did like Konchesky's shot from outside, that was nice.

Just a frustrating season to watch. I am still somewhat new to following this team but I guess I talked this team up more in my head at the beginning of this season after all the signings.

Here is hoping they can sneak some points here and there and avoid relegation.

 

Fulham isn't done yet, but it will be a long, frightful road. Not beating Middlesbrough, Wigan (the first time), Derby and Sunderland is coming back to haunt us.

 

I keep telling myself that this team can somehow, someway, avoid the drop and live to see another year in the Premiership. At the same time, results like these do nothing to make me feel any more confident about our chances.

Never mind that we were basically without a manager. This was still a must-win against another relegation contender. We gave them a point and possibly a confidence boost as well, considering that they were the road team.

A new face and/or new ideas can't come soon enough for Fulham.

 

****.

Like the commentators said, when you're going well, chances like Konchesky's shot from the outside sneak in. At least Dempsey found the net so the goal scoring futility streak was broken.

This team is working itself into a position where it's going to NEED to get results on the road and against better teams, and it's not a great position to be in.

 

Highlights are at:

http://www.dailymotion.com/search/fulha ... t?from=rss?

We look good, especially in the first half. If the highlights are representative, there was a definite lift in quality of play, and attitude.

 

I hate to say it, but Wigan were a very, very poor team. They are even worse than us. I would be careful judging the performance against Wigan. I am going to look at how we perform away to Spurs for a yard stick.

Having said that, we closed down and lifted the tempo of the game in the first half. The defense was good and we created chances. Camara couldn't hit a cow's arse with a banjo and Healy missed a sitter in the second half from a well worked Dempsey free kick.

Dempsey was head and sholders above the rest and provided some of the more quality moments. While he got subbed off, Bouazza made most of our best chances and was a thorn in the side.

Elliot O came of injured and Baird was very solid in replacing him. In the end it was a match we could have lost as easily as we could have won.

Overall, I think we played as well as we could and are just not good enough. I am not optomistic for survival. If we stay up it will only be due to the ineptness of Derby, Sunderland, Wigan and or Birmingham. I can't see anyone else in the bottom five with us.

After the game we looked at this side and compared it to the side that won promotion to the Prem, in our eyes only Konchesky, Hughes and Dempey (Brevett, Melville and Goldbaek) would have been in the championship side, a real step back in quality over the last 7 years.

(Just to complete the line up: Taylor; Finnan; Coleman; Melville; Brevett; Goldbaek; Clark, Collins (or Davis), Boa Morte; Hayles; and Saha)

P.S. Sorry Mike, I ended up in the JH stand and the stewards would not let me pop though. Maybe I can try again in the new year.

 

Ws played better but still not good enough. Again, a problem I see on this team is a lack of killer instinct. It should have been at least 2-nil at the half. Konchesky's strike was great and it was just misfortune that it did not go in, but the finishing that half was that of a CCC team. And Wigan were disorganized on the back, a bad team, and they are going down. decent teams get all 3 points in a game like that.

Here's a thought about Dempsey. When he was looking at teams in England last winter, I remember hearing he was looking at Portsmouth, Charlton, and Fulham, and discounted Charlton right away because he thought they would be relegated. Well, a year in, he's had 3 coaches, and has personally saved Fulham from being relegated. He could be thinking at the end of the day, holy cow, what did I get myself into, and be looking for another team in the summer.

 

General Thoughts:
Kudos to Lewington for going to a 4-3-3 after the Wigan goal. I like the aggressiveness and willingness to adjust - something I rarely saw from CC or LS.

As for our players, wow, unimpressive. Boca was terrible on Wigan's goal. How do Premier League centerbacks just leave men unmarked in the box? The back four needs a real leader to direct the whole unit. Though I do like Konch and Uzi (hope he's ok). Bouzza is all sizzle no steak. Plenty fast and the occasional good cross, but can't hold possession or finish at all. The announcers basically called Davies a wuss. I sadly have to agree. Kamara is out of his league. Healy hasn't been finishing, but at least there's effort and opportunity. When he's on the ball, I always feel like he can put it in. Cannot say that about Kamara.

Am I total homer, or is Dempsey the only skilled creative player we have? I don't get to see every game, but when I can watch he's far and away the most dangerous player on the pitch. He creates opportunities for others and works hard on every play to get his own chances. When McBride is back and can be paired with Healy (or a striker to be named later) up front the team needs to be run through Dempsey in the midfield in the way that Liverpool uses Gerrard. Stick Murphy behind him as a destroyer and let Deuce do his thing.

I'm not giving up hope, but I'm disheartened. didn't have my hopes up for European play or anything, but I would like to watch a team that at least looks like it belongs in the top divison. Sigh.

 

Fulham came out with the determination and intent that Fulham supporters have been longing for all season. No goals came of the effort until the second half, but Fulham looked dangerous at times. Still... Wigan were able to break down Fulham's defence with a fair amount of regularity. Much work to be done, but Omozusi has been a revelation and cemented his place as Fulham's right back.

Agree completely with everyone that Dempsey is by far the most talented and creative player that Fulham has available. Smertin, McBride and Bullard will all be welcome additions when they are fit and it won't come a moment too soon.

Fulham now sit in 17th place and a healthy distance from where we all hoped they would be at this time. It will be an uphill battle from here on out and if Fulham can't earn 3 points against other bottom dwellers in the prem then we are in trouble. Still hoping to pull off a 17th or 16th place finish this season.

 

Couldn't blame him for it either. Fulham still have a fighting chance to salvage the season. Lets hope for the best and brace for the worst.

 

I am disheartened. I thought they had so much promise back in Sept and now it's looking like they just arent good enough. Look at Team of McBrides' avatar. You dont see that happy confidence on Dempsey's face anymore. MAF looked discouraged too.

The bright spot for me was seeing McBride in the stands. Here's a xmas present for you all, my favorite McBride video. You've probably seen it before, but just in case you havent.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tOev7CzGu5k

 

Dempsey may leave Fulham if the team is relegated, but I doubt a major English team pick him up. He might could start for a top tier Dutch team, but he just does make it in the Premier League I think.

He's still one of Fulham's better players though and has gotten better as the year has gone on.

 

well i guess this puts things into perspective:

Fulham
There can be no sympathy for Lawrie Sanchez. His record was inferior to Chris Coleman's despite having over £20m to spend in the summer. His second-rate management was summed up by his second-rate purchases. Sanchez signed four Northern Ireland players - David Healy, Aaron Hughes, Chris Baird and Steve Davis - upon his arrival, which speaks volumes about his limitations and his limited knowledge of the game.

The only curiosity of his dismissal was its timing - almost a week after Fulham's last match and just forty-eight hours before the most hectic period of the football season kicked off. Even if the curiosity can be explained by John Collins' resignation as Hibernian manager on Tuesday, Fulham's manager management has hardly impressed. One further damning indictment of the club was provided on Saturday when the Daily Mail remarked that goalkeeping coach Dave Beasant 'was instrumental in persuading the Fulham board to appoint former Wimbledon team-mate Sanchez'.

Goalkeeping coaches advising boards and jobs for the boys. Tis no way to run a football club.

[from football365, the "winners/losers" column. fulham is obviously in the loser category.]