Is anyone really bothered about Derby?

[NorfolkJim]

Usually I want Fulham to compete seriously for everything that gets put in front of them - but this year I'm not really bothered about the cups - I just want the team to get fully sorted out, improved and climb the table. I'd have to say that I think talk of play off places is premature but it's clear that the heavy match load of Championship football is something we could really do without.

I'm not at all sure I'd have relished facing up to Chelsea under the current circumstances

[NJFulham]

they get the extra game, we don't.

[VicHalomsLovechild]

If you're winning you need to carry that feeling on. Regardless of who Kit picks Saturday, Wigan go into the game knowing we suffered a heavy defeat at home. I think Kit made too many changes for the Derby game. Did he really need to rest Bettinelli for instance?

[Oakeshott]

"Did he really need to rest Bettinelli for instance?"

Yes. At the moment he (and Parker) are our two most important players, because of the absence of good enough cover for either. If Bet. got injured we'd be playing the clown until we can get another decent goalkeeper in during January.

[Sgt Fulham]

Bothered by the score? Yes as it shows how far off a top championship side we are. Bothered about the result? Not particularly. We need to focus on the league.

[PaulJ123]

Don't mind about the result as realistically we were never going to win it, but worried about the 2nd half performance/tactics.

[GrahamG]

Yes. Insult to those that bothered to turn up. Also, you can't choose the games you play to win. Anything less than a win at Wigan makes the experimentation futile and anyway, why wouldn't we want to do well in Cup comps? I find it astounding that we, who have never won anything, feel it's ok not to try to progress in domestic cups. Absolutely pathetic.

[RidgeRider]

Not bothered in the least. Good runout for bench players. Helps them get some match fitness.

[BestOfBrede]

Not bothered in the least. Good runout for bench players. Helps them get some match fitness.

Doesn't help their confidence though!

[shnlwswlkr]

Bothered by the score? Yes as it shows how far off a top championship side we are. Bothered about the result? Not particularly. We need to focus on the league.

Oh yeah, because we played our strongest 11 didn't we...

[NorfolkJim]

Not the best result for our confidence, agreed and would usually big up the benefits of a winning streak but I'm not surprised Kit fielded a lightweight team - not particularly fair on those who paid money to go though. That said - we did take the lead - just folded second half - that needs addressing

[TheManOnTheBus]

Not bothered.   I was there and loved the first half. 2nd half was rather depressing though.  But it was cheap!

With our current team we are never going to win a cup.  Safety first, then push for playoffs.

Clearly he said to Khan: I'll experiment (Felix Bingo again) and it may backfire, but we have no depth. I assume you don't mind?  Khan replies: no, carry on, the job is yours tomorrow anyway.

[RidgeRider]

Not bothered in the least. Good runout for bench players. Helps them get some match fitness.

Doesn't help their confidence though!

Bench players are already searching for confidence at some level, otherwise they would be starting. Some said 8 changes to the lineup, but I saw 9 changes. Wasn't even close to our starting XI, those are the players we need to worry about their confidence. Those players were not dented in the least.

[BestOfBrede]

Not bothered in the least. Good runout for bench players. Helps them get some match fitness.

Doesn't help their confidence though!

Bench players are already searching for confidence at some level, otherwise they would be starting. Some said 8 changes to the lineup, but I saw 9 changes. Wasn't even close to our starting XI, those are the players we need to worry about their confidence. Those players were not dented in the least.

True, but we need the bench to have confidence for when they are called upon.

[ffc73]

Really bothered? no

Bothered? yes.  for the reasons already stated + I had wanted to see how far we had progressed from the 1-5 from earlier in the season.  Will have to defer that progress report until 28th February when we will be playing our first IX and Kit will have had a further 4 months of building us up from the Magath debacle

[SouthWest6]

Yes, I'm concerned that too many fans are looking at this result as a needless cup tie, and that Kit deliberately rested players.

For me, he got it horribly wrong, both tactically and in his team selection. Players like Burn and Bettinelli should be able to play 2 games a week, so why weren't they included?

Arthurwory and Hutchison was a recipe for disaster even before the game kicked off, and even though we went 2-0 up, I still felt we'd get murdered.

For me, this was down to inexperience more than anything else, but hopefully something not just the youngsters, but Kit will learn from.

Regardless of being in the cup, or not, a 5-2 home spanking isn't the way forward, especially when we're a Club trying to build confidence.   

[Bill2]

Bothered by the score? Yes as it shows how far off a top championship side we are. Bothered about the result? Not particularly. We need to focus on the league.

It was good to see how our reserves and up and coming youngsters are. To be able to go 2-0 up against possibly the best side in the Championship is good news, it is only their strength from a virtually full strength team and the number 7 who was the best player on the pitch by a long way which swayed it in their favour.

[Berserker]

Yes I was bothered. Thought conceding 5 goals in 20 mins at home a embarreshing fiasco. I think Kit gambled on Derby not fielding a strong side, which backfired , or he didn't want to progress to the next round. All I can presume is that Kit knew he had the managers job and needed to rest players, or he would have tried to get a result. As mentioned by other people I hope our confidence is not too dented.

[terryr]

Bothered?
Yes
There is no excuse for taking a 5-2 hammering.
I like Kit, but like so many other occasion's he looks paralysed when a substitution is desperately needed.
Losing like that makes the fans feel ( I'm one of them) mugs for paying £15 to venture out on a cold Tuesday night to watch  what was effectively a training squad get taken apart.
It does nothing for the confidence of the kids.
Nothing for the confidence of the locker room blowing a 2-0 lead.
We could have brought on parker and mc Cormick 5 minutes into the second half and had a very different result.

[alfie]

"Did he really need to rest Bettinelli for instance?"

Yes. At the moment he (and Parker) are our two most important players, because of the absence of good enough cover for either. If Bet. got injured we'd be playing the clown until we can get another decent goalkeeper in during January.

So Bettinelli did not play incase he gets injured, so what if he gets injured on Saturday against Wigan are we still not in the same position?. using the argument
"what if" because that can apply at any time anywhere.