Our Style of Play

[toshes mate]

[...] the game we play takes confidence. Confidence in passing ability, timing, and each other. When you're holding a 1-0 lead, a little bit of panic does naturally set in. Free-flowing football becomes nervy, passes are misplaced, confidence goes down. This happened today, and we paid for it. We looked beaten as soon as they applied a little bit more pressure. 10 minutes more and they win that game.
[...]

In essence possession is a game of its own - you hold the ball, you command the game, your opponent cannot score, you wear them out and break their morale.  But, I agree, we had no answer to the pressure applied in that last ten minutes or so, which was the opposite of all that went before.   And that is all down to how you recycle the ball, how you launch attacks, and how you create space for your danger men.  We are failing on the last point, IMO.  It is often too enthusiastic, lacking in composed thought and the genuine desire to impose the united whole team on the opponent from front to back. Gung-ho in Chinese means harmony from everyone taking part and I guess that is what is distinctive between SJ's style and SP's style at the moment.   We are part way there and we must remember how long it took Jokanovic to stop the leaky results from happening in both his full seasons.   

[Skatzoffc]

It was always going to be the tougher of the 3 games in September. Especially without Arter due to suspension. As a result SPs options were probably a little less.
We took one and not three due to poor finishing. The game should have been sewn up long before the last 10 minutes. No need for all this doom and gloom tho.

Long way to go yet.

[bobby01]

Changes we need: get more balls onto Mitro's head, centre midfielders more willing to get forward (Cairney nearly scored breaking forward), more runners in the box.

TBH I thought Cairney spent most of the game just off Mitrovic, as the chief playmaker I feel he needs to play a bit further back.
Also to get more balls on Mitrovic head we need spells in the game where Knockaert and cavaliero need to swap wings, they both cut in side rather than cross.

[Twig]

It's like people are watching another team, many comments on here are unreal. Our tactic had us play WBA off the field for 70 minutes, playing some absolutely wonderful football. Should have been at least 3-0 up by then. The tactic and style of play clearly worked against one of the strongest teams in the division. Unfortunately our finishing didn't.

This was my view but I thought I was the only one.  For more than an hour we were streets ahead of WBA and dominated them as you say.  We paid the price for not taking our chances, should have been out of sight.

[ALG01]

we made loads of chances today and the issue was the quality of players. long ball/more direct would be a disaster with this squad.... we are playing as we need to with these players, but a few of them need a kick up the backside/arm round the shoulder to try and get the best from them all.

[PossessionKings]

Would stay up in the PL playing this way IF the whole 11 isn't changed for mercenaries.

[Statto]

Would stay up in the PL playing this way IF the whole 11 isn't changed for mercenaries.

+1

[Whitesideup]

Our goal was fortunate .. but we had other chances. We deserved to be in the lead. We deserved a penalty that the whole of the Hammersmith end saw but not the ref who was 10 yards away with a good view. Crucial decision. If  given and scored. I don't think West Brom would have come back from 2-0. Second stonewall penalty not given in successive matches.

The goal was a gift. Apart from that they had few real chances, but notably a header that might have even won them the game in added time. Mind you, Sessegnon was caught running with the ball, and only their ineptitude prevented them creating a good goal-scoring opportunity.

And the MotM ?  must have been their keeper.

So yes, need to take our chances. I think we need to create a few more as well. And we can't give away goals through a succession of individual errors. I think we do move the ball quickly when the option is there, so we need to make sure there are more of those opportunities. It was a hot day yesterday, and maybe that contributed to what looked like a languid pace at times. But we gave up two points to a promotion rival, not a great day, as Knockaert openly admitted in his interview on Quest. Good to see he was at least as disappointed as us.

[Bassey the warrior]

Changes we need: get more balls onto Mitro's head, centre midfielders more willing to get forward (Cairney nearly scored breaking forward), more runners in the box.

TBH I thought Cairney spent most of the game just off Mitrovic, as the chief playmaker I feel he needs to play a bit further back.
Also to get more balls on Mitrovic head we need spells in the game where Knockaert and cavaliero need to swap wings, they both cut in side rather than cross.

Disagree. He was more dangerous further forward and nearly scored. Maybe in the second half when we were up against it he might have dropped back though.

[Lyle from Hangeland]

It's like people are watching another team, many comments on here are unreal. Our tactic had us play WBA off the field for 70 minutes, playing some absolutely wonderful football. Should have been at least 3-0 up by then. The tactic and style of play clearly worked against one of the strongest teams in the division. Unfortunately our finishing didn't.

A lot of Fulham fans are just babies. If they see a comet in the sky, the world must be going to end.

[Carborundum]

Passing out from the back rather than hoofing forward can be more than fine.  What annoys are:

1. midfielders / wide players who never present for the ball.  So the oppositions covering work is easier than it should be.  We currently have a couple.  In contrast Aluko was good at this and so was Floyd. 

2. midfielders who present with the wrong body shape.  They need to receive it on the half turn to quickly transition to further forward momentum.  Tom Cairney in his promotion winning pomp did this automatically.  In contrast a few season ago we had a midfielder who at a previous club was known as "crop circles" and was forever slowing down play.  Unfortunately for this particular aspect of play he's now the gaffer.  He does have some rather more positive qualities I hasten to add.

3 defenders who misplace the pass so that a half-turned midfielder needs to readjust

None of which is exactly rocket science.  Kids in grass roots football learn this stuff. 

[Jims Dentist]

Changes we need: get more balls onto Mitro's head, centre midfielders more willing to get forward (Cairney nearly scored breaking forward), more runners in the box.

TBH I thought Cairney spent most of the game just off Mitrovic, as the chief playmaker I feel he needs to play a bit further back.
Also to get more balls on Mitrovic head we need spells in the game where Knockaert and cavaliero need to swap wings, they both cut in side rather than cross.

Yes✅

[fulhamben]

We are only 3 points off second. Lots to play for.

can you honestly see us stringing a few wins together? Think we are more likely to lose games on the bounce than we are win them.

Why not? - we're not a bad side, and with the players we've got we we should win many more than we lose.

because we have about a 40% win ratio, and that doesmt look like changing

What a defeatist attitude - it's no good stating stats though to back up your opinion, bearing in mind we've won 3 out of 7. yet only lost 2.....and you may also have noticed those 3 were consecutive wins?

I think the glass is more full than empty, especially bearing in mind our last 2 Championship starts (which didn't end too badly) compared to his one.

well that's 4 games without a win, 5 if you count the cup. So when is this great winning streak about to happen

[ffc73]

So we have all the possession but when we need to keep the ball to see the game out we don't.

[Woolly Mammoth]

So we have all the possession but when we need to keep the ball to see the game out we don't.

Exactly,  because the mindset changes for some reason, and we lose our composure.

[PossessionKings]

If we stay up and sign a good CB we will stay up.