Tag Archives: Riether

The View from South Texas — Fulham FC v. Chelsea

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by HatterDon

Tame Fulham Surrender Meekly to The Undead

Today, Fulham hosted a match-weary Chelsea at The Cottage and, before a nearly packed house allowed the visitors to stroll to the easy victory they sorely needed in their drive to finish in the top four. Three goals by Chelsea’s two central defenders – only one of them from a set piece – did the trick, and with the loss, Fulham have now garnered one point from their last three matches. The Whites are the Premier League’s form team no longer.

Ah, but it might have been so different. For the first 20-25 minutes of the match, Chelsea looked toothless – little cohesion between defense and attack, and giving the ball away all too easily. They looked listless and cautious. By contrast, Fulham were spraying the ball all over the park and creating chances. Ruiz, Berbatov, and Karagounis scorned full or half chances, but Fulham looked to be in an attacking mood, with the always impressive Sascha Riether the most potent force up the right wing. One could have found himself wondering what Fulham could do in this mood with Ashkan Dejagah prowling the right in cahoots with Riether. But then … .

Totally against the run of play, Fulham found themselves behind. David Luiz, certainly the most interesting central defender in the league, looked to be no danger to a well-organized Fulham midfield and defense when on the half hour he launched a screamer from fully 40 yards into the upper right corner of Mark Schwarzer’s net. Nobody was at fault with the goal. You kind of hope that opposing central defenders will decide to shoot from that range. And Fulham were behind 0-1.

When a few spirited attempts for a quick equalizer suddenly petered out, Fulham fell back to playing ball control. Facing a side that had played 12 matches in six weeks [while Fulham had played 5], Fulham became content to string pass after pass along the midfield and then check back and let the central defenders play a one-two before going back to the same routine. When Chelsea screwed up a corner just before half time, John Terry remained in the Fulham penalty area. Instead of moving quickly to take advantage of Chelsea’s aging, slowing captain being so far out of position, Fulham instead began their agonizingly slow and steady progression up the field. When the ball was finally lost, Terry was right where he stood when his side took the corner. One quick pass and Terry left Riether for dead, sneaked behind Senderos and scored with a well-taken header. 0-2 just before the half. If there was anyone in the park that didn’t believe that the three points were gone for good, he must have been deluding himself.

Terry added a third in the second half, leaping between Senderos and Riether – the latter was ready to clear Fernando Torres shot off the line – to head home from about 6 inches. Schwarzer didn’t stand a chance with any of the goals. Fulham? Fulham made a few forays up the field as Chelsea contented themselves to inviting attack and then quickly countering. Senderos should have pulled one back but for a heroic goal-line block by his teammate, Mladen Petrić. And that was it.

Chelsea, who hadn’t won a league match on the road for three months, walked [and I do mean WALKED] away with the easiest three points they’ll have in a long time. And, yes, I know the difference in the cost between the two match day squads, but the truth is that Fulham drew their last four matches with the other team in Fulham – two and perhaps three of those matches could easily have been Chelsea defeats. They were exhausted from their efforts in three different competitions, and are desperately trying to fight off efforts by Arsenal and Tottenham to deprive them of eligibility to participate in the Champions League. They were nervous, slow-witted, and fully at sixes and sevens, and … .

An attacking team that counts on speed and width could easily have dominated the Chelsea of the first 25 minutes of the match. Attacks up the wing, simple running of the channels could have spread their defense and made them more easy to turn – more apt to make critical mistakes. Chelsea was there to be taken by a team that pushes up wide and quickly, that stretches the defense, that drives to the dead ball line. But Martin Jol Sexy Football © doesn’t allow for that. No, in order to play MJSF, you must move upfield carefully and, at the first sight of a defender stop short. Instead of putting that defender under pressure, you must check back and pass sideways or – preferably backwards . In MJSF, the traditional “slow, slow, quick-quick, slow” football interpretive dance must be performed as “slow, slow, slower-slower, slowest.” It is a prayer come true for tired, jaded defenders and midfielders and especially for aging, half-speed central defenders.

So, we lost, and if we play like that against Arsenal – just as hungry for points and not nearly so tired, we’ll get smashed by them as well.

Quick snapshots department.
1.   This was Hangeland’s second sub-standard match in a row. Was his dramatic return to form just a short good patch of play? Is the poor play we saw so much of in late 2012 now the norm?
2.   I absolutely hate the fact that the Petrić that I’ve been calling for to get a chance was nothing short of horrid on the day.
3.   Why was our first substitution made at the expense of our most sure footed defender? Riise was excellent today. I hope not to hear any more calls for him to be rested.
4.   Somewhat related, I immediately understood why Jol converted Emanuelson from a left back to a midfielder.
5.   It was cruel to bring on Frei so late and have him run the left wing. We could have used his pace and his natural attacking instinct on the right wing and from the very beginning.

Things I am tired of seeing over and over that I saw again today:
1.   Berbatov STANDING 10 yards from a loose ball and making not the slightest move to win it.
2.   Karagounis auditioning for RADA. I know that everybody loves his all out effort, and the Ancient Greek does take a good free kick/corner, but his histrionics, his constant wailing and moaning, AND his diving should be an embarrassment to Fulham and its supporters. You’ve got game, dammit; play football like a man.

Oh, and there is no Man of the Match when we lose 0-3 to The Undead.

Grumble, grumble.

The View from South Texas — Newcastle United v. Fulham FC

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by HatterDon

Fulham So Close to Stealing a Point at St. James’s

If there is a team that Fulham can feel confident playing away, it’s Newcastle United. If there’s a team that Newcastle do NOT want to play with relegation in the conversation, it’s Fulham. Add these two sentences to one pointing out that Fulham are in the best form in three seasons, and you figure that the Barcodes are going to be in for long day. And they were.

Fulham started calmly and efficiently – challenging everywhere on the pitch and stringing together passes in the double digits. Berbatov, who has been in choice form himself, had Fulham’s and the game’s first opportunity to score after 5 minutes. He slapped a shot with the outside of his right boot that beat the keeper but not the cross bar. Fulham had a couple of other “almost” chances for a goal, both involving Berbatov. The first came from a cross from Riether that only a single toe of an extended boot stopped from rolling to our unmarked striker. Another chance came with a cross from Duff that looked to be cleared by a Newcastle defender. Berbatov saw this and moved quickly to challenge for the second ball, only to see the defender miss it and the ball fall exactly where he’d been standing.

And then there was the goalmouth scramble that resulted in a close-in save from a stabbed effort by Manolev. Mostly, though, and especially in the second half, the story was about wasted opportunity after wasted opportunity for Newcastle. Cisse and Gouffran were especially profligate. Eventually, 3 or so minutes into 5 minutes of injury time, Cisse finally converted from close range and the match was settled. Fulham’s unbeaten run is over.

Fulham’s run of good play is NOT over. The team in Godawful Orange dominated the midfield and played the more stylish football. From the beginning of the match, Newcastle were the more physical side. Cisse had no fewer than four fouls called for “clattering a Fulham player from behind” in the first 10 minutes, and committed at least three more fouls before finally getting a yellow card – for leaping into a crowd of happy Geordies.

What Newcastle did not do well was to capitalize on occasional lapses from Fulham’s midfield and defense. The final shot total was 28-5 in favor of The Barcodes, with the shot-on-target total reading 5-2. On another day, Berbatov converts all of his chances and Fulham win 0-3. On another day, Schwarzer, Hangeland, Riise, and the woodwork DON’T combine to keep Newcastle scoreless for 93 minutes. It was a fair result, and there was nothing in Fulham’s play that should upset any of their supporters – but you KNOW that there will be plenty of fingers pointed in the cyber world.

Fulham began the match with two new starters – Stanislav Manolev, who the announcer kept saying was making his league debut [ignoring the fact that he’d already done that down the road a piece] and Eyong (Brian) Enoh. Manolev did fairly well on the right side of midfield, but he was replacing Fulham’s most improved AND improving player, Ashkan Dejagah, and so looked substandard by comparison. He did NOT hurt the team at all, but his play wasn’t of as high a level as that of  Enoh who was replacing the suspended Steve Sidwell. He was an excellent contributor to Fulham’s first half domination and anchored the midfield well. He left with an injury five minutes into the second half, and Fulham never got control of the match thereafter. Emmanuel Frimpong came on to replace him and played well enough, but he didn’t have Enoh’s bite. I hope his injury isn’t so severe that we don’t see him again. Fulham’s other substitute, Hugo Rodallega, might have stolen the match for The Whites in Orange shortly after he came on, but he was wasteful of a brilliant pass from Berbatov, showing the same hesitation and confusion that every attacker in black and white stripes showed the entire match … until minute 93.

So, we didn’t win and, in the process, gave up points to several other sides near us. But there should be no shame in this. You can’t win them all, and Fulham really didn’t deserve a point, never mind three.

Hatter Don’s Man of the Match is Captain Brede Hangeland. Yes, Tha Big Aussie had some great saves. Yes Riise shut Newcastle’s attacks down the right time and again. Yes, Berbatov was by many miles the classiest player on the pitch, and yes, Ruiz really has added strength to his game. But the one phrase I kept hearing over and over again today was, “and Hangeland clears.” He was little short of awesome today. It was a good enough shift to compare to any he’s turned in since Roy Hodgson brought him here.

Next up? Aston [gulp] Villa at Villa Park. As Watt used to say, “Oh well, what the hell.”

The View From South Texas — Liverpool v. Fulham FC

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by HatterDon

Rock Bottom?

Jeez, I hope so. Today Fulham traveled up to Liverpool to put on a lackluster, soulless display in front of 44,000 paying customers and a national AND international television audience. The entire world watched as a host of faulty replicants disguised as professional footballers dressed themselves in black and white and called themselves Fulham Football Club. This is the only explanation that makes sense to me. Certainly the players we’ve watched all season would have rebounded from a deplorable display last weekend at QPR by pulling up their big girl panties and going to Anfield with fire in their bellies and steel in their eyes. Instead … .

Instead we played at ½ speed for the entire match, didn’t create space for attacks, forgot that “move” is a key component in “pass and move,” and made Stuart Downing look like the second coming of George Best.

To be fair, Liverpool have been playing better of late. Okay, that’s enough fairness in that direction. The thing is that they were only two points and one place above us in the standings, PLUS the two architects of their renewal – Raheem Sterling and Joe Allen – were not in the starting lineup. Take that fact, add it to the fact that Pepe Reina was incapable of holding on to a ball the entire match, ADD TO THAT the fact that Fulham should have been motivated to perform well after last weekend’s debacle, and there existed a very real possibility that Liverpool might be in for a thumping. A little aggression early on, a bit of hammering on the defenders in red, and the fickle Anfield crowd might have reacted with the nervous impatience that can suck the rhythm out of the home team.

Of course, Fulham showed none of that. After 80 or so minutes, I thought of summing up the match by saying that it was less like a league match and more like Liverpool hosting a League 1 side in the FA Cup. A short minute later, I discarded that analogy. The League 1 side would have showed more effort, more guile, and probably more skill.

We lost 4-0, but had Liverpool not been so profligate with their finishing – and had Mark Clattenburg not waved away a very creditable penalty shout  — we would have left the Great Northwest with a 7-0 defeat. The goals were sort of memorable. For the first, Aaron Hughes was shoved to the ground opening the goalmouth for Martin Skrtel to fire home in the 8th minute. Unfortunately, the player who clattered him was Brede Hangeland. It might have been Big Brede’s most effective marking of the day.

Fulham showed a little bit of a response for about the next 15 or 20 minutes. On the 34th minute John Arne Riise had a beautiful view of Downing’s inch perfect pass to Steven Gerrard and the lovely chip that followed. Riise watched a lot of skillful football today – most of it looking like Glen Johnson’s backside.  It was Mark Schwarzer who performed the close range examination of Liverpool’s third as Downing hit a screamer that one would have thought a top-flight goalkeeper might have reacted to, never mind deflected. I can’t say much about Suarez’s goal, because by the time he scored it I was stamping up and down reciting every hyphenated phrase I could never repeat in church.

I have good words for Riether and Hughes and a few for Hugo Rodallega who came on at the half. I have fewer good words than usual for Dimitar Berbatov, but here’s something I’d say to him if we were having a beer together. “I don’t mind you staring and shaking your head when someone makes a mess of one of your passes, but I DO mind that you stop running when you do so that the move is guaranteed to fail.” I might tell Kacaniklic and Dejagah that the match doesn’t end for them once they’ve made their first constructive attacking move. I’d suggest to Chris Baird that he might find a second career with MI6 instructing spies how to make themselves completely invisible in front of nearly 45,000 people.

I find it very easy to identify our major problem today. We didn’t move when moving could have made a difference. I saw one very good corner kick and three excellent free kicks curled into promising positions in the Liverpool penalty area and not a single Fulham player making a strong effort to get on the end of them. I saw three shots that Reina found impossible to hold on to and not a single effort to follow up on the carom.

Finally, there’s been a lot of talk in Fulham World recently about the makeup of our squad. We all know that we’re weak and shallow in midfield. How weak? Well, whenever the loss of Steve Sidwell for one whole match guarantees the complete ineffectiveness of your entire midfield, your squad is woefully inadequate. There are several reasons why we entered September with this bare bones group of midfielders. On Fulham sites there have been dozens of people pointing out that Martin Jol should not be held accountable for deficits in our squad, that he does not make the transfer/salary decisions. I’ll buy that.

I also buy the fact that Jol, like any manager, is responsible for sending his troops out on to the field with the right attitude and with a cohesive plan of action. He is also responsible, whenever his team has played a woeful first half, for changing things out and sending them back with a purpose. Given that, today’s display – not the loss mind you, but the way the team performed – is down to Jol’s failure to lead. We didn’t play poorly today because we suffered an injury, or had a man sent off early, or were the victim of some amazing individual play from a spear holder, or were tricked by an unexpected change in tactics from our opponent. We played poorly today because we went onto the pitch with no life, no spirit, no ambition, no sense of competitiveness, and no urgency. We left the field of play at the final whistle having never varied from that level.

If we don’t show a significant change in attitude and cohesion on Boxing Day, we are in serious trouble. I think that even those who have elevated our manager to sainthood need to recognize that.

The View from South Texas — Stoke City v. Fulham FC

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by HatterDon

Wrestling in the Rain

Fulham traveled to Stoke today to play in the outdoor carwash known as The Britannia Stadium. With injuries to two attacking players, a makeshift midfield, and a defensive lineup that did not feature our best defender, I suppose a 1-0 defeat was to be expected. But I always expect more when Berbatov is on the pitch, and so I was bitterly disappointed with the result.

Stoke City are no walk in the park at the best of times. Composed – as they are – of power forwards and middle linebackers, and playing – as they do – on a green postage stamp slightly larger than a tennis court, it is natural for them to play a physical and destructive game. Today, they did what came naturally. They hacked, shoved, tripped, and elbowed the livelong day. If there was a surprise in the score, it was that the yellow card result was 1-1. Both cards were well deserved, but there should have been at least three more yellows awarded to City. Sigh. Well, what can you expect of a side whose most technically brilliant and creative players are Peter Crouch, Charlie Adam, and Ryan Shawcross.

Fulham’s makeshift midfield included Dejagah and Karagounis, each of whom impressed and depressed in equal measure. One had to admire Dejagah’s consistency in finding attacking space and despair at a first touch so reminiscent of Eddie Johnson. Karagounis played very well, except for the 3 or 4 times he gave the ball away when not under pressure.

Senderos, our own Scapegoat Come Home Dog, had his hands full with the red and white striped redwoods. Crouch had the beating of him all day – something that would not have happened with Hangeland – and Stoke were very wise in pressuring him for the entire 90+ minutes. Schwarzer had an absolute craptastrophy of a match. Barring one tip over the bar from a set piece, he looked uncertain and tentative the entire match. If I read any more “Schwarzer’s positioning and control of his penalty area is brilliant” comments, I may have a an absolute tiswas. As it happened, however, Stoke’s 26th minute goal was the fault of neither Senderos nor Schwarzer. The Swiss Baldy found it difficult to jump in the penalty area with Crouch’s arm shoving him down and Adam’s conversion of Crouch’s knock down would have beaten any keeper. While Hughes and Riether both turned in good shifts in the appalling conditions, it’s fair to say that Fulham’s most effective defenders were the linesman’s flag and the crossbar.

Petric and Berbatov deserved better. They deserved better service, better protection from the referee, and better luck with their conversions. The major weakness in the attack was the fact that the creative midfielder charged with following up the attacks and converting the dribs and drabs was Steve Sidwell, not his strongest point, and I’m sure not Jol’s first choice.

And so we lost a match we would have been expected to lose. Once again, quality was trumped by size and strength. Complain as we might, this is the very essence of the English game. Is there good news? Why yes! We’re at the Dog Track on Wednesday. This is good news? Yes! I’ll be drinking beer with Aggie Matt while watching this one, so my View may be enhanced and blurry at the same time.

HatterDon’s Man of the Match?  The Classiest player on the pitch by far was our own Dimitar Berbatov. I just hope he doesn’t get too discouraged at not finding any teammate capable of picking up his wavelength. Let’s hope Bryan will soon be back.

COYW

The View From South Texas — Arsenal v. Fulham FC

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by HatterDon

3-3 and what an absolutely wonderful match to watch

A few seasons back, Arsenal came to Craven Cottage and put a chubby 18-year-old Italian between the sticks. For 90 minutes he put on a display that ranks among the very best I’ve ever seen. He stopped seven shots that, had they been against any other Arsenal goalkeeper, would have been Fulham goals. Andrew Johnson should have had three and Clint Dempsey two, but for the Herculean efforts of the guy I called “that Fat Italian Kid.” Late in the match, van Persie came in and, with his first touch, got the only goal. What a day that was for Vito Mannone. What a day today WASN’T for Vito Mannone.

But what a day for the fans! Fulham started the match looking cool and calm, every bit the equal of their hosts. Although Berbatov and Ruiz looked the more dangerous pairing, it was Olivier Giroud and Lukas Podolski who turned that danger into goals. The Frenchman with a very easy goal in the 11th, and the German with the Polish name an equally soft effort in the 23rd. And, really, that should have been that. Despite the fact that we’re equal with Arsenal on points, and despite the fact that we score more goals than 15 sides in the league, we are Fulham and Arsenal are Arsenal. My only hope at this point was that we could keep at least SOME of our +5 goal difference. Most years, two goals down to a “top club” inside a half hour is game over.

Yeah, but we have Dimitar Berbatov and he, and his henchman Bryan Ruiz, weren’t about to allow the Whites to go quietly. Five minutes after Kieran Richardson apparently pulled a hamstring and had to go off in favor of Kacaniklic, we pulled one back. After some pressure down the right wing by the classy Ashkan Dejagah, Fulham won a corner. Ruiz took it and Berbatov nodded it in. 2-1. One of the great skills of goal scorers is the ability to find attacking space in a crowded penalty area. McBride was great at this, Gera also had this skill in abundance. Berbatov is the master at it. And so, just before the 30 minute mark, we were only one goal down.

At this point, Arsenal looked disjointed and dejected. Despite the fact that our back four and goalkeeper looked weak and disorganized most of the match, the Gunners looked as if they had someplace to go, but no idea how to get there. Just before half time, Fulham struck again. Berbatov consistently had the beating of the Arsenal defense on each wing, and so it was he ghosted in on the right wing, drove to the dead ball line and pulled the ball back sharply to our Swedish international. Special K headed in from a good 12 yards just inside Mannone’s near post. The [terrible] announcing crew went easy on him, but that was an eminently stoppable shot that he barely got his fingertips to. 2-2 at the half. What would the second 45 bring?

Fulham started the second half once again maintaining most of the possession. Arsenal countered, but Fulham seemed the side most likely. I was thrilled to see that we did NOT decide to park the bus for the entire second half. Ruiz was especially fun to watch. Arteta could not control him, and his ability to turn sharply in dangerous positions with defenders hanging on him was remarkable. On one foray upfield, Arsenal thought they had dispossessed him twice, only to see him wiggle free and drive into the penalty area with the hapless Arteta clinging to him like a shabby cloak. Mr. Dowd blew the whistle, Berbatov took the slow-motion penalty while Mannone posed for photographs, and Fulham took the lead – away to the Arsenal, a side we’ve never beaten on any of their grounds. Indeed, I wonder if we’ve ever scored three goals at their place. Hmmmm.

Arsenal came back at us again and, only two minutes later, Giroud slipped sideways through a spread out and tiring Fulham defense and the game was knotted. Arsenal’s “supporters,” who had been napping since Fulham drew level in the first half, came to life and the last 20+ minutes was either a joy or an agony to watch. Either side could have scored, Kacaniklic and Berbatov for us and Giroud for them. We won several corners but both Hughes and Hangeland made poor efforts at attacking them. All of this happened in a wide-open last ten minutes of full time.

Finally, in extra time, Fulham fell back to defend the point. In the last 30 seconds of the four allotted minutes, a Fulham clearance fell to Ruiz. That, you had to feel, was that, but instead of moving forward, the Costa Rican played a long diagonal back pass that was intercepted by Andrei Arshavin. The enigmatic Russian drove towards goal and shot. Riether blocked the ball with his elbow and, with the very last action of the game, Arsenal had a chance to secure all three points. Arteta, who won’t be watching this match on his DVR, stepped up to take the penalty and fired hard and low to Schwarzer’s left. Tha Big Aussie was equal to it and, as the ball was pushed around the post, Mr. Dowd blew for time. Great stuff to watch.

As a team, Fulham looked every bit a top 10 side. Individually, there are some concerns. Dejagah is possessed of great touch and tremendous skill. What he doesn’t have is pace or quickness. In other words, he’s last season’s Bryan Ruiz. I hope he improves as much as our Costa Rican did. Hughes and Hangeland, for the most part, had horrific games. Riether played his worst game in memory, and Riise only ventured upfield once. Schwarzer had his usual “little girl with the little curl” 90 minutes. His handling and distribution were shaky, but that point saving effort in the 95th minutes wipes clean a lot of slates. Sidwell and Baird worked hard, but if our midfield were the equal of our strike force, neither would be starting. Kacaniklic played very well after coming on. I do believe that the more pitch time he gets with Berbatov and Ruiz the better he’ll become. He’s got good attacking instincts. All he needs to improve is his decision-making.

Coulda been three; coulda been none. I’ll settle for the one point, and I think most who read this will. I know that Martin Jol will.

HatterDon’s Man of the Match is Dimitar Berbatov – two goals and one assist will do that for you. Despite Arsenal’s high-priced talent on display, Great Uncle Bulgaria was easily the best player on the pitch. Second best, by some margin, was Bryan Ruiz. He has arrived, folks, and he and Berbatov are a fearsome pairing up front.

International break coming up; I’ll be rooting hard for no Fulham injuries. COYW

THE VIEW FROM SOUTH TEXAS — WIGAN ATHLETIC V. FULHAM FC

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by HatterDon

An Almost Comfortable Away Trip

Yes, I know. Fulham are not good on the road. Yes, Fulham suffer against mediocre teams. Yes, yes, yes. The truth is, of course, that Fulham have been very capable of taking points at the DW Stadium in England’s northwest. And, except for stoppage time, looked comfortably the better team on display today.

Roberto Martinez is one of my most favorite managers. With very little in the way of a budget, he doesn’t go the grizzled-veteran-route-one route. Instead, his teams play good football, quality football, that can frighten any side – witness the seven matches won of their last nine last season. And his side looked bright today at times. Luckily, for Fulham, their good passing never included the “last pass.”

There was plenty of pleasing football from both sides early on. Most of the action in both directions was down Fulham’s right wing for the first half hour or so. Duff and Riether engineered much of Fulham’s early pressure. And there was plenty of early pressure. Fulham were playing like a side that had dismantled a very good WBA last weekend – NOT like a side hoping for a 0-0. And Fulham looked like scoring almost from the off.

The thought struck me early on that if I was watching 22 strangers out there, it would have taken me all of 90 seconds to have realized that the number 9 in black was head and shoulders above them all. Wigan had their hands full with Uncle Bulgaria, and after several missed opportunities, a gentle chip from just side of the area from Berbatov found Rodallega’s forehead, and the Colombian netted for the first time in Fulham colors. After a few confused minutes during which it looked as if Fulham would add to their total, Wigan began playing the best football of the match for  the last 15 minutes. They put Fulham under sustained pressure on more than one occasion and, eventually hit the post.

The first half ended 0-1 and the points looked to be up for grabs. This was a bit disconcerting, though, since Berbatov could easily have had 3 assists AND a goal during the first 45. Would Fulham rue those missed chances?

If anyone NOT in South Texas thought that Fulham would come out playing negatively and protecting the one-goal lead, they’d be mightily disappointed. After soaking up considerable pressure by Wigan – most of it thwarted by their own profligacy – Fulham garnered their second goal. In a complete reversal of roles, the Whites [was there any white in that kit?] were attacking relentlessly, relegating Athletic to quick counterattacks.

As soon as Fulham brought on Ruiz to replace the disappointing Kacaniklic, things got interesting. The Costa Rican nearly scored from a free kick and, in the 68th minute, held off three defenders to lay the ball into the path of Damian Duff. 0-2 and game over, one would have thought. It certainly looked that way until just before injury time when Martinez brought on Ryo Miyaichi and Callum McManaman [why is that name so hauntingly familiar?]. Their energy and guile put Fulham back on the defensive for the last thirteen minutes plus.

After some brilliant work by a suddenly fully employed Mark Schwarzer, Wigan pulled back a goal they really deserved. Kone – for my money Wigan’s best player all match – ended a goalmouth scramble by sidefooting past Tha Big Aussie. 1-2 and that’s the way it stayed.

Who caught the eye today? Rodallega looked exceptional for most of the match although it’ll take me a long time to get over his sideways pass to absolutely nobody on the edge of Wigan’s penalty area. Riether did well and so did Baird. Hangeland was also a rock, although not quite as good as the international announcers believed. He credited clearances from Baird and Sidwell to the Norwegian Giant evidently believing that anyone in black who had short hair was our number 5.

Who disappointed? Special K did. Twice set up brilliantly by Berbatov, he never looked like even getting a decent shot off. We improve mightily when he was replaced by Ruiz. Hughes played his worst game this season, twice putting the defense under terrible pressure in the first half. Luckily, Wigan’s passing let them down on both occasions and it did no harm.

So, by my math that makes it 9 points from 5 played and a goal difference of +5. A quick check of the table tells me we’re in 4th, ahead of Man United thanks to the alphabet. Well, that’s not likely to last, but it’s a wonderful sight and – as long as Berbatov remains healthy – we’re going to scare the crap out of some very good defenses. Wigan? I think they may have enough talent in the squad to survive one more time. They certainly have enough talent in the person of their manager.

Hatter Don’s Man of the Match? This was close. Damian Duff gets it hotly pursued by Dimitar Berbatov and Mark Schwarzer.

Man City is at the Cottage next weekend, and on this form we need fear nobody. COYW

The View from South Texas — West Ham U v. Fulham FC

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by HatterDon

God, That was Ugly

By the time there were 30 minutes on the clock today, my major hope was that we would salvage some of the goal difference we won on opening day. We did … just. The post-Dembélé Era began on the Boleyn ground for a “lunchtime” [read 0645] match against our bogey team. I am confident that we will look better than we did today. I am also confident that West Ham will not.

Their first goal came with barely 50 seconds on the clock. Kevin Nolan made a fortuitous connection with a knock down by the excellent Ricardo Vaz Te and Schwarzer could do nothing but pick the ball out of his net. I say “fortuitous” because Nolan spent the rest of the match swinging and missing at much easier chances. Vaz Te’s combination of speed, skill, and aggression would trouble Fulham’s somewhat panic-stricken defense all day. He was, without a doubt, the best player on the pitch. He had a complete stormer.

Fulham? Not so much. Despite the fact that the back four + Schwarzer were the only unit untouched by injury or transfer, they spent much of the match looking as if they’d only just met in the dressing room. Riise was back from injury, so Fulham were – arguably – stronger in defense than they were at Old Trafford last weekend. However, despite the fact that West Ham is nowhere near Man United in skill or manpower, our defense proved totally ineffective in controlling the newly promoted Hammers.

Their second and third goals were both down to poor marking. Nobody was near Winston Reid when he headed in from a corner 29 minutes in, and Matthew Taylor had the entire postal code to himself when he slammed home the third a few minutes before the interval. In both cases, new boy Andy Carroll was drawing all the attention. Fully four players were marking him for the third. I can’t remember when I last saw Hangeland play so ineffectively. I hope not to see it again this season.

Much of Fulham’s defensive slackness can be attributed to weakness in the midfield. Only Diarra stood out in this area, and he was constantly on the verge of being overrun. West Ham were quick to close down any Fulham player in possession and the only way that Fulham could string together more than three passes was among the defenders and twenty yards deep in their own half. Richardson made his debut and looked okay going forward but was totally ineffective in shielding or covering for Riise. Duff was our entire offense for 45 minutes, but Riether was also left on his own all too often. Steve Sidwell? Well, I thought he was horrible, so I’m saying no more than that.

Petrić and Rodallega were our primary attackers. Petrić looked somewhat lost at sea and it was no surprise when he was sacrificed at half time. Rodallega turned in a good shift and played the entire 90 minutes. I fervently hope that I can make that statement many more times this season. But it was our substitute forward who really caught the eye. Dimitar Berbatov was a lovely combination of artful flicks, turns, and gliding moves. He was, really, the only player in white who remotely troubled West Ham. And their pressure affected him much less than any of our other players. He was the reason that we became a credible attacking force [70 minutes after the opening whistle], and he was the architect of what could easily have been a consolation goal from Rodallega.

All-in-all, the first match after the transfer period was pretty ugly to look at and a disaster of a result. If there’s mitigation it is that it’s ludicrous for the transfer period to end on the day before a match. Of course, there was no reason why we had to sign Richardson or Berbatov on Friday when we had the entire summer to make deals. But the problem wasn’t that we didn’t have time to get our new boys acclimated. The problem is that, since the Tottenham match last Spring, Fulham have lost four key players from our midfield – a midfield that was clearly our major strength and difference-maker last season. Add to that the unavailability of Bryan Ruiz today, and we’re just not good enough without them.

We’ll get better. The midfield will tighten up [Sidwell is not the answer here, by the way], Berbatov will pair nicely with Petrić, and the defense should settle down. We WILL get better, but it will take a while. In the meantime, it’s safe to say that from now until late November, this season is going to resemble the first few months of the last two seasons. Our fondest hope should be that the second half of this season will also resemble those of the last two.

Hatter Don’s Man of the Match goes to Dimitar Berbatov, with honorable mention to Mahamadou Diarra

Back at the Cottage against West Brom next, and it would be nice to bag three points. Count on Berbatov starting. Count on that being a very good thing for Fulham. COYW

The View From South Texas — Man United v. Fulham FC

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by HatterDon

Once again, sorry for the delay.

Moussa Dembélé Has a New Agent … and His Name is Tony Gale

Well, what an interesting match that was. Fulham showed parity with United in the first half hour, played like 11 frightened mice in the second half hour, and scared the bejesus out of the hosts in the third. A one-goal defeat was a deserved result, but this match was really about assessing how good we are this early in the season. After summarily dispatching a very poor Norwich side at home, we were at perhaps the worst away venue for anyone fighting for 9th or 10th place.

United were nervous. Their defense looked shaky at times, and it took a brilliant goal by van Persie to bag their equalizer. YES, we were ahead. A clever and well-executed free kick [and how long since I’ve used that phrase?] from Brian Ruiz caught that nervous defense all congregating at the far post. Ruiz slid the ball rapidly sideways and Damian Duff slotted it home. I believe there were barely two minutes on the clock at this time.

Oh, yes, van Persie’s equalizer. The replays show that there may only be three or four other players in the Premier League audacious enough to try the shot, and perhaps only van Persie is capable of converting it. And the fun was on. There were raids upfield by both sides that lasted until the 35th minute when the flashy Japanese midfielder Kagawa was there to put United up after Schwarzer should probably have held rather than punched an earlier shot. Fulham were disconcerted, and it only got worse 5 minutes later when United’s Ninja Turtle headed in their third from a nice cross from Young. Fulham  spent the rest of the half in lock-down mode, as if the most positive result from the day’s efforts would be a two-goal defeat.

The second half started much the same way. Fulham got a bit more possession, but it was almost exclusively in their own half. United were able to maintain a solid front in the unlikely case that the Whites would actually attack. When Sidwell came on in place of our most aggressive attacker – Kacaniklic – I thought the surrender was on. And yet … . And yet Moussa Dembélé’s brilliance, on display the entire time, suddenly turned serious. Only two minutes after Sidwell came on, Fulham turned the spigot on. Our second goal was a Vidic o.g., but it owed a lot to Dembélé, Ruiz, and Petrić – who, had the ball not trickled over the line, would have easily have booted it in.

This was in the 64th minute and for the rest of the match, United were on the defensive as Fulham went for a point. Dembélé created and actually took a shot or two, Briggs bombed up the wing, Ruiz delivered a magic touch or two, and Rodallega threatened. United brought on Rooney, Welbeck, and Giggs [nice subs, huh?] but to no avail. Fulham ended the match knocking on the door. As the travelers sang “Take Me Home Al Fayed” with gusto, the lads in the red tablecloth shirts just wanted the whistle to blow so they could take their own selves home.

3-2 United, but I turned off the television feeling like we had won. How did we look? Good marks for Hughes, Riether, Briggs, Kacaniklic, and Duff. Somewhat disappointing were Hangeland, Ruiz, Diarra, Petrić, and Schwarzer. TOP marks to Moussa Dembélé. After 90 minutes of constant praise by “color commentator,” Tony Gale, Our Brilliant Belgian looked every inch “one of the most creative players in the league. Easily a top four player.” As the final whistle blew, I turned to Hatter Mom and said, “Well, Dembélé’s transfer fee just went up £2m.” He was the leading man on the biggest stage in British football today.

So, how do we look after two matches and three points? Did the Norwich result flatter to deceive?  Well, possibly, but I certainly wasn’t predicting Champions League football after beating a woeful Norwich last Saturday. I think things look bright this season. Despite fairly mundane performances by Ruiz and Diarra, I think that we have plenty of creativity and steel coming from the center. Briggs’s creditable performance showed that we have some depth in defense. As a matter of fact, once we stopped inviting United to attack our back four, we looked fine. Counting Baird – nice to see him in a cameo, by the way – we have four good fullbacks, and four good centerbacks [once Senderos is back and Halliche is freed]. I like Special K up front, and Petrić looks very good. When Frei comes back, we’ll have even more speed.

My guess? This squad [with Dembélé] is good enough to get us comfortably in mid-table. If Moussa goes, we’ll need to pray for no serious injuries.

Obviously, Hatter Don’s [and Tony Gale’s]  MOtM is Moussa Dembélé. Good result, even if we got no points. Bring them all on, one at a time. COYW

The View From South Texas: Fulham FC v. Norwich City

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by HatterDon

I forgot that I had some volunterring to do shortly after the second half started, so this is as quick as I was able to get this report up. MAN, it’s nice to be doing match reports again.

Nice Day for a Stroll

Bathed in warm summer sunshine, Fulham fought off that “at the beach” feeling to demolish a very poor Norwich side 5-0. The goals went to Petrić, Duff, Petrić, Kacaniklic, and Sidwell (penalty). Schwarzer enjoyed his 141st Premier League clean sheet, and if he had an easier one, at his age he probably can’t remember it.

 

How poor were Norwich? Very poor. They were easily bossed around in midfield, toothless in attack, and their chief defensive tactic appeared to be maintaining a high line, and then turning and watching Fulham attackers hare towards goal. If England manager Roy Hodgson came to the Cottage to watch Ruddy and Holt, he certainly went away disappointed. Holt commanded some airspace, but did nothing with it, and Ruddy confirmed the absolute truth of England’s weakness in goal. If he can be capped and considered to be part of England’s future, then England is in serious trouble. I’m sure, by the way, that Hodgson didn’t come to watch Fulham, as there wasn’t an Englishman in sight all day until Sidwell came on – as the third substitute – with about seven minutes left. He didn’t have time to do much, but dispatched his penalty very well.

 

How good were Fulham? Perhaps the better question would be “how aggressive were Fulham.” Fulham took control of the game shortly after kickoff and maintained that control for 90+ minutes. Diarra, Dembélé, and Ruiz commanded the midfield so well that the back four and Tha Big Aussie had very little to do. I think Mark had to make two saves and, in his only action of the first half, fisted away a high cross. There were several players who caught my eye early and never allowed me to look away from them subsequently. Riise screamed down the left wing more in the first half today than he did in any month last season. His aggression and Special K’s trickiness caused Norwich no end of trouble in protecting their right flank. Ruiz still has good feet and a great pass on him, but he’s added something else this season: he is much quicker and is much more difficult to nudge off the ball. I think it’s fair to say that, based on what we saw today, Fulham will lean very heavily on Ruiz and Diarra – the latter playing as close to a perfect game as I’ve seen in many a moon.

 

And then there are the new guys. Petrić looks like the complete forward. He holds the ball well, distributes it well, defends very well in the box, nicks the ball smoothly and very much knows where the goal is. He more than earned his brace, and put more into the side than he took out of it. Riether surprised me early on with his pace. He attacks well up the right and his defensive positioning struck me as disciplined and knowledgeable. I think Kelly edges him defensively, but Riether is more of a complete player. Rodallega didn’t get much of a chance to do anything, coming on as he did in the 67th minute, but he didn’t look slow or indecisive, and that’s a good thing.

 

I was especially pleased to see Pajtim Kasami enter the fray. He didn’t perform as well as the man he replaced, but the man he replaced was Damien Duff, so that’s no shame. Let’s hope he doesn’t get buried again this season. He’s nowhere near the finished product, but he’s getting there. Closer to a finished product is Kacaniklic. He’s a legitimate left winger, a huge upgrade over the very good Kerim Frei, and he’s not afraid to take a crack. I didn’t see anything to criticize in his performance.

 

So, a good day for a walk in the park turned out to be a walk in the park. As usual, I haven’t read any reports or even looked at the other final scores, but I expect we’ll be top of the league at the end of the weekend. One swallow doesn’t make a summer, and today’s result against the side I figure to finish 20th doesn’t make us a behemoth, but we’ve often struggled or seemed to be happy with a 1-0 at home and a 0-0 on the road against teams like this. Today, we went for the throat from the off, and ripped at it time and again. In the last 7 or 8 seasons, I’ve seen Fulham play “the perfect game” twice in the Premier League – that is (1) making no serious mistakes and (2) everything we tried to do worked. This was true at the Cottage at home to QPR last season. It was true today.

 

There were entirely too many stellar performances on the pitch today to award a single player man of the match, so Hatter Don’s Man of the Match goes to the man who chose the squad and put the 14 players out on the pitch. Martin Jol; well done that man.

 

COYW