The View from South Texas -- Fulham FC v. Liverpool

[HatterDon]

Fulham Steal One at the Death – like I'm going to complain about THAT!

So I was sat there for the better part of 80 minutes wondering what I was going to lead with. I was down to two choices – "Etuhu Guarantees Fulham a Point" or "Dire, Toothless Fulham Escape with a Point." And then neither one worked out. Damn you, Murphy! Damn you, Dempsey. Well, at least I didn't have to reset linotype [ask your grandparents].

For the entire match, Fulham looked calm and confident in defense. Riise had his second consecutive solid league performance; Kelly did as well, although HIS most recent start was against Man City. Senderos made some brilliant interventions early on, and – were I a forward  – seemed more frightening to attack than even Hangeland. Schwarzer looked sharp. Just when I had said for the 3rd or 4th time "Any top flight keeper would have gotten to that," he pulled off the save against Downing, a save even more amazing in its timing than in its dexterity and strength.

In the midfield – and just where IS the midfield for Fulham these days?? – Etuhu did what Etuhu does well VERY well. I lost track of the number of Liverpool attacks he stunted – it must have been close to 10 by half time. His passing was unimaginative, but he freed up Murphy for the creative work, and Danny did well in that department. Of the remaining three "midfielders," Dembëlë looked quick and direct the entire match. I've seen criticisms on his laziness in covering back, but I never seem to see it when I watch the match. He was excellent in all areas. Dempsey always wanted to shoot, and he stung Reina's hands twice as well as grievously assaulting his crossbar late in the match. Ruiz is slow on the turn and easy to shut down. He also rivals Danny in creativity, routinely making accurate passes into dangerous areas. I think he's still a little unfit – am I the only one here who thinks he's a little pudgy? – but he's going to contribute a lot for us.

Zamora was flat-ass terrible today. Skrtl beat him like a rented mule until he left in favor of Johnson. Bobby's hold up play was suspect, and on at least three occasions he laid off to a player who was already covered. Our Late President, in contrast, was a consistent pain in the backside for Skrtl and Agger [and does Dalglish really think his side will finish in the top six with that CB pairing?] It wasn't because AJ was threatening, but he was quick and he ran towards the goal, and the fact that he needed covering opened up things a bit.

Speaking of the goal, after a series of good passes – many by our captain – earned us a rare corner, Danny took a return pass, dummied the only person in SW6 who didn't know that he wanted to go right, and snapped in a hard shot that Reina got down to parry. Clint Dempsey got to it before anyone else did, and that was that. The interesting thing is that Dembëlë and Dempsey had already taken shots that Reina spilled, but nobody responded. Why? Because for most of the match, Fulham kept 11 behind the ball EVEN IN ATTACK. That's where the "dire" in my prospective title came from. With Johnson in the attack, suddenly we were interested in actually getting into Liverpool's penalty area. Without Johnson, there was never anyone there to get the Gary Lineker special that Dempsey picked up today. And I'm not laying this on Bobby. There are two problems with Fulham on attack: pace and tactics. Jol has us playing in slow motion, and this allows even a substandard defense to marshal its forces and get organized against us. I know we're not the fastest on the block, but we can cause more pressure than we are presently doing. And that, my friends, is not down to the players. Sort it out, Mr. Jol.

A word about Liverpool: "KARMA." To be fair, they played much the better football on the day, but Carroll [and thanks for starting him and not Maxi or Kuyt, Kenny] and Suarez were consistently outplayed by our back four. Lucas will be hard to replace for them, and they need better than the three central defenders they brought with them today – HMS Carragher was on the bench today. And karma especially to Suarez, who is a brilliant attacker, but never recovered emotionally from the shoulder-first dental exam Hangeland gave him in the first half. He'll be an even better player once he grows up.

But you know, I saw these guys take Chelsea apart twice in the last couple of weeks – AT THE DOGTRACK – and they never looked like doing it again. We have the makings of a very good side. We're already there with today's back four, keeper, and central midfield pair. We just need a little attitude, and I think we're there.

Man of the match: With great kudos to Schwarzer, Hangeland, Kelly, Etuhu, Senderos, Dempsey, and Dembëlë, I give it to Danny Murphy. I hope he's not too damaged.

And a word for those of us who had to listen to the Liverpool Supporters Network [Ian Darke and Steve McManaman for 90 minutes]. Sometimes getting three points is even sweeter.

[horse1031]

Fulham Steal One at the Death – like I'm going to complain about THAT!

So I was sat there for the better part of 80 minutes wondering what I was going to lead with. I was down to two choices – "Etuhu Guarantees Fulham a Point" or "Dire, Toothless Fulham Escape with a Point." And then neither one worked out. Damn you, Murphy! Damn you, Dempsey. Well, at least I didn't have to reset linotype [ask your grandparents].

For the entire match, Fulham looked calm and confident in defense. Riise had his second consecutive solid league performance; Kelly did as well, although HIS most recent start was against Man City. Senderos made some brilliant interventions early on, and – were I a forward  – seemed more frightening to attack than even Hangeland. Schwarzer looked sharp. Just when I had said for the 3rd or 4th time "Any top flight keeper would have gotten to that," he pulled off the save against Downing, a save even more amazing in its timing than in its dexterity and strength.

In the midfield – and just where IS the midfield for Fulham these days?? – Etuhu did what Etuhu does well VERY well. I lost track of the number of Liverpool attacks he stunted – it must have been close to 10 by half time. His passing was unimaginative, but he freed up Murphy for the creative work, and Danny did well in that department. Of the remaining three "midfielders," Dembëlë looked quick and direct the entire match. I've seen criticisms on his laziness in covering back, but I never seem to see it when I watch the match. He was excellent in all areas. Dempsey always wanted to shoot, and he stung Reina's hands twice as well as grievously assaulting his crossbar late in the match. Ruiz is slow on the turn and easy to shut down. He also rivals Danny in creativity, routinely making accurate passes into dangerous areas. I think he's still a little unfit – am I the only one here who thinks he's a little pudgy? – but he's going to contribute a lot for us.

Zamora was flat-ass terrible today. Skrtl beat him like a rented mule until he left in favor of Johnson. Bobby's hold up play was suspect, and on at least three occasions he laid off to a player who was already covered. Our Late President, in contrast, was a consistent pain in the backside for Skrtl and Agger [and does Dalglish really think his side will finish in the top six with that CB pairing?] It wasn't because AJ was threatening, but he was quick and he ran towards the goal, and the fact that he needed covering opened up things a bit.

Speaking of the goal, after a series of good passes – many by our captain – earned us a rare corner, Danny took a return pass, dummied the only person in SW6 who didn't know that he wanted to go right, and snapped in a hard shot that Reina got down to parry. Clint Dempsey got to it before anyone else did, and that was that. The interesting thing is that Dembëlë and Dempsey had already taken shots that Reina spilled, but nobody responded. Why? Because for most of the match, Fulham kept 11 behind the ball EVEN IN ATTACK. That's where the "dire" in my prospective title came from. With Johnson in the attack, suddenly we were interested in actually getting into Liverpool's penalty area. Without Johnson, there was never anyone there to get the Gary Lineker special that Dempsey picked up today. And I'm not laying this on Bobby. There are two problems with Fulham on attack: pace and tactics. Jol has us playing in slow motion, and this allows even a substandard defense to marshal its forces and get organized against us. I know we're not the fastest on the block, but we can cause more pressure than we are presently doing. And that, my friends, is not down to the players. Sort it out, Mr. Jol.

A word about Liverpool: "KARMA." To be fair, they played much the better football on the day, but Carroll [and thanks for starting him and not Maxi or Kuyt, Kenny] and Suarez were consistently outplayed by our back four. Lucas will be hard to replace for them, and they need better than the three central defenders they brought with them today – HMS Carragher was on the bench today. And karma especially to Suarez, who is a brilliant attacker, but never recovered emotionally from the shoulder-first dental exam Hangeland gave him in the first half. He'll be an even better player once he grows up.

But you know, I saw these guys take Chelsea apart twice in the last couple of weeks – AT THE DOGTRACK – and they never looked like doing it again. We have the makings of a very good side. We're already there with today's back four, keeper, and central midfield pair. We just need a little attitude, and I think we're there.

Man of the match: With great kudos to Schwarzer, Hangeland, Kelly, Etuhu, Senderos, Dempsey, and Dembëlë, I give it to Danny Murphy. I hope he's not too damaged.

And a word for those of us who had to listen to the Liverpool Supporters Network [Ian Darke and Steve McManaman for 90 minutes]. Sometimes getting three points is even sweeter.

good write up.  I also had to listen to the ESPN duo and i guess what can you expect from a liverpool legend calling the game.  Too be fair, he wasnt that impressed with Liverpools play either.

[Rambling_Syd_Rumpo]

Can't knock any of that Don,but,I think the 11 behind the ball was a direct tactic to counter Suárez,his positional play and speed can be a nightmare to play against,but with extra players to beat it gives the defence that extra second so we can get in position and if that doesn't work Senderos can just rugby tackle him 064.gif 064.gif

I think we where a bit lucky as Senderos could have been sent off aswel,l but we deserved a bit of luck and when we got it we took our chance 098.gif 098.gif

great write up Don as normal mate :54:

[FatFreddysCat]

Great review HD, but i thought we played very well first half, couldn't see us holding out in the second (Europe tired legs), but the sending off was a Godsend, love beating them, i'm second to only Finnster in my hatred of them.

[RidgeRider]

And a word for those of us who had to listen to the Liverpool Supporters Network [Ian Darke and Steve McManaman for 90 minutes]. Sometimes getting three points is even sweeter.


I have never had a bad word to say about these two until today. Liverpool Supporters Network is spot on. I couldn't believe how one sided they were. I don't care if one of them had played for Liverpool or not and of course he HAD to say Liverpool didn't play well.....they lost.

[NogoodBoyo]

Spot on about the Johnny Darko McMahonandonandon pool love fest. 
Thrilled to see you give MOM to Murph.  That injury looked serious though.  I guess we'll see what Jol's plan for next year's midfield will be if Murph is hobnobbed for a few weeks.  Kasami?  Doubtful.  Frei?  More of a runner than a passer and we already have the runner in Dembele.  Ruiz?  Maybe.  What about Gecov?  No idea.
Still, our defence is Bronx hard and Senderos is a big part of it.  He looks slow and cumbersome.  I don't think he is.  His distribution and evasion of enemy shipping was impressive to boot.  Both full backs looked very good against talented players.  But the pitch belonged to Hangerland and Schwartzer.  These two are just a joy to watch.  Opposing teams must hate playing against them.
Nogood "long way from Lubbock, isit" Boyo

[BillNRoc]

I'm a huge fan of HD's post-match commentary, and he's on the mark again today. When I recall how we got carved up in the same fixture last year, I'm even more delighted that we grabbed 3 points today. Yes, the ESPN2 announce team was dressed in red, but given the recent form of the two sides that's not hopelessly unfair.

FFC played a game we could win, and we did. The Reds must have expected us to roll over meekly, but once they learned otherwise they did create some good chances. We still send too many goal kicks upfield for my taste, but we seemed more ready to at least try to build from the back, via Murphy and Etuhu and Riise, than I remember in other matches witnessed on TV. We were stout on defense, opportunistic on offense, and our keeper had a better day. King Kenny and their fans may feel like we stole the points, but I honestly feel we earned them. Just hope Murphy isn't badly hurt, because he stood tall today. Etuhu can spell Sidwell (or vice versa) but I'm wondering who can spell the skipper.

[Mr Fulham]

You're pretty harsh on Skrtel, though. Come on, the guy has only one vowel, so lay off him.  :005:

[Snibbo]

Thanks again HD. Great summary.

There was only one period, albeit a long one, when I was really worried. That was in the 2nd half when we conceded 5 corners in 5 minutes, most of them unnecessary. We were panicky and brittle.  We got through it, then we got the bit of luck with the sending off (the commentators on my stream were dismissive of it, but the BBC report highlights that though he got the ball, he dangerously took the man as well).

No apologies. This was a SWEET win.  About time we had the rub of the green. 

COYW.

[MisfitKid]

Hey Don- D.S.P. as usual.   :Haynes The Maestro:

[sipwell]

I will have to disagree on three accounts:

1) I thought Kelly had, at times, a poor game. He was the one responsible for that stupid corner (no threat and he headed the ball out) which led to five minutes of serious Liverpool pressing. We were wondering whether, in a later stage, he would do the same again (and he did).
2) I didn't think Murphy was the man of the match (this coming from a person who has a Murphy Fulham shirt and considers him to be one of the best). I found he was weaker than other games. If it hadn't been for Etuhu, he would have struggled considerably;
3) Where is Riise in your write-up? I have seen it live in Twente and I saw it yesterday again: Riise is very willing to go into attack. Just watch the times he passes bottom of your screen in full sprint. If they can learn to give him the ball more (and better), he will be dangerous. He got the ball one or twice, but they need to work on that.


In any case, thanks for your views HD!

[AlFayedsChequebook]

I will have to disagree on three accounts:

1) I thought Kelly had, at times, a poor game. He was the one responsible for that stupid corner (no threat and he headed the ball out) which led to five minutes of serious Liverpool pressing. We were wondering whether, in a later stage, he would do the same again (and he did).
2) I didn't think Murphy was the man of the match (this coming from a person who has a Murphy Fulham shirt and considers him to be one of the best). I found he was weaker than other games. If it hadn't been for Etuhu, he would have struggled considerably;
3) Where is Riise in your write-up? I have seen it live in Twente and I saw it yesterday again: Riise is very willing to go into attack. Just watch the times he passes bottom of your screen in full sprint. If they can learn to give him the ball more (and better), he will be dangerous. He got the ball one or twice, but they need to work on that.


In any case, thanks for your views HD!

I dont think you can blame Kelly for heading it out when under no pressure, because both times he did it, Suarez was lurking along the touchline, waiting to pounce. Safety first for defenders. Imagine if he had left it and Suarez had hit a cross back across goal for someone to tap in? He would have been crucified.

[sipwell]

I will have to disagree on three accounts:

1) I thought Kelly had, at times, a poor game. He was the one responsible for that stupid corner (no threat and he headed the ball out) which led to five minutes of serious Liverpool pressing. We were wondering whether, in a later stage, he would do the same again (and he did).
2) I didn't think Murphy was the man of the match (this coming from a person who has a Murphy Fulham shirt and considers him to be one of the best). I found he was weaker than other games. If it hadn't been for Etuhu, he would have struggled considerably;
3) Where is Riise in your write-up? I have seen it live in Twente and I saw it yesterday again: Riise is very willing to go into attack. Just watch the times he passes bottom of your screen in full sprint. If they can learn to give him the ball more (and better), he will be dangerous. He got the ball one or twice, but they need to work on that.


In any case, thanks for your views HD!

I dont think you can blame Kelly for heading it out when under no pressure, because both times he did it, Suarez was lurking along the touchline, waiting to pounce. Safety first for defenders. Imagine if he had left it and Suarez had hit a cross back across goal for someone to tap in? He would have been crucified.

There was no-one standing close on both occasions and it was going out any way :)

[AlFayedsChequebook]

I will have to disagree on three accounts:

1) I thought Kelly had, at times, a poor game. He was the one responsible for that stupid corner (no threat and he headed the ball out) which led to five minutes of serious Liverpool pressing. We were wondering whether, in a later stage, he would do the same again (and he did).
2) I didn't think Murphy was the man of the match (this coming from a person who has a Murphy Fulham shirt and considers him to be one of the best). I found he was weaker than other games. If it hadn't been for Etuhu, he would have struggled considerably;
3) Where is Riise in your write-up? I have seen it live in Twente and I saw it yesterday again: Riise is very willing to go into attack. Just watch the times he passes bottom of your screen in full sprint. If they can learn to give him the ball more (and better), he will be dangerous. He got the ball one or twice, but they need to work on that.


In any case, thanks for your views HD!

I dont think you can blame Kelly for heading it out when under no pressure, because both times he did it, Suarez was lurking along the touchline, waiting to pounce. Safety first for defenders. Imagine if he had left it and Suarez had hit a cross back across goal for someone to tap in? He would have been crucified.

There was no-one standing close on both occasions and it was going out any way :)

I was there and Suarez was nearby. Again, safety first. If a defender makes one mistake it can lead to a goal. Kelly struggled a bit early on, but was relatively solid.

[ImperialWhite]

The interesting thing is that Dembëlë and Dempsey had already taken shots that Reina spilled, but nobody responded. Why? Because for most of the match, Fulham kept 11 behind the ball EVEN IN ATTACK. That's where the "dire" in my prospective title came from. With Johnson in the attack, suddenly we were interested in actually getting into Liverpool's penalty area. Without Johnson, there was never anyone there to get the Gary Lineker special that Dempsey picked up today. And I'm not laying this on Bobby. There are two problems with Fulham on attack: pace and tactics. Jol has us playing in slow motion, and this allows even a substandard defense to marshal its forces and get organized against us. I know we're not the fastest on the block, but we can cause more pressure than we are presently doing. And that, my friends, is not down to the players. Sort it out, Mr. Jol.

+a million and one

Exactly! Its so frustrating watching us attack. We defend beautifully as a team, when we attack that goes out of the window. Only a few players commit forwards initially, so passing opitions are inevitably limited. We need to attack as a team in the same way we defend as a team.

[AlFayedsChequebook]

The interesting thing is that Dembëlë and Dempsey had already taken shots that Reina spilled, but nobody responded. Why? Because for most of the match, Fulham kept 11 behind the ball EVEN IN ATTACK. That's where the "dire" in my prospective title came from. With Johnson in the attack, suddenly we were interested in actually getting into Liverpool's penalty area. Without Johnson, there was never anyone there to get the Gary Lineker special that Dempsey picked up today. And I'm not laying this on Bobby. There are two problems with Fulham on attack: pace and tactics. Jol has us playing in slow motion, and this allows even a substandard defense to marshal its forces and get organized against us. I know we're not the fastest on the block, but we can cause more pressure than we are presently doing. And that, my friends, is not down to the players. Sort it out, Mr. Jol.

+a million and one

Exactly! Its so frustrating watching us attack. We defend beautifully as a team, when we attack that goes out of the window. Only a few players commit forwards initially, so passing opitions are inevitably limited. We need to attack as a team in the same way we defend as a team.

I think we need a new striker. BZ no longer cuts the mustard on his own. If we can get in a powerful but pacy striker in the window who can stretch our attacks, we will look better.

We still created some really good chances last night, so our attack is not as bad as people would like to think. Our finishing is, however.

[HatterDon]

I will have to disagree on three accounts:

1) I thought Kelly had, at times, a poor game. He was the one responsible for that stupid corner (no threat and he headed the ball out) which led to five minutes of serious Liverpool pressing. We were wondering whether, in a later stage, he would do the same again (and he did).
2) I didn't think Murphy was the man of the match (this coming from a person who has a Murphy Fulham shirt and considers him to be one of the best). I found he was weaker than other games. If it hadn't been for Etuhu, he would have struggled considerably;
3) Where is Riise in your write-up? I have seen it live in Twente and I saw it yesterday again: Riise is very willing to go into attack. Just watch the times he passes bottom of your screen in full sprint. If they can learn to give him the ball more (and better), he will be dangerous. He got the ball one or twice, but they need to work on that.


In any case, thanks for your views HD!

Well here's what I wrote about Riise:

Riise had his second consecutive solid league performance

Of course; I didn't mention that he also headed out for a corner when there was no pressure from a Liverpool attacker, but ... .