Monday Fulham Stuff (08/10/12)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham Verdict: Spurs duo's exit only one reason why Whites dropped points at Southampton

Martin Jol pulled no punches when he admitted that his Fulham side had not been at the races in the first half against Southampton.

The Whites were sloppy and could have been out of the game in the first 10 minutes.

As it was they were a goal down at half time and unable to grab a foothold in the midfield and struggled to deal with set pieces.

When asked about what went on in the dressing room at the interval Jol said: "You can give them all the clichés and say we don't work hard enough.

"We were worried about making mistakes. We did the same thing in midfield.

"We couldn't get the ball to our best players and they're up front – Damien [Duff], Bryan [Ruiz] and Hugo [Rodallega].

"I thought the best player was our left player and he was the youngest player on the pitch. That summed up the first half."

Had they had Clint Dempsey or Mousa Dembele it is unlikely that that would have happened.

Jol felt that, with the duo, Fulham could have challenged for the top six and sides with those aspirations would expect a win on the south coast.

"I have to be honest – that transfer window was the worst ever because I really hoped to keep my best players," Jol said.

"We beat Norwich five-nil in the first game of the season and I thought this is my best squad.

"I also knew Dimitar Berbatov was on the fringes and felt, if we add him, we can go for the top six.

"I really thought that. But then in a couple of days it all changed. I can't say I relished the situation at all. I was very frustrated."

It was not the only reason why Fulham struggled in the opening 45 minutes as their defending from set pieces was poor and they were lucky not to be further behind.

Rickie Lambert fired a warning with a back-post header that went wide from Daniel Fox's corner in only the second minute and Jose Fonte opened the scoring from another corner, this time from Adam Lallana.

That theme continued for most of the game with the defence struggling to deal with the Saints' aerial threat.

As bad as Fulham were in the first half in the midfield, they were excellent in the second.

They deserved an equaliser and it came when Jos Hooiveld diverted Riise's shot into his own net. Having hit the post, seen the ball cleared off the line and the Southampton keeper making a great save, the Whites deserved this slice of luck.

They then led through Kieran Richardson's strike after great work from Sascha Riether down the right flank.

Replacing players with the calibre of Dempsey and Dembele would always be tough but there are some positive signs for Jol.

Riether has made an start at full back and Alex Kacaniklic was a bright-spot going forward in the first half against the Saints.

Richardson improved his chances of securing a first team spot with a well taken goal.

With Berbatov and Mladen Petric both likely to return for the game with Aston Villa, the firepower up front will be even stronger with Hugo Rodallega in the mix as well.



http://www.london24.com/sport/fulham/fulham_verdict_spurs_duo_s_exit_only_one_reason_why_whites_dropped_points_at_southampton_1_1583604?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham Focus - Defensive frailties cost Cottagers yet again

In all bar one of Fulham's four away matches in the Premier League so far this season, Martin Jol's men have arguably controlled proceedings and more than deserved to come away with the three points, only for an inability to keep clean sheets to cost the Cottagers dearly.



From the defeat at Old Trafford to the victory at Wigan, Fulham have at times been well on top and yet when under pressure, have shown a tendency to leak goals alarmingly late in matches.

Jol therefore will be infuriated at his side's 2-2 draw at Southampton over the weekend, a clash that will surely be viewed as two points lost having taken the lead in the 88th minute through Kieran Richardson, only for a last minute Saints equaliser to deny the Cottagers.

However, following Fulham's first half performance, Jol's men were arguably lucky to come away with anything after a listless performance that could have have seen them down by several goals but for some profligate Southampton finishing.

The Cottagers are clearly missing Dimitar Berbatov's class up front and the sooner they are able to call upon the talismanic Bulgarian the better. Indeed, the ache for Berbatov seemed to grow louder with every passing minute as Bryan Ruiz flitted around the edges of the game while Hugo Rodallega lacked the sureness of touch that the central striker in Fulham's system needs to ally to his impressive work rate.

However, it must not be forgotten that Fulham's attack did eventually click into gear and but for a late defensive collapse would have come away with victory. Of course, the attacking philosophy Jol preaches does not exactly lend itself to defensive solidity. Indeed, with the propensity of Fulham's midfielders to fly forward, the likes of Brede Hangeland and Aaron Hughes, though dependable defenders, can often find themselves exposed against quick counter-attacks.

Despite that, the Fulham supremo will be concerned about his side's inability to see games out. Late defensive errors have now seen Fulham almost snatch a draw from the jaws of victory at Wigan, fall to a home defeat to Manchester City and on Sunday, see victory slip away at St Mary's. Without those slip-ups, the Cottagers would currently be sitting in seventh position, ahead of London rivals Arsenal.

So how does Jol find a solution? It is possibly too simplistic to say that with time running down Fulham should be a little wiser and not continue to fly forward in search of more goals. However, perhaps the manager would be wise to have a few words with skipper Hangeland, who has for so long a totem-like presence of solidity and stability at Craven Cottage, but has seen his standards slip somewhat so far this season.

Although fans and staff will be disappointed by the late concession, upcoming clashes with Aston Villa and Reading ensure there could be more points on the board after the international break in West London.



http://www.adifferentleague.co.uk/p6_1_17042_fulham-focus-defensive-frailties-cost-cottagers-yet-again.html