Monday Fulham Stuff (11/11/13)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Berbatov Is A Disgrace, Liverpool Can Win Title & Other Thoughts On Liverpool 4-0 Fulham

An evisceration at Anfield has proved Jol's time is up - the manner of defeat simply unacceptable. Liverpool fans though should start to believe...

Predictable yet so demoralising. As Luis Suarez and Liverpool disintegrated Fulham's resolve, the ever joyous Saturday 3pm kick-off quickly turned into an excruciating form of mental punishment as attack after attack looked highly likely to end in a copious amount of goals.

I mention predictable as the Whites' form has been somewhat non-existent since a rare away domination in South-East London in late October. In the aftermath of the anomaly, which culminated in a rare return of four goals in 90 minutes, the word abysmal doesn't half describe the performances and effort produced by the players and coaching staff alike.

Rampant Reds

Liverpool were quite simply dominant, with a share of 68% of the possession and a staggering 32 shots on goal, and at times making the SW6 outfit look a pub team at best. Such an enormous amount of the ball and a great deal of chances has questioned their inability to convert their opportunities, which I can assure you is not a pressing concern  following a 4-0 demolition.

The controversial figure of Luis Suarez once again demonstrated his world class ability and staked an increasing claim towards being the best player in the Premier League.

Fulham's back four were run ragged, and the Uruguyan played a big part in that. The former Ajax man's enthusiasm is evident on the pitch. and despite his unsavoury antics, it is a joy to see a player with refreshing talent embrace the game in such a manner.

However, it would be unfair to single out Mr. Suarez as it was a clinical team display by the Reds, with the midfield running the show via Steven Gerrard and Phillipe Coutinho's presence which proved to be a constant threat throughout.

Set pieces

Despite the impressive display from the home side, it was just as much the failures of my precious team which was a big contributing factor.

Shock horror to Fulham fans came in the form of two goals conceded from set pieces, with the inability to deal with them ever present. The Cottage faithful can be at ease however, as Martin Jol has assured fans that the team have worked on them in training, thank goodness for that. It's nice to see that the methods at Motspur Park are finally paying dividends.

Such an occurrence has been too frequent for my liking, and it is clear that the organisational skills of both Martin Jol and his backroom staff have been instrumental in our misdemeanors from dead ball situations.

The ineffectiveness has become so bad that every corner conceded feels like a Rory Delap throw in at the Britannia, which would fill even the most optimistic fan with worry.

Mentality

Aside from set pieces, Fulham's performance nearly matched the comical levels of Austin Powers' Mike Myers, who made the pilgrimage to his beloved Anfield, and it was evident that the game had been lost before the whistle had been blown, with the negative setup and attitude oozing off of the hallowed Merseyside turf.

Poor results away from home have been customary and part of the declining package that comes with being a Fulham fan, but never has such negativity on the road been showcased than in the last two away outings in the league.

Jol's tactics of looking to contain the Reds and somehow leave the North-West with a point was apparent, and after a while, was found out and quickly thrown in the bin with the home side penetrating at will.

The negative mentality is defined through the body language and attitude of Dimitar Berbatov. In recent weeks, the Bulgarian's presence has had a rather corrosive effect with the unwanted disease slowly spreading and reaching epidemic realms in the Fulham camp.

Berbatov's lack of interest has quickly overshadowed his undeniable talent, and his persona has begun to infuriate myself and the majority of suffering Fulham fans. With the same approach to saving energy as a Greenpeace activist, it has become clear that the silky striker is indeed Martin Jol's lovechild.

Final Thoughts

Questions have, and will be asked about both teams in the aftermath of this encounter, but they will derive and be associated with different ends of the Barclays Premier League table.

Popular opinion still suggests that Liverpool cannot and will not compete for the title come the closing weeks of the season, but I would find it hard to rule them out of a challenge. For me, a top four finish looks an increasing certainty, with a pursuit for a first league title in more than two decades also a possible outcome.

The Merseyside club seem to have added the much needed strength in depth at Anfield, and the long awaited striker to partner the clinical Luis Suarez in Daniel Sturridge. Whilst others may burst into hysterics, the club's start to the season has been impressive and can be extended into the new year.

On the other hand, Fulham continue to look like a villain in quicksand with the fans patience with Martin Jol long gone. It can be safely said that 99% are adamant that the Dutchman should be relieved of his duties.

Circumstances look rather bleak on the banks of the Thames at this moment in time and it is obvious that Jol needs to go. However, I will leave this with an air of positivity, in my belief that with the right man, we can see the good times again. Maybe I should lay off the drink.



http://sabotagetimes.com/reportage/jol-has-to-go-liverpool-can-win-title-other-thoughts-on-liverpool-4-0-fulham/?

[WhiteJC]

 
United line up 'new Drogba': Moyes targets Fulham kid Dembele after stunning show in U21s clash

Manchester United are considering a swoop for Fulham striker Moussa Dembele.

The Frenchman - who shares a name with the former Cottagers midfielder now plying his trade with Tottenham - impressed during a recent Under 21 clash with United.

David Moyes' No 2 Steve Round, along with coaches Phil Neville and Nicky Butt, were impressed with the 17-year-old who scored in the 2-2 draw.


One to watch: Moussa Dembele is on Manchester United's radar after impressing in an Under 21 match

The match last month also saw Darren Fletcher put on a United shirt for the first time in 10 months after his battle with a serious bowel condition.

Dembele recently signed his first professional contract with the club meaning the Premier League champions would have to pay a fee.


Namesake: Dembele shares a name with the former Fulham midfielder who is now at Tottenham

He was signed from the Paris Saint-Germain academy last year for £284,000, the maximum payable under FIFA rules for international transfers involving academy players.

A France youth international, he is widely regarded as his country's best in his age group and has been compared with Didier Drogba.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2497051/Manchester-United-want-Fulhams-Moussa-Dembele.html#ixzz2kJJ1vm6A
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[WhiteJC]

 
Time To Regroup

Scott Parker wants to see Fulham build a platform in matches having seen his side concede two quick first-half goals on Saturday.

An own goal from Fernando Amorebieta was followed by a Martin Skrtel header as hosts Liverpool stamped their authority midway through the opening period. Luis Suarez added a third, finishing coolly on 36 minutes, with the Uruguayan bagging his second and the Reds' fourth early in the second half.

"It was very much a similar scenario to the week before when we conceded goals in quick succession against Manchester United," said Parker to fulhamfc.com. "At this level, you just can't let that happen. We're talking about two of the top teams in the Premier League and, again, we gave ourselves a mountain to climb.

"We're hugely disappointed, particularly as we feel we could have done better from three of their four goals. Their third, when Jordan Henderson played the ball through to Luis Suarez, was a good move – but we should have done more with the others.

"The first two came from set-pieces and that's always difficult to take. It's happened a few times now, so we really need to address that moving forward.

"When the second goal went in, we struggled to respond. They really came at us, and full credit, because at times they played some exceptional football. They moved the ball really well and, as a result, they were very hard to contain."

Despite Saturday's disappointment, the 33-year-old midfielder ran his heart out, doing his best to drive Fulham forward from the middle of the park and disrupt the Reds' rhythm. In a testing period, Parker's experience is vital.

"We need to try and regroup, and go again as soon as we can," he added. "It will be a tough week, it always is on the back of those kind of results. We need to react with the right performance against Swansea City next time out.

"With the international break, we have to wait a little while now to address the situation but it's important that we're ready. We need the result, we need to erase recent results and turn things around.

"For me, we're just not giving ourselves an opportunity out there. We're not creating a base to build from, instead we're trailing matches and putting ourselves under the cosh.

"We need to get our noses in front and take the play to the opposition. It's about finding that momentum and asserting our own game again."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/november/10/scott-parker?

[WhiteJC]

 
Berbatov wants Fulham exit

Fulham striker Dimitar Berbatov is unhappy at Craven Cottage and hoping to leave the club in the near future, SportsDirect News understands.

The Bulgarian forward only joined the London club from Manchester United last summer, but has been unable to lift the club from the bottom half of the table after some poor all-round displays from Martin Jol's team.

Once considered one of the most naturally gifted players in the Premier League, Berbatov remains highly rated, and was linked with a move to Galatasaray during the summer, though it never materialised.

But as Fulham continue to struggle in what could be a relegation battle this season, the 32-year-old will now hope to push for an exit when the transfer window re-opens in January.

Clubs in Italy and Russia are said to be monitoring the former Spurs star's situation, and Fulham may well face a battle on their hands to keep their disgruntled star at the club for the rest of the season.

With Pajtim Kasami also emerging as a recent target for Juventus, it could be a difficult January for the Cottagers as they face a fight to keep their best players as well as their Premier League status.



http://www.sportsdirectnews.com/premier-league-news/35506-berbatov-wants-fulham-exit.php#.UoBmDKUcKbA

[WhiteJC]

 
Jol targets "lesser" sides in survival battle

Fulham manager Martin Jol feels his team will need to pick up points against the league's "lesser" sides if they are to avoid being dragged into a relegation dogfight.

Speaking following the Londoners' 4-0 thrashing at Anfield which saw them drop to 17th in the table, just one point above the drop zone, Jol said:

"I think we'll be fine.  We have to suffer during these games.

"There are the top sides and then maybe outside the top seven or eight, they are not better than us. Those are the games when we have to get results."

Despite calls for his exit, the Dutchman still believes he is the man who can lead the Cottagers to safety.

"I think you have to be an expert if you are in the bottom four or five to keep teams up and I don't think there are a lot of experts," he added.

"Every manager in every team in the bottom six or seven has to keep fighting."

However, that doesn't mean that Jol feels that it is acceptable to lose to the so-called "bigger" teams.

"It's not acceptable. The only thing I say is you make it too difficult if you concede cheap goals like that against the top teams and I feel conceding goals from set-pieces, which is the easiest way to defend, is unacceptable," he continued.

"We are still up for the fight. We do everything in training and then we make the same mistakes. It was very frustrating, not only for the fans but for me and the team. I've got ambition and a mentality to win."



http://www.setanta.com/ie/jol-targets-lesser-sides-in-survival-battle/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Strolling Dimitar Berbatov looks even more hopeless compared to Liverpool's busy star Luis Suarez

"Berbatov only spoke to his team-mates in body language. And Berbatov's body language is one long mumble," says Andy Dunn

In the build-up to Liverpool's third goal at Anfield on Saturday, Steven Gerrard was closed down by Dimitar Berbatov.

Well, it was what counts for closing down in Berbatov's world. Politely approaching, you and I might call it.

Gerrard had strayed into that 10m radius of Dimitar's operating circle and the Fulham captain grudgingly meandered over.

For a second, he even considered a challenge.

Gerrard nutmegged, Berbatov shrugged, Suarez scored. In a nutshell, that was this lamentable Fulham performance. It was that poor, it shocked. It was that weak, it required a double-take.

It was not men against boys – it was men against old men.

Scott Parker seems to have aged a decade in a year, Fernando Amorebieta was slower than a week in Wormwood Scrubs. Let's not start on the football... physically, they were way behind their opponents.

The contrast between Liverpool's vitality and verve and Fulham's idleness and indifference was brutally stark.

Everything – bar the agile efforts of goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg – reeked of characters comfortable with mediocrity.

No wonder Martin Jol is unlikely to last much longer. But most are his choices. And Berbatov as skipper – in the absence of Brede Hangeland – is certainly his choice.

It is way too easy to make Berbatov a scapegoat. The level of his laziness might be little different to many of his colleagues. It's just that with those long, limp, arms finished off with gloves, it stands out more.

So what on earth makes a manager feel Berbatov is captaincy material? If a collective can draw inspiration from a flick and a trick, he's your man.

But Berbatov only spoke to his team-mates in body language. And Berbatov's body language is one long mumble.

Never mind captain, in this sort of predicament, he is not even close to the type of player a troubled manager needs.

This is like having a manicurist down the mines. Berbatov's and Fulham's abysmal efforts diluted the excellence of Suarez and Gerrard.

The captain, maybe revelling in the irony of dominating Parker in the centre of the field, was simply imperious. While for the boy in Suarez, this was sweetshop stuff. He will be kicking himself for only getting a couple.

But if you needed another insight into his character – and you probably don't – it came when he berated an assistant referee after a throw-in decision did not go his way. In about the 90th minute.

He never, ever stops.

By then, Berbatov had been substituted and was sinking deeper into a puffer jacket. Never mind the bench, he should have been on a chaise longue.

He can only have been horrified by all that chasing and harrying stuff from Suarez. When the captain was substituted, Berbatov and Jol did not even exchange a glance. They did not need to.

Whatever their faults, they are both bright people... and they know their time at Fulham is coming to an end.



Check out all the latest News, Sport & Celeb gossip at Mirror.co.uk http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/fulhams-dimitar-berbatov-looks-even-2716408#ixzz2kJKieaUY
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[WhiteJC]

 
Jol: Fulham need to beat 'lesser' sides

Martin Jol insists Fulham need to take points off the Premier League's "lesser" sides after their 4-0 thrashing by Liverpool.

Fulham are 17th and could slip into the relegation zone if Stoke draw at Swansea on Sunday. "I think we'll be fine," Jol said.

"We have to suffer during these games. There are the top sides and then maybe outside the top seven or eight, they are not better than us. Those are the games when we have to get results."

Jol's position is not believed to be under immediate threat, and he still feels he is the right man for the job. He said he had not spoken to Fulham owner Shahid Khan after the Anfield defeat.

"I think you have to be an expert if you are in the bottom four or five to keep teams up and I don't think there are a lot of experts," Jol added.

"Every manager in every team in the bottom six or seven has to keep fighting."

Asked if it was acceptable to expect to lose to the big teams, Jol said: "It's not acceptable. The only thing I say is you make it too difficult if you concede cheap goals like that against the top teams and I feel conceding goals from set-pieces, which is the easiest way to defend, is unacceptable.

"We are still up for the fight. We do everything in training and then we make the same mistakes. It was very frustrating, not only for the fans but for me and the team. I've got ambition and a mentality to win."



Read more at http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/256271.html#CbEAREGR36qfFqLQ.99

[WhiteJC]

 
Hang On To Dembele
   
We`ve already let one player called Mouusa Dembele leave when Tottenham came a knocking on our door.

Now there are rumours circulating that 17 year-old Moussa Dembele, currently performing magnificently in the U21 side, is being watched by Manchester United.

It seems that United having been on the receiving end of what the lad can do, in a recent U21 match where he scored in a 2-2 draw are keen to lure the youngster to Old Trafford.

It is being suggested that he United coaches Steve Round, Phil Neville and Nicky Butt were so impressed that they believe they`ve found someone who can develop into the new Didier Drogba.

Now we understand that 17 year-old Dembele is secured to craven Cottage until 2016, therefore it`d take a fee to snatch him, hopefully we can hang on to the lad.


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=338460#ixzz2kJLIzjj4

[WhiteJC]

 
Time for A Fresh Face?
   
After that terrible performance up at Anfield, the rumours with regards to a change at the managerial helm are gathering pace.

Whilst Martin Jol remains confident he can get us out of this mire, many supporters are not so sure. They see the Dutchman as a spent force and somebody who is struggling big-time to turn things around.

Today, two names have been thrown into the hat as possible candidates for role, these being Roberto Di Matteo and Ole Gunnar Solksjaer.

Di Matteo`s achievement, down the road at Stamford Bridge, have given him legendary status at our near neighbours whilst Ole Gunnar Solskjaer may be a relative novice still but his pedigree is growing by the game as he makes Molde into a major force in Norwegian football.

The rumours we hear is that Jol is set for talks with the clubs new owner, Shahid Khan, I`m , on the evidence of that awful display up at Anfield, not alone in hoping that it might be time to wave goodbye.

How about you?


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=338473#ixzz2kJLWMzBZ

[WhiteJC]

 
I Hope We Get Our Fulham Back
by CHRIS GILBERTSON on NOVEMBER 10, 2013

As trigger points go, being sat here on a Sunday evening seeing Fulham in the bottom three is a fairly bad one.

Whomever you blame, and there are various candidates, Fulham are nothing better than an embarrassing shambles at the moment.

Following yesterday's thrashing at the hands of Liverpool, one national journalist tweeted the best comment I've seen about Fulham this season:


Defensively we are lackadaisical, offensively we are incoherent, we have no leaders and a manager who seems to think it is ok to lose at Anfield because we can get points off teams like Sunderland. Oh yes, the Sunderland that went and beat Manchester City this afternoon.

For a club that sprouts rhetoric about a club philosophy, sustainability and good football, Fulham are sure doing their best to lull the rest of the Premier League into a false sense of security.

The football for the last 12 months, since the defeat to Sunderland at home, has been predominantly awful. 2013 has seen us win ONE league match at home. Fortress Fulham is currently smouldering in ruins.

Away performances are a farce. Sure we beat a Palace team devoid of Premiership talent and a Sunderland team who hated their manager, but we are fast becoming the easiest three points in the league. At least Palace fight and show spirit for more than the first 15 minutes. Teams barely have to try to beat Fulham.

The inane statements offered by our manager are just that, inane drivel. Do you care what Martin Jol has to say anymore? I sure don't. Apart from collecting more evidence against a man who should be destined for the managerial gallows, what good are his press conferences for? We are told we're lucky to have him, that we're lucky to have some of the players he signed and that we shouldn't expect to win against teams like Liverpool. Great, thanks, glad I stopped my day to listen to that.

Our squad, now one almost fully assembled by the Dutchman, is its worst for several seasons; full of over-ego'd players who were good several seasons ago. We have players signed with no position in mind. Young players are not getting games or are treated like schoolboys and in one week and out the next. What's worse is that Dimitar Berbatov is bleedin' captain.

A managerial change will be a good start, but if we are fortunate enough to stay in this league come the end of the season, wholesale changes are needed. If there are more than a handful of first teamers that you honestly want to wear the Fulham shirt come next season, I'm struggling to see them this season.

One thing is a success this season, Martin has got his wish. Expectations have been lowered. At this rate, Fulham can expect to be in the bottom three come May – a far cry from the talk of Top 10 when Shahid Khan bought the club in July. Southampton expected to finish next to us in mid-table and they're third in the league with three players in the England squad. Expectations are not the crime, how you approach them can be.

It is high time Shahid Khan got off his chair in Jacksonville and did something at Craven Cottage. Ignorance is not an excuse, it's a problem. Justifying an endless malaise due to your own lack of knowledge is naivety of the highest order. If you can complete a takeover in less than one month, why does it take five to see it slipping between your fingers? Had Fulham's struggles been a new thing, then Khan would have a leg to stand on. It's a shame Khan has a fence the size of the Atlantic to sit on.

Had we not beaten Swansea on the final day of the season, Jol would have had his reign of smugness ended six months ago. Perhaps then we would not have wasted our second summer in a row with cheap, unnecessary signings of players past their prime. The sooner fans, the media and a new manager get stock that Fulham's players might just be good enough to get relegated, the better off the club will be.

The lack of work ethic and the lack of leadership are crippling Fulham. Expectations are constantly being lowered and we are now being told not to expect our team to even compete. I'm glad I've bought a season ticket, replica shirt a programme subscription, it's just so fulfilling to support a team who don't even try to win.

Change is needed to survive the short term, wholesale changes are needed to survive in the long term.

The performances lost the fans, his comments have ensured they won't return. With the international break upon us, Fulham must act now.

I rarely look forward to international breaks, they are an unwelcome distraction from the weekly activity of league football. Now, I wish there was an international break every week. We'll all still be there in a fortnight's time, but watching Fulham stopped being fun some time ago.

Fan's infight, atmosphere's become sour and vitriol is aimed at all corners. A crisis is what Fulham are in. The sooner someone comes out and recognises the problem, the sooner we can do something to put it right. The shirts that this team puts on may say Fulham, but they're not our Fulham.

It is a long road to salvation but 27 games might just be enough. There is not a single fan, blogger, journalist, enthusiast or badger who wants to be sat here in June going we told you so. Fear is manifesting itself across the board. Fulham are in trouble.

I hope we get our Fulham back before it's too late.

COYWs



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2013/11/i-hope-we-get-our-fulham-back/?

[WhiteJC]

 
What's wrong?

I read an article about how American Football teams are using GPS systems to learn about their players. This technology gives them acceleration/deceleration numbers, everything a player does. Using it a team was able to learn that a star player was moving better to his right than his left. They noted that if this had got out around the league he'd have been toast. They found another player who was showing extraoardinary abilities to run fast then stop dead; they hadn't seen this with their eyes but the numbers allowed them to build it into their approach.

I say this because I'm still struggling to pin down exactly what Fulham are doing that's so awful. I mean it. I can tell in the abstract, and if you've been reading this for a while you know that we know about the shots thing. But with my eyes it's just not that simple.

Here's the thing though: the defence looks awful but isn't getting any protection. So is the abject defending their fault?

The attack is almost non-existent. But the forwards are getting no service. Is the lack of penetration their fault?

The midfield will complain that they're overrun. They will complain that the forwards aren't moving. So are they blameless?

Here's what we know:

Stekelenberg is probably as close to blameless as anyone here.

I have never been convinced by Sascha Riether's defending but the width he gave us was meant to be a helpful counterpoint to that. He's not playing at the moment.

Philippe Senderos is attracting flak, but he got that when he was playing well so in a downswing he's like a magnet for the ire of our fans. We know that he has performed reasonably in Fulham defences in the past, so the fact that we're being sliced apart every week can't be down to him. Sure he's struggling but as noted before, Jaap Stam and Franco Baresi couldn't keep teams quiet in this Fulham XI.

Amorebieta impressed at left-back but I suspect his play in the middle has been a bit rusty. It's a new partnership and perhaps hasn't gelled as it might have. These things take time though, but time is short when you're allowing a shot on goal every other minute the opposition have the ball.

Richardson I thought was doing okay for us but he had a stinker at the weekend. He's Riether's equal but that still only means a 6/10 player probably.

Parker is everyone's idea of a good player to have around and it's true that he was doing the bizzo for England not long ago.

Sidwell is a mystery. I always think he's a good player but suspect he's a bit frenetic to be relied upon in an engine room these days. I find it hard to conjure up an image of him in possession, which is weird. He has a nice nose for goal and tackles well but – I'm guessing – is fairly ordinary overall. Like I say, I can't quite pin him down.

Kacaniklic and Dejagah are what they are. People got angry with Ruiz, these two played instead, and oh look, neither did anything. This was completely predictable.

Kasami continues to catch the eye as one player who can rise above all this stink. I don't know what he is doing differently but it is refreshing, and I was quite wrong about him.

Berbatov has the track record but now people are naming their best XI without him in them.

Bent seems well suited to a late subs' role. If you watch the Football League show it's littered with players who got lots of goals but never managed to stick in the top division. Now the top division seems bereft of pure finishers, with the likes of Defoe and Bent both marginalised despite good goals records.

So what? How does the above lead to what is becoming an absolute disaster of a football team. We shouldn't be THIS bad. Nobody is this bad.

First, we need to think of a football team as a chain. The Match of the Day people pointed this out in a way after the United defeat. If our forwards defend like they haven't a care in a world then this puts pressure on everyone else. If the midfield is unreliable then so does this. We all have our limits: think of playing cricket. Facing a 40mph bowler your technique's pretty good. Against 90mph the footwork's not so clever. So it is for the likes of Senderos and co at the back. They can defend when given a chance, but breaking point comes when there's no protection. The lack of protection can be traced from the lack of defence throughout the team, but ends up making the defence look like idiots.

I can't really find an excuse for our lack of attacking menace. We are still picking attacking teams but not achieving anything. I suppose if we cast our minds back to early Jol when we were either awesome or awful there was at times too much fluidity. The 4-2-3-1 just seemed to result in a mess at the top and nobody quite knew what they should be doing. That's probably what we have now. Kacaniklic and Dejagah can't get into the game because they're not good enough to take over (think about how Clint Dempsey would be playing at the moment for a good contrast). Berbatov is mentally gone and plotting his January move to Galatasaray. Ruiz is shell shocked. Sidwell and Parker are overloaded in their problems. The full-backs aren't all that anyway.

To cap it all I think that mentally the squad must be in bits. When you're playing this badly it's hard to turn things around. There may even be a subconscious desire to get Jol removed. There may be something we don't know about.

Or there may just be things beyond the naked eye. When I talked about the GPS at the start it was with Scott Parker in mind. What if, at 33, he's a fraction of a second too slow to do his job? What if a couple of players are carrying injury that is causing them to be 15% off the pace? What if there's other stuff happening that we can't quite pick up on?

Because really, our absolute uselessness doesn't make sense unless someone's a lot worse than I think. People will say yes, Senderos and Berbatov and Ruiz, and maybe that's right, but it feels like all three are good players. Is it some kind of ridiculous bad chemistry problem, the opposite of alchemy, where we have happened upon a group who simply cannot play together? Or what? Or what? The answers I read over and over again don't explain this. The facts make it very clear that we're very awful, but I can't see why we're this bad. This is a historically bad team at the moment and really it shouldn't be. I don't really understand it.



http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2013/11/10/whats-wrong/?