dempsey and richardson

[Enter the Frei]

You've singled out two players who I thought were two of our best today especially in the first half. Richardson was targeted yes because of our weakness at left back, but he dealt with the threats pretty well.

We lost the game because we didn't take two very good chances that came our way when we were on top and then some quite frankly baffling substitions that made us lose our way especially with that fluked goal.

[YankeeJim]

The BIG problems today were two things: Berbatov & the substitutions. Any and every attack was slowed to a crawl by Berbatov either walking back from his last stroll up the pitch or standing at the sidelines for some unknown reason. Now this is a useless player! Why Duffers came on when we needed to attack is something I don't understand. Why the Iranian came off at all is another thing I don't understand. Berba should have come off as soon as they scored.

Riggie, don't defend Dempsey. The fact that he is the leading Fulham scorer in the modern era is something nose couldn't sniff out and granddad doesn't remember. We had a total let down in the second half, center mids who couldn't find anything except a white shirt, poor substitutions,  a left back that never came back from lunch and a substitute striker who couldn't score if their keeper had gone to lunch with Richardson & the cancer that is Berbatov and its all Dempsey's fault. No agenda here.

I thought Dempsey and Berba linked up OK in the 1st half. I think the problem is more Berbatov than Dempsey though. I think the barrage is a little harsh on him, he was never going to set the world alight. He was brought in to bulken up the squad over a busy period. Playing him with Berba really doesn't compliment him.

I didn't want Dempsey to come back mostly for other reasons, but speaking football, you are correct. These two do not complement each other. Dempsey has always lacked pace and Berbatov lacks any kind of heart. H#ll, today he couldn't even connect a pass to the pitch. How many times did the wings charge forward and no one was remotely close to the box? Berba would dump the ball out wide, Super K would take it forward and Berba would stop for a cup of tea. We could have picked up that creative mid take we all have talked about since Danny left but there wouldn't be anyone in the box to take the pass. This team will take the drop if Berbatov continues to be first choice.

[MiltonBurrows]

The BIG problems today were two things: Berbatov & the substitutions. Any and every attack was slowed to a crawl by Berbatov either walking back from his last stroll up the pitch or standing at the sidelines for some unknown reason. Now this is a useless player! Why Duffers came on when we needed to attack is something I don't understand. Why the Iranian came off at all is another thing I don't understand. Berba should have come off as soon as they scored.

Riggie, don't defend Dempsey. The fact that he is the leading Fulham scorer in the modern era is something nose couldn't sniff out and granddad doesn't remember. We had a total let down in the second half, center mids who couldn't find anything except a white shirt, poor substitutions,  a left back that never came back from lunch and a substitute striker who couldn't score if their keeper had gone to lunch with Richardson & the cancer that is Berbatov and its all Dempsey's fault. No agenda here.

I thought Dempsey and Berba linked up OK in the 1st half. I think the problem is more Berbatov than Dempsey though. I think the barrage is a little harsh on him, he was never going to set the world alight. He was brought in to bulken up the squad over a busy period. Playing him with Berba really doesn't compliment him.

I didn't want Dempsey to come back mostly for other reasons, but speaking football, you are correct. These two do not complement each other. Dempsey has always lacked pace and Berbatov lacks any kind of heart. H#ll, today he couldn't even connect a pass to the pitch. How many times did the wings charge forward and no one was remotely close to the box? Berba would dump the ball out wide, Super K would take it forward and Berba would stop for a cup of tea. We could have picked up that creative mid take we all have talked about since Danny left but there wouldn't be anyone in the box to take the pass. This team will take the drop if Berbatov continues to be first choice.

This is why we need a striker in the window. Not getting my hopes up about Mitroglou yet but it seems we are in the market for one which is encouraging. Playing Berba up top on his own is pointless, i can't figure out why no manager has realised this after 2 seasons with us. It doesnt work, he drops too deep and then when we pump balls into the box no one is there. If we play him, it has to be with another striker. We have the pace and quality to get balls in the box, but what use is that when nobody is effing there!?

[Big Martin Jol]

and you single out the two players who did the most to give us a half hour of good football in the first half.  Along with Dejagah, they did an excellent job.

I don't understand what some of you guys think you're watching.

I was at the match and I thought Richardson and Dempsey were the pick of an (admittedly pretty rotten) bunch. Burn and Kacaniklic had reasonable games too.

Otherwise woeful.

[ToodlesMcToot]

There are two or three posters here who, even if Dempsey scored a hat trick, would find some reason to complain about him. The reason for it has absolutely nothing to do with the football played - past or present.

They know who they are. Most others know who they are as well. No point attempting to engage in any sort of debate with them on the topic.

[Logicalman]

I have been very harsh of Demps but I will have to say he was only one of three actually running up front for the ball. Kat and Ash compliment him well, as would Kas.

I cannot fathom how Rene could take off Demps and Ash to bring on Bent and leave Berbatov in place. For the last 10 minutes of Berbatov being on all we got was he trying to play it through to Bent, over, under, any way he could and totally ignored Kat running rings around him. Bent has proven over and over he is well past anything like he used to be, cannot even get a shot on target from within the area! Take Bent and Berbatov out of the picture and you will see a side that will run into the ground to score if so required, not ponce about like he's the second coming of our Savior. His layoffs today were awful, his attitude is graceful and his effort woeful.

And after all that, people want to attack Demps  fp.gif

[alfie]

I did not see any of the match so i cannot make any comments on how they played, but i have an opinion and i feel that when Rene came in their was a rush of blood by the players and for a game or 2 they gave the impression that hey with a bit of coaching we can do well, unfortunately i believe that this is just not the case, always felt and i always stated that the problems Jol had were not just his fault, the players had a big part to play in this in the fact they are just average players, and no amount of coaching is going to change that very much, you have willing players who try to give what they have but eventually get found out, not their fault in that respect, it is the club, MAF knowing he was going to sell not sanctioning money for players, Khan coming in and not yet fully appreciative of what is really needed. People are so ready to put the blame on Curbs and Wilkins, but they have only been here a very short time, and they will coach to what the head coach requires, they do not make it up, there is always a coaching plan at this level.

Anyway just my thoughts.

[MJG]

Dempsey was one of the better players last night.
BUT this whole loan for 7/8 games was always a bad idea.

[nose]

There are two or three posters here who, even if Dempsey scored a hat trick, would find some reason to complain about him. The reason for it has absolutely nothing to do with the football played - past or present.

They know who they are. Most others know who they are as well. No point attempting to engage in any sort of debate with them on the topic.

Actually i promised myself I wouldn't respond to this type of post but really find I have too. If dempsey scored a hat trick we would all be mighty happy. However, there is a school of thought that says dempsey was mighty overated by many people that don't ever go to a match and don't see quite how little effort he puts in, the unnecessary flashy stuff like step overs for no reason, not moving the ball quickly enough, taking ridiculous shots from well outside the box when there is no chance of hitting the target and taking his time getting back. Oh and ebvery time he was touched he used to go down and hold his leg and look
He was an OK player but not really out of the top draw, Jol got him him to improve (his one big success) by getting him to release the ball a bit quicker and drift into the penalty area late and hence he actually was able to let his natural ability of poaching goals shine in that last season. that is he did what he was good at for just one season.
I think  your comments regarding people like me are rather back to front I have and do acknowledge what he did well but am acutely aware of dempsey's shortcomings., Hwever there are some overseas TV viewers that never accept he isn't all that, he is proving spectacularly unimpressive at the moment, and that was really very easy to predict.

[nose]

and you single out the two players who did the most to give us a half hour of good football in the first half.  Along with Dejagah, they did an excellent job.

I don't understand what some of you guys think you're watching.

I was at the match and I thought Richardson and Dempsey were the pick of an (admittedly pretty rotten) bunch. Burn and Kacaniklic had reasonable games too.

Otherwise woeful.

I am impressed you went to the game and as I have said many times before, the people at the game usually see more.
I watched the majority of the game (we were at a school parents evening for the first part of the game) on a good quality feed but didn't see dempsey contribute much, he did track back more than he used too but the style we are playing doesn't seem to suit him very well and playing alongside berba is a poor partnership IMO.

[Nightwind15]

This is not really just about Dempsey.  Jol left this club in shambles and it is sickening watch the mismatch of players that simply do not have the quality nor the capability to play together. A good manager can take average players and have a great squad....The issue is that we do not have the glue that binds the talent nor the players that compliment one another. 

[Pluto]

Dempsey and Richardson were by no means our worst offenders yesterday. In fact, they both did very well in the first half in my opinion and were two of our better performers.

[nose]

This is not really just about Dempsey.  Jol left this club in shambles and it is sickening watch the mismatch of players that simply do not have the quality nor the capability to play together. A good manager can take average players and have a great squad....The issue is that we do not have the glue that binds the talent nor the players that compliment one another.  

actually whilst i partially agree with your comments the thread is about those two players who my children keep reminding me I seem to have a real 'thing' about. And it is true since the day he arrived I have not really seen richardson do anything that merits him being in a premiership team, he is far worse than JAR but JAR seems to get it in the neck for anything.  Richardson's second half performance against dyer was dreadful, dyer is a good player so you don't lunge in, you have to think about your game and try and shepherd the player where he doesn't want to go and stay on your feet continuing to harass, richardson seemed to do none of that when up against a proper winger, and that is what a full back is predominantly there for, namely defend against wingers, and he can't.  
The stats at half time showed how richardson was targeted by swansea, he is an obvious and known weakness.

Regarding dempsey. I never rated him because he is a selfish player. he is unnecesarilly flashy and rarely moves the ball quickly, he tends to shoot from crazy positions wasting possesion. In his last season jol corrected that and his one big plus is finishing 'inside the box'  so if he does that brilliant. But we have seen old style dempsey since his return, therefore waste of space.

When confronted with the situation we have, the selection of players like these two places one hand behind your back, it is as obvious as Jol was the wrong manager from day one. That is why i bring up the subject of these two.

I do think if kasami or karagounis would have played instead of dempsey we would have got a result and probably won last night.

[nose]

Dempsey and Richardson were by no means our worst offenders yesterday. In fact, they both did very well in the first half in my opinion and were two of our better performers.

Unfortunately I started watching at about 35 minutes and if they were good, I missed it. However from the time we started watching, they were very poor. But I note your comments re the first half in general.

[ffc73]

The BIG problems today were two things: Berbatov & the substitutions. Any and every attack was slowed to a crawl by Berbatov either walking back from his last stroll up the pitch or standing at the sidelines for some unknown reason. Now this is a useless player! Why Duffers came on when we needed to attack is something I don't understand. Why the Iranian came off at all is another thing I don't understand. Berba should have come off as soon as they scored.

:plus one:

Dejagah looked totally demoralised when his number was put up.  It must be thoroughly depressing for him to put in a committed shift and be taken off leaving Berbatov on.

Duff.  Great servant, decent work as an emergency LB last Sunday, but for him to be brought on when we are chasing the game is not acceptable

[LordNelson]

dempsey is such a waste of space.. he had one good season but otherwise he was always second rate and he certainly proving his lack of worth now...
the other thing is he doesn't really try hard enough, he never did, he was the low light at portsmouth, he was even less good today

richardson... must be the worst full back we have had in the premiership... swansea targeted him over and over and he never failed to improve swansea's chances.. he is useless

whilst these two continue to be picked we are gifting the opposition a two goal lead... they are useless.

That's just rubbish. I don't understand how any Fulham fan, whatever their feelings about Dempsey are, can say that. Scoring more goals during one season compared to his others, when he was usually also top scorer, does not equal 'one good season'.

...... roy certainly had him strictly as a subsitute or squad player... he had his chances because he filled in for roy nort because he was foirst choice.. even V juve the scene of his greatest triumph, he came off the bench, roy prefered an injured bobby to fully fit dempsey.

Hey mate, you're entitled to your opinion but not to make up your own facts.  Quit trying to rewrite history about the club.  Dempsey did not compete with Zamora for a position during that season.  He was a midfielder and it was between him and Gera at the beginning of the year, not Zamora.  We had different starting lineups depending upon if it was a premier league match or a europa match.  Dempsey came off the bench against Juve because he had been injured for almost 2 months with a knee injury (against Blackburn I think).  Please stop making sh*t up.  You don't rate Dempsey--fine. Your Orwellian rewriting of club history is more than tiresome.

[Skatzoffc]

On the link I watched the half time stats showed that Swansea launched two or three times the number of attacks down their right flank as opposed to their left.

Teams have been targeting our weak left flank all season.

yes, when richardson plays JAR is proper defender and the same does not happen. he may be past his best but is way superior to richardson

I think half the problem is that Richardson has no cover in front of him.
Imo, Kaca gives him some cover whereas Dempsey gives him nothing.

The best way we have played this season (against Citeh in fact), was with JAR having Richardson in front of him.
Reither had Dejaga in front of him.
We also had a lone striker of Tarrabt. So effectively a 4-5-1

This closes off our flanks and makes us difficult to break down. Whilst still having a threat up front to hold back the opposition defenders.

We have shipped goals all season as a result of poor cover. Either due to playing luxury players or a lack of work rate by our wide midfielders.
To blame one defender for shipping goals is harsh imo.

Lets face it any opposition coach worth his salt, can watch us one week and attack the weak spot just as others have.
Its up to us to fix the problem.

COYW!
049:gif

[RidgeRider]

Dempsey and Richardson were by no means our worst offenders yesterday. In fact, they both did very well in the first half in my opinion and were two of our better performers.

Unfortunately I started watching at about 35 minutes and if they were good, I missed it. However from the time we started watching, they were very poor. But I note your comments re the first half in general.

if you missed the first 35 minutes then you should have qualified your comments at the very beginnings about those two players given you missed, basically, half the match and the part we actually looked decent. Nobody played well yesterday but the two players you picked out played better than most. I also consider what you call wasting possessions to include kicking the ball backwards to the keeper to only have it lumped forward to a Swansea player, or errantly passing sideways and allowing the defenders to take possession too easily, which is what most of the team did yesterday. Dempsey was far from perfect, but when he got the ball, it went forward, he took shots, which everyone on our team (except Sidwell), including our strikers, seems afraid to do. You miss 100% of the shots you don't take and the disjointed buildup play and lack of killer ball yesterday, didn't allow us to break down their defense, so how else are we going to score? I suppose we could have just hoped and prayed for a set piece miracle.

[Nightwind15]

Habitually bad lineups mean a habitually poor manager. 

[FPT]

I wonder if Richardson has taken Pablo Hernandez out of his pocket yet?