Fulham were time wasting from the first second..

[Friendsoffulham]

..and the referee permitted them to play that way

The head coach was critical of Fulham's tactics but was also disappointed with his side's performance, saying Boro 'didn't play in the right way'



Aitor Karanka was left frustrated and angry with his team, the referee and the opposition's tactics after watching Boro draw 0-0 with Fulham.

In his post match press conference, the Middlesbrough boss accused referee Peter Bankes of allowing Fulham to indulge in time-wasting tactics throughout a tight match of few goalscoring chances.

"They were wasting time since the first second and the referee permitted them to play that way and we couldn't play in our style," he said.

"Then they were always trying to waste time, the referee permitted them to waste time every single minute.

"I think in the first half we could play 10-15 minutes because it was impossible to play more and we couldn't change the tempo and the intensity."

Karanka confirmed that he spoke to the officials at half-time to complain about Fulham's tactics and was told the issue would be addressed.

"I was speaking to them at half-time and they said they would address it but the second half was more or less the same."

For all of his frustration with the referee, Karanka refused to blame him for the final score or, for that matter, the fact that several key players had been on international duty in the run up to the match.

"Today wasn't about the international break, it was because we didn't know how to play in the right way," he said.

"We had two strikers on the pitch (in the final 10 minutes) and we couldn't deliver one ball into the box.

"I am not happy today. Fulham was really organised and they had chances to score in the last minutes, we knew (Ross) McCormack was a dangerous player.

"We had chances in the second half but not many, we didn't play well.

"I am disappointed because I know how difficult it is to win at home," he added.

"We now have three games away from home so it was important to win at home, we haven't, so I am disappointed."

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aitor-karanka-fulham-were-time-10281358

[Fulham Tup North]

Little bit of sour grapes I think.  We went with a game plan and stuck to it.
It was not our job to change things it was down to the home side and they didn't.
Very well earned point against a side whose last 4 home games were 4 wins against good teams.
COYW

[Arthur]

Time-wasting appears to have helped us today, but I don't like to see it used as blatantly as it seems we did.

I also think that for every result such as this, there are an equal number of games such as Charlton whereby the tactic backfires.

[cmg]

Good news.
Makes a change to hear an opposing manager whinging and bitter after playing us. Much better than the all-too-frequent, "Always nice to play Fulham and their attractive brand of football. What a great bunch of players they have. Oh, and thanks for the three points."

We must be doing something right.

[Friendsoffulham]

Fulham manager Kit Symons shrugs off Middlesbrough FC 'time-wasting' accusations



Fulham dug deep to earn a 0-0 draw with Boro at the Riverside, with manager Kit Symons left delighted by the result

Fulham manager Kit Symons laughed off suggestions that his side were guilty of time-wasting towards the end of their goalless draw with Middlesbrough FC at the Riverside.

Aitor Karanka's side were left frustrated as they couldn't force a way past the stubborn Cottagers, and the Boro bench were fuming with the amount of time it took for Fulham to take goal kicks and free-kicks towards the end.

But Symons, who came into the match with his future at Craven Cottage shrouded in doubt, said he had no problems with Boro's gripes - insisting his side "managed" the game well.

When asked if he had anything to say about the alleged time-wasting, Symons said: "Not particularly, if they'd have been one-nil up I don't think they'd have been rushing particularly.

"At 0-0 it was a good result for us, but we coud have won the game. I don't think he's got too much to worry about.

"They were having a bit of a grumble during the first half, but it's not something we set out to do.

"After we played Charlton before the international break and were winning 2-0, cruising but then drew 2-2, we had some chats about managing the game better.

"So to come here against a very good side, a tough place to come, you're not going to rush after balls. The referee got a bit shirty at the end but we managed the game well and I'm pleased."

Fulham arrived in the North-east having not beaten Boro away from home in more than three decades, and they could have ended that run had Ross McCormack put away a late chance.

Symons agreed that the Cottagers could easily be heading back down to London tonight with all three points, but refused to be too downbeat.

"To come to a tough place like this against a really good side and get a clen sheet is very pleasing, I've got to be happy with that," he added.

"But in the end we're disappointed not to have come away with all three points. But it was a good performance.

"We looked at them and knew they're a good side, and if we pressed too high they'd be able to pass through us. So we dropped off to the half-way line and made ourselves very compact.

"They then got frustrated and tried to force it a bit. They put us under pressure in the second half but we defended well and both our goalkeepers didn't have too many saves to make."

In the build-up to the match, reports in London suggested the Fulham hierarchy were contemplating dismissing Symons after a mixed start to the season.

But the Fulham chief isn't too worried about that, insisting his side's display at the Riverside shows how quickly they are becoming a tough Championship unit.

"I've been pleased with how the players have performed since the start of this season," Symons said.

"We would have liked to get a few more points on the board but this is a brilliant group of players and I have 100% belief in their ability.

"It's a new team that was put together in the summer, there were loads of ins and loads of outs.

"Middlesbrough are a really good side assembled over a number of years, and we're very much playing catch-up. But on today's showing we're catching up quite quickly."

http://www.gazettelive.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-manager-kit-symons-shrugs-10281312

[MJG]

We did not time waste till last fifteen minutes. Was just normal game before that.

[Arthur]

We must be doing something right.

Are we?

I've have always thought that teams that time-waste throughout a lengthy spell of a match (as opposed to just the final minutes) do so because they cannot match the opposition for footballing ability. Indeed, is that they are often described as having resorted to time-wasting not a testament to its lack of use by teams that do 'get it right'? For sure, when we went up under Tigana's leadership, time-wasting played no part whatsoever in our success.

[cmg]

We must be doing something right.

Are we?

I've have always thought that teams that time-waste throughout a lengthy spell of a match (as opposed to just the final minutes) do so because they cannot match the opposition for footballing ability. Indeed, is that they are often described as having resorted to time-wasting not a testament to its lack of use by teams that do 'get it right'? For sure, when we went up under Tigana's leadership, time-wasting played no part whatsoever in our success.

Well I don't think it's necessarily a great idea to place total reliance on the accuracy of the pronouncements of a disappointed oppo manager. But anyway Tigana hasn't managed a side since Shanghai Shenhua in 2012 and almost all the players are retired. This is today. Autres temps, autres mœurs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_VrFV5r8cs0

[Logicalman]

From the commentary there was some time-wasting, particularly in the second 45, but I do believe, in addition to the usual sour-grapes, that Karanka was mixing up time-wasting with breaking up play, given by the quotes "Today wasn't about the international break, it was because we didn't know how to play in the right way" ,"We had two strikers on the pitch (in the final 10 minutes) and we couldn't deliver one ball into the box","I am not happy today. Fulham was really organised and they had chances to score in the last minutes, we knew (Ross) McCormack was a dangerous player","We had chances in the second half but not many, we didn't play well"

Perhaps something lost in (his) translation and meaning?

[Arthur]

Well I don't think it's necessarily a great idea to place total reliance on the accuracy of the pronouncements of a disappointed oppo manager. But anyway Tigana hasn't managed a side since Shanghai Shenhua in 2012 and almost all the players are retired. This is today. Autres temps, autres mœurs.

Excuse the pun, but there was clearly a lack of clarity about my original post, for which I apologise.

It is true that, not having seen the game, I am presuming that we wasted time in the manner that we did in our previous game against Charlton and that this may not be the case.

My general point, however, is that persistent time-wasting is not a tactic that successful teams need to employ. I refer to Tigana, not because of who he was, but because, in support of my opinion, it serves to pinpoint the last time that we were successful at our current level.

In spite of your observation that football has moved on since then, I maintain that time-wasting is no more viable now than it was fifteen years ago. A team whose regular practice was to time-waste in order to secure the result it desired didn't get promoted back in 2001 and nor, in my view, will any such team get promoted this season.

[RaySmith]

If we had rushed taking goal kicks etc, trying to get a winner, and they had scored, you can be sure that Kit would have been accused of tactical naivety.

Though we nearly did score a winner in the closing minutes.

I don't think we did different than any other team would do in the same situation.

Tigana didn't do very well as Fulham manager in the Prem btw, and got the sack, with fans calling for him to be dismissed.

[Arthur]

Any manager who is not particularly popular is liable to be criticised when his team loses whatever his tactics. Whether his team press for a winner and concede or waste time and concede, there would be those who will not be happy with his chosen course of action.

My view is that persistent time-wasting is rarely, if ever, a regular tactic of a team that gets promoted from this league. (And, whatever supporters' differences, getting promoted is something that we all want.)

It is true that our time under Tigana in the PL was less successful than the Club would have hoped. Unless you are suggesting, however, that he would have been more successful had he employed persistent time-wasting tactics, I fail to see how this impacts upon the issue under discussion.

[Nero]

I have no problem with time wasting when we are dong it , but when the opposition do it, it gets on my nerves.

We know Middlesborough are a good team and it was a good point, perhaps Kit has finally got them doing them boring things that make teams hard to beat, about time after a year and a bit and we might be able to grind out a few results.

[filham]

Time wasting is terrible to watch and it can have a nasty habit of coming back at you with a nasty bite.

If we were timewasting for as long as the Boro manager suggests then all they had to do to stop it was to score a solitary goal, which they failed to do. For once it seems that our tactics were spot on.

Well done Kit and the players for bringing a point home , a tremendous result that may just be the start of better things for us.

[ron]

Kit said:

"We looked at them and knew they're a good side, and if we pressed too high they'd be able to pass through us. So we dropped off to the half-way line and made ourselves very compact".

...which could be seen as inviting a repeat of the Alamo to take place around our penalty area. But it worked, and it may be a sign that we are adapting techniques to suit the situation.

Btw... taking the ball down to their corners (our goal ain't down there!), and slowing the pace are equally good tactics in my book, so complaints about it can be filed under "sour grapes" and forgotten.

[GrahamG]

I didn't see the game and therefore don't know how bad we were but I hate time-wasting tactics whether it's us or anybody else. We tried it against Wolves and Charlton for certain so I suspect that the manager is encouraging our players to play that way or else he'd tell them to stop doing it. I hope that it is due to a collective lack of confidence and will go away if we string some results together.

[andyk]

I didn't see the game and therefore don't know how bad we were but I hate time-wasting tactics whether it's us or anybody else. We tried it against Wolves and Charlton for certain so I suspect that the manager is encouraging our players to play that way or else he'd tell them to stop doing it. I hope that it is due to a collective lack of confidence and will go away if we string some results together.

He calls it "managing the game" and I agree it is a really bad sign if the manager is encouraging these cowardly tactics. It indicates a real lack of belief in the ability of the players to play football and a total lack of imagination or vision.

[ron]

I didn't see the game and therefore don't know how bad we were but I hate time-wasting tactics whether it's us or anybody else. We tried it against Wolves and Charlton for certain so I suspect that the manager is encouraging our players to play that way or else he'd tell them to stop doing it. I hope that it is due to a collective lack of confidence and will go away if we string some results together.

He calls it "managing the game" and I agree it is a really bad sign if the manager is encouraging these cowardly tactics. It indicates a real lack of belief in the ability of the players to play football and a total lack of imagination or vision.

....but then again, who would've been first to start the cheering "for playing the game the right way" if we'd spent the last 10 minutes in all-out attack, and lost the game 1-0 on a breakaway?...or indeed, at any other time of the game when they were pressing to up the tempo and give them a goal by way of a glaring error?

[Skatzoffc]

Boro are a funny team. They thump teams 4 weeks on the bounce then go off the boil for no apparent reason. Like against us.

I don't like the time wasting and believe we are getting  name for it. Whether that is fair/justified is a moot point.
But GJ was quite shocked at the added 5 mins in the 2nd 45, as there were only 4 subs (equalling 2 mins).

Still, it's a good point away from home, whichever way you look at it.

COYW!

[MJG]

I'll say it again... It was only last 15 where we doing this to any real effect