Now lets push on ..

[colinwhite]

I  must admit when I saw the line -up with Onomah in the side I was disappointed and thought to myself that SP was really putting his neck on the line.A stupid decision but someone who doesnt know as much about football as the rest of us ,who would have played Johansen ?  No actually a man who showed a hell of alot of bottle  to go against the popular view and given the fact that Onomah was vital to todays win ( and Im not talking about his winning goal ),some one who outsmarted his opposite number tactically and inflicted on our opponents their first defeat in 9 games.
We played with 2 holding midfielders ,were savvy in our defensive  play and allowed them possession by playing up to Mitro or simply playing into the channels to get Leeds defenders chasing the ball and turning towards their own goal. We pressed them high to start with and won lots of fifty -fifty second balls where Onomah was key with his physical strength and tireless running. He gave Harrison reed the support required as did Cairney who also played in quite a defensive role.
Bobby reid showed just how much we have missed him and every player showed their commitment to the cause nad our head coach.Thats good enough for me.
Its only one game but we can now push on and go from strength to strength. Scott Parker deserves  alot of credit for todays 3 points.
COYW !!

[Asotosyios]

I know everyone is delighted with today's win and performance (including me), but can we please be realistic for once? Parker didn't outsmart Bielsa - Leeds had a lot of chances and if it was not for those fine margins that somebody else mentioned, the result could have been different.

Sent from my Redmi Note 4X using Tapatalk

[colinwhite]

Listen ,if my auntie had balls shed be my uncle!  Irrelivant . We may not be world beaters but Parker got it right today and he  deserves credit for that. I read on here countless times about SPs tactical ineptitude when we have have lost and suddenly its fine margins when we win . Get a grip .

[Statto]

Have to agree with Asotosyios. People (including me) have come on after games like the Bristol City game and said let's not get too down, we were unlucky, so now it's only right not to get too excited just because we nervously scraped a win today 

It's not like the Jokanovic era when we'd go up against the other top teams and just totally outplay them

Our 6-game form, even taking into account the calibre of recent opposition, is barely good enough for the play-offs and nowhere near what we needed to close the gap on the top two. The table is flattering us in 3rd - we're going to be one of those teams on the fringes on the top 6, which with this squad is poor

However, I thought the line-up today was spot on. Assumed Johansen wasn't 100% (as has been reported) and was delighted to see the front 3 of Reid-Mitro-Cavaliero which I've been saying we should play for weeks

[colinwhite]

Statto today was about Parker fighting for his job and under severe scrutiny.His plan was to win the game ,with his team selection and he succeeded with that. We did a job on Leeds and deserved the win ,with 35 per cent possession. Parker deserves some credit for that and Im definitely not getting carried away!! 
I dont think our football today or in previous games is that different from Jocanovics by the way. We totally outplayed WBrom and got nothing but complaints about that performance (not by you ).

[colinwhite]

That the first time REid has been fit for weeks !

[The Rock]

Great posts here. I love statto.

I'd say it is coming down to being predictable. We were sussed and pimped after the 4 game winning streak. Gotta mix it up would say that noboyo fellow wherever he is?

[Statto]

That the first time REid has been fit for weeks !

Well I've been saying it since mid October

https://www.friendsoffulham.com/forum/index.php?topic=73101.msg1091794#msg1091794

[Matt10]

It scares some to get carried away because they don't want to be wrong. They'd rather be right, than happy. Things have to be done exactly as they want it. They need Parker to say things exactly as they want it to be said. Didn't outplay Bielsa? You think Bielsa, being one of the most competitive human beings on the planet, cares about losing to us? You bet he does.

Parker didn't play remotely the way we usually play. How does a coach like Bielsa prepare for that? Kudos to Parker for switching things up so significantly. I love what he said in his press conference: "...the movements Leeds make are very scripted, and we studied Leeds for many games". If that isn't the truth then I'm not sure what is. Kudos to all involved and let's keep this going!

[Whitestone]

Scott Parker deserves a lot of credit today. He did his homework, mixed things up and we got a result.

[Statto]

It scares some to get carried away because they don't want to be wrong. They'd rather be right, than happy. Things have to be done exactly as they want it. They need Parker to say things exactly as they want it to be said.

Matt, with all due respect not everyone that disagrees with you has some vendetta against Parker (or TK or whomever) that's preventing them from seeing the truth. You're one of the best posters on the board IMO and most of the time if you disagree with another poster I'm sure you're right and they're wrong... but sometimes you might just be wrong yourself. I'm not necessarily claiming you're wrong on this occasion but to dismiss other opinions (not only in this post but others recently) is bad form IMO.

[Asotosyios]

Sorry Matt, but I think you got it all wrong. There is a difference between be happy and get carried away and this could make us not to see the forest for the trees.

It was a great and hard-fought win yesterday and all credit should go to Parker and the players. Should we be happy as fans? Absolutely. Should we celebrate? Most definitely. But if we think that the team is suddenly better now than it was on Saturday morning or that Parker is a tactical genius while before the game he "didn't know what he was doing", that's definitely getting carried away.

It has nothing to do with being right or wrong. I am sure every Fulham fan that has criticized the manager or the players even once would love to get it always wrong if that meant that Fulham wins or does well. It has to do with not judging everything because of the result, even though that's what matters at the end.

One last thing re Parker outsmarting Bielsa. Yes, Parker changed the way we usually play but still Leeds were the better team and had more chances. All managers after a big win come out with the "we studied Leeds for many games" talk, but isn't that what they are supposed to do with every opponent? I would be very disappointed if our manager only studied a few rather than all 23 of our opponents in the league. Also, I don't remember Parker (or any other manager) having ever said "we studied our opponent for many games" after a loss.

I am not trying to degrade our victory, be the devil's advocate or a WUM. I am only trying to keep a clean head, as come our next loss our players will become "not motivated enough and not giving their all" and Parker out threads will fill this place (I know - that's the life of a football fan).

[Woolly Mammoth]

A level head and a balanced outlook is the order of the day. It is true to say that we must not get carried away when we win, although no harm in a little rejoicing, anymore than it is if we lose, and when that happens try not to throw the baby out with the bath water. Stay calm relax, as there is always another day to redeem themselves after a disappointing performance or result. Just as it can trip you up if we get too full of ourselves and start predicting unrealistic and arrogant forecasts.
The Championship is so unpredictable, banana skins, and Booby traps, pot holes and obstacles everywhere. Everyone is after your scalp. Making predictions is fools gold.
In July so many unqualified naive people came on this forum predicting a landslide of victories and an automatic clear way back into the Premier, we only had to turn up at Barnsley they thought.
Welcome to the real world. 
To maintain our position in the top six, we have to grind results out, make no mistake, nothing is a given. There is a chasing pack of ten teams within 5 points if us.
Yesterday's win was the tonic needed to get back on the horse. But we are exactly halfway through this marathon, and it can easily change both ways. The same fools who thought we would lose v Leeds and wanted to tear Scott Parker a new one, will no doubt be predicting a simple win away to Luton. That is the kind of foolish mentality that creates unnecessary disappointment, because of too much expectation.
It will be just as tough at Luton as it was yesterday v Leeds. 
A week in football is a long time, and the time to judge is after the 46th League match.
I shall add that despite our current lofty position of third place, the club needs to be active in the January transfer window, because we are not the finished article, and if you stand still you get overtaken, it's called foresight and vision.
But we must relax when we lose as it's not the end of the world, it just feels like it, and when we win, always remember it's Fulham, who can break our hearts in the blink of an eyelid. 

[filham]

Well I thought that Leeds were the better team, they had most of the play and had they taken their chances would have won. We did not play attractive football, our passing was poor and we rarely got close to their goal. Our keeper again made some great saves.

However we fought like tigers for ninety five minutes , tactical changes made us hard to play against and we took a half chance to get the winner.
Full marks to Parker for the required change in tactics and for getting the team to play with spirit against probably the best outfit in the division.
No doubt Parker has to lead us right through this season but one or two of our summer signings have to show more than we have seen from them to date.

[Southdowns White]

Credit to Parker, i've not been a fan of his slow football but he needed to change things and he did, I don't think he had any option as he had hit a brick wall with his old game plan. Secondly, where did that fight and passion suddenly come from? Hopefully we are really on the up now and can build a team worthy of promotion.

[Woolly Mammoth]

It goes to show how stats are so misleading, We had less than 40% possession at home and still won. It's a simple game with the object of the exercise is to score more goals than the opponents, not much to ask really is it.

[Whitesideup]

It goes to show how stats are so misleading, We had less than 40% possession at home and still won. It's a simple game with the object of the exercise is to score more goals than the opponents, not much to ask really is it.

I take it no one is moaning about our possession stats. A lot of the difference was Leeds pushing the ball around to try and work an opening, a lot of times without positive outcomes. We did not constantly press Leeds and worked hard to keep a solid defensive shape. Of course being ahead in the game meant the onus was on Leeds rather than us to do something with the ball. On so many occasions this year, it's been the opposite way round. Agree that Rodak made two very good saves, but their keeper's save from Cav was outstanding too. And if a keeper saves, guess what .. you don't deserve to score.

So, no, not getting carried away, but we did very well today, with a different structure and different tactic which worked. First time in yonks that Mitro has had support, and I thought Bobby Reid was excellent. I also agree with Woolly though - away to Luton will, albeit in a different way, be just as hard.

Having said that thought Leeds were a better side than West Brom, and think that Brentford are up there with them. And us ??? No, not getting carried away but we saw another side to our team today that was very encouraging.

[Woolly Mammoth]

It goes to show how stats are so misleading, We had less than 40% possession at home and still won. It's a simple game with the object of the exercise is to score more goals than the opponents, not much to ask really is it.

I take it no one is moaning about our possession stats. A lot of the difference was Leeds pushing the ball around to try and work an opening, a lot of times without positive outcomes. We did not constantly press Leeds and worked hard to keep a solid defensive shape. Of course being ahead in the game meant the onus was on Leeds rather than us to do something with the ball. On so many occasions this year, it's been the opposite way round. Agree that Rodak made two very good saves, but their keeper's save from Cav was outstanding too. And if a keeper saves, guess what .. you don't deserve to score.

So, no, not getting carried away, but we did very well today, with a different structure and different tactic which worked. First time in yonks that Mitro has had support, and I thought Bobby Reid was excellent. I also agree with Woolly though - away to Luton will, albeit in a different way, be just as hard.

Having said that thought Leeds were a better side than West Brom, and think that Brentford are up there with them. And us ??? No, not getting carried away but we saw another side to our team today that was very encouraging.

I agree,  very encouraging.

[colinwhite]

Sorry Matt, but I think you got it all wrong. There is a difference between be happy and get carried away and this could make us not to see the forest for the trees.

It was a great and hard-fought win yesterday and all credit should go to Parker and the players. Should we be happy as fans? Absolutely. Should we celebrate? Most definitely. But if we think that the team is suddenly better now than it was on Saturday morning or that Parker is a tactical genius while before the game he "didn't know what he was doing", that's definitely getting carried away.

It has nothing to do with being right or wrong. I am sure every Fulham fan that has criticized the manager or the players even once would love to get it always wrong if that meant that Fulham wins or does well. It has to do with not judging everything because of the result, even though that's what matters at the end.

One last thing re Parker outsmarting Bielsa. Yes, Parker changed the way we usually play but still Leeds were the better team and had more chances. All managers after a big win come out with the "we studied Leeds for many games" talk, but isn't that what they are supposed to do with every opponent? I would be very disappointed if our manager only studied a few rather than all 23 of our opponents in the league. Also, I don't remember Parker (or any other manager) having ever said "we studied our opponent for many games" after a loss.

I am not trying to degrade our victory, be the devil's advocate or a WUM. I am only trying to keep a clean head, as come our next loss our players will become "not motivated enough and not giving their all" and Parker out threads will fill this place (I know - that's the life of a football fan).

Good reply and think we are basically in agreement.What  disturbs me abit however (and Im not aiming this at you ) is the "they created more cances than us and were the better side "  comment. This has been true of us numerous times this year and parker has got no credit for that ,being accused of being clueless etc. We changed our tactics in many ways yesterday ,some obvious and some less so at a time when we were under severe pressure and leeds in turn were probably feeling very confident after their 11 game unbeaten run. We defended well, fought hard and went with 2 ball winning holding midfielders,with our wide players working extremely hard defensively. Parker not only matched Biesa,but ultimately won the game due to his tactics against the supposed best team in the division. Suddenly we are fortunate and the possession and chances created stats show that they were the better side.  Nobody is getting carried away , but Parker and his team showed a togetherness and flexibillity which bodes well for the rest of the season.

[Woolly Mammoth]

Yes Parker can pat himself on the back after yesterday, and so can the players. But suddenly we have Luton on Boxing Day, and another kind of challenge. These games come thick and fast and not much time in between unfortunately to gaze into the sunset, and ponder life. It is important that the manager and the team save the Christmas Pudding until after the match, and carry on the good work and the fighting spirit we saw yesterday.