Sunday Fulham Stuff - 03/10/21...

[WhiteJC]

Results

Saturday
Coventry	4-1	Fulham
Barnsley	0-1	Millwall
Birmingham	0-3	Forest
Blackpool	2-1	Blackburn
Bournemouth	2-1	Sheff Utd
Cardiff	0-1	Reading
Derby	0-0	Swansea
Hull	2-0	Middlesborough
Luton	0-0	Huddersfield
Peterborough	2-3	Bristol City
QPR	3-2	Preston NE

[WhiteJC]

Coventry 4-1 Fulham

Coventry City produced a stunning second-half fightback to beat Fulham and put their 5-0 midweek routing at Luton behind them.

Mark Robins' rampant Sky Blues went in at half-time 1-0 down after Kyle McFadzean's own goal was allowed to stand despite appearing to be fouled by Aleksandar Mitrovic.

But City turned it round to keep up their 100% home record with a sixth straight win at the Coventry Building Society Arena and hand Fulham their worst league defeat since May 2019.

Viktor Gyokeres equalised straight after the break, the first of three City goals in just 14 minutes, before he wrapped up victory with their fourth - and his second - 20 minutes from time.

In between, Matt Godden also scored from an contentiously-awarded 51st-minute penalty after he had gone down without appearing to be touched by Antonee Robinson.

And on-loan Chelsea midfielder Ian Maatsen scored the goal of the game on 61 minutes.

He lashed home a superbly struck left-foot shot after Fankaty Dabo's right-wing cross had found its way to Maatsen in space in the left corner of the box.

Gyokeres has now hit nine goals for City this season, one behind Championship top scorer Mitrovic, having now hit a brace in each of his last two home games.

But it did not look it would be another happy day for the Swede when the Sky Blues, without suspended Gustavo Hamer and Covid-hit Martyn Waghorn, trailed at the break.

They had a right to feel aggrieved to be behind on 18 minutes as Mitrovic appeared to grab hold of McFadzean at a corner by the neck, unbalancing the City skipper as he headed into his own net from eight yards.

But Bobby Reid made Coventry keeper Simon Moore go full length to save his right-foot shot - and Fulham's pace and slickness on the wet surface made them look more of a threat.

Robins' half-time team talk did the trick in triggering a turnaround.

After Alfie Mawson and the recalled Josh Onomah were caught dawdling on the edge of the box on 47 minutes, Callum O'Hare nipped into tee up Gyokeres to find an unguarded net.

Then, four minutes later, Godden was adjudged to have been fouled but stepped up to send Paulo Gazzaniga the wrong way from the spot.

Maatsen's stunning first goal for the club sent the stadium further into raptures before Swedish striker Gyokeres put the icing on the cake - and he would have had a hat-trick but for brilliant save by Gazzaniga to his left.

What's next?
Coventry, who go level on points with morning leaders West Bromwich Albion and Bournemouth, are now without a game until 16 October, because of the latest international break.

They then visit former Sky Blues boss Tony Mowbray's Blackburn, while Fulham have another lunchtime kick-off that day, at home to QPR.

Coventry City boss Mark Robins:

"I said believe. It's just about belief. Knowing that they were getting in good positions, but also having the belief, the vision and ability to do what we want to do, which was move the ball really quickly and shift them.

"We know where we could exploit and we did that by quick movement, good vision, good execution of passes and a willingness to press and get all over them.

"On the back of the other night it could have easily gone the other way but also I know how good they are. We've got to give Luton credit. We learnt a lot from the other night, it was a slap in the face and a kick up the backside, but we responded really well."

Fulham boss Marco Silva:

"It's something that I don't like to say but I have to apologise to our fans. The second half was wrong. Everything was all wrong from the beginning to the end.

"We controlled the first half, scored early and they didn't create many chances apart from some corners. We tried to change something during half-time to explore the space we knew they can create with their organisation and after that everything went wrong.

"Unfortunately the referee did everything wrong as well because it's a clear dive for the penalty, no foul at all, but it is not his fault we lost. After that we had enough time to react, to do different things, but we have to react in a different way."



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/58687616

[WhiteJC]

Post-Coventry Press Conference

Marco Silva was apologetic after his side suffered a 4-1 defeat against Coventry City on Saturday afternoon.

"I have to apologise to our fans because everything was wrong from the beginning of the second half to the end," he said. "It was a balanced game in the first half, as we expected, Coventry started strong and tried to show a reaction after a tough result on Wednesday.

"We scored early, and they didn't create many chances, apart from some corners and long balls. Not one team controlled the game more than the other.

"We tried to change something to exploit the spaces. After, everything went wrong.

"Unfortunately, the referee did everything wrong as well, it was a clear dive for the penalty, but it was not his fault we lost the game."

The manner in which his side responded to falling behind to a controversial Matt Godden penalty caught the Fulham Head Coach by surprise.

"We had plenty of time to react, to show different things, which we didn't do," Silva continued. "It's up to me and I take responsibility for the situation, but we have to react in a different way.

"I've been here three months and I'm happy with the work rate of all our players. I won't speak in a different way because we had a bad 45 minutes.

"It's a matter of mindset, if something goes wrong, we have to keep working. I'm starting to know them better and I'm here to help them in these situations.

"I didn't expect what we did in the second half. I told them I was disappointed and a little bit surprised to how we reacted. We can't react in that way as a collective, and individually.

"It's 45 minutes, where we lacked the important things that we need to be successful. It's not the end of the world."



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2021/october/02/post-coventry-press-conference/

[WhiteJC]

Jack and Loz Not Sent to Coventry - Blog 190
Date: 2nd October 2021

Opposition: Coventry City

Score: 4-1

Fulham assist: Neeskens Kebano

MOTM: really?

Lunch: Jack - garlic bread and Stilton; Loz - cheese and tomato bagel

In the words of the renowned football pundit, Bonnie Tyler, "Every now and then we fall apart."

On Wednesday night we were unconvinced by Fulham's win over Swansea. Mitro's hat trick was superb but it was also a trompe l'oeil - it masked the deficiencies of a midfield which was overrun and a defence which flirted with chaos.

On Saturday the team travelled to Coventry. Marco Silva said the side would be too tired to play so soon after the travails of Wednesday, but picked most of them to start anyway, unaccountably omitting Tosin and Seri.

Coventry don't play like a team just promoted from League 1. In the first half they played like a less refined and more brutal version of Fulham. In the second half they just played much better than Fulham.

There were warning signs early on of the devastation which was to come. Coventry looked full of intent and desire. They had a point (or 3) to prove after their midweek loss and some full throated fans behind them. What they lacked in finesse they made up for in commitment, with their pressing being reminiscent of Leeds. Fulham looked, from the off, like the tank was empty. The lone moment of brilliance in the entire match was Kebano's corner delivery which led to the own goal. But taking the narrow lead into the break gave the Fulham players a foolish false confidence.

Rarely in the history of Fulham, or indeed the world, has so much gone wrong so quickly as it did in the second half at Coventry. On Wednesday we caught a glimmer of the Triangulo do Ruina as the defence struggled and floundered and panicked. On Saturday it reappeared in all its terrible glory as the defence simply collapsed. The first goal was hideous, the fourth goal was excruciating. The penalty was a travesty (but why did Robinson stick his leg out?) and the third was a decent strike but what was our midfield doing to let Coventry get into positions to dive in the box and shoot from outside it? Oh, that's right, nothing.

We don't like to single out players for criticism (unless they're on loan from C*****a) but there's no need to single anyone out: they were all (with the possible exception of Harrison Reid) appalling. Gazzaniga is turning into a liability, someone has cast a spell on Tim Ream robbing him of both his defensive and leadership abilities, Mawson was average (and that's average by his own standards, not by the standards of a Championship defender), Robinson ran around a lot but was more of a hindrance than a help and whilst Denis had some good moments he can't play 3 high intensity games in a week as wing back any more.

We once described Onomah as "statuesque in the wrong way". This would have been an improvement on whatever he was attempting to do on Saturday which was mainly waving his arms around and getting in Tim Ream's way. Other than his corner deliveries, Kebano offered little and Bobby Reid a good deal less. Harry Wilson seems a shadow of the player he was before his injury and Mitro was forced to spend more time defending and dropping deep than attacking the Coventry goal.

Seri was introduced too late to have any impact, Muniz was invisible and the less said about Cav the better. Our supposedly large and strong squad suddenly looks feeble and disparate. Dropping Tosin was a mistake and, whilst we know Bryan was injured on Wednesday, we missed him.

However, this catalogue of criticism isn't the worst we have to say. It has felt for a while that when we go behind there is no way back and this match crystallised that sentiment. The team doesn't deal well with setbacks and on Saturday it crumbled in the face of adversity. The players had no answer to Coventry's commitment and Marco, like so many of his predecessors, had no Plan B.

We like Tim Ream a lot. He's intelligent, introspective and he's a gentleman. But do you want a gentleman as captain of a Championship side? Don't you need someone who can grab players by the scruff of the neck and throw them into the fray? A man who shouts orders, and points fingers, and takes the blows, not just the blame?

Marco and the team need to spend the international break doing some Blue Sky Thinking. We could have gone top of the league on Saturday, instead we're languishing in the play-off places and, without finding some new ideas and some much needed resilience, it will be all too easy to stay there.

Random musings:-

- it was nice to see Coventry's owner in a sky blue coat

- let's not forget this was the Jimmy Hill Derby, a man who did so much for both clubs and really deserves the title of legend

- the referee turned professional misconduct into an art form, but he's not the reason we lost

- we know it was a lunchtime kick-off and there's a petrol shortage but there were a lot of empty seats

- on the subject of petrol, we really feel for the travelling fans.

This is a bad way to go into the international break. We have said it before and we will say it again: consistency is the key to this league and Fulham are erratic, unsteady and now face an uncertain future: a fragile team sliding down the table.

But there are two weeks off. And we need every day of them. And there are 35 games left. And we're going to need every one of them too.



https://werdsmith.com/p/ewMZJU6gCajk3

[WhiteJC]

Fulham beaten after second-half collapse at Coventry

Fulham were beaten after an extraordinary second-half collapse.

They led at the interval after taking the lead against the run of play when Kyle McFadzean, under pressure from Aleksandar Mitrovic, headed into his own net.

But by the 70th minute, the Whites were 4-1 down and had folded completely.

The rot started when Tim Ream slipping and giving the ball away led to Matt Godden teeing up Viktor Gyokeres for the equaliser.

Godden then put Coventry ahead from the penalty spot after going down under minimal contact from Antonee Robinson.

Worse followed for Fulham when on-loan Chelsea youngster Ian Maatsen fired home (pictured above) after the visitors half-cleared Fankaty Dabo's corner.

And Gyokeres score his second – a cool finish into the bottom corner – to seal the Sky Blues' victory.

Fulham: Gazzaniga, Odoi, Mawson, Ream, Robinson, Onomah (Seri 56), Reed, Wilson, De Cordova-Reid (Muniz 68), Kebano (Cavaleiro 68), Mitrovic.
Subs: Rodák, Tosin, Quina, Bryan




https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/football-fulham-beaten-after-second-half-collapse-at-coventry

[WhiteJC]

Feeble Fulham crumble at Coventry

For forty five minutes, it seemed as though Marco Silva might get the send off ahead of the international break that he wanted. Fulham – craving some consistency after a stuttering September – might have been fortunate to weather a bright Coventry side and lead through Kyle McFadzean's own goal but as the half went on there were signs of their quality. Any hopes of a return to the top of the Championship were extinguished in a barmy fourteen minute spell after the interval that saw Mark Robins' side score four goals without reply and cast serious aspersions over Fulham's promotion credentials.

Viktor Gyokeres doesn't need gifts to score goals at this level. He took his league tally to nine since turning his loan spell from Brighton into a permanent move, but he benefited from inexplicable generosity to bring the hosts level within two minutes of the restart. Paulo Gazzaniga, who endured another dreadful afternoon in the Fulham goal, played Tim Ream into trouble and after the American veteran slipped and stumbled into Josh Onomah, Callum O'Hare cleverly nipped in and unselfishly squared for Gyokeres to provide the perfect start to the second half.

It got even better for the Sky Blues four minutes later, although this time referee Gavin Ward was the central figure. He bought Matt Godden's dive to the consternation of Antonee Robinson, who perhaps should have known better than to dangle a leg in the penalty area. Fulham already looked all at sea – but Godden shamelessly dusted himself down to send Gazzaniga the wrong way from twelve yards. The penalty area was scandalous but there was no forgiving Fulham's pitiful lack of fight following this point as the game disappeared over the horizon at a rate of knots.

Those goals had the visitors rocking on their heels. Coventry's tails were up. They were suddenly winning second balls and utilising the width of their old home to bring their flying wing backs into play. The recalled Fakaty Dabo drove down the right and put in a peach of delivery, which was only repelled to the opposite edge of the box. There was the other wing back, Chelsea Ian Maatsen, who lashed in a rocket of a volley. The home fans couldn't scarce credit such a swift turnaround: Fulham just seemed shell-shocked.

Worse was to follow nine minutes later. Silva had sent on Ivan Cavaleiro along with Rodrigo Muniz in a desperate bid to add some attacking impetus. The Portuguese winger, who has featured in every game this season despite his indifferent form, coughed up possession to Dabo with his first contribution and the defending only became more kamikaze from there. Godden's floated cross to the far post saw Gyoekeres hold off Odoi far too easily before poking past a passive Gazzaniga. The Argentine goalkeeper did produce a fine reaction stop to deny the Swedish striker a hat trick in the closing stages – but you wouldn't blame Marek Rodak for fuming on the sidelines.

Silva will have plenty of time to ruminate on Fulham's spineless surrender. They have lost three times since the last international break and, after this one, face a local derby with QPR at Craven Cottage where desire can't be found wanting. Fulham showed little stomach for the fight after going so far behind with only Aleksandar Mitrovic offering any real passion, although unfortunately it was directed at the referee after he had ignored a cynical block by Jake Clarke-Salter and the Serbian striker was booked for dissent.

Silva's decision to change a winning formula deserves significant scrutiny. Tosin Adarabioyo sat this one out and any confidence there might have been in the Ream-Alfie Mawson partnership evaporated in the blink of an eye. Robinson's selection over Joe Bryan appeared to owe more to which of the left backs had more effectively proven their fitness following injuries in midweek, but the decision to bench Jean-Michael Seri for Josh Onomah left Harrison Reed with far too much turf to coverage in a chastening second half.

Coventry could easily have scored more – they looked rampant by the end – and had more than matched Fulham in a tight first half. It was still a troubling transformation. Perhaps they drew inspiration from Jimmy Hill, whose own reinvention of the club in the 1960s and 1970s was celebrated this afternoon. Hill would have enjoyed seeing his two old clubs serve up a rip-roaring encounter that typified the unpredictability of the English second tier.

Fulham, whom Hill rescued from financial ruin and a mooted merger with QPR in the 1980s, had intended to solidify their Championship challenge with a commanding performance in the Midlands. They began slowly in the Coventry drizzle, with O'Hare and Gyokeres offering an early warning of the hosts' enterprise, but went in front when McFadzean headed a devilish corner from Neeskens Kebano into his own net after getting the wrong side of Mitrovic. Bobby Decordova-Reid drew a decent save from Simon Moore just before half time, but there was a warning of what was to come when Odoi dove in just in time to deny Maatsen after O'Hare had prised open the Fulham rearguard.

Silva seemed furious on the touchline after the frenzy of Coventry goals had died down. He had always wanted to return to England, having felt harshly treated at Everton, and felt he could prove a point by guiding the Cottagers back to the top flight at the first time of asking. On the evidence of this miserable Midlands afternoon, there's a hell of a lot of work ahead. Fulham have flattered to deceive already this season, but a lack of grit is altogether more troubling.

COVENTRY CITY (3-4-1-2): Moore; Hyam, McFadzean, Clarke-Salter; Dabo, Maatsen, Kelly, Sheaf; O'Hare; Gyoekeres (Walker 90), Godden. Subs (not used): Wilson, Rose, Jones, Allen, Kane, Shipley.

BOOKED: Maatsen.

GOALS: Gyokeres (47, 70), Godden (pen 51), Maatsen (61).

FULHAM (4-2-3-1): Gazzaniga; Odoi, Robinson, Mawson, Ream; Reed, Onomah (Seri 56); Wilson, Kebano (Carvalho 68), Decordova-Reid (Muniz 68); Mitrovic. Subs (not used): Rodak, Adarabioyo, Bryan, Quina.

BOOKED: Odoi, Mitrovic.

GOAL: McFadzen (o.g. 18).

REFEREE: Gavin Ward (Surrey).

ATTENDANCE: 18,497.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/10/feeble-fulham-crumble-at-coventry/

[WhiteJC]

Silva says sorry after shambolic surrender

Marco Silva apologised to the travelling Fulham fans after his side surrendered an early lead to lose 4-1 at Coventry this afternoon.

The Fulham head coach was furious with his side's lack of application in the second half having warned the Whites that a home response was coming after Kyle McFadzean's own goal had put the Londoners a goal to the good at the break. The Sky Blues scored four goals in the space of fifteen minutes to record a sixth straight win at home.

Speaking after the final whistle, Silva told FFCTV:

"First, I have to apologise to our fans. They came here in good numbers again, they tried to support us, at least to see us trying to win the game. In the second half, everything we did was wrong. It was a balanced game in the first half. They started well like we expected, but after we scored I think we controlled the game with some good moments.

"We spoke at half time to start in a different way in the second half because we expected a reaction from them. After that, we gave everything to them. We have to be clear in analysing the game and look deeper to analyse some things about the way the players reacted. Even if it is not a penalty, we have to show our own character and our own personality. You can work on the right mindset, but you have to show it on the pitch as well. It is something that we missed this afternoon. Our second half was really, really bad.

The Fulham boss rejected any suggestion that a hectic Championship schedule could have had anything to do with Fulham's performance, pointing out that Coventry also played on Wednesday.

"I'm not the guy to try to find excuses for everything. We even tried to put some fresh legs in the side because we expected a tough game. We changed three players to put in some fresh legs – it is not because of that. It is not an excuse. It is not worth taking about."



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/10/silva-says-sorry-after-shambolic-surrender/

[WhiteJC]

Fragile Fulham lacked fight

Our Saturday lunchtime date with Coventry turned horribly sour in the second half. Perhaps the most alarming element of Fulham's second half collapse was the fact that the visitors seemed to lack the stomach for the fight. We need to start being honest with ourselves. The Championship is one of the toughest divisions in the world to get out of. You have to wonder whether the idea that this side would walk the league, amassing a hundred-plus points, had percolated through to the players. It simply isn't going to happen – but the team looked like they believed they only needed to turn up to win.

As the old proverb goes, hard work beats talent when talent doesn't work hard. It seems inconceivable that Marco Silva and his backroom stuff hadn't prepared meticulously for Coventry. Mark Robins' men might have exceeded all the early season expectations with a fine start – they are a serious proposition on their own patch, as evidenced by their 100% record back at their own ground, and have a forward line to rival any in the league. Silva savaged his players' second half showing afterwards – nothing went right from when Ream and Onomah got in each other's way after Gazzaniga's wayward pass, a mistake that highlighted both an absence of communication and a lack of awareness.

It would be easy to blame the second half collapse on the dreadful penalty decision but, although the officials at this level consistently fall below an acceptable standard, Silva was right to say it wasn't the reason why Fulham slumped so badly. Robinson was unfortunate to be penalised for what was a shocking day, but Fulham's defence had already been lackadaisical in the penalty area. It took a terrific saving tackle from Harrison Reed to prevent the peerless Callum O'Hare from sauntering through a terribly porous back line, which saw Matty Godden the chance to throw himself down. Denis Odoi endured an awful afternoon, giving away countless free kicks in dangerous positions, and consistently finding himself in the wrong position when sky blue shirts ran at him.

You could have been forgiven for thinking Fulham felt the job was done after the first 45 minutes. We simply weren't awake. There was a distinct lack of closing down, with home players allowed to pop off shots from inside the area – Ian Maatsen's strike was a perfect example of this. Odoi didn't get to him quickly enough and suddenly the game had got away from us. The frustration was evident both in the stands and on the pitch but everyone in black has to take a long hard look at themselves. I'm confused as to how some starters remain fixtures in the team. Fulham offered painfully little going forward after the break. Wilson was largely anonymous again, although I'm confused why he isn't on the free-kicks.

I could spent a long time detailing the failings of a number of players, but the painful truth is most of Silva's starting line up simply wasn't good enough. This was our worst showing since the Scott Parker days – forget the defeats by Blackpool and Reading – having got ourselves into a winning position, collapsing like that was utterly unforgiveable.

Gazzaniga: I'm not as down on him as some elements of the fanbase, but there comes a time when you have to realise, it isn't working. Rodak is proven at this level and was starting for Slovakia as they qualified for Euro 2020. A change in goal is long past necessary. 1

Odoi: There still seems to be a sense amongst some of the fanbase the Belgian is beyond criticism after his service to the club. He looks woefully short of the defensive standard required at right back. When wide players are running at him, he appears completely out of his depth. The decision not to recruit a new man in this position after Tete's injury is proving more and more costly. 2

Robinson: The American shouldn't have started for me if Bryan was fit enough to be on the break. He gave Gavin Ward a decision to make by leaving his leg out for Godden to go to ground and comprehensively lost the battle with Dabo on the Coventry right. Too many of his passes went astray and, despite being a sublime athlete, he makes too many elementary mistakes. 2

Mawson: I actually felt sorry for the big man. He was wanted eighteen months for a league start and was drafted into to this mess. Comfortably Fulham's best defender – although that is really damning him with feint praise – and he dealt with most of the balls into the box. 5

Ream: That dreadful mistake right at the start of the second half seemed to see him go to pieces. You just had a sense he wasn't going to recover from the stumble and heavy touch after Gazzaniga's poor pass, although Onomah's part in this comedy of errors shouldn't be forgotten about. I expected more leadership and communication from one of Fulham's most experienced players. 3

Reed: I felt Harrison was lacking in a lot of departments this afternoon and was getting frustrated watching him by the end. 4

Onomah: Certainly didn't take his chance after Silva's strange decision to leave Seri out. Typified our lack of intensity in a dozy performance that culminated in his crazy blocking off of Ream for Coventry's equaliser. 3

Decordova-Reid: Was he even out there? Missing in action. 4

Kebano: The Congolese winger was far from our worst performer, but he wasn't good either. First touch had gone to pieces long before he was hauled off and you can see why a succession of managers have seen fit to only use him as an impact sub. 5

Wilson: Seems to be struggling now that sides are taking steps to limit his effectiveness. Coventry cleared put two men on him this afternoon and that dramatically reduced the Welshman's impact. He might be better suited to filling the number ten role in Carvalho's absence. 3

Mitrovic: Looked to have the beating of McFadzean in the first half – not just in the air, but in the way he was dropping deep to link up the play effectively. Hardly saw any of the ball after the break but you could totally understand his frustration after he was blocked off by Clarke-Salter as he tried to burst through the Coventry defence, even if his boiling rage resulted in an unnecessary booking. 5

Moving forward, there could be a case for changing the system slightly. A lot of Championship sides have successfully deployed a back three this season and, with Mawson's return to the side, there is the potential to play three centre halves. Tosin was sorely missed today – and simply can't be dropped or rotated again. Bryan has to start on the left and operating as a wing back might reduce defensive deficiencies. Decordova-Reid did well at right wing back last season and might be worth a try until Tete is fully fit. Rodrigo Muniz probably deserves a start after a number of bright cameos off the bench – I'd like to see him partnered with Mitrovic up top from the start against QPR. Suddenly, the derby looks like a massive game after the international break.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/10/fragile-fulham-lacked-fight/

[WhiteJC]

Not great footage but they were the ones doing it pic.twitter.com/HaSVmGadgO

— pmffc10 (@pmffc101) October 2, 2021

[WhiteJC]

Following reports of two incidents of racial abuse at today’s game, these are being investigated and we are working with @CCFC_WMP.

There is no place for racism of any form at our games or in wider society #PUSB https://t.co/pFUohsepz8

— Coventry City (@Coventry_City) October 2, 2021