Vinicius: Why?

[Carborundum]

He's lacking confidence. His teammates lack confidence in him.  He gives the opposition confidence.  Time for someone else to have a go up there.  Anyone will do.  Literally any one of them after that display.

[Bill2]

He gets rubbish service and while he is not Mitro he is not that bad. Robinson's delivery were rubbish.

[Thames Bank 1]

Change formation against Everton, BDR/James, William and Solamon up front, as not going to get any joy out of there centre backs, Arsenal don't play with big front man, do them for pace

[WindyCity]

pereira does run around but he goes for glory too much, shooting numerous times when its not really on and attempting dribbles and getting dispossessed. pass and move keep possession and play someone in better placed to shoot.

Still probably one of our most dangerous players (to score goals).  I'd rather see shots taken.  He had a couple of screamers but were blocked by defenders.  Can't score unless you shoot.  Most here never want to see Robinson take a shot, but I do, and last week he hit the woodwork and in todays' game he had a pretty good shot/attempt. 

[WindyCity]

I was more concerned that both Tete and Diop on the bench, that was a mystery.

Not sure how/why starting XI was selected as it was, but I thought Tosin had a pretty good game.  Also thought Cedric was fairly good too.  However, I still feel Tete has to always be the primary choice.

[ffcthereligion]

The guy is poison and aside from Eddie Johnson is the worst PL striker I've ever seen play for us. He MAKES the service look bad by having absolutely shocking positional play. There were multiple crosses that were begging for your centre forward to get their head on it, but he's never where you want him to be. And when he is, he never wins it, instead doing all he can to look busy and lean into the defenders, at one point it actually bounced off his head such is his lack of anticipation.

To be honest, I'm not even sure he's a centre forward. About once a game he ll play a good pass which all the usual suspects on this board will latch onto as proof anyone with an alternative opinion to their own is overrreacting. Maybe he could be a significantly worse version of joelinton if he was dropped into CM? Suffice to say I'm done with him up front. Truly pathetic player

In my opinion.

[LittleErn]

I'm assuming because of the speed of some of these posts you lot weren't at the game. I was there and I can tell you in real time he had so much space and we kept passing the ball wide for some rubbish crosses rather than playing the ball into his feet. The two times we actually thought about it and played it to his feet we created two chances. Being a target man isn't his strengths so why we insist on putting crap crosses vaguely in his direction is entirely the fault of the coaching team

Why do you think they don't pass to his feet? I suspect they have lost confidence in his ability to hold the ball or do something attacking with it. I agree that being a target man isn't his strength, but I struggle to see what is.

He's perfectly fine being given a normal pass into his feet (I.E last week against Bournemouth where he was able to basically set our goal up) but most of the time the players stuck to our really stupid strategy of get it to a full back who floats in a crap cross to the back post over his head. Again the two occasions we gave him a half decent pass he could control, something actually happened.

I agree that our strategy is wrong without Mitro. I also think that your phrase "that he could control" is telling. I don't blame him for the poor performances as we should have alternatives, but I can't see him as striker and particularly not a lone striker.

[3rdgenfan]

He can't hold up the ball, doesn't jump, can't head and is the weakest player I've ever seen.

Would be better having Duffy or Diop up front and at least we could feed off flick ons

[Rightwhite]

The guy is poison and aside from Eddie Johnson is the worst PL striker I've ever seen play for us. He MAKES the service look bad by having absolutely shocking positional play. There were multiple crosses that were begging for your centre forward to get their head on it, but he's never where you want him to be. And when he is, he never wins it, instead doing all he can to look busy and lean into the defenders, at one point it actually bounced off his head such is his lack of anticipation.

To be honest, I'm not even sure he's a centre forward. About once a game he ll play a good pass which all the usual suspects on this board will latch onto as proof anyone with an alternative opinion to their own is overrreacting. Maybe he could be a significantly worse version of joelinton if he was dropped into CM? Suffice to say I'm done with him up front. Truly pathetic player

In my opinion.

100% agree with this. I just see a massive lack of effort when the ball is played up to him and f#£k me he's quite a big lad, and he just don't jump. I don't get it. You don't need to be a world beater to make an effort to jump just put yourself in there lad and make a nuisance of yourself. Granted he had poor service today but he just don't breed confidence when he has an opportunity to score himself or an opportunity to make something happen. Even Danny Ings was more effective than him with a knee injury.

[davew]

Are we going to see this thread at the end of every game now?

Hopefully he won't be selected in future!!!

[davew]

We don't have any other options. Massive error not to recall Muniz or get another striker in the January window

+1, that is stating the obvious but obviously not to the Fulham management. Perhaps when we just manage to avoid relegation, they will reflect and realise that without the great start to the season we would have been relegated again! Hopefully a big lesson will be learnt when we do the Summer transfer business.

[filham]

Coming away from the Cottage without having seen a Fulham goal is always a miserable experience, today was was so bad.
Oyr attack was so poor ,wide men never getting behind their defence, Robinson's crosses terrible and Vini really ineffective and no pressure from midfield.

Silva really has to come up with a plan B while Mitro is absent otherwise the R word is going to stick around for a while.

[Woolly Mammoth]

The starting eleven was bizarre,
nevertheless our crossing was not premier league standard and our build ups once again were static or slow and pants boring.
Where was the movement and support for the man on the ball.

Silva seems to have lost a wheel along the way, but the way to get the best out of Vinny is to tell him to push up on the shoulder of their last defender and create space for himself or a team mate.

He did not seem to know what to do yet he is training every day therefore what are they coaching him to do.

But what drives me crazy is the slow passing sideways backwards in our own half and W H could then just sit back and watch us play pat ball whilst keeping their shape and balance and depth.

To breach a defence that plays two banks of 4.
You can either go round, go over or go through their defence, and we did neither until Tom came on, but by then we were one nil down and chasing the game against a team that hardly ever keep a clean sheet, and haven't won away since the start of the season, astonishing and extremely disappointing.

[Jules]

Change formation against Everton, BDR/James, William and Solamon up front, as not going to get any joy out of there centre backs, Arsenal don't play with big front man, do them for pace

Totally agree, we need a change in tactics. Go for pace, in channels and move the ball quickly. If we go fir Vinicius up top and same tactics we will lose at Everton. Guaranteed.

[ron]

I'm assuming because of the speed of some of these posts you lot weren't at the game. I was there and I can tell you in real time he had so much space and we kept passing the ball wide for some rubbish crosses rather than playing the ball into his feet. The two times we actually thought about it and played it to his feet we created two chances. Being a target man isn't his strengths so why we insist on putting crap crosses vaguely in his direction is entirely the fault of the coaching team

I was at the game and I can't see what his strength is at all?

So was I and neither can I! It was my first time at the Cottage for a while and I came away bitterly disappointed.

[Whitestone]

I'm assuming because of the speed of some of these posts you lot weren't at the game. I was there and I can tell you in real time he had so much space and we kept passing the ball wide for some rubbish crosses rather than playing the ball into his feet. The two times we actually thought about it and played it to his feet we created two chances. Being a target man isn't his strengths so why we insist on putting crap crosses vaguely in his direction is entirely the fault of the coaching team

Sensible post.
It's obvious Vinicius needs the ball at his feet. He was starved of any service today. Not sure why he is getting stick for not getting on the end of the numerous poor crosses into the box. He's already shown us against Chelsea what he can do with a perfect delivery. His through ball to Pereira was perfect and should have led to the equaliser.

[SG]

I'm assuming because of the speed of some of these posts you lot weren't at the game. I was there and I can tell you in real time he had so much space and we kept passing the ball wide for some rubbish crosses rather than playing the ball into his feet. The two times we actually thought about it and played it to his feet we created two chances. Being a target man isn't his strengths so why we insist on putting crap crosses vaguely in his direction is entirely the fault of the coaching team

I was at the game and I can't see what his strength is at all?

So was I and neither can I! It was my first time at the Cottage for a while and I came away bitterly disappointed.

I was also at the game. He is one of those players who never quite gets to a cross, is just beaten to the ball by the defender and is a nearly man. Poor service maybe but for crying out load at least put yourself about and make it difficult for the defender.
I see little but a slow, lump with poor control. I can't remember us having such a poor forward for many a year. Frank Large comes to mind. I really would give one of the young lads a go. At least he would have pace and could act as a release by chasing a ball into the channel.

[Matt10]

He's not getting on the end of these crosses because his movement off the ball is lacking. He just squares up with the centre-back and hopes to outjump them. He doesn't make a curling or angled run into the box, he doesn't go near or far post. He stays right in the centre. He doesn't try to get in front of the defender at all.

His strength may be the ball at his feet, but unless he has space to turn then and face, we still have to cycle the ball out wide and eventually find him again - thus repeating the entire process.

[SG]

He's not getting on the end of these crosses because his movement off the ball is lacking. He just squares up with the centre-back and hopes to outjump them. He doesn't make a curling or angled run into the box, he doesn't go near or far post. He stays right in the centre. He doesn't try to get in front of the defender at all.

Exactly what my mate, who used to play at a decent level, said today who saw him for the first time

[davew]

He's not getting on the end of these crosses because his movement off the ball is lacking. He just squares up with the centre-back and hopes to outjump them. He doesn't make a curling or angled run into the box, he doesn't go near or far post. He stays right in the centre. He doesn't try to get in front of the defender at all.

Exactly what my mate, who used to play at a decent level, said today who saw him for the first time

So his attribute to our team is what, making sure we have 11 players on the team sheet? When he is being compared with Eddie Johnson, well that says it all!!!