Good Summary From Phil Mison

[White Noise]

http://blogs.soccernet.com/fulham/archives/2011/02/one_year_on.php


One Year On

Posted by Phil Mison 4 hours, 7 minutes ago


© Getty Images

A somewhat laboured but deserved victory over Newcastle concludes a good month for the Whites. Despite the woes of autumn, our season seems back on track.

Let's begin with a snapshot of our latest win. It was the Whites third game in a week and for much of the first half it showed. Neither the pitch nor a whistle happy ref helped, with Fulham disjointed and a long way short of their vibrancy against Spurs. Misplaced passes and hesitancy in midfield kept the home fans largely mute, although we had a full house.

Credit to Newcastle for frustrating us and breaking up the flow of the game. I never thought I'd be writing this, but Joey Barton kept them ticking over, had plenty of the ball, and remained disciplined throughout - even in a losing cause. Not a sign of petulance from him.

The half-time chat from the Sky studio featured Lee Clark and Chris Coleman. Both wore the captains armband for the Whites, both were adamant Brede had been unfairly manhandled in the box going for two first-half free-kicks. Video vindicated their view, but Brede is almost too saintly for his own good - neither complaining nor seeking to exploit the situation. The first obstruction by Williamson was the more outrageous of the two, the lino on the Riverside too pusillanimous to raise his flag. Mark fired off a dose of verbals in his direction, now why can't the FA show some guts and suspend the official concerned?

No matter, some strong words must have been exchanged at half time. Fulham upped the tempo immediately and created three good chances in the first 5 minutes after the restart, with the last Duff skewed a ricochet horribly wide of the post from close range. A howler and he knew it. However, Fulham's fleet-footed forwards were now hitting their stride, Sidwell settled and that allowed Murphy more time, while our back four remained as solidly dependable as ever.

The breakthough came with our captain's great long pass over the top putting Duff in the clear and this time the Irishman made no mistake on 67, the way he celebrated his first goal of the season told you how relieved he was to get that monkey off his back. In the last 20 minutes Fulham returned to some of the swagger we'd seen Sunday. A clutch of openings came the way of Dempsey, Moussa and sub Kakuta - the product of quicksilver passing, alert running and great control. With more composure in the box, and without ever playing close to our best, Newcastle could have been on the end of a thrashing. Man of the match? Take your pick between Pants and Moussa.

As we move up to 12th I am very optimistic about our last third of the season. Fulham's attacking players will pose problems for anyone. How we are going to integrate Zamora into this mix I would not like to hazard a guess. I'd be very interested to canvass opinion as to who you think should makeway for the return of the big man. Not Dembele or Dempsey. AJ...Duff? Does Kakuta get a look in? Surely he must on the evidence of his 20 minutes yesterday. And what now for Gera, Davies and Kamara?

Managers value two qualities above all other in the modern era. Pace and power. A generation ago there was room in the game for elegant passers like Jim Baxter and our own Johnny Haynes. The game now is much more demanding, fitness levels have taken a quantum leap. What Fulham - after astute building in the past six months currently have - are what I call explosive players across the pitch. Footballers all with a turn of pace and no little skill who make things happen, or hustle opponents into errors - AJ, Clint, Moussa, Damien up top and Sidwell in midfield. It's simple to define our upswing in form when you consider pre Christmas we had just ONE player offering this dimension consistently, the matchless Mr. Dempsey. Tireless and brave, give thanks our saviour has remained injury free this campaign.

With the spectre of relegation hopefully banished before Easter, though we have both Chelsea and Man City coming up, I've drawn a comparison between where Fulham stand now and this time last year. After a 0-2 home reverse to Villa at the end of January 2010 we were on the wobble, not having picked up a win for 6 weeks. That put added pressure on our midweek game with bottom side Portsmouth four days later. but we scratched out an unconvincing win at home 1-0, turned the corner and went on a nine match unbeaten run in all competitions that took us up to the two legs with Juventus. And we all know what happened after that...

To put things in perspective then, despite the slow decline from last October onwards as the goals dried up, this time last year we sat 10th in the league with 30 points from 24 games, now its 12th and 29 from one game more. The conclusion to draw from this is that 12 months on, and following the change in management and coaching staff, Fulham is right back on the even keel established under Roy.

Fears that Hughes might impose a more robust and direct style have proved unfounded. The only side without a sending off to date and the lowest number of yellows. Our magnificently drilled back four is last year's model, minus Konchesky. We are still playing football the right way, with signs a more adventurous and - hopefully - winning mentality to away games is on the horizon. In fact, in light of the three new faces arriving in January, one could argue the Fulham of 2011 now carries more promise than Woy's.

Despite the injury setbacks, amidst the volatility and transient nature of football our great little football club must be congratulated for sound governance and solid progress. One final theme that shows a consistency of purpose over time.

Consider the back four for Wednesday's game. In my preview I doubted Newcastle's ability to get behind them. They could not. Since the stumble against West Ham we have three straight shut outs in league action at the Cottage, barely conceding a sniff of goal to opponents. Woy was responsible for Pants, Brede and Mark. The much maligned Sanchez however brought in Hughes, Baird, and crucially Danny Murphy back in 2007 - three of our most consistent players.

This weekend we have a winnable game at another of our bogey grounds, Villa Park. The Villans will hopefully see a team transformed from the one that needed a stoppage time header by Hangeland to snatch a point in early November.

COYW! Twitter@fulhamphil

[Burt]

A good blog.

[jarv]

Good job. Thoughtful and accurate.

[NogoodBoyo]

Nice read, PM

[duffbeer]

Wasnt Mison the one at the start of the season saying Fulham should get rid of Dempsey and now he's calling him "our savior"?

[FFCcravencottage]

Wasnt Mison the one at the start of the season saying Fulham should get rid of Dempsey and now he's calling him "our savior"?

Yes this was the team he said, we should go with
http://blogs.soccernet.com/fulham/archives/2011/01/new_look_fulham.php
New Look Fulham
Posted by Phil Mison 3 weeks, 6 days ago

Having sensed a new mood of optimism at Craven Cottage this week, exclusive news of the Fulham team sheet from February

GK
Stockdale

RB CB CB LB
Paintsil Hughes Hangeland Warnock

MF MF MF MF MF
Dembele Baird Sidwell Adam Bentley

CF
Zamora

Subs: Schwarzer, Briggs, Murphy (player-coach), Duff, Davies, Etuhu, Senderos

Manager: Mark Hughes
Director of Football: Phil Mison

Yes, yes I know - where is our current top scorer and darling of the Yanks Mr Clint. Sell at the top of the market for £8 million - probably to a club in desperate straits like Liverpool, take whatever you can get for AJ, Kamara, Dikgacoi, Riise etc and that more than funds the new arrivals. As for Gera, he's too good to be stuck on the bench. It's a wrench, but at his age, give him a move where he will get first-team football.

I admire Dempsey as much as the next fan, but of all the components that make up a successful side, that eleven above to me blends balance, experience, pace on the flanks and strength. The one addition you might want to recruit would be a genuine target man as cover for BZ - and not 'make do and mend' with makeshift strikers as we've been doing since September.

ANYONE WANT TO ARGUE WITH THAT?

Get moving Mark, all of the above is so doable!

Twitter@fulhamphil


Comments
Posted by Dan 3 weeks, 6 days ago

I honestly can't believe that team above! Not a clue! No Dempsey! Dembele out wide?! Baird is doing a good job at left back! I think team above is never gonna happen! If it does, well Mr.Mison I buy a hat and eat it! I think my hat is safe!

Blog Central: Baird is a right-footed player at left-back. Every coach knows you can't get away with that for long. My formation also goes 4-4-2 to play Dembele off BZ. I do like strong opinions though. What flavour hat do you want?
Posted by Fulham Cowboy 3 weeks, 6 days ago

And who is going to score the goals in that formation ?

Blog Central: All 5 in midfield carry a goal threat, plus our England international striker. You really think that set up doesn't have goals in it?
Posted by Dan 3 weeks, 6 days ago

Flavour? Don't worry ain't gonna happen! :)
Posted by Jessica 3 weeks, 6 days ago

I think we had left-footed Duff on the right and right-footed Dempsey on the left for much of last season, right? I was as puzzled as the next person, but it seemed to work out ok most of the time.

As an American myself, the thought of Clint leaving is terrible. I had no ties to a team in the EPL, so when he signed on I became a fan. But now I've grown to really love Fulham and don't want to think about possibly having to shift allegiances if he left but stayed in the league. What's a girl to do?

I know BZ is back with team, but realisitically how long before he is back playing?

Blog Central: 4-5 weeks, Hughes says he's ahead of schedule and now training with 1st team squad
Posted by BadgerDawg 3 weeks, 6 days ago

I see the thoughts and even though Clint is my favorite player (EVER!) I understand the logic. I just think Dembele would be up top next to BZ. Also, you have absolutely no cover for BZ in this scenario. I would prefer for them to keep everyone but the strikers and find one of them in addition to a true attacking center mid if they won't make Dempsey that person. I think Salcido will get it back and be as good as he was earlier in the year so no Warnock.

Jessica, I am also a yank and was drawn to Fulham by the Americans before Demspey. Dempsey being there has solidified my love of the club, and I will personally root for Clint no matter where he goes, but I will always cheer for the whites first. If selling him makes sense for the club, I'll be devestated but say go for it. I don't think he should go though.
Posted by Duncan 3 weeks, 6 days ago

As much as it pains me to say, I think you are probably right about Dempsey. But, I would quibble with your formation. I would rather have Dembele as a striker behind Zamora in a 4-4-1-1 with Baird moving out wide. Dembele seems to be more effective up the middle, rather than on the wing. Now, whether our Whites can pull off all those transfers to make this a reality is another matter entirely....
Posted by Colin 3 weeks, 6 days ago

Bentley is washed up and Etuhu for all his faults is better than Sidwell. Baird is a utility player and should not be replacing Murphy yet. I think that is eventually Sidwell's job, so Hughes can play two box-to-box midfielders with him and Etuhu. I do like Warnock at left back though and Charlie Adam would be a great addition.I'd like to see Hughes move Dempsey back to left-sided mid and have Davies and Duff platoon on the right side as they are both running out of gas. Slot Dembele in behind a lead striker, (hopefully one will be bought). Also I'd like to see us hold on to Zoltan.
Posted by Tom 3 weeks, 6 days ago

No Demps, huh? Thats hard to swallow. I know the profit would be hard to turn down. But don't you think he would be a better attacking midfielder than Dembele? I think Clint also provides an arial threat that may be lacking in the lineup you've listed above. Otherwise, I would love to see some of the other changes. Fulham needs to do something fast.
Posted by yankFFCfan 3 weeks, 6 days ago

like any opinion it does not exactly align with mine, but it is neither horrible or great. first, selfishly, i agree with jessica, i became a fan of fulham because of american players on the team and would hate to see dempsey go; also i dont think he should go, he is in many ways the heart of this team.

i still think schwarzer has a few more years, and stockdale is a GREAT replacement. not sure about warnock. i love the midfield except for adam, i would much rather see dempsey stay and keep a 4-4-2 with dembele just behind zamora. i would love to see bentley come here. also, that is a great bench, which would go a long way to keeping us a top half (and beyond) team.

the optimism is back; gotta love january

COYW!
Posted by Sean 3 weeks, 6 days ago

Interesting moves. My only issue is that you are counting on a lot of players who have not consistently played entire seasons in the Premier League (BZ, Dembele) while letting go Deuce, whose goals this year have led directly to 6 points, without which we would be in the cellar by 4 points and looking at certain relegation. (His passing, creativity and hustle aside)

He is a warrior and he is a clutch scorer (Liverpool goal to keep us up, for instance, and Juve immaculate chip). BZ does come back, which is great, but don't forget he has not played in a while and scored fewer EPL goals than Clint in his two seasons here while playing forward consistently, whereas Clint played a lot of MF. We paid 10mil if not mistaken for BZ, so 8 mil for Clint just doesn't seem like enough.

I do love the Murphy player-coach, though.

If I knew we had goals, I could deal with it, but we just don't have anyone near as reliable.

Blog Central: £6.5 mill for Bobby and Paintsil combined to WHU summer 2008, great business by Woy.
Posted by Sean 3 weeks, 5 days ago

Right. I wondered if I was remembering American $ or British £ . I think it was American I was remembering, since it is about $10 million.

I agree, 6.5 million for those two was great, but I still don't think that £1.5 million more is enough to sacrifice the creativity and finishing that Dempsey provides, that extra quality.

I also wonder what has happened to David Elm. Though it was very little, I liked what I saw of him last year, and playing AJ as the target man is as useful as playing down a man at this point. With EJ still playing tentatively and never looking like scoring, why hasn't Elm gotten a shot? Our scoring list goes Dempsey, Haangeland, Baird and co., so it seems the perfect time to see what he can do as a target man, since goals have been hard to come by.

Blog Central: That Elm has not featured on Hughes radar at all mystifies many a Fulham fan. I will get to the bottom of this.
Posted by Michael Pearce 3 weeks, 5 days ago

Director of Football, Phil Mison, I am not sure about... Of course, could certainly be better and more creative than the current regime...

No Demps, huh? I've had the same thought that if they can get enough money, it may well be worth it. I'd just like to see him keep playing and not find himself on the bench. As for FFC, I am not sure the team is better without him, even with the extra cash. I think the two are a great match, and he seems well received at the Cottage by the fans and would be missed. Of course, if they win without, he will be easily forgotten, I am sure.
Posted by Andy 3 weeks, 5 days ago

A lineup like this may work if it's the start of the season and they have the summer training period and preseason friendlies to work out the kinks but right now it looks like a FIFA video game lineup that would be disastrous to throw on the pitch in the middle of February while trying to fight relegation.

Also, I think you're giving too much credit to 'name' players like Sidwell and Bentley who are nowhere near in starting 11 form.
Posted by Andy 3 weeks, 5 days ago

Obviously you're partly joking around with this post and I agree that being able to joke is a good thing considering where we were a couple weeks ago (and could be again) but pretending this lineup change or something similar were to happen, I can only imagine the dressing room unrest when former starters and team leaders Schwarzer, Murphy, Davies and Duff are now watching from the stands. Not good for ole team morale.
Posted by Chris 3 weeks, 5 days ago

why not go for james beattie? i dont think he is injured, he is not featuring for rangers and would be a cheap short term solution to our lack of a target man, he has a decent scoring record and has top flight experience at 32 or 33 he can give a good year and a half to the club and act as good cover for BZ.... also, i am confused as to why we seem to be stuck with the idea of playing on striker and one man in the hole, why not play two strikers, it seems that Hughes has an inability to imagine and change tactics, we can pass the ball and dont need to depend on BZ for goals, play two up top, keep dempsey on the left
Posted by Brandon 3 weeks, 5 days ago

I agree with Andy. That is just too much to change in January.

I think Charlie Adam is the best target for Fulham right now. He's fit because he's actually been playing and he's in great form. We obviously lack creativity in the midfield right now, but Adam has the capacity to change that.

Many people have already said it, but I'll say it again...Dempsey is just too important to let go. He's the only consistent man in our attack. Consider all of our goals since Christmas...Dempsey, four from defenders, and a gift from Scott Carson. The goals from Hughes, Baird, and Hangeland have been fantastic, but we can't rely on defenders to continue to provide our goals. Our offense needs to produce - and that won't happen if we sell the catalyst of our attack.
Posted by Virginia Cottager 3 weeks, 5 days ago

I'd also hate to see Dempsey leave... he showed his worth again against West Brom. He's only 27 and I believe still has a role to play in Fulham's future and shouldn't be sold for anything under $10 M. Your back four look great to me though I think Salcido is worth keeping and will return to his early season form. Your hypothetical midfield concerns me a bit because I view Bentley as a poor (and I mean poor) man's Beckham. And, I'm an Etuhu fan... so I view him through rose-colored glasses. It will be interesting to see how Sidwell performs for us - you were spot on with that prediction. Up top, Gera should stay and be given more minutes until BZ's return b/c he does so many things well on the field. Next week's match against Wigan is huge to continue the positive momentum! Last thing: I think that Kamara read your blog based on his performance against Peterborough today!
Posted by Cottage Spirit 3 weeks, 3 days ago

I understand the spirit of the changes you're proposing, but in terms of Dempsey, his performances are filled with heart ... I definitely don't want to lose that right now, just when we need it. You don't get that from newcomers!

I'm not sure about Sidwell, although I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt.

By and large I think Hughes has been fine. My only complaint is that we're too slow going forward. Part of that is Danny (bless him) but I don't think Hughes likes to play that way anyway - Man City was also quite slow in their buildup too when he was there.
Posted by Tom the Yank 3 weeks, 2 days ago

There's a bit of the grass is greener syndrome, IMO, Phil. Yes, Warnock would be an improvement at LB and yes, Charlie Adam seems to be a good future successor to Danny Murphy. David Bentley may be a player who has lost his hunger, after being anointed to next David Beckham. Another, content to collect huge wages on the bench.

I'm with Colin, in terms of having Dembele in the hole, behind Zamora, with Dempsey at LM and Duff / Davies platooning at RM. I doubt that Sidwell will come in and replace Etuhu at DM but, if we did sign Adam, I wouldn't mind seeing him paired with Murphy, with Danny as the holding midfielder.

Dempsey is Fulham's longest serving player, along with Davies, I believe, and, despite being labeled as the jack of all trades and master of none, he continues to produce the goods, with a desire for continued improvement. Fortunately, I think that Clint will be with Fulham for some time to come.
Posted by Roy 3 weeks, 1 day ago

I'm a Yank and was a fan of Fulham before Clint came and I'll be a fan if he leaves, but...I'LL BE P*SSED. That only leaves us Eddie!!!
Posted by dbmullet 3 weeks ago

Well, I'm a Yank too and Clint should be sold if the money is right; EJ is scarcely worth his ticket home.
You know, if the proposed XI were trotted out I would likely sit back back, have a good "Sure, why not?" chuckle and watch to see if Bentley/Dembele could get loose.
Maybe a better choice for Baird? If we are dead set on moving on, then sure; otherwise Murphy?... Davies?