Back in August when the Premier League started up, I had hopes only that Fulham would avoid a relegation battle as the Premier League season wound down. With six games to go in the League, not only to Fulham essentially assured of staying up, being 13 points above the relegation zone, but by sitting in 8th place in the league there is a slim hope that the Whites might find themselves in European play next year. The inaugural Europa League (essentially a re-branded UEFA Cup) is within sight.
England will have four champions league spots next year and it looks like Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea will get the three automatic group stages berths and Arsenel will have to play into the groups again next year. Normally, that would mean that the next two spots in the table, currently held by Aston Villa and Everton, would see Europa League spots. Fulham, sitting 8th but only one point beind 7th Place West Ham United, would be on the outside looking in.
But here is where things get interesting, there are two ways in which Fulham might find a place in at least the Europa league qualifiers. First, with the semi-finals of the FA Cup coming up this weekend, the four teams in the FA Cup semi-finals are Arsenel, Everton, Chelsea and Manchester United. The winner of the FA Cup gets an automatic berth in the Europa League. But if that team is in a league position where A) they have a Champions League berth or B) a Europa League Berth, and win the FA Cup, then the next elgible team gets a spot. With all four teams in the FA Cup currently sitting (comfortably) in a European spot, the 7th place team in the League is likely to get a European berth next year. Right now that is West Ham, but as I said there is only a single point between Fulham and West Ham (their run in schedules are below).
Now if Fulham finish 8th, not all hope is lost for European play. UEFA has a fair play spot available for the league and the team that demonstrates the best fair play through out the season. I don't know where the Premier League sits in the UEFA fair play rankings, but Fulham are top spot in the Premier League Fair Play Table. The calculations for the Fair Play spot are convoluted at best so I don't know how this would work out, but Fair Play is a possibility.
Fulham six game run in looks like this:
Away to Middlesbrough
Home to Stoke City
Away to Chelsea
Home to Aston Villa
Away to Newcastle
Home to Everton
I can see 9 to 11 points out of this set of fixtures. Fulham have been solid at the Cottage all year, so three points are probable from Stoke and maybe a point each from Aston Villa (whose form of late has been horrid) and Everton (tough to play anywhere) for five points at home and may be as many as 9 points (Villa and Everton look all but assured of European play so there will be little to play for). Away from home, three points from Middlesbrough seems possible given their shocking form. Chelsea is always tough at stamford Bridge and have looked good with Guus Hiddinck at the helm. A point may be the best to hope for, but not likely. Finally, Newcastle are tough in the Northeast and they may still be in the midst of a relegation battle, so a point would a good result but you never know which Newcastle team will show up so three points is not out of the realm of possibility. That would be 3 to 6 points on the road.
Factors in Fulham's favor. The starting 11 for the past three games has been the same and they are playing very well together. They look fit, not tired, and are really playing solid football (even the Liverpool last minute loss was a fine display of football).
West Ham's run-in looks like this (Iinterestingly enought, Fulham and West Ham will face five of the same teams in the last six rounds):
Away to Aston Villa
Home with Chelsea
Away to Stoke City
Home with Liverpool
Away to Everton
Home with Middlesbrough
This weekend, West Ham will face a wobbly Aston Villa at Villa Park. But the big difference between some of these games will be where they take place. West Ham face Stoke at the Brittania--a tough place to play--and Aston Villa at Villa Park, also not an easy place to play, and Everton away. Fulham plays those three teams at home. Additionally, with Liverpool on a cracking run of form (they scored four goals against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge last night) and sniffing a Premier League title, there will be no quarter there. Chelsea is also looking like a possible title contender as well. The only three points I think should be in the bag will be the Middlesbrough match. I think West Ham manager Zola will be hard pressed to get a total of nine points from this fixture list.
Fulham have one other advantage--goal difference. Only three other teams in the Premier League (Man United, Liverpool and Chelsea) have conceeded fewer goals than Fulham who have given up only 28 goals all season. Sure, they have only scored 33, but that gives them a +5 Goal difference. West Ham have a +1 difference and are looking at the current goal machine of Liverpool as well, so a negative goal difference is not out of the realm of possibility.
In August of last year, I was simply hoping Fulham finished 12th or 13th in the league, now it looks like a European spot is not impossible. What a turnaround. A top half finish is great, and Europena spot would just be gravy.
Showing posts with label Fulham FC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fulham FC. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Fulham Take a Point from Arsenel
Traveling across town to the Emirates to take on Arsenel in years past might have been written off as three points lost by the Cottagers. But while Fulham aren't winning on the road, they aren't losing either. In two games against the Gunners this year, Fulham have taken four points. Today's 0-0 draw is another in a long line of draws for the Whites,
The 0-0 draw is Arsenel's fourth in a row in the Premier league. Fulham, on the other hand, are in the middle of a 8 games in four weeks run of games. Again, whilst Fulham's away form is nothing to particularly write home about, Fulham's organization and discipline on defending, coupled with a several fine saves from Mark Schwarzer (and a bit of help from the woodwork) have kept Fulham in a position to keep getting draws away from home. Sure, we are still not scoring goals, but if we aren't conceding goals either, it puts the Whites in a position to possibly nick three points on the road with a little luck.
Fulham was unlucky several times this game, with the run of play being clearly in Fulham's favor in the first half. Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora were creating openings and making life very difficult for the Arsenel back line. Zamora was taking shots from distance. The two strikers were pairing together, moving the ball around and finding seams to exploit Arsenel's apparent complacency on defense. Several good opportunities were created and Fulham were unlucky to not have come out of the first half with a goal.
Fulham were equally lucky to have kept Arsenel off the score sheet as well. Robin Van Persie had several great chances on crosses and corner kicks and Schwarzer has to make a great goal line save on a strong van Persie header early in the first half.
The second half found Arsenel with more of the attacking flow and Fulham were able to absorb the attack. Even with Arsenel's addition of Emmanuel Eboue and Nicklas Bendtner, Fulham were able to keep Arsenel from scoring.
Admittedly, Fulham played a fair amount of negative football, but it is not like Roy Hodgson put ten men behind the ball and prayed. There were some very creative counterattacks and Zamora and Johnson continued to make life difficult for the Gunners. But Arsenel couldn't crack the Fulham defense.
Fulham have conceded only 22 goals this season, only Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea have conceded fewer goals. With that record, the fact that Fulham have only scored only 24 goals seems less important. Fulham have 34 points now in the league and it is looking like Fulham will be staying up, the magic number looks to be about 34 or 35 this eyar. They currently have a nine point leader on the drop zone and Fulham still have matches to play against cellar dwellers Stoke, Blackburn and Middlesbrough to go which if they win those, will ensure that Fulham will probably finish mid-table. There is an outside chance of European play next year. Wouldnt' that be a great change from relegation dogfights.
The 0-0 draw is Arsenel's fourth in a row in the Premier league. Fulham, on the other hand, are in the middle of a 8 games in four weeks run of games. Again, whilst Fulham's away form is nothing to particularly write home about, Fulham's organization and discipline on defending, coupled with a several fine saves from Mark Schwarzer (and a bit of help from the woodwork) have kept Fulham in a position to keep getting draws away from home. Sure, we are still not scoring goals, but if we aren't conceding goals either, it puts the Whites in a position to possibly nick three points on the road with a little luck.
Fulham was unlucky several times this game, with the run of play being clearly in Fulham's favor in the first half. Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora were creating openings and making life very difficult for the Arsenel back line. Zamora was taking shots from distance. The two strikers were pairing together, moving the ball around and finding seams to exploit Arsenel's apparent complacency on defense. Several good opportunities were created and Fulham were unlucky to not have come out of the first half with a goal.
Fulham were equally lucky to have kept Arsenel off the score sheet as well. Robin Van Persie had several great chances on crosses and corner kicks and Schwarzer has to make a great goal line save on a strong van Persie header early in the first half.
The second half found Arsenel with more of the attacking flow and Fulham were able to absorb the attack. Even with Arsenel's addition of Emmanuel Eboue and Nicklas Bendtner, Fulham were able to keep Arsenel from scoring.
Admittedly, Fulham played a fair amount of negative football, but it is not like Roy Hodgson put ten men behind the ball and prayed. There were some very creative counterattacks and Zamora and Johnson continued to make life difficult for the Gunners. But Arsenel couldn't crack the Fulham defense.
Fulham have conceded only 22 goals this season, only Manchester United, Liverpool and Chelsea have conceded fewer goals. With that record, the fact that Fulham have only scored only 24 goals seems less important. Fulham have 34 points now in the league and it is looking like Fulham will be staying up, the magic number looks to be about 34 or 35 this eyar. They currently have a nine point leader on the drop zone and Fulham still have matches to play against cellar dwellers Stoke, Blackburn and Middlesbrough to go which if they win those, will ensure that Fulham will probably finish mid-table. There is an outside chance of European play next year. Wouldnt' that be a great change from relegation dogfights.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Fulham Streak Ends
Fulham traveled across London to Upton Park to face West Ham United only to see their 9 game streak without a loss come to a halt against a Hammers squad that has been enjoying a resurgence of late. West Ham netted three times while Fulham's Paul Konchesky marred West Ham's clean sheet with his first goal of the campaign.
Fulham remain in the top half of the table, but the bottom half of the table is so tight that only five points separates the Cottagers from the drop zone. Hopefully, this loss will simply be a blip on the radar screen and not the harbinger of a skid that could put Fulham into yet another relegation scrap.
Fulham remain in the top half of the table, but the bottom half of the table is so tight that only five points separates the Cottagers from the drop zone. Hopefully, this loss will simply be a blip on the radar screen and not the harbinger of a skid that could put Fulham into yet another relegation scrap.
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Fulham Match vs. Blackburn Postponed
Referee Rob Styles, after a pitch inspection, felt the freezing conditions and the conditions of the pitch necessitated a postponement of the match at Craven Cottage. The Fulham/Blackburn match was not the only match postponed today.
Sunday, January 04, 2009
Fulham Grab First Road Win in FA Cup
Andy Johnson netted a brace and the Cottagers booked a place in the FA Cup Fourth Round with a 1-2 win at Sheffield Wednesday. Highlights are here.
Take a look at the brilliant ball that sprung Johnson for his first goal.
Take a look at the brilliant ball that sprung Johnson for his first goal.
Monday, December 29, 2008
Fulham Coincidence?
American international Clint Dempsey has started the last eight matches for Fulham, who are on a nine game unbeaten streak.
Coincidence?
Interesting stat fact, this time last year Fulham were sitting 18th with 14 points and Lawrie Sanchez had gotten the sack and Hodgson had been hired.
Coincidence?
Interesting stat fact, this time last year Fulham were sitting 18th with 14 points and Lawrie Sanchez had gotten the sack and Hodgson had been hired.
Clint Dempsey's Brace and Scolari's Reaction
Fulham garnered two wins over the weekend, with a 0-0 draw against Tottentham at White Hart Lane and leveling against Chelsea 2-2 at Craven Cottage. Clint Dempsey scored a brace and a yellow card for his shirtless celebration on Sunday. The two draws mean that Fulham have extended their streak to nine games without a loss, granted, there is an awful lot of draws in those nine games, six draws.
While I am happy that Dempsey netted twice for the Cottagers, I have to be honest and say that he is the lucky recipient of horrendous marking on set pieces by Chelsea. Here is Dempsey's second goal, on a solid header, and the reaction of Chelsea manager Luis Felipe Scolari.
Fulham has been playing with superb organization in the back. Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer and the defense anchored usually by Brede Hangeland and Aaron Hughes, have put together eight clean sheets this season. Yes, they looked good at times on Sunday, but Chelsea should really have won that game.
Roy Hodgson has done superbly this getting the Fulham back line organized and disciplined. The midfield is working well, with Clint Dempsey learning to play well on the wing on either side and hitting a good streak of form of late, Simon Davies playing on the opposite wing. Until a recent injury, Jimmy Bullard and Danny Murphy have been solid in the central midfield. My only beef right now for Fulham is the scoring. Bobby Zamora and Andy Johnson work very hard harassing the opposing back lines, but they are not working well at doing their primary job, i.e. scoring goals. Hodgson seems happy with his 4-4-2, and it certainly is getting results for the Whites, but good grief, we need some more goals.
But Fulham's recent run is good news. They are six points clear of the relegation zone in a very tight table. Coming up are a series of fixtures against teams in the bottom half of the table, with games against Blackburn Rovers(19th place-18 points), West Ham United (10th Place-25 points), Sunderland(15th place-22 points), and Portsmouth(12th place-23 points) in January. If Fulham can grab 6 to 7 points in four games, Fulham will be clearly on the verge of a top half of the table finish and and certainly shouldn't find themselves in a relegation dogfight at the end of the season.
Next up for Fulham is Sheffield Wednsday this weekend in FA Cup Third Round action.
While I am happy that Dempsey netted twice for the Cottagers, I have to be honest and say that he is the lucky recipient of horrendous marking on set pieces by Chelsea. Here is Dempsey's second goal, on a solid header, and the reaction of Chelsea manager Luis Felipe Scolari.
Fulham has been playing with superb organization in the back. Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer and the defense anchored usually by Brede Hangeland and Aaron Hughes, have put together eight clean sheets this season. Yes, they looked good at times on Sunday, but Chelsea should really have won that game.
Roy Hodgson has done superbly this getting the Fulham back line organized and disciplined. The midfield is working well, with Clint Dempsey learning to play well on the wing on either side and hitting a good streak of form of late, Simon Davies playing on the opposite wing. Until a recent injury, Jimmy Bullard and Danny Murphy have been solid in the central midfield. My only beef right now for Fulham is the scoring. Bobby Zamora and Andy Johnson work very hard harassing the opposing back lines, but they are not working well at doing their primary job, i.e. scoring goals. Hodgson seems happy with his 4-4-2, and it certainly is getting results for the Whites, but good grief, we need some more goals.
But Fulham's recent run is good news. They are six points clear of the relegation zone in a very tight table. Coming up are a series of fixtures against teams in the bottom half of the table, with games against Blackburn Rovers(19th place-18 points), West Ham United (10th Place-25 points), Sunderland(15th place-22 points), and Portsmouth(12th place-23 points) in January. If Fulham can grab 6 to 7 points in four games, Fulham will be clearly on the verge of a top half of the table finish and and certainly shouldn't find themselves in a relegation dogfight at the end of the season.
Next up for Fulham is Sheffield Wednsday this weekend in FA Cup Third Round action.
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
Extortionists
Earlier this year, I posted a listing of Fulham FC's matches for the 2008-2009 season. I gleaned the information I posted from Fulham's own fixture list.
Well, yesterday I recieved the following email from the Blogger Support Team:
So I had to do a little research on Football DataCo Limited, and here is what I found:
Seriously, this is going a bit too far. It is a calendar for goodness sakes, and not even a good one at that. I can talk about the fixtures, I can analyze the games, I can even talk about the difficulty of certain stretches of the schedule, but I can't put out the entire list? It is rubbish.
I posted this on the "offending" post:
Well, yesterday I recieved the following email from the Blogger Support Team:
Blogger has been notified, according to the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA), that certain content in your blog infringes upon the copyrights of others. The URL(s) of the allegedly infringing post(s) may be found at the end of this message.Now, I am not in the habit of violating copyrights and I scrupulously try to make sure my sources are linked or at least referred to in all of my posts. So when I looked up the allegedly offending post, I wondered what about the post was so offensive, after all it was simply a list of the Premier League matches that Fulham was going to play in the season and my thoughts on their chances for avoiding relegation.
The notice that we received from Football Data Co Limited, with any personally identifying information removed, will be posted online by a service called Chilling Effects at http://www.chillingeffects.org/notice.cgi?sID=8985. We do this in accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Please note that it may take Chilling Effects up to several weeks to post the notice online at the link provided.
The DMCA is a United States copyright law that provides guidelines foronline service provider liability in case of copyright infringement.Please see http://www.educause.edu/Browse/645?PARENT_ID=254 for more information about the DMCA, and see http://www.google.com/blogger_dmca.html for the process that Blogger requires in order to make a DMCA complaint.
We are asking that you please remove the allegedly infringing content inyour blog. If you do not do this within the next 3 days (by 12/5/08), we will be forced to remove the posts in question. If we did not do so, we would be subject to a claim of copyright infringement, regardless of its merits.
Blogger can reinstate these posts upon receipt of a counter notification pursuant to sections 512(g)(2) and 3) of the DMCA. For more information about the requirements of a counter notification and a link to a sample counter notification, see http://www.google.com/dmca.html#counter.
Please note that repeated violations to our Terms of Service may result in further remedial action taken against your Blogger account. If you have legal questions about this notification, you should retain your own legal counsel. If you have any other questions about this notification, please let us know.
Sincerely, The Blogger Team
Affected URLs: http://mattjohnston.blogspot.com/2008/06/fulhams-fixture-schedule-for-2008-2009.html
So I had to do a little research on Football DataCo Limited, and here is what I found:
Football DataCo Ltd is a British company in the football (soccer) industry that grants licences to third parties (such as newspapers) allowing them to reproduce certain intellectual property (such as fixture lists and statistics) owned by the FA Premier League, The Football League, the Scottish Premier League and the Scottish Football League. See website www.football-dataco.com.So the Premier League is so hungry for money they would charge me "£266 plus VAT" that is Value Added Tax to publish a list of games on this site. That would come to about $500 plus tax!!
Many of Football DataCo's activities are contracted out to the Press Association (PA). Thus, PA Sport handles applications for and distributes fixture lists and produces the Actim statistics service on behalf of Football DataCo.
Football DataCo is wholly owned by FA Premier League and The Football League.
DataCo charges a standard fee for the reproduction of Fixture lists, which currently stands at: £266 plus VAT to print the fixtures of one English club.
Seriously, this is going a bit too far. It is a calendar for goodness sakes, and not even a good one at that. I can talk about the fixtures, I can analyze the games, I can even talk about the difficulty of certain stretches of the schedule, but I can't put out the entire list? It is rubbish.
I posted this on the "offending" post:
Pursuant to an alleged copyright infringement asserted by Football Data Co Limited, the British Company that claims it owns the licensing business to publish the fixture list for football clubs, I have removed the listing of fixtures for Fulham's 2008-2009 Season. Football Data Co Limited charges up to £290 to buy a license to publish a list of 38 scheduled games for one Premier League Club. Simply put, it is extortion of thw lowest degree. While I obtained my list from the Fulham FC website, I find it stupid in the extreme that a club fan cannot publish a list of the clubs games when that club publishes the list themselves. I sincerely hope that Fulham and every other club in England don't have to pay extra to Football Data Co Limited to publish their own playing schedule.Bollocks to them.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Fulham Nick Another Point on the Road
While Fulham are not winning matches on the road, they aren't losing them either as the Whites traveled to Villa Park and grabbed another point with a fine defensive effort.
Mark Schwarzer, with the aid of the woodwork, was able to keep a clean sheet for the second week in a row on the road. Clint Dempsey grabbed his second start in the row and tested fellow American Brad Friedel in Villa's goal with a couple of strikes that required Friedel to demonstrate why he is among the Premier League's best goalkeepers. The first attempt was just before halftime when Dempsey fired a solid left footed volley which Friedel had to go to full extension to save a goal. Late in the second half, Dempsey had another attempt that demanded another high quality save from Freidel.
So the Whites will return home next week against Manchester City.
Hats off to Friedel, who set a Premier League record today, with his 167th consecutive Premier League appearance.
Mark Schwarzer, with the aid of the woodwork, was able to keep a clean sheet for the second week in a row on the road. Clint Dempsey grabbed his second start in the row and tested fellow American Brad Friedel in Villa's goal with a couple of strikes that required Friedel to demonstrate why he is among the Premier League's best goalkeepers. The first attempt was just before halftime when Dempsey fired a solid left footed volley which Friedel had to go to full extension to save a goal. Late in the second half, Dempsey had another attempt that demanded another high quality save from Freidel.
So the Whites will return home next week against Manchester City.
Hats off to Friedel, who set a Premier League record today, with his 167th consecutive Premier League appearance.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Liverpool 0:0 Fulham
Fulham traveled to Anfield and nicked a point from the second place team in the league.
Clint Dempsey got the start replacing Zoltan Gera in the line up. Simon Davies moved to the left side and Dempsey started on the rigth side of midfield. Otherwise the starting line up looked much like it has in past weeks. No goals, but Fulham did create some chances. The back line looked was solid again. Fulham's usual away form made no appearance.
With games still to go this weekend, Fulham step up to 9th on the league table, and put some distance between themselves and the relegation zone. But bottom dwellers Tottenham, Blackburn, Wigan and West Ham are either playing now or will play later this weekend.
Clint Dempsey got the start replacing Zoltan Gera in the line up. Simon Davies moved to the left side and Dempsey started on the rigth side of midfield. Otherwise the starting line up looked much like it has in past weeks. No goals, but Fulham did create some chances. The back line looked was solid again. Fulham's usual away form made no appearance.
With games still to go this weekend, Fulham step up to 9th on the league table, and put some distance between themselves and the relegation zone. But bottom dwellers Tottenham, Blackburn, Wigan and West Ham are either playing now or will play later this weekend.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Fulham 2:1 Tottenham
Fulham put an end to the magical streak of Tottenham and their new manager Harry Rednapp. Tottenham came to Craven Cottage boasting a six game unbeaten streak in all competitions, but Simon Davies and Andy Johnson scored one goal apiece to give the Whites teh win before a capactiy crowd at Craven Cottage.
Roy Hodgson started his normal 4-4-2, but American Clint Dempsey grabbed a start for the Whites, replacing Zoltan Gera in the midfield. Davies shifted to the left side of midfield as Dempsey slotted into the right.
The win moved Fulham to 9th in the league and the loss dropped Tottenham back into the relegation zone. But the table is still quite tight, with just seven points separating 7th place Everton (18 points) and last place West Brom (11 points).
Next week, Fulham will try to keep their winning form as they travel to Anfield to face the second place Liverpool. Fulham's rather disasterous away form is not likely to help, but the Whites are playing solid football.
Roy Hodgson started his normal 4-4-2, but American Clint Dempsey grabbed a start for the Whites, replacing Zoltan Gera in the midfield. Davies shifted to the left side of midfield as Dempsey slotted into the right.
The win moved Fulham to 9th in the league and the loss dropped Tottenham back into the relegation zone. But the table is still quite tight, with just seven points separating 7th place Everton (18 points) and last place West Brom (11 points).
Next week, Fulham will try to keep their winning form as they travel to Anfield to face the second place Liverpool. Fulham's rather disasterous away form is not likely to help, but the Whites are playing solid football.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
Andy Johnson for Capello?
England Manager Fabio Capello was at the Fulham -Newcastle match over the weekend and Fulham manager Roy Hodgson believes striker Andy Johnson could get a call-up to the England squad.
I don't know about that. Johnson certainly is on form right now, but he has not been particularly consistent at all this season. Jimmy Bullard was called up previously but I don't seem him get a call again any time soon.
I am not sure who or what Capello was interested in at Craven Cottage, but I would be surprised if it is Andy Johnson.
I don't know about that. Johnson certainly is on form right now, but he has not been particularly consistent at all this season. Jimmy Bullard was called up previously but I don't seem him get a call again any time soon.
I am not sure who or what Capello was interested in at Craven Cottage, but I would be surprised if it is Andy Johnson.
Monday, November 10, 2008
Fulham Best Newcastle at Craven Cottage
Jumping to 10th place on the table as a result of Sundas's 2-1 win over Newcastle, certainly looks good for the Whites in this season's campaign. Andy Johnson scored his third goal of the season and Captain Danny Murphy slotted home a penalty in the second half to give Fulham all three points.
Fulham are playing some quality football, passing the ball around, dominating possession for long stretches of the game and playing much better defensively. Last year's Fulham curse of conceding points in the final minutes of matches seems to be a thing of the past, which is certainly good news. Brede Hangeland and Aaron Hughes are looking solid in central defense, providing a stability that was lacking last year.
But the Cottagers have a new problem this year--finishing. No one is more guilty of the problem the off-season acquisition Zoltan Gera. Whether it is a combintation of bad play and bad luck, but the Hungarian international simply is not converting the chances he gets (and the beneficiary might just be Clint Dempsey--but more on Dempsey later). Early in the first half, Gera has two quality chances for goals. First, he beat two defenders in the air to get on the end of a Simon Davies cross, only to head the ball wide. A few minutes later, Gera saw a fairly open net, only to see his not particuarly strong header cleared off the line.
Gera has hit the post and cross bar a fair number of times this season and that is troubling. Andy Johnson as well, brought into score goals, took eight games to get on the score sheet and while he has three goals this season, the partnership between Johnson and Bobby Zamora doesn't seem to be gelling as they regularly looked out of sorts. Zamora is acting like a target striker, but Johnson doesn't seem to be reacting well to the big man's efforts.
Clint Dempsey came into the match in the 63rd minute and made a quick impact, making the pass that sprung Johnson in on goal which resulted in the penalty. Dempsey showed fine form in his 30 or so minutes and may be making a case himself over Gera. The two have the same number of goals in League Play (1), but Dempsey has gotten his with about 1/4 of the playing time of Gera. I wouldn't not be surprised (and I am hopeful) that Dempsey can get a start against Tottenham next week.
Tottenham hot their third result in as many games against Manchester City. Tottenham are riding of a fair amount of luck since Harry Redknapp was named manager so Fulham will need to play well next week.
After Tottenham, Fulham will travel to Anfield against Liverpool and Villa Park to face Aston Villa (a team that has dropped two games against Newcastle and Middlesbrough--games they should have won).
The league is incredilby tight thus far. Only three points separates Fulham at 10th (with a game in hand) and West Brom in 20th. Liverpool and Chelsea are six points clear of Arsenel for the top three spots and Man United has only one point over Aston Villa (who if they had won those last two games would be sitting third in teh table) and the team that just won't go away, Hull City who now sit sixth behind Aston Villa on goal difference.
Fulham are playing some quality football, passing the ball around, dominating possession for long stretches of the game and playing much better defensively. Last year's Fulham curse of conceding points in the final minutes of matches seems to be a thing of the past, which is certainly good news. Brede Hangeland and Aaron Hughes are looking solid in central defense, providing a stability that was lacking last year.
But the Cottagers have a new problem this year--finishing. No one is more guilty of the problem the off-season acquisition Zoltan Gera. Whether it is a combintation of bad play and bad luck, but the Hungarian international simply is not converting the chances he gets (and the beneficiary might just be Clint Dempsey--but more on Dempsey later). Early in the first half, Gera has two quality chances for goals. First, he beat two defenders in the air to get on the end of a Simon Davies cross, only to head the ball wide. A few minutes later, Gera saw a fairly open net, only to see his not particuarly strong header cleared off the line.
Gera has hit the post and cross bar a fair number of times this season and that is troubling. Andy Johnson as well, brought into score goals, took eight games to get on the score sheet and while he has three goals this season, the partnership between Johnson and Bobby Zamora doesn't seem to be gelling as they regularly looked out of sorts. Zamora is acting like a target striker, but Johnson doesn't seem to be reacting well to the big man's efforts.
Clint Dempsey came into the match in the 63rd minute and made a quick impact, making the pass that sprung Johnson in on goal which resulted in the penalty. Dempsey showed fine form in his 30 or so minutes and may be making a case himself over Gera. The two have the same number of goals in League Play (1), but Dempsey has gotten his with about 1/4 of the playing time of Gera. I wouldn't not be surprised (and I am hopeful) that Dempsey can get a start against Tottenham next week.
Tottenham hot their third result in as many games against Manchester City. Tottenham are riding of a fair amount of luck since Harry Redknapp was named manager so Fulham will need to play well next week.
After Tottenham, Fulham will travel to Anfield against Liverpool and Villa Park to face Aston Villa (a team that has dropped two games against Newcastle and Middlesbrough--games they should have won).
The league is incredilby tight thus far. Only three points separates Fulham at 10th (with a game in hand) and West Brom in 20th. Liverpool and Chelsea are six points clear of Arsenel for the top three spots and Man United has only one point over Aston Villa (who if they had won those last two games would be sitting third in teh table) and the team that just won't go away, Hull City who now sit sixth behind Aston Villa on goal difference.
Monday, November 03, 2008
Fulham Drop All Three Points At Everton
an 87th minute goal by former Fulham striker Lousi Saha, cost Fulham all three point as Everton topped Fulham 1-0 at Goodison Park. I suppose the worst thing about the whole matter is that Fulham struck the woodwork twice in this match, had a couple of good chances go to waste and had Tim Howard make a couple of fine saves to keep the Whites out of the net.
I didn't see possession stats, but it seemed to me that Fulham had the majority of the possession by a little and Everton had some additional good chances, a couple of which made sure that Mark Schwarzer earned his paycheck. Fulham were, for significant times, moving the ball around well, making use of the 4-4-2 that Hodgson is liking. But the finishing is well off. Both Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora had their share of chances, clear opportunities that got blown. Zamora had probably the howler of the day, missing a chance from the top of the goal area after Howard saved Jimmy Bullard's 25 yard free kick. Zamora hit the post on a, well not quite wide open net. But from that distance, he needs to score.
Zoltan Gera was simply unlucky at about the hour mark. I thought his header was simply beautiful, hitting the crossbar in just the right way to bounce out of teh net and not in. A matter of an inche or two lower and it would have been a goal and a lovely one at that.
Fulham are playing well, with some solid football, creating chances and making life difficult for opposing sides. What Fulham need now is to convert a few of those close ones and they could start stringing together some wins. Fulham was unlucky to have not come away with at least a point.
Fulham will face Newcastle United this upcoming weekend followed by Tottenham, who are flying high with a draw against Arsenel and a win over Liverpool in the past two matches. Tottenham are looking much improved since sacking Juande Ramos.
I didn't see possession stats, but it seemed to me that Fulham had the majority of the possession by a little and Everton had some additional good chances, a couple of which made sure that Mark Schwarzer earned his paycheck. Fulham were, for significant times, moving the ball around well, making use of the 4-4-2 that Hodgson is liking. But the finishing is well off. Both Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora had their share of chances, clear opportunities that got blown. Zamora had probably the howler of the day, missing a chance from the top of the goal area after Howard saved Jimmy Bullard's 25 yard free kick. Zamora hit the post on a, well not quite wide open net. But from that distance, he needs to score.
Zoltan Gera was simply unlucky at about the hour mark. I thought his header was simply beautiful, hitting the crossbar in just the right way to bounce out of teh net and not in. A matter of an inche or two lower and it would have been a goal and a lovely one at that.
Fulham are playing well, with some solid football, creating chances and making life difficult for opposing sides. What Fulham need now is to convert a few of those close ones and they could start stringing together some wins. Fulham was unlucky to have not come away with at least a point.
Fulham will face Newcastle United this upcoming weekend followed by Tottenham, who are flying high with a draw against Arsenel and a win over Liverpool in the past two matches. Tottenham are looking much improved since sacking Juande Ramos.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Fulham 2-0 Wigan
Fulham's Andy Johnson propelled the Cottagers to a 2-0 win over Wigan at Craven Cottage last night.
With the Premier League scheduling a full slate of matches in mid-week this week, and Fulham facing four lower, lower table teams in the next three matches, Fulham have the opportunity to put some distance between themselves and the relegation zone in the coming weeks.
Johnson's two goals, early in each half, gave Fulham the full three points against Wigan, who were sitting 15th on the table coming into the match, with Fulham sitting 17th. Johnson made up for his howler against Portsmouth on Sunday, which could have given Fulham a win at Fratton Park. Fulham leapfrogged Wigan to claim 14th on the table with the away match at #12 Everton up on the weekend. Everton won last night as well, 1-0 over Blackburn.
With the Premier League scheduling a full slate of matches in mid-week this week, and Fulham facing four lower, lower table teams in the next three matches, Fulham have the opportunity to put some distance between themselves and the relegation zone in the coming weeks.
Johnson's two goals, early in each half, gave Fulham the full three points against Wigan, who were sitting 15th on the table coming into the match, with Fulham sitting 17th. Johnson made up for his howler against Portsmouth on Sunday, which could have given Fulham a win at Fratton Park. Fulham leapfrogged Wigan to claim 14th on the table with the away match at #12 Everton up on the weekend. Everton won last night as well, 1-0 over Blackburn.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Duece to the Rescue
Clint Dempsey came in off the bench and got an 87th minute goal to give Fulham a 1-1 draw against Portsmouth at Fratton Park.
Fulham, winless in their last six matches had dropped to near the relegation zone after starting the season in good form. Now with 8 points and a game in hand (against Manchester United), Fulham sit 16th on the table, just over Bolton on goal difference.
What really sucks is that Andy Johnson pulled a howler in the 85th minute or so that could have equalized but he couldn't really get around on it and it went over the bar. Things were desperate in the final minutes and quite honestly a little luck played a part since I think at least one of those fouls in the penalty area should have been a penalty kick. But with Duece's late goal, the Whites salvaged a point on the road.
Fulham host Wigan on Wednesday in a mid-week game at the Cottage. At this point, Fulham need a full three points, and their performance might very well have given them the boost to get the win at home. Wigan sit 15th on the table, besting Fulham only on goal difference. Three points will help as Fulham start a four game stretch against lower half of the table sides with Wigan (15th), Everton (14th), Newcastle (19th) and Tottenham (20th) the next four matches on the schedule. The key, as everyone will tell you, to avoiding relegation battles is to get points against teams around you in the table. Wins over these four sides will put distance between Fulham and those teasm, distance that can be important in seven months time. Only the Everton fixture is away, so I hope that Fulham can net all 12 points, but I will be happy with 8 of 12 points, preferably with wins over Newcastle and Tottenham.
Fulham, winless in their last six matches had dropped to near the relegation zone after starting the season in good form. Now with 8 points and a game in hand (against Manchester United), Fulham sit 16th on the table, just over Bolton on goal difference.
What really sucks is that Andy Johnson pulled a howler in the 85th minute or so that could have equalized but he couldn't really get around on it and it went over the bar. Things were desperate in the final minutes and quite honestly a little luck played a part since I think at least one of those fouls in the penalty area should have been a penalty kick. But with Duece's late goal, the Whites salvaged a point on the road.
Fulham host Wigan on Wednesday in a mid-week game at the Cottage. At this point, Fulham need a full three points, and their performance might very well have given them the boost to get the win at home. Wigan sit 15th on the table, besting Fulham only on goal difference. Three points will help as Fulham start a four game stretch against lower half of the table sides with Wigan (15th), Everton (14th), Newcastle (19th) and Tottenham (20th) the next four matches on the schedule. The key, as everyone will tell you, to avoiding relegation battles is to get points against teams around you in the table. Wins over these four sides will put distance between Fulham and those teasm, distance that can be important in seven months time. Only the Everton fixture is away, so I hope that Fulham can net all 12 points, but I will be happy with 8 of 12 points, preferably with wins over Newcastle and Tottenham.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
Fulham Return With 0-0 Draw Against Sunderland
The return of Premier League football this weekend, after the international break with a pretty enteraining 0-0 draw with Sunderland. This puts the Whites in the familiar spot of occupying 17th on teh table.
More later.
More later.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Blackburn v. Fulham Tomorrow
Fulham will travel to Ewood Park, home to the Blackburn Rovers. Blackburn is reeling from their last two Premiership games against West Ham United and Arsenel in which the Rovers conceded four goals in each of the two games. Playing at home may give them a little comfort, but it didn't help last weekend when Arsenel and Emmanuel Adebayor shelled them for four goals and the hat trick by Adebayor.
Fulham are coming off league wins over that same Arsenel side and Bolton last week. Fulham have been playing with solid form, great possession and the flair for creating chances to score. But, let's face it, Fulham's away form is, to be quite charitable about it, less than stellar. Granted, they have had only one away game thus far when they traveled to Hull City to start the season, but even then they did not play poorly, conceding the final goal in a complete howler by Paul Konchesky.
The injury list is practically non-existent, with only Leon Andreasson being the only regular first team member with injury and possibly eligible for selection this weekend. But even if Andreasson is out, I don't expect Roy Hodgson to make an significant changes to his starting XI tomorrow from last weekend's win over Bolton.
I would expect the 4-4-2 that has served Hodgson well this season. I am hoping to see a little more out of Andy Johnson's paring with Bobby Zamora up top. The central midfield tandem of Jimmy Bullard and Danny Murphy are creating great chances and hopefully we can see a little more out of Zoltan Gera on that left wing.
Going to Ewood is tough and Blackburn desperatly need a win and Ewood Park can be a hard place to play But I like Fulham's style of play lately and if they are on that form, I can see a win. I like 2-1 for Fulham, but I would be happey with a draw as well.
Fulham are coming off league wins over that same Arsenel side and Bolton last week. Fulham have been playing with solid form, great possession and the flair for creating chances to score. But, let's face it, Fulham's away form is, to be quite charitable about it, less than stellar. Granted, they have had only one away game thus far when they traveled to Hull City to start the season, but even then they did not play poorly, conceding the final goal in a complete howler by Paul Konchesky.
The injury list is practically non-existent, with only Leon Andreasson being the only regular first team member with injury and possibly eligible for selection this weekend. But even if Andreasson is out, I don't expect Roy Hodgson to make an significant changes to his starting XI tomorrow from last weekend's win over Bolton.
I would expect the 4-4-2 that has served Hodgson well this season. I am hoping to see a little more out of Andy Johnson's paring with Bobby Zamora up top. The central midfield tandem of Jimmy Bullard and Danny Murphy are creating great chances and hopefully we can see a little more out of Zoltan Gera on that left wing.
Going to Ewood is tough and Blackburn desperatly need a win and Ewood Park can be a hard place to play But I like Fulham's style of play lately and if they are on that form, I can see a win. I like 2-1 for Fulham, but I would be happey with a draw as well.
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Clint Dempsey in Depth
Adam Spangler writing at This Is American Soccer has a great five part series of post about Clint Dempsey, his early life, career and off-the-pitch plans.
As Dempsey struggles for playing time at Fulham and seems to be seeing a resurgence for the U.S. National Team, this story was one of insight into a quality player who really is, to a certain extent, unlike any American player in Europe. I wonder if Dempsey is out of place in the Premier League, with a more creative league like La Liga or Serie A more suited to his style. I hope he contemplates a move even to the Bundesliga.
Still, here are the links to the five parts which answers questions like, What does Clint Dempsey do when not playing (golf and quiet time are among the answers), what are Clint's plans after soccer (land in North Carolina and family), why does Clint point to the sky after scoring (see part 2 and the story of his sister for that answer). For all his energy on the field, Dempsey is not a loud, brash, annoying, "see me and my WAG" kind of guy, which I like.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4Part 5
As Dempsey struggles for playing time at Fulham and seems to be seeing a resurgence for the U.S. National Team, this story was one of insight into a quality player who really is, to a certain extent, unlike any American player in Europe. I wonder if Dempsey is out of place in the Premier League, with a more creative league like La Liga or Serie A more suited to his style. I hope he contemplates a move even to the Bundesliga.
Still, here are the links to the five parts which answers questions like, What does Clint Dempsey do when not playing (golf and quiet time are among the answers), what are Clint's plans after soccer (land in North Carolina and family), why does Clint point to the sky after scoring (see part 2 and the story of his sister for that answer). For all his energy on the field, Dempsey is not a loud, brash, annoying, "see me and my WAG" kind of guy, which I like.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4Part 5
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Fulham 2:1 Bolton
Fulham dominated the match and survived a final minute heart attack to take three points against Bolton at Craven Cottage. Bobby Zamora and Zoltan Gera eached netted a goal while Andy Johnson got his debut for the Whites, pairing with Zamora up top.
Fulham are playing a quality brand of football, with possession and control the call of the day. The midfiled of Jimmy Bullard, fresh off a session with the English National Team (although he did not get a run out) and Danny Murphy leading the way in teh middle with Gera on the left and Simon Davies on the right. Hodgson is getting comfortable with the big central defenders of Brede Hangeland and Aaron Hughes. Paul Konchesky and John Pantsil at the outside backs.
There was a little scare in the early minutes of the second half when Bolton's Kevin Nolan had a hard tackle on Jimmy Bullard and the concerns of Bullard knee clearly implicated. Nolan got the yellow card and Bullard got up to the cheers of the crowd.
Although Fulham only netted two goals, but they created lots of chances and could have as many as four clear goals and maybe a fifth.
I must say that this year Fulham are looking more like a team that deserves to have stayed in the top flight. They are playing stylish football and more importantly, when the chips were down they didn't fold. I think had this game occurred this fixture last year, Fulham would have crumbled in the final minutes and surrendered the draw. I also think that had the opposition had been a top five or six team, it might very well have resulted in teh draw. So that Fulham didn't blow it should give them a little more confidence to believe that they don't need to pull a Fulham and give up the points in the final minutes. So Hodgson is building the confidence.
So what is teh stauts, Fulham, after three games is on six points and sitting at 6th in teh League with a game in hand.
I know, everyone will tell you that you can't make any conclusions until about 8-10 games into the league, but Hodgson has built a team with depth and they are playing well. And given the relegation escape, I will rejoice in the position right now.
Clint Dempsey dressed but did not play. I have to wonder how much this has to hurt the American. He seems to be gaining some confidence from his national team play (two goals in two games). But I have to wonder whether he is going to see any more significant playing time anytime soon and if he doesn't what that will do to his confidence. With few American field players in the Premier League, I wonder how Dempsey himself feels.
Fulham are playing a quality brand of football, with possession and control the call of the day. The midfiled of Jimmy Bullard, fresh off a session with the English National Team (although he did not get a run out) and Danny Murphy leading the way in teh middle with Gera on the left and Simon Davies on the right. Hodgson is getting comfortable with the big central defenders of Brede Hangeland and Aaron Hughes. Paul Konchesky and John Pantsil at the outside backs.
There was a little scare in the early minutes of the second half when Bolton's Kevin Nolan had a hard tackle on Jimmy Bullard and the concerns of Bullard knee clearly implicated. Nolan got the yellow card and Bullard got up to the cheers of the crowd.
Although Fulham only netted two goals, but they created lots of chances and could have as many as four clear goals and maybe a fifth.
I must say that this year Fulham are looking more like a team that deserves to have stayed in the top flight. They are playing stylish football and more importantly, when the chips were down they didn't fold. I think had this game occurred this fixture last year, Fulham would have crumbled in the final minutes and surrendered the draw. I also think that had the opposition had been a top five or six team, it might very well have resulted in teh draw. So that Fulham didn't blow it should give them a little more confidence to believe that they don't need to pull a Fulham and give up the points in the final minutes. So Hodgson is building the confidence.
So what is teh stauts, Fulham, after three games is on six points and sitting at 6th in teh League with a game in hand.
I know, everyone will tell you that you can't make any conclusions until about 8-10 games into the league, but Hodgson has built a team with depth and they are playing well. And given the relegation escape, I will rejoice in the position right now.
Clint Dempsey dressed but did not play. I have to wonder how much this has to hurt the American. He seems to be gaining some confidence from his national team play (two goals in two games). But I have to wonder whether he is going to see any more significant playing time anytime soon and if he doesn't what that will do to his confidence. With few American field players in the Premier League, I wonder how Dempsey himself feels.
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