BFTG - Fulham

[bobby1413]

Right. People have every right to be angry about throwing away a 2-0 lead in six minutes.

The reaction in the next game is most important for me. Beating the league leaders would be the perfect tonic.

Yea all will be forgiven if we smash Brighton. We've got to, well the players at least need to put a performance in.

I'm really pleased with SCs reaction. Also happy he mentioned the fans. I hope the players feel as sh*tty as I did leaving the ground yesterday

[Huckleberry Hound]

Piazon looked pretty good in the first half when Fulham stood off him & he had time & space to knock it around. Second half they got tight on him with predictable results.

Can't say we were cruising at 2-0 when that scoreline only existed for about 30 seconds.

First goal came from a poor clearance from Obita, who also made no attempt to cut out the cross for the second. For the third, Al-Habsi went down too early after Piazon lost the ball in their half & they cut through the defence in two passes. Poor header from McShane for the fourth; he could have let it run through to Al-Habsi, but from the barney they were having afterwards I guess he didn't get a shout.

Hector had lost his head by the end - was lucky to stay on the pitch.

[Steve_Upper_West]

Naff performance from us.

Naff performance from me - carted off on the first train back to Reading after the game for drinking cans in the streets.

But you still seem pleased with yourself ?

Plonker

[blueroyals]

Think of the children

[paddy20]

Should have had more than one goal by half time as we were by far the better team. Another goal and the game looked over but some give away passes and poor defending mainly from Hector lost us the game. Piazzon was good but too many forwards on. Need Ferdinand back as he seems to play as more of a sweeper and we looked far better defensively with him rather than Hector who still makes too many mistakes. Cant really fault Habsi at all as he had little chance with any of the goals. Quinn is a massive loss, Tshibola needs to play next game

[The Quiet Man]

Observations on yesterday.

We can carry one "luxury" player but will not win many games home or away in the championship with Piazon and Vydra in the same side. Dilemma for Clarke is who to put on the bench. Piazon who has contributed goals and assists and who Chelsea will pay to see in the first team or Vydra who has just not clicked with the the rest of his team mates. Leaving Vydra on the bench raises questions as to the money spent and whether he will ever get enough game time to fit in. Piazon should not be put in midfield as he cannot retain possession when put under pressure and we end up with a 424 line up that is asking to be picked off on the counter.

Having seen both Rotherham and Fulham games something seems to have happened with the McShane Hector partnership, I've never seen Hector so generally off the pace or McShane so reckless in going for balls he is just not going to win.

We definitely seem to have a problem with shape at the current time we built the previous run on the midfield covering for the defence and playing on the break but at Fulham we were simply passed through all game and then gave the ball away at every opportunity. The midfield offered zero protection for the defenders and there appeared to be too many players playing on the edge of the box. With Quinn out for a long time we only have Tish who has the discipline to play a position and do the grunt work of winning the ball for the others. Williams is either headless chicken forward runner or fails to get close to his opponent and Norwood is good going forward but overdoes the sideways stuff which other teams are now learning to take away from us and we struggle to play through the middle of teams because Piazon loses the ball too easily.

Hopefully we will now go back to what created the initial run, get the ball and keep possession and look for the breaks and when we don't have the ball press and win the ball back.


Perhaps we have believed the hype and think that we just have to turn up and this is a tactical wake up call. Brighton is now a very big test for Clarke and the squad.

[Snowball]

Hadn't realised how free-scoring Fulham were

They are currently the league's top-scorers, along with QPR

We are next, along with Boro

[Mr.Swainey]

Naff performance from us.

Naff performance from me - carted off on the first train back to Reading after the game for drinking cans in the streets.

But you still seem pleased with yourself ?

Plonker

Where does it suggest that?

[Royal Ginger]

Naff performance from us.

Naff performance from me - carted off on the first train back to Reading after the game for drinking cans in the streets.

But you still seem pleased with yourself ?

Plonker

Where does it suggest that?

The ' ' gives it a certain something...

[MoorgateRoyal]

The first half was comfortable, we scored a good goal and we should have had more.

The second half started well with a superb goal from Sa, then it all went to shit and we got what we deserved in the end.

A wake up call and we need to learn and move on from it.

[Top Flight]

Having seen the goals we conceded again on channel 5 and on Sky Sports, I don't think we did alot wrong.

We were a bit unlucky and the truth is there are a number of teams in the championship that are good. We are not the only good side and we have no divine right to be at the top.

Fulham scored some really good goals and we are all in a bit of shock as a result.

I don't think wholesale changes are needed. We just have to get real, not be complacent, know our place and fight for promotion.

This game was a heck of a good lesson for all of us.

It probably would have been better for us not to score the second goal. Once the second goal went in. Fulham just thought sod it and they went for us. They had nothing to lose. At one nil they were always in the game and were being cautious and not going for us big time at the risk of conceding the second goal. Once we banged in the second, the gloves were off and Fulham came for us and they have quality throughout their attack.

This is a lesson for other sides as well. They should come after us a little bit as we showed vulnerability when we are attacked.

[Sanguine]

1st goal was a defensive clearance that went straight to Fulham feet, Obita I think. Great finish from McCormack, but should we have let him tee himself up?

3rd, I don't remember how we got there, but McShane was horribly out of position and shouldn't be playing percentage balls into the middle of the park, Piazon had little time. Hector and Gunter were then both marking Dembele.

4th was an awful McShane header straight to their feet from Lewis' long clearance.

I tend to agree it's no biggie, but I think it's a stretch to say we did little wrong in their goals.

[The Cap]

Top Flight wrote:
This is a lesson for other sides as well. They should come after us a little bit as we showed vulnerability when we are attacked.

Something that I'm sure the Gully scouts noted on Saturday. In fact they may well ask you down to assist with tactics Top Flight.

[Norfolk Royal]

Luckily, Hughton builds his teams from the back so I wouldn't expect Brighton to attack us in the way Fulham did, unless we go two nil up of course, ooops.

[Mr Optimist]

Luckily, Hughton builds his teams from the back so I wouldn't expect Brighton to attack us in the way Fulham did, unless we go two nil up of course, ooops.

Was going to say something very similar. Although it would make for a great end to end game on Saturday if Brighton came with attacking intent, I think they are more likely to come with the intention of playing the game with the brakes on and try to let us huff and puff to break them down and hit us on the break.

[Royal Lady]

That was my first game this season and I thought we looked great first half, then 2-0 up I thought this could be 4-0 or more. Pah. Second half after their first goal, we looked like we were scared to tackle, wouldn't shoot until right inside the box - gave them far too much space. Were they playing Clarke's tactics? Who knows. Mind, what an idiot to say he was too angry to speak to them - that's WHEN you speak to them and make them realise that a repeat is not to be tolerated.

[Ian Royal]

I don't know about you, but when I'm really angry is the last point I want to be giving feedback because it's likely to slip beyond constructive and into personal and unhelpful.

Silence is way more affective than shouting IMO. Shout and you send at least some people into defence mode and they may attack back. Silence is impossible to ignore.

[tidus_mi2]

I don't know about you, but when I'm really angry is the last point I want to be giving feedback because it's likely to slip beyond constructive and into personal and unhelpful.

Silence is way more affective than shouting IMO. Shout and you send at least some people into defence mode and they may attack back. Silence is impossible to ignore.

I've got to agree and I fully support Clarke's decision there. Especially since, after watching it back he can then call players out, show them the footage and it won't be a lot of "This is what I saw, you made a mistake", it's "This is on video, you oxf*rd up".

[floyd__streete]

Two poor results in 5 days and a lead given away both times

Saw the goals and it looked like Fulham tore us a new one, just strolling through our defence with quick passing.

I read a lot about how this team needs time to gel.....fine, but we are a quarter of the way through the season and it must be remembered that we have - what - 5 loan players (some signed at considerable cost) so it isn't as if we have infinite time to build on such short-termist planning

[The Cap]

Ian Royal wrote:
I don't know about you, but when I'm really angry is the last point I want to be giving feedback because it's likely to slip beyond constructive and into personal and unhelpful.

Silence is way more affective than shouting IMO. Shout and you send at least some people into defence mode and they may attack back. Silence is impossible to ignore.

With you on this one Ian. Certain things can be said in the heat of the moment, and it's been reported that Clarke is due to speak to the players tomorrow. By which time he will have had time to analyse our overall performance, and consult with his back room staff, prior to speaking to the group in a way that they are more likely to digest. And, in any case, I'm sure that all those who were actively involved will have done a lot of soul searching in the meantime. A post match bollocking is more likely to have muddied the waters, even though it's acknowledged that some players need a kick up the 'arris at the right time. However, Saturday's performance was more of a collective responsibility and so, in my view, this approach would have achieved very little. Other than lowering morale and alienating some of the players.