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F.A. Cup fever did not come to Shepperton. The magic of the cup is all about Ronnie Radford and Stanley Matthews. Havant & Waterlooville beating York City and Swansea City before taking the lead twice at Anfield. Barnsley going one better and winning at Anfield. Most of all though, it's about your club and once you're no longer in the competition your interest is never quite the same. I watched a bit of Man Utd. v Arsenal, but with Fulham out I really wasn't that bothered who won. We could have been playing a home tie against Southampton, had things worked out a little bit differently (a game I'd always enjoy as my best friend is a Saints fan) but instead we were probably dribbling round cones or having a rest day. Meanwhile Paul Trollope's Rovers were making the most of the conditions down at the Mem by dispatching Saints 1-0 in another performance that belies their league position. Well done to Paul and his team who are now the lowest placed team still in the competition.I'm gutted it's not us in the quarter-finals. I'd love us to reach another final, it's something that seemed more plausible since we returned to top-flight football, yet has remained just as unattainable (despite a close call in 2002). Maybe next year. For now we need to look ahead to the West Ham match. I don't think having a week off will have helped, but at least the Hammers are in the same situation. It's time for us to put in a big performance, we really need those three points and need to show those teams around us that we're not going down without a fight.
I'm not feeling much better about the Arsenal game. I've talked it over with various friends and colleagues and end up with the same conclusions every time. Arsenal ARE very good, but we are also VERY poor. We are very probably going to go down, but if by some minor miracle we don't, it will be the best and most exciting end to a season in Fulham's history.
I took this picture at the game. It's not very good because I used the camera on my phone which is a) not really up to fast moving action and b) a bit foggy thanks to the lack of a lens cover and the inevitable contact with detritus that comes from spending quite a lot of time in my pocket. It does, however, capture the moment just before Gael Clichy crossed for the first Arsenal goal ... I didn't take any more pictures after that.
If the weather is kind and the Memorial Stadium pitch has recovered from the two matches (Bristol Rovers drew with Walsall on Saturday, whilst Bristol Rugby lost to Cardiff Blues on Sunday) that were played at the weekend we may finally get to play our F.A. Cup 3rd round replay tonight. There's a pitch inspection at 10:30 to assess the state of the pitch and, if the go ahead is given, the covers will be put back on until an hour before kick-off. I've placed my bets on a Rover's win and a draw to ensure luck is on our side, but a sell out crowd will almost certainly be anticipating another Premiership exit. I think we NEED to win this game to reclaim a bit of confidence, but to do so we'll have to find a stronger fighting spirit than we managed against Arsenal.
So, a new year and a new resolve to spend more time doing important things has meant I've not been posting so regularly. Therefore, much like Fulham, I'm now playing catch up. I'd like to boast that I've got lots more accomplished because of my new direction ... but that doesn't seem to be the case. I spent the best part of the weekend tending the sick in the Chop household. Mrs C spent most of the weekend in bed and little chop junior was a bit out of sorts as well. All this meant I was not able to get along to the Cup game which I had hoped was going to be an opportunity for LCJr's first ever game. With no MOTD2 this week either I didn't even manage the briefest glimpse of the game.
I may be in a minority (possibly of one) but I actually think the replay won't do us any harm. I think we need some games to apply the principles Roy Hodgson is trying to implement, and a cup replay away from the "must win" attitude of the Premier League could be a useful opportunity. Premier League teams have an easy life to some extent, and we certainly play far fewer games now than we did when we were climbing the leagues. I was pleased that we fielded a first team, maybe an indication that Roy saw it as a good opportunity for the players as well, but our poor performance (see reports at CCN, White Lines, 3pm Cottagers) certainly highlights how bad a state we are currently in. This must in part be due to a massive lack of confidence and I feel we desperately need 2 or 3 new players on board in this transfer window to help raise the spirit of the squad.
It's going to be tough down at the Memorial Stadium and Bristol Rovers will quite rightly fancy their chances. We need our players to show what they're made of and really compete. I think it's important we stay in this competition as long as we can. I'll also be reinvesting the £8.40 I won on the previous draw to ensure we don't slip up this time round. Winning games will lead to greater self-belief and, rather than being a distraction from survival in the Prem, I think it could be an aid. Failing to beat Bristol Rovers would leave us without a game on the 26th/27th January and I think the last thing we need right now is a week off.
Both Jimmy Bullard and Lee Cook played in the reserves 2-0 win over Arsenal at Underhill. I believe that's Jimmy's third game in three weeks and there is talk that he could be getting close to a place on the bench. The suggestion from the physio team is that Lee Cook just needs to build up his fitness, so we may find that new signings or not we will have two new players available from February.
There's been quite a bit written about Roy Hodgson, (not least on the Offal) yet each piece I read makes me feel more confident in his ability to really achieve something at Fulham. There's an excellent article HERE from Paul Doyle of the Guardian which is one of the best I've read and, more then any other, makes me think we've got the right man. It's been linked to by a number of other Fulham sites already but I feel it's worth doing so again if only for my Dad to read.
Finally I've picked up on a number of new (or at least previously undiscovered) Fulham blogs. Championship At Best has actually been around for a while but is now "fully operational". It's an offshoot of ColinBaker.org and is a really smart site offering much more than the normal blog. There's some good stats pages and a very clever blog aggregator that picks up all the new posts from the various Fulham blogs as they are published. I get the impression it will add more features and content as time goes on. It was from this site that I also noticed Jason's Cottage which publishes the Fulham specific entries from Jason Gatties (HEC reader and comment poster) more rugby-centric Try Gol website. Finally I stumbled across 3pm Cottagers which follows the 2007/8 season at Craven Cottage from the perspective of season ticket holders who aren't necessarily Fulham fans. It looks like offering an interesting alternative view on the events in SW6 this season.
I think that's probably quite enough, back to doing important things again ...
Reading striker Dave Kitson has been quoted on the BBC saying "We are not going to win the FA Cup and I do not care less about it, to be honest. I care about staying in the Premier League, as does everybody at this club. Our league status is not protected by winning the FA Cup - simple as that". It seems to me a sad state of affairs that staying in the top division is so much more important than the chance to win the longest running domestic cup competition in the world. It's an indication of exactly how much money is available to those clubs that remain in the so called elite league. Is it really worth the effort if all you have to look forward to is a yearly battle against relegation? Surely any Premier League side should fancy their chances of winning the cup and the glory of winning it is worth the gamble?
I would love to see Fulham compete in a second Wembley final, but I also accept that right now we DO need to focus on doing whatever is needed to turn our team around and try and stay in this division. That said I hope the team we field against Bristol Rovers plays with the pride and passion that the competition deserves. It seems that, yet again, we are faced with a tricky 3rd round Cup game at a time when we are at our most vulnerable. Last season we eventually navigated our way past Leicester City despite our best attempts to mess it up. The season before that we were well beaten at the Cottage by Leyton Orient. The year we lost to Orient I had planned to put a bet, at very generous odds of 9-1, on Orient winning as a way of ensuring we didn't slip up. I didn't and felt a lurch in my stomach when the result finally came through. I'm very superstitious about football and I would never bet on Fulham to win, but feel quite comfortable doing the opposite in an attempt to swing things in our favour. Last year I DID bet on Leicester beating us at the Walker Stadium, we only drew but at least we weren't out. Today I have bet on both the draw and a Rovers win. It should do the trick, if it doesn't it's not for want of trying on my part! I've also had a sneaky bet on QPR to beat the Filth at 11-1, you never know!
The last time we met Bristol Rovers was in the 1998/99, when we completed the double over them on the way to winning the Division Two (now League One) Championship. Most Fulham fans will have stronger memories of the 1989 playoff matches. Rovers beat us in both games including a miserable 4-0 victory at Craven Cottage. The Pirates are currently sitting in the lower reaches of League One, following their playoff success last term. Having beaten Orient and Rushden & Diamonds in the previous rounds of the cup, they will be fired up for an encounter with a struggling Premier League side. Ex-Fulham midfielder Paul Trollope is manager and, whilst not being the most loved player during his spell at the Cottage, is sure to receive a decent welcome from the home fans on Sunday. All the ingredients are there for an upset, I just hope come four o'clock we're still in the hat for the next round draw.
