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Happy! Happy! Happy!
We beat Arsenal Reserves 3-0 last night. There's a proper report here. I caught glimpses of the game on Arsenal TV in between the ad breaks of a "Relocation, Relocation" repeat.
The team saw a nice mix of fringe first teamers and up and coming youngsters. I'm getting over excited but can't help feel that players like Wayne Brown, Rob Milsom and Junior Omozusi could actually break into the first team. Not to mention Giles Barnes!
Whoop! Whoop! Woo Hoo!
I’ve had a brilliant day today. Can’t stop smiling. Fulham stand 8th in the top flight of English football and have reached the quarter final of the F.A. Cup. Makes me happy just to type that, how far we’ve come. Last night brought back memories of midweek games in less confident times, the hustle and bustle of a well contested cup match, a sparse crowd (though 12,000 would have been a decent turnout back in the day) and an excitement about what might happen next I've not felt for some time.
“Super, Super Dan, Super Danny Murphy!”
If anyone still doubted it, the last two matches have been as startling a piece of evidence of Danny Murphy’s importance to Fulham as you’re likely to find. He ran the game on Sunday from start to finish and it wasn’t a big surprise Roy chose to rest him. Olivier Dacourt took his place in the starting eleven and I felt confident he could do a decent job for us. Olivier had a stinker though, we’ve seen hints that he’s a quality player but as the pace of the game increased he couldn’t keep up. A series of misplaced passes and tumbles suggested it just wasn’t going to be his night. Murphy was already changed and waiting when Dacourt took the knock that saw him hobble of the pitch. Hopefully nothing too serious and just a bad night at the office for Dacourt. Murphy’s arrival was spectacular though. 1-0 down at the time Captain Dan was the catalyst that turned the game in our favour. His passing and movement were as exemplary as ever but he also worked incredibly hard in the centre to win back possession when we lost it.
I’d not been particularly excited when Lawrie Sanchez signed him back in August 2007. It seemed a purchase born of desperation. He played well enough at times but I felt he’d struggled to impose himself too often. Even under Hodgson I doubted his qualities. Had I been picking the team he wouldn’t have got in – that will be one of many reasons why I’m not earning a living as a professional football manager. The purple patch that saw us achieve the great escape began to show me the error of my ways but even then I could never have imagined a scenario where Danny could change the shape of a game so effectively and rapidly as he did last night. He really is a quality player and it’s a joy to see him play for us right now.
“He scores with his left, he scores with his riiii-ght, that boy Clint Dempsey makes Drogba look …”
You know the rest. Dempsey impressed me again last night. He worked his socks off and looked genuinely spent when he was subbed near the end. He’s earned the right to be in the starting eleven and seems happy to play in whatever position he’s given. He showed great desire to reach Simon Davies corner and head home the opening goal and almost grabbed a second minutes later.
“Bob, Bob, Bobby Zam-orrr-ra!”
Bobby had a hatful of chances and there were moments when I began to lose patience with him. I’ve been a pretty firm supporter of Bobby Z thus far but found his performance last night frustrating. He turned up trumps in the end crashing home the second and match winning goal less than five minutes after Dempsey’s opener and celebrating in style.
“Come on you Whites”
Dickson Etuhu hasn’t got his own song yet. He might never get one as it’s a tricky name to scan but he’s fast becoming a cult hero at Fulham. Despite Dacourt’s personal nightmare, Dickson continued to provide the anchor for our midfield. Despite a needless booking from “Cerebral” Halsey very early on, Dickson was imperious throughout and even managed another cannon bolt shot from distance, though this time he didn’t find the target.
Arsenal on Saturday, Hull next Wednesday then United arrive for that quarter final and a chance to play at Wembley. Let’s enjoy it while we can, I’m off to do more cartwheels down the corridor.
Fulham edged a pedestrian first half, in which both teams exchanged free kicks from a variety of angles, but then got caught napping just after the break as that man Jason Scotland nipped in to give the Swans the lead. It took the arrival of our Captain Marvel, Danny Murphy, to kick the tie into life and turn the tide in our favour. Two goals in four minutes, the first from the excellent Clint Dempsey, the second from a resolute Bobby Zamora sealed the win and sent us through to a quarter final at home to Man Utd.
More tomorrow.
Fulham: Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky, Davies, Dacourt (Murphy 59), Etuhu, Dempsey (Kamara 90), Nevland (Gera 60), Zamora Subs Not Used: Zuberbuhler, Milsom, Kallio, Baird.
Booked: Etuhu
Goals: Dempsey 77, Zamora 81
Swansea: De Vries, Rangel, Williams (Bessone 90), Serran, Tate, Gower (Tudur-Jones 55), Britton, Gomez, Dyer, Scotland, Bauza (Butler 72) Subs Not Used: Cornell, O'Leary, Orlandi, Collins
Booked: Bauza
Goals: Scotland 47
Att: 12,316
Ref: Mark Halsey (Lancashire)
I was feeling nervous before kick-off. Despite the apparent gulf between our two clubs West Brom were only 8 points below us and had already shown themselves capable of beating us. Whilst the score remained goalless we always seemed vulnerable to a quick counter attack. West Brom played some neat football at times and Jay Simpson in particular showed potential to trouble our back line.
Whilst never quite taking complete control, Fulham did produce a catalogue of spectacular efforts in the first half. Danny Murphy curled an excellent free kick goal wards which was only kept out by Scott Carson's fingertip push onto the post. Dickson Etuhu continued the form he'd shown against Portsmouth and when he lashed a piledriver volley towards Carson it evoked memories of Papa Bouba Diop in his prime. Clint Dempsey cut in from the left wing before firing a curling left foot shot over Carson, only to see it come back off the angle. Simon Davies and John Paintsil were getting plenty of space down the right wing but both struggled to get in a quality cross. Murphy, who by now was completely running the came, smacked another shot off the cross bar then sent a delightful ball towards Andy Johnson which forced West Brom defender Barnett into a goal bound back header. Scott Carson again earned his money just managing to palm it around the post for a corner.
Our last good chance of the half fell to Bobby Zamora but as he scooped his effort high over the bar I was beginning to think it might just be one of those days. Bobby was beginning to approach a number of minutes that would rival Van der Sar's record for maintaining a blank. Ten minutes into the second half and he had another good chance, side stepping a challenge in the area he lost his footing just as he'd broken free. This kicked off a minor kerfuffle as the Baggies defender thought it was a dive and Bobby didn't react well to the implication. This injected a bit of passion into the game and soon after we got our reward. A quick freekick from Murphy set Paintsil free down the right wing, his cross was flicked on by Johnson in the box and Zamora's there at the far post to tap in. The delight at the goal seemed to be as much due to Zamora breaking his drought as to the fact we'd taken the lead. Within a minute Zamora showed exactly how important confidence can be. He set Dempsey off on a run down the left wing and arrived on the edge of the penalty box in time to connect with the American's neat return pass. The first time volley flew inches over the bar but it was a great instinctive strike. Had it gone in the Hammy End may very well have exploded with joy.
Fulham looked completely in control now and we didn't have to wait long for a second. Another great pass from Murphy found Zamora rampaging forward again. His shot caught Carson full in the face and left the 'keeper helpless to prevent Andy Johnson from collecting the rebound, juggling it between his own feet, lighting a celebratory cigar and eventually tucking home the winner. A double substitution on 80 minutes saw the welcome return of Diomansey Kamara who came on with Nevland to replace Zamora and AJ. Possibly the first time this season Roy's actually had the luxury of two strikers on the bench. Man-of-the-match Murphy was also retired early, receiving a well deserved standing ovation as Olivier Dacourt came on. We almost made the last few minutes more nervy than they needed to be, as Hangeland conceded a penalty. From a distance it was difficult to see what he'd done wrong, but television replays suggest he did catch Bednar as the Baggies striker nipped past him. Schwarzer, who had actually made three or four excellent saves when the game was still in the balance, reacted well to keep the penalty out and ensure a perfect finish to the game.
Justification for the team selection at Old Trafford midweek and a boost of confidence ahead of Swansea's arrival for the Cup replay on Tuesday. We find ourselves in the lofty position of 8th but more significantly are only seven points short of the magic 40 point mark
Fulham: Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky, Davies, Murphy (Dacourt 85), Etuhu, Dempsey, Johnson (Kamara 80), Zamora (Nevland 80) Subs Not Used: Zuberbuhler, Gray, Kallio, Baird
Goals: Zamora 61, Johnson 72
West Brom: Carson, Zuiverloon, Meite, Barnett, Robinson, Morrison (Menseguez 77), Koren, Borja Valero, Filipe Teixeira (Brunt 50), Fortune (Bednar 81), Simpson Subs Not Used: Kiely, Cech, Moore, Martis
Booked: Robinson
Att: 22,394
Ref: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire)
Just found this article on Tribal Football of all places.
"Fulham banned the BBC from interviewing Roy Hodgson after their defeat at Manchester United this week over Alan Green's commentary.
Fulham were so incensed by Green's commentary during their 3-0 Premier League defeat at Old Trafford on Wednesday night that head of communications Sarah Brooks took it upon herself to prevent Five Live from interviewing manager Hodgson afterwards in protest at the high amount of criticism.
Brooks told the Daily Mail: "We always co-operate with the media and never complain about fair criticism. But Alan Green's comments about Fulham appalled some of our fans, who made their views known on the message boards or contacted me during the game.
"I also listened to some of his commentary myself and remarks like 'Fulham should not have bothered to turn up' were insulting. In those circumstances, I didn't feel it appropriate for Five Live to speak to our manager."
I didn't hear the commentary in question but having had the misfortune of sitting through a number of Green's previous commentaries I can only applaud Sarah for a job well done. He's an ignorant and annoying man who seems to think we've tuned in specifically to hear his "witticisms" and deserves to be taken down a peg or two.
My friend Andy, who wrote a blog last year about following the F.A. Cup from the earliest preliminary rounds to the final, has just opened a display of his memorabilia at The National Football Museum. Amazing to see Andy's little blog grow to the extent that he's been interviewed by Radio and Television journalists, had a book published and is now featured in the same location as the ball from the 1966 World Cup Final and Maradona's shirt from the "hand of God" game. He's currently following the F.A. Vase which has been an equally entertaining read and has just led him back to the town of his birth. 
Our biggest defeat so far this season. I'm sure had we fielded our strongest side we could have given them a better game but realistically another 0-0 was the best we could hope for. With a home fixture against a struggling team on Sunday and a cup replay next week I think Roy got his priorities right. Takes a brave man to field a weakened side at Old Trafford and whilst the result suggests the team wasn't up to the task better teams have fared no better.
Van der Sar claimed the British record of 14 consecutive league clean sheets. Well done Edwin, hope you remember that if Swansea let us have a crack at you in the cup!
Man Utd: Van der Sar, O'Shea (Evans 62), Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick (Gibson 69), Scholes, Park, Berbatov (Rooney 61), Tevez Subs Not Used: Kuszczak, Nani, Rafael Da Silva, Fletcher.
Booked: Park
Goals: Scholes 12, Berbatov 30, Rooney 63
Fulham: Schwarzer, Pantsil (Dacourt 67), Hangeland, Hughes, Kallio, Baird, Gera (Brown 86), Murphy (Milsom 80), Davies, Dempsey, Zamora Subs Not Used: Zuberbuhler, Nevland, Gray, Smalling
Booked: Pantsil
Att: 75,437
Ref: Andre Marriner (W Midlands)
We knew this was going to be a tricky game. Swansea had cruised past Pompey in the last round and reports from my Championship supporting pals all said they were the best team in the division. So it proved. Neat passing and good movement we might have expected but this team showed a work rate and passion for the fight that swung the tie completely in their favour. In the end we did well to weather the storm and give ourselves another opportunity to admire the Welsh side up close.
Alarm bells must have been ringing when as early as the fourth minute Swansea were able to slice their way through our defence. Jason Scotland and Mark Gower exchanging passes before Gower fired his shot against the far post. I'm still not sure how it came out and as it did Gower almost had another chance to tap it in before Mark Schwarzer gratefully smothered the ball.
Murphy and Dacourt linked up well in the centre to regain some sort of momentum for Fulham as the game progressed. Dacourt looked classy and solid in the defensive holding role, whilst nearly all our attacking moves began with a Murphy pass. Danny picked out several long passes over the top of the Swans defence and one of these put Andy Johnson through to face the 'keeper alone before being wrongly pulled back for offside. Swansea created the better chances though and a cross from the right wing found that man Gower in space again on the left of the penalty area. Stoor was horribly misplaced and Simon Davies static as the left winger took aim but Schwarzer pulled of a remarkable point blank save to deny him again.
Our one decent chance of the first half came as Eric Nevland flicked a Davies long pass towards goal but Swansea keeper De Vries just beat Johnson to the ball. The balance of play was very much with Swansea so it was unexpected when we took the lead a couple of minutes before half-time. A corner from Konchesky was missed by the fist of De Vries and came off defender Monk's hip to give us an unlikely goal. The half time graphic showed we'd not managed a shot on target.
Thoughts that taking the lead would help us take control of the game were soon dispelled as Swansea came out for the second half in much the same fashion as they'd played the first and didn't take long to level the scoreline. A fluid buildup down the left hand side resulted in a pass to lone centre forward Jason Scotland. With his back to goal he held the ball up well, before a shift of feet bewildered Aaron Hughes and allowed Scotland to fire home under the body of Schwarzer. We were up against it now. Player for player it seemed Swansea had greater technical ability than us a fact that hardly bodes well for the replay. Our two banks of four stood up well and made it difficult for Swansea to break us down but all the creativity came from them.
Their wide men really hugged the touchlines and took every opportunity to switch play and stretch our resources. This put our wide men in the spotlight and none of them came out with very much credit. Stoor and Davies in particular suffered down the right flank, whilst Gera was conspicuous by his absence throughout. A flurry of changes from the hour mark onwards saw any ambition from us slowly dwindle and in the end it was a relief to claim a replay.
Swansea: De Vries, Rangel, Williams, Monk, Tate, Britton, Gomez, Allen (Bauza 81), Gower (Orlandi 71), Dyer, Scotland Subs Not Used: Cornell, Tudur-Jones, Bessone, Serran, Butler
Goals: Scotland (51)
Booked: Williams
Fulham: Schwarzer, Stoor, Hangeland, Hughes, Konchesky, Nevland (Zamora 75), Gera, Murphy, Davies, Dacourt (Dempsey 60), Johnson (Gray 85) Subs Not Used: Zuberbuhler, Pantsil, Milsom, Kallio
Goals: Monk o.g. (43)
Booked: Dacourt
Att: 16,573
Ref: Howard Webb (S Yorkshire)
On Sunday evening I settled down to watch the West Ham v Man Utd highlights on MOTD2. I like MOTD2, it's less pompous than it's elder sibling and usually has a pundit with something interesting to say about the games. Gianfranco Zola is the sort of person it's difficult not to like. He was a footballing genius (even if he did play for the wrong team in the borough) and rarely appears without a big beaming smile. He's also managed to get West Ham playing a free flowing and entertaining style of football. When West Ham beat us at the Cottage (a result I'm still grumpy about) they looked neat but ineffective. We undid ourselves that day but the Hammers had enough quality even then to take advantage. It seems Zola's now got them playing without fear and an amazing string of results has taken their confidence and their ability to new levels. It took a wonder goal from Giggs to defeat them and they must be eyeing European qualification. If nothing else the higher up the league they finish the easier it will be for them when the man from Sheffield United calls to collect their dough.
The game also took Edwin van der Sar a step nearer a World Record for clean sheets in league football. He'll break it if he manages to last 64 minutes without conceding against us next Wednesday. Of all the teams in the Premier League you'd probably fancy your chances of keeping a clean sheet against us than any other. We've managed a paltry three goals away from home all season, half the total of West Brom who are the next worst. Of course it would be typically Fulhamish of us to go and score, probably in the 63rd minute.
Another piece of trivia I noticed was that West Ham now have Recaro seats in their dugout. This is a growing fad amongst those teams that want to be seen as the best; Real Madrid, Newcastle United, Tottenham Hotspur, both Manchester's and Reading have all succumbed. Personally I think they look a bit naff, they are, after all, just car seats in club colours but each to their own. I'm glad to say Fulham have yet to be taken in and remain with Arsenal and Liverpool bastions of the plastic seat (though I'd actually be even happier if we still had a wooden bench).
One final word before my digression from things Fulham is complete. The Dean Windass story is an interesting one with twists and turns aplenty. From becoming the only player to be sent off three times in the same game to scoring the goal that won Hull City promotion to the top division for the first time in their history. Paul Fletcher's blog for the BBC summed this up quite well and looked at his hopes for the rest of the season with Oldham Athletic where he's currently on loan. However, even Fletcher couldn't have expected that what Windass would do next would be to take over in goal, survive a penalty and keep a clean sheet for 40 minutes to help Oldham to an away point at high flying Leicester. It's things like this that make Football great.
More good stuff from Mike Whalley at World of Sport. Fulham are building a comfortable lead in the race to be crowned Gubbometer champions. The '97 encounter against Wigan at the Cottage was one of our biggest games that season. I still remember the eruption of delight as Mark Blake slotted home an 82nd minute penalty that levelled the scores and rescued a point. Coincidentally, Wigan's midfield that day featured the talents of Roberto Martinez, an excellent player and key factor in Wigan's success. Martinez is of course now manager of Swansea City who we face in the F.A. Cup next weekend.
An almost inevitable scoreline that on the face of it seemed a good away point but proved to be a missed opportunity to claim that elusive first away win. Wigan are a team, very much like ourselves, making the most of their resources to keep clear of the mire that is the lower half of the table. Going in to the game I'd have been more than happy with a point. The comments of both managers suggest we played well enough to claim all three. Disappointingly, Dickson Etuhu, who seemed to be finding his feet in the last couple of games, picked up a knock which lead to his replacement near the end of the first half. However, this did give us an extended opportunity to see Olivier Dacourt who, whilst clearly being short of match fitness, looked very much the part. Zamora had a couple of decent attempts and was much improved. A point Hodgson was quick to pass comment on - "Last week Bobby Zamora had a bad time and it was good to see him back today, doing what we need." Wigan: Kirkland, Melchiot, Scharner, Bramble, Figueroa, Valencia (Watson 18), Brown (Koumas 19), Cattermole, N'Zogbia, Mido (Zaki 42), Rodallega. Subs Not Used: Pollitt, Edman, Boyce, De Ridder.Booked: Figueroa.
Fulham: Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hangeland, Hughes, Konchesky, Davies, Etuhu (Dacourt 45), Murphy, Dempsey (Gera 90), Johnson, Zamora (Nevland 75). Subs Not Used: Zuberbuhler, Gray, Stoor, Kallio.
Booked: Dempsey, Pantsil.
Att: 16,499.
Ref: Lee Probert (Wiltshire)
Thanks to the snow I spent most of Monday at home checking the Internet and sports news to see if we'd signed anyone exciting. Inevitably, despite being quite busy regarding the movement of fringe players on loan deals, we didn't make a late bid to purchase Kaka from AC Milan or steal Arshavin from under the noses of Arsenal. I'm coping with the whole transfer window shenanigans much better these days, and generally trying very hard to ignore it, but I have to admit I wasted an awful lot of time yesterday tapping the F5 key.InGiles Barnes (Derby County) LOAN with OTB*Olivier Dacourt (Inter Milan) LOANElliot Omozusi (Norwich City) LOAN RETURNOutJimmy Bullard (Hull City) £5MillionGabriel Zakuani (Peterborough United) £undisclosedLee Cook (QPR) £undisclosedTJ Moncur (Wycombe Wanderers) FREEHameur Bouazza (Birmingham City) LOANSeol Ki Hyeon (Al Hilal Al Saudi) LOANLeon Andreasen (Hannover 96) LOAN with OTB*Andranik (Barnsley) LOANAdrian Leijer (Norwich City) LOANThe club sensibly kept it's cheque book under lock and key and made best use of the loan system. Giles Barnes could prove to be a very good signing. He's going to need a fair bit of time to improve match fitness and get up to Premier League speed but it's a decent gamble and with a £2Million option to buy a reasonable price should we decide he's up to scratch. Olivier Dacourt has an impressive record, he did feature significantly for Inter last season but has been unable to break into a first team that is currently topping Serie A. I'm quite excited about Dacourt but felt similarly about Jari Litmanen this time last year so we'll have to wait and see what happens (I'm hoping Dacourt's ears are in better condition than Jari's!). No great loss if he's not up to it and a great chance for Dacourt to prove his worth ahead of next season.Most of the outward movement is not unexpected though letting both Andreasen and Andranik go doesn't help our midfield options. We've still got eight players in that position and maybe Barnes and Dacourt can improve our reserve quality. It's up front I have the greatest concerns. Just three fit strikers leaves us vulnerable to injury and with limited options from the bench. That said Kamara is nearing fitness again and compared with Everton (who've been making do with Tim Cahill for over a month before bringing in Jo on loan yesterday) we have a multitude of riches. We might have improved this by signing 19 year old Ben Wright from Hampton & Richmond but, as Roy Hodgson explains, stepped aside to let him join Peterborough United instead.In other news we've turned Julian Gray's loan into a permanent deal (though only until June), which doesn't mean a great deal other than freeing up one of our domestic loan slots. This probably suggests that we were close to bringing in another player on loan but missed out (the hot rumour is we may have got Caicedo from Man City if they'd got Roque Santa Cruz). Club Captain Danny Murphy signed the option to extend his contract through to June 2010 which is good news, and of course we kept Brede Hangeland. A lean squad of 23 players is no bad thing and may even give valuable opportunities to some of our academy graduates.* OTB = Option to buy.
Crowd favourite Eric Nevland comes off the bench, on a bitterly cold afternoon, to score twice and seal a win that warmed the hearts of Fulham fans everywhere and the hands of those in the ground.This wasn't the comfortable win the scoreline might suggest. An early goal from Andy Johnson gave us a much needed confidence boost. A neat pass from Clint Dempsey sprung Pompey's offside trap and Johnson made a well timed run to collect the pass and send a well placed shot into the far right corner. However, we spent much of the rest of the half on the back foot as Portsmouth surged forward in search of an equalizer. Younes Kaboul smashed a powerful header against the crossbar and there were several mad scrambles as we defended with a slight air of desperation.Jermaine Pennant caused us all sorts of problems down the right flank and old-boy Sean Davis was looking impressive in the centre. Davis even had a decent effort on target, which arrived quicker than Schwarzer may have expected but was still well covered. Meanwhile the Ethuhu/Murphy partnership was beginning to gel. Whilst Murphy missed the luxury of a dynamic counterpart to pass to, Davies and Dempsey worked hard to offer alternatives. Dickson was much more involved today, more accurate with his passing and stuck to his task successfully. Portsmouth continued to create chances though and had a couple of penalty shouts turned down. Late on John Paintsil, who was entertaining and energetic throughout, made a fantastic sliding challenge to prevent a Peter Crouch shot from heading goalwards.I spent a lot of the game cheering on Zamora, partly out of concern for his psychological well being. He's clearly low on confidence and it seems with every game he's doing less of the things that he did well early on. It was obvious fairly early in the second half that, despite my best efforts, this wasn't going to be his day and no surprise when he was replaced by Eric Nevland on 63 minutes. Nevland was lively from his first moment on the pitch and showed why so many fans feel he deserves a proper chance. A long ball over the top from Simon Davies put Eric through one on one against James and the Norwegian finished exquisitely, using the outside of his right foot to score in the far corner. Nine minutes later it was all over after Pompey failed to clear their lines and Davies again found Nevland in the box, making space for himself before firing another low shot to the right hand corner.A soft concession, Nugent somehow eluding his marker to head home unchallenged from a Pennant free kick, made the last few minutes more nervy than they should have been, but we held on to claim the win. A lot of hard work still to come but this was an encouraging performance.Fulham: Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky, Dempsey (Gera 90), Etuhu, Murphy, Davies, Zamora (Nevland 63), Johnson. Subs Not Used: Zuberbuhler, Teymourian, Gray, Stoor, Kallio.
Goals: Johnson 14, Nevland 71, 80.
Portsmouth: James, Johnson, Kaboul (Pamarot 76), Distin, Hreidarsson, Pennant, Davis, Mullins, Armand Traore (Utaka 63), Kanu (Nugent 46), Crouch. Subs Not Used: Begovic, Lauren, Mvuemba, Little.
Booked: Mullins. Goals: Nugent 84.
Att: 23,722
Ref: Alan Wiley (Staffordshire)
Depressingly familiar story away from home. Kenwynne Jones scored the only goal just before the hour mark after Schwarzer had parried a shot from Djibril Cisse. We've changed from a team on a nine game unbeaten run to a team that's only won one game in nine. The transfer window clock is ticking down and there's a whiff of panic in the air. The squad certainly seems worryingly small and a few key players are struggling for form. We're not really doing a great deal differently though and if last season taught us anything it's that staying positive can lead to great rewards. A big game on Saturday either way.Sunderland: Fulop, Bardsley, Ferdinand, Collins, McCartney (McShane,70), Malbranque, Whitehead, Tainio (Leadbitter, 81), Reid (Edwards, 75), Cisse, Jones Subs not used: Colgan, Diouf, Chopra, Healy
Fulham: Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hughes, Hangeland, Konchesky, Davies (Gera, 76), Etuhu (Nevland, 83), Murphy, Dempsey, Johnson, Zamora Subs not used Zuberbuhler, Stoor, Andreasen, Kallio, Baird Bookings: None
Att: 36, 539 Referee: M R Halsey (Lancashire)
We’ve been here before. Tricky away ties at non-league opposition have traditionally been another opportunity for Fulham to fail miserably. For neutrals and pundits this was more or less a foregone conclusion, for fans of the Whites it was a banana skin waiting to be trodden on. I’m incredibly superstitious when it comes to football so an early morning trip down the high street gave me the chance to put a contingency bet on a Kettering win (£5 at 6-1) to cancel out any jinx I might be generating. The Radio 5Live commentator didn’t make me feel a great deal better when he mentioned it had been twenty years since a non-league side last knocked a top flight team out of the F.A. cup. Fulham are good at those sort of firsts!
I watched the game via a combination of internet stream and Radio 5Live commentary. There was a five second delay between the voices and the pictures which meant whenever the commentator got excited I could rush to my PC and see it happen. The marvels of modern living. Five minutes in and there was a small sign of what may be to come. Hangeland let a ball drop over his head, hoping Schwarzer would be on hand to collect it. Kettering’s lively ex-Forest striker Craig Westcarr nipped in but failed to generate much power or direction with his shot. Hangeland and Schwarzer huffed and puffed until Konchesky arrived to spare their blushes. We recovered from this and started to play the ball about. Dempsey received the ball out wide on the right, jinked around a Kettering defender before sending a lovely cross towards the middle of the area where Simon Davies was waiting to fire home a perfect first time volley.
1-0 Fulham and we could all relax a bit. For five or ten minutes Fulham looked comfortable and in control. It wasn’t to last. Kettering pushed up about ten yards and started to close us down more quickly. No clear cut chances but the emphasis was definitely with them now. Westcarr was chopped down on the edge of the area. He picked himself up to fire in the free kick, nothing spectacular but it caught Gera in no man’s land (behind the wall and obscuring Schwarzer’s view), glanced off his ribs and into the net.
The second half began much as the first had ended. Kettering were piling forward as often as they could and making life difficult for us. Westcarr and Seddon both had chances and some players, Hangeland in particular, did not seem to be enjoying the afternoon. On the hour mark a ball from the right wing found acting-skipper John Dempster unmarked in the box but he was unable to direct his header on target. Soon after Murphy and Zamora replaced Ethuhu and Gera. This was to be a turning point in the game. Murphy’s craft and experience brought some much needed quality to our midfield. A long ball from Danny found Zamora unmarked in the box, but the striker showed his lack of confidence with a poor effort off target. On 77 minutes we did take the lead as Murphy and Davies exchanged passes before a Murphy shot deflected off Exodus Geohaghan. Surely now we could hold onto the game?
No. Westcarr got the wrong side of Hangeland who didn’t seem to make much contact but certainly got tangled up. Both players went down and Old Mother Riley pointed to the spot. Westcarr again dusted himself down before sending his penalty beyond Schwarzer’s grasp. 2-2 and I was ready to settle for a replay. Kettering’s tails were up and the crowd were scenting a shock. However, two goals in a minute sealed the result and broke the hearts of the Poppies support. A high looping cross (I think from Murphy) seemed to be harmlessly drifting out of play, Kettering ‘keeper Harper let it go, but the alert Zamora was on hand to head it back across goal to where Andy Johnson was waiting to head home our 3rd. Then, almost straight from the restart, a pass though the centre found Zamora in space and he turned and lashed home a 4th from the edge of the box.
The final score flattered us a little but we stuck to the task at hand and did a professional job over the ninety minutes. Kettering fans have a lot to feel proud of, they took us to the brink of a replay, and certainly created enough changes to have turned us over. A cracking game that sums up the beauty of the cup. We've another tricky draw in the next round, away at Swansea, which will see our first competitive match against the Swans (albeit at a different stadium) since the day we were relegated to the bottom division in 1994.
Kettering: Harper, Eaden, Geohaghan, Dempster, Jaszczun (Potter 71), Bennett, Boucaud, Solkhon, Richard Graham (Marna 89), Westcarr, Seddon (Beardsley 73) Subs Not Used: Wrack, Galbraith.
Booked: Richard Graham, Dempster, Westcarr.
Goals: Westcarr 36, 83 pen.
Fulham: Schwarzer, Stoor, Hangeland, Hughes, Konchesky, Davies, Andreasen, Etuhu (Murphy 69), Gera (Zamora 69), Johnson, Dempsey Subs Not Used: Zuberbuhler, Pantsil, Nevland, Kallio, Baird.
Booked: Hangeland.
Goals: Davies 12, Murphy 77, Johnson 88, Zamora 89.
Att: 5,406
Ref: Mike Riley (Yorkshire)
All players are journey men now. It's about salary and contracts and signing on fees. First thing this morning I was confident there was no way Jimmy would want to leave London and head up North again just to claim a bigger pay packet. We might be neck and neck with Hull in the table but surely he'd rather stay at a club that he liked, a club that had stood by him during his worst period of injury and a club that seemed back on course to maintain its Premier League status. I thought this was all about Fulham playing hardball and trying to focus Jimmy on what was really important to him. I guess in many ways we did and he choose financial stability and an extended contract. Who can blame him? Reports suggest Hull City have given Bullard a 4½ year deal and a big salary increase. He wouldn't have got that with us.Fair play to Hull. They're backing their ambition with hard cash. They've set the Premier League alight this season. Similar to Wigan Athletic and Reading in previous campaigns they've taken the league by the scruff of the neck and upset the established hierarchy. I felt they'd already done enough to retain their Premier League status, but the tightness of the league and their current drop in form suggested it could still be close. Knowing Jimmy they might have just signed a player who can make a difference and make sure they stay up not just this year but for some time to come. Hull fans have been quick to defend their club's status and rightly so. I'm still stunned Jimmy's chosen Hull over Fulham but realistically we're not that far apart.Fulham will certainly miss Bullard's infectious enthusiasm on the pitch. It seemed at times that he wasn't really Hodgson's type of player, but recent games have highlighted exactly how much we'll miss him when he's not around. Jimmy's work rate was second to none and, although he had conceded to Hodgson's direction and reigned himself in this season, he added a spark to the side that we don't have without him. At 30 with a bad knee injury in his recent past maybe £5Million is a good deal but at the end of the day it's all about who we find to replace him. Within the current squad we have a few contenders. My personal belief is that Zoltan Gera would be better suited to a central role and may flourish given a bit more freedom. Leon Andreasen has been getting frustrated with his lack of opportunity and may now get the chance to prove himself and more established first teamers such as Simon Davies and Clint Dempsey could also fill the void. It's not the end of the world. We've been hotly linked with Leeds wonder kid Fabian Delph. The addition of some young blood to our effective but aging side can only be a good thing. Maybe Jimmy's departure can pave the way for an exciting future. Who knows.Good luck to Jimmy. Good luck to Hull. Can't wait for March 4th!
Following our game on Sunday thought I'd do an update of the London League table. Despite the loss we're still top (mainly because that's been the only London Derby since the last table) although all the teams below us have games in hand. West Ham climb above Spurs despite the fact that the only London team they've beaten all season is us. Did I mention bogey team already? Our next London opponents are Arsenal, so I'll update the table again after that.
Last night I travelled up to Putney to see John Otway play the Half Moon. A good night. At least up until a journey home from hell. Having caught the last train back to Shepperton (delayed twenty minutes) South West Trains decided to terminate it's journey at Teddington. One o'clock in the morning and there's 30 strangers all waiting for a promised group of taxi's to arrive to take us home. I eventually clambered into bed around three in the morning.Today it seems Fulham played like they were all on the same train. West Ham are fast becoming our bogey team. Three individual errors really didn't help our cause and a blockbuster shot from Paul Konchesky, that kept us in the game at the half way point, was just about our only effort on goal.Fulham: Schwarzer, Pantsil, Hangeland, Hughes, Konchesky, Davies (Gera 74), Etuhu (Andreasen 84), Murphy, Dempsey, Johnson, Zamora (Nevland 72). Subs Not Used: Zuberbuhler, Gray, Kallio, Baird.Goals: Konchesky 22 Booked: Paintsil, Davies, KoncheskyWest Ham: Green, Neill, Collins, Upson, Ilunga, Behrami, Parker, Noble (Faubert 81), Collison (Mullins 83), Cole, Di Michele (Dyer 87).
Subs Not Used: Stech, Boa Morte, Tristan, Sears.Goals: Di Michele 7, Noble 60, Cole 76 Booked: BehramiAtt: 31, 818Ref: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire)League Position: 10th
Saturday morning in Shepperton and I awake to a scene resembling a Christmas card. All very pretty but nothing to unduly concern me. The phrase match postponement didn't enter my thoughts. I had no concerns when Dad rang to ask if I thought the game would still go ahead, though I did keep one eye on the Internet from that point on. Dad headed up from Sussex and I popped down the High Street. It really was a magical sight, a thin covering of frost on the ground and sparkling ice in all the trees. Quite cold but surely not bad enough to stop a Premier League game from going ahead?I decided to dig out my thermal underwear which took a bit of finding and eventually involved a trip to the loft and the movement of a fair number of boxes. I had Radio 5 on when Dad arrived. As he walked through the door they announced that the game at Portsmouth was off. Uh-oh. News filtered through of a pitch inspection, thanks largely to TiFF, and then, at the exact moment we were about to leave the house, confirmation that the game was postponed. Bugger!I'd been up to the club shop the week before to get replica shirts for both my boys with some of their Christmas money. They'd not had much in stock and we'd planned to collect the one for my eldest on the way to the game. With not much else to do, and some doe eyes to encourage us, we decided to go up anyway. Arriving in Fulham there were plenty of home fans milling about, some filling the football shaped hole in their day with an extended stay in the pub, some heading for home. Blackburn fans probably didn't have the same options, booked on coaches and trains well in advance and with no alternative but to stick with those arrangements. It made me wonder weather Rob Styles would have been better waiting until nearer kick-off before making a decision.We made it back before the half-times and settled down for a cup of tea and a chat. The kids arrived home shortly afterwards and got very excited about the new football tops. We had a mini fashion show as they tried them on and pulled their best football star shapes. An oddly satisfying day despite the lack of any actual match.
So my plan for 2009 is to cut back a little on posts but to help me keep track of what's happened and give the blog some sort of structure I'm going to put these mini-reports up. It might mean I'm just repeating stuff you can get on the BBC but hopefully you'll be able to pick out the wheat from the chaff fairly easily.A great start to the year and our F.A. Cup campaign with a 2-1 win over Wednesday thanks to a brace from Andy Johnson. Hodgson fielded a strong side with Stoor, replacing Paintsil at right back, and Julian Gray (making his Fulham debut), on the left wing instead of Simon Davies, the only changes to the side that drew with the other team in Fulham. Andy Johnson struck early to give us the lead on 12 minutes. It was less than ten minutes however, before Tommy Spurr equalised with a cracking shot from distance. The scores remained level for most of the match but we snatched the win with AJ's second goal two minutes before the end of normal time. http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2009/01/04/jamies-report-sheffield-wednesday-1-2-fulham/The 4th round draw is live on ITV at 3:25 tomorrow, we're ball number 2. Sheff Wed: Grant ,Buxton ,Beevers ,Wood ,Spurr ,Small(Modest ,78 ) ,McAllister ,O'Connor ,Boden ,Jeffers ,Johnson (Lekaj ,89)Subs not used: Jameson,Liversidge,WraggGoals: Spurr (21)
Fulham: Schwarzer ,Stoor ,Hughes ,Hangeland ,Konchesky ,Gray (Davies ,77 ) ,Etuhu ,Murphy ,Dempsey ,Johnson ,Zamora (Nevland ,69)
Subs not used: Zuberbuhler,Pantsil,Andreasen,Kallio,Baird
Goals: Johnson (12, 88)
Bookings: O'Connor (Sheff Wed)
Attendance: 18,377
Referee: Lee Mason
