Jack and Loz at the Cottage - Blog 195

Date: 16th October 2021

Opposition: QPR

Score: 4-1

Fulham goal scorers: 🔥,🔥, Decordova-Reid, Robinson

Weather: turned out nice again

Atmosphere: turned out brilliant again

MOTM (football): 12 goals in 12 games, 5 in the last 2 at home, top scorer in the English league; but Mitro isn’t our MOTM because of his goals, it’s because they are only part of what he did on Saturday. He menaced QPR’s goalie, out-muscled their midfielders and destroyed their defence. This was Mitro at the white hot top of his game - uncontainable, irrepressible, and bashing the badge on his chest as he saluted the Hammersmith End

MOTM (non-football): the return of a hero in a rival’s kit is always going to be emotional. Stefan Johansen was a key part of two promotions and a member of the best midfield trio Fulham has seen for a long time. He might be known as a proponent of the dark arts but we shouldn’t forget his ability on the ball or his outstanding work rate. With typical understatement he made the reunion easy - hugs for the players, applause for the fans and a yellow card to remember him by

Cafe: Pret

Winning a local derby 4-1 is what football is all about. But in Saturday’s win over QPR it wasn’t just the goals that mattered, it was what the emphatic victory proved about our team and their manager. After a bad September, Fulham needed to come back fighting. And they did.

Perhaps even more than a player who proves us wrong (Stefan Johansen qv) Fulham fans appreciate a manager who learns from his mistakes. Unlike against Blackpool, most of the long haul travellers didn’t start the match; unlike against Coventry, Tosin and Rodak did start the match and, more importantly, when the defence conceded they didn’t fall apart. And better still: when Plan A was derailed by injury and adversity, Marco Silva had the holy grail of Fulham bosses: Plan B.

In a first half controlled by Jean-Michel Seri’s light touch and deft footwork, Fulham looked the better team. QPR passed the ball around nicely when we allowed them to and committed cynical fouls when we didn’t. As usual, we wasted several shances and gave the ball away too much but the goal, and the play around it, was terrific. A stream of passes up the pitch - Seri to Kebano to Odoi - a cross like a laser beam, a touch from Mitro and then the strike.

Whilst it was good to have Rodak back he had so little to do in the first half that it wouldn’t have mattered if he’d been late for work. For the one save he didn’t quite make, the post stepped up and did the job for him. We made the first half look easy, but the danger signs were there.

During the interval we were “treated” to the dancing of the Roar of the Jaguars. After that, Fulham - and we must have written this approximately 194 times before - started the second half slowly. The reunification of Rodak, Ream and Tosin wasn’t enough to banish the Triangulo do Ruina and QPR created chaos with some enterprising attacking play. No one was surprised by their goal. In the Hammersmith End we sat back - noting that Stefjo didn’t celebrate - and waited to see if Fulham’s defence crumbled. And it didn’t.

Perhaps it was Rodak constantly yelling at his defence, perhaps it’s Tosin who’s the one with the cool head, perhaps it was being at home with the fans behind them, but composure and discipline returned and the defence didn’t waver again.

In the midst of the QPR goal Joe Bryan had a racing incident with a post and had to be subbed off. In bringing on Antonee Robinson, Marco also made a tactical change, switching Bobby Reid and Harry Wilson. Plan B went live and the game caught fire.

Mitro’s second goal was as well worked and as well taken as his first, this time using a completely different technique. Robinson started the move, Kebano supplied the cross and Mitro finished with a flying header into the bottom corner. Seri faded out for a while but segued back in with an entry for Pass of the Season to assist the third goal. There were shances for more, notably from the otherwise excellent Kebano, but it was Antonee who shattered QPR’s last hopes with a driving run and a blasted shot.

The score line doesn’t flatter us; we could have had more. QPR are decent - well managed and expertly captained and have a genuine prospect of finishing in the play-offs. And we overwhelmed them. But the performance was far from perfect and the defensive frailties remain. Of course it’s ok to concede a goal if you can score 4, but to win automatic promotion we are going to have to beat the teams around us, and they’re not going to let our attackers run riot.

However, this was a hugely entertaining game with stunning performances from almost everyone - the other players weren’t just Mitro’s supporting cast. Welcoming Stefjo back turned out to be a pleasure and, in a funny sort of way, it feels like he played a part in getting us back on track.

Random musings:-

- we can’t remember the last player who got a standing ovation whilst warming up but it was no less than Tom Cairney deserved. It was a shame not to see him on the pitch but Marco made the right decision to use Chalobah’s more solid skills instead

- there were some other nice moments - Denis’s quick thinking first half header back to Rodak, Mitro trying to play as a winger but not really knowing how, Bobby pointing out the features of the new stand to the QPR subs while they warmed up

- what were Mitro and Stefjo talking about in the centre circle during the Cav injury break?

- does Harry get tired of making forward runs which none of his teammates seem to see?

- It happened again.

So Marco has not only learnt from his mistakes but made reparation for them. The early injuries to Cav and Joe helped rather than hindered him but the subs, and the switch in midfield, changed the game. This was the decisive win we’ve been waiting for and within it were signs that our attack is becoming more clinical and our defence more resilient.

Fulham are climbing the table again and the atmosphere at the Cottage was charged with excitement for what happens next. We’re only a quarter of the way into the season and the squad will only improve. We might not be title contenders yet but we’re beginning to look like a team with a purpose and something as elusive as quicksilva - an identity.