Jack and Loz at the Top of the League - Blog 200

Date: 24th November 2021

Opposition: Derby County

Score: 0-0

Weather: chilly

Atmosphere: good but frustrated

MOTM (football): in a hectic, gritty game, one man kept control. Tim Ream has consistently played with assurance and composure this season, but on Wednesday night he brought an almost statesmanlike level of calm and inscrutability to the team. While chaos raged around him, he maintained a tight grip on the defence and read the game like a professor of English reading Mr Strong. Even though he was playing one and half positions due to Tosin’s waywardness, he still had time to send several of his trademark Super-passes diagonally forwards to the wingers.

MOTM (non-football): we’ve got Bairdinho! And it was fantastic to hear him talk about what the Europa run meant to him

Pub: not applicable on a school night

On Wednesday, to quote the Tube security message, Fulham fans saw something which didn’t look right.

It began with the team line-up. Knowing that Marco Silva has been complacent before, fans initially wondered if he realised that Derby only had zero points through a technicality. OK, it’s a pretty major technicality but they’re really a mid-table team and they beat our promotion rivals Bournemouth at the weekend. But we know Marco has learnt from his mistakes and that he would only leave Mitro, TC and Rodak out of the squad if he was forced to.

The most damning evidence that something was askew was the inclusion of Anthony Knockaert. If he was the answer, what on earth was the question?

Despite the scoreline and the scrappy play this was an entertaining game. Derby, as anticipated, were well organised and focused. They’re almost down and out already - they’ve got nothing to lose. We weren’t fans of Rooney as a player, or indeed a human being, but credit where’s it due - he’s turned vicissitude to his advantage and he’s got his players fighting for survival.

From a Fulham point of view, this was a chance for the players to step up and show they’re not a One Man Team. For Muniz in particular, this should have been a time to shine. It is probably fair to say that full strength Fulham would have beaten Derby and it’s probably fair to say that Wednesday’s selection should have beaten Derby too. After all, this was a team featuring Neeskens Kebano, Harry Wilson and Fabio Carvalho, all of whom know where the goal is. In defence, Tosin was back and Kenny Tete finds playing in the Championship easy. Jean-Michael Seri is a cut above almost every player in the league and whilst Gazzaniga doesn’t fill us with confidence, he’s an experienced keeper.

But, as we’ve said, something wasn’t right. Tosin was so erratic he was a liability, Tete and Reed started well but faded fast, Seri was skilful but was playing within himself, Kebano and Wilson looked out of sorts and Robinson was all over the place (and we don’t just mean he ran around the pitch a lot).

Fabio got stuck in and showed his class but couldn’t make it count and Muniz, although full of energy and enthusiasm, was almost too keen - rushing his shots and making mistakes.

Gazzaniga turned out to be the least of our worries and put in a very credible performance and, of course, Tim Ream was majestic.

Josh Onomah was lively and impactful as a sub (and in fact we would have brought him on earlier) and despite our doubts, Knockaert was competent and pacy. And he didn’t cut in and blaze a shot over the bar. Which was an improvement.

The team did almost everything except score in both halves. Seri hit the bar, Fabio hit the post, Kebano’s free kick was only just saved, Muniz had a shot cleared off (and in fact, partially over) the line. Shances were created but not taken. The forwards didn’t help themselves by often choosing to pass the ball around in the box rather than shoot with it. This allowed the Derby defence to close in and scramble the danger away.

At the back, there were moments when an entire Hendecagon of Doom was scrabbling incoherently in the box whilst in the middle passes were misdirected, often into the stands. Play juddered and stuttered along, not helped by the referee who was inconsistent and indecisive.

There are two main reasons for the absence of cohesion and absence of a goal: one is that it turns out that Mitro and TC weren’t the only victims of the bug which has raged through Motspur Park this week and clearly, a lot of the team weren’t 100% fit, hence the feeble finishing and lack of cut and thrust. The other is that, of course, we were missing Mitro. The players are used to him leading the line, being a beacon in the box whom they can pick out with a pass or cross. Muniz doesn’t have the same presence and probably isn’t the same type of striker anyway. So the system broke down and no one had enough energy to fix it.

But a draw and a clean sheet in these difficult circumstances will do. Sometimes, the games you don’t lose are the ones which matter.

Random musings:-

- we would have wished Derby well in their battle for survival were it not for their appalling cheating in extra time. If you’ve hurt your head so badly that the game is stopped and the medics race on, you shouldn’t be coming back in the pitch 10 seconds after you’ve left it, you should be on your way to hospital

- had anyone heard of Las before the match…..?

- shame he didn’t get to warm up so we could give him a cheer

- thanks to Tim, Josh, Seri and Marco for coming over to the Hammersmith End, we know everyone else was feeling rubbish so they’re forgiven

- ……that bicycle kick…..

So Fulham didn’t prove we’re not a One Man Team, and whilst this was an honourable draw played in adversity, if the team plays without Mitro again they need to do better.

However, West Brom’s result means the gap to third is maintained and Bournemouth’s result means more than that - that we finished the night where we started it: Top of the League.