Jack and Loz at the Cottage - Blog 285

Date: 14th September 2024

Opposition: West Ham

Score: 1-1

Fulham goal scorer: Raúl Jimenez

Weather: glorious

Atmosphere: excellent

MOTM: it says a lot about the team this season that it’s usually difficult to pick a Man of the Match as everyone has played at much the same level. On Saturday that level was high (especially when Berge came on…) what with Andersen’s inch perfect long balls and Lukić’s quiet assurance but were hugely impressed with the new improved Adama Traore who can now sprint, dribble and terrify defences for a full 90 minutes. He could have done better in front of goal on a couple of occasions but his overall skill, commitment and intensity made up for the lack of precision

Pre-match: Pret

Post-match: we used our free drinks vouchers at the Cottage then went to Riverside Studios

Last season was the first time Fulham did the double over West Ham since 1966, putting a stunning total of 7 goals past them. Since then, the Hammers have spent a fortune on new players and copied Fulham in swapping a British manager for an Iberian one. They haven’t had the explosive start to the season that these changes might have precipitated but Fulham fans, naturally, feared that Saturday would be the Moment their improvement began.

As for our own side, the last few games have been frustrating in that you can see what Marco wants the team to do but they haven’t been able to do it, at least in more than short bursts. We were excited to see if the tactics had started clicking particularly with 2 changes to the line-up, one being the league re-debut of Joachim Andersen.

And it very quickly became clear that Joa is going to make a huge difference for us. Bearing in mind he was away on Danish duty early in the week, the team must have spent every waking hour since his return practising receiving long, floated diagonal balls. You have to feel for Issa Diop who has been at his best so far this season but Joa offers a way to turn playing out from the back into immediate attack.

We saw that a lot in the first half. We also saw a lot of other good stuff. Emile Smith Rowe is getting fitter and better every game. His blink-of-an-eye one-twos with Iwobi confound defenders and can be lethal. Raúl looks like a lean, mean Mexican bandito ready to raid Texas or score a goal - whichever opportunity comes first. After a shaky start to the season, Bassey is looking solid and strong. Robinson and Tete were as efficient as ever and, dodgy back pass from ESR aside, Leno had nothing to do.

After an even ten minutes in which the Irons proved they’re good at pressing (obviously) Fulham dominated the half. There were some attacking moves which didn’t quite come off but the speed and intent were thrilling to watch. With Andersen and Adama on the pitch there are multiple ways to get the ball from one end to the other and with Emile, Raúl and Iwobi crowding the box, there are multiple ways to get it in the back of the net.

Fulhamishly, the best early attack which led to Adama being shoved in the back as he charged into the box resulted not in a penalty but in a yellow card for a furious Marco Silva, probably the most emotional genius in history.

Everyone was concerned about the João Palhinha shaped hole in midfield but it turns out our fears were misplaced. Saša Lukić does the same job with different diacritics in his name and in a different way. There is no drama. There is no chest thumping, fist pumping, or barrier bashing. There’s no roaring, no celebrating a tackle like a goal. Saša just gets on with the job. And he’s starting to do it so effectively that you barely even notice him. In fact, we’ve barely even noticed him becoming an absolutely essential part of the team.

By contrast, Andreas Pereria never goes under the radar. And some people don’t consider him an essential part of the team. With his fancy hair, sultry looks and relentless Instagram presence Andreas likes attention. But this season he’s a shadow of his former flamboyant self - his free kicks are weak, his teammates can’t read his corner deliveries, he certainly can’t score a goal. But his work rate, his efforts to transition to a deeper role, and the quality of his play tell a different story.

No Fulham player has divided the fan base since…..Antonee Robinson until about this time last year. Andreas has become the Fulham scapegoat - for some reason, we always have to have one and Andreas has some big shoes to fill - Chris Baird’s and Stefan Johansen’s to name but two. But whatever view you subscribe to it doesn’t matter - Andreas is going nowhere; Marco is his biggest fan.

And Andreas was a key component in the goal. Antonee did his intercepting thing, Andreas arced the ball forward, Emile did some foot juggling to keep it in and Raúl was in the right place at the right time for a confidence boosting tap-in.

Our only issue with the first half was not scoring a second goal. There were chances but they weren’t taken; there was possession but it was wasted. So as much as we enjoyed the sparkling football in the beautiful sunshine, there was an undercurrent of anxiety in the shadows.

West Ham’s manager (who thought it was Wear Your Jeans to Work Day) changed things up at half time. In a very Game of Two Halfsy experience, Fulham spent most of the second half on the back foot, struggling to create, losing structure and squandering the few chances that came our way.

The highlights were some of the subs. Rodrigo Muniz was a disconcerting combination of smiling face and menacing silhouette while Sander Berge was reassuringly alert to danger and quick to react. But, frankly, we weren’t prepared for the introduction of Reiss Nelson, a player we had barely heard of before August.

Fast, clever, skilful, creative, determined, aware. His first move in a Fulham shirt was to race down the wing like Reiss Lightning, weave into the box and almost score. More of the same followed. And now we can’t wait to see him play every week. And we just know we’re going to fall in love with a loan player again.

(Still, it didn’t work out too badly with the last one….)

Reiss’s silky smooth moves distracted us for a while but it became increasingly clear that we were hanging on. Even so, with Tom Cairney calming the rising panic and West Ham players floundering on the floor, it felt like we might just see the game out. However, everything went wrong quicker than Fulham can sign a deal with a dodgy sponsor.

Yes, the throw-in was controversial but we conceded due to a collective momentary defensive lapse of reason and we’re left asking if Harrison Reed was a sub too far and what’s wrong with taking the ball to the corner in the last minute?

So despite the entertaining game Fulham fans ended up as deflated as the balloon that got squashed on the pitch. We were the better team and we deserved to win the game. And that is the truth to focus on - this team is starting to click and its potential is sky-high but we’ve got to stop throwing points away.

Random musings:-

- Thanks to the lady in the kiosk who had run out of wine so let us use our free drinks vouchers on Prosecco instead

- The post match queue for the shop was enormous and initially we weren’t allowed to join it because the shop was supposed to shut at 5pm! On a match day! When people had vouchers to use! The Club might have got an amazing deal for Jay Stansfield but they don’t know how to run a shop….

- Having said that, the 40% off shirt vouchers were a really good idea and have certainly boosted sales. A certain Mr Smith Rowe seems to have contributed to that too if our time in the print shop queue was anything to go by…

- In fact, we really enjoy chatting to everyone in the queue, including a visitor from San Francisco and a young Bassey fan

- It was great to see Paul Pesch at half time

- In what environment would the camouflage pattern on the West Ham warm-up tops work….?

The season is now well and truly underway. Fulham have 5 points from 4 league games and are unbeaten in 4 matches including the cup. The new recruits are settling in (have we mentioned how much we like Reiss Nelson….?), one of our strikers has started scoring and Andersen is back like he never went away.

The fact that those 5 points don’t feel like just reward for our efforts is both disappointing and intriguing. The football is becoming thrilling, the team is beginning to gel, the season is full of promise. But that promise must be fulfilled.