Fulham v Wigan: Player rankings

Here's how I scored our lads against Wigan.

Niemi - 5/10
Didn't look as commanding as in recent games. Some of his kicks were so wide of the mark I thought he might have his boots on the wrong feet. Also angered his defenders by sticking to his line when he should have come to claim.

Omozusi - 7/10
Was having a great time until forced off injured in the second half. Growing in confidence every game. Good tackling, excellent tracking back and some surging runs. A superb prospect that can make that right back slot his own.

Hughes - 6/10
A decent game, although I'd question his suitability for the captain's job. He just seems so silent out on the pitch - particularly after Wigan scored their goal. I would prefer him to be more in the mould of Lee Clarke or Cookie.

Bocanegra - 6/10
Back in the heart of defence following the return of Konchesky at left back and an injury to Stefanovich. Pretty solid game and has managed to iron out the annoying mistakes which have blighted some past performances.

Konchesky - 5/10
Poor today. Looked a bit rusty after not having played for a couple of weeks. His passing was off and he was getting skinned alive in the first half. However, recovered his form in the second and was starting to look back to his best.

Simon Davies - 5/10
Extremely average - which is not what you would usually say about Davies. Had a good shot and was involved with things but not the presence he has been in past games. He has the ability to win matches but this wasn't much in evidence.

Davis - 5/10
Made some decent tackles - but also shied away from plenty more which is not what we want to see from a midfield 'general'. He's not a bad player by any stretch, but he's too similar to Murphy which is why this partnership just doesn't work.

Murphy - 4/10
It's no secret that I struggle to see what he brings to the team and this was proved once again yesterday. To say his performance was mediocre would make it sound half decent. It wasn't. His distribution was woeful, his tackling non-existent. Shouldn't retain his place.

Bouazza - 4/10
Er, shall we just put it down to an off day? I like Hameur and his speed and ability to strike a ball with such venom can make him a lethal tool to have in the armoury. Today, however, he was all over the place and didn't pose any real threat whatsoever. Very disappointing.

Dempsey - 7/10
If there is another player in this squad that gives more commitment to the cause then please tell me. Quite simply this guy is great. He's involved with everything, knocked some great passes about and even pole-axed Michael Brown, as well as getting the all important goal...on the downside, his mis-timed jump (onto Baird's back) ended up leading to Wigan's goal.

Kamara - 5/10
Made a number of exciting runs across field but sadly very few forward surges. Stole in for a couple of half chances but, as usual, spent most of the match on his backside appealing for fouls that even the Fulham fans didn't see. Frustrating to say the least.

Substitutes

Baird - 6/10
Sold performance although him and Dempsey jumping - and missing - the same ball led to Wigan's goal. However, the rest of the time he played well and thankfully seems to have put his nightmare opener to the season to rest.

Healy - 6/10
Things do seem to happen when Healy is on the pitch. Came close with a turn-and-swivel shot and definitely upset the Wigan defence. I don't like seeing him stuck out on the wing though - it's far better to have him in the centre.

Kuqi - 4/10
Very poor today. Outjumped on almost every occasion which has been very rare. Would dearly love for him to get on the score sheet but not sure it's going to happen. He does, however, unsettle defences and this helped in the build up to Dempsey's equaliser.

Man of the match: Clint Dempsey. If we could bottle his passion and commitment we'd make a million. Hard as nails with the skills and goal-scoring flair to match. True class.

What does Ray Lewington really think of the squad?

I've just been reading Ray Lewington's comments on the main site ahead of tomorrow's match at the Cottage and was intrigued by what he said about the team. He described them as "an honest bunch of players". I might be reading too much into it but that sounds like a bit of a back-handed compliment to me...Honest. Not talented, Not fiercely determined, Not top class...but Honest. I don't get the feeling that he rates them too highly. Here's the par:

“It’s vital the fans get behind us tomorrow and I’m sure they will because we’ve got an honest bunch of players. They will go out there and give their best and with the crowd behind them the combination of the two will get us three points.”

A brighter future?

Well, hands up who knew that was coming? I think it's fair to say that we all presumed Sanchez would be retained until after the Christmas period so the timing seems rather strange to say the very least. Sacking a manager - without having a replacement - 24 hours before a crucial match smacks a bit of Russian Roulette to me, so I wouldn't be surprised if a successor is named this afternoon.

I believe this is the right decision to make. Sad as it is for Lawrie - who did his best, let's be fair - sinking to 18th in the table after four months was never going to be good enough considering the whole point of bringing in him was to bring about something akin to a revolution in fortunes for us. It was a gamble....and it failed.

So who should take over? My personal preference is for a young passionate manager on his way up who can inspire players. To be honest I only really see two people that fit the bill: Paul Ince and John Collins. My personal preference: Collins. He is passionate about the club - as he proved in a relatively recent interview about his time at the Cottage - he has been hugely successful with Hibs and he's got a great rapport with the fans. Three very important qualities.

Interview: Wigan fans

We caught up again with George Chilvers who runs The Ultimate Wigan Athletic Website for his views on the season so far and his prediction for this weekend's match at the Cottage. I always think the opinion of another team's supporters normally gives a pretty fair assessment of how a side is generally perceived so I think George's comments make particularly interesting reading. As usual, our thanks go to him for his time.

Q. When we last spoke you were quite optimistic about your start to the season. How are you feeling now?
A. Disappointed with the way things have gone. I’m still convinced we have the players with the technical ability, but somehow they've been performing below par. We have a long run of defeats behind us (hopefully behind us) but that has included ‘The Big Four’. This Xmas period is really important to us with games against teams we would hope to pick points up against.

Q. Are you pleased you’ve got Steve Bruce? What does he bring you?
A. Yes, very much so. He brings experience of relegation fights and I get the impression he'll be sorting out the underperformers.

Q. How important is getting a result at Fulham to you this weekend? There’s a bit of fan unrest at the moment at Fulham and this match is being seen by many as make or break time for Lawrie Sanchez.
A. It's very important for us and we do see this as a chance to pick up much needed away points (sorry!). We need to start picking up points now and move out of the bottom three.

Q. Where do you think you’ll end up this season?
A. A few places above the drop, say 14th - 16th.

Q. Who do you think will go down?
Derby obviously, and then any two of Sunderland, yourselves I'm afraid and Middlesbrough.

Q. Finally, what do you believe the score will be on Saturday?
A. 2-0 to us if we play like we did last week, 0-5 to you if we play like we did at Bolton.
Cheers (and I hope I’m wrong in question 5).

What's next for Fulham

I have scrapped the poll running on potential successors after realising that not only was the line-up pretty uninspiring, but that i'd forgotten to include John Collins who is a realistic possibility for the post...therefore i have replaced it with a new version to see how long people are willing to give Sanchez to turn things around

A beaten man?

Inspired by comments from Rich at CCN about how optimistic he felt at the beginning of the season and how saddened he is now I thought it would be interesting to compare and contrast the body language of Lawrie Sanchez when he was first appointed...and how he is now.Is it just me or does he seem like a man defeated? See here for his first press conference back in April and here for his chat with Fulham PR Sarah Brookes last week and judge for yourselves.

Who should replace Sanchez?

With the general consensus being 'when', rather than 'if', Sanchez departs, who should we get in to replace him? I have put forward a list of potential candidates on the left hand side of the page - under the Johnny Haynes photo - so please feel free to vote.

The Sanchez signings: An honest appraisal

I have listed the signings that Sanchez has made - that have actually played - and think they can be broadly categorised like this. Your comments would be very welcomed - as would a reminder of anyone I may have missed out.

All are listed in order - best to worst...

Good
Paul Konchesky
Hameur Bouazza
David Healy
Dejan Stefanovich

Average
Steven Davis
Aaron Hughes
Shefki Kuqi
Kasey Keller

Poor
Joe Kamara
Danny Murphy
Chris Baird
Seol Ki-Hyeon

Sanchez must go NOW!

Another game; another week closer to relegation. Saturday's lame defeat to Newcastle reinforced my long-held belief that Sanchez is not the man to take us forward. He's had ample time - and money - to prove his worth but, thus far, has failed miserably.

This weekend he was bemoaning our luck (good teams make their own luck as well Lawrie; we're not especially cursed by the Gods); just after attacking bookmakers for taking bets on who will be the next manager facing the axe.

A few weeks back he was suggesting we needed to change the points system; then he was pointing out we'd be top of the league if all games finished at halftime - i'm paraphrasing, of course, but that was the point he was trying to make.

I'm tired of his rantings and I'm tired of his excuses. It was a gamble putting him in charge of the team and it's a gamble that has failed. We are simply not up to it. Two wins in four months is ridiculous. We can't win at home; we can't win away. What's more, the players seem as confused by what's going on as we do in the crowd.

Now, I don't think any of us can fault the lads' commitment in the second 45 on Saturday (although the first half was dire). We were all over Newcastle. Bouazza was threatening; we passed the ball around sweetly; chances came and went...And then, well, we all know what happened in injury time. The point is we shouldn't have been in a position to allow them to rob us like that. We should have had the match wrapped up long before then.

Unless we enjoy a dramatic transformation in fortunes, the trap door is looming...fast. To be honest, I really can't see us getting clear. The relegation dogfight is here and it's here to stay.

Sanchez has been given his chance...and blown it. He hardly worked miracles when he replaced Coleman at the end of last season, but we were assured things would be different this time around once his own players were in situ...

...Well, he wasn't wrong there. Within four months he has managed to do what Coleman never achieved: taking us into the relegation zone. Unless he is replaced with immediate effect then he will go down in history as the first manager to take us out of the Premier League.

Fulham v Newcastle: Player Rankings

I will post a full opinion after i've had a proper chance to digest yesterday's match. In the meantime, here's a rundown of how I scored our lads against Newcastle

Niemi - 7/10
Another good performance - which saved us a number of times - and very nearly saved the penalty as well.

Omozusi - 8/10
Giving the penalty away, albeit in somewhat dubious circumstances, will remain the abiding memory but that is unfair. Until then he was absolutely outstanding.

Bocanegra - 6/10
A decent display

Stefanovic - 7/10
Commanding. A good display by the big fella - at both ends of the pitch

Hughes - 6/10
Relatively solid display.

Simon Davies - 5/10
Very poor by his high standards.

Bouazza - 8/10
The difference between the two sides on a number of occasions. When he has the confidence to take players on he is awesome and his crosses are fierce and troubling.

Murphy - 4/10
There is no logical reason for this man being in the team. Hard to believe he turned out so many times for Liverpool.

S. Davis - 7/10
His best performance in a white shirt. Showed confidence and strength in midfield, as well as saving the day when Niemi dropped the ball momentarily in the first half.

Dempsey - 7/10
Unquestionable commitment and desire. Also came close to scoring from Bouazza's cross.

Healy - 7/10
Good to see him get a full match under his belt. Caused constant problems and fired in a few shots as well.

Substitutes:

Kuqi - 7/10
This man is already something of a cult hero. Caused the Geordies no end of problems when he came on and won virtually every header.

Man of the match: Hameur Bouazza. His testing crosses - as well as for the amusement factor of leaving Alan Smith on his backside - is enough to win the day. Young Omozusi ran him close but giving away a penalty ruined his chances.

RIP Jim Langley

Sad news over on the main site for those who haven't seen it already. Fulham legend Jim Langley passed away on the weekend. Our thoughts go to his family and friends. Click here for the full story.

Interview: Newcastle fans

We caught up with Ed Harrison of the Newcastle United blog (http://www.nufcblog.com/) to hear his views ahead of tomorrow's match. Our thanks go to him for his time.

Q. How would you describe your season so far?
A. Disappointing - we were doing quite well when we beat Tottenham 3-1 on Oct 22nd but then had a run of 6 matches with just 2 draws against Sunderland and then Arsenal. But we won last Saturday against Birmingham - who were good - and hope to keep that up at craven Cottage.

Q. What is your view of Sam Allardyce – is he the right man for you?
A. There's divided opinion on him still. We think he's good but he's come in for unreasonable rough treatment from the fans. But we think they have relaxed a bit with 4 points from the last 2 games and will give him a chance. As we said we think he's good for us..

Q. Who have been your star performers and why?
A. James Milner been very consistent and very good on the wings almost every game. he's a great young player coming through. Also another 21 year old Frenchman - Charles N'Zogbia has been very good. He's playing left back right now but is really a left winger. We expect him to be LB at Craven Cottage. Recently one of our new players Habib Beye, right back, has been looking good. We've had big problems in defense, with too many mistakes being made by our new defenders.

Q. What’s been your biggest disappointment so far this season?
A. Not being further up the league. Also the two recent home games with Portsmouth (3-1) and Liverpool (3-0) we were just hopeless. Terrible performances. But then against Arsenal we were great and really deserved all 3 points.

Q. Where do you think you will end up this season?
A. We want to finish in top 6 so we can get into Europe - that's what we really want. But we'd probably be happy now with top 8.

Q. How do you view Fulham?
A. As a team we can beat. Although when we've seen them Sanchez has them playing very well and they may be hard to beat. Aaron Hughes was here for a while and played over 250 games for us - a solid player and a great guy who married a Geordie girl. But we are really going for all 3 points on Saturday. Since you are below us in the league we think we should win - we'll see

Q. Where do you think we will end up this season?
A. Probably bottom 8, but don't think you are in any real danger of relegation. I've been impressed with Sanchez this season - he seems to be able to motivate the players but hasn't got too much skill at the club.

Q. Any of our players that you’re particularly wary of?
A. I haven't really looked to be truthful. Your 2 Americans Brian McBride and Dempsey look good. Also Kasey Keller - but I think he's now injured.

Q. Who do you think will be relegated this season?
A. Derby, Wigan and Middlesbrough. We are hoping Sunderland stay up - but they need to start picking up points.

Q. Finally, what’s your score prediction for this weekend?
A. It would be great if we can keep a clean sheet - I'd go for a 1-0 Newcastle win.

Crunch match this weekend

It's clear from reading the message boards/blogs that there's a deep seated feeling of unrest amongst most Fulham fans. Our situation is best described as precarious and as it looks unlikely there will be a new man at the helm by Saturday, it's vitally important that we give Sanchez and the boys our full support - at least for the 90 minutes of the match.

Needless to say it's crucial that we get all three points against Newcastle. Our hopeless away form means we don't have the luxury of dropping anything at home if we want to survive in this division. However, almost more important really, is how the team plays. We need a terrific, battling performance to restore any faith in the side.

In my opinion, a couple of major things need to happen: Healy must start - and everything focussed on getting balls through to him in scoring positions; Boca should be brought in to replace Stefanovic and Smertin must be restored to the side instead of Murphy. Quite what the ex-Liverpool man brings is a mystery to me.

I have had a chat with some Newcastle fans and will be putting up the usual Q&A tomorrow.

* By the way, Chopper over at the Hammy End Chronicle has a thorough analysis of our present situation, most of which I agree with totally. It's definitely worth a read.

Time for a change

I haven't posted much during the past week because I've been afraid of what I've wanted to write. People have accused me of being too negative in recent weeks and I was starting to believe that was the case. After yet another humbling defeat and more excuses by Sanchez, I am now convinced of my own opinion. We need a change of manager...now.

As I write we have sunk to 17th spot - only out of the bottom three on goal difference - and that is simply not good enough. We are now in December...four months into the season...and the team is firmly on skid row. Anybody who doesn't believe this is the case is, quite frankly, living in a dream world. Unless changes are made now we will be a Championship side next season.

Our performances are turning us into relegation fodder. Two victories all season - both at home - is woeful, while the chance of us ever getting three points on the road is so remote as to be pointless even discussing. We are either not as good as we think we can be or Sanchez is not getting the best out of the players. His players, I might add.

So which one is it? Well, let's look at the players that have starred for us this season. The best, in my opinion, have been Konchesky (a Sanchez hire), Simon Davies (Coleman), Niemi (Coleman) and Dempsey (Coleman). Hughes and Davis have also been good, Baird has had, shall we say, a rocky ride thus far; Murphy has been very weak; Kamara is excrutiatinly frustrating; Healy is a star but rarely plays a full 90 minutes; Bouazza is a decent signing; Seol has had about three good minutes in all his appearances so hardly a success story; Smertin is very good but hardly gets near the pitch; and Kuqi has been okay, nothing more.

To be honest I think we have the makings of a good side - but we should be building around the key people that can help us deliver the points. Players like Healy. Giving a world class, international striker 10 minutes here and there is simply ridiculous, as is him ending up out on the wing. He's a natural goal poacher so needs to be in the centre and the team built up to get the ball to him - as England do on the rare occasions that Michael Owen is fit.

There's no point Sanchez banging on about this being a 'learning side' in need of experience at this level. Forgive me if I'm wrong but Sanchez knew we were a Premier league side when he took over so with a £25m purse to spend maybe he should have bought more experience from the off if that's what he thinks we needed. Saying - like he did after the Everton match - that one wrong off-side decision changed the course of the game is farcical. There were still 40 minutes left for us to get back into the game but we were over-run.

I'm not claiming to be any expert - far from it in fact. Sanchez clearly has infinitely more experience and knowledge about the game than I'll ever have, but then again that's why he's the manager of this team and I'm just a face in the crowd. That's why Mo pays him the big bucks - for his knowledge and skill as a manager. I, for one, don't think we're getting value for money.

Unless we get six points from our next two games - both at home - against Newcastle United and Wigan, then Sanchez' position really will be untenable. Personally, I think we need a replacement now. It's been an experiment that hasn't worked.

Fulham bag international striker

Using investigative journalism i've managed to find to my shock and surprise that Fulham actually have an international goal scoring superstar in the squad. If Lawrie is reading this then please click here to find out who he is and put him in the STARTING LINE-UP

Interview: Manchester United fans

We managed to catch up with Paul Freeman who runs the www.unitedonfire.co.uk website, as well as United fan Stuart Parish ahead of Monday night's match at Old Trafford. Our thanks to both of them for their time.

How do you think your season has been so far?
PF: So far so good, the hiccup against Bolton last week so far. It started slowly when we had injuries and suspensions but we managed to grind out a few results to get our season going. Then we went on a spree where we couldn't stop scoring. Obviously, we'd have preferred a win over Arsenal and it was gutting when they scored in injury time, but looking back it was a good result (better than last season). I hope that the loss to Bolton is a rare mistake.

SP: I think Fergie has made some excellent buys, especially Tevez, him and Rooney are an absolute joy to watch, so much for the press saying they wont be able to play together, Fergie has also added a couple of exciting young players in Nani and Anderson, who have brought our average age down considerably, alongside Hargreaves, we know have a squad who can challenge on all fronts. We are also playing attacking football, which is what this clubs built on, we have won five out of five in the Champions League and are not too far behind Arsenal in the Premier League, so no complaints here, our dreams of the League cup will have to wait another year though.


Who have been the stars for you so far?
PF: We are a different team with Rooney and Ronaldo in the team, it almost goes without saying. Who wouldn't be? But the best, most consistent player has been Nemanja Vidic. A rock in defence, and also seems to make Ferdinand play to his best ability. Another player looking good is Anderson. With a reported price tag of £18million, he should be good, but we've been surprised quite how well he has been doing, and as a result, how little we've missed Paul Scholes.

SP: For me, personally, I think our defenders deserve a lot of credit for the start we have had, Patrice Evra has been immense since the season started, but Carlos Tevez has been unbelievable, his work rate, skill, vision, commitment, has been second to none, I can see him becoming a bit of a United legend if he carries on the way he is playing over the next few years.


Anyone you’re disappointed with?
PF: Your ex-player, Louis Saha. I think, because he has been out so much with injury he just hasn't been able to get a run of games in. With only three strikers available, we need him to come in and do well now, but in the last two games, he has been poor. When he was in a good run of form last season, he was the key player in our team.

SF: Saha doesn’t seem at his best yet, but he hasn’t played much so hopefully he can get match fit, and I would like to see Hargreaves start more with Anderson in the midfield.


What silverware will you end the season with?
PF: I'd like to think we can win the league and Champions League this season, but most likely just one of the two. We are already out of the League Cup and we'll do well in the FA Cup again, probably. I think the league will be hard to win this season, Arsenal are looking very good, and Chelsea have quietly got themselves back into the race.

SF: The title is the one most reds want, but we need to prove ourselves in Europe too, if I had to choose, I’d take the title every time, its harder to win and a true test of any team.


Is there anything about your team/its tactics you'd change?
PF: I'd like to see another striker come into the squad, but apart from that, I think it is spot on. The 4-5-1 formation is mostly long gone.

SF: I can’t understand why Fergie plays John O’Shea in so many different positions than defence, but he’s won nine Premiership titles, so who am I to judge?


Who would you like to see take over from Fergie?
PF: Hard question. I think it will probably be Queiroz and Fergie will go just as soon as we win the Champions League (so another 5 seasons then). I'd like to see an ex-Red get a go, and of the current managers I think Mark Hughes has done a great job at Blackburn, so I'd go for him.

SF: I honestly have no idea at the moment, I see Fergie being around for a few more years yet, so it would be best to make that judgement then.


How do you view the Glazers?
PF: They have plunged the club into debt and raised ticket prices so the fans are paying for their own club. I think worse is to come. I fully support MUST (Manchester United Supporters Trust) and hopefully one day the Glazers will sell up.

SF: Would you trust a family that to a man wear NHS specs? My season ticket has risen by over 40% since they took over, we are now saddled with even more debt, all season ticket holders have been forced into the Automatic Cup Scheme, so you could say there’s a lot of bad feeling amongst match going reds about the price hikes, especially the ACS.


What's your view on Fulham this year?
PF: I think you will do enough to stay up this season. You are currently top of the relegation third of the Premiership and as long as you pick up points against your rivals, you will stay up. Have to say that I prefer Chris Coleman to Lawrie Sanchez as a manager though. I did think you were relegation bound at the start of the season.

SF: Honestly, I haven’t seen you play at all, so I can’t comment, a lot of United fans tend to be very insular and only follow United or results which influence United, that’s what I am like, if United aren’t playing, I’m not really bothered.


Any of our players you're wary of?
PF: Danny Murphy because he always seems to score against us. Well, when he was at Liverpool anyway. Maybe David Healy will start to reproduce his Northern Ireland form against the bigger Premiership teams.

SF: Same as above.


Where do you think we’ll end up?
PF: There are at least 3 sides much worse than you, so to pick a place completely at random, 14th.

SF: Mid table.


Who will be relegated?
PF: Derby, Birmingham and Wigan. Although Sunderland and Middlesbrough are looking really suspect as well. It is hard to say (apart from Derby) because even a team reasonably placed in February can go on a dreadful run and go down.

SF: Hopefully Bolton, Middlesbrough and Wigan, in terms of football they don’t offer much to the premiership


What will the score be on Monday night?
PF: Ok, I'm dreadful at picking the right score, so whatever I say will be wrong. Of course, I think we'll win, and the score will be 3-1 (Rooney, Tevez and Ferdinand for us, Murphy for you). So, now I've predicted that, it will be 1-0 to Fulham

SF: United 2 – 0 Fulham

Player Rankings: Fulham V Blackburn Rovers

Here's how I scored our lads on Sunday's performance against Blackburn Rovers.

Niemi - 8/10
Another outstanding display and wasn't at fault for either of the goals.

Baird - 5/10
Allowed Warnock to dominate on the left - and we paid the price.

Hughes 6/10
An okay display.

Stefanovic - 6/10
Again, an okay display. I like his presence at the back.

Konchesky - 5/10
Very rusty...Finger of blame could be pointed at him for both of their goals.

Simon Davies - 6/10
Not his usual assured display. Disappointing by his high standards although put a nice ball in for Kamara's goal.

Davis - 6/10
Battling display but we were over-run in midfield.

Murphy - 5/10
Apart from putting away an excellent penalty and scything down David Bentley to the delight of most fans, he was his usual invisible self and his passing was atrocious...again.

Bouazza - 5/10
Anonymous.

Dempsey - 6/10
The usual tremendous effort but could have prevented Blackburn's second equaliser when Warnock sneaked behind him.

Kamara - 6/10
How frustrating? He put in a decent shift and was on hand to finish off a great move but failed to make the most of a virtual one-on-one with Friedl in the first half.

Substitutes

Kuqi - 7/10
Very close to scoring his first Fulham goal. Loved his passion and commitment.

Healy - 6/10
Good when he eventually came on.

Ki-Hyeon - 5/10
Battled but pretty ineffective.

Man of the match: Antti Niemi. Simply kept us in the game.

New magazine

Morning all...will be on later today/early tomorrow with my player rankings for the match against Blackburn Rovers, plus a round-up of how the papers viewed our draw...however, a copy of a new football magazine has just landed on my door mat so I thought i'd give it a plug.

It's called 'Backpass' and focusses on football in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. A4 in size, full colour, running to some 44 pages and just £2.50 for the launch issue, it's certainly excellent value for money.

Of particular interest to Fulham fans in this first issue is a piece on Frank Large who graced the Cottage turf in the late 1960s, a photo of Johnny Haynes battling with Peter Lorimer and Bobby Robson scoring a penalty against Leeds in the 1965-66 season.

There's also features on Nottingham Forest's 1979 European Cup heroes, a look back at the 1970-71 season, a chat with Jim Smith - and even a very amusing piece on fashion disasters with a shocking photo of Coventry's chocolate coloured kit- yuck!

I'm off to give the mag a proper read with my coffee. Futher info can be found at the mag's website: http://www.backpassmagazine.co.uk/ and via the editor, Mike Berry, on email: backpassmail@aol.com

Thoroughly depressing...

Yep, we've done it again....proved that, for us at least, holding on to a lead is as difficult as juggling three eels dipped in grease...Time and time again we fall apart in the last 10 minutes or so of a match - just what is going on?

It's all very well Lawrie getting shirty with the TV interviewer when he has the temerity to point this out but saying (and I paraphrase here) 'England let a lead slip and they're a national side so don't have a go at us' is absolutely ridiculous.

To be honest I'm too annoyed to post rationally yet...I shall review the highlights recorded and try to draw some positives to accompany the many negatives witnessed at the Cottage yesterday but it's going to be a tough job.

Interview: Blackburn Rovers' fans

Good morning...this post comes direct from the Kensington Hotel in Birmingham where i'm staying on a business trip, although needless to say i'll be travelling down for this afternoon's game against Blackburn Rovers.

We have managed to catch up with Simon Gray, the chairperson of the Blackburn Rovers Supporters Association of Northern Ireland for his views ahead of the match. Our grateful thanks for his time in answering our questions.

1. How do you think Rovers have done so far this season?
They have done extremely well in the league thus far, and we've also had to deal with quite a few injuries, along with one or two suspensions. Having spoken to a few of the players, they are disappointed to have been knocked out of Europe, but are building on the league to try and make up for it when the next campaign resumes. However, there is a long way to achieving that goal thus far.

2. Who have been your best and worst players?
You can take it from a biased view, but there certainly hasn't been any player in the 'worst category type'. However, Chris Samba has been amazing this campaign and nothing seems to fluster him. He was always going to be a dead cert in my Dream Teams at the start of the season, because in a solid defence he will get you goals. Again reliability has come from Warnock, Friedel and Santa Cruz. However, Benni McCarthy hit a lull and Gamst can hit a tad of indifferent consistency, but they are players who can turn the game when least expected.

3. Have you missed Robbie Savage in midfield?
Sav, is a player who you will hate when you play against him and certainly one who you'll learn to respect when he's playing for you. His work-rate and determination has been missed at stages this season and he's a pivotal part in the midfield. However, Savage's absence could well be soothed if Steven Reid makes his long awaited come back shortly.

4. What's your view on Mark Hughes and do you reckon he'll be with you in a year's time - regardless of the new contract?
The best manager anyone can wish for. When Souness departed, he was my immediate number one and delighted that the board were able to seal his signature. He certainly hasn't disappointed, and if anything has exceeded my expectations. He has gelled the squard brilliantly and has the players razor sharp in their fitness. Made unbelievable signings with Santa Cruz, Nelsen, Samba, Bentley and Warnock. As regards to his future, when Mr Ferguson ups and leaves, then that is when he'll be heading to the exit door. He deserves the job, but I just hope that some eejit in Old Trafford appoints Roy Keane.

5. Where do you think you'll finish this season?
I think if injuries don't play a huge part, then a top 6 finish is achievable and at the same time incredible. The fans and players are pushing for it and a wee cup run in either the Carling or FA would compensate for the early exit out of the UEFA.

6. What do you make of Fulham this year?
Fulham had an indifferent start to the season. I think you needed the goalkeeping situation sorted out and you have done with Niemi in. Now, I feel you're in a position to maintain a safe mid-table position and continue to build on from there. A fairly young squad, but have expected Healy to have amassed more goals by now. You will need to try and get a superb winger who will deliver quality and if Steven Davis gets his game up to scratch then goals will flow.

7. Are there any players you are particularly wary of?
I'm always going to be wary of Healy for obvious reasons. Absolute quality and I've had the pleasure of witnessing him every game for my country and talk about the capability of winning a game. I think Niemi was a keeper I always admired, so getting past him will be tough. Again you have a fair bit of quality in midfield with Simon Davies, Danny Murphy and then if Davis hits his top form. One player who is hitting the headlines is Bouazza and I'm sure you'll welcome the return of Bullard with open arms.

8. Where do you think we'll end up this year?
As previously mentioned, a safe mid-table position.

9. Which teams do you think will be relegated?
Derby, Wigan and either Sunderland or Bolton. Fulham never entered the equation for me once the goalkeeping position was sorted and once you get the best out of Healy.

10. What Rovers players should we most fear on Sunday?
Certainly our front pairing of Santa Cruz and McCarthy. A player who will surprise you is Samba and if Bentley and Gamst hit form, then expect a tough task of keeping those two quiet.

11. What's your score prediction for the match?Fulham 1-1 Rovers.
Santa Cruz.
Healy

12. Any final comments?
A. All the best for the game lads and maybe I might be in attendance for the corresponding fixture at Ewood and if you need advice on the area then give me a shout. Good luck for the remainder of the season and I can assure you to keep believing in Sir David.

Afternoon all

I have tried desperately to persuade all the Blackburn Rovers supporters' clubs I could find to give me their views ahead of Sunday's game...but haven't heard a peep out of them all week unfortunately, despite increasingly desperate emails!
If any Rovers fans are reading this then please get in touch (followingthefulham@fsmail.net) and hopefully we can sort things out...if not then you'll have to make do with my thoughts about our chances....

Woeful England

A couple of months ago I questioned whether I really cared whether the national side won or lost. This morning I have my answer: yes, I do. The last time I can remember feeling physically sick the day after a match was when the boys down the road squeezed us out of a tight FA Cup Semi-Final at Villa Park a few years ago. All I could think when i opened my eyes was: what if?

I actually felt McClaren was the best man for the job when all the names were being tossed around in the wake of Eriksson's departure - certainly better than Sam Allardyce at least - as he had been around the England set-up for years, understood how it worked, and perhaps more importantly, knew what motivated and inspired the players. It seems I was wrong.

Anyway, there's little point agonising over it. In reality there's a far more important match to our long-term happiness on Sunday afternoon when the Whites entertain Blackburn Rovers...let's just hope they can deliver the goods otherwise we'll all have more than just the disappointment of England not being in the Euros when next May rolls around.

New Fulham blog

A'rtnoon all...Not a great deal around but just been informed there's a new Fulham blog set up by Smfifteen called White Lines that's certainly worth a visit.

I've also had a chat with some Wycombe fans for their views on our Lawrie...doesn't make great reading for the big fella...will hopefully get this up on the site tomorrow....

We are alive!

Sorry, sorry, sorry! I know i've been as quiet as a church mouse wearing fluffy slippers but work and the FtF household being struck down with numerous bugs has prevented me from keeping this blog up to date....However, we're back having eaten generous portions of humble pie.

I have added my player rankings from the last game against Reading - if you can remember that far back - and hope to be back in the swing of posting virtually every day from now on...Roll on Blackburn this weekend.

COYW!

Player Rankings: Fulham v Reading

Here's the rundown of how I scored our players in the last home match against Reading

Niemi - 7/10
Was at fault for Reading's equaliser but more than made up for this with a string of outstanding saves.

Omozusi - 7/10
A good confident display for his home debut.

Stefanovic - 8/10
Very commanding. Pick of his defensive duties was beating Doyle to a header when it looked a certain goal.

Hughes - 6/10
Okay but allowed Doyle to escape and score for Reading.

Ashton - 7/10
Again, a confident display from the youngster. A very good prospect for the future.

Davis - 7/10
Some neat passing. Looked confident in a roaming midfield role.

Simon Davies - 9/10
Absolutely outstanding...again. Scored the opener with a rocket and played a key role in the other goals.

Murphy - 5/10
Virtually invisible...again. Judging by the quality of his passing he needs to adjust his radar.

Bouazza - 5/10
Not the force he can be. Subbed in the second half.

Kamara - 5/10
Very poor today. His first touches were poor and he fell pathetically in the penalty area when he should have stayed strong. Disappointing.

Dempsey - 7/10
Battling display - as ever - capped off with an opportunistic stab home for our second goal.

Substitutes

Kuqi - 8/10
Fantastic display. An imposing aerial presence who played a major role in our second and third strikes. Great to have him in the squad.

Healy - 8/10
Back to his best. Some good skills and a well taken goal to wrap up the game.

Man of the match: Simon Davies. Our unsung hero and without doubt one of the players of the season so far. His name should be the first one written on the team sheet.

Sack Sanchez now

No...only joking! At long last a win - and one that was thoroughly deserved. I will be posting tomorrow with my overall opinion, player ratings and newspaper round-up but, for now, I'd like to say well done to Lawrie and the boys. Here's to a few more performances like that and a climb up the table. COYW!

Let's give Liam Rosenior a good reception

Today sees the visit of Reading to the Cottage - and more significantly the return of Liam Rosenior. This lad needs to get a rousing reception from us because his commitment to our cause was always outstanding. I still remember his debut at home against Manchester United where he was easily our man of the match. A very versatile player and, in my opinion, it's a crying shame that we let him go. Of all the departures this past summer the only one I was really upset about was Liam. He has also just been on Sky's Premier League update saying how much affection he still has for the club so let's do him proud.

Interview: Paula Martin, chairman of Supporters' Trust at Reading

We caught up with Paula from Star (Supporters' Trust at Reading) to ask her views on Reading's season so far and what she thinks will happen at the Cottage on Saturday. Our grateful thanks go to her for her time.

Q. How good was it to get a win over Newcastle on the weekend?
A. Extremely good, not just the result but the spirit that was back in the team. Steve Coppell summed it up for all of us when he said it was like seeing an old friend again.

Q. What do you make of your season so far?
A. Disappointing because the standard of play has dropped from last year, until the last game. We started so well playing well (if not our normal game) against Man U then losing narrowly against Chelsea when we could have won, but then something went missing that we finally saw again last Saturday.

Q. Do people going on about 'second season syndrome' annoy you - or have they got a point?
A. It annoys - if only because the statistics do not show any second season syndrome, the first season syndrome is the dangerous one! With luck we will consolidate this season and then we can hear all about third season syndrome next season.

Q. Who have been the best and worst performers for you this season?
A. The injured right wingers have been the worst as it has meant playing someone out of position on the right - since you nicked Seol and Rosenior is not at home there. The other disappointement has been Shory but he is showing signs of his old self again. Best is probably Dave Kitson who had a horrible season last year with injuries so could not really show himself at his best then but is now.

Q. How do you rate Steve Coppell?
A. Very highly. I spoke to a Crystal Palace supporter at the SD conference who asked for 'their Coppell' back!

Q. What's your view of Liam Rosenior?
A. Not really a right winger, and with our captain at right back, has not really had much of a chance to prove himself yet.

Q. Opinions are mixed at Fulham over Seol Ki-Hyeon...what's he really like in your opinion?
A. My opinion is mixed. When he is playing well he is immense but that is not every game. He appears lazy but that could just be appearance as apparently he is seen as a high tempo player in Korea so maybe he is just playing the Korean way.

Q. Where do you think you'll end up this season?
A. Mid table please

Q. Which players should we be wary of this weekend?
A. Whoever is playing, we should play our game and not play according to who you play.

Q. What do you think about Fulham this year?
A. Most Reading fans see them as a team to finish below us - but there is a feeling of support (as long as you do finish below us) because of Sanchez who we still see as a Reading boy.

Q. Which teams do you think will be relegated?
A. Derby, Middlesborough and Bolton, I think

Q. Finally, what's your prediction for this weekend's game?
A. Our first away win of the season, but not as high scoring as our game at Portsmouth!

Our season so far...

Every year a team that the pundits insist is 'too good to go down' ends up scrapping for its life in a relegation dogfight. This year it could be us. Is this an overly-pessimistic view? Am I blowing a few poor results out of proportion? No, I don't think so. Let's examine the facts. We have emerged victorious from just ONE league match this season - Bolton at home in August. Only Spurs, the aforementioned Bolton and Derby have won as few as us and two of those have recently sacked their managers.

What has either saved us from sinking to rock bottom - or has prevented us from climbing up the table, depending on how you choose to view it - is the fact that we have drawn more games than any other team in the division. Six, including last weekend. As we all know, draws are very rarely the result of an equal game so what can we deduce from looking back at the matches that have ended on level terms?

Well, by my reckoning we threw away the chance of winning on three occasions - against Sunderland, Manchester City and Wigan - which cost us six points. However, we scraped draws against Spurs and Derby thus getting two points we didn't deserve. The sixth match, which was the 0-0 against Chelsea, was a pretty fair result. That still means we should now be sitting with four extra points...and had we got them then we'd now be sitting pretty in 12th spot and just two points off the top 10. Not bad eh? If that was the case I'd probably be sitting here discussing the prospects of us bagging a European slot.

So why have we been dropping these points? Is it bad fortune? Poor defending? Off-target shooting? Woeful decisions by the referee/linesmen?

Well, it's fair to say that Lady Luck has something of a tempestuous relationship with our Lawrie. While she obviously softened during the Liverpool match at the end of last season, in recent weeks she has turned her back on him completely. And judging by what happened in the dying minutes of Saturday's match at the Stadium of Light, she is still sitting there in a huff. Diop's perfectly good goal being disallowed at Reading last season and the linesman insisting David Healy's shot hadn't crossed the line against Boro (when TV replays clearly showed it was in by about a mile) are two prime examples of the luck not having gone our way...but then we ought to consider Smertin's strike (which is now being classed as an own goal) that gave us the points against Bolton.

So what's the conclusion? It's a well worn fooballing cliche but luck/poor decisions do tend to even themselves out over the course of a season. In my opinion, therefore, the reasons we have been dropping points with almost manic enthusiasm are twofold: an inability to kill off a game and defensive mistakes. Does this sound familiar? Yep, that's exactly what was going wrong for us last term and it eventually cost Coleman his job. The only difference being that, in comparison, we actually enjoyed a far better start to the 2006/07 season. So far this year we have played 11 matches and chalked up nine points (one win, four defeats and six draws). At the same point last season we already had 16 points on the board after four wins, four draws and three defeats.

Yes, I know it takes time to bed a new team down but we can't keep reaching for that excuse because the season is almost three months old. Depressingly, we have also played ALL the teams below us in the table which means, in effect, that our toughest games are to come.

Newspaper round-up: Sunderland v Fulham

To be honest I couldn't bring myself to post anything yesterday. Despite gaining a point away, the manner in which we lost the chance to haul ourselves clear of the relegation dog fight was thoroughly depressing, yet weirdly predictable...Anyhow, here is how the main news outlets saw our match against the Black Cats...

Roy Keane has mellowed in management, insisted Martin Hardy in The People, but he still instills "the fear of God" into his players in the closing stages of a game they are losing. "Yet again, Sunderland dragged themselves from the jaws of defeat in the final minutes of a game to grab a point they barely deserved."

Indeed, the first 45 minutes were "perhaps the most insipid seen under Keane", agreed Simon Williams in The Guardian. "Fulham, though, did not capitalise fully and, although Simon Davies gave them the lead with a delicious curling free-kick after fooling goalkeeper Craig Gordon into thinking he was going to cross, they did not kill Sunderland off. David Healy had their best chance but the Northern Ireland international somehow managed to put a first-time shot wide of an unguarded net."

Even so, it was the home side's supporters whose belief was being "stretched for the first time under Keane" by the interval, wrote George Caulkin in The Times, as without the likes of Dwight Yorke, Paul McShane and Carlos Edwards, they lacked quality. "By contrast, Fulham looked classy and confident," he noted. "As their supporters crowed: 'We're winning away, we're winning away. How s*** must you be? We're winning away'."

The Black Cats' plight seemingly deepened when right-back Greg Halford was sent off for his second bookable foul 20 minutes from time - but it was the visitors who crumbled, according to The Sun, which claimed: "The most amazing thing about this clash of possible relegation candidates was the way the Cottagers once again capsized after going ahead."

And the man who supplied the killer blow was Sunderland's £6m hitman Kenwyne Jones, wrote Brian Mcnally in the Sunday Mirror. "A third home defeat of the campaign against a moderate Fulham outfit was very much on the cards until Jones managed to plant a bullet header past Antti Niemi from Grant Leadbitter's searching cross."

The result means Fulham have drawn six of their 11 Premier League games this season, reflected The Guardian's Simon Williams, yet it could have been even worse for the away side. "The substitute, Anthony Stokes, should have won the game for Sunderland in stoppage time but a dreadful first touch allowed Niemi to narrow the angle and save with his legs."

However, the way the match ended left Fulham manager, Lawrie Sanchez, admitting that his "overwhelming emotion" was sadness, according to the Independent on Sunday's Simon Rushworth, who quoted him as saying: 'It depresses me. Our failure to win games is getting to be a bit of a problem scenario that we need to sort out.'

Sunderland v Fulham: A reaction

When I watched Paul Merson on Sky's Gillette Soccer Saturday breathlessly describe how David Healy had missed a totally open goal I knew the writing was on the wall. Not even when Simon Davies put us 1-0 up with a free kick did I think we'd be able to hang on; nor when the Black Cats went down to 10 men. Sure enough, in the dying minutes we allowed them back into the game and a late Kenwyne Jones header stole Sunderland a share of the spoils. Unbelievable.

Until I see the 'highlights' tonight I obviously can't comment on the specifics of the match, but suffice to say that once again we threw away points. The defence was always a weak spot under Coleman - much to our annoyance considering where he spent his career playing - but things appear to have deteriorated under Sanchez. What is wrong with them? Why can't we shut up shop like other teams? Who is at fault? Is it the full-backs? The midfielders?

Wherever the problem lies it's up to Sanchez to sort it out. If he is unable to do so then he needs to make way for someone who does so that we don't end up hurtling towards the Championship. Birmingham's win means we have now slipped to 14th and makes next week's home match against Reading even more significant.

Here, if you can bear it, is an early match report from the BBC.

Collins John scores!

It's 3.20pm on Saturday and news has reached me that Collins John has put Leicester 1-0 up at home to Barnsley. Good stuff eh? Hopefully he'll return from his three month loan in the Midlands rejuvenated and start banging in the goals for the first team...

Preview: Sunderland v Fulham

Facing Roy Keane on a football pitch must have been one of the scariest prospects imaginable. But how will coming up against his team compare? Well, our boys will find out later today when they travel to the Stadium of Light to take on Premier League 'new boys' Sunderland.

On paper it certainly doesn't seem a great match for a neutral to watch. The home side have lost their last three games while we haven't won away on the road in 21 matches. Yes, that's right, 21 matches! Unbelievable isn't it?

The only potential postive (and I'm really clutching at straws here) is that our last victory away from the Cottage came in this neck of the woods when we beat Newcastle - but even that was soured by the injury sustained to Jimmy Bullard.

Sunderland currently lie three places below us at 16th in the league but have exactly the same number of points: eight. They have two wins so far, both coming at home, scoring 11 goals and conceding 19.

Today we go into the match without the suspended Konchesky, while Hameur Bouazza is out with a shoulder injury - a bit of a weakness it seems. Most of the rest are fit, including a rejuvenated Antti Niemi whose awe-inspiring display last weekend helped push us up to 13th in the table.

Bizarrely I actually fancy us to get something out of today's game. However, while a point would be okay, a win could really kickstart a turnaround in fortunes for the team. The confidence boost that three points away from home provides would be very welcome.

Interview: Sunderland fans

We caught up with three Sunderland fans for a quick Q&A session ahead of this weekend's match at the Stadium of Light. Our grateful thanks to author Jeff Scott (JS) at http://www.methanolpress.com/; Jim Higginson (J) of the Black Cats of America and Judith Hood of the Sunderland AFC Supporters' Association (JH) for their time.

Q. How does it feel to be back in the Premier League? Are you here to stay this time?
Jeff Scott. I think you're supposed to aspire to Prem football but, to be honest, I prefer the Championship as grounds you visit are more 'real', the kick off times are more 'normal' and the likelihood of a good result is higher. I really hope we are here to stay but history suggests otherwise.
Jim Higginson. Great
Judith Hood. It is the only place to be.

Q. What's your honest appraisal of Roy Keane? The positives and any negatives?
JS. I must admit I've been pleasantly surprised by the professionalism of his approach. He's been there, done it and got the t shirt so that has to be good but the downside is he's not the finished article so he's still learning. Realistically, if he was we wouldn't have him.
J. He's doing a good job
JH. Postives: He has rejuvenated the club. Negatives: Timing-wise he didn’t come at a good time and as a result very few premiership players were available so we had to settle for second best.

Q. Who have been your best and worst performers this season?
JS. Nyron Nosworthy has the odd moment but has continued his revelatory form.
Grant Leadbitter has also stepped up to the plate Greg Halford has a long throw but has yet to impress
J. Pass.
JH. Best performer: Kenwyne Jones. Worst: No comment

Q. Are there any areas where you would like to see an improvement?
JS. We need to score goals to stay up, defending better would help and a skilful midfield would be useful.
J. Goals.
JH. A good midfielder who can put his foot on the ball.

Q. What position do you think you'll be in at the end of the season?
JS. 17th.
J. 16th or 17th.
JH. Hopefully sixth off bottom.

Q. Who do you think will be relegated?
JS. Derby, Bolton, Wigan.
J. Derby, Wigan, Fulham (Sorry, its early yet!)
JH. Derby, Bolton, Wigan.

Q. What's your view of Fulham this season so far?
JS. Better than under Chris Coleman but still not setting the world alight. I expect you to stay up without really drawing attention to yourselves.
J. Patchy.
JH. I haven’t seen enough of them to comment. Honestly.

Q. Are there any of our players you are particularly wary of?
JS. That combative player you got from West Ham (thankfully sent off this
weekend) & Kamara
J. No
JH. -

Q. Which of your players should we fear the most this weekend?
JS. K. Jones
J. ?
JH. -

Q. Finally, what do you predict will be the result?
JS. 2-1 or 4-0
J. 3-1 Sunderland
JH. -

Morning all

How are we feeling? Anxious? Upbeat? Confident? Miserable? I think it's fair to say most of us have experienced the full set of emotions over the past few days. When I posted my match report I was feeling particularly down so how about now? Well, to be honest, not much different.

There is even the news that Keller could be out for four months with a bicep injury so thank goodness Niemi has rediscovered his form...let's just hope that it doesn't go missing again over the coming weeks otherwise we really will be in trouble.

I still believe this team has the potential to be very, very good. We've got some talented lads out there (some not so gifted, but hey) but it's up to Lawrie to mould them into a decent side. We're two months into the season now and they still aren't anywhere near reaching their potential.

Due to work commitments I won't be able to post for the next couple of days but will be back on Friday with a preview of the Sunderland match and the usual interviews with fans. Three points against the Black Cats and everything will look so much better. COYW!

Newspaper round-up: Fulham v Derby

Here is how the major news outlets saw our draw at home to Derby:

Billy Davies should have celebrated Derby's first away win but 10-man Fulham survived an onslaught - so he had a pop at Lawrie Sanchez instead, according to Antony Kastrinakis in The Sun. "Amazingly Cottagers boss Sanchez claimed Fulham outplayed Derby in the second half and that Davies was begging the ref for the final whistle, yet such was Derby's dominance that Fulham keeper Antti Niemi was by far the best man on the pitch," he wrote. "It was right that Rams chief Davies mocked Sanchez and suggested the bespectacled Londoners boss should buy...a pair of specs."

Despite their long injury list, the home side made five changes from the side beaten 2-0 by Portsmouth a fortnight earlier, pointed out Colin Malam in the Telegraph, and the best decision was restoring the Finnish stopper to the starting line-up. "A dire first half is easily summarised," he wrote. "With defensive midfielder Dean Leacock launching attacks intelligently from deep, Derby looked a half decent side. Twice Niemi had to save at his near post, from Kenny Miller then Eddie Lewis, before frantically stopping Aaron Hughes heading an own goal from a Stephen Pearson cross."

The low autumn sun that shone over Craven Cottage meant those watching in the Johnny Haynes stand had to shield their eyes if they wished to see any of the action, noted Evan Fanning in The Independent, but at times they needn't have bothered. "For two teams supposedly battling for their lives it was a decidedly underwhelming affair, which only came to life when Fulham's Paul Konchesky was sent off just before half-time."

This clash had been pencilled in as a must-win by Sanchez, but the flash of temper by his left back which led to an instant red card left him looking at the scoreline as a point gained rather than two surrendered, agreed Steve Stammers in the Sunday Mirror. "Paul Konchesky was once talked of as a defender with the potential to be an England regular," he added. "Yesterday he showed the maturity and responsibility of an errant teenager as he let his team down just when they needed him most - and illustrated just why he will remain a two-cap wonder."

Despite his early departure from the game, which happened on the stroke of half-time, Fulham "coped well", according to The Mail on Sunday's Simon Cass, although it was the "man-of-the-match performance" from Niemi that prevented the visitors from claiming their second Premier League victory.

It also helped spare the team from "an even louder burst of derision than the hearty booing which assailed them as they left the field", noted David Lacey in The Guardian. "Fulham have produced some sound performances this season but their only league win was back in mid-August and on Saturday they clearly lacked confidence."

The Sun's Kastrinakis insisted there were no positives for Fulham from the result - despite the fact it was achieved with 10 men - and suggested it was "nothing short of a disaster" to draw at home against a side which was bottom of the league and with a woeful away record. "With fellow strugglers Sunderland and Reading up next Fulham are fast running out of games where they can realistically expect to pick up enough points to pull themselves away," he added. "It's crunch time."

Fulham v Derby: The Post Mortem

I have added three posts about yesterday's game. Please follow the links to read these pieces and it would be great to hear your views as well.

My opinion of the match - click here

Player rankings - click here

Niemi's brilliance - click here

Fulham v Derby: Player Rankings

Here's how I rated our players:

Niemi - 10/10
Absolutely outstanding display. I simply cannot give him anything other than a 10 because that was a faultless display. He is the reason why we managed to salvage anything from the match.

Baird - 8/10
Superb. A very confident, assured display. Great defending and even managed a thunderbolt shot which would have capped it perfectly.

Hughes - 4/10
Poor. Again. Almost scored an own goal and let Miller through for a great chance in the second half.

Stefanovich - 5/10
Pretty good display. A few shaky moments but looked solid clearing his lines.

Konchesky - 0/10
Destroyed any chance we had of winning this match by getting sent off. It was totally inexcusable and he should feel ashamed of himself this morning. Appalling.

Murphy - 5/10
Weak. He looks a shadow of the player who was so solid for Liverpool. Fluffed our best chance of scoring in the first half; took the ball of Baird's foot when he was shaping up for a shot and his passing was mediocre at best.

Davis - 5/10
Poor display which lacked authority. He is better than this.

Ki-Hyeon - 2/10
Another woeful display. What's wrong with him? Is he just not match fit? He even goes to ground slowly when he's tackled.

Bouazza - 6/10
Not at his best. Made a few promising runs but his passing radar wasn't working today.

Kamara - 6/10
A few good runs but his shooting was dreadful. Also guilty of being greedy with his failure to pass to Bouazza when the latter was in a better position.

Dempsey - 8/10
Fantastic endeavour. Making the most of Sanchez's game plan which appears to revolve around banging long balls up to him in the hope he can make something of it. Two great attempts on goal late in the second half. A real asset.

Substitutes
Bocanegra - 6/10
A reliable, solid display.

Simon Davies - 7/10
It was only when he came on that our midfield looked creative.

David Healy - 6/10
Didn't have much time to do anything but the effort was there and he had a cracking shot that was well saved by Bywater.

Man of the match: Antti Niemi. Unquestionably our best player. Pure class. Showed what he can do. Click here for a detailed run down of his best saves.

Click here for a detailed opinion about the match.

Niemi's brilliance against Derby

Antti Niemi's performance was so good yesterday that I felt it deserved its own post.


First half

1. Derby float the ball towards our area, Fagan chests it back to Miller who pushes it wide to Oakley, then gets it back and thunders in a shot that Niemi does well to parry.

2. Aaron Hughes is beaten by the bounce of the ball which is then floated forward by Miller to Lewis who outstrips the remaining defenders and forces another great save.

3. Miller pushes the ball out to Pearson whose testing cross comes off Hughes' head and is saved by Niemi on the line.

Second half

4. An Oakley rocket from outside the area is parried by Niemi

5. He saves a close range header from Barnes with his feet

6. Another powerful drive from Barnes is well saved

7. Fagan gets in a shot but this one is easily saved by Niemi

8. Miller charges through and shoots but Niemi saves again

Fulham v Derby: An opinion

But for the brilliance of Antti Niemi, yesterday could have been an even bigger disaster. Our Finnish stopper was back to his best and boy did he need to be. He pulled off save after save to keep us in the match and guaranteed that we walked away with at least one point.

But is a draw really good enough against the league's bottom side? A team that have conceded a whopping 22 goals in nine games; failed to score either a goal or point away from home; and which have been on the wrong end of four, five and six-nil drubbings? Of course it's not.

The players knew it; Mohamed Al Fayed in the stands knew it; and the fans that serenaded the team off with a chorus of boos at half and full time knew it. We have been very patient with this new team but two months into the season the teething problems should have been sorted out.

Yes there were a few mitigating circumstances. Konchesky getting sent off in first-half injury time after reacting like a schoolboy and swinging an elbow when Fagan held him was a contributing factor, but the fact remains we were awful from the start.

Sanchez made five changes from the side that lost to Pompey. In a number of cases this was to give a rest to those players who had turned out for their countries last week. However, this had the effect of cutting out ALL the creative flair from the midfield as both Simon Davies and Alexey Smertin were relegated to the bench.

Thus we resorted to the miserable plan of lumping balls up to Clint Dempsey in the hope that he will be able to claim all the headers against man-mountain defenders as well as grabbing some goals and setting up Kamara. No, I didn't think that was going to work either.

Don't get me wrong. Dempsey was one of our best performers but the only way we were going to get behind Derby's back four was by playing it on the ground. We didn't. We struggled.

Elsewhere, Seol was woeful. Does he lack pace or is he not match fit? He's obviously got the skills but he plays like a 45-year-old ex-pro. Murphy was ineffective, Bouazza didn't really make his mark on the game and Steven Davis was not the controlling influence I hoped he would be.

Our defence, on the other hand, was relatively solid, although the lack of midfield grit meant the back four were tested on far more occasions than was acceptable. Baird had his best game in a white shirt (thankfully), Stefanovich was relatively solid and Konchesky was okay in his brief stint. Hughes, however, had a howler. Almost scoring an own goal and letting Miller through for a strike were his worst mistakes but there were plenty of others.

Our best chances were the two in the first half: one scuffed by Murphy and a Blaird thunderbolt which was well saved - and Dempsey's two attempts in the second, as well as a decent effort from David Healy which, again, was saved by Bywater.

In my opinion Derby have every right to feel robbed. They had some cracking efforts and if they had caught Niemi on a bad day they could have bolstered their goal difference by four or five goals...easily.

Some credit has to go to the players for battling hard and not conceding when we were down to ten men but the harsh reality is that we didn't deserve anything more than a point. Even if Konchesky had stayed on the pitch I can't see how we'd have found the back of the net.

Bizarrely, the way the other games went we actually rose five places yesterday so we're now sitting in a relativley healthy looking 13th spot. That should fool no-one. Unless a marked improvement is made in our next two games then Sanchez needs to make way.

Interview: Derby fans

We managed to catch up with Chris Smith who runs the Ramspace.co.uk site; Shakira from the Yankee Ram in Exile blog; and Dave from Derby County Supporters' Club Germany to ask their thoughts ahead of tomorrow's match. Thanks to all of them for their time.

Q. How are you enjoying life back in the Premier League and how has it measured up to your expectations?
CS. Not sure. The media exposure is great, the atmosphere is great, the games are better, the opposition is tough, the jump is massive.
S. Other than the thumpings we have endured, I have enjoyed our return to the top flight. The Newcastle win was awesome but I still fear for our survival at this point.
D. I am not enjoying life in the Premier League at the moment

Q. You've had some mixed results so far with heavy defeats, some battling displays and a great win against Newcastle. How do you rate the team's performance so far?
CS. Disappointing. At the end of the day we are bottom of the league. It's a massive jump, we are improving but some of the well publicised away canings were not nice.
S. Bi-polar. We play pretty well at home, look much more organized and are getting some points. On the road we look like a pub team with no clue of what's going on. I think that the awe of being in the Premiership was a factor at first; I can only hope this has worn off now.
D. I rate the performance as not too good

Q. Are you happy with the progress under Billy Davies?
CS. Yes. Bizarrely he's not actually that popular as a guy. As a manager you cant fault him. He took us form the abyss to the Premier league in 9 months. Enough Said.
S. Absolutely. He had a three year plan to get us up and we exceed that by far. He doesn't have as much as other clubs to work with. There a few times I have scratched my head at his tactical decisions but overall he has my total support.
D. Yes

Q. In which areas do you need to improve?
CS. Blimey! Defence would be an obvious call, but I would suggest wide right and left midfield.
S. What areas don't we need to improve?! We need a new back four, a goalkeeper would be nice and another striker. We are weak down our left so a strong left back or left sided midfielder would be nice.
D. Defence & Strikers

Q. Where do you think you will finish this season?
CS. 17th!
S. I think in the bottom three without some major improvement. I can see us being 18th or 19th. I just can't predict 20th. If we can get some key signings (see back four) we might squeak out 17th.
D. Middle of the table

Q. Who would you say have been your best and worst performers/performances this season so far - and why?
CS. The best was Newcastle because we won well and deserved to. The worst was Spurs away. They were there for the taking and we didn’t turn up.
S. Best: Matt Oakely and Kenny Miller. Both are our leading scorers, Miller came in and has had an instant impact. Pearson has also been fairly consistent. Worst: Our entire back four. They have been horrible as a group. Andy Todd had a great debut game and then seems to fallen off the radar.
D. The best performers have been Kenny Miller and Steve Howard. The worst has been Dean Leacock.

Q. Which players should we be looking out for this weekend?
CS. Steve Howard as he'll probably be playing for you in January! Otherwise Steven Pearson, a class act.
S. Kenny Miller, Giles Barnes, and maybe Robert Earnshaw. Miller can score at this level and has, Barnes is a game changer if he is fit, and Earnie finally got a goal for Wales, maybe that will translate for Derby.
D. Can’t say!

Q. How do you rate the Fulham old boys Eddie Lewis and Dean Leacock?
CS. Deano was awesome last year but started this season injured. He's just starting to form a partnership with Claude Davies and is looking good again. Eddie Lewis is OK. He's a trier with a decent left foot but in fairness he's just a square peg in a square hole until we sign someone better in January.
S. I was somewhat skeptical about Lewis signing but he has been pretty solid. He can cross the ball better then anyone on the squad and I think he is a positive influence on the team. Leacock, he is decent but I don't think he is a Premiership back, he has the attention span of a gnat at times.
D. Eddie Lewis great, Dean Leacock not to good

Q. What's your view of Fulham this season?
CS, Pre-season I thought Sanchez had bought well. Kamara is a barn door merchant for sure (6 chances to score a goal) but otherwise good signings. I'm actually surprised how you've slipped away. If you can get Jimmy Bullard fit that could be the key as he was always a great player at Wigan.
S. Pretty poor really. You have as porous a back four as us, but you can at least score goals. I think you guys are in for a dogfight with the bottom five clubs all season unless some signings are made in January. Dempsey is a bright spot for you, he has finally settled into the English game and will be a threat.
D. Well, to be honest you are better than us, but time will tell.

Q. What's your prediction for this weekend results wise?
CS. 2-2. End to end, open game.
S. I see draw written all over this,Derby is bound to score on the road at some point and I think it will be this weekend. Final score 1-1.
D. 1:3 for Derby

No noise from the Derby boys...!

We were hoping to have our usual interview with opposition fans up on the site today but despite contacting a number of Derby's bloggers and webmasters we haven't been able to arrange anything yet, although we're still hoping something can be sorted out...If you're a Derby fan reading this who would be willing for a chat then please contact us at: followingthefulham@fsmail.net

Preview: Fulham v Derby

Tomorrow is Judgment Day for Lawrie Sanchez. That might sound a bit dramatic considering it's still only October but quite frankly our match against Derby is the most important game of the season so far.

It's all very well getting the players stirred up to face Chelsea at the Bridge, but it's making sure they're in the right frame of mind to play the teams closer to us in the league that will provide Sanchez with a stiffer test. How they respond will tell us a lot about his management qualities.

Win tomorrow and we will be set up nicely for next week's trip to Sunderland and the following week's visit of Reading. Lose and the proverbial storm clouds will be gathering above the Cottage. If we can't beat the team at the bottom of the table, where else will we score points?

Derby have had a pretty torrid time so far this season. Their sole victory - at home to Newcastle - has been the only highlight of a miserable campaign and they are already being installed as the red hot favourites for a swift return to the Championship.

They have accumulated just five points (the aforementioned win against the Geordies, as well as home draws against Bolton and Portsmouth) from their nine league games and have only found the back of the net five times, while conceding a whopping 22 goals.

Their away form has been particularly dire: Liverpool thrashed them 6-0; Arsenal put five past them and even Spurs ran out 4-0 winners.

However, there is no reason for us to feel smug.

Although we haven't been on the end of such drubbings we have still only scored two more points and when statistics such as Derby not having scored a point or a goal away from home start getting quoted it makes me very nervous. Wouldn't it be Fulhamish to let them break at least one of those ducks tomorrow?

Our record this year is pretty woeful which is why we're also marooned in the bottom three. We have only scored two more points than Derby - by virtue of two extra home draws - and although our goal difference is still in negative territory it does at least look a bit healthier. The back of the net has been found 12 times by us - against 16 conceded - even though our shooting boots haven't been packed for the last two games against Pompey and Chelsea.

Maybe I'm being too gloomy, but I now see every match we play in 'nightmare scenario' terms. The sooner we get another win under our belts the better. Come on Lawrie, make us believe.

A tribute to Johnny Haynes

It’s hard to believe that two years have passed since the Maestro was taken from us. When I recall the shock of reading the tragic news on a newspaper website, it still invokes in me a pang of deep sorrow. I can remember hoping that the story referred to another “Haynes”, but knowing this was unlikely to be the case.

For me, and thousands of other Fulham fans, it was a real ‘Diana’ moment: Pride in his achievements, mixed with sadness and anger that they weren’t more widely acknowledged. It was an injustice I found hard to swallow. At a time when MBEs and Knighthoods are handed out like confetti, the fact that Haynes was overlooked is nothing short of a national disgrace.

Sadly, our own great club is not immune from criticism here. Talk about erecting a statue outside the Cottage has so far come to nothing - and although there is encourating talk on the main site's messageboard about the issue being discussed with the planning authorities, progress has been painfully slow. And while I am pleased they renamed the Stevenage Road stand in his honour, I still feel it happened years – if not decades - too late. The fact that only fans with match tickets in that area received the commemorative Johnny Haynes T-shirt was also a bit of a PR disaster for the club in my book. Much better to have given every season ticket holder a shirt or even sell them and give the proceeds to a charity nominated by the Haynes family.

Hopefully the shortcomings reference the statue will be rectified so that new fans and old can pay tribute to a man who will be forever linked with the club.

Like many other second and third generation Fulham fans, his death held a particular resonance with me because his was a name that I had grown up hearing about. From an early age I can recall my dad, for whom Haynes had been a football idol, telling me about the accuracy of his passes and his barely-concealed irritation when less gifted team mates failed to live up to expectations.

I also had the pleasure of interviewing the man himself in early 2001 for a newspaper article (click here to read it) I was writing about Fulham’s climb up the divisions. After being given his home telephone number, I cold-called him expecting to be given the brush-off, but he couldn’t have been more gracious and willing to help. That 20 minute chat will remain one of the undoubted highlights of my life.

At that time he was very excited about the prospects for Tigana’s young team, looking forward to our clash that weekend with Manchester United in an FA Cup tie, and confident that we could clinch promotion back to the top division that season. I remember being particularly impressed with his refusal to make comparisons between his generation and the modern day stars, particularly considering the number of ex-players who are only to happy to state how much better it was in their day. “Fulham has always had the reputation of being a special club,” he told me. “In the 1950s and 60s the stars of stage and screen used to go there. When we had dodgy times, they switched to Chelsea. It will be interesting to see what happens if we get into the Premiership. This side is very, very good and I wouldn’t say it’s completely down to money. Tigana has a lot of experience and he has done a fantastic job.” After our chat he kindly offered to sign a book for my dad.

To my immense regret, time moved on and I never got round to sending it through to him. Ironically, only just before his accident, I remembered again and vowed to do so. Sadly, I didn’t act quickly enough, and thinking about my failure to get this done for my dad is enough to bring a lump to my throat as I write these words because I feel that I really let him down.

Of course, being born in the seventies meant that I never had the privilege to see the great man play in the flesh – and in some ways this makes me feel a fraud for writing such a tribute - but he was a hero of the FFC family to which I’m proud to belong so I hope you will indulge me. We miss you Maestro; may you rest in peace.

If you want to read some of the tributes that appeared at the time of Johnny's passing, then please follow the links: The Times, The Independent, The Telegraph and Football Poets.

* Our grateful thanks to Ken Coton for allowing us to use his photographs.

Nostalgia: Feature on Fulham's rise up the leagues

Here is a piece that I wrote back in January 2001 about Fulham's rise up the divisions for the sports section of a national newspaper called Sunday Business. During its compilation I was fortunate to interview Johnny Haynes.

When Fulham entertained Scunthorpe on a wintry January evening in 1996 they lost 3-1, watched by the smallest crowd in the club’s history. A paltry 2,176 turned up, and trudged home in the knowledge that Fulham were close to slipping out of the Football League.
Life in south-west London could barely have been more miserable. For a club that once boasted England captains Johnny Haynes and Bobby Moore, as well as the skills of Rodney Marsh and George Best, the thought of losing league status was unbearable.
Five years on, and fortunes have changed in SW6. When the team runs out at Craven Cottage this afternoon, it will be in front of a sell-out crowd against Manchester United, in a glamour FA Cup tie being screened around the world.
Fulham are clear at the top of the First Division and the past few seasons have seen them take the scalps of Aston Villa, Tottenham, Southampton and Wimbledon. Even their problems are spectacular – captain Chris Coleman broke a leg last week after crashing his Jaguar.
“This has the potential of being the biggest turnaround in the history of football,” enthuses David Lloyd, editor of Fulham’s fanzine, There’s only one F in Fulham. “We have been so used to the downward curve that everything happening now has left us short of breath.”
The glory days, it seems, are back with a vengeance, but the 21 years since United’s last visit have seen varied fortunes for the sides. When United arrived in 1979, again for an FA Cup tie, they were a mediocre, mid-table outfit in the old First Division, while Fulham were in the top six of the Second. Since then, United have become the world’s richest club and accumulated a vast array of silverware, while Fulham have yo-yoed between the bottom three divisions and faced losing their ground in a merger with Queen’s Park Rangers in 1987. Despite a mini-revival in the early 1980s, success has been rare.
Dennis Turner has been a Fulham supporter for 45 years and is the club’s official historian. As one of the hardened few on the terraces that day against Scunthorpe, he has witnessed the club’s darkest hours. The proposed merger, quashed when a group led by former player Jimmy Hill bought the club, and the prospect of losing Craven Cottage to developers a decade ago, rank among his worst memories. “In January 1996 we were second from bottom of the Fourth Division and one place off being relegated,” he recalls. “The recovery started that month. What we are seeing now is the best Fulham team of my lifetime. They are now capable of competing with the best.” The man credited with the resurgence is Mohamed Al Fayed, the Harrods owner, who bought the club in 1997 and installed Kevin Keegan and Ray Wilkins as its management duo, ousting Micky Adams. But it was Adams who dragged Fulham from the bottom of the League. At the time there was bitterness about his treatment. “People wondered what was in it for Al Fayed, but now believe he’s got their best interests at heart,” says Turner. “He’s one of the few chairmen who doesn’t want to pick the team.”
Al Fayed has ploughed over £50m of his own fortune into Fulham with a raft of improvements, new training facilities, coaches, a shop, club magazine and subsidised travel to away matches. But the moneybags title with which Fulham are branded rankles with Michael Fiddy, the managing director. “It is inappropriate as we haven’t spent vast amounts on players,” he said. “You can’t buy yourselves out of the First Division. Only a football team can get you out and the key is the manager and the training staff.”
That manager is Jean Tigana, part of the midfield engine of France ’s legendary 1984 European Championship-winning side. With Tigana has come confidence, a free-flowing style and players of the calibre of Louis Saha, Nicolas Sahoun, John Collins and Luis Boa Morte.
Even Johnny Haynes, the link to past glories, is impressed. “Fulham has always had the reputation of being a special club,” he said. “In the 1950s and 60s the stars of stage and screen used to go there. When we had dodgy times, they switched to Chelsea . It will be interesting to see what happens if we get into the Premiership. This side is very, very good and I wouldn’t say it’s completely down to money. Tigana has a lot of experience and he has done a fantastic job.” Yet, despite the resurgence, full houses are rare at Craven Cottage, even though the number of season ticket holders has increased from 2,000 to more than 8,000 in recent years. Games are often played with up to 2,000 season ticket holders not even taking up their places.
Football analyst Frank Buchan, of Brewin Dolphin Securities, believes this will change if Fulham get into the Premiership, with promotion providing a further £20m from television money and sponsorship. “They are on a very sound financial footing,” Buchan said. “They will never be as big as Chelsea, but if they manage to get a good ground with 25,000 supporters regularly, they will be very healthy.”
A planned redevelopment of Craven Cottage into a 30,000 all-seater stadium is facing opposition from some residents, with a hearing expected within weeks. The historic Stevenage Road façade may be staying, but some fans resent any demolition of the cottage. Fiddy believes the future is reliant on the planning decision going in the club’s favour. “If they don’t give permission there will be irreparable damage. It will be catastrophic,” he said.
But while the stadium and promotion remain the priorities, for a few hours today they will be replaced by a trip down memory lane. And this time the prospect of a Fulham victory doesn’t look quite so ridiculous.