Fulham v Chelsea: Player rankings

Here's how I saw our team yesterday. Click here for a match review.

Keller - 7/10
Didn't have a lot to do but was rock solid when called upon. Pulled off an outstanding save from Kalou that kept us in the game.

Baird - 7/10
A good game by our under-fire right back. Grew in confidence as the game progressed and made a number of very important tackles. Delighted for him.

Hughes - 7/10
Very solid display - as usual.

Bocanegra - 7/10
Superb once again. He is making far less mistakes than last season and saved our skin on a number of occasions.

Konchesky - 7/10
Solid defensive display - although Joe Cole still managed to get in some telling crosses - and made some good interceptions and runs. Could have grabbed the winner late on.

Smertin - 7/10
Excellent in the first half. Tackling, some nice touches and battling hard. Died off a bit in the second and rightly replaced to an ovation from the visiting faithful.

Davis - 7/10
Good, solid display.

Davies - 8/10
He was everywhere. Managed to combine superb defensive tackling with surging runs, pinpoint passes and dangerous crosses. A constant menace to Chelsea all over the field.

Ki-Hyeon - 5/10
...and that's generous. The only weak link in yesterday's team. Looked slow and, quite frankly, uninterested. Not match fit perhaps? A couple of decent touches showed what he was capable of, but surprisingly lacklusre.

Dempsey - 6/10
Had a great chance to put us 1-0 up early on. Battled hard but pretty average in comparison to previous performance this season.

Healy - 6/10
Failed to make any kind of impression on the game. Was surrounded by blue shirts every touch he got and found himself stranded out on the right.

Substitutes
Kamara - 6/10
Blew a great chance to seal the victory.

Bouazza - 6/10
Came on too late to make much of an impression.

Murphy - 6/10
Okay. Again, too late to do much.

Man of the match: Simon Davies. He just shades it for me because of his all-round performance and commitment to the cause.

Chelsea v Fulham: An opinion

In the hours since yesterday's match at the Bridge ended I've been struggling to work out exactly how I feel. Am I elated that we performed well or disappointed that we failed to make the most of, arguably, our best ever chance of beating our nearest rivals on their own patch.

After watching the highlights - repeatedly - I think a draw was a fair result. Both teams had great chances to take all three points, and while we can bemoan the fact that Konchesky and Kamara failed to capitalise late on, it's only fair to acknowledge Chelsea came very close too.

It was definitely our best performance at Stamford Bridge since we were promoted to the Premier League in my opinion. We hustled for everything, defended superbly and, eventually, brought the best out of Petr Czech who is a world-class goalkeeper.

Starting from the back then... For the first time this season I felt we had someone between the sticks who was confident, and more importantly, had the confidence of his defenders. This is something we've been badly lacking with Niemi in the side.

Our defence played very well against arguably one of the world's best strike forces. Yes, there were times when Chelsea broke through. Kalou turned Baird inside out on one occassion and Joe Cole managed to get some dangerous crosses past Konchesky, but generally we were solid.

Baird, in particular, visibly grew in confidence as the game progressed and made some fantastic challenges. Bizarrely, this wasn't enough to stop him coming under fire from some quarters of the crowd - to my utter disbelief - but I will save that for a later post.

In midfield, Smertin played like his life depended on it and Simon Davies was absolutely everywhere. He must have run miles...back in defence one minute, attacking the next, falling back to break up a Chelsea attack, spreading balls about....he was outstanding.

Sadly, the only area in which we were disappointing was up front. How typical it is that the first match all season that we manage to keep a clean sheet is also the first one in which we fail to find the back of the net!

Healy was kept very quiet, Dempsey played with characteristic aggression but didn't make much impression really and could have done better with his headed chance in the opening exchanges. Kamara fluffed his lines after coming on and Bouazza was okay but arrived too late to make much of an impression.

However, the worst player on the pitch in white was Seol Ki-Hyeon which came as a huge surprise to me. Maybe it's just a lack of match fitness, but he was slow, lumbering and generally lacklusture. His one or two nice touches were totally overshadowed by the negatives and he should have been replaced by Bouazza far earlier.

All in all it was a performance of which the players can feel proud. They battled hard and we were only a whisker away from recording our first victory at the Bridge since 1979. Next year eh?

Interview: Chelsea bloggers

We caught up with the mysteriously named BC, who runs the Blue Champions blog and to Ash Kirby, the web consultant for Swindon Blues (I think some of the latter's answers were tongue in cheek!) Our grateful thanks to both for their time.

Incidentally, to see a breakdown of our Premier League record at Stamford Bridge click here, and to read a preview of tomorrow's match click here.


Q. What do you make of the departure of Mourinho?
BC. I cannot avoid the cliché - a big loss to Chelsea and the Premier League.
Two sad things about Mourinho's departure - one is there was no pressing need to oust our most successful manager and the second is the manner in which he was made to quit. The whole thing could have been avoided or at least handled better by the club. Honestly speaking, surely something's wrong behind the scenes. The club could be Roman's but the team was/is certainly Mourinho's. As fans we feel completely ill-treated and betrayed. Enough said.
AK. Me personally am gutted

Q. Do you think Avram Grant is the man for the job?
BC. Straight answer is No. Avram Grant cannot be replacing someone like Jose Mourinho. Avram Grant does not have the pedigree to be managing the Chelsea of today. Whatever the club says, it seems almost certain that we'll get a more permanent replacement, so that Avram can return to his directorship of football. All said, I'd give Avram some time. Let's see what he's got. For all his eccentricity in sacking Jose, Roman is not a multi-billionaire for nothing.
AK. Not at all

Q. How confident are you that you'll end the season as champions?
BC. Well, given the current turbulence and the kind of competition we have this season, it would be a massive achievement to win the title. Arsenal and Liverpool are flying high but we know quite a lot about their consistency or the lack of it. If we are able to get over this whole Jose saga, if we do not lose players to other clubs/injuries, if African Cup of Nations does not impact us too much - we should be able to do it. But there are too many ifs you see. We have a great team with brilliant spirit, determination and winning mindset and killer instinct. I'm fairly confident.
AK. I am not

Q. How do you view Fulham? As rivals? As an irrelevence?
BC. Can I choose the latter? Kidding. Certainly, I won’t see Fulham as a rival until you get your own version of Roman! But the derby is always fun and interesting but always seen as a three-pointer. That said, I’d like to see Fulham in the top half of the table.
AK. In terms of a threat, none

Q. What do you think of the new-look Fulham team under Sanchez?
BC. I should admit that I’ve not seen the Fulham matches this season. I thought Chris Coleman was quite good but Sanchez should be better. With all these players he has bought this season, you should only improve, something like Eriksson’s YouTube youngsters.
AK. I preferred Coleman but he seems to be settling the team

Q. Are there any of our players you’re worried about?
BC. Worried, no. Wary, yes. Kamara, Dempsey and old boy Smertin in the same order. But I don’t think beating Terry, Alex, Belletti, Ashley Cole and finally Petr Cech for a goal, is that easy a proposition.
AK. All of them at the moment

Q. Who, on present form, should we most fear this weekend?
BC. Shaun Wright-Phillips is on real good form at the moment. He can be real threat and with the side midfielder role in 4-4-2, he is completely unleashed and also has people to cross the ball to. Watch out for him.
AK. Abramovich

Q. What do you think the score will be this weekend?
BC. 2-0. That would be the first match at the Stamford Bridge since the departure of the Special One. It would be an emotional one. There could be demonstrations, protests, songs and banners to show support to Jose.
Like Jose said, fans at the Stamford Bridge never had to cry because we never lost there under him. Avram knows the consequence of losing that record a week after Jose's exit. By all probabilities, we should win comfortably.
AK. 1-1

You can read a preview of the match from BC's point of view by clicking here.

Preview: Chelsea v Fulham

On paper it certainly doesn't look much of a contest. Chelsea's multi-million pound superstars of world football against our battling side which has been put together for a fraction of the cost, but there are some factors which could swing the advantage in our favour.

Firstly is the upheaval that's happened in recent weeks with the departure of the 'Special One' and the installation of the hitherto virtually unknown Avram Grant to the manager's chair. It's a bizarre situation and unsettling - as their lacklustre showing against Man Utd illustrated.

Secondly, it is being reported that Roberto Carvalho and Frank Lampard won't be fit to play tomorrow which is good news - although Didier Drogba is poised to make a shock return to the side which is worrying, considering the damage that he can inflict.

Thirdly, we know they're not invincible.

Don't forget we turned them over at the Cottage (come on, who could forget that afternoon!!!) on March 19th last year when, arguably, they were at the very peak of their powers under Mourinho and en-route to their second successive Premier League title.

Both teams have had troubled starts to this season, although the Blues are certainly in a healthier position at present.

So far they are 6th with 11 points on the back of three wins, two draws and two defeats. Victories have been recorded against Birmingham and Portsmouth at the Bridge, and Reading away, while they drew 0-0 at home against Blackburn and 1-1 at Liverpool. The two defeats - both 0-2 reversals - were suffered on the road at Aston Villa and Manchester United.

In the league they have scored seven goals and conceded eight. Their leading scorer so far is Frank Lampard with three, while Drogba, Pizarro, Malouda and Essien have all chipped in with one-a-piece. However, they have failed to score in their last three league games.

This form is in stark contrast to this time last season at which point they had won five out of their first six games and were topping the league with 15 points.

As for us, we have now slipped to a miserable 17th with just six points having been notched up so far. The results table shows one win, three draws and three defeats. Our home record shows a win against Bolton, draws against Spurs and Manchester City, and defeat at the hands of Boro. A draw at Wigan and defeats at Aston Villa and Arsenal illustrate the fact we haven't won on the road for more than a year. That is woeful in anybody's book.

We certainly don't appear to have a problem scoring. Twelve goals have been netted so far in the league, with Dempsey topping the charts with three and Healy and Smertin bagging two each. Kamara, Bouazza, Murphy, McBride and Davies have all got one. However, we have let in a whopping fourteen goals - six in the last two home matches alone.

At this point last season we were sitting in 11th position with eight points, having won twice, drawn twice and lost twice.

So what's going to happen at Stamford Bridge tomorrow?

I believe we have every chance of scoring goals this weekend; my biggest fear is how many we're going to concede. Our defence has, to put it politely, been rather fragile of late and that's not a great way to go into a crunch game.

While it pains me to return to the familiar discussion point of Chris Baird - I'm starting to feel like we're part of a gang bullying this lad - I think for his sake he needs to be rested this weekend as things just aren't going his way and Volz brought back into the right back position.

However, that is unlikely to happen. On his icons.com blog, Volzy reveals he's been spending time on the treatment table so we'll have to get behind Baird and hopefully help him to deliver the kind of performance of which he is capable.

Elsewhere I believe that Sanchez will stick with the familiar line-up in midfield and attack that we've seen of late with Smertin being restored to the side after having been rested for Wednesday's disastrous outing against Bolton. Bouazza will probably return as well, with Seol on the sidelines, poised to cause mayhem in the last 20 minutes if necessary.

Healy will probably be given his starting berth back, although I would definitely like to see Kamara test himself against the likes of Terry & Co at some stage. As far as goalkeepers are concerned, I really don't know what's best as I am yet to see Keller first-hand. I presume Sanchez will stick with Niemi - let's just hope he's got his form back.

To see a full breakdown of our recent record at Stamford Bridge click here.

Our record at Stamford Bridge

As part of our pre-match coverage, we have gone through the record books to analyse our record at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League...Although most of the games were superb, the statistics don't exactly make for pleasant reading.

In the six encounters since we won promotion, we have drawn twice and lost on the other four occasions. We have scored nine goals and conceded 14, although two of those were own goals. Here is the full breakdown:

2006/07 season.
December 30th, 2006
Chelsea 2 - 2 Fulham
Rosenior (og), Drogba - Volz, Bocanegra

2005/06 season
December 26th, 2005
Chelsea 3 - 2 Fulham
Gallas, Lampard, Crespo - McBride, Helguson

2004/05 season
April 23rd, 2005
Chelsea 3 - 1 Fulham
Cole, Lampard, Gudjohnsen - John

2003/04 season
March 20th, 2004
Chelsea 2 - 1 Fulham
Gudjohnsen, Duff - Pembridge

2002/03 season
April 26th, 2003
Chelsea 1 - 1 Fulham
Goma (og) - Boa Morte

2001/02 season
March 6th, 2002
Chelsea 3 - 2 Fulham
Melchiot, Gudjohnsen, Forssell - Saha (2)

Just one day to go...

...before what I always consider to be THE match of the season and I'm so excited I can hardly concentrate on anything! Any Fulham fan who hasn't sampled the atmosphere in the away end at Stamford Bridge has really missed out as it's far and away better than anything you'll experience at Old Trafford, the Emirates, even Anfield. It really is superb.

I will be back on here later with some interviews with Chelsea fans who have given us their take on the upheavals down the road, as well as a preview of the match, including full details of how we have fared at the Bridge since being promoted to the Premier League.

Fulham v Arsenal UPDATES

First-half summary: Big Jim Stannard was a no-show so Dave Beasant has replaced him and pulled off two fantastic saves - including one from Big Brother, er 'star', Ziggy...That was a sentence i never thought i'd write. Rufus Brevett looks superb - maybe we can get him in the line-up for Saturday? Example (he's a rapper) swept Nigel Winterburn's legs from underneath him in the comedy moment of the half! Anyhow. 0-0 at the break....

Second-half: Fairly even start. Winterburn just skewed his shot miles wide...
GOAL!!!! We score through a shoe designer called Di Mambro (I kid you not)...We're playing beautifully with Andy Scott Lee going close
GOAL!!! Arsenal equalise. Rufus fails to close Ray Parlour down and he hammers home...1-1
Goldbaek fouls Parlour and gets sent to the cooler...
It ends 1-1 which means we go out of the tournament as Boro had a higher scoring draw apparently... Everyone is saying it was the game of the tournament so far...

Fulham on television TONIGHT!

Our (old) boys will be on Sky One this evening at 8pm playing in a seven-a-side charity tournament known as Premier League Allstars, which pitches former pros, celebrity fans and 'normal' fans of each team together.

The Fulham team will line up as follows: Ex-pros: Jim Stannard (GK), Bjarne Goldbaek, Rufus Brevett, Wayne Collins.
Celebrities: Handy Andy, Example, Andy Scott Lee

We will be playing Arsenal whose team is: Ex-pros: Vince Bartram (GK), Anders Limpar, Nigel Winterburn, Paul Davis.
Celebrities: Mark Ramprakash, Leery Thornill (Prodigy) and Ziggy Lichman (Big Brother)

This tournament - which I haven't given much attention - has been going on all week. The teams are playing for the Allstars Trophy and cash donations to charities of their club’s choice, with the greatest sum going to the champion club’s chosen charity. You can find out more about the tournament here.

Newspaper round-up: Fulham v Bolton

Here's how the daily newspapers saw our exit from the cup last night, along with links to the relevant articles.

If there is one thing that angers Lawrie Sanchez it is bad refereeing decisions, wrote Dean Jones in The Times, and the Fulham manager had plenty to complain about last night. A goal from Stelios Giannakopoulos decided the tie, but it was controversial as he appeared to push Paul Konchesky before scoring. "However it was a disallowed effort from Diomansy Kamara that infuriated Sanchez the most," he added. "The forward nudged the ball over the line after 97 minutes from a pass across goal by David Healy, only for Steve Bennett to rule out the strike on the advice of his assistant."

TV replays proved the officials were wrong, agreed Darren Lewis in The Mirror, who quoted Sanchez as saying: "I'm getting fed up with refs who come to little Fulham and disallow good goals for no apparent reason. Kamara was two yards onside when Healy hit it. It's another goal a referee hasn't given us. It's bloody ridiculous. These refs are costing us week in, week out. They're not up to the job and something has to be done about it."

Bolton had taken the lead through Danny Guthrie, making his first appearance since arriving on loan from Liverpool, after Sammy Lee's strugglers had missed two decent chances, noted Trevor Haylett in the Telegraph, but David Healy made it tough for them. "The Northern Ireland striker pounced 12 minutes from time to send the tie into extra-time," he wrote, describing it as a "cool finish" from a Seol Ki-Hyeon cross.

The Irishman was just warming up, wrote Richard Rae in The Guardian. "In the opening period he hit the inside of the post, and soon afterwards the bar, both times having beaten Bolton's goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi," he added. "But it was Stelios, with a low drive eight minutes from time, who won the game for his team."

It was a good result for Lee, according to The Sun's Gary Payne, who pointed out that victory was clinched despite nine first-team stars being rested, and quoted him as saying: "Stelios has scored some important cup goals over the years and that's a nice habit to have."

Misery at the Cottage

I am really struggling to put a brave face on things this morning. Out of a cup again before the tournament has even really got underway. Depressing, annoying and irritatingly predictable. I was unable to attend last night's game due to other commitments, a fact I was depressed about until I received a text informing me - yet again - that we had fallen behind due to a Chris Baird error. Another game, another poor piece of defending by the young Irishman. What was he doing playing anyway???? If his performances in recent games have taught us anything it's that he needs time away to get his act together. Maybe i'm being unfair - I am basing my opinion on second-hand accounts which is never ideal - but the fact he was subbed perhaps indicates that a tipping point has been reached for Sanchez as well. Let's hope so.

Preview: Fulham v Bolton (cup)

Crystal ball time.....Right, how are we all feeling about tonight then? I've got a sneaky suspicion that it will be a fairly drab 1-1 affair, then we'll run out 3-1 winners after extra time. Well, you've got to have confidence eh? I suggest (and this won't be a surprise) that Volz comes in for Baird, Keller for Niemi and perhaps Murphy for Smertin as our Russian dynamo has looked tired of late. The rest of the team should stay as it is with Bouazza on for the first hour then Seol coming on for some extra spice. Annoyingly, other commitments mean i wont be at the Cottage tonight but fingers will be firmly crossed all evening. Good luck everyone.

Ex-Fulham players in the Premier League

I've just been thinking about the players (good and otherwise) that we have sold to other clubs in recent years, and who are now lining up for teams in the Premiership. I've managed to put together a complete team, plus substitutes, but would love to hear of anyone I've missed out.

Goalkeeper
Edwin Van de Sar (Man Utd)

Defenders
Steve Finnan (Liverpool)
Zat Knight (Aston Villa)
Dean Leacock (Derby)
Franck Quedrue (Birmingham)

Midfielders
Papa Bouba Diop (Portsmouth)
Sean Davis (Portsmouth)
Michael Brown (Wigan)
Steed Malbranque (Spurs)

Strikers
Luis Boa Morte (West Ham)
Louis Saha (Man Utd)

Substitutes
Marcus Hahnemann (Reading) / Maik Taylor (Birmingham)
Liam Rosenior (Reading)
Eddie Lewis (Derby)
Heidar Helguson (Bolton)
Andrew Cole (Sunderland)

Not a bad squad eh?

Volz MUST replace Baird

We've all had bad days at the office. Whether it's losing a contract, failing to meet sales targets or making a costly mistake. These things happen. However, when one bad day becomes two, then three, then a whole week, questions need to be asked: What's going wrong? Do you need a break? Is it time for some extra training? How can you get back on track?

This is the situation that Chris Baird finds himself in at the moment. He should be having the time of his life. Within the space of a few months he has found himself playing in the Premiership and leading his native Northern Ireland team out in the qualifers for next year's European Championships. Pretty good going for a 25-year-old.

However, some (very) suspect performances for his new club and an own goal for his national side have put him in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons. His confidence looks - understandably - shot to pieces. I have no doubt he's a talented lad, but we're certainly not seeing the same player who put in a man of the match performance for Southampton in the 2003 FA Cup Final.

The harsh fact remains that Baird must be replaced immediately. His failings are costing us points that we cannot afford to drop. There is no time for him to adjust. This is the Premiership. Lose much more ground and we'll soon be thrust into a relegation battle. The rot needs to stop now and that's why we need someone in the side that we can rely on: Moritz Volz.

He is a safe pair of hands that's experienced at this level. Versatile, tough, with good positioning sense, he will help shore up a leaky defence. Baird may well prove to be a decent long-term option for the right back position but he needs to get his head - and his game - back on track before returning to the first team. He is just giving players too much room to breathe. You might be able to get away with that in the Championship, but not in the Premier League.

What Lawrie Sanchez decides to do about this situation will, in my opinion, give us a real insight into the way he operates. He certainly seems to be his own man and appears determined to do things his own way, but the proof of the pudding, as they say, is in the eating.

He said in a press conference last week that the team must be isolated from players who constantly make mistakes. If Baird doesn't fall into that category then i'd love to know the entry requirements.

Keeping him in the side - despite overwhelming evidence that he should be dropped to the bench - would indicate that Sanchez doesn't want to lose face by replacing one of the players he brought to the club. I really hope that won't be the case.

Everyone makes mistakes at work and should be helped through difficult patches, but when they start to threaten the entire business then action must be taken. Volz must start tomorrow (Wed) night against Bolton and, as long as he doesn't fall apart, should keep his place for our very important trip to Stamford Bridge on Saturday. If he doesn't, then I fear for our season.

Media reaction: Fulham V Manchester City

Sorry this is a bit later than planned - work (annoyingly) got in the way. Here is a round-up of how the Sunday and Monday papers saw our draw with City. I have also added some videos of Clint Dempsey and this can be found on the left hand side.

If it’s entertainment that Roman Abramovich craves, then perhaps he should take a stroll down Fulham Broadway to Craven Cottage, where he’ll find goals, controversy, excitement and entertainment, suggested Steve Stammers in the Sunday Mirror.

“Fulham at Craven Cottage are a delight to watch,” he wrote. “Defensively they may be suspect, but the attitude is top drawer. The Chelsea oligarch may want to take note. In their last home game, Fulham shared six strikes with Tottenham, and more of the same was on view in the clash with Manchester City.”

Arindam Rej, in The Observer, saw Fulham dominate the early stages and snatch the lead after Davis picked out Hameur Bouazza on the left flank. “Bouazza;s cross was glanced in at the near post by Simon Davies, who sneaked beyond Richard Dunne in the six-yard box.”

There wasn’t much response from Eriksson’s men until nine minutes before the interval, according to The Independent’s Conrad Leach. “Michael Johnson found Martin Petrov in plenty of space and the Bulgarian was allowed to cut in far too easily by Chris Baird, although there was a slight element of luck as his shot beat Antti Niemi with a deflection.”

The shock of conceding that goal to City was heightened by the fact that it was their first serious attempt on goal, he added.

However, the home side got their nose in front again early in the second half, wrote Bruce Maxwell in The Sunday Telegraph, as substitute Kamara nutmegged Dunne to earn a free kick just outside the penalty area. “Bouazza’s swerving left foot strike left Schmeichel clutching fresh air as Fulham regained the lead.”

It didn’t last long, pointed out the Mail on Sunday’s Daniel King, as Emile Mpenza equalised after keeper Antti Niemi parried Petrov’s shot. “Baird completed a hat-trick of misdemeanours on the hour,” he added. “Petrov’s one-two with Elano was slick, but the full-back was flat-footed as Petrov ran past him before firing inside the near post.”

Despite the fact that Eriksson had turned Danny Murphy into an England international, this didn’t stop the former Liverpool man from scoring with his very first touch, pointed out Dave Kidd in The People.

“Murphy’s career has nose-dived since leaving Anfield, with bitterly disappointing spells at Charlton and Spurs,” he wrote. “But the man who forced his way into the England squad while the Swede was in charge, showed his international pedigree with the sweetest of finishes in the 75th minute.”

While satisfied with his team’s relentless attacking menace, Fulham’s manager, Lawrie Sanchez, was left to rue a familiar feeling, reflected Mike Adamson in The Guardian: the inability to hold on to leads. “This was the fifth game in which Fulham had gone in front but been unable to take the three points,” he wrote. “Fulham fans may well be concerned about their team’s brittle rearguard, but after successive 3-3 draws at Craven Cottage, they cannot grumble about getting value for money.”

Fulham v Manchester City: An opinion

Here is my opinion of yesterday's match, plus my player rankings which can be viewed here. I would be very interested to hear your views - whether or not you agree with me! As usual, I'll post a round-up of how the media saw the match tomorrow morning.


"I don't know whether to be disappointed that we threw away two points or elated that we've gained a point when we were down."

That's how Lawrie Sanchez summed up the feelings of most fans after a pulsating, yet ultimately disappointing, match. To coin a cliché this was most definitely a game for the neutral as it had everything: goals, superb passing and even some handbags to keep everyone entertained.

For me, however, Hameur Bouazza was the outstanding man of the match. His attitude was fantastic: back defending one minute, supporting the midfield the next and then being a menace to the City backline. A superb all-round display. He was also the architect of the first goal. A move he started by tackling back in defence, then running the length of the pitch to supply a pinpoint cross for Simon Davies to head home. A sweet, flowing move that the visitors didn't even see coming. His first goal - and our second - was a belter. You will struggle to see a better taken free-kick this season. It was a rocket of a shot that bent to the left at the very last second to deceive the agile Kasper Schmeichel who was amusingly serenaded with: 'You're not as good as your dad'.

Seol Hi-Kyeon was also absolutely sensational. Any lingering disappointment I felt at seeing Rosenior depart was swept away when I saw what the big Korean can do. He's clearly a superb addition to the squad and his header to set up Murphy for our equaliser emphasised this point.

Overall, therefore, there were more positives than negatives to take from the game. Yes I know we let City back into the match but it could have been a lot, lot worse. To give him his due, Sanchez has got a knack of making the right substitutions at the right time to get results. I love the way - to coin yet another footballing cliché - that this team doesn't know when it's beaten.

The drive and commitment to haul themselves back into games is awe-inspiring and we could have easily grabbed all three points late on when Danny Murphy blazed over the bar. We are also a fantastic attacking force these days and goals can come from anywhere. Eight players - Healy, Dempsey, Smertin, Davies, Bouazza, McBride, Kamara and Murphy - have got themselves onto the score sheet this season. Putting three past a City side that have only conceded twice in the league all season is no mean feat and must not be underestimated.

Our defence, on the other hand, is another matter entirely. Where has the awesome Antti Niemi from last year gone? I appreciate he had injury problems at the start of the season but he still looks a shadow of his former self. His handling is unconvincing, his punching weak, he's allowing shots to squirm away from him, and perhaps most worrying of all, he doesn't seem to have the confidence of his back four. Considering the way that Niemi is playing at the moment I would prefer to see Tony Warner between the posts. He has more of a presence in the goal and is arguably a better shop-stopper (as his tremendous display at Arsenal proved) . Obviously his Achilles heel is his stupid errors, but Niemi has shown he is more than capable of making those himself.

However, our Finnish stopper shouldn't take all the blame. In my opinion there is one other major culprit in our defensive line-up: Chris Baird. Now, part of me feels bad singling out someone who has only played a handful of games but I can't see any reason why he should be in the team ahead of Moritz Volz. His insistence on standing off opposing players just doesn't work and was ruthlessly exploited by Martin Petrov yesterday who not only turned him inside out but made him look like a mediocre Championship player and not an international captain. I can understand his confidence is probably low at the moment - particularly having scored an own goal for Northern Ireland - but it's the team that are paying the price for his mistakes.

Sanchez said in his pre-match press conference on Friday that the squad needs to be isolated from error-prone players and Baird definitely falls into this category at the moment. A spell on the sidelines to get his head and game back together is needed. Volz must be brought in for the Carling Cup match on Wednesday, and if he delivers, should retain his place for next weekend's visit to Stamford Bridge.

Fulham v Manchester City: Player rankings

Niemi - 4/10
Oh dear. Another very unconvincing display from our Finnish stopper. Definitely could have done better with City's first and third goals. Warner deserves another chance.

Baird - 3/10
He was absolutely skinned alive by Petrov. His trademark technique of standing off opposing players cost him - and us - dearly. Doesn't deserve to keep his place.

Hughes - 5/10
A solid-ish display. Failed to close down Elano who put the ball through to Petrov for the third goal though.

Bocanegra - 6/10
Another decent display by the stand-in skipper.

Konchesky - 7/10
He's getting even better. Showed Baird how to defend when he came over to the right at one stage to help deal with the threat being posed by Petrov.

S.Davis - 7/10
Another good display from the engine of our midfield. Unlikely to get the plaudits but, like Scholes at Man Utd, his tireless efforts are hugely beneficial.

Smertin - 5/10
Not as influential as he has been in previous games. Looked pretty tired towards the end to be honest. Maybe he needs to play a few less games.

Simon Davies - 7/10
Superb header for our opening goal and some great crosses in from the flanks.

Dempsey - 6/10
What no goal this time?! Our US hero provided the kind of all-action display to which we've become accustomed.

Bouazza - 8/10
Made up for last week's horrific mistake at Wigan and is now starting to show exactly what he is capable of delivering. Made the opener and then scored a thunderbolt free kick.

Healy - 5/10
Not a great game for our Irish hero. Looked a bit tired and out of sorts - and certainly not the threat he was in the opening games of the season. Maybe his international matches are catching up with him.

Subs:
Kamara (on for Davies at h/t) - 7/10
Had an excellent half.

Murphy (on for Healy on 67mins) - 7/10
Showed why Sanchez bought him. Great equaliser and could have snatched us a winner too.

Ki-Hyeon (on for Bouazza after 67mins) 7/10
Wow! Fantastic display from our new lad. A few more performances like that and he'll be a crowd favourite for sure.

My man of the match is Hameur Bouazza. His contribution was principally responsible for us getting anything out of this match.

Prediction for tomorrow

Feeling pretty optimistic tonight to be honest. I reckon we'll run out 2-1 winners in a close game. I fancy Clint to prove his detractors wrong and bag a goal with Kamara getting the other. Don't forget pick up your copy of The Fulham Review either at the match or via the website. I will be posting again on Sunday. Until then, have a good day tomorrow and keep your fingers crossed that we take all three points.

Preview: Fulham v Manchester City

Here’s a preview of the Manchester City game. We have also had a chat with Kevin Parker, general secretary of their supporters’ club which can be found here.
....Incidentally, tomorrow is also the first day of sales for The Fulham Review, the book written by the guys behind Craven Cottage Newsround. We'll certainly be getting our copies.

Another match, another tough test. Sven-Goran Eriksson’s Manchester City will arrive at the Cottage tomorrow brimming with confidence as they are currently second in the Premiership on 12 points and only one point behind leaders Arsenal. This time last year they had four points and were lying just above the relegation zone in 17th spot. What a contrast.

How much of this is Sven’s doing is unclear. Is it his inspirational team talks? Is it having the rub of the green? Critics point out that they’ve won matches by the slenderest of margins and ridden their luck in others, but does that really matter? After all, you don’t extra points for scoring more goals. If we’d have shut up shop better when we were leading matches then we wouldn’t be languishing at the wrong end of the table now. A fact acknowledged here by Kamara.

You certainly can’t deny that the ice-cool Swede has the right credentials. His list of honours in club football includes winning a Serie A title with Lazio, along with the Super Cup and European Cup Winners; the Uefa Cup with IFK Gothenburg, three Portuguese titles with Benfica and the Swedish title during his time at Gothenburg.

I felt the criticism levelled at him during his time with England was unjustified – and his knockers are beginning to realise this now that we’ve been struggling to even qualify for next summer’s European Championships under McClaren. I truly believe he took us as far as the current England team could have gone. Forget talk about the dream generation, where we finished in those tournaments was an accurate reflection of our ranking in world football at the time: somewhere in the top eight.

So far Sven has led City to home wins over Derby County, Aston Villa, and most notably, Manchester United, as well as an away victory over West Ham on the opening weekend. The two defeats suffered, though, have both come on the road – at Arsenal and Blackburn Rovers - which gives us some cause for optimism.

They have scored five goals in the league, with Michael Johnson and Geovanni topping the list with two-a-piece and Rolando Bianchi pitching in with one. Bianchi, however, also got his name on the score sheet during City’s 2-1 home win over Bristol City in the League Cup, adding to Emile Mpenza’s opener.

In defence they have been very frugal with just two goals conceded. Only Arsenal’s Cesc Fabregas and Blackburn’s Benni McCarthy have beaten the hugely talented Kasper Schmeichel – the offspring of the legendary Peter Schmeichel.

We certainly seem to have the most potent strike force of the two teams with nine goals scored so far – six at home and three away. Clint Dempsey has been the main wearer of the shooting boots with three, Alexey Smertin and David Healy have weighed in with two each, while Brian McBride and Joe Kamara have netted once.

Our defensive record, however, is pretty shameful. We’ve picked the ball out of the net eleven times already and, in this, we’ve fared worse at home then away with six conceded at the Cottage and five on the road. If we can at least keep a clean sheet (at some stage this season) then that would be progress made.

Looking at the statistics it’s also unclear whether or not we want history on our side as our record in the past two seasons against tomorrow’s visitors has been very mixed.

Last season City took all six points from our two encounters with both games ending in miserable 3-1 defeats. The away match at the City of Manchester Stadium in November saw the home side race into a three goal lead by half-time, thanks to Bernardo Corradi (2) and Joey Barton. Collins John replied for us.

The second match, in early April, had more far-reaching consequences for the under pressure Chris Coleman. Boca’s goal after Barton, Beasley and Vassell had already got onto the scoresheet wasn’t enough to stop the curtain coming down on Cookie’s reign. The next time the team appeared – at Reading – Lawrie Sanchez was in place.

Looking back further, the fixtures against City in the 2005/06 season were much more fruitful. Two great goals by Steed Malbranque – either side of a Lee Croft strike – were enough to secure us all three points at Craven Cottage in November, and prompted Cookie to say: “I was delighted for Steed Malbranque to get two goals because his attitude and performance were excellent”.

The return leg up at Manchester at the end of April saw us notching our first away win of the season although, in typical style, we made it hard work. Richard Dunne had put the home side ahead and we didn’t equalise until six minutes to go when Colins John slotted home from close range. With stoppage time left, Malbranque drilled home to give us a very rare three points on the road. The match was also memorable for Liam Rosenior’s unbelievable goal line clearance. Top stuff.

In summary, it’s going to be a big ask…If we manage to get all three points tomorrow that will be a fantastic achievement in my book. And if we lose? Not to worry, we’ve only got a trip down the road to Chelsea to look forward to in a week’s time!

Interview: Kevin Parker, Manchester City Supporters' Club

We caught up for a quick chat with Kevin Parker, general secretary of the Manchester City Supporters’ Club, to ask his feelings ahead of Saturday’s match. Our grateful thanks for his help.

Q. You have had a fantastic start – to what do you attribute the success so far?
A. Good players who are not afraid of the ball and a great team spirit

Q. Is Sven the answer to your prayers or has he just enjoyed a lucky start?
A. I actually think Sven is the real deal; things can only get better

Q. Do you believe you are contenders for the Championship this year?
A. No that’s a bit too optimistic - top eight and hopefully a push for Europe.

Q. What do the fans make of Stephen Ireland’s, er, bereavements?
A. No comment

Q. Who should Fulham fear the most this weekend?
A. Elano, (Michael) Johnson and most of all Sven.

Q. What do you think of the new-look Fulham team so far?
A. I have been impressed; (they) appear to be playing a good style of football

Q. Which of our players are you most concerned about facing?
A. Healey will be a threat I think and Kamara is v,v quick.

Q. Finally, what do you think the score will be this weekend?
A. 1-1

David Mellor's season ticket...

I am just following the saga of Mourinho's departure from our friends down the road and they have just interviewed David Mellor on Sky TV. Surprisingly, he was actually talking a lot of sense today (no, really, he was) but one little nuggett really stood out for me. He pays a whopping £30,000 for his seat at Stamford Bridge! Can you believe that?!!! I just thought it was a staggering sum and worthy of note!

Mourinho departs...good news or bad?

Well the special one has left Chelsea eh? Come to his senses or taken leave of them? Walked or pushed? There will be endless speculation in the days to come but none of us will really know for sure what's happened, and to be honest, I don't really care that much. All I am concerned about is how it will affect Chelsea ahead of our match at Stamford Bridge in just under 10 days' time. Hopefully, they will be totally rudderless for the next couple of weeks and provide us with a great opportunity to break our away match voodoo. How fantastic would that be?!! However, there is a risk of a new man arriving through the door quickly and the team benefitting from 'new manager syndrome'...

Chelsea away

I can't believe we still haven't sold out our allocation for Chelsea away. Yes, I know it's an expensive outing but for me it's one of the main games of the season. The atmosphere (in the away end at least!) is always fantastic and last year - when Boca snatched us an equaliser - it was absolutely electric. There is a real invading army feel among Fulham fans and it's one of the few away trips that we sing for virtually the entire game...I would urge anyone who hasn't been before to make the effort. You won't be disappointed.

Defending Clint Dempsey

As I read the papers this weekend - and today - I couldn't help get the feeling that poor old Clint Dempsey was being blamed for our failure to clinch three points this weekend. The News of the World, as i report below, pointed the finger at him with the match report being headlined: Demp Squib.

I find this ridiculous. Whilst it would have great to see him bag a hat-trick the simple fact is that he put us in a winning position; it was sloppy defending that lost us the game. Wigan were only given a lifeline when Bouazza brought Melchiot down in the penalty area.

If you look at the table of leading scorers this season, only Anelka at Bolton has scored more than Dempsey in the league - and only one more at that. Even when goals from cup competions, both domestic and Europe, are factored into the equation he still comes joint third with the likes of Torres at Liverpool and Bellamy at West Ham. Perhaps of greater significance is the fact is he above so-called super strikers such as Michael Owen - and anyone from Manchester United!

The criticism he has received for not netting every single chance that comes his way reminds me of that handed out to Andy Cole - both before and after he was turning out for us - something along the lines of: for every goal he scores, he missed six others.

In many cases the vital point overlooked was his ability to give himself such shooting opportunities. Very few people acknowledged the fact that other, lesser players, weren't skilful enough to get themselves into such positions in the first place - and this, I believe, also applies to Dempsey.

I am a huge fan of our rapping wonderboy. I like his strength, his presence and his great striking record since he's been pushed up the field by Sanchez. Let's not forget it was his surging run and exquisite finish against Liverpool that kept us in this league and he has been one of the stars of our show so far this season.

Media round-up: Wigan v Fulham

Here's how a selection of British newspapers saw our draw at the JJB Stadium.

Once again Fulham let an away win slip through their grasp and there was no doubt who the News of the World’s Jeremy Butler saw as the guilty party: Clint Dempsey.

The American striker had shown a “sharp-shooter’s eye” to fire the visitors ahead in the 11th minute, he wrote, but twice failed to finish off excellent second-half chances.

This gave the Latics a lifeline, noted Martin Palmer in The Observer, despite the home team having resembled “a boxer with both hands tied behind his back” once Emile Heskey limped off with a broken foot after just eight minutes.

Even so, for the vast majority of the match, the Londoners looked untroubled, thought Jon Culley in The Independent. “With Aaron Hughes giving an accomplished performance on a debut delayed by a pre-season injury, Fulham looked unlikely to concede even with Marcus Bent, Heskey’s replacement, launching his year-long loan from Charlton in determined style”, he wrote.

The Telegraph’s Mark Ogden agreed. The fact Fulham are without an away win in more than a year should have made them “arguably the perfect opponents to prove there can be life without Heskey”, he suggested, but yet it was Lawrie Sanchez’s team that carried the real goal threat.

Fulham certainly looked on course for the “rarest of things in football” – an away win for the side from Craven Cottage, wrote Gary Carter in the Sunday Express, but all that changed when Hameur Bouazza dragged down Mario Melchiot.

“Jason Koumas held his nerve and sent Antti Niemi the wrong way to earn a point – one they should never have got as Fulham created more than enough chances to seal an easy win”.

It could have been even worse for Fulham, pointed out Ken Lawrence in the Sunday Mirror, as Wigan very nearly snatched a dramatic winner: “The game was into injury time when (Paul) Scharner found himself unmarked from Emmerson Boyce’s cross but fired straight at Antti Niemi”.

Scott Watson, writing in The Times, branded the 1-1 draw as an “undeserved” point for Wigan, adding: “It was harsh on Fulham, who appear more resolute under Lawrie Sanchez”.

However, thre was at least one positive for the visitors, pointed out Martin Blackburn in The Sun: “At least they ended a dismal run of six straight defeats on the road, dating back to the end of Chris Coleman’s reign”.

Anyone got an alarm clock?

Having watched the highlights of the match on Sky I’m feeling slightly more upbeat about life. It certainly looks as if we played well. Bouazza was full of running, our defence – with the newly installed Aaron Hughes - looked solid, and Dempsey had a hatful of chances. It augurs well for the rest of the season.

However, we still have an Achilles heel: the final 10 minutes. So far this season we have paid the price for conceding very late in the day against Arsenal, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa and now Wigan. Yesterday’s match really was there for the taking. The question for Sanchez is how to ensure everyone stays alert until the final whistle.

Maybe we can all bring our alarm clocks with us to matches and set them to go off at 4.35pm. Maybe we should push for a Time Out system to be brought in like in American Football which would give us a chance to regroup in the final stages. I don’t know what the answer is but we MUST stop making such sloppy mistakes.

To be honest, as much as I have been impressed with Bouazza’s commitment, he just doesn’t seem capable of lasting the whole 90 minutes. He has flagged badly in the latter stages a few times already this season – and yesterday was a prime example. His dreadfully timed tackle on Mario Melchiot, which resulted in the penalty, was a desperate lunge from a totally exhausted player.

On balance, however, there were more positives than negatives. If we can stay awake for 90 minutes, rather than 79, then we’ll be a very tough team to beat.

We draw with Wigan

Well, the score ended up as I predicted this morning (1-1) but it's a real shame that we couldn't hold on for the win. Just when are we going to break the spell and record an away victory? Dempsey opened the scoring for us after 11 minutes and then Koumass equalised from the penalty spot. From what I gather, Aaron Hughes, Danny Murphy and Seol Ki-Hyeon all made their debuts today...Oh well, it's another point towards the magic 40 safety mark I guess.

Diop - man of the match!

What is it about players that leave Fulham? Zat Knight scores on his debut for Aston Villa and Papa Bouba Diop has just been named Barclays Man of the Match for his performance in Portsmouth's 0-0 home draw with Liverpool!!! Shame he didn't show those kind of skills on a more regular basis while he was wearing a white shirt.

...Interestingly, Harry Redknapp has just been interviewed by Geoff Shreeves on Sky and said that he'd spoken to Chris Coleman recently and Cookie had told him that Diop would be the first player he'd sign if he came back to England.

Wigan: match prediction

Not feeling overly confident as I fear the power of Heskey and Sibierski will provide a huge challenge today to our new-look defence which, I think is fair to say, is not quite firing on all four cylinders at the moment. In addition, we've had quite a few key players on international duty so fatique could be a problem. With all that in mind I'm going for a 1-1 draw...As far as the scoring is concerned, I'm going for Heskey to get the opener and Kuqi to equalise.

Interview: George Chilvers - Wigan webmaster

As part of our pre-match coverage we had a brief chat with George Chilvers who runs The Ultimate Wigan Athletic Website for his views on the season so far.

Q. What do you think of your start to the season? You’re in a good position at the moment
A. We’re delighted but have our feet on the ground. We’re doing well, and more importantly playing well. With the squad we have it’s probably going the way we feel it should.

Q. Who should Fulham fear the most this weekend?
Jason Koumas has provided solidity in the midfield that we lost last year when we lost Jimmy Bullard to yourselves. But Emile has been playing well, and showed that over the last week. I think he’ll now come back to League action brimming with confidence.

Q. Where do you think you’ll end up this season?
About mid-table. Hopefully we’ll win the games at home we should, do well away, and I think we’ll pick up some odd points from “the Big Four” which we haven’t so far. We’re not going to set the world alight (that’s next year), but good solid mid-table with no panic situations like last year.

Q. How has Michael Brown settled in?
Seems fine, but haven’t really seen much of him up to now. I think he and Koumas in midfield are going to be key to us this season. I’m really pleased we have him.

Q. What do you think the score will be on Saturday?
2-0 Latics.

Our thanks to George for taking the time out to answer our questions.

International visitors

Isn't the internet an incredible - if a little scary - thing? I have just been browsing where visitors to my blog have come from over the past month and have been left totally astonished. I've been honoured to have had people from as far afield as the US, Kuwait, Germany, Sweden, Anadalucia, Australia, Korea, Japan, Spain and Lebanon. Remarkable. If any of you logging in from around the world would like to drop me an email I'd be delighted to hear from you. The address is followingthefulham@fsmail.net

Next one up: Wigan away

Well it’s almost time for our annual trek to Wigan. Let’s just hope this year’s visit proves to be a bit more fruitful than in the past.

Our record in the Premier League at the JJB consists of one 0-0 draw last season and a 1-0 defeat in 2005/06 due to Pascal Chimbonda’s injury time winner.

The only contact with Wigan since has been to sell them our captain, Michael Brown, who joined in the summer on a three year contract for an undisclosed sum.

Getting an away win under our belts early in the season would be good – as Lawrie Sanchez noted yesterday: “The sooner we get that monkey off our backs the better”.

Wigan, however, will provide tough opposition, not least of all because of the resurgent Emile Heskey who comes into the game off the back of two impressive performances for England.

The Latics currently sit 9th in the table having won both their home games – a 1-0 victory over Middlesbrough and a 3-0 walloping of Sunderland – and drawing 1-1 away at West Ham. Their two league defeats, both away, have come at the hands of Everton on the opening day of the season (2-1) and Newcastle (1-0). However, they are already out of the Carling Cup, having gone done 0-1 at home to Hull City.

Heskey has already got one goal for his new employers, while the real find seems to be Antoine Sibierski who has already scored three. One to watch this Saturday. Boca & Co please take note.

Thankfully our boys that were away on international duty appear to have reported back in one piece – don't you always fear at least one will be injured? – so I imagine Lawrie will probably stick with roughly the same team as the one that faced Spurs.

However, perhaps we will see Kuqi, at least on the bench, as we’ve only got him until the end of this year and he’s apparently keen to “resurrect his career”. Whether he has the requisite talents to form a partnership with Healy up front remains to be seen.

Club v Country row

So the England team has recorded the victory needed to get its Euro 2008 qualification hopes back on track.

The question I have been wrestling with is this: do I really care? Although I feel almost duty bound to be ecstatic by last night’s 3-0 win over Russia, the simple fact is that Fulham’s results now mean far more to me than the fortunes of the national side.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I love my country dearly and was pleased to see Owen bag a couple of goals, but I just can’t get so worked-up about internationals matches anymore. Only the exploits of our own boys have the power to affect my mood long after the final whistle has blown.

In fairness, this is a change I have noticed gradually taking place over the past couple of years.

The first inkling came during a friendly against Portugal when Boa was upended by Phil Neville (I believe) and I found myself swearing at the (then) Man U man. An odd feeling to say the least.

Maybe it’s because we experience conflicting emotions virtually every day through following our clubs, whereas the agony of being an England fan only really comes around every other summer when we rummage in the cupboard for the St George’s Cross and play ‘Football’s Coming Home’ until our ears bleed.

To me, nothing matches the excitement of club football. From the highs of a win over one of the big four to the lows of watching us exit yet another cup competition on the back of a woeful midweek performance in the rain. It’s what the game is all about.

The multi-cultural nature of today's football sides have also played a part as I must admit to have taken a far closer interest in the results of countries such as the USA since Brian, Boca and Clint joined our ranks. It’s a similar situation with our friends in Northern Ireland following the arrival of Healy & Co during the summer.

The actions of players like David Bentley hardly endear me to the England cause either. Pulling out of the U21 squad last summer because he was worried about “fatigue” later in the season! And they wonder why the watching public feel say they have lost touch with modern day players. The boos ringing around Wembley when this relative nobody made his full debut last Saturday seemed to prove that I wasn’t the only one to hold such a jaundiced view.

Of course, all this could just be a self-defence mechanism.

Maybe my body has decided I can no longer take any more misery and shut down my emotional attachment to the national team. After all, I’ve spent the best part of two decades crying after major tournaments so it would make sense.

The first time I experienced the full grief-like pain was after we were sent packing from Mexico ’86 thanks to Maradona’s ‘Hand of Cheating Git’; then four years later I was sobbing alongside Gazza as the Germans put us out in the semi finals in Italy.

Graham Taylor’s ineptitude saved me in 1994 but the tears were back again in 1996 as, once again, we departed in the semi-finals of the European championships on our home soil. More misery followed in France ’98, Euro 2000, Japan ’02 and Euro 2004, but by the time of last year’s World Cup in Germany I had virtually become immune to what was unfolding on the pitch.

Of course I was disappointed that we didn't progress but it passed quickly and I was soon looking ahead to another season following the boys in the Premier League, with all the heartache and joy which that entails.

Perhaps by the time next summer rolls around I will have rediscovered my national footballing pride. Who knows? The only thing I can say with any certainty is that I’d swap England’s place in the Euros for a guarantee that Fulham will be in this season's FA Cup Final. And if that makes me a traitor then take me to the tower.

* As an international footnote, well done (again) to David Healy who netted for Northern Ireland and for Simon Davies who got on the score sheet for Wales.

Round-up + back handed compliment from Pompey

Apologies for no post yesterday - changing work patterns got in the way unfortunately - but normal service has now resumed...Wading through the papers there's the suggestion that someone wants to buy us...again...It personally wouldn't surprise me if Mo decided he'd had enough but I would hate to be sold to some faceless corporation or big overseas investor who never came to the Cottage and just saw us as a way to make money for himself....We must never lose sight of what Mo has done for us over the years - even down to putting on free/heavily subsidised travel and being one of the few clubs to cut the price of season tickets.

Our own Alexey Smertin - who sadly becomes the enemy this evening - is also in the news flagging up England 'keeper Paul Robinson's failings...nothing you can argue with there really...while we also get a back-handed compliment from a Portsmouth footie website which praises our ground as one of the best in the Premier League ("unique and still has plenty of character") but then insists we don't contribute to the atmosphere....

Morning update + on loan players

A few interesting snippets within the weekend/morning papers. The People reported that we had agreed a £1.2m price with Derby County for striker Steven Howard but the deal collapsed because personal terms with the player couldn't be reached...

Secondly, the Wardrobe was quoted in the Daily Star Sunday saying that he believes Portsmouth are good enough to push for top honours - and to play European football next season: "I didn't get that feeling at Fulham and when the new manager Lawrie Sanchez came in, it was best that I moved on," he said. "I wasn't part of his plans." I have to say, comments like these really annoy me. Sure Diop had the requisite skills on his day, but the simple fact was that those days didn't come along anywhere near often enough. When I watched him in the away game at Pompey (ironically) last year it looked like Bambi had stumbled onto a motorway. He was totally and utterly clueless about what was going on. Shocking stuff. Maybe if he had put in some more consistent performances we could have spent the tail end of last season looking forward to some European tours rather than panicking about being dumped into the championship.

Thirdly an early warning...Ferguson has been quoted praising Healy...here we go again....

I am in the process of putting together a section on the blog following our loan signings and getting some comments from the clubs where they are currently plying their trade so will post again as soon as that can go live.

Interview: Fulham's Northern Ireland connection

The arrival of Healy & co has seen our support swell thanks to the addition of Northern Ireland fans at the Cottage. FtF caught up with Richard Cathcart, one of the members of the London Northern Ireland Supporters' Club...



Q. There are a very welcome number of green shirts in the crowd at The Cottage now. Does this mean Fulham are now the adopted club for NI fans?
I guess there'll be a mixture between those who have become FFC fans (for however long); those who will adopt them as their Premiership team of choice without really describing themselves as a "fan"; and those (who perhaps already support another Prem team) who will look out for them with particular interest. A few things certainly help; FFC aren't so "controversial" a team as to deter many people, nor provoke the same emotions, as the likes of Chelsea, Leeds, MU, even Millwall, etc. Plus being in London, FFC is more accessible than many clubs and tickets are relatively easy (and cheap!) to come by compared with almost every other Prem side.

Q. How have you been welcomed by the Fulham faithful/the club? Do you have organised trips over for matches?
I have to say, the welcome has been excellent, both unofficially by the fans, and officially by the club. It's a bit of a cliché, but there is definitely more of a community feel around Craven Cottage than most other Prem Clubs - most of whom have their heads stuck up their arses (inc. my own, THFC, I’m sorry to say). When the London NISC approached FFC about buying some Season Tickets for club use, they were v.well received - we even got a couple of freebies for the Bolton game. Plus FFC have added a page on the OS with travel arrangements etc from NI. Top marks all round, I'd say. As for trips from NI, I wouldn't say there will be too many organised trips as such, at least not until the Season is under way and clubs etc have time to make arrangements. But tbh, it's relatively easy for individuals to sort themselves out, meeting up with mates/family etc already in and around London, for a weekend "in the smoke", with football thrown in. Certainly, "The Larrik" at Putney Bridge seems to have been adopted as the regular meeting place, with 2 or 3 dozen NI fans assembling already before/after each game. This may increase as it gets better known.

Q. You’ve been to a few matches at The Cottage, what’s your opinion of the ground and set-up?
Actually, I remember CC from years back when it was open terracing and I have to say that despite my being a mouldy old traditionalist, it's one of the few grounds which has actually improved since it was redeveloped. I guess this is because it has acquired enhanced facilities and comfort, without losing character at the same time. Obviously the listed status of the Johnny Haynes Stand and the Cottage itself helps, as well as the setting. And I like the fact it still has floodlight pylons!Plus if the trek from Seven Sisters Tube up the High Road to White Hart Lane has got to be the dreariest prospect in English football, then the walk from Hammersmith Tube down Fulham Palace Road and onto the Thames Path by the River has got to be one of the most attractive - much better than your typical trudge along congested roads to some featureless "Shoe Box Stadium" in the middle of an Industrial Estate, which is increasingly the case with football clubs these days.Also, I don't know if it's just early-season optimism, but the atmosphere is better than at a lot of clubs with bigger grounds/crowds. (That said, there is NOTHING like Windsor Park on a wet and dark Wednesday night, with a crowd of 14,000 Green and White Army absolutely tearing the place down! If any Fulham fan ever somehow gets the chance of a ticket, take it: it's like nothing you'll ever have seen or experienced, believe me!)

Q. Have there been many NI-Fulham connections in the past – apart from our George Best who also played for a little while in Manchester?
Too be honest, some clubs (e.g. Burnley & MU, or Arsenal before they "went foreign") traditionally enjoy a reasonable connection with NI, whilst others don't. I'm never quite sure why that is, but until now, FFC fell into the latter category. As regards NI players, Best's time at FFC was too brief and long ago to have made much of a lasting impression, but Big Maik Taylor is hugely popular with the GAWA, and I believe was well-liked at CC. (Good keeper and good lad)

Q. We’re yet to see anything of Aaron Hughes. What do you think of him and what can Fulham fans expect when he’s fit and starts playing?
AH is the consumate professional, of the type every club needs, to set an example. In that respect, he's like e.g. Dennis Irwin at MU, or Nigel Winterburn at Arsenal: not the most eyecatching of players, but very consistent and reliable. I imagine he's what Managers term a "Low Maintenance" player.I'm sure LS will pick him as centre back, from where he has long captained NI (though he has played nearly all his club career with Newcastle and Villa at right back)Whatever happens, he'll never be a "Big Time Charlie", nor a troublemaker, and it will only be when you've seen him over a period of time that you'll realise how important he is to the team - especially if they're going through a sticky patch.

Q. Chris Baird has received some mixed reviews from Fulham fans so far. What’s your take on him and where is his best position?
Fair enough, from the 3 1/2 games I've seen him play, CB hasn't been at his best - though he seems to make a miraculous goal-line clearance every game he plays!He started out as a very highly rated young fullback at Southampton, but for a variety of reasons, his career stalled, as the club was in turmoil with Boardroom and Managerial shenanigans . But he stuck by them, until George Burley took over and realised what an unused asset he had, especially at Centre Back. Saints fans loved him, and will tell you he was a "steal" at £3m.I know he has taken the place of a popular player in Rosenior, but I hope the FFC fans don't pick on him, since it never helps. Besides, if LS rates him, then it won't make a blind bit of difference what the fans think - Lawrie will do things his way, or not at all!Anyhow, he was made NI Captain for the first time in Aaron's absence last month and arguably was our Man of the Match (at Centre Back, admittedly).

Q. How good do you think David Healy can be? He has already been nicknamed ‘God’ by Fulham fans! .... Similarly, was Steven Davis worth the money?
In truth, there's no point in asking any NI fan about DH, since we are all totally and utterly biased! As far as we're concerned, he's a Living God. That's it, really. But if you want an explanation for the disparity between his modest club career and his exceptional international career (31 goals in 57 caps - better than Shearer, Rush, Law, etc), I can only give one explanation. DH is not the quickest of players (though no slouch), nor is he a big guy who can lead the line (though no pansy). In truth, there are a few things he can't do.That said, if you provide him with the chances, he is as good a pure finisher as any in England (the best in fact, imo) Which means you need to build the team round him to get the best from him. Leeds have been a total disaster for everyone else who got stranded there, so DH has an excuse (imo). Whereas, LS quickly cottoned onto his talent for NI, with stunning results. I can see why the bigger clubs were wary of trusting their fortunes around one player, but maybe LS feels that FFC, like NI, have no better option, so it's worth a punt (especially for a measly £1m).....My only reservation is that DH needs a big guy to play alongside him, to create space, lead the line, set up chances etc. Brian McBride was the obvious choice (sadly), but I don't think Kamara is. Perhaps Kuqi can fill in until McBride is back, but I fear it's a choice of either Kamara or Healy as the main man up front. And with LS having spent six million big ones from Mo's Piggy Bank, it will be hard to keep Kamara on the bench (unless he's not scoring).....As for wee Stevie Davis, once he settles in, gets used to London, his team mates and (most importantly) playing regularly, don't you worry, you've got a real gem there - Grand Larceny at £4m! In fact, unless something goes drastically wrong, your only problem will be keeping him when the big clubs come sniffing around after a season or two. (Alex Ferguson was very interested the season before last, when SD was Villa's POTY, but they wouldn't sell. Then O'Neill came along and clearly just didn't take to the lad, preferring that overpriced, overrated steaming heap of Bulgarian dung, Stilian Petrov...)In my opinion, Davis is the most all-round, naturally talented of the four NI guys at Fulham.Anyhow, you're probably thinking that I'm all those guys' Agent or something, since I've built them up so large! But in assessing Lawrie's NI buys, Fulham fans shouldn't think that he was being sentimental or rose-tinted: far from it! Instead, like that old TV advert which told us "It's the fish John West reject, which make John West fish the Best", it's the NI players whom LS hasn't signed which are the real mark of the ones he did. (Or to put it a simpler way, he has only signed the best NI players and in truth, four is not very many from a team which is currently on a bit of a roll)

Q. It must be great being a NI follower at the moment, how confident are you that you’ll be at Euro 2008…you might well be the only British team there!
In truth, it's Dreamland being in the Green and White Army these days! Think back to the bad old days at Fulham, when you were in the old 4th Division, crowds of 3,000, the ground looking like being sold, no hope anywhere to be seen etc...Then think about your best ever time at Fulham - getting back into the top Division....Well we've had exactly the same transformation, only in a shorter period, if anything (certainly many fewer games). And the thing is, it's with basically the same players!When LS took over a little over four years ago, we were 126 in the world in FIFA's rankings. Now we're 27th (and rising!) At the start of this Euro2008 Campaign, we were seeded 6th in our Group - behind Latvia and Iceland ffs! Now we're three big results from five games from qualifying in second place for the Finals (imo), ahead of Denmark (likely) and Spain (maybe), but behind Sweden (probably).In truth, we'll probably finish third, by a point or two, but what the Hell? It has been as enjoyable a time to follow Our Wee Country as I can ever remember - and it's 37 years since I first went to Windsor to watch them play. (Five-Nil vs Cyprus, with a certain G.Best notching a hattrick, now that you ask!)As for the other "home" countries qualifying, Scotland will probably just come up short, in an absolute killer group; Wales have less than zero chance; the Republic of Ireland will come third as the "Best of the Rest" (but miles behind Germany & the Czechs). And as for England... Oh dear, I really don't want to intrude on private grief, but let's just say that much more of Steve McClaren, and before long you'll be thinking fondly back to the good old days, under that Swede, or even the Turnip... (I mean to say, Emile Heskey. Just what is the guy thinking?)As it happens, such is the other rubbish in your Group, England might just scrape through to qualify, but that just means you will be stuck with McClaren that little bit longer, whilst your ultimate humiliation is played out on a bigger stage in Austria or Switzerland, for all to see.Sorry.

Q. Based on what you’ve seen so far, where do you think Fulham will finish this season – and feel free to be honest!
Tenth, give or take a place or two. And Sanchez will be raging at missing out on Europe. (He's a very focused, determined and ambitious man, is our Lawrie)

Q. Are there any other NI superstars that we should be looking at? Particularly the younger players at club we don’t hear much about.
Man Utd have three or four youngsters, inc. Jonny Evans, his brother Corry, and Craig Cathcart, who might just have what it takes to go all the way in the game. In which case, you've no chance of signing them. But if any should fall just short, they might come within Fulham's orbit. Beyond that, Lawrie has already put in a bid (said to be £3m or £4m, depending on who you believe) for young Kyle Lafferty at Burnley. He's a 20 year old Centre Forward in the Shearer mould, though not so precocious as he was, partly because he's still growing (He's 6' 4"!). Still got a huge lot to learn, and I'm sure Lawrie saw him as one for the future, but his attitude is good and he's getting well looked after by Burnley, who feel they've got a prospect on their hands.The other player you should watch is Chris Brunt, a left winger who's just signed for WBA from SheffWed for £3m (Lawrie was interested, but might have feared a price war, so signed Boazza and/or Cook, instead).Brunt was a highly rated youngster at Boro, whose misfortune was to be a contemporary of Stewart Downing. Downing, a local lad, was just that bit ahead of Brunt, who never really got his chance. Brunt then drifted for a couple of seasons at Wednesday, before emerging again over the last 18 months.My guess is that if he doesn't get promotion this season or next with WBA, then he might hope to make the Premiership, probably not with a top side, but perhaps for a middling team, who are prepared to take a punt. Fulham, perhaps? (Btw, don't be put off by his lazy appearance. Although he makes Chris Waddle look like Billy Whizz, it's kinda deceptive. I think. I hope. Or maybe not.)...Anyhow, there you go. Perhaps you wish you hadn't asked! I'm off to Latvia over the weekend, on manoeuvres with the Green and White Army. God knows how that will turn out, but win, lose or draw, I've no doubt our boys will do us proud - not least with the help of our "Thameside Battallion"!

Our grateful thanks to Richard (he's the one on the right hand side of the picture bottom right sheltering under the brolly) - and to the London NISC chairman Neal Anderson (in the top picture making a presentation to Lawrie) - for their help in this article and for supplying the photographs. Why not call into their blog http://londonnisc.blogspot.com/ - or better still, buy them a pint at the Larrick!

A Fulham-free weekend

It's a Friday morning and for the first time in a month I'm feeling very calm because the boys aren't playing this weekend...At last, a Saturday where my mood won't be affected by what has happened by 4.45pm - it's almost bliss! Yeah, okay, we've got an international on but that doesn't come close to the anxiety and nerves normaly felt.

Sticking with the internationals, I've been in touch with some of the Northern Ireland fans which have become very welcome additions to our ranks since the arrival of Healy & Co in the summer, so I will be posting their thoughts on the season so far later today.

Finally, a clarification - and thanks to Chopper at Hammy End Chronicle for this one - my piece about Abdeslam Ouaddou should have read that he was nearly 30 and not over 30. No excuses - just a failure to proof read before hitting the 'publish post' button so apologies for that!

How are we really doing?

We've all got our opinions but I thought it would be interesting to compare our results for the first five matches with previous seasons.

This season: 07/08
Matches played: 3 home and 2 away
Won: 1
Lost: 3
Drew: 1
Goals scored: 8
Goals conceded: 10
Points tally: 4

Last season: 06/07
Matches played: 2 home and 3 away
Won: 2
Lost: 1
Drew: 2
Goals scored: 5
Goals conceded: 7
Points tally: 8

The 05/06 season
Matches played: 2 home and 3 away
Won: 1
Lost: 2
Drew: 2
Goals scored: 4
Goals conceded: 7
Points tally: 5

The 04/05 season
Matches played: 3 home and 2 away
Won: 1
Lost: 3
Drew: 1
Goals scored: 6
Goals conceded: 10
Points tally: 4

Conclusion: We have scored more goals so far than we managed in the opening five games of any of the previous three seasons so our strike force is doing its job. Our problem – as if we didn’t already know – is at the back because we have conceded more this term than over the same period in the previous two seasons. The last time we had a points tally of just four from our opening five was in the 04/05 season where we finished 13th on 44 points.

Players for sale

Relax! We're not getting shot of anybody else, but the club are offering us the chance to sponsor a player and there's still quite a few left.

Here at FtF Towers we are raiding the piggy bank and hauling in uncles, aunts, etc, etc, to see if we can afford to pay the £625 (inc VAT) needed to bag our man. In the meantime here is a list of who is still available - and what you get for your money.

Seol Ki-Hyeon
Danny Murphy
Kasey Keller
Tony Warner
Moritz Volz
Carlos Bocanegra
Philippe Christanval
Ian Pearce
Aaron Hughes
Paul Konchesky
Chris Baird
Simon Elliott
Simon Davies
Alexey Smertin
Lee Cook
Collins John

This season's full player kit sponsorship package includes:
- Full Nike kit signed by your favourite player including socks, shorts and playing shirt, to be presented at the Kit Sponsors Day.
- Invitation for two guests to attend the Kit Sponsors Day at the FFC training ground. Day will include watching the first team train, meeting sponsored player, and having lunch in the players canteen.
- Framed certificate presented at Kit Sponsors Day. CD distributed to each sponsor with photos from the Kit Sponsors Day.
FFC Web Site exposure – throughout the season on player profile pages. Web site story focusing on Kit Sponsors (text to be provided by sponsors)
- Team Photo print signed by the Club Captain Kit Sponsors article in two FFC Fultime Magazines and FFC Matchday Programmes – opportunity to place a logo or message on player profile section of programme (due to space restrictions this is limited to four words only).
- Personally signed picture item by Fulham FC Manager Lawrie Sanchez

One player not on the list - who seems to have quietly disappeared out of the back door you'll notice - is Ahmad Elrich, who has been let go by the club, having been injured and making just six appearances in his time at the Cottage.

Morning update

A few bits and bobs of interest to us are in the papers/on the websites today.

Firstly, we apparently made a late bid for Burnley centre-forward Kyle Lafferty on Friday which was rejected. Maybe in January?

Secondly, Abdeslam Ouaddou (remember him?) wants a return to the Premiership. Despite being nearly 30, the Valenciennes captain reckons he's in with a shout. Spurs apparently showed interest in him last year although I find that hard to believe. There was an argument he was being played out of position when he was with us, but memories of his uncoordinated attempts to clear his lines when we were back at Loftus Road still linger.

Finally, Heidar Helguson is out for seven weeks following ankle surgery. I was never convinced this lad was real premiership class but you couldn't fault his spirit and commitment to the cause and I hope he recovers well.

Shefki Kuqi + other notes

I've included some videos of Shefki Kuqi that are on YouTube (you can find them by scrolling down and looking on the left hand side of the page) so you can see the potential of our new loan signing. Based on how he performed for Ipswich Town, he could be a very useful addition to the squad.

Separately, we're still trying to establish whether actor Patrick Mower is a Fulham fan, but if you want a list of celebrities that are official followers of the black and white army check out the definitive list compiled by Chopper at the Hammy End Chronicle.

Finally, i've had to officially retire my "Cookie's black and white army" scarf, although, in fairness, it lasted longer than the Junichi Inamoto one i bought just before he headed off! Anyway, I went to the club shop to buy a replacement and was very disappointed with what was on offer. One looked like the test card that my printer spits out when i install a new cartridge. Come on Fulham, get some decent designs in!

Fulham v Spurs: Media Reaction

Here is a rundown of how the Sunday and Monday papers saw our draw with Spurs, along with web links to the relevant articles where possible.

Thankfully most papers were more concerned with speculating about Martin Jol’s future and reporting on the robust defence of his tactics in the post-match press conference than reflecting on what was a fairly woeful performance from us.

When Jol emerged from the tunnel before kick-off he was serenaded with a “now familiar outpouring of love” from the Tottenham supporters, noted David Ornstein in The Guardian. By the time he departed, such affection was “conspicuous by its absence”. A fact that will be noted by chairman Daniel Levy.

The Spurs boss knows time is rapidly running out, agreed Mark Irwin in The Sun, but yet he is not losing any sleep over the prospect of his “back-stabbing board stepping up their search” for a successor. “I don’t feel vulnerable because I’m a strong f*****,” the big Dutchman said afterwards, while denying charges of “tactical suicide”.

For almost the entire duration of an “unequal contest”, it was solely in Tottenham’s gift to sacrifice victory, so emphatic was their superiority, thought Nick Townsend in the Independent on Sunday. “It was only in the final, frantic few moments when an overhead kick from Fulham’s Diomansy Kamara eluded the goalkeeper Paul Robinson that this represented the six-goal thriller the scoreline may suggest”.

In fact, Tottenham should have gone in at half time three or four goals to the good, said Daniel King in the Mail on Sunday, such was the embarrassing ease with which they “repeatedly exposed Fulham’s chaotic, error-prone defence”.

Antti Niemi was restored to the home starting XI, he added, but using three goalies in your opening six games – and a different one for each of three games in a week – is “hardly conducive to defensive harmony and Fulham soon paid the price”.

Stuart Barnes, writing in The Observer, said the former Finnish international was “all at sea” when Keane delivered an inswinging corner and was fortunate to see it scrambled behind. “Unfortunately, he was not so lucky when Gareth Bale curled in a second one, from the opposite flank,” he added. “Again, Niemi failed to make any contact with the ball, which, this time, dropped for Younes Kaboul to stab it over the line, from no more than a yard out, to open his Tottenham account”.

The home defence was certainly in disarray from the start, agreed Jim Holden in the Sunday Express, and relied on the offside trap even though Dejan Stefanovic was in the side - just 24 hours after signing from Pompey. “He couldn’t possibly be attuned to the Fulham system and the result was Spurs had a string of first half chances.”

As it happens, they took only one of them, he added, when Keane’s smart flick forward sent Dimitar Berbatov striding clear on goal. “The Bulgarian shot fiercely and unstoppably into the net to put Tottenham 2-0 up within half an hour”.

Yet Fulham managed to reduce the leeway, pointed out Patrick Barclay in The Sunday Telegraph. “Davies flighted a corner and Clint Dempsey, inadequately marked by Chimbonda, rammed a solid header under the crossbar”.

Tottenham soon regained the initiative, said the Mail on Sunday’s King, with Jenas drawing an impressive save from Niemi and Steed Malbranque hitting a post, before Bale scored just after the hour. “Tom Huddlestone touched the ball on but it was Keane who played the killer ball behind Chris Baird which allowed the teenager to race clear and use Berbatov as a decoy before shooting past Niemi”.

The turning point of the match came in the 68th minute, said Rob Shepherd in the News of The World, when Jol replaced skipper Robbie Keane – who, together with Berbatov had been “running Fulham ragged” - with Jermaine Defoe. “As Keane lamely shook Jol’s hand on the touchline he raised his eyebrows,” he wrote. “The expression said it all, along the lines of ‘What the hell are you doing?’”

After Smertin’s drive deflected off the challenging Rocha and dropped behind Robinson, the game changed, agreed Barclay in The Sunday Telegraph. “Fulham’s direct approach – which had hitherto cried out for the absent Brian McBride – induced worried expressions on the visitors’ faces”.

Those fears were realised in the final minute, said Holden in The Sunday Express, when a throw-in caused panic in the Spurs defence and Kamara “went for a spectacular overhead kick that again looped over the head of Robinson”.

It was a comeback that saw Lawrie Sanchez liken his Fulham team to James Bond films when the villains fail to finish 007 off for good, according to the website Football365. “It’s a similar story in life,” it reported him saying. “You never give people a chance and they gave us a chance to get back in it”.

Even though Spurs clearly threw away the three points, Duncan Castles of The Sunday Times touched on the views of many home fans when he wrote: “As a team that had suffered three last-minute defeats already this season, there was more than an element of payback for Fulham yesterday”.

Unfortunately, that’s little consolation to Martin Jol, pointed out Steve Stammers in the Sunday Mirror. The look of disbelief on his face as he trooped across the Craven Cottage pitch said it all. “Just how his Tottenham team conspired to twice surrender a two-goal lead was beyond him,” he wrote. “Now his job at White Hart Lane may depend on a win against a rejuvenated Arsenal in two weeks’ time – and that is not a scenario to be relished”.