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.

Sammy Lee gone...Will Sanchez be next?

In the last few minutes it has just been announced that Bolton have parted company with manager Sammy Lee "by mutual consent". Apart from the fact that the phrase is utterly ludicrous (how many managers do you really think say: "Ok boss, fair enough, I think it's best that I go as well") it prompted me to compare Lee's record at Bolton with Sanchez as the two have been at their respective helms for a similar period of time.

According to Sky Sports, Lee has been in charge for 14 competitive games. Of these Bolton have won just three, drawn four and lost seven which gives a win percentage of just 21%. Pretty poor eh? Winning just a fifth of all your games certainly enough to warrant the sack right?

Well, my records show that Sanchez has been in charge for 16 competitive matches - five last season and 11 this term - not including the Asia Cup or whatever tournament it was that we played against Pompey, Liverpool, etc.

Of these he has recorded just three victories (one of which was against Shrewsbury), drawn five and lost eight, giving a miserable win percentage of almost 19%. He actually has a poorer record than Lee so should be a pretty worried man in my book.

Now, I'm not calling for his head. On the contrary, I think bringing in someone new at this stage would be ridiculous. I buy the argument that this is virtually a completely new team and needs time to bed down. I also agree that we have shown - at times - what an exciting force we can be.

However, it's vital for the sake of the club - and for Sanchez's job prospects - that we convert these decent performances into points...starting with Derby County this weekend. If it all unravels again on Saturday like it did against Portsmouth, I may have to revisit my opinion.

Make no mistake this is a MUST WIN game for us. I don't mean any disrespect to our visitors who are a decent side - as they proved against Newcastle - but the fact remains that survival in the Premiership is dependent on a side winning the vast majority of its home matches, particularly one that hasn't one away for more than a year.

I would be very interested to hear people's views so please feel free to add a comment and vote in my poll on the left hand side of the page.

An early Christmas present...

During this rather quiet international break I have taken the opportunity to catch up with some football reading and the book that has been virtually a constant companion to me over the past few days is the Fulham Review, written by our friends over at the Craven Cottage Newsround - with some contributions from Chopper at the Hammy End Chronicle.

Now, I'm not on commission here - nor have I been bribed - but it really is one of the best books that I have read in a very long time - and this is coming from someone whose shelves are groaning under the strain of practically every footballing tome that has been published during the past decade.

Superbly written and running to over 80 A4 pages (ie magazine size) it combines witty, insightful match reports with thought-provoking and 'laugh out loud' funny features, and is an absolute snip at just £5.

Unfortunately, I haven't been able to bring myself to read about our 5-1 thrashing at the hands of Manchester United on the opening day of last season - but the 2-1 victory over Arsenal at the Cottage has been very well thumbed! Sore loser? Nah, not me.

Here are a few cracking lines to whet your appetite:

The match report of our defeat at the Emirates: "If this season were a cartoon we'd now be hanging onto a clifftop by our fingertips. A willing but fruitless defeat at Arsenal changes nothing and all it takes is a bad result to happen around us and we'll lose our grip and scream downwards."

Describing our 4-0 defeat at Anfield: "The 0-0 half-time score was deceptive; if Dirk Kuyt had been playing with his eyes open he'd have had a hat-trick."

The report of our 3-3 away draw with Watford: "The Italians have a theory that the perfect football match should be 0-0: the game can only be perfect if there are no mistakes, and if there are no mistakes there will be no goals...Fulham and Watford's collective response to this theory was a 3-3 shambles at Vicarage Road tonight."

Great stuff. You can order your copy by visiting this website set up for the purpose. You won't be disappointed.

Many apologies

Hi everyone
Sorry for not having posted for a couple of days - I have been offline, but now back up and running. I actually feel quite relieved that we haven't got a match this weekend as the last couple of weeks have taken something of an emotional toll. In the last few days I have been rummaging through one of the many boxes of programmes in the loft so I will be making some 'nostalgia' posts over the next few days - preferably focussing on periods where we were winning!

Newspaper round-up: Fulham v Portsmouth

If you can bear to read any more about our miserable defeat, here is a summary of how the major news outlets saw the game, along with links to the relevant articles.

Lawrie Sanchez likes to affect an immunity from pressure, but the skies were darkening over Craven Cottage last night as Fulham, filleted by a resurgent Portsmouth, slipped into the bottom three, reflected Oliver Brown in the Daily Telegraph. "For such a shrewd financier as (Mohamed Al) Fayed, the mathematics of his move to appoint Sanchez make discouraging reading - around £27 million was lavished on Fulham during the summer, yet the man charged with realising that investment has won only three of his first 15 games."

The visitors couldn't manage seven goals this week but two deflected strikes early in the second half at Craven Cottage were more than enough to send Harry Redknapp's team up to fifth in the Premier League, wrote Nick Szczepanik in The Times. "Apart from a first-half effort from David Healy, which was straight at David James, the goalkeeper, Fulham hardly troubled a Portsmouth defence that was unrecognisable as the rearguard that was shaky in last weekend's 7-4 victory over Reading."

It had started off so well for the Cottagers, pointed out Football365, which meant Pompey's two-minute double was "as dramatic as it was unexpected". Fulham had "taken charge" in the first 45 minutes and were threatening a rare win. "With Clint Dempsey leading the attack in swashbuckling style and Simon Davies and Hameur Bouazza providing pace on the wings, Fulham were clearly the better side in the first half."

All that was to change early in the second 45 minutes, wrote Glenn Moore in The Independent. "Four minutes after the interval Benjani took a pass from Sean Davis on the edge of the Fulham area, half-turned Bocanegra and beat Keller with a shot which skidded off the sole of the defender's boot."

Keller was picking the ball out of his net again two minutes latter, pointed out Matt Barlow in the Daily Mail. "Hreidarsson won the ball on the Pompey left, exchanged passes with Kranjcar and stormed into the penalty area for a shot which again took a crucial deflection, this time off Chris Baird. Fulham had little to offer as they sank into the relegation zone and were jeered off by their fans."

His free-scoring team-mates will get the credit, pointed out Darren Lewis in the Mirror, but James was the "platform for this fabulous win" as he put on a "superb display" to enhance his claims on the England shirt for the next round of Euro 2008 qualifiers. "It was his series of saves and stops from David Healy, Clint Dempsey and Diomansy Kamara that took the wind out of Fulham's sails and inspired Pompey to tear the home side apart."

So where does this leave us? Well, early in April Fulham sat four points clear of the relegation zone, having gone seven games without a win, and Al Fayed claimed he was left with no alternative but to sack Chris Coleman, pointed out David Ornstein in The Guardian. "Six months on and Al Fayed's club find themselves inside the bottom three and have again not tasted victory for seven games. Lawrie Sanchez, Coleman's replacement, should be a worried man." Indeed he should.

Fulham v Portsmouth: Player rankings

Here's how I scored our players:
Keller - 7/10
Not at fault for either of the deflected goals and made some outstanding saves. At last we have a decent keeper.

Baird - 5/10
Was completely muscled out of it for the second goal.

Hughes - 6/10
An average performance. Was lucky at the end of the second half when Benjani got inside him and Keller pulled off a good save.

Bocanegra - 5/10
Poor. Keller saved him in the first half when he was skinned by Muntari - and Benjani turned him easily for the opener.

Konchesky - 6/10
Okay. Made some good tackles but struggled at times to contain Benjani.

Smertin - 5/10
Virtually invisible.

Simon Davies - 6/10
Not one of his best days, but still delivered some decent crosses.

Davis - 5/10
Generally poor. His best moment came midway through the first half when he dispossessed Benjani at the start of the move which ended with James saving well from Healy.

Bouazza - 7/10
One of the most exciting players on the field. Showed some great skills and has one of the fiercest shots of anyone around. His little flick over the head of Johnson was particularly good.

Dempsey - 8/10
His all-round work and commitment to the cause were very good. Although he failed to convert any of his chances into goals, he still looked our most dangerous player. It's also worth remembering he's not a natural target man.

Healy - 6/10
Okay. Never going to get much change playing against man-mountains such as Sol Campbell and should have done better with his shot from Bouazza's great cross.

Substitutes
Kamara - 5/10
Failed to make any impression on the game.
Murphy - 5/10
Did he actually come on?
Ki-Hyeon - 6/10
Made some good tricky runs but never looked dangerous.

Man of the match: Clint Dempsey for his all-round contribution. Bouazza and Keller highly recommended.

Fulham v Portsmouth: An opinion

I have never been to a match which featured two such contrasting halves of football. During the first 45 minutes I was constantly on my feet as David James was forced to pull off save after save. For most of the second I was slumped in my seat; unable to comprehend the horror show happening in front of my eyes.

Before the match started I had predicted a 1-1 scoreline, but after witnessing the flowing moves, the superb cross-field passes, the exquisite skills of Bouazza and the damage being inflicted by Dempsey, I revised that opinion to 2-0. Ironically I got the scoreline right - I just didn't believe it would end up being a home reverse.

Whatever Harry said to his boys in the dressing room did the trick. The Pompey side that emerged from the tunnel at 5.15pm was vastly different to the one that we had been turning inside out. After their second goal hit the back of the net you knew it was over. The players' reactions said it all. They were defeated and we would be leaving empty-handed.

Even Sanchez' s triple substitution had little effect. Seol, being used as a right winger, cut in well, but Kamara was contained and Murphy invisible. It was only thanks to some saves from Keller and some last ditch tackling by the ever-consistent Konchesky that kept the scoreline respectable - if that's what you can call a 2-0 defeat...at home.

For me, yesterday summed up our season perfectly: brilliant, exciting football, but an inability to kill off games and weakness in the defence and midfield which allows teams a route back into matches - no matter how undeserved. Lawrie can talk all he likes about how well we've been playing etc, but that doesn't matter a jot. All we should be caring about is getting points.

Sean Davis...

I stick up for the lad and what does he do? Pledges his love for Chelsea...Read his desperate job application here.

Preview: Fulham v Portsmouth

I've said it before virtually every match this season and I'll say it again: tomorrow is going to be a very tough game. If we manage to get a 1-1 draw - which is my prediction - then that would be an achievement, even though we badly need to get some wins under our belt.

Pompey have had a good start to the season and are currently lying in 6th spot with 12 points from their first eight games. This includes three wins - at home against Bolton and Reading, and away at Blackburn, and three draws - away at Derby and at home to Manchester United and Liverpool. Their two losses have both been on the road, at Chelsea and Arsenal.

They have bagged 15 goals - making them the second highest scoring team behind Arsenal on 16 - although it's worth bearing in mind that a whopping seven of those came last weekend in their thrilling 7-4 home win over Reading. On the downside they have conceded 12 goals.

Their top scorer is Benjani Mwaruwari with five (three of which came last weekend), while Kanu and Utaka have each netted twice. Taylor, Davis, Muntari, Kranjcar and Hreidarsson all have one goal to their names.

Last season both our matches ended in 1-1 draws. Zat Knight (remember him?) got our goal down at Fratton Park in November, while an injured Ian Pearce scored our equaliser at the Cottage in March.

So what's likely to unfold tomorrow?

Well, as Rich on CCN points out, we can virtually guarantee that big Papa - as Cookie used to call him - will score an absolute thunderbolt. We know what he's capable of but, as Portsmouth will eventually find out (probably after he returns from the African Nations Cup) you only get to see glimpses of his genius. Most of the time he is very mediocre at best. I, for one, am glad we got shot of him in the summer and that's not a case of sour grapes. When he was good, he was very good. It's just those times were few and far between.

Tomorrow also sees the return of another son - Sean Davis. Now Seany is a different matter entirely. He will, predictably, be given abuse tomorrow but I won't be joining in. I like him and am grateful for the part he played in our rise up the divisions. I still maintain that he would have become an established part of the England set-up and our club captain if he'd stayed with us but there you go. Sad all round really.

Enjoy the match and let's keep our fingers crossed for all three points - and if you haven't already picked up your copy of the Fulham Review then Rich and the boys will be selling them tomorrow at the ground.

Interview: Pompey fans

We caught up with Chris Hougham, the chairman of the Isle of Wight Pompey Supporters' Club and Phil who runs Pompeyweb to get their take on things ahead of Sunday's big match. Our thanks to both of them for their time.


Q.You’ve had a great start to the year - did you expect it and to what do you attribute the success so far?
CH. A bit of cash and a brilliant manager; only problem is with the likes of James and Campbell there’s not a lot of long term planning. We should have won at Derby but that was cancelled out by some atrocious finishing by Tevez and Ronaldo when the Mancs came to Fratton.
P. I don't think anyone expected us to be up where we are at the moment when you look at our first few fixtures. We've played the so-called top four already and haven't done too bad considering. A point against Manchester United was the best we could have hoped for. We really should have done better against Chelsea as they were pretty poor, as were Liverpool, who we should have beaten if Kanu had brought his penalty-taking boots with him. We were totally outclassed by Arsenal though.

Q. How do you rate Diop? He seems to like it more at Fratton Park than he did at the Cottage.
CH. Diop has had three starts and we’ve taken seven points. He looks very sharp and plays in a central midfield three with Muntari and Davis. He gave an interview the other day and clearly had issues with Sanchez and how he enjoys the atmosphere at Fratton.
P. He appears to have fitted in well though there are still some who have their doubts about him; obviously not Harry though. Redknapp has been a fan of his for a while and tried to sign him a few seasons back. He's played well in the games for us so far.

Q. What's your take on Sean Davis? He was a real favourite with us until he went off to Spurs which is why he always gets a 'frosty' welcome.
CH. Arrived with Mendes almost two years ago and not really a favourite compared with the likes of O’Neil and Matty Taylor. I expected him to move on in the summer, but this season he has been a revelation although he’s already picked up four yellows.
P. So far this season has been his best yet for us. He's playing to his full potential now.

Q. Has Harry been totally forgiven now for departing for Southampton?
CH. There’s a few idiots on the fringe, largely Mandaric loyalists who still like to refer to him as Judas, 99% love him and appreciate what he’s done for the club….after all he got us promoted, got the Scummers relegated, came back and saved us and has now taken onto a new level.
P. Not really. There are some who would happily see him walk away though the majority are willing to accept him because he took Southampton down before returning though most still don't like him.

Q. Where do you think Pompey will finish this season?
CH. We’ll finish in top ten….comfortably. If Harry gets hold of a goalscorer in January it could easily be Europe.
P. There's talk of a European place this season though personally I'd be happy with another top ten finish.

Q. Are there any areas where you think Pompey need to improve? What things are concerning you the most at the moment?
CH. We haven’t got a ‘wide right’ player since O’Neil went ‘Boro…shame. No complaints otherwise.
P. This is probably the best Pompey team in many years. I was going to say that the lack of goals would be a major concern but after last Saturday's goalfest I don't think we'll struggle too much, unless we pick up any major injuries. Sol Campbell doesn't seem quite the player he was but it's still nice to have him in our team.

Q. Who have been your best players this season - and who should we be fearing the most this Sunday?
CH. Utaka has got genuine pace and Benjani is one the hardest working forwards you’ll ever see in the Premiership.
P. It's hard to pick an individual but, for me, I think John Utaka will be the one to watch. He has great pace and a good degree of skill and awareness to go with it.

Q. What's your view of the new-look Fulham under Sanchez?
CH. Two 3-3 draws at home and us winning 7-4 last Saturday all points to a 0-0 draw….you look very vulnerable at the back and a bit ‘cavalier’ going forward, but then again you’re always behind!
P. I'm afraid they are one of my candidates for relegation this season, which will be a shame because Fulham is always a good day out for Pompey. I feel the results have flattered them a little. Having said that, Diomansy Kamara will probably get the goals that will help you survive.

Q. What do you reckon the result will be this Sunday?
CH. If it’s not 0-0, I expect us to win because Distin, Campbell and James didn’t think last Saturday was all that funny! It won’t happen again….so…sorry….2-0 to Pompey.
P. I'm going for a Pompey win, but I wouldn't be surprised if we go and blow it. Whatever the result I reckon there will be few goals in the game.

Q. Finally, is that bloke bringing his bell with him?!!
CH. You’re talking about Anthony John Portsmouth Football Club Westwood….yes he’ll be there, he doesn’t miss, and he’ll have his bell providing the law don’t get heavy handed.
P. Ah! John Portsmouth Football Club Westwood. I'm sure he will be there with his bell and bugle, accompanied by his drum wielding friend and all the 'ner ner ner' songs.

FtF goes to Stamford Bridge

Paul Konchesky's family, autograph hunting, over zealous policing, falling over, losing a scarf and meeting Lawrie...it was certainly a day to remember.

Our annual pilgrimage to Stamford Bridge and what an eventful day! We arrived an hour before kick-off, starving hungry but looking forward to visiting the fish & chip outlet that dispenses good food, albeit at a healthy premium. But where was it? Refurbishments had taken place, we were told by a Steward, but they hadn't got round to reinstalling the chippie. For a club owned by a multi-billionaire I found this some what surprising.

After tracking down a food van down the road we returned to see Paul Konchesky's family - it looked like his two young sons (one had Daddy on the back of his shirt and the other Konch) with his mum and dad - having what can only be described as a heated debate with the Stewards. I presume this was to do with ticket allocation as the end result was they were split up with one in the upper tier and one in the lower.

Our seats were in the upper tier in the corner - right next to the police who were there in their droves - so we had a cracking view. The atmosphere was terrific - in fact, my voice was hoarse by half time with all the singing. A cracking point earned, even though we were left with the feeling of 'what might have been' as we left the ground.

As we made our way down the road we suddenly remembered in our jubilation at the end that we'd left a bag behind with a scarf that's got sentimental value to us so it was back to the stadium which, by this time, was locked up. After begging a Steward for help, we were allowed in to retrieve the bag, so our grateful thanks to him for that. It restores your faith when you meet someone who is actually willing to go out of their way to help rather than the Neanderthals that are usually present in their orange bibs.

As we were leaving for the second time we saw the Fulham coach arrive to pick up the lads so we decided to have a wander down. Despite me slipping over in front of everybody - very embarrassing and not my finest hour! - we arrived in time to get some autographs. Felt a bit of an idiot queuing up behind a load of children but needs must. Special praise at this point should go to Konchesky, Healy, Seol, Simon Davies, Kuqi, Baird and Beasant who were signing for ages - apologies to any I missed - but not to Danny Murphy who ignored the fans' requests and ran straight onto the coach. Not very impressive - and hardly a way to endear yourself to your new club's supporters. Konch said the lads were all disappointed with the result in the dressing room – I never thought I’d hear one of our players saying that after a visit to Stamford Bridge!

Once the coach departed - at almost ten to six - we walked around by the Chelsea megastore on the way out and who should we bump into? Lawrie Sanchez with some friends. To say he looked miserable would be a huge understatement, but maybe that’s his normal expression. Unfortunately, we didn’t get a chance to pepper him with questions, but in our brief chat he mentioned that he’d predicted a one-nil win to us, which nearly came true, and said he was pleased to have at last kept a clean sheet this season. However, he was very polite and asked us if we enjoyed the match, etc. He’s actually quite an imposing figure close up and I certainly wouldn’t like to be on his wrong side to be honest! So there you go, quite an eventful day for us + we weren’t the last game to be shown on Match of the Day so more than one reason to celebrate our hard-earned point.

Roll up for the new game...Baird-baiting

I will be putting up a full account of FtF's visit to the Bridge tomorrow, but one thing about Saturday's game struck me as important enough to deserve its own post. That is the worrying new sport in which Fulham fans are currently indulging: Baird-baiting.

Now, I have to hold my hands up and say that I have been pretty vocal on this blog that Chris Baird had become a liability and needed to be replaced by Volz. I don't regret making those comments because that was my honestly held view and anyone that saw his woeful defensive performance against Manchester City would probably concur.

However, there was a marked improvement in his game on Saturday. He made some fantastic tackles, battled hard all afternoon and generally looked very solid. At long last, I thought, we are starting to see some of the class that had attracted Sanchez to him in the first place. Sadly, though, it still wasn't enough to prevent some fans from verbally assaulting him.

As if the boos when his name was announced weren't embarrassing enough, the very first mistake he made was greeted with a torrent of abuse from the guy sitting behind me; his veins virtually bulging out of his neck with the effort of screaming his venom. When challenged about it, he even admitted Baird had, up to that point, had a good game! Bizarre.

The whole thing made me feel very uncomfortable. Every player on the pitch made mistakes at some stage. Konchesky - as much as he's been one of the stars of our season - allowed Joe Cole in on a number of occasions but there wasn't so much as a negative word uttered in his direction. I'm not saying there should have been; just illustrating the point.

People on the messageboards were even ranting about the fact that he swapped shirts with one of the Chelsea players at the end and was wearing it when he came over to clap us! Not sure the point they were making...Did they think he was trying to get the message across that he'd prefer to be playing for our rivals? Considering the abuse he gets, I personally wouldn't blame him.

I fear the young Irishman is set to become the new 'whipping boy' - a role previously filled by the likes of Zat Knight - often for pretty good reasons - as well as, to a lesser extent, Andy Melville a few years ago. Every slight error of judgment will be seized upon and used as a bat with which to beat him.

If that's the case it will be totally unfair. Sure he has taken his time to adjust to the Premier League - and he is far from the finished article - but Saturday's performance was enough to convince me that this lad has the potential to become one of our most polished defenders - as long as we give him that chance.

Newspaper round-up: Chelsea v Fulham

Were we actually playing on Saturday? You’d be hard pressed to know from reading the newspapers over the weekend – and today. Predictably, every piece focused on the trials of our friends up the road, speculation about Roman, Avram and Jose, and endless discussions surrounding Drogba’s sending-off and Terry’s trip to casualty…Anyway, here’s what the major media outlets made of the match.

Chelsea’s season hit rock-bottom yesterday, wrote Rob Beasley in the News of The World, with a 0-0 draw at home to Fulham in which “Didier Drogba was sent off, John Terry suffered a fractured cheekbone and the players were booed by their own fans”.

Even though Avram Grant narrowly avoided the ignominy of losing his first home match after succeeding Mourinho, it was hard to imagine a more calamitous first day in front of his own supporters, agreed Paul Newman in The Independent.

“In the end Grant must have felt grateful to emerge with a point, even if the boos at the final whistle made it seem like a loss,” he wrote. “Mourinho had been unbeaten in all his 60 home Premier League matches in charge of Chelsea, and it would have been a huge blow to his successor’s credibility if he had started his Stamford Bridge career with a defeat.”

The Mail on Sunday’s Ian Ridley thought the tone was set in the first minute when Andriy Shevchenko “ballooned Salomon Kalou’s low cross over the bar”, and soon afterwards “challenged Drogba” for the same pass from Claude Makele.

But it got worse. “From a free-kick 30 yards out, Shevchenko drove the ball low and straight into a two-man wall before turning another low cross from Kalou wide at the near post,” added Ridley. “When he did get a weak shot on target, the Fulham fans gave an ironic cheer.”

One of the papers must mention our boys in a minute…Ah! Here we go.

Lawrie Sanchez’s men hadn’t managed to keep a clean sheet so far this season, but there was no great secret to how they extracted this one, thought Duncan Castles in The Observer: “Organised and resolute defensively, Fulham thwarted a Chelsea side long on attackers but short on the cohesion that was once their trademark.”

Fulham certainly defended with spirit, agreed Newman in The Independent, who also pointed out that Dempsey had the best early chance, heading wide. “Aaron Hughes and Carlos Bocanegra were rocks at the centre of defence, while Alexey Smertin and Steven Davis gave as good as they got in the centre of midfield,” he wrote.

It wasn’t until the second half that Chelsea threatened, opined Joe Lovejoy in the Sunday Times, when Joe Cole sprinted to the byline on the right and delivered a cross which invited Kalou to score. “He seemed to have done so, at close range, only for (Kasey) Keller to spirit the ball away, via his right-hand post”.

But they couldn’t get through, and when Drogba was dismissed – after receiving a second yellow for a high boot on Chris Baird – the visitors began to “scent three points”, added the Mail on Sunday’s Ridley.

“Paul Konchesky burst through and Petr Cech saved his shot with a foot,” he reported. “Substitute Diomansy Kamara then screwed a shot across goal and Dempsey narrowly failed to turn it home as Fulham finished strongly.”

These were two “glorious chances” for the visitors, added Julian Bennetts in the Sunday Telegraph. “Defeat would have been harsh on Grant on his side,” he wrote. “But , on a day when just about everything that could go wrong did, he must be thankful for small mercies”.

Late news from the hospital confirmed that Terry had a depressed fracture of the cheekbone, but it was not the only thing depressed, noted Shaun Custis in The Sun, as “40,000 Blues supporters felt the same way”.