FtF moves to Wordpress

We have decided to move this blog onto the Wordpress platform so please come over and join us there....

the new address is: www.followingthefulham.wordpress.com

New book for Fulham fans

Our friends over at CCN have just published the Fulham Review 07/08 which covers our, er, eventful past season in the Premier League. I bought last year's one which was fantastic so it's definitely worth taking a look - and it's a bargain price, too. Click here for more info.

Fulham in talks with West Ham duo

A bit of good news to cheer up our morning. West Ham have confirmed they've give us permission to speak to Bobby Zamora and John Pantsil (Paintsil). Both would make very good additions to the squad, filling striker and right back gaps. Fingers crossed eh?

Palace winger on trial at Fulham

An amusing story this morning. Apparently, news that Ashley-Paul Robinson, an 18-year-old Crystal Palace winger, is having a trial with us was broken by the youngster himself on the Facebook social networking site. Read here for the full details. Anyone know much about him?

Roy Hodgson praises Fulham fans

In an interview in Fultime Magazine, Roy Hodgson has praised the contribution of the fans in our survival battle. A nice touch from a class act.

As far as the fans are concerned I’ve been more and more impressed by them. I’ve been impressed by the fact that every game since I’ve been here has been a sell out, which I don’t think is an obvious thing when you’re at the bottom of the table. With one or two minor exceptions all of our performances have been greeted with, if not jubilation, then respect from the public, which, of course, is great. And towards the end, those people who travelled away, and those who stayed behind after Birmingham to acclaim the team, I found that very touching. I’ve been brought up in a hard school football-wise and I’m more used to people behaving like that when the team’s at the top of the league, so to get the reception that we did after Birmingham speaks volumes of our fans and proves that we have a major responsibility to perform for them.

Fulham stuck with Kamara

Well, it doesn't look like Joe's going anywere. He's damaged his knee ligaments playing for Senegal and is likely to be out for six months which means we won't be seeing him in a white shirt until next year at the very earliest...

...So, despite hints that there were other clubs sniffing after him and the prospect of recouping some of his £6m price tag (no, I can't believe we paid that much either) we're now stuck with another multi-million pound 'star' in the treatment room.

I actually like Joe and he scored some real belters last season, particularly the two crucial strikes at Manchester City which helped turn our season around, but he's very much a 'luxury' player who, by his own admission, didn't exactly set the world alight last season.

Therefore, if we had sold him I wouldn't have been too upset. What we have now, though, is the worst of all worlds. A bit-part, expensive player who we can't even use. With the departure of McBride our attacking options for next season look extremely limited. Let's hope Roy has got something up his sleeve otherwise we'll effectively be in a relegation fight before we've even started.

FtF getting a makeover

We're just looking to give the site a bit of a makeover in time for next season so posts will be a bit sporadic over the next week or two. Any ideas, comments, suggestions or general abuse, feel free to leave it here!

Fulham to build statue of Johnny Haynes

Great news! For those who haven't heard, the club have announced that planning permission for a statue of the Maestro has been obtained and a fund raising campaign will apparently soon be launched. It has taken a ridiculously long time but at least we appear to be moving in the right direction. Just a shame it didn't happen 10 (at least) years ago.

Frank Lampard: Pretty in Pink

Next time Frank starts snogging his badge in front of the Hammersmith End just think about this image of him on holiday - complete with matching salmon shirt and shorts...and his other half's handbag. Nice!

The bravest man alive

Not Fulham related I'm afraid but if you haven't come across this guy already I urge you to visit his blog. Adrian Sudbury is a young guy from Huddersfield who is battling two forms of leukaemia and the prognosis is not good. His blog and campaign for more people to become involved in Bone Marrow donation is inspirational stuff. I defy anyone to read his posts without being moved to tears. Next time we get so upset about a football match it will be worth sparing a thought for him.

Fulham season tickets selling fast

Good news from the Fulham ticket office this morning. They have had so many season ticket renewals and applications that there is currently a five day back log! Apparently, there are already around 600 new applications which is obviously superb.

Jimmy Bullard NOT player of the season

I fear that Jimmy Bullard will ride to the player of the season award on the crest of a wave of public adoration but that would be wrong. Yes he is fantastically important to us and Yes he's been an inspirational figure since his return from injury but it would be an injustice to give him this honour. Why? I hear you yell. Well, for one simple reason: Simon Davies. Unquestionably our Welsh wonder has been our most consistent player, has turned in top drawer performances in the vast majority of almost 40 appearances, and has both scored and made crucial goals. While I appreciate that this is a free country I impore you to log-on to Fulham's official website and give him the credit he so richly deserves.

Hangeland for captain?

The Daily Mail is reporting today that Roy is set to appoint our giant Norwegian as the skipper for next season and that's a decision I would wholeheartedly support. It always seems sensible to have the captain stationed at the back as they are in a far better position to see how the game is shaping up, identify where we are being over-run and spot weaknesses we can exploit.

Hangeland was also Roy's captain at Viking when he was barely out of nappies so one would presume he has the communication skills to do the job. And anyway, apart from Brede, who else could do it? Aaron Hughes deputised for Brian last year so may also be a contender. The only fear is affecting a decent player's game in a negative way, as seemed to happen when Cookie gave Boa the armband a couple of years ago.

However, Hangeland must be warned that the captain's armband at Fulham appears to be cursed. Back when Brian ripped his knee apart last August we put together a list of the problems suffered by previous skippers. You can read it here. Fingers crossed nothing happens to him as I am convinced that he will be a vital part of next season's team.

John Terry - what a farce!

If you haven't read the papers yet today then I suggest you don't eat anything until you do as they will make you want to vomit. The ridiculous, sycophantic tosh that is being written about John Terry's 'heroic performance' in last night's friendly against the USA plunges new depths.

Take the Daily Mail for example. Under the headline: "Redemption!", it tells in breathless fashion how the Chelsea captain "eased the pain" of last week's Champions League defeat and quotes Terry himself as saying: "I'm a big man, I like the big games and it was great to score."

Now, I've got a heart. I even felt a bit sorry for him last Wednesday when he fluffed his penalty but this farcical, media-inspired, Diana-esque outpouring of grief just makes us football fans look pathetic. I can see why those who don't follow the game look upon us with a mixture of pity and loathing.

For goodness sakes let's get a grip. Last time I checked Terry hadn't just been diagnosed with an incurable disease and I'm fairly sure that neither of his legs have been blown off. All that happened was he missed a penatly. BIG deal.

More Fulham players to leave?

Roy's axe has certainly been swinging this week with the departure of 10 members of our over-inflated squad, including notable names such as Brian McBride, Carlos Bocanegra and Tony Warner, who have all played prominent roles in the past couple of years. We at FtF would like to thank them all and wish them the very best of luck wherever their careers take them next.

We currently have 26 players on the roster: four goalkeepers, nine defenders, nine midfielders and four attackers. So who is going to leave next? I think we can be fairly certain that more depatures are on the cards but I guess it will be down to how long there is to go on the contracts of certain players - and whether anyone else is interested in signing them.

Of the full list below, I imagine the following could find their positions in doubt: Antti Niemi, Ricardo Batista, Dejan Stefanovich, Chris Baird, Seol Ki-Hyeon, Alexey Smertin, Lee Cook (if he actually exists). But hey, what do I know? Volzy may also find himself surplus to requirements but, personally, I'd prefer him to stay as he is so versatile.

Goalkeepers
Kasey Keller, Ricardo Batista, Antti Niemi, Mark Schwarzer

Defenders
Moritz Volz, Dejan Stefanovic, Paul Konchesky, Aaron Hughes, Elliot Omozusi, Brede Hangeland, Toni Kallio, Chris Baird, Adrian Leijer

Midfielders
Seol Ki-Hyeon, Alexey Smertin, Lee Cook, Danny Murphy, Leon Andreasen, Simon Davies, Jimmy Bullard, Clint Dempsey, Hameur Bouazza

Attackers
David Healy, Joe Kamara, Eddie Johnson, Erik Nevland

Brian McBride - a rare breed

We all knew it was coming but Brian McBride's announcement that he was leaving Fulham still brought a lump to my throat. Although it was increasingly obvious at the back end of the season that old father time was beginning to catch up with our American superstar, he still proved himself to be more than capable of banging in the goals when it really mattered - particularly the crucial strikes against Everton, Reading and Birmingham.

However, there was far more to King Brian than just his goal scoring prowess. He was clearly a leader of men who commanded respect in the dressing room. An increasingly rare phenomenon in the modern game, he was also an educated, articulate, quiet, humble man who always treated with complete respect the autograph-hunting fans that approached him outside the stadiums.

FtF was fortunate to meet him after the Portsmouth game and he was as gracious as you would expect. A lovely guy and a Fulham legend. Good luck Brian and thanks for all the memories. You will be missed, that is for sure.

Tony Warner released

Sad news on the main site about Tony Warner being released. Okay I know he probably wasn't Premier League standard but I can remember him making some corking saves in the past. Perhaps his most impressive performance for us was when he came on as a sub for Mark Crossley in the home game against Liverpool a few years ago. Anyhow, good luck Tony.

Why am I supporting the USA???

Okay, cards on the table time. I'm a proud Englishman (if there is such a thing!) but have divided loyalties ahead of tonight's international friendly as we now have a real bond with our American cousins. I remember having the same bizarre feeling when England were playing Portugal a few years back when Gary Neville (I believe) upended Boa and I found myself hurling abuse at the television! Am I alone?

Is it bye bye Joe

After hitting a staggeringly impressive six goals all season (five league, one cup) Joe Kamara has revealed he's considering his options after being head hunted by rival clubs. Disappointing stuff to hear this, particularly given the fact that he's admitted under-performing for us. Can't imagine for a second that any top 10 clubs would give him a second glance so imagine he's raising the prospect of leaving to help bolster the terms of his contract.

No European tour for us then...

Bad news but I suppose we can't complain given the week we've had. Would have been nice though...

Season tickets on sale

For those who are willing to subject themselves to another nail biting, emotional roller coaster, season tickets are now available via the main site. Those renewing before June 12th will also be given a Great Escape DVD which won't be available in the shops. Click here for more.

Fascinating stats on our season

My unpaid researcher - okay, my Dad - has been ploughing through the statistics surrounding our turbulent season and has come up with some pretty stark conclusions. As you will see, it's actually been our away form that has saved us...bizarre huh?!!

Where did we get points on our travels?
Total: 16

Three points:
Reading
Manchester City
Portsmouth

One point:
Chelsea
Blackburn
Wigan
Sunderland
Bolton
Birmingham
Derby


Who did we pick up points from at home?
Total: 20

Threee points
Everton
Aston Villa
Bolton
Reading
Birmingham

One point
Blackburn
Manchester City
Spurs
Wigan
Derby


Overall fast facts

• We took 16 points off the top nine clubs
• We took 20 points off the bottom nine clubs
• Only 11 clubs scored more points than us away
• Eighteen clubs scored more points than us at home
• We let in 31 goals at home - yet only 29 away
• Only 8 clubs conceded less away goals
• Only 2 clubs scored less goals than us at home

David James wanted us to be relegated

I am hoping he has been misquoted but some not very pleasant comments from David James on the Setanta site, particularly given the rousing reception WE gave him at Fratton Park.

"I suppose I was hoping we would beat Fulham just to put them down - having been in an end of season game and getting relegated [with West Ham United] I wanted someone else to feel that. But I would much rather have been playing.
"And my concerns haven't been the Cup Final, my concerns have been playing in The Premier League. We had a very good run of form until the Man City game, which we lost, and you want to be out there contributing to winning ways."

Volz speaks

As I said, I was disappointed to not be part of it and
have felt left out at times.

But I care a lot about that club and while it
was disappointing not to be in the team as much as I’d have liked, that was all irrelevant compared to the job at hand which was staying up.

I’ve just had to put any individual agendas to one side over the past few weeks. Whatever it was going to take for us to stay up, we had to do.

Good stuff, as always, over on the personal website of Moritz Volz where he talks about his emotions at not being involved in our end of season run-in, and how he headed to Craven Cottage on Sunday to watch our match against Pompey. Really feel for him.

Who put the ball in the net?

Having enjoyed such a clutch of victories lately I had lost track of who had actually been banging them in for us this season. I had a hazy recollection that Dempsey was our leading scorer a few months back but decided to have a trawl through the statistics.

To my surprise four players have netted six times (league and cup). Dempsey is still the top scorer in the league, despite his last goal coming in our defeat at White Hart Lane back in December, while 11 individuals managed to get on the scoresheet at some stage.

Initially I thought it was quite impressive to have that number scoring - but then I looked at some of our rivals and a different picture emerged. At the top end of the table, Man Utd had 15 different scorers (Ronaldo topping the list with 41!!!!), while 17 Chelsea players got on the list with Lampard taking the lion's share of 19.

At the bottom, Derby had 13 players on the scoring chart with Miller top of the tree on six goals; Reading also had 13 scorers with Kitson the best of the bunch on 10, while Birmingham had the same number as us, although top scorer Forssell bagged nine.

Here is our full run-down

Six goals
Dempsey (all in league)
Healy (4 league, 2 cup)
Kamara (five league, 1 cup)
Murphy (5 league, 1 cup)

Five goals (all in league)
Davies

Four goals (all in league)
McBride

Two goals (all in league)
Bullard
Nevland
Smertin

One goal (all in league)
Bocanegra
Bouazza

FtF End of Season Awards

Here are our inaugral just for fun awards...some less serious ones are also on their way...

Player of the season
Winner
Simon Davies

Highly recommended
Jimmy Bullard
Brian McBride


Best new signing (since May 07)
Winner
Paul Konchesky

Highly recommended
Brede Hangeland
Danny Murphy


Best team performance
Winner
Reading away

Highly recommended
Man City away
Birmingham home


Most important goal
Winner
Danny Murphy's header against Pompey away

Highly recommended
Joe Kamara's winner against Man City away
Brian's opener against Birmingham at home


Goal of the season
Winner
Joe Kamara's overhead volley against Spurs at home

Highly recommended
David Healy's super strike against Sunderland at home
Jimmy Bullard's free kick away at Blackburn


Best individual performance
Winner
Joe Kamara against Man City away

Highly recommended
Brede Hangeland against Everton at home
Simon Davies against Chelsea away


Most valuable person for our season
Winner
Brian McBride

Highly recommended
Roy Hodgson
Jimmy Bullard


Unsung hero award
Winner
Simon Davies

Highly recommended
Danny Murphy (yes, I know, unsung by us as well!)
Aaron Hughes


Best goalkeeping performance of the year
Winner
Antti Niemi against Derby at home

Highly recommended
Antti Niemi against Blackburn at home
Kasey Keller against Pompey away


Chant of the season
Winner
We've hit it three times, we've hit it three times, that f*cking crossbar, we've hit it three times
Sung at Reading away after Brian, Jimmy and Hangeland all came close.

Highly recommended
Jim Bullard Bullard, he's better than Steve Gerrard....
We won it one time, we won it one time, the Intertoto, we won it one time


Best atmosphere at a match
Winner
At home against Birmingham

Highly recommended
Away at Reading
Away at Pompey

Totally exhausted

Call it coming down from a great high but I feel emotionally drained today! The angst and worry, followed by the jubilation and euphoria has taken something of a toll on me. I fully appreciate that non-footballing people reading this would probably advise that I be sectioned but surely I can't be alone?!

Could we be going on a European tour?

Amazingly our fantastic start to the week might get even better!!! There is a chance that we have leapfrogged Man City in the fair play league, and if so, that would put us in the qualifying rounds for the UEFA Cup. How mad is that?!!! Click here to read more.

Pompey coverage

Here are links to our coverage of yesterday's momentous day:

FtF goes to Pompey

Player rankings

Portsmouth v Fulham: Player rankings

Here's how I scored the lads in our day of destiny battle at Fratton Park


Keller - 7/10
Despite losing his head for a few seconds and charging around trying to dribble past attackers, he was in great form and made some outstanding saves.

Konchesky - 7/10
Super performance. Solid as a rock and started to come forward more which was good to see.

Hughes - 6/10
Quietly competent.

Hangeland - 8/10
Brilliant performance. Fast becoming our Rio Ferdinand. Looked calm, composed and nullified the threat of Jermaine Defoe.

Stalteri - 6/10
Another decent performance. Put in some telling crosses.

Bullard - 6/10
Feels like treason whenever you talk about Jimmy in anything other than fulsome praise, but not one of his better showings. Gave the ball away a lot but it was his free kick that led to the goal.

Murphy - 8/10
A very good performance, crowned with the winning goal. He 'rose like a salmon' as a mate of mine watching on the box commented later.

Davies - 7/10
The usual bustling display from one of our contenders for player of the season.

Dempsey - 6/10
Again, a decent display. Made way for Nevland in the second half as we stepped up the pace to get that all important goal.

Kamara - 6/10
Frustrating one minute; genius the next. The performance was this guy in a nutshell. Still great to have him in the team and his runs terrify defences.

McBride - 7/10
Led the line and was an inspiration...as always.

Substitutes

Nevland - 6/10
Beautiful bit of skill to take the ball round a defender and unlucky it didn't lead to a goal.

Andreason - 6/10
Solid as usual.

Man of the Match: Danny Murphy. His all-round performance merited it - and the goal put the decision beyond doubt.

FtF goes to Pompey

I woke up yesterday morning in a terrible mood to be honest. I was totally convinced that we'd scrape a 1-1 draw at Portsmouth and Reading would trounce Derby, a result that would have sent us down to the Championship. This state of mind lasted throughout the two hour drive along the south coast...and for most of the match!

After finding a free car parking space two minutes away from the ground (I won't list the place here as I want it for next season, too, but any readers wanting the heads-up should email me!) we headed for McDonalds as there were still three hours to go before kick off.

In the restaurant we met Paul Konchesky's family - including his Dad and two boys - who were very gracious. They said everyone in the team was nervous about the match and just wanted to get on with it. We felt the same.

Into the ground as soon as the gates opened and what a refreshing change. The police were friendly, the stewards were smiling (learn from them Fulham) and we weren't even strip-searched for our bottle tops. Amazing stuff.

Just before 2pm Al Fayed came into view and was serenaded with the 'QPR chant', at which point he came over and gave us a wave. Very few chairman are held in such high regard and the warmth from us fans was genuine.

Waiting for three o'clock to come round was agony. The fans - 2,000, 3000? - were in great voice, though, and went through the entire repertoire of songs, including long-overdue anthems for both Simon Davies and Brede Hangeland.

When kick off finally came it signalled the start of 75 minutes of sheer hell, followed by 15 of nail biting terror - but looking back it was worth every minute. Pompey certainly couldn't be accused of letting us win, they were all over us like a rash and how we held out I will never know.

The home supporters, who were fantastic to us throughout the day, even patiently waited as we saluted our heros after the final whistle before they could welcome their own team back out onto the pitch for the traditional end of season lap of honour.

Both Sean Davis and Papa Bouba Diop got great receptions from us which was great to see. They were both good servants to our club - particularly Sean, who was given a rousing rendition of: Who put the ball in the Blackburn net?

Bully and Murphy then came out again to clap the fans that had stayed behind. We then chanted: We want Roy, We want Roy - and finally our manager appeared and came over. What a reserved man he is eh? No glory taking, just quietly fitting into the background. He looked genuinely pleased with the reception he was getting which was thoroughly deserved.

McBride and Healy then came out as well before it was finally time to leave the ground. Personally I would have preferred to have stayed there all night!

Outside we gathered behind a barrier near the Fulham coach where a good number of the players, including Boca, Hangeland, McBride, Healy, Murphy and Bullard came over to sign autographs...we managed to get Hangeland and Brian's - both of which will soon be on the wall!

An amusing song/carol for Healy too which went along the lines of:
Away in a manger, no crib for a bed
The little Lord Jesus laid down his sweet head
The stars in the night sky look down where he-leay, he-leay, he-leay!!

On the way back to the car we met with Brian (and his lovely wife) shook his hand and thanked him for everything. A true gent and a Fulham legend without a doubt.

Needless to say the journey back home was the complete opposite of the earlier trip. Radio Five Live blasting out, chatting, joking, singing. Great stuff and a wonderful, fairy tale ending to a pulsating, frustrating season. I can't wait for August...

We are staying up!!!!!!!!!

To experience games like yesterday at Fratton Park is the reason we all follow football. An unbelievable, emotionally draining 90 minutes of sheer agony, and then undiluted joy. Amazing stuff. Will be back on later with a full report on our trip along the south coast but for now I have just one thing to say: The Whites are Staying UP!!! Sounds good, doesn't it?

Great video

I defy anyone to watch this video without the hairs on the back of their neck standing up...or maybe it's just me...

How can I get through these next 48 hours?

Seriously, I don't know how I can retain my sanity at the moment. Sunday's match is dominating every thought and making it virtually impossible to function. I fully appreciate how absurd this sounds but it's the truth...aaarrrgggh!

Fuham v Birmingham: Player rankings

Here's how I scored the lads against Birmingham...

Keller - 6/10
Nothing much to do but no mistakes either.

Konchesky - 6/10
Solid game from Konch. Remains one of the stars of the season

Hughes - 7/10
Vital clearance early on. If he hadn't reached that ball it could have been a different story.

Hangleand - 8/10
Outstanding display from the big fella. Confident, strong and had Quedrue in his pocket.

Stalteri - 6/10
Not sure if he is the long-term answer to this position but reasonably solid today.

Murphy - 8/10
Excellent...now, that's a word I never thought I'd associate with him.

Bullard - 7/10
You've got to love this guy's effort - even if loses the ball a bit too cheaply at times.

Davies - 7/10
Another great display from arguably our player of the season. Even made The Sun's dream team.

Dempsey - 7/10
The biggest news is he's already signed a contract extension. Solid again today and still our top scorer even though he hasn't had the ball in the back of the net for ages.

McBride - 8/10
What can you say about this guy? The pace is gone but the effort is there and a marvellous opener set us on the road to victory.

Kamara - 7/10
Caused the Birmingham defence endless problems. Definitely warrants his position.

Substitutes
Andreason - 6/10
Solid - as ever.

Nevland - 7/10
Storming goal. When he was charging towards goal you just knew where it was headed.

Healy - 6/10
Always looks dangerous.

Man of the Match: Brede Hangeland. A close one, though, as either McBride or Murphy could have been equally worthy winnners.

Heart in mouth time

What a couple of weeks it has been eh? Sorry I've been unable to keep this blog updated since our dismal showing against Liverpool but to be honest I don't think I would have made much sense anyhow! I couldn't make the Man City game and was listening to TalkSport in the car and planning a: 'Roy Hodgson is a great man but should he remain our manager?' type piece as we were trailing two-nil while Birmingham were two up against Liverpool. By the time I got home both games were level and then: YES!!!!! Unbelievable stuff.

The fightback continued last weekend with a great performance against Birmingham although I felt very uneasy at the chants of: 'We are staying up....' as, being an eternal pessimist, I'm still convinced that we'll drop into the Championship. Naturally I would hate that to be the case, but I'm still very proud of the way the players and fans have performed over the past couple of months.

Roll on Sunday...

The reasons we will be relegated

There are two of them: failing to invest in Chris Coleman...and then sacking him. Simple as that.

If Cookie had been given proper resources a couple of years back then there's no way we'd be staring relegation in the face. If any further proof was needed then you only have to look at who have been the best players for us this season. McBride (Coleman signing); Bullard (Coleman signing); Dempsey (Coleman signing); Niemi (Coleman signing); Davies (Coleman signing).

Cookie's critics accused him of running out of ideas. Oh right. I presume they mean the box of tricks that Sanchez and Hodgson have brought with them. Well, they have worked very well haven't they? If their goal was to bring Championship football to the Cottage then I've got to say that the master plan seems to be working. Well done guys.

Everyone forgets what Cookie brought to the table. He took Tigana's underperforming side and turned them into a classy outfit that clinched our best ever league finish in the first full year under his reign (9th). We then became a selling club...Saha, Van der Sar, Malbranque, etc, etc, and he wasn't given enough resources to bring in fresh blood to the team. He paid for this situation with his job.

Fulham v Liverpool: Player rankings

Here's how I scored the lads against Liverpool.

Keller - 5/10
Poor performance from the big man. Could have done better with both goals.

Konchesky - 5/10
Not one of his better days. Was skinned on numerous occasions.

Hughes - 6/10
The one bright spark in the back four. Solid and reliable throughout.

Hangeland - 5/10
Not a triumph for our giant. Culpable for letting Pennant squirm away for the opener.

Stalteri - 5/10
Not bad but caught out of position a few times - and skinned on other occasions.

Bullard - 6/10
An A for effort but too many passes went astray.

Murphy - 5/10
Shocking stuff. He's at least a yard slower than he was in his prime - and it shows.

Davies - 6/10
Tried hard but not one of his better performances.

Dempsey - 6/10
The usual battling display but his first touch let him down on a number of occasions. Came close with a second half header.

McBride - 6/10
Gave it his all. Was out on his feet by the time he was subbed late in the game.

Healy - 7/10
Scuffed a couple of shots but definitely our danger man. Battled relentlessly, won free kicks and illustrated his worth as a play maker. Unlucky to be taken off.

Substitutes

Nevland - 5/10
Failed to make any impression

Andreason - 6/10
A good shot late on.

Kamara - 5/10
Didn't have much time to make an impact. Should have been given longer.

Man of the Match: David Healy. His all-round performance and effort was top drawer.

Just not good enough...

What a difference a week makes. Last Saturday evening we were experiencing the most unbelievable high after taking all three away to Reading. Tonight we are staring relegation in the face once again. It wasn't for the lack of trying. We had plenty of chances to get something out of this match but a combination of poor finishing and defensive mistakes (the story of our season) meant we ended up with nothing. The atmosphere in the stadium after Pennant crashed home Liverpool's opener died instantly and never recovered. To be honest we didn't do enough to lift the players, but then again we didn't have a great deal to cheer about. All told a thorougly disappointing afternoon. We now travel to Man City with everything slipping away...

Song for Simon Davies

He's arguably the club's most under-rated player so it's high time that we had a song for Simon Davies, our Welsh wonder.

My preferred option would be: We've got Simon Davies; We've got Simon Davies: and repeat...used in recent years by the Gooners towards Denis Bergkamp.

What does everyone suggest? Any alternatives?

Reading v Fulham: FtF coverage

Here are the links to all our pieces on yesterday's match

Match report

Player rankings

Post mortem: Anecdotes from the game

Post mortem: Reading v Fulham

A few assorted things, events, comments, that either happened or came to mind during the trip to the Madejski...

1. Amusing pre-match moment: The Reading fans proudly passing the flag over their head - but failing to notice it was upside down. We serenaded them with: You don't know what you're doing!
2. The poor, tubby stewards who were told to climb up the 1001 steps to the top of the stadium to tell those at the back to sit down, only to find they were already sitting by the time they arrived. By the time they returned the fans were up and the process started all over again.

3. The same stewards failing to notice extra fans were squeezed two-on-a-seat so they could be at the very back. Either that or they chose to ignore it.

4. The stadium announcer who read the Fulham team out like he was at a funeral and then switched to a 'Smashy and Nicey' over-excited radio DJ voice when it came to the Reading names. Hilarious.

5. The chorus of "We can see you sneaking out!" as the Reading fans went off for their half time pie and pint.

6. Chant of the season: "We've hit it three times, that fu***ng crossbar, we've hit it three times". Full marks to whoever made that up.

7. Liam Rosenior. Great to see him and he clapped us when he sang his name. However, he played dreadfully. Surely he was better than that when he played for us?

8. Marcus Hahneman: Some nice comments about the club during the week from the big fella who made two outstanding saves to keep the score down.

9. Alan Mullery's outspoken comments about why our season has gone wrong so far. Guess he's not wanting to be friends with Joe Kamara...

10. Full credit to the players for coming over to applaud us at the end and for throwing their shirts into the crowd. Top stuff.

11. Very magnanimous comments from Steve Coppell at the end saying we deserved the win. Can you imagine Moyes, Curbishley, etc, saying anything similar?

Reading v Fulham: Player rankings

Here's how I scored our lads after the win away at Reading

Keller – 7/10
Solid as a rock throughout. Hugely reassuring having him at the back, and apart from a header that whistled just past his post, didn't look like getting beaten all day.

Konchesky – 610
The usual solid performance we've come to expect. Would still like to see him really tearing down the wing rather than checking back but it's a small complaint.

Hangeland – 7/10
That was more like it. Recovered from last week’s nightmares to put in a great performance and almost scored with a towering header.

Hughes – 6/10
A decent display and no repeat of last week’s horror show (thankfully)

Stalteri – 5/10
Dreadful first half but recovered for a decent display in the second 45.

Bullard – 7/10
Okay, so a few passes went astray but he was all over the field for the entire 90 minutes. Came very close to doubling our lead from a set piece.

Murphy – 6/10
A good game. Floated some great passes around the field and was always involved. Am warming to him...slowly.

Dempsey – 8/10
Outstanding. Gave us a glimpse of what we have been missing. Beautiful skills combined with a tireless work rate.

Davies – 7/10
Some excellent skills to set up both goals. Can be proud of his contribution.

Healy – 7/10
Fantastic work rate. Set up the opening goal and had a few attempts on goal himself.

McBride – 7/10
Not as mobile as he once was; nor wins as many headers, but he’s there when it matters. Scored the opener and came close to a second. Great stuff from the captain.

Substitutes

Nevland – 7/10
Did everything asked of him and scored a belting second to wrap up the points.

Bocanegra – 6/10
Added a bit of extra steel at the end.

Andreason – 6/10
Same as Boca, came in to provide the muscle effectively for the last few minutes.

Man of the match: Clint Dempsey. Any one of four players could have been given the nod but Deuce shades it for me due to his sheer work rate and outstanding skills.

Fulham win AWAY!!!

“Keep the Faith. FFC.” It was a simple message scrawled on the toilet wall at Reading’s Madejski Stadium, but it was enough to remind us that our season is not over...not yet at least.

This was a team that scrapped for every ball; refused to give in; and emerged worthy winners after 90 of the most gripping, nail biting minutes of the season.

So good was this performance; so polished was the passing and so clinical the finishing for the goals, it was hard to believe that we had not enjoyed a victory on the road for 19 months.

“We’re winning away, how shit must you be, we’re winning away”, baited the Fulham faithful after McGod crashed the opener home from a Simon Davies cross.

Funny as it was, this was actually harsh on our lads who had thoroughly deserved the lead. Non-stop running, non-stop attacking and full of heart. Terrific stuff.

We then had a string of chances to put the game out of Reading’s reach with Brian, Hangeland and Bully all going close with a shot, header and free kick, respectively.

“We’ve hit it three times, that f****ng crossbar, we’ve hit it three times” we sang, followed by: “The bar! We’re gonna hit the bar” after being awarded a free kick just outside the area.

The disbelief that referee Rob Stiles decided we needed four extra minutes – FOUR!!!! – was soon forgotten as Erik “the Viking” Nevland charged through and secured the three points.

“The Whites are staying up!” we sang, more in hope than expectation. Disappointingly news filtered through that Bolton had beaten the hammers but Brum’s draw with Everton gave us a lift.

We are now just four points from safety but while that’s great, the feeling still remains of what might have been. Wins against Derby and Sunderland and we’d be out of the relegation places. Agonising.

Guess what...

Litmanen is injured again...unbelievable...What a scandalous waste of money

It's all over - isn't it?

Well, here we go again. The day before yet another 'must win' match. I have lost count of the times that I have written those words this season. Most people, it seems, are pretty much resigned to the prospect of being relegated. There is still, however, a mathematical chance of survival and while that remains - almost as annoying as that is - I suppose we have to keep hoping for a miracle. Do I think it's possible? Not at all.

That said, we at FtF have the tickets to tomorrow's match and plan to make the most of what will be a sell-out away end atmosphere. At the very least, we can show the rest of the Premier League that we may be condemned to the Championship, we're as passionate as any fans in any part of the country. So those of you going tomorrow, sing up and sing loud. If we win then, who knows, but certainly don't hope for any more than a good day out.

Survival is NOT that difficult

Okay, bizarre as it might sound given our current league position, managing to survive in the Premier League isn't - or, at least, shouldn't be - a difficult task. We have only won four times all season, none of which have been away, yet we're still not completely out of the running.

Everyone goes on about how it is the hardest league in the world but I don't actually believe that is the case. As long as you have a half decent squad of players and an inspirational manager at the helm, making sure you stay in the top 17 positions should not pose much of a problem.

I hope we stay up but personally I don't believe we deserve to. You simply cannot lose at home to one of the league's weakest teams and only get a draw away against the team set to be officially crowned the worst in the division's history, and expect to stay up.

We had every chance to salvage the situation but have failed to do so. Whose fault is it? To be honest I really don't know. The malaise started long before Hodgson rolled up in SW6 but he certainly hasn't been able to turn things around in the short time he's been here.

For the past two weekends the team that has taken the field has been one devoid of any confidence. They are playing like a group which knows it is going down. The most honourable will be looking ahead to next season's promotion battle; the rest will be plotting their escape.

FtF campaign: Bring back BOCA!

Our defensive ineptitude against both Derby and Sunderland has, I fear, cost us any chance of salvaging what has been a truly woeful season. Hughes and Hangeland have been particularly culpable - the latter's worst period coming when he made THREE mistakes in the lead up to gifting Sunderland their third goal after Healy had given us a lifeline.

One thing is clear: Boca needs to be restored to the side. Yes I know he's got previous for giving away stupid fouls in dangerous positions but I think he'll add some steel to the side. But who should give way? Well, in hoping that Hangeland's Horror Show can be confined to last weekend (bearing in mind he was my man of the match against Everton) I think it should be Hughes.

Fulham V Sunderland: Player rankings

Here's how I scored the lads against Sunderland.

Keller – 6/10
Conceding three at home won’t go down as one of his better days, although he was left totally exposed by the ineptitude of the defence and did manage to pull off a couple of fine saves to keep the scoreline respectable.

Konchesky – 5/10
Frustrating. Every time he makes a run he checks back. Just run with the ball for f***’s sake.

Hangeland – 1/10
Woeful.

Hughes – 2/10
At fault for Sunderland’s second. I say it again – he needs to make way for Boca.

Stalteri – 5/10
Reasonably solid. Had to make way for Roy’s attacking changes late on.

Bullard – 7/10
An A for effort. Dynamic in the first half, ran out of puff in the second.

Murphy – 6/10
Not a bad game – for him. One great bit of skill followed by two dire passes but hey.

Andreason – 5/10
Totally ineffective.

Davies – 5/10
Tried but didn’t make much headway. The moment he did a complete 360 while in position of the ball – and then lost it – summed up his afternoon.

Kamara – 7/10
Full of running. Was one of the only players on the pitch to show desire.

McBride – 6/10
The spirit is willing; the body is weak. All I saw was an old pro out there today.

Substitutes

Dempsey – 5/10
Failed to make much of an impression

Healy – 7/10
Electric. Turned the game around with a wonder goal and full of passion.

Bouazza – 5/10
Okay. Nothing special.

Man of the match: David Healy. For making us believe...albeit for just a few minutes.

Shocking stuff

With the possible exception of being holed up in a five star luxury hotel with two Swedish nymphomaniacs (female, that is), I cannot usually think of a single place I would rather be on a Saturday afternoon than at the football.

Yesterday at 4.45pm I wanted to be anywhere but Craven Cottage. A soul-destroying, yet utterly predictable defeat that makes relegation a probability rather than a possibility sucked out my will to live. Miserable and gloomy, the weather mirrored my mood.

But it wasn’t just me that was feeling the strain.

The demoralising way in which we capitulated – yet again – also triggered a worrying step-change in the attitude of the crowd. Until now Roy’s Army have enjoyed pretty much 100% support on the terraces (oh, okay then, plastic seats) but people are now running out of patience.

The mood among those fans that remained in their seats to the bitter end – rather than joining the river of black and white heading for the exits - began to turn ugly. Tempers were well and truly frayed. It’s unpleasant to see fans turning on each other but perhaps understandable.

One fiercely contested debate – concerning the virtues or otherwise of Joe Kamara – kicked off right in front of me. It was purely a combination of frustration and disappointment but it was upsetting to see and symptomatic of our current plight.

My guess, or hope at least, is that the usual good humour for which Fulham fans are known will return by the time Liverpool pitch up in SW6, if only for the fact that by then the vast majority of us will be pretty much resigned to our fate.

The only way now, it seems, is down but I just hope we can take our final bow in the Premier League together rather than apart.

Sanchez better than Hodgson

No of course I don't believe this for a second but that is what the raw statistics comparing both managers' first 12 games in charge show. Shocking stuff eh?

Both managers had six home and six away games and came into the teams cold - Sanchez away at Reading and Hodgson at home to Chelsea. They also came up against a top four side on three occassions each so I think the analysis is fair.

Sanchez
Won: 2 (both home)
Lost: 6 (one home, five away)
Drew: 4 (three home, one away)
Goals scored: 16
Goals conceeded: 22
Points total: 10

Hodgson
Won: 2 (both home)
Lost: 7 (four home, three away)
Drew: 3 (all away)
Goals scored: 8
Goals conceeded: 18
Points total: 9

Derby v Fulham: Player rankings

Hi all...rather later than planned - due to building work at home - here are my player rankings for last Saturday's ultimately disappointing trip to Derby.

Keller - 7/10
Was not at fault for either goal - particularly the first - and kept us in it with a string of fine saves.

Hughes - 5/10
Played a major part in the disaster that let Derby back into the game. Strong case for him to be replaced by Boca going forward.

Hangeland - 5/10
No back four that conceedes two against the team's bottom club can expect much in the way of praise. Showed no signs of the command displayed against Man Utd recently.

Konchesky - 5/10
Okay. Looked slightly jaded.

Stalteri - 6/10
An okay performance. Nothing earth shattering but the best right back we have at the club.

Bouazza - 6/10
Lacked first team match sharpness but unfairly booed by some parts of the Fulham support. Even though his 'goal' was a deflection he was in the right place at the right time.

Bullard - 6/10
Not one of his better days. Anonymous for large parts of the match.

Andreason - 6/10
See above. Not a great day.

Davies - 7/10
Full of running. Kept things moving in midfield and fought his heart out.

Kamara - 7/10
A good performance and excellent goal to settle the nerves after Derby's opener.

McBride - 6/10
Average performance. Suffered from a lack of service.

Substitutes
Murphy - 6/10
Okay, nothing spectacular, although time on the pitch was limited.

Johnson - 6/10
Looked lively but not given enough time to impress.

Man of the match: Simon Davies. Gave it his all.

FtF goes to Derby

Having a young family - and all that entails - means that away trips are a rare luxury these days, but desperate times call for desperate measures.

The team's perilous league position makes it vital that as many fans as possible follow them on the road. So with that in mind we set the alarm for 5.30am on Saturday for the long trek to Derby.

Living on the south coast meant catching the 7am train up to London Victoria, then a District Line tube to Putney Bridge. Then it was a 20 minute stroll through Bishop's Park - always guaranteed to put you in a good frame of mind - before arriving at the Cottage in time to join one of the 14 coaches laid on by the chairman.

A three and a half hour trip - including a half-hour stop for lunch at a service area - saw us arrive with about 20 minutes to go before kick-off. Thankfully, someone had brought along a DVD of Al Murray, Pub Landlord, which succeeded in calming our nerves on the second leg of the journey.

For those who have never been, Pride Park is a pretty impressive stadium. Set on an industrial estate - the type filled with the usual selection of outlets, such as Halfords - it is clear of local residents and the usual noise gripes, and has the benefit of a huge car park used by season ticket holders and plenty of space for away coaches.

After walking through that annoying, drizly rain, and going through the turnstiles, we were met with a wall of noise. It may be a cliche but our fans were in very good voice and there was a real feeling of optimism. Would it last?



We took our seats in the upper tier and sang all the way through a rather hit-and-miss first half which consisted of that sinking feeling of seeing a deflection past Keller for their opener - and then the unconstrained joy of Joe's equalising header. Here we go. Plenty of time to snatch the winner.

Half-time arrived with the scores level and it was off to scout some food. The gates were actually opened allowing you to buy burgers from outside stalls, have a smoke and stretch your legs. The stewards and police were courteous and chatty. All we needed now was three points and a happy trip home was guaranteed.

Despite a scrappy start to the second 45 we were sent into delirium by Hameur's messy, deflected goal. "We're winning away...how sh*t must you be we're winning away" we sang to the home supporters. Needless to say we hadn't sat back down before their equaliser came. I didn't even see it. Soul destroying.

Chances came and were squandered; Keller pulled off some great saves; but there was a feeling that this just wasn't going to be our day...or season for that matter. The away faithful were getting restless. Calls for Roy to "sort it out" and make some changes were finally answered with the arrival of Eddie Johnson and Danny Murphy, but it was too late to have much effect.

As the minutes ticked down, Derby fans stared singing: "Going down, going down, going down" to which we responded: "So are we, so are we, so are we". At the final whistle there was a mixture of applause and boos with most people resigned to the fact that the Great Escape no longer looks likely. The guards, it seems, have discovered the tunnel being built and there's not enough time left in which to build another.

It may have been a draw but it felt like a defeat and the mood on the coach was sombre. A three hour run back - including a five minute break on the hard shoulder while the driver relieved himself! - meant we were back at a rain swept Cottage shortly before 8.30pm. It was then a walk, tube, mainline train and drive back home which saw us through the door around midnight.

A disappointing day, full of what-ifs and what might have beens, but we felt proud to have been part of Roy's Army for the day. Even if we do go down we can take heart from the fact that we couldn't have had any more fans at recent away matches, nor been in greater voice.

The tickets for Reading and Pompey away have already arrived. If this is going to be the last hurrah! in the Premier League - for a year or two at least - we at FtF are determined to enjoy it. Roll on next weekend.

Opinion: Derby v Fulham

It was a late decision - 6am Saturday morning, in fact - but we were at Derby yesterday afternoon to see what must surely be the final nail hammered into our coffin. Not being able to secure three points against a team already doomed to relegation or even hold on to a lead for more than 30 seconds tells you all you need to know about our woeful season.

The performance was pretty poor and disjointed; changes were made too late in the game to have much effect; and worryingly we didn't even look like we knew what to do when we had the ball. Shocking stuff all told.

The result was made all the worse by both Sunderland and Birmingham winning - the latter, of course, being the team we had an outside chance of overhauling. They're now six points ahead (seven if you count goal difference) which makes it look highly improbable that we'll be playing Premier League football next season.

I shall be on later with my diary for our day trip to Derby plus player ratings.

Derby...this really is a MUST WIN game

Apologies for the lack of posts this week. Our house is having major surgery which means I've been unable to get online as much as normal, and even more annoyingly, this is putting my trip to Derby in serious jeopardy. Aaarrrggh!

My ticket has been purchased, the seat has been booked on the coach from CC and the itinerary for the long haul up from the south coast has been planned. Whether or not I'm there at kick-off, however, remains to be seen.

Thankfully, there will be plenty of us there even if I don't make it as we've sold out our allocation and that is fantastic news. It just goes to prove how a crisis brings everyone together. And it needs to because tomorrow really is a MUST WIN game if we want to stand any chance of retaining our Premier League status. This really is the most important match of our season.

Derby may only have 10 points on the board but they are no push-overs - as they proved with their draw against us earlier in the season (which they were unlucky not to win) and even against title chasing Manchester United a couple of weeks ago.

Good luck everyone...we'll need it

The way it stands

Not a great set of results for us with Sunderland recording their first away win of the season at Aston Villa and Bolton managing a draw at home to Man City. Cheers Sven. Reading also beat Birmingham which, according to my calculations, leaves the foot of the table looking like this.

• 15th. Reading - 31 points
• 16th. Sunderland - 30 points
• 17th. Birmingham - 27 points
• 18th. Bolton - 26 points
• 19th. Fulham - 23 points
• 20th. Derby - 10 points

It doesn't change things greatly. A couple of wins and the whole picture will look different. At the moment we are still four points from safety with Birmingham needing to be overhauled. Sunderland and Reading, meanwhile, have managed to put some daylight between themselves and the rest of the chasing pack. We can still survive - but we've got to start winning to do so.

Chin up...it's not over yet

As I write there are less than 15 minutes left at St James' Park and things are looking bleak. After falling behind to a Mark Viduka goal in the sixth minute it was always going to be an uphill struggle. With Keegan's links to both sides maybe it was written in the stars that he would break his duck against us...

However, this result in isolation won't determine our season. We have a string of winnable home and away games coming up and they will prove to be the deciding factor so don't get too downhearted. Focus on the next match, then the one after, and we'll see where we are come May 11th.

UPDATE: Michael Owen makes it two with minutes left...game over for this weekend.

Saturday is for football

Already slightly irritated that I left it too late to buy Newcastle tickets, I ventured into town this morning to buy Easter Eggs. It was heaving. People shoving, fighting for car parking spaces and stomping around with miserable faces. It was grim stuff and made me realise something: Saturdays are for football. Whether we win, lose or draw this afternoon, those hardy souls that have made the trek up north will have missed out on the shops. And that's a victory in itself.

Something to make you smile

FtF joins Facebook

I have just launched the blog as a group on Facebook...or at least I hope I have! Any Facebook members that want to join are more than welcome...Click here and hopefully it should take you straight to the page...Any problems please let me know

Jari Litmanen back...

News on the official site is that Jari Litmanen is back training with the First Team. He lacks match fitness - tell us something we don't know - but Roy believes he may still play a crucial role in the run-in. I doubt it to be honest. By the time he gets fit the season will be over and I'm not sure how we'd accommodate him anyway.

A new look

With an hour to kill tonight I thought I'd have a play around with the blog...truth be told it was anything to keep my mine occupied and off worrying about our upcoming trip to the Toon on Saturday. Did it work? Yes, for about 20 minutes or so!
Anyhow, hope you like it - comments (good or bad) very welcome as always.

All up for Derby

Newcastle away has sold out but there are still tickets left for Derby away on Saturday 29th March so I would urge everyone to make a special effort to get there. Chairman Mo is once again laying on free coaches - I'm already booked on one of them - so hats off to him for that.
Adult tickets are only £29 - and that is a very good deal when you consider that includes the travelling costs as well. Click here to find out more.

Elsewhere, many congrats to our friends over at Craven Cottage Newsround who are on the shortlist for a blogging award. Let's hope they win as it will be richly deserved.

All hail the slippers

Forget Jimmy Bullard and Brian McBride - they haven't been the true catalysts for our return to winning ways...it is all down to a pair of slippers on the other side of the Atlantic. Brian of Craven Cottage Newsround fame has been wearing these during recent matches and each time we have come away with points. I promised a picture of them would go pride of place on the blog if we beat the toffees...so here we go" Apparently, rumours that Brian even has them on in the shower are wide of the mark.

UPDATE: Apparently they did make an appearance in the shower as well...but got a bit soggy!

Burst of enthusiasm

Isn't it funny what three points does for the moral eh? By 9am yesterday morning I was on the phone to the club to order tickets for Derby and Reading which I imagine will be two season defining games. I have even booked a seat on the coach for Derby as my partner in crime isn't able to make that match so let's just hope we pull a couple of away wins out of the bag.

Player rankings: Fulham v Everton

Here's how I scored the lads yesterday.

Keller: 7/10
Solid, dependable, and there when he was needed.

Konchesky: 7/10
Another good performance, although he didn't look quite so confident when he was pushed up the park and replaced at the back by Boca.

Hangeland: 8/10
Awesome display by the big fella. Kept Yakubu as quiet as a sleeping baby.

Hughes: 7/10
Competent and assured.

Stalteri: 7/10
Good display and also provided some testing crosses. Nice to see him getting forward.

Murphy: 5/10
One good touch; three bad. Frustrating but not as woeful as usual.

Bullard: 5/10
Not one of his better games. His passing radar was way off today.

Andreason: 7/10
Pushed out wide for much of the game but then brough into the centre. As ever, a solid game.

Davies: 6/10
Missed a golden opportunity to put us two up, but a great cross to find Brian for the goal.

Johnson: 6/10
An A for effort. Came close at the end and showed enough to indicate he will be good once he finds his Premiership feet.

McBridge: 7/10
Great goal. Age is catching up with him but he put in a terrific shift again.

Substitutes

Bocanegra: 6/10
Did everything that was required of him when he slotted into Konch's left back slot.

Volz: 6/10
Added steel to the midfield

Dempsey: 6/10
Looked very sharp in his brief appearance. Maybe a rest was just what he needed.

Man of the match: Brede Hangeland. A fantastic defensive display.

An opinion: Fulham v Everton

You can't describe this as a classic football match to watch and there were plenty of things not to like, such as Jimmy B's wayward passing, but it was an occasion on which the result mattered far more than the performance.

Ignore the media droning on about the Toffees' European hangover, this was a fantastic victory over a very good Everton side. One of the best, in fact, that has come out of that side of Merseyside for many years.

Roy got the tactics pretty much bang on. Having two players up front works infinitely better - I can recall us all chanting: Four, Four, Two at Coleman and, when he eventually conceded defeat and implemented this strategy, it helped turn us around.

I like the look of Eddie Johnson - despite the dogs abuse he was subjected to from some people behind me in the Hammy End. He's quick, unsettles defenders and possesses a fierce shot. It will come together for him and when it does we'll have a superstar on our hands.

It was a great goal from Brian who started to look back to his best; winning headers and putting himself about; and a great cross from Simon Davies, even though he squirmed the chance to put the match out of reach with an opportunity he can normally be relied upon to bury.

All in all a great day out.

YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Fantastic result; fantastic atmosphere; fantastic day out. On an absolute high this morning and will be back on with more later...

An apology

Almost 10 years ago we played Liverpool in the Carling Cup at Anfield. It was a fairly cold late October evening and I had to sit in the 'home' end having not secured tickets in time. We lost, although Paul Peschisolido scored a peach of a goal that, at one stage, allowed us to dream.

As the minutes ticked down with Michael Owen & Co well in command, the Fulham fans as one started singing: We'll be back in two years' time. It even drew a round of applause from our hosts and illustrated the great spirit we have at this club.

I was reminded of this during the depths of my mini-depression during the past 10 days following our painful - tho predictable - defeat at the hands of United. The defeat had sent me into a sulk from which I've only just emerging.

I haven't even been able to summon the enthusiasm to keep the blog updated. Sad? Yes. Pathetic? Undoubtedly, but football brings out the irrational animal in most of us. Or does it? Roy Hodgson, it appears, is above all that.

You don't hear him bemoaning his lot; whinging about the state of the pitch or the fact that the referees were against us. He just quietly, confidently, gets on with the job in hand. No fuss, no fanfare, no histrionics. I, for one, am glad that he is at the helm.

Now, quite frankly I think our number is up this season but I intend going to every match I can - home and away - to support our boys. Having the backing of the crowd might just swing the pendulum in our favour, and if it doesn't? Well, as we sang back in '98 we'll be back again.

A few pointers about yesterday

Right, cards on the table time. I'm angry, hurt and bloody miserable this morning so here's a list of factors associated with yesterday that are annoying the hell out of me this morning:

1. LG's marketing gimmick
Felt totally used by Diddie encouraging us all to hold up our "Come on Fulham" banners at the start of the match - no purpose other than to publicise LG's latest washing machine and make us look ridiculous. It appears to have worked on both grounds.

2. Late susbstitutions
Just what was supposed to be achieved by bringing on Joe and Nevland deep in injury time? Ridiculous. Brian should have been taken off half hour earlier and replaced by one of them rather than waiting until it was impossible for any difference to be made.

3. Lack of respect by players
We cheered and chanted throughout yesterday's match but they couldn't be bothered to come over and clap us. Bloody irritating. We are all in this dogfight together and that's why we need to stick together. Someone get this through to the players.

4. Stop the crap in the programme
If I read another 'interview' with a player spouting the usual PR guff of: we know we're in a dogfight; the team spirit is better than the war; the fans are everything...I will go mad. Pass the sick bowl and prove it on the pitch.

5. Shocking refereeing decisions
Nani. Need I say more? The only punishment his farcical dive received was when Konch shoved him into the advertising hoardings. Pathetic.

That will do for now.

It is starting to matter too much

Like the character in the excellent 'Fever Pitch', I have come to the conclusion that football means too much to me now. My own happiness is far too intertwined with the results on a Saturday afternoon (or Sunday, Tuesday evening, as it is now...) and I am struggling to cope with the highs and lows.

Now I appreciate how absurd this sounds. We are nowhere near the depths of where we have been in the not-too-distant past but the simple fact is I'm just not enjoying life as a football fan at the moment. It's not the fact we can't win to save our lives (although that might, of course, help) it's more the air of gloom and misery hanging over our season.

I crave - and have always done so - mid-table mediocrity. You know, the position where Aston Villa normally end the season. I would be delighted with having a fair share of wins and maybe taking a scalp or two among the big four now and again. But what we have now is absolutely soul destroying and I cannot wait until the end of the season.

Fulham v West Ham: Player Rankings

Here's how I rated the lads against West Ham. These are based purely on the game itself - I haven't been able to bring myself to watch any highlights yet.

Niemi - 6/10
The usual solid, dependable display. Not sure what to make of the goal when it came or where to apportion blame.

Stalteri - 6/10
A good display - especially for his home debut. Nice to have a 'specialist' in the right back role which has been filled by too many 'Jacks of all Trades' in recent years.

Hughes - 6/10
Good, solid display.

Hangeland - 6/10
Okay but looked very nervous and flustered for some reason today. Hope he regains his confidence before next weekend otherwise he will be ripped apart.

Konchesky - 7/10
Very good performance from our first choice left back. One of the very few good things that Sanchez did for this club was sign him.

Murphy - 5/10
A few decent touches but still too many balls going astray. We need a younger version of Murphy in this role because he simply isn't cutting it.

Andreason - 6/10
I like this lad. Played well in the middle and made some surging runs but sadly found no strikers to pass to. Ruined his performance by getting sent off. He must learn to keep his mouth shut.

Bullard - 6/10
Covered every blade of grass in the first half but died completely in the second. He looked absolutely shattered which I can't understand given the time since the last match.

Dempsey - 5/10
An okay performance but not one of his best. Had one of the best chances of the game but tried to lift it over Robert Green's head when a thunderbolt was needed.

Kamara - 5/10
Looks more menacing on the wing and cut in well but still holds the ball far too long before (reluctantly) looking for someone to whom he can pass.

McBride - 5/10
I never thought I'd say this but Brian was dreadful today. Maybe it was a lack of service but he just wasn't in the game at all. I can't even recall him winning a header.

Substitutes

Johnson - 6/10
Could not judge him properly on the little time he was given. Had a chance to make himself an instant hero but fluffed his lines and blazed over.

Man of the match: Paul Konchesky. Constantly tidied up at the back and supported our attacks.

Any hope gets a Hammering

On the miserable walk back alongside the Thames I heard a commentator on some fan's radio saying: "Fulham were very unlucky...but how often can you keep saying that?" I thought it summed up our season perfectly.

Yes we were unlucky; No we didn't deserve to lose (although we didn't do enough to earn a victory either); but we have said that after the vast majority of games this season. The simple fact is that we're not good enough - at the moment at least - to compete at this level.

We have the makings of a decent side but we need more time and that, sadly, is a commodity that is in rather short supply. After letting myself dream the impossible dream after the Villa game that we could avoid relegation, reality has finally dawned. We're going down.

Hopeful for the Hammers

I am ridiculously excited about today for some reason. Maybe it's the fact we haven't played for a couple of weeks but I really can't wait to get to the Cottage. The result? Well my heart says a 2-1 win to us; my head says it might be a draw.

There's no doubt about it we need those three points badly today. No news yet on team selection but i'd like to see Eddie Johnson given a berth on the bench and then a good half an hour at least to show us what he can do.

Come on you whites!

A competition with a difference

Here is something a bit different. Setanta are ranking the Premier League players who have taken the most shots without scoring. Guess who tops the list?

Sanchez stakes his claim

With utter disbelief i read this story in the Belfast Telegraph. The sheer neck of Lawrie Sanchez is absolutely breathtaking. He informs the readers that he believes he's a Premier League manager but admits he hasn't received any offers yet (is he really surprised?). He also makes the rather exaggerated claim that he was brought in to keep Fulham in the Premier League and succeeded. Yeah, okay, let's remind ourselves of the facts. Of the five games he was in charge at the end of last term we lost all three away games, drew at home against Blackburn and scraped a victory over Liverpool courtesy of Clint. That's four points out of 15. I'm pretty sure even I could have done that. Sorry to harp on about Sanchez but his self belief winds me right up.

Reality bites

After the euphoria of last weekend I'm finding the landing back down to earth today even bumpier than usual. Of course I knew it would be a tough ask to get all three points at the Riverside but I was hoping we'd come away with at least one. Things are not looking good - and you don't need me to tell you that. Three points against the Hammers in a fortnight's time are essential. I'm not holding out a lot of hope though.

Simon Elliott - Found Alive!!!

No, you're not seeing things. Our Kiwi midfielder is back. According to Volzy's website, Simon Elliott completed a reserve team game and scored a goal as well. You may be struggling to remember who this fella is but he was a pretty classy player signed by Cookie who was our specialist when it came to corners. A bit like the huge player you brought on in games of Subbuteo. He had a rather strange taste in hairstyle...although our old dear Clint probably gives him competition now...He has been out for a season and a half now and wasn't even allocated a squad number at the beginning of this term which I could never understand. Whether he can fight his way back into contention we'll have to wait and see but it's good to have him in the mix. I actually had the pleasure of meeting him and Boca after one match a couple of years back in the Boathouse - a pub/restaurant/bar just off Putney Bridge. Very nice guys and gracious considering the last thing they probably wanted to do was talk to an inebriated fan!

New Cottage anthem

For the benefit of those unfortunate enough not to be able to get to home games, here are the words to the latest anthem to reverberate around the Cottage.

Jim Bullard Bullard
He's better than Steve Gerrard
He's better/slimmer (it varies) than Frank Lampard
Jim Bullard Bullard

Player Rankings: Fulham v Aston Villa

Here's how I scored the lads for the match against Aston Villa.

Niemi - 6/10
Didn't have a lot to do but was solid when called upon. Didn't have a chance with the goal.

Konchesky - 6/10
Some shaky moments from our usually dependable left back but grew in stature during the second half.

Hughes - 5/10
A nightmare own goal. Still not sure how he managed to hoof it into his own net but disastrous all the same.

Hangeland - 7/10
Very good home debut by our new giant. Very reassuring to have someone of his size and ability in the heart of defence.

Baird - 5/10
Actually had a pretty good game despite a couple of howlers in the shape of giving the ball away. He certainly doesn't deserve all the abuse that comes his way.

Bullard - 9/10
An awesome display. There wasn't a blade of grass on the pitch that Bully didn't cover. A truly fantastic player who could be the difference between staying up and relegation.

Murphy - 5/10
Very average. Some of his passing was absolutely atrocious today. Still can't really see what he brings to the team.

Dempsey - 6/10
The usual hard, battling performance that we've come to expect from Dempsey who was playing in a more familiar (for him) attacking midfield role.

Andreasen - 8/10
What a find this lad is. He had a fantastic game. Hard tackles and some sweet touches meant his home debut went very well indeed.

Davies - 7/10
Quiet by his standards but a beautiful finish set us on the comeback trail.

Nevland - 7/10
Looks another good player. Clearly a very clever striker who left defenders stranded on a number of occasions. Would do better playing with a striking partner.

Substitutes
McBride - 7/10
It was like he'd never been away. Only on for a short time but won virtually everything in the air.

Kamara - 7/10
He's returned from the Africa Cup of Nations totally re-charged. Today he was full of running and passion, and it was a free kick he won that provided Bully with the chance to grab the winner.

Man of the Match: Jimmy Bullard. It was a good team performance but no-one came close to wrestling this award from Bully.

Viva La Jimmy!

Days like today make it all worthwhile. A fantastic, electric, gutsy performance and adrenaline pumping finale that secured us three very precious points. I don't think i'm overplaying its significance by saying that today's match against the Villa - our first victory over them since the early 1970s - is one of my favourite ever matches. The way we played, the dejection of going a goal behind and the remarkable comeback just ticked all the boxes for me.

This was a Fulham side totally re-energised. We were full of running, dominant in midfield and strong in defence. This is down to a couple of factors: the obvious influence of Roy Hodgson and his new signings; and the non-stop running of Jimmy Bullard. I'm reluctant to jump aboard the Bully bandwagon but the lad is quite simply awesome. He was everywhere.

I will be back on later with my rankings but suffice to say that if we keep turning in performances like this then safety may be within our reach.

Interview with Villa fans

We caught up with Damian who runs the excellent Aston Villa blog to ask his views on the season so far. Our thanks to him for his help.

Q. You’ve had a great season - are you happy with everything so far?
A. Am I happy with 5th? Yes, absofuckinglutely!

Q. What are your chances of getting a champions league slot?
A. I like to call it the Chumps League - only because it’s not really about the champions any more. When we won it in 82 it was about Champions but when Liverpool got in for finishing 5th it became all about the Chumps. But to answer your question, our chances are above average. We need a good run and for Liverpool and Everton to drop a few points.

Q. Who have been your best players this year?
A. Best players in no particular order; Olof Mellberg (who is leaving at the end of the season - last home game is Mellberg Day), Ashley Young and Gabby Agbonlahor - both have developed under O'Neill.

Q. What's your assessment of Zat Knight?
A. Knight is solid but he tends to switch off.

Q. Where could you improve your team?
A. I want to give you an opinion, but I'll leave that to Martin O'Neill!

Q. What do you make of Tom Hanks being a Villa fan
A. Me and Tom go way back. He asked me one day what team I supported and I told him about the Villa. After that he was a convert – he’s a very intelligent man!

Q. What do you make of Fulham so far?
Fulham have gone backwards this season and unless you start something soon you’re going to struggle. I expect Fulham to stay up but mostly through luck - Sanchez was a huge mistake.

Q. Who do you think will be relegated?
My gut tells me Derby, Wigan and Birmingham City.

Q. Who should we look out for this weekend?
A. If I had to pick one player I'd say Wayne Routledge because it’s going to be his debut and we've not got Ashley Young, who we normally try to channel stuff through. If Martin O’Neill can do for Routledge what he has done for others he could be a super star.

Q. What do you reckon the score will be?
Sorry, but 3-1 to the Villa.

Roy the Wheeler Dealer

Just a few hours to go now until the end of the transfer window and it looks like our Roy's done quite a good bit of business. We've already seen Brede Hangeland and Leon Andreasen on the pitch - and both look very useful - while Eddie Johnson and fellow striker Erik Nevland should be in the squad soon. In addition, we've today got confirmation that the hugely experienced Jari Litmanen is here to the end of the season, as well as the signing of defender Toni Kallio from the curiously named Swiss side BSC Young Boys. In addition, Fifa still hasn't made up its mind yet about whether we're allowed to have Daniel Cousin due to this quite frankly bizarre, non-sensical rule about not being able to play for three games in a season. Why a decision is taking so long is totally beyond me. Bureaucratic nonsense.

Sanchez: more neck than a giraffe

Fresh from destroying the backbone of our team and dumping us into the relegation zone, the wonderfully over-rated Lawrie Sanchez is now back in the jobs market (click here) It really does beggar belief. After being such a colossal failure you would at least think he'd have the good grace to lie low for a bit wouldn't you? Skin thicker than a rhino's backside.

A point in the bag

Not sure whether to be happy or disappointed with last night's result. The positives were our first point since Birmingham away on December 29th; our first clean sheet since the home match against Derby back in October; and two good debuts for new signings Leon Andreasen and Brede Hangeland. However, a point still leaves us four adrift of safety so it seems to be absurd to celebrate too much. There is a lot of work still to do but at least we're heading in the right direction.

Crunch match at the Reebok

So then, fingers crossed for three points tonight. It won't be enough to enable us to climb out of the relegation zone but it will give us some hope for the coming months. Roy Hodgson has confirmed that our new Norwegian giant Brede Hangleand will be in the starting 11 - and the rumour is that Bully may also get a full 90 minutes under his belt.

Good luck lads we really need this.

Super Bazza

Just been watching the Leicester v Crystal Palace match and delighted to see one of our old boys Barry Hayles get the winner...Also amused to read this description of his goal on the BBC website: "In a tight contest Hayles bundled home from close range with a minute to go."

How many times have we seen that eh? My abiding memory of Bazza was his continual hustling, backing into players and generally causing trouble; fantastic stuff.

However, it also got me thinking. When he first came (as our first ever £2m player if i recall correctly) there were plenty of us that thought Kevin Keegan had bought a duff player as he seemed to take an eternity to settle down...sound like anyone we know...Joe Kamara?

When Bazza got into his stride, however, he was a joy. My best ever memory: His last gasp goal in the FA Cup replay match against Southampton in a evening game at the Cottage which set us up for a trip to Old Trafford. Great memories. Good on ya Barry.

Slaven Bilic

Picking up on a line from Rich at CCN, Croatia coach Slaven Bilic was apparently at Bristol Rovers last night...just days after being spotted in the directors' box at the Cottage. Intriguing stuff eh? See here for a Times piece on it.

Oh dear

Does it get any worse than this? Being dumped out of the cup by a League One side...yes folks, that's the THIRD division of English football. By all accounts Jimmy Bullard was outstanding, yet cruelly it was his penalty miss that proved decisive.

For any other Premier League team the draws we've had in this year's competition would have been a dream come true. Bristol Rovers followed by Barnet. We should be dreaming of Wembley this morning not licking our wounds after yet another defeat.

A clutch of new signings have either been made or are about to be made, according to press reports, so hopefully we'll hear some confirmations later today to lift our spirits.

Fulham v Arsenal: Player rankings

Here's how I scored the lads against Arsenal.

Niemi - 6/10
Couldn't really be blamed for any of the goals as the lack of defence made saving them mission impossible. Nothing much to do apart from picking the ball out of the net.

Volz - 7/10
Has to share the blame for the defensive frailties as a member of the back four but made some nice runs and a few decent tackles.

Hughes - 5/10
Not a triumph for our centrebacks who allowed Adebayor to rise effectively unchallenged and left a gap as wide as the Dartford Tunnell for Rosicky to steal in for the third.

Stefanovich - 5/10
See the comments for Hughes...the same applies.

Bocanegra - 6/10
Had a decent game standing in for the suspended Konchesky although, once again, shipping three goals doesn't look good on the record of any of the back four.

Simon Davies - 5/10
Not one of his better games. Virtually anonymous for large parts of the game.

Steven Davis - 5/10
Thought he was unlucky to be subbed. A few good darting runs...despite the embarrassing spinning round with the ball (which ended up in Arsenal's possession and will no doubt feature on Soccer AM next Saturday)

Ki-Hyeon - 3/10
Showed a bit more effort than usual (although, of course, this wasn't hard) but when he stumbled and lost the ball after being put through by Murphy in the opening minutes you knew the writing was on the wall. The fact Hodgson pushed him up as a lone striker at one point was unbelievable.

Murphy - 7/10
Appeared to have put his shooting boots on the wrong feet but apart from that came closest to scoring and put some decent passes about. One of the only ones to emerge with much credit.

Smertin - 6/10
Pretty average performance. A few nice touches but 'out-muscled' much of the time as Big Ron would say. Good to see him back all the same.

Dempsey - 8/10
For sheer endeavour and fight you have to give him full marks again. Had a thankless task as the lone man up front but battled continuously...even with his bizarre tangerine boots! Also got the ball in the back of the net - even though it was ruled offside.

Substitutes:

Bullard - 7/10
Obviously lacked match fitness but was full of running and passion. Fantastic to have him back in the side.

Healy - 7/10
Should have been on from the start. Things start to open up when this lad is playing.

Kuqi - 6/10
His physical presence unsettled the Arsenal defence when he came on. If he'd been given longer he might have given us a bit of hope.

Man of the match: Clint Dempsey. For sheer grit and determination you can't fault this guy. Murphy and Volz were contenders.

Truly woeful

We got exactly what we deserved: nothing. Roy's team selection was - to put it bluntly - absolutely bizarre. The idea, it seems, was to pack the midfield and nullify Arsenal's flowing passing game and leave poor old Clint Dempsey on his own up front. This bloke must be biting his fists in frustration at being played out of position every game.

Needless to say this didn't work. Arsenal knocked the ball around with consumate ease. At times our players were just left watching them. It wasn't that they weren't prepared to put in the effort - they just had no idea what to do. And the ease with which Adebayor rose to head in his goals (unchallenged) was just totally embarrassing.

Instead of getting in their faces and going for the win (as ludicrous as that might sound) like Birmingham did so successfully last weekend, we played for a draw and got absolutely annihilated. The watching Hangeland must be wondering what the hell he has let himself in for by signing up although at the very least I guess he is assured of a starting position each week.

I will be back on later with some comments from Arsenal fans, my player rankings and a few comments about the odious Adebayor and his incitment of fans in the Hammy End.

Interview with Arsenal fans

We caught up with the lads from the Inside Arsenal blog to ask their thoughts ahead of our match with the Gunners. Our thanks to them for their help.

1. How do you feel your season is going so far?
Many pundits wrote us off and it did seem that it would be a tough season ahead after the departure of Thierry Henry. It was really dependent on how the team would cope without him. They have been freed and to be joint top in January is brilliant and higher than many Gooners expected.

2. What silverware do you expect to collect this year?
I would hope we can win at least one cup. The Premiership will still be a tough challenge. With so many big teams out of the FA Cup I would hope Wenger's success here could continue. If we beat Tottenham on Tuesday, I fancy us in the Carling Cup.

3. Who have been your star performers and why?
Bakary Sagna - He came in any many wondered why Wenger bought a new right back. He has made our defence more solid and is good going forward. Always gives 100%.
Cesc Fabregas - faded a little lately but at the start was amazing. The new leader after Henry left and has been the fulcrum for the team.
Kolo Toure & William Gallas - together they have formed an awesome partnership and been one reason we are where we are.
Emmanuel Adebayor - Flourished since Henry left and has worked hard alll season, even when alone up front.

4. Has anything disappointed you this year?
The form of Gilberto and Walcott - Gilberto has dipped so much lately. Last season he was awesome, now he gives the ball away and adds no fight to the midfield. Theo has not come along as fans would have hoped. He still has much to learn.

5. Who do you see as your main rivals now?
Manchester United and Chelsea right now but surely Liverpool will click into gear soon?

6. What’s your view of Fulham?
Under Roy Hodgson they might be rejuvenated and against Chelsea they were unlucky. Whether they can keep working that hard and score more goals than they concede, we will see.

7. Are you concerned about any of our players?
Marlon King will add potency to the attack and on his debut could cause problems. Niemi has hade many a good game against us in the past.

8. Who do you think will be relegated this year?
Derby, Sunderland, Boro

9. What’s your score prediction for this weekend?
Fulham 1-3 Arsenal

Match of the Day

You never know we may get an earlier billing than the usual five to midnight this weekend considering we're playing the Arse. Quite frankly unless we're playing one of the top four it's completely pointless any Fulham fan watching this outdated programme. Most weeks they don't even give us the courtesy of discussing our game...or the two and a half minutes shown.

The only time we've had coverage is on Match of the Day 2 (does anyone apart from me watch this?) with Adrian Chiles...and then it was a story about our poor support...yawn.

Things are looking up

Forget what's happening up in Tyneside (heck, I love Keegan and am pleased his back but the round-the-clock coverage on SSN is surely overkill?) things are finally starting to happen at Fulham with the signing of Brede Hangeland - a tough looking Norwegian centre-back - and the soon-to-be-confirmed arrival of Marlon King from Watford.

I haven't seen Brede play - although Roy used to be his manager so he's not a blind purchase - but he looks like he fits the bill very nicely and should come straight into the team. Who is best paired with him? Both Hughes and Stefanovich have been okay this season so I guess it will be down to which pair form the best partnership.

King has a good strike record although he is pretty much untested in the Premiership. The goals montage on CCN made for good viewing and if he bags a goal on his debut which could feasibly be tomorrow against the Gunners it could see the start of a very happy relationship. A bit sad to see Collins John leaving (albeit on loan initially) but he's failed to make the grade despite being given plenty of chances. Maybe a spell in the Championship will relight his fire so to speak.

Am trying to get an interview with a Gooner and if i do it will be posted up later....