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.