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.

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

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?

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.

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?

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.