Eight year anniversary

A bit of spring cleaning this weekend unearthed the ticket stub from my very first game at Craven Cottage: Fulham v Blackburn eight years ago today. It's interesting to see the old stadium diagram on the back of the ticket. Away fans in the A&B sections of the then Stevenage Road Stand (now Johnny Haynes Stand of course) with the Putney End no longer broken up with a 'neutrals' area.

Of course the old look Craven Cottage used to have a standing area - terracing at the front of Stevenage Road Stand - which is what attracted me to the match in the first place. Unfortunately I didn't get the chance to stand and watch as my ticket was bought for me by a work contact (play Namco games, kids) but I was still given a complementary Fulham poncho in case I got wet. I've still got it somewhere, as well as I had no reason to unpack it on the day.
The game itself is an odd one for me. I knew Fulham won, but was a bit fuzzy on the score. I thought it was 2-1 to Fulham, but it turns out the game ended 2-0 to the whites. What I did have a clear memory of was the Blackburn red card. Excpet I thought it was Brett Emerton getting sent off, not Craig Short. And I thought it was much earlier in the game than the 90th minute. I can't remember a thing about the goals scored. reading the match report archived on Fulhamweb, it sounds like a cracking match but none of it rings a bell. All I remember with clarity is a Blackburn player getting a red.
Mind you, the number of times I've had to refer to this very blog to remind myself what happened in a game, what the score was and if I was even at the Cottage for a match, is a little disconcerting. I've started using the site as a virtual football memory.

Fulham 1 - 0 Portsmouth

A much welcomed and needed three points against a team which needed them even more but could not find the killer instinct to take what they deserved. Pompey were on top for an hour and their fans (no doubt in gallows humour mode) were even better, but could not make the most of it, which is probably why they are down at the bottom. It appears to be very easy to lose games playing nice football, which is why Roy Hodgson should be commended over the way he has brought relative success to SW6.
This game saw two very welcome debuts - one from a tireless forward who seemed to dribble through defenders rather than around them, the other from a calming influence on the back line - an actual left back. Nicky Shorey's first appearance in a Fulham shirt was remarkably accomplished, both in defence and going forward, and allowed Hughes to return to the centre where he can direct Hangeland. They did look a much more coherent unit in this match than the Villa game, except at right back where Stephen Kelly looks woefully short on confidence, especially when pushing foward. He seems a shadow of the player from two months ago in Basle.
Jonathan Greening, back on the left wing, didn't really offer much attacking impetus, in fact after half an hour he was letting Shorey get on with tearing up field, before becoming an unlikely match winner by placing a deflected Duff cross in the back of the net. Zamora may have been offside (and definitely affecting play) but for once Fulham got the rub of the green and Avram Grant got another grievance to put in his vastly overflowing grievance bag. A lot of people seem to have some sympathy for Pompey and their current plight, but I can't decide where I stand on the situation. The fans seemed happy enough when they were spending beyond their means to win the FA Cup, but there for the grace of Mo go Fulham fans. They know the team is spending beyond their means because it is backed by Al Fayed, but should he sell up - what would happen then?
Goalless at half time, we all reflected on how lucky Fulham were to escape when over the tannoy Diddy David Hamilton read out someone's proposal of marriage. Thankfully the Cottage didn't let anyone down by belting out a quick, traditional burst of 'You don;t know what you're doing' and everything was good with the world.
After an hour of the game (and after Kelly had been subbed) the wind began to change in Fulham's favour and they actually looked like they wanted to win it and could. Before this point, the players were out-muscled and out-fought by a desperate Pompey team. Fulham really do need a clogger and maybe Etuhu can stamp his authority on games again now he is back from the African Nations Cup.
A quick mention of the referee - Anthony Taylor made his Premier League debut in this game and my, what a performance. It was like some promo from Ashes to Ashes as some of the tackles he let go were distinctly of a 1980s flavour. It's likely that's just how games go where he's from - Wythenshaw in Manchester. I used to work in a bookies in Wythenshaw and that was rough as hell, so it's likely he's used to seeing much, much worse. I hope he clamps down a little in the next game he officiates though for the sake of his own career and the careers of some of the footballers on the receiving end of some of the 'legitimate' tackles he's prepared to let go.

Attendance: Me, Jarrod +1

Window shopping

OUTS

Diomansy Kamara: What a strange in and out player he was for Fulham. His reputation grew as he was injured/sat on the bench this season, but I think he was more a lucky talisman than a consistently brilliant player. Dio gave me my favourite moment watching Fulham, the last-minute, overhead kick equaliser which managed to lob Paul Robinson from the edge of the box in a scintillating 3-3 draw. It was very much Kamara's introduction that gave Fulham the impetus to avoid the drop during the Great Escape, but all his best work has been away from home so I never really connected with him. I hope he does well in Scotland.

Seol Ki-Hyeon: Another enigma, but one with fair less drive than the man from Senegal. Seol had flattered to deceive as a winger and was even less convincing as an auxiliary forward. He will not be missed, which is why the club could get away with simply terminating his contract.

Chris Smalling: It appears that Smalling's strange signing by Manchester United could be the biggest deal in the January transfer window. I don't think anyone would have expected that. Rumours of £8m up front with another £4m of top-ups mean that most fans completely understand why Fulham have sold up. For United it's an unusual type of deal for them, especially given the fact that Smalling hasn't played many Premier League matches. But he has impressed in Europe, I just didn't think he'd impressed THAT much.
But Smalling's not going until summer so he's still here, like Banquo's ghost only less effective especially when teamed with Hangeland. Fergie must have been squirming in his seat at the Cottage on Saturday after the less than stellar defensive performance on show.

Tony Kallio: I've seen this guy play a handful of games since his arrival, but can't actually remember anything about him. If he can't force his way into a team which has no other fit left backs, you've got to wonder what he's done to annoy Hodgson.

INS

Nicky Shorey: An old, respected name but I'd not realised that he hadn't been playing at Villa and was plying his trade in the Championship for Forest. Desperately needed in the short-term and should provide some competition in the left back position when Konchesky gets fit, something I think is long overdue.

Stefano Okaka: Signed off from Roma in some style with a late, backheeled winner but didn't particularly stand out when playing Fulham in the Europa League, despite scoring the winner in Rome. A shame he is cup tied for Europe though, especially with Kamara moving on.

Christopher Buchtmann: Jokes about his surname aside, all the evidence suggests that this 17-year-old kid is a steal from Liverpool's reserves. £100,000 for a player described as one of  UEFA's 'Top 10 Stars of the Future' in May 2009? Fantastic! Knowing Roy he won't even get a game during his 18 month contract. Whatever happened to Giles Barnes?

Fulham 0 - 2 Aston Villa

What a strange old match this was. Not without excitement, but somewhat lacking a storyline. Agbonlahor's two goals just before half-time neutering any drama.
Fulham are a sorry state without their full backs, who are so important to their forward drive. Hughes at right back was somewhat timid in crossing the halfway line and was desperately missed in the middle, where Hangeland and the increasingly expensive looking Smalling were carrying out some kind of Laurel & Hardy tribute act. Hangeland alone has been woefully out of sorts since returning from injury and was at fault for both goals. To me it looked like Agbonlahor's first goal was a foul on Smalling but his second was well taken. It was a shame that he spoilt it all with his lack of class by goading the Hammy End for no reason at all. Villa's goals actually came during Fulham's best spell of the first half as the Villains had spurned a couple of great opportunities earlier in the match.
Fulham had their chances throughout the game, but never looked deadly and rarely coherent. The second half was mainly Fulham 'attacking' but Friedel in the Villa goal only had to pull off a couple of good saves to keep a clean sheet.
Subs Riise and Elm combined well, but the latter's goal was unfortunately scrubbed off by a linesman's flag which earlier in the game appeared to be activated whenever Nevland got the ball. Bobby Z did well, but at times had to run onto his own flick-ons because of the lack of white shirts running beyond him.
The biggest cheer of the game came late on when a ball boy caught a badly directed looping ball. The little scamp (and I do mean little - Fulham's Ball Boys are tiny) lapped up the applause.
The strange match saw a Villa side not playing particularly well, yet comfortably winning. The ref Lee Mason had an odd day too, seemingly blowing up whenever a Villa player hit the deck but allowing the away team (Heskey in particular) to get away with some rough stuff.
In essence Villa physically and psychologically wanted the game more than an increasingly ragged looking Fulham side, but I would doubt they would come away with 3 points from many other opposition grounds playing like they did on Saturday. Roll on Wednesday and hopefully a chance to arrest this losing streak.

Attending: Me, Col and Rob.

Collection point

Looking ahead to six home games (and one away game) in three weeks, I checked on the teams still to visit the Cottage. This weekend against Villa aside (although the last two seasons have seen two home wins), Fulham have a chance of filling their boots at Craven Cottage during the rest of the season.
The last 8 games could see 7 home wins (assuming a defeat by Man City - although Birmingham will be far trickier given the way they are playing).

Portsmouth
Burnley
Birmingham City
Stoke City
Manchester City
Wigan
Wolves
West Ham United

21 points on top of the current points tally will give 48 points, which was enough for 11th place last year. This is assuming there will be no points reaped on their travels, but only games at Hull and Bolton suggest the possibility of any.
This would suggest that Fulham will finish around about the half way point, well away from the European spots, but given the way the FA Cup and Carling Cup is shaping up it is unlikely that 7th will reap a European slot this year. I think many Fulham fans would have taken that at the start of the season, especially with qualification for the second stage of the Europa League secured.
And with participation in the last 32 of the Europa League and last 16 of the FA Cup, what can Fulham expect in the knock-out competitions? The tie against Notts County or Wigan is eminently winnable, mainly because it's at Craven Cottage. Another favourable (home) draw in the quarters could see a trip to Wembley for the semi-finals. Christ, anything goes! And as for Shaktar... have Fulham anything to lose? They're already further than expected.
Of course the one thing is is scuppering progress at the moment is the injury list which stayed remarkably short last year. It's extremely fortuitous that Hodgson strengthened the squad for Europe as it has become essential for the league.
Hangeland and Johnson have been rusty since returning from injury, but the team looks light up front and in the full back positions now. A little bit of jiggery pokery in the loan market here could pay great dividends to the team, even if it's only to recall Stoor from Derby County. James Beattie could be useful as a handful upfront and a reserve to Bobby Z. That's if Elm is not up to the job.