[Archived] Fulham 2-1 Rovers

[colin]

17th December at Craven Cottage

Well (That’s for FLB) I don’t know why I volunteered for this one. I don’t have any mates who are Fulham fans, so I posted a “hello & have a chat” to Fulham fans on

http://www.voy.com/13865/newpost.html

Unlike this forum, the subjects get “dropped” regardless of the last posting so the original post tends to disappear quite quickly. I’ve dropped in some of the more interesting comments in a random “Stevie Wonder v David Blunkett left-handed darts match” style.

Lets start off with some “interesting” facts:

1.Both teams are managed by Welshman, so they should be hitting each other with leeks across the technical areas. Or singing two part harmony versions “Men Of Harlech.” These stereotypes are fun aren’t they?

2.Both managers played for Rovers.

3.Ian Pierce played for Rovers and is now in the Fulham squad (which will be of interest to Hannah if no one else)

4.Both clubs were promoted at the end of the 2000-2001 season and have stayed up since. That season they beat us 2-1 twice. The bounders.

5.Both clubs have had rich benefactors. We’ve had Jack Walker, they’ve got Mohammed Ali. Both have lost interest, although Jack has a far better excuse.

6.Both clubs have bought a very expensive donkey:

• Jean (the wonderful thing about) Tigger bought Steve Marlet for £11.5m from Lyon in August 2001. Steve was hopeless, perpetually injured, & went on loan to Marseilles in August 2003 then on a free to Wolfsberg August 2005

• Regimental Sergeant Major Sourness bought Grabbi for £7m in June 2001 from Ternana in Serie B in Italy. Soccernet notes that “Although he soon became something of a cult figure at Ewood Park the goals did not flow, and before long the rumours of a return to Italy emerged.*”

*I think there is a spelling mistake in there – someone has hit the “l” instead of the “n.”

7.Both clubs have done reasonably well since they got promoted back in 2001 although I’m sure that Fulham fans will agree that both clubs have been rather patronised by the press ever since. If Fulham play Arsenal then it’s a report on the Arsenal game. If we play Liverpool then it’s a report on the Liverpool game.

Author: Zoltan

Subject: Fulham played Rovers last home game of the season sometime in the late 70s (possibly 1977/8) at the Cottage. Nothing depended on the result, and the game was drifting to a 1-1 draw when Rovers were awarded a last minute penalty at the Putney end. The Fulham 'keeper saved the kick, and the ball came back to the penalty taker who had the simple task of putting the ball into the empty net. Instead, however, he jumped over the ball and the Fulham defence cleared - apparently the Rovers player thought he wasn't allowed to touch the ball again, even though the Fulham 'keeper had saved his shot!

This season we have already beaten Fulham at Ewood 2-1 with those two jaw-dropping wonder-goals from MGP & Tugay.

2004-05 we beat them 2-0 at Craven Cottage when little Zat Knight was sent off and Dickov scored from a penalty. Paul Gallagher slotted home the other.

Then at Ewood, our last home game of the season, they stuffed us 3-1 with Leroy Rosenior and Craig Short both being sent off for girly-squabble pushing and pulling of pig-tails. It was Craig’s last game for us and he should have known better. A sad end to a fine spell with us.

Author: noza

Subject: Re: My memory was that w*nker Sourpuss claiming to be the better team even though you had lost miserably. Even now I sometimes forget not to hate Blackburn because of him.

2003-04 they stuffed us again at Ewood with Saha & Boa Morte scoring. Both Amorous and the wee ned Ferguson were singled out in both the Guardian and the Lancashire Evening Telegraph as having nightmares. The Sergeant Major blamed the old witch “Lady Luck.” Happy days eh?

But hey hey, my my , rock & roll will never die. In the return match in April 2004 we went to The Cottage and won 4-3 with Cole, Douglas, Amorous and Steadinho slotting home. Did I just say slotting? I really must stop myself. That win took us out of a relegation place, and then three wins against Leicester, Everton & The Red Scum got us ending the season in a magnificent 15th place.

Author: Bunty

Subject: Personally quite wary of Morten Gamst Pedersen

2002-03 saw us win against them at Ewood in December with the big bad bald Brad having a brilliant game & saving a Marlet (see above) penalty. Rufus Breville (the full back, who would go on to become Frank Sidebottom’s toaster puppet) scoring a fantastic own goal. “ Roooooofus, Roooooofus” sang the Blackburn End in a, quite frankly, gloating and unsympathetic manner, Rovers’ other goal was scored by a waster called Yorke who accidentally diverted a Duff cross into the Fulham net. Probably off his fat arse.

Author: Dave L

Subject: Highlight against Blackburn was Sean Davis's injury team winner with 10 men to more or less seal the Championship in 2000. I was there and went absolutely ballistic

Then in April we toddled down to Loftus Road (the decorators were in at The Cottage) and thumped them 4-0 with Hakan Suker twice twanging the twine*, pie-boy Dunn bending the net with a penalty and Duff bulging the onion bag.

*Allah be praised, I’ve just remembered that second one – pure magic wasn’t it? I’m just going for a rummage in the video collection.

Author: Southfield White

Subject: Yeah watch out for our England centre back Zat Knight. He may even win a header against Paul Dickov if were lucky. If you’re thinking of buying him then you’ll have to give us £50, or we may even settle for a set of tracksuits like the ones we paid his previous club for.

I think we’ve gone far enough back in time to list the players from that day and we can all go “Gosh, hasn’t it all changed?”

We saw Friedel, Berg, Duff, Dunn, Shagger, Tugay, Cole, Vlad The Impala, Neill & Suker. Subs used were Taylor & Gillespie.

There now follows a short film clip of monthly pages of a calendar being torn off and blowing away in the wind to notify the passing of time. Only in this case the film is going in reverse

Finally we come to the first recorded league meeting of Rovers and Fulham. Ewood, 17th October 1936. We lost 2-0.

That season we finished 12th in the old second division, one point below Fulham but above The Dingles who were 13th. On goal difference. The gap is widening.

Author: BalDrick

Subject: On a slightly more serious note, our games against you are regularly good indicators for how things are going at the club - beating you 2-1 with 10 men, everything was rosy; losing 4-0 at Loftus Rd in what may have been Tigana's last game (and the only one I can recall leaving early), we would have been relegated if JT had stayed any longer. As the 'class of 2000', I always make a point of looking at yours and Bolton's scores - who'd have thought after the way we and you ruled that league that Bolton would be arguably the most successful of the 3 in the Prem? We still hate Souness by the way, but you do too now don't you?

Author: Colin

Subject: Re: Fulham v Blackburn Rovers

In reply to: Colin 's message, "Fulham v Blackburn Rovers" on Saturday, November 26, 12:36:21am

”We still hate Souness by the way, but you do too now don't you?”

Yes we most certainly do.

Stats:

Fulham Home record this season

P 7 W4 D1 L2 Goals for 10 Goals Against 7

Rovers away this season

P 8 W1 D2 L5 Goals for 5 Goals against 13

Fulham’s top league scorers are: McBride with 5; John with 4; and Boa Morte & Jensen 2 each.

Rover’s are: Bellamy, Dickov & Pederson each with 4 and Kuqi on 3

A veritable wardrobe of Rovers’ stats

here

and the same for Fulham

here

Fulham were beaten by “The Big Club” today (who registered their first win at St Andrex all season) so they can’t be that good. Can they…………….?

1p prize for the most outlandish "prediction" masquarading as informed guess-work which would result in bankruptcy if it were to be presented at a turf accountant.

Go.........

Edited December 10, 2005 by colin

[Exiled in Toronto]

Thanks Colin, a nice eclectic tour round one of the least enthralling fixtures.

Excellent stats site, never seen that before. Only Sunderland have fewer clean sheets than us, and a nice 12 goals conceded in the last 6 league games tells me that we might have to score to get something at the cottage.

Fulham 2 (Hill, Haynes)

Rovers 2 (Emerton 2)

16,127

(No prizes for guessing which of those scorers lists is the more likely)

[1864roverite]

I think Rovers can nick this one and get a first double of the season.

Rover should adopt a 4-5-1 formaion for the first half, then with the score 0-0 change to 4-4-2 and let the kuqi Monster strut his stuff and scor ethe all important winner

1-0 Rovers

[Rovers Air Force]

5.Both clubs have had rich benefactors. We’ve had Jack Walker, they’ve got Mohammed Ali. Both have lost interest, although Jack has a far better excuse.

Good to see a dark sence of humour!

2-1 Blackburn my bet!

[Eddie]

Good preview...though am I the only one who was confused by it? I'm still trying to find out exactly what's going on.

[AlanSheppard]

Excellent preview as ever Colin. It's always fun reading your works.

[s_simpson_9]

Clap Clap Clap

No disrespect to all and sundry but i think that is the best review I have ever read.

The 4-0 at Craven cottage. My missus got frost bite on her butt that night. seriously. it was a mild case. but it was the funniest thing ever.

duffer and dunn I cant help but reminisce.

3-1 to the bully boys.

Them to go 1-0 up early.

MGP, Neill, Savage to right the ship.

[Flopsy]

Fulham are very good at home and Boa Morte, who always gives us a hard time (well Lucas anyway) will be back from suspension i think.

2-1 Fulham

[philipl]

Pure class Colin- brilliant stuff.

Haven't seen anything of yesterday's resurrection against the Hammers yet so cannot comment on that other than to say that the performance of the treatment room seems to be the most important determinant of the game at the Cottage.

But boy we are showing some real pluck and determination now and those qualities ought to be too much for Fulham no matter who we put on the park next week.

[Bobby G]

Crashing back down to earth. Inconsistent results the only thing we need to stamp out...

[American]

The 4-0 at Craven cottage. My missus got frost bite on her butt that night. seriously.  it was a mild case. but it was the funniest thing ever.

366210[/snapback]

That'll teach her she should be wearing knickers...

[SAS]

be a tough game, but certainly winnable

anyone going down on train

we are catching the 9:41am from manchester piccadilly

[Hypo-Luxa]

Great preview Colin.

Agreed we should definately win this one.

Dickov gets yet another goal and Gamst follows to remain joint leaders in goals for the team and Big Bri gets a goal for Fulham in the last seconds of the game.

Sounds good to me!

[Oklahoma]

2-1 Rovers

MGP and Dickov for us~

Boa Morte for them

[nonaynevernomore]

fulham...0

blackburn...2

goals from dickov and an own goal.

is the match televised

[BRFC4EVA]

How are ticket sales going for this game? I presume it will be pay on the day at the gate or at least thats what im relying on!

We have a excellent recent record at C/C, but they are good at home and have boa morte and dioup back from the b'ham game

Fulham 1-1 Rovers

Bently.

[AussieinUk]

I presume it will be pay on the day at the gate or at least thats what im relying on!

366332[/snapback]

Hope your right, I'm doing the same - took your advice on the charlton game and you were right then!!

Edited December 11, 2005 by AussieinUk

[greggyk]

And even if you dont get tickets. Fulham have a neutral section which is fantastic to sit in! Aslong as your sitting with a few rovers fans around ya.

[Presty On Tour]

ass whooping!!

0-5 rovers

savage

m.g.p

bentley

kuqi

jansen

happy days

[OJRovers]

Fulham 0 - 2 Rovers

Pederson, Kuqi (the bomb)

Hopefully

[Duff's Minder]

The 4-0 at Craven cottage. My missus got frost bite on her butt that night. seriously.  it was a mild case. but it was the funniest thing ever.

366210[/snapback]

it was freezin that night wasn't it? It was the scene of the worst 1st date I ever went on. Poor girl had never been to a match before and she was wearing her office suit. I ended up having to give her my coat and never got a 2nd chance.

Worst bit was that we were sat in the Fulham stand (next to Mark Crossley's Dad who was a nice bloke) so I couldn't even celebrate too much.

Apart from that these games are usually great, can't wait

3-1 Rovers with Kuqi getting 2

[Jim J]

is the match televised

366322[/snapback]

It is on ART Sport 1, so it could well be on in the local public houses.

Not that I condone the illegal screening of football.

[BRFC4EVA]

How are ticket sales going? Pay on the day i guess?

[Presty On Tour]

last premiership game before xmas!!

3 points from down south would be a well nice xmas pressy for rovers.

i fancy our chances down the cottage.

coleman is feeling the heat from somewhere and im not talking about the weather after losing to brum we could really turn the knife!!

[Lee]

How are ticket sales going? Pay on the day i guess?

366544[/snapback]

Yes you can pay on the door