[Archived] Fulham Preview

[cn174]

We barely created that many chances and in the second half we were quite nervous and had ran out of ideas until Villanueva, Tugay and Derbs came on.

Surely that is the point of substitutions though eh?

Wasn't a great game by any means but we looked ok. Our defence certainly looked a lot less shaky than last week. Thought Emerton did well in the centre, much, much better than Reid. Onwards and upwards!

[SIMON GARNERS 194]

THE result we all needed but thank god for the two great saves from Robbo!

Our side looked stronger when Derbyshire and Carlos came on..I would start both against Newcastle.Good to see the fans get behind the side too,made a change

[Rover Down Under]

Awesome, couldn't believe we weren't 1-0 at half time. Much improved defence and midifield. Apart from the horrible tackle Andrews did well, Simpson was solid but Carlos was bloody inspirational, Tugay lifted the team and Carlos lifted them even further. He is not pacey but his vision and passing were sublime, just what we need in midfield. Interesting to hear Ince's interview where he describes Derbs as not sulking cos he is on the bench, wonder who he was subtely referring to....?

[gumboots]

Havent watched a home game against a side we should be winning against where we looked THIS likely to lose and believe me if Fulham had scored we would have lost.

We barely created that many chances and in the second half we were quite nervous and had ran out of ideas until Villanueva, Tugay and Derbs came on.

I hadnt seen Carlos play but I thought he was a danger everytime he got on the ball and the only doubt I have about him is a lack of pace. I dont think he will be physically overrawed as his trickery will mean he gets loads of freekicks but he had a touch of class that we havent seen at Ewood Park. His little shrug of the shoulders and hit to the bottom right corner of the post which missed out was a brilliant bit of skill.

Overall, I thought Derbyshire rescued Ince from criticism, a poor performance, a bad result and that a curtain has been pulled onto some people's eyes.

I didnt see any sign for optimism today for the team, although Paul Robinson is getting better and better by the game.

Some people are determined to be negative. I'm not getting carried away but the whole team showed more togetherness today than I've seen so far. Of course we were nervous. We've been thumped the last couple of matches and while the score remains 0-0 you can always concede just the kind of sloppy goal we have a habit of conceding and lose. Surely effective use of subs is part of being a manager and the subs we brought on did their jobs well. Whether they'd have done as well if they'd been on earlier is a matter for conjecture. I went to the game expecting little. What we got was a win. We didn't look seriously troubled by Fulham for most of the game. It took the foul that wasn't on Treacey to really get the team and the crowd warmed up but from that moment we looked by far the more likely team to win. Wasn't a good performance but it was acceptable with a lot of players seeming to have accepted the responsibility for the last few results and lifted their game. Simpson looked good at right back and Emerton was definitely Man of the Match for me because he not only played in several different positions and nearly scored but he chased and harried all afternoon like he was on a personal crusade. Good to see our defence encouraging one another instead of arguing among themselves and good to see Robinson looking like he was organising and encouraging too.

[Claytons Left Boot]

I didnt see any sign for optimism today for the team, although Paul Robinson is getting better and better by the game.

How about:-

A clean sheet and three points.

Robinson getting better and better and growing in confidence.

A much improved defence and improved performances from all four.

Great display from Emerton, could be the box to box midfielder we need.

Treacy's continued involvement will surely benefit his game.

You've got to be optimistic when you see the introduction of Villanueva.

On the flip side, Gamst, Andrews, Roberts not good enough for me but they don't need to feature every week.

Nelson was feeling his hamstring late on which is obviously not a good sign.

Omwards and upwards.

I didnt see any sign for optimism today for the team, although Paul Robinson is getting better and better by the game.

How about:-

A clean sheet and three points.

Robinson getting better and better and growing in confidence.

A much improved defence and improved performances from all four.

Great display from Emerton, could be the box to box midfielder we need.

Treacy's continued involvement will surely benefit his game.

You've got to be optimistic when you see the introduction of Villanueva.

On the flip side, Gamst, Andrews, Roberts not good enough for me but they don't need to feature every week.

Nelson was feeling his hamstring late on which is obviously not a good sign.

Omwards and upwards.

I didnt see any sign for optimism today for the team, although Paul Robinson is getting better and better by the game.

How about:-

A clean sheet and three points.

Robinson getting better and better and growing in confidence.

A much improved defence and improved performances from all four.

Great display from Emerton, could be the box to box midfielder we need.

Treacy's continued involvement will surely benefit his game.

You've got to be optimistic when you see the introduction of Villanueva.

On the flip side, Gamst, Andrews, Roberts not good enough for me but they don't need to feature every week.

Nelson was feeling his hamstring late on which is obviously not a good sign.

Omwards and upwards.

[gumboots]

OK we heard you the first time!

[Fylde Coast Fan]

I thought Andrews had an alright game today - he's not exactly going to set the Prem alight with his ball skills but from what I saw (most of the second half) he made some decent passes and I quite like his forward runs - although against a stronger team than Fulham he'd be leaving his central midfield partner dangerously exposed.

Good to see Treacy play (and do well), and those three points are definitely a relief. Carlos has to play now, surely.

[24right]

Robinson is clearly growing in confidence and his 2 saves were fantastic. There was a major improvement when the team was changed during the 2nd half. Good use of subs, but it begs the question why not play them in the first place? Emerton has been tremendous since returning from injury.

Tugay makes such a difference as he collects the ball from the back 4 and makes things tick, instead of it just being lumped up to Roberts/Roque. Once a legend always a legend........

[John]

I think it was an excellent result because we were playing a team whose confidence was sky high (and ours was low due to recent scorelines).

In addition, we had 3 central midfielders missing through injury, who all would probably start in Inces' first choice eleven (not sure on Reid).

[gumboots]

I thought Andrews had an alright game today - he's not exactly going to set the Prem alight with his ball skills but from what I saw (most of the second half) he made some decent passes and I quite like his forward runs - although against a stronger team than Fulham he'd be leaving his central midfield partner dangerously exposed.

Good to see Treacy play (and do well), and those three points are definitely a relief. Carlos has to play now, surely.

Andrews was unlucky not to score in the first half and Villanueva is still far from strong enough to last a whole game against premiership opposition. He's had chickenpox. At his age it can be very weakening. He needs to be eased in carefully with the manager picking the games and how big a part of each game he plays. Part of his impact today was that he only had to do it for about 20 mins. He looks good but we need to temper our expectations of him with a large dose of reality. He might set the prem alight but not if we expect too much too soon.

[Fylde Coast Fan]

Andrews was unlucky not to score in the first half and Villanueva is still far from strong enough to last a whole game against premiership opposition. He's had chickenpox. At his age it can be very weakening. He needs to be eased in carefully with the manager picking the games and how big a part of each game he plays. Part of his impact today was that he only had to do it for about 20 mins. He looks good but we need to temper our expectations of him with a large dose of reality. He might set the prem alight but not if we expect too much too soon.

I had that thought not long after posting, actually - bring him on at 60 mins or so when defensive legs start to tire and watch him rip teams apart! Danny Murphy didn't look pleased to be covering him, that's for sure.

[RibbleValleyRover]

Highlights here

if any one is going out on the lash tonight and will miss motd.

Thanks for the link Novella

Having watched the highlights and listened to the game when it was on I have to say it was the sort of performance I wanted to see in response to the two drubbings which have seen us concede 8 goals in the past two games. Keeping a clean sheet was in my view the most vital thing to try and achieve today and we did it.

I thought Robinson was immense today in particular with two outstanding saves. Keeping a clean sheet should really help boost his confidence.

The back four were on the whole solid, there were a few moments we looked a little bit shaky, but it was a vast improvement on recent games and it should be something to build on.

In midfield I thought there was a slight improvement but you still feel overall it does need some further work. I thought Emerton was immense, some of his powerful forward runs were a good sight to see. The run which resulted in him hitting the post was very good. Andrews I thought looked on the whole solid but not spectacular. I think he can play a role in our team, some of his passing and running with the ball was very good.

I thought Treacy showed glimpses of his talent, and getting some minutes on the pitch will help his development.

The introduction of Carlos, Derbs and Tugay was a good move by Ince. We looked far more dangerous when they came on. I know its early days with Carlos, but he looks like a gem of a player, what a left foot! Tugay showed his class when he came on, spraying the ball around with such grace and at the same time authority. And Derbs, well what can I say, if you supply him in goalscoring positions he is lethal.

I thought Roque overall worked hard, he had a few chances but it wasn’t his day. Roberts put himself about though I think he has had a bit of a drop in form over the past couple of games.

Man of the match for me had to be between Robinson and Emerton. I think I would give it to Robinson after his solid display after making some world class saves. Emerton was very good as well, and I can see why many would pick him as their MOM.

Its still early days yet, but this should give us a boost going into our next game. Today’s game has given me hope that Ince knows what he is doing, clearly the defence has been the problem in recent games and he has taken steps to try and resolve this.

[Parsonblue]

Poor performance but a great result. Results are going to be the most important thing this season and it is vital that we take maximum points in home matches against teams like Fulham. We were fortunate that Zamora didn't finish better on the three occasions that he got the wrong side of Nelsen. However, we rode our luck and made the most of it by scoring a very good goal.

The worrying aspect was that until Tugay was introduced we struggled for creativity. For me the introduction of Tugay changed the game as he had the ability to keep position and pass the ball with a degree of accuracy. For me the jury is still out on Andrews but in two and a half matches I haven't seen anything yet that suggests he will make an impact at this level. I thought Brett was outstanding in the centre of midfield and would like to see him retained in this role now that Dunny is out for four months.

The defence had a better second half and Robinson had his best game so far for the club. However, there is still work to do the make us difficult to beat. I feel sure that a better team than Fulham would have taken advantage of the chances they created.

I thought the manager got the balance of the side wrong today with two left-footed players starting in the wide positions before we ended up with two right-footed players on the wings. I would also like to see Carlos playing just behind Roque in a 4-5-1 formation or if we retain the 4-4-2 formation I would like to see Derbyshire given a chance to partner Roque up front.

Not a great performance but three vital points and at the end of the day that is all that matters. No matter what the manager might say I think most fans would prefer us to play ugly and win rather than lose playing free flowing football. The players certainly enjoyed their victory as they showed at the end. Retention of our Premier League status is crucial for the future of the club.

[brightonrover]

It's early days yet but I felt that although we were fairly bobbins for the first hour or so that once we got an injection of creativity from the substitions, the team showed glimpses of what I hope to be some great football in the future.

I thought that Robinson is starting to look far more confident and made two or three cracking saves and partly because of that, the back four also looked more solid with Simpson also growing in stature as the game went on.

The fact that we're picking up points while not playing brilliantly is very important and will take the pressure off Ince and the team while they work to get things right.

[sparky12]

parson you say it was wrong to play 2 left footed players on the wings but remember ped is naturaly right footed

[Blue n White Rover]

I think Rovers executed the game plan perfectly. I think Ince would have told them to make sure we keep things tight at the back and not concede. That is what we did, after 60-70 mins that is when we went for the game and the subsitutions reflected that. Ince bought on 3 attacking players, all of them had an impact and people can say what they like but them 3 turned the game for us. We never looked like losing through out the game. Very defensive in the 1st hald but who can blame them after conceding 8 goals in 2 games?

Well done Incey, got your defence sorted, bought on some real quality and most of all got us 3 points!

[Paul Mellelieu]

Poor performance but a great result. Results are going to be the most important thing this season and it is vital that we take maximum points in home matches against teams like Fulham. We were fortunate that Zamora didn't finish better on the three occasions that he got the wrong side of Nelsen. However, we rode our luck and made the most of it by scoring a very good goal.

The worrying aspect was that until Tugay was introduced we struggled for creativity. For me the introduction of Tugay changed the game as he had the ability to keep position and pass the ball with a degree of accuracy. For me the jury is still out on Andrews but in two and a half matches I haven't seen anything yet that suggests he will make an impact at this level. I thought Brett was outstanding in the centre of midfield and would like to see him retained in this role now that Dunny is out for four months.

The defence had a better second half and Robinson had his best game so far for the club. However, there is still work to do the make us difficult to beat. I feel sure that a better team than Fulham would have taken advantage of the chances they created.

I thought the manager got the balance of the side wrong today with two left-footed players starting in the wide positions before we ended up with two right-footed players on the wings. I would also like to see Carlos playing just behind Roque in a 4-5-1 formation or if we retain the 4-4-2 formation I would like to see Derbyshire given a chance to partner Roque up front.

Not a great performance but three vital points and at the end of the day that is all that matters. No matter what the manager might say I think most fans would prefer us to play ugly and win rather than lose playing free flowing football. The players certainly enjoyed their victory as they showed at the end. Retention of our Premier League status is crucial for the future of the club.

Absolutely spot on.

I'd just add that for first half was akin to Kidd's time in charge; it was awful. Tugay changed the game. One has to wonder what on earth Ince was thinking playing Pedersen on the right and pairung ANdrews and Emerton together. Very, very, lucky today.

[tcj_jones]

I'm surprised by posts claiming that we played badly today. I thought that we fully deserved a win and that, the first 15 minutes of the second half aside, Fulham offered absolutely nothing. We controlled the game, we just lacked that bit of quality. The absence of a right winger and a creative central midfielder showed. Treacy looks promising, but he seems a little light weight at the moment. Thus, when Tugay, Villanueva and Derbyshire were introduced, we made the breakthrough.

People are criticising Ince's decision to play two left footers on the wings, and it is true that we lacked width, but I'd rather that than Reid or Emerton on the right. Emerton was really good in the centre. I'd be tempted to try Derbyshire on the right. Carlos looks a really lively, creative player. His ball to Roque for the goal was sublime and he nearly scored a beauty at the end.

I guess we have to remember that this was only Fulham and, playing with a lack of cutting edge will cost us against better sides.

[joey_big_nose]

Absolutely spot on.

I'd just add that for first half was akin to Kidd's time in charge; it was awful. Tugay changed the game. One has to wonder what on earth Ince was thinking playing Pedersen on the right and pairung ANdrews and Emerton together. Very, very, lucky today.

I am suprised by that assessment. I thought we were good against a Fulham side that is actually quite a decent team. There were weaknesses - Roberts was ineffective, Pedersen was pointless, the Andrews Emerton pairing did not work despite both of them having their strengths over the course of the game. Samba was excellent, Treacy and Simpson encouraging, Nelsen and Warnock decent ,Cruz had probabaly his best game so far this season.

I do feel Hodgson could have made Fulham work us more but overall I am not sure how you could be so negative about it?

I am beginning to feel if Grella can come in and do well to tie up the midfield then we will be a decent side. Right wing is still a big problem which needs to be addressed in the window.

Onwards.

Oh. I like Roberts a lot but you have to feel that Carlos is worth a start if he is physically able. Looks like he can drift any where whcih will allow our more atheltic players (Emerton, Treacy, Andrews) to get ahead of him and exploit the space. Not really sure I have seen a player who is exactly like him to be honest. Small but not pacy, and a wand of a left foot. going to be a real bitch for other teams to deal with, no chance of marking him out, I guess we may see him get a Bullard like kicking.

I wish Tugay was seven years younger. Him and Emerton in the middle could be a decent combo.

[Torgeir]

parson you say it was wrong to play 2 left footed players on the wings but remember ped is naturaly right footed

Not again... He's naturally right-footed but he started training his left foot from an early age after advice from his dad. He's converted into a left-footed player with a half-decent right foot.

[AggyBlue]

Very, very, lucky today.

Yeah, Fulham could have had a hat full. Doh.

I enjoyed the match and a well deserved win.

[imy9]

Again I am astounded after getting beaten 4-1 and 4-0 in the last two games, some people cannot find positives in a 1-0 performance in our favour against a good Fulham side.

[Iceman]

What a load of rubbish from those claiming we were lucky. Dont be daft, Robinson made 2 saves all game. Apart from the chances that fell to Zamora, that was about it for Fulham. We got stuck in, we played like we know we can, and Jimmy Bullard knew that when he the game was over, that he played Rovers. The bully boys were back, and i love it. Samba was back to his best, and Bert was outstanding. Andrews, did very well. He aint a Fabregas, but he looks to be working hard for the team. In fact Andrews, has been performing better than Reid,benni and Gamst, so that about says it all.

[Paul]

Roversgot the win and clean sheet the team and the manager badly needed. It wasn't great game by any description and lacked any real excitment until we had all three subs on. Robinson was excellent and we could easily have lost 2-1 or worse had he not made two outstanding saves. I don't think Robinson made a single error, his distribution was better with a number of throws rather than the big hoof down field, though we still saw too many of those for my liking.

The first half looked poor from Rovers, whether this was down to looking to be solid first and foremeost or the lack of any really creative player is debatable. It was hard to discern any real pattern or tactics in our play. Fulham made themselves look better than Rovers with a lot of triangular passing but lacked real penetration. Had Fulham scored in the first 45 our heads could have dropped so 0-0 at half time and Robinson's great save were a relief rather than pleasure at a good Rovers performance. We didn't look to clever in the first 45. We had a 5-10 minute purple patch in the second half when both team and crowd seemed to get going but it wasn't until all three subs were on that we consistently threatened. The goal was a lovely bit of play between Villanueva, Roque and Derbyshire and showed just how much teams need to have creative players on the pitch. Carlos was very unlucky not to cap a good performance with a good goal, his shot curled past the far post by inches.

The positives?

A win

Clean sheet and best performance by Robinson to date

Better defensively especially the "just to let you know I'm here tackles"

Derbyshire, Emerton, Villanueva, Warnock, Samba

The attendance at 19398 was a higher home crowd than Arsenal?

The negatives?

A long way from being an inspiring performance

Lacking in real penetration for much of the game though this could have been a safety first tactic

Pedersen on the right

Seven points and eighth looks a lot better than the table did before KO. A win at Newcastle to give us 10 from 6 games should have everyone smiling a little. With the state Newcastle are in we should be winning there, and how many times have we said that?

I'm probably being daft with this one but how did Fulham end up kicking off and defending the BBE in the first half? If Fulham won the toss I thought they could chose to change ends or kick off. Does this mean Rovers won the toss and chose to attack the BBE first half? Or am I hopelessly confused?

[ultrablue]

We looked like a team that was really low on confidence- especially in the midfield for the first hour or so. Nervous passes that were falling short looked like they could, and maybe should, have cost us.

But well done Ince for making the right changes at the right time! Emerton and Simpson looked great together on the right.

I thought Andrews looked half decent, but he's certainly not going to boss a midfield. What I wouldn't give for Jimmy Bullard in January!