[Archived] News Article -> 2011/12 Match Report: Fulham 1 Rovers 1

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Fulham	(1) 1 – 1 (1)	Blackburn Rovers
Zamora 38		Rochina 32
Referee: H. Webb		Attendance: 24,856

I suspect, like many of the fans at Craven Cottage, I came away from the game with a mixture of emotions. Encouraged, certainly, by a first-half performance which suggested with a little more tweaking and greater organisation this squad may well be strong enough to maintain a mid-table position in the Premier League. However, doubts and despair returned in the second half as the Rovers struggled to hold what was a distinctly average Fulham side from completely dominating the second period. Fortunately, a combination of excellent goalkeeping, some last-ditch defending and the ineptitude of the Fulham attack saved the Rovers from making what might well have been their worst start to a campaign since league football began in 1888. As it is, it remains the worst start to a season for 60 years.

Once again, Steve Kean confounded the travelling band of Rovers supporters with a selection that had many scratching their heads. The emphasis seemed to be on attack and be damned as he loaded the midfield with attack-minded players. In defence Scott Dann was given his debut alongside Chris Samba, while Gael Givet moved over to left-back with Martin Olsson dropping down to the bench. Ruben Rochina stepped in to fill the void left by Brett Emerton on the right wing, while Junior Hoilett operated on the opposite flank. David Dunn and Steven Nzonzi again filled the central midfield positions, with new signings Simon Vukcevic and Radisav Petrovic having to settle for a place on the bench. The subs' bench was also the lot of Yakubu and Jason Roberts as Kean elected to use David Goodwillie as the main striker with Mauro Formica lining up just behind him.

As the players stood for a minute's silence to mark the 10th anniversary of 9/11 it was made all the more poignant as a plane passed overhead making one of the regular descents into London. It was a sombre moment which put into perspective just how unimportant the events at Ewood Park really are in the greater scheme of things.

Craven Cottage is a wonderful venue for football with the scenic Bishop's Park on its doorstep, the River Thames flowing past with endless rowing and sailing boats to entertain pre-match and for those who get really bored during a game there is the continual fly past of planes arriving at the capital's airports. However, if Fulham fans might have been tempted to participate in a little plane-spotting, the Rovers contingent could take heart from the fact that their team had the better of a fairly indifferent forty-five minutes of football. The direct running of Rochina and Hoilett caused problems for the home defence with Rochina, in particular, catching the eye.

The Rovers might well have taken an early lead after Hoilett played Rochina into a promising position, but his shot lacked the power to trouble Mark Schwarzer in the Fulham goal. Goodwillie came closer with a perfectly executed overhead kick, but unfortunately his effort flew just over the bar. Certainly these were encouraging signs for the travelling fans.

By contrast, the home side seemed somewhat lacklustre, with Bryan Ruiz, the new £10 million man, making little impact on his debut. Martin Jol opted to use the striker on the left and clearly the Costa Rican international is going to take time to pick up the pace of English football. The one Fulham player to cause the Rovers problems was the evergreen Damien Duff. Givet endured a torrid opening forty-five minutes at the hands of the former Rover. However, in fairness to the Frenchman, the system which Kean operates tends to leave the full-backs exposed. In previous matches it has been Michel Salgado who has been left isolated and now it was the turn of Givet to suffer from the lack of support from midfield. The simple fact is that neither Rochina nor Hoilett were encouraged to track back, with the result that Fulham were able to exploit the space in and around the full-backs. This has been a weakness all season and the lessons have clearly still not been learnt.

The Rovers took the lead on 32 minutes and it was no surprise that a Hoilett–Rochina combination should bring about the breach of the Fulham defence. When the ball was played into the middle from the right, Philippe Senderos failed to clear and allowed it to reach Hoilett on the left of goal. The young Canadian coolly laid the ball back for Rochina, who had drifted into an inside-left position. The former Barcelona man wasted no time in lashing a fierce shot past Schwarzer and into the back of the net off the underside of the crossbar. It was an excellent finish and gave the Rovers a deserved lead.

Sadly, within six minutes, the home side had drawn level and, once again, questions must be asked about the lack of support that was given to Givet at left-back. Danny Murphy, who had had an unusually quiet game in midfield, found Bobby Zamora on the right wing and, although his first touch was not the best, Givet failed to take advantage and allowed the Fulham man to regain control of the ball. With Hoilett merely watching, Zamora skipped past Givet before curling a delightful effort past Robinson and into the far corner of the net.

With honours even at half-time, both managers made changes for the start of the second period. A back problem caused the withdrawal of Chris Samba with Olsson, who was carrying a knock from international duty, coming on at left-back with Givet reverting to the centre of defence. Fulham withdrew Ruiz and replaced him with the ever dangerous Mousa Dembele.

The game took on a completely different pattern for the second half with Fulham quickly becoming the dominant power. Martin Jol had taken the opportunity, at half-time, to adjust his tactics, which nullified the impact that Hoilett and Rochina had made during the first forty-five minutes. As Fulham grew in confidence, the Rovers seemed to withdraw into their shell with attacks becoming less frequent and certainly less effective. Formica, who had been a peripheral figure in the first half, now all but disappeared as the home side enjoyed the lion's share of the play.

The Rovers were hampered when Dunn was forced to leave the field with calf problems and Petrovic, his replacement, again struggled to get to grips with the pace of the game. Clearly the young Serbian is going to need time to adjust to English football. At the moment he is finding it all a little too quick for him. However, these are early days and hopefully he will fulfil the promise which his international pedigree suggests he possesses.

As the second half wore on, the home side seemed in total control of the game. Fortunately, their finishing failed to match their approach play and several chances to take the lead were spurned. The Rovers relied almost entirely on breakaways, but the tiring legs of Goodwillie were unable to make much headway against a rugged Fulham defence.

As Fulham continued to pour forward, Martin Jol added Andrew Johnson to the mix in the hope that he might capitalise on one of the many crosses that were finding their way into the Rovers penalty area. He might well have won a penalty when Salgado tackled him from behind to clear the ball. Fortunately, Howard Webb deemed that the former Real Madrid defender had played the ball before clattering Johnson. It was a good call, but other referees might well have judged it differently.

Mr. Webb was again at the centre of the action in the closing minutes when Kelly headed the ball backwards into the path of the ever alert Hoilett. With the ball some way short of the area, Hoilett raced forward and rose to head the ball over the oncoming Schwarzer. Both players attempted to head the ball but unfortunately Schwarzer clattered into the young Canadian and knocked him unconscious. While Hoilett received prolonged treatment before being carefully stretchered off, Mr. Webb showed Schwarzer the yellow card while the Rovers fans continued to bay for a red card to be shown. However, the referee deemed that Schwarzer was not the last man as Kelly was in position to cover the 'keeper. The resultant free-kick, by Olsson, was blocked and with all their subs used the Rovers were forced to play out the final few minutes with ten men. In reality it was actually nine men as Goodwillie had been reduced to a virtual passenger due to hamstring problems.

After the match, Steve Kean continued to talk with optimism about the future, but the majority of Rovers fans would appear to have stopped listening. Actions speak louder than words and the simple fact is that one point from twelve, against opposition that is far from the strongest, suggests that there is little to be optimistic about. As unrest amongst the fans grows, the manager needs to find a winning combination rather quickly if he is to quell the increasing calls for his head. The prospect of a home game with Arsenal is hardly likely to calm the nerves of supporters, who see their club firmly anchored to the foot of the table after the opening four league games. Recent weather forecasts have predicted a long hard winter ahead, something which Rovers fans are becoming all too well aware of, only they are not thinking of climatic conditions.

Teams

Fulham

Mark Schwarzer; Aaron Hughes (Stephen Kelly 20), Philippe Senderos, Brede Hangeland, John Arne Riise (Andrew Johnson 80); Damien Duff, Danny Murphy, Steve Sidwell, Clint Dempsey; Bobby Zamora, Bryan Ruiz (Mousa Dembele 46)
Subs not used: Neil Etheridge (gk), Pajtim Kasami, Marcel Gecov, Zdenek Grygera
Manager: Martin Jol

Blackburn Rovers

Paul Robinson; Michel Salgado, Christopher Samba (Martin Olsson 46), Scott Dann, Gael Givet; Ruben Rochina (Jason Lowe 70), David Dunn (Radosav Petrovic 52), Steven Nzonzi, David "Junior" Hoilett; Mauro Formica; David Goodwillie
Subs not used: Mark Bunn (gk), Simon Vukcevic, Jason Roberts, Yakubu
Manager: Steve Kean

Bookings

Fulham – Danny Murphy, Brede Hangeland, Mark Schwarzer

Blackburn Rovers – Michel Salgado

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