Great first season, loads to build on and a lot to get excited about at the football club. Some ups and downs but great to watch.”
That was Match of the Day’s Jermaine Jenas’s verdict on Leeds United. I would be quite content if he had used those words about Fulham, but Leeds fans regarded them as platitudes rather than a proper analysis of the team’s performance against Aston Villa, a match that they considered much closer than suggested by the edited TV version.
West Ham supporters were also dissatisfied with Match of the Day’s coverage of their game against Villa.
It is so easy to accuse the programme of bias. The Saturday night highlights of Fulham v Manchester City showed three first half attacks by City but not one by the home side. In reality, Scott Parker’s strategy had kept City in check and Alphonse Areola had dealt confidently with any attacker who penetrated the defence. Yet the club’s own highlights for the first period are almost identical with the addition of an abortive run by Ademola Lookman that turned out to be offside anyway. (When will the authorities scrap the delayed flag?)
Possession football and the occasional deft use of the offside trap do not provide the most interesting television, but Fulham did create some good chances, notably a sustained onslaught around the half-hour mark.
Self-belief, however, seemed to be missing and the City goalkeeper Ederson was never properly tested.
Defensively, the Whites looked strong though they repeatedly ignored the danger of dallying with the ball in and around the home penalty area. The first half drew to a close with Fulham dominating possession but rarely looking dangerous. In one late attack, Kenny Tete did force a corner only for it to be wasted by Ivan Cavaleiro. City were barely more adventurous with Sergio Aguero producing just one tame shot on target.
More of the same?
Scott Parker may well have urged his players to produce ‘more of the same’ in the second half – but almost immediately things started going wrong.
Joachim Andersen was penalised (the cause was obscure) and the home team formed a straight line across the penalty area. Joao Cancelo’s free kick flew over their heads and John Stones followed the ball into the net.
Two further blunders ensued. Andersen and Cavaleiro muffed an exchange of passes, allowing Gabriel Jesus a simple goal, then Tosin was panicked into tangling with Ferran Torres in the area. Aguero scored from the spot, a fillip for him but the final sickener for Fulham and their supporters. The opening 15 minutes of the second half had been a nightmare.
The BBC match highlights did show one Fulham attack but it was a solo effort from Antonee Robinson, who should probably have been in the starting line-up rather than on the bench for 80 minutes. The game ended with not a Fulham shot on target.
Other results proved unhelpful: Newcastle secured a point and Brighton had an away win. Victory over Leeds on Friday looks essential.
Cottage conundrums
Despite the best efforts of Fulham FC’s historian Alex White and others including myself we still encounter ludicrous stories about the small edifice known as Craven Cottage.
Saturday’s BT commentator Ian Darke informed the viewers that it was formerly a hunting lodge. Before animal lovers start a petition to have it removed let me assure them it is a charming 1905 sports pavilion designed for the club by Archibald Leitch. The otherwise excellent Simon Inglis book ‘Engineering Archie’ is misleading on this point.
To my relief I can think of only two (somewhat ancient) links between FFC and blood sports – Jimmy Hill, who rode with the North Warwickshire Hunt, and Ted Drake, who for unfathomable reasons kept a shotgun in his office.
The views expressed in this blog are those of the author and unless specifically stated are not necessarily those of Hammersmith & Fulham Council.
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