Leaving Craven Cottage on Friday evening after the 1-1 draw with Bournemouth I overheard two distinct reactions from the supporters. Some were drained by a Titanic conflict, others felt rather cheated by the patchy football served up by the Championship's top clubs. I agreed with the latter.
Scott Parker ended his playing career with Fulham and fought as valiantly as anyone to halt the club's decline. Remember him pleading with Dimitar Berbatov to mark an opponent and interceding with the outrageous Felix Magath on behalf of the younger players. Scott returned to the Cottage as Head Coach and won promotion from the Championship in 2019-20, his first full season. Like Fulham's other managers in the decade since Mark Hughes he floundered in the Premier last season and decided to move on, switching his allegiance to Bournemouth.
While mindful of his past contributions, fans at the Cottage last Friday were convinced that they had now got the better man, hailing Marco Silva as a genius and urging Parker to peddle his wares elsewhere. The Portuguese has certainly dished up far more exciting football so far, though Parker's new team are just one point behind.
The game's early stages lived up to expectations with both sides on the attack. Neeskens Kebano, livelier than ever, had two solo efforts on target, both competently saved by Mark Travers. In response, Dominic Solanke came close with a header and a shot.
As Bournemouth fell back to defend, the match became scrappier. A promising effort from Aleksandar Mitrovic was intercepted by Steve Cook, who then blocked Fabio Carvalho's follow-up. So effective were Cook's saves that the club's radio commentator Gentleman Jim saw them both as handballs (but immediately corrected himself on seeing a TV replay). Then in the match's most controversial moment, Harry Wilson outfoxed Solanke only to come into contact with his trailing leg. Referee Tim Robinson was unmoved, perhaps because of Wilson's dramatic tumble.
On that cold evening a lot of spectators spent the interval in search of refreshments and when the match restarted many were still finding their seats. My view was completely obscured of Bournemouth kicking off and three passes later Solanke slipping the ball past Marek Rodak. Those who did see the action were incandescent because the defenders were so easily caught on the hop. Marco Silva agreed: "Our back line slept."
Parker explained that the manoeuvre was 'straight off the training ground'. He was used to parking his bus at the Cottage and now he was doing it on behalf of Bournemouth. We saw the yellow cards mount – six in total to the visitors. Mark Travers deserved his caution for arrogantly ignoring the referee's lecture on time-wasting. Nor were Fulham innocent. Some players seemed more interested in private grudges than in finding an equaliser.
Twenty minutes from the end, Silva's team stepped up the pressure. Kebano's accuracy deserted him when presented with a simple chance but in the 84th minute substitute Tom Cairney sent the ball into the penalty area for Tosin to head past Travers. For the second successive week, the Fulham rearguard had come to the rescue and this time the goal atoned for the defensive error that had given Bournemouth the advantage.
The genius and the pragmatist had to settle for a draw. Fulham had preserved their league position and the supporters went away contented. It had been an emotional evening. The passions brought fans to their feet even during the most trivial moments of play. The club no longer tries to discourage this practice and if anything now endorses it.
The website notification of the forthcoming FA Cup match is illustrated by a whole row of fans standing up, which of course means that all the rows behind have to do the same. It is quite selfish. Maybe when the new grandstand is open and the national regulations change, the club could consider converting part of the Hammersmith End into a standing enclosure.
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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