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Fulham
Posted by Tom Wille on 10/05/2009

A draw on the road in the Premier League is usually seen as a positive result for most sides. While I was happy with Fulham's 2-2 draw on Sunday at Upton Park against West Ham United, it did sting a bit seeing the Hammers even things up late in stoppage time to grab a share of the points in this London derby.

I could write on and on about the specifics of the match, but most do not want to rehash these details and would rather read something about the team and boss Roy Hodgson.

As things stand, the Cottagers sit 15th in the table on 7 points. Not exactly where we were all hoping they would be at this point. But then again, the Whites are only three points in back of Everton, which is in 10th place. So, while the results have not been as we would like most matches, we are not very far off the top ten, which for me would mean another spectacular season for Roy Hodgson and his side.

Truth be told, between the Europa League and the Premier League, the last six weeks has been rough for the Whites in terms of the fixture list. In the eight matches I am referring to since August 30th when the Cottagers fell to Aston Villa 2-0, Fulham has had five road matches and three home matches. The Cottagers have played at the aforementioned Aston Villa, CSKA Sofia, Wolves, Manchester City and West Ham. The three home matches have not been a cake walk either as the Fulham has played host to Everton, Arsenal and most recently against FC Basel 1893.

In those eight matches Fulham as been victorious twice, drawn twice and lost four. Not the best of returns, but, we are top of the group in the Europa League group stage and sit 15th in the Premier League within shouting distance of the top 10.

That is a tough stretch of matches for any team, let alone a team that is not as deep as we would probably like. Although in watching some of the reserves like Zoltan Gera, David Stockdale, Diomansy Kamara, Jonathan Greening, Bjorn Helge Riise and others on the pitch has given me the belief that the depth we have in some areas is not as thin as I once thought.

Unfortunately, the month of October and into early November will remain tough for the Cottagers with home matches against Hull, Roma and Liverpool along with tests on the road at Manchester City and Roma. If the Cottagers can survive this five match stretch and still be in a decent position in the Premier League table, the Cottagers will have positioned themselves very well heading into the middle of November when the league fixture list gets easier with Wigan, Birmingham, Bolton, Blackburn, Sunderland and Burnley on the docket. That is not to say those will be easy wins for the Cottagers, but I would rather be playing these teams than Arsenal, Manchester City, Aston Villa and Roma.

Thus, the rest of this month will be about survival for Fulham. The club must do what it can to remain afloat in the Premier League most importantly, and in the Europa League as well. If the Cottagers can remain competitive on both fronts, I can see a string of good results coming Fulham's way come the middle of November all the way through December 20th when they play Manchester United.

The aforementioned teams I mentioned that Fulham will play in November are matches that Fulham should do well in. There will not be any Europa League excuses either as between November 5th and December 3rd there are no matches in that competition which will allow the Cottagers to focus entirely on the league and hopefully get back inside the top ten.

If after the Burnley match on December 12th the Cottagers are still sitting around 15th in the table, that unfortunately might mean a top ten finish is not in the cards this season. Time will tell on that prediction, but for any club to be in the top ten come seasons end, that team must defeat the teams below them in the table and those teams around them in the table. You cannot count on beating the big four and other top half teams when trying to climb into the top ten. That is unrealistic and unlikely.

So for all of you, having watched this team for almost two months now in league play, how do you compare this team with others in the Premier League? Does this team have a better chance of a top ten finish or a scrape with relegation?

Comments
Posted by Michael on 10/05/2009

I think they are OK at this point. A draw with over ten men for more than 45 is a good result. Seems they could have and should have gotten 3, a tie is no shame in that situation.

Europa is another thing to worry about, but they will right the ship domestically, especxially if they continue to get results in Europe.

Posted by David on 10/05/2009

Personally my biggest concerns about Fulham is not their oposition but their injury problems. They were without Etuhu, Zamora, Davies, and Duff Sunday and that could have been the difference between 3 points and 1. Dempsey went down with a shoulder problem and AJ is admitting to having an ongoing shoulder pain.

The injuries are continuing to mount. I don't think it is panic time as most players coming in as replacements Gera, Baird, Kamara, etc have been in top form. But at some point you have to wonder if the injuries will be to much to overcome and will ruin the chemistry established last term.

I think Fulham have the squad to compete with anyone on their best day but how many chances with the injuries will they have to have their best day.

And for what it is worth I don't blame the extra fixtures for the injury problems. They were playing this much last year when they made their deep run in the FA Cup and had no problems. It is all just luck.

Posted by Elliot on 10/05/2009

Currently, based upon form, top 10 finish is still a reasonable goal. Compared to last year, they appear more confident on the pitch. Of course, they have not played together as harmoniously due to the need to mix lineups to accomodate all the games...but that's the price of success and growth, and we seem to have the right coach to make all these necessary adjustments.

I'm still concerned about the play of Dempsey; if his injury keeps him out of USA games and perhaps a couple of others, strangely, the rest could benefit him, to get his explosiveness back. The inability of Johnson to get free is also a concern; clearly teams are favoring their defenses towards him - we sure could have used a better striker pick up to take pressure off of him.

Overall, I think the team is in a growth transition mode. If we're patient, I believe they can really break free for success mid-late season. The Oct/Nov schedule should serve to strengthen them, and notch them to a higher class.

Posted by waran on 10/06/2009

I SUGGEST FULHAM WILL ABLE TO BE HALF TOP TABLE BUT THEY HAVE TO INCREASE THEIR FITNESS WHEN THEY PLAYED 3 GAMES IN ONE WEEK.

IF THEY SUCCESS OCCUPIED THE FITNESS, THEY WILL BE SUCCESS TO COME UP TO THE TABLE.

Posted by James on 10/07/2009

I Think Fulham is doing quite well... even tho i think we shouldve taken a point from the Arsenal game... o well we arent in a bad spot considering the games weve played. RH has done a good job figuring out who can play where so later on in the season we will have a better chance at climbing the table once players start too get fatigued he knows who and where too put players... i like Riis he has done well and i like Greening... i think he can step up with Murphy and be a presence in the midfield Etuhu is good and physical but he lacks seeing the field and all of the players around him at times. As for the defense i dont like seeing new faces back there but it seems that Baird Kelly are doing a good job stepping in when they have too. u cant get mad at the Manager for losses... we have had a tough start too our season and it gets easier in November and thats when we should hopefully climb the table to get into the top 10 or even 6 in the PL and hopefully advance in Europe League to

Posted by Feldman on 10/08/2009

We can't score goals--plain and simple. You can't be a consistent top 10 team without putting up 1 or two goals a game.

Our lack of offensive output puts too much stress on the mids and the defense and unless we learn how to score we are doomed for a long season and maybe even a relegation battle. We all know how hard goals are in the midst of a relegation battle, so we need to start scoring some now!

Zamora and Johnson, can't cut it together and we need more output from both of them. My paitence is thin with those two up front; particlarly Zamora who didn;t perform last year and is repeating his pattern of 0 goals and assists this year.

We need to find some zing up front--way too many shut outs already this year.

Posted by jarrod on 10/08/2009

I've heard talk of a possible deal with Tottenham sendind Brede hangeland for Roman pavlyuchenko. Anyone else think this deal could dramatically improve the club?

Posted by James on 10/09/2009

I dont think this would help... cus it would give us a better offense but then our defense has that gaping whole of losing Brede Hangeland :/ so no sorry buddy

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