It was a miserable for Fulham at the Brittania. Snow was falling, the weather was cold and Stoke was taking it to the Cottagers from the first whistle. In fact, within the first forty minutes, Stoke scored three goals and took a 3-0 lead into the halftime break.
There was a fightback from the Cottagers though as Damien Duff and Clint Dempsey scored second half goals to give Fulham a fighting chance with five minutes to play to get a draw. That did not happen.
What did happen is Fulham played one of its' worst matches of the season thus far. The Cottagers conceded a whopping three goals in a matter of forty first half minutes and that is something that has not happened in a long, long time.
It should be said that defender Brede Hangeland, who did play in the opening half, had to be subbed off at halftime because of a recurring knee injury that kept Hangeland out of the Chelsea match as well on December 28th. If this knee injury continues to be a problem for Hangeland it will be a big issue for the Cottagers as well.
While youngster Chris Smalling has done a decent job in limited appearances for the club this season, it is tough to count on him to fill Hangeland's big shoes and pick up the slack should the lanky Norseman need to miss more time because of the knee injury. The thought of Hangeland missing significant time through injury is one that keeps me awake at night worrying about how this team will cope with his loss and what it will do to Fulham in the Premier League table.
Over the last two years under Roy Hodgson, the defence has been key for Fulham. The Cottagers went from one of the worst defensive teams under Lawrie Sanchez and Chris Coleman to one of the better defensive clubs under Hodgson. One of the main reasons that has happened is because of consistency in the back. Rarely has a league match taken place under Hodgson without Hangeland, Aaron Hughes, John Pantsil, Paul Konchesky and Mark Schwarzer. Unfortunately, John Pantsil is now out for an extender period with a knee injury and the aforementioned Hangeland is now having a knee problem of his own that will likely linger for some time and make him miss more time on the pitch.
This means others will have to step up and take the places of the injured defenders. Whether it be Smalling, Stephen Kelly or someone else, it is imperative that anyone who comes into the starting eleven be focused and ready to play from the opening minute to the final whistle. For a club like Fulham that does not have the depth like some of the bigger clubs, this will be a real test for Roy Hodgson and company. Perhaps this defensive injury crisis will force Hodgson to dip into the transfer market for a defender or two. My guess is that will not happen, but nobody other than Hodgson really knows for sure.
Not only is the defence in trouble because of injuries, but the attack will be without its main weapon for some time as Bobby Zamora dislocated his shoulder at Stoke City on Tuesday and will miss some time while it heals. The disappointing thing about the Zamora injury is that he was in the form of his life. He had surpassed ten league goals and it seemed that everything he got his foot on was finding the back of the net.
Zamora was having the season of his life and was perhaps in line for a call up to the England squad for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. All that will now be put on hold until he gets back on the pitch. It can be assumed though that he will not pick up right where he left off. It will take him some time to get back into playing shape and to find his form again. Whether he can regain his form the way he was playing before injury is a huge question that will have to be answered over the course of the next few months.
For a team that has been fortunate not to have too many injuries over the past two seasons, 2010 has not started well at all for the Cottagers. The fixture list looks decent over the next month with matches against lowly Pompey, Blackburn, Tottenham, Aston Villa, Bolton and Burnley in league play with an FA Cup 4th round tie against Acrington Stanley or Gillingham on January 23rd.
It is entirely possible that the club will not miss a beat with Zamora, Pantsil and perhaps Hangeland are sidelined. I do not think that will be the case though as these injured players are not just fringe players, but difference makers for both the offense and defence. There will be some big shoes to fill for the real fringe/squad players on the current team.
The old saying is "when the going get tough, the tough get going". Fulham has shown it is a tough team under Roy Hodgson and I have faith that he will get this club to perform at a high level despite the injuries. It may not be pretty on the pitch each and every match, but the Cottagers will find a way to manage and get through this injury riddled period in the season. I have no reason to doubt Hodgson and the squad.
What are your thoughts on the injuries? How do you feel the loss of Pantsil, Zamora and perhaps Hangeland will effect the team? Who do you see stepping in and replacing them in the lineup? Would you prefer Fulham to buy a player or two to replace them or would you rather fill the gap internally?
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