Big pat on the back to the boys for doing the business at Birmingham. Have you ever seen a more abject performance from such a shambolic side? The Blues look utterly demoralised and can count themselves very lucky not to be in the bottom three this morning. As Hughes said, his only criticism was our too casual approach to finishing after being totally dominant from the very first minute. It could indeed have been a cricket score.
Four changes, and a less than 100% Bobby, hindered Fulham not a jot. Greening deputised superbly as Simon's absence had no impact. How much better he looks playing in his best position out wide, some great crosses and neat and tidy throughout. And let me put this to you as a proposed back four for next season : Aaron RB, Hangeland, Senderos, Baird LB.
All praise to the legendary Brede, he and the whole side bounced back in style from that Liverpool grilling. As I wrote last week, you judge the quality of a side by the way they react to a bad result. Brede is now our 2nd top scorer behind Clint - who'd ever have predicted that last August? Strange things do indeed happen in this game, as I also wrote. 6 days on and a flying Liverpool are reduced to looking quite ordinary v Spurs, while I could probably have played in goal Sunday and kept a clean sheet. Birmingham play like that at Spurs and they are going down if Wigan or Blackpool can pull something sensational out of the bag. I recall only WBA and Norwich from a few seasons back being so utterly outclassed - both times when the Whites hit 6. How we didn't hit that mark again at St. Andrews is mystifying. Demps especially was profligate with his final ball all afternoon, while AJ and Eidur will rarely get such a golden opportunity to be on the scoresheet.
Which intriguingly leads one to question if we'll be seeing either in a white shirt next season. Hughes says he's only interested in improving on what we already have. If that's the case, then where's the logic in offering EG a contract and offloading Zollie? The Icelander's lunge that resulted in a yellow was the action of a bonehead, and the more time I see of him on the pitch, the more convinced I am that Eidur Gudjohnsen - deadly as he once was - has no more goals in his tank.
As to AJ, he looked sharp for sure. An all too casual Clint should have put away a simple chance in the very first minute thanks to AJ's vision. But once again, and facing a paper thin rearguard, Andy never threatened a goal for all his running. Here too, one senses the spiral is only downward from here on. Off to the Hawthorns with him!
As to the issue of the five bookings - all culprits predictable in Clint (infuriatingly casual), Danny, Salcido (still careless and/or cavalier at times), AJ (ever lippy) and Eidur (what was he thinking as Hleb sprinted away?). I was tearing my hair out at the needless indiscipline when of course it hit me...this had to be a deliberate ploy to avoid a curtailed summer break and the dreaded slog of the Europa League qualifying rounds! And plenty of others had come to the same conclusion once I got round to reviewing the usual forums. Well, that strategy has been blown out of the water with today's UEFA decision to award England an extra place from the Fair Play quota. The media have all agreed it's Fulham's again, like it or not.
In all honesty, you can see how Sparky might be ambivalent about this 'honour.'. Clint's already been reported saying he is overdue a few weeks off, having given his all to the Team USA cause in the past two summers. Now the whole squad face reporting back after barely one month's respite, with the first Europa Cup qualifier scheduled for June 30th! Sorry UEFA, but it's summer madness. We might look on enviously at the enormous sums players drag in each month, but they are human beings after all - putting their bodies on the line every time they play. It's a physical game, it's played with intensity. Why should these 'workers' have to accept less annual leave than your average factory hand?
Implications for the club of another run in the Europa are many. Of course, and despite some petulant mutterings from 'Arry on the topic, no board is going to spurn the opportunity for additional revenue, TV coverage etc. It's playing on the European stage for heaven's sake - isn't that what footballers always go on about? I'm sure Woy didn't cut his cloth on the basis of us achieving a 19 game run to that Hamburg final, but even if we weren't to make deep inroads into the final stages in 2012, Mark is still going to need a deep enough squad to handle a heavy league and cup load in the run up to Christmas.
I'm not sure UEFA have got it right yet with this new overblown continental competition. It is as ever the law of diminishing returns in pursuit of greed and self-aggrandisement. And the umbrella of what are now termed 'European associations' is a lot more bloated than when I studied geography. I'd be interested to know what fans think to flying the flag for Fulham again so soon.
Yes, I did journey to Hamburg - via car, plane and train - but afterwards I dozed fitfully at the Hauptbahnhof, shivering and starving, before heading straight home. My buddies with family members in tow took the expensive club charter flights to Turin, Wolfsburg and Hamburg (twice), but that's a pretty joyless experience too. Early departure and straight back post match in the small hours to London. Not many have the time and resources to make these ties into memorable and pleasant 2-3 day mini vacations.
To finish, some thoughts on West Ham's plight. Sacking Grant at Wigan before the team has even got back to London shows a phenomenal lack of class by the West Ham board. But we've come to expect that from Gold and Sullivan, with the gobby Karren in tow. Upton Park has indeed been the setting for football as soap opera now for quite some time. A new format for 'Eastenders.' Only player power allowed Avram the dignity of sharing the trip home with the team. The three above crave publicity, too many of the Hammers problems were played out in public, while Gold's vanity and vacuous mutterings take the biscuit.
It is entirely wrong to blame West Ham's demotion on the manager. The side were not good enough a year ago when they finished 17th. Was this not a warning sign last summer? There are big players at West Ham who have performed poorly this season. Carlton Cole springs to mind. Others, like Green and Upson are over-rated. Is the club well run internally? Judge for yourself. They last turned a small profit in 2006, since when they have been haemorrhaging money. Relegation will put them £100 million pounds into debt, while the side who are bottom run the 6th highest salary budget in the EPL. Who is responsible for that - Avram Grant or the board of directors?
Crikey, I only wish I could run my own small business on such largesse from the banks. Two disreputable former business partners connive to drag me into court and only hefty sums to m' learned friends preserve my reputation. But faced with a short-term squeeze on credit do you think the bank offered me any leeway? Oh no. Football...it's a funny old business. Look now at West Ham, with the albatross around their neck of moving to the Olympic Stadium after 2012 (more borrowings!) and contemplating visits from the likes of Doncaster and Barnsley. Then recall that our own rich benefactor, for all his foibles and idiosyncracies, never involves himself directly with the running of the team. That at Fulham, is left strictly to the professionals.
I'm now going to spend all week dreaming of a finish in 7th place...what an achievement that would be.
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