To say that I am disappointed with our second half performance against Everton is the understatement of the year. In all honesty, I have seen better performances, when I was playing football, over Wormwood Scrubs and Hackney Marshes on a Sunday morning. It was an inept performances which continued throughout the 52 minutes played with the players unable to change the way they were playing out from the back which Everton exploited to the full by harrying our defenders resulting in panic passing across their penalty area and back to Leno who hurriedly passes to a close defender who then loses the ball. Lemo must learn to play long balls, like the Brentford defence, to relieve the pressure on defenders who do not have the ability to be comfortable when harried by the opposing players. Fulham are known for being a soft touch, especially by referees, with the majority of decisions going against them as we seldom get too upset and not a top club with vociferous supporters who might sway a referee’s judgement. Often we have seen our goals ruled out as someone’s big toe or elbow is over a line draw by two referees watching in a box maybe miles away and drawing their own lines to prove their point. However, the incident last season, against ManU where one of their players was three yards offside and interfering with Lemo’s field of vision during a free kick awarded just outside our penalty area. The free kick resulted in passing the offside player that it virtually touched him and the referee allowed the goal to stand. When Jos King scored his maiden goal it was somehow disallowed for a foul committed way back near the centre circle which pundits and ex referees consider to be ludicrous. Eight out of twelve of the VAR decisions have gone against us which once again is the most in the Premier League. When stoppage time is announced referees will extend it by a few minutes if our opponents are trailing by just one goal which consider it would be sensible for a klaxon to be sound when the announced extra time is up. All of this does not detract from our woeful second half performance against Everton where we should have been three goals to the good with Jimenez missing two excellent chances and Smith Rowe and Chucky both striking the crossbar. Unfortunately, Marco failed in his substitutions, leaving it too late to change the momentum of the game. Instead of putting his head in his hands he should have been up on his encouraging the players and made the changes after 10 minutes into the second half. It is with trepidation I view our next few games as other teams will look at Everton’s success and copy their tactics which we will once again be able to counter. Add to all this we lost 9-3 to Sweden, a team we had already beaten in the Round Robin, in the Curling, whilst both the Snowboarding ladies both finished fourth in their respective events.
Replies
Fulham will do what they do - they will go and beat Man City tomorrow night!! We will play 5 at the back and as a matter of fact, I think we are more effective with 5 at the back. So I can see the back line - Sess, Bassey, Cuenca, Anderson and Tete - with Sess and Tete linking high up with Chukka and Wilson.
posted by JohnC (Guest) - Tuesday 10th February 2026, 10:09 AM
It will be the usual mid table finish! Silva & Wilson to leave at the seasons end...
posted by HBD. (Guest) - Tuesday 10th February 2026, 11:36 AM
Bigboy, I, like you have been a supporter of Fulham for more years than I care to remember. Going back as far as pre Haynes days we have always been considered minnows and whilst capable of the sublime performance, can nevertheless to be dire, and totally lacking in consistency. Down the years, despite complete changes to personnel, from owners through managers to playing staff, this soft centre remains. I personally find it inexplicable because it shouldn’t be. Could it be that the majority of our supporters are to much the gentleman and are too reserved and polite? There seems somehow/ somewhere to be a lack of passion and dare I say it backbone. I guess on balance I prefer our somewhat lackadaisical approach in contrast to the rabid win at all cost attitude of a Liverpool Man U. and many other teams. Football is, after all, there to be enjoyed, but in truth it does P you off sometimes, and I don’t always enjoy it:))
posted by Mortlake (Guest) - Tuesday 10th February 2026, 11:50 AM
MORTY , i will back you up on all that,the back bone is just not there2 as i have said before ,its almost like we are a nice gents club very litte noise ever created, tasty football at times , but blood and thunder aint in our DNA.But its never bothered us olds sods, i recall spending some saturday afternoons way back in fits of laughter because of the wags who never stopped with the gags , but now !!! now you would be slung out at the cottage unlike some grounds . coyw lets have the F/A cup sitting in our trophy cabinet ,. TROPHY cabinet ??????.
posted by the real arch bishop (Guest) - Tuesday 10th February 2026, 12:08 PM
It's my 60th year @ the Cottage and theirs always been that soft under belly! 1975 cup final...we barely turned up on the day and West Ham were beatable.
posted by Hammy Roll. (Guest) - Tuesday 10th February 2026, 12:16 PM
Remember those days very well Bish. Laughing at the antics of Jimmy Hill and Haynes , hands on hips, bollocking him. Maurice Cook was always good for a laugh. Langley, Marsh and Best similarly. It was fun, when did it all get so serious? Have to admit I get wrapped with the expectation and frustration of it all too. I just think the soul of football as an enjoyable entertainment has been consigned to history.Greed and a lack of sportsmanship has taken over. Pity.
posted by Mortlake (Guest) - Tuesday 10th February 2026, 1:41 PM
Yep i was at wembley that day john cutbush cannon foddder mellor in another planet ,nothing to beat but we still never worked it out , sorry for the lovely alec stock met him just before final at the cottage, gave my wife a signed ball for her kids party at st ethelredas, always had time for the fans.Seventy eight years through the same bleedin turnstiles , and what have we got for it, a lot of strange memories at board level and on the pitch.
posted by the real arch bishop (Guest) - Tuesday 10th February 2026, 2:04 PM
I agree with all the above posts and have grown accustomed to our unique approach to the game. Having experienced the War time matches where teams often included England stars who happened to be stationed nearby as most of them were released by the services to carry on playing. Crowds at the Cottage were initially restricted to 8,000 but most of the time rarely exceeded 3,000 partially due to restrictions on travel. As pointed out above, our supporters have never been passionate and rarely raise the roof with the possible exception of the second leg against Juventus. However, the immediate post War crowds in the 40’s normally were in the region of 40,000 and you had to be at the ground by 2-30pm to ensure you got into the ground. I used to stand at the Putney end and Ronnie Rooke was my idol. He was a prolific goal scorer and notched up around 1,000 goals during his long career. For a period of five years our crowds were passionate and vociferous but once the ground started to be modernised crowds decreased due to the lost of some of the terracing and the segregation probably resulted in the more genteel approach of our supporters. In addition, gradually as Fulham became more up market with former locals relocating to the suburbs maybe we lost our heart and soul in the 1950’s and 60’s. With the arrival of celebrities we adapted into a very polite crowd and known for our support and respect of a good game regardless of the result. Now our ground is loved by most teams as they known their supporters are always more vocal than ours as certainly was the case against Everton. Having be born in Fulham, raised in Fulham starting at Wheatsheaf Terrace then Homestead Road followed by Pursers Cross Road then Fulham Road and finally Bishops Road before moving to Surrey. I have always been an avid supporter but in my dotage years cannot attend but fortunately I am able to watch every game on television.
posted by bigboy4650 (Guest) - Tuesday 10th February 2026, 2:15 PM
There were many times in the match when a long kick down middle would have found Wilson or Jimenez who could possibly run through and score. Marco has told then to build slowly from the back. The Everton manager spotted that and told his players to pressurise the defence, they did and the game changed but we continued to build up from the back slowly despite the fact they kept winning the ball in our area. It thus became inevitable that they would eventually score. Did the captain not see what was happening and react? or has Marco got them to continue to do what he has told them even when it is not working. Something is wrong, a team must react to the opposition managers changed tactics that are losing us the game. That said if we were 4-0 at halftime, as we should have been, that would not of matters like the crazy use of substitutes would not matter either.
posted by The Time Is Now - Tuesday 10th February 2026, 2:40 PM
The great Tosh Chamberlain puffing a ciggie on the pitch...
posted by Hammy Roll. (Guest) - Tuesday 10th February 2026, 5:34 PM
Saying all what's been said, we should have wrapped the game up in the first half or if not at least a second goal. Unfortunately you get nothing for trying, hitting the bar a few times, Jimenez turning and putting it wide etc etc. The word clinical comes to mind and we are not clinical enough in our forward line. We are too nice! Jimenez has been excellent in his hold up play and he can win free kicks and his record is excellent at taking penalties. Did i say we are too nice at Fulham? We are nice and respectful to Jimenez every single week and even when he misses those blatant chances. Muniz and a miss we are not so nice. In the Everton game Jimenez has been wasteful with his chances and our goal was lucky to say the least. We all need a wake-up and a shake-up and that includes Marco Silva. Stop giving respect and start demanding results, put chances away, etc etc. David Moyes must have thought his luck was in at only 1-0 down at half time and it was easy to work out how they would get back into the game from up there in the stand. Marco Silva is right on the button down there pitch-wise which is embarrassing to say the least. Don't blame Iwobi who was instrumental in the first half, we should have put chances away. It is very natural for some players to fade and that's why we have subs. Smith Rowe and most did their best but we didn't capitulize and that's it. Marco used his subs too late and we applied the wrong tactics which is our fault.
posted by OWEN - Tuesday 10th February 2026, 5:56 PM
Poor January window, Wilson now on self imposed gardening leave so he doesn’t get injured before signing for his new club. Mid table mediocrity is the best they can hope for. Maybe the new manager will have better luck operating on a tight budget.
posted by Paddy O’Doors (Guest) - Tuesday 10th February 2026, 6:23 PM
My apologies Paddy but it wasn’t me to the best of my knowledge so, perhaps someone has copied and pasted to annoy people.
posted by bigboy4650 (Guest) - Tuesday 10th February 2026, 7:56 PM
Bigboy, I know you had problems registering, and maybe you could try again and if you are successful, it would help to cut out all the nonsense from the juvenile delinquent who is trying to ruin your good name. If registration still not working, maybe register under a slightly different moniker?
posted by OWEN - Tuesday 10th February 2026, 8:39 PM
I know BB. It’s all part of life’s rich pageant.
posted by Paddy O’Doors (Guest) - Tuesday 10th February 2026, 9:04 PM