TACTICS- SLAV 1 PULIS 0

Fulham's 1-0 win at Boro' has been described as many things, most notably "a robbery". At least that is what Tony Pulis and the Boro fans are saying. Yes, on the face of it, Boro had the better chances and a good shout for a penalty, but even if I take an impartial stance, I think the Whites deserved the win. Why? for several reasons. 
Gestede and Braithwaite both had glorious chances to score, but neither did. People can argue all day long that Gestede finished badly, or that either should have shot earlier (or gone around the keeper). But, where is the credit for Betts when he came rushing out, made himself big and forced Gestede into a rush decision? Braithwaite's chance was tougher as he was not so much in the clear, and again Betts made himself big, and with Kalas closing down also, the chance became more difficult. There are 11 men on a football team and Betts is one of those. So, to say the two Boro strikers missed sitters, is an injustice to Bettinelli. Other than that, in a first half where Fulham didn't get going, Boro did not have a shot on target. The biggest danger in the first half came from the impressive Traore, who gave Sess a torrid time, but luckily his skill is not complemented by a good end product. 
In the second half, the Whites looked much better, and some of the passing and interplay was similar to the excellent results at the back end of last season. Then we come to the penalties. The foul on Braithwaite, by Kalas, was a penalty. But, if you see it from the ref's point of view, Braithwaite put his arm around Kalas' neck. I can imagine in normal time and from where the ref was standing it must have looked like "six of one, and half a dozen of another". The law states that if in doubt he cannot give the pen, and had Braithwaite not put his arm over Kalas' neck then the pen would have been given. Our pen, was soft, but the replays show that the defender's foot clearly made contact with Norwood's foot. Norwood had every right to go down, and he promptly gave us the win from the spot. So, two definite penalties, but one easier to give than the other from the ref's point of view.
We shouldn't forget that Sess and Kalas  both got into scoring positions, so we had our chances also. The possession stats of 63% to 37%, in Fulham's favour, are excellent given the talent at Pulis' disposal. Credit must be given to the FFC players for continuing to look for the win in the last 10 minutes,when many other teams would have shut up shop against a strong Boro' team. Every team needs a little luck, now and again, but I think the Whites' made their own luck yesterday. 

We come to the two managers and their tactics. I think Slav probably played Sess at left back to try and counter the pace and skill of Traore. In the second half, the introduction of Kalas for Ojo, who was not at his best, allowed Sess to move forward and Odoi to slot in at left back. It was also noticeable that Pulis moved Traore over to the left wing, which gave Sess and Odoi, less to worry about defensively. Why Pulis did this is a mystery, given the torrid time Traore gave Sess in the first half. Maybe it was to try and halt the forward runs of Ryan Fredericks, but only Pulis knows why. The end result of this switch, was that Traore was not a threat, and his only involvement was chasing back as Ryan marauded forward. Whether Slav made the switch before Pulis made his switch, I do not know, but I do know that Slav's switch worked and Pulis' switch did not work. 
All in all, whatever the players are feeling, even if they think we got out of jail, the fact they we won at one of our stronger rivals, will give confidence and freedom for the rest of the season. One word of caution, is that Burton are better away than at home, and Slav will be instilling in the players, the need for concentration and not to become complacent. The words "banana skin" spring to mind, but I have faith that the Slav and the lads will have already thought this.

MOM- Kevin McDonald. 

IN SLAVISA WE TRUST
FTID
COYWs

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SLAV IN CONTROL?

Body language is always a bit of an enigma, and no matter how much we think we can tell from it, we can also read it incorrectly. I am certain I am not alone, in that when watching FFC, I occasionally look to the touchline to see what the manager is doing. As much as Kit Symons was a fans' favourite, his body language always concerned me. Every time I looked, he stood, hands in pockets, almost static, and totally emotionless. That was why I always questioned his ability as a true football manager. There is a big difference between being a good coach on the training ground and being a good match day manager of players. 

Slavisa Jokanovic is, by nature, a private person, so he is never going to be as animated as a Jurgen Klopp or Conte (replace the "o" with a "u"). But, there is an obvious, underlying passion inside the Serb. What is noticeable, since the departure of Kline, is how much more animated Slav has become. Under the Kline era, he often stood, hands folded, with only the rare waving of his arms. However, since the departure of Kline, I have noticed how much more animated he has become, even at times (against Hull) standing outside his technical area gesticulating at the players, officials and opposition bench. And would he have made those two substitutions against Hull if Kline was still around? This may all seem trivial to many fans, but I view it as a shift to Slav feeling more in control of HIS team. 
I do not claim to be some expert psychologist, but I can draw from my own experiences and observations. How many of us cannot say there has been a time when we know what is the best way to do our jobs, only to be hampered by a boss, who tells us to do it in another way? I have seen it where workers are trying to do their job and being given the wrong tools or told to do it in an non-productive way. The workers become frustrated and that is mirrored in their mood and body language. 
This may all be conjecture, on my part, but I sincerely believe that Slav feels more in control and his body language portrays this. Some could argue, that as a professional he should just get on with his job and that would be true if he was a robot and not a human being. Slav would get another job tomorrow, and it is to his credit that he suffered for so long under the clown called Kline. Kline was without doubt an egomaniac and wanted to even sit on the bench on match days. I can understand how Slav might have been thinking "what is the point?". 
As much as I have criticised Khan, in the past, I think he is wise enough to know that he needs to give Slav more control, and even though Khan Jnr. will have an influence, I believe that Slav is a much happier man now.
The January transfer window will show us how much control Slav has, but if body language is anything to go by.......................................

I would like to wish all FFC fans a successful new year, and let's hope Slav and the players give us something to cheer about come May.

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IN SLAVISA WE TRUST
FTID
COYWs

© Nic Smith