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. 

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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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THE VIEW FROM THE HAMMY END..AND AROUND

Speaking to fans in pubs, reading social media and talking with friends, it is clear that there is a sense of "disgruntlement", "confusion", "pessimism", "panic", or in some cases "realism" an quiet "optimism". The problem is, that this seems to be becoming a recurring theme, and is almost reaching the point of hysteria. 

What am I talking about? The "should Slav be sacked?", or "where's the plan B?" debates that seem to rage on ad nauseum. We, as fans, have the right to our opinion on our beloved FFC, and we should accept the opinions of others whether we agree with them or not. But this should all be put into perspective, rather than rushing around blaming "this person" or "that person". 
I, too, am probably becoming boring, as I have written about this before, but after watching the Barnsley win, it is becoming clearer where the problems lie.
I am one of Slav's biggest admirers, yet I find myself beginning to doubt some of his ideas. Whether this is because of the influence of social media or not, I cannot answer, but for the foreseeable future I am going to remain 100% behind the sullen Serb. Last season, in many fans eyes, he could have turned water into wine, as he led a small squad to achieving much more than we could have wished for. But, we would do well to remember that it was Leeds who threw it away. Granted, we had to go on that good run of form, but ultimately Leeds bottled it. There has been an argument that we cannot blame Kline because he was at the club last season also. What we don't know, is whether Kline's ego just got bigger and bigger and he started to exert more and more influence, as he got carried away with last season's success also. If Kline saw last season as a result of his methods, then he may have wanted more influence, but we will never know. Whether the "Slav out" camp like it or not, it is a fact that Kline unsettled the whole club. Do people really believe that once Khan had sacked Kline that stability would return overnight? It takes time to get a bad taste out of your mouth, and it will take time to get the club on a happier and more stable footing.
Watching the Barnsley game, it was too evident where many of our problems lie. Bettinelli is the fans favourite because he is an FFC man, rather than Button who is from the despised club up the road. Button would have to be twice as good as Betts before some fans would take to him. The problem is that both are good shot stoppers, but neither are great passers of the ball, and both look like they do not like high balls into the box. For me, Button is probably better at passing the ball out, because too often Betts kicks the ball out of play. Slav likes to play the ball out from the back, but does not have the keepers to do this, effectively. This also makes us more predictable, and teams know what to do against us. So, where's the plan B in this situation? Put simply......there isn't one, and there cannot be one when we do not have the correct personnel. If we go long, who  can hold the ball up, or flick it on? Fonte can't and it is not his natural game against the lumps of defenders who we find in the Championship. Kamara doesn't have the technical ability to control the ball well, and big Matty Smith was sold (probably by Kline). And, much as I loved the effort of big Matty, he was not that great on the floor, apart from not being the quickest. If we want this option, then we need a Jordan Rhodes type of player, who has good technical ability an is also up to the physical challenge. If we could mix it up more, when the keeper has the ball at his feet, then we would be more unpredictable, but Slav needs the personnel to do this. 
Another obvious thing is the form of Cairney. TC is our talisman and his obvious talent seems to have disappeared a little this season. Whether that is down to his injury, I do not know, but he seems to be playing a lot deeper in the last few games, trying to influence the game from the back. Last season he was almost playing in the number ten role where he was much more effective. My feeling is that Slav has given him a free role, and TC's natural instinct to run the show means he is dropping deeper. I, personally, would like to see him playing behind the striker/s where he can really hurt the opposition. 
It is also worth watching how Freddo is being doubled up on more often when he goes forward. Last season, we had Aluko, who was capable of holding the ball up, with his trickery, allowing Freddo more space to get forward. As excellent as Ojo has been, he does not compliment Freddo in the same way as Aluko did. 
It is also noticeable that the team are playing with a fear factor now, especially when taking the lead. I do not blame that on the coaching or the players, I blame it on the fact that we overachieved last season, and the players themselves are expecting too much of themselves, so that when we do go into the lead, there is a natural tendency to "get over the line" rather than go for the second goal which would give us a bigger cushion. Last season we could play without fear, because nobody was expecting us to reach the play-offs anyway. 
Of course, there are many other areas where we do not look as effective as we did last year, but as many people have said "selling Aluko and Malone has had a very negative effect". If we do not replace such players with similar players, rather than players who have good stats, then it stands to reason we will not be as effective in these positions. 
An excellent article in "Get West London" outlined a very good argument for sticking with Slavisa, using the example of Lee Johnson at Bristol City, who took them from flirting with relegation, last season, to where they are now. Knee jerk reactions very rarely work, and if the club have the right man for the job, then they need to give him time. And who is the alternative to Slav, anyway? We are not going to get Johnson down at the Cottage, and people who mentioned mangers like Pullis were living in cloud cuckoo land if they think he would come to us. We should also remember that the Kline business was well documented nationally, and how many respectable coaches would want to work under a system where they may have little say in who they can buy? Whether you are for the stats system or not, good coaches get a big say in the type of player they want, and I can see very few coaches who would want to put up with our current system, if it stays the same. Whether, you are in the "Slav out" camp, or in the "Slav in" camp, it is time to be realistic and understand that it is the Kline situation that has done most to ruin this season.
I sincerely believe that if Slav is given time and more influence we will be up there where it matters at the end of the 2018/19 season. For the moment I am sticking with Slav, and I urge every other fan to remember sometimes......"BETTER THE DEVIL YOU KNOW"

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QUESTION TIME.....MAKING SENSE OF FFC.

Sometimes it feels like "Groundhog day".......Another Fulham defeat and social media is awash with "Bring back Betts", "Slav out", "Kahn's out", etc. etc.
Maybe I should just make my life easier and stop reading social media. There are too many knee jerk reactions for my liking, and everybody is looking for somebody to blame. I am in no way defending the club, the players or the manager for our less than inspiring first half of the season, but there has to be a little rationality, rather than us all turning on our beloved club.

Maybe we should try and analyse this, calmly-
THE KHANS
Ever since Al Fayed left, the club seems, at times, like a headless chicken. I have never been impressed by Americans owning English football clubs, as they want the American model of becoming too involved in the playing side of things. You only have to look at what Lerner did to Villa, and the Glaziers at Man Utd. The stand out instance, is the appointment of Magath, who was apparently recruited by an American sports promotion company. I may be wrong on what type of company it was, but he was definitely recruited under a stats style system, and we all know what a disaster that was. Thankfully, the Khans seem to have realised that knee jerk sackings don't always work (see Rene Mulensteen's short tenure). Their insistence on sticking with the crazy transfer policy of Kline and Tony Khan is another prime example of their ineptness at running football clubs. Whether you are for the stats system or not, it is clear that making the stats system as the sole criteria for signing players has not worked. 
Even the new Riverside development looks like a joke. I would not pay to sit in a stand that looks like it is open to the elements. Why they did not stick with the original p;an is beyond me, but this is a side issue.
Where I will criticise them is for the "moneyballs" policy of not signing players over 28. Selling Aluko was an absolute joke leaving the team unbalanced and losing one of our more maverick players who can do the unpredictable. Because Aluko was 28, the board would not give him the contract length he wanted and they decided to cash in when they could. Slavisa also wanted Glen Murray, but wasn't allowed to look at him, because he was too old. I accept the idea of making FFC a sustainable business, but the "moneyballs" policy is sheer madness. The reason? We are in the Championship.....FFS, not the Premier league. If we are turning down players because they have no resale value, players who may just give us the extra to reach the Prem., then we may as well resign ourselves to Championship football for the foreseeable future. Promotion to the Prem. is worth £100 million plus, and even though I am not a business expert, even I can do the maths. Get Murray on loan, keep Aluko and lose 7 million, and maybe have a shot at promotion. Even I  can see that we would still be way in profit if we reached the promised land that is the Prem. We as fans have a choice, accept we will always be a selling club, bringing through youth to sell and staying in the Championship, or we can ditch the rigid "moneyballs" policy and sign some players who have the nous to take us up. 
Whatever the Khans are planning, and whatever their philosophy is, it doesn't seem to  be working.
SLAVISA
I have always been a fan of Slavisa, and I still think he is the right man for the job. But, even I start to question some of his decisions, and Slavisa lovers can only defend him for so long. Slav made no secret that he wanted to keep Aluko, and it is clear that he had little, or no, say over signings. He obviously doesn't fancy Kamara or Djallo, and even Fonte doesn't seem to be too high on Slav's guest list. For me, Kline was the man who has made Slav's team selection so difficult, but Slav must also start to step up now that the Yankee clown has left. I would like to see Slav given more say in January, and if we can get who he wants, then we can start to scrutinise his selections. And, in reality, who else is out there, who would be tempted to come to the Cottage if we are mid table come February? People can argue that there are good coaches out there, but we cannot force them to come to the Cottage. For the Slav knockers, "be careful for what you wish for", or "better the devil you know". 
In my, very humble, opinion, I would keep Slav and see who we can sign in January and next summer, and allow the unsmiling Serb a full season with HIS team, not Kline's team.
OUR DEFENCE
A debate that could rage forever. For too long we have had a porous defence, long before Slav, or Kit. I do not know if it the coaching staff, the manager, or our style of play, but something is amiss. Maybe it is just the mentality surrounding the whole club, maybe it is something deeper. Gus Poyet, said there was something deeply wrong with Sunderland, but he couldn't put his finger on what was wrong, and maybe it is the same with our defensive problems. It just may take some time to fix. Nobody can say Kalas is a bad player, even though he has not shone this season, and Ream and Odoi have improved. There is a definitely a problem, but if the professionals can't fix it, then I doubt us armchair coaches can fix it.
STRONGER DIVISION
We, as a team, overachieved last year, and rightly our expectations were greater, but it is clear this is a much stronger league than last year. The three defeated play-off teams, all sit mid table, us included. Wolves and Middlesbrough both spent big, even though the latter only sit 3 points clear of FFC. Villa spent money and already had a Premier league squad that wasn't dismantled. Virtually every club invested incoming money on players suited to the Championship. The big surprises at the top are Bristol City and Sheff Utd, but I don't expect either of them to maintain their high positions. FFC also spent some money on players like Fonte, but the majority of our signings do not know the Championship, let alone English football. Fonte is a flop, totally unsuited to English football, and Djallo looks out of his depth, not to mention some others like Kamara. We should have kept our squad (Aluko) intact, and strengthened with players who know English football, not players who tick the right boxes in the stats column. For this the blame lies firmly at Kline, and the Khan's door. Murray, or Abrahams, both wanted by Slavisa, should have been brought in to give us goals, but they weren't for various reasons. Blame Slav all you want, but he can only work with what he is given.
IN SUMMARY
Since the international break, we have won 2, drawn 1 and lost 1. Defeat at Brentford is hard to take, but it is not the end of the world. A good little run will put us on the edge of the play-offs, and remember it was this time last year we started our season. We may all be getting a little jittery, but it is not all doom and gloom just yet. I for one will be 100% behind Slavisa and the lads come Saturday.

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© Nic Smith

TIME FOR CHANGE? THE FULHAM DEBATE

After watching last night's flat performance against Wolves, it would have been easy to make a knee jerk reaction, calling for "Slav out", or "Khan out". Social media was awash with "who's to blame", "so and so is useless", "next manager?", and the obligatory "no plan B". We are all entitled to our views, and we all feel that we are possibly correct, and that everybody who does not agree with us are talking nonsense, or "they don't understand football". In reality, we are all correct, but on Monday I will return to my job which is not as a coach of a Championship football club, and everybody else, who complains on social media will go back to their jobs as plumbers, bankers, teachers etc. etc.

The point is, that while we are entitled to our view, we should remember that the coaching staff at FFC have much more knowledge and experience than any of us. Playing FM or FIFA does not make us good coaches, in fact it makes us worse coaches, because we are learning how the software can make our teams better, and the software does not take into account the intricate nature of human beings and their interaction with other human beings.

This morning I read an excellent article by Danny Fullbrook which can be found here- http://hammyend.com/index.php/2017/11/slavisa-out-why-fulham-fans-should-keep-the-faith/. I

tI agree with Danny to a certain extent, especially in that we should keep faith in Slavisa and his methods. So please indulge me and allow me to share my "objective" views on why we should not rush into anything with regards to our club's dilemma. Anybody who has read my previous articles will know that I am a big fan of Slavisa, and I am certain that with the right personnel we could have pushed on from last season.

Signings-

The "who buys the players" debate will probably go on forever, but it was clear that Kline had too much say on who we bought. Slavisa bemoaned the fact that he had little say on transfers repeatedly, and I disagree with those people who said "he was just moaning". Why would Slav moan just for the sake of it? There is no logical argument for anybody to make that assertion. It is obvious that the coach was being overruled on any decisions regarding signings. That is something that needs to change, and now with Kline gone I am certain that Slav will be given much more say. Unfortunately, he only has the "difficult to buy anybody" January transfer window this season. If Slav stays until next summer, then I expect some much better signings.

Aluko and Malone-

The worst bit of business the club did in the summer was selling these two. Although Aluko was not a great goalscorer, he gave us something different and Ayite (who has gone backwards) will never replace him. Slav knew how integral Aluko was to the team and went public saying he did not want the club to sell him. Malone was a strange sale, because we had nobody to cover left-back. Whether we could have kept Malone, because of the lure of Prem. football, or not, is difficult to say, but he should have been replaced straight away, and by somebody who was fit. Fundamentally, these two players gave the team balance, and allowed Sessegnon to play in his natural role of left wing-back.

Strikers-

Put simply, we needed two strikers, one big striker and one box striker. What we got was Fonte and Kamara, neither of whom has stood out. £8 million for Fonte was a total waste of money. One good season with Braga, in the Portuguese league was never going to make him a good player in the much more physical Championship. Apart from one excellent finish at Ipswich he has done nothing of any significance. Kamara has no real pedigree, having played for Monaco B, and Amiens in the lower leagues of French football. Nobody can claim that outside of 5 or 6 clubs, most French clubs would not struggle in the First Division let alone the Championship. Kamara looks clumsy, slow and unable to hold up the ball. What the club needed to do was to buy proven players from the Championship or the First Division, who understood the physical demands of English football. Even keeping big Matty Smith would have given us an option to switch to "plan B".

Plan B and tactics-

"Plan B" now seems to be the only thing on FFC fans' lips, and rightly so. But let's look at the facts. Firstly, what is "Plan B"? It's all very well shouting for "Plan B", but we have to back it up with what our vision of "Plan B" is. Is it to go more direct? If so, we need a front man who is big enough to win the duels and hold the ball up. That is one luxury, Fulham FC do not have, so that option would just give the opposition the possession all of the time. We could go with our wingers in more advanced positions, draw teams on to us, and then release the wingers down the channels with balls over the top. The problem with that is, that Sess and Fredericks would have to play more defensively, as they could both be exposed with less cover. We could go 3 at the back- tried and failed against Bristol City. We could go 2 up front, which has been mooted by some fans, but we need complimentary strikers to do that, which we do not have. And, that option would leave us short in midfield, in a league where most teams play with 5 in midfield. The options for "Plan B" are endless, but we have to have the players who can compliment the tactics, and new tactics take a long time to instil and implement. Virtually every team presses us high up now, because they have worked us out, and we need a different option to stop this from happening, but Slav and his coaching team can only work with the materials (players) they have got at their disposal. I am certain that Slav and his team know exactly what we know, and they are working hard to do something about it. 

High expectations-

Last season we came from nowhere and suddenly, we all thought 'next season we will push on'. We were on a roll and we expected it to continue. Maybe, just maybe, we over-achieved last season. Maybe, we weren't as good as we thought. Maybe, we were too over-reliant on Tom Cairney who stayed fit. My prediction at the start of the season was 7th to 10th, with an outside chance of the play-offs. The summer signings had not inspired me to think we could finish top six, let alone top two. That does not make me some "expert after the fact", but I do think we all got carried away. After all, if Leeds hadn't messed up so badly, we wouldn't have made the play-offs at all.

Overall reflections-

The players look drained of confidence, but I do not think that is down to Slavisa "losing the dressing room" as some have suggested on social media. Maybe the players were, also, buzzing from last season, and when you are on a high and things don't go well it is easy to become incredibly despondent, and start to question yourself and you ability. It is obvious from press reports, that Kline was a very disruptive "human being", and he may have upset too many people around the club. Modern football teams are very close knit operations and if one person is p**sing everybody off, it can have a massive effect. The fact that Shahid Khan got rid of Kline should not be underestimated, as it shows he is behind the coaching staff, rather than his son's best mate. With Kline gone, and an international break, we have time to gain some stability inside the club. We would do well to remember, that it was this international break that was the catalyst for our excellent run last season. A couple of wins on the bounce and the confidence will come back. Now is not the time for knee-jerk reactions, and as fans need to back the coach, players and club. I, personally think Slavisa is the best man for the job, and bringing in a new coach will mean the season just drifts away as the new man would need a lot of time to instil new tactics.

*This article is meant as an opinion, and is not intended to deny the opinions of others*.

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© Nic Smith

THE TRIP TO VILLA AND REPORT

Was it worth it? It's always worth watching the Whites, and being a positive observer, I try to take some good memories, but losing is bad at any time, but in a hole like Birmingham it is pretty dismal.
We got the early train and even though it was the slower (and cheaper) option the journey wasn't that bad. Even met some Wolves fans travelling from Banbury, and they told us that Villa were pretty poor. We go to Birmingham Moor Street, and headed off to the Bullring. As with most away fans we googled the nearest Spoons, and found ourselves in the Square Peg. At 10.45 is was very busy and has probably the longest bar I have seen, at 85 feet app. The class of clientelle was fairly poor, and a few dodgy looking characters came and went, one even selling mobile phones (probably nicked from the night before). A few beers later and we headed off to New Street to find a drinking hole nearer the ground. Somebody told me that they had done up the Bullring, but it still looked pretty dismal to me. 
So, we got to Witton and headed to the Witton Arms, which apparently is the only away fans pub in the area. Even the Villa website "confirms" this. There were 3 big looking lads at the gate who decided to relieve of us of a £2 pound entry fee. Not sure why you have to pay 2 quid to get into a pub, but it is what it is. Inside there were a few Fulham lads, but this gaff made the pub in Shameless look like a gastro pub. It is impossible to describe how basic this pub was, but maybe the £2 entry was to buy some paint from the nearest Wickes. Add to that several IRA supporting flags, and you get the picture. It was a sh*thole, which is pretty much in keeping with the rest of the city. The Fulham lads were in good voice as the pub filled up more, but there must have been another pub where our lads were meeting.
After that it was off to the ground, which is pretty impressive, although a little sterile these days.

It was great to see Fredericks back, which should fill us with optimism, and with TC on the bench, again, we could at least dare to dream. To be honest, the first half was a pretty drab affair as Villa, like most teams this season, pressed us high up knowing we pass out from the back. There were a few half chances for both teams, but nothing of any substance. Then a free kick was floated into our box, and the "Pikie from Chelscum" got across the front of our defence and nodded past Button. To make matters worse, he thought it was fun to celebrate his goal in front of our fans. As the half was coming to a close, we won a free kick on the edge of the box which Johansen placed in the far corner.......1-1!!
The second half didn't start much better, but the Whites looked more up for it, and we started to take control. But a mistake from Ream gave them possession, and they scored from close in at the back post. When TC came on, you could see why we miss him so much, as he started to find space, and control the midfield. Ayite should have scored when presented with an easy chance in the middle of their goal, and with Fonte also missing, we knew it wasn't going to be our day. After that Villa just defended as we passed the ball around trying to walk the ball into the net. So, that was it, back to the centre, a quick pint and back to London. 
Player ratings
Button- Made a couple of good stops, and didn't do too much wrong. The only criticism is his passing out from defence, but if that is how he is asked to play, he will make mistakes.- 7
Fredericks- Although not fully match fit, he showed why we need him so much with his runs at the opposition defence. Tired near the end and looked like his knock was starting to trouble him, but still better than the alternatives- 8
Kalas- Although he lost the ball a couple of times when dribbling out, he was solid enough and gave his usual 120%- 7
Ream- Probably his worst game of the season. His excellent, recent, improvement was missing and he was at fault for their second goal- 5
Sessegnon- At the risk of upsetting his many admirers, I thought he was poor today. He is simply not a left back, and although he made a few good forward runs, maybe it is time to give him a rest- 6
Norwood- Played his usual game, but he doesn't have the movement or passing of TC. His early booking may have held him back a little, also, but overall looked pretty average- 6
McDonald- Didn't do anything wrong and had a solid game. Has played better, but it more effective when TC plays- 7
Johansen- Lost a little of his recent form, but he is still vital to the team. Scored a good free kick, but it was a shame to see him go off injured- 7
Fonte- Basically, the jury is still out on him. Didn't do anything to justify his price tag. Tried too many fancy flicks and was not strong enough to make any impression- 4
Ayite- Didn't really do too much to worry the opposition, and I would have preferred to see Kebano above him. Needed to take players on more, but reasonably solid enough performance- 6
Kamara- If you want to set yourself up for a fall, then name yourself AK47 before the season starts. He may have been a little isolated in this game, but didn't do anything of note- 5
Subs-
Cairney- He could come on at 50% fitness and he would still run the show. Looked effective all the way through, and you could see why Villa backed off, deeper and deeper. Another impressive performance from a man only half fit- 8
Kebano- Only had 11 minutes, and by then  Villa were defending the game- 6
Cisse- Put himself about, but not enough quality for me- 6

Overall
Whether it is the international break, or the opposition having sussed our short passing from the back, we looked, once again, like a one man team. We need to solve the left back problem and we need a proven "out and out" striker. Villa weren't that good, but they do have quality players. On our best day, and with TC fit, we would have won. But, we should be realistic as we were away at one of the favourites. We can play better but we need to stop being so predictable with our passing out from the back, as it means the opposition can press us high up. We find ourselves only 3 points off the play-offs with this setback, and with two winnable games coming up, this game will soon be forgotten.

Overall day out
It is always great to travel away with FFC, but Birmingham is a dump. 

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FTID 
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IN SLAVISA WE TRUST

*This is just a humble opinion from a loyal fan*

© Nic Smith

WHAT'S WRONG WITH FULHAM FC ?

The mixed reaction from White's fans, to this season's opening, raises a lot of questions. For those interested to read my objective (sort of) take on this, here are my opinions. 

FAN EXPECTATIONS
Have we the fans got carried away with last season's position, and expected a leap up to the next stage? I think every fan has the right to be optimistic, but we were the surprise team last season, coming from what looked like mid-table to snatch a play-off spot, playing the best football in the division. So, have we been over optimistic ? I don't think so. Every fan expects their team to push on from last season, and with the best coach in the division, those expectations should be realistic. But, we the fans, need to remember that it is a long, 46 game season, and we are only eight games in. The last thing we should do, is start getting on the players' backs. There is much more to this than, the players not performing, and the coach not having a plan B. 
So, let's look at this in depth.
The defence
This is one area where there seems to have been an improvement, considering our goals against column of last season. Kalas is, probably, the best CB in the division, and Ream has improved massively. Fredericks is a magnificent RB/RWB, and although he can be a little rash defensively, his attacking forays more than make up for that. Whatever Odoi's true position is, he has been immense when covering at CB. Where we look weak is at LB, because it is obvious, the hugely talented Sessegnon is not a LB. He is not good as a defender positionally, and maybe when he matures he will be, but we sorely miss Malone. Forget Aluko, selling Malone was the worst bit of business the board did all summer. We haven't replaced him, and Soares (on loan) is an unknown quantity, and he is injured as well. Even with Soares, we have little natural cover in that position. Djalo and Madl provide cover, but Djalo hasn't convinced so far. 
Midfield
Still the best midfield in the division. Norwood is quality even though he hasn't adapted to our style yet. Kevin Mc is class, and provides good cover along with his range of passing. Johansen hasn't started well, but I think he is excellent, which I will cover a little later. Kebano and Ayite (not a striker) both have enough about them to worry most defences. Ojo is difficult to judge so early, but he doesn't look like a starting player for me. Cisse is a lump, but I am not sure he can match Kevin Mc in the passing department. Mollo is a conundrum, looking powerful and tricky, but his over eagerness makes him look like a "red card waiting to happen". Jordan Graham is highly rated, and given some game time I think he may be the surprise star of the season. And then there is Tom Cairney, who I will cover in a separate section.
Strikers
I am tempted to say "strikers, what strikers?". Here I am talking about natural strikers, not Ojo, Ayite or Piazon. Fonte is clearly the best one, but he has just arrived and this is the Championship not the Portuguese league, where only 2 or 3 teams have realistic chances of winning the title. I think he has goals in him, but it may take a while before he gets used to English football. Kamara is our only other out and out striker, and he looks like he may have something about him, but he will also need time to acclimatise. So where is the cover? Do we play the small Ayite up front, or do we give Humphreys a chance? For me, we needed to buy a player who knows what the Championship is all about, if we are to make a serious attempt at automatic promotion.
The TOM CAIRNEY factor
This, surely, has to be our Achilles' heel, because without TC we only look half the side compared to when he is playing. Everything goes through TC, even when the ball is not played to him. He is the focal point, and the one that the opposition is watching, allowing more space on the flanks. He is so good at finding space, turning and linking up play, it causes massive headaches for the opposition. TC, naturally, finds the gaps between the opposition lines, drawing players to him, and leaving more space for our wingers to exploit. Not to mention the goals he adds to the team. Which brings me on to Johansen (see above). Johansen needs TC, because when TC receives the ball it opens up space for him to run into. Without TC the opposition don't get drawn out of position, leaving them time to pick up the runs of Johansen. If you think I am talking nonsense, then just watch how Johansen ghosts into positions when TC becomes the focal point. Put simply, he has more space when TC is playing. All of this is a problem, be cause the plain fact is that we have nobody who can try and play in the same style as TC. I am certain that Slavisa is working on this in training, but for the whole of last season we did not have to do without the main man. I hate to say it, but we are a one man team, or only half a team without him. 
Slavisa Jokanovic
Simply, the best coach we have had in a long while, and playing the "Fulham way". I am not going to bang on about how much I rate the man as a coach, and how I believe he can take us forward. People say he has no plan B, and that may be true, but I will defend him in saying we don't have the squad or players to change our style too much. 
The opposition
Basically, they have sussed us out. On our day, the opposition can do all the homework, on us, that they want, and we will still beat them. But, a lot of teams are pressing us higher now, and know what we are going to do, so when we are not at our best we become easier to play against. 
Transfer policy
I have discussed my opinion in an earlier blog, and I still believe that Slavisa should have more say on who he wants. Khan Jr. and Kline's obsession with stats is surely holding the coach back, and I am not a fan of so many loan signings (yes I do understand the bit about FFP). We need to sort the transfer policy out, or Slav will leave.
S0, what is wrong with Fulham FC?
After 8 games it is too early to panic. Our biggest problem is that we miss TC. We need a solution at LB. We need a proven Championship striker. We are no longer a surprise, as we are now a big threat. But let's not panic yet. TC will be back soon. Soares may stay injury free and be as good as is expected. Fonte, or Kamara, may prove to be stars and score bundles of goals. And, our mediocre start may make teams think about us as not so much of a threat. 
I, personally, think we will be alright and we will make the play-offs, but if not I will be there next season full of optimism and belief.

P.S. These are only my humble opinions
P.P.S. On a less serious note, me and my mate AS want Cyriac back.

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IN SLAVISA WE TRUST
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© Nic Smith