How does one put into words how this month has gone I wonder? Well, after such an abysmal season overall it surely couldn’t be any worse than the February that saw us fail to gain a single point against Palace, West Ham, Saints and, to a lesser extent, Manchester Utd. The dilly donger was dismissed on the final day of the month bringing a sense of relief and a fresh start for the club to prepare for next season; slowly but surely we will get there.
Scott Parker had nothing to lose taking over this mess, with fixtures against the two teams chasing the title, the filth chasing top 4, whom we never seem to beat anyway, and a Leicester side boosted by the new appointment of the manager the fans wanted in Brendan Rodgers – we were on a hiding to nothing. So, although we’ve had a pointless March to equal the pointless February and in the process managed to set a top-flight record as the worst losing streak in Fulham’s history (8 games!), the damage was done way before Parker’s tenure began when the teams around us all beat us, rising up the table to become a dot in the distance that we can just about make out. If you squint.
Scott’s audition for the job is about far more than a giant-killing against the big boys. It’s about giving belief back to both his players and supporters. Getting that hunger back in the bellies of the squad and restoring some sense of pride to a squad after a season that has obliterated the amazing work done by Slavisa et al in taking us up with such style last season.
At times we have seen those things during March. Hands up who expected us to lose by and concede more goals than we did? At one stage or another, we were in the game against the first three teams and deserved to take something from the Chelsea game in particular. Sessegnon’s offside goal in stoppage time really epitomising the season. But that fight and tempo were probably most evident in Parker’s first game, with the team having seemingly reverted to treating games like pre-season friendlies.
We now face the (near) impossible task of having to win all 6 of our remaining games just to have a chance of staying up. In reality, it’s a relief it’ll soon be all over. But these last 6 games are anything but meaningless games for some. This is all or nothing for Parker. I am neither convinced nor put off by his start to management and I’m sure we will need to turn performances into points, especially when Everton, Cardiff and Newcastle visit the Cottage. As a player, he loved a pivot in the middle of the park and at present, appropriately, March has seen us going around in circles but all paths to success have to start somewhere and at least going around in circles is better than square pegs in round holes, staring at oblivion…eh Claudio?
Rating for the month – 5/10
Positives
- Players are at least being played in their correct positions
- Stuart Gray coming back. Plenty of experience to compliment Parker and we have seen glimpses of our team shape and defending improving already.
- Joe Bryan despite his mistake against Man City has shown what a good fullback he will be in the Championship
- Anguissa’s improvement has been astonishing and Parker must take credit for that
- Ayite has been a breath of fresh air since returning this month
- All hope has gone. This will soon be over and no Fulham fan has even the slightest bit of hope for survival this season. And we all know it’s the hope that kills ya.
Negatives
- Another pointless month
- Against Man City, the players looked resigned to defeat from the off.
- Individual mistakes being the difference between a team that has something about them and one that is deservedly going down.
- The disgraceful songs were sung about Tony Khan. Not funny, not relevant, lack class. An embarrassment to our usual family orientated fan base.
Player of the month
Joe Bryan – The left-back has had a solid month against some of the country’s best teams. He’s one of three players to play every minute in March alongside Sergio Rico and Callum Chambers, making the most interceptions and having the most touches of the ball in the process. We knew that the season was a write-off before the month began and it was about preparing for next season with players that can mount a swift return back to the Premier League.
Fulham are proof that the gulf in quality between the Premier League and Championship is big and Bryan’s recent form suggests that he will be one of the divisions best fullbacks come August. I think we can take heart from that.
Top Fulham Player Stats (Premier League)
Minutes Played
Rico – 360
Bryan – 360
Chambers – 360
Cairney – 319
Babel – 313
Most Touches
Bryan – 255
Cairney – 213
Chambers – 210
Anguissa – 167
Rico – 161
Most Passes
Cairney – 165
Chambers – 161
Bryan – 143
Rico – 122
Ream – 120
Anguissa – 120
Key Passes
Cairney – 4
Babel – 4
Ayite – 4
Nordtveit- 2
Bryan – 2
Sessegnon – 2
Most Dribbles
Anguissa – 7
Babel – 5
Ayite – 5
Cairney – 5
Sessegnon – 5
Most Shots
Mitrović – 6
Cairney – 5
Bryan – 5
Babel – 4
Ayite – 3
Most Shots On Target
Mitrović – 3
Bryan – 2
Ayite – 1
Cairney – 1
Chambers – 1
Babel – 1
Anguissa – 1
Most Interceptions
Bryan – 9
Odoi – 7
Anguissa – 7
Chambers – 6
Nordtveit – 5
Most Headers Won
Mitrović – 15
Chambers – 5
Ayite – 4
Kebano – 3
Cairney – 2
Fouls Conceded
Mitrović – 7
Bryan – 4
Sessegnon – 4
McDonald – 3
Ayite – 3
Anguissa – 3
Odoi – 3
Fouls Won
Mitrović – 7
Babel – 4
Ayite – 4
Ream – 3
Sessegnon – 3
Cairney – 3
April Predictions
I remember when Reading were already relegated back in 2012, back to the days when Fulham were an established Premier League Club! I think most Fulham fans turned up to the Cottage that day in May thinking that it would be a stroll and that Reading would be the team already on holiday. But we’ve seen so many times that when the pressure is off and there’s nothing but pride left to play for, players begin to play with freedom. Plus, there’s the underlying factor that those who wish to leave suddenly up their game in order to put themselves in the shop window. Reading deservedly beat us 4-2 that day and I can see Fulham pulling off a couple of shocks themselves once the footballing Grim Reaper finally has his say.
Parker needs points this month if he is to have any chance of making his Head Coach position permanent, and if we are to believe the comments from players claiming they love him and want him to get the job, then they will need to do him proud to help his cause.
Watford have a huge opportunity to get to the FA Cup final as they were fortunate to avoid Man City in the semi’s, giving them a great chance to make the end-of-season showpiece, albeit with a strong Wolves side standing in their way. You surely have to go for it in that position and you’d have to think some players will be rested against the Whites. The world’s gone mad if the Watford boss prioritises 7th place in the Premier League over the FA Cup final. So, you never know, Fulham might actually nick something… Bournemouth will probably be too strong for us at their place but they seemingly have nothing to play for as they find themselves comfortably in mid-table obscurity. Similarly, Everton, who we generally have a good home record against, should have one eye on their summer holidays by the time they come to the Cottage. With Cardiff now 5 points from safety and Man City away next, I see the stuffing and confidence finally being knocked out of them (especially after the way Chelsea nicked it at the weekend) and they will come to us needing to win to stay up, but we will finally get our much-desired win and drag them back down to the Championship with us. Sorry, Colin!
Result predictions:
02/04/19 – Watford 1-1 Fulham
13/04/19 – Fulham 1-1 Everton
20/04/19 – Bournemouth 2-0 Fulham
27/04/19 – Fulham 2-0 Cardiff
