Fulham v Wolves Review: Reverting to Type

Did Friday happen? Are we sure? I don't really want to say "I told you so" and I suppose I didn't technically call it- but I was very much aware of what happened tonight happening heading into the game. We were really on the back foot from the word "go", and even before the Red we were just playing into Wolves' hands with how we were set up and just the way we were playing. We were never even in the game tonight, and I think it's going to be these sort of schizophrenic performances all season. I was talking about it a bit heading into the game, but I was worried the QPR game would be this seasons Derby from the second half of the season- in that it was just a one-off complete performance. It's funny because if you swap the Stoke and QPR games around it's an almost identical run to that week we beat Derby. We beat Derby, lose narrowly to Watford and then we just can't get going for the third game of that week lose convincingly and get a Red Card in the process as we did against Bournemouth.

The game today was really weird. Before Wolves got their first goal I won't say we were looking convincing defensively, but Wolves weren't posing an obvious threat at the same time. Then Wolves got their first from a Deflection and it going in off the post and it was game over. I'm in no way saying Lonergan wasn't at fault for the second goal- because he was, and he'd be the first one to admit it. With that said I'm not exactly going to get on his back for it because we were never scoring tonight- so in that respect it's not like it cost us the game. The third goal was just quality, it was a bit of a stupid foul to give away by Ream because Afobe wasn't going anywhere - but again it's not like it cost us the game.

As I already said, I'm not getting on Lonergan's back tonight. Yes, he's made a mistake which led to a goal- but at the same time he did make two or three quality saves in the First-Half to keep us in it so we weren't dead in the water before Half-Time. His distribution was pretty awful tonight, it was just a bad day all around really.

I don't know if Stearman was finding it weird coming up against Wolves, but he just looked uncharacteristically shaky and just out of the game tonight. Everyone had an off day, but in a few cases one being Stearman I think it hit the team harder than if someone else had an off game. Ream looked shaky as well to be honest, as soon as they switched it for a bit in the First-Half where Afobe went onto Ream and Le Fondre onto Stearman there was an even more noticeable defensive fragility on show. On a more positive note, James Husband's loan has been extended- I don't think we know how long yet if I had to guess it'll be another month though. Back to the negatives, Husband had a nightmare tonight. Iorfa in particular was murdering us tonight down that side, but we all know how good Husband can be as is the case with quite a few players- so it's just a case of moving on quickly. I'm willing to trust Kit on the Fredericks front with regard to him having a bit of a niggle that stopped him really getting into the game tonight, because he was just bad tonight.

I think I saw a Tweet with the Video for the Red, either way if you haven't seen it- it's a definite Red. It's probably the most blatant straight red I've seen since the Hutchinson one against Blackburn last season. It's annoying because I think the manner of the Red means it's a 3 Match Ban for Cairney as well, and however he did tonight he's definitely one of the players in the team who can make a difference in a game. On the whole the Midfield was just completely inept tonight and I'm genuinely not sure if it's a case of our Midfield being bad tonight or Wolves' Midfield just being better.

Another player who had an off game tonight and it impacted the whole team was Tunnicliffe. He was by no means the worst player in the team tonight, but with the way Wolves were pressing us Tunnicliffe just couldn't really get into the game and the whole team suffered as a result. The same can be said for O'Hara, but I think he was particularly shown up tonight by McDonald in not the same- but similar roles. Wolves' game-plan was perfect, and as a result O'Hara (and Tunnicliffe) simply couldn't get into the game tonight and that pretty much killed us. Pringle was seeing a lot of the ball in the First-Half with not much end product. The thing for me tonight is I'm genuinely not sure if Pringle was playing badly or if Iorfa was playing quality.

McCormack was another strange one tonight, he didn't do anything I'll open with that. But, at the same time as soon as McCormack was moved to Right-Mid he was pretty much made ineffective by design. If there's one player who's come out of the game with some shine still on them it's Dembele. I'm not saying he was great tonight by any means, but I would say he was feeding off scraps after the Red- but that would imply he actually did have something to feed off of.

The Subs Kit made were, interesting. If Kit wanted to bring Mattila on I'm not sure why he didn't do it as soon as the Red Card happened. I'm not saying Mattila was going to save us tonight, nothing would have- but him sitting in front of the Back Four may have helped us out a bit. Bringing him on when we were 3-0 down did nothing for us, apart from O'Hara coming off which I suppose was fair enough- but at 3-0 down we might as well have brought on Woodrow. The Voser Sub was fair enough given what Kit's said, and if Fredericks is out as well as Jazz Richards then we're really in trouble again. Christensen coming on for Pringle was a decent sub, the game was already gone by the time he came on- and with Cairney being out I'm assuming Christensen will be coming in on the Right for Sunday.

Tonight's game didn't exactly flag up something we didn't already know. Despite Friday's game Kit is still quite naive- and that showed tonight. Tonight we barely had a Plan A, so when Cairney got Sent Off we definitely didn't have a Plan B- and it was just a case of "let's hope for the best". As I already said, I'm expecting a lot of these "up and down" sort of runs this season. This also goes back to what I was saying in my Preview yesterday, we're not in any way Playoff Contenders until we can put a run together- which we simply don't seem capable of.

Thanks for reading as always, I don't think it can get much worse than tonight's game performance and result wise- so the only way is up for Charlton on Sunday. We're of course back in-front of the Sky Cameras which seem to be our friend this season, and the Preview for that game will be up on Friday as usual. I hope you stay tuned for that one, and we can get a more positive result against Charlton to head into the International Break. Thanks again for reading, I hope you have a good rest of the week- and we can only hope that things get better than tonight. I'm not sure how it could get worse.

RAW Review: 28th September

Hello! That's right, it's yet another RAW Review. I was actually getting annoyed a few nights ago that I missed one of these because I was ill and I wouldn't have done one every week for 2015, but then I remembered the Night after the Rumble didn't even happen- so YAY! Let's just get this in there early, last night's RAW wasn't very good. If Vince was panicking about the Ratings he definitely wasn't showing it with the show last night. That's not to say last night's RAW didn't have some good points though, and it was definitely of some value- at least to me. I generally hate people who say "everyone's allowed an opinion", it's such a cop out to me if you're in an argument over something. There is such a thing as a wrong opinion, I saw a Twitter Account (genuinely can't remember what one) call last night's RAW a "9/10". That's a wrong opinion.

John Cena's US Open Challenge
The good ol' days. It's weird that this RAW was so bad in all honesty, because there were some genuinely good segments on the show. Cena's Promo was really weird last night, I'm not necessarily saying it was bad- but he just seemed to be talking to himself. New Day are great, that isn't exactly breaking news to anyone at this point- and as usual all of their wacky shenanigans were one of, if not the highlight of RAW. The thing where they were "swimming", and I think Kofi said "y'all thought we couldn't swim" just had me howling in laughter.

John Cena v Xavier Woods
I genuinely think WWE are investing in more self-aware versions of characters now. See Big Show, his gimmick for a few weeks was he should retire and that he'd turn every week. Cena in this match was such a Heel. He was toying with Xavier Woods, there's no other word for it- basically screaming to the audience "HEY, I'M COMPLACENT". On top of that, he said he'd take out all three members of New Day by himself in his Promo- and then he bitched until Kofi and Big E got sent to the back. The match was just a means to an end, and should be only reviewed as such as opposed to a standalone match. The one problem the match did have was nobody knew what Xavier's finisher was, I'm pretty sure it's the Eat Defeat- but even I couldn't tell you with 100% certainty without googling it. So that took away from one of the false finishes, but as I said it was just a means to an end.

New Day v John Cena & The Dudleys
This match was fine. I don't know if it's because New Day are so great, and the crowd really wasn't into much last night- but the Dudleys have become an afterthought in basically a month. It's all about New Day, and much in the way of the Primetime Players (to a lesser extent) they just look so "meh" by comparison. Overall it was a decent match though, the finish was a bit weird to me because Xavier successfully managed to hold onto Bubba to stop him breaking up the 3 Count. XAVIER. The one thing that has to be said though, Big E did his Middle Rope Dive spot on Cena and he REALLY sold it. So great, they're actually putting over Big E strong.

The Authority, Rollins, Kane and Ashley Backstage
Kane's still great in his schizophrenic character. I really wish they could have done more with Ashley last night to put over "Demon Kane", or simply get Dr. Shelby in- which I genuinely think they may still do depending on if this Kane/Rollins stuff is a 1 PPV thing or if it's going over multiple ones. Also, Korporate Kane watches Total Divas. That's more horrifying than anything Demon Kane could ever do.

Reigns, Ambrose & Orton Backstage
I'm officially waving the white flag, I've got absolutely no clue how this is all going to play out. I don't know if Ambrose is going to turn, or if Orton is because of Ambrose- or they're just going to be a happy family. To be honest, I don't really care at this point.

I know it was my idea, so I may well be biased- but can anyone tell me Ambrose turning on Reigns back at Summerslam wouldn't have been better than this? Bray could have been feuding with Orton trying to get his evil side out- and with Orton being Orton he could have had a run in the Family and then Reigns and Ambrose could have been in the middle of a really heated "personal" feud.

Big Show v Mark Henry
This actually wasn't a complete waste to me, solely because I started thinking about Mark's Hall of Pain run- and these two collapsing the ring etc. Good times.

MizTV w/ Becky & Charlotte
Well, it was better than the last time they tried it. This segment had that going for it at least. This wasn't very good, I know this may shock some of you. I don't know if it's just me, but I really have trouble staying focused during Diva Promos. I just zone out, it's just white noise to me. Literally the only thing I took from this segment was Nikki uses WAY too many fillers, AND YOU KNOW WHAT that's been the case all along.

Team Bella v PCB
This match had way too much shit going on. You had the 6 Women in the match, with Team Bella trying all sorts of shenanigans. You then had Paige actually playing her role well as the sort of pissed off reluctant partner- and then Paige left, Nattie came down and tried to enter herself into the match, Paige then attacked Nattie from behind with Becky then arguing with Paige and all of that led to Charlotte being distracted and Nikki winning with the Rack Attack. I've probably missed some stuff out in all of that as well. I realise they've given up on giving the Women two matches, most likely because the Ratings are horrible because they haven't built anyone but still it's ridiculous. I said it last week as well, they had 3 shows worth of stuff happen in about 10 Minutes again. You could have had the Miz TV stuff and the brawl, PCB v Team Bella on another with Paige walking out, and then do NBC v Team Bella on another with Paige coming out and attacking Nattie.

Kane gives Seth Rollins Head. 
I liked this segment to be honest, Kane just knows exactly how to play his character and "hit all the right buttons" for it. There's nothing more topical than Se7en, so at least they got that reference in- and on the whole I liked it. I also thought the twist at this point would be Ashley from HR would in on the whole thing with Kane and she'd be some sort of Devil Woman who's managing Kane.

Braun Strowman & Luke Harper v The Primetime Players
THIS WAS THE MATCH OF THE YEAR. For those of you who don't know I'm in England- and someone decided it was a good idea to unplug something last night meaning I along with tonnes of other people in seemingly everywhere but the US missed nearly all this match. Granted, that's not the end of the world- and it's good to see the Primetime Players really back to where they should be at this stage. That's not a racist thing, or a homophobic thing- they put the Belts on them with no build and they flopped all because Titus is a nice dad. I'm not saying they won't be in the mix again, but them actually building to winning them winning the Belts next time would be appreciated. The signal literally came back just before Strowman tagged in and choked out Titus, and I've got no desire to watch anything from last night's show again. So I can only assume Steve Austin, The Rock, CM Punk. Hulk Hogan in Blackface, Savio Vega, The Blue Meanie and Kurrgan all did run-ins.

Neville v Stardust
I have this image in my head of Vince walking into the Creative Meetings every week and they're putting RAW together and then for a Match Vince suddenly pipes up with "Stardust is like a Villain from one of them damn Comics, We need a Hero to put up against him- why not Neville that's fresh and exciting right?". It also seems as though The Ascension are gone from the Stardust Entourage, so that was a good run for them- and I genuinely think they'll be released pretty soon along with people like Cameron and unfortunately not Rosa because she's pregnant and they won't want the potential bad press for laying off someone who's pregnant.

Barrett's back, it means absolutely nothing- because they'll fuck him up like they always do. At least for this week though, I have hope.

Kane's Evaluation
Here's how I would have booked this. Ashley is in Triple H and Stephanie's office to do the Evaluation in-front of the the people who are actually in charge of hiring and firing. They do the Video Package stuff with both guys in there, and then Ashley declares Kane fit for purpose leaving Stephanie in particular horrified. Kane leaves all happy and smiley and Rollins attacks him from behind and does the Chair around the Ankle spot and they go to an Ad Break with Kane being put in the back of an Ambulance. Other side of the Ad Break Rollins comes out and says he's got rid of Kane and all of that stuff, and then they do Demon Kane coming out of the Ambulance and we get what we got.

Instead Rollins was just rambling presumably while Kane was getting his "Corporate Gear" off and putting his Mask on etc. when they could have avoided all of that just by having it as a Pre-Tape. The segment on the whole was fine, but Rollins' sneak attack on Corporate Kane was awful because he either forgot to hook the arms- or Kane moved his arms. Either way the set-up took too long and just made the whole thing look really fake.

Bray Wyatt Promo
This was fine in the usual Bray Wyatt Spooky Promo way, and there wasn't much else to it. Other than the fact Bray said he'd be doing the match alone.

Randy Orton v Bo Dallas
This was actually quite a fun match. It wasn't ever going to be anything with substance, but Orton knows what he's doing and they just had a fun House Show squash match.

Rusev v Kevin Owens
This match as with the Cena/Woods match was just a means to an end. They didn't really get going before they did the spot with Rusev being thrown into Ryback and the shit hit the fan. I'm assuming this is setting up a 4-Way for Hell in a Cell, which isn't a bad thing because it means Rusev and Dolph don't have to wrestle each other in a Singles Match for another PPV.

Paul Heyman & Big Show Promo
In a vacuum this would have been an AMAZING segment. Big Show was great last night, and in a way I hope he does actually retire after Brock destroys him because I've actually found the last month or so of Show actually entertaining. Paul Heyman is, well Paul Heyman- he's always going to be great. It's funny about how Heyman's Promo was about Big Show being motivated now he's facing Brock- and then Big Show came in and cut his best promo in YEARS. The problem for this segment was simply what show it was on. I just couldn't care about anything on the show at this point. If this had followed the Cena/New Day stuff or opened the show I would have loved this segment.

Bray Wyatt v Roman Reigns
I know Bray's a Heel, but the whole build of the entire episode was both guys had agreed to a "truly" 1-on-1 match and they were going to settle it last night. So why they felt the need for Bray to come out with the Family solely so Roman could get into Bray's head before he would send them to the back I don't really know.

Much in the way of the segment that this match followed, in a vacuum it was really good- but I just couldn't bring myself to care about it. I actually didn't mind the finish, because they were never going to settle it in a RAW two or three weeks away from a PPV in fucking Buffalo. The brawl after was actually really good, one way to prevent crowd invaders is I suppose to brawl into the crowd I guess. Then a few things happened that actually annoyed me. Bray LITERALLY threw a guy into Roman and that could not have been a good bump for the guy to take and then he did his tackle of sorts through the Barricade and then Roman did a Jumping Spear on Bray putting both guys through the Announce Desk. Don't get me wrong, they were three really good spots- but on this show in-front of the crowd they were in-front of I genuinely wanted them to try less.

Last night's RAW was actually pretty weird, there weren't any obviously horrible segments- but there were just tonnes of segments seemingly designed to kill interest in the show. But like the good little soldiers we are, we'll be back next week and hoping for a better show. I suppose I can't really complain about wanting another show like last weeks RAW because they did a horrible Rating, but it would have been nice.

Thanks for reading as always, the Impact Reviews are back this week after last week's missed one. Trust me when I say, there really wasn't much I could say about last weeks show other than Bram jokes. Then we're heading to MSG this weekend, and the Review for that will be up on Sunday in what'll prove to be a really busy day for me between the MSG Show/Review, Fulham playing and then Bound for Glory. In the meantime, thanks again for reading and let's forget this RAW happened- it shouldn't be that hard.

Fulham v Wolves Preview: Riding the Wave

Hello! Well, wasn't Friday great? We've had the weekend to sit back, relax, watch all the other results come in and now we're back for Wolves tomorrow. I said it in my Review on Friday, but it's definitely worth repeating heading into tomorrow night. The QPR game however great it was, it was still 3 Points. The job for Kit and the players now is to make sure the type of complete performance we put in against QPR isn't a unique occurrence, much in the way the Derby game was for the second half of last season.

That QPR game has now set the benchmark for all future performances, and I'm going to be interested to see how we perform tomorrow. Friday's game will either, motivate us and cause us to really raise our game consistently- or and this is my worry we'll have played our big game and tomorrow's game will bring us crashing back down to earth. That said, you're only as good as your last game and all that stuff- so at the moment I'm expecting a repeat of Friday's performance tomorrow. Between us and the International Break are Wolves and Charlton, and basing it off recent results for both teams they seem to be there for the taking at present. Which of course means we'll end up losing both, because Fulham.

On the selection front tomorrow's not going to be that interesting, unless there's an injury we of course won't be aware of with no Press Conference it'll most likely be the same team from Friday. That of course means Andy Lonergan will continue in goal, and hopefully he/we can build on our first League Clean Sheet of the season.

A big part in any future Clean Sheets will be the need to put in an assured Defensive performance as we did on Friday. For the first time since he's been at the Club I was really impressed with Tim Ream at Centre-Back, as is the case with the Stearman/Ream pairing- so on that front hopefully it's a sign of a good partnership developing which we all hoped it would be. I suppose the big story heading into the game is of course Richard Stearman coming up against Wolves so soon after they made the decision to sell him. All I can say is basing it off the games I've seen so far from Stearman it at least seems as though we've got the better of the deal- and hopefully he can give whoever made the decision to sell him at Wolves some "footballing reasons" as to why they shouldn't have sold him.

One of the big talking points from a selection point of view going forward, perhaps not for tomorrow will undoubtedly be Ryan Fredericks v Jazz Richards. I genuinely do like Jazz Richards, but in the current system we play with Pringle and Cairney as our "wide" Midfielders having genuine pace at Right and Left Back is essential. In that respect Fredericks beats Richards, and basing it off of Friday's game there really isn't anything we should change. Whether Fredericks can perform to the level he did consistently remains to be seen, but it's definitely one to keep an eye on as the season unfolds. I have to assume James Husband's Loan covers tomorrow's game. He signed on Loan for a Month on the 28th August, so I'm genuinely not sure. Either way, I hope we can extend his Loan at least for another month because there's no chance Garbutt will be ready for 1st Team Football yet- with his first game back in the U21s only being today.

One player I'm going to be interested to watch tomorrow is Ben Pringle. I fully acknowledge the fact I've been one of Ben Pringle's biggest critics this season, and before Friday with the exception of Rotherham I think I was fully justified in that criticism. With all of that said, I also said just because it hadn't happened for Pringle didn't mean it wouldn't- and as said in my Review on Friday that was it happening for him. I'm now hoping he can play to the level he did on Friday in every game, because if he does we'll have gotten ourselves an absolute bargain. Whether or not he can remains to be seen. Then of course Tom Cairney will continue on the right. It's still a bit annoying to me with us playing Cairney on the Right when it's so clear for all to see he's at his most dangerous when he comes inside, but still- it's not as if he's not a good player wherever we play him.

Along with Stearman there's the Jamie O'Hara narrative, with Wolves Fans pretty much hating him. I'm expecting completely different reactions to O'Hara and Stearman from the Wolves Fans tomorrow- but I'm hoping in both cases they prove their worth on the pitch. Of course the O'Hara/Tunnicliffe pairing will continue in Centre-Mid, and I really can't see a scenario where either player's dropped at present. The player who'll be challenging them for that position the most is of course Scott Parker when he's fit. It seems as though his return is imminent now, and without knowing I'd guess he'll be back in the fold after the International Break. I'm hoping he doesn't come back in, because neither Tunnicliffe or O'Hara deserve to be dropped based on performance. With that said, I do still have some doubts over O'Hara's fitness- and I still firmly believe Parker can be a good player to have in the squad.

A few weeks ago I would have loved coming up against Wolves. They'd just sold Stearman, and Batth wasn't back yet meaning they had Ebanks-Landell and Hause starting together at Centre-Back. Much in the way of the QPR Defence they were quite shaky, and Dembele would have had a field day. Now that Batth's back they're definitely a more stable defensive unit, but if Dembele can match or even get near his performance from Friday then I've got no doubt he'll cause problems for pretty much every Defence he's up against this season. Then we've got McCormack, who was a weird one without a doubt on Friday. I'm in no way saying he played badly, but he really didn't impress me that much- at the same time he got two goals so I can't really complain.

Team for Wolves

The selection really is a case of "if it isn't broken, don't fix it", and I think Kit worked smartly on Friday with regard to tomorrow's game taking off Dembele who had a bit of a knock, Fredericks who probably wasn't 100% coming back from his injury and O'Hara who was looking shattered. I don't think I directly said it in my QPR Review, but Kit really did get it spot on for Friday. In that respect I'm over the moon because it appears he does actually have a learning curve which he simply didn't seem to have a Month ago. 

If we can perform to the level we did last Friday get on a run we have the potential to beat any team in the Division. Should we win tomorrow we'll be a Point off the Playoffs, and it's at this stage that I'll direct you to my Pre-Season Prediction for the season...

"I think we're going to have a really rough August, leading to a few panic buys before the Window shuts and we'll eventually stabilise getting to high Mid-Table with the ambitions of Playoffs- but then around March/April time we'll completely go off the rails and settle at around 10th-14th."

While I in no way class Stearman, Ream and Fredericks as "panic buys" that Prediction isn't really far off- and it's still what I expect to happen. We've had the first full 90 Minute performance now, the next task is to go on a run of those performances and then and only then will I start to talk about us with Playoffs in mind. That said, we did play like we did last Friday for a reason- and at this point in time I don't see a reason as to why we can't do it again.

Thanks for reading as always, results like Friday can only raise expectations- and for the sake of everyone I hope those expectations are met. Tomorrow's game will definitely be an interesting one, and Wolves aren't going to be brushed aside despite their weird run at present. I suppose we all just have to hope for the best. The Review will be up at Midnight like usual, so hopefully you'll stay tuned for that. With Saturday 3pm's becoming a rarity at present I hope you've not missed out on any Review's- and if you have feel free to look back over said missed Reviews. Thanks again for reading, and let's just hope for a repeat performance.

Fulham v QPR Review: A Complete Performance

THAT'S WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE PLAY WELL FOR A WHOLE 90 MINUTES! We've had sections of playing well in pretty much every game so far this season, but that was by far and a way our best and most complete performance of the season. There's going to be a lot of "he was great" in this Review, we were just amazing tonight.

All of our goals were great tonight. The Dembele goal was a really good header, and an even better cross from Husband. That Dembele goal was exactly what we needed just to set the tone for the game and start on the front foot. It's funny how things work, I'll freely admit I've been one of Ben Pringle's biggest critics this season- but he proved me wrong tonight and he took his goal really well. It's funny how things work with McCormack, I'm in no way saying he didn't play well tonight- nobody didn't have a good game but I didn't think he was that in the game. That said, the move for his first goal was just amazing- and in terms of a team goal it's by far and a way the best of our season. For McCormack's second I really thought we'd blown it, Fredericks did really well to get the ball in- but I've got no idea how it ended up on the bar and McCormack was there to get in (just). I suppose that's why we bought him. The 4th Goal was particularly good for me, because even at 3 goals up and really dominating the game I was still worried about letting QPR back into the game, because Fulham and the 4th goal just killed it.

It's funny how things work. On Tuesday Joe Lewis genuinely didn't have to make a save all night and we ended up losing 1-0, and then tonight I believe Lonergan had to make 1 save all game and we've ended winning by 4. Heading into the game I thought he'd be getting tested quite consistently, but I suppose that's a testament to how good we were and/or how bad QPR were.

If anyone had any doubts over Richard Stearman, that game tonight will truly have put those doubts to bed. He was great all game, and in Stearman it looks like we've got a Centre-Back who can properly lead the Back Four and organise everything. There's a few players who might not get the headlines from this game, and it was by no means a big test of them tonight. That point's especially relevant when Charlie Austin came off and they were practically playing 4-6-0 but Stearman's organisational work and general defensive work was just great. I said heading into the game that I wasn't as worried when it comes to Tim Ream because QPR didn't really have an aerial threat, and in quite a few ways QPR really played into our hands tonight and Ream was able to show the undoubted positive sides of his game tonight. Ryan Fredericks is quite quick isn't he? He definitely looked a bit shaky and uncertain at times tonight, but there's definitely more positives than negatives from his game tonight, and especially should we want to play him at Right-Mid those negatives become a non-issue. James Husband did really well tonight- and his cross for Dembele was perfect. In a vacuum it's a no-brainer that we should extend his Loan deal- but in a way I don't want us to renew his Loan if Garbutt takes priority, because he really deserves to start wherever he is.

What a signing Jamie O'Hara's turning out to be. He was just great tonight- there seriously isn't much else that needs to be said about him. Between O'Hara and Tunnicliffe, and then Cairney and Tunnicliffe they just dominated Midfield tonight- and were sublime. Similarly with Stearman, Tunnicliffe won't get the headlines from tonight- but I thought Tunnicliffe was great tonight and in the 2nd Half in particular I thought he was invaluable with the way he was fighting for the ball, breaking up the play and intercepting/winning the ball back. Tom Cairney really is a special player, it wasn't his best game tonight- but he still more than played well. I thought when Cairney moved inside and saw more of the ball we really saw what he's capable of in that role and he just generally did well. As I've already said, I've been one of Ben Pringle's biggest critics so far this season and if it were up to me heading into the game he wouldn't have been playing. That said, I also said in one of my Previews that just because it hadn't happened for Pringle yet- it doesn't mean that it won't. Tonight was it happening. He was just great tonight, he more than deserved his goal with the way him, McCormack and Dembele were really pressing at that stage of the game- and it capped off without a doubt his best performance in a Fulham shirt so far.

Moussa Dembele, provided he doesn't get injured- or becomes a "stockpiled" player at a Big Club is going to be one of the best Strikers in the world in 4 or 5 years time. He really is that good, and at just 19 it's amazing to me how good he is. His Header was near-perfect for his goal, and just his general play was outstanding tonight. I said in my Preview that up against QPR's defence that was quite shaky he'd be a big player for us tonight- and him playing the way he did tonight there really wasn't much they could do. As I've already said, I'm not saying McCormack did badly tonight- nobody did. But at the same time, I didn't think McCormack was anywhere near his absolute best tonight- and yet he's popped up with two goals. It's funny how things work like that sometimes, and I was saying this at the back-end of last season as well- it's GREAT to have a Striker who'll still pop up with goals when he isn't necessarily on form.

The Subs Kit made were good, I don't know if many other people noticed- but Dembele took a bit of a knock from a cross and it definitely looked like he felt it afterwards and considering we were 4-0 up it wasn't worth the risk of keeping him. Woodrow was fine, without knowing I think Woodrow and McCormack really like playing with each other. I don't have any solid basis for that, it just seems like they know each others games really well and like playing off of each other. Christensen's energy late on was good for us, and on another day the ball would have fallen a bit kinder for him when we put the ball into the box for him. It seemed as though we were wanting to give QPR a window back in with bringing Voser on, but with Fredericks' really disjointed start at Fulham with his injury it was best for him to come off- and Voser actually looked decent tonight. It truly was a game taking place in an alternate world.

It really did feel like that tonight, it was a game taking place in an alternative universe where we keep Clean Sheets, Actually kill a game without making it difficult for ourselves and perform to the level we all know we can for a full 90 Minutes. GREAT, MORE OF THESE GAMES PLEASE! Tonight's game was great, but at the end of the day it's still only 3 Points on the board- and it's now the job of Kit and the Players to make sure we perform like that every game between now and the end of the season. If we can perform to that level in every game between now and May we'll go up, it really is that simple- whether or not we will is another question entirely and I suppose only time will tell.

Thanks for reading as always, we've been put through the ringer multiple times over already this season- so to have an actual comfortable win against a team who however they performed tonight are a decent team is just great. Tonight's game has also gone some way to healing the wounds of our Friday Night games last season, so on that front it was great. The final count on "great"'s (not including this one) is 12. A win on a Friday Night really sets up the Weekend perfectly, and then hopefully you'll be back here on Monday for the Wolves Preview where we get to do it all again! Thanks again for reading, I suppose enjoying the weekend will be a lot easier after tonight's result- and we can all just bask in such a great team performance.

Fulham v QPR Preview: Rising to the Occasion

Hello! Well, tomorrow's definitely shaping up to be an interesting day isn't it? Tomorrow's one of those weird games where I'm looking forward to it, but at the same time dreading it. If we can perform to our best tomorrow chances are we'll get something, QPR do have obvious strengths- but they've also got weaknesses specifically in defence. Provided our attacking options show up tomorrow I'm fairly confident of us getting goals, it's just a case of if we can keep it tight at the other end of the pitch.

I've said it for the last few games and I'll say it again now, Our next few games are make or break for Kit. I've been saying it was Tuesday's game, Tomorrow and next Tuesday- but I'm now extending that to Charlton on the following Sunday as well. I think after the Charlton game we'll have a pretty good indicator as to where we'll be finishing this season. After Charlton we'll be basically a quarter of the way through the season, and if we head into the Internationals with 4 Points or less from these next three games the pressure will REALLY be on Kit.

I got it wrong with regard to the Goalkeeper Selection on Tuesday and it's not Joe Lewis did badly- he didn't do anything either way, but it's a given that Andy Lonergan will come back into the team for tomorrow. Obviously assuming Lonergan doesn't get injured/suspended I think it's a pretty safe bet that he's now in the team to stay until the FA Cup comes around in January.

The "big" news on the injury front heading into the game is Jazz Richards is out for tomorrow after the Peter Crouch tackle on Tuesday. I didn't really sell it in my Review for the Stoke game because he did get up and carry on playing, but obviously with him being out for tomorrow it does raise a few questions over what the punishment for the tackle should have been. My first instinct was that it was a Yellow, it was a clumsy tackle from Crouch without a doubt- but it wasn't a Red for me. One thing that wasn't covered in Kit's Press Conference which is quite annoying is Ryan Fredericks' availability. He's the obvious replacement for Jazz Richards heading into tomorrow, but with him being out of the game last Saturday it's hard to say for definite that he'll be starting tomorrow. Should Fredericks not be fit the only other replacement we've got is Voser, but let's hope it doesn't come to that.

The rest of the Defence is pretty straightforward for me. I still have doubts over Tim Ream at Centre-Back, but coming up against a QPR team with Charlie Austin leading the line I've got less of a concern when it comes to Ream and his aerial ability. So that means we'll be getting the Stearman/Ream partnership again tomorrow, which might not have happened of course given Ream was on the verge of signing for QPR at a point this summer. So that's an interesting little side-story for tomorrow. As I've said repeatedly there's a fine line between giving time to gel and giving time to something that isn't working, and I think coming up against without a doubt the best Striker in the League will be a really interesting test of the two both as individuals and as a pair. On the James Husband front, I believe this is his last game of the initial Loan Deal- and with no mention of something in Kit's Press Conference I'm assuming he doesn't have an injury so of course he'll come back in at Left-Back. It looks like we may be extending Husband's deal with what Karanka's said last week and Kit saying something along the lines of "the longer we can keep him the better". As I said in the Sheffield Wednesday Preview, I'd be all for it- but I'm not sure what happens when Garbutt get's back because that's seemingly imminent should we extend Husband's loan.

One option for Husband should we extend his Loan, with Garbutt coming in would actually be to move him up the Pitch a bit as we did at Hillsborough last Saturday. In retrospect I think I may have been a tiny bit harsh on Pringle in my Stoke Review in that he wasn't completely useless, and on another day he should have had an assist from the chance McCormack fluffed. That said, I do still want us to drop him for tomorrow's game. For the last 20-25 Minutes I thought Christensen really was upping his game and out on the Right and while not in any way reaching his Pre-2015 form, he was probably the best I've seen him this season. With that in mind, and especially with the type of game tomorrow will be- having Christensen out on the Right could be a really good move for us. Christensen out on the Right will obviously bring Cairney over to the Left, and on that front that's really all that needs to be said.

The Centre-Mid selection is pretty straightforward all things considered. Tomorrow's game would have been the perfect Scott Parker game, so the fact he's still not quite there is a bit annoying. With that said, O'Hara coming back in is a big plus for tomorrow- and he really was the only player I fully understood taking out for Stoke. Tunnicliffe should of course partner him, the way we instantly went up a gear as soon as Tunnicliffe (and Dembele) came on against Stoke is all the evidence that's needed on that front.

There really is no logical reason as to why Dembele shouldn't go back to starting tomorrow. I'm pretty sure QPR have only kept 1 Clean Sheet in the League this season, so having someone like Dembele up-front who can cause problems for most defenders really is a must to me. Despite McCormack's relatively anonymous last few games he's still obviously going to continue in the team. As I said in my Stoke Review, the only thing I want us to do differently with McCormack is to take him off Free-Kick duty and give them over to Cairney or O'Hara. I think McCormack's scored two Free-Kicks in his entire time at the Club, and given the number he's taken that's not a good conversion rate.

Team for QPR

I think in these sort of derbies the one thing I simply won't accept is people not looking up for it. Without knowing for definite, I'd guess tomorrow will be our highest attendance of the season and in-terms of "rising to the occasion" the game will be probably be the best test of the season in that respect. Let's be honest, we're not going up and even Kit would struggle to take us down with the squad we've got- so these derbies against QPR & Brentford are the big tests of character for the team this season. I'm in no way saying tomorrow's game will be easy, but there's definite weaknesses to exploit- and it's up to Kit and the team to actually do it. 

It's almost becoming a theme of our season, in that we're yet to put together a full 90 Minute display. There really isn't a better time to start than the game tomorrow though, so we can only hope for the best. I think coming up against a Striker like Charlie Austin being backed up by players like Matt Phillips the "we can't afford to not be at our best for the whole game with the quality of players they've got" statement I made heading into Stoke is equally applicable to tomorrow. Time will only tell on that front, but I can't really say I'm that confident. Time will also only tell when it comes to the selection Kit made on Tuesday, I genuinely believe had we gone full strength on Tuesday we'd have gone through. So should we lose tomorrow I'll be really annoyed, because as I've already said we're not going up- and it'll be a special effort to take us down so the Cups are our only real chance of something big happening this season. That said, as is the way with Football- if we win all is forgiven. 

Thanks for reading as always, the Review will be up tomorrow at Midnight as usual- so hopefully you'll stay tuned for that. We're of course on TV in our first Friday Night game of the season, and after last seasons exploits in the same position against Brentford, Watford and Bournemouth we can only hope it'll be a different story starting tomorrow. Thanks again for reading, tomorrow's one of those games where I don't care how we get the result- I just want it and hopefully we do and the Review will be a positive one. 

Fulham v Stoke Review: Fine Margins

Well, wasn't that game a bit annoying? I realise this isn't exactly a mind-blowing statement, but that game was the difference between being a Premier League and a Championship club. We just didn't take any of our chances tonight, even when they were offered up on a plate by Shay Given. It's annoying because scoring goals has never been a problem for us this season and in general really, but tonight was just "one of those games" in that it simply wouldn't go in for us.

Regardless of the performance, I'm really annoyed by the team selection by Kit today. On the Jamie O'Hara front you can perhaps excuse it because I still have worries when it comes to his fitness and a fully-fit O'Hara on Friday could make the difference. However, I really don't understand why Kit would rotate in some areas- because as shown in the 2nd Half Stoke really were there for the taking tonight. I don't think many people would dispute that three of our best players in our winning run were Tunnicliffe, Dembele and Lonergan. So of course we took out all three, and especially on the Lonergan front it really didn't make sense to me.

The Peter Crouch goal was coming, we were getting pushed further and further back every minute and it was as simple as us just not being able to get out of our own half. It was an unfortunate goal to give away, it's not worth blaming Pringle for teeing up Crouch- it wasn't like the Yoshida/Martial "assist" from the weekend. The goal in a way summed up the game, Stoke took one of the two chances they had in the whole game and it really highlights the quality difference between the two teams.

This isn't an exaggeration, I genuinely don't think Joe Lewis had a save to make all game. As I've already said Stoke really only had two chances in the whole game, the goal and then the chance late on where Arnautovic just murdered Dan Burn and put (I think) Odemwingie through on goal and he tried a weird chip thing that went over. On the whole I thought Lewis commanded the box well, he didn't do anything massively wrong- let's put it that way.

Dan Burn is in fact really slow, I just thought I should make some people aware of that. It's not even that Burn was bad tonight, and granted we're not going to be coming up against a player like Marko Arnautovic every week- but it's the sort of chance created for Odemwingie late on as a result of Burn just not being quick enough that will be why I simply don't trust Burn to play. Peter Crouch was always going to cause problems for us, that's just the player he is- but on the whole I thought Stearman did well up against him and especially Second-Half Stearman was great mopping up at the back and doing his bit when it came to trying to get the pitch up as quickly as possible.

Tim Ream was a really weird one today, I'm not necessarily saying we've bought a dud- or even that he was bad today- but he's simply not big enough to be a Centre-Back that's just a fact and he is a bit lacking at Left-Back as well. Ream's performance today, especially in the Second Half made me wonder what James Husband would have done in the same scenarios- so I'm praying he was injured today so I don't have to get annoyed. Jazz Richards was fine again, I was a bit worried for him after a Crouch tackle which looked like it hurt- but on the whole he had another solid game.

As I'm writing this the MOTM Vote's just come up, and out of three options available it's Sakari Mattila without a doubt. He wouldn't have been on many people's team sheets heading into the game, and he's not always the player we need- but especially in the First-Half he did great in the Holding-Mid role and in a really strange First-Half he was one of the few positives. Looking back he'd have been perfect coming on in the Blackburn game just to give the Defence some protection, and basing it off tonight he's definitely a good option to have in the squad. I really don't want to get on Christensen's back for missing the Open Goal late on, it was a tricky chance to take- but at the same time it's one that he should have done better in and Pre-2015 Christensen would have scored. On the whole I do think Christensen played well today though, he was nowhere near the level he reached in late 2014- but it was a marked improvement over his performances so far this season without a doubt and it's definitely encouraging to see Christensen playing well again.

I'm in no way saying Kacaniklic was great tonight, it's in a way similar to Christensen in that we know what he's capable of- it's just a case of them showing it. I thought Kacaniklic did well with the very limited number of times he got on the ball and was able to run at the Defence and he definitely caused problems for Stoke while he was on the pitch. He still looks shot for confidence in my opinion, and taking him off wouldn't have helped that- but there were definite positives from Kacaniklic tonight. Then we get onto Ben Pringle. It baffles me that he wasn't taken off today, and not only that HE WAS KEPT ON CORNERS FOR THE WHOLE GAME! I don't know if it's a confidence thing with Pringle, but he was dire today and by far and a way our "weak link" in the team today. I just really didn't understand taking Kacaniklic off over Pringle.

Actually saying Pringle was the weak link in the team may not be fair on him. As is the case with Joe Lewis- no exaggeration, I genuinely think I could count the number of touches Cauley Woodrow had in the game on my hands. People use the word "literally" too much nowadays, but he LITERALLY did nothing tonight. McCormack was a weird one, he had a great chance in the 2nd Half from a cross- but I'm not sure if he wasn't expecting the ball to come through to him either way he fluffed it. It wasn't his best game for us, let's put it that way- but especially in the 1st Half Stoke were suffocating us and it wasn't really a game for our Striker's to flourish. The one thing I want to see different when it comes to McCormack's game on Friday is for him to be taken off Free-Kicks. Granted the one's we got in dangerous areas today really were too close to get up and down in time so it can perhaps be excused, but I really want to see Cairney or O'Hara have a few each.

The Subs Kit made were positive in that we looked infinitely better when they happened. The thing is, bringing on Tunnicliffe and Dembele was a no-brainer- and it's amazing to me that we wouldn't start them. As soon as we made the Double-Sub we were an infinitely better team, but I'm not sure if it's worth praising Kit for that because LITERALLY anyone in the ground tonight would have seen those were the changes we needed to make. The Hyndman Sub was just bizarre, don't get me wrong I'm happy Hyndman's gotten on the pitch- and he didn't do anything wrong today it was just weird to see someone who hasn't even been on the Bench in (I think) every game this season apart from Sheffield United to come on when we're pushing for a goal.

Tonight was just "one of those games", but it's also definitely cause for concern in that we didn't take any of a number of chances we had today and once again we only really played for one half of a game. It's pretty much what I was saying in my Preview, we simply couldn't afford to not play to our best for a full 90 Minutes and expect to get a result and that was the case. Anyway, the Carling Cup dream is dead for another year- and while I really do believe we could have gotten through Stoke tonight at full-strength for 90 Minutes if we beat QPR on Friday all is forgiven.

Thanks for reading as always, QPR is of course where we're turning our attentions now- and it's our first Friday game of the season. We always have so much fun playing on Friday Nights after all. I'm still not sure if my Preview will be up tomorrow or Thursday for that game- either way I hope you stay tuned for it. These games are coming thick and fast at the minute and I hope you keep coming back to these Previews/Reviews. Thanks again for reading, and as I said provided we do beat QPR losing tonight isn't the end of the world- but only time will tell on that front.

RAW Review: 21st September

Hello! Well, RAW was weird last night. I don't think there's another way to describe it, but I'll put my stake in the ground right at the start- I really liked it. It was just wacky for nearly the whole 3 Hours, but it's Wrestling- primarily it's supposed to be fun and last night was the most fun I've had with a RAW in AT LEAST 4 Months. Had the crowd have been better this would have gone down as one of the better RAW's of the year, but without a doubt it's still in contention. Let's just get into all of the madness.

The Wyatts Promo/Brawl with Reigns, Ambrose & Orton
We got someone new in the Opening Segment, and that in and of itself was amazing. Bray didn't really get going in his Promo, but I'm pretty sure that was the idea. I'll admit it, this felt like a segment that they'd scheduled for later on in the show and then Sting got hurt so they had to shuffle everything- but I don't care because it was refreshing to not get a 20 Minute Opening Promo. It was weird for Reigns and Bray to basically start having a match without actually having a match, but I'm assuming the idea for this is they keep getting in someone as the "3rd Man" until we get a big pay-off of someone (possibly Bryan) down the road. OR AMBROSE WILL FUCKING TURN.

Seth Rollins & Corporate Kane Promo
Again, I'm putting my stake in the ground early. Kane is the best guy on earth. People were going on about Joe Park/Abyss, but that's not the first time we've had a split personality gimmick in Wrestling and it definitely won't be the last if they do with Balor what I want them to do. I just loved this segment, Kane plays the "straight man" comedy role to perfection, in that respect he's criminally underrated and this segment was just great. It was 100% wacky, but I loved it.

Team Flippy Shit v Cosmic Wasteland
I'm hoping that this is the end of this feud now, we've had the clean win and now we can all move on. Put it this way, if they carry this feud on after we've had the Babyfaces go over clean- actually it's WWE they're bound to keep it going. As with the Pre-Show match it was a lot of fun, there weren't as many believable false finishes- but they made up for that with a lot of Flippy Shit and one just hilarious Sin Cara botch.

Rollins, Triple H & Stephanie Promo
I don't know about anyone else, but the way Triple H & Steph reacted to Rollins and telling him to focus on the Cena match etc. said to me that they're using Kane to fuck with Rollins. It'd make sense, they literally just give the Mask back to Kane and tell him to go nuts. That might be me seeing what I want to see with regard to a Triple H/Rollins match down the road though, so I could well be wrong.

Ryback v Bo Dallas
This match went so long in comparison to most Bo matches that I was convinced Bo was going to win with shenanigans. He didn't, but it's weird to see them actually giving Bo offence on someone like Ryback. The match was fine, it was Bo Dallas against Ryback- Owens on commentary was good but (and I never thought I'd say this) JBL OUTSHONE HIM. JBL had possibly the best line he's ever had on commentary, Cole said something along the lines of "Did you know the Secret's sold (I think it was) 18 Million Copies"- to which JBL said "That means there's still 8 Billion people in the world smart enough not to buy it". When JBL is giving us great lines on commentary you know RAW's taking place in some weird alternate universe.

"Charlotte Celebration"
Holy Fuck. Paige's Promo was just amazing. But let's do this in order, I said it yesterday and I'll say it again today- put Ric Flair with Charlotte full time. His Promo before he introduced Charlotte got EVERYONE invested in Charlotte if they weren't already, and especially with Promos Charlotte really does need all the help she can get. Then PCB came out, and as soon as I saw Paige's mannerisms on the ramp I thought she was turning- and then we got, just... wow.

The thing with Paige's Promo, it was similar in a lot of ways to the AJ one- but it didn't have Nikki & Brie doing their best to disrupt it and generally being awful. With that in mind it'd be a disservice to actually say Paige's Promo was "better", but both were great. They always say Promos are at their best when there's some truth to them, well that was what this was. I loved it, it was one of those "air your grievances" type Promos where NOBODY could have scripted that- it just wouldn't have had the same effect. I was getting ready to call this the best "Divas" segment literally ever, but then Nikki Bella came out.

We got about three shows worth of TV during this segment. We had the Charlotte/Flair celebration, Paige's turn and then Nikki coming out and doing stuff. I'm not even sure what Nikki's point was, Nikki being Nikki of course had to completely no-sell the fact Charlotte beat her to end her "record breaking" Title run. I don't even know what Nikki said for the most part, I'd completely zoned out by the time she was at the foot of the ramp. SO, WELL DONE NIKKI. Two "Pipebomb" type Promos having their segments ruined by The Bellas. It wasn't single-handedly ruined by the Bellas though, the crowd were just bizarre with the Divas. They ended up cheering Paige after she'd buried everyone for her turn, and the Bellas were some of the most over Babyfaces on the show.

Basically, go and watch the Paige Promo- 100% do it. Then just skip everything after the point Paige leaves.

Charlotte v Brie Bella
This was match was, well Charlotte against Brie.  It was fine, as with the Nikki match the night before it was as dumbed down as possible- but I don't mind that. Especially when someone like Brie's involved, literally the only thing she had to do was to not forget which leg was the "weakened" one. I've still got an issue with the fact the story the last two nights has been working Charlotte's leg and then she's won with the Figure 8 at the first time of asking both times, but I'll take what I can get.

Sheamus v Mark Henry
I realise Texas is a big state, but the complete lack of reaction Mark Henry got coming out was DEPRESSING. If I were Mark I'd just hand in my notice and retire unless he's got money issues which I doubt. I actually liked this match, Henry played the "big man" role and Sheamus played the pissed-off cowardly Heel to perfection- and it ended with Sheamus going over clean. Good.

Corporate Kane, Stephanie & Triple H Promo
Did I mention Kane's the best guy ever? There's some moments when I'm just amazed how much self-control people have to not just burst out laughing. When Stephanie put her hand out for the mask and Kane gave her a High-Five and subsequent Thumbs Up I died laughing, and the fact Triple H in particular didn't (because he was on the brink) didn't is just amazing to me. I loved this segment even more than the first one, Goofy Corporate Kane suddenly turning into Menacing Kane in the space of about two seconds in this segment was just amazing. Also I want one of "Worlds Best Director of Operations" mugs, and I don't even drink Coffee.

Paige & NATALYA (!) Backstage Promo
This was the point where I just concluded this RAW was the wackiest RAW possibly ever. With what happened in this segment and a bit later on, I think the idea is to put Paige & Nattie together- which I'm not necessarily against. I hope if they're doing another three then it'll be Emma as the 3rd, but at the same time I'm fed up with these teams of three- and we've just got rid of one so the last thing I want is another one. Or is this Divas Revolution like one of those mythical beasts where if you cut one of it's heads off it just instantly re-grows and it's stronger.

New Day & Rusev v The Dudleys & Dolph Ziggler
There was way too much good stuff here, you can seriously make a full highlight reel from this match. The actual match was just a side-show to be honest, I said it in my Night of Champions Review that I don't mind all of the shenanigans on RAW- but I want more from the New Day's matches on PPV. New Day were just extra amazing last night though.

Everything from Xavier being in near-tears as a result of the Wood that had to be pulled out from him. Quick aside when Xavier came out he had the Broken Table Wood in a little black bag, I was PRAYING they'd pull out a Mini-Table that they do in those Mattel Battle Pack things and say that it was a Baby Table who's now an Orphan. But everything from New Day mimicking Rusev's entrance stuff to the "Broken Wood" to Xavier playing Rusev's theme on the Trombone to Submissive Summer helping Woods with his Trombone (not a euphemism) this was just great. This match cemented this RAW was simultaneously one of the best and wackiest RAW's in absolutely forever.

Naomi v Natalya
This match was weird, I realise Nattie has been on House Shows- so perhaps it was Naomi but they just didn't quite click. This wasn't much, Naomi won with the "She calls that the Rear View" after a distraction. I'm hoping this is simply a means to an end with regard to facilitating a Nattie Heel Turn as opposed to that being it.

Triple H, Stephanie & Rollins Backstage Promo
This segment backed up my theory that Triple H & Stephanie are using Kane to fuck with Rollins. It wasn't anything more, and as I said I might be seeing what I want to see- but hopefully it's leading to something.

Big Show v Cesaro
I didn't mind this as much as pretty much everybody else did. Do I agree with putting Big Show over Cesaro? No. With that said they did it in the best possible way to protect him, the thing that did Cesaro in was doing a feat of superhuman strength. It was hardly a burial. The fact is though that they had to put Big Show over somebody in preparation for Brock, I don't have an issue with that and the Promo he cut after was in all honesty great. It might just be because I was in a really good mood with RAW last night, but I honestly didn't mind this at all.

Wyatt Family Promo
Whoever's scripting Strowman is honestly on acid, that's the only explanation I can think of. He delivered simultaneously the best and worst line of the year. "I caught a Snake once, I skinned it and drank it's blood".

John Cena v Seth Rollins- US Title
Again, it might be because I was in a good mood as a result of this RAW- but I really didn't mind Cena going over Clean. They gave us a competitive match, but Rollins had taken about 10 finishers at Night of Champions- of course he was going to succumb to a relatively fresh Cena. How they'll explain Cena not getting a WWE Title shot now- well they won't, but I don't mind that for obvious reasons. I'm hoping this is the end of the chapter of the no doubt long Cena/Rollins saga and they both go their separate ways because both guys are best served facing other people now.

The Kane stuff after was all good, in it's infancy I seriously think Split-Personality Kane COULD be one of the better character developments of the year.

Sometimes when I do a Review I go back over the show and realise a show I thought I liked was horrific, specifically some Impact's. That said I really did love last night's show, it was mental but it was the right kind of mental. I'm really hoping last night does a good rating in relation to what is expected with Monday Night Football and Gotham to encourage them to give us more shows like they gave us last night.

Thanks for reading as always, if they give us this type of RAW week-in week-out these Reviews will be a very happy place to visit. But, it's WWE- so I'm fully expecting a Randy Orton v Sheamus 180 Minute Iron-Man match for next week. I knew being a Kaneonite would finally catch on again. Thanks again for reading, and remember; ALL YOU HAVE TO DO, IS KANE-LIEVE!

Fulham v Stoke Preview: Exorcising Demons

Hello! I don't know how many of you read all of my posts as opposed to either my Fulham or the Wrestling ones. So either welcome, or welcome back. I try and avoid these double post days where possible, but there's some days where you can't avoid them as is the case today. We're back at the Cottage now, for the first of three Home games in a row and we're "welcoming" Mark Hughes back to Craven Cottage.

I've actually been thinking about this since we drew Stoke in the Cup, it seems as though the Cup Draw Gods are trying to get us to exorcise the demons of our disaster last season in the Premier League. First we had Sheffield United in the 2nd Round which was undoubtedly the low point of that season for me, and now we're playing Stoke who of course officially sent us down. IF we get through tomorrow I'm fully expecting us to get Hull, Southampton or Liverpool. Even with the fact we're playing a Premier League team tomorrow we haven't had a Press Conference so I'm flying blind a bit on the injury front- but as I've said since the Wycombe Review I'm expecting us to go all in on the Cup and I won't accept anything less.

In the "going all in" we should of course be playing Andy Lonergan in goal still. I said a while back I don't see many opportunities for Joe Lewis, and he may well not make his Debut for us until the FA Cup in January. I stand by that and with that said, there's no chance we should be dropping Lonergan who despite conceding three at the weekend was without a doubt one of our better players (again) and on the form he's on with some of the saves he's making he'll without a doubt be a key player for us tomorrow when we're no doubt going to be put under pressure.

The Defensive selection is actually quite an interesting one for tomorrow. I'm praying we've been doing non-stop Set-Piece work today because if we defend like we did on Saturday we're going to get destroyed. However, it's not as simple as a Height issue which we may have again tomorrow- as I'll get onto a bit later on as shown with the Michael Turner goal where Burn just completely misjudged the ball.

Without knowing for definite, basing it off the Luton game Stoke may well be rotating for tomorrow- and within that rotation Peter Crouch may well be coming in. Crouch against Ream isn't even going to be fair if we're playing Ream as a Centre-Back tomorrow, but at the same time I want the Stearman/Ream partnership to get as many minutes together under their belts as quickly as possible- so we're just going to have to grin and bear it. Nothing about Saturday's managed to dissuade me from my statement that the Full-Backs are picking themselves, the only reason they wouldn't be picking themselves at present would be if we wanted to shift James Husband to the Left-Side of Midfield as a result of bringing Burn in, which I'm against. We could of course start Burn at Right-Back, for the memories.

Wanting us to go for it in the Cup doesn't mean we shouldn't be making changes, and on the Ben Pringle front I'd be actively encouraging it. I've said it a few times now, just because it hasn't clicked for Pringle yet doesn't mean it won't- but with the form he's on I'm sure even he would find it hard to justify him continuing to start. So then we turn our attention to who can come in to replace him, and without a Press-Conference it's quite hard to do so. We do have a number of options when it comes to the Left-Hand side of Midfield though, so it's not a case of if we have a suitable replacement it's case of which one.

In an "everyone fit and available" scenario the team for tomorrow would have Cairney playing on the Left with Ryan Fredericks coming in on the right. I said it in my Blackburn Review that he's one of the few players we've got with genuine pace and we should try and use that whenever possible. The obvious problem with that being Fredericks is Cup-Tied which is annoying, but we just have to move on.

Next on the list would be Kacaniklic coming back into the team and leaving Cairney on the Right-Side of Midfield. Kacaniklic is far from a perfect player but it's hard to say how he'd react if he got a proper run in the team, because he just looks shot for confidence whenever I've seen him play as of late. Then of course we get to what we were playing as the Final Whistle blew on Saturday with Cairney on the Left and Christensen on the Right. None of these options are great, but at the same time I wouldn't be opposed to any of them and it's just a case of who's available for tomorrow.

I'm not sure what we should do on the Centre-Mid front for tomorrow, especially because we're coming up against a team with (it goes without saying) Premier League quality players. If we had one available I'd want to bring in a proper quality Holding-Mid for tomorrow just to give the defence some proper protection, but the fact of the matter is we don't so as with the Ream selection we've just got to grin and bear it and hope for the best.

Despite McCormack's completely anonymous game on Saturday coming up against a Premier League team we can't afford to drop one of our very few players who (in my opinion) could actually make it at Premier League level. As is the case with Dembele really- obviously not yet, but if he can add regular goals there's nothing stopping him from becoming a proper top-level Striker. I'm not sure how they're going to perform tomorrow- and it'll be an interesting test for both guys and to watch unfold tomorrow.

Team for Stoke

Stoke are an interesting team for us to be playing tomorrow, I'm in no way saying we're a guarantee tomorrow- but Stoke are there for the taking at present. If we can take our final 30 Minutes from Saturday into tomorrow's game and translate it into a full 90 Minute performance we have a pretty good shout of being in the Draw for the next round. That is a big "if" though, especially under Kit I've got little to no faith in us actually accomplishing that- and should we get into the hat for next round I think it's a pretty safe bet to say we're going to be put through the ringer tomorrow.

I said it on Saturday and I'll say it again here, these next three games really are make or break for Kit. With all three games being at Home against really tricky teams, but at the same time games that aren't complete write-offs should we lose all three the pressure will be massively on Kit once again- and with it being his squad now he won't have any excuses this time. Unless he goes for his tactic in the Post-Match Press Conference from Saturday where he said something along the lines of "if you take out the Sheff. Wednesday goals we did well". I keep saying this, I like Kit as a person- but he's practically inviting people to get on his back with comments like that.

Another point I made on Saturday could become particularly apparent tomorrow. We've shown our naivety as a team in one form or another in every game this season. Coming up against a Championship team, especially in the case of Rotherham and Blackburn we've managed to get away with it. Playing a Premier League team and that margin for error get's completely thrown out the window, any naivety we show tomorrow will be punished- that isn't even up for debate so we really need a full 90 Minute performance.

Thanks for reading as always, obviously with these Cup games there's a possibility for Extra Time and Penalties and in the event of that happening chances are I won't be getting the Review up in time for Midnight. That said, I hope you stay tuned for the Review tomorrow and then again with the QPR Preview where I'm not sure if I'm going to be putting it up on Wednesday or Thursday yet. As said I try and avoid double post days whenever possible. In the meantime, thanks again for reading- and let's just pray for an improved performance/result.

Night of Champions Review

Hello! Well, last night's PPV was definitely a thing. If you read my Predictions you'll know I actually had quite high expectations for the show last night, and I won't necessarily say last night's show was bad- because to be blunt it wasn't but I'd managed to work myself up into a frenzy on a few possible happenings so more fool me. Anyway, there's no time to waste- no really there isn't I'm writing two posts today.

Pre-Show: Cosmic Wasteland v Team Flippy Shit
There was a lot of Flippy Shit. Great! As far as Pre-Show matches go this match was actually quite good, in that it was a really fun match and they had believable false finishes- so credit to everyone involved in this match on that front. I think the one issue I've got is the fact the Cosmic Wasteland won with shenanigans, meaning we're getting another match down the road. Also, they fucked my Predictions up.

Kevin Owens v Ryback- IC Title
I actually really liked this match. It wasn't quite as good as I thought it could be, but with the finish there's obviously going to be another one so that isn't the end of the world. I basically had my say on Owens winning with shenanigans in my Predictions, I would have had him win clean just to kick his run off with a bang and establish himself as a legitimate champion- but again they might be doing that in the Rematch. I want Owens to get a really long run and especially with what happened later on in the show, I do wonder if we're going to get a unification match between the US & IC Titles.

Dolph Ziggler v Rusev
Depending on how you liked the Cena/Rollins match given what we know it could have been- this may well end up being the Match of the Night. That's something I never thought I'd be saying today, and it's somewhat of a process of elimination- but this match was so much better than I thought it could be. I don't know if it was because I was actually invested in this match because I've been wanting a double-turn and Dolph to go Heel for a few months now and it looked like they were going, but this match was really good. They told a really good story, and at least to me when they were doing things like Sleeper Holds it didn't actually feel like a Rest Hold, it felt like Dolph was actively trying to beat Rusev. So on the whole I really liked this, I'm not saying I liked the finish- well actually I would have done if Summer had done it deliberately but with the way the played it off I didn't like it.

The Dudleys v New Day- Tag Titles
I'm so happy they didn't put the Titles back on the Dudleys. With the aftermath it appears as though they're going for a Tables Match at Hell in a Cell, and I'd genuinely have New Day win that in some contrived way. Then at Survivor Series I'd have a Ladder Match where again New Day win in some contrived way, possibly by adding in the Primetime Players and at TLC and only at TLC will they win the Belts back.

I liked this match without loving it, it just didn't really click for me- and I'm not even sure why. Xavier's great, what's new there and all of the New Day's shenanigans were fun. I nearly died laughing when Big E listed off who had supposedly signed their petition, but the actual match wasn't that good- which I don't mind on RAW but on PPV I want more from New Day matches. Sometimes the shenanigans aren't enough, and that's coming from Me! The aftermath with the Table spot and Xavier doing his best D-Von impression with his twitching was great in my book, and despite my reservations over the match I'm still looking forward to New Day and this feud going forward.

Charlotte v Nikki Bella- Divas Title
Firstly, before I get into the match and the finish. I LOVE Ric Flair. In the last week he's done more to try and elevate the Divas than the rest of the WWE has done in basically three months. I don't know what Flair's legends deal is, but if they can get him managing Charlotte full-time after this last week if they don't do it I'll be pissed. Especially when later on down the road my idea for Charlotte as a Heel and cutting Promos on her had would have even more of an effect should they do it.

Right then, the match. It wasn't bad, I'll give credit where it's due- Nikki didn't look out of place in the match last night. Although, I'm not necessarily sure that's a good thing in-terms of overall match quality. Whoever was the Agent for the match should be doing it for every match on the card, not just the Divas matches- especially with to be blunt limited wrestlers. It was seriously the simplest story possible, Nikki goes out and works the leg, keeps working it and then works it some more. Some of the transitions and spots were quite sloppy, but on the whole the match was fine. I do actually have one big nitpick, as I've already said- this match was telling the simplest story imaginable in-terms of working the leg. You'd think this leg working would be to sell the fact Charlotte can't do the Figure 8, but nope- first attempt Charlotte just got the Figure 8 in and Nikki just tapped. But as I said, that really is a nitpick and I'm definitely not complaining that they finally took the Belt off of Nikki.

I really had to laugh at the finish. Even some Bellas Fans (the one's I'm not blocked by) were finally acknowledging the fact that Nikki only had the Belt/Record because of Punk after last night. They didn't even try and pretend that wasn't the case, literally (Smackdown doesn't count) at the earliest possible opportunity after Nikki got the record they took the Belt off of her. So can we stop saying it was anything other than the fact they wanted to get the Record off of AJ now?

The Wyatts v Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose & Chris Jericho
I never thought I'd be saying this, but I didn't want it to be Jericho. When the Countdown hit I groaned a bit, and when Jericho came out I groaned even more. I'm not saying Jericho's "fat", but I don't think DDP Yoga is a great workout. I'm looking forward to see where they go with Jericho given the aftermath, and the fact Fozzy don't have any dates until two days after Survivor Series suggests to me that Jericho's here for one of his runs as opposed to a one-off. Also, HE'S GOING TO BE A HEEL! YAY! I've wanted Heel Jericho for a while now, I just don't like Jericho as the Happy, Smiley Babyface. Given he tries to reinvent himself I'm hoping he get's a different style of Light-Up Jacket, similar to the Balor/Devitt one where it actually spells something as opposed to Random Lights or just drops it.

I was saying throughout the build to this, anyone who's not dwarfed by Strowman is fair game in-terms of the selection. You know what, it should have been. I just don't understand the logic in them bringing in Jericho, who's not only lost to Bray in their series last year- but is not only not as big as Strowman I don't even think two Jericho's stacked on top of each other would be bigger than Strowman. They did their best to get around it, but it really didn't work.

The actual match, Jericho selection aside was really quite good. With the Reigns and Strowman dynamic they basically gave us a Mini Reigns/Brock flashback with the way they built the match around Reigns trying to take Strowman down. I'm not sure if the Jericho stuff after means that this feud is, not done because I don't think it'll ever be done- but put to bed for now. Either way, hopefully it does.

John Cena v Seth Rollins- US Title
In isolation this match was by far and a way the best match on the card, in fact it probably still was out of isolation- and it's understandable as to why it wasn't as special as the Summerslam match and I don't even think it was better than their "Broken Nose" match. As I said, that's not to say it wasn't good- it was a Cena match and in 2015 that's the furthest thing possible from a bad thing. There's some people who talk about how Flair only did one match, and this is the Cena match. I still really liked it, and I'm especially happy because Cena beat Rollins (I never in a Million Years thought I'd be saying that) because it means we're getting the US Open Challenge back. I defy even the most hardened of Cena "haters" to say that's a bad thing. If I had to take issue with one thing, CENA DIDN'T CELEBRATE WITH THE "WE HATE CENA" GUY! THAT'S A HEEL TURN IN MY BOOK.

The stuff after with Cena stopping Rollins leaving and giving him another AA was really good in my book because it set-up the Sting match and the story I thought they'd want to tell perfectly.

Seth Rollins v Sting- WWE Title
I tweeted just before "that" incident that this match was exactly why I would and wouldn't want Sting to win the Title at exactly the same time. Sure enough, Sting got just completely fucked off that Buckle Bomb and it massively detracted from what was otherwise a pretty entertaining match. I'm not saying it's Rollins' fault on the Buckle Bomb front, Sting may well have told him to do it- but Sting's 56. Was it really a smart idea to practically launch Sting into a corner with very little control as to how he'd hit it? Up to that point it wasn't necessarily a great match, but they were telling a good story and I was entertained by it- but that spot just killed the match (and nearly Sting). The crowd didn't know what to make of it all when Sting practically collapsed and then they had to massively rush the finish, which was fair enough but without much build it took away from the match somewhat.

I was getting worried when Sheamus actually gave the Briefcase to the Ref this time and we didn't get an unintentionally hilarious spot with Sheamus and the Ref that I was wrong about Sheamus not cashing-in until he's doing the Ninja Turtles stuff. Then Kane came down, and he's been eating. I'd thought Kane v Rollins was going to be the Main Event for Night of Champions all the way back to when they did the spot to write him off at Battleground, so I suppose on that front it was all just a month late.

The more I think about it, despite that Sting finish and there being no outstanding matches this PPV was actually really good. Night of Champions and Hell in a Cell are rarely ever all-time great PPV's just because they're well and truly in the wasteland between Summerslam and the build to the Rumble, but we've had a lot worse PPV's let's put it that way.

Thanks for reading as always, we're now moving on to Hell in a Cell where Brock/Taker is happening as announced last night. I'm not saying it was a bad way to announce the fact it's Brock/Taker, but I can guarantee some people will have missed it. They didn't even segue to the "Go to Hell Tour" (which I'm probably just going to end up calling Brocktober) it just sort of happened and a minute later Brock/Taker at Hell in a Cell was happening. But before that we've got the RAW Review tomorrow and Hell in a Cell build in general so hopefully you come back for the Reviews on that front starting tomorrow. Thanks again for reading, I hope you tag along on Twitter tonight for RAW, I'm actually quite looking forward to it.

Night of Champions Predictions

Is it another PPV already? We're here for the Night of Champions Predictions in what could turn into one of my best set of Predictions for a while basing it off the odds I've seen. Which'll make it even more annoying because PaddyPower have fucked up with the way they've laid out the Markets for tonight and I can't do an accumulator for the whole thing. The odds for tonight are pretty terrible anyway, so maybe it's a good thing. Anyway, there's a number of potential big talking points from tonight's PPV and a lot of it could be positive if the way I think they're going to do tonight is the way they actually do it. So why waste any more time, let's get this thing going.

Pre-Show: Neville & The Lucha Dragons v Stardust & The Ascension
I think the "good guys win on Pre-Show" line of booking is especially true in the case of this match. Granted I'm not a big comic-book guy, but more often than not the good guy(s) always wins. They might want to get another month out of this thing, but both Stardust and Neville really need to move on now.
Winners: Neville & The Lucha Dragons

New Day v The Dudley Boyz- Tag Titles
This is probably the most conflicted I've been in terms of an outcome and what I want to happen in absolutely ages. If it were anyone other than the New Day and the Dudleys I'd be expecting the Dudleys to win today and get a run. However, because of New Day and how entertaining they are I genuinely they can play the "long game" with this feud and it'll be a rare occasion where a long feud won't feel drawn out and stale. If it were up to me I'd hold off on New Day dropping the Belts until TLC in December.

I'm not necessarily saying the New Day will "win", but I'm fairly certain New Day will retain. All of that may just be wishful thinking, but for me the big pay-off coming at TLC in a TLC match would make it all infinitely more memorable than New Day simply dropping to the Dudleys at the first possible opportunity.
Winner: New Day (Retaining)

Dolph Ziggler v Rusev
I'm praying it's not the same as it was last month with the Ambrose stuff. They've actively been teasing in the last few weeks that Summer's going to turn on Rusev, combine that with the fact the stories have come out about putting Rusev and Lana back together- it all points to a double turn. I'm just hoping they actually follow through and don't do a swerve for the sake of a swerve with their lack of a swerve (swerve-ception) as they did in the case of Ambrose and Reigns last month.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler

The Wyatts v Reigns, Ambrose & ???
While we're on the topic of Reigns and Ambrose, this 6-Man is going to be really hard to predict without knowing who's actually the 3rd Man for Reigns and Ambrose. We pretty much know it's Savio Vega, but without knowing for definite it's hard to predict this match. As I said in my RAW Review, it's not going to be a massive name like The Rock or Bryan as I've seen some people suggesting because they haven't built the match at all on the name value of whoever is the 3rd Man. On a serious note, the most likely candidate judging by the odds is still Corbin- I'm still holding out for Kane because of my "Sleeper Agent" stuff I've been pushing for what feels like forever. Either way, AMBROSE IS TURNING DAMMIT. IF THEY KEEP BOOKING IT, I'LL KEEP PREDICTING IT.
Winner: The Wyatts

Kevin Owens v Ryback- IC Title
Firstly, I don't think this is nearly as straightforward as some people seem to think. Owens winning is absolutely not a clear-cut thing and on a really Heel-Heavy card they might want a Babyface win in the Midcard to balance things out a bit. I do still think Owens will win, and I'm hoping it'll be clean so they can at least attempt to do what they presumably were planning to do with Daniel Bryan after Mania so all Three Singles Titles will be seen as credible in the near future. I'm not suggesting Owens should win clean every time, but with the need to establish Owens as a credible champion should he win- for me a clean win to kick it off is the right way to go. I think Ryback deserves to lose for, if nothing else that shit Elvis impression. It's actually a shame his IC Title run thus far has been- well, an IC Title run because I do enjoy Ryback quite a bit and as I said in my RAW Review I do actually think this match has the potential to be the best Non-Rollins match on the card tonight.
Winner: Kevin Owens

Nikki Bella v Charlotte- Divas Title
This is actually one of the really hard ones to call on the card today, and while I haven't done an Accumulator I'm tempted to back Nikki tonight because at 4/1 it's worth a punt in my opinion. I said in my RAW Review that should Charlotte win it really won't be as significant because Nikki's characters obvious goal was to beat AJ's record. So with that in mind they might finally pull the trigger on taking the belt off of her, but at the same time I can't ignore them teasing the Paige turn as they have done- and in my desperation for them to finally get a proper story going I'm going to predict a Paige turn and a Nikki win. It makes perfect sense, because with the DQ/Count-Out Stipulation they can play up the fact Charlotte got fucked out of the Title again. I'd seriously hold off on Charlotte winning the Title until Mania, I'm not in any way suggesting Nikki should hold the Belt for however many more days it is until Mania- just that Charlotte shouldn't.
Winner: Nikki Bella

John Cena v Seth Rollins- US Title
I suppose the first prediction is actually what order these two matches, which 6 Months ago would have been ludicrous in terms of even suggesting the US Title match would take top billing over a WWE Title match. I did see the things saying the plan was for the Cena match to Main Event, but I personally just can't see it- and within the context of the story I think they'll tell tonight it makes sense for this match to go on first. Cena's winning tonight. There's not any doubt in my mind, and I'm perfectly happy with that. I wanted Cena to hold the US Title for a full year as soon as he won it at Mania, so putting the belt back on him is perfectly fine by me and we can hopefully get back to (after the inevitable Rematch) Cena Pre-Rollins in terms of the way he was booked.
Winner: John Cena

Seth Rollins v Sting- WWE Title
Firstly, I do think these matches will be back-to-back. They might open the PPV with the Cena match, but in terms of the story I think/hope they'll be telling tonight it makes more sense for this match to come directly after. There's no chance Rollins is going to be booed in this match, he'll have already had one 20+ Minute match with Cena and then he'll be going into another one with Sting. So to that I say, why not just run with it. I'd have Sting destroying Rollins for large parts and Seth just bumping like crazy, which'll also do a good job of hiding Sting's shortcomings of which there's many.

I don't know how they'll do it, one option I've had in my mind is for Undertaker to come out and cost Sting the match- but it makes so much sense to me for Seth to win this match. I'm expecting in total Seth to be going for at least 45 Minutes tonight, so hopefully all of his Cross-Fit can pay off.
Winner: Seth Rollins

But the night doesn't end there. You all know where I'm going with this. Rollins has just had two intense matches, but he's retained the WWE Title. I can see the Authority coming out to congratulate him, and of course he's dead on his feet AND THEN... Big Show will put Rollins onto his shoulders, celebrate a bit and then Triple H will do the Evolution "Thumbs Down" spot to close the show- SWERVE!

Seth will look like such a Babyface in the Sting match this spot will have a massive impact if booked right. With the way they've teased the Rollins and Triple H stuff as of late I think it's finally time to pull the trigger on this feud, and especially in these usually dead months between Summerslam and the Rumble a Triple H/Rollins feud will help keep interest up. I just can't shake this idea, especially because they specifically name-dropped Evolution in one of the weird tease of tension segments they did.

I don't think Sheamus is cashing-in for a while, specifically until the Ninja Turtles film comes out/he starts doing promotional work next year- but at the same time there won't be a better time to officially turn Seth Babyface than tonight with him wrestling two matches.

I'm definitely interested to see how the PPV plays out tonight, there's a lot of potential in pretty match on the card for something "big" to happen.

Thanks for reading as always, I'll be doing my usual Twitterings tonight, so hopefully you'll tag along tonight- and then come back for the Night of Champions Review tomorrow where I'll no doubt be reviewing a crushingly disappointing PPV. In the meantime I hope you enjoyed these Predictions and as always if you disagree with anything I've said feel free to tell me. Thanks again for reading, I feel like if Savio Vega isn't the 3rd Man after that Reigns and Ambrose thing with Jojo there'll be an overwhelming disappointment worldwide.

Sheffield Wednesday v Fulham Review: Basic Mistakes

When will Fulham ever learn to defend at Set-Pieces? I don't even necessarily think it's a Kit thing- actually I do but more on that later, it just seems like a Fulham thing. Corners and Free-Kicks felt like Penalties today, and I would probably have been more confident of us keeping the ball out of the net from a Penalty to be honest given the way Lonergan's played so far this season. Given how we started the game today in a way I'm actually happy we didn't grab a late equaliser, we didn't deserve it at all and it would have been a wake up call to all of the players after the last few games where we've won- but done our best to blow it. I'm not saying the players were complacent today, but it definitely looked like they were.

All three of the Sheffield Wednesday goals were basically the same. Wallace delivery, Poor Marking/Defending, Header, Goal. It's not a bad tactic to have to be honest, so credit to Wednesday on that front. It's just amazing to me that we're still conceding goals from Set-Pieces. I'm not sure if we practice them in training, if we are it's simply not good enough practice- and if we don't WHY THE HELL DON'T WE? It just reflects poorly on Kit and the Coaching Staff, even in games where we haven't conceded (see Blackburn) we've still looked shaky from Set-Pieces and it just so happens that the ball hasn't ended up in the back of the net (or more specifically not deemed to have gone over the line).

The Jamie O'Hara goal was 100% not deserved, but it doesn't really matter. It was unfortunate for Westwood with the deflection, but they all count. The Cairney goal was actually a pretty good one from our perspective, but in a way that makes it more annoying when we're so impotent for large parts of the game and it ends up costing us points. I hate statistics in general because people use them as their entire basis of an argument when it never tells you the full story, but taking a quick look at them today- we've had 62% Possession and only managed to get three shots on target. Simply put, that isn't good enough.

One of the very few positives from the game today was Andy Lonergan. I think this game from a Fulham and Andy Lonergan perspective can be perfectly summed up by the first goal. Initially it was a great save by Lonergan to keep out a Header from Bannan, they got a corner and somehow Fernando Forestieri not only got to the ball from a corner- HE SCORED A HEADER! It's the same as quite a few times last season with Bettinelli where we've conceded a number of goals and yet our Keeper's been one of, if not our best player. He was quite shaky in terms of coming out for Set-Pieces and whether he should have done so or not, but that's a bigger issue than simply his decision making and speaks of just complete disorganisation when it comes to Set-Pieces from our perspective. He's probably at fault for one of the goals today, but were it not for him we'd have conceded a lot more than 3 anyway so I'm willing to forgive him.

I don't like being right when it comes to me doubting players and just having big worries in terms of their performances. With that in mind, Tim Ream was just murdered in the First-Half. Nuhiu just caused us no end of problems and in the First-Half it wasn't even a contest when Nuhiu got next to Ream. On another day, with another Ref- Nuhiu would also probably have gotten Stearman sent off in the First-Half, it was just an all around bad day at the office. I said it in one of my Blackburn posts that there's a fine line between allowing time to gel and giving time to something that's not working, I'm not saying Ream/the Stearman and Ream partnership has crossed that line- but it's definitely something to think a lot about and at this stage it should still be our first-choice partnership primarily because of lack of options. Nobody was "good" today, that said Jazz Richards was once again for me one of our better players today. He goes under the radar a bit, but apart from the foul for the Rotherham Penalty he hasn't really put a foot wrong this season. It was far from James Husband's best game in a Fulham shirt, which of course it would be given how I praised him in my Preview yesterday. I was interested to see how Husband would do when he was pushed up to the Left-Hand side of Midfield with Ream behind him but he didn't really have a chance to settle into the role before he was taken off.

Ben Pringle hasn't exactly impressed since he's come in let's put it that way. He just had another shocking game today and was rightly subbed off at Half-Time. The thing is, Kit knows this- because he keeps subbing him off and yet he keeps persisting with him. Kacaniklic wasn't even on the Bench today, so I'm willing to assume he was injured- but for Stoke I'm expecting either Kacaniklic if he's back fit, Fredericks (again if he's fit) or what we did today in the Second-Half with Husband or Cairney going onto the Left-Hand side. Speaking of Cairney, he of course got his goal- but as with the rest of the Midfield he was completely out of the game for large parts. He improved to no end in the Second-Half, but as with the team as a whole it was too late. If anyone's deserved a goal this season for us it's Jamie O'Hara, and as with Richards I won't go as far as saying he was good- but if they put up a MOTM Vote for the game today (firstly I'll scream) I'll probably end up voting for O'Hara. Tunnicliffe didn't have his best game, and he wasted a number of chances today- I know that's not really his job but it's still annoying.

McCormack, well he was there- or at least his name was on the Team Sheet I can't actually confirm he was on the pitch today. The same can really be said for Dembele, I wouldn't have subbed him off and instead I'd have just fully gone for it taking off Tunnicliffe moving Cairney inside and played a 4-3-3/4-3-1-2. We were two goals down, what was there to lose? That sub did actually annoy me, while Dembele wasn't in the game that much- he's shown he has the capability to make an impact so when we're chasing a game to take a player like that off just doesn't make sense to me.

If Kit hadn't have used all three subs today we should have just left him in Sheffield, and the subs did actually make somewhat of an impact in that we got better in the Second-Half- although I'm not sure how we could have gotten worse. Yes, height was an issue today- but the fact is even with Dan Burn on the pitch we still conceded from another Set-Piece. Everyone talks about every team getting "one more chance" in a game- and it's just unfortunate that the chance fell to Burn late on. Christensen came on and was one of the rare players actually pressing the Wednesday players when he came on- but on the whole he really did nothing. I've already had my say on the Woodrow sub, and the taking off of Dembele- so it's not really worth getting into it again.

We're just making basic errors in every game now, and as I said in my Preview if we keep showing the naivety we showed in the Rotherham and Blackburn games sooner or later we will be punished- and today we were. I think these next three games will really make the decisions when it comes to Kit. Three games, all at Home against tricky teams will either make or break Kit- now he's gotten his squad it's all on him and should we lose all three the pressure will be as big, if not more so than it was in August.

Thanks for reading as always, these Fulham posts are back on Monday with the Stoke Preview- where hopefully we can move on from today's game as quickly as possible so stay tuned for that. As already said these next three games will be crucial for Kit- but we can only hope for the best and hope we take the last 25-30 Minute display from today into the Stoke game. The day we actually perform well for 90 Minutes is the day that SO much pressure on Kit will dissipate, but I can't see that day coming any time soon. Thanks again for reading, I hope you have a good rest of the weekend and can forget today's game as quickly as possible.