Hello! We finally had confirmation of TNAs new home, and as such it would appear they've secured their future at least for the time being. With this being the last non-clip show episode of Impact on Spike being this one the question is did TNA bow out on a high?
This'll also be the last Impact review until January because; a) I'm not interested in Clip Shows b) Theres no point reviewing stuff thats happened on the show. Now lets get down to business.
Bobby Roode Promo/Brawl
The promo was alright for what it was, but it was never meant to be an amazing promo- and was purely to set-up what was going to happen after. I like the way Roode met Lashley on the ramp, as it reinforces the "fighting champion" mentality that they're trying to get Roode over as. The fact they had security break the fight up was probably the best way they could have gone with it at this stage in Roodes title reign in order to keep both men looking strong.
Gail Kim v Taryn Terrell v Havok- Knockouts Title
Wow. NXT excluded this match trumps any Divas match this year, although to be honest thats not saying much. What we got here was three women who "get it"and as such know how to put together a match which is great. Taryn winning the belt is an interesting development, Havok was protected to an extent because she wasn't pinned despite the fact she was practically beaten after taking Gails finisher- however I'm not convinced Taryn is the best option at this stage. I respect the hell out of her for how far she's come since being "Tiffany" however she still has a long way to go and in "just" a match Taryn can be exposed to an extent.
Chris Melendez v Kenny King
I don't know how to judge Melendez's matches. Its hard to be overcritical because of his disability, but on the same notion I don't want to give too much leeway to him because at the end of the day he's on the same show as others so he should be judged as such. So with that in mind this match was pretty average, the tempo was quite slow- as said perhaps understandably. The finish was alright as it helped Melendez to keep chugging along whilst not outright beating King. I'm still not sold on the Anderson-Melendez dynamic, however hopefully that changes in the near future.
EC3, Tyrus, Spud Segment
EC3 slapped Borash so hard his whole family died- Probably Line of the Year. The Spud beatdown was a good way to keep this storyline going, so when we finally get the payoff it'll be worth the build. I'm not sure why the haircut was a thing but it was probably a physical way to humiliate him as much as anything else.
The MVP attack on Angle was a really good angle, the fact King looked genuinely shocked by the attack helps to further the dissolution between them- and set up a match down the road.
Tommy Dreamer v Bram
Bram is fast becoming one of the best parts of either WWE or TNA. Perhaps its simply because its his hardcore style whilst WWE is PG and TNA doesn't always use its TV-14 Rating, however when Bram delivers matches like this one its hard to ignore. Between Bram and EC3 they've gotten two wrestlers who "failed" in WWE Developmental and turned them into top stars for the future- which is what TNA should have been doing for years rather than bringing in "past it" WWE stars. You only have to look at the releases in WWEs past to think where TNA could have been, For instance, you wonder what would have happened if they'd gotten "Bryan Danielson" when he got released for choking Justin Roberts.
DJ Z v Tigre Uno v Manik v Low Ki
I would have personally put the title on Manik, with Storms "revolution" winning the Tag Titles last week in my opinion the revolution should have gone from strength to strength with regard to winning titles. Thats not to disregard Low Ki as a champion, as he is more than credible, however in terms of Long-Term thinking I think Manik would have been the better option. The match itself was good, although did we honestly expect anything different when these four are in the ring at the same time?
Mass Brawl Segment
For the final segment of TNA until January this was a bit "meh" in my opinion. It was a bit of a cluster in my opinion, with too many cooks in the kitchen to make the segment seem good enough to really "pop". We're presumably getting an MVP-Angle angle once we get to the new year as this segment basically highlighted all the main feuds in Impact Wrestling with the exception of the EC3 one.
Overall this Impact wasn't the best, but was by no means the worst we've had in recent memory- and crucially left enough open ends to maintain interest going into January. Thanks for reading, as I said before this'll be the last Impact Review for a while. So if you just read these Impact Reviews, Happy Christmas!
Thursday, 20 November 2014
Tuesday, 18 November 2014
RAW Review- 17th November
Hello! I'm writing this when I'm still quite sleepy from RAW last night so please forgive any typos that may occur during this blog. We had a cat hosting RAW today- so as you can guess my expectations weren't high, so did I get a pleasant surprise? Also find out why Erick Rowan is now my most hated wrestler if you didn't see last night on Twitter.
The Authority, Ryback Segment
Triple H taking a shot at WCW was probably the best moment of this segment, because it was factually incorrect. WCW didn't kill WCW AOL/Time Warner killed WCW, and anyone who says otherwise is wrong. I liked the threats the Authority laid out here because it made you anticipate what was going to happen throughout the show, and as such kept you at least mildly engaged in the show. Nobody can honestly have thought Ryback wasn't going to be on Team Cena with the exception of roughly 30 seconds in the last segment. Them using their Authoritative powers to handicap Team Cena was something I thought they should've done a lot more in the build to this match at Survivor Series so it was good to finally have the heels being proper heels. Ryback isn't an amazing promo, but he delivered his message effectively and to a good enough level that it didn't get you to disengage.
Luke Harper v Dolph Ziggler- Intercontinental Championship Match
Firstly, Dolph is not being buried. Buried is one of those terms I've grown to despise when it comes to wrestling- if someone could explain how being blindsided before a match and getting killed, an subsequently lasting 10+ minutes in a competitive (ish) match against a guy like Luke Harper is being buried I'm all ears. Secondly, I'm greatly in favour of this title change- Luke Harper is awesome, as he's shown on numerous occasions and I'm hoping as I said last week he is seen as more than someone making up the numbers of Sunday. Also this loss for Dolph could also lead to one of the better storylines in recent memory (if I was booking). Team Cena loses on Sunday, through some shenanigans- but a loss nonetheless. Dolph has now lost everything he's fought for, and he then proceeds to blame Cena for this Zig-Zag, Passionate Promo TLC Semi-Main Event. It would be oddly full circle considering two years ago we had Dolph v Cena in the MITB Match at TLC where Dolph had everything to lose and Cena had everything to gain. The match itself was good for what it was, I was surprised Dolph had the amount of offence he did get- but that only added to the match quality.
The Miz, Grumpy Cat Segment (Part 1)
I watched this segment. It was awful.
Adam Rose v Tyson Kidd
Okay, Does anyone not wanna see my idea to have Rose skin the bunny now? I mean cmon #KRUGAH. At least we know the Bunny is Darren Young now.
Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose Promos
I've always thought that they should have done what they did with Ambrose with Bray. Have Bray cutting a promo on the tron and while whomever is in the ring is looking up at the tron blindside them while Bray is still talking on the tron. This'd have added another dimension to his mysterious persona, and is of course something they could do down the road. When Bray speaks everybody listens. He simply has that natural charisma that so few wrestlers do, and it makes every word that comes out his mouth believable to the audience. The Ambrose Promo was fine for what it was, although was phone records in 1080p?
Ryback v Cesaro
When we came back from the Ad Break I thought this'd be a glorified squash- what we got instead was in my opinion the best match Rybacks had on the Main Roster that hasn't included a stipulation. The false finishes were genuine false finishes, and as I'll discuss when I do my Awards (probably) some time next week the suspension of disbelief in some matches is what really grips you. Nobody honestly expected Ryback to lose, but with the way the match went down you started to question that.
Rusev v Heath Slater
"Ding Ding You Son of a Bitch" Heath Slater July 15th 1983- November 17th 2014.
The Miz, Grumpy Cat Segment (Part 2)
Rowan stole a toy cat...
Big Show v Sheamus
I Remember when it was Orton v Sheamus the Night after Wrestlemania 29 the crowd were chanting "Thank You Big Show" once he interfered so I'd like to personally thank Mark Henry and Rusev for ending this abomination.
Nikki Bella v A.J. Brie
See what I did there? Good right? I think we can agree my cheese joke was the highlight of this match #WensleydaleMode.
The Usos & Los Matadores v The Dusts & Whatever the plural of Miz is.
The less said about this match the better. I honestly don't get why people want to see Mizdow "wrestle". I respect his ability don't misinterpret me, but in his current role he's best when he's randomly sentonning himself.
Team Authority v Team Cena Contract Signing
Before I get into the actual segment, Nobody actually signed a contract- so does that mean the Main Event is off?
I liked the Triple H promo as his slight doubts over whether or not the Authority could win could turn into a storyline down the road. The Cena Promo made me want to vomit rainbows, although I'm sure there are laws about kids working past a certain hour- and presumably this match will be the Main Event so surely Cena should be arrested. It was his usual sunshine and rainbows promo that made anyone with a developed brain want to switch channels, however I kept with it. Everybody expected Ryback to come into the fold for this match, however I don't think many expected Rowan. I was expecting/hoping it would be Hogan so now Rowan is the #1 Heel in the business in my book.
Thanks for reading, as always feedback is appreciated- I'm not sure if I'll be putting my awards blog up this week or next so keep your eyes out for that one. Thanks again.
The Authority, Ryback Segment
Triple H taking a shot at WCW was probably the best moment of this segment, because it was factually incorrect. WCW didn't kill WCW AOL/Time Warner killed WCW, and anyone who says otherwise is wrong. I liked the threats the Authority laid out here because it made you anticipate what was going to happen throughout the show, and as such kept you at least mildly engaged in the show. Nobody can honestly have thought Ryback wasn't going to be on Team Cena with the exception of roughly 30 seconds in the last segment. Them using their Authoritative powers to handicap Team Cena was something I thought they should've done a lot more in the build to this match at Survivor Series so it was good to finally have the heels being proper heels. Ryback isn't an amazing promo, but he delivered his message effectively and to a good enough level that it didn't get you to disengage.
Luke Harper v Dolph Ziggler- Intercontinental Championship Match
Firstly, Dolph is not being buried. Buried is one of those terms I've grown to despise when it comes to wrestling- if someone could explain how being blindsided before a match and getting killed, an subsequently lasting 10+ minutes in a competitive (ish) match against a guy like Luke Harper is being buried I'm all ears. Secondly, I'm greatly in favour of this title change- Luke Harper is awesome, as he's shown on numerous occasions and I'm hoping as I said last week he is seen as more than someone making up the numbers of Sunday. Also this loss for Dolph could also lead to one of the better storylines in recent memory (if I was booking). Team Cena loses on Sunday, through some shenanigans- but a loss nonetheless. Dolph has now lost everything he's fought for, and he then proceeds to blame Cena for this Zig-Zag, Passionate Promo TLC Semi-Main Event. It would be oddly full circle considering two years ago we had Dolph v Cena in the MITB Match at TLC where Dolph had everything to lose and Cena had everything to gain. The match itself was good for what it was, I was surprised Dolph had the amount of offence he did get- but that only added to the match quality.
The Miz, Grumpy Cat Segment (Part 1)
I watched this segment. It was awful.
Adam Rose v Tyson Kidd
Okay, Does anyone not wanna see my idea to have Rose skin the bunny now? I mean cmon #KRUGAH. At least we know the Bunny is Darren Young now.
Bray Wyatt, Dean Ambrose Promos
I've always thought that they should have done what they did with Ambrose with Bray. Have Bray cutting a promo on the tron and while whomever is in the ring is looking up at the tron blindside them while Bray is still talking on the tron. This'd have added another dimension to his mysterious persona, and is of course something they could do down the road. When Bray speaks everybody listens. He simply has that natural charisma that so few wrestlers do, and it makes every word that comes out his mouth believable to the audience. The Ambrose Promo was fine for what it was, although was phone records in 1080p?
Ryback v Cesaro
When we came back from the Ad Break I thought this'd be a glorified squash- what we got instead was in my opinion the best match Rybacks had on the Main Roster that hasn't included a stipulation. The false finishes were genuine false finishes, and as I'll discuss when I do my Awards (probably) some time next week the suspension of disbelief in some matches is what really grips you. Nobody honestly expected Ryback to lose, but with the way the match went down you started to question that.
Rusev v Heath Slater
"Ding Ding You Son of a Bitch" Heath Slater July 15th 1983- November 17th 2014.
The Miz, Grumpy Cat Segment (Part 2)
Rowan stole a toy cat...
Big Show v Sheamus
I Remember when it was Orton v Sheamus the Night after Wrestlemania 29 the crowd were chanting "Thank You Big Show" once he interfered so I'd like to personally thank Mark Henry and Rusev for ending this abomination.
Nikki Bella v A.J. Brie
See what I did there? Good right? I think we can agree my cheese joke was the highlight of this match #WensleydaleMode.
The Usos & Los Matadores v The Dusts & Whatever the plural of Miz is.
The less said about this match the better. I honestly don't get why people want to see Mizdow "wrestle". I respect his ability don't misinterpret me, but in his current role he's best when he's randomly sentonning himself.
Team Authority v Team Cena Contract Signing
Before I get into the actual segment, Nobody actually signed a contract- so does that mean the Main Event is off?
I liked the Triple H promo as his slight doubts over whether or not the Authority could win could turn into a storyline down the road. The Cena Promo made me want to vomit rainbows, although I'm sure there are laws about kids working past a certain hour- and presumably this match will be the Main Event so surely Cena should be arrested. It was his usual sunshine and rainbows promo that made anyone with a developed brain want to switch channels, however I kept with it. Everybody expected Ryback to come into the fold for this match, however I don't think many expected Rowan. I was expecting/hoping it would be Hogan so now Rowan is the #1 Heel in the business in my book.
Thanks for reading, as always feedback is appreciated- I'm not sure if I'll be putting my awards blog up this week or next so keep your eyes out for that one. Thanks again.
Friday, 14 November 2014
Fulham- How do we Stack Up against the Top 6?
Before I start, I'd like to give you guys an update with regard to my blog. 2 Days ago I found out I was eligible to apply for Adsense on this blog, which may lead some of you to start getting pissed with me because when I plug any new blogs I'm doing it for the money right? Wrong, When I started this blog in Mid-August I had no intention on doing it for the money- and I still don't. With regard to Adsense its not about the money to me, nor will it ever be. Its about validation. IF the Adsense application goes through it helps validate me as a legitimate blogger- which I had no intention of doing in August; but as my reading audience has expanded & some bigger Twitter accounts have helped me out such as Russ & Cottage Talk, TNA Creative & WhiteNoise1879 Its become a part of my life- and I've somehow become a blogger who gets an average of 40 Reads per blog, which may not sound like much- but for me it is, and some of my blogs getting in excess of 90-100 reads and in the case of my Rotherham blog getting close to 200. That being said money was never my intention going in and it never will be; now on with the blog.
Hello, with the international break I need material so I thought it would be good idea to compare us to the Top 6, which is (from what I can tell) the general consensus of what we should be aiming for come May. This isn't necessarily what I think the Top 6 will be come the end of the season, but now we're roughly a third of the way its a good time to evaluate the situation we're currently in.
6th- Brentford (9 Points Behind)
Results This Season
(COC) W- 1-0
21st November (Away)
3rd April (Home)
Key Statistics (Most of these Stats come from WhoScored)
Average Possession: 51% (Fulham 52%)
Shots per Game: 13.3 (Fulham 14)
Shots on Target per game: 4.8 (Fulham 4.8)
Goal per Game Ratio: 1.41 (Fulham 1.58)
This is something I never thought I'd have to say- Brentford are doing well at the moment, and on balance deserve the position they're currently in, in my opinion. I don't think they will be in the Top 6 come May- but I think any realistic Brentford fan would acknowledge that. With the upcoming game against Brentford we can close the gap between us to 6 Points, but we could also end up 12 Points behind them which is very much possible with Brentford currently on a 3 Game winning streak including a win against Derby. As much as it may pain us to admit it as Fulham fans, we need to be wary of the threat Brentford pose, and acknowledge they're where they are on merit, and will fight tooth and nail to stay there. However out of the current Top 6 Brentford will be the easiest to overtake, which isn't be stating the obvious with regard to there position in the Playoff places- and isn't intended to disrespect Brentford, and is more about crediting the other teams in the Playoff places.
5th- Watford (10 Points Behind)
Results this Season
5th December (Away)
3rd March (Home)
Key Statistics
Average Possession: 49% (Fulham 52%)
Shots per Game: 14.4 (Fulham 14)
Shots on Target per Game: 4.9 (Fulham 4.8)
Goals per Game ratio: 1.76 (Fulham 1.58)
The in house Manager of the Month contests at Watford appear to have resolved themselves and under Slavisa Jokanovic they've experienced a slight dip in their last two games, however before the losses to Ipswich and Birmingham their last loss was in Early September and as such shouldn't be written off just yet. Once again we've got an upcoming game against Watford which can either close the gap between us significantly or give Watford clean air between us, and with every position up for grabs in the Top 6 we can't afford to give them that breathing room. With players like Vydra, Deeney and Tozser at their disposal they will always pose a significant threat to the Top 6. Vydra will of course bring back bad memories for us after the West Brom game last season in which we lost two vital points in our failed attempt at survival and with Tozser being one of the most potent midfielders in the League with the combination of a good foundation with players like Craig Cathcart and Gomes (who I'm looking forward to seeing again after he done so much to help us when he was at Spurs) they will be in and around the Top 6 come May, and we need to make sure we stay in touch- or above them come that time.
4th- Ipswich (11 Points Behind)
Results this Season
L 1-0
14th February (Home)
Key Statistics
Average Possession: 50% (Fulham 52%)
Shots per Game: 14.1 (Fulham 14)
Shots on Targer per Game: 4.5 (Fulham 4.8)
Goals per Game ratio: 1.47 (Fulham 1.58)
Our opponents on the first game back in the Championship have currently only lost 3 Times this season (The Joint Second best in the League) which is very characteristic of a Mick McCarthy team in that they're extremely hard to beat, and will probably piss a lot of people off in doing so because of the style of play they employ in order to achieve this. When we came into the Championship and with Ipswich being our first game the focus was centered on whether McGoldrick would be fit enough, however for the large part Daryl Murphy has outshone him this season, with double his goal tally so far this season- thats not to discredit McGoldrick, as he is still a very good player, and it also highlights the different options Ipswich can employ which makes them very credible candidates for the Top 6. When we played Ipswich in August I wasn't overly impressed with them, we looked very naive in comparison to Ipswich (a reflection on the manager) and we still gave Ipswich a run for their money for large parts of the game, as such I'm slightly surprised Ipswich are where they are at this point of the season. However you have to credit McCarthy for the way he's built the team in order to grind out results. Perhaps most characteristic of this Ipswich team Christophe Berra is the third top scorer for the team, and according to WhoScored he has the highest number of MOTMs in the team. The thing you have to consider is come January Tyrone Mings is likely to leave if the Paper Talk is to be believed and that could greatly handicap Ipswich's promotion bid, however with the resolute nature of Mick McCarthy teams you can't bank on that.
3rd- Middlesborough (12 Points Behind)
Results this Season
L 2-0
25th April (Home)
Key Statistics
Average Possession: 50% (Fulham 52%)
Shots per Game: 15.6 (Fulham 14)
Shots on Target per Game: 4.4 (Fulham 4.8)
Goal per Game Ratio: 1.52 (Fulham 1.58)
Middlesborough are the team to hand us our last League defeat and that should speak to the way Aitor Karanka has gotten his team to play. When we played them I knew it'd be a very tough game, and thought we'd do very well to get something from the game- as such we didn't, but the 2 Goal winning margin did flatter to deceive and on a different day, with the Goal Machine Tim Hoogland getting his header an inch lower who knows what could have been. However in recent blogs- specifically Huddersfield and Norwich I've highlighted the need for a degree of luck, and I'm not using this to discredit their promotion credentials as I've said when I've talked about all of the previous teams in this blog. A Regular frequenter of my August blogs Albert Adomah hasn't been the stand out performer in this Boro teams, but he has been of them- and with attacking threats like Kike Boro will always be a very dangerous team, and as said previously will be in and around the Top 6 come May. They also have the best defence in the League, and by a clear margin. Dani Ayala and George Friend have particularly impressed me when it comes to their defensive situation, and as I've said in previous blogs about Fulham a strong defensive foundation will be the key to any promotion bid we, and by association any other team puts together.
2nd- Bournemouth (12 Points Behind)
Results this Season
26th December (Away)
7th March (Home)
Key Statistics
Average Possession: 54% (Fulham 52%)
Shots per Game: 15.2 (Fulham 14)
Shots on Target per Game: 5.5 (Fulham 4.8)
Goal per Game Ratio: 1.94 (Fulham 1.58)
I think it was Football Manager 2009 when I saw Bournemouth with a 17 Point Deduction in League 2 and used them as a challenge to myself, and of course because its a game I was able to get Bournemouth to the Premier League within 7 Seasons so if you see Hyde in the Premier League by 2022 you're welcome. The thing is, you never expect the rag-to-riches Game stories to actually become a reality as has happened with Bouremouth. Eddie Howe is a manager who I've always respected, but I thought when he was relatively mediocre- in comparison to what he had been doing at Bournemouth before. I started underestimating him, last season Bournemouth should have gotten to the Playoffs but they stumbled on the one of the last hurdles and didn't make it last time around. This time around I thought they'd be in and around the Playoffs with the proviso that they kept Matt Ritchie in a Bournemouth shirt, and he stayed healthy, and with his assist tally being the only one thats bettering Ross McCormacks this season I was right to an extent. With the emergence of Callum Wilson as a potent Championship goalscorer in the Championship they've gotten close to a perfect storm which has led them to where they are. At the end of August when it became apparent Fraser Forster was Koemans first choice, and before Bettinelli properly established himself as our Number One (or Forty) I thought we should have looked at getting in Boruc on loan, as such he went to Bournemouth and has immediately established himself as one of the best Keepers in the Division. Will this run last for Bournemouth? Who knows, one thing you can say for certain is that Bournemouth fans deserve everything success they get- and out of the teams in the division they're the team I would have wished finish 2nd behind us this season.
1st- Derby (13 Points Behind)
Results this Season
L 5-1
(COC) L 5-2
28th February (Home)
Key Statistics
Average Possession: 56% (Fulham 52%)
Shots per Game: 14.2 (Fulham 14)
Shots on Target per Game: 5 (Fulham 4.8)
Goal per Game Ratio: 1.94 (Fulham 1.58)- Derby conveniently had the same number of goals as Bournemouth which made this calculation so much easier.
I honestly don't know what to say with regard to Derby this season. If it weren't for a certain Zamora we wouldn't even looking at Derby this season as a competitor, but as such we are and they're top. But on the same notion they haven't been remarkable in the majority of games this season in my opinion. In fact they only time in their first eight games they won by more than a one goal margin was "that" game against us. They've recently lost to an Uwe Rosler Wigan side at Home, and a good Brentford team, and also been run close in terms of outcome against the likes of Huddersfield, the problem is just when you thought it was safe to go back in the Water- they go and pull out a result such as a 5-0 against a very good Wolves team. I didn't see all of the game because I had to leave to go to the Huddersfield game, but they made a good Wolves team look like a Sunday League Team by comparison. Derby have always been somewhat of a bogey team for us- or at least from my perspective. When we were in the Great Escape season Derby were a guaranteed 3 Points for everyone, except us. 2 Draws in the Great Escape season, and if I looked far enough back I'm sure there would be more instances to support the argument of Derby being a bogey team for us. With the way they were screwed last season against the other lot down the road in the Playoff Final I certainly won't begrudge Derby going up- however I'm honestly not sold on them being Top Promotion Candidates despite them being Top.
Thanks for reading, I hope you liked this different type of blog- obviously with the International Break spanning this weekend I needed to approach the blog from a different angle. As always I appreciate any feedback on these blogs and thanks again for reading. Remember this is by no means who I think the Top 6 will be come the end of the season, this is purely from a current standing perspective.
Hello, with the international break I need material so I thought it would be good idea to compare us to the Top 6, which is (from what I can tell) the general consensus of what we should be aiming for come May. This isn't necessarily what I think the Top 6 will be come the end of the season, but now we're roughly a third of the way its a good time to evaluate the situation we're currently in.
6th- Brentford (9 Points Behind)
Results This Season
(COC) W- 1-0
21st November (Away)
3rd April (Home)
Key Statistics (Most of these Stats come from WhoScored)
Average Possession: 51% (Fulham 52%)
Shots per Game: 13.3 (Fulham 14)
Shots on Target per game: 4.8 (Fulham 4.8)
Goal per Game Ratio: 1.41 (Fulham 1.58)
This is something I never thought I'd have to say- Brentford are doing well at the moment, and on balance deserve the position they're currently in, in my opinion. I don't think they will be in the Top 6 come May- but I think any realistic Brentford fan would acknowledge that. With the upcoming game against Brentford we can close the gap between us to 6 Points, but we could also end up 12 Points behind them which is very much possible with Brentford currently on a 3 Game winning streak including a win against Derby. As much as it may pain us to admit it as Fulham fans, we need to be wary of the threat Brentford pose, and acknowledge they're where they are on merit, and will fight tooth and nail to stay there. However out of the current Top 6 Brentford will be the easiest to overtake, which isn't be stating the obvious with regard to there position in the Playoff places- and isn't intended to disrespect Brentford, and is more about crediting the other teams in the Playoff places.
5th- Watford (10 Points Behind)
Results this Season
5th December (Away)
3rd March (Home)
Key Statistics
Average Possession: 49% (Fulham 52%)
Shots per Game: 14.4 (Fulham 14)
Shots on Target per Game: 4.9 (Fulham 4.8)
Goals per Game ratio: 1.76 (Fulham 1.58)
The in house Manager of the Month contests at Watford appear to have resolved themselves and under Slavisa Jokanovic they've experienced a slight dip in their last two games, however before the losses to Ipswich and Birmingham their last loss was in Early September and as such shouldn't be written off just yet. Once again we've got an upcoming game against Watford which can either close the gap between us significantly or give Watford clean air between us, and with every position up for grabs in the Top 6 we can't afford to give them that breathing room. With players like Vydra, Deeney and Tozser at their disposal they will always pose a significant threat to the Top 6. Vydra will of course bring back bad memories for us after the West Brom game last season in which we lost two vital points in our failed attempt at survival and with Tozser being one of the most potent midfielders in the League with the combination of a good foundation with players like Craig Cathcart and Gomes (who I'm looking forward to seeing again after he done so much to help us when he was at Spurs) they will be in and around the Top 6 come May, and we need to make sure we stay in touch- or above them come that time.
4th- Ipswich (11 Points Behind)
Results this Season
L 1-0
14th February (Home)
Key Statistics
Average Possession: 50% (Fulham 52%)
Shots per Game: 14.1 (Fulham 14)
Shots on Targer per Game: 4.5 (Fulham 4.8)
Goals per Game ratio: 1.47 (Fulham 1.58)
Our opponents on the first game back in the Championship have currently only lost 3 Times this season (The Joint Second best in the League) which is very characteristic of a Mick McCarthy team in that they're extremely hard to beat, and will probably piss a lot of people off in doing so because of the style of play they employ in order to achieve this. When we came into the Championship and with Ipswich being our first game the focus was centered on whether McGoldrick would be fit enough, however for the large part Daryl Murphy has outshone him this season, with double his goal tally so far this season- thats not to discredit McGoldrick, as he is still a very good player, and it also highlights the different options Ipswich can employ which makes them very credible candidates for the Top 6. When we played Ipswich in August I wasn't overly impressed with them, we looked very naive in comparison to Ipswich (a reflection on the manager) and we still gave Ipswich a run for their money for large parts of the game, as such I'm slightly surprised Ipswich are where they are at this point of the season. However you have to credit McCarthy for the way he's built the team in order to grind out results. Perhaps most characteristic of this Ipswich team Christophe Berra is the third top scorer for the team, and according to WhoScored he has the highest number of MOTMs in the team. The thing you have to consider is come January Tyrone Mings is likely to leave if the Paper Talk is to be believed and that could greatly handicap Ipswich's promotion bid, however with the resolute nature of Mick McCarthy teams you can't bank on that.
3rd- Middlesborough (12 Points Behind)
Results this Season
L 2-0
25th April (Home)
Key Statistics
Average Possession: 50% (Fulham 52%)
Shots per Game: 15.6 (Fulham 14)
Shots on Target per Game: 4.4 (Fulham 4.8)
Goal per Game Ratio: 1.52 (Fulham 1.58)
Middlesborough are the team to hand us our last League defeat and that should speak to the way Aitor Karanka has gotten his team to play. When we played them I knew it'd be a very tough game, and thought we'd do very well to get something from the game- as such we didn't, but the 2 Goal winning margin did flatter to deceive and on a different day, with the Goal Machine Tim Hoogland getting his header an inch lower who knows what could have been. However in recent blogs- specifically Huddersfield and Norwich I've highlighted the need for a degree of luck, and I'm not using this to discredit their promotion credentials as I've said when I've talked about all of the previous teams in this blog. A Regular frequenter of my August blogs Albert Adomah hasn't been the stand out performer in this Boro teams, but he has been of them- and with attacking threats like Kike Boro will always be a very dangerous team, and as said previously will be in and around the Top 6 come May. They also have the best defence in the League, and by a clear margin. Dani Ayala and George Friend have particularly impressed me when it comes to their defensive situation, and as I've said in previous blogs about Fulham a strong defensive foundation will be the key to any promotion bid we, and by association any other team puts together.
2nd- Bournemouth (12 Points Behind)
Results this Season
26th December (Away)
7th March (Home)
Key Statistics
Average Possession: 54% (Fulham 52%)
Shots per Game: 15.2 (Fulham 14)
Shots on Target per Game: 5.5 (Fulham 4.8)
Goal per Game Ratio: 1.94 (Fulham 1.58)
I think it was Football Manager 2009 when I saw Bournemouth with a 17 Point Deduction in League 2 and used them as a challenge to myself, and of course because its a game I was able to get Bournemouth to the Premier League within 7 Seasons so if you see Hyde in the Premier League by 2022 you're welcome. The thing is, you never expect the rag-to-riches Game stories to actually become a reality as has happened with Bouremouth. Eddie Howe is a manager who I've always respected, but I thought when he was relatively mediocre- in comparison to what he had been doing at Bournemouth before. I started underestimating him, last season Bournemouth should have gotten to the Playoffs but they stumbled on the one of the last hurdles and didn't make it last time around. This time around I thought they'd be in and around the Playoffs with the proviso that they kept Matt Ritchie in a Bournemouth shirt, and he stayed healthy, and with his assist tally being the only one thats bettering Ross McCormacks this season I was right to an extent. With the emergence of Callum Wilson as a potent Championship goalscorer in the Championship they've gotten close to a perfect storm which has led them to where they are. At the end of August when it became apparent Fraser Forster was Koemans first choice, and before Bettinelli properly established himself as our Number One (or Forty) I thought we should have looked at getting in Boruc on loan, as such he went to Bournemouth and has immediately established himself as one of the best Keepers in the Division. Will this run last for Bournemouth? Who knows, one thing you can say for certain is that Bournemouth fans deserve everything success they get- and out of the teams in the division they're the team I would have wished finish 2nd behind us this season.
1st- Derby (13 Points Behind)
Results this Season
L 5-1
(COC) L 5-2
28th February (Home)
Key Statistics
Average Possession: 56% (Fulham 52%)
Shots per Game: 14.2 (Fulham 14)
Shots on Target per Game: 5 (Fulham 4.8)
Goal per Game Ratio: 1.94 (Fulham 1.58)- Derby conveniently had the same number of goals as Bournemouth which made this calculation so much easier.
I honestly don't know what to say with regard to Derby this season. If it weren't for a certain Zamora we wouldn't even looking at Derby this season as a competitor, but as such we are and they're top. But on the same notion they haven't been remarkable in the majority of games this season in my opinion. In fact they only time in their first eight games they won by more than a one goal margin was "that" game against us. They've recently lost to an Uwe Rosler Wigan side at Home, and a good Brentford team, and also been run close in terms of outcome against the likes of Huddersfield, the problem is just when you thought it was safe to go back in the Water- they go and pull out a result such as a 5-0 against a very good Wolves team. I didn't see all of the game because I had to leave to go to the Huddersfield game, but they made a good Wolves team look like a Sunday League Team by comparison. Derby have always been somewhat of a bogey team for us- or at least from my perspective. When we were in the Great Escape season Derby were a guaranteed 3 Points for everyone, except us. 2 Draws in the Great Escape season, and if I looked far enough back I'm sure there would be more instances to support the argument of Derby being a bogey team for us. With the way they were screwed last season against the other lot down the road in the Playoff Final I certainly won't begrudge Derby going up- however I'm honestly not sold on them being Top Promotion Candidates despite them being Top.
Thanks for reading, I hope you liked this different type of blog- obviously with the International Break spanning this weekend I needed to approach the blog from a different angle. As always I appreciate any feedback on these blogs and thanks again for reading. Remember this is by no means who I think the Top 6 will be come the end of the season, this is purely from a current standing perspective.
Thursday, 13 November 2014
TNA Impact Review- 12th November
I'm back with the Impact reviews after a few weeks off, although I haven't reviewed the shows- I've kept up to date with whats gone on during the shows despite my not watching the shows.
James Storm and his disciples, Wolves segment
Storms character is one of the more interesting in wrestling at the moment, there are of course some similarities to the Bray Wyatt character but at the end of the day theres nothing completely original in Wrestling in 2014. As I said I've kept up to date with whats going on in the Impacts I've missed, and Storms attempts to recruit Davey Richards has been one of the more intriguing storylines with regard to execution. Initially I thought it was a bad idea to have the Tag Champions involved in a non-title storyline, however after the Triple Threat Tag Team series this was a way to presumably have the Wolves stay busy after coming out looking so strong after the TLC Match. I'd completely forgotten Feast or Fired was a thing, and off the top of my head Storm got the briefcase at the back end of 2013- I only remember that because I think Chavo and Sting were still with the company.
James Storm & ? v The Wolves
Abyss coming in to join Storm was quite stupid in my opinion. Abyss is a character who I've always liked, despite comparisons to other characters such as Kane- but I've always thought Abyss worked better as a psychopath monster who wants to destroy everything and everyone, and thats why I've always hated it when they've put him in a faction such as Immortal previously and now he's joined Storms revolution. The Wolves losing the Tag Titles should have been a bigger deal in my opinion, as after the Tag Title series they looked like the strongest of all of the TNA Champions- and them losing the straps should have been built until an actual PPV.
Taryn Terrell v Madison Rayne
Taz's "rigo mortis" comment was the highlight of this match. I'm not necessarily saying Taryn needs Gail in order to have a good match- but I do think she needs to have some kind of stipulation as it can hide her lack of wrestling ability. That being said this was still better than the average Divas match, and that is helped by the fact theres a proper story attached to it.
Kenny King, Chris Melendez, Mr. Anderson Segment
I've said this since Melendez's debut, he needs to be a heel. I don't like Andersons involvement with Melendez unless it leads to a heel turn from Melendez, although judging from this segment theres still some work to do for Melendez with regard to promo skills. I'm hoping thats what they're building to as Anderson seems to want to speak for Melendez, and if they're invested in Melendez they'll do this soon enough. King as a dastardly heel is quite funny in my opinion, he knows his role and he plays it to perfection- and now the MVP faction is starting to dissolve hopefully King steps out and makes a proper impact (if you'll pardon the pun).
The Menagerie v Bromans and The Beautiful People
Rebel limited to "Gymnastic" moves is for the best, and hopefully with the taping situation when/if TNA airs newly taped episodes she'll have sufficiently worked on her ring skills, she won't become a master technician overnight- but she could definitely improve to the point she can put on a competent match- because at this point it appears she doesn't even know how to sell certain moves. The Bromans and the BPs have absolutely no chemistry and it affects the matches they're in- and as far as I can work out its purely a way to feature the Bromans so they can talk about the Amazing Race thing that Brooke and Robbie E are involved with.
Eric Young w/ Spud v Tyrus w/ EC3
As I've said I've kept up to date with whats gone on with regard to match outcomes in the episodes I've missed- and this was the second time Tyrus has been pinned in less than a month. Tyrus needed to be booked strong in order for it to actually have an impact when he does lose- but instead he's been relegated to the 300 Pound whipping boy similar to the way Curtis Axel and Ryback ended up involved in the CM Punk feud last year. I would have minded it if it were for the fact EY did the firing up, comeback schtick and it actually ended cleanly.
Lashley coming out to destroy EY and Spud was well worked, and made Lashley look strong after a rough few weeks for Lashley putting over Roode. I'm not opposed to an Aries-Lashley feud if this is the direction they're going, however at this stage I'd have preferred a full on Lashley-MVP feud.
Joe vacating the X-Division Title is a shame, although long-term this could be a good thing as there will be a built in feud when Joe returns- and with the nature of Joe he hasn't looked weak at all before dropping the belt.
Gunner v Samuel Shaw
This match surprised me I have to admit. Because of the nature of Shaws character we haven't always seen his wrestling ability- and it hasn't helped he's been put into the "filler match" segment on more than one occasion. The Powerbomb to the outside of the ring looked brutal, and the overall story of the match was very good. The Shaw-Brittany dynamic is a good one- and gives Brittany something to do, and off the top of my head means every Knockout is actively involved in the product at the moment. Gunner winning with all of the shenanigans should mean the end of this feud and both men moving on, however I can't see any obvious feuds for either man so they might continue with this feud for a bit longer- perhaps with Gunner trying to turn Shaw.
Austin Aries v Lashley
This finish sucked. I understand that Lashley couldn't lose again after losing to Roode in the last few weeks, but Aries hasn't put together much of a run as of late so I'm not sure why they were adverse to him taking a loss. A Double Count Out is always a cop-out finish for a match, and is basically the bookers acknowledging they've booked themselves into a corner. It does seem as though there will be at least a series of matches with Aries and Lashley with the aftermath of the match.
Thanks for reading, I noticed Roode was conveniently not on the show the week I started watching again- so thanks for that guys. I appreciate any feedback on these blogs as per usual and I hope you still enjoy these Impact blogs. With the International Break covering the weekend depending on how much time I have there'll be a different type of Wrestling blog this weekend- and a different type of Fulham blog early next week, probably on Monday.
James Storm and his disciples, Wolves segment
Storms character is one of the more interesting in wrestling at the moment, there are of course some similarities to the Bray Wyatt character but at the end of the day theres nothing completely original in Wrestling in 2014. As I said I've kept up to date with whats going on in the Impacts I've missed, and Storms attempts to recruit Davey Richards has been one of the more intriguing storylines with regard to execution. Initially I thought it was a bad idea to have the Tag Champions involved in a non-title storyline, however after the Triple Threat Tag Team series this was a way to presumably have the Wolves stay busy after coming out looking so strong after the TLC Match. I'd completely forgotten Feast or Fired was a thing, and off the top of my head Storm got the briefcase at the back end of 2013- I only remember that because I think Chavo and Sting were still with the company.
James Storm & ? v The Wolves
Abyss coming in to join Storm was quite stupid in my opinion. Abyss is a character who I've always liked, despite comparisons to other characters such as Kane- but I've always thought Abyss worked better as a psychopath monster who wants to destroy everything and everyone, and thats why I've always hated it when they've put him in a faction such as Immortal previously and now he's joined Storms revolution. The Wolves losing the Tag Titles should have been a bigger deal in my opinion, as after the Tag Title series they looked like the strongest of all of the TNA Champions- and them losing the straps should have been built until an actual PPV.
Taryn Terrell v Madison Rayne
Taz's "rigo mortis" comment was the highlight of this match. I'm not necessarily saying Taryn needs Gail in order to have a good match- but I do think she needs to have some kind of stipulation as it can hide her lack of wrestling ability. That being said this was still better than the average Divas match, and that is helped by the fact theres a proper story attached to it.
Kenny King, Chris Melendez, Mr. Anderson Segment
I've said this since Melendez's debut, he needs to be a heel. I don't like Andersons involvement with Melendez unless it leads to a heel turn from Melendez, although judging from this segment theres still some work to do for Melendez with regard to promo skills. I'm hoping thats what they're building to as Anderson seems to want to speak for Melendez, and if they're invested in Melendez they'll do this soon enough. King as a dastardly heel is quite funny in my opinion, he knows his role and he plays it to perfection- and now the MVP faction is starting to dissolve hopefully King steps out and makes a proper impact (if you'll pardon the pun).
The Menagerie v Bromans and The Beautiful People
Rebel limited to "Gymnastic" moves is for the best, and hopefully with the taping situation when/if TNA airs newly taped episodes she'll have sufficiently worked on her ring skills, she won't become a master technician overnight- but she could definitely improve to the point she can put on a competent match- because at this point it appears she doesn't even know how to sell certain moves. The Bromans and the BPs have absolutely no chemistry and it affects the matches they're in- and as far as I can work out its purely a way to feature the Bromans so they can talk about the Amazing Race thing that Brooke and Robbie E are involved with.
Eric Young w/ Spud v Tyrus w/ EC3
As I've said I've kept up to date with whats gone on with regard to match outcomes in the episodes I've missed- and this was the second time Tyrus has been pinned in less than a month. Tyrus needed to be booked strong in order for it to actually have an impact when he does lose- but instead he's been relegated to the 300 Pound whipping boy similar to the way Curtis Axel and Ryback ended up involved in the CM Punk feud last year. I would have minded it if it were for the fact EY did the firing up, comeback schtick and it actually ended cleanly.
Lashley coming out to destroy EY and Spud was well worked, and made Lashley look strong after a rough few weeks for Lashley putting over Roode. I'm not opposed to an Aries-Lashley feud if this is the direction they're going, however at this stage I'd have preferred a full on Lashley-MVP feud.
Joe vacating the X-Division Title is a shame, although long-term this could be a good thing as there will be a built in feud when Joe returns- and with the nature of Joe he hasn't looked weak at all before dropping the belt.
Gunner v Samuel Shaw
This match surprised me I have to admit. Because of the nature of Shaws character we haven't always seen his wrestling ability- and it hasn't helped he's been put into the "filler match" segment on more than one occasion. The Powerbomb to the outside of the ring looked brutal, and the overall story of the match was very good. The Shaw-Brittany dynamic is a good one- and gives Brittany something to do, and off the top of my head means every Knockout is actively involved in the product at the moment. Gunner winning with all of the shenanigans should mean the end of this feud and both men moving on, however I can't see any obvious feuds for either man so they might continue with this feud for a bit longer- perhaps with Gunner trying to turn Shaw.
Austin Aries v Lashley
This finish sucked. I understand that Lashley couldn't lose again after losing to Roode in the last few weeks, but Aries hasn't put together much of a run as of late so I'm not sure why they were adverse to him taking a loss. A Double Count Out is always a cop-out finish for a match, and is basically the bookers acknowledging they've booked themselves into a corner. It does seem as though there will be at least a series of matches with Aries and Lashley with the aftermath of the match.
Thanks for reading, I noticed Roode was conveniently not on the show the week I started watching again- so thanks for that guys. I appreciate any feedback on these blogs as per usual and I hope you still enjoy these Impact blogs. With the International Break covering the weekend depending on how much time I have there'll be a different type of Wrestling blog this weekend- and a different type of Fulham blog early next week, probably on Monday.
Wednesday, 12 November 2014
Fulham- The Loan Market
I was going to do this later on in the week, but in light of the Chris Baird rumours today I figured I may as well do it today- because I need all of the material I can get. In this blog I intend to identify potential (and realistic) loan signings who would benefit the team, and all going well get us up the table as quickly as possible. The key areas we need to strengthen in my opinion are in defensive areas as in my opinion we're ridiculously top heavy.
Chris Baird (West Brom)- Cutting right to the chase, Baird coming back is a rumour that could very realistically come to fruition and I would be greatly in favour of it. Its no secret that Zverotic isn't exactly "good", and when Hoogland is injured we need to keep a level of consistency in terms of quality in our back four which will in turn lead to more clean sheets and us climbing the table. Baird as well all know can also play as a Holding Midfielder- which we've lacked in the purist sense for the last few seasons. We're currently using a combination of LVC, Parker and G. Williams as our 3 Main Midfielders- with the potential for Kavanagh and Stafylidis coming in if we're to go by previous team selections. Baird would provide a good option to add to this midfield, and would provide Parker a necessary rest in some games in the runs such as the one we've just come off of of 7 Games in 21 Days. Baird could also provide a good option from corners- which I think a few people have forgotten, and with Blackpool being the prime example we need to do better from corners, and you only have to look at games such as Aston Villa when Baird lost his man and ran to the near post and won us the game.
Robert Huth (Stoke)- Aside from Burn and Bodurov we're severely lacking in good options at Centre Back. Amorebieta is best at Left Back in my opinion because of the mistakes he is prone to making, and also his crossing ability. This leaves us with Hutchinson, who will probably Two-Foot someone the minute he gets on the pitch. Cameron Burgess who showed he wasn't ready earlier on in the season, and then to an extent Casasola and Liam Donnelly. None of these options would be good enough for the Championship in my opinion, and Burn and Bodurov need competition for their places- and we also need to be wary of any injuries one or the other could sustain. Huth would be a really good option for us because of his height, experience and general ability. Although the stumbling block on this deal would be Huth would presumably want guaranteed football- and I wouldn't necessarily want to upset the Burn, Bodurov, Bettinelli back three thats served us so well so far.
Harry Maguire (Hull)- He would be useful for similar reasons to Huth, although he would be the second choice option to Huth as he has more experience. Maguire is someone we were reportedly after in the Summer, and I was very much in favour of it- as I'd seen him semi-frequently whilst he was at Sheffield Utd the year before. Although a Loan probably wouldn't be the best option for us as he still needs some developing he'd still provide a good enough option to challenge Burn and/or Bodurov so he should be at least considered as an option.
Jon Flanagan (Liverpool)- I've seen conflicting reports over whether Flanagan has a Knee injury or not, however with Manquillo, Moreno, Jose Enrique and Glen Johnson I can't see him getting near the first team unless some circumstances change. As such I think he would be a very viable option for a Loan offer- and would be a very good signing as well. I was really impressed with Flanagan from what I saw of him last season, and he provides the added bonus of being able to play both Left and Right Back to a sufficient standard- both of which are areas we seem to constantly struggle with- although I have been impressed with Stafylidis in the last few matches. He would be a similar signing to Baird in order to rectify the Full-Back situation, however as said he would provide an option for us at both positions so would be a very useful player were we to Loan him.
Wilson Palacios (Stoke)- I've never been the biggest fan of Palacios, but if we were looking for a Holding Midfielder who wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty Palacios would be a very good option- similar reasons to Baird from the Holding Midfield aspect he would provide us with a different option as we are quite thin once you get past LVC and Parker for proper Box-to-Box midfielders. I considered putting Sidwell on this list, but I think he's valuable enough to Stoke that they wouldn't consider a Loan Offer were we to put one in- and in any case I'm not sure the combination of Parker and Sidwell would be the best option for us.
Scott Sinclair- Although we do need to focus primarily on our Defensive frailties, I still think we should look at options such as Sinclair to add to our attacking capabilities. Sinclair has been somewhat lost since he moved from Swansea, and by all accounts he wasn't very good at West Brom last season. However I think he would provide a good alternative to George Williams if we are to stick with the current combination of Midfielders in terms of styles of play. Although Wages would presumably be a stumbling block, we would probably be able to get City to pay the majority of his wages as they've done previously with players like Bellamy and Adebayor- which would mean we would get a good value for money deal.
As well as potential Loan Signings we also have a number of players out on Loan, some of which I've seen a number of fans saying we should recall
Alex Kacaniklic- He would be a good option, similar to the Scott Sinclair loan in terms of what they offer in the short-term, I wasn't in favour of us loaning out Kaca in the first place, however in my opinion we should leave him in Denmark this season as I've previously said we're already quite top heavy, but I would still at least consider bringing him back as he would be a good option to have as I'm not convince Williams can play every game, and the current alternatives we have are either bad (Chihi) or not ready to start (Roberts).
Kostas Mitroglou- Once again I wasn't in favour of us loaning him, and I thought we should either sell him or start him. The question would of course be whether he would be as good in a Fulham shirt as he is in an Olympiakos shirt. That question is by-the-by in my opinion, and once again I'd leave him where he is this seasons. However you can't deny Mitroglou is a natural finisher, and had we have had him in games such as Blackpool- and undoubtedly in the future we will have equally frustrating games so he would be a good option to have were to pull the trigger.
Ryan Tunnicliffe- I've spoken about our lack of depth for his type of Midfielder, and out of the three I've discussed so far- he would be the most likely to recall in my opinion. I was one of the people who wanted Tunnicliffe to play under "him" earlier in the season. However I'm not convinced Tunnicliffe would get the playing time he needs at this stage of his career in the current Fulham team, so I personally would leave him to develop at Blackburn- although he could obviously come back and make an impact at Fulham, I don't think he would currently be best served in a White (and Grey Stripes with random Orange Bits) shirt.
Maarten Stekelenburg- People seem to have forgotten about Stekelenburg- perhaps for the greater good. With Bettinelli currently playing the way he is I don't see a place for Stekelenburg, and thats the end of that.
The question surrounding most of these players are whether or not Kit could turn around their fortunes at the club, and get them to play for the shirt, however thats impossible to say without actually pulling the trigger and recalling them- and at this stage I don't think we should risk upsetting the balance of the squad.
I also think we should Loan out a Number of Players to help out with player development, and also to shrink the squad down a bit which would in turn allow us to sign players in January.
Moussa Dembele- He's shown what he's capable of in recent matches, specifically Derby in that he's a very good goalscorer. I would loan him to a Top 6 League 1 (not MK Dons though, they can go fuck themselves) team as he would provide a very good acquisition for them, and would aid in the development of Dembele.
Cameron Burgess- I see the situation surrounding him similar to Dan Burn, and not just because of the similar heights. Arthurworrey has recently gone to Yeovil (which Burn did previously) and I would look at Loaning him to another League 1 team which would once again aid in his development.
Chris David- This may not be a popular opinion, but I'm not a huge fan of David in his current form. I still think he needs some work, and I would loan him to the Eredivisie and hope he uses the less physical league in order to develop his game, and if he doesn't we can sell him. The argument to keep him is of course centered around Ruiz's uncertain future at the club, however with McCormack playing the role he is anyway it wouldn't be the end of the world for McCormack to drop a bit further back and bring in one of our numerous striking options.
There are numerous other players I would loan out, however these 3 have gotten near the first team so I decided to focus on them. This is purely who I think we should Loan out, and if it were up to me on the 1st January Fazlic, Fotheringham and Chihi would be gone permanently. I also think Pat Roberts should be sent to the U21s for the moment because he needs to develop his game a bit more before he's ready for first team football as he hasn't really made much of an impact so far.
Thanks for reading, and if you've made it to the end credit where credit is due because this is one of my longer blogs. As always I appreciate any feedback on these blogs- and of course with this type of blog I'd also like to hear your thoughts on who we should sign, and your thoughts on the players I've suggested. Thanks again.
Chris Baird (West Brom)- Cutting right to the chase, Baird coming back is a rumour that could very realistically come to fruition and I would be greatly in favour of it. Its no secret that Zverotic isn't exactly "good", and when Hoogland is injured we need to keep a level of consistency in terms of quality in our back four which will in turn lead to more clean sheets and us climbing the table. Baird as well all know can also play as a Holding Midfielder- which we've lacked in the purist sense for the last few seasons. We're currently using a combination of LVC, Parker and G. Williams as our 3 Main Midfielders- with the potential for Kavanagh and Stafylidis coming in if we're to go by previous team selections. Baird would provide a good option to add to this midfield, and would provide Parker a necessary rest in some games in the runs such as the one we've just come off of of 7 Games in 21 Days. Baird could also provide a good option from corners- which I think a few people have forgotten, and with Blackpool being the prime example we need to do better from corners, and you only have to look at games such as Aston Villa when Baird lost his man and ran to the near post and won us the game.
Robert Huth (Stoke)- Aside from Burn and Bodurov we're severely lacking in good options at Centre Back. Amorebieta is best at Left Back in my opinion because of the mistakes he is prone to making, and also his crossing ability. This leaves us with Hutchinson, who will probably Two-Foot someone the minute he gets on the pitch. Cameron Burgess who showed he wasn't ready earlier on in the season, and then to an extent Casasola and Liam Donnelly. None of these options would be good enough for the Championship in my opinion, and Burn and Bodurov need competition for their places- and we also need to be wary of any injuries one or the other could sustain. Huth would be a really good option for us because of his height, experience and general ability. Although the stumbling block on this deal would be Huth would presumably want guaranteed football- and I wouldn't necessarily want to upset the Burn, Bodurov, Bettinelli back three thats served us so well so far.
Harry Maguire (Hull)- He would be useful for similar reasons to Huth, although he would be the second choice option to Huth as he has more experience. Maguire is someone we were reportedly after in the Summer, and I was very much in favour of it- as I'd seen him semi-frequently whilst he was at Sheffield Utd the year before. Although a Loan probably wouldn't be the best option for us as he still needs some developing he'd still provide a good enough option to challenge Burn and/or Bodurov so he should be at least considered as an option.
Jon Flanagan (Liverpool)- I've seen conflicting reports over whether Flanagan has a Knee injury or not, however with Manquillo, Moreno, Jose Enrique and Glen Johnson I can't see him getting near the first team unless some circumstances change. As such I think he would be a very viable option for a Loan offer- and would be a very good signing as well. I was really impressed with Flanagan from what I saw of him last season, and he provides the added bonus of being able to play both Left and Right Back to a sufficient standard- both of which are areas we seem to constantly struggle with- although I have been impressed with Stafylidis in the last few matches. He would be a similar signing to Baird in order to rectify the Full-Back situation, however as said he would provide an option for us at both positions so would be a very useful player were we to Loan him.
Wilson Palacios (Stoke)- I've never been the biggest fan of Palacios, but if we were looking for a Holding Midfielder who wasn't afraid to get his hands dirty Palacios would be a very good option- similar reasons to Baird from the Holding Midfield aspect he would provide us with a different option as we are quite thin once you get past LVC and Parker for proper Box-to-Box midfielders. I considered putting Sidwell on this list, but I think he's valuable enough to Stoke that they wouldn't consider a Loan Offer were we to put one in- and in any case I'm not sure the combination of Parker and Sidwell would be the best option for us.
Scott Sinclair- Although we do need to focus primarily on our Defensive frailties, I still think we should look at options such as Sinclair to add to our attacking capabilities. Sinclair has been somewhat lost since he moved from Swansea, and by all accounts he wasn't very good at West Brom last season. However I think he would provide a good alternative to George Williams if we are to stick with the current combination of Midfielders in terms of styles of play. Although Wages would presumably be a stumbling block, we would probably be able to get City to pay the majority of his wages as they've done previously with players like Bellamy and Adebayor- which would mean we would get a good value for money deal.
As well as potential Loan Signings we also have a number of players out on Loan, some of which I've seen a number of fans saying we should recall
Alex Kacaniklic- He would be a good option, similar to the Scott Sinclair loan in terms of what they offer in the short-term, I wasn't in favour of us loaning out Kaca in the first place, however in my opinion we should leave him in Denmark this season as I've previously said we're already quite top heavy, but I would still at least consider bringing him back as he would be a good option to have as I'm not convince Williams can play every game, and the current alternatives we have are either bad (Chihi) or not ready to start (Roberts).
Kostas Mitroglou- Once again I wasn't in favour of us loaning him, and I thought we should either sell him or start him. The question would of course be whether he would be as good in a Fulham shirt as he is in an Olympiakos shirt. That question is by-the-by in my opinion, and once again I'd leave him where he is this seasons. However you can't deny Mitroglou is a natural finisher, and had we have had him in games such as Blackpool- and undoubtedly in the future we will have equally frustrating games so he would be a good option to have were to pull the trigger.
Ryan Tunnicliffe- I've spoken about our lack of depth for his type of Midfielder, and out of the three I've discussed so far- he would be the most likely to recall in my opinion. I was one of the people who wanted Tunnicliffe to play under "him" earlier in the season. However I'm not convinced Tunnicliffe would get the playing time he needs at this stage of his career in the current Fulham team, so I personally would leave him to develop at Blackburn- although he could obviously come back and make an impact at Fulham, I don't think he would currently be best served in a White (and Grey Stripes with random Orange Bits) shirt.
Maarten Stekelenburg- People seem to have forgotten about Stekelenburg- perhaps for the greater good. With Bettinelli currently playing the way he is I don't see a place for Stekelenburg, and thats the end of that.
The question surrounding most of these players are whether or not Kit could turn around their fortunes at the club, and get them to play for the shirt, however thats impossible to say without actually pulling the trigger and recalling them- and at this stage I don't think we should risk upsetting the balance of the squad.
I also think we should Loan out a Number of Players to help out with player development, and also to shrink the squad down a bit which would in turn allow us to sign players in January.
Moussa Dembele- He's shown what he's capable of in recent matches, specifically Derby in that he's a very good goalscorer. I would loan him to a Top 6 League 1 (not MK Dons though, they can go fuck themselves) team as he would provide a very good acquisition for them, and would aid in the development of Dembele.
Cameron Burgess- I see the situation surrounding him similar to Dan Burn, and not just because of the similar heights. Arthurworrey has recently gone to Yeovil (which Burn did previously) and I would look at Loaning him to another League 1 team which would once again aid in his development.
Chris David- This may not be a popular opinion, but I'm not a huge fan of David in his current form. I still think he needs some work, and I would loan him to the Eredivisie and hope he uses the less physical league in order to develop his game, and if he doesn't we can sell him. The argument to keep him is of course centered around Ruiz's uncertain future at the club, however with McCormack playing the role he is anyway it wouldn't be the end of the world for McCormack to drop a bit further back and bring in one of our numerous striking options.
There are numerous other players I would loan out, however these 3 have gotten near the first team so I decided to focus on them. This is purely who I think we should Loan out, and if it were up to me on the 1st January Fazlic, Fotheringham and Chihi would be gone permanently. I also think Pat Roberts should be sent to the U21s for the moment because he needs to develop his game a bit more before he's ready for first team football as he hasn't really made much of an impact so far.
Thanks for reading, and if you've made it to the end credit where credit is due because this is one of my longer blogs. As always I appreciate any feedback on these blogs- and of course with this type of blog I'd also like to hear your thoughts on who we should sign, and your thoughts on the players I've suggested. Thanks again.
Tuesday, 11 November 2014
RAW Review- 10th November
Yes, I'm back with the RAW reviews after a few weeks without them- although if you follow me on Twitter you'll know why, and I hope y'all understand. Anyway I'm back now, and hopefully there won't be the need to have a 2 Week gap in my blogs again.
We were of course in Liverpool for the RAW tonight, which meant two things. Pre-Taped Episode, and edited crowd chants. Also forgive me if I missed a few minute details- but I was dead on my feet by the final segment last night.
Cena, Ryback, Authority Segment
They were never going to make Ryback go full heel this early into his new lease on life. It seems the only reason they had Ryback attack Cena was to have the Main Event for the RAW- but the problem is they still have a RAW after this one, which in turn means they need to fill a week of TV with Ryback presumably getting pissed with everyone and eventually deciding he wants to kill the Suit wearing team. The actual promos were ok, although Stephanie is annoying me at the moment- and not in a good way. The announcement of Swagger was ridiculous to be frank, anyone who actually believed he'd be on the team needs to be checked into a mental hospital- and was once again purely so they could have a segment mean something.
Seth Rollins v Jack Swagger
Even with the announcement, this match didn't really mean much to be honest. Nobody actually expected Rollins to lose regardless of whether you read the spoilers or not- and that also affected the crowds involvement in the match, which in turn hurt it. I'd have preferred them to completely kill Swagger to give him a proper injury angle so he could be written off of TV and regroup in the New Year- perhaps with a heel turn, or by going after Rusev now he has the US Title, but instead they "just" used Curb Stomps to presumable write him off of TV given what happened later on in the night.
Dean Ambrose promo
This was a good promo, I like the personal aspect with Ambroses dad- as a personal element turns a good feud into a great feud. I haven't blogged in the last few weeks so I haven't really had a chance to say what I think of this angle- and provided they don't cut the time down to 1-2 PPVs this could provide one of the better feuds of the last decade. I expect- or rather hope this leads to a Wrestlemania match with a huge payoff, and it wouldn't surprise me if Ambrose joins the Wyatts- and we get the angle we would have gotten around Wrestlemania season last year with Bryan. This'll of course lead to people going "Ermahgerd der burying Dean Ambrose"
Kane, Ryback segment
This was ok for what it was, neither of these two are great "actors" but they still know how to sell a story to a sufficient level for WWE TV.
Paige v Alicia Fox
I'm honestly not sure what to think about this match. I might have missed something but as far as I'm aware they haven't turned Paige face (?), although her playing the babyface in the match may have just been because of the location of the event. The match itself was fine as these are two of the better workers in the Diva Division, although it does annoy me slightly that they didn't have Paige do something more meaningful given the location.
There are also ways to stay a heel even if you're in your home country as we all know, which brings me to an idea I wish WWE had thought of. Bo Dallas had a foot injury unless I'm mistaken, which presumable wouldn't have prevented him from travelling. So why not have him do what Bad News Barrett was doing for months and simply cut a promo. Everyone knows how much England- and specifically areas like Liverpool are into Football. So why not have Bo come out in a Man Utd shirt and tell Brendan Rodgers, Balotelli and Liverpool in general to Bolieve.
Sheamus v Rusev
This match was pretty average, both of these two men are capable of much better- and it reminds me of the RVD-Cesaro situation where they simply don't have enough chemistry to provide us with a really good match. The ending was a good way to set up what happened later with the joining of both teams- however I'd have preferred a shorter match in order to deliver the same outcome.
The Miz and Mizdow w/ Mini Miz v Los Matadores
Can't just give Sandow something can you?
John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, Triple H Promo
*dun dun dun dun* Another one bites the dust
Dolph Ziggler v Mark Henry
This match was one of the better matches on the night. Dolphs selling ability naturally compliments a wrestler like Mark Henry who doesn't do much except power moves- which only really look good if the person is selling them correctly. The ending was again a good way to set up the joining of the teams, although I'd have preferred Big Show to stay out of the Main Event of the PPV as soon as you saw Mark Henry come out in the opening segment you knew Show was coming so at least they done it in such a way that people cared about it.
AJ v Brie Bella
It seems they've all but given up on the Bella angle because as far as I can tell they've relegated the "Oh My God Poor Brie" segments to the WWE App. Thank God. The match itself was pretty dull- and at this point I'm just praying to god Nikki doesn't win the belt.
Tyson Kidd v Adam Rose
KRUGAH!
John Cena v Ryback
This match was never going to be amazing, the one thing that surprised me was that it went as long as it did because I thought with the pretape it would have been exactly 3 Hours long- which made me expect the finish a lot sooner than it actually happened. The one thing I have to give credit to WWE for is they didn't make Cena look ridiculously overpowering with Ryback- in fact when Kane interfered Ryback was close to the finish (albeit through shenanigans). The end of the segment was good, I wasn't sure why Dolph didn't come out (at this stage) but that in turn made Ryback look stronger as he overcame the odds at the end of the show.
I'm not sure why Harper did what he did, I'm very intrigued as to where they'll build this- but I just hope Harper doesn't get lost in a match such as this, which was the reason I didn't want Bray and Ambrose in the match when someone suggested it.
Thanks for reading, as always I appreciate any feedback on these blogs- with the International Break there might be a few different types of blog in the next week, which I hope you'll stay tuned for. Thanks again.
We were of course in Liverpool for the RAW tonight, which meant two things. Pre-Taped Episode, and edited crowd chants. Also forgive me if I missed a few minute details- but I was dead on my feet by the final segment last night.
Cena, Ryback, Authority Segment
They were never going to make Ryback go full heel this early into his new lease on life. It seems the only reason they had Ryback attack Cena was to have the Main Event for the RAW- but the problem is they still have a RAW after this one, which in turn means they need to fill a week of TV with Ryback presumably getting pissed with everyone and eventually deciding he wants to kill the Suit wearing team. The actual promos were ok, although Stephanie is annoying me at the moment- and not in a good way. The announcement of Swagger was ridiculous to be frank, anyone who actually believed he'd be on the team needs to be checked into a mental hospital- and was once again purely so they could have a segment mean something.
Seth Rollins v Jack Swagger
Even with the announcement, this match didn't really mean much to be honest. Nobody actually expected Rollins to lose regardless of whether you read the spoilers or not- and that also affected the crowds involvement in the match, which in turn hurt it. I'd have preferred them to completely kill Swagger to give him a proper injury angle so he could be written off of TV and regroup in the New Year- perhaps with a heel turn, or by going after Rusev now he has the US Title, but instead they "just" used Curb Stomps to presumable write him off of TV given what happened later on in the night.
Dean Ambrose promo
This was a good promo, I like the personal aspect with Ambroses dad- as a personal element turns a good feud into a great feud. I haven't blogged in the last few weeks so I haven't really had a chance to say what I think of this angle- and provided they don't cut the time down to 1-2 PPVs this could provide one of the better feuds of the last decade. I expect- or rather hope this leads to a Wrestlemania match with a huge payoff, and it wouldn't surprise me if Ambrose joins the Wyatts- and we get the angle we would have gotten around Wrestlemania season last year with Bryan. This'll of course lead to people going "Ermahgerd der burying Dean Ambrose"
Kane, Ryback segment
This was ok for what it was, neither of these two are great "actors" but they still know how to sell a story to a sufficient level for WWE TV.
Paige v Alicia Fox
I'm honestly not sure what to think about this match. I might have missed something but as far as I'm aware they haven't turned Paige face (?), although her playing the babyface in the match may have just been because of the location of the event. The match itself was fine as these are two of the better workers in the Diva Division, although it does annoy me slightly that they didn't have Paige do something more meaningful given the location.
There are also ways to stay a heel even if you're in your home country as we all know, which brings me to an idea I wish WWE had thought of. Bo Dallas had a foot injury unless I'm mistaken, which presumable wouldn't have prevented him from travelling. So why not have him do what Bad News Barrett was doing for months and simply cut a promo. Everyone knows how much England- and specifically areas like Liverpool are into Football. So why not have Bo come out in a Man Utd shirt and tell Brendan Rodgers, Balotelli and Liverpool in general to Bolieve.
Sheamus v Rusev
This match was pretty average, both of these two men are capable of much better- and it reminds me of the RVD-Cesaro situation where they simply don't have enough chemistry to provide us with a really good match. The ending was a good way to set up what happened later with the joining of both teams- however I'd have preferred a shorter match in order to deliver the same outcome.
The Miz and Mizdow w/ Mini Miz v Los Matadores
Can't just give Sandow something can you?
John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, Triple H Promo
*dun dun dun dun* Another one bites the dust
Dolph Ziggler v Mark Henry
This match was one of the better matches on the night. Dolphs selling ability naturally compliments a wrestler like Mark Henry who doesn't do much except power moves- which only really look good if the person is selling them correctly. The ending was again a good way to set up the joining of the teams, although I'd have preferred Big Show to stay out of the Main Event of the PPV as soon as you saw Mark Henry come out in the opening segment you knew Show was coming so at least they done it in such a way that people cared about it.
AJ v Brie Bella
It seems they've all but given up on the Bella angle because as far as I can tell they've relegated the "Oh My God Poor Brie" segments to the WWE App. Thank God. The match itself was pretty dull- and at this point I'm just praying to god Nikki doesn't win the belt.
Tyson Kidd v Adam Rose
KRUGAH!
John Cena v Ryback
This match was never going to be amazing, the one thing that surprised me was that it went as long as it did because I thought with the pretape it would have been exactly 3 Hours long- which made me expect the finish a lot sooner than it actually happened. The one thing I have to give credit to WWE for is they didn't make Cena look ridiculously overpowering with Ryback- in fact when Kane interfered Ryback was close to the finish (albeit through shenanigans). The end of the segment was good, I wasn't sure why Dolph didn't come out (at this stage) but that in turn made Ryback look stronger as he overcame the odds at the end of the show.
I'm not sure why Harper did what he did, I'm very intrigued as to where they'll build this- but I just hope Harper doesn't get lost in a match such as this, which was the reason I didn't want Bray and Ambrose in the match when someone suggested it.
Thanks for reading, as always I appreciate any feedback on these blogs- with the International Break there might be a few different types of blog in the next week, which I hope you'll stay tuned for. Thanks again.
Saturday, 8 November 2014
Fulham v Huddersfield Review- Wet
Hello! Its been a while since I've done one of these but I hope you understand given the fact I've only recently had the stitches out of my ear and my arm is fully healed yet blogging has been low on my priority list- but I'm in a good mood from todays game- and I figured I might as well do this one to show I still intend on doing them given the International Break is coming up which means a natural gap.
Firstly, I got a bit wet today. I sit in Row C in the Hammersmith End- which for those of you who haven't been to a Fulham game/ Sit in a different area means I'm pretty close to the pitch, and also means I'm not really covered by the roof on the stand. Many weaker souls moved back into the shelter, but I stayed where I was and accepted the fact I'll probably have a cold for the whole of the international break- and at least we got the 3 Points at the end of the day to send me home happy.
Secondly, What a player McCormack is. I knew we were lacking something against Blackpool (as I'm sure everyone with a brain-cell did), but I attributed it to complacency as much as anything else- but what Ross showed today is that he was well worth the 7 Billion Price we paid for him. He'll obviously get the plaudits for the goal he scored (and rightfully so), but everything he did today turned to gold his first touch today was sublime- and the way he linked the midfield and attack today was great, and exactly what we didn't have against Blackpool- and he was on balance the Man of the Match today. However it wasn't a one horse race, Parker and especially LVC also played blinders today. Once again LVC will get plaudits for scoring a goal- which if Arsenal/Liverpool scored pundits would be orgasming over, but once again he did all of the little things right- which helped contribute to the overall performance.
I haven't seen the Huddersfield goal from any kind of angle to which I can make a fair judgement on it, however Bettinelli has owned his mistake so as far as I'm concerned its over- and it didn't really matter at the end of the day as if anything that goal woke us up, and had Huddersfield scored a tiny bit later we'd have left the Cottage with 1 Point. However overall I thought Bettinelli played alright- it wasn't his best game, and at times he looked quite shaky from set pieces, but as I've said I can forgive him having a "just ok" day as we got the 3 Points at the end of 90 Minutes.
The defence I felt dealt quite well today. Given the attacking threat Huddersfield can pose with Holt, and Wells off of the bench it was imperative that Bodurov and Burn stayed focused and got to every ball first, and for the most part they did. There were some shaky moments, but I don't remember that many opportunities where you'd have gone Huddersfield should have scored that- although them parting like the red sea in the first half to allow Bunn (?) and clean run at goal as awfully generous of them- don't do it again please. I'm not his biggest fan, but I have to give credit to Zverotic today. He's Zverotic so he didn't play a perfect game- but it seems he's starting to understand that for the good of the team he should avoid doing anything except controlling the ball and moving it along. You could Huddersfield had identified him as an area to exploit- as it seemed for most of the first half they were camped on Zverotic's side of the field. Stafylidis also had a good game, and for the most part he dealt with Scannell well- which was necessary as he looked dangerous when on the ball.
I've already mentioned LVC's performance, but Parker was nearly as good. It makes me laugh looking back that "he" resorted to playing amongst others Fotheringham and Ryan Williams at Central Midfield in League games. LVC having 45 minutes against Millwall wasn't exactly a fair crack of the whip, and he's now more than owned his place in the starting eleven. Which if I'm honest when he first came in under Kit I wasn't sure if he merited it. Parker and LVC have the right combination of grit, determination and general ability to be a real force in the Championship. Not to discount George Williams' contribution to the Midfield. He also played a good game, although I think he needs to work on his decision making before he becomes a real force for us- and whomever inevitably buys him in the not so distant future. Its strange in that so much of the attention on our youth set up was placed on Patrick Roberts, presumably because he's English. Williams managed to almost go about his business without too much pressure on him- and I think that has benefited him massively. I think its also helped him with Kit being in charge on a temporary, and now permanent basis- as Kit knows him from our own youth set up and also from the Wales set up.
I've said this a million times. Rodallega is not a target man, and should not be played as such if we're insistent on playing long balls. However where Rodallega excels is in the situation he was in for the goal today- and thats the reason I'd never suggest dropping him in favour of Woodrow/Smith I'd instead work out a way to accommodate both, or change the entire footballing philosophy. When the ball was at his feet today Rodallega proved why he should be in the team, and his link up play for LVCs goal was great- especially given the fact it was roughly a minute after the Huddersfield goal he could have easily let his head drop and spend too long on the ball and then lose it. Speaking of losing the ball, What do we do about Bryan? Once again, I do think Bryan merits a place in the team- and this isn't a Bryan tirade which I'm sure quite a few people will be doing on various forums. But he can go from being an absolute genius (see Wednesday- he meant it, no really) to being the second coming of Berbatov with how frustrating, and slow on the ball he can be. The number of times he lost the ball today was too many to count- although it wasn't helped that the ref seemed to have it in for him so when genuine fouls were done on him the play was waved on- which in turn made his head drop. However as I said I'd persist with Bryan because he is capable of those moments such as Wednesday which can be the difference between 0 and 1, and 1 and 3 Points- at least until January when we can plan ahead with Bryan presumably not being by the Thames by February.
Overall this was a very good 3 Points, and don't be fooled by the 2 Goal winning margin we were in the ringer for large sections of the match- and we need to improve once we get to better opposition such as *shudders* Brentford. However now we've gotten a break (with a few exceptions) hopefully Kit can use it to iron out the kinks in our team, and we look much more polished when we get around to the Brentford game. I'd also look at using the loan market to our advantage, as we are ridiculously top-heavy with our squad and depending on how long Hoogland, Voser, Amorebieta and Kavanagh are I'd act accordingly- as there are some very capable players we could feasibly get on loan for example Jon Flanagan. This win was also a very good mental boost for the players as we're back out of the Relegation Zone going into the International Break which is a good sign- and hopefully when we come back from the break we can look up rather than down, as with the way the Championship is shaping up this year pretty much everybody has a crack at getting into the Top 6, however we also can't afford to think we're completely out of danger yet and we could be back in the Relegation Zone just as feasibly as climbing the table looks at this stage.
The grittiness we showed today has put me in a very positive mood however, we could have easily let our heads drop after they scored (and under previous managers perhaps we would have) but instead we rallied very quickly and picked ourselves up and got on with the game- which sounds basic, but its something previous teams haven't always had the strength of character to do.
Thanks for reading, I appreciate any feedback on these blogs as per usual. Its always fun for me to reflect on these types of games where you know we've put a shift in- and gotten the 3 Points. Thanks again- now lets get up that table.
Did I mention I got wet?
Firstly, I got a bit wet today. I sit in Row C in the Hammersmith End- which for those of you who haven't been to a Fulham game/ Sit in a different area means I'm pretty close to the pitch, and also means I'm not really covered by the roof on the stand. Many weaker souls moved back into the shelter, but I stayed where I was and accepted the fact I'll probably have a cold for the whole of the international break- and at least we got the 3 Points at the end of the day to send me home happy.
Secondly, What a player McCormack is. I knew we were lacking something against Blackpool (as I'm sure everyone with a brain-cell did), but I attributed it to complacency as much as anything else- but what Ross showed today is that he was well worth the 7 Billion Price we paid for him. He'll obviously get the plaudits for the goal he scored (and rightfully so), but everything he did today turned to gold his first touch today was sublime- and the way he linked the midfield and attack today was great, and exactly what we didn't have against Blackpool- and he was on balance the Man of the Match today. However it wasn't a one horse race, Parker and especially LVC also played blinders today. Once again LVC will get plaudits for scoring a goal- which if Arsenal/Liverpool scored pundits would be orgasming over, but once again he did all of the little things right- which helped contribute to the overall performance.
I haven't seen the Huddersfield goal from any kind of angle to which I can make a fair judgement on it, however Bettinelli has owned his mistake so as far as I'm concerned its over- and it didn't really matter at the end of the day as if anything that goal woke us up, and had Huddersfield scored a tiny bit later we'd have left the Cottage with 1 Point. However overall I thought Bettinelli played alright- it wasn't his best game, and at times he looked quite shaky from set pieces, but as I've said I can forgive him having a "just ok" day as we got the 3 Points at the end of 90 Minutes.
The defence I felt dealt quite well today. Given the attacking threat Huddersfield can pose with Holt, and Wells off of the bench it was imperative that Bodurov and Burn stayed focused and got to every ball first, and for the most part they did. There were some shaky moments, but I don't remember that many opportunities where you'd have gone Huddersfield should have scored that- although them parting like the red sea in the first half to allow Bunn (?) and clean run at goal as awfully generous of them- don't do it again please. I'm not his biggest fan, but I have to give credit to Zverotic today. He's Zverotic so he didn't play a perfect game- but it seems he's starting to understand that for the good of the team he should avoid doing anything except controlling the ball and moving it along. You could Huddersfield had identified him as an area to exploit- as it seemed for most of the first half they were camped on Zverotic's side of the field. Stafylidis also had a good game, and for the most part he dealt with Scannell well- which was necessary as he looked dangerous when on the ball.
I've already mentioned LVC's performance, but Parker was nearly as good. It makes me laugh looking back that "he" resorted to playing amongst others Fotheringham and Ryan Williams at Central Midfield in League games. LVC having 45 minutes against Millwall wasn't exactly a fair crack of the whip, and he's now more than owned his place in the starting eleven. Which if I'm honest when he first came in under Kit I wasn't sure if he merited it. Parker and LVC have the right combination of grit, determination and general ability to be a real force in the Championship. Not to discount George Williams' contribution to the Midfield. He also played a good game, although I think he needs to work on his decision making before he becomes a real force for us- and whomever inevitably buys him in the not so distant future. Its strange in that so much of the attention on our youth set up was placed on Patrick Roberts, presumably because he's English. Williams managed to almost go about his business without too much pressure on him- and I think that has benefited him massively. I think its also helped him with Kit being in charge on a temporary, and now permanent basis- as Kit knows him from our own youth set up and also from the Wales set up.
I've said this a million times. Rodallega is not a target man, and should not be played as such if we're insistent on playing long balls. However where Rodallega excels is in the situation he was in for the goal today- and thats the reason I'd never suggest dropping him in favour of Woodrow/Smith I'd instead work out a way to accommodate both, or change the entire footballing philosophy. When the ball was at his feet today Rodallega proved why he should be in the team, and his link up play for LVCs goal was great- especially given the fact it was roughly a minute after the Huddersfield goal he could have easily let his head drop and spend too long on the ball and then lose it. Speaking of losing the ball, What do we do about Bryan? Once again, I do think Bryan merits a place in the team- and this isn't a Bryan tirade which I'm sure quite a few people will be doing on various forums. But he can go from being an absolute genius (see Wednesday- he meant it, no really) to being the second coming of Berbatov with how frustrating, and slow on the ball he can be. The number of times he lost the ball today was too many to count- although it wasn't helped that the ref seemed to have it in for him so when genuine fouls were done on him the play was waved on- which in turn made his head drop. However as I said I'd persist with Bryan because he is capable of those moments such as Wednesday which can be the difference between 0 and 1, and 1 and 3 Points- at least until January when we can plan ahead with Bryan presumably not being by the Thames by February.
Overall this was a very good 3 Points, and don't be fooled by the 2 Goal winning margin we were in the ringer for large sections of the match- and we need to improve once we get to better opposition such as *shudders* Brentford. However now we've gotten a break (with a few exceptions) hopefully Kit can use it to iron out the kinks in our team, and we look much more polished when we get around to the Brentford game. I'd also look at using the loan market to our advantage, as we are ridiculously top-heavy with our squad and depending on how long Hoogland, Voser, Amorebieta and Kavanagh are I'd act accordingly- as there are some very capable players we could feasibly get on loan for example Jon Flanagan. This win was also a very good mental boost for the players as we're back out of the Relegation Zone going into the International Break which is a good sign- and hopefully when we come back from the break we can look up rather than down, as with the way the Championship is shaping up this year pretty much everybody has a crack at getting into the Top 6, however we also can't afford to think we're completely out of danger yet and we could be back in the Relegation Zone just as feasibly as climbing the table looks at this stage.
The grittiness we showed today has put me in a very positive mood however, we could have easily let our heads drop after they scored (and under previous managers perhaps we would have) but instead we rallied very quickly and picked ourselves up and got on with the game- which sounds basic, but its something previous teams haven't always had the strength of character to do.
Thanks for reading, I appreciate any feedback on these blogs as per usual. Its always fun for me to reflect on these types of games where you know we've put a shift in- and gotten the 3 Points. Thanks again- now lets get up that table.
Did I mention I got wet?
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