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.
Tuesday, 11 November 2014
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?
Wednesday, 22 October 2014
Rotherham v Fulham Review- A Good Sign
Hello, Welcome to another one of these Fulham blogs- and what a game yesterday. I was put through the ringer and I was just following the game on Twitter (but I refresh it every 10 seconds thinking something must have happened). But we (eventually) took a point away from the New York Stadium which considering everything is a very good point for us to get.
Because we don't get as much media coverage as last season its hard to say whether Rotherhams first goal was offside, however Kit has said he was on so I'll take his word for it- as such I don't think we could have done much for any of Rotherhams goals- Clarke Harris' goal was sublime and the Bodurov Own Goal was very unfortunate. But what we did do which was very pleasing was we responded within 5 Minutes every time. Granted "responding" will only every get you a point, but for the purposes of a tricky away match in Mid-Week in pretty bad weather conditions managing to muster a response three times speaks volumes for the belief, and character of the team which simply wasn't there under our previous manager.
The Team Selection was quite strange from my point of view. The reason I didn't suggest making more changes in my Preview blog was simply because I didn't think Kit was the type of manager to make 5 changes in a game- however I'm glad he did as some of our key players should look fresh on Friday. The selection was pretty strange although obviously we got something from the game so its harder to criticise than it was under Penfold. "The midfield will be where we win or lose this game in my opinion. We could easily get overwhelmed if we're not careful". This was what I wrote in my Preview Blog for this game and when I saw the Midfield we did start I was incredibly worried.
Eisfeld-Hyndman-LVC-G. Williams
We were apparently playing an "orthodox 4-4-2" to quote the Fulham Twitter. What I emphasised in my preview blog was the need for a bit more of a physical presence. So naturally the midfields tallest player was 5ft 9. Hoogland was ill, so my idea of inserting Hoogland into the Midfield obviously didn't come to fruition, that also meant we'd struggle for the physical presence I thought we'd need- especially once the team selection came out and we were resting Parker. If this midfield hadn't yielded any points then I'm sure there would have been some critics over Kits team selection, especially the midfield selection- however we got the point so all is good with the world, the fine lines of Football Management eh?
There wasn't something obviously wrong with the defence for all three of Rotherhams goals, except maybe we should have closed down Pringle quicker than we did for the third goal- but given how late it was in the game and the fact we'd had to chase the game that is perhaps understandable. As such despite conceding three goals I don't think you can really criticise our defensive display, and considering this is the first time we've conceded 3 Goals+ Under Kit I'll happily acknowledge the defensive progress we've made under Kit and move on. It appears Zverotic is now our 2nd Choice Right Back which is perhaps better from a defensive standpoint as I highlighted in my Preview Blog. I think Zverotic is perhaps the better option on balance because he is pretty solid defensively in comparison to Voser- and I think thats what Kit values above all else. Hopefully Hoogland isn't out for much longer- but having Zverotic come in and play decent can only be a good thing. It would appear as though Stafylidis is now firmly back in his natural habitat of Left-Back which is good from my point of view because I was never sold on him in Central-Midfield and I thought he looked better going forward when he was in the Left-Back position as well.
The fact we started a whole different midfield (with the exception of LVC) showed great squad depth on our part, and also gives me hope we could go on a good cup run without impacting on our League performances. As said in my Preview Blog resting Parker was a must for yesterdays game, as he looked dead on his feet by the end of the Norwich game- and I read somewhere he was going to come off but then didn't. I was surprised we rested/dropped Kavanagh because he would have been confident going into the game after Saturday, but with the Formation change that was perhaps a good thing as I'm not sure where he'd have fit into the formation. Chris David not getting into the team when Eisfeld did surprised quite a few people, but not me. Eisfeld scored a double for the U-21s at the Weekend against Chelsea and I'm sure that played a factor when Kit was naming his team. David is obviously a very good player- but I don't think Kit is sold on him, and I hope this doesn't come back to bite us in January if Ruiz leaves (likely) and David also leaves because of the lack of game time.
The Forward situation is now a very interesting debate to be had. Woodrow getting his first goal of the season (and it was a peach), combined with his physical presence has now put Rodallega's place under threat as purely from the point of who's a better Target Man Woodrow wins every time. Of course Smith is also in that debate, but after Woodrow scoring I think he's put himself firmly above Smith in the pecking order. McCormack was (again) great yesterday, his penalty was sublime- and his delivery for Burn's goal was spot on. But also his work ethic was very good again, and he's made a significant contribution in every recent game. Dembele is also in the fold as he's come off the bench in recent games, which means we have 5 Strikers all staking a claim for the Striker positions which in turn means people up their games to stake a claim for their place which is only a good thing for the team.
There we some notable performances from our young players, perhaps most notable was George Williams who provided a nuisance to the Rotherham defence all night- and won the penalty which got us back in the game (the first time). Also for anyone who says the penalty was soft please rewatch Cameron Jeromes belly flop from Saturday. Pat Roberts could have perhaps made a similar Impact, but I'm not overly concerned about his lack of minutes recently as I'm sure his time will come- and I think we're perhaps trying to hide him a bit to deter any interesting in January.
Its a good sign when we're picking up points when we perhaps didn't deserve them, and if we can keep picking up wins/draws when we perhaps didn't deserve them we should be able to climb up the table. We're now on the verge of getting out of the Relegation Zone which will provide a confidence boost to everyone at the club given the position we were in when Kit took over.
Thanks for reading these blogs, its really humbling when I see people are actually reading them. As usual any feedback is appreciated. I'm not sure if I'll do the Charlton Preview on Thursday or Friday so I'd like your suggestion on that. Thanks again.
Because we don't get as much media coverage as last season its hard to say whether Rotherhams first goal was offside, however Kit has said he was on so I'll take his word for it- as such I don't think we could have done much for any of Rotherhams goals- Clarke Harris' goal was sublime and the Bodurov Own Goal was very unfortunate. But what we did do which was very pleasing was we responded within 5 Minutes every time. Granted "responding" will only every get you a point, but for the purposes of a tricky away match in Mid-Week in pretty bad weather conditions managing to muster a response three times speaks volumes for the belief, and character of the team which simply wasn't there under our previous manager.
The Team Selection was quite strange from my point of view. The reason I didn't suggest making more changes in my Preview blog was simply because I didn't think Kit was the type of manager to make 5 changes in a game- however I'm glad he did as some of our key players should look fresh on Friday. The selection was pretty strange although obviously we got something from the game so its harder to criticise than it was under Penfold. "The midfield will be where we win or lose this game in my opinion. We could easily get overwhelmed if we're not careful". This was what I wrote in my Preview Blog for this game and when I saw the Midfield we did start I was incredibly worried.
Eisfeld-Hyndman-LVC-G. Williams
We were apparently playing an "orthodox 4-4-2" to quote the Fulham Twitter. What I emphasised in my preview blog was the need for a bit more of a physical presence. So naturally the midfields tallest player was 5ft 9. Hoogland was ill, so my idea of inserting Hoogland into the Midfield obviously didn't come to fruition, that also meant we'd struggle for the physical presence I thought we'd need- especially once the team selection came out and we were resting Parker. If this midfield hadn't yielded any points then I'm sure there would have been some critics over Kits team selection, especially the midfield selection- however we got the point so all is good with the world, the fine lines of Football Management eh?
There wasn't something obviously wrong with the defence for all three of Rotherhams goals, except maybe we should have closed down Pringle quicker than we did for the third goal- but given how late it was in the game and the fact we'd had to chase the game that is perhaps understandable. As such despite conceding three goals I don't think you can really criticise our defensive display, and considering this is the first time we've conceded 3 Goals+ Under Kit I'll happily acknowledge the defensive progress we've made under Kit and move on. It appears Zverotic is now our 2nd Choice Right Back which is perhaps better from a defensive standpoint as I highlighted in my Preview Blog. I think Zverotic is perhaps the better option on balance because he is pretty solid defensively in comparison to Voser- and I think thats what Kit values above all else. Hopefully Hoogland isn't out for much longer- but having Zverotic come in and play decent can only be a good thing. It would appear as though Stafylidis is now firmly back in his natural habitat of Left-Back which is good from my point of view because I was never sold on him in Central-Midfield and I thought he looked better going forward when he was in the Left-Back position as well.
The fact we started a whole different midfield (with the exception of LVC) showed great squad depth on our part, and also gives me hope we could go on a good cup run without impacting on our League performances. As said in my Preview Blog resting Parker was a must for yesterdays game, as he looked dead on his feet by the end of the Norwich game- and I read somewhere he was going to come off but then didn't. I was surprised we rested/dropped Kavanagh because he would have been confident going into the game after Saturday, but with the Formation change that was perhaps a good thing as I'm not sure where he'd have fit into the formation. Chris David not getting into the team when Eisfeld did surprised quite a few people, but not me. Eisfeld scored a double for the U-21s at the Weekend against Chelsea and I'm sure that played a factor when Kit was naming his team. David is obviously a very good player- but I don't think Kit is sold on him, and I hope this doesn't come back to bite us in January if Ruiz leaves (likely) and David also leaves because of the lack of game time.
The Forward situation is now a very interesting debate to be had. Woodrow getting his first goal of the season (and it was a peach), combined with his physical presence has now put Rodallega's place under threat as purely from the point of who's a better Target Man Woodrow wins every time. Of course Smith is also in that debate, but after Woodrow scoring I think he's put himself firmly above Smith in the pecking order. McCormack was (again) great yesterday, his penalty was sublime- and his delivery for Burn's goal was spot on. But also his work ethic was very good again, and he's made a significant contribution in every recent game. Dembele is also in the fold as he's come off the bench in recent games, which means we have 5 Strikers all staking a claim for the Striker positions which in turn means people up their games to stake a claim for their place which is only a good thing for the team.
There we some notable performances from our young players, perhaps most notable was George Williams who provided a nuisance to the Rotherham defence all night- and won the penalty which got us back in the game (the first time). Also for anyone who says the penalty was soft please rewatch Cameron Jeromes belly flop from Saturday. Pat Roberts could have perhaps made a similar Impact, but I'm not overly concerned about his lack of minutes recently as I'm sure his time will come- and I think we're perhaps trying to hide him a bit to deter any interesting in January.
Its a good sign when we're picking up points when we perhaps didn't deserve them, and if we can keep picking up wins/draws when we perhaps didn't deserve them we should be able to climb up the table. We're now on the verge of getting out of the Relegation Zone which will provide a confidence boost to everyone at the club given the position we were in when Kit took over.
Thanks for reading these blogs, its really humbling when I see people are actually reading them. As usual any feedback is appreciated. I'm not sure if I'll do the Charlton Preview on Thursday or Friday so I'd like your suggestion on that. Thanks again.
Tuesday, 21 October 2014
RAW Review- 20th October
Hello! After we had a good old fashioned wrasslin show for last weeks RAW you'd be forgiven for having high hopes for this edition of RAW, but did it live up to expectations?
The Authority Promo
So John Cena lost his match to Ambrose, to get a #1 Contender Match? I really don't see the logic in the "Sloppy Seconds" match getting the #1 Contender Stipulation- and its probably just a way for WWE to justify Orton and Cena Main Eventing the PPV despite there being one week of build for it. The promos were perfectly fine and they did an alright job hyping the PPV but it was nothing special, and the back and forth between Orton and Rollins was a bit meh in my opinion.
Sheamus and The Usos v Damien Mizdow, Goldust & Stardust
The reason they had Mizdow in the match was basically so they could keep the audiences attention on what was going on in the ring in my opinion, because for the last few weeks Mizdow has stolen all the attention away from the in-ring action. The match was good, but the number of 6-Man matches these men have been involved with in recent times cheapens the "Everyone gets taken out" part of the match because you've seen it a million times before. Mizdow winning the match was a nice surprise, and is presumably so after Sheamus beats Miz at Hell in a Cell they can build to a Miz v Mizdow match which Miz'll probably win and Mizdow will be forced back into irrelevancy. Miz's overreaction to Mizdow winning was hilarious though "I WON!".
The Orton backstage promo was weird, although them having Rollins effectively book Orton's PPV match was an interesting development- and after what happened later will help set up Ortons face turn presumably.
The Bray Wyatt vignettes are still amazing... But you already know that *winks*. Where's Ricardo?
A.J. v Alicia Fox
Fox and Paige were never going to look bad the day of the announcement they were going to be on Total Divas (which I might write a future blog about when it comes to Paige on the show) so the distraction roll-up win was the best way they could have booked this. The fake fight between Fox and Paige was a good ruse, and it was one of the better Diva distraction moments in recent memory.
The second Orton backstage promo with Rollins helped to further tease what was going to happen later, but it was the third time we'd seen Orton already.
Randy Orton, John Cena, Paul Heyman promo
Oh Look its Randy again! This Orton promo was pretty good in my opinion, he spoke at an unnaturally fast pace and he got his point across really well in my opinion- although the cheap heat of going after (insert hometown) sports team was unnecessary in my opinion. As unnecessary as Cena getting the cheap pop for praising (insert hometown) sports team. The mic work on both of these two was perfectly alright, but its hard for Cena to hype the match effectively when he was chasing Rollins every week prior to this one. Then we got the return of the king. Heyman coming back was presumably just to remind the casual viewer that Brock does in fact still exist, however I read somewhere Brock isn't coming back until 8th December so god knows what they'll have presumably Cena do for over a month other than threatening Heyman, which as I've said previously just feels really uncomfortable. Orton RKO'ing both wasn't unexpected after all the Vines this previous week- and i get the feeling the whole segment was mainly because they wanted to feel socially relevant.
Rusev v Big E
Rusev rediscovered his anti-black vendetta this week- and it was back with a vengeance. I'm not going to really comment on the match because it was what it was, and we've seen the match a million times before- and on PPV where they got more time. What happened after was one of the weirdest and most uncomfortable segments I think I've ever seen. As Rusev was going to rip the flag down, which would have been the first physically provocative thing he'd have done directly against the US off the top of my head. We had a "soldier" jump the barrier and try and attack Rusev- which is illegal by the way. So Rusev was well within his rights to kick the "soldier" in the face. We the found out later there were a number of inaccuracies in the "Soldiers" uniform which is properly disrespectful to the armed forces in my opinion. We then had Big Show come out to help the invader- Moral of the story children, Jump the Barrier to attack someone and you get to meet your favourite superstars.
Big Show Promo
"You Don't disrespect a US Soldier"... So why have an awful mock up of an army uniform? The promo was what it was and Show did his angry and constipated look really well. Nobody really expected Rusev to still be in his dressing room when Show got back there- but overall they've built this feud pretty well in my opinion.
The Ambrose backstage promo was really strange, which is a good thing. I like the idea of using WWE Films to scout opponents so when HHH comes back they can use the Chaperone.
Brie Bella v Summer Rae
I was slightly distracted by a block of cheese during this match, which was probably a good thing on balance. Although Nikki not even being able to act in a backstage segment cemented this feud as the Gooker Winner in my opinion.
Dean Ambrose's Prop Comedy Hour
Even Ambrose couldn't save this. Whoever thought Ambrose should come out and make bad puns and attack a sex doll should be fired on the spot.
Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Mick Foley Promos
This was better. Foley coming out was a nice surprise, and definitely added something to the segment after all he is the man who truly got the Cell over in my (and many others) opinion, and the legacy of the match was built off of his broken body. The Rollins and Ambrose promos were good as well but Foley stole the show with his mic work, which is saying something. It also reminded me of the feud we never had with Ambrose and Foley.
Cesaro v Dolph Ziggler
Sheamus lost, The representative (sorry, Advocate) for the WWE Champion was laid out, the Tag Champions looked ordinary and now the IC Champion lost clean. A Week before a PPV ladies and gentlemen. Don't get me wrong the match was very good, but with the men involved it would be more noteworthy if they didn't have a very good match. But having Cesaro beat the IC Champion clean in the middle of the ring with no kind of shenanigans was a stupid decision by whoever made it.
Another backstage segment, another Orton appearance I make that 6- and he hasn't even wrestled yet!
Randy Orton, Kane and Seth Rollins v John Cena and Dean Ambrose: Street Fight
This was perplexing to me. They were always going to lower the cell, and anyone who didn't think they would should be locked up. But why have "Cell Spots" on Free TV? I thought they'd use the Cell to isolate either Cena or more likely Ambrose and every would hit their finishers on him the crowd would boo and fade to black. Instead we had a mini cell match with proper cell spots- which given the confines of PG you don't really see many Cell spots aside from getting flung into the Cell which is what we saw Rollins do. I understand because of the Network PPV numbers are dropping as such they might transition to having more stuff on free TV. But the segment didn't immediately make me want to watch the PPV on Sunday. Rollins curb stomping Orton was a nice development, if a bit obvious and if they could somehow maneuver it so Rollins cost Orton the Cell match at Hell in a Cell it'd be good.
Thanks for reading, Its a full week of blogging for me as its a Fulham review tomorrow, Impact review on Thursday, Fulham Preview on Friday, Fulham review on Saturday, Hell in a Cell Predictions on Sunday, Hell in a Cell Review on Monday and then we're back with the RAW Review this time next week! Thanks again for reading, any and all feedback is appreciated on any of my blogs.
The Authority Promo
So John Cena lost his match to Ambrose, to get a #1 Contender Match? I really don't see the logic in the "Sloppy Seconds" match getting the #1 Contender Stipulation- and its probably just a way for WWE to justify Orton and Cena Main Eventing the PPV despite there being one week of build for it. The promos were perfectly fine and they did an alright job hyping the PPV but it was nothing special, and the back and forth between Orton and Rollins was a bit meh in my opinion.
Sheamus and The Usos v Damien Mizdow, Goldust & Stardust
The reason they had Mizdow in the match was basically so they could keep the audiences attention on what was going on in the ring in my opinion, because for the last few weeks Mizdow has stolen all the attention away from the in-ring action. The match was good, but the number of 6-Man matches these men have been involved with in recent times cheapens the "Everyone gets taken out" part of the match because you've seen it a million times before. Mizdow winning the match was a nice surprise, and is presumably so after Sheamus beats Miz at Hell in a Cell they can build to a Miz v Mizdow match which Miz'll probably win and Mizdow will be forced back into irrelevancy. Miz's overreaction to Mizdow winning was hilarious though "I WON!".
The Orton backstage promo was weird, although them having Rollins effectively book Orton's PPV match was an interesting development- and after what happened later will help set up Ortons face turn presumably.
The Bray Wyatt vignettes are still amazing... But you already know that *winks*. Where's Ricardo?
A.J. v Alicia Fox
Fox and Paige were never going to look bad the day of the announcement they were going to be on Total Divas (which I might write a future blog about when it comes to Paige on the show) so the distraction roll-up win was the best way they could have booked this. The fake fight between Fox and Paige was a good ruse, and it was one of the better Diva distraction moments in recent memory.
The second Orton backstage promo with Rollins helped to further tease what was going to happen later, but it was the third time we'd seen Orton already.
Randy Orton, John Cena, Paul Heyman promo
Oh Look its Randy again! This Orton promo was pretty good in my opinion, he spoke at an unnaturally fast pace and he got his point across really well in my opinion- although the cheap heat of going after (insert hometown) sports team was unnecessary in my opinion. As unnecessary as Cena getting the cheap pop for praising (insert hometown) sports team. The mic work on both of these two was perfectly alright, but its hard for Cena to hype the match effectively when he was chasing Rollins every week prior to this one. Then we got the return of the king. Heyman coming back was presumably just to remind the casual viewer that Brock does in fact still exist, however I read somewhere Brock isn't coming back until 8th December so god knows what they'll have presumably Cena do for over a month other than threatening Heyman, which as I've said previously just feels really uncomfortable. Orton RKO'ing both wasn't unexpected after all the Vines this previous week- and i get the feeling the whole segment was mainly because they wanted to feel socially relevant.
Rusev v Big E
Rusev rediscovered his anti-black vendetta this week- and it was back with a vengeance. I'm not going to really comment on the match because it was what it was, and we've seen the match a million times before- and on PPV where they got more time. What happened after was one of the weirdest and most uncomfortable segments I think I've ever seen. As Rusev was going to rip the flag down, which would have been the first physically provocative thing he'd have done directly against the US off the top of my head. We had a "soldier" jump the barrier and try and attack Rusev- which is illegal by the way. So Rusev was well within his rights to kick the "soldier" in the face. We the found out later there were a number of inaccuracies in the "Soldiers" uniform which is properly disrespectful to the armed forces in my opinion. We then had Big Show come out to help the invader- Moral of the story children, Jump the Barrier to attack someone and you get to meet your favourite superstars.
Big Show Promo
"You Don't disrespect a US Soldier"... So why have an awful mock up of an army uniform? The promo was what it was and Show did his angry and constipated look really well. Nobody really expected Rusev to still be in his dressing room when Show got back there- but overall they've built this feud pretty well in my opinion.
The Ambrose backstage promo was really strange, which is a good thing. I like the idea of using WWE Films to scout opponents so when HHH comes back they can use the Chaperone.
Brie Bella v Summer Rae
I was slightly distracted by a block of cheese during this match, which was probably a good thing on balance. Although Nikki not even being able to act in a backstage segment cemented this feud as the Gooker Winner in my opinion.
Dean Ambrose's Prop Comedy Hour
Even Ambrose couldn't save this. Whoever thought Ambrose should come out and make bad puns and attack a sex doll should be fired on the spot.
Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose, Mick Foley Promos
This was better. Foley coming out was a nice surprise, and definitely added something to the segment after all he is the man who truly got the Cell over in my (and many others) opinion, and the legacy of the match was built off of his broken body. The Rollins and Ambrose promos were good as well but Foley stole the show with his mic work, which is saying something. It also reminded me of the feud we never had with Ambrose and Foley.
Cesaro v Dolph Ziggler
Sheamus lost, The representative (sorry, Advocate) for the WWE Champion was laid out, the Tag Champions looked ordinary and now the IC Champion lost clean. A Week before a PPV ladies and gentlemen. Don't get me wrong the match was very good, but with the men involved it would be more noteworthy if they didn't have a very good match. But having Cesaro beat the IC Champion clean in the middle of the ring with no kind of shenanigans was a stupid decision by whoever made it.
Another backstage segment, another Orton appearance I make that 6- and he hasn't even wrestled yet!
Randy Orton, Kane and Seth Rollins v John Cena and Dean Ambrose: Street Fight
This was perplexing to me. They were always going to lower the cell, and anyone who didn't think they would should be locked up. But why have "Cell Spots" on Free TV? I thought they'd use the Cell to isolate either Cena or more likely Ambrose and every would hit their finishers on him the crowd would boo and fade to black. Instead we had a mini cell match with proper cell spots- which given the confines of PG you don't really see many Cell spots aside from getting flung into the Cell which is what we saw Rollins do. I understand because of the Network PPV numbers are dropping as such they might transition to having more stuff on free TV. But the segment didn't immediately make me want to watch the PPV on Sunday. Rollins curb stomping Orton was a nice development, if a bit obvious and if they could somehow maneuver it so Rollins cost Orton the Cell match at Hell in a Cell it'd be good.
Thanks for reading, Its a full week of blogging for me as its a Fulham review tomorrow, Impact review on Thursday, Fulham Preview on Friday, Fulham review on Saturday, Hell in a Cell Predictions on Sunday, Hell in a Cell Review on Monday and then we're back with the RAW Review this time next week! Thanks again for reading, any and all feedback is appreciated on any of my blogs.
Monday, 20 October 2014
Rotherham v Fulham Preview- Lets Get Ugly
Hello, welcome to another blog- and with this being the second of seven games in 21 days these will become quite a frequent occurrence after the amount of time between my Norwich Preview and Blackburn review blogs.
Now, to fit the title of this blog- lets get straight to the point. The Norwich game wasn't exactly the "beautiful game" on our part, however we got the 3 Points which at the end of the day is all that matters. We're now going into a game against a Steve Evans Rotherham side who will be one of the more difficult teams in the League to face because of their physical style, and coming off of the back of an energy sapping defensive display against Norwich I think changes are necessary- and vital if we are to continue our good run of form.
The Defensive situation is a fairly straight forward one, Kit said after the Norwich game that Hoogland should be alright for Tuesday (Thankfully)- so theoretically we should keep the same defence. I do believe we should keep the same Back Three of Bettinelli, Burn and Bodurov as much as possible- and I would keep this as the constant in our team throughout the entire season (barring injury). However I think for the purposes of this game Hoogland would be best suited in the Midfield Enforced Role he has played previously for us. This opens up a spot at Right-Back which could be fulfilled by either Voser or Zverotic, which is an interesting debate to be had. On the one hand Voser is very good at going up and down the line and general attacking play, but his defensive skills are sometimes found wanting- quite similar to Riether for large parts of last season. Zverotic on the other hand is a polar opposite in that he is quite good defensively and able to read the game very well, but sometimes its like he's never seen a ball before when he gets it. With respect to Rotherham, we should be looking at trying to win the game- if we are serious about trying to get up the table really quickly and maybe pushing for a playoff spot by April and May, as such I'd give Voser a chance as Bodurov playing on the right side of defence should provide a good amount of cover for Voser if he were to get caught out. Amorebieta is still injured, so I can see us continuing with Stafylidis as Left-Back.
The Midfield will be where we win or lose this game in my opinion. We could easily get overwhelmed if we're not careful. As I've previously said I'd have Hoogland playing as a Midfield enforcer, and he should hopefully be able to break up the play effectively which is something Parker can't really do in my opinion. Given we're playing Saturday-Tuesday-Friday-Tuesday I'd give Parker a rest for tomorrows game in anticipation of the Charlton game where he will be vital in my opinion. This leaves two midfield spaces available, as I can't see Kavanagh getting dropped after scoring the winner this will leave one spot open. I don't know LVC well enough to make a fair judgement on his stamina, however one thing I can say for certain was after the shift he put it on Saturday there isn't a fathomable way he'd be playing at 100% if he started tomorrow- as such I'd leave him on the bench for this game and start Hyndman, who is a better passer of the ball in my opinion. Once again I'd rest Ruiz for this game, as he's come back from presumably a CONCACAF country, and he looked pretty jaded against Norwich and was understandably subbed off- as such I'd give him a rest for this game as I think he'd be overwhelmed in this type of game anyway. This leaves the "Number 10" Role open, and it could fulfilled by a number of players- but I think we should only be considering Williams, David and McCormack for that Number 10 Role. I don't think Roberts is ready to start yet, and like Ruiz I think he'd be overwhelmed in a very physical game- although I would bring him off the bench as his technical ability could overwhelm a tired Rotherham defence. All three have their merits, however I think we should start McCormack in this role for the game tomorrow, Him playing in a deeper role would bring him into the game a bit more- and with who I would play up front I think he would get a number of chances if he can find the space between the Rotherham midfield and defence.
I said in my Norwich Review Rodallega shouldn't be a target man, but should still be in team because of his undoubted ability- who he plays with determines how well he does in my opinion. I saw Woodrows tweet that he was going to Rotherham with Pat Roberts so I'm presuming he's fit despite his absence on Saturday. As such its between Woodrow and Smith for the position alongside Rodallega in the team in my opinion. Both have their positive and negatives, but this is a Devil I know scenario as I haven't seen Smiths hold up play much- and that is one area where Woodrow excels, however Smith has shown in the friendlies against Saudi Arabia and Cardiff he can score goals, this selection could go either way, however I would pick Woodrow just because I've seen him play more- but because Kit sees him train everyday the selection could go the other way.
My Team for Rotherham
Bettinelli
Voser Bodurov Burn Stafylidis
Hyndman Hoogland Kavanagh
McCormack
Rodallega Woodrow
I've seen a number of people (not just Fulham fans) touting us as potential playoff candidates- and if you look at our form under Kit of Winning 4 of our Last 5 it could come to fruition. However (with respect) if we are to get to the Playoffs- or at least contest for a place in them we need to beat teams like Rotherham who's primary goal will be to stay up- and I think the balance this team selection would provide would give us the best chance of doing so.
Thanks for reading, I'll obviously do a review on Wednesday once I've seen the game- and hopefully I'm watching us make it 5 wins out of 6 under Kit. Thanks again, Any and all feedback is appreciated on these blogs.
Now, to fit the title of this blog- lets get straight to the point. The Norwich game wasn't exactly the "beautiful game" on our part, however we got the 3 Points which at the end of the day is all that matters. We're now going into a game against a Steve Evans Rotherham side who will be one of the more difficult teams in the League to face because of their physical style, and coming off of the back of an energy sapping defensive display against Norwich I think changes are necessary- and vital if we are to continue our good run of form.
The Defensive situation is a fairly straight forward one, Kit said after the Norwich game that Hoogland should be alright for Tuesday (Thankfully)- so theoretically we should keep the same defence. I do believe we should keep the same Back Three of Bettinelli, Burn and Bodurov as much as possible- and I would keep this as the constant in our team throughout the entire season (barring injury). However I think for the purposes of this game Hoogland would be best suited in the Midfield Enforced Role he has played previously for us. This opens up a spot at Right-Back which could be fulfilled by either Voser or Zverotic, which is an interesting debate to be had. On the one hand Voser is very good at going up and down the line and general attacking play, but his defensive skills are sometimes found wanting- quite similar to Riether for large parts of last season. Zverotic on the other hand is a polar opposite in that he is quite good defensively and able to read the game very well, but sometimes its like he's never seen a ball before when he gets it. With respect to Rotherham, we should be looking at trying to win the game- if we are serious about trying to get up the table really quickly and maybe pushing for a playoff spot by April and May, as such I'd give Voser a chance as Bodurov playing on the right side of defence should provide a good amount of cover for Voser if he were to get caught out. Amorebieta is still injured, so I can see us continuing with Stafylidis as Left-Back.
The Midfield will be where we win or lose this game in my opinion. We could easily get overwhelmed if we're not careful. As I've previously said I'd have Hoogland playing as a Midfield enforcer, and he should hopefully be able to break up the play effectively which is something Parker can't really do in my opinion. Given we're playing Saturday-Tuesday-Friday-Tuesday I'd give Parker a rest for tomorrows game in anticipation of the Charlton game where he will be vital in my opinion. This leaves two midfield spaces available, as I can't see Kavanagh getting dropped after scoring the winner this will leave one spot open. I don't know LVC well enough to make a fair judgement on his stamina, however one thing I can say for certain was after the shift he put it on Saturday there isn't a fathomable way he'd be playing at 100% if he started tomorrow- as such I'd leave him on the bench for this game and start Hyndman, who is a better passer of the ball in my opinion. Once again I'd rest Ruiz for this game, as he's come back from presumably a CONCACAF country, and he looked pretty jaded against Norwich and was understandably subbed off- as such I'd give him a rest for this game as I think he'd be overwhelmed in this type of game anyway. This leaves the "Number 10" Role open, and it could fulfilled by a number of players- but I think we should only be considering Williams, David and McCormack for that Number 10 Role. I don't think Roberts is ready to start yet, and like Ruiz I think he'd be overwhelmed in a very physical game- although I would bring him off the bench as his technical ability could overwhelm a tired Rotherham defence. All three have their merits, however I think we should start McCormack in this role for the game tomorrow, Him playing in a deeper role would bring him into the game a bit more- and with who I would play up front I think he would get a number of chances if he can find the space between the Rotherham midfield and defence.
I said in my Norwich Review Rodallega shouldn't be a target man, but should still be in team because of his undoubted ability- who he plays with determines how well he does in my opinion. I saw Woodrows tweet that he was going to Rotherham with Pat Roberts so I'm presuming he's fit despite his absence on Saturday. As such its between Woodrow and Smith for the position alongside Rodallega in the team in my opinion. Both have their positive and negatives, but this is a Devil I know scenario as I haven't seen Smiths hold up play much- and that is one area where Woodrow excels, however Smith has shown in the friendlies against Saudi Arabia and Cardiff he can score goals, this selection could go either way, however I would pick Woodrow just because I've seen him play more- but because Kit sees him train everyday the selection could go the other way.
My Team for Rotherham
Bettinelli
Voser Bodurov Burn Stafylidis
Hyndman Hoogland Kavanagh
McCormack
Rodallega Woodrow
I've seen a number of people (not just Fulham fans) touting us as potential playoff candidates- and if you look at our form under Kit of Winning 4 of our Last 5 it could come to fruition. However (with respect) if we are to get to the Playoffs- or at least contest for a place in them we need to beat teams like Rotherham who's primary goal will be to stay up- and I think the balance this team selection would provide would give us the best chance of doing so.
Thanks for reading, I'll obviously do a review on Wednesday once I've seen the game- and hopefully I'm watching us make it 5 wins out of 6 under Kit. Thanks again, Any and all feedback is appreciated on these blogs.
Saturday, 18 October 2014
Fulham v Norwich Review- Kit Symons Black and White Army!
You'll never see a more comfortable game than that one. Seriously though, I think this game was one of- if not our best performance of the season. I understand some people would say Bolton, or even Forest despite us losing. However todays performance spoke volumes for the character of the team, and the belief that Kit has instilled into the players. We rode our luck yes, but we were due some luck this season and I have always believed you make your own luck- and we (in a Fulham Fans opinion) deserved the three points today.
I'd like to start by saying... What do I know eh? In my Preview for this game I said I wouldn't start Sean Kavanagh. It surprised me to an extent he was starting, but when I was watching the warm-ups I had an inkling Stafylidis would be at Left-Back because he was warming up with the defence, so I thought Kit had went the way of Penfold and gone off the deep-end! However, credit where its due, Kavanagh had a very good game in Central Midfield against a very strong midfield he also took his goal very well. Kit has obviously seen a lot more of him than I have, and in his post match interview he said Kavanagh has a good left peg on him- so hopefully that isn't the last goal we see from him this season. I don't know if Norwich didn't expect him to play, or simply like 99% of people at the ground today thought Kavanagh simply couldn't shoot- but he had acres of space, and he took the chance well.
It would be a disservice for me not to talk about all 4 Defenders in the game today, they were sublime. Nikolay Bodurov was outstanding, simply outstanding. When he first came in I thought he would be a "squad depth" player, and his height definitely deterred me knowing how physical and "Route One" oriented some teams in the division can be, however he has taken the Championship in his stride. This isn't me saying this after one good game, if you follow me on Twitter- or even look at the Fulham programme against Blackburn you'll see that I've been singing his praises for a while now. He reads the game extraordinarily well, and his anticipation of what is going to happen- almost before it happens means he's seldom caught flat-footed and it makes me wonder what the outcome would have been against Blackburn if Bodurov had started instead of Hutchinson and Bodurov is much more disciplined. He also surprisingly given his height, has coped with the aerial threat of players amazingly. He as a great spring and he was winning headers against Jerome quite frequently today which definitely helped the defence as a whole. Overall he was my MOTM today, with only LVC really challenging him for that.
Stafylidis and Kavanagh almost as a Double Line of defence on the Left-Hand side for us wasn't what I expected, but it worked very well as they limited Redmond to just a few opportunities and he has the potential to change a game. I thought Stafylidis played very well, and his pace was a definite advantage today as I thought it would be against a Norwich team who have (slightly) an imbalance between physicality and pace in my opinion. Hoogland going off was unfortunate, however Kit has said he's fine concussion wise and was taken off because he was ill in mid-week, but didn't want to miss the game (tell me about it Tim). Zverotic coming on makes me wonder what Kay Vosers role at the club will be, as I didn't think he was "awful" in any specific game- and I know people were slating him after Reading but we were ridiculously stretched in every area during that game, so I don't think its fair to flag up any specific player as a bad performance in that game. Zverotic was "ok". He didn't do an awful lot of things wrong, or right- He was just kind of there. He looked really uncertain on the ball, and Neil Adams definitely picked up on that because for the last 15 minutes of the first half (roughly) he switched wings to have Redmond play up against Zverotic, but thankfully he was ok- and he had good cover in LVC so he wasn't completely shown up like i feared he would be once I saw they'd made the switch. Dan Burn was another good performer today, and he will be crucial to us in "these" games where we won't necessarily run away with it like we did against Bolton and we need to dig in and cope with all of the balls being launched into the box etc., which we did today surprisingly well in my opinion given the number of aerial threats they had in the box. Something also has to be said for Bettinelli, and something (surprisingly) that I said has come true, in that I said we needed a consistent back three pairing and it would be B Cubed. I know Norwich only had one shot on target today, but that can also paint Bettinelli in a positive light as I felt he came for balls really well- and the relationship between the Back Three is a very solid foundation for Kit, or whomever should take charge one would presume in the near future.
This is going to be a long blog, that was just the defence!
The Midfield as I've previously alluded to when talking about Kavanagh performed well given the circumstances, and the players facing off against them. Parker can frustrate me at times because of his complete lack of a creative spark and ability to play an accurate pass once its out of his 5 Yard Perimeter, however today he really dug in and fought which is what we needed from our captain- and was definitely needed in this type of game where we had little possession (38%?). The same can be said for LVC who I thought was great today, once again he fought for every ball and showed determination and spirit- a reflection on the man at the helm. He's surprised me, in that when he started against Blackburn I wasn't necessarily opposed to it as it was another "New Beginning" but the absence of Hyndman and/or Chris David in the Starting Eleven surprised me. However as I said in my preview blog for this game, he's more than earned his place in the team with his performances- and as long as he performs to the level he did today I don't have a major issue with him keeping Hyndman out of the team. I was surprised to see statistically (WhoScored) that Ruiz was rated as one of our better players today, however I realised that "statistically" Ruiz will always be rated highly because of his pass completion, touches etc. so I don't mind it now as much as I when I got home from the game and saw it. He didn't seem up for it today, perhaps understandably after coming back from where ever Costa Rica (presumably a CONCACAF region) so I'm not writing his performance as the Bryan we know and got frustrated with in prior seasons is firmly back.
The Strikers were the only major concern for me, they weren't even bad. McCormack has shocked me, in that I thought he was "just" a goalscorer- which was why I was questioning why we didn't go after Jordan Rhodes who prior to signing a new contract was available (allegedly) for £8 Million. What we've bought is a player with a sublime work ethic, and a team ethos that really embodies what Fulham is about in my opinion. His run to free space up for the goal was great, and showed how unselfish he is- which is something I thought he would be given the number of goals he was involved (Goals or Assists) at Leeds, I thought he would be desperate for the ball and seek it out at every opportunity. However instead he's proven himself to be a very smart player, and he understands (which some strikers don't) that it doesn't matter if you're not on the end of the cross to finish as long as someone is- and if he can draw a man away from the person in order to make it easier for him to finish he should do that. Rodallega was so frustrating today. I know why he's in the team, and he is one of- if not our best "finisher" in the team. However the one thing he most definitely isn't is a Target Man. Launching Balls up to Hugo didn't work the first time, so lets just keep trying it! This is not to say I don't value Hugo's work ethic and general team play- which is something Kit seems to value highly. However if we need a Target Man on the pitch, which is clearly a part of our game plan why don't we play Woodrow (was he injured or tired to not even make the bench?) or Smith who despite his tackle against Reading still has some value to the team because of his height, and especially in the last 15-20 Minutes we definitely could have used a player who could of held the ball up a bit more and give the defence (and me) some time to breath. Dembele's cameo was decent enough, he's still a bit too selfish on the ball for my liking- and from where I sit (H2) I felt he should of buried the chance he got from roughly 6 Yards.
I'm not completely full of positives however. The Ref was abysmal today. He didn't seem to realise that Football is still a contact sport (I know right) and what I call battling for the ball- the ref called foul play. I haven't seen the Dan Burn tackle for the penalty properly, and will look out for it on the Football League Show- however from where I sit it looked an awful decision, which I think the linesman gave given the amount of time between the "foul" and the Penalty being awarded. In a weird way I think his awful refereeing may have actually helped us though, the crowd were really riled up especially in the time period directly after the Penalty and I think that weirdly got everyone more behind the team and generated a better atmosphere, which can sometimes dwindle in these types of "gritty" games.
Overall, as I've said previously I'd rate this as one of our best performances of the season- and we learnt so much about the team ethic, and belief that Kit has instilled into them in this kind of game rather than a much more comfortable game.
Thanks for reading, any and all feedback is appreciated on these blogs as I'm always looking to improve on my writing style- so if you see anything you think I should change just tell me. Thanks again. KIT SYMONS BLACK AND WHITE ARMY!
I'd like to start by saying... What do I know eh? In my Preview for this game I said I wouldn't start Sean Kavanagh. It surprised me to an extent he was starting, but when I was watching the warm-ups I had an inkling Stafylidis would be at Left-Back because he was warming up with the defence, so I thought Kit had went the way of Penfold and gone off the deep-end! However, credit where its due, Kavanagh had a very good game in Central Midfield against a very strong midfield he also took his goal very well. Kit has obviously seen a lot more of him than I have, and in his post match interview he said Kavanagh has a good left peg on him- so hopefully that isn't the last goal we see from him this season. I don't know if Norwich didn't expect him to play, or simply like 99% of people at the ground today thought Kavanagh simply couldn't shoot- but he had acres of space, and he took the chance well.
It would be a disservice for me not to talk about all 4 Defenders in the game today, they were sublime. Nikolay Bodurov was outstanding, simply outstanding. When he first came in I thought he would be a "squad depth" player, and his height definitely deterred me knowing how physical and "Route One" oriented some teams in the division can be, however he has taken the Championship in his stride. This isn't me saying this after one good game, if you follow me on Twitter- or even look at the Fulham programme against Blackburn you'll see that I've been singing his praises for a while now. He reads the game extraordinarily well, and his anticipation of what is going to happen- almost before it happens means he's seldom caught flat-footed and it makes me wonder what the outcome would have been against Blackburn if Bodurov had started instead of Hutchinson and Bodurov is much more disciplined. He also surprisingly given his height, has coped with the aerial threat of players amazingly. He as a great spring and he was winning headers against Jerome quite frequently today which definitely helped the defence as a whole. Overall he was my MOTM today, with only LVC really challenging him for that.
Stafylidis and Kavanagh almost as a Double Line of defence on the Left-Hand side for us wasn't what I expected, but it worked very well as they limited Redmond to just a few opportunities and he has the potential to change a game. I thought Stafylidis played very well, and his pace was a definite advantage today as I thought it would be against a Norwich team who have (slightly) an imbalance between physicality and pace in my opinion. Hoogland going off was unfortunate, however Kit has said he's fine concussion wise and was taken off because he was ill in mid-week, but didn't want to miss the game (tell me about it Tim). Zverotic coming on makes me wonder what Kay Vosers role at the club will be, as I didn't think he was "awful" in any specific game- and I know people were slating him after Reading but we were ridiculously stretched in every area during that game, so I don't think its fair to flag up any specific player as a bad performance in that game. Zverotic was "ok". He didn't do an awful lot of things wrong, or right- He was just kind of there. He looked really uncertain on the ball, and Neil Adams definitely picked up on that because for the last 15 minutes of the first half (roughly) he switched wings to have Redmond play up against Zverotic, but thankfully he was ok- and he had good cover in LVC so he wasn't completely shown up like i feared he would be once I saw they'd made the switch. Dan Burn was another good performer today, and he will be crucial to us in "these" games where we won't necessarily run away with it like we did against Bolton and we need to dig in and cope with all of the balls being launched into the box etc., which we did today surprisingly well in my opinion given the number of aerial threats they had in the box. Something also has to be said for Bettinelli, and something (surprisingly) that I said has come true, in that I said we needed a consistent back three pairing and it would be B Cubed. I know Norwich only had one shot on target today, but that can also paint Bettinelli in a positive light as I felt he came for balls really well- and the relationship between the Back Three is a very solid foundation for Kit, or whomever should take charge one would presume in the near future.
This is going to be a long blog, that was just the defence!
The Midfield as I've previously alluded to when talking about Kavanagh performed well given the circumstances, and the players facing off against them. Parker can frustrate me at times because of his complete lack of a creative spark and ability to play an accurate pass once its out of his 5 Yard Perimeter, however today he really dug in and fought which is what we needed from our captain- and was definitely needed in this type of game where we had little possession (38%?). The same can be said for LVC who I thought was great today, once again he fought for every ball and showed determination and spirit- a reflection on the man at the helm. He's surprised me, in that when he started against Blackburn I wasn't necessarily opposed to it as it was another "New Beginning" but the absence of Hyndman and/or Chris David in the Starting Eleven surprised me. However as I said in my preview blog for this game, he's more than earned his place in the team with his performances- and as long as he performs to the level he did today I don't have a major issue with him keeping Hyndman out of the team. I was surprised to see statistically (WhoScored) that Ruiz was rated as one of our better players today, however I realised that "statistically" Ruiz will always be rated highly because of his pass completion, touches etc. so I don't mind it now as much as I when I got home from the game and saw it. He didn't seem up for it today, perhaps understandably after coming back from where ever Costa Rica (presumably a CONCACAF region) so I'm not writing his performance as the Bryan we know and got frustrated with in prior seasons is firmly back.
The Strikers were the only major concern for me, they weren't even bad. McCormack has shocked me, in that I thought he was "just" a goalscorer- which was why I was questioning why we didn't go after Jordan Rhodes who prior to signing a new contract was available (allegedly) for £8 Million. What we've bought is a player with a sublime work ethic, and a team ethos that really embodies what Fulham is about in my opinion. His run to free space up for the goal was great, and showed how unselfish he is- which is something I thought he would be given the number of goals he was involved (Goals or Assists) at Leeds, I thought he would be desperate for the ball and seek it out at every opportunity. However instead he's proven himself to be a very smart player, and he understands (which some strikers don't) that it doesn't matter if you're not on the end of the cross to finish as long as someone is- and if he can draw a man away from the person in order to make it easier for him to finish he should do that. Rodallega was so frustrating today. I know why he's in the team, and he is one of- if not our best "finisher" in the team. However the one thing he most definitely isn't is a Target Man. Launching Balls up to Hugo didn't work the first time, so lets just keep trying it! This is not to say I don't value Hugo's work ethic and general team play- which is something Kit seems to value highly. However if we need a Target Man on the pitch, which is clearly a part of our game plan why don't we play Woodrow (was he injured or tired to not even make the bench?) or Smith who despite his tackle against Reading still has some value to the team because of his height, and especially in the last 15-20 Minutes we definitely could have used a player who could of held the ball up a bit more and give the defence (and me) some time to breath. Dembele's cameo was decent enough, he's still a bit too selfish on the ball for my liking- and from where I sit (H2) I felt he should of buried the chance he got from roughly 6 Yards.
I'm not completely full of positives however. The Ref was abysmal today. He didn't seem to realise that Football is still a contact sport (I know right) and what I call battling for the ball- the ref called foul play. I haven't seen the Dan Burn tackle for the penalty properly, and will look out for it on the Football League Show- however from where I sit it looked an awful decision, which I think the linesman gave given the amount of time between the "foul" and the Penalty being awarded. In a weird way I think his awful refereeing may have actually helped us though, the crowd were really riled up especially in the time period directly after the Penalty and I think that weirdly got everyone more behind the team and generated a better atmosphere, which can sometimes dwindle in these types of "gritty" games.
Overall, as I've said previously I'd rate this as one of our best performances of the season- and we learnt so much about the team ethic, and belief that Kit has instilled into them in this kind of game rather than a much more comfortable game.
Thanks for reading, any and all feedback is appreciated on these blogs as I'm always looking to improve on my writing style- so if you see anything you think I should change just tell me. Thanks again. KIT SYMONS BLACK AND WHITE ARMY!
Friday, 17 October 2014
Fulham vs Norwich- Preview
Hello! Its been a while since I've done a Fulham Blog for a number of reasons, but I'm back now and will be doing these previews and reviews for every game again.
We're back from the International Break, and we are still yet to appoint a new manager- you have to assume the 5-Man Panel will be getting close to appointing someone as to put it into perspective- Kit was the manager for two games prior to Bolton, we then beat Bolton 4-0 which resulted in Dougie Freedman being sacked, and Bolton have appointed their new manager. I know we'll want to take our time over the appointment, but it could get to the point when it just harms Kits position at the helm similar to when Chelsea appointed Rafa Benitez as their "Interim" and you could tell the players weren't really playing for him for quite a while.
Now onto the game itself, we always seem to do well against Norwich *touch wood*, which makes me hopeful of getting something from the game tomorrow. When Orlando Sa gets you a point against them you know we're someones "bogey team". However different to prior seasons, Norwich look like the stable juggernaut in comparison to us. Norwich are sitting top of the pile and we're still in the Relegation Zone which hopefully won't be the case for much longer. However the League Position in our case I'd like to believe is a false position given we gave every other team a 7 game head start.
The Team Selection for the game is pretty straightforward in my opinion, with Amorebieta injured and the players Norwich have in Redmond I think Stafylidis dropping to Left-Back is a must as his pace could counter Redmonds. I've seen some people picking Kavanagh in their team with Stafylidis continuing in his Centre-Mid role, however with Kavanagh I'm not sold on him- and with a tricky winger like Nathan Redmond likely to be up against whomever we pick at Left-Back we need someone who has Pace in abundance. I also think with Russell Martin likely to be at Right-Back for Norwich we need someone who can make overlapping runs effectively. The other three defenders have picked themselves in my opinion; Burn, Bodurov and Hoogland. I'd be very surprised if there is any variation in these three.
Bettinelli should continue in goal and I think he will. Joronen going out on Loan was something I suggested in my Deadline Day Preview blog, as he'd shown himself to be a good shot stopper in the games against Wolves and Ipswich especially- however his distribution was atrocious and you could tell he was very low on confidence, which was symptomatic of our previous manager in my opinion. I saw an article over the International Break that we allegedly tried to get Mark Schwarzer on loan, and I think it'd be a good move on our part, he showed in the games he did get at Chelsea last season that he's still a very capable goalkeeper- and most definitely would do a job in the Championship and would provide a good person to learn from for Bettinelli. However if the article was to be believed the offer was rebuffed due to uncertainty over Cechs future, and I have no objections to Bettinelli continuing in goal.
The Midfield situation has become a lot clearer in my opinion after Amorebietas injury. As I've previously said, I'd have Stafylidis drop to Left-Back, therefore there is a Central Midfield spot open; which would bring in Hyndman. Hyndman is someone who I thought should have been starting instead of LVC prior to the Bolton game, however I think LVC has earned his place in the starting eleven; not to say Hyndman hasn't. However Kit clearly sees something in Stafylidis as a Central Midfielder as such that was the midfield three, but now (in my opinion) Stafylidis is required to drop back down to Left-Back Hyndman is the only worthy candidate to replace him in my opinion.
The Attacking Three is a little bit more complicated. I saw multiple articles that had quotes from Ruiz saying he wanted to leave in January, and his agent specifically quoted Werder Bremen. This brings up the old question of "Do you play a player who wants to leave?" In this case I think Yes. Ruiz is undoubtedly (on paper) the best player in the Championship. His performance against Bolton showed what he was capable of, and in the "big games" such as this one tomorrow I hope Ruiz can show what he's made of. The two that play in front of Ruiz is also a bit tricky in my opinion, however I can't see a reason why Rodallega and McCormack shouldn't continue, provided we have Woodrow and/or Smith to provide a physical presence we may need against a Defender like Michael Turner, however if we get our gameplan right and use Rodallega and McCormacks pace advantage we could be in for a good game.
Team I'd Pick for Norwich
Bettinelli
Hoogland Bodurov Burn Stafylidis
Hyndman Parker LVC
Ruiz
McCormack Rodallega
Thanks for reading, I'll be back with my Norwich review sometime tomorrow evening after I get back from the game. I hope you enjoyed reading, any and all feedback is appreciated.
We're back from the International Break, and we are still yet to appoint a new manager- you have to assume the 5-Man Panel will be getting close to appointing someone as to put it into perspective- Kit was the manager for two games prior to Bolton, we then beat Bolton 4-0 which resulted in Dougie Freedman being sacked, and Bolton have appointed their new manager. I know we'll want to take our time over the appointment, but it could get to the point when it just harms Kits position at the helm similar to when Chelsea appointed Rafa Benitez as their "Interim" and you could tell the players weren't really playing for him for quite a while.
Now onto the game itself, we always seem to do well against Norwich *touch wood*, which makes me hopeful of getting something from the game tomorrow. When Orlando Sa gets you a point against them you know we're someones "bogey team". However different to prior seasons, Norwich look like the stable juggernaut in comparison to us. Norwich are sitting top of the pile and we're still in the Relegation Zone which hopefully won't be the case for much longer. However the League Position in our case I'd like to believe is a false position given we gave every other team a 7 game head start.
The Team Selection for the game is pretty straightforward in my opinion, with Amorebieta injured and the players Norwich have in Redmond I think Stafylidis dropping to Left-Back is a must as his pace could counter Redmonds. I've seen some people picking Kavanagh in their team with Stafylidis continuing in his Centre-Mid role, however with Kavanagh I'm not sold on him- and with a tricky winger like Nathan Redmond likely to be up against whomever we pick at Left-Back we need someone who has Pace in abundance. I also think with Russell Martin likely to be at Right-Back for Norwich we need someone who can make overlapping runs effectively. The other three defenders have picked themselves in my opinion; Burn, Bodurov and Hoogland. I'd be very surprised if there is any variation in these three.
Bettinelli should continue in goal and I think he will. Joronen going out on Loan was something I suggested in my Deadline Day Preview blog, as he'd shown himself to be a good shot stopper in the games against Wolves and Ipswich especially- however his distribution was atrocious and you could tell he was very low on confidence, which was symptomatic of our previous manager in my opinion. I saw an article over the International Break that we allegedly tried to get Mark Schwarzer on loan, and I think it'd be a good move on our part, he showed in the games he did get at Chelsea last season that he's still a very capable goalkeeper- and most definitely would do a job in the Championship and would provide a good person to learn from for Bettinelli. However if the article was to be believed the offer was rebuffed due to uncertainty over Cechs future, and I have no objections to Bettinelli continuing in goal.
The Midfield situation has become a lot clearer in my opinion after Amorebietas injury. As I've previously said, I'd have Stafylidis drop to Left-Back, therefore there is a Central Midfield spot open; which would bring in Hyndman. Hyndman is someone who I thought should have been starting instead of LVC prior to the Bolton game, however I think LVC has earned his place in the starting eleven; not to say Hyndman hasn't. However Kit clearly sees something in Stafylidis as a Central Midfielder as such that was the midfield three, but now (in my opinion) Stafylidis is required to drop back down to Left-Back Hyndman is the only worthy candidate to replace him in my opinion.
The Attacking Three is a little bit more complicated. I saw multiple articles that had quotes from Ruiz saying he wanted to leave in January, and his agent specifically quoted Werder Bremen. This brings up the old question of "Do you play a player who wants to leave?" In this case I think Yes. Ruiz is undoubtedly (on paper) the best player in the Championship. His performance against Bolton showed what he was capable of, and in the "big games" such as this one tomorrow I hope Ruiz can show what he's made of. The two that play in front of Ruiz is also a bit tricky in my opinion, however I can't see a reason why Rodallega and McCormack shouldn't continue, provided we have Woodrow and/or Smith to provide a physical presence we may need against a Defender like Michael Turner, however if we get our gameplan right and use Rodallega and McCormacks pace advantage we could be in for a good game.
Team I'd Pick for Norwich
Bettinelli
Hoogland Bodurov Burn Stafylidis
Hyndman Parker LVC
Ruiz
McCormack Rodallega
Thanks for reading, I'll be back with my Norwich review sometime tomorrow evening after I get back from the game. I hope you enjoyed reading, any and all feedback is appreciated.
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