This is Not a Happy Ship - Notes for Fulham Friday, 25th Aug 2017 11:00 by HarryFromBath HarryfromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Saturday’s game at Portman Road by delving into their forums. “What is going on?”, “This is a very poor start to the season. After such dizzying heights last season, what a let-down”, “Three draws from four games is an atrocious start for any team with ambition”, “One thing you have to say is that we do not look like a team going up automatically, that’s for sure.” Saturday’s game is seen as season-defining by many West Londoners. With just three points gained and two goals scored in their first four league games, Cottagers believe that only a victory against an Ipswich team which struggled last season will restore belief after a faltering start to their campaign. “Ipswich and Cardiff next, we could be on three points after six games”, “We played fancied teams to start with but are now following up with playing the unfancied teams who are doing well”, “I want to be much more positive, but I can’t help thinking that another underwhelming season has started.” “We are simply not the unit we were last term.” Fulham played a brand of stylish attacking football in their race to a sixth-place finish last season and fans are perplexed by how team has apparently regressed. “Other sides have figured out how to play us and that leaves us looking very ordinary.” “Three home games, one own goal scored. What has happened to these players?”, “We create very little and look far from the races. I would go so far as to say that it could be an attitude issue”, “It’s not a good start by any stretch of the imagination because we are not, I repeat not scoring goals.” Slavisa Jokanovic (Slav)“Are the players playing for the manager?”, “I get the impression that the manager has lost heart and the players are not playing for him”, “He needs to motivate, inspire or give a kicking to these players to wake them up. He has talented players and it is down to him to get the best from them.”  Slavisa JokanovicThe 49-year-old Serbian guided Watford to promotion in 2015 and took charge of the Cottagers in December of that year, guiding them to last season’s play-offs. He has been critical of the club’s transfer policy this summer, saying this month that he is “not an important person” in their recruitment process. Fans feel that this has undermined the team’s confidence. “I’m a big supporter of Slav and feel a lot of us are in the same boat but we need to see signs of progress and not regression. Dissidence from the top affects players. He has to keep his mouth shut and focus on being the best coach he can be.” “Slav is fully to blame. Properly coached these players should be able to beat teams such as Bristol Rovers.” Tuesday night’s limp display in a 1-0 home Carabao Cup defeat to the League One Pirates reinforced perceptions that his heart wasn’t in the job. “Come on Slav, do what you’re paid to do.” “Good grief guys, let’s have some perspective here. Last season Slav exceeded our expectations and this season is very young. He’s a good guy and not a quitter. He showed his disappointment but has retained a sense of perspective”, “He has earned our patience after last season. We will improve.” Formation“Last season’s heroics were based on key players absolutely flying”, “It’s very poor. Last season we scored for fun, now we can’t even buy a goal with two new strikers”, “There is no leadership either on or off the pitch, they look rudderless at times. There are not enough characters and winners.” “We don’t have a Plan B and haven’t done for ages and it’s frustrating that many have seen this. We need a big strapping number nine to initiate a Plan B, a commanding centre-half and some guile for when our midfield goes quiet”, “We have too many similar wingers not to play in a 4-3-3 formation.” ButtonFredericksKalasReamOdoiMcDonaldJohansenCairneyAlukoFonteSessegnon
Fulham’s starting XI (above) for Saturday’s 1-0 home defeat to Sheffield Wednesday was set out in the manager’s preferred 4-3-3 shape. Striker Rui Fonte made his debut and Ryan Sessegnon played in an advanced left-sided role in the place of Lucas Piazon, who was injured in the Cottagers’ previous game at Leeds. Goals have been scarce in Fulham’s league games. They opened with two 1-1 draws, at home to the Canaries and away to Reading, playing with 10 men at the Madejski for the whole game after Tomas Kalas was dismissed in the first minute. A scoreless draw at Leeds preceded Saturday’s Owls defeat. “Our defence, once a laughing stock, has greatly improved and is a pretty solid and effective unit.” Apart from familiar concerns over keeper David Button’s composure and kicking and a wider lack of height in the back four, West Londoners have been broadly happy with the team’s defending. “Tom Cairney, Stefan Johansen and Kevin McDonald are key to our promotion hopes”, “The key to victory is getting our established midfield trio playing at the level of last year. We need to play them at every opportunity unless they are carrying injuries. Get these three firing and goals will follow.” “What is more worrying is that we haven’t dominated the ball as we did last year.” Cairney picked up a knee injury in pre-season and McDonald missed the Norwich opener with a calf injury. Fans believe that having two key midfielders playing with these knocks has made it easier to disrupt their rhythm. “Was Chris Martin the glue that held it all together?” The lack of variety and “a finisher” up front this season is the biggest concern. “We do need a big man up front”, “We need a focal point”, “We are pretty at times but needlessly casual”, “Missed opportunities again keep coming back to bite us.” “I would argue that we must have one of the smallest squads in the Championship”, “This squad is unbalanced. We have a small centre-forward when we need a more physical presence”, “We do not have enough height or physical presence and set pieces are a major concern in both penalty areas.” Fulham 0 — 1 Sheffield Wednesday“Is it still a good start to the season? When we were unbeaten opinion was divided but after a spectacularly insipid performance which had little decent to recall, what now?” “What can I say? After a bright start, we just deteriorated until we were well beaten. We lost the midfield battle.” The Owls won their first game of the season last Saturday courtesy of Stephen Fletcher’s 65th minute volley. “Not one midfield player took hold of the game”, “We know teams are going to harry us and Wednesday are masters of it”, “Our passing had no penetration from midfield to the forwards.” “A lacklustre, couldn’t-get-going display that we have rarely seen since this manager arrived”, “We were very predictable and lacked creativity”, “A horrible performance from us attacking-wise. We played like a bunch of strangers”, “We needed service to the frontline and today we didn’t have it.” Leeds 0 — 0 Fulham“A good performance by the lads and a good point, Leeds is a tough place to go”, “Impressive how our two diminutive centre-halves kept Chris Wood quiet the whole game”, “Leeds’ rough play is what we are going to get from a few teams to stop us playing. We need to toughen up a bit.” “Nine first-half goal attempts, none on target”, Fulham had the better or a lively stalemate with frontman Aboubakar Kamara going close before the interval. The hosts were more dominant after half-time. “We forgot what we were doing well. It’s that, or Leeds deserve credit for neutralising us.” “We were great in the first half. Leeds couldn’t cope with our passing. We found players in pockets of space time and again but without creating many clear chances. The second half was scrappier and we weren’t able to get hold of the ball in the same way. It was a good game played at a high tempo.” ButtonFredericksOdoiReamSessegnonCisseMcDonaldJohansenAlukoKamaraPiazon
The starting XI (above) saw Jokanovic play two primarily holding midfielders with the injured Cairney replaced by Ibrahima Cisse. Tomas Kalas was suspended after his dismissal at Reading so Denis Odoi filled in at centre-half and was praised by Cottagers for his handling of Leeds striker and one-time Blues loanee Chris Wood. Fulham 0 — 1 Bristol Rovers (Carabao Cup)“One shot on target in 82 minutes of football against League One opposition at home is awful”, “I’m sorry but this is a joke. Even at home to lower-league opponents our expensive continental frontline looks totally impotent. Our goalie is the only reason Rovers are not out of sight”, “Get a grip, FFC.” Ellis Harrison won the game for the Pirates when he rounded keeper Marcus Bettinelli and slotted the ball home after 12 minutes. The manner of this defeat to League One opposition alarmed fans as much as the result itself. It was a listless display in which the visitors’ goal was rarely threatened. “We are out”, “We were awful this evening. Our movement was poor, build-up play was ponderous and passing quality was oddly lacking”, “A demoralising defeat”, “The Fulham second XI was fielded and should be good enough to beak Bristol Rovers down and beat them but they were impotent.” BettinelliS SessegnonMadlDjaloEdunCisseO'RileyNorwoodOjoKamaraKebano
“Collectively our second string is not good enough.” The starting line-up (above) was largely made up of reserves, but included Ryan Sessegnon’s younger brother Steven at right-back, Brighton loan signing Oliver Norwood in midfield and Liverpool loanee Sheyi Ojo making a debut on the right flank. Goalkeepers and Defenders“David Button’s flying start this season can only be a good thing.” The 28-year-old former Brentford keeper “is capable of decent stops, but flawed when it comes to distribution. He seems to panic when he is put under pressure”, “A decent shot-stopper, but his poor awareness worries me when he’s on the ball.”  David Button playing for former club Brentford“Most of Button’s mistakes are him trying to do too much with the ball”, “He doesn’t command his area. He is shocking with the ball at his feet and his kicking is awful”, “If he is our number one choice, let’s hope for his sake he has got his confidence back and has worked hard improving his kicking.” “The attacking play of Ryan Fredericks was key to our success last year.” The 24-year-old played for Middlesbrough in 2015 on loan from then-parent club Spurs and scored a memorable winning goal against Town for another of his former loan clubs Millwall at the Den in January 2014. “Not many right-backs have his kind of pace”, “Fredericks tore Norwich’s James Husband apart time and again in the opening league game.” “Attacking the wings seems to be Fredericks’s natural game”, “He is a speedy full-back with a short fuse”, “He was targeted by a number of cynical teams with a few to getting him sent off last season”, “he is a hot-head and would be a stronger player if he could be coached into controlling his temper.” “Denis Odoi seems a bit of a hero. He is suited to a defensive back four in a wide position but can do such a good job at centre-half.” The 29-year-old former Lokeren man “is absolutely brilliant in any position across the backline. He’s so calm, confident and assured on the ball it’s quite ridiculous.” “I like Odoi as a footballer. He makes vital interceptions and carries the ball out of defence, going on good forward runs”, “He does not let you down, has great versatility and is a great option to have in the squad”, “He’s cool on the ball and doesn’t miss many passes, and is surprisingly good in the air.” “Tim Ream playing on with his teeth knocked out and nose smashed at Leeds was superb. He has got guts.” The 29-year-old ex-Bolton centre-half “leads by example, composed, solid and hard-working”, “Our most improved player last season, Tim has turned into a key player and he plays his heart out.”  Tim Ream“Ream seems to have become Mr Consistency, rarely putting a foot wrong. He has really progressed since Slav came in”, “A good ball-playing defender who suits our style of play but he gets outmuscled or outpaced a little too often”, “He takes command of the back four and reads the game so well.” Tomas Kalas“He’s a good lad that Tomas Kalas.” The 24-year-old is on a second loan spell from Chelsea. “He’s a proven performer who was one of the best centre-backs in the Championship last season. He’s not always the greatest distributor of the ball but a solid defender who makes great last-ditch tackles.”  Tomas Kalas“Kalas knows our style of play, he has quite good pace and is good on the ball”, “He’s an important part of our jigsaw”, “Good with the ball at his feet, aggressive and very good in the air for his size”, “He’s borderline Premier League quality and will improve”, “Our best defender by a laughing mile.” Central Midfielders“Oliver Norwood should have provided the necessary class and composure against Bristol Rovers but I have never seen so many pinged 35-yard cross-field balls out to the wings. By the time the wingers managed to bring them down, they had a man on them”, “Nice passes but he doesn’t create much.”  Norwood“Norwood makes some intelligent passes but he fails to make an impact on the game and it passes him by.” The 26-year-old ex-Royal is on a season-long loan from Brighton. “Not for me, a sideways machine with very little spark”, “It looks like he’s looking for the most difficult pass to execute.” “Ibrahima Cisse is very good, very mobile and he disrupts the opposition play well.” The 23-year-old July addition from Standard Liege “was as good as anyone in our midfield at Leeds, running tirelessly around breaking up play, tackling and delivering passes”, “I was surprised at how good he really is.” “Cisse has good ball control and is a decent passer, yet he is very physical with the pace and power to put in a really good tackle. He’s not having a ‘watch and learn’ season. In my mind, he’s very much a viable option in midfield”, “He doesn’t protect the back four like McDonald but that will improve.” “Kevin McDonald gives us defensive balance which helps the whole team and in particular it means that our defence doesn’t get exposed.” The 28-year-old ex-Wolves man “is the linchpin that allows Cairney and Johansen do their stuff while also protecting and covering in front of the defence”. “McDonald is Fulham’s wall, the rock on which Slav has built his church”, “We miss his physicality when he is out and it feels like there is no protection for the back four”, “He plays an important role taking the ball from defence, he breaks things up and stops opponents seeing so much of the ball.” “Stefan Johansen’s work rate is phenomenal and he makes good decisions pretty much all the time. Some of his tackling has been outstanding.” The 26-year-old former Celtic man “is one of the most deceptively clever players I have seen in a Fulham shirt in years, combining flair and determination.” “Johansen is a significant member of the golden midfield triangle”, “He has been a bit sloppy in his passing so far this season, playing defenders into trouble”, “He is not into his stride yet this season but give him the benefit of the doubt”, “The loss of Tom Cairney shackles Johansen to some extent.” Tom Cairney“Tom’s distribution was very negative against the Owls. Has he morphed into Scott Parker?” The 26-year-old former Blackburn Rovers and Hull City man “was obviously not fit enough and made no impression”, “It looks as if his knee injury is still there. He kept getting caught with the ball and his passing was below par.”  Tom Cairney playing for Blackburn“Slav is building the team around Tom. He’s the focal point of the team”, “He’s so calm on the ball and finds gaps in opposing defences like no other player. His ease in possession allows Johansen to be box-to-box and gives him the freedom to make the runs which he is so good at making.” Wide Midfielders“Neeskens Kebano’s direct approach shook things up against the Owls.” The 25-year-old ex-Genk winger has been a substitute in the last two league games. “He is always lively and has the natural trickery to go past players”, “All that pace would be blistering against a static Ipswich backline.” “Sheyi Ojo was basically invisible for the first 85 minutes against Bristol Rovers.” The 20-year-old Liverpool loanee “put in potentially the worst debut I have seen for a long time”, “He’s a versatile footballing athlete with genuine pace, but he was irritating and did not seem to get involved.” Ryan Sessegnon“Ryan was the only attacking player to get the better of his man against the Owls.” The 17-year-old played in a more advanced role on his preferred left side on Saturday. “He single-handedly started some counter-attacks with his pace. He works very hard and is often our best player going forward.”  Ryan Sessegnon“Sessegnon can’t be our left-back for the full season. He gets caught out of position regularly”, “He was stronger defensively at Leeds and didn’t threaten as much with his attacking runs”, “He seems to be more confident this season and has grown in strength”, “He’s more a winger than a full-back.” Sone Aluko“Aluko’s loss of form has reduced our creativity and especially our fluidity.” The 28-year-old former Tiger has been linked with a move to Reading this summer. “He has brilliant moments and hours of dross. Let another set of fans watch him waste chance after chance”, “He just has no end product.”  Sone Aluko“Aluko presses high, usually works hard and can take two players out of the game with a bit of skill that conjures something out of nothing. If he could finish he would be in the Premier League now”, “The novelty of his skill and hard work has worn off. We have had enough of his poor finishing now.” Strikers“Blimey, what can you say about Aboubakar Kamara? He looks very raw.” The 22-year-old July arrival from Amiens “gives us something extra when on the pitch. He’s direct and powerful, and good to use on the counter”, “He strength is running with pace in behind gaps between the full-backs and centre-halves.” “Kamara is a speedy bruiser”, “He has a great mix of pace, strength and work rate”, “I can’t decide, some good moment, some pure incompetence. At least we have someone who attacks the near post by instinct”, “We need a regular goalscorer but he’s not one. He’s another in the model of Kebano.” Rui Fonte“Very early days, but Fonte looks the business.” The 27-year-old arrival from Braga made his debut against the Owls. “He looks good and links up well, but I was surprised he was so small. We still need a physical presence up front”, “He was taking set pieces on the left and all of them were dangerous.” “Fonte put some good balls across the box and we were unlucky not to finish one”, “He might be an intelligent player but I’m worried he is not the goal poacher we desperately need”, “He’s a quick, agile and more technical striker. It will take a few games before we get used to his runs and vice-versa.” Cottagers’ Views on ITFC and the Game“Millwall have equalised against Ipswich. Good, it would be bloody annoying if the most winnable game we have on paper this month ended up being against a team that had won just four on the bounce. Damn, Ipswich have just gone 4-3 up!”, “The surprise packages so far are Ipswich.” “Unfortunately, we play Ipswich at a time when they will have more confidence and self-belief than they have had for years. It will be tough to recreate last year's superb performance, but if we get the breaks we need then anything is possible”, “I reckon we will beat Ipswich and normality will return.” Cottagers don’t run prediction leagues or tabulate forecasts but there is a fair degree of incredulity over our flying start to the campaign. Many are pinning their hopes on their belief that we have had easier games and that last season’s results between the sides reflect their view of the gulf in class. “Ipswich have played four and won four. They have had 12 shots on target in four games and nine have gone in. Waghorn has had four shots on target, all have gone in, but a little bit of luck has gone their way”, “I’m happy to bet £100 for charity that Ipswich won’t be in top six at end of the season.” “Ipswich fans can't believe they won 4-3 at Millwall. On Tuesday, everything went their way at the Den and Brentford again outplayed them for long spells, yet they had two chances and they went in. The way they play openly will suit us. Our season starts Saturday, 3-0 to Fulham. Well we can hope.” “To be brutally honest we would surely have 100 per cent if we had Ipswich’s fixtures and I doubt they would be able to string a point out of the fixtures we have had. I had Ipswich down to be relegated and I'll be proved wrong, but look at what they have had to deal with compared to us.” “The pressure is on against Ipswich and Cardiff”, “I find it hard to believe Cardiff or Ipswich will make the top six but then again you have got to start somewhere and I remember writing off Huddersfield last year. They eventually finished fifth and went up, so stranger things have happened.” They are worried about our two new strikers. “The key to victory on Saturday will depend on whether or not we can keep Waghorn and Garner out”, “I fear that Mick McCarthy along with Waghorn and Garner are going to be a bit to streetwise and wily for us.” “Consider this as well, Waghorn and Garner cost a combined £1.5 million from Glasgow Rangers [in fact it was only £1 million for the pair - TWTD] whilst Kamara cost £5 million. Either Ipswich underpaid or we have very much overpaid.” “All in all, Ipswich Town could be a defining moment. If we go down to defeat there, if we lose again the wheels will have come off, the vultures will circle and there could be casualties”, “Lose and it puts us into the position of having to not lose games so as not to start looking over our shoulder.” “Ipswich is the only early fixture where you'd look at it and say we should be winning 100 per cent”, “Well, let’s see how we perform on Saturday against a team that has a 100 per cent record. If we are a good as some supporters think, then we will get a result”, “If we lose this, we're in trouble.” WebsitesThe busiest Cottagers’ forum is the very polite and knowledgeable Friends of Fulham.
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