So yet another home against a team we would think the team has the quality to beat, but yet again they have come away with yet another frustrating draw. The inability to turn these draws into wins is becoming quite worrying. As of today, the club sit just outside the relegation zone, largely thanks to West Ham beating Wigan, which has arguably made things even closer in the lower echelons of the table.
The next four fixtures seem to be crucial. Two away trips to Arsenal and Liverpool look tough on paper but the optimist in me hopes for a sneaky point at Anfield. It is the next two home fixtures that are the definition of must-wins. Sunderland and West Ham are two more teams who we would hope the team should beat at the Cottage. If the team fail to win these two home matches then it is safe to say we will not even be averaging a point a game at the midway stage of the season.
The main point of frustration is that two months on from his injury, Mark Hughes has still yet to find a plan B in the absence of Bobby Zamora. Diomansy Kamara looked poor upfront and it took a scrappy goal from Clint Dempsey to rescue the point.
There was one major positive from Saturday. That was the return of John Pantsil. Frozen out by Mark Hughes, he looked energetic and capable of making something happen when he replaced Carlos Salcido. With Pantsil at right back with Chris Baird at left back, the team looked a lot more solid at the back and more dominant overall. Hopefully Hughes will have noticed Pantsil’s evident quality and enthusiasm.
If the team can pick up six points from the next four games, then we would be in a more secure league position with a more optimistic outlook heading into the January transfer window.
Vital Fulham on:
Vital Fulham on:
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