Brum @ Fulham 8/13

[Godalfree]

The boys in Royal Blue(or Sky blue if you have seen the new kits) start their Prem. Season this sat. at Craven Cottage.

Do you think we can start it off with a bang?

Fulham looked awful at the MLS All-star game but the Blues preseason had its downs as well.

Nafti who was on loan from Racing Santander last season and was purchased this off season is out for at least half the season with a serious Knee injury. That puts Butt as our starting D-Mid for Sat. game. This should also allow Izzet to play in a more attacking role.

King Kenny is iffy for Sat. due to bruised Ribs so that makes for a backline of Melchiot--Talyor--Upson--Clapham.
The Midfield should be
---------Butt---------
Pennant-----Gray/Laz/Pandiani(?)
--------Izzet--------
with Heskey and Forsell up top.

Btw, The game will be on FSC at 3 eastern on Sat. I think thats a tape delay but I could be wrong.

[GitongaSimba]

Saw the game on the telly, and I was okay with what I saw. Fulham did look a bit lost, but the Blues' performance was not stellar. Forsell provided a boost when he came on--you could tell the Fulham back line started to get nervous after his first (and last) shot. We really need to be starting Forsell with Heskey, with Pandiani coming off the bench to provide energy. Melchiot and Upson both looked good. Our midfield still does not have the required work rate, but it's early in the season yet, and Pennant looked especially sharp. Come on Brum!

[Godalfree]

I agree with most of what you said but I thought Melchiot didn't look very good on Saturday. There were alot of passes on the ground that went out of bounds on the right side of the pitch. I expect more out of Melchiot the next game because he is damn good roght back.

My main problem with the game was the complete lack creativity. Almost every time we got the ball it was bang it over the top (against a 6'7" Knight) or send it out wide to Pennant. We cannot make any plays throught the middle of the park because Bruce started two def. mids in Butt and Clemence.

If I were Bruce, I would taken out Clemence at about 80 mins. and put Izzet in as a attacking mid. (Bruce did not use his 3rd sub.)

Overall, a point on the road is not a bad way to start a season but if 5 games into the season and we continue to have a complete lack of a "attack", I will be an angry fan.

[GitongaSimba]

I hear you. Melchiot to me looked to be doing his job (i.e., he kept a clean sheet), but to be honest, I wasn't following him nearly as closely as the boys further up front. I agree completely about the lack of creativity in mid-field--I put this down mostly to lack of fitness, since I liked what I saw from Pennant. I think our solution is to find a hard-man holding midfielder, of which there are very, very few at the highest level. Imagine what Pennant and Izzet could do up front if we had an Ince (I mean back in his Serie A days). I don't know that our problem is as much lack of quality attack-minded mid fielders as much as we don't have anyone that can cover for them when they do decide to roam forward. I say we use the money from Morrison's sale and buy ourselves a decent defensive midfielder.