Just my opinion, but the writing may be on the wall for Dempsey. He is going to have to play great this season to earn playing time, because now he has to battle with Gera, Duff Davies and the Dembele kid, who I thought showed great pace and skill. That kid will get some PT with Hughes. Not sure where Dempsey will fit in this year. I personally would love to see him play a lots of full 90 min matches, especially on the right or left wings. but something tells me he may not be at Fulham after this season. Just a gut instinct now. Lots of matches left, and who knows what will happen. Btw, I know Hughes is a decent manager, credit to him, but i still chalk this draw up to Hodgson. he taught these guys how to play disciplined soccer, and I think they are still utilizing his tactics.
Yup. The guy has been tentative in finding the ball but, when he did have it, he did all right. Great game for Fulham to slug it out with ManU and come off even. Dempsey did OK. A "6" from me.
Its going to be tough, but you have to figure that there will also be some injuries as Davies and Gera are both getting up there in years. Hughes still appears like he is feeling out the line up. I thought Dmbele looked good, but I also thought Deuce had a pretty nice game as well. He's become sort of a swashbuckler of a player at this level, always brings something different, always unpredictable. If he wants to be a consistent starter, he will have to put the ball in the back of the net. I though he and Zamora linked up well. Anyway, that type of competition in the squad is good for the team, and in the long run, good for dempsey. from what i've seen of fulham in the first two games they still have a very solid squad and should be capable of atleast pushing for the Europa spot so long as they can stay healthy and keep the hangleland - hughes partnership intact.
In the event this is a serious question, FSC takes the international feed produced by the Premier League, so Darke was doing the game for that company.
FSC is a shell owned by Murdoch who owns skysports in the UK. They add a tiny amount of window dressing to make believe there really is something American. But it is basically skysports from the UK.
Yes he started and play alright. but he was subbed off in the 60th min. Last season he usually went 80-90. and like I said, the Dembele kid looks like he has tons of potential and was certainly quicker than Demps. Dempsey should start, but on the left or right wing. he is not going to beat out Gera or Dembele for the forward position. So he'll have to earn PT ahead of Etuhu, Duff or Davies for most of the season - no simple task.
Tentative in finding the ball? You're going to have to explain that. He wasn't making runs off the ball? He wasn't asking for the ball?
Lost in traffic and not aggressive enough to show up for the ball, not a lot of touches for his time on the field. When he did get the ball though, he did pretty well.
He was too high up early on, which is part of the reason they struggled at the start. Fulham started playing a lot better when he moved closer to the midfield.
Well Dempsey always seems to play better when he has to prove himself in the past. We'll see how this plays out.
just FYI, Deuce got a 6 from skysports, tied for lowest among the starters. I thought he was quite OK, but definitely did not agree with posters who were saying how great he was and how weird that he got subbed.
Totally agree. I didn't think Dempsey was great either, but they suffered a great deal when he came off, possession-wise. I think the key was that Dempsey was floating between United's central midfield and back line and causing an annoyance, even if it often didn't lead to much. Dembele, on the other hand, was either pushing up next to Zamora and contending with Evans and Vidic, or coming all the way back to midfield and having to deal with Scholes and Fletcher. He just made it easier for United to defend him.
Fulham is my team, with or without Dempsey. Always has been. And Dempsey is my favorite Nat. But I do worry that many BS posters talk him up too much. He has had some great games, and I agree with you, today he was so so. But you read some of the posts on this particular thread and you would think that he was a monster today. Not even close. I liked his effort, and I loved the touch to Etuhu. But he is not the end all be all for Fulham's chances of victory. Im not commenting on Dempsey's ability to change games and help the team. He is a very good player, and capable of magic at any time. But he is not the main cog in the wheel that some claim he is. Fulham is great because different players step up on different days. Some days Dempsey is the best on the pitch. Today he was alright.
I agree he's going to have a tough time with consistent starts. He has neither speed nor "energizerbunnyitis", both of which are useful attributes in this league. Fulham may be the best club he can play on in EPL and still get consistent playing time. He might do better with a bigger club in one of the other leagues where skill on ball carries more emphasis than speed.
Watching liverpool right now, Hodgs really needs players who understand his system and know how to be creative inside the structure he likes to create. Dempsey could really help this team as a creative attacking player. Also, they need a player like Etuhu and can then get rid of Lucas forever. He is probably the most worthless player in the entire EPL.
Liverpool needs an effing new central midfielder to partner Gerrard because Lucas is getting on my nerves, and Masch looks on his way out. It was aggravating to see the midfield dominated so easily. I think they need to revert to a 4-2-3-1 with Kuyt behind Torres and Cole out wide, and Dempsey could fit in over on the other side.
Wasn't it part of Hodgson's going to Liverpool that he not take any Fulham players with him? Is Liverpool even a possibility at his point?
From my post in the Holden thread comparing him to Dempsey: Hughes was a workhorse--a Tevez-type player and I think there are times Clint could put a bit more pressure on the opposition. By the way, I thought that Duff was pretty weak and hopefully CD can find some time on the outside as well. The one thing CD brings that Gera doesn't (don't know about the new guy yet) is a physical presence. He and Zamora are a handful and if they play like that against weaker teams--which is everybody other than the top 5, they should do fine this year. Any result where ManU drops points is a good one.
that is pretty funny. the entire match against ManU I thought Dempsey really could care less about the match. He was in the moment when the ball came his way, and had at least 5 good bordering on great moments, but I think he just doesnt care for this team and this coach anymore. I felt he was on his way out as early as late last season. I guess the people who followed him at the Revs know him best, but I would say, best guess, he could care less about Sparky's new adventures. Moyes, just pick him up already. You needed him the last two matches as well. With Flhair in the middle as creative dmid, arteta as acm, dempsey out wide and that midget from SA on the other side you would hit 5th or 6th without a problem. do it you cheap Scotsman.