Cant believe people are downplaying that error on the clearance. Hugely ugly. No way Fulham can stay up with Ream as a starter.
The way the two sides that were promoted was telling, one played trying not to get embarrassed and the other one went for the win.
I don't think that's quite fair to Fulham. In the Championship, they were a team focused on retaining possession. Ream led the league in completed passes for a reason. So they're trying to continue to do that, but it's a lot harder to retain possession and create chances against Arsenal's press than it is against QPR's. It's a strategy absolutely doomed to fail in the Premier League again because they don't have the personnel to do it. But they weren't exactly sitting back and playing hoofball - they still had 45% possession, and they completed more passes in Arsenal's half than Arsenal completed in Fulham's.
I had a slightly more positive take. Fulham hung in pretty well for most of the game. They had a good possession percentage, passed it quickly. It was a bit of a freak goal that put them behind in the first half. But these things seem to happen to Ream. Let's see what reinforcements they bring in. I'm not ready to relegate them yet.
Ream on the bench today, Fulham's fortunes only get worse. 4-1 to Leeds in the 57th minute. Hector and Odoi are the CB pairing.
Pulled a couple of goals back, but lost 4-3. Might Fulham's defensive issues be so great that they cannot be solved merely by benching Tim Ream?
Everybody expected them to be in the relegation battle anyway. Same for WBA. Actually, if you look at rosters, Leeds should be the #1 candidate for relegation. The only reason people give them any chance is Bielsa. But with those players, surviving is going to be tough, even for him.
Yes, the team that won the Championship by 10 points is the #1 candidate for relegation. The last time a team won the Championship by that much was 2010. Newcastle finished 12th in the subsequent Premier League season, avoiding relegation by 7 points. The last time a team won the First Division (league name choice on purpose) by that much and were relegated in the next season was in 1997. Let's look at the league winners with that margin in the interim. Reading: won the Championship by 16 in 2006, finished 8th in the next Premier League season. Manchester City: won the First Division by 10 in 2002, finished 9th in the next Premier League season. Fulham: won the First Division by 10 points in 2001, finished 13th in the next Premier League season. Sunderland: won the First Division by 18 points in 1999, finished 7th in the next Premier Leagye season. How can you possibly think that Leeds is the "#1 candidate for relegation?" Just an unbelievably unrealistic assessment of the sport. No one should take your instinctively negative takes seriously.
The coach speaks, and it sounds all-too-familiar ... https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/every-word-scott-parker-said-18964614 "... it's about a mindset when it comes to defending. A bulb that goes off in your head when you need to understand certain moments in football matches are critical - where you have to be on high alert because in the Premier League at any given moment where you're nice and relaxed mode and putting them under pressure - if you can't change that and be aggressive and sense that danger you're going to struggle." "That's what we need to improve on. Of course, there are individual mistakes but the biggest issue for me is understanding that certain moment you need to show another side and it comes from deep in the belly. At times we're too nice, we don't recognize that we can't go from in possession to within split seconds the ball's in the net through something you don't see coming. My current pregame speech carries this message. "Now remember, when things look bad and it looks like you're not gonna make it, then you gotta get mean. I mean plumb, mad-dog mean. 'Cause if you lose your head and you give up goals, then you neither live nor win. That's just the way it is." Then our trainer normally has his say. "Anyone gets hit, sing out, and we'll slap iron to it. It's the fastest way to stop the bleeding."
What do you mean by this? One person said Leeds is most likely to be relegated, instead of Fulham. He simply provided extensive proof that a team that did as well as Leeds did in the 2nd division usually doesn't get relegated the next year. Why does he need to pump brakes?
Um, I haven't heard anyone else suggest that Leeds is the likeliest candidate for relegation this year. You're basically saying that they will end up in last place like Norwich City did this past season right? Most pundits are actually predicting a mid to upper table finish for them. I think you are alone on an island with this one.
They got to the top of the Championship thanks to Bielsa. I'm not saying they are the #1 candidate for relegation, but that looking at the rosters, they should be. But they are not, because of the coach. Leeds total market value is £140m. Even Fulham is valued higher (£173m).
Because of their coach, they could flame out dramatically as well. No one is as high risk, high reward as Bielsa. It is a long season. They certainly look like they can score.
I reckon so, but it's Josey, and in this thread we've got something known as a Fulham relegation ride. Sometimes, trouble just follows a player.