From the 10's of minutes I watched, Ream was pretty darn shaky defensively. He didn't react to balls in his areas w/ much urgency and he lacked athleticism to clear danger when challenged. I think we're having a different conversation right now if one of those balls go into the back in the net. Then we're looking back at who to blame. Instead it's job done, even though he's not the one who did the job. He can ping a ball around, especially when there's not pressure. But he's not a guy you can count on defensively at this borderline EPL level let alone in the real thing. And he's going to have to do a lot of defending if they get promoted and he plays. He might be more suitable as a squad player for Arsenal than Fulham, frankly. It's not linear. But he's not a starter for any EPL club that plans to stay up or come near meeting expectations.
I think that's high. No super-important defensive plays, solid passing performance. More like a 6 for me. He really wasn't in charge in the back - none of the traditional once-a-game disasters like for the USMNT, but he failed to make the great play more than a few times.
[tweet]A little West London affair then#BREFUL #BrentfordFC pic.twitter.com/xDI0J9eW61— Brentford FC (@BrentfordFC) July 30, 2020
Way high. He missed on 30% of his pass attempts and was 2 for 7 in aerial challenges. For a guy who leads the Championship in passes completed per match, that's a terrible day at the office.
Hmm after looking at some of his whoscored statistics, I'll concede. His pass completion rating wasn't that high, especially compared to his normal standard. I guess I was swayed because he wasn't at fault for either goal. Btw, where are you getting the stat of him being 2 for 7 in aerial challenges from?
"Harris on missing the crowd in the first leg: ‘We needed a twelfth man second half and didn’t have it. I’ve played it down before, but I thought that affected us for the first time. Craven Cottage is not a place where you get an unbelievable atmosphere, no disrespect to Fulham.’"
Ream, a Rock of the Championship. Remember, he has 3 Player of the Season (2 for Bolton and 1 for Fulham).
The last few games were an aberration from the prior form. Brentford are going to be favored to win this one.
Cairney is not cut out for the EPL. If they can bring back Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, get a nice RB, and some CB options Rodak is playing well enough where they could potentially avoid the drop. But further investment beyond just that minimum is pretty much a necessity. And they need Mitro to be healthy.
The big day is finally here. BBC match preview: https://www.bbc.com/sport/football/53643480 "Victory in the match, often dubbed the richest game in football, would be worth £135m to Fulham and about £160m to Brentford over the next three years. Brentford finished third in the table, one place above Fulham on goal difference, and won both league meetings during the regular campaign." "Fulham striker Mitrovic won the Championship's golden boot this season, but the Serbia international missed both legs of the semi-final win over Cardiff City through injury. However, Parker says he has a fully fit squad for the final. Whether Mitrovic and forward Neeskens Kebano, who was withdrawn in the second leg against the Bluebirds with a hamstring issue, are fit enough to start remains to be seen."
I created a matchday thread for the nominal purpose of talking about Ream, but more because the promotion final is one of my personal highlights on the English football calendar. 8/4 Matchday Thread - Fulham v. Brentford
Ream and Fulham promoted. I thought he played already in the end. As far as the club, they invested by far more than anyone in the 'Ship, at the level of a lower PL team still, so it should be more relief that they were promoted. If they didn't bounce right back up, they could have been in bad shape next season, after absorbing a big loss. Now they get the big revenue boost to offset their expenditures, so it worked out fine in the end, after sweating to the last kick.
If he stays (no reason to think he wouldn't, his contract runs through next summer), this will be Ream's 3rd Premier League season, 2nd with Fulham.
I think Fulham game plan with to nullify Brentford’s front three, while not flashy, the plan worked successfully. Always had the potential to be a dull game, as they’ve played almost 12 1/2 games in 6 weeks.
Regardless of this game, Ream won and his career in the Championship has been remarkable. It’s a tough league to stand out and Ream has earned 2 promotions and has made the playoff 3 times. He’s also been named his team’s player of the season 3 times. Today? He managed to win a huge game with his B-game He made 47 Championship (& playoff) appearances this season and eclipsed 4200 minutes.