Tactics were wrong today...

[matthefish2002]

2 things from yesterday stick in my mind.

Fulham were miles better at keeping possesion and looked a lot fitter then Wednesday.

[Walt]

Don't think the tactics were wrong as Jos didn't have much scope to alter things. Sometimes I think you've just got to hold your hands up and admit you've lost to a better side. For my money they are the best side I've seen at Hillsborough this season, I'd love us to play with that pace and movement but for that we'd need to alter the thinking in the types of players who we sign. I was surprised at how high their back four played mind as I thought they were open to through balls to runners from midfield but we weren't good enough to exploit it. 

Who was their no.7? He was electric, he was everywhere and a real box of tricks when he came on, I might be wrong but I think he only came on because their other sub got injured.

[bradowl]

Simply came up against a better side, 19 games unbeaten says they're a very good side.

 

Warnock should be worried because Fulham are going to catch Cardiff.

[doubleo]

When they attacked they did it with numbers, leaving 2 on 2 at the back most if the time. Attacked with one on each touch line supported by another. Always seemed to have a spare man. The speed and pace of their wide men was frightening, cutting through us with passes to run onto and zipping in crosses. Great to watch. We did what we could and Bannan looked good before he went off, but we didn't really threaten much. 

[Finney on the Wing]

Was pleased to see us get to half-time level to be honest.

 

Had a feeling that the left wing overlap would pay off eventually as they always seemed to have one extra on the left.

 

Our best period was at the start of the second when we tried to pen them back in their own half - it just needed someone

 

behind the front two linking the midfield and being busy when we'd not got the ball.

 

Unfortunately, Reach is far too static for that role, Bannan had gone off and it was probably too early for Forestieri.

 

But, we only just  lost to a really good side, with players missing, so not to down-hearted really.

[Vic Flange]

Don't think tactics were wrong. We very nearly kept a flying Fulham to a nil all draw. I am not sure what some were expecting. We all know most of our best player's are missing or off the pace and we were up against probably the paciest team in the league. The team was freshened up with pace each time with kebano and ayite and we did well for so long to keep up with them.

I was happy with our performance and we are still improving under Jos.

Wawaw 

[Orlando_Trustful]

They're far better than us at present. Pass it around with pace and have a fair few fast and direct players.

 

It would be great to go back to that style like we were in 15/16. We're bloody tiresome to watch. 

[pgmetcalf]

10 hours ago, CF83OWL said:

So Fulham are great at keeping the ball....yet we allow Wildsmith to hoof the ball up field. Then we lose the 50-50 header the majority of the time and Fulham then come back at us....No wonder they had 20 plus bloody shots/attempts.

 

It was a matter of time before Fulham would score with their talent when we keep giving them the ball. 

 

Bonkers tactics. 

 

Fulhams keeper made sure he passed the ball to his defenders not to lose possession. A team without the ball cannot score! 

 

 

 

You can lose possession in any part of the pitch and it doesn't have to come from a long ball either. How many of out fans have moaned at our crab football over the last 3 seasons? Personally I would've keep booting the ball into the space behind Sessegnon and have him running the wrong way or at least tire him out. What's the point in saying anything though because nobody ever listens? 

[Guest]

10 hours ago, CF83OWL said:

So Fulham are great at keeping the ball....yet we allow Wildsmith to hoof the ball up field. Then we lose the 50-50 header the majority of the time and Fulham then come back at us....No wonder they had 20 plus bloody shots/attempts.

 

It was a matter of time before Fulham would score with their talent when we keep giving them the ball. 

 

Bonkers tactics. 

 

Fulhams keeper made sure he passed the ball to his defenders not to lose possession. A team without the ball cannot score! 

 

 

We had two players who were capable of holding the ball. One went off injured (Bannan) so our options were limited. They (Fulham)  had the advantage like most successful teams the same 15/16 players all season. Ours as been in excess 25/30 different players used. I think considering we only lost  1-0 to the form team in the league wasn't too shabby. With  a full and fit squad, we are more than a match for teams like Fulham.   

[brando]

11 hours ago, CF83OWL said:

So Fulham are great at keeping the ball....yet we allow Wildsmith to hoof the ball up field. Then we lose the 50-50 header the majority of the time and Fulham then come back at us....No wonder they had 20 plus bloody shots/attempts.

 

It was a matter of time before Fulham would score with their talent when we keep giving them the ball. 

 

Bonkers tactics. 

 

Fulhams keeper made sure he passed the ball to his defenders not to lose possession. A team without the ball cannot score

 

 

very,very true my thoughts exactly,still think jos is very limited

[Tamworthowl]

There were posts on here before the match highlighting the lack of height in the Fulham centre defence. Maybe Jos wanted to exploit that with Nuhiu and Joao winning the first header from Wildsmith's long kicks. They won a few, but we didn't get much second ball.

 

Passing across the back is all very well, but ultimately it contributed to Carlos' downfall. A lot of our play was rushed because of the Fulham midfield, had we tried to work it from Wildsmith to defender to midfield to winger all the time, it would have broken down well before Boyd's lack of pace lost us possession. I thought we mixed it up well, but playing the ball forward was getting nowhere, so we resorted to more long balls from the back.

[Lincs Owl]

12 hours ago, coopswfc76 said:

Do we ever just lose to a better side?

 

Nope.    It was always either Carlos's fault, or the refs.  Or Butterfield's, or Foxes, or Nuhiu's.

 

Fact is that Fulham are the best side I've seen this season at Hillsborough.  We would have struggled to get a point with a fully fit squad.

 

Dunno if Fulham will catch Cardiff but I hope they do.  Lovely passing team.  The time wasting in the last ten minutes was annoying though.

[frastheowl]

 

Yesterday, with Forestieri still unable to start games, we were pretty much forced to play the side we did.

 

I stated in the week, that Fulham were beatable...but you have to be brave against them. You have to press them, and stop MacDonald from dictating things from deep, and you have to pin their full backs back.

 

Otherwise, you get what happened, almost constantly, yesterday. Their full backs were awarded the length of either flank, their wingers stayed as wide as they possibly could, and they created overloads. Not only that, but because of the shape we played, our wing backs were drawn out to close the advancing full backs down, an our wide centre halves automatically became full backs.

 

There's no doubt, there was a gulf of quality between the two sides, and by been braver, could've resulted in a heavier defeat...but by been as passive as we were yesterday, we were essentially just waiting for Fulham to score. 

 

Had Forestieri been fit, he'd been ideal to play as the No.10, and Nuhiu and Joao would've been able to press from the front for easier. As a result, we couldn't. Reach was off the pace, played deeper than FF would've, and MacDonald was awarded as much space as he wanted, which allowed him to keep playing in the likes of Cairney in advanced, dangerous areas. 

 

With FF unable to start, after the 1st 10 minutes the pattern of play for Fulham was repeated time and time again. IMO, we had three options:

1.) be braver, push Reach further forward and press higher (which is what happened for 10 mins after the break)

2.) match Fulham's shape by shifting Pudil to left back, and moving Joao out right and Boyd up into left wing position, or;

3.) sacrifice a midfielder, and switch to a 3-4-3, by shifting Reach out left, and Joao out wide. 

 

In the end, we did nothing, battled away and hoped Fulham wouldn't score. I can cope with losing to a better side, but I just felt we accepted defeat rather than actively trying to change the course of the game. 

[HootHoot]

20 hours ago, Xxxxxxxxcxcc said:

Even with Lee, Hooper, Hutch, Westwood, Wallace, Fletcher ,Clare available and with a fit and ready FF and a full game from Bannan we'd have struggled to match a flying Fulham.

Injuries are dictating tactics. I'll be just be happy to scratch enough points to be truly safe and then look forward to an interesting summer revolution.

To be fair, when we had these players fit back in the summer, we beat them 1-0 at Craven Cottage.

 

With a full squad we're more than a match for most teams. Its just keeping them fit that's the issue.

[McRightSide]

I don’t think that Jos necessarily got the tactics wrong - Fulham are on a march and I personally think they’ll overhaul Cardiff.

 

However after Bannan got injured I would have brought Jones on. It was clear that we were getting overrun in there and that was causing us to lose shape which then created space in the channels.

 

I felt Jones would have brought us a little more balance and helped us contain Fulham - Butterfield did well compared to recent performances, but a middle three of him, Reach and Pelupessy is flimsy.

Edited April 8, 2018 by McRightSide

[Guest Xxxxxxxxcxcc]

2 hours ago, HootHoot said:

To be fair, when we had these players fit back in the summer, we beat them 1-0 at Craven Cottage.

 

With a full squad we're more than a match for most teams. Its just keeping them fit that's the issue.

That was half my point regarding the missing players. Mind you Fulham have come on in leaps and bounds since the game at the Cottage and are a tougher proposition now.

Edited April 8, 2018 by Xxxxxxxxcxcc

[ReluctantNicko]

On 4/7/2018 at 20:59, OWLERTON GHOST said:

All three of our goalkeepers do /did this 

Westwood has  always done it and progressively got worse at it as years gone by 

It's obviously coached to them ?

If it doesn't work it looks schoolboyish. .

Best I've ever seen deploying said tactics is Paul Robinson 

He coaches at Burnley now I think 

They aren't too shabby for goalies there either ....

 

Billy Mercer is Burnley's goalkeeper coach - responsible for Heaton & Pope.

[OWLERTON GHOST]

1 hour ago, ReluctantNicko said:

Billy Mercer is Burnley's goalkeeper coach - responsible for Heaton & Pope.

Thank you I stand corrected (i did put I think on my post ..wasn't 100% )

He had been there at Burnley in some capacity ? 

still is / was  the best goalkeeper at distribution from  his area 

Our goalkeepers fall massively on this skill set 

It needs addressing ....

[Archie irvine]

On 07/04/2018 at 21:43, CF83OWL said:

So Fulham are great at keeping the ball....yet we allow Wildsmith to hoof the ball up field. Then we lose the 50-50 header the majority of the time and Fulham then come back at us....No wonder they had 20 plus bloody shots/attempts.

 

It was a matter of time before Fulham would score with their talent when we keep giving them the ball. 

 

Bonkers tactics. 

 

Fulhams keeper made sure he passed the ball to his defenders not to lose possession. A team without the ball cannot score! 

 

 

 

On 07/04/2018 at 21:43, CF83OWL said:

So Fulham are great at keeping the ball....yet we allow Wildsmith to hoof the ball up field. Then we lose the 50-50 header the majority of the time and Fulham then come back at us....No wonder they had 20 plus bloody shots/attempts.

 

It was a matter of time before Fulham would score with their talent when we keep giving them the ball. 

 

Bonkers tactics. 

 

Fulhams keeper made sure he passed the ball to his defenders not to lose possession. A team without the ball cannot score! 

 

 

Here we go again, another manager in waiting

[ramone]

Jos constantly gets tactics wrong