Anton Lang. Anton offers his own report on the Fulham game:-
Full on at Fulham
Justice does usually tend to be meted out fairly evenly throughout a season and if today was anything to evidence this rule, our result is such.
For too many games this season we have controlled the play for the best part of any match and have come off the worst on a good few occasions. Today, Fulham had the better play and got the poorer result for what it's worth.
Whilst sitting in the cattle sheds of what appears to be the last remnants of Craven Cottage, munching on cheap garbage, never to be endured within the ground again after this season, I saw Ziege fly in a free kick that skewed off the shoulder of a Fulham player into the path of the racing Sherringham - one nil. For a vital few moments we looked for all it was worth like a team again and that the hoodoo haunting THFC might just be laid to rest.
I have openly been one of the detractors of recent times with what has looked, at best, sloppy play and whilst it was still evident from some today, it was not evident from all. Our defence appear to have got together and decided to play as a foursome instead of as individuals. Thatcher looked a relatively comfortable defender today and so to did Perry... occasionally slipping back into the Perry we all love to hate ...and with one or two mistakes from King and Gardner. But all in all a good days work from each and every one of the defenders.
Anderton appeared to be somewhat lost today. Perhaps the prospect of having to travel to Japan as a fan may be haunting him. On this form, he would struggle to get into the Scotland squad but I am sure Erikson has already seen enough over the past season and he will get in through the skin of his pearly whites. Too many passes were either not reaching their man or were reaching and surpassing their man only to be met by another stream of forward moving Fulham players. There was too much room in the middle of the park and Fulham used almost every inch of it to good effect. Were it not for Sherwood - perhaps used to the long ball - getting his passes forward of this racing pack of oncoming hounds, or Ziege's running and precision passing, we would have been looking down the barrel of another West London defeat.
Meanwhile, though not firing on all cylinders quite just yet, Poyet had one of his better games and Shezza, heartened by the England recall obviously, had one of his best games for some time and it showed. His goal was the Teddy we all have seen and loved over the years. Again, in recent posts I have been guilty of criticising the OAPs among the squad but today, they were worth their money. This is what Hoddle should have used them for in the first place - their experience when it counted. But I do feel that using them in every match since August is asking way too much of them. And so Ziege, once again, takes the initiative and puts the ball goalward and the rebound to Poyet, the poacher, falls neatly for him and he grabs the second.
Two nil up and still almost two thirds of the match to play; more importantly 2 goals scored in approx 4 (oohh do I hate that word/number) minutes. We took Fulham apart and applied the killer touch when it mattered. ...Or so we thought. As the white shirts piled into the Spurs half and threatened to get back into it, I started to wonder how we quantified being in front by so much. Reverse gear appeared to be grabbing a hold of the sleek limo we were driving at the time and if we didn't last out the half with a clean sheet we would be in trouble.
Wahayyyy, the second half starts with more fire in the engine room and once more we found the right gear in our forward movement. For the next ten minutes we appeared to be in control but once the breakthrough appeared to be looming on the horizon for Fulham, they took every chance. Unfortunately for them, though they had the better play and our lead started to look all the more undeserving of our play, they could not convert. A miraculous goal line clearance from Perry (Ed:- My original report was wrong on this, and I have since seen on TV that it was indeed Thatcher that made this clearance. Well done Ben!) that saved our bacon (obviously not real ham) and two Fulham boys going for the same ball in our area prevented them taking a hold. Within a few short moments of Iversen's inexplicable failure in front of goal thus making it a possible three nil, Saha I think it was, appeared to have put the ball onward into the net but the scything Perry cleared the decks and Sullivan could breathe a little sigh of relief, he was clearly beat!
Steff? Now here is a player that has all the skill of a striker but does not seem to have it all in the right places. His first touch has, as always, been very good. His second and his third??? He manages to control the ball with all the style of the greatest Brazilian midfielders but every subsequent touch has all the style of the Brazilian defence - all at sea. He looks as if he cannot cope with time on the ball. In fairness, he was a spark up front but then Ferdy has been the spark up front for a few matches too - and to the same effect, little to show for the work rate.
In summary, a better result but not necessarily a better performance but something we have deserved after some of the matches where we have controlled from the beginning and got little to show for the efforts.
Oh, there may have been only 750 Spurs fans (Ed: There would have been more if Fulham had let us have more tickets!) in the away stand today but having managed to get hold of a Fulham ticket via a friend from the western limits of the capital I would still say, worth the effort.
It's just a shame Rebby didn't come out to play today because after Monday night, I'm sure he would be looking to prove a point or two. Or would Hoddle bringing him on be risking too much questioning from the fans; after all, wasn't he supposed to have a back injury???
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