Fulham Vs Tottenham: Match Thread

[ShelfSide18]

Team also did this to Lennon when he was in the team.

What would they do if Bale and Lennon were both in the team?
BAE didn't offer much support from LB, and might have done if he hadn't been out for so long.

Still think Bale can become a great LM/W but has been far more effective from LB this season than he was today:

Yeah these things did cross my mind when writing, so I'll qualify my thoughts.

It's true that teams did this to Lennon, and when they started doing this to him early on in his career he didn't really have any answers but he worked on his game, Jol gave him experience on the left wing to give him a different perspective of how to play as a winger and he developed his game to cope with being double marked.

There's no doubt that Bale could do this, but he can defend, and is built like a defender so I think we should devote our time to make him into a great defender, because he has the rare attributes to be a world class full back. The last thing I think we should be doing is trying to make him a 'jack of all trades' left sided player, because we'd be preventing him becoming world class in one position, and I believe that position is left back. It's rare that someone who can defend well and is strong enough to play full back can also attack like a winger.

If Lennon and Bale were both in the team no doubt Bale would have more space, but that would mean we'd be a little exposed in the centre, and as good as the Sarge is, we'd be a lot less solid - gone are the days of the 4-4-2 with 2 out and out wingers in my opinion.

 

[JJetset]

Fulhams next 3 games are Juve Man utd then us so hopefully they will be a bit tired!

 

[Bronno]

I'm surprised so many of you thought it was a boring game. It seemed to be non-stop action to me, very few stoppages in a fast flowing game (in fact perhaps Clattenburg should have blown for the free kick on a couple of occasions rather than playing advantage).

Thought both teams played pretty well and I'm already looking forward to the replay. Maybe some of you guys need lots of goals to get the heart pumping! :wink:

 

[ShelfSide18]

I'm surprised so many of you thought it was a boring game. It seemed to be non-stop action to me, very few stoppages in a fast flowing game (in fact perhaps Clattenburg should have blown for the free kick on a couple of occasions rather than playing advantage).

Thought both teams played pretty well and I'm already looking forward to the replay. Maybe some of you guys need lots of goals to get the heart pumping! :wink:

Well I've seen worse 0-0s, but I think the fact that the game didn't once open up made it seem fairly drab to me - normally in games like this, after 60 minutes or so the game gets stretched and the chances come, but because of the way both teams doggedly defended, and pressed and kept shape the game didn't get stretched.

I suppose on a tactical level, that must have been tactical porn, but being at the game I was waiting for the game to get stretched and mistakes start to happen and some end to end entertainment might happen - but it didn't.

I've seen worse, a lot worse in fact, but to me it just lacked a bit of goalmouth entertainment, and space for the quality players to entertain.

 

[BringBack_leGin]

Since getting back from the game (our fans are amazing by the way) this is the first chance I've had to come online as I sat down to watch a shit load of Sky Plussed Spanish football. However, having looked through the thread briefly, I have to express some bemusement at the criticisms being levelled at Modric, and I can only assume that those having a go at him were expecting him to give the same kind of performance that he does from the left, which would be completely unrealistic.

He had a spell at the beginning of the second half where he hit a couple of bad passes, but that aside I was bloody chuffed with him. Watching the game from the Putney end, I was best placed to judge him defensively in the first half and offensively in the second half. What I saw was the little man coming back and asking for the ball from the defence constantly, spreading play to both flanks from deep and relieving us of pressure on many occasions, making many nice slided passes to our flanks in the final third, especially on our left hand side, and on a couple of occasions picking the ball up and driving forward before releasing the ball.

His passing was on the whole very accurate long and short, he never shirked a challenge, he was never outmuscled and he was constantly involved. I felt he gave a very good, controlled and intelligent performance, especially when his outlets were limited as A) He didn't have Lennons pace on the right B) He didn't have Defoe's pace up front C) He didn't have Kranjcar on the left cutting in to create space and drag defenders around and D) He didn't have Bale charging into space from left back because Bale was on the left wing and very tightly marked. These are all things that Huddlestone has been benefitting from.

I don't feel that we looked too open in the centre, if anything we were guilty in the second half of dropping too deep, an accusation that can often be levelled at us. I feel that Palacios had one of his best games and this was largely down to having a partner next to him willing to take responsibility for moving the ball around at all times, so Wilson only had to concentrate on what he was best at.

As far as I'm concerned, if Modric managed to play this well, away from home, against a good side that included the serial fouler that is Dickson Etuhu, in his first start in the middle in about 15 months, with no Kranjcar on the left, no Bale at left back, no Defoe up front and no Lennon on the right, then I can only salivate at the though of what he could do if Kranjcar and Bale were both in their best positions and Lennon was on the right, with Defoe up front.

As for the game itself, I was reasonably satisfied. I though some of our play was pretty good, I though we put together all the best moves and I think that we did well considering the crippling injuries we are dealing with. Gomes had to keep us in it, but there is no shame in the result or the performance. Ekotto is still not match fit either, which showed with his reluctance to support the attack, and we should have definitely had a penalty for the Hangeland handball. In 2.5 weeks we have the replay and hopefully one of our right wingers back to fitness, as well as Defoe, and I reckon we'll smash these guys.

 

[ShelfSide18]

Agree RE Modders performance BBLG.

 

[mattdefoe]

not bad game, shat it when corluka nearly scored an OG you see dawsons face lol ?

 

[Coyboy]

Just hope Harry will not use this game to justify going back to Crouch + Defoe up front for the next several matches. Of course it is quite possible that Pav picks up a knock or has a "groin injury" flared up before the next game...

And we need Huddlestone back next to Palacios ASAP.

The team looked and played so much better with Modric + Pav + Defoe linking up in attack...

Pav was injured. Didn't you even go on a fact finding mission with your clipboard to check the Russian press? If you are going to look for a conspiracy theory behind everything, there's not much point in posting. Why would Redknapp fabricate an injury to Pav and then play him weeks later? Not because he was actually injured and then got fit, no that would be far too logical for you .

And Huddlestone has ankle ligament damage. Maybe that is false and Redknapp is using it so he can make Pav look ineffective and then drop him. Did the Warren Commission ever look at Redknapp?

 

[Legend10]

Excellent result!

 

[worcestersauce]

I think today showed Bale is a left back.

That was a tight game, and despite the replay and yet more strain on our already strained resources I'm pretty happy, because we are now massive favourites for a return to Wembley.


I think today went to show how Bale is so effective as a full back because Fulham immediately stuck 2 men on him and nullified his game, you can't do this to full backs and that is why I think he is so much better there, where he can run from deep, and overlap Modric/Kranjcar where we can expose him at the opposition full back.

Dull but competitive game, but we should be going back to Wembley, so I'm happy.

Sorry to disagree nicdic but I don't think it showed anything of the kind, he is great LB but even today he made more runs to the line and got more quality balls in than Kranjcar even sniffed at and I think you are makng the assumption that had he played left back he would have got in behind them even more which against Fulham at their place in that mood was not going to happen.
Shelfside' all teams are putting two men on him now, Everton did it last week when he was a left back and yet even yesteday he still got in behind them; one thing to bear in mind is that as left winger with BAE behind him he had nobody overlapping him like Modric does when Bale is at LB and just think how dangerous we would be if we had a right winger on the other side, you can't double up on both wingers and stay safe in the middle, I personally am convinced he can play in either position just as well.

 

[DC_Boy]

I'm very very happy with this result

overall a tremendous result in face of adversity

very proud of the team yesterday and full marks to Harry - got it spot on

hopefully JD will be back for saturday to add pace

but let's remember fulham is a very hard place to win at- ask man u - and i believe they beat pool there too

they are dull as ditchwater, and spurs fans would go crazy if we played like that at home - but boy are they effective (within the context of Fulham's fairly low level of footballing achievements over the decades)

 

[StartingPrice]

Sorry to disagree nicdic but I don't think it showed anything of the kind, he is great LB but even today he made more runs to the line and got more quality balls in than Kranjcar even sniffed at and I think you are makng the assumption that had he played left back he would have got in behind them even more which against Fulham at their place in that mood was not going to happen.
Shelfside' all teams are putting two men on him now, Everton did it last week when he was a left back and yet even yesteday he still got in behind them; one thing to bear in mind is that as left winger with BAE behind him he had nobody overlapping him like Modric does when Bale is at LB and just think how dangerous we would be if we had a right winger on the other side, you can't double up on both wingers and stay safe in the middle, I personally am convinced he can play in either position just as well.

I think this is the important part here. No-one, as far as I know, taking part in the debate who believes Bale is primarily a full-back and shuld stay as such, is actually saying he CAN'T play as a winger, or even function efficiently there. What we are saying, very, very clearly is that he is an excellent and improving who wants to be a full-back, who the club see as a full-back, and links up superbly with or two very talented left-midfielders (Modric and Krankjar). It is also the case that the attacking play that makes many of us believe he might not convert to a winger quite as well as you imagine has actually occurred whilst playing as a full-back. Against that you are looking for more and more qualifiers, more and more justifications nad explanations, more and more moving around of the team, more and more players out of position, more and more players developing new (or imporoving existing) skillsets, just to perservere with this belief that Bale ouwld be a great winger. All this to fix something that is not only not broking but is actually functioning pretty damned well (i.e. the Bale - Modric/Krankjar partnership on the left). Why?

Now, what we saw yesterday was that even when he plays withfull effort and not a little ability on the left he finds it difficult to cope with being doubled-up on. Yeah, he did get some crosses in, but mostly in the second half when the game was opening out and, as I observed, when Modric began coming over to the left more (probably to replicate their normal partnership, and probably at the suggestion of 'Arry). Suggesting that Lennon had the same problem at one stage doesn;t mean that Bale WILL overcome this problem and still leaves you with requiring a new back-up for BAE, who, himself, just doesn't provide the attacking outlet that Bale provides; it still leaves you with having to accomodate Modric and Krankjar, who now don't only have to compete with one another but Bale as well for the left spot; it leaves you with players out of the team in central midfield; it leaves a first choice central midfield pairing (I am assuming) of Modric and Wilson, which, despite arguments to the contrary, is IMHO suspectedly lightweight; and Modirc in the middle may only work as part of a 4-5-1, which then means only one striking berth. And, after making all of these adjustments, how long will you persevere with it if it don;t work immediately:shrug: 1 month, 6, 18:shrug: It ain;t broke, Bale isn't a winger, he is a full-back and he wants to be a full-back. I am only glad that 'Arry, in the latest issue of 'Hotspur Magazine' showed a clear appreciation of the situation and disinclination to play Bale as a winger other than in emergencies - like right now.

 

[TheChosenOne]

Bale reminds me of Knowles. Nice one.

 

[thetallaghttiger]

Disapointed that Arry didn't bring on Gudjohnsen for the last 20 mins as it was clear Pavlyuchenko wasn't involved in the game with the lack of service.

Overall, very happy with the draw considering the team we fielded, thought Bassong and Palacios were our best players yesterday.

We'll hopefully be able to create a bit more at home vs Blackburn next weekend.

If not, we're going to really struggle to find the back of the net until we get a few players back!

 

[spurs mental]

Only saw two minutes of highlights, but did we have a good shout for a penalty from a handball incident?

 

[Goldman]

Only saw two minutes of highlights, but did we have a good shout for a penalty from a handball incident?

Not really.. would of been very harsh.

 

[spurs mental]

Not really.. would of been very harsh.

We would have missed anyway. :lol:

 

[brett.spurs]

Wouldn't have been a harsh pen to give at all.

Hangeland has his arm above Crouch's head and stops him from connecting with the ball, the commentator said it would be harsh to give a penalty because his arm was already up - what has that got to do with anything :duh:

 

[chrissivad]

Not really.. would of been very harsh.

Not harsh at all (as brett.spurs has said)

arm was raised and stopped Crouch from getting onto the end of it.

 

[ShelfSide18]

Shelfside' all teams are putting two men on him now, Everton did it last week when he was a left back and yet even yesteday he still got in behind them; one thing to bear in mind is that as left winger with BAE behind him he had nobody overlapping him like Modric does when Bale is at LB and just think how dangerous we would be if we had a right winger on the other side, you can't double up on both wingers and stay safe in the middle, I personally am convinced he can play in either position just as well.

It's far more difficult to double up on a left back, and I think the way he attacks from deep is excellent as he can time runs perfectly for Modders to play him in, and as I said, I think with his attacking capabilties he also has the frame and knowledge of how to play full back which is rare, so I think we should be coaching him into a world class full back. No doubt he could become a top winger, but there are few full backs around that have the same attacking capability so I think thats what he should focus on.