Match reaction vs Pool

[Niall_Quinn]

It's not so much the defeat but the manner of it - a familiar old capitulation at the hands of a team that was better motivated, better marshalled and better stocked with genuine attacking threat.

I hope we do respond on Wednesday (I actually think we will if we get the team selection right), but it's natural to worry that we haven't really moved on against the big teams. And to question whether we ever will under the current management.

I think the jury's out still in this. Let's see what the next four or five weeks tell us.

I agree with that, it's the manner of the defeat that's the real question. But evidently a lot of the vitriol against our own team is coming from the disbelief at being blown away by a goal blitz within 20 mins the like of which we won't see again for another 20 years (at least I fucking hope so and if we do then send me a hat and some salt). But we also have to balance yesterday against the manner of us being at the top in the first place. Some people have jumped from asking the valid questions to opening the door and kicking everyone out then blowing up the place. It's a temper tantrum by the fans, and rival fans love it and the media laps it up. What do Fulham fans think of this, for example? They see the fans of the team at the top of the table spitting dummies because they are down to second and still in the hunt. Yeah, we're disappointed we lost and pissed some of the old problems have resurfaced, that's fair. But these wild media style swings in our support are a undignified. This isn't like seasons past where we were fucking around trying to scrape 4th and it was legitimate to question such a lack of ambition. We fucked up yesterday but we're still up there when we didn't ever expect to be. And we have some big funds coming into play in the summer. Things look pretty good if you take a balanced view of it.

[Niall_Quinn]

Yesterday's result wasn't a fluke, our results in big games over the years show that (we've also been lacklustre for a while now and just haven't met a side good enough to take advantage), whenever it matters we get our arses handed to us, the manager can't get tactics/selection right and can't get the players motivated for these big games, it's ridiculous for people to suggest we can win the title without winning against the best sides......not because it's not possible but because if you want to be the best you have to be able to beat the best, we can't and until we can we'll never win a thing.

We've seen this all before so many times, it's surprising people are still claiming it can be different this time, why would it be when nothing we've done suggests we can break the cycle.

Well we all know the chavs are the greatest team ever, maureen is the best manager ever, terry should be player of the year - at least we know that if we go with this morning's media. So how did we do against this wonder team so far? Blown away? Let's ignore the actual facts and just assume we were annihilated. Wenger out.

[Özim]

Well we all know the chavs are the greatest team ever, maureen is the best manager ever, terry should be player of the year - at least we know that if we go with this morning's media. So how did we do against this wonder team so far? Blown away? Let's ignore the actual facts and just assume we were annihilated. Wenger out.

Ignoring what you think of him, his team are able to beat the top sides as they've shown numerous times this season and that's an important advantage they have over us, we fail time and time again.

Facts are both sides had a poor start to the season (both under new management so it's not entirely unexpected to have a period of adjustment), we had a great start had a healthy lead but now find ourselves behind going into our hardest run of the season, looking tired and affected by injuries as we always are.

Chelsea's performance against City was quite something given the fact City have put every team to the sword at home this season, the fact they managed to beat them speaks volumes about Mourinho's tactical nous and preparation, both of which we totally lack.

We got a draw against them yes, but we now have to go away to Stamford Bridge and who in their right minds fancies us to get a result there, given our form, their form and our results against these teams?

[AFC Leveller]

In the big games, i just fele that we're losing them BECAUSE of Wenger. He sets his team out with no plan or consideration for the other team's threats and he gets undone easily. Man u only beat us 1-0 but did we ever look like scoring? NO! did Man u have to work for it? NO. Same goes for City, they brushed us aside like a little kid (even though there were one or two decisions given their way) and Chelsea also stopped us easily. These same players are more than capable of beating Liverpool providing they are set up right and properly motivated.

I saw a mini league table involving the big sides playing each other this season (top 5 + Man u) and were were 2nd to last. Chelsea City, Liverpool, Everton and then Us followed by Man ure. It's so frustrating knowing we are gonna be stifled by organised sides and i can see the same thing happening on Wednesday.

[Niall_Quinn]

Ignoring what you think of him, his team are able to beat the top sides as they've shown numerous times this season and that's an important advantage they have over us, we fail time and time again.

Facts are both sides had a poor start to the season (both under new management so it's not entirely unexpected to have a period of adjustment), we had a great start had a healthy lead but now find ourselves behind going into our hardest run of the season, looking tired and affected by injuries as we always are.

Chelsea's performance against City was quite something given the fact City have put every team to the sword at home this season, the fact they managed to beat them speaks volumes about Mourinho's tactical nous and preparation, both of which we totally lack.

We got a draw against them yes, but we now have to go away to Stamford Bridge and who in their right minds fancies us to get a result there, given our form, their form and our results against these teams?

You mean ignoring the question? So excuses can be substituted for the facts when this idea of us being blown away by the top teams doesn't exist in reality? That's convenient. What was the score in the earlier fixture against Liverpool?

[Özim]

In the big games, i just fele that we're losing them BECAUSE of Wenger. He sets his team out with no plan or consideration for the other team's threats and he gets undone easily. Man u only beat us 1-0 but did we ever look like scoring? NO! did Man u have to work for it? NO. Same goes for City, they brushed us aside like a little kid (even though there were one or two decisions given their way) and Chelsea also stopped us easily. These same players are more than capable of beating Liverpool providing they are set up right and properly motivated.

I saw a mini league table involving the big sides playing each other this season (top 5 + Man u) and were were 2nd to last. Chelsea City, Liverpool, Everton and then Us followed by Man ure. It's so frustrating knowing we are gonna be stifled by organised sides and i can see the same thing happening on Wednesday.

I pretty much agree with this, we always get undone and that's due to the manager and I don't see that changing anytime soon.

[Niall_Quinn]

we always get undone

Can anyone play this fantasy game? Can we go one better? I'm going to say we always get undone by the little clubs too. Just don't look at the results and what I'm saying could be true. Then I could go on and prove a lot of points on the back of it.

[Özim]

You mean ignoring the question? So excuses can be substituted for the facts when this idea of us being blown away by the top teams doesn't exist in reality? That's convenient. What was the score in the earlier fixture against Liverpool?

City blew us away 6-3, Man U beat us 1-0, a draw with Everton and draw with Chelsea and a win against Liverpool, followed by a defeat (a team who we regularly beat until this season when they seem to have become a threat).

6 games 5 points (if you count Everton as one of the top sides 5 games 4 points if not) so that's 5 out of 18 points which is awful, might not have been blown away but we've dropped point left right and centre against them. You can add Spuds in there as well I guess (if you count them as one of the big sides) but it's still only 8 points out of 21 still awful.

We now have 2 left at home and 3 away as well against those sides, so it's only going to get worse especially with one of the home games being City.

[Özim]

Can anyone play this fantasy game? Can we go one better? I'm going to say we always get undone by the little clubs too. Just don't look at the results and what I'm saying could be true. Then I could go on and prove a lot of points on the back of it.

It's not a fantasy game, look at our record in games that matter over the last 6-7 years, see how many we've actually won when the pressure is on.

[Niall_Quinn]

So fine, it now turns out we haven't been blown away every time. Progress. Yes, we dropped points. Just as the chvas and city have dropped crazy points against lower placed teams, and utd and pool have dropped points everywhere. We have a chance to pick up points too.