Sheffield United 1 – 1 Fulham: e-Football Report

Article by e-Fulham Correspondent Barnaby Mollett

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With Bramall Lane wetter than an otter’s Cup-a-Soup, one could be forgiven for assuming that Fulham’s FA Cup tie against Sheffield United would be a washout. When the line ups were revealed shortly before kick-off, Fulham’s ‘three managers’ had made eleven changes to the team that lost 2-0 to Arsenal the weekend prior. With a squad as thin as that of the Cottagers, alarm bells may well have been ringing in the ears of both the supporters who braved the Yorkshire conditions and those who watched via the 21st century’s equivalent of Ceefax, television.

Nonetheless, it perhaps says a lot about how the balance of the first team has changed in recent weeks that a number of this ‘second-string’ team were regular starters earlier this season – Senderos, Riise, Hughes, Stockdale, Karagounis and Duff all lined up alongside younger blood, including a full debut for full-back Josh Passley and the ‘new Zlatan Ibrahimovic’ Muamer Tankovic. Chris David, making his second Fulham start ever, must’ve felt like a seasoned veteran.

The match itself followed a similar narrative to almost every Fulham game this season. If ‘The Cottagers’ were a crime mystery drama series on ITV, viewers in armchairs all around the country would be guessing whodunit earlier and earlier each week; rather than the plot thickening, it has become more transparent than a window in a greenhouse on a see-through moon of Jupiter. Metaphors aside, Fulham once again conceded first and went in trailing at the break. The team came out and played better in the second half and – on this occasion – equalised, thanks to FA Cup specialist Hugo Rodallega.

The Whites also had it about as easy as it could be for the majority of the second half, after Sheffield United captain Michael Doyle was sent off for a kick on Chris David that has no place in any game, except perhaps Street Fighter II. Despite this, and having 74.9% possession and 25 shots, the worrying thing for Fulham fans is the lack of conversion. Admittedly, it was a full debut for Tankovic, but the experienced Darren Bent missed a glorious chance from 3 yards (which may well have been offside, but Darren, YOU HAVE ONE JOB) and some of the midfield link up play was sloppy. Sure, Fulham had a stonewall penalty turned down in the first half (Andre Marriner, YOU HAVE ONE JOB), but with those sorts of statistics, the ball really should have found the back of the net, regardless of the absence from the team of more clinical finishers like Berbatov and er… Sidwell.

Having a second consecutive replay (scheduled on 4th February) may initially seem a drain on already limited resources, but in a way I think there are several lights blinking at us, the Fulham faithful, from the end of the tunnel.

Firstly, John Arne Riise picking up an injury, and Duff rather heroically playing left-back for 80 minutes of the game, must have highlighted to Meulensteen (or Wilkins or Curbishley, whoever it is that makes these decisions) that the left-back position is an area of massive weakness in the team. Hopefully this might encourage an improved bid for Swansea’s Neil Taylor, who would be a highly welcome signing.

Additionally, the full squad rotation has allowed the team that is presumably starting against Swansea on Tuesday to avoid the fatigue that playing twice in two days would have otherwise caused. Also, Fulham are still in the cup, and with a home tie against either Nottingham Forest or Preston in the offing to reach the quarter finals, this might become the most legitimate cup run the Whites have had since the Europa League in 09/10. Fulham fans, after this torrid half-season, do need some kind of celebration – even if it’s more Bodger & Badger than Kool & The Gang.

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