Fulham v Sunderland

[Clevelandmo]

Happy for the win. A very fun match to watch. All of Fulham's players put in an excellent shift, but my MOM probably goes to the big Aussie or Diarra. I see no reason for Clint or Moussa to leave. Fulham has a very nice team and is playing some very entertaining soccer under Jol. If everyone stays they would be among those favored for European competition qualification next season. No one good enough to temp Demps will bid high enough and Moussa is not being held back by playing at Fulham so he really should stay.

[VegasJustin]

I watch some of our attacks and I really do think we can pull a Newcastle next year if everybody stays and we sign a couple of players. There are times where we look unstoppable, even against the best teams. I doubt we start off as badly next season as we did this season. Our best players should realize how close we are and look at past examples, looking at you Saha, and see how badly their big moves turned out.

[jumpkutz]

Haven't seen anything online about post match behavior by Deuce. Anybody got the scoop?

[sfm]

He was quietly subdued, but I sense that is his typical manner. I saw him before the match walking into Craven Cottage with his daughter hoisted on his left arm. He was signing autographs perhaps 10 feet away from me and seemed firendly enough but focused. After the match he walked with his daughter holding his right hand and his little son on the left. Mostly, he looked down and ocassionally acknowleded the supporters "He score with his left.." song especially as he passed the green pole in the Hammy end with a outstretched thumb. This continued around the Riverside and the home supporters in the east end of Putney. He usually walked behind Murphy and near Briggsy, Hangeland and Schwarzer but was one of the last, if not the final player to exit the pitch and enter the tunnel.

[VegasJustin]

Damn. Time to find a replacement. We might also need to find a replacement for Murphy too considering what his wife wrote on Twitter yesterday.

[sfm]

“Let us now praise famous men..”

For supporters like me who did not watch the Fulham sides with Johnny Haynes, Bobby Robson, George Cohen and the other luminaries of the Trinder years, this has been an unbeatable era, the peaks of which would have seemed unattainable if not delusional when I began following the Fulham in earnest about ten years ago. The final home match of the season is appealing insofar as it is often played under balmy conditions preceded by riparian ales. I like it moreso because we acknowledge our players as young men with families who sacrifice that family life to provide us our entertainment and as a true "family club" it is right and just to thank them all for their contributions.

This season's last home match in particular represents a final time to pay of respects to this golden generation of Fulham players. Yes, I arrived this morning to thank Clint Dempsey, but also, to Simon Davies, the scorer of that sublime and impossible 75th minute goal on the 29th of April, 2010, shifting and shooting across his body, and then again in Hamburg in front of the Athletico end. I came to thank Dickson Etuhu, whose short series of square balls back to Murphy were exactly what we needed to stabilize midfield in the post "Wellard" era. I came to thank Chris Baird, the hero of centre midfield in two legs against Juventus, who saved our season 2010-11 season with his veteran leadership off the pitch after the Boxing day disaster and backed it up with two goals against dreaded Stoke, and for good measure, punched Wellard in the nose: Howzat! I came to thank Andy Johnson for his determination to battle back from recurring injuries and for that one glorious October afternoon when it all seemed worth it. The memories they have given us, like the dead, "will not grow old, as we grow old." They will forever be etched like the photo of the XI who faced Juventus. As Lord Lindsay said of his fellow British heroes of 1924 "we can close our eyes and remember those few young men with hope in our hearts and wings in our heels."

Unlike most end-of-season matches, this match was played under dreek, caledonian skies but the match itself was anything but grey with three unstoppable goals punctuating 93 minutes of exquisite passing from both sides. AFC Sunderland are a lot like us. Lee Catermole is Murphy like in his reading and control of the game and Dong-Won Li's back pass to Bardsley would have looked in place if executed in white and black. Their approach is like ours but without our surfeit of international class.

Someone explained to me that Leslie was all about training to win individual battles and I think it showed by this time last year with all the short trianglular ball movements to create space. Today's Maarten Jol style of totaalvoetbal showed much more five and six man diagonal ball movement starting from the backs. Some have already noted Diarra and Dembele's midfield excellence, but I noticed early on that in contrast to Diarra's early matches, where he played the Michael Essian role behind Murphy, today Murphy played behind Diarra and tried to feed him through balls in attack. In the early second half, Diarra and Dembele began switching vertically as well. MON's strangely witless riposte was to bring on Bendtner to try to get in behind the Thames barrier though it never seemed likely Sunderland could establish centre forward dominance. The move seemed to concede the tactical advantage to Jol to bring on Frei's pace, for which Sunderland's only rejoinder was to consistently foul. Despite our numerous chances, including a brilliant foot save by Mignolet, the Mackem's could and should have shared the points had Frazier Campbell not shot wide low and left of an open goal once Bendtner' side footed pass put him through.

My MOTM was Moussa Dembélé not so much for his goal as for his peerless ball winning. The player he reminds me most of is Zinho, the fulcrum of Brazil's World Cup squad. I recall him being nicknamed something akin to the human rotary cleaner for his ability to cycle, gain possession and when dispossessed, gain it back. I think it was meant derisively by some Brazil supporters at USA '94 who preferred a more Socratic method. One can not help but to behold Moussa's elegance in movement and when he scored Maarten Jol celebrated as though it was his son's goal.

I pleased me to hear the Hammersmith end singing for Maarten Jol in the second half, for the first time I had attended since Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk back on a wet night in August. First, I genuinely like his personality. Sarah Brookes' pre-match interview consisted of perhaps four questions and Jol chundering on as if he were a fan describing the match to another fan who also had not attended, and in that simile hides a modicum of truth. Second, I thought he would eventually be successful once able to implement his 4-3-3. Coming into the role as he did little more than a fortnight before our first Europa League match however meant having to win immediately with players and a style he had inherited. It was for him both a Hobsons choice and a choice of Hodgsons (players and tactics).

Today marked the final page of Roy Hodgson's Fulham. Si monumentum requiris, circumspice. From today onward, "Jol is het nieuwe Fulham."

The future is bright. The future is oranje.

[DCHeather]

Damn. Time to find a replacement. We might also need to find a replacement for Murphy too considering what his wife wrote on Twitter yesterday.

I wouldn't put too much weight on a twitter post from a footballer's wife. Plus, she never said directly that he was leaving, just something along the lines that she was going to the game and that it would be very emotional. Cryptic and can be taken as a sign he's leaving but may not be the case. Perhaps Ms. Murphy gets along well with other players wifes that will be going. Could be anything.

Last I heard is that his contract was almost complete and he would have some future coaching role with the club. We shall see.

[SoCalJoe]

“Let us now praise famous men..”

For supporters like me who did not watch the Fulham sides with Johnny Haynes, Bobby Robson, George Cohen and the other luminaries of the Trinder years, this has been an unbeatable era, the peaks of which would have seemed unattainable if not delusional when I began following the Fulham in earnest about ten years ago. The final home match of the season is appealing insofar as it is often played under balmy conditions preceded by riparian ales. I like it moreso because we acknowledge our players as young men with families who sacrifice that family life to provide us our entertainment and as a true "family club" it is right and just to thank them all for their contributions.

This season's last home match in particular represents a final time to pay of respects to this golden generation of Fulham players. Yes, I arrived this morning to thank Clint Dempsey, but also, to Simon Davies, the scorer of that sublime and impossible 75th minute goal on the 29th of April, 2010, shifting and shooting across his body, and then again in Hamburg in front of the Athletico end. I came to thank Dickson Etuhu, whose short series of square balls back to Murphy were exactly what we needed to stabilize midfield in the post "Wellard" era. I came to thank Chris Baird, the hero of centre midfield in two legs against Juventus, who saved our season 2010-11 season with his veteran leadership off the pitch after the Boxing day disaster and backed it up with two goals against dreaded Stoke, and for good measure, punched Wellard in the nose: Howzat! I came to thank Andy Johnson for his determination to battle back from recurring injuries and for that one glorious October afternoon when it all seemed worth it. The memories they have given us, like the dead, "will not grow old, as we grow old." They will forever be etched like the photo of the XI who faced Juventus. As Lord Lindsay said of his fellow British heroes of 1924 "we can close our eyes and remember those few young men with hope in our hearts and wings in our heels."

Unlike most end-of-season matches, this match was played under dreek, caledonian skies but the match itself was anything but grey with three unstoppable goals punctuating 93 minutes of exquisite passing from both sides. AFC Sunderland are a lot like us. Lee Catermole is Murphy like in his reading and control of the game and Dong-Won Li's back pass to Bardsley would have looked in place if executed in white and black. Their approach is like ours but without our surfeit of international class.

Someone explained to me that Leslie was all about training to win individual battles and I think it showed by this time last year with all the short trianglular ball movements to create space. Today's Maarten Jol style of totaalvoetbal showed much more five and six man diagonal ball movement starting from the backs. Some have already noted Diarra and Dembele's midfield excellence, but I noticed early on that in contrast to Diarra's early matches, where he played the Michael Essian role behind Murphy, today Murphy played behind Diarra and tried to feed him through balls in attack. In the early second half, Diarra and Dembele began switching vertically as well. MON's strangely witless riposte was to bring on Bendtner to try to get in behind the Thames barrier though it never seemed likely Sunderland could establish centre forward dominance. The move seemed to concede the tactical advantage to Jol to bring on Frei's pace, for which Sunderland's only rejoinder was to consistently foul. Despite our numerous chances, including a brilliant foot save by Mignolet, the Mackem's could and should have shared the points had Frazier Campbell not shot wide low and left of an open goal once Bendtner' side footed pass put him through.

My MOTM was Moussa Dembélé not so much for his goal as for his peerless ball winning. The player he reminds me most of is Zinho, the fulcrum of Brazil's World Cup squad. I recall him being nicknamed something akin to the human rotary cleaner for his ability to cycle, gain possession and when dispossessed, gain it back. I think it was meant derisively by some Brazil supporters at USA '94 who preferred a more Socratic method. One can not help but to behold Moussa's elegance in movement and when he scored Maarten Jol celebrated as though it was his son's goal.

I pleased me to hear the Hammersmith end singing for Maarten Jol in the second half, for the first time I had attended since Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk back on a wet night in August. First, I genuinely like his personality. Sarah Brookes' pre-match interview consisted of perhaps four questions and Jol chundering on as if he were a fan describing the match to another fan who also had not attended, and in that simile hides a modicum of truth. Second, I thought he would eventually be successful once able to implement his 4-3-3. Coming into the role as he did little more than a fortnight before our first Europa League match however meant having to win immediately with players and a style he had inherited. It was for him both a Hobsons choice and a choice of Hodgsons (players and tactics).

Today marked the final page of Roy Hodgson's Fulham. Si monumentum requiris, circumspice. From today onward, "Jol is het nieuwe Fulham."

The future is bright. The future is oranje.

Brilliant report sfm, hope New Orleans isn't 'all work no play'. Heather, could this be moved to the front page?

[DCHeather]

I hope so SoCal, I have sent a PM already. But I don't put anything on the frontpage without permission from the author.

[CarolinaTim]

Wow!!! We sure have some amazing writers on this site...Thank you all!

sfm..How insightful! Just a brilliant piece!

My two cents...Clint has earned the right to choose what's best for him and his family. Moussa is one of the best dribblers on the planet and he does seem more motivated as a defender when he does lose the ball. Agree with you Matt that he'll never have Clint's scoring ability because as they say in hockey parlance, he's not as willing to go into the dark places.

Fulham has come into form lately because everyone whose taken the pitch has stepped up their game, meshed as a team, gotten excellent goalkeeping, a few good breaks at the right time, defended with passion, and of course, finished enough of their chances.
As a big fan of Johan Cruyff, the "tight space" passing has been a thing of beauty to watch.

Thank you Fulham. You've made us all proud and given us a season to remember!!!

[DCHeather]

The sfm report is on the front:

http://www.fulhamusa.com/index.php?opti ... &Itemid=57

[HatterDon]

And it is brilliant. I tried to say that in the "comments" area, but it wouldn't let me.

That and the video really brought the post game to life for me. What a wonderful way to end the home season.