It’s been an interesting fortnight since our last game – good and bad in varying measure. On the good side, we’ve had:

Wickham’s injury being diagnosed as “not that bad”

Meyler belting about for 90 minutes for the reserves

Noble scoring a hat-trick in that reserve game – against the Mags. Knock, knock… “’Scuse me, Mr Bruce…”

SportsDirect, and Lambias once again opening his mouth and putting his foot in it. Have they got any feet left in which to shoot themselves? …and Irish comedian Tommy Tiernan ripping into the whole thing – in the toon.

England playing decent stuff and winning twice, Bendtner scoring again for Denmark, O’Shea back playing, and Bishop coming from 1-3 behind to win 5-3.

On the bad side:

Ji’s national coach criticising his fitness – listen, pal, this is Europe, where you aren’t expected to run around at 100mph for 90 minutes.

More Blatterisms. In any other industry, indeed any other football organisation, he’d be out, but as it’s FIFA, and he makes the rules, he can do what he wants.

Larsson’s suspension – how did he manage that, given that he rarely tackles anybody?

So, the last point at least gives a chance to somebody else. Vaughan seems to have slipped down the pecking order since his injury, Meyler may not yet be ready for a full Prem game, and Gardner looks to be a certain sub. As the bus turned up on time this week, we had to discuss the team selection en route rather than in the Station. Rico wide lefts, Bards left back, O’Shea right back? Sess wide on either side, or just behind Nicklas? Elmo wide right?

Westy
O’Shea Brown Turner Bards
Elmo Catts Colback Rico
Sess Bendtner

A fairly open game from the start, Westwood produced the first save of the day, but we stormed back up the other end and Rico headed Sess’s cross against the bar on nine minutes. Elmo, starting his first game in a while, either got past his man or slung in crosses Summberbee-stylee, but with only Bendtner to aim at (despite Sess jumping like a Jack Russell) there was little end product. When Bendtner turned to cross from the inside-right position after the quarter hour, it was Colback who turned and shot – against the bar again. Just after Rico’s cross was headed into Schwarzer by Sess after a Colback pass, Catts was on the end of yet another poor reffing decision, being booked as he pulled out of a challenge and their man dived over his leg. If there’s one thing that might get me in favour of video technology, it’s for that sort of thing – especially when it followed Sess being clattered half a dozen times preceding it.

Westwood made a brave decision to come and punch, we broke down the right, and there was a nasty late one on Elmo after he’d crossed – but at least we got a free when Bendtner was fouled receiving it. It was rolled to Bards, but his daisy-cutter was blocked on the edge of the box. Fulham attacked, won a corner, and saw Bardsley clear a couple of attempts with his head as the full-back kept himself busy at both ends, taking all the corners at one end and clearing them at the other.

At half-time it was level, but we’d had the majority of the ball and created the majority of the chances without forcing Schwarzer into a real save.

We started the second with plenty of promise, Elmo breaking down the right to cross again, but, as in the first half, if Bendtner wasn’t in the right place, we had to rely on Sess trying to jump above his height or pick it up wide on the left. Quite simply, there wasn’t enough movement around the box to take advantage of the number of ball we slung in from the right or rolled in from the left. Fulham managed a spell of decent pressure, and Murphy, so good in all other aspects, produced the worst corner in the history if the Prem with one that he scuffed along the ground and which never crossed the line into play. Turner needed his nose stitching back on after a knock, Ji replaced Colback, with Bendtner dropping deep and Sesss spending even more time out left. A couple of decent passing moves got the crowd wound up, but we couldn’t trouble Schwarzer. Corners at both ends, Zzamora off for Johnson, and we managed a shot a foot wide following a scramble following a corner. Bendtner’s header from Elmo’s cross was comfortably saved just before the Egyptian made way for Noble – three minutes of normal time didn’t present much of a chance for glory for the lad, but he got stuck in, ran at the defence and helped create the space that allowed Sess to spin onto Bardsley’s blocked shot and hit one goalwards. Shwarzer was already going the wrong way, but stuck his leg out and that was the decisive moment of the match as the ball spun to safety.

0-0, and large sections of the crowd calling for Bruce’s head at the end. Bendtner has now managed two home game (that header apart) without a meaningful attempt on goal – probably a remnant of his Arsenal days when you weren’t allowed to shoot until 37 passes had been made, and we need somebody up front to take responsibility and just have go, however hopeful.

Man of The Match? Elmo was good, make no mistake. He got crosses in, he beat his man. Sess holds the ball like nobody we’ve ever had, and Catts managed a good game despite that unwarranted booking. Rico had a good first half, but dropped off a bit when moved around in the second. Colback had his moments, but couldn’t product the killer pass. Bards was fine at both ends, while Brown recovered from a slightly shaky start, and another confident game from Westwood. O’Shea needs to play centre half if we’re to see the best of him, as he didn’t support Elmo well enough. For me, Michael Turner was top cat today, doing well at the back, and actually looking dangerous with the ball at his feet when coming upfront for set pieces.

Keep the faith, but win needed next week against the currently hapless Wigan.

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