Craven Cottage Newsround

The following are my impressions of the players’ contributions so far. Grades are based on what they’ve done while on the field, so Seldom-Seen Christenval scores highly because he’s been immaculate, despite the injury issues. (NB: I didn’t see the Blackburn, Newcastle or Villa matches in full.)

Antti Niemi

Has been important. He performed heroics at Portsmouth to save us from a hiding, and his sharp work kept an early Middlesbrough barrage at bay this week. He has had his moments - I felt he might have done more at Man City for example - but by and large Antti has been good. There aren’t many Premiership ‘keepers I’d swap him for.
Grade B

Liam Rosenior

Here’s what I think the situation is: he is uncomfortable on the ball when there is no obvious passing option. Brown, Queudreu and Diop (to name three who spring to mind) are all quite adept on working with the ball in a tight space and waiting for a pass to show itself. Liam seems to panic in these situations, making ungainly hacks or aimless punts that make him look worse than he is. Where he thrives is on the overlap with space in front of him. In these situations he makes good quick passes and times his runs well, and has the pace to get behind defenders. The site of him flying down the wing can be thrilling. His tackling has generally been okay too, and he has a happy knack for goal-line clearances.

There’s no doubt that Liam has improved as the season has gone on, and he does appear to have a bright future in the game. He’s clearly a bright lad, he cares about the game, and should improve further. I suspect he might thrive in better company, and that a move to a big club is probably not more than three seasons away.
Grade B-

Zat Knight

Started the season on the bench, but stepped up when Christenval got injured and took the captain’s band when Boa dropped out. Knight has been impressive for the most part, obviously commanding in the air and decent in the tackle. His passing can be poor and Coleman should fine him every time he tries to do anything that isn’t a short, simple pass, but then he’s not picked for his creativity.

Knight often seems to be playing on the edge, making last ditch tackles and full-stretch interceptions, and this worries me a little. Call it what you will, technique perhaps, but this trait (if I have imagined it) means that he always seems to be a split second away from disaster, which can be nerve-wracking. The good thing is that playing with Christenval takes some of the pressure off him, the two complementing each other better than the Knight-Pearce pairing does. If I seem overly critical I don’t mean to be, Zat has certainly played well this year, but he’s clearly not the finished article yet.
Grade B

Ian Pearce

Started in fine form, committed, strong and surprisingly nimble, but the Portsmouth game represented a turning point for him in my eyes. Suddenly he seemed that split second slower to react to things, and the certainty of earlier games was slowly replaced by increasingly bedraggled defending. Pearce is a good player for the squad, but my admittedly fickle view is that perhaps his days as a regular are running out.
Grade C+

Franck Queudreu

Feline smooth in possession but very quick to fly into tackles, Franck is a joy to watch. However, he seems to have concentration issues on occasion: he’s been caught out on a couple of goals, and once every few matches he’ll have weird spells where his passes go haywire and he’ll miss-kick and generally look a shambles. What I like about Franck is his determination, he will hurl himself wherever he needs to be hurled, is supple enough to make some bizarre volleyed clearances (we’ll forget Wigan), and gets forward when he can.

Franck has quickly established himself as one of my favourite players, and I’m hopeful he’ll improve on his promising early season form and be a fixture at left-back for the forseeable future.
Grade B-

Moritz Volz

Has had little opportunity to play in his favoured right-back position, but Volzy has given everything wherever he’s been asked to play. He and Brown were fantastic in their harrying of Boro midfielders this week. He gets forward well and has made a number of driving runs at opponents this season, and got on the scoresheet at Villa. He prefers right-back and is very good there, superb in the tackle and strong when he needs to be. His midfield adventures will surely help his development as an all-round footballer, and I’m optimistic that he’ll go from strength to strength and become a real force for Fulham.
Grade B

Phillippe Christenval

Class. Good players, they say, appear to have that much more time on the ball than their mortal brethren. Christenval never seems hurried, even when charging down violent shots. He anticipates attacks wonderfully well, glides in, deals with the threat, and finds a nearby midfielder who can build things again. His play improves that of those around him too. Simply put, Christenval should be in the team for as long as he is fit to play.

And yes, the shame is that he isn’t fit to play enough. We’ll have to hope that this changes.
Grade A-

Carlos Bocanegra

I worry for Bocanegra. He has yet to play in his natural position, and rumours are that we’ll be bringing in another defender this january. Where then for Boca? Clearly a capable defender, he has had to make do with occasional performances in an unfamiliar holding role. This has gone about as well as could be expected, but it’s not what he’d want and not what the team needs. The man can play, and I wish he’d get more of a chance, but so far no dice. I hope he doesn’t get frustrated because I rate him and think he has a lot to offer, but international footballers need to play regularly, and he’s good enough to get games for our rivals.
Grade C

Michael Brown

Ah, I can’t say it often enough: I was wrong about Brown. I wrote about him a couple of days ago, but he reminds me of an eager dog who’ll run and run and run, bounding around the field chasing the ball. He’s not just an enforcer though and can clearly play football (note the instant ball over the top putting Boa clean through when we were 2-0 up against Arsenal). Next up for Michael is to start to get on the scoresheet every so often, something he’s done in the past. In all, Brown is vital to the team at the moment, and is a delight to watch. He’s even stopped making silly tackles (although part of me does think “Get ‘im Browny” about five times a game). Potential captain?
Grade B+

Papa Bouba Diop

John Motson and casual observers still see him as some kind of Viera figure who runs things in our midfield. The reality is somewhat different, as our ponderous Senegal international has not really hit his stride this season. His passing is neat and usually accurate, and his ability to dribble in tight circles and out of danger is good to see, but you can’t help feeling he should be contributing more. And the injuries do little to ease the frustration. The second half of the season will be important for Bouba.
Grade C-

Luis Boa Morte

He ran Arsenal ragged in a famous victory. This alone might make him attractive to other teams in the transfer window, which is a good thing because on the evidence of this season he needs a change of scenery. He has been fairly impressive tracking back, but too often has been disinterested, or even *too* interested. Too often he stands - hands askance - scarecrowing at referees over perceived injustices, regardless of what’s happening around him. And is he a captain? I don’t think so. There is another Boa in there somewhere, and we’d all like him back, but the player we’re watching at the moment isn’t helping Fulham win football matches. If we get a £5 million offer we can’t reasonably refuse it, can we?
Grade C-

Jimmy Bullard

The suggestions are that things are not looking good for Bullard, a bubbling midfielder who gave the team a bit of everything at the beginning of the year. He was about the only player to come away from Manchester with any credit on the opening day, knocked away a last minute penalty to rescue a point agaist Bolton, then caressed a winning free-kick into the top corner to beat Sheffield United. Then he tangled with Scott Parker and we’re all hoping we haven’t seen the last of him. Good luck, Jimmy.
Grade A

Wayne Routledge

Here’s where I differ from others: I believe Routledge is a valuable asset, who, if he gets his head on straight, can be a very threatening attacking player. Put another way, this team needs Routledge. We have a dearth of flair players, and a five man midfield with no pace and no creativity (Claus excepted), Routledge can stretch the game and make space and openings for teammates. True, it hasn’t really happened yet, but I’m optimistic. Football should be fun to watch, and Routledge in full flow, zig-zagging whizzily up the right wing, is a wonderful sight. Goal for 2007: stay at Fulham, take more responsibility, make a lot of goals.
Grade C

Thomas Radzinski

Current hate figure it seems. Radz is an honest player who is perhaps learning what it takes to be a wide player. He scored a vital goal against Arsenal and laid on McBride’s against Boro, but his contributions have been infrequent and not as cutting as we might hope. Needs a big second half to silence the doubters.
Grade C-

Claus Jensen

Returned to the team with a bang this year. Coming back from injury he revived an appalling team performance against an awful Charlton side, entering as sub and sparking some crackling football. His cross led to McBride’s opener, then moments later he charged onto Rosenior’s through ball to blast the ball over Scott Carson for a second, decisive goal. He scored the winner against Everton too, and has generally been central to much of the good attacking the team has done this season. Which is good and bad. He’s gifted, skillful and effective, but in Coleman’s 4-5-1 sometimes *too* much relies on Claus’s ability to unlock defences. Our direct approach leaves him in a virtual no-man’s land between the midfield and the forwards, and with his lack of defensive aptitude, he can struggle to make an impact if the ball isn’t running for him. That’s the downside. The upside is that he has abilities that nobody else in the team has, and if he gets involved he is a pleasure to watch. He’s been an asset.
Grade B-

Brian McBride

I’ll stay away from the cliches here, but people say what they say about McBride because it’s true. We simply couldn’t ask for a better pro up front and I’d guess that he has a positive influence on those around him. Endlessly patient, despite games where he gets absolutely nothing to work with, McBride still has a decent strike rate and has knocked in some impressive goals this year.
Grade A-

Collins John

What to make of Collins John? A natural finisher in a team that lacks one, he has struggled to make an impact on any of the games he’s played in this year. Except in Manchester against City, where his second-half cameo resulted in one legitimate goal and two others that were narrowly disallowed for offside. Offside, eh? It’s the bain of John’s life, and he’s right up there with Benni McCarthy in trapability. The lad clearly has a lot of talent, but it’s just not happening for him at the moment. A loan move (to Watford or Birmingham?) might help, but cutting ties with him would surely be a mistake. As he matures I’m sure goals will flow; hopefully he’ll be wearing a Fulham shirt when they do.
Grade C-

Heidar Helguson

We want more! Not dissimilar to McBride, but this shouldn’t mean they can’t play together, as we saw against Boro. Helguson plays hard but has skill and presence, and must be a nightmare to play against. He is, I believe, top of the Fulham assist charts, despite not playing much. He’s also found the net reasonably regularly. The good thing is that we might not have seen the best of him yet.
Grade B