How quickly good things can turn bad. In the space of ten first half minutes a straightforward game went belly up, with two goals and a player conceded. And that was that.
We started well. The passing was as good as it normally is, and the feeling that we have a genuinely reasonable team was enhanced with every slick attack, every near miss. In the final analysis we realise that Robert Green in the West Ham goal had nothing of note to deal with all day, but territorially Fulham had this game under control. It was there to be won, and won well.
Then Carlton Cole beat Brede Hangeland to a bouncing ball near halfway. This set off an attack down our left flank, an attack that was not halted. Schwarzer spilled a hard cross-shot, Cole mopped up the rebound. Stunned silence. It had been going so well.
It got worse. A simple dolloped through ball caught us square, Schwarzer decided to play sweeper, Etherington beat him to the ball, and we were two down.
And worse again. Andrew Johnson, who may well be trying too hard, left a boot in for the second time in the game, and saw his second red.
Half time.
West Ham were on top now, but Fulham got help when a penalty was awarded in our favour for hand ball. Danny Murphy sent Green the wrong way. Would this see the initiative return to the whites?
No. Sure there were more attacks, but as the game wore on they became less and less threatening. Zamora, alone and weary, headed wide when well placed. Bullard hit free-kick after free-kick into the West Ham wall. Murphy probed and nudged the ball around, but now there was no space to play in and West Ham contained us easily enough.
Disappointing. On the one hand we played our game again, and did it quite well. On the other our defence was carved up far too easily today, something that cannot be repeated if we are to progress this season. Schwarzer mades some good saves but was culpable twice today, Paintsil was willing but erratic, Konchesky’s game is going backwards (especially with the ball at his feet), and Hangeland had one of those games to remind us that he’s not the finished article. Hughes was Hughes, which is to say he generally did well.
In the same way, the midfield did as the midfield does. Simon Davies seems to be regaining form, Murphy played well enough, Zoltan Gera had his moments, and Bullard was everywhere (but in a good way). Decent performance from this group. They are what they are and it should be good enough most of the time.
But we must come up with more of a cutting edge. Johnson was busy but harmless until his dismissal, and Zamora is showing himself to be capable, hard-working, but not completely ruthless in front of goal. This team will make chances, but needs to do a much better job of turning them into something worthwhile. Time and again today we found ourselves gasping at another near miss. We need to do better, especially against ordinary sides like West Ham.
