The Tanner Report : Norwich 1 Fulham 3
Football fans are hypocritical creatures. Take the play-offs. Last season I commiserated with Ivan that his beloved Brighton should have to play against Sheffield Wednesday in the play-offs as they were 15 points and 4 places above them to determine promotion and they lost. This season Brighton are atop the Championship and all but assured promotion. Sheffield Wednesday are in 6th place with Fulham 2 points behind. Fulham’s last game is Wednesday away. The play-offs have kept our season alive. I am a big fan of them.
The play-off between the four clubs from 3rd to 6th place with the final at Wembley will be exciting enough but so is the build up now. Suddenly I not only look at the results and future fixtures of the four teams above us Huddersfield, Reading, Leeds, Sheffield Wednensday but analyse their significance. We play Huddersfield next Saturday away. Supposing they are definitely in the play-offs and the match has little significance for them. Will they rest a few players? Thus when they scored their winner against Preston yesterday in injury time I was momentarily disappointed but it might prove to our advantage.
Norwich had slim play-off hopes but had beaten Reading 7-1 last Saturday. It was a tough assignment. We took the lead and had Chris Martin sent off in injury time at the very end of the first half. Ten v eleven we not only defended resolutely- a description you did often hear – but scored two more. I listened to the commentary on the Fulham website by ‘Gentleman’ Jim McGullion. He makes no attempt to disguise his loyalty contesting every decision against Fulham and the lack of sportsmanship of the opposition. He howls with delight when Fulham score. His analyst is the calmer Jamie Best who is shrewd in picking the game apart. They are cult figures at Fulham as it’s the best way for a fan to follow a game when you cannot be there. Despite transmission problems, which meant the early feed had to be taken from Radio London, Jim was at the mike after 20 minutes and I shared his anguish when Norwich pulled one back on the 80th minute and the joy when Floyd Ayite scored the third. We are still outside the play-off six but we have the best goal difference and 2 key away matches at Huddersfield and Sheffield. Crucially we are the form team quite capable of sneaking past Wednesday who have been sixth most of the season. Unfair isn’t it? Yes if you are a Wednesday fan (this season).
