The Tanner Report

We Fulham fans have had such a rough time these past two seasons that this emphatic and deserved win over league leaders Derby was as much merited by us as our boys that delivered it. Sometimes injuries enforce changes that benefit the team. With his goal scoring record Rodallega was unlikely to be dropped but injury forced Kit Symons to play in his place young Cauley Woodrow who did very well indeed. His ability to hold the ball up and link play make him more of an all round forward but his problem is scoring. This he rectified with his second goal after a typically precise McCormack cross. Nikolay Bodurov opened his and Fulham’s account with a volley for the first.

The game was really won in midfield, well as our attackers and defence played. I have always thought that Ruiz’ class would tell and, alongside Scott Parker, they ruled the roost. Parker was my man of the match endlessly breaking up play. Once after so doing his accurate pass to MacCormack created the Woodrow goal.

The chairman in his programme column spoke of this being the best and worst of times. For me the best of times was nearly five years ago when at Hamburg Fulham in the Europa League final lasted 117 minutes to be three minutes off a penalty shoot out against an Atletico Madrid side including Aguerro, Forlan and de Gea. For me the worst was nearly twenty years ago when we looked likely to lose our home and tumble out of the old fourth division. Perhaps he was speaking to the fan that started supporting us at the start or during the Al Fayed era.

It was always gong to take a season to get Magath out of our system, his legacy being relegation and one point in seven games in the a championship and blaming everyone except himself for this. The best I hope for is that we can start a run that will create a momentum for next season with our youngsters maturing and perhaps, with few buys to strengthen the defence, happy days will be here again. However, with another two top three sides to face at Watford on Tuesday and Bournemouth on Friday, we must never be complacent.