The Tanner Report: Fulham 1 Cardiff 1
One of the fascinations of football spectating is the vastly different takes on a match. I watched yesterday’s with 2 old friends, all three of us clocking up 150 years of Fulham support. Two of them tend to commentate and judge as it happens. I do not deride this – both picked up quickly on Ibrahim Cisse, a new signing struggling in midfield. I prefer to watch more or less in silence – difficult for me! – and then make a more considered analysis afterwards. Another good friend who sits in the opposite stand and who is no admirer of Tomas Kalas, our defender, held him responsible for the Cardiff equaliser. One of my friends singled out the keeper David Button to blame. Yet only when I looked at the highlights, it was evident that keeper Button came out for the cross, stopped and he was at fault. Further, Kalas made a brilliant interception to save a goal.
I actually enjoyed the game a lot. This may be as I was united with my two friends at football for perhaps the first time in 30 years as both lived outside London and one worked abroad. Including one son of the latter and couple of other friends in our row, we were a group of 8 blokes bonded by our love of Fulham with totally different views on our team. I found the contrast between Fulham tica-taca, our goals came after a 8 pass move fluid move and Cardiff’s direct physicality, their goal from a cross, made for an enthralling game with much goalmouth action. On one aspect we were in total agreement, the referee was hopeless. He booked players for infringements we could not see then let hideous challenges go unpunished. You can tell a bad ref if both sides are dissatisfied with him, though we seemed to bear the brunt of the worst of his non and actual decisions.
Last season a huge percentage of goals came from crosses cut back from the line. This season in the absence of Sone Aluko and Scott Malone driving forward the bye line is far less often reached. Ryan Fredericks who is still here does not get so forward either. We still play out tica-taca which is pleasing on the eye but often ends not in chance but losing possession. It must also be remembered that we have 6 key players out – Tom Cairney, the heartbeat of the side, new signing Soares, Kebano, who had had a good start to the season, Ojo, who looked impressive against Ipswich , new signing striker Rui Fonte and Piazon whose late runs from midfield do result in goals. Unfortunately those replacing them – Aboubakar Kamara and Cisse – do not look up to it. I liked the comment on one Fulham blog on Kamara known as ‘AK47 ‘: he has something about him, the problem is I don’t know what it is. ‘ Perhaps more relevantly not does he as whilst he has the physical attributes of strength and speed, his judgment is poor and first touch worse.
Again, and this seemed a minority view, I thought Cardiff, who had won their last five games, deserved their draw and contributed to the enjoyable game by coming forward unlike many a ‘park the bus’ side at Craven Cottage.
Neil Warnock knows what it takes to get out of the Championship though his style is found wanting at the highest level. When we get our key players back I believe we will be moving up the table.
