Aston Villa v. Fulham: The Search For Points Continues

Mark Schwarzer will look to continue his great form and help get Fulham back to their winning ways at Villa Park.

Fulham continues their 2-game road trip with a visit to Villa Park, on the heels of a crushing 1-0 defeat by Newcastle at St. James Park.  In typical Fulham away fashion (which many had thought the club had put in the past), Martin Jol seemingly played for the draw and Alan Pardew’s crew made him pay.  The Fulham midfield is suddenly thin again, and according to both players and coach, they need another win to absolutely secure their Premier League status for next season.  They’ll be visiting a Villa side that will be fighting for their lives.  What gives?

State of Fulham:

The biggest storyline for Fulham in this match will be their midfield, which has been ravaged in recent weeks for a number of reasons.  Steve Sidwell is on the 2nd match of his 3-match red card ban.  Urby Emanuelson played extremely poor in his substitute appearance last time he saw the field.  And now the injury bug has struck Fulham in a big way.  The club made public that Ashkan Dejagah’s ankle will most likely require surgery that will keep him out for the rest of the season, and Eyong Enoh, who came off against Newcastle with an ankle knock of his own, probably won’t play at Villa Park.

The missing names mean we almost certainly will see Emmanuel Frimpong, and we could see Emanuelson get another shot.  It probably won’t happen, but a dark horse to start in place of Dejagah would be new extension-signee Buomesca Tue Na Bagna (a.k.a. Mesca), who could possibly get a shot. After what seemed like an experimental lineup at St. James Park, it will be interesting to see who Jol runs out tomorrow.

Fulham’s loss at Newcastle was their first since the beginning of February, and the Whites have 11 points between those two L’s.  Still, it will take one more win to allow Martin Jol to sleep easy at night knowing his side will appear on the same table next year.

State of Aston Villa:

Villa have enormously bolstered their position in recent weeks, sticking 9 points in the bank in their last 6 matches to get themselves not only out of the relegation zone but a much-more-comfortable 2-points gap.  They will be riding high after picking Stoke apart 3-1 on the road, and are also going to be receiving a few boosts as they head back home.

Cieran Clark could be back after missing 2 matches with a shoulder injury, and Darren Bent could complete his comeback after making a substitute appearance against Stoke.  Bent has been out for 5 matches with his second ankle injury of an injury-plagued season.  The London native has started just one game since Villa’s last match at Craven Cottage on October 20th, and he hasn’t played a full 90 a 4-1 loss at Southampton in September.  With Christian Benteke and Gabriel Agbonlahor both playing hot, it could be tough for Bent to get back into the side, but we’ll see where Paul Lambert goes down the stretch.  The injured list still includes Chris Herd, Marc Albrighton, and Richard Dunne.

Villa have a relatively easy schedule down the stretch, so I wouldn’t label this a must-win for them by any chance, but with Sunderland, Norwich, and Wigan still left on the docket, 3 points or even 1 for Villa could give Villa Park a much better vibe going forward.

EA Sports Stats of the Week:

-Despite making headlines on the scoresheet with his wonder goal, Matthew Lowton’s tackling has been a massive part of the Villa defense.  According to the EA Sports Player Performance Index, Lowton is second in the Premier League with 103 tackles, and is successful a fantastic 73.8% of the time.

-Fulham haven’t won at Villa Park in the league since 1973 in the old Division Two, but did win in the FA Cup there in 1999.

-Aston Villa have conceded in their last 16 straight league matches, and a Fulham goal would make 17, the highest of such streak this season. Also, the next goal Villa concede will set a dubious club high of 60 league goals in a season.

-Opponents have hit the woodwork 18 times against Fulham this season – the most in the Premier League.

-A goal by Gabriel Agbonlahor would be his 60th for Villa, a club record.

888sport.com Lines of the Week:

–Christian Benteke to score: 5/6
We’re going safe this week.  Those are horrible odds for a reason – he’s scored 10 goals in his last 11 matches.  How can you bet against that? Fulham’s defense has been solid recently, but you have to expect Benteke to net.  The odds aren’t good but he’s an incredibly safe bet.

-Both teams to score: 8/11
Villa has conceded in its last 16.  Benteke and Agbonlahor are on fire.  Dimitar Berbatov is calm as always.  You have to imagine goals are there to be goals are there for the taking in this one.

-Half with more goals – 2nd half: 21/20
If matches ended at halftime, Fulham would be 5th in the table; Aston Villa would be 6th.  That’s enough of a reason to put your money here.

-Damien Duff to score: 9/2
I have to have one reach, right? With Fulham’s midfield a bit thin, expect Duff to switch to Dejagah’s old right side (unless Jol plays Manolev on the right again, yuck), and he’ll have a good link-up with Sascha Riether.  That could be Fulham’s main artery of attack in this match.

Prediction:

Goals are certainly in the cards for this match, and I think it will be an incredibly exciting one to watch, so long as Jol doesn’t lineup the same way he did against Newcastle.  I can certainly see a 2-2 draw and a point both sides will be extremely happy with.

Chris Baird: Like a Phoenix From the Ashes

Baird pops out of his usually quiet role to slide home the winner at the Cottage against Villa this past weekend.

The Bairdinho was nowhere to be found.  It was the beginning of the 2012/2013 season, and Martin Jol had made some decisions.  Certain players benefitted, certain players didn’t.  Baird certainly fell into the “didn’t” category.  Left out of match after match, he was losing his place at the back, supplanted by in-form fullback John Arne Riise, young star Matthew Briggs, and new addition Sascha Riether.  Barely making the bench as an unused substitute 2 of Fulham’s first 3 matches of the season and coming on in the 82nd minute in the third, Baird was fringe at best.

But timing has a funny way of sorting these things out.

Just as the transfer window hit, an opening presented itself.  Panic had gripped the Fulham faithful.  The midfield was a disaster, ripped from our grasps by injury woes and hungry Premier League rivals. Dembele was gone. Dempsey was gone. Murphy was long gone. Etuhu was as well.  Diarra was injured. And the midfield consisted Steve Sidwell and……..well………Steve Sidwell.

And if that wasn’t enough, the midfield was more important than ever, with signing Dimitar Berbatov the new face of the franchise, and a superstar doesn’t operate too well if you can’t get him the ball.

So Jol turned to an unlikely option most fans hadn’t even considered (guilty).  A versatile defender who was once known for his midfield abilities but hadn’t showcased them consistently in years. One who was waiting patiently for his opportunity.

The manager on his versatile abilities:

“When I came (to Fulham), they said he was a defensive full back and then six months later someone told me he was a midfield player. Then they said he was probably a typical centre back and then you get this split identity,”

And boy has Chris Baird delivered.

Chris Baird is relishing his opportunity in the middle at a time of great need for Fulham.

First and foremost, he scored the winner against Aston Villa last week in a brilliant set piece move executed to perfection.  But that’s just the tip of the iceberg for Baird.

Let’s take a closer look at the most important aspect of a midfielder: passing.  Baird made his 2012 starting lineup debut against West Brom at home on September 15.  All he did was complete 82 of 88 passes (93%), including 30/33 in the attacking third, was perfect square or backwards, and won 2 tackles, 2 interceptions, and went 2/2 in the air. Don’t think you can ask for much more than that.

But Baird wasn’t done.  He slipped a bit the next two weeks.  On the road in the win at Wigan he completed just 34 of 44 passes, and home to Manchester City Baird didn’t have many touches altogether.  However, in the 2-2 draw with Southampton, Baird was again on top form.  He hit 83% of his passes (62/75).  Again, the bad mistakes were at a minimum, hitting all his back passes and missing just one square.  He was just 4/10 from long range, but then again that’s not exactly his game.  A link man isn’t expected to slice the defense open with cracking long balls.  All Fulham need Baird to do is be solid in the linkup between the defense and Ruiz/Berbatov/Petric, and play adequately while the opponent has the ball.

Martin explains what the club is expecting from that position:

“My midfield must be good because I need to get the ball to my quality players. Sometimes you see that it was probably a bit better last year, no mention of names, but that is a matter of practising, exercising, but we have to play the ball forward. We have to be confident to link up. That is what we want and as soon as we don’t do that we start to drop our style and drop our quality. I’m happy that Chris understands that and he wants to play.”

And he’s done just that. If there’s one word to describe how Fulham need Chris Baird to be going forward, it’s this: Solid.  Keep up the good work, Bairdhino, and you’ll continue to get good work.  Even with Diarra back, it’s hard right now for Jol to take out Chris Baird, and it will be interesting to see what happens come January if this keeps up.

Fulham to Receive Lineup Boost as Injured Players Return

I’m alive, I promise! Sorry it’s been a little bit, life’s been getting the better of me recently. But no longer! We here at Fulham’s Finest will persevere.

But I digress.

In Martin Jol’s weekly video previewing matches, he was clearly happy to see many players returning from injury for this weekend’s clash with Aston Villa at home.  The international break couldn’t have come at a better time for Fulham, who had grinded out some important points on the road, but after Southampton before the break couldn’t help but feel disappointed after letting a late lead slip to a draw.

Jol mentioned the following players during his interview:

-Jol said Berbatov is back from injury, fit, and ready to start.  He’s the obvious start in this bunch, and will be ready to lead the attack.

-The manager will have many options on the left, and it will be interesting to see who he picks to play.  He mentioned obviously Kacaniklic has been playing well, but Kerim Frei has finally returned from injury after having been missing since the opening of the season, and will play into the mix.  He also said Kieran Richardson has been playing well and will be considered, but I disagree that he’s been playing well and I think it’s just Martin Jol playing up his squad.  Expect Kacaniklic to start with Frei possibly making it to the bench and maybe a late run out.

-Ashkan Dejagah is set to finally make his Fulham debut, as he is back from a knee injury he picked up just before transferring to Fulham at the end of the window.  With the international break having given Damien Duff on the right some time off, expect Duff to start this weekend.  However, don’t be surprised to see Dejegah get some chances every few weeks on the right with Duff reaching higher and higher on the age chart, giving the Duffer some time off.

-Jol talked at length about who he wants to play beside Berbatov up front.  Mladen Petric has also returned from injury, but because of his knock’s timing, he hasn’t gotten to show what he can do next to the Serbian.  If I’m extrapolating from what Jol said, I’d expect to see Petric start this weekend because he wants to see Mladen and Berbatov play together, and he talked much higher of the Yugoslavian than he did Rodallega.  Hugo will no doubt make the bench though.

-In a shock announcement, Jol said Mahamadou Diarra is a possibility for this match, although I would highly doubt it.  However, just the fact that Diarra is in the mix at this stage is, as Jol put it, “a medical miracle.” Just coming off knee surgery, they even showed video of Diarra training with the squad.  When it was announced he would be out, it said 3-4 weeks, possibly the season with knee ligament damage and surgery.  Obviously that’s vague, as it could mean anything from an MCL sprain to an ACL tear and everything in between.  If I had to venture a guess, having some experience with knee injuries over the years, I would say he probably had a meniscus and/or MCL tear that required surgery and it was unknown if there was more damage.  Those usually take 6-8 weeks to recover from, which is why Jol described it as such. Great to have him back in the near future! But don’t expect Diarra to play this weekend.

-Finally, the one bit of downer news, Bryan Ruiz is also a doubt for this match, but it doesn’t at all sound serious, and Jol did leave the possibility on the table that he could play.

Fulham 0-0 Aston Villa: More Questions Than Answers

Bobby Zamora fighting off the Villa defense in the 0-0 draw today

Ugh. Draws. Why must we be subjected to the mindf*** that is the draw so often? This one at home to open the season was more disappointing than anything, especially after the flurry of shots that opened the 2nd half for Fulham.  Multiple chances were either blazed high or sent back from whence they came by Aston Villa’s Man of the Match for sure Shay Given.  It was promising to see the bright attack from Fulham, but there are probably more questions raised in this match by the home side than answered, and that’s the focus of today’s postmatch post (I need a better name for that, sounds really stupid).

The good:

-John Arne Riise: Showing why the first major signing by Martin Jol is going to be a good one, JAR proved valuable in both defense and in buildups.  His crosses were good, and his help on the wings in the attack was bright.  His stinging shot just over the bar in the first half may very well have been the best chance all game for either team. I’m excited to see what he brings to this club.

-Damien Duff: Duff on the wings was great, and he had a few close shots as well.  Both his crosses and his corners were placed in places where the attack had great opportunites to finish them.

-Andy Johnson: Continuing on his run of good form to start the season, AJ had a few close shots as well as some great touches to Zamora and the like that made me happy.  I was hoping his good form in the Europa League was genuine and not just because Fulham were playing some lower level clubs, and although it will take a few more matches to confirm it, I’m liking where this is heading.

The bad:

-Martin Jol: I was really disappointed with how passive off the bench Jol was today.  It was obvious that players who will feature in just a moment were needing of a substitution, and it never came.  Sidwell and Baird off the bench could have both provided a spark and shored up some holes, but that never happened.  Both those guys should start over the next two players coming up, and Jol needs to get more actively involved in the game.  A little too lazy today.

-Dickson Etuhu: Towards the end of last season and even into the start of this year’s Europa League campaign, I’ve been impressed with Etuhu’s tenacity and strength on defense, stopping many a buildup dead in its tracks.  But his value pretty much stops there, and on days he doesn’t have it (like today), he REALLY doesn’t have it.  Dickson’s passing was a disaster, and because of it, Etuhu led to more Fulham buildups dead than he did Villa ones.  Should have been subbed off for the dangerous Sidwell, but the Red Headed Wonderboy was left on the bench, leaving many fans scratching their heads. Let’s hope Jol makes this change (better late than never) come next match.

-Philippe Senderos: While I don’t think he was awful, as well noted by a few of my Twitter followers, he was behind on many plays in the Fulham box, like he was chasing the play at times.  Also committed a few stupid fouls.  He is a good bench player for Fulham to bring on late to hold a lead, but certainly should not be starting over Bairdinho.  Not only does starting Baird get Senderos out of the lineup, but also allows Hughes to move back to the middle with Hangeland, which is good for 2 reasons.  1, those two are MUCH more effective together in the middle, as was evident today. Hughes was not on top of his game.  2, Baird is way better than Aaron at buildups in the wide areas.  Having JAR on one side and Baird on the other is so dangerous while the ball is in the attacking half.

Hats off to: Shay Given.  In his Villa debut, the guy played out of his mind, showing why there’s no reason he should have been stuck on the bench at Man City. Multiple quick reaction time saves kept Villa in the game, or else Fulham would have won by more than one goal.

I’ll get you manager and player postgame reaction as it comes.  Something to remember though, it could have been worse. Wayyyy worse (heh).

Update: Jol quotes:

“The first half, I thought they kept the ball better than we did and we looked nervous. We didn’t keep the ball well enough for a home game. But the second half, especially the first 20 minutes, was good. We had three good chances but, for a home match, I would like to have more control, more initiative and we have to score at first. So, 0-0 at home, you can’t say that is a very good result.”

“In the second half I felt that we did (do enough to win), in the first half I didn’t because we were nervous or we were sloppy or whatever and you lose the ball and you can’t take the control and you can’t take the initiative on the pitch.  The second half was a lot better, but of course you would like for the fans and for ourselves to get 3 points on the board.”

Also, he said, “Hopefully, we can do something in the next few weeks” talking about a possible transfer.

Fulham vs. Aston Villa: New Kids On The Block

It’s here folks! The Premier League season is back.  I would say after a long wait, but let’s be real, it’s not.  The last season just ended a few months ago, and I’m used to waiting from February until September for American football season to begin.  But it’s highly anticipated nonetheless, and Martin Jol’s boys have already gotten to shaking off the rust in the Europa League first few rounds.  So that means we’ll be shaking off the offseason rust here at Fulham’s Finest as well (and there’s a lot of it).  Martin Jol is making his return to the Premier League after a few years overseas, and another new club/manager pairing visits the Cottage.  IT’S FULHAM. VILLA. ESPN 2! *insert crazy pregame tv graphics and animations that pump you up here*

State of Aston Villa:

Another manager with a new club is coming to Craven Cottage in the form of Alex McLeish with Aston Villa.   The two came together after Gerard Houllier resigned after only 9 months on the job.  McLeish came over in a controversial move just 5 days after leaving Birmingham City, but has put together a pretty darn good squad.  He made Shay Given his first signing, a great job shoring up his goalkeeping situation with a guy who has excellent talent.  He has also gone out and got Charles N’Zogbia after losing Ashley Young to Manchester United.  Losing Young was a given, and there was really nothing he could do about it, so in the wake of that huge loss he’s done a great job piecing together a new approach.

In my Premier League predictions (the post just below this one), I have Villa shockingly finishing 6th.  I still stand by that, and while it may be a little crazy, it’s not out of the question.  This is a good club coming off a great offseason.  We’ll have to see how McLeish performs with his new club on the pitch, but he’s certainly performed well off of it, and it bodes well.

Something that may help Villa is they haven’t been completely silent this preseason.  They played in the Barclays Asia Trophy competition, facing Blackburn and Chelsea, defeating Blackburn 1-0 but losing to Chelsea 2-0.  So they won’t be 100% rusty.

Injured for Villa to start the season is Carlos Cuellar.

State of Fulham:

With the transfer window in its waning stages, Martin Jol has yet to add the striker depth he has promised so many times before, but has recently said he still is looking to add a player or two.  You can bet your britches those two players will be a left back and a striker, as those have been the widely reported positions of need in Jol’s club.

Speaking of striker depth, I think Jol got himself a scare when Bobby Zamora went down with a broken wrist.  But, in typical Bobby Zamora superman status, he’s going to be playing through it just like he did against RNK Split.  Will anything ever defeat him? I shouldn’t jinx it.

Something interesting to note, we could see players such as Marcel Gecov and Pajtim Kasami make their Premier League debuts.  Don’t expect them to start of course, but they could be late additions to try and change a bad run of play or to provide a boost of one kind or another.

Some milestone notes: This match will be Aaron Hughes’ 400th Premier League appearance.  Duffer is 1 goal away from 50, while Danny Murphy and Andy Johnson are 2 out of the same mark.

On the injury front, Simon Davies is still out with his knee problem, while Moussa Dembele will be on his way back.  Even though he hasn’t played yet this season, look for him in the starting lineup, as Jol has an absolute man-crush on the midfielder.

Fulham will win if…

…they correct their mistakes they’ve made and learned from early on in the Europa League.  These include allowing the other team to score (or at least have very good chances) against a great run of play from Fulham.  To me that was their biggest weakness early on in Europe.  Also, they will have to take advantage of Villa’s mistakes early on to get ahead, because they no doubt will be the rustier side.  If Fulham fail to capitalize, they could be in for a tough opener.

Prediction:

Unfortunately, since I put Villa ahead so high in the table, I have to be consistent and give them lots of respect.  Plus, Fulham are 0-2-2 against Villa in their last 4, and have only won 3 of their 20 all-time Premier League fixtures.  Something that could come into play however, Aston Villa led the Premier League last season in one dubious statistic: they dropped 26 points from winning positions.  Combine that with the fact that Ashley Young, who is now with Sir Alex, was involved in 37% of their goals last season, and Villa could be in for some trouble.  Ultimately, these two sides are decently evenly matched I think.  Villa is the better club, but Fulham have been playing more, and that’s very important.  Plus they’re at home.  Therefore, I’m going for a 1-1 draw to start the season for Fulham.

Any thoughts on Fulham’s season? You can leave them here.  Also, be sure to check out my Premier League predictions for this upcoming season, right below where you are reading right now.  And as always……COME ON YOU WHITES!!!

Final note: I found this picture of Martin Jol.  It kind of makes me want to run and hide in a corner of my room.  I’ll show it to you anyways.

Please don't hurt me Martin

Chelsea: The Only Logical Option For Hughes

Mark Hughes has put himself in an odd limbo situation, quitting Craven Cottage before securing another job.

I can’t get my head around this situation. Never before in my life have I seen a sports player or coach straight up quit one job before having another one lined up unless said player or coach was retiring. But it happened yesterday to Fulham, and to me there is only one logical option.

Mark Hughes has to be going to Chelsea. Either that, or he’s going to be unemployed. According to The Sun, Mark Hughes not only pissed off Fulham brass by turning his back 24 hours after reportedly agreeing to a verbal agreement, but he also turned off management at Villa Park by leaving Fulham in the manner he did.

Let’s go through his remaining options.

Option 1: Mark Hughes goes to Chelsea:

Why it makes sense: He’s already in London and doesn’t have to uproot his front office or his family. They aren’t scrambling to sign someone very soon like Aston Villa is, so they can wait out his contract and speak to him after his contract expires. It’s not a lateral move, so it would make more sense that he left Fulham for a bigtime job.

Option 2: Mark Hughes goes to Aston Villa:

Why it makes sense: Someone at Villa could have blatantly lied to the media and they were in talks with Sparky after all. Not likely, but possible.

Option 3: Mark Hughes is unemployed:

Why it makes sense: Because no other options make sense. This would mean he clearly misjudged Randy Lerner and Aston Villa, and got the shaft from them. He probably wouldn’t stay unemployed for long, but would probably end up managing a very lower tier club. All Fulham fans would laugh in his face and he would deserve it.

To me, the Chelsea scenario makes the most sense, but I feel like it would have come out at this point. Plus, I don’t see how it makes a lot of sense from the club’s standpoint. There are plenty of better options (like, say, Carlo Anc…oh wait).

Where do you predict Mark Hughes ending up? Does he know something we don’t and is sitting back on his laurels waiting for his contract run out? Or is he panicing right now after hearing Villa’s not interested? Only time will tell that one, but either way he’s totally burned bridges at Fulham.

Later I will be posting a summary of all the possible job candidates that have come up, but I’d like to wait a bit on that and see if any significant leads arise.