Andr\u00e9-Frank Zambo Anguissa<\/span> surely has learnt a trick or two at Napoli where he has made 16 appearances and Terence Kongolo is yet to return from injury. Nathaniel Chalobah, Josh Onomah and Bobby Decordova-Reid are the mainstays of the backup.<\/p>\nSome of the men who struggled last year will have improved by learning and it may be premature to rule the likes of Decordova-Reid, Tete and Adarabioyo from being solid EPL material. As mentioned, Tete battled with injury and Decordova-Reid came up against Parker’s bewildering decision to keep selecting Ruben Loftus-Cheek despite any available evidence that he fitted in with the tactical plan.<\/p>\n
Parker seemed to feel the pressure to field all his loan players at times and there were just too many of them for that to be a workable situation.<\/p>\n
This brings the discussion to an obvious conclusion. Loan players are not going to keep Fulham up.<\/p>\n
The current squad needs improvement both at the first eleven level and down. Is there low hanging fruit from the sides likely to be met on the way up? It’s not abnormal for relegated sides to want to reduce their payroll after all.<\/p>\n
The Championship version made light work of Blackburn once they stopped the histrionics to con penalties from the referee. Twice Fulham players clearly slipped and despite Mitrovic and Wilson both being well aware of the truth harangued the referee who had seen through them. From the giant Serb, we expect and to some extent accept such gamesmanship, but it was disappointing to see it spreading.<\/p>\n
Fulham went ahead just into the latter half of the first half. Neeskens Kebano was first to pounce after Rovers keeper Thomas Kaminski failed to hold Neco Williams’ somewhat tame shot. It was a bit of a gift but all credit to Kebano for his alertness.<\/p>\n
Comic irony arrived ten minutes later when referee David Webb booked Rovers’ Thrhys Dolan for diving. To be fair, he did dive while Mitrovic and Wilson merely slipped. Their sin was pretending to have been fouled rather than diving and then pretending to have been fouled.<\/p>\n
Three minutes later, Wilson added the second with a beautiful chip over the outrushing Kaminski while chasing down an Adarabioyo through ball. It’s rare to read a pundit saying a side does not do route one often enough, but this goal was a perfect example of route one being done well.<\/p>\n
That was the end of the scoring although Fulham with 63% of possession managed 14 shots of which six were on target.<\/p>\n
Rovers had the ball in the net during a far better second half. Joe Rankin-Costello was offside at the free-kick only Bradley Johnson and Sam Gallagher touched the ball. Rankin-Costello neither shot nor scored the rebound but replays showed that Johnson was also, though more marginally, offside.<\/p>\n
The outcome was inevitable and it was clear that Blackburn Rovers boss Tony Mowbray’s mind was on the next game well before the final whistle. That game is with Millwall who have won five on the trot, scoring eight and conceding two.<\/p>\n
Rovers lead the Lions by five points but have played a game more, so a loss would place them theoretically behind Millwall and more than theoretically if Gary Rowett’s Londoners go on to make it seven straight wins.<\/p>\n
Fulham’s minds are now more on next year than the next match.<\/p>\n
With the chasing pack dropping points almost every week. 93 points will see them mathematically promoted but 83 will almost certainly be enough.<\/p>\n
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[\/columns]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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