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10 Things I Think About Fulham Football Club This Week March 26th

By Russ Goldman

Every week I like to write about subjects that are on my mind regarding Fulham Football Club. This was a disappointing week for the team as they lost to Manchester City and Tottenham.  However, the Juventus win was a little over a week old, but I will include my thoughts on that match in this entry. Below are my "10 Things I Think About Fulham Football Club This Week March 26th."

1. I think the Juventus win might be one of the greatest victories in recent Fulham history. 
Beating Shakhtar Donetsk was great, but beating Juventus makes the whole soccer world take notice. Beating a team that is legendary in the world of soccer definitely gets Fulham some attention. More important though it shows future opponents that Fulham can play and beat anyone on any given night. Fulham do not have the pedigree of a Juventus. Fulham don't have a long resume in the European cups. I think this was a great first step in the future of the club. That is why I think this was one of the greatest victories in recent Fulham history.

 
2. I think talking to Charlie Stillitano and Giorgio Chinaglia was a major reality check. When I made the call  to their show on Sirius radio I was still excited about the Juventus victory. They made me realize that Fulham are a "very good" club , but not to get carried away. They are not going to be playing in the Champions League anytime soon. This is true, but that is fine with me. I think they will be very competitive in the league for years to come.  
  
3. I think whatever happens against Wolfsburg in the Europa League,  I will be curious to see what kind of impact the accomplishment will have for the future. Not too many experts picked Fulham to beat Juventus. If they can beat Wolfsburg, last year's Bundesliga Champions for me that would be a bonus. The Europa League has been a success. I will be curious to see what kind of impact the accomplishment will have on the image of Fulham. Will this accomplishment help them get new players in the transfer window? Will future opponents be more worried about playing Fulham? Will expectations next year for the fans be higher?  Next season, I think we will see what kind of impact the Europa League actually had on Fulham.

  
4. I think Danny Hoesen going on loan to HJK Helsinki can only be a help with his future development with Fulham.  According to Dan at Hammyend.com's artice "Hoesen's Finnish adventure" he will be going out on loan until the beginning of August.  He will the be returning to England for the new season. I am assuming he will get some first team action which could really help in his development. He is a player I will be following to see how he progresses.  
 
5. I think Roy Hogdson has a decision to make with Simon Davies in the lineup.  Simon finally seems to be back into the shape I remember from him last year. He has been playing well as of late. With the return of Clint Dempsey to the starting lineup coming shortly what will Roy do with Davies? Will he just use him as a substitute, or will he change his lineup around to still incorporate Davies?   

 

 6. I think Stefano Okaka needs to play more.  He has been a substitute in the last 2 matches. In the Manchester City match he really should have scored a goal. In the last match he showed promise late in the match. I know Zoltan Gera has been playing well right behind Bobby Zamora, but maybe it is time to give Okaka more of a chance. He looks like he has some skill. I would like to see him paired with Bobby Zamora on Saturday. 

7. I think the Manchester City loss was predictable.  Fulham were coming off a great victory against Juventus. It is understandable they might have come out flat against Manchester City. By the time they got it together in the second half it was too late.

8. I think Tottenham's lineup changes in the second half made a huge difference in the match. Harry Redknapp made 3 substitutions in the second half that in my opinion changed the match. David Bentley scored on a free kick. Pavlyuchenko also scored a goal in the second half. By the time Hogdson made adjustments it was too late. The damage had already been done.  

9. I think Fulham's collapses in the second half on the road against quality opponents should be a concern. The first time they collapsed in the second half was against Chelsea. Next, they collapsed in the second half against Manchester United. This week they collapsed for a third time against Tottenham. I honestly do not know why this keeps happening. Is it just about the talent difference? Is it about Fulham being a tired team? Is it about not making  adjustments to what your opponent is doing? Is it a combination of all these questions? Whatever it is, Fulham needs to correct this issue if they want to be a top half of the table team every year.

10. I think Fulham really need a road win against Hull City tomorrow.  Fulham have been in this position several times this year. They go into a visitor's stadium to an opponent they should beat. I watched Fulham destroy Hull at Craven Cottage. You would think they should be able to do the same on the road. I think a victory tomorrow is very important. It is there for the taking. To be the team they want to be, they need to win on the road. I am hoping they can get this second road win tomorrow at Hull City.   

Again, these are just 10 things I think about Fulham Football Club as of this week March 26th. It should be another fun week for the team.

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