What We Learned From Watching The Fulham 0 - 0 Draw Against Bolton - Match Review

Fulham on Saturday played a 0 - 0 draw against Bolton at the Reebok. Fulham, I thought played well and deserved the point they received. However, they did not get the away victory. After each match I like to go back and review how Fulham fared in my 5 keys to victory. Maybe my keys will give us some clues to the result? Below I will analyze "What We Learned From Watching The Fulham 0 - 0 Draw Against Bolton".

1. Fuham need to grab the early lead in this match. Fulham obviously did not score in this match. My reasoning for the early lead was to give the club confidence and take the momentum of the match away from Bolton. Fulham did not succeed in this key. However, they came out strong on the road and the first half was pretty even. Overall, an early goal could have led to a victory. 

2. The goalkeeper is going to have to be at the top of his game.  Fulham hands down succeeded in this key to the match. When I got the report that Mark Schwarzer would not be playing I was concerned. However, David Stockdale far exceeded my expectations. He was terrific and kept Fulham in the match with key saves. This key was a success.  

3.  Danny Murphy needs to control the midfield.  Murphy's performance was good and and bad. He did make some nice passes, but in some situations he gave up the ball too easily. I am big fan of Murphy's. However, in this game I would say this key to the match was not a success.  

4. Zoltan Gera has to be a strong partner for Zamora. Zoltan Gera did a decent job as a partner for Zamora. He had some opportunities in this match. However, I thought the team played better when he was replaced by Clint Dempsey with about 15 minutes left in the game. Fulham dominated play when Gera came out. It is hard for me to say that this key succeeded in this match.

5. Fulham need to be aggressive and play more open. I thought the club was aggressive in this match. They certainly weren't just sitting back. Especially late in the match I was very encouraged by the play of Fulham. I thought this was a different Fulham team than I saw last season on the road. They were not looking for the point. They were going for the win. This key Fulham succeeded.

In concluding I guess you can say the draw is the right result. The team succeeded in a few of my keys. To get a victory they needed to do just a little more. Overall though I am encouraged by the game. I think Fulham are close to getting victories on the road instead of draws and losses.