West Ham vs Fulham: The Inside Track On the Cottagers

West Ham are set to take on Fulham Saturday evening as the Hammers look to bounce back after their defeat to the Champions, Liverpool.

Currently sitting 14th in the Premier League, West Ham are the favourites going into the match against Fulham. GSH spoke to Fulham fan and freelance sports journalist & broadcaster Matthew Rhys Baldwin and Host & Founder of ‘FulhamishPod’  Sammy Jones to get the inside track on the Cottagers.

1. It has been a tough start the season for Fulham, what’s gone wrong so far?

MRB: Just about everything. We were always going to be up against it given the turnaround (more so because of the playoff timing), but the way we’ve gone about it has been awful. Taking as long as we did to address the defence (our problem for the past two seasons) arguably being the biggest crime of all.

SJ: I think ultimately the turnaround between us winning the play-offs and the start of the Premier League season was really tight for us. It gave us very little time to bring in the quality that was needed for us to compete at this level.

The biggest issue was our defence, which was not fully up to standard in the Championship, let alone the Premier League. However, all of the back four and the goalkeeper have changed since that opening day defeat against Arsenal, and we reaped the rewards with a first clean sheet against West Brom on Monday. It will be a long season for us, but things are moving in the right direction.

2. Does Scott Parker have the quality to manage in the Premier League?

MRB: I think there is something there, but he’s someone that is going to need the players to help him. I don’t see him as someone who can make a whole team better in one swoop with coaching abilities. He’s improved the odd player (Josh Onomah being the best example from last season), but unless he’s got quality players at his disposal, I can’t see him being around for long.

SJ: The jury is still out on that one. From a motivational point of view, I definitely think he has what it takes. He took a broken group of players and changed their mentality significantly to get us promoted last season. He really values work ethic and desire to win football games, and he makes sure that the player’s heads don’t drop, even when things get tough.

Whether he is strong enough tactically to compete at this level is another matter, sometimes his decision making can seem a bit basic, particularly when we are chasing games that we are losing. However, he does seem to be a quick learner, and I think if he gets time at this level, he might be able to get towards the tactical standard needed in the top flight.

3. What Fulham’s aims for the rest of the season?

MRB: It’s going to be cliché, but 17th is and always will be the aim for this season given the circumstances surrounding promotion, but even that looks like it might be a bit hard at this stage. So long as we put in more effort than we did in 2018/19, I’ll be happy (but we aren’t even doing that right now).

SJ: 17th, that is it. Staying up this season is all that’s important.

4. What have you made of West Ham’s start to the season?

MRB: One of the more inconsistent and as a result, entertaining teams in the league. It’s been interesting to watch from afar, I thought West Ham would really kick on after last season, but for the most part, you have with some good performances and results, mixed in with some rather shocking displays at the same time.

SJ: Quite surprising really. After the opening defeat by Newcastle and all the off-pitch drama with your owners and the sale of Diangana I really thought you might be doomed. However, those wins against Wolves and Leicester as well as the draw at Spurs showed that maybe everyone was a bit hasty to write you off (people did the same to us after three games, looking at you Jamie Carragher).

5. Who is Fulham’s dangerman going into this match?

MRB: The most obvious answer would be Aleksander Mitrovic, but based on recent performances I’ll go with Ademola Lookman who has been a real creative spark in this side (see his goal v Sheff Utd) and the only one who really looks as if he’s trying.

SJ: Lookman is definitely our most dangerous player at the moment. He has lightning feet and can create chances out of nowhere.

6. What weaknesses can the Hammers exploit?

MRB: Score early, and it’s pretty much game over because we don’t have a Plan B to get us out of it, stop the supply line to the forward players like Mitrovic and Lookman, and we don’t have a clue what to do.

SJ: The defence looks much better than it did, but it’s still fragile given none of them have played even 10 games for the club yet. Ola Aina at right-back scored a great goal against West Brom, but I’m not fully sold on him, and Palace really exposed that.

7. Which West Ham player or players worry you the most?

MRB: Jarrod Bowen. Someone who was in the Championship for far too long in my opinion and has taken to the Premier League brilliantly. Whether it be creating goals or scoring them himself, he’s always up to something.

SJ: Bowen. He ran us ragged last season when Hull won 3-0 at Craven Cottage with his direct running. He’s a great signing, and I really think he has a bright future. I also really like Antonio, but I know he’s a doubt for the match.

8. A few players have turned out for both West Ham and Fulham such as Scott Parker, Ryan Fredericks and Bobby Zamora, but which player is your favourite to play for both and why?

MRB: Bobby Zamora. Whilst I don’t have anything negative to say about any of the others, that 2009/10 season when he tore Europe apart was just something special.

SJ: Tough question! I’m actually going to take it further back and say Rufus Brevett. A wonderful left-back who broke my heart when he left for West Ham (on my birthday no less). A massively underrated player who could both defend and attack with aplomb.

9. What’s your match prediction?

MRB: It’ll probably be the same as it has been for a lot of our games this season, West Ham will score early, probably through Bowen and then we’ll run ourselves ragged trying to get an equaliser, West Ham get a second midway through the second half to kill the game off.

SJ: I am really hopeful we can take the confidence drawn from the West Brom game and produce another good performance. I still think we are suspect at the back, though, and I don’t believe we will keep another clean sheet.

10. Score Prediction?

MRB: West Ham 2 – 0 Fulham

SJ: I’m going to go for a 2-2 draw. I definitely feel like we might spring a few surprises in this match, but I just can’t see us stopping you scoring.

West Ham have a good record against Fulham in recent meetings, and the Hammers did the double over the Cottagers when they were last in the Premier League.