Verdict: Possession won’t stop Fulham going down – it’s time for Parker to go for broke
Another day – another draw for Fulham.
The home side went 12 without a win but secured an eighth stalemate in the same number of games.
It was the same cracked record of a decent defence let down by an attack bereft of speed and ideas against West Ham.
A share of the points is not going to be enough – not by a long way.
Against half-decent sides like the Hammers, Fulham’s finishing is just plain average.
In the 53rd minute, Ruben Loftus-Cheek made a great run beyond the final defender and into the box.
He did exactly the right thing, but his chip over the keeper was the wrong side of a post.
A player and a team in form would have bagged that.
On 72 minutes, Tosin Adarabioyo gets a free header from a corner. Sure, the ball came at him sharply, but head down rather than up, and it’s in the net.
Ivan Cavaleiro’s miss was the worst – and by a margin.
Scooping over from seven yards when he saw the cross coming at him all the way was League Two on a bad evening.
In the last minute, Loftus-Cheek was a foot wide with a snap shot.
A side down on their luck is the team in white, and that’s very Fulhamish right now.
The approach play from midfield is almost by numbers.
Fulham actually look to play it backwards more often than not.
It’s become default that a player gets the ball; stands on it, before passing sideways or backwards.
I lost count in the first half the number of times the ball got played out of defence, reached midfield, and then whoever had it, looked up, saw nothing, and passed backwards.
Time and time again, there was no instinctive thread and first-time hit like the top sides do.
My favourite, if you can call it that, was Fulham picking the ball up from a stray pass in centre midfield on the 36th-minute mark.
The ball was played out to the wing for whatever reason and Kenny Tete played it back to Joachim Andersen.
That tippy-tappy nonsense involving six such passes between the back four after eight minutes killed early momentum, and West Ham grew into the game.
If you liken Fulham to a bar of music, they’re all semi-quavers and no straight four: one-and-two-and-three-and-four, rather than one, two, three, four.
Possession is good. Possession for possession’s sake is going to see Fulham into the second tier long before the end of the season.
Note Andre-Frank Anguissa’s start on the bench.
The midfielder’s star has waned over the last two matches, and it was particularly noticeable on Tuesday against Leicester.
He gave away the ball for the crucial first goal, and while not exactly falling to pieces, his passing over the next 10 minutes was more hope than hit.
Parker recognised it, and hooked him at half-time.
Against West Ham he got 10 minutes while the ineffective Mario Lemina was preferred.
Just three games back, Anguissa was a strength in the side.
Even he is showing signs of wear and tear.
Josh Maja got his debut as a sub.
But the new forward must have touched the ball a maximum six times in 11 minutes, even though Fulham went in search of a winner.
The home side would be better off going the same route from the off, and then looking to hold onto a lead – they have the defence to do it.
Talking of which, even Scott Parker has tired of a defensive set-up of three centre and two wing-backs.
A straight 4-4-2 didn’t produce the goods this time, but it’s now time to go for broke.
He might as well gamble all on a win, and come out the wrong side of the odd defeat.
One win out of two is still going to be better than a pair of draws.
