Dempsey’s deflected shot off Zamora was enough for Fulham to win 1-0 over Pompey in a rather uneventful, if not typical away, match. Standard Hodgson.

Portsmouth occasionally threatened, attempting to stretch our defense with crosses from the wings but Schwarzer gobbled them up while Hangeland and Hughes smacked them away.

The only jaw dropping moment came when Pompey defender Marc Wilson whiffed on a header leaving little AJ a clear chance on goal. Either misjudging the bounce or hitting too hard, the gift sailed wide right.

For those wondering why I didn’t preview the team and season before today, I did it on purpose. I’m going to write a season preview once the transfer windows ends. Sure, it may be cheating as we’ll have played three matches — all against good opposition — and may be in or out of Europe by then.

But its sort of silly to write season previews before the window closes. Why? Because everything could be completely dated as of September 1. Look back at ManCity previews last year, or even Tottenhams — they were old news within a week. Not because they were over/underrated, but the actors changed.

Although I don’t see mountains moving for us before September 1, Duff is reportedly coming to town, KG is still stuck in a tribunal — I think — and may not be able to sign for us, and Arsenal could lodge a successful 15 million quid bid for Hangeland. Or Dempsey may even receive a similar deal from Everton. There’s just too many variables to be accurate or lasting.

No midweek Prem action, as the lads host Perm in the Europa League. Derby next weekend — should be a good one.

But yeah, Fulham won away and I’m not completely stunned. Strange days, indeed.

And had it not been for Spurs being gifted 3 points, our ticket would already be punched thanks to today’s predictable (yet still anxious) 1-0 victory and West Ham losing.

Barrages came, the line held, Schwarzer saved, Kamara scored. Not too much else to say, really. Seeing AJ and Zamora start on the bench was odd, though.

We knew Newcastle would threaten, that they’d go after Gera and Pantsil, and that they couldn’t score — at least not have it count.

Look at this chalkboard, particularly the general locations of Steven Taylor’s and Danny Murphy’s passes.

Taylor was never allowed forward, and Murphy quickly passed in that denied space. Although Danny was 46/10 for successful/unsuccessful ratio, Taylor connected all 36. But it didn’t matter.

Newcastle appeared threatening, and almost scored several times, but they didn’t break us down. And, in my mind, that is what made the difference: we broke them down.

Looks like next weekend will be another stomach churner. A win — hopefully Moyes trots out the JV team — and we’re golden. A draw, and we have to hope Spurs don’t win by more than 6 goals. A loss, and we have to count on (the already vacationing) Liverpool side to win.

The victory over Boro was to be expected. The draw at White Hart Lane was a mixed bag — glad to get a point, but frustrated we couldn’t get three. Drawing against Chelsea at the death thanks to Clint GI JOE Dempsey, the best Christmas gift any fan could’ve asked for.

Although I missed most of the Liverpool match, and it seemed like Villa had flashes of scoring while at their park, this was the first match I saw Fulham face a complete onslaught. Drogba, Bosingwa, Anelka, Cole (thanks Scolari for subbing him and not Deco!!!!!), and Fat Fred all ran rampant through the midfield and defense. Although Hangeland, Hughes, Schwarzer (MOTM), and Etuhu all kept their wits about them, there was no denying who was the more talented side out there.

But thankfully, this match showed it wasn’t about sheer talent. Embodying the American spirit (or so we’re told what it used to be anyway), Clint Dempsey was opportunistic, prepared, courageous, and most of all undaunted. Remember, this is the guy who broke JT’s jaw. His brace from set pieces gave hope twice in a game us fans surely felt was a foregone conclusion.

Lastly, thanks the Canuck Edgar scoring at St. James’ Fulham now have second best away defense!

Highlights. Photos. Woy.

Soccernet is describing it as a bore fest, but the match was really anything but. There were some clear chances that neither Fulham nor Spurs executed, but the two also didn’t blow it.

With Baird subbing for the sick Hangeland, my pulse raced each time Tottenham threw men forward. But the Ulster lad did well deputizing for the Rock, as the defense never cracked. Although some matches still need to be played we’re tied for the third best defense, and tied for the second-best away defense with Liverpool, and Man United!

The ebb and flow of the offense seemed to dissipate when Bullard went down with a hammy. His replacement Etuhu, despite doing well defensively, just seemed to take up open space that Murphy runs rampant in, and effectively cancelled him out. Davies had himself a poor match, and Dempsey blew hot for the first and cold for the second half.

It was frustrating to see Woy settle for the point at about the 70th minute, but a point at the Lane is well taken, especially considering we were without two of our best players.

All Hail Roy!

First, let’s not get carried away. We beat Arsenal, yes. But, this Arsenal had no Fabergas, Rosicky, or Eduardo. So, Fulham beat a offensively handicapped Arsenal. You know what? I’ll take it anyway. Fulham’s midfield controlled play, and shut down Arsenal entirely. Passing was good, and the defense played better than against Hull. Brede Hangeland scored a ninja goal, scoring with the bottom of his shoes on a Jimmy Bullard cross. After that, with the help of the post and Arsenal’s finishing issues, Fulham held on. Think about it, barring a stupid mistake by Konchesky (who was dropped from the team against Arsenal…coincidence?), Fulham would be sitting at 4 points, tied for third. To avoid the relegation scrap, Fulham needs to capitalize on its games against the Hull City, Stoke, and Leicester teams, and hope for a draw against these upper echelon teams. This weekend, Fulham got lucky and took three.

On the news front, Eddie Johnson, Mr. All Speed, No Finish, was loaned out to Cardiff City with an option to be brought back in January. I hope he gets a starting place with Cardiff, and can get some confidence. It’s not like Fulham is brimming with quality up top right now. (Here’s an interview with Eddie about the move.)

Andy Johnson is still out with a leg injury. David Healy is off to Sunderland. So, we’ve got Zamora and Neveland as the two top choice forwards. I’d still like to see Clint Dempsey in that mix, as he filled in admirably with 6 goals in place of Brian McBride.

Evidentally, we’re signing a guy named Kagiso Dikcacoi from South Africa. He scored two times in World Cup qualifiers, and plays for a club team in S.A. called Bafana Bafana. Welcome, Kagiso.

On Wednesday, Fulham has a Carling Cup match against Leicester City, a League One side currently sitting second in the table with a +4 goal difference. No one else has articles about the upcoming game, so I’ve got no information. Come back before game day…