Exclamation Points!

Wow. Really cannot complain about that one. Our reserves (valued at roughly 25 million quid) took ManCity’s first team squad (valued at over 400 million quid) into extra time, at Eastlands.

And Fulham even scored a goal, as much maligned Zoltan Gera rocketed a shot (was it half volley?) into the net. I don’t think I heard Gentleman Jim mention Davies or Seol more than once or twice, but Riise, Greening, and even EJ and KG seemed to play well. Good day.

The only troubling aspect of the match were the two goals let up from set pieces. Last season we hardly gave those up, but so far this year we’ve conceded five. We need to solve that, as it can be a major achilles heel for any team but can easily unravel our strong defensive work.

Speaking of, I think GJ mentioned Smalling’s name several dozen times, and Baird’s a few times as well. Good to know our backups are able and ready, unlike in years past (Stefanovic, Knight, Queudrue, Pearce [at times]).

So we’re out of this (minor) competition. Probably a good thing considering our involvement in Europe, and my suspicion that many more teams want it this year more so than others. Hughes, er, I mean, ManCity need silverware to placate the board. Villa, Everton and Tottenham simply want a trophy. Meanwhile Chelsea may be distracted with the Premier League and Champions League, but Fergie likes to win all the time and Wenger hasn’t won anything for four straight seasons.

And who knows what Rafa is thinking.

Big, big, BIG match on Saturday against Arsenal. And I’ll be able to watch it on tv! Best of both worlds indeed.

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…