Brilliantly Managed Fulham 3 Incompetently Managed West Ham 2

So, let's get a few things straight to start off with. Fulham played a hard and pulsating game of football on Thursday night, qualifying for a place in the Europa League final in the process; we had a week off. Fulham went into the game without the only player in their squad who has an outside chance of being on the plane with England to South Africa; we started with Green, Upson, Parker & Cole. Fulham had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to play for; we had our pride and a little matter of needing a point to ENSURE our safety. We are Fulham's bogey team - we always beat them! Fulham rested Duff, Gera and Murphy amongst others; we named Zola's "First Team".

That is the backdrop. Now we move to selection. Let me roll the clock back a week. Who scored an own goal to put Wigan ahead? Hang on, let me think...that would be Spector. Go back to the Liverpool game. Who had a mare? Hang on...they all did, including Spector. OK so let's go back to the Everton game. Who was at fault for both Everton goals? Hang on, that would be Spector. Well, let's look at the Man Utd game. Who was ripped apart by Valencia? Wait a moment, that would be Spector! Forget the Wolves game a moment, Spector was a sub so Tomkins had a mare instead, although Spector came on and was absolutely hopeless. So, let's roll back to the Chelsea game and who did Malouda tear apart? Hang on, it was the right back that time. Ha! No hang on, that was...Spector! And so to the Bolton game. Who did Lee crucify? Yes, that would be Spector! So who did Zola pick at left back today? You guessed it, the very same Spector! And what happened?

Who played Dempsey on for the first goal? That would be Spector! Who lost possession as the last man on the edge of his own box for the third Fulham goal? Well, just like Behrami, you could knock me down with a feather, that would be Spector again! Incredible. Absolutely incredible.

Daprela was fit of course; he was sitting on the substitute's bench as usual. This is the same Daprela who, as a teenager, was asked to make his debut against Arsenal and whose next two starts were against Chelsea and Arsenal again. This is the same Daprela who I cannot remember being directly at fault for us conceding a goal. This is the same Daprela who could do with experience in the first team, who might just benefit from an end of season, no pressure fixture against a mildly interested semi reserve Fulham team. This is the same Daprela who is naturally left footed. Yes, that Daprela, the guy Zola leaves on the bench so he can select...Spector! Incredible. Absolutely incredible.

Still we were unlucky weren't we? That goal just before half time changed the game. We were the better team up until then. And the second goal was a killer and really lucky, with a huge deflection off of Cole. And the third Fulham goal, well that was one of those things. Individual mistakes have cost us all season. The boys tried really hard, I was proud of the way we fought to the final whistle, they did not deserve that...Oh sorry, I came over all Zola there for a moment. I haven't heard his post match comments yet but I bet that's pretty close to what he's said. If I was interviewing him, I might ask, "So who is the C*** who keeps picking the guy who makes mistake after mistake, game after game?" That, of course, would be Zola.

So, back to the game. Half time, Fulham Casuals 1 West Ham Huff and Puffs 0. Did our manager change things? Did he bring on Franco or McCarthy? Did he tell Diamanti to show us what he can do? Why, why do that? At 1-0 the game can still be saved! Let's wait until Fulham get a second before we start chasing the game. At 1-0, it might just fall into our laps with a lucky break! Pathetic.

But still, at 2-0, he did bring on Diamanti and, with the right footed Noble out of position on the left, you guessed it, Zola asked the left footed Diamanti to play on the right. Well, why change a formula that hasn't worked all season? And for good measure, let's take off a full back whilst we are about it. Now, who shall it be? Tough choice here. Faubert or SPECTOR? Hang on, I'm thinking. Faubert or SPECTOR? Give me a moment. Faubert or SPECTOR? I know! Let's pull off the frog! Incredible. Absolutely incredible. Me? I might just have sent on Diamanti for Kovac, Franco for Ilan or Cole and Daprela for, you guessed it, SPECTOR. We could have had Faubert and Behrami on the right, Daprela and Diamanti on the left, and Noble and Parker in the centre of midfield. But why would we want to do that? Why have right footers on the right and left footers on the left?

How did we score our second goal? Would that have been Noble and Parker, two RIGHT footers, combining on the RIGHT side of the penalty box and PULLING THE BALL BACK for Franco to score? How easy was that then? Shame it only took until the second minute of injury time to try out that idea! Incredible. Absolutely incredible.

Contrast that to when Noble played a sweeping pass out to Diamanti wide on the right. He was one on one with the Fulham left back, with no cover behind. Franco and Cole were primed to run into the box. Diamanti controlled the ball and...came inside so he could cross with his left foot and all the attacking impetus was lost. Incredible. Absolutely incredible.

I have been banging the same drum all season. But Zola will not change! Why, because he is a pig headed idiot who does not understand that the players he is working with lack the ability of Messi, Tevez and company.

Oh, I nearly forgot Cole's goal. Great freekick from Noble and a lovely header - if he meant it. Apart from that, Cole was almost as bad as Spector!

Full marks to Woy and his boys. As for Zola, he HAS to go!

Player Ratings: Green 5 (Did he make a save?) Faubert 5, Da Costa 5, Upson 5, Spector 1; Behrami 6, Parker 6 (The new Brooking or Devonshire my arse!), Kovac 5, Noble 6; Ilan 5, Cole 3 Subs: Diamanti 5, Franco 6 (I know Stanislas came on but did he touch the ball?)