Coleman expects immediate improvement

Fulham manager Chris Coleman has demanded a “big reaction” from his players following their dismal performance against Middlesbrough.

The Cottagers collapsed to a 2-0 defeat by Steve McClaren’s side after being comprehensively outplayed in the second half and Coleman does not want to see a repeat performance against Portsmouth tomorrow night.

“I could have changed the entire side that night and nobody would have done the job I wanted.

“I may make two or three changes for Portsmouth but first I will consider the way they have responded over the last few days,” said the rookie boss.

“I want a big reaction from them and I’m sure we’ll get one but that doesn’t mean we’re going to win the game – Portsmouth are a good team and we’ll be playing them in their own back yard.

“But I’d imagine we’ll see a better performance than we did on Wednesday night, which was very disappointing.”

Fulham’s effort on the pitch was not the only unsatisfactory aspect from Wednesday night with attendance figures falling over 5,000 short of capacity for the second match in a row.

The club has made plenty of noise about their return to Craven Cottage following a two-year spell at Loftus Road and having shelled out £8million on ground refurbishment they had every right to.

But Coleman is not concerned by the empty seats, instead hailing the supporters who turned up for the matches against Bolton and Boro and highlighting an increase in ticket sales

“The fans we have at the minute are all the fans we’ve got. Attendances are up 20% on last year so we are moving forward. The fans that have turned up in the last two games have been magnificent,” he said.

“I felt sorry for them on Wednesday because we didn’t give them much to shout about but they kept signing for us. They have a part to play but the team does as well. If we keep playing as badly as we did on Wednesday then they won’t shout for us.”

New recruit Papa Bouba Diop is proving to be an astute signing following some robust defensive midfield displays and it was only in the second half against Boro that the towering Senegal international was found wanting.

Diop – who scored the goal which inflicted defeat on France in their 2002 World Cup opener – cuts an imposing figure and Coleman is expecting big things of the 26-year-old signing from Lens.

“Bouba is a good player and he’s had a lot of good press. We’re delighted to have him here and I think he’ll do a tremendous job for us,” said the Welshman.

“He did quite well at Man City and played very well against Bolton but was a little bit ineffective in the second half against Middlesbrough.

“This is his first time in the Premiership so maybe sometimes we ask too much, but I think he’ll be an important player for us. The fans have already taken to him.”