Roy Hodgson has warned his shot-shy strikers that they must start finding the net if Fulham are to avoid another battle against Premier League relegation.
The Cottagers boss looked on in frustration as the London club suffered another misfiring afternoon in front of goal as they lost 2-1 at home to West Ham on Saturday.
And worse still, big-money signing Andy Johnson received his marching orders for two bookable offences.
Hodgson said: “Of course I’m concerned.
“We are creating plenty of chances but not taking them.
“But that is our life – you cannot just shrug your shoulders and say it does not matter.
“Had we been taking our early chances in the past few games we would probably have gone on to win.
“You have to hope that the players in your squad are players who can take chances.
“I believe, looking at our squad and the players we have here, that we will not fall down constantly in that area but I cannot guarantee that we won’t fall from time to time.”
Fulham’s much-touted pairing of Johnson and Bobby Zamora ran the Hammers defence ragged in a full-blooded opening half-hour but wasted a catalogue of gilt-edged openings.
And the Cottagers were punished when Carlton Cole and Matthew Etherington struck within three minutes of each other, followed by Johnson’s dismissal.
Although the home side continued to press, Danny Murphy’s second-half penalty was all they had to show for their efforts.
Hodgson admitted: “It will go down as one of those really weird games.
“I am very satisfied with a lot of what I saw.
“But within three minutes a game that we looked good to win everything changed.
“At this level of football it is difficult to come from two goals down, especially with ten men.”
Johnson’s likely absence from the upcoming trip to West Brom will force Hodgson into a reshuffle, with Erik Nevland, Clint Dempsey or Seol Ki-Hyeon pushing for a recall.
