Friends of Fulham

 
Fosu-Mensah's own goal lifts Huddersfield off bottom spot
Huddersfield Town 1-0 Fulham

Timothy Fosu-Mensah's first-half own goal gave Huddersfield a 1-0 home win against Fulham and their first Premier League victory of the season.

Fosu-Mensah headed into his own net, under pressure from Town's Christopher Schindler, as Huddersfield halted an eight-game home run without a top-flight goal - and moved above Fulham and Cardiff at the foot of the table.

The Terriers' winless league run stretched back to April - 14 league games in total - but manager David Wagner was able to celebrate on the night of his third anniversary in charge with a morale-boosting victory.

Fulham's fifth successive league defeat did little to ease the pressure on boss Slavisa Jokanovic, whose side's own run without a league win was extended to eight matches.

Huddersfield's agonising wait for a goal at the John Smith's Stadium was finally over in the 29th minute, making it 659 minutes in total.

Chris Lowe crossed deep from the left and German centre-half Schindler saw his header deflect into the net off Fosu-Mensah for the game's decisive moment.

Belfast Telegraph



https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/fosumensahs-own-goal-lifts-huddersfield-off-bottom-spot-37496440.html

 
Slavisa Jokanovic in trouble, no fight & a disjointed transfer policy - Fulham talking points

The Cottagers are now bottom of the league after another defeat

Slavisa Jokanovic in trouble?

This was a six pointer – and Fulham came out with absolutely nothing.

Huddersfield Town, previously winless in the Premier League and without a goal at home, send the Whites back to west London with their tails between their legs, showing them how a team fighting near the bottom of the league should approach a game of this magnitude.

For most of the game, Slavisa Jokanovic cut a frustrated character – arms on his hips, staring out into the bleakness of his players' performance as they were second to every ball and second best in every duel.

Despite leading Fulham to the Premier League, despite Shahid Khan's backing, you feel that Jokanovic could be in real trouble now as his side slumped to the bottom of the division with little more than a whimper.

After the game, he slammed his players, saying they lacked fight and looked confused, and having seen their performance for him last night you have to ask, do they want to fight tooth and nail for him?

Jokanovic has tried nearly everything, different formations, different players, different goalkeepers, but nothing has had the required effect.

And with Liverpool next, the outlook doesn't look any brighter for Fulham.

Too many new signings that aren't up to it?

Of course, with 12 new signings coming in during the summer, Jokanovic has been tasked with a near impossible job of getting them gelled and playing his brand of football straight from the off in the Premier League.

Bedding in five players is difficult enough, but to have 12 new faces in your squad, with five of those arriving on deadline day, and then moulding them into solid side that is ready to play as a team – you may as well ask Jokanovic to turn water into wine.

(https://i2-prod.football.london/incoming/article15376312.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_GettyImages-1057768628.jpg)
Andre Schurrle did not have a good night at the John Smith's Stadium (Photo by Matthew Lewis/Getty Images)

Those that have played, the likes of Andre Schurrle, Jean-Michael Seri and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, have all been found wanting, with the defeat at Huddersfield making that fact glaringly obvious.

In the national press, Jokanovic has copped flak for the £100million outlay the club had on new signings, but those who know how Fulham's recruitment department works know it's not the head coach that should be receiving the criticism, but the men above him.

Players arrived in big money deals, deals that at the time were heralded on Twitter by Tony Khan, who posted a Tweet every time one was pushed over the line, but since the Director of Football Operations has been extremely quiet on that front.

Fulham look like they've spent big on players that don't have the fight or the mentality to drag the club kicking and screaming back up the table.

Seri was linked with Chelsea and Barcelona, but on recent performances, to even mention him in the same breath is an insult to those clubs and their ambitions.

The club's recruitment in January was a masterstroke, bringing in three players that added to the club both on and off the field, and the past mistakes made in previous transfer windows looked to be forgotten.

But we're back where we started it seems, with a disjointed transfer policy that hasn't seemed to deliver the players needed for the club to stabilise themselves in the Premier League.

No fight or leadership from the players

Jokanovic will receive a lot of criticism for how Fulham have started this season, but once the players step onto the pitch, a large chunk of responsibility lies with them.

Last night in Yorkshire, we saw a team, in the loosest term possible, with absolutely no fight, no grit and certainly no leadership.

This was Fulham's biggest game of the season, a game where big game players should stand up and be counted.

That was true for Huddersfield – Aaron Mooy orchestrated midfield while Philip Billing dominated anything that came within 20 yards of him, with the back three fighting for every ball like they were Gladiators in Rome, with every battle cheered on by a relentless crowd inside the John Smith's.

But it was the opposite for the Whites.

Tom Cairney, the club's captain, had very little impact on the game and absolutely none in a vocal sense, while Anguissa was brushed aside as if he was a Year Seven taking on the Year Eleven kids in the school playground.

Things looked better when Kevin McDonald came on, he added steel in the midfield and vocal presence that has sorely been lacking this season, but such is Fulham's season, he limped off with a muscle injury only ten minutes after coming on.

Jokanovic singled out Ryan Sessegnon after the game as the one man who stood up and was counted, and I agree, the young man feels for this club like any other fan and once more after the game, it was he who was near inconsolable at the final whistle, before going over to the travelling fans to show his appreciation to them.

(https://i2-prod.football.london/incoming/article15376881.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_GettyImages-1057717064.jpg)
Ryan Sessegnon during the defeat at Huddersfield Town (Image: Matthew Lewis/Getty Images))

What does that say for the rest of the side, that an 18-year-old man, in his third season of professional football, is showing more determination and more fight than 10-year professionals?

If I was one of the players that played last night, when I woke up this morning I'd take a good hard look at myself in the mirror and ask if the performances I've been putting in are really those of a Premier League football.

Not playing to Aleksandar Mitrovic's strengths

Last season, Aleksandar Mitrovic provided the missing piece of the jigsaw for Fulham.

They finally had a focal point for all their intricate build up play, with the Serbian reaping the rewards with his 12 goals in three and a bit months at Craven Cottage.

But recently, and especially at Huddersfield, that build up play was gone and the ball was lumped to Mitrovic to win in the air, using him as a target man against three Huddersfield defenders.

The striker was clearly annoyed all night, and has looked it for a while – his service has been non existent and after starting the season so well, his goals have dried up, as have Fulham's.

It's clear that Jokanovic is trying to get a result by any means possible, but throwing away your best asset and turning him into a battering ram is not the way to go about it.

Fulham were at their best last season when they dominated the ball, got it to Mitrovic and then used him to play off, with the ball on the ground.

They haven't done any of that this season, apart from the first few games, and it's showing – they're easily beaten now by teams they would've brushed aside last season.

Mitrovic is such an asset to have, but by not using him the way they did last season, they're dooming the striker to fail.

Where next for Fulham?

Where do Fulham go from here?

They deservedly sit rooted to the bottom of the table after a period of games that saw them take on both Cardiff City and Huddersfield Town, games they would've seen as winnable and a real chance to pick up six points.

But now, every team will see Fulham as the whipping boys of the league and that is a dangerous situation for the club to be in.

(https://i2-prod.football.london/incoming/article15376210.ece/ALTERNATES/s615b/0_GettyImages-1057755542.jpg)
(Image: PAUL ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images)

What I saw from Cardiff and Huddersfield was a fight in the players – they know they aren't the most talented teams in the division, but the players fought for Neil Warnock and David Wagner and for each other, and that is something no one can take away from them.

Fulham don't have that.

The players barely look like they know one another, let alone talk to each other during the week, while they also looked not to care much about Jokanovic's instructions from the sidelines.

Put simply: it's a mess at Craven Cottage.

I'm not sure where the side go from here, but with the daunting prospect of Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday, things look like they're going to get worse before they get better.



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/slavisa-jokanovic-future-fulham-huddersfield-15376909

 
Why have Fulham abandoned the passing style that got them promoted?

Fulham are not the first promoted side to struggle to adapt to the Premier League or to integrate a host of summer signings into the team.

So as worrying as the meek 1-0 defeat to Huddersfield was, there is still the possibility they can improve and survive comfortably.

But more perplexing, and the biggest argument in favour of Slavisa Jokanovic losing his job, is the fact that the Whites have completely abandoned the playing style that got them promoted.

In the Championship, the foundation of Fulham's success was their ability to keep the ball. Opponents were unable to attack their fragile defence with regularity because they didn't have the ball often enough to do so.

It was always going to be tough to replicate the same monopoly on possession in the Premier League, but there was precious little evidence of that flowing play at the John Smith Stadium last night. But why?

Fulham's £100m summer transfer spree was geared towards recruiting players good enough to carry out their passing style in the top flight, but instead it has been abandoned.

It is hard enough to succeed in the Premier League doing what you do best; it is nearly impossible to survive doing a pale imitation of what got you promoted.

Whether or not Jokanovic's days are numbered, he must ensure he goes back to what got his side back into the top flight.



https://tbrfootball.com/why-have-fulham-abandoned-the-passing-style-that-got-them-promoted/

 
West Ham United Tickets

18/19 Members can secure their seat to the London derby from 10am, Wednesday 7th November.

The Whites take on London neighbours West Ham United at Craven Cottage on Saturday 15th December (kick-off 5:30pm), with Members able to purchase up to four seats each.

Supporters are advised that any Memberships must have been purchased before 10am on Tuesday 6th November to be eligible to purchase tickets to this fixture.

18/19 Season Ticket Holders will then be able to secure up to four additional seats for this fixture from 10am, Friday 9th November. Full pricing and selling arrangements can be viewed here.

Tickets will be available to purchase online at fulhamfc.com/tickets, by phone on 0203 871 0810 (opt 1) or in person from the Fulham Ticket Office.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/november/06/west-ham-tickets

 
NO JOK Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic is now the clear favourite to be the first Premier League boss sacked in 2018/19

Cottagers' head coach could be out on his ear very soon after being defeated by Huddersfield Town on Monday night

Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic is now the clear favourite to be the first Premier League manager sacked.

No bosses have been dismissed during the 2018/19 campaign so far but the Cottagers' 1-0 defeat to Huddersfield has now put the Serbian closer to the edge.

Jokanovic has gone from 11/8 to be dismissed first before the game to 8/11 after the final whistle with 55 per cent of bets in the last 24 hours on this market have going on him.

And former Everton and West Ham manager David Moyes is already leading the race to replace him, along with former England manager Sam Allardyce.

Oddschecker spokesperson George Elek: "Something has to give at Fulham after their woeful start to the season, we've been watching the odds on Jokanovic leaving getting shorter and shorter for weeks.



https://talksport.com/football/442510/fulham-manager-slavisa-jokanovic-is-now-the-clear-favourite-to-be-the-first-premier-league-boss-sacked-in-2018-19/

 
What is going wrong for Fulham?

The big-spending Cottagers dropped to the bottom of the Premier League after defeat at Huddersfield.

Fulham slumped to the bottom of the Premier League following Monday night's 1-0 defeat at fellow strugglers Huddersfield.

An own-goal by Timothy Fosu-Mensah gave Huddersfield their first win of the season at the expense of a Fulham side who have lost their last six in all competitions.

Here, Press Association Sport asks some of the key questions surrounding Fulham's worrying start to the season.

Where has it all gone wrong?
Put simply, Fulham cannot defend. They have conceded 29 goals in 11 games, the joint worst record at this stage in Premier League history. Their summer outlay of £100million on 12 new signings, including £30m midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa on deadline day, was a statement of intent but has so far backfired spectacularly. In fairness, injuries to captain Tom Cairney and big-money defender Alfie Mawson have not helped, but at times Fulham have looked utterly chaotic.

Who is to blame?
The players are an easy target, and there is no doubt heads have gone down on occasions this season when things have gone against them. But inconsistency in team selection is surely not helping matters. Manager Slavisa Jokanovic has already used three different goalkeepers this term and has not once played the same back four in consecutive games.

So how should they put it right?
Here's the problem. Jokanovic is convinced the brand of attacking football, which earned them so many admirers as they achieved promotion last season, can be effective in the Premier League, and is so far unwilling to change his philosophy. Yet a switch to a back three might help, plugging an all too frequent gap in the centre while easing the pressure on their attack-minded full-backs.

Is Jokanovic under pressure?
Owner Shahid Khan has reiterated his support for the manager throughout their tough start to the campaign but the pressure is now mounting. Jokanovic admitted after the Huddersfield defeat that his future is "not only in my hands". The players insist they are behind the manager who guided them to promotion but they need to eke out a result for him, and quickly.

What comes next?
Possibly one of the worst fixtures for a manager who needs a win, a trip to Liverpool. Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino will be licking their lips at the prospect of tearing through a paper-thin Fulham defence. A hiding at Anfield and the Fulham hierarchy may be forced to take action.



http://sport.bt.com/news/what-is-going-wrong-for-fulham-S11364308151235

 
Slavisa Jokanovic future: Fulham boss to keep job for Liverpool clash despite abject display at Huddersfield

Slavisa Jokanovic has been granted a stay of execution, despite Fulham's 1-0 defeat at Huddersfield on Monday.

The 50-year-old Serb admitted his job is at risk after Fulham dropped to the bottom of the Premier League table, but he is set to remain in charge for Sunday's trip to Liverpool.

Jokanovic spoke to Fulham chief executive Alistair Mackintosh at the John Smith's Stadium on Monday and the board continue to back him for now. Owner Shahid Khan said publicly last month that he is willing to give Jokanovic more time to turn things around, but Monday's defeat leaves his position hanging by a thread.

Losing to Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday would leave him in a vulnerable position going into a two-week international break. The board would then be left with a decision over whether to make a change ahead of a crucial home game against Southampton on November 24.

Fulham spent more than £100million on 12 new players in the summer, but they have now lost five straight matches and Jokanovic is under increasing pressure after an abject display last night.

Their performance was devoid of fight and they were second best all over the pitch against a side who had previously failed to win this season.

Fulham have badly lost their way since winning the Play-Off Final in May, winning only one of 11 league games this season and conceding 29 goals.

Jokanovic has been unable to arrest their slide and when asked about his future on Monday, he said: "This is a normal question. My team is bottom of the table. I cannot be happy, like people around me. I am never scared about the job ahead of me. It is a normal question for people at the club. They need to think what is the best option for the team and who is the best man to keep going and working with the squad. I know in this kind of situation many things can happen, but it is outside of my control. Other people, if they need to say something, they can use some words."

Jokanovic has a good relationship with Khan but he is in the final year of his contract, which leaves him in a vulnerable position. The club opened talks with him about extending his contract after he guided Fulham to promotion, but an agreement was not reached over the summer.

Khan knows Jokanovic has done a good job in his three years at Craven Cottage and he has a history of showing support and patience to managers. The American billionaire, who last month pulled out of his £600m bid to buy Wembley, has refused to be rushed into a hasty decision, but the situation is becoming urgent.



https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/slavisa-jokanovic-future-fulham-boss-to-keep-job-for-liverpool-clash-despite-abject-display-at-a3981841.html

 
Fulham fans have come to an agreement about Fosu-Mensah following Huddersfield game

There was a lot of hype surrounding Timothy Fosu-Mensah when he made his Manchester United debut under Louis van Gaal in 2016.

The Dutch defender was just 18 years old at the time and it was hoped he would go on to establish himself as a regular at the club.

Van Gaal was replaced by Jose Mourinho that summer, but the Portuguese manager was clearly impressed by Fosu-Mensah and handed him a new contract just a few months into his reign.

"Tim is a young player with great potential," Mourinho said after Fosu-Mensah penned a new four-year contract in October 2016. "I am pleased that he has signed a new contract and I am delighted at the progress he has made so far.

"It is clear to see that he is learning every day in training and there will be plenty of opportunities for him as the season continues."

Fosu-Mensah spent last season on loan at Crystal Palace and is currently spending time at Fulham.

Man United fans still rate him highly and hope he can make it to the first team, but what do Fulham fans think?

Unfortunately, it seems they don't have a very high opinion of him.

Fosu-Mensah has played just 502 minutes in the Premier League for The Cottagers this season.

Largely deployed as a right-back, Fulham have conceded 12 times while the Dutch defender has been on the pitch.

His most recent performance came against Huddersfield on Monday night, and it's fair to say it was a disaster.

Huddersfield hadn't scored at home since 14 April, but that streak was ended yesterday when Fosu-Mensah headed into his own net.

The 20-year-old's performance did not get any better and was booked for a rash challenge after 34 minutes.

He was eventually hooked off at half-time.

Fulham would go on to lose 1-0, leaving them rock bottom in the Premier League.

And a lot of the club's fans directed their anger at Fosu-Mensah after the game.

Many have had enough of Fosu-Mensah and want to see his loan terminated.

That is worrying. If Fosu-Mensah is failing to make an impression at Fulham, what chance does he have of making it in Man United's first team?

Fortunately, at 20 years old, Fosu-Mensah still has his football career ahead of him and can still develop into the player Man United fans hoped he would be.

But, it's fair to say he hasn't quite lived up to expectations as of yet.



https://www.givemesport.com/1412933-fulham-fans-have-come-to-an-agreement-about-fosumensah-following-huddersfield-game?autoplay=off

 
Moyes, Allardyce, van Gaal - Fulham next manager odds as pressure grows on Slavisa Jokanovic

Fulham FC news includes a look at who the favourites are with the bookies to replace under pressure Slavisa Jovanovic

Slavisa Jokanovic is now odds-on to lose his job as Fulham head coach after his side's 1-0 defeat to Huddersfield Town.

It's been Fulham's worst start to a Premier League campaign and it was made that little bit harder to take after Timothy Fosu-Mensah's own goal gave the Terriers their first home goal of the season on Monday night, as well as their first win.

That meant that Fulham dropped to the bottom of the division with just one win and five points to their name, with the pressure now mounting on Jokanovic at Craven Cottage.

And after that defeat, the odds on him becoming the next Premier League manager to leave their post have increased, moving from 11/8 before the game to 8/11 on afterwards, according to Oddschecker.

But if fans of the club aren't worried enough, the list of the names on the list that could replace Jokanovic should Shahid Khan sack his head coach makes for even more grim reading.

At time of writing, David Moyes is favourite to be the next Fulham boss at 7/2, with the former West Ham boss a regular at Craven Cottage this season – last popping up at the 3-0 defeat to AFC Bournemouth last week.

Sam Allardyce, who a small section of Fulham fans are calling for on social media, is 6/1 while former boss Chris Coleman, who is currently managing in China at Hebei China Fortune, is 7/1.

If Jokanovic was to lose his job, however, it is highly unlikely that any of these names would be in the front running for the head coach job, with someone from overseas with a similar style to the current boss looking the likely route for Fulham.

At the moment, however, Jokanovic is still very much the Fulham head coach and it looks likely he will still be in charge for the game with Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday, unless Khan has a change of mind and decides removing him from his position is the best route forward.

Favourites to be the next Fulham boss:

David Moyes – 7/2

Sam Allardyce – 6/1

Chris Coleman – 7/1

Claudio Ranieri – 8/1

Michael O'Neill – 9/1

Brendan Rodgers – 10/1

Frank de Boer – 10/1

Alan Pardew – 12/1

Louis van Gaal – 16/1



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/fulham-fc-news-next-manager-15377657

 
Minor crisis special: get me Sam Allardyce on the bat-phone

To the extent that I know anything about football, I think I learned it when Roy was here, so I view everything through that prism. I haven't actually been to a match since about 2011 (kids, etc) and don't always stay awake for Match of the Day, so my views may be less relevant than anyone's.  That said, some thoughts:

One feature of defensive play is what you do when you have the ball. This was highlighted the other day – probably after the Bournemouth match – but when Fulham lose the ball the team is not remotely set up to deal with the situation.

This is a huge issue: the best teams set up to either win back immediately or to at least have a basic shape through which to absorb counter attacks.

They also offer the back four a shield. I wrote about this in 2013, and while in retrospect this piece is quite hard to follow (I was defending Philippe Senderos, too!), the points still hold I think.  Whenever I see Fulham highlights I see defenders everywhere, generally running back towards their own goal, and in no position to stop anything.  The Arsenal game was awful for this.   It isn't all of the goals that get conceded – there have been many different kinds of those – but illustrates a fundamental issue with how the club is approaching the game.

This openness is weird. Usually teams that do this compensate to some degree when they attack, but Fulham currrently fall into the old "can't bat, can't bowl, can't field" trope. There's almost nothing going well.

This is double weird because the coach is capable and has a track record of winning football matches. But perhaps defensive organisation is simply not part of his skillset or something he's ever needed in the past. A quick visit to Wikipedia shows a dazzling season at Watford (entirely reminiscent of what happened to Fulham last year) and a lot of work in smaller countries. There is no evidence of performance at a high level where defending has happened.  Yikes. Maybe Slav simply doesn't know how to do this, in which case he isn't the man for the job and my thoughts about loyalty (all the screeching muppets wanting their club back deserve not to be heard) don't matter. Core competence is missing and that's reason enough to change things.

To that end, probably on field personnel isn't the issue. While the defenders may not be of A1 quality, we see everyday how 'journeymen' defenders can be perfectly capable in a half decent system. It's my contention that almost nobody would look good at centre-half in this team.

Just as Hodgson's teams made our defensive players look better than they 'really' were (remember: Paintsil, Hughes, Hangeland and Konchesky formed a watertight unit, but three of those players were decidedly average through most of their careers, at least in public perceptions), the current system (or lack of) is making the present players look worse than they are.

Which is not to say that the individuals in question haven't been individually culpable because of course that happens too, but we make mistakes when we're at our limits and a good system offers safety nets and balances so these things matter less. In a good system you can slot players in and out as necessary, you can adapt personnel (e.g. Fabian Delph and Ashley Young have played top level games at full-back, young does it permanently now, and he was an out and out winger. You see this all the time...).

Put another way, constantly changing personnel isn't necessarily the answer. A great, commanding centre-back wouldn't be a terrible thing to happen (look at liverpool after Virgil Van Dijk signed) but equally, I suspect people will be disappointed if this is held out as a magic solution.  It's not a question of 'if only we find the right combination'... it's much deeper than that.

There is also a general criticism around lack of fight, bite, heart, and other such combative terms. It's a very English reaction to blame lack of results on lack of desire, and I think this is miles off, at least in terms of what to address. These players almost certainly are not cowards lacking in moral fibre, but probably the apparent apathy is a symptom of the lack of direction they're experiencing.

Any office staff survey measures motivation levels, and more often than not things like salary don't have any impact at all on satisfaction or well-being. Rather, people want to feel part of something, have autonomy (but not too much!) and generally it's crucial that they know what their role is. Without this things float, drift, and other passive words that don't evoke biting or eating things.

This is what I'm seeing here, I think. Players are losing belief because they're not being instructed, they're not sure what's going on around them. And while the crowd would respond to a bit more charging around, it's bigger than that.

As Roy used to say, there's no magic wand, you can't just shout at people or feed them red meat before games or anything like that: you have to work at it and give the players a chance to shine, to deliver on their skills. This team is way, way less than the sum of its parts, which is a shame. It might change: a lot of new players coming together will take time to adjust. But the signs aren't very good at the moment.

Afterthought: people are moaning about the Sam Allardyce suggestion but honestly he'd be perfect for this team. He'd absolutely love Mitrovic as a focal point who can score and bring others into the game, he'd get Seri firing, and he'd sort out the defence. People forget that it was Allardyce who brought JayJay Okocha to England, who featured all kinds of exciting talents in his over-achieving Bolton teams. He'd be excellent for Fulham.



https://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2018/11/06/minor-crisis-special-get-me-sam-allardyce-on-the-bat-phone/

 
Disorganised, gutless and with a manager unsure of his best team, Slavisa Jokanovic's Fulham are staring at Premier League relegation with 100 in the goals against column

    Fulham slumped to the foot of the Premier League after 1-0 loss at Huddersfield
    The defeat against relegation rivals has left boss Slavisa Jokanovic on brink
    Sam Allardyce and David Moyes are the bookmakers' favourites to replace him
    Jokanovic has struggled to replicate Fulham's free-flowing football in top-flight
    12 summer arrivals have made Serbian manager unsure of his strongest team
    His tinkering in defence has left Fulham on course for record goals against tally

It comes to something when the official club Twitter account announces the result with the message 'really sorry everyone' before telling the fans 'you deserved better'.

But for Fulham, an autumnal Monday night in Huddersfield represented an acid test as to whether they truly belong in the Premier League. And they failed it miserably.

They turned in another spineless, disorganised and disengaged performance in a 1-0 loss that saw them replace the Terriers at the bottom of the table.

(https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2018/11/06/12/5828026-6358415-A_dejected_Andre_Schurrle_trudges_off_after_Fulham_s_1_0_defeat_-a-61_1541507551547.jpg)
A dejected Andre Schurrle trudges off after Fulham's 1-0 defeat at Huddersfield Town

(https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2018/11/06/12/5828032-6358415-Ryan_Sessegnon_looks_downcast_as_Fulham_slumped_to_another_defea-a-62_1541507551658.jpg)
Ryan Sessegnon looks downcast as Fulham slumped to another defeat on Monday evening

(https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2018/11/06/12/5831092-6358415-Manager_Jokanovic_stands_on_the_brink_of_the_sack_after_just_11_-a-63_1541507551725.jpg)
Manager Jokanovic stands on the brink of the sack after just 11 league games this season

(https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2018/11/06/12/5831190-6358415-Fulham_replaced_Huddersfield_at_the_bottom_of_the_Premier_League-a-64_1541507551743.jpg)
Fulham replaced Huddersfield at the bottom of the Premier League after their loss on Monday

Their manager Slavisa Jokanovic now stands on the brink – the man who guided them so stylishly back to the big time facing the sack just 11 matches into their return.

Inevitably, Sam Allardyce and David Moyes, two managers seen as football's equivalent of fire-fighters, have the shortest odds to replace the Serb, who looks increasingly like a man who has exhausted all his options.

Fulham's season already resembles a salvage operation with the team leaking goals at a rate that could easily lead to an unwanted line in the Premier League record books.

Various beatings in the early stages of the season have seen Fulham concede 29 goals so far at an average of 2.64 goals per game.

If they continue to let them in at such a rate, they will surpass 100 in the goals against column.

Swindon Town conceded 100 in the 1993-94 campaign — the Premier League's worst-ever record – but that was over 42 games rather than the present 38.

Judging by their gutless showing at Huddersfield, some of the players have already given up on Jokanovic and the season as a whole. 'We were a little bit confused, some players a bit scared,' said the manager.

There was certainly little fight, spirit or cohesion in evidence and Huddersfield, who hadn't won this season until Monday night, could easily have scored more.

Jokanovic is responsible to a certain extent, but not entirely.

Fulham achieved promotion last season, beating Aston Villa in the Wembley play-off final, with a settled side and an attractive brand of football.

They were the great entertainers of the Championship, tearing opposition defenders apart with their well-developed brand of attacking football.

Teenager Ryan Sessegnon was a revelation after being moved from left-back to the left side of attack. Captain Tom Cairney was a dynamo in midfield.

The goals of Aleksandar Mitrovic, signed on loan from Newcastle in January, proved the missing piece of the puzzle.

But this successful side has been ripped up by no fewer than 12 summer signings.

While owner Shahid Khan wanted to make a statement of intent with £100million of summer outlay, the side-effects have been negative.

Tasked with integrating these new signings - five of whom arrived on deadline day in August – Jokanovic now has no idea what his best starting line-up is and it shows in Fulham's performances.

The leaky defence is a case in point – there hasn't been a single Premier League match this season when Jokanovic has stuck with the same back four.

On the opening day of the season against Crystal Palace, he started with four new faces at the back – Fabri in goal and Joe Bryan, Maxime Le Marchand and Calum Chambers in defence.

He then introduced newcomers Timothy Fosu-Mensah at right back and Alfie Mawson at centre half.

Eventually, he brought back old faces Marcus Bettinelli, Denis Odoi, Tim Ream and Sessegnon, but nothing has stemmed the flow of goals against.

Against Arsenal at Craven Cottage last month, they lined up with five at the back and conceded five.

Fulham have generally remained true to their 4-3-3 set-up of last season, but this has been far less effective against higher quality teams in the Premier League and Jokanovic has tinkered over and over again.

It's led to a sense of confusion, with new signings and old heads alike under-performing.

Jean Michael Seri and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, signed from Nice and Marseille respectively, have failed to provide the required bite in midfield, while on-loan Andre Schurrle blows hot and cold.

Cairney and Sessegnon were expected to take the Premier League by storm but have been playing well within themselves. Kevin McDonald's injury on Monday night is another blow. 

The service for Mitrovic last season came from wide areas and was generally excellent, but the Serb striker has cut a frustrated figure this season.

He hasn't scored for five league matches now and is often being required to take on entire defence by himself as a target man. The service is lacking.

Really the only player to cover himself in glory has been Bettinelli, who earned an England call-up for the saves made in trying to keep the score down.

It all adds up to a sorry picture and Jokanovic has altered starting line-ups and tactics so much it appears he has run out of ideas.

Fulham's owners now face a stark choice - stick with Jokanovic and his failing 'project' of trying to play free-flowing football, but make an immediate return to the Championship.

Or dismiss him and hope a Moyes or Allardyce sails the ship to safety.

Worse still, with their next fixture a trip to Anfield to take on Liverpool this Sunday, that goals against tally looks likely to take another hammering.



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-6358415/Jokanovics-Fulham-staring-Premier-League-relegation-100-goals-against-column.html

 
More change is not going to help Fulham – they need stability, quickly

Usuallly, even in defeat a team can extract a positive or two. A failed experiment, perhaps, or a lesson learned about a particular player. For Fulham, their 1-0 loss to Huddersfield on Monday night came with no benefit at all. What Slavisa Jokanovic's future now is remains uncertain, but this defeat was inarguably the low point of what has already been a disastrous season.

That wasn't just because Fulham lost, though. Losing to this Huddersfield side is always slightly shameful, but it was really the texture of the game which was most troubling. While the statistics portrayed a fairly even contest, the tone of the match made it seem as if only one result was ever possible. Huddersfield are limited, but last night they were committed and connected; at least their dots joined up.

The same can't be said about Fulham. Previously, perhaps as recently as before the loss at Cardiff, it had been easy to dismiss their early season form as being part of a learning curve. They made a lot of signings over the summer, the genetics of the side are fundamentally different, and so an adjustment period was always going to have to be suffered.

Monday night altered that perception, because it showed just how little progress has actually being made. This team is getting worse, not better. The defence still looked perilously vulnerable (against a team who hadn't scored a home goal all season, no less) and the midfield and attack exerted almost no influence on the game at all. Even towards the end, when Huddersfield had begun to sit deep and hold what they had, there was barely even the suggestion of an equaliser.

Inaccuracy was also a theme. Across the entire 90 minutes, Fulham lost the ball 18 times in their own half, suggesting fundamental issues with the way they build and develop attacking moves. The defence is a problem, everybody knows that, but its fractured relationship with the midfield is an equally significant issue. Yes, the line is lead by Aleksandar Mitrovic and he's a physical player, but he is not mobile enough to chase long balls into the channel and he is not technically good enough to hold the ball up when surrounded by multiple defenders. Moreover, he is supported in attack by players who require the ball at their feet. Andre Schurrle, Luciano Vietto and Tom Cairney are finesse footballers, not battering-rams, and this inability to develop possession from deep is deeply inhibiting them.

Diagnosing that is simple enough: last night's back-seven (including the goalkeeper) involved five players who arrived at the club over the summer and, clearly, that lack of familiarity is a root cause. In the broader sense, it offers a warning to newly-promoted clubs about trying to evolve too quickly. In the short-term though, it suggests that Fulham would likely be wrong to part with Jokanovic now – or at least, that doing so wouldn't cure this particularly problem. How is more turnover and change really going to help? The summer has happened now, it can't be undone, and if Fulham are to survive they need to rediscover the cohesion which brought them back to this level in the first place.

Jokanovic is obviously complicit in the failure – after all, the lack of any discernible adjustment is deeply concerning and, ultimately, his responsibility. After eleven Premier League games, not a single one of his defensive players has more than eight starts and, even now in November, there's really no sense of what his first-choice back-line actually is. While that remains the case, the side is going to remain without both proper stability and the necessary understandings to efficiently exit their own zones. At this point, picking a consistent defence is almost more important than the personnel within it. After all, the lower half of the Premier League is weak this season, there are some very limited teams at that end of the table, the implication being that basic competence in that defence should be enough.

So, no, Jokanovic is not an innocent bystander, but is still best-placed to arrest the decline. Another manager will doubtless bring further players with him in January, will take weeks or perhaps months to exert proper control over this squad, and that's probably time that Fulham don't really have.

Last season, they were often a wonderful team to watch. Not because they had a side packed with gifted individuals, but because their components often combined in such attractive fashion. Re-watch the goals scored by Sessegnon, Mitrovic and Cairney, for instance, and note how many of them were the product of slick moves and developed relationships between the various players. The higher standard of the Premier League would have had a restricting effect under any circumstances, yes, but the real problem has been Fulham's willingness to voluntarily vent that chemistry away. Watching them now, particularly last night, is to see a side with almost no faith in their own shape. Players have no sense for where their teammates are and, with and without the ball, they are reacting to their own side's movement rather than anticipating it.

Managerial change doesn't solve that. In fact, it would represent a failure to appreciate why this team finds itself at the foot of the league and, more than likely, would just accentuate the problem.



https://www.tifofootball.com/features/more-change-is-not-going-to-help-fulham-they-need-stability-quickly/

 
Fulham teenager Ryan Sessegnon showed fight required but too many team-mates went missing

(https://static.standard.co.uk/s3fs-public/thumbnails/image/2018/11/06/12/Sessegnon0611abc.jpg?w968)
Dejected: Sessegnon collapsed to the turf after defeat to Huddersfield ( REUTERS )

After the final whistle, Ryan Sessegnon fell to the turf and lay flat on his back. Exhausted and staring into space, he had given everything for Fulham.

When he eventually got to his feet, he stood motionless as Huddersfield players celebrated around him. He briefly pulled his shirt over his face, but it was impossible to hide the look of desolation as he wandered slowly over to acknowledge the travelling fans who had stayed to applaud him.

The disappointment on his face showed he cared. The same, though, cannot be said for too many of his team-mates at the John Smith's Stadium and the lack of fight shown by some of them last night was indicative of what has gone wrong at Fulham.

Sessegnon is only 18, but he was one of only a few players who took some responsibility to try to make things happen against their fellow strugglers.

Fulham were second best all over  the pitch. They were outworked and outfought as they slipped to a defeat that leaves Slavisa Jokanovic's job hanging by thread.

They now prop up the Premier League and, after their insipid display, Jokanovic admitted the board have a decision to make over whether he is the right man to take the team forward.

Jokanovic must take some blame for the dismal start to the season, but the club's muddled transfer strategy in the summer has ruined the side that won promotion in May.

Fulham spent more than £100million on 12 players and that recruitment has left them with a team with no leadership, no passion and, on last night's evidence, not much quality.

There were only four survivors last night — Sessegnon, Tom Cairney, Denis Odoi and Aleksandar Mitrovic — from the team that beat Aston Villa in the Play-Off Final.

Of course, Fulham needed to strengthen, but it is hard to imagine they would be worse off had they stuck with most of the team that got them promoted. And five straight defeats have brought that transfer strategy into sharp focus.

Signings were identified by the club's recruitment department, which is overseen by director of football operations Tony Khan, son of owner Shahid. He is assisted by chief scout Brian Talbot and data analyst James Lovell.

Fulham have a "two boxes ticked" approach to recruitment, in which any potential signing must be approved by a statistical database and also their scouting department. Jokanovic is involved in the process but not all the players were his choices.

The Serb cut an increasingly beleaguered figure last night and he did not hold back when he accused too many of his players of lacking fight. Jean Michael Seri and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, who arrived in the summer for a combined fee of around £50m, did not give enough. Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Luciano Vietto, both brought in on loan, got hauled off at half-time. Maxime Le Marchand and Andre Schurrle struggled. Goalkeeper Sergio Rico, the other new signing, could do nothing about the goal.

There is sympathy for the view that gelling so many new personnel takes time, but Huddersfield, with a team assembled for a fraction of the cost, looked like they wanted it more.

The winning goal summed up the commitment of both teams. Christopher Schindler showed more desire than anyone in a black shirt to meet a corner with a header which went in off Fosu-Mensah. It was the first time they had scored at home in 11 hours of football.

Cairney also looked gutted at the final whistle, but too many others were nowhere near good enough. Jokanovic said some looked "scared of the responsibility".

"Ryan Sessegnon showed great personality," said the boss. "The youngest man in my team tried to force the situation. He is not the guy who needs to push the team. We have more expensive and more experienced players. They must take this kind of role. Other people need to offer more fight, personality, more quality and more work."

It is hard to see things improving any time soon following this toothless display. Fulham face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday before the two-week international break.

Khan has backed Jokanovic for now, but the situation is growing more worrying for the 50-year-old.

Substitute Cyrus Christie said: "On the pitch we need to show more leadership. Everyone needs to take responsibility. If people can look in the mirror and say they are happy with their performances so far, then they are probably lying.

"As a team we have not been good enough and as individuals we are not showing enough quality. We need to up our levels now by a good 20 or 30 per cent. We need to show more heart, more passion. There were too many battles lost, too many key 50/50s lost. They showed they wanted it more."

Fine words, but it's action that Fulham need right now.



https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/fulham-teenager-ryan-sessegnon-showed-fight-required-but-too-many-teammates-went-missing-a3982121.html

 
Hope for Fulham? Why relegation six-pointer defeats do not spell Premier League relegation

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Slavisa Jokanovic watched his side lose to Huddersfield Town but how important could that defeat be at the end of the season?

Huddersfield Town manager David Wagner labelled it one of the most important wins of his three-year tenure. Slavisa Jokanovic meanwhile suggested his players seemed a "little bit scared."

Monday night's game already had relegation six-pointer written all over it, despite the season only being in the second week of November.

Defeat saw Fulham slump to the bottom of the table, having now lost to Huddersfield and Cardiff City - the two teams directly above them. Crucial ground conceded to their rivals but how significant? With so many factors coming into place over the course of a season, how much emphasis should be placed on whether a so-called relegation six-pointer is won or lost?

The Premier League table as it stands has Fulham bottom on goal difference from Cardiff, with Huddersfield in the final relegation place ahead of Newcastle with Southampton and Burnley above them.

The theory about six-pointers is that the victor takes not only three points but there is added value in denying your rivals in a similar position the same amount.

Fulham's solitary victory of the season against Burnley back in August actually puts them fourth if a mini-table was to be drawn up for the bottom six.

Newcastle and Burnley - the league's current draw masters - have drawn a blank against their relegation rivals on two occasions each, including against each other.  Those two teams, however, have also played the least amount of games against fellow bottom-six sides, but Cardiff, despite contesting the most on four, can only boast one win as well.

The season is only 11 games old, such comparisons so early are clearly not going to throw up clear conclusions. But a look back over recent seasons does.

Taking a glance at the 2015-2016 campaign proves the value of taking points off your rivals. While Leicester City were upsetting the established football order at the top of the table, the struggling sides followed an expected trend.

Of the bottom six finishing sides, Newcastle United, Norwich City and Aston Villa fared the worst against each other, picking up 12 points each. Those same three teams slipped into the Championship at the end of the season while Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Sunderland all stayed up.

Norwich accrued four 'six-pointer' wins along the way, the same as fourth-bottom Sunderland, but six losses proved their undoing. Sunderland meanwhile tallied four draws and two defeats.

In terms of pulling away from your rivals, draws do neither team any good. But it's points on the board all the same, and with Sunderland eventually finishing five points better than Norwich in the Premier League table, it supports the argument that if you can't win the game, make sure you're not losing it. Fulham take note.

On first glance, last season was another to support the theory that fail to do well against your rivals, then you're in trouble.

Swansea City and West Brom, both relegated, could only muster three wins between them, the same managed each by Brighton, Huddersfield and Southampton.

However Stoke City proved to be the firm anomaly to the rule. Of their seven victories, of what proved be an ultimately doomed season, they registered five wins against other sides to finish in the bottom six. That was two clear of anyone else, while they also did not lose to any of their rivals, drawing their other five games.

It all meant 20 points from their final league total of 33 came from their relegation six-pointer games. Yet they still suffered relegation, finishing second bottom. Swansea City, third bottom, finished on the same number of points yet accrued 11 fewer points against their relegation rivals.

Stoke's failings, mathematically at least, came with their results against the rest of the league. While positive results against the league's pace setters may be a tough ask, points must clearly be picked up elsewhere.

In the case of Fulham this season, they were heavily beaten by Arsenal, yet also suffered a 3-0 reverse to Bournemouth. Eddie Howe's men have been in impressive form this season, but the margin of victory would have been hard to swallow for Fulham fans.

As with Stoke last season, relegated Queens Park Rangers were another to win five games against their relegation rivals in the 2014-2015 season. Both they and Burnley gathered 16 points from their games against the bottom six sides, yet finished the season in the bottom two. Third bottom Hull City took 14, above the 13.5 point average for the bottom six, thus further chipping away at how significant six-pointer outcomes actually are.

Clearly there are other factors to be considered too when trying to stave off relegation, one of which is the positive impact a new manager can have. Both Tim Sherwood and Dick Advocaat, at Aston Villa and Sunderland respectively, successfully masterminded relegation escapes after coming in during the second half of the 2014-2015. Yet both teams finished down on points gained against their rivals. 
So what's the conclusion from recent seasons? Without doubt, getting one over a team battling against you for survival provides a boost, both in terms of points and morale. But winning the relegation six-pointers does not necessarily equate to Premier League survival. Target a win first up, if not then at least make sure you don't lose. And if all else fails, perhaps it's time for that change of manager.



https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/11/06/hope-fulham-relegation-six-pointer-defeats-do-not-spell-premier/

 
Some Sheffield Wednesday fans want Fuham's Slavisa Jokanovic as manager

The Fulham boss was linked with the Sheffield Wednesday post in 2015.

Some Sheffield Wednesday are closely watching ongoings at Fulham.

Both clubs' managers, Jos Luhukay and Slavisa Jokanovic respectively, are under increasing pressure after overseeing almost identical losing runs.

And alternatives are already being discussed at Hillsborough and Craven Cottage.

Mick McCarthy is one of the names linked with the Sheffield Wednesday post, and the general consensus is that hiring out-of-work former Ipswich boss would be a welcome decision.

But with Jokanovic's position made more uncertain by Fulham's defeat at Huddersfield on Monday, by the Serbian's own admission, the following Owls supporters have other ideas...

Jokanovic was last linked with the Sheffield Wednesday in 2015, before the Owls appointed Carlos Carvalhal.

And according to the Sun, Carvalhal is one of the candidates to replace the 50-year-old at Fulham.

In his three full seasons managing in English football, Jokanovic - who was born in the same Serbian town that the former Wednesday owner Milan Mandaric was raised - has achieved two promotions and reached a play-off semi-final.



https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2018/11/06/some-sheffield-wednesday-fans-want-fuhams-slavisa-jokanovic-as-m/

 
Fulham's defence isn't Slavisa Jokanovic's only problem – the attack has big issues to solve
The perception that Fulham are at least good going forward has been challenged in recent matches

Fulham's 1-0 away loss to Huddersfield on Monday was tough viewing for fans of the London club. Not just because of the significance of the match, touted as an early relegation six-pointer, and not just because it represented the club's eighth match in the Premier League without a win and their fifth successive league loss.

It particularly stung because it appeared to represent a departure from a beloved club philosophy of attractive, passing, possession football. Fulham started the season opting to continue the attacking style which earned them promotion from the Championship and while it was much-documented that their defence was leaky, pundits often noted the team were capable of goals and stylish goals at that.

In many ways, this popular appraisal has become a fallacy of late. Fulham have only scored four goals in their last seven matches against Huddersfield, Bournemouth, Cardiff, Arsenal, Everton, Watford and Manchester City. Some tough games, sure, but for an attacking side there were more goals there than a mere four. In those matches, Fulham have seen their shots on target and total number of efforts dwindle as they've struggled to break down defences and have increasingly worried about conceding.

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It is perhaps due to this lack of potency in attack that the calls for manager Slavisa Jokanovic to be shown the door have become louder in recent weeks. Many fans wouldn't have minded the losses to Everton, Bournemouth and Huddersfield as much had Fulham shown more going forward.

So why have their goals dried up and how do they try to fix this?

Championship attacking style and Premier League signings
Fulham's Championship promotion was earned primarily by the goals of Ryan Sessegnon and Aleksandar Mitrovic. Many of these were team goals, as Fulham passed through sides and created close-range chances for their attacking wide man and striker to get on the end of.

This season, Fulham have controlled less of the ball in matches and have consistently conceded more goals due to the step up in quality of opposition. With less time on the ball and more of a need to score when they have it, the attack has a lot more pressure to find the net than it did in the Championship.

Mitrovic started the season with a bang and dwindled, while Sessegnon has seen less game time in a forward position due to a raft of new signings, of which André Schurrle has contributed most to the goal tally.

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There are some issues with the way the squad has gelled following the introduction of the new attacking signings. Schurrle, while contributing goals, takes a very high number of shots from range and from wider positions. Occasionally he comes up with some magic, and as the second top scorer in the squad he can rightly point to a return on the gamble. However, in opting to shoot early and frequently, passing moves are stopped in their tracks and Fulham's momentum dissipates.

Luciano Vietto, meanwhile, has proved a Jokanovic disciple of sorts. He's technically brilliant and he often fulfills the role of a creative link and an 'out ball', due to his ability to hold and exploit space. However, he's not yet proven a goalscorer. Jean Michael Seri is more of a playmaker and while he contributes to attacks, he's more a specialist in chance creation – a department in which he has struggled lately.

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In terms of attackers who were not summer signings, Aboubakar Kamara has pace and strength in abundance but lacks technical ability and a composed touch, as well as a certain ruthlessness in front of goal. Ryan Sessegnon is clinical when given a chance. There has been a perception he is not ready for attacking duties in the Premier League, which is incorrect – he tests the keeper as much as Mitrovic or Schurrle when he starts in attack, and he takes fewer shots off target in doing so. He will also often set up goals for his teammates.

Other sources of Championship goals such as Floyd Ayité, Neeskens Kebano and Stefan Johansen have featured infrequently, as Jokanovic seems to have deemed them to be of insufficient quality for the Premier League. Tom Cairney is a creator and, while capable of long-range strikes, has also been injured for a large part of the season. Then there's the main man.

Mitrovic's funk

The Serbian has avoided criticism for a number of matches as he has been feeding off scraps. He's seemed frustrated with teammates for his service and, to a degree, he's justified in that anger.

He has to look at his own standards too, however, which have been slipping by any scale. He has only registered one shot on target in his last five Premier League matches. Teams now know he's a threat and try to shut him down, aware that Fulham have a reliance on him.

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This is not to suggest that Mitrovic is at fault for Fulham's recent lack of goals. It highlights how dependent they were on him in the early stages of the season and how reliant they are on him as a finisher.

Without him on top form, as we have established previously, Jokanovic has very few support acts to fall back on.

There is some hope

Things look bleak for Fulham at the present – they are rightfully bottom of the league and have lost some matches which were designated by commentators as winnable and critical.

However, they can take some heart in the state of the league. While the top teams have been steamrollering all the lesser sides, the other end of the league has also seen a cluster developing in terms of points.

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Fulham are bottom, but they are three points off 14th. They are also the side with the second highest number of goals in the above chart with 11 (Burnley have 12, Cardiff nine, and Crystal Palace eight).

The attack has been less successful recently as defensive issues have hit headlines and Jokanovic has turned his attentions to shoring up the back five. Sessegnon has increasingly featured as a left-back, while centre-backs have been chopped and changed to find the most stable line-up.

If Fulham are to stay up they will have to confront some hard truths. That their defence is simply always going to concede, that passing through Premier League teams is far less easy than their Championship equivalents, that signing 12 new players in a window will inevitably cause disruption and tactical incoherence.

Some suggestions
Stop rotating the defence all the time and play centre-back pairings with consistency. Maxime Le Marchand and Alfie Mawson seem like a natural partnership and the two best performers this season, while Denis Odoi and Tim Ream have familiarity from the Championship.
Keep Vietto as a creative influence wide right and allow Sessegnon to challenge Schurrle for the starting position at left wing. Goals will come for Sessegnon as he acclimatises to Premier League football.
Play Cairney and Seri consistently in the midfield and allow them to develop a partnership, while André-Frank Zambo Anguissa adjusts to the role of a defensive midfielder. If needs be, drop Seri further back to give him some cover and play a 4-2-3-1.
Sign a left-back in January. Sessegnon is a natural attacker and will step up, but if Joe Bryan gets injured there is no cover and the team will suffer as it has in recent weeks.
Lastly, continue trying to attack. This team are in no way built for defensive, long-ball football as the complete lack of incision in more withdrawn recent matches has shown.

If Fulham's leaky defence is going to send them down this season, they may as well have some fun and score some goals in the process.



Read more at: https://inews.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/fulham-fc-manager-slavisa-jokanovic-stats-goals-defence-latest/

 
Fulham spent £100m in the summer - but which signings have been a success and who has struggled?

Fulham news includes a look at how the 12 summer signings that the club made in the transfer window are getting on

Fulham put themselves on a pedestal in the summer after a recruitment drive that saw them splash over £100million on 12 new faces to bolster their squad for the Premier League season.

At the time, myself and many in the industry saw the names coming through the door, the likes of Jean-Michael Seri, a man who had nearly signed for Barcelona and had been chased by Chelsea and Andre Schurrle, a Premier League and World Cup winner, and rightly said what a transfer window it had been.

And on paper, the players that have come to Craven Cottage should have the quality to play much higher in the division that a team that had just been promoted, but that's the wonderful thing about football - being good on paper means nothing.

After 11 games, Fulham and their £100m signings sit rock bottom of the Premier League after being completely out battled by a Huddersfield Town side that had team spirit in abundance.

Slavisa Jokanovic has come in for an array of criticism after the recent defeats, but after the loss up in Yorkshire he followed Tim Ream's lead and called out his players for their performances, questioning whether they were scared of the responsibility they had.

That goes across the board - but with 12 new faces in the squad that have, for the most part, yet to perform, I've taken a look at whether that's down to the players themselves, or Jokanovic's tactics.

Jean-Michael Seri

Seri is a strange one.

At the start of the season, it looked clear to all why the midfielder was being chased by some of the biggest clubs in the country - he looked genuine Champions League quality and the performance against Burnely was stunning.

But since then, his standards have slipped and slipped and eventually gotten to the point where the game passed him by completely at Huddersfield, with him having no impact at all on the game.

It almost looked like he didn't want to be there, that he was uninterested in the game and that all he wanted was to be wrapped up in his bed back in London.

There was no fight from him, he was brushed off the ball and his little flicks in the middle of the park evaporated into nothingness.

There''s certainly a player there, but Seri's attitude really looks to be lacking at this moment.

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa

Fulham's record signing, arriving for nearly £30million on deadline day from Marseille, and so far he hasn't repaid a penny of it.

I'm not going to be so harsh on Anguissa, and that's mainly because of a detail that Jokanovic revealed to me on Thursday before the trip to Huddersfield.

We know the favoured shape is a 4-3-3, with a defensive midfielder holding by himself, so therefore it would've made sense to bring a midfielder in during the summer that could play that role.

Instead, Fulham got Anguissa, who had only ever played as a defensive midfielder with another player next him, which means since his arrival he's not only learning a new culture and language and getting used to west London, he's also had to learn an entire new position.

That said, he has been particularly bad when playing - he looks weak on the ball and looks to panic more often than not when in possession - nothing like the ball playing anchor man Fulham had in the Championship in Kevin McDonald.

He's still only 22, but there's a lot of improvement needed from such an expensive signing.

Aleksandar Mitrovic

I think this is one of the only signings of the summer that hasn't had question marks raised over him - Fulham knew exactly what they were getting with him.

They paid a lot for him, around £20m odd, but he started the season where he picked off, bagging himself five goals.

Those have dried up now, but the club aren't playing to his strengths any more, which is a key reason why he did so well last season and at the start of this season.

Instead, they're punting the ball long to him to win, knocking it down for either of his widemen to pick up, but that hasn't had any effect and instead it's left Mitrovic isolated.

There's no service, and when Mitrovic gets no service he doesn't score goals.

Hopefully going forward from here we see Fulham and Jokanovic revert to what worked so well last season and during the first few games of this - using Mitrovic as a focal point for their attacking movement.

Alfie Mawson

Another marquee signing in the summer, and as yet, nothing to show from it.

Jokanovic has rarely used the summer signing from Swansea City in his starting XI, and while there are calls from many fans to start him as their best centre back, I feel there are concerns over his fitness and recovery from his knee injury.

Mawson went under the knife in May for a knee problem that had plagued him since February, when he locked his knee in the warm up as Swansea prepared to face Sheffield Wednesday in the FA Cup.

He underwent scans and stuff and continued playing until the end of the season, but had to undergo surgery in May that saw ruled out of the entire summer.

Mawson returned for Fulham in August, playing against Exeter in the cup, but with no pre-season under his belt and having had a very serious injury, it looks like there's still doubt over whether Mawson is actually fully recovered and ready to play a full part in the Premier League.

Having signed Rafa Soares with an injury last season, for the move to not work out with Soares not being the player they thought, to take a risk with another player just a season later, and for £15m too, seems a huge gamble.

Joe Bryan

The £6m summer signing from Bristol City - Bryan has seen his season plagued by a hamstring injury he picked up in the 3-0 defeat to Everton.

He looked alright in the games he had played, but with left back being such an important position, I'm not entirely convinced he's an upgrade on Matt Targett, who was Fulham's priority at left back after his brilliant half season in the Championship.

However, it is unfair to judge Bryan too much having missed large chunks of the season with the injury.

Fabri

Fulham broke their U28 rule for signings with the capture of Frabi, who came on the recommendation of Jose Sambade Careira, the club's goalkeeper coach who returned to Spain for personal reasons early into the season.

He started the first two games of the season but lost his place to Marcus Bettinelli and then to Sergio Rico, who is now the club's number one.

We've seen little of him since, and while there was nothing to suggest he's a bad keeper, he's not any better than Bettinelli, so it raises the question as to why the club needed to sign two new keepers in the summer and have Bettinelli at the club?

It's another signing that raises question marks over the recruitment policy and why signing him for £5million at 30-years-old, having never played in the Premier League, made sense.

Maxime Le Marchand

He arrived at the club on the same day as Seri, but as yet, the club still haven't announced whether he is a permanent signing or a loan deal.

Le Marchand has been played at both left back and centre back, with Jokanovic using him out wide to solve a left back problem that the head coach clearly feels wasn't solved in the summer.

The Frenchman struggled out there - he's not mobile enough for Fulham's expansive wing play and he has no pace, marking him an easy target for fast wingers.

At centre half, he's looked a bit more solid, but he found the going tough at Huddersfield Town in what was a cauldron of noise, making some bad mistakes.

I think there's a player in there somewhere, I just think he needs someone senior alongside him who has experience of the top flight to help guide him through games.

Andre Schurrle

Schurrle came with a big reputation - a World Cup winner for Germany and a Premier League winner, he had the experience of the division that most of the other signings have lacked.

He's scored four goals for his efforts so far, but against Huddersfield he was a passenger who let the game pass him by, allowing his full back to be exposed while wasting opportunities up front.

But for me, the reason why Borussia Dortmund were so willing to loan out their record signing for pennies and for two seasons is clear from his performances this season.

He wastes so many good attacking opportunities by shooting from miles out when there are clearly better options available, and for me, like Seri, the only real positive game he's had was the win over Burnley.

Schurrle also doesn't seem to provide any runs off Mitrovic, something that we saw Fulham's wide players do in abundance last season.

People will point to his four goals as a mark that he's done well, but not for me - I think he's been largely detrimental to the team.

Sergio Rico

This is one of the few players that I think has done well.

It's taken a while for Sergio Rico to claim a spot in the Fulham side, but in the previous three games he's done nothing to suggest to me he's a bad player - quite the opposite, actually.

He's pulled off some wonderful saves while his ability with the ball at his feet are what the side have needed.

Sergio Rico is also extremely vocal - at Huddersfield you could hear him screaming instructions at his players on where they need to be, while also talking them through what was around him.

Despite also having no prior experience in the Premier League, I think he's settling in well.

Timothy Fosu-Mensah

A summer signing with Premier League experience, who was secured on a loan deal from Manchester United on deadline day, but yet another who has yet to demonstrate what he is capable of.

Ryan Fredericks last season was a huge asset for Fulham, but Fosu-Mensah doesn't seem to possess the same ability going forward, while his reading of the game at the back has been the cause of several problems for his side so far this season.

He was hauled off at half time against Huddersfield, which just about sums up how his season has been going so far.

Jokanovic has struggled to find a back four he relies on, swapping and changing in pretty much every game, but with Fosu-Mensah, he looks to lose his head from time to time which leads to trouble for his defence.

He's young, so still a lot to come, but is he an improvement on Fredericks? At this moment in time, I'd say no.

Calum Chambers

Chambers came to Fulham with experience and potential - but we've yet to see either of those.

He's looked like a rabbit in headlights when he's played for the club, whether that be at centre back or at right back, where he was torn to shreds at Cardiff.

The Arsenal man's performances have been so strange - we know there's a player in there, we saw that at Southampton, but we still have yet to see it at Craven Cottage.

Luciano Vietto

Vietto comes with a list of positives, but also some serious negatives that were shown up in front of the Monday Night Football cameras.

On the positive front, he's good on the ball, his acceleration after controlling the ball is rapid and he has a decent eye for an assist.

However, the occasion of Monday night seemed to overawe him and he gave away possession time and time again, while his reluctance to track back left his full back dangerously exposed time and time again.

That's been a common theme for Vietto - he doesn't track back enough and that has left the full backs exploited in a number of games, something teams have punished them for.

Clearly there is a good technical player there, but once again, the Premier League is an unforgiving league and Vietto is learning that quickly.



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/fulham-spent-100m-summer-signings-15378550

 
The 'nice bunch' at Fulham would be a good fit for Wenger

Fulham would benefit from Arsene Wenger appointment
I know Arsene is being linked to seemingly every job out there – from Real to most amusingly, given Gazidis is there – AC Milan, but surely a club much closer to home could benefit from him taking the reins there.

I'm talking about Fulham, who are sitting at the foot of the table.

Arsene proved adept at resurrecting the fortunes of London's most successful club – adding title 11, 12 and 13, while also almost doubling our FA cup wins, so why can't he take over at London's oldest club?

The Fulham fans are largely a nice bunch and will afford Arsene the patience required but he will also get them playing lovely football at, for my money, the loveliest stadium in the league.

He won't have to travel too far from his North London home and I'm sure few gooners would begrudge him the chance to take over this particular London club – and hopefully stuff local rivals Chelsea in their derby when they meet.

So Fulham fans – would you take Arsene? He could bring in Steed as his assistant.
Graham Simons, Gooner, Norf London



https://www.football365.com/news/the-nice-bunch-at-fulham-would-be-a-good-fit-for-wenger

 
Premier League Writing Stars

The Premier League Writing Stars poetry competition returns for its second year to inspire children aged between five and eleven to get creative and pen their own poem on the theme of diversity.

The campaign, which is open to all primary schools in England and Wales, is supported by stars from the worlds of football, entertainment and literature. Last year's inaugural Writing Stars competition encouraged more than 25,000 primary school pupils to write a poem.

The judging panel includes former Premier League footballer Rio Ferdinand, singer and songwriter Olly Murs, Waterstone's Children's Laureate Lauren Child, poet Joseph Coelho. Casia Wiliam, current Bardd Plant Cymru (Welsh-language Children's Poet Laureate) will guest judge all Welsh-language entries. All judging will be overseen by National Literacy Trust Director Jonathan Douglas.

To inspire children taking part in the competition Joseph Coelho has created a bespoke poem titled 'Beautifully different, wonderfully the same'.

Entries will be considered against a range of criteria including creativity, tone and originality. The winning poems will be published in a limited-edition book. Other prizes include author-led writing workshops and Premier League trophy school visits, as well as winning poems being read aloud by some of the competition judges. The first 1,000 primary schools to enter will receive a poetry book bag containing 12 different titles.

Premier League Executive Chairman, Richard Scudamore, said: "We were thrilled by the response to the inaugural Premier League Writing Stars poetry competition. To receive more than 25,000 poems written by primary school children from across England and Wales was extraordinary. We hope that with the excellent judging panel we have this year, more children will be encouraged and inspired to write creatively.

"This year's theme, diversity, is hugely important to us as an organisation and to all our clubs. The Premier League has players and fans from all over the world and the competition is open to everyone, everywhere. We hope that comes through in the poems written for this year's Premier League Writing Stars and look forward to reading the entries."

Former Premier League footballer and BT Sport presenter, Rio Ferdinand, said: "Diversity is a really important topic for young people to explore and write about, so I'm very excited to be a part of this year's Premier League Writing Stars judging panel.

"As a former Premier League footballer, I've shared a dressing room and a pitch with people from different countries, cultures and backgrounds. Football has an amazing ability to unite us, as players, as fans and as people. As a parent with an interest in poetry, I think Writing Stars can inspire children to openly discuss and celebrate their differences and similarities both at home and in the classroom."

Singer and songwriter, Olly Murs, said: "I love writing songs, so I hope that Premier League Writing Stars will encourage children across England and Wales to get writing. I am a massive football fan, so this poetry competition brings together two of my biggest passions and I can't wait to read the poems. Good luck!"

Overall winners and 9 regional winners will be selected from across both Key Stages 1 (ages five to seven) and Key Stage 2 (ages seven to 11). In Wales, two winners will be chosen from each Key Stage – an English language and a Welsh language winner - with support from Casia Wiliam, current Bardd Plant Cymru (Welsh-language Children's Poet Laureate). Poems can be entered in all forms, including lyrics or a rap, and teachers and parents can register or nominate their child's school to take part at PLPrimaryStars.com.

Waterstones Children's Laureate, Lauren Child, said: "Poetry gives children a creative way to express themselves and have the freedom to talk about personal and moving subjects in an unrestricted way. I am already looking forward to reading what this year's young poets write."

Poet Joseph Coelho said: "Poetry provides a fantastic way for children to explore all manner of themes in interesting and imaginative ways. Diversity is a hugely important topic for everyone to explore and one that children in particular are able to delve into with joy and creativity. Last year's Writing Stars Competition led to a surge of fantastic entries and I look forward to reading the amazing entries we are sure to get this year. I wish all the young poets out there the best of luck and lots of writing smiles."

The Writing Stars competition is supported by the National Literacy Trust and is part of the Premier League Primary Stars education programme, which engages more than 16,000 primary schools in England and Wales.

National Literacy Trust Director, Jonathan Douglas, added: "Poetry has the power to unlock children's imaginations, unleash their aspirations and help them flourish at school. It also enables children to express themselves in a multitude of ways, from raps and lyrics to free verse and traditional poems. Combining football and poetry is a wonderful way to explore the theme of diversity and to think about, embrace and celebrate our differences. I can't wait to read the children's poems. Good luck to all those taking part."

All poems are submitted via schools either online or by post. Teachers have until Friday 21 December to submit their pupils' work. Winners will be announced in March 2019.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/november/06/premier-league-writing-stars

 
What does the future hold for Slavisa Jokanovic?

After four seasons out of the Premier League, Fulham returned to the top flight after beating Aston Villa in the Championship Play-off Final last season. Thanks to the stewardship of Slavisa Jokanovic, Fulham played some of the best football in the Championship and fired themselves to promotion but this season, it hasn't been quite so easy.

Jokanovic had received high praise last season for guiding Fulham to promotion last year and had even been linked with the Chelsea job towards the end of the season. The former Watford manager had risen his stock massively last year and was regarded as one of the better managers in the country.

Over the summer, he was given a whole of host of new players as Fulham invested heavily into the squad to try and keep them in the league. Aleksandar Mitrovic was signed on a permanent deal while Fulham also signed the likes of Jean Michael Seri, Alfie Mawson and Andre Zambo Anguissa to name just a few.

Going forward, Fulham have played well overall despite only scoring three goals in their last five games. At the back, however, Fulham have been terrible and at the moment, it seems as though Jokanovic doesn't know his best defence as he seems to change from game to game.

The Cottagers have conceded a league-high, 28 goals this season and at the moment sit second from bottom – two points ahead of Huddersfield.

With that terrible defence, the pressure is on Jokanovic to turn things around and quick. The manager cannot argue that he wasn't backed in the transfer market and therefore, the emphasis is very much on his poor performance as coach.

No Premier League side has ever conceded more goals in their opening 10 games and if that defence doesn't tighten up, the winds of change could be about to come through Craven Cottage and there's no doubt that Jokanovic could be on the chopping block.



https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/features/what-does-the-future-hold-for/what-does-the-future-hold-for-slavisa-jokanovic/

Cottage Talk Post Match Show: Huddersfield Town vs.Fulham
Take a listen to a podcast that focuses on Fulham Football Club.

This is our post match show of the 1-0 loss for Fulham against Huddersfield Town. During the show, co-host Yannis Tjanetis expressed his views on this loss, and at the end of the show, he discussed his thoughts on the future of Slavisa Jokanovic.


.You can also listen to the show by following this link...
https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2018/11/6/18070040/cottage-talk-post-match-show-huddersfield-town-vs-fulham

 
Fulham must not reach for safety net of Allardyce or Moyes after Huddersfield loss

Given the constant hiring and firing in the modern Premier League, it is perhaps a surprise that the winner of the Premier League sack race is still yet to be decided.

Slavisa Jokanovic is edging closer to the exit door at Fulham after the tame 1-0 defeat against fellow strugglers Huddersfield left them bottom of the Premier League.

The temptation to press the panic button is growing, with experienced campaigners such as David Moyes and Sam Allardyce waiting in the wings.

It might be a romantic notion, but Jokanovic deserves more time. He did an exceptional job last season and needs to settle on a team after a huge summer of investment.

But even if they sack Jokanovic – which would be a completely understandable decision given the amount spent and the lack of cohesion on show so far – Fulham must resist the temptation to turn to the old hands.

This squad needs a manager that will encourage the passing play that got the Whites promoted, but with a settled backline behind it to stop the flow of goes.

It is hard to see Allardyce's or Moyes' methods working with this team. They are yesterday's men who will only offer a short-term relief at the very best; a dismal relegation at worst.



https://tbrfootball.com/fulham-must-not-reach-for-safety-net-of-allardyce-or-moyes-after-huddersfield-loss/