Tuesday Fulham Stuff (07/02/17)...

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Fulham defender knows Whites must be better at dealing with aerial bombardment after Birmingham loss
Birmingham produced that style of football in the Whites' 1-0 defeat at St Andrew's and the visiting defenders found it difficult


Lukas Jutkiewicz battles with Tim Ream (Photo: Birmingham Mail)

Fulham need to find a way to deal with a side content to pump long balls in towards the Whites defence.

Birmingham produced that style of football in the Whites' 1-0 defeat at St Andrew's and the visiting defenders found it difficult at times to deal with the aerial bombardment.

And Tim Ream admitted it was difficult to counteract with Fulham needing to get to work on resolving the issue on the training ground.

He said: "They were hitting a lot of long balls and very aggressive on the press. We need to figure out a way to overcome those two aspects of their game and we didn't at Birmingham."


Red: Ryan Fredericks is sent off (Photo: Birmingham Mail)

The turning point in the contest came in the 68th minute as Ryan Fredericks was sent off for a reckless lunge on Craig Gardner.

The Blues, spurred on by the man advantage, grabbed the winner soon after as Lukas Jutkiewicz turned the ball home.

Ream added: "It's one of those things isn't it? The red card was a game changer but we weren't playing well before that. We were better in the second half but overall, it wasn't a good game for us."


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-defender-knows-whites-must-12561305

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New Bristol City Date

Fulham's rearranged fixture with Bristol City at Ashton Gate will take place on Wednesday 22nd February (7.45pm).

The game was originally due to take place the Saturday prior, but had to be rescheduled due to the Whites' progression in the Emirates FA Cup.

Ticket information for our trip to Bristol will be confirmed in due course.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2017/february/06/new-bristol-city-date

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Spurs On Sale

Tickets for Fulham's Emirates FA Cup tie with Tottenham Hotspur are now on sale to Season Ticket Holders and Members.

Having seen off Hull City in style last time out in the competition, we welcome Premier League opposition to the Cottage once again in Round Five, with tickets priced from £30 for adults and £10 for juniors.

Tickets will be available for supporters with a booking history, within the past three years, to purchase from 10am this Thursday.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2017/february/06/spurs-on-sale

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Kait scores late as Fulham youngsters beat Middlesbrough

Mattias Kait scored the only goal of the game as Fulham's Under-23s beat Middlesbrough 1-0 at Motspur Park on Monday.

Peter Grant's side won the game when 18-year-old Estonian Kait headed in Tayo Edun's cross from the left with 15 minutes from time.

Whites keeper Jesse Joronen had to be alert early on, when he denied Bradley Fewster, while his opposite number Aynsley Pears saved from the influential George Williams, Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson and Josh Walker.

After Kait's goal, Thorsteinsson had a chance to double the lead but Pears was equal to his effort and, in a frantic finish, both sides hit the post in added-on time.


http://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/kait-scores-late-fulham-youngsters-beat-middlesbrough

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Fulham owner delighted with Donald Trump setback
Muslim owner of NFL Jacksonville Jaguars and Whites says 'even for the country -i it's not good'

Shahid Khan is delighted a federal judge has overturned a presidential ban preventing Muslims from seven countries entering the USA.

Donald Trump had his veto quashed, and the Fulham owner who also owns NFL franchise Jacksonville Jaguars, feels somewhat happier today.

Speaking from last night's Superbowl in Houston, Khan told the New York Times his relief at the lifting of the immigration order from the executive.

"The bedrock of this country are immigration and really a great separation between church and state," he said.

"Even for the country, it's not good.

The only Muslim among principal owners of NFL teams, millionaire Khan reckons he's had his eyes opened by recent events, especially as he voted for Trump.

"It's a kind of a sobering time for somebody like me.

"We have to look at it based on what can we do to make a difference," he said. "And right now, there are enough forces in power and play that we have to see how this thing ends up."


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-owner-delighted-donald-trump-12565346

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On Loan Fulham Striker Nets Dramatic Winner

Cauley Woodrow is a striker that showed so much potential when he was at Fulham but never quite looked like getting into the starting eleven on a regular basis.

As a result the decision was made to send the player out on loan with our Championship rivals, Burton Albion, being the club he was loaned to, for the remainder of the season.

On Saturday Burton entertained Wolverhampton Wanderers and Cauley was to prove to be a hero for those who follow Burton.

With the game delicately balanced at 1-1, with Wolves having seen their lead courtesy of a goal from Helder Costa, scrubbed out thanks to a goal from Michael Kightly, Burton went in search of a winner.

Deep into injury time, Wolves failure to clear a corner saw Woodrow hook in the winner to send the Pirelli Stadium wild with delight.

Here at Vital Fulham we`re pleased to see Cauley making an impression, long may it continue.


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=479617#ixzz4Xz4k534w

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Middlesbrough: Boro's second string lose at Fulham

MIDDLESBROUGH'S UNDER-23s were beaten by Fulham for the fourth time this season as they suffered a 1-0 defeat this afternoon.

Playing at Fulham's Motspur Park training ground, Boro came close to breaking the deadlock when Bradley Fewster latched onto an errant back-pass, only for the striker's shot to be saved by Jesse Joronen.

Alex Pattison spurned a decent opening midway through the second half, before Fulham claimed the only goal of the game with 15 minutes left.


http://www.thenorthernecho.co.uk/sport/football/middlesbrough/15073850.Middlesbrough__Boro_s_second_string_lose_at_Fulham/

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Are Fulham unlucky?

There's only one F in Fulham' – and judging by this season, it doesn't stand for fortune. If Slavisa Jokanovic's side miss out on a play-off place, this season will be a source of frustration and encouragement in equal measure.

They boast arguably the best midfield in the Championship. The advanced creativity of Tom Cairney, the relentless energy of Stefan Johansen and the metronomic control of Kevin McDonald form a perfect blend. The team's expected goals record is currently 1.7 per game (Experimental 361), the highest in the Championship.

From 12 games against the teams above Fulham, they have scored 25 and conceded 13. They put in an impressive performance against Newcastle on the opening day, twice comfortably beaten Barnsley and attained 5-0 home wins over Reading and Huddersfield. Those two, along with Sheffield Wednesday, have a far worse Expected Goals record than Fulham. They have picked up an abnormal proportion of their wins by one goal, often in fortuitous circumstances.

Sheffield Wednesday swept aside Wolves at the end of November, but not since put in a similar performance. They ground out wins against the odds, with 10 men against Preston and away to leaders Newcastle in a tactically savvy display, but have otherwise been unconvincing.

In the interests of balance, the Owls were unlucky to lose in December at Reading. The third place Royals play tidy football at times but rely largely on set plays and have a similar Expected Goals record to Brentford and Burton. Huddersfield have shown a great spirit this season, but whether their wonderful performance against Brighton quite encapsulates the nature of their matches to date is questionable.

That is not to say those teams do not deserve to be in the top six. However, they have had slices of luck along the way that have not quite happened to Fulham. The Cottagers were drawing at Birmingham until Ryan Fredericks' late sending off. At Reading, the Royals scored from the rebound of a penalty before Chris Martin saw his saved late on.

Fulham dominated the first half in both of their 2-1 defeats second placed Brighton and are unlucky not to have taken at least two points off the Seagulls. They dominated at home to Burton and Derby but drew, also missing two penalties to inexplicably lose to West London rivals QPR at the start of October.

While they have not had too much misfortune with injuries, tactical consistency can be of most importance at centre-back, the area most affected. Tomas Kalas, arguably the team's best defender, has missed eight games. Ragnar Sigurdsson, Michael Madl and Tim Ream have each started between 11 and 14 in the league, making it difficult for Slavisa Jokanovic to find a settled partnership in that area.

Considering the above, Fulham have done reasonably well to accumulate 1.5 points per game. In Leagues One and Two, Millwall and Mansfield respectively have effectively the same record and could mathematically go into the play-off places this weekend. By contrast, if Championship teams continue at their current rate, Fulham will need two points per game between now and the end of the season to get there.

That kind of return is not impossible, but it is a big ask. Their performance levels have been easily good enough for a top six finish, if not more, but a combination of defensive instability, missed penalties and bad luck in the box has hindered their chances.


http://www.thefootballab.co.uk/2017/are-fulham-unlucky/

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Ex-Celtic Stefan Johansen explains secret behind his Fulham success as Whites look to bounce back
Despite 1-0 setback at Birmingham on Saturday - Norway international believes things are a lot better in the middle third than back in August

Stefan Johansen was a disappointment in his opening games for Fulham.

Having joined late from Celtic in the summer, the £2m signing looked at all sea as he strove to get a grip on the Championship.

He lasted all of 32 minutes before getting subbed off in a losing debut against Birmingham in August - and he wasn't injured, compounded by a second 1-0 defeat to Blues on Saturday.

Two games after the first City tussle, Johansen was removed at half time as Whites crashed 4-0 to Bristol City at home.

He didn't make 90 minutes either in his first Fulham win over Barnsley - but picked up a yellow card.


Green for go: Stefan Johansen holds off pressure from Andrew Halliday of Rangers

However, gradually the Norwegian international, forced his way into the reckoning and has scored seven goals as Whites pushed upward rather than looking over their shoulder.

Johansen modestly believes his coming of age at the Cottage has as much to do with the talent around him as anything else.

The partnership with Kevin McDonald and talented Tom Cairney is one of the best in the Championship, and one of the most feared.

"I didn't sign a new contract in the summer, and didn't play at Celtic," Johansen explained.

"The manager at Celtic (Brendan Rodgers) said it was obvious I needed to sort out a new club.

"So it took time to get match fitness.

But since then, I have found a good partnership with Tom and Kev. They allow me a bit of freedom to get on the ball and play a bit."


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/ex-celtic-stefan-johansen-explains-12559060