Wednesday Fulham Stuff (15/03/17)...

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Leroy Rosenior uses John Bostock to offer warning to Tottenham's teenage transfer target Ryan Sessegnon

Ryan Sessegnon has been heavily linked with a move to Tottenham.

Former manager and current pundit Leroy Rosenior has told bwin.com that he thinks Ryan Sessegnon should stay at Fulham, using John Bostock as an example of what a big move too early can do.

Sessegnon, 16, has come up through the ranks at Craven Cottage, and he has been billed as one of English football's top young prospects.

Primarily a left back who can also play on the left of midfield, Sessegnon has hit three goals in 21 league games for England at various youth levels, whilst he is also starring for Fulham in the Championship.

Sessegnon scored twice in the 3-1 win over Newcastle United on Saturday afternoon, taking his tally for the season to six goals and two assists for Slavisa Jokanovic's side.

Unsurprisingly, Sessegnon is now attracting great interest from Premier League clubs, with the Daily Mail recently reporting that Tottenham Hotspur are confident of beating a host of Premier League rivals in the race to sign him.

A move to White Hart Lane, where he can work under Mauricio Pochettino and learn from Danny Rose, seems appealing for Sessegnon, but former manager and current pundit Leroy Rosenior has attempted to dissuade the teenager from making a move.

Rosenior, speaking to bwin.com, suggested that Sessegnon is currently in the perfect place to develop, and highlighted John Bostock's struggles at Tottenham as a cautionary tale against joining a big club so early.

Bostock joined Spurs from Crystal Palace at the age of just 16 back in 2008, but made just four first-team appearances for the club, and after spells in Belgium with Royal Antwerp and OH Leuven, he's now in France with Lens – and remains one of the biggest cases of unfulfilled potential in recent memory.

"At 16, people say it's down to him," said Rosenior. "In my opinion he needs as much help as possible – he has unbelievable potential at that age and he can really choose his destiny. What's really pleasing it that he's at the right place for him, in the right environment, and he needs to continue to develop at Fulham. You look at the likes of Paul Parker and Dean Coney, who developed brilliantly at Fulham."

"Fulham isn't a club that naturally attracts the limelight, so it's the perfect club for him to get his head down and continue to work without all the media pressure. Sometimes the wrong move can really hurt your career, look at John Bostock. He was at a great club that developed good players and left too early. Ryan needs to be reminded that the rewards will come in time, you don't get everything upfront. The more patient you are, the more you are rewarded," he added.


http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2017/03/14/leroy-rosenior-uses-john-bostock-to-offer-warning-to-tottenhams/

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham 2-2 Blackburn Rovers: Player ratings as the Cottagers draw with Blackburn at the Cottage
Player ratings from the Cottage as Slavisa Jokanovic's side draw with Blackburn after conceding a last minute equaliser


Celebrations: Fulham celebrate Sone Aluko's opener (Photo: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

Goals from Sone Aluko and Gohi Cyriac put Fulham ensured Fulham got a point after they conceded a last minute goal to Lucas Joao.

Slavisa Jokanovic made only one change from the side that thumped Newcastle United 3-1 at St James' Park at the weekend with Denis Odoi making way for Ryan Fredericks at right back.

Sone Aluko had Fulham's first decent chance of the game when Tim Ream's header found the forward in the six yard box, but Jason Steele managed to tip his spinning effort round the post and away to safety ten minutes in.

Kevin McDonald charged into the box and attempted to find Ryan Sessegnon at the back post, but his cross was lifted just a tad too high and he was unable to find his man, with the ball drifting out of play.

The hosts had a glorious chance just before the break when Ryan Fredericks broke into the Blackburn box, but his cutback evaded three of his team mates who had made their runs too early.

But Fulham took the lead minutes later when Cairney charged forward on the break, finding Stefan Johansen outwide who looked up and fired the ball towards Aluko, who smashed it first time into the back of the net.

Johansen had a good chance in the second half when the ball fell kindly to him on the edge of the area which he took on the volley, smashing it just wide of Steele's left hand post.

Lucas Joao should have perhaps done better with his effort when he directed his header straight at Button when he had time to pick a corner.

But the away side got their equaliser when Tomas Kalas fouled Marvin Emnes in the box, with Conway smashes the spot kick straight down the middle with 11 minutes left in the tie.

But Fulham back ahead when Fredericks whipped the ball into the box and Gohi Cyriac was there to slot it home and sent the Cottage into raptures

It wasn't to last though as a last minute Joao equaliser pegged Fulham back once again to ensure they took a point from the tie.

Button 7: Did what he had to do well but could do nothing about the penalty. Was on hand to make a few decent saves.

Fredericks 7: A decent game from Fredericks who made some threatening runs forward. Was solid when he was called upon in defence and made the second Fulham goal.

Malone 6: Didn't really make his mark on the game before he was taken off on the hour mark in place of Martin. Had a fair bit of success down the left but his final ball lacked somewhat tonight.

McDonald 6: Had a few passes go astray and went into the book for a nasty tackle in the second half.

Kebano 6: Quiet game from the winger by his standards - there was a few moments of brilliance but apart from that had a fairly quiet game.

Cairney 7: Not the best of games from Cairney but Blackburn came to crowd him out. Was the architect for the goal when he broke through the midfield to set Johansen into the box for the first goal.

Ream 7: Looked solid throughout and was comfortable with the ball at his feet. Did what he needed to comfortably and was a rock the side could build their attacks on.

Johansen 8: Had a solid game and made the assist for Aluko's goal. One of his better displays in recent weeks and looked dangerous when he had the ball at his feet. Blackburn concentrated on Cairney so much that Johansen was able to enjoy a lot more freedom this evening.

Aluko 8: Was dangerous for Fulham all game and gave them the lead when he put the ball away first time from Johansen's cross. Was quieter when moved out wide.

Kalas 6: Had a decent game but gave away the penalty that led to Blackburn's equaliser. Apart from that he had very little to do all game.

Sessegnon 7: Yet another strong performance from the 16-year-old. He looked so comfortable in the game when on the left wing but quietened down when moved back to left back.

Subs:
Martin 6: Didn't do too much after coming on, was played in one-on-one but the referee wouldn't play the advantage when he could have scored

Cyriac 8: Got Fulham's second goal and sent the Cottage into raptures!

Odoi 6: Came on with minutes left in the tie.


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-2-2-blackburn-rovers-12742723

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham denied top-six spot by late goal

Fulham 2 Blackburn 2



Lucas Joao's equaliser right at the death halted Fulham's advance into the play-off places.

Sone Aluko's first-half goal had seemed enough to secure back-to-back wins but Tim Ream conceded a 79th-minute penalty and Craig Conway levelled from the spot.

Whites substitute Gohi Cryiac then thought he had won the game for the Whites when he rifled home his first for the club on 86 minutes.

But Joao, who himself came on late for Blackburn, tapped in a low cross in the third of four minutes of stoppage time.

Slavisa Jokanovic's side were brimming with confidence after their victory at Championship leaders Newcastle at the weekend, and they bossed the game until midway through the second half.

The lively Aluko had another shot beaten away early in the second half but Rovers began to find a rhythm and threatened twice through Elliot Bennett before Ream's mistake.

The United States centre-back had an otherwise excellent game but got nothing of the ball as Marvin Emnes burst into the box on the break – and Conway converted.

Cyriac replaced Johansen nine minutes from time and was in the right place to score what looked like being the winner.

But Joao's goal meant Fulham missed out on the two points which would have taken them above Sheffield Wednesday and up to sixth.

Fulham (4-1-4-1):Button; Fredericks, Kalas, Ream, Malone (Martin 60); McDonald; Kebano (Odoi 87), Cairney, Johansen (Cryiac 81), Sessegnon; Aluko
Subs not used: Bettinelli, Madl, Sigurdsson, Petsos


http://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/fulham-denied-top-six-spot-last-gasp-goal

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Head Coach Reaction

Slaviša Jokanović conceded that Blackburn Rovers were worth a point on Tuesday evening.

The Whites were leading 2-1 going into the fourth minute of stoppage time, but Lucas Joao bundled home from close range to deny Fulham a Play-Off spot.

"It's frustrating, but it's part of the competition, too," Jokanović stated. "We scored many times in these last moments of the game.

"But from another side, credit to Blackburn. They're in very good form at the moment with no losses in the last six games. 

"Credit for Tony [Mowbray]. It's very clear they've tried to change their style, and they moved the ball very well. In the end I can be disappointed, but they competed today in the game and they deserved the point they won."

The Whites took a well-earned lead into half-time courtesy of Sone Aluko's strike, but our relegation-fighting opponents upped their game after the restart.

"In the first half we dominated and scored the goal," Jokanović said. "In the second half we weren't fresh enough, we didn't dominate the game, we didn't control them.

"In the end we made some mistakes and in the last moment we didn't stop the cross, we lost the marking, and they scored two metres from our goal.

"It's not easy to always score three goals to win the game. We weren't experienced enough to kill the game after we scored the second goal. We tried but we gave them a chance to come back.

"We lost two points and gained one so we cannot be satisfied. We lost the chance to put ourselves in the top-six, but we are going to fight to be in this top-six at the beginning of May. We must keep going, push hard, and prepare for the game that is in front of us."

Fulham have been missing several individuals of late, and Jokanović feels his Club Captain – who is nursing a back injury – could have helped see the game out against Rovers.

"We are not the biggest squad in this moment," he explained. "I am without some important players, I expect I am going to recover some players in this international break.

"I missed Scott Parker for the last 15 minutes to help us with his experience and his spirit to push the team. In the last games I gave him less minutes, but I gave him really important periods in the game.

"Today probably if he was available I could have used him. But he wasn't, and that's it. We keep going to be ready for the game in front of us."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2017/march/14/head-coach-reaction-blackburn

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham waste chance to enter top six in Championship with Blackburn draw

Lucas Joao struck deep into stoppage time to secure a 2-2 draw for Blackburn Rovers at playoff chasing Fulham.

Joao's finish extended Blackburn's unbeaten run under new manager Tony Mowbray to six games and moved the club out of the bottom three in the Championship.

Craig Conway cancelled out Sone Aluko's 45th-minute opener when he converted from the penalty spot in the 76th minute, Tomas Kalas bringing down Marvin Emnes.

But Fulham still looked on course to claim the victory that would move them above Sheffield Wednesday and into the top six when substitute Gohi Cyriac scored his first goal for the club five minutes from time, connecting with Ruan Fredericks' cross.

Blackburn deserved a share of the spoils, though, and got their reward when Joao -- on loan at Rovers from Wednesday -- dramatically turned home Derrick Williams' cross four minutes into added time to pull the visitors out of the relegation zone by a point.

Wolverhampton Wanderers scored two late goals to beat Brentford 2-1 and clinch a potentially crucial three points in their fight against relegation.

Matt Doherty and Helder Costa were the heroes for the visitors, who got their reward for a spirited and energetic display against the in-form Bees.

Maxime Colin broke the deadlock for the hosts in the 31st minute with a sizzling 25-yard strike that arrowed into the bottom corner. But Brentford were ultimately made to pay for a lacklustre display against a Wolves side who were quicker to every loose ball.

Doherty gave Paul Lambert's side hope in the 86th minute when he was in the right place at the far post to steer substitute Ben Marshall's right wing cross into the empty net. And they took all three points with a minute of normal time remaining when Nico Yennaris' half clearance dropped for Costa to volley into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

The win pulls Wolves four points clear of the drop zone.


http://www.espnfc.co.uk/english-league-championship/story/3082657/fulham-waste-chance-to-enter-top-six-in-championship-in-blackburn-draw

[WhiteJC]

 
Jokanovic admits Fulham missed Parker

Slavisa Jokanovic insists Fulham have to learn to kill games off and believes they missed Scott Parker's experience in the final minutes against Blackburn.

Rovers twice came from behind to draw at Craven Cottage and prevent play-off chasing Fulham – who were without the injured Parker – moving into the top six.

"We didn't have enough experience to kill the game when we scored the second goal. We tried but we gave them the chance to come back," Whites boss Jokanovic said.

"We weren't fresh and I am missing some options. I am without some important players and we missed Scott Parker for the last 15 minutes, to help us with his experience and his spirit, and to push the team to fight in the last minute.

Slavisa Jokanovic insists Fulham have to learn to kill games off and believes they missed Scott Parker's experience in the final minutes against Blackburn.

Rovers twice came from behind to draw at Craven Cottage and prevent play-off chasing Fulham – who were without the injured Parker – moving into the top six.

"We didn't have enough experience to kill the game when we scored the second goal. We tried but we gave them the chance to come back," Whites boss Jokanovic said.

"We weren't fresh and I am missing some options. I am without some important players and we missed Scott Parker for the last 15 minutes, to help us with his experience and his spirit, and to push the team to fight in the last minute.
Embed from Getty Images

"I hope Scott will be back in the international break. In the final games (of the season) I hope I can give him less minutes but really important minutes in the games.

"If we need to put the ball in the net three times (to win) so many times then it's not easy. We need to be able to kill these final moments and not play so much in the last minutes."


http://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/jokanovic-admits-fulham-missed-parker

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham 2-2 Blackburn: Lucas Joao scores 94th-minute equaliser to lift Rovers out of relegation places
Joao's finish extended Blackburn's unbeaten run under new manager Tony Mowbray to six games and moved the club out of the bottom three in the Championship

Lucas Joao struck deep into stoppage time to secure a 2-2 draw for Blackburn at play-off chasing Fulham.

Joao's finish extended Blackburn's unbeaten run under new manager Tony Mowbray to six games and moved the club out of the bottom three in the Championship.

Fulham had looked on course to claim the victory that would move them into the top six when substitute Gohi Cyriac scored his first goal for the club five minutes from time after connecting with Ruan Fredericks' cross.

That came shortly after Craig Conway had cancelled out Sone Aluko's 45th-minute opener when he converted from the penalty spot in the 76th minute after Tomas Kalas had brought down Marvin Emnes.

Fulham made one change to the side that beat Newcastle so emphatically on Saturday, with Fredericks returning at right-back in place of Denis Odoi.


Sone Aluko celebrates the opener (Photo: PA)

For Blackburn, Sam Gallagher and Charlie Mulgrew both failed late fitness tests on the hamstring strains that kept them out of the weekend draw at Norwich.

Conway did return, however, having missed the trip to Carrow Road to attend the birth of his daughter and took his place on the left-hand flank in place of Liam Feeney.

Fulham's win at Newcastle had confirmed Slavisa Jokanovic's side as one of the form teams in the division and they immediately took the game to the visitors.


Craig Conway scores from the spot to make it 1-1 (Photo: CameraSport)

Ryan Sessegnon, the 16-year-old who scored twice on Saturday, was once again employed in an advanced position on the Fulham left and was quickly involved as the home side attempted to make their early pressure felt.

But it was striker Aluko who had the best chance in the opening exchanges, with the Cottagers' forward unfortunate to see a close-range effort deflected wide after being set up by Tim Ream's header.

There were more signs the visitors may be beginning to crack when centre-back Darragh Lenihan's mistake gifted Fulham a corner and the defender was relieved to see Tom Cairney fire over the bar from the set-piece.


Fulham's Cyriac celebrates scoring his side's second goal (Photo: PA)

Jokanovic's side had lacked a cutting edge, though, so they were relieved to see Aluko connect with Stefan Johansen's cross on the stroke of half-time.

However, Blackburn responded well after the break and applied plenty of pressure before Conway eventually got the chance to level from the penalty spot.

Fulham appeared crushed, but responded positively when Cyriac, who has yet to start a game for the Cottagers, matched Aluko's earlier finish.

Blackburn deserved a share of the spoils, though, and got their reward when Joao dramatically turned home Derrick Williams' cross.


http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/match-reports/fulham-2-2-blackburn-lucas-10029179

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Slavisa Jokanovic believes Fulham didn't show enough experience to kill off Blackburn Rovers game
The Cottagers conceded a last minute equaliser against Blackburn and the boss believes they tried to kill the game off but didn't have enough experience to do so

Slavisa Jokanovic believes Fulham didn't show enough experience to kill off Blackburn when they went 2-1 with only minutes left in the game.

His side were held to a 2-2 draw courtesy of a last minute Lucas Joao goal after Sone Aluko and Gohi Cyriac had given Fulham a 2-1 lead.

The hosts struggled to deal with Blackburn in the second half, where Tony Mowbray's side pressed Fulham higher up the pitch and didn't allow them to play their passing brand of football.

And Jokanovic believes his side didn't show enough experience to kill the game off when they went 2-1 up with only minutes left in the game.

He said: "It was frustrating but it's part of the competition - we've scored many times in the last moment of the game but credit Blackburn.

"We didn't dominate the game or control them and at the end we made some mistakes and in the last moment we didn't stop the cross, we lost the marker and they scored from two metres out.

"It isn't easy to score three goals to win the game, we didn't have enough experience to kill the game when we scored the second goal, we tried but we gave them a chance for the comeback.

"We lost two points but gained a point, we cannot be satisfied because we conceded the goal but we lost the chance to put ourselves in the top six but we are going to fight to be in there at the end of May."


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/slavisa-jokanovic-believes-fulham-didnt-12743064

[WhiteJC]

 
Sheffield Wednesday fans hail Joao for denying Fulham

Sheffield Wednesday fans have paid special credit to Lucas Joao after he prevented Fulham from moving into the playoff spots.

The Cottagers would have leapfrogged the Owls into the top six had they seen out victory over Blackburn Rovers this evening.

The hosts were on the verge of sealing a 2-1 triumph at Craven Cottage after Gohi Cyriac nabbed an 86th-minute goal.

Craig Conway had earlier cancelled out Sone Aluko's opening goal by converting from the penalty spot, but the drama was not over.

Fulham thought that they had claimed an all-important win, but Joao snatched a 94th-minute equaliser to pull Blackburn out of the relegation zone.

In turn, the Owls kept their place in the playoff positions and it was made even sweeter that Joao is one of their players on loan at Ewood Park.

As it stands, Carlos Carvalhal's side remain in sixth place with a slender one-point advantage over Fulham.

After the game, Owls fans were quick to hail Joao for keeping their playoff dream alive.



http://www.footballfancast.com/social-media/twitter/sheffield-wednesday-fans-hail-joao-for-denying-fulham

[WhiteJC]

 
Leeds United fans happy to see Fulham drop points

Leeds United supporters have tweeted their joy in seeing Fulham drop points right at the death of their Championship clash against Blackburn Rovers.

Had the Cottagers come away with all three points, they would have taken Sheffield Wednesday's place in the playoff zone and been three points behind fourth-placed Leeds.

As it stands, Huddersfield Town, Leeds, Reading and Sheffield Wednesday remain in contention for the Wembley final.

Fulham came close to shaking things up when Gohi Cyriac scored an 89th-minute goal, but Lucas Joao, who is on loan a Blackburn from the Owls, nabbed an equaliser in the 94th minute.

As expected, many fans in the top six were pleased with the result, particularly Leeds supporters after they were undone by a late equaliser from ex-player Tom Cairney in their match at Craven Cottage recently.

Garry Monk's side have failed to win their last two Championship games, recording back-to-back draws, but their supporters feel encouraged heading into Saturday's home match against Brighton after Blackburn did them a favour.


http://www.footballfancast.com/social-media/twitter/leeds-united-fans-happy-to-see-fulham-drop-points

[WhiteJC]

 
Tuesday night proves nothing set in stone for Newcastle United in the Championship

The Fulham match and result on Tuesday night can only confuse Newcastle United fans even further.

Newcastle United fans watched Fulham embarrass the home side on Saturday.

The 1-3 scoreline didn't really tell the proper story, the visitors were far far better than that.

Once Fulham scored after 15 minutes, Newcastle were chasing shadows and looked clueless as to how to get back into the match.

ast forward to Tuesday night and the Cottagers were playing third bottom Blackburn at home.

This being their game in hand which if they followed up the Newcastle victory with another win, would see them at last break into the play-off places after their recent excellent results made them the form team of the Championship.

So basically, massive incentives for Fulham to get the three points.

Taking the lead on 45 minutes that was surely going to set them on their way, only for Blackburn to equalise on 79 minutes.

Back came Fulham and with four minutes of normal time remaining they made it 2-1, then watched as Blackburn grabbed a devastating second equaliser in the 94th minute.

The thing is though, this was no fluke.

Whilst it was Fulham who dominated the first half, unlike Newcastle on Saturday it was Blackburn who rallied and showed the better in the second half.  The match ended with Blackburn having more shots (13 v 12) and more efforts on target (6 v 4).

Betting on football matches in the Championship should surely carry a financial health warning.

Slavisa Jokanovic speaking ahead of last night's Blackburn match::

"Yesterday Barcelona didn't win against Deportivo La Coruna after their great win against PSG.

"We cannot compare these levels but we must be focused on our job.

"We can't relax and make some kind of mistakes.

"It is a tricky game for us (against Blackburn) and we must forget our last game (win over Newcastle) and think only about what is in front of us."

Newcastle United's next three matches are against relegation strugglers and anybody who was expecting an easy nine points against Birmingham, Wigan and Burton need to be warned.

It is easy to look and think the following two matches against promotion chasing Sheff Wed and Leeds will be the tough games but in this crazy division nothing is certain.

What is certain is that the likes of Burton and Wigan are fighting for their lives and have everything to play for when they come to St James Park.

Hopefully our tactics are to get at them from the first minute and the players show they are up for it far more than they did on Saturday.


http://www.themag.co.uk/2017/03/tuesday-night-proves-nothing-set-stone-newcastle-united-championship/

[WhiteJC]

 
Loan Round-Up

Cauley Woodrow was the hero for Burton Albion once again as he scored the only goal in the game against Nottingham Forest.

Forest started the day above Burton in the Championship, thanks to Burton winning all three points the Brewers have leapfrogged them. Fulham's Lasse Vigen Christensen played the full 90 minutes for Burton and was close to a goal himself but shot over the crossbar.

Woodrow's low struck free kick in the 26th minute was the difference for the Brewers, going through the wall and finding the back of the net. it was also Burton's only shot on target during the match. Brian Clough substituted Woodrow with ten minutes to go in a bid to hang onto their one goal advantage.

That crucial win keeps Burton three points above the drop zone and leave Forest a point behind them in 19th.

In League One Cameron Burgess played 90 minutes for Bury in their 0-0 relegation fight away at Oldham Athletic. Burgess almost scored one end, but more importantly headed a ball off his own line in the 64th minute to keep Bury's clean sheet.

Sharing the points mean that Oldham are floating two points above the drop zone in 20th, whilst Bury are a point and a place higher in the table.

Elsewhere in League One, Stephen Humphrys made an appearance for Shrewsbury Town as a substitute in their 1-1 away draw to Chesterfield. Humphrys came on in the 79th minute and minutes before the full time whistle had an opportunity to win the game but headed his effort straight at the keeper.

That point leaves Shrewsbury five points above the drop zone in 18th and keeps Chesterfield 2nd from bottom , eight points from safety

In League Two Marek Rodák was between the sticks for Accrington Stanley in their 2-0 away win at promotion hopefuls Exeter City.

Goals from Shay McCartan and Matty Pearson ensured that Accrington went home with all three points, with Rodák making five crucial saves to deny Exeter.

That win puts Accrington Stanley in 18th and nine points clear of the relegation zone. Exeter stay two points within the play off places in seventh.

Elsewhere in Spain, Jozabed played 90 minutes for Celta Vigo. They lost 1-0 at home against fifth placed Villareal. That loss keeps Celta 11th in La Liga.

Larnell Cole made an appearance in the Scottish Premier League this weekend, coming on in the 81st minute for Inverness Caledonian Thistle in their 1-1 away draw at Partick Thistle.

Gary Warren was the hero for Inverness equalizing in the 92nd minute of the game with a header, to give them a vital point in their relegation battle.

That point keeps them bottom of the table, a point behind Hamilton and four from Motherwell safety.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2017/march/14/loan-round-up

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