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Wednesday Fulham Stuff (10/10/18)...

Started by WhiteJC, October 10, 2018, 07:27:31 AM

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WhiteJC

 
Every Fulham summer signing ranked as Mitrovic continues fine form while Arsenal man struggles

Some have started life well at Craven Cottage while others have struggled to get going so far

Fulham have struggled to adapt to life in the Premier League so far this season having won promotion from the Championship - even with 12 new signings.

Slavisa Jokanovic's side sit in 17th place after eight games, winning just one match all season while conceding 21 goals, including five in a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Arsenal on Sunday.

Things haven't clicked yet for the new-look side, with players still getting to know one another, the area and Jokanovic's way of playing, but the international break provides a good opportunity for the side to clear their heads, regroup and prepare for a huge game at Cardiff on October 20.

With the international break upon us, we've taken a look at how those 12 new faces have started to life at Fulham.

Jean-Michael Seri - 7

Seri was probably the coup of the summer for Fulham, snatching him from under the noses of Chelsea and Arsenal in a big money move from Nice.

Everyone knew of the 27-year-old's quality before he started the season - you don't get called the Ivorian Xavi for nothing and his first few games at the club definitely showed what a good player the side had signed.

He started well - his box-to-box performance against the likes of Crystal Palace, Burnley and Brighton were all promising, with his ability to tackle and pick a pass the highlights.


Jean Michael Seri celebrates his wonder goal against Burnley (Photo by Henry Browne/Getty Images)

His performances have died down somewhat in recent weeks - whether that's because of the new formation where he's played deeper or because he misses having a creative talent like Tom Cairney remains to be seen, but it's been a good start to life at Fulham for Seri.

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa - 6

Another big signing of the summer was Anguissa, with Fulham capturing his signature from Marseilles on deadline day.

It's been a bit of a hot and cold start to life for the Cameroon international, who has only just started to start regularly for Jokanovic in the holding midfield role, with Kevin McDonald keeping his spot at the start of the season.


Andre-Frank Zambo Anguiss and Lucas Torreira in action. (Image: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

At times, Anguissa has been the defensive midfielder Fulham had hoped for - big, powerful and able to dominate the midfield, but at other times he's looked sluggish and overrun, like in the Arsenal defeat.

I think there's more to come from Anguissa as he settles to life in England, but that will have to come soon as Fulham's play depends so much on the anchor role, as we saw with McDonald last season.

Aleksandar Mitrovic - 8

Fulham knew exactly what they were getting with Mitrovic, and he hasn't failed to disappoint so far.

He currently tops their scoring charts with five goals in eight games, carrying on his red hot form from last season, where his goals were crucial in getting Fulham to where they are now.


(Image: Bryn Lennon/Getty Images)

He's scored the goals for the Cottagers and that's exactly what they need from him, while he also provides a physical outlet for the side's creative players.

There were question marks over whether he could do it in the Premier League - he's already answered those.

Alfie Mawson - 5

Defensive signings were vital to Fulham in the summer, and one of those was Mawson from Swansea City.

The jury is still out on the Englishman - he came to the club injured and seemed to be thrust right back into action after minimal training time, which doesn't seem to have helped his cause much.

He's been in and out of the team, with Jokanovic preferring the tried and tested partnership of Denis Odoi and Tim Ream at the moment, especially after his first half horror show against Watford.

There is certainly more to come from Mawson, we saw how good he was for Swansea despite them getting relegated, and because of that I'm going to give him an average 5/10 for his start.

Joe Bryan - 5

Again, an average start to life at Fulham due to his stop-start first few months.

He's been in and out of the team and hasn't really been able to get going yet, with being thrust into the game with Crystal Palace having had one day's training not a help.

He looked good deployed as a left wing back in the Carabao Cup win over Millwall, but injury at Everton has once again hampered his development and start at Fulham.

Fabri - 6

Fabri came in from Besiktas and started the first two games of the season, before being dropped for Marcus Bettinelli and then eventually being dropped from the matchday 18 altogether.

I think some of the criticism of Fabri over the course of those first two games were harsh - he made the most saves in the Premier League during those two performances, and despite some shaky spells did look good.

Like most of the new players, he was playing under a completely new system that required him to use his feet more and to have a better reading of the game - something you won't be able to do in just two games.

I think it was an okay start to life for the Spaniard, but I'm not sure if we'll see much of him again this season.

Maxime Le Marchand - 6

I think the Frenchman has started life fairly well at Craven Cottage, all things considered.

He came on the same day as Seri and was somewhat of a unknown quantity but has performed well for the most part, albeit with some mistakes.

Like most of the new faces, it's hard coming into a new-look back four and having very limited time to adjust and get up to speed on new tactics, but I think Le Marchand has done alright in that sense.

He's much better at centre back than he is at left back, but I don't think he will be testing the likes of Ream or Mawson for those starting spaces after the international break.

Andre Schurrle - 7

Schurrle has enjoyed his start to life back in England, and after a dodgy start against Crystal Palace has become one of Jokanovic's trusted starters this season.

He seems to have developed a good relationship with Luciano Vietto and the two look good together on the break and can interchange well.

I would say that his shooting has been a tad erratic so far this season and that he looks for the shot when there are better options on, but he has looked creative going forward and come up with some good goals.


(Image: John Walton/PA Wire)

Sergio Rico - 5

He's won two Europa League titles with Sevilla, but so far we've only seen Rico in two Carabao Cup games.

The 25-year-old has impressed me in those two games, with his command of his box and ability to come for crosses a big positive, although I'm well aware it was against Exeter City and Millwall.

I'm not sure how much longer Jokanovic will be able to warrant keeping such a keeper out of a side that has shipped 21 goals in eight games, although Bettinelli has done nothing to warrant being dropped.

I'm looking forward to seeing more from Rico as the season progresses, however.

Timothy Fosu-Mensah - 7

Another good signing of the summer, Fosu-Mensah has made the right back slot his own with some impressive bits of full back play so far this season.

Ryan Fredericks' attacking style was such a large part of last season's success and Fulham have lacked that this season so far, although there have been glimpses that Fosu-Mensah is able to replicate that.

I think he's better defensively too, but like others in that back four needs to get to grips with how Jokanovic wants his players to play going forward from here.

It's a shame he dislocated his shoulder in the Everton defeat, just as he was starting to produce for Fulham after his deadline day signing.

Calum Chambers - 4

It's not been a very good start to life at Fulham for Arsenal loanee Chambers, who has struggled to make much of an impact at the club so far.

He's featured in five league games for the side so far but hasn't looked comfortable in Jokanovic's system and it showed in the 1-1 draw with Watford, where he looked a liability in the heart of defence.

The quality is there with Chambers so it's strange to see him struggle so much at Fulham, it'll be interesting to see whether or not he ups his game and shows us the player that we all know he can be.

Luciano Vietto - 7

I've liked what I've seen of Vietto - he looks comfortable on the ball, can accelerate away on his first touch and has an eye for an assists.

However, I will say that his decision making can be better - we've seen what he is capable of with some really nice assists (like the one for Schurrle against Arsenal) but at other times, like against Everton, he doesn't pick his head up soon enough to see things around him.

That said, he does look like to make something happen whenever he is on the ball, and his flourishing relationship with Schurrle looks like it will wield results this season.



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/every-fulham-summer-signing-ranked-15256614

WhiteJC

 
Denis Odoi backs himself to play for Belgium but insists performances for Fulham matter more

The 30-year-old has only ever played once for his country, but has said there's been no contact from Roberto Martinez

Denis Odoi has backed himself to be good enough to play for Belgium, but insists he his performances for Fulham matter more to him at this moment in time.

The 30-year-old missed the opening two games of the season after being sent off in Fulham's play-off final win over Aston Villa back in May, but has come back into the side and has been arguably Slavisa Jokanovic's best defender so far this season.

He seems to have adapted to life in the English top flight well having only started playing at centre back for Fulham midway through last season, and now that he's playing in the Premier League talk about whether he should get a Belgium call-up is sure to follow.

At 30, it would be late in his career for another call-up, with his first and only coming in 2012 in a friendly with Montenegro, but Odoi has pointed to Watford's Christian Kabasele, with the Fulham man believing he's stronger than the Watford defender who has received a call-up to Roberto Martinez' squad.

Speaking to Belgian outlet DH, Odoi said:"Why not [talk about Belgium], but we still have high-level defenders, Kompany, Alderweireld, Vertonghen, they're tough guys, then Denayer at Lyon, Kabasele at Watford and Boyata at Celtic.

"A teammate told me that Scotland was not a big competition, and then Boyata showed the world they had the level, Fulham wanted to buy him but it did not happen. Good for me in the end.


(Image: Catherine Ivill/Getty Images)

"I played against Watford, Kabasele is a good defender, but is he stronger than me? I do not know, I do not think so, I have the strength and know everyone in this group, there's a lot of friends."

For Odoi to get a place in the Belgium side, he'd first have to be seen by Martinez - someone who the Fulham defender has yet to have any contact with.

He added: "No, it's a shame [I've had no contact], I do not play to show myself to the Devils, I do the job for me, for my club, and if it comes then I'm proud.

"It never came when I was in the Championship, it's a shame because I think it's more intense than the Pro League, and if Anderlecht played there, I do not know if they would be a title contender every time.

"I do not know [if he knows me], he never came to Fulham anyway, I'm not here to make a speech to say that I have to be called up. If Roberto Martinez thinks I'm strong enough, he will call me one day."



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/denis-odoi-backs-himself-play-15257863

WhiteJC

 
Fulham owner Shahid Khan's £600m bid to buy Wembley hit by corruption allegations as FA examine claims made by ex-club employee

    Fulham owner Shahid Khan wants to buy Wembley Stadium for £600million
    His bid has been hit by corruption allegations as the FA examine the claims
    They've been made by Craig Kline, Fulham's former assistant director of football
    Khan dismisses them as 'bogus claims' while Fulham are yet to comment on the claims made by Kline
    On Thursday Martin Glenn and the Football Association board will present to the FA council having approved the sale of the national stadium

The FA are examining claims of corruption against Fulham — owned by Shahid Khan — which may derail his £600million bid for Wembley.

FA chief executive Martin Glenn will make a crucial presentation to the FA Council on Thursday on the proposed sale of the stadium to American-Pakistani billionaire Khan.

But Craig Kline, Fulham's former assistant director of football, has made a series of explosive allegations ahead of that meeting and has urged FA investigators he met this week to alert the Council.

He has also taken claims of threatening behaviour by Khan and Fulham's chief executive Alistair Mackintosh to the police. Enquiries are ongoing.

Kline claims to have 'key evidence of systemic corruption relevant to the Wembley vote', and the FA confirmed they are reviewing his allegations. A spokesman for Khan dismissed the accusations as 'nonsense'.


Fulham owner Shahid Khan wants to buy Wembley Stadium for £600million

Last year Kline, who told Sportsmail on Tuesday that he remains close friends with Khan's son Tony, having studied at the same university in America, posted a series of allegations on social media after his acrimonious exit from Fulham.

He accused the club of 'tapping up' and 'racism', only to delete the tweets and reach a financial settlement with his former employers. He did so despite filing a series of formal grievances to senior members of the Fulham hierarchy. It has been reported that the club were considering legal action over the tweets. But Kline contacted the FA last week and met investigators on Monday to reignite his claims.

It is understood Kline also sent a letter to the Football League, who confirmed on Tuesday night that they are looking into the matter. It is believed Kline has also contacted an influential MP.

Kline returned to Twitter on Monday evening to post further claims ahead of Thursday's meeting.

He wrote: 'Dear FA Council (+ relevant police, MPs, regulators, press). I have key evidence of systemic corruption relevant to the Wembley vote which I'd like to submit.'

In another post, which was accompanied with screenshots of text exchanges, he said: 'My friend Tony and I built a paper trail and tried to report and do right for years, us both death threatened to not. So much fraud in football, FA where are you? I have a lot of evidence authorities.'

A statement from the FA said: 'We have recently been contacted by Craig Kline, who has made a series of allegations about Fulham. We are reviewing these allegations.'

An EFL spokesman said: 'Mr Kline has made a series of allegations. We are reviewing the content and will take any appropriate action.'

Sportsmail has put a series of questions to Fulham, who are yet to respond. Jim Woodcock, spokesman for Khan, said: 'This is nothing more than the same nonsense and bogus claims made by a former employee who left the club in 2017. Nothing here merits a further response.'

American data analyst Kline joined Fulham in 2014 as director of statistical research, and was promoted to assistant director of football in 2017, a role he held for less than a year. Despite having little previous experience in football, his 'moneyball' approach had a huge influence on the club's transfer policy, with his statistical models playing a key part in decisions over a series of signings.

Kline clashed a number of times with Fulham bosses and was sent back to the US for lengthy spells during his time at the club.

Last November — in the week Kline left Fulham for the final time — it was reported that police officers were called to Fulham's training ground at Kline's request following a series of disagreements with senior staff.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said: 'Police were called on Monday October 30 following a report of non-recent threatening behaviour. There have been no arrests and enquiries continue.'

On Tuesday, the FA made a presentation to county FA chiefs and the FA Council about the sale of Wembley. In it, an unnamed grassroots player was quoted as saying of the proposal: 'It's like selling Buckingham Palace to Donald Trump.'

Yet it is Thursday's presentation to the 127-strong Council which marks one of the biggest steps in the process of considering Khan's offer.

Although the Council have no official power to veto a sale, if there is sufficient opposition the deal will go no further. Following Thursday's presentation, the Council will return to Wembley on October 24 for a vote.

If that comes down in favour of a sale, the FA board will meet to rubber-stamp the deal.



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-6256455/Shahid-Khans-600m-bid-buy-Wembley-hit-corruption-allegations.html


WhiteJC

 
Who is Shahid Khan? The billionaire Fulham and Jacksonville Jaguars owner trying to buy Wembley Stadium

The 67-year-old made himself first known to Fulham fans in 2013 when he purchased the west London football club for £150 million

The Football Association has announced it has received an offer to buy Wembley.

Fulham owner Shahid Khan, who also owns the Jacksonville Jaguars NFL team, has put in a £800million bid to buy the national stadium.

The FA said in a statement: "We can confirm that the FA has received an offer to buy Wembley Stadium."

But who is the man behind the mega bid to buy Wembley? Here's all you need to know.

The 67-year-old made himself first known to Fulham fans in 2013 when he purchased the west London football club for £150 million, taking over from Mohamed Fayed.

Though football fans may not know him by name, most will recognise the Pakistan-born car parts tycoon from his handlebar moustache and wild hair.

Should he succeed in buying Wembley , Khan could become one of the most powerful figures in English football, eclipsing his current status of 'mere' championship club chairman.

Born in Lahore, Khan moved to America at aged 16 to study engineering at the University of Illinois, where he first stayed in a $2-a-night YMCA.

The Pakistani struck gold after developing an industry standard one-piece car bumper in the United States. And in 1991 he secured US citizenship while steadily climbing the country's rich list.

As of last year, Khan was thought to be the 158th wealthiest person in the world, with an estimated worth of $8.7 billion (£6.25 billion).

On his 20th anniversary of securing US citizenship, Khan sealed the purchase Florida-based Jacksonville Jaguars for $760 million, and in doing so becoming the first owner of an American football team from an ethnic minority background.

The NFL side have regularly visited London for games and signed a deal in 2012 to play one fixture a year at Wembley, where they are the "home" team.

When he's not running any of his businesses Khan will spend time on and his mega-yacht. The 95.2m Kismet is more often than not spotted on the Thames.

A factor in his favour for purchasing Wembley would be his relationship with Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, with whom he is said to get along well with.

The Fulham chairman's love for England's capital is also well known, having previously said: "[London has] better Indian and Pakistani restaurants than India and Pakistan."

He is married to Ann Carlson Khan, whom he met in college.



https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/who-shahid-khan-billionaire-fulham-12431668

WhiteJC

 
Why Fulham's struggles are self-inflicted

Fulham's pre-season spending spree seemed to show the club's big desire to have a more successful 2018/19 season than merely being involved in a relegation dogfight.

However, by signing 12 new players at a total cost just below £100million, the Cottagers have seemingly disrupted the team's momentum and unity that was evident in last season's successful promotion campaign to the Premier League.

Fulham should have learned the negative consequences of signing too many new players from London-based counterparts Queens Park Rangers. QPR roped in 12 new players ahead of the 2012/13 season and endured a disappointing campaign which culminated in relegation.

Two of those 12 new signings made by The Hoops were goalkeepers Robert Green and Júlio César neither of whom were able to cement their grip on the club's number one jersey.

Moreover, the club's decision to part company with the handy Paddy Kenny, who manned the goals for 33 league games the previous season and helped QPR to avoid relegation, was a huge mistake.

This goalkeeping situation has astonishingly been replicated by Fulham this season. The Cottagers decided to recruit two new goalkeepers in Sergio Rico and Fabri despite the presence of Marcus Bettinelli who was a revelation in goals and one of the crucial components in Fulham's promotion to the Premier League.

The foolishness of this decision is evident by the fact that Fabri, who cost the club a reported £5m fee, was not even in the 18-man squad for Fulham's recent 1-5 defeat by the hands of Arsenal on the 7th of October 2018.

Aston Villa was another team which fell victim to the chronic repercussions of recruiting a vast volume of players. Villa signed a multitude of new players before the commencement of the 2015/16 season and ended up getting relegated and having four different managers in charge that season.

And, in hindsight, Aston Villa's decision to sign four new center-backs - namely Joleon Lescott, José Ángel Crespo, Tiago Ilori and Micah Richards - placed them in a hole overflowing with too much competition for one position.

Despite already possessing American center-back Tim Ream, Fulham's Player of the Year last season, Fulham fell into the very same hole Villa previously encountered. The Cottagers brought in an unnecessary three new centre-backs in Alfie Mawson, Maxime Le Marchand and Calum Chambers.

Fulham's struggles so far this season, like QPR and Aston Villa experienced, is a result of the consequences of a complete squad overhaul. By signing 12 new players, the team spirit and togetherness that Fulham possessed last season was destroyed.

This is because the players from last season who have remained in West London may now feel that the manager, Slaviša Jokanović, does not believe in their quality. Therefore, their morale will decline.

Furthermore, Jokanović now has to get his philosophy across to a virtually completely new squad of players and thus it will take time for the players to understand his philosophy. It will also take a while before the players begin to gel on the field. Hence, the club's poor start to the current season with only one victory from eight league matches.

Patience is required from Fulham's fans and owner Shahid Khan if Jokanović for his new group of players to recapture their successful form of last season.



https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/why-fulham-s-struggles-are-self-inflicted?key=newsnow

WhiteJC

 
The allegations that have thrown Fulham owner Shahid Khan's Wembley bid into jeopardy

Fulham owner wants to buy Wembley Stadium for £600million

The FA have confirmed they are looking into a series of accusations made by sacked Fulham assistant director of football operations, Craig Kline.

Kline was sacked by the club last November and called police to the club's Motspur Park training ground following clashes with senior members of staff, while posting a number of allegations to Twitter before deleting those tweets.

But he has now contacted the FA with a number of unspecified allegations, and has once again taken to the social media platform to post those claims.

In a tweet, Kline posted: "Dear FA Council (+relevant police, MPs, regulators, press etc).

"I have key evidence of systemic corruption relevant to the Wembley vote which I'd like to submit. Please request this info from me. #fraud #wembley #MrPringle #teflon #racism #kickbacks #CC #JtL #threats #minors."

He also posted a further tweet earlier today (Tuesday) writing: "My friend Tony & I built a paper trail and tried to report & do right for years, us both death threatened to not.


Fulham owner Shahid Khan looks on at Wembley

"So much fraud in football, FA where are you? So much child endangerment & exploitation. I have a lot of evidence, authorities, please request."

In a statement, The FA confirmed they were in the process of reviewing the allegations made by Kline against Fulham.

That statement read: "We have recently been contacted by Craig Kline who has made a series of allegations about Fulham FC.

"We are currently in the process of reviewing these allegations."

Fulham owner Shahid Khan is currently in the process of attempting to purchase Wembley Stadium from the FA in a £600million deal, with the FA board presenting the findings of their meeting last month to the FA council in regards to the sale of the stadium to Khan.



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/allegations-thrown-fulham-owner-shahid-15258865


WhiteJC

 
FA investigates claim of 'systematic corruption' in proposed £600m Wembley Stadium deal

Craig Kline, the former assistant director of football at Fulham Football Club, tweeted: 'Dear FA Council ... I have key evidence of systematic corruption relevant to the Wembley vote which I'd like to submit'

The Football Association is investigating serious allegations of 'systematic corruption' relating to the proposed £600m sale of Wembley Stadium.

On Monday Craig Kline, the former assistant director of football at Fulham, tweeted: "Dear FA Council ... I have key evidence of systematic corruption relevant to the Wembley vote which I'd like to submit. Please request this info from me." The tweet was accompanied by a number of hashtags including "fraud", "racism", "kickbacks" and "minors".

The FA said in a statement: "We have recently been contacted by Craig Kline who has made a series of allegations about Fulham FC. We are currently in the process of reviewing these allegations." Fulham reject all claims made by Kline.

Kline, an American data expert, left Fulham under a cloud last November after clashing with other senior figures and following an incident in which he called police to the training ground. After his departure he tweeted a series of serious allegations about club practices which were later deleted.

Kline was a longstanding friend of Fulham's vice-chairman Tony Khan since childhood, and in a follow-up tweet on Tuesday he claimed that the pair of them had worked together to build a "paper trail" of evidence proving "so much fraud in football". However it is understood they have had no contact since Kline's acrimonious exit nearly 12 months ago and that Khan is dismayed to be linked in any way to the allegations.

Fulham's owner, Tony's father Shahid Khan, has offered the FA £600m to buy Wembley and the proposal moved a step closer last month after it was approved by the FA board.



https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/international/football-association-wembley-stadium-sale-fulham-shahid-khan-craig-kline-a8576056.html

WhiteJC

 
3 Games Fulham Have To Take Points From

Following the 5-1 drubbing handed out by Manchester City, it's becoming blatantly clear that Fulham have to add to their miserly total of five points soon.

From the eight games played so far, the Cottagers, despite spending big in the summer, have won just the one game and drawn two others, whilst losing the other five.

That kind of form is clearly not what was expected and is, what could be perceived, as relegation form.

But, with the need to get some more points quickly becoming very prevalent, just where those points going to come from?

Looking ahead, our next three Premier League fixtures are:

• Cardiff City (a) – October 20th

Bournemouth (h) – October 2th

And

• Huddersfield (a) – November 5th

Here at Vital Fulham, we're of the opinion that the Cottagers should be looking to get at least FIVE points from those fixtures.

Cardiff (a) will be a tough challenge, Neil Warnock's side have not won at all, in the Premier League, this season.

Bournemouth (h) will be a fixture the away side will be relishing; Eddie Howe's side are flying and are currently sitting in the top-six.

Huddersfield (a) in my opinion, could be the toughest of the lot. David Wagner's side have started the season badly but always put up a tough fight.

With, in my opinion, FIVE points needed out of a possible nine, can you see it happening?



https://fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/3-games-fulham-have-to-take-points-from/

WhiteJC

 
Southampton Tickets

Tickets for Fulham's only home Premier League fixture in November will go on sale to official Club Members from 10am, Wednesday 10th October.

The Whites welcome Mark Hughes' Southampton on Saturday 24th November, kick-off 3pm.

Priced from £30 adults and £20 juniors, supporters can purchase up to four tickets for this fixture. Adult members can also take advantage of their exclusive £5 ticket discount at this match, with a £3 ticket discount available for concessions.

Season Ticket Holders will then be able to secure up to four additional seats from 10am, Friday 12th October.

Tickets will be available to purchase online, by phone on 0203 871 0810 or in person from the Fulham Ticket Office.

All tickets are subject to availability. Terms & Conditions and booking fees apply.
Adult Members receive a £5 discount on their match ticket, with a discount of up to £5 available for over 65s and 18-21 year olds. Discounts only apply to one ticket per member per match. Supporters will need to login to their ticketing account and select their membership category when purchasing tickets.




http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/october/09/southampton-tickets


WhiteJC

 
Nonsense! Shahid Khan hits back at 'bogus claims' over Wembley Stadium 'corruption'

Fulham owner has described the accusations by a former employee as 'nonsense'

Shahid Khan has hit back at allegations of corruption over his bid to buy Wembley Stadium.

Former Fulham employee Craig Kline caused a stir on Twitter today by suggesting he had "evidence of systemic corruption relevant to the Wembley vote" and called upon the Football Association to get in touch with him.

And the FA confirmed they are looking into the accusations made by sacked Fulham assistant director of football operations.

Kline was sacked by the club last November and called police to the club's Motspur Park training ground following clashes with senior members of staff, while posting a number of allegations to Twitter before deleting those tweets.

In his Twitter post, Kline wrote: "I have key evidence of systemic corruption relevant to the Wembley vote which I'd like to submit. Please request this info from me. #fraud #wembley #MrPringle #teflon #racism #kickbacks #CC #JtL #threats #minors."

He also posted a further tweet earlier today (Tuesday) writing: "My friend Tony & I built a paper trail and tried to report & do right for years, us both death threatened to not. So much fraud in football, FA where are you? So much child endangerment & exploitation. I have a lot of evidence, authorities, please request."

Fulham owner Khan is currently in the process of attempting to purchase Wembley Stadium from the FA in a £600million deal, with the FA board presenting the findings of their meeting last month to the FA council in regards to the sale of the stadium to Khan.

And the billionaire businessman has hit back at the claims from Kline, via his official spokesman Jim Woodcock, calling the allegations "nonsense".

Woodcock said: "This is nothing more than the same ongoing nonsense and bogus claims made by a former employee who left the club in 2017. Nothing here merits a further response."



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/nonsense-shahid-khan-hits-back-15259670

WhiteJC

 
Fulham and Watford eye Musacchio

Milan defender Mateo Musacchio is reported to be of interest to Premier League sides Fulham and Watford.

According to Calciomercato.com, the 28-year-old Argentine is a target for the two English clubs in January.

He barely featured last season, but has become a regular in the current campaign with Mattia Caldara taking time to settle in.

Fulham had already been tracking Musacchio over the summer, while Watford owners the Pozzo family had also considered him for their Serie A side Udinese.

However, Gennaro Gattuso is eager to keep hold of the former Villarreal centre-back, who arrived in 2017 for €18m.



https://www.football-italia.net/129119/fulham-and-watford-eye-musacchio

WhiteJC

 
Republic of Ireland boss Martin O'Neill slams Alan Shearer over criticism of defender Cyrus Christie

    Martin O'Neill hit out at Alan Shearer over his criticism of Cyrus Christie
    The pundit was critical of the wing-back in Fulham's recent 5-1 defeat to Arsenal
    Republic of Ireland boss O'Neill says Shearer lacks a tactical understanding

Martin O'Neill has hit back at Alan Shearer's criticism of Ireland defender Cyrus Christie and says his lack of understanding shows why he only lasted eight games as a manager.

The Match of the Day pundit targeted the Fulham wing-back during his analysis of their 5-1 defeat by Arsenal on Sunday.

But O'Neill believes Shearer should have thought more about the tactics of boss Slavisa Jokanovic and referenced his ill-fated spell in charge of Newcastle in 2009 which saw them relegated on the final day by his own Aston Villa side.

'When you play a wing-back role, the first thing people will now ask you is, "What are the manager's instructions?",' began O'Neill.

'Now, it is mostly that they ask the wing-backs to stay very high up the pitch and not worry about coming back.

'I've asked Cyrus about this because the first thing I thought of when Alan Shearer was having a go is, "He hasn't thought this out". Maybe that's why he only managed eight games (himself), that might be something to do with it.


Christie (right) was playing wing-back against the Gunners but was regularly caught out

'He should have prefaced things by saying, "I don't know what the manager has said" because, at the end of the day, the manager has asked him to stay up the pitch and not worry about getting back.

'I don't think the severe criticism was warranted, that's my view.'

Shearer had said: 'Arsenal identified a weakness, which was down Fulham's right-hand side, particularly Christie.

'And time and time again, whether it was Alex Iwobi, whether it was Danny Welbeck, they got into those areas and dominated in that position.

'Christie was constantly going forward, not worrying about defending. Three v three, look at Christie here... He's walking. His team is in trouble. His first thought has to be, get back and help.

'Now look at him on the halfway line there, he jogs, Nacho Monreal is away and all of a sudden he realises and it's too late.

'Ball into the box, first goal, punished because you're not thinking defensively. It was so alarming.

'I don't want to pick on him, but that was the side Arsenal looked at and that was the side that Arsenal dominated and were superb. They could have and should have scored some more.'



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-6257789/Republic-Ireland-boss-Martin-ONeill-slams-Alan-Shearer-criticism-defender-Cyrus-Christie.html


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Poor defending and more – Three things that have gone awry for Fulham in the Premier League

Three things that have gone wrong for Fulham this season

After securing promotion to the Premier League following a successful season in the Championship, Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic resorted to extensive activities in the summer transfer window to bolster the squad.

As a result, Fulham made headlines with the mega-money signings of Aleksandar Mitrovic (loan deal made permanent), Jean Michael Seri and Andre Schurrle (two-year loan deal from Borussia Dortmund).

The Cottagers were expected to come up with flying colours after claiming such big scalps in the summer but they haven't been able to keep pace with the Premier League. They have teased their fans with shades of positive play but haven't secured the results to show for their efforts.

It is really disheartening to see a team with so many quality players underperforming the way Fulham have done so far. It was the same old story at Craven Cottage last weekend when Fulham faced Arsenal.

After a promising first-half display with the scores tied at 1-1, Fulham had a defensive nightmare and collapsed like a pack of cards in the second half, allowing Arsenal to score four goals and bag three points in an emphatic manner.

Although the Cottagers have been impressive with their creativity in the attacking third, they haven't done enough at the back to see out the games. Fulham's porous and vulnerable backline has been the major cause of their undoing so far.

Slavisa Jokanovic did not make any moves to bring in defensive reinforcements in the summer and that has cost the team dearly. None of the defenders have put their hands up on a consistent basis and consequently, the manager has been forced to field different combinations at the back.

Maxime Le Marchand, Denis Odoi, Calum Chambers and Tim Ream have all been tried out at the back but none of them have been consistent.  As a result, there has been no stability across the backline and the centre-backs have often made a mockery of themselves with poor understanding and communication.

At times, the defenders have tried to play an offside trap but that hasn't worked either. Fulham have preferred to play out from the back rather than knocking the ball long into the other half of the pitch. However, that ploy has backfired as it is quite evident that they do not have the quality to do so. They have given the ball away in dangerous areas, often allowing the opposition to build attacks.

In the game against Brighton, Fulham were cruising to a victory with a 2-0 lead but were once again undone by defensive howlers. It was a similar case at home against Watford when Alfie Mawson's poor positioning allowed Andre Gray to score in the first minute of the game.

Fulham's defense in the second half against Arsenal cut a rather sorry picture. The defenders were in sixes and sevens and there seemed to be no organization at the back. Cyrus Christie, who slotted into the right-back position in place of the injured Timothy Fosu-Mensah, looked way off the pace and left far too many open spaces for Alex Iwobi to exploit.

Suffice to say, the defenders have found it difficult to adapt to the standards of the Premier League. They have looked way too ordinary and the Cottagers have been shipping goals at an alarming rate, having already conceded 21 with a goal difference of -12.

However, they should take heart from the performances of Jean Michael Seri, Ryan Sessegnon, Aleksandar Mitrovic, Luciano Vietto and Andre Schurrle, all of whom have done well. But it is high time for the Cottagers to step up their game at the back if they are to have any chances of surviving relegation.



https://soccersouls.com/2018/10/10/poor-defending-and-more-three-things-that-have-gone-awry-for-fulham-in-the-premier-league/