Saturday Fulham Stuff (13/10/18)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham Striker Shows The Standards Expected On The International Stage

For the second time already this season, we're left twiddling our thumbs whilst the international scene takes centre-stage.

After waiting so long to resume our Premier League career, these breaks are annoying, to put it politely.

But, watching on from afar, we're hoping that those Fulham players who are away on international duty do themselves proud.

Already, our Serbian striker, Aleksandar Mitrovic has set a benchmark for the standard required.

Last night, in what was the first-ever meeting between the two former Yugoslav republics of Serbia and Montenegro, Mitrovic scored twice as Serbia ran out 2-0 winners.

Although previously, tensions had existed between the two new nations, sport was the winner with the game being played in a friendly atmosphere, despite the large police presence.

Mitrovic scored a goal in each half to cement his claim as one of the emerging striking talents in world football.

Tonight, over in Croatia, Marcus Bettinelli will be with the England squad as they continue their Nations League fixtures, could Bettinelli play a key role, or, as we suspect, is he destined for a night on the bench?

COYW's



https://fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/fulham-striker-shows-the-standards-expected-on-the-international-stage/

[WhiteJC]

 
International Update

Aleksandar Mitrovic continued his razor-sharp form for his country as Serbia secured a comfortable 2-0 win over Montenegro last night. The striker scored both goals in the UEFA Nations League tie to take his tally to eight goals in as many games for his country.

The game was somewhat historic in that it was the first meeting between the two Yugoslav Republics since they competed as one in the 2006 World Cup.

Kevin McDonald played the full 90 minutes as Scotland fell to a 2-1 defeat at Israel. The Scots found themselves ahead at the break thanks to Charlie Mulgrew's penalty. But John Souttar's red card meant the game was turned on its head in Haifa.

It was a clean sweep for the Young Lions who enjoyed 15 goals between them last night.

Ryan Sessegnon saw out a 7-0 thumping of Andorra at the Protact Stadium in their Euro Qualifying Group. Goals from Ademola Lookman, Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Ezri Konsa, Reiss Nelson, Dominic Solanke and an own goal saw England romp home. The win secures them a place in the European Championships which take place in Italy next year.

His brother Steven enjoyed a 4-1 win over Portugal for the Under-19s in Cova da Piedade. Three quick fire second half goals from Emile Smith-Rowe, Felix Nmecha and Marc Guehi were capped off by Ian Poveda-Ocampo.

Luca Ashby-Hammond kept a clean sheet for the Under-18s in a comfortable 4-0 win over Sweden at St. George's Park. Tyreese John-Jules, Faustino Anjorin, Arvin Appiah and Ethan Laird saw out a routine win in the friendly.




http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/october/12/international-round-up

[WhiteJC]

 
Free Shirt Printing

Purchase any Fulham 18/19 Replica Shirt before midnight on Sunday 14th October and complete the look with FREE PRINTING!

Personalise your shirt with any name or number, with this special offer available for free when you buy a Home, Away or Goalkeeper Shirt this weekend.

Will you choose from the likes of André Schürrle, Tom Cairney or Aleksander Mitrović, or stand out with your own name?

Take advantage of this offer by securing your shirt now either online or from the Stadium Store at Craven Cottage.

Available on all Adult and Junior Replica Shirts - Offer subject to availability, online and instore until midnight on Sunday 14th October.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/october/12/free-shirt-printing

[WhiteJC]

 
Ex-Sunderland manager launches pathetic attack on Alan Shearer


Following his 'severe criticism' of Irish full-back Cyrus Christie, Martin O'Neill has questioned Alan Shearer's stint as a manager – suggesting this is why he only managed eight games in charge of Newcastle United.

This comes following Shearer's criticism of Christie after his display in Fulham's 5-1 defeat to Arsenal on Sunday – saying he was "not worried about defending" despite playing at full-back.

As we know, Shearer managed Newcastle United for eight games during the final few few weeks of the Premier League season, being unable to save a sinking ship and winning just once as we slipped to relegation at Villa Park back in May 2009 (a game where O'Neill was manager in the opposite dugout).

In hindsight, he tried his luck in management too early – however O'Neill's comments in response to Shearer's critique of Christie are petty to say the least.

Here's what he said:


    "He [Shearer] 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 as warranted. I don't think everything was down to him and the first thing I thought about when Shearer was saying those things is 'you should be asking the question'.
    "Maybe that's why he only managed eight games, that might be something to do with it."


Petty stuff from O'Neill, who seems a little too sensitive and defensive given Shearer was only commenting on what he saw as pundit.

I watched Arsenal's mauling of Fulham and Christie was nowhere to be seen defensively – although it may have been a tad harsh to single him out as no one was tracking back.

Do you think Shearer has what it takes to become a good manager?



http://www.nufcblog.co.uk/2018/10/12/ex-sunderland-manager-launches-pathetic-attack-on-alan-shearer/

[WhiteJC]

 
Mitrovic scores twice to win historic game for Serbia vs Montenegro

Serbia beat Montenegro 2-0 in Thursday's UEFA Nations League C Group 4, Round 3 game in Podgorica.

PODGORICA - Serbia beat Montenegro 2-0 in Thursday's UEFA Nations League C Group 4, Round 3 game in Podgorica.

Aleksandar Mitrovic was the hero for Serbia in the historic first encounter between the two national teams since the breakup of the Serbia-Montenegro state union.



http://www.tanjug.rs/full-view_en.aspx?izb=435358

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham will hope Aleksandar Mitrovic's international exploits continue at club level

(Photo by James Williamson - AMA/Getty Images)

When Serbia defeated Montenegro 2-o in the UEFA Nations League on Thursday night, there was truly only one name that could be on the scoresheet: Aleksandar Mitrovic.

The Fulham striker has been on superb form all season long for both club and country, and his brace in Podgorica brought his tally to four in his opening three Nations League matches.

Mitrovic tucked home a clinical first half penalty before wrapping up the three points in the 81st minute with a coolly converted finish from a low cross.

His two goals yet again exemplified his dual threat: calm under pressure from the spot, as well as blessed with tremendous movement and the ability to get on the end of crosses into the box.

The centre-forward has lit up the Premier League and currently sits second on the league scoring charts behind only Eden Hazard. Yet Mitrovic has been stymied in the last two matches against Everton and Arsenal, with his scoring chances severely limited as the Whites suffered consecutive heavy losses.

A massive match beckons between Fulham and Cardiff after the international break, and Fulham fans will be hoping Aleksandar Mitrovic can carry his brilliant Serbia form back into the Premier League.



https://tbrfootball.com/fulham-will-hope-aleksandar-mitrovics-international-exploits-continue-at-club-level/

[WhiteJC]

 
Shahid Khan open to talks with FA Council members over £600m Wembley bid

Shahid Khan is happy to speak with FA Council members if they have any concerns about his £600million bid to buy Wembley.

The proposed sale appears in doubt, with many FA councillors unconvinced by the tycoon's plan.

FA chief Martin Glenn gave a presentation to the FA Council yesterday ahead of a vote on October 24 over whether to sell Wembley to Fulham owner Khan.

The FA Council, comprising representatives of the Premier League, Football League and County FAs, have no powers to formally stop the deal. But the FA Board want a mandate from stakeholders in the English game before they give final approval.

The FA plan to reinvest the £600m into grassroots football but they must repay £120m to Sport England, £20m to the government and £21m to the mayor of London's office.



https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/shahid-khan-open-to-talks-with-fa-council-members-over-600m-wembley-bid-a3960671.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Football Beyond Borders

Slaviša Jokanović was a special guest at the Football Beyond Borders event in Shoreditch last night. The Fulham Head Coach spoke alongside Ryan Bertrand in the 'Football For All' event.

They are an education charity which uses football as an engagement tool to provide young people with the opportunity to achieve their goals and fulfil their potential.

Speaking after the event, Jokanović said: "I want to share my experience and encourage young people to be part of football. FBB is a great idea and a great way for all the young people to enjoy this important sport.

"Football can support young people to fight for important values and it can teach young people to live together, by being in a team. In this life, you cannot live all alone.

"You have to trust in yourself. You have to always go forward, working, learning and having the desire to improve. I believe tomorrow I will be a better coach than today. This process never stops.

"Football has been a very important part of my life. I was born in a place with less opportunity than London, but football helped me to fight and to be brave.

"If you find some way to be positive, to be brave, to push forward, I'm sure you're going to find the right way to be successful in life. Life is not only about being a football player, there are many different ways to live life.

"I make mistakes, but I try to improve myself daily. You have to be brave. It's not important how many times you fall down, it's important how many times you get up, and how many times you are ready to find solutions."

You can follow Football Beyond Borders on Twitter @FBeyondBorders.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/october/12/fbb-slavisa

[WhiteJC]

 
Fixture Changes

Five Fulham matches have been moved from their original date and or time.

Firstly, our West London derby against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge has been selected for live broadcast in the U.K. The encounter which was scheduled to take place on the 1st of December will go ahead a day later on Sunday 2nd December (kick-off 12pm). As a result of this move the midweek match at Craven Cottage against Leicester City will now also take place a day later than originally planned on Wednesday 5th December (kick-off 7:45pm).

Three additional fixtures have been selected for live broadcast and therefore have seen changes. Our London derby against West Ham United (Saturday 15th December) has had its kick-off time changed to the slightly later time of 5:30pm & our Boxing Day encounter with Wolverhampton Wanderers has been moved to 12:30pm.

Furthermore, our match against Tottenham Hotspur at Craven Cottage will now be shown live as part of Sky Sports' Super Sunday. The match that was scheduled to take place on Saturday the 19th January (3pm) will now be played on Sunday 20th at 4pm.

Please see a full recap of these moves below.

New fixture dates:

Chelsea v Fulham, Stamford Bridge– Sunday 2nd December (12pm)

Fulham v Leicester City, Craven Cottage  – Wednesday 5th December (7:45pm)

Fulham v West Ham, Craven Cottage – Saturday 15th December (5:30pm)

Fulham v Wolverhampton Wanderers, Craven Cottage – Wednesday 26th December (12:30pm)

Fulham v Tottenham Hotspur, Craven Cottage – Sunday 20th January (4pm).



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/october/12/fixture-changes

[WhiteJC]

How to Fix Fulham's Attack
It's time to be a bit unconventional

Photo by Catherine Ivill/Getty Images

Just like that, another International Break is on. The Craven Cottage fateful had the opportunity to watch the England Women's team go toe-to-toe against a strong Australia side. Ryan Sessegnon continues to get valuable experience at the Under-21 level while Aleksander Mitrovic stayed on fire with two goals against Macedonia. Even Kevin McDonald continued to garner attention on the International seen as a late blooming midfielder.

But lest we forget, Fulham are battling for relegation after a miserable 5-1 defeat to Arsenal. It's one thing to lose to one of the best clubs in England that is in resurgence under new boss Unai Emery. It's another thing to lose to an Arsenal side that really didn't do much to win the contest. Consider that the Gunners only took nine shots, but seven of them were on target and five went in the back of the net. According to Understat, that performance generated 1.14 expected goals with a 12.7% chance of any shot expected to go in the back of the net.

None of these numbers are new to Fulham. Everyone and their mama knows their defense is horrible no matter what personnel or formation they use. Plenty will argue that Slavisa Jokanovic ruined the club's afternoon and the supporters' trust by subbing Tim Ream, who is returning from injury, with Aboubakar Kamara after Lacazette's second goal when he had no business making such a change at that point in the game. Regardless, Arsenal's performance was in line with what Fulham usually concede. This season, 14.0% of Premier League opposition shots are expected to become goals against the Cottagers. Only Watford are worse (14.3%), but they do so off the back of a very strong press that limits opponents to the fourth least shots and shots on target in the league.

But what if I were to tell you that Fulham need to start looking at the other end as a major concern as well? While Arsenal decided to beat Fulham with a proverbial rope-a-dope counter-attack, Fulham were racking up a wasteful 21 shots that only generated one goal, four shots on target, and 1.34 expected goals according to Understat. That means that Fulham were only able to generate a 6.4% expected shooting percentage throughout the course of the 90 minutes. Throughout the season, that number only increases to 8.5% while the Premier League average is 10.9%. Only Crystal Palace and Huddersfield are more inefficient with their shot selections.

Yep, this ain't the Championship anymore where teams can rely on grit and quantity to rule the day. Fulham have to be more clever in the way they attack the opposition. This past week, I was introduced by the work of Cheuk Hei Ho, who goes by tacticsplatform on Twitter. Among the many items he does is to break down players of various football clubs based off of the style in which they attack. An example of this can be seen by the charts made for Liverpool's and Chelsea's squads.

From my understanding, normalized data points (expected goals and assists per 90 minutes and xG Buildup per 90 minutes in this instance) are the standard score calculations versions of them. Without me having to bore or confuse you all as to what this all is, it is to determine what and by how much each data point is deemed below or above average within a given group. In this case, that given group are all Fulham players that have played in the Premier League this season.

With that in mind, here is my attempt to pull off the good work done at Tactics Platform to pinpoints Fulham's problems when they have the ball. The following players have been grouped in four quadrants.

Attacking only players (positive in xG+xA, negative in xG Buildup)
Aleksander Mitrovic, Andre Schürrle, Floyd Ayite

To have Mitrovic in this group makes perfect sense. He's the star man up top and he's there for one reason and one reason only: to score goals.

Andre Schürrle, while not shocking to see him here, is a problem. While Mitro is deservedly grabbing all the headlines with his play, the former German International is actually the club leader in shot rate (4.34 per 90 minutes). And while Schürrle has scored three goals in the top flight, he has only been expected to score 1.73 times. That means that his shooting percentage is expected to be a dreadful 6.0%, while the big Serbian is sitting pretty at 13.2%. With further comparison, since Understat has recorded data back in the 2014/15 season, Schürrle's 2018/19 campaign would be the worst of his career based off the underlying numbers. Simply put, he either has to be much more efficient and productive with his attacking play or this football club is going south fast.

Lastly, Floyd Ayite's 68 minutes of game time is not enough to determine if he's the answer to Fulham's problems, but it shows how little score first options there are for Jokanovic to operate with.

Builders and Attackers (positive in both xG+xA and xG Buildup)
Aboubakar Kamara, Tom Cairney, Jean-Michael Seri, Luciano Vietto, Cyrus Christie, Ryan Sessegnon

So if Mitrovic and Schurrle can't get anything going in Fulham's attack, this cohort will be required to pick up the slack. This is a much more unique group in that they can be able to attack teams when they are at their best and they can be able to progress the ball well and pick apart defenses with their passing and guile.

Tom Cairney and Jean-Michael Seri are of no one's surprises to be here. They came into this season as the most creative players in the club and Cairney's absense has been greatly felt this past month. Along with that, Seri playing as part of a double pivot has drastically hampered his impact as a passer and ball progresser. That being said, Luciano Vietto has taken his opportunities with both hands and has performed well as the interim number 10.

Cyrus Christie and Ryan Sessegnon are also not a surprise to see in this quadrant as both play more as attacking wingbacks while starting from deep.

What comes as the biggest of all surprises in this exercise is to see the work that has been done by the enigmatic Frenchman. On a per 90 minute basis, his buildup play is second in the club to Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa (0.61 xG Buildup) and his attacking play (combined 0.52 expected goals and assists) is only bettered by Vietto and Mitrovic. Plenty will argue his wastefulness is why he has no business getting on a Premier League pitch and gives many the impression as a rich man's Cauley Woodrow. But at 23 years old and with seering pace that can play multiple positions, surely there has to be a place for Kamara in Jokanovic's plans.

Builders only (negative in xG+xA, positive in xG Buildup)
Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, Maxime Le Marchand, Timothy Fosu-Mensah, Calum Chambers

Next up are the ones deemed the ball-playing types, but you'll very rarely see those on this list bombing forward to get on the end of a created chance or be the one creating the killer pass themselves.

It's good to see Anguissa on this list as his value over Kevin McDonald has increased over the course of this season. He clearly has a tendency to lose the ball and miss a tackle or three, but his energy across the pitch is so much greater, that he can't be afforded to not start anymore.

Meanwhile, Le Marchand, Fosu-Mensah and Chambers have shown throughout their careers to be good ball playing defenders that can play in multiple positions. This trio can give Slav food for thought if he considers playing three at the back.

Meh (negative in both xG+xA and xG Buildup)
Joe Bryan, Denis Odoi, Kevin McDonald, Alfie Mawson, Stefan Johansen, Tim Ream, Fabri, Marcus Bettinelli

Lastly, this group is neither one to generate that much in attack or in ball progression. That's not to say that this group is worthless, and everyone knows Fulham would like to have more defensive-minded types in the starting XI. It's just that this group is not expected to do that much with the ball at their feet.

We all know that Kevin McDonald, Tim Ream, and goalkeepers Fabri and Marcus Bettinelli are their to get involved in the attack anytime soon, so their placement in this cohort makes sense. Denis Odoi could be a surprise, but his involvement as a center back limits his opportunities for bombing forward.

The rest on this list has been a bit startling. How Stefan Johansen been so poor in his opportunities, I have no idea and his lack of production is killing any potential of a strong midfield cover for Jokanovic. Alfie Mawson has had some woeful performances as well and the best case scenario to this matter is that he is still recovering from the knee surgery he had over the summer. The worst case scenario is that the fact the him and Chambers are not the set-in-stone center back pairing based on their potential and Premier League experience because of their poor defensive performances is the biggest reason Jokanovic gets sacked before this season is over.

Lastly, Joe Bryan has had a bit of a weird 2018/19. Deemed as more of a well-rounded fullback, the former Bristol City man has been seen bombing more up the pitch and actually becoming Fulham's best crosser of the ball when he is playing (see Mitro's goal versus Tottenham as proof). To see him not be considered effective in buildup play is an interesting tidbit and something to look out for once he returns from his hamstring injury.

_____

So there we have it. A major profile of who's good at doing what with the ball shows just what type of roles certain players can do for the club and how Jokanovic can best utilize them. The emphasis throughout the past month has been the three at the back system in defense, and Fulham might be best suited for that as their go-to formation for both sides of the ball. I would love for Seri and Cairney (assuming he's back healthy) to be more further up the pitch and with Kamara or Vietto or even Schürrle using their pace and creativity supporting Mitrovic in attack.

If for anything else, Fulham's attack becomes more unpredictable with their best goal scorers in more central areas of the pitch and their best play makers given more license to create while having protection behind them. Along with that, the foundations are there in defense with the use of wingbacks, two mobile center backs and Anguissa at the base of the midfield. Here's hoping this becomes the XI we'll see more often come October 20th.

Marcus Bettinelli

Calum Chambers, Alfie Mawson, Tim Ream

Cyrus Christie, Jean-Michael Seri, Zambo Anguissa, Tom Cairney, Ryan Sessegnon

Aleksander Mitrovic, Andre Schürrle



https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2018/10/12/17968178/how-to-fix-fulhams-attack

[WhiteJC]

 
Notes from October meeting with Fulham FC



On Monday 8 October 2018 at 12:30pm, Alistair Mackintosh (AM, chief executive officer), Carmelo Mifsud (CM, media relations manager), Katy Brecht (KB, head of ticketing), Mike McSweeney (chief executive, Fulham Foundation) and Nicola Walworth (supporter liaison officer) of Fulham Football Club met with Tom Greatrex, Ian Clarke, Dan Crawford, Sue Couch and Archie Rhind-Tutt of the Fulham Supporters' Trust at Motspur Park as part of the ongoing structured dialogue between both parties. David Daly (a non-executive director of Fulham Football Club) sent his sincere apologies.

The Trust focussed this meeting on the two issues of key importance to Fulham supporters at the present time – the Riverside Stand and ticketing.

RIVERSIDE STAND

Update
The Trust asked for an update on the progress of the Riverside Stand redevelopment and highlighted our concern that with a lead contractor yet to be appointed the timescales may start to slip.  AM confirmed that the Club were still out to tender for a lead contractor on the works and, while, there was no winning bid yet, the Club were in advanced and detailed discussions with a final shortlist of potential contractors.

Timeline

The Trust pushed for an update on the timeline against that included in the London Borough Hammersmith & Fulham Council's planning documentation.  AM revealed that whilst the fine detail of that timeline was no longer relevant, the Club are still operating to their original timescale of a project start in May 2019.  When asked how this would be possible without confirmation of a lead contractor AM disclosed that there is "a high probability" that a preferred contractor will be in place by the end of November 2018.

The Trust asked for confirmation of the high level timeline.  AM explained that the Club's current plan is to begin work in May 2019 with the demolition of the existing Riverside Stand and for Craven Cottage to operate at a significantly reduced capacity for two seasons. The plan is for the new Riverside Stand to be ready for the 2021-22 season. He revealed that he is in constant touch with Shahid Khan over the progress of the plans and that the Club want a well-thought out scheme. He added that as the project is highly complex the club are using information provided by multiple bidders to constantly enhance the offers and plans.

Wembley

The Trust raised concerns that Shahid Khan's proposed purchase of Wembley Stadium may have some bearing on decisions being taken in relation to the Riverside Stand.  AM told the meeting that there is no consideration of Shahid Khan's proposed purchase of Wembley Stadium in the Club's current planning.

Temporary relocation

Following up, the Trust asked whether bidders have made suggestions that the Riverside Stand build would be easier or cheaper if the Club moves out of Craven Cottage temporarily and, if so, whether these would be considered.  AM revealed that bidders have stated that the project would be easier with full access to the site, but that the cost differential between the two options (staying during the build and moving out temporarily) was not great.

The Trust set out our opposition to any prospect of Fulham playing anywhere other than Craven Cottage, even on a temporary basis, with representatives pointing to the organisation's foundation as 'Back to the Cottage' and the history of the Club and the ground.   The Trust further explained that were any consideration ever to be given by the club to a temporary relocation  we would wish to see significant guarantees of a return.  AM acknowledged this and pointed out that in the event of any temporary relocation ever being considered, a £100M plus contract would already have been signed and begun.
AM reiterated that he firmly believed that the Riverside Stand will be built and committed to provide an update to the wider Fulham fanbase.

TICKET PRICING

Matchday prices

The Trust expressed concern that current ticket prices are too high and could risk pricing out a generation of supporters,  highlighting minimum adult prices for the home matches against Arsenal (£55) and Bournemouth (£45) as examples.  AM said he understood but didn't necessarily agree. He stated that Shahid Khan still subsidises the business to a considerable degree and, given the long-term objective of making the Club sustainable, revenue needs to be raised. Fulham are tasked with being "more commercial" and not less and AM revealed that the Club does not benchmark well commercially against comparative Premier League and Championship competitors.

Season ticket prices

AM stated that he felt the Club had tried to successfully reward loyalty with a strong offer to season ticket holders last season, which realised a 99% renewal rate. The Trust representatives stated that there remained concern amongst Fulham supporters that, should season ticket prices continue to rise, many longstanding fans would not be able to renew. AM and KB confirmed that, as per previous discussions, the Club had not made any decisions about the price of next season's season tickets.

KB confirmed that a number of options were being considered to reward the loyalty of season ticket holders in next season's pricing. KB and AM also revealed that the club do research other clubs' prices and schemes. KB stated that the Club recognise that they can't raise season-ticket prices to beyond this year's early post play-off final level – and that they won't seek to do so.

Away ticket prices

As part of the discussion on matchday prices, AM revealed that the Club did not support the initiative for a £30 cap on away match tickets.

Next generation of fans

MM pointed out that the Fulham Foundation run several successful schemes and reward participants, including local schoolchildren from some of the most deprived parts of London with free tickets. AM said he would be happy to receive further ideas from the Trust and Fulham fans with regards to ticket pricing.

OPERATIONAL TICKETING ISSUES

Away ticketing

The Trust raised the issues of persistent standing at away matches and confrontations between Fulham fans caused by this at away games this season, including Tottenham, Brighton, Manchester City, Everton and Millwall. The Trust further highlighted that we would like to work with the Club to alleviate the problems via practical ticketing solutions.  The most obvious of these is the ability to select a specific seat when booking an away ticket

KB confirmed that the Club does have to build a detailed seat map of all away allocations into Ticketmaster's system, including the location of sides, aisles and entry and exit points, before each fixture. This work usually takes around two days for the ticket office staff, but Ticketmaster's system does not allow this information to be made public, so the option to pick your own seat is not possible.  The Trust one again asked the club, in conjunction with other Premier League clubs, to continue to put pressure on Ticketmaster to make this facility available.

The Trust put forward a number of other suggestions, including options offering supporters the choice of the front or the back of the stand.  The Trust also highlighted the plans that other clubs have put in place this season around 'non-standing' areas (Watford) and seats at the front of the stand for supporters to move into (Cardiff). KB reiterated that the Club position is that all seats are for sitting only.  However KB agreed to talk to Watford about their system to further understand their thinking.
The Trust asked for more information to be made available online on the order of selling away blocks and rows and also the current status of sales.  KB and AM agreed that the Club would make more information available.  The Trust also asked if the Club could ascertain whether other Premier League clubs were experiencing similar problems.

Home ticketing

The Trust expressed members' concern regarding the withdrawal of the 'print at home' ticketing option.  KB revealed that this option was being regularly abused by large scale modification of bar codes and subsequent re-sale. Fulham want to retain control of ticket sales, so they have removed this option this season. KB and AM stated that many other Premier League clubs are also taking this position – and the Premier League has provided additional guidance on tout-prevention measures.

The Trust pointed out widespread concern about the inability of season ticket holders to be able to upgrade concession season tickets for weekend games.  KB and AM said that the Club's previous upgrades policy was being abused by both touts and supporters. The Club felt that their compromise was to allow upgrades for evening fixtures, these being the fixtures that most genuine concession season ticket holders cannot attend. The Trust suggested that the Club could offer a couple of additional weekend games for upgrades as a further compromise. Following further discussion, AM agreed that the Club would consider this proposal.
KB also confirmed that the Club had concluded that a ticket exchange scheme would be viable and they will be announcing details of this in due course. NW and KB said that the Club envisage that the ticket exchange would only operate for sold out fixtures.

DISABLED SUPPORTERS

The Trust raised correspondence from the Arsenal Disabled Supporters' Association about the sight lines for disabled supporters in the Putney End being disrupted by persistent standing during the recent fixture at Craven Cottage. AM and KB confirmed that the Club were in the final stages of removing a section of seats in P2 and P7 in order to install a new disabled supporters' viewing area with greatly improved views of the pitch. This work will reduce the capacity by around 400 seats and the new disabled supporters' section is due to be ready for the home against Southampton next month.

MISCELLANOUS

The Trust passed on the thanks of supporters to the Club for the recent return of Clint Dempsey to Craven Cottage during the Watford home fixture and for making some of the match reaction content available to non-Fulham FC TV subscribers. The Trust representatives also relayed details of individual feedback on the matchday experience from our members to NW for her attention and response.

The meeting closed at 2.51pm



http://fulhamsupporterstrust.com/news/2018/10/12/notes-from-october-meeting-with-fulham-fc.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Slavisa Jokanovic under pressure as Fulham chiefs fret over the Premier League's leakiest defence

EXCLUSIVE: Top brass feel his tactics leave promoted Cottagers too open and want changes after international break

The pressure is growing on Slavisa Jokanovic at promoted Fulham.

Jokanovic led the Cottagers back into the Premier League last season via the Play-Offs after four years away. But they now sit fourth-bottom, having lost five of their eight league games and won just one while conceding 21 goals — four more than the division's next leakiest defences.

In their last game before the international break, Fulham were demolished 5-1 in front of their own fans by Arsenal.

There are concerns at the club that despite investing over £100million during the summer, they are playing a brand of football that's too open and that Jokanovic has not adapted his tactics to cope with the step up in class.

The club's top brass are understood to want him to go back to basics, with an emphasis on defending.

Fulham have yet to keep a Premier League clean sheet since returning to the division, with their defeats have come against Crystal Palace, Spurs, Manchester City and Everton as well as the Gunners.

Serb Jokanovic joined the club in December 2015, having taken Watford up to the top flight eight months earlier only to then leave Vicarage Road after failing to agree to a new contract.

After lifting them out of the Championship doldrums, he was given a new two-year deal in February last year.

That now has less than 12 months left to run and in August after the Serb chose to put talks over fresh terms on hold until Christmas.

Speaking only last week, however, he admitted the axe is always just around the corner for managers.

He said: "Some big managers say there are two kinds of manager – the sacked and the ones who are about to be sacked. I don't interpret anything that happens around me as a tragic situation. I must be calm; I must find a solution."



https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/slavisa-jokanovic-under-pressure-fulham-13409144

[WhiteJC]

 
Should we sell Wembley Stadium?

A friend who is not particularly interested in football asked me for my opinion on the sale of Wembley Stadium to Shahid Khan, the owner of Fulham. I have been intending to write a piece of analysis on this, but other stories have intervened. However, I told her that I thought the proposed deal was very dodgy and certainly there are signs of increasing resistance from the FA Council, despite the promise of a bonanza for grass roots football.

It is interesting that The Economist ran an article on the topic in their last issue. They don't write a lot about football, but what they do is usually quite authoritative (or at least they would like to think it is).

They noted that the view that selling Wembley was not the best way to modernise the game was gathering momentum. They admitted that valuing Wembley as a stadium is particularly hard as it is not part of a rich Premier League club.

They pointed out that the cash the FA would receive would be substantially lower than the amount it had spent on the site since 1999. As a liberal, free market newspaper they warned: 'Mr Khan is the sole bidder, so there is no pressure on him to improve his offer. If the FA does sell up, it will be saying goodbye to its only substantial asset.'



https://footballeconomyv2.blogspot.com/2018/10/should-we-sell-wembley-stadium.html