Monday Fulham Stuff (15/10/18)...

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'I have obviously got a lot of faith in him as a player' - O'Neill on Ireland's man of the match
The Ireland boss reserved high praise for makeshift midfielder Cyrus Christie last night.

WHEN THE TEAMSHEET came through at the Aviva Stadium last night, journalists assumed Cyrus Christie was set to revert right wing-back role.

Against expectations however, the Fulham player lined out as part of a three-man midfield alongside Harry Arter and Callum O'Dowda.

The 26-year-old subsequently produced a disciplined display and could have even hit the winner, with Kasper Schmeichel getting down well to save his powerful second-half drive from just outside the box.

Christie was named man of the match for his efforts, and O'Neill sung his praises in the post-match press conference.

"I thought he was terrific, I thought he did very, very well indeed," the Irish boss said. "It's not a problem to him. I have obviously got a lot of faith in him as a player.

He's athletic, strong and even though he doesn't always play at Fulham, he keeps himself in really good condition. He has personal trainers, personal coaches, he loves football.

"He's played full-back for me, he played wing-back, he's played right-wing as well and he played in the middle. And I thought he did things very well indeed.

"Also, of course, he would help young [Matt] Doherty as well, I thought that was important. [Pione] Sisto playing on that side might definitely cause us a few problems and Cyrus was basically the first one out to him and I thought he did well on that.

"He also had a splendid shot on goal parried away by the goalkeeper, so I was very pleased with him."

In addition to the Christie experiment, Matt Doherty was handed a competitive debut. The 26-year-old has excelled with Wolves this season, recently winning the Premier League Fans' Player of the Month award. Having ignored calls to start the Dubliner in the past, O'Neill gave the former Bohs youngster the nod on Saturday night in his favoured right wing-back role. And though he did not get the ball in attacking positions nearly as much as he is used to at club level, it was a generally solid outing for the Dubliner.

"Young Doherty played in his proper position where he plays for Wolves, it made it easier for him," O'Neill explained. "On that international scene and in particular this game, a competitive match, I wanted to make it as easy as possible and Cyrus had no problem playing in that role just inside him.

Obviously, there's a lot of expectation on him, because he's doing fine at Wolves, he's getting used to the Premier League. They've come up and had a splendid start and he has done well.

"Overall, he didn't do too badly at all. I think he was delighted with the help he was getting around him and I'm sure he can improve."

Ireland grew into the game more in the second half, having offered minimal attacking threat in the opening 45 minutes. The introduction of Preston attacker Callum Robinson seemed key to this change.

Moreover, after Enda Stevens replaced Callum O'Dowda and Robinson came on for Harry Arter, the Irish team as a whole had a better balance to it. The previously ineffectual Jeff Hendrick was seeing more of the ball in a deeper midfield role, while Stevens looked more comfortable in the left wing-back position than James McClean had prior to that point. Robinson, meanwhile, brought a spark and invention to the side that was absent for much of the opening 45, linking up the play well and showing a willingness to take on opponents.

"Callum came in and I thought he enlivened us for that period really nicely," O'Neill added. "He took the player on down the touchline and got the crowd going again. It was nice for him to make that sort of impact. I thought he did really fine."



http://www.the42.ie/martin-oneill-on-cyrus-christie-4285567-Oct2018/

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Kevin McDonald insists Fulham team-mate Tom Cairney is committed to Scotland despite being courted by England


There is no chance Tom Cairney will desert Scotland for the Auld Enemy, says his Fulham team-mate Kevin McDonald (Dan Istitene/Getty Images)

KEVIN MCDONALD has offered Scotland boss Alex McLeish a little respite from the negativity currently enveloping him.

The midfielder, largely anonymous against Israel on Thursday night, has stated there is no chance his Fulham team-mate Tom Cairney will abandon Scotland to join England.

The beleaguered national coach has been hit by a spate of selection headaches, with key players ruling themselves out in both the short and long term.

Leigh Griffiths and James McArthur are gone for the foreseeable future, while Ryan Fraser – a star for Bournemouth – in this season's English Premier League, has missed key matches through injury call-offs.

It has been the Auld Enemy's tentative courtship of Cairney, though, which has threatened to be the most controversial of all.

The midfielder – subject of a failed £18m bid from West Ham at the start of the year – has yet to play for Scotland in a competitive game, so would be free to defect to the Auld Enemy.

However, while it is a scenario England manager Gareth Southgate has publicly acknowledged, McDonald is in no doubt about his friend's commitment to the cause.

"Tom is definitely up for playing for Scotland. If fit and selected, he will want to play – there is no question about that," said McDonald.

"Nothing has even been mentioned between Tom and me about England, because I think there is no real possibility of it happening.

"If he was to go and play for them, I would be very surprised.

"People put two and two together – he has a little knock and hasn't turned up for Scotland, so maybe he is considering England?

"He has been injured. And in the summer, we had the play-offs which ruled him out.

"But Tom is available. He suffered a little setback from his injury, so that has put him back a couple of weeks.

"He came on against Everton, then wasn't in the squad against Arsenal and that then ruled him out of the international break.

"But he will be back, I'm sure of it."

In fact, far from turning his back on the country, McDonald actually now expects his club-mate to ride to its rescue.

"Tom is the type of player we could really do with in the team," the 29-year- old from Carnoustie continued.

"You need to dig in, in terms of working hard off the ball, but he is good on it.

"He is able to relax in possession, find the pockets of space and play the passes.

"If you look at the Israel game, the space was there. When we took time, relaxed, passed the ball and found the gaps, they were all over the place.

"Unfortunately, it didn't happen for us, which is tough to take.

"The next challenge is Albania away, which I think will be perfect for Tom.

"Get the guy in and let him show what he can do. Let him prove to the manager that he deserves to be here.

"If called up, I'm sure Tom will do a great job."

McDonald is equally confident McLeish's own shoulders are broad enough to cope with the criticisms that have come across the board following what was a particularly wounding defeat in the swelter of Haifa on Thursday night.

"He is the one who takes the stick," he said. "He is under a lot of pressure from the fans and I'm sure he wasn't their No. 1 choice. But he is the manager now, and no one is going to change that.

"He has picked a set of players and the boys are doing what they can.

"That's the way it is. He has put his faith in me and I've repaid him.

"He wants me to stick and do as job. We are all behind him, 100%. We always will be.



https://www.sundaypost.com/fp/kevin-mcdonald-insists-fulham-team-mate-tom-cairney-is-committed-to-scotland-despite-being-courted-by-england/

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'The last time I played there I was about 14' - Cyrus Christie sums up unusual switch to midfield


13 October 2018; Cyrus Christie of Republic of Ireland in action against Yussuf Poulsen of Denmark during the UEFA Nations League B group four match between Republic of Ireland and Denmark at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

Cyrus Christie has revealed that the 0-0 draw against Denmark was the first time he played in midfield in over ten years.

Martin O'Neill has mostly used Christie as a right back during his time in charge of Ireland but opted for a host of unexpected positional changes at the Aviva Stadium, in what turned out to be a dour goalless contest.

Christie picked up the Man of the Match award for his performance in what was a new role for him at international level, and speaking to Virgin Media Sport after the game, the 26-year-old revealed that he hadn't played in midfield since he was 14.

"I was playing in an unfamiliar position," the Fulham player said.

"The last time I played there I was about 14 or something like that in the academy. The manager just wanted me to go out and do a job. Try and get on the ball and drive with it and help out.

"I want to go out there, put a shift in and work hard. I was unlucky not to get a goal, it was a good shot, and we defended well, kept our shape, and it's a different outcome compared to the last time we played them. It's a positive [step] in the right direction."

Christie also addressed recent criticism that came his way from Alan Shearer, who singled out the Ireland defender for criticism after a heavy defeat to Arsenal recently.

"We lost 5-1, someone has to take the blame. I done alright at times but Shearer is going to have his opinion," he said.



https://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/international-soccer/the-last-time-i-played-there-i-was-about-14-cyrus-christie-sums-up-unusual-switch-to-midfield-37418237.html

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Revealed: 75% of Chelsea fans would support a move for Aleksandar Mitrovic

According to our recent poll, the majority of Chelsea fans would support a move for Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, who simply cannot stop scoring for club and country at the moment.

The 24-year-old was on target twice for his national side Serbia on Thursday as they defeated Montenegro 2-0 in what was the first meeting between the former Yugoslav republics since they became independent nations in 2006.

It was no surprise to see Mitrovic on the scoresheet, as he has also netted five goals in eight Premier League appearances for Fulham so far this campaign after his big-money move from Newcastle in the summer.

Chelsea though have never really replaced the ruthlessness or lone-striker abilities of Diego Costa, and could look to the £16.2m-rated (Transfermarkt) Mitrovic to provide this. In fact, 75 per cent of Blues fans were keen to see Maurizio Sarri make the move happen. Check out the full results of the poll below.



https://www.footballfancast.com/premier-league/chelsea/revealed-75-of-chelsea-fans-would-support-a-move-for-aleksandar-mitrovic

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Fulham lining up move for AC Milan star Mateo Musacchio to shore up defence

Summer signings Alfie Mawson and Calum Chambers have yet to settle since arriving at Craven Cottage

Fulham are weighing up a January move for AC Milan's Mateo Musacchio to solve their defensive woes.

Slavisa Jokanovic - who spent over £100million in the summer - believes he needs a new centre-half to shore up the Premier League's leaky defence.

Summer signings Alfie Mawson and Calum Chambers have yet to settle since arriving at Craven Cottage.

Fellow new boy Maxime Le Marchand has also been off the pace - already forcing Jokanovic to consider his options as they ship goals.


(Image: SIPA USA/PA Images)

Ex-Villarreal centre-half Musacchio, 28, was on big-spending Fulham's radar this summer.

And they could move again despite Musacchio forcing his way back into Gennaro Gattuso's plans at the San Siro this season.



https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/fulham-lining-up-move-ac-13417235

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Cyrus Christie hits back at Alan Shearer

Shearer annihilated Christie last weekend


Denmark's Thomas Delaney and Cyrus Christie of Ireland (Image: ©INPHO/Bryan Keane)

Cyrus Christie has hit back at Alan Shearer by insisting he pays no attention to people who are 'paid to be negative'.

Shearer annihilated Christie last weekend for his wing-back performance in Fulham's dreadful 5-1 home defeat to Arsenal.

The pundit slated him on Match of the Day, claiming Christie abandoned his defensive duties and strolled around the pitch.

The attack drew a scathing response from Ireland boss Martin O'Neill, who made fun of Shearer's eight games in management with Newcastle that ended up in relegation.

But Christie, 26, let his football do the talking as he scooped man-of-the-match honours in Ireland's 0-0 draw with Denmark on Saturday.

The Fulham man was switched into an unfamiliar central midfield position but grew into the role, harrying and harassing the Danes before forcing Kasper Schmeichel into a smart save with a sweet drive late on.

Unloading on Shearer, Christie said: "Someone told me about what he said and I turned my
notifications off on Twitter.

"I always seem to get abuse whether I play well or whether I play badly.

"I'll always have belief in myself, I'll always back myself and my ability.

"Shearer's got his opinion. He has to sit in the studio, he has to be positive and he has to be negative and I was the one he chose to be negative about.

"The manager (Slavisa Jokanovic) asked me to do a job and I stuck to that, I had to play high up the pitch.

"There are a lot of pundits nowadays and that's what they're paid to do, to be
negative. I'm not going to get disheartened about what he said.

"Shearer is a legend in the game, he's been there and done it – not as a defender but you have to respect the opinion of people like that.

"I didn't have the best of games and I'll hold my hands up. On Saturday night with Ireland, I wanted to go out there and put on a performance."

Christie added: "We live in a negative world. I'm a positive person, I'm laid back, I don't get myself in trouble and I work hard."

With Callum O'Dowda struggling to be fit, Christie could be pressed into another midfield mission against Wales tomorrow.

O'Neill was eager to run the rule over in-form Wolves ace Matt Doherty at right-wing back, with skipper Seamus Coleman injured.

Christie is usually Coleman's understudy but the Ireland boss is a huge admirer of the former Derby man and accommodated him elsewhere.

O'Neill doesn't name his team until close to kick-off and the midfield responsibilities came as a shock to Christie – but he took it in his stride.

"I thought it was going to be left wing back so it did come as a bit of surprise. When we got to the stadium, the manager asked if I was comfortable playing in midfield.

"I've played a lot over the last few years and 110 percent is what I give. Some people think my attitude isn't great because I've got a laid back manner.

"It probably doesn't look like I'm trying but I'm running around everywhere and doing what I'm good at.

"I always seem to come in for a bit of stick but I just take the good with the bad, work hard and do my thing.

"The manager has full confidence in me and all that matters is the opinion of the manager and the people who employ me."



https://www.irishmirror.ie/sport/soccer/soccer-news/cyrus-christie-hits-back-alan-13417966

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Fulham Injury News: Joe Bryan return should let Sessegnon flourish

Fulham fans will not have long to wait to see summer signing Joe Bryan back in action at Craven Cottage, with a return date of October 20 predicted by Premier Injuries.

Slavisa Jokanovic had been forced into a selection headache early in the season when Bryan was forced off with an ankle injury just 71 minutes into his debut.

The 25-year-old, however, returned to the Whites' line-up for upcoming matches against Tottenham Hotspur and Burnley before a one-month absence.

Back to a solid line

With an injury ruling Bryan out last weekend and Calum Chambers on loan from Arsenal, meaning neither could feature in Fulham's first London derby with the Gunners since 2014, Jokanovic opted for a three-man defence to hold off the visitors' charge.

First half displays from Maxime Le Marchand, Tim Ream, and Denis Odoi had mostly counteracted Unai Emery's tactics, though the second half saw the defenders struggle and goals come far easier for the Spaniard's side.

Now with Bryan and Chambers both expected to be back available for Fulham's next match, away to Cardiff City, the Yugoslavian-born head coach can return to his preferred four-man backline.

Let Sessegnon push on

In Fulham's successful Championship play-off campaign, allowing Ryan Sessegnon to push forwards proved a key factor for the Cottagers.

Acquiring another left-back in Bryan should have acted as the opportunity to allow last year's Championship Player and Young Player of the Season to develop in the more advanced role, but he has so far been bungee-corded back to defence due to the Bristol City youth graduate's recurring absence.

Sessegnon and Jokanovic will look to use Bryan's return as the next chance to build on the 18-year-old's progress and really get him firing in the Premier League.



https://www.footballfancast.com/premier-league/fulham/injury-news-joe-bryan-return-date