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Monday Fulham Stuff (11/02/19)...

Started by WhiteJC, February 11, 2019, 07:40:17 AM

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WhiteJC

 
Manchester United ready to pay £50m for transfer of Premier League contract rebel

Manchester United are reportedly ready to pay around £50million for the transfer of Fulham youngster Ryan Sessegnon as he stalls on signing a new contract.

The 18-year-old seems like he could be available at the end of this season as Fulham edge towards relegation from the Premier League.

On top of that, the Daily Express claim United's interest has been sparked by his stalling contract talks at Craven Cottage, which could lead to a £50m offer.

Considered a real wonderkid, Sessegnon has long been linked with bigger clubs after shining in the Championship last season to help Fulham win promotion back to the top flight.

And while the teenager has not had the biggest impact at the top level this season, it seems he's still on Man Utd's radar ahead of the summer.


Ryan Sessegnon has been linked with Manchester United

Sessegnon can play left-back or left midfield, so could be a useful option for MUFC in a variety of roles.

And as one of the brightest prospects in the country, one imagines the England Under-21 international could improve a great deal in a better team than this dysfunctional Fulham side.



https://www.caughtoffside.com/2019/02/10/ryan-sessegnon-man-united-transfer-bid/

WhiteJC

 
Hammers injury issues ease ahead of Fulham

Sadly a near two week wait for the next game but it at least it offers recovery time and it will surely mean that Marko Arnautovic will be back to lead the attack against Fulham.

The likelihood too is that Fabian Balbuena will have made a quicker than expected recovery from a knee problem, Samir Nasri will be back from a calf strain and of course the long awaited return of Manu Lanzini is now at hand.

Ryan Fredericks too will be keen to play against his former club who look in need of a miracle to survive in second bottom spot with 17 points just six clear of Huddersfield.

It seems likely that Nasri will be a midfield starter with Lanzini possibly making his appearance off the bench later in the game.

The return of Balbuena will be a huge plus as we have not looked anything like as certain at central defence following his and Issa Diop's understanding developing so well before his injury.



https://www.claretandhugh.info/hammers-injury-issues-ease-ahead-of-fulham/

WhiteJC

 
In-Focus: Colchester U23s

Fulham Under-23s turn their attention back to their PL Cup campaign on Monday night when they travel to face Colchester Under-23s.

The game follows two narrow league defeats in a row with both Wolves and Aston Villa triumphing by a slender 1-0 margin.

Jordan Knibbs scored in a tight game 15 minutes from time to make sure Villa went back to the Midlands with all three points, and a league double over the Young Whites.

Colchester have found form since their thumping at Craven Cottage. Whilst they remain bottom in the Professional Development League, they go into this one on the back of two 2-1 wins over Cardiff and QPR.

The Current Picture:

Group G is finely poised with the second qualification spot up for grabs. Reading have all but qualified, having a 100% record in the group.

The second qualification spot is tightly contested between the Young Whites and Birmingham Under-23s who both have six points from four games. Fulham currently sit above the Blues on goal difference.

Last Time Out:

The Young Whites took to Craven Cottage for the game against Colchester back in November, and with it came rampant form.

Matt O'Riley's hat-trick along with Cameron Thompson and Nicolas Santos-Clase strikes back in November comfortably saw Mark Pembridge's side over the line, putting five past the U's.




http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2019/february/10/in-focus-colchester-u23s


WhiteJC

 
Manchester United 'to splash out £50m on Ryan Sessegnon'

Manchester United are willing to pay Fulham £50m to sign highly-rated youngster Ryan Sessegnon, according to a report.

The 18-year-old played a massive part in the Cottagers' promotion to the Premier League last season and has been used 23 times in the top flight this term.

Tottenham Hotspur were considered the strong favourites to sign the England Under-21s international last summer, but Fulham were reluctant to sell their marquee asset.

With the South London side heading for an instant return to the Championship, however, The Express reports that Man United could be about to test their resolve.

The Red Devils are said to be monitoring Sessegnon's ongoing contract talks with Fulham, with less than 18 months left to run on his existing deal.

United are keen to bolster down the left and the versatile wideman ticks plenty of boxes, even though he has gone under the radar in his maiden Premier League campaign.

Sessegnon can play left-back, left midfield and on the left of a three-man attack.



https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/man-utd/transfer-talk/news/man-united-to-splash-out-50m-on-sessegnon_349906.html

WhiteJC

 
Fulham's Calum Chambers stamped on Man United's Chris Smalling

Fulham 0 – Manchester United 3

It was another disastrous day at the office for Fulham against Man United on Saturday.

Fulham opened the game brightly and the Cottagers had a couple of opportunities to score first.

But a mixture of naive and just terrible defending handed United the ascendancy soon after.

Paul Pogba struck first with a super shot past Sergio Rico into the Fulham near post.

Anthony Martial then left a couple of Fulham players for dead as he ran almost half the pitch to score a memorable solo effort.

Pogba capped the Man United win with a second half penalty.

Calum Chambers stamped on Chris Smalling

One incident has been flagged up by some Man United fans following the Fulham win.

Should the hosts have been reduced to 10-men?

Playing in a midfield role, Calum Chambers stamped on Chris Smalling in the 38th minute.

Smalling slid in to clear a Fulham attack, while Chambers was trying to win possession on the edge of the United box.

Chambers was late, and he ended up stamping on Smalling's leg near his knee.

The Fulham midfielder was booked by referee Paul Tierney. But should he have been sent off?

During the live commentary on Sky Sports, Gary Neville remarked:

It wasn't great from Calum Chambers. He definitely could have stopped. He chose not to, he knew exactly what he was doing.



https://www.101greatgoals.com/news/fulhams-calum-chambers-stamped-on-man-uniteds-chris-smalling/

WhiteJC

 
Still no Sessegnon & the fans turning on Ranieri - Fulham talking points vs Manchester United

Here's our talking points from yet another defeat for Fulham - including a look at what comes next

Different game, same defensive issues

I feel like pretty much every single one of my talking points this season has touched on some form of defensive issue.

That says a lot to me - I've seen it every week, Slavisa Jokanovic saw it every week before Claudio Ranieri took over to see it every week, and you, the fans, can see it every week.

But the fact only one defender, and that's a very loose term to describe Harvard Nordtveit who by all accounts is a defensive midfielder, was signed in January says to me that the recruitment department aren't somehow seeing this.

Yesterday's defeat to Manchester United showed us once again how poor Fulham's defence is.

Different game, same defensive issues

I feel like pretty much every single one of my talking points this season has touched on some form of defensive issue.

That says a lot to me - I've seen it every week, Slavisa Jokanovic saw it every week before Claudio Ranieri took over to see it every week, and you, the fans, can see it every week.

But the fact only one defender, and that's a very loose term to describe Harvard Nordtveit who by all accounts is a defensive midfielder, was signed in January says to me that the recruitment department aren't somehow seeing this.

Yesterday's defeat to Manchester United showed us once again how poor Fulham's defence is.

The most goals conceded in a Premier League season is Derby County's 89 in the 2007/08 season, Fulham are sitting on 58 at the moment.

There's only 12 games to go, but if this carries on they could well end up beating that record.

The fans have turned on Claudio Ranieri

It took 15 games, but the Fulham fans have turned on Ranieri.

The chants of 'you don't know what you're doing' were all too clear during the loss to Manchester United, while the booing over the substitution of Andre Schurrle to bring on Cyrus Christie spoke volumes.

Add to that the cheers when Tom Cairney came on and the constant calls for Ryan Sessegnon and you have a very unhappy Craven Cottage.

A large group of supporters want the Italian sacked after another lacklustre display where two of the side's most talented players were put on the bench once more.

The work of the last two seasons, where Fulham were a joy to watch, has been well and truly ripped up as Ranieri has opted for more negative tactics, concentrating on defence and looking for Aleksandar Mitrovic with long balls.

It's a long way away from the 23-game unbeaten run of last season and the play-off final win at Wembley and for a lot of fans, Ranieri's time is up.

Andre Schurrle's reluctance to track back

A major frustration for fans this season has been Schurrle's tracking back, or lack of it.

Odoi was destroyed by Martial on Saturday but he wasn't helped one bit by Schurrle, who was playing in front of him and showed the same enthusiasm for getting back as a dog has for visiting the vets.

For Ranieri's comments about Cairney not doing the defensive side of the work when he loses the ball, I fail to see how Ranieri can continue with Schurrle based on the same point.

There's not a defensive bone in his body, and while he is capable of the odd brilliant effort, Fulham can afford no passengers in this side and need everyone mucking in, something Schurrle hasn't done defensively all season long.

He may have the Premier League experience that Ranieri loves, he may have a World Cup winners' medal, but he's having a poor season in west London.

Wasting Ryan Sessegnon

If anything shows the annoyance and frustrations the fans have this season, what has happened to Sessegnon sums it up.

Previously, Ranieri has said that the 18-year-old needs to be 'nastier' in the Premier League, but after the defeat to United he said that his youngster wasn't fit enough or in good enough form.

That, for me, beggars belief.

In the past Sessegnon's physical conditioning has been one of the best in the entire squad while he has the most assists in the side this season with five.

The likes of Schurrle, Vietto & Jean-Michael Seri have all been through poor patches of form this season, yet Ranieri has stuck with them in his starting XI and has cited that as a reason for dropping Sessegnon.

Not playing Sessegnon, one of the most exciting prospects to come out of the Academy at Fulham, is criminal in my eyes and I don't understand Ranieri's reluctance to play him.

Fulham did well to hold onto him last summer, but with less than 18 months on his contract and no news on a new one, it looks likely that Sessegnon will ply his trade elsewhere next year.

What happens next?

It's the question on many fans' minds I'm sure.

Shahid Khan's pre-match programme notes spoke of not giving up and that he believed the squad were capable of staying up, but most can see that is the most optimistic of optimistic views.

Plans should start being made for next season and what happens next after this shambles of a season.

We all remember what happened the last time the club went down from the Premier League, with relegation to League One a real possibility at one stage, and the same cannot happen again.

There needs to be a set of plans in place for what comes next for Fulham to rebuild and get themselves back into the top flight having learnt lessons from this season.

Throwing money at the summer window won't work - there needs to be principles set and followed to ensure success.

For me, youth is vital - the pathway to the first team has been gated off by Ranieri since he took charge but the likes of Matt O'Riley and Steven Sessegnon should be integral parts of the future of Fulham.

There's no point waiting until the end of the season, the hierarchy at Craven Cottage need to start planning now.



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/still-no-sessegnon--fans-15806690


WhiteJC

 
Fulham Lacked Strength, Aggression, Leadership, Ideas And Most Importantly Passion

On a day when Fulham had a real opportunity to score goals against the weakened defence

Manchester United fielded, where were they? After a promising opening few minutes and a golden chance for Vietto to put the home side ahead which was squandered, Fulham once again showed their ineptitude to rise to the challenge.


Any neutral fan watching must have wondered if Fulham had a single player worthy of a Premier League start by the lack of interest shown, and courage to make anything happen for this home side. The fans could sense that all was going downhill when Le Marchand, having an awful game, tried to dribble out of defence and gave the ball away for the move that Pogba neatly finished by beating Rico on his inside post. The same player once again made another defensive error to gift Martial United's second, and that was it for Fulham. Their heads were down again and looked like a beaten side before the half-time whistle.

The second half began with no changes for Fulham. After 53 minutes Christie replaced Schurrle which sent the home fans into a rage shouting to Ranieri,

    "You don't know what you're doing".

The fans expected Cairney to come on with Ryan Sessegnon. It was only 11 minutes later when the ill-fated Le Marchland pulled down Mata in the area and Pogba easily placed his penalty kick to put United 3 up.

It took 72 minutes for Fulham to produce their first decent cross when Christie centred for Mitrovic to test De Gea for the first time with a stretching header. 77 minutes had passed before Ranieri brought on Cairney to replace Babel followed by Sessegnon's entrance on 81 minutes for Bryan. Too little too late.

United were close to their 4th when it was that man again, Le Marchland who completely messed up a clearance and gave the ball to Sanchez who luckily for Fulham could not put away.

It has been clear throughout this season that Fulham had wasted over £100m on 12 players that were brought in by Tony Khan. He would have done better to invest that money by paying what was necessary to keep Fredericks, Targett and Kalas at the Cottage, and let the manager Jokanovic select the two or three experienced EPL players of his choice.

Rico in goal had a couple of simple chances to catch the ball with no United player close to him, but as always decided it would be best to punch it away rather than catch it. When Bettinelli is fit he should be reinstated as number one goalkeeper.

Is it time Fulham looked forward to next season in the Championship?

Do we want Ranieri or is it change again?

Whichever manager it is, he MUST be allowed to choose his own players and offload those that are surplus to our requirements. We still have the bulk of last season's squad that were successful. Bring them back and start again, building strength one player at a time, starting with the defence as ours this season has been abysmal, to say the least.

Roll on next season, I have forgotten what happiness felt like watching the Whites.

COYW's



https://fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/fulham-lacked-strength-aggression-leadership-ideas-and-most-importantly-passion/

WhiteJC

 
Man Utd plotting £50million transfer move for Premier League wonderkid

Ryan Sessegnon has seen his playing time decrease at Fulham and United are weighing up a bid

Manchester United are weighing up a £50million summer bid for Fulham youngster Ryan Sessegnon, according to reports.

England Under-21 international Sessegnon excelled as the London club won promotion to the Premier League last season.

Fulham have struggled in the top flight though and the left-sided star has seen his playing time diminish since Claudio Ranieri was appointed manager.

Sessegnon, 18, has made 23 Premier League appearances this term but last started a game on January 12, when he was substituted at half-time during Fulham's 2-1 defeat at Burnley .

He has 18 months left to run on his current contract and according to the Express , Sessegnon is stalling on signing a new one at Craven Cottage.


Sessegnon in action against Spurs (Image: AFP/Getty Images)

And United could use the stunted progress of the 18-year-old under Ranieri to help convince him to move north at the end of the season.

Sessegnon made his debut for Fulham at just 16 and he has been tipped to force his way into the senior England squad before long.



https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/man-utd-plotting-50million-transfer-13978951

WhiteJC

 
Ranieri Looks For Some Positive Points On Another Depressing Day For Fulham

Another defeat, yet more goals conceded and matters really do not look too clever for Fulham Football Club.

The Cottagers are still seven points adrift of safety but now have just 12 games in which to save their skins.

Fulham may not have been expected, by the pundits, to beat an in-form Manchester United side but would have been expected to put up a more robust performance than they did.

After the dust had settled on the defeat, Claudio Ranieri did his utmost, as reported by the BBC, to point out the very few positives Fulham could take from the game, remarking:

    "We created two great chances in the first 10 minutes but after we conceded we gave it to them and lost our composure. When you play against big champions you can make mistakes.

    "I tried to give my players more opportunities by playing with two strikers and Ryan Babel in behind. We didn't create anything very dangerous and the penalty finished the match.

    "We will work to try and win our next two games. We're always positive."


Those next two games are against West Ham (a) and Southampton (a), with Fulham not having won away all season, can anyone see them getting results in those two games?

I'd, the way we're playing, not put my mortgage on it.



https://fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/ranieri-looks-for-some-positive-points-on-another-depressing-day-for-fulham/


WhiteJC

 
A Long Term Solution

This seasons seems to go from calamity to calamity. We perhaps re-entered the Premier League with an air of complacency, but even at that we have fallen so far below our expectations for this season it's painful. One hundred million pounds later and we have a squad filled with talented individuals but with limited team spirit.

We have shown flashes of a strong side this season, but we have lost our soul and identity, especially when we brought in Ranieri. Let me be clear, I wasn't fully against the sacking of Jokanovic. I thought that he was out of his depth and the fact that he played a different defensive line in each of his Premier League games showed that he clearly didn't know what he wanted from his squad. However, sacking him when we did to bring in Claudio Ranieri, was in my eyes, the biggest mistake that has been made this year. We went from a very attacking manager, to one who sets up with five at the back and it wasn't going to end well. Hindsight is a great thing.

However, my biggest issue with Ranieri isn't necessarily his footballing style. It can work with the right squad, as we witnessed when Leicester won the Premier League under him, but it has been a disaster on the banks of the Thames. My issue is the treatment of Ryan Sessegnon and Tom Cairney. Say what you want about Jokanovic, but he allowed Sessegnon to flourish and become one of England's hottest prospects while giving Cairney the captain's armband and allowing him to be the heartbeat of the side got the best out of him. The relationships that Jokanovic spent a long time developing have been destroyed in 14 Premier League games under Ranieri. I have never been the sort of person who wants a manager to go at the first sign of trouble, but if Ranieri went now I'd be happy. He hasn't improved things anywhere near enough to justify Jokanovic's sacking, and while I can understand why Jokanovic had to go, Ranieri was the wrong choice to replace him.

I don't think it will happen, but IF Ranieri was to go this week, I'd be content with Scott Parker until the end of the season, then let the owners and board have a good think about who to bring in for the long term. What should be happening right now in the board room is discussions about our long term future on the pitch, and I don't think Ranieri is the one, even if he pulls a miracle out of nowhere and keeps us up. He has been poor for both squad and fan morale.

But who should take over? Who would be willing to take us on? We can't be that unattractive of a prospect, with owners who are clearly willing to put their hands in their wallets, but sometimes potential managers will look at owners track record with sackings etc and make a decision based on that. The Khan's have owned Fulham since July 2013, approximately 66 months ago, and in that time five managers have been sacked.

I've seen a few names mentioned online so I've put together a list of five managers who we could potentially look at. REMEMBER that some of these may be completely unrealistic, but I'm looking at new up-and-comers alongside managers who are currently out of work.

    Scott Parker- If Ranieri goes before the end of the season, I'd imagine that the Khans will turn to Parker to get us through to the end of the season. It might be too soon for him to take over the official managers position for the long term, but look at how well Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard are doing in their first positions. Cairney's comments on how motivational Parker was in the dressing room for the Brighton game shows that the players already have a real respect for him. Is it too soon for him? Probably. Will he make a great manager one day? Quite possibly.

    Vincenzo Montella- The Italian only played about half a season at Fulham, but became a fans favourite very quickly. He has a decent record with some big name clubs including Roma, Fiorentina, AC Milan and Sevilla. He guided Sevilla to their first Champions League quarter-final with a 2-1 victory over Manchester United but his league form was the worry for owners, and he has been out of work ever since he was sacked at the end of April 2018. He might be out of our reach, but he already has an affinity with Craven Cottage, so maybe we could tempt him home.

    Steven Gerrard- This is possibly the most unrealistic of my five candidates as he currently has Rangers challenging for the title in Scotland. He also gets European experience at Ibrox, so I think he would only be tempted away from Glasgow by a Premier League move. He has made a very positive start to his managerial career, though, so it could be a very fun addition if it was to happen.

    David Wagner- Wagner worked wonders with a poor squad at Huddersfield, so what could he do with a bit of financial backing? He likes to play his football like his friend, Jurgen Klopp, but he just hasn't had the players to do that this season. He is a passionate manager, and one who like to have a real relationship with the club he works for which is something that Fulham fans love to have. He also knows the Championship and knows what it takes to get promoted, so if we end this season with a relegation I would be confident that he could get us back up.

    Lee Johnson- Johnson has done very well with Bristol City, but I get the impression that he has brought the club as far as possible. He could be ready for a new challenge, and Fulham could be an attractive one for him. If he is promised funds, then he might feel like it's time to move away from Bristol. His teams are well drilled and are attack focused, things that I feel that we need at Fulham.

The only thing I am sure about right now is that Fulham are going to have to make changes on the pitch and behind the scenes this summer. Whether we manage to survive or not, we need to find our identity again.

#COYW



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2019/02/a-long-term-solution/

WhiteJC

 
Stefan Johansen issues this West Brom warning message to the rest of the Championship

WBA are still in the race for automatic promotion after a 1-0 win at Stoke City

Stefan Johansen reckons West Brom can go one better than he managed with Fulham last season.

The Norwegian, who made his debut in Albion's 1-0 defeat of Stoke on Saturday night, was integral to Fulham's promotion via the play-offs.

Johansen believes Albion should, under the circumstances, aim higher and avoid the post-season lottery altogether.

"Wolves and Cardiff were so many points ahead before Fulham went on an incredible run and almost caught them," the midfielder said.

"But it's tighter (this season) and we have a good enough squad to gain direct promotion. That's what we are aiming for.

"It's a big squad with loads of quality. To achieve something you've got to have competition in all places.

"I feel the team has that now and that just makes players keep pushing each other, keeps everyone on their toes and everyone wants to play.

"The manager needs to choose his eleven but the competition is always good and that's what you need to achieve what you want."

Albion head coach Darren Moore won four promotions from the Championship as a player.

That's not say he won't lean on Johansen for advice during the run-in.

One thing the 28-year-old learned last season was the importance of winning games when fine margins made the difference.

"Tight games like Saturday, you've got to win," he said.

"It's not loads of chances but we defended brilliantly and, with the attacking players we have, we are always going to create chances.

"As long as we are solid defensively, we are going to create chances. That's the main thing and be clinical with the chances we get and that's what we did.

"I think we have got a good chance of getting promotion and that's why I came here, to help the team."

From a personal perspective, Johansen could hardly have made a brighter start to his Albion career.

He was involved in Dwight Gayle's match-winning goal, showed a diverse range of passing and supplied any number of teasing crosses in his first game for close to two months.

The modest midfielder ranked his individual display as "alright" and claims there's much more to come.

"I've been here a week now and I'm getting more and more into how the manager wants to play," West Brom's new number six said.

"It's a long time since I played a full game and the match fitness isn't there.

"I got in a good 80 minutes so it will hopefully come over the next few weeks.

"I started to get tired towards the end of the game but I felt like I did okay.

"The most important thing was we picked up the three points which is vital at this stage of the season."



https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/stefan-johansen-issues-west-brom-15810298

WhiteJC


Cottage Talk Post Match Show: Fulham vs. Manchester United
Take a listen to a podcast that focuses on Fulham Football Club.

This is our post match show of the 3-0 loss for Fulham against Manchester United. During the show, co-host Max Cohen analyzed the key moments of this match. We also discussed the recentCottage Talk polls about Claudio Ranieri.


You can also listen to the show by following this link...
https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2019/2/10/18219557/cottage-talk-post-match-show-fulham-vs-manchester-united


WhiteJC

 
Fulham celebrate 140 years with limited-edition vintage kit
But they might not be a Premier League club by the time they get to wear it


As London's oldest professional football club, Fulham F.C are celebrating their 140-year anniversary and are marking the special occasion with a limited-release vintage kit.

Founded as a local church team in 1879 London as Fulham St. Andrews, 2019 marks 140 years since the historic club played their first game.

The special-edition anniversary kit is split into two halves, one white and one black, with white trims for the collar, sleeve cuffs and the famous adidas Three Stripes on the shoulders.

The club crest receives special attention, with the 140-year anniversary being recognised with an inscription beneath Fulham's beloved badge.

This design actually draws many of its components from the earliest Fulham kits, with the club's first kit having red and white halves, with the Cottagers' more traditional, well-renowned black and white colours being adopted later in 1889.

Whilst the kit is already an exclusive release with only 1,879 units being produced, its on-field appearances will be even more rare, with a pre-season friendly before the 19/20 season being the only occasion on which the club will wear the strip.

At present, Fulham are deep in the relegation zone and currently occupy 19th position above only Aaron Mooy's struggling Huddersifled Town, who will almost certainly be playing Championship football next season.



https://culture.ftbl.com.au/article/fulham-celebrate-140-years-with-limited-edition-vintage-kit-519094

WhiteJC

 
Claudio Ranieri makes vow to Fulham fans as pressure mounts on Cottagers boss

The Italian's side sit seven points from safety after Saturday's 3-0 loss to Manchester United at Craven Cottage

Claudio Ranieri has vowed to win over the Fulham fans who slammed his substitutions during Saturday's defeat to Manchester United .

Angry supporters chanted: 'You don't know what you're doing' after the Italian replaced Andre Schurrle with Cyrus Christie instead of Ryan Sessegnon.

The home faithful also called for Ranieri to be axed as the club slumped to their seventh defeat in eight games.

Ranieri said: "I know the fans were not happy but I had two players with flu in the week, including Andre Schurrle.

"I can understand the fans always want their players to play but it's not always possible.

"We will work to try and win our next two games. We're always positive."

The latest defeat, coupled with Cardiff's win at Southampton , leaves the Cottagers seven points from safety with 12 games remaining - having won just four of their matches thus far.

It's all a far cry from the second half of last season, when a terrific run of form led to play-off final glory at Wembley under Slavisa Jovanovic.

But Ranieri insisted post-game that the opening 10 minutes against United showed Fulham can still save themselves - they just need to retain their composure.

"I was so happy with the first 10 minutes - two great chances. But after we concede that goal, they break the lines, always asking for it behind the defensive line.

"We had to stay calm, [but] we lost our composure. We concede the second goal in the counter attack. In transition, that is not possible against a team like Manchester United."



https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/claudio-ranieri-makes-vow-fulham-13981903

WhiteJC

 
Five Thoughts: Fulham 0-3 Manchester United

If you squint at a picture of Claudio Ranieri, you'll notice that he resembles a certain someone. An individual that also dons thick framed spectacles with a shock of grey hair. Twigged it? No matter what angle or perspective you glance at the dumbfounded Italian, shuddering comparisons of Felix Magath creep into the forefront of our vision.

A doppelganger indeed, but his uncanny likeness isn't the only defining similarity between the two witless tacticians. Ranieri, like the desultory German was in our technical area, is completely out of cards to rest on the table. The 'risk free' appointment has not implemented sustainability or fortitude since Slavisa Jokanovic's dismissal and we, as a collective, are vacant of heart, desire and identity.

Ole Gunnar Solksjaer's Manchester United held an unrelenting grip and ruthlessly condemned us to a dejecting 3-0 loss. "We want our Fulham back" reverberated from every inhabited seat at Craven Cottage and that is devastatingly poignant. The atmosphere in the terraces was poisonously crestfallen, and the sumptuous sense of elation that was felt by all in May is now a toxic cocktail of cynicism and despair. Are there any rational reasons why the 'Tinker man' should remain in the dugout after the February international break? In the sternest of sentiments, Claudio, get out of our club.

Denis 'The Menaced' Odoi
Denis Odoi was methodically terrorised by Anthony Martial for the aching duration of Saturday's Premier League encounter, and if it wasn't transparently obvious to Ranieri already, the Belgian is not a right-back and is certainly not robust enough to withstand the exerting pressures of the English top-flight on the parameters of the turf. Scuttling after the rampaging Frenchman, the perilled 30-year-old was systematically violated by the Red Devils.

Timothy Fosu-Mensah was not eligible to face his parent employers and Cyrus Christie, who seemingly sustained a knock against Crystal Palace, was subsequently named as a substitute. Odoi was selected as an improvised right-back against West ham United earlier in the season, although his overall performance against the Hammers was inexcusably deplorable. Though options were thin, Odoi was visibly alarmed and intimidated by United's majesty in the final third.

We'll explore this later with greater insight, but Odoi's a much more competent competitor as part of a back three. Safeguarding the right channel is not his forte and his composure, which eventually settled centrally, was mauled and gouged by the visitors' electrifying prowess in momentous areas. Odoi was manipulated and extorted, epitomising the noxious frailties that plague our defensive quarters. We have an U17 World Cup winner in our ranks in Steven Sessegnon. An overlooked starlet that conquered alongside Jadon Sancho, Phil Foden and Rhian Brewster amongst others. Any foreseeable debut at this level for the forgotten twin will be a baptism of fire, but it surely can't get much worse than Cyrus Christie TFM, and indeed, Odoi.

Look Away, Le Marchand
Illuminating his incompetence, Maxime Le Marchand portrayed himself in a disgraceful light and was at fault for all of United's killer blows at the Cottage. Stomach-churning compulsions to laboriously stumble with the ball at his feet, snatching at routine, elemental passes, bundling into innocuous, sapless instances, the substandard Frenchman was sheer inadequacy in motion.

Le Marchand continuously ambled down blind alleys in possession and that's not a newly formed trait of the 30-year-old auxiliary defender. Constricted by Luke Shaw, the former OGC Nice representative was mugged and Paul Pogba, having been slipped through by Martial, broke the deadlock from an acute angle within the 18-yard box. Charging towards the Whites' penalty area, Martial bypassed his fellow countryman's feeble attempt to dislodge possession. Le Marchand's half-measured, vapid hip thrust was tremendously lamentable, an erratic impulse that enabled United to net their second of the afternoon. Wretched defending at its unsavoury worst.

Catastrophe befell Le Marchand, again, in the 64th minute. Frantically scrambling to quash United's attack, the compromised defender plunged into Juan Mata to award Solksjaer's men a stone wall penalty. Alexis Sanchez was presented with a golden opportunity to widen the deficit soon after, following Le Marchand's reckless header. The Chilean anticipated Le Marchand's indecision but couldn't nestle the ball beyond an onrushing Sergio Rico. It was a truly torrid showing from the lackadaisical defender, who's strangely perceived to be one of our more trustworthy centre-halves. What have we been smoking?

Caring For Cairney's Inclusion
Is Tom Cairney genuinely behind Luciano Vietto in Ranieri's flawed system? Operating as a No.10, Vietto vied to incorporate Aleksandar Mitrovic, Ryan Babel and Andre Schurrle, but the Argentine attacker simply doesn't obtain the artistry and ingenuity of Cairney. Of all the representatives that have been axed or shunned by Ranieri, TC's demise is ludicrously unjust. If we're to express and exhibit an expansive philosophy, which is now imperative, Cairney has to feature in the starting XI every week without fail

Vietto should have drawn first blood in the early stages of the encounter and his vibrancy was a required element within our offensive unit, although the Cottagers were famished of construction and innovation. Sequences were disjointed and predictable on the parameter of United's 18-yard box, and though that's not directly Vietto's fault, a metronome such as our enigmatic Scotsman would have established a tangible fluidity, a cohesion that's fundamentally tailor-made for Mitrovic and his aforementioned teammates.

In the 77th minute, Cairney was introduced at Babel's expense and the skipper's imperious influence was instantly noticeable. Cairney interlinked with his midfield colleagues and pressed sufficiently in possession. The craftsman's unwavering confidence in his ability aids our progression because he's undeterred in his ventures. Lacerating United's superior structure was exceedingly strenuous and the Whites were often suppressed in their efforts, but with Cairney on the turf, a vague sense of vitality was momentarily breathed back into our lifeless cause.

Select Sess', Sacrifice Schurrle
Other than launching a pinpoint cross in Vietto's direction in the opening stages, Schurrle faded out of proceedings yet again and succumbed to the rigorous demands of Premier League football. The German was strangulated by an overbearing Shaw and was persistently quarantined whilst lumbering along his respective channel. Disillusioned by his tepid skill set, I'm struggling to appreciate why Ranieri favours the Borussia Dortmund loanee over Ryan Sessegnon.

Ranieri's challenged the England U21 international to toughen up, if he's going to prosper in the top-flight, that is, but how does Schurrle's subservience surpass Sess' innate hunger and tenacity? Fighting for the badge at all costs is all the teenager knows. Schurrle, to my elation, was replaced by Christie in the 53rd minute, putting an abrupt end to what was a hapless, futile outing. The 28-year-old may be second in our scoring charts, but he offers absolutely zilch in terms of productivity and support.

Odoi was targeted, but Schurrle shirked his defensive obligations and amplified our spineless vulnerabilities. Inferior in foot races, powerless in shoulder to shoulder duels, Schurrle is tediously menial in virtually every necessary aspect. Believing that he is Sess's superior is preposterous. Sess' is adapting to the strains of elite football but he's an abundant marksman and provider. His pivotal prestige against Wolverhampton Wanderers and Huddersfield Town signifies his integral importance. With two goals and five assists during his maiden season in the game's most cutthroat division to date, Sess' aspiring application outweighs Schurrle's encumbering shortcomings on all credible fronts. There is no debate.

Rico's Mixed Bag
You are only as good as the players that lay ahead of you as a goalkeeper. Rico's had to guard our target with one of Europe's most penetrable, porous  defences in front of him for the majority of the campaign and he's valiantly commanded his domain with a refreshingly assured, unwavering ethic. Against United, however, the Spaniard uncharacteristically marshalled his penalty area and also made a meal of simple, bread and butter instances. We know what he's capable of between the sticks, although Rico would be the first to admit that he should have done better in hindsight.

It wasn't a shoddy performance whatsoever and I'm often one to sing his praises like a chorister with tiny testicles, but for a 'keeper that's versed in his habitual responsibilities, an unnerving inclination frequently affected his judgement. Pogba's opener was ferocious, but the Sevilla FC loanee simply didn't cover his angles swiftly enough to thwart the revered Frenchman's arrowed effort. Rico's renowned for his superlative reflexes, but on that particular occasion, the agile 25-year-old was not steadied or prepared for what his adversary had stored in his laces.

Moments before Pogba added United's third from the spot, Ander Herrera unleashed a hammer blow from 15-yards. A goal seemed destined but Rico expertly shunted his compatriot's fizzing projectile away from danger. But, as stated, Pogba slammed home a penalty almost simultaneously following his customarily obnoxious ritual and Rico, who sprung the right way, couldn't make contact with the temperamental star's strike. Denying Sanchez with a typically astute block salvaged a slither of pride, but Rico's Saturday lunchtime down by the river was conclusively marred by unflattering moments of hesitation and disparity.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/post/2019-02-11-five-thoughts-fulham-0-3-manchester-united/


Bill2

Quote from: WhiteJC on February 11, 2019, 07:48:47 AM

Fulham's Calum Chambers stamped on Man United's Chris Smalling

Fulham 0 – Manchester United 3

It was another disastrous day at the office for Fulham against Man United on Saturday.

Fulham opened the game brightly and the Cottagers had a couple of opportunities to score first.

But a mixture of naive and just terrible defending handed United the ascendancy soon after.

Paul Pogba struck first with a super shot past Sergio Rico into the Fulham near post.

Anthony Martial then left a couple of Fulham players for dead as he ran almost half the pitch to score a memorable solo effort.

Pogba capped the Man United win with a second half penalty.

Calum Chambers stamped on Chris Smalling

One incident has been flagged up by some Man United fans following the Fulham win.

Should the hosts have been reduced to 10-men?

Playing in a midfield role, Calum Chambers stamped on Chris Smalling in the 38th minute.

Smalling slid in to clear a Fulham attack, while Chambers was trying to win possession on the edge of the United box.

Chambers was late, and he ended up stamping on Smalling's leg near his knee.

The Fulham midfielder was booked by referee Paul Tierney. But should he have been sent off?

During the live commentary on Sky Sports, Gary Neville remarked:

It wasn't great from Calum Chambers. He definitely could have stopped. He chose not to, he knew exactly what he was doing.



https://www.101greatgoals.com/news/fulhams-calum-chambers-stamped-on-man-uniteds-chris-smalling/
Dont you get sick of these tunnel vision fans, so I m going to go on one in a similar vane. We had a good penalty shout when Smalling was grappling with Mitro, some say six of one half dozen etc, well Mitro was in front of Smalling so he was the one who needed to commit the foul all Mitro was doing was protecting his position. Should Matic have got 2 yellow cards, his foul on Babel just before half time was a professional foul destined to stop him attacking and he was never going for the ball. How many times have you seen yellow cards given for this and it comes under the category taking one for the team. He then did the same thing in the second half when he got his yellow card, but if that was a yellow so was the first. sa for the penalty in my opinion it comes under the category of I have seen them not given as Mata turned and then run into the La Marchand. It was clumsy but never a foul.

I bet these muppets of Man U fans also thought Anguissa deserved to be sent off at their ground when the ref couldn't wait to get his red card out.

Get sick of these fans as bad as a Liverpool fan who told me after the game this season that Mitro was at least a yard offside when his goal was disallowed.

Rant over, for now.

ffcne

Quote from: Bill2 on February 11, 2019, 02:34:09 PM
Quote from: WhiteJC on February 11, 2019, 07:48:47 AM

Fulham's Calum Chambers stamped on Man United's Chris Smalling

Fulham 0 – Manchester United 3

It was another disastrous day at the office for Fulham against Man United on Saturday.

Fulham opened the game brightly and the Cottagers had a couple of opportunities to score first.

But a mixture of naive and just terrible defending handed United the ascendancy soon after.

Paul Pogba struck first with a super shot past Sergio Rico into the Fulham near post.

Anthony Martial then left a couple of Fulham players for dead as he ran almost half the pitch to score a memorable solo effort.

Pogba capped the Man United win with a second half penalty.

Calum Chambers stamped on Chris Smalling

One incident has been flagged up by some Man United fans following the Fulham win.

Should the hosts have been reduced to 10-men?

Playing in a midfield role, Calum Chambers stamped on Chris Smalling in the 38th minute.

Smalling slid in to clear a Fulham attack, while Chambers was trying to win possession on the edge of the United box.

Chambers was late, and he ended up stamping on Smalling's leg near his knee.

The Fulham midfielder was booked by referee Paul Tierney. But should he have been sent off?

During the live commentary on Sky Sports, Gary Neville remarked:

It wasn't great from Calum Chambers. He definitely could have stopped. He chose not to, he knew exactly what he was doing.



https://www.101greatgoals.com/news/fulhams-calum-chambers-stamped-on-man-uniteds-chris-smalling/
Dont you get sick of these tunnel vision fans, so I m going to go on one in a similar vane. We had a good penalty shout when Smalling was grappling with Mitro, some say six of one half dozen etc, well Mitro was in front of Smalling so he was the one who needed to commit the foul all Mitro was doing was protecting his position. Should Matic have got 2 yellow cards, his foul on Babel just before half time was a professional foul destined to stop him attacking and he was never going for the ball. How many times have you seen yellow cards given for this and it comes under the category taking one for the team. He then did the same thing in the second half when he got his yellow card, but if that was a yellow so was the first. sa for the penalty in my opinion it comes under the category of I have seen them not given as Mata turned and then run into the La Marchand. It was clumsy but never a foul.

I bet these muppets of Man U fans also thought Anguissa deserved to be sent off at their ground when the ref couldn't wait to get his red card out.

Get sick of these fans as bad as a Liverpool fan who told me after the game this season that Mitro was at least a yard offside when his goal was disallowed.

Rant over, for now.

De Gea,
Grabbed Mitro round the neck.Should have gone
Rashford conned the ref at OT to get Anguissa sent off