Thursday Fulham Stuff (28/02/19)...

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Southampton 2-0 Fulham

James Ward-Prowse converted a rebound to give Southampton a cushion

Southampton moved out of the Premier League relegation zone and left Fulham 10 points from safety with a comfortable win at St Mary's.

Ralph Hasenhuttl's side saw just 36% of the ball in the opening 45 minutes but led 2-0 thanks to Oriol Romeu's finish after a poor Sergio Rico punch and James Ward-Prowse's follow-up when Nathan Redmond's shot was saved.

Fulham's Aleksandar Mitrovic fired over the bar from a narrow angle with the score at 1-0 and he again lifted over when put through on goal a minute after the interval.

Ryan Babel shot onto the bar via a deflection for Claudio Ranieri's side but they failed to muster a meaningful rally and the Italian manager's substitution of Tom Cairney drew boos from away supporters.

Fulham are 19th, 10 points adrift of Saints in 17th.

'Should-win' becomes easy win
Hasenhuttl branded the fixture "must-win" for Fulham and "should-win" for his own side.

Despite being winless in four and having just six home wins in 37 fixtures at St Mary's coming into the fixture, Saints looked confident and energised.

Ryan Bertrand was a regular threat and it was his super delivery which won the corner that led to the opener, Romeu firing a low effort into an exposed net after Rico had only punched to the edge of the area.

Fulham, the only Premier League side without an away win this season, found little in response and Ward-Prowse - the game's stellar performer - was first to react after Redmond's low effort from 18 yards was palmed out.

There were other noteworthy positives in the way Romeu and Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg broke up play with ease, each winning possession back 11 times. Romeu also kept possession better than any player on the pitch, completing 94% of his 49 passes.

It was composed and relatively routine for the home side. After an uplift in form following Hasenhuttl's December appointment, Saints had shown signs of decline in recent weeks but this win moves them out of the bottom three at a timely point with fixtures against Manchester United and Tottenham to come next.


Mitrovic showed sorrow to Fulham's fans after the defeat

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

A second-half moment featuring Cairney summed up Fulham.

The Scottish midfielder battled to win a ball in a feisty exchange with Ward-Prowse and then out-muscled another Southampton player to win a corner, only for Joe Bryan to float the delivery straight out of play.

The Cottagers were clearly trying but moments of quality were non-existent and Cairney's substitution saw fans react angrily. Banners criticising the club's hierarchy were unfurled, while another hailing former manager Slavisa Jokanovic was also held aloft.

Chants of "you don't know what you're doing" were aimed at the manager, who later said his team will "fight until it is mathematically impossible" in their battle against the drop.

Any escape will undoubtedly require magic from Mitrovic, who remains a constant target for long balls. But defeat at St Mary's showed if his admirable hold up play comes up short, the Cottagers have little else to offer.


Fulham had just four touches in the Southampton box in the second half despite trying to chase the game

Shots over the bar when Mitrovic would have expected to work the keeper either side of half-time ultimately ensured there was no way back, and Babel's shot onto the woodwork late on was against the run of play.

Despite their lowly league position and urgent need for points, Ranieri's side only had four touches in the Southampton area in the second period.

They have not won an away league fixture since the final day of the Championship season in May and now face Chelsea, a Leicester side boasting a new manager, Liverpool and Manchester City in their next four games.

Relegation is seemingly rapidly approaching.

Man of the match - James Ward-Prowse

Saints' improving home form - stats
    Southampton have won two of their past four Premier League home games (D1 L1), as many wins as they managed in their previous 21 at St Mary's (D10 L9
    Fulham have lost seven of their past eight Premier League games (W1), conceding at least twice in all eight.
    Southampton have beaten a newly promoted team for the first time since May 2017 (2-1 against Middlesbrough), having failed to do so in their past 10 Premier League games against such teams (D5 L5).
    Southampton are now unbeaten in their past 20 home league games against Fulham (W14 D6), since a 2-21loss in October 1935 (second tier). Only against Coventry (22 games) have they ever had a longer unbeaten home run in their league history.

'A win without mistakes' - manager reaction
Southampton manager Ralph Hasenhuttl speaking to Match of the Day: "It was a very important win for the whole club. It was a professional performance and we switched the speed at the right moment which is why we scored.

"It's the first clean sheet in a long time and we showed we can play without mistakes."

Fulham manager Claudio Ranieri told Match of the Day: "It was not enough. We tried our best but every time we have to say the same thing - the first time in front of goal, the opponent scored.

"We have to continue to fight until it is mathematically impossible. The confidence is not at the maximum level and it is not easy to react but I want them to react soon."

What's next?

Southampton face a trip to Manchester United on Saturday (15:00 GMT), while Fulham host Chelsea in a west-London derby on Sunday (14:05).



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47301081

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Manager Reaction

Claudio Ranieri was left frustrated and disappointed following another defeat on the road as Fulham went down 2-0 at Southampton on Wednesday night.

The Whites switched formation to play a diamond in midfield but they were unable to prevent Oriol Romeu and James Ward-Prowse from giving the Saints a first-half lead they could hang on to.

Ranieri said: "The disappointment is very high because every time the opponent shoots at goal, they score a goal, it's unbelievable.

"This season it's happened many times, and also tonight the first two shots on goal, they scored and I think when this happens the confidence goes down.

"We tried to do our best but that's it, that's the maximum my players can do.

"Always in my career I am used to working hard. I know it's very difficult but until it's mathematically impossible we continue to fight, and also after, we have to go out onto the pitch always with our heads held high."

The Italian explained to the media his tactical shift, which saw a recall for Kevin McDonald and Tom Cairney reinstated in a more central attacking midfield role, in a bid to try and catch the hosts out by leaving three attackers high up the pitch.

"Today I played a diamond because they are used to playing in the middle and after if they don't find a solution then go on the flank and then make a cross.

"And I wanted this because I thought if I play the wingers, their wingers who are more powerful than my wingers, and then we go always behind.

"If I play with the diamond I have two strikers and Tom Cairney forward to try and do something forward," he said.

Despite Fulham now ten points from safety, Ranieri refused to disregard his sense of belief and encouragement for the squad.

"I'm used to believing, something could happen, if you don't believe it's done, you have to believe, you have to fight, if you don't fight it's already lost," said Ranieri.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2019/february/27/manager-reaction-southampton

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Southampton 2-0 Fulham: Claudio Ranieri on the brink as Oriol Romeu and James Ward-Prowse leave Fulham 10 points adrift of safety

    Oriol Romeu opened the scoring for the Saints after a weak punch from Fulham goalkeeper Sergio Rico
    James Ward-Prowse pounced on a Nathan Redmond rebound to double the hosts lead before half-time
    Fulham struggled to get going in the second half but did smash the crossbar through Ryan Babel
    The away fans roundly booed Claudio Ranieri's substitutions as the Whites slipped 10 points adrift of safety

Fulham's players had done little to lift bums off seats on the pitch at St Mary's Stadium, so the visiting fans decided to make their own fun. 'If you're going down, stand up,' they sang.

They then targeted Claudio Ranieri, who could be nearing the end of his time with the Cottagers after this latest loss left them with little hope of escaping relegation.

Ranieri's reign has been nothing short of a disaster. He seemed a beaten man on the sidelines as he stood with arms folded throughout then walked straight down the tunnel at full-time.


Ranieri looked a beaten man on the sidelines as he stood with arms folded throughout Fulham's defeat to Southampton

In March, Fulham must face Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City, as well as Leicester, who may be benefiting from the new-manager bounce under Brendan Rodgers.

It remains to be seen whether Ranieri will be in charge for that return to the King Power Stadium next weekend and he was asked afterwards if he feared the sack.

'My job? I don't know,' he said. 'Ask the owner.' Asked whether he will speak to Shahid Khan on Thursday, with Fulham now 10 points adrift of safety in the Premier League, he said: 'Could be.'

For Southampton, this victory lifted them out of the bottom three. In contrast to Ranieri's swift exit, the last man to leave the St Mary's pitch was Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl. 


Ryan Babel showed his frustration as Fulham struggled to make any kind of impact in the first half against Southampton


Southampton striker Charlie Austin grimaces as Tim Ream lines up a left-footed clearance in the first half at St Mary's


Fulham defender Denis Odoi dispossesses Southampton forward Nathan Redmond during an attack in the first half

'If you are under the line then you're gone,' Hasenhuttl said on the relegation race. 'At the moment, we are over the line. That's important for the mentality.'

Remarkably, Ranieri has now not won any his last 23 Premier League away matches - 15 for Leicester, eight for Fulham.

Fans called on club bosses to act and displayed a banner mocking the words of owner Khan, who in November described Ranieri's appointment as 'risk-free'.


The emotions of the two teams could not have been more contrasting at half time, as Fulham found themselves two behind

In hindsight, nothing could be further from the truth. Fulham resembled sitting ducks in the opening stages as Southampton asked all the questions.

Charlie Austin scored inside quarter of an hour but the goal was ruled out by referee Anthony Taylor for a foul on goalkeeper Sergio Rico in the build-up.

Southampton took a legitimate lead in the 23rd minute, however. Ryan Bertrand's corner led to a poor punched clearance by Rico and the ball fell to Oriol Romeu, who had a go from 22 yards.


It was a frustrating night for Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic who was deprived of service to really influence the game


Serbian forward Mitrovic turns away from Jannik Vestergaard of Southampton during their Premier League encounter


Denis Odoi watches on in vain as the ball travels towards Southampton defender Ryan Bertrand during  a loss at St Mary's

All 11 Fulham players were inside the box but the shot sailed through them for 1-0.   

It was 2-0 before half time as Bertrand forced Rico into the save. The goalkeeper parried the ball into the path of James Ward-Prowse, who tapped in the rebound.

Fulham have now lost eight of their last nine games and have the worst defensive record in all of Europe's elite leagues. It is hard to see where they go from here, other than down.



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-6752995/Southampton-2-0-Fulham-Oriol-Romeu-James-Ward-Prowse-leave-Fulham-10-points-safety.html

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Southampton 2 Fulham 0: Claudio Ranieri loses relegation six-pointer

Claudio Ranieri's position as Fulham manager and the club's hopes of Premier League survival were dealt hammer blows as they suffered defeat at the hands of fellow strugglers Southampton.

Fulham fans voiced their frustrations at St. Mary's on Wednesday night after going down 2-0 and losing their eighth game in their last nine matches.

It was a must-win game for Fulham, who now sit 19th in the Premier League and 10 points from safety after Southampton's win lifted them to 18th.

Midfield duo Oriol Romeu and James Ward-Prowse's first-half goals were enough to secure Saints the victory on a miserable night for Ranieri.

The Italian was subjected to chants of 'you don't know what you're doing' from Fulham fans, while a banner in support of his predecessor Slavisa Jokanovic was also unveiled in the second-half.

Ranieri had hoped before that this match would be a turning point and in true 'Tinkerman' style he shuffled his deck by opting for a midfield diamond.

In came Andre Zambo Anguissa and Kevin McDonald as Jean Michael Seri and Ryan Sessegnon lost their places following Friday's loss to West Ham.

It was a first start since October 27 for McDonald, who was sent off that day as Fulham lost 3-0 to Bournemouth at Craven Cottage.

They were hoping for a better showing against the Cherries' south coast rivals, but the Whites were under pressure from the off.

Nathan Redmond was causing plenty of problems out wide, twice cutting in and going close with long-range strikes.

Southampton did have the ball in the net after 16 minutes, but Charlie Austin was judged to have fouled goalkeeper Sergio Rico in the build-up.

It looked a tad harsh and Rico's goalkeeping was called into question again when Southampton did finally take the lead seven minutes later.

The Spaniard flapped at a corner and Romeu was on hand to drive the ball home from the edge of the box.

It was no more than Southampton deserved and despite Fulham showing signs of life, particularly through Aleksandar Mitrovic, they were 2-0 down five minutes before the break.

This time it was Ward-Prowse getting in on the act as the midfielder tapped home from five yards out as Rico could only parry Redmond's shot.

It looked like a long way back for Fulham, who have not won an away game in the Premier League all season.

And the second-half duly followed the pattern of the first as Southampton again dominated proceedings.

It led to unrest among the 1,500 travelling Fulham fans, who unveiled a banner which read: "Slavisa. Making Fulham great again."

Moments later another one was rolled out this time saying: "Risk free? Are you watching Tony Khan?"

On the pitch, the Whites continued to battle away but the closest they came to a goal was when Ryan Babel struck the crossbar with 16 minutes to go.

It means Fulham are 10 points from safety with just 10 games to go



https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/southampton-2-fulham-0-result-claudio-ranieri-loses-relegation-sixpointer-a4078516.html

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Fulham player ratings vs Southampton: Another dismal performance from the Cottagers

Southampton came away 2-0 winners and opened up a ten point gap over Fulham in the race for survival

Fulham were beaten on the road again as fellow strugglers Southampton opened a ten point gap over the Whites in the final safe spot in the Premier League.

Southampton took the lead as Fulham struggled to deal with another corner - Sergio Rico only cleared it as far as Oriol Romeu who was on hand on the edge of the area to smash home the opener after 25 minutes.
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And it was 2-0 when Charlie Austin found space between the central defenders before playing in Nathan Redmon who had a curling effort saved by Rico, but James-Prowse was quickest to react and tuck home the rebound.

There wasn't many chance to speak of in the second half but Ryan Babel did go close when he rattled the crossbar, but Southampton were content to sit on their lead and not take risks.

Here's how we rated the side:

Sergio Rico - 3

Failed yet again to clear a cross into his area, clearing it only as far as Romeu who smashed home. Pushed the rebound for the second goal straight back into play.

Joe Bryan - 3

Struggled to get any decent crosses into the box and was overrun defensively in the first half. Reacted too late to the rebound from Rico and allowed Ward-Prowse to get in front of him.

Havard Nordtveit - 4

Didn't really do much during the game and couldn't get close enough to shut down Redmond's effort on goal.

Tim Ream - 4

Allowed Austin too much space in between him and Nordtveit for Southampton's second goal, but did okay otherwise.

Denis Odoi - 4

Couldn't offer Fulham the width down the right and found himself outnumbered time and time again down that flank. Was getting double teamed all second half but nothing was done to help him.

Kevin McDonald - 4

Did a decent job in midfield and put in a few tackles over the course of the game but found himself well off the pace of the game in front of the back four.

Calum Chambers - 3

Tried to plug the gap out on the right that Fulham's narrow formation allowed but struggled to play in both roles. Put himself about a bit in the second half but it wasn't a good evening.

Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa - 3

Ran into trouble when on the ball and wasn't strong enough in some of his tackles. Cruised through the second half and had little impact on the match.

Tom Cairney - 4

Got the ball in some good positions but couldn't use it to pass through the Southampton lines. Was clearly frustrated in the second half but wasn't able to do much for his side.

Ryan Babel - 3

Made some good runs behind the defence but was snatching at his efforts when there were better options on.

Aleksandar Mitrovic - 6

Didn't get much service up top and found himself mucking in defending down the right such was the lack of width in Fulham's side. He may not have seen much of the ball but it was yet another battling performance from the Serbian.
Substitutes

Luciano Vietto- 3

Didn't do much after coming on and saw little of the ball in the number ten role behind the two strikers.

Ryan Sessegnon  - 5

His runs down the left caused some problems and provided some width in a team that lacked it throughout the game.



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/fulham-player-ratings-vs-southampton-15897455

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Southampton 2-0 Fulham: Hosts move out of bottom three with win

Southampton moved out of the Premier League bottom three with a comfortable 2-0 victory over a beleaguered Fulham at St Mary's on Wednesday.

After a cagey opening, Oriol Romeu's first goal of the season put the home side in front in the 23rd minute before James Ward-Prowse's third St Mary's goal in his last four appearances on the south coast made it two five minutes before half time.

Ryan Babel hit the crossbar in the second half, but otherwise Fulham offered very little as an attacking force, with Saints seeing the win out with ease.

The result sees Fulham slip closer to the drop - 10 points from safety with 10 games to go - having now shipped 62 goals even at this juncture of the campaign, while Saints' first win in five sees them climb up to 17th and out of the bottom three.

Player ratings

Southampton: Gunn (7), Bednarek (6), Yoshida (6), Vestergaard (6), Valery (6), Hojbjerg (6), Romeu (7), Ward-Prowse (8), Bertrand (7), Austin (6), Redmond (6).

Subs: Long (6).

Fulham: Rico (4), Odoi (5), McDonald (5), Ream (5), Bryan (4), Nordveit (4), Chambers (5), Anguissa (3), Cairney (4), Babel (6), Mitrovic (5).

Subs: Sessegnon (6), Vietto (6).

Man of the Match: James Ward-Prowse

Charlie Austin had the ball in the net in the opening stages, but not after he had barged Fulham goalkeeper Sergio Rico to the floor, before Rico played a big part in the hosts taking the lead.

What's next

Fulham welcome local rivals Chelsea to Craven Cottage on Sunday, live on Sky Sports, while Southampton face a tough trip Manchester United on Saturday.



https://www.skysports.com/football/soton-vs-fulham/report/391036

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Southampton drag themselves out of relegation mire with win over doomed Fulham

Ten points from safety, 10 games to go – surely Fulham's time is up. In March, they play Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City – too much even for the man who won the league with Leicester City three years ago.

"Always in my career, I'm used to working hard. I know it's very difficult but until it's mathematically impossible, we will try," said Claudio Ranieri. "You have to believe. If you don't believe, it's done. If you don't fight, you've already lost."

There was no sign of either belief or fight here on Wednesday night.

While he might still be the toast of Leicester, he is persona non grata with Fulham supporters who booed his every substitution, jeered him with cries of "you don't know what you're doing" and mocked their team relentlessly throughout.

The away statistics, in particular, make grim reading: played 15, lost 13, won zero. A porous defence did for Slavisa Jokanovic and might still cost Ranieri his job as the frailties were once again in evidence on the South Coast.

"Every time the opponent shoots at goal, they score. Many times it's happened this season and again tonight," sighed the weary Italian, who, like his players, looked beaten.

"You're going down with the Fulham," chanted the visitors at the hosts. That remains to be seen but what is certain is that Manchester United and Tottenham – their next two opponents – will make Ralph Hasenhuttl's side work much harder for any points than Fulham did here.

Goalkeeper Sergio Rico was the main culprit on this occasion and was culpable for both goals. The first when he punched unconvincingly to the edge of the area where Oriol Romeu was waiting to lash it back through the crowd as Rico watched from no man's land.

The second, five minutes before half-time saw him parry Nathan Redmond's first time shot back into the heart of the six-yard box, where James Ward-Prowse was first to react and scored his fourth goal in eight games.

"If you are under the line then you are gone. It's about this one position and it's a battle I think between five or six clubs and we are one of them," said Hasenhuttl, indicating that he feels Huddersfield and Fulham are already doomed.

"It's not a shame to fail. It's about how you stand up again," said the Austrian in relation to his team's recent poor run of results. "The team showed today that they knew exactly what to do."

With Fulham's Premier League survival hanging by a thread, St Mary's braced itself for a second-half fightback. It never came. This was a limp, lifeless display from Ranieri's men, in whom he has engendered none of the never-say-die spirit of the Foxes class of 2015/16.

Saints, who cruised to their third home win of the season, were comfortable in possession and rarely threatened out of it, other than when Ryan Babel struck a shot against the crossbar with 15 minutes remaining. But they will face much greater tests in the weeks to come.



https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2019/02/27/southampton-drag-relegation-mire-win-doomed-fulham/

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Southampton 2-0 Fulham: Claudio Ranieri's side on the brink as costly defeat puts Cottagers 10 points from safety

Oriol Romeu and James Ward-Prowse scored in a comfortable win for Saints, who also moved two points clear of Cardiff and out of the relegation zone

Southampton hauled themselves out of the relegation zone and pushed Fulham closer to the precipice with a 2-0 victory at St Mary's courtesy of Oriol Romeu and James Ward-Prowse's first half goals.

They weren't made to work particularly hard for the victory as once again, Fulham's wafer-thin defence was exposed to leave them winless on their travels.

This was the Saints' first win in five as they climbed above Cardiff but there is plenty of work left to do yet with Manchester United and Tottenham next to play.

This was never likely to be a match high on quality given the respective positions of the two clubs and what was at stake – and so it proved.

There were no early chances, though Southampton's Charlie Austin did have the ball in the net after 15 minutes before Anthony Taylor adjudged that he had shoved Fulham Keeper Sergio Rico off balance as he attempted to punch clear.

Claudio Ranieri doesn't travel well. He hadn't won away for 22 games in the Premier League, a run which spans the end of his spell as Leicester City manager.

Fulham were the only Premier League side without an away win all season, losing 12 of their previous 14 outings.

For the majority of the club's supporters it has not been a case of if they go down, but when.

Ralph Hasenhuttl's side sought to find an advantage. Nathan Redmond had their first shot on target, deflected over by Tim Ream.

From their second, they scored. Sergio Rico punched Ryan Bertrand's corner to the edge of the area and Oriol Romeu drove it back through a crowd and into the net.

That eased the tension a little, though Saints had dropped 17 points from winning positions, one fewer than Fulham.

The Saints went close again as Austin and Redmond combined to create an opening for Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg 20 yards from goal which the Dane fired narrowly wide.

Fulham were tentative in attack and took until ten minutes before the break to fashion a meaningful chance. It came as Aleksandar Mitrovic broke down the right and found Andre-Frank Anguissa but he shot whilst off-balance, allowing Angus Gunn a simple save.

But as it has been since August, Fulham's defending was soon found wanting again and the Saints took full advantage.

Austin collected Hojbjerg's header and played in Redmond whose first-time shot was unconvincingly pushed out by Rico and Ward-Prowse was first to bundle in the rebound ahead of Joe Bryan. It was the midfielder's fourth goal in eight games.

Fulham offered little in the way of a fight-back, with Mitrovic isolated and frustrated in attack.

Even the notoriously benign Fulham support was beginning to lose patience. They displayed a banner reading: 'are you watching Tony Khan' and chanted 'you don't know what you're doing as their team limped to defeat in front of them.

This result would increase the gap between Fulham and safety to ten points. Overcoming that at this stage would surely rank alongside Ranirei's Leicester miracle of three years ago.

There was nothing in evidence here to suggest that could happen. Fulham could barely muster a shot though Ryan Babel did strike the crossbar 15 minutes from time.

Too little, too late and Fulham's time is almost up.



https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/southampton-fulham-epl-james-ward-prowse-oriol-romeu-saints-relegation-battle-claudio-ranieri-a8800446.html

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Claudio Ranieri transcript: Every word on Fulham future, the fans' banners, Southampton & more

Here's what the Fulham boss had to say after defeat to Southampton at St Mary's this afternoon

How much of a disappointment is that?

It's very disappointing because every time the opponent shoot at goal, they score. It's unbelievable. This season many times it has happened.

Tonight, they first shoot at goal and score and I think when this happens the confidence goes down, we try to do our best but that's it, the maximum my players can do.

Ten points from safety now

Yes I know.

Always in my career I am used to working hard, I know it's very difficult but until it's mathematically impossible we continue to fight, and also after.

We have to go out on the pitch with our head high.

Fans frustrated - don't feel players responding to your methods, are they?

Yes I think so, but this question you must ask the players, always I say yes.

See the fans' flags in the away end?

Yes I saw, but I stay in my seat.

Explain the diamond formation you played tonight?

I played the diamond because they are used to playing in the middle and after if they don't find a solution they go on the flank then make a cross and I want this because if I put the wingers, they are more powerful than my wingers and then we go always behind, behind, behind.

If I play with the diamond, I have two strikers and Cairney forward to try to do something.

Do you think your job is safe?

My job? I don't know, ask the owner.

Spoke with Tony Khan?

At the moment, no.

Not this week?

Yes this week.

Expect to speak to him?

Could be.

Players still believe?

I hope. I am used to believing. Something could happen, but if you don't believe it's done, if you don't fight you've already lost.



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/claudio-ranieri-transcript-every-word-15898399

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Claudio Ranieri admits he faces sack after Fulham lose Southampton six-pointer

Second-bottom Fulham look doomed to relegation following eighth defeat in nine under 2015-16 title winner Ranieri

Claudio Ranieri's Fulham look doomed after this demoralising defeat – and the Italian was left shrugging off questions about his own future.

Southampton goals from Oriol Romeu, his first since November 2017, and James Ward-Prowse eased the Saints above Cardiff and out of the relegation places. Premier League

Wednesday's defeat leaves the hapless and frail Cottagers 10 points from safety and staring down the barrel of an instant return to the Championship.

For Fulham , whose next three home matches are against Chelsea , Liverpool and Manchester City , the game looks up. They have lost eight of nine, with one away point from eight games.

The travelling fans furiously booed boss Ranieri — a title winner with Leicester less than three years ago — as he replaced Tom Cairney with Luciano Vietto after 69 minutes amid chants of 'You don't know what you're doing'.

The wait for a win on the road anywhere this season goes on.

The wait for the drop may be a lot shorter.

There was a resigned look about dejected Fulham players applauding the travelling fans at the final whistle.

And after losing what looked a 'must-win' game, Ranieri said: "I don't know if my job is safe — ask the owner. I haven't spoken to him. It could be I speak to Tony Khan tomorrow.

"We get punished every time, it has happened all season and it affects the confidence. I know it is very difficult now but I am used to working hard and until it is mathematically impossible, we try.


Fulham fans at St Mary's remember how vice-chairman Khan described Ranieri when he was hired (Image: Reuters)

"I think the players are reacting to my methods, you must ask them. You have to believe and fight, if not already it is lost and you are done. But the disappointment is very high tonight."

Saints took the lead after 23 minutes. Ryan Bertrand won a corner after whipping in a left-wing cross from the right. Bertrand's set-piece was only punched out by Rico as far as Spaniard Romeu – who drove it into the net through a crowd of bodies.

The home side doubled their lead before the break when Nathan Redmond's fierce drive was only parried by Sergio Rico and Ward-Prowse won the race for the rebound.

Ryan Babel hit the bar late on as Fulham desperately tried to recover.

A delighted Saints boss Ralph Hasenhuttl said: "It was a very important win for the whole club. We are out of the relegation zone now - but it was only the first step.

"We are one of five or six teams fighting to avoid one spot. It's the first clean sheet in a long time and we showed we can play without mistakes.

"We play against Manchester United and Tottenham next, maybe today was the easiest game for three points."



https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/claudio-ranieri-admits-faces-sack-14065103

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Fulham fans vent their anger at Claudio Ranieri & Tony Khan with flag display at St Mary's

Fans also chanted 'you don't know what you're doing' at the Fulham boss throughout the defeat to Southampton

Fulham fans vented their anger towards Claudio Ranieri and Tony Khan with a flag display as they saw their side lose on the road once again.

Southampton beat the Whites 2-0 at St Mary's in what was a crucial relegation six-pointer between the two, but despite the magnitude of the game the away side never really seemed to turn up.

That defeat means they're now ten points off safety in the Premier League with just ten games to play, but their next three home games are all against Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool while they face an away trip to Leicester City.

It's hard to see where the next win is coming from and fans let their frustrations and anger be heard at St Mary's with a number of chants directed towards the manager and Khan Jnr, including 'Are you watching Tony Khan?' as well as numerous chants of 'you don't know what you're doing' directed towards Ranieri when making his substitutions.

There was also a section of fans that displayed banners during the second half, including the 'Slavisa: Making Fulham Great Again' banner, a reference to former boss Slavisa Jokanovic and his spell at the club, as well as one directed at Khan Jnr which read 'Risk free? Are you watching Tony Khan?', a reference to how owner Shahid Khan described the appointment of the Italian in January.

It very much feels like fan opinion is so far against Ranieri that there is no coming back for the Italian, and with games against three of the top six coming up starting with Chelsea next, it only looks set to continue.



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/fulham-fans-vent-anger-claudio-15898418

[WhiteJC]

 
Going down with a wimper

It's around 7pm on 25th May, 2018. Ten of thousands of Fulham fans are in complete delirium at Wembley, completely overwhelmed at what we have witnessed. Our Fulham sealed promotion to the Premier League playing a wonderful, fun-filled style of football. We have done it with a group of players who clearly love playing with each other, and with an 18 year-old kid who has been a revelation in the side. We have owners willing to spend both on and off the pitch with a new stadium development incoming. The future is very bright for Fulham.

Fast forward to 10pm, 27th February 2019. We have just witnessed an extremely deflated Fulham side limp to a 2-0 defeat to relegation rivals Southampton. Our Italian manager, the man who led Leicester to the most unlikely of Premier League titles a few years ago, set his side up in a negative way, playing players out of position and leaving our best midfielder in Seri out of the side altogether despite saying that we had no injury concerns.

To say I'm angry at the state of affairs at Fulham right now would be an understatement. I'm furious. What a complete and utter shambles this season has been. What a wasted opportunity. While I think that Slav was out of his depth, I would honestly rather have stuck with him than have sacked him when we did for Claudio Ranieri. While there were some slight improvements at the start under him, the negatives since then have just piled up.

Alongside his frustratingly negative tactics and his insistence on playing Cairney out wide whenever everything good comes through him in the middle, it's his treatment of Ryan Sessegnon that upsets me the most. He has turned Sessegnon into someone afraid of the football. Benching him, publically saying that he is out of form, not strong enough etc and then the few times that he does play, hauling him off at half time because of a couple of mistakes have all contributed to deflating the player of confidence . Sessegnon was our brightest spark last season and that was because he was given the opportunity to flourish. I'm from a teaching background, and I remember my tutor at university saying that our job as teachers was to create an environment in which pupils could, and wanted, to flourish. I believe that coaching football, or any sport for that matter, has the same principles. Ranieri should be laying the foundations for our players to become great, but instead it's like the life has been sucked out of them, and it's just heartbreaking.

We are so far away from that showing of unity last year. Our next three games at home are Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City- all games that 7 months ago we were relishing. Getting to see your club compete with some of the biggest clubs in the world is something that every fan should relish, but now I just wish that we could fast forward a month. We have a talented squad, but under our current boss I don't see those players being able to play with any sort of freedom. At the minute we aren't just going down, we are plummeting so fast that it's a blink and you'll miss it sort of scenario.

If we are going down, I want us to go down fighting but to do that we need to remove Ranieri now. I don't want us to rush into another managerial change, so my choice would be Parker until the end of the season to buy time to consider properly who we want in charge of the team. Another rushed decision isn't going to do us any favours, but keeping Ranieri for me will do more harm than good.

#COYW



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2019/02/going-down-with-a-wimper/