Friday Fulham Stuff (01/03/19)...

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Lawro's Premier League predictions v sprinter Dina Asher-Smith

There are Premier League derbies on Merseyside, and in north and west London this weekend - but who will have local bragging rights on Monday morning?

BBC football expert Mark Lawrenson is going for draws at Wembley and Goodison Park but does not give managerless Fulham much hope against Chelsea at Craven Cottage.

He said: "I was not surprised to hear Claudio Ranieri had been sacked because they looked absolutely doomed.

"Ranieri, through his experience, will have tried absolutely everything - in training and tactically - but Fulham were struggling when he arrived and he has not been able to turn things round.

"Scott Parker takes charge against his old club on Sunday but what the Cottagers really need is him in their midfield, not in the dug-out as their caretaker manager.

"They will give it their all but they are still not good enough."

Lawro is making predictions for all 380 top-flight matches this season, against a variety of guests.

This week he is up against British sprinter Dina Asher-Smith, the reigning European 100m, 200m and 4x100m champion.

The 23-year-old will compete at the Anniversary Games at West Ham's London Stadium in July as part of her preparations for the World Championships, which start in Qatar in September.

Asher-Smith says she did not expect to win triple European gold in Berlin in August, explaining: "I hoped I would do well but with track and field and elite sport in general you can never truly predict what is going to happen."

Anyone who has tried making Premier League predictions will no doubt agree - but how will Asher-Smith fare against Lawro as they look at this weekend's matches?

LAWRO'S PREDICTIONS
Fulham v Chelsea (14:05 GMT)

Replacing the sacked Ranieri now really is the last throw of the dice, but Fulham must feel that someone with different ideas and a different voice can make a difference.

But, whoever the new permanent manager is, it is asking an awful lot for him to keep them up.

After seeing Fulham in the Championship last year, I thought they would give the Premier League a real go, but after spending more than £100m in the summer they have not been good enough defensively. If you cannot defend in this division, then you have got absolutely no chance.

I don't think the change of manager will make much difference to the outcome on Sunday, simply because Chelsea are a better team.

Fulham have been so bad of late, they seem to get into a mess whatever their game plan is. If they attack them, and you have to think they will try, it will just play into Chelsea's hands.

Chelsea's win over Tottenham was a good way for Maurizio Sarri's side to answer their critics but what people forget is that they actually played well against Manchester City in the Carabao Cup final too. I am expecting more of the same from Sarri's side.

Lawro's prediction: 0-2

Dina's prediction: 1-2



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/47402319

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A Former Manchester United Boss Among 5 Leading Contenders To Replace Sacked Claudio Ranieri As Permanent Fulham Manager

It had been coming. Claudio Ranieri has been sacked after a mere 106 days as Fulham manager and first team coach, Scott Parker, has been installed as the interim replacement until the end of the Premier League season.

Ranieri leaves with the club mired in relegation trouble, ten points adrift of safety with ten matches left to play, and they have won only three of his seventeen games in charge. It has been a dire spell for the former Premier League winner and Scott Parker now has an opportunity to stake his claims for a permanent role.

However, it seems likely that the club would want to appoint a more experienced boss in the summer and we look at five contenders...

David Wagner

Surely the most obvious choice. The German has experience of getting the most out of limited resources having guided Huddersfield to the Premier League in one of the unlikeliest promotion stories a few seasons ago. He even kept them in the top-flight last term but they ran out of steam before he was replaced by Jan Siewert earlier this season.

Steve Clarke

The no-nonsense Scotsman has previous experience as a player and manager in England having worked as an assistant and caretaker at the likes of Newcastle, Chelsea, West Ham, Liverpool and Aston Villa. He endured short spells as a full-time manager with West Bromwich Albion and Reading.

He is currently building an impressive reputation in Scotland thanks to his work with Kilmarnock and he will surely be considered for the Craven Cottage hottest.

David Moyes

David Moyes is swiftly becoming the new Alan Curbishley as he is continually linked with every vacancy under the sun, although he does actually get jobs in fairness to him. The Scot has been out of work since a short-term deal with West Ham expired at the end of last season and his next opportunity seems most likely to come in the Championship.

Fulham will surely be in the Championship for next season and former Manchester United boss Moyes can point to experience of that division, although his last taste of second tier football came way back in 2002 when he was still at Preston.

Claude Puel

'Whispering Claude' is as short as 5/1 with some bookmakers for the Fulham job and he is available after being sacked by Leicester City. The Frenchman was shown the door after just sixteen-months at the King Power Stadium. His style might not be to everyone's tastes but it is pragmatic and generally gets positive results.

Sam Allardyce

There he is! 'Big Sam' wouldn't want to take over a sinking ship to tarnish his reputation for turning around seemingly relegation-doomed clubs and it remains to be seen if the one-time England boss could be tempted by a drop down into the Championship at this stage of his career.



https://www.thesportsman.com/articles/a-former-manchester-united-boss-among-5-leading-contenders-to-replace-sacked-claudio-ranieri-as-permanent-fulham-manager

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Where did it all go wrong for Claudio Ranieri and Fulham?

Fulham announced on Thursday that they have parted company with Claudio Ranieri after just three months in charge. Sam Dean analyses where it all went wrong .

Abandoning trusted principles
"Risk-free." That was how Shahid Khan, Fulham's owner, had described the appointment of Claudio Ranieri in November. Fulham needed to stop conceding goals, and the club's hierarchy had decided that Ranieri's methods would provide a solidity that could keep them in the Premier League.

In trying to improve the defence, though, Ranieri has abandoned so many of the principles - and the players - that underpinned Fulham's rise from the Championship. Slavisa Jokanovic's meticulous passing system was instantly dismissed in favour of a long-ball approach, and key men such as captain Tom Cairney and teenage sensation Ryan Sessegnon have been continuously ostracised under the Italian's management.

This dramatic change of style and personnel has only served to anger Fulham's supporters, and the substitution of Cairney against Southampton on Wednesday provoked a furious response from the travelling fans. Ranieri was the target for most of their frustration, but there is also resentment towards Tony Khan, Shahid's son and Fulham's vice-chairman.

A banner reading "Risk free? Are you watching Tony Khan?" was unfurled in the away end at St Mary's, where Sessegnon was again a substitute. The 18-year-old was the Championship player of the season last year, and Fulham's top scorer, but he has started only three matches since December 8th. Imagine the response from the thousands of fans who watched Fulham's play-off final victory at Wembley in May if they had been told that, eight months later, 32-year-old Ryan Babel would be starting on their left wing instead of Sessegnon.

Excessive player turnover
Ranieri's refusal to build his team around two of the club's most long-serving and popular players has contributed to the sudden loss of faith from the supporters. That, combined with the remarkable churn in the squad, has left many feeling that the club's identity has been lost, and it was telling that a banner in support of Jokanovic was also raised at Southampton.

Who is to say that Fulham would not have improved under the Serb? The arrival of 12 summer signings meant that the start to the season would always have been difficult under Jokanovic, and there were clear signs of progress in his final game, against Liverpool. When Jokanovic left, Fulham were three points off safety. Now they are 10 points adrift.

The decision to spend £100m in the summer has looked like more of a misjudgement with each passing week. Some signings were needed, not least at full-back to replace the departed Ryan Fredericks and Matt Targett, but so many of the new recruits have spectacularly failed to justify their fees. Only Aleksandar Mitrovic and Calum Chambers (on loan from Arsenal) have shown consistent quality.

The overhaul of the playing style that accompanied Ranieri's arrival cannot have helped the new players to settle. Having spent the first months of the season trying to adapt to Jokanovic's methods, the players had to essentially press the reset button once the Italian walked through the doors at Craven Cottage.

Unrest behind the scenes
It said it all for Fulham's players that a planned go-karting trip, intended to boost team morale, had to be cancelled this month because the club deemed the insurance costs to be too high.

This came just weeks after the arrest of Aboubakar Kamara following a fight at the club's training ground. Kamara had also been involved in a reported scuffle with Mitrovic during a yoga session, and he had to be hurriedly shipped out to Turkish side Yeni Malatyaspor in January.

On the training ground, there has been frustration among the players at the inconsistencies of some of the more expensive signings, who have impressed behind closed doors but routinely disappointed in matches. It did not help the mood at the club when Tony Khan told a fan to "go to hell" in a tweet after a defeat at Burnley.

An uncertain future
In the short term, it will be intriguing to see how Scott Parker, promoted to caretaker manager, sets up the team. Parker was an assistant to both Jokanovic and Ranieri, and will have to make a choice on whether to stick with the Ranieri approach or revert back towards a more possession-based style.

Looking further ahead, Fulham are already preparing for next season in the Championship. In his statement, Shahid Khan said they will now prioritise the "long-term vision for sustainable success".

The squad will need to be drastically restructured, again, if Fulham are relegated, and the club will have to face up to major losses on their investments. Jean Michael Seri, for example, will surely not be playing Championship football next season, but the chances of Fulham recouping the £25m they spent on the midfielder are slim to none.

The same applies to £30m Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, who has been so painfully anonymous since his move from Marseille. And that's all before you consider the depreciation of the transfer value of Sessegnon, the club's prized asset, who not so long ago was seen as a £50m prospect.



https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2019/02/28/did-go-wrong-fulham-claudio-ranieri/

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What Tom Cairney has said about the massive influence Scott Parker has in Fulham's changing room

Fulham's skipper has spoken of just how important a figure Scott Parker is at the club

Scott Parker is the new man in charge at Fulham after being appointed as caretaker manager to replace Claudio Ranieri.

The Italian left the club today (Thursday) following Fulham's 2-0 defeat against relegation rivals Southampton last night (Wednesday), which leaves the Cottagers ten points from safety with ten games to play.

But while it is a daunting task for Parker to take on as Fulham look to try and pull off an unlikely escape from a swift return to the Championship, he could be just the man to get the best out of the players.

That is according to what Fulham skipper Tom Cairney has said about the massive influence Scott Parker has in Fulham's changing room.

Indeed, after the 4-2 win against Brighton & Hove Albion last month, Cairney credited Parker for the impact he had in Fulham's comeback victory, having been 2-0 down at half time.

Fulham were a different team in the second half as Claudio Ranieri switched from a back three to a back four and Brighton weren't able to live with them, and Cairney revealed that Parker played a massive part in the half time team talk to inspire the comeback.

He said: "The second half display against Brighton was brilliant. We had a full and frank discussion at the break when we were 2-0 down and Scott Parker played his part.

"He said it wasn't about the performance in the second 45 minutes, it was about the character. He told us to go and show everyone that it meant something to us. If the ball went out of play, run after it, get the tempo going, have shots, have crosses and take the game to them.

"We started exactly like that in the second half and Brighton couldn't live with us."

But Fulham will need to produce more miracles like that if they are to pull off what would be a great escape, with their next three home games against Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City.



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/cairney-said-parker-influence-fulham-15804871

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Gary Lineker gives a Leicester City verdict on Claudio Ranieri's sacking by Fulham

Claudio Ranieri leaves Fulham after winning just three matches and picking up just 12 points.

Fulham are once again under new management, with Scott Parker appointed as interim boss until the end of the season after the sacking of Claudio Ranieri.

The Italian boss arrived at Craven Cottage with the task of improving the club's fortunes in the Premier League as they looked to retain their top-flight status but it did not work out as planned.

Ranieri won just three games in charge, picking up a total of 12 points, and leaves with Fulham second-bottom in the Premier League and 10 points from safety.

It continued a huge decline for Ranieri since winning the Premier League in a remarkable fashion with Leicester City in 2016, as he soon lost his job with the Foxes and had a stint in France with Nantes before his short stint at Craven Cottage.

Although it was certainly not required, Ranieri's exit from Fulham is a reminder that romance in football is short lived and Match of the Day host Gary Lineker summed up the situation perfectly on Twitter.

"Fulham have sacked Claudio Ranieri. In some ways, I wish he'd retired after Leicester won the league," he wrote.

Now 67-years-old, the well-travelled manager can boast leading the likes of Chelsea, Juventus, Monaco and Inter Milan during a managerial career that has spanned over three decades but there is no denying a retirement after winning the league with Leicester City would have been the perfect final swan song.



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/fulham-sack-ranieri-gary-lineker-15903649

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The inside story of what went wrong for Claudio Ranieri at Fulham after his 'risk-free' arrival

The Italian was sacked after just 106 days in charge, with Scott Parker taking over as caretaker boss

So just a little under four months since Shahid Khan announced the 'risk-free' appointment of Claudio Ranieri to the world, the Fulham owner has sacked the Italian.

Yohan Mollo, Jordan Graham and Rafa Soares all lasted longer at Craven Cottage than the 67-year-old did, which is an achievement in itself when you think about how little impact those three players had on the club.

The writing was on the wall for Ranieri after defeat at Southampton on Wednesday night - he cut an isolated figure on the edge of his technical area as he watched his side give away yet more goals through basic areas while he was serenaded with chants of 'you don't know what you're doing' by the 1,500 travelling fans to his right.

In truth, Ranieri had run out of ideas long before the trip to the south coast as he failed to motivate a side who had been used to playing a fast, free flowing style of football under previous boss Slavisa Jovanovic.

Having won the Premier League at Leicester City and with 'dilly ding, dilly dong' etched into people's memories from that season, his appointment made relative sense to a businessman like Mr Khan.

He performed a miracle with Leicester, was good PR and had extensive knowledge of not just the Premier League, but also European football, something that could have helped bed in a number of new overseas signings that had struggled to settle in west London.

That's all well and good on paper, but in reality, Ranieri's appointment achieved none of those things.

Having won the Premier League at Leicester City and with 'dilly ding, dilly dong' etched into people's memories from that season, his appointment made relative sense to a businessman like Mr Khan.

He performed a miracle with Leicester, was good PR and had extensive knowledge of not just the Premier League, but also European football, something that could have helped bed in a number of new overseas signings that had struggled to settle in west London.

That's all well and good on paper, but in reality, Ranieri's appointment achieved none of those things.

That was the first problem for the side - these players were used to dominating the ball and play attacking football, something the likes of Aleksandar Mitrovic and Tom Cairney were pretty decent at, and were now being made to play a defensive, route one brand of the game.

Having been a focal point for Jokanovic, Mitrovic now became a target man, often isolated, and left to battle with central defenders for a long punt from Sergio Rico or the defenders.

Cairney, who had previously been Fulham's metronome in the middle of the park, was forced out wide in a bid for him to cut in on his left foot and shoot more at goal.

Speaking to football.london back in December, Ranieri said of Cairney: "I want him to play as well in the Premier League as he played in the Championship. He scored a lot of goals. I want him to try and do the same now. I want. I want.

"It's okay if he makes assists, but also he can score goals. They're important because he has good timing to arrive (in the box), a good left foot. I said to him: 'Try, try, try.'

"He has to shoot more. He has the quality to shoot. He has to try. 'Try, try! It's no problem! Try!'

"I asked him to try more in training, shoot at goal, and he passed. And he passed.

"Maybe when he is sitting next to me on the bench, (the penny will drop) and he will realise it's much better if I shoot."

He wasn't joking either - soon enough Cairney had been dropped from the squad altogether and forced to watch from the sidelines as Andre Schurrle, Luciano Vietto and Ryan Babel all played in front of him.

It may be a case study of one individual player, but it shows that Ranieri was unable to get the best out of one of the side's most gifted players and had no real idea of how to fit someone like Cairney into a side.

And that brings me onto Ryan Sessegnon.

Experience was a word that Ranieri uttered often in his press conferences, either when referring to what he wanted the club to sign in January or when he was talking about how little of it his players had.

One of those was Sessegnon, who at 18 had very little experience in football full stop, let alone the Premier League.

What he does have, however, is an astute reading of the game far beyond his years, pace and ability - all of which saw him finish last season as Fulham's top scorer with 16 goals as they were promoted from the Championship.

But for Ranieri, what he saw in Sessegnon was a boy who wasn't aggressive enough for the Premier League or able to play his long ball style of football, meaning he was dropped in favour of Babel and Schurrle.

For Fulham fans, that was criminal and it showed in his final few games as the fans chanted 'Ryan Sessegnon, he's one of our own' any time he went to warm up or wasn't brought on as a sub.

Those kind of decisions led to a rift between fan and manager - and once Ranieri lost the fans there was no coming back.

While all the headlines will be on Khan's 'risk-free' quote over appointing the Italian, the truth at the time Khan had every reason to believe that to be true.

He would never have imagined four months later that the players would not have taken to his charisma or that he would have alienated Sessegnon and the fans or changed the style of football so much that the only reason you know this is the same side that won promotion last season is because they play in white.

In truth, Khan will have learnt a lot from those 106 days of Ranieri and so will the players.

They never took to Ranieri's methods but with Scott Parker they have a manager they respect, one that has been in the trenches with them and one that understand their strengths as people and as players.

He may not be the long-term solution, but he's the perfect man to put right some of the problems that meant Ranieri's time at Fulham was always likely to fail.



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/inside-story-what-went-wrong-15903662

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Fulham replace Ranieri with Parker

Fulham have sacked Claudio Ranieri after just sixteen Premier League games in charge and replaced the Italian with former captain Scott Parker as a caretaker manager.

Ranieri, who was only appointed in November as the successor to Slavisa Jokanovic, had run out of road at Craven Cottage after a dismal defeat at the hands of Southampton last night. The 67 year-old's final game in charge saw Fulham start with three defensive midfielders and never look like seriously challenging one of their relegation rivals after conceding two first half goals.

Ranieri, who only won three of his games in charge and saw his side dumped out of the FA Cup at the third round stage by League Two Oldham, leaves Fulham ten points from safety with ten games left. Parker, who returned to the club this summer after a spell coaching Tottenham's under 18 side, will take charge for the first time against Chelsea, one of his former clubs, in a west London derby on Sunday afternoon.

The 38 year-old, who made 128 appearances in a four-year playing career at Craven Cottage, completed his coaching badges prior to hanging up his boots and the former England captain has spent this season as Fulham's first team coach.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2019/02/fulham-replace-ranieri-with-parker/

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Ryan Sessegnon, the Fulham stars of the future and what really cost Claudio Ranieri his job

Fulham news includes how the now former manager failed to make the most of his side's talented academy

Such were Fulham's results under Claudio Ranieri that a parting of the ways was inevitable, but the Italian did himself few favours by failing to notice the rich vein of young talent that his predecessor had mined to such great effect.

Ranieri did not arrive in west London as a manager with a reputation for blooding youngsters. Fulham might have spent exorbitantly in the summer but they also had a clutch of prospects who they were eager to integrate and who had been given the chance to spread their wings under Slavisa Jokanovic.

Harvey Elliott became the club's youngest ever first-team player at 15 years and 174 days. Matt O'Riley and Luca De La Torre were gradually being integrated.

And then there were the Sessegnons. It will be Ranieri's relationship with them that proves to be his legacy and it will not reflect well on him.

Steven Sessegnon had been a familiar sight around the matchday squad in the Championship and Jokanovic had shown a desire to utilise him in the top flight, playing him in the EFL Cup and naming him on the bench against Arsenal.

Under Ranieri the versatile full-back has been exiled from the first-team and is training with the Under-23s at a time when Denis Odoi is struggling at right-back and Timothy Fosu-Mensah can scarcely make a matchday squad.

Those who know the Fulham academy well often asked "if these performances can't spur Ranieri to look at his youngsters what on earth can?"

On a weekly basis O'Riley excels at the lower levels in front of a clutch of watching scouts from across Europe. Borussia Dortmund, Juventus, Arsenal and Manchester United have all taken note - why hasn't Ranieri?

football.london understands that Fulham do not intend to accept any bid for O'Riley in the summer but their hands could be tied as he is reluctant to commit to the Cottagers without being certain he will be given opportunities in the first team. Had Ranieri stayed on into the Championship he would almost certainly have left.

But ultimately it is Ryan Sessegnon's progress that was most worrying. The teenager whose 15 goals propelled Fulham back to the Premier League, who made history by becoming the first player from outside the top flight to be nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award, was seeing his potential frittered away by Ranieri.

There have been few instances which have so highlighted the Premier League's pathological inability to develop English talent as one of this country's outstanding young players being sidelined to make room for Ryan Babel, a competent replacement but not one to inspire a restless fanbase.

There seemed to be less patience for Ryan Sessegnon to play through his difficulties than more senior players. Ranieri's response to a first half against West Ham where the 18-year-old provided an assist but failed to track his runners was to haul him off at the interval.

Jokanovic spoke of giving Ryan Sessegnon space to grow.

"We must be calm with him and give him space to grow up," he said in September. "He's a little bit more experienced now but there's huge space for him to reach his best level."

Under his successor it seemed there was no room for any error. Of the seven games Ryan Sessegnon started under Ranieri - only one of which has come since January 2 - he has been hauled off at half-time in three.

To his credit Ryan Sessegnon has kept his counsel, avoiding questions over either his role at Fulham or his future. Ultimately though he has not signed a new contract and will go into the summer with just a year left on his current terms at Craven Cottage.

Manchester United and Tottenham are expected to be at the front of the queue when Fulham slip back into the Championship and will be confident of getting their man for less than they might have paid after his playoff exploits.

They still see something remarkable in Ryan Sessegnon's future. It is a shame that Ranieri did not see a bright enough present in the jewel of Fulham's crown to give him his chance.



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/alienating-ryan-sessegnon-fulham-stars-15903587

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Shahid Khan's statement on Scott Parker and what it means for the future of Fulham

Fulham are onto their third manager of the season and seem destined for the Championship

Shahid Khan did not stint in his praise for Claudio Ranieri the man after sacking him as Fulham manager. But his statement announcing the 67-year-old's departure contains words of warning for many around Craven Cottage.

Four months apppointing the Premier League champion with Leicester had been described as "risk free". It proved to be anything but and Ranieri leaves Fulham a side destined for the Championship after three wins in his 17 games in charge.

The Cottagers are 10 points from safety with 10 games remaining but chairman Khan offered a clear indication in his statement that Fulham are already planning for their relegation, with Scott Parker's appointment on the interim basis viewed as one that can help the club rediscover its identity rather than provide a 'new-manager bounce'.

Before then Khan went to great lengths to insist that blame for Fulham's dire situation should not lie solely at Ranieri's door.

Shahid Khan did not stint in his praise for Claudio Ranieri the man after sacking him as Fulham manager. But his statement announcing the 67-year-old's departure contains words of warning for many around Craven Cottage.

Four months apppointing the Premier League champion with Leicester had been described as "risk free". It proved to be anything but and Ranieri leaves Fulham a side destined for the Championship after three wins in his 17 games in charge.

The Cottagers are 10 points from safety with 10 games remaining but chairman Khan offered a clear indication in his statement that Fulham are already planning for their relegation, with Scott Parker's appointment on the interim basis viewed as one that can help the club rediscover its identity rather than provide a 'new-manager bounce'.

Before then Khan went to great lengths to insist that blame for Fulham's dire situation should not lie solely at Ranieri's door.

If this comment were aimed at many of the players in the Fulham squad there could be few complaints, particularly from those that made up the £100million summer spending spree that was supposed to signal ambition but proved to be chaotic and ill-thought through.

Of the 18 players to arrive either on a permanent basis or loan arguably only Aleksandar Mitrovic's reputation has been enhanced by this season. The likes of Jean Michael Seri, Fabri and club record signing Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa have proven to be a disastrous waste of over £50m.

Yet if so many of the signings have failed then Khan must surely shine the spotlight on those who put them together in the first place, even if that means uncomfortable conversations a little close to him, for instance with the Cottagers' director of football, his son Tony Khan.

Khan continued to lavish praise on Ranieri, even pointing to an early record that across an entire season would have translated to 43 points, enough to stave off relegation but certainly not the sort of tally an ambitious club like Fulham had been aiming for at the start of the season

"Claudio walked into a difficult situation, inheriting a side that gained only one point in its prior eight matches, and he provided an immediate boost by leading our club to nine points in his first eight matches as manager.

"Though we were unable to maintain that pace thereafter, I am grateful for his effort. Claudio leaves Fulham as our friend and he will undoubtedly experience success again soon."

What comes next then? Former Fulham captain Parker, whose only previous experience in management is with Tottenham's Under-18 side, will take on a caretaker basis.

Whilst Khan hopes the 38-year-old can prompt an upswing in result there appears to be no expectation that he save them from the drop.

"I am asking Scott Parker to serve as our caretaker manager," Khan concluded. "Scott's immediate assignment is merely to help us stabilize, grow and rediscover ourselves as a football club.

"If Scott can answer that challenge, and our players respond to the opportunity, perhaps victories will follow in the months ahead.

"What's most important at this moment, however, is to regroup in a smart and deliberate manner that will serve our long-term vision for sustainable success. If we're able to do that and win some matches to make a stand late in the season, all the better."

It is Khan's belief that Parker must help Fulham "rediscover ourselves as a football club" that says most clearly how things slid under Ranieri and how sizeable the task facing the Cottagers is.



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/breaking-down-shahid-khans-statement-15904070

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Kilmarnock Boss Steve Clarke Among Favourites For Vacant Fulham Job

Kilmarnock manager Steve Clarke has been included in the front-runners for the vacant Fulham job, following the sacking of Claudio Ranieri earlier today.

The affable Italian coach was given his marching orders this afternoon after just 17 matches in charge of the London club – with just a measly three wins to speak of from his time at Craven Cottage.

Clarke, meanwhile, has been a massive success at Rugby Park after guiding the club away from the relegation zone and into fourth place, just three points behind Aberdeen in third.



Having coached the likes of Chelsea, Liverpool and West Ham throughout his career, Clarke knows English football inside out, and William Hill have him priced as the 12/1 fourth-favourite to take the reins at Fulham.

However, two of the names in-front of Clarke are Scott Parker – who has never been a manager – and Chris Coleman, who has already been Fulham boss and was sacked in 2007.

So, could Clarke moving back down south be a realistic prospect? And does he have more to prove at Killie?



http://www.talkingbaws.com/2019/02/kilmarnock-boss-steve-clarke-among-favourites-for-vacant-fulham-job/

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Claudio Ranieri sacking saddens former Fulham boss Roy Hodgson

Roy Hodgson is 100 per cent certain Claudio Ranieri "did nothing professionally" to deserve being sacked by Fulham.

The Cottagers parted ways with Ranieri after less than four months in charge, the Italian paying the price for a record of three wins in 17 games.

His assistant Scott Parker has been placed in caretaker charge until the end of the season.

"Fulham are a club very close to my heart," said Hodgson, speaking at the London Football Awards. "I had two-and-a-half wonderful years there and it's sad to see they've taken this type of decision.

"I feel a lot of empathy with Claudio Ranieri. He came in to do the job that was asked of him and has done it with great dignity.

"Obviously it has been hard for him to turn around results which were not there in the first place when he came.

"They've had two very good coaches in [Slavisa] Jokanovic and Ranieri and lost them both. I suppose they'll have to look for a third one.

"My sympathy is always with the manager in that situation because I'm 100 per cent certain Ranieri has done nothing professionally to deserve it."



https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11681/11651314/claudio-ranieri-sacking-saddens-former-fulham-boss-roy-hodgson

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Fulham's coaching staff shake up and who could follow Claudio Ranieri out of Craven Cottage

More changes could be on the way at Fulham as the staff brought in by their now-departed manager assess their futures

For the second time this season, Fulham have sacked their manager with Claudio Ranieri relieved of command after only four months in charge.

He had arrived in November 2018 to replace Slavisa Jokanovic following a tough first half of the season for the Serbian who lead the Cottagers back up into the Premier League back in May.

Scott Parker will take control until at least the end of the current campaign with the west London club in a fight against the odds to stave off relegation down to the Championship.

The former midfielder may be offered the chance to continue on in the dugout depending on his performance as manager in the final weeks of the season, with only 10 Premier League games left to be played for Fulham.

A popular candidate among fans, he could get prepare the club for next season and a shot at coming back up at their first attempt even if he is unable to keep them out of the drop zone.

However, there could be further upheaval at Motspur Park. In November, Ranieri brought with him a loyal team of coaches and assistants. They may also need replacing sooner rather than later depending on where they see their futures.

When Jokanovic left Fulham his staff followed him out the door with Javier Pereira, Lucas Squinzani and Rafael Cristobal all leaving Craven Cottage.

Scott Parker, Marco Cesarini and Alastair Harris remained behind to be joined by five new races, loyal to Ranieri: Andrea Azzalin, Paolo Benetti, Carlo Cornacchia, Paolo Orlandoni and Vitantonio Pascale.

Here is the current make up of the backroom team behind the scenes at Fulham and the figures who could be on the move in the near future.

Alastair Harris
A Brunel University graduate, achieving a Masters in the field of Human Performance, Alastair Harris is Fulham's Head of Sports Science and is responsible for the physical performance and conditioning of the First Team.

He started at Fulham in 2010 as a sports science intern, before making his way through the ranks before taking his current role in December 2015.

He excels in the fields of load management , player recovery cycles & physical conditioning and, along with the rest of the medical staff at the club, was a big reason why Fulham suffered very little injuries throughout the course of last season.

Harris is not expected to follow Ranieri out of Craven Cottage.

Andrea Azzalin
Azzalin has been with Ranieri at his previous four clubs and was part of the backroom staff that oversaw Leicester City's title win in 2015.

He is Fulham's Head of Fitness and Physical Performance, responsible for first team fitness, and can be seen drilling the players in their pre-match warm up before games.

Azzalin started at AS Varese in 2009 before joining Ranieri at AS Monacao, following him to Greece, Leicester, Nantes and now Fulham. It is likely that he would link up with the Italian again in the future, away from Craven Cottage.

Carlo Cornacchia
A former defender in his playing days, Cornacchia first worked under Ranieri at Cagliari and Napoli.

He then moved to the USA to coach Colorado Rush where he held a number of positions before heading back to Europe to coach under former boss Ranieri at Nantes.

Cornacchia then followed him to Fulham where he is responsible in the preparation of the players for their next game.

While he has marked out a career on his own terms elsewhere, he is another Ranieri loyalist, and it would not be a surprise to see him move on.

Marco Cesarini
Marco Cesarini joined Fulham a month after Jokanovic and was appointed as their Manager of First Team Medical and Sports Science, taking full responsibility for the player's fitness at the club.

He studied Osteopathy in Milan, which is a a way of detecting, treating and preventing health problems by moving, stretching and massaging a person's muscles and joints and he became one of the first osteopaths to work with a professional team in Italy when he went to Brescia.

He then went to West Ham where he became Head of Injury Prevention, before a restructure of the medical department saw him return to Italy, before his next job at Watford beckoned.

After that, in 2014, AC Milan legend Filippo Inzaghi called Cesarini to join him at the San Siro, which he accepted, working there for 13 months before leaving and answering Jokanovic's call to come and join him at Fulham before opting to stay at the club after his sacking.

Interestingly, after the arrival of Beppe Sannino at Watford, Cesarini become the head coach's translator for press conferences.

Not only did he stick around at Craven Cottage in the last upheaval, his example shows that not every member of staff that arrives with a manager will neccesarily leave when that manager moves on or is sacked.

Paolo Benetti
Benetti is Ranieri's trusted right hand man and has worked alongside him for the past decade.

A former footballer that plied his trade at AC Milan, he got his first taste of coaching with Lazio's youth team before joining Ranieri at Italian giants Juventus.

He worked as his assistant at Roma, Inter Milan, Monaco, Greece, Leicester and then Nantes, before answering the call once more at Craven Cottage.

Another long-term confidant fans should expect to see follow Ranieri again.

Paolo Orlandoni
Goalkeeper coach at Fulham, Orlandoni spent his career in Italy, starting and ending it at Inter Milan before becoming a coach after hanging up his gloves to retire as a player.

He's coached at Fenerbahce before joining up with Ranieri at Nantes and now Fulham.

A relatively new member of the Italian's inner circle, he would probably be on the list of names the ex-Leicester boss would look to take with him into a new role.

Viantonio Pascale
Pascale started his sporting career in handball before playing Futsal with Italian side Sport Five.

This is the second time he's worked under Ranieri having joined him at Nantes after spending four years at Serie B side Bari.

His role at Fulham is assistant fitness coaching where he works closely under Azzalin.

Like Orlandoni, he is not the longest-serving member of Ranieri's team but still arrived as part of his entourage in November.



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/fulhams-coaching-staff-shake-up-15904264

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Claudio Ranieri does know what he is doing - but Fulham don't

    Fulham were bottom with five points from 12 when Claudio Ranieri took over
    Under him they took 12 points from 16 matches at an average of 0.75
    Scott Parker will become the Cottagers' third full-time boss this season
    A three-manager season is a sure sign of a club that is structurally damaged

Sometimes the building burns to the ground. That's the reality. It isn't that the firefighters did not do their job. It isn't that they don't know what they are doing. Sometimes the fire is just too big.

Claudio Ranieri took over at Fulham on November 14. At the time the club were heading for the third lowest points total in Premier League history. They were bottom of the league, with five points from 12 games, at an average of 0.41 and an aggregate over the season of 15.58.

In 2005-06, Sunderland went down with 15 points; Derby were relegated in 2007-08 with 11. Fulham were in that ball park. Check the record book under 'mugs'.

So it was always going to be hard. As it has proved. Under Ranieri, Fulham took 12 points from 16 matches, at an average of 0.75. An improvement, but nowhere near good enough. If they averaged it across 38 matches, they would still finish on 28.5 points.

As no club with less than 31 points has ever stayed up in the modern era, Fulham would almost certainly be relegated just the same. Meaning nobody can argue Ranieri did a fabulous job, just that the blaze was raging long before he was summoned to it.

Still, this is football, so there must be a scapegoat and as we are in the time of the three-manager season Ranieri will not actually have the privilege of taking Fulham down, let alone rebuilding them for a return.

His departure was confirmed on Thursday afternoon with Scott Parker taking over, making Fulham the first Premier League club in the last 13 seasons to twice burn through three full-time bosses in one campaign.

Presuming Fulham's season pans out as expected only one club can claim to have stayed up using this policy.

In 2006-07, Charlton got through Iain Dowie, Les Reed and it was Alan Pardew who ultimately took the fall, in 19th place. In 2008-09, Kevin Keegan and Joe Kinnear eventually gave way to Alan Shearer, relegated with Newcastle in 18th position.

The same season Portsmouth finished 14th with Harry Redknapp, Tony Adams and Paul Hart sharing the duties, but Redknapp had left for a better position at Tottenham with Portsmouth stable, so it wasn't quite the same.

Fulham themselves were relegated under Felix Magath at the end of the 2013-14 season after sacking Martin Jol and Rene Meulensteen.

This leaves Swansea as the sole survivors — Francesco Guidolin succeeded by Bob Bradley and finally Paul Clement in 2016-17, finishing 15th. Yet Clement was installed on January 3 — not with March as his first working day, as it is with Parker.

Fulham's recruitment policy — Roster Improvement Through Analysis, or RITA for short — has been exposed as hopelessly flawed, identifying bad goalkeepers and high-maintenance pests because their numbers looked good.

In the summer, Fulham became the first promoted club to spend more than £100million in the transfer market, a wonderfully ambitious yet hugely problematic investment because it involved bedding in a new team in highly competitive surroundings.

It is plain that upgrades were required as no team that let in 46 goals in a Championship season — more than Millwall — are ready to take on the Premier League.

Yet Fulham's overhaul was undertaken late, with £80m of talent arriving in the last week and £60m on the last day. Is it any wonder Slavisa Jokanovic struggled to make it work.

Into this mess, three months later, walked Ranieri, the man we are now to believe didn't know what he was doing.

Yet we know he knew what he was doing because less than three years ago he pulled off the greatest achievement in the history of English football by winning the league with Leicester.

That cannot be fluked. Ranieri took a team who were favourites to be relegated, and outwitted some of the richest clubs in Europe for nine months.

He may not have favoured local hero Ryan Sessegnon at Fulham, earning the wrath of the fans, but Sessegnon started in the majority of the games that had Fulham in crisis under Jokanovic — except the single league match they won in that time, against Burnley, and the draw at Brighton.

So maybe Ranieri did know what he was doing and it is Fulham that do not.

Maybe, as a manager who has won the league, he might have been the best option for Fulham as they try to regroup in the Championship. Maybe, starting from scratch in a new season, he would have a chance.

We will never know. With the house ablaze, Fulham blamed the man holding the hosepipe, as if he started it.



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-6757941/Claudio-Ranieri-does-know-doing-Fulham-dont.html

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Cottage Talk: Breaking News - Fulham Sack Manager Claudio Ranieri
Take a listen to a podcast that focuses on Fulham Football Club.

In this special episode, we discussed the sacking of manager Claudio Ranieri, and that Scott Parker has taken over as caretaker manager. Later on in the show, we discussed the 2-0 loss for Fulham against Southampton which was Ranieri's last match in charge of the team.

Joining the show for this episode was Scott Tanfield from Friends Of Fulham, and Luca Viscogliosi from Luca's Channel on YouTube.


You can also listen to the show by following this link...
https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2019/2/28/18245362/cottage-talk-breaking-news-fulham-sack-manager-claudio-ranieri

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Claudio Ranieri Out. Scott Parker In.
The Former Fulham Player Will Take Over in a Caretaker Role Until the End of the Season

It's 2013/14 all over again!

Fulham football club has decided to be on their third manager this season after deciding to relieve Claudio Ranieri of his managerial duties and replace him with assistant Scott Parker.

For Ranieri, this marks the end of an era that only lasted three months while picking up just three wins and 12 points in the table out of 17 games. He was deemed a safe bet by Fulham's ownership and boardroom to get Fulham out of the relegation places. Instead, they sit 19th in the Premier League with 10 games to go. Along with that, Ranieri was in charge when Fulham were knocked out in disgrace by Oldham Athletic in the Third Round of the FA Cup and when the scandals surrounding Aboubakar Kamara took place.

With Fulham deciding to go for a third manager, this might as well be seen as a failure by their own admission. Stability was demanded in order for the club to stay among the 20 best teams in England and the complete opposite has happened instead. No longer can you blame Slavisa Jokanovic for all this demise. This time, blame has to go towards those higher up for picking the players to sign and for picking the managers who struggle to guide the first team to victory. Oh, should we mention this board is delivering complete distrust towards the supporters for the constant price gouging and poor handling of tickets for home games this season?

It's not like Ranieri is blameless here whatsoever. His "Tinkerman" nickname shined through in all its true colors to the point where Tom Cairney and Ryan Sessegnon went from future seven figure transfer targets to not even playing their natural positions to not even being a part of the starting XI. Jean-Michael Seri, the crown jewel of the £100 million transfer spending bonanza, has looked a shell of who he was back at Nice without a consistent role. Lastly, there has been complete instability across the backline and in goal all season long as no one has been able to stake claim to a permanent starting position in any of those areas barring maaaaaaaaaaybe Joe Bryan and Alfie "when he's fit" Mawson, and that's pushing it if you want to build a Premier League level team through them. Huddersfield may be the one team below this sad lot in the table, but you have to go back to Randy Lerner's Aston Villa for a more poorly run Premier League football club in recent memory.

Now, about Scott Parker. There's just no other way to put it other than how on Earth can you ask for any quality manager to do well at a place that has become a poisonous chalice. Whenever any football club hits this nadir, that's where they are until everything surrounding it is gone. Scott Parker was a quality human being during trying times after the club were previously relegated from the Premier League some five years ago, and his leadership will be necessary in these trying times. But for him to do so as a manager, for the first time in his coaching career no less, is going to be difficult at best and I am in no mood to imagine how it would be at worst. I do wish the former player all the best, because with what lies ahead, he is absolutely going to need it.



https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2019/3/1/18244867/claudio-ranieri-out-scott-parker-in

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Fulham sound out Steve Clarke after sacking Claudio Ranieri - EXCLUSIVE
KILMARNOCK boss Steve Clarke is under consideration for the vacant Fulham job.

It's understood the highly-rated Scot is one of the managers on their radar after they sacked Claudio Ranieri yesterday.

The Cottagers are currently 10 points adrift of safety and look destined for an immediate return to the Championship.

Clarke was a target for Fulham back in 2015, but after talking to them he decided to remain at Reading.

The Fulham ownership has changed since then but there are influential figures at the club who remain big fans of Clarke.

The 55-year-old has a wealth of experience down south having been first-team coach at Chelsea, Newcastle, West Ham and Liverpool and has managed in his own right at West Brom, Reading and as caretaker of Aston Villa.

He has added to his reputation by working a minor miracle at Kilmarnock, taking them from the bottom of the top flight and into the push for Europe over the past two seasons.

Clarke has also made headlines in Scotland with his barbs at referees and fellow clubs, and recently was the subject of sectarian abuse from Rangers fans.

He then caused further uproar by revealing he had knocked back an approach to manage at Ibrox before Steven Gerrard was hired.


Steve Clarke is also a target after impressing with Kilmarnock (Image: GETTY)

Killie would be reluctant to lose Clarke but would be well compensated as he recently signed a new contract.

Fulham were shock Premiership new boys under Slavisa Jokanevic, but he was sacked in November after he spent more than £100million and his team were still at the bottom end of the table.

Former Manchester United boss David Moyes and ex-Huddersfield head coach David Wagner are also contenders for Craven Cottage.

Ranieri came in but he was sacked after they lost to rivals Southampton on Wednesday.



https://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/1094083/Fulham-next-manager-Claudio-Ranieri-Sacked-David-Moyes-Steve-Clarke-David-Wagner

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Insider confirms West Ham plotting summer raid for Fulham star Aleksandar Mitrovic - report

Fulham star Aleksandar Mitrovic is a summer target for West Ham, according to a reliable insider.

Well-known Twitter insider EXWHUEmployee has confirmed in his latest podcast that Manuel Pellegrini is keen on signing Mitrovic (via WHUFC News).

With Fulham looking certain to be relegated, Mitrovic could be on the move again this summer.

And it looks like West Ham will offer the former Newcastle United striker the chance to stay in the Premier League and remain in London.

Who is Aleksandar Mitrovic?
Mitrovic has been the standout player for Fulham in a disastrous campaign which has left the club 10 points adrift with 10 games to play.

In 28 Premier League games this season, the Serbia international has bagged himself 10 goals.

This added to his 12 goals in 17 games to help Fulham to promotion last season and he also netted 17 in 72 for Newcastle.

West Ham's striker situation
West Ham could be looking to replace their entire strike force in the summer with uncertainty surrounding all of their forwards.

Andy Carroll is out of contract and has not performed well enough to merit an extension, while Lucas Perez has been dropped recently.

Marko Arnautovic tried to force a January move to China (The Times), Javier Hernandez has been linked with a return to Spain (Sky Sports) and Jordan Hugill does not appear to have a future in claret and blue.

Pellegrini could be searching for more than one striker and it appears that Mitrovic is on his radar.



https://www.hammers.news/transfer-news/insider-confirms-west-ham-plotting-summer-raid-for-fulham-star-aleksandar-mitrovic-report/

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Football news - The Warm-Up: Dilly ding, dilly gone

Claudio Ranieri has joined the long list of Fulham managerial casualties, while Chelsea have somehow dodged a UEFA punishment...

Ranieri sacked by Fulham

After just 106 days and only three wins from 17 games, with 32 goals conceded, Claudio Ranieri has been sent packing from Fulham, with his framed picture of Jamie Vardy and pizza box signed by the old Leicester back four thrown hurriedly in a cardboard box as he was presumably escorted off the premises by Scott Parker.

When Ranieri landed the job in November, he was heralded by his new employer as "risk free and ready made for the Premier League". As it turns out, in roughly the same way as a rusted out old Cortina is risk free and ready for the motorway. Not only did Fulham not improve under Ranieri, they arguably got even worse.

They conceded more goals, two per game, after Ranieri arrived with a reputation for defensive nous. The football was dire, and perhaps most crucially, Ranieri appeared to have difficulties in his relationship with the enormously talented Ryan Sessegnon, as well as sending his brother Steven back to the youth ranks.

In fact, the more illustrious Sessegnon – a player, let's not forget, who was tipped for an outside shot at England's World Cup squad last year after scoring 15 goals in Fulham's promotion season – started only seven games under Ranieri and was hauled off at half-time in no less than three of them. Instead of nurturing this talent, Ranieri decided to buy helicopter enthusiast Ryan Babel.

Chairman Shad Khan said in a statement:

    " Following our discussion this afternoon, Claudio Ranieri agreed to my decision that a change was in the best interest of everyone. Claudio's tenure at Fulham didn't produce the outcome we anticipated and needed when I appointed him as manager in November but, be assured, he is not solely to blame for the position we are in today."

That last sentence is certainly true, given Fulham's wild and seemingly unfocused transfer splurge this summer - coupled with the muddied thinking that has been a feature of their recent top-flight history.

Parker has been named as his immediate replacement and his first match in charge comes against his former club Chelsea at the weekend. Fulham are 10 points from safety with 10 games to go. Gulp.



https://www.eurosport.co.uk/football/premier-league/2018-2019/_sto7165671/story.shtml

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Tom Cairney makes frank admission over Fulham recruitment policy as relegation looms

The skipper saw 12 new faces come to Craven Cottage over the summer as Fulham spent £100million

Tom Cairney believes the sheer amount of signings Fulham made in the summer means that his side have not integrated and bonded as quickly as they should have.

That, according to the captain, means they've been playing catch up and as a result have struggled to find any rhythm this season - a season that has now seen the drift to ten points off safety with just ten games remaining.

12 new faces were added in the summer, including five on transfer deadline day, as Shahid Khan and Fulham spent over £100million to add to their squad, including the likes of Jean-Michael Seri, Andre Frank Zambo Anguissa and Aleksandar Mitrovic.

But it just hasn't happened for Fulham this season and ahead of a west London derby with Chelsea on Sunday they face the very real prospect of playing in the Championship once again next season, with relegation all but a certainty after defeat at Southampton.

For Cairney, there's a number of reasons for the poor season, but he has spoken about the amount of players added to the side and how that affected the side's chemistry.

Speaking to Sky Sports, Cairney said: "I think there's a lot of things that affected the way we played.

"The owners backed us and spent a lot of money we had so many new players arrive on Deadline Day and maybe the integration, we've not bonded as quickly and that has shown on the pitch and we've been playing catch up ever since and we've struggled to find any rhythm or momentum in the season and put wins together and get any confidence."



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/tom-cairney-makes-frank-admission-15902789