Tuesday Fulham Stuff - 26/05/20...

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Fulham man addresses transfer speculation amid shock Real Madrid links

Speaking with Canal+ Sport Afrique, Fulham's loaned out midfielder Andre Zambo Anguissa has said that he "can't confirm anything at all" regarding transfer rumours, amid previous links with a move to Spanish giants Real Madrid.

Cameroon international midfielder Andre Zambo Anguissa joined Fulham in the summer of 2019 and after the Cottagers' relegation to the Championship, Anguissa joined La Liga side Villareal on loan for the duration of the 2019/20 campaign.

Anguissa has impressed in his time with Villareal but it is said that the club will not look to make a permanent move for the midfielder. However, one Spanish club who is keen on signing Anguissa is giants Real Madrid. Mundo Deportivo reported that Real were interested in Anguissa as Zinedine Zidane looks to add to his midfield ranks.

Now, Anguissa has spoken about the rumours regarding his immediate future. Speaking to Canal+ Sport Afrique, Anguissa has said that he is not focused on the rumours, insisting his agent focuses on matters off the pitch and he focuses on matters on the pitch. He said:

"No, no, no, I can't confirm anything at all. I'm not someone who reads or listens to rumours. My agent and I have a deal. He manages everything around me and I just focus on the park.

At the end of the season, we will take stock of where we are and see if there is anything interesting. I can't say there was any contact with anyone. I would be lying to you."

Fulham could try to pick up a hefty fee if Real Madrid come knocking for Anguissa this summer. The midfielder is under contract with Fulham until the summer of 2023 and will be keen to recoup as much as possible having previously signed him for a reported fee of £30 million.



https://the72.co.uk/168330/fulham-man-addresses-transfer-speculation-amid-shock-real-madrid-links/

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Danny Mills reveals the key factor that could help Leeds fend off West Brom and Fulham in promotion hunt

Danny Mills has insisted that Leeds United may well hold an advantage over other sides in the race for promotion due to one key factor.

The Whites currently sit top of the Championship, although the season is suspended at this present moment.

Mills believes that the fitness of the players may be the difference when they return from this break on the sidelines, and Leeds can use this to their advantage in future months.

Marcelo Bielsa has been consistent in making his Leeds side one of the fittest in the Championship since arriving at the club, and this is now set to play a pivotal part in the coming months if the season is to be completed.

Mills has insisted that due to Leeds' persistence to train before the implemented lockdown, they now have a potential edge over their opponents in the Championship when the clubs return to action.

Speaking to Football Insider, Mills said: "The difference will be who can get up to speed quickest and who has looked after themselves the best over the lockdown period. That might just give Leeds the edge of being a week, ten days ahead of everybody else."

The Verdict

Bielsa and his side have been known to be one of the fittest in the league, and that has shown with the type of style that they play on a weekly basis.

Leeds often press their opponents throughout the 90 minutes, and it'll be an interesting watch to see if they can do the same once/if the season gets back underway.

The Whites have a lot at stake in the coming months, and if the Championship is to return then they'll need to be 100% ready for action as they hope to secure a place in the Premier League.

Mills is most likely spot on, and that extra-edge in their fitness could well be the difference between a place in the top-flight or another season in the Championship.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/danny-mills-reveals-the-key-factor-that-could-help-leeds-fend-off-west-brom-and-fulham-in-promotion-hunt/

[WhiteJC]

Aston Villa Relived

The two-year anniversary of our famous Play-Off Final victory at Wembley is approaching, and it will be Relived on our channels to commemorate the special day.

The full three-and-a-half-hour Sky Sports coverage will be shown on FFCtv tomorrow (Tuesday 26th May). This will start at 4:10pm, with the match commencing at 5pm in line with real-time updates across our social media.

One game stood in the way of Slaviša Jokanović's Fulham and the Premier League, in the shape of Aston Villa, who had overcome Middlesbrough to become our first opponents at Wembley in 43 years.

Join us in enjoying one of the greatest days in the Club's league history!



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2020/may/25/aston-villa-relived

[WhiteJC]

'Best thing I've seen in weeks!' – Many Fulham fans react as club shares training update

Fulham players have today returned to training, and it's getting fans excited for their season finale.

Scott Parker has been in and out of criticism all season but yet, his Fulham side have remained in 3rd-place for much of it. Leeds and West Brom have been the runaway leaders since the beginning with Fulham trailing closely.

Now as pictures emerge of their players returning to training, Fulham fans are getting excited about the return of football, and to see how Parker's first full season in charge might pan out.

They sit six points behind 2nd-place West Brom and with an eight point lead over 6th-place Preston. A play-off finish then seems the likeliest outcome, but there's still nine games to play.

Anything could happen in those nine games and with plenty of teams eyeing a late surge into the play-offs, Fulham's task at hand is far from complete.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/best-thing-ive-seen-in-weeks-many-fulham-fans-react-as-club-shares-training-update/

[WhiteJC]

Zambo Anguissa pleads for 'time and patience' with Cameroon coach Conceicao

Since being appointed to lead the Indomitable Lions last September, the Portuguese has taken charge of three matches

Villarreal midfielder Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa - on loan from Fulham - has hailed Cameroon coach Toni Conceicao as being "very close to his players," saying the 58-year-old deserves more time to prove himself with the team.

Conceicao succeeded Clarence Seedorf as Indomitable Lions coach in September 2019 and has been in charge for three matches so far.

His first game at the Cameroon helm was a 0-0 international friendly match against Tunisia, followed by a similar result in a 2021 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifier at home against Cape Verde Islands.

But Cameroon's first victory under the Portuguese came in their second Afcon qualifying match away in Kigali when they scrapped to a 1-0 victory over Rwanda to settle for second place in Group F which is led by Mozambique.

Zambo Anguissa had started all three matches under Conceicao who has left Cameroonians divided in opinion after what appears to be unimpressive performances.

"Speaking to him, there is only good [in Conceicao]," Zambo Anguissa was quoted by Press Sport as having said on Canal+.

"From the start, he put a point of honour on what we players like; player-coach rapprochement and dialogue. He is very close to his players, he gives us and we want to give him back. He was clear with everyone. I think we should give him time and patience."

Conceicao's next competitive matches would have been back-to-back matches against Mozambique in March but Caf cancelled Afcon qualifiers due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Indomitable Lions role is his first job in Africa after being with Romanian side CFR Cluj, Vitoria Setubal and Moreirense in the Portuguese Primeira Liga.

Cameroon will host the 2021 Afcon finals and are participating in the qualifiers to earn game time.

After lifting the 2017 Afcon trophy, Cameroon were knocked out at the Round of 16 stage by Nigeria at the 2019 edition and the 2021 tournament will be a stern test of Conceicao's tactical pedigree as Cameroon are pressed to reclaim the title on home soil.

The 2022 Fifa World Cup qualifiers are another concern for Conceicao after the Indomitable Lions did not make it to the 2018 tournament.

Cameroon will have to deal with Ivory Coast, Mozambique and Malawi in the first qualifying round.



https://www.goal.com/en/news/zambo-anguissa-pleads-for-time-and-patience-with-cameroon/2m4ldf67rwbs1fwprwu7pxacs

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Championship players return to training more than two months after season suspended

Aleksandar Mitrovic, the Championship's leading scorer this season, was among the players back in training at Fulham on Monday

Players at Championship clubs were allowed to return to training on Monday - the first step towards the potential resumption of the second-tier season.

On Friday, the English Football League provided safety protocols and guidance for clubs to follow upon their return.

Players took part in non-contact sessions and trained in small groups.

A total of 1,014 Championship players and staff were tested for coronavirus towards the end of last week, with two people testing positive.

Hull City confirmed on Sunday that the two positive cases were from their club.

The EFL said those who had tested positive "will now self-isolate in line with the guidelines provided by the EFL and only those who have tested negative will be permitted to enter training ground facilities".

Some Premier League clubs started non-contact training in small groups on 19 May, while the government provided guidance about the next phase - returning to contact training - on Monday.

'All of the lads were buzzing'

Liam Cooper, captain of Championship leaders Leeds United, told BBC Radio Leeds: "We've been able to train in a group of five, so there was the back four and a midfielder in our group this morning.

"All of the lads were buzzing to be able to kick a ball about with their mates again.

"We're making small steps and hopefully we can get back to normality in the near future."

Meanwhile, Barnsley captain Alex Mowatt told BBC Look North: "It was good to be back. We did a little bit of running and it was a hot day as well, so it was a tough first day back.

"You get out of your car in your kit, then go into your training session straight away, and once you've finished you're back in your cars and you go home straight away.

"We were in small groups of five and keeping our distance from each other.

"I wanted to get back training. I've been doing a lot of running by myself and there's only so much you can do without getting bored, so I wanted to get back as soon as it was safe to do so."

Leeds and Barnsley were not the only Championship clubs to resume training on Monday...

Albion 'resolutely behind finishing campaign'

No Championship matches have been played since 8 March, with the season suspended five days later.

There has been no specific date set for a resumption, although the EFL said in a statement last week that Championship clubs have "indicated that it is their wish to play on and conclude the season".

West Bromwich Albion chief executive Mark Jenkins said in a statement on Monday that the Baggies, who occupied the second automatic promotion spot when the season was suspended, want to complete their nine outstanding games.

"We certainly welcome the clarity the EFL have now provided as to its future intentions in terms of resolving the conclusion of the 2019-20 season," said Jenkins.

"However, let me say at the outset that West Bromwich Albion's position in this remains the same now as it was back when fixtures were halted - the club is resolutely behind finishing the campaign, if it is at all possible, where it belongs and that is on the pitch.

"We take comfort that this is also the apparent wish of all the governing bodies and the majority of our fellow Championship clubs."



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/52797024

[WhiteJC]

Premier League's Project Restart should ditch big grounds for EFL venues like QPR and Rotherham

Without supporters filling them, Germany's cavernous arenas are sucking the life out of the acoustics and atmosphere created by the players and management staff

The Bundesliga is proving what we already know — that big stadiums were built for big crowds.

And without supporters filling them, Germany's cavernous arenas are sucking the life out of the acoustics and atmosphere created by the players and management staff.

I can imagine it's proving a turn-off for plenty of football fans who are tuning in from around the globe to see what the new normal looks like.

And I worry the Premier League will suffer similarly when it gets going behind closed doors again next month and that, if this goes on for some time, our top flight could end up losing a generation of supporters.

That's why I'd love to see our clubs ditching their home grounds for the last 92 games of the 2019-20 season in favour of neutral venues borrowed from teams in the EFL.

I can think of a dozen grounds at least that would make viewers feel closer to the action than they would at Old Trafford or Anfield, with QPR's Loftus Road chief among them.

I played there several times in my career and again in September 2017 when I took part in the Game 4 Grenfell alongside Jose Mourinho, Alan Shearer and Les Ferdinand.

It's a neat and tidy ground with four stands that are close to the pitch and dugouts right next to the touchline, meaning viewers would get a real feel for everything that is going on.

Without supporters in stadiums, I'm going to want to hear everything that is being said on the pitch.

I want to hear, 'Oi, Sergio, ****ing mark him, will you?'.

And, 'Harry, in here, he's your man' – listening to the way players talk to each other will make up for what's being lost with no fans.

I know cardboard cutouts of supporters have been suggested by some people, and others think live Zoom pictures of people watching a particular game should be beamed into stadiums.

But that is going to make zero difference and rather than trying to get the fans closer to the action, we need to spin it on its head and get the players closer to the supporters.

At grounds such as Loftus Road, camera operators would be able to get up close and personal with players and because of the fixed-camera positions they wouldn't all just look like dots.

It'd be the same at Fulham's Craven Cottage, Rotherham's New York Stadium, Fleetwood's Highbury Stadium, Wycombe's Adams Park, Burton's Pirelli Stadium, Blackpool's Bloomfield Road, Shrewsbury's New Meadow, Forest Green's New Lawn, the Bescot Stadium in Walsall, Salford's Moor Lane and The Den at Millwall.

We carried out interviews on the pitch after the Grenfell game when the stadium was empty as well and there was still a good feel about the place, still a good atmosphere with not many people in it.

Grounds with smaller capacities are capable of that and you can still guarantee that players would enjoy playing at all those I've mentioned as well.

On top of all that, playing at these grounds would take away the 'home' advantage argument and tick all the boxes.

Time to get stuck in... or call it quits
Now we have come this far with Project Restart, the Premier League and its players must go all in to get the game back on again.

There has been too much talking, too much hand-wringing and too much bloody-mindedness to get the remaining games played not to carry it all the way through.

So, finally, with the positive tests so low in the top flight, I'm fully on board.

But if numbskulls are going to keep talking rubbish about turning heads at tackles, sending less players up to defend and track corners, or stop any aspect of the game we all love, then I'll U-turn quicker than Boris Johnson did about implementing a lockdown.

Football is at its best when it is left alone and my worry is that to allay any fears of passing on the virus, we're going to go so far in terms of having little or no contact that it will legitimately affect the credibility of the game, making all this faff and fight to restart useless.

Play it hard or end it now, the game has been watered down enough.

La Liga's return
The return of La Liga on June 8 is leaving me more than a little queasy.

My mate is still locked down in a Madrid flat for the 70-something day and the thought of footballers playing is massively at odds with the situation some parts of the country still finds itself in.

I understand the argument that says the game's return 'will give a football-mad nation a lift'.

But there's a time and a place for all that, and that time and place should only be when Spain is living and breathing normally again.

For now, though, it looks like there's one rule for most people and one rule for elite footballers.

A perfect fit for the Reds
I like the Adama Traore-to-Liverpool rumour.

Traore was poor at Aston Villa but was still a kid then. It was Tony Pulis who breathed new life into him at Middlesbrough.

The Spaniard has been a revelation at Wolves and has gone from a 20-minute impact substitute to a player who offers good delivery and frightening pace.

He could bring a real extra dimension to the champions-elect.

Hats off to Hancock...
Fair play to former They Think It's All Over host Nick Hancock for apologising to Luke Chadwick over the merciless taunts he levelled at him in the 90s.

The then-Manchester United youngster was ribbed terribly about his looks, something that wouldn't be tolerated on TV now but was very much part of the banter back then.

Chadwick — a Premier League winner — is not only at peace with himself post-football, but a big enough man to accept the apology from Hancock.

Now it's over to former Fantasy Football League host David Baddiel to see if he's got anything to say
to Jason Lee.



https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/premier-leagues-project-restart-should-22084523