Friends of Fulham

General Category => Archive => Daily Fulham Stuff => Topic started by: WhiteJC on November 07, 2019, 07:34:38 AM

Title: Thursday Fulham Stuff - 07/10/19...
Post by: WhiteJC on November 07, 2019, 07:34:38 AM
Former Fulham ace 'still in denial' a decade on from incident

Former Fulham striker Erik Nevland took to Twitter yesterday, after a video resurfaced of his red card against Roma during Fulham's 2009/10 Europa League campaign.

Having qualified for European football in only the second time in the club's history, Fulham under Roy Hodgson would go on a tremendous journey to the Europa League final that season, which ended with heartbreak in Hamburg.

During the group stages, Fulham were drawn alongside CSKA Sofia, Basel and Roma, and it was against the Italians where Nevland saw red.

The return fixture in Rome, Fulham took an early lead through Diomansy Kamara from the penalty spot.

Coming out for the second-half with a goal lead, Nevland came on for the goalscorer Kamara. The Norwegian lasted just four minutes on the pitch that night, being shown a straight red for a tackle from behind on Daniele De Rossi.

Claudio Ranieri's team went on to win 2-1 that night and to this day, Nevland still feels injustice from that night in Italy.

Nevland, now 41-years-old, was a one time player with Manchester United, but spent most of footballing career in Scandinavia.

He signed for Fulham from FC Groningen in 2008 and spent two seasons at the Cottage, before returning to Norway for a third stint with Viking.

Ten years on from that fateful season, where Hodgson was named LMA Manager of the Year and secured his side's Premier League status with a 12th-place finish, it's a reminder of how much the club has fallen.

Today, Fulham sit 8th in the Championship, and not knowing how long they'll be second-tier bound.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/former-fulham-ace-still-in-denial-a-decade-on-from-incident/
Title: Re: Thursday Fulham Stuff - 07/10/19...
Post by: WhiteJC on November 07, 2019, 07:35:45 AM
Mitro Wins PFA Player of the Month
(https://ffcw001.azureedge.net/-/media/19_20_player_action_shots/shutterstock_editorial_10452629av.jpg?w=622&h=278)

Aleksandar Mitrović has been named PFA Player of the Month for October.

The Fulham number nine plundered six goals in his five outings last month, including a first hat-trick at Club level in our 3-2 win over Luton Town.

Decided by football fans worldwide, Mitrović was the comfortable winner of the PFA award, taking home 46 per cent of the vote.

It means that a Fulham man has taken home the accolade for the second month in a row, after Tom Cairney won the September trophy.

Full results:

    Aleksandar Mitrović: 46 per cent
    Kiko Casilla: 18 per cent
    Tom Barkhuizen: 12 per cent
    Eberechi Eze: 9 per cent
    Tom Bradshaw: 7 per cent
    Said Benrahma: 6 per cent



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2019/november/06/aleksandar-mitrovic-wins-pfa-player-of-the-month-award
Title: Re: Thursday Fulham Stuff - 07/10/19...
Post by: WhiteJC on November 07, 2019, 07:38:21 AM
The problem Fulham have centring around Aleksandar Mitrovic: Comment

(https://cdn.footballleagueworld.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/2019-10-23T202131Z_354452769_RC16229097A0_RTRMADP_3_SOCCER-ENGLAND-FUL-LUT-REPORT.jpg)

Fulham have arguably the league's best striker in Aleksandar Mitrovic, but he's proving to be a blessing and a curse for Scott Parker this season.

Scott Parker is a man under increasing pressure at Craven Cottage. His side are 8th in the Championship after 15 games, two points off the play-offs. But with the players at his disposal, and the signings made in the summer, Parker is certainly underachieving at Fulham this season.

A 3-0 home defeat to Hull City was Parker's lowest point of the season so far and it's brought to light several issues that the club currently has.

The former Fulham man has instilled his philosophy of possession-based, high-pressure football at the club and at times this season, they've looked the best footballing side in the league. But Parker's persistence with this was his downfall at the weekend – he had no Plan B for Hull, who picked them apart on the counter-attack.

Another problem for Fulham is that, if the whole team doesn't centre around Mitrovic, then the whole team doesn't perform well. The Serb is that good that, especially true at Championship level, managers are forced to set up their teams to get the maximum from Mitro.

That's what Fulham didn't do against Hull – the defensive performance is a whole other issue in itself, but the wingers that day, Ivan Cavaleiro and Bobby Reid, were too focused on cutting inside and going for goal themselves, rendering Mitrovic fairly useless that day.

Take the win against Luton Town last month. Mitrovic was given chance after chance that game and he managed to covert three of them to give his side a 3-2 win.

Having Mitrovic is both a blessing and a curse for Fulham. The league's top goalscorer with 11 goals, he's already matched his tally of last season and is only one away from equalling his best return since moving to England.

He's a Premier League striker and at 25-years-old, still has his best years ahead of him. But with him leading the line, everything alongside and behind him must be fine-tuned to his standards, or the side just won't perform.

Cavaleiro has a few goals for the season, so too has Tom Cairney. But neither come close to Mitrovic's record or even his importance to that team.

Parker must find a way of getting his Fulham side to play more like a team, and the pieces will soon fall into place at Craven Cottage.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/the-problem-fulham-have-centring-around-aleksandar-mitrovic-comment/
Title: Re: Thursday Fulham Stuff - 07/10/19...
Post by: WhiteJC on November 07, 2019, 07:40:42 AM
Loan Round-Up
(https://ffcw001.azureedge.net/-/media/19_20__academy_pics/u23s_19_20/anguissa_loan_round_up_pic.png?w=622&h=278)

There were a host of shut outs for our loanees this weekend as some ended up on the wrong side of the score line.

Jean-Michaël Seri is establishing himself as a key man in the Galatasaray team as he played the full game in a 2-0 win over Rizespor. Ryan Babel was on the score sheet again from the spot in the first 15 minutes.

Jerome Opoku completed another 90 minutes for Accrington Stanley in a solid away point against Coventry. Stanley shift ever closing away from danger in League One with the result.

André-Frank Zambo Anguissa was withdrawn ten minutes from time as Villarreal played out a stalemate with Athletic Bilbao.

Elsewhere in Spain, Fabri started his first game at Mallorca which ended in a convincing defeat. The Spanish stopper conceded three as Valladolid claimed a comfortable win leaving Mallorca hovering outside the drop zone.

Toni Stahl was forced to sit on the bench as Energie Cottbus recorded their fifth straight win in the Regionalliga Nordost, moving them into third.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2019/november/06/loan-round-up
Title: Re: Thursday Fulham Stuff - 07/10/19...
Post by: WhiteJC on November 07, 2019, 07:43:32 AM
Parker can take inspiration from former Fulham boss' achievements after poor start: Comment

After a 3-0 defeat at home to Hull City at the weekend, Fulham fans are already starting to look to next season. But if history is anything to go off, then Fulham fans still have plenty of reason to believe.

Scott Parker's tenure at Craven Cottage has come under the spotlight recently, no less after his side's drubbing at the hands of Hull last weekend.

The performance was so far below the par that Fulham have set themselves in recent seasons, and fans were expecting a lot more from the side this season.

Having kept most of their Premier League squad, and recruiting well in the summer, Fulham were expected by most to be right up there challenging for the title. But after 15 games of the season, they sit in 8th – 2 points off Bristol City in 6th.

The devastation of relegation for Fulham last season proved that they're still not ready to sustain Premier League football, and Parker has been tasked with rebuilding a squad which can one day, maybe as soon as next year, do just that.

Despite the current angst surrounding the club, fans only need to look back at their promotion winning 2017/18 season to see that they're very much still in with a chance of success this season.

Almost two years ago to the day, Fulham were beaten 2-0 by Championship leaders Wolves. The loss sunk the Cottagers to 16th in the table, with as many points separating them from Nuno Espirito Santos' team.

How Fulham gained promotion that season is nothing short of miraculous, and looking back on their results in the second-half of the season shows just how well then-manager Slavisa Jokanovic performed.

He too was a manager under-pressure nearing towards Christmas, but from the end of December to the end of April 2018, his side went 23 Championship games unbeaten – winning 18 and drawing five with a points take of 59 in that period.

It was a run which saw them into the play-offs which they'd eventually win against Aston Villa in the final.

Fulham that year were in a much worse position by this stage of the season than they are this time round under Parker.

For fans to be calling for Parker's head is shallow – he's undertaken a huge task at a club with likely high-wage bills from their top-flight season, and huge pressure to return there with immediate affect.

There's still plenty of games and plenty of hope for Parker this season, and he could well pull off some unlikely heroics.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/parker-can-take-inspiration-from-former-fulham-boss-achievements-after-poor-start-comment/
Title: Re: Thursday Fulham Stuff - 07/10/19...
Post by: WhiteJC on November 07, 2019, 07:45:49 AM
Games for the Weekend 09/11
This weekend with travel to Birmingham for another 3 o'clock kick-off.
(https://www.friendsoffulham.com/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/BirminghamFulham.png)
Well after last weekends dreadful game, hopefully we can get back to something like how we should be playing this weekend. Loosing Joe Bryan so early in that match seemed to throw off our play, with any luck he won't be out for too long.

Birmingham lost away to Cardiff last time out so they'll be looking to make full use of their home advantage as they've won 5 of their 6 home games, only loosing to Preston NE.
A good bit of news, for Fulham, is that City's captain Harlee Deen was given a red card so he will be suspended for their next 3 games.

COYW's

Games of Interest...
Saturday 9th

Forest v Derby
Birmingham City v Fulham
Leeds v Blackburn
Millwall v Charlton
QPR v Middlesborough
Reading v Luton
Wigan v Brentford

Sunday 10th
Cardiff v Bristol City



come on over to the forum and join in the discussion...
https://www.friendsoffulham.com/forum/index.php?board=1.0



https://www.friendsoffulham.com/wordpress/?p=970
Title: Re: Thursday Fulham Stuff - 07/10/19...
Post by: WhiteJC on November 07, 2019, 07:48:29 AM
Why the potential return of this forgotten man will have Fulham fans baffled: Comment

Much has been made of Fulham's disastrous Premier League campaign, with a host of high value transfers failing to prevent the Cottagers from succumbing to relegation in their first season back in the first division since 2014.

The Whites of course brought in a total of 15 new additions to supplement their existing squad ahead of the 2018/2019, with most of the arrivals at Craven Cottage boasting string reputations for having good careers in European football.

Ultimately most of these new additions failed to perform and Fulham finished bottom of the league after going through two managers in the form of Slavisa Jokanovic and Claudio Ranieri, before plucking for Scott Parker to take caretaker charge till the end of the campaign.

Parker is now in permanent charge of the Whites, as he looks to mount a bid to return the west Londoners to the Premier League at the first time of asking.

One of the players who the former West Ham United midfielder offloaded this summer is Jean Michael Seri, who departed Craven Cottage for Turkish giants Galatasaray on loan, seemingly ending his short career in English football.

However it now seems that Seri could once again be donning the White shirt, with news filtering through that the 28-year-old may be sent back to England following a slow start to his career at Gala.

This will be news that will no doubt confuse a vast majority of the Fulham faithful, with Seri having been one of the main targets for criticism last campaign after putting in some lacklustre displays following his move from Ligue 1 side Nice.

Fulham fans will be questioning whether a potential recall for the Ivorian is a good choice for the club as a whole, with the Whites midfield three currently being settled and playing well, Seri's return could cause conflict in the dressing room.

On the other hand, some supporters may be in favour of the move as it would in theory help to give the squad more depth in a key area of the field, with the Whites currently lacking a real deep-lying playmaker in the heart of midfield, Seri could fill that void.

Given the poor level of performances he gave last season, Seri will surely be keen to prove his worth if he is indeed sent back to Craven Cottage, as the jury is still very much out on the 28-year-old at Craven Cottage and in the wider corners of Europe after his showings last term.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/why-the-potential-return-of-this-forgotten-man-will-have-fulham-fans-baffled-comment/
Title: Re: Thursday Fulham Stuff - 07/10/19...
Post by: WhiteJC on November 07, 2019, 07:50:23 AM
Fulham must look to involve player if return goes through: Comment

This article is part of Football League World's 'Comment' series, this content strand is where the author of the article issues their personal opinion on the topic at hand....

Fulham have had a really inconsistent start to the season and will be hoping to push on especially with the squad that Scott Parker has at his disposal.

On Saturday, the Cottagers were defeated 3-0 at home to Hull City, and it was a somewhat shock result in the grand scheme of things that has seen Parker come under some criticism.

The Cottagers often dominate possession, but without it they don't seem to have that steel that could make them a tough team to beat.

Fulham signed Jean Michael Seri during the summer that they were promoted to the Premier League. He didn't have the best of seasons in the top-flight and was recorded as a flop by many, but the Cottagers haven't sold the midfielder.

Instead, they sent him out on loan to Galatasaray for what is meant to be a season-long loan. However, due to foreign quota rules, it looks like Seri could be set to return to Fulham in January.

Many would see it as another player at the club who may not want to be there, but it could turn out to be a very important and significant decision that happens this season for Parker's side.

Seri still has so much quality, and at Championship level, he'd be head and shoulders above many of the opposition midfielders. He would also provide something completely different to what the midfield currently has.

He has the attributes that Parker's middle men lack, the tenacity, tackling and hard work is so vital in the middle of the park and he could bring something that Fulham so desperately need.

If Seri's attitude isn't up to scratch, then by all means sell the 28-year-old or look to loan him out again but he's just as good a signing as one that they'd find in the current market, if they can get him happy and on side.

Fulham have to start improving anyway, and if they don't then Parker could be under immense pressure. If a new manager was to come in, Seri might be back involved in a much bigger way than he could have thought.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/fulham-must-look-to-involve-player-if-return-goes-through-comment/
Title: Re: Thursday Fulham Stuff - 07/10/19...
Post by: WhiteJC on November 07, 2019, 07:51:28 AM
Fulham sends message to former club about re-signing – Wants fresh start

Turkish newspaper Aksam report Fulham goalkeeper Fabri has sent a message to Besiktas as he wants to return to his former club next summer.

Loaned to La Liga side Mallorca during the final stages of the last transfer window, the Spanish goalkeeper made his first start for the club last weekend in their loss to Valladolid but Aksam report he's keen to re-join Besiktas at the end of the season.

Besiktas sold Fabri to Fulham for €6m in 2018 but the player only made two appearances for the London club.

His debut season with Fulham was a total disappointment and Aksam claim the 31 year old believes returning to the Super Lig could help him make a fresh start in his career.

The Turkish newspaper also adds Fabri could be a reliable option for Besiktas as Liverpool loanee Loris Karius is expected to leave the Turkish club at the end of the season.

Fabri's contract at Craven Cottage runs until June 2021.



http://sportwitness.co.uk/fulham-sends-message-former-club-re-signing-wants-fresh-start/
Title: Re: Thursday Fulham Stuff - 07/10/19...
Post by: WhiteJC on November 07, 2019, 07:53:03 AM
Mitro Nominated Again
(https://ffcw001.azureedge.net/-/media/motm/shutterstock_editorial_10452629ce.jpg?w=622&h=278)

Aleksandar Mitrović has received another Player of the Month nomination, this time in the Sky Bet awards.

Having already won the PFA version of the award, Mitrović could make it an October double if he can see off competition from Huddersfield Town midfielder Juninho Bacuna, Millwall striker Tom Bradshaw, and Sheffield Wednesday defender Julian Borner.

The judging panel for the Sky Bet Player of the Month comprises Sky Sports' EFL expert Don Goodman, EFL Communications Director Mark Rowan, and Sky Bet EFL trader Ivor Davies, with the winner announced this Friday.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2019/november/07/aleksandar-mitrovic-nominated-again-player-of-the-month
Title: Re: Thursday Fulham Stuff - 07/10/19...
Post by: ScalleysDad on November 07, 2019, 10:15:24 AM
"A blessing and a curse"
Strangely we had this conversation yesterday. If Mitro was not in the picture would going a simple 4.4.2 spread the chances on goal resulting in more attempts = more goals.

Just not a thought, no insider info, no grudge, it might not work, JOka would be doing it, Parker in, no wand, West Brom play at the Hawthorns, highest ground above sea level and next to the M6 and they are nicknamed The Baggies.
Title: Re: Thursday Fulham Stuff - 07/10/19...
Post by: filham on November 07, 2019, 12:51:04 PM
Seri failed us last season, it seemed that the Premier league was too physical for him. It was also seen thatSeri ans Cairney in the same team was a luxury we could not afford.
OK Cairney is not looking exceptional just now but would Parker really consider dropping him in favour of Seri. I fear Siri would see out the season occupying his own place on the bench.
Title: Re: Thursday Fulham Stuff - 07/10/19...
Post by: ScalleysDad on November 07, 2019, 01:39:48 PM
Quote from: filham on November 07, 2019, 12:51:04 PM
Seri failed us last season, it seemed that the Premier league was too physical for him. It was also seen thatSeri ans Cairney in the same team was a luxury we could not afford.
OK Cairney is not looking exceptional just now but would Parker really consider dropping him in favour of Seri. I fear Siri would see out the season occupying his own place on the bench.


It would be rather sad if an out of form/ineffective Seri took up space on the already underwhelming bench at the expense of one of the youngsters. I know those that have stepped up have not been 'blooded' yet but being part of the squad is part of the process these days. I suppose if he hits the ground running at MP and finds an ounce of form he would have to be utilised to keep him in the marketplace.