Saturday Fulham Stuff - 26/12/25...

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West Ham vs Fulham – Preview, Lineups, Score Prediction
Fixture: West Ham United v Fulham
Competition: Premier League
Kick-off: 27th December, 15:00 UK time

West Ham United host Fulham with an increasing desperation to pick up points as Leeds United in 16th and Nottingham Forest in 17th keep pulling away, with the chasm between the Hammers and Forest standing at five points.

Fulham have been a lot more consistent and with the gap between the Cottagers and Chelsea in fourth a mere six points, they will understandably be concerning themselves with upward mobility rather than looking behind their shoulders, with a ten-point gap between themselves and the Hammers.

The Africa Cup of Nations though, could throw a spanner in the works and make the contest more unpredictable than it might have been, possibly benefitting the Hammers.

West Ham will be without the services of Aaron Wan-Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf, who are currently away with DR Congo and Senegal respectively. Fulham, likewise, will be without the Nigerian contingent of Calvin Bassey, Samuel Chukwueze and Alex Iwobi.

While El Hadji Malick Diouf is the top assister for West Ham, Bassey, Chukwueze and Iwobi are arguably bigger misses for Fulham. Bassey and Iwobi have both made 18 appearances, with Iwobi scoring twice and assisting twice for the Cottagers. Chukwueze is the top assister for Fulham with four, while also contributing two goals.

Nuno Espirito Santo's men have failed to win eleven of their last 13 Premier League games at the London Stadium but equally, Fulham are without a win in 13 of their last 14 league visits to the London Stadium, losing nine games since December 2002.

Though Nuno has overseen a slight improvement after taking over, taking the club to 18th from 19th, their last six fixtures have produced four defeats with a solitary win. Nuno will undoubtedly want to strengthen over the January window, but there has been more concrete movement with regards to outgoings than incomings.

Nuno is entering desperate straits, if he is not already there, and needs to find a way to eke out points. The January window too, holds no promise of an uptick, with West Ham hampered by PSR.

Niclas Fullkrug is heading on loan to AC Milan, after turning down offers from Germany, while Sporting Lisbon are strongly linked with taking Luis Guilherme from the Hammers.

Though the Hammers are linked with exciting striker Kaio Jorge, they face a battle to land the Brazil international. West Ham are interested in taking Adama Traore from their weekend opponents, with that transfer rated as more likely.

The prevailing sense amongst the Claret and Blue Army is that West Ham are sleepwalking to relegation, which is all the more understandable given that they saw a side that contained the likes of Paolo Di Canio, Frederic Kanoute, Joe Cole, Michael Carrick, Les Ferdinand, Jermain Defoe, Trevor Sinclair and Lee Bowyer go down in 2003, a season after finishing seventh.

Marco Silva has a chance to set Fulham's record at the London Stadium right, while also maintaining pace with clubs positioned above the Cottagers. With the Premier League being so open, and no single team able to find consistency, Fulham have a chance to finish amongst the European spots, and Silva will know that there remains an outside chance of even qualification for the Champions League.

The Hammers' veteran goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski remains a long-time injury absentee while Oliver Scarles is a major doubt after being forced off against Manchester City last weekend. The Cottagers have Rodrigo Muniz and Ryan Sessegnon ruled out while they remain hopeful Harry Wilson will recover in time for the clash.

Recent Form (league)
West Ham United: LLDDL

Fulham: WWLLW
 
Key Men
West Ham United
Jarrod Bowen has stuck to task admirably despite having little support, is West Ham's top scorer, with five goals, and leads the squad for expected assists in open play. Bowen will again be the key, or only hope if the Hammers are to get something out of the game.

Mateus Fernandes will be key not only in trying to disrupt Fulham's possession-based play, but also during transitions when West Ham try to mount a counter-attack.

Lucas Paqueta continues to be a player who when on song can make a real difference. Nuno getting the best out of him consistently could be crucial.

Fulham
Sander Berge will be key in snuffing out any threat the Hammers pose during transitions, as they look to control proceedings at the London Stadium.

Harry Wilson has three goals and three assists in his last five Premier League games and has quietly become the fulcrum of Fulham's attack. Wilson seems to be finally fulfilling the potential he displayed as a youngster and will want to extend his fine vein of form.

Emile Smith Rowe is one of the many supporting acts Fulham possess at the moment. Smith Rowe is on three goals for the season and will look to help himself further against a hapless Hammers defence.

Match Prediction
Fulham have a poor record at the London Stadium, while the stats are also skewed in West Ham's favour historically. They though have a chance to fix that, with the Hammers saved from the ignominy being the worst side in the league merely because there are two other sides performing worse inexplicably.

The Cottagers fare better the Hammers in both phases of play, having scored more goals while also having conceded fewer. Their threat is also more distributed, with Fulham's attack able to better share the load compared to West Ham who have been over-reliant on Bowen.

An away win for the Cottagers and further pain for Nuno and West Ham fans seems likely unless Fulham offer up a belated Christmas gift.

Inside Futbol Score Prediction
West Ham United 1-2 Fulham

Where To Watch?
West Ham United vs Fulham will not be available to watch live in the UK, but can be followed via each club's respective website.




https://insidefutbol.com/2025/12/26/west-ham-vs-fulham-preview-lineups-score-prediction/701762/

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West Ham United vs Fulham: Preview and Prediction
West Ham United will host Fulham at the London Stadium on Saturday, looking to continue their fight for survival with a big performance.

West Ham United are without a win in their last six matches in all competitions, and they cannot afford to drop points in the game vs Fulham at the London Stadium on Saturday afternoon if they want to play in the Premier League next season.

The Hammers are 18th in the Premier League table, and they need to start picking up points. Nuno Espirito Santo's men are coming into the game on the back of consecutive defeats, and the home fans will demand a strong reaction from the players.

On the other hand, Fulham are in the mid-table positions, and they have picked up four wins from their last six Premier League matches. The Cottagers will certainly fancy their chances here, and they will look to pick up a win away from home.

West Ham are completely lacking in form and confidence. It will be interesting to see if the East London club can get the job done. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.

Team News & Tactics
West Ham United
Lukasz Fabianski will miss out due to a lower back issue. El Hadji Malick Diouf and Aaron Wan-Bissaka are away for AFCON. However, there is some good news, as Oliver Scarles is finally fit and available to take on Fulham this weekend.

West Ham United will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs Fulham, with Alphonse Areola in goal. Kyle Walker-Peters and Max Kilman will start as the full-backs. They will look to contribute at both ends of the pitch. Konstantinos Mavropanos will start alongside Jean-Clair Todibo at the heart of the defence.

As for the midfield unit, Tomas Soucek will start alongside Soungoutou Magassa in the douoble pivot. They will look to add defensive cover and physicality to the midfield. Mateus Fernandes will start as the attacking midfielder here, and he will look to create goalscoring chances for his teammates.

Jarrod Bowen and Lucas Paqueta will add creativity, flair, and goals from the flanks. Finally, Callum Wilson will spearhead the West Ham United attack vs Fulham at the London Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Areola; Walker-Peters, Mavropanos, Todibo, Kilman; Soucek, Magassa; Bowen, Fernandes, Paqueta; Wilson

Fulham
Ryan Sessegnon is struggling with a knock, and Rodrigo Muniz is recovering from a hamstring problem. Additionally, Marco Silva is sweating over Harry Wilson's fitness. Meanwhile, Calvin Bassey, Alex Iwobi, and Samuel Chukwueze are away at the AFCON.

Fulham will shape up in a 4-2-3-1 formation vs West Ham United, with Bernd Leno in goal. Kenny Tete and Antonee Robinson will start as the full-backs here, and they will look to help the team at both ends of the pitch. Joachim Andersen will start alongside Jorge Cuenca at the heart of the defence.

As for the midfield unit, Sander Berge and Sasa Lukic will add defensive cover and physicality in the middle of the park. They will look to break up the opposition's attacking moves and win the ball back.

Joshua King will be the attacking midfielder here, and he will look to link the midfield with the attack. Kevin and Harry Wilson will start on the flanks, and they will look to add pace and flair to the side. Adama Traore will start instead of Wilson if he is not fit and available. Finally, Raul Jimenez will lead the line for Fulham vs West Ham on Saturday.

Probable Lineup (4-2-3-1): Leno, Tete, Andersen, Cuenca, Robinson; Berge, Lukic; Wilson, King, Kevin; Jimenez

Key Stats

    West Ham United have won seven of their last eight home matches against Fulham in all competitions. 17 goals have been scored in the last six matches between these two teams.
    West Ham United have failed to win their last six matches in the Premier League.
    Fulham have picked up four wins from their last six Premier League matches.
    West Ham have lost 10 home league matches in 202. It is only the third time they have lost 10+ games at home in a year, along with 1931 (10) and 1967 (11).
    Since Nuno Espirito Santo's first Premier League match in charge, only Burnley (7) and Wolves (1) have won fewer points than West Ham (10). He is averaging just 0.83 points per game as Hammers boss, the lowest of any permanent boss in their Premier League history.

Player to Watch
Harry Wilson
The Fulham attacker is our key player to watch out for. Wilson has been in impressive form for club and country in recent weeks. In the last six matches for the West London club, he has registered three goals and three assists. So, it is hardly surprising that he was a popular pick in our FPL suggestions throughout this week.

He will look to create opportunities for his teammates here and find the back of the net once again. West Ham are quite poor at the back, and the Welsh international has the technical attributes to open them up and take advantage of their defensive vulnerabilities. It remains to be seen whether he can help his team pick up a vital away win.

Prediction
West Ham United 1-2 Fulham

Both teams will be desperate for a victory here, and this is likely to be a close contest. Neither side is defensive in their approach, and they will look to pick up all three points. There will be a fair amount of chances for either side, and an open game is on the cards.

Both teams are likely to get on the score sheet, but Fulham are in better form, and they should be able to pick up a narrow victory. West Ham are likely to be let down by their defensive unit. A narrow win for the visitors is on the cards. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-1 win for Marco Silva and his charges.



https://thehardtackle.com/round-up/2025/12/26/west-ham-united-vs-fulham-preview-and-prediction-3/

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Birmingham City sign Fulham prodigy and Bundesliga defender in mega new January transfer window prediction
A big January transfer window could help fire a play-off push for Chris Davies

Birmingham City are making a much better fight in the Championship than their last few seasons in the second tier and with the aid of a successful January transfer window, they could even make a playoff push in 2026.

Their two best attackers so far this campaign have been permanent signings in the last two summers - Jay Stansfield and Demarai Gray - while Marvin Ducksch has also adapted impressively quickly to life in the top flight.

If The Blues can clear up their wretched away form and get some good fortune with injuries they'll be a dark horse to push for the top six in the final months of the season, and bringing in some experience could certainly help on that front.

So to see if that could be on the horizon in B9, we fired up Football Manager 26 to look ahead to what January could hold.

Who could Birmingham City sign in January transfer window?
Kevin Akpoguma - 1.7m from Hoffenheim - The aggressive leader probably could've played in the Premier League earlier in his career but turning 30 in April, he's likely missed his chance to jump across to the most lucrative division in the world. However, Akpoguma could almost certainly improve The Blues' back line.

Josh King - loan from Fulham - It's no exaggeration to say that if King was a permanent addition in B9 he could have a similar impact to either Bellingham brother. Fulham midfielder Josh King that is, not ex-Bournemouth striker Josh King who's now terrorising Saudi Pro League defences for Al-Khaleej aged 33.

He made a storming start to the season and should've had his first Premier League goal - against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge no less. He's still waiting for that maiden strike and has seen his game-time curtailed as the season's wore on but it'd still be a massive surprise if Fulham were willing to part with him and a major coup for Birmingham to sign King.

Ruslan Malinovskyi - £400,000m from Genoa - with Jay Stansfield flying high in the Championship scoring charts, signing more goals isn't a major need for The Blues in January. However, if they can sign such an established player at such a cheap price, they may struggle to say no. Aged 32 the Ukranian no spring chicken but he's not over hill just yet and has netted twice in Serie A for Genoa in 2025/26.

Amin Nabizada - £375,000 from Watford - The 18-year-old attacker has only played 19 senior minutes of football for Watford so it's impossible to tell if this would be a good investment.

Who could West Brom sell in January?
Tyrese Warmington - loan to Maidstone United - Having failed to play a single minute in the Premier League 2 or Premier League Cup so far, it makes sense for the goalkeeper to get farmed out.

Zaid Betteka - loan to Solihull Moors - Betteka has been more successful than Warmington in making age-group appearances but staying close to home while getting the opportunity to player senior football would be a win-win. Finally, teenage prospect Menzi Mazwi departs to Zimbabwean side Simba Bhora.



https://www.birminghamworld.uk/sport/football/birmingham-city/birmingham-city-sign-bundesliga-fulham-prodigy-transfer-prediction-5436530

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West Ham must beat Fulham tomorrow or face the fact that relegation is inevitable this season.
That is the view of The West Ham Way Podcast host Dave Walker, who like most fans knows that the London derby on Saturday is huge for the club as we look to fight for survival.

The next five games are crucial for us and it certainly starts now, with Fulham. There are simply no more excuses, we HAVE to win this game.

It's time for these players to start earning their money and show how much they care about this club.

Walker also shared his thoughts on the club being strongly linked with Fulham winger Adama Traore, who is expected to move to east London in January to link with Nuno once again.

I can see what Adama Traore brings in terms of pace and power, but I worry about his end product. I'm not against the signing but can't help but feel a bit underwhelmed by it.



https://www.thewesthamway.com/2025/12/26/host-says-west-ham-must-beat-fulham-or-face-doom/

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Fulham vs West Ham – Preview, Team News & Predicted Line-ups | Squeaky Bum Time
West Ham v Fulham Preview: No More Excuses for Nuno

West Ham United return to action with a crucial home fixture the London Stadium on Saturday knowing this one feels bigger than the league table might suggest.

Nuno Under Pressure — Mitigation Running Out
Nuno Espírito Santo has not enjoyed the smoothest start to life in east London. When he arrived, fresh from a very public exit at Nottingham Forest, plenty of Hammers felt he represented an upgrade on Graham Potter. Right now, that optimism feels a long time ago.

The numbers are uncomfortable. Nuno's win percentage is worse than Potter's, even if context matters. He inherited a muddled squad, built under David Sullivan, with no signings of his own and a fixture list that has been about as kind as a VAR decision at Anfield.

That mitigation has carried him so far. Now, it's wearing thin.

No More Excuses Nuno
Fulham are beatable. Simple as that.

Fulham FC arrive without several key players due to AFCON, while others are sidelined through injury. Marco Silva's side did West Ham a favour by beating Forest earlier this week, but let's be honest — it was hardly a classic.

No one expected points at the Etihad. Expectations are very different here.

This feels like a game where Nuno must stop experimenting, trust his best options, and deliver something tangible. The "eye test" suggests improvement. The league table doesn't care about eye tests.

Nuno had one of the shortest ever pre-match press conference on Tuesday lasting just over two minutes and it was clear, he was in no mood to chew the fat oh the hammers relegation situation.

"We're training, training, training, preparing for the matches as it's a busy schedule," he said.

"We need to improve. Since day one, since we arrived, it was clear that we need to improve a lot of aspects in our team, defensively and offensively.

"We are trying and sometimes it works out. Sometimes we score and sometimes we concede more than we should. We are still chasing the primary objective of having a clean sheet, being solid and compact and it's another test for us against

Team News: Who's Missing?
West Ham have no fresh injury concerns but remain without Aaron Wan-Bissaka and El Hadji Malick Diouf, both away at AFCON.

Fulham are also hit by international absences, with Calvin Bassey, Samuel Chukwueze and Alex Iwobi unavailable. Rodrigo Muniz and Ryan Sessegnon are injured, while Harry Wilson is a doubt after limping off against Forest.

Score Prediction: Grit, Not Glory
It's hard to feel confident. Fulham didn't look great against Forest, but three wins in five tells its own story. West Ham need three points — badly — yet this still feels like a game where the mounting pressure could go either way.

A 1-1 draw feels likely. And that will not be enough, it would do little to ease the pressure building around the London Stadium dugout or the relegation situation.



https://www.claretandhugh.info/fulham-vs-west-ham-preview-team-news-predicted-line-ups-squeaky-bum-time/

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Predicted: Nuno makes two big West Ham changes for Fulham as star harshly dropped
West Ham welcome Fulham to the London Stadium for a must-win game and Nuno Espirito Santo looks set to make two big changes.

The Hammers are standing at a crossroads over their very survival in the Premier League.

West Ham play Fulham and Brighton at home three days apart before games against Wolves and Forest.

Stuck in the bottom three, effectively six points adrift of safety, the Irons simply have to take at least 10, if not 12, points from the four games to have a realistic hope of staying up.

It forms the most significant segment of what is Nuno Espirito Santo's most winnable run of games between now and May.

West Ham must beat Fulham as survival bid begins
Given how competitive the top flight is this season, it is projected that the magic 40 points will be needed to survive for the first time in over a decade.

If West Ham want to get to that tally, they must win the equivalent of another nine games from the 21 that remain.

It is some ask to go from winning three in 17 to nine in 21. But that is the task at hand for the Hammers.

That is why facing a depleted Fulham at home is quite simply a must-win for West Ham.

The Cottagers are missing a host of key players due to AFCON including Nigerian trio Alex Iwobi, Calvin Bassey and Samuel Chukwueze.

Nuno has his own AFCON issues with El Hadji Malick Diouf and Aaron Wan-Bissaka both away with Senegal and DR Congo respectively.

Ironically, the duo face off directly against one another at the same time West Ham play Fulham with Senegal meeting Congo in their second game of the tournament after both won their opening matches.

Their absence limits Nuno's options in an already weak squad and gives the Portuguese a selection dilemma.

So too does striker Callum Wilson, who has been a hot topic of debate among Hammers fans after being left out by Nuno again in recent matches.

The manager is also under pressure to drop Max Kilman again after his woeful performance at Man City.

We predict Nuno makes two big West Ham changes for Fulham as one star is harshly dropped.

Nuno makes two big West Ham changes for Fulham
Alphonse Areola has arguably been West Ham's best player of late.

So the Hammers ace is one of the first names on the teamsheet to face his former club.

Nuno decided to bring Kilman back into the starting XI for the 3-0 defeat to Man City last time out.

The £40m signing from Wolves has been woeful this season and had been dropped in favour of Konstantinos Mavropanos recently.

While that had not helped the Hammers keep any clean sheets, the big Greek had been a marginal improvement on Kilman.

But Mavropanos was left out at Man City in favour of Kilman and the latter was poor once again.

Now Mavropanos looks set to come back into the West Ham starting XI to replace Kilman in one big change for the Fulham clash.

Ollie Scarles is said to be fit after a groin strain, meaning he should retain his place at left-back with Kyle Walker-Peters at right-back and Jean-Clair Todibo alongside Mavropanos in central defence.

Nuno cannot afford to play without a striker in a must-win game.

So we believe Wilson will come back into the team from the start.

That will see Jarrod Bowen and Crysencio Summerville return to their wider roles.

Many Hammers fans have called for Lucas Paqueta to be dropped after a string of underwhelming performances.

West Ham star Magassa harshly dropped for Fulham
It has been claimed Nuno believes Paqueta West Ham's best player and he previously called the midfielder 'irreplaceable'.

So it is safe to assume Paqueta will start, but with Wilson back, he will revert to a midfield role.

Mateus Fernandes has been one of West Ham's better performers recently and brings much-needed box-to-box energy to midfield.

That gives Nuno a big decision to make over Freddie Potts and Soungoutou Magassa.

Young French midfielder Magassa has been seriously impressive but looks set to be harshly demoted back to the bench.

Predicted West Ham starting XI to face Fulham:
Areola, Walker-Peters, Mavropanos, Todibo, Scarles, Potts, Fernandes, Paqueta, Summerville, Bowen, Wilson.



https://www.hammers.news/match-report/predicted-nuno-makes-two-big-west-ham-changes-for-fulham-as-star-harshly-dropped/

[WhiteJC]

West Ham United v Fulham | Lineups, goals, predictions
One of a series of 'winnable' post Christmas fixtures, todays London derby takes on special significance for the 60,000 expected at London Stadium as being the closest thing to an old fashioned Boxing Day encounter but with added jeopardy. West Ham desperately need the win to start to close the gap on Nottingham Forest and Leeds, now five and six points clear respectively.

Lose and the gap, with West Ham stuck in 18th position if the other two sides win this weekend, starts to look enormous.

Nuno faces the challenge of both his full backs being away on AFCON duty so is likely to use Walker-Peters and – if Ollie Scarles is not fit to take part – either teen Ezra Mayers as a left back or draft loanee Igor Julio into the left sided role.

Further up the pitch Nuno has to choose how to deploy his midfield and attack – principally whether to play Lucas Paquetá ( I wish he wouldn't) as a number ten at the head of the midfield or as a false nine in place of Callum Wilson.

West Ham United (predicted starting XI)
Areola | Walker Peters Todibo Mavropanos Mayers | Fernandeas Potts Paquetá | Bowen Wilson Summerville

Score predictions

Sean 1 – 1

Gonzo 1 – 1

Matt 1 – 1 West Ham

Martin 2 – 1 West Ham



https://www.claretandhugh.info/west-ham-united-v-fulham-lineups-goals-predictions/

[Woolly Mammoth]

West Ham United v Fulham | Lineups, goals, predictions
One of a series of 'winnable' post Christmas fixtures, todays London derby takes on special significance for the 60,000 expected at London Stadium as being the closest thing to an old fashioned Boxing Day encounter but with added jeopardy. West Ham desperately need the win to start to close the gap on Nottingham Forest and Leeds, now five and six points clear respectively.

Lose and the gap, with West Ham stuck in 18th position if the other two sides win this weekend, starts to look enormous.

Nuno faces the challenge of both his full backs being away on AFCON duty so is likely to use Walker-Peters and – if Ollie Scarles is not fit to take part – either teen Ezra Mayers as a left back or draft loanee Igor Julio into the left sided role.

Further up the pitch Nuno has to choose how to deploy his midfield and attack – principally whether to play Lucas Paquetá ( I wish he wouldn't) as a number ten at the head of the midfield or as a false nine in place of Callum Wilson.

West Ham United (predicted starting XI)
Areola | Walker Peters Todibo Mavropanos Mayers | Fernandeas Potts Paquetá | Bowen Wilson Summerville

Score predictions

Sean 1 – 1

Gonzo 1 – 1

Matt 1 – 1 West Ham

Martin 2 – 1 West Ham



https://www.claretandhugh.info/west-ham-united-v-fulham-lineups-goals-predictions/

Woolly Mammoth 🦣  0 2

[WhiteJC]

'Rejected' West Ham man has a point to prove after Fulham broke his heart
There are certainly a number of West Ham United players with a point to prove and critics to silence when the Premier League strugglers host London rivals Fulham.

Lucas Paqueta has summed up the Hammers recently, and not in a good way.

Wasteful, timid, and with a self-defeating streak, the Brazil international epitomises a West Ham United squad which continues to perform well below the finances invested in it.

Crysencio Summerville hasn't scored a Premier League goal all season, and none at all since Erik ten Hag's Manchester United were defeated by a Julen Lopetegui side in October 2024.

No one has faced more consistent, or more sustained criticism than Max Kilman though.

And as Nuno Espirito Santo prepares to go head to head with fellow Iberian Marco Silva, how the home boss could do with a performance befitting his obscene £40 million price-tag.

Fulham released West Ham United defender Max Kilman
Kilman was at his catastrophic worst when Manchester City cruised to the easiest of 3-0 wins the other side of Christmas. No wonder Hammers News are predicting that Nuno will re-introduce Konstantinos Mavropanos when Fulham come to town.

For all his weaknesses, Mavropanos at least displays the character to engage himself in defensive duels. Kilman, in contrast, almost appears to shrink a foot or two when a cross comes fizzing into his vicinity.

Should Nuno place his trust in the former Wolves skipper once again, the Chelsea-born 28-year-old will have even greater motivation to prove his doubters wrong. This weekend's opponents cut him loose when he was just a teenager, after all.

"I was at Fulham from the age of nine to 14, then I got released," Kilman tells the club's official website. "

"That was my first setback, but I had so many more straight after that because I was going on trials to so many teams around London and outside of London between 14 to 16.

"And I was rejected so many times."

Kilman was forced to build up his reputation from the depths of non-league, making his name at Maidenhead before Wolves took a punt on the former England Futsal international.

"All of us footballers have gone through tough times and it's just what makes us tougher and that's why we play in the Premier League," adds Kilman, who is currently facing greater scrutiny than ever before.

"It shows that at the highest of levels, you need the highest of mentalities.

"As you grow older, you become a teenager, become an adult and so much changes. I think I really learned the most about myself and about football playing non-league and then coming to the Premier League.

"I've had completely different perspectives of how football works, how life works in general, so it's been a very unique journey, but everyone's story is different."

West Ham make moves for Charlie Cresswell and Jorgen Strand Larsen
Hammers News can confirm that West Ham remain in talks to sign Charlie Cresswell from Ligue 1 outfit Toulouse ahead of the January transfer window.

Should the £22 million former Leeds starlet return to England, that would be another blow to Kilman's hopes of living up to his eye-watering price-tag in claret and blue.

And speaking of Wolves, the only team below Nuno's side in the Premier League table, West Ham were quoted £45 million when making an enquiry for Molineux targetman Jorgen Strand Larsen this month.

"They [Wolves] want far too much for a player who has scored just one Premier League goal this season," the spokesman for West Ham's owners exclusively told Hammers News before Christmas.



https://www.hammers.news/news/rejected-west-ham-man-has-a-point-to-prove-after-fulham-broke-his-heart/

[WhiteJC]

West Ham Utd v Fulham: match preview
Next up we return to home territory on Saturday where, at the sacred hour of 3pm, we will play host of Fulham.

There's loads of engineering works to cope with, particularly between Liverpool Street and Stratford, so get up early, shuffle back the Turkey leftovers for breakfast and check before you leave.

So Fulham, then. A bit of a mixed season so far. They won three, drew two and lost six of their first eleven games. A run that included four defeats in a row over the period between the end of September and the end of October.

They have improved a bit since then, winning four and losing two of their next six, beating Sunderland 1-0 at home and Spurs 2-1 at the Toilet Bowl. This was followed by a tight defensive game at home to Man City, where they lost 5-4.

Then, a 2-1 defeat at home to Palace before returning to winning ways at Burnley where they won 3-2 and most recently at home to Forest where they won one-nil. All of that has left them in 13th place with 23 points from 17 games. That's 10 points above us as we speak.

Now, here at the Avram Grant Olympic Rest Home for the Bewildered, we're still having internet problems thanks to a Sky organisation who thinks it's some sort of triumph that they'll be able to recollect us after only a full month. Which, by coincidence is the length of time I'm invoicing them for at £150 a day.

Oh, and if anyone from the misleadingly named "Sky customer service team" happens to be reading this, a promised call back within 72 hours is bad enough as it is when you treat that as at least 96 hours and counting, you deserve everything you're about to get, but thanks in advance for paying for our summer holiday.

The Internet stuff is, of course limiting Daisy's ability to conduct her usual in-depth research. That she was able to determine that they brought in a back-up 'keeper in the form of Benjamin Lecompte from Montpellier and Brazilian winger Kevin "so good they named him" from Shakhtar Donetsk.

As ever, though, we do have some injury and absentee news from the visitors. Rodrigo Muniz is a long term absentee with a thigh problem. Calvin Bassey, Samuel Chukwueze and Iwobi will all be sampling the cuppa soup down in Morocco.

Although not usually one to be getting the plaudits Iwobi will be will be a big miss for them. Whenever I've seen them on the box for them, he seems to make them tick.
Ryan Sessegnon's thigh is looking like a New Year job, whilst the in-form Wilson is rated only at 50/50 at the time of writing.

So without much further ado, let's move on to the wild and wacky word of Association Football. Well, it was a corker week for PGMOL who now have actually no defence on the charge that VAR is being used to cover up the appalling officiating that we have in this country.

Take Newcastle's non penalty. It was inconceivable that anyone with any passing knowledge of the laws of the game would not decide that Chalobah's full-blooded shove on Gordon, that left the letter thrown into the advertising hoardings, was a penalty.

Enter Andy Madley, who inexplicably decided that the challenge was legit. Still, VAR would rectify that, wouldn't it? No! Step forward Peter Banks, who, having observed his colleagues blunder, somehow agreed with his mate. It was a decision that no two professional officials could ever have come to, so when it was announced that a statement from the Premier League would be forthcoming we look forward to some explanation. LSD in the water supply maybe?

The announcement was a doozy. You see it wasn't a full blooded barge at all. Chalobah was merely "shielding the ball". The technical term for this statement is "a barefaced lie". However, it is a defence I intend to use should I ever encounter a member of Sky's customer service team. "I just shielded him face first into that brick wall, your honour, 31 times".

The Tottenham/Liverpool game was similarly mishandled by John Brooks. The sending offs were fine but the goal that turned out to be Liverpool's winner came, as so many of their goals do, as a result of a two-handed shove in the back of a defender. Again, clear as daylight for VAR. Again, completely ignored. Now it was only Tottenham, but it's still not right.

Remember the next time PGMOL lie in your face and tell you what imaginary percentage of decisions they got right this season. All of these will be counted as correct. Corrupt? They go beyond that.

And so to us. Well, it was a lousy weekend all round, wasn't it? I mean, nobody was expecting a win up there, but the quality of defending was about as PGMOL is at refereeing. I guess we're a bit better moving forwards in the second half, but a third was always going to be a killer and so it proved.

The defence needs sorting out soon and it's worrying that recent comments attributed to the manager appear to indicate that he's not aware of any deals in the offing. Now that's worrying for two reasons.

Firstly, it seems to indicate there may be no players on the radar in the first place. And secondly, it would seem to indicate that the radar screen is in the hands of David Sullivan. About as sensible an idea as leaving PGMOL in charge of VAR. I mean just look at the list of, what is it? Nearly 60 strikers was it that was signed under Sullivan.

We can add a new striker to this requirements as well, with Fullkrug seemingly off to Milan on a loan with an option deal. The German never recovered from getting injured within five minutes of getting off the plane at Stansted and he was never fit enough to put together a sustained run in the side, which in any case seemed singularly set up to play an a system desired to suit pretty much any player other than Fullkrug. A feature with which a fair percentage of those 50-odd strikers will have been familiar.

Fullkrug is unlikely to be in contention along with Fabianski. Aaron Wan-Bissaka and Malick Diouf are out in Africa, whilst Ollie Scarles has been passed fit and everyone else is available.

The results of last week did us few favours; Palace finally descending back to a more typical level of performance up at Leeds. Fulham helped a little bit on Monday by beating Forest, but such has been our failure to pick up three points instead of one - and one point instead of none of late - that even with a win on Saturday, we will start the new year in the drop zone.

Having said that, they didn't look that impressive against Forest and are eminently beatable, particularly given the quality of player action in the cuppa soup. So I'm going for us to end the year on a, well, let's call it a less low note by picking up three points.

So the £2.50 I was going to put towards the cost of a baseball bat for use when I next have to shield a Sky custom service rep will instead go on a home win. Make it 2-1 to us please, Mr. Winston. Enjoy the game and have a less lousy new year, if you must.



https://www.kumb.com/article.php?id=45267

[WhiteJC]