Monday Fulham Stuff (19/11/12)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Martin Jol bemoans "harsh" Brede Hangeland red card

Fulham manager Martin Jol has claimed that Brede Hangeland was harshly sent off as his side slumped to a 3-1 defeat at home to Sunderland on Sunday.

With the game goalless, Hangeland was shown a straight red card by referee Lee Probert for a two-footed challenge on Lee Cattermole.

"By the letter of the law it was two feet off ground," said Jol. "I still thought it was harsh because there were other incidents where if they judged them by the letter of the law then there would have been fewer players left on the pitch.

"Everything was against us - everything."

Sunday's loss at Craven Cottage was Fulham's fourth of the Premier League campaign.



http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/fulham/news/jol-bemoans-harsh-hangeland-dismissal_55236.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Cattermole: Hangeland red card was correct call


Fulham's Brede Hangeland is shown a red card by referee Lee Probert.
Photo: PA

Sunderland midfielder Lee Cattermole stopped short of expressing sympathy for dismissed defender Brede Hangeland after the Black Cats triumphed 3-1 over 10-man Fulham this evening.

The two sides could not be separated until Hangeland saw red for a two-footed tackle on Cattermole on the half hour mark, with Steven Fletcher managing to edge the Black Cats ahead after the break.

Mladen Petric equalised in the 62nd minute but goals from Carlos Cuellar and Stephan Sessegnon sealed Sunderland's second win of the Barclays Premier League season.

Cattermole, no stranger to red cards himself, told Sky Sports 1: "At the time I thought it was two-footed and the rules say that you can't do that.

"I don't think it was too bad but you can't do that."

The victory saw the Black Cats move three points clear of the relegation zone, and Cattermole thinks Martin O'Neill's side are starting to harvest the fruit of their labours.

"It's massive," he added. "Every game's a tough game and we've found ourselves playing well but not getting the results we deserved.

"This was a massive game for us and we got the three points we deserved.

"We've got back to back home games now so it's something we can build on.

"We'll take a lot of confidence from that and keep working and try to climb the table.

Fletcher converted Adam Johnson's cool pass to get the Black Cats moving and the former Wolves man was happy to be back among the goals for the first time since September.

The Scottish striker said: "It was a relief to get a goal and get the three points. It's been coming.

"Sessegnon has been working very hard and he's been playing brilliantly so it's fantastic."



http://www.itv.com/sport/football/article/2012-11-18/cattermole-hangeland-red-card-was-correct-call/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Sunderland punish Fulham indiscipline

Fulham 1 Sunderland 3

Three second-half goals saw Sunderland pick up their first Barclays Premier League win in seven attempts at the expense of 10-man Fulham this afternoon.

A red card for Fulham captain Brede Hangeland for a rash challenge on Lee Cattermole was the only action of a nervy yet well-contested first half.

A 50th minute goal from Steven Fletcher, the striker's first since the 1-0 win at Wigan in September, opened the scoring before substitute Mladen Petric levelled for the hosts.

Sunderland then scored twice within seven minutes of Petric's equaliser, through Carlos Cuellar and Stephane Sessegnon, to pick up only their second win at Craven Cottage in the Premier League era.

Both sides had half chances in the opening exchanges with Dimitar Berbatov and Sebastian Larsson coming close.

Fulham boss Martin Jol was then forced into a change as Sweden winger Alex Kacaniklic, brought into the side for Ashkan Dejagah, went off injured after 27 minutes with Hugo Rodallega replacing him.

Things went from bad to worse for Jol as his skipper Hangeland was dismissed moments later for a two-footed lunge on Cattermole.

A rare, misplaced pass from Giorgos Karagounis saw Sunderland captain Cattermole take possession and the former Wigan man looked to take on Hangeland before being caught by the Norway international and referee Lee Probert showed no hesitation in producing the red card.

Fulham reacted well and Berbatov should have put the home side ahead when he was picked out in the area by Damien Duff, but the Bulgarian could only fire a side-footed shot straight at Simon Mignolet.

Sunderland's best chance of the first half came after 42 minutes as Sessegnon beat the offside trap to pull the ball across the face of goal only to see Aaron Hughes clear away in front of Fletcher.

But the hosts were still attacking with 10 men and came close through Berbatov yet again before the break.

Hughes stepped in to take possession of a sloppy Sunderland pass and played a perfect through-ball into the former Manchester United forward whose shot across goal flew just wide.

Fulham started the second half the strongest of the two sides despite their numerical disadvantage.

Berbatov continued to pull the strings and Jol's side almost took the lead after 49 minutes when John Arne Riise's cross was deflected by Phil Bardsley onto the crossbar with Mignolet beaten.

The visitors were ahead moments later as Adam Johnson's perfectly weighted pass found Fletcher rushing through on Mark Schwarzer's goal and the Scotland international made no mistake as he slid the ball calmly into the corner of the goal.

Fulham were hit by a second injury and when Bryan Ruiz pulled up right in front of the home dugout, forward Petric was the man chosen to replace him.

The Croatia international almost made an immediate impact as he latched onto Rodallega's header before blazing his effort wide with his first touch.

The Black Cats were not dominating proceedings as they would have hoped against 10 men but came close to a second goal as Johnson's 25-yard effort forced a decent save from Schwarzer.

The open nature of the game meant that Fulham were always going to create chances and they finally took one just after the hour as Duff just stayed onside and took advantage of a static Sunderland defence to find Petric, who finished past Mignolet to level the game.

Fulham's bad luck continued as Petric had to leave the pitch to receive treatment and Sunderland took full advantage against nine men to regain the lead just two minutes after being pegged back.

Larsson floated in a corner that was headed beyond the outstretched hand of Schwarzer by Cuellar for the Spaniard's first goal for the club.

The points were secured five minutes later with Sunderland's third goal.

The visitors broke forward at pace and went 3-1 up after a fantastic individual effort from Sessegnon as the Benin international cut in from the left before arrowing an unstoppable effort past Schwarzer.

Fletcher, who was passed fit for the game after being a doubt with a calf problem, thought he had scored a fourth with 15 minutes to go but he was correctly flagged offside as he slotted home Johnson's cross.

Fulham had both Rodallega and Berbatov playing in midfield roles and the latter freed Steve Sidwell but Mignolet was quickly off his line to stop his effort.

The Belgian goalkeeper was also on hand to produce a marvellous save to deny Petric a second goal with just over six minutes to go.

Sunderland saw the remainder of the game out with relative ease although Fulham still had a couple of half-chances to score a consolation.



http://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/sport/sunderland-punish-fulham-indiscipline-574664.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Martin Jol: Brede Hangeland's red card was harsh, but Fulham won't appeal

Martin Jol was left to fume after Brede Hangeland's sending off against Sunderland, but has admitted he won't appeal to have it rescinded.

Fulham, despite battling bravely at Craven Cottage against the Black Cats, succumbed to a 3-1 defeat after the Norwegian received his marching orders for a challenge on Lee Cattermole.

But Jol believes that, although it appeared two footed, Hangeland was harshly dealt with because he lost his footing.

He said: "I felt that the referee was the only one in the stadium who thought it was a red card and that tells you it all.

"Of course, by the letter of the law, it's two feet off the ground, it could be red. It's possibly a red so I can't complain about it.
But on the other hand he was under the ball with his left leg and then he slipped.

"I think if you play football, and most of these referees must have played football, then you could have seen the situation. I thought it was maybe a yellow card."



Read more: http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-news/football/premier-league/121118/martin-jol-brede-hangeland%E2%80%99s-red-card-was-harsh-fulham-won%E2%80%99t-appeal-185617?#ixzz2CeZ8E7Vt
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[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham worry over injured duo

Fulham are likely to lose three key players to injuries and suspension as they count the cost of the 3-1 home defeat to Sunderland.

Captain Brede Hangeland is set to be banned after his straight red card, while Bryan Ruiz and Alexander Kacaniklic limped off with hamstring injuries.

Manager Martin Jol said he feared Ruiz and Kacaniklic would be out for at least three weeks, which would rule them out of trips to Stoke and Chelsea and the home match with Tottenham.

Kieran Richardson remains sidelined with a hamstring injury, while Jol was non-committal on a return date for the injured Mahamadou Diarra, although Chris Baird will be available again for the Stoke match after serving his one-match ban.



http://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/fulham-worry-over-injured-duo?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham sagging in the middle but Martin Jol's boldness will pay off
Giorgos Karagounis a fading force in midfield, but his manager's attacking instincts are a source of continuing hope


Fulham continued to attack with large numbers, despite having Brede Hangeland sent off in the first half.
Illustration: Graphic

Fulham have the benefit of an established centre-back partnership, possess a couple of decent full-backs, boast exciting wingers and have signed some intelligent attackers. It's the central midfield zone Martin Jol has struggled to get right this season.

Against Sunderland, he gave a full debut to the Greek veteran Giorgos Karagounis. Now 35, it is somewhat surprising to see the Euro 2004 winner turn out for a good Premier League side. Although he is still capable of fine long-distance passes, his energy levels have declined significantly. In 25 league appearances for Panathinaikos last season, not once did he complete 90 minutes, .

Yet Karagounis offers creativity and ambition, precisely what Jol demands from his side. Martin Jol's instinct is always to be bold – he converted Mousa Dembélé into the league's most direct central midfielder, while admiring Danny Murphy's ability to switch play quickly to the wings. Both departed in the summer, and the manager's options – Chris Baird, Mahamadou Diarra and Steve Sidwell – are mobile and combative but offer little invention.

Karagounis' brief cameo was rather stereotypical. He thumped a couple of fine crossfield passes to the flanks yet was caught out of position when moves broke down and misplaced simple passes, belying his reputation as an intelligent distributor; an underhit 10-yard backward ball resulted in Brede Hangeland diving forward recklessly into a red card.

Jol is not accustomed to reorganising with 10 men – Fulham were unique in not being shown a red card in 2011–12 – but he was forced to introduce a replacement centre-back, and inevitably Karagounis was sacrificed. Fulham had already replaced the injured Alexander Kacaniklic with Hugo Rodallega, and Jol knew Karagounis was not likely to last until full-time, which would deny him any further tactical switches. The Karagounis experiment lasted just 36 minutes, with mixed results.

After a sending off, most managers settle for two banks of four, and leave one striker feeding off scraps. Instead Jol's side continued to attack and play with great fluidity; Sidwell was theoretically the deepest midfielder yet continued to press, while Bryan Ruiz became a makeshift central midfielder, casually dropping in alongside Sidwell when Sunderland had the ball but also combining with Dimitar Berbatov.

With Fulham 1-0 down, Ruiz was forced off through injury. A less adventurous coach would have introduced Stephen Kelly at right-back and pushed Sascha Riether into the central-midfield role he played at Cologne, or filled the gap in midfield with a wide midfielder. But Jol is a gambler, and he called for an out-and-out striker in the shape of Mladen Petric – amazingly, Berbatov now became the closest thing Sidwell had to a midfield colleague, who scored within three minutes of his introduction.

Jol's determination to be positive in midfield meant Fulham took the initiative – the home side were not significantly outpassed and created so many goalscoring opportunities that Sunderland's keeper Simon Mignolet was the game's standout performer. Their lack of midfield presence wasn't a factor in their first two concessions, which arrived following a long ball over the top, then a corner when Fulham were temporarily down to nine men.

Maybe extra midfield protection would have forced Stéphane Sessègnon into a pass rather than giving him room for a blistering 25-yard blast for the third, decisive goal – but that would be a harsh analysis of a superb strike. Besides, that's the type of risk Jol is willing to take, and over the course of the season,his commitment to attack will gain more than it loses.



http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/nov/18/fulham-martin-jol-tactics?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham boss reveals injury worries


Bryan Ruiz

FULHAM will be without Bryan Ruiz and Alex Kacaniklic for at least three weeks after they limped out of this afternoon's defeat to Sunderland.

The duo both picked up hamstring injuries and join Kieran Richardson in the Craven Cottage treatment room.

Boss Martin Jol confirmed the pair won't be back until the middle of next month at the earliest, while the Dutchman also revealed substitute Mladen Petric required stitches to a gash on his leg.

Fulham are also set to be without skipper Brede Hangeland for three matches following his straight red card against the Black Cats.

However, the Whites will have Chris Baird back after suspension for next weekend's trip to Stoke, while Mahamadou Diarra could return if he shakes off a knee injury.



Read More http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/fulham-fc/2012/11/18/82029-32259048/?#ixzz2CebDDyhq

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham 1-3 Sunderland

Sometimes you just get a feeling about games. Just when you think things are going well, there's a nasty surprise around the corner.  In this case the nasty surprise came in the form of Sunderland, a spluttering version of their former selves, Martin O'Neill more or less failing to ignite his expensiveish team to the point where until very recently only one person – Stephen Fletcher – had actually scored for them. But what Sunderland have is a bit of midfield bite, terrors down the flanks, and the fortune to be playing Fulham on a dark Sunday when bad vibes were everywhere. So yes, sometimes you just know.  I put my money where my mouth was and placed a hefty £4 on a Sunderland win, cashed out at half-time when the score was 0-0 but when Brede Hangeland's sending off had placed Fulham's game in jeopardy.

It was just one of those games. Sunderland aren't all that and with 11 men I'm sure my bad vibes would have ended up being misplaced, but as it was we didn't have 11 because Brede Hangeland became a victim of the current "thou shalt not tackle" dictum. Yes, he left his feet, but only so he could execute a tackle on the half-way line that wasn't exactly perfectly timed but which did win the ball. The referee's red card brought disbelief from Hangeland and indeed everyone else. Martin Jol stood up from his bench, for example.

Fulham nearly went ahead anyway, John-Arne Riise shot across goal and hit the bar via a deflection, but this was a problem in the making. With 10 men our covering options were perhaps diminished and nobody had taken Riise's place. Sunderland broke, Senderos gestured behind him to nobody and ended up covering two people but nobody, a great pass took him out and Fletcher scored easily at the far post. Harsh on Fulham.

But an equaliser came, Duff teeing up the lively Petric for a well taken equaliser. Petric came on when the influential Ruiz was removed with an injury, and made the most of his chance. He's become a bit of a forgotten man what with everything, but showed phenomenal skill on a number of occasions. We ought to find a way to make the most of his talents, and he should certainly have taken more of the free-kicks we kept winning.  Rodallega seems no better than Riise at these, but still positions himself as one of the go-to-people when there's a shot on.

Sunderland went back ahead with a Cuellar header from another set piece, Steve Sidwell underlining a miserable game for him by not getting close enough to the goal scorer (and doesn't that feel like a strange marking assignment?).

Sidwell. I watch Berbatov with interest. Does he feel his team-mates are good enough? Who does he work well with? Ruiz, Duff, anyone really. But his every interaction Sidwell seemed to end in disappointment. I exaggerate, and credit to Sidwell for getting into a few good situations, but it just wasn't happening. A missed chance in either half following some Berbatov genius was the biggest issue, and could have made the game quite different. But again, credit Sidwell for making the right runs.

Stephane Sessegnon, who apparently has been pretty terrible this season, scored a screaming third to sort it all out once and for all, a wonderful fading drive that Schwarzer couldn't get near.

3-1, and that was that.  It was an unfortunate defeat for Fulham but not one that holds any great meaning in the big scheme of things: just one of those things.


https://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2012/11/18/fulham-1-3-sunderland-4/?

[WhiteJC]

 
U21s Head For Boro

Kit Symons is expecting a tough test for Fulham's Under-21s when they head to Middlesbrough on Monday afternoon (2pm).

Symons' side haven't played since defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers 2-1 at the end of last month and the fixture with Boro is likely to provide a stern examination of their credentials.

"It's a long trip," said Kit. "We drew 0-0 with them down here and they were excellent. They're a very hard-working team. I watched them play Chelsea a few weeks back at Brentford and they won that game and again worked really hard.

"Because of the nature of the league, you don't know what side they'll play, but because it's a home game, I imagine they might play one or two first teamers. You never really know what you're going to come up against, so you've got to be ready for whatever they throw at you.

"They've always had a good academy set-up. They always look to bring a lot of their own players through the system. They're almost like a flagship academy that people look up to and you can be assured they'll have good, young technical players."

Fans should note that the Under-21 fixture at Manchester City, originally scheduled for Monday 10th December, has been put back a week to Monday 17th December (2pm).



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/november/18/u21s-head-for-boro?

[WhiteJC]

 
Hangeland absence can help Philippe Senderos kickstart Fulham career



It is an unfortunate reality that Philippe Senderos is more notable as a punchline to jokes about bad defending than for anything achieved during his career but Martin Jol may now be reliant on the Switzerland centre-back to cure Fulham's defensive ails.

Brede Hangeland's red card compromised Fulham's attempt to defeat Sunderland at Craven Cottage but the damage could be far greater with a three-match suspension for violent conduct to be served at a difficult juncture in the fixture list.

The Cottagers captain will miss games at Stoke and Chelsea as well as the visit of Tottenham on 1 December. Hangeland would have been expected to mark Peter Crouch at the Britannia Stadium and organise the defence for testing challenges against two of the division's leading sides.

Fulham's vibrancy in attack has masked their defensive vulnerabilities even with Hangeland in the side. Only Manchester United have scored more than Fulham's 25 League goals this season yet they have conceded 22 - Queens Park Rangers and Southampton are the two clubs to have been breached more often - with just three clean sheets in all competitions.

Hangeland and Aaron Hughes have long since established themselves as Fulham's first choice centre-back pairing and both had played every minute of Fulham's season prior to the Dane's 31st minute dismissal yesterday.

It could be argued Hangeland won the ball but the excessive force used in the tackle on Lee Cattermole was unnecessary and his welcome post-match apology to referee Lee Probert for arguing the decision was an admission he overstepped the mark.

Senderos (above) has been desperate for a chance to kickstart his Fulham career after intermittent involvement since his arrival on a free transfer from Arsenal in 2010.

The 27-year-old ruptured his Achilles tendon that summer and had to wait 11 months to make his debut and after starting 29 matches in two years, Senderos suffered a foot injury that sidelined him until yesterday's introduction as Hangeland's replacement.

Senderos was an unused substitute in Fulham's previous five matches and it is clear he is short of match fitness. Steven Fletcher's opening goal came courtesy of a sublime first touch and finish from Adam Johnson's clever pass but Senderos was easily outwitted by the striker's movement.

After substitute Mladen Petric had given Fulham the parity their endeavour deserved, Carlos Cuellar was left totally unmarked to head home Johnson's 65th minute corner before Stephane Sessegnon struck a superb swerving third.

It is of course unfair to overtly chastise a team for absent-minded defending when they are chasing the game with a numerical disadvantage but nevertheless there must be a sense of trepidation about Fulham's rearguard without Hangeland.

Jol could select Chris Baird, who served a one-match suspension yesterday, at centre-back but the Northern Ireland international has been successfully reinvented as a midfielder and is particularly important in that position with Mahamadou Diarra an ongoing fitness doubt with a knee injury.

Senderos is therefore the most likely candidate, although Jol opted not to publicise his thinking. "Losing Hangeland is a big blow," he said. "I think it will be three games. We will come up with something.

"He apologised [to the referee] because he's a nice boy. But he confirmed it wasn't intentional and that he slipped. It's not a common thing for him. I've not seen him do that. It's probably deserved we're always [doing well] in the Fair Play League, as a result, if you've got players apologising for that."

Future Fulham absentees are not just confined to defence. Bryan Ruiz and Alex Kacaniklic were both forced off yesterday with hamstring problems that Jol claim will rule the pair out for "at least" three weeks.

Their attacking fluency with ten men in defiance of those enforced changes bodes well for the future. Dimitar Berbatov was unfortunate not to cap an inventive performance with a goal, while Petric caused Sunderland a host of problems when the game became stretched.

"Maybe we should have scored once or twice and had the cushion to hold," said Jol. "But even after the sending off I thought we did okay, and still thought we might score one or two.

"To play with 10 against 11 and take the initiative is not easy. After that our shape was gone. We still could have scored three. The third goal was the killer goal."

However, Fulham's ability to remain competitive was also due to the visitors' lack of confidence and conviction despite having an extra man for an hour. Four of Sunderland's next five games are at home with Martin O'Neill confident his team can kick on after a subdued start.

Fulham began the campaign in much better health but now Senderos will need to silence the doubters if that is to continue.



http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/hangeland-absence-can-help-philippe-senderos-kickstart-fulham-career-8328301.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Mladen's Assessment

Fulham's goalscorer Mladen Petrić believes his side were unfortunate to come away empty-handed from Sunday's game with Sunderland.

The Whites were forced to play with 10 men for more than an hour following Brede Hangeland's dismissal, while our cause was not helped by hamstring injuries suffered by Alexander Kačaniklić and Bryan Ruiz.

Petrić, too, sustained an injury during the game but played through the pain to ensure Fulham weren't forced to compete with nine men for the remainder of the match.

"It was a hard game for us because it started very badly with the red card for Brede," Mladen told fulhamfc.com. "Then we were 1-0 down so it was good to come back and equalise, although they scored two minutes after my goal which was a pity.

"I think we have to learn from that game, but we had two injuries so I think that luck was not on our side."

There was real concern amongst the Cottage faithful when Petrić was withdrawn from action with a mystery injury following his strike.

"I got a kick on my calf when I scored," he explained. "It made a cut so I had to come off to have stitches put in and then by the time I got back on the pitch it was 2-1. It was a bit painful but I had injections so it was okay.

"I think we tried very hard and we always believed we had it in us to get back in the game. We kept putting pressure on Sunderland and we had some good opportunities again to score but unfortunately we just couldn't find the net again."

After seeing our unbeaten run come to an abrupt end at the weekend, the next opportunity for Petrić et al to return to winning ways is at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday when we face Stoke City.

"Of course it will be a difficult game when we go to Stoke at the weekend," Mladen said. "It will be especially difficult because Brede is suspended and it is the kind of game you need your big centre-back because he's a tall player and he's very strong with his head.

"But Philippe [Senderos] played his first game of the season on Sunday and I think he did well. He's good in the air as well, so I think we have no reason to be scared going into the match. We have a lot of quality in the Team to play a good game there."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/november/19/mladenreaction?

[WhiteJC]

 
Ref got Hangeland red wrong - Riether

FULHAM defender Sascha Riether believes ref Lee Probert got it wrong sending off Brede Hangeland against Sunderland – and says the decision proved costly.

The Norwegian received his marching orders after half an hour for raising studs in a lunge for possession, and even though his foot made contact with the ball first, rather than opponent Lee Cattermole, Probert did not like the reckless nature of the challenge.

"For me, it was no red card," said team-mate Riether, who said the offence simply did not compare with the one that got Tottenham's Emmanuel Adebayor sent off in Saturday's north London derby.

"The one yesterday [at Arsenal] was 10 times heavier than the foul today.

"Giving a red card so early, I couldn't understand. It changed the game. We were good in the game. We controlled it, but for us it was a different game after that.

"We wanted to win and make a big step, but playing such a long time with 10 players, it was not easy. We tried our best. Everybody gave 100 per cent and we had good chances – perhaps better chances than Sunderland – but in the end we lost and that's very disappointing."

At least Riether believes Fulham will cope without Hangeland for the next three games, even though he is bound to be missed.

"Now we have a difficult week against Stoke, Chelsea and Tottenham – very big games," said the German right-back. "Stoke, we know how they
play and for us, Brede would be very important.

"But we can beat Stoke. We know how they play. We have injuries, but we have enough good players."



Read More http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/fulham-fc/2012/11/19/82029-32262041/?#ixzz2CfXU7yiM

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham blow as key duo Bryan Ruiz and Alex Kacaniklic facing at least three weeks out



Fulham manager Martin Jol has revealed that he will be without key attacking talents Bryan Ruiz and Alex Kacaniklic for "at least three weeks".

Both players had to be withdrawn during Sunday's 3-1 defeat at home to Sunderland because of hamstring injuries.

And Jol confirmed that the duo now face lengthy spells on the sidelines.

"It will be at least three weeks for them," he said.

But there is better news regarding Mali midfielder Mahamadou Diarra.

The former Real Madrid star has not played since November 3, but when asked whether Diarra could return for Saturday's trip to Stoke, Jol said: "Could be, yes."



Read more: http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-news/football/premier-league/121119/fulham-blow-key-duo-bryan-ruiz-and-alex-kacaniklic-facing-least-three-we-1856?#ixzz2CfXriDon
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[WhiteJC]

 
Mladen Petric lifts the lid on injury fears after Sunderland loss


Mladen Petric was on target for Fulham against Man City.
Photo: Joe Giddens/EMPICS Sport

Fulham striker Mladen Petric insists that he is fine after picking up a knock against Sunderland.

The frontman was withdrawn from action with a mystery injury following his strike.

"I got a kick on my calf when I scored," he explained. "It made a cut so I had to come off to have stitches put in and then by the time I got back on the pitch it was 2-1. It was a bit painful but I had injections so it was okay.

"I think we tried very hard and we always believed we had it in us to get back in the game. We kept putting pressure on Sunderland and we had some good opportunities again to score but unfortunately we just couldn't find the net again."



http://www.london24.com/sport/fulham/mladen_petric_lifts_the_lid_on_injury_fears_after_sunderland_loss_1_1698214

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham star eyes bouncebackability for Stoke clash

Fulham striker Mladen Petric is determined to bounce back from defeat to Sunderland when they travel to Stoke on Saturday.

The Whites are generally poor on their travels and will be missing Brede Hangeland through suspension.

"Of course it will be a difficult game when we go to Stoke at the weekend," Petric said. "It will be especially difficult because Brede is suspended and it is the kind of game you need your big centre-back because he's a tall player and he's very strong with his head.

"But Philippe [Senderos] played his first game of the season on Sunday and I think he did well. He's good in the air as well, so I think we have no reason to be scared going into the match. We have a lot of quality in the Team to play a good game there."


http://www.london24.com/sport/fulham/fulham_star_eyes_bouncebackability_for_stoke_clash_1_1698217