Thursday Fulham Stuff (09/10/14)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Stats: How does Ross McCormack compare with Antenucci and Doukara?

The former Leeds striker compared with two of the Yorkshire side's current front men...

Three months on and Ross McCormack's big-money move from Leeds United to Fulham seems just as pricey as it did back in July.

And since his journey south, the 28-year-old is yet to recapture the form that made him last season's top scorer in the Championship.

At the same time, however, the goals aren't yet flying in at Elland Road, either.

Two of Leeds' top scorers, Mirco Antenucci and Souleymane Doukara, have impressed for the Yorkshire side - but are yet to find the net on a regular basis. How, then, does McCormack's form this term compare against the Leeds duo?

   Position   Team   Goals/Game   Assists/Game   Chances Created/Game   On Target Shooting Accuracy   Dribbles Won/Game   Aerial Duels Won/Game   Successful Final-Third Passes/Game   Appearances   Mins Played
Mirco Antenucci   FW   Leeds   0.25   0.13   1   33%   0.75   0.25   7.13   8   694
Souleymane Doukara   FW   Leeds   0.25   0.13   1   20%   1.13   1.63   7.88   8   569
Ross McCormack   FW   Fulham   0.18   0.18   1.55   54%   0.82   0.18   9   11   902

As Opta stats show, both Leeds men average more goals per game than McCormack, although the difference is marginal as all three have scored just the two goals in the league so far this season.

Any key differences, then, fall outside of the goalscoring department. Initially, what is most noticeable is that the Fulham man, who has played more games than the Leeds pair, is more involved when it comes to playing in his team-mates.

The 28-year-old averages more assists per game and creates more chances, too. That also translates into the striker's ratio of completed final-third passes.

McCormack is also far more accurate when it comes to hitting the target, doing so with 54 per cent of his shots. Interestingly, his accuracy was below that before Felix Magath's sacking but has been at 70% since.

Two areas in which the Scot is surpassed by the Leeds forwards, though, is in the dribbling department and in the air. With the ball at feet, Doukara averages more dribbles per match than McCormack, while both he and Antenucci win more aerial duels per game, with the former Leeds man very weak in this area.

All three strikers are yet to hit the ground running, of course, and a comparison further down the line will certainly throw up a lot more revealing statistics. So far, however, an off-form McCormack is marginally trumping Leeds' current front men. That isn't really translating into goals, though, making it a pretty even duel so far...


http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2014/10/06/stats-how-does-ross-mccormack-compare-with-antenucci-and-doukara/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Williams wants Symons to get Fulham job full-time

Fulham striker George Williams is hoping caretaker manager Kit Symons gets the job full-time as he's enjoying their Welsh connection.

The teenage striker is currently away with Wales on international duty, after impressing boss Chris Coleman in his four Championship appearances this season.

And he revealed playing for the same national side as Symons is helping the pair bond at Craven Cottage

"It's always good experience to go away with some of the best players in the world, so I'm looking forward to it," Williams said.

"It's been great having Kit there, too. Obviously I have that connection through to Wales with him which helps."



Read more at http://talksport.com/football/williams-wants-symons-get-fulham-job-full-time-141008117815#skD6uOqvPUHaI1vM.99

[WhiteJC]

 
Buatu's Angola Hope

Mananga Jonathan Buatu is gearing up for one of the biggest weeks of his footballing career so far as he joins up with the Angola national team.

They currently sit bottom of Group C in qualifying for next year's Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, and Buatu knows they need to pick up positive results from their double header with Lesotho on Friday and Wednesday.

"We have to win both games because if not it's quite difficult after that," he told fulhamfc.com. "So we have to win and maybe then we'll get a chance to go to Morocco in January.

"I'm confident we can do that. We have a great squad with great potential, so we just have to get to know each other better because new players come every time, and maybe then we can do something good.

"I think most African players want to play at the Cup of Nations, and of course I do too."

The 21-year-old Fulham defender had represented Belgium – his country of birth – at youth level, but recently made his debut for the African nation in a friendly against Ethiopia.

"That was a very good experience," he said. "When you play for an international team in front of 20,000 or 25,000 people, it's a big pressure, but you have to play with that.

"It was an easy decision for me to switch allegiance because it's something I thought about a long time ago, so it was not a difficult issue.

"I was approached by the Angola coach. He talked to me when I was in Belgium before pre-season and told me he wanted to take me into the national team."

The powerful centre-back is eligible for the Southern African nation through his mother and father, both of whom are natives.

"My parents are from Angola," Buatu explained. "They moved to Belgium in 1992, I think it was – before I was born.

"So I was born in Belgium and I played with their national team at Under-17, Under-18 and Under-19 level, and I was in the squad for the Under-20s.

"My parents are really proud of me. Because they're from there, to see me play for the national team of Angola makes them happy. It's more their country than mine – although now it's my country as well – so it's good."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/october/08/buatus-angola-hope?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham's loss is keeper Bettinelli's gain

Young Whites shot-stopper has climbed Cottage ranks


On the up: Fulham keeper Marcus Bettinelli
There is one Fulham player who sees the last year as upwards and onwards – despite the club's Premier League relegation.

The crisis-hit Cottage has been mostly doom and gloom, but the misery brought only a silver lining for keeper Marcus Bettinelli.

Had Fulham escaped the drop; had flop Maarten Stekelenburg not been loaned to Monaco; had the club not focused on youth as its springboard for the future, the 22-year-old freely admits he would not be in the first team.


Spot-kick hero: Bettinelli denied Doncaster's Theo Robinson in the League Cup
His performances since being restored to the side by Kit Symons have been outstanding, and Bettinelli is thanking his lucky stars.

He said: "For Fulham last season it wasn't great, but it was tremendous for me.

"If you said to me back then you'll be playing for Fulham's first team, I wouldn't have believed you. It shows you never know what's going to happen."


Learning his trade: Bettinelli in action for Accrington last season
Two years ago the product of Fulham's academy had a spell with Conference side Dartford, and last season enjoyed a 39-game loan at Accrington Stanley, far from the keeper's London roots, and far from a club with a Premier League set-up.

In the past, hard-up Stanley demanded players take kit home and wash it.

Bettinelli was spared that, but enjoyed the experience in football's basement.


Safe hands: Bettinelli cut his teeth with Stanley
"The year I went to Stanley we finally got a kit man, but the players were telling me stories about the past," he added.

"I'm very thankful to (ex-manager) James Beattie for giving me the chance.

"Before that I was at Dartford, and both loans were where I learned my trade. I don't regret it.

"At the moment it's a better place for Fulham, and we don't belong at the foot of the table."


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulhams-loss-keeper-bettinellis-gain-7900894?

[WhiteJC]

 
Were Cardiff and Fulham right to sack their managers?

Cardiff City and Fulham both suffered relegation last season but stuck with their manager, well for a few more weeks at least. Alex Johnson asks if it was right to move on?

So early in the season and Cardiff and Fulham both sack their managers.

Upon relegation and with a manager not long in situ, you want to hit the ground running the following season to ease the supporters and most of all the chairman's nerves. This did not happen for Cardiff City or Fulham as they dropped into the Championship from the Premier League.

Both Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Felix Magath oversaw relegation with their clubs and were sacked within hours of each other in September. Both managers couldn't arrest the slide that had happened when they were initially given the job only months previously.

Former Manchester United player and Molde manager, Solskjaer, took over from Malky Mackay, but failed to maintain the club's Premier League status and they were relegated. The same with Fulham: Magath took over from former Manchester United assistant manager Rene Meulensteen and failed to get the winning formula required to stay in the top flight.

Solskjaer brought in 10 players during the summer to cope with the rigours of an unforgiving Championship campaign. Magath signed 11 players, including £11million striker Ross McCormack.

In Solskjaer's eight-and-a-half month reign, which started in January this year, the Norwegian won only five of his 25 league games in charge. Magath arrived in February and did even worse with only three wins in 19 league games.

Magath had a reputation in Germany as a bit of a maverick boss with some of his training methods said to be quite extreme. At Fulham he ostracised some of the more experienced players at the club, who were apparently not giving their all to his standards. World Cup stars such as Bryan Ruiz and Hugo Rodallega barely played under the German, and were only brought back into the starting XI when Magath had gone.

So were the owners right to sack their managers so early in the season?

The answer is probably yes, considering the amount of money invested into the playing squad for the forthcoming season, the owners were right to get rid following poor starts.

Under the ownership of Vincent Tan, Cardiff appear to be financially well off, however Tan has already riled the support of the Bluebirds by changing their kit to a "lucky" red from their more traditional blue. He also sacked the hugely popular Mackay, who oversaw their promotion to the Premier League only last year. The fall-out from that sacking was a media-fest which saw accusations from both parties as Mackay struggled to keep hold of his job.

Tan has now decided to appoint the former Leyton Orient manager Russell Slade who guided the O's to the play-off final in League One last season. They have struggled to keep that momentum going this season and Slade was threatened with losing his job, and so the former Yeovil boss resigned and took up his position with the South Wales club.

Fulham are owned by Shahid Khan, a Pakistani-American billionaire who also owns the NFL side, the Jacksonville Jaguars. Khan bought Fulham in July 2013 and has already sacked three coaches. The next step for the West London club to try and win the fans back onside has been to promote former player and coach, Kit Symons, to the position of manager. As it stands Fulham have seen an upturn in results since Symons took temporary charge, winning two of his four matches in charge.

Should Fulham give Symons the job? It's clearly a position he wants after being number two for Colchester United and even a short period in charge of Crystal Palace.

Cardiff have only won once since their change of manager, so it may take some time for them. Do they have time though?


https://betting.betfair.com/football/news/analysis-and-opinion/were-cardiff-and-fulham-right-to-sack-their-managers-081014-703.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham Lose Defender for a Month!
   
After working his way back into favour, after appearing to be surplus to requirements, fate has struck Fernando Amorebieta a cruel blow.

The former Atletico Bilbao defender left the field of play twelve minutes before the end of our 2-0 defeat against Middlesbrough last Saturday.

It turns out that Amorebieta suffered a knee injury which is likely to keep him on the side-lines for up to a month.

Not the news Fernando or the supporters were hoping for!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=373018#ixzz3FaB3CK1B

[WhiteJC]

 
A Silver Lining?
   
Although we all hanker after the Premier League football we left behind, the situation we`re in has benefitted one man.

Marcus Bettinelli has seen his Fulham career take off in the last few weeks.

The young keeper, who has spent spells out on loan at Dartford and Accrington Stanley in previous years, recognizes that if it weren`t for our relegation the scenario at Craven Cottage would be far different.

There`s a fair chance that Maarten Stekelenburg would be between the posts and that giving youth a chance wouldn`t have been on the agenda, something that Bettinelli has spoken about in the local London media, remarking,

"For Fulham last season it wasn`t great, but it was tremendous for me."

"If you said to me back then you`ll be playing for Fulham`s first team, I wouldn`t have believed you. It shows you never know what`s going to happen."

You certainly don`t but I`d still give my right arm to be in the Premier League, wouldn`t you?


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=373022#ixzz3FcDymY1V