Friday Fulham Stuff (05/12/14)...

[WhiteJC]

 
By George!

2014 won't go down as a good year in the Fulham history books, but for George Williams it's been one to remember.

Handed his Wales debut in May, the speed merchant then made his Fulham bow in August. Since Kit Symons took charge of affairs, Williams has also been a regular in the First Team squad. Not bad for someone who only turned 19 in September.

"It's definitely been a good year on a personal level," Williams told Friday's official matchday programme. "A lot has happened in the space of 12 months. I've gone from playing in an FA Youth Cup Final for Fulham's Under-18s to becoming a full Wales international and a First Team player for the Club.

"Felix Magath gave me my Fulham debut back in August in a 1-0 loss to Millwall at the Cottage. Personally I thought I did well but then I didn't get another look in after that until Kit came in. But that was Felix's choice and I'm still thankful that he gave me the opportunity to play and it was a great experience.

"I didn't expect it to happen as quick as it has. But here I am and I've loved every minute of it."

Wideman Williams has already achieved plenty in his short football career. After joining local side Milton Keynes Dons as a schoolboy, he went on to make history when he scored on his debut for the club in November 2011.

The following summer, Williams was heading for Fulham's Academy, turning down the offer of a professional deal with the Dons in the process.

Unprecedented success followed. In his first season at the Club, George helped Fulham reclaim their Under-18 Premier League title as well as tasting victory in the prestigious Dallas Cup tournament.

Last term, he played in every round as Fulham reached the Final of the FA Youth Cup, eventually losing after extra-time to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

"Those two years... people always say youth-team football is the best days of your life but you won't realise it and they probably were," smiles Williams. "Don't get me wrong, I'm loving it now but in the youth team there was no pressure, it was more about enjoyment. In my first year we won the league and the Dallas Cup.

"Then last season we had the run in the FA Youth Cup and we had a really good team. Those two years under Steve Wigley are ones I'll never forget."

To read the full interview with Williams, get your hands on a copy of the matchday programme against Watford on Friday.

Other exclusive highlights in the only matchday magazine that matters - which is also available to download digitally from 12pm on Friday - are:

Kit Symons pens his programme notes as he reflects on Fulham's last three games
Moussa Dembélé answers your questions via our social media channels
In our regular feature, key figures take a walk back down memory lane to the 1981/82 promotion-winning season
Young Shane Elworthy is profiled in 'Through The Ranks'
Ex-Watford defender Steve Terry gives his thoughts on the Cottage clash
And Les Strong bring fans his latest column

Priced £3.50, the 84-page publication is available from various sellers on Stevenage Road from two hours before kick-off. Fans can also save money by taking out a season subscription. Head here for more details.

The programme is also available as an app with added video content from 12pm on Saturday, so whether you're at home or away, you need never be without it on your iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, PC or Mac via Apple's Newsstand. The programme is also available via the Pocketmags app on Kindle Fire and Blackberry Playbook. You can subscribe for the whole season for the digital edition for just £24.99 or buy a single issue for £1.99.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/december/05/by-george?

[WhiteJC]

 
FULHAM V WATFORD: SURGING COTTAGERS TO PROLONG HORNETS' AGONY

It's a clean sweep of Fulham-based bets for this preview of Friday night's action

The ghost of Felix Magath has long been banished at Fulham, as Kit Symons continues to play saviour for the Premier League-seeking side.

The Cottagers would be sixth if the season started when Symons was appointed as the German failure's replacement, and has overseen a remarkable turnaround in fortunes.

Faced with Watford, whose own front door has been somewhat revolving for their managers this season, the Londoners should continue their upturn in form, as our three best bets for the game explain:

Fulham to win @ 13/10

Since Symons took over from Magath as boss, Fulham have been thriving. 21 of the club's 22 total points have come with the Welshman at the helm and they have lost just twice since appointing their former defender to steady the ship, both of which have been on the road.

The Cottagers are in fine form against Watford, who have lost four straight, having gone unbeaten in the last four with the Hertfordshire club and winning half of those.

Hugo Rodallega to score at anytime @ 6/4

The west London club's leading scorer has found a scoring groove of late, notching in each of his last three appearances for Fulham and bagging eight times in 14 league appearances for the side this season.

Fulham to keep a clean sheet @ 12/5

The former Premier League regulars didn't keep a single Championship clean sheet under the bespectacled German boss, but have registered three under Symons.

Watford, on the other hand, have failed to score in five of their last six league trips to Craven Cottage and haven't asked the opposition keeper to retrieve the ball out the back of the net in two of their last four losses.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.


http://news.ladbrokes.com/football/championship/fulham-watford-surging-cottagers-prolong-hornets-agony_220177.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham set to recall Kacaniklic and Tunnicliffe from loan

Cottagers plan to bring back duo to avoid gambling in the transfer market in January


Set for return: Alex Kacaniklic
Fulham plan to haul two players back from loan deals and save themselves money in the January transfer window.

Winger Alex Kacaniklic went to FC Copenhagen just after signing a contract extension with the Whites in the summer.

The 23-year-old's deal keeps him at the Championship club until June 2016, and manager Kit Symons wants to make use of the Sweden international's Championship experience gleaned ironically at Watford, tonight's opponents, and Burnley.

Ryan Tunnicliffe also got a chance at Blackburn Rovers with a summer switch where he's featured 12 times so far.


Loan star: Ryan Tunnicliffe celebrates after scoring for Blackburn Rovers
The manager now thinks he can reap the benefits of the pair's recent past as well as avoid the pitfalls of gambling in the transfer market.

He explained: "Yeah, bringing them back would certainly be a possibility.

"Those are two players who are Fulham players with Championship experience. I'm very reticent to bring anyone into the club.

"I'm 100 per cent sure they're character wise and ability wise what we need. Ryan and Alex are two players I know very well."


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/fulham-set-recall-kacaniklic-tunnicliffe-8231657?

[WhiteJC]

 
A Fantastic Example

Fulham Manager Kit Symons paid tribute to the influence of Captain Scott Parker in the Whites dressing room.

With the average age of the squad significantly reduced this season, the leadership of Parker in midfield has been crucial for Fulham, and Symons is pleased to have a player of his calibre at the Club's disposal.

"Scott's been excellent," Symons admitted. "Obviously he's our Captain, I sort of rely on him quite heavily, speak to him regularly and he's a very good Captain and a very important player for us. His form since I've taken over has been excellent and long may it last.

"The attitude of a player like Scott was never going to be in question at all. He just loves football. Although he's a very experienced player, sometimes he still plays like a real young kid with his enthusiasm and love for the game.

"So, for me, bringing through your Lasse [Vigen] Christensens and players like that, he's a fantastic example to these young boys about needing to keep that love for the game, that enthusiasm, whether you're 23 or 33, and he's done brilliant for us."

Having skippered practically every club he's been at – in addition to leading out his country – many have predicted Parker making the move into management when he retires.

It's a notion which Symons believes could well become a reality.

"You can never quite tell but, knowing him like I do, I think there's a very strong possibility of that," he stated.

"He helps from within the [training] sessions and, being Captain, he's one of our leaders and he'll help drive the session from within it.

"He's interested in the coaching, he's taking his coaching badges at the moment and you never quite know but I would imagine that's the road he'll end up going down."

In Thursday's pre-Watford press conference, Symons was asked about the likelihood of winger Alexander Kačaniklić – currently on loan at FC Copenhagen – returning to the Club ahead of schedule.

"That would certainly be a possibility," he admitted. "Ryan Tunnicliffe's the same at Blackburn. Those are two players who are Fulham players who have both got Championship experience.

"I'm very reticent to bring anyone into the Club unless I'm convinced they're the right person character-wise, and their ability as a player. Alex and Ryan are two players I know very well, both in terms of ability and both as characters. They're both good lads, both good players."

The Whites will be without Tim Hoogland and Fernando Amorebieta for Friday night's visit of the Hornets, and Symons went into further details about the defensive duo's current stint on the sidelines.

"Tim we're quite positive about," he revealed. "He's had an injection and we'll know a lot more within about seven to 10 days with him.

"Fernando, we've had a setback with him. He's going off and we're getting someone else to look at him now – that could be a longer one.

"We're a little bit concerned about that at the moment but, again, we'll know more in the next couple of days with him. There are a couple of different potential options – there could be a more conservative approach that could work or it could be a longer-term one."

Asked if surgery was one of the possible approaches, Symons replied: "Could be. That would be the longer option."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/december/05/a-fantastic-example

[WhiteJC]

 
Next Up: Watford

There's just 16 miles separating Fulham and Watford, and the sides do battle for the first time in almost eight years on Friday night.


The opposition

Much has been made of Watford having had four managers already this season but, until recently at least, that did not seem to have adversely affected their performances on the pitch.

A very strong start to the season saw them situated in the automatic promotion or Play-Off places for practically the duration of the campaign, before a 3-1 win at home to Millwall on 1st November saw them reach the summit.

Things drastically unravelled thereafter, though, as they went on to taste defeat in each of their subsequent four matches. This on the back of having previously only lost twice all season, and remaining unbeaten in the preceeding nine matches.

The four-game barren spell does not tell the whole story as they can count themselves unfortunate not to have taken anything from the matches, with the Hornets losing by just a solitary goal on each occasion; 2-1 to Birmingham City, 1-0 to Ipswich Town, 2-1 to Derby County, and 1-0 to Cardiff City.

Slavisa Jokanovic is the current incumbent in the dugout for Watford, and Friday will see him make a first appearance at Craven Cottage since he was sent off for Chelsea in the first South-West London derby for 16 years back in September 2001. Barry Hayles cancelled out Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink's opener that day to earn the Whites a point.

Tickets for the game against Watford can be purchased on the gate, priced from £35 adults and £20 juniors.

Inside the camp

Watford's new loan signing Adlene Guedioura hopes he can contribute to the Hornets' revival as they look to put an end to their losing run.

The midfielder arrived from Crystal Palace last week on a short-term deal and is hoping to make a positive impact in Friday's meeting with the Whites.

"It's a huge game for us," he told Hornets Player. "We haven't won in these last few games. If we win, it will be a huge boost for us. We've prepared for the game really well this week.

"It's going to be an exciting game. Fulham are a good team, with good players. They have experience in the Premier League, and maybe have been low in confidence since they were relegated. They're starting to come back now.

"They're a strong team, they still have [Scott] Parker, [Hugo] Rodallega, and players like that can make a difference on the pitch. We have to be aware of everything they have."


Player to watch

Matej Vydra: A popular man at Vicarage Road, Matej Vydra first made himself known to Watford fans when he joined on loan from Udinese in the 2012/13 season. He went on to score 20 league goals and was subsequently named the Championship Player of the Season as the Hornets reached the Play-Off Final, only to slip to a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Crystal Palace. The following year the striker took in a similar spell with top-flight West Bromwich Albion. The goals didn't flow as regularly but he did find the net against Fulham when his late equaliser denied us all three points at The Hawthorns back in February. A clinical finisher, the 22-year-old tops the Watford scoring charts in his second spell with the club, having found the net seven times in 17 league matches this term.

Marathonbet match odds

Fulham: 33/25

Draw: 5/2

Watford: 23/10


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/december/05/next-up-watford?

[WhiteJC]

 
The Craven Corner: Always special to watch Fulham under the lights as Watford await

Another Friday night, another night at Craven Cottage awaits for Kit Symon's mighty Whites.

I am excited, I do think it's a game that we could win despite Watford being one of the favourites to secure promotion this season. I do feel sorry for Watford that they haven't had any managerial stability recently, but even with that upheaval the quality in their squad is Premier League standard. The likes of Matej Vydra, Almen Abdi, Troy Deeney, Daniel Toszer & former Tottenham keeper Heurelho Gomes are all very decent footballers. Despite the unorthodox technique of Gomes, he is a tremendous shot stopper and his distribution is second to none. Having that sort of quality in between the sticks will help his side mount counter attacks and keep them ticking from the back. Vydra and Deeney are two strikers who deserve Premier League interest and will look to cause our back four some problems. But on the up side we have Dan Burn set to return to the squad tonight after suspension, so we should be stronger with his giant presence.

In Toszer and Abdi, Watford probably have two of the best central midfielders in the league in terms of passing range and creativity. This will be a key battle for Scott Parker, making sure he is close to them at all times to give them as little time as possible. Any slack in the centre of the park and they will be looking to open us up in a heartbeat. The hardest part of this game will be if Watford play their 3-5-2 system,. Having 5 midfielders against our three midfielders we will have max sure we shut down the ball as soon as it's kicked.

But, we right now we are in fairly decent form and we have a tremendous front three combination of Bryan Ruiz, Hugo Rodallega and Ross McCormack. So, Watford being the away side will have to wary of the threat we pose. I would like to see Seko Fofana, Scott Parker, Lasse Vigen Christensen as the starting three midfielders supporting the Bryan Ruiz tonight. Fofana looks like a decent asset to our club after joining on loan from Manchester City. His energy and constant pressing at Brighton was very positive to watch. Taught by the master, Patrick Vieira, he has had a very fortunate set of coaches and we're allowing him that first platform to shine.

I'm expecting a very tough encounter and whilst I'd love to see us get another three points on the board as we climb the table, a draw would not be a bad result at all. Whilst we are starting to see a spine and a regular eleven forming, Shaun Hutchinson will have made a strong claim to partner Dan Burn tonight on his return, but I do have a feeling that Bodurov will start the game.

The game will be live on Sky Sports so that's great news for the club as it should bring in some extra revenue through Television rights, so it all helps towards Kit's January fund.


http://www.london24.com/sport/football/clubs/fulham/the_craven_corner_always_special_to_watch_fulham_under_the_lights_as_watford_await_1_3875583

[WhiteJC]

 
Promotion Push
by LYDIA on DECEMBER 5, 2014

It was difficult for even the most pessimistic of Fulham fans to believe the torrid start we had to this season. The constant squad re-shuffling along with a manager who just didn't seem to get what was required in the Championship saw Fulham gain 1 point after eight games. We had become the laughing stock of English football and looked like candidates for the double drop. It was a remarkable fall for a team who not so long ago made it to the final of the 2010 Europa League (although admittedly we were pushing above our weight!)

But then Khan did what all Fulham fans were calling out for and got rid of Magath and put Fulham legend Kit Symons in the hot seat and, boy, what a change we have seen! The players are clearly enjoying their football and I get excited to see the boys play again. But this game isn't just about enjoyment. Results mean points and points mean climbing up the table. I'm not saying that it's time to set our expectations to promotion again as we have given ourselves such a ridiculous mountain to climb but I think we are allowed to have an eye on the league table and keep dreaming! 19games into this league has shown us just how unpredictable it can be. Anyone really can take points off anyone so Fulham just have to keep their heads down and keep picking up the points. A couple of wins back to back can make a remarkable difference to league position so I really do believe that 6th spot is just about within reach.  Recently Kit Symons was questioned about Ryan Tunnicliffe and Alex Kacaniklic and he explained that bringing the two back from loan because of their Championship experience was a possibility.

"Yeah, bringing them back would certainly be a possibility.

"Those are two players who are Fulham players with Championship experience. I'm very reticent to bring anyone into the club.

"I'm 100 per cent sure they're character wise and ability wise what we need. Ryan and Alex are two players I know very well."

Kit seems to be keen to add players to the squad who know the league well as it is this sort of experience along with the talent we already have in the squad that will possibly inspire a promotion push!

Two key things required for a consistent run of results are a solid goalkeeper and forwards who score goals. Our defence and forwards have to perform week in, week out if we are to really become a force in the Championship. So far we have seen bursts of brilliance but it needs to be more than that. I'm confident, however, that in Marcus Bettinelli, Hugo Rodallega and Ross McCormack we can do this. Bettinelli has been a revelation since starting between the sticks and we have actually only lost twice with him there this season. He is vocal and has pulled off some outstanding stops leading him to be rewarded with an England U21 call up in November. At only 22, his Fulham future looks extremely bright.

At the other end of the pitch the partnership between Rodallega and McCormack has shown so much promise. Although his goal tally hasn't been as good as last year, McCormack has been our main goal and chance creator this season. One man who has enjoyed this more than anyone so far is undoubtedly fans favourite Rodallega. They clearly just KNOW how the other plays and I can only see this getting better and better the more games they get together.

We are not the finished article yet. Our defence still looks shakey at times and we give the ball away a bit too much but I believe that Kit is working on these things everyday at training. He has a fantastic knowledge of the game and as this is only his first main managers' position, he can only get better. We now have a manager who loves the club and a squad who are playing for him and the fans. It's a team who can just keep improving and could be on the brink of a very exciting promotion push. Hold on to your hats, folks. This really could be something big!

COYW


http://hammyend.com/index.php/2014/12/promotion-push/?