Sunday Fulham Stuff (28/12/14)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Irresistible Cherries turn on the style to beat Fulham 0-2

Match Report
AFCB 2 v 0 Fulham
26 December 2014
Attendance 10,926

This Boxing Day treat was always going to be a great day for either Harry Arter or Scott Parker. As it was, Arter came out the winner in a match that saw AFCB extend their unbeaten league record to 13 games, and truly stamp their authority on what was a confident Fulham side who had been playing well of late, but AFCB's slick passing caused them problems from the start, and in wide areas Fulham could not stem the flow of crosses into their box. It was a bit of a surprise that the first goal came from a corner, as Brett Pitman headed in on nine minutes, but Bournemouth were cutting through Fulham in open play before that, but the Cherries had to be patient for the win which was only secured after a late spectacular goal from Harry Arter who is growing in stature every game.

Eddie Howe made no changes from the Blackpool match with Pitman starting and designated penalty taker for the Cherries. Scott Parker was selected by Fulham to lead their side and he would have a scrap with Bournemouth's Harry Arter for 90 minutes and I was intrigued to see who would come out on top. Fulham looked to match AFCB by setting up 4-4-2 and with experienced strikers such as Bryan Ruiz and Hugo Rodellega,  as well as Ross McCormack, I expected a busy day for Tommy Elphick and Steve Cook in the heart of AFCB's defence. The misty, rolling, rain wasn't going to make it easy either.

AFCB started the match with plenty of attacking intent as Callum Wilson forced Marcus Bettinelli into a first minute save as his shot deflected off of Lasse Vigen Christensen. Fulham's first attack saw Ross McCormack flagged offside. Seko Fofana was stretching his long legs in midfield but showed some anger when Pitman fouled him on five minutes. Fulham might have been fired up, but it was AFCB that were passing with precision. AFCB also won a free kick, but took it too quickly when it was in a good shooting position on the edge of the D.  Pitman then fired a shot over when he should have made the keeper work!

The pressure was building though and Callum Wilson looked like he would get the break though as he shot inside the box, but the shot was some how deflected and went out for a corner. Pitman then ran straight to the near post and made a glancing header that put the Cherries 1-0 up on 10 minutes! It had been another lightening start from the team in red and black shirts.

Daniels and Pugh were enjoying their time on the left wing and were really testing Fulham's Grimmer. It looked like AFCB would go two up on 14 minutes with a ball into Wilson, but the flag went up for offside. Daniels conceded the first corner for Fulham on 18 minutes, but Francis won the first header and while the ball bobbled around in the box, Artur Boruc raced out to grab the ball at Rodellega's feet.

Bournemouth kept forcing the pace and Callum Wilson took another shot that Bittinelli was able to cling on to easily enough as it hit him right in the midriff. Francis put in crosses that Wilson was not able to stretch far enough for, while Pugh on the other wing was tricking his way past defenders with ease. Pitman won a free kick on 25 minutes on the edge of the box and it gave Ritchie a chance to test the Fulham keeper which he did, making him dive down low to his left. Although the ball spilled out, AFCB could not take advantage of the loose ball and Fulham cleared.

Bournemouth were well on top but were not finding it easy to get the second goal. On a rare incursion into Bournemouth's half Staffylidis saw his shot go high and wide with Boruc a spectator. At the other end we were calling for Francis to shoot when he made a darting run towards the goal, but he chose the wrong option by passing to Wilson who ran out too wide.

Pugh was then seen hobbling after he was caught on the edge of the box, but when Ritchie took the free kick it was high and wide of the left post. The chances kept coming though and Arter was next to blast over on 34 minutes, having seen Surman, Daniels and Pugh carve out the opening.

Fulham won a few headers in the centre of the field off of Bryan Ruiz, but they were struggling to get a grip on the game. Fleeting glimpses of Ross McCormack were not enough to worry AFCB's back four while Surman and Arter were controlling the pace of the game. The scoreline of 1-0 at half time was the least that the Cherries deserved on their play.

Second Half
Some one must have said something to Ross McCormack at half time, because he suddenly looked a threat. He came out and had an early shot that went wide across the box. Bournemouth's reply was immediate though when Wilson was pushed over by Grimmer in the box and won a penalty on 49 minutes! Bodruov argued for some time but Pitman took the ball and put it on the spot. I was praying that Pitman would shoot right having seen his two penalties last game that both went to the keeper's left. Bettinelli was bound to have known that and yet Brett hit his shot again to the left, and Bettinelli had surely done his homework and made the save down to his left! In the race for the ball, the follow up was missed by Callum Wilson and Fulham had escaped.

The incident seemed to gavlanise Fulham who started keeping the ball better and Cook and Ritchie were having to defend well in front of Rodellega. This was a storm that Bournemouth would have to now get though. Fulham were coming on strong now and Seko Fofana was next to shoot over on 57 minutes, before a short corner saw him shoot wide. A distance shot then came in from Scott Parker that was deflected only just wide of Bournemouth's right post.  This was Fulham's best spell, but they just could not get a shot on target for Boruc to do any work.

After a short corner from AFCB there was a shout of handball, but referee Keith Stroud was not about to give AFCB another kick from 12 yards. Fulham were just seeing all their efforts go wide and Jack Grimmer could only add to that statistic.

Fulham tried to change things by subbing Lasse Vigen Christensen for George Williams on 65 minutes. Bournemouth were still creating chances though and Daniels played Pitman through only for Brett to shoot wide on 70 minutes. AFCB started to take the sting out of the game and were looking more comfortable even though their lead was just by a slender goal as we entered the last 15 minutes. Fulham brought on Patrick Roberts for Bryan Ruiz.

There was a bit of laughter when Harry Arter hit a shot straight at Scott Parker, although the two just carried on with the game. Pitman was shown a yellow card moments later for shadowing and eventually blocking Bittinelli's kick. However, time was running out for Fulham and Ritchie almost killed the game with a shot from the right wing that flashed past Fulham's left post at speed. Pitman was then subbed for Gosling on 85 minutes and Fulham took Rodellega off to allow Cauley Woodrow on. A moment of anxiety than took place as Williams ran towards the box and went sprawling on the ground! Pleasingly, the referee decided it was simulation and the yellow card was handed out to Williams.

The smiles were even wider two minutes later when Harry Arter picked up the ball on half way and tore towards the Fulham goal. He fainted to look to get a pass off to Wilson before cutting back inside and released a low, powerful drive from the edge of the box that beat Bettinellli and nestled in the bottom right corner of Fulham's net - game over 2-0!
Eddie Howe soaked up what extra time there was by putting on firstly Yann Kermorgant for Wilson and then Adam Smith for Matt Ritchie.

Summary
I believe the penny is starting to drop for rival supporters. AFCB need to be taken seriously. This is not a small team that is lucky to be leading the Championship, but a cleverly moulded and well organised side that are taking out teams with larger budgets by their overall game. At times in this match the passing was sublime against a hard working Fulham side. It was not a poor performance by Fulham, they battled and gave it their all having been outplayed in the first half, but AFCB just kept coming at them, just like the persistent rain. Even a missed Cherries penalty was not enough to see Fulham recover charge of the game for long and the final score of 2-0 was no less than the Cherries deserved for a very professional performance that keeps them top of the league. Fulham will have to reflect on a whole 90 minutes and not one shot on target from their team.

AFCB
Boruc, Francis, Elphick, Cook, Daniels, Ritchie (Smith 93), Arter, Surman, Pugh, Pitman (Golsing 86), Wilson (Kermorgant 93)



AFCB Subs
Camp, Gosling, Smith, Kermorgant, Fraser, O'Kane, Cargill

AFCB Ratings
Boruc 6, Francis 8, Elphick 7, Cook 8, Daniels 8, Ritchie 7, Arter 8, Surman 8, Pugh 8, Pitman 8, Wilson 7

Fulham
Bettinelli, Grimmer, Bodurov, Hutchinson, Stafylidis, Parker, Christensen (Williams 66), Fofana, (Roberts - 80), Rodallega (Woodrow 87), McCormack

Fulham Subs
Kiraly, Zverotic, Roberts, Woodrow, Williams, Hyndman, Burn

Referee
Keith Stroud 7/10 - not too many contentious issues to deal with.


http://afcbchimes.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/irresistible-cherries-turn-on-style-to.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Doing it the Bournemouth Way!
   
It was always going to be tough to go to Dean Court and get a result against high-flying Bournemouth.

After all the Cherries have emerged as a fine side under Eddie Howe this season and with some scintillating results in the bag could be heading for the Premier League come next May.

But Fulham did battle away and it took a killer second goal from Harry Arter to finally end our hopes of perhaps picking up a point.

After the final whistle Kit Symons commented on the game remarking to the media,

"They are the real deal. I`m not massively surprised by where Bournemouth are in the table.

"They play attractive football, have a cutting edge and can score goals.

"They have a vet bright young manager and a good infrastructure - to me they look the real deal."

Kind words indeed from Kit, perhaps Bournemouth are a club we should aspire to be like if we are, eventually, going to climb out of this league.


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=381595#ixzz3N86sDXrI

[WhiteJC]

 
Jack: Quick Response

Brighton and Hove Albion cannot arrive at Craven Cottage soon enough, according to Fulham defender Jack Grimmer, who is determined to help the Whites put the Bournemouth loss behind them as soon as possible.

Brett Pitman's ninth-minute header meant the Whites were chasing the game at the Goldsands Stadium and Harry Arter made it 2-0 to wrap up the Boxing Day tie in stoppage time.

Grimmer posted a solid performance from the right-back position, shackling the experienced left winger Marc Pugh and offering an attacking outlet on the overlap of the Whites' midfield diamond.

But the 20-year-old admits some responsibility for the Cherries opener and is desperate to make amends in front of the Fulham Faithful on Monday evening.

"The good thing about the festive period is that you've only got a few more days before the next game. Especially after a result like that, we're looking to put it right," said Grimmer.

"After the Watford game, we had quite a while to wait before we could go out and play well again, which we did manage to do.

"I'll hold my hands up, it was a mistake from me that led to that goal, and we had been under the cosh in the first 10 minutes.

"When you come to a place like Bournemouth, you know what you are going to get. Week in, week out, they always play the same way but they are very good at it.

"They've found their style and they stick to it and they get the points. In parts we played well, I think maybe we showed them a bit too much respect.

"A big part of it is, even if you do go a goal down, you have to stay in the game. Coming here, we knew they always start sharp. So we knew the first 15, 20 minutes were going to be crucial."

Fulham responded well to the early set-back and were still in the game, 1-0 down at the interval.

Manager Kit Symons wanted the Whites to be braver in possession after the break and, when goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli saved Pitman's 50th-minute penalty, Grimmer revealed the Whites believed there would be a route back into the game.

"Everyone got a buzz from Marcus doing what he's done for the majority of the season, and making a great save from the penalty, and we were looking for that to be the catalyst to kick on," he continued.

"But nothing really fell for us in the penalty area, like sometimes it might, and then they caught us on the break after we were a little bit sloppy in the middle, although it was a good shot from outside the box."

Although it was Bournemouth's 13th league match without a defeat, stretching back to September, Grimmer could not hide his disappointment after losing away against the Sky Bet Championship leaders.

Now his sights are firmly set on Brighton and Hove Albion, and delivering a performance which will put the Whites back on track heading into 2015.

"We thought we had given our fans the best Christmas present with two wins in a row in the lead up to Christmas, this game hasn't worked out like that," he added.

"We'll get back in to training and recover quickly and then focus on Brighton at home. In the last game of the year, we want to go out with three points."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/december/27/grimmer-reaction?

[WhiteJC]

 
Did Arter steal Parker's midfield crown?

Harry Arter won the spoils on Boxing Day against his brother-in-law. It was always going to be a difficult game for the two players and I was pleased that they did not get into any situation where one of them might have been sent off. Thankfully, it was a fairly clean game with both sides playing some good football. The midfield scrap was full on, but Surman and Arter were more than a match for Scott Parker and Seko Fofana in the end.

Arter did not push forward too much early on in the match. He was aware that Fulham were capable of dictating matters if he let them win the midfield, and we quickly saw his usual passing game start to spread the ball to both wings efficiently. It was when the Cherries came under pressure in the second half that I thought, now Harry is really playing. Fulham were on top and were trying to get that equaliser, but Harry was racing around the field trying to cut down the time and space for those who could hurt the Cherries.

Ross McCormack looked most likely to find a gap somewhere, but no one got away from Arter for long and at the end of the game it was just reward for all his hard work that Harry got the final goal to seal the win. He had had chances earlier in the game, but to run from the half way line and to smash in his shot so precisely in the corner was a real champagne moment at the end of the match for AFCB fans.

I still feel that Harry can have even more influence in games, but it is pleasing to see that he is enjoying his chance to get on the score sheet when he can. I am not saying that he is better than Scott Parker yet, but he is going to start to get noticed if he plays like this every week.



http://afcbchimes.blogspot.co.uk/2014/12/did-arter-steal-parkers-midfield-crown.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham boss eyes new signings after Bournemouth loss

Kit Symons hoping to strengthen in January transfer window

Fulham boss Kit Symons is hoping to bolster his squad when the transfer window opens next week.

Symons saw his side slip to a 2-0 defeat at league leaders Bournemouth on Boxing Day as their recent run of away wins was abruptly ended at the Goldsands Stadium.

The Cottagers face an uphill struggle to mount a play-off push, and Symons is hoping some new arrivals can boost their cause.

He said: "I think there will be a couple of new, fresh faces coming in certainly.

"It's whether in the market there is the right player available, and for the right place. We're constantly looking and we aim to do so."

Brett Pitman gave the Cherries an early lead before Marcus Bettinelli denied the striker a second when he saved his penalty.

However, Harry Arter wrapped up victory in the final minute to send Fulham packing.

Symons added: "I thought we created some good chances in the second half, and had some good spells in the game, and I honestly felt we were going to nick something out of it."


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/fulham-boss-eyes-new-signings-8349596?

[WhiteJC]

 
Smith pleased to be off the mark

Fulham loanee pleased to head opener in Yeovil win.
Matt Smith insists he isn't fazed by missed opportunities.

The big striker passed up two great chances in front of the Atyeo Stand yesterday before heading in the opener during City's 2-1 win over Yeovil Town.

"I was relieved to get that first goal in a City shirt," Smith told Bristol City Player afterwards.

But he insisted: "It wasn't so much relief about scoring after the misses. I'm more upset when I'm not getting chances.

"Yes they were glaring misses and from my point of view, I should be burying both.

"I'm not one to shy away. As long as I keep getting into positions to score then that's fine.

"It was a great delivery from Joe Bryan for the goal. He's good with both feet. I managed to get my head on it and I was pleased to see it go in.

"Kieran (Agard) and I know we should have stuck a few away in the first half to give us a handsome lead.

"It was a professional performance and while they may have scored one late on, the score probably doesn't reflect the game properly.

"It was a great atmosphere and now we can hopefully take momentum into the Gillingham game (tomorrow)."



Read more at http://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/article/smith-pleased-to-be-off-the-mark-2167407.aspx#0Rxj6rtQmCjIfUXt.99

[WhiteJC]

 
Bent blow for Brighton

Darren Bent looks set to sit out Brighton's Championship clash with Fulham after limping off after half an hour in Boxing Day's 2-2 draw with Reading.

The on-loan Aston Villa striker suffered a slight groin strain after scoring two goals in his previous four games with the Seagulls.

Defender Bruno will again be absent as he serves the second game of a three-match ban received for being sent off in the recent 1-1 draw at Wolves.

Gordon Greer has been out since late November with a knee problem but is reported to be close to a comeback.

Fulham will again be without Tim Hoogland, who has been absent since the end of October and has undergone a hernia operation.

Fellow defender Fernando Amorebieta has been sidelined since limping off in the Bonfire Night draw with Blackpool due to a knee injury.

The Cottagers have Australian frontman Adam Taggart closing in on a return to fitness following a groin injury which has kept him out for the first half of the season.

Defender Sean Kavanagh could also come into contention after being absent since late October with a thigh problem if Kit Symons feels the need for fresh legs.


http://www.espnfc.co.uk/english-league-championship/match/398381/fulham-brighton-and-hove-albion/preview?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham v Brighton preview
Fulham will again be without Tim Hoogland, who has been absent since the end of October and has undergone a hernia operation, against Brighton on Monday.

Fellow defender Fernando Amorebieta has been sidelined since limping off in the Bonfire Night draw with Blackpool due to a knee injury.

The Cottagers have Australian frontman Adam Taggart closing in on a return to fitness following a groin injury which has kept him out for the first half of the season.

Defender Sean Kavanagh could also come into contention after being absent since late October with a thigh problem if Kit Symons feels the need for fresh legs.

Darren Bent looks set to sit out Brighton's Championship clash with Fulham after limping off after half an hour in Boxing Day's 2-2 draw with Reading.

The on-loan Aston Villa striker suffered a slight groin strain after scoring two goals in his previous four games with the Seagulls.

Defender Bruno will again be absent as he serves the second game of a three-match ban received for being sent off in the recent 1-1 draw at Wolves.

Gordon Greer has been out since late November with a knee problem but is reported to be close to a comeback.


http://www.football365.com/match/3739380/preview?

[WhiteJC]

 
Preview: Fulham vs. Brighton & Hove Albion

Brighton & Hove Albion will be hoping to end a run of seven games without a win when they travel to Fulham in the Championship on Monday.

Inigo Calderon netted a late equaliser on Boxing Day to earn the managerless Seagulls a 2-2 draw with Reading, leaving the team seven points clear of bottom side Blackpool.

Interim boss Nathan Jones will remain in charge for this match, and has been linked with the vacancy, left by Sami Hyypia's exit, of a permanent basis.

Darren Bent could miss the match after the on-loan striker limped out of Friday's draw with a tight groin.

However, Craig Mackail-Smith could be set for an increased roll after coming off the bench against Reading, earning the plaudits of the caretaker manager.

Meanwhile, Fulham have a chance to move into the top half of the table with a win over Brighton, depending on the results in Sunday's matches.

The Cottagers slipped to a 2-0 defeat against Bournemouth on Friday, leaving them 15th in the table and eight points clear of the bottom three.

Kit Symons' side have reported no fresh injury concerns following the defeat, but may make changes for their third match in nine days.

George Williams and Patrick Roberts both came off the bench last time out, so could be in line for a start if they impressed the manager.

When the two sides played the reverse fixture just a few weeks ago, Fulham came away with a 2-1 win.

Fulham:

Form in Championship: LWLWWL
Form in all competitions: LWLWWL

Possible starting lineup: Bettinelli, Grimmer, Bodurov, Hutchinson, Stafylidis, Parker, Williams, Fofana, Ruiz, Rodallega, McCormack

Brighton & Hove Albion:

Form in Championship: DLLLDD
Form in all competitions: DLLLDD

Possible starting lineup: Stockdale, Calderon, Halford, Dunk, Bennett, Gardner, Holla, Forster-Caskey, March, Mackail-Smith, Colunga

Sports Mole says: 1-0


http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/fulham/preview/preview-fulham-vs-brighton_195772.html?