Monday Fulham Stuff (19/01/15)...

[WhiteJC]

 
REPORT - Fulham 2-1 Reading

READING slipped to 18th in the Championship after they suffered a 2-1 defeat at Fulham.

In the opening 45 minutes, the home side nearly scored, but Hugo Rodallega's effort came back off the post.

The Londoners, managed by Basingstoke-born Kit Symons, took the lead after 55 minutes, after Alex Kacaniklic scored from the edge of the box from Scott Parker's pass.

Just after the hour, the Royals equalised, as Pavel Pogrebnyak headed in Oliver Norwood's corner.

Fulham's winner came three minutes into injury time from Bryan Ruiz.

Reading manager Steve Clarke said: "It was disappointing to lose a game to a very late goal."

This week, the Royals take a break from league action as they travel to fellow Championship side Cardiff for a fourth round FA Cup tie.


http://www.basingstokegazette.co.uk/sport/football/football_reading/11732676._/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Kit Symons reveals Fulham are in talks to sign two players

Fulham manager Kit Symons has revealed that Fulham are in talks to sign two players, in his weekly press conference today.

Fulham are yet to splash any money in the transfer window this season, and were recently interested in Zeki Fryers, before he joined Rotherham on loan today.

Symons told the Daily Star: "We're in discussions with a couple of clubs about a couple of players. It's very early days and the discussions are ongoing.

"We will look to bring good players to this football club. If we can strengthen the squad with the right characters then I will always look to do it.

"The chairman is very supportive and understanding of that and he's keen for that to happen if we can get the right people at the right price."

Fulham beat Reading 2-1 on Saturday, thanks to a late Bryan Ruiz winner, and they successfully bounced back from a 1-0 defeat to Cardiff City last weekend.

Sean Morrison scored the only goal of the game after a goal scramble. It was Fulham's third straight defeat.

Manager Kit Symons said after the game: "It was always going to be hard for us coming here because that decision gave everyone at Cardiff City a lift. I came here two weeks ago to watch them against Watford and the atmosphere was very different.

"We had good possession but didn't create enough clear-cut opportunities for all the ball we had. We had excellent possession and good periods with the ball.

"We've got creative players and we made changes to bring on more creative players to get forward."

Fulham are now in 15th place, on 31 points.


http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/kit-symons-reveals-fulham-are-in-talks-to-sign-two-players/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Kača opening goal delight

Alexander Kačaniklić was delighted to score the pivotal opening goal against Reading FC on Saturday in his first start for Fulham since manager Kit Symons recalled him from loan at FC Copenhagen.

"It was really important for me to get that goal," Kačaniklić told fulhamfc.com after the match. "It felt really good. It feels nice to be back here and score in front of the fans and even better to get the three points."

The Whites took the lead with Kačaniklić's opening goal in the 55th minute when the Swedish midfielder got onto a wonderful pass from Scott Parker and kept his composure slotting the ball neatly between Federici's legs.

Former Fulham striker Pavel Pogrebnyak levelled the score for the Royals just eight minutes later, but it was substitute Bryan Ruiz who got the winner for the Whites in the dying minutes of a tense second half with a sublime header three minutes into stoppage time.

"It was a weird game," said Kačaniklić. "The first half felt like a little bit of a drag and not much happened even though we did have a few chances. In the second half there was a lot of intensity, up and down. They threatened us quite a lot but we came back and worked hard as a team and in the end we got a really good goal.

"Having to grind out a result like that is a little different to where I have been playing in Copenhagen, but obviously that is a great strength that we have as a team. If we can work hard and grind results out, we need that to keep climbing the table."

The Whites now face Nottingham Forest on Wednesday 21st January and Kačaniklić is looking forward to the challenge. "Nottingham Forest got a good result on the weekend too so they are going to come in with a lot of confidence but so are we. We need to get those three points."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/january/18/opening-goal-delight?

[WhiteJC]

 
Bristol City boss Steve Cotterill defends Matt Smith after crowd's reaction during win at Scunthorpe United

Bristol City Matt Smith (left) shakes hands with stand-in Scunthorpe United goalkeeper Andrew Boyce at the final whistle.

BRISTOL City boss Steve Cotterill leapt to the defence of striker Matt Smith after the Fulham loanee was booed by sections of the Scunthorpe United crowd on an eventful afternoon at Glanford Park.

Smith, the 6ft 6ins striker, was awarded a first-half penalty from which the Robins took the lead in an eventual 2-0 victory for the League One high-fliers.

Minutes after that decision, which had angered fans particularly at the Doncaster Road End, the former Leeds United and Oldham Athletic front man was involved in a collision with James Severn, which left United's substitute goalkeeper with a broken arm.

Severn left the pitch on a stretcher, heaping further woe on a Scunthorpe side who had already lost number one Sam Slocombe to the same injury inside the opening 10 minutes.

Cotterill insisted no blame should be apportioned to Smith – who wished both keepers well on Twitter after the game – and TV replays seemed to back up those sentiments.

"I've never experienced anything like it (seeing two goalkeepers go off injured in one game," said Cotterill, whose City side have now won four successive games in League One.

"But I have to say, there can be no blame attributed to any of our boys. They were fair challenges. Matt Smith was getting booed but there's absolutely no reason why.

"He went for it and the lad (Severn) was brave and came out for it. If anything the lad's ended up going in to Matt because Matt is already there. There's no blame attached to our boys.

"After that it becomes difficult because you've got a crowd that are anti towards you because they've had two goalkeepers carried off. That has absolutely nothing to do with us.

"I don't think we were aggressive enough today in terms of how we played, but there you go."



Read more: http://www.scunthorpetelegraph.co.uk/Bristol-City-boss-Steve-Cotterill-defends-Matt/story-25884390-detail/story.html?#ixzz3PCS95qPW
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[WhiteJC]

 
Unlucky Royals lose to injury-time winner
   
Bryan Ruiz's last minute goal gave Fulham all three points in a lively game with Reading at Craven Cottage, with all three goals coming in the second half in a 2-1 victory for the home side.

Royals boss Steve Clarke made just one change from the team that drew with Middlesbrough last week, with Garath McCleary returning from injury in the place of Jamie Mackie. There were early warning signs for the home side, as Alex Pearce's header was cleared off the line.

Hugo Rodallega has been revitalised under Kit Symons, but should have got on the scoresheet early on, as he couldn't find the target from McCormack's cut back. Robson-Kanu scored twice on this ground two years ago and went close again 15 minutes in, cutting in from the right.

Fulham were struggling with set pieces and goalkeeper Bettenelli had to be alert to deny Pogrebnyak's scuffed effort at goal. It was a mad finish to the half, as Federici had to be on hand to push away a header from a corner, before Rodellega smashed his rebound against the post.

The home side broke the deadlock ten minutes into the second half though, as Scott Parker's perfectly-weighted ball found Alex Kacaniklic to run through on goal and slot through Federici's legs. An early blow for the Royals, but the response from Clarke's men was good.

McCleary and Cox were linking up very well and the later forced the keeper into a save, as the forward worked his way through the backline. Our pressure eventually told though, as from Norwood's corner, Pavel Pogrebnyak to rose highest to level the game with a firm header.

If anyone was going to get the winner, it looked like being the Royals. Man of the match McCleary had an effort at goal just over, before Simon Cox had a goal rightly disallowed for offside - the game was opening up! Fulham were on the back foot and were looking shaky.

As injury time approached, Nick Blackman was nearly slotted through by McCleary, but couldn't execute the perfect touch. Then came the killer blow injury time, as a cross was nodded across goal by Woodrow, perfectly into the path of Bryan Ruiz to head home.

Heartbreak for the Royals players, staff and 2,800 fans, who looked as if they were going to take all the points. It was a great effort and a loss was very harsh on us, but ultimately boiled down to poor finishing - would we have won if Murray was playing? Who knows!

Fulham - 4-1-2-1-2: Bettenelli; Grimmer, Bodurov, Hutchinson, Stafylidis; Parker, Fofana Tunnicliffe, Kacaniklic; Rodallega, McCormack.
Subs: Kiraly, Burn, Williams, Roberts, Ruiz, Woodrow, Dembele.

Reading - 4-2-3-1: Federici; Gunter, Pearce, Hector, Obita; Norwood, Williams; McCleary, Cox, Robson-Kanu; Pogrebnyak.
Subs: Andersen, Cooper, Kelly, Karacan, Guthrie, Mackie, Blackman.


Read more: http://www.reading.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=384949#ixzz3PCSnJolF

[WhiteJC]

 
Ruiz Nets Vital Winner But Could Leave Club

Striker's contract runs out in the summer

Fulham 2-1 Reading, by Kaleem Aftab at Craven Cottage

A last-minute headed goal from Bryan Ruiz gave Fulham their first league win on Saturday since December 20. It may be the last time he touches a ball in the club's colours.

Manager Kit Symons says there is a chance the Costa Rican World Cup quarter-finalist (pictured), who is out of contract in the summer, will leave Fulham in the transfer window. "I would think there is a chance," he said. "But there is certainly nothing for him at the moment. I spoke to Bryan the day before the game and he was very committed and wanted to be involved.
"He has just come back from injury and he came on and scored the goal."

Until Ruiz came off the bench in the 75th minute, Reading looked the likely winners in a game that came alive in the second half.

Fulham took the lead on 55 minutes when Alexander Kacaniklic latched onto Scott Parker's pass and smartly finished with the outside of his boot.

Symons gave starts to both Kacaniklik and Ryan Tunnicliffe, who were both recalled from loan deals.

He said: "I think the original idea was they would go out on season-long loans but one of the first things I said when I took over was that I want both these boys back.

"They are both good players with Championship experience and for me it was a no brainer to recall them.

"They have only been back five minutes and both made an impact."

The goal added urgency to Reading's game. Former Fulham striker Pavel Pogrebnyak, Simon Cox and Gareth McCleary created numerous opportunities before and after Pogrebnyak headed the equaliser from a well-worked corner routine in the 63rd minute.

Steve Clarke, who has been in the Reading hot seat for a month, could not hide his disappointment. "It was the best we've played since I came to the club. When I reflect on the game I may take some positives but for now you have to let me sulk."


http://www.morningstaronline.co.uk/a-9af6-Ruiz-nets-vital-winner-but-could-leave-club#.VLyJGEvw5Rw

[WhiteJC]

 
Forest Enjoy Their Weekend - Now For Fulham

Stuart Pearce wants his side to match the 'marker' they put down in Saturday's East Midlands derby

A dramatic last 15 minutes at the iPro Stadium will be remembered for a long time by Nottingham Forest supporters as they watched their side turn around not only the game against Derby but potentially their season.

The memories will last but the optimism will not unless the Reds can take another three points from their away fixture with Fulham on Wednesday night.

The two sides had sharply contrasting fortunes at the beginning of the season but Forest's slide and a measured recovery at Craven Cottage means that only three points currently separates them in the Championship table.

Fulham too had a late winner at the weekend, Bryan Ruiz netting to secure a 2-1 victory against Reading and manager Kit Symons was quick to praise the Costa Rican, saying: "He's just come back from a little injury and he was good. So I involved him and he came on and scored the winner, so I'm delighted."

The corresponding fixture at the City Ground in September was an exciting affair with Forest running out 5-3 winners thanks to a Britt Assombalonga hat-trick.


http://www.nottinghamforest-mad.co.uk/news/tmnw/forest_enjoy_their_weekend__now_for_fulham_851761/index.shtml?

[Fulham33]

Don't know how you missed the Telegraph having us playing 2 games next Saturday (Forest and Sunderland). Near enough is good enough. Or has the cup been devalued to such an extent that the FA realise certain clubs put out their reserve X1 therefore may as well play two games at same time to avoid fixture congestion!!!!! (PS I picked the paper up on the train!)