Friday Fulham Stuff (23/01/15)...

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Kit's Sunderland Preview

Kit Symons is anticipating a tough game at Sunderland on Saturday, but is backing his Fulham team to come away with a positive result.

The Whites have been paired with the Barclays Premier League side in the Fourth Round of the FA Cup, and Symons is looking forward to seeing how his men fare on Wearside.

"It's almost like a bonus game really I think is the way to view it," he said in Thursday's press conference. "It's a fantastic game for us and one I'm expecting the team to go and do well in.

"We'll show them the respect they deserve as a Premier League team – they're a good outfit, they've got some good players, but so have we, and I'm very confident of going up there and getting a result.

"I think away from home against a Premier League team we'll be considerable underdogs, but I'm quite happy with that to be honest.

"They've got a lot of good players throughout the team and I think when you're playing Premier League teams who have got quality throughout, if you focus on one person or one area, you become undone in other places. So for us to get anything out of this game it's got to be a good team collective performance."

Owing to their status as a top-flight outfit, the Black Cats will be heavy favourites going into Saturday's tie, but Symons has seen enough from his own team to suggest they can mix it with the elite.

He stated: "I've felt that at times this season – first half yesterday [against Nottingham Forest], first half against Wolves in the Replay – we showed Premier League quality at times.

"We've not been able to do that for the full duration as yet, one half or another we've been able to do that, so it will be good to actually match up against Premier League teams and see just how good our quality is.

"But it'll be very tough, we're under no illusions there. They're a good outfit, they're strong, they're organised, and they'll make life very hard for us, but I'm very confident going into it and I'm looking forward to the game."

Ross McCormack has been a star performer for the Whites this season, no more so than when he smashed in a hat-trick within the opening 35 minutes against Forest on Wednesday.

The 28-year-old has never plied his trade at the top level of English football, and so his Manager is keen to see how he fares.

"Someone like a Ross, for example, has never played in the Premier League," he explained, "but, for me, displays Premier League quality, so it'll be interesting just to see that, how that one pans out.

"We've got some very good players and at times play some fantastic football. Getting Kača [Alexander Kačaniklić] back, who's obviously got Premier League experience, is good for us, so we've got a good squad of players.

"We're looking to make it better all the time, we try and strengthen as and where we can but I'm happy with the way things are progressing."

Speaking of improving the squad, Symons was quizzed by the press about potential incomings at the Club during the January transfer window, to which he responded that there could be a new face arriving soon.

"There's definitely one loan signing at least that is, touch wood, imminent and that should be done in the next couple of days, hopefully," he revealed. "So we should have someone available for the Blackburn game.

"I'm not going to say anything about it until it's all done, but that's looking very good. And there's a few others that we're very interested in and pushing for – whether they come off or not we'll have to wait and see."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/january/22/kits-sunderland-preview?

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Plumain's U21 Boost

Following their 2-1 victory over PSV Eindhoven U21s on Wednesday night, securing a Quarter-Final spot for Fulham U21s in the Premier League International Cup in the process, goalscorer Ange-Freddy Plumain hopes the win will provide the young side with confidence and momentum going forward into the next few games.

"I am very happy for the two goals that I scored. That win was very important for the team," Plumain told fulhamfc.com.

"Now we need to build on this victory because on Monday we have a big game against Everton. We are hoping this helps build morale amongst the team to take on Everton, and then also in the Quarter-Finals of this competition against whichever team we meet next."

French forward Plumain stepped up to convert two penalty kicks in the second half after Fulham U21s had gone 0-1 down to a resolute PSV performance in this final game in the group stage of the Premier League International Cup.

With the Whites requiring either a win or a draw to proceed, and PSV needing the win, it was a close match until the 65th minute when Moussa Sanoh was sent off for handball on the line and the Dutch team were reduced to 10 men.

Having dominated possession, it was two penalties from Plumain, the second of which was the final kick of the game, that secured the win for the Whites.

"We were almost obliged to score because we had superiority in numbers after PSV got a red card," said Plumain.

"It's been hard because we have lost a few matches recently but they have been in situations where we didn't always deserve to lose, like last week against Southampton. But football is just like that so we just have to continue in this way and I hope we will. We are a young team and learning."

U21s captain Jonathan Buatu agrees that the team need to take confidence from their performance not only in the league, but hopefully to progress to the final stages of the PL International Cup. 

"We knew the job we had to do for this game," said Buatu. "If we lost we were finished, if we drew we went through and if we won we went through as well, so we knew what was required of us. It's very good for the team in terms of confidence.

"When you play in a competition of course you want to win it, but the first objective is to play well and if you can win the competition that is the bonus."

The Quarter-Finals of the Premier League International Cup will be played in February.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/january/22/plumain-u21-win-boost?

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Sunderland v Fulham: Symons happy with underdogs tag

Kit Symons is happy for Fulham to be considered the underdogs for their FA Cup fourth-round tie at Sunderland on Saturday.

Fulham will head into Saturday's FA Cup fourth-round tie at Sunderland as second favourites, which is a tag manager Kit Symons is more than happy with.

After being relegated from the Premier League last season, Fulham have been inconsistent so far in the Championship this time around.

However, they have won their last two matches, including a 3-2 victory over Nottingham Forest on Wednesday, thanks to a hat-trick from striker Ross McCormack.

Sunderland have been in poor form since the turn of the year, with their only win in 2015 coming at home against Fulham's Championship rivals Leeds United in the previous round of this competition.

In the league, they have gone five matches without a win, with their sole point during that run coming from a 0-0 draw at fellow strugglers Aston Villa.

And Symons is content for all the pressure to be on Sunderland to help his side achieve a positive result at the weekend.

"We'll be considerable underdogs on Saturday, but I'm quite happy with that," he said.

However, Symons may have to cope without his captain Scott Parker at the Stadium of Light after the midfielder was forced off during the win over Forest.

"There's a few knocks and a few cuts and bruises from last night as you would expect, but overall, looking pretty good," he said.

"Scotty Parker's probably the biggest concern because he came off with a bit of an ankle injury last night so we're not sure if he's going to be fit to travel or not.

"But other than that we came through relatively unscathed, so all looking alright."

In more positive news, Fulham could welcome back midfielder Lasse Vigen Christensen, who has missed the last four matches with a hamstring injury.

"I'll need to speak to the physios after training but Lasse Christensen's been in training for this week and he's looking good so I'm expecting him to be travelling and to be back in the squad," Symons said.

Sunderland, meanwhile, will be without Lee Cattermole, Adam Johnson and Wes Brown for Saturday's match.

The club's first team coach Charlie Oatway has revealed that midfielders Cattermole and Johnson have minor problems, while defender Brown is suffering from a knock and all three are unlikely to be risked.

"Lee Cattermole and Adam Johnson are both struggling with these little niggly injuries so it is very unlikely that they will take part in the game," he said.

"Hopefully both of them will be fit to take part in training next week, but we can't take the risk and we need to make sure they're 100 per cent fit before they return.

"Wes Brown also has a bit of a knock so we will assess him on Friday, but other than that we're okay.

"We also have Liam Bridcutt back in contention which gives us a boost in the midfield area in the absence of Catts, so it is great to have him available once more



Read more at http://www.fourfourtwo.com/au/news/sunderland-v-fulham-symons-happy-underdogs-tag#K25xG8GGgSbqOGPd.99

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Positions Up For Grabs in New Formation but Strong Side Expected Against Fulham

FA Cup weekend is upon us again, but could Poyet be tempted into wholesale changes for the visit of Fulham to the Stadium of Light?

In goal, the ever reliable Costel Pantilimon could be rested to give some much needed game time to forgotten man Vito Mannone. After missing the previous round through a reported illness, Mannone will be hoping to bounce back and restore some of the confidence demolished at St Mary's.

The rest of the team largely depends on how Sunderland line up up top. This one has been billed all week as Jermain Defoe's home debut, with the January arrival giving the usual pre-home-debut pep talk. It seems certain then, especially with his lack of game time recently, that Defoe will retain his place, but who starts alongside him? A case can be made for the rest of the strikers on Sunderland's books.

Steven Fletcher has only found the net in two games this season, albeit notching a brace in each, and was guilty of wasting our best chance at White Hart Lane. The goalscoring instinct is there, somewhere, and Fletcher could do with a goal this weekend without the pressure of a Premier League defence.

Connor Wickham, meanwhile, found himself exiled to the bench from the start last week. It appears Wickham's wing days are over after Poyet's formation change, for now at least. Like Fletcher, Wickham needs to find the net more, and given his lack of game time in the central role compared to the Scottish international, could be handed an immediate recall.

Now this is where it may get controversial: Danny Graham. The man no one expected, nor really wanted, to see in a Sunderland shirt again has found himself back in the picture, albeit around the edges. An encouraging, energetic appearance against Liverpool was followed by a decent half hour in London, although he did himself no favours firing his two chances at Lloris. In his five appearances earlier this year for Wolves in the Championship, Graham scored once, and, if Poyet is serious about playing him regularly, even as a sub, a start against Fulham might not be such a bad idea.

One last option, and one I'd personally love to see more of in the cup, is turning to the likes of Mikael Mandron. The young striker has a lot to learn still, as proved when he replaced Johnson in the dying stages against Liverpool, but who better to learn from than Jermain Defoe? A long shot, but one I'd like to see included from the bench at some stage.

Should Poyet persist with two up front, there'll be another line of three, or five at the back depending on how you look at it. Anthony Reveillerie could return at full back, while there could be a start for Sebastian Coates in the middle too, resting either Vergini or Brown.

While Lee Cattermole remains a doubt, Liam Bridcutt returns following his soft red card versus Liverpool, although faces competition from Jack Rodwell, who put in another solid performance in front of the defence against Spurs. The tireless Seb Larsson will undoubtably keep his place, while this game provides the perfect opportunity for Adam Johnson to have another crack at playing through the middle, although he could similarly be replaced by Giaccherini.

All in all, there could be anywhere between zero and six changes when the teams run out on Saturday afternoon. That said, there's more than enough quality in there to see Sunderland progress to the fifth round of the FA Cup.


http://www.wearewearside.com/post/2015/01/22/positions-up-for-grabs-in-new-formation-but-strong-side-expected-against-fulham.aspx

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Fulham taunts should inspire more from Nottingham Forest, says Jack Hobbs

The memory of the taunts from the home fans at Craven Cottage should be enough to inspire more from Nottingham Forest, says skipper Jack Hobbs.

The Fulham faithful were sarcastically cheering 'ole' with every pass their side completed for several minutes, after seeing Ross McCormack fire them into a 3-0 lead in the first half.

For a while Forest were simply chasing shadows, until an improved second half display almost saw them claim a deserved share of the spoils.

But it was those first half taunts that really had Forest fuming, after they had again shot themselves in the foot with some shoddy defending.

"It is just frustrating when you are trying to press a team and you can here the 'ole' shouts from the crowd," said Hobbs (pictured). "That is difficult to take; incredibly frustrating.

"We need to be a bit uglier. We have spoken before about not conceding silly free-kicks around the edge of the box but, at the same time, you can't stand off people like that.

"It was to our cost in the end, allowing them the space to hurt us.

"We came back and created a lot of chances. But it is hard to be positive following that first half. Yes, we did almost snatch a point, but we should not have left ourselves in that position. We should not have given ourselves so much to do. We were all keen to build on the Derby win and the euphoria of that. I don't know why we started so slowly.

"In the second half we showed what we can do. In fact, we were all over them. But I am just not sure what happened in the first half."

Hobbs says the players will have to face some tough questions before they return to action with a game against Millwall.

"We have to watch the video again and ask ourselves for some answers," he said. "Collectively, as a team, it was down to all of us.

"You cannot blame Dorus for any of the goals. As a team, we have to take responsibility. We were too lethargic and not sharp enough. We said at half-time that we put five past them at the City Ground and we might have done again, with the chances we had. In the second half we did put them under big pressure. But we gave ourselves too much to do."



Read more: http://www.nottinghampost.com/Fulham-taunts-inspire-Nottingham-Forest-says-Jack/story-25908982-detail/story.html?#ixzz3PZx9mAiY
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Royals target successful FA Cup run after cruel loss at Fulham

The Royals will be targeting a successful run in the FA Cup to get their season firmly back on track as they prepare for a trip to Cardiff on Saturday.

Steve Clark's side have stuttered in their league campaign following a promising start to the season and will hope for a much-needed boost with a win over The Bluebirds, who have also endured a run of mixed results in the Championship.

Reading progressed to the fourth round of the cup after a solitary Nick Blackman strike in an away win over Huddersfield, which also marked Clark's first clean sheet with the side.

The Royals will be looking to bounce back from a cruel loss to a last minute winner in a 2-1 defeat at Fulham on Saturday, which left them 18th in the league.

Front man Pavel Pogrebnyak pulled his side level after Kacaniklic's opener, before Bryan Ruiz snatched a dramatic winner in the third minute of injury-time.


http://www.maidenhead-advertiser.co.uk/Sport/Football/Reading-FC/Royals-target-successful-FA-Cup-run-after-cruel-loss-at-Fulham-22012015.htm?

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Fulham set to make offer for former fans favourite

Fulham are set to make an offer for their former fans favourite and West Bromwich Albion defender Chris Baird, according to Get West London.

The former White was released by Fulham at the end of the 2012/2013 season, but could be called upon to help Fulham stay in England's second tier and perhaps make a late push for the play offs.

Baird was signed over the summer by West Brom, and has only played seven times this season but he was selected to play against Everton on Monday night by new boss Tony Pulis.

He spent a lot of time in the Championship last year. He snubbed QPR after training with them to sign for Reading on a free transfer, and despite impressing at the Madejski, he couldn't win himself a new contract due to the clubs ownership situation.

Bairdy then joined promotion chasers Burnley until the end of the season, but was not offered a new deal there either.

The return of 'Bairdy' could be a real lift for the Fulham faithful, as he can operate in central midfield, centre back, left back and right back. He started in Fulham's Europa league final of 2010 against Atletico Madrid.

He's not the only player at West Brom who Fulham are pondering a move for, they've been linked with out of favour midfielder Graham Dorrans and have also been linked with Stoke City centre back Robert Huth on loan.

Having beaten Nottingham Forest 3-2 last night thanks to a Ross McCormack hat-trick, Fulham have climbed out of the relegation zone and are now up to 18th having accumulated 31 points this season.



http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/fulham-set-to-make-offer-for-former-fans-favourite/?

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FULHAM LINE UP V SUNDERLAND – MORE FA CUP GOALS FOR WOODROW?

Fulham took it all the way to penalties to make the fourth round of the FA Cup and were rewarded to a trip to Sunderland on Saturday afternoon.

We've made one change to the XI from the midweek game, with the Whites winning their last two games with a 4-4-2 formation rather than a three man attack that was used earlier in the season.

Our chosen XI have played together on three occasions this term, winning two and losing one with five goals scored and four conceded.

Ross McCormack has been in a good run of scoring form lately, hitting double figures for goals in all competitions this season after his hat trick against Nottingham Forest on Wednesday.

He also scored the late equaliser against Wolves in the last round of the FA Cup to take the game to penalties which the Whites went on to win.

50% of Cauley Woodrow's goals for the season also came in the same game, and he will be looking for more goals in the competition this weekend.

Although they go into the game as underdogs, they will be playing a Sunderland who are struggling for form at the moment and should be confident of scoring at the Stadium of Light on Saturday afternoon.


http://www.kickoff.co.uk/36953/fulham-line-up-v-sunderland-more-fa-cup-goals-for-woodrow/?

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Fulham boss still worried about relegation, should Nottingham Forest be concerned?

Nottingham Forest are currently 11 points clear of the bottom three, but their safety is not totally confirmed.

Fulham manager Kit Symons has inadvertently fired a warning to Nottingham Forest by telling London24 that a couple of defeats for his side could drag them into a relegation fight.

Fulham beat Forest last night to move level on points with the Reds and Symons' words should highlight just how close this season is to turning disastrous for Stuart Pearce's men.

At the moment Forest are comfortably clear of the drop-zone. However, their 11 point cushion is not one which they will feel entirely safe with considering their recent form and Symons' caution should be reflected in their own approach.

"If we can win a couple more on the spin we'll be looking up the table, but lose a couple and we'll be worrying about relegation again," the Fulham boss said. "It's that tight, you can't look too far ahead."

Fulham's and Forest's seasons have gone in opposite directions to allow them to meet in the middle of the table at this stage.

The Cottagers made a woeful start to the campaign, but they have been much improved under Symons and have accelerated up the table at a rapid rate.

Forest have fallen down it almost as quickly. The Midlands outfit were amongst the front runners for promotion in September, but three wins in 22 matches have seen them drop like a stone.

Relegation still remains very unlikely, but their form is hugely troubling and if it does continue then they could easily be sucked into a fight that they very much don't want to be a part of.


http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2015/01/22/why-forest-have-been-handed-a-relegation-warning-by-fulham-manag/?

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Bristol City secure Matt Smith for one last month

Matt Smith, left, will sign a new month-long loan deal with Bristol City
PICTURE: JOE MEREDITH/JMP

Bristol City will today announce a deal to keep Matt Smith at Ashton Gate for a further month.

Robins boss Steve Cotterill and Fulham manager Kit Symons have come to a verbal agreement over the 25-year-old striker, who has scored nine goals and become a big hit with City fans since arriving on an emergency loan at the end of November.

Smith's initial loan spell will end after Sunday's FA Cup fourth-round showdown against Premier League West Ham United at Ashton Gate, after which City will allow the deal to lapse for a few days before recalling the former Oldham and Leeds United forward to face Gillingham in next Thursday's Johnstone's Paint Trophy southern area final second-leg tie.

But if City successfully defend their 4-2 first-leg advantage to reach the final, Smith will miss out on a big day at Wembley on March 22 owing to Football League regulations.

The rules clearly state that no player can turn out for more than two clubs in one season unless they are signed on an emergency 93-day loan. While City are at liberty to extend Smith's stay by a further month, they will be unable to then re-engage the 6ft 5in striker on a standard loan for the remainder of the season.

Smith has already played for Championship clubs Leeds and Fulham this season and, once his emergency loan spell at Ashton Gate expires, he will have no option but to return to Craven Cottage.

If Fulham boss Symons chooses not to include him in his first-team plans, Smith's season will, to all intents and purposes, be over by the end of February.

All of which means City boss Cotterill will, in all likelihood, return to the market place in search of another striker when the window for loan singings reopens next month.

Aaron Wilbraham and Kieran Agard will have returned from injury-enforced absences by then and Cotterill will also be able to call upon Jay Emmanuel-Thomas.

But he is almost certain to require four strikers for what promises to be a busy run-in to the League One campaign as City play catch-up following extended runs in the FA Cup and Johnstone's Paint Trophy.

In an ideal world, Cotterill would have preferred to keep Smith at Ashton Gate until the end of the season. Recruited in late November, the big centre forward made his debut as a second-half substitute in a 3-0 win at Peterborough United in front of the Sky TV cameras.

Having played little football since August, Smith required time in which to regain full match fitness and it was not until Christmas that City fans saw the best of him. The Manchester University graduate scored in a 2-1 home win over Yeovil Town on Boxing Day to spark a remarkable tally of nine goals in five games, including all four in a Johnstone's Paint Trophy southern area first-leg tie against Gillingham at Priestfield.

Smith's form has been nothing short of a revelation and his partnership with Emmanuel-Thomas has helped sustain City's push for honours on three fronts while Wilbraham and Agard have been sidelined by injury.

City's home game against Peterborough in League One has been rescheduled for Tuesday, February 17 (7.45pm).

The game was originally due to be played at Ashton Gate at the start of January, but was postponed when City made it through to the FA Cup third round. It means City are set to play three home games in eight days next month.



Read more: http://www.westerndailypress.co.uk/City-secure-Smith-month/story-25911076-detail/story.html?#ixzz3Pf1s4iUP
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A Hat-Trick Of Offers

A resounding victory over Nottingham Forest, a hat-trick from Ross McCormack and three wins in a row for the Whites - Wednesday night at the Cottage (despite a rather tense second half to the game) was one to celebrate.

As the team look to continue their run of form, make sure you take advantage of our three great offers currently instore to support the boys in Club colours as they play firstly up in Sunderland in the FA Cup Fourth Round on Saturday and then Blackburn away in the Sky Bet Championship!

With a Buy One Get One Free offer on Home and Away shirts as well as further reductions in our popular Winter Sale, you can celebrate and support the team in the kit of your choice. And make sure you don't miss a single fixture with a Fulham calendar now only £1!


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/january/22/a-hat-trick-of-offers?

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Key Sunderland trio expected to miss FA Cup tie with Fulham

Lee Cattermole, Wes Brown and Adam Johnson are all expected to miss Sunderland's fourth round FA Cup tie with Fulham through injury, Gus Poyet has revealed (via Safc.com).

The sidelined trio are all struggling with minor injuries, but the Black Cats' first-team coach Charlie Oatway admits the coaching staff are unlikely to risk the players.

As reported on the club's official website, Oatway made it clear that he expects all three to be available for next weekend's match with Burnley.

Oatway said: "Lee Cattermole and Adam Johnson are both struggling with these little niggly injuries so it is very unlikely that they will take part in the game.

"Hopefully both of them will be fit to take part in training next week, but we can't take the risk and we need to make sure they're 100% fit before they return.

"Wes Brown also has a bit of a knock so we will assess him on Friday, but other than that we're okay."

Sunderland saw off Neil Redfearn's Leeds United in the FA Cup third round and were rewarded with another tie against lower league opposition.

Fulham needed a replay to settle their third round tie with Wolverhampton Wanderers, a tie which was eventually concluded in a penalty shoot-out – won 5-3 by the Cottagers.

Following their relegation from the Premier League last season, Fulham have been inconsistent in the Championship, but have found some better form of recent. They will be playing Sunderland on the back of two victories, including a 3-2 win over Stuart Pearce's Nottingham Forest

Sunderland are currently struggling in the Premier League and occupy 16th place, so will be looking to find some form in the cup.

The tie with Fulham takes place at the Stadium of Light on January 24 and is a traditional 3pm kick-off.


Read more at http://www.squawka.com/news/key-sunderland-trio-expected-miss-fa-cup-tie-with-fulham/281509#LH0kO5vzyM0hf4bt.99

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Fan's eye view: Fulham 3-2 Forest

An abject first-half display, and a Ross McCormack hat-trick, meant an encouraging second-half performance wasn't enough to prevent Nottingham Forest losing 3-2 to Fulham. Billy Sexton offers a fan's eye view from Craven Cottage...

They say to avoid clichés like the plague... but sod it, Forest's performance at Craven Cottage on Wednesday night can only be discussed bearing in mind a few of football's finest phrases.

"It's a game of two halves"

Forest seem to have a problem getting in to gear as of late. And by 'as of late' I refer to the last 22 matches. In fact, the last time the Reds got out the blocks well was when they defeated Fulham 5-3 at the City Ground way back in September (when we topped the league table – sigh).

As with the Derby game, the starting XI looked like they hadn't bothered with a warm-up before kick-off at Craven Cottage; the first-half showing was lethargic, sloppy, lazy and full of questionable tactics (more on that soon). Forest found themselves three goals down within 35 minutes, all courtesy of £11m man Ross McCormack. Five of McCormack's eight league goals have come against Forest this season, and sloppy marking by Gary Gardner allowed the former Leeds man to curl home his first of the evening.

Kelvin Wilson was caught napping as the ball was lofted over to Hugo Rodallega, who set up McCormack's second. From an experienced defender, you really expect much better, especially after just 18 minutes. An unfortunate deflection gave McCormack his hat-trick and, if it weren't for two fantastic saves by Dorus de Vries, it could have been five by half-time. A well-rehearsed Henri Lansbury free kick gave Forest a glimmer of hope, but it says it all when a set piece was the highlight of Forest's first 45.

Whether Stuart Pearce went 'Psycho' at half-time or there's something in the oranges, Forest came out for the second-half a changed team. Lansbury notched his second, and Britt Assombalonga was unable to steer home a close range header to bring it back to level pegging. The manner in which Forest pressed Fulham in the second-half was very impressive; fast-flowing football, utilising Ben Osborn and Michail Antonio's skill and pace in running at full-backs.

It beggars belief how Forest are able to appear to be a different team game-to-game, half-to-half, but regardless of how encouraging the second-half display was, the damage had already been done. Forest 'simply' need to start better. In far too many games (Cardiff, Huddersfield, Rochdale, Birmingham), the Reds have found themselves trailing at half-time, with three points becoming a hope, rather than a possibility.

"If God had wanted us to play football in the clouds, he'd have put grass up there"

The long ball game (or should I say 'kick and hope that Britt or Michail get on the end of it') isn't consistently working for Forest, and the sooner the team stop playing it, the better. Assombalonga isn't a striker without quality; his performance hasn't dropped off as the season has progressed – the fact that he is the league's third highest goal scorer is testament to that. Rather, his supply is waning, and he spent most of the first half against Fulham running for ambitious long balls.

It's no coincidence that Forest look more threatening when they utilise the pace and quality (it's there somewhere, trust me) of their attacking midfielders and maintain a high intensity going forward – this was the most impressive part of their game against Fulham and Derby. Admittedly with Fulham, there was a sense that the Cottagers dropped off in the second-half, they knew the game was all but won. However, the fact that Forest snatched victory at Derby and gave Fulham a fright is testament to the Reds' style of play.

"Managing expectations"

A vital part of being a Forest fan is managing expectations. Whether it's suggesting that the team needs a season before challenging for promotion, to being confident that Pearce had bought shrewdly and created a genuine title contending team, with over half the season gone, it's safe to assume that Forest will finish in a similar position to last season (another sigh).

"But we deserve to be in the Premier League... We started so well!" Regardless of history and performances, the club needs stability more than anything. Despite Danny Mills being made to look like a bit of a plonker at the weekend, Pearce's tactical ability is questionable – you only need to look at his use of one substitute in the entire Fulham game, and not bringing on the likes of Paterson to inject some new life into a side chasing the game.

Having said that, the club needs firm ground more than it needs late play-off surge and whether Pearce is the man to take us to promotion in the future remains to be seen. Yet he has not yet lost the dressing room, and he'll have to conceive a love child with Rammy before he loses the fans. Fawaz may have been trigger-happy in the past, but it seems that even he realises the need for stability. Results may be disappointing between now and the end of the season, but lets build on the squad foundations Pearce has put together and progress next season. Who knows "it could be our year..."



Read more: http://seatpitch.co.uk/2015/01/22/fans-eye-view-fulham-3-2-forest/#ixzz3Pf2uLrci

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Fulham boss Kit Symons happy with underdog status

Fulham boss Kit Symons has admitted that he is more than happy for them to be underdogs going into their FA Cup fourth-round clash against Sunderland.

The Cottagers have won their last three matches on the bounce, albeit needing penalties to secure their meeting against Gus Poyet's men in their victory over Wolverhampton Wanderers in the last round.

With his side improving under his reign, Symons is optimistic that they can put in a good display against the Premier League outfit and reach the fifth round of the competition.

Symons told the club's official website: "It's almost like a bonus game really I think is the way to view it. It's a fantastic game for us and one I'm expecting the team to go and do well in.

"We'll show them the respect they deserve as a Premier League team – they're a good outfit, they've got some good players, but so have we, and I'm very confident of going up there and getting a result.

"I think away from home against a Premier League team we'll be considerable underdogs, but I'm quite happy with that to be honest."

Fulham last reached the fifth round of the FA Cup in the 2010-11 season.


http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/fulham/fa-cup/news/symons-happy-with-underdog-status_200721.html

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Betting guide to the FA Cup Fourth Round with the Mirror Football app

The grind of the league gives way to the romance of the F.A. Cup this weekend – and we take a look at the big matches and where to put your money

Sunderland v Fulham
Staying up and going up are the respective priorities for Sunderland and Fulham. In reality, neither may happen.

Sunderland have won one of their last 12 in the Premier League, while Championship Fulham are mid-table mediocre, with only bottom-of-the-table Blackpool having lost more games.

The Black Cats have won just two of the last 10 meetings with the Cottagers, who are unbeaten in their last five trips to the Stadium of Light-weights. A draw would not be a shock.

VERDICT: Sunderland 1 Fulham 1 @ 6/1

BEST BET: Both teams to Score @ 8/11


http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/betting/betting-guide-fa-cup-fourth-5025162?