Tuesday Fulham Stuff (10/02/15)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Change Kit Offer

Not got your 2014/16 adidas Replica Change Kit yet?

For 48 hours only we present a fantastic offer for Fulham fans: get the Away Shirt for just £22.49 (was £44.99).

Fulham's popular 2014/15 Away Strip, as worn by Lasse and the boys, goes on to become our Third Kit for next season, so take advantage of this fantastic offer and purchase one now for an amazing half price.

Furthermore, the offer includes Away Shorts and Socks and is also valid on Children sizes and Minikits.

Don't miss out on this limited-time offer, shop direct on 0843 208 1223, at the Stadium Store, or online today!


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/february/10/change-kit-offer?

[WhiteJC]

 
Pre-Match: Lennon on Bolton v Fulham

Bolton boss Neil Lennon speaks to the press, ahead of Tuesday's Championship fixture against Fulham.

In his pre-match press conference, captured by BWFC's official YouTube channel, the Wanderers manager talks about the difficulty he faces with nine first-team players missing through injury, an admission that the Championship play-offs are almost certainly out of reach, as well as his desire to overcome complacency and get the best out of his squad.


http://www.burndenaces.co.uk/2015/02/10/pre-match-lennon-on-bolton-v-fulham.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Bolton Wanderers v Fulham - Preview

Bolton will be looking to get back to winning ways on Tuesday, when they play host to Fulham at Macron Stadium.

After narrowly losing out to Liverpool in their FA Cup fourth-round replay last week, Wanderers suffered back-to-back defeats for the first time since Neil Lennon was appointed manager after they were beaten 4-1 at Derby County on Saturday.

Fulham were 4-0 winners in this season's reverse fixture, a result which spelled the end of Dougie Freedman's time in charge of the Trotters, and Bolton will be hoping to gain a measure of revenge by securing a win that will see them leapfrog Kit Symons' side in the Championship table.

Lennon, who has seen his team win just one of their last seven games in all competitions, has been dealt a double injury blow with the news that David Wheater and Liam Trotter are almost certain to miss the game.

Both players were forced off the field at half-time in Wanderers' defeat at the iPro Stadium, with Wheater suffering from a dead leg and Trotter complaining of pain in his thigh.

Should they miss out, they will join an injury list that already contains the names of Adam Bogdan (ankle), Marc Tierney (leg), Emile Heskey (hamstring), Matt Mills (knee), Max Clayton (knee), Mark Davies (knee), Craig Davies (hamstring) and Darren Pratley (hamstring).

Neil Danns could return to the side, after sitting out the weekend loss at Derby through suspension, although he could face competition from deadline day signings Barry Bannan, Simeon Slavchev and Filip Twardzik. Saidy Janko could also feature, providing registration forms are received in time to be processed.

The absence of Mills and Wheater from the heart of the Bolton defence could see Tim Ream shift into a central position, alongside Dorian Dervite, allowing Dean Moxey to drop into a full-back position.

Fulham will make a late decision on the fitness of Scott Parker, who missed their weekend draw with Birmingham City through illness.

Ross McCormack wore the captain's armband on Parker's absence and could fulfill the role again on their trip to the North West.

Fernando Amorebieta and Tim Hoogland turned out for the club's development squad last Friday, after long spells out through injury, but Sean Kavanagh looks set to miss out despite returning to training after a knee problem of his own.

Bolton Wanderers: from: Amos, Lonergan, Fitzsimons, McNaughton, Moxey, Ream, Dervite, Taylor, Threlkeld, Sellers, Matthews, Feeney, Hall, Danns, Rochinha, Vela, Hughes, Twardzik, Bannan, Lester, Woodland, Slavchev, Janko, Walker, Le Fondre, Gudjohnsen, Eaves, Clough, Iliev, Knight


http://www.burndenaces.co.uk/2015/02/10/bolton-wanderers-v-fulham-preview.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Next Up: Bolton Wanderers

There's currently just a point and a place separating Fulham and Bolton Wanderers in the Sky Bet Championship table, and the sides go head to head at the Macron Stadium on Tuesday evening (8pm).


The opposition

Not unlike their upcoming opponents, Bolton's season has taken a significant turn for the better following the appointment of a new manager. Following a 4-0 defeat at Craven Cottage on 1st October, Dougie Freedman departed the club as they sat second bottom in the standings with just five points won from 10 games played.

Former Celtic boss Neil Lennon was appointed as his successor and won his first game in charge away to Birmingham City, and has since gone on to lead them to a solid points total of 34 – one less than Fulham.

The Trotters go into Tuesday's game on the back of a five game winless run in all competitions, although that does include two matches against Liverpool in the FA Cup. In the Replay at the Macron they were moments from advancing to the Fifth Round, but goals from Raheem Sterling in the 86th minute and Philippe Coutinho in the 90th turned the game on his head following Eidur Gudjohnsen's penalty earlier in the game.

They will be looking to continue their solid home form in the league when the Whites visit, with Lennon yet to oversee a Championship defeat at the Macron. Their previous loss was against Bournemouth on 4th October.


Team news

Bolton are currently in the midst of a considerable injury crisis, with a number of first-team players sidelined. Darren Pratley, Marc Tierney, Mark Davies and Max Clayton are long-term absentees, while Matt Mills, Liam Trotter, Adam Bogdan, Craig Davies and Emile Heskey are also missing.

David Wheater was substituted with a leg problem at half-time in their defeat by Derby County at the weekend, but he is in contention to appear on Tuesday. Saidy Janko – who featured in Manchester United Under-21s' defeat by Fulham on transfer deadline day prior to joining Bolton on loan – is waiting on paperwork to see if he can be included against the Whites.

One positive piece of team news for the Trotters is that Neil Danns returns from suspension following his red card against Liverpool.


Inside the camp

Wanderers manager Neil Lennon is hoping home advantage plays a major factor when Fulham visit the Macron Stadium.

Bolton have lost just three times at home in the league this term – never under Lennon's watch – and he's hoping that continues against Kit Symons' men.

"They've got some excellent players," he said in his pre-match press conference. "[Ross] McCormack, [Hugo] Rodallega, [Lasse] Christensen, [Alexander] Kačaniklić – they're very talented, very dangerous.

"They've had a difficult season themselves in terms of adjusting to the Championship but I think Kit's come in now and stabilised it. He knows the Club and the players very well, and they're a dangerous team.

"They're stronger at home, a bit like ourselves. They don't travel as well as they probably would've liked so it's a game where we're at home where we're unbeaten in the league since October, so that's a real plus point in our favour.

"We have to get [the 4-1 defeat by Derby] out of our system as quickly as possible and we're all looking forward to the game. I think it will be a good game of football, I think both teams will try and play so there may be goals in it, it may be open and it may be quite entertaining."


Player to watch

Zach Clough: Few outside of Bolton would have heard of 19-year-old Zach Clough before the turn of the year, but 2015 has started in prolific fashion for the striker. Handed a professional debut by Lennon on 3rd January in the FA Cup against Wigan Athletic, he scored the only goal of the game – a cool, dinked finish after going through one-on-one – to earn progression for his side. Days later he was handed a new contract at the club, tying him to Bolton until 2017, and his next appearance saw him hit both goals in their 2-2 home draw with Wolverhampton Wanderers. A direct runner with an eye for goal, Clough has been at the club for a number of years, and was a member of the Under-18 side that reached the FA Youth Cup Quarter-Finals two years ago.

Marathonbet match odds

Bolton: 38/25

Draw: 12/5

Fulham: 41/20


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/february/10/next-up-bolton-wanderers?

[Mince n Tatties]

Sheffield Wednesday fan banned from matches for three years

A Sheffield Wednesday fan who hurled a tangerine at Fulham supporters during a game has been banned from attending football games for three years.

Mark Ablett, aged 29, threw the piece of fruit at rival fans when his team lost 4-0 to Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Ablett was removed from the ground by stewards after the incident on December 20 was captured on CCTV cameras.

He told them: "I may have been stupid and thrown a tangerine or whatever."

The finance officer, who works for a local government funded charitable organisation which trains school leavers in 'employability skills', was handed a three year Football Banning Order, fined £250 and ordered to pay £85 costs after admitting throwing a missile under the Football Offences Act.

Prosecutor Malachy Packenham said Ablett could not give a proper reason for throwing the tangerine into the 4,689 capacity Riverside Stand.

Mr Packenham told Hammersmith Magistrates' Court: "The home team Fulham were playing Sheffield Wednesday at Craven Cottage when Ablett was seen to throw this item at the Fulham fans.

"He was identified by stewards and ejected from the stadium for the offence, which was captured on CCTV.

"Fulham say it clearly shows he threw the fruit at their fans and when ejected by security staff said 'I may have been stupid and thrown a tangerine or whatever'.

"Otherwise, he could not give reasons for what he did."

Jyothi Somavarapu, representing Ablett, called for him to be given a conditional discharge, calling the Football Banning Order 'unreasonable'.

She said: 'My client's explanation was it was silly behaviour and he threw a tangerine, which he said landed on the pitch.

"His only explanation is that the game was not going that well and that's the only reason he can think of.

"He says it was a silly thing to do and he would not do again - otherwise he is a sensible person and is remorseful for what he did.

"He is somebody who actually gives a lot to the community in his organisation's projects and all he needs is a warning to him not to get into trouble again."

But Deputy District Judge Kate Tulk said she had no other option but to ban Ablett from matches fort three years.

Sentencing him, she said: "You said this was a silly thing but I do not take that view - it had incredibly serious consequences.

"If that fruit had landed amongst opposing fans it had potential for them to respond badly and react and a whole load of consequences could have occurred.

"The throwing of a missile is a very serious offence."

Ablett, of King Street, Clowne, Chesterfield, has no previous convictions.


http://www.thestar.co.uk/news/crime/sheffield-wednesday-fan-banned-from-matches-for-three-years-1-7096724

Bit harsh, you would think it was a petrol bomb he threw..

[WhiteJC]

 
The Sean Davis Column

It's Tuesday and my body is still in agony from the Foundation's 10K run on Sunday. I didn't do as much training as I perhaps should have done, and it showed in my time of 55 minutes. But I didn't stop, which was a good thing, I met loads of good people, and it was for a good cause, but my body's feeling it now and I'm struggling to walk. To be fair, I wasn't that out of breath, it was just my knee wouldn't allow me to go any quicker, but I'm proud that I did it. I've never been so happy to see Bishop's Park! That was the last stretch of the run, so it was good when that came into view.

It was a good turnout which was the main thing –there were a lot more people than the year before. It did remind me of the old days when I was in the youth team and Micky Adams used to make us do bridge runs which was a similar kind of thing, not quite as long, and I used to do that in about 30-odd minutes! So old age is showing now but I remember back in the day chasing Paul Brooker, John Hamsher and Ryan Gray, who used to be in the youth team. They were the three quickest and I used to be just behind them, so Sunday brought back some good memories. I'm told that we've raised more than £6,000 for the Foundation and Prostate Cancer UK, which is fantastic. Obviously they're great causes and a lot of people came to do it; the weather was great, it was a good day all round. 

The day before we welcomed Birmingham to the Cottage and we started so well and scored a great goal. It was a great move; a great ball from Lasse Vigen Christensen and a great finish by Hugo Rodallega. But from then on it kind of went a bit downhill for me as I was hoping we'd kick on. I think Birmingham would have been distraught if they didn't come away with at least a point. We were maybe a tad lucky in the first half to come in at 1-1 because Clayton Donaldson missed some good chances, and Marcus Bettinelli – who's ever improving - pulled off some good saves. But Birmingham are a side on the up so although it was disappointing not to go on and win, it's a point gained nonetheless.

We're off to Bolton this evening, one of my former clubs but it's not somewhere that evokes happy memories for me, as that's when my injury problems were at their worst. It was a really, really low point of my career, and my life really. I'd done my knee in pre-season and tried to play on through it, and then only played four games and ended up getting sent off in my last match for two yellow cards. Then it was just a constant battle with operations, rehab, trying to come back, and not being right. 

The last season was probably the worst because I couldn't play any part as Bolton were relegated. I was training and I thought I was fit enough – in my head I was telling myself I was fit enough, but I wasn't. I ended up going on loan to Bristol City, then that didn't work because I couldn't move properly and I had all these young whippersnappers running past me. I couldn't get fully fit – with a knee injury you can't train as much. I tried to train to get fit but I couldn't, which was quite difficult to take. To go out of such a long career on a whimper like that, it was disappointing. But that's just the way it is, I'm lucky that I got to 31, 32, with a living. I did manage to get a good career behind me but it could have been so much better if I didn't have those knee injuries.

Speaking of injuries, it seems Bolton have got a fair few of their own going into the game. If that's the case then it could be a good time to play them. We need to go there and we need to start picking up wins away from home. First of all we need to compete, we need to match them physically, win second balls and do the basics right, and then on top of that our quality needs to shine through.

I felt we missed Scotty Parker big time on Saturday as the lynchpin at the bottom of our midfield, getting the ball of the back four and setting the pace of play. His leadership in there is imperative and hopefully he'll be back for Bolton. If he's travelled it will be a massive boost because he makes us tick. 

We're then back at home at the weekend when we host Ipswich. I've got a lot of respect for Mick McCarthy – he's been in the game many years and he's a good manager. He's working on a shoestring budget really and he's doing a fantastic job, which doesn't surprise me.

They're going to be well organised, they're going to work hard and they've got that little bit of quality that's got them into a great position in the league where they are now, so it's going to be a tough game. But I feel if we can play consistently in both halves – sometimes we do well in the first half and not so well second half, or vice versa – if we put the complete performance in, then we stand a chance of beating anyone in this league, as we've shown before.

That game coincides with Valentine's Day. I'm not big on it myself but if any of the fans want to ply me with loads of cards then that's up to them! I just hope Gentleman Jim doesn't buy me one because then I will have a problem. I normally get a couple of bits of cake at half-time to bring up to him, so that's my Valentine's gift to Jim.

Tickets for Saturday's meeting with Ipswich are available for supporters to purchase on General Sale, priced from £25 adults and £10 juniors. Furthermore, Our loyal Season Ticket Holders can purchase two additional tickets for just £10 in the Putney or Hammersmith Ends!


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/february/10/the-sean-davis-column?