Friday Fulham Stuff (01/05/15)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Be A Pro For The Day

Marathonbet are offering you and five teammates the chance to step into the footsteps of professional footballers for the day with a training session at Motspur Park led by Fulham's first team coaches.

Two 6-a-side teams will win:

- Breakfast at the Training Ground before the session.

- A morning training session led by Fulham's First team Coaches at Motspur Park.

- Post-training lunch at Motspur Park.

Six runners-up will also win a pair of tickets for a tour of Craven Cottage, the home of Fulham FC.

It couldn't be easier to enter this competition for a once in a lifetime experience. Click below to find out more.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/april/30/be-a-pro-for-the-day?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham team news: one out and three back to face Norwich

Whites boss loses captain but beefs up defence ahead of clash with high-flying Canaries


Out: Scott Parker (L)
Scott Parker will sit out the last match of the season at Norwich on Saturday.

The Fulham midfielder and captain has ongoing problems with his ankle, and will have to be content with the 41 pivotal performances and three goals that helped keep Whites in the Championship.

However, boss Kit Symons declared defenders Nikolay Bodurov, Jack Grimmer and Kostas Stafylidis all fit to face the Canaries – although all three are set to be on the bench at best following last week's exciting 4-3 win over Middlesbrough.

The gaffer hopes Norwich have one eye on the play-offs next week, and the club cement a rare double following the 1-0 win at home in October (see gallery).

He said: "They'll have one eye on the play-offs and maybe that might affect team selection, but I don't know whether that will affect their performance.


Back: Jack Grimmer (L)
I'm going to go there and hopefully continue our good run and finish on a high and do it for our travelling fans.

"We've got an eye on next season, and that will play a part in potential team selection and substitutes."

Symons admits a rollercoaster season can't come to an end quick enough so he can start to rebuild for next season.

He said: "I've been through some tough times, but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger, so they say.

"The first away win at Birmingham was a highlight when we were desperate for wins, and we had some good wins at home. A lot of the young players come through that I worked with – they were all positives.

"But if I could have chosen it would have gone differently, but in a battling season, we won the battle."


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-team-news-one-out-9154796?

[WhiteJC]

 
Kit's Norwich Preview

Kit Symons is keen to see Fulham sign off the 2014/15 season in style by extending their unbeaten run to six matches at Norwich City on Saturday (12.15pm).

Two wins and three draws in our previous five outings have seen the Whites climb to 52 points – 11 clear of the relegation zone – and the Fulham Manager wants to keep that momentum going at Carrow Road.

"At the moment we're five games unbeaten, four away games unbeaten, so in anyone's book I think that's good form," he said.

"I certainly want to finish the season as strongly as possible. I want to finish it off properly but we've also got an eye on next season now so that will play a part in my potential team selection or substitutes."

The Canaries are destined to finish either third or fourth in the Sky Bet Championship and so will face one of Ipswich Town, Derby County, Brentford or Wolverhampton Wanderers in the Play-Offs.

But Symons doesn't think that makes the task facing his side any easier ahead of their meeting.

"Without a doubt they'll have an eye on the Play-Offs," he said, "but whether that will affect their performance in the game on Saturday, I would think it's probably unlikely.

"They'll certainly have an eye on it and that could affect the team selection and lots of different things. They're fully focused on wanting to do well in the Play-Offs now – I fully appreciate that, fully understand that, but I'm going to go there and want to carry on this good run and finish the season on a high. It was a great way to finish the home season last weekend and I want to do it for our travelling supporters on Saturday."

The current campaign hasn't been the most prosperous for the Club, but having been tasked with keeping the Whites up when he took over, Symons can consider it mission accomplished.

"It could easily have been a horrible season," he admitted. "In the end it was a tough season that we had to battle through, and we won that battle.

"It's been tough at times. Personally it's been, firstly a brilliant opportunity for me, and a fantastic learning curve. We've been through some tough times but we've come through them and what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

And when asked if he anticipates changes at Fulham in the summer, Symons replied: "I think there'll be quite a few at the Club, yeah, I'm expecting that. And I think we need there to be.

"It was a tough season this season and things need to change. If we keep doing the same things, it's not going to be good, so we need to change certain things around and make sure we improve."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/april/30/kits-norwich-preview?

[WhiteJC]

 
Kit: Plan Of Action

Kit Symons turns his focus to Norwich but also reveals how his plans are beginning to come together for the 2015/16 season.

Kit: Plan Of Action

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/april/30/manager-video?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham must make changes, says Symons

Boss Kit Symons insists changes must be made over the summer if Fulham are to avoid a third traumatic season.

The Whites have been involved in two successive relegation scraps and have had four different managers in the last 17 months.

Symons, who succeeded Felix Magath in September, admitted the 2014-15 campaign had been tough and is now hoping to stabilise the club.

He said: "I think there will be quite a few [changes] at the club. I'm expecting that and I think we need there to be.

"It was a tough season and things need to change. If we keep doing the same things, it's not going to be good, so we need to change certain things around and make sure we improve.

"It could easily have been a horrible season. In the end it was a tough season that we had to battle through and we won that battle.

"Personally it's been a brilliant opportunity for me and a fantastic learning curve. We've been through some tough times but we've come through them and what doesn't kill you makes you stronger."

Fulham end their season at Norwich on Saturday but will again be without skipper Scott Parker, who has yet to recover from an ankle injury picked up against Rotherham earlier this month.

Lasse Vigen Christensen (hamstring) and Emerson Hyndman (collarbone) are also out, but defenders Jack Grimmer, Nikolay Bodurov and Kostas Stafylidis are available again.


http://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/fulham-must-make-changes-says-symons?

[WhiteJC]

 
Norwich v Fulham - Early Team News
   
Fulham head off to Norfolk for the last Championship fixture of the season.

It should be, in the heart of Delia Smith land, a tasty finish to what has been a turbulent season in which we spoke about making a charge for a promotion place but ended up casting a nervous eye over our shoulders at the relegation trap-door.

The dramatic 4-3 win over promotion chasing Middlesbrough has given the team a bit f confidence they were perhaps lacking, a bit of confidence that has also been boosted by a five game unbeaten run.

But as we prepare to face Norwich City we have some early team news with Kit Symons revealing that Scott Parker will miss the final game of the season due to his nagging ankle injury but that the trio of Nickolay Bodurov, Jack Grimmer and Kostas Stafylidis are all fit.

However, it remains to be seen whether Kit will change a winning team after last weeks` wonderful victory.


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=398323#ixzz3YoetXzxB

[WhiteJC]

 
Symons - We Won the Battle!
   
As Fulham travel to East Anglia, the team selection could be an interesting one.

With our Championship survival guaranteed, Kit Symons has given a broad hint that the starting eleven might well be shuffled with Kit looking forward to next season and remarking,

"We`ve got an eye on next season, and that will play a part in potential team selection and substitutes."

However, it seems that Kit despite the battles we`ve had reckons the players he has under his wing have done us proud, further adding,

"I`ve been through some tough times, but what doesn`t kill you makes you stronger, so they say.

"The first away win at Birmingham was a highlight when we were desperate for wins, and we had some good wins at home. A lot of the young players come through that I worked with - they were all positives.

"But if I could have chosen it would have gone differently, but in a battling season, we won the battle."

We did but it was a hard, worrying, long slog!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=398324#ixzz3Yr28ciNB

[WhiteJC]

 
Preview: Norwich City vs. Fulham

Norwich City host Fulham on Saturday afternoon aiming to return to winning ways ahead of their attempt at earning promotion through the playoffs.

Fulham have little to play for at Carrow Road, but they will want to maintain their recent unbeaten run before heading into the summer break.

Norwich City
Earlier this month, Norwich had moved themselves into a position where they could be considered favourites for automatic promotion, but failure to win either of their last two games has left them having the settle for a playoff place.

There will be a feeling of disappointment at Carrow Road, but ahead of their final game of the season, they must lift themselves in preparation for the two-legged tie that awaits them.

Their momentum was lost in the 1-0 defeat to Middlesbrough. The Canaries had been heavily fancied to inflict another away defeat on their promotion rivals but the loss saw them lose vital ground on the top-two positions.

After playing against Rotherham United with 10 men for 64 minutes, the East Anglian outfit could count themselves unfortunate to concede a late equaliser, but it was a goal that put paid to their chances of automatic promotion.

At one point this season, Norwich boasted arguably the most potent attack in the division, but they need to rediscover their scoring touch after scoring just eight times in six games.

Manager Alex O'Neil won't be fearful of a playoff meeting with rivals Ipswich Town, but if they do emerge as their opponents, the Scot won't want to go into the tie without a win in three games.

Recent form: WWWWLD

Fulham
Fulham have endured a dismal campaign where relegation once looked like a real possibility, but the Cottagers have showed recently that there might be some light at the end of the tunnel.

Last month, there were calls for Kit Symons to depart the club, but the Welshman has turned things around with a five-match unbeaten run.

After three successive draws, the West London outfit have defeated both Blackpool and Middlesbrough to move into 17th spot - their highest position since the start of February.

The club's supporters expect more from a club of their size, but avoiding defeat in this game would leave them with plenty of optimism ahead of next season.

This contest also represents a final opportunity for Ross McCormack to justify his £11m price tag. The Scot hasn't enjoyed the best of years after his move from Leeds United, but seven goals in six games is a strong return during the final weeks of the campaign

Recent form: LDDDWW

Team News
Norwich will be without striker Lewis Grabban after he was sent off during the first half of last week's draw at Rotherham.

The 27-year-old is likely to be replaced by Gary Hooper, who has scored twice in his last four games.

Symons has revealed that Nikolay Bodurov, Jack Grimmer and Kostas Stafylidis have all recovered from injury and are available for selection.

However, Scott Parker is expected to remain absent as he continues to nurse an ankle injury.

Norwich City possible starting lineup:
Ruddy, Martin, R.Bennett, Bassong, Olsson, Dorrans, Howson, Redmond, Hoolahan, Johnson, Hooper

Fulham possible starting lineup:
Bettinelli, Hoogland, Hutchinson, Turner, Richards, Tunnicliffe, Guthrie, Kavanagh, Ruiz, Rodallega, McCormack


Head To Head
Remarkably, Norwich are yet to register a victory over Fulham in their history, with the Cottagers emerging victorious in 11 of their 15 meetings.

Three out of the last four fixtures at Carrow Road have been drawn, but Fulham registered a 1-0 win in the reverse fixture this season thanks to a goal from Sean Kavanagh.

We say: Norwich City 2-2 Fulham

A few weeks ago, this would have been seen as a home banker but Fulham's improvement means that they have a chance of an upset on the East Coast. Norwich will be desperate to get back to winning ways though, and that could see the sides cancel each other out.


http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/norwich-city/on-the-sofa/preview/preview-norwich-city-vs-fulham_220252.html

[WhiteJC]

 
An anti-climax maybe, but to break the Fulham hoodoo will set City up nicely for what lies ahead

In his final MyFootballWriter piece yesterday, Kevin Baldwin wrote eloquently, as ever, on the part the footballing gods still have to play in the Canaries' fate.

If they opt to lead us down the romantic path, a trip to Wembley would be a wonderful way to mark the 30th anniversary of City's Milk Cup win but equally they may instead prefer a mischievous route – one akin to the 50th anniversary of the 1959 FA Cup run being 'celebrated' with a return to the third tier.

Whether they now have any interest in tomorrow's visit from Fulham is a moot point – one suspects they will be more interested in events at Blackburn, Derby and Brentford – but the fact it's not a game on which our whole season hinges suggests that somewhere along the line they missed a trick.

Ever since the Championship fixtures were released back in June of last year, the smart money was always on City needing to beat Fulham on the final day to either secure a top two finish or a place in the play-offs.

It seemed inevitable. That the only thing at stake is third or fourth place in the Championship makes it the biggest anti-climax since March's solar eclipse.

The proverbial jury is still out on whether it now offers Alex Neil an opportunity to rest some weary limbs and give game time to those on the fringes – like Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe, Jamar Loza and Tony Andreu – or whether it's more important to regain that winning feeling ahead of the play-offs.

The two are not mutually exclusive of course, and it would be great for a 'second XI' to win the game, but logic dictates the win is more likely to be achieved by picking the strongest eleven.

And I think that's more important than wrapping our prized assets in cotton wool.

To enter the play-off semi-final first-leg off the back of a three-game win-less run would be far from ideal and would mean that City enter the mini-tournament minus the momentum that, until the Middlesbrough defeat, had threatened to see us crash into the automatic spots.

The flip side – and this has been the subject of much debate on Twitter and the messageboards – is that a Gary Hooper or a Cameron Jerome picks up an injury that keeps them out of the play-off semi-final, and then the inquests would open as to why they were risked in a 'nothing' game.

But I think that's a calculated risk worth taking.

Fulham for their part, and for numerous reasons, will be a tough nut to crack regardless of the chosen XI and will be keen not to be merely participants in a warm-up game for the Canaries' play-off challenge.

Unbeaten in five games, they will be desperate to sign off with a good performance and a win, and offer their travelling faithful a memorable end to a disappointing season.

As an attacking force the Cottagers possess more than enough to occupy a City rearguard – even one that has continued to be miserly in the midst of a mini-wobble – and in Hugo Rodallega and Ross McCormack they have, on paper, one of the Championship's strongest pairings; the former a regular thorn in the Canary side.

And then there's that bloody hoodoo.

At the risk of covering old ground (why change the habit of a lifetime) the last time City beat Fulham at Carrow Road, Cliff Richard and the Young Ones were at number one in the pop charts with their collaborative version of Living Doll; The Money Pit,  A Room with a View and Pretty in Pink were on at the cinema and Ronald Reagan was still flirting with Maggie Thatcher.

The date of said victory was March 29, 1986 and City, having been relegated the previous season, were en route back to Division One at the first attempt (in the spirit of straw clutching I'm taking that as a sign).

In a narrow 2-1 win, the scorers for City that day were Mark Barham and John Deehan, with Fulham's reply coming from none other than Dean Coney – a feat that was not to be repeated!

If, 29 years on, City can do the impossible and secure a win, preferably accompanied by a clean bill of health, they will be set up nicely for the two – hopefully three – tests of nerve that lie ahead.

Alex Neil, for his part, will naturally be desperate for for the win, will demand nothing less than 100 per cent from his men, and will not be spooked in the slightest by a win-less run against the Cottagers that dates back to when he was preparing to start primary school (and I get the distinct impression he's not a great believer in hoodoos and bogey teams).

But equally, an afternoon that does not yield three points will not affect his preparations for next weekend one iota.

The steely resolve and meticulous planning that took us to the cusp of the automatics will be drawn on once again, and I trust him implicitly to prepare a team capable of beating any of the four 'possibles' over two legs.

In a one-off – such as a play-off final – anything is possible, but with 180 minutes to find a way to win any Neil-built team will be hard to beat.

Let's get Fulham out of the way, try and enjoy it even, and then the hard work starts all over again.

"On the Ball City..."



http://norwichcity.myfootballwriter.com/2015/05/01/an-anti-climax-maybe-but-to-break-the-fulham-hoodoo-will-set-city-up-nicely-for-what-lies-ahead/?

[WhiteJC]

 
5 THINGS TO LOOK OUT FOR V FULHAM

Having not beat Fulham in a long and painful 29 years Alan Cole takes a look at what we can expect from the Cottagers this time around.
Whether it's Ross McCormack or long balls, Alan has it covered in this superb article.

I know that most Norwich fans are in a gloom and doom state right now.  We did blow automatic promotion.  This game could be the one to wrap up the automatics if we had beaten Middlesbrough and Rotherham, but we didn't.  No sense dwelling on it.  We have one game to get back on track before entering the playoffs, and we need to take that chance to get going today.  Here are five things to look out for with Fulham on their way to Carrow Road.

1. This IS A Big Game
Most Norwich fans are encouraging Alex Neil to play a youth team for this game to rest up for the playoffs.  I strongly disagree.  We need to get some momentum going for the playoffs.  The last time that a team lost their final game of the season and still went up through the playoffs was Hull in 2007-08.  The last six playoff winners have all gotten at least a point in their final game, and five of those teams won their last match.  No team since this league changed name from Division One to the Championship has ever gone winless in their final their final three games and gone up via the playoff route.  So despite what the table may say, this is a massive game for us yellows.

2. Breaking the curse
It has been 26 years since Norwich last beat Fulham, and that stretches over 17 matches.  They beat us twice last season in the league, a vital part of our relegation.  They beat us 3-0 in the FA Cup replay, 5-0 in our first league game in 2012-13, and of course that dreadful 6-0 drubbing to relegate us on the final day in 2005.  Of course, this season Lewis Grabban slammed a penalty off the crossbar and Josh Murphy also hit the woodwork from open play in a 1-0 defeat at Craven Cottage.  One thing that every Norwich fan will want to break on Saturday, the Fulham curse.

3. Ross McCormack
The Fulham striker is by far the danger man for Norwich to watch out for.  He is sky high on confidence after scoring a hat trick vs. Middlesbrough last time out.  While two of those were from the penalty spot, he still had an excellent game and was the main spark in Fulham's wild 4-3 win over the side with the best defense in the division.  If he can score a hat trick on that defense that completely stymied us, he will definitely be able to hurt our back line.  He has 28% of all the goals the Whites have scored this season and needs to be marked at all times.

4. Long ball to Matt Smith
Fellow Fresh Press writer and Fulham fan Harry Watkins says "There is a chance we could play an experimental squad but if we play our usual team, I would say to be careful of our long balls to Matt Smith.  He is brilliant in the air and we always try to utilize it should he start".  The videos that I have watched do not lie.  Fulham like to play the long ball to him through the middle.  He leads the team in aerial duels won, and that is not even a close race.  Ross McCormack is their big goal threat, no doubt.  But Matt Smith is good in the air, and can often start moves by flicking balls on with his head, or even scoring with it.  The Canaries will need to keep tabs on him when the ball goes into the air.

5. Late Game Efforts
I made it very clear that this was still a big game for us and that I wanted to win it.  But, if it is tied deep into the 2nd half, will Alex Neil extend any extra effort into winning the game?  I think that we should, but we won't.  If it is tied late, Alex Neil will want to conserve energy.  There is at least a chance that we could be playing on Friday night, and that creates one less day to prepare for the playoff first leg.  I think that he will go for it with a point to prove early, but as the game wares on will ease up.  Maybe get some youth players on late if the game is already wrapped up.  Possibly he will play a more defensive style instead of extending more effort looking for goals.  The win is the important part, but making sure that we are fit with no injuries is just as important.  Alex Neil knows that, and will plan accordingly.

That is it, Fulham is upon us.  It is the final game of the season, and I am expecting a festive atmosphere at Carrow Road.  OTBC!


http://thecarrowcrowd.com/2015/05/01/5-things-to-look-out-for-v-fulham/?