Thursday Fulham Stuff (30/07/15)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Palace Tickets

Football returns to SW6 this weekend when Fulham take on Premier League outfit Crystal Palace (Saturday 1st August, 3pm).

With the season kicking-off a week later, catch a glimpse of the Whites' new signings as Kit Symons' men look to wrap up their pre-season schedule in style.

Tickets for this fixture are priced at just £10 adults and £1 for juniors in all areas of the ground. Supporters are encouraged to purchase in advance, with prices rising to £15 and £5 respectively on matchday.
Palace Tickets
Also on sale now are tickets to the Whites' first four home league fixtures.

Brighton & Hove Albion are first to visit SW6 - at this game all home junior tickets are just £5, and we'll be holding a Fans' Day in Bishop's Park prior to kick-off!



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/july/28/palace-tickets?

[WhiteJC]

 
Lasse's Award

Fulham Season Ticket Holder Hannah Curran popped in to our Motspur Park Training Ground on Tuesday afternoon to present Lasse Vigen Christensen with his 2014/15 Goal of the Season trophy.

Like George Gosling before her, Hannah had won Billy the Badger's Fulham Moments Competition by sending in memories from her favourite Whites game.

Have a watch as she interviews Lasse about his stunning Huddersfield Town goal which won him the award, whilst also covering hopes for next season, and the worst dressed member of the Fulham team.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NWWaQsUga0g

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/july/29/lasses-award

[WhiteJC]

 
Season Preview- Fulham
   
Team: Fulham

Last season: 17th-
Fulham had a rather unfortunate season after relegation to the Championship. They ended up surviving despite their appalling start under Magath. Kit Symons came in and deserves more credit than he recieved

When we face them: October 24th (A), March 5th (H)-
Reading travel to craven cottage at a strange time of 1.30 on a Saturday as Fulham visit us in March.

Key Player: Ross Mccormack-
Ross is a natural goal scorer as well as a top number 10 that can create goals. He's up there with the best all round strikers in the league and will be key for Fulham next season.

Manager: Kit Symons-
Kit kept Fulham up last season and that was what was asked of him. I really like him as a manager and this season will be his time to shine with his own players and a whole season.

Season preview: Fulham have bought in some great players, for example Tom Cairney, Jamie O'hara and Ben Pringle. With these players producing service for the likes of Mccormack and Matt Smith, I feel Fulham may be the surprise package this season and will get promoted.

Prediction: 2nd (Automatic Promotion)


Read more: http://www.reading.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=407035#ixzz3hMA0eCHo

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham striker refuses to put pressure on himself - despite pivotal season ahead

Woodrow reckons there's room for him as well in Whites line-up


Low Rider: Woodrow scores

Cauley Woodrow doesn't believe three's a crowd - in fact, the Fulham striker reckons it suits him fine.

The England U21 international is happy to wait his turn in the pecking order knowing Matt Smith and Ross McCormack start as favourites to land the front two roles.

But with a 46-game season even before the cups, Woodrow insists there will be plenty of game-time to make his mark even though his debut was as far back as March 2014 in the Premier League against of all teams, Cardiff City, where Whites open their campaign on Saturday week.

"I'm still very young, and I'm still learning, and I've only had one full season in the Championship (see gallery)," Woodrow explained. "It's just about learning from Matt and Ross

"I'm not going to put pressure on myself. I'm just going to do my best and see what happens."

Surprisingly, the 20-year-old believes the vibe in the squad last season is pretty much the same as this.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dbJlIe5ZAKE

Even so, things went rapidly downhill before the removal of controversial manager Felix Magath, but Woodrow believes results on the pitch are destined to become a whole heap better.

"We've signed some new lads, and there's a real positive vibe," he said. "There was a positive vibe last season; it's just the way we went about things.

"Now we've got Kit (Symons) as a manager, we know what's expected of us."



Balancing act: Cauley Woodrow in action with Fulham target Kevin McDonald

What's expected is a top 10 place at the very least, and Woodrow would very much like a second crack at Cardiff to get the side off to a good start.

"It was a nice moment for me making my debut, but we got relegated that season," he added. "On a personal note it would be nice to go back and play well.

"We're all getting similar minutes at the moment in pre-season, and it's down to us to show what we can do."

Woodrow played a full 90 minutes against Hertha BSC last week in Austria and scored the Whites second goal for the equaliser and a 2-2 draw.

Fulham's last pre-season friendly is on Saturday - the only one at Craven Cottage. Crystal Palace are the visitors. Kick-off, 3pm.


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-striker-refuses-put-pressure-9751113?

[WhiteJC]

 
Who will be the top scorer in the Championship next season?

Next season promises to be another fiercely competitive campaign in the Championship, with Queens Park Rangers, Hull City and Burnley joining recent Premier League dropouts Cardiff City and Fulham, not to mention the likes of Derby County, Middlesbrough and Ipswich Town.

There's always bound to be teams that exceed expectation, as Brentford did last season, and teams that struggle with the hustle and bustle of the Championship like Fulham and Wigan Athletic.

The new campaign also provides a clean slate for strikers, and the race for the Championship golden boot will be an intriguing one this season, given Troy Deeney, Odion Ighalo, Cameron Jerome, Callum Wilson and Patrick Bamford will be playing in the Premier League, while the interest surrounding Rudy Gestede and Charlie Austin mean they are also likely to be playing in English football's top tier.

So who are the frontrunners to be the top goalscorer in the Championship next season?

1) Daryl Murphy (Ipswich Town)
It would be unfair to start with anyone else than Daryl Murphy, considering the Republic of Ireland international was top scorer in the Championship last season with 27 goals for Ipswich as the club reached the play-off semi-finals, only to lose to bitter rivals Norwich.

The 32-year-old almost single-handedly lead The Tractor Boys to the play-offs, given no other Ipswich player managed to reach double figures, while he created more chances for his team-mates (49) than any other forward in Mick McCarthy's squad.

What was so impressive about Murphy's goalscoring was the varied nature of his strikes, with 17 coming via his favoured left foot, three via his right foot and seven goals scored from headers.

The forward played an important role besides scoring goals, and was in the top five strikers in the Championship in terms of aerial duels won, managing 85.

However, without the service of marauding left-back Tyrone Mings, who has joined Bournemouth, it remains to be seen whether or not Murphy, who had previously failed to hit 15 goals in a season, will be able to replicate his goalscoring form again.

Daryl Murphy was among the Championship's top aerial strikers last season.

2) Jordan Rhodes (Blackburn Rovers)
Jordan Rhodes is by no means certain to be a Championship player next season, although the most recent rumours are linking him with a move to Middlesbrough, as per the Lancashire Gazette.

The 25-year-old hit 21 goals in 45 appearances last season, meaning he has reached at least 20 goals in his last three consecutive seasons as a Blackburn player.

Scotland international Rhodes is very much a penalty box striker, with all but one of his goals scored inside the penalty area.

It is clear to see why Middlesbrough, the lowest scoring side in the top eight, want a goalscorer like Rhodes, especially now Bamford, their top scorer from last season, has joined Crystal Palace on loan.

Rhodes only failed to feature in one game last season, a 1-1 draw against Cardiff, and if he can continue to keep that streak of fitness up he is a safe bet to be up and around the top of the goalscoring charts towards the end of the season.

Position of Jordan Rhodes' goals last season.

3) Ross McCormack (Fulham)
As the best player in the Championship last season, according to Squawka's Player Performance score, and with a goal return of 17, Ross McCormack certainly settled in quickly at Craven Cottage following his move from Leeds United.

Not only was the 28-year-old the top scorer in Fulham's squad – Hugo Rodallega was the only other player to reach double figures – but McCormack also created 79 chances for his team-mates, 36 more than second placed Scott Parker.

Fulham have set about taking the creative burden off McCormack in the transfer window, signing midfielders Tom Cairney, Ben Pringle and Jamie O'Hara from Blackburn, Rotherham United and Blackpool respectively, which should allow the Scottish international to flourish up top.

He also has a decent understanding with Matt Smith, as the pair both played together at Leeds before reuniting at Fulham, and the 26-year-old's aerial presence should open up space for McCormack to utilise.

Ross McCormack topped Squawka's Player Performance Score last season.

4) Chris Martin (Derby County)
It is no surprise that without Chris Martin in the side towards the end of the season Derby County only won three games, losing four times and drawing a further four games, agonisingly slipping out of the play-offs.

The 26-year-old netted 18 goals in 35 appearances, making him Derby's top scorer ahead of Tom Ince (11) and Darren Bent (10).

His goalscoring was incredibly varied, scoring seven left-foot goals, eight right-foot goals and three headers.

Like others on this list, Martin is much more than an old fashioned number nine, averaging more key passes per game than any other Derby player, including the much vaunted Will Hughes.

Martin also averaged more passes per game than any forward in the Championship, barring Fulham's Bryan Ruiz who often played in midfield, with a total of 43.25.

Chris Martin's average passes per game last season.

5) Benik Afobe (Wolverhampton Wanderers)
Benik Afobe arrived at Wolverhampton Wanderers from Arsenal last January having already scored 19 goals during a prolific loan spell with MK Dons, and that form showed no signs of slowing down during the second half of the season.

The 22-year-old scored 13 goals in 20 starts as he settled into his new surroundings with ease, helping Wolves to a 7th placed finish, only missing out on a play-off place due to goal difference.

Although Afobe doesn't create many chances for his team-mates, his shooting accuracy is ominous, with only one player who played at least 20 games, Norwich's Gary Hooper, able to top his 74% across the whole of the Championship.

Furthermore, no Wolves striker attempted more take-ons per game than Afobe, or suffered more fouls, highlighting just how difficult it is to stop the powerful forward when he is in full flow.

If Afobe can continue to impress in a full campaign as much as he did in half a season the former Arsenal man should be another prime candidate for the golden boot.

Benik Afobe's shot accuracy.

Honourable mentions:
Britt Assombalonga (Nottingham Forest), Andre Gray and Philipp Hofmann (Brentford), Darren Bent (Derby County) and Joe Garner (Preston North End).



Read more at http://www.squawka.com/news/who-will-be-the-top-scorer-in-the-championship-next-season/427271#27L77UUWzHeOTu55.99

[WhiteJC]

 
Berbatov`s Returning to England?
   
I fear there are strange goings on at Aston Villa.

It is being reported that Tim Sherwood, now managing the Villa Park outfit, is in talks to bring somebody us Fulham supporters know all about, to the club.

One news source in particular, the b>Express are reporting how the move has got to the stage whereby personal terms are being discussed with one of our former players.

The player in question is none other than Dimitar Berbatov who at 34-years-old is a free agent after his contract at the French club AS Monaco came to an end.

Now I`m not quite sure what Aston Villa hope to achieve if they are successful in luring the Bulgarian to Vila Park because my memories of the player during his last outings at Craven Cottage are that he was heading towards the washed up stage of his career.

Now watch Dimitar go and prove me wrong!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=407082#ixzz3hMDFpgSX

[WhiteJC]

 
Former Fulham & Wigan forward Hugo Rodallega joins Turkish side

The former Fulham and Wigan forward Hugo Rodallega has joined Akhisar Belediyespor.

The Turkish Super Lig club confirmed the news on their official website this morning.

The Colombian international has put pen-to-paper on a two year deal with the Akigolar. Akhisar signed the 30-year-old on a free transfer after his contract with Fulham expired this summer.

Rodallega moved to Fulham in July 2012 from Wigan and made 88 appearances, scoring 20 goals.

The experienced striker hit the ground running with nine goals in his first 17 games but managed to score just two goals since the turn of the year.

Rodallega was one of nine players to leave Fulham this summer as the London based club prepares to make major changes to their squad.

The 30-year-old has also previously played for Wigan Athletic, Necaxa, Atlas, Monterrey, Deportivo Cali and Deportes Quindio.

Akhisar ended last season in 12th place with 38 points in 34 games.



http://www.turkish-football.com/former-fulham-wigan-forward-hugo-rodallega-joins-turkish-side/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Official: Manchester City youngster Fofana completes Bastia loan

The 20-year-old has yet to make his first-team breakthrough at the Etihad Stadium and spent last season at Fulham, but will now continue his career in his native France

The 20-year-old, who is yet to make his senior debut for Manuel Pellegrini's side, spent much of last season with Championship side Fulham and will now spend the 2015-16 campaign in his homeland.

Fofana scored one goal in 25 appearances during his time at Craven Cottage.

Bastia, meanwhile, finished 12th in Ligue 1 last season.


http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2892/transfer-zone/2015/07/29/13998382/-?

[bill taylors apprentice]

Its all gone quiet at the Cottage (and Motspur Park) ???