Friday Fulham Stuff (21/08/15)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham: wasted talent

If you have a runny nose you wipe it. But the runny nose is the symptom, not the real issue. By wiping it you're doing some good but not getting at the major problem.

I say this because Fulham have conceded three goals late in matches. In three games, in fact. In the only three games they've played, for that matter. But these late goals aren't, I don't think, about fitness, because these days most teams are fit enough to run for a whole game, if not more. No, the late goals are the snot on the team's face. And the snot is there because we have a cold, or, to try to break out of this dreadful metaphor once and for all, the late goals are there because we're awful defensively.

(Lots of goals are scored right at the end of halves)

So it's not really that outlandish that a team that can't defend might concede at this time.

The last time Fulham were afflicted by this particular bug was under Lawrie Sanchez, when, for various reasons, imprecise defensive work led to opponents gradually finding their way through late on in matches.

This isn't chance, I don't think. The last manager we've had who really didn't do very well was probably Sanchez. I mean, I know about Magath, but you can almost discount him from discussions can't you? Before him we had some halfway competent managers and after him came the master of defensive organisation himself.

I do keep on about Hodgson, and you might expect that, but I think a bit of the problem here, if we may be so arrogant, is that having watched Hodgson's teams for a few seasons Fulham fans grew to understand that defending is something that's taught, not just something that some people who cost £5m can do and some people we already have can't. We saw how Hodgson took some supposedly lesser players and made them into a formidable unit. We know about this, so we know it can be done.

What's galling at the moment is that this Fulham team, and let's be honest, this Fulham manager, doesn't seem to have a plan, or any evidence of having been coached. It feels like what would happen if you just bought a group of players and told them to run around to keep fit in the week, then to do their best on Saturday. This, I am aware, does the hard work of the coaching staff an enormous disservice, but what other conclusion can you draw when, by now, almost all of the division can say that they've outplayed Fulham at least once in the last year?

The fact remains, even Lawrie Sanchez had a plan. It didn't work, but he had a plan. Martin Jol had a plan. Felix... certainly had ideas. But what's Kit Symons trying to do? Does anyone know?

I, like all of you, like to think of myself as a reasonably good judge of a player. I look at the current lineup and I don't have to do too much wishful thinking. I want a midfielder who knows how to defend, because we still haven't got one of those, and I want a left back. We might even have the latter if Garbutt can play (and people say he can). So it's really all there.

That's partly why we're all so fed up I think. Last year's team was a cobbled together farce. This time we have a young, British core, and they are very capable. But we're wasting it because we have a manager who, as best we can tell, doesn't know how to make the most of the talent he has available to him. It's really disappointing.


https://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2015/08/20/fulham-wasted-talent/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Why Huddersfield Town have extra incentive for first Championship win at Fulham after QPR, Wolves, Sheffield Wednesday and Reading moves

Craven Cottage challenge for Chris Powell

Huddersfield Town have extra incentive to put their first Championship win on the board at Fulham after dropping two places in the table without kicking a ball.

Chris Powell's side were 18th after Tuesday night's 1-1 draw against previous leaders Brighton at the John Smith's Stadium, when Jacob Butterfield's sweet strike ruled out a shock 17-second opener from Beram Kayal.

But Town are now 20th following QPR's 3-2 win at Wolves and Reading's 1-1 draw at Sheffield Wednesday.

Saturday's opponents Fulham were beaten 2-1 at Hull and are one point and one place behind Town, who are hoping Sean Scannell may be fit to feature at Craven Cottage.

Leeds United conceded two late goals to draw 2-2 at Bristol City, who moved up to third bottom of the table with their first point of the campaign.


http://www.examiner.co.uk/sport/football/news/huddersfield-town-extra-incentive-first-9891553?

[WhiteJC]

 
Albion reject £5 million bid for Dunk

Albion have turned down a £5 million bid from Championship rivals Fulham for Lewis Dunk.

The latest offer, the third made by Fulham for the centre-half, was rejected yesterday The Argus understands.

The Seagulls remain intent on trying to keep hold of Dunk.


They have been actively involved in trying to improve his personal terms after he signed a new four-year deal 12 months ago.

But they could be fighting a losing battle in the face of the persistent interest of Fulham, who benefit from parachute payments following relegation from the Premier League two seasons ago, and an anticipated bid from Newcastle United.

The North-East giants have yet to make an official offer for Dunk, although the Argus understands they have indicated strong interest.

Albion have made provisions for the growing possibility of Dunk departing before the transfer window closes.

They completed the capture of Shrewsbury prospect Connor Goldson last night after buying German centre-half Uwe Huenemeier from Paderborn last week.


http://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/albion/13615616.Albion_reject___5_million_bid_for_Dunk/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Kit Symons: 'Fulham must show more concentration'

Fulham boss Kit Symons has blasted his team for a lack of concentration following their late 2-1 defeat to Hull City.

The Cottagers looked set for a share of the spoils at the KC Stadium last night before Sone Aluko bagged a winner for Hull.

With just one point from their opening three games of the new Championship season, Symons has urged his players to show more focus on the pitch.

"To then go and lose it [so late] is hard to take, but it's only three games in and I'm sick of saying the same things already," the former defender is quoted as saying by BBC Sport.

"It can't be down to fitness. It must just be down to concentration, not being street-wise enough. It's costing us dearly and it needs to change."

Fulham return to action on Saturday when they welcome Huddersfield Town to Craven Cottage.


http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/fulham/news/kit-symons-slams-sloppy-fulham_240559.html

[WhiteJC]

 
The Craven Corner: Symons must take responsbility for late defensive mistakes

It's now 4 wins from the last 25 games for Fulham under Kit Symons and defensive errors and lack of a plan B continue to show despite an impressive transfer window.

In the pre-season friendly against Crystal Palace and the season opener against Cardiff City Dan Burn partnered Shaun Hutchinson and it began to look like a a foundation to build upon.

But, ever since the cup victory over Wycombe, Symons has reverted back to the partnership of Hutchinson and Nikolay Bodurov that was exposed time and time again last season, and it's no surprise that Fulham have now lost two games to errors and late goals.

Bodurov always seems to be a minute away from a lapse in concentration or giving away a free-kick in a dangerous area. While, I appreciate that the club are in the market for new central defenders, the strongest team must be fielded until those deals are completed. That means starting Dan Burn in the first 11.

Hutchinson is one of Symons' preferred players so he won't get replaced in the near future unless injured, but Burn is a much stronger choice than Bodurov.

It raises the question of why Burn continues to be out of favour? It was a disappointing evening for Fulham away at Hull, and while it wasn't as bad as the last visit to the KC stadium sadly both Marcus Bettinelli and Matt Smith have picked knee injuries which could see them forced out of action for a long period of time.

In their absence, it will be down to Andy Lonergan to make a claim for the number one jersey. After a strong display against Cardiff City I have confidence in the goalkeeper to take the lead.

Up front, the injury to Smith creates a window of opportunity for fringe strikers Moussa Dembele, Cauley Woodrow and Adam Taggart to step up and make a claim to become Ross McCormack's strike partner.

I'd like to see Dembele or Taggart given a chance as both strikers want to play on the last man and get in behind, providing a completely different dimension to the side's play. Dembele could still hold up the play when required as he has a strong physical presence despite still being under 20 – he's a huge talent deserving of game time and a new deal.

The most likely outcome, however, is that Cauley Woodrow starts the next game as he is probably the squad's most senior option in the absence of Smith. The only positive to take is that the midfield does look more competitive this season and Tom Cairney's confidence will only grow after scoring in his last two games. The quartet of Ben Pringle, Lasse Vigen Christensen, Jamie O'Hara and Cairney possesses a great deal of creativity and quality, and with the right outlets ahead of them Fulham could still have an impressive season.

But while the side need to improve in the final third, defensive issues must first be addressed and the rumoured signings of Lewis Dunk and Tim Ream can't come soon enough.

While the first 3 games haven't gone to plan, there's still a long way left in this season to turn it around and with the window still open, there's room for improvement, adjusting the side and making final tweaks. It's going to be a long season ahead and it'll take time to get everyone playing together at their maximum, but Symons must take some blame for questionable defensive selections.



Read more at: http://www.london24.com/sport/football/clubs/fulham/the_craven_corner_symons_must_take_responsbility_for_late_defensive_mistakes_1_4201810
Copyright © LONDON24

[WhiteJC]

 
Tommy Smith says Huddersfield Town have what it takes to win at Fulham

The right-back says there are real positives to take from the last two games

Tommy Smith says successive draws have shown Huddersfield Town have what it takes to chalk up a first win of the season at Fulham.

Chris Powell's side have been involved in two 1-1 stalemates, against Blackburn Rovers and Brighton and Hove Albion.

They went behind just 17 seconds into the Brighton game, and defender Smith believes the way they fought back was a big plus.

"It was an awful start by us, and I think we were all shocked by it, but we gradually found our feet, and in the second half, we were really positive," said the right-back.

"If any side was going to get the three points, it was us, and there's no reason why we can't go to Fulham and get that win we all want."

Smith accepted Town have to cut out costly lapses in concentration, saying: "Clean sheets are crucial.

"Attacking wise, we are creating chances, and I think the goals will come, so if we can keep them out, we will have a great chance of winning matches."


http://www.examiner.co.uk/sport/football/news/tommy-smith-says-huddersfield-town-9897930?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham worry over injured pair

Fulham manager Kit Symons is fearing the worst after keeper Marcus Bettinelli and striker Matt Smith's collision resulted in injury.

The Cottagers were trailing Hull City 1-0 on Wednesday as half-time approached, following Ahmed Elmohamady's headed opener, when Bettinelli rushed of his line to stop Abel Hernandez from doubling the lead.

While the former England Under-21 international managed to make a fingertip save from Hernandez's flick, the Fulham stopper and team-mate Matt Smith accidentally collided each other.

Bettinelli was stretchered off the field and Smith was also substituted although it is the former's blow that could turn out to be the more serious. "Both Marcus and Matt have got knee ligament injuries," Symons said.

"Marcus is looking more severe at the moment but until we get a scan and see a specialist we won't know. But it's looking quite nasty."

The injuries compounded a miserable night at the KC Stadium for Fulham, who now just have one point from their opening three Sky Bet Championship matches.

For the third game in a row, shipping a late goal proved to be the London side's undoing - with Sone Aluko coolly slotting home from Nikica Jelavic's knockdown after former Hull midfielder Tom Cairney looked to have claimed a point for Fulham.

"It's only three games in and I'm sick of saying the same things already,"

Symons added. "Late goals are costing us dearly. "Our fitness levels are very, very good. We're generally higher level second half than we were first half.

It can't be down to fitness, it must just be down to concentration, not being street-wise enough. It's costing us dearly and it needs to change."



Read more at: https://www.clubcall.com/fulham/fulham-worry-over-injured-pair-1778713.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Whites Sign Ream

The Club is delighted to confirm the signing of Tim Ream from Bolton Wanderers on a four-year deal for an undisclosed fee.

Having now obtained a work permit, the 27-year-old joins the Whites until 2019, with a Club option to 2020.

"I'm more than pleased to be here," Ream told the official website. "It's been a long time coming now, over the past week and a half it's gone back and forth so I'm glad its finally sorted.

"The biggest thing was the history, walking into the training ground and feeling the vibe around the Club and the success that previous American players have had here."

After playing for Chicago Fire Premier during his college years, Ream joined New York Red Bulls in 2010 and was ever-present in his debut season as they secured the Eastern Conference title. He was subsequently shortlisted for the MLS Rookie of the Year award, but lost out to Andy Najar.

In January 2012, Ream moved to Bolton to replace Gary Cahill who had just joined Chelsea, and went on to make 13 Barclays Premier League appearances in the second half of the campaign. He leaves Wanderers having featured 126 times for the club, and the last two years saw him voted Player of the Season by their supporters.

Ream made his first appearance for the United States in a 1-0 win over South Africa in November 2010, and now has 13 caps for the national side.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/august/20/ream?

[WhiteJC]

 
Ream completes move from Bolton to Fulham after rejecting QPR

Fulham have completed the signing of defender Tim Ream from Bolton.

Ream, 27, has agreed a four-year contract at Craven Cottage with the option of a further year after he opted to join the Whites rather than QPR.

The United States international held talks with Rangers after both clubs had a bid for him accepted.

"It's been a long time coming now, over the past week and a half it's gone back and forth so I'm glad its finally sorted," Ream told Fulham's website.

"The biggest thing was the history, walking into the training ground and feeling the vibe around the club and the success that previous American players have had here."

Ream made 126 appearances for Bolton, who signed him from New York Red Bulls in 2012.


http://www.westlondonsport.com/qpr/ream-completes-move-from-bolton-to-fulham-after-rejecting-qpr?

[WhiteJC]

 
Tim Ream: Fulham sign Bolton Wanderers defender

Fulham have signed defender Tim Ream from Championship rivals Bolton Wanderers for an undisclosed fee.

The 27-year-old, who has won 13 international caps for the United States, has signed an initial four-year contract at Craven Cottage.

The west London club have an option to extend Ream's deal by a further year.

"I'm more than pleased to be here. It's been a long time coming now, so I'm glad its finally sorted," he told the Fulham website.

"The biggest thing was the history, feeling the vibe around the club and the success that previous American players have had here."

Ream made 126 appearances for Bolton after joining from Major League Soccer side New York Red Bulls in January 2012.

He becomes Fulham's eighth signing of the summer transfer window.

Fulham's summer signings so far
Ben Pringle (Rotherham)
Jamie O'Hara (Blackpool)
Andy Lonergan (Bolton)
Luke Garbutt (Everton, loan)
Tom Cairney (Blackburn)
Sakari Mattila (Aalesunds)
Jazz Richards (Swansea)
Tim Ream (Bolton)


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/34010213

[WhiteJC]

 
A Goodbye Poem to Tim Ream

When I promise, I deliver.

So Tim Ream has very sadly departed Bolton Wanderers, to Fulham, in a deal worth a sickeningly low 1. something that means very little million pounds, and anyone who knows me in even the slightest way will know that this means I'm devastated. As I said in my heartfelt plea for him to stay (read here), if he left you could very much expect another poem.

So here it is:

It's a sad, sad day,
What more can I say?
I want to scream,
Because we've sold Tim Ream.

Yet more heartbreak,
For love sake.
As once more,
My favourite walks out the door.

Anelka, Cahill, Eidur, Juke,
All made me want to puke.
But this one hurts most of all,
In White again, I'll never see him kick a ball.

A measly 1.4 million, what a sickening joke,
Once again, our faces covered in yolk.
That's good money! You say mockingly,
Well, now all our hopes lie on Dean Moxey.

Please don't make me laugh,
You know Lennon will never see the cash.
Down that black hole it will disappear,
Just like everything else has year after year.

Is this a nightmare? A really bad dream?
Why have they taken him from our team?
Fulham, of all the loving places,
I hope that they relegated.

I know at times,
This thing's not rhymed.
It's a bit of a mess,
Quite like my head.

To Tim I say adieu,
And I will always love you.
Until your score at the Macron,
With another team's kit on.

To Tim Ream I say goodbye,
With a tear in my eye.
And now I turn to you and say,
We'll live on another day...

Just remember,

However hard life may seem

Always

#DareToReam.

There's a tear in your eye, isn't there?


http://lionofviennasuite.sbnation.com/2015/8/20/9147161/a-goodbye-poem-to-tim-ream

[WhiteJC]

 
Hutchinson: Frustrated And Devastated

Shaun Hutchinson says the Whites need to start performing in both halves, or face the prospect of a long hard season ahead.

For the second consecutive game, the Whites conceded a late winner, Hull City's coming just four minutes from time, meaning that Kit Symon's side have taken one point from the first three matches of the season.

"We're starting to get a bit frustrated. Every one of the lads is devastated. The way we're losing, we're not playing bad," Hutchinson told fulhamfc.com after the game on Wednesday evening. "We've had chances to win the games but to come away from three matches with one point. It's just so frustrating."

The Whites started with a lacklustre performance in the first half up at the KC Stadium, allowing Hull to dominate proceedings and take the lead in the 34th minute from an Ahmed Elmohamady header.

It wasn't until the second half that Fulham were able to make an impact, holding possession and finding the equaliser with a sublime strike from Tom Cairney.

"In the first half we were poor again. Same as Brighton. We all know we have to sort that problem out because we can't keep having to come from behind every game," said Hutchinson. "It's an uphill task every week. We've really got to start performing in both halves. Unless we start doing that it's going to be a long hard season.

"With the players we've got in this squad, we expect to get three points every game. I don't expect anything less. We've got players who are good enough for the team to be up there.

"We're starting to get a bit frustrated. Every one of the lads is devastated. Honestly you can't see how desperate we are for it to work. It's just absolutely devastating that it's not coming together and we're not picking up the points we deserve.

"I think the second half definitely of the past two games we've looked really good and really solid. It's just a heartbreak for us to lose the goals in the way we are. We've got to try to work hard on the training ground and fix the problems ourselves. We've got to go again. We've got to start picking those points up.

"Going into the Huddersfield game it's obviously nicer when you're going in on the back of a win and your confidence is high but when the confidence is down a bit you've got to find a way of picking yourself up and you've got to go into that game ready to go for the three points."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/august/20/hutchinson-frustrated-and-devastated?

[WhiteJC]

 
Permit Concludes Ream Deal!
   
Fulham's tradition of signing quality America's has continued with Tim Ream's arrival now confirmed.

Having, which has been announced on fulhamfc.com today, obtained a work permit for Ream the Whites have completed his transfer from Bolton beating off competition from QPR.

Ream, proven at the highest level and beyond a doubt in the Championship as he's been Bolton's Player of the Year for the past two campaigns, has signed a contract that'll take him through until 2019, which also comes with an option for a fifth-year should Fulham wish to invoke this.

I'm certain we would!

Following his arrival, which he admits himself took a while to conclude, he's happy to follow in the footsteps of his former countrymen.

'I'm more than pleased to be here.

'It's been a long tome coming now, over the past week and a half it`s gone back and forth so I'm glad its finally sorted.

'The biggest thing was the history, walking into the training ground and feeling the vibe around the Club and the success that previous American players have had here.'

Not only is he American he's also an American international but is the 27-year-old the answer to Kit Symons' defensive worries? We'll certainly hope so!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=410256#ixzz3jQs4nWut

[WhiteJC]

 
What's happened to Ben Pringle?

It's been a rough start for everybody, but Ben Pringle has been particularly underwhelming.  It's not that he's been bad – he just hasn't seemed to be anything.  Just there.  And really, not particularly there.  I even wondered if he's playing through an injury or something, so uninvolved has he been.

For Rotherham last season Pringle averaged a shot a game, 2.5 key passes (which set up a teammate for a shot) per game, 31 passes per game overall, 3 crosses, and 1.7 long balls.

For Fulham he has had one shot in three games, 1 key pass per game, 22 passes per game, 1 cross per game, and no long balls.

Alright, it's three games, but decisions are made on much less evidence than this.  He's been invisible.  The stats bear out what our eyes have told us.

One thing I wondered when we twigged that Fulham were raiding the Championship's "chances created" leaderboard from last season was whether there would now be some cannibalisation.  It's not like if I have a mars bar and buy three more mars bars.   I'll have four then.  (Actually, a good example is Lucozade, which is being given away by promotional people at Waterloo Station this week.  I have seven bottles now.  Wrong?  No, not at all.  They keep handing them to me.)

Anyway, no, it's not like that.   At Rotherham Ben Pringle was, presumably, the creative hub.  I wonder if, perhaps, somehow by being in a team with so many other creative types, he's somehow lost his way and fallen down his team's pecking order.

Maybe.  This is quite interesting:

Passes per game by Fulham midfielders



The interesting thing here is that Cairney and Christensen seem to be playing as they always have.  Pringle's not been that involved this year, to the point where he's passing half as much as these two, but looking at his Rotherham numbers, he's clearly not a player who sees a lot of the ball.  Alright, fine, but look at Jamie O'Hara!

I don't know what that even means.  O'Hara's basically becoming the team's quarterback – everything's going through him.  In many ways this makes sense, given his touch on the ball and ability to be available at all times.  That's great.   I'm not going to suggest that Fulham need to share the ball around more because I have no idea if that's true.   But it is interesting that at the same time O'Hara's basically stepped up and demanded to see everything going on, Pringle has been struggling to get into matches.


https://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2015/08/20/whats-happened-to-ben-pringle/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham owner Shahid Khan rejects Tottenham purchase rumours

Fulham owner Shahid Khan has rejected reports that he is set to sell the club to buy Tottenham in a bid to use their new stadium for his NFL team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, to play in England.

Khan, who took over Fulham from Mohamed Al-Fayed in the summer of 2013, brought the Jaguars to play at Wembley that same year and they are now the most popular NFL team outside of America.

Last month, Tottenham announced that a 10-year partnership had been agreed with the NFL for American football games to be played at their new ground, which will hold around 60,000 spectators and is due to open in 2018.

Some reports suggested that Khan was looking to make that his permanent home for the Jaguars, but he told The Times that Jacksonville will play at Wembley until 2030 and that he has no intention of quitting Fulham.

"You can't correct every rumour, but I was surprised and had to consider the morale of the people at Fulham and the people at Wembley, so we called them out on it," Khan said.

The NFL has found huge success in coming to England and Khan is focused on how to make Wembley a central part of the game's future in the country.

"It's been beyond expectation, we've seen a dramatic shift," he added. "Wembley has been a big part of this. It's a world-class national stadium. Now it's, 'How do we make the Wembley NFL experience even better?'"


http://www.espnfc.co.uk/tottenham-hotspur/story/2573619/fulham-owner-shahid-khan-rejects-tottenham-purchase-rumours?

[RaySmith]

I don't think it's good to single out new players for criticism after so few games for a new club.

[WhiteJC]

 
Double trouble for Fulham
Fulham will assess the fitness of Marcus Bettinelli and Matt Smith, who both suffered knee-ligament damage in a collision at Hull on Wednesday.

Cottagers boss Kit Symons had named an unchanged line-up at the KC Stadium, where his side lost 2-1 to remain without a win this season, ahead of Saturday's visit of Huddersfield.

Luke Garbutt (ankle), George Williams (cruciate ligament) and Fernando Amorebieta (knee) are still unavailable while defender Jack Grimmer (ankle) has undergone surgery, but Tim Ream is available after signing from Bolton on Thursday.

Veteran midfielder Scott Parker is back in training following his ankle problem and could soon be in contention again.

Huddersfield boss Chris Powell will monitor winger Sean Scannell, who is not expected to complete 90 minutes.

Scannell made his only appearance of the season in last week's home draw against Blackburn but did not feature against Brighton in midweek due to his troublesome hamstring.

Striker James Vaughan stepped off the bench for his first appearance of the season on Tuesday night having recovered from the effects of concussion and is hoping to play a bigger part.

Joe Murphy will start again in goal and striker Joe Lolley is pushing for his first outing of the season after a shin injury, while midfielder Kyle Dempsey, winger Adam Hammill and defender Martin Cranie are among those hoping to be involved.


http://www.football365.com/match/339573/preview?