Tuesday Fulham Stuff (22/09/15)...

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Fulham v Stoke City: Pieters hopes Hughes' men can reverse poor form

Stoke City - without a win in the Premier League - must kick-start a winning run when they face Fulham in the League Cup, says Erik Pieters.

Erik Pieters hopes a win against Fulham in the League Cup on Tuesday can kick-start a winning run for Stoke City, who he admits have found it tough to deal with their poor start to the season.

Stoke threw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Leicester City at the Britannia Stadium on Saturday, as their search for a first Premier League win of the new campaign goes on.

Their only victory this term came in the second round of the League Cup – an 8-7 penalty-shootout triumph over Luton Town – and Pieters is aiming to make amends for the sluggish start.

"It's tough at the moment, it's not happy because we aren't winning." the Dutchman told the club's official site.

"We can't think too much about results because we have another game that we need to concentrate on this Tuesday, and maybe we can start to win again from then.

"We had a good first half [against Leicester] and had nothing to worry about. We need to remain powerful and keep our belief in continuing doing what we were.

"I want to win games. I am a defender and it doesn't matter if we are conceding goals on my side or the opposite side, I feel a responsibility for this team.

"We have to do this together, it's not the decisions of the referee or individual mistakes – you win or lose together as a team.

"After a draw like the one against Leicester you are always disappointed, but we just have to focus on the next game, which will not be easy."

Hughes is likely to be without Mame Biram Diouf for the trip to Craven Cottage, with the forward having missed the Leicester clash due to a hamstring injury, while Charlie Adam is suspended and long-term absentee Ryan Shawcross is still out.

Fulham dispatched Sheffield United 3-0 in the previous round, but have won just two of their opening seven Championship fixtures, losing to Sheffield Wednesday last time out.

But manager Kit Symons is confident his side, who have netted in every game this campaign, have the quality to pose a real threat to their Premier League opposition.

"We will always score goals. We've got no problem with that, when we push forward we create great opportunities," Symons told Fulham's official site.

"It's tightening up that little bit defensively, which we are more than capable of doing. We need to do that man-to-man job a lot better."



Read more at http://www.fourfourtwo.com/news/fulham-v-stoke-city-pieters-hopes-hughes-men-can-reverse-poor-form#UwRLxLYrYxv3OHZs.99

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Getting the Basics Right!
   
It was, to put it politely, disappointing with regards to the manner in which Fulham conceded three goals at Hillsborough on Saturday afternoon.

Conceding three goals, away from home, always leaves you up against it when it comes to getting anything from the game.

Although Fulham huffed and puffed and on another day, with a bit of luck, might have gotten a share of the points, but it wasn`t to be and those three crosses the Sheffield Wednesday player, Ross Wallace, provided were our undoing.

After the game, Kit Symons, quite rightly, was exasperated at the fact that his side had failed in one of the most basic elements of defending, heading crosses clear, remarking to the media,

"People should mark the man they`re meant to be marking and get their head to the ball first. It`s not a difficult art. It`s about desire and doing your job.

"If you concede three goals from three set-piece headers you don`t deserve to get anything out of the game."

Exactly, Kit, being a former defender, would have been desperately disappointed to see thee headers sail past Andy Lonergan in the Fulham goal.

Continuing though, Kit felt that the second half performance gave us some encouragement that the side are on the right track, with Kit adding,

"Maybe on reflection, because we took the game to them in the second half, we did look likely to get something.

"I`m proud of that second-half performance, but defending should be easier than that."

It should and an improvement needs to be forthcoming if we`re not to be undone by the most basic of defensive attributes.


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=414244#ixzz3mRmveiDu

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O`Hara`s Delight
   
Up at Hillsborough, when Jamie O`Hara netted from some way out to level for Fulham at 1-1, our summer acquisition had something of a smile on his face.

Now after securing himself a contract at Craven Cottage, after leaving Blackpool, some might have perceived that Jamie was happy that he had been able to give something back to his new paymasters.

However, there may very well have been another reason for the smile that lit up his face.

It turns out that the excellent strike was O`Hara`s first goal he`d scored away from home for some 1,681 days.

Jamie`s last goal on the road, before that strike on Saturday, came against West Bromwich Albion, when he was on the books of Wolverhampton Wanderers, way back on 20th February 2011.

No wonder Jamie had a smile on his, but try not to leave t so long next time eh!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=414245#ixzz3mRn75G18

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Fulham v Stoke City: Bojan out but Afellay returns

BOJAN is expected to be rested from tomorrow night's Capital One Cup tie at Fulham to ensure he is ship-shape for Saturday's visit of Bournemouth.

Bojan came through his first Premier League start in eight months on Saturday, but is unlikely to be risked at Craven Cottage tomorrow.

Mame Diouf could be available after not being risked at the weekend because of his hamstring and Afellay is back after serving a two-match ban.

Speaking this morning ahead of the tie, assistant boss Mark Bowen said of Bojan: "He spent a lot of time out and will want to kick every ball and play every minute.



Read more: http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Fulham-v-Stoke-City-Bojan-Afellay-returns/story-27838341-detail/story.html#ixzz3mRngm7DP
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Fulham u21s 3 Rovers u21s 0

Rovers' Under-21s slipped to a disappointing 3-0 away loss at Fulham on Friday night.
Three unanswered second half goals at Motspur Park condemned Damien Johnson's side to their third defeat of the season.

The match could have been so different if a perfectly good goal from Rovers on six minutes had been allowed to stand.

A Ryan Nyambe centre saw Anton Forrester head back into the area for Sam Lavelle to slam home from 12-yards out, but inexplicably the linesman on the far side incorrectly ruled that Forrester was offside.

The much-changed Rovers side worked hard to ensure the scores were level at the break, but once Fulham got their noses in front just past the hour mark there was only going to be one winner.

Adetayo Edun advanced from the right to shoot from distance, but the ball deflected off the unfortunate Scott Wharton to beat goalkeeper Ryan Crump.

Monday night's win over West Ham United saw Rovers come from behind three times, but there was to be no rally on this occasion as the home side doubled their advantage on 74 minutes. Following a flowing move Luca de la Torre applied the finish touch at the near post.

A third followed in the final minute of the 90 as Mattias Kait got the better of substitute Jack Doyle before firing home to ensure a disappointing evening for Rovers.

"On the ball we let ourselves down, our passing play wasn't as good as it had been previously," said Johnson.

"There wasn't much in the game in the first 60 minutes but our reaction after going behind was disappointing.

"We didn't respond like we did on Monday night against West Ham and after that we lost our way."

ROVERS: Crump, Nyambe, Edgar, Tomlinson, Lavelle (c), Wharton (sub Mansell 82 mins), Thomson, Carson (sub Hardcastle 17 mins), Forrester, Green, Cham (sub Doyle 53 mins).

Subs not used: Rittenberg, Fisher.



Read more at http://www.rovers.co.uk/news/article/fulham-blackburn-rovers-barclays-under-21-premier-league-2701106.aspx#mhlIOOTqkhiifTI8.99

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Fulham v Stoke preview: Mark Hughes returns to former club


Stoke City manager Mark Hughes needas a win at former club, Fulham

Stoke head to Craven Cottage positioned in the Premier League relegation zone and looking for a morale-boosting win against Championship side Fulham in the Capital One Cup third round tie.

Despite an encouraging performance in the first half against Leicester at the weekend, Mark Hughes' team threw away a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 which would have been their first league win this season.

The Potters' only win this season was in the previous round where they needed penalties to overcome League Two side Luton Town. Assistant coach, Mark Bowen, has warned there can be no room for complacency as Stoke travel to London.

Fulham have had an indifferent start to the season in the Championship, but have won two out of the last three league games and a win in their game in hand could propel them up towards the play-off places.

The Cottagers easily overcame last year's semi-finalists Sheffield United in the previous round and will hope home advantage could play a part in their bid for victory over their Premier League opponents.


Ross McCormack produced a man-of-the-match winning display for Fulham

Team News

Stoke striker Mame Biram Diouf could be back in contention after missing the draw against Leicester with hamstring and groin problems while winger Ibrahim Afellay returns from suspension.

Midfielder Charlie Adam sits out the final match of his three-game ban and the club will assess forward Bojan Krkic's condition after his successful return from long-term injury at the weekend.

Fulham team news to follow...

Statistics

Fulham have reached the fourth round of the Capital One Cup in the last two seasons.

The Cottagers have won three of their last four games in all competitions, scoring 10 goals.

Ross McCormack has scored four goals in the last three games, scoring 52 goals since the start of 2013-14, including 47 in Championship.

Mark Hughes was a League Cup winner with three different clubs as a player - 1992 with Man Utd, 1998 with Chelsea and 2002 with Blackburn.

Stoke's three points from their opening six games is their worst top flight start since 1983-84.

Fulham have won eight of their last nine games at home against Stoke, including the last four.


http://www.skysports.com/football/fulham-vs-stoke/preview/351310?

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Fulham boss explains plan to thwart Everton taking teenage hotshot Moussa Dembele

Kit Symons has more to offer Frenchman than he did Pat Roberts


Taking aim: Moussa Dembele

Fulham's boss insists he has a better chance of hanging on to teenage hotshot Moussa Dembele than Patrick Roberts.

Despite Kit Symons' best intentions, the latter departed to Manchester City in the summer for a fee that could reach £11million.

Even given the pay day, it was gutting when the former academy chief lost one of his better pupils to a Premier League giant.


Gone: Pat Roberts (R) skips past Richard Stearman last season

With Dembele, however, the gaffer reckons he has more to offer despite interest from Everton and foreign clubs.

"With Pat, he was out of contract and said he wasn't going to sign no matter what," Symons explained.

"You can't force Moussa to sign, but we hope there will be a different outcome.

"It's a different kettle of fish with Moussa.

"He's at a level when he's starting in the team on merit. I couldn't offer that to Pat. I could have said to Pat 'one day you'll be a first-team starter' but I couldn't say when that was going to be. Moussa's taking his opportunity."

A new contract is on the table for the 19-year-old, whose current deal runs out at the end of the season.


Congrats: Moussa Dembele (C)

Symons added: "We've offered Moussa a new contract, and we're speaking to his agents at the moment.

"I'm sure he can see he's improving by doing the things we do.

"He's playing in a good team, and he gets the service he needs.

"He suddenly looks a yard quicker, and with a bit of success you gain a great deal of confidence. He's buying in to what we want.

"He's got pace, power and strength (see video) and he scares the life out of defenders.

"Being an ex-centre-half I would hate to play against Moussa Dembele. He's a proper handful, and will only get better."


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-boss-explains-plan-thwart-10100760?

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O'Hara: Keep Believing

Despite Fulham's three-match winning streak coming to an end on Saturday at Hillsborough against Sheffield Wednesday, midfielder Jamie O'Hara believes the future is bright for the Whites

"We were on a little run and we really wanted to keep that going," he told fulhamfc.com after the game. "Obviously we're disappointed with the result but we keep going.

"It's a tight league, anyone can beat anyone and I think we've shown we're a top quality side. If we keep believing in ourselves and cut out the silly mistakes and work on things we need to improve, then I still think we're going to be a great side."

The Whites conceded three goals from set-pieces in Yorkshire, and while the 28-year-old admits that it is something the team need to work on in the coming weeks, he was impressed with the fighting spirit shown by his side.

"Obviously we're disappointed we conceded three goals from set-pieces, so that's something we're angry about," he admitted. "We can't expect to come away from home and concede three goals and get anything from the game, so that's something we're going to have to work on over the next few weeks.

"We showed amazing fight towards the end to stay in the game, we kept having a go, we just didn't have that final cutting edge to make something happen."

Kit Symons made a change at the break to deal with the aerial threat of Atdhe Nuhiu, bringing on Dan Burn for Ben Pringle, and the switch stemmed the tide.

"We had to make a change, they were causing us lots of problems in the air and from set-pieces they looked dangerous, and we didn't deal with it," O'Hara said. "We have to do better and it's something we will have to look at.

"It's the first time since I've been here that I've seen us struggle with set-pieces. Maybe you can get away with one great delivery but to concede three, it really killed us."

O'Hara got off the mark for the Whites with a long range effort in the first half to level things up, and the playmaker has been delighted with his start to life at the Club, after picking up a fourth Man of the Match award of the season at Hillsborough.

"It's fantastic, things have been going well, I'm just happy to do my bit for the team," he said. "It's a fantastic squad of players, I'm delighted to be playing week in, week out. The goal took a deflection but I'll take that all day long and I'm delighted to get on the scoresheet for Fulham. Hopefully I can keep producing and making things count."

The focus now switches to the Capital One Cup Third Round tie against Stoke City on Tuesday evening at the Cottage, and O'Hara knows the Whites will be in for a tough test against Premier League opposition.

"They are a fantastic team," he stated. "Mark Hughes has changed their philosophy now and they've started to play real good football.

"They've got some fantastic players, I think they changed it last time they played in the cup but any players they bring in are top quality Premier League footballers, so it's going to be a tough test for us. But we've got to go into it and get back to winning ways."

O'Hara is a big fan of cup competitions, having reached the FA Cup Final with Portsmouth back in 2010, and believes they can have a positive effect on the team.

"I think the cup can build confidence throughout the squad," he explained. "Other players might get opportunities, it brings everyone together, everyone's playing and everyone's involved.

"Once you start progressing and beating good teams, it can build confidence throughout the squad, so I think it's fantastic. I've played in cup finals and hands down they are the greatest moments of my career, so I think they are amazing to be part of and anyone who doesn't think so shouldn't be involved in football."

Tickets for Tuesday's meeting with Stoke City are priced at just £1 for juniors and from £10 for adults, although these will increase on matchday.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/september/21/ohara-keep-believing?

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Fulham's Matt Smith in contention against Stoke in Capital One Cup

Matt Smith may make his return from injury for Fulham when Stoke visit Craven Cottage in the Capital One Cup.

Smith has been out for a month with a knee problem but the big striker is close to a comeback and he will be checked on ahead of Tuesday night's third-round tie.

Ryan Fredericks (hamstring), Shaun Hutchinson and Nikolay Bodurov all missed the league defeat at Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend through injury and the three defenders will also be assessed.

However, midfielder Scott Parker is still not yet ready for the first-team as he continues his recovery from ankle surgery.

Stoke are still smarting from their failure to beat Leicester at the weekend ahead of the Capital One Cup clash with Fulham, assistant boss Mark Bowen has admitted.

The Potters have made a dismal start to the new campaign and have not yet won a match inside the regulation 90 minutes.

They finally looked to be up and running on Saturday but surrendered a two-goal lead against Leicester at the Britannia Stadium and had to settle for a 2-2 draw in the Barclays Premier League.

Aside from a penalty shoot-out success at Luton in the second round of the Capital One Cup, Mark Hughes' side have not won since they thrashed Liverpool 6-1 on the final day of last season.

Hughes' number two Bowen said: "When you are 2-0 up in the Premier League you expect to go on and win the game but we were punished for two individual mistakes.

"It is a bitter pill to swallow. For the majority of the game we played some terrific stuff. It is Monday morning and it is a feeling of frustration.

"You would be stupid not to be concerned about it. We have got to win games and get points on the board.

"But we have been in situations like this before. The sooner we get points the better but we are a decent side."

Even in their only recent victory, Stoke were almost caught out by Luton. Bowen has warned there can be no room for complacency as Stoke travel to Craven Cottage.

Bowen, who worked at Fulham under Hughes in the 2010-11 season, said: "We had an awakener in the last round against Luton.

"Maybe on the night we thought it might be easier than it was and possibly caught a cold. Hopefully that will be in the players' heads tomorrow.

"Fulham has never been an easy place to go and we have got to really be at it to get a result.

"I would imagine there would be one or two fresh faces coming in but Mark tries to go as strong as possible through every single game he plays. We realise the importance of this.

"The crowd here are desperate for a good cup run and that's hopefully what we will give them."

Stoke will assess the condition of forward Bojan Krkic after his goalscoring return to the starting line-up against Leicester. The Spaniard is still working his way back to full fitness after suffering a serious knee injury in January.

Bowen said: "We are all delighted to see Bojan coming back and playing the part he did, and the icing on the cake was to get his goal.

"He will be wanting to kick every ball and play every minute now but he spent a lot of time out. We will just have to assess how he goes."


http://www.espnfc.co.uk/capital-one-cup/match/434053/fulham-stoke-city/preview?

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Poll: Who is better: Chris Wood or Ross McCormack?

When building a successful side, all managers seek a 20-goal a season man and two oftThe better strikers in the division are Chris Wood and Ross McCormack, but who is better?

New Zealand international Wood joined Leeds in a £3m deal this summer, he has previously had a number of spells in the Championship, most notably with Millwall and Leicester City.

The striker has started the season in good form, scoring four times in eight league appearances.

McCormack had a lot of pressure on him last season at Fulham. Previous manager Felix Magath shelled out £11m for the Scot, making him the most expensive Championship signing in history.

After a bit of a difficult start, he scored 17 goals in 43 league games and continued his fine form in the division. He has two goals in six so far for this season, but it's a good bet that McCormack will reach double figures this season, just as he has in three of his previous four seasons.


Read more at http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/poll-who-is-better-chris-wood-or-ross-mccormack/?#jiR3wEZb4C2uPxTW.99

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Fulham v Stoke City: No repeat of Luton complacency players are warned

STOKE's players have been told to cut out extra-time, never mind penalties, at Fulham tonight (7.45pm).

City's management team want nothing like the repeat of Luton in the last round when they conceded an injury-time equaliser and ran the gauntlet of a penalty shootout before eventually winning 8-7 after a marathon second-round tie.

Assistant boss Mark Bowen admits the players fell into the trap of becoming complacent once the game kicked off at Luton - and says there are no excuses for taking such liberties this evening.

"We were lucky to come out of that game, and I mean that, winning on penalties in the end," Bowen confessed.



Read more: http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Fulham-v-Stoke-City-repeat-Luton-complacency/story-27838811-detail/story.html#ixzz3mTSCIkD6
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Blackburn Rovers U21s boss Damien Johnson unhappy after Fulham defeat

BLACKBURN Rovers will look to return to winning ways in Under-21s Premier League Division Two on Monday when they welcome Brighton & Hove Albion to Ewood Park (7pm).

Damien Johnson's much-changed side went down to their third defeat of the season on Friday night when a trio second-half goals condemned them to a 3-0 loss at Fulham.

The outcome might have been different had what appeared to a be a perfectly good Rovers goal, scored by Same Lavelle, just six minutes into the contest, not been ruled out for a contentious offside flag against Anton Forrester.

But after the unfortunate Scott Wharton deflected the ball past Ryan Crump just after the hour mark, there was only going to be one winner.

Luca de la Torre doubled Fulham's advantage in the 74th minute and, with Rovers unable to fight back in the same manner that had characterised their 4-3 home win over West Ham United four nights earlier, Mattias Kait rounded off the scoring late on after getting the better of substitute Jack Doyle.

Rovers boss Johnson said: "On the ball we let ourselves down, our passing play wasn't as good as it had been previously.

There wasn't much in the game in the first 60 minutes but our reaction after going behind was disappointing.

"We didn't respond like we did on Monday night against West Ham and after that we lost our way."



http://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/rovers/news/13774495.Blackburn_Rovers_U21s_boss_Damien_Johnson_unhappy_after_Fulham_defeat/?ref=mac

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Lou Macari: Stoke must go strong at Fulham tonight

I'M confident Mark Hughes won't take any liberties with his line up at Fulham in tonight's Capital One Cup tie.

Sparky will obviously want a result against one of the clubs he used to manage.

He also knows what a trip to Wembley - and preferably a victory once you get there - can do for a club.

It provides a massive springboard for the future and you're talked about for years to come.

Just ask all the boys from Stoke's 1972 League Cup triumph. They're as big a hero now as they were back then.

Craven Cottage is sat alongside the Thames and must be one of the most picturesque and nicest settings for any ground, but Stoke won't have any time for any sightseeing if they are to get the job done without too much fuss.

I think Fulham are also a lesson for any similar-sized club that falls into the trap of thinking they have cracked it and might be anything like a permanent fixture in the Premier League.

They may have looked like that until a few years ago, but once an owner starts looking to sell the rot can set in.

They went through manager after manager and decision after decision - and very few of them seemed to be the right ones.

If you have the right manager with a bit of money and a team that can battle, then you've got a chance.

But as Fulham proves, get any of those things wrong, never mind all three, and you can end up in the Championship and a million miles away from returning to the big time.

Victory tonight will also do Stoke the world of good because they obviously haven't won in six Premier League games yet.

That's not a great position to be in, but I still chuckled when I heard that assistant manager Mark Bowen was asked yesterday if Bournemouth at home on Saturday was a must-win game.

Blimey, we haven't even reached the end of September, so let's not get carried away just yet.

The league is played over 38 games, not half-a-dozen, and if you're good enough - and Stoke should certainly be good enough - you're not going to be in any serious trouble by next May.

I'm sure that `must-win' question is already being asked elsewhere, not least Sunderland and Newcastle perhaps, and I'd certainly be more worried about those two being in the bottom three than Stoke.

Bournemouth, like the other promoted clubs Norwich and Watford, will be happy enough with their start.

Bournemouth are on seven points, Norwich eight and Watford nine.

I must admit that I fancied all three would have something about them, plus good managers behind them, and so I certainly never saw all three going straight back down.

I'd now say that I can see at least two of those three staying up this season.

That would put pressure on some of the more established clubs, but one of those cannot be Stoke.

I can understand the frustration of being 2-0 up against Leicester at half-time on Saturday and then only ending up with a point when a first win of the season beckoned.

But that game was like most we are seeing in the Premier League this season when mistakes, far more than brilliant football, are deciding matches.

That's the inconsistency of the modern game and Marko Arnautovic is a shining example by the look of things.

One minute he's producing some great play to set up Bojan for Stoke's first, but the next he is giving away a stupid penalty to get Leicester back in the game.

He's clearly the kind of player that has everyone scratching their head, maybe even tearing their hair out, and who knows if he'll ever change?

Much of the weekend chatter concerned that incident at Stamford Bridge involving Chelsea's Diego Costa and Arsenal's Gabriel.

I was so exasperated by what I was watching that I switched the telly off and gave the rest of the game a miss.

Instead, I later tuned in for the rugby World Cup and what a lesson we can learn from the behaviour of players there.

There's no harassing referees, no dissent when being subbed and certainly no faking injury to get an opponent into trouble.

Watching the rugby I suddenly realised I was watching men behave like men.

Other sports are laughing at football, especially when you get unsavoury spectacles like Saturday's at Chelsea.

We should be talking about the game, whether it's great play or daft mistakes, not the kind of nonsense we had to sit through when two sets of players start kicking off over nothing in particular.

I switched off and will come back again, but will others think twice next time?



Read more: http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Lou-Macari-Stoke-strong-Fulham-tonight/story-27838650-detail/story.html#ixzz3mTTBoWGD
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Attwell In Charge For Craven Cottage Clash

Officials poised for tonight's Capital One Cup tie

STUART ATTWELL will oversee tonight's Capital One Cup clash with Fulham.

His last Stoke City match also came at Craven Cottage back in January 2011, where Ryan Shawcross was dismissed by him during the 2-0 defeat to the Cottagers.

Fulham, meanwhile, had him as referee for their 4-0 home win over Bolton Wanderers last season.

This term he's taken charge of seven games across all four divisions, as well as two Capital One Cup ties.

His campaign started with Charlton Athletic's win over Dagenham & Redbridge in the competition before he bossed Morecambe's 1-0 win over Accrington Stanley in League Two.

Next for him was the Championship clash between MK Dons and Bolton Wanderers, which the Dons won 1-0, before he went north for Sunderland's 6-3 Capital One Cup victory over Exeter City.

Attwell then oversaw Shrewsbury Town's 2-1 win over Barnsley at Oakwell before two Premier League matches followed; the goalless draws between West Bromwich Albion & Southampton and Swansea City & Everton.

During Saturday's stalemate at the Liberty Stadium he booked two players from each side before dismissing Toffees substitute Kevin Mirallas for a dangerous foul in the dying moments.

Attwell will be assisted at Craven Cottage tonight by Robert Hyde and Alan Young, with Andy Davies the fourth official.



Read more at http://www.stokecityfc.com/news/article/attwell-in-charge-for-craven-cottage-clash-2703027.aspx#AVed3cAZ5yF2jtGT.99

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On The Front Foot

Assistant manager previews Fulham cup tie...

MARK BOWEN insists Stoke City will be aiming to take the game away from Fulham during tonight's Capital One Cup clash.

The Potters face the Championship side at Craven Cottage later this evening as they look to reach the last 16 of the competition for a second successive season.

City will be aiming to rectify last weekend's result with Leicester City where the Potters surrendered a 2-0 lead as the Foxes fought back to earn a point.

The Cottagers will also be hoping to return to winning ways after suffering their first defeat in four matches at Sheffield Wednesday last Saturday.

Mark Hughes could make several changes to his side for the tie in West London and Bowen is confident the Potters have enough quality at their disposal to secure victory.

"We're the Premier League side, so of course we have to go there on the front foot," the Welshman said to Stoke City Player.

"We've got quality players and I know it's an old cliché, but we need to match their desire and their work rate.

"No disrespect to Fulham, they have some good, young players but we are a Premier League side and we have players who can change games and win games.

"We need to go there and do the dirty work if you like that can put the icing on the cake and build the platform for our good players to go and win the game for us.

"We have to really concentrate because if we take our eye of the ball and have one eye on Saturday's game [against Bournemouth] then we will catch a cold, so we really need to get the job done tonight."


Read more at http://www.stokecityfc.com/news/article/on-the-front-foot-2701549.aspx#ycs16MpbduutMq1V.99

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Everton eye Fulham's French forward

Everton are reportedly monitoring Fulham's highly-rated striker Moussa Dembele.

So much so that the recent transfer speculation surrounding the French forward will see the Championship side offer the youngster a new deal in a bid to ward off Premier League interest.

The 19-year-old, who arrived at Craven Cottage from Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain back in 2012, has scored twice in eight appearances so far for Kit Symons' side this season.

After losing fellow prized asset Patrick Roberts to Manchester City during the summer transfer window, Fulham are hopeful of keeping Dembele by tying him down to a new long-term deal should Everton firm up their interest with a sizeable bid in January.


http://www.shoot.co.uk/everton-eye-fulhams-french-forward/?

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Stoke City Factfile

Fulham welcome Mark Hughes and his Stoke City side to the Cottage looking to return to winning ways and progress to the Fourth Round of the Capital One Cup on Tuesday (7.45pm).


The opposition

It was an exciting summer for Potters fans with a number of signings to get pulses racing at the Britannia, although it's been a slow start to the Premier League season.

During the transfer window, Hughes secured the signatures of Swiss international Xherdan Shaqiri from Inter Milan for a club record £12m, winger Ibrahim Afellay from Barcelona on a free transfer, while £5.75m was reportedly spent on striker Joselu from Hannover 96.

With the likes of England international Glen Johnson and experienced keeper Shay Given joining them, there has been a big turnover in the summer as the former Whites boss looks to further change the footballing philosophy at the Britannia.

It's been a frustrating start to the season, though, and the Potters are winless in the league and find themselves in the drop zone at this early stage. They survived a major scare in the Second Round of the League Cup, coming through a mammoth penalty shoot-out away at Luton Town.

Team news

Hughes is likely to make several changes to the side that drew 2-2 with Leicester City on Saturday, having been 2-0 up. The likes of Peter Crouch, Stephen Ireland, Philipp Wollscheid and Shay Given are all hoping to feature in West London, while Afellay is available again after suspension.

Tickets

Tickets for Tuesday's game will be available to buy from advertised cash turnstiles, from £15 for adults and just £5 for juniors.

Weather

Scattered showers are expected until mid-afternoon, some heavy and thundery. Sunny intervals will occur and showers will become lighter towards the evening. Temperatures will be around the 14 degree mark at kick-off.

Coral match odds

Fulham: 21/10

Draw: 12/5

Stoke: 11/8

Previous meeting

Our last meeting with the Potters is one that Whites fans will not want to be reminded of. The two sides met on the penultimate day of the 2013/14 season with Fulham's 13-year stay in the Premier League ending with a 4-1 defeat at the Britannia. Peter Odemwingie opened the scoring in the 39th minute and Marko Arnautovic made it 2-0 in the early stages of the second half after Stoke had broken from a Fulham attack. And another counter-attack saw the Potters add a third in the 73rd minute through Oussama Assaidi. Kieran Richardson gave Fulham the slightest glimmer of hope when he pulled one back with 10 minutes remaining but Stoke made it 4-1 soon after when substitute Jonathan Walters raced clear to score.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/september/22/stoke-city-factfile?

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Lonergan on the Good and Bad Days!
   
As Fulham prepares to welcome Stoke City tonight, for a Capital One Cup 3rd round tie, those who frequent Craven Cottage will be hoping that the Cottagers can ease into the 4th round.

But, in recent weeks, it has become apparent that this newly assembled Fulham side, with all the summer transfer window signings integrated, blows hot and cold.

Kit Symons must be hugely frustrated sat on the touchline trying to work out why a side that can look so good one day can look awful the following day.

It is something that Andy Lonergan, one of our summer recruits, has touched upon ahead of the visit from Stoke, with the keeper remarking,

"We knew with the big turnaround of players that there`ll be some good days and bad days. That`s the nature of trying to get a side that gels.

"When we have been really good we have been really good, but we haven`t hit our straps in other games. We need to find that consistency. It probably makes it tough for other sides to do their homework on us as well."

Hopefully, Stoke will catch Fulham on a good day and we can edge into round four!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=414365#ixzz3mTV0c7ED

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Fulham boss Kit Symons eyes League Cup upset against returning Mark Hughes

Mark Hughes returns to Fulham tonight with Stoke hoping to avoid another scare in the Capital One Cup.

Stoke needed penalties to see off League Two side Luton in the last round and Hughes wants a win at Craven Cottage to get their season up and running.

His side are still looking for their first Premier League win of the season and Fulham manager Kit Symons is eyeing an upset.

He said: "They will have bright movement and they have Premier League players, so it will be a big challenge for us, but one I am looking forward to.

"Stoke always were a good team. They play a very different style of football now, as they used to play what could be described as more direct tactics and were very robust, but that was very effective for that team.

"Now it is Mark Hughes' Stoke team that play a different brand of football. There is no right or wrong way of playing, and we have got to match what we come up against, and it will be a passing team, without a doubt."

Stoke assistant manager Mark Bowen, who also worked with Hughes at Fulham, has warned against complacency ahead of the third-round tie and admits the Luton game was "a real wake-up call".

"We were lucky to come out of that game, and I mean that, winning on penalties in the end," he said. "For everything that was said and was prepared, when we got onto the pitch we thought it was going to be easier than it was."


http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/fulham-boss-kit-symons-eyes-league-cup-upset-against-returning-mark-hughes-a2952766.html?

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Fulham duo set to miss Stoke game

Jamie O'Hara will sit out Fulham's League Cup clash with Stoke and Tom Cairney is also likely to miss tonight's game.

A hip injury meant O'Hara missed training on Monday, while Cairney picked up a knock during the session and is being assessed.

Neither injury is serious but Whites boss Kit Symons wants to make sure the pair are available to face QPR so is reluctant to risk them ahead of Friday's derby.

Both players scored in Fulham's 3-2 defeat against Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend.

Fulham will also be without recent signings Ryan Fredericks and James Husband against Stoke as both players are cup-tied.


http://www.westlondonsport.com/football/football-wls-fulham-duo-set-to-miss-stoke-game-but-return-to-face-qpr