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

Started by WhiteJC, October 02, 2015, 08:22:19 AM

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WhiteJC

 
Bettinelli's fond Stanley memories

When Marcus Bettinelli first pulled on an Accrington Stanley shirt for a Capital One Cup tie with Cardiff he was an unknown quantity for virtually everyone.


A year later he was wearing another shirt for the first time, that of England, after being called up to the under 21's.

It's been quite a journey for the 23-year-old, who doesn't think the value of his first team experience with the Reds can ever be underestimated.

"I don't think I would have ever pulled that England shirt on without Accrington," said the Fulham man, who is currently recovering from a serious knee injury. "I can't stress enough to the young goalies here at Fulham how important it is for them to go on loan and put themselves in those uncomfortable situations.

"It's tough; you don't know any of the lads and if you've come from a top flight club there's a bit of a point to prove to the lads. It's important to fit in in the changing room, to fit in on the pitch and create a bond. It's about maturing and growing up and that's what I needed.

"I'm forever grateful to Beatts (former Stanley boss James Beattie) and the club for taking the chance on me. I'd never played in the league, I'd only played in the league below for Dartford and it was a gamble especially with the position that Accrington were in when I joined."

The Reds lost that tie against Cardiff valiantly and were rooted to the foot of League Two when Bettinelli arrived. He left with the Young Player of the Year award under his arm and the club's Football League status secure for another season.

"I loved that year so much," he recalled. "Playing games, living up there and with the lads I was living with and the season that we had. It was such a good season. From where the club was to what we ended up doing with the odds stacked against us. It was such a good year.

"I met some incredible people and worked with some great players on and off the pitch and I often think back to that time.

"It's a special club. When you consider the funds and the fans, the stadium and where it is in the country, there are not many clubs like it. It makes it all the better always being the underdogs. What we did that season was pretty special but nobody realised how special it was at the time.

"I'm still close with a few of the lads, obviously Kal (Naismith) has moved but I'm still mates with a lot of the other lads and speak to Beatts every now and again so sometimes it feels like I'm still on loan there!"

Bettinelli returned to Craven Cottage and swiftly became Fulham's first choice keeper, thrusting him into the spotlight and the squad for the European under 21's Championships.

With his reputation growing he was soon linked with some of the Premier League's top sides, making this summer a new experience.

"It was quite a weird position to find myself in," he admitted. "I went away with the under 21s in the summer which was a good experience and by the start of the season I was in good shape mentally and physically and it's just a shame that after I signed a new deal it all went wrong. That's life and things like this happen in football. I've been lucky to have three great years playing regularly for Dartford, Accrington and Fulham and not missed games. Now I have to bide my time, work in the gym and get back fit.

"I'm still only 23. It is amazing what I've done in the last year but for me it's only a small thing. I want to keep going and keep impressing and try to get more amazing things into my career. If someone had said to me I'd have the year I had after leaving Accrington I wouldn't have believed them but it happened.

"Now my focus is just getting back fit, getting back into the Fulham team and trying to achieve all the things that I want to in my career."


And as if international recognition and Premier League interest wasn't enough of a compliment, Marcus Bettinelli is the man Stanley supporters chose to be the goalkeeper in their Football League Dream Team...

"I've followed it over Twitter and seeing the team and it is an honour to be put into it," he explained. "It's amazing to think that I was only there for a short space of time but I'm glad that I made an impact and people remember me on and off the pitch. Hopefully they remember me as a top goalkeeper and a top guy! I wouldn't ever want anyone to think otherwise.

"I wish the lads all the best this season. I obviously don't know the coaching staff but I know a lot of the lads on the pitch. I always look out for the scores and they are the goals I look for on the Football League highlights programme."


http://accringtonstanley.co.uk/2015/10/bettinellis-fond-stanley-memories/?

WhiteJC

 
Husband Focused On Charlton

James Husband says Fulham are itching to take on Charlton Athletic on Sunday as the Whites bid to put the disappointment of Tuesday's defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers behind them.

The 10-man Whites were beaten 3-0 by Wolves at the Cottage as Kit Symons' men came back down to earth with a bump after Friday's euphoric thrashing of Queens Park Rangers.

"I thought we started the Wolves game okay, although obviously not as well as we did on Friday against QPR," Husband told the official website. "But we spoke about the QPR game beforehand and said we just had to draw a line under it, we couldn't get too carried away with how we played.

"This is the nitty-gritty of the Championship, you're not going to play like we did against QPR every game; you have to roll your sleeves up sometimes."

With the score at 0-0, Fulham were reduced to 10 men when Tom Cairney was shown a straight red card for a two-footed tackle on Adam Le Fondre. Fulham will now be without Cairney for three matches.

"The sending off probably hurt us more than we thought it would," said Husband. "Everyone's seen it in the stadium, but if someone does that you have to roll your sleeves up and dig them out.

"We tried our best but unfortunately we couldn't do anything. They got a fortuitous first goal and it rolled on from there. It was disappointing."

Fulham have a chance to bounce back in their final game before the international break when they face Charlton at The Valley in a televised encounter.

The Addicks are without a win in six league and cup games and Husband stated: "We'll pick ourselves up, we've got another game on Sunday which is a good one for us and we're already focused on it. Hopefully we'll go there, give a good account of ourselves and get three points.

"We'll go into the game level headed, looking to put in a good performance and get some more points on the board."

Husband's loan spell from Middlesbrough was extended prior to the Wolves game – a deal he was delighted to be part of.

"It's nice, I need to play games and I do enjoy it here," added Husband, who had a loan stint at Fulham from Boro last term as well. "If Fulham are happy and Middlesbrough are happy, then I'm happy. It's not an issue for me.

"The squad we've got now is miles better than last season. The gaffer has brought in some good Championship players, which I think we were missing last year. The whole squad is strong."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/october/01/husband-focused-on-charlton?

WhiteJC

 
Fulham midfielder and Aston Villa target determined to pick up where he left off - starting at Charlton

Christensen plans to make up for lost time


Focused: Lasse Christensen

Fulham struggled on Tuesday night - but not as much as Lasse Vigen Christensen over the last year.

The Whites midfielder appeared after 60 minutes in the 3-0 defeat to Wolves when the game was all but up - and the Danish U21 player knows the sorry feeling.

When he had just established himself in the first team last December and was attracting attention from the likes of Aston Villa, he suffered hamstring injuries to both legs.

Just when it looked as if he would be back in contention, a new setback returned him to the rehab suite.

All in all, the 21-year-old made 32 appearances in a stop start campaign (see gallery below) - but the last of them came at the end of February.

Now, he wants to make up for lost time, including Sunday's visit to Charlton for the south versus west London derby.

"I had been quite lucky up to then with injuries and that," Christensen said. "I really struggled getting back, almost thought I was there and wasn't quite right, and had to stay out for 12 weeks.

"It's been tough since.

"Maybe I underestimated how tough it was going to be coming back; on and off, but still working hard. Mentally and physically it was hard and maybe I took that into this new season.

"I've come back trying to get back to where I was last season and be important to games. I'm not too far off now, but it will need a few more weeks."

Christensen has an even better chance of starting at The Valley knowing £4m summer signing Tom Cairney is a forced absentee after he picked up a straight red on Tuesday following an injudicious challenge on Wolves forward Adam Le Fondre.

The Dane is ready to not only take Cairney's place, but retain it on merit.

Christensen added: "A lot of players have come in to make it hard for the likes of me to play week in week out, even though the team is not always winning.


"It's going to be tough, but I'm positive I can get back to where I was and I'll get a lot of games and make a difference."

Fulham have another problem at right-back after Ryan Fredericks pulled up with a groin problem against Wolves. Whites are already short to fill the slot with Jazz Richards missing the last two matches as well.

Boss Kit Symons said: "Yeah, from fairly early on Ryan tightened up in his groin a little bit.

"We saw how quick he was on Friday night against QPR, but he wasn't able to open up and go at full pace so we had to take him off. We'll have to assess him before Charlton."


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-midfielder-aston-villa-target-10172656?


WhiteJC

 
International Call-Ups

Details of the Fulham players called up for international duty. Any further call-ups will be detailed on fulhamfc.com in due course.

Senior team

Jesse Joronen (out on loan) – Finland (European Championship Qualifiers)

Sakari Mattila – Finland (European Championship Qualifiers)

Jazz Richards – Wales (European Championship Qualifiers)

Under-23s

Emerson Hyndman – United States (Olympic Qualifiers)

Under-22s

Cameron Burgess – Australia (Friendlies)

Adam Taggart (out on loan) – Australia (Friendlies)

Under-21s

Lasse Vigen Christensen – Denmark (UEFA U21 Qualifiers)

Liam Donnelly (out on loan) – Northern Ireland (UEFA U21 Qualifier)

Jordan Evans – Wales (UEFA U21 Qualifier)

Mattias Kait – Estonia (UEFA U21 Qualifiers)

Sean Kavanagh – Republic of Ireland (UEFA U21 Qualifiers)

Marek Rodák – Slovakia (UEFA U21 Qualifiers)

Cauley Woodrow – England (UEFA U21 Qualifier)

Under-19s

Aron Davies – Wales (Training camp)

Under-17s

Dennis Adeniran – England (European Championship Qualifiers)

Luca de la Torre – United States (Friendlies, World Cup)

Tayo Edun – England (Friendly, World Cup)



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/october/01/international-call-ups?

WhiteJC

 
Forward to Fulham

It's hard to see the Addickted flocking to The Valley for the game against Fulham on Sunday. There is the recent run of form to consider, plus the fact that we tend not to do well on television or against Fulham. I well remember a crucial decision by a lino that contributed to our relegation from the Premiership.

There's a 12 o'clock kick off with no trains running, thanks to South-Eastern. From what I hear from friends who use this company on a daily basis to travel to work, they have my sympathy.

The club has urged fans to make use of Valley Express, but the network is much reduced from the days when it was launched as the Rickshaw.

I have made alternative plans for the weekend which means that I am unlikely even to learn the result.

Some fans have been calling for the return of Callum Harriott on loan on the grounds that he has been doing well in League One. There is quite a difference in quality between the two divisions. The average Championship wage is £6,000 a week and that in League One around £1,600. Of course, this reflects factors other than player quality, but that is part of the story.

In any case one can't just call back a player from loan. That is often possible with keepers for obvious reasons, but otherwise an agreement has been reached with the other club specifying the length of the loan and other terms.

Harriott is a frustrating player because he is clearly not without ability, but also appears to have something of an attitude problem. He has been unsettled at The Valley. One could blame fans for getting on his back, but they have had something to complain about.

Bad runs can, of course, come to an end when one least expects them. Let's hope that's the case on Sunday for those fans who do turn up.


http://addickschampionshipdiary.blogspot.co.uk/2015/10/forward-to-fulham.html

WhiteJC

 
Adeniran's England Win Again

Fresh from scoring on his debut against San Marino two days ago, Dennis Adeniran was given another start for England Under-17s as they defeated Armenia 5-0 in their European Qualifier on Thursday.

The Young Lions were two goals to the good come half-time thanks to Andre Dozzell and Reiss Nelson, who grabbed two more after the break to complete his hat-trick.

Adeniran was then replaced just before the hour mark by Elliot Embleton, who notched the final goal of the game late on.

England's final match in this first round of qualifying sees them face hosts Portugal on Sunday, with the winners taking top spot.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/october/01/adenirans-england-win-again?


WhiteJC

 
Who are ya?! – Moussa Dembele


Not to be confused with his Tottenham Hotspur namesake, Fulham's 21-year-old French forward Moussa Dembele is fast earning a reputation as one of the brightest talents outside of the Premier League.

Dembele joined the Cottagers from Paris Saint-Germain at the age of 16, and quickly moved through the youth system before making his top flight début against West Ham United as a late substitute in November 2013.

His first league start came soon after against Everton, but it came during a difficult time for the West London outfit as they were relegated to the Championship long before the seasons end.

The Pontoise-born attacker has begun to establish himself in manager Kit Symons' team this campaign, and scored his first Fulham goal in a 2-1 win over Blackburn Rovers in September.

Fulham's future

Dembele is quick, strong, two-footed, and exceptionally difficult to knock off the ball due to his balance and low centre of gravity.

He has strong technical attributes and is able to work in tight spaces even when multiple defenders are closing him down, but what sets him apart from many of his peer group is his ability to go past opponents with ease while carrying the ball at speed.

So many young players find it difficult to beat their man when faced with an experienced opponent and cede possession too easily, but Dembele at times seems to glide past others as if they weren't there.

Still lots to learn

Like most young players the striker is far from the finished article, and having made only 21 appearances in the black and white colours he lacks experience.

He has begun to force his way into the starting line-up this term, and he will have to work hard to stay there due to the wealth of attacking talent Fulham have at their disposal.

Ross McCormack is the first choice forward, so the young Frenchman is vying with the likes Cauley Woodrow, and Matt Smith to partner the Scotland international up front.

If he continues to develop his all round game and gets enough minutes on the pitch it wont be long before Symons is unable to leave Dembele out.


http://www.touchlinetalk.com/who-are-ya-moussa-dembele/117920/?

WhiteJC

 
Preview: Charlton Athletic V Fulham

Let us take a moment to praise the Sky Sports overlords, who have been kind enough to make our game live on their wonderful service this weekend.

For the timing could not be any better. A glorious opportunity for Charlton Athletic, in the midst of a six game winless run, to embarrass themselves in front of a TV audience as Fulham come to The Valley on Sunday.

And not only is recent form against the Addicks making an impression to Sky's viewers, but so too is their recent form when playing on TV.

The defeats to Fulham and Ipswich Town last season took their record on TV to 13 defeats in 21 games since the start of the 2009/10 season. Just six wins recorded in that time, with two coming against lower league opposition and another in the redundant Play-Off semi-final second leg victory over Swindon Town.

But in the same week that Katrien Meire suggested the history of the club was not important, maybe it's time to move on from one of the more unpleasant statistics of Charlton's recent past.

A win, and therefore a win on TV, desperately needed to rejuvenate confidence and belief. Among poorly performing players, a head coach struggling to change his side's fortunes, and supporters growing in anger and frustration.

LAST MEETING – CHARLTON ATHLETIC 1-1 FULHAM

An easily forgettable affair with an end of season feel saw Charlton and Fulham draw a game that neither did enough to win at The Valley in April.

The Cottagers, still needed points to avoid relegation from the Championship, took the lead after eight minutes when Matt Smith took advantage of confusion in Charlton's backline to flick-on to Ross McCormack, who finished an opening he was never going to miss.

But the Addicks, needing to regain some pride after a derby defeat to Millwall, responded almost immediately, with Johann Berg Gudmundsson firing home Morgan Fox's cross in emphatic fashion.

They could not push on from drawing level, however, and it was Fulham who came closest to winning the game. Joe Gomez required to clear Smith's goalbound effort off the line.

FORM

Fulham: LWLLWW

In many ways, the previous week or so at Craven Cottage has summed up Kit Symons' side start to the campaign.

For bitter rivals QPR were dispatched in glorious fashion. An almost flawless performance, with the R's stopped from playing and the Cottagers frequently attacking with flair and threat, resulting in a 4-0 victory.

But Tuesday saw Wolverhampton Wanderers come to the Cottage, and gained three points emphatically. Fulham unable to recover from Tom Cairney's red card, conceding three goals – two avoidable and one stunner – without reply.

Fulham's start to the season, therefore, quite mixed. Sometimes looking like the work in progress they are, and suffering defeat. Others playing to the full extent of the potential they have, with an impressive bunch of players recording promising victories.

Charlton's chances of success on Sunday heavily dependent on which Fulham turns up.

Charlton: LLLLDL

A side that began the season with organised defensive efforts, exciting counter-attacking football, and constant high-intensity pressing has become something of a shambles.

For Guy Luzon's men have lost their defensive resolve. 13 largely avoidable goals conceded in six winless games, with shape lose and individual errors frequent.

So too has that counter attacking panache been lost. Charlton's forward play slow, predictable and rarely threatening.

And, most worryingly of all, the high-intensity efforts have been replaced by lacklustre displays. The Addicks responding to going behind against Cardiff City with sideways passing and without the sort of energy you would hope for.

A win, or at least an encouraging performance, desperately required. But, on the evidence of recent weeks, neither seems likely.

THE OPPOSITION

Fulham will be without Cairney after the impressive playmaker was sent off for a two-footed lunge during the defeat to Wolves.

The Scot, who regularly impressed against the Addicks while in a Blackburn shirt, could be replaced by young Danish midfield Lasse Vigen Christensen.

But one man who certainly won't be replacing Cairney is Scott Parker, with the controversial Charlton academy graduate missing out on a return to SE7 through injury.

Joining Parker in the treatment room are full-backs Jazz Richards and Luke Garbutt, while forward Smith and goalkeeper Marcus Bettenelli have also been absent in recent weeks owing to knee ligament injuries suffered in the same incident.

THE ADDICKS

Charlton will welcome back Alou Diarra after the centre-back sat out Saturday's defeat to Cardiff through suspension.

The Frenchman, although uncomfortable against Blackburn and Crystal Palace, has been a vital figure at the back for the Addicks this season, and his return, with the unconvincing Naby Sarr dropping out, is a huge boost.

But goalkeeper Stephen Henderson, forward Simon Makienok, and winger Cristian Ceballos are unlikely to return from their injuries, while captain Johnnie Jackson is a doubt having missed three previous two games.

It means the options Luzon has to change his side remain limited, but one man pushing to start is Karlan Ahearne-Grant. The forward, having scored against Cardiff, could come in for Mikhail Kennedy or Zakarya Bergdich, allowing Johann Berg Gudmundsson to resume his duties out wide.

KEY BATTLE: A FRAGILE DEFENCE AGAINST A STRONG FORWARD LINE

They cannot defend corners. Cardiff's Sean Morrison given several free headers, before nodding in the Bluebirds' winner.

They've started to struggle in wide positions. Chris Solly and Fox, without being desperately poor, have made more mistakes in the past few weeks than they had in the previous eight months.

No longer are they determined in their resilience in the centre. Patrick Bauer not as dominant, Diarra shaky, and Sarr struggling.

In fact, were it not for Nick Pope, then Charlton's defensive record in recent weeks would look even less impressive. Even the goalkeeper, with a host of stunning saves to his name, was partially at fault for the defeat to Huddersfield.

So it is unfortunate that Fulham's forward line have impressed many in recent weeks. McCormack's danger known to all, and the lively Moussa Dembele announcing himself to those who were not already aware of his talents. Ben Pringle, too, a wonderful crosser of the ball.

Defending against a unit like that will be a big test for this out of sorts Charlton side. Mistakes will be capitalised upon, and their movement will provide a constant threat of the sort of level that the Addicks have not dealt well with in recent weeks.

If Luzon's side are to stamp their foot down and get back on some sort of track, they must offer defensive resilience. For a repeat of their efforts at the back in recent against McCormack and co, and any amount of attacking flair will not be enough.

PREDICTION

We're on TV. We're out of form. I've got to get up at 7am to get to The Valley on time. What could possibly go wrong? Charlton Athletic 1-2 Fulham


http://chrispowellsflatcap.com/2015/10/02/preview-charlton-athletic-v-fulham/?

WhiteJC

 
Six games, five defeats. Will the run end on Sunday?
How can a team that looked so bright, lively and incisive until the last weekend of August have declined so quickly into the lacklustre outfit that lost five games out of six in September ?

Well, injuries have played their part and I suspect that Simon Makienok's absence has been the one most keenly felt. He isn't a prolific goalscorer but his hold up play, his linking and his dummies played a crucial part in Charlton's fine start to the season. Without him (and without the mystery that is Igor Vetokele) our front line has looked too young, too inexperienced, too lightweight and over-reliant on Tony Watt producing a moment of magic.  We don't yet know whether Makienok will be available for the game against Fulham on Sunday but a front pair of Watt and Ahearne-Grant or Kennedy doesn't inspire confidence.

Fulham didn't enjoy a good start to the season. They got their first win (3-1 at Rotherham) on 29th August when we were experiencing our first defeat.  Things have improved since then, which may be connected with their deadline day signing of Richard Stearman from Wolves.  They beat Blackburn 2-1 at Craven Cottage, lost narrowly (2-3) at Sheffield Wednesday but then produced their standout performance so far with the 4-0 demolition of QPR two weeks ago.  Last week they were humbled 0-3 at home by Wolves, but this may be explained by the sending off of their influential midfielder Tom Cairney when the score was 0-0.  Cairney will be suspended on Sunday.

Scott Parker hasn't appeared for Fulham yet this season because of injury so he will not have to endure the tedious abuse he gets from some Charlton fans. Ben Pringle (signed from Rotherham in the summer) will start in midfield alongside Dartford boy Jamie O'Hara who joined Fulham after experiencing the joy of playing for Blackpool last year.  O'Hara is still only 29 and has probably found his level after all those years of not quite being good enough at Tottenham.  Andy Lonergan (another summer signing) will probably be preferred to Bettinelli in goal.

Up front, Fulham look strong.  Whether Ross McCormack is worth £11m is questionable but he is a very dangerous striker at Championship level and has already notched six goals this season.  He will surely be partnered by young Frenchman Moussa Dembele who should not be confused with the Belgian Moussa Dembele who left Fulham a couple of years ago for Tottenham.  Fulham's Dembele is still only just nineteen and his pace will stretch the Charlton defence.  An alternative up front is the giant Matt Smith.

With the game being shown on TV and with transport to the Valley severely disrupted it is likely that there will be plenty of gaps in the crowd on Sunday.  We can only hope that those who do get there will get behind the team.  There is a danger that discontent will lead to scapegoating and that some of the younger players might lose even more confidence.  Will there be a place in the team or on the bench for our own Moussa ?  Franck had four starts last season and ten substitute appearances. This would be a good time for him to reappear refreshed and to score one of the wonder goals for which he was famous at Coventry.


http://www.castrust.org/2015/10/six-games-five-defeats-will-the-run-end-on-sunday/?