Sunday Fulham Stuff (15/11/15)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Report: Warburton makes Rangers intentions clear after rejecting Fulham and QPR

Ibrox hero Mark Warburton has reportedly rejected offers from Fulham and Queens Park Rangers.

According to The Scottish Sun, Mark Warburton has committed his future to Rangers having snubbed moves back to London with Fulham and Queens Park Rangers.

Warburton, 53, has enjoyed a remarkable start to life as Rangers boss, winning 12 of his 13 league games in charge as the Gers lead the way in the Scottish Championship title race.

It was always seen as something of a coup when Rangers landed Warburton over the summer, after the former city trader had surprisingly left his role as Brentford boss despite guiding the Bees to promotion from League One in 2014 as well as in to the Championship play-offs last season.

After that sensational start to his Rangers career, reports from The Scottish Sun are now suggesting that Warburton has been offered the chance to return to English football and to his hometown of London, with Fulham and QPR both pursuing him.

Fulham parted company with Kit Symons last weekend following a 5-2 home defeat to Birmingham City, whilst Queens Park Rangers are also looking for a new manager following the departure of Chris Ramsey earlier this month.

The Scottish Sun believe that both clubs were hoping to lure Warburton away from Ibrox, but the Rangers boss has allegedly made his intentions clear by telling the two Championship teams that he intends to return Rangers to their former glories, starting with promotion this season.


http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2015/11/14/report-warburton-makes-rangers-intentions-clear-after-rejecting/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Well It Won`t Be Lambert!
   
Another possible candidate ruled out!

Almost a week after the club decided that they needed a change of direction when it came to the manager, axing Kit Symons, we`re still no nearer knowing who will be given the task of leading Fulham Football Club to bigger and better things.

However, in the last couple of days we have been able to eliminate some candidates from the list of possibilities being bandied about.

The first to be struck off was the Burton Albion boss, Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink, with it being decreed that the Dutchman`s lack of experience when it came to managing at a level outside of League One and League Two was considered too big a risk to take.

Today it appears that another potential candidate is set to take employment elsewhere. Paul Lambert, who has Championship experience with Norwich City and who was axed by the Premier League outfit Aston Villa last season, is set to accept the position vacated by Gary Bowyer, at Blackburn Rovers.

When Kit Symons was axed, the suggestion being bandied about was that a new manager would be in place for our game next weekend, if that is still to be the case then we should expect some news in the coming days one would hope.


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=421769#ixzz3rYIeV3Dx

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham defender: I feel as if my season hasn't started yet

Injury has robbed Grimmer of playing time so far this season and he is keen to make up for lost weeks


Injury: Jack Grimmer (L)

Jack Grimmer believes his season hasn't started yet after suffering an ankle injury in the opening week of the campaign.

The 21-year-old defender was on the pitch for an hour against Wycombe in the Capital One Cup first round but has yet to enjoy any more first-team action due to the blow sustained there.

And he is itching to get back to full fitness and could return later this month.

He said: "It's been a long time. I feel as if my season hasn't started as I injured my ankle in the first cup game of the season.

"Rehab has been going well. I'm doing my work with the physios. I'm hoping to be fit again in the next couple of weeks."

Fulham have been inconsistent so far this season and are sitting in 12th place in the league, which is an improvement on their position last year.

There is a school of thought that a solid, mid-table season would be good for the club after the Felix Magath debacle, however Grimmer is aiming his sights higher.

Speaking before Kit Symons left the club, Grimmer said: "I think if you look at the season we had last season, I think anything better than last year will be better but that's not we have in our minds.

"That's not what the staff are saying about it and that's not what the people at the club think.

"We're definitely on the same page that we want to get this club and its fans back to where we think it belongs and, since I joined, we were an established Premier League team and I think that's what everyone at the club, players, staff and the fans are really aiming."

Fulham are one of 12-15 teams who believe they have the squad capable of promotion and Grimmer knows that, if they are to achieve it this season, it will not come without hard work.

He added: "It's one of the toughest leagues in the world – that can't be questioned. You look at the teams and the strength of squads in the Championship.

"There are no easy games whether you're at home to a side bottom of the league – you'll have to battle to get three points. The teams that are up and around there at the end of the season.


No easy games: Jack Grimmer

"It's indescribable. There aren't many leagues out there that have such a frantic fixture schedule; especially the Saturday-Tuesday-Saturday. It can be draining for the players physically and mentally. That's what we do and why we love doing it. Every player wants to play football."

Away from football, Grimmer is someone who enjoys watching movies and has found comedies have helped him with his injury struggles.

He explained: "I'm more of a movie man and watch a lot of the TV series and try as much as we can to get away from it.

"The international breaks can help. You come back on the Monday reenergised. I like anything. My girlfriend loves a rom-com so I go with it.

"It'd be the actions, thrillers – though rom coms can be fun. I love comedy – they can pick you up after a bad day. Laughing helps.

"We've got a tight squad. The laughs keep you going. I've been able to get home and spend time with my family in Aberdeen. It's best to get away from the club sometimes."

Grimmer was speaking on behalf of Sky Bet at the London Poppy Day in Leadenhall Market. Signed match-worn Poppy shirts from the 24 Sky Bet Championship clubs will be auctioned in aid of The Royal British Legion. To register your interest for an alert when the shirts are on sale, visit: www.skybet.com/poppy


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-defender-feel-season-hasnt-10429727?

[WhiteJC]

 
How About Neil Warnock?
   
With the Craven Cottage faithful still waiting for news in relation to the appointment of Kit Symons successor, it appears that Neil Warnock has thrown hi shat into the ring.

Warnock, now 66 years of age, is currently in temporary charge of our West London rivals, Queens Park Rangers, after the Loftus Road based outfit sacked Chris Ramsey.

But, according to an article in The Sun, Warnock would quite like to take the vacant Fulham job believing that he has little or no chance of succeeding Ramsey, at Loftus Road, but is merely holding the fort.

If Fulham are, as the rumours suggest, looking for somebody with extensive Championship support, Warnock is the idea candidate having guided Queens Park Rangers to the Championship title in 2011.

But quite what supporters of Queens Park Rangers would make of a Warnock switch to Craven Cottage could be a contentious issue.

If Mike Rigg, leading the search for Kit`s replacement, were to appoint Neil Warnock, would it be an appointment that gets your approval?


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=421785#ixzz3rYJr37m3

[WhiteJC]

 
QPR player says it's been 'difficult' for his Fulham mate who couldn't even go out for a meal in peace

Rs defender on why Fulham pal has done so well


Boling pont: Jamie O'Hara confronts Shane Duffy of Blackburn

Jamie O'Hara has been singled out for praise by a QPR player whose team he helped demolish just six weeks ago.

Grant Hall can thank his lucky stars he wasn't in the Rangers side comprehensively beaten by Fulham and the midfielder at the end of September.

But they were both in various Blackpool line-ups that battled manfully in a doomed campaign last term at Bloomfield Road.

O'Hara was on a short-term contract trying to rescue his career from the shipwreck of his Wolves career when fans turned against him.

Hall was on loan from Spurs, and he struck up a friendship with a player who also started his career at Tottenham.

Despite inevitable relegation, O'Hara was voted Tangerines player of the year by supporters, and then put in an unpaid week of slog at Fulham before the Whites offered him a deal.

At one stage, the 29-year-old featured as much in gossip columns as on the pitch.

His very public spat with ex-wife and glamour model Danielle Lloyd were another drain on O'Hara's resolve, says Hall.

"Some of the things that have gone on outside of football have been really difficult for him," he said. "If he goes out for a meal, people take pics, and you can't enjoy it.

"But it doesn't surprise me what he's done at Fulham. Jamie's very talented and very nice off the pitch. He's humble, and deserves to do well."


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/qpr-player-says-its-been-10444515?

[WhiteJC]

 
FULHAM U18S 5-3 SPURS - REPORT FROM MOTSPUR PARK

A first half hat-trick from Fulham's Dennis Adeniran set the tone as our Under-18s suffered a 5-3 defeat in a below-par display at the Cottagers' Motspur Park training base on Saturday (November 14).

The midfielder completed his personal haul inside 25 minutes while Stephen Humphrys bagged a brace – and it could have been more but for a series of stops from goalkeeper Alfie Whiteman.

Second half goals from Christian Maghoma and Marcus Edwards – the latter in stoppage time – reduced the arrears for us after Keanan Bennetts' earlier strike, but it was scant consolation after a disappointing day in the Barclays Under-18 Premier League.

Both teams observed a minute's silence ahead of kick-off in memory of those who lost their lives in Paris on Friday night.

When the game got underway, the home side got in behind our defence from the very first whistle – and that trend continued throughout the first half as they exploited the space they found in our territory. It took them only three minutes to seize the upper hand, Humphrys nodding Marlon Fossey's free-kick across goal for Adeniran to steer home from six yards.

To the lads' credit, we produced a response seven minutes later when Dylan Duncan's sweetly-struck shot from Samuel Shashoua's cross was helped over the line by Bennetts.

But back came Fulham as Mikki Kwietniewski latched onto a wayward clearance and sent Adeniran through to slot past Whiteman on the 20-minute mark. And five minutes later it was 3-1 as Ryan Sessegnon teed up Adeniran and his first-time curling shot from 22 yards zipped underneath the crossbar.

Former Spur Josh Walker then went sprinting through but he shot wide under pressure from Maghoma while, in one of few first half opportunities for us, Bennetts looped a free-kick off-target from 25 yards out.

Fulham kept on coming and after Walker beat the off-side trap on 38 minutes, Whiteman had to make himself big to block one-on-one. But 60 seconds later the Cottagers extended their lead as we gave away possession cheaply in the centre circle and Walker went through again in the right channel. Maghoma forced him to turn inside onto his left foot, centre-back partner Jon Dinzeyi got himself in the way of the eventual shot but Humphrys took over and swept into the bottom corner of the net.

Luca de la Torre and Humphrys went close for Fulham either side of the interval, Whiteman blocking the former's effort, while the hard-working Ryan Loft – often seen sprinting from side to side to chase the ball down – was next to try his luck, but his effort from Shashoua's cut-back drifted just away from goal a few minutes into the second period.

Fulham applied more pressure with Kwietniewski's effort deflecting wide before the same player forced Whiteman to tip over the bar on 52 minutes, our goalkeeper then making fine diving saves to deny Walker and Kwietniewski again.

There was a frustrating moment for us shortly after the hour mark as Loft was tripped right on the edge of the box but scrambled back to his feet and rifled into the net, but the referee had already pulled play back for the foul and Marcus Edwards' resulting free-kick came to nothing.

We did hit the target on 65 minutes, though, as Shashoua exhibited some tidy footwork close to the byline on the left and hooked the ball across the six-yard box for Maghoma to nod home.

The hosts restored their three-goal cushion 10 minutes later, however, as Humphrys won the ball centrally, ran on and slotted beyond Whiteman, but we were starting to cause the Cottagers problems by that point with a series of intricate passing moves to fashion some openings.

Kazaiah Sterling crept in behind Fulham's defence but was denied by the legs of goalkeeper Taye Ashby-Hammond while the same player ballooned a shot over the top shortly after Foday Nabay was forced off with a leg injury, meaning the hosts had to play out the last seven minutes with 10 men because they'd already made three changes.

Our own substitutes – Edwards, Sterling and Jack Roles – combined on 88 minutes with the latter's shot sailing just wide, while Dylan Duncan rolled in Sterling just seconds later after a quick throw-in by Jaden Brown, but the forward's effort was off-target.

Fulham had one final chance from a free-kick in the 90th minute, but Humphrys was denied his treble by the upright after curling the set piece low around the wall.

We had the final say, though, as Roles played in Edwards, he turned his marker and crashed a shot past Ashby-Hammond in the second minute of stoppage time.

Spurs U18s: Whiteman, Tanganga, Brown, Marsh, Maghoma, Dinzeyi (Edwards 57), Shashoua, Stylianides (Roles 49), Loft, Duncan, Bennetts (Sterling 57). Substitutes (not used): Hayford, Austin (GK).


http://www.tottenhamhotspur.com/news/u18-fulham-away-report-141115/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Nigel Pearson emerges as frontrunner to become Fulham manager

HITC Sport understands former Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson has emerged as frontrunner for the Fulham job.

Former Leicester City boss Nigel Pearson is closing in on the vacant manager's job at Fulham, HITC Sport understands from close to the potential deal.

Fulham are searching for a new manager following the sacking of Kit Symons last weekend, 24 hours after the heavy defeat at home to Birmingham City.

The Cottagers are currently lie in 12th spot in the Championship table, eight points off the play-off spots, but the club decided to axe Symons after back-to-back defeats to Burnley and Birmingham.

A whole host of names have been linked with the role at Craven Cottage, but former Hull and Southampton chief Pearson is thought to be Fulham's number one target.

Highly-regarded coach Pearson has been out of work since June after his shock departure from Leicester.

Pearson has built an impressive CV in recent years, doing a great job at Hull City before returning to Leicester and helping the Foxes earn promotion and later preserving their top-flight status against all the odds

Despite being linked with a number of jobs since his departure from Leicester it is believed the opportunity to takeover at Fulham appeals to Pearson.

Fulham are hoping to have a new manager in charge by the end of the international break and Pearson is thought to have admirers within the Craven Cottage boardroom.



http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2015/11/14/nigel-pearson-closes-in-on-fulham-job/?

[Bill2]

Report: Warburton makes Rangers intentions clear after rejecting Fulham and QPR

Ibrox hero Mark Warburton has reportedly rejected offers from Fulham and Queens Park Rangers.

According to The Scottish Sun, Mark Warburton has committed his future to Rangers having snubbed moves back to London with Fulham and Queens Park Rangers.

Warburton, 53, has enjoyed a remarkable start to life as Rangers boss, winning 12 of his 13 league games in charge as the Gers lead the way in the Scottish Championship title race.

It was always seen as something of a coup when Rangers landed Warburton over the summer, after the former city trader had surprisingly left his role as Brentford boss despite guiding the Bees to promotion from League One in 2014 as well as in to the Championship play-offs last season.

After that sensational start to his Rangers career, reports from The Scottish Sun are now suggesting that Warburton has been offered the chance to return to English football and to his hometown of London, with Fulham and QPR both pursuing him.

Fulham parted company with Kit Symons last weekend following a 5-2 home defeat to Birmingham City, whilst Queens Park Rangers are also looking for a new manager following the departure of Chris Ramsey earlier this month.

The Scottish Sun believe that both clubs were hoping to lure Warburton away from Ibrox, but the Rangers boss has allegedly made his intentions clear by telling the two Championship teams that he intends to return Rangers to their former glories, starting with promotion this season.


http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2015/11/14/report-warburton-makes-rangers-intentions-clear-after-rejecting/?

Always thought this would be the case but to be fair taking Rangers back to the Scottish Prem is not going to be too tough with the pulling power they have. If he succeeds next season then he will be in Europe, which is where I feel he wants to be.