Sunday Fulham Stuff (06/12/15)...

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Troubled Fulham well beaten at Forest

Nottingham Forest 3 Fulham 0

Fulham's miserable season continued with a defeat at the City Ground.

Matt Mills scored two of Nottingham Forest's goals, with Chris O'Grady getting the other against the managerless Whites.

Matt Smith and Ross McCormack had good chances for Fulham in the first half but were unable to hit the target with headers.

Mills did find the target with a header – against the run of play and in the final minute of the half – after Eric Lichaj had hooked the ball back into the box following Henri Lansbury's cross.

Worse followed for the visitors six minutes after the restart, when O'Grady pounced on the loose ball after keeper Joe Lewis had parried Nélson Oliveira's shot.

Mills sealed Forest's victory by heading home David Vaughan's 78th-minute corner and was denied a hat-trick when an injury-time header hit the bar.


http://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/troubled-fulham-well-beaten-at-forest?

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'I'm desperate to get back' Grant provides latest on Fulham manager search after Forest defeat

Fulham caretaker manager Peter Grant says he is "desperate" for the club to hire a new manager after a heavy defeat to Nottingham Forest.

Forest overcame the managerless Whites 3-0 at the City Ground to move within six points of the play-off places.

Matt Mills netted towering headers either side of a poacher's strike from Chris O'Grady to earn a third straight home win for the Reds.

Grant admitted he hoped this was his last game at the helm as the west London club continue their search for a long-term replacement for Kit Symons.

"I hope this is my last game," he said. "I am desperate to get back to being the Under-21 coach because that is my job. "I have loved every moment of this, I have enjoyed it, but I have no interest in the job over the long term.

"The players have been a credit, they have been solid in the games we have played.

"We moved the ball as well as any side in the division. I was chuffed with that, I was chuffed with the way we played - but I do hope this is my last game.

"The club needs some stability. We all want to get into the play-offs and into the Premier League. "It will need some leadership to make that happen and hopefully there will be an appointment soon.

"Anyone who was here could see how well we played, we were excellent, but we fell foul of the old Achilles' heel of failing to defend set pieces. "If you cannot defend set pieces, you are going to be in trouble in this division."


Read more at: http://www.london24.com/sport/football/clubs/fulham/i_m_desperate_to_get_back_grant_provides_latest_on_fulham_manager_search_after_forest_defeat_1_4337997
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Woeful Fulham thumped at Nottingham Forest

Whites heavily beaten by Tricky Trees



Defender Matt Mills scored a brace as Nottingham Forest maintained their recent revival under Dougie Freedman with a comfortable 3-0 win over managerless Fulham.

The Reds boss had been under pressure in recent weeks, but has seen the question marks over his future erased by three consecutive victories at the City Ground.

Peter Grant, Fulham's caretaker boss, briefly looked as though he might claim his first victory following back-to-back draws, as Dorus de Vries made a handful of important saves early on.

But it was Forest who ultimately claimed an emphatic win - their third in four games overall - after Mills netted with two headers, the first just before half time and then again 12 minutes from the end, with Chris O'Grady netting his second in two games in between.

Ross McCormack, who scored five times in two games against Forest last season, almost added to his tally in the fifth minute. He ghosted free at the far post to flick a header towards goal, but was denied by a smart save from De Vries.

Fulham pushed again as Ben Pringle whipped in a cross from the left to pick out the towering figure of Matt Smith, but the striker's header was too close to De Vries. Forest suffered another nervous moment when a James Husband cross from the left was headed into the side netting by Mills.

When Ben Osborn found space down the left again, he flashed a dangerous low ball across the face of goal, but Richard Stearman made a vital interception before Ryan Mendes could pounce. Another Husband cross almost led to an own goal, this time as Eric Lichaj deflected the ball onto the top of the net.

Both teams were carving out half chances, with O'Grady's low shot well held by Joe Lewis and De Vries having to produce a moment of quality to keep out an effort from McCormack after it had taken a huge deflection.

A goal finally came in the 45th minute, when Oliveira's clever overhead kick delivered the ball back into the box from wide on the left, giving Mills the chance to rise at the far post and power home a header.

Forest went close to a second immediately after the interval when O'Grady was inches away from connecting with a driven cross from Henri Lansbury. Lichaj also drew an outstanding save from Lewis after connecting with a powerful volley eight yards out.

The home side's pressure was to tell in the 52nd minute, however, after a powerful low shot from Oliveira carved an opening. Lewis could not hold on to the ball and O'Grady was the quickest to react, racing a few yards to drive the ball high into the net.

Fulham were denied again by the outstanding De Vries as he pushed over a long range effort from Tom Cairney that looked bound for the top corner.

But it was to be Mills who killed the game off, producing another towering header in the 78th minute, this time from a David Vaughan corner. The big defender was denied a hat-trick when he hit the bar with another header in injury time.


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/woeful-fulham-thumped-nottingham-forest-10554784?

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Grant's Reaction

Peter Grant was left ruing Fulham's defending from set-pieces after they were undone by two at Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

The Whites were the better team in the first half, but Forest centre-back Matt Mills headed in goals from corners either side of a Chris O'Grady strike to help his side to a 3-0 win.

"I think anybody who's seen it, the way we played we were excellent for big periods of the game," our Caretaker Head Coach stated. "But it's the old Achilles' heel, if you can't defend a set-play then you're going to have trouble in this division because this division's built on set-plays.

"We've lost far too many, and that should be the easiest part of the game. I thought we dominated for 70/80 per cent of it, you couldn't hear the crowd at all here, but when the ball is static and you can't do your job to defend a set-play it's always going to be a major problem.

"I thought the two central midfield players [Scott Parker & Jamie O'Hara] dominated the game. We had to take Scotty off with a slight tightness in his legs just because of a lack of games, but the set-plays as our Achilles' heel is there for all to see.

Fulham could have gone in front on a couple of occasions through Ross McCormack and Matt Smith efforts, but they were unable to find a way beyond Dorus De Vries in the Forest goal.

"Yeah we did [test him] and we should have scored with a couple of them," Grant insisted. "There were some good saves but I thought there were some bad misses as well."

Grant was also quizzed as to whether there's any news on a new appointment, to which he replied: "As I say, I love being involved on a Saturday, out in the big arenas, and the players have been a credit at a difficult time. I think we've looked more solid through the period we've worked.

"I thought today, apart from the set-plays, we defended ever so well, we created chances and moved the ball as well as anybody I've seen in this division, because I've seen a lot of games in this division this season.

"All in all, I've been chuffed to be part of it and chuffed to lead the team but I know that Mike [Rigg] and the Chairman are working diligently to bring someone in."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/december/05/grants-reaction