Monday Fulham Stuff (18/01/16)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Lonners: Good Away Point

Andrew Lonergan was pleased to claim an away point against an in-form Huddersfield Town outfit on Saturday.

The Terriers extended their unbeaten run to a sixth game with the 1-1 draw, as Ross McCormack capitalised on a defensive error to open the scoring with less than two minutes played, and Mark Hudson poked in a free-kick to equalise for his side.

"It's a good result," Lonergan told fulhamfc.com. "Obviously we got the early goal and then shot ourselves in the foot a bit.

"But from then on I think it was a pretty good defensive performance, considering that they went for the attack. We weathered the storm and hopefully that will give us some confidence that we can hang on to something in games."

"It was fortunate the way it fell to Ross but he's still got to put it away, and it was a good finish from him. A point away from home at any time I think is a good point, and hopefully it can trigger us to go on and get a win."

Most fans in attendance would agree that a draw was a fair reflection of the meeting in West Yorkshire, but Fulham still relied on Lonergan to make several important stops in the second half.

"They had their opportunity and scored, hit the post, and I made a couple of saves," he reflected. "I think we thought their goal was offside because he had that much time, but apparently someone was playing him on.

"But I'm pleased with my form at the minute. I've been getting beat by a couple of wonder goals, and that one in midweek [from Wolves' Matt Doherty] that took a deflection. These things happen but I'm happy about playing and hope it continues."

There has been a gradual improvement in each game that new Head Coach Slaviša Jokanović has overseen, and Lonergan believes the team are getting used to adopting his philosophies.

"I think you saw at Huddersfield that we're trying to play a different style of football," he said. "There's more emphasis on playing out from the back and we're getting the ball and playing some nice stuff."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2016/january/17/lonners-good-away-point?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham manager maintains neither Manchester United target Moussa Dembele nor Emerson Hyndman will leave with his blessing

Whites coach comes out fighting and says fans would rather have wins than watching the club's wallet get fatter


Wanted man: Moussa Dembele

Slavisa Jokanovic is adamant two of his young stars are going nowhere in January even though both can walk for free in the summer.

The Whites head coach insists winning games is more important than up to £8 million in the bank.

His bosses might disagree and cash in on Moussa Dembele, wanted by a host of clubs including Manchester United, and USA midfielder Emerson Hyndman.

If so, they can expect a battle with Jokanovic.


Talented: Emerson Hyndman

"I can make money or not for the club," he said. "My part of the business is to be successful on the pitch.

"To be successful we need to stop any moves.

"Fans dont want the club to have 10m, 20m or whatever they want their team to win games.

"To try to do this I need the staff to do this and the business must understand this."

Neither Hyndman nor Dembele have shown any inclination to sign new deals with Fulham, but the club would be entitled to compensation payments should both 19-year-olds decide to leave at the end of the season.


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-manager-maintains-neither-manchester-10744706?

[WhiteJC]

 
Serie A duo to fight for Fulham starlet
Moussa Dembele is due to be out of contract in the summer, though Juventus and Roma will have to contend with Tottenham Hotspur for the Frenchman's signature

Juventus and Roma, among others, are interested in acquiring the services of Fulham's young striker Moussa Dembele, according to reports in England.

The Frenchman has notched nine goals and two assists over 21 appearances with the English Championship side so far this season. At only 19 years old, he's already looking the ideal target for clubs that are looking to rebuild their attack or simply bring some youthful verve into their lineup.

According to the Daily Mail, Dembele is unlikely to sign a new contract with Fulham once his current deal expires in the summer and this has piqued the interest of the Italian clubs.

Roma are eager to reinforce their striker force as much as possible, as their two star attackers Edin Dzeko and Mohamed Salah are both only on loan deals from Manchester City and Chelsea respectively. While Juventus already have Paulo Dybala and Alvaro Morata, the Turin club remain keen on recruiting young talent to their squad.

Dembele's long been linked to a move across London to Premier League outfit Tottenham however, where coach Mauricio Pochettino is building a young team of his own.

Due to a transfer embargo put in place by the club's violation of financial fair play laws, Fulham could stipulate that whichever club signs their young prodigy, they would have to loan players to Craven Cottage as part of the deal.


http://gazzettaworld.gazzetta.it/news/transfer-market/juventus-roma-fulham-dembele/?

[WhiteJC]

 
3 things we learned from Huddersfield Town's 1-1 draw with Fulham

Fulham came away from their visit to Huddersfield Town with a share of the points thanks a 1-1 draw at the John Smith's Stadium.

Fulham got off to a great start, with Ross McCormack putting the visitors ahead after just two minutes. Jonathan Hodge's pass went straight to the Fulham striker, who slotted it past the Terriers keeper.

Huddersfield Town were back on level terms on the 19th minute when Mark Hudson turned in a free kick.

Both sides had chances but they went in level at half time.

The home side started well after the break and really pressed for the winner, and Fulham keeper Andy Lonergan was forced into good saves from Nahki Wells and Joe Lolley.

Neither side could make the break through and it finished 1-1, the first point for new Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic.

FootballLeagueWorld writer Anthony Yeo identifies three things that we learned from yesterday's clash...

1) Fulham still fail to hold onto leads

Fulham are the Championship's leading scorers, but their failure to hold on to winning positions has seen them dragged into a relegation fight they should not be in with the squad at their disposal.

Fulham have drawn ten games and lost eleven and, in a vast majority of those matches, they have taken the lead and have either hung on to draw or have lost.

Defensively, Fulham need a lot of work if they are to avoid a relegation dogfight.

2) It is imperative Fulham keep hold of McCormack

If they let McCormack leave in this window, they will be in serious trouble.

There has been lots of speculation about the forward's future at Fulham although, for the mean time, he remains at Craven Cottage.

Jokanovic has stated that he won't let his best players leave, but if a big offer came in for him, how the Board reacts will be very interesting.

Without McCormack, Fulham would lack any potency up front, and may struggle to score the necessary goals to stay in the division.

3) Huddersfield have a good nucleus of a squad

James Husband, Jonathan Hogg, Wells and Lolley are just a few of the Terriers' squad that are vital to this side.

If they can build upon these players by adding a few more to the squad, there is no reason why they can't push for the play-offs next season.

They were under-performing during the first half against Fulham and sorted it out at half time, and could have won the game in the second period.


Read more at http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/3-things-we-learned-from-huddersfield-towns-1-1-draw-with-fulham/?#BdhhCpEDyz8xj6Hx.99

[WhiteJC]

 
Sa Edging Closer To Exit?



Following Nick Blackman's recent move to Derby County, it appears that Reading could be set to lose another striker.

It looks like the Portuguese's time in Berkshire could be coming to a close. As reported by Greek news site News 24 a few days ago, AEK Athens are close to agreeing a loan move for Sa, with the only hold-up being that Reading are waiting on a replacement before allowing their man to leave.

That replacement looks increasingly like being Yann Kermorgant of Bournemouth, a veteran striker at this level who'd fill a similar role in the team as Sa. Looking at things logically, that makes a lot of sense - with Matej Vydra and Simon Cox the only other recognised forwards at the club (no Hal, you don't count) - it's sensible to keep hold of Sa until reinforcements come in.

The article also references two interesting reasons as to why AEK Athens feel confident of getting their man. Firstly, Sa reportedly specifically wants to leave Reading. Although News 24 doesn't give a reason for that, I'd wager that it's something to do with how poorly he's settled in the squad. Both game time and form have been in short supply for the ex-Fulham man.

Secondly, the article claims that Brian McDermott doesn't want Sa at the club either - as evidenced by the manager only starting Sa once since returning to the club. Naturally, that could explain the first reason - if the manager doesn't like you, why stay?

On the whole, I'm not too disappointed by this news, should it pan out to be true. Despite an encouraging start to his Reading career, Orlando Sa never really got going. Then again, I do feel a bit sorry for him, as his opportunities have been somewhat limited recently, only playing the full 90 on two occasions since the defeat at Fulham.


http://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com/2016/1/17/10782760/sa-edging-closer-to-exit-reading-fc-royals