Tuesday Fulham Stuff (19/04/16)...

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Tottenham drop interest in Moussa Dembele after Fulham striker attends Chelsea's clash with Manchester City as a guest of the Blues
Moussa Dembele is no longer on Tottenham's transfer wishlist
Fulham striker was pursued by Spurs during the January transfer window
White Hart Lane club failed to complete a £6million deal for the forward
Tottenham will now turn attention to Saido Berahino and Michy Batshuayi
Dembele was Chelsea's guest for their defeat to Manchester City

Tottenham have dropped their interest in Fulham striker Moussa Dembele.

The 19-year-old was close to signing for the White Hart Lane club in January only for the £6million deal to fall through when Fulham insisted he stay with them on loan.

His representatives had expected Tottenham to retain their interest and make a move this summer but the club have opted to look elsewhere.


Tottenham have dropped their interest in Fulham striker Moussa Dembele and will now look elsewhere


The 19-year-old almost signed for the White Hart Lane club in January only for the £6m deal to fall through

Dembele, who is out of contract in the summer, was understood to be a guest of Chelsea's as he attended their 3-0 defeat by Manchester City on Saturday evening.

The Stamford Bridge club have expressed an interest in signing the former Paris Saint-Germain trainee, who moved to London at 16.

Dembele has scored 16 goals for the Championship strugglers this season and has also been monitored by Liverpool, Everton, Manchester United, Juventus and Napoli.

Tottenham will add another forward in the summer and have watched several more established options in recent months.

West Brom's Saido Berahino remains at the forefront of their thinking as does Michy Batshuayi at Marseille.

Rennes' highly-coveted winger Ousmane Dembele, Burnley's Championship Player of the Year Andre Gray, Alexandre Lacazette at Lyon and Gianluca Lapadula at Pescara have also been watched.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3545570/Tottenham-drop-Moussa-Dembele-Chelsea-enter-race-Fulham-forward.html#ixzz46Fn4DCbD
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[WhiteJC]

 
This Season Can't End Soon Enough - Notes for Fulham

HarryfromBath assesses the mood in the opposition camp ahead of Tuesday's game by delving into their forums.

"Another disastrous season and another group of players have failed individually and collectively", "We are not good enough but it does not matter. We are not going down but it kills me that next April we will be having the same conversation", "It's hard to get excited about Fulham any more."

"You can't blame the defence if you haven't got one." With Championship survival seemingly having been assured with consecutive 2-1 wins over Milton Keynes, Preston and Cardiff, Fulham crashed to a 5-0 defeat at Brighton's Amex Stadium on Friday night. "We came down to earth with a thump."

"It has been an utter shambles of a season", "The scoreline at Brighton was disappointing but we have seen the same frailties all season", "There is a culture of failure and complacency embedded in the club. Players, coaches and managers come and go but the toxic stink still permeates our club."

"Wholesale changes are needed for next season", "The Brighton defeat was appalling but it was a true reflection of what this set of players really are", "We need a near-on entire clear out", "#ffs should be the club's twitter hashtag. It's equally as fitting as #ffc", "We really are not that good."

Slavisa Jokanovic
"Jokanovic has come into a right mess. He had a transfer embargo so couldn't sign players that he wanted. He also inherited a squad which doesn't work in any system, not just the ones he likes to implement", "We need to stick with the manager, something we have failed to do in recent years."

The 47-year-old Serbian guided Watford to the top flight last year and took over at Craven Cottage in December. "All of the club know Slavisa is just seeing out the season and he can build his team in the summer. He has referred many times to the lack of ability in the squad to suit his style of play."

"We have a good manager for the first time in five years." Fans have been impressed with what he has achieved with little room for manoeuvre. His two January loan signings, defender Michael Madl and midfielder Rohan Ince have strengthened a defence which has let in 72 league goals this season.

"The best manager we have had since Roy Hodgson bar none", "In my eyes he has been an absolute genius, being able to get anything out of that load of claptrap and even reverting to ugly football to grind out results", "There are plenty of concerns that need attention but the manager is not one."

An Unbalanced Flawed Squad
"Individually these players are all more than capable and have every right to play at this level. Yet somehow, together, they become less than the sum of their parts more often than not", "Good teams in this league have a strong spine. We simply don't have that and it's all rather disjointed."

With Fulham on their fourth manager since Martin Jol's dismissal in December 2013, their squad has undergone a series of rebuilds as each regime has attempted to arrest the club's steady decline. The legacy of this is an unbalanced squad who struggle now to work to any playing philosophy.

"We have not had a settled back five for the past three seasons. This, mixed with a lack of speed, width and strength in midfield has been the constant. The defence is not drilled, sometimes they look like they have never played together before. We need a system of playing and to stick with it."

Cottagers have highlighted the squad's lack of physicality both in midfield and across the back four. They feel that they are ill-equipped at full-back and on the wings. Leading striker Ross McCormack is most effective playing alongside a partner, but in a side which struggles with a two-man central midfield.

"You have to be well-drilled and win the physical battles before you can show off your skill", "The defensive problems continue when we have a short, slight and slow midfield. This has been one constant through the last three years. We get killed at set-pieces because this is a physical league."

The most repeated criticism concerns the side's lack of mental strength. "At the risk of repeating myself, it's a mentality thing. They have no guts when things go wrong", "At Brighton, we gave up at 2-0", "When it comes to application and commitment, there is a long way to go to arrest the slide."

Formation
"The lack of quality in this squad is killing us at the moment." The absence of three key players from the spine of Friday's line-up (below) at Brighton played a key role in the side's collapse. Fans hope that centre-half Michael Madl and midfielder Tom Cairney are fit for Portman Road, while another midfielder Rohan Ince is likely to return having been unavailable against the Seagulls, his parent club.

"We had no chance without Cairney, Ince and Madl." Madl's calm organisation was missed from a hesitant and error-prone defence, Scott Parker struggled to hold or create in midfield without Ince's physicality and athleticism, while the wide midfielders lacked Cairney's imagination and creativity.

The starting XI for the win at Deepdale had more balance with Ince freeing Parker to support the attack and Cairney able to exploit free space on the inside right to link with the strikers. Although not physically powerful, Madl was widely praised for his marshalling of the defence in this game.

Brighton 5 – 0 Fulham
"How many of us expected this thrashing?", "That Brighton game was the good, the bad and the ugly", "Any credibility that was accrued over the last three matches has been flushed down the plug hole. No good come out of a defeat of that magnitude. It confirms what supporters already know."

Many Cottagers felt their team had played well until Tomer Hemed opened the scoring for the hosts with a spotkick on 29 minutes after Richard Stearman had pushed Albion's James Wilson. The Israel international added a second five minutes later when heading home an Anthony Knockaert freekick.

"Another set-piece. I give up with the whole defence." Things went from bad to worse nine minutes after the break when Bruno scored following a corner and Hemed completed his hat-trick with a tap-in on 79 minutes. Knockaert added a fifth for the Gulls, firing home three minutes from time.

"We looked quite comfortable for 30 minutes and then shot ourselves in the foot with two stupid mistakes", "There is a match by match similarity, one half good, one half bad. We have little or no pace and no idea how to defend in our area or even in our own half. Teams just have to run at us."

Fulham 2 – 1 Cardiff
Many Cottagers felt their team had played well until Tomer Hemed opened the scoring for the hosts with a spotkick on 29 minutes after Richard Stearman had pushed Albion's James Wilson. The Israel international added a second five minutes later when heading home an Anthony Knockaert freekick.

"Another set-piece. I give up with the whole defence." Things went from bad to worse nine minutes after the break when Bruno scored following a corner and Hemed completed his hat-trick with a tap-in on 79 minutes. Knockaert added a fifth for the Gulls, firing home three minutes from time.

"We looked quite comfortable for 30 minutes and then shot ourselves in the foot with two stupid mistakes", "There is a match by match similarity, one half good, one half bad. We have little or no pace and no idea how to defend in our area or even in our own half. Teams just have to run at us."

Fulham 2 – 1 Cardiff
Cardiff midfielder Lex Immers gave the Bluebirds the lead with an unmarked header four minutes before the interval but the hosts equalised immediately when Scott Parker fired home after a well-worked move. Emerson Hyndman scored a stoppage time winner as the hosts finished strongly.

Preston 1 – 2 Fulham
"Massive win", "An absolute smash and grab but what a huge win", "Just about everything went our way tonight", "Well done Fulham, unconvincing, unexpected but nevertheless very welcome and we are probably destined now to stay up", "A famous victory in the frozen north on a Tuesday night."

"Remember, we don't do clean sheets. Leading 1-0 is never enough." Ross McCormack opened the scoring, capitalising on poor Preston defending to round the keeper after five minutes and Marnijk Vermijl drew the hosts level after a solo run and some inept Fulham defending on 63 minutes.

"Is anyone else finding this unbearable?" Moussa Dembele struck home the winner after Preston keeper Anders Lindegaard was unable to hold McCormack's well taken freekick on 74 minutes and the visitors had to withstand a sustained spell of pressure to secure three precious points.

"A massive win", "It cannot be overstated how big this is", "I can enjoy a gin and tonic tonight out of a glass instead of drinking out of a bottle", "We have a 35-goal strike partnership and we are battling Milton Keynes to survive. You really can't make it up but thank the deities we have this pair."

Goalkeepers and Defenders
"I like Marcus Bettinelli and he's a top Fulham lad but he's so far from good enough at this level that it's not even funny. He never communicates to his defence, never comes off his line at corners and he either smacks one of our defenders, drops it or messes it up completely when he does try."

"I have not seen enough improvement in Bettinelli to believe he is the answer", "He's rubbish at coming out to catch balls." The 23-year-old youth product "is not brave or commanding enough at the moment", "was all over the place for Brighton's goals", "He lacks experience or authority."

"If we are to be serious contenders next season, a experienced commanding organiser between the sticks is required", "Bettinelli hides behind groups of players at crosses and is nowhere near the ball every time", "The number of Brighton attacks starting from his poor clearances was unacceptable."

"I like the option of Ryan Fredericks as a more attacking full-back. He lacks fitness so can't go at that pace for 90 minutes and I don't think he's that good defensively at all." The 23-year-old right-back was at Boro last season on loan from then-parent club Spurs. "He gives us an outlet from defence."

"Fredericks has all the attributes to be a top full-back. Speed in the modern game is something that cannot be taught and the boy is lightening", "He is certainly worth keeping and working on", "He is the fastest player we have and we have to make use of him, even if it is as an impact substitute."

Former Blues loanee Richard Stearman has covered both at right-back and in the centre of defence. "The 28-year-old "had a shocker at Brighton and it won't be long before he has another", "He gave away the penalty and was outmuscled for the second", "It sounds as if he has gone to pieces", "He's a clown."

"Stearman was very good in our winning run", "His second half against Cardiff was his best game in a Fulham shirt. He always got a nick on the ball ahead of their striker", "He's not quick enough to be a full-back and can be too slow to react", "He would be a great asset if he permanently found form."

"When Fernando Amorebieta is playing, anything can happen." The 31-year-old ex-Athletic Bilbao centre-back "plays on the edge and is highly committed. His rashness can possibly lead to red cards but how many times has he been actually sent off?", "He brings missing aggression to the defence."

"I'm not Amorebieta's biggest fan but he had a blinder against Cardiff", "He didn't lose a header at Preston and more than capably dealt with Joe Garner", "It was a five-star display and for once he was disciplined and determined, one of the reasons we held out", "No silly challenges and fouls."

One time Darlington man Dan Burn has been used as a bench option in recent games. The 6ft 5in tall 23-year-old "was beaten by Michael Morrison in the air for Birmingham's equaliser last month", "I don't rate Burn at all, he has no ball skills. He's tall and that's it", "I wish we had someone more reliable."

"Tim Ream is more of a solid rather than attacking option at left-back." The 28-year-old ex-Bolton man "struggled against Birmingham, a little flat-footed at times and he got turned inside-out by a couple of their players. He was a centre-back playing out of position and looked uncomfortable."

"Ream gave Knockaert too much space against Brighton, often being too high up the field", "He gets caught out of position far too often", "We have major problems in our full-back positions and using Ream and Stearman has been Jokanovic's last throw of the dice to plug the holes in our defence."

"Luke Garbutt is useless. His man-marking is woeful and his crossing is beyond rubbish." The 22-year-old left-back is on a season-long loan from Everton. "He doesn't have the basics down to give me confidence he will improve", "He is poor but provides width and pace and we really need that."

"The real disappointment with Garbutt is that he has not been prepared to be brave in attack. He often stops dead and plays a simple ball inside to another player rather than push on and cross or attack the box. Opponents get back into formation and it encourages them to attack our left side."

Michael Madl
"It will be interesting to see how the defence will cope against Brighton without Madl playing. Have they learned anything about corners, set-pieces and silly mistakes?" The 28-year-old Austrian arrived on loan from Sturm Graz in January and was a huge miss from Friday's game with a calf injury.

"With no Madl the script was written at Brighton as our defenders lacked cohesion and could not defend for 90 minutes without him", "Without him at the back I fear our defence will always be in for a rough ride", "Our most consistent defender has added some stability with his temperament."

"Madl has been great for us. He has occasional slip-ups but overall has been very good. He seems a strong leader and is an ideal person to have in the middle of our back four", "He's a clever reader of the game, far superior to physically taller and bulkier team-mates", "He has carried us at the back."

Defensive Midfielders
"When Chris Baird plays he sits in front of the back four and protects." The 34-year-old is back on loan from the Rams at his former club. "He is a defender but is a disciplined and sensible option as a holding midfielder, sitting in front of the defence and using his experience to break up play."

"Ryan Tunnicliffe is good when he's running with his head down but as soon as he looks up and has an opportunity to shoot, cross or pick a pass he goes to pieces." The 23-year-old former Town loanee "adds energy and commitment but is being asked to do an unnatural job out wide on the left flank".

"Tunnicliffe is a natural replacement for Scott Parker and gives you more energy in the middle", "Our form suffered when out for months with his hamstring injury", "He may be too much of an action man to play the holding role. I want him to be more the patrolling guard dog behind the midfield."

Rohan Ince
"Ince is very good at what he does and has exactly the qualities we need in this league, tackling and the legal exertion of physical presence of the highest order", "He is so solid. Nothing gets by him", "He's the midfield giant we needed for a while and his presence gives Parker freedom to push on."

"A defensive midfielder doing a defensive midfielder's job." The 23-year-old arrived in February on loan from Brighton and was ineligible on Friday. "An absolute beast and you can't fault him. He wins everything he goes for, starts good attacks and finds a white shirt near him."

Scott Parker
"Parker has been very good in our recent winning run." The 35-year-old ex-Spurs and West Ham man "never stops running, is class and makes so many good tackles. He battles so hard out there", "He's a warrior and took his goal against Cardiff well. He never stopped running, a workhorse."

"Bravery, passion and commitment", "We have seen how important Scott's leadership has been in recent weeks", "We lack leadership without Parker", "The number of times he has genuinely hurt himself diving in front of the ball and giving everything is all you need to know about him."

"Parker helps with his grit and is great at releasing McCormack", "I love Parker for his energy but ever since he has played in our midfield we get hammered at corners and set-pieces. With Ince's height and power to balance him we have looked better but in a way I will be glad when he retires."

Creative and Attacking Midfielders
Youth product Lasse Vigen Christensen has made a couple of substitute appearances in recent games. The 21-year-old "had a really positive impact when coming on with his tenacity and fast footwork against Cardiff", "He positively impacted the game on the left, an improvement on Tunnicliffe."

"Is it me or do we have a defensive problem when Jamie O'Hara plays? I sense the team just lacks space and confidence when he is in midfield." The 29-year-old ex-Wolves and Blackpool midfielder "seems to slow down so many of our moves. His first inclination is to turn backwards and kill momentum".

"O'Hara plays the role of deep-lying playmaker", "When he and Parker play together, moves often get bogged down in midfield", "His style is very one dimensional at times and midfielders can run past him easily", "He does give his all every time and is one of the few players who can claim that."

"Emerson Hyndman carries the ball well and passes forward with purpose. He knows how to use his body to compensate for his pack of physical presence and he always wants the ball." The 20-year-old youth product "is remarkably good at evading a challenge and coming away with the ball."

"Hyndman as strong defending as Tunnicliffe but is superior from an attacking perspective", "He has an eye for a telling pass", "He will bulk up and become stronger but he's a dynamo in midfield and always shows for the ball", "He's a player with the rare ability to create time for himself on the ball."

Tom Cairney
"Cairney was the big miss for us at Brighton as we had no spark whatsoever." The 25-year-old summer signing from Blackburn was absent with a dead leg. "Tom has been a star when we have played him in a three-man central midfield", "He just drifts past players and goes on good runs."

"Cairney can do everything. He can run with the ball and take people on. He can pass, create chances and score goals and doesn't mind chipping in defensively", "One of the most accurate passers in the division", "With this season coming to nothing, I look forward to seeing what he does next year."

"Any team building next year should be around Cairney playing behind the strikers. He will be more important to how we do next season than McCormack", "He has to learn to shoot with his right foot and learn that it's not just for standing on", "He can float into pockets of space and slip people in."

Strikers
"Cauley Woodrow is better at holding the ball than Dembele and his work-rate is excellent." The 21-year-old striker has featured recently as a substitute. "He is a workhorse, offers another goal scoring option and a nice wide target to hold the ball although he will never be in same class as Dembele."

"On the bright side, Matt Smith did not get on at Brighton." The 26-year-old "is a nice guy but not a Jokanovic type of player", "Immobile and literally useless with the ball at his feet. There's a reason why every manager in the world - probably minus Tony Pulis - would play Dembele ahead of him."

"Smith isn't capable of finishing like McCormack but can disrupt and unsettle defences." The former Leeds man "is slow, ponderous and offers nothing unless the ball is played to his head", "I would imagine he will drop down a league or join another Championship struggler to get first-team action."

Moussa Dembele
"We lack pace in the team without Moussa", "He is getting goals and his pace bothers defences so he deserves his regular place in the team", "A fantastic player who has strength, speed and who can finish", "Milton Keynes could not handle him, he was strong, fast and had some nice first touches."

The 19-year-old French striker "has good ball control and drives at pace towards defences with clean, accurate and powerful shooting", "He no longer enjoys the big physical advantages which he had in underage football. He has had to learn how to deal with thuggish Championship defenders."

"Dembele needs to work on his first touch, his attitude and his ability to play as a lone striker but he clearly has all the attributes and works hard", "His first touch is clearly improving but he is prone to periods of lethargy in games", "He doesn't turn up in sometimes, but he has to play every game."

Ross McCormack
"Goal, who else would it be? Super Ross", "He is pivotal to everything we do on the pitch. He creates and scored", "Considering we can't get a consistent side, he has saved us on numerous occasions", "He has been involved in 48 per cent of Fulham's goals this season. My, oh my", "No Ross, no goals."

The 29-year-old one-time Leeds striker "is essential to us scoring goals both directly and with his build-up play. Any attempt to build a team without him would be suicidal and the start of the worst goal famine in our history", "He was brought in to score goals and has kept his part of the bargain."

"Ross is unable to play as a lone striker because he lacks height or strength of a big forward or the speed and ball skills of a poacher. He doesn't fit the mould of a second striker as he and Dembele don't work in partnership. He plays more as a third attacking player given freedom of movement."

"My concern is that McCormack does not fit comfortably with any formation we can make with the other players we have in the squad", "He leaves us tactically limited and I don't see leadership in him", "He's short in stature and lacking in pace, so he is only really suited to a strike partnership."

Cottagers' Views on ITFC and the Game
"Who is going to Ipswich this Tuesday? It's a good away trip and a shame it's not a Saturday. Okay, we never get anything against them but I will be there", "I'm not expecting a result to be honest as we never do that well but we are due a Fulhamish [unexpectedly good] result."

"Ipswich have gone. We possibly couldn't be playing them at a better time", "They are going through a rough patch at the moment", "I am looking for a huge reaction to the Brighton game at Portman Road on Tuesday. I wonder if Mick McCarthy will be licking his lips."

Cottagers have only just got their matchday threads up and running with the weekend having passed. I will update the forum on Tuesday afternoon and link this on my twitter feed if they have any interesting additional feedback ahead of the game.

Websites
The busiest Fulham message-board is the polite and knowledgeable Friends of Fulham.


http://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news/29490/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Dozzell Will Start Against Fulham, Skuse Likely to Be Back But Murphy Still Out

Boss Mick McCarthy has revealed that Andre Dozzell will make his first senior start when the Blues take on Fulham at Portman Road on Tuesday evening, having made a goalscoring debut as a sub aged only 16 years and 350 days as Town drew 1-1 at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

"He's had to have an operation to wipe the smile off his face, to get the coat hanger out of his mouth!" McCarthy joked.

"Actually, he's generally a smiley lad. He's great, he's enjoyed it and I don't see any difference in him, he's trained with us today and we'll find out how that's affected him because he's playing tomorrow, he's starting."

McCarthy says Cole Skuse should be back from the injury which forced him out of the Owls game but Daryl Murphy remains sidelined with the calf problem he suffered while away with the Republic of Ireland.

"I'm expecting Skusey to be fit, he trained today and providing that he doesn't have a reaction to the stiff neck he had he'll be fine, but not Murph. He had a little reaction to the injury, so he'll be missing."

Does McCarthy expect the 33-year-old striker to be fit for Saturday's trip to Middlesbrough? "We'll just wait and see with him. The danger is for him as much as anybody.

"The European Championships are coming up, don't get me wrong he wants to be playing for us, but there is that real carrot at the end of the season for him and I'd love him to go and enjoy it, play and experience that because it's a wonderful opportunity.

"The temptation is to try and get back so you're playing and you're in everybody's eyeline, but I think you just make sure he's fit, if that's for the last two games or last game, and that's he's fit and he'll be ready and able to go there.

"And he's no good to us if he's not fit anyway. Let's try and get him back."

Luke Varney will also miss out against the Cottagers, McCarthy says: "Luke's got a hamstring strain. Nothing major but he's not available for Tuesday night."

Luke Hyam will be back from his one-match ban, while loanee Ben Pringle is unavailable against his parent club.

Youngsters Adam McDonnell, Myles Kenlock and Josh Emmanuel weren't included in this afternoon's U21s side at Sheffield United and are likely to be amongst the subs as they were at Hillsborough at the weekend.


http://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news/29492/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Jokanović's Ipswich Preview

Slaviša Jokanović reiterated that Fulham's battle against relegation is far from over ahead of Tuesday night's clash against Ipswich Town at Portman Road.

A run of three consecutive wins came to a crushing end at the hands Brighton & Hove Albion on Friday night, with the Whites falling to a humbling 5-0 defeat.

"It was a completely disappointing performance," Jokanović told the official website. "We only competed for 30 minutes. We made many mistakes and with each one we paid an expensive price.

"Without causing us many problems and without pressing us that much we were down at half-time. We changed it up at the half but once again we were undone with another set-piece. It was very frustrating for all of us. After 50 or so minutes we were three goals down after three set-pieces.

"All of our plans were undone and we didn't show enough desire, spirit and competitiveness to get back in the game. We surrendered in the last 30 minutes of the game and it's quite simple, we cannot repeat that performance."

The Whites were backed by more than 2,200 travelling fans and Jokanović was bitterly disappointed that his side were unable to perform for them.

"We had the chance to play in front of more than 2,000 Fulham fans," Jokanović lamented. "We didn't show enough character for them and we didn't show our maximum on the field.

"I've lost football games in my career but to lose in the way in which we lost on Friday night is simply unacceptable. It's important in the next games and next season to show the character to bounce back from a result like against Brighton.

"We need to improve ourselves over the final four games of the season. We need to finish this season in style and carry it through to next season."

Fulham have the chance to bounce back from the defeat when they travel to take on Ipswich on Tuesday evening.

The Tractor Boys find themselves cut adrift from the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off places but Jokanović is under no illusions about what sort of test will be awaiting his side.

"You know that any team under Mick McCarthy is going to be big and physical," he stated. "They'll be direct and have a very strong team and we have to be ready for a side that will push us.

"If we're not ready for a physical battle then we'll be under pressure. They're not a team that pretends to surprise you. It's very clear how they'll approach the game so we need to be ready.

"The war isn't over and we're not safe. We're still in trouble and we need to believe in ourselves. We can't be looking around seeing what's going to happen. We need to win our games and if we can win on Tuesday we can press on to the weekend against Nottingham Forest. But for now, Tuesday is the battle and we need to be ready."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2016/april/18/jokanovics-ipswich-preview?

[WhiteJC]

 
Andre Dozzell to make first Ipswich start against Fulham after debut goal as 16-year-old continues to follow in father's footsteps
Andre Dozzell scored on his debut to rescue point at Sheffield Wednesday
Boss Mick McCarthy now plans to start him at Portman Road on Tuesday
His father Jason Dozzell also scored on his Ipswich debut at the age of 16

Andre Dozzell, who emulated his father by scoring on his Ipswich debut as a 16-year-old, is to start in Tuesday's Sky Bet Championship clash with Fulham.

Dozzell headed in Liam Feeney's cross in Ipswich's 1-1 draw at Sheffield Wednesday and manager Mick McCarthy plans to start him at Portman Road.

His father Jason Dozzell made an instant impact when - at the age of 16 years and 57 days - he scored on his Ipswich debut against Coventry in February 1984, becoming the youngest player to score in the Football League's old First Division.

'He's had to have an operation to wipe the smile off his face and to get the coat hanger out of his mouth,' McCarthy said on greenun24.co.uk.

'Actually, he's generally a smiley lad. He's great, he's enjoyed it and I don't see any difference in him.

'He's trained with us today and we'll find out how that's affected him because he's playing tomorrow. He's starting.'

Dozzell's season has gone from strength to strength in 2016 having been named the club's Academy Player of the Year.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3546103/Andre-Dozzell-make-Ipswich-start-against-Fulham-debut-goal-16-year-old-continues-follow-father-s-footsteps.html#ixzz46Frk9WrO
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

[WhiteJC]

 
Ipswich Town v Fulham

BBC coverage
How to follow:
Listen on BBC Radio 5 live and BBC local radio; text commentary on the BBC Sport website

TEAM NEWS
Ipswich boss Mick McCarthy will name 16-year-old striker Andre Dozzell, who scored on his debut against Sheffield Wednesday at the weekend, as a starter.

Luke Hyam can return after suspension, and fellow midfielder Cole Skuse has recovered from a stiff neck.

Fulham are expected to make changes after Friday's 5-0 defeat at Brighton.

Rohan Ince - ineligible against Brighton, from whom he is on loan - can return in midfield and Tom Cairney may play after overcoming a dead leg.

MATCH FACTS
Ipswich have won six and lost none of their last eight matches against Fulham.
Fulham have scored 10 goals in a league game on two occasions, one of which came away to Ipswich in December 1963 (10-1).
The Tractor Boys have failed to win any of their last five games (D3 L2), with both loses coming at Portman Road.
Fulham have both scored and conceded in 31 league games this season, more than any other side in the top four tiers.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36021243

[WhiteJC]

 
Stearman: End On A High

Richard Stearman wants Fulham to put the result against Brighton behind them and looks to end the season on a high.

Richard Stearman was devastated that the Whites were unable to give the 2,200-plus travelling Fulham fans 'anything to shout about' at Brighton on Friday night.

Confidence was high in the squad following a four-match unbeaten run and Fulham started the game at the Amex in a positive manner. However, the encounter was turned on its head in the 25th minute when Stearman was adjudged to have fouled James Wilson in the penalty area.

The Whites didn't recover from the debatable spot-kick, eventually going down to a 5-0 defeat against a rampant Brighton side.

"No one likes losing," Stearman told the official website. "Especially if you're getting beaten by five. If we take it as a block of games, we've won three, drawn one and lost one. So we're trying to take the positives from the block of results.

"We have to move on. We can't affect that result anymore and we can only look ahead to Tuesday night and the remaining four games.

"The boys were gutted. We took some great support down there and we didn't give them anything to shout about. Up until the first goal we played well but the result is all that matters. We got beat pretty convincingly, so hopefully we can give those travelling fans something to shout about against Ipswich."

Having played under Mick McCarthy in the duo's time at Wolverhampton Wanderers, Stearman knows exactly what to expect at Portman Road.

"I expect them to be a classic Mick McCarthy team," stated Stearman. "They'll be very strong and hardworking. We know what we'll be facing so we have to look to match that and hopefully come away with the points.

"There won't be any surprises. We know exactly how they're going to approach the game. It's going to take a real man's performance to stand up against that fight and come out on top."

Mirroring the sentiments of Head Coach Slaviša Jokanović, Stearman wants the Fulham squad to end the season on a high and carry the momentum through to next term.

"We know we're not safe until we're mathematically safe," Stearman said. "And even then we don't want to let the season just fizzle out.

"It's about pride and putting on performances for the fans. We have to go out there and prove to ourselves and everyone else what we're capable of.

"As a club we need to end this season on a high to give everyone a sense of optimism heading into next year.

"It's imperative that we end the season on a high. We clearly showed what we're capable of during that three-game winning streak and we need to get back to that. We have to chance to do that on Tuesday night against Ipswich."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2016/april/18/stearman-preview?

[WhiteJC]

 
Team news, Andre Dozzell, betting and the referee - everything you need to know ahead of Ipswich Town v Fulham

Our bite-sized guide to Ipswich Town's home clash with Fulham, with Andre Dozzell set to make his home debut.

When and where?

Tuesday, 7.45pm, Portman Road

What's the team news?

No Daryl Murphy or Luke Varney and Cole Skuse is set to return, but the real headline is that Andre Dozzell is set to start, having scored the Blues' equaliser at Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

Ben Pringle can't play against his parent club.

Who is their manager?

Slavisa Jokanovic is currently in the hotseat at Craven Cottage, having won promotion to the Premier League with Watford before harshly losing his job in the summer. He returned to English football in January, following a spell in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv.

How have they been getting on so far this season?

It's not gone so well for Fulham, considering the squad they have available to them, and they currently sit 20th in the table. There is little danger of relegation, given they are nine points clear of the relegation zone with four games to go, but it's been a disappointing season.

Recent form:

Ipswich: L-D-D-L-D

Fulham: D-W-W-W-L

Who has the best record in this fixture?

The two teams have only played 24 times with Ipswich winning nine compared to Fulham's eight. There have been seven draws.

What happened the last time they met?

The Blues burst out the blocks at Craven Cottage in December, with Freddie Sears scoring just 16 seconds into the game. Ross McCormack levelled with a free-kick, before Brett Pitman scored the winner in the second-half.

Who is the ref?

Paul Tierney was the man in the middle for the Blues' draw at Nottingham Forest earlier this season, as well as the 2-0 league defeat at Norwich last March.

He's taken charge of games in the Premier League, Championship, League One, League Two, FA Cup, League Cup and JPT this season.

Who is the Fulham danger man?

It has to be McCormack. Had it not been for the £11m former Leeds and Cardiff, the Cottagers might be in an awful lot more trouble. He's scored 23 goals in all competitions and is a constant threat, both in open play and from free-kicks.

Any familiar faces?

Both Richard Stearman and Ryan Tunnicliffe were at Portman Road on loan under Mick McCarthy and have each made more than 20 league starts for Fulham this season.

What are the bookies saying?

Ipswich are favourites at 21/20 with Fulham 14/5 and the draw 13/5.

If you fancy Andre Dozzell to score again he's 6/1 to find the net at any time, 18/1 to open the scoring and 200/1 to score a hat-trick.

Anything else worth knowing?

The Blues are unbeaten in 12 against Fulham, with the last time they lost a humbling 10-1 defeat at the Cottage in 1963. The Blues bounced back to beat Fulham two days later and haven't lost since.


http://www.sudburymercury.co.uk/sport/team_news_andre_dozzell_betting_and_the_referee_everything_you_need_to_know_ahead_of_ipswich_town_v_fulham_1_4500223

[WhiteJC]

 
Town Out to Extend 52-Year Unbeaten Run

Town go into tonight's home game against Fulham looking to extend an unbeaten run against the Whites stretching back more than 50 years. Manager Mick McCarthy admits that the Blues' hopes of making the play-offs are now over even if they win tonight's match.

Fulham's last victory over the Blues was their famous 10-1 win at Craven Cottage on Boxing Day 1963, while their most recent win at Portman Road came in March of the same year when they beat Sir Alf Ramsey's Town by a single goal.

Even if Town continue their run against the Cottagers, McCarthy says there's now little chance of breaking back into the top six before the end of the season with the eighth-placed Blues eight points behind Sheffield Wednesday in sixth with a significantly worse goal difference and only three games to play after tonight's match.

"Yes, [Saturday was it for the play-offs]," the Town boss conceded. "Mathematically, no. I'm an optimist but I'm not a head-in-the-clouds, head-up-my-backside idiot that keeps going, thinking 'Let's put a smiley front on and we can do it and keep everybody interested'.

"Mathematically we can do it. If we win tonight and Sheffield Wednesday lose [at home to the MK Dons], who knows, it might all be back in the pot, but we'd have to go and win the other three, and that's not going to be easy, is it - certainly not Middlesbrough away and Derby away.

"None of them are going to be easy. We've not had an easy game yet. But I think it's beyond us."

McCarthy admits recent home performances have been less than impressive - "Shite" - with the Blues without a win in their last three home matches.

"You've known me for nearly four years, I've never hidden away that, if it's been good, we're good, if we're not, we're not," he said.

With the Blues now out of the play-off running and under less pressure, does he feel the players might play with a bit more freedom than in recent weeks?

"I hope so, but the same could be said for Fulham as well because they're not going anywhere else either," he continued.

"I hope it does. In terms of preparing for the game, it's 'Go and play well individually'. We've been doing it for 42 games, it's not like we need any encouragement to play a certain way or to do anything. Go and enjoy the game and make the most of it with four games to play."

Sixteen-year-old Andre Dozzell will be making his full debut and McCarthy says that will add some interest to what's otherwise a dead rubber.

"If there's nothing to be excited about with the first team because it's highly unlikely that we'll get in the play-offs, if that story's gone, we all want something we can excited about and enthuse about.

"And if it's watching a young kid come through, we all like to watch them come through, like the class of 92 with Manchester United when they all came through.

"That kind of changed everybody's perception of kids coming through. We all want to see it. It would be lovely and it would be better still if we had Teddy Bishop, [who played the full 90 minutes and scored for the U21s yesterday], he might get a bit of time before the end of the season.

"Kundai Benyu, if we can get him in and Matt Clarke's out at Portsmouth. We shouldn't forget that, but Clarkey wouldn't whet the appetite like a young midfield player who scores goals would, but nevertheless it'd be nice to get him in the team."

One of the few upsides of not being in the play-offs is that the Town manager can start to look at next season at an early stage.

"If you get into the play-offs it's difficult for you to plan because you're still going and you're wondering which league you're going to be in," he said.

"We do know which league we're going to be in. But we've been planning for it anyway, there's always a 'What if?', but it maybe does give us a head start, not that I'm happy about that."

Regarding Fulham, who are 20th, nine points from the relegation zone, McCarthy says they're another example of a club which has found it hard to adjust to the Championship having been relegated from the Premier League at the end of 2013/14.

The Town boss knows from experience that it's not an easy transition to make: "They're safe, but it is difficult when a team comes down, which has been proven - we've just seen Bolton go down to League One, Wolves went down to League One when I left.

"It's happened before, Leeds have done it, Sheffield Wednesday have been there and they're now pushing for promotion to the Premier League.

"It is tough. You come down, people get made redundant. When I was at Sunderland 75 were made redundant, I had players I couldn't play because of clauses in their contracts that other clubs would get money and weren't going to pay that on Championship money. We had to get shot of them because of their wages.

"It really is a big job in turning that around. You have players who've come down who have been hopeless all season and then want to leave because they think they're better than that and don't want to be there. But for them they wouldn't have been there, of course.

"It really is a challenge that, and that's been proven with other clubs. And then you see Norwich went straight up, Burnley look like going straight back up, Hull may well go straight back up, but for some of the others it goes the other way completely. Let me tell you it's a slippery old slope once you start losing all those games."

While McCarthy has confirmed that Dozzell will start, he will probably look to field an otherwise experienced side around the 16-year-old.

Bartosz Bialkowski is likely to continue in goal with the more regular back four of skipper Luke Chambers at right-back and Jonas Knudsen at left-back and Tommy Smith and Christophe Berra the centre-halves.

The Town boss will probably play Cole Skuse, who is expected to be back from his neck injury, in a deeper lying midfield two alongside either Jonathan Douglas or Luke Hyam, who is available again after his one-match ban, with Dozzell ahead of them.

Up front, Freddie Sears and Liam Feeney will probably play either side of David McGoldrick or, if McCarthy feels the Republic of Ireland international isn't yet up to two starts in four days, Brett Pitman.

Ben Pringle is ineligible against his parent club, while Daryl Murphy remains sidelined with his calf problem and Luke Varney is out with a hamstring injury.

Adam McDonnell, Josh Emmanuel and Myles Kenlock weren't involved in yesterday's U21s game and so seem likely to be on the bench, as they were at Hillsborough.

Fulham manager Slaviša Jokanović warns that his side still aren't completely out of the relegation battle and was very disappointed with the 5-0 thrashing at Brighton last time out.

"I've lost football games in my career but to lose in the way in which we lost on Friday night is simply unacceptable," he told the Cottagers' official website.

"It's important in the next games and next season to show the character to bounce back from a result like against Brighton.

"We need to improve ourselves over the final four games of the season. We need to finish this season in style and carry it through to next season."

He added: "You know that any team under Mick McCarthy is going to be big and physical. They'll be direct and have a very strong team and we have to be ready for a side that will push us.

"If we're not ready for a physical battle then we'll be under pressure. They're not a team that pretends to surprise you. It's very clear how they'll approach the game so we need to be ready.

"The war isn't over and we're not safe. We're still in trouble and we need to believe in ourselves.

"We can't be looking around seeing what's going to happen. We need to win our games and if we can win on Tuesday we can press on to the weekend against Nottingham Forest. But for now, Tuesday is the battle and we need to be ready."

Jokanović will have midfielder Rohan Ince back having missed the Brighton game as he was ineligible against his parent club, while another midfield player Tom Cairney is thought likely to be over a dead leg. Defender Michael Madl (calf) and midfielder Sakari Mattila (back) remain sidelined.

In December at Craven Cottage, Freddie Sears and Brett Pitman were on target as Town beat Fulham 2-1 to win a fourth away league game on the trot for first time in more than 11 years.

Sears netted after just 16 seconds as the Blues made an explosive start, before Cottagers' skipper Ross McCormack equalised with a freekick in the 14th minute, but Pitman secured the points when he turned in Sears's cross on 57.

The teams last met at Portman Road on the opening day of last season when David McGoldrick came off the bench to score the decisive goal as Town won 2-1.

McGoldrick added to Daryl Murphy's first-half goal in the 61st minute with Tim Hoogland pulling one back late on for the visitors.

Historically, the Blues have been victorious on nine occasions (six in the league), Fulham on eight (seven) and with seven (five) games ending in draws.

In addition to the Cottagers' 12 games in all competitions (eight in the league) without a win against the Blues stretching back to 1963, Town have won on the last four occasions the teams have met.

Fulham defender Stearman spent the second half of 2012/13 on loan with the Blues from Wolves, making 15 appearances. He left Molineux for Craven Cottage last summer for a fee of £2 million.

Ex-Town loanee Ryan Tunnicliffe joined the Cottagers in January 2014 from Manchester United after ending his spell at Portman Road early, while former Blue Brian Talbot is the chief scout at Craven Cottage, where he briefly played late on in his career.

Midfielder Ben Pringle is on loan with the Blues for the remainder of season from Fulham, who signed him on a free transfer after he turned down a contract at Rotherham last summer.

The 26-year-old, who is ineligible this evening, made 15 starts and three sub appearances for the Cottagers before joining the Blues in February.

Tonight's referee is Paul Tierney from Lancashire, who has shown 107 yellow cards and three red in 38 games so far this season.

Tierney's most recent Town match was the 1-1 draw at Nottingham Forest in October, when he booked Christophe Berra, Tommy Smith, Cole Skuse and Jonny Parr and no home players.

Prior to that, he was in charge of the 2-0 derby defeat to Norwich in March 2015 in which he booked Skuse, Tyrone Mings and two Canaries.

He also took charge of the 3-1 home defeat to Barnsley in November 2010 and the after-extra-time 1-0 Carling Cup win at Crewe three months earlier.

Squad from: Bialkowski, Gerken, Chambers (c), Knudsen, Foley, Emmanuel, Kenlock, Berra, Smith, Digby, Dozzell, Skuse, Hyam, Douglas, McDonnell, Bru, Feeney, Maitland-Niles, Touré, Sears, Pitman, McGoldrick.


http://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news/29498/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Ipswich v Fulham: one back and two set to miss Tractor Boys clash, as Whites boss demands 'character' after Brighton thumping

It's back to the drawing board for Craven Cottage side after house was well and truly blown down on Friday with gaffer insisting side rescue a bit of pride


Dejected: Slavisa Jokanovic suffers the Brighton mauling

Fulham look set to be without Tom Cairney for the third match in a row against Ipswich tonight - and there are doubts over defender Michael Madl.

However, defensive midfielder Rohan Ince will almost certainly return to the starting line-up after he was ruled out against his parent club on Friday.

Lucky Ince.

At least, he was spared the 5-0 hammering by Brighton with boss Slavisa Jokanovic helplessly seething on the sidelines save the occasional despairing head shake as his side threw in the towel.

The Whites head coach has been critical of his side in the recent past. But after the Seagulls surrender let rip with all guns blazing.

"It was a completely disappointing performance," Joka told the Fulham official website. "We only competed for 30 minutes. We made many mistakes and with each one we paid an expensive price.


Bad night: Scot Parker protests to little avail

"All of our plans were undone and we didn't show enough desire, spirit and competitiveness to get back in the game. We surrendered in the last 30 minutes of the game and it's quite simple, we cannot repeat that performance."

Whites had more than 2,300 fans at Brighton, although it looked more like 300 approaching the last two minutes, as west Londoners departed in droves.

"We didn't show enough character for them and we didn't show our maximum on the field," the head coach added.

"I've lost football games in my career but to lose in the way in which we lost on Friday night is simply unacceptable. It's important in the next games and next season to show the character to bounce back from a result like against Brighton."

This looks as if it might be just about QPR, but check out what Chris Hughton has to say about Fulham.


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/ipswich-v-fulham-one-back-11206786?

[WhiteJC]

 
Ipswich Factfile

Fulham will be looking to put Friday's disappointment in Brighton behind them when they take on Ipswich Town at Portman Road on Tuesday evening (7.45pm).


The opposition

For much of 2015/16, Ipswich looked as though they'd repeat last season's feat of securing a Play-Off spot, but a dreadful run of form looks to have put paid to those ambitions.

A 2-0 win at home to Blackburn Rovers is their only victory in the last eight outings, with four draws and three defeats leaving them eight points behind sixth-placed Sheffield Wednesday.

Mathematically, a Play-Off spot is still achievable, but manager Mick McCarthy has been realistic when assessing his chances of reaching them with just four fixtures remaining.

Team news

A debut goal for 16-year-old Andre Dozzell in the weekend's draw at Hillsborough is set to be rewarded by a start against the Whites. Fellow midfielders Cole Skuse and Luke Hyam are available following injury and suspension, respectively, but forwards Daryl Murphy and Luke Vardy are set to miss out. Ben Pringle is ineligible against his parent club.

Tickets

Tickets will be available from turnstiles 10 and 11 from 6:30pm onwards, cash only at the following prices: adults £35, 60+/students £25.50, under-20s £24.50, under-16s £12.50.

Weather

It should be a sunny day in Ipswich, with temperatures of around nine degrees come kick-off.

Travel

A train from London Liverpool Street to Ipswich takes just over an hour. It's a slightly longer journey coming home, but services run late enough to get back to London after the game. Portman Road is less than a 10-minute walk from the station.

Pre-match

The Riverside Hotel opposite the train station is away-fan friendly.

Coral match odds

Ipswich: 23/20

Draw: 5/2

Fulham: 12/5

Last time we met

Brett Pitman continued his good record against Fulham to help Ipswich to a 2-1 win at the Cottage in December. Freddie Sears had put the Tractor Boys in front with just 17 seconds played, but Ross McCormack equalised soon after with an excellent free-kick into the bottom corner. The visitors took all the points back to Suffolk, though, after Pitman neatly cushioned a strike in off the post just before the hour mark.

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2016/april/19/ipswich-factfile?

[WhiteJC]

 
McCarthy Pleased With Loanee Pringle

Town boss Mick McCarthy says he's been pleased with on-loan Fulham midfielder Ben Pringle's form since he joined the Blues in February. Pringle, 26, is ineligible for tonight's game at Portman Road against his parent club.

"He's done well, he's scored a couple of winners as well," McCarthy said.

"He's done more in his short spell than some of the midfield players have done in terms of scoring, certainly important goals.

"He can't play when we're playing against his parent club. I know when he came in and he scored a couple of goals early on, he was getting a bit of stick from the other [players there] saying 'Stop it!', they were having a tough time and he was scoring for us. He's done all right Ben, I've been pleased for him."

Pringle has made nine starts and one sub appearances for the Blues, scoring twice.

Regarding the former Rotherham man joining the Blues permanently in the summer, McCarthy added: "He's got another year a Fulham, so that's not down to me. We'll wait and see and talk about it when the season finishes."

Meanwhile, the Town boss says a line has been drawn under Brett Pitman's irate reaction to Jonas Knudsen choosing to shoot rather than pass to him in the closing stages of Saturday's game at Hillsborough.

"I get that [he was frustrated]," McCarthy said. "I've spoken to him, it doesn't have to be as publicly visible as what it was.

"I said to him today, 'Have you seen the chance?' and he said, 'It wasn't as clear-cut as I thought it was on the day'. I went 'Really? Strange that!'.

"I said, 'Had it been Kolarov coming into the box playing for Manchester City and it had been Aguero on the inside, maybe Kolarov might have hit it first time, he might have seen him and maybe Aguero would have controlled it and put it in the net'.

"That was the kind of chance it was, it wasn't just, 'Roll me in and I'll sidefoot it in the net'. But, on the day, that's just what he thought it was.

"We all see it differently. We all have a different perception on it. And by the way, I want him to be angry if he thinks that's cost us and we could have won.

"But, as I said on Saturday, if we were all the best, I'd be doing something different and so would they.

"But Jonas took the vote for the yellow jersey [awarded to the worst player in training] today and Pitman got it, strangely enough, so he got his own back!

"It was never in doubt, was it? The 'old' team lost, so they took a vote. I'm sure it was fair and it was democratic, [whispers] 'Pitman!'. So he'll be wearing the yellow jersey on Thursday."


http://www.twtd.co.uk/ipswich-town-news/29496/?

[WhiteJC]

 
JOKANOVIC SAYS RELEGATION BATTLE NOT OVER

Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic reiterated that Fulham's battle against relegation is far from over ahead of Tuesday night's clash against Ipswich Town at Portman Road.

A run of three consecutive wins came to a crushing end at the hands Brighton & Hove Albion on Friday night, with the Whites falling to a humbling 5-0 defeat.

"It was a completely disappointing performance," Jokanovic said. "We only competed for 30 minutes. We made many mistakes and with each one we paid an expensive price.

"Without causing us many problems and without pressing us that much we were down at half-time. We changed it up at the half but once again we were undone with another set-piece. It was very frustrating for all of us. After 50 or so minutes we were three goals down after three set-pieces.

"All of our plans were undone and we didn't show enough desire, spirit and competitiveness to get back in the game. We surrendered in the last 30 minutes of the game and it's quite simple, we cannot repeat that performance."

The Whites were backed by more than 2,200 travelling fans and Jokanovic was bitterly disappointed that his side were unable to perform for them.

"We had the chance to play in front of more than 2,000 Fulham fans," Jokanovic lamented. "We didn't show enough character for them and we didn't show our maximum on the field.

"I've lost football games in my career but to lose in the way in which we lost on Friday night is simply unacceptable. It's important in the next games and next season to show the character to bounce back from a result like against Brighton.

"We need to improve ourselves over the final four games of the season. We need to finish this season in style and carry it through to next season."

Fulham have the chance to bounce back from the defeat when they travel to take on Ipswich on Tuesday evening.

The Tractor Boys find themselves cut adrift from the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off places but Jokanovic is under no illusions about what sort of test will be awaiting his side.

"You know that any team under Mick McCarthy is going to be big and physical," he stated. "They'll be direct and have a very strong team and we have to be ready for a side that will push us.

"If we're not ready for a physical battle then we'll be under pressure. They're not a team that pretends to surprise you. It's very clear how they'll approach the game so we need to be ready.

"The war isn't over and we're not safe. We're still in trouble and we need to believe in ourselves.

We can't be looking around seeing what's going to happen. We need to win our games and if we can win on Tuesday we can press on to the weekend against Nottingham Forest. But for now, Tuesday is the battle and we need to be ready."


http://www.fulhamweb.co.uk/news/jokanovic-says-relegation-battle-not-over.aspx?

[WhiteJC]

 
Ipswich Town's 16-year-old Andre Dozzell to dazzle against Fulham tonight?

Like Father, Like Son. Andre comes off the bench to replicate his fathers achievement over 30 years on.

The eagerly anticipated talent Andre Dozzell stepped onto the Hillsborough turf to rescue a point for the Tractorboys last Saturday, against a strong Sheffield Wednesday outfit.

Saturday marked the introduction of Andre the son of Jason Dozzell, an ex-Ipswich Town fan favourite.

Dozzell was the shining light of the performance on Saturday as he replicated his father's feat, by coming off the bench to score on his debut, this result however all but ended the Blues' play-off hopes.

McCarthy has announced that the 16-year-old will make his professional debut against the Cottagers on Tuesday night.

The Blues have noticeable injuries, one major loss who will miss tonight's home game is joint top scorer Daryl Murphy. Cole Skuse however is likely to feature after missing Saturday's clash with a neck problem.


http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/ipswich-towns-16-year-old-andre-dozzell-to-dazzle-against-fulham-tonight/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Ipswich v Fulham line-ups: Defensive reshuffle for Whites, 16-year-old starts for Ipswich

Fulham make four changes to the side that lost 5-0 at Brighton for their trip to Ipswich.

Two of those changes come in the back four, with Shaun Hutchinson and Dan Burn forming the centre-back partnership, and Ryan Fredericks and Fernando Amorebieta making way.

Richard Stearman reverts to right-back, while Rohan Ince and Lasse Vigen Christensen (pictured) return in midfield, at the expense of Jamie O'Hara and Emerson Hyndman.

Tom Cairney is fit enough to return to the squad, but is only on the bench.

Ipswich hand a start to 16-year-old Andre Dozzell, son of former Ipswich and Spurs man Jason, after his debut goal on Saturday.

Cole Skuse plays alongside former Brentford midfielder Jonathan Douglas in the middle, while Brett Pitman replaces David McGoldrick up front.

Ipswich: Bialkowski; Chambers, Smith, Berra, Knudsen; Skuse, Douglas; Dozzell, Feeney, Sears; Pitman.
Subs: Gerken, Digby, Kenlock, Foley, Hyam, Bru, McGoldrick.

Fulham: Bettinelli; Stearman, Hutchinson, Burn, Ream; Tunnicliffe, Parker, Ince, Christensen; McCormack, Dembele.
Subs: Lonergan, Fredericks, Garbutt, Baird, Cairney, Woodrow, Smith.


http://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/ipswich-v-fulham-line-ups-defensive-reshuffle-for-whites-16-year-old-starts-for-ipswich?