Saturday Fulham Stuff (23/04/16)...

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Fulham linked with move for versatile German midfielder

Fulham's summer rebuilding project could see the West London club make a move for former Nottingham Forest youth team product Felix Bastians according to the Nottingham Post.

The 27 year old German graduated from the academy set up at The City Ground back in 2005 and went on to make 15 appearances at senior level for the club.

Bastians currently plays for hometown club VfL Bochum in the Bundesliga's second tier. The player is comfortable playing in a central defensive or midfield role or as a winger or fullback and Fulham are thought to be lining up a move for the player to help plug a defence which has the unwanted tag of being the joint second weakest in the Championship after conceding 73 goals.

While at Nottingham Forest, Bastians was often loaned out to gain first team experience and spent time on loan at no less than six lower division clubs. The player left Forest in 2008 and became something of a journeyman after moving to Switzerland to play for Young Boys before moving to Germany to spend time at SG Freiburg, Hertha BSC, Hertha BSC II and current club VfL Bochum.

Bastians has made 20 appearances for VfL Bochum this season scoring twice. The player has been at the rewirpowerSTADION since signing for the club on a permanent basis in January 2015 after a successful previous loan spell.


http://the72.co.uk/52776/fulham-linked-with-move-for-versatile-german-midfielder/

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Nottingham Forest Factfile

Fulham will be looking for a return to winning ways when out-of-sorts Nottingham Forest visit Craven Cottage on Saturday (3pm).


The opposition

Despite leading Forest to a 13-game unbeaten run earlier in the season, Dougie Freedman was relieved of his duties in mid-March after losing five out of six matches.

The Reds were in 14th spot at that point in time, but go into this weekend's fixture sitting 18th, level on points with Fulham but with a slightly better goal difference.

Caretaker head coach Paul Williams is still searching for his first win since taking charge, having lost four and drawn three of his seven games.

With key striker Britt Assombalonga missing most of the season, a lack of goals has been a major factor in Forest's struggles, with only Milton Keynes Dons finding the back of the net with less frequency.

Team news

Forest will point to a hefty injury list as one of the key reasons for their disappointing season, and their treatment room is still well occupied. Defenders Jack Hobbs and Kelvin Wilson will miss the trip to SW6 with back problems, as will Matty Fryatt (Achilles) and Andy Reid (groin). Reid will, however, still travel in his role assisting Williams. Michael Mancienne is a doubt with a knee complaint, and Nelson Oliveira's troublesome groin is likely to keep him out, although he has recovered ahead of schedule. Assombalonga made his first appearance in 14 months late on in the 1-1 draw with Blackburn Rovers on Tuesday, but he's expected to begin on the bench again at the weekend.

Tickets

Tickets are still available for fans to buy on General Sale, priced from £25 for adults and £15 for juniors. Season Ticket Holders are reminded that they can redeem one free drink and one hot food item from any fixed kiosk inside the stadium. Vouchers can be picked up from the turnstile when entering the ground, and all food and drink must be redeemed before 2:30pm on Saturday.

Weather

It should be dry in SW6 all day, with temperatures of around 11 degrees come kick-off.

Coral match odds

Fulham: 6/5

Draw: 23/10

Nottingham Forest: 23/10

(Odds are subject to change)

Last time we met

A frustrating afternoon for the Whites ended in a 3-0 defeat at the City Ground in December. Under Peter Grant's temporary stewardship, Fulham had the better of the first 45 but went into half-time trailing courtesy of Matt Mills' header in the final minute. Chris O'Grady doubled the lead soon after the restart when he followed up quickest after Joe Lewis had saved from Nelson Oliveira. Mills scored another header late on, and was unfortunate not to claim his hat-trick when he hit the crossbar in stoppage time.

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2016/april/22/nottingham-forest-factfile?

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Agent of Fulham talent Lasse Vigen Christensen insists client wants to stay at club

The Danish under-21 captain looks a top talent.

Fulham now look safe from relegation in the Championship and attention must now turn to next season.

Cottagers fans will be hoping to finish a lot higher up the Championship table next term and in order to do so they will want to keep some of their most talented players.

One such player is Danish talent Lasse Vigen Christensen.

Signed from FC Midtjylland in 2012 the 21-year-old is currently the Danish under-21 international captain and is a promising figure at Craven Cottage.

His agent Gulli Tomasson has now been discussing his future to the press in Denmark and has suggested that Christensen wants to stay at Fulham and is looking to extend his contract. Bold are reporting his agent as stating:

"Fulham would like to extend. Lasse feels really good at the club and he is happy to be there.

"Both sides hope to sort it out, and if that happens, Lasse would like a new Fulham contract."

The same report does however state that an initial contract offer from Fulham has been rejected by the player – but hopes are high that a deal can be reached.

Christensen has played 27 times for Fulham this season and is considered a big part of their future. His current contract expires in the summer of 2017 and Fulham are clearly not keen on him entering the final year of his deal at the club.


http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2016/04/22/agent-of-fulham-talent-lasse-vigen-christensen-insists-client-wa/page/1-5/

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Tunners: Not Safe Yet

Fulham's draw at Ipswich Town on Tuesday evening all but guaranteed Sky Bet Championship football next season, but Ryan Tunnicliffe won't be resting on any laurels yet.

Relegation would still be a possibility if the Whites fail to register another point and Milton Keynes Dons win their final three outings and pull off a 16-goal swing in the process.

"I think if you ask any of the lads, until we're mathematically safe, then we're not safe," Tunnicliffe told fulhamfc.com. "If we take our foot off the gas and think it's done, we could lose three games, they could win three, and it could go wrong for us.

"So I think in Saturday's game we need the same mentality we took to Ipswich and that will help us get the win which will make us safe."

Fulham gave an excellent response to the previous 5-0 defeat by Brighton & Hove Albion when they travelled to Portman Road in midweek.

Moussa Dembélé's fine strike looked set to earn a deserved three points, only for Ipswich to snatch a stoppage-time equaliser.

"I think you saw throughout the 90 minutes that we were all together and we put that [Brighton] result behind us," Tunnicliffe said. "Obviously it was a horrible result and we didn't want to replicate that, so we dug in, rolled our sleeves up, and were the better team in the match.

"I thought we should have won the game, but we'll take the point. When you concede in stoppage time after defending so well, it does feel like a loss.

"It's a real kick in the teeth but it's a difficult place to come and we've come away with a point so I think the lads can be happy with the effort."

Slaviša Jokanović was forced into a couple of changes to his starting XI on Tuesday, and Tunnicliffe believes his Head Coach has plenty of strength in depth at his disposal.

"If you look at the squad, we've got a very good squad for the Championship," he stated. "Every programme I pick up before an away game they always say 'Fulham's squad is great, this, that and the other.'

"People are obviously fighting to get in the starting team and if you haven't been playing and you get a chance to start, then you want to perform well to make sure you keep your spot, so that's good for us."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2016/april/22/ryan-tunnicliffe-not-safe-yet?

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In The Mix

A few eyebrows were raised when the Fulham teamsheet was handed in an hour before kick-off at Ipswich Town with Shaun Hutchinson included in the starting XI. The centre-back had featured just three times for the Whites this year prior to the trip to Portman Road, often not even named in the matchday squad.

"I've not played in a long time and it's been a very frustrating spell for me, but I just had to keep my head down, work hard in training and hope that a chance would come my way," Hutchinson told Saturday's official matchday programme. "It's not been a season to shout about on a personal level, but with the amount of games in this division and what a tough league it is, injuries are going to happen so you need to make sure you're ready in case the time comes when you're called upon, like Tuesday was for me."

The outing at Ipswich was just Hutchinson's 10th of the campaign - one he acknowledges has been deeply disappointing.

"It's been a very, very, very frustrating season for me," he said. "It's not how I wanted it to go but it was important I didn't get too annoyed with it. There's no point sitting there and being down in the dumps, that won't do me any favours. There were players above me in the pecking order and if they're fit to play against Nottingham Forest and they're selected, then so be it. But it's not easy.

"I still wanted the team to do well, of course I did. I've got some really close friends here. On a Saturday I'd come to the games at Craven Cottage and for the away matches I'd sit and watch Soccer Saturday or listen to Gentleman Jim. It's not like I just shut myself off, I'm still part of the Club and I want the team to succeed."

To read the full interview with Hutchinson, get your hands on the award-winning programme on Saturday.

Other highlights in the only matchday magazine that matters - which is also available to download digitally from 9am on Saturday - are:

Head Coach Slaviša Jokanović pens his programme notes
Captain Scott Parker insists there will be no let-up from Fulham in their last three games
Fernando Amorebieta answers some random questions in the Name Game
Johnny Key recalls his spell in SW6
Former Nottingham Forest man Kenny Burns remembers his trophy-laden stint at the City Ground
Les Strong and Gentleman Jim write their latest columns
And we continue to take a walk down memory lane to the 1998/99 promotion-winning season

Priced £3.50, the 84-page publication is available from various sellers on Stevenage Road from two hours before kick-off. Or order it online from ProgrammeMaster.

For just £1.99, the programme is also available as a digital download with added video content from 9am on Saturday, so whether you're at home or away, you need never be without it on your iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, PC or Mac via Apple's Newsstand or Pocketmags.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2016/april/22/in-the-mix?

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Fulham v Nottingham Forest

Emerson Hyndman's first goal for Fulham came against Cardiff two weekends ago

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

TEAM NEWS
Fulham give a late test to midfielder Emerson Hyndman, who missed the midweek game at Ipswich through illness.

Defender Michael Madl (calf) is a doubt but midfielder Tom Cairney has recovered from a dead leg.

Forest forward Jamie Ward (hamstring) and defender Michael Mancienne (ankle) are both doubts for the game.

Defender Kelvin Wilson is out with a back problem but striker Britt Assombalonga has returned from injury and is likely to feature.

MATCH FACTS
The past four games between these sides have seen 22 goals scored at an average of 5.5 per game.
Forest's only win in their past nine league trips to Craven Cottage was in January 1975 (D3 L5).
Fulham have dropped a league-high 28 points from leading positions in the Championship this season.
Forest have scored more than once in just one of their 21 away games this season, netting just 13 goals - the fewest in the division.
The Cottagers have kept one clean sheet in their past 32 league games.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36060678

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Fulham close to clean bill of health for Forest match

Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic has only Sakari Mattila missing for their match against Nottingham Forest on Saturday.

The Finnish midfielder has not featured for the Whites since their 3-0 defeat at Blackburn in February.

Otherwise, Fulham have no fresh injury worries following the 1-1 draw at Ipswich in midweek.

Midfielder Tom Cairney, who had missed the previous two matches, returned as a late substitute at Portman Road.


http://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/football-wls-fulham-midfielder-only-absentee-ahead-of-nottingham-forest-clash

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FA Charge

Fulham have been fined £5,000 after the Club admitted an FA charge of failing to ensure its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion.

The standard penalty, which the club accepted, followed a 29th minute incident during the game against Brighton and Hove Albion on 15 April 2016.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2016/april/22/fa-charge?

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What Result? Fulham v Nottingham Forest

Nottingham Forest or Fulham to win as the Championship continues on Saturday at Craven Cottage?

Then again, which is more than possible of course, it could be a draw!

A draw with Blackburn is something Forest had to settle for on Tuesday as our winless run continued. At least it ended the losing run mind!

Our host tomorrow are Fulham (who like us have struggled this season) with both sides looking for some end of season cheer from this 3pm kick-off.

Championship survival is something we'll absolutely 100% confirm by getting something tomorrow but we're basically safe anyway baring a minor miracle from MK Dons and a string of heavy defeats!

Possible, on both counts but not likely with a Forest win finally something we'll be aiming for (once again).

But will this happen?


Read more: http://www.forest.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=565465#ixzz46dBhn8ea

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Fulham fined £5,000 after admitting Football Association charge

Fulham captain Scott Parker confronted referee Andy Woolmer after he awarded Brighton a penalty

Championship side Fulham have been fined £5,000 after admitting a Football Association charge.

The Whites were charged with failing to ensure their players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion during the defeat at Brighton on 15 April.

Fulham's players surrounded referee Andy Woolmer following his decision to award the Seagulls a penalty for a foul on James Wilson in the 29th minute.

The west London side went on to lose the game 5-0.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/36114970

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Fulham boss explains why he doesn't want to know score from MK Dons versus Brentford - along with latest team news at the training ground

...and he's pretty sure he will have players in the right frame of mind to ignore events elsewhere as they take on Nottingham Forest


Head down: Slavisa Jokanovic

Slavisa Jokanovic insists he has no interest in what's going on elsewhere when Fulham are in the changing room at half time against Nottingham Forest.

MK Dons are the only side who can catch the head coach's side and relegate them instead. Even then, it will need the miracle of all turnovers during the last last three games.

Anything bar a resounding Fulham defeat and a thumping Dons win over Brentford - and Fulham are mathematically safe and planning in earnest for next season.

Jokanovic is confident even if players were that hear Bees were mortally stinging Dons at half time, it will have no bearing on his side's second-half performance.

"I never ask what's happening elsewhere," he said.

"It's not our last game, and we need to be focused on this one. I am sure how we play is not going to depend on what's happening elsewhere. "

Here's a reminder of what happened when Fulham drew 1-1 with Dons away in November.

Fulham are hoping to find the same resilience against Forest that saw them carve out a point at Ipswich on Tuesday, as well as putting to bed the horrors of a 5-0 drubbing at Brighton last Friday.

"Historically, Forest are a club a bit like us," Jokanovic added, "a big club who are under pressure. But we are now in a more comfortable position and we'll try and play a bit more football to win the game."

Fulham have defender Michael Madl available again after a calf injury, and apart from defensive midfielder Sakari Mattila, can report a clean bill of health.


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-boss-explains-doesnt-want-11227379?

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Jokanović's Forest Preview

Slaviša Jokanović believes Nottingham Forest and Fulham will look back on 2015/16 with the same assessment in the summer.

Both teams went into the campaign with a positive outlook, but they're each on just 48 points with a few fixtures remaining.

"There are three important games in front of us," Jokanović stated. "Tomorrow is first. [Forest] are in a similar situation to us. They're under some pressure like us; historically they're a big club, they believe they should be doing better.

"It's the same as our obligation, to try and organise us to still be a better team and be more competitive and more solid. We try to prepare ourselves to dominate in the game and win the game. This is the plan for tomorrow.

"All the games are different. Now we're in a little bit more of a comfortable situation and we're going to try and offer a better performance and try and find a little bit more football to win the game."#

Taking out the 5-0 defeat in Brighton a week ago, Fulham's form has been solid. The Amex loss is the only one in six fixtures, and Jokanović wants to continue building momentum ahead of what will hopefully be a more prosperous 2016/17 campaign.

"It's very important," he admitted. "I've said many times, on the back of us isn't such a brilliant season. We owe our supporters some important and some better performances than we've offered in the past.

"It's an important three games for us, and at the end we need to be optimistic going into next season, and arrive prepared to do something different next season.

"The best way is probably to try and finish this season in style and be competitive to do everything to win the games."

One of the bright sparks in Fulham's season has been the form of Ross McCormack, something that hasn't gone unnoticed elsewhere.

After the Football League announced that he was voted the Sky Bet Championship's second-best player by the division's managers, the PFA revealed his presence in their Team of the Year.

"It's not only the last year," Jokanović said when asked about his prolific term. "Ross is an important part of Fulham, Ross scored many goals last season, too.

"Always in his football career, he's an important scorer, often the top scorer. Generally it's good news for us to have these kind of people in our squad, and I expect he can offer us something similar, or still better performances, in the future."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2016/april/22/jokanovics-nottingham-forest-preview?

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Intermediaries' Fees

Payments to intermediaries

Total amount paid to intermediaries (formerly known as agents) in the period 1 October 2015 to 1 February 2016: £316,655.

Explanatory Note:
The amount shown is the aggregate of all payments made to intermediaries during the reporting period for intermediary activity, including payments made by the club on behalf of players.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2016/april/22/intermediaries-fees?

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Fulham boss opens up on £15 million Ross McCormack to Brighton rumour

Whites head coach reacts to purported bid from high-flying Championship side for his number one hitman also honoured by his peers


Shhh, quiet on those rumours... Ross McCormack

Slavisa Jokanovic was too canny to say Ross McCormack is not for sale at any price – but the Fulham head coach made it plain he will fight tooth and nail to keep his top striker.

Joka is all too aware money eventually speaks, no matter who the player, but believes building a side around the man with 23 goals in a poor campaign has to be the way in the future.

Brighton are reportedly keen to take the Scotland international off Fulham's hands for a club record £15 million, but the head coach says his plans with Mac in next season's attack are already in place.

Jokanovic said: "We had a similar situation in January (on McCormack's sale), but Ross gave us every reason not to put him in the market.

"But professional football is a strange business, although I don't know anything about rumours.

"I believe he will be the player that will help us to aim at a different target than we have had over the last three years."

McCormack was named the second best player in the Championship this season today. Read the full story here.


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-boss-opens-up-15-11228452?

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Thohir's Inter exit could lead to Fulham purchase
Although Suning Group are close to securing a deal for a minority stake of the Nerazzurri, reports suggest they could become the primary owners inside the next two to three years

With Suning Group closing in on a deal to purchase 20 percent of Inter, it appears the move could set the stage for Erick Thohir to depart the club.

The Indonesian tasked Goldman Sachs with finding an investor willing to purchase a minority stake in the club before the end of 2015, and while that looks likely, a complete exit from the club is beginning to take hold.

It appears Thohir is keen to move to England as reports suggest he is looking to purchase Fulham, allowing him to meet up with friend Tony Fernandes who owns Queens Park Rangers.

Although the Cottagers currently play in the Championship, the lure of purchasing the club and then leading them back to the Premier League, and the riches that brings with it, seems to have enchanted the Inter boss.

With the Nerazzurri heading for another season without Champions League football, and the continued issues in trying to secure a stadium that is solely owned by the club, it seems as though Thohir has become somewhat disillusioned with life in Italy.

While the Indonesian continues to claim that any sale would only be for a minority stake, it's become apparent that isn't the case. Suning Group continue to press forward to purchase 20 percent of the club, but it remains highly unlikely that they would agree to have no say in how Inter is run, especially given the Nerazzurri are in the red when it comes to their finances.

The 20 percent – which could be split evenly between Thohir and Moratti's shares – would be just the first step in a deal that would see the Chinese group take over a controlling stake inside the next two to three years.

With the club heading for further losses this year – though they are expected to be less than the €140 million from 2014/15 – Thohir's dream of seeing Inter finance itself seems unlikely at this time.

Whether the club achieve that goal under his watch, or that of a Chinese owner, will become clearer in the coming months.

Adapted from article in La Gazzetta dello Sport by Marco Iaria


http://gazzettaworld.gazzetta.it/news/serie-a/inter/thohir-exit-fulham-purchase/?

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Report: Arsenal move closer to signing Fulham flop Mitroglou

The Gunners are reportedly willing to take a chance on the Greek forward.

Arsenal have made contact with Fulham for their one-time club record signing Kostas Mitroglou, according to reports in Portuguese newspaper Record.

The Greece international striker is currently on loan at Portuguese outfit Benfica and has shone this term, netting an impressive 18 league goals to help the Lisbon side top the charts by two points over rivals Sporting.

The 28-year-old left footer joined Fulham in January 2013 in a failed bid to prevent their relegation from the Premier League. The former Olympiakos attacker featured in just three matches for the Cottagers following a £12 million move to west London, scoring no goals in the process.

Following their demise into the second-tier, Mitroglou was sent out on loan by the club to former side Olympiakos - where he netted 16 league goals during the 2014-15 campaign - before a temporary deal with Benfica this year.

It is known Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is on the lookout for a top striker to add to his attacking options in order to reduce the burden on France international Olivier Giroud and apparently may turn to the former Fulham flop.

According to Portuguese outlet Record, Arsenal are interested in bringing the player to the Emirates Stadium and have already made contact with the Championship side regarding a possible move.


http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2016/04/22/tb-report-arsenal-move-closer-to-signing-fulham-flop/?