Thursday Fulham Stuff (17/11/16)...

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The rise and rise of Dembele: Moussa was in danger of burnout but I had words and he hit back with 17 goals says ex boss
FORMER Fulham boss Kit Symons lifts the lid on the rise of Celtic ace Moussa Dembele and backs him to be a scoring machine for club and country.


Celtic's Moussa Dembele celebrates another goal (Photo: SNS)

KIT SYMONS feared Moussa Dembele's football career was over at Fulham under Felix Magath before it had even begun.

The youth coach at Craven Cottage knew the teenage French striker had all the attributes to go to the very top but burnout was his biggest concern.

Ex-Stuttgart and Bayern Munich boss Magath had an ill-fated six-month spell in charge of the Cottagers from February 2014 during which he failed to keep them in the Premiership and made a stuttering start to their Championship campaign.

In his first game in charge in the second tier Magath handed eight players their debut and the 2-1 defeat at Ipswich was harsh on the Portman Road club who dominated in all areas.

Former Wales defender Symons, a firm favourite at Fulham as a player, was promoted to top-team coach to restore stability only a month into the season and one of his first acts was dropping the kid who had stunned PSG when he left for London two years previously.

Symons told Record Sport: "Magath had given a lot of young boys their debut when they weren't ready and hurt a lot of those young players in the process.

" Moussa started the first game of the Championship season away to Ipswich when he wasn't quite ready.

"When I was appointed I made sure I only started him in a few games, including cup matches, and I still recall a double he scored in the Capital Cup against Derby who were top of the league and flying at the time."


Kit Symons at Fulham (Photo: Action Images)

Dembele had only just turned 18 when Magath turned to him to fire the club back into the Premier League and although Symons withdrew him from the sharpest edge of the Championship it was for his own protection.

He had first been spotted by Fulham playing for the French Under-16s in the Val-de-Marne tournament in 2011. In August 2012, after a change in ownership at PSG, Fulham were tipped off about his availability and made their move.

Still just 20 he has already scored 20 times for Celtic and the French Under-21s this season, including three goals in the Champions League and a double in a 3-2 win against England on Monday night.

He scored 17 times for Fulham last season, showing faith in Symon's decision to call him in over the summer of 2015 and tell him he and Ross McCormack would carry the responsibility for scoring goals – if he could learn to be more of a team player.

He said: "It was a big statement to sign Moussa in 2012 and also a bit of a gamble. He didn't speak great English, he was coming to a different culture and style of football as well as a new country.

"You never quite know, a lot of good players have failed to settle. PSG wanted to keep him and there was interest from other clubs but it says a lot for his character he wanted to challenge himself, even at the age of 16, to play in the Premier League.

"We could immediately tell he was special. He was already a terrific physical specimen, a good size and a phenomenal athlete. Initially we played him in the youth team but Under-18 football was too easy for him, he cruised it.

"He had a winning mentality and Moussa's a smashing lad but he still needed a reminder of the importance of working and running on behalf of the team when we weren't in possession of the ball.

"In the summer of 2015 at the end of my first season in charge I invited him into my office and told him I wanted to start him in attack in the new campaign alongside Ross McCormack.

"However, I needed him to work unconditionally on behalf of the team. He had everything you need in a striker, in isolation, but the issue was putting them all together for the good of the group.

"I needed someone quick who could work the channels and also go over the top when it was needed. Moussa takes constructive criticism very well – he needs it, he thrives on it.

"These were tough words but he took them on board. He went away over the summer, thought long and hard about what I was asking, and made a commitment to deliver on it. He's not one for sulking, his response was very positive."

Sadly former Man City and Portsmouth star Symons, 45, didn't survive beyond November 2015, sacked after a 5-2 defeat at Birmingham with Fulham 12th in the Championship but significantly the top scorers in the cut-throat division.

Ultimately, their failure to win promotion back to the Premier League cost them the chance to keep Dembele, with Celtic taking advantage of cross-border rules on compensation payments to snap him up for just £500,000.

Symons said: "Fulham were very keen he moved to another English club because the transfer fee would have been more substantial and a Tottenham deal was very close to completion in January.

"His move to Celtic didn't come as a massive surprise to me. It makes sense for Celtic to sign a player of his ability on a cross-border deal.

"The club suits Moussa at this stage. Celtic are a huge club and will dominate the majority of matches they play. They create loads of opportunities for their strikers and Moussa is a player who will score more than he misses.

"He will play regularly, including the Champions League, although it seems to me he only got the chance to start after that injury to Leigh Griffiths earlier in the season.

"Typically, Moussa took the opportunity. He may have had a slow start initially at the club but all he needed was one goal to get him up and running. He's a phenomenal goalscorer.

"He has pace and power, can score with his left foot or right. He'll score many, many more goals for Celtic."


http://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/rise-rise-dembele-moussa-danger-9269067?

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Where are they now? The Fulham XI from the Europa League final in 2010

Fulham lost in Hamburg 2-1 against a Diego Forlan-inspired Atletico Madrid.

Fulham fans are currently hoping for a potential play-off push this season, but it is a long way from their heady days in the Europa League final.

Fulham lost to Atletico Madrid in Hamburg back in 2010, with Diego Forlan proving too good for the Cottagers.

But where are those players now?

Fulham's starting XI

Mark Schwarzer

The Australian stopper continued playing after leaving Fulham in 2013, with stints at Chelsea and Leicester City as a back-up goalkeeper. He won Premier League titles at both clubs. He has not officially retired and features as a regular pundit on talkSPORT.

Chris Baird

A surprise starter in the game he went on to play for Reading, Burnley and West Brom before joining current club Derby County in 2015. The 34-year-old returned to Craven Cottage on loan in February.

Aaron Hughes

Like Baird, a Northern Ireland international, the 37-year-old went on to play for QPR, Brighton and Australian side Melbourne City.

The veteran is currently playing in India with Kerala Blasters.

Brede Hangeland

Joined Crystal Palace in 2014 and the Norwegian retired from football this summer. Now a TV Pundit in Norway working on the Premier League.

Paul Konchesky

Followed Roy Hodgson to Liverpool in 2010. Flopped on Merseyside and is currently playing for League One side Gillingham.

Dickson Etuhu

The Nigerian midfielder has suffered with injuries in recent years. Is currently signed to Swedish side AIK.

Danny Murphy

A key player for Fulham he left the club acrimoniously in 2012. Spent one season at Blackburn Rovers before retiring and is now a regular pundit on Match of the Day and talkSPORT.

Damien Duff

Left Fulham in 2014 before joining Melbourne City and retiring after a spell at Shamrock Rovers. The 100-cap international is now on the coaching staff at Shamrock and in the Irish youth set-up.

Simon Davies

The Welsh international scored Fulham's goal in the game. He was released in 2013 and made headlines for joining boyhood club Solva in the Pembrokeshire League.

Zoltan Gera

The marathon Magyar is still going strong at 37-years-old. After returning to West Brom in 2011 he is now playing for Ferencvaros in Hungary. He still plays for his nation as well, scoring at Euro 2016 against eventual winners Portugal.

Bobby Zamora

Left for QPR in 2012 and spent last season at former club Brighton. Currently unattached but not officially retired he is working on an affordable housing scheme with pals Rio Ferdinand and Mark Noble.

SUBS

Pascal Zuberbuhler

The 45-year-old retired at Fulham and has since gone into coaching. Currently a goalkeeper coach at Derby County.

John Paintsil

The Ghana international played for Leicester, Hapoel Tel Aviv before settling in South Africa with Santos and Maritzburg United.

Named assistant manager at Kaizer Chiefs in the summer.

Bjorn Helge Riise

The brother of John Arne never had a big impact at Craven Cottage. Now back at boyhood club Aalesund.

Clint Dempsey

The American grew into a vital member of the Fulham team before a big move to Spurs in 2012. Briefly returned to Fulham on loan from current club Seattle Sounders in 2014.

Unfortunately, the 33-year-old's career is in the balance after the recent discovery of an irregular heartbeat.

Jonathan Greening

The Champions League winner went on to play for Nottingham Forest and is currently playing with non-league side Tadcaster Albion. Also coached at York City.

Kagisho Dikgacoi

Went on to play for Crystal Palace and Cardiff City. The 31-year-old recently signed for South African side Golden Arrows, his former team prior to joining Fulham in 2009.

Erik Nevland

The Norwegian left Fulham and returned to Norway with former club Viking in 2010. Now



http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2016/11/15/where-are-they-now-the-fulham-xi-that-made-the-europa-league-fin/?

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GEOFF ELTRINGHAM TO REF WEDNESDAY GAME

Match Referee News

Fulham v Sheffield Wednesday

Championship Match Day 17 1617 at Craven Cottage

Saturday 19th November 2016    KO: 15:00

Referee: Geoff Eltringham (Co Durham)

Referee Geoff Eltringham, 36, a talented footballer in his youth, after leaving school, decided he still wanted to be involved in the game and thought refereeing was the best way to do that.

He came through the Russell Foster Tyne and Wear Youth League, Northern and UniBond leagues and then, the Blue Square North and Blue Square Premier, being promoted to the National List of Referees in 2009. In 2016 he was appointed to the new elite group of full-time referees to officiate at Championship matches.

Mr Eltringham has only reffed one Fulham game before, which was the 3-1 away win at Rotherham last seasonin Aug 2015. He yellow carded 3 players, two were Fulham players, McCormack and Christensen, both for fouls. Ref Eltringham also gave us a penalty in the 16th minute which was converted by McCormack

Eltringham last reffed Sheffield Wednesday in a 2-1 away win at Brentford last season in September 2015. He sent off two players, one from either side, and also yellow carded the Brentford keeper, a certain David Button.

Last season he reffed 37 games and dished out 93 yellows, so a low 2.5 yellows per game, and an above average 8 red cards. This season so far he has reffed 15 games and dished out 46 yellows and 2 red cards, so he appears to be holding back on his reds while increasing his yellows


http://www.fulhamweb.co.uk/news/geoff-eltringham-to-ref-wednesday-game.aspx?

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EFL Remembers

The EFL and all 72 member clubs will unite to pay tribute to fallen servicemen, women and former players as part of Remembrance Sunday commemorations and the First World War Centenary. 

The 24 Sky Bet Championship teams will pay their respects this weekend to mark the Centenary of the Battle of the Somme which ended 100 years earlier on 18 November 1916.

There will be a minute's silence and an EFL wreath laid on the pitch prior to kick-off in our meeting with Sheffield Wednesday at Craven Cottage, to remember and honour all of those that have fallen in battle.

All 24 Sky Bet Championship teams will be wearing Poppy shirts and the matches will be played with a limited edition Poppy ball. To date, Sky Bet and EFL clubs have together raised nearly £250,000 for the Royal British Legion's Poppy Appeal from auctioning match-worn poppy shirts.

Last season, Fulham raised just under £6,000 from the auction, with Moussa Dembélé's matchworn shirt bringing in the most at £420.

The shirts and balls from this year's Remembrance fixtures will again be auctioned to help support the fantastic work the British Legion does by supporting members of the Royal Navy, British Army, Royal Air Force, veterans and their families all year round.

In addition, Sky Bet and individual clubs supplied the British Legion with an allocation of tickets for all EFL fixtures across the three divisions between the 12-19 November, to be donated to current and retired service personnel.

EFL Communications Director, Mark Rowan said: "Every single one of our clubs lost players, staff and supporters, it is only right and appropriate that we pay a tribute.  Football is all about community and the EFL's clubs, fans and staff will all stand in silence together to pay our respects this November."

Sky Bet spokesman Sandro Di Michele added: "We're delighted to be continuing our relationship with the Royal British Legion into a third season after raising a terrific amount of money last year. The generosity shown by fans of Championship clubs was truly remarkable and we hope this year's campaign will be no different."

Fought over 141 days between 1 July and 18 November 1916, the Battle of the Somme was one of the defining battles of the First World War. With over 400,000 British casualties and over 1 million men of all nationalities killed, the Somme remains one of the most brutal individual battles ever fought. 

One hundred years on, the Battle of the Somme is being remembered across the country as part of the official First World War Centenary commemorations of which the EFL is proud to play its part by marking the centenary of the Battle of the Somme's end on 19 November

Having launched the #FootballRemembers campaign in March 2014 at the start of the First World War Centenary to mark the contribution made by the game, football continues to pay its respects to those who made the ultimate sacrifice 100 years ago.

Sadly, many players, staff and fans of EFL clubs were killed at the Somme, 1,000 whom fought for the Footballers Batallions which included many of the great stars of the day and some of those who would go on to achieve great footballing feats in the post-war era.

In recent weeks, EFL clubs and the communities in which they are embedded have been paying tribute to those who lost their lives. A full Sky Bet Championship fixture list will take place 24 hours after the 100 year anniversary of the final day of the Battle of Somme, giving clubs the opportunity to pay their respects to their fallen players and supporters.

This activity will support the British Legion's national campaign, Sport Remembers the Somme, to commemorate the role played by sporting men and women for the centennial year.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2016/november/16/efl-remembers?

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Piazon: Tough Game

Lucas Piazon knows Sheffield Wednesday present a substantial obstacle in Fulham's quest for a third straight win, but is backing his side to emerge with the spoils at the weekend.

A superior goal difference is all that puts the Whites above Saturday's opponents ahead of our clash at Craven Cottage, but Piazon is confident of seeing off a side that he expects to be there or thereabouts come the end of the season.

"It will be a tough game but I think it will be a good game," he told fulhamfc.com. "It will be difficult for us but if we keep pushing, keep going like we have been, then there's no reason why we can't get the win. To get three wins in a row would be fantastic for us.

"It's always tough against Sheffield Wednesday, but we're playing at home so I expect us to play well, put in a good shift, and get the three points.

"I believe they will fight for the top-six, as they did last year. They almost got promoted, they lost to Hull City in the Play-Off Final. That was a close game, I remember watching it."

Consecutive wins prior to the international break lifted Fulham to within two points of the Play-Off spots, and Piazon revealed that there's a good vibe around Motspur Park.

"To be winning is always good, always important," he stated. "It means there is a good mood around the place and in training, and we can enjoy it a little bit more.

"People are always happier when you're winning. In this league two wins is very important, you can reach a good position, as we've shown."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2016/november/16/lucas-piazon-tough-game?

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The Sean Davis Column

I was delighted to see that Sone Aluko won Player of the Month last week. It was well deserved as he's hit a great bit of form; he's creating goals, he's scoring goals. When he's playing like this you've just got to keep giving him the ball because he causes the opposition no end of problems. When you think that we got him on a free, that's a great piece of business. We all know forwards are confidence players and Aluko is one who seems to have just got better and better. And long may that continue.

We went into this international break with two excellent performances under our belts, and the lads have set the bar for themselves now, so anything under that will be disappointing. Of course you can't play well in every game, but as long as we've got that hard-to-beat mentality which we're trying to instil then I'll be very confident for the season. I still feel that on our day we're as good as anybody in the division, so let's just hope it's our day more often than not!

I said in my last column that we needed to get in Brentford's faces in the derby, and we did just that. We started off on the front foot, everyone was at it, the passing was sharp and intense, and in the end we got what we deserved. It was a fantastic performance away from home against a really good side, so I was buzzing with the win and didn't really want the international break to come after that. You're only as good as your last game, but we were great in that. We got a clean sheet as well, but now we need to maintain that consistency. We know that we're capable of doing it, so now it's a case of keeping that level of performance high.

We're up against another strong side on Saturday in Sheffield Wednesday, but there's nothing that should scare us at the moment. They started slowly this season but had a good patch of form not so long ago. They've got some dangerous players and it's always a tough game against them. Wednesday are a massive club and when they were in the top flight they had some iconic players like Chris Waddle and Carlton Palmer. But we're in the here and now; we're both in the Championship and we both want to get back to where we feel we belong. I still feel our home form is massively important. If we want to achieve anything this year we need to win the bulk of our home games, we can't keep relying on our away form. Hopefully the Huddersfield match was the beginning of that, and we can keep it going at the weekend.

It's important to keep this good run going, as we've got one of the trickiest games of the season next up at Brighton. We've just righted a wrong from last year by getting Brentford back for a bad defeat, and it would be good to do it again at the Amex. We lost 5-0 at Brighton last season so it's important to go there and set the record straight. The players who featured in that game will remember it, and hopefully they can use that as motivation to try and get a result there. That fixture will be a good indication of where we are as a team. I can't see it being another 5-0 win for Brighton, that's for sure. Hopefully we'll beat Sheffield Wednesday and go there high on confidence.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2016/november/16/the-sean-davis-column?

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CARVALHAL MUST UTILISE THESE 2 AS IMPACT SUBS AGAINST FULHAM

Carlos Carvalhal's side have had a steady start to the season which has left them finely poised just outside the play-offs in 10th position.

The Owls could've been in a much stronger position but for two successive defeats at the hands of Derby County and most recently Ipswich Town, both of which will have concerned Carvalhal somewhat.

Wednesday are looking to have another push for promotion this season after last year's great campaign ultimately ended in Wembley heartbreak for The Owls, at the hands of Hull City.

Luckily for Wednesday, they managed to keep hold of most of their squad from the last campaign and they were able to build on it as well.

The Owls notably added Steven Fletcher and David Jones, two quality additions at Championship level who could aid their promotion push.

However, with Carvalhal having such a strong squad it does mean he has to leave some quality players on the bench.

Here, I will look at 2 players Carvalhal should use as impact subs against Fulham.

ROSS WALLACE


Wallace joined the Owls on a free transfer in summer 2015 and he played a pivotal role in their success last season, providing Wednesday with key goals and assists.

Carvalhal has tried a 4-4-2 system of late which has seen Wallace pushed down to the bench.

Wallace should be used as an impact sub as he can have a bigger impact on the game when playing against players with tired legs.

Wallace's trickery and pace could pose a huge threat for Wednesday late on in a game where he can provide the strikers with opportunities.

His set pieces could also be a threat late on, with tired legs players start to make bad challenges and Wednesday wouldn't want anyone else stood over the ball than Wallace.

STEVEN FLETCHER

Fletcher was a high profile summer arrival at Hillsborough and he hasn't disappointed Wednesday fans so far, producing some very good performances and spearheading the Owls attack alongside Gary Hooper.

Fletcher has been playing up front in a two of late as carvalhal has tried a 4-4-2 system but after a run of poor results, he could revert to the 4-2-3-1 of last season and bring Forestieri back into the mix, which would most likely see Fletcher drop to the bench.

Fletcher would be perfect to bring on late into a game.

With Wednesday's quality from out wide they could deliver balls into the box for Fletcher to get on the end of, and as the game gets older, defenders can start to lose concentration which would give Fletcher the advantage.



http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/carvalhal-must-utilise-these-2-as-impact-subs-against-fulham/?

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Sheffield Wednesday: Owls can't wait to get away to Fulham


Sheffield Wednesday's David Jones, right, is looking forward to an away trip to Fulham on Saturday

Two defeats in a row and a particularly poor performance at Hillsborough against Ipswich Town before the international break has seen something of a cloud hover over S6 of late.

However, Jones says the Owls players are looking forward to getting away from Hillsborough for a couple of weeks and are relishing taking on Fulham and Wolves in their next two games.

Fulham are in good form and have registered some eye-catching results, not least a 5-0 hammering of one-time Championship leaders Huddersfield Town.

Former Burnley man Jones, though, insists that Cravan Cottage, not any other venue on the division, holds no feat for Wednesday.

"It will be a tough game (against Fulham) but we are more than capable of getting a result anywhere in the Championship," said the midfielder, who has been one of the more consistent players in Carlos Carvalhal's side in the six weeks.

There was the rare sound of booing at Hillsborough following that defeat to Mick McCarthy's side almost two weeks ago, with fans clearly frustrated by the performance of their team.

Jones understands the frustrations buts says that everyone associated with the club, the players in particular, must maintain their positivity.

"It's vital we stick together. We have got a good team spirit and we will be full of energy and ready for the next game," he said.

Such is the congested nature of the Championship table, Wednesday could feasibly jump from 10th and go joint level on points with the sixth-placed side with a victory over the Cottagers on Saturday.

In turn, Fulham could open up a gap themselves as they bid to make a claim to be contenders for the play-off places.

Jones isn't concerning himself with that aspect and is just looking forward to adding another tally in the 'win' column this weekend.

"It's a game we will be up for and looking forward to and we will be wanting to get back to winning ways," he added. "We have got some good experience in the team and I think we have put in some really good away performances.

"I thought our performance was generally good at Derby. It is just the little details that count for big things at this level of football. "When we go away, we fancy ourselves anywhere."



Read more at: http://www.thestar.co.uk/sport/football/sheffield-wednesday/sheffield-wednesday-owls-can-t-wait-to-get-away-to-fulham-1-8242783?