Friday Fulham Stuff (18/11/16)...

[WhiteJC]

 
4-4-2: CARVALHAL MUST FIELD THIS SHEFFIELD WEDNESDAY XI TO BEAT FULHAM ON SATURDAY

Sheffield Wednesday are in a patch of bad form as they struggle to achieve consistency this season under Carlos Carvalhal.

The aim is to build on the breakthrough season of last year where they finished in the top 6 before reaching and losing the play-off final to Hull.

Wednesday have lost their last 2 on the bounce including a home defeat to an out of sorts Ipswich.

Chairman Dejphon Chansiri has invested heavily in the Owls especially last summer, when he splashed the cash to bring in Fernando Forestieri and Gary Hooper, whose goals earned them a top 6 spot.

Barry Bannan proved a shrewd buy, proving essential in the middle of the park whilst Tom Lees was outstanding at centre back.

The investment was much lighter this summer with Steven Fletcher and winger Adam Reach the most notable incomings.

Recent bad form leaves them in 10th but just 2 points off the play-offs, and they come up against free-scoring Fulham on Saturday, and here's the XI they should field to win...

GK – KEIREN WESTWARD
The first name on the team sheet should be Republic of Ireland international Keiren Westwood, who is widely seen as the best goalkeeper in the division.

He is a fixture in the side and essential to their defensive success in the last couple of seasons, and for now apprentice Joe Wildsmith should just learn off him.

LB – DANIEL PUDIL
The left- back has been impressive ever since his move last summer on loan from Watford, and he made that position his own earning a permanent deal this summer.

He has once again become a regular becoming a crucial attacking outlet down the left flank, and has improved vastly defensively.

He is versatile and can play further forward as well.

RB – JACK HUNT
Wednesday have some solid options at right back this season with Hunt being given good competition by Lewis Palmer.

But I see Hunt just holding down that position as that is what Carvalhal has gone for recently, and his better defensive work is what's needed to deal with free flowing Fulham.

He has played with an abundance of clubs and has plenty of experience at the top 3 levels.

CB – SAM HUTCHINSON
Hutchinson has been a regular at the back for Wednesday this season and has proved a revelation alongside partner Tom Lees.

One of the best partnerships in the league without a doubt and one of the most improved players under Carvalhal.

CB – TOM LEES
Lees is one of the best young centre backs in the division, forming an excellent partnership with the more experienced Glenn Loovens last season and doing the same with Sam Hutchinson this season.

CM – KIERAN LEE
One of the most underrated players in the division must be Kieran Lee, who should be the first name on the team sheet every week.

He has started nearly every game this season – scoring crucial goals and is a real workhorse for the team.

CM – DAVID JONES
The 32- year-old midfielder is a reliable outlet in midfield for Wednesday.

Despite numerous other options, the passing and vision of Jones is exceptional whilst his defensive work-rate has been superb.

LM – FERNANDO FORESTER
Whilst he has struggled for form this season, it is inexcusable to start one of the division's best players on the bench.

Whilst Fletcher and Hooper should start up front, Forestieri has the pace to work on the wings and assist them.

One of the best players Wednesday have..

RM – BARRY BANNAN
Whilst Carvalhal has shifted him around in the formational change this season, Bannan remains an integral part of the side down the right hand side instead of in the centre, as David Jones is better adapted.

After being signed on a free last summer he was fantastic in midfield scoring some wonder goals, and providing killer passes for assists.

ST – GARY HOOPER
Hooper was another player who proved a revelation under Carvalhal last season, after finding his opportunities at Premier League Norwich limited.

Hooper joined and scored an impressive 13 goals in 29 games and the 28-year-old is a key player for the side.

ST – STEVEN FLETCHER
Maybe the most important player for Wednesday this season is Scottish striker Steven Fletcher.

The 29- year-old has been flopping for years at Premier League Sunderland but did have a good record in this division with Wolves, and his partnership with Hooper is still vital.

He has only managed 3 goals so far but a man of his experience will surely bag more.


http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/4-4-2-carvalhal-must-field-this-sheffield-wednesday-xi-to-beat-fulham-on-saturday/12/#gallery-slide

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham could re-sign former Premier League winger - reports
KERIM FREI could be set for a return to Fulham, according to reports in Turkey.


Kerim Frei could rejoin Fulham

Turkish newspaper Sabah claims the 22-year-old winger is on the radar of the Championship club.

He left Craven Cottage for Besiktas in 2013, but has fallen out of favour at the Turkish club.

The winger has only played twice in the league this season and has not featured since September.


Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic admitted he could enter the transfer market in January

And manager Senol Gunes is reportedly willing to let the Turkey international return to Craven Cottage in January.

Frei was at Fulham between 2010 and 2013, making 33 appearances in all competitions, including 23 in the Premier League.

He scored once for the Whites, against Odense in the Europa League.

The 22-year-old has played 99 times for Besiktas, scoring nine times.

He made his international debut in 2012 and has gone on to make five appearances for Turkey.

Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic admitted earlier this month the Whites are searching for targets to improve their squad as they mount promotion push.

He said: "We're checking the market. The board and the owner might be looking. I'm always looking."


http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/562677/Kerim-Frei-Besiktas-Fulham

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham manager's message to high-flying Newcastle
Jokanovic speaks out on the Championship title race

Slavisa Jokanovic has warned Championship high-fliers Newcastle United not to start planning the open top bus parade too soon.

The table-topping Geordies will return from the international break eight points clear of third place and look set to repeat their achievement of 2010, when they bounced back to the Premier League at the first attempt.

But Fulham boss Jokanovic, having led Watford to promotion from the Championship two years ago, knows just how many twists and turns can still come – which is why he is also playing down Fulham's own rise to within two points of the play-offs .

He said: "There ate still 90 points in front of all the clubs to fight for. It is so early and everything is open. There is going to still be many important things, and all the teams probably will find an up down situation.

"At the beginning of November nothing is clear. In front of us there will be many important months and games. We are thinking about small steps and the next game and that's it, May is so far at the moment.

"We don't need to be thinking about the end of the season, we try living in the present and the games immediately in front of us. There are 30 more games and the chance to fight for 90 more points.

"This is my plan. I'm not talking about promotion, not talking about top six, not talking about May, not talking about next season, only what is immediately in front of us."


Going up: Jokanovic and Heurelho Gomes enjoy Watford's promotion

Jokanovic also insists it's difficult to draw too many comparisons between the Watford side he led to promotion and his current crop at Fulham.

He added: "Generally they are similar, but this is football, and I cannot compare all the clubs, teams and players. You have to find the best solution for each one.

"Watford play football, Fulham play football too, and thats it. Similar, but not the same."


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-managers-message-high-flying-12188781?

[WhiteJC]

 
How much does it cost to watch Fulham compared with the rest of the Championship?
Whites and what fans have to pay to watch their team



The Price of Football study from the BBC is the biggest of its kind in the British game.

Now into its sixth year, it measured more than a 1,000 match day tickets at 223 and broke down what it costs to see each and every club.

So to business - how much does it cost to watch Fulham compared with their neighbours and other Championship clubs?

For start the Craven Cottage cuppa at £2.50 and along with Liverpool, Manchester United, Bristol City and Rangers is the most expensive in football.

When it comes to a pie to go with that drink, again at £4.00 it's the priciest in the Championship alongside Brighton's hot offering.

Where the Whites score best is on season tickets.

Their cheapest at £254 is the third cheapest in the division behind only Wigan and Barnsley.

However, compared to the rest the most expensive season ticket at the Cottage is a hefty £839 - second biggest wallet emptier in the Championship.

The least expensive is again Wigan's - a mere £229 for the best seat in the DW Stadium.

A little rider on top: Fulham include a booklet of tokens for season ticket holders, local resident offers, and two mates for £10 offers.

To offer a neighbourly comparison, here are a few figures from QPR up the road.

An adult who wants to wear the hoops has to fork out £46.99 to look like Sebastian Polter, even without the haircut.

As replica shirts go, there are five others in the Championship even more expensive.

Pity the poor Sheffield Wednesday adult fans who are £55 lighter for wearing the team's colours.

Rangers fans' cheapest season ticket is £400 - the fifth most expensive in an 18,000 seater outdated Loftus Road and a constant carp from supporters.

The most expensive is a middling £649, compared with the costliest - £842 at Ipswich where you get a seat on manager Mick McCarthy's knee, or at least the equivalent.

And visitors to W12, know they're not far from the chic Westfields Shopping Centre when Rs relieve them of £28 to sit in the away School End - the cheapest away ticket.

However, Leeds and Wolves get their own back when Rangers fans fetch up at Elland Road and Molineux - cheapest adult entrance there is £35 and £30.

One other QPR rider: There is a special young adult 18-24 ticket for single and season tickets.


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/how-much-cost-watch-fulham-12189006?

[WhiteJC]

 
WEDNESDAY FEAR NO ONE

Sheffield Wednesday midfielder David Jones says he and his team mates are relishing the game against Fulham as the Owls look to get their season back on track.

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."


http://www.fulhamweb.co.uk/news/wednesday-fear-no-one.aspx?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham's Passing Numbers: When success doesn't lead to success
Fulham appear to struggle more when they have more successful passes? Why is this? Can something like Game Theory help explain this conundrum?


Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images

Fulham has had an up and down season. They've had games where they look like world beaters and games where they look like they have no idea what they are doing with the ball. The one constant is their desire to possess the ball. The change from game to game is what they do once they have it.

We've looked at numbers before, trying to explain Fulham's home and road form. This time we're going to take some ideas from game theory, examining possession and passing, to see how they affect the outcomes of Fulham matches.

What is Game Theory?
Game Theory is "the study of mathematical models of conflict and cooperation between intelligent rational decision-makers." Confused yet? In the simplest terms possible, Game Theory is a way to mathematically model the outcomes of games. It can be used for much more than that, but we'll limit ourselves to that idea.

There are all sorts of games that can be modeled. Some simple games like tic tac toe, can be solved. Other complex games like poker or soccer can probably never be solved, but that doesn't make the models worthless. Game Theory has been used in soccer extensively to study penalty kicks. There are ways to use it to decide how often you should take a short corner. The way we're going to use it is to look at Fulham's possession and passing statistics.

Is Possession an issue?
First, let's take a look at some of Fulham's stats for their games so far. We're going to limit this to games in the Championship.



Fulham is a possession oriented team. They've only been out possessed once on the year. The low on the season is 45.1% and the high is 70.6%, with an average of 59%. There has been a lot of talk online that Fulham often possess the ball too much and just kick it around without trying to score. To test this, let's look at the correlation between possession and expected goals. Is there a pattern we can find?



What you see here is that there isn't much correlation between how much Fulham have the ball and the goals they are expected to score. There's even less of a correlation between possession and shots (r^2 = .006). Clearly possession isn't the major issue.

Passing
Let's now take a look at passing. On average, Fulham are completing 82% of their passes. Their high for the season was 90% and their low was 76%. An interesting note is that the r^2 value between pass completion and the percent of passes classified as long is .74. That's a lot of correlation. This makes sense, long balls are harder passes. If a higher percentage of your passes are difficult, your total completion should go down. So now, let's take a look at the pass completion rate versus expected goals.



This isn't a perfect correlation, but it's much stronger than possession. You can also quickly see Fulham's best expected goals performances came when they completed fewer of their passes. Their worst performances came in the middle (completing between 80-85%. Correlation of course doesn't equal causation, but it can give us some things to look into.

Game Theory and passing
Why would a team completing less of its passes lead to success? First, keep in mind that at their worst, Fulham are still completing over 75% of their passes. I'd expect that if Fulham ever completed a really low percentage, their xG would plummet. That leaves us wondering though, what if anything makes 76% the ideal rate?

Remember that the chance of a pass' success is almost an entirely a function of how difficult it is. A through ball that splits two defenders is a much harder pass than a square ball to an open teammate standing 6 yards away. But which pass has a better chance of leading to a goal?

How does Game Theory fit into this? Well let's take a "simple" soccer example to illustrate how defense and offense are intertwined. We'll look at penalties. If I kick left, and you dive right, I score and vice versa. If you dive the same way, you stop me. That would mean that I should kick left and right 50% each and you should do the same with your dives. But in reality, it's easier for me to kick right so I will score more often if I kick right (shots to the left are more likely to miss). Should I kick right 100% of the time? No, because the you can then dive that direction every time. If you do that though, that opens me up to kick left. Even though I'm more likely to miss if I go that direction, if you are diving right 100% of the time, I score every time I shoot left and hit the target. That means the you have to dive left sometimes otherwise I'm always going left. I kick left sometimes to keep you from always going right, you dive left sometimes because I will kick that way sometimes. Eventually you reach an equilibrium. Both of us are maximizing our strategies and there is no more advantage to be gained.

But what does this have to do with passing? The defense has to defend against all the pass types. They have to be looking for long balls. They have to watch out for a through ball or a ball that plays a runner in behind. They have to press to make short passing and playing from the back hard. The pitch is a big place, and you can't defend everything. If a team is only playing short passes and building from the back, the opponent can bring the defenders higher and press. The fear of a long ball over the top isn't there. Conversely, if a team is only playing long balls, you can sit deep and win balls with a numerical advantage of defenders. Just like with penalties, you need a mixed strategy. There is an optimum number of passes of each type you should be playing to keep the defenders on their toes. While pass completion rate isn't the perfect test for this, it is a very good proxy for pass difficulty. We can use it as an approximation instead of diving into all the individual pass types.

Explaining the dip
You may have noticed that dip in the chart before it rises back up at the tail end. What can we make of this? To answer, let's think about a team like Barcelona. At their tiki taka height, they completed a very high percentage of their passes. No one would ever accuse them of not trying enough hard passes. However, they're a special case. Most often they had a genuine talent advantage over their opponent. In the Championship, it's rarely the case that you'll be that much better than the other squad. There are situations where you are though. When Fulham lined up against Burton for example, they have enough of a talent advantage that they can still generate 1.8 expected goals while completing nearly 90% of the passes. Against most teams, Fulham would never be able to approach that rate. So we'd expect to see the expected goals rebound at very high completion rates due to the talent disparity.

What do we make of this?
Fulham's struggles don't appear to be something caused by away versus home form, as we've previously discussed. They also aren't caused by having the ball too much. When Fulham struggle, they appear to simply not be trying enough dangerous passes. The squad need to try some dangerous balls to keep a defense honest. This isn't a large change. In the most successful games, Fulham are increasing their number of long balls by about 9%. This is only about 20-30 passes a game. This also appears to be something the team is learning. Quotes from the players and coach talk about being a little more direct and the trend seems to be that the team is working towards a completion rate of about 77%.



This is a good sign going forward, and something you should take note of when watching the games. If Fulham are completing a high percentage of their passes and not trying anything dangerous, you should begin to worry. If things are hovering around 77% passes completed, have confidence that the chances will come.


http://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2016/11/17/13637374/can-game-theory-explain-fulham-season-pass-completion

[WhiteJC]

 
How Fulham's Europa League run was proof that star power isn't everything

Fulham's Europa League adventure back in 2010 is a great indication that star power is not the only tool that brings success in football.

Six years ago under Roy Hodgson, Fulham Football Club achieved the unthinkable. After a memorable run through the competition they somehow found themselves in the Europa League Final against the rising stars of Atletico Madrid. The stark contrast in the two line-ups was staggering, and it shows that you do not need to be a superstar to achieve glory in this game.

First off, six of the starting 11 were from Great Britain which just does not happen anymore. In fact, it did not really happen back then either. This really was a special team in so very many ways.

In goal you had Mark Schwarzer, a tenured goalkeeper who was finally getting onto the stage he deserved. People were recognising how underrated he had been for years, and it was a great moment for the Australian. How can you not be romantic about football?


Atletico Madrid players applaud the Fulham players as they are about to receive their losers medals

Then you read across the back four - Chris Baird, Aaron Hughes, Brede Hangeland and Paul Konchesky. To an outsider looking in that is a who's who of run of the mill defenders, yet they were such a unit that their perceived lack of ability did not matter in comparison to the end product they provided.

The midfielders - Damien Duff, Dickson Etuhu, Danny Murphy and Simon Davies. The latter was actually the goalscorer and the previous three had been called either washed up or deemed to be not good enough to play at this level. Wrong.

Finally, the forwards. Zoltan Gera and Bobby Zamora. Two men who have long since been considered Championship level forwards and nothing more, yet they were starting opposite Sergio Aguero and Diego Forlan as strikers capable of playing in a major European final.

Fulham may not have won the game or the competition, but they won the hearts of the fans. Truly anything is possible in this game.


http://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2016/11/17/how-fulhams-europa-league-run-is-proof-that-star-power-isnt-ever/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Same again for in-form Fulham against Sheffield Wednesday

Fulham are likely to be unchanged again for the visit of Sheffield Wednesday.

Boss Slavisa Jokanovic has a fully-fit squad with the Whites heading into the clash after back-to-back wins over Huddersfield and Brentford, scoring seven in the process without conceding.

Winger Floyd Ayite, recently back on the bench after a spell out injured, scored for Togo during the international break and should be involved again.

Defender Michael Madl made his debut for Austria while Tomas Kalas and Ragnar Sigurdsson are also back from international duty. Sheffield Wednesday striker Lucas Joao could return to contention after recently returning to full training.

Portuguese Joao has been sidelined since the end of August due to a groin injury, but could increase head coach Carlos Carvalhal's attacking options. Carvalhal has no new injury or suspension problems as his side bids to bounce back from two straight league defeats.

Goalkeeper Joe Wildsmith is closing in on his return but is not ready for action following a finger injury and midfielder Marco Matias (hip), yet to feature this season, is still out.


Read more at: https://www.clubcall.com/sheffield-wednesday/same-again-for-in-form-fulham-against-sheffield-wednesday-1831332.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Early Bird Half Season Ticket

Don't miss out on our Early Bird Half Season Ticket offer, where supporters who sign up before Wednesday 23rd November will recieve a free ticket to watch Fulham v Derby County.

With a host of exciting moments still to come, secure your seat and back Slaviša Jokanović and the team for our final 11 home league games, with the likes of Brighton, Aston Villa and Brentford all to visit in 2017.

Half Season Tickets start from £149 for adults and from £49 for juniors - just over £2 per game! Full pricing is available to view here, along with a complete list of benefits.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2016/november/17/early-bird-half-season-ticket?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham boss hails Chelsea loanee Lucas Piazon



Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic has been praising the attitude of on loan Chelsea star, Lucas Piazon and suggested other players should use him as an example.

The 22-year-old joined the club in the summer and has become one of the first names on the Whites teamsheet during their recent run of three wins in their last five games. Their only defeat came at a revitalised Aston Villa after the appointment of Steve Bruce.

Jokanovic told Get West London: "Lucas Piazon, in the last few games, has started to be a very important player for us. He is very fast and has experience playing in this competition.

"He played 23 games for Reading last season, so he didn't need a lot of time to adapt himself. We are happy with what he has offered in the last few games."

Piazon joined Chelsea in 2012 but has only made one league appearance for the club, and last season he was loaned out to Reading.

The Serbian boss added: "He stayed with us during the international break, when we are not working with a complete team. Step by step, without any game, we try to detect what these players can offer us, how they can help us."


Read more at http://www.squawka.com/news/fulham-boss-hails-chelsea-loanee-lucas-piazon/828555#ePmLeHorvkQaV7lR.99

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham man admits new loan rules have added to his frustration as he eyes return to the side
The highly rated stopper has yet to taste first team action this season, due to injury and the form of David Button

Marcus Bettinelli admits he is frustrated at the lack of game time he has had at Fulham and rues the fact the new loan rules do not allow him to go out and get games.

The highly rated stopper has yet to taste first team action this season, due to injury and the form of David Button.

Had the 24-year-old been in this situation last season, he would have looked to go out on loan to bolster his match sharpness.

However, he is focused on doing his best to push Button and take the spot in the team for himself.

Bettinelli said: "It's tough not being able to get out on loan when you're not playing. Like Cauley said it's important not to put yourself in that mindset.


Marcus Bettinelli (Photo: Action Images / Paul Childs)

"You want to play here and try your hardest but, at the same time, we're in a situation where we need games.

"I didn't play much due to injury (last season). We both know we want to get games so it's not easy with the new laws. It's frustrating but that's football. When January comes, whatever may be may be."

It is easier for a manager to rotate outfield but they rarely make a change in goal, except in the case of injury, suspension, loss of form or misfortune.

For instance, Ben Hamer lost his place at Brentford in 2010 because he was stuck in traffic en route to the match with Richard Lee taking his place in the team, permanently.

Despite knowing how difficult it will be to win a place in the side, Bettinelli is not wishing any form of misfortune onto Button.

He added: "I'm not going to say I'd wish injury to David. I'm dying to play. Anything that Butts needs I'm there for him and that'd be vice versa.

"Andy Lonergan wasn't expecting to get the games he got but that's football. If he does get injured I'm ready to play.

"If that's the case, I'm in a good state to go out there and perform. I'd never wish that on anyone."

He added: "I've known Butts for a long time. He's a good goalkeeper who has played a lot of games in a row.

"He's a really good goalkeeper and a really good guy. We've got a good bond. It's been good we've got that competition between us and can get better every day.

"I've taken a lot of stuff from him and I'm sure he's taken a lot from me. He's a good goalkeeper and long may that continue."


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-man-admits-new-loan-12193632?