Monday Fulham Stuff (21/11/16)...

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Fulham Tickets On Sale To Away Members

Tickets for Derby County's Sky Bet Championship away fixture at Fulham are now available to Away Members.

Derby will make the journey to the Craven Cottage on Saturday 17th December 2016 (3pm kick-off).

Ticket prices for the game have been confirmed as:

£25 Adults
£20 Senior Citizens (65+)
£20 18-21s
£15 Under 18s

* Matchday ticket sales, if available, will incur a price increase

Derby have been given an initial allocation of 2,787 seats for the game.

Season Ticket Holders can buy seats from Sunday 27th November (10am) - before the start of the General Sale on Sunday 4th November (10am).

Supporters can buy their tickets from the Ticket Office at the iPro Stadium, by calling 0871 472 1884 (option 1) or by logging on to WeAreDerby.com.

To become an Away Membership Holder for the 2016/17 campaign and ensure you're in line to purchase away tickets first, visit WeAreDerby.com.

* Calls cost 13p per minute, plus your phone company's access charge.


Read more at http://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/article/2016-17/fulham-tickets-on-sale-to-away-members-3418010.aspx#KzYcrF7IyL5fJWg5.99

[WhiteJC]

 
Playing right until the whistle
by DAN on NOVEMBER 20, 2016

A match against Sheffield Wednesday, middling in the league so far and as yet unable to replicate the fine feats of last season, served to show just how competitive the Championship is. Carlos Carvahal, unthinkably under pressure from some despite almost taking the Owls to the top flight last term, was unwilling to be as open as Huddersfield were at Craven Cottage a few weeks ago and, whilst the cynicism and gamesmanship certainly grated, Wednesday were mere seconds away from claiming a precious three points.

For all the play-acting, timewasting and going to ground easily, Wednesday had footballers who were very easy on the eye. Some of the interchanges between fluid midfielders and Fernando Forestieri, now firmly back in the Owls' fans good books after hinting he wanted to leave the club during the transfer window, was mesmerising – and the quality of their football in the final third probably merited more than the goal that the Italian did stroke beyond David Button after a sensational passing move at pace.

This proved to be a match for battlers, though, rather than ball players. That's why the constant scurrying and unquenchable work rate of Stefan Johansen, who picked up from where he left off at Brentford, came to the fore. The Norwegian midfielder might have gone off the boil at Celtic last term but the combative nature of his football, allied with how comfortable he remains in possession, makes him a vital acquisition in the helter-skelter Championship. The intensity only increased when Scott Parker, sent on from the bench with a quarter of hour remaining, breathed new life in Fulham's challenge.

Slavisa Jokanovic was right when he said his side would have comfortably lost this game last season. Fulham's usual avenues to goal were blocked by a dogged defensive display from Tom Lees and, despite having to wait until the 76th minute to test Keiren Westwood via a Tom Cairney shot, the home side kept playing, confident that their patient retention of possession would eventually eek out chances. That they arrived in a rush in a frantic final ten minutes was not a surprise – and Wednesday suddenly looked like they would buckle under the force of that late wave of pressure.

Fulham's new sense of adventure is reflected in the fact that two injury-time equalisers have been scored by left backs at Craven Cottage this season. For Ryan Sessegnon against Burton, see Scott Malone yesterday afternoon. The full back had bombed forward willingly all afternoon and, when he found himself free to met Tom Cairney's deep cross in the first minute of stoppage time, Malone didn't fluff his lines. He's now scored twice in last five league appearances, which constitutes something of a rich vein of form, when you consider 75 games had elapsed between his previous two goals.

Malone's desire to get into the opposition box as the game entered its gripping denouement encapsulated the new team that Jokanovic is trying to build. The nature of this league is that many a game will be closely fought – and the margins between the top six and mid-table mediocrity are pretty small when you consult the table in May. Fulham's patience and persistence was rewarded yesterday and that, should, at the very least – send the Whites into two crucial fixtures against Brighton and Reading in good heart.


http://hammyend.com/index.php/2016/11/playing-right-until-the-whistle/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Jokanovic: We were hard done by
by DAN on NOVEMBER 19, 2016

Slavisa Jokanovic was pleased with Fulham's fighting spirit as his side claimed a point right at the death against Sheffield Wednesday this afternoon – and felt that Scott Malone's stoppage time equaliser was the least his team deserved.

The Serbian head coach was aggrieved that the hosts weren't awarded a first-half penalty for a foul on Stefan Johansen – especially after new directives were issued to the referees ahead of the start of the season.

It was one situation in the Sheffield Wednesday box where one player pulled the shirt of Stefan Johansen. I saw this situation and everyone in the stadium saw this. It must be some kind of change of rules. The rules say it is clearly a penalty.

They explained the change of rules. If they talk about this situation and then do not point to the penalty spot, I didn't hear very well. I don't want to be funny but it is a big mistake in a very dangerous moment for us. People care about important decisions.

Jokanovic feels that his side are much improved from the team that lost three times to Wednesday over the course of last season.

It was a fair result, we played very well and I'm really satisfied with some parts of the game. We did not surrender in any moment. They played the better football and closer to three points.

If we had played this game last year we would have lost 3-0. We did not offer our best performance but it was a small step where we are learning to compete.


http://hammyend.com/index.php/2016/11/jokanovic-we-were-hard-done-by/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Late Owls agony but Forestieri's back ... Fulham 1 Sheffield Wednesday 1

Football can be a cruel, horrible, unforgiving sport at times....

A point away from home in the hustle and bustle of the Championship should never be sniffed at. But, deep down, Sheffield Wednesday know they should have bagged all three at Craven Cottage.

Wasteful finishing and careless defending late on - I've lost count of how many times I've commented on those areas since August 7 - cost them dearly in the capital.

Scott Malone's 91st-minute strike cancelled out Fernando Forestieri's exquisite early opener to stretch the Owls' winless run to three matches. It was a much-improved Wednesday showing and they should have been out of sight at half-time.

After Forestieri's 10th-minute cracker (more on that later), Ross Wallace, Barry Bannan, Gary Hooper and Forestieri all had opportunities to put the contest to bed. If they had gone into the interval leading by two or three goals, it would not have flattered them in the slightest.

But Carlos Carvalhal's men let Fulham off the hook and paid the price in the second half. The Cottagers upped the ante after making a double substitution in the final 14 minutes and piled on the pressure. Ex-England international Scott Parker beefed up their midfield and helped wrestle the initiative away from Wednesday.

"We are not happy with the scoreline but I am very happy with our performance," insisted Carvalhal. "We played with personality and created chances.

"We deserved more. We felt we achieved one point but lost two."

SURPRISING SELECTION
After back-to-back league defeats, Carvalhal decided to revert back to the side who fared so well in their promotion charge last season. Ten of the 11 who started at Fulham played in the Championship Play-off Final last May. Only Daniel Pudil was missing, with Adam Reach filling in at left-back.

It was a big shake-up by Carvalhal, with Glenn Loovens, Wallace and Forestieri returning while Sam Hutchinson started in central midfield for the first time since Wembley.

Aside from club-record buy Reach, it was striking how Carvalhal ditched the rest of his summer signings. Both Steven Fletcher and David Jones dropped to the bench as Carvalhal went back to what served them well in the past in search of a morale-boosting win.

What Carvalhal's changes underlined is that the affable Portuguese chief still, after 17 matches, does not know his strongest team and that the club's summer recruitment drive has yet to pay dividends.

FERNANDO HITS TOP FORM

A huge positive for Carvalhal and Wednesday, though, was Forestieri's lively display.

Just as he did before the trip to Huddersfield Town, Carvalhal talked up the striker, claiming the little Argentine was looking "very, very strong" and "powerful" in training. Assistant coach Lee Bullen said Forestieri was "like a man possessed".

The coaching staff and fans have been waiting to see the best of Forestieri this term and he finally turned on the style. He seemed determined to prove a point from the off.

His movement terrorised Fulham's defence and he constantly harried and harassed centre-backs Tomáš Kalas and Ragnar Sigurdsson.

Forestieri's fourth goal of an inconsistent campaign was poetry in motion. After two deft, sublime touches by Bannan and Hooper, he drilled a right-foot shot past David Button.

The Fulham goalkeeper got a hand to Forestieri's low drive but couldn't keep it out. His finish capped off a lovely, free-flowing team move.

"I said Fernando was back before the game as I know my players," said Carvalhal. "Fernando is a player we need like this."

A sharp, hungry Forestieri will be a big asset for the Owls over the coming months in their attempts to close the gap on the top teams.

THE GOALS STILL AREN'T FLYING IN
Fulham are a team who harbour promotion aspirations themselves but the Owls were the better side in the opening 45 minutes and should have scored two or three. The big turning point was Hooper's chance.

The forward, who was later taken off after sustaining an injury, was an excellent foil throughout for Forestieri but he fluffed his lines in a one-on-one situation.

Had Wednesday established a 2-0 advantage at the stage, there would surely have been no way back for Fulham. The Owls' inability to convert their opportunities when on top in matches has been their Achilles heel all season.

Over a third of the matches have now been completed and there are still no signs of them becoming more ruthless in the final third. It is that lack of confidence in front of goal which contributed to Fulham's late leveller.

Wednesday sat back, inviting the Cottagers on to them after not managing to get the killer second. After Malone's equaliser, Fulham finished strongly and could have snatched maximum points had they shown a little more composure.

Forestieri was also denied in a thrilling finale. All in all, a draw was just about right but the result left Carvalhal ruing what might have been.


Read more at: http://www.sheffieldtelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/owls/late-owls-agony-but-forestieri-s-back-fulham-1-sheffield-wednesday-1-1-8248820?