Wednesday Fulham Stuff (28/12/16)...

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Results

Tuesday 27th
Brighton	3 - 0	QPR
Derby	1 - 0	Birmingham

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Martin: Pantomime Villain

As it was panto season when Fulham headed to Ipswich Town's Portman Road, Chris Martin was happy to play the role of the villain.

An academy graduate of fierce rivals Norwich City, the striker was given plenty of stick from the home supporters, something that quickly died down after he fired his side into the lead.

"I enjoy playing here actually," he told fulhamfc.com. "I'm a bit of a pantomime villain every time I visit, having come through just down the road at Norwich. It gives it that extra little bit of spice for me.

"It's all good fun, joining in with the crowd and whatnot, but the most important thing was that we came away with another hard fought win, but one that I think we thoroughly deserved."

The Whites had bossed proceedings in the lead up to Martin's 36th minute opener, when his perfectly struck free-kick flummoxed home goalkeeper Bartosz Bialkowski.

"When I take a free-kick the all important thing is trying to get it over the wall, and that will give the 'keeper the challenge of trying to get across," he explained.

"I always knew where I was going to put it but perhaps he thought I was going to go the other side or that Stefan [Johansen] was going to take it. But I was absolutely delighted to see it go in, especially after how we dominated the first half.

"With the chances we created it would have been a travesty if we didn't have a lead heading into half-time, so it was an important time to score. It took the weight off a little bit and I was just happy to see us go on to win the game."

Fulham saw a number of clear-cut chances pass them by in the second half before Ragnar Sigurdsson doubled the advantage, and Martin admitted there was still a lingering disappointment that it wasn't a bigger victory.

"It's been a pretty similar pattern for quite a lot of our games," he stated. "We normally dominate the ball, have a lot of possession, create a lot of chances, but it's about how ruthless and how good we can be in that final third.

"We didn't quite get it right today I don't think, even though we came away with a very good 2-0 win, we could have made it much more comfortable for ourselves, both in the first and second half.

"With the chances we had to make it 2-0, it was a hell of a relief when Ragnar popped up with that second goal. Once that went in we were breathing a little easier.

"But, like I said, I thought we thoroughly deserved it, we played some excellent stuff against a tough team. I've been in some real battles here at Portman Road but we played really well and the only negative was the fact that we didn't score a few more goals."

As the openings seemed to pass Fulham by, fans could have been forgiven for fearing a suckerpunch may be on its way, but a resolute display throughout the side ensured that didn't happen.

"I thought we defended extremely well as a team," he said. "The two centre-halves were very, very good, and Butts [David Button] made an important save at the end of the first half.

"That's what you need when you've not got the cushion of a two or three goal lead. In certain situations it can be easy to switch off and concede a goal, but that's something that we haven't done, and we've worked hard on that.

"We knew they were going to bombard our box with long balls and I think we stood up to that challenge very well today, which was an important step for us."

Next up for the Whites is a trip to the Madejski Stadium where Reading will be keen for revenge following their 5-0 defeat in SW6 at the start of December.

They recovered well from that loss, though, and after three wins from their subsequent four matches, Martin knows a stern test awaits on Friday: "Credit to Reading, after we put in a real dominant performance against them, they kicked on again and got back to winning ways.

"It's going to be another tough game. We were under no illusions about that the last time, although it turned out to be an easier afternoon than we thought it was going to be.

"Obviously an away game makes it that little bit tougher, but we've got a hell of a lot of confidence from the last few games and the way that we're playing and creating chances, and we know that we can be a real tough match for anybody."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2016/december/26/chris-martin-pantomime-villain

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What a difference a year makes
by DAN on DECEMBER 27, 2016

We are at the time of year when the newspapers are full of end-of-year reviews. The conventional wisdom is that 2016 was something of a disaster. Brexit, Trump and a catalogue of depressing deaths capped the other day by the sad loss of a great entertainer in George Michael. If you were Slavisa Jokanovic, you might be waking up this morning with a smile on your face. Even the notoriously hard to please Serbian could afford to be cheerful after a streetwise victory at Ipswich Town extended Fulham's unbeaten run to five matches and put the Whites right on the cusp of the Championship play-off places. What a difference a year makes.

It was on December 27th 2015 that Jokanovic finally concluded negotiations with Fulham to become the permanent successor to Kit Symons as the club's head coach. In the two-month period since Shahid Khan parted company with the popular former centre back for not hitting the agreed points target, Fulham had slid so alarmingly down the league table that the priority was now avoiding relegation rather than making up ground on the play-off contenders. Although things started well as Jokanovic watched his new charges put Rotherham to the sword, any progress proved illusory. Fulham didn't pull clear of the drop zone until late in the season as, despite the goals of Ross McCormack and Moussa Dembele, defensive disarray left them consistently inconsistent.

Never one to settle for second best, Jokanovic bemoaned his side's often basic lapses at the back. Come the summer, it was the first thing he sought to sort out. A permanent deal to sign the club's most impressive defender – Austrian centre back Michael Madl, who had been on loan from Sturm Graz – was swiftly agreed and Fulham also brought in one of the linchpins of the Middlesbrough back line that had just achieved promotion, in the form of Tomas Kalas on loan from Chelsea. He also acquired Denis Odoi and Scott Malone as full backs and began drilling his new defenders on defensive shape and discipline at Motspur Park.

Given the disarray that characterised last season's displays, the results have been extraordinary. Fulham are far from cured of the defensive jittery, but this new-look back line have now kept seven clean sheets – approaching double the number they managed in all of last term. Such defensively solidity has been achieved with the assistance of Kevin McDonald screening the back four and a culture shift amongst the rest of the side. Luxury players have been jettisoned and work ethic now trumps all – there is a recognition, as Chris Martin noted after the final whistle at Portman Road, of the importance of defending from the front.

Perhaps the most striking thing of all is the fact that Fulham now have a clear pattern of play. Last season's football was scrappy and often played at a hundred miles per hour. Jokanovic's side are now more deliberate and playing the prettiest football since Jean Tigana's blew away the competition on their way to promotion from Division One back in 2000-2001. The incisive passing combined with an ability to break from deep at pace – the acquisition of Floyd Ayite and Sone Aluko has made a massive difference here – makes the Whites a fearsome proposition, especially away from home, as their command of possession wears down plenty of physical opponents. The quality in central midfield, with the eye-catching skills of Tom Cairney allied to Stefan Johansen's irrepressible engine, is particularly striking.

The final piece of the jigsaw arrived at the end of the summer transfer window when Chris Martin joined on loan from Derby County. A long-time transfer target, the Scottish international didn't appear to be the most natural replacement for his compatriot Ross McCormack, despite boasting a Championship goal return that was equally as impressive. Martin had to wait seven games before finding the net for the first time with a powerful header at Barnsley and although he has since gone on to be a regular scorer up front, like Bobby Zamora, it would do him a disservice to judge him solely on goals. Martin has become integral to the system Jokanovic has honed to fit his Fulham side – drawing in defenders as the lone striker, bringing in team-mates with his hold up play and muscling off opponents with an added physicality that this time previously lacked.

Where the play-off places once looked out of reach, Fulham go into Friday night's last fixture of 2016 at Reading, with genuine hopes of breaking into the top six come the new year. The transformation has been all the astonishing given how much change Jokanovic has had to introduce within the last six months. Eleven new signings arrived in the summer, with some still gelling, and many not having previously had any experience of English football. Jokanovic has now turned Fulham from one of the most entertaining teams in the division to a very good side. Even in him, that must be enough to raise a smile. What a difference twelve months makes.


http://hammyend.com/index.php/2016/12/what-a-difference-a-year-makes/

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham considering move for Kiernan
by DAN on DECEMBER 27, 2016

Fulham are considering making a January move for Rangers defender Rob Kiernan, according to a report in the Daily Mail this morning.

Slavisa Jokanovic is keen to add another defender to his squad after Tomas Kalas' untimely hamstring injury and the 25 year-old centre back is one of a number of names he is looking closely at. Kiernan, a former Republic of Ireland under 21 international, has been in good form for Mark Warburton's side this season, making 28 appearances to date on their return to the Scottish top flight. He was part of the team that won the Scottish Championship and reached the Scottish FA Cup final last term, making 45 appearances, and has two more years on his contract at Ibrox.

Rangers would probably be unwilling to part with a key member of their first team squad and the Mail suggests that Fulham would need to pay around £2m to secure Kiernan's services.


http://hammyend.com/index.php/2016/12/fulham-considering-move-for-kiernan/

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Fulham in for £2m Rangers star - should Mark Warburton consider selling?
Fulham want Rob Kiernan, and are prepared to pay a decent fee. But is it worth it in January?

Rangers have been linked to quite a few transfers incoming in the January window, but so far there haven't been too many players rumoured to be on the way out. Martyn Waghorn has been one, but today we can add Rob Kiernan to the list - he's wanted by Fulham for £2m, according to the Daily Mail.

At any point in the past few months, we'd probably have driven him to West London ourselves, but Kiernan's got over some shoddy displays to give his most consistent form since joining Rangers, and has been mostly solid this year, particularly in recent weeks. Despite that, £2m is a pretty decent sum, and we'd have the window to look for an upgrade at the back and elsewhere.

The problem is that it's the January window, of course. It's going to be hard to find a replacement, since we'd normally be looking at free transfers, loans, and avoiding paying a premium for under-contract players whom clubs are keen to keep hold of. Finding that in January is next to impossible, so unless we had a planned move ahead, we might be making things a lot harder for ourselves. Danny Wilson has struggled to keep fit this season, and while Clint Hill has been decent, our only other real option there is Philippe Senderos, who is quite clearly not trusted to play much of a part this season.

In short, it would be a gamble. We haven't been linked to any centre-backs so far in the window, with wingers and attacking midfielders mostly mentioned. It's almost certainly worth the money, but it's also almost certain to make our team worse, at least until summer.


http://www.gotthebattlefeveron.com/2016/12/27/14088578/fulham-in-for-2m-rangers-star-should-mark-warburton-consider-selling

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Jokanovic ponders changes for Reading clash
by DAN on DECEMBER 27, 2016

Slavisa Jokanovic may freshen up his Fulham first team for Friday night's crucial clash at Reading – despite their comfortable victory over Ipswich on Boxing Day.

The Serbian head coach will assess his players' form and fitness at Motspur Park before consulting his coaching staff about the best line-up to face the Royals at the Madjeski Stadium – but gave a clear hint in his post-match press conference at Portman Road that there may be recalls for players who had not seen much action in recent weeks due to the hectic festive fixture schedule.

Jokanovic, who dropped Ryan Fredericks to the bench against Ipswich and rested teenage full-back Ryan Sessegnon altogether, said:

Fulham is not only eleven players. I need all the squad. I need people with character, with ambition and with desire to be successful. I expect those who didn't participate today to be an option for the next game.

In front of us, we have a few days to prepare for the Reading game and we are going to choose what is best for us.

Fulham will definitely be without Tomas Kalas, who picked up a hamstring injury against Derby County, so Jokanovic will once again choose two centre backs from Michael Madl, Tim Ream and Ragnar Sigurdsson, who scored the vital second in Suffolk yesterday afternoon.


http://hammyend.com/index.php/2016/12/jokanovic-ponders-changes-for-reading-clash/

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham may make move for Dicko
by DAN on DECEMBER 27, 2016

Fulham have been linked with a January move for Wolves striker Nouha Dicko, according to a report from Here is the City this afternoon.

Slavisa Jokanovic is keen to strengthen his attacking options in the new year and is poised to allow former England under-21 international Cauley Woodrow to leave Craven Cottage. The Serbian head coach has instructed his scouts to watch some of Europe's in form forwards but is also keeping tabs on the Mali international, who has had his current season disrupted due to injury. Wolves would be unwilling to lose Dicko in January, but are braced for interest for the forward from a number of clubs.

Dicko, who joined Wolves from Wigan Athletic in January 2014, topped the scoring charts in his first season at the club with 13 goals in 19 games as Wolves romped to the League One title and added 15 goals the following year in the Championship, before suffering the knee injury that has so hampered him this year. The 24 year-old has only just recovered from a horrible anterior cruciate ligament injury and has scored twice in fourteen appearances this term, missing an open goal in the 4-4 draw against Fulham earlier this month.

League leaders Brighton and Hove Albion are known to be long-term admirers of the Mali international and Turkish giants Trabzonspor are also reportedly ready to make a bid when the transfer window re-opens in a few days time. Paul Lambert will be loathe to lose one of his key players – so any potential suitors will have to splash out big money to make a January move a realistic proposition.


http://hammyend.com/index.php/2016/12/fulham-may-make-move-for-dicko/

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Fulham chasing Millwall striker O'Brien
by DAN on DECEMBER 27, 2016

Fulham have joined a clutch of Championship clubs in the race to capture Millwall striker Aiden O'Brien in the January transfer window, according to a report on the Sun's website this evening.

The Whites have sent scouts down to the New Den to watch the former Republic of Ireland under-21 international striker and they were in attendance yesterday as the helped the Lions boost their chances of getting promoted from League One with a 2-0 victory over Swindon Town. The 5'8" forward has hit ten goals in 27 appearances having been given a regular starting spot by Neil Harris after several stints on loan at non-league clubs.

O'Brien made his senior debut for Millwall against Southampton in the League Cup in August 2014 and scored thirteen goals in 53 appearances in all competitions as his side missed out on in the League One play-offs last season. Harris will want to keep the 23 year-old as part of his push for promotion, but Millwall's resolve to hold onto one of their brightest prospects is likely to be tested by a serious of bids from Championship clubs.

QPR, Wigan and Barnsley have all had O'Brien watched extensively while Fulham are looking to bolster their striking options in the January window as they prepare to let Cauley Woodrow leave Craven Cottage. Head coach Slavisa Jokanovic is desperately seeking further additions to his forward line that currently comprises on-loan Chris Martin, Matt Smith and teenager Stevie Humphrys – and the Sun asserts that Fulham are prepared to offer around £750,000 to try and tempt Millwall to let O'Brien leave.


http://hammyend.com/index.php/2016/12/fulham-chasing-millwall-striker-obrien/