Tuesday Fulham Stuff (19/09/17)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham loanee delighted with maiden goal

Cauley Woodrow was thrilled to get off the mark in Saturday's convincing 4-1 win over Derby County.

Matej Vydra's successful spot-kick saw Lee Johnson's side trail at the interval, but Woodrow restored parity just five minutes after the restart with a glancing header.

As the decibel levels rose inside Ashton Gate, Bobby Reid notched his seventh goal of the campaign from the penalty spot soon after, before Jamie Paterson and Famara Diedhiou both found the target late on to cap off an enthralling second-half comeback.

Speaking to BCTV after his first start in City colours, Woodrow said: "I have waited for my opportunity and thankfully it has now come.

"I am delighted to cap my first start with a goal and obviously the most important thing is that we got the win.

"I think we were unlucky in the first half, particularly as they got the penalty. I thought we played some good stuff and we had a few chances but it just wasn't going in for us.

"At half-time the gaffer told us we had to keep doing what we were doing and we would come out on top, which we did."

Recalling his equaliser, Woodrow said: "I saw him (Joe Bryan) cut it back and I got myself into the middle of the box. It was a great cross and thankfully I got a touch and it went it."

Woodrow is unavailable for tomorrow night's Carabao Cup third round tie with Stoke City due to being cup-tied, so the frontman was extra pleased to demonstrate his ability in front of goal given the competition for places in City's starting XI.

"As a player, whenever you get your chance to play you have to do your best," the 22-year-old continued.

"I can't play on Tuesday so I am pleased to get off the mark today and do my bit for the team. I also got some minutes, which I have been lacking, so it is good for my fitness and it was great to get the win.

"There is a lot of competition, there are some great forward players here. It is only a good thing for Bristol City, and if we are all scoring goals and doing bits for the team, then it can only push the club on further to do good things.

"The fans were brilliant and hopefully they took to me - they looked pleased when I got the equaliser.

"The stadium is amazing and obviously the fans make it a great place to play."



https://www.bcfc.co.uk/news/fulham-loanee-delighted-with-maiden-goal/

[WhiteJC]

 
Ex-Fulham man Brede Hangeland believes former club 'deserve' to be back in the Premier League

The 36-year-old hopes the side can achieve promotion back to the promised land despite their slow start and admits he's waiting on the day

Former Fulham star Brede Hangeland has admitted he hopes his former club can target automatic promotion this season, despite their slow start.

Speaking exclusively to GetWestLondon Digital Football Writer Mark Ritson, the former Norway skipper has given his view on the Cottagers.

Hangeland, who now works in television back in his homeland covering the Premier League, knows how tough it will be to get out of the Championship.

"I have to say because my job is so focused on the Premier League, I haven't been able to follow Fulham as much, but of course I follow their results," said Hangeland.

"I was hoping for a better start this season and I felt this was the year Fulham could challenge for automatic promotion.

"Hopefully that is still the case but it's tough league, the Championship. They need to get out it if they can.

"I think the manager there, he seems like he knows what he's doing so I hope it comes together during the season. It's probably a bit disappointing with their start.

And he hopes his former club can get back to where they belong in the top flight.

"I am waiting for the day Fulham get back in the Premier League as they deserve to be there in my book," said Hangeland.

"They need one good season to go up but I also know how tough it will be for them to get promoted, so for me I wish them all the best.

"It's just going to be a battle every week."



http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/ex-fulham-man-brede-hangeland-13635734

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham's performance against Burton wasn't good enough - but it's not time to panic just yet

There's no hiding from it - the loss to Burton was poor, but it's not the time to panic about Fulham's results just yet

Fulham's performance against Burton on Saturday was poor - there's no hiding from that.

From the defence failing to nullify the threat of the ball over the top to Sean Scannell, through to the wingers who were picking out people in the stands instead of men in the box and right up to the forwards who were sitting too deep to do any damage.

The 1000+ fans who travelled have a right to be throughly disappointed with what they saw from their side, it wasn't a performance of a team who are going to get promoted - with all due respect to Burton they have to be beating teams like them.

But despite the performance, and the season not starting the way everyone had hoped, it's not time to panic yet.

Firstly, Tom Cairney hasn't been fit for the entire start of the season, and while a promotion winning side can't rely on one player we all know how important he is to the team.

Fulham seem to stagnate in the middle of the park when Cairney isn't present in the side, Oliver Norwood can pass the ball but he doesn't have the same ability as Cairney to control the tempo at which the Whites play at.

Everyone knows that a fully fit Cairney in a Fulham team makes that 10% difference, the ability to pick out a killer pass or to drag defenders out of position as they try to close him down in the middle of the park allowing him to utilise the space left in behind is so important to the way Fulham play.

One of the main reasons I'm not concerned too much at the moment is because of the fact Fulham are creating chances - and not just chances that mean they lash a strike at goal from the edge of the area.

Let's look at the game with Burton - Norwood scored from a long strike but the majority of other chances the side had were within the 18-yard box.

He should've scored from within the six yard box in the first half while Sheyi Ojo should've put his chance away in the second when he hit the cross bar - despite not scoring both players were in the positions to have what I call a "quality chance".

There were also 15 shots that Fulham took in that game, and while the two on target isn't pretty reading (strikes that hit the woodwork count as off target) the fact the side are still creating the chances is fine.

Fulham can't continue having such a high strike rate without reaping the rewards, eventually that number will return to the average, which means Fulham will start scoring a higher percentage of the efforts they have - meaning, like last season, the goals will start to come.



On a positive note, David Button is having a fine start to the season and looks very assured and commanding in the box - last season he would've been a bit more nervy about coming to claim balls but it looks like his head is in the right place and the defence as reaping the rewards as a result.

Slavisa Jokanovic and the fans have all the right in the world to be unhappy at the way Fulham played against Burton, there's no doubting that, but they're creating chances and still dominating sides without their key man.

There's also the small question of the full back positions - Fulham are missing someone down the left that will have the same impact this year as Scott Malone did last.

Ryan Sessegnon is destined to be a top class footballer, but his position is further forward and not at left back and Fulham will benefit more when Rafa Soares is fit I think we'll see that certain problem solved.

It's frustrating and easy to get disheartened with the season already, but I'm confident things will turn around and pick up soon.



http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulhams-performance-against-burton-wasnt-13635721

[WhiteJC]

 
'The Brilliant Fulham' weren't on show at Burton Albion according to Neeskens Kebano

The DR Congo international admits Fulham weren't at the races on Saturday but can't put his finger on what went wrong for the side at Burton

Neeskens Kebano believes that the "brilliant Fulham" weren't on show at Burton on Saturday but admits he is unable to say exactly why.

Slavisa Jokanovic's side put in a lacklustre display as they lost 2-1 to Nigel Clough's side, courtesy of Stephen Warnock and a Lucas Akins penalty despite Oliver Norwood's first goal for his side.

However, things didn't click for the Whites throughout the entire afternoon as they spurned chance after chance, with Norwood scooping over the bar from yards out while Sheyi Ojo crashed his five-yard effort against the crossbar.

Kebano was subbed for the returning Rui Fonte with 20 minutes left in the tie, and despite being happy to have played he wasn't unimpressed with his own showing, but vowed to bring back his highest level of performance.

He said: "We didn't play well, we didn't show the brilliant Fulham and I think the fact they won, I don't know if they 100% deserved it but they played with what they could and they won.

"Now we have to focus on the upcoming games.

"I don't know why we aren't playing, the fact is we lost - to put it down to something I can't say why we lost.

"I'm happy to have played, but I'm not happy with the way because I was not effective in the last two games.

"When I play I like to bring what I can and in this last two games I couldn't - I hope I will next week but if not, then the week after, and the week after that and the week after that and so on."




http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/the-brilliant-fulham-werent-show-13638132

[WhiteJC]

 
Liverpool Winger Sheyi Ojo Has Landed A Perfect Loan Move To Fulham

After a long and arduous campaign that saw Fulham finish sixth in the Championship, scoring the joint-most goals of any side in the English second tier but conceding the third-most from the top 10, Slavisa Jokanovic led the Cottagers to a two-legged play-off semi-final clash with Reading, who had finished five points above them in fourth. Fulham boasted arguably the best young talent in the division in teenage left-back Ryan Sessegnon, and in Tom Cairney (12) and Stefan Johansen (11), the Championship's highest-scoring central midfielders—but falling to a 2-1 aggregate loss to Jaap Stam's side, it was clear where the weaknesses lay in Jokanovic's squad: over the two games, the southwest London side fired 31 shots on goal, with only one finding the back of the net, coming from Cairney, who benefited from an error from Ali Al-Habsi. Heading into the summer transfer window, Jokanovic needed to bolster his attacking line, as the former Yugoslavia international plotted to lead his side to the Premier League at the third time of asking.

Last season, 65 players left the English top flight for the Championship on a temporary basis, with short-term loans providing managers the opportunity to bolster their squad without impacting the club's finances in what is arguably the most unpredictable league in Europe. Three of those came from Liverpool: Danny Ward joined Huddersfield Town, Ryan Kent moved to Barnsley and Adam Bogdan took up duties at Wigan Athletic. For the Reds, in the case of Ward and Kent, this provided two of Jurgen Klopp's most promising young players with the opportunity for regular football in a competitive environment, and both enjoyed productive campaigns away from Merseyside—as was the case with the likes of Joao Carlos Teixeira, Jordon Ibe and Andre Wisdom before them in recent years. This is something of a win-win situation for both clubs—and typically the player, too—providing the blueprint as Klopp streamlined his squad ahead of 2017/18.

Liverpool ended the summer with a flurry of late loan deals, with six players leaving the club in the final two weeks of the transfer window to ensure a positive conclusion in terms of outgoings. Kent made the bold move to join SC Freiburg in the Bundesliga, serving as a major step up from Coventry City in 2016/17; Divock Origi also switched to Germany with VfL Wolfsburg, with the 22-year-old set to take up a starring role under Andries Jonker; Allan Rodrigues joined Cypriot outfit Apollon Limassol, in a bid to secure a work permit to turn out for the Reds next season; and lower down the English leagues, Jordan Williams joined Rochdale on a six-month deal and Toni Gomes made his way to Forest Green Rovers for the rest of the campaign.

For Sheyi Ojo, August brought the end to a lengthy summer of speculation and contemplation, with the winger turning down moves to Middlesbrough, Derby County and Newcastle United in favour of Fulham, returning to the south of England six years after leaving MK Dons for Liverpool. Despite only turning 20 in June, this campaign is a pivotal one for the winger, who had previously spent loan spells with Wigan and Wolves before making an impact in Klopp's senior squad in the second half of 2015/16. After averaging a goal or assist every 90 minutes for the Reds that term, Ojo made just two appearances in 2016/17, both in the FA Cup against Plymouth Argyle, and he featured just once under Klopp this pre-season, setting up two goals in a 45-minute showing against Tranmere Rovers. He was omitted from Klopp's touring squad for both Hong Kong and Germany, as he mulled over his options ahead of a season away from Merseyside—having dropped even further down the pecking order following the arrival of Mohamed Sarah from Roma.

Holding the record as the most expensive 14-year-old in world football, making his senior debut at 17 and having represented England at every age group from under-16 to under-21, Ojo's career to date has been a swift-moving affair, and taking time to consider his options over the summer was wise. With Derby a club blighted with perennial managerial instability, Garry Monk still picking up the pieces at Middlesbrough following the dismissal of Aitor Karanka and there being no guarantee of a regular role under Rafa Benitez at Newcastle, opting for Fulham serves as the most logical step for Ojo, who needs a consistent first-team berth to seal a long-term place under Klopp at Anfield.

And in Jokanovic, Ojo is operating under a manager who has the backing of his club's board, and their supporters, with a proving record of developing young players. The 17-year-old Sessegnon is the key example at Craven Cottage, with the left-back having made 30 appearances for Fulham last season, but the Serbian also called upon seven other players aged 23 or under on at least five occasions in 2016/17. Furthermore, as Ojo attested on joining the Cottagers, "the way Fulham play football is the best in the Championship," with Jokanovic's possession-based game simply needing more attacking thrust to propel them into the top tier.

It is clearly paying off for Ojo so far, as the youngster has played the full 90 minutes in every game he has been available for this season, laying on Floyd Ayite's opener in September's 2-1 win at home to promotion rivals Hull City. Ojo has clear goals for his season away from Liverpool, saying "my ambition is to help get the team as many wins as possible with goals and assists," with a tangible end product both required to catch Klopp's eye in the future and transform his loan side's profligate attack. This season, Fulham need Ojo as much as Ojo needs Fulham, and this mutually beneficial situation provides the winger with the ideal opportunity to hone his clear, vast potential.




http://www.umaxit.com/index.php/columns/liverpool-winger-sheyi-ojo-has-landed-a-perfect-loan-move-to-fulham

[WhiteJC]

 
After claim Aston Villa have already contacted Bruce replacement, situation seems to dilute

Last week, an interesting tidbit of information appeared in Sport in Spain, claiming that both Fulham and Aston Villa had been in touch with Oscar Garcia, former Brighton manager and now in charge of Saint-Etienne in Ligue 1.

The Catalan coach, who currently has Les Verts third in the French league after six games with 13 points, was apparently the man both sides were after if they decided/were forced to replace their current managers in Steve Bruce and Slavisa Jokanovic.

For Aston Villa, who are currently 13th in the Championship, it was more of a results problem, while Fulham, who are 14th, were allegedly keen on Garcia when rumours were sending their man to West Ham, struggling in the Premier League under Slaven Bilic.

That news made its way all around Europe, with some outlets even misinterpreting that the Hammers were interested, which wasn't the case, yet few dared to comment on it.

Nothing emerged from Saint-Etienne, who only appointed the former Watford manager in the summer, and the only one who put forward their side of the story were the Birmingham Mail, labelling the rumours as 'distasteful', as no replacement rumours should circulate, regardless of results, and that no contact had been made by Aston Villa.

Maybe the French side felt there was no need to say anything, because they are confident Garcia is happy in Ligue 1, where he is doing well.

Either that, or the Aston Villa and Fulham rumours weren't true in the first place.



http://sportwitness.co.uk/lack-comment-france-aston-villa-rumour-strange-weekend-result-will-helped/

[ScalleysDad]

Good for him and all that but it is a bit unnerving that our keeper is getting so much recognition and so many plaudits. The work in progress does not seem to have advanced very far if our own defence is keeping him busy. Good luck to you Sir.