Monday Fulham Stuff (30/10/17)...

[WhiteJC]

How to get Fulham firing again
by Dan on October 29, 2017

An incensed Slavisa Jokanovic took no comfort in Tom Cairney's late equaliser yesterday, insisting that Fulham's performance against Bolton Wanderers was 'not good enough'. The Serbian was spot on in recognising that his side once again fell far short of the standards they set towards the tail end of last season but, in a big week that sees the Whites face Bristol City and Wolverhampton Wanderers in quick succession, the head coach's focus has to be on identifying solutions rather than diagnosing problems.

Fulham's failure to put away sides who sit deep and invite pressure threatens to undermine their ambitions to battling away at the right end of the table again come May. Jokanovic has to accept some of the blame for moving away from playing Rui Fonte, who looked the answer to Fulham's potency problems during a blistering display at Ipswich in August, as a main striker in order to accommodate Aboubakar Kamara on the back of his brace of goals last month. Fonte has the intelligence to pull defenders out of position with clever runs as well as play in team-mates but the former Braga captain isn't a winger, however hard he may try to deliver for his new side.

It's clear that Jokanovic wants his front three to be fluid and regularly swap positions and you can see why a centre back who is left facing Fonte when he's been busy taking care of Kamara might be befuddled. But that variety was missing from Fulham's front three in a first period where only the Frenchman got in behind the Bolton backline. Floyd Ayite, perhaps dismayed by a laughably poor offside call that went against him, failed to offer the verve and energy that characterisded his first season in English football. Even in the second half, for all the home side's pressure, Wanderers – well organised by Phil Parkinson – found it far too easy to defend against Fulham's patient passing.

If Fulham are to pack a real punch in the final third, then either Jokanovic needs to choose between Fonte and Kamara for the central striker role or the drills for those three forwards at Motspur Park need to be as repetitive as it takes for the movement to become like a Pavlovian response. The likes of Neeskens Kebano, Yohan Mollo and Jordan Graham, all genuine wide men in their own right, don't deserve to be denied the opportunity to provide the width Fulham are only finding from the full backs to date.

You also get the sense that Fulham's season will be defined by how regularly Cairney, Kevin McDonald and Stefan Johansen can start games together. The game against Preston turned when Cairney, with his eye for a forward pass, joined McDonald, who appeared the only man in white shirt putting in a shift in the first period. The Scottish midfielders linked up in stoppage when McDonald, whose ability is not fully captured when he's called a holding midfielder, decided that he'd had enough of passing to others and drove to the byline himself into a last-gasp roll of the dice. Johansen, who has struggled for both form and fitness this year despite an impressive goal return, made a real difference yesterday – and the midfield triumvirate together make Fulham an entirely different side.

All the qualities that Jokanovic has worked hard to imbue in his team over the past eighteen months will count for nothing if they can continue to concede shambolic goals like the one that handed Bolton the lead yesterday. Several fans have suggested that Ryan Fredericks, Tim Ream and Tomas Kalas might have been distracted by Gary Madine's gamesmanship and expected Geoff Eltringham to stop the game. I wouldn't expect any professional footballer to trot out such an excuse when the first thing you are taught as a youngster is to play to the whistle. Ben Alnwick's kick was designed to give Madine and Sammy Ameobi something to challenge for – the fact that the former Newcastle United forward was able to latch on it with three white shirts looking better placed to deal with the scant danger and work a shooting opportunity was pathetic.

Unfortunately, it wasn't the only time Fulham almost contributed to their own downfall. Kalas was removed in the search for the equaliser after offering Bolton an opportunity to extend their lead and David Button, who has been mercifully free of any howlers for much of this side, presented the ball to Josh Vela with one of the weakest clearances a goalkeeper could ever have hit. Jokanovic's play it out from the back philosophy does run the risk of the odd ricket – but these sort of errors are schoolboy stuff.

Earlier in the season when Jokanovic was asked about his means of ending Fulham's slow start, he inferred that his Plan B was to do 'Plan A better'. In his column in yesterday's match programme, he wrote:

The style we implement is the correct for the team and the players in the squad and, I believe, the best way to bring us success and, mostly importantly win matches.

The head coach, who will only feel the pressure that he places on himself to deliver results, is entirely justified in setting the direction for his side. But, now that the Championship has had the benefit of working out how to nullify his style, it is incumbent on the coaching staff and players to rise to the challenge. That means more movement and vitality in Fulham's play and, possibly, the option of a change of system if things aren't working out. A switch to 5-3-2 might offer Fredericks and Sessegnon greater licence to bomb forward as well as bringing the contrasting attributes of Fonte and Kamara, who have linked up well together already, closer together in attack. That's only an idle idea – but Jokanovic will know better than anyone that Fulham can't afford to be so predictable any longer.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2017/10/how-to-get-fulham-firing-again/

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham's Kevin McDonald rues conceding 'pathetic' goal against Bolton

The goal came as a result of a long punt forward from goalkeeper Ben Alnwick, which somehow found it's way to Sammy Ameobi who simply had to lose his man and fire home to give the Trotters the lead.

Fulham midfielder Kevin McDonald has described Bolton's goal at Craven Cottage as 'embarrassing' for his side.

The goal came as a result of a long punt forward from goalkeeper Ben Alnwick, which somehow found it's way to Sammy Ameobi who simply had to lose his man and fire home to give the Trotters the lead.

Speaking after the game, McDonald said his side simply can't defend like that if they want to get promoted.

He said: "The goal was pathetic, it was embarrassing to let a goal in like that, you can't do it.

"We're trying to get promoted and we're letting in goals like that, it's not acceptable and everyone of us realises that, but on the other side we had enough chances to win three games and came out with a draw.

"I think performance-wise it wasn't the best but we had so much possession of the ball and so many chances, but we say the same things every week. We can't keep saying the same things, but we dictated play.

"It's another disappointing day at the Cottage and we've got to pick ourselves up massively for Tuesday."



http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulhams-kevin-mcdonald-rues-conceding-13827123

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Fulham youngster Steven Sessegnon speaks of pride at winning under-17 World Cup with England after setting up goal for Wolves prospect in the final

The 17-year-old played a key role as the Three Lions put five past Spain to win the final in India.

Fulham youngster spoke of his pride after playing a key part in helping England under-17s to World Cup glory.

The 17-year-old played a key role as the Three Lions put five past Spain to win the final in India, with Sessegnon providing an assist for Wolves youngster Morgan Gibbs-White, before later clearing the ball of the line.

The Roehampton-born youngster said on Twitter: "Two years ago I made my debut for England lasting only 50 second coming off because of a knee injury.

"Two knee operations later (keeping me out for 8 months) and many other setbacks, I was able to fight back leading me to signing my first professional contract, making my my first team debut and now I assisted twice in a World Cup Final, eventually winning the World Cup.

"Nothing was given to me, I've had to work hard for what I've accomplished and I'm proud of how far I've come."




http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-youngster-steven-sessegnon-speaks-13828639

[WhiteJC]

 
Mark Beevers claims Bolton Wanderers made Fulham look 'ordinary' at Craven Cottage

MARK Beevers reckons Wanderers were two minutes away from completing a textbook away performance at Fulham.

Having defended manfully for 93 minutes, Phil Parkinson's side dropped two painful points in stoppage time to ensure their wait for a win at Craven Cottage extended into a 26th year.

The Whites had just 23 per cent possession throughout the game but Beevers insists the defence was comfortable protecting the lead supplied by Sammy Ameobi in the first half.

"We made them look ordinary," he told The Bolton News. "A lot of that is down to the team shape.

"We were really compact. They had a lot of the ball but we closed it down, put our bodies on the line and got our blocks in. We felt comfortable.

"Any team who comes here knows they are not going to have a lot of the ball. They have to set up in a way we did.

"You have to be compact and we have players who can hurt on the counter. I wouldn't say we just camped on the edge of our own box.

"We had chances and, for me, I think we had more clear-cut chances. We don't look like a team bottom of the league.

"The goal was just one of those things, second phase from a corner and he found a bit of space to put it in. It hurts but we've got five points from nine now, which I think is a decent return considering we hadn't won a game in our first 12."

Beevers' form came under scrutiny in the first couple of months of the campaign but has improved dramatically since the international break. Both he and David Wheater have taken centre stage over the last couple of games - and the former Sheffield Wednesday man admits they are enjoying themselves again.

"We live for the battle," he said. "Maybe three or four of the earlier games we've conceded goals or lost games that you are definitely not proud of but those type of things happen and you have to try and brush them under the carpet and move on.

"Maybe you look at the mistakes you made and try to rectify them but I always try and be better the next game.

"As a team we know we have had a bad start but we truly believe we can get ourselves out of the situation we're in.

"It doesn't change whatever league you are in, you have to be resilient. We have got players who'll put in a shift.

"I think the return over the last few games has been decent. We've conceded three goals, which can be improved upon, but it's a lot better than what we had done prior to that."



http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/wanderers/15626264.Beevers__We_made_Fulham_look___39_ordinary__39_/