Saturday Fulham Stuff (04/11/17)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Bailey Wright ban: Why has Bristol City skipper been suspended?
BRISTOL CITY captain Bailey Wright has been handed a retrospective two-match ban by the Football Association after being found guilty of simulation.

Wright was shoved to the ground by Fulham striker Aboubakar Kamara in Tuesday night's Championship game at Craven Cottage.

Kamara was shown a red card by referee Scott Duncan, but Fulham's subsequent appeal to the FA was successful.

City were then dismayed to discover that the FA decided to charge Wright for "successful deception of a match official".

Video footage of the off-the-ball incident shows Kamara turn to Wright and push him in the chest to the ground.

Wright is seen writhing in pain on the turf, as Duncan is alerted to the incident.

The FA rapped the Australian defender for simulation, alleging his behaviour led to Kamara being dismissed. 

Wright denied the charge, but a three-man panel unanimously refused his appeal.

He will miss tomorrow's game against Cardiff and the trip to Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday, November 18.


Bristol City skipper Bailey Wright after the Aboubakar Kamara incident

A statement from City chief executive officer Mark Ashton said: "We were hugely surprised by the decision of The FA overturn the red card shown to Fulham's Aboubakar Kamara on Tuesday night, but for The FA to then compound that by suspending Bailey for two matches is extremely disappointing.

"We were notified that a charge had been brought against Bailey for "successful deception of a match official" late on Thursday and given 24 hours to provide a response – right in the crucial window of preparation for our noon kick-off with Cardiff City at Ashton Gate.

"On receiving the charge, the information provided to us was extremely limited. The club was informed that a three-person panel, comprising former players, managers and referees, had concluded based on a review of video evidence of the incident, that an act of simulation had been committed by Bailey.

"The FA guidance on which the panel was asked to determine whether an act of simulation has taken place gives the panel five questions that they must consider. The panel is advised in the guidance that they can only find a player guilty of simulation where there is "clear and overwhelming evidence" of simulation based on the answers to such questions. The questions are:

    Is there contact between the players involved?
    Is there fair/normal contact between the players, resulting in no offence being committed?
    Is a player legitimately avoiding contact with his opponent to prevent injury?
    Has the player initiated the contact between his opponent and himself in order to deceive the referee?
    Does the player exaggerate the effect of a normal contact challenge in order to deceive the referee?

"We have, regrettably, not been provided with any information as to the conclusions drawn by the panel by reference to the five questions but the club's position is that the only possible question that is applicable in this case is question 5. As stated, Bailey did not exaggerate the effects of the contact and the contact cannot be considered "normal" – it is both excessive and also occurred when play had been halted for some time. To suggest this is a "normal contact challenge" is astonishing.

"The FA also concluded as part of the charge against Bailey that the alleged simulation had deceived the match referee, leading to the sending off of an opponent, however, no explanation was provided as to the basis of this finding.

"Our legal team prepared a detailed response with Bailey, along with video evidence that clearly shows Aboubakar Kamara charging into Bailey with his hands raised in which the club and Bailey maintained that there was no simulation by the player. The force of the contact caused Bailey to lose balance and fall to the ground, landing awkwardly on his neck and back. In no way did Bailey exaggerate his reaction and neither did he approach or complain to the referee about Kamara, asking for the Fulham player to be dismissed.

"The club and Bailey are disappointed that that position has seemingly been disregarded by both the panel and the Regulatory Commission and Bailey has been found guilty without ever seeing any evidence of how his actions are alleged to have deceived the referee.

"The rules also state that neither the club nor Bailey has any right of appeal and the club is now without a key player for two games, starting with the Severnside derby that is less than 24 hours away.

"In addition, we will not receive the full written reasoning from the Regulatory Commission until after the weekend. Given this affects an important Sky Bet Championship match, we find it very disappointing that The FA is unable to release to us the minutes of the Regulatory Commission's meeting and the full reasoning behind their decision today.

"Bristol City Football Club fully supports The FA's attempts to stamp our simulation to protect the fairness and reputation of the game. However, it is quite clear from all the evidence that this case does not fall within the scope of the offence of "the successful deception of a match official".

"This is a clear case in which there has been genuine contact between two players, which has caused Bailey to fall to the ground involuntarily and he has made no attempt to deceive the referee whatsoever.

"On finally receiving the full written reasoning next week, we will be consulting our legal team once more to discuss the options available.

"In the meantime we will be without Bailey for tomorrow's Severnside derby with Cardiff, which is a clear injustice against Bailey, the team, the club and its loyal supporters.

"I can assure you Lee, the coaching staff and our playing squad will be doing everything in their power to win the match for Bailey and your support will be crucial in that."

After the 2-0 defeat to City, Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic criticised Kamara for shoving Wright, but blasted Duncan's decision to send his man off.

He said: "[Kamara] made a mistake and gave the chance for the referee to show him a red card."



http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/875165/Bailey-Wright-Bristol-City-Ban-Aboubakar-Kamara-Fulham-Red-Card-EFL-Championship

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham beaten by league leaders Wolves

Aston Villa 2 Fulham 1

Fulham suffered their third defeat in four matches as they were beaten by the Championship leaders at Molineux.

Both goals came from Barry Douglas set-pieces, with Romain Saiss nodding in a corner after only nine minutes.

And a second Douglas delivery, this time from a free-kick, created the second as Leo Bonatini glanced the ball home.

Fulham, who were without captain Tom Cairney, created few opportunities and have now taken just two points from their last five games, their worst run of form since March 2016.

Given their recent results, a trip to pacesetters Wolves was tricky enough – but to concede two goals in the first 26 minutes gave them a mountain to climb.

Stefan Johansen tested Wolves keeper John Ruddy from distance late in the first half, while after the break Floyd Ayite shot wide.

But Wolves were often in the ascendancy. Ruben Neves shot from inside his own half in an audacious attempt to catch out Fulham keeper David Button, who later made an excellent save to deny Bonatini a second.

Fulham: Button; Fredericks, Odoi, Ream, Sessegnon; Johansen, McDonald, Norwood; Ayite (Soares 62), Kebano (Mollo 53), Fonte (Kamara 70).
Subs not used: Bettinelli, Kalas, Edun, Cisse.



http://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/fulham-beaten-by-league-leaders-wolves

[WhiteJC]

 
Landmark FA ruling on 'simulation' sees Bailey Wright banned at worst time

The key Bristol City defender becomes just second player to be punished by new retrospective action

The timing is terrible. The FA announced only late yesterday to Bristol City that Bailey Wright was to be charged with 'successful deception of a match official' after Aboubakar Kamara had his red card from Tuesday evening rescinded.

The off-the-ball incident in the 0-2 victory was little shown on TV although the official City Twitter feed has since tweeted a video clip of the incident for people to make up their own minds (see below).

Most City fans - understandably - are up in arms. They lose their club captain for arguably the biggest game of the season: home against their closest rivals in the Championship, Cardiff City.

The Bristol Post spoke to an FA spokesperson to clarify the disciplinary process.

City fans should be aware that an independent panel of:

    Ex-manager
    Ex-player
    Ex-match official

...have all decided that Bailey Wright was guilty of 'successful deception of a match official by simulation/feigning injury/exaggerating'.

Five questions must be answered by the reviewing panel, as stated in the official club statement on Wright's ban, and without a written explanation so far, the club believes that question 5 is where the charge arises from:

'Does the player exaggerate the effect of a normal contact challenge in order to deceive the referee?'

City fans should ask themselves, is Bailey Wright exaggerating the contact between Kamara and himself?

The three person panel has ruled - independently from each other - that Wright indeed did so from the video evidence they were given.

They have decided that Wright did so to get Kamara sent off.

The club contests this and says that guidance to the ruling panel states that there must be 'clear and overwhelming evidence'.

The Bristol Post 's view, from the above video released by the club, is that it certainly does not provide 'clear and overwhelming evidence'. However, there may be further camera angles or video evidence.

That three independent people have found in favour of charging Wright is pretty damning, but the Bristol Post believes that many people would view the incident both ways and the decision is very harsh.

Unfortunately there is no right of appeal and so City are stuck with the decision, losing a key player ahead of Cardiff City visiting Ashton Gate on Saturday.

The charge is also something of a landmark as it is the first time that a player has been charged with 'successful deception of a match official' in regard to getting an opposition player sent off.

There have been four such cases since the new laws on simulation were introduced last May.

Two cases - involving Manchester City and Watford - were dropped after the panels were not all in agreement.

The only other case was last month when Carlisle forward Shaun Miller was banned for two games after being found guilty of 'successful deception of a match official'.

The striker was adjudged of deceiving the referee to win a penalty, scored during a 3-3 draw against Wycombe.

That FA charge centred on the winning of a penalty while Bailey Wright's is the first such decision regarding getting an opponent sent off.

Both Carlisle and Bristol City strongly contested the FA's rulings.



http://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/landmark-fa-ruling-simulation-sees-726058

[WhiteJC]

 
Bristol City angered by 'astonishing' simulation ban for player who was pushed over


Bailey Wright has subsequently been banned for simulation Credit: Getty Images

Bristol City claim they are 'hugely surprised' by the Football Association's decision to retrospectively ban Bailey Wright for simulation, the player pushed over by Fulham's Aboubakar Kamara.

Wright is the second player to receive a ban for deceiving an official this season, since the FA and all 92 Football League clubs agreed on new measures to punish diving this summer.

In a statement on the club's website, chief executive Mark Ashton described the decision as 'extremely disappointing', the panel's reasoning as 'astonishing' and the outcome as a 'clear injustice'. 

Kamara was sent off when the two Championship clubs met on Tuesday, when he pushed Wright to the ground in an off-the-ball incident.

An independent panel subsequently rescinded his automatic three-match ban for violent conduct.

A separate three-person panel comprised of a former player, former manager and former match official - who viewed the incident on an individual basis without consultation - then reached the conclusion Wright had committed an offence according to FA guidelines on simulation.

They reported their decision back to the FA, who punished Wright with the mandatory two-match ban. The player appealed the charge on Friday morning, which was rejected by another three-person panel.

The only Premier League instance of this system being used was the panel's decision not to charge Watford's Richarlison after he won a penalty against Arsenal.

Bailey will miss Bristol City's Severnside derby with Cardiff on Saturday, while Kamara is free to start for Fulham who face Wolverhampton on Friday night. Decisions regarding simulation are 'fast-tracked' to help club's avoid doubt over who is available for selection.

Bristol City claim they have received no information about the panel's conclusions, and will have to wait until they publish their written reasons next week.

However, given there is no doubt that there was contact between the players, it seems likely the panel ruled that there was an attempt to 'exaggerate the effect of a normal contact challenge in order to deceive the referee' - the fifth point on their simulation guidelines.

Bailey held his face while lying on the ground following the push, but City claim he had landed 'awkwardly on his neck and back'.

The FA declined to comment on Bristol's complaints, pending the publication of written reasons.




http://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2017/11/03/bristol-city-angered-astonishing-simulation-ban-player-pushed/

[WhiteJC]

 
Wolves 2-0 Fulham

Romain Saiss marked his return to the side with an early headed goal for Wolves

Championship leaders Wolves opened up a four-point lead at the top as they comfortably disposed of Fulham.

First-half headers by Romain Saiss and Leo Bonatini, a 10th goal of the season for the Championship's top scorer, secured a fourth straight home win.

Fulham were not without a threat, going closest through Kevin McDonald.

But Wolves could have won by more at Molineux as Nuno Espirito Santo's men claimed an eighth clean sheet in 16 league games.

Both goals were set up by Wolves' dead-ball specialist, left-back Barry Douglas.

Saiss headed the first, on nine minutes, getting on the end of an inswinging Douglas corner.

There might have been an immediate second goal, but Diogo Jota's low left-foot shot flashed across the face of goal.

As it was, Fulham should have equalised, when home keeper John Ruddy flapped at an Oliver Norwood free-kick but, when the ball fell to Wolves old boy McDonald, he ballooned over the bar from close range.

Instead, Wolves doubled their lead on 26 minutes when Douglas curled in another wickedly pacy left-foot free-kick from wide on the right - and Bonatini got his head on it to flick home his seventh goal in as many matches.

Bonatini could have had more, sliding one wide, before being denied a headed second by a fine flying save from David Button, then bulleting another header over.

Saiss and Jota could also both have scored on the break, but another quality home display will have shortened the odds even further on Wolves returning to the Premier League next May for the first time in six years.

Wolves left-back Barry Douglas told BBC WM:
"Nuno is very in depth tactically and we're reaping the rewards.

"It's good to have a variety of different ways of scoring goals. It's nice to have been involved, but the important thing is the team to keep winning.

"It's important that we don't switch off. The pressure's on us at the top to keep getting better."

Fulham head coach Slavisa Jokanovic told BBC Sport:
"We did not show enough quality. We need to adapt better to the competition. I have tried to find some solution with better options.

"The past four games we have only one point. Not good news. For a month now, we have not been at the right level.

"We must fight all together and show more quality. If not, then we are in trouble."



http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/41772120

[WhiteJC]

 
Head Coach Reaction

Slaviša Jokanović was frank in his assessment of Fulham's defeat by Wolverhampton Wanderers on Friday night.

The Molineux outfit lead the way in the Sky Bet Championship, but they only needed two simple set-piece goals to see off the Whites. 

"Today we didn't deserve any points, and we can't repeat this," Jokanović stated. "Today there aren't so many positives for us.

"This isn't a new situation, we made similar mistakes, they scored two easy goals. We played around but we didn't create serious chances and we didn't show enough quality.

"It's a similar story. We are not in our best moment, not too many things are working for us. Some people still haven't adapted themselves for this competition, and we didn't show enough quality to be competitive.

"I tried to find some kind of solution during the day to day because I believe I'm going to find a better option, but I didn't find anything better this time for my team."

The loss brings the curtain down on the latest batch of fixtures, which has not been a profitable period for Fulham.

"One month is behind us without being at an acceptably good level," Jokanović admitted. "We must be serious and refresh our mind, refresh our bodies, and try to push all the team in the same direction.

"We are one team, we must fight all together, we must show our maximum level of quality and be ready to fight. If not, we are in trouble."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2017/november/03/head-coach-reaction-wolves

[WhiteJC]

 
Former Fulham man says side are 'lacking confidence' after Wolves defeat

Confidence was the buzz word for Kit Symons in the Sky Sports studio

Former Fulham player and manager Kit Symons says the Whites are in a "tough situation".

The Whites made it five games without a win as they slipped to a 2-0 defeat at league leaders Wolves tonight.

And it was a comfortable night for the home side, who scored twice from set-pieces in the first half and were rarely troubled by Slavisa Jokanovic's men thereafter.

Symons, a guest on Sky Sports' coverage, fears for his former side.

He said: "They're in a tough situation, a poor run of form, they need to get a bit of confidence back, they don't look like scoring too many goals, they're lacking in the final third.

"People are a little bit short on confidence. In the first half they did OK, but they didn't take their chances, they don't look confident."



http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/former-fulham-man-says-side-13857237

[WhiteJC]

Wolves 2-0 Fulham- Player Ratings
by Lydia on November 3, 2017

That wasn't an easy watch, was it, Fulham fans? We were always going to find it difficult against a Wolves side currently top of the league and looking very good for automatic promotion but we didn't get the performance full of hunger and desire that we really wanted. Wolves looked pretty much everything we didn't; enthusiastic on and off the ball, clinical from set pieces and full of confidence. We didn't really make them work particularly hard for their victory which for me is the real worry. Rather than try and dissect the overall performance too much, let's just go straight to the player ratings.

Button-5- Wasn't called into action all that often and only really made one save of note in the second half from a Bonatini header. Realistically he could do nothing about the first or second goals. His distribution for me was poor, especially on one occasion in the second half when he gave the ball straight to a Wolves attacker, but has obviously been told not to play it long.

Fredericks-6- Was our best player tonight. He looked threatening going forward down the right and linked up reasonably well with Kebano but his end product was very poor. He also lost the run of Saiss for the first goal. He did make some vital blocks and interceptions which helped Fulham at least keep a clean sheet in the second half.

Ream-5- Made a few important interceptions but just wasn't commanding enough for me as our most experienced centre back on the pitch. Our back line was broken too often and unfortunately Ream should have been able to organise the players in front of him a bit better.

Odoi-6- Looked quite good in an unfamiliar CB position. He wanted to pass the ball early but often didn't have the players around him for it. When called into action he did well, particularly when it came to preventing a chance for Jota on the 75minute.

Norwood-6- Lost the ball too often in attacking positions and found himself in the book early on. He was constantly trying to connect play with 1-2s and switching the play but other players didn't seem to be on the same wave length unfortunately. He showed glimpses of a really smart player, but isn't a Cairney replacement.

McDonald-5- A very mixed performance for our stand-in captain tonight. Some uncharacteristic loose touches which slowed the game down. He did make a fantastic last-ditched tackle on a Wolves forward to prevent a clear chance in first half injury time to keep Fulham in game. Was booked on 48mins for a high challenge so will miss the next game.

Johansen-5- Another lacklustre performance from one of last year's stand-out players. Johansen has gotten us out of jail on a couple of occasions this season but tonight he was nearly invisible apart from getting booked within 1minute. He also wasted a freekick from 35+ yards by opting to shoot rather than put the ball in the box.

Ayite-4- The blame for the first goal could potentially rest with Ayite as he ignored his defensive duties and played a Wolves winger onside, resulting in the corner that allowed Saiss to open the scoring. He did link well with Fredericks one on occasion in the first half that allowed the latter to put the ball in the box. He had a great chance to score on 50mins but put the ball wide after good build up play with Fonte. Generally speaking, Ayite was very poor tonight.

Kebano-5- Did a much better job of his defensive duties than Ayite did on the left but looked toothless going forward. Too often made the wrong pass at the wrong time and was the first man to be replaced, making way for Mollo after 52minutes.

Sessegnon-5- Some good defensive play, mainly when Ayite had left his man. He showed a little bit of inexperience when he brought down a Wolves player on the left when all he really had to do was stay on his feet and run him out. He got a yellowcard for his troubles, and Wolves went on to score their second from the freekick. He struggled to make an impact going forward but was let down by players around him too often.

Fonte-4- Our £9million man has struggled to adjust to the Championship and tonight was unfortunately another example of this. In truth, he had very little to work with, and had to drop deep too often to get the ball which isn't what you want from your striker. He also let Bonatini get ahead of him for the second goal. He could have made amends in first half injury time when he had a clear sight of goal but fluffed his lines. He looks to have zero confidence at the minute.

Subs

Mollo-5- Came on for Kebano after 68mins. He looked reasonably bright, but didn't really make much of an impact. I'd like to see him start after the international break as he looks more direct than some of our other wingers.

Soares-5- Came on for Ayite after 62mins. Certainly looks to be a good player and in just 30minutes made more runs forward than some of our other players but to no avail. We should see him start after the international break.

Kamara-4- Came on for Fonte after 68mins. Another player who has failed to live up to the perhaps unfair expectations heaped on him after his £5million move on the summer. Barely got on the ball in truth as the game was already away from Fulham at this stage.

Overall, it's a good thing that it's the international break now. We have two weeks before we face Derby County under the lights and Skysports cameras at Craven Cottage and hopefully that will allow the likes of Cairney to get back to full fitness and the team to get onto the training pitch to put right everything that is going wrong at the minute.

#COYW



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2017/11/wolves-2-0-fulham-player-ratings/

[WhiteJC]

Wolves ease past woeful Fulham
by Dan on November 3, 2017

The most telling moment at Molineux this evening came well after the final whistle that put Fulham out of their misery. Stefan Johansen, the man whose energy and desire inspired the second half of the season surge that took Slavisa Jokanovic's side into the top six, trudged straight off the pitch after an abject display. Marco Ceserani, one of Jokanovic's trusted lieutenants, remonstrated with him and pointed towards the Stan Cullis Upper, where a few hundred hardy souls had stayed to see Wolves play out time in a routine win that retained their place atop the Championship. He then physically placed Johansen back on the field of play, Johansen strode six or seven yards towards the away fans, did the most cursory of claps and turned to head down the tunnel.

It was an indication that all isn't quite right at Fulham, which isn't surprising after a five game winless streak and the added disruption of Craig Klein's headline-generating departure from the club's statistical research unit. Given that the Whites haven't tasted victory at Wolverhampton since Tony Sealey's hat-trick carried Ray Harford's side to a 4-0 win in 1984, Fulham fans would have travelled to the Midlands with feint hope, but an expectation that Jokanovic's quest for perfection might spark a response following the home defeat by Bristol City in midweek.

It wasn't to be. Wolves, full of confidence after ten wins from their opening fifteen outings, were sharper all around the field and clinical in the opposition box. The manner of the goals that Jokanovic's side shipped was predictable – both arrived from set-pieces where runners at the near post were afforded the freedom of the West Midlands – and Fulham never looked like recovering from the setback of Romain Saiss' ninth minute header. Denis Odoi, retained at the heart of a back four in place of Tomas Kalas, allowed the midfielder to get a run on him in the six yard box and the quality of Barry Douglas' corner meant there was no chance for anyone else to intervene.

The warning signs had already flickered for Fulham. The effervescent Reuben Neves had spurned an early sight of goal – and the lethargic visitors, missing Tom Cairney's spark, appeared leggy, laboured in possession, and worryingly low on confidence. Diogo Jota, who led the Londoners a merry dance all evening, flashed a drive across goal as the Whites appeared to overwhelmed by the fluidity and movement of Nuno Espirito Santo's side. They had to rely on John Ruddy to provide them with their only significant opening but even when the former Norwich keeper spilled a free-kick, Kevin McDonald spooned it over the bar from inside the six-yard box.

Wolves wasted little time in punishing their old midfield general for his lapse. The second goal arrived when Ryan Sessegnon was harshly penalised as he strove to win the ball in the left back area, but there was no excuse for Odoi and his colleagues to not anticipate Douglas whipping in another dangerous delivery. Leo Bonatini nipped in between a couple of white shirts and David Button to guide home his sixth goal in as many games – and it appeared as if the home side could inflict some serious damage on any reserves of confidence Fulham had left.

Jokanovic's side made it to the interval with the deficit still just two – and improved after the break, but the hosts looked as if they could score in every attack. Bonatini poked a beautiful pass from the impressive Ivan Cavaleiro wide and then Button did brilliantly to tip away a header from Bonatini before Jota, presumably taking pity on the opposition, contrived to miss the target from barely two yards out. Fulham's best chance saw Floyd Ayite shoot wide after some neat link-up play with Ryan Sessegnon but, although they perked up after the introduction of Yohan Mollo and Aboubakar Kamara from the bench, the best chances were still created by the home side.

Wolves moved four points clear of Sheffield United at the summit with this win and it should have been by a significantly wider margin. Jota, Saiss and Bonatini all failed to further Fulham's misery – and there is much to ponder for Jokanovic over the November international break.

WOLVERHAMPTON WANDERERS (3-4-3): Ruddy; Bennett, Coady, Boly (N'Diaye 79′); Doherty, Saiss, Rúben Neves, Douglas; Cavaleiro (Enobakhare 75′), Bonatini (Marshall 87′), Jota. Subs (not used): Norris, Batth, Rúben Vinagre, Hélder Costa.

BOOKED: Saiss, Douglas.

GOALS: Saiss (9), Bonatini (26).

FULHAM (4-3-3): Button; Fredericks, R. Sessegnon, Odoi, Ream; McDonald, Norwood, Johansen; Kebano (Mollo 54), Ayite (Soares 63), Fonte (Kamara 70). Subs (not used): Bettinelli, Kalas, Tayo Edun, Cissé.

BOOKED: Johansen, Norwood, R. Sessegnon, McDonald.

REFEREE: David Coote (Nottinghamshire).

ATTENDANCE: 24,388.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2017/11/wolves-ease-past-woeful-fulham/

[WhiteJC]

 
'Sacking incoming!' - Fulham fans turn on Slavisa Jokanovic after Wolves defeat

It has been a difficult season for Fulham

If a month is a long time in football, then six is an age.

Half a year ago, Fulham were getting ready to take part in the Championship playoffs with the possibility of a return to the Premier League dangling just out of reach as they were bested by Reading over two legs.

But instead of kicking on this season, the new campaign has only brought despair as Slavisa Jokanovic's men find themselves down in 16th place with just 19 points in 16 games.

It was another disappointing night for the Londoners tonight as they were beaten 2-0 by league leaders Wolves and for some fans it was the final straw.

Fulham have won just four games so far this season and have a negative goal difference after boasting a +28 differential last year.

For many, Friday night's game was the proof that it is time for the club to part ways with Jokanovic in order to save their troubled season.




http://www.football.london/championship/slavisa-jokanovic-fulham-fans-manager-13857257

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham boss warns of "trouble" if performances don't improve

Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic says his side will be "in trouble" unless they show more fight and quality in their performances.

The Whites were beaten 2-0 at Wolves on Friday night, and have not won any of their last five Championship games.

"Today we didn't deserve any points, and we can't repeat this," Jokanovic said.

"We are not in our best moment, not too many things are working for us.

"We must be serious and refresh our mind, refresh our bodies, and try to push all the team in the same direction.

"We are one team, we must fight all together, we must show our maximum level of quality and be ready to fight.

"If not, we are in trouble."



http://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/fulham-boss-warns-trouble-performances-dont-improve

[WhiteJC]

Jokanovic: 'We must fight together'
by Dan on November 3, 2017

Slavisa Jokanovic admitted his Fulham side didn't deserve anything after an abject performance at Molineux saw them easily beaten by Wolves.

The Serbian head coach told Sky Sports that the meek capitulation at the hands of the league leaders was a similar story to Fulham's previous defeat and insisted that things had to change.

    Today we didn't deserve any points, and we can't repeat this. We are not in our best moment, not too many things are working for us. We must be serious and refresh our mind, refresh our bodies, and try to push all the team in the same direction.

    We are one team, we must fight all together, we must show our maximum level of quality and be ready to fight. If not, we are in trouble.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2017/11/jokanovic-we-must-fight-together/

[WhiteJC]

'Slavisa out?' – Why Fulham fans should keep the faith.
by Dan on November 4, 2017

It sounds strange to say it, when the game was screened on national television, but the full horror of Fulham's flat display at Molineux last night was far worse in person. Nuno Espirito Santo has clearly got Wolves playing the sort of the football that befits Wanderers' illustrious past, but the Championship's best side didn't win through outstanding moments of class. Instead, they were only in cruise control because of Fulham's baffling failure to take care of football's fundamentals.

Stuart Gray and Jokanovic have worked hard to eradicate the defensive deficiencies that plagued Fulham's disastrous early years back in English football's second tier, but the ease with which Wolves assumed control of the contest from a couple of set plays was embarrassing. Both deliveries from Barry Douglas were dangerous, but against a well-drilled opponent, the defending was diabolical. Ollie Norwood, a late replacement for Tom Cairney, appeared happy to pass Romain Saiss onto Denis Odoi at the first corner – but neither man made much of an effort to prevent the Wolves midfielder from getting a run at the ball inside the six-yard box. Whoever was policing the near post zone showed about as much interest in their defensive duties as Dimitar Berbatov did at Southampton a few years back.

Heads dropped and Fulham didn't look like recovering. It was almost an action replay fifteen minutes later. A free-kick from the same side, again whipped in by Douglas, and there was Leo Bonatini arriving between defenders to glance the deftest of free headers beyond a blameless Button. Both Jokanovic and Gray seethed on the sidelines – and they'll be a thorough inquest into just easily the league's in-form striker, whose now scored six in six, was able to shrug off the attentions of Ryan Sessegnon and Rui Fonte at the front post.

The headline of this piece might seem a little curious four paragraphs in. But defensive fundamentals can be drilled down at Motspur Park – just ask the boys bored rigid by Roy Hodgson how successful a regimented regime can become. Upon getting to the concourse at half-time, most of the hardy 500 or so Fulham fans who had braved a late Sky fixture switch, train delays and the spaghetti junction on a Friday afternoon, were questioning quite why they didn't just watch it on the telly.

I fall into conversation with two young lads who travel to watch Fulham all over the country for reasons passing understanding. Both were utterly convinced that Slavisa Jokanovic had to go. I was fairly astonished that the head coach who had engineered such a startling turnaround in Fulham's fortunes last season already had an 'Out' faction against him, but I heard them out. 'It's bollocks. We just pass it from side to side, we can't defend, and teams have worked out how to beat us. There's no Plan B, nothing else we can do – and you know we've lost if we concede first,' was what the first fan offered.

I attempted to counter with the fact that the recent two draws with Preston and Bolton showed that Jokanovic's Fulham have some fight in them, but the second lad shot me down with, 'they ain't doing much fighting tonight'. I couldn't argue with that point and just shook their hands because it was getting quite heated – reasoning that sacking Jokanovic would precipitate a such for a new manager and given how long it took to get the Serbian in place I wouldn't fancy Fulham's recruitment taking place during the Championship season's most unforgiving phase.

The idea that Jokanovic is under any sort of pressure from the fans – and he clearly seems to be, judging from the social media posts and some of the opprobrium aimed at him from the fans who went last night – seems odd to me. Perhaps it's a sad reflection of modern football. You're only as good as your last game and wins are what counts. He might well be behind his points target, which apparently was the reason for Fulham dispensing with Kit Symons services around this time two years ago, but you'd think that the mesmorising football Fulham played to reach the play-offs would earn him some credit.

There's no doubt it has been a difficult week down at Motspur Park. Jokanovic strives for the highest standards from his players and you can see him turn away exasperated every time a midfielder shirks a challenge or sends a pass astray that he wouldn't have done during his Yugoslavian/Serbian/continental playing career. It couldn't have been easy to retain the team's focus on the upcoming fixtures with the hoo-ha that accompanied Craig Kline's departure, although the end of the American data analyst's input must be chalked up as a victory for the head coach.

Those predicting the end of Fulham's 'Moneyball' approach following Klein's abrupt exit are mistaken. Analytics are woven heavily into the fabric of modern football and, with Tony Khan having revolutionised the way in which the club applies data, they will remain a part of how things are done in SW6. There's nothing wrong with that. Klein's interim replacement, James Lovell, is also a disciple of numbers and knows just how blending them with sports science and very English traditional coaching methods can work from when he helped Wolves win promotion from this league in 2009. Crucially, Lovell is a respected member of the team at Motspur Park – having been brought in six years ago largely on the back of his innovative approach – and has a good working relationship with the head coach.

As a result of last night's defeat, Fulham sit in sixteenth place after sixteen games and will probably fall further when the rest of the weekend's results are in. It's nowhere near where the Whites want to be, but the measure of character is how people respond to tough times. Watching the second half and then listening and reading to the comments posted by Fulham fans who did the same, I was reminded of the way Micky Adams always ended his programme notes with three words, 'keep the faith'.

It's not so long ago that Fulham fans were snapping up those wonderful 'Slavisa – Making Fulham Great Again' tees and the successor that welcomed everyone to the 'Slavalution' (you can still get them courtesy of Cult Zeros and the Fulham Nice Guys, by the way). The man who got Fulham playing their sexiest football since Jean Tigana hasn't become a busted flush in six weeks. The internet, our individualist society and the modern game mean that the fickle football fan has become forgetful as well as impatient. Fulham fans have always been far with managers who respected the club and our illustrious history. Jokanovic has talked about how he wants to lay down roots here, something he hasn't done during a fairly nomadic managerial career to date – and he deserves a bit of faith from the Fulham faithful.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2017/11/slavisa-out-why-fulham-fans-should-keep-the-faith/