Saturday Fulham Stuff (30/12/17)...

[WhiteJC]

The Impressive Sheyi Ojo
by Lydia on December 29, 2017

When we signed Sheyi Ojo on a loan deal in the summer, I was really excited about what he could bring to the squad. His success this summer with the England U20's can give us a real indication about his talent and how well he is thought of within the England set up. This is another in series of loans for the Liverpool youngster as his parent club want him to get as much experience throughout the leagues as possible in the hope that at some stage he will be able to play a part for them.

Unfortunately, Ojo's Fulham spell didn't get off the best of starts, with a host of indifferent performances before dislocating his shoulder in the victory over QPR at Loftus road at the end of September.  I remember the criticism that the young player had received that night before his injury, in what some had described as his worst performance since joining but I actually thought differently. He spurned a few chances, yes, but I thought over all that he was getting into the positions that he should be and that he did had been doing more running than anyone on the pitch. Improvements were needed, but overall there was a lot that I liked about his game.

While his injury was unfortunate, I think that it has actually benefitted him in some way. When he made it back to first team action two weeks ahead of schedule, it was a real sign of intent from the young man and shows his determination to do well and to contribute to the team. His motivational tweets before each game alongside his fully committed performances have gained him a lot of fans in the Fulham camp. He came back from injury much sharper than he was before which has allowed him to chip in with four goals and an assist in the seven games that he has had since his injury return. We didn't win a single game while he was out, while we have won five out of seven since he came back against Sheffield United in November.

The thing I like most about Sheyi Ojo the most is his attitude. He could have quite easily given up after his injury, given that his spell at Fulham at that stage hadn't really gone that well, but he really did bust a gut to get back. I thought that he was the best player in the Fulham shirt in Sunderland purely because he didn't stop, but he had pretty much no support that day. He has the sort of hunger that we often only see in a young player and it is allowing him to shine at the minute. We are a better team with him in it and I am fully confident that he is just going to keep getting better and better.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2017/12/18516/

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham eye up proven Championship goalscorer in January transfer window

If we need a quick reaction, we need someone who has played in this league

Fulham have been linked with a number of strikers in the January transfer window.

And manager Slavisa Jokanovic has admitted that he needs someone who has a proven track record in the Championship.

The Whites were linked with a move for Dwight Gayle in the summer, and they could make a move again this January, although he would be costly.

Fulham signed Rui Fonte and Aboubakar Kamara in the summer, who had limited experience of the English leagues before joining, and Jokanovic is now looking for someone who has been there and done it when the window reopens in three days.

Speaking about the players signed in the summer, when asked about Aboubakar Kamara's ability, he said: "People need to adapt to the place where they are. All the players we bring in are good players, but it depends on the characteristics of the players.

"This is the Championship, the second level of English football and you must find players who can compete at this level. If this characteristic doesn't exist in the players, they need time, and I don't want to say our players are not good enough, but they need more time.

"In modern football, if you need a quick reaction, to be successful fast, we need to find exactly what we need. I need people who have experience of working at this level.

"I'm not talking about big amounts of money, but if we're clever we can fix this situation and be more competitive."

And when asked specifically if he was looking for a proven Championship goalscorer, the Serbian replied: "Maybe."



http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-looking-proven-championship-goalscorer-14092989

[WhiteJC]

Jokanovic seeks Championship striker
by Dan on December 30, 2017

Slavisa Jokanovic has confirmed that he is keen on bringing in a proven Championship goalscorer in January to further Fulham's promotion push.
The Serbian head coach spoke about the need for an experienced forward at this level during his pre-match press conference yesterday and asked the Fulham faithful to allow Aboubakar Kamara and Rui Fonte, the two strikers Fulham signed in August, more time to get used to the demands of the Championship.

Jokanovic stressed the importance of experience in the English second tier when asked about the options he currently has at his disposal:

    People need to adapt to the place where they are. All the players we bring in are good players, but it depends on the characteristics of the players. This is the Championship and you must find players who can compete at this level. If the characteristic doesn't exist in the players, they need more time and, I don't want to say our players are not good enough, but they need more time.

The Serbian head coach is adamant that, with the addition of a new centre forward, Fulham can move towards the top six in the second half of the season.

    In modern football, you need a quick reaction to be successful fast. We need to find exactly what we need [in January]. I need people with experience at this level. I'm not talking about big amounts of money but if we are clever we can fix this situation and be competitive.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2017/12/jokanovic-seeks-championship-striker/

[WhiteJC]

 
Hull City willing to place faith in youth if injuries continue to bite

Tyler Hamilton has been promoted to the first-team fold ahead of City's clash with Fulham

Nigel Adkins will have no hesitation placing his faith in Hull City's best youngsters after promoting Tyler Hamilton to the senior ranks ahead of hosting Fulham this afternoon.

First team regulars Jarrod Bowen and Max Clark were joined on the bench by fellow academy graduates Josh Clackstone and Dan Batty for the 0-0 draw with Derby County on Boxing Day and further injuries to Kamil Grosicki and Jon Toral have created a potential opening for Tyler Hamilton today.

The Hull-born winger, who turns 19 next weekend, joined City's first-team stars for training this week and could be handed a place on the bench for the visit of Fulham.

Hamilton impressed in the Tigers' Carabao Cup exit away to Doncaster back in August and, more recently, he was an unused sub in the 3-2 loss at home to Bristol City.

The back-to-back games against Fulham today and away to Bolton on Monday are likely to see Hamilton take on a watching brief for City but the FA Cup third round tie at Blackburn Rovers next weekend could present chances for several of City's homegrown youngsters.

"You've just got to look at my history (for giving youngsters a chance)," said Adkins. "I've always gone and done that.

"The important thing is that we win games of football. We're progressing well but we've got to get points on the board.

"But because of the injuries we've got, you can see the young lads who have been involved on the bench already this season. Tyler can play on either flank. Thursday was his first training session with us since I've been here but he's a quick lad who can play either side. He's got a bit about him."

City's need for results in the lower reaches of the Championship has so far seen Adkins go with experience and that will continue again when a dangerous Fulham side visit the KCOM Stadium.

The Cottagers won 4-2 at high-flying Cardiff on Boxing Day and will not lack for confidence as they chase their first away win over the Tigers since 1996.

"Fulham are a good side, I've watched them plenty of times," said Adkins. "On their day they can score a lot of goals, like they did against Cardiff the other day. They scored four and played a very expansive game.

"They were probably the best side in the Championship last year and should have gone up. They missed out in the play-offs.

"They're a good footballing side and given time and space they're going to present problems. Likewise, they can sometimes concede goals as well."



http://www.hulldailymail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/nigel-adkins-willing-place-faith-989629

[WhiteJC]

 
Tottenham could have just been given a green light to sign summer target next month

Tottenham have been given a major boost in their bid to sign Fulham starlet Ryan Sessegnon next month, according to various reports. The Guardian claims that the Championship club have informed the potential suitors the 17-year-old sensation will be allowed to leave Craven Cottage for £30million in the January window.

The report further says that Fulham have now opened the door to Sessegnon's exit by setting the valuation in conversations with front-runners Tottenham and Manchester United.

Many expect Sessegnon to leave Fulham in 2018 for a big-money move elsewhere and the Daily Mail report that even Real Madrid are tracking the teenager, despite landing Theo Hernandez from Atletico Madrid over the summer.

Scouts from Real Madrid have been sent to watch him in several of Fulham's fixtures this season but despite the interest from the European champions, Sessegnon, who finished as joint top scorer for England at the European Under-19 Championship is still expected to sign for Spurs, with their Premier League rivals United also interested in his signature.

Last summer, Sessegnon signed a professional contract with Fulham, signalling he valued regular football in the Championship over a money-spinning move to the Premier League. The teenage prodigy has been playing at left full-back and on the left of a front three this season, scoring 5 goals and 3 assists in 24 appearances.

Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic, however, has reminded Sessegnon of the perks of staying with the Cottagers amidst intense transfer speculation around the teenager.

    "It's nice for him [to be linked with big clubs] and for the club too. And if you want to say, it's nice for myself, I must be satisfied because big clubs are interested in our player," Jokanovic was quoted in a report by Metro.

    "I wish he is going to stay with me, but it's not in my control. I believe he's a clever man, believe the people around him are clever enough, he's played more than 50 games, he's 17, I know in the past in the last summer there's been interest around him but he took the decision to stay with us, a fantastic decision in my opinion!"

With question marks over Danny Rose's future with Spurs, a move for Sessegnon makes sense as he would be the ideal replacement. He possesses blistering pace and attacking ability, whilst also having the versatility to play as a full-back or as a wing-back.

Given that United and Real are also in hot pursuit of the left-sided flyer, Spurs will have to throw massive amount money in order to lure the teenager to North London. If Pochettino can fend off his cash-rich rivals, then it will be considered as a major coup.



http://tothelaneandback.com/2017/12/30/tottenham-could-have-just-been-given-a-green-light-to-sign-summer-target-next-month/

[WhiteJC]

 
Match Pack: Fulham (h)

Get the lowdown ahead of this afternoon's Sky Bet Championship clash at the KCOM Stadium...

THE MATCH
Hull City vs Fulham
Saturday 30th December 2017 (KO 3pm)
Sky Bet Championship
KCOM Stadium

TEAM NEWS
Leading scorer Jarrod Bowen could come back into the Tigers' starting eleven for Saturday's home game against Fulham.

Bowen, who has ten goals to his name so far this season, has been working his way back towards full fitness after picking up an injury in the 2-2 draw with Sheffield Wednesday at the start of the month and has appeared from the bench in the last three games.

He's now in line for a first start under new Head Coach Nigel Adkins.

"Jarrod's an exceptionally good player," said Adkins.

"Sometimes young players start the season well and then have a little bit of a blip, so maybe the injury came at a good time for him if there is such a thing.

"He's now looking fit, fresh and sharp again, so he comes into my mind for the next two games."

Fraizer Campbell and Evandro are also hoping to be included after joining in with the group this week.

Kamil Grosicki and Jon Toral are both doubts for Saturday having missed training on Thursday after picking up knocks against Derby County on Boxing Day, while Ondrej Mazuch, David Meyler and Stephen Kingsley remain unavailable.

Will Keane, Abel Hernandez, Ryan Mason and Moses Odubajo continue in their recoveries from long-term injuries.

Fulham have no fresh injury concerns following their Boxing Day win at Cardiff City, with former Tiger Tom Cairney amongst their ranks.

PRE-MATCH TALK
Nigel Adkins knows that maintaining his side's organisation and shape will be important when they face Fulham at the KCOM Stadium.

The Cottagers arrive on the back of a 4-2 win against Cardiff City, while Adkins' Tigers will be looking to build on their good display in a 0-0 Boxing Day draw with Derby County.

"I've watched Fulham plenty of times and they are a good side," said Adkins.

"They can score a lot of goals, like they did against Cardiff the other day, and they play an expansive game. For me, they were the best side in the Championship last season and should have gone up but missed out in the play-offs.

"They're a good footballing side and, if you give them time and space, they will present you with problems.

"We'll concentrate on what we've been looking to do since we arrived at the Club. There's a good organisation and discipline about us, and people are understanding what their roles and responsibilities are within the team.

"Whoever you play, if you haven't got a defensive unit as a team then you're going to get taken apart. We go from a compact shape to try and stop the opposition. When we beat Brentford here, we knew that they were an exceptionally good side at playing out from the back so we allowed them to play the ball in certain areas and pressed them from there.

"Sometimes you have to get the ball back from the opposition and make the pitch a little bit smaller. We know we're coming up against a very good Fulham side this weekend."

Kevin Stewart believes a run of games will lead to him discovering his best form as he looks to click into gear with the Tigers.

Stewart has endured a frustrating start to life at the KCOM Stadium with injury restricting his involvement. However, the midfielder got an hour under his belt after coming off the bench against Leeds United last weekend before playing the full 90 minutes in the Boxing Day draw with Derby County.

He is now targeting a run of games to fully show what he is capable of.

"When I do miss games through injury, I don't tend to lose too much in terms of fitness," said Stewart.

"It's more about game practice and mental sharpness, and with a bunch of games I'm sure that will come.

"I'm sure with that I'll be able to show people how I can play, how quickly I can think and how creative I can be.

"The last few months have been a little frustrating with the injuries, but there wasn't too much I could have done about them as they were impact injuries. It was just disappointing that they came so close together because that broke any chance of gaining some momentum. You just have to deal with it."

Stewart is in line for a further start when the Tigers host Fulham today and the former Liverpool man feels his side will go into the game boosted by recent defensive improvements, including the clean sheet kept against Derby.

"I think that clean sheet was significant – it gives us the belief that what we're doing is right and that we're moving in the right direction," continued Stewart.

"We know that we were conceding too many goals, so that clean sheet shows that we can defend and that we can go the distance in games.

"We face a good Fulham side on Saturday and they are a dangerous attacking team. However, given how we've played in the last three or four games, we are confident that we can handle that and we'll be looking to get a result."

OPPOSITION VIEW
Slavisa Jokanovic believes momentum is in Fulham's favour ahead of their trip to the KCOM Stadium.

The Cottagers travel to Hull City fresh from their convincing 4-2 win over Cardiff City in South Wales on Boxing Day, a game that made quite a few sit up and take notice of Jokanovic's side.

Victory in the Welsh capital extended Fulham's run of form to five wins in their last seven Championship games, and the Serb believes the belief within the squad could well be enough to launch themselves up the table.

Standing in their way is Nigel Adkins resurgent Hull City, but Jokanovic believes nothing less than three points will do.

"We showed against Cardiff that we can beat all the teams at this level," said the Fulham boss. "We want to control, dominate and be more clinical in the box. It's important to trust in ourselves and go into this game with confidence.

"We will do everything to push for three points. Now we have positive momentum, we believe we can beat all the teams in the Championship. For many months, we've built up an identity and we showed it in our last game. It's important to never give up.

"All the games can be complicated in this competition. Hull will be organised, solid and will try to catch us in the offensive transition. My only target today is to win the next game against Hull."

FORM GUIDE

Hull City's Last Five Results
D0-0 vs Derby County (h)
L0-1 vs Leeds Utd (a)
L0-1 vs Cardiff City (a)
W3-2 vs Brentford (h)
D2-2 vs Sheffield Wednesday (a)

Fulham's Last Five Results
W4-2 vs Cardiff City (a)
W2-1 vs Barnsley (h)
L0-1 vs Sunderland (a)
W1-0 vs Birmingham City (h)
L1-3 vs Brentford (a)

STATS
The Tigers have won their last four home league matches against Fulham - the Cottagers' last league win there came at Boothferry Park in October 1996.

Fulham have beaten Hull twice in 2017 - winning in the FA Cup in January and in the Championship in September - and last beat an opponent three times in a calendar year in 2014 against Norwich.

12 different Hull City players have scored a league goal at the KCOM Stadium this season - only Brentford have had as many different scorers in home fixtures (also 12).

Ryan Sessegnon has been directly involved in five of Fulham's last nine away goals in the Championship (four goals and one assist).

OFFICIALS
David Webb will oversee the Tigers' Sky Bet Championship clash with Fulham on Saturday.

Taking charge of his first Football League fixture in August 2008, the Lancashire based referee has previously officiated four Tigers' fixtures, the last of which was our League Cup penalty shoot-out victory over Accrington Stanley in August 2015.

Mr Webb has taken charge of 23 games so far this term, brandishing 56 yellow and two red cards.

Shaun Hudson and Michael George will run the lines, while Scott Duncan is the fourth official.

HISTORY
This will be the 94th competitive meeting between these two sides. The Tigers have won 35 of those games, drawing 27 and losing the other 31. In home fixtures against the Cottagers, the Tigers have won 24 of 45 in all competitions, with 12 draws and nine defeats.

LAST TIME OUT
Floyd Ayite and Stefan Johansen opened their 2017/18 goalscoring accounts to help Fulham overcome the Tigers at Craven Cottage and register their first win at home this season.

Ayite had already been denied by Tigers goalkeeper Allan McGregor before putting the hosts ahead three minutes before the break, steering home a low ball whipped in by Sheyi Ojo.

Jarrod Bowen levelled on 53 minutes, heading in at his second attempt after David Button saved from point-blank range, but Johansen won it for the home side with a composed finish just past the hour mark.

TICKETS
Ticket prices start from just £18 and you can buy yours online now (print at home) or in person at the KCOM Stadium.

Tickets will be available at the ground right up until kick-off time – so come down and back the boys under their new Head Coach.



https://www.hullcitytigers.com/news/articles/2017/201718-fulham-h-match-pack/

[filham]

So it is looking as if we may well sell Sess. and with the proceeds buy a left back, a centre half and a striker. I suppose if we buy three really good players this would benefit the team. If however we buy players similar to those we bought last summer the team will be worse .

Who really is in charge of our purchasing.

[hovewhite]

So it is looking as if we may well sell Sess. and with the proceeds buy a left back, a centre half and a striker. I suppose if we buy three really good players this would benefit the team. If however we buy players similar to those we bought last summer the team will be worse .

Who really is in charge of our purchasing.

Trust the lunatics in charge of transfers,divine intervention of Slav needed!

[WhiteJC]

Up next: Hull City (a)
by Dan on December 30, 2017

Fulham head to Humberside for their final fixture of 2017 looking to record their third league win in a row for the first time since April. Confidence in the camp will be high after Slavisa Jokanovic's produced their most complete performance of the campaign when they completely outclassed Cardiff City on Boxing Day. A few weeks ago this might have been considered an away banker, but Hull have improved dramatically under new boss Nigel Adkins and will be difficult to break down at the KCOM Stadium this afternoon.

City might have struggled to find the net since putting three past Brentford earlier this month, but their goalscoring worries should be eased by the return of top scorer Jarrod Bowen, who found the net at Craven Cottage earlier this season. The Welsh winger, who has ten goals to his name already in an outstanding breakthrough season, has been restricted to appearances as a substitute in Hull's last three games but is now fully fit after shaking off ankle and knee niggles.

Frazier Campbell, a regular scorer against Fulham in the past, and Evandro are in also contention for a return to action having resumed training, but Adkins will take a safety first approach to managing the pair's fitness with an eye on the New Year's Day trip to Bolton. City will hand late fitness tests to Polish winger Kamil Grosicki, who has been struggling with an ankle injury, and midfielder Jon Toral, who is nursing a series of knocks after a bruising battle with Derby.

Adkins has made City tough to beat since being installed as the replacement for Leonid Slutsky. Hull could count themselves highly unfortunate to only collect a single point from their two Christmas fixtures. The Tigers had fifteen shots on target at Elland Road, but left Leeds empty-handed after Allan McGregor's dreadful mistake handed Pablo Hernandez a winner. City totally dominated Derby, on a run of four straight wins, on Tuesday but couldn't find a winner.

Adkins will target this game as an opportunity to be more clinical in the final third and Fulham certainly aren't immune from a bout of shocking defending. The Whites also have a shocking record at the KCOM Stadium – having never won at City's new ground. Hull have won the last four meetings between the sides here, including the 6-0 thrashing they handed Rene Meulensteen's men in December 2013. Fulham's last win at Hull came in the Micky Adams' promotion season some 21 years ago – thanks to goals from Darren Freeman, Paul Watson and Mike Conroy. Former Tigers midfielder Tom Cairney will be keen to put that right today.

The style and fluidity of Fulham's movement against Cardiff contrasted starkly with the flat display up at Sunderland earlier this month and Jokanovic will hope the poor performance we saw in the north east is now a thing of the past. The pace of Floyd Ayite, Ryan Sessegnon and Sheyi Ojo was blistering at times – but most importantly they picked the right option in the box.

With the return of Lucas Piazon and Aboubakar Kamara's recovery from illness, Jokanovic has a fully fit squad to choose from this afternoon. It would be a surprise were he to shuffle his pack too greatly.

MY FULHAM XI: Bettinelli; Fredericks, Odoi, Kalas, Ream; McDonald, Johansen, Cairney; Ojo, R. Sessegnon, Ayite. Subs: Button, Djalo, Norwood, Kebano, Piazon, Fonte, Kamara.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2017/12/up-next-hull-city-a-3/

[WhiteJC]

Ref Watch: Fulham (h) - David Webb

David Webb will oversee the Tigers' Sky Bet Championship clash with Fulham on Saturday.

Taking charge of his first Football League fixture in August 2008, the Lancashire based referee has previously officiated four Tigers' fixtures, the last of which was our League Cup penalty shoot-out victory over Accrington Stanley in August 2015.

Mr Webb has taken charge of 23 games so far this term, brandishing 56 yellow and two red cards.

Shaun Hudson and Michael George will run the lines, while Scott Duncan is the fourth official.



https://www.hullcitytigers.com/news/articles/2017/201718-ref-watch-fulham-h/

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham to return for Gayle in January

Fulham may return with another bid for Newcastle United's Dwight Gayle in January despite the striker featuring in the first team, according to Get West London.

The website claim that Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic is keen to add a striker with Championship experience to his squad as they push for promotion in the second-half of the season.

Get West London report that the Cottagers were linked with a move for Gayle in the summer, and could return despite the transfer being "costly."



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Fulham to return for Gayle in January
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Date: 30th December 2017 at 12:36pm
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Fulham may return with another bid for Newcastle United's Dwight Gayle in January despite the striker featuring in the first team, according to Get West London.

The website claim that Fulham boss Slavisa Jokanovic is keen to add a striker with Championship experience to his squad as they push for promotion in the second-half of the season.

Get West London report that the Cottagers were linked with a move for Gayle in the summer, and could return despite the transfer being "costly."

Sky Sports claimed in August that Fulham had bid £15million for Gayle, but that they were unsuccessful due to the Magpies wanting a fee closer to £20million.

The striker has made 17 appearances for the Magpies in the Premier League this season and has scored three goals.

Gayle has only failed to appear in three of Newcastle United's league games so far, as the Magpies continue to battle the threat of relegation.

Good move for Newcastle?

Whether this is a good move depends on who the Magpies would be able to sign as a replacement, as well as how quickly they would be able to do it. Newcastle United are in a relegation fight going to January with a small squad as it is, so letting Gayle go could be a huge mistake for the club.

While the striker hasn't been prolific, it would be a risk to sell him even if a new name arrives at St James Park.

This Is Futbol rating: 4/10

Likely to happen?

With Gayle featuring regularly for the Magpies, it's hard to see Benitez letting him go unless he's able to secure a replacement first. This could prove to be a deal breaker for Fulham, as they are trying to secure a striker as soon as possible. The Whites are already six points off the play-off places as they struggle to score, and will not want to wait too long for Gayle as they could fall further behind.

This Is Futbol rating: 4/10




https://thisisfutbol.com/2017/12/transfers/fulham-to-return-for-gayle-in-january/

[WhiteJC]

Three Players to Watch: Matchday 25 vs. Hull City
After a thriller in Cardiff, can Fulham complete 2017 with another win at KCOM Stadium?

If Fulham finds some way to get themselves back into winning promotion for the Premier League this season, let it be known that it all started with that 4-2 win over Cardiff City. That was the date that despite being outshot against the second best team in the league, Fulham played the shot quality game and outclassed the Bluebirds from start to finish. It was not an easy win for the good guys. There has rarely been one of them all season in fact. But if anything else, Fulham put in a performance that they can lay claim to being season-defining. Now, they have to continue this positive momentum by putting a weaker side to the sword.

That has not been an easy feat for Slavisa Jokanovic's team this season with losses to Sunderland and Burton being the most obvious reasons. But with their deficit towards a playoff place being six points coming into today, the opportunity is knocking loud. However, Hull City is not a team to look passed. That is quite a strange thing to claim when you consider that they currently sit 19th in the Championship. However, Nigel Adkins has come in after Leonid Slutsky's sacking and have, at least, made his squad put in solid shifts despite not delivering the results that match them.

Since he has been hired, the Tigers have outshot their opponents 50-34 and have had a 4.9-3.5 expected goals advantage. Instead, Hull has been outscored 3-4 and have been shutout in their last two fixtures. Things will turn around for Adkins' club and knowing how life usually works, it could be against Fulham. You really don't think misery ends completely by giving up Sunderland's first home win of all 2017, didn't you? Basically, you know where Fulham's destiny is depending on the result of today's game.

With that in mind, let's take a look at who's performed well for Hull since Fulham's 2-1 win against them last October.

Jarrod Bowen

With the side littered with 21-year olds or younger that is starting on a regular basis, Bowen has not only been the only one not on loan from Chelsea but also the best of the bunch. In fact, with ten goals to his name, he is already the Tigers' most lethal goal scorer. But as his radar indicates, Bowen still has a lot to learn in order for him to be a complete attacking midfielder in English football.

With no assists and just 0.94 chances created per 90 minutes, he can stand to be a more threatening passer of the ball. Otherwise, Hull is better off, in the long run, to move Bowen over to center forward where he can terrorize the opposition in space. At 5'8.5", who knows how ideal that is for a player his size. Ross McCormack and Wayne Rooney were able to have successful careers further down the pitch, but they were in need of another striker next to them to give them space to run. Either way, it is food for thought for Adkins and Hull City to consider in the long run.

In the present, Hull will hope for Bowen's astronomically high 26.3% goal conversion rate to continue. To put things in perspective, Harry Kane's goal conversion rate for his Tottenham career in the Premier League is just 15.7%. The England star is not thinking about picking and choosing. He's thinking about getting the ball at his feet and shooting from everywhere until that ball goes in the back of the net. With 1.88 shots per 90 minutes, Bowen is just not there yet to be a full-fledged attacking player yet. Because once the goals dry up, another skill will have to be present in his game. So far, that hasn't been seen to help out Hull City.

Frazier Campbell

One thing preventing Bowen from starting further up front has been the resurgent season of this former Premier League veteran. At 30, Campbell is seeing career highs in chance creation (1.29 per 90 minutes) and shooting percentage (55.6%!). Among league seasons in which he has played over 1,000 minutes, he is also witnessing career highs in goal scoring (0.40 per 90 minutes), conversion rate (18.5%) and shooting (2.18 per 90 minutes). However, those types of long periods of play have been few and far between for the former Manchester United Academy product.

If Campbell were to play a full 90 minutes, he would already surpass the most minutes he has played in a league season since 2013/14. That season, he recorded 2,256 minutes out of 37 games and racked up just six goals and two assists on a Cardiff City side that would get relegated. But if nothing else, Campbell would love it to maintain a starting role for the rest of his career. Whether that is back in the Premier League is a little more uncertain.

Sebastian Larsson

All data from whoscored.com

We lastly turn our attention to another veteran in Hull City by the way of a former Sunderland regular. Hopes were that the 32-year old Larsson would be the veteran presence needed to guide the Tigers back into the Premier League in one season, but that hasn't been the case. That being said, it's not like the 96-times capped Sweden International can't say that he has been trying out there on the pitch. The radar will show that he has been more prone to putting out long ball passes than darts that puncture a defense, but the rest of his data goes mostly hand in hand with his career output.

At the end of the day, Hull just doesn't have enough of versatility within their midfield to play a well-rounded game. Larsson is just too old to be counted upon to support a backline and David Meyler and Kevin Stewart have not been able to stake a claim for the holding midfield role in Hull's 4-2-3-1 formation. Further up front, we've already discussed Bowen's quandary and while Kamil Grosicki has been brilliant all season, he just can't be able to do it all on his own. That's where we look at Jackson Irvine, and while he was great at Burton in 2016/17, he has to take his game up another level for him to be more than just a number 10 for mediocre Championship clubs. In Lehman's terms, Hull could use an almost complete makeover in that department in 2018/19, no matter what happens to them the rest of the season.



https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2017/12/30/16832694/three-players-to-watch-matchday-25-vs-hull-city