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Friday Fulham Stuff (11/05/18)...

Started by WhiteJC, May 11, 2018, 07:24:06 AM

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WhiteJC

 
Aston Villa, Fulham, Derby and Middlesbrough: Are any of the play-off clubs even ready for the Premier League?

Championship experts have their say on the clubs' credentials

The four-way tussle for the top flight will soon get under way.

Aston Villa have their eyes on the prize - a ticket to the Premier League - but so too do Fulham, Middlesbrough and Derby County.

Awaiting one club, is the multi-million pound treasure chest and global exposure that comes hand-in-hand with English top flight football.

How well prepared are the play-off contenders for the rarified oxygen of the Premier League? Gregg Evans outlines Villa's case, and we also catch up with Football.London's Ryan O'Donovan (Fulham GazetteLive's Philip Tallentire (Middlesbrough) and, from the Derby Telegraph, Steve Nicholson (Derby County) to assess five key areas that can make or break a promoted club.

Manager
Fulham


Slavisa Jokanovic the manager of Watford

Slavisa Jokanovic has one promotion under his belt already, but has never had the chance to manage in the Premier League after leaving Watford before the start of that season.

Having come so close last season and this, Jokanovic will be desperate to get Fulham up at the third time of asking. His cool head will play an important role in whether the side go up or not.

Aston Villa
Who else would you want in your corner for a play-off campaign other than Steve Bruce? The Villa boss is an expert at getting teams out of the Championship having masterminded four previous promotions.

So there will be no panicking if Villa go behind at any stage in the semi-final, and he'll sure know how to hold onto a win if his side go ahead. You get the feeling that winning promotion with Villa would be the sweetest of them all. He's had a dreadful year away from football, losing both his mother and father in recent months, so if ever he needed some comfort, this is the time.

Bruce has a wealth of experience from his 40 years in the game and the majority of those have been spent in the top-flight.He'de the chance to splash the cash in the top-flight and have a real go at making Villa a feared force once again.

Middlesbrough
Tony Pulis has vast Premier League experience and would relish the chance to lead Middlesbrough in the top flight next season. He handled the transition from Championship to top flight extremely well at Stoke City and established the club in the Premier League.

Pulis has made no secret of the fact that he took the Boro job on the understanding that he'd be able to overhaul the club behind the scenes, so it's going to be an interesting summer if Boro go up.

Derby County
Gary Rowett has not managed in the Premier League and so he would relish the opportunity to prove himself at that level.

Interestingly, he was heavily linked with the Stoke City job in January after Mark Hughes had been sacked.

Rowett did an excellent job at Burton Albion and at Birmingham City, and he has guided Derby to the play-offs in his first full season in charge. At 44, he would be one of the youngest managers in the top flight, should Derby go up.

Squad
Fulham



Fulham's strengthening of the squad in January has played a key role in their stunning form which had seen them go 23 games unbeaten. The addition of Aleksandar Mitrovic was huge for Fulham - they now have a focal point for their nice build up play and his goals have played a key part in getting them to where they are.

There's strength in depth too in almost all positions, and with players like Tom Cairney and Ryan Sessegnon, you've got a squad that is ready for Premier League football.

Aston Villa
Villa have watched their squad slowly disintegrate from Champions League contenders into Championship-fodder. In the fatal Premier League season, the recruitment team placed a heavy emphasis on signing unproven players from France and Spain.

Adama Traore, Jordan Amavi, Idrissa Gana and Jordan Ayew were all good players in their individual right, but as a collective, it was too ask of them all to gel so quickly. It's why, if Villa go up, they need to find a healthy balance this time around.

The loan players - Sam Johnstone, Robert Snodgrass and Lewis Grabban, will give Villa a solid starting base should they sign. James Chester and Jack Grealish are ready for the Premier League and will bring guts, guile and a touch of class.

Then it's about strengthening around the edges. A top-class striker is needed, as is another centre-half to cover for John Terry as he approaches 38 years of age. With the U23 side doing so well this season, Villa also have plenty of quality to turn to in the development side so the future looks bright regardless.

Middlesbrough
The last time Boro won promotion they signed virtually a full team of players which backfired because, is many cases, the new men failed to make an impact and it damaged the unity in what had been a strong dressing room.

This time around it'll surely be evolution not revolution. Pulis will no doubt want to keep the core of the squad intact while adding new faces here and there. He'll certainly want to keep Adama Traore and may try to sign Mo Besic on a permanent deal.

Pulis will also want competition for both full-backs while, up front, it'll be interesting to see if he still wants a centre-forward after missing out on Mitrovic in January.

Derby
There is always question marks over whether or not teams promoted to the Premier League will be good enough to cope, and there is often a clamour from supporters for the club to strengthen significantly.

It is, however, important that promoted clubs do not over-stretch themselves financially because splashing the cash is no guarantee of survival and can lead to much pain if relegated, as Derby discovered in 2008.

The Rams have one of the oldest squads in the Championship and Gary Rowett will look to address the balance this summer, no matter in which division the club finds itself.

Recruitment within budget is crucial. Derby's squad possesses a number of players who have tasted life in the Premier League including goalkeeper Scott Carson, Curtis Davies, Tom Huddlestone and top scorer Matej Vydra.

Finances
Fulham



Fulham have the financial backing of Shahid Khan and are on a sound footing. They haven't really ever blown the cash on players since he took over ownership of the club, and if they do go up through the play-offs they'll have the money to be able to compete in the division. If they don't go up, however, there may be a problem. The club have lost their parachute payments now and could face losing some of their big names next season.

Aston Villa
Villa have had to comply with Financial Fair Play regulations this season - and spent just £2.5million in transfer fees in the last two transfer windows combined.

If they go up the script will be flipped and Bruce will no longer have to penny-pinch and look for bargain signings.

Owner Tony Xia wants to spend money to strengthen the side and have Villa competing in the higher echelons of the Premier League.

Expect a different approach to transfers if Villa go up. I'd expect Darren Bent's £18million transfer record to be broken.

Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough are on a sound financial footing and will be competitive in the marketplace.

That doesn't mean, however, they'll be flashing the cash recklessly.

The last time around, a lot of Boro's money went on wages rather than transfer fees, with the likes of Alvaro Negredo and Victor Vales agreeing structured deals.

That did mean that when they went back down, they were unable to off-load a lot of players on big salaries.

Lessons will be learned from the disastrous 2016/17 campaign and chairman Gibson will have taken note of how last season's promoted clubs approached this season.

Derby
Derby are unlikely to be throwing cash around should they be promoted.

The accounts for 2016-17 showed a £34.6m wage bill although the club reported a loss of £7.9m, a drop of almost £7m on a loss of £14.7m the previous year.

Chairman Mel Morris said: "Obviously it's an improvement in terms of the headline numbers.

"The reality of it is that we still have a very high wage bill, no question mark about that, we're very conscious of that and its something we need to get under control."

Clearly, promotion would give the club a slice of the Premier League riches and a huge boost, but Morris will be keen to keep the finances under control.

The remit for clubs should be the same whichever division they play - live within your means where possible and when it comes to squad strengthening look to sign the right players at the right price.

Infrastructure
Fulham
It's a lot more settled behind the scenes now after Fulham sacked controversial Craig Kline in January. They brought in James Lovell, who in turn helped the club sign the likes of Mitrovic, Targett and Cyrus Christie which has led to better harmony between Jokanovic and the recruitment team.

That harmony has set the side up for the second half of the season that they've had and going forward, things look a lot rosier in the Craven Cottage garden than they did last summer.

Aston Villa
Stability and continuity were the buzz words at the start of this season. And, in truth, the stabilization has helped the club flourish.

CEO Keith Wyness is effectively running the club on a day-to-day basis with owner, Xia, based largely in China and the US.Sporting director Steve Round oversees the football operation and is close with Bruce and his coaching team.

Targets are recommended by the trusted team of scouts, analysed by Round and Bruce, and then the manager has the final say. Villa's academy is also thriving.

Twelve homegrown players have featured for the first-team this season and the U23s have won the Premier League Cup and are also into the Premier League 2 play-off final. The general feeling is that promotion to the Premier League will get the club back to where it belongs.

Middlesbrough
It's an interesting time at Boro with a large turnover of staff over the past 18 months.

Academy director Dave Parnaby and chief scout Ron Bone have both retired and most of the coaching roles have changed at least once over the past year.

At the top, Steve Gibson remains owner and chairman and is very much hands on with chief-executive Neil Bausor negotiating deals and sorting contracts.

Peter Kenyon has provided advice and guidance in the past but it remains to be seen what, if any, role he has moving forward.

There's talk of a shake-up in terms of recruitment and that could be something Pulis has a biog say in after his behind the scenes assessment.

Derby
Derby have changed manager too often in recent years. Gary Rowett became the fifth different Rams boss in 13 months when he was appointed in March 2017 and such a turnover is rarely helpful when it comes to stability. So, having Rowett and his staff in place for more than a year now is a plus.

Owner and chairman Mel Morris has ploughed millions into the club including huge amounts on the Academy and the training ground which is unrecognisable to what it was a few years ago. Morris, a local man and life-long Derby fan, would love to take the club back to the Premier League.

Ambition
Fulham
Fulham will aim to stay in the division should they get promoted, before eventually looking to push on. Mr Khan is an ambitious owner and I can't imagine he doesn't see Fulham back playing in Europe one day as an established Premier League side.

After years of success in the top flight before relegation a few years ago, the hope will be the Whites can once again become a regular side in the Premier League.

Aston Villa
Villa will not settle for simply staying up if they are promoted. It was less than a decade ago when they were pushing for fourth place and on a level with Tottenham.

It's a travesty to see how the two clubs compare right now, in all honesty. But Villa's aim is to get back to that level. Xia want Champions League football in the next five years.

He stated that when he arrived. And Bruce wants the opportunity to get Villa competing with the big-boys again.

He knows that there's so much money in the Premier League, though, and that they can no longer be seen as a bigger club than the likes of Burnley, Brighton and Huddersfield, simply because their fan base is larger.

It was take careful and considered planning to get Villa back to where they feel they belong, but the message is they're not far off if promotion is secured.

Middlesbrough
After last season's damp squib of a campaign, it's hard to believe lessons won't be learned.

There are plenty of examples of clubs winning promotion and then establishing themselves in the top flight.

Steve Gibson will plan for a campaign that sees Boro battle for a lower mid-table finish and the aim will be to stay up come hell or high water.

With a wily operator like Pulis in the hotseat, there's no reason why the club can't achieve that aim.

Derby
What Derby will be keen to avoid is the one-season stay in the Premier League they had in 2007-08, the last time they featured in the top flight. There are many examples of clubs winning promotion and then establishing themselves.

Derby fans have seen Stoke City, Burnley, Brighton, Swansea, Bournemouth, Leicester City, Watford and West Bromwich Albion go up, and stay up over the years, and they believe a club of Derby's size and potential should be capable of doing similar.

There is huge ambition at Derby, from the owner and chairman Mel Morris downwards but it is important for promoted clubs to stay up in that first season and build gradually, rather than attempting to change too much at once.



https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-fulham-derby-middlesbrough-14640022

WhiteJC

 
Spy in the camp - The inside track on Fulham before Derby County's play-off clash at Pride Park

We spoke to football.london's Ryan O'Donovan to get the lowdown on the Rams' opponents...


Ryan Sessegnon celebrates scoring Fulham's opening goal at Millwall

Derby County begin their final assault on the Premier League when they host Fulham on Friday night (7.45pm) in the first lef of their play-off smei-final.

The Cottagers narrowly missed out on automatic promotion, with Cardiff City pipping them to second place after Slavisa Jokanovic's side crumbkled at Birmingham Cty 3-1 on the final day.

Gary Rowett's Rams sneaked into the play-offs having comfortably beat Barnsley 4-1, setting up a showdown with Fulham.

Fulham needed to win and hope Cardiff wither drew or lost with Reading in order to complete a remarkable turnaround and earn automatic promotion to the Premier League.

Despite an unbeaten run that saw them garner 64 points from a possible 72 since December 16, Cardiff held firm and Fulham collapsed at St Andrew's.

Ahead of the big game, we spoke to football.london's Ryon O'Donovan to get the inside track on Fulham.

How is the mood in the camp?

I think the mood is still positive in the camp.

Despite an unbeaten run that saw them garner 64 points from a possible 72 since December 16, Cardiff held firm and Fulham collapsed at St Andrew's.

Ahead of the big game, we spoke to football.london's Ryon O'Donovan to get the inside track on Fulham.
How is the mood in the camp?

I think the mood is still positive in the camp.

Do you think it will be difficult for the players to lift themselves for the play-offs after that experience? Or did they always realistically expect to end up here?

I think they knew it was always probably going to be play-offs. To get themselves in this position when they were 17th at one point is fantastic in itself and if they got automatic promotion, it would've been a bonus.

In all honesty, I think they'll use missing out on automatics as extra motivation.

What was the performance like at Birmingham?

In a word, dire.

Birmingham played probably the best game of football they've managed all season and Fulham had no answers to it. They struggled to dominate the ball and once they got into the final third, they look like they lacked ideas to break through that resolute Birmingham defence.

It was probably the worst I've seen them play in over half a season.

Is there any team news ahead of the Derby tie? Any players out injured/suspended, or coming back into contention? And could you predict a possible starting line-up for the first leg?

There's worries about Matt Targett - he was injured in the Sunderland game on the penultimate match of the season and he came off at half time at St Andrews not looking fully fit. If they don't have him, Fulham are in trouble - he's a big part of this Fulham machine.

As for a line-up, and praying that Targett is fit, I'd go:

Bettinelli, Fredericks, Targett, Ream, Odoi, McDonald, Johansen, Cairney, Sessegnon, Ayite and Mitrovic.

Who would you expect to be Fulham's key men against Derby and why?

Aleksandar Mitrovic is the obvious one - his goals have powered Fulham to where they are now and he's the focal point for the attack. Tom Cairney is an obvious one, he didn't perform at Birmingham and the side struggle, but when he's 100% at his best he's near unstoppable.

Fulham finished third and have been on a remarkable run. Do you think they are the team to beat in the play-offs?

Probably, to lose just once in 24 games is remarkable so on form alone you would expect them to be the team everyone wants to beat.

Do you think they can learn lessons from last season's play-off experience?

I would hope so - they bottled it last season and didn't get anywhere near the levels they were at come the end of the season.

They know what to expect in the play-offs now and they'll have to use that to their advantage in these two games.

What do you make of Derby's season so far, from the outside looking in?

I think they had a good season, but it looked for a time they'd miss out once again when they suffered that blip. I think they've done well to get themselves back into the top six though - I didn't think they would for most of the run in.



https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/spy-camp-inside-track-fulham-1551256

WhiteJC

 
The Championship play offs: Do away goals count, Dates, TV details, odds and everything you need to know

Fulham, Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Derby County will battle it out to get to Wembley

The make-up of the Championship play offs is now clear after the final weekend of the season.

Fulham, Aston Villa, Middlesbrough and Derby County will battle it out to get to Wembley - and the Premier League beyond.

It is well known as the most valuable match in world foptball.

These are the latest odds on which team will make it to the promised land.

'Drama is always guaranteed when the richest game in football comes to Wembley'.

That's what it says on wembleystadium.com anyway - and to be fair it's difficult to disagree.

But it won't only be Championship teams who are desperate to realise their promotion dreams at the world famous venue in a couple of months

Indeed May will see a three-day play-off final bonanza as clubs from the second, third and fourth tiers of English football attempt to write their names in their respective clubs' folklore.

Here's everything you need to know about the EFL play-offs - starting with the Championship.

Play-off dates

Sky Bet Championship

Friday 11th May 2018: 6th v 3rd, 7.45pm - Derby County v Fulham

Saturday 12th May 2018: 5th v 4th, 5.15pm - Middlesbrough v Aston Villa

Monday 14th May 2018: 3rd v 6th, 7.45pm - Fulham v Derby County

Tuesday 15th May 2018: 4th v 5th, 7.45pm - Aston Villa v Middlesbrough

The regulations

The EFL guidelines state: "The Semi-Final matches shall be played over two legs.

"In the Semi-Finals, the two teams who finished in the First and Second Play-Off place in The League, will play away from home in the first leg against the Fourth and Third placed team respectively. These pairings will be reversed for the second leg.

"In the Semi-Finals, the first leg shall be of 90 (ninety) minutes duration. If the aggregate scores are level at the end of 90 (ninety) minutes in the second leg, extra time will be played.

"If the scores remain level at the end of extra time the tie will be determined by the taking of kicks from the penalty mark, in accordance with the Laws of Association Football. Away goals do not count.

"In the Final, if the score is level at the end of 90 (ninety) minutes, extra time will be played, followed
if necessary by kicks from the penalty mark, in accordance with the Laws of Association Football."

The runners and riders

Fulham were battling it out with Cardiff for second place - and automatic promotion - until the last day.

However, they came up against Birmingham City, who beat them 3-1 and as a result they will go through the playoffs.

Aston Villa and Middlesbrough had already booked their places ahead of the final day of the season, which confirmed Fulham in third and Derby County in sixth.
Who plays who

Fulham will now play two matches - at home and away - against Derby County, managed by former Birmingham City boss Gary Rowett.

The other fixture also pits two managers well-known to West Midlands football against each other.

Aston Villa, managed by Steve Bruce, will face a Middlebrough side rejuvenated by Tony Pulis since leaving West Brom earlier this year.

The Villa matches will be at The Riverside on Saturday May 12 at 5.15pm, with the reverse fixture at Villa Park on Tuesday May 15 at 7.45pm.

The other last four ties would be at the iPro Stadium on Friday, May 11 at 7.45pm, with the return leg at Craven Cottage on Monday, May 14 at 7.45pm.

The odds

Fulham 13/8

Aston Villa 11/4

Middlesbrough 11/4

Derby 9/2

Will it be on TV?

Every play-off game will be broadcast live by Sky Sports.
How can I get tickets?

The visiting club shall have the right to claim 2,000 tickets for use by its supporters (or such number as represents 10% of all tickets reserved or otherwise sold in advance, if less than 2,000).

The home club may not reduce normal League admission charges without the written agreement of the away club.

Both clubs are allocated a set number of tickets for the final and fans can purchase directly from either club, depending on where they wish to be seated.

History makers - a decade of finals

2017 Huddersfield Town 0 Reading 0 (Huddersfield on 4-3 on penalties)

2016 Hull City 1 (Diame 72) Sheffield Wednesday 0

2015 Middlesbrough 0 Norwich City 2 (Jerome 12, Redmond 15)

2014 Derby County 0 QPR 1 (Zamora 90)

2013 Crystal Palace 1 (Phillips pen 105+1) Watford 0

2012 Blackpool 1 (Ince 48) West Ham United 2 (Cole 35, Vaz Te 87)

2011 Reading 2 (Allen OG 49, Mills 57) Swansea City 4 (Sinclair pen 21, 22, pen 80, Dobbie 40)

2010 Blackpool 3 (Adam 13, Taylor-Fletcher 41, Ormerod 45+1) Cardiff City 2 (Chopra 9, Ledley 37)

2009 Burnley 1 (Elliott 13) Sheffield United 0

2008 Bristol City 0 Hull City 1 (Windass 38)

Lower league qualifiers

Two go up automatically in League One, meaning third, fourth, fifth and sixth compete for the final promotion spot via the play-offs.

In League Two, three go straight up with a fourth through the play-offs meaning there's a chance for the seventh-placed team.

Sky Bet League One dates

Thursday 10 May League One A Kick-off 7.45pm

Saturday 12 May League One B Kick-off 12.30pm

Sunday 13 May League One A Kick-off 5.15pm

Wednesday 16 May League One B Kick-off 7.45pm

Sky Bet League Two dates

Saturday 12 May League Two A Kick-off 3.00pm

Saturday 12 May League Two B Kick-off 7.30pm

Thursday 17 May League Two A Kick-off 7.45pm

Friday 18 May League Two B Kick-off 7.45pm

Final dates:

It starts with the Championship final on Saturday 26 May then....

Sunday 27 May League One Final Kick-off 3.00pm

Monday 28 May League Two Final Kick-off 3.00pm

Last Season:

Championship: Huddersfield Town 0 Reading 0 (Huddersfield won 4-3 on penalties)

League One: Bradford City 0–1 Millwall

League Two: Blackpool 2–1 Exeter City


https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/villa-derby-middlesbrough-away-goals-14414843


WhiteJC

 
The scene is set, preperations finished, bring on Fulham

The huge effort by staff and volunteers at Pride Park will be seen by millions as the game is televised live on Sky Sports tomorrow night at 7-45pm.

Ticket sales are nearing the sell-out point and Derby County has just tweeted the following stirring video to whip up the fans (if they needed it) to fever pitch.

So as Sir Alex Ferguson said (and good wishes for a speedy recovery to him) " it is squeaky bum time". The Rams however really have nothing to lose and all to win being the outsiders in the betting to win the playoffs and finishing in sixth place. Not many people give Derby County a chance but the boys may have other ideas.....So COME ON YOU RAMS!



https://derby.vitalfootball.co.uk/the-scene-is-set-preperations-finished-bring-on-fulham/

WhiteJC

 
Fulham out to make up for lost time in Championship play-off with Derby

Slavisa Jokanovic takes his team to Pride Park for a semi-final first leg on Friday evening and with a big duck to break


Slavisa Jokanovic encourages his Fulham team in last Sunday's loss at Birmingham City. Photograph: Anna Gowthorpe/BPI/Rex/Shutterstock

The Fulham juggernaut hit a pothole last weekend. A team unbeaten in 23 Championship matches got turned over by 20th‑placed Birmingham. Had they won, the Cottagers would have been promoted to the Premier League ahead of Cardiff. Instead they lost 3-1, conceding two first-half goals. So, how to avoid it happening again in the play-offs?

Fulham must now go again and face two encounters with Derby in 72 hours, starting with the first leg at Pride Park on Friday night. "It's a second chance – something like this," is how Slavisa Jokanovic describes it and the Fulham manager has previously described the play-offs as a positive for his team, a fallback should things go wrong. Now that they have, these two games offer a chance for immediate redemption.

"OK, at the last moment we could not make it. I accept that. I am head coach of this club," Jokanovic said. "We must be realistic and admit that we didn't bring our best performance against Birmingham and we made many mistakes. But that's it. What we did do was cut an 18-point gap between us and Cardiff in the regular season and overtook 15 teams. We don't lose our confidence after 90 bad minutes, because we have 2,000 very good minutes behind us."

The play-offs are notorious for contradicting league form. While the team that finish third in the table, as Fulham did, are statistically the most likely to go up, only one club in the last five years has done so. Perhaps more worrying for them is the fact Fulham are yet to win a single game in the Football League play-offs.

In 1989 they lost both legs of the semi-final against Bristol Rovers in Division Three, in 1998 to Grimsby in Division Two. Then, last year, Jokanovic's Fulham lost 2-1 on aggregate against Reading. The match was decided with a single incident, a penalty scored by Yann Kermogant after a Tomas Kalas handball.

"We didn't make so many mistakes last year," Jokanovic said this week . "We lost one 50-50 decision when we touched the ball with a hand after a complicated situation. From my point of view, it was not the way to decide who plays in a final, but it's football. I don't look back at this game."

All the same, Jokanovic hopes the experience of last year's semi-final will stand his team in good stead. With away goals not a consideration, it is also a unique type of encounter, a "180-minute match", as he puts it. He remains bullish, too.

"The play-off a year ago showed us what kind of matches these games are. Now we are one year older, one year more experienced," the Serb added. "We have ahead of us one play-off game of 180 minutes. We are a team who take a huge level of the risk and we have to manage this aspect of the situation. We have to be quiet, we have to concentrate and take the right decisions during the game. Definitely I expect we are going to be more successful this time."

The risk Jokanovic speaks of reflects the way he sees the game panning out. Derby's manager, Gary Rowett, has also described his team as having been given "a second chance" after they slipped out of the top six in April only to bounce back and hold on to sixth place on the final day. Jokanovic believes Rowett's team will let Fulham dictate the play, in both legs, and look to catch them out on the break.

"We know how they will play," Jokanovic said. "They are a good team – expensive, experienced. They will try what they always try, to be aggressive and try and catch us in transition. They will not try to dominate us with the ball. They won't take the ball.

"It is our responsibility to try and move the ball. To take enough acceptable risks during the game. And that's it. In the 180 minutes different things will happen and we will have to manage them."

Bluff fighting talk from the Serb then, before a crucial game in his career. There is no doubt he has greatly improved Fulham in his two-and-a-half years but now he needs to prove it in a one-off situation (or two, depending on your perspective).

"I want to be successful," Jokanovic added of his own ambitions. "I want to win all the games. At the end, I care about my team, my club supporters, staff and myself too. What I really want in the future is to be successful. The easiest way is to do that with my team."



https://www.theguardian.com/football/2018/may/10/fulham-championship-playoff-semi-final-derby-slavisa-jokanovic

WhiteJC

 
England manager Gareth Southgate may hand Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ryan Sessegnon World Cup wild cards

Gareth Southgate is weighing up whether to include Liverpool's Trent Alexander-Arnold and Ryan Sessegnon, of Fulham, in his provisional 35-man England World Cup squad which will be submitted in private to Fifa on Monday, before the final 23 are announced later next week at Wembley.

The England manager is obliged to give the governing body 35 names by Monday night and will then present his final selection of 23 at Wembley on either Wednesday or Thursday, along with those on standby. Those who are named in the 35-man squad – but not the final 23 next week – will not be told unless they are placed on standby to take part in the pre-tournament training camp. Southgate will need answers on the fitness of a number of players, including Kieran Trippier who came off with a thigh injury playing for Tottenham Hotspur against Newcastle United on Wednesday night.

Neither the FA nor Fifa will publish the names of those submitted on Monday, although Southgate is expected to make some calls ahead of the 23-man squad announcement. The standby players will come out of the 12 excess selections and they will attend the training camps at St George's Park and the Grove Hotel in Hertfordshire.

The England manager is already without Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Joe Gomez, and there are doubts over whether Adam Lallana will be fit.

The Spurs squad were given a day off by Mauricio Pochettino on Wednesday and Trippier's injury will be assessed before their final game of the season against Leicester City on Sunday.

The big question facing Southgate is whether he will dip into the group of young uncapped players at his disposal, including the likes of Alexander-Arnold, Sessegnon, Jadon Sancho and Ademola Lookman who have played for junior England teams. Ben Chilwell is another, currently injured, who could be promoted from the Under-21s.

If Trippier's injury is serious then the door is opened to Alexander-Arnold who is expected to start for Liverpool in the Champions League final. There are big decisions to be made over Jack Wilshere, who missed the March friendly against Holland having been recalled by Southgate. The England manager is not expected to change his mind about Jonjo Shelvey who he did not select in March, or Chris Smalling

The mood is that when it comes to the final 23, the England manager is keen to stick with those with whom he has secured qualification for Russia and that, as things stand, there will not be a place for those uncapped players. It is understood that it would take a major change of heart for that approach to alter.

Southgate believes that he has a core who are accustomed to the way that he wants to play and have been through the process of training and team meetings. Those who have been given caps over the course of this season, such as Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Lewis Cook would be under consideration and have a chance of being in the final 23.

The Under-21s manager, Aidy Boothroyd, is taking a squad to the Toulon Tournament at the end of this month with group games against China, Mexico and Qatar. The tournament is for players born in 1997 and after which means that not all of Boothroyd's regular squad will be eligible to play and he is likely to take quite an inexperienced group, mindful of the demands made of players at last summer's junior tournaments. The Toulon squad will be named after the seniors with the players due to meet up on May 21.



https://www.telegraph.co.uk/football/2018/05/10/england-managergareth-southgate-may-hand-trent-alexander-arnold/


WhiteJC

 
4-2-3-1 Fulham Predicted Lineup Vs Derby County: Time For Sessegnon To Shine On The Wing!

Fulham missed a golden chance to secure a direct qualification to the Premier League as they faltered in their final league game of the season. Their second-placed rivals Cardiff City are through even though they drew against Reading as the Cottagers were beaten 3-1 by Birmingham City. Slaviša Jokanović will have to inspire his men again and make sure that they aren't still reeling from their previous defeat as they will have to be at their best against a very resilient Derby County side.

The Rams secured the sixth spot on the last day of the season as they went past Barnsley with ease. However, they will have to be at their best against the Cottagers as they have looked formidable for the most part of the season. Fulham were in the playoffs last year as well but they were beaten in the semifinal by Reading. However, this time around, they are in much better form and one can say they are probably the favourites to qualify for the Premier league but in a knockout encounter, all the form of the league games goes out of the window and the result comes down to who turns up the heat on that particular day.

There are no injury concerns for the Serbian manager and he will have a full squad to choose from for this crucial first leg encounter. Matt Targett, the Fulham left-back is expected to recover from his ankle injury and start.

Here is how Slaviša Jokanović's side will most likely lineup.

Formation(4-2-3-1)

Defence

Marcus Bettinelli is expected to start in goal and the Englishman has done well when called upon. He has managed 12 clean sheets in the 26 games which he has played in the Championship. The Fulham manager will go in with the tried and tested back four. Matt Targett was substituted at halftime in the previous encounter but we expect him to shrug off the ankle injury and to start in this all-important clash.

Denis Odoi and Tim Ream will form the centre-back pairing and their job will be to stop Cameron Jerome and company. The experienced Ryan Fredericks will start from the right to complete the back four.

Midfield

Kevin McDonald and Stefan Johansen will start in the middle of the park and they will be shielding the defence and along with that, their job will be to keep things ticking in midfield. All eyes will be on the impressive Ryan Sessegnon and everyone will like to see whether he can come up with the goods on a big stage. Tom Cairney will likely to start in the number 10 role and Lucas Piazon will start down the right flank.

Attack-

The on-loan striker, Aleksandr Mitrovic will be leading the line for Cottagers.




http://the4thofficial.net/2018/05/4-2-3-1-fulham-predicted-lineup-vs-derby-county-time-sessegnon-shine-wing/

ffcne

Quote from: WhiteJC on May 11, 2018, 07:53:42 AM

Championship play-offs: Fulham and Aston Villa go in as favourites, but don't be surprised if neither make Wembley

Scott Minto's EFL column: Middlesbrough and Derby County have the tools to cause a surprise in what promises to be a manic pair of semi-finals


Fulham have never won a play-off game Getty

And then there were four!

What a couple of great play-off semi-finals we have in store. If a neutral could have handpicked any of the sides from the Championship to be here at this stage, then you wouldn't be surprised if they'd have picked these four. The biggest spenders last summer and a team that was in the Premier League last season, Middlesbrough, against arguably the biggest club in the division, Aston Villa. In the other semi-final, the team that seem to implode annually at this point of the season, but with the division's top scorer, Derby County, against the best passing side, Fulham. Each has their reasons as to why they believe they will go up. But each has their weaknesses.

Fulham are the most interesting one. They are the best team of the four. They play the best football, finished third and went on that fantastic 23 match unbeaten run, winning 18, before defeat to Birmingham. The record books will say that had beaten Birmingham, they would have grabbed that second automatic promotion place due to Cardiff drawing against Reading. I believe Cardiff would have stepped it up against Reading if they had needed to, but with Fulham conceding two goals in the first half, they didn't have to. It's all hypothetical, but the point is what do Fulham believe? Do they believe they blew it? Did they choke at the final game, the one that really mattered? If so, how will they perform in the cauldron of the play-offs?

Their play-off record is as bad as it gets, not one win ever since the format was introduced, although I'm not one for looking too far back when it comes to stats. But they were the form team coming into them last season and they didn't even score a goal, let alone win either leg against Reading. How are they mentally coming into this? Buoyant after one defeat in 24 with 18 victories, or very low after missing out on automatic promotion?

A month ago I would have put them to beat Derby, and easily. At the moment, not knowing how their mindset is, plus Derby looking like they are now inspired and not destroyed by their fans after scoring seven goals in the last two home games, this looks a lot closer.

In the other semi-final it's just as close. Steve Bruce has done a great job dealing with all the pressure that comes with being manager of the club with the highest expectation in the Championship. Aston Villa also finished seven points above Middlesbrough. They have so many match winners that can change a game in any moment but they undoubtedly come into their semi-final with the biggest amount of pressure of the four. That can weigh heavily at any time but especially in the play-offs.

I've thought for some time that Middlesbrough were the ones to watch out for. Tony Pulis has got them back to basics. Players have gone, the defence is more solid and in the final third they have lots of goals in them with Britt Assombolonga and Patrick Bamford. The one player who Villa have to keep quiet and could well be the star of the play-offs is Adama Traore. Pace, power, two-footed... on his day he's unplayable.

From the outside looking in, you might think it'll be a Fulham-Villa final. That may well happen. But I've got a sneaky suspicion it'll be Derby and Middlesbrough to compete in the world's richest game, worth at least £170m.



https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/football-league/championship-play-off-semi-finals-aston-villa-fulham-middlesbrough-derby-county-a8345026.html

What are these journalists like . According to this one .We did 'nt score a goal in play offs last season???

WhiteJC

 
Slavisa Jokanovic tells Fulham players to dream of the Premier League rather than thinking negatively about the last time they played in the play-offs

    Fulham travel to Derby's Pride Park on Friday in the Championship play-offs
    Slavisa Jokanovic's Fulham lost to Reading at the same stage last season
    But Jokanovic has told his players to focus on the dream that can be realised
    He wants his players to dream about playing in the Premier League

Slavisa Jokanovic has told Fulham's players to look forward to a future in the Premier League rather than dwell on the past ahead of their play-off clash with Derby County.

Fulham were beaten in the Championship's semi-finals by Reading last year but on Friday night Jokanovic wants to take the game to Gary Rowett's Derby in the first leg at Pride Park.

The Serbian boss hopes Fulham can take a big step towards the £200million final at Wembley and said: 'I don't have the time to be disappointed, I don't have time for crying.


Slavisa Jokanovic wants his players to focus on the dream of playing in the Premier League

'I cannot tell you how many games I have watched but after this game (last year's 1-0 defeat by Reading) I did not watch. I did not do any analysis of this game. I forget this game.

'My team this week is with confidence and ready for the play-offs. I expect in a few months we are going to be up.'

Fulham run the risk of losing several stars if they miss out on promotion, including 17-year-old prodigy Ryan Sessegnon. Jokanovic insists he is not worried.

'Yesterday we were talking about Real Madrid, two days ago about Manchester United,' Jokanovic said on Sessegnon. 'This, more or less, is a normal situation for us and him too.'

Jokanovic was in a buoyant mood, despite Fulham missing out on automatic promotion to the Premier League because of their failure to beat Birmingham on the final day.

Asked if he had a result in mind for Friday, Jokanovic joked: 'If it's possible, I'd have 8-0 for us or something like that.


Aleksandar Mitrovic lies dejected as Fulham saw their automatic promotion chances ended

'Some can be a little surprised with our performance at the end (against Birmingham). OK, there was probably someone a bit surprised how Roma can win against Barcelona.

'Or you can be a bit surprised how Chelsea could not win against Huddersfield. It is part of football.

'We must accept it and be ready for the next step and that's it. I don't have time for looking behind. I want to be successful, I am an ambitious man.'



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5715947/Slavisa-Jokanovic-tells-Fulham-players-dream-Premier-League.html#ixzz5FB3EQQCJ
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook


WhiteJC

 
Bradley Johnson insists Derby are 'mentally stronger' as they look to shake bottlers tag against Fulham in Championship play-off semi-final

    Derby midfielder Bradley Johnson insists his team are 'mentally stronger'
    Gary Rowett's men are looking to shake off their promotion bottlers tag
    Derby have failed twice in the Championship play-offs in the past four seasons
    The Rams host Fulham for the first leg of their semi-final at Pride Park on Friday

Bradley Johnson has insisted Derby County are 'mentally stronger' than ever before as Gary Rowett's side look to shake off their tag of promotion bottlers.

Derby have failed twice in the play-offs in the past four seasons and slipped badly out of contention on another occasion but Johnson says the team have learnt from those experiences.

'We've got the reputation because ultimately the club have been there before and failed,' said Johnson, who went up via the play-offs with Norwich in 2015 before suffering disappointment with Derby. 'That does drive us on even more to make sure we do it right this year.


Bradley Johnson has insisted Derby County are 'mentally stronger' than ever before

'Everyone will always talk about Derby falling away and not doing it but we're mentally stronger than we were before and we're going into the play-offs in a confident run. We've just got to go out there and prove people wrong..'

Derby host Fulham at Pride Park on Friday in good mood after beating Cardiff 3-1 and Barnsley 4-1 in their last two home matches. Their last play-off appearance was decided in the first leg when Hull left the east midlands with a 3-0 lead.

Johnson added: 'We've learned you've got to stay in the game. We had a corner in the last minute, we went attacking and they broke away and got the third goal. Ultimately that third goal was the one that didn't get us in the final.'

Rowett said he would be keeping preparations normal and does not plan to deliver any statesmanlike addresses.

'I've seen it where teams have done motivational videos for 38 minutes before the game and all those things,' said the Derby manager.

'My feeling about it has always been the same after doing it a couple of times in the past. I coached Derby in an FA Youth Cup game, it was a big semi-final and I built the game up massively. I did a real long speech before the game, I felt like Winston Churchill at the time.. It was all, "Fight 'em on the beaches".

'We were 5-0 down at half-time and I made a pact with myself never to do it again! That little bit of additional pressure sometimes tips the balance.. My players are better when they are relaxed.'



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5716011/Johnson-insists-Derby-mentally-stronger-look-shake-bottlers-tag-against-Fulham.html#ixzz5FB42SwxM
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

WhiteJC

 
Derby County hit with unwelcome injury blow ahead of crunch Fulham clash

Derby County fans in the Transfer Tavern will be looking forward to their Championship Play-off semi-final with Fulham first-leg on Friday, however, they will likely be without one of their key players.

The Rams will look to take advantage of their home tie against the Cottagers but could be without Marcus Olsson for the clash. According to the club's official website, the 29-year-old had to withdraw from the first half in their 4-1 victory over Barnsley last weekend with a knee injury.

There is no timeframe on his absence, however, it is believed that the Swede will be unavailable for the first-leg at the very least.

Landlord's Verdict

The Derby locals in the Tavern will be getting excited about the prospect of heading to Wembley Stadium, however, they will be disappointed that Olsson will not be able to take part.

The versatile defender, who can also play on the left side of midfield, has been key in the Rams promotion chasing campaign and it is believed that his absence will be felt by the punters in the bar. Fulham have been prolific in the Championship this year and Derby will want to keep the likes of Ryan Sessegnon and Aleksandar Mitrovic at bay.



https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/ticker/derby-county-hit-with-unwelcome-injury-blow-ahead-of-crunch-fulham-clash/

WhiteJC

 
How Derby County fans can play their part in tonight's play-off with Fulham

Gary Rowett has called on the Rams faithful to create another 'electric' atmosphere

Derby County fans can again play a key role tonight, according to manager Gary Rowett.

Rowett was full of praise for the atmosphere generated in the past two home games against Cardiff City and Barnsley.

The Rams won both to help cement a place in the Championship play offs.

Now they face Fulham in a two-legged semi final with the first leg at Pride Park Stadium this evening.

Rowett said the fans can play a "massive" part.

"We have spoken about that for the last two or three home games," he said.

"The last two or three results and performances have really lifted the crowd and in turn the crowd has lifted the players.

"Pride Park when there is a crowd of 30,000 and the atmosphere is electric, it is an amazing evening.

"You think back to the Cardiff game, it was an incredible night of football that you can't help but feel lucky to be part of.

"The atmosphere was also brilliant at the Barnsley game."

Rams midfielder Bradley Johnson also praised the supporters.

"The fans can play a massive part - they've been brilliant for us all season," said Johnson.

"On Sunday (against Barnsley), they were brilliant for us again.

"It was a bit of a nervy game for them, but they stuck behind us from the first whistle and the atmosphere in the stadium was electric.

"Throughout the 90 minutes, they helped us over the line.

"They are going to be massive for us on Friday night."



https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/how-derby-county-fans-can-1552054


WhiteJC

 
Fulham: How on earth did this even happen?

On the eve of the Championship play-offs getting underway, what better way to find out about the re-rise of Fulham than by asking Daniel Storey to have a conversation with himself? As ever, the answers are long...

It only feels like five minutes since Fulham were being dreadful in the Premier League?
Yes, and that relegation was indeed miserable. So let's start with a potted history of where it all went wrong.

Fulham's initial rise to the Premier League was funded by Mohamed Al-Fayed's millions, but they punched above their weight as standard. If the peak of their powers came with a Europa League final appearance in 2010, the subsequent slump came shortly afterwards.

In the summer of 2012, Al-Fayed made it clear that he wished to sell the club and began looking for a buyer. That was combined with the sale of Clint Dempsey and Mousa Dembele to Tottenham, replaced by a glut of overseas imports who largely flattered to deceive. Dimitar Berbatov was the gem, but even he epitomised a team that was majestic in patches but often too easy to play against. Fulham only slipped from ninth to 12th in 2012/13, but that was just seven points above the bottom three.

Shahid Khan purchased the club in July 2013, and Fulham actually made several signings that seemed to make sense (Darren Bent on loan, Scott Parker for £4m, Maarten Stekelenburg as a new No. 1 goalkeeper), but things soon went south. The decision to sack Martin Jol in December was hardly controversial, but Khan opted for first-team coach Rene Meulensteen as his replacement. Somewhere amidst all that, Fulham paid £12m to sign Greek striker Kostas Mitroglou. Mitroglou played 151 league minutes and never scored.

When it became clear that Meulensteen was unfit for purpose, the mistake was compounded by the appointment of famous disciplinarian Felix Magath. The German won three of 12 league games that season, famously tried to treat the players' injuries with cheese and Fulham were relegated on the penultimate weekend of the season after a 4-1 defeat to Stoke City.

Right, so what's changed?
For a long time, not a lot. Fulham have been bobbing around in the Championship's lower reaches since relegation. Magath somehow avoided the sack, but that soon followed when Fulham sat bottom of the division after taking one point from their first seven matches. His replacement, Kit Symons – something of a club legend – earned the job on a full-time basis after an encouraging start as caretaker, but never really convinced that he merited long-term faith. When Symons was sacked, Slavisa Jokanovic was appointed.

Jokanovic initially moved Fulham away from relegation trouble, and took Fulham into the play-offs in his first full season. Defeat to Reading over two legs was disappointing, but Jokanovic had at least earned Fulham their first top-six finish in any division for 16 years despite the sale of top scorer Ross McCormack.

One important thing to note is that Jokanovic persuaded Khan to invest £4m in the club's training ground facilities in summer 2016, both to allow for better match preparation and recovery and to make the club more attractive to potential signings.

But the biggest change at Craven Cottage happened four months into this season. With Fulham floundering again – they were 15th as recently as December – Jokanovic won his battle with owner Khan to gain control of the club's transfer dealings. Until that point, the majority responsibility had fallen to the club's director of statistical research Craig Kline, a friend of Khan's son.

Last summer, Fulham signed players from the Portuguese, French, Spanish, Belgian and Russian leagues, a policy Jokanovic vehemently disagreed with. "I need people who know about driving the car in the English style," he told the Independent. "Who know what life in England is."

In January, Fulham signed Aleksandar Mitrovic (who Jokanovic knew from Partizan Belgrade), Matt Targett from Southampton and Cyrus Christie from Middlesbrough. It is no coincidence that the longest unbeaten run in the club's history began with Jokanovic's victory in that power struggle. Suddenly, everyone at Craven Cottage was pulling in the same direction.

They certainly feel like the neutral's favourite for the playoffs?
Yes, they really are. Part of the reason for that is that Fulham are the perennial neutral's favourite. They are a charming club with a charming ground, steeped in history and with affiliations to some of the great and good of English football history. There is nothing offensive about them, and every Premier League away supporter looks forward to a day by the Thames and prays for August or May.

Most obviously, Fulham 'deserve' promotion the most. They finished five points ahead of Aston Villa in fourth and 13 ahead of Derby in sixth, and lost only eight games all season. Villa and Derby lost 11, Middlesbrough 14.

There's also the manner of Fulham's rise this season. Not only did Jokanovic take the club on the longest unbeaten run in their history, he has done so with some pretty attractive football. Fulham have scored 79 league goals, second only to champions Wolves, and Jokanovic prefers sharp passing through defence and midfield finished by Mitrovic's uncompromising physicality. The Serbian has been sensational since dropping down a division in January.

In fact, Fulham are conspicuous as the odd ones out in the play-offs. While Villa and Middlesbrough have spent big (Boro bought five players for £5m or more this season, Villa bought six last season) and Derby have pretty much done what they have always done, Fulham have approached things a little differently. Young players, experienced heads and loan players in near-perfect symbiosis. There is a feeling amongst neutrals (yes, this is oxymoronic) that Fulham's strategy merits reward.

It's at this point that I shout "Ryan Sessegnon" loudly, isn't it?
Yes, because of your top six, big club bias m8. Sessegnon has indeed been wonderful, the winner of Championship's Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year awards and the only ever player outside the top flight to be nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year gong.

His speed, dribbling and shooting (he's certainly more of a left winger than left-back) are extraordinary, but what makes Sessegnon most exciting is just how mature he is for a 17-year-old. Every time Fulham have piled a little more responsibility upon his shoulders, the young man keeps on performing.

But don't be fooled into thinking that this is a one-man team. Mitrovic is the division's 14th top scorer – and Fulham's second highest – despite starting his first league game on February 17. Fulham rejected a £25m bid from Newcastle United last summer for Tom Cairney, and he has shown again why that was a sensible move. Tim Ream and Tomas Kalas have played the experience/relative novice central defensive partnership perfectly, while Kevin McDonald might just be the Championship's most underrated player.

"We understand better and start to trust each other, we start living like family, all together, and it's more positive," said Jokanovic in February. "We are ready for fighting for each other, more than what we were doing in the past and we have a clearer idea on what we must do in the game."

Would Jokanovic stick around this time?
I see your line of questioning here. Jokanovic was the Watford manager who took over in October 2014 and within eight months had taken them to automatic promotion to the Premier League. It is widely considered to be a mistake on the part of the Pozzo family.

But it isn't quite as simple as that. Jokanovic was only appointed on a short-term deal, and his contract expired at the end of the season. Reports suggest that the Serbian asked for a whacking great payrise that Watford's owners were not prepared to match, and so they looked for another option.

Understandably, Jokanovic tells a slightly different tale. "I felt he [Gino Pozzo] didn't have a real will to renew my contract," he told The Sun in 2015. "My priority was to stay at Watford after promotion. It made sense to think that way. What happened next made me realise there was no real intention to renew my contract. There was a first contact but there wasn't a follow-up from him, which should be normal in any negotiation process. After waiting, I assumed that I had to move on."

Whatever the reality of that situation, Jokanovic was pretty adamant that he wanted to return to English football, and we can presume that the Championship was not his dream. If that gives Fulham's manager added motivation to secure promotion, it can be no bad thing.

So will they be quaffing champagne by the Thames on May 29?
They are certainly the clear favourites at 7/4, and history is just about on their side. In the 26 seasons where the second-tier play-offs have involved four teams placed third to sixth, the team in third leads with nine promotions.

Fulham are the team in form too – ish. They took 59 of a possible 72 points between mid-December and the end of the season, 13 points more than any other play-off team over the same period and 25 more than semi-final opponents Derby. Fulham lost one of their last 24 league matches of the season; second best was Wolves with four.

And here's the 'but'. That single defeat came on the last day at St Andrews. For all the excellence of Fulham's run towards the end of the season, the one match where it actually mattered produced a fairly dismal performance. If the play-offs is a series of cup finals, Fulham lost their own preliminary final to Birmingham City.

Which is what makes the playoffs so bloody brilliant. If the misplaced cliche is that penalty shootouts are a lottery, the playoffs sometimes really do feel that way. Quality matters, of course, but this about bottle. Sit back, relax, and let the madness begin.

Daniel Storey



http://www.football365.com/news/fulham-how-on-earth-did-this-even-happen

WhiteJC

 
Slavisa Jokanovic: The mastermind behind Fulham's push for Premier League promotion

Jokanovic told Goal how the Cottagers have reaped the benefits of his changes as they aim for promotion to the top flight

Slavisa Jokanovic is a purveyor of the finer details. When it comes to football management the 49-year-old has utilised years of experience managing in countries as far flung as Thailand to Israel, but it is Fulham where he's now made a name for himself as one of Europe's most talented managers.

Jokanovic, an ex-Deportivo and Chelsea player renowned for his elegant displays in midfield, joined Fulham in December 2015 and managed to avoid relegation by eleven points. The following season saw him achieve his target of a top-six position while the current campaign could culminate in achieving the ultimate goal of promotion to the Premier League.

The Serbian's side face Derby in their Championship play-off semi-final first leg against on Friday, where the winner over two legs will face either Aston Vila or Middlesbrough at Wembley on May 26.

Despite automatic promotion slipping out of their hands, Jokanovic guided his team to a 23-game unbeaten run which has drawn plaudits from afar due to the attractive football philosophy now taking centre stage at Craven Cottage.

Speaking in an exclusive interview with Goal, the experienced manager revealed the different aspects he needed to change when he first arrived at Fulham, while also talking about reports linking him with a move to Chelsea.

"I'm a very good observer and I had to check everything around myself," Jokanovic told Goal.

"In this short time we tried to push the club in a different direction and tried looking for improvements in different parts of the club. I started to push the board and they supported my ideas to improve the club.

"All the styles have a final destination - to try and win the games. I want to win the games. We are in a good moment right now and from another side I believe our supporters are enjoying the way this was the team have changed."

Jokanovic oversaw vast changes off the pitch when he joined three years ago, including modernisation of player nutrition and recovery methods, while persuading the club's billionaire U.S-based owner Shahid Khan to invest in the pitches in order to improve the quality of the training sessions.

"If you want to play the football on the floor then I need better tools for my work. They [Fulham] interpreted me well, they understand my position and really quick after a few months we started this kind of new improvements.

"The pitches weren't in condition to try and find enough quality with what we wanted to do. The last two years we've been in perfect condition for our work. I believe we're seeing the benefits of these improvements but can always do better."

Behind the scenes Jokanovic sings the praises of his support staff which features Marco Cesaraini, Jose Sambade, Stuart Gray, Alberto Escobar and Javier Pereira, the latter he describes as the "engineer of many things". The trio work closely together and the Serb uses his knowledge from a breadth of experiences abroad to focus on cultivating and signing domestic talent who already have a flavour of English football.

"My life is connected with football. I was a player, now a manager. I try to use all my experience in my job," he added.

"Because I'm working in England, this is the only reason [why I favour domestic-based players]. If I'm working with Serbia, Israel or Thailand it's about following the natural way. We are not on the level for bringing best players in the world.

"We want to bring people in with a similar level whether they are English or foreign. If they are a similar level I prefer domestic players as they know what life is like here and they don't need so much time for adaption.

"This competition is really long with many games so you don't have so much time to prepare and adapt. They must be ready for the challenge."

One player courting the attention of Europe's biggest clubs is Ryan Sessegnon. The 17-year-old has scored 15 goals this season and won five EFL awards, prompting many to suggest the left-wing back warrants a call-up to the England squad for this summer's World Cup in Russia.

"He's the best young player I've managed in my life," beamed Jokanovic.

"I've managed important players like [Stevan] Jovetic and [Adem] Ljajic in Partizan Belgrade but this man is really different. To play at this age he's competing really hard at Championship level and shown fantastic quality.

"He's one of the best football 'projects' in England and the world. He has huge potential ahead of him and a healthy mentality. I believe he can arrive and become a top player."

Fulham scored 85 times last season - the second-highest tally achieved by the team in the last 58 years. Players including Tom Cairney and Aleksandar Mitrovic have lauded Jokanovic's training methods and ability to get the best out of his players, an aspect of his managerial style that he remains deeply proud of.

"I want to make people around me better and I must be satisfied if they feel improvement in themselves. I try to make improvements for people all around me. Sometimes we need patience, sometimes we need the time to trust each other and this is natural but the intention for both sides is always positive. I try to make them better and they make me better too."

Unsurprisingly, Jokanovic is quick to dismiss reports linking him with a move down the road to Chelsea. An unbeaten run inspired by the manager's attack-minded philosophy has seen several clubs linked, but Fulham remains the only team in his mind right now.

"This is nice for my wife to read the news and ask me about these kind of reports," he joked.

"I try to be focused on my job and try to do a good job and if I'm successful with Fulham in the future then some positive things can happen."

The ultimate goal of Premier League promotion is in Jovanovic's sights and he portrays the same studious focus which has seen the Cottagers impress with their free-flowing football this season, but now it's time to deliver the end product that he and his team have been working towards throughout a gruelling campaign.

"The Championship is an exciting and quality competition, we know it exists at that level. We are strong and believe we can be successful. We're going to push until the end."



http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/slavisa-jokanovic-the-mastermind-behind-fulhams-push-for-premier-/x6ctetqovsep16pfqx1aq5it8

WhiteJC

 
Transfer gossip: Mirror link Fulham with Honeyman

Fulham have been linked with Sunderland midfielder George Honeyman.

The Sun claim the Whites and Aston Villa have joined Sheffield Wednesday in a race to sign the highly-rated 23-year-old.

Honeyman has a year remaining on his contract and there is speculation about his future following Sunderland's relegation from the Championship.



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/football-sunderland-george-honeyman-fulham-aston-villa-sheffield-wednesday-linked


WhiteJC

 
Fulham, Aston Villa in race to sign Sunderland's George Honeyman?

Fulham and Aston Villa are reportedly keen to sign Sunderland midfielder George Honeyman, who could be available for a cut-price fee.

The Black Cats' relegation to League One, combined with Honeyman having just a year left to run on his contract, means that he is expected to be offloaded to the highest bidder during the summer transfer window.

According to The Sun, promotion-chasing Fulham and Villa have both joined Championship rivals Sheffield Wednesday in showing an interest.

Honeyman is one of just a few Sunderland players to have impressed during their relegation campaign, scoring six times and setting up two more from across midfield.

The same report suggests that Lynden Gooch and Paddy McNair may also move on prior to next season.



https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/aston-villa/transfer-talk/news/fulham-villa-in-race-to-sign-honeyman_325633.html

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Volksbank Cup Day One

Fulham's Under-19s had a successful first day on their trip to Stemwede on Thursday. They Young Whites started their German campaign with a convincing 5-0 win over local team Mühlenkreis.


They followed it up with a 1-0 win over South American outfit Red Bull Brazil.

It took the Whites 10 minutes to break the deadlock in their first match of the afternoon. Elijah Adebayo coolly finished a Joe Felix cross after an early Fulham bombardment.

Within two minutes Adebayo doubled his tally for the morning, heading in a cross from Nicolas Santos-Clase after some good work from Jon Dagur Thorsteinsson.

15 minutes in and the Whites took full control as Cameron Thompson slotted. The two goal scorers and Thorsteinsson three were taken off at the break forTimmy Abraham, Showkat Tahir and Sonny Hilton.

After several missed chances from Fulham, Abraham capitalised with a header to make it 4-0 and Moritz Jenz smashed in a goal from a corner to round the match to 5-0 for a good winning start to their trip.


The second match was against Red Bull Brazil, who knocked Fulham out of the semi-final in 2016, this match was more of a grind.

Thorsteinsson had a good chance from a dead ball nine minutes into the first half but the keeper made a strong save.

Fulham took the advantage in the second half, The Young Whites won a free kick and Thorsteinsson whipped a ball at goal. The shot bounced off a defender and ended up in the back of the net to make it 1-0.

It was an edgy end to the match, Fulham however held on to finish the day with a 100% win record.

On Friday Fulham will start the morning off against Glasgow Rangers, then play Hamburg in the afternoon on day two.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/may/11/volksbank-cup-day-one

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Bradley Johnson says Derby County have learnt from past experiences ahead of Fulham clash

The Rams will be keen to avoid a repeat of their Hull defeat two years ago

Derby County go into the Championship play offs a better, more experienced and mentally stronger team than the one that lost to Hull City two years ago, says Bradley Johnson.

The midfielder started when the Rams lost 3-0 at home to Hull in their semi-final first leg in 2016.

He was an unused substitute in the second leg when Derby won 2-0 and almost turned the tie on its head.

Johnson remembers the pain of that first-leg defeat that all but ended hopes of reaching Wembley.

"We don't want that to happen again, but we won't be thinking about that," he said ahead of tonight's first leg against Fulham at Pride Park Stadium.

"We'll just be concentrating on ourselves and we're confident we can get the result at home," Johnson added.

"We've trained hard and we're looking forward to the game. We're going into the game in good form and confident mood."

Are there lessons to be learned from what happened against Hull?

"We've learned you've got to stay in the game," said Johnson.

"We had a corner in the last minute (when Derby trailed Hull 2-0), we went attacking and they broke away and got the third goal.

"Ultimately, that third goal was the one that cost us. So we've learned not to try to win the tie in the first leg.

"We know we've got two games to do it in, so if you're losing in the first leg you've got another 90 minutes to do it.

"So why go and try to win it in the last five minutes when you've got 90 to go and do it?

"This is a different game now. It's a different season and I feel we've got more experience in the squad and we're a better team now.

"We've grown and we can't wait for Friday night."

Fulham are the favourites, but Johnson pays no attention.

"I don't really listen to what the media say. We've just got to go out there and prove them wrong," he said.

"Everyone will always talk about Derby falling away and not doing it, but we're mentally stronger than we were before and we're going into the play-offs in a confident run.

"We've got the reputation because ultimately the club has been there before and failed.

"That does drive us on even more to make sure we do it right this year."



https://www.derbytelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/bradley-johnson-says-derby-county-1552830


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Slavisa Jokanovic: Nobody believed in Fulham but we will reach Premier League

Fulham have been written off before this season and the way they proved their doubters wrong should be a lesson to anyone who is sceptical about their play-off chances.

Their automatic promotion dreams disappeared last Sunday and many have questioned if they can recover from that blow and still reach the Premier League. But Slavisa Jokanovic's side have fought back in the face of adversity and shown they have the self-belief to bounce back and avoid more disappointment in the play-offs.

Many doubted Fulham stood any chance of promotion when they were 17th in the Championship last November following a 1-1 draw with Derby at Craven Cottage. And few gave them much hope a month later when they lost 1-0 to Sunderland at the Stadium of Light and were still languishing in the bottom half of the table.

But the belief within the team never wavered then and Jokanovic insists no doubts have crept in after their 3-1 defeat at Birmingham on the final day. Fulham face Derby at Pride Park tonight in the first leg of their play-off semi-final and Jokanovic said: "The Birmingham game is behind us. We did not perform well but our season was fantastic and many times we showed ambition, quality and self-belief.

"Nobody believed in us in the middle of December, nobody thought we would be fighting for the Premier League. But we showed we are strong and are a good team. We trust in ourselves. We did not lose our confidence after 90 bad minutes against Birmingham because for 3,000 or however minutes before that we showed we can be strong.

"Behind us is a big number of games where we played great football and showed great quality, character and organisation. We know we did not perform well against Birmingham but now we must be brave, stick together and be ready for the challenge."

After that Sunderland defeat in December Fulham went on a 23-game unbeaten run before losing at St Andrew's. The result meant Fulham missed out on automatic promotion by two points but they have a chance for redemption in the play-offs.

"Like in tennis, we lost one set point and now we must be ready for the next one," added Jokanovic. "I expect in a few weeks we are going to be up.

"I do not have time to be disappointed or for crying. I do not have time to not trust my team or think about different players. Because these players gave us a great level of football.

"They showed great confidence, ambition and self-belief. After a bad step, I cannot complain about them. I am sure they are going to do it our normal way and fight to reach the final."

If Fulham are get back into the top flight they must first overcome a Derby side who go into the play-offs resurgent under manager Gary Rowett and confident of an upset.

The Rams were second in the Championship in February before a dismal run left them out of top six.

But Rowett switched to a 3-4-2-1 formation that sparked a strong finish to the season in which they beat Cardiff, drew with Aston Villa and beat Barnsley in their final three games to secure the final play-off spot.

Rowett described his team as having been given "a second chance" after they fell out of the play-off places in April.

Jokanovic says Fulham feel the same missing out on the final day and the head coach will be under the spotlight in the play-offs. The 49-year-old Serbian has done a fine job in two-and-a-half years in charge at Craven Cottage but now he needs to get Fulham back into the Premier League.

"I want to be successful," says Jokanovic, who guided Watford to promotion in 2015 but left Vicarage Road before the start of the next season. It is clear I am an ambitious man. I care about my team, my club, my supporters and myself. I want to be successful with my team."

Jokanovic will need to overcome either Middlesbrough manager Tony Pulis or Aston Villa boss Steve Bruce at Wembley on May 26 but before then it is Rowett and Derby.

Fulham have never won a play-off match in six attempts but Derby also have a reputation as play-off bottlers, having failed to go up after reaching the Championship play-offs three times in the past five years. Both will be looking to silence their critics tonight and get a good result to take into the second leg at Craven Cottage on Monday.



https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/slavisa-jokanovic-nobody-believed-in-fulham-but-we-will-reach-premier-league-a3836486.html

WhiteJC

 
Fulham confident of keeping stars Ryan Sessegnon and Tom Cairney if promoted to Premier League

Fulham are confident they will keep their best players if they are promoted to the Premier League.

The west London club go into the first leg of their Championship play-off semi-final against Derby tonight knowing they are in serious danger of losing star man Ryan Sessegnon as well as captain Tom Cairney and Ryan Fredericks if they fail to go up.

Sessegnon is wanted by Tottenham, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain and today there were even indications that he could be part of England's provisional World Cup squad.

Cairney has had interest from both West Ham and Newcastle, while Fredericks is out of contract this summer and has been looked at by Crystal Palace. However, Fulham are determined to reject big-money offers for their prized assets should they get back into the top flight this season after a four-year absence.

Sessegnon and Cairney and have spoken publicly about their desire to play for Fulham in the Premier League and head coach Slavisa Jokanovic is confident he can keep his side together if they get promoted at Wembley.

Sessegnon goes into tonight's match with speculation growing about his future following an impressive season. The 17-year-old was named Championship Player of the Season and Standard Sport revealed in February that England boss Gareth Southgate was considering him for this summer's tournament in Russia.

Southgate will submit a provisional 35-man squad to Fifa on Monday before he names a final 23 a week later and he will be keeping a close eye on Sessegnon in the play-offs.

Promotion will also determine whether Fulham will keep hold of Aleksandar Mitrovic, who has scored 12 goals since joining on loan from Newcastle in January.

Jokanovic himself is likely to attract interest from other clubs because of the job he has done.

The 49-year-old Serb has taken Fulham to the brink of promotion in his two-and-a-half years at the club and was linked with the West Ham job this season. Fulham want to tie Jokanovic down and would reward him with a new deal if he gets them promoted.

The club missed out on promotion in the play-offs last season when they lost to Reading but Jokanovic insists that experience can stand them in good stead this year.

Jokanovic said: "Definitely, I think we are going to be more successful in these play-off games than one year ago.

"In some details we were not at our best level and I think this experience can serve us to be more focused to do our job better. We are one year older and one year more experienced in these games. We know what we are going to find in these play-off games.

"We are a team who take a huge level of risks and we must manage these kind of situations because it can be 180 or more minutes. We must be concentrated and take the right decisions during the game. It is great for us to have that kind of experience behind us."

Jokanovic believes Fulham have been given "a second chance" in the play-offs after they missed out on automatic promotion on the final day. He added: "We were not second all season. Okay, in the last moment we had a chance. We did not do it. But we have shown we can play good football and are a competitive team."



https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/fulham-confident-of-keeping-stars-ryan-sessegnon-and-tom-cairney-if-promoted-to-premier-league-a3836511.html