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

[WhiteJC]

 
The tactical approach Fulham must take to beat Aston Villa in the play-off final

Fulham have gone one step further than last season with one match separating them from the Premier League.

Slavisa Jokanovic's side have been exciting to watch over the past two seasons with their free-flowing creative play which has made them hard to stop, but last season ended in failure as Jaap Stam's Reading beat them over two legs in the play-off semi-finals.

There were worries that this season would be the same after Derby won the first leg 1-0 and held them at 0-0 going into half-time at Craven Cottage. However, they turned it around with a strong second half display to win 2-0 with Ryan Sessegnon and Denis Odoi getting the goals.

Villa be a tough task, though, because they have some vastly experienced players who are used to any potential scenario that is thrown their way, but the Cottagers did finish higher in the table and should be seen as favourites going into this match.

Here are three things Fulham need to do to come away with a win...



Be expansive

They need to use the full size of Wembley's pitch to their advantage in order to stretch Villa defensively. This will open up gaps for players such as Ryan Sessegnon to exploit with his intelligent runs using blindside movement among other things.

Fulham have to create space for Tom Cairney and others to dictate proceedings in the final third, so the full-backs need to push up in order to give the team width. This allows the wingers to cut inside into the half spaces with Aleksandar Mitrovic the focal point in the middle drawing in the opposition defence.

Their possession based style means they should have no issue retaining possession and shifting it from side to side in order to create openings as the defence moves across.

Congest central attacking areas

The Cottagers need to ensure that they dominate the territory in the central attacking areas as well as having plenty of options for the man in possession. Crossing is unlikely to be useful against Villa due to the height advantage they possess, so the central areas as well as cut backs from the byline are the dangerous areas.

Villa are likely to sit in a low block in order to compact the space between the lines and ensure there is no space behind the defence to exploit. Therefore, deep runs will be key in breaking them down because of the conundrum they provide defenders with over who is tracking them as well as the difference in speed.

Ideally, the wingers will be making these diagonal runs from wide areas with Mitrovic occupying the two centre-backs with the three central midfielders stretched horizontally across the central attacking area just outside the opposition box. The two full-backs offer the quick switch of play on either flank to take advantage of a disorganised Villa defensive shape.

Stick to principles

The main task for Fulham is to stick to their principles that got them here in the first place. They were two points away from reaching the automatic promotion spots and went on a 23 game unbeaten run, which included wins over Wolves, Cardiff and Villa as well as victories over the rest of the top six among others.

Therefore, they are perfectly capable of beating anyone in this division, even Wolves, as well as their opponents in the final when they are at their peak. They just need to stay confident in their methods and stick to the short passing possession based style with Tom Cairney seeing as much of the ball as possible due to his ability to unlock a defence.

Nerves will play a part and they may cause mistakes which is dangerous for such a high technical standard of play that takes risks, but this is what they are best at and it will pay dividends if they keep faith as they did against Derby.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/the-tactical-approach-fulham-must-take-to-beat-aston-villa-in-the-play-off-final/

[WhiteJC]

 
Ryan Fredericks linked with move to West Ham United

West Ham United have reportedly joined the race to sign in-demand right-back Ryan Fredericks from London rivals Fulham.

The 25-year-old has emerged as one of the most sought-after players in English football due to his contract situation at Craven Cottage.

Fredericks, named in the PFA Championship Team of the Year, is due to be out of contract once the Cottagers' campaign comes to an end.

Following interest from Arsenal and Crystal Palace, the London Evening Standard reports that West Ham will attempt to persuade the former England Under-19s international to join them instead.

Fulham have offered Fredericks a new-and-improved contract, but he only intends to sign it if they beat Aston Villa in next week's Championship playoff final.



https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/west-ham-united/transfer-talk/news/fredericks-linked-with-move-to-west-ham_326117.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Play-Off Final Tickets

Tickets for Fulham's Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final against Aston Villa at Wembley Stadium on Saturday 26th May, kick-off 5pm are now available to 2018/19 Season Ticket Holders.

Following a busy first day of sales, Whites fans have snapped up more than 22,500 tickets, and we thank supporters for their incredible support and patience when attempting to buy.

Fulham supporters will be located in the East End of Wembley Stadium. Ticket prices for this match are listed below, which are divided into five pricing sections. Each category has a concession rate for 17-21 years, over 65s, and juniors aged 16 and under:

Category	Adult	17-21 Years	Over 65 / 16 and Under
1	£98	£73.50	£38
2	£76	£57	£49
3	£64	£48	£32
4	£52	£39	£26
5*	£36	£27	£18

*Only available in Level 5 (top tier of Wembley Stadium)

How to Buy

By phone: via Ticketmaster on 0844 453 9063 (closes daily at 8pm Monday-Friday and 6pm on weekends)

Calls cost 7p per minute plus your telephone company's access charge.

Online: www.eticketing.co.uk/fulhamfc (available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week)

In order to purchase tickets online, supporters will need to log in to their accounts.

Fans are reminded that tickets will not be available to purchase over the counter from the Fulham Ticket Office at Craven Cottage.

Supporters are advised that tickets located in Level 5 (top tier) will be sold last, and will only become available once Levels 1 & 2 have sold out. Tickets are sold from North to South, with all rows numbered low to high – i.e. Row 1 is nearest the pitch. All price categories will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis and are subject to availability.

Aside from wheelchair disabled tickets and coach travel, there will be no sales from the Fulham Ticket Office for this match.

Instead, all supporters must purchase tickets directly from Ticketmaster, who will be selling tickets for this match on behalf of the Club.

On-Sale Dates
Tickets for the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final will go on sale with exclusive priority windows, subject to availability, as follows:

    10am, Wednesday 16th May - 2017/18 Season Ticket Holders – maximum 5 tickets per person
    10am, Thursday 17th May - 2018/19 Season Ticket Holders – maximum 5 tickets per person
    10am, Saturday 19th May – 2017/18 Members – maximum 5 tickets per person
    10am, Sunday 20th May - supporters with a previous Booking History – maximum 5 tickets per person

Family Area – There is a designated Family Area for Fulham supporters at Wembley Stadium, located in Blocks 105 to 108 – approx. 1,700 seats, price categories 3 and 4 - in the East End of the Stadium. Tickets in this area will be sold on a first-come-first-served basis, only to fans purchasing adult tickets with junior 16 years and under tickets.

Wheelchair Disabled Tickets - A number of Wheelchair and Personal Assistant tickets are available. These can be purchased directly from the Fulham Ticket Office phone line, and not from Ticketmaster. Supporters must call 0203 871 0810 (opt. 3) between Monday - Friday, 9am-5pm. The price charge to wheelchair patrons is equivalent to the relevant price for the area in which they're situated, with their personal assistants gaining access free of charge. Please note, proof of disability will need to be provided at the point of sale, if this has not previously been provided.

Ambulant Disabled Tickets – These can be purchased directly from Ticketmaster on 0333 003 5942 between Monday - Friday, 9am-5pm and Saturday – Sunday, 10am-2pm. Please note ambulant disabled tickets can only be purchased during the appropriate sales windows.

Coach Travel – A limited number of coaches will be available for supporters to purchase, departing from both Motspur Park and Craven Cottage. Prices will be £15 and £5 for adult and junior Season Ticket Holders respectively, and £18 and £8 for adult and junior non-Season Ticket Holders. Coach Travel can be purchased from the Fulham Ticket Office on 0203 871 0810 (opt. 3), between Monday - Friday, 9am-5pm.

Booking Fees - A £2.40 per ticket booking fee applies to all tickets, along with a £2.40 transaction fee per booking.

Postage – All tickets will be sent via First Class Post as standard, alternatively supporters can request Recorded Delivery at an additional charge.

No more than ten (10) tickets are permitted in any one transaction for supporters wishing to group tickets and be sat next to fellow Season Ticket Holders.

Important Information
Hospitality – Fans wishing to purchase Hospitality packages for Sky Bet Championship Final are required to buy directly from the Fulham FC Sales Team from 10am on Wednesday 16th May. Please note we only have a limited amount of packages available for this game, starting from £369 (inc VAT) per person. Supporters interested in purchasing can call 0203 871 0810 (Monday-Friday, 9am-5pm) (Opt.1) or email [email protected]

Ticketmaster Customer Service – once purchased, should supporters have any queries regarding the dispatch of tickets, fans can contact a dedicated Ticketmaster enquiry line on 0333 003 5935 (lines open Monday – Friday, 9am-5pm). Calls are charged at a local rate. Please note, you will not be able to purchase tickets from this number.

16 Years and Under – All children must be accompanied by a responsible adult.

Babies – Babies/babies in arms will be allowed entry but must have a valid ticket for themselves.

Client Reference Number – This is a unique digit number printed onto supporters' Season Ticket Cards or match tickets.

Parking – Parking for supporters and supporters' coaches can be purchased via www.wembleyofficialparking.com or 0208 903 6966. Coach parking is charged at £65.00 per coach and car parking is charged at £30.00 per car. Blue badge holders can purchase parking at a cost of £15 per space.

No Resale Of Tickets – It is an offence under Section 166 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994, for any unauthorised person to sell tickets.

Fulham Football Club is carrying out the ticket selling instructions of Wembley Stadium and The EFL. All ticket sales are final and non-transferable/refundable. All sales are subject to the Football League and Wembley Stadium conditions of issue and ground regulations. Fans wishing to view the full terms and conditions of any EFL Conditions of Sale and Wembley National Stadium Limited (WNSL) Ground Regulations can find out more information by clicking here.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/may/17/play-off-final-tickets

[WhiteJC]

 
Conor Hourihane explains reserved Aston Villa celebrations as they set sights on Premier League ahead play-off final against Fulham

    Aston Villa and Fulham will meet in the Championship play-off final
    Fulham reacted to reaching Wembley with delirious dressing-room scenes
    Villa were more reserved in their celebrations after beating Middlesbrough
    Conor Hourihane claimed Fulham 'celebrated like they won the league'
    The Villa midfielder insisted there is more work to do before Villa can celebrate

Conor Hourihane has revealed Aston Villa players took notice of Fulham's exuberant celebrations at progressing to the Championship play-off final and decided to temper their own as 'there's more business to be done.'

Fulham reacted to reaching Wembley for the first time since 1975 with delirious dressing-room scenes, which were posted online by the club's official Twitter feed.

Villa were joyous at getting to within 90 minutes of the Premier League but were markedly more reserved.


Conor Hourihane has claimed Aston Villa will not celebrate until they have won promotion

'They celebrated like they won the league or something like that,' said Hourihane, the Villa midfielder. 'That's been mentioned, don't worry.

'We had calm celebrations, everyone was just in the dressing room high-fiving each other. There was nothing major going on in the dressing room at all because there's more business to be done.

'The fans are obviously going to enjoy it, they're looking forward to a good Wembley day out, no doubt. But like I say, we've got our business heads on.'

Hourihane said Villa would revel in entering the May 26 match as underdogs.

'Fulham are a good side, they finished ahead of us in the league, deservedly so,' he said. 'They might be slight favourites going into it, but all the best to them if they fancy themselves more than us because we'll be ready for it, that's for sure.'



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-5739851/Conor-Hourihane-explains-reserved-Aston-Villa-celebrations-ahead-play-final-Fulham.html#ixzz5FpoXtIpz
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

[WhiteJC]

 
Ashby-Hammond: Not Everyday

Fulham Academy goalkeeper Luca Ashby-Hammond caught up with fulhamfc.com as he prepares to face the Netherlands in the semi-final of the Under-17 European Championships with England on Thursday evening.

"It's a great achievement from the lads," Ashby-Hammond commented on reaching the semis. "Obviously we had quite a difficult group with Israel, Italy and Switzerland.

"We managed a good result over Italy but unfortunately lost to Switzerland. It turned out to be a good draw for us against Norway and got the result we needed.

"Against Israel the score line should have been more one sided, they got a lucky penalty and we had many chances to put the game away.

"Italy was more of a close game but we were the better side I think. Again with Switzerland, they scored a deflected goal which comes down to luck, we had many chances to put the game to bed but it just wasn't to be.

"We knew that a 1-0 defeat would still get us through, so there was a point in the game where we thought we might not score, so we had to just play for the result to put us through. We wanted to bounce back strongly in the quarters which we did."

The Young Lions finished second in the group and were drawn against Norway in the quarter-final and they won 2-0.

"Against Norway it was a very one sided game and I think the score line reflected that," he said.

"My family have been supporting, my Dad has come to every game especially, Taye [Luca's brother in Fulham's U23s] has been to a few games to show his support.

"I try to throw some of the balls into the crowd for them before the games but they haven't reached them!

"This tournament has been very good experience, especially the longevity of the trips. We have been here for two and a half weeks now.

"It's been good to get to know the boys a lot more, experience of training every day. Games are every other day, it's quite demanding mentally and physically as well."

A surprised guest dropped into the England camp on Tuesday to meet the team.

"Marcus Rashford came and spoke to us, that was a surprise! It was on our day off, the team Operations Manager told us she had a surprise for us, we came in and he was just standing there so it was a bit of a shockwave a but a nice surprise. He just came to wish us luck for the rest of the tournament."

The Young Lions play their semi-finals against the Dutch in Chesterfield on Thursday at 7pm.

"The Netherlands are a strong team, they beat Spain in the last round. Obviously it is not everyday you get to the semi-final of the European Championships, everyone is buzzing and on their top game, everyone feels we can win the game, and hopefully go on and win the tournament so I am looking forward to it."

You can watch Luca in the semi-final on ITV4, Thursday from 6.45pm.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/may/17/ashby-hammond-not-everyday

[WhiteJC]

 
Another Play-Off Final

Marek Rodák will also be competing in a Play-Off Final after helping Rotherham United to the Sky Bet League One showpiece.

Following a 2-2 draw away to Scunthorpe United in the First Leg, the Millers secured a 2-0 victory at the New York Stadium courtesy of Richard Wood's header in first half stoppage time, and Will Vaulk's accurate strike on 63 minutes.

Irons captain Rory McArdle was later sent off, and Rotherham held on to secure a date with Shrewsbury Town at Wembley Stadium, the day after Fulham and Aston Villa do battle for a place in the Premier League.

Rodák played a vital part in their progression, keeping a clean sheet despite Scunthorpe's six efforts on target, with his boss Paul Warne stating: "In fairness, I thought Marek saved us a few times. I thought he was excellent and the overall performance was one to be proud of."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/may/17/another-play-off-final

[WhiteJC]

 
Images: Fulham provide update as preparations for Aston Villa clash begin



Fulham's preparations for the Sky Bet Championship play-off final are firmly underway, with Slavisa Jokanovic's side back in training. 

A 2-0 victory over Derby County at Craven Cottage on Monday secured Fulham's progression to the play-off final.

Despite trailing 1-0 from the first-leg, goals from Ryan Sessegnon and Denis Odoi turned the tie around and handed Fulham their first Wembley appearance in 43 years.

Fulham have now provided an update (@FulhamFC), sharing images of Jokanovic and his squad back in training, as preparations get underway for the play-off final clash with Aston Villa:

Jokanovic's side will meet Villa at Wembley on May 26th after Steve Bruce's side secured their place in the play-off final at the expense of Middlesbrough.

Like Fulham's tie, Villa and Boro played out a close contest, with Mile Jedinak's header all that separated the two sides over the 180 minutes.

Fulham beat Villa when they faced them at Craven Cottage during the regular season, but were beaten 2-1 when they travelled to Villa Park back in October.

The Verdict

Jokanovic's side look relaxed ahead of their biggest game of the season.

Of course, training will become more intense in the coming week, with so much riding on their clash at Wembley.

Fulham and Villa are evenly matched, having finished third and fourth respectively in the league table and both picked up a victory over each other over the course of the season.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/images-fulham-provide-update-as-preparations-for-aston-villa-clash-begin/

[WhiteJC]

 
Wembley Stadium back in profit ahead of Shahid Khan takeover bid


Wembley bid: Fulham owner Shahid Khan is hoping to buy the National Stadium (EPA)

Wembley Stadium returned to profit ahead of becoming a takeover target for American billionaire Shahid Khan, new accounts revealed on Thursday.

Wembley National Stadium made pretax profits of £5.5million in the year to July 2017, compared with a £5m loss in the previous 12 months. Operating profits were £12.5m, up by £500,000.

The figures show the most-up-to date picture of the financial health of the stadium, which is owned by the Football Association.

It was revealed last month that Fulham and Jackonsville Jaguars owner Khan launched a bid for the north London ground worth more than £500m.

If he gets a deal over the line, more American football is likely to be played at Wembley and it could pave the way for an NFL franchise to be based in London one day.

Khan is also keen on staging more concerts and events days at the ground, further increasing the potential for revenue.

Wembley's strategic report which revealed the latest figures, said: "Hosting the most high-profile, showpiece events is critical to maintaining Wembley's position as one of the world's leading stadia."

Wembley's profits for 2016-17 were boosted by Tottenham playing four fixtures there — three in the Champions League and one in the Europa League.

However, this season the club have paid Wembley £15m to play all their home fixtures there during the redevelopment of White Hart Lane.

It is possible that Spurs may stage some of their fixtures next season there as well if their new 61,500 ground is not ready. Tottenham would need permission from the Premier League to play some of their home games at Wembley and some at their new home ground and have until the end of the month to inform the FA of their plans.

The stadium's turnover for 2016‑17 was £104.1m — a drop of £300,00 from the previous year, partly due to fewer concerts. However, a gig by Adele there last July attracted a record crowd for the ground of 98,000.

The stadium also hosted the world heavyweight title fight between Anthony Joshua and Wladimir Klitschko.



https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/wembley-stadium-back-in-profit-ahead-of-shahid-khan-takeover-bid-a3841876.html

[WhiteJC]

 
West Ham still keen on Jokanovic



West Ham are still keen on Fulham manager Slavisa Jokanovic, according to the London Evening Standard.

The newspaper claim that the Hammers are one of a number of clubs impressed by the 49-year-old's work at Craven Cottage, but the Serbian boss looks likely to stay where he is.

The London Evening Standard report that Jokanovic's situation could change as he could consider his options if Fulham fail to beat Aston Villa in the Championship play-off final.

The 49-year-old Serbian was previously the Hammers' No.1 target to replace Slaven Bilic last summer, according to Sky Sports, if the club had opted to get rid of Bilic at that time.

OPINION

The Hammers may now regret not moving for Jokanovic last summer as it was only mere months into the season that they eventually pulled the plug on Bilic's time at the London Stadium. If they had axed Bilic earlier, then who knows what effect it could have had. However it seems the Hammers have well and truly missed the boat on trying to sign Jokanovic, as he might reach the Premier League for next season by getting Fulham promoted. While the Cottagers' clash with Aston Villa could go either way, the play-off final is always unpredictable, his side have a good chance given the squad he has available to him. It's interesting to hear that the Hammers are still known to be impressed by the 49-year-old, and who knows, if the manager makes himself available if Fulham fail later this month, then he could be at the London Stadium. Then again it seems the Hammers are acting fast to put a manager in place as soon as possible, and they probably will have decided on their next boss by the time the play-off final happens.



https://foreverwestham.com/2018/05/blog-topics/west-ham-still-keen-on-jokanovic/

[WhiteJC]

 
Wembley Pubs

Details of the pubs in Wembley which will be designated to Fulham fans for the Sky Bet Championship Play-Off Final:

The Torch

1-5 Bridge Road, Wembley, HA9 9AB

Crock of Gold

23 Bridge Road, Wembley, HA9 9AB

Watkins Folly

1 Empire Way, Wembley, HA9 0EW

Blue Check Café

12 - 13 Empire Way, Wembley, HA9 0RQ

The Parish

120 Wembley Park Drive, Wembley, HA9 8HP

Sports Bar Double 6

125 Wembley Park Drive, HA9 8HG

The Wembley Tavern

121 Wembley Park Drive, HA9 8HG

Flyers Last Stand

45 Blackbird Hill, NW9 8RS

Premier Inn

151 Wembley Park Drive, HA9 8HQ

Hilton Hotel

Lakeside Way, HA9 OBU

Novotel

Olympic Way HA9 ONP

International Hotel

McDermott House, Empire Way, HA9 ONH

Arena Square Fan Zone

Wembley Park Boulevard



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/may/17/wembley-pubs

[WhiteJC]

 
Revealed: The parachute payments Aston Villa, Sunderland, Fulham and Cardiff earned this season

A total of eight Championship sides benefited from parachute payments this season

The Premier League have revealed the eye-watering prize money for the season which has just ended.

The two Manchester sides topped the charts with United earning slightly more than their title-winning neighbours (£149,767,145 vs £149,438,654) owing to them being shown on TV more.

Even bottom of the pile West Brom managed to secure an almighty payday, banking almost £95million ahead of their return to the Championship next season - which is 12 times the amount Leeds United earned this season.

But the cash-rich top flight don't just hand out money to the 20 teams fortunate enough to be strutting their stuff in the league that year, as they also handed out parachute payments to recently relegated sides.

The logic behind this is to try and stem the financial bleeding that dropping out of the Premier League brings, with sides being handed payments for the three seasons following relegation. Relegated clubs will then therefore be able to continue to pay wages and crash and burn like a certain West Yorkshire side did when they dropped out of the big time 14 years ago.

But how much did Leeds' rivals bank from the Premier League this season?

A total of £243million has been allocated to a total of eight eligible clubs.

Clubs receive diminishing amounts each year for four years after relegation, so the amounts awarded is as follows:

Relegated between 2013-15
QPR - £16,595,917

Fulham - £16,595,917

Cardiff - £16,595,917

Relegated in 2015-16
Aston Villa - £34,012,650

Norwich City - £34,012,650

Relegated in 2016-17
Hull City - £41,571,016

Middlesbrough - £41,571,016

Sunderland - £41,571,016

Who will be receiving parachute payments next season?
Owing to clubs receiving payments for four seasons after relegation, the sides who dropped out of the Premier League in 2013-14 have now received their last payments.

Cardiff, Fulham and Norwich all went down that year, but with Cardiff winning promotion and Norwich have been back up and down since then, this will - as things stand - only affect Fulham.

But with the Cottagers in the play-off final, this will not impact them should they go up.

If they lose to Aston Villa in the final, then expect serious cost-cutting at Craven Cottage. If Villa do not go up, they will continue to receive a payment, as will the three relegated sides from this season.

Here is the list in full:

    Aston Villa (unless they win the play-off final)
    Norwich
    Hull City
    Middlesbrough
    Stoke City
    Swansea City
    West Brom

How that may benefit Leeds United
That means there could be only six teams receiving these additional funds next season, down from the eight who were seeing their accounts boosted this season.

For that reason, Leeds fans may want to route for Aston Villa to beat the Cottagers at Wembley next at the end of May.



https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/sport/leeds-united/revealed-parachute-payments-aston-villa-14672066#close-overlay

[WhiteJC]

 
This is how James Chester thinks Aston Villa can upset Fulham's approach in the play-off final

Fulham are known for being a team who enjoy the ball - but Chester and co have more experience of the big occasion

Aston Villa defender James Chester reckons they must 'get about' Fulham if they're to stop the Cottagers at Wembley and join Wolves and Cardiff in the Premier League next season.

Since the claret and blues dropped down into the Championship in 2016, all four meetings between the two sides have been won by the home side.

The clubs finished third and fourth respectively in the regular campaign, and both edged out Middlesbrough and Derby to appear at the season's grand finale on next Saturday.

Play-off finals are traditionally cagey with matches rarely being decided by more than one goal either way, and though Fulham are narrow favourites heading into the fixture, Welsh international Chester believes that getting among their opposition's possession-based style could work in Villa's favour.

"It's a huge game," Chester told AVTV. "I've been lucky enough to have a few big games in my career and a couple of them at Wembley.

"There's a few lads in the changing room that have done the same, so hopefully that'll give us a slight advantage going into Saturday.

"It'll be a fabulous occasion for our fans and ourselves to look forward to and hopefully we'll be celebrating come the end.

"It'll be a difficult game. I think over two seasons at this level we've beaten them at home and they've beaten us away.

"They're very possession based but we've shown in the home games that if we can get about them then they can be beaten.

"There'll be a lot of hard work between now and the game. With our experience of big games and playing at Wembley hopefully it'll put us in good stead."



https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/how-james-chester-thinks-aston-14672643

[WhiteJC]

 
Battering Barcelona and unleashing Sessegnon: The story of Aston Villa's play-off foe Slavisa Jokanovic

The man trying to keep AVFC out of the Premier League

Steve Bruce's reputation as a Championship play-off specialist is without parallel.

Two campaigns, two promotions and now he's two-thirds of the way through a third - it would surprise no-one if Aston Villa enjoy the same uplifting feeling experienced by Hull and Birmingham before them.

Whatever you might feel about Bruce's selection or tactics, he is a man whose play-off track record stands up against anyone's.

Yet much of the build-up ahead of Aston Villa's trip to Wembley will be centred on the man trying to take Fulham into the Premier League. Slavisa Jokanovic.

The Whites' boss skins his tactical cats in a different way - and has had plenty of success doing it.

Brian Dick analyses the man behind the beard.


(Image: Getty Images Europe)

Who is he?

Jokanovic is a 49-year-old former player, who was born in the Serbian city of Novi Sad, which in 1968 was still part of Yugoslavia.

As a player he was a rugged, no-nonsense defensive midfielder who played in his homeland, Spain and latterly with Chelsea.

He also won 64 international caps and scored ten goals before moving into management just over ten years ago.

Early playing career

He started out at his home town club Novi Sad before transferring to Vojvodina at the same time as former Torino boss Sinisa Mihajlovic. Together they won the title in 1989.

Soon after it was off to Partizan Belgrade, with whom he also won the league and cup in the early 1990s.

Reign in Spain

With the Yugoslavia descending into war Jokanovic's ability on a football field had given him an escape route - Oviedo provided that in 1993 in a Balkan melting pot of a team that also featured Croatians Nikola Jerkan, Janko Jankovic and Robert Prosinecki.

However, while Oviedo's bubble burst, Jokanovic's wholehearted performances had won many admirers, though perhaps not Real Madrid's classy Argentine Fernando Redondo on whom Jokanovic stamped in a feisty encounter in 1994. Even his manager Raddy Antic admitted he deserved to be sent off.

No matter, the opportunity to join Tenerife arose a year later and he took it.

He spent three years in the Canary Islands and was remembered for scoring a hat-trick, including two penalties, in a 4-0 victory over Barcelona in the 1996/1997 campaign.

In the summer of 1999, aged 31 he joined arriviste Galician outfit Deportivo La Coruna and in his one season at the club he won La Liga and the Supercopa alongside Mauro Silva, Flavio Conceição and Donato.

Chelsea pensioner

At the relatively advanced age of 32 he joined Chelsea in October 2000 for a fee of £1.7m. He played 53 times over two seasons but never really nailed down a regular first team place

He was released in July 2002 and even the club website admitted: "He wasn't the most popular player with the fans but his input was always appreciated by the staff and players."

Imagine that in today's sanitised Pravda-like communications industry.

The fact he was sent off for throwing the ball away in a rare West London derby against Fulham will hardly have helped.

He returned to Spain and retired a few months later.

International man of mystery

Jokanovic made 64 appearances for his country - and might have been one of the stars of the European Championships in Sweden had Yugoslavia not been ruled out of participating because of their civil war.

He did though get to appear at France 1998 and in the 2000 European Championships. Unfortunately the latter campaign was marred at the group stage as the Yugoslavs were beaten 4-3 by Spain and the match ended in controversial style.

They were fined £48,500 after fans came on to the pitch and Jokanovic was banned from playing in the quarter final with The Netherlands having been sent off in the 63rd minute.

A move into management

Jokanovic was living in Madrid when in 2007 he began coaching with minnows Atlético de Pinto. A few months later his old club, Partizan Belgrade came calling. Leaving his wife and family in the Spanish capital he rapidly built his reputation.

Under him Partizan won two consecutive Serbian league and cup doubles in 2008 and 2009, but he was sacked in September 2009 after failing to guide Partizan into the group stages of the Champions League.

That prompted a couple of years out of the public eye.

Thai pride

He reappeared in management in February 2013 in the unlikely surrounding of Thai outfit Muangthong United where he succeeded Robbie Fowler whose tenure had been little short of disastrous.

His team went unbeaten as they won the Thai Premier League but he was fired soon after because of a disappointing Asian Champions League campaign.

He was briefly in charge of Levski Sofia and Spanish outfit Hércules CF whom he could not prevent from being relegated.

Hornets nest

If he thought he'd inherited a mess at Muangthong, that was nothing compared to the situation he walked into at Watford in October 2014.

The Vicarage Road outfit had four managers in less than two months, starting with Beppe Sannino, then Oscar Garcia - who quit for health reasons, Billy McKinlay lasted just a few days before Jokanovic stepped through the revolving door.

Somehow, despite the upheaval Watford were still third in the Championship.

He did a splendid job, ensuring promotion to the Premier League for the first time in eight years, with a game to spare. He seemed to have done enough to earn a crack at the big time.

A month later and after 241 days in charge he was gone and Quique Sanchez Flores was in his place. The BBC claimed Watford were unwilling to meet his £2.5m salary demands.

Jokanovic was clearly unhappy with owner Gino Pozzo and told The Sun.

"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."

Moving on was to Maccabi Tel Aviv, whom he guided into the Champions League group stages for the first time.

Then it was back to the UK.

Cottage industry



On December 27, 2015 Jokanovic returned to West London, more than 13 years after he'd left Chelsea.

"Slavisa's credentials and passion for the job rose to the top through every stage of this process, and we cannot wait to welcome him to Motspur Park and Craven Cottage," said owner Shahid Khan.

It proved a shrewd decision. Fulham actually dropped from 18th position to 20th by the end of the season - but the important thing was they finished 11 points above a drop zone that claimed Charlton, MK Dons and Bolton.

The following season Fulham won 22 of their 46 games and finished sixth but lost to Reading in the play-off semi finals.

This season

Jokanovic feared there would be a backlash from last term's unsuccessful play-off campaign - and initially there was, their results weren't great early on.

A 1-1 draw with Derby in November left them in 17th place.

However, they were playing better than their record suggested and when they lost to Sunderland of all teams on December 16, it would prove to be their last reverse for 23 Championship games.

Jokanovic recruited wisely in the January window, bringing in Aleksandar Mitrovic and finally the Whites had a striker to convert their dominance into goals.

Not that the process was entirely smooth.

Despite the progress made under Jokanovic on the pitch, off it assistant director of football operations Craig Kline continued to interfere in recruitment, until he was fired last October.

Jokanovic no longer needed to grumble at 'data signings' instead he was left to recruit the likes of Mitrovic, Cyrus Christie and Matt Targett.

The rest could be history. Unless Aston Villa can stop him.

Style of play



Fulham have won many admirers for their expansive style of play.

They have had great success with a 4-3-3 set up and they start manipulating the opposition right from the very back, the goalkeeper.

Key to their style is the licence their full backs Ryan Fredericks and Targett have to get forward. Often they will be seen supporting Ryan Sessegnon on the left and Lucas Piazon or Floyd Ayite on the right.

In the middle Kevin McDonald sits deeper which allows Tom Cairney and Stefan Johansen to take up dangerous positions.

Mitrovic provides the finish.

But it is the emergence of Sessegnon that has most caught the eye.

He celebrates his 18th birthday on May 18 - but has seemingly been celebrating all season.

Moved forward from left back to left wing he has scored 16 goals and provided seven assists this season and came within a whisker of making the World Cup squad.



https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/battering-barcelona-unleashing-sessegnon-story-14672450

[WhiteJC]

 
"Manchester City they aren't" - Aston Villa blogger is sick of the Fulham hype

Villa fan Jon Hayward has his say on Steve Bruce's team - and their play-off final opponents Fulham

The journey for Villa continues. The last step; the final hurdle; one last hurrah, and other such clichés all serve to add drama to an occasion which to fans, and particularly club owners, should not need dramatising.

One game against Fulham stands between Aston Villa Football Club and a return to the Premier League, where a club of their size arguably belong. That same game could be worth, according to recent estimations, north of £300m to the victors, and the chance to start to build towards those upper echelons of English football.

So, Villa fans should be confident... right?

Well... not if the mass media and the 'neutrals' are to be believed, as they have seemingly written off the West Midlands outfit against what Sky's Don Goodman described as "clearly the best team that didn't get promoted".

Every neutral fan that has crossed my path since Tuesday night has assured me Villa will be outclassed at Wembley. The same experts are also quick to dismiss the semi-final performances against Middlesbrough as "rubbish", despite the fact that the team who finished 5th in the Championship, were restricted to just two shots on target in 180 minutes of football. Whilst the Villa Park encounter may not have been one for the purists, in truth, Villa barely looked threatened.

"I don't know why Villa fans are getting so excited," I'm told. "Fulham will destroy them!"

Somebody should get on the phone to Wembley and cancel the game.

Paul Parker joined in on the hype. The former England and Manchester United defender (who began his career at Fulham, in all fairness) was quick to wax lyrical about his former team.

"I believe, we're talking about football being played a long way above every team in that league."

Given that Wolverhampton Wanderers finished 11 points ahead of Fulham, won more games, scored more goals and conceded less, it would be fair to say they may have been hard done by in that statement. Not finished with his exaggeratory wisdom, Parker went on to describe Fulham as "the City [Man City] of the Championship."

Yes, Fulham finished third in the league. They ended the season with 88 points, five more than Villa. Their team contains some exceptional players, three of whom were named in the Championship team of the season.

But Manchester City they are not.

Let's not forget, on the final day of the regular season less than two weeks ago, Fulham were soundly beaten by a team who narrowly avoided relegation - and who Villa beat comfortably themselves in February - Birmingham City. The Blues, who were the joint-lowest scorers in the English Football League, scored twice in the first half, finishing up with a deserved 3-1 victory. The Cottagers had been played off the park.

In their first leg against Derby they again looked distinctly average, as they struggled to break County down. Despite having more than 70% possession, Fulham only managed two shots on target, and had to start the second leg with a 1-0 deficit.

Why Villa should fear this team quite so much – like they're some kind of footballing deity, sent to destroy all who cross their path – is beyond me.

None of this is to say that Fulham are not a good side. They play an easy-on-the-eye brand of football and have performed well overall, following a poor start to the season. But again, this is not a squad blessed with David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero; this is an up and coming team that realistically, is better than the sum of its parts.

They are not a squad filled with 'Galacticos', international superstars, or even those who have 'been there and done it' all before.

Their likely starting XI at Wembley can boast a combined number of 117 Premier League appearances. To put that into context, Villa's likely line-up contains five players who can beat that figure on their own. Overall, the Villa tally amasses to more than ten times that of their opponents.

In their first leg against Derby they again looked distinctly average, as they struggled to break County down. Despite having more than 70% possession, Fulham only managed two shots on target, and had to start the second leg with a 1-0 deficit.

Why Villa should fear this team quite so much – like they're some kind of footballing deity, sent to destroy all who cross their path – is beyond me.

None of this is to say that Fulham are not a good side. They play an easy-on-the-eye brand of football and have performed well overall, following a poor start to the season. But again, this is not a squad blessed with David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero; this is an up and coming team that realistically, is better than the sum of its parts.

They are not a squad filled with 'Galacticos', international superstars, or even those who have 'been there and done it' all before.

Their likely starting XI at Wembley can boast a combined number of 117 Premier League appearances. To put that into context, Villa's likely line-up contains five players who can beat that figure on their own. Overall, the Villa tally amasses to more than ten times that of their opponents.

The bookmakers have Fulham as short as 4/7 to gain promotion. Villa are outsiders at 13/10.

Ultimately, time will tell. But big games require big game players.

Something which, for me, makes Aston Villa far too strong to dismiss.




https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/aston-villa-fulham-fan-blogger-14673049

[WhiteJC]

 
Villa Could Use Two Very Contrasting Tactical Approaches Against Fulham

Doing a bit of spying on the other semi-final in anticipation of a meeting in the final, it left me thinking there are a couple of ways we could set up against Fulham at Wembley.

In the first leg at Pride Park, Derby suffocated the Cottagers. They pressed high, restricted their opponent's chances in front of goal, and took a lead into the second leg.

With a lead to maintain, Gary Rowett's side sat a lot deeper at Craven Cottage. However, with the home team chasing the game, the Rams had a number of counter-attacks they could have taken advantage of. At times, Fulham's defence looked to be creaking and there are clearly gaps to exploit. So, should we press high, or sit deep and catch them out on the break?

The Case For Pressing High

You need energy, athleticism, dedication and positional awareness to press high and early. Out of the two approaches, I think it is the least likely as I don't see us being completely comfortable doing it. We could be caught out by pace at the back, especially if they beat the press. However, Steve Bruce does have the best part of two weeks to prepare his side for the game.

Both Fulham centre backs Tim Ream and Denis Odoi take risks at the back passing the ball. Interceptions are highly likely if they are put under enough pressure. If we can force them into mistakes, we could have a lot of joy and create chances for ourselves. With the likes of Grabban, we should be able to to be clinical and take advantage; more so than Derby.

The Case For Sitting Deep

Bruce can set a team up defensively in his sleep. Against Boro at Villa Park, it was a textbook display of restricting space in behind. Experienced players like Chester and Terry can deal with balls into their own penalty, but the manager knew they would be exposed against the pace of Assombalonga and Traore if they were caught out too high up the pitch.

The result was Tony Pulis's side were restricted to very few chances. Fulham are a far better attacking unit than the Teessiders but they are also weaker defensively. If we can absorb their attacks, and play swiftly on the counter with the likes of Grealish and Adomah taking our opponents on from deep, we should have chances.

However, such a system would cede possession and territory to our opponents. Slavisa Jokanovic's side are great at keeping the ball, and we could be boxed it if we are not careful.

Which approach would you take?



https://astonvilla.vitalfootball.co.uk/villa-could-use-two-very-contrasting-tactical-approaches-against-fulham/