Monday Fulham Stuff (10/12/18)...

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Results

Sunday
Newcastle	1 - 2	Wolves

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Hilton: Biggest Stage

The Under-18s turn their attention to the prestigious FA Youth Cup on Tuesday when they face Leicester at the King Power Stadium. The Young Whites departed at the quarter final stage of the competition last year at the hands of Chelsea.

Sonny Hilton knows the game against Arsenal wasn't the ideal way to enter this game, but thinks his team will be up for the fight.

"We are all a team and a unit, we've taken a look at where we went wrong in preparation for the Youth Cup on Tuesday." He told fulhamfc.com. "We had chances in the first half to get back level and maybe it would have been a different game. We stayed strong and fought until the end to get two back – it was a bit too late though."

The Foxes currently sit fifth in the U18 Premier League, having already beaten Fulham 3-1 back in September.

Hilton added: "I don't think we will be worried when we go to Leicester. We know how they like to play and we will work out a way in trying to get through to the next round. We had a few out injured and a few up with the 23s when we lost to them a while back. We are starting to gel as one and playing to each other's strengths.

"This is up there as the biggest competition for a young player. This could be the make or break for some in that it could be the last big thing we play in. However, it could be the first of many competitions we play in.

"It will be eventful and we know that. We will enjoy it and take it as an accomplishment in a big stadium at the King Power. I could have been happier with the draw but it will be a good test."

The midfielder knows the team has come a long way since the defeat, picking up impressive points against the formidable Chelsea and Tottenham, as well as giving Everton a tricky test.

"We can go all the way if we play to our potential. If we can take early chances then there is no reason why not. We need to be cool and calm in this competition and if both sides of the game can be executed like in training then we can go far.

"We've proved that we aren't a pushover team in the past – maybe not so much in Arsenal's case but certainly with Tottenham and Chelsea. The other big teams have matched our ability and proved they are just a name, not necessarily having the players that can walk over us.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2018/december/09/hilton-preview-biggest-stage

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A song for Man United fans, Sessegnon embarrasses Jones & Mawson's skill - Fulham moments missed

Did you spot these moments at Old Trafford?

A song for Manchester United fans

Fulham fans were in fine voice at Old Trafford despite the fact that they fell to a 4-1 defeat.

Singing from the first minute to the last, the supporters certainly deserved more than the performance they witnessed in Manchester, especially in the first half.

With Jose Mourinho under intense pressure at United at present following a disastrous start to the season, it was a much-needed win for the Red Devils.

Criticising his own supporters numerous times in the past, Fulham fans let their United counterparts exactly what they thought of them as they chanted 'Mourinho's right, the fans are s***e' at them in the first half.

However, it was the home fans who had the last laugh.

Mawson's impressive turn

With United in the lead at Old Trafford and in full control, Alfie Mawson produced a moment of brilliance as the hosts looked to push on to add to the scoreline.

Looking to get Marcus Rashford through on goal with a long ball down the middle, the summer signing pulled the ball down and sent the England international the other way with a sublime Cruyff turn.

Rather than playing the ball back to Sergio Rico or clearing for danger, he took a risk and it worked.


Romelu Lukaku in action with Alfie Mawson (Image: Tom Purslow/Man Utd via Getty Images)

It's certainly a good job he got it right as the Red Devils would have been clean through on Rico's goal had he got it completely wrong.

Sessegnon embarrasses Jones

Mawson wasn't the only player producing some incredible footwork against the Red Devils as Ryan Sessegnon embarrassed Phil Jones.

Much better after the break with Aboubakar Kamara temporarily reducing the deficit from the penalty spot, the youngster completely fooled the centre-back in the Fulham half.

Shaping to knock the ball back before spinning away, Sessegnon produced a lightning-quick turn to leave the ex-Blackburn man trailing in his wake.

Moments later Sessegnon then got the better of Jones once again as the defender hesitated in his own box.

However, the finish from the 18-year-old was lacking as he dragged his shot wide of David De Gea's goal.

Homes fans frustrated with Cairney

Desperate for all the points after drawing their previous three league games, United fans felt Fulham were time wasting as early as the fourth minute at Old Trafford.


Tom Cairney passes the ball during Fulham's defeat at Old Trafford (Image: PAUL ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images)

Winning a free-kick down the left wing, captain Tom Cairney went down on his knee to sort out his laces.

Instead of only taking a few seconds, the midfielder must have spent nearly a minute sorting out the problem, thus irritating Manchester United fans in the process.

Whistling the Fulham captain, Jesse Lingard was also spotted complaining to the referee as the hosts wanted play to resume right away.



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/fulham-manchester-united-mourinho-song-15526753

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Chambers' absence, Rico's heroics & positives for West Ham - Fulham talking points vs Man United

Here are the main talking points from the 4-1 defeat at Old Trafford

Rico's heroics

Fulham's 4-1 defeat at Old Trafford could have been a lot worse had it not been for the heroics of Sergio Rico.

Given no chance as Ashley Young found the net in the first half with a brilliant strike, the summer signing stopped Marcus Rashford from extending the lead even further before the break with a fine save from his powerful free-kick.

The goalkeeper then kept the score down in the second half as the Red Devils pushed on to add to the scoreline.

Denying Rashford again before stopping Romelu Lukaku's effort, the Spaniard will no doubt feel like he should have done a lot better as the England international completed the scoring in the 82nd minute.

On a day when a number of Fulham players came out of the game heavily criticised for their performances, the 25-year-old deserves the plaudits for his fine display in Manchester.

Positives for West Ham

Leading 3-0 at the break following a very impressive performance from Jose Mourinho's side, a number of Fulham fans would have been dreading the hosts hitting six or seven goals going on the first-half display.

While United were excellent at times as they finally got back to winning ways, Fulham were extremely poor in the opening 45 minutes.

Given plenty of time and space down the flanks during the first half, the Red Devils also waltzed through the middle of the park time and time again


Aboubakar Kamara celebrates after scoring from the penalty spot at Old Trafford (Image: Clive Brunskill/Getty Images)

Fulham were perhaps lucky it was only 3-0 at the break.

Taking Tom Cairney and Aleksandar Mitrovic off at half-time, Claudio Ranieri no doubt had one eye on the upcoming festive fixtures given they are all winnable games.

Aboubakar Kamara impressed when coming on, while Luciano Vietto was much better following a poor display against Leicester City in midweek.

With Mitrovic having the side's only chance of note before the break, the Cottagers created a number of openings in the second period.

Andre Schurrle should have done better with his two efforts on goal, especially his first as he curled it over the crossbar, while Ryan Sessegnon also had an opening following some poor play from Phil Jones.

Of course it's still another defeat for Fulham with the side once again leaking goals, yet the second half showing has given fans hope ahead of next week's home game against West Ham.

It's just a shame the game was over well before the break.

Chambers' absence

A number of Fulham fans raised their eyebrows ahead of the game at Old Trafford as team news broke.

Making five changes to the side that drew with Leicester in midweek, Ranieri elected to start Cairney, Schurrle, Tim Ream, Joe Bryan and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa, while Kamara, Vietto and Cyrus Christie dropped down to the bench.

However, it was the absence of Calum Chambers that fans questioned.

Making a big impression at Craven Cottage following his loan move from Arsenal, the youngster has played in midfield in recent weeks rather than his usual position in defence.

His absence was certainly felt throughout the 90 minutes at Old Trafford.

Pairing Anguissa alongside Jean Michael Seri in midfield, the United team had a field day in the middle of the park.

Cutting through them time and time again, Fulham's lack of a defensively-minded player was glaringly obvious.


Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa breaks away from Ander Herreara and Jesse Lingard (Image: Gareth Copley/Getty Images)

While United would have still collected the three points if the Arsenal loanee had started, he would have definitely stopped the hosts getting so much joy in midfield.

Ranieri will be praying the "little problem" Chambers has picked up won't rule him out of next weekend's game against West Ham.

Issues down the flanks

As well as the problems with United running through midfield unchallenged so many times, the hosts targeted the flanks throughout the game.

Denis Odoi and Schurrle had a really tough time up against Rashford and Young, while Bryan and Sessegnon also faced similar problems with Diogo Dalot and Juan Mata pushing on.

Odoi was at fault for the first goal as Young pushed past him way too easily, before then playing a major role in United's second goal.

Caught out of position as the hosts pushed on, Alfie Mawson was forced to come across to cover for him, thus allowing time and space for Mata to double the lead.

As bad as Odoi and Schurrle had it down the right, Bryan and Sessegnon also had it just as bad on the opposite flank.

Dalot, making his third appearance in the league for the Red Devils following his summer from Porto, looked a world beater throughout the 90 minutes, although part of that is certainly down to Fulham's defensive play.

Always pushing on to help in attack, the youngster was given plenty of time and space by Bryan and Sessegnon.

As good as it is that the full-backs do push on and help in attack, the team do need to be more careful when they come up against the league's best teams.

While they maybe can get away with it to an extent against teams in the bottom half, United punished them time and time again on Saturday afternoon.

Fulham fans in good voice

You certainly couldn't blame a number of fans from wanting to leave early going on the team's performance in the opening 45 minutes at Old Trafford.

Trailing 3-0 at the break, the score could have been doubled in the second half if the Cottagers replicated their first-half display.

Fulham fans remained to support their team and they were in full voice throughout the second half.

On a day where only a couple players came out of the game with any credit, the club's fans deserve to be praised for their support in Manchester.

They were magnificent.

Hopefully everyone connected with the club has reason to celebrate come next Saturday evening.



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/fulham-manchester-united-news-chambers-15526740

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Listen to Ranieri and we'll avoid relegation, says Schurrle

Andre Schurrle knows Fulham's talented squad will fall short unless they knuckle down, tighten up and learn from manager Claudio Ranieri.

Expectations were high at Craven Cottage after making a glut of striking signings after sealing a Premier League return via the Sky Bet Championship play-offs.

But things have gone awry this term, leading Slavisa Jokanovic to be sacked and Ranieri appointed manager at a club that sits bottom of the table after Saturday's 4-1 loss at Manchester United.

Summer arrival Schurrle was naturally frustrated after this latest defeat for Fulham, who have plenty of work to do before hosting West Ham next weekend.

"Yeah, but you know talent is something that if you don't work hard, all the talent doesn't help with something," the German World Cup winner told Press Association Sport.

"We know we are a talented squad and we know we can play some football.

"But when you come here to Old Trafford or when you play at Anfield or whatever, you need to work hard, you need to be defensively a unit and as well a little bit of luck and today we didn't have that."

Fulham were three goals down by half-time and hopes of a comeback proved shortlived, with substitute Aboubakar Kamara's penalty soon followed by Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa being sent off.

Marcus Rashford added gloss for United and saw the west Londoners concede their 40th goal in just 16 Premier League matches – a record only worsened by one top-flight side since the start of the 1965-66 season.

"Claudio Ranieri knows the Premier League very well and he knows how to win games," Schurrle said of the man who masterminded Leicester's remarkable title triumph.

"He knows how to play, and he knows that we have to be compact, we have to be solid, we have to defend with all 10 men sometimes.

"We are still getting used to it because it's a lot of tactics, a lot of defensive work because at the moment we need it.

"We need a clean sheet somehow to get some confidence in our defending and that's what we're trying to do."

Now comes the frantic – and potentially crucial – festive period, which Schurrle got a taste of when fighting at the other end of the Premier League during his time at Chelsea.

"We know we have some very decisive games in December," the 28-year-old added. "A lot of games as well with teams in the lower table.

"We need to fight. We need to have a fighting spirit like we had in the second half, that we get in the duels.

"Especially at home we need to win the games and we need to pick up more points and to get more confidence and then you can change look with the momentum and that's what we have to do."



https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/man-utd/news/listen-to-ranieri-and-well-avoid-relegation-says-schurrle_343776.html

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Andre Schurrle says Fulham need more than talent to survive in Premier League

Andre Schurrle has warned his Fulham team-mates their talent counts for nothing unless they put in the hard work on the pitch and turn around their dire form.

The Cottagers are currently bottom of the Premier League table, despite spending over £100m on players in the summer - a record amount for a newly-promoted side.

In the wake of their latest defeat - 4-1 at Manchester United - Schurrle, who was one of the 12 new arrivals, said: "If you don't work hard, all the talent doesn't help. We know we are a talented squad and we know we can play some football.

"But when you come here to Old Trafford or when you play at Anfield or whatever, you need to work hard, you need to be defensively a unit and as well a little bit of luck and today we didn't have that."

Fulham's struggles have already resulted in the sacking of Slavisa Jokanovic, who was replaced as head coach by Claudio Ranieri.

The main item on his agenda is firming-up Fulham's defence, which has conceded 40 goals in 16 league games this season. Only one top-flight team has had a worse record at this stage of the season since the 1965/66 season.

Schurrle is backing him to succeed, saying: "Claudio Ranieri knows the Premier League very well and he knows how to win games.

"He knows how to play, and he knows that we have to be compact, we have to be solid, we have to defend with all 10 men sometimes.

"We are still getting used to it because it's a lot of tactics, a lot of defensive work because at the moment we need it.

"We need a clean sheet somehow to get some confidence in our defending and that's what we're trying to do."



https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/11576091/andre-schurrle-says-fulham-need-more-than-talent-to-survive-in-premier-league

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Ranieri Rues Fulham's Poor First-Half Performance As They Slip To A Heavy Defeat At Old Trafford

As expected, Fulham were on the wrong end of a four-goal blitz yesterday as their miserable away record, in the Premier League, continued at Old Trafford.

Fulham struggled to get into the game and many feared a rout when Manchester United raced into a 3-0 half-time lead.

Thankfully, Ranieri's half-time talk curtailed that possibility and the away support were even treated to a goal, leading to thoughts of a dramatic comeback until they were reduced to 10-men and Manchester United added a fourth goal.

After the game, talking to the BBC, it was a slightly bemused Claudio Ranieri that remarked,

    "The second half was much better, but I have to consider if that was a down from Manchester United because they were winning 3-0 or we made a good performance.

    "Go, play football. Then, if they score, it is normal. In the second half, we did. Why we didn't in the first half, I need to speak with my players.

    "The response in the second half was positive. We played with more intensity, we were hungry, everything better than the first half."

Just a shame that we gave the opposition a three-goal start wasn't it!

COYW's



https://fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/ranieri-rues-fulhams-poor-first-half-performance-as-they-slip-to-a-heavy-defeat-at-old-trafford/

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Defensive Woes Show Why Fulham Are Where They Are

In what is fast becoming a season of woe, with those huge hopes of making an impact in the Premier League, we had back in the summer, fading fast, it's not hard to see why we're in the predicament we are in.

The facts and figures speak for themselves.

In order to establish yourself in the Premier League, you have to build from the back and restrict the goals you concede to a bare minimum, Fulham have failed miserably to do so.

Fulham have not kept a clean sheet in any of their last 20 top-flight games, their worst run ever.

In the opening 16 games of what is becoming a nightmarish campaign, Fulham have conceded 40 goals, only once has a team conceded more than this with Barnsley letting in 43 back in the 1997 / 1998 season.

The poor record we pointed out, ahead of the game, at Old Trafford, just got poorer, in the last 24 matches the Cottagers have played at Old Trafford, in all competitions, they've lost 22, drawn 1 and won just 1.

Hopefully, the rot will be halted when Fulham welcome West Ham United, to Craven Cottage, next Saturday, for a London derby.

COYW's



https://fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/defensive-woes-show-why-fulham-are-where-they-are/

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Cottage Talk Post Match Show: Manchester United vs. Fulham
Take a listen to a podcast that focuses on Fulham Football Club.

This is our post match show of the 4-1 loss for Fulham against Manchester United. During the show, co-host Max Cohen analyzed the key moments of this match. On top of that, at the end of the show listen to Cottage Talk co-host Emilio Di Nello's appearance on Love Sport Radio.


You can also listen to the show by following this link...
https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2018/12/9/18132957/cottage-talk-post-match-show-manchester-united-vs-fulham

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Watford boss says he would consider offers for Fulham target

Javi Gracia would speak to Stefano Okaka about his Watford future should the Hornets field any January offers for the Italy striker.

Okaka has featured just twice in all competitions this season, with Isaac Success and Troy Deeney bossing Watford's forward line.

Okaka has been linked with a return to Fulham, where he had a spell on loan from Roma in 2010.

And Hornets manager Gracia has admitted he would talk through any offers with the 29-year-old.

"I would like to speak with Stefano or with any of the players about transfers when that moment arrives," said Gracia.

"But in this moment he's one player for us, and he's only focused on trying to help the team in this moment.

"We have time to speak about different situations in the future."



http://londonfootballnews.co.uk/fulham/watford-boss-says-he-would-consider-offers-for-fulham-target/

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Could Claudio Ranieri be the miracle man once again?

Claudio Ranieri

The 2015-2016 Premier League season showcased one of the greatest underdog stories in the contemporary history of football with Leicester City, the "5000/1 outsiders" at the beginning of the Premier League season, being crowned Champions of England. The mastermind behind it answers to the name Claudio Ranieri.

The Italian coach who combined effective defence with accuracy on goal and prolific counter attacks took the Premier League by storm and pulled off a literal footballing miracle. His return to the league after his dream season with Leicester once again requires a miracle in order to save Fulham from relegation. Will he, however, pull it off once again?

Fulham constitutes a peculiar case this season. Having bought a great deal of new players (jokingly crowned the champions of the transfer window), they never found the appropriate chemistry to edge matches.

With the likes of players like Nice star Jean-Michail Seri, Besiktas keeper Fabricio and ex-Dortmund forward Andre Schürrle, few expected them to struggle. Nevertheless, coach Slavisa Jokanovic never managed to make it work in the top flight and at the time of his departure from the London club, Fulham had the worst defensive record in the league (31 goals in 12 games) and sat at the very end of the table.

It is true that Fulham were never expected to be a tight side that would solely focus on keeping the clean sheet. Ever since Jokanovic took charge of the club, they had been an attacking team which did not mind conceding as long as they were scoring goals on the opposite end. Their stats last season demonstrate this style of play with Fulham conceding 46 times through the season.

Thus, many of the millions spent to strengthen the team was aimed at the defensive line. The underperformance of the newly brought defenders such as Calum Chambers and Alfie Mawson is largely to blame for the club's dreadful defensive record. Furthermore, the team largely relied on the 4-3-3 formation which while attractive in theory, will not be effective if a manager is relying on players such as Kevin McDonald that are not Premier League quality.

Overall, while many disagreed with the board's decision to oust the Serb arguing that he deserved more time to turn things around, it is clear that something was wrong with Fulham this season and a drastic change was required. Yet, to what extent is Ranieri the ideal man for the job?

In the intervening period between his sacking from Leicester and arrival in London, the Italian coach managed French club Nantes, and while results were generally positive (Nantes finished 9th last year), a public fallout with the manager led to his departure. His acceptance of the job offer in London meant that he had to apply a total makeover to Fulham, in order to save the team from relegation, including the overall psychology of the team.

As Fulham wonderkid Ryan Sessegnon spoke in an interview, Claudio Ranieri has placed extra emphasis on team bonding in order to bring back the positivity that accompanied Fulham in last year's successful season. With regards to the tactical side of things, the coach mentioned in his first interview that he must "change things carefully". His "I hope to play ugly and win" quote portrays the approach of the Italian to build a competitive team that while not as attractive to watch, will bring results.

The 3-2 victory against Southampton in the first game he coached reminded everyone that "the miracle-man is back". By putting the out-of-form Sessegnon in a much wider position and making Mitrovic believe in his goal-scoring abilities after a 585-minute goal drought, Ranieri helped his club put on an amazing display and take an essential victory in a thrilling match. Yet, the following three games produced some mixed results.

While the defeat against Chelsea was an "expected" one, the disheartening appearance of Fulham in the most recent demolition by Manchester United (Fulham lost 4-1) brought clouds over the positive atmosphere created at the club. In the Manchester United post-match interview, Ranieri said that it was like there were "11 sheep vs 11 wolves" and his quote could not be more true.

With 3-0 down at half-time, Fulham was pitiful and while the dominating performance by Man United did not help, Ranieri's club went down quickly and easy.

The mixed results inferred from Ranieri's first 4 games as Fulham coach both with regards to the points gathered (4 in 4 games) and the club's style of play, lead one to evaluate Ranieri's ability to inflict long-term changes in Fulham to save the club from relegation.

Many elements of the style of play that he solidified in Leicester are ideal for the struggling Fulham side. His belief that "defence starts higher up the pitch" and the quick transition from defence to attack that made players like Vardy and Mahrez shine 3 years ago, bodes well with Fulham's pacey players with Sessegnon, Seri and Zambo-Anguissa being excellent for this style of play, especially against stronger sides.

Furthermore, possession was one of the defining elements of the Jokanovic era in Fulham. By lowering the possession amounts and establishing a counter-attack system, Ranieri's team will manage to concede less, of course very often at the expense of attractive football.

Besides being an excellent technician, Ranieri has also proved very capable in inspiring players who are underperforming. His ability to boost player morale will definitely prove critical in a side that is blooming with quality yet lacks the results and optimism. Elements of his skill have already been established, with Mitrovic ending his goal drought in the first match of Ranieri as manager, leading his side to victory with 2 goals.

Overall, even a man like Ranieri, who appears destined for impossible missions will find the critical situation in Fulham difficult to overturn. Yet, his first 4 matches in charge have shown that he is willing to work hard even though it will probably take some time for the players to adjust to his philosophy.

Thus, while it would not be wise to start betting in favour of Fulham winning the Premier League, his track record of getting the best out of players and excelling under pressure will bode well for the London club which has the quality but lacks the momentum and a tactician to make the players shine.



https://www.sportskeeda.com/football/could-claudio-ranieri-be-the-miracle-man-once-again?key=newsnow

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Report: Crystal Palace must pay £12m for Victor Moses; Fulham keen

Crystal Palace and Fulham will reportedly have to pay an eight-figure fee if they hope to sign Victor Moses.

According to a report from The Sun on Sunday (09/12; page 57), Crystal Palace have been joined by Fulham in the race to sign Victor Moses, but either side will have to pay £12 million if they want a January deal for the Chelsea winger.

The 27-year-old was a regular fixture in the Blues side under Antonio Conte as he found himself proving to be a key part of the team at wing-back.

However, under Maurizio Sarri, his game-time has decreased dramatically, and he has only managed to make two substitute appearances in the Premier League for the Stamford Bridge outfit this term.

The Sun on Sunday (09/12; page 57) reports that Chelsea are ready to let the Nigeria international go, and Palace and the Cottagers are both monitoring the situation with next month's window looming.

The report adds that Chelsea will want £12 million for Moses before they sanction a sale, and the interested sides are not being put off by his price-tag as they weigh up a potential move.

Palace could certainly do with adding their former academy starlet to the ranks at Selhurst Park as they desperately search for more goals in their side. Meanwhile, Fulham boast plenty of attacking quality, but are struggling enormously at the back, so perhaps Moses' versatility is appealing to Claudio Ranieri.



https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2018/12/10/report-crystal-palace-must-pay-12m-for-victor-moses-fulham-keen/