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Monday Fulham Stuff (14/01/19)...

Started by WhiteJC, January 14, 2019, 08:14:59 AM

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WhiteJC


Why experienced winger Ryan Babel will improve Fulham's labouring attack


Following Fulham's devastating 2-1 loss to Burnley on Saturday, the Daily Mail claimed the Whites were in talks with Besiktas' Ryan Babel over a six-month loan deal.

If the reported transfer is completed, the Dutch winger would serve as a marked improvement on Fulham's current attack, which is far too reliant on Aleksandar Mitrovic.

Although Fulham's floundering defence has attracted the majority of the headlines this season, the Cottagers frontline is also to blame for the club's current predicament.

At Turf Moor the Fulham attack appeared largely disconnected, with a lack of positive movement and passing combinations afflicting the Londoners.

All year, Mitrovic's goals have served as Fulham's lifeline, but when the Serbian is shackled by physical centre-halves, the Whites flounder.

Claudio Ranieri appears to have little faith in Ryan Sessegnon, who was unceremoniously hauled off at halftime against the Clarets, and the addition of Babel would add extra firepower to Fulham.

With Aboubakar Kamara mysteriously left out of the squad, Ranieri's attacking options off the bench were weak: Luciano Vietto, Neeskens Kebano, and Floyd Ayite are not the players who will keep a club in the Premier League.

With Babel in the squad, Fulham retain the services of a full-fledged Dutch international who has been enjoying an international renaissance as a key member of the team that won their UEFA Nations League group over Germany and France.

In addition, the winger has Premier League experience from his time at Liverpool, as well as an impressive record of 29 goals and 12 assists in 89 appearances for Besiktas.

If Ryan Babel secures his loan switch to Fulham in the coming days, the Dutch winger could revatilise the Whites attack and possibly kickstart a remarkable survival bid.



https://tbrfootball.com/why-experienced-winger-ryan-babel-will-improve-fulhams-labouring-attack/

WhiteJC

 
Neeskens Kebano could prove to be a great signing for Leeds


Leeds will be feeling confident despite a stumble in form, that they can achieve promotion to the Premier League this season.

They have done so well up until this stage but now they will be desperate to welcome some new faces in order to revitalise their top-flight push.

As a squad, they seem depleted, with injuries and loss of bodies amounting to potential trouble, something Marcelo Bielsa will want to put an end to.

With creative playmaker Samu Saiz now gone, Leeds need someone to bring in with the same sort of flair.

As a player who hasn't had a real opportunity yet this season but yet has great ability is Fulham's Neeskens Kebano, who really could be the star Leeds are awaiting.

Kebano, (who is valued at £2.7 million on Transfermarkt) has yet to make a start in the Premier League this season despite Fulham now having played more than half of their games.

So for Leeds, they have a real opportunity to swoop in and acquire a talent like Kebano, who has Championship experience as well.

Having made 26 appearances in the league last season when Fulham gained promotion, Kebano could be a useful asset for Leeds and prove a lucky charm for the second team to gain entry into the Premier League.

Neeskens Kebano is a versatile player that would surely be a wise investment for Leeds to make, given that he is able to play on the wing, attacking midfield and up-front as a striker.

With another player in the forward department, Leeds will feel they're able to rotate on a more frequent basis, preparing for the huge amount of games still to play.



https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/championship/leeds-united/neeskens-kebano-could-prove-to-be-a-great-signing-for-leeds/

WhiteJC

 
Fulham boss: We deserved at least a draw

FULHAM boss Claudio Ranieri felt his side deserved at least a draw from their visit to Turf Moor.

The Cottagers went home pointless after two own goals helped Burnley come from behind to record a 2-1 win after Andre Schurrle's second minute strike put the visitors in front.

But Ranieri, whose side remain entrenched in the Premier League relegation zone, felt Fulham merited more.

"We scored very, very early, a great goal," he said.

"And suddenly, they scored twice with two own goals. This period is very strange.

"We played well, we deserved minimum a draw. But that's football. I'm satisfied with the performance, not the result.

"Second half we played much better. We moved the ball quickly, found good solutions on the flanks for crosses, but we shot at goal only twice or three times, and one time they saved on the line.

"I think that episode changed the music."



https://www.lancashiretelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/burnley_fc/news/17354190.fulham-boss-we-deserved-at-least-a-draw/


WhiteJC

 
Tony Khan's new venture

Ok HammyEnd readers, I'm out of the closet. I'm the best person on the HammyEnd writing team to write this piece and I will not be ashamed of it anymore.

The noise has been around for months, but 2019 saw the official announcement of All Elite Wrestling. All Elite Wrestling is allegedly set to receive $100m worth of investment from Shahid Khan to support his sons' new venture. Tony Khan will take up the position of president of the new company which is frequently utilising the term "by the fans, for the fans." Listening to Tony on the X Pac 12360 podcast, I was impressed by his knowledge of the product and background information, if you listen to the 'General Manager' of Fulham FC speak about the art form of professional wrestling for even five minutes, you can tell that this guy just loves it.

Professional wrestling has had a gap for a while, the independent scene is booming but no company had the clout, finances or buzz to really whet the appetite for the wrestling community that is deep into the product. All Elite Wrestling merchandise is already number one of Pro Wrestling Tees: an online store that houses the merchandise for many a wrestling company, wrestler or wrestling personality that is not part of the giant that is WWE.
The buzz is largely thanks to Cody Rhodes and the Young Bucks (Nick and Matt Jackson) who take up the position of Executive Vice Presidents within the company. Cody was part of the WWE machine from a young age making his debut on television at the age of 21 (his father is the late Dusty Rhodes, a member of the WWE Hall of Fame for his long litany of work in the industry). Rhodes left the WWE, disillusioned with the mollycoddled and uncreative environment of World Wrestling Entertainment and became the hottest individual on the independent scene. He came together with the Jackson's (all three are members of the wrestling stable: the Elite) to create a wrestling event called All In. All In became sold out in 30 minutes with over 10,000 people in attendance, becoming the first non-WWE or WCW event to do so in the United States since 1993.

If Tony Khan was to surround himself with three non-WWE members to create a wrestling company, these were likely the best three. The wrestling community is truly excited for what is to come from All Elite Wrestling as they promise the best to fans and wrestlers (Chief Branding Officer Brandi Rhodes announced at their rally in Jacksonville that both male and female wrestlers of a similar level will be paid exactly the same). There have also been mentions of a favourable schedule on the road which may help them attract stars from WWE, much like TNA did in its prime as they once held a roster containing the Dudley Boys, the Hardy Boys and Rob Van Dam to name but a few. AEW have also said that they will compensate their talent for any injuries and possibly long term a health care package. Tony Khan has also mentioned potential full time jobs in the office as well for wrestlers, it really sounds like an opportunity for people to be 'All In.' To add to all this positive press, at their rally in Jacksonville, the Executive Vice Presidents announced that the second show from AEW will be in the city with a "large portion" of the money to go towards victims of gun violence.

Trademarks were filed for all the branding months ago, but one of which is the name 'Tuesday Night Dynamite.' This potentially hints at All Elite Wrestling targeting a weekly television slot which would be a major boost should it come with a strong network. WWE programming does not currently have a cable slot for Tuesday night which is a positive for the initial growth of All Elite Wrestling's fan base (of which is already has over 120,000 followers on Twitter).

At the rally in Jacksonville, a number of roster additions were announced which included British wrestler PAC (formally known as Neville in WWE), Hangman Page and most notably, Chris Jericho. Chris Jericho, a veteran of the business, is a superstar and like a fine wine is doing some of his best stuff as he gets older. Jericho spoke of not needing the money, but he "believes in doing something new and different." The Canadian wrestler will bring eyes alone and is a huge pull for the company in its early days.

Tony Khan on the aforementioned podcast said he spends his time working for the Jacksonville Jaguars and Fulham FC but his free time was spent watching and taking in professional wrestling, all but confirming that the 36 year old has zero free time left in his life. "Wins and losses will never matter more" which suggests that All Elite Wrestling will display the product with a respect to the athletic art form that it is and not the wink of "we all know this isn't real." A tape trader and self confessed fan of ECW back in the day, Tony as a fan will have a vision of what he wants All Elite Wrestling to be and it does feel like it's been a very impressive start as a budding promotion.

'Double or Nothing' is the first event to promoted by All Elite. It will take play at the MGM Grand Arena on May 25th with the first match all but announced, Hangman Page vs. PAC in a match that could carry a card on its own.

Professional wrestling has an injection of excitement that it's missed for a long while, if you were previously a fan or grew up to appreciate the product, now is the time to get back in as All Elite look to assemble a roster of excellent wrestlers. I'm interested, no matter what my disagreements are with Tony Khan on a footballing basis.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2019/01/tony-khans-new-venture/

WhiteJC

 
Fulham have no identity.

When Fulham were promoted, it was with a reputation of swagger and of good football (proper football). They scored (and conceded) a lot of goals, were always entertaining and one of the best footballing sides to grace the second division of English football in a long time. There was a narrative that you can't 'play' in the lower leagues; that it has to be rough and tumble and that group of players proved them wrong.

With today's loss at Burnley, Fulham have won nine points from an available thirty and been knocked out of the FA Cup at the first time of asking in an embarrassing loss at home to Oldham Athletic. A squad that was built (rather poorly) with Slavisa Jokanovic's footballing style in mind became pointless once Tony Khan made the decision to sack and replace with the antithesis in terms of coaching philosophy in Claudio Ranieri.

Ranieri's Fulham has scored more than one goal just once in his first eleven matches (including League Two opposition) and have two clean sheets, that's a bad recipe for success and it's failure at both ends of the football pitch.

Despite having the likes of Tom Cairney, spending £30m on midfield conductor Jean Michel Seri and £20m on Alfie Mawson (who in 2017/18) was in the top 11 of centre backs for completed short passes (and also the top Englishman), possession based football was dead the moment the Ranieri appointment was made. We now have signings whose strong characteristics are to be wasted, Seri for example is a passer to the standard of Barcelona sniffing around for him a year previously is now put in a Ngolo Kante role of breaking up play. Fulham have been lucky to find that Calum Chambers, a ball playing central defender who put in some underwhelming performances at the back can be a productive defensive midfielder.

While Fulham have a pair of really good Championship full backs, it's appeared early on that they may be just that. Though both Joe Bryan and Cyrus Christie are more suited to offensive responsibilities from the full back/wing back position than the team round defensive focus attempting to be instilled by Claudio Ranieri. We wasted a Premier League loan slot on Timothy Fosu-Mensah as he's set to return to Manchester United and Tony Khan added no speed or athleticism in the final third for a Premier League that is notorious for the speed and power of the league.

A rant about the way the squad was assembled would need a post on its own, from the timing and urgency of players coming in, to the lack of investment in certain areas and considering the characteristics of top level Premier League football. The Khan's were desperate for safety, and sadly it's showing in the worst way. Another manager with circular glasses is tasked with taking a unbalanced squad currently unfit (in another way) for his style is facing relegation in the eyes and like a sad man desperate to get laid of Friday night, wrong decisions have been made and the club has the feeling of insecurity of a Saturday morning walk of shame.

Whether you liked Slavisa or not, whether you enjoyed possession based football or not, whether you hated seeing us concede goals with such ease in the Premier League or not, Fulham at least had an identity. This club was going to try and play football and every player knew their role; the youngsters that come through at Fulham are largely talented with the ball at their feet and that's stressed upon. This is all at risk with the decisions being made and the sooner Fulham return to a plan, identity and quality in recruitment, the better. I don't really care if that's in the Premier League or not.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2019/01/fulham-have-no-identity/

WhiteJC

 
EXCLUSIVE: Fulham, Huddersfield and Leeds among sides in for USA star


American star Gyasi Zardes could be heading for England this summer, with a number of clubs looking to land the international striker, we can exclusively reveal.

The 6ft 2in striker joined Columbus Crew last year from LA Galaxy and he had an outstanding campaign in MLS – which has attracted interest from across the Atlantic.

27-year-old Zardes, who has 40 caps to his name, can play anywhere across the front-line and has Premier League and Championship interest with Crystal Palace, Huddersfield, Fulham, Middlesbrough, Leeds and Norwich all keen.



https://www.teamtalk.com/news/exclusive-fulham-huddersfield-and-leeds-among-sides-in-for-usa-star


WhiteJC

 
Sparkasse & VGH Cup: Day 4

Fulham Under-19s bowed out of the Sparkasse & VGH Cup this afternoon at the quarter final stage at the hands of the eventual winners Düsseldorf, who overcame Brugge in the final.


Two wins against German giants Borussia Mönchengladbach and Schalke sent us on our way through. However, Düsseldorf proved to be our nemesis again to knock us out in the last eight.

We started quickly out of the traps in the second round of group games to convincingly down German giants Borussia Mönchengladbach 5-2.

A Fabio Carvalho treble along with Ryan De Havilland and Cody Drameh goals propelled Fulham well on their way to progressing from the knockout group stages. Two Gladbach goals weren't enough to stop Fulham swaggering to a convincing victory.

The result all but dumped Gladbach out of the tournament – having previously only managed a draw with Schalke.

Fulham continued to win plaudits at the tournament, notching up another 5-2 victory against one of the favourites, Schalke.

Drameh's thunderbolt after ten seconds set the tone, before he added to double the lead. Sonny Hilton got in on the act to leave the German's shell-shocked. Connor McAvoy scored his first on German soil before Cameron Thompson quashed any doubt of Schalke building on their two consolation strikes.

The win sealed a place in the quarter finals to face our group nemesis Düsseldorf, where the games switched to the traditional knockout format.

The impressive run in the tournament came to a halt with a similar defeat to our group game. Nicolas Santos-Clase and De Havilland struck but Düsseldorf progressed to the semi-finals in a 4-2 win.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2019/january/13/sparkasse-and-vgh-cup-day-4

WhiteJC

 
This 26-year-old impact striker is the man who Fulham need to survive the Premier League this season

Why Fulham must go all out to sign Maxime Lestienne in January

Although the January transfer window has been open for twelve days, Fulham, despite needing to, are yet to add a single player to their squad. Every department needs to be addressed in the transfer window if the Cottagers are to stay in the Premier League.

Claudio Ranieri's Fulham currently are 19th in the League table and with a negative goal difference, having struggled to find the back of the net regularly. With the January transfer window open, it allows the Italian manager a chance to reinforce his squad for the second half of the season.

For Fulham, the necessity is a central defender and a forward. They need to stop leaking goals and start scoring but it's tough to get that at the moment, with the likes of Luciano Vietto, Andre Schurrle and Aleksandar Mitrovic struggling.

The Cottagers really need creative spark and pace to their attack and Ranieri can freshen up his squad with the signature of Standard Liege attacker Maxime Lestienne.

Maxime Lestienne, 26, joined Standard Liege from Rubin Kazan in the summer of 2018 and has managed two goals and an assist in 12 league games. The nippy wide-man has shown glimpses of his quality in the Europa League but is yet to open his account in the competition this term.

Standing at 5ft 9in, the Belgian is a speedy winger with an eye for goal. Maxime Lestienne is versatile enough to play anywhere across the midfield. He is pacy, dynamic and possesses wonderful technique, which coupled with his excellent body balance, makes it difficult for the opposition to dispossess him.

Known for his excellent movement and high work rate, Maxime Lestienne not only has the ability to impact games with his pace and crossing but he is also capable of covering every blade of grass on the pitch. Moreover, the 26-year-old Belgian is never afraid to stick his foot out when needed and drop deeper to help his team defensively.

There has been an acute dearth of goal-scorers this season at the Craven Cottage, with the likes of Schurrle, Kamara and Sessegnon misfiring throughout the season.

The addition of Lestienne would not only bring some dynamism to the attack, as his ability to score goals from a variety of ranges could come handy for Ranieri's side.

With Fulham desperate to stay in the Premier League, a move for the Belgian winger makes complete sense this month.



https://soccersouls.com/2019/01/14/this-26-year-old-impact-striker-is-the-man-who-fulham-need-to-survive-the-premier-league-this-season/

WhiteJC

 
'We are deep, deep, deep in trouble': Fulham's Andre Schurrle admits concern following defeat to Burnley

    Andre Schurrle admits Fulham are in trouble as they look to stay up
    Schurrle scored but Fulham suffered a 2-1 defeat against Burnley on Saturday
    The emergence of talented youngster Dwight McNeil has helped Burnley

If Fulham are looking for consolation amid the mire of what seems increasingly like a lost cause, then the look in Andre Schurrle's eyes provided it, as he prepared to leave a foul night in Lancashire behind him.

World Cup winners don't generally need to trouble themselves with a pitched battle at the bottom of the Premier League but the German, who had provided the afternoon's single moment of class, deconstructed the usual superstar notion.

His bluntness is a quality that his team, five points from safety and alone among Premier League and Football League clubs in their continuing search for a first away win, could use.


Andre Schurrle admits Fulham are 'deep, deep, deep in trouble' as they look to stay up

Somehow they had lost 2-1 to a home side who failed to get a single shot on target. 'Yeah, imagine that. It's very hard to take,' said the 28-year-old, who got in behind Burnley to put Fulham ahead after a minute and 50 seconds with an exquisite half-volley.

'It was a great start for us. It was exactly how we wanted to play, in behind and try to turn the people but after that there was nothing from us in the first half, and we got under pressure and didn't play any football. So, first half it was nothing and second half we just couldn't score.

'It's not easy. I've never been involved in something like this. It's not easy to adapt to losing a lot. It's not what I am used to, so I have to put my qualities for the team and try to score a bit more.'


Denis Odoi scored an own goal just three minutes after his team-mate Joe Bryan did so


The emergence of talented youngster Dwight McNeil has helped Burnley's cause


The second-half recovery was creditable, yet this still looks like a collection of individuals, rather than a team; a squad changed so fundamentally last summer that it is hard to re-locate that spirit which brought them to this level.

Burnley, meanwhile, have re-discovered their old identity on the way to three successive wins, and have the bonus of 19-year-old Dwight McNeil's emergence as a strong England Under-21 prospect.

Fulham have no such fairy story. 'We are deep, deep, deep in trouble,' said Schurrle. 'It's not in our own hands, but there is hope and belief.'



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-6587497/Fulhams-Andre-Schurrle-admits-concern-following-defeat-Burnley.html


WhiteJC

 
What Claudio Ranieri said on Andre Schurrle's goal, the own goals and Fulham's defeat at Burnley
Fulham boss Claudio Ranieri gave his views on Andre Schurrle's superb strike and the performance against Burnley

Claudio Ranieri admitted that it was unbelievable how Fulham did not get at least a point from their game against Burnley.

The Whites took the lead early on through a superb strike from Andre Schurrle, only for own goals from Joe Bryan and Denis Odoi to turn the tide in Burnley's favour as the hosts won the game, despite not registering a shot on target.

And Ranieri admitted that it was a tough result to take for his side, after playing so well and having numerous chances during the course of the game at Turf Moor.

"We started very well and we scored a great goal, and then they suddenly score twice with two own goals, and it is unbelievable," he said, speaking to BBC programme Match of the Day.

"We had the chance to draw the match in the first half, but we hit the crossbar.

"In the second half, we tried our best and put them under pressure. We moved the ball very well and we played so well, and they save the ball on the line, which is unbelievable.

"But ok, we have to react."

As for Schurrle's second minute goal, Ranieri had nothing but praise for the German, who controlled a long ball forward before finding the top corner with a sumptuous strike.

"He scored a fantastic goal," Ranieri said.

"[It was] Good movement from all the team. A long ball between the defensive lines, and he controlled the ball, and it is a great goal."



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/ranieri-schurrle-goal-fulham-defeat-15672328