Monday Fulham Stuff (29/04/19)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Barclay tips Newcastle to make move for Babel

Sun journalist Tom Barclay claimed that Newcastle United would be making a canny signing if they opted to sign Fulham attacker Ryan Babel in the summer.

The national journalist shared that he thought the 32-year-old left-sided winger had looked impressive since joining Fulham in the summer and could succeed at the Magpies if Rafa Benitez stayed on.

Barclay pointed out that Babel was set to be available on a free transfer and hinted that he'd likely be keen on a move to someone like the Magpies due to wanting to keep his place in the Netherlands squad.

"Ryan Babel may be 32 but he's looked impressive since coming to Fulham," wrote Barclay on his Twitter account.

"Available on a free in the summer and hungry to maintain his Dutch place ahead of the Euros – would be a canny signing for someone like Newcastle, particularly if Rafa stays, playing across that front 3."

OPINION

Babel has been a highlight of Fulham's miserable season and it's no surprise that someone thinks he'd succeed at St James Park as a result. The 32-year-old has scored five goals and registered four assists in his 14 Premier League outings this season, so can clearly cut it in England's top-flight. Also given that he'd be able to be picked up for free in the summer, then Magpies would be able to move for him without a problem. However it's worth noting Babel and Benitez are known not to see eye-to-eye. In an interview with The Independent, Babel seem to suggest that his time at Liverpool didn't work out as Benitez broke several promises to him. The 32-year-old never excelled at Anfield and if he truly believes that the current Magpies boss is a factor in that being the case, it's unlikely Babel would want to work with him again. However if Benitez leaves St James Park, maybe that would aid a potential move to the Magpies for the impressive Premier League attacker.



https://thisisfutbol.com/2019/04/blogs/premier-league/barclay-tips-newcastle-to-make-move-for-babel/

[WhiteJC]

 

[WhiteJC]

 
'It's one I will definitely put in my top five': Ryan Babel admits his wonder-strike against Cardiff is among the best goals of his career

    Fulham beat Cardiff 1-0 in the Premier League at Craven Cottage on Saturday
    Ryan Babel scored the winner with a superb long-range effort in the 79th minute
    The 32-year-old admits that he has scored few better goals during his career

Fulham winger Ryan Babel admits his wonder-strike against Cardiff is among the best goals of his career.

The Dutchman hit a fierce, curling drive from 25 yards which flew into the top corner to secure a 1-0 win for the hosts at Craven Cottage.

'It's one I will definitely put in my top five, that's for sure,' Babel told the club's official website.


Ryan Babel celebrates scoring the winning goal as Fulham overcome Cardiff at Craven Cottage


The Dutchman broke the deadlock in the 79th minute as Fulham went on to win three points

'To be honest I played the ball slightly too hard. I wanted to hit it with the inside of my foot but because the ball was so hard I risked it with my laces and it was the perfect hit.'

Babel's short-term contract expires at the end of the season, and he is not expected to play in the Championship with relegated Fulham next term.

'It's unfortunate my contribution could not help keep the team in the Premier League,' he added. 'But I'm very grateful for the chance and I tried to do my best.


Cardiff's Neil Etheridge can only watch the ball fly over his head and into the back of the net

'I see a lot of potential, it's a very nice club. With Scott Parker as coach they have something on their hands.

'I don't know the ideas of the club in terms of the future of the manager but it's definitely real progress.'

Cardiff are on the brink of joining Fulham through the trapdoor, lying four points adrift of 17th-placed Brighton with two games remaining.

Boss Neil Warnock tried to stay optimistic, however.


The Fulham players swarm Babel after he scored the late winner at Craven Cottage

He said: 'I can't fault the lads. They've been fabulous all season. We haven't finished yet. There's still life in us.

'We've got Crystal Palace and Manchester United to play, and we'll just go and try and do our best.

'Who's to say we're not still in the fight? We're not out of it yet. You just don't know in football.'



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-6968749/Ryan-Babel-admits-wonder-strike-against-Cardiff-best-goals-career.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Ryan Babel: 'I see a lot of potential with Fulham'

Fulham winger Ryan Babel admits his wonder-strike against Cardiff is among the best goals of his career.

The Dutchman hit a fierce, curling drive from 25 yards which flew into the top corner to secure a 1-0 win for the hosts at Craven Cottage.

"It's one I will definitely put in my top five, that's for sure," Babel told the club's official website.

"To be honest I played the ball slightly too hard. I wanted to hit it with the inside of my foot but because the ball was so hard I risked it with my laces and it was the perfect hit."

Babel's short-term contract expires at the end of the season, and he is not expected to play in the Championship with relegated Fulham next term.

"It's unfortunate my contribution could not help keep the team in the Premier League," he added. "But I'm very grateful for the chance and I tried to do my best.

"I see a lot of potential, it's a very nice club. With Scott Parker as coach they have something on their hands.

"I don't know the ideas of the club in terms of the future of the manager but it's definitely real progress."

Cardiff are on the brink of joining Fulham through the trapdoor, lying four points adrift of 17th-placed Brighton with two games remaining.

Boss Neil Warnock tried to stay optimistic, however.

He said: "I can't fault the lads. They've been fabulous all season. We haven't finished yet. There's still life in us.

"We've got Crystal Palace and Manchester United to play, and we'll just go and try and do our best.

"Who's to say we're not still in the fight? We're not out of it yet. You just don't know in football."



https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/fulham/news/ryan-babel-i-see-a-lot-of-potential-with-fulham_357572.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Shahid Khan's Dilemma

We are about to enter a crucially important phase in the Shahid Khan era at Fulham. The decision about who you want in charge of your football team is likely the most important decision to be made for any owner, particularly when the club is in a fragile position. It's like surgery to me. Everything has to be done carefully and concisely, yet each move has to also be made with complete confidence and any mistake can be catastrophic.

For me the fatal move this season was replacing Slavisa Jokanovic with Claudio Ranieri. While I think that Slav's days were numbered, I would rather have stuck with him than have Ranieri at the helm, purely because of just how different the footballing philosophies were of the two men. There are a heck of a lot of 'ifs and buts' when it comes to life in general, never mind football, and sometimes we are better just getting on with it than going down the rabbit-hole and trying to dissect every decision ever made. That's not to say that those in charge shouldn't be assessing, evaluating and learning, but as fans we shouldn't worry too much about what is behind, and instead focus on the road to come.

The question now for Khan is who is his man to take the club forward following our terrible Premier League return. Arguably Khan's only successful appointment has been Jokanovic, with Rene Meulensteen, Felix Magath, Kit Symons and Claudio Ranieri all failing to live up to expectations, some drastically worse than others. However, with five years now under his belt as the owner of Fulham I believe that lessons have been learned from each of these.

In classically Fulham fashion, we have turned in three very solid displays since our relegation at Watford at the start of the month, and have won three on the bounce with three clean sheets. When Scott Parker took over he had Chelsea, Leicester, Liverpool and Manchester City in his first four games so losing his first four was hardly a surprise. We did get a decent reaction from the players, however, and weren't far off taking points from the Chelsea and Liverpool games in particular. Parker has clearly had an impact.

Scott Parker understands Fulham. He knows what it is like to play for the club, and this is something that can't be underestimated. There is no doubt in my mind that he has the heart for this job. The question for me now is does he have the head for it? We have been better since he took over, and three wins in a row is a barely believable but I feel that he got things wrong at both Leicester and Watford. I think he was outmanaged in both of those games which is a worry for me. He is still developing his own way of playing but the early signs are that he prefers a style more Jokanovic than Ranieri, something that I'd welcome at the club. My fear is that the games that we have won, not taking anything way from them individually, have been games played with no pressure. Already relegated, we have been playing for pride and while it's great to see pride restored to an extent, it's a different ball game entirely getting results in the Championship.

It could work, but it's not a decision to be taken lightly. Parker is turning a lot of heads and making a lot more fans believe in him. Clearly the players like playing for him, but we have no idea what the squad will look like come August. All we can do as fans is sit and wait.

#COYW



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2019/04/shahid-khans-dilemma/

[ScalleysDad]

Shahid Khan's Dilemma

We are about to enter a crucially important phase in the Shahid Khan era at Fulham. The decision about who you want in charge of your football team is likely the most important decision to be made for any owner, particularly when the club is in a fragile position. It's like surgery to me. Everything has to be done carefully and concisely, yet each move has to also be made with complete confidence and any mistake can be catastrophic.

For me the fatal move this season was replacing Slavisa Jokanovic with Claudio Ranieri. While I think that Slav's days were numbered, I would rather have stuck with him than have Ranieri at the helm, purely because of just how different the footballing philosophies were of the two men. There are a heck of a lot of 'ifs and buts' when it comes to life in general, never mind football, and sometimes we are better just getting on with it than going down the rabbit-hole and trying to dissect every decision ever made. That's not to say that those in charge shouldn't be assessing, evaluating and learning, but as fans we shouldn't worry too much about what is behind, and instead focus on the road to come.

The question now for Khan is who is his man to take the club forward following our terrible Premier League return. Arguably Khan's only successful appointment has been Jokanovic, with Rene Meulensteen, Felix Magath, Kit Symons and Claudio Ranieri all failing to live up to expectations, some drastically worse than others. However, with five years now under his belt as the owner of Fulham I believe that lessons have been learned from each of these.

In classically Fulham fashion, we have turned in three very solid displays since our relegation at Watford at the start of the month, and have won three on the bounce with three clean sheets. When Scott Parker took over he had Chelsea, Leicester, Liverpool and Manchester City in his first four games so losing his first four was hardly a surprise. We did get a decent reaction from the players, however, and weren't far off taking points from the Chelsea and Liverpool games in particular. Parker has clearly had an impact.

Scott Parker understands Fulham. He knows what it is like to play for the club, and this is something that can't be underestimated. There is no doubt in my mind that he has the heart for this job. The question for me now is does he have the head for it? We have been better since he took over, and three wins in a row is a barely believable but I feel that he got things wrong at both Leicester and Watford. I think he was outmanaged in both of those games which is a worry for me. He is still developing his own way of playing but the early signs are that he prefers a style more Jokanovic than Ranieri, something that I'd welcome at the club. My fear is that the games that we have won, not taking anything way from them individually, have been games played with no pressure. Already relegated, we have been playing for pride and while it's great to see pride restored to an extent, it's a different ball game entirely getting results in the Championship.

It could work, but it's not a decision to be taken lightly. Parker is turning a lot of heads and making a lot more fans believe in him. Clearly the players like playing for him, but we have no idea what the squad will look like come August. All we can do as fans is sit and wait.

#COYW


We will read about players and pundits putting their collective faith behind Parker but I suspect few will comment on the new dynamic in the dug out. There is collective decision making, there is collective support for players on the pitch, substitutions show more respect from both parties and at the final whistle, even when getting beaten, the mood, the vibe for the youngsters on here,in the dugout is totally different.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2019/04/shahid-khans-dilemma/