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Wednesday Fulham Stuff (01/05/19)...

Started by WhiteJC, May 01, 2019, 07:42:26 AM

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WhiteJC

 
Babel's Goal of the Month Nomination


Ryan Babel's stunner against Cardiff City has been nominated for the Premier League's Goal of the Month award for April.

With the game in the balance, Babel swept a wonderful first time strike from distance across goal, arcing the ball away from goalkeeper Neil Etheridge and inside the far post.

Fulham players have already won the official Goal of the Month award on two occasions this season, both for strikes against Burnley – Jean Michaël Seri at Craven Cottage, and André Schürrle at Turf Moor.

Babel is up against Will Hughes for his spectacular volley against the Whites at the beginning of the month, as well as Eden Hazard (v West Ham United), Mohamed Salah (v Chelsea), Nathaniel Mendez-Laing (v Brighton & Hove Albion), Gonzalo Higuain (v Burnley), Christian Eriksen (v Brighton), and Dan Gosling (v Southampton).

You can vote for Babel using the below link until 6pm on Thursday 2nd May.





http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2019/april/30/ryan-babel-goal-of-the-month-nomination

WhiteJC


Report: Spurs in pole position for Ryan Sessegnon
And his price has gone down, too!

While we chew our fingernails to the quick waiting for the Champions League semifinals, let's start with some potentially hopeful transfer news. According to Dan Kilpatrick in the Evening Standard, Tottenham Hotspur remain very interested in teenage Fulham phenom Ryan Sessegnon, and are leading the pack of clubs interested in signing him when the transfer window opens this summer.

According to the report, Sessegnon is almost certainly moving on from Fulham, his academy club, now that they have been relegated from the Premier League this season. Despite him struggling somewhat in his first season at the highest level of English football, he's still a phenomenal talent and far, FAR too good for the Championship.

There are reportedly plenty of clubs circling, including a number of teams on the continent who are continuously looking for cheap English talent to bring abroad a la Jadon Sancho. However, Sessegnon would like to stay in London, and has expressed a strong interest in joining Spurs in the past.

The better news is that Sess is heading into the final year of his contract next season. That plus Fulham's relegation makes this a buyer's market for Sessegnon, and Kilpatrick states that Fulham are willing to entertain offers of £20-25m for him. That's significantly cheaper than the prices Fulham were demanding for him last spring before Fulham promoted.

Sessegnon didn't show signs of being a world beater, but he's also still just 18 and could still develop into a fantastic footballer. He's also a utility player who can play wide midfield or fullback, and we know Pochettino loves a good utility player. At £20-25m, that's practically a no-brainer. Sign him up, Levy.



https://cartilagefreecaptain.sbnation.com/2019/4/30/18523762/tottenham-hotspur-transfer-news-rumors-ryan-sessegnon-fulham-20m

WhiteJC

 
Games for the Weekend 04/05
This weekend we travel to the midlands to give Wolverhampton Wanderers a game.
So we've won our last 3 games without conceding a goal, I wonder what odds you'd have got on that earlier this season?
Wolves have had a fantastic season, they'll comfortably finish in the top 10 above established Premiership teams such as Everton and West Ham.
However we must be full of confidence and, based on last seasons games, be looking forward to our trip to Molineux.

COYWs

Games of Interest...
Friday 3rd

Everton v Burnley

Saturday 4th
Cardiff v Palace
Newcastle v Liverpool
Wolves v Fulham

Sunday 5th
Huddersfield v Man Utd
Arsenal v Brighton



come on over to the Friends of Fulham forum and join in the conversation...
http://www.friendsoffulham.com/forum/index.php?board=1.0



https://www.friendsoffulham.com/wordpress/?p=655


WhiteJC

 
Parker Nominated

Scott Parker is in contention for the Premier League's Manager of the Month award.

One of four candidates, Parker has led the Whites to three straight victories in April, securing clean sheets in each of them – it's the first time we've won three on the spin in the top flight since March 2012.

After relegation was confirmed in our first game of the month at Watford, results have been flawless.

Everton were first up at the Cottage, and second half goals from Tom Cairney and Ryan Babel secured a comprehensive win over our in-form visitors.

A trip to Bournemouth then presented a chance to finally win on the road this season, and Aleksandar Mitrović duly converted from the spot to get that particular monkey off our back.

The month concluded with a contest against Cardiff City who arrived in SW6 knowing a win would significantly boost their survival hopes, but a screamer from Ryan Babel – who's since been nominated for Goal of the Month – completed a hat-trick of wins in April.

Parker is up against title chasers Pep Guardiola and Jürgen Klopp, as well as boss of Saturday's opponents Wolves, Nuno Espírito Santo, and you can vote for him using the below link until 6pm on Thursday 2nd May.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2019/april/30/scott-parker-manager-of-the-month-nomination

WhiteJC

 
Ryan Sessegnon, assessing the future

The Premier League is unforgiving for young players in general, the speed and physicality of modern football at the very top can often become a deer in the headlights effect for those early in their professional career. For Fulham's Ryan Sessegnon, he came into the top division with a few years of flurrying media buzz as at 16 and 17 years old, the former left-back now winger has shone in the Sky Bet Championship playing with relative comfort. Two seasons in the second division has delivered the Roehampton born midfielder with two Team of the Year appearances, a Championship Player of the Season, a Championship Young Player of the Season and Championship Apprentice Award.

With awards and honours of this magnitude for a teenager understandably sees the football media discuss the vultures circling to prey on another talent from a smaller club. As Fulham FC were promoted with a reputation of swaggering, sexy football fronted by the future of the England national team all eyes were on South West London and Sessegnon to provide a pizazz outside of the top six. Alas, the season hasn't quite gone how either party would have planned sees Fulham in a more vulnerable position to predators with young Ryan Sessegnon a prime feast.

The England under-21 international season has been fine, though many have may have bizarrely expected more of an 18-year-old in his first season of Premier League football, I believe that to play in a relegated team that has largely been poor alongside a spell on the sidelines as part of Ranieri's exodus and still come up with contributing eight goals is strong. He has to get better physically, has to do a better job with retaining possession of the ball but while his goal opportunities are fewer and farther between, he's had a nice season in that regard.

So what happens now? Ryan Sessegnon turns 19 years old in May, his current contract at Fulham Football Club is up in 2020 and he has scored 25 goals and by the last game against Newcastle at Craven Cottage, he'll likely make his 120th appearance. As much as I would love to see the day that a young academy product with talent could break Johnny Haynes' appearance record (658 which has stood strong since 1970) or Gordon Davies' goal record (178 across two spells, the last of which in 1991); you must understand that modern football is much more financially fuelled with a top-heavy monopoly unlikely to be tested bar mass rule changes. There's only so long a club like Fulham can reject millions of pounds and there's only so long an individual (and his agent) can reject millions of pounds of personal wealth, European football, a greater chance of national recognition and more sponsorship offers.

Today's Evening Standard (I'm writing on the 30th April 2019) is suggesting that Tottenham lead the way for our young winger with a £20m-£25m, a price tag which would represent Fulham's biggest sale but a year removed from the figure discussed being £50m. As fans, we'll likely never know what the true figure is but using £25m as a point, Fulham could keep Ryan Sessegnon for the remaining year of his contract knowing he can produce in the Championship and promotion would likely financially benefit the football club far greater. The risk you do play is not getting promoted and you lose the best player the academy has produced for a pittance in compensation should he move abroad. In this case, if Ryan Sessegnon was to remain in England, you can take the financial compensation to tribunal but may not receive the money for a while. In June 2015, Danny Ings left Burnley and moved to Liverpool following the expiration of his contract. The two clubs had a period of discussion but took the case to a tribunal which decided that Burnley receive £6.5m, £1.5m in performance-related extras, as well as 20% from the fee, should Liverpool sell – but this was not resolved until the following April.

Borussia Dortmund, Paris St Germain, Juventus, Manchester United, and Liverpool join Tottenham as premium destinations for Ryan Sessegnon and all have benefits for different reasons. From seeing success and playing with friends to playing with superstars via joining up with a coach with renowned expertise in giving opportunities to and developing young players. The humble boy from Roehampton has heard it all since he was 15 but now it feels real and true possibility. Upon signing his first contract with the club, Ryan was quoted as saying "Last season I got a lot of opportunities so I want to continue that. When you are young you just want to play as many games as you can." Barring the disastrous Claudio Ranieri experiment, Ryan Sessegnon has continued to play on a weekly basis and having publicly backed former teammate Scott Parker to take the reigns on a permanent basis, maybe (just maybe) the opportunity to continue to play games, to win promotion again and to play under a coach he believes in and knows could convince him to stay. In an interview with Sky Sports, Ryan Sessegnon was coy about his future at the football club, "I'm still a Fulham player, contracted until 2020, So I'm still a Fulham player and in terms of that, that's all I can say at the moment."

This was never to be a piece on what I think will happen, or what Ryan should do or what the club will do. Simply laying out the possibilities of sell, keep or keep and extend. Ryan's future is undoubtedly above Fulham and in an expected summer of an overhaul, the eyes on Ryan Sessegnon's future will be most pressing as the boy with the world at his feet has an international and European future ahead of him. Is now the time? I could say ask Wilfried Zaha how his experience was jumping from Crystal Palace to Manchester and the response could easily be, "what about Dele Alli from MK Dons to Tottenham?" Whatever happens, I think Ryan has the support of all in the Fulham family in and out of the Motspur Park doors. He's seen the support he has from the crowd both home and away and I'm speaking for us all, but I think if he chose to move on, we hope it's too the right club that can treat him how he should be treated and harness that talent that has representing Fulham since under 9s football.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2019/04/ryan-sessegnon-assessing-the-future/

WhiteJC

 
Five Thoughts: Fulham 1-0 Cardiff City

"Down with the Fulham! You're going down with the Fulham!" Our first away victory of the campaign at the Vitality was highly satisfactory, but flooring Cardiff City was by far the most elating triumph of the 2018-19 season, even if Denis Odoi was slammed in the chops by Maxime Le Marchand.


It would be a travesty if the Bluebirds were spared relegation, but as I and the majority of our fan base prefer Brighton and Hove Albion for whatever reason, I'm genuinely fizzing with the result, which is effectively meaningless to our hapless cause.

Neil 'Colin' Warnock's repulsive grimace at full-time was an exquisite treat to savour. Scoffing at our expenditures before kick-off, the snarling touchline antagonist gorged upon a trough of humble pie with a dense slathering of angst. His men, when it mattered in the dying embers, couldn't serve the Whites a last-ditch sucker punch and for that, Match of the Day's post-match snippets were utterly priceless.

Three wins on the spin. Three consecutive clean sheets. What Scott Parker has established in his brief spell in Fulham's hot seat is nothing more than astonishing. It doesn't matter that we're a relegated entity – we've begrudgingly come to terms with that – the caretaker tactician has rekindled the club's desire to grind out positive results and, most importantly, he's gradually reestablishing our free-flowing identity. Within the shortlist for April's Premier League Manager of the Month, Scotty's showcased his credentials and is certainly worthy of admirable rewards and accolades, perhaps, even, a permanent job in preparation for the imminent Championship season. Those in favour, say "aye".

Babel Blasts Bluebirds
Persistence is part of Ryan Babel's makeup. Eager to manipulate Cardiff's back four, the Dutchman's fleet-footed escapades across the breadth of the final third startled the visitors, and whilst there were many accomplished professionals on the field of play, the versed 32-year-old winger was in a glittering bracket of his own, until he was replaced by Floyd Ayite in the 89th minute.

Voted Man of the Match, the Bluebirds simply couldn't withstand Babel's enthused attacking properties. Since his arrival in January, the former Liverpool man has reacquainted himself to the Premier League stage with a deluge of show-stopping, encore performances. Sharp, direct, beguiling, Babel tormented a perilled Lee Peltier, and though Cardiff were typically rigid in their defensive structure, the red haired hero was determined to dismantle their discipline and, ultimately, demolish their spirits.

The Whites held an authoritative grip upon proceedings but were not able to devise a convincing sequence. With just over ten minutes left of regulated time, a flash of courage and genius was needed, if either club was to ignite the encounter, and on the parameter of Cardiff's 18-yard box, Cyrus Christie scattered a tantalising trail of gunpowder for the trigger-happy flanker to detonate. 25 yards from the target, Babel strode onto the Republic of Ireland international's persuasive pass, married lace with ball, and cannoned a harpooning pile driver into Neil Etheridge's endangered postage stamp. Effortlessly crafted, Babel's first-time strike wobbled Warnock's head and now, with just two games to go, the Welsh outfit are slumped on the ropes with very little hope of salvation. Beautiful.

Being Bryan's Fanboy
Waxing lyrical of Joe Bryan's display against AFC Bournemouth, I've opted to include the 25-year-old in this week's 5Ts, purely because he was a sublime operator on the left channel. Junior Hoilett, animated as ever, wagered a chaotic slog but Bryan was undaunted. Mirroring the Canadian's bobbing movements, jink for jink, the dependable left-back quarantined his department under lock and key.

It wasn't just his defensive astuteness that aroused the senses, however. Darting forwards with Babel in close contention, Bryan overlapped sufficiently and made it his own personal mission to stock the penalty area with seductive crosses, as per. Bryan harbours an uncanny appetite to support wherever required, and while his positioning and awareness was lamentable earlier in the campaign, he's steadily perfecting the marauding art of the modern fullback.

Top-flight football hasn't been kind to our defensive ranks and egg's been splattered on Bryan's face on the odd toe-curling occasion, although against Cardiff, undoubtedly a glorified Championship set-up, the Instagram banter chief was undoubtedly functioning within his element. Containing Hoilett in particular wasn't an easy task by any conceivable stretch, but Bryan prospered and prevailed to be the dominant force along his respective wing.

Sensing Sess' Struggles
Physical attributes have been questioned, his underlying talent has been scrutinised, but Ryan Sessegnon's fully invested in the club, the remaining fixtures of the calendar schedule and, hopefully, future ventures in the Championship. The Premier League has placed the youngster under the microscope and against Cardiff for 85 minutes, Sess' was mildly underwhelming. Relieve those digits and opposables, this is a harmless observation, not a criticism.

Being such an integral component of Fulham's starting compliment this term, it was particularly concerning to see Sess' wilt. For fleeting phases, it appeared as though Andre Schurrle had taken his being hostage, but despite the teenager's demerits and deficiencies, a palpable element of urgency, at least once the ball had been prised from his person, was distinctly evident. Chances to alter the tie were few and far between for Sess', and while Mitro' has shared an unparalleled understanding with his fledgling counterpart previously, the duo were functioning on separate wavelengths.

Joe Bennett had the measure of Sess' when shoulders met and the 18-year-old's first touch, even when unopposed, was uncharacteristically limp and casual. In all sincerity, with all the tenuous transfer speculation floating around the starlet at this current period, one could assume that Sess' mind was focused elsewhere, but I'm not entirely convinced by that particular notion. Every player, regardless of experience or stature, endures stagnant patches intermittently, and as his skill set and game management is still developing, one could also assume that, after a toilsome campaign, he's naturally plateauing and that is completely acceptable.

Cairney Crushes Critics
Cardiff were fully aware of the creative mastery Tom Cairney beholds and stifling his influence upon proceedings would have fundamentally been a prime objective for the visiting outfit. In the opening stages, TC was visibly laboured on the ball and couldn't rotate possession swiftly enough to mount a trademark siege on the counter. As the minutes accumulated, however, the Scotland international's revered endowments graciously came to prominence and Fulham's rhythm, habitually, was fine-tuned under his supervision.

Cairney forged gullies and inroads for his teammates to expedition, threading deftly into enticing areas of the final third. Within a congested midfield, the skipper floated into advantageous pockets and combined with his teammates proficiently. Dispensing possession in an orderly, pragmatic manner, Cairney yanked Aron Gunnarsson and Leandro Bacuna out of familiar regions, exposing Sean Morrison and Bruno Ecuele Manga.

For many ill-informed critic, Cairney hasn't set the Premier League alight as anticipated, but his presence has always been inspired and deeply necessary. Fielded out of his usual No.10 position by Claudio Ranieri, Cairney's impact was grossly neglected, although now that Scotty P's at the helm, the 28-year-old's exhumed a fresh lease of life. Cardiff will almost certainly be joining us in the Championship next term and as Cairney's perceived to be a second-flight player at best, he shone brightly down by the river in bitterly adverse conditions.

Sergio's Superlative Service
Our goal difference is rock bottom, the worst, out of Europe's top five divisions, but over the course of the last three domestic meetings, Sergio Rico has literally been a saving grace. We can't salvage survival, but in terms of restoring a smidgen of pride and self-worth, the Spaniard has jubilantly held that flag aloft with a trio of commendable outings.

Cardiff, in the latter stages, waged war on our target with an aerial onslaught, but Rico would not surrender. Bennett butted, Rico batted danger away from close proximity. Morrison nodded from a central position, Rico smothered. Danny Ward gave his best at the near post, the 25-year-old stopper prevented bloodshed yet again. The final seconds were frantic, but the Sevilla loanee kept his cool to deny Cardiff the last laugh.

Rico safeguarded his 18-yard box superlatively, conducting those ahead of him to ensure that his camp remained structured and alive at all costs. The agile 'keeper's tentatively flapped at innocuous crosses in weeks gone by, but his retrievals against Cardiff were assured and decisive. It'll be a damn shame to bid goodbye to Rico once the season's come to a close, but as there's a couple of games left to battle through, the Ramon Sanchez-Pizjuan Stadium's forgotten stopper's still very much appreciated and relevant in SW6.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/post/2019-04-30-five-thoughts-fulham-1-0-cardiff-city/


WhiteJC

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

In this episode, Yannis Tjanetis and Max Cohen analyzed Fulham's 1-0 victory against Cardiff City. During the show they discussed the key moments of the match.


You can also listen to the show by following this link...
https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2019/4/30/18524637/cottage-talk-post-match-show-fulham-vs-cardiff-city