Wednesday Fulham Stuff - 06/11/19...

[WhiteJC]

Fulham fans will be frustrated at their season so far, but they shouldn't turn on Parker just yet

Fulham were dealt their heaviest defeat of the season on Saturday, losing 3-0 at home to Hull City in the Championship. Scott Parker has since come under the spotlight at Craven Cottage, but how will fans be feeling about their manager?

As a former player and a person, Scott Parker is loved in football. But his first full-season in football management hasn't quite lived up the expectations he would've set himself so far.

Seeing Fulham drop down into the Championship, Parker knew the size of the task that lay ahead of him. His side were doomed for the drop from the early stages of last season and a thorough rebuilding task was due at the club.

Having kept most of their star players in the summer, and recruiting well in the process, many tipped Fulham for an immediate return to the top flight but after 15 games of the season and the club outside the top-six, the true size and severity of that rebuilding process has been unearthed.

Fulham have won just one of their last five in the league, having come short in several games where they were expected to win this season.

Parker seemingly hasn't figured out his best approach at Fulham, or his best starting eleven for that matter. One thing is certain though, and that's his ideology of playing dominant, attacking football.

Possession has been the name of the game for Parker this season. His side have played some really fine football this season and they did in spells at the weekend, but Parker's persistence with this is quickly becoming his downfall.

Fans will have been frustrated by Fulham's one-dimensional approach to the Hull game – there's no 'Plan B' for Parker and soon enough, more and more teams will begin to figure them out.

After such a disappointing relegation, the appointment of an unproved, unknown quantity in Parker would've excited fans but now after so many games of the season, they're not liking all that they're seeing.

A rebuild is certainly underway at Fulham and fans will recognise the fact that sustained Premier League football is still a long way off. But they can only be so patient with Parker in what's very much a result-based industry, and frustration will quickly grow if points aren't put on the board.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/fulham-fans-will-be-frustrated-at-their-season-so-far-but-they-shouldnt-turn-on-parker-just-yet/

[WhiteJC]

Fulham could recall £25 million signing from Galatasaray

Fulham could recall midfielder Jean Michael Seri from his loan at Galatasaray.

The 28-year-old is struggling for game time in Turkey and is being linked with a return to Craven Cottage in the January transfer window, according to a report by Sport Witness.

Seri, who is an Ivory Coast international with 28 caps to his name so far in his career, joined the London side in July 2018 from OGC Nice for a fee of around £25 million.

However, he could not prevent Fulham from being relegated from the Premier League in his first season at the club and he was subsequently shipped out on loan to Galatasaray over the summer. He still has three years left on his contract with Scott Parker's side.

Seri started his career in his native country with Africa Sports d'Abidjan before he joined ASEC Mimosas as a youngster in 2010. Seri was signed on loan by FC Porto's B team three years later and played 19 times for them in the Portuguese Segunda division.

He was then snapped up by Primeira Liga side Pacos de Ferreira and spent two years playing for them, making 68 appearances altogether.

Fulham saw off plenty of competition to land him last year and he was seen as a massive coup at the time. Could he come back to play for them now?



https://the72.co.uk/148060/fulham-could-recall-25-million-signing-from-galatasaray/

[WhiteJC]

JJ and Fulham breaking down barriers with Kicks

Community support officer says Premier League programme helps the Met Police engage with young people in south London

With the Premier League extending its commitment to Premier League Kicks for the next three years, clubs are sharing how the programme is benefiting their local communities.

Fulham
Community support officer John Joseph, otherwise known as JJ, is a regular presence on the streets of Merton in south-west London, where he works for the Metropolitan Police.

As part of his duties in the borough, JJ goes along to Pollards Hill to give his support to the young people attending Premier League Kicks sessions run by the Fulham Foundation.

"Historically, in uniform, out on the streets, kids just don't really want to engage," he says.

"But because I have had the opportunity through Kicks to actually work with them and spend some quality time with them, now they just see me as JJ, as someone they can talk to, someone they can trust."

PL Kicks has worked with the police service since it began as a pilot project in 2006.

And by involving officers in the programme as mentors and advisors, PL Kicks encourages positive community relations by breaking down barriers between young people and the police.

"Having a police officer attending, it makes everyone feel comfortable," says one Kicks participant at Pollards Hill.

"It makes young people feel like police officers are human as well. If it wasn't for Kicks, I would probably be getting in trouble on the streets."



https://www.premierleague.com/news/1482806

[WhiteJC]

Referee confirmed for the Fulham game

Jarred Gillett will take charge of Saturday's Sky Bet Championship fixture between Blues and Fulham at the St. Andrew's Trillion Trophy Stadium.

So far this season the Australian-born official has refereed 10 games, where he has produced a total of 32 yellow cards but no reds.

This is his second season refereeing in England and Saturday's match will be the first time he has refereed either Blues or Fulham.

Prior to arriving in the UK to study at Liverpool's John Moore's University, he was one of Australia's most experienced match officials, where he was named the A-League Referee of the Year five times.

On the international stage, he has been a FIFA International Referee since 2013.

Mr Gillett will be assisted at St. Andrew's by Mark Dwyer and Geoffrey Russell, with Lewis Smith acting as the fourth official.



https://www.bcfc.com/news/articles/2019/referee-confirmed-for-the-fulham-game/

[WhiteJC]

1 winner and 1 loser if 28-y/o makes Fulham return in January

Fulham have been hit with a tricky couple of results, drawing away to Middlesbrough before being comprehensively beaten by Hull at home, but some transfer news has emerged to distract them.

According to Turkish outlet TRT Sport, via Sport Witness, Galatasaray are in talks with the Whites over sending midfielder Jean Michel Seri back to Craven Cottage in January.

The Ivorian has struggled to establish himself in Turkey and due to caps on the permitted number of foreign players, they are keen to send him back.

But if he is to return to Fulham, what fould it mean for the current players?

Here, we look at ONE winner and ONE loser from his potential return...

Winner: Bobby Decordova-Reid

Since signing on loan from Cardiff City in the summer, Decordova-Reid has struggled to nail down a spot in the side and has frequently been deployed in the centre of midfield.

It is not an area he thrives in. Away to Reading he showed how good he can be in a wide area and that is surely where he will be looking to break into the side.

Bringing Serri back would therefore increase the chances of him playing in a more advanced role, rather than having to fill in in the middle of the park.

Loser: Harry Arter

He already probably has not been as much of a regular in Scott Parker's side as he might have expected, given his pedigree in the division and even higher, so Seri's return will not be a welcome sight for him.

When he has played, Arter's role has predominantly been to protect the back four, breaking up play with his energetic style and bravery in the tackle.

However, this is an art that Seri also specialises in, with the added bonus of a classy passing reputation. If he is to return to Craven Cottage therefore, it will most likely be Arter's role that he targets.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/1-winner-and-1-loser-if-28-y-o-makes-fulham-return-in-january/

[WhiteJC]

Breaking Down Barriers With Kicks

Community support officer John Joseph, otherwise known as JJ, is a regular presence on the streets of Merton, where he works for the Metropolitan Police.

As part of his duties, JJ goes along to Pollards Hill in South London to give his support to the young people attending Premier League Kicks sessions run by the Fulham Foundation.

"Historically, in uniform, out on the streets, kids just don't really want to engage," he says.

"But because I have had the opportunity through Kicks to actually work with them and spend some quality time with them, now they just see me as JJ, as someone they can talk to, someone they can trust."

PL Kicks has worked with the police service since it began as a pilot project in 2006.

And by involving officers in the programme as mentors and advisors, PL Kicks encourages positive community relations by breaking down barriers between young people and the police.

"Having a police officer attending, it makes everyone feel comfortable," says one Kicks participant at Pollards Hill.

"It makes young people feel like police officers are human as well. If it wasn't for Kicks, I would probably be getting in trouble on the streets."




https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2019/november/05/breaking-down-barriers-with-kicks

[WhiteJC]

2 players who are at risk of being dropped for Fulham right now

Fulham have had a rather inconsistent start to the season, and that was capped off on Saturday as they were defeated 3-0 at home to Hull.

The result was fully deserved for the visitors, and Fulham supporters were left looking at their star studded squad wondering what's gone wrong over the past few weeks.

Scott Parker has failed to get them playing free flowing attacking football, and his critics would say that there is too much needless passing within the side.

The defending has also been atrocious at times and with that being said here are TWO players who are at risk of being dropped for Fulham...

Alfie Mawson

The centre-back has been very poor so far this season, and against Hull it all culminated into one performance and he was absolutely destroyed by the opposition frontline. He often commits himself and then in the times he doesn't he backs off far too much and that leads to shots on his own goal.

He needs some time out to reassess, because in the past he has obviously shown qualities that make him a very good defender, especially at this level. He has to get back to his best and become a better defender at the basic areas of the game and then Fulham can push up the league.

Harrison Reed

He really isn't adding much to the midfield, yes he can pass a ball, but often he's there to try and break up the play but has failed to do so. In reality, Hull could have scored five or six on Saturday and Reed actually looked out of his depth during the fixture.

It'll be interesting to see whether Josh Onomah comes in to the side in the next fixture or whether Parker decides to really mix it up and even vary the formation. Something has to change and fast if Fulham are to be successful this season.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/2-players-who-are-at-risk-of-being-dropped-for-fulham-right-now/

[WhiteJC]

'Pointing fingers' Fulham under fire as Birmingham City loom

Hull City defeat prompted criticism of Fulham's slow build-up play as they dominated the ball 75%-25% but had just one shot on target

Scott Parker has defended Fulham's style of football after they were soundly beaten by Hull City last weekend.

The Whites boss admitted his team were second best as the Tigers came to Craven Cottage and won 3-0 courtesy of goals from Josh Bowler, Jarrod Bowen and Tom Eaves.

That prompted criticism of Fulham's slow build-up play as they dominated the ball 75%-25% but had just one shot on target.

Parker, who takes his team to Birmingham City on Saturday, came out fighting.

"I hear a lot that this team is a possession based team," he told the club website. "That we lack an impetuous.

"We are top in this division in shots on goal, shots on target. We are obviously doing something right. We are getting the ball into the right areas.

"No other team in this league is hitting the target more than us.

"I hear people saying our possession game is slow. I would understand people's opinion regarding how I want to play and also the identity of how this team wants to play if we weren't creating chances and hitting the target.

"From the first week people have been pointing fingers regarding this element of our game.

"Yes we have a lot of possession and if I feel like we carry on like that things will turn for us. That is the team I want us to be.

"We lost the game...fair and square. We weren't anywhere near the level we needed to be and that's it.

"We were playing against arguably the best counter-attacking team in the division and the players up front for them exploited that, certainly for their first goal.

"You go down a goal down in this division it proves difficult and...that's what happened.

"We have come off a positive result at Middlesbrough, albeit a draw where I was really pleased with the team's desire and attitude.

"A game of football is always difficult when you go a goal down early on.

"We are disappointed with the way the goal went in. They exploited how flat we were and ultimately, what will determine how successful I am personally and how successful this team is, will be moments like this.

"A cliché as it is, we have to bounce back and go again next week."

Blues will also be looking to return to form after losing 4-2 at Cardiff despite dominating the first half hour of a controversial encounter .



https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/pointing-fingers-fulham-under-fire-17204346

[WhiteJC]

Joe Bryan brands Fulham teammate Neeskens Kebano 'unnaceptable' over choice of football shirt

Fulham defender Joe Bryan has taken aim at teammate and Whites' attacker Neeskens Kebano for his clothing choices during training on Tuesday afternoon.

Following what was no doubt a tough session from manager Scott Parker, Kebano left the training ground wearing a Leicester City shirt, with the name of midfielder Nempalys Mendy emblazoned on the back.

Posting a video of their exchange on his Instagram story, Bryan is heard verbally protesting the choice to wear the shirt, whilst also writing: "Unacceptable" alongside it.

However, Kebano defended his choice swiftly, saying that Mendy remains a good friend of his, with the pair having played together at youth level in France before coming to England.

It has not been too successful a season on the pitch for Kebano, however, making just one first team appearance in the Championship – a seven minute cameo in the 2-0 loss against Stoke City.

Bryan on the other hand is going from strength to strength. Having struggled to adapt to life in the top-flight following his move from Bristol City, he has impressed in the second tier.

In 15 appearances he has notched one goal and three assists for the Whites.

The verdict

Credit to Kebano for still holding such good spirits at Fulham despite what has been a disappointing season for him.

The 27-year-old is well down the pecking order at Craven Cottage and his future seems really up in the air as things stand at the moment.

So it may be that he only has a month or so left at the club, especially with the January transfer window just around the corner.




https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/joe-bryan-brands-fulham-teammate-neeskens-kebano-unnaceptable-over-choice-of-football-shirt/

[WhiteJC]

108 appearances for Fulham: What's this South American player up to now?

Fulham fans who are lucky enough to remember Bryan Ruiz will speak fondly of the Costa Rican, but what's he up to now?

South American has produced some of world football's best and most exciting players to watch, but it's the smaller nations that often produce the most unlikely ones, especially for those that make it into the Premier League

Peru had Nobby Solano and Paraguay Roque Santa Cruz. But of the small list of Costa Rican players to play in the Premier League, Bryan Ruiz certainly tops it.

A typically flair-based number-ten, Ruiz spent four seasons with Fulham in the top-flight between 2011 and 2015, making 108 appearances in white and scoring 12 goals along the way.

His journey began as a sprightly, long-haired youngster with Alajuelense in his home nation. Bursting onto the scene at 18-years-old – Ruiz would spend three seasons with Alajuelense before moving to Europe.

Belgium was his next destination, and Gent his first stop. It was here where he truly began to develop as a player and after another successful three-year stint he joined Dutch side Twente.

For Twente, Ruiz scored 44 goals in two seasons from midfield – and that was all Fulham needed to hear to bring him to England.

Ruiz spent four seasons at Craven Cottage. He was hailed at his new club for whom he'd make over a century of appearances – his technical game gave Fulham an edge that they'd not had previously.

When Martin Jol was sacked by the club in December 2013 though, Ruiz subsequently fell out of favour and spent the remainder of the 2013/14 on-loan at PSV Eindhoven.

He returned to Fulham for a fourth season and amidst the club's managerial indecision, Fulham narrowly avoided relegation and Ruiz headed for the exit.

He left for Sporting CP where he again became part of the furniture, playing 121 games for the Portuguese side between 2015 and 2018.

Now at 34-years-old, Ruiz is seeing out his fine-footballing career back in his home continent.

He joined Brazilian side Santos in 2018 on a free, and is concluding his second season at the club in the coming weeks.

Still a full international for Costa Rica (he led them out at last year's World Cup), Ruiz will go down in national folklore.

Often regarded as something of a flop at Fulham, the Cottage was nevertheless supportive of the player who's had an illustrious career which has taken him around the world and back, and Fulham fans can look back on fond memories of better days.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/108-appearances-for-fulham-whats-this-south-american-player-up-to-now/

[WhiteJC]

Reasons behind Fulham man's current woes explained: Comment

Fulham's Bobby Reid is yet to get off the mark for his new club, but what's going wrong for the forward?

Cardiff City made Bobby Reid their marquee summer signing when they were promoted to the Premier League last year.

He'd scored 21 goals in all competitions for Bristol City the season before, winning the Golden Boot and being voted Supporters' Player of the Year award at Ashton Gate.

Neil Warnock expected him to take the Premier League by storm, but that was neither the case for Reid or his team.

Cardiff were relegated straight back down the Championship with the Jamaican scoring just five goals that season – he was loaned-out to Fulham on a season-long loan in August.

Since arriving at Craven Cottage, Reid has played 13 Championship games and failed to find the net.

Scott Parker's side have had a mixed start to the campaign – Fans weren't sure what to expect of Parker in his first full-season in charge, but they were quietly confident of a successful debut season under Parker, having kept many of their Premier League players and recruiting well in the summer.

Reid was one of a handful of loan-signings made by Parker in the summer, and fans were excited to the striker in action.

Parker though has played a 4-3-3 formation for much of the season, and with Ivan Cavaleiro, Aleksandar Mitrovic and Anthony Knockaert making up the front-three on most occasions, Reid has been forced to play in a midfield three.

Fans get the impression that Reid is a goal-machine just waiting to get started. All he needs is one goal to give him his confidence back – he's a proven goal-scorer at this level, and can still have a good season for Fulham.

His manager is arguably to blame for his poor form this season. Parker has persisted with his possession-based style of football, which encourages his players to play with the ball in the opposition half more often.

Reid has been deployed in midfield to give the team that extra attacking intent in the middle of the park, and at times Fulham have looked a really strong team.

A 3-0 defeat at home to Hull City at the weekend though shed light on Parker inexperience, and his tactics have been heavily criticised with it.

Fulham have arguably the best squad in the division, and their current league position doesn't reflect the talent they have – Parker needs to find a way to utilise his best players, and Reid could still become a key player at the Cottage.




https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/reasons-behind-fulham-mans-current-woes-explained-comment/

[WhiteJC]

Stick or Twist?

It's that time of the year again. You know the time when nothing seems to go right for Fulham? The loss at home to Hull City was for me the poorest result of the season, not because of the scoreline but because of the absolutely dire performance that went along with it. Something just wasn't right, and it's been that way for at least the last few games. Scott Parker is in a bit of a predicament. His style of play has come under fire in recent weeks, but he has hit back suggesting that he won't be changing his ways anytime soon.

I can understand why Parker wants to stick with his philosophy. He is a real student of the game, and won't have committed to a style without a great deal of thought, but his approach still needs some work. We have seen it work, the results against Millwall and Reading being the two most recent examples, but we have also seen too many occasions where it has been a disaster. On Saturday at home to Hull, we had 75% of the possession yet had one shot on target. When you have the talent of Tom Cairney, Mitrovic, Bobby Reid etc in your side it's criminal to think that we forced the Hull keeper into a save on just one occasion. I can sort of understand what Parker is trying to do, but the team aren't executing it properly. Whether that is down to what's happening on the training pitch, or that other teams have figured us out, I'm not sure.

The question now around the fanbase is whether Scott Parker is going to last as Fulham boss. I'm still avoiding the 'Parker out' campaign, but I completely get why the question is being raised. I spoke with a work colleague recently who thinks that Parker has lost the dressing room. Shahid Khan was in town on Saturday, so if you can't get the players motivated to play well in front of the boss then when can he motivate them?

However, I just don't think sacking him at this stage would be helpful. The performances need to start improving, but I think to change the manager now would just further disrupt the squad. When Slavisa Jokanovic started slowly, a lot of people wanted him gone, but they stuck with him and it paid off. We are only 15 games into a very long season, and we know that things in this division can change so quickly. There are only 8 points between first place and twelfth, with no team really running away with things so I'm not going to take the doom and gloom approach. I believe that sticking with Parker for now would be better than causing more disruption to the squad. I think that he will have had an impact in the likes of Cairney and Mitrovic staying. And let's remember that he is still new to management and is learning his trade. Mistakes are going to happen early on, yet we are still doing enough to still be in contention for promotion.

Let's keep the faith.

#COYW



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2019/11/stick-or-twist/

[WhiteJC]

Report: Wycombe 1-2 Fulham U21s

Wanderers exit Leasing.com Trophy at group stage.

Wycombe succumbed to a second group stage defeat in the Leasing.com Trophy, going down 2-1 at home to Fulham under-21s to condemn the Blues to a guaranteed exit from the competition with one game still to play.

Jayden Harris and Timmy Abraham netted either side of Rolando Aarons' close-range strike, but there's now nothing but the £10,000 prize money at stake next Tuesday as Wanderers head to group winners MK Dons.

It was Fulham who had the game's first chance, as Matt O'Riley latched on to a neat through-ball and unleashed a low drive which was well parried to safety by Cameron Yates.

But Wanderers didn't heed the warning, and after the Cottagers switched the ball from left to right, Nicolas Santos Clase's powerful shot was beaten away by Yates but Jayden Harris converted the rebound from 12 yards.

The lively Alex Samuel – returning to the side after a two-month absence due to injury – could have had a penalty when he went down under a challenge inside the box, before his left-footed strike was superbly tipped behind by Magnus Norman.

The striker had two more sights of goal with a header at Norman and and a deflected shot, before Timmy Abraham almost doubled the score from close range before Yates grabbed a loose ball.

Yates pushed Sylvester Jasper's shot away from danger before Scott Kashket's attempt from a tight angle was kept out by Norman, and Sonny Hilton placed a chance in the side netting after being freed down the right.

Rolando Aarons replaced Scott Kashket at the interval, and Alex Pattison sent a dipping volley just over the bar from the edge of the box with three minutes of the second half played.

And then came the equaliser, courtesy of half-time arrival Aarons, who netted his second goal in four days by collecting Pattison's pass on the edge of the box and beating the keeper despite the best efforts of Cody Drameh on the line.

Wanderers then thought they'd taken the lead when Josh Parker turned home a low cross from the right, but after some consultation between the officials, they determined it'd taken a deflection off Samuel en route, therefore rending Parker offside as he converted six yards out.

Former Fulham youngster Jack Grimmer came on for Alex Samuel on 65 minutes, allowing Gardiner-Smith to push on into midfield, but with the tempo draining away from the game, Fulham regained the lead on 83 minutes when Timmy Abraham lashed home from Nicolas Santos Clase's cutback.

There was no further action as Wycombe now turn their attentions to Saturday's visit to Tranmere in the FA Cup.

Attendance: 512 (including 39 away fans)



https://www.wycombewanderers.co.uk/news/2019/november/match-report-for-wycombe-wanderers-vs-fulham-u21-on-05-nov-19/

[WhiteJC]

EFL Trophy: Timmy Abraham nets for Fulham as brother Tammy scores Chelsea own goal

Timmy Abraham scored Fulham's winner against Wycombe

Striker Timmy Abraham was the hero for Fulham Under-21s against Wycombe in the Leasing.com Trophy, netting the winner in a 2-1 Southern Group G victory.

He fared better than older brother Tammy, who scored an own goal in Chelsea's 4-4 Champions League draw with Ajax.

Ex-England striker David Hirst's son George scored to earn Leicester Under-21s a 2-1 win at League One Sunderland.

The Black Cats, featuring several first-teamers, were booed off.

It means Leicester's youngsters are through to the next round of the competition, while Phil Parkinson's Sunderland must beat Scunthorpe in order to progress.

Elsewhere, Everton's out-of-favour striker Oumar Niasse scored twice in a 2-2 draw at Crewe Alexandra, but the Premier League team's under-21 side were beaten 5-4 on penalties.

Dave Richards saved Ryan Astley's penalty, and Perry Ng converted the last of the Alex's five spot kicks to take the bonus point.

Only 375 fans made the trip to Birmingham's St Andrew's - including seven away fans - to see Max Biamou's hat-trick seal a 3-2 win for Coventry against Southampton Under-21s, while Blackpool avoided a shootout when Rocky Bushiri netted in the third minute of added time to secure a 1-0 win against Wolves Under-21s.

Injury-hit Arsenal Under-21s edged a penalty shootout with Cambridge after the game finished 1-1 in normal time, thanks to Ben Cotterill's spot-kick.



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/50310865

[WhiteJC]

Cottage Talk Post Match Show: Fulham vs. Hull City

Take a listen to a podcast that focuses on Fulham Football Club.

Russ Goldman and Max Cohen discussed this 3-0 loss for Fulham against Hull City. Along with breaking down the key points of the match, they also shared their views of Fulham manager Scott Parker.


You can also listen to the show by following this link...
https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2019/11/6/20950673/cottage-talk-post-match-show-fulham-vs-hull-city

[WhiteJC]

This Fulham player must get back to defensive basics otherwise risk being dropped: Comment

This article is part of Football League World's 'Comment' series, this content strand is where the author of the article issues their personal opinion on the topic at hand....

Fulham have had a really inconsistent start to the season, and would have liked to have found themselves higher in the division after the opening 15 matches of the campaign.

They have been very good going forward and have the ability to score goals against every team in the division, although defensively they have been made to pay.

During the fixtures, the Cottagers have often dominated opposition sides when it comes to keeping possession of the football. They've out played them with their passing but critics have suggested that they're just passing for the sake of it.

On Saturday, Fulham were thrashed 3-0 at home to Hull City, in what was a rather shocking result for Scott Parker and his side. The worst thing about it was that it could have been a bigger scoreline had it not been for some good saves.

The Cottagers have to find a way of sorting out their defence, and that's because of how open they have been when they've lost the ball. One man who has been massively at fault in recent weeks is big money signing Alfie Mawson.

The centre-back signed in the summer after Fulham were promoted to the Premier League, but didn't have the best of seasons in the top-flight, and he's now struggling in the Championship.

Make no mistake, for a defender he's absolutely fantastic on the ball and at times can read the game brilliantly but recently he has not been good enough in terms of his positioning without the ball and his decision making on whether to back off or try to press the attacker.

His poor defending was made a mockery out of by Hull's front three, and despite playing every game for Fulham this season, it is potentially time for the 25-year-old to have a rest and regain the defensive basics back into his game.

That is so important in the Championship, and if you don't have that basic defending then you will struggle. Mawson has proven himself at this level before, and even in the Premier League with some fine performances for Swansea, but he has to be better if Parker's side are to have any hope of getting promotion back to the Premier League.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/this-fulham-player-must-get-back-to-defensive-basics-otherwise-risk-being-dropped-comment/

[WhiteJC]

2 pros and 2 cons to Fulham reaching agreement involving 28-year-old

Fulham could have a loan player return to Craven Cottage in January, as Galatasaray are in the process of holding talks to send Jean Michael Seri back to West London, according to TRT Sport via Sport Witness.

The Ivorian has been on loan at the SuperLig side since the beginning of the season, with Galatasaray paying Fulham £1.35 million for the duration of the loan, with an option to buy the midfielder.

However, it seems that the move has not worked out as either party would've hoped for, as Seri has found his playing time limited under boss Fatih Terim, making six league appearances and a further three in the Champions League, scoring one goal.

With it looking likely that the 28-year-old will be back at Craven Cottage in a few months' time, we look at TWO positives and TWO negatives of this for Fulham...

Healthy midfield competition

Seri returning to the fold could increase competition for places in central midfield, with Harrison Reed and Tom Cairney currently occupying those two spots in central midfield.

The Ivorian is known for his long range efforts, so that could be an advantage to having him in the team. The competition could push the midfield to up their game.

Seri is a set piece specialist

The 28-year-old is an excellent set-piece taker, excelling at free-kicks, whether they are direct or indirect.

As the side have only scored three goals from set-pieces all season – 17th in the standings – so having his someone with his ability at dead balls could be an advantage.

He might not accept Championship football

A reason that Seri left on loan in the summer was because of the choice that was offered to him; play Champions League football with Galatasaray or fight for promotion with Fulham in the Championship. The decision was straight forward.

He may not be up for the challenge of playing at Championship level upon his return, and may want out of the club in January.

Bad Business

The West London club bought Seri last summer for £27 million – a club record fee. His value will have dropped significantly since then.

If he wants to leave in January upon his return, his spell in Turkey will not have helped his cause, and Fulham will not recoup the money the spent on the midfielder, hence making a loss on what they spent – which will be poor business.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/2-pros-and-2-cons-to-fulham-reaching-agreement-involving-28-year-old/

[WhiteJC]

Three words to sum up exciting Fulham signing's season so far

Fulham did a marvellous job of bolstering their front line during the summer, with the signings of Anthony Knockaert and Ivan Cavaleiro the headline acts.

However, one impressive deal that snuch through before the deadline was that of Bobby Decordova-Reid.

The striker netted five times and provided four assists in the top-flight last season but was let go by Neil Warnock on a season-long loan deal.

But with no goals to his name for his new side as of yet, we pick THREE words to sum up his time with the club so far...

Tantilising

Since signing from Cardiff in the summer, Decordova-Reid has shown flashes of exactly what he is capable of at this level.

His performance away to Reading stands out most when he was deployed down the left-wing by Scott Parker and was a constant creative menace throughout the contest.

It should leave onlookers knowing that there is plenty more to come from him.

Unfulfilled

Have we seen the best of him? Almost certainly not.

Decordova-Reid was a marvel during his time at Bristol City so we know how brilliant he can be at this level and you imagine that he will be slightly disappointed that he has not had the chance to fulfill that excitement just yet.

However, with the busy winter period coming up, that chance will almost certainly come.

Frustrated

When you are playing as a striker in the Championship, the last person you will want to compete with for a lone role is Aleksandar Mitrovic.

The Serbian is most probably the best striker in the division. So what can Decordova-Reid do? He is left trying to prove he is better than somebody who already has 11 goals this season and is not likely to get very far.

He will surely keep trying but is a situation that must be frustrating for him.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/three-words-to-sum-up-exciting-fulham-signings-season-so-far/

[MikeW]

Some very strange observations / viewpoints in this lengthy series of posts.  Particularly regarding Seri / Arter / Reed / Decordova-Reid

[ScalleysDad]

Harrison Reed and Mawson outed, 39 away fans at Wycombe and what to do with the other Reid. Another excellent breakfast read. Thanks