Monday Fulham Stuff - 09/03/20...

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Results

Friday
Derby	3-0	Blackburn

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Fulham boss says that Cottagers were denied a penalty against Bristol City

Scott Parker says Robins' goal was offside too and there was a foul on Ream.


Fulham manager Scott Parker greets Bristol City head coach Lee Johnson (Image: Rogan/JMP)

Fulham were certainly worth a share of the spoils on Saturday afternoon, with Tom Cairney stroking in with just four minutes left to play to make it 1-1.

And the Fulham captain was picked out for praise after the match as visiting manager Scott Parker gave his opinion on the early Championship kick-off.

The Cottagers had plenty of chances throughout the match but Niki Maenpaa pulled off several top saves - notably to deny former Robin Bobby Decordova-Reid who had the most shots in the game bar goal-scorer Nahki Wells.

Parker also said that his side should have had a penalty - and question if Wells was offside when he netted the game's opening goal on 70 minutes.


Korey Smith of Bristol City and Tom Cairney of Fulham (Image: Dougie Allward/JMP)

"Tom Cairney took his goal superbly and was outstanding throughout the game," said Parker is his post-match press conference.

"I thought he was head and shoulder above every other player.

"We all know his quality on the ball, but in the last three games he has showed much more than that and today it was a complete performance," he said of Cairney.

But the former Fulham, West Ham, Chelsea, Newcastle, Charlton Athletic, Tottenham Hotspur and England central midfielder questioned if the big decisions had gone his way.

The Cottagers remain third in the league and six points away from the play-off positions, with nine matches remianing.

"I felt we should have had a penalty for a foul on Tom late on. Their keeper looked to take him out before pouncing on the ball," said Parker.

"There also looked to be a player offside when Bristol City scored. It seemed one of their lads cleaned out Tim Ream. I need to see it again to be sure.

"But I am not going to complain because there were so many positives in how we played. While a point isn't ideal, it is something more to build on and if we keep showing that character we will be fine.

"We created some really good chances in the first half and, while I didn't like what I saw at the start of the second half, we finished the game really strongly.

"Now we focus on the next game. That is the way I take things without looking too far ahead."



https://www.bristolpost.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-boss-says-cottagers-were-3927311

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Next Up: Fulham

All tickets sold as Bees to be backed by more than 1900 fans at Craven Cottage on Friday

All tickets for our upcoming West London derby away at Fulham have been sold. We were sent an allocation of 1928 tickets for our Sky Bet Championship trip to Craven Cottage on Friday, 13 March, and they have now all been sold. No further allocation will be made available.

TRAVEL INFO

Coaches depart from Layton Road Car Park at 6pm. Book by phone on 0203 665 7371 or 07414 883220, Monday to Friday, 12pm-8pm.



https://www.brentfordfc.com/news/2020/march/fulham-tickets-13.03.20/

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Five Thoughts: Bristol City 1-1 Fulham

Upon revision and a good night's rest, I've concluded that a point at Ashton Gate is perfectly fine and necessary. Lee Johnson's Bristol City are within touching distance of the play-off places and, as he's a proud Fulham fan, he had his men fired up from the start to frustrate Scott Parker's camp.

Our support travelled in their droves and were in fine voice, silencing a patchy home following. A victory would have been fully deserved in hindsight but I'm elated by the way in which we rallied for the draw. Honours even? I'll take that.

We're 4 points ahead of Brentford, who are our next opponent, incidentally. Hounslow's very own Bees also have promotion in their sights and there's nothing they relish more than turning up at the Cottage. It's the biggest game of the campaign for them outside of their Chelsea supporting lives and it's a chance for them to close the gap. For the both of us, however, the hunt is still very much on.

Ticking Time Tom
All seemed lost after Nakhi Wells nodded the hosts ahead in the 70th minute but the Robins weren't expecting Tom Cairney to take the challenge by the short and curlies in the closing stages. Reborn again, TC was a predominant source of creation, conviction and certitude in the heart of Fulham's midfield and one flash of sheer brilliance on the parameter of Bristol's 18-yard box restored order and salvaged a critical point. Cairney's prized left peg's insured at an infinite rate and we're living off the hefty interest it generates.

Constructing the move that led to his 84th-minute strike, Cairney interlinked with Harry Arter from the right and jinked towards the penalty area, side stepping his way into optimum detonation distance. Time was of the essence and not a second was wasted, the 29-year-old picked his spot and caressed into the bottom left corner. Salivating salvation, served up by our enigmatic skipper without delay. Korey Smith and Han-Noah Massengo couldn't suppress the captain's enterprising exploits and as he snuggled into his infectious groove, Cairney's supremacy bled through every instance he influenced.

Metronomic, orchestral, Cairney was cruising at full capacity, administering possession and knitting attractive sequences together for the duration. TC's faded out of previous encounters and has also been hauled off early in various second-halves but he stood the test of time, swatting off the debilitating fatigue that's blighted his outings in weeks gone by. It's so satisfying to see Cairney return to his purring best, and his resurgent upturn in form really couldn't have come at a better sector, as the pointy end of the season comes into view. We heavily depend on his sculpted ingenuity and without his innovation, the Whites fall out of rhythm unceremoniously. Game changer, crowd pleaser, face saver.

Assessing Abou's Attack
There's no surprise that Aboubakar Kamara was selected to start by Parker and I was totally at one with the gaffer's shrewd decision. AK47's been a revelation of late, supplying last-ditch crosses against Swansea City and netting at the death against Preston North End to ensure the victory, so his inclusion was completely justified. Direct, undettered in his explosive advancements, Kamara regularly overpowered Jay Dasilva and was undoubtedly king of his respective channel. Nothing, other than stingers and a round 50 calibre bullets, was going to halt his frequent trips to the byline.

Kamara spearheaded the majority of Fulham counters and no one was willing to obstruct his path in order to stem his torrential flow. The Frenchman does lack elemental intelligence in the final third as he didn't always pick the best option whilst offloading possession on the fringes of the danger zone, but that's nothing new to us at all. We know he's intermittently erratic and periodically estranged to basic procedures on the break, but there is a deceptiveness in his locker that's unmatched. Within the madness, the brutish power, he is a committed team member, matured after last season's inexcusable episodes of selfish petulance.

Anthony Knockaert and Ivan Cavaleiro could definitely learn a trick or two from their reformed colleague. Rather than slowing the tempo and buckling at the sight of the touchline, commit your man and make his afternoon a living misery. Cav' dallied, Knockaert – despite being fresh from the bench – was indecisive as per but Kamara, he was forthright, energetic and undeviating. What could be more simple than nudging the ball 5 yards in front of you and scuttling as fast as your legs can handle? We don't need self-indulgent step overs and impermissible shoulder dips, we want unconditional intensity. Be more Kamara, chaps. It's that easy.

Dutiful Denis Delivers
Always on call, Denis Odoi sprung into action at left-back and held his own against a persistent Paterson and a lively Pedro Pereira. Dubbed "Mr Fulham" by many, we can always, without question, rely on Odoi to give everything he's got whenever he's involved and an assured performance from the highly adaptable utility man softened the hosts' hold on proceedings.

The 31-year-old didn't venture forward as much as Joe Bryan, but this goes back to what Dom Betts rightly said about the latter's hindering handicaps. Bryan cannot defend adequately enough and he's far more effective at the other end of the pitch. It's fact, not fiction. Odoi relishes random spurts with the ball under his supervision, but he's also switched on and eternally aware of his responsibilities at the back. He's seldom caught out of position and, if he is, he isn't left high and dry as he very rarely strays into uncustomary areas where he's compromised indefinitely.

I'm not saying he's a perfect purveyor of duty and discipline (his yellow card testifies this), but I'd prefer Odoi to remain our first-choice left-back, even once Bryan's back from injury. Bryan, for me, is a winger dressed as fullback, and I wouldn't be adverse to the prospect of the 27-year-old contesting Cav' for a matchday spot, I'd actually welcome it. Odoi operated to a sufficient standard against the Robins and I was pleasantly comfortable with his capable care and control defensively, and I'm yet to admit that about Bryan, at all, this season.

Choked Chance Creation
It's a lingering thought, I still don't think we did enough to really trouble Niki Mäenpää. Of course, Bristol is a very tough place to go to and I'm not discrediting a draw away from home, but we did choke at pivotal moments as we progressed and that's been more than apparent for quite some time now. Clear cut chances were few and far between and though we have some of the Championship's deadliest marksmen on paper, at least, we quiver on the trigger far too often.

When we shifted into promising areas, our final product was agonisingly amiss. 19 registered shots with just 5 on target. Bobby Decordova-Reid pulled wide of the mark, TC (before his sublime equaliser) dragged the wrong side of the sticks and Kamara couldn't land solid contact on appetising crosses. Fine margins in a relatively open game. We were the better team for large swathes but we failed to stamp our dominance whilst turning the screw.

Another viewpoint, which I'm sure we all recognised, was just how ineffective Aleksandar Mitrovic was. Marked out of the game by three men at a time, religiously, the Serb was imprisoned under close quarantine and wasn't allowed to make an impression in the final third. One sniff is all he requires and Bristol weren't willing to take a chance on that. It must be extremely difficult to have any true impact when you're constricted in such an invasive way, but he was a slight shadow of his usual self and the Robins got off the hook in that respect. I guess that's just how things go every once in a while, though, as it's understandably impossible for him to expel his absolute maximum week in, week out. No cause for alarm, it's merely an observation.

Penalty Pandemonium Prevails
This is up for debate. From the terraces, directly behind the dubious moment in question, I thought the 'keeper had claimed possession legally from under TC's feet but, under further scrutiny, there's definite contact before he clasped the ball. Was there enough to send Cairney tumbling? I'm not entirely sure. Was it a stone wall penalty? Again, I think opinions will be widely split.

It's hard to call in real time, but it's another potential scoring situation that we've been seemingly been cheated out of. Linesman are more or less good for nothing, meaning David Coote had a game-altering instance to adjudicate, all by himself. I've watched it a hundred times over and the more I do, the more I see the error in the referee's assessment. It wasn't clear as day, but it was fairly obvious.

I'm a lover of cliches and as wanky as it is, that's the nature of the game. We were fortunate against the Swans as the penalty we were awarded was also pretty soft. Mitro' missed, so perhaps justice had been served, but football has a funny way about it. Under differing circumstances, I'm sure Coote would have pointed to the spot, although as there was only seconds remaining, maybe his verdict was already conclusive. Refs have so much unprecedented power and they directly shape the narrative of the game and, with that, they also get bombarded with unholy amounts of stick. Thanks for guaranteeing a point, Dave, but we should have had an opportunity to steal it all.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/post/2020-03-08-five-thoughts-bristol-city-1-1-fulham/

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Cottage Talk Post Match Show: Fulham's 1-1 Draw Against Bristol City

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

In this episode, Yannis Tjanetis and Max Cohen went through all the key moments of the match which included the controversy near the end of the match. However, the show started with a new segment entitled "Russ's Rant" as host Russ Goldman got his chance to share his thoughts to start us off. We also ended the show show with Man Of The Match.


Lastly, you can also listen to the show by following this link...
https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2020/3/8/21170516/cottage-talk-post-match-show-fulhams-1-1-draw-against-bristol-city

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Fulham captain Tom Cairney refuses to give up automatic promotion chase after they lost more ground on Leeds and West Brom despite his late equaliser at Bristol City

    Fulham were held to a 1-1 draw by Bristol City in the Championship on Saturday
    They are now seven points behind leaders Leeds and six behind West Brom
    But captain Tom Cairney has refused to give up on automatic promotion bid
    Fulham face west London rivals Brentford next and then travel to Elland Road
    Realistically, Scott Parker's side will have to be flawless in their last nine games

The only thing Tom Cairney did wrong all afternoon here was to offer his hand to an opponent when the final whistle blew.

Handshakes are currently banned as part of football's coronavirus fears, replaced by the fair play elbow bump or just a polite smile and a chat.

'I forgot, it is just natural instinct and I just went to shake someone's hand and he gave me the elbow!' said Fulham's captain.


Fulham's Tom Cairney celebrates scoring his late equaliser against Bristol City on Saturday


Fulham's skipper found the bottom corner to earn a point that keeps their top two hopes alive

Luckily, Cairney had led by example with his feet in a stand-out performance crowned by a late equaliser that just about keeps Fulham's automatic promotion flame burning.

Trouble is, by the time Cairney emerged from the Ashton Gate dressing rooms to speak, Leeds United were a goal to the good against Huddersfield and would finish the afternoon seven points ahead of Fulham.

West Brom are six ahead but it looks very much like the Cairney and Co must negotiate the play-offs in order to reach the Premier League as they did two years ago.

Of course, they won't give up the chase and after Friday's west London derby with Brentford that looks very much like a play-off dress rehearsal, Fulham make the trip to Elland Road.


Nahki Wells headed home to hand Bristol City the lead with 19 minutes remaining on Saturday


Wells celebrates his second goal in Bristol City colours and his 17th strike of the season

'We have the players to win big games and we have the No 9 who is top scorer in the league [Aleksandar Mitrovic] so we can go up there and beat them,' Cairney said.

If Fulham end up, say, a point shy of the automatic promotion places, they will rue the many chances they missed in this draw with Bristol City.

Bobby Decordova-Reid could have scored a hat-trick against his old club before Nahki Wells headed City into the lead against the run of play.

But Cairney earned Fulham a deserved point when he swept a shot into the bottom corner having been the only player not to stop when referee David Coote played an advantage after a foul.

Manager Scott Parker described Cairney as 'outstanding' and was happy the midfielder took aim for goal rather than look for the defence-splitting pass.


Bobby Decordova-Reid was left to rue a series of missed opportunities against his old club


Decordova-Reid reflects on an afternoon in which Fulham were forced to settle for a point

'I always think about the pass before the shot for some reason, everyone else thinks about the shot before the pass,' said Cairney.

'He has been on to me a little bit in that case but hopefully I'll get a few more goals before the end of the season.'

The point kept City very much in the play-off picture and manager Lee Johnson spoke highly of 18-year-old French midfielder Han-Noah Massengo, who signed from Monaco for £7.2million back in August.

'Massengo was excellent today, that's an 18-year-old playing the equivalent of a Premier League side,' said Johnson.

'I think he's had less minutes than only Jude Bellingham at Birmingham in terms of a player under 19 years of age which shows it doesn't happen a lot.

'At a level where livelihoods are on the line and points, it shows you how good he is.'



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-8088671/Fulham-captain-Tom-Cairney-refuses-automatic-promotion-chase.html

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Premier League Cup Preview

The Under-23s will travel to The Valley on Monday to take on Charlton in the Premier League Cup Round of 16.

Form

Fulham:

The Young Whites are on a strong run in both the cup and the league, winning their last three games. They dominated Plymouth 4-1 to progress and took a comfortable three points off Sunderland in the league last weekend with a 3-0 win.

Charlton Athletic:

Charlton go into the game on the back of a 2-0 league defeat against Coventry City. They finished top of their premier League Cup group with three wins, one draw and two losses.

Last Time Out

Our U23s took on Charlton in the Checkatrade Trophy in November 2017 and fought hard but suffered a 3-2 defeat at The Valley.

Tickets

Season ticket holders are able to attend the game for free, while general admissions prices will be £3 per adult, £2 for seniors/concessions and £1 for juniors.

He Said

Joint head coach Colin Omogbehin believes a strong cup run can also improve results in the league.

"It's always good to go on a good cup run and it can keep the season alive. The boys are excited to be part of it and are looking forward to playing Charlton on Monday.

"The lads have been working hard off the pitch and they're showing it on the pitch. As a result, we've seen an improvement in our performances."




http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2020/march/09/premier-league-cup-preview