Wednesday Fulham Stuff - 25/03/20...

[WhiteJC]

Fulham's Tom Cairney reveals what it's really like being a footballer amid fixture uncertainty

Fulham's Tom Cairney has opened on the difficulties of having no routine in his life with football currently paused due to the coronavirus breakout.

The spreading virus has caused all professional football in England to be suspended until 30 April at the earliest and with the severity of the illness increasing in recent days, footballers have stopped going to training and have been given specific programmes to follow at home during the pause, like the rest of the United Kingdom.

Cairney, whose Fulham side were in good form and just six points adrift off the automatic promotion places prior to the break, admitted that he's struggling without football, but is grateful for the extra family time he's currently enjoying.
Talking on the Alan Brazil Sports Breakfast with Max Rushden and Jamie O'Hara, the Fulham skipper said: "To be honest I'm really struggling (without football). It's really difficult because footballers are so used to routines, schedules and being told what to do every minute of every day, so it's been a bit of a change.

"But at the same time we're in a fortunate position compared to what a lot of people are going through at the minute so I think we've got to look at it like that and take the time with the family that we don't normally get. It's the timings of things – we get in at 9, have an omelette at 9.30, have treatment at 10, outside at 10.30, and it's the change to that.

"I don't know what time to get up, I don't eat regularly – you're normally just preparing for the next game so when it all gets taken away you have no purpose – it's a really weird feeling."

The Verdict

It's hardly surprising to see footballers struggling from switching to regular training and competition to sitting around the house doing little all day.

Having said that, Cairney is the captain of the club, so he should still be leading by example and be able to maintain some sort of structure in his life until the season resumes, otherwise when the campaign does get back underway the Whites man will be even more disorientated having to adjust back into the athlete lifestyle.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/fulhams-tom-cairney-reveals-what-its-really-like-being-a-footballer-amid-fixture-uncertainty/

[WhiteJC]

Fulham: Fans wish Brede Hangeland was still in the side

Some Fulham fans have been discussing which of their former defenders they would take back if they were looking to tighten up their defence. Only Brentford, West Bromwich Albion and Leeds United have superior defensive records in the Championship this season.

However, the question was put to the supporters via the club's official Twitter account and there was one name in particular that kept cropping up.



https://thisisfutbol.com/2020/03/twitter/fulham-fans-wish-brede-hangeland-was-still-in-the-side/

[WhiteJC]

The best Fulham XI since the Millennium – Goalkeepers

Fulham could barely have hoped for a better response after being relegated from the Premier League last season.

Scott Parker's side are 3rd in the table as things stand, six points back from the top two, and may feel that with nine games left of the campaign, automatic promotion remains within reach.

The Cottagers' last spell in the Premier League only lasted one season but their fans will likely feel they're a top-flight club, having spent the majority of the last 20 years in it.

Fulham have had some phenomenal players in that time and with EFL fixtures suspended until the 30th of April at the least, we're putting together a best XI since the Millenium.

Today, we've listed the four best goalkeepers since 2000 and will ask you to vote on the best below...

Maik Taylor (1997 – 2004)
The Northern Irishman was Fulham's first-choice number one at the start of the new millenium and played a key role in helping them secure their place in the Premier League.

The arrival of the big Dutchman that is next up on this list pushed Taylor down the pecking order but he proved a useful back-up, stepping up into the first team due to injury in the 2002/03 campaign.

He left the club to join Birmingham City the following summer but is without doubt deserving of a place on this list, having made nearly 200 appearances for the Cottagers in total.

Edwin van der Sar (2001 – 2005)
The towering Dutchman is perhaps best known for his time at Manchester United but he put in some phenomenal performances for Fulham in the early 2000s.

He arrived at Craven Cottage just after Fulham had secured their place in the Premier League in 2001 and made 149 appearances across four years.

Van der Sar is one of the most decorated players of all time but he will likely be remembered by Fulham fans for his spell in west London, particularly the numerous times he got them out of trouble.

Mark Schwarzer (2008 – 2013)
Schwarzer will likely hold a place in the hearts of many Fulham fans for, amongst other things, his part in the run to the Europa League final in 2009/10.

The Australian shot-stopper was the number one during a fantastic period for the Cottagers, who were regularly battling for a place in the top eight and, of course, making some waves in Europe.

Having arrived from Middlesbrough, Schwarzer was a phenomenal servant for the west London club and made 220 appearances in total, keeping 73 clean sheets.

Marek Rodak (2019 – onwards)
Perhaps a surprising inclusion on this list but the 22-year-old has been fantastic for Parker's side in the 2019/20 campaign.

Rodak has provided some outstanding performances, keeping 10 clean sheets in 24 Championship appearances, and is a big part of why they're battling for a place in the top two.

He has a bright future ahead of him but is already a top-quality keeper.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/the-best-fulham-xi-since-the-millennium-goalkeepers/

[WhiteJC]

Tom Cairney explains why Fulham are still hopeful of challenging Leeds United and West Brom

Fulham captain Tom Cairney says the side continue to be hopeful of challenging West Bromwich Albion and Leeds United for automatic promotion.

Prior to the postponement of fixtures up and down the country by the EFL and the Premier League until April 30 at the earliest, the Cottagers sat in 3rd place in the Championship, six points behind West Brom, who occupy 2nd.

Cairney, who has played a total of 34 times for Fulham over the course of the season, told talkSPORT that his side are still within a chance once the season resumes.

"The break came at the wrong time for us," the 29-year-old said.

"We were top of the form table over the last 12 or 13 games and we're finishing strong like we do in the Championship."

Cairney is correct. The Cottagers have lost just twice in their last fifteen league games, which is a better record than West Brom and Leeds. Fulham also come up against both sides before the end of the season.

The midfielder added that those factors go in Fulham's favour.

"We're there or thereabouts," he continued.

"I don't think we've reached our potential in third in the league, I'm confident that we can achieve something but we'll see."

The Verdict

Cairney seems confident here that Fulham's recent good form will continue once the season resumes.

However, the side's chances of making the automatic promotion places will all come down to their fixtures against Leeds and West Bromwich Albion.

In Fulham's last nine games, they also come up against promotion rivals Brentford and Nottingham Forest.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/tom-cairney-explains-why-fulham-are-still-hopeful-of-challenging-leeds-united-and-west-brom/

[WhiteJC]

2 questions Fulham fans will be asking themselves right now...

Fulham are well set to launch a serious promotion push once the Championship season resumes.

The Cottagers are third in the table but will have to wait until the 30th of April at the earliest to get a pile more pressure on the top two, with all EFL fixtures suspended due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Scott Parker's side face an uphill battle to catch Leeds United and West Bromwich Albion, as they're six points back from the top two with just nine games remaining.

If they can't they will likely head into the play-offs as one of the favourites to secure their place in the English top-flight, though once it gets to that point it is all to play for.

The delay will have given fans of the west London club some time to reflect and with that in mind, here are the two questions they may be pondering right now...

Will Fulham take a different approach if they get promoted?
When the Cottagers secured a return to the Premier League in 2019 they were relatively free-spending in the transfer market as they looked to give Slavisa Jokanovic all the tools needed to keep his side in the top flight.

According to Transfermarkt, Fulham spent over £200 million on transfer and loan fees during the 2018/19 season but that business did little to help them survive.

They cycled through three managers and were relegated back down to the Championship after finishing second-bottom in the Premier League.

Fans will likely be asking themselves whether or not their club will take the same approach this time or look to be more conservative.

It is a question that they will hope to find out the answer to when the season concludes.

Does Jean Micheal Seri have a future at the club?
One of their blockbuster signings ahead of the 2018/19 campaign, Seri had reportedly attracted the attention of the likes of Barcelona earlier in the season.

There was a lot of hype when the central midfielder arrived from Nice but he never really found his feet at Craven Cottage and was one of a number of underperformers in the Cottagers squad as they slipped to relegation.

He was sent out on loan to Galatasaray at the start of this season but his future remains uncertain.

Many fans will likely be wondering whether they will see him play and flourish in the white of Fulham next season.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/2-questions-fulham-fans-will-be-asking-themselves-right-now/

[WhiteJC]

Feature: Aleksandar Mitrovic is the reason Fulham are in 3rd, but his imminent summer exit could be a blessing in disguise

Without their Serbian striker, Fulham's season would look a whole lot differently. His 23 Championship goals has arguably kept Scott Parker in a job but with the summer approaching, and Mitrovic looking likely to move on, it could be a 'blessing in disguise' for the club.

Few teams in the Championship have an affinity with a single player like Fulham do with Aleksandar Mitrovic. For whatever reason, the pair just go hand-in-hand and this season has been his most prolific to date – for club and country, the 25-year-old has scored 34 goals in what's been 'the making of Mitrovic' in the Championship. For all his goals and his importance to the side though, a summer exit has become all the more inevitable as the season's gone on.

Fulham in truth did well to keep Mitrovic last summer. Dropping down from the Premier League for a second time in his career, Mitrovic could easily have followed the likes of Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Jean Michael Seri out on-loan, in the hope that Fulham would immediately return and they could come back to Premier League football. But he chose to stay and fight with Fulham and Parker.

Then January came around. Fulham were and have been loitering just outside the top-two for much of the season, but the automatic promotion places were 11 points ahead of 3rd-place Fulham at one time, and automatic promotion looked certainties for both West Brom and Leeds. That placed a lot of speculation on Mitrovic – with Fulham looking likely to settle for a play-off place, and in general not performing how they should've been, it looked as though Mitrovic would be off then.

Aston Villa and Tottenham Hotspur showed a passing interest, and so too did Italian side Genoa. But nothing ever materialised past an 'interest' and Fulham went through January with their star man relatively untouched, and ready for an uphill and ongoing battle in the second-half of the season. Football in the UK has been postponed until April 30th due to the outbreak of coronavirus but Fulham will resume their campaign in a good vein of form, losing just one of their last 11 in the Championship and Mitrovic scoring five in his last eight.

The longer that the season's gone on without Fulham being in the top-two, the more likely it seems that Mitrovic will be gone in the summer. He's long stated his love for the club, being in and around the training ground and living in the area, but realistically, how long will he want to keep playing in the Championship, scoring 30 goals a season but never making it back into the Premier League? That's the trajectory that Fulham are on – West Brom and Leeds are too much to handle this season, and out of the current teams in the play-offs – Fulham, Brentford, Forest and Preston, it's hard to see Fulham prevailing.

His departure would leave an evident void, but with each set-back comes an opportunity. Fulham with Mitrovic are so one dimensional, if not totally one dimensional. Everything must go through him and he must be the one who scores every goal – Mitrovic must be the star of the show. It's the kind of player he is and we applaud him for that, but players like him suffocate teams. Look at some of the players Fulham have in their attack – Ivan Cavaleiro, Anthony Knockaert, Bobby Reid – all of them have had relatively poor seasons but with Mitrovic out the picture, would they not flourish?

Without having to set Mitrovic as the focal point of his side, Parker could really open them up to so many new dynamics and avenues that they could become a much better team of players, rather than a team with one outstanding goal-scorer. The obvious reaction from fans will be to keep hold of Mitrovic at whatever cost, but it won't all be doom and gloom if he goes, in fact, Fulham could be better off for it.




https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/feature-aleksandar-mitrovic-is-the-reason-fulham-are-in-3rd-but-his-imminent-summer-exit-could-be-a-blessing-in-disguise/

[filham]

Sorry, I just can't in any way see how we would benefit from the loss of Mitro, who on earth would we find to replace him. Look into our history and it will be seen that whenever we have transferred a top player a god replacement has never appeared.
Any suggestion that the vacuum would be filled by existing players is over optimistic. The obvious replacement is Reid but he has clearly demonstrated that he is better at missing chances than scoring goals.

Mitro is so good for the team, lets hope that some how we find a way of keeping him.

[bog]

Sorry, I just can't in any way see how we would benefit from the loss of Mitro, who on earth would we find to replace him. Look into our history and it will be seen that whenever we have transferred a top player a god replacement has never appeared.
Any suggestion that the vacuum would be filled by existing players is over optimistic. The obvious replacement is Reid but he has clearly demonstrated that he is better at missing chances than scoring goals.

Mitro is so good for the team, lets hope that some how we find a way of keeping him.

+1 100%

[Twig]

Sheer nonsense, drivel. WBA & Leeds too much to handle? Hardly. Difficult to see us winning through the playoffs? We're third and have the best form over the last 12 games so why is it difficult?

Mitro's departure to the prem is imminent, yet he allegedly stifles teams and makes them one dimensional. So why would there be a queue of prem clubs flashing open wallets to buy him at a premium price?

[AnotherVicHalomLoveChild]

Fairly obvious that if you believe Cavaleiro, Knockaert & Bobby Reid are all having relatively poor seasons (so far) it's not the  fault of Mitro.
Whatever the reasons it's down to them firstly, then Parker & the coaches to address & correct.
Time to keep cool heads, train hard & if the season does indeed continue grasp the opportunity when it arises.