Sunday Fulham Stuff - 10/05/20...

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Anthony Knockaert wants season to end now amid Covid fears

On-loan Albion star Anthony Knockaert has called for the season to be halted.

He believes the Premier League and EFL should follow what has happened in his native France.

Knockaert's current club Fulham are on course for the play-offs and could even grab a top-two spot with wins over Leeds and West Brom if play resumes.

But he has revealed he is scared of catching Covid-19 and passing it on.

He has called for players to have a say in whether football returns in the coming weeks. And he insists he would currently ube against playing.

The winger said: "I think every player will be different in these situations.

"Personally, I don't think it would be the best decision to keep playing in the sense that we, the players, are going to be taking a risk.

"We all have family at home. I'm 28, I have children, I have a family who I can see from time to time.

"That scares you. I realise that, if I catch the virus, I could very easily give it to those close to me and that can be very dangerous.

"I think more about things like that.

"There are players who think more about the sport and are very keen to go back and will forget the virus and are ready to take risks.

"Right now, if I had to return to the league and return to work, I would give it my all. But, if I could give my opinion, I would be against it because I think this is also a risk for us, the players.

"We are humans. We can catch it as well.

"I have seen three leagues cancelled. Belgium, France and the Netherlands, for me, have taken the right decision.

"Now we will see what other countries do.

"Germany are starting again soon and I see that as a bit absurd, a bit dangerous for society and for the players.

"For me the best in this case is that players have the right to speak and say what they want.

"The government and the leagues will take decisions but in all that you have the players.

"It's absurd not to take into account the opinions of the players."

Albion technical director Dan Ashworth has confirmed the club are alive to and listening to concerns individual players have about returning to training sessions and matches.

Knockaert was speaking via video link to presenter, and Albion fan, Darren Tulett in an interview for beIN Sport in France.

He added: "I think a lot of players agree with me. It's scary. I'm scared of catching the virus when I go shopping and I'm not just thinking of me.

"If I catch it, I am young and in good health and can come through it.

"But I could pass it on to people close to me who are more vulnerable.

"The day that happens, we will have it on our conscience for the rest of our lives and it's the same with football."



https://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/18437477.anthony-knockaert-wants-season-end-now-amid-covid-fears/

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Henderson to Fulham & Bale to Nottingham Forest? Ex-Liverpool director of football makes transfer claims

Damien Comolli, who took the England international to Anfield, saw the Reds enter into transfer talks with the Cottagers during the summer of 2012

Damien Comolli admits to having survived two transfer scares during his time working as a director of football in England, with Tottenham coming close to agreeing a deal for Gareth Bale with Nottingham Forest before Liverpool then looked into offloading Jordan Henderson to Fulham.

The latter of those deals was mooted during the summer of 2012 , a year after an England international midfielder had been taken to Anfield from Sunderland.

Comolli played a leading role in Henderson's move to Merseyside, with the Frenchman always confident that there was potential to unlock in a player who has gone on to become a Champions League-winning captain for the Reds .

He told ESPN of the 29-year-old, who has taken in 359 appearances for Liverpool: "We talk a lot about extrinsic motivation and intrinsic motivation.

"He's somebody who has got where he's got because his intrinsic motivation is off the charts. When I met him, that's what came across the most. This sheer desire to succeed, to improve every day, refusing to lose, refusing to give up an inch.

"I was convinced at the time that he hated losing more than he liked to win. I think the way he plays now, it shows - he walks onto the pitch thinking, 'You're not going to beat me today'."

Liverpool have benefitted from those qualities over the years, but only after coming close to sanctioning a switch elsewhere.

Comolli admits he was left less than amused when he discovered that discussions were being held with Fulham regarding a deal for Henderson, with Tottenham having previously threatened to part with current Real Madrid star Bale from under his nose back in 2009.

He said of the Cottagers talks: "I think I called his agent and said, 'What the hell are they doing here?'

"I was laughing at what I was hearing, that they were trying to sell him. I thought this is another Gareth Bale, when Harry Redknapp tried to sell him to Nottingham Forest."

Having kept Henderson on their books, Liverpool went on to hand him their armband when the iconic figure of Steven Gerrard departed in 2015 for a spell in MLS with the LA Galaxy.




https://www.goal.com/en/news/liverpool-bale-repeat-henderson-fulham-transfer/eudhtpni5edd1x295npj8ds52

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African stars resume training ahead of potential La Liga return

After undergoing Covid-19 tests this week, some players returned to their clubs for training as they hope to conclude the 2019-20 league season

African stars including Sevilla's Youssef En-Nesyri, Granada's Ramon Azeez, Villarreal's Samuel Chukwueze, Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa and Leganes duo Chidozie Awaziem and Kenneth Omeruo have resumed training with their clubs ahead of the potential restart of La Liga.

Some clubs started training with strict compliance to protocols laid down by the Spanish government which include sessions in batches, as well as the wearing of protective face masks and gloves by coaching and non-coaching crew.

Earlier this week, Spanish clubs summoned their players for coronavirus tests as they anticipate a likely return to action to complete the 2019-20 season.

The league has been on suspension since March 12 following the outbreak of Covid-19 in the European country.

No return date has been announced but Spain's Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is positive about the restart of football activities even though games might be played in empty stadiums.

"We hope that leagues and federations will come to a decision soon," he said last weekend.

"We hope [a return] will come sooner rather than later but we'll see it first on television rather than in the stadiums, I'm afraid.

"We will move back a step if we see that we have gone too fast. Revising any of the phases would not constitute failure here."

Prior to the suspension, Barcelona were the top of the table with a two-point lead ahead of Real Madrid while Ennesyri's Sevilla follow in third place.

Chukwueze and Zambo-Aguissa's Villarreal are eighth on the table while Leganes are battling against relegation in 19th spot.



https://www.goal.com/en/news/african-stars-resume-training-ahead-of-potential-la-liga/198ahwt5uptnn1hiuae6jydas2

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'It's absurd': Premier League star shocked by 'very dangerous' restart plans

Anthony Knockaert called for the season to be scrapped — and branded it "absurd" players are not being consulted.

The Brighton winger, on loan at Championship Fulham, fears he could infect a loved one if he catches the virus on returning to play.

And as clubs prepare to discuss Project Restart tomorrow, Knockaert has called for players to have a say in whether football comes back in coming weeks.

The 28-year-old said: "Every player will be different in these situations.

"I don't think it would be the best decision to keep playing in the sense that we are going to be taking a risk.

"We all have family at home. I'm 28, I have children.

"That scares you. I realise that, if I catch the virus, I could easily give it to those close to me and that can be very dangerous.

"There are players who think more about the sport and are very keen to go back and take risks.

"Right now, if I had to return to the league and return to work, I would give it my all. But if I could give my opinion, I would be against it.

"For me, the best decision in this case is that players have the right to speak and say what they want.

"The Government and the leagues will take decisions but in all that you have players.

"It's absurd not to take into account the opinions of the players."

Football in Knockaert's native France has been suspended until September, while Belgium — where the winger played with Standard Liege in 2015 — have also axed their campaign.

Yet Germany, where the death rate from Covid-19 has been much lower, are preparing to start up again.

Knockaert added: "I have seen three leagues cancelled. Belgium, France and the Netherlands, for me, have taken the right decision. Now we will see what other countries do.

"Germany are starting again soon and I see that as a bit absurd, a bit dangerous for society and for the players."

Fulham lie third in the Championship, six points off the automatic promotion spots, while Knockaert's parent club Brighton are in a relegation scrap in the Premier League, two points above the drop.

Yet the former France Under-21 star, speaking to beIN Sport in his homeland, claims many of his colleagues feel the same way as him.

He said: "I think a lot of players agree with me.

"It's scary. I'm scared of catching the virus when I go shopping and I'm not just thinking of me.

"If I catch it, I am young and in good health and can come through it.

"But I could pass it on to people close to me who are more vulnerable. The day that happens, we will have it on our conscience for the rest of our lives."

Leyton Orient midfielder Jobi McAnuff fears for the safety of black players should the Premier League return.

The Office for National Statistics has revealed black men and women are nearly twice as likely to die if they contract Covid-19, even when age and other factors are taken into account.

And McAnuff, 38, says that points to a greater risk facing players from a BAME background.

He said: "A lot of Premier League footballers probably won't be in that category in terms of where they are living and things that can affect those numbers.

"But even taking them away, in some studies you're still twice as likely to die.

"You look at the make-up and the number of BAME players in the Premier League. The last time I saw you're looking at 35 per cent, it's probably higher now.

"That is a large, large percentage of people at higher risk should they catch Covid."

Port Vale skipper Leon Legge, 34, added: "If we're a higher risk, you would have to worry about your safety.

"It's a tough one because you don't want to let your team down.

"But then you don't want to let your family down by playing as they could catch it.

"The only way to really go back to playing is to 110 per cent guarantee of safety.

"I've not heard anyone say they can guarantee it. It's a contact sport, it's not Subbuteo."

Legge was a trailblazer at 24 when he became one of the first players to speak publicly about his epilepsy.

He has not had a seizure for nearly a year, with the chances of one reduced during this break due to lack of physical activity.

Legge had planned to do a podcast about the condition with fellow sufferers Jay Bothroyd, of Japanese side Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, and Rotherham's Matt Crooks until coronavirus halted things.

He added: "Thankfully nothing has happened to me during this time.

"Unless I had something major, I would be wanting to stay at home and recover, which is what I normally do unless it is serious.

"You wouldn't want to risk catching anything while you were at hospital.

"And I wouldn't want to put any extra stress on the NHS unless it was major."

This appeared in The Sun and was republished with consent.




https://www.foxsports.com.au/football/premier-league/epl-2020-coronavirus-project-restart-brighton-players-slams-absurd-planning/news-story/4d0c38d3c56d14478f384cd3f806a99b

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Thanks for keeping this feature going. Jordan Henderson to Fulham?!

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