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Friday Fulham Stuff - 05/06/20...

Started by WhiteJC, June 05, 2020, 08:20:16 AM

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WhiteJC

Fulham hold option to keep ex-Millwall and Oxford United man

Fulham have an option to extend jordan archer's stay at the club by a further year.

Scott Parker's side can keep him at Craven Cottage for a further 12 months if they want to, as detailed on their official club website when he signed in January.

Archer, who is 27 years old, joined the London side on a free transfer this past winter and penned a short-term deal. He is yet to feature for their first-team and was brought in as back-up.

The London-born stopper was released by fellow Championship side Millwall at the end of last season and subsequently spent the first half of this campaign in League One at Oxford United.

Archer is an experienced 'keeper in the Football League and has racked up 250 appearances so far in his career. He adds decent competition and cover to Fulham's goalkeeping options but they face a decision to make on whether to extend his stay this summer.

He started out at Tottenham Hotspur and had loan spells away as a youngster at Bishop's Stortford, Wycombe Wanderers, Northampton Town and Millwall to gain experience.

The Lions made his move there permanent in 2015 and he went onto play 166 games, helping them gain promotion to the second tier in 2017 under Neil Harris via the Play-Offs.

Archer faces a wait to see if Fulham extend his stay at the club. His opportunities are limited with the Cottagers so he could seek first-team football elsewhere for the next campaign.



https://the72.co.uk/170440/fulham-hold-option-to-keep-ex-millwall-and-oxford-united-man/

WhiteJC

'There's no hiding' – Manager of Leeds promotion rivals admits concerns at positive test results

Manager Scott Parker has admitted there are "concerns" at Fulham over three positive tests for Coronavirus recorded at the club.

He said "there's no hiding" but said his only focus now is getting his players in the best possible condition for the restart of the season on June 20.

Talking on the White & Sawyer show (talkSPORT, Thursday, 10.30am), Parker said, "It's a breath of fresh air getting back on the training field.

"The last game was on March 10 and five days after that we went into lockdown, it's been a long time.

"There's no hiding we've picked up three positive tests. There have been concerns.

"Will there be injuries? Sure there will be. There are going to be issues and problems but my players need to understand that when we do kick off we need to be in the best place we can be in.

"We've put ourselves in a fantastic position to challenge. Our focus needs to be, let's go and finish this season the best way we can."



Fulham recorded two positive results in the second round of Coronavirus testing.

Unless Parker misspoke – and there's been no confirmation from the club – it means that they've recorded another positive in the latest round of results that were announced on Wednesday night.

Fulham are the one side who can realistically catch Leeds, with fourth-placed Brentford 10 points back.

Their manager Thomas Frank conceded the best his side could do was cement their place in the play-offs.

Leeds and Fulham are set to clash in the second game back if the fixture order remains the same.

The EFL has taken the first set of midweek fixtures off the calendar and that means the Fulham game will now likely be played on the weekend of June 27.

There's no way of overstating how important this game is for Leeds – a win would almost certainly see them promoted bar a complete meltdown and a perfect run of wins for Fulham.



https://motleedsnews.com/matchday/theres-no-hiding-manager-of-leeds-promotion-rivals-admits-concerns-at-positive-test-results/

WhiteJC

The best and worst case scenarios from Leeds United's first three games back as a huge opportunity knocks

There are some huge matches scheduled in the next three rounds of Championship action

It has now been more than 12 weeks since a football was kicked in the Championship.

When the final whistle blew on Derby County's 3-0 win over Blackburn Rovers on Sunday, March 8, it left each club with nine matches to go as campaign geared up for a typically hectic run-in in the second tier.

Instead, the table has remained unchanged for three months. Leeds United sit top of the league, a point ahead of West Bromwich Albion and seven clear of third-placed Fulham.

The EFL have announced their intention to get season back up-and-running on June 20 with Leeds looking to complete the job and end their 16-year Premier League exile.

A nine-match sprint to the finish will now take place, but what will the lay-off have done for fitness and form of clubs? And which sides need to hit the ground running in order to keep their season's alive?

We've had a look at next three fixtures for each of the top three - assuming that the EFL follows the same schedule - to see where the threats and opportunities lie and just how Leeds' promotion hopes could look.

1. Leeds (71 points)

Next three fixtures: Cardiff City (a), Fulham (h), Luton Town (h)

Leeds were due to make the long trip to south Wales to face Cardiff City before English football was suspended in March and if that is where they pick up, a long away day is not the easiest start.

Under normal circumstances the squad would travel down the day before and enjoy an overnight stay before a match like this, but travel and accommodation now throw up a number of logistical challenges. Leeds will be as prepared as they can for this, but they will be somewhat venturing into unknown territory here.

Hot on the heels of that would be a clash against Fulham - perhaps the one side that still harbours realistic hopes of overhauling either of the top two and arguably the biggest match left on Leeds' schedule. The Elland Road match will provide an excellent opportunity to pull further away in the automatic promotion spots and throw down an early marker in the nine-match sprint to the finish.

The final of the opening three matches is at home to second-bottom Luton - a match any promotion hopeful would target three points from.

Predicted total after 40 games: Given the unprecedented nature of what we're trying to predict here - players who have not set foot in a football stadium for almost four months playing after a disrupted training schedule in an ongoing pandemic - it is worth taking these predictions with a pinch of salt.

But a haul of seven points seems fair. A win against Luton and then a victory and draw from the Cardiff and Fulham games would see Leeds move onto 78 points with six games to go.
2. West Brom (70 points)

Next three fixtures: Birmingham City (h), Brentford (a), Sheffield Wednesday (a)

The Baggies are due to come back with a fan-less local derby against Birmingham City in what will be a bizarre atmosphere at The Hawthorns.

Two away days follow in another logistics test for Slaven Bilic's men who go down to London to face Brentford before heading up to Yorkshire where Sheffield Wednesday await. The calendar and race to finish the season will likely dictate that teams are on a Saturday-Tuesday schedule (or something similar) so back-to-back away fixtures will be challenging.

Predicted total after 40 games: Like Leeds, the Baggies are desperate to get playing again and should be able to get past their local rivals in their first game back. Maximum points from the two away games would be a huge achievement, but we'll opt for Albion also taking seven points from their first nine available, which would leave them on 77.

3. Fulham (64 points)

Next three fixtures: Brentford (h), Leeds United (a), QPR (a)

If Fulham don't hit the ground running, they may well lose touch with Leeds and West Brom. A home match with Brentford, who sit one place behind them in the table is a tough way to get restarted and is then followed by their trip to Elland Road.

A west London derby at QPR follows that, but if results don't go their way, the gap to the top two could already be in double figures.

Predicted total after 40 games: For Scott Parker's men, these first few fixtures are all about staying within touching distance of the top two. Anything over five points would a good haul, but given their inconsistent form, we'll predict four points, which would see them move onto 68 points - and with plenty of work to do.
4. Brentford (60 points)

Next three fixtures: Fulham (a), West Bromwich Albion (h), Reading (a)

Thomas Frank's side face another tricky reintroduction to the Championship. The short trip to Fulham is followed by a home clash West Brom as the Bees take on two of the top three before a trip to 14th-placed Reading.

The Bees boss sounded like a man who had given up hope of making up the ten-point gap to the top two when he spoke to Sky Sports on Wednesday.

"We need to be extremely good at that. Of course, we will go for it but realistically it's about consolidating, making sure we stay in the play-off and then there will be some extremely competitive play-off games," he said.

Predicted total after 40 games: Few teams are more capable of springing a surprise on anyone then Brentford, who on their day play some of the best attacking football in the league. Anything more than five points would be an excellent achievement, with that return putting them on 65 points.

5. Nottingham Forest (60 points)

Next three fixtures: Sheffield Wednesday (a), Huddersfield Town (h), Bristol City (a)

The schedule begins to let up for the top six here, with play-off hopefuls Forest taking on two bottom-half sides in Sheffield Wednesday and Huddersfield before a trip to Bristol City, who are currently seventh in the table and desperate to make up the one-point gap on Preston.

Predicted total after 40 games: Forest are another of those sides capable of going on a run and Sabri Lamouchi's men can cement their playoff hopes with a decent start. A total of seven points would see them push onto 67 points and take advantage of any slips from Brentford above them.
6. Preston (56 points)

Next three fixtures: Luton Town (a), Cardiff City (h), Derby County (h)

Preston's form before the break was dreadful, with a run of four defeats in their last five which leaves them clinging onto the final play-off spot. The break has therefore come at a good time for the Lilywhites, who will be hopeful that they can stop the rot.

Alex Neil is a shrewd operator and will have no doubt used the break constructively and their first three games will give them hope, playing only one top ten team.

Predicted total after 40 games: Preston are too good a team for their bad form to continue and have the ability to bounce back strongly. They can take seven points in their first three games back, which would leave them on 63 points and perhaps give them breathing space in sixth.

Best case/worst case scenario for Leeds

In a dream world, Leeds would take nine points from their opening three games. That would put them a minimum of 10 points ahead of Fulham with six games remaining and in a superb position to approach the final run-in.

The scenario Leeds would want to avoid is defeat to Fulham, with the Cottagers also taking their chance to inflict a fatal blow to Brentford's top three hopes and make it a real three-horse race for the top two spots.



https://www.leeds-live.co.uk/sport/leeds-united/best-worst-case-scenarios-leeds-18357450


WhiteJC

Scott Parker explains what Premier League chasing Fulham must do in Championship return

Fulham head coach Scott Parker is feeling focused ahead of the return of Championship football later this month, and he has urged his playing squad to build on a positive start to the season by securing promotion to the Premier League

Fulham boss Scott Parker has outlined his targets for the season while revealing his concerns.

The Championship restart has been pencilled in for June 20 and Parker's side are set to be thrown in at the deep end with a west London derby against play-off rivals Brentford.

The former Chelsea and West Ham midfielder has now acknowledged why football will not be the same despite the return of fixtures, while admitting that the club's three positive coronavirus tests are far from ideal.

The 39-year-old spoke on his way to Fulham's Motspur Park training ground on Thursday, and has been honest on why he is feeling apprehensive ahead of the final stage of the season.

"It's a breath of fresh air being on the training ground, but it's very different of course," he said in a conversation with talkSPORT's Jim White on Thursday.

Before adding: "We have only been in contact for two days, we went into contact on Tuesday and there was no hiding from the fact that we picked up three positive tests over the time that we have been back.

"Of course there have been concerns, little concerns, and there has been concerns in players that have been well documented.

"But from my point of view the players have been superb, they have been very engaged even though there is big protocols in place, even though we are now in contact training."

Fulham sit third in the table after 37 fixtures and six points behind second-placed Leeds United, and Parker is confident that his players are in the right frame of mind to return to action.

He said: "I don't think many things will be ideal, you're playing nine games, playing every three days and there is loads of things we can discuss for hours and everyone has an opinion but nothing is going to be ideal.

"Ultimately we are going to play, that's the situation we're in and I think it is key that we prepare the best we can, we get the players in the best shape we can."

Parker took over at Fulham during their dismal Premier League season last time out, but has turned their fortunes around in the second-tier thanks in part to the goals of Aleksandar Mitrovic.

The former England international said when asked about his side's chances of bouncing back to the top flight: "When we do kick off here we need to be in the best place we can possible be and I'm sure we will be.

"We need to fight and we need to challenge, we need to understand that three quarters of this season were done under normal circumstances and we put ourselves in a fantastic position as a club.

"There is a different challenge ahead of us now that is unique and hasn't been seen before, but it's a challenge that we need to embrace."

Before adding: "At the end of it we will see where we are, hopefully we are successful and then we will go from there."



https://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/scott-parker-explains-what-premier-22137963

WhiteJC

Junior Home Shirts now £15!

Don't miss out on further reductions at the Online Store with 2019/20 Home Shirts available from just £15!

Junior Fulham supporters can now pick up the latest home shirt for the bargain price of £15 and can complete the matchday look with shorts reduced to £15 and socks reduced to just £8.

The savings don't stop there with 2019/20 Adult Home Shirts and MiniKits both £20, as well up to 40% off 2019/20 Training Kit.

Click here to order today.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2020/june/04/further-reductions-online

filham

Just think the Leeds /Fulham game could be the game when Leeds need three points to secure promotion. They really are going to miss their fans being there, this could give us an edge.

The big worry at the moment has to be the three positive tests for coronavirus, Parker must now be waiting for the next round of tests with some concern.