Wednesday Fulham Stuff - 21/10/20...

[WhiteJC]

Everton: Fans laud Ademola Lookman

Despite an electric start, Ademola Lookman's career at Everton never really got going.

The winger was signed in 2017 after scoring 12 goals in 49 games for Charlton Athletic as a teenager, with him costing the Toffees £11m. He could hardly have hoped for a better start, scoring within minutes of his Premier League debut against Manchester City in a 4-0 win.

However, he would end up making just 48 appearances all in all for the Merseyside outfit, scoring just four times. That didn't stop RB Leipzig spending £22.5m to take him to Germany after he bagged five goals and four assists in 11 games on loan at the Bundesliga outfit in 2018. He managed just 13 games, though, before joining Fulham on loan in the summer.

On Sunday, he was in action against Sheffield United, and put in an impressive display. He even scored a wonder goal in a 1-1 draw, and that led to plenty of praise from Everton supporters. There were many who even suggested that the Toffees should never have let him go, and they took to Twitter to share their thoughts.

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Lookman showed moments of brilliance today, was ruined at Everton by poor management, chose to leave but I've seen him and DCL play well together before, imagine him under carlo

— Jimmy (@Jamiehar80) October 18, 2020

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https://www.footballtransfertavern.com/everton-fc-news/fans-laud-ademola-lookman/

[WhiteJC]

Free Wills Month

October is Free Wills Month!
This October is national Free Wills month and Fulham FC Foundation have joined charities across the UK to support the campaign. As part of the campaign, Fulham FC Foundation has partnered with McClure Solicitors to offer its supporters a free Will preparation service. Making a Will is one of the most important things that you can do to ensure that your family is taken care of when you are no longer here. In return, all we ask fans is you consider making a donation to Fulham FC Foundation.

Why do I need a Will?

You already know that every adult should have a Will. Without a Will the law decides who inherits. With a Will you decide. With no Will it will usually take longer and cost more to wind up your estate.

Why should I use McClure?

There are three good reasons:

    They have been preparing Wills since 1853 so they are good at it. They prepare thousands per annum. So you are in good hands.
    A standard Will only states who is to benefit when you die. Their "Estate Planning Wills" ensure that your estate finishes up where you want it. Quite a difference.
    At present McClure will prepare your Will free of charge - a service which usually costs £150 for a single client and £240 for a couple. So now you can support Fulham FC Foundation and get a good deal.

What McClure can do for you

    They make your Will free of charge.
    You don't pay.
    The Charity doesn't pay.
    You consider a donation - all of your donation goes to Fulham FC Foundation.
    Simple as that.

Why do they do it?

    Everyone benefits.
    You get the Will you need.
    Fulham FC Foundation raises much needed funds.
    Over 50% of clients go on to use McClure for other services.

Fulham FC Foundation would like to encourage all its supporters who don't already have a Will to take up this very generous offer from McClure Solicitors. In doing so, you can plan for your and your family's future, and at the same time you can support the valuable work of our Charity.

To arrange an appointment Call McClure Solicitors on 0800 852 1999 or email [email protected]

For more information, visit mcclure-solicitors.co.uk/ffcf-will



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2020/october/Free-Wills-Month/

[WhiteJC]

Black History Month – Collins John

October marks Black History Month, and the Fulham Supporters' Trust would like to celebrate the significant contribution people of colour have made to Fulham Football Club, both past and present. Over the course of the month we'll be chatting to various black people from our club's history about Fulham and ask them what Black History Month means to them.

Following on from our chat with Barry Hayles for Black History Month, Farrell Monk catches up with former Dutch International ...

Collins John
Debut: away vs Chelsea – March 2004
Apps: 107
Goals: 22

When discussing an important subject like Black History Month with people of colour, mostly they will talk about their own experiences. Collins John, on the other hand, becomes somewhat philosophical.

"I always had mixed feelings. Looking back at my youth; I never felt hated," he says. "But then I had close friends who had some rough moments. And I remember hearing about those times and thinking to myself, 'Do I have to be angry at the person who did it?' But no, I always felt like that those people need help."

He continues, "When you make a mistake in your life and you do not know it, you can't do anything about it. You do not know it's a mistake. You may not know that you have hurt someone's feelings. If they do know, yes for sure they should be punished. There is a bigger issue that goes further though. I think we need to understand the reasons why they are doing it. That is the biggest challenge that we have."

Collins points to education being the key. "When kids grow up in a certain household and your whole family see black people as different human beings, surely you can't blame the kid! They do not know any better. Some will say that they will go to school, grow up and see black people as equals easily. But those behaviours are tough to grow out of. It's like teaching a dog to get out of an old habit – it's difficult! It goes very deep and the education will take time. But we must take the time to educate otherwise racism will never stop."

He does reflect on a moment from his Fulham career. "I won't name names because it was a long time ago, but we were playing Newcastle away where we won 4-1. An opposition player was calling me names. Bad names. Patrick Kluivert went up this player shouting "Even though I am your team mate today, you cannot say these kinds of things! It is disgusting!" To have that safe feeling, even from an opponent at that time, it did feel great to be honest. That was a 'wow' moment for me."

Again, Collins reflects on the wider issues. "The player in question did come up to me at the end of the to apologise. But it still makes me wonder, why do you feel the need to say these certain names? Call me something else. But he said this specific word. Either he did not think about it or he wanted to hurt me. So, stuff like that needs to disappear. It is unfair."

Football is full of people openly attempting to get a competitive advantage over their opponents, but we all know that certain things are just not acceptable. Racism is simply unfair.

Although the striker grew up in the Netherlands, Collins John was born in the West African country of Liberia. The oldest of four brothers, two of which are now professional footballers. It's clear he values his family very highly, and therefore Collins did ache over the decision to come to London. "It was a 50/50 call to leave Holland and my family," he admits. "I was always the father figure of the family with my mum, so it wasn't the easiest, especially at only 18."

But the pull of the Premier League was too much, "I was confident I was making the right decision to go to London to join such a great club. Edwin Van Der Sar was there at the time and I would have been replacing Louis Saha. It was a big honour for me! Going out of my comfort zone of being with my family and playing week in week out with FC Twente. In the end it was the right choice."

He points to his favourite moment for his justification, "My Premier League debut against Chelsea. That was a proper moment for me, especially with my family in the stands."

From a Fulham fan's point of view, there are certainly some other memorable occasions. Two superb volleys away at Middlesbrough and Charlton, for a start. Collins also started in that victory over Chelsea in March 2005, Fulham's first for almost 30 years. And let's not forget he was our leading goal scorer in 2005/06 season with 11 strikes to his name. A remarkable achievement considering he started only 15 games that year.

Though his career took him to Belgium, Poland and even Azerbaijan after he left Fulham in 2009, it's his time in a white shirt for which Collins John will be remembered – and we're all grateful for it.



https://www.fulhamsupporterstrust.com/news/2020/10/black-history-month-collins-john/

[WhiteJC]

'Will come too early for him' – Anthony Knockaert dilemma facing Hughton at Nottingham Forest: The verdict

This article is part of Football League World's 'The Verdict' series, which provides personal opinions from the FLW writers regarding the latest breaking news, teams, players, managers, potential signings and more...

Nottingham Forest secured the loan signing of Anthony Knockaert from Fulham on Deadline Day, with him fit and available for tonight's Championship clash with Rotherham at the City Ground.

Reds boss Chris Hughton could be tempted to throw him into the action tonight, though on the other hand could be inclined to keep a winning team together after their victory at Ewood Park on Saturday.

So, should Hughton throw Anthony Knockaert in from the start tonight v Rotherham?

The team here at FLW discuss...

George Harbey

I think tonight will come too early for him to be honest.

Knockaert only arrived at Forest on Friday, one day before their trip to Ewood Park to face Blackburn Rovers, meaning that he's only likely to have had one full day training with his new teammates and getting up to full match fitness.

Tonight, if I were Hughton, I'd give Joe Lolley a rest and start Alex Mighten out wide. He is a young, exciting player who possesses real speed and likes to get at defenders, which will suit Forest as they look to take the game to Rotherham tonight.

Lolley was impressive at the weekend, but with three games in the space of six days, you need to manage your squad carefully. Lolley is only just recovering from a frustrating muscle injury, so can he afford to play three games in six days? I wouldn't risk it.

Forest fans will obviously be excited to see Knockaert in action as he is a really exciting player who has been one of the best players in the Championship in the past, but it will be worth it when he's fully up to speed and has a good understanding of his teammates.

Jacob Potter

I wouldn't start him straight away.

Knockaert struggled for regular game time with Fulham in the early stages of this year's campaign, and I have my doubts as to whether he's fully match-fit just yet.

Forest already have some strong options available to them in a similar position, so they can afford to ease Knockaert into action with them.

Plus, I don't ever think a manager should change a winning team, and the likes of Joe Lolley and Sammy Ameobi really impressed me in the win over Blackburn at the weekend, so there is no need for change this evening.

Consistency is needed in results for Forest, and I do think that Hughton is the manager to get the best out of Knockaert once again, with the pair previously working together at Brighton.

He'll have a welcome selection dilemma ahead of him in future weeks though, that's for sure.

Toby Wilding

I'm not all convinced that he should to be honest.

Admittedly, Forest looked to have very little in terms of an attacking outlet to provide supply for Lewis Grabban from the start of the game at Blackburn on Saturday, and that is something that Knockaert could remedy quickly were he to be brought into the side.

However, it is worth noting that he has played very little football in recent months, so you have to wonder whether his match fitness and sharpness is up to the level required for him to go straight in from the start here.

Indeed, with the East Midlands derby on the horizon on Friday, it could also be argued that with that likely to be a much more significant and important game for Forest, that is a match they may be better off preserving the talents and legs of Knockaert for.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/will-come-too-early-for-him-anthony-knockaert-dilemma-facing-hughton-at-nottingham-forest-the-verdict/

[WhiteJC]

GW6 Differentials: Ademola Lookman

The Scout says Fulham midfielder can provide a cut-price source of points at home against Crystal Palace

The Scout is selecting four overlooked players who could be set for a breakout Gameweek 6 in Fantasy Premier League.

Ademola Lookman (FUL) £5.0m

The midfielder is owned by only 0.2 per cent of managers ahead of Fulham's home encounter with Crystal Palace.

Lookman made an immediate impact on his first start for his new club in Gameweek 5.

He played in a central support role behind Aleksandar Mitrovic (£5.9m) against Sheffield United and scored to earn 10 FPL points.

The underlying numbers back up his influence on Fulham's attack.

Since making his debut in Gameweek 4, Lookman's four chances created are more than any team-mate.

Meanwhile, his two shots on target rank joint-top with Mitrovic.

Palace will head to Craven Cottage without a clean sheet in the last four Gameweeks.

They have conceded 64 shots in that period, second only to the 71 of Newcastle United.

Lookman can take advantage of the Eagles' open defence and offer managers a standout budget pick in midfield for Gameweek 6.



https://www.premierleague.com/news/1869623

[WhiteJC]

Alfie Mawson and Bristol City: How's it gone so far? What issues does he face? What's next?

Bristol City are one of the sides that look to have benefited from Fulham's promotion to the Premier League as they snapped up two players that Scott Parker deemed excess to requirements in the summer.

The Robins signed 20-year-old full-back Steven Sessegnon and central defender Alfie Mawson on season-long loan deals from the west London club during the window as they looked to bolster new head coach Dean Holden's options at the back.

Landing Mawson, who has 80 Premier League appearances and an England call up to his name, seemed like a great bit of business for City and the 26-year-old will likely be eager to impress after recovering from yet another injury.

Here at FLW, we bring you our new The Hat-Trick feature, with Mawson's loan move to Ashton Gate in the spotlight...

How's it gone so far?

So far it's been a match made in heaven.

City are top of the Championship and Mawson has become a key figure already, starting their last four league games and wearing the captain's armband in all of those due to the absence of Tomas Kalas.

The three at the back system that Holden has employed suits the 26-year-old, who is as comfortable in possession as he is solid defensively, perfectly.

Of players to start for the Robins this term, only Kalas averages more clearances, only Tyreeq Bakinson averages more tackles, only Zak Vyner averages more blocks, and only Taylor Moore averages more passes (Whoscored).

With City's two other experienced centre-backs, Kalas and Nathan Baker, both sidelined due to injury, Mawson's presence in the defensive line has helped young defensive duo Taylor Moore and Zak Vyner to flourish and been a key factor in their early-season success.

What issues does he face?

Kalas' return to fitness is likely to intesify competition for places in the defensive line but it's very difficult to see Mawson being the one to lose out when the club captain returns to to the starting XI, which could be against Middlesbrough tonight.

Staying injury free has proven a tough task for Mawson over the last few seasons and that is no doubt an issue that will be on his mind as we plunge deeper into the Championship campaign.

From a team perspective, City were dealt their first "punch on the nose" as Barnsley's late equaliser put an end to their 100% league record on Saturday and they will be keen to bounce back and keep their momentum going ahead of a very busy period.

What's next?

The 26-year-old will be hoping for more of the same and to turn his side's strong start into a promotion push.

The return of Kalas should only strengthen City's defensive unit and may mean that Mawson is given even more freedom to push forward into midfield.

In his short time at Ashton Gate, the Fulham loanee has established himself as not only an integral player but also a leader and seems to have won Holden's trust over very early.

Mawson won't like to see his parent club floundering in the Premier League but he'll want to continue to put in quality displays for the Robins to show that sending him away in the summer was a mistake.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/alfie-mawson-and-bristol-city-hows-it-gone-so-far-what-issues-does-he-face-whats-next/

[WhiteJC]

Grab your 20/21 Away Kit

Fulham's 2020/21 all-yellow Away Kit collection is available to purchase online at shop.fulhamfc.com and instore from Craven Cottage.

This season's Away Kit marks the return of an all-yellow outfit, including a detailed faded hexagon graphic across the shoulders. The strip is made from recycled polyester, as part of efforts to help save resources and reduce emissions.
Adult Away Shirts are priced at £55, with Junior Shirts £45. Fans can complete the look with Premier League sleeves (£4 each) and back of shirt printing (priced from £15).



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2020/october/Grab-your-20-21-Away-Kit/

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Fulham leave Josh Onomah and Jean Michael Seri out of Premier League squad

Josh Onomah will play no part in Fulham's Premier League campaign until at least January after he was omitted from the team's 25-man Premier League squad due to injury, The Athletic understands.

Kevin McDonald, Stefan Johansen and club-record signing Jean Michael Seri have also missed the cut.

Fulham have a squad of 29 first-team players and Scott Parker said last week that some players would have to miss out due to the registration rules.

What is the extent of Onomah's injury?
It is not clear how serious Onomah's injury is but it is understood to be sufficient enough for him to warrant missing the next 10 weeks of top-flight football.

Onomah has made two Premier League appearances already this season but was a notable absentee from the squad in Sunday's 1-1 draw with Sheffield United.

Is this now the end for Seri at Fulham?
It seems that way.

Seri spent last season on loan at Galatasaray in Turkey, and despite interest from Inter Milan and Galatasaray this summer, they were unable to secure a deal for his services.

After a delayed start to training due to quarantine, Seri made his Fulham return against Sheffield Wednesday in the Carabao Cup, before playing a further 90 minutes in the club's fourth-round defeat by Brentford.

Seri was a club-record signing, arriving from Nice in a joint deal with Maxime Le Marchand for £25 million in the summer of 2018. After a bright start, he struggled to replicate the form that almost secured him a transfer to Barcelona in 2017.

Amid strong squad competition, it appears head coach Parker sees no place for him in the squad, at least until January.

What about the other omissions?
Stefan Johansen and Kevin McDonald were both understood to be available for transfer this summer.

The club were understood to be open to offers for Johansen and willing to let McDonald leave for free, despite having one year left on his contract due to his years of service.

Both players have been integral figures at Craven Cottage since 2016, with more than 250 appearances between them.

Their omissions will be a sad moment for supporters but were not unexpected.

The squad list also confirms the inclusion of Joachim Andersen, who arrived on loan from Lyon on deadline day.

Parker revealed that the defender suffered an ankle ligament injury in training last week but his inclusion in the squad raises hopes that he will feature before Christmas.



https://theathletic.com/news/premier-league-squad-fulham-onomah-seri-latest/caQrU2Cr5Kw5?source=rss

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2020/21 SQUAD CONFIRMED

The Club have today submitted a squad list for the 2020/21 Premier League season.

The squad contains no more than 17 players that do not fulfil the 'Home Grown Player' criteria out of the 25-man roster.

Our 25-man squad is as follows:

GOALKEEPERS
Alphonse Areola

Fabricio Ramirez

Marek Rodák

DEFENDERS
Tosin Adarabioyo

Ola Aina

Joachim Andersen

Joe Bryan

Michael Hector

Terence Kongolo

Maxime Le Marchand

Denis Odoi

Tim Ream

Antonee Robinson

Kenny Tete

MIDFIELDERS
Tom Cairney

Mario Lemina

Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Harrison Reed

André-Frank Zambo Anguissa

ATTACKERS
Ivan Cavaleiro

Aboubakar Kamara

Neeskens Kebano

Ademola Lookman

Aleksandar Mitrović

Bobby De Cordova-Reid



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2020/october/2020-21-Squad-Confirmed/

[WhiteJC]

Loan Round-Up: Bettinelli Denies The Royals

With Anthony Knockaert and Timmy Abraham added to the loan list last week, we saw plenty of Fulham players in action over the weekend.

Marcus Bettinelli kept his first clean sheet for Middlesbrough on Saturday against pace setters Reading. The Royals have made a fast start and had scored in every game before their trip to the North-East.

Betts' biggest test came just before the half hour mark, but he comfortably claimed Michael Olise's effort.

Tonight presents an even bigger test for Boro, as they face current leaders Bristol City at Ashton Gate.

Cyrus Christie's Nottingham Forest won their first game of the season with an away victory against Blackburn Rovers. The right-back will be pleased with the clean sheet and even came close to giving his side the lead earlier in the game.

In the 20th minute, his looping cross had goalkeeper Thomas Kaminski scrambling but the ball skimmed the crossbar.

Anthony Knockaert was not in the squad having joined the club last week.

Forest also feature tonight, with a home tie against Yorkshire outfit Rotherham United.

Bristol City's winning run came to an end on Saturday, as they drew 2-2 with Barnsley thanks to a 90+12 minute equaliser via a Cauley Woodrow spot-kick.

Alfie Mawson captained the side once again, making his fifth appearance for The Robins while Steven Sessegnon remained an unused substitute.

Marlon Fossey did not feature in the Shrewsbury Town squad as they earned a 1-0 victory against Wimbledon.

The Shrews face Bristol Rovers this evening.

Plymouth Argyle manager Ryan Lowe introduced Timmy Abraham and Jerome Opoku in the final 10 minutes as they searched for a winner. Defender Kelland Watts' late strike sealed the three points for The Pilgrims, who sit in sixth place.

Taye Ashby-Hammond started in goal for Conference Premier side Maidenhead United, who made it back-to-back wins after beating Notts County 3-2 away from home on Saturday.



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2020/october/Loan-Round-Up-Bettinelli-Denies-The-Royals/

[WhiteJC]

Formerly coveted £25M club-record signing axed from Premier League squad

Jean-Michael Seri – remember him? The former Nice midfielder has not been included in Fulham's 25-man Premier League squad, the club revealed on their website.

Sky Sports reported back in the summer of 2018 that Arsenal were interested in signing the Ivorian following his impressive performances in Ligue 1. The report notes that Seri almost signed for Barcelona the previous summer.

However, it was big-spenders Fulham who ultimately secured his signature. The Telegraph reported at the time that Fulham paid a club-record £25M to get the deal over the line.

Seri had an underwhelming debut campaign in the Premier League, and with Fulham being relegated, was loaned out to Turkish giants Galatasaray for the 2019/20 season.

Despite showing some signs of revival in Turkey, there were no takers for Seri over the summer. The now 29-year-old remains a Fulham player – and evidently one that Scott Parker has no interest in using.

Fulham have announced their 25-man Premier League squad this evening, and unfortunately for Seri, he has not been included in it, meaning he will be forced to watch from the side lines until January at least.

It's a shame that a player who looked as good as he did at Nice has faltered so badly, but sometimes adaptation to life in England is not seamless, and he has clearly fallen victim to that.



https://www.caughtoffside.com/2020/10/20/fulham-record-signing-seri-axed-from-premier-league-squad/

[WhiteJC]

Cottage Talk Post Match Show: Sheffield United vs. Fulham

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

This is our post match show of Sheffield United vs. Fulham.


You can also listen to the show by following this link...
https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2020/10/20/21525928/cottage-talk-post-match-show-sheffield-united-vs-fulham

[WhiteJC]

Fulham Struggle To Belong In Premier League Bubble

This weekend, the Eagles make the short trip to Craven Cottage to take on newly promoted Fulham so we had a good chat with our pals at FULHAM FOCUS on their return to the top table, thoughts on the game and much more.

Q. How does it feel being back in the Premier League?

Mixed feelings to be honest. On one hand, it's good for the financial stability of the club. It also gives a sense of pride to compete amongst the countries elite and despite having the reputation of being a yo-yo club in recent years, we do have a proud record in the Premier League for a club of our size.

On the downside, I don't think Fulham belong in the Premier League bubble and we've already become a bit of a laughing stock, written off by most 'experts' before a ball was even kicked. It's a very patronising world the Premier League lives in where most clubs are seen as not worthy unless they are one of the big six and/or deemed to be a 'big club.' So despite being 17th in the all-time Premier League table, I've never felt Fulham earned the seal of approval by the armchair supporters.

Q. How did you find the Championship, still as crazy as ever?

It's mental but I love it! It's such a weird situation to find yourself in. We've been one of the better teams competing at that level in recent years, always having a realistic chance of being promoted. So you win more than you lose which is nice, you feel much less like 'just a number' and the games are more even, making for a better game of football. But ultimately the purpose of the Championship is to go up to the Premier League and whenever we get here, I wonder what for because the Championship is more enjoyable in my opinion. There's no league quite like it.

Q. It is no secret that Fulham have had such a short time to get ready for the new campaign, do you think that could end up being a hindrance this season?

It's definitely made it a tougher ask. Unlike the last time we were promoted under Jokanovic, I wasn't convinced by Parker's team last season and didn't feel we were good enough to go up. Notoriously the play-off winner has less time to prepare for life in the Premier League and that was even worse this time around, having just 5 weeks between the play-off final and the opening fixture against Arsenal! We've signed some decent players but it's going to be a very big ask and a big achievement if we can pull it off somehow.

Q. How active were Fulham in the transfer window and are there any areas that still need attention?

Parker showed loyalty to the team who got us up at Wembley and fielded the same eleven in the opener against Arsenal. I don't think a single player will be starting for us in our best eleven now! So in a way, I suppose the club have done well to sign as many players as they have in a short space of time. Loftus-Cheek and Ademola Lookman are probably the two most notable additions and were much needed to give us a bit of quality in the attacking third. We still lack goals and rely an awful lot on Mitrovic. So, someone like Josh King would have been ideal but everyone seemed to be after him.

On the other end of the pitch, we've needed new centre backs for about 4 years now and we signed two on deadline day. I'll reserve judgement on whether they'll be the answer because I've never seen either of them play, time will tell...

Q. What can we expect from Fulham this season?

Parker is passionate about his style of football which is built on keeping the ball and playing out from the back. You wouldn't think it so far but we are usually set up to be hard to beat! The problem is that last season all of our results were determined by who scored the first goal. If we score first, we haven't lost a single game under Parker. If we concede first, we rarely win. So starting games a lot quicker has to be key going forward to give us half a chance. What can you expect? An honest side that will give it a go, trying to play decent football but a bit soft in places and prone to individual mistakes.

Q. We are keen to see young players coming through the ranks here at TEB so is there anyone that we should keep an eye on who could make the breakthrough into the Fulham first eleven?

Not at the moment. There are a couple who would maybe have had a chance if we were still in the Championship but Steven Sessegnon (Ryan's twin brother) has gone out on loan to Bristol City. I very much doubt Sylvester Jasper who made a couple of cameos last season will get a look in and Jay Stansfield has bags of potential but I don't think we will be in a position to give kids charitable appearances here and there. We have a big squad now, currently 29 first team players on the books and you can only register 25, so I can't see where an opportunity arises where the kids are thrown in. Hopefully the situation will change this time next year but you can only play them if they are good enough and ready.

Q. Let's have some predictions from you for the season;

Premier League Champions – Liverpool.

Champions League spots – Spurs, Manchester City, Everton.

Relegated – Burnley, WBA, Sheff Utd (Fulham just survive in 17th...)

Surprise package – Everton to break into the top 4. Villa to make a top half finish and Fulham to somehow pull off a miracle and stay up. Wolves to be a surprise package in a negative sense and be bang average after two back to back 7th place finishes. Somewhere underwhelming by their expectations like 14th.

FA Cup – Spurs. Mourinho needs a trophy and has a pretty strong squad now.

League Cup – Anyone but Brentford! Probably Manchester City. It's become a very predictable cup in recent years.

Q. What are your thoughts on the return of fans to games this season?

The games nothing without fans, it's as simple as that really. Obviously the pandemic has changed our lifestyle in general whilst we try to get over the worst of it. But football clubs mean so much to their community and are a huge part of supporters lives. So many clubs risk going out of business the further down the football pyramid you go and no true fan could wish that on another club. So hopefully we get fans back in the stadiums sooner rather than later and priority has to go to the clubs in the lower divisions because they need the financial support from match days a lot more than clubs like ours do.

As a spectacle, it'll make for some interesting results and will make home advantage almost irrelevant. We've seen that already with some very unusual results this season.

Q. What do you make of Palace ahead of the new season?

Typical Roy! I thought you'd really lost that spark towards the end of last season and you went on a poor run after the restart. I honestly thought you'd be in big trouble this season. But you have the perfect double act to steer you clear of any relegation scare. Hodgson and Lewington are legends at Fulham and although the football might not be mesmerising, it's effective and those hard earned unflattering wins/draws will always do the job. I don't see you being any more than that, the Premier League is going to be as competitive as ever with clubs like Everton, Leicester etc emerging to challenge the big six. So you'll do a job, but in fairness we'd take that at the moment if you want to swap.

Q. Name one player from each team that you believe will be a threat to the opposition in this match.

Fulham – Loftus Cheek: I know he had a loan spell with you guys and usually players do well against their former clubs.

Palace – Wilfred Zaha: Got to be honest and say I find Palace a bit one dimensional in this respect. I don't know an awful lot about Palace but it seems from the outside that he's been your go to man for years. I suppose other clubs would say that about us and Mitro and they'd be right, we are one dimensional.

Q. ...and finallly, your all important prediction?

You'll have this down as a must win for the return fixture. I know home advantage isn't the same without the fans but without disrespecting Palace, if we are to have any chance, this is a game we have to win, especially after the start we've had. I'm going to go for a 2-1 Fulham win. Mitro brace and Zaha with the goals...



https://theeaglesbeak.com/2020/10/21/fulham-struggle-to-belong-in-premier-league-bubble/