Thursday fulham Stuff - 29/10/20...

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How is Cyrus Christie getting on away from Fulham at Nottingham Forest? We take a look

Nottingham Forest made a host of signings in the summer, with defender Cyrus Christie being one of those.

The right-back won promotion to the Premier League with Fulham last season, making 30 appearances for Scott Parker's side in all competitions.

But after falling out of favour at Craven Cottage, Christie departed the London club in the summer transfer window, signing for Forest on a season-long loan deal.

Forest have the option to sign Christie permanently at the end of his loan spell, but how has he got on at the City Ground thus far?

Christie has established himself as Forest's first-choice right-back, following the multi-million pound departure of Matty Cash to Aston Villa in the summer.

The 28-year-old made his debut for the Reds in a 1-0 away defeat to Huddersfield Town, and he has since been an ever-present under Chris Hughton.

The Republic of Ireland international has been a key player for the Reds, and his rampaging runs down the right-hand side have been dangerous.

His deliveries into the area have also been dangerous, however he is yet to register an assist for Forest.

He did make a mistake in the 1-1 draw against Rotherham United, with his slip resulting in him bringing down Billy Jones, with Daniel Barlaser converting from the penalty spot.

Christie is clearly a key player under Hughton, and the way he and Nicholas Ioannou break into the final-third, bomb forward and create chances has been very useful for the Reds.

If Christie continues to impress, then Forest are likely to activate the option to sign the right-back.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/how-is-cyrus-christie-getting-on-away-from-fulham-at-nottingham-forest-we-take-a-look/

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How is Steven Sessegnon getting on away from Fulham at Bristol City? We take a look

When Bristol City signed Fulham defender Steven Sessegnon on loan in September it seemed like a match made in heaven but unfortunately, a solid start has turned into a frustrating situation for all involved.

The Robins needed cover and competition for Jack Hunt at right wing-back after Pedro Pereira returned to parent club Benfica in the summer, while Sessegnon's chances of getting regular game time at Premier League new boys Fulham looked slim.

The England U21 international's arrival certainly seemed to be well received by the Ashton Gate when it was announced.

The lightning-quick defender has been stuck behind Hunt in the pecking order for much of his time at Ashton Gate so far, featuring four times in total, but looked set to play an important role with games coming thick and fast before the November international break.

Sessegnon made his first Championship start against Swansea City on Saturday and looked bright for the first 73 minutes before disaster struck.

A hamstring injury saw the Fulham loanee stretchered off at Ashton Gate and it appears he could now be facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.

According to the Bristol Post, the 20-year-old could be missing from first-team action for several months due to the injury.

The report claims that Dean Holden is set to be without Sessegnon until 2021, adding to the Robins' current injury woes and leaving him short at right wing-back.

It is a frustrating situation for all the parties involved, who will be hoping that Sessegnon's recovery goes well and he is able to hit the ground when he returns to fitness in the new year.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/how-is-steven-sessegnon-getting-on-away-from-fulham-at-bristol-city-we-take-a-look/

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"Why should I leave?" – Defender reveals 'concrete' interest from Fulham in summer, rejected advances

Club Brugge right-back Clinton Mata has revealed he was an option for Fulham in the summer transfer window.

The Cottagers were busy across the window, with Scott Parker bringing in no fewer than 12 new players following promotion from the Championship.

Improving his defence was seeming a priority for the Fulham boss, with Parker pretty much overhauling his options in that area and seven of his new recruits defensive ones.

Several players arrived to fill each position, with Kenny Tete and Ola Aina coming in as options at right-back as Cyrus Christie was loaned to Nottingham Forest.

However, it seems they were just two options of many that Fulham were looking at to fill the position, with Mata revealing he had an offer on the table.

He, though, wasn't interested in a joining a mid-table club when he's challenging for the title in Belgium.

"Hertha BSC and TSG 1899 Hoffenheim made me a proposal," he told Het Laatste Nieuws, relayed by Voetbalkrant.

"My name was also on the table at Bayer Leverkusen, VfL Wolfsburg and Schalke 04. Fulham was also concrete."

"It was not a difficult decision at all. I feel good here, I am welcome, and I play for the prizes.

"Then why should I leave? To play football elsewhere for 15th place? No thanks. In addition, the board has made a financial effort to keep me.

"I want to thank them for that and give something back on the field."



http://sportwitness.co.uk/fulham-clinton-mata-club-brugge-transfer-rejected/

[WhiteJC]

Final Orders

Rightly or wrongly, it looks as though Scott Parker is entering a perilous stage in his young managerial career. Just one point won from a possible 18 in the Premier League so far has left us rooted to the bottom of the table. Let me make something clear from the very start, I don't believe that Parker should be sacked right now. It would be incredibly harsh to give a relative rookie a job, see him take us up (even if we made very hard work of it) and then sack him only a few months after. I'd personally rather that we stuck with him for now. The transfer window has barely slammed shut so he is working with a group of players only recently fully put together and the recent performances have at least looked more positive than what we saw in the first 3 games.

I'm not saying that I'm happy with how things are going. Of course I'm not. But I also don't believe that sacking Parker right now would help us in the long term. Our problem is much more than what we see on the pitch right now. In fact, it's really just the tip of the iceberg. For me Fulham as a club are reactive and not proactive. One of the biggest lessons my old school hockey coach taught me was that if we are constantly being reactive, we will never get to press on towards our own ultimate goals. If we only focus about what the opposition are going to do at a particular moment in time then we aren't focusing on our own game. To be successful in sport, you cannot be just focusing on the next fire to put out. No, to be successful you have to ensure that the fires don't get lit in the first place. I'm not talking about Parker and his tactics here, I'm talking about the thoughts and processes that went in to putting together this particular squad. Now I know that's perhaps an oversimplified way to think about it, but I believe that the point stands. We need a proactive approach that is built on planning and sacking Parker right now would once again highlight the reactive and not proactive approach of our owners right now when it comes to matters on the pitch. If we were proactive, the planning into our squad would be much better. If we were proactive we wouldn't have left it until the last minute to do business. But instead of doing that our DoF has reacted to the poor opening performances and scrambled to bring players in at the last minute and has needed them to perform like a well oiled machine instantly.

This has been the approach at Fulham for years and it has resulted in managers losing their jobs and often a poor choice of candidate being brought in. The Slavisa Jokanovic to Claudio Ranieri change still baffles me. You can't turn a squad build for free flowing, attacking play into a defensively rigid, play on the counter side overnight The tactics of the two managers were the complete opposite. If we were going to replace Jokanovic we needed to have a better version of him really, not someone with the polar opposite footballing philosophy. Then if we look back further to 2013/14 we became a real laughing stock with our approach to managers. Martin Jol had until December, Rene Meulensteen had until mid-February and then Felix Magath saw us relegated. Magath himself was then sacked after a disaster of a start to the Championship campaign and then we had Kit Symons in charge as caretaker before eventually getting the job itself. In less than two years at the club, we had went through 4 managers and every appointment was unsuccessful and made with what looked like no planning.


Six managers sacked under Shahid Khan. Is this the fate for Parker?

I'm annoyed at how things are going right now. While I think Parker was always going to be a risky appointment given how inexperienced he is, I think it would be a crying shame if he became the latest managerial casualty at Fulham when the problem lies further behind the scenes. We need planning at Fulham, not firefighting. For now Parker can only do his best. It's clear that he maybe needs a change of tactics or more than one trick up his sleeve. This is a huge test for him but he also needs to rise to the occasion. Just because I'm frustrated at things off the pitch at Fulham, it doesn't mean that he gets off completely scot-free. Time for everyone at Fulham to up their game and give survival a real go.

#COYW



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2020/10/final-orders/

[WhiteJC]

Ex-Wigan Athletic, Hull City and Fulham midfielder backing initiative which could help fans back in stadiums

Jimmy Bullard played the the Latics between 2003 and 2006

Former Wigan Athletic midfielder Jimmy Bullard is among those backing a new initiative which could help get fans safely back into football grounds.

Retired midfielder Bullard played for the Latics between 2003 and 2006, making 157 appearances for the club and scoring 11 goals.

He won two promotions with Wigan during that time to both the Championship and the Premier League, as well as a League Cup runners-up medal.

The now 42-year-old later moved to Fulham and then to Hull City, before having spells at Ipswich Town and MK Dons.

Bullard and fellow ex-pro Anton Ferdinand, actor Tamer Hassan and TV star Calum Best are among the ambassadors for the charity Mask Our Heroes, and have been volunteering to hand out free PPE to care homes, hospices, schools and youth centres.

The charity has also staged a coronavirus-safe event at a central London designer clothes shop at which guests were given a Covid-19 test, with the results available in 15 minutes.

Mask Our Heroes believes the event could be a blueprint for getting people back to attend concerts, fashion shows and sporting events, including football matches, during the pandemic.

Ferdinand, who is fronting the new initiative, told the PA news agency: "At Mask Our Heroes we ran an event, and ran a system, that we think can help get fans back into football matches.

"It was a testing centre, and we all had a test which gave us a result in 15 minutes. It's on a smaller scale but the blueprint is there, and it's whether we get the green light to make the blueprint bigger.

"At the moment football is not the same. I was watching the Europa League last week and heard the fans at Rapid Vienna. We're only talking 20 per cent of the stadium but just hearing the fans was unbelievable.

"I bet for the players it was a godsend hearing that. That's what sets professional football apart. The pressure of the fans. That's what it's about, that's what we live for. To go out on a Saturday and produce for the fans.

"How great would it be if we could do that? And use grounds as testing centres? We're not saying we are going to put 60,000 in the Emirates. But let's put 25,000 in there.

"You can test them, you can sanitise the stadium and give a 30-day guarantee that it's Covid-free. With 25,000 people in a 60,000-seater stadium you can social distance.

"We are asking for an opportunity to test our method. Give us an opportunity. If you get 20,000 people at the London Stadium, they can all get tested. They'll get sanitiser, they'll get masks. It's safe in an outdoor stadium."

Ferdinand, 35, was speaking at a youth centre in Barnet where he dropped off boxes of PPE for the workers.

"It's about helping places that need PPE," he added. "The likes of care homes, hospitals, youth centres who need PPE to be able to keep on working. As we know PPE is very expensive, and we are able to give it to them for nothing.

"With footballers people are quick to go on about the negative side but we've shown we're here to do the good stuff too. The likes of Marcus Rashford, what he is doing is phenomenal.

"Everything is going through the charity and we can help, whether it be cinemas, football stadiums, concerts, film sets. Let's come together and do this."



https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/jimmy-bullard-wigan-hull-fulham-19180902

[WhiteJC]

Ream: We Know What's At Stake

Tim Ream thinks things will instantly look better for Fulham if we take our first three points of the season on Monday.

Victory over West Bromwich Albion would no doubt give the Whites a shot in the arm, in addition to seeing us leapfrog our opponents in the table.

"It's a huge game," Ream admitted. "Obviously it's only seven games into the season but we all know what's at stake, as I'm sure they do.

"If you go out there and you get three points, you can kick on and not quite put the start behind you, but look at it a little bit more rosy and things look a little bit different.

"We're under no illusions how difficult the game's going to be, but we know that if we come out of it with three points to move onto four points, we can move on.

"It's been a difficult start but we're working away every day trying to put things right and trying to turn results around, and get points as quickly as we can from here on out.

"I think most teams who get promoted do find it challenging. [West Brom] have had some decent games, a few decent performances – similar to us – but find themselves down there with the rest of us."

A silver lining is that Fulham are far from cut adrift, with the Baggies one of three other sides awaiting their first Premier League win of the season.

"That's a discussion we've had amongst ourselves," Ream explained. "We're not the only ones down there.

"And while alarm bells are ringing and we know we can't stay down there any longer, we know there are other teams who are down there with us.

"It's going to be a scrap from here until the end to see who comes out above that line."



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2020/october/Ream-We-Know-What-s-At-Stake/

[WhiteJC]

'Not a difficult decision': Champions League ace admits he rejected Fulham move

Club Brugge defender Clinton Mata has admitted he turned down a move to Premier League strugglers Fulham during the summer transfer window, speaking to Het Laaste Nieuws.

While the Cottagers did get defenders through the door in October, landing Tosin Adarabioyo, Terence Kongolo and Joachim Andersen, they missed out on a few as well.

Sassuolo's former Barcelona youngster Marlon failed a medical, work permit problems scuppered a move for Sampdoria ace Omar Colley and, speaking to Fox, Timo Baumgartl admitted he chose to fight for his place at PSV rather than join Scott Parker's strugglers.

Now we can add Mata to that long list.

"Hertha Berlin and Hoffenheim made me a proposal. My name was also on the table at Bayer Leverkusen, Wolfsburg and Schalke. Fulham's (interest) was also concrete," says the Angola international, who instead opted to sign a new contract until 2024.

"(The new deal) was not a difficult decision at all. I feel good here and I play for trophies.

"Then why should I leave? To play football elsewhere for 15th place? No thanks. In addition, the board has made a financial effort to keep me. I want to thank them for that and give something back on the field."

While Fulham already look favourites for relegation after picking up one point from a possible 18, Mata will be in action for Brugge tonight in a mouth-watering Champions League clash with Italian giants Lazio.

The former Genk ace was also named Brugge's player of the year as they secured the Jupiler League title last season.



https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2020/10/28/not-a-difficult-decision-champions-league-ace-admits-he-rejected-fulham-move/

[WhiteJC]

Our view: Arsenal and Fulham may have second chance to sign Cristian Pavon after latest reports

According to TyC Sports, LA Galaxy have passed up the opportunity to sign reported 2019 Arsenal and Fulham target Cristian Pavon from Boca Juniors.

The 24-year-old forward was once tipped for great things.

Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi called Pavon 'excellent' when describing the speedy youngster (AS) following his breakthrough in Argentina with Boca Juniors.

Links to the Premier League followed. Arsenal were said to be monitoring him ahead of January 2019 (Football London), but they were hesitant over his £43 million release clause.

Fulham also enquired about him under then manager Claudio Ranieri (The Sun, page 59, December 18, 2018), but a move to Craven Cottage failed to materialise.

In a surprise twist, Pavon eventually joined LA Galaxy on an 18-month loan.

But fresh reports from TyC Sports claim the MLS club have passed up the opportunity to make his move permanent, telling Boca they won't pay the £15 million option fee.

Both Arsenal and Fulham may now have the chance to renew their interest in Pavon ahead of January with the speedy forward set to return to Argentina next month.

Pavon has endured a mix spell in the MLS. He suffered a slow start, but in the disrupted 2020 campaign he posted a respectable five goals and three assists in 15 games.

Arsenal have an abundance of attacking talent in Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Alexandre Lacazette, Gabriel Martinelli, Eddie Nketiah, Nicolas Pepe and Willian.

It's unlikely the Gunners will look to add more attacking players in January, with manager Mikel Arteta expected to focus on other areas of the team.

Fulham, on the other hand, lack a spark in the final third.

The Whites have managed just five goals in their six Premier League games to date following promotion, with three of those coming in the 4-3 defeat at Leeds United.

Scott Parker's side are up against it. However, a player of Pavon's ability could offer them hope while at 24 he represents a young player with a potentially high re-sale value.



https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2020/10/29/our-view-arsenal-and-fulham-may-have-second-chance-to-sign-cristian-pavon-after-latest-reports/