Wednesday Fulham Stuff - 13/01/21...

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Tuesday
Sheff Utd	1-0	Newcastle
Burnley	0-1	Man Utd
Wolves	1-2	Everton

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Bale, Hojberg, Lamela, Lo Celso: Tottenham injury updates and return dates ahead of Fulham clash

The latest Spurs injury updates as Jose Mourinho's side return to Premier League action this week.

Tottenham Hotspur will return to Premier League action tomorrow as they host Fulham in the Premier League.

Spurs beat non-league Marine 5-0 in the FA Cup third round on Sunday and will be hoping to a move to within a point of joint leaders Liverpool and Manchester United as they get back to the league.

Jose Mourinho's players will start the week in fourth place in the league standings with 29 points from their 16 matches to date.

Manchester City, Southampton and Everton also all have the same number of points and with just four points separating the top seven clubs, it is turning into one of the tightest league campaigns for years.

Tottenham boast a near-fully fit squad which should stand them in good stead for the months ahead.

With that in mind, here is a round-up of all the very latest Spurs injury news going into the clash at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg

There was a chance the Denmark international was going to be involved against Marine over the weekend but he didn't make the squad.

The former Southampton midfielder has been a mainstay in Spurs' midfield this season, racking up 26 appearances in all competitions so far.

He was forced off in the latter stages of the clash with Brentford last Tuesday evening after being on the receiving end of an ill-timed challenge from Bees midfield ace Josh DaSilva, which resulted in the former Arsenal man being sent-off.

Hojbjerg had a war wound to take home with him although it was not as bad as it looked and it was hoped he might be involved in the FA Cup.

His absence, however, means his return could be against Villa.

Gareth Bale

Real Madrid loanee Bale went off injured at half-time during Spurs' 3-1 win over Stoke City at the quarter-final stage of the Carabao Cup just prior to Christmas.

At the time, Mourinho said the Welshman would be out for the next "few weeks" with a calf injury.

sked whether or not Bale would be fit for the tussle with Marine, Mourinho revealed that the winger had returned to training and could be in the matchday squad.

In the end, he got the final half-hour, coming on in the second half as a substitute for Dele Alli so should be ready to start against Villa if required.

Giovani Lo Celso

The 24-year-old is currently sidelined after picking up a hamstring injury in Spurs' 2-0 defeat to Leicester City at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium on December 20.

He has not made any of the past five matchday squads in league and cup.

"Gio is injured. I don't know for how long but he is not playing in the next few weeks, it is not a simple situation, he is not going to play in the next few weeks," Mourinho said recently.

When the Argentine could make a return to action remains to be seen.

Erik Lamela

Winger Lamela could return to the squad for the clash with Villa after being left out of the match-day squad for the showdowns with both Leeds and Brentford.

Ahead of the match with Marcelo Bielsa's side last weekend, it emerged that Lamela, along with Sergio Reguilon and Lo Celso had breached Tier 4 coronavirus rules by gathering for a Christmas party.

Now that the winger, who had only just returned from a spell on the sidelines through injury prior to these events unfolding, has been forced to miss three matches, Mourinho had hinted that he could return for the trip to Merseyside yesterday - but he wasn't in the squad.

"Lamela maybe [will be involved]," said Mourinho at the time. "I am waiting for tomorrow [Saturday].

"So tomorrow last day. Lamela possible."



https://www.football.london/tottenham-hotspur-fc/tottenham-team-news-fulham-injury-19554734

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Tottenham Hotspur vs. Fulham: A huge mismatch on paper



Fourth place Tottenham host third bottom Fulham on Wednesday, with the home side expected to take all three points in the must win affair.

Spurs are only four points adrift of leaders Liverpool with a game in hand, and are gigantic favourites to leave Hotspur Stadium with a vital victory. Here's some of the more telling numbers as Fulham take the short trip north to Tottenham tomorrow.
Tottenham

    Tottenham have won eight of their last nine matches against Fulham in all competitions, including five of six in the Premier League
    Tottenham have scored at least two goals in eight of the their last nine matches against the West London side
    Spurs enjoy a strong scoring record of late at home, scoring at least twice in five of their last six matches at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium
    Tottenham have the joint fourth best home record in the top flight, taking 14 points from a possible 24. That return isn't exactly emphatic, but Spurs have been better at home of late, winning four of their last five
    Tottenham enjoy the joint second best defensive home record, conceding eight goals in as many matches
    Son Heung-Min, with 12 tallies, is just a goal behind Mo Salah for top honour in the top flight, while Harry Kane leads the league in assists with 11, three ahead of his nearest rival (Kevin De Bruyne)

Fulham

    Fulham have drawn their last four top flight matches
    Currently sit in a relegation spot, three points from safety
    They haven't won since Nov. 30, when they unexpectedly beat Leicester 2-0 at King Power Stadium
    With five points from a possible 21, Fulham have the third worst away record in the top flight
    Conceded only 11 goals on their travels, the same amount as Manchester United and two less than Liverpool
    Have the fourth most anemic attack on their travels, scoring only seven goals in as many matches
    Haven't lost since Dec. 5, when Fulham fell 2-0 to Man. City at the Etihad
    Haven't played in almost three weeks due to a Covid-19 outbreak within the camp. Their last match was a 0-0 draw with Southampton on Boxing Day




https://hotspurhq.com/2021/01/12/tottenham-hotspur-vs-fulham-a-huge-mismatch-on-paper/

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Mourinho hints that Dele Alli could be involved on Wednesday in Premier League

Jose Mourinho has hinted that Dele Alli could be involved in Tottenham Hotspur's clash against Fulham on Wednesday on the back of his display in the 5-0 win over Marine on the weekend.

Alli was handed a rare start in the FA Cup third-round clash and was one of Spurs' best players that evening.

Even though the Lilywhites were clearly up against sub-part opposition, Mourinho praised the midfielder's performance in the victory.

Multiple reports (Telegraph and Foot Mercato) over the last couple of weeks have linked the midfielder with a move to Paris Saint-Germain.

However, Mourinho has now hinted that the 24-year-old could have a route back into the Tottenham side.

The North Londoners were initially scheduled to play Aston Villa on Wednesday but it has now been confirmed that their postponed clash against Fulham will be played on that day instead after several positive COVID tests in the Villa camp.

When asked whether Alli could be involved, Mourinho said (via Eurosport): "He was here today and of course it was not the match to measure the quality, but the professionalism and attitude and I am very happy with it.

"I will not be surprised if next Wednesday Dele is playing with us."

Spurs Web Opinion

I do not expect Alli to start on Wednesday as Son, Kane and Ndombele will likely come back into the team. However, Mourinho's words of praise for the England international suggest that the midfielder could play a bigger role in the second half of the season than he has done so far.




https://www.spurs-web.com/spurs-news/mourinho-hints-that-dele-alli-could-be-involved-on-wednesday-in-premier-league/

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Fulham fuming with Tottenham match being rearranged on two days' notice

Fulham have been left furious with the Premier League at the decision to rearrange their match with Tottenham for Wednesday night on just two day's notice.

Spurs were due to play Aston Villa on Wednesday, but due to the Villains suffering numerous positive coronavirus tests the game has been postponed.

Tottenham vs Fulham had previously been postponed due to the Cottagers struggling with positive tests so the fixture has been hastily rearranged for Wednesday night.

While Jose Mourinho's side were always expecting to be playing on Wednesday, Scott Parker's men were not due to compete again until Friday against Chelsea, a game that has now been pushed back to Saturday evening.

Parker was only informed of the change of plan at 9.30am on Monday, despite the Premier League being aware of the possibility last week, reports the Sun.

The Cottagers played Queens Park Rangers in the FA Cup on Saturday, not thinking they were playing until the following Friday and team selection would likely have been very different if they knew they were playing on Wednesday.



Read more: https://metro.co.uk/2021/01/12/why-fulham-are-fuming-over-having-to-play-rearranged-tottenham-match-13887846/?ito=newsnow-feed?ito=cbshare

Twitter: https://twitter.com/MetroUK | Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MetroUK/

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Knockaert loan extended

Nottingham Forest are delighted to announce that Anthony Knockaert's loan deal has been extended.

The winger joined initially on loan until the start of January from Fulham but has now extended that deal until the end of the 2020-21 season.

The Frenchman has featured 16 times for The Reds since moving to The City Ground in October, providing two assists and scoring once, and will now remain as part of Chris Hughton's squad for the rest of the campaign.



https://www.nottinghamforest.co.uk/news/2021/january/knockaert-loan-extended/

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Scott Parker was the forgotten £10m man who fell by the wayside in Jose Mourinho's brilliant Chelsea team... 15 years on, they meet again with Fulham's boss determined to prove himself against a manager who 'didn't fancy' him at Tottenham

    Jose Mourinho's Tottenham take on Scott Parker's Fulham on Wednesday night
    The pair worked together during Mourinho's first stint at Chelsea in 2004-05
    Parker struggling for regular minutes and was sold after a season to Newcastle
    The Fulham boss has since admitted that Mourinho simply 'didn't fancy me'
    Now the pair meet again in a hastily arranged fixture change tomorrow evening

Fairly often in professional football, paths re-collide which will trigger either fondness or ill-feeling between two individuals - or perhaps a simple case of what might have been.

It's been over 15 years since Jose Mourinho worked with Scott Parker during his first stint as Chelsea boss, in a season which will go down in history from start to finish.

From the famous 'special one' announcement on his first day in charge to a then-record points tally of 95, the Portuguese's introduction into English football was brilliantly eventful yet Parker, rated as one of England's brightest midfield prospects at the time, was one who simply fell by the wayside.


Jose Mourinho worked with Scott Parker during his first season as Chelsea boss in 2004-05


But the midfielder (left) only made a handful of appearances in a season of frustration for him

Admittedly, the midfielder was signed by Mourinho's predecessor Claudio Ranieri in January 2004, five months before upheaval at the Bridge, for £10m.

But at 24, Parker was entering the prime years of his career, following a start at Charlton which saw him thrive under Alan Curbishley in a deep-lying role and make his England debut, in November 2003.

Yet, as Ranieri was replaced by Mourinho, so Parker saw his first-team opportunities limited - and even then his fitness let him down.

Parker was under no illusions - with Claude Makelele one of the most effective defensive midfielders in Europe at the time and Tiago signed that summer to play alongside him, the England international was an understudy. A back-up. A reserve.

He started just once in the Blues' opening ten league games - a 4-0 win against Blackburn - before a few Champions League outings as Chelsea topped their group. 

Mourinho, with an array of talent as his disposal, was aware of Parker's continued frustration at being left on the sidelines, saying: 'I can accept the player is not happy when he is not playing... Parker is a top professional and is working every day absolutely fantastically.'


Great things were expected of Parker after his £10m signing but things did not work out

But in mid-December, having come on as a substitute, disaster struck against Norwich as Parker broke his foot. Ten weeks later, as he neared the end of his rehabilitation, he broke his foot again.

And that was very much that - not just for the season but for Parker's Chelsea career. He did not play again for the club, as the Blues won the League Cup and the Premier League, though he did pick up a league winners' medal and joined in the title celebrations.

But Parker was not interested in being someone's back-up. In the summer of 2005, club and player quite happily parted ways and he moved to Newcastle for £6.5m.

Speaking shortly after moving up north, Parker said: 'I didn't play a lot there [at Chelsea], and when I did, especially under Mourinho, I thought I did well. But it wasn't meant to be.


Parker's stay at Chelsea was short-lived as he moved to Newcastle for £6.5million in 2005

'For one reason or another the manager didn't fancy me.'

Both moved on with their careers, with Parker having a distinguished conclusion to his time playing as he hopped from one London club to the next, while Mourinho won a glut of trophies across Europe.

Soon after taking over as Fulham's caretaker boss in 2019, Parker spoke rather admirably about Mourinho's managerial attributes: '[He's] very honest, ruthless at times, certainly you need to have that about you. He had the ability to make you feel ten feet tall or make you feel like you'd done the worse thing in the world.

'There was no middle ground in that sense. His communication with people at that time - making people feel a million dollars and getting the right people around him. Obviously everything else says a lot about him, a winner.'

Now though, the pair will collide again in a hastily-arranged Premier League encounter.

A game originally scheduled for December 30 but postponed due to a Covid outbreak at Fulham, it has been dramatically shoehorned into this week's set of Premier League games, much to the annoyance of the Fulham boss.   

Battling for survival in the relegation zone, with Mourinho having title aspirations at the other end of the table, the pair could not have more contrasting goals this season.

But don't count out Fulham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium tomorrow night - they held Liverpool to a draw last month and perhaps should have come away with all three.

They've also lost just once in their last six league games - against Man City - with Parker's side who were deemed by Jamie Carragher as 'dead certainties' for the drop showing some much-needed spirit in this frenetic part of the season. 



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-9137705/Scott-Parker-barely-given-chance-Jose-Mourinho-Chelsea-paths-cross-again.html

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Fulham knew about the Tottenham rescheduling before the FA Cup 3rd round

Despite frustration from Fulham at the Spurs rescheduling, the club reportedly knew of a possible reshuffle prior to Saturday.

Premier rescheduling

The recent rescheduling of matches has caused a stir amongst some Premier League clubs with Fulham one of the most affected. Spurs were due to play Aston Villa this week but because of a coronavirus outbreak in the West Midlands club the game has been postponed and replaced with the match against Fulham.

Aston Villa’s match against @SpursOfficial, due to be played at Villa Park on Wednesday 13 January, has been rescheduled following a decision by the Premier League Board

Full statement: https://t.co/wFj1It79ia #PL #AVLTOT pic.twitter.com/4Mr2HiTchJ

— Premier League (@premierleague) January 11, 2021

Fulham themselves experienced an outbreak at the club near weeks ago and was the reason for their match with Spurs not going ahead. The decision to postpone the match was taken just mere hours before kick-off and Jose Mourinho was not particularly happy with the decision and posted on his Instagram page in frustration about the choice.

Fulham were aware of possible rescheduling

Now, however, it is Fulham that are frustrated with the decision-making processes of the league who have decided to reschedule their fixture for this midweek's round of games. Fulham are reportedly unhappy with the lateness of the decision considering the fact several first-team players were used in their FA Cup 3rd round win over QPR at the weekend.

Had they have known they would have been playing a Premier League fixture against Spurs, Scott Parker may have chosen to rest some senior figures ahead of the match.

Interestingly though, Matt Lawton of The Times has reported that Fulham were made aware of the possibility of a rescheduling of the fixture prior to their FA Cup match with QPR.

Lawton wrote, 'It is understood Fulham were first approached about the reshuffle before their FA Cup victory over Queens Park Rangers on Saturday.'

If this was indeed the case, Parker would have been aware of this and could have thought about his team selection with the possibility of a rescheduling in mind. What has been to the benefit of Fulham is their match which was scheduled to take place on Friday against Chelsea has been postponed by one day to allow for extra recovery.



https://www.101greatgoals.com/news/fulham-knew-about-the-tottenham-rescheduling-before-the-fa-cup-3rd-round/

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'Scandalous'... 'Are you serious?!': Jose Mourinho says he has NO sympathy for Scott Parker, who is FURIOUS that Fulham have to go to Spurs at 48 hours' notice after Covid-hit fixture list was torn up

    Tottenham host Fulham on Wednesday evening in the rearranged league match
    Spurs were scheduled to meet Fulham on December 30 but that was called off
    The match was postponed after a Covid-19 outbreak among the Fulham squad
    Tottenham were meant to face Aston Villa away this Wednesday evening
    But Fulham have replaced them as Spurs' opponents after Villa's Covid outbreak

Jose Mourinho has claimed Fulham should apologise for jeopardising the completion of the Premier League if they turn up at Tottenham with a full-strength team.

'Do you want to finish the season or not?' snapped Spurs boss Mourinho as angry accusations flew from both sides ahead of Wednesday night's hastily rearranged London derby.

Fulham boss Scott Parker said it was 'scandalous' and 'blatantly wrong' for his team to be forced into a game at such short notice — to ease Tottenham's congested fixture list.


Jose Mourinho's Tottenham side host Fulham in their rearranged league match on Wednesday


Scott Parker is furious his Fulham side were given such short notice for the rescheduled fixture

'I'm angry, I'm disappointed,' fumed Parker. 'Do I believe this would happen if it was a top-of-the-table clash? No I don't. I don't think it should happen to anyone. It is very unfair.'

Fulham have players only just back from isolation and claim they would have taken a different approach to Saturday's FA Cup tie at QPR, won in extra time, had they known they were at Spurs four days later.

'We're not making this up,' insisted Parker as he stressed the 'integrity of the game' and the 'welfare of the players' but there was little sympathy from Spurs.

Mourinho said: 'We've played, if I'm not wrong, 11 more matches than Fulham since the beginning of the season.'

Although his numbers were one out — unless he counts the Carabao Cup tie forfeited by Leyton Orient because of a Covid outbreak — his point was clear. This is Tottenham's 30th game in 122 days since the season started. It is Fulham's 20th.

'We played every week three matches a week,' said Mourinho. 'We played in one week, four matches. They played Saturday against QPR. They have Sunday, Monday and Tuesday to prepare for the game.

'If they come with half of the team, I will be the first one to apologise to them, and I will be the first to say we played this game with an advantage.

'If they come with their best team, I think they should apologise to all of us.'

The original fixture due for December 30 was called off on the day of the game, at Fulham's request when they recorded positive Covid tests within the camp. It still rankles with Mourinho.

Asked if it was acceptable for Fulham to be given only 48 hours' notice, he replied: 'Are you serious? They had 48 hours to prepare for this game. I had the news I was not going to play them two hours before the game.'

Parker said the postponement in December was 'an irrelevance' and the issue was being ordered to play a Wednesday game at 9.30am on Monday. 'Tottenham knew they had a fixture,' he said. 'Mourinho's team selection at the weekend suggested that. He will have planned for that.'

Spurs were expecting to go to Aston Villa on Wednesday night but that was called off because of Covid issues at Villa. And Dean Smith's side are believed to have asked the league for Sunday's game against Everton to be postponed, too, amid fears they will not be allowed back into their training ground until the day before the match.

'We had cases almost every week,' said Mourinho. 'One coach, one player, one medical staff. We had it all the time but we went in the direction of doing the best we can.

'We have to play football no matter what because if you have 14 players you have to play. We never tried to take advantage of it.'

His focus on the league's vague 14-player directive hinted at a feeling at Tottenham that some rival clubs were using the testing protocol to gain an advantage.



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-9138191/Tottenham-boss-Jose-Mourinho-NO-sympathy-Fulham-ahead-rearranged-Premier-League-clash.html

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Jose Mourinho praises 'positive' decision to rearrange Tottenham vs Fulham

Spurs were due to play Aston Villa but that game was postponed due to a coronavirus outbreak at the Midlands club

Jose Mourinho says the Premier League's solution to rearrange Tottenham's game with Fulham on Wednesday is a "positive" one.

Spurs were due to play Aston Villa but that game was postponed due to a coronavirus outbreak at the Midlands club and their match with the Cottagers, postponed on 30 December, was hastily slotted in.

Mourinho is pleased with the decision.

"The biggest impact is to have matches postponed, that is the biggest impact," Mourinho said.

"The changing of the order of the matches, the impact is minimal because in the end you have to play 19 matches at home and away, you have to play two matches against every team.

"If it is to help the Premier League to go and end properly, I think it is a solution we all have to accept as a positive."

Fulham were understood to have their concerns about rearranging the game at such short notice, with their match at Chelsea also moved, while their fans have not taken the news well.

The original game was called off at less than three hours notice.

Asked whether Fulham had a right to be upset, Mourinho replied: "Are you serious? I had the news I was not going to play them two hours before the game started."

Mourinho rubbished suggestions that Harry Winks is going to join Valencia on loan.

"What do I have to say to stop with this talk? I said already that he's going nowhere," he said. "When I say he's going nowhere, what more do you want me to say?

"He played the last matches. He didn't play the last one because it was a chance to let players like Gedson (Fernandes) get minutes.

"Tomorrow he's selected again. If someone's talking to other clubs I'd say don't waste your time."

PA



https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/tottenham/fulham-villa-postponed-jose-mourinho-b1785976.html

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Fulham boss Scott Parker left furious over 'scandalous' decision to play Tottenham game this week

Scott Parker has hit out at the Premier League and said it is "scandalous" that Fulham have been forced to play Tottenham on Wednesday night at such short notice.

Parker has revealed Fulham first heard about the potential fixture reshuffle on Saturday afternoon and they were then told at 9.30am on Monday that they would be playing Spurs.

"I am angry because it is not right," said a furious Parker. "It is is scandalous. It is not acceptable. It is madness. It is wrong. That is why I am so angry."

Tottenham were originally due to have played Aston Villa on Wednesday but the Midlands club have suffered a Covid-19 outbreak.

In a bid to minimise fixture congestion, the Premier League told Fulham that their game with Spurs, which was postponed on December 30 after the west London club had a Covid-19 outbreak of their own, would take place instead.

Fulham were first approached about the reshuffle before their FA Cup win over QPR on Saturday. Parker chose a strong team for the third-round tie at Loftus Road, which went to extra-time, and is unhappy they were not given advance more warning.

Spurs manager Jose Mourinho has said he has little sympathy with Fulham over the rescheduling of their fixture.

But Parker said: "For me, this is not acceptable.

"The possibility of playing Spurs came on Saturday afternoon. I probably did not think that would be realistic. And then got I told on Monday morning at 9.30 that we now fill in for Aston Villa and have to play Spurs on Wednesday.

"We all realise that we live in a time that is not predictable and it is not ideal. I am normally the last to moan because I realise it is tough out there. But what has happened to us, to confirm a Premier League game at 9.30 on Monday morning, it is scandalous.

"It is the notice, maybe these people in these places do not understand how you manage teams and how you manage players. It is madness really.

"Tottenham knew they had this fixture in. Jose's team selection on Saturday suggested that. Do I see that this would happen if this was a title clash with two of the biggest teams, with two of the biggest managers? Probably not. And rightly so.

"The integrity of the game, the welfare of the players. With two days' notice we have to play a game. It gives us hardly any time.

"I sit here angry because I do not think it is right. It is wrong. I believe we can give Spurs a game. But I am disappointed because I think it is wrong.

"It is not about the amount of games and the fixture pile-up, it is the predicament we are all in. We do not play in Europe like a lot of teams. My big problem here is the time. How can you be told at 9.30 on Monday morning that you are going to play a Premier League game on Wednesday? It is beyond belief."



https://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/scott-parker-fulham-tottenham-scandalous-b850953.html

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Scott Parker hits out at 'scandalous' decision to rearrange Spurs vs Fulham at short notice

Fulham will now travel to Tottenham on Wednesday evening

Scott Parker has labelled the decision to rearrange Fulham's match with Tottenham at such short notice as "scandalous".

The Cottagers were preparing to play Chelsea on Friday evening before the match between Aston Villa and Spurs was postponed following a coronavirus outbreak at the Midlands club.

The Premier League then decided to slot the Tottenham vs Fulham fixture, postponed last month on the day of the game after their own outbreak, in its place.

Parker has been left bitterly disappointed by the move hinting that he would have rotated his squad more for the FA Cup tie with QPR on Saturday had he known they would be playing again on Wednesday.

"I am angry because it is not right. It is wrong. That is why I am so angry," he said at his pre-match press conference on Tuesday. "The possibility of playing Spurs on Wednesday came on Saturday.

"We didn't think that was realistic and we were informed Monday morning at 9:30am. To confirm that on Monday morning is scandalous. I accept we have to play the game, but it's the notice."

Asked earlier whether Fulham had a right to be upset, Jose Mourinho replied: "Are you serious? I had the news I was not going to play them two hours before the game started."

Parker unsurprisingly disagreed with his former boss.

"The people making these decisions don't understand players. We have had it tough. We thought they had six days' recovery time. It is madness really," he added.

"Getting a game called off is irrelevant. That is disappointing. To have a game agreed at 48 hours' notice. Jose will know you plan for one game or the other. Tottenham knew they had a fixture. He will have planned for that with his team selection.

"Would this have happened with two of the biggest teams in a title clash? Probably not. This is not acceptable."



https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/fulham/tottenham-match-scott-parker-b1785995.html

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Premier League boss reinforces 'critical importance' of Covid-19 rules in letter to clubs

Premier League chief executive Richard Masters has written to clubs to "stress the critical importance of adhering" to strengthened Covid protocols.

Clubs are reminded that "handshakes, high fives and hugs must be avoided".

In the letter, seen by BBC Sport, Masters said the league was "fortunate to be able to continue to play and bring our competition to fans".

He described images of some players ignoring social distancing rules in the FA Cup as "concerning scenes".

"This brings justified additional scrutiny and the league must take the lead in setting the right example," he added.

He also said that Premier League clubs should plan for more matches being postponed or rearranged at short notice because of the virus - something Fulham manager Scott Parker called "scandalous" earlier on Tuesday.

So far this season several Premier League matches have been postponed following Covid-19, including Aston Villa v Tottenham on Wednesday.

The Premier League also issued new enhanced guidelines and graphics on what was expected of players and staff on matchdays.

It includes the banning of shirt-swapping after matches, and "unnecessary contact, particularly between opposition clubs".

Face coverings "must also be worn at all times by players, coaches and staff whilst travelling, arriving at the stadium and within the stadium including in the dressing room".

On Tuesday night players embraced after goals in all three Premier League matches.

Speaking after Manchester United's win over Burnley manager Ole Gunnar Solskjaer said: "It's an emotional game. We have to understand the players when they celebrate but also understand the concern nowadays for a bit of less emotions and less hugging.

It is difficult, I have to say. Football brings out the best and worst in you, when you score you want to celebrate with your teammates. We'll do our best to keep with the guidelines and carry on football safely.



Dressing-room celebrations are known to have concerned government ministers, and referees will now remind Premier League captains and coaches of the need to avoid unnecessary contact such as handshakes and hugging during goal celebrations.

"We have the benefit of government support to continue playing while the country as a whole is facing severe restrictions," Masters wrote, but said that was "conditional".

In the letter Masters also tells clubs that "we must do all we can to efficiently utilise all available calendar slots, given there have been three significant outbreaks at clubs to date, we should therefore realistically plan for the fact that there may be more.

"Inevitably, requests for postponements will be at short notice and present difficulties for all parties and we appreciate clubs' ongoing flexibility in helping us achieve our collective objectives."

The Football Association also wrote to member clubs on Tuesday to "strongly reiterate the importance of complete compliance with the relevant FA Cup protocol".

Parker angry at Monday fixture reshuffle
Fulham manager Parker said it was "scandalous" Wednesday's match against Tottenham was only confirmed on Monday.

The Premier League game was originally scheduled for 30 December but was postponed at short notice because of a coronavirus outbreak at Fulham.

In a fixture reshuffle on Monday, it was rescheduled after Spurs' match at Aston Villa was postponed.

"I am angry because it is not right. It is wrong. That is why I am so angry," said Parker.

"The possibility of playing Spurs on Wednesday came on Saturday.

"We didn't think that was realistic and we were informed Monday morning at 9:30. To confirm that on Monday morning is scandalous. I accept we have to play the game, but it's the notice."

Asked if Fulham had a right to be upset, given the original match was called off with less than three hours' notice, Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho said: "Are you serious? I had the news I was not going to play them two hours before the game started."

Parker, whose side are 18th in the Premier League, said he spent "numerous hours on Sunday trying to explain it wasn't feasible" after being told the game may be rearranged for Wednesday.

The Cottagers last played on Saturday, when they beat QPR 2-0 after extra time in the FA Cup third round.

"The people making these decisions don't understand players. We have had it tough. We thought they had six days' recovery time. It is madness really," he said."

The postponement of the Villa game - because of a coronavirus outbreak in the Villa camp - left Spurs needing to rearrange three matches in a cramped fixture list that also includes Europa League commitments.

Mourinho said the Premier League's decision to rearrange their game with Fulham for Wednesday is a "positive" solution.

"The biggest impact is to have matches postponed," he said.



https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/55634082

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How Do You Solve a Problem Like RLC?
It's not been the match made in heaven that we were all hoping for. Drew says it's not working out for our Chelsea loanee, and it might be time to cut our losses.

"What I'm most looking forward to about the Chelsea game is that Loftus-Cheek can't play."

This message from none other than Dom Betts in the Fulhamish WhatsApp group has stuck with me since the weekend. I'm feeling rather optimistic about the mighty Whites at the moment – almost leaning towards thinking we might scrape survival – but there's one piece of this puzzle I'm not enthused about, and it's Ruben Loftus-Cheek.

Who's doing who a favour?
I'm reminded of the words of Tony Khan in the summer, who – when aiming a jab in the ribs at Spurs owner Daniel Levy regarding a possible loan for Ryan Sessegnon – said: "We get two [Premier League] loans and I can't be in the business of developing other people's players when they don't have time to play them."

Now, in fairness to Khan, he added "Ryan already played for us in the Premier League and he didn't do enough to keep us in there" and "I actually rated Josh [Onomah] equally with Sessegnon" in the same breath, but still, he must have rued his words when he and his team decided to pursue the opportunity to bring in RLC. The deal, we're led to believe, sees us pay half of Loftus-Cheek's wages and has no option to make the deal permanent.

That's all well and good – bringing in players to help us achieve our primary objective and then move on is all part and parcel of the loan system. Not all loans have an option and nor should they (see Anthony Knockaert). But a player's brought in to do a job, they have to hit the ground running. So far, RLC hasn't broken into anything more than a light jog.

So who's helping who with this deal? Certainly Chelsea benefit; they've trimmed a reported £50,000 from their weekly wage bill and one of their home-grown stars is starting regularly in the Premier League. We were meant to get "a world-class player in the prime of his career" who helped Crystal Palace to a mid-table finish in 2018, before making 40 appearances for the Blues in 2018/19, scoring 10 goals.

Instead, we've seen a player who, despite obvious ability, has shown little of the dynamic player we saw a couple of years ago. And aside from a consolation goal against Everton and a decent showing against Liverpool, has failed to make the impact many thought he would.

Some favour.

If you come for the King...
Parker deserves immense credit for the turnaround he is starting to mastermind this season. There's a long way to go, of course, but this new formation has made us a lot harder to beat. It's a fantastic start. But it's only a start. We have huge problems going forward; there's no real conductor between defence and attack. And RLC needs to shoulder a significant portion of that blame.

It also doesn't help his case that our club captain has been shunted to the bench in favour of a youngster from our local rivals who'll be long gone before Euro 2020 even kicks off. Both RLC and Cairney have made 10 appearances this season (RLC seven starts, Cairney nine), and TC beats Loftus-Cheek in almost every metric, including notably pass success and key passes per game. If you're going to be favoured over a fan favourite who, by all accounts, didn't deserve to lose his spot in the side, there really is no room for error – or inefficiency.

Indeed, as the graphic below from Fulhamish stats guru George Singer shows, RLC's under-performing when it comes to similar players in the Premier League. His 85% pass completion rate might look like an asset, but when you look at how many he actually makes and what he does with them, it becomes less impressive. And when it comes to his creativity, well, you can see we're getting less than we might've expected. The figures show that while RLC's comfortable on the ball, he's not so comfortable moving it forward and creating things with it. At the moment, it's almost as if he saps the energy out of an attack, rather than adding to it.

Parker's Patience
Simply put, we have no room for passengers if we want to stay in the Premier League. And yet, game after game we're left asking "what does RLC actually do?" Perhaps the most worrying aspect of this whole thing is that Scott Parker is under no illusions as to his weakness.

"Sometimes I feel like Ruben has a tendency for games to drift him by", Scott said after RLC's best (and only) performance in a white shirt, against Everton. It's a trait we continue to see. Against QPR in the FA Cup, we saw him strolling about, looking like a lost puppy in a game he could and should have asserted his dominance on. Instead of grabbing it by the scruff of the neck, he showed all the languidness of Berbatov, without the class or end product.

Thanks, but no thanks
The damning conclusion might simply be that it's the right time to say "this isn't really working", and cut our losses when it comes to RLC. There's no shame in it. For him, or for us. We have limited space in our 25-man spot, and with players like Josh Onomah on the way back, there's more competition than before.

The argument "give him time" doesn't really wash here – we're approaching the halfway point in the season, and we saw last time out what happens when you try to get your house in order while in the midst of the 100mph Premier League. Let's cut out losses, free up a loan space, and have another roll of the dice as we look to survive. 

And if not, well, there's always the Chelsea game on Saturday to enjoy.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/post/2021-01-12-how-do-you-solve-a-problem-like-rlc/

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Parker fumes at 'scandalous' fixture rescheduling

Scott Parker has slammed the Premier League's decision to reschedule Fulham's postponed trip to Tottenham for tomorrow night – at just 48 hours notice – as 'scandalous'.

The Fulham boss believes his side have been put at a disadvantage by being forced to fulfil the fixture following the postponement of Aston Villa's scheduled game against Tottenham – and questioned whether such a rearrangement would have been forced on a bigger side. Parker told his pre-match press conference:

The possibility of playing Spurs came Saturday afternoon. We didn't think it was realistic. We were told on Monday at 9.30 that we had to fill in for Villa. I realise we live in unpredictable times. We have to move things in what we are used to as a manager. I speak for a lot of managers. It is not ideal. I accept that. I am normally the last one to moan or whine about anything as I realise it is tough out there. But what has happened to us is that to confirm a Premier League game at 9.30 on Monday morning is scandalous.

It is not about the fixture. I accept we have to play but it is the notice. Maybe the people in these places making these decisions don't understand how you manage teams and manage players. You are constantly working out well in advance. We have had it tough. We thought they had six days before the next fixture to get up to speed. It is madness really.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/01/parker-fumes-at-scandalous-fixture-rescheduling/

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Team News: Erik Lamela in line for Tottenham recall against Fulham

Tottenham boss Jose Mourinho will consider recalling Erik Lamela for the rearranged game against Fulham.

Lamela has been absent since he was pictured breaking coronavirus rules over the festive period, with Mourinho hinting at a period of self-isolation.

Giovani Lo Celso (hamstring) misses out and Steven Bergwijn is a doubt (knock), but Mourinho will bring back all of his big guns after they were rested for Sunday's FA Cup trip to Marine.

Fulham manager Scott Parker said none of his players were feeling any after-effects of Covid-19 after admitting the club had "had it tough" in terms of the virus.

Parker made a number of changes for his side's FA Cup third-round win at QPR on the weekend, with Alphonse Areola, Ademola Lookman, Tom Cairney, Joachim Andersen and Frank Anguissa among the absentees, and it remains to be seen how many will be available against Spurs.

However, long-term injured Josh Onomah, Kenny Tete and Terence Kongolo all returned from the sidelines on Saturday and could feature on Wednesday.

Tottenham provisional squad: Lloris, Hart, Gazzaniga, Tanganga, Aurier, Alderweireld, Dier, Sanchez, Davies, Reguilon, Winks, Hojbjerg, Sissoko, Fernandes, Ndombele, Moura, Vinicius, Alli, Lamela, Bergwijn, Son, Kane.

Fulham provisional squad: Areola, Aina, Adarabioyo, Andersen, Robinson, Reed, Lookman, Loftus-Cheek, Decordova-Reid, Cavaleiro, Mitrovic, Rodak, Ream, Kongolo, Kebano, Onomah, Tete, Cairney, Bryan, Kamara



https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/spurs/team-news/team-news-erik-lamela-in-line-for-tottenham-recall-against-fulham_430251.html

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REVEALED: Fulham WERE warned of the possibility of having to play Tottenham in midweek when Aston Villa finally requested their clash with Jose Mourinho's side be postponed on Saturday

    Aston Villa's game with Spurs was called off due to Covid outbreak in their camp
    The Premier League said Villa had requested for Spurs game to be postponed
    Fulham were furious as their game was subsequently moved at 48 hours notice
    The league didn't take action sooner as Villa didn't make a request until Saturday

Aston Villa didn't submit an official request for their clash against Tottenham to be postponed until Saturday, Sportsmail can reveal.

Fulham manager Scott Parker has been infuriated after the Premier League rearranged their previously postponed clash against Spurs for Wednesday at just 48 hours notice.

Jose Mourinho's side were due to be facing Villa on Wednesday but Dean Smith's squad has been ravaged by a Covid outbreak which put the game versus Spurs in doubt.


Aston Villa's first-team squad has been ravaged by an outbreak of coronavirus cases


Villa were due to play Tottenham on Wednesday but the game was called off at their request

However, Villa did not make an official request for the game against Tottenham to be postponed until Saturday.

Fulham's main gripe has been at the lack of official notice they were given about the Spurs game, Parker raising questions over why Fulham weren't notified of the potential rescheduling at the end of last week.

However, there was no request for the Premier League to action as Villa did not lodge their correspondence until just hours before Fulham's game against QPR on Saturday.

Fulham were informed of the possibility of playing Spurs before their game against QPR kicked off.

The Premier League, following an immediate board meeting to consider Villa's request, approved the fixture changes on Monday morning.


Scott Parker was furious that Fulham's game with Spurs was rearranged at just 48 hours notice



https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-9139121/Aston-Villa-did-not-request-clash-Tottenham-postponed-Saturday.html

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Scott Parker shares his one major Fulham concern heading into Chelsea fixture

The former Chelsea midfielder takes on his old side in the Premier League on Saturday evening

Fulham manager Scott Parker says he has no issue with the tight turnaround between the matches his side are playing as they face the prospect of three games in a week heading into Saturday's visit of Chelsea to Craven Cottage.

It would have been three games in six days had the Blues not agreed to move their visit down the road to their neighbours in west London from Friday night to Saturday evening, giving both Frank Lampard and Parker a bit more preparation time.

Fulham will play a rearranged match against Spurs on Wednesday night, previously scheduled for December 30 but was postponed after an outbreak of Covid at Fulham.

Spurs were due to be playing Aston Villa on Wednesday but they are suffering an outbreak of their own so the decision was taken to play the Fulham game instead and announced on Monday.

That left Parker less than happy after his players came through a gruelling 120 minutes against QPR in an FA Cup third round tie at the weekend as Fulham laboured to a 2-0 victory in extra time.

Chelsea won't have played for a week by the time the match comes round in west London on Saturday and Parker has only one concern heading into their double-header against two London rivals.

"The tight turnaround isn't the issue," the manager said at a press conference ahead of the Spurs game.

"We were fortunate over Christmas. Some teams had two games in three days. I'm not upset at that.

"We can play Wednesday-Friday, Wednesday-Saturday, the issue is as a manager of a football club is the training. It would be very different to where we are now."

Parker's players will have, at most, two days of training ahead of their game against Lampard's side after the game against Spurs.

Once European football returns for Chelsea with their Champions League last 16 tie against Atletico Madrid on February 23, the fixture schedule will become congested once again.

In that regard, Parker has said he is lucky that he doesn't have to deal with that issue like Lampard did earlier in the season and will continue to do so as far as Chelsea go in the competition.

"I just think it's wrong. I keep going back, thinking 'has this happened before?'

I just wouldn't have expected it, it's wrong. It's a predicament we're all in, I'd be the last to complain, we don't play in Europe.

"The problem is the time we've been told. It's beyond belief really."



https://www.football.london/chelsea-fc/fixtures-results/chelsea-fulham-spurs-parker-lampard-19610794

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The Premier League Is Losing Its Battle Against COVID-19

"I am angry because it is not right. It is wrong. That is why I am so angry." That is Fulham manager Scott Parker, talking about the Premier League rescheduling his side's postponed match with Tottenham for Wednesday, with only two days' notice. The original fixture had been scheduled for December 30, but was postponed due to a COVID-19 outbreak in Fulham's camp. A different outbreak, at Aston Villa, forced the Premier League's hand; the Lions were originally set to play Tottenham on Wednesday but do not have enough first-team players cleared in order for the match to go on.

Welcome to the Premier League's scheduling nightmare, a scenario that was easily predictable at the start of this jam-packed season, and one that the league now must maneuver through on the fly in order to finish out its 38-game campaign alongside two domestic cup tournaments and the top clubs' European commitments. That last bit is why Fulham now has two days to prepare for a match against fourth-place Tottenham, as Spurs have to schedule around their Europa League matches. There simply isn't enough time in the weeks to come for Spurs to have a match day fall idle, and since Villa is in no shape to play on Wednesday, the league threw Fulham in at the last minute.

This isn't really fair to Fulham, which didn't think it had any matches until the coming weekend's game against Chelsea. As Parker said, he picked his team over the weekend—a 2–0 FA Cup win against Queens Park Rangers—without knowing he'd have another game four days later. On the other side, José Mourinho did know Tottenham would have a game on Wednesday, he just thought it would be against Villa, not Fulham. Sure, swapping tactics in two days comes with its own difficulties, but at least his own team selection on Sunday came about with a midweek game in mind. (It didn't hurt that Tottenham played eighth-division Marine, allowing him to play a heavily rotated side.) Perhaps that's why Mourinho called the Fulham rescheduling a "positive" solution to his club's scheduling problem; the alternative would be to have three games in one week at some point.

More broadly, though, this isn't a Fulham problem, or a Spurs problem. This is a Premier League problem, one brought about by a lack of foresight, and one exacerbated by the Euros this summer. Ideally, no club would be told that it has a match two days before said match. Without the Euros providing a hard stop for the 2020–21 season, the Premier League could simply move Fulham-Tottenham to the back end of the season. Instead, this situation popped up, and now everyone has to scramble.

It's important to reiterate here that both Fulham and Tottenham played cup games over the weekend, because the cups are another contributing issue here. Even in a normal, non-coronavirus year, the December schedule in England is brutal thanks to the existence of both the FA Cup and the League Cup. Having to cram two cup tournaments into an already over-stuffed 2020–21 Premier League schedule was always going to be a problem, and we're seeing why now.

So, what can the league do? There are three main options, and none are too appealing. The first is to simply cancel games and play a season with fewer than 38 games, in order to protect the players from overwork, fatigue, and injuries—a non-starter for TV revenue and competitive integrity reasons. The second is to postpone matches in hopes that the sides with the tightest schedules—those in European competitions—crash out early, giving the league time to reschedule matches for, say, March or April. That could work, but could also backfire if any of those teams goes on a deep run in Europe. The third is to do what they are doing with Fulham by rejiggering the schedule as needs must, and hope no one suffers or complains too much.

Of course, the league could also shut down again. That's the thing no one wants to think about, but reports say that English authorities are losing patience with soccer and that further protocol breaches that lead to outbreaks could force the government to step in and stop play. The vaccine could help with that. Perhaps the league shuts down again for a few months, everyone gets vaccinated, and it returns. But again, because of the Euros over the summer, a stoppage and subsequent restart would lead to all of the same schedule problems the league is already dealing with, only worse.

There is no simple solution to any of this, which makes planning for or predicting the future extremely difficult. The only clear thing is that as the virus goes, so the Premier League will go, and right now it doesn't look to be going anywhere good.



https://defector.com/the-premier-league-is-losing-its-battle-against-covid-19/

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Boost for Chelsea as two injured stars could return against Fulham

Team News: Chelsea could welcome back Reece James and Andreas Christensen against Fulham

According to Football.london, Chelsea could be set to welcome back two injured stars for the trip to Fulham.

The trio of Reece James, Andreas Christensen, and N'Golo Kante all missed the 4-0 win against Morecambe in the FA Cup on Sunday night.

While it is debatable if they would have started in the first place, their availability would have given Frank Lampard more options.

With the Blues set to return to Premier League action on Saturday. Two of the three could be in contention as the Bleus prepare to face off against Fulham.

Managed by former Chelsea midfielder Scott Parker, Fulham are a side who can be dangerous on their day. The Blues, meanwhile, cannot afford to drop any more points.

Already in training ahead of the game against Morecambe, James could make the squad for Fulham provided his recovery goes as expected. The same can be said of Christensen, who returned to training last weekend.

Kante, however, is still injured and it is not known exactly when he will return to action. The Frenchman is suffering from a hamstring injury but thankfully, it is not expected to keep him out for long.

With the likes of Billy Gilmour showing good form, the Blues have enough options to cover for the Frenchman until his return.

Apart from the three, Lampard has a full-strength squad to choose from. Timo Werner and Kai Havertz were on the scoresheet against Morecambe. Hopefully, the German duo will now use it as a stepping board to scale greater heights.



https://astamfordbridgetoofar.com/2021/01/13/chelsea-team-news-reece-james-and-christensen-back-to-face-fulham/