Friday Fulham Stuff - 29/01/21...

[WhiteJC]

Aggressive defending has been key for Fulham, says Parker

Fulham have reaped the rewards of having a more aggressive defence, says Scott Parker.

The Whites kept their fifth clean sheet out of 12 in all competitions at Brighton in a 0-0 draw on Wednesday night.

And considering they are in the bottom three after shipping early season goals for fun, that's a decent return.

At every dead ball against Albion, Fulham kept a high line with two banks of zonal marking.

Head coach Parker insists it's the way forward if the club is to hang on to its Premier League place.

He said: "We've got better defensively and been able to put more pressure on the ball higher up the field, and if you want to be higher up the field you need your back line to be more aggressive.

"You need to narrow the space between the lines and step up the pitch.

"Over the last nine or 10 games it's certainly something we worked on a lot.

"As a unit, we've defended as a real group a lot, lot better. The keeper has been excellent and that back five has been resilient.

"There's constant work on body shapes, body positions – and that's the sort of stuff that's made a difference."



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/aggressive-defending-has-been-key-for-fulham-says-parker

[WhiteJC]

Cairney begins new treatment in attempt to avoid surgery

Tom Cairney has begun a new treatment on a persistent knee injury which will keep the Fulham captain out for several more weeks.

Scott Parker confirmed on Thursday that Cairney had started a course of therapy designed to heal the problem without resorting to surgery.

The head coach said: "He has had different treatment starting today and we'll have to see how he reacts to that and whether there's an improvement.

"Obviously the medical team are doing all they can and going into every different avenue. We'll see where we are in a few weeks."

Cairney struggled through the first part of the season after picking up an injury in a pre-season friendly against MK Dons.

But he has not featured since the game against Newcastle on December 19.



https://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/cairney-begins-new-treatment-in-attempt-to-avoid-surgery

[WhiteJC]

Cairney starts new treatment for knee injury

Fulham captain Tom Cairney has started a new treatment for his troublesome knee injury in an attempt to avoid surgery.

The Scottish international midfielder has been sidelined since the 1-1 draw at Newcastle before Christmas having originally picked up the problem in a pre-season friendly with MK Dons. Cairney, 30, has a history of chronic knee problems but this injury is not to the same knee that he injured during Fulham's 2018 promotion campaign.

Fulham manager Scott Parker told his press conference this afternoon:

"He has had different treatment starting today and we'll have to see how he reacts to that and whether there's an improvement. Obviously the medical team are doing all they can and going into every different avenue. We'll see where we are in a few weeks."



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/01/cairney-starts-new-treatment-for-knee-injury/

[WhiteJC]

Fulham make Maja move

Fulham have made an audacious move to resign former youth product Josh Maja as part of Jean-Michael Seri's proposed loan move to Bordeaux, according to a L'Equipe report this evening.

The French side are still confident of concluding the season-long loan for Seri over the weekend, with Fulham keen to get the Ivory Coast international off their wage bill for the remainder of the season. The 29 year-old, who has made just two appearances under Scott Parker this term, has expressed a firm preference to return to France despite interest from Galatasaray, who took him on loan last season.

Fulham's interest in Maja is a late twist to what has been a protracted set of negotiations for Seri's departure – with Galatasaray's attempts to take the playmaker back to Turkey having lasted for the duration of two successive transfer windows. Maja, now 22, spent some time in the Fulham academy but moved to Sunderland in March 2015 and scored his first goal against the Whites when the Mackems ended a year-long wait for a home win under Chris Coleman on his league debut as a substitute at the Stadium of Light in December 2017.

The pacey forward made an immediate impression on Wearside, gaining more of a regular starting spot after Sunderland were relegated to League One. Maja scored 16 goals in 30 appearances in 2018/2019 but, after refusing to sign a new contract with his deal due to expire at the end of the season the Black Cats sold him to Bordeaux in January 2019. The 22 year-old has scored eleven goals in 49 appearances, grabbing a first senior hat-trick and an assist in the 6-0 thumping of Nimes in December 2019, and also made his international debut for Nigeria last month.

Maja, who has scored twice in seventeen appearances this term, has interested several of Fulham's top flight competitors. West Ham, whose boss David Moyes briefly managed the Lewisham-born striker during his time at Sunderland, and West Brom have both reportedly been in discussions with Bordeaux over a proposed permanent transfer in recent days. Fulham's need for striking reinforcements is well known, with Scott Parker having deployed Ivan Cavaleiro as a makeshift number nine after Aleksandar Mitrovic had struggled for both form and fitness on his return to the top flight. A reciprocal loan arrangement, with Maja heading back to Craven Cottage as Seri gets regular football in France, would be a relatively low-cost way of adding additional firepower to Parker's squad at a crucial time of the season.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/01/fulham-make-maja-move/