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Saturday Fulham Stuff - 06/02/21...

Started by WhiteJC, February 06, 2021, 12:28:18 AM

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bobby01

Quote from: whitejc on February 06, 2021, 11:31:31 AM
Parker's countdown and our attacking inertia
Mike Forrest asks some questions about our lack of attacking guile.


In his last three post-match conferences, Scotty Parker has taken to providing a countdown on the number of games left to play this season.

After a lucky draw against Brighton, Parker said, "with 19 games left of this season, I have full belief in my team." After a disappointing draw against West Brom, he said, "there's 18 games left in the season and there's still a long way to go".

Finally, after the abject defeat against Leicester, he confirmed the latest number of remaining matches. "There are 17 games left this season, we've seen what a couple of results in a short space of time can do."

Speaking to the media as often as a football manager does, it's probably quite tedious. It is no surprise, then, that managers fall back on certain stock phrases or words. This recent referring to the number of games left to play is a new addition to Parker's lexicon, but a small bit baffling.

To my eye, it reads like Parker is trying to reassure the players that they still have time to turn the dire situation around. However, as each game goes by, and no victories forthcoming, it feels more of a countdown on the number of games we have as a Premier League team.

What has gone wrong?

Attacking Inertia
The horrible start to the season was a combination of tardy recruitment and Parker trying to implement his possession-based football. On top of this, we saw performances drop off from players including Michael Hector and Mitro, anticipated by neither club nor fanbase.

To stymie the flow of defeats, and integrate new signings, Parker switched to a five at the back system. This worked well and saw some spirited performances and numerous draws. However, we have not cracked the attacking coherency needed to win games. This was typified by our best chance against Leicester being a Tosin header from a corner.

We have relied heavily on individual moments from the likes of Lookman and Frank Anguissa to produce the goods. Too often our forward players have received the ball in isolation and been immediately swarmed by the opposition. They lack consistent support and overlapping runs, meaning we are easy to mark and stifle.

Parker has overcorrected on the defensive side of things, leaving a very stilted attack. But even our defensive posture has been weak in the last three games. For instance, Brighton had an expected goals of 2.37 (xG) against us, and we have conceded four goals in the last two games.

There are many problems, but time is running out, regardless of what Parker says, for himself and the team to find a fix.

Experience an issue?
Tactics aside, this team does not know "how" to win a Premier League game. In the dugout, Parker had managed 31 Premier League games in his coaching career. We have lost 18 (58%) of those games, scored only 25 goals and conceded 49 goals.

On the pitch, our record is no better. Not including this season, the 14 players who played a part against Leicester on Wednesday have played a total of 194 Premier League games between them, in which they played at least 45 minutes or more, losing 103 of them – more than half.

We have a manager who lacks experience in winning Premier League games combined with players who have not played in the Premier League or have lost regularly.

Some might argue that prior experience in the Premier League is not a requisite for winning games. After all, Sheffield United stormed up the league last season despite having a manager and players with little-to-no top-flight football experience.

However, they benefited from a settled squad and settled tactics. Parker has had to deal with wholesale changes, both tactically and with personnel. Even the seasoned Sam Allardyce is struggling to get his West Brom motoring.

Parker and the players have had their fill of Premier League defeats, hopefully, we can enjoy the taste of victory against West Ham. A few eyes will be focussed on our wildcard, Josh Maja, who can hopefully bring some spark to a dull attack.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/post/2021-02-06-parkers-countdown-attacking-inertia/


I find this countdown of matches irritating, in reality we have 14 games left we are 3 behind.
Watching the ups and downs since 1958, wouldn't have it any other way, what a roller coaster of a club.

WhiteJC

Everything you need to know: Fulham v Irons

West Ham's clash with Fulham this weekend is a big one at both ends of the table.

David Moyes' side could move into the top four with a win and will stay there if Liverpool lose to Manchester City.

The Cottagers, by comparison, are 18th, eight points off safety, and they need to start picking up wins soon.

Here's everything you need to know!
Title

Fulham v West Ham – Premier League.
Where?

The game will take place at Craven Cottage.
KO

The game will kick off at 17:30 in the UK.
Stream/TV

The game will air on Sky Sports and Now TV in the UK.

NBCSN and Peacock in the US.

Canada: DAZN.

Australia: Optus Sport.

China: QQ Sports Live / PPTV Sports China.

Mexico: Sky HD.

UAE: Bein Sports HD1 & HD2.
Injury news – West Ham

Arthur Masuaku will be absent from the squad as he continues his injury recovery.

Darren Randolph is also set to be out due to a knock. Mark Noble is also a doubt because of a personal family situation
Injury news – Fulham

Tom Cairney and Terence Kongolo are out.
Last 5 meetings

The Hammers have a good record against Fulham.

The last five meetings have ended with four wins for the Irons and just the one loss and that came in 2014.
Referee

Mike Dean will be the man in the middle.



https://www.claretandhugh.info/everything-you-need-to-know-fulham-v-irons/

WhiteJC

Middlesbrough's Neil Warnock details the key moment that led to last-minute signing of Fulham ace

Neil Warnock has revealed that a last-minute phone call with Steve Gibson was key in completing the signing of Neeskens Kebano.

Middlesbrough completed a move for the Fulham man in the final moments of the January transfer window after signing the midfielder on a loan deal until the end of the season.

The 28-year-old has struggled for gametime at Craven Cottage this term but is undoubtedly a top talent at Championship level.

Warnock admitted that he had tried to sign the player earlier in the January transfer window, and speaking ahead of the Brentford clash, he couldn't hide his delight at the team effort that led to the midfielder's arrival.

Discussing the move for Kebano, Warnock told the Hartlepool Mail: "I'm definitely happier with the squad now, We talked about it all the time with Steve.

"I had to call Steve up on Monday night when the Neeskens thing came up at half nine because I'd already got Mendez and Yannick then. Straight away, Steve said, 'Yes, go on then'.

"That's the support that I've got. He knows that when you were looking behind and looking at the bench, no disrespect to the bench, but it hasn't been a bench where you could put players on to win a game. Whereas I do now. I think you could change a game now at the drop of a hat."

Asked if Kebano was one of the players he'd previously missed out on, Warnock said: "Yeah I was told the manager wouldn't let him go so I was delighted.

"It was accidental really, Alaster from Fulham rang me from thin air and the owner was on the phone, we just switched on one of these Zoom things in America and I had five minutes with him.

"After that five minutes he agreed to my request and I was delighted.

"We managed to do it in the office with Karen and Laura, how they got it done in an hour and a half was unbelievable.

"That was just for one player, the amount of paperwork you have to do so all credit to them."

The verdict

It's no surprise that Neil Warnock is thrilled by the signing of Neeskens Kebano.

To bring in the Fulham man is a real coup for Middlesbrough and the hope is that he'll be able to make a big impact between now and the end of the season.

If he does hit the ground running then there's every chance that he could be the difference in helping the Teessiders to secure a top six finish.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/middlesbroughs-neil-warnock-details-the-key-moment-that-led-to-last-minute-signing-of-fulham-ace/


WhiteJC

Fulham vs West Ham United: 06/02/2021 – match preview and predicted starting XIs

Fulham vs West Ham

Date: 06/02/2021

K/O: 17:30

Venue: Craven Cottage

Referee: Mike Dean

TV: Sky Sports

Fulham's quest to remain in the Premier League faces another stiff test on Saturday night as they welcome in-form London rivals West Ham to Craven Cottage.

Brighton's win at Liverpool on Wednesday left Fulham eight points adrift of safety with 17 games to play. Though displays have improved since the first few games of the campaign, the Cottagers haven't been able to convert performances into wins and face an uphill task to earn the points required to catch their rivals.

In marked contrast, Saturday's opponents West Ham have enjoyed an exceptional start to 2021, with five wins out of six giving the Hammers hope of European football that was a distant dream at the start of the season.

The reverse fixture in November will be remembered for Ademola Lookman's disastrous last-minute penalty attempt as the Hammers won 1-0 at the London Stadium, though in truth it was a dire game that neither side deserved to win until Tomas Soucek's injury-time goal.

Team News

Fulham

The Cottagers will be without Tom Cairney and Terence Kongolo once again, but otherwise have a full squad to choose from, while loan signing Josh Maja could come straight into the matchday squad.

Alphonse Areola will start in goal once again, with established back three Ola Aina, Joachim Andersen and Tosin Adarabioyo expected to continue in defence. Antonee Robinson and Kenny Tete started as wing-backs against Leicester, but Tete in particular faces stiff competition to start with Bobby Decordova-Reid pressing for a recall. Michael Hector, Tim Ream, Denis Odoi and Joe Bryan remain fit and available but unlikely to disturb the current cohort.

There remains healthy competition in midfield, even without Tom Cairney. Harrison Reed and Andre-Frank Zambo Anguissa have started together frequently but face competition from Mario Lemina and Josh Onomah, with Lemina in pole position to replace Anguissa having replaced him at half time of the loss to Leicester.

Maja could spearhead the Cottagers attack from the off but is expected to feature from the bench initially, though Aleksandr Mitrovic may drop out for Ivan Cavaleiro. Ademola Lookman will be eager to put his penalty nightmare from the reverse fixture behind him and will likely start with that extra motivation. Bobby Decordova-Reid and Aboubakar Kamara are further attacking options, while Ruben Loftus-Cheek could provide an extra link between midfield and attack if Fulham plan to improve on their possession.

West Ham

Concerns about Jesse Lingard's fitness were dispelled in Wednesday's win at Aston Villa, though it remains to be seen whether the Englishman can manage multiple outings per week. The Hammers have no fresh injury concerns from Wednesday but remain without Arthur Masuaku.

Lukasz Fabianski will continue in goal, but David Moyes may choose to rest regulars in his defence ahead of their FA Cup fifth-round clash with Manchester United on Tuesday. Vladimir Coufal, Craig Dawson, Angelo Ogbonna and Aaron Cresswell lining up together in every league outing in 2021 so far. Ben Johnson, Ryan Fredericks, Fabian Balbuena and Issa Diop could be in line for recalls if Moyes does opt to ring the changes.

Central pair Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek appear undroppable and will surely start again on Saturday, though changes could be aplenty in front of them. Jarrod Bowen and Pablo Fornals were afforded rare rests against Villa and will be pressing for immediate returns, while Andriy Yarmolenko remains another option. Michail Antonio remains the only senior striker at the club and will surely have to be rested at some point, but the Hammers may hope the Englishman's hamstrings can hold out until the international break.

Head to Head Record and Stats

    All-time H2H record: Fulham 32-49 West Ham (23 draws)
    Last 10 H2H record: Fulham 3-6 West Ham (1 draw)
    Fulham have lost their first four home games of a calendar year for the first time in their Football League history.
    West Ham are the only Premier League team to have had three or more players play every minute of the Premier League season so far –  Aaron Cresswell, Declan Rice and Tomas Soucek.
    Declan Rice has played every Premier League minute since West Ham's final game of 2018/19 when he was substituted in the 79th minute.

Predicted Starting XIs

Fulham (3-4-1-2): Areola; Aina, Andersen, Adarabioyo; Decordove-Reid, Reed, Lemina, Robinson; Loftus-Cheek; Lookan, Cavaleiro

West Ham (4-2-3-1): Fabianski; Coufal, Dawson, Ogbonna, Cresswell; Rice, Soucek; Bowen, Lingard, Benrahma; Antonio

Prediction: Fulham 0-2 West Ham

The Hammers were dominant against Villa in midweek, while Fulham looked blunt and out of ideas against Leicester. Both teams like to play with the ball so I expect the game to be played in midfield, and I just can't see Fulham taking any points from this game based on current performances.



https://90maat.com/fulham-vs-west-ham-united-06-02-2021-match-preview-and-predicted-starting-xis/

WhiteJC

David Moyes should unleash West Ham's Jarrod Bowen vs Fulham to bully Adarabioyo

David Moyes should unleash Jarrod Bowen to torment Fulham defender Tosin Adarabioyo when West Ham United visit Craven Cottage on Saturday evening.

Bowen fell to the bench as the Irons beat Aston Villa 3-1 on Wednesday night, with Moyes drafting Ryan Fredericks into the side to double up on Jack Grealish with Vladimir Coufal.

The decision proved a masterstroke as Dean Smith's talisman was frequently forced in off the wing and saw his influence restricted, yet Moyes will not need to attack on the same path during this weekend's London derby.

Unlike Villa, who share West Ham's aspirations of securing a European berth come the end of the season, Fulham's main objective is simply to stay in the Premier League with Sheffield United (11) and West Bromwich Albion (12) the only sides to have claimed fewer points than Scott Parker's men (14) thus far.

Fulham are also without a win in their last 11 top-flight fixtures, having been forced and forcing opposing sides to settle for a point each on seven occasions – only Brighton and Hove Albion (9) have drawn more often than the Cottagers (8) this term.

Leicester City were able to avoid a stalemate in their travels to south west London on Wednesday night with Brendan Rodgers' side claiming a 2-0 win, with James Maddison's vision and drive more than enough to make up for Jamie Vardy's absence.

Pressure from Adarabioyo proved insufficient to thwart Maddison's efforts or those of his teammate James Justin, whose lung-busting run from full-back ended by tapping in the Foxes' second goal inches away from the Cottagers defender.

The only aspect in which Adarabioyo thrived against the King Power Stadium natives was in keeping things simple in hopes of protecting Alphonse Areola's goal, with the 23-year-old recording a match-high 10 clearances. Harrison Reed registered Fulham's second-most with three, while fellow centre-halves Joachim Andersen and Ola Aina achieved one between them, per WhoScored.

Adarabioyo's no-nonsense approach resulted in his highest tally of clearances since recording 11 at home to Liverpool in December, while also penning his first successful tackle in four Premier League games, per WhoScored.

But Moyes can look to torment Adarabioyo on Saturday by unleashing Bowen, who former Rangers and Scotland manager Alex McLeish believes has is "different class".

While benched against Aston Villa, Bowen has been performing well this season to create 0.9 goalscoring opportunities a game in the Premier League along with taking 1.0 shots and recording 1.1 successful dribbles a game, per SofaScore.

Adarabioyo, who Fulham signed for just £2m from Manchester City last summer, may only be dribbled past 0.5 times a game, yet Parker has felt the need to urge him to improve the basics of his trade.

"You can tell that he's been schooled in a certain way, it's probably the other side that we need to keep working on, defending, the bread and butter of what he is and Adarabioyo knows that, as well," Parker said, via quotes by South West Londoner.

It was also under pressure from Brighton last month that Adarabioyo struggled, resulting in the 23-year-old turning over possession 16 times – double his usual standards of 8.6 – while completing just 74% of his passes compared to a season average of 85%, per SofaScore.

If Moyes is to force a similar display from the Fulham centre-back, he should be looking at the £80k-a-week earning Bowen and his drive to push West Ham on in the final third and bench Fredericks, no matter how well he played at Aston Villa in midweek. He could well be the Hammers boss' game-changer today.



https://www.footballfancast.com/west-ham-united-news/moyes-unleash-bowen-fulham-parker-adarabioyo-fredericks-premier-league-preview

WhiteJC

NEW FOF'cast 🎙🎧 Can we kick it? no we Khan't

On this episode of FOF'cast, Owen Smith hosts the show, whilst we are joined by Gerry Pimm, Scott Tanfield and Dean Colley as we discuss the following Fulham FC topics.

The disappointment of transfer deadline day and the arrival of Josh Maja.

2-0 home loss to Leicester City

Friends of Fulham Man of the Match

21 games down, 3 wins, 14 points, and 8 points from safety

West Ham United game

West Ham predictions



http://www.friendsoffulham.com/wordpress/?p=1571


WhiteJC

West Ham XI vs Fulham: Team and injury news, predicted Moyes line-up

David Moyes has confirmed that West Ham United will boast a near fully-fit squad when they travel to Fulham on Saturday looking to do the double over their London rivals.

The Irons beat the Cottagers 1-0 when the sides met in November, with a 91st-minute strike from Tomas Soucek all that could separate the two after Ademola Lookman's Panenka-style penalty was easily saved by Lukasz Fabianski.

The result ended a three-game winless run for West Ham and sparked a turn of fortunes that has helped the Hammers push for a European qualifying berth for next season, while Fulham have won just one of their following 13 Premier League fixtures.

Moyes will hope he can extend Scott Parker's dire run when the Hammers visit Craven Cottage on Saturday. And, with that in mind, here's a potential XI West Ham could field...


Moyes will not be expected to tinker too much with his starting line-up at Fulham this weekend with West Ham only losing once in 2021, claiming seven wins in eight across all competitions.



https://www.footballfancast.com/west-ham-united-news/west-ham-xi-vs-fulham-team-and-injury-news-predicted-moyes-line-up

WhiteJC

U18s Report: Eagles flying high after victory at Fulham

Crystal Palace Under-18s put in a solid defensive display away to Fulham to consolidate their top spot and move four points clear of second with a 2-0 win against the west London outfit.

Summary

    Palace score with their first meaningful attack of the game, Victor Akinwale getting on the end of a ball played across the edge of the six-yard box from Kevin Gonzalez (5')
    Fulham start to enjoy a good spell of possession after Palace's opener, but fail to muster up any chances
    Palace score again with effectively their second meaningful attack - Jesuran Rak-Sakyi calmly dinking over the 'keeper inside the box and slotting home the second (34')
    Half-time: Fulham U18s 0-2 Crystal Palace U18s
    Fulham dominate the majority of the second-half and look to get back in the game, but Palace hold firm
    The young Eagles set-up to hit Fulham on the break, but neither side finds the net in the second-half
    Full-time: Fulham U18s 0-2 Crystal Palace U18s

Crystal Palace Under-18s started the afternoon at the top of the Premier League U18 South, a point ahead of their hosts and in good form after three consecutive wins.

Fulham enjoyed the game's first chance early on with winger Ollie O'Neill having a shot at the Palace goal which Joe Whitworth saved well. They may have been called into defensive action ahead of the Cottagers, but five minutes in the Eagles scored with their first meaningful attack.

This flying start began after Victor Akinwale scored from close range following a fine ball across the edge of the six-yard box by Kevin Gonzalez.

The goal spurred Palace on for more, pressing up the right flank with some good link-up play between Dylan Thisleton and Jesuran Rak-Sakayi. However Fulham had a chance to pull back into the game after a misplaced clearance from Whitworth fell to O'Neill, though the winger couldn't hit the target.

The hosts dominated the ball for the next 20 minutes, with their target man Jay Stansfield causing problems for the Palace defence. The Eagles stood firm, with centre-back Dan Quick playing a great ball over the top of the Fulham midfield to Rak-Sakyi, allowing him to dink over the 'keeper with his first touch and slot home unchallenged with his second.

Fulham again continued to dominate possession after the second Palace goal, creating a good chance from a free-kick, but the defence dealt with it well.

After the break the game resumed its earlier fashion. The hosts continued to enjoy the lion's share of possession and chances, with Palace defending resolutely and hitting them smartly on the break.

In the 73rd-minute Palace managed a clean breakaway from a Fulham attack, orchestrated by Fionn Mooney and Akinwale, but the young Eagles couldn't find the back of the net.

A similar chance came towards the end of the game with Akinwale again involved in a counter-attack, this time alongside Gonzalez after a dangerous Fulham free-kick. The striker unfortunately struck his shot over the bar.

Though the hosts managed to dominate the second-half, much like the first, they couldn't find a way back into the game as Palace's defence stood firm right up until the final whistle.

The Cottagers' Jay Stansfield had a gilt-edged chance to claim a consolation in injury time after winning the ball from Quick on the edge of the box, however the striker couldn't get it out from under his feet and the Palace centre-back recovered well.

This result puts Crystal Palace four points clear at the top of the Premier League U18 South, ahead of both hosts Fulham and Aston Villa, who are second and third respectively.

Fulham: Mee, D'auria-Henry, Parkes, Bowat, Odutayo, Benjamin, Caton, O'Neill, Stansfield, Olakigbe (Williams 71), Bowie (Wildbore 73).

Subs not used: Glover, Antonsson, Sanderson.

Palace: Whitworth, Thisleton, Adaramola, Steele, Quick, Sheridan, González (Jobson 88), Wells-Morrison, Akinwale, Mooney, Rak-Sakyi (Cadogan 90).

Subs not used: Goodman, Brown, Atta.



https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/2021/february/report-fulham-0-2-crystal-palace-under-18s/

WhiteJC