Sunday Fulham Stuff - 07/03/21...

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'Unbelievable': Scott Parker left stunned by Liverpool man's comments

Scott Parker told his pre-match press conference that he finds it 'unbelievable' that Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp thinks he is one of the best young coaches he has faced.

Newly-promoted Fulham are battling relegation this season but they did record a deserved point against Liverpool during the reverse fixture at Craven Cottage.

It's now a trip to Merseyside for those from London, and whilst in previous times it has been proven to be a trickery trip, Liverpool have amazingly lost five games on the bounce on home soil.

Some will be backing Parker's free-flowing and attack-minded side to cause an upset today, as the Englishman was left stunned when asked to share his thoughts on Klopp praising him.

"I have not seen them but unbelievable from that side in terms hearing it from someone that who I have the utmost respect for," said Parker.

"Someone who has come into a top football club and transformed them and it's big to say that when you consider the stature of Liverpool.

"When you are a young manager you are always looking, and certainly from my point and what I am.

"I am always looking at every manager I come up against and what makes them so special. And Jurgen is one of them guys. He has done a fantastic job. He is someone who I certainly see and hold in that regard."

Well, Fulham who were seemingly down before the first few games of the season could be played, don't have a better chance to claim three points against the champions then today.

Parker's side have the attacking talent but it's being able to deal with the pressure of surviving.

Burnley, Brighton and Chelsea, to name a few, are prime examples that Fulham can go to Anfield and boost their chances of staying in England's top-flight after many were writing them off before a ball could be kicked.

But beware of the wounded animal, who at any moment will pounce and claim their territory in a pretty emphatic fashion once more.



https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2021/03/07/unbelievable-scott-parker-left-stunned-by-liverpool-managers-comments/

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Ex Fulham Assistant Director of Football ordered to pay Glenn £100k


Martin Glenn is now Chairman of the Football Foundation

CRAIG KLINE, Fulham's former Assistant Director of Football Operations, has been ordered to pay ex-Football Association Chief Executive Martin Glenn £100,000 in damages, plus costs, for "libel and harassment".

High Court Judge Richard Spearman said Kline had subjected Glenn, who left the FA in December 2018, to a "prolonged" online attack that "threatened... the claimant's livelihood and professional standing."

Kline, who exited Fulham in November 2017, did not file a defence to the court and must now issue a statement admitting his wrongdoing.

The campaign of harassment began in November 2018, with Kline accusing Glenn of being corrupt in his dealings with Fulham owner Shahid Khan over the proposed sale of Wembley Stadium. Mainly via his Twitter account, Kline went on to accuse Glenn of covering up child sex abuse and organised criminal activity.

He also contacted the FA Board to make allegations, as well as MPs and the House of Lords.

"The allegations were very serious, and went to the core elements of the claimant's life," Judge Spearman said. "They threatened, and indeed may be said to have been designed to threaten, the claimant's livelihood and professional standing.

"They resulted not only in an in-depth investigation at the FA but also a continuing need for the claimant to allay the concerns of organisations where he held office.

"It was particularly hurtful and distressing that the claimant was accused, entirely without foundation, of being complicit in covering up child abuse when, in truth, he was concerned to ensure that the FA took safeguarding very seriously."

The FA launched its own independent investigation into the allegations, with Glenn surrendering his mobile phone, computer and laptop to a team of ex-police officers as part of their inquiries. Kline failed to submit any evidence to the investigation, despite being invited to do so, and Glenn was fully exonerated.

However, the campaign of harassment continued until June last year, forcing Glenn, by now chairman of the Football Foundation, to take legal action. Glenn said he did not expect to see any of the money awarded, but that if he did he would "donate it to the Football Foundation for a 3G pitch in a deprived area near Fulham."

Martin Glenn - 'it was hurting people around me'

The former FA Chief Executive has spoken for the first time about the campaign of harassment in an interview with The Times.

He said: "I've never actually met Craig Kline but my wife was concerned he might turn up at our house. When I explored new areas of employment, the issue would come up. And the worst one was the Football Foundation. I took on the chairmanship in January 2020.

"When that was announced, Kline wrote to a gaggle of MPs and members of the House of Lords, and a group of other people, repeating what was really scurrilous stuff. 'Glenn covers up paedophilia, Glenn is a known criminal, Glenn accepted bribes and was in Shad Khan's pocket'.

"The Football Foundation then had to inform the Charity Commission that their new chairman had been accused of this, that and the other. It was fine once they saw the audit trail, but distressing all the same.

"In the middle of last year I also took on the chair of another company. In their due diligence this all came up again. What I had to explain to the judge was the reputational issue. People think there is no smoke without fire. They see Kline as the most high-ranking whistleblower in football.

"I didn't feel he was being taken seriously... but after a period of silence he came after me again and I just felt enough was enough. It was hurting people around me and I commenced legal proceedings. It was causing me a reputational problem but also embarrassment.

"My kids are social media literate. My friends were seeing this stuff. It felt like mud was sticking, so I had to pursue it legally."

Controversial tenure at Fulham

Kline is a University friend of Fulham's Director of Football Operations and Vice Chairman Tony Khan, who is the son of owner Shahid Khan. The American was appointed Director of Statistical Research by the club in October 2014 and in February 2017 was promoted to Assistant Director of Football Operations.

However, his tenure was marked by acrimony and controversy. He was described by other members of staff as being volatile and difficult to deal with and had strained relationships with several key members of staff, including manager Slavisa Jokanovic, who questioned Kline's influence and the fact he seemed to hold sway when when it came to transfers.

"It generally depends on this guy [Kline] who is going to sign for us or not," Jokanovic said. "The last decision is in the hands of this man. It is not my business. I'm a little bit disappointed because no one knows who this guy [Kline] is. Instead, he's sitting in the directors' box."

Kline had threatened to resign on several occasions before being sacked following the 1-1 home draw with Bolton at the end of October 2017. There was a report he had called police to the club's Motspur Park training ground because of a number of long-standing grievances he held against the club.

In a separate hearing last November, a High Court Judge ruled that Kline had breached "a number of confidentiality and non-disparagement undertakings" he had given on November 22nd 2017 after leaving the club.

The court heard that Kline admitted 42 breaches of a court order in tweets, or posts, between December 14th 2018 and February 4th 2019, but contested that 16 subsequent posts did not breach the injunction.

The date of a further hearing to determine his punishment has not yet been announced, but Kline could potentially face two years in prison.



https://trainingground.guru/articles/ex-fulham-assistant-director-of-football-ordered-to-pay-glenn-%C2%A3100k

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Fulham expecting "one hell of a battle" in opportune Anfield outing

Scott Parker expects Fulham to face "one hell of a battle" at Anfield on Sunday, despite Liverpool's recent poor run of form at home.

The Reds' defeat to Chelsea on Thursday was their fifth in succession – the club's worst run in their history – and they have won just three league matches since being top of the Premier League at Christmas.

Fulham had been unbeaten in five league matches when they fell to a narrow 1-0 home defeat to Tottenham. The Cottagers appeared to have scored an equaliser but fell victim to the controversial accidental handball rule and it was ruled out.

And although Parker feels his side have a chance against Liverpool, he does not expect the hosts to make life easy for them.

"Liverpool is an opportunity for us, but Thursday night was an opportunity as well," he said.

"I believe that was a big opportunity in the way that we're playing and I believe we could have got something out of the game, and on reflection we should have got something out of the game.

"Of course we understand that Liverpool are in a little bit of an indifferent way, or indifferent form, but they're still an unbelievable team.

"When we go to Anfield it's going to be one hell of a battle and one hell of a tough afternoon, so I think that's how it will pan out."

In the last meeting between the two sides, Fulham welcomed back 2,000 fans for the first and only time this season and managed to secure a 1-1 draw against Jurgen Klopp's men.

Liverpool would have gone top of the table with a victory at Craven Cottage in December, and the Fulham boss said he could not see any signs of the problems which have plagued the Reds since then.

"No, not really. I didn't see that," Parker said.

"The dynamics of teams and where teams are, and a long season and an unprecedented season, I think we all recognise that as well, and certainly that had a big factor on Liverpool as well and the standards they set themselves.

"But certainly from the previous game we played against them, we played very well – very, very well – and caused them problems. But, in saying that, they still have big quality and they produced that on the day."



https://www.thisisanfield.com/2021/03/fulham-expecting-one-hell-of-a-battle-in-opportune-anfield-outing/

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Loan Round-Up: 90 Minutes For Sessegnon

Steven Sessegnon got his first full 90 minutes since injury under his belt on Wednesday evening for Bristol City, who suffered a 2-1 defeat to Bournemouth at Ashton Gate.

The defender picked up a hamstring injury back in October but now makes himself available for Nigel Pearson's side, who have taken six points from a possible nine since his appointment.

Jean Michaël Seri played 78 minutes on Wednesday for Bordeaux, who went head-to-head with Mauricio Pochettino's Paris Saint-Germain.

Mika's side put up a good fight and created opportunities, but a 20th minute Pablo Sarabia strike ensured an away victory.

Marcus Bettinelli and Neeskens Kebano's Middlesbrough climbed to within five points of the top six with a 2-1 win against Coventry City.

Betts made his 34th appearance in goal for Boro while Kebano played 73 minutes.

Nottingham Forest fell to their first defeat in four after being narrowly beaten 1-0 by Luton Town at The City Ground.

Anthony Knockaert, who got another 79 minutes in under Chris Hughton, put in a superb cross from the left-hand side after a powerful run but striker Glenn Murray was unable to convert.

Cyrus Christie also had a long-range effort go wide and swung in a good cross, which was heroically cleared before Murray could connect.

Despite the pressure and opportunities, the visitors left with the three points.

Stefan Johansen played the entirety of Queens Park Rangers' 3-1 defeat to in-form Barnsley on Wednesday evening.

Stef played a fantastic looping pass in the opening 10 minutes towards Charlie Austin, but his powerful shot skimmed the top of the crossbar.

Mark Warburton's men are now without a win in their previous three games and sit eight points off the bottom three.

Belgian outfit Royal Antwerp are without a win in four after losing 2-0 to OH Leuven on Monday.

Maxime Le Marchand made his sixth appearance for the club, playing the full 90 minutes.



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2021/march/Loan-Round-Up-90-Minutes-For-Sessegnon/

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Jota's first start since December: Predicted Liverpool lineup v Fulham

Liverpool take on Fulham at home today with just about every Kopite out there prepared to watch through their fingers. For some reason Anfield has gone from a fortress to a cursed place to play football. The Reds need a victory today. Here is our final predicted Liverpool lineup to face Fulham:

Goalkeeper: Alisson

The Brazilian will need to be on the ball to launch us on the counter on the rare occasion that Fulham venture forward.

Right back: Trent Alexander-Arnold

The Scouser in our team has been recovering his form of late but he stuttered against Chelsea. We need a big game from him.

Centre back: Nat Phillips

With Ozan Kabak ruled out it's back to Nat Phillips in the centre, the Bolton born lad has been impressive this term.

Centre back: Fabinho

The Brazilian is made to wait for his return to the midfield with injuries keeping him shackled to the back.

Left back: Andy Robertson

The Scotland captain will be furious with our recent form, he can turn it around with a relentless performance.

Centre midfield: Gini Wijnaldum

The Dutchman's approaching the end of his Anfield career, he'll want to go out on a high; he'll need to pick up his form to do so.

Centre midfield: Curtis Jones

The Scouser shone when we took on Fulham at Craven Cottage, more direct running today please Curt.

Centre midfield: Thiago

The Spaniard hasn't been the answer we hoped he'd be, something needs to change around him.

Right wing: Sadio Mane

Sadio has been in a rut in recent weeks, one goal could change that.

Left wing: Diogo Jota

The Portuguese starts his first game since December, I hope he knows he has to turn this all around by himself.

Striker: Mo Salah

The Egyptian King should start through the middle with Bobby dropped to the bench. Do something Mo.



https://www.rousingthekop.com/2021/03/07/jotas-first-start-since-december-predicted-liverpool-lineup-v-fulham/

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Liverpool: Klopp must recall Diogo Jota for Fulham clash

Liverpool host Fulham on Sunday afternoon, desperate to get back to winning ways at home.

The reigning Premier League champions have shockingly lost their last five Premier League games at Anfield and are in desperate need of some inspiration from somewhere.

That could come in the form of returning star Diogo Jota, who should be in line for a start against Fulham.

Signed from Wolverhampton Wanderers in the summer window, the Portuguese ace had an electric start on Merseyside, netting nine goals in his first 18 games in all competitions.

He scored on his Liverpool debut against Arsenal, whilst also notching winning goals against Sheffield United and West Ham United. As a matter of fact, his goals have already been worth five points to Liverpool in the Premier League, despite him having played just ten matches in the competition.

Now back from a knee injury suffered in December, the 24-year-old should be recalled into the starting line-up in place of Sadio Mane after being introduced from the bench against Chelsea in midweek.

Liverpool's struggles appear to have coincided with a lean spell in front of goal for the Senegalese star.

The £108m-rated wideman has scored just seven goals in the Premier League this season, the last one of those coming six games ago in the 3-1 win against Tottenham Hotspur. A spell on the sidelines could benefit him and Liverpool.

If Jota can step up and continue the exhilarating form he displayed before getting injured then he could well give the Reds some fresh impetus as they battle for a place in the top four.

It is clear that the 24-year-old is very highly-rated by those at the club, with Liverpool assistant coach Pep Lijnders going as far as labelling Jota as a "pressing monster".

That attribute could come in extremely useful with the Reds desperately in need of some positivity.

Jota, who is on £90k per week at Anfield, could be the man to reignite Liverpool's season now he is back – that renaissance potentially kicking off on Sunday as the Reds come up against Fulham.



https://www.footballfancast.com/premier-league/liverpool/liverpool-klopp-team-news-diogo-jota-sadio-mane-tactical-analysis-injuries-opinion

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Fulham: Journalist shares concern over Aleksandar Mitrovic

Fulham journalist Jack Collins has been sharing his thoughts on Fulham striker Aleksandar Mitrovic and his current run of form for the west London club.

This comes after Collins recently made an appearance on the latest episode of The Athletic's Fulhamish podcast, where he spoke about a number of topics concerning Scott Parker's side.

On the subject of Mitrovic, who came on as a substitute during the second half of Fulham's midweek 1-0 defeat against Tottenham Hotspur, Collins had this to say about the striker.

He said: "We couldn't get the ball to stick in the first half, so bringing on Mitrovic felt like the right thing to do in terms of doing that and making it work, but that's twice now that Aleksandar Mitrovic has come on and really failed to assert himself on the game.

"Now, that's not really a dig at Mitrovic, it's more a fact that I think he's struggling to get into any rhythm off the bench. I think he's struggling to get into, well, any rhythm full stop, to be perfectly honest – but also, having lost confidence as we think, and being hit with a couple of different things, with [virus] bans and this kind of stop-start nature to the season, I think he's really found it difficult to get going.

"Now, when you're bringing him on for sort of 15 minutes to chuck the kitchen sink, it's not necessarily working in quite the way that we'd hoped.

"I'm hopeful that Scott will continue to try to give him minutes – and I know that sounds a bit weird considering we've just said it's not really working – but I do think he has a part to play in this run-in and this campaign, and to try and get him into some sort of form and shake off that rust a little bit, I think, is going to be important as we get towards the end of the season."

Fulham originally signed Mitrovic back in the 2018 January transfer window from fellow Premier League side Newcastle United on a loan deal for a fee of £540k before securing him on a permanent deal in the following summer window in a deal worth a reported fee of £22.23 million.

Overall, the 26-year-old, who is currently valued at £19.8 million, has made a total of 124 appearances for Fulham prior to their Premier League clash against Liverpool, managing to score 52 goals and provide 11 assists along the way (per Transfermarkt).

TIF Thoughts on Jack Collins' comments on Mitrovic...

So far this season, the Serbian has made 20 appearances for Fulham in the Premier League, starting 10 of them, scoring two goals in the process.

With Mitrovic having only made two passes against Tottenham with a passing accuracy percentage of 50% – the joint-lowest of any Fulham player on the night (per WhoScored) – this shows that on this occasion, he failed to make any sort of significant impact on the game when he came on, which could suggest that he is not suited to making cameo appearances in games and could be better off starting them instead.

Moving forward, it will be interesting to see whether or not Parker decides to start Mitrovic in any of Fulham's remaining league games this season.

In our view, if Mitrovic can put in a solid performance in any game he gets the chance to start in, then this will certainly put him in a good place for him to potentially start getting his form back and help his team avoid the drop back to the Championship.



https://thisisfutbol.com/2021/03/blogs/premier-league/fulham/fulham-journalist-shares-concern-over-aleksandar-mitrovic/

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Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp drops team hint ahead of Fulham and RB Leipzig

The Reds are looking to get back to winning ways at home after five consecutive Anfield defeats

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has hinted he will pick the strongest team he can to face Fulham at Anfield.

The Reds sit in seventh and four points from Champions League qualification after some struggles in the Premier League which have seen Klopp's side fall to five successive defeats at home.

The German coach made it clear that choosing an XI to face the Cottagers would be the priority before choosing the line-up for Liverpool's European clash with RB Leipzig despite the tie's importance.

"We play Fulham and then three days later we play RB Leipzig and we are not in the next round," Klopp said.

"So we cannot think about winning the Champions League now really, in the sense that we have to go through difficult rounds.

"This round is difficult. I have never thought that far [ahead].

"This week we play three games again and lately, this season, we've had three days in between.

"So it is Thursday, Sunday, Wednesday which is tough.

"We will see who we can field on Sunday and then make a decision who we can play on Wednesday.

"But it is not that we have given up on the Premier League or whatever. That will never happen.

"There is no team we can play and we lose and people say 'oh but look at that lineup'.

"Liverpool is too big, too many people are interested.

"We don't play behind closed doors, really, without cameras and you have to read in the news what the score was.

"It is in front of our people and we feel the responsibility in each game to give our absolute everything to win it.

"When it doesn't happen and people think it is not enough, it doesn't change our attitude.

"We try it again. The next time is Sunday."



https://www.football.london/fulham-fc/liverpool-vs-fulham-line-up-19983945

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"He's genuinely lost it" – These Liverpool fans stunned as Klopp makes seven changes for Fulham clash

Loads of Liverpool fans are worried about manager Jurgen Klopp after his sweeping changes made to the starting XI today.

The Reds have been on an awful run of form of late, and urgently need to get back to winning ways against Fulham this afternoon.

Still, it seems Klopp is ready to take a big gamble by majorly changing his team around, with seven changes to the team that lost to Chelsea in midweek.

ig names such as Sadio Mane, Fabinho, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Thiago Alcantara have been dropped to the bench, with the defence much-changed, and Diogo Jota returning to action.

Roberto Firmino is also out injured, meaning Xherdan Shaqiri makes it into the front three, while there's a midfield trio of Georginio Wijnaldum, James Milner and Naby Keita.

Liverpool fans are worried about so many changes and think this could signal that Klopp is running out of ideas.



https://www.caughtoffside.com/2021/03/07/liverpool-fans-think-klopp-has-lost-it-with-line-up-vs-fulham/