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Monday Fulham Stuff - 12/04/21...

Started by WhiteJC, April 12, 2021, 07:41:24 AM

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WhiteJC

Results


Sunday
Burnley
1-2
Newcastle
Spurs
3-2
Man Utd
West Ham
1-3
Leicester
Sheff Utd 
0-3
Arsenal

WhiteJC

'Fulham take him back': Middlesbrough fans deliver verdict on Marcus Bettinelli after Barnsley display
Middlesbrough have gone four games without a win after they were beaten 2-0 at Barnsley – and fans were quick to react on social media.

Boro fell behind midway through the second half when goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli made a mess of Alex Mowatt's in-swinging corner, which went straight into the net.

Bettinelli, who joined Boro on loan at the start of the campaign, will be out of contract at parent club Fulham this summer, yet many fans would be against re-signing the 28-year-old.

Daryl Dike added a second goal for Barnsley 15 minutes from time, as Valerien Ismael's side continued their push for a play-off place.

Here's how some Boro fans reacted to the result:

@Neeks_77: I try my best to defend the keepers, I gave Randolph a lot of stick for his decision making, but damn Bettinelli is getting harder and harder to defend. He has made some shocking errors and he has cost us so many points this year! Shame as he could have been brilliant for us!

@Smithy_MFC84: We're wasting opportunities to experiment and give fringe/youth players a chance. Instead of using these remaining games to do just that, we're going through the motions. Better days are coming, but these last few weeks will be painful on this evidence.

@AJLancaster17: I've tried to defend Bettinelli as much as I could last few weeks, but not today,

@smoggyontour86: So many players I'd give rid of from this Boro squad. Simply not good enough.

@borofc123: Bettinelli is poor, hopefully, Warnock doesn't sign him. We'd have been better keeping Pears tbh.

@RobSc0tt: Too easy to blame the first on Bettinelli. Collectively it was awful. The second one you can. Should have thrown his cap on the initial header. Dire performance that.

@Boro_shirts: I think as Boro fans we have to accept, we are in the middle of a rebuild. It's probably gonna be difficult for a while longer.

@blainalllinson: Can't quite believe what I'm about to type but here goes ... Guzan > Bettinelli. Honestly @FulhamFC take him & his lurpak coated gloves back ASAP

@andymacca8: The only good thing here is that we surely won't be trying to sign Bettinelli



https://www.hartlepoolmail.co.uk/sport/football/middlesbrough-fc/fulham-take-him-back-middlesbrough-fans-deliver-verdict-on-marcus-bettinelli-after-barnsley-display-3196155

WhiteJC

Report: Leicester want Fulham loanee Ademola Lookman

Leicester City are planning to make a move for Ademola Lookman should Fulham fail to stay up this season, according to the Sunday Mirror (11/4; page 70).

Lookman has arguably been one of the standout performers for Scott Parker's side this term. He has scored four goals and contributed four assists.

Their form after a dreadful start has left them just three points off safety. Crucially however, they have played two more games than Newcastle.

And should they get relegated, Fulham can surely expect a number of their players to be targeted by others.

One member of their current squad they will be powerless over is Lookman. The Sunday Mirror (11/4; page 70) notes that Fulham's hopes of keeping the RB Leipzig winger will likely depend on whether they beat the drop.

And should they make an immediate return to the Championship, Leicester would be interested in offering Lookman the chance to remain in the Premier League.

The report claims that he would like to stay in England's top flight as he does not feature in Leipzig's plans.

As things stand, it does appear that Fulham are in serious danger of going down. Their momentum has evaporated and they have now lost their last four.

Newcastle's form has not been much better. But they have only lost one of their last five. And those two games in hand could be vital.



https://tbrfootball.com/report-leicester-want-fulham-loanee-ademola-lookman/


WhiteJC

'What a turnaround he's made' – Many Nottingham Forest fans react to 28-year-old's display

A number of Nottingham Forest supporters have been heaping praise on defender Cyrus Christie for his recent performances after he helped the Reds pick up a point in a goalless draw at Bristol City.

Chris Hughton's side were aiming to build on the back-to-back wins they secured over the Easter period against Cardiff City and Queens Park Rangers. However, they had to settle for just a point at Ashton Gate in what was a tight encounter. The points keeps them in with a chance of securing a top-half finish in the remaining games which would be a brilliant achievement considering how the campaign has gone.

One player who delivered an influential performance in their goalless draw at Bristol was Christie, with the right-back managing to continue to show his improvements in recent months with another very solid display. It was a performance that showed that Hughton is starting to get the best out of the 28-year-old and he will be a key performer from now until the end of the season.

Christie managed to win an impressive 13 duels and also managed to make one interception and one tackle to keep the Reds solid down their right-hand side. While he was also strong going the other way manging to complete six successful dribbles and also produce three key passes (Sofascore). Those are the types of displays he needs to produce more consistently.

Many Nottingham Forest fans were keen to suggest that they should consider keeping hold of him now and that he has been a player transformed in recent weeks.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/what-a-turnaround-hes-made-many-nottingham-forest-fans-react-to-28-year-olds-display/

WhiteJC

Robbie Herrera on what Mohamed Al-Fayed's big-money Fulham takeover was like on the inside

EXCLUSIVE: Robbie Herrera has recalled Mohamed Al-Fayed's takeover at Fulham, which saw a club on the brink of extinction begin a journey to become 'the Man United of the south'

Fulham were on the brink of extinction in 1987.

The club were in financial ruin and there was talk of a merger with rivals Queens Park Rangers in a bid to keep a remnant of London's oldest team afloat.

An intervention led by chairman Jimmy Hill ensured Fulham staved off bankruptcy and all talk of a merger fell by the wayside.

Hill paved the way for Mohamed Al-Fayed - a flamboyant millionaire who promised to turn lowly Fulham into 'the Manchester United of the south' - to purchase the club in 1997.

Overnight the Whites were suddenly worthy of newspaper back pages and there was money, ambition and a sense of hope that Fulham could leave the dark days behind them.

Al-Fayed's impact was instant.


Robbie Herrera joined Fulham from Queens Park Rangers in 1993 (Image: EMPICS Sport)

Out went manager Mickey Adams and in came Ray Wilkins and Kevin Keegan.

Fulham splashed cash the banks of the Thames hadn't seen before; £2.1million on Chris Coleman, who dropped two divisions to make the move, and £1.1million on Canadian sensation Paul Peschisolido.

From the outside, there was much excitement from Fulham fans who watched their club being transformed before their eyes.

And according to a man who was at Fulham at the time, left-back Robbie Herrera, who signed for the club in 1993, there was also a buzz inside the dressing room, albeit one coupled with apprehension.

Herrera has recalled the period of change at Craven Cottage in an interview with Mirror Football, admitting he has both good and bad memories from the time.

"Once money started to come in, and we started to get new players, we had lads wondering whether they were going to still be there or not, it was a case that a few of us stayed - some longer than others. A few obviously went straight away," said Herrera.

"Unfortunately Mickey Adams was one of those who went straight away, which was a shame.

"It was a strange time. You're looking forward to it but all you can do when you're in and around it is do your best to make an impression and try and stay in that squad.

"I remember the first game when Kevin and Ray took over we were away at Wigan and we'd been travelling previously on - well don't get me wrong, the coach was decent, but nothing compared to what Mohamed Al-Fayed had brought in.

"We were sitting in leather seats with individual TV screens, We started the season wearing Le Coq Sportif gear and match kit and then all of a sudden we'd gone Adidas, it was unbelievable.

"Then we signed Pesch and Cookie, made big signings, and it continued."

Initially, things were looking up for Herrera as wholesale changes were implicated at Craven Cottage.

But an injury and the 1998 arrival of Rufus Brevett - a man the left-back knew well from their time together at QPR - saw Herrera slip down the pecking order in south west London.

The defender would leave Fulham in the same year, moving home to Devon, where he signed for Torquay.

A short stint at Leyton Orient followed three years later before Herrera finally hung up his boots and entered the world of football management.

"It was a strange one when Kevin and Ray took over. I stayed in the side and I was doing quite well. I'd had conversations with Kevin and he was really happy with me," Herrera continued.


Chris Coleman dropped two divisions to sign for Fulham (Image: ALLSPORT)

"I was thinking, 'The future is looking quite good here.' But unfortunately for me, I got injured, and that's when Rufus [Brevett] came in.

"We got on really well, we had a good-natured rivalry at QPR, and I was actually the first person he saw when he came up to the ground, funnily enough.

"He said to me, 'I wasn't sure whether to come because you were here.' And I'm sure he meant that.

"He said, 'I didn't know if I would be playing as the regular left-back or you would be ahead of me, so I wasn't sure about the move.' But he had to make it because I don't think he was playing where he was.

"When I left Fulham I came back down to Torquay.

"I thought I'd try and get myself into a bit of coaching. Luckily for me, it's happened. I had five or six seasons coaching the youth team at Torquay and then I had a couple of years as assistant manager at Torquay, which I really enjoyed.


Herrera moved into coaching after his playing career ended and is today manager of Dorchester Town (Image: Ppauk/REX/Shutterstock)

"Since then I have had the Under-18s and Under-23s at Plymouth, so that's been great. Now I'm at Dorchester. I went in originally as an assistant but the manager stepped down and now I've taken over the reins. It's great.

"It's nice to be able to stamp my authority and philosophies onto the team, how I'd like them to play. But you'd get this from everybody, budgets do help! But, I'm really enjoying it."

Herrera doesn't spend much time in the capital these days, but Fulham remain the club he made the most appearances for during his playing career and he continues to keep an eye on their progress.

"I always watch the games, as much as I can. It's the first result I look for is the Fulham one - second is obviously QPR," said Herrera. "I'm always looking out to see how they're doing and with a bit of luck, they will claw themselves out of this relegation battle."



https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/robbie-herrera-what-mohamed-al-23585257

WhiteJC

Burnley 1-2 Newcastle: Saint-Maximin stunner sends NUFC six clear of Fulham

GET IN!

Stunning goals from Jacob Murphy and Allan Saint-Maximin move Newcastle SIX points clear of third bottom Fulham with a MASSIVE comeback win over Burnley – despite VAR denying us a stone wall penalty in the first half.

One thing we demanded from this game was avoiding the sort of flat, half-hearted and ultimately negative approach that saw us fail to beat West Brom and get hammered at Brighton.

History threatened to repeat itself after a dismal first half included some atrocious defending, an avoidable Burnley goal and far too much wayward passing, however it was a stunning Jacob Murphy strike and sone Allan Saint-Maximin brilliance that saved Bruce's bacon.

It was backs against the wall late on and an unbearable watch over the final 20 minutes, but we stood strong and hung on for a monumental win, with Dubravka a key figure in dealing with crosses into the box and Sean Longstaff's tenacity vital in the closing stages.

With Wilson and Saint-Maximin declared fit, Bruce had a big decision to make. Would he bring both back in search of the big win we so desperately needed, or would he stay loyal to the side that caused Spurs all sorts of problems in last week's much improved display?

He went for the latter, with the only changes being Fernandez and Clark in for the injured Lascelles and poor Emil Krafth, meaning Wilson and Saint-Maximin started on the bench:



Although I was eager to see both Wilson and ASM start – two players who caused the Clarets real trouble in our 3-1 win in the reverse fixtures – we could have no real complaints if the side played with the sort of hunger, intensity and attacking intent we saw last Sunday.

Elsewhere, recent England No.1 Nick Pope was missing for the home side, giving us another reason to get at this tough yet beatable Burnley side.

The game kicked off at a sunny Turf Moor and it was immediately clear that we'd have to defend a host of long balls and crossed into the box, with Dyche keen for his side to get it wide and swing crossed into the box. As for us, we started the game half asleep, sitting too deep, surrendering possession too easily and committing a few too many cheap fouls that gave Burnley ideal opportunity to put pressure on our goal.

15 minutes in it felt far too similar to that flat and lifeless 0-0 draw at West Brom, with us showing a real lack of quality and seeming second best in most areas of the pitch – despite the opposition's clear limitations.

Frustratingly, that theme continued and Burnley opened the scoring after a Chris Wood cross – after beating Clark and Fernandez all too easily – was tapped in by an unmarked Vydra. Awful defending that topped off a truly turgid start to the game. Where on earth was the momentum from last week?

Half an hour in and there was no reaction to their opener. We were sat too deep, were constantly giving the ball away and opting to play hoofball against the one side in the Premier League who enjoy exactly that! There was zero fluidity to our play, a total lack of cohesion from front to back and the look of a side who'd never played together – not put in one of our performances of the season against Spurs seven days ago!

Murphy was struggling badly, committing too many fouls and struggling on the ball, but he was one of many who just hadn't showed up as we approached half time with just ONE shot to our name.

That changed for a brief moment when Gayle had the ball in the net, only to be standing a few inches offside from Joelinton's hook towards goal, however we were then denied a blatant penalty just five minutes before the break.

After a brilliant Peacock-Farrell save denied Gayle's goal bound effort, Sean Longstaff latched onto the lose ball and was kicked in the head as Tarkowski's high boot cleared. Anywhere else on the pitch it was a foul, but VAR somehow decided there was nothing doing.

An absolute farce.

After some more sloppy defending saw us concede a cheap free kick and corner, Dubravka pulled off a superb save to stop Dummett slicing the ball into his own net. We just about survived a late surge from Burnley to keep it at 1-0 and should have been given a stone wall penalty, but it was a shocking first half display that stunk of previous failings at West Brom, Brighton and Sheffield United.

Changes were needed, with Bruce's decision to go without Wilson and Saint-Maximin in serious danger of backfiring.

The players came back out for the second half and there was no sign of those changes. A frustrating call from Bruce given the 11 on the field had shown nothing so far in such a huge game before our fixtures turn ugly.

The second 45 started how the first ended, with us gifting Burnley an early corner that resulted in intense pressure on Dubravka and a brilliant effort from Lowton that the Slovakian tipped over.

Our centre-backs were being bullied by Wood, our wing-backs were ineffective, our midfield outworked and our forwards outnumbered and Bruce finally saw sense to bring on Wilson and Saint-Maximin with 56 minutes on the clock.

Two minutes later and they had an instant impact! Saint-Maximin twisted and turned down the right and cut the ball back for Murphy. He had a lot to do, but fired a curled right foot finish past Peacock-Farrell and into the far corner. He'd had a shocker up until now, however he more than made up for it with a stunning strike. 1-1!

Burnley continued to get the ball wide, throw bodies into the box and whip crosses in, but we stood strong and countered in devastating style.

Shelvey released Saint-Maximin on the half-way line and the Frenchman drove at an exposed Burnley defence. Wilson was an option to his right, but he cut in – sending both Tarkowski and Mee the wrong way – and fired a left-footed strike into the bottom corner!

2-1 Newcastle and the game had been turned on its head just 10 minutes on from the arrival of our unplayable attacking duo. Wilson played a part in both – he held the ball up well for the opener and made a good run for the second – but Saint-Maxmin's devastating dribbling and flare was the difference.

It's fair to say we were now entering the biggest 20 minutes of our season. Survive it and we'd move SIX clear of Fulham with one game in hand – a HUGE incentive ahead of the tough run of fixtures we had to follow.

We carried a clear threat on the counter thanks Wilson's physicality and ASM's pace – giving something for Burnley to think about when they flung bodies forward – however that didn't stop the home side shifting the ball wide and throwing balls into the box.

Thankfully, Dubravka was first to several of those and our centre-back trio stood strong after an awful first half display, but it was not done yet as we entered extra time. It could well have been had Almiron's effort not been blocked on the line after more brilliant work from ASM, mind!

Four minutes of added time and this was it – our chance to take one monumental step towards safety – and we did it.

A huge victory that ends our streak without a win and sends us into next week's clash with West Ham on a real high.

Howay the lads!



https://www.nufcblog.co.uk/2021/04/11/burnley-1-2-newcastle-saint-maximin-stunner-sends-nufc-six-clear-of-fulham/


WhiteJC


Cottage Talk Post Match Show: What Is Next For Fulham?

Take a listen to a podcast that focuses on Fulham Football Club.

In this episode, instead of looking back at the match, we took a deep dive into the issues for this season and the next season for Fulham Football Club.


You can also listen to the show by following this link...
https://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2021/4/11/22378522/cottage-talk-post-match-show-what-is-next-for-fulham

filham

Interesting to read Robbie Herera's comments. As fans we can be in no doubt that MAF gave us the best of times in the club's history. Yes money was the big factor but I often wonder who his advisors were.
Make no mistake what TK is missing right now is one or two good football advisors.

AJW48361

Cottage Talk last night,Roy wanted to replace TK has DoF like for like replacement!