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Tuesday Fulham Stuff -25/05/21...

Started by WhiteJC, May 25, 2021, 12:18:56 AM

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WhiteJC

'This was home' – Middlesbrough loanee admits he could return and reflects on season

Middlesbrough loanee Neeskens Kebano has spoken to Teesside Live about his move to the Riverside.

Middlesbrough signed Kebano from Premier League side Fulham in January and he enjoyed a successful spell at the North-East club. The winger played 18 times, scoring once and assisting four during his time there.

It is testament to his quality that although Middlesbrough signed plenty of wingers last season, Kebano was one of the first names on the teamsheet when fit.

The likes of Yannick Bolasie and Nathaniel Mendez-Laing joined in the same window. Whereas Marcus Tavernier, Duncan Watmore, Djed Spence, Marvin Johnson and Hayden Coulson were all already at the club fighting for a starting berth.

Reflecting on his time at Boro, Kebano spoke extremely highly of the atmosphere at the club and the camaraderie with his teammates, as well as with the coaching staff.

"The mood of every player in the changing room was excellent," he said.

"I've been in many changing rooms and that one was one of the best I have been in.

"We were together. We'd be in early to train until about one, but most of us would not go home until about four because we would just hang around, chatting, laughing, playing cards. It was very good.

"Sometimes when you join a new team you might need a little time to settle yourself and integrate yourself into the group. But with this group, after two days I was already feeling like this was home."

The 27-time Democratic Republic of Congo international has returned to his parent club Fulham, who will play in the same division as his previous loan club Middlesbrough next season following their relegation.

He is in line to feature prominently for the Cottagers in the Championship with both Ruben Loftus-Cheek and Ademola Lookman returning to their parent clubs Chelsea and Red Bull Leipzig respectively.

Kebano was asked about his immediate future and claimed that he would return to the Riverside if the opportunity arose.

"I would consider every option, especially Middlesbrough if it ever was an option.

"I'm yet to speak to Fulham because their season is not yet over. So I don't yet know what the plan is going to be for me."

Middlesbrough are also exploring options elsewhere, with free agent Junior Hoilett high on their list. Simiarly, a deal for Nathaniel Mendez-Laing is a possibility, whilst they would like to sign Yannick Bolasie, but the Everton man may have priced himself out of a move given his high wage demands.



https://the72.co.uk/236789/this-was-home-middlesbrough-loanee-admits-he-could-return-and-reflects-on-season/

WhiteJC

Which was worse: 2018/19 or 2020/21?
Drew looks at a handful of entirely random metrics to see if this stab at Premier League survival was worse than our last one.


Well, thank God that's over. The curtain finally fell on what was, frankly, a bit of a joyless – and certainly soulless – Premier League campaign. And once again we found ourselves wanting when it was all said and done. But was this season worse than our ill-fated 2018/19 campaign? Let's compare.

League performance
18/19: 7W, 5D, 26L. GF: 34 GA: 81. 26 pts
20/21: 5W, 13D, 20L. GF: 27 GA: 53 28 pts

Let's start with the most black-and-white metric and go from there shall we? For me, this season has been all about the value of a draw. We talk often about "a good point" or "a point gained". And equally the phrase "two points dropped" is bandied about by fans and pundits alike. Our run of five consecutive league draws in December and January gave us the veneer of success and progress, when in fact we were just treading water – more and more frantically as each solitary point was notched up.

We did, however, lose a whopping six fewer games this term than last. I think that's why it hasn't felt quite so bad on the surface. But when you see we couldn't even match the seven games we won in 18/19, it's obvious to see where we fell down. The bar of 81 conceded in 18/19 was so low it was buried with Roman pottery, but it was still nice to groan 28 fewer times this term. What is interesting, however, is for all the talk of our inability to score, we only notched up seven fewer goals this time around. Though a Premier League record-low nine goals at home speaks for itself. Woeful.

Manager(s)
18/19: Slavisa Jokanovic, Claudio Ranieri, Scott Parker
20/21: Scott Parker

If the 18/19 season was characterised by managerial chaos, then at least this time we did it right. Look, none of us were convinced the squad was ready for Premier League football when we beat Brentford at Wembley – and boy, did it show in the first handful of games. But we were almost all in agreement when we said "leave Parker alone for the duration of the campaign. If we go down, then we go down. Give him a chance". And, to the ownership's credit, they did that.

Sure, he might have infuriated us with his stubbornness and refusal to adapt, but there's been a togetherness among the squad that was hugely lacking before, and Parker has to take credit for it. Now, with the season over, question marks over his future are popping up everywhere, like a weed-ridden garden, and it looks like his time at the club might have come to an end. But I'm not sure booting him out any earlier would've helped.

Season's hero
18/19: Callum Chambers
20/21: Alphonse Areola

Loan star (it was ever thus) Callum Chambers won our hearts in 18/19. His tale of redemption from deer-in-the-headlights centre-back to assured and dynamic defensive midfielder will live long in the memory. It smacks of developing other clubs' players for them, but I digress...

The club awarded POTS to our French stopper Alphonse Areola last week – and it was the right choice in my opinion. He must have called his agent at least once a week to berate him for sending him to such a cluster in the run-up to a European Championships, but there we are. A good goalkeeper can earn you 10 points a season, or so the saying goes. Van Der Sar was the first 'keeper to show that was completely accurate. Whether Alphonse managed it is less clear, but he almost never had a bad game. And he made us all comfortable with putting Marek Rodak in a drawer for safekeeping for nine months. And that might be his biggest achievement.

Season's villain
18/19: Andre Schurrle
20/21: Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Is it a coincidence that both villains have Chelsea connections? Probably not. But both certainly came in with huge reputations – and both promptly delivered very little.

Schurrle, to his credit, did pop up with six goals (notably a worldie at Turf Moor), but other than that, he seemed more interested in building his personal brand, with Instagram posts aplenty. But it was still relatively surprising when in 2020 he retired, aged just 29.

RLC came in as one of our two precious Premier League loans, but he came in unfit and seemingly uninspired (citing the fact he didn't have to move to accommodate the loan should've been an immediate red flag). A deflected consolation goal against Everton aside, Loftus-Cheek rarely exceeded a 5/10 performance in a Fulham shirt. And I'd not be surprised if he lined up against us next season in his next temporary move.

Season's high
18/19: Brighton (A) – at half-time
20/21: Liverpool (A)

The 2018/19 season peaked at the AmEx stadium as the teams left the pitch for half-time. A goal from the aforementioned Andre Schurrle gave Fulham the lead again Brighton, and we looked good for back-to-back Premier League wins, having beat Burnley 4-2 a week earlier. A Mitro goal on the hour would put us further in the ascendancy, before everything fell apart. Two goals from Glenn Murray, including a late penalty gave Brighton a point, and it shocked us to our core. I'm not sure we ever got over it.

This season, it has to be our win at Anfield. Honourable mentions go to our first-ever league win at Goodison Park, and our victory at the King Power, but beating the champions, albeit a weakened side, capped a brilliant seven-game period where we picked up 12 points from a possible 21 to move level on points with Brighton and within touching distance of moving out of the relegation zone. We'll not talk about what happened next, but at full-time on that day, the great escape was on.

Season's low
18/19: Huddersfield (A)
20/21: Aston Villa (H) and (A)

An absolutely dire performance at the John Smiths Stadium against Huddersfield was a death knell for Jokanovic's Fulham tenure, and for our Premier League season – and it was only November. We'd only picked up one point since Brighton stunned us, and Slav would leave after the following game against Liverpool. The only bright point? It sparked the famous whisper podcast with Jack and Sammy.

This term, both games against Villa marked the lowest ebbs of our season, which can be split into two sections. The 3-0 gubbing they handed us at the Cottage in September was the spark that forced our recruitment team into action and supplement our play-off-winning heroes with some Premier League quality. But man, did that game hurt. We offered absolutely nothing, and were rightly trounced by a Villa side that stayed up by the skin of their teeth the term before.

The away fixture hurt just as much, for different reasons. A result would have moved us out of the relegation zone with seven games to play – a platform that could well have given us the edge against Newcastle as we moved towards a potential final day showdown. A goal from Mitro on the hour, fresh off a purple patch for Serbia, made us dream, before villa hit three in nine minutes to send us packing. We never recovered.

Off-the-pitch shenanigans
18/19: Sumo suits and training ground fists
20/21: 'Rasslin'

Finally, it seems a Fulham Premier League campaign – with the eyes of the world on us – wouldn't be complete without some sort of off-field banter. Last time out, we had our then-assistant DoF, Craig Kline, allegedly suggest he wrestle Jokanovic in padded sumo wrestling suits mid-press conference, while Aboubakar Kamara was arrested at Motspur Park for a post-yoga bust-up with fellow striker Mitro. While both episodes were slightly amusing, this sort of stuff does little to make us look like a professional top flight outfit, particularly when we're failing to show it on the pitch.

This season, we've again struggled to remain an elite club, while our Director of Football gains notoriety in his home country thanks to All Elite Wrestling. Tony Khan wears many hats, this is nothing new, but his appearances on AEW's programming, and that or rival wrestling promotion, IMPACT Wrestling, where he played a Vince McMahon-style character of the cocky owner, has once again made Fulham FC a figure of fun. One of the worst things about the Championship is that no one, other than fans of the clubs within it, pays any attention to it. But in our case that's probably a good thing, as we try get our house in order privately.

So, was this season better or worse than 18/19? I understand that's like choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea. But, on balance, this doesn't feel quite as painful as before. I feel... apathetic. And that's perhaps more dangerous. It's time for a break and time for a reset – let's hope we take advantage of both.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/post/2021-05-24-which-was-worse-2018-19-or-2020-21/

WhiteJC

Parker wants to take stock before deciding on Fulham future

Scott Parker was refusing to drop any hints about his future in the aftermath of Fulham's final fixture of a desperately disappointing season.

The Whites signed off from the Premier League with yet another loss - Newcastle United winning 2-0 at the Cottage as Fulham finished with eight defeats and no wins in their final 10 games.

Relegation always brings soul-searching and usually a change of management, but the popular Parker is not saying whether he expects to continue or not and just wants the dust to settle before decisions are taken.

"I think we probably all need to take breath a little bit," he said.

"When you've been in the firing line like we've been all year, under the conditions we've been under because of the pandemic, it's probably wise to take a little bit of a breather, clear or minds and then sit down and come to a plan of what we need to do.

"We want to work out what's best for the club and work out the way we need to go to be successful next year.

"Seven or eight players will leave the club after loan spells so it's a new team again, new stimulus, and we need to work out the best way to go."

He said of his possible part in the next chapter: "It's not something I'm thinking about. I want a break first and foremost. Me, the staff and the players deserve that. Then we can work out how we can be stronger than we are.

"The fans have been brilliant with me and the team in the time I've been at the club and I'm forever grateful for that support they've given us. I'm sad the fans weren't able to experience Premier League football this season and see the quality on show. The challenge now is to get back into the league where we want to be."

The defeat to the Magpies was fairly typical of the campaign. There was just no end product for the Whites who set an unwelcome record low in terms of goals scored at home in a top-flight season. They managed only nine.

"If you've watched us a lot this year it is probably the story of our season, really," Parker said.

"We played the majority of the game in their half and missed some big chances. Ivan Cavaleiro's chance [in the second half] was massive. They've been in our box three or four times.

"As a snapshot, that game probably was our season in one.

"I didn't like us first half, I thought we lacked intensity and the game was flat. We improved but didn't manage to get on the right side of things. It's disappointing not to get a result today, of course. We didn't quite put the speed into the game we needed."



https://www.capitalfootball.co.uk/single-post/parker-wants-to-take-stock-before-deciding-on-fulham-future


WhiteJC

Bittersweet Debut For Tyrese

Tyrese Francois would have liked his Premier League debut to come in more positive circumstances, but was proud nonetheless to get a runout in the season finale.

The 20-year-old midfielder has endured a frustrating campaign after a hamstring problem kept him sidelined for three-and-a-half months, so he was pleased to at least end on a good note.

"It wasn't the result that we wanted but, personally, after a tough season for me with injury, it was nice to end it with my debut in the Premier League," Francois told fulhamfc.com.

"Injuries can happen at any time, it's not like it's something you can plan for, but that's football, it's part of the game. The injury was a bit of a kick in the teeth but I tried to take it in my stride.

"It was a little bittersweet; I was delighted to make my first appearance but, at the same time, it wasn't the result we wanted against Newcastle, and it was also unfortunate that we couldn't stay in the Premier League this year."

Francois had already featured for the First Team in the Carabao Cup at the start of the season, but making his league bow in front of a crowd was extra special.

"There were no fans at the Sheffield Wednesday game, so they made a big difference on Sunday," he explained.

"But also, the Premier League is completely different. It's always been a dream of mine to play in it, so I'd say this was a much better experience as we had the fans back, my family were in the stadium as well, which was very nice.



"I was so happy my family were there, as they haven't been able to watch me play much football recently because of Covid and everything, so it was nice for them to be there for that moment.

"It definitely gave us a boost having the fans there, and the players wanted to put in a good performance for them. Obviously results haven't gone our way, but we have played some good football this season and the effort has always been there, and I hope the fans saw a bit of that."

When imagining his first Premier League appearance, Francois would not have envisioned himself operating at left wing-back, but he was willing to do any job for the side.

"I was just happy to come on and try and give everything for the team," the Australia youth international said. "But yeah, I don't think many people expected me to come on for Joe Bryan!

"You never know when the Gaffer's going to call you, so I just made sure I was ready. I warmed up a few times, and then I think around the 73rd minute he told me to start getting ready, so that's when I knew I was coming on.

"He just told me to enjoy it and try to make a difference. He didn't put any pressure on it, which gave me good confidence."

With the likes of Francois, Sylvester Jasper and Fabio Carvalho all in the matchday squad on the final day, does that whet the appetite for more minutes in the Championship next season?

"Exactly," replied Francois. "It leaves a taste in your mouth of you wanting more, and that's definitely a goal of mine, especially next season; try and get into that team and play consistent football at Fulham.

"All the management staff with the First Team give confidence to the young players. Like you've seen with Fabio, if you're good enough then you're old enough.

"He's done very well, so there's definitely a pathway for us young players to the First Team."



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2021/may/Bittersweet-Debut-For-Tyrese/

WhiteJC

HammyEnd's End of Season Awards

It's been a strange and tumultuous season for Fulham, one that opened with few expectations before a run of good form following the Whites' surprise win against Leicester. Unfortunately, fans were ultimately left disappointed yet again as the club failed to secure Premier League survival. However, that wasn't without some memorable moments for the Cottagers. So, here is our 2020/21 end of season awards.

Player of the Season
Our player of the season is the ever-consistent Harrison Reed. The box-to-box midfielder has shown his commitment in every game this season whilst wearing the historic white shirt, building on the strong start he made at Fulham last season. Reed has truly cemented his status as a vital part of the side this season, becoming one of the first names on the team sheet as his sheer endeavour has endeared him to Fulham fans and the coaching staff alike.

However, the tireless midfield maestro was run close by both Alphonse Areola and Joachim Andersen. The high-profile loan stars have been tipped for bigger things after a dependable season in an underperforming side by the river. They will both be sorely missed by the fans, who witnessed the French and Danish internationals elevate Fulham to a level not seen in the Premier League for arguably 10 years.

Young Player of the Season
Fulham's Young Player of the Season is unquestionably Fabio Carvalho. The 18-year-old Portuguese starlet has featured five times for the senior squad this season, having started in the club's short-lived runs in the FA and EFL Cups. The young winger has also played a part in three Premier League games this season, making his league debut on May 1st 2021 as he played 12 minutes at the end of the Whites' 2-0 loss away at Chelsea. Just two weeks later, Carvalho made his full Premier League debut, scoring a thunderous shot that bolted off the underside of the bar as he started on the right-wing in Fulham's 3-1 loss to Southampton.

Admittedly, Carvalho had little competition for this award with his nearest competition, Josh Maja, aged 22 years old. However, this takes nothing away from the academy graduate who was a shining light in Fulham's dull season-ending games. Carvalho was a joy to watch as he added an element of energy and excitement, making darting runs throughout the opposition's half and utilised his electric pace to add a smattering of creativity to the Whites' attack. He is an exceptional prospect and we can't wait to see how he progresses next season.

Academy Player of the Season
Fulham's Under-18s side have had a brilliant season, retaining the Premier League Under 18 title and scoring 78 goals in the process. This has thrown up multiple candidates for Academy Player of the Season, including Keiron Bowie and Luke Harris. However, our winner goes to Mika Biereth, who has scored 21 goals in 21 PL-U18 games whilst assisting a further 13 goals.

The 18-year-old English striker has proved instrumental to the Under-18's second successive title, contributing towards an enormous 43.6% of the side's goals. This has been even more important as Fulham's other striking starlet Jay Stansfield has been out for the majority of the season due to injury. Hopefully, we will see more of Motspur Park's young talent in the Championship next season, continuing the conveyer belt that has brought graduates such as Ryan Sessegnon and Harvey Elliott to the fore.

Goal of the Season
Fulham have scored 32 goals in all competitions this season, 27 of which came in the Premier League – the second-lowest in the competition behind only Sheffield United. Despite finding it hard to find the back of the net with any regularity, the Whites have scored some beauties in 2020/21, including those of Tom Cairney against Crystal Palace in October and Bobby Decordova-Reid against Queens Park Rangers in January.

However, HammyEnd's Goal of the Season goes to Ola Aina, the ex-Chelsea defender loaned from Italian side Torino, for his effort against West Bromwich Albion in November. This goal came after a wonderfully worked 1-2 with Decordova-Reid on the right-hand side of the pitch, with Aina picking up the return pass on the edge of the box. The Nigerian international struck the bobbling ball first time with his weaker left foot, sending it looping into the top-left corner of the goal. This jaw-droppingly beautiful strike was awarded the Premier League's Goal of the Month for November, showing its appreciation from the wider footballing community.

Assist of the Season
Fulham's lack of goals also did not compromise the quality of the build-up play to those that were scored. Therefore, the Assist of the Season is also awarded for yet another goal against the Baggies. However, this time it is Harrison Reed taking the prize. Reed assisted Ivan Cavaliero in the 76th minute of the January fixture, away at the Hawthorns, to earn Fulham a point on the road.

The goal came with some slow build-up play, as Anguissa shifted the ball from the centre of the pitch to Aina on the right-hand side. The full-back then found Reed to his right, looking to overlap the box-to-box midfielder. However, Reed had spotted a creative opportunity and instead played a floated cross from the touchline into the box. The ball bounced on the penalty spot before being met by the head of a diving Cavaleiro, who guided it to the right of the goalkeeper and into the left side of the goal to complete the sublime goal.

Do you agree with our assessment for this season's awards? Let us know down below.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/05/hammyends-end-of-season-awards/

WhiteJC

Ex-Dundee star Kevin McDonald reveals brother's kidney donation ahead of transplant

Former Dundee midfielder Kevin McDonald is to receive an organ donation from his brother, having battled kidney disease for the past 14 years.

The Fulham ace – whose illness first came to light in a 2008 medical as part of his move to Burnley from the Dark Blues – hopes to have surgery next month in a bid to avoid being placed on dialysis.

On his Instagram story, he wrote: "For those wondering where things are at regarding my health.

"I'm due to have my kidney transplant this Friday donated by my brother.

"I will update you all on my recovery. Thanks as always for your support throughout."

His brother Fraser, who is two years older than the Scotland international, is to donate the organ to his younger sibling.

McDonald has represented his country five times since his debut in 2018, under Alex McLeish.

Strangers offered kidney to football star

Kevin McDonald said following his announcement earlier this year that he needed the transplant, strangers had come forward to offer him an organ.

He told the BBC in March: "Random people have offered me theirs since I spoke about this. There's been so much support.

"It's turned out right now that my brother is getting worked up to do the transplant. He's a couple of years older than myself so he's the best match for the time being.

'Forever grateful'

"So he's in the process of getting his blood, urine and kidney function checked and making sure he's good to go. It was an easy enough conversation in that sense.

"If my brother was needing a transplant I'd be the first to say, 'here you go' so I'll be forever grateful for that.

"If it's going to be him then it would be absolutely brilliant but if it's not him then we go to the next one and the next one and so on until we get one."

McDonald, 32, has known he would eventually need a transplant for the past 12 years.

The Carnoustie-born midfielder – who hasn't appeared for Scott Parker's side this season and is coaching at the English Premier League club – accepts his playing career could be over.

One kidney not functioning at all

At present, he said one kidney "doesn't work at all" and the other operates at around 10% of normal function for a person his age.

McDonald made his full Dundee debut at Glebe Park against Brechin as a 17-year-old back in 2005.

Since leaving Dens Park – three years after his senior bow – McDonald has also had loan spells for Scunthorpe United and Notts County, and signed for both Sheffield United and Wolves, before moving to current club Fulham.



https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/local/dundee/2250541/ex-dundee-star-kevin-mcdonald-reveals-brothers-kidney-donation-ahead-of-transplant/


WhiteJC

Mario Lemina sends Fulham message as Southampton face big decision over his future

Mario Lemina has spent the 2020/21 season on loan at Fulham from Southampton, playing 30 times for Scott Parker's men as the Cottagers were relegated from the Premier League

Southampton midfielder Mario Lemina has thanked Fulham fans after his loan spell in west London came to an end.

The Gabon international has played 30 times for the Cottagers during a season-long loan spell with Scott Parker's men, scoring one goal as Fulham won 1-0 against Liverpool at Anfield in March.

However, Fulham were unsuccessful in their battle to avoid relegation, with the Cottagers enduring an instant return to the Championship following their promotion last season.

The 27-year-old's future is currently uncertain, with Fulham having an obligation to buy Lemina from Southampton as part of the deal, but only if they stayed up in the Premier League.

As such, he is now set to return to Southampton, with Lemina still having another year on his current contract on the south coast.

And Lemina has sent a classy message to Fulham fans following the end of the Premier League campaign, which finished with a 2-0 defeat for Parker's men against Newcastle at Craven Cottage yesterday.

Writing on Twitter, he said: "To the entire @FulhamFC family I would like to say thank you. I gave my best this season to make our fans proud, unfortunately it wasn't enough. It was an honour to be able to defend your colours."

Lemina is now likely to return to Southampton for talks over his future, with Hasenhuttl not ruling out the possibility of the midfielder returning to the fold and a decision to be made this summer.

"We are following all of our loan players and we have reports on them," Hasenhuttl said recently, speaking to Hampshire Live.

"With some, we are consistently in contact and we have our staff members doing this all the time.

"It is always helpful if somebody goes somewhere and performs quite well. I think his [Lemina's] season so far, although he has played for a relegated team, was not the worst, definitely.

"He had some very good games and I saw the goal he scored against Liverpool. It was definitely for him a good step back in the Premier League."

Lemina still has one year left on his current contract, having signed a five-year deal when he joined Saints from Juventus in 2017, but he has not featured for Ralph Hasenhuttl's side since May 2019.

Since then, he has had a loan spell at Turkish side Galatasaray, followed by his stint at Fulham this season, while he has only featured seven times for Southampton during Hasenhuttl's time in charge.



https://www.hampshirelive.news/sport/football/football-news/mario-lemina-fulham-southampton-decision-5452333

WhiteJC

Charlie Adam dedicates Dundee promotion play-off win to Fulham's Kevin McDonald ahead of kidney transplant operation
Charlie Adam helped his hometown team into the SPFL Premiership – but dedicated the win to former midfielder Kevin McDonald ahead of life-changing surgery this week.

McDonald, who played 103 times for the Dark Blues between 2005 and 2008, has been suffering from kidney disease and hasn't played for Fulham since July last year.

Football took a back-seat as he prepared for a transplant – and veteran midfielder Adam made the touching tribute in his post-match interview after Dundee relegated Kilmarnock with a second 2-1 win to take the two-legged play-off 4-2 on aggregate.

Adam said: "There will be plenty of tears but I want to thank my family and friends who have supported me – it's been a great time, but I also want to dedicate this promotion to Kevin McDonald, a former player at Dundee who is going to have a kidney transplant this week. I want to dedicate that to him because as footballers we go through tough times. Kev, if you're watching, that's for you pal."

Early goals from Danny Mullen and Lee Ashcroft extended Dundee's advantage from the first leg and Kyle Lafferty's second half penlaty couldn't summon a comeback from the Ayrshire club who slip down to the second tier for the first time since 1993.

Adam though fulfilled his pre-season mission to restore his hometown team back to the top flight and in his post-match interview on Sky Sports he added: "It's amazing, amazing. It's what I tried to come back and come back for to get the club back. It's a club I have supported since I was a young boy and I'm just delighted.

"It's been tough at times but some of the stuff we played over the season and over the two legs – I thought tonight we were excellent and we deserve to go up. We've been the second best team in the Championship this year."

He added: "There's a lot of improvement in this team. There's experience in this group and it'll be Premiership for one or two who have never tasted it. It's a big challenge. It's something I'm really proud of – to captain and take my boyhood club back to the Premier League is what I set out to do and I've managed to do that."



https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/international/charlie-adam-dedicates-dundee-promotion-play-off-win-to-fulhams-kevin-mcdonald-ahead-of-kidney-transplant-operation-3248673

Asotosyios

That was pretty classy from Adam.

Sent from my Redmi Note 8 using Tapatalk


rogerpbackinMidEastUS

Quote from: whitejc on May 25, 2021, 12:21:48 AM
Which was worse: 2018/19 or 2020/21?
Drew looks at a handful of entirely random metrics to see if this stab at Premier League survival was worse than our last one.


Well, thank God that's over. The curtain finally fell on what was, frankly, a bit of a joyless – and certainly soulless – Premier League campaign. And once again we found ourselves wanting when it was all said and done. But was this season worse than our ill-fated 2018/19 campaign? Let's compare.

League performance
18/19: 7W, 5D, 26L. GF: 34 GA: 81. 26 pts
20/21: 5W, 13D, 20L. GF: 27 GA: 53 28 pts

Let's start with the most black-and-white metric and go from there shall we? For me, this season has been all about the value of a draw. We talk often about "a good point" or "a point gained". And equally the phrase "two points dropped" is bandied about by fans and pundits alike. Our run of five consecutive league draws in December and January gave us the veneer of success and progress, when in fact we were just treading water – more and more frantically as each solitary point was notched up.

We did, however, lose a whopping six fewer games this term than last. I think that's why it hasn't felt quite so bad on the surface. But when you see we couldn't even match the seven games we won in 18/19, it's obvious to see where we fell down. The bar of 81 conceded in 18/19 was so low it was buried with Roman pottery, but it was still nice to groan 28 fewer times this term. What is interesting, however, is for all the talk of our inability to score, we only notched up seven fewer goals this time around. Though a Premier League record-low nine goals at home speaks for itself. Woeful.

Manager(s)
18/19: Slavisa Jokanovic, Claudio Ranieri, Scott Parker
20/21: Scott Parker

If the 18/19 season was characterised by managerial chaos, then at least this time we did it right. Look, none of us were convinced the squad was ready for Premier League football when we beat Brentford at Wembley – and boy, did it show in the first handful of games. But we were almost all in agreement when we said "leave Parker alone for the duration of the campaign. If we go down, then we go down. Give him a chance". And, to the ownership's credit, they did that.

Sure, he might have infuriated us with his stubbornness and refusal to adapt, but there's been a togetherness among the squad that was hugely lacking before, and Parker has to take credit for it. Now, with the season over, question marks over his future are popping up everywhere, like a weed-ridden garden, and it looks like his time at the club might have come to an end. But I'm not sure booting him out any earlier would've helped.

Season's hero
18/19: Callum Chambers
20/21: Alphonse Areola

Loan star (it was ever thus) Callum Chambers won our hearts in 18/19. His tale of redemption from deer-in-the-headlights centre-back to assured and dynamic defensive midfielder will live long in the memory. It smacks of developing other clubs' players for them, but I digress...

The club awarded POTS to our French stopper Alphonse Areola last week – and it was the right choice in my opinion. He must have called his agent at least once a week to berate him for sending him to such a cluster in the run-up to a European Championships, but there we are. A good goalkeeper can earn you 10 points a season, or so the saying goes. Van Der Sar was the first 'keeper to show that was completely accurate. Whether Alphonse managed it is less clear, but he almost never had a bad game. And he made us all comfortable with putting Marek Rodak in a drawer for safekeeping for nine months. And that might be his biggest achievement.

Season's villain
18/19: Andre Schurrle
20/21: Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Is it a coincidence that both villains have Chelsea connections? Probably not. But both certainly came in with huge reputations – and both promptly delivered very little.

Schurrle, to his credit, did pop up with six goals (notably a worldie at Turf Moor), but other than that, he seemed more interested in building his personal brand, with Instagram posts aplenty. But it was still relatively surprising when in 2020 he retired, aged just 29.

RLC came in as one of our two precious Premier League loans, but he came in unfit and seemingly uninspired (citing the fact he didn't have to move to accommodate the loan should've been an immediate red flag). A deflected consolation goal against Everton aside, Loftus-Cheek rarely exceeded a 5/10 performance in a Fulham shirt. And I'd not be surprised if he lined up against us next season in his next temporary move.

Season's high
18/19: Brighton (A) – at half-time
20/21: Liverpool (A)

The 2018/19 season peaked at the AmEx stadium as the teams left the pitch for half-time. A goal from the aforementioned Andre Schurrle gave Fulham the lead again Brighton, and we looked good for back-to-back Premier League wins, having beat Burnley 4-2 a week earlier. A Mitro goal on the hour would put us further in the ascendancy, before everything fell apart. Two goals from Glenn Murray, including a late penalty gave Brighton a point, and it shocked us to our core. I'm not sure we ever got over it.

This season, it has to be our win at Anfield. Honourable mentions go to our first-ever league win at Goodison Park, and our victory at the King Power, but beating the champions, albeit a weakened side, capped a brilliant seven-game period where we picked up 12 points from a possible 21 to move level on points with Brighton and within touching distance of moving out of the relegation zone. We'll not talk about what happened next, but at full-time on that day, the great escape was on.

Season's low
18/19: Huddersfield (A)
20/21: Aston Villa (H) and (A)

An absolutely dire performance at the John Smiths Stadium against Huddersfield was a death knell for Jokanovic's Fulham tenure, and for our Premier League season – and it was only November. We'd only picked up one point since Brighton stunned us, and Slav would leave after the following game against Liverpool. The only bright point? It sparked the famous whisper podcast with Jack and Sammy.

This term, both games against Villa marked the lowest ebbs of our season, which can be split into two sections. The 3-0 gubbing they handed us at the Cottage in September was the spark that forced our recruitment team into action and supplement our play-off-winning heroes with some Premier League quality. But man, did that game hurt. We offered absolutely nothing, and were rightly trounced by a Villa side that stayed up by the skin of their teeth the term before.

The away fixture hurt just as much, for different reasons. A result would have moved us out of the relegation zone with seven games to play – a platform that could well have given us the edge against Newcastle as we moved towards a potential final day showdown. A goal from Mitro on the hour, fresh off a purple patch for Serbia, made us dream, before villa hit three in nine minutes to send us packing. We never recovered.

Off-the-pitch shenanigans
18/19: Sumo suits and training ground fists
20/21: 'Rasslin'

Finally, it seems a Fulham Premier League campaign – with the eyes of the world on us – wouldn't be complete without some sort of off-field banter. Last time out, we had our then-assistant DoF, Craig Kline, allegedly suggest he wrestle Jokanovic in padded sumo wrestling suits mid-press conference, while Aboubakar Kamara was arrested at Motspur Park for a post-yoga bust-up with fellow striker Mitro. While both episodes were slightly amusing, this sort of stuff does little to make us look like a professional top flight outfit, particularly when we're failing to show it on the pitch.

This season, we've again struggled to remain an elite club, while our Director of Football gains notoriety in his home country thanks to All Elite Wrestling. Tony Khan wears many hats, this is nothing new, but his appearances on AEW's programming, and that or rival wrestling promotion, IMPACT Wrestling, where he played a Vince McMahon-style character of the cocky owner, has once again made Fulham FC a figure of fun. One of the worst things about the Championship is that no one, other than fans of the clubs within it, pays any attention to it. But in our case that's probably a good thing, as we try get our house in order privately.

So, was this season better or worse than 18/19? I understand that's like choosing between the devil and the deep blue sea. But, on balance, this doesn't feel quite as painful as before. I feel... apathetic. And that's perhaps more dangerous. It's time for a break and time for a reset – let's hope we take advantage of both.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/post/2021-05-24-which-was-worse-2018-19-or-2020-21/

Excellent article.  Thank you
VERY DAFT AND A LOT DAFTER THAN I SEEM, SOMETIMES

Bill2

Quote from: whitejc on May 25, 2021, 12:30:44 AM
Mario Lemina sends Fulham message as Southampton face big decision over his future

Mario Lemina has spent the 2020/21 season on loan at Fulham from Southampton, playing 30 times for Scott Parker's men as the Cottagers were relegated from the Premier League

Southampton midfielder Mario Lemina has thanked Fulham fans after his loan spell in west London came to an end.

The Gabon international has played 30 times for the Cottagers during a season-long loan spell with Scott Parker's men, scoring one goal as Fulham won 1-0 against Liverpool at Anfield in March.

However, Fulham were unsuccessful in their battle to avoid relegation, with the Cottagers enduring an instant return to the Championship following their promotion last season.

The 27-year-old's future is currently uncertain, with Fulham having an obligation to buy Lemina from Southampton as part of the deal, but only if they stayed up in the Premier League.

As such, he is now set to return to Southampton, with Lemina still having another year on his current contract on the south coast.

And Lemina has sent a classy message to Fulham fans following the end of the Premier League campaign, which finished with a 2-0 defeat for Parker's men against Newcastle at Craven Cottage yesterday.

Writing on Twitter, he said: "To the entire @FulhamFC family I would like to say thank you. I gave my best this season to make our fans proud, unfortunately it wasn't enough. It was an honour to be able to defend your colours."

Lemina is now likely to return to Southampton for talks over his future, with Hasenhuttl not ruling out the possibility of the midfielder returning to the fold and a decision to be made this summer.

"We are following all of our loan players and we have reports on them," Hasenhuttl said recently, speaking to Hampshire Live.

"With some, we are consistently in contact and we have our staff members doing this all the time.

"It is always helpful if somebody goes somewhere and performs quite well. I think his [Lemina's] season so far, although he has played for a relegated team, was not the worst, definitely.

"He had some very good games and I saw the goal he scored against Liverpool. It was definitely for him a good step back in the Premier League."

Lemina still has one year left on his current contract, having signed a five-year deal when he joined Saints from Juventus in 2017, but he has not featured for Ralph Hasenhuttl's side since May 2019.

Since then, he has had a loan spell at Turkish side Galatasaray, followed by his stint at Fulham this season, while he has only featured seven times for Southampton during Hasenhuttl's time in charge.



https://www.hampshirelive.news/sport/football/football-news/mario-lemina-fulham-southampton-decision-5452333
Liked him and he is a big step up from some others we currently have so wouldn't mind seeing Fulham putting in a cheeky bid, loved his tackling

bobby01

Interesting snippet from tyrese about not expecting to play in Bryan's position but happy to help the team.  Sums up Parker square peg and round hole philosophy to me.
Watching the ups and downs since 1958, wouldn't have it any other way, what a roller coaster of a club.