Saturday Fulham Stuff - 02/10/21...

[WhiteJC]

Why Steve Wigley's promotion is a serious step forward

The news that Fulham have promoted Steve Wigley to become head coach of their under-23 side, after a successful spell in caretaker charge, can only be viewed as a positive move. Wigley has been an integral part of the revival of the Fulham academy under Huw Jennings and Alistair Mackintosh in two spells with the club, beginning in 2012 when he first took charge of the under-18 side. His achievements with that age group have been stellar from the outset.

Wigley won Fulham's first U18 league title in his first season and led the young Whites to a prestigious Dallas Cup success in the same season. He followed that up by taking a new side all the way to the FA Youth Cup final, where the young Whites were cruelly beaten 8-7 on aggregate by a contentious late winner at Stamford Bridge. Just as important as the results on the pitch was the development of young talent, a key early aspiration of Mohamed Al-Fayed when he took over at Craven Cottage but something that proved significantly harder to achieve until the arrival of Jennings and Malcolm Elias in quick succession a decade ago.

Wigley's methods and day-to-day nurturing saw the likes of Cauley Woodrow, George Williams, Emerson Hyndman, Moussa Dembele and Patrick Roberts move swiftly through the pathway from his under-18 outfit to the first team – a process hastened when Kit Symons took over as senior manager. Just as significant was Fulham's success in luring Wigley back to Motspur Park after his spell as assistant to Stuart Pearce at Nottingham Forest came to an end. He has added two consecutive under 18 titles in the past two seasons – establishing attacking principles alongside a demand for hard work as Fulham have firmly established themselves as one of the country's leading academies. Just how comfortable Fabio Carvalho looks at senior level is arguably a tribute not just to the teenager's natural talent but his time under the tutelage of Wigley and the club's other younger age group coaches.

Whilst the under-18 side has been sweeping all before them of late (Wigley has lost just nine games of 51 in since returning to the fold), Fulham have stagnated at under 23-level over the past couple of seasons. Some of this is undoubtedly down to the nature of the competition – the newer age group has never felt as natural a fit as its under-21 predecessor or the reserve games of old, lacking a bit of intensity and with plenty of players wondering whether they will ever make the step up to senior football if they are past 21. There was a significant drop off in performances under both Peter Grant and Mark Pembridge, who is understood to have left the club after eighteen years at Motspur Park, with the club dropping into the second division of the PL2 as well as concern that Fulham's famed youth development pathway had developed a blockage.

When the club advertised the recruitment of a new head coach at under-23 level following the academy restructure that saw Colin Omogbehin handed a new first-team development position, it was thought Fulham were seeking an external appointment. Wigley took over the reigns on a temporary basis as well as continuing to oversee the development of an almost entirely new under 18 side. It helped that many of the under 23 squad were familiar with his methods have stepped up from the under 18s, but the early results told their own story. Four wins and a draw from their first six fixtures have the Whites level on points with Aston Villa at the top of the table as well as an adventurous and energetic style of play that mirrors how Marco Silva has got the first team operating.

Creative talent, like Sonny Hilton, no longer seems stifled and the emergence of Ollie O'Neill and young Luke Harris at this level shows a commitment to giving players an opportunity regardless of their age. There is significant firepower at Wigley's disposal, with Jay Stansfield having already demonstrated his eye for goal on the senior stage this season and Finnish forward Terry Ablade having found the net four times in five outings. That's before Jean-Pierre Tiehi is reintroduced to the set up having reversed course and put pen to paper on a two-year deal last week.

Fulham's under 23s head to King's Lynn to take on Norwich City in their latest league fixture tonight in good heart. Wigley, a proven producer of precious talent, now has an opportunity to guide more young starlets towards the first team set up.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/10/why-steve-wigleys-promotion-is-a-serious-step-forward/

[WhiteJC]

97 apps, 12 goals – What's former Fulham man Bryan Ruiz up to these days?

Stylish midfielder Bryan Ruiz joined Fulham in 2011 for a fee in the region of £10million from Dutch side FC Twente.

Fulham manager at the time, Martin Jol, had known about Ruiz following the manager's time in Holland and was keen to make him part of his Fulham side.

Ruiz took a while to get going in a Fulham shirt, initially looking weak with fans arguing he could have put more effort in, but scored his first goal for Fulham with a delightful chip over Tim Howard in a 3-1 defeat to Everton.

Having shown that bit of magic, he then scored another chip in a victory over Bolton but was then side-lined for the rest of that season due to breaking a bone in his foot.

In January of 2014, there were managerial changes at the club and Fulham were destined for the drop. Other players were preferred to Ruiz and he went out on loan to PSV Eindhoven where he scored five goals in 14 games.

Later that summer was the World Cup and Ruiz, who was the Costa Rica captain, found his side in a group with England, Italy and Uruguay. Against all odds, his side finished second and, after knocking out both England and Italy, managed to get to the quarter-finals before losing to the Dutch on penalties.

After impressing on the big stage, Fulham fans believed Ruiz was destined for a move away.

After appearing 97 times for the club, his time at Fulham was up and he would go on try his luck in Portugal with Sporting Lisbon. Having provided 11 assists in the 2015/16 season, he found himself in the Portuguese League team of the season.

Ruiz would stay at Sporting until 2018 where he then moved to Brazilian side Santos on a free. After only playing 12 times in his first season, Ruiz did not appear at all in the second and terminated his contract with the club after alleging 'wage breaches and moral damage'.

He now plies his trade in his home nation for Alajuelense, who won the Costa Rican league last season with Ruiz playing 21 times .

Ruiz currently finds himself 3rd in Costa Rica's all time appearances with 135 to his name. Having appeared in the most recent Internationals, he is still on cause to break the record needing only six more caps to become top.



https://the72.co.uk/251448/97-apps-12-goals-whats-former-fulham-man-bryan-ruiz-up-to-these-days/

[WhiteJC]

Araujo earns first England under 18s call up

Fulham defender Harvey Araujo has won a call up to the England under 18 squad for the first time.

The left back has been named alongside Fulham team-mate Michael Olakgibe in new head coach Ryan Garry's party for two games in Marbella against Norway and Russia. Araujo, who made fourteen appearances for Fulham's under 18s last season as Steve Wigley's side retained their southern division title, signed his first professional deal at Craven Cottage earlier this summer.

The teenage defender, who can also play at centre back, has made five appearances for Fulham's under 18s this term. Olakigbe, who made his international debut at this age group as a substitute against Wales last month, has scored three goals and made two more in five club games so far this season.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/10/araujo-earns-first-england-under-18s-call-up/

[WhiteJC]

Jimmy Hill Day at Coventry tomorrow

It is Jimmy Hill Day tomorrow at Coventry. The Sky Blues have moved their annual December commemoration of their former manager and chairman to coincide with Fulham's visit to the Coventry Building Society Arena as they raise money for the Jimmy Hill Legacy Fund, which supports a number of activities for disadvantaged children in Coventry and Warwickshire.

Hill arguably personally powered 'the Sky Blue revolution' of the 1960s and 1970s and, as Fulham Supporters' Trust chairman Tom Greatrex writes in this perceptive piece, he was critical to preserving Fulham's long-term future as well as being an outstanding player for the club. His enthusiasm for the game was ever-lasting and the Trust, in conjunction with their counterparts at the Sky Blues Trust, are encouraging fans to gather by Hill's statue opposite the away end from noon tomorrow to celebrate his unique contribution to the game we love.

If you are not heading to Coventry tomorrow, you can donate to the Jimmy Hill Legacy Fund, which is supported by Jimmy's family and whose current board includes former Fulham defender Terry Angus, here.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/10/jimmy-hill-day-at-coventry-tomorrow/

[WhiteJC]

Fulham U23s go top after Norwich win

Steve Wigley celebrated being confirmed as Fulham's permanent under 23 coach with a win over Norwich as the Whites moved to the top of PL2 Second Division thanks to two second half goals at King's Lynn tonight.

Norwich, managed by former Fulham defender Alain Neilson, were more than a match for their visitors in the first half with Tom Dickson-Peters spurning a glorious one-on-one chance before referee Robert Whitton waved away strong penalty appeals after Jon Rowe looked to have been bundled off by the returning Idris Odutayo. Fulham gradually got their precise passing going with Sonny Hilton shooting into the side netting and Jay Stansfield denied by Dylan Berry as the Canaries keeper made immediate amends his poor pass.

Rowe sent an ambitious overhead kick fractionally wide from a free-kick before Stansfield blazed over from Hilton's cross at the other end. Fulham nearly went behind through a self-inflicted wound when Taye Ashby-Hammond's slack clearance found its way to Tom Dickson-Peters, who did brilliantly to dart away from retreating defenders, and sidefooted against the post. Wigley's charges finished the stronger – they had a goal chalked off for offside and Hilton appeared set to put Fulham in front but saw his goalbound finish scrambled off the line by Jon Tomkinson.

The Whites continued where they left off after the interval. Luke Harris had a drive well saved by Berry before Terry Ablade fired over from eight yards after excellent play down the left from Ziyad Larkeche. Adrion Pajaziti almost sensationally curled home from 20 yards but the Kosovar midfielder's finish went agonisingly wide. They eventually went ahead with eighteen minutes to play when Hilton's free-kick was turned into his own net by Josh Giurgi despite Berry's best efforts to keep the ball out.

Substitute Jean Pierre Tiehi nearly doubled the lead on his first appearance since rejoining the club but his powerful header from a fabulous Marlon Fossey cross cannoned against the crossbar. Berry then did brilliantly to spread himself and thwart Hilton from six yards, but Fulham finally made sure of the three points in the last minute when Conor McAvoy headed home Stansfield's cross at the far post.

NORWICH CITY UNDER 23s (4-3-3): Berry; Giurgi, Earley (Shipley 45), Tomkinson, Warner; Khumbeni (Brooke 66), Clarke (Hutchinson 88), Springett; Dickson-Peters, Rowe, Kamara. Subs (not used): Rose.

BOOKED: Earley.

FULHAM UNDER 23s (4-2-3-1): T. Ashby-Hammond; Fossey, Larkeche, McAvoy, Odutayo; Pajaziti, Harris (D'Auria-Henry 83); Hilton, O'Neill (Williams 74), Stansfield; Ablade (Tiehi 70). Subs (not used): Adams.

BOOKED: McAvoy, Williams, Tiehi.

GOALS: Giurgi (o.g. 72), McAvoy (90).

REFEREE: Robert Whitton.

ATTENDANCE: 118.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/10/fulham-u23s-go-top-after-norwich-win/

[WhiteJC]

Ream withdraws from USA squad for 'family reasons'

Fulham defender Tim Ream has withdrawn from the United States international squad for their forthcoming World Cup qualifiers due to 'family reasons'.

American national team coach Gregg Berhalter has replaced Ream with the Nashville defender Walker Zimmerman. The 33 centre-half, who has captained Fulham in the absence of club skipper Tom Cairney this season, has made five national team appearances this year and enjoyed an outstanding start to his club campaign with the Whites sitting fourth in the Championship table ahead of tomorrow's trip to Coventry.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2021/10/ream-withdraws-from-usa-squad-for-family-reasons/

[Fulham 442]

Mark Pembridge leaves Fulham after 18 years following restructure

Pembridge played and then coached for Fulham

MARK PEMBRIDGE has left Fulham after 18 years following a major revamp of roles in their Academy.

The Welshman played 54 games for the Cottagers between 2003 and 2007 and then moved onto their coaching staff. He started coaching with the club's Under-15s and 16s, before becoming U18s and finally U23s Head Coach, a role he held in tandem with Colin Omogbehin.

Omogbehin was appointed first-team development coach in July.Steve Wigley, who has a long association with Fulham's Academy, moves up from U18s lead to take the 23. He will also continue in his position as Head of Player Development.

Charlie Turnbull, who was previously a Youth Development Phase coach and ball-striking specialist, will be Wigley's assistant with the U23s.

Elsewhere, Head of Education Sean Culley has been appointed Academy Manager, with Mick Cave continuing as Academy Director following his own promotion in July.

READ MORE: Jennings appointed Fulham Head of Football Development

Youth Development Phase Manager Andrew Watt has stepped up to become Head of Football Operations, with Marcus Herron going from Foundation Phase Manager to Pathway and Talent ID Manager.

Ali Melloul moves up from U18s assistant to U18s lead, replacing Wigley, while Andy Joslin will be his assistant (as well as the U15s/16s lead).

Head of Coaching Ben Bartlett "will extend his responsibilities to include line management of full-time and part-time academy outfield coaches across the pathway," the club said.

Pembridge, who won 54 caps for Wales, represented Luton Town, Derby County, Sheffield Wednesday, Benfica and Everton in a high-profile playing career.

In an interview last year he said: "The most rewarding thing is seeing them (young players) progress. You teach them on the training pitch with little pointers and individual bits that help them go on to reach the next level. Every individual is different and every individual needs different things to succeed."

FULL CHANGES:

Leadership:

    Academy Director: Mick Cave
    Academy Manager: Sean Cullen
    Head of Football Development: Huw Jennings
    Head of Football Operations: Andrew Watt
    Pathway & Talent ID Manager: Marcus Herron
    Head of Academy Goalkeeping: Vic Bettinelli

U23s:

    Head Coach: Steve Wigley
    Goalkeeper Coach: Geoff Warne
    Analyst & assistant: Charlie Turnbull

U18s:

    Head Coach: Ali Melloul
    Assistant: Andy Joslin



https://trainingground.guru/articles/mark-pembridge-leaves-fulham-after-18-years-following-restructure

Strange there is nothing on the Offal thanking him for his 18 years service to the club...?

[bog]

Good luck Mark. My abiding memory of Mark was at Old Trafford in October 2003 and the 3-1 win. In the first half at 0-1 he hit the bar with a rocket of a shot from 20 yards. What a day out that was.... 049:gif

092.gif 

[RaySmith]

Good luck Mark. My abiding memory of Mark was at Old Trafford in October 2003 and the 3-1 win. In the first half at 0-1 he hit the bar with a rocket of a shot from 20 yards. What a day out that was.... 049:gif

092.gif 

:plus one:

[WhiteJC]

Coventry City vs Fulham Preview: Touches in penalty box, xG, player shot maps and more – the stats



Fulham will travel to the Coventry Building Society Arena and face Coventry City in the match week 11 of the EFL Championship. Fulham is just one point and one position ahead of their opponents in the league table.

Coventry City were humiliated in the last match week by Luton Town at home. They lost the match by a scoreline of 5-0.



Coventry City have scored 12 goals and the expected goal rate of the team is 17.46. This means that the average is more than one goal per game. The team has created the most counter-attacks in the league. They average more than four counter-attacks in a game.



Coventry City is just behind their weekend opponents in the touches taken in the opposition penalty box. The average of the team is more than 20. The shots on target from inside the opposition penalty box average are around three shots per game.



Viktor Gyokeres has been the main man for Coventry City this season. The Swedish international has scored seven goals and assisted twice in ten games. The above viz is the shot map of the striker. The green dots are goal scored and red dots are the other shots on target. He has scored six goals from inside the opposition box and one-shot was a long-range effort.

Fulham returned to winning ways in the previous round after a comfortable 3-1 victory over Swansea City.



The Cottagers have been one of the most attacking sides this season. Fulham averages two goals per game and the players have scored 22 goals till now. In the above viz we can see that the expected goal rate is high for Fulham. The Cottagers xG rate is 24 and four more than the second-best team West Brom. The maximum number of attacks have been positional attacks. Fulham averages 29 positional attacks per game and almost ten positional attacks with shots in a single game.



Fulham have the highest match tempo in the division. The cottages have attempted a lot of shots and this could be the main reason behind a high tempo. They average more than 13 successful passes into the opposition box per game. The passing has been short and progressive in the ten matches played.



Aleksander Mitrovic has been the main man for his team this season. The Serbian has already scored ten goals and averages one goal per match. He has also provided three assists and his goal contribution tally is up to 13. The above viz is the shot map of goals scored and shots saved in the match. He has scored one goal from the penalty spot and all the goals have been scored from inside the opposition box.

Coventry City and Fulham have played an attacking style of football this season. Fulham will look to close the gap on leaders and go home with a win. Coventry will try to create more counterattacks and score on a break. The match could witness a lot of goals.



https://eflanalysis.com/analysis/championship/efl-championship-preview-coventry-city-vs-fulham-the-stats

[WhiteJC]

Coventry City v Fulham: Latest team news, Is there a live stream? What time is kick-off?

Two teams who had very different results in midweek clash this afternoon as Coventry City take on Fulham.

The Sky Blues are still unbeaten in the Championship at home this season but they face a very tough test as the Cottagers got back to winning ways against Swansea City most recently with Aleksandar Mitrovic firing in a hat-trick.

Coventry did not have the same kind of success in midweek as they were trounced 5-0 away from home against Luton Town in what must have come as a shock to the fans, but Mark Robins will be hoping to right the wrongs from that particular fixture.

Let's look at the team news for today's match and find out how you can access it if you cannot attend.

Latest team news

Coventry do not have any real injury concerns and the one important player who has been missing recently in Fankaty Dabo has now returned from a three-match ban, meaning he could either come in at wing-back or centre-back.

Fulham whilst having more depth than their opponents also have a lot more issues. The Cottagers have been missing young starlet Fabio Carvalho all month with a foot injury and he's also on the sidelines with full-back Kenny Tete and also Nathaniel Chalobah.

Tom Cairney and Terence Kongolo remain absent with knee injuries but they could be set to return to action in the near future with the under-23 squad, whilst Antonee Robinson has shaken off his issue and he could be returning.

Is there a live stream?

People in the UK can watch this match on Sky Sports from 12pm as it was selected for television coverage a number of weeks ago.

The match will not be on either Coventry or Fulham's personal streaming services but live commentary can be found on both official websites, with the game also being shown on television across the world due to it being picked up by Sky Sports.

What time is kick-off?

This match has selected for the early television coverage, meaning that the CBS Arena sees a 12:30 kick-off this afternoon.

Coventry had over 20,000 fans in the stadium for their 3-0 win over Peterborough a few weeks ago and they'll be hoping to provide a similar intimidating atmosphere this afternoon.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/coventry-city-v-fulham-latest-team-news-is-there-a-live-stream-what-time-is-kick-off/

[AJW48361]

Mark Pembridge no announcement the official FFC Site pretty poor deserved some gratitude.
Memory of Mark a MOM performance in the Chels** victory in 2006 a  fantastic display.

[WhiteJC]

 

[G_Gribby]

"Swedish striker Viktor Gykores is the most obvious threat to Fulham's defence, having scored seven goals so far this season, after making his loan move from Brighton permanent in the summer. He has largely been paired with the experienced Martyn Waghorn up top, although the former Nottingham Forest forward Tyler Walker is also an option for Robins. Gykores has been particularly productive at home, with his intelligent movement and predatory instincts certain to keep Tim Ream and Tosin Adarabioyo on their toes."

The Swedish bloke real name is Viktor Gyökeres.

Nothing of great importance, but nevertheless..