Tuesday Fulham Stuff - 19/10/21...

[WhiteJC]

Talking Points: QPR

Mitro hits 50

Aleksandar Mitrović's brace means he has now scored 50 Championship goals for Fulham. He hit 12 in 17 appearances while on loan in 2017/18, 26 when we won promotion in 2019/20, and now already has 12 to his name from the opening 12 matches of the current season. It's a competition he relishes, and it would come as no surprise to anyone if the big man manages to break his personal record of goals scored in a single season.

A strong week for Jedi

Last week could not have been much more productive for Antonee Robinson. After helping the United States to a 2-1 World Cup qualifying win over Costa Rica on Thursday, he announced on Friday that he and his partner are expecting a baby, and so there was only one celebration he could go for after putting the icing on the cake with the fourth goal on Saturday!

Slick Seri

Jean Michaël Seri put on a midfield masterclass against Rangers, showing off his vision and passing range throughout the 90 minutes. Standout moments came in the build-up to our first and third goals; when his raking ball down the pitch sent Neeskens Kebano on his way, and his slick one-two with Bobby De Cordova-Reid which culminated in a knife-through-butter pass for the Jamaican to finish off.

TC back in the mix

Everyone around the Club was given a boost ahead of the game when Marco Silva announced that Tom Cairney was back available for selection. Our Club Captain didn't make it off the bench – forced changes after injuries to Ivan Cavaleiro and Joe Bryan won't have helped in that regard – but it was so good to see him back involved in the First Team picture nonetheless.

Stef-Jo's return

During his five years at the Club, Stefan Johansen's workmanlike attitude made him a real crowd favourite, and so he was always going to be guaranteed a great reception on his first return to Craven Cottage. When he came over to take a corner in the first half, he was greeted by rapturous applause from the Johnny Haynes and Hammersmith stands, and was quick to reciprocate. He even picked up a yellow card on the stroke of half-time, which provided some pleasant nostalgia.

https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2021/october/18/talking-points-qpr/

[WhiteJC]

Fulham: Fans react to footage of recent Bobby Decordova-Reid derby goal

A collection of Fulham fans have been left buzzing after spotting some footage of Bobby Decordova-Reid's goal over the past weekend.

In their last league fixture, the Cottagers claimed an uplifting 4-1 victory over London rivals Queens Park Rangers.

Aleksandar Mitrovic opened the scoring before Lyndon Dykes pulled things level. However three goals – another by Mitrovic and one apiece from Decordova-Reid and Antonee Robinson – was more than enough to see Fulham run out winners.

After the game, the club's official Twitter account shared a replay of Decordova-Reid's fine strike, which came after a great through-ball from Jean Michael Seri.

It was soon seen by many Fulham supporters and they were happy to share their thoughts on the highlight.

Here's what these Fulham fans said...

"Electricccccc."
@TheMadMan623
"I love this team."
@boogie_brewkey
"Filth has returned to the timeline."
@michaelrp76
"Incredible pass for the assist"
@jacob15allen
"I honestly think this is the best goal I've ever seen. Everything about it is perfect."
@SumptuousSeri
"Beautiful pass. Wonderful finish. Love starting Saturdays with a win like that."
@JustinASanders
"The roar, love it."
@PSzpur

This was only the 28-year-old's second goal of the season but, evidently, when you score in a London derby you will likely gain the praises of your own supporters.

Still, Decordova-Reid has also provided three assists in the Championship (after just 11 appearances) and the win sees his side rise to third in the table.

With all that in mind, it's no wonder these fans seem so delighted to watch the clip back.



https://thisisfutbol.com/2021/10/blogs/championship/fulham/fulham-fans-react-to-footage-of-recent-bobby-decordova-reid-derby-goal/

[WhiteJC]

Cardiff City mauve and yellow army.

Seven decades of Cardiff City v Fulham matches.

Cardiff City have a pretty good recent record at Craven Cottage, but, with the team in their worst run since the mid eighties and the manager, seemingly, having very few, if any, backers among the club support, it's hard to think of a match where we've been bigger underdogs in recent years – time to switch to 10-0-0 and seven centrebacks I wonder?

Anyway, here's the quiz and a spot of good news is that at least the Under 23s are playing tomorrow. I'll post the answers in Thursday.

60s. This wing half/midfielder, who was forced to retire from the game because of high blood pressure, was the second one at his first club, Aston Villa, the first one at his second and also at his third, Fulham. Who and what am I referring to? Also, what event from fifty three years was the reason why he and three others were honoured at a Premier League match this weekend?

70s. The winner of a single international cap, against Austria, this defender/midfielder played three times against City for Fulham during this decade and only avoided defeat once when the teams played out a draw. He played for sides in four countries and on three continents, making most appearances for south coast birds, but this was over two spells and he played most matches in a single stint for Fulham during a four year stay which saw him rack up close to a hundred and fifty league appearances. One of the clubs he played for towards the end of his career was called Green Gully who were based in the country where he now lives. Can you name him?

80s. Another one cap wonder, this full back was sent off in one of the domestic Cup Finals he played in, sent off in a London derby against Wimbledon for punching Dave Beasant and head butting Carlton Fairweather in the first ten minutes of the match and played in a winning Fulham side against City during this decade – he also won two European club trophies, do you know who he is?

90s. One tangly keeper (4,5).

00s. Smear North American river?

10s. He's played for both teams and, towards the end of this decade, did something in a Cardiff v Fulham match that no one else has – who and what?

20s. Another to have won just a single cap and, currently back with the Scapular club, his middle names are Erowoli Orisunmihare Oluwaseun and he played for Fulham last season, name him.



http://mauveandyellowarmy.net/seven-decades-of-cardiff-city-v-fulham-matches-3/

[WhiteJC]

Experience Newcastle told to appoint Roy Hodgson to keep club in Premier League, as Danny Murphy says 74-year-old 'been there and done it' and would be a safe bet to replace Steve Bruce

Roy Hodgson has been backed to come out of retirement and help save Newcastle from relegation by former player Danny Murphy.

Steve Bruce has been described as 'a dead man walking' after the Magpies' takeover bubble was burst by a 3-2 home defeat to Tottenham on Sunday, and Hodgson's name has now been added to the list of managers linked with the St James' Park job.

Hogdson left local side Crystal Palace at the end of the 2020/21 season a few months before his 74th birthday, but kept the door ajar for a potential return to the dugout.

talkSPORT pundit Murphy, who played under Hodgson at Fulham, believes the Newcastle job could be the perfect fit for his former boss due to his success in the bottom half of the Premier League.

Hodgson was the mastermind behind one of the league's greatest ever survivals when he kept relegation certainties Fulham up in 2008, before taking them to the Europa League final two seasons later.

The 2010 LMA Manager of the Year also won plaudits for his work at West Brom and Palace, despite poor spells with bigger teams such as England and Liverpool.

Incumbent Newcastle boss Steve Bruce looks like a near certainty to leave the club following their blockbuster £305million takeover by Saudi Arabia's Public Investment Fund.

Huge names such as Antonio Conte and Zinedine Zidane have been linked to the post, but Murphy says the Magpies' new owners should first look to consolidate their top-flight place.

And he believes Hodgson would be the perfect fit.

"I know for sure the players would like him and be on board with him, you can't not," Murphy told White and Jordan.

"He's been there and done it, he took Palace from an impossible position, they were in a much worse position than Newcastle by the way, and kept them up comfortably.

"He knows what he's doing, he's been in many relegation fights."

Hodgson pulled off the great escape with Fulham in 2008, taking 12 points from a possible 15 to end the season, keeping the Cottagers in the top flight by the skin of their teeth.

The Croydon-born coach then took the side to seventh the following campaign, before giving Fulham fans some of their most memorable nights in a run to the Europa League final which featured wins against Juventus, Wolfsburg and Shakhtar Donetsk.

Hodgson is now a 40/1 long shot to be the next Newcastle manager, but Murphy believes his former boss is a safe bet to keep the club in the top flight before focusing on the future.

He explained: "Time at Fulham, time at West Brom, he's been there and done it, of course with his age and what Newcastle want to do it is a short term thing.

"The other option is to try and go out and get the man you want to move the club forward and give him the project long term – but which top manager is going to want to take that risk right now?

"People talk about Conte, who is a very capable manager, but apparently he's said he's not interested. The reason he's not interested is because he doesn't want to waste a year in the Championship."

Hodgson appeared to have retired from the game with an emotional departure from Palace – the club he supported as a boy – but he surprisingly kept the door open for future opportunities.

"One never knows," the Premier League's oldest ever manager said. "It is a dangerous thing to do when you still feel good about yourself to start making bold statements about retirement.

"I am certainly not leaving Crystal Palace with the idea of putting myself back on the market for another job.

"I really am stepping away from football for a while, but who knows what the future will be? It is a never-say-never moment.

"I've seen so many people retire with all the fanfare blazing, only to surface again somewhere in a fairly short period of time. I'd prefer not to do that."

Since leaving Palace, Hodgson has been linked with a return to Craven Cottage as their director of football, while more recently he's had to rule himself out of the running to become the new mayor of Croydon.



https://talksport.com/football/964346/

[WhiteJC]

Preview: Fulham vs. Cardiff City - prediction, team news, lineups

Fulham play host to Cardiff City on Wednesday night looking to build on their impressive victory over Queens Park Rangers at the weekend.

While the Cottagers now sit in third place in the Championship standings, Cardiff are down in 20th position after six successive defeats.

Match preview
Having delivered no consistency since before the September international break, Fulham were under pressure to perform against London rivals QPR on Saturday afternoon.

At one stage, it appeared that the two promotion-chasing clubs would play out a draw, but Marco Silva's team showed their class with three goals during the closing quarter.

With 23 points being collected from 12 matches, the Portuguese will be relatively satisfied with his team's return, particularly when that period has also included three defeats.

Nevertheless, he will feel that there is more to come over the winter months and he will call on his players to start matching the standards which have been set by leaders Bournemouth.

Aleksandar Mitrovic continues to be a revelation this season, the Serbia international's double at the weekend taking him to 12 strikes from as many appearances in the second tier.

Mick McCarthy would have had high hopes for Cardiff challenging Fulham for promotion this season, but the veteran boss is instead fighting to keep his job in South Wales.

The Bluebirds have suffered eight defeats in nine matches in all competitions, six in a row for the loss of 15 goals where the Championship is concerned.

McCarthy is experienced enough to know that he may be past the point of no return as the club's hierarchy inevitably consider alternatives to someone who only penned a two-year contract in March.

Nevertheless, on the back of losing 3-0 at rivals Swansea City, McCarthy will demand that his players restore some pride if he is given the chance to remain at the club this week.

Fulham Championship form:

    W    L    D    W    L    W

Fulham form (all competitions):

    L    D    D    W    L    W

Cardiff City Championship form:

    L    L    L    L    L    L

Team News
Bobby Decordova Reid is expected to be handed a place in the Fulham XI after replacing the injured Ivan Cavaleiro against QPR.

Antonee Robinson should return at left-back in place of Joe Bryan, while Nathaniel Chalobah is an option if Silva wants to freshen up his midfield.

McCarthy will almost certainly make alterations to his Cardiff starting lineup with Will Vaulks a likely inclusion in midfield.

The versatile Rubin Colwill could feature on the right-hand side of midfield or play in close proximity to Kieffer Moore.

With changes to the backline expected, Perry Ng may feature at right-back.

Fulham possible starting lineup:
Rodak; Odoi, Adarabioyo, Ream, Robinson; Seri, Reed; Kebano, Reid, Wilson; Mitrovic

Cardiff City possible starting lineup:
Smithies; Ng, Morrison, Flint, Nelson, Brown; Colwill, Ralls, Vaulks, Giles; Moore

We say: Fulham 3-0 Cardiff City

This will surely be one-way traffic. Even with the unpredictability of the Championship, a trip to Fulham is the worst possible fixture for the Bluebirds, and we expect the home side to ease their way to victory.



https://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/fulham/preview/preview-fulham-vs-cardiff-prediction-team-news-lineups_467627.html?cQx=NN&newsnow

[WhiteJC]

Games for Mid-week 19/10...
Another evening game under the lights of Craven Cottage this time we face Cardiff City

Well the game against QPR was more like it!
Mitro has 12 in 12, he really is on fire! also it was really good to see Tom in the squad, it can't be too long before he starts, it'll be interesting to see who Marco drops for Tom?
Hopefully Bryan won't be out after colliding with the post, but it always difficult to choose between him and Robinson anyway. Seri has been a revelation, while there was so many things wrong with the Coventry game not starting Seri really cost us, some of his passing on Saturday was a level above anything we've seen in the last fews seasons.

Our record again Cardiff is very even with 6 wins, 5 losses and 6 draws.
Cardiff's 0-3 loss against local rivals Swansea will give them some impetuous to bounce back, as Coventry, so I'm guessing that this game will be another close one.

Assuming Carvalho's now fit, Marco said he could be, my team to face Cardiff would be...

COYW's

Games of Interest...
Tuesday 19th
QPR v Blackburn
Sheff Utd v Millwall
Stoke v Bournemouth

Wednesday 20th
Fulham v Cardiff
Swansea v West Brom

come on over to the forum and join in the discussion...
https://www.friendsoffulham.com/forum/index.php?board=36.0



http://www.friendsoffulham.com/wordpress/?p=1778

[WhiteJC]

QPR boss Warburton critical of 'soft' performance in west London derby thrashing

QPR BOSS Mark Warburton believes his side failed to take advantage of some early second-half momentum after falling to a heavy 4-1 defeat against west London rivals Fulham.

Aleksandar Mitrovic had put Fulham 1-0 up at half-time, before Lyndon Dykes equalised to draw the Rs level in the 55th minute.

However, a second strike by Mitrovic just 12 minutes later and further goals from Bobby Decordova-Reid and Antonee Robinson saw the home side take all three points at Craven Cottage.

The defeat coupled with other results sees QPR fall to eighth in the table, with Fulham now in third and just two points off an automatic promotion spot.

Warburton, back in the dugout after recovering from Covid-19, said his team did not do enough to win the match following Dykes' strike.

He said: "We wanted to be more aggressive in the second half and be more on the front foot.

"We were that at the start of the second half. Lyndon scored a very good goal, a nice finish. At that point, we were in the ascendancy.

"We needed to maximise that position and have to recognise that we can't concede goals like the second one.

"It was three or four-v-one in the box. That can't happen. That changed the whole dynamic of the game. We were 2-1 down, conceded a really poor third and then the fourth one deflects in.

"I just felt we had a softness to us for periods of the game today which is very unlike us."

Warburton also accused his side of being too soft in the first half and allowing Mitrovic to hand Fulham a 1-0 lead in the opening 45 minutes.

He said: "If I'm being honest, I thought there was a softness about us in the first half.

"We didn't do the basics well enough. You can play all the nice football that you like, but you've got to do the basics well.

"We showed Fulham too much respect in the first half. That was summed up by the first goal. Mitrovic is a talented forward of course, but he had too much time to bring the ball down and finish. That cannot happen."

The team will look to rebound when they host Blackburn Rovers at the Kiyan Prince Foundation Stadium tomorrow evening.



https://www.ealingtimes.co.uk/news/19655650.qpr-boss-warburton-critical-soft-performance-west-london-derby-thrashing/