Wednesday Fulham Stuff - 04/05/22...

[WhiteJC]

back Bournemouth join Fulham in Premier League as late Kieffer Moore goal forces Nottingham Forest into Championship play-offs

Bournemouth are back in the Premier League as they sealed a late 1-0 win at home to promotion rivals Nottingham Forest.

A strike from Kieffer Moore secured the win for the Cherries, who join Fulham in the top flight two years after being relegated.

Forest, who needed a win to leapfrog the Cherries in the table, will now have to try to end their 23-year top-flight exile via the play-offs.

Bournemouth started the game brightly with Philip Billing forcing a good save from Forest goalkeeper Brice Samba in only the fourth minute.

Billing's curling effort – after cutting in from the left – looked destined for the far corner before Samba flung himself down to push the ball behind for a corner.

The Cherries received a pre-match boost when their Wales midfielder David Brooks announced on social media that he was cancer free.

Brooks was given a standing ovation from the home fans in the seventh minute – in honour of their number seven, who was watching on from the executive boxes.

Forest should have taken the lead in the ninth minute when Djed Spence set Sam Surridge through on goal with a sublime defence-splitting pass.

Surridge, a product of Bournemouth's youth academy, let his former side off the hook by hammering his shot against the crossbar with goalkeeper Mark Travers beaten.

Bournemouth had a massive let off three minutes before half-time when Travers brought down Surridge inside the 18-yard box.

Travers was saved from conceding a penalty by the assistant referee's offside flag, but TV replays showed Surridge had timed his run to perfection.

Bournemouth had the first meaningful effort of the second half when top-scorer Dominic Solanke fired into the side-netting from Ryan Christie's through-ball.

The home side were forced into a change on the hour when midfielder Jefferson Lerma hobbled off to be replaced by striker Moore.

Billing came close to breaking the deadlock in the 66th minute after outmuscling Ryan Yates on the edge of his own penalty area, but could only fire against the legs of Samba from a tight angle.

Moments later former Bournemouth captain Steve Cook made a heroic block to guide Christie's effort away from goal after the Scotland international had broken free in the area.

The Cherries were by now firmly on top and Samba was called into action again 20 minutes from time to push away Jaidon Anthony's stinging effort.

The home side got the goal their efforts deserved seven minutes from time.

Jordan Zemura's mazy run drew a foul on the edge of the penalty area and Billing rolled a free-kick cleverly into the path of Moore who coolly fired the ball into the far corner.

It was only the Wales international's third goal of an injury-ravaged Bournemouth career since his January transfer from Cardiff.

The home fans spilled onto the pitch at full-time after their side survived eight long minutes of injury time to seal their top-flight comeback.



https://talksport.com/football/efl/1100755/

[WhiteJC]

 Fulham forward Mitrovic breaks all-time EFL Championship goalscoring record
Aleksandar Mitrovic scores twice in 7-0 match against Luton Town to become highest-scoring star in single season

Aleksandar Mitrovic has netted 43 goals to break the all-time goalscoring record in the English Championship.

In Monday's Luton Town match, the Serbian striker scored twice to become the highest-scoring player in a single season in the English football.

Fulham, who had already clinched promotion to the Premier League last month, hammered Luton Town 7-0 at Craven Cottage.

With 43 goals in 43 league appearances, Mitrovic surpassed Portsmouth forward Guy Whittingham's 42 goals in the 1992-93 season.

The London-based club are at the top of the league with 90 points after 45 matches.

Joining Fulham in 2018, the 27-year-old player has netted 96 goals and 18 assists in 176 matches for his team so far.



https://www.aa.com.tr/en/sports/fulham-forward-mitrovic-breaks-all-time-efl-championship-goalscoring-record/2578917

[kiwian]

About last night

The scenes at Craven Cottage last night will live long in the memory. Fulham had rather stumbled towards the finishing line after earning promotion against Preston North End last season, but they finally secured the Championship title in the sort of sensational style that they started the season. Luton Town, who would have clinched a play-off place of their own with a win in SW6, were completely swept aside for the third swashbuckling 7-0 win of a superb season – which brought up both a century of league goals and, most magically of all, Aleksandar Mitrovic's 43rd goal to surpass Guy Whittingham's second division post-war record.

The tone was set from the outset by the decision of the Fulham hierarchy to place commemorative scarves, rather than the much-maligned clappers, on each seat. The home support's swirling of these scarves before kick-off, with the stunning visuals that created, as well as what Marco Silva described as the best atmosphere he's heard inside the Cottage, gave the evening even more of a party feel. After Fulham's last two false starts, there was an edginess around the ground as a feisty Luton side sought to disrupt Fulham's rhythm but everything felt right once Tom Cairney banged in the opener.

It was fitting that our classy captain, who many had written off as withered by injury before a ball had been kicked, got the festivities underway. That Cairney cracked in the crucial opener with his right foot – which many have suggested is superbly for standing on – was wonderful and there was plenty of emotion in his own celebration at the Putney End. There was never any questioning of his prodigious talent but the Scottish playmaker has grown into a towering figure with this club, writing his name into Fulham folklore by leading us out three times at Wembley. Legendary status was long since assured: Cairney is now just enhancing his legacy with more memorable moments.

When Kenny Tete borrowed from the Cairney copybook and leathered in a left-footed long-ranger, you knew it was going to be a good night. Any angst about a Luton comeback disappeared when Fabio Carvalho, outstanding on what might have been his final Fulham appearance at the Cottage, found the far corner with a fabulous finish and there was a deserved goal for Bobby Decordova-Reid, whose work ethic has always been first class. Sandwiched between Mitrovic's magnificent brace was a low strike from distance by Jean Michael Seri, whose emergence as a midfielder that Silva can depend upon has probably surprised even the Ivorian himself.

The party was in full swing long before Mitrovic made history by making a tough finish appear straightforward in stoppage time. The Serbian had shown serious desire to fish the loose ball out of the net and sprint back to the centre circle in search of another opportunity at 6-0 and he gobbled up the chance fashioned for him by another wonderful Harry Wilson assist with absolute relish. You just run out of superlatives for Mitrovic at this point: he's a phenomenal competitor and it is a joy to see an adventurous side build around him, rather than one that excludes him entirely. We are very lucky to be watching a master at work.

The carnival only continued after the final whistle and following the inevitable pitch invasion. There was a lovely moment when the Championship trophy was brought onto the pitch by the Fulham women's captain Mary Southgate, who recently made his 100th appearance for the club, and as a lifelong fan demonstrated her impeccable H5 credentials by heading straight for H5 with the cup when she got her hands on it. It was brilliant to see Marco SIlva's backroom staff celebrating joyously on the pitch and for a superb squad to celebrate with a packed Craven Cottage.

The questions about whether Fulham can break the promotion/relegation cycle can't wait. Silva was at pains to point out that London's oldest professional football club doesn't win trophies very often: a tradition he wants to break. This side will go down as one of the best in the club's history – and certainly one of the most stylish. It is some achievement for a new manager to imbue both his personality and philosophy right across a club within nine months. Silva has not only managed that but he has forged a special bond with his players and the fans; it is hard to disagree with him when he says 'we have built something special'.

We should savour these days and this team, because they don't come around too often.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2022/05/about-last-night/

So Cairney scored with his right foot? Wow!

[NDorsetwhite]

No he didn't - watch the highlights on YouTube or FFCTV if you have it. Definitely his left foot

[Fulham 442]

No he didn't - watch the highlights on YouTube or FFCTV if you have it. Definitely his left foot

Apparently that error has now been corrected in the original article!

[gang]

Tony Khan explains plan for next season at Fulham

Fulham's Director of Football Operations and vice-Chairman Tony Khan returned to Craven Cottage to watch the club seal the Championship title with a ruthless 7-0 win over Luton Town on Monday evening.

The Cottagers have been one of the best Championship teams in recent memory, but the tougher tests are still to come with the club being relegated comfortably on their last two pitiful Premier League survival attempts in 2018/19 and 2020/21.

Khan was keen to stay grounded and stay focused on the bigger picture when he spoke to The Athletic.

He said: "We've done the first part to get promoted.

"Now we want to do the other part.

"We definitely need to put together a great season and do everything we can to stay up.

"We've been focused on building a more sustainable team and I think we can do it.

"I don't want us to be seen that way (as a yo-yo club).

"From now on, I just want us to be a yo club."

This certainly feels different, the last two times the Cottagers have won promotion to the Premier League, it was via the play-offs, not storming their way through the rest of the second tier field for almost an entire season.

The Verdict

It is a myth that Aleksandar Mitrovic has struggled at Premier League level, he scored 11 league goals for a desperate Cottagers side in 2018/19 and averages 0.29 goals per 90 minutes, as per Wyscout, at the level.

The Serbian is somehow still only 27 and his best years are ahead of him, growing in his positional intelligence and using his physicality much better with experience.

15 league goals will be a realistic target in the Premier League, should he stay fit for the majority of the season, and if Fulham can replace the creativity that Fabio Carvalho has provided this season, then Mitrovic is in a great position to silence his doubters and take the club a long way towards survival next term.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/tony-khan-explains-plan-for-next-season-at-fulham/



It was only last season when he said he would be more than happy to be a yo yo club.

[Baston White]

No he didn't - watch the highlights on YouTube or FFCTV if you have it. Definitely his left foot

Apparently that error has now been corrected in the original article!

Hope they also decide if our women's captain, Mary Southgate is a male / female after making "his" 100th appearance for the club!!

[Fulham 442]

No he didn't - watch the highlights on YouTube or FFCTV if you have it. Definitely his left foot

Apparently that error has now been corrected in the original article!

Hope they also decide if our women's captain, Mary Southgate is a male / female after making "his" 100th appearance for the club!!

She's still made "his" 100th appearance....