Wednesday Fulham Stuff - 12/10/22...

[WhiteJC]

Teenage Tottenham and West Ham target nets marvellous hat-trick against PL defender

Fulham's academy has been a hotbed of budding talents in recent years.

Indeed, the Whites have produced the likes of Harvey Elliott, Mousa Dembele, Fabio Carvalho and Matt O'Riley in recent years, while, as many Spurs fans will know, Ryan Sessegnon and Djed Spence are also products of Fulham's system.

There will certainly be many eyes on Fulham's U21s to see who is next, and we may have just found out the answer to that question.

Indeed, on Monday evening, Ollie O'Neill netted a fantastic hat-trick against Leicester City's U21s.

Usually, a hat-trick at U21 level wouldn't necessarily be too eyebrow-raising, but O'Neill achieved this feat against a backline that contained a genuine senior Premier League regular in Jannik Vestergaard, so the standard was higher than you'd usually get at that level.

However, despite Leicester fielding a strong side, Fulham made mincemeat of the Foxes, running out 7-0 winners with O'Neill finding the net three times.

Of course, the Irishman was strongly linked with both West Ham and Tottenham over the summer by The Athletic, but he committed his future to Fulham when signing a new three-year deal.

However, this is clearly a player that is on Spurs and the Hammers' radar, and performances like this aren't likely to put any of his potential suitors off.

As the likes of Elliott, Carvalho and Sessegnon have shown, Fulham's academy products are often there for the taking, especially if you're a bigger club, and with all due respect to the Cottagers, Tottenham and West Ham are currently more appealing destinations.

The Whites will surely be hoping that it's a different story with O'Neill, but as long as he keeps making headlines, he'll continue to be linked with some of the biggest clubs in the Premier League.



https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2022/10/11/teenage-tottenham-and-west-ham-target-nets-marvellous-hat-trick-against-pl-defender/

[WhiteJC]

Is Fulham v Bournemouth an early season-definer?

Fulham and Bournemouth have shared managers, players and battles both for promotion and against relegation in recent seasons – and with this weekend's fixture bristling with importance, Rhys outlines just how pivotal it could be.

Bouncebackability
Fulham go onto next weekend's clash against Bournemouth on the back of consecutive defeats that provided frustration and disbelief in equal measure, first against Newcastle and more recently West Ham.

Meanwhile, Gary O'Neil's resurgent Bournemouth have added five points from three fixtures to add to their unbeaten run since Scott Parker's departure in late August.

Having been four points clear of our fellow automatic promotees two games ago, Marco Silva could watch his side fall four points behind them with defeat at Craven Cottage on Saturday.

Not only would that defeat hand Fulham a third consecutive loss from three winnable games on paper – but leave FFC potentially only three points above the drop.

Turning point
Although that will seem a rather early assessment of the table, Fulham might only have five further Premier League fixtures before the World Cup, including a daunting trip to face Manchester City and a certain Erling Haaland.

Before all that, though, is the Cherries, who somehow find themselves above Liverpool just 44 days after their 9-0 defeat to the Reds cost Parker his job – and they will be gunning to leave us in their wake.

The return of Aleksandar Mitrovic and Harry Wilson would give the squad a much welcome boost after indifferent performances from Carlos Vinicius and Daniel James, but another task for Marco will be shaking off the injustice of the trip to the London Stadium.

'Ball to hand'
While the second-phase rules and Tim Ream's failure to clear give slight doubt over Michael Antonio's clincher, the failure of the officials to see Gianluca Scamacca's fingers bend back on connection with the ball was beyond painful.

Before those, and despite the frustration brought on by Andreas Pereira's tempting of fate, the contact for the penalty was, in isolation, never enough for the award.

Although riled up on the pitch and receiving a booking for his complaints, Silva's clam demeanour in his post-match press conference showed constructive signs of a composed leader.

Composure
Composure is just what Fulham will need if the hosts are to see off the growing threat of a spirited Bournemouth, with mistakes from Tim Ream and Tosin leaving lingering doubts and unwanted flashbacks to bygone relegations.

Despite scoring in eight of nine league outings, the same can be said with conceding – with nine goals shipped from the last three fixtures alone.

While it's promising to see that none of our performances have shown any of the hallmarks of the worst displays from 18/19 or 20/21, 18 goals conceded after nine games is the same amount as the latter season, albeit under a far more exciting style of football than that deployed under Parker. We've also only conceded two fewer than Bournemouth, who of course shipped nine in one game. Though that might say more about their overall defensive stability than anything else.

It may well be early to judge, especially after so many positive signs, but Fulham need to take something substantial from their ongoing run of reasonable fixtures.

Fulham's quest must be to keep hold of the top-half ranking that has been enjoyed since late August – with a win over Bournemouth, who haven't lost at Craven Cottage since 1992, first on the agenda.



https://www.fulhamish.co.uk/post/2022-10-11-is-fulham-v-bournemouth-an-early-season-definer/

[WhiteJC]

O'Neill: One of my best Fulham performances
Fulham under 21s captain Ollie O'Neill said last night's superb hat-trick as Steve Wigley's side scored seven without reply at Leicester City ranks as one of his finest performances for the club.

The Republic of Ireland under-21 international, who signed a professional contract at Craven Cottage this summer after rejecting interest from West Ham and Tottenham, scored three and created two more as the young Whites ran riot at Seagrave. The midfielder told Fulham's official website:

"We're very pleased, as it puts us back up towards the top of the table again. A few teams around there have dropped points these last few days and you're not going to get much better than a 7-0 win away from home. It's a performance that's right up there for me across the last couple of seasons. You always hope you can put in performances like that and people pay attention."

O'Neill believes there is more to come from Wigley's side, who have impressed on their return to the top flight following promotion last season.

"We were always confident that we would do well, because we've all played together for a few years and had success. It has still been a big step up in terms of quality of opposition and it's nice to go up and adapt to that increase. Hopefully over the next few games I can continue to contribute for the team, which is something some people wanted to see me do more of in the past. I definitely think I'm in a good place now."



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2022/10/oneill-one-of-my-best-fulham-performances/

[WhiteJC]

Black History Month: Tete Visits Melcombe

Kenny Tete visited nearby Melcombe Primary School last week to speak to pupils as part of the Club's initiatives during Black History Month, and ahead of our No Room For Racism fixture against Bournemouth on Saturday.

Kenny spoke about his upbringing and the importance of taking the knee at selected matches to create an awareness around the issues of racism, not just in football but in society.

The session highlighted many positive aspects of appreciating and learning about different cultures, and embracing equality, diversity and inclusion.

"I was really happy to attend the session," commented Kenny. "When I was young and went to school, we didn't have this kind of education, it was more what your mother or father gave you at home.

"So it's good to speak to children on these kinds of issues from an early age. I was surprised just how good their questions were too."

Asked about the significance of players across the Premier League taking the knee during two match-weeks (8th-16th October), Kenny replied: "It means a lot. It's important. I think there is a lot of room for improvement as well regarding racism.

"I think it's better to kneel one or two weeks instead of every week. Maybe we can get more attention that there is no room for racism, and everyone has to see that everyone is equal.

"It doesn't matter where you are from or where you are born or your religion."

The Club's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead, Jamie Dapaah, added: "Fulham Football Club was delighted to have been given the opportunity to visit Melcombe Primary School to deliver an educational awareness workshop in celebration of Black History Month.

"Black History Month is a time for us all to celebrate, commemorate and educate current and future generations of leaders.

"Fulham champions equality, diversity and inclusion throughout all business operations, and I would like to thank staff, pupils and parents of Melcombe Primary School for supporting us spread the powerful message of inclusivity through sport."



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2022/october/11/black-history-month-tete-visits-melcombe/

[WhiteJC]

Fulham loan watch: All the latest on Rodrigo Muniz at Middlesbrough in the EFL

Middlesbrough have had a fairly torrid start to the Championship season and have already parted company with Chris Wilder.

The Teessiders sit 21st in the Championship table and have won just three times, with one of those wins coming under caretaker Leo Percovich.

It's going to be all change at Boro in the coming weeks but whoever is appointed as the club's new head coach is going to inherit a very good squad.

Part of that squad is Rodrigo Muniz, who is on loan at Boro from Fulham.

Muniz was deemed surplus to requirements in West London and, since his move north to Middlesbrough, he's made eight appearances in the Championship.

The 21-year-old's headline stat is that he's scored twice in those eight appearances, the goals coming in defeats to Watford and Cardiff City.

Within those appearances he's averaging 2.38 shots per 90, 2.64 touches in the opposition penalty area and winning 39% of his offensive duels (Wyscout). Defensively he manages 2.38 recoveries per 90, 77.8% of which come in the opposition half.

There is, undoubtedly, room for improvement but, importantly, Muniz is at least playing regularly.

He's started seven of his eight appearances, playing the full 90 minutes on five occasions. Since Wilder's sacking, he's started, then played 82 and 75 minutes respectively against Birmingham City and Millwall.

From this point onwards, the important thing for Boro is going to be getting their appointment right. That's first and foremost given the club are hovering around the relegation zone.

Beyond that, from Muniz's point of view, he's probably going to be hopeful the new head coach has a similar approach to Wilder in that he prefers a two-man axis in attack. This Boro squad is built to play a variant of that system and the pending new head coach playing that will allow Muniz to build his minutes up.

You'd imagine that Boro's appointment gets a talented squad moving up the table and, as a result of that, you'd have to think that Muniz's stats will continue to improve.

He's amongst the turmoil after a managerial change right now, though, with Boro's results no better under Percovich, who has three points from two games.

The best thing for all involved is probably a swift appointment from this point to allow the future to shape.



https://footballleagueworld.co.uk/fulham-loan-watch-all-the-latest-on-rodrigo-muniz-at-middlesbrough-in-the-efl/

[WhiteJC]

West Ham missed a huge trick as Ollie O'Neill scores 18-minute hat-trick against £15m David Moyes target

West Ham were linked with a move to sign talented youngster Ollie O'Neill from Fulham in the summer transfer window.

The Athletic claimed that the Hammers and Tottenham were battling for the 19-year-old's signature in the summer, but Fulham managed to sign him down to a new three-year deal.

O'Neill is clearly a huge talent, and perhaps West Ham will now be wishing that they had pushed harder to sign him.

The 19-year-old winger, who can also operate as a midfielder, has an exciting future ahead of him, and is very highly rated at Craven Cottage.

O'Neill is an exceptionally gifted young footballer and would be a superb addition for West Ham.

The teenager bagged six goals and three assists in 23 games for Fulham's under-23s last season (Transfermarkt). And he has been in fine form this term as well...

West Ham missed a big trick by not signing Ollie O'Neill
The 19-year-old was in sensational form for Fulham under-21s last night.

He bagged an 18 minute hat-trick during a 7-0 win over Leicester City and he added an assist for good measure as well.

What made his performance extra impressive was the fact that Leicester lined up with experienced Premier League defender Jannik Vestergaard.

David Moyes actually wanted to sign the 30-year-old centre-back last year according to the likes of The Telegraph and Calcio Mercato.

Thankfully, we missed out on him to Leicester and it seems as though that was a really lucky escape!

On the flip-side though, West Ham must now really regret not signing Ollie O'Neill from Fulham.

Perhaps the Hammers will go back in for the 19-year-old, if he continues to produce the goods for Fulham's under-21s this season.

O'Neill has six goals and two assists now in just eight outings this season (Transfermarkt). It remains to be seen whether he has what it takes to make it at the very highest level.

However, the early indications are that he has every chance of doing just that.



https://www.hammers.news/club-news/west-ham-missed-a-huge-trick-as-ollie-oneill-scores-18-minute-hat-trick-against-15m-david-moyes-target/

[WhiteJC]

Tony Khan Gets Happy Birthday Message From New WWE Creative Director

Tony Khan turned 40 years old Tuesday.

The All Elite Wrestling President thanked supporters, as well as the Jacksonville Jaguars, Fulham FFC, and AEW organizations. On Twitter, Khan received congratulations from across the proverbial aisle from Rob Fee, who was recently hired as WWE's Director of Longterm Creative.

"Happy Birthday TK," Fee wrote colloquially.

Fee was reportedly the brains behind WWE's cryptic "white rabbit" teases that caught fans' attention in the build to Bray Wyatt's Extreme Rules return. Fee has written for comic books and TV shows, been a segment producer for "The Ellen DeGeneres Show," and also pitched a movie to WWE starring Wyatt that was originally slated to move forward before Wyatt was released in August 2021. Fee began full-time with WWE in October, after signing a contract in the week before Extreme Rules, meaning much of the "white rabbit" teases started before Fee began working for the company in an official capacity.

Someone so high up in the WWE food chain reaching out to Khan is notable since Khan has been outspoken about his frayed relationship with the company. Khan said he was not likely to collaborate with WWE in the now-infamous post-All Out press conference. Reports of WWE attempting to tamper with AEW talent have also abounded, making Fee's reply feel like an attempt at an olive branch of sorts between the disparate companies. A scan of Khan's replies seems to confirm that no other WWE employees replied to his birthday tweet, heightening the anomaly of Fee's message.




Read More: https://www.wrestlinginc.com/1049543/tony-khan-gets-happy-birthday-message-from-new-wwe-creative-director/?utm_campaign=clip

[WhiteJC]

Match Report: Charlton Athletic 4 City 2
Defeat in the capital

A stunning volley from Jay Stansfield to make it three goals in two games and a penalty slotted away by Sam Nombe were just not enough for City as they lost 4-2 on the road at Charlton Athletic.

Interim managers Kevin Nicholson and Jon Hill named an unchanged side from the fantastic victory in their previous game over Barnsley. The only addition to the squad from Saturday's win was Harry Kite who was back from injury after missing the previous four games.

In other news club captain Matt Jay remains absent from the match day squad following the birth of a healthy baby boy. Both baby and MJ's partner Courtney-Red are doing well at home.

An early chance for Charlton inside the three minutes came from Crystal Palace loanee Jes Rak-Sakyi who cut in on his left foot past Jack Sparkes, but his effort sailed wide of Blackman's far post. Only a minute later and this time Mandela Egbo had a chance to put the home side into the lead, but a combination of Sweeney and Hartridge sent the ball behind for a corner.

The first chance of the game for City fell after eight minutes and they found themselves in the Charlton penalty area. A lovely lofted through ball from Hartridge found the head of Nombe, whose cushioned header played in Caprice, his ball to the back post found last games match winner Stansfield but his header was put behind for a corner.

With 20 minutes played, The Addicks found themselves through on goal, after a short clearance from City, Charlton's Miles Leaburn fought hard and smashed the ball into the back of net from the edge of the area, with the help of a wicked deflection from Hartridge.

Only minutes later and Charlton made it 2-0 with ex-City player Jayden Stockley heading past Blackman, with the help again of another deflection off Hartridge.

City were not rolling over and letting Charlton have all of the fun, as from that kick off the ball eventually made its way to Rekeem Harper who was the best part of 30 yards away from the goal, only for his thunderous strike to go just over the bar. Another shot on goal a couple moments later, this time from Harper's midfield partner Archie Collins was deflected behind for a corner.

With 37 minutes gone, City were amping up the pressure and then out of nowhere the ball fell to Stansfield on the edge of the area, he watched the ball fall out of the air and hit it first time, an absolute barn stormer of a strike almost breaking the goal as the ball hit the back of the net, sending the travelling Grecians into delirium.

Nombe with some great strength after being bundled to the grow, wins the ball back, lands a quick one-two with Sparkes, in turn winning the Nicho's boys a corner. City were really upping the pressure in the final moments of the first half.

With the second half underway it was Hartridge who found himself weaving through the Charlton midfield, a pass out wide to Sparkes, then found Nombe in the middle who on the swivel sent the ball over the bar, but City had come out with intent and not to sit back and allow the pressure.

An excellent clearance courtesy of Josh Key, stopped Stockley from potentially getting his second of the game, with the ball out for a corner, Charlton kept on the pressure but with the ball pin balling in the area it eventually found its way into a thankful Blackman's arms.

Some awesome play from Harper in the midfield found Stansfield through on goal, but a textbook tackle at the back from Charlton led to the ball being cleared away once again. That was Harpers last action of the game, with Nicho clearly wanting to change it up, so he made way for the returning Kite, a straight swap in the middle of the park.

With a break in play due to an injury to Charlton's Leaburn, Ben Garner had the chance to make a double change with Leaburn and Steven Sessegnon being replaced by Albie Morgan and Sean Clare.

Jevani Brown with those magical feet had the Charlton defence twisting and turning all over the place after a jinxing run down the right hand side, but his searching all for Nombe never came off, instead winning a corner. Sparkes imminent set-piece was whipped into the box but could only find the head of a Charlton player and the ball was once again cleared away.

The chances keep coming but to no avail for the boys in blue, an absolute rocket of a shot left the foot of Sparkes only for the ball to cannon off the underside of the bar and away, the pressure was really being put on by City.

With only five minutes left of normal time to be played the newly introduced Chuks Aneke, slotted past Blackman to put the Addicks 3-1 up. Only moments later and Charlton were 4-1 up this time a ball to the back post found Jack Payne who smashed a header home.

In the dying embers of added time Nombe found himself in the penalty area baring down on goal, only for a Charlton defender to bundle him over. Stepping up the spot himself, Nombe reduced the deficit to 4-2.

City's next game is back at home on Saturday 15 October, welcoming Oxford United to SJP.

City: Blackman, Caprice, Key, Sweeney (C), Hartridge, Sparkes (Chauke), Collins, Harper (Kite), Brown (Cox), Stansfield, Nombe

Subs not used: Brown, James, King, Smith

Charlton Athletic: Wollacott, Sessegnon (Clare), Dobson, O'Connell, Stockley (C) (Aneke), Kirk (Blackett-Taylor), Rak-Sakyi (Payne), Egbo, Fraser, Inniss, Leaburn (Morgan)

Subs not used: MacGillivray, McGrandles,

Referee: Craig Hicks

Attendance: 11,411 (833 away)



https://www.exetercityfc.co.uk/news/2022/october/charlton-away/