Saturday Fulham Stuff - 17/12/22...

[WhiteJC]

West Ham Matchday Preview

Fulham v West Ham United | Saturday 17th December 2022 | 1pm | Craven Cottage | #FULWHU

The opposition

    West Ham's first mid-season friendly saw them provide the opposition for Greg Taylor's Cambridge United testimonial. The U's legend – who has played 358 times for the club – was on target on his special night, but it was the Premier League side who triumphed 4-2 courtesy of Jarrod Bowen, Saïd Benrahma and Pierre Ekwah, in addition to an own goal.
    They followed that up four days later with a trip to Italy to take on Udinese. They fell behind to a strike from former Watford man Roberto Pereyra, but fought back to win 3-1 thanks to goals from Benrahma, Manuel Lanzini and Michail Antonio.
    The Hammers went into the World Cup break sitting 16th in the Premier League, seven places and five points below Fulham. Their season recommences away to Arsenal on Boxing Day.

Tickets

Fans can still purchase tickets for Saturday's match, with junior tickets priced at just £1!

Weather

The temperatures will pick up from what they have been this week, but it will still be fresh down by the Thames at around six degrees at kick-off. Rain and snow should be kept at bay, though.

Kit

The boys will be playing in their mint green away kit on home turf for the very first time, and to celebrate we will offering 25 per cent off away shirts! (Instore and on Saturday, only).

Safety exercise

Supporters are advised that before this match our control room and safety teams will be carrying out a safety exercise at Craven Cottage. This will take place at a designated time within one hour of turnstiles opening. This exercise may result in your entry to the stadium being delayed for a very short time only. Thank you for your assistance and cooperation.

Player insight

Dan James is looking forward to getting back into club football again, having recently represented his nation on the world's biggest stage.

Asked if he's ready to pull on the black and white once more, he said: "Super ready. We've been back a week now and we can't wait to get started again.

"The Christmas period's always so busy and, when they start, the games will be coming every three or four days, so we've got to be ready for that."

Coverage

FFCtv subscribers can listen to live commentary from Gentleman Jim and Jamie Reid.



https://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2022/december/16/west-ham-matchday-preview/

[WhiteJC]

Arteta rift could scupper January deal with London rival despite collapsed move making it doubly important

A London club are even more invested in signing an Arsenal star Mikel Arteta barely uses after being priced out of an alternative deal, though a difference of opinion could stop the move in its tracks.

All eyes will be on how the Gunners respond to their Gabriel Jesus injury blow. The Brazilian has undergone successful surgery to repair a medial ligament issue picked up while playing for Brazil in Qatar.

Jesus could miss a maximum of three months and the Gunners will be keen to ensure that absence doesn't torpedo their title charge.

A vast array of forwards have been linked, such as Joao Felix and Mykhaylo Mudryk to name just two. However, both will cost sizeable fees and a cheaper alternative could be targeted.

In any case, today's update regards a potential exit – that of the lesser-seen Cedric Soares.

The Portuguese veteran, 31, signed a permanent deal with Arsenal after initially joining on loan from Southampton.

Cedric is into his third year at the Emirates, though his game-time has plummeted. Indeed, he's racked up just two cameo appearances in the league and not even the Europa League (two minutes in total) has given him an opportunity to prove his worth.

William Saliba establishing himself at centre-half has pushed Ben White over to Cedric's right-back position.

Arteta can also call upon Takehiro Tomiyasu despite the fact both he and White are primarily centre-halves. Tomiyasu has generally played at full-back with the Gunners, though was a centre-back by trade at former club Bologna.

That's left Cedric out in the cold and there's been murmurings of a cross-London switch to Fulham in January being a viable escape route.

Fulham exploring Arsenal, Man Utd and Roma targets
Marco Silva's side are flying high in ninth despite their issues at right-back. Indeed, the Cottagers deployed winger Bobby Reid in the position on several occasions prior to the World Cup.

TEAMtalk exclusively revealed they're one of two clubs interested in ending Aaron Wan-Bissaka's nightmare at Man Utd. However, the Red Devils would prefer a permanent sale and Fulham aren't flush with cash.

Their lack of funds has also ended their chances of signing wantaway Roma star, Rick Karsdorp.

That's according to RomaGialloRossa.it, who state Roma's valuation of €10m-€12m is too much for Fulham.

That's put a move for Cedric back in focus with the report namechecking the Arsenal star specifically. Cedric can reportedly be signed for a far more modest €4m-€5m.

A deal looks there for the making on paper. Indeed, Arsenal rarely feature Cedric and Fulham have an issue they need resolving. What's more, Cedric would not have to move far and would be given a chance to play regularly once again as his career winds down.

However, Sky Sports reporter, Michael Bridge, previously detailed a difference of opinion involving Arteta that could block the move.

Arteta unwilling to let Cedric leave?
"My information is that Arteta feels they might be a little bit light, so they might stop one of the fringe players going," he told GIVEMESPORT in late-November.

"For example, there's a lot of interest in Cedric and my understanding is he wants to move on, but Arsenal won't allow that unless they bring someone else in."

Arteta's caution is understandable given what's at stake in the second half of the season. No manager wants a decision they've made to wind up costing them the league title and injuries to White or Tomiyasu would bring Cedric back into the fold.

But given he's not even featuring in the Europa League, it's clear Cedric will hardly play unless those ahead of him pick up an injury.

Unless Cedric can change Arteta's mind, he and Fulham may be left disappointed.



https://www.teamtalk.com/arsenal/arteta-rift-could-scupper-january-deal-london-rival-despite-collapsed-move-doubly-important

[WhiteJC]

Coufal: Fulham is the perfect preparation for Premier League restart

West Ham United want to keep building momentum in their final mid-season warm-up match, says Vladimír Coufal.

The Hammers will conclude a set of three mid-season friendlies ahead of the resumption of their 2022/23 Premier League campaign when they head to Fulham on Saturday 17 December for a 1pm kick-off.

In October, David Moyes' men won the league meeting against the Cottagers 3-1, with Jarrod Bowen, Gianluca Scamacca and Michail Antonio all on target at London Stadium, and will now face Marco Silva's side again as the build-up to the restart of the English top-flight intensifies.

Since the break, West Ham have started to build confidence in recent weeks, having beaten EFL League One outfit Cambridge United 4-2 and defeated Serie A side Udinese 3-1 in Italy. 

And so when the Irons head to Craven Cottage, the Czech Republic full-back is targeting a third friendly win on the bounce, having taken some time to refresh in his homeland during the first part of the mid-season break.

"I've been back in Prague with my family and it was perfect," Coufal said. "I enjoyed every moment with my family and my kids. We had a good time.

"Since we have been back, we've played two friendly games so far. Yes, they are just friendly games, but every victory still gives us confidence. 

"Saturday will be our third game since the break (for the World Cup), so we are trying to build momentum - we are looking for a third win against Fulham."

Kick-off against Fulham is at 1pm, and you will be able to follow live coverage and also get all your reaction after the final whistle on whufc.com and our official app.

If you want to cheer Coufal and company on in person, tickets are available to buy now here, priced at £20 for Adults, £10 for Over-65s and Under-21s, and £1 for Under-18s.

Following Saturday's trip to Craven Cottage, West Ham will resume the 2022/23 Premier League campaign at Arsenal on 26 December, and then host Brentford at London Stadium four days later.

Tickets for the visit to Boxing Day visit to Emirates Stadium are sold out, but seats for the visit of the Bees in our final game of 2022 are available here via the Ticket Exchange.



https://www.whufc.com/news/coufal-fulham-perfect-preparation-premier-league-restart

[WhiteJC]

West Ham fail in approach for midfielder as player is edging closer to Fulham

Following reports from the English media this week saying West Ham United made an approach for São Paulo midfielder Pablo Maia, we now get to see very interesting updates coming from the Brazilian press including Fulham.

Outlet Lance shows up confirming that the Hammers indeed opened talks to sign the 20-year-old.

That happened when the clubs were negotiating the transfer of Luizão, who's set to complete that same move in the coming weeks.

And the reason why West Ham couldn't succeed in the negotiations for Pablo Maia is actually said to be Fulham, who are also working to sign the 20-year-old.

Lance claims the talks between the Tricolor and the Whites for a €10m transfer have been underway since October.

The move only wasn't done yet because Fulham would like to have the player arriving in January, while São Paulo work to hold him until the end of the year.

The story claims the talks with the Craven Cottage side are well 'forwarded', and it seems the Brazilian club didn't want to suddenly start negotiating with a different club, or maybe West Ham just couldn't outbid Fulham in the pursuit for the youngster.



http://sportwitness.co.uk/west-ham-fail-approach-midfielder-player-edging-closer-fulham/

[WhiteJC]

Maia 'edging closer to Fulham move'
Pablo Maia is 'edging closer to a move to Fulham' according to reports from the Brazilian press, who claim that West Ham United failed in an attempt to hijack the transfer.

The Whites have been locked in talks with São Paulo over the future of the promising 20 year-old midfielder since October, with the major sticking point being when the deal would go through. Brazilian daily sports paper Lance believes the negotiations are now well advanced over a proposed £8.5m transfer, which is why West Ham's late interest has met with short shrift.

Maia, who has previous South American experience with Independente de Limeira and Portuguesa Santista, has made more 62 appearances for São Paulo, scoring twice, and his versatility has attracted interest from a number of European scouts. The youngster is most at home as a defensive midfielder, with Marco Silva seeing him as promising back up for first choice midfield pairing of Joao Palhinha and Harrison Reed, but Maia can also operate at centre back and in a more advanced midfield role.

São Paulo have recently rejected approaches from Tottenham as well as West Ham and are eager to sell their prized asset soon with his value due to drop towards the end of his current contract. The midfielder revealed in November that a move to Europe would be a dream – and that could become a reality sooner rather than later.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2022/12/maia-edging-closer-to-fulham-move/

[WhiteJC]

Fulham reportedly pursuing January deal for player linked with Nottingham Forest and West Ham

Latest news on the transfer front involving Fulham.

Fulham are reportedly edging closer to the signing of Pablo Maia from Sao Paulo. The midfielder is a man in-demand ahead of the January transfer window.

According to a report by Lance, negotiations with the Cottagers are more 'forwarded' than other teams at this stage which is playing into the hands of the London club ahead of next month. The same source reported Nottingham Forest's interest earlier this season, whilst West Ham are also in the frame.

Fulham could see Maia as someone who could provide competition and depth to their options in the middle of the park. At the age of 20, he has the potential to grow and develop in the future which gives him time to adapt to life in England if they get the deal over the line.

The youngster had spells at local teams Independente Futebol Clube and Associação Atlética Portuguesa before linking up with Sao Paulo's academy back in 2017. He has since burst into their first-team and is now an established senior player having made 61 appearances in all competitions to date, chipping in with two goals and a single assist.

Marco Silva's side appear to be in the driving seat for his signature at this stage and have some decisions to make on the transfer front this winter. They have adapted well to the step up to the Premier League this term after their promotion from the Championship and need to be smart with their recruitment over the next few windows.



https://www.londonworld.com/sport/football/fulham/fulham-reportedly-pursuing-january-deal-for-player-linked-with-nottingham-forest-3957285

[WhiteJC]

Fulham game to be streamed on West Ham TV!

West Ham United supporters will be able to watch a live stream of Saturday's game at Fulham live on West Ham TV.

The Hammers are heading up to west London for the third of their three mid-season friendly matches as they prepare for the Premier League's resumption following the FIFA World Cup break.

We have already beaten EFL League One side Cambridge United 4-2, then followed that up with a 3-1 win at Italian Serie A side Udinese last weekend.  Now, we head to Fulham looking to make it a hat-trick against our fellow Premier League side.

Due to rights restrictions, we are unable to show the game free-to-air - but you can still watch the game live by purchasing a match pass for just £5. Full details can be found by clicking here.

Once purchased, you can watch the game by heading to whufc.com/video/live



https://www.whufc.com/news/fulham-game-be-streamed-west-ham-tv

[WhiteJC]

'Wait and see' - League Two boss admits uncertainty over future of Fulham loan man

Latest news on the loan front involving Fulham.

Carlisle United boss Paul Simpson has admitted the future of Fulham loanee Sonny Hilton is out of his control. The 21-year-old linked up with the League Two side in the summer to get some experience under his belt.

He has since struggled with injury during his time at Brunton Park but has managed to play nine times to date, six of which have come in the league. As with all loan players, there is always uncertainty over their situation heading into a new transfer window.

Simpson has told Carlisle's website: "Sonny [Hilton] and Ben [Barclay] haven't had as much game time as they want, but they've both been hampered by injuries. Sonny was excellent at Newport and so unlucky that his ankle went down there.

"With every loan player there's an element of risk because they all come with that recall option during the winter window. If any of them tell their clubs that they aren't happy, that can change things as well, so again, let's wait and see."

Fulham signed Hilton from Tranmere Rovers as a youngster in 2016 and he has since been on the books of the London outfit for six years. He has been a regular for their development squad in the past but is yet to make a first-team appearance.

He was given the green light to leave on a temporary basis for the first time last year when Finnish side Turun Palloseura came calling. The Liverpudlian went on to make 11 appearances during his time in Scandinavia before heading back home.

Hilton will be eager to get some more minutes with Carlisle but his future there depends on whether he is happy staying in Cumbria and/or Fulham want a change of scene. The Cumbrians' clash against Northampton Town, who have Kieron Bowie on loan from Craven Cottage, has been postponed this weekend due to a frozen pitch.



https://www.londonworld.com/sport/football/fulham/carlisle-united-boss-admits-uncertainty-over-future-of-fulham-loan-man-3957431

[WhiteJC]

West Ham have bid rejected as £9m ace is close to joining Fulham instead

West Ham United have had a loan bid for Pablo Maia rejected with Sao Paulo in negotiations to sell the midfielder to Premier League rivals Fulham in a potential £9 million deal, according to Brazilian publication Lance. 

After missing out to West Ham for the signature of highly-rated centre-back Luizao, Marco Silva's Cottagers may be about to take some rather poetic and immediate revenge. 

Maia, Luizao's Sao Paulo team-mate, is also likely to be plying his trade on English soil in 2023. 

West Ham a big fans of the tough-tackling midfielder, but their hopes of another raid on Sao Paulo have taken a serious hit with the Tricolor rejecting an initial loan offer from the London Stadium outfit. 

As Lance point out, negotiations to sell Maia to Fulham instead are ongoing. The Cottagers are not only much further down the line in their pursuit of the ball-winning 20-year-old battle-axe, they are also willing to meet Sao Paulo's £9 million asking price. 

Fulham are expected to beat London rivals West Ham United to Pablo Maia of Sao Paulo
Maia, the report adds, has been in talks with Fulham since October. He is expected to join the West London outfit in June rather than January, however; Maia's agent is encouraging his client to stay in Brazil until the summer. 

"We have many queries. He has caught the attention of the international market," Junior Pedroso explains. "He is maturing. And it won't be bad to stay another six months in Sao Paulo." 

Fulham had an opening bid of around £6 million rejected recently. Maia is a midfielder in the Harrison Reed mould; energetic, aggressive and tenacious. In 22 league starts last season, he picked up seven yellow cards. Maia, then, should fit in nicely at the heart of a Fulham midfield capable of out-running and out-fighting most in the top-flight. 

"It's a dream of mine to play in Europe," Maia admitted. 

"Pablo Maia plays as the (deep-lying) midfielder. He gives security to our defence,"adds Sao Paulo chief Muricy Ramalho. "He has a good pass too. He's not just about marking (opposition forwards).      

"Nowadays, the midfielder has to play too, and he has a good pass. Of course, he does the simple things but he keeps the ball. He gives stability to Sao Paulo." 

Per 90Min, Tottenham Hotspur have also been keeping tabs on Maia.



https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2022/12/16/west-ham-have-bid-rejected-as-9m-ace-is-close-to-joining-fulham-instead/

[WhiteJC]

The FPL half-term report: Fulham

All 20 Premier League clubs' seasons so far are analysed as the countdown to the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) restart continues.

In this Half-Term Report series, we look at which FPL players and teams have had an A* opening three months and who returned a big fat F.

FPL bosses get unlimited transfers before Gameweek 17, so these articles will hopefully help you pinpoint some key targets for the Boxing Day resumption.

Here, we focus on one of the three sides to come up from the Championship in 2021/22, Fulham.

ATTACK: SEASON SO FAR

	Total	Rank v other clubs
		(adjusted per game)
Goals scored	24	8th
Shots	182	10th
Shots in the box	133	7th
Shots on target	64	9th
Big chances	28	10th
Expected goals (xG)	20.03	10th
Non penalty expected goals	16.09	10th
(NPxG)

Fulham's success so far – and ninth place is unquestionably a success – has been predicated on their attack.

Marco Silva's side were promoted from the English second tier with a reputation for forward-thinking football, having scored 106 goals in their title-winning campiagn.

Right from the opening weekend, when the Cottagers drew 2-2 with Liverpool, they have continued with an attacking mindset.

Ranked top half for all of the metrics we have listed above, they signed off for the World Cup break by averaging the seventh-best minutes-per-NPxG figure (70.8) from Gameweeks 11-16:


Above: How Fulham compare to other Premier League sides for minutes per NPxG across 2022/23 (click to expand)

That aptitude for goalscoring has kept them in most of the matches they have contested, only twice losing by a margin of more than one goal. In one of those two games (1-4 v Newcastle United) they were reduced to 10 men very early on, and in the other (1-3 v West Ham United) they only conceded their third goal in stoppage time after chasing an equaliser.

Fulham have faced all of the current top seven already and none of them have prevented Silva's troops from scoring.

Home comforts haven't mattered too much on the surface, with the Cottagers averaging 1.75 goal per game in west London versus 1.43 on the road. But their 'expected' figures are imbalanced, with an NPxG of 10.17 at home v 5.91 away (admittedly having played one game more at Craven Cottage).

DEFENCE: SEASON SO FAR

	Total	Rank v other clubs
		(adjusted per game)
Goals conceded	26	16th
Clean sheets	3	16th=
Shots conceded	205	15th
Shots in the box conceded	156	17th=
Shots on target conceded	86	19th
Big chances conceded	53	20th
Expected goals conceded	28.58	20th
(xGC)
Non-penalty expected goals	26.21	20th
conceded(NPxGC)

Much less impressive has been Fulham's defence.

They are, quite simply, the worst side in the Premier League for xGC, with their average of 3.53 big chances conceded per game also comfortably rock bottom.


Above: How Fulham compare to other Premier League sides for minutes per NPxGC across 2022/23 (click to expand)

It's partly thanks to Bernd Leno (£4.5m) that the goals conceded column isn't as bad.

The German has kept out 2.70 more goals than he was 'expected' to ship, based on Opta's figures.

The chance and goal concessions have happened no matter the venue: even at home, no side has allowed more goals, shots in the box or big chances than the Cottagers.



https://www.fantasyfootballscout.co.uk/2022/12/16/the-fpl-half-term-report-fulham/

[WhiteJC]

Transfer agreement reached in West Ham and Fulham race to sign Pablo Maia

Fulham have reportedly beaten West Ham to secure the services of Sao Paulo midfielder Pablo Maia in the January transfer window.

According to Brazilian media outlet Lance [15 December], the Hammers made a proposal of a loan with an option to buy the 20-year-old.

This was turned down by the Brazilian club and they now appear to have reached an agreement with their Premier League rivals to sell him.

Shortlived chase

While it's evident that the Hammers are looking for a midfielder in January, Maia does not seem to be someone who's been on their radar for long.

It's understood that the player himself prefers moving to the London Stadium, but it seems like Sao Paulo wanted the money right away.

They wanted to get him on loan and see if he was worth the ordeal of signing permanently as he's not proven himself in Europe.

Fans certainly will not turn on the board for the failure to secure the 20-year-old's services even though Fulham are fighting for table positions with the Hammers.

Him going to Craven Cottage is not the end of the world and we're hoping that an attacking midfielder is signed in January.

Tomas Soucek appears done and dusted at the London Stadium and it'll be surprising if he's still a West Ham player at the start of next season.



https://www.westhamzone.com/news/transfer-agreement-reached-in-west-ham-and-fulham-race-to-sign-pablo-maia/

[WhiteJC]

Vieira shares demanding training schedule pre-Fulham

After two weeks of back-to-back training sessions and intense camp in Turkey, Patrick Vieira has revealed Crystal Palace's players are in for another round of double sessions.

Speaking with Palace TV, the manager said he will continue his demanding schedule – training before and after lunch – in the buildup to the Premier League return, because "we have a lot we still want to improve."

Commenting after the 2-1 friendly win over Real Valladolid, Vieira explained: "We have the weekend off and a double session on Monday. We have a lot to catch up on because we have a lot we still want to improve.

"We want to challenge ourselves, want to compete every single game we're going to face and the best way to do that is to prepare. When we start the games will be one after the other, so the big job, the big work, has to be done now."

That's not to say the manager was unhappy with his side's display against Valladolid – far from it. He said that "it was good to win but I was pleased with the performance as well," adding: "It's always good to go back and win football matches and today was really competitive. We found it really difficult to create chances and came back in the second-half and played better in the last third. This is one of the reasons why we scored those two goals."

Palace initially found themselves 1-0 despite dominating the evening. They came out for the second-half with attacking impetus and soon pulled level through Wilfried Zaha.

The No.11 secured a brace from the spot 20 minutes later, and in doing so ensured Palace ended the winter break with victory behind them.

"We changed at half-time and put him [Zaha] more as a No.9 and [Odsonne] Edouard went more on the left-hand side," Vieira said.

"Wilfried's timing at running in-behind is really interesting and at the same time Edouard when he comes to play between the lines can create the overload you always want. Wilfried is a goalscorer – and should score more than two today!"



https://www.cpfc.co.uk/news/first-team/patrick-vieira-reacts-to-crystal-palace-2-1-real-valladolid/2022-12-16/

[WhiteJC]

Four star Fulham U21s put Charlton to the sword
Fulham's under 21s came from behind to see off a spirited Charlton Athletic outfit and record their fifth consecutive win in the Premier League Cup with an entertaining 4-2 win at Motspur Park tonight.

Steve Wigley's starting line-up showed six changes from the team that had eased past Nottingham Forest last week. Michael Allen came in for George Wickens in goal, with regular centre back partnership Connor McAvoy and Charlie Robinson being restored and Jay Williams replacing Luciano D'Auria-Henry at right back. George Okkas and Matt Dibley-Dias slotted back into midfield with Sylvester Jasper returning on the wing in place of the rested Ollie O'Neill.

Jasper had the bit between his teeth to make an impression and the winger had the first effort of note on a freezing cold evening shooting straight at goalkeeper Henry Molyneux having stripped a defender of possession. Jason Adigun almost opened the scoring for the Addicks at the other end after wrongfooting the Fulham defence with a fine turn but shot fractionally wide. In a wide-open opening to proceedings, Jasper was denied again by Molyneux, who gathered the loose ball at the second attempt having initially failed to hold a powerful shot.

Fulham went ahead through the clinical Sanderson who turned home an inviting cross from the overlapping Luc de Fougerolles with a modicum of fuss. The Whites might have been two goals to the good had Martial Godo headed in instead of wide after more outstanding wing play from Jasper. The lively winger rattled the crossbar with a fine free-kick shortly afterwards, but Charlton levelled against the run of play with a wonderful strike from Dylan Gavin that left Michael Allen stock still as it flew in off the post.

The visitors went ahead three minutes before the break when Daniel Kanu took advantage of some sloppy defending to race through and round a stranded Allen before tapping into the unguarded net. A stern talking to from Wigley at half-time saw Fulham re-emerge for the second period on the front foot with Dibley-Dias denied by Molyneux shortly after the restart. Allen saved well from Sahid Kamara's piledriver at the other end as Charlton still carried a serious threat on the break.

Fulham levelled midway through the second half when Adrion Pajaziti won back possession with a strong tackle and fed Japser, who rifled a shot high into the net. The swiftness of the winger's finish might have surprised Molyneux, who may feel he should have done better in protecting his near post. The hosts went in front after an almighty goalmouth scramble following a Pajaziti corner with the last touch appearing to come off Charlton's unfortunate right back Harris O'Connor. McAvoy produced a sensational block on the goal-line in the final minute of normal time and Dibley-Dias made sure of the victory in the first minute of stoppage time when he pounced after Molyneux had spilled a cross to fire home the fourth.

FULHAM UNDER 21s (4-2-3-1): Allen; Williams, de Fougerolles, McAvoy, C. Robinson (de Jesus 59); Dibley-Dias, Okkas; Pajaziti, Godo, Jasper (Park 85); Sanderson. Subs (not used): McNally, Nwoko, Olyott.

GOALS: Sanderson (21), Jasper (65), O'Connor (o.g. 78), Dibley-Dias (90+1).

CHARLTON ATHLETIC UNDER 21s (4-2-3-1): Molyneux; O'Connor, Oguntayo, Henry, Olerewe; Asiimwe, Kamara (Reilly 64); Anderson (Kedwell 73), Kanu, Adigan; Gavin (Bower 88). Subs (not used): Kone.

BOOKED: Kamara.

GOALS: Gavin (35), Kanu (42).

REFEREE: Reubyn Ricardo.



https://hammyend.com/index.php/2022/12/four-star-fulham-u21s-put-charlton-to-the-sword/

[WindyCity]

Interesting stats above regards 'fpl half term report'. 

Clearly shows, as far as rankings v rest of the league, that "defense" is FFC's biggest weak spot.  We rate mid table with the offense stats.  But need to do much better with overall defense, goalkeeping. 

[Deeping_white]

Interesting stats above regards 'fpl half term report'. 

Clearly shows, as far as rankings v rest of the league, that "defense" is FFC's biggest weak spot.  We rate mid table with the offense stats.  But need to do much better with overall defense, goalkeeping. 

What part of Bernd Leno has stopped us conceding several goals less than we were expected to makes you think we need to improve there? The other thing about the stupidity of xG is that it's skewed by the fact that we racked up an extra 0.8xG against us for the Brighton game where that guy was about 10 feet offside and if he'd scored then that wouldn't exist due to the goal being ruled out, but because it was saved and went for a corner that stat remains in place