The rise of Fulham

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We're cursed...we're ******* cursed.

As I was driving to the ground for our training session, I was very nervous. My nervousness was exponentially growing with every passing second. Mark Taylor, our head physio was supposed to compile a full report on Daniele Baselli's situation and give it to me today. With Hyndman and Ruiz already out injured, Baselli being out would be a kick in the groin for us.

Mark Taylor came to visit me with a file in his hand. Must be the reports. "Good Morning", he said.

"Morning. How's Baselli? Any news", I inquired.

"Yeah..and you're not going to like it."

My worst fear. I was nervous and began biting my nails. "Lay it on me", I said. "Whatever it is, we'll have to deal with it".

"2-3 weeks. Baselli broke his wrist during that challenge and I sent him to visit a specialist. 2 weeks is the bare minimum, including recuperation time", he said in a disappointing tone.

And I went crazy. A stream of crass words exited my mouth for the next 10 seconds or so. "Why the **** is this happening now? First Ruiz, then Hyndman and now Baselli. Why the....". Taylor interrupted me.

"One more thing", he said. "Dan Burn is out for 2 weeks too!"

Oh dear lord! Why? Just why? 3 creative midfielders out and now a first choice defender too! And during the most crucial part of the season. "What in the devil happened to him?", I asked.

"Groin strain. He sustained the injury during one of our set piece training sessions."

"We're ******* cursed, man. We're ******* cursed." I was lost for words. With a champions league spot very much in our grasp, this was the last thing I wanted.

"Ah whatever. Just send me a report as usual. I need to drink...a lot to get over this", I told Taylor as he left.
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Liverpool and Chelsea

Our next two games are against Liverpool (home) and Chelsea (away). Two tough opponents and we'll have our task cut out in the absence of our midfield creative trio. The results in these matches could very well dictate how we finish the season.
We got a point but only after a horrendous first half. Without the much needed creativity in midfield, I resorted to playing long balls to the flanks as the tactic. It didn't work nearly as well as I thought. Balotelli gave Liverpool a fantastic start after just 90 seconds. One of our long balls was intercepted by Liverpool midfield and they put together a quick move of their own to beat Bettinelli at his near post. Our first half followed a similar pattern - everything we tried went to waste. I was just waiting for the half time whistle so that I can change things around.

We tried to stay positive in the second half but it didn't translate into chances or goals. It looked like Liverpool were gonna beat us but it changed in the 70th minute. A corner by Stafylidis was headed towards goal by Balanta which looped over Mignolet into the goal. It was against the run of play and not exactly something our performance deserved. But that's football, I guess. Liverpool came close to taking the lead again through Sterling but Bettinelli did a fine job to deny the English international.

1-1 at full time. I'll take it, given our injury situation.
A very good defensive performance. Chelsea have won 16 and scored 49 goals in 17 home games before this and to stop them from scoring is fantastic. In a surprising first 45 minutes, it was us who had the better chances. Woodrow and Roberts came close to giving us the lead, and a penalty claim by Kacaniklic was turned down by the referee. I was pleased with our first half performance.

The second half was more balanced. Both teams had pretty good chances but it needed some quick reflex saves by the two keepers to keep the score at 0-0. The clock kept slowly ticking towards the 90 minute mark and Chelsea started to pressurize us a bit more. We were pushed back a bit in the final stages but the boys held their nerve and kept the clean sheet. This was a great result at Stamford bridge. I still haven't beaten Chelsea in my managerial career yet but looks like I am getting close.
LEAGUE TABLE:
In other results, there were two shocks. West Brom beat Arsenal and Everton beat Chelsea in home games in the same week when we and Liverpool fought out a draw. City and United won their games.

In the next set of fixtures when we faced Chelsea, all the other teams in contention for champions league spot (United, Liverpool, City and Arsenal) won making it even tighter.

Chelsea and Liverpool had a game in hand, and they played it on 26th April 2017. Both teams comfortably won their respective home games. It's getting close.
 
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I decided to have a talk with the striker about his recent lack of goals. I assured him that I had faith in him and told him not to worry too much about it. He reacted positively.
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Days after I told the press that I have faith in Woodrow to break his barren streak, he puts in a top performance with 2 goals. The team under my managerial career has an impressive record against Villa with no defeats so far. And we all wanted to extend that.

Things got off to a fiery start with the referee denying us a penalty in the 10th minute. We kept pressing and pushing forward and in the 36th minute, the referee gave a penalty after Kacaniklic was brought down by Wisdown inside the Villa box. Woodrow, who hasn't scored in 9 games stepped up and confidently put it away. He was delighted with the goal, and understandably so.

Just 5 mins later, he doubled his and our team's tally with a poacher's effort. Roberts dribbled past the Villa defense and played it to Woodrow. The U21 English striker used his strength to hold off Senderos, executed a brilliant turn and firmly hit one into the back of the net. 2-0 up at half time. Great stuff!

We were all over Villa early in the second half. However, Villa pulled one back in the 69th minute. Carlos Sanchez scored a goal out of nowhere really. After a couple of simple passes in the midfield, Sanchez found some space near the edge of the box. He took a chance and tried to curl one into the top corner. An audacious effort but it paid off! It was a fantastic goal. Villa had a way back into the game. And contrary to my thoughts 5 mins ago, the game took an unexpected turn and turned into a close contest.

Villa went for the equalizer - any team would have. We had to defend with extreme concentration but the Balanta-Amorebieta center back partnership stood firm to deny Villa an equalizer. 3 important points for us!

Jones injured!
Of course, why wouldn't he be injured. Every game, a midfielder of ours had to be injured. Perfect. Fkn A. He'll be out for 9-11 days, according to the physio. On the plus side, atleast he's not out for a month.
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On a much better note, Mark Taylor told me that Baselli and Burn are getting back to full fitness and should be available for our game against Newcastle. I'll take any good news at the moment.
 
It's the big trip to St. James' Park. We go into the match knowing that one point will guarantee a champions league qualification spot. But you know me - I wanted a win, and told the players exactly that. Daniele Baselli who is back from injury starts as a substitute for this game.

The game:
Newcastle started the game on a positive note but we started poorly. Misplacing passes, giving away too many fouls - not the start I expected.

27' Bruma puts Newcastle ahead from a corner. After we failed to clear the ball out of the box, Newcastle took a few potshots at goal. Finally, the ball fell to Bruma, who scored. Newcastle 1-0 Fulham

35' Sissoko! What a shot! On the half volley, Sissoko strikes from just inside the box. Fantastic shot to give Newcastle a 2 goal lead. Newcastle 2-0 Fulham. Not the start we wanted

39' Stafylidis, what have you done! The left back tripped the Newcastle winger Cabella inside the box. A needless tackle and a foolish penalty conceded. And Cabella wasn't gonna miss. Newcastle 3-0 Fulham. This is getting embarrassing.

Half time: We have been brilliant defensively this season. Only once have we conceded more than one goal before half time and that was against Chelsea. But we've conceded 3 goals already - and only once did we concede 3 goals in a game this season. Not looking good!
I ranted at the players - "What the **** was that? You don't deserve to win **** with this performance. I don't want to tell you how to play the game. You're all professionals. Go out there and sort the **** out. I expect a much better showing. From all of you!!".
The lads seemed motivated. And they went back onto the field. It's a matter of pride now.

49' It's our corner. Newcastle clear but only as far as Scott Parker, who puts it back into the box. After a partial clearance, the ball falls to Christensen who shoots on the half volley. GOAL! Into the top corner. What a brilliant shot. We pull one back. Newcastle 3-1 Fulham

64' We were pushing forward in numbers. Really pushing Newcastle back in this half. A neat play on the right hand side sets Lustig on a free overlapping run. His cross was magnificent and Finnbogason tries to get on the end of it. AND SCORES! WHAT A BEAUTIFULLY WORKED GOAL. Newcastle 3-2 Fulham. We are right back in it.

We switch to a 424 formation and went on overload. Our defenders were playing on the half way line. We needed a goal, and badly.

86' Baselli, playing his first match after being sidelined sets up a beautiful chance for Finnbogason. The Iceland striker shoots well but Tim Krul can only parry it. Woodrow gets onto the loose ball and SCORES. And we did it. 3 goals down, we pull level with 4 mins left. Newcastle 3-3 Fulham. Newcastle silenced but we are over the top. Our supporters are jubilant. That was a fantastic comeback.

90+2' Baselli showing what we have been missing. Once again plays a defense splitting pass to Pat Roberts. The youngster is through on goal and HITS THE BAR. Oh no! So close to winning the game. So close. And Krul restarts with the goal kick, which was the last kick of the game. WHAT A GAME! Absolutely pulsating.

3-3 draw at St. James' Park. We get a point, a much needed one. And we qualify for Champions League.​
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STATS AND LEAGUE TABLE:​
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The goals:
Sissoko and Christen's half volleys were the pick of the six goals. Two magnificent strikes from the edge of the box.
[video=dailymotion;x2lsk18]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2lsk18_fm-15-sissoko-half-volley-newcastle-3-3-fulham_videogames[/video][video=dailymotion;x2lsk6f]http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2lsk6f_fm-15-christensen-half-volley-newcastle-3-3-fulham_videogames[/video]
 
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In other news,

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I wasn't expecting a Champions League qualification to be honest. At the beginning of this season, I thought we were atleast 2 yrs away from this as I didn't spend much in the transfer marker. So, this is a pleasant surprise.
If you've been following the last few games, you might have noticed a trend. After each game, a key player is getting injured either in the game or the training. Now a days, evertime I see our head physio Mark Taylor, I shudder. When I saw him today, he had that terrible look on his face - you know, the look that indicates that something bad happened.

"Oh dear Lord. Please no more injuries! PLEASE", I said to myself. Well, the Lord certainly has no mercy on me or the team. Atleast not when it comes to giving me a squad of fully fit players. The injury trend continued.

Eder Alvarez Balanta is the victim this time. He'll miss the final League game against Watford at Craven Cottage and the FA Cup final against Chelsea. I just want the season to get over so that the players can recover and come back fully fit.
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Final day of the season

The victory ensures that we are the runners up in the Premier League. It was a straight forward game for us and we weren't really in trouble of slipping up. Roberts gave us the lead with a smart finish after Stafylidis played him in with a low cross. Watford didn't even had a shot on target in the first half. We really played well.

The second half followed a similar pattern. Woodrow, Roberts, and Finnbogason troubled the Watford defense. We had a chance to double our lead several times in the second half but we did it in the stoppage time. Woodrow controlled a lobbed pass by Roberts quite nicely and hammered one into the back of the net. Watford had no time to get back into the game. To be honest, they were never really in it.

A comfortable win to end the season.
 
Brilliant work here mate, I am hoping something similar in my Brighton game!
 
The FA Cup Final: vs. Chelsea

We've done brilliantly to get until here - although we had our fair share of luck in avoiding the likes of Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester Utd etc. But to claim the trophy, we need to beat our bitter rivals Chelsea. I have a rather poor record against Chelsea as a manager and this was a chance to set it right. Balanta's absence could be vital for us but I have my confidence in Burn and Amorebieta.
FA CUP FINAL
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Once again, we fall to Chelsea. They just have too much quality in their squad. They dominated the proceedings as I thought but we did a good job defensively to keep them away from goal. We did get a few half chances every now and then but simply didn't take it. For a final, the game was played at an extremely low tempo and Chelsea were the main reason. I always set-up my team for a high tempo gameplay but we all know Mourinho's tactics.

Chelsea were the better team but couldn't break the deadlock in normal time. The game went onto extra time. In the 97th minute, we had a glorious opportunity. Woodrow was played through on goal by Baselli and his effort took a deflection off Courtois' stretched leg and was heading towards goal. But Zouma got back in time to clear it off the line. So close, yet so far.

It was Chelsea who finally took the lead in the 100th minute as Willian beat Stafylidis for pace to get onto a Fabregas' through ball, and hit it into the top corner. A really good finish. And that was a stunning blow for us. After doing well to deny Chelsea a goal, we concede in the extra time. There were a lot of tired legs but I told them to push forward. That was the only chance to get something out of the game.

We tried to pick our pace up and attacked almost relentlessly for the second half of extra time. Woodrow came close again but his header hit the inside of the post and was cleared off the line once again. If I ever needed an indication as to this wasn't going to be our day, this was it.

As the ref blew for full time, Chelsea players and supporters jumped in joy. They did the double. And they have a chance for a treble when they face Liverpool in an all English Champions League final in a week's time.

That brings curtains on what has been a rather fantastic season for us despite this loss!
 
A brilliant season and unlucky against Chelsea in the FA Cup Final mate, good luck for next season!
 
Bad luck in the FA Cup mate but OMG, 2nd in the League! Sensational effort. Cant wait to see what next year brings!
 
Thoughts on the concluded season and looking forward

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SEASON 2016-17

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It has been a brilliant season. We were runners up in the League and FA Cup to Chelsea. We were knocked out of the Europa League by Roma on away goals, which was disappointing. We won the League Cup, which was the highlight.

We conceded the least number of goals (29) in the League which was absolutely brilliant. Our defense and goalkeeping has been top class, atleast in the league. However, we did concede a few cheap goals every now and then but I'm not too worried.

In the Europa League, we beat Roma at The Olimpico, which is definitely the highlight. We scored 8 goals against KRC Genk, which is another record for me.

At the end of the season, Newcastle offered me a job interview but I declined. When I came to Fulham, I wanted to build the club using mainly its youth resources and make them a dominant force in England, and many be Europe. So, the decision to decline the interview was straight forward.
LOOKING FORWARD TO THE NEXT SEASON:
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We kick off the season with the Community Shield game against Chelsea. I don't particularly care for it but a win would be nice, and would give me a win over Mourinho.

In my first season in the premier league, we finished sixth. In my second season, we finished second. For this season, I want to qualify for European football - Champions league or Europa league, doesn't matter. It'll be the same bunch of lads playing next season too with 1 or 2 changes.

As for the League Cup and FA Cup, I don't like to set expectations before hand because depending on the draws, it can go anyway. We have a chance to win the League Cup thrice in a row and it'll be a whole new type of challenge.

And of course, we have the Champions League. I am hoping we get a relatively easier group so that we can progress through the competition. I'd like to go through to the first knock out round atleast.

Transfers: Liverpool want Lasse Vigen Christensen. They made a bid last season as well which I accepted. But the deal didn't go through because the player wasn't happy with the contract terms. Christensen wants to leave and he was disappointed when I said I won't sell him. So, I have no chance but to let him go now as I don't want him to disrupt the players' morale in the dressing room.

Scott Parker will be retiring at the end of this season. I might ask him to join us as a backroom staff member. We'll see. If Christensen leaves, I'll have to buy a player who can play in a similar role.
 
Meeting with Shad

Our club chairman, Shahid Khan is someone I enjoy speaking with. He called me yesterday and wanted to check my availability for a meeting today. We scheduled a lunch meeting and I was looking forward to the meeting.

Firstly, he wanted to talk about my contract. After the club's excellent performance last season, Mr. Khan was willing to offer me an improved contract. He spoke about his vision for the club based on our recent performances and laid down a few parameters on which I'd be judged. I keenly listened to everything he said and in the end, I said "Yes. I'll take the new contract." He had a big grin on his face. He said he'll send me a formal contract offer soon. But these are the initial terms.
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Before concluding our meeting, I wanted to bring up another issue with Shad. He has always been keen on expanding our club and increasing its reputation and so, I suggested having a feeder club for our young players to go out on loan and have some much needed experience. He responded positively and gave me the option of choosing the affiliated club as well. What a wonderful person!
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Good bye Christensen: ​I didn't want to sell him. But he came to me asking my permission to move to Liverpool as a courtesy. The same thing happened last season as well and when I told no to him, he reacted badly. When I did approve the transfer bid last time, he didn't like the contract offer and stayed with us. Not this time. Liverpool offered him a better contract and the move was complete.

Oh well. I just had a couple of choice words with him before he left. He leaves quite a big hole in our midfield as Parker is retiring in less than a month.
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Time to dip into the transfer marker:
I badly need a midfielder, for three reasons.​

  • [*=left]Christensen has left the club
    [*=left]Scott Parker is retiring soon
    [*=left]Jermaine Jones is feeling homesick and wants to return to Germany. I've given him a leave of absence for now but I'm not sure it would work.
These three were my defensive/box to box midfielders last season and I might lose all of them (I've already lost 2). I have to buy some player who can play in that position. I don't like this - I want to build the team around the youth academy and whatnot but all the hot prospects are atleast a season or two away from a first team position.

Foday Nabay in our U18 squad has the potential to be a top player. He has amazing stats for an 18 yr old. But he lacks the positioning and composure to play in the first team. And I don't like relying on an inexperienced player to be my main holding midfielder.​
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I'm going through my scout reports - especially the one from the South American countries, Germany and Italy. I'll take a decision on who to buy soon.​
 
Transfer Activity

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TRANSFERS IN:
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We brought in two players. Firstly, we bought Matias Kranevitter from River in the Argentina Premier Division. He is a defensive midfielder and has some impressive attributes. Most importantly, his attributes are very comparable to Christensen and will be the perfect replacement.
It took £20.5M to get Matias to Fulham. A bit expensive but since I am not looking forward to making any more big signings, I was willing to splash the cash. Hopefully he'll work out.
The other player we brought in was Andy Preece, who has the potential to become a top quality GK. He's only 16, so he is a signing for the future.


TRANSFERS OUT:
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Besides Christensen, we also sold Sean Kavanagh and Cameron Burgess. They're both decent players but I have much better options in the squad and they simply didn't progress as well as I'd have liked.

A lot of players also left on free transfer, most notably Stekelenberg and Taggart. The former is not getting enough opportunities here and I didn't want to renew his contract. The Australian Taggart is in the same category - he doesn't have a chance to break into the first team with Woodrow and Finnbogason in fine form.

Mike Roper and Tiago Casasola have been loaned out for first team experience as they're both young and have potential to be quality players.
 
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So many news stories these days. But these should summarize the biggest developments at the club.

Parker decided to retire from professional football and I signed a new contract that'll keep me here till 2020.

I'm not sure who to give the captain armband to. Balanta is the vice captain and seems the best choice. But Burn and Baselli are natural leaders too. Our captain and vice captain will both have their last names starting with B, that's for sure.

I've been talking to Mr. Khan about having a feeder club and decided the Brazil club Flamengo was the best choice. It'll be a good experience for some of our players to play in a country that is known to produce players with brilliant skills and flair.

Man City made an offer for Balanta, which I rejected. The lad was disappointed initially but after talking to him, he decided to stay. Madrid were interested in Baselli and his agent used it as an excuse to offer him a new contract. After his performances last season, I thought he merited an improved contract.
 
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