Tag: Fulham

Pep Guardiola told Tim Ream he’d be playing for him if he were 24, not 34 (he’s 35)

The Man City boss is a big fan of Ream — now he just needs to get his age right

Tim Ream is winning a lot of new fans with his displays for Fulham this season, including Man City head coach Pep Guardiola.

Now Pep just needs to work on getting Ream’s age right.

Ream was included in the U.S. national team’s World Cup squad on Wednesday, as Gregg Berhalter rewarded the defender for his excellent campaign in the Premier League.

Speaking on ESPN’s “Futbol Americas” after releasing his roster, Berhalter recounted a conversation between Ream and Guardiola after last weekend’s Premier League match between Man City and Fulham.

“Tim Ream just played against Man City and after the game, Guardiola walks up to him and says, ‘If you were 24 instead of 34, you’d be playing for me,'” Berhalter said.

“So Tim said, ‘It’s too bad I’m not 34, I’m 35.'”

‘Have you watched any Fulham games lately?’

Despite his strong campaign with Fulham, Ream was a somewhat surprising inclusion on the World Cup squad because he hasn’t played for the USMNT in more than a year.

Asked at a press conference about selecting Ream, Berhalter responded:  “Have you watched any Fulham games lately? Then you know why we brought him in.

“He was in the Premier League three years ago, and he struggled, the whole team struggled. And he went to the Championship and he started performing better, and they got promoted. And now he’s in the Premier League, and he’s a top performer for his team. It’s really hard to ignore stuff like that.

“And by the way, he’s been a guy that’s been with us since day one. So to me, all the pieces were aligned to bring him back into the squad. Based on what we’re seeing, the level he’s playing at, he’s ready to play in a World Cup for sure.”

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Steven Gerrard out at Aston Villa following ugly Fulham defeat

Fans calling for Gerrard to go didn’t have to wait very long

Just like that, it’s over for Steven Gerrard at Aston Villa.

The former Liverpool and England midfielder was dismissed by Villa shortly after Thursday’s disastrous 3-0 loss to Fulham. The defeat left the club in 17th, with goal difference the only thing keeping them out of the relegation zone. With most clubs having played 11 matches, only Wolves (five) have scored fewer goals than Villa’s seven.

“Aston Villa Football Club can confirm that Head Coach Steven Gerrard has left the club with immediate effect,” read a terse press release from the club announcing the change. “A club spokesman said: ‘We would like to thank Steven for his hard work and commitment and wish him well for the future.'”

A clearly dispirited Gerrard, speaking after the match, admitted that  “the first half shocked me,” and that the performance on the day “was nowhere near good enough.”

Fulham took the lead through Harrison Reed in the 36th minute before an Aleksandar Mitrović penalty and a late Tyrone Mings own goal provided the final margin on a day where only one team truly turned up to play.

Villa fans that made the trip to Craven Cottage chanted for Gerrard to go as their side drifted towards a listless loss.

Gerrard was hired away from Rangers in November 2021, initially signing a contract that would have kept him at Villa until the end of the 2025 season. Gerrard helped the club to a 10W-5D-12L record from that point on, enough to finish 10 points above the drop zone after a poor start to the year.

However, Villa has posted a disappointing 2W-3D-6L record thus far this season, and showed an alarming lack of intensity as Fulham brushed them aside.

The swiftness of Villa’s move to fire Gerrard is such that the club didn’t even return from Fulham before announcing the news. That, per a report in The Athletic, meant that Gerrard was on the Villa bus heading back to Birmingham even as the world was finding out that he was no longer the team’s manager.

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Antonee Robinson is ‘trying to get used to playing on one ankle’

The USMNT left back said he feared a long spell on the sidelines after suffering the injury

Antonee Robinson’s ankle injury looks like a good news-bad news situation at the moment.

Robinson is back on the pitch for Fulham, returning two weeks ago after missing over a month with the injury he suffered against Tottenham on September 3.

The left back’s return was most welcome for the U.S. national team just over a month before the World Cup. Robinson is absolutely vital for the USMNT, partially because of his dynamic two-way performances and partially because of the team’s lack of a clear alternative at left back.

But it appears that Robinson’s injury may have been worse than initially feared — and he may not yet be 100 percent recovered, either.

In an interview with The Athletic, Robinson revealed he suffered ruptured ligaments in his ankle against Spurs and said he is still getting used to playing at less than full strength.

“I ruptured one of my ligaments in that game. I was worried, thinking I might have a long spell out. But luckily, I managed to rehab it quite well. I didn’t need an operation and got back,” the fullback said.

“I’m feeling OK. I’m still trying to get used to playing on one ankle, really.

“No matter how I’m feeling, if I can get through a game then I want to be out there, helping the boys. I’m just going to have to get myself back up to match fitness, and the form I was in before I was injured.”

The 25-year-old has gone straight back into the Fulham squad, playing the full match in each of his first two games back. The Cottagers and the USMNT will hope to see him continuing to play while also getting closer to something resembling full fitness.

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USMNT’s Antonee Robinson back in training for Fulham after ankle injury

At last, some good news for the USMNT

The September window wasn’t a lot of fun for the U.S. men’s national team, but just as the players return to their clubs, Gregg Berhalter got some good news.

One day after Antonee Robinson’s absence stood out as one of numerous issues in the USMNT’s tepid 0-0 draw with Saudi Arabia, the Fulham left back delivered a much-needed update on his status.

“Nice to be back out on the pitch,” Robinson tweeted, along with photos of himself going through a workout at Fulham’s Motspur Park training ground.

Robinson last played on September 3, but lasted just 29 minutes in Fulham’s 2-1 loss to Tottenham before departing with an ankle injury. Earlier this month, Fulham manager Marco Silva said Robinson would be back “soon,” and it appears that the international break has done the 25-year-old some good.

Robinson’s health appears to be a significant concern for the USMNT. He’s not just clearly Gregg Berhalter’s first-choice left back, but within the team’s system, his ability to get forward effectively and without any signs of fatigue is a major factor in possession and in breaking into the final third.

Without Robinson in this window, the USMNT labored going forward, and Berhalter ended up looking at moving Sergiño Dest over from right back against Saudi Arabia rather than giving more time to Sam Vines.

Fulham has eight matches for Robinson to work through before the Premier League begins its World Cup break, and USMNT fans will probably be monitoring every single one of them.

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Fulham coach Marco Silva has some good Antonee Robinson injury news

The left back has started all six of the Fulham’s Premier League matches

U.S. men’s national team fans can breathe a sigh of relief after Fulham head coach Marco Silva provided some good news on Antonee Robinson’s ankle injury.

The severity of the left back’s injury has not been clear since he was forced out of Fulham’s match against Tottenham on September 3.

Robinson was left off the USMNT roster for this month’s friendlies, with head coach Gregg Berhalter admitting this week: “We’re not sure exactly when he’s going to be back in training.”

But, speaking ahead of Fulham’s match against Nottingham Forest on Friday, Silva said that Robinson was closing in on a return.

“It will be difficult, I have to be honest,” Silva said of Robinson’s participation in the Forest match.

“But we have some more hours until the game and we have to check him, like we have been doing every single day, to take the decision.

“It’s not really serious, and because of that we are testing every day how he feels.

“It’s something that could be one or two days, [that’s] the feedback that I received from the medical staff.

“We need to check again because he doesn’t feel really comfortable yet, but I think soon we will have Robinson again.”

Robinson has been an ever-present for Fulham so far in 2022-23, starting all six of the team’s Premier League matches.

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Is Antonee Robinson a wizard? It seems possible

The USMNT left back is a magician on and off the field

Antonee Robinson is a man of many talents. In addition to being quite good at playing left back, the Fulham and U.S. national team defender is an ace piano player.

But his biggest talent of all might just be as a magician, as displayed in a wild video of a card trick that Fulham posted on its Twitter account.

Robinson mesmerizes his teammates in the two-minute video, asking them to cut the deck on two occasions and still managing to draw the cards he predicted without looking.

In the end, he pulls out the flush he knows is coming. How? It’s possible Antonee Robinson is simply a wizard.

Watch Robinson’s amazing card trick

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Fans roast Brentford goalkeeper David Raya for hilariously late save attempt against Fulham

Just a bit late.

After one season down in the second tier of English soccer — the Championship — Fulham are heading back to the Premier League thanks to a 2-1 win over Brentford in Tuesday’s promotion playoff at Wembley.

For much of the match, the final promotion spot in the Premier League looked destined to be decided by penalties. But in the 15th minute of extra time, Fulham found its breakthrough with the help of some hilariously bad goalkeeping.

As Fulham’s Joe Bryan sent his free-kick attempt towards goal, Brentford goalkeeper David Raya got an awfully late read on the bouncing attempt and didn’t start his save attempt until the ball was in the net.

Like, this wasn’t even close.

Fans watching the match had a great time roasting Raya’s effort on Twitter.

Bryan would add a second goal later in the match to lock up Fulham’s spot in the Premier League.

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EPL: Chelsea vs. Manchester City odds, picks and best bets

Previewing Thursday’s Chelsea and Manchester City English Premier League soccer matchup, with soccer betting odds, picks and best bets.

Chelsea (15 wins, 6 draws, 9 losses) welcomes Manchester City (20-3-7) Thursday at 3:15 p.m. ET in a battle between two clubs in the top four of the English Premier League table. We analyze the Chelsea-Manchester City sports betting odds and lines, while providing English Premier League betting tips and picks around this matchup.

Chelsea vs. Manchester City: Key injuries

Chelsea

  • F Callum Hudson-Odoi (ankle) questionable
  • D Fikayo Tomori (muscular) out
  • MF Marco van Ginkel (cruciate ligament) out

Manchester City

  • F Sergio Aguero (knee) out
  • GK Claudio Bravo (thigh) questionable
  • D Eric Garcia (concussion) out
  • D Aymeric Laporte (hamstring) doubtful
  • F Leroy Sane (knee) doubtful
  • D John Stones (ankle) questionable

Get some action on this game or others by placing a bet at BetMGM!

Chelsea vs. Manchester City: EPL odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated Tuesday at 9:35 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Manchester City 2, Chelsea 1

Moneyline (ML)

MAN CITY (-125) has been on a mission since returning from the three-month hiatus due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. The team has posted a pair of clean sheets against Burnley (5-0) and vs. Arsenal (3-0). Now, it will try to upend Chelsea (+310), which lurks fourth in the EPL table, but 12 points back of second-place Man City. It won’t be a blowout at Stamford Bridge in Fulham, but Man City will come away with three points on this business trip.

MAN CITY TO WIN AND BOTH TEAMS TO SCORE (+210) is a value play. Man City is not going to keep rattling off clean sheets, and The Blues are easily the most potent offense it will have faced since returning.

Over/Under (O/U)

UNDER 3.5 (-200) will cost you a pretty penny, but this one shouldn’t see more than three goals. Man City has been locking it down on defense, while Chelsea yielded just one goal to Aston Villa in its only game since the return. Plus, Chelsea has coughed up only one goal in the past three matches across all competitions. In addition, Man City lost striker and leading goal scorer Sergio Aguero (16 goals, 24 matches) to a knee injury Monday vs. Burnley – manager Pep Guardiola said after the game that it “doesn’t look good.” Unfortunately for Man City, Aguero is expected to miss the remainder of the EPL campaign.

To get action on this soccer game or others, place a bet with BetMGM today. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @JoeWilliamsVI and SportsbookWire on Twitter and Facebook.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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How to watch Derby County vs. Fulham: Date, time, channel, odds and live stream

FA Cup 2019 – Tranmere vs Manchester United live stream

It’s a Championship clash as No. 13 Derby County takes on No. 3 Fulham, live on ESPN+.

For Derby County, it’s a momentous occasion that will see Wayne Rooney make his 500th English League appearance. They’ll hope to get a little revenge after losing their last two Championship matches to Fulham. But don’t discount Derby as they’re 14-1 in their last 15 home games and have beaten Fulham in four of their last five home games.

For Fulham, they’ll look to get back into the win column after losing 3-0 to last-place Barnsley last week. Still, Fulham has been dominant on the Championship League table, sitting just 7 points behind first-place West Brom.

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How to watch Derby County vs. Fulham:

Championship League table

Friday, Feb. 21, 2:45 p.m. ET (19:45 UK)

Pride Park Stadium, Derby, England

Championship League live stream:

Live football stream: ESPN+

Championship League odds:

Fulham (+140) is favored over Derby County (+195), according to BetMGM.

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