http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...latest-team-news-stats-teams-keepers-out.html Hull team news Hull expect to be without goalkeeper Allan McGregor and midfielder David Meyler for Saturday's visit of Fulham. Both players came off at half-time with knee problems in the 3-2 Boxing Day loss to Manchester United and are unlikely to manage the quick turnaround. Alex Bruce is also struggling with a calf complaint sustained in the same match, while Stephen Quinn (hamstring) and Sone Aluko (Achilles) remain sidelined. Provisional squad: Harper, Jakupovic, Davies, Chester, Faye, Figueroa, Bruce, Rosenior, Elmohamady, Brady, Livermore, Huddlestone, Koren, Sagbo, McShane, Graham, Fryatt, Gedo. Fulham team news Fulham will be without first-choice goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg for their Barclays Premier League trip to Hull on Saturday. David Stockdale deputised in the 2-1 win at Norwich after Stekelenburg injured an ankle in training on Christmas Day and the Holland international remains sidelined. Dimitar Berbatov (groin) also missed the trip to Carrow Road but could feature at Hull whilst Brede Hangeland (back), Philippe Senderos (abductor) and Matthew Briggs (hernia) are out. Provisional Squad: Stockdale, Riether, Hughes, Riise, Sidwell, Parker, Karagounis, Dejagah, Berbatov, Kacaniklic, Kasami, Ruiz, Bent, Bettinelli, Richardson, Duff, Zverotic, Vigen Christensen, Amorebieta. Big match stats Fulham are the only team that Hull City have faced more than once at home in the Barclays Premier League and maintained a 100% win rate (P2 W2). Fulham have only scored more than once on one of their last 10 trips to face Hull in the league. This is Fulhamâs 13th season in the Premier League and only once (2-0 v Stoke in 2010) have they won their final game of the year. Hull have won just two of their previous 16 Premier League games in the month of December (D6 L8) and have the worst points per game record in the month of all current PL sides (0.75). Fulham have conceded a goal in 15 of their 18 Premier League games this season, more often than any other side. Hull conceded as many goals in their last PL game (3 vs Man Utd) game as they had in their previous eight Premier League home matches this season (3). Fulham have conceded a goal in each of their last eight Premier League away games, letting in 18 goals in the process. The Whites have failed to find the net in five of their last eight Premier League games on the road. 23 of Dimitar Berbatovâs 93 Premier League goals (25%) have been scored in December â at least 10 more goals than in any other month of the year. Fulham have conceded the first goal of the game on 13 occasions this season; more often than any other PL side. I would like to see Berbatov play personally, but I'll be well happy if he doesnt. Stockdale in goal then. Glad we got Mac instead. Hull City 2 Fulham 1.
All the stats seem to point to us winning, but whenever that's the case, the inevitable happens and we lose.
I hope Harper's kicking is better today. It was awful v Man U and put us under needless pressure on a couple of occasions.
Historic stats won't help us. We need to play well to win. Avoid a Palace situation where we create nothing. Keep the ball moving in possession and get men forward when we can. Be nice to give Stockdale a warm welcome back. Let's not forget he was a big part of the team that got us here.
The Mail seems to have forgotten all about George Boyd. Indeed! I'm very glad that he's playing. Against us.
6 point Saturday they're calling it. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/fo...t-years-five-points-splitting-nine-teams.html Is this the closest Premier League season yet? That might seem a reflection of a compelling title race but it’s as much an assessment of a relegation scrap that, in recent weeks, has taken on a wonderfully unpredictable edge. Going into the weekend, the entire bottom half of the table is separated by eight points. Swansea City sit in 11th place, yet after losing to Chelsea on Boxing Day Michael Laudrup said: ‘At the moment there are nine teams with five points between them, then you have West Ham on 14 and Sunderland on 13. ‘Of those 11 teams, three will go down and eight will play for ninth to 17th in the table and we have to fight for those places.’ Survival talk from Laudrup. To repeat, his team sit 11th. They play 13th-placed Aston Villa on Saturday, ahead of fixtures against Manchester City, Manchester United and Tottenham. Beneath them, 16th-placed Cardiff face Sunderland, who are bottom. ‘It’s a tough game,’ Malky Mackay said. He won't be able to find out though, as he was sacked on Friday. Sam Allardyce is feeling the heat, too. His West Ham side, 19th in the table, play West Brom, who are 15th. Fulham have already got rid of their manager and go to Hull in the hope that they can escape the bottom three. Hull so nearly embarrassed Manchester United on Boxing Day and sit 12th. The margin to their next opponents? Four points. Six-point Saturday? It’s looking that way. It’s shaping up to be one of the most congested struggles for survival in recent years, with an intriguing and messy backdrop of managerial changes. Of those ‘bottom’ 10 clubs, Sunderland, Fulham, Crystal Palace and West Brom and most recently Cardiff have already changed managers. Then there’s Allardyce, who has been subjected to speculation recently that his job might in danger. And Chris Hughton, whose position at Norwich has been threatened for months. One caller to talkSPORT on Thursday night was simply adamant that Paul Lambert’s time at Villa must end. Football, glorious football. Perhaps the most glorious aspect of this particular season, so far at least, is that none of the strugglers has collapsed and fallen away from the group. Palace, with Tony Pulis taking over from Ian Holloway on November 23, have picked up more points since the mid-November international break than Manchester United or Tottenham. They had looked doomed prior to the change and now sit 17th with 16 points after 18 games. Sunderland, under Gus Poyet, are bottom going into their game against Cardiff. But they are unbeaten in three, which doesn’t include a Capital One Cup win over Chelsea. It does, however, include the 1-0 win over Everton on Boxing Day – the first time Everton have lost at Goodison Park in 2013. To think, Reading and QPR looked doomed early on last time. And Wigan, while close to another great escape, failed to take their fight into the last game. All of which makes this season quite remarkable. Is it a weak Premier League, or, more likely, is it a cash-rich division where the lesser clubs have the resources to buy players that can keep them competitive? Whichever way you go in that broader argument, there is no doubting that the relegation scrap is matching the battle at the other end.
Yes it's all getting rather exciting from an objective point of view, but terrifying for any club from Stoke down.
Can't really argue this year though... And everyone was agreeing last season was boring even half-way through. 2011/12 was pretty thrilling though.
When Tan appoints himself as manager at Cardiff that'll be one place for the drop nailed on. I can see another bore draw today, hope not but I think it'll be like the Stoke game.
Today's not THAT important - we are top of the table, after all... http://www.physioroom.com/news/english_premier_league/epl_injury_table.php
An extra block was sold to our fans in the North Stand aswell ^ Our tiny stadium really does need expanding ASAP.
I'd be amazed if we won this. Fulham's table position is really false in my opinion. They have a much better team than those around them. Good thing we're at home but I fear a banana skin. One of those games we all think we can win because of their form but we need to be very careful not to get spanked. We may be more tired than them. Just realised Fulham are doing the reverse journey to Man "down" utd.
