Preview Panel - Fulham

We’ve the ideal panel for our Fulham preview - a former Spur (who also used to play for Fulham) and a former Fulham goalkeeper, both now heavily involved in media duties in the Premier League...

Introducing the panel

Michael Brown - A tigerish midfielder, Michael came through the youth system to play for Manchester City between 1995-2000. He then shone at Sheffield United, leading to a move to Spurs in 2004. He spent 18 months with us before switching to Fulham, and had spells at Wigan, Pompey, Leeds and Port Vale before retiring at 40 with 650 career appearances under his belt. He’s now a busy broadcaster and pundit for Sky Sports, BBC Five Live, City TV and Quest. @michaelbrowny1

Mark Schwarzer - Australian international goalkeeper with 109 caps, Mark spent 20 years in the Premier League with Middlesbrough, Fulham, Chelsea and Leicester City, racking up over 750 career appearances between 1990-2016, including over 200 for the Cottagers, 2008-2013. His caps also spanned 20 years and included the 2006 and 2010 World Cups. He’s now a pundit with Optus Sports (Australia), BBC Five Live and Sky Sports. @schwarzer_mark

Michael Brown

“Fulham are managing to stay in games at the moment, and I can’t see them wanting to come out too much in this one. They will want to get on the ball, move it around, be patient, and Scott Parker always wants his team to play. They’ve found a way of not conceding as many goals as late, that would have been a worry for them. This is a game Spurs can win and will look to win, no doubt. It’s all about the reaction after the draw at Wolves and ending this little spell. Ultimately, it’s about finishing teams off. At 1-0, as we saw at Palace, a game I covered, and Wolves, teams will always have a go. At 1-0, you’re always on edge, but if you get the second goal, it’s goodnight. That’s key.”

Mark Schwarzer

“I know Spurs have a pretty good record against Fulham - we always found this game a tough one. Fulham have hit some consistent form, they’ve become a lot more difficult to break down and seem to have found a system that’s working for this group of players. A lot of people will have raised eyebrows when they saw Aleksandar Mitrovic on the bench early on, but that’s worked pretty well in terms of mobility, Fulham being able to defend in numbers but also able to hit teams on the counter. Ruben Loftus-Cheek is a big signing (on loan from Chelsea), providing he stays fit. Another player to impress me is goalkeeper Alphonse Areola (on loan from PSG), who I knew was very good before he arrived at Fulham, he’s a very good signing. So, for Spurs, it’s obvious, they’re not finishing games off, so they need to punish teams. For Fulham, it’s a case of trying to ride the storm for a while, they know the dangers that the likes of Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son pose, but it’s one thing knowing and another stopping them! They’ll need a little luck and then to take any chances that come their way.”