After starting Fulham’s last two matches, Joe Bryan caught up with fulhamfc.com to discuss a range of topics ahead of Monday’s clash with Sheffield United.
Two points from the Bournemouth and Luton games – keeps the run going but I’m guessing you boys see those as dropped points?
I think with the quality of the squad we’ve got, any points that we don’t get are seen as dropped points. We should be trying to pick up maximum points in every game. There are very few games in this league that we would look at and be happy to draw.
Against Luton we scored from another set-piece after you’d won a free-kick – historically we’ve never been prolific from free-kicks and corners, so how good is it to have that in our armoury now?
It’s something we spend a lot of time on at the Training Ground. It can be seeing as tedious work to do at training but when it results in goals for, the work is completely worth it. Like I said, we’ve got a very high quality squad with exceptional delivery, so it’s up to the taker to put it in the right place, but ultimately the people attacking it to go and stick their eyes through it.
You’ve had to be very patient this season, so it must have felt good to get consecutive 90 minutes under your belt?
I’ve been patient, I understand the dynamics of the squad and where I probably fit into it this year. Ultimately, as a professional footballer, you want to play as many games as possible. I’m training hard every day and helping out when I can, giving advice to those playing and supporting them the best I can. I keep trying my hardest in training, and when I get called upon to do a job and play games, I’ll be there ready and waiting.
Fulham fans were looking forward to welcoming Slaviša Jokanović back on Monday and were a little surprised to see him sacked, but they’ve had a bit of a new manager bounce over there…
It’s natural when a new manager comes in to have an upturn in fortunes. I think everyone gives an extra yard because they want to be in the team and they want to impress. I think that’s human nature, so we’ll have to be wary of that. Obviously they’ve got a very, very talented squad, one that was in the Premier League not long ago, and the majority of that squad is still together, so we will respect them, but we are where we are for a reason, so we’ve got to do our best to show that again on Monday. We’ve not shown it for a few weeks now, so we’re all ready to fight to get back to winning ways.
With so many games being cancelled at the moment, does that give you extra incentive to be as safe as possible?
I think it transcends football. I don’t think it really matters about football and games being cancelled, I think you should be as safe as possible really, and protect your own health. You get one body, you get one family, so is it not natural to live in the healthiest way possible? I’m not an overthinker about it, if I get told to wear a mask in the supermarket or to use alcohol gel on my hands, then I will. I don’t see it as a big nuisance. If we all keep doing everything, all these little things, to stick together and help our fellow human being, I think we’ll get through it. It’s not the most difficult thing in the world to wear a mask and socially distance. We’ll keep doing it, as a Club we’re doing it, and hopefully it means that we’re all available for most of the games, because if you start getting five or six players having to isolate for 10 days it will really take a toll on the squad, and we’ve got a lot of big games coming up.
We saw on your Instagram that you braved an outdoor morning swim this week – is that part of a new training regime?
No! I just like doing things that are different. I like challenging myself in different ways, whether that be educational, physical, mental. Nobody wants to go and swim in four degree water at 9 o’clock in the morning on their day off, but for my mental health and to improve my mindset and things like that, as a human being, I like trying things. I think it’s boring to just wake up and play on the PlayStation. Try new things, try new experiences, things you wouldn’t otherwise do. Challenge yourself, it’s important.
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