RANIERI: MY FULHAM ‘PIRATES’ NEED SKILL AND CROSSBONES

CLAUDIO RANIERI has told his Fulham players they must defend “like pirates”. The Cottagers are bottom of the Premier League and have yet to keep a clean sheet this season, and their new boss (left) said: “Fulham concede a lot of goals. I’m an Italian manager. For us it’s important to maintain the clean sheet.

“It’s important to put in the brain of my players this philosophy. Play football, play well, but when you lose the ball I want to see you with an anchor, like pirates.”