Sunday Fulham Stuff (29/04/12)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Sign Him Up!

The acquisition of Mahamadou Diarra is proving to be a smart move.

Since arriving and now establishing himself as a first team regular, the thirty year old Mali international has helped Fulham to remain unbeaten in the last four games in which he`s featured.

Suddenly, the prospect of securing Diarra to that extra season that was part of the deal to bring him here, is looking a must do thing. Therefore, it`s pleasing to read that Diarra is set to speak to his advisors about making the deal a reality.



Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=280853#ixzz1tPDHL3pP

[WhiteJC]

 
Almost Certainly Coming?

One leading tabloid rag is reporting the news that Fulham are 99% certain of signing a player.

Seemingly, negotiations to bring Nacer Chadli to Craven Cottage are going very well with the FC Twente player`s agent, Daniel Evrard, remarking,

"He has a 99 per cent chance of leaving with Fulham his destination."

Chadli, a twenty-two year old winger, is rated in the £2.5 million bracket and Fulham, if the information is correct, have fought of the advances of Benfica to land their man.



Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=280852#ixzz1tPDUWNbf

[WhiteJC]

 
7th Anyone?

Two trips to Merseyside in the space of four days will make it a costly period for the traveling Cottager.

But, hidden amongst the financial outlay is the chance to make a great end to the season.

Fulham are in the group of sides that Everton and Liverpool occupy and getting six points from these two fixtures would provide the impetus to build a gap between them and us.

John Arne Riise, who spent much of his career up on Merseyside, has spoken about getting the six points that could see Fulham better last season`s eighth place, remarking,

"With two good results we can go above both teams and that is a big thing for us."

"I knew this was a club that would like to be in the top 10 regularly."

"I don`t think anyone would be expecting us to be fighting with Everton and Liverpool for places in the league."

"It will be a tough game at Everton but we have been playing well and I am confident we can go there and get a good result."

It just goes to show what a good job Martin Jol has done since taking over the managerial reigns from Mark Hughes.



Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=280854#ixzz1tPDmALM6

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham tipped to land Chadli
Winger's agent claims move to Craven Cottage all but sealed


Nacer Chadli: Has been linked with several Premier League sides

Nacer Chadli is set to join Fulham this summer, according to the in-demand FC Twente winger's agent.

The £2.5million rated Belgium international has been linked with several Premier League clubs including Manchester United,Liverpool and Tottenham.

However, the 22-year-old's agent Daniel Evrad has claimed his player will almost certainly be signing for Fulham.
"He has a 99 per cent chance of leaving with Fulham his destination," Evrad said.



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/7711420/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Academy Champions

Fulham’s U18 side secured the Premier Academy League Group A title for the second consecutive season after winning an exciting battle with Norwich City in Norfolk by four goals to three on Saturday afternoon.

Kit Symon’s Team made the worst possible start when the home side took the lead after five minutes but equalised shortly after through Omri Altman who glanced in Mesca Na Bangna’s cross. Josh Passley then put the Whites in front just after the quarter of an hour mark when he headed home after Lasse Vigen Christensen had seen two attempts cleared off the line.

Passley saw red on the stroke of half-time but that didn’t stop Fulham extending their lead early in the second period through Ryan Williams who found the back of the net following a swift counter-attack.

Norwich were awarded a penalty on 56 minutes which was duly converted and they then used their man advantage to equalise from a corner on 70 minutes. With the contest evenly poised, Fulham knew that nothing but a win would suffice. Throwing caution to the wind, they sought another goal and Omri Altman was the man who got it with just six minutes remaining.

Williams saw his shot blocked and the Israeli youth international was there to side-foot home to ensure the Whites progress to the play-offs for the second season in a row under Kit Symons.



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2012/April/AcademyChampions.aspx?#ixzz1tPEfbTld

[WhiteJC]

 
Woeful Fulham thumped by Everton

Everton 4 Fulham 0

Nikica Jelavic put Fulham to the sword as they were thrashed by Everton.

Jelavic scored twice and hit the woodwork, while Marouane Fellaini and Tim Cahill also helped themselves to goals on a miserable afternoon for Martin Jol’s men.

Manager Jol missed the game as has a chest infection and did not travel with the squad.

Fulham have not kept a clean sheet at Goodison Park since 1959 and were behind after only seven minutes of this totally one-sided game.

Pavel Pogrebnyak was harshly punished for protecting his face by handling a driven free-kick from Jelavic, who netted with the resulting penalty.

Jelavic came close to adding a second when he latched onto Phil Jagielka’s ball forward, beat Brede Hangeland, and then fired against the post.

A minute later, however, Everton did double their lead when an unmarked Fellani met Steven Pienaar’s right-wing corner with a header which Damien Duff failed to clear on the line.

The home side were 3-0 up at half-time courtesy of Jelavic, who finished well after being put through by Pienaar’s through-ball.

Worse followed for Fulham on the hour-mark and again Piennar was involved, setting up Cahill to slot past keeper Mark Schwarzer, who tipped away Jelavic’s late free-kick to deny the Croatian a hat-trick.



http://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/woeful-fulham-thumped5-by-everton-at34-goodison-park/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Nikica Jelavic double inspires Everton to demolish sorry Fulham

Nikica Jelavic extended his remarkable scoring spree as Everton ran in a glut of goals for the third successive Premier League match against a Fulham side who were never in the game. The Croatia international scored twice to take his tally to 10 in 13 matches since arriving from Rangers in January and an impressive nine in his past seven appearances.

With Martin Jol absent through illness the Cottagers barely put up a fight as the home side made it 12 goals in their past three league matches. After four against Sunderland and then their remarkable comeback against Manchester United at Old Trafford last weekend, David Moyes's side became the first Everton team since 1964 to score four times in three successive league matches.

Fulham never came close to ending their woeful run of never winning a league match at Goodison Park. It now stands at 19, the longest sequence for a top-flight club at one particular ground.

In the buildup to the game Moyes had spoken of the belief and encouragement Jelavic's goals had given the side and, while three months may not be long enough to provide a full evaluation of long-term success, he shows all the signs of being capable of producing on a regular basis.

What he has brought to the team in a short space of time is a cutting edge and end product. On many occasions this season Everton's buildup play has been good but they have lacked the necessary threat in the penalty area. Not so now with Jelavic, whose first was a straightforward penalty – albeit created by his own free-kick – and his second an impressive finish from the narrowest of angles.

The 26-year-old was up and running as early as the seventh minute when Pavel Pogrebnyak raised his arm in the defensive wall and the referee, Phil Dowd, pointed to the spot without hesitation. Jelavic sent Mark Schwarzer the wrong way and almost embarrassed the goalkeeper again when he crashed a low shot against the near post after Phil Jagielka's long ball had dropped just beyond Brede Hangeland.

Everton's second was not long in coming as, courtesy of some lax defending, the unmarked Marouane Fellaini was able to head in Steven Pienaar's 16th-minute corner with Damien Duff's flailing leg on the line failing to clear the danger.

In half an hour Fulham had tested Tim Howard only once, when he tipped over Kerim Frei's shot, but the Everton goalkeeper was mightily relieved to see the ball drop behind after he had finger-tipped Clint Dempsey's deflected shot on to the crossbar.

The match was over as a contest five minutes before half-time when Pienaar's through ball allowed Jelavic to outsprint the defence, draw out Schwarzer and then somehow fire a shot from a narrow angle through the goalkeeper's legs.

Fulham's misery continued after the break as on the hour the Everton substitute Tim Cahill made it four after good link play between himself, Leon Osman and Pienaar. The latter's scooped pass over the defence was met by his midfield colleague's perfectly timed run to slide a low volley past Schwarzer for only his third of the season.

Jelavic was denied a deserved hat-trick when the Fulham goalkeeper saved his 25-yard free-kick and Pienaar forced another save out of Schwarzer with a shot across goal but any further goals would have merely been window-dressing.

Fulham failed to create any chance of significance in the second half and their performance was a typical end-of-season one for a side in mid-table with nothing to play for.

Before the game Moyes had admitted he was happy for the season to end quickly as they too had no real incentive other than finishing above near-neighbours Liverpool. But he must now be wondering what they could have achieved with their current form had there still been a month or more to go.

Had they not had such a poor first half of the campaign, the opportunities could have been even greater.

Moyes hailed the "massive" contribution from Jelavic. "Isn't it terrific the difference it has made to the team and the club the goals that have been scored since January?" the Scot said. "I think he has been massive for us and the two goals for us today were very good."



http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/apr/28/everton-fulham-premier-league?

[WhiteJC]

 
Everton 4 Fulham 0: match report
Read a full match report of the Premier League game between Everton and Fulham at Goodison Park on Saturday April 28, 2012.

Merseyside: that unforgiving land, exclusively yielding misery for Fulham since football began. The west Londoners have never won a league match at either Goodison Park or Anfield and that record was never going to improve here; not with Everton playing like this; not with Nikica Jelavic, the brilliant 26 year-old, looking like he might score with every touch.

As with any of David Moyes’s teams, the result was not secured just because of the labours of one player. Everton were cohesive in every area of the field and utterly dominant. The vibrant contribution of Steven Pienaar who, like Jelavic, arrived at the club on the final day of the January transfer window, was just as crucial, as he assisted with three of the goals.

Yet Jelavic has now scored 10 times in 13 games. He has already become a reference point for his side. Evertonians revere their strikers and this one has all the qualities of past favourites: the precision finishing of Gary Lineker, the intelligence in movement of Peter Beardsley and the clout of Graeme Sharp. He is already the most complete striker the club have had in the past two decades, possibly beyond.

“Steven’s given us the creativity, Niccy’s given us the goals and Darron Gibson has given us a bit of stability. All of the signings have helped,” Moyes said.

Jelavic’s exploits, however, meant the points were secured by half-time. Fulham manager Martin Jol, stricken by a chest infection, remained at home, and he would have despaired at the idle display of his players. It was end-of-season stuff and in Jol’s place, first-team coach Billy McKinlay, offered a damning assessment. “It was a long afternoon,” he said. “We lost poor goals and we were nowhere near the levels we’re capable of.”

Everton’s opener came when Jelavic struck a free-kick and Pavel Pogrebnyak raised a hand. Referee Phil Dowd awarded a penalty, which Jelavic converted with ease. After Jelavic hit a post, Marouane Fellaini extended the lead. At 6ft 4in and with his bushy hair, the Belgian is hardly inconspicuous, but he rose unmarked from a Pienaar corner, his header bypassing an unruly swipe on the line by Damien Duff. Everton’s confidence was absolute. With Tony Hibbert warped into a wing-back, whipping crosses into the box with regularity, a considerable lead seemed inevitable.

The third goal came when, marginally offside, Jelavic rounded Mark Schwarzer. The Australian regained his composure but Jelavic fired into the net, low in-between the goalkeeper’s legs. Tim Cahill added a fourth when he seized upon another Pienaar burst from midfield and toe-poked home in front of the Gwladys Street.



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/premier-league/9231357/Everton-4-Fulham-0-match-report.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham don't show as Jelavic puts double away for Everton

Striker Nikica Jelavic extended his remarkable scoring spree as Everton
ran in a glut of goals for the third successive Barclays Premier League
match against a Fulham side who were never in the game.

The Croatia international scored twice to take his tally to 10 in 13 matches since arriving from Rangers in January and an impressive nine in his last seven appearances.

With manager Martin Jol absent through illness the Cottagers barely put up a fight as the Toffees made it 12 goals in their last three league matches.

With four against Sunderland and then their remarkable comeback against Manchester United at Old Trafford last weekend, David Moyes' side became the first Everton team since 1964 to score four times in three successive league matches.

Fulham never came close to ending their woeful run of never winning a league match at Goodison Park. It now stands at 19, the longest sequence for a top-flight club at one particular ground.

In the build-up to the game Moyes had spoken of the belief and encouragement Jelavic's goals had given the side, and while three months may not be long enough to provide a full evaluation of long-term success he shows all the signs of being capable of producing on a regular basis.

What he has brought to the team in a short space of time is a cutting edge and end product.

On many occasions this season Everton's build-up play has been good but they have lacked the necessary threat in the penalty area. Not so now with Jelavic, whose first was a straightforward penalty - albeit created by his own free-kick - and his second an impressive finish from the narrowest of angles.

The 26-year-old was up and running as early as the seventh minute when Pavel Pogrebnyak raised his arm in the defensive wall and referee Phil Dowd pointed to the spot without hesitation.

Jelavic sent Mark Schwarzer the wrong way and almost embarrassed the goalkeeper again when he crashed a low shot against the near post after Phil Jagielka's long ball had dropped just beyond Brede Hangeland.

Everton's second was not long in coming as, courtesy of some lax defending, the unmarked Marouane Fellaini was able to head in Steven Pienaar's 16th-minute corner with Damien Duff's flailing leg on the line failing to clear the danger.

In half an hour Fulham had tested Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard just once, when he tipped over Kerim Frei's shot, but the goalkeeper was mightily relieved to see the ball drop behind after he had finger-tipped Clint Dempsey's deflected shot onto the crossbar.

The match was over as a contest five minutes before half-time when Pienaar's through-ball allowed Jelavic to outsprint the defence, draw out Schwarzer and then somehow fire a shot from a narrow angle through the goalkeeper's legs.

Fulham's misery continued after the break as on the hour Everton substitute Tim Cahill made it four after good link play between himself, Leon Osman and Pienaar.

The latter's scooped pass over the defence was met by his midfield colleague's perfectly-timed run to slide a low volley past Schwarzer for only his third of the season.

Jelavic was denied a deserved hat-trick when the Fulham goalkeeper saved his 25-yard free-kick and Pienaar forced another save out of Schwarzer with a shot across goal but any further goals would have merely been window-dressing.

Fulham failed to create any chance of significance in the second half and their performance was a typical end-of-season one for a side in mid-table with nothing to play for.

Prior to the game Moyes had admitted he was happy for the season to end quickly as they too had no real incentive other than finishing above near-neighbours Liverpool. But he must now be wondering what they could have achieved with their current form had there still been a month or more to go.

And had they not had such a poor first half of the campaign, the opportunities could have been even greater.



http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/fulham-dont-show-as-jelavic-puts-double-away-for-everton-7687241.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Agent: Man Utd, Liverpool and Spurs target almost certain to join Fulham

Fulham Transfer News: Nacer Chadli is “99 per cent” certain to be joining Fulham according to his agent

The agent of FC Twente winger Nacer Chadli is almost certain that his client will be joining Fulham this summer.

The Belgium international has been linked with a move to Manchester United, Liverpool as well as Tottenham Hotspur but Daniel Evrad believes 22-year-old will be plying his trade at Craven Cottage next season.

“He has a 99 per cent chance of leaving with Fulham his destination,” Evrad said.

Chadli featured against the Whites earlier in the season during a Europa League tie and has made 29 appearances in all this season, scoring seven goals.



http://www.london24.com/sport/fulham/agent_man_utd_liverpool_and_spurs_target_almost_certain_to_join_fulham_1_1362881?

[WhiteJC]

 
Jol lucky not to be at Goodison - Everton 4-0 Fulham

Martin Jol will have been glad he stayed at home. At least from there, he didn't have to witness the capitulation of his Fulham side to Everton, stretching the record of eighteen straight defeats at Goodison Park to a not-so-fancy nineteen. In fairness, victory for the Whites was never really on the cards but there was at least some optimism in the air. That was quickly banished, however, with a Nikica Jelavic penalty setting the tone early on. Three more goals would come and it was an afternoon that Billy McKinlay and Michael Lindeman would doubtlessly rather forget.



Danny Murphy was excluded from the side - not the best omen to open the day with. The last time he didn't feature we fell 3-0 at home to Swansea. Mahamadou Diarra, Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembele held fort in the middle of the park, then, but in truth, none of them had a game resembling anything decent. On too many occasions did Dembele lose the ball and Diarra looked a shadow of his former, Real Madrid self.

Pavel Pogrebnyak was adjudged to have handled in the area within six minutes and this led to Jelavic's opener, the Croation coolly dispatching the penalty. Just to confirm, as if there were any doubt, that Everton were a team that Fulham just can't seem to compete with, the Blues doubled their lead ten minutes later as Marouane Fellaini proved that huge hair doesn't halt aerial prowess as he headed home a Stephen Pienaar corner.

Fulham did have their moments, though, with Kerim Frei testing Tim Howard before Fellaini had put the match beyond doubt. The Swiss winger was a proverbial ray of light in this Fulham line-up, affirming the widely held view that he is a talent well worth nurturing. For a player so blessed with baby-face features, he has maturity beyond his years.

Howard was again called into action after half an hour when a Dempsey shot suffered a wicked deflection, but the 33 year-old was equal to it, acrobatically saving the effort. In truth, though, this was as good as it got for the away side and they went into the break three goals down, Jelavic yet again scoring. He's a player in fine form right now and it was somewhat foreseeable that he would score - this time firing through Schwarzer's legs.

In some ways, the game was an even contest and the scoreline appeared unjust, but when Fulham did have the ball there was a certain inability to use it to all its capabilities and despite some rare Howard heroics, he was rarely tested.

Tim Cahill added the final gloss to the Everton victory, beating his compatriot Schwarzer after the hour mark. He was at full stretch in finishing it but his team certainly weren't in beating Fulham here. It is, quite simply, a ground where the Fulham fortune is non-existent.

Maybe next year, hey?


http://www.cottagersconfidential.com/2012/4/28/2983962/jol-lucky-not-to-be-at-goodison-everton-4-0-fulham?

[WhiteJC]

 
Schwarzer Reaction

Fulham’s recent good run of form came to an end on Saturday afternoon as Everton produced a polished display to secure a 4-0 win at Goodison Park.

The scoreline may have been even worse had Mark Schwarzer not pulled off a catalogue of good saves in the second half, but the Aussie stopper was frank in his assessment of the game.

“They deserved to win today because we put in what was probably one of our worst performances of the season,” Mark told fulhamfc.com. “We’re not going to make any excuses, Everton deserved to beat us today.

“When you concede two early goals against a team as good as Everton you’re always going to have a mountain to climb to get back into the game. They’re a very well organised side and we were disorganised today and that’s uncharacteristic for us.

“Some pretty harsh words were said in the dressing room at half time and after the game so hopefully we can pick ourselves up and make sure we perform far, far better on Tuesday night [against Liverpool]. We need to because otherwise it’s going to be a very difficult week.”

The fact that the Whites have the opportunity to rectify today’s performance in just four days was the only consolation Mark could find from a disappointing afternoon on Merseyside.

“We’ve got to turn things around and try to put things right on Tuesday night,” he admitted. “It’s going to be a very, very tough game again and we know what to expect from Liverpool, as we did today against Everton.

“We need to make sure we get back to playing to our strengths and being well organised and defensively well set up and then we’ll see how we go from there.”



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2012/April/SchwarzerEvertonReaction.aspx?#ixzz1tPI54uZS

[WhiteJC]

 
McKinlay regrets poor opening
Coach concedes Cottagers deserved to lose at Goodison Park


Billy McKinlay: Believes a slow start from his Fulham side set them on the path to defeat against Everton at Goodison Park

Fulham first-team coach Billy McKinlay was left to rue a slow start from his side in their 4-0 defeat by Everton at Goodison Park.

The Cottagers went into the game on Saturday full of confidence following a four-game unbeaten run but found themselves 2-0 down within 16 minutes thanks to goals from Nikica Jelavic and Marouane Fellaini.
Jelavic's second of the game just before the break put the result beyond doubt before Tim Cahillrounded off a miserable afternoon on Merseyside for the Londoners midway through the second half.

McKinlay was standing in for manager Martin Jol, who missed the match with a chest infection, and admitted after the game that his side's poor start left them with a mountain to climb.

"I think we were slow out of the blocks and right from the off Everton put us under a lot of pressure," McKinlay told Sky Sports.

"We conceded some poor goals to say the least and that was really the recipe for a poor afternoon.

"We've been on a good run of form but quite simply we never turned up.

Pressure

"We never got started, credit to Everton they put us under pressure and thoroughly deserved the win."

The game at Goodison was Fulham's 52nd of a season that began back in June with a Europa League qualifier against NSI Runavik.

However, any suggestions of tiredness were quickly played down by McKinlay, who conceded his side simply did not play well enough.

When asked whether fatigue was a factor in the defeat the Scot insisted: "I don't think so, if you look at all aspects of the game we hold our hands up and say that we have come up short today.

"Everyone has played a similar amount of games, we've been in a good vein of form so it was just really, really disappointing from start to finish

"I think we will analyse why we went wrong and why we played so poorly, that's the most important thing.

"The guys are disappointed in there but thankfully we've got a game on Tuesday so we can hopefully bounce back."



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/7712971/?

[WhiteJC]

 
McKinlay's Reaction

With Martin Jol absent from today’s defeat to Everton as he recovers from a contagious chest infection, First Team affairs were handled by Michael Lindeman and Billy McKinlay at Goodison Park.

McKinlay was on touchline duty throughout the game and was disappointed that his side didn’t perform to the high standards that they have set themselves this season.

“Generally our performance was below the levels we’ve been used to recently and below the levels that’s required to get a result here,” McKinlay said. “It’s a difficult place to come; they’re a fantastic club with a terrific team who are on a really good run of form. We were on a good run too though so we were confident we could get something here today, but our performance didn’t merit anything.

“All credit to Everton, I think they thoroughly deserved the win but from our point of view we’re disappointed with the performance from start to finish. We conceded a couple of poor goals early on and never really recovered from that.

“It was an uphill task but we stuck at it in the second half but then conceded the fourth goal which was a poor one from our point of view.”

The Whites did breach the home defence more than once in the first 45 but found Tim Howard in inspired form on each occasion.

“We had a couple of bits and pieces in the first half where we might have got back in the game,” assessed McKinlay. “But I was more disappointed and concerned, as the players were, that we didn’t reach the levels that we’re capable of and that’s the first thing we always look at.

“It was a terrific save from the goalkeeper to tip Clint Dempsey’s shot onto the bar and that might have changed the game slightly if that had gone in but it wasn’t to be so we’ll dust ourselves down and get ourselves ready for Liverpool on Tuesday.

“We’ll be back in tomorrow morning and we’ll have a little look at the game and make sure everybody is raring to go.

“We’re all disappointed and that’s a sign that they know they weren’t at the levels they’re capable of today. They’re an experienced bunch of players, they’re a good bunch and I’m sure we’ll get a reaction on Tuesday.”



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2012/April/McKinlaysReaction.aspx?#ixzz1tPIrg0hp

[WhiteJC]

 
MOYES UNLIKELY TO PAY MORE THAN £5M SO WHY WOULD ANYONE ELSE?

Clint Dempsey has been one of the success stories of the Premier League this season. His impressive form this term for mid-table Fulham saw him recognised recently Football Writers’ Association whom voted him fourth in their Player of the Year award.

These performances have also been noted by many interested clubs who are now being linked frequently with a move for the American.

So is the 29-year-old now ready for a move to a top club? With only a year left on his contract – teams such as Spurs, Arsenal, Roma and more recently Everton have all been recognised to hold an interest in a summer move for the player according to The Daily Mail. Here we evaluate Dempsey’s credentials for a potential summer transfer.

Having scored 22 goals in 43 games in all competitions this season, it seems as though Dempsey is entering the peak of his career. His versatility has seen him operate in various positions over the years for Fulham – he can be used on either wing, as a striker and also in a more central role operating behind the lead striker.

He is regarded as a key player by The Cottagers where he has made 227 appearances in all competitions; playing important roles in regaining Fulham’s Premier League status in his first season and also leading them to a Europa League final in the 2009/10 season, amongst other impressive league finishes over the years.

Integral also for his country, Dempsey is given a free role in the United States national set-up currently managed by Jurgen Klinsmann where he has enjoyed relative success, winning the Gold Cup twice and also finishing runner-up in the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup.

He played an important role for his national side in the later mentioned competition scoring 3 goals in 5 games to set up a final against Brazil. With 85 caps to his name his ability at international level in unquestionable, after notably scoring a winner against England in the last World Cup he has impressed in the surroundings of the highest level – he has 25 goals whilst plying his trade on the international stage.

So whilst his talents aren’t in question, a problem the American may have is trying to justify his general attitude when things aren’t going so well. Numerous times through the season when Fulham are lacking in inspiration he has failed to inject his mark on the game, leading to Martin Jol’s side usually slumping to defeat. The American instead looks a frustrated figure and his performances prove ineffective. Dempsey’s mentality therefore doesn’t seem to match what is required to become a leading player at a top club.

Another feature that may also go against the American could be the fact he hasn’t been a prolific winner of trophies in his career. At 29-years-old challenging for league titles would be something completely different for Dempsey and the pressures of this have never featured in his career. This may have a negative impact on the players’ performance if he is unable to cope with the expectations of a big club as he is accustom to his humble surroundings at Craven Cottage.

So should Dempsey be on the move this summer? It seems as though that is for Wenger, Redknapp, Moyes or Enrique to decide for their clubs respectively.



http://www.footballtransfertavern.com/2012/04/premiership/moyes-unlikely-to-pay-more-than-5m-so-why-would-anyone-else?