News:

Use a VPN to stream games Safely and Securely 🔒
A Virtual Private Network can also allow you to
watch games Not being broadcast in the UK For
more Information and how to Sign Up go to
https://go.nordvpn.net/SH4FE

Main Menu


Tuesday Fulham Stuff (29/07/14)...

Started by WhiteJC, July 29, 2014, 08:56:14 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

WhiteJC

 
Hugo Rodallega eyes River Plate transfer away from Fulham

Fulham forward Hugo Rodallega has expressed his interest in joining Argentinian side River Plate following their relegation from the Premier League.

The former Wigan Athletic striker has caught the eye of River Plate officials and Rodallega is keen on the switch abroad.

"I am going to help for my transfer to River to be done. I think that the negotiation is not going to be easy, but I would love to have the chance of playing at River," he told TyC Sports.

"I would like a change in my career and River is a very important team that is playing in many competitions this year and the next."

Rodallega, 29, has scored just five times in 42 appearances for the Cottagers since joining in 2012.


http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/fulham/transfer-talk/news/rodallega-eyes-river-plate-move_167632.html

WhiteJC

 
Boa's New Challenge

Fulham bid "adeus" to a popular character this month when Luis Boa Morte left his coaching role to return to Portugal.

The former winger – who clocked up some 250 appearances during his playing days for the Whites – had been working with the Club's youngsters, but opted to make the switch back to his homeland.

It's a move that sees the 36-year-old's career go full circle as he takes up a role at Sporting Lisbon, with whom he began his career prior to joining Arsenal in 1997.

"I'm assistant coach of the Under-21s at Sporting Lisbon – here we call it the 'B' team," Boa told fulhamfc.com. "It's a different role to the one I had at Fulham but I'm happy to be here as part of this project.

"It was a big decision for me and my family to come back to Portugal. It was something I'd been thinking about anyway and then the job came along and I accepted.

"I'm excited about the challenge. I've been here now for a couple of weeks and it's been so far, so good, so I'm just looking forward to keeping going and carrying on."

A previous incumbent of the Captain's armband, Fulham has been a major part of Boa Morte's career, most recently when creating a pathway into coaching – a statement of trust for which he was exceedingly grateful.


"I definitely enjoyed my time at Fulham," he stated. "I had a six-month period to start with alongside Mark Pembridge and Colin Omogbehin – they made me feel really welcome and helped me a lot.

"Then I began working with the Under-21s as a kind of player-coach, as well as being assistant coach with the Under-13s. I enjoyed working with Kit Symons and Reedy [Sean Reed – U21 coach] a lot when I helped them deliver some sessions."

The move back to Lisbon is the next step in Boa Morte's long-term plan, with the 28-cap Portugal international keen to eventually break into management.

"In football you're either ambitious or you're not ambitious," he explained. "I've always been ambitious and I want to reach as far as I can and go on to become a coach and manager.

"I need to look after myself so I thought the best way for me to improve and impart the best of my knowledge would be away to step out of Fulham, work my way up, and then maybe one day come back."

One man who knows Boa Morte as well as anyone out on the pitch is Fulham's Under-21 Manager Symons, with the pair first meeting when the young winger joined the Whites on loan ahead of the now infamous 2000/01 promotion campaign.


"I played with Boa under Jean Tigana," Kit said. "He'd been struggling a bit at Southampton and was having a bit of a tough time, but he was a real breath of fresh air for us.

"He always had this massive smile on his face and was a great lad. He was a really good player, too. In his time at Fulham he massively matured and developed as a player. He got better and better as time went on and he ended up becoming Club Captain."

Fast forward a decade or so and Boa Morte was back at Motspur Park, working closely with Symons as he looked to make the transition from player to coach.

Kit recalled: "A year or two ago, he asked if he could do a bit of training with my Under-21s as he was trying to prolong his career and was between clubs. He was an inspiration to my players.

"He was in his mid-30s then and he was the most enthusiastic one in training. I said to my boys, 'look, he's at the end of his career but he's still got that love for the game. That's what you need to make it at the top level.'

"After officially retiring, he started to help out on the coaching side of things for me and he was great to have around. He's a great character with a good knowledge of the game.

"He's going to be assistant manager for Sporting Lisbon's Under-21s and I'm sure he'll do an excellent job. He'll be a big loss for us. He's a Fulham legend and a top guy."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/july/28/boas-new-challenge?

WhiteJC

 
David Stockdale: Brighton sign Fulham goalkeeper


Championship club Brighton & Hove Albion have signed Fulham goalkeeper David Stockdale for an undisclosed fee.

The 28-year-old, who has spent the last six years at Craven Cottage, has agreed a three-year deal at the Amex Stadium.

Stockdale made 26 appearances in all competitions last season as Fulham were relegated from the Premier League.

"David has got very good experience of the Premier League and Championship but at 28 is in his prime," Brighton boss Sami Hyypia told the club website.

Stockdale began his career at York and, after two years at Darlington, joined Fulham in the summer of 2008 - shortly before Antti Niemi, now Albion's goalkeeping coach, retired through injury.

He has had loan spells at Rotherham, Leicester, Plymouth, Ipswich and Hull during his spell at Fulham, and in total he made 52 appearances for the Whites during his time in west London.

Stockdale will compete with Casper Ankergren and youngster Christian Walton for the number one jersey at Brighton after Tomasz Kuszczak and Peter Brezovan left the Sussex club earlier this summer.

Stockdale becomes Brighton's fourth signing of the summer, following the arrivals of defender Aaron Hughes, midfielder Nzuzi Toko and striker Chris O'Grady.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/28531330


WhiteJC

 
Transfer news and rumours: Fulham want at least £5million for Ruiz

Rodallega and Dejagah also linked with moves away, but Fulham could bring in Sane


On his way?Bryan Ruiz stars for Costa Rica in this summer's World Cup

Fulham have slapped a £5million price tag on Bryan Ruiz following interest from Turkish side Besiktas and Greek champions Olympiakos.

The Costa Rican World Cup star won't leave west London if any club aren't willing to bid that amount, according to the Daily Star Sunday.

Besiktas, who are also interested in Kostas Mitroglou , have confirmed talks have begun over the striker, while Fulham boss Felix Magath is still unsure whether to keep hold of Ruiz as the club seek to reduce the wage bill following relegation.

Reports coming out of Argentina also suggest striker Hugo Rodallega is hoping to complete a move to Argentine champions River Plate this summer.

The 29-year-old, who has one more year remaining on his current deal at Craven Cottage, joined from Wigan in 2012 but managed to hit just nine goals in all competitions during the course of his two-year spell in London.


Taxi for Hugo: Could Fulham be waving goodbye to Rodallega?

Back in Europe, French publication L'Equipe are linking Fulham with a move for Bordeaux's 27 year old Senegalese centre back, Lamine Sane.

Sane, who is also reportedly a target for West Ham, has made 190 appearances for Bordeaux, scoring 10 goals, and is entering the last year of his contract.

Finally, Iranian media are reporting that Ashkan Dejagah is in Qatar for a medical ahead of a supposed £4million move to Qatari club Al-Arabi.

The Iranian winger has suffered with injuries and lack of fitness during his time at Fulham, but under Magath he started to show some decent form and ended up with 5 goals from 22 appearances last season.



http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/fulham-slap-5million-price-tag-7519148?

WhiteJC

 
DC United Match report

Written by  Andersons11

A youthful Fulham side runs out victorious versus a mixed D.C. United side.

Fulham's away venture to D.C United was greeted with a mixture of pleasant surprise and confusion when it was announced at the end of the season. The move however, makes sense when you think about Shahid Khan's ownership of the club. Allowing the current supporters to see their favorite club, while hopefully adding to the American contingent.

The day started off at the aptly named Jacksonville Sports Bar, where the largest meeting of Fulham supporters took place on this side of the Atlantic since the 2005 MLS All Star match. Fulham in Florida had a wonderful welcoming atmosphere and we were visited by the Tache himself Shahid Khan, who was kind enough to open the tab for a little while.

It was a little surprising when Felix named the squad that a few more of the more experienced squad did not travel. However with Ipswich right around the corner it was understandable. Dembele was lethal in front of goal and Felix's call to bring a very young side was justified as they ran out comfortable 3-0 winners against a mixed D.C United squad.

Felix seems to have instilled a 4-4-2 Diamond system that was evident in the other friendly matches as well. As the lads walked out on the pitch, you saw a confidence that often was void of the squad last year. Chris David supported Hugo and Dembele up top as the tip of the diamond, while Hoogland anchored the midfield. Hyndman and Williams slotted in on the sides of the diamond, while Vosser, Stafylidis, Burgess and Hutchinson completed the back four with Joronen in goal.

In the early stages both sides were a bit shaky, testing each other out which is to be expected from a match such as this. Joronen was tested early and Hugo made a few pleasing runs that ended for naught. In the 7th minute our on loan left back Stafylidis made a charging run that ended up with a free kick on the edge of the box, earned by Hugo. Hugo and David stepped up, with the latter causing the ball to shoot of the post.

Fulham soaked up the pressure with relative ease, with only a few cases of a missed pass here or there, in which case you could argue the back four are still learning to play with each other. However, throughout the match they were compact, no nonsense and smart about their defending, with Stafylidis once again being both solid defensively, but creating an offensive spark.

In the 21st minute a quick counter from Fulham resulted in a 1 nil lead to the Whites. Miscommunication allowed our young forward to nip in and lift a clever finish over the United keeper. As the match wore on, it was evident a system was in place and that it was being adhered to. As D.C threatened with a few corners, it was evident our back line was confident in the way they were instructed. Another quick counter allowed Moussa to slot home his second of the evening as the ball bounced around in the box, 3 yards from goal. A clinical, but poacher's goal. The team effort was evident and while all of the players like Hyndman and Williams played well Stafylidis really stood out during the half.

The second half began much as the first had, with United testing Fulham, but not really forcing Joronen into work. Roberts came on for Williams at the half and was quite lively, making smart, accurate passes. As the 50th minute approached the United keeper was forced into a save, causing an injury to himself. This forced Ben Olson to bring on Hamid, United's first choice goalkeeper.

Fulham players took it in turn to be lively with David particularly pleasing to the eye. However, most of the players at some point or an caused the crowd to be awestruck with a fancy step over or a silky pass, Joronen even got in on the action with a fine double save, that on any other day would have prevented the clean sheet.

United pressed, trying to get at least one back, dragging a shot wide from a delightful delivery from the left. Dembele, however had other plans and in the 71st completed his hat-trick on the evening, breaking into free space and slotting coolly past Hamid.

Several water breaks were called throughout the match and it was needed. Fulham sank into a rhythm to close out the match and a pre-season debut was handed to Eisfield and George Williams.Towards the end, Hugo threw himself towards a cross in an attempt to get a header on target and Roberts made a surging run in the last minute with an attempt on goal.
The final whistle blew with barely a minutes worth of stoppage time allowing the boys time to get another drink of water and enjoy the victory. Fulham 3 D.C United 0

Player Analysis:
Joronen: was truely never tested during the match. He was very able when called upon though. He showed his class with a double save that should have been a goal for DC

Voser: A quiet yet composed game. He got forward when needed and defended capably.

Hutchinson: Learning the system and played well with Burgess. Made the simple no nonsense clearences when needed. He played smart and simple. Just what was needed.

Burgess: The same as Hutch, played well and defended smartly.

Stafylidis: Its early stages, but it appears we have finally found a left back who defends properly, along with getting a few attacking crosses in. Lets hope we can keep on to him.

Hoogland: Sat right above our defenders and dictated defensive play, often cutting out trouble before it got to the back four.

Williams: Played well, had a few good touches and a few good runs, a credit to the Academy.

Hyndman: He influenced the match with short passes and held the ball well. The ironic thing is apart from the Fulham support present the rest of the crowd had no idea that he hailed from Texas.

David: If there was one player on the field that controlled the match, it was David. He showed why he is highly rated and has continued where he left off from the last match of the season. Creative with his passes, he read the game well.

Rodellega: Captained the side. His effort on the pitch was extrordinary. While he had a few shots off target during the match, his runs allowed Dembele more space. An attempted sciscor kick and a long busting run ending with a flying header forcing the keeper off his line, were the highlights of the match for Hugo.

Dembele: Scored all three goals. He kept his composure, forcing a mistake for the first, calmly put a bouncing ball in the box for a second and his third came as he ran onto a pass, slotting home cooley past the on rushing goalkeeper.

Subs:
Roberts: Came on shortly after the half and was lively. His run past several defenders, starting 45 or so yards out that resulted on a shot on goal from the edge of the box was quite easy on the eye.

Eisfield: Came on for twenty minutes or so and looked at home in the midfield.
George Williams: Came on with 8 minutes to play and didnt play long enough to pass judgement.

A few take aways.
While this was not a full strength D.C side, this is the squad second in the MLS Eastern Conference and a side quite in form.

This year, it looks like there is a team. While players like Dembele, Roberts, David and Stafylidis have genuinely impressed, the team ethic is there.

SIGN STAFYLIDIS UP NOW, ok it is just a loan now, but this kid is the real deal. A proper left back, hes no nonsense in the defense side and gets forward when he needs to. For me its between him and David for player of the season.(Early I know)
Its quite refreshing to see a side play with a formation and a clear understanding of one another.



- See more at: http://www.fulhamusa.com/index.php/news/item/218-dc-united-match-report?#sthash.IgVnYVIJ.dpuf

WhiteJC

 
Optometrist spotted Fulham Academy scout's kiwi fruit-sized brain tumour at Harrow eye test

Father-of-two John O'Brien's urges people to book  a routine check-up after irregularities found at his own sight exam

John OBrien, a 50-year-old who is head of London recruitment at The Fulham Academy, was discovered to have a brain tumour behind his right eye during a routine check-up conducted by optometrist Nund Vyas at Specsavers in Northolt Road, South Harrow

A SPECTACLES-wearing football club scout found to have an eye tumour the size of a kiwi fruit by an optometrist at a South Harrow opticians is urging people to have routine sight check-ups.

John O'Brien, a 50-year-old who is head of London recruitment at Fulham FC's The Fulham Academy, was en route to a match when he visited Specsavers in Northolt Road, South Harrow, for a drop-in appointment earlier this year.

He underwent a routine eye exam which includes digital retinal photography to capture images of the back of the eye and optometrist Nund Vyas spotted irregularities behind his customer's right eye.

Mr Vyas referred to hospital and was diagnosed with a tumour and was operated on within days.


Father-of-two Mr O'Brien, based at the club's Motspur Park Training Ground in New Malden, Surrey, said: "My story shows just how important eye tests are.

"I thought I just needed new glasses, but I actually had a brain tumour.

"If I hadn't gone for an eye test when I did, I probably wouldn't be here now.

"I can't thank Nund, the team at Specsavers and the medical teams enough for their swift action.

"I would encourage everyone to make time for their regular screenings."

Mr Vyas said: "We're glad John came to see us when he did and that he had swift access to the treatment he needed.

"His experiences show how important eye examinations are, not only in testing your vision, but also in the detection of a number of potentially harmful issues."


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/news/local-news/optometrist-spotted-fulham-fc-academy-7520065?


WhiteJC

 
Albion sign Premier League keeper


David Stockdale

Albion have ended their search for a new No. 1 by landing David Stockdale from Championship rivals Fulham.

Stockdale, Fulham's first choice in the Premier League for much of last season, has signed a three-year deal for a fee believed to be around £1 million.

The Seagulls have been hunting for a new goalkeeper since Tomasz Kuszczak was released in May.

Their list of targets included Jack Butland, Keiren Westwood and Stephen Henderson.

Leeds-born Stockdale, 28, made 39 top flight appearances for Fulham, 21 of them last season, following a move from Darlington in 2008.

The 6ft 3ins Yorkshireman was often preferred to Dutchman Maarten Stekelenburg in the pecking order at Craven Cottage last season.

Albion face Felix Magath's Fulham at the Amex on November 29.



http://www.theargus.co.uk/sport/11371049._/?

WhiteJC

 
Stockdale Departs

The Club can confirm that David Stockdale has joined Brighton & Hove Albion on a permanent deal for an undisclosed fee.

Signed from Darlington in 2008, the goalkeeper went on to make more than 50 appearances for Fulham, during which time he was called up to the full England squad.

Everyone at the Club would like to thank David for his services over the last six years, and wish him the best for the future.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/july/28/stockdale-departs?

WhiteJC

 
Fulham shot stopper completes Brighton move

Fulham goalkeeper David Stockdale has moved to Championship rivals Brighton and Hove Albion for an undisclosed fee, confirms both parties.

The twenty-eight year old has agreed to a three-year deal at the AMEX stadium, for a fee believed to be around the £1M mark.

The Seagulls have had a goalkeeper position free since releasing Tomasz Kuszczak, and have turned to David Stockdale to fill the position.

Stockdale has plenty of Championship experience, helping Hull City to promotion a couple of seasons ago during a loan spell there, along with playing for the likes Leicester City, Ipswich Town and Plymouth Argyle also on loan.

The Leeds born keeper's career started off at York City in 2003 and spent three years there before moving on to play for neighbours Darlington.

Stockdale was then Craven Cottage cottage bound in 2008 after agreeing a move to the London club believed to be worth around £600,000, as other Premier League clubs missed out on the keeper's signature.

New Brighton boss Sami Hyypia has expressed his delight over the signing of Stockdale, when speaking to the club's website.

"We are delighted to have completed David's signing from Fulham, and I am pleased to welcome him to the club," the Seagulls boss said.
The Finnish manager added, "It is a transfer we have been working on for some time – and David is a goalkeeper with excellent pedigree. He has got very good experience of the Premier League and Championship, but at 28 is in his prime."
Albion's goalkeeping coach, Antti Niemi, played alongside Stockdale at Craven Cottage, and Hyypia is hoping that this will help Stockdale out during his time on the South coast.
"Antti knows David very well from their time together as players at Fulham. He knows his strengths and attributes, and David was on the fringes of the England senior squad not too long ago," said the former Liverpool player.
Hyypia is also satisfied with his goalkeeper options ahead of the new season, with the Seagulls already having Casper Ankergren and Christian Walton as options for the goalkeeper role.
Whilst at Craven Cottage, Stockdale made thirty-nine appearances.
Stockdale will wear the number thirteen at Brighton and Hove Albion for the upcoming season.


http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/fulham-shot-stopper-completes-brighton-move/?


WhiteJC

 
Bryan Ruiz expects to leave Fulham this summer

Besiktas are set to offer €6 million for Fulham outcast Bryan Ruiz according to Fanatik.

Black Eagles president Fikret Orman is currently in London and will try to complete the transfer by the end of the week.

Besiktas are reported to be in talks with Fulham over Ruiz and the Costa Rican international has revealed that he doesn't expects to leave this summer.

"I want to play top-tier football, Fulham are no longer at this level and I don't think I will be here next season," Ruiz told Al Dia newspaper.

"I can't comment on which club I will join yet and I could still stay at Fulham.

"I am flying to Germany to meet with my agent to decide future."

Greek giants Olympiakos have also been closely linked with the Costa Rican international.

Ruiz scored twice and provided six assists for the Cottagers last season however, was loaned out to PSV Eindhoven for the second-half of 2013-14.

The 28-year-old still has a year left on his contract with Fulham but the club have been trying to reduce their wage bill following relegation to the Championship and will listen to offers for Ruiz.


http://www.turkish-football.com/news_read.php?id=6224

WhiteJC

 
Fulham, Moneyball, David Stockdale, John Terry, and why I'm more positive now

With the disappointing news that David Stockdale's off it becomes clear that this just isn't about dead wood.

Here are the positives around Stockdale:

- we got him when he was nobody. It's nice to see young players come through.
– he's a good player. England squad, remember?
– he seems like a good egg.
– he seems to 'get' Fulham, to the extent that such a thing really exists.
– if he was going to go he's had several better times to do so, notably when he was being messed about in the latter stages of the Schwarzer era.
– we need a goalkeeper.
– Stekelenberg is presumably aiming higher.
– he 'knows' the Championship. I don't know how that helps either, but everyone talks about knowing the Championship so who am I to disagree?

And so on. There are probably more. Stockdale's a nice lad who's good in goal. It feels like a shame to let him go. At this rate – and I'm barely joking – Fulham's fans will barely recognise anyone when the team takes the field at Portman Road.

So what's going on? Does Stockdale want a new start? Does the club want to rid itself of all remnants of the 2013-14 disaster? I don't know. Probably someone else does.

But something else is occurring to me, regardless of the final diagnosis here.

Fulham are going American.

What? Well in baseball you have no relegation and something called a draft, by which teams are continually refurbished with young talent. The worse the team the better access to young talent.

And American sports being heavily unionised as they are, player salaries are quite well controlled. What this led to, probably 10 years ago now, was a fairly widespread realisation that older players were dramatically overpaid relative to younger players. Oh, sure, the coaches and older players would continually big up the need for 'experience', but when it came down to it an experienced home run looked a lot like an inexperienced one.

Thing is, a young player would be on a maximum contract of $350,000. It's more now but bear with me. After a certain period of time the player could renegotiate this, but it meant that teams who were prepared to take a risk on young talent were at an advantage, provided they had identified the right young talent. Generally, once they'd been in the game 7-8 years, experienced players, even mediocre ones, would take home $2,000,000 a year. Again, it's more now, but you can see the point.

I have long wondered to what extent you could take this over here. My argument, which may be wrong, would be that if you're paying Darren Bent £50,000 a week and he is useless every single game, you could just as well have played Mousa Dembele, who presumably earns a tenth of that.

You could. I appreciate that "it's not that simple", but when it comes to awful performances it doesn't really matter whether it's a 28 year old making them or an 18 year old. Except financially: the 18 year olds cost a tenth as much.

Mr Khan and his sons will be all too aware of this, as are we having seen the cheap and cheerful Cauley Woodrow perform just as well as £70,000 Hugo Rodallega in the run-in. Chris David will earn a bit more but presumably much less than the experienced heads who had disappointed before he got the chance. Dan Burn and Brede Hangeland probably played at equivalent levels, but Burn would have earned a massive amount less than Hangeland. And so on.

Now, there's a limit to all this. That's why I was saying if you're going to be awful you might as well be cheap and awful. But where's the fine line.

My sense is that the powers that be have had a good think here and worked out what they think a player is worth. Say Stockdale's bringing in £30,000 a week. This is a C+ goalkeeper in the big scheme of things, good but not irreplaceable. Fulham figure they've identified someone just as good and he'll cost them £15,000 a week in wages. So they make the move.

It might be that simple. What if Fulham are ruthlessly moving on all players whose value can be replaced at a lower cost? Players who earned Premiership wages which, even if they're now discounted, still represent poor investments. Ordinary players making extraordinary money.

My guess is that Mr Khan and his sons have sat down with the Fulham top brass and said "right, we have young kids, they're good. We have old players, who aren't that good. We don't need both" and gone from there. There would have been some variation on the "you win nothing with kids talk" which is probably how we ended up with Ross McCormack ("get rid of all the players who earn too much and I'll buy you a centre-forward") but this squad absolutely screams "rational thinking" to me. And if Scott Parker's still here it's either because you can take these things too far and he's a good egg, or we haven't found anyone who will pay him that much for that long. Probably both.

An argument could and will be made that we've turned over too much too quickly, and there may be something too that, but in football an awful lot of money is chucked away. Agents fees are the obvious ones, but when you or I get an inflation indexed pay rise if our employer feels generous, footballers famously get doubled salaries, or extra bonuses, or all sorts of other things like that. Fine, it's a jungle out there and you get what you can, but we're in the Championship now. Yeah we've got money but so too did a lot of teams who have botched their bounce-back. Fulham are finally going about doing things properly.

We'll lose games but we'll do it with a young team that we can get behind. We'll struggle to recognise the players we see but ideally they'll have been recruited with a certain profile in mind. (Remember Roy Hodgson moving for players from Scandinavia and other English speaking nations? Well look here: Australians, Swiss, Germans. These nationalities, if we dare generalise, are good 'character' nationalities.) These new players won't be on silly wages, they'll be on appropriate wages. And of course we have the youngsters, these super talented youngsters, who might not get all that much exposure, who might not do as well as we're hoping, but whose time is coming.

You know how much better England felt when John Terry was exiled? This is Fulham now. I'm not equating last year's team with John Terry because that wouldn't be fair, but in a way I am. Last season WAS John Terry like. The club are trying to remove all traces of our John Terry season, and appropriately enough for such an exercise, they're doing it intelligently and apparently well. Next season feels like a good season to me. If losing David Stockdale is a bummer, I'm hoping that we did it for the right reasons. And even if we did it for the wrong reasons, it feels like the club is again moving in the right direction.


http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2014/07/28/fulham-moneyball-david-stockdale-john-terry-and-why-im-more-positive-now/?

WhiteJC

 
Fulham midfielder Ashkan Dejagah set to join Qatari side Al Arabi

Ashkan Dejagah is poised to join Qatari side Al Arabi from Fulham.

The 28-year-old impressed for Iran in the World Cup and Fulham are considering a £3.5m offer.

Dejagah, who was voted as Fulham's player of the year by fans, has reportedly met with Al Arabi's Romanian coach Dan Petrescu and will undergo a medical on Monday.


Fulham's Dejagah (right) played for Iran in the World Cup this summer

The Iranian-German spent five years at Wolfsburg before joining the Premier League team, making more than 150 appearances for the Bundesliga club.

Brighton have signed Fulham goalkeeper David Stockdale for £1.5million. The 28-year-old, who has spent the last six years at Craven Cottage, has agreed a three-year deal at the Amex Stadium.

Albion manager Sami Hyypia said: 'It is a transfer we have been working on for some time - and David is a goalkeeper with excellent pedigree.'


Dejagah (right) scored six goals for Fulham last season

David Stockdale leaves Craven Cottage after six years with Fulham



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2708875/Fulham-midfielder-Ashkan-Dejagah-set-join-Qatari-Al-Arabi.html#ixzz38qMmLDHS
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook


WhiteJC

 
Stoke City: Steve Sidwell says he's over Fulham relegation

STOKE City newcomer Steve Sidwell admits there could be a few scars left by relegation with Fulham last season.

But the 31-year-old midfielder insists he has moved on psychologically and is ready to get cracking with the fifth top-flight club of his career.

Sidwell, who is hoping for his third pre-season outing against Schalke 04 this evening (5pm), said: "It was a great three-and-a-half years at a great football club with lovely people.

"I probably had one of my best seasons as a pro, but then had it tarnished by going down.

"I scored the goals I could and helped the team as much as I could, but in the end it wasn't to be.

"It hurt at the time, of course it did, but now that's a chapter closed. I will still look out for Fulham's results, but obviously my concentration is somewhere else now and that's with Stoke City."

Sidwell says being signed by Mark Hughes for a second time in his career also provides a timely confidence boost ahead of his first campaign in the Potteries.

He said: "It was a short spell under him at Fulham, to be fair, but in that short spell I probably played some of my best football and hopefully repaid him for signing me.

"When I first walked into Fulham I felt the same feeling I got coming to Stoke.

"I felt at home and life was good for me then, as it is now, which meant coming into the club feeling happy and that's when you give your best.

"It's a fantastic job to be a professional football player, but it is a short career and so you have to relish every day you come into work, keep yourself fit and go on for as long as you can."

Sidwell thanked his new team-mates for helping to integrate him so quickly at Stoke that he feels part of the furniture after barely three weeks at the club.

"To be fair, I've settled in straight away," he disclosed. "Obviously there is more of a British-based dressing room, which always helps, and there's a lot of experienced pros I've played against over the years and come to know.

"I've also been in a few new dressing rooms in my time and so that new-school feeling is gone now.

"But it's not just the dressing room. The training ground is great and the staff at the club are lovely people.

"It reminds me very much of a family-run club because it's certainly got that feel to it."

Asmir Begovic will tonight enjoy his first taste of action since returning from his World Cup debut with Bosnia, but Phil Bardsley, Andy Wilkinson and Jon Walters will require fitness tests after being restricted to light training yesterday.

Hughes has told his players that the real work in friendlies starts now after treating the first two against Borussia Mönchengladbach and TSV 1860 Munich more as extended training sessions.



Read more: http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Stoke-City-Steve-Sidwell-says-players-helping/story-21964484-detail/story.html?#ixzz38qNd5OLn
Read more at http://www.stokesentinel.co.uk/Stoke-City-Steve-Sidwell-says-players-helping/story-21964484-detail/story.html?#reDmFEI5IYuPKICL.99

WhiteJC

 
Dejagah's Qatar Move

The Club can confirm that Ashkan Dejagah has joined Al-Arabi on a permanent deal for an undisclosed fee.

The winger departs Fulham for Qatar following two years in South-West London, during which time he made 49 appearances and scored six goals – several of which were spectacular efforts in last season's battle against relegation.

Upon Dejagah's departure from the Club, Manager Felix Magath said: "Having spoken with Ashkan, we decided in the best interest of both Fulham and himself, that he would leave the Club. During his time with us, he made some good appearances and scored some memorable goals. However, we decided to part ways. It will always be our policy to have players who are committed to the Club and have a desire to work for the common goal.

"We wish him very much luck for the future at Al-Arabi."

Everyone at Fulham would like to thank Ashkan for his efforts during his time at the Club, and wish him the best throughout his career.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/july/29/dejagahs-qatar-move