Friday Fulham Stuff 28/01/11

[WhiteJC]

http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2011/01/28/fenestration-talk-now/?

Fenestration talk now
Filed under: General — rich
Here at CCN we haven’t got too involved with the whole transfer window nonsense.  Perhaps the recent good performances have dulled our hunger; perhaps the return of various players just make things look a bit better.

Before the window we’d have identified the following needs:

a defender of some sort.  Some wanted a right-back; others left.

a central midfielder.  We’re not short of these, of course, but the idea was to get a better player than the current cadre, ideally someone young enough to succeed the Murph when his legs do finally “go”.

a centre forward.  Because of Zamora’s injury.

What have we got?   Steve Sidwell for one, and in his one and a bit games he’s looked handy.  I’m not convinced yet that he’s doing anything that Jon Greening can’t do, but he does look like he has something about him.

Gael Kakutacould be anything, although I’m inclined to assume that the player he most closely resembles in our side is Moussa Dembele.  Kakuta’s looked phenomenal whenever I’ve seen him play (on Match of the Day), but it’s been so long since we had a young, dynamic flair player that I really can’t picture him in a Fulham shirt.  It could be Wayne Routledge all over again, or Giles Barnes, or something altogether new.   We shall see.  What it isn’t is Shaun Wright Phillips, which is a shame because SWP is a good player and very nippy to boot; we distinctly lack nippiness, AJ’s return to relevance notwithstanding.

And then what?   The centre-forward of our dreams is still not in our car, and it seems increasingly likely that we’ll be back on the phone to Millwall and asking for ‘insurance choice’ Steve Morison (whose Millwall form has gone to pot since the window opened) after all.   He’d be a Kuqi type signing, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing (Kuqi being an interesting example of perception perhaps overtaking reality: for one thing he really never was that fat, and for all his myriad limitations, he made some quite important contributions to a desperately poor side, without which, etc, etc).

Do we still need a centre forward?  Yes, but AJ is better than we could have dared hope, and with Dembele dovetailing nicely behind him I’m less inclined to panic.  Sure we missed chances at Anfield, but that’s what teams do; you can’t score them all.   Perhaps we’d be better off making do and mending, then signing a progressive player in the summer.

At full-back we seem likely to pick the roving left back that is Paul Konchesky.  I have no bone to pick with Konch, who, like his former manager, took a career choice that backfired badly.   We’ve all done it, and it seems ridiculous to suggest that we shouldn’t want him back because he once left us.  This strikes me as the worst kind of unthinking:  if we need a left back and the best available is Paul Konchesky, then certainly we should sign Paul Konchesky.  What are we worried about; that he’ll want to leave us again?   That he won’t be committed because he once dared presume to leave Fulham behind.   Give me strength.

I’m not sure that there’ll be anything else beyond the above, and I’m not sure there needs to be.  With AJ and Dembele fit and well we look a decent side, and the return of Zamora will only improve this.  Sidwell’s a good fit for the middle of the pitch, and Konchesky would certainly be useful while the promising but perhaps disorientated Salcido gets his head on straight.

[WhiteJC]

http://www.sportingo.com/football/a18064_tottenham-midfielder-ponders-fulham-switch

Tottenham midfielder ponders Fulham switch
White Hart Lane outcast mulling over Craven Cottage move

Fulham manager Mark Hughes has switched his attentions to Tottenham Hotspur midfield player Niko Kranjcar after failing in his attempts to bring winger Shaun Wright-Phillips to Craven Cottage.

Hughes had been tracking Manchester City’s unsettled England international since the transfer window opened at the start of this month, however, the move has since broken down over mega-rich City’s insistence that Fulham pay part of the player’s massive weekly wage packet.

And, that change of stance has forced Hughes to drop his interest in Wright-Phillips and instead make inquiries with Tottenham over the availability of their underused Croatia international Kranjcar.

[WhiteJC]

http://www.smh.com.au/sport/football/i-wont-be-sad-to-see-my-caps-record-go--schwarzers-earned-it-20110128-1a89r.html?

I won't be sad to see my caps record go - Schwarzer's earned it

The first time I saw Mark Schwarzer was in the early 1990s. He was playing for Marconi and I was captain of Adelaide City. He was the young up-and-coming goalkeeper and everyone could see it. That was almost 20 years ago, which seems extraordinary.

He was a quiet guy, a big guy, but nowhere near as solid as he is now. Spindly and long-limbed, the perfect build for a goalkeeper. It's not just that he's tall, he has got such long arms.

Tomorrow morning he will claim my record for the most caps for a Socceroo. I'll be in the stands in Doha watching and cheering. The record is not something I spend much time thinking about, nothing stands forever. It's a different era now but international football has always been hard. Schwarzer has been a player who came through those changes, seeing us go out of Oceania and into Asia, seeing the game grow and the Socceroos become household names.

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I'm proud of the record, but it's not something I use to define myself. Mostly I'm proud I played for as long as I could, that I was a long-term member of the team and captain of my country.

Most capped is not a title I sought but many people know me for it. I like having the record but I'm not clinging to it.

Mark has kept himself in outstanding physical condition and has been an absolute ambassador for the game, both in personality, in his play and as a role model.

Early on, Mark Bosnich and Robert Zabica and later Zeljko Kalac were challenging him. But for the latter part of his career, his dominance has never been in doubt.

To be as good as Mark at his age is unbelievable. It speaks volumes for his attitude and dedication. He is one of our most important contributors and clearly one of the best goalkeepers we have ever produced.

Everyone remembers the 2005 penalty shoot-out against Uruguay. On that night at the stadium some guy kept bugging me about who was going to win. He kept asking me so I said ''I don't know, I'm not a magician''. Then with 15 minutes to go I turned to him and said "It will be a penalty shoot-out, Australia will win 4-2 and Schwarzer will save two penalties''. Later he came back and thought I was a genius.

I gave that prediction because I was thinking back to the Canada game all those years before in 1993. It was tight and tense, a crucial World Cup qualifier, but the one thing I felt was confidence in Schwarzer.

That game against Canada, Bosnich had been injured and Zabica was sent off in the previous game. Schwarzer was the No.3 keeper and came in for his first start as an international. Nobody expected him to get a gig but circumstances gave him a chance and he saved two penalties in the shoot-out.

Goalkeepers need big personalities. They spend a lot of time screaming and organising the defence. I knew Bozza from a very early age and he was always loud. Mark was different, quiet at first. But after Canada his confidence lifted, everybody was talking about him.

He's in great form still. I'm looking forward to being there to see him play in the Asian Cup final and claim the record. So congratulations Mark. Just remember, you are a long time retired. Given current form and fitness there is no reason you can't go on for years. It has been a stellar career. Long may it continue.

[WhiteJC]

http://www.teamtalk.com/match/preview/978/6706535/Fulham-v-Tottenham-preview?

Fulham v Tottenham preview

Team news for Sunday's FA Cup fourth-round clash between Fulham and Tottenham at Craven Cottage (kick-off 4.30pm).

Gareth Bale misses the match with a back injury.

Bale came off 10 minutes into Spurs' draw at Newcastle last week with a back spasm but Harry Redknapp insists the problem is not serious and expects the Wales winger to return to action in 10 days' time.

Benoit Assou-Ekotto (knee), Heurelho Gomes (shoulder), Wilson Palacios (knee) should return after missing the game at St James' Park but Ledley King (groin) and Tom Huddlestone (ankle) remain sidelined.

Tottenham (from): Gomes, Pletikosa, Cudicini, Hutton, Corluka, Dawson, Kaboul, Gallas, Bassong, Assou-Ekotto, Khumalo, Sandro, Palacios, Jenas, Lennon, Modric, Dos Santos, Van der Vaart, Crouch, Pavlyuchenko, Keane, Defoe, Pienaar.

[WhiteJC]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/9379083.stm?

BBC: Fulham v Tottenham

FA Cup fourth round
Venue: Craven Cottage Date: Sunday, 30 January Kick-off: 1630 GMT
Coverage: BBC Sport website, BBC Radio 5 live, BBC local radio, Final Score

TEAM NEWS
Fulham team news to follow.

Tottenham's Gareth Bale is out with back trouble but Benoit Assou-Ekotto, Heurelho Gomes and Wilson Palacios should all return from injury.

Ledley King, Jonathan Woodgate and Tom Huddlestone are all still sidelined.

BIG-MATCH FACTS
The tie in context
• This is one of five all-Premier League clashes in the fourth round, and the only London derby.

Gulf in class
• Tottenham are 10 higher than Fulham in the top-flight table.

Head-to-head
• This is the 75th competitive meeting of these clubs.
• Tottenham have won their last three meetings with Fulham, including a Premier League double over them this season.
Fulham 1-2 Tottenham (Prem Lge, 16 Oct)
Tottenham 1-0 Fulham (Prem Lge, 01 Jan)
• Spurs have not lost in seven meetings with the Cottagers, three of which were goalless draws.
• The Thames-side club last defeated Spurs in November 2008, with a 2-1 Premier League triumph at Craven Cottage.
FA Cup records and best performances
• This is the sixth time these London clubs have been drawn to meet each other in the FA Cup.
• Spurs have progressed on all the previous five occasions. Two required replays, including the most recent in last season's quarter-finals.

The clubs
FULHAM
Current form
• Midweek defeat to Liverpool ended a four-match run of three wins and a draw in all competitions.
• Bidding for a fourth successive home win.

FA Cup form
• The 1975 runners-up have been quarter-finalists in three of the last seven years, including the most recent two.
• Dismissed Peterborough 6-2 in the third round, with a hat-trick from Diomansy Kamara.
• Eager to avoid elimination at the hands of Tottenham for the third time in five years.
• Everton were the last fellow Premier League club they knocked out; fourth round replay, February 2004.

TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR
Current form
• Drawn the last two.
• Lost one of 15 league and cup matches.
• Last won on the road on Boxing Day (at Aston Villa).

FA Cup form
• Last season's appearance in the semi-finals was the best performance in nine years for the eight-times winners, who last lifted the trophy 20 years ago.
• Fulham was the last Premier League club they knocked out in the competition, in last season's last eight.

Replay date
Saturday, 19 February 2011 (Kick off: 1500 GMT)

Match officials
Referee: Phil Dowd (Staffordshire)
Assistant referees: Darren Cann and Adam Watts
Fourth official: Anthony Taylor

[WhiteJC]

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/28012011/63/bale-missing-spurs.html

Bale missing for Spurs

Gareth Bale is out of Tottenham's FA Cup match at Fulham on Sunday with a back injury.

Bale came off 10 minutes into Spurs' draw at Newcastle last week with a back spasm but Harry Redknapp insists the problem is not serious and expects the Wales winger to return to action in 10 days' time.

Benoit Assou-Ekotto (knee), Heurelho Gomes (shoulder), Wilson Palacios (knee) should return after missing the game at St James' Park but Ledley King, Jonathan Woodgate (both groin), and Tom Huddlestone (ankle) remain sidelined.