Good News!
According to several sources, all the kerfuffle relating to Moussa Dembele possibly moving to Real Madrid could just have ended.
After dithering over the price for the Spurs midfielder, Luka Modric, it now appears that the Spanish giants of Real Madrid have agreed a £35 million fee with Spurs and that the Croatian will be moving to the Bernabou Stadium thereby, we hope, negating their interest in Moussa.
Keep those fingers crossed everyone!
Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=290191#ixzz23mbS0vcB (http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=290191#ixzz23mbS0vcB)
Norwegians on Target
The big risk with playing a round of internationals so close to the start of the new season is that some key operatives may come back crocked.
Here at Vital Fulham we`re still awaiting any news on that front but it does appear it was a productive night for our Norwegian players.
Although Norway lost 3-2, at home to Greece, the Norwegian goals were scored by Hangeland and Riise, nice work lads.
Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=290193#ixzz23mbsm59S (http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=290193#ixzz23mbsm59S)
Rhodes Makes Headlines Again
That man Jordan Rhodes is making the headlines again!
With us suggesting (again) that Fulham may be set to enter the race to bring the Huddersfield striker to Craven Cottage after a move to Ewood Park never materialized, the prolific striker scored on the international stage last night.
Playing for Scotland, Rhodes got on the score-sheet as Scotland beat Australia 3-1.
All we`ll say is go get him Martin Jol, some players are natural born scorers and I reckon this lad is one of them!
Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=290192#ixzz23mc4RHjA (http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=290192#ixzz23mc4RHjA)
Join The Fun
Before the start of the opening match of the season against Norwich, all Fulham fans are invited to Bishops Park. Family Fun Day is back with plenty of activities for everyone to get involved in, all free of charge.
All supporters are invited to come on down from 12pm to take part.
Match tickets are also still available on General Sale - find out more at fulhamfc.com/tickets.
Collect your free goody bags
To celebrate the start of another Barclays Premier League season, free goody bags will be available for junior supporters to collect from the giant inflatable football in Bishops Park from midday.
Make sure you arrive early as we only have a limited number to hand out.
Show off your football skills with the Foundation
There will be a number of small sided football matches taking place inside our two inflatable pitches from 12pm. Young supporters are invited to experience an action packed match where they can showcase their new skills in front of fans heading to the big game.
With no pre-booking required, simply turn up from 12pm and introduce yourselves to our enthusiastic and fully qualified Foundation coaches.
Take on the Target Cage and win a signed football
Why not test your accuracy with the Foundation Target Cage and have a chance of winning a fantastic prize?
One lucky supporter who scores the highest number of points from three shots will win a signed Fulham FC football.
The winner will be contacted the week following the match and if more than one supporter has the same high score, the winner will be selected at random.
Check in to win with Fulham and foursquare
This Saturday, foursquare and Fulham FC will be running a matchday special; the first 20 fans to check-in at Family Fun Day will win a Fulham Monopoly board game.
The check-in special will be available from 12.30pm, if you're one of the first 20 to do so, head over to the giant inflatable football and show your special to one of the members of staff. Hurry though as there are a limited number available, so make sure you don't miss out!
Face Painting and Balloon Modelling
Show your support for Fulham by getting your face painted in Fulham colours before the match. Come on down to one of our Fulham gazebos in Bishops Park before the game!
Our talented balloon modeller will also be on site to make you anything you like! A mini Billy the Badger, a hat in Fulham colours, or test him out with an idea of your own!
Meet Billy the Badger
Our furry mascot Billy the Badger will be on hand to pose for photos in his new Fulham kit.
He will also take part in some activities so get there early to see him. Make sure you're in Bishops Park from midday to meet him!
Ticket Information
Tickets are still available for the match on General Sale at fulhamfc.com/tickets.
http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2012/August/Jointhefun.aspx? (http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2012/August/Jointhefun.aspx?)
HUGHTON ON FULHAM
Manager looks ahead to opening day
THE 2012-13 Barclays Premier League season gets underway on Saturday and Norwich City Manager Chris Hughton is keen to get off to a positive start as he gears his side up for the challenge of Fulham at Craven Cottage.
The new Manager's first competitive game in charge of the Canaries will be against Martin Jol's Cottagers in a 3pm kick-off – a test Hughton is relishing.
He told Canaries Player: "I'm looking forward to the challenges ahead.
"The Premier League is demanding. It's a tough league of quality players, and every game will be difficult.
"It's always nice to get off to a good start, but the whole season is over a long period of time. You can not win your first game but see good things to inspire you going into the next group of games.
"Fulham have had good players, good managers, and they have managed to maintain a good home record. I know they have gone through periods in the past where they've found it difficult to get results away from home, but during that time their home form has been outstanding enough to keep them consistent.
"Martin Jol is a very good friend of mine, who I know from his time at Tottenham.
"What I have seen Fulham do over a period of time is improve the level of players they have had as the seasons have gone on. Consequently they have now maintained their position, and it's testament to the managers that they have had."
Hughton himself has been busy throughout the summer, bringing in Steven Whittaker, Jacob Butterfield, Robert Snodgrass, and Michael Turner so far – however only two are likely to be available for selection against Fulham.
Whittaker picked up an ankle injury in the 1-0 pre-season win over Celtic, whilst Butterfield is continuing his recovery from a knee injury sustained at former club Barnsley.
"I'm happy with what we've brought in," said Hughton. "They've all been involved, but it was disappointing for Steven Whittaker to have picked up an injury - though he's not too far away.
"In regards to Jacob Butterfield, we were aware that he was going to be a few weeks behind everyone else. He had an injury and an operation, but he is back in training now and I'm very much looking forward to seeing him involved.
"It's good to be able to start a season with most of your first team squad fit, and a good pre-season behind you."
Steve Morison, Russ Martin, Robert Snodgrass, and John Ruddy were all involed in international action on Wednesday night, but returned injury free in time for training on Thursday.
The midweek internationals were particularly pleasing for goalkeeper Ruddy, who finally made his England debut in a 2-1 win over Italy after he came off the bench to replace Jack Butland.
Hughton said: "Firstly it's great for us at Norwich city to have a player involved in an international set up.
"There are a lot of good young 'keepers, but I think the fact that he was included in the summer programme is important, as is the fact he has been included in the first friendly of the season."
http://www.canaries.co.uk//news/article/hughton-on-fulham-316535.aspx?&pageView=full#anchored (http://www.canaries.co.uk//news/article/hughton-on-fulham-316535.aspx?&pageView=full#anchored)
Behind Enemy Lines: Norwich City (H)
by WILL on AUGUST 16, 2012
In what will be a regular post before every game, Hammyend will be interviewing opposition fans to preview the next opposition to play Fulham.
Our first set of questions was answered by Michael Dilley, who used to be the editor of the Norwich City Vital Football blog until the end of last season. Here is his take on the upcoming encounter between the two sides:
Will:Hi Michael and thank you very much for taking the time to answer our questions. Firstly, How long have you supported Norwich for?
Michael A:Well first up unlike a lot of people I'm not a lifelong City fan, and have only really followed them since about 2000. There's a fairly long and convoluted story as to why that is, which I wrote about on for Vital several years ago - http://www.norwich.vitalfootball.co.uk/sitepage.asp?a=96998 (http://www.norwich.vitalfootball.co.uk/sitepage.asp?a=96998)
Q:You lost Paul Lambert to Aston Villa this summer- do you think this is a significant loss in Norwich and will affect your season a lot?
A:There's no doubt that Lambert leaving is a huge loss for us, he was our most successful manager for years – something he never tired of reminding us – but how if will impact us this year remains to be seen.
Q:Chris Hughton has come in- do you think he is the right man for the job?
A:Absolutely, yes. He was the man most supporters wanted when Lambert walked, and the board moved quickly to get him. He's likely to be given time too which could prove critical if things go south.
Q:How has your pre-season gone, both fixture and transfer-wise?
A:We've bought in what look like a good mix of experience (Whittaker) and prospects (Butterfield, Snodgrass) and more importantly haven't lost anyone key from last season to bigger clubs. The friendly matches have largely gone the way you'd expect, although some are concerned that we haven't exactly been hitting the back of the net on a regular basis.
Q:Many clubs suffer from "second-season syndrome", where they perform much more poorly than they did in the first season. As a club that performed quite well last season, do you think you will suffer from this?
A:We had an incredible season last season, and it's going to be extremely difficult to replicate that points tally and finish this year, so if that constitutes "second season syndrome" then I think it's inevitable. I genuinely don't think we'll go down though, and we're still very much in that "anything above 18th would be a good season" space – although a lot of people would rather not think like that, which could prove interesting down the line.
Q:Do you have any players in the Norwich squad who you think will make a real impression on the Premier League this season?
A:We've got an excellent young squad (if memory serves ours was the youngest squad in the Premier League last season) and several stand out, but I think this could be an excellent year for Jonny Howson. He arrived from Leeds in January and immediately looked the part, and after a solid pre-season should be a big, big player for us.
Q:Who is the Norwich danger man that Fulham should be watching out for in the match?
A:Other than Howson, Anthony Pilkington is one to keep an eye on – and of course we're all waiting to see if Grant Holt can reproduce his heroics of last year.
Q:If you could take one Fulham player for the Norwich Squad, who would it be?
A:Clint Dempsey is a quality player, but I'd go for Hugo Rodallega. Any striker with the sort of pace he has would be lethal in our side with the way we pass the ball around.
Q:How do you see Fulham's season going?
A:To be honest I think it'll be a fairly uneventful year for you guys. I can't see you realistically challenging for Europe, but I'd be very surprised if you were in the relegation shake-up. I'd expect a solid mid-table finish.
Q: And finally, of course, your prediction for the match?
A:We don't exactly have a great recent record at the Cottage, but with a new manager at the helm and new players eager to impress on the opening day I'm going to be very boring and go for a 1-1 draw.
Thanks for answering the questions and may the best team win. Good luck with the new season!
http://hammyend.com/index.php/2012/08/behind-enemy-lines-norwich-city-h/? (http://hammyend.com/index.php/2012/08/behind-enemy-lines-norwich-city-h/?)
Win VIP tickets to watch Man Utd v Fulham at Old Trafford with bwinThree runners-up will each receive grandstand tickets for Manchester United v Fulham on Saturday, 25 August.
Manchester United's determination to win the Premier League this season has been laid bare by the signing of Robin van Persie and, thanks to bwin, you could be in the VIP seats at Old Trafford to watch the Red Devils play the first home game of their new title campaign.
As the new official online betting and gaming partner of Manchester United, bwin is giving customers the chance to win a pair of VIP tickets to see the Red Devils take on Fulham at Old Trafford on Saturday, 25th August.
Competition entrants could also get their hands on one of three pairs of grandstand tickets to the match if they are unsuccessful in their attempt to win VIP passes.
All you need to do to be in with a chance of winning the VIP tickets is correctly predict the score of Manchester United's first game of the new season away to Everton on Monday, 20th August and answer the following question:
Which former Red Devil is now club captain at Goodison Park?
Send your prediction and the answer to the question, along with your bwin username, to
[email protected] before 19:59 on Monday, 20th August 2012 and you'll be eligible for our prize draw.
The names of those who correctly guess the scoreline of Monday's game between Everton and Man Utd, identify the Toffees' club captain and provide their bwin username will be placed into a hat.
Two VIP tickets to watch Manchester United v Fulham on 25th August will then be made available to the first name drawn.
However, your chances of winning a ticket to the game do not end there.
Aside from the winner of the VIP tickets, all those who correctly named the Everton club captain and provided their bwin username – regardless of whether or not they correctly predicted the Everton v Man Utd scoreline – will be entered into a second draw.
The first three names chosen will each receive a pair of grandstand tickets to watch the Red Devils take on the Cottagers.
For updates about the competition and news of further giveaways, make sure you keep an eye on bwinbetting.com, the official bwin Twitter account @bwin and the bwin Facebook page at facebook.com/bwin.
Full terms and conditions for the competition are listed below.
Promotion Terms and Conditions – Man United vs Fulham Ticket Promotion
Promotion Period: This promotion is only valid from 18:00 (GMT +1) on 16 August 2012 to 19:59 (GMT +1) on 20 August 2012. By taking part in this promotion, you agree to these Specific Promotional Terms and Conditions, as well as our General Terms and Conditions available at:https://help.bwin.com/General/Legal/general_tac_overview.aspx?sc_lang=en
Entry: To enter, players must:
predict the result of Manchester United's first league game of the season against Everton on Monday 20 August 2012 (the "Prediction"); and
answer the question: "Which former Red Devil is now club captain at Goodison Park?" (the "Question"); and
Send their Prediction and the answer to the Question, along with their registered bwin username, to
[email protected] before 19:59 on Monday 20 August 2012.
Prizes:
First Prize: One Pair of VIP Tickets for Manchester United vs Fulham Football Club (the "VIP Tickets").
The tickets permit VIP access for two people to the match played by the Manchester United first team against Fulham Football Club at Old Trafford on Saturday 25 August 2012; seats are located in the VIP area.
Second Prize: Three Pairs of Grandstand Tickets for Manchester United vs Fulham Football Club (the "Grandstand Tickets")
The Tickets permit Grandstand access for two people to the match played by the Manchester United first team against Fulham Football Club at Old Trafford on Saturday 25 August 2012; seats are located in the grandstand.
Prize Draw:
First Prize Draw: Players who submit a correct Prediction and correctly answer the Question will be placed in a draw to win the VIP Tickets and a winner shall be drawn at random. The draw will take place before 23 August 2012 and the first name chosen will win the VIP Tickets.
Second Prize Draw: Players entered in the First Prize Draw who do not win the VIP Tickets will be placed, along with players who do not submit a correct Prediction but do correctly answer the Question, in a draw to win the Grandstand Tickets. This second prize draw will be conducted randomly before 23 August 2012 and the first three names chosen will each win a pair of Grandstand Tickets.
Those players drawn will be referred to as the "Winners". The Winners will be contacted by email to notify them that they have won, which will be sent to the email address which is registered on their bwin account.
Ticket Collection: The Winners must be available to collect the Tickets from the Old Trafford ticket office on Saturday 25 August 2012 prior to kick off.
Eligibility: In order to be eligible for entry into the prize draw, players must:
be over the age of 18;
have a registered bwin account;
be willing to participate in any related publicity campaigns
Cancellation: bwin reserves the right to cancel this competition at any time, or to omit players from the prize draw, with or without reason.
Publicity: We reserve the right to publish the names and details of the prizes won by all players as part of this promotion. We reserve the right to publish photos and news stories around the Winners.
Non-transferable: This prize is non-transferable and must not be sold or given away to any third party without the prior written consent of bwin. If a Winner is not able to attend the match, they must notify bwin, who will be entitled to re-draw for the Tickets from the list of eligible players.
Identification: Photocard identification will be required in order for Winners to collect the Tickets. Failure to provide valid proof of identification may result in Winners and their guests not being allowed into the ground.
Transport: Winners will be responsible for their own cost of travel to and from the ground.
Ticket Conditions: Winners and their guests must abide by the ticketing conditions and any breach of these conditions may result in Winners and their guests being refused entry to Old Trafford.
http://bwinbetting.com/leagues/premier-league/win-vip-tickets-watch-man-utds-home-match-season-bwin-com,22600.html? (http://bwinbetting.com/leagues/premier-league/win-vip-tickets-watch-man-utds-home-match-season-bwin-com,22600.html?)
Hangeland 'not close' to deal
Defender expects decision to be made on future in coming months
(http://e0.365dm.com/12/07/660x350/Hangeland_2794474.jpg)
Brede Hangeland: 'Not close' to new Fulham deal, according to agent
The agent of Fulham defender Brede Hangeland claims the Norwegian is some distance away from agreeing a new contract at Craven Cottage.
The 31-year-old has been at the club since 2008 but his current deal expires next summer and his agent, Rune Hauge, was quoted on Norwegian TV channel tv2 as saying Hangeland was "not even close" to penning a new contract.
Hangeland was questioned about the situation after he captained Norway in a 3-2 home defeat by Greece and was equally as non-committal.
Obvious
"When we haven't signed a contract at this point, then it's fairly obvious that we haven't reached an agreement. Rune is right about that," he said.
But the former FC Copenhagen defender did admit a decision about his future will be made at some point during the coming months.
He said: "I am quite relaxed compared to many other players who begin to unwind as they have one year left on their contract.
"As long as I do not get injured there is no problem - I'll decide sometime during this year."
http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/7996663/? (http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/7996663/?)
Premier League Preview - Fulham
NICKNAME: The Cottagers
MANAGER: Martin Jol
STADIUM: Craven Cottage (25700)
LAST SEASON: 9TH
Fulham is a club that continues to punch above their weight and impressively so. Driven on by the goals and creativity of American forward Clint Dempsey, the Whites finished a respectable ninth, picking up several high-profile scalps along the way. Pavel Pogrebnyak and Moussa Dembele were two key figures in the Fulham second half push.
IN: Hugo Rodallega (Wigan, free), Mladen Petric (Hamburg, free), George Williams (MK Dons, free), Sascha Riether (Cologne, loan)
OUT: Dickson Etuhu (Blackburn, undisclosed), Marcel Gecov (AA Gent, undisclosed), Andrew Johnson (QPR, free), Danny Murphy (Blackburn, free), Pavel Pogrebnyak (Reading, free), Bjorn Helge Riise (released), Orlando Sa (released)
PREVIEW:
While Hugo Rodallega is a very useful signing for Fulham, it cannot mask the fact that Pogrebnyak opted for newly-promoted Reading over an experienced top flight side. Couple this with Clint Dempsey's desire to depart and Fulham's future may not be looking quite as rosy as hoped given a good performance last season.
There are still plenty of grounds for optimism - Rodallega consistently over-performing in a relegation-threatened Wigan Athletic side will bolster the attack for one - but in what will be a season of transition for Fulham, can they remain consistent and once again finish in the top half.
KEY PLAYER: Mladen Petric
A new addition to the Fulham squad, Petric will be most remembered for knocking England out of qualitying for the Euorpean Championships in 2008 - England's first defeat at the newly built Wembley that sparked a mass inquest into the side's disappointment. Starting his career in Switzerland with Baden and Grasshoppers, Petric eventually made the move to Swiss giants Basel.
38 goals in 72 games prompted Dortmund to come calling and after a season there he moved on to Hamburg where a fee of around 5m euros was paid out for his services. He was however released last season and free to pursue a move to England, where Martin Jol reunited with the Croatian striker.
PREDICTION: 9TH
I believe that Fulham can maintain their top half status, despite the fact Dempsey could depart. Dembele in particular is a fine player that will be at the heart of the Whites attack - strikers will be sure to profit from his industrious work.
The bulk of the line-up remains the same but the transition of losing some key players could of course go one way or another. I expect that Martin Jol will have his side well drilled coming into the season and steer the ship in the right direction, albeit potentially without star talents.
Read more: http://www.qpr.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=290227#ixzz23mf4sS91 (http://www.qpr.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=290227#ixzz23mf4sS91)
Norwich are there for the taking as Fulham unleash Petric
Fulham begin their Premier League campaign with a home fixture against Norwich and at 17/20 make plenty of appeal to make a winning start against a side who many are tipping for relegation.
The Canaries are 18/5 to gain a surprise result at Craven Cottage with the draw at 27/10.
Paul Lambert has left Carrow Road during the summer and although Chris Hughton has done an excellent job at both Newcastle and Birmingham City in recent seasons, Norwich are there for the taking and anything other than three points would be a disappointing start.
We at BetVictor are asking punters who they think will be Fulham's top goalscorer this season in the Premier League and bet:
Mladen Petric 6/4
Hugo Rodallega 3/1
Clint Dempsey 3/1
Bryan Ruiz 7/1
Moussa Dembele 14s
16s bar
With doubts about the immediate futures of Dempsey and Dembele, and Rodallega not exactly prolific at the DW Stadium, much will be expected of Petric who is 5/1 to grab Saturday's opener.
One of our most popular markets ahead of the season opener is the Premier League Handicap which sees each club priced at 15/1 with champions Manchester City on scratch and every other side having a points start or handicap.
The winner is the club who, when you add up their points and handicap, finish with the most points.
So we are asking which team will overachieve this season. Last term saw Newcastle and Swansea fight it out but who do you think will be the surprise packages of 2012/13? Handicaps include: (all sides are 15/1):
Man City Scratch
Man Utd +3
Chelsea +6
Arsenal +10
Spurs +15
Liverpool +16
Fulham +33
QPR +37
West Ham +41
Southampton +46
Reading +48
The best backed side so far? QPR.
We will examine the Hoops more closely next week but punters obviously believe Mark Hughes has added more quality to his squad in the summer. Add another central defender and I think they look a very good bet at 15/1.
We have a number of season-long match bets/handicaps involving Fulham including:
Fulham to finish higher than QPR 8/13
QPR to finish higher than Fulham 6/5
Fulham + 1.5 points v Sunderland 4/5
Fulham + 6.5 points v Everton 4/5
Fulham +8.5 points v Newcastle 4/5
Fulham -3.5 points v Villa Evens
Our thoughts are that Fulham will finish in the bottom half of the table but have no threat of going down.
We bet 2/5 to finish in the bottom half, 7/4 to finish in the top 10 and 9/1 to be relegated.
If QPR are to be realistic top 10 contenders they ought to get something from the game at Loftus Road against Swansea, who have been the big movers in recent weeks for the drop - they have a new manager and have lost a number of key players from last season.
Rangers are 11/10 to gain all three points with the Swans 29/10 and 12/5 the draw.
Chelsea are 8/13 at Wigan and that looks short enough given the Blues looked a work in progress at Villa Park last weekend.
If they are to challenge the Manchester clubs they need a win. Fernando Torres is 8/1 to be the top Premier League goalscorer and looked sharp against City. He is 4/1 to open the scoring.
We have a very special offer at BetVictor to mark the start of the domestic football season. Place a treble up to a maximum of £50 on this weekend's Premier League fixtures and you will get the same bet free for the second weekend of fixtures irrespective of whether your treble wins or loses.
The most popular treble to date has been Manchester City (H to Saints 1/5), Arsenal (H to Sunderland 2/5) and Chelsea (A to Wigan 3/5) which pays £2.69 to a £1 stake and punters had been latching onto this safe in the knowledge they can have a similar bet next weekend irrespective of whether it wins or loses.
In light of the Robin van Persie signing it will be interesting to see if Manchester United (9/10 at Everton) are now popular in the treble.
For all your weekend odds check out betvictor.com
Be lucky.
Charlie
http://www.westlondonsport.com/features-comment/norwich-are-there-for-the-taking-as-fulham-unleash-petric (http://www.westlondonsport.com/features-comment/norwich-are-there-for-the-taking-as-fulham-unleash-petric)
Fulham renew interest in wantaway Blackburn midfielder Nzonzi
Fulham have revived interest in Steven Nzonzi following an enquiry from Everton for the Blackburn midfielder.
The 23-year-old is no longer part of manager Steve Kean's plans having refused to play at the end of last season.
(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/16/article-2189470-1241EBF2000005DC-555_468x365.jpg)
On the move? Steven Nzonzi (right) is wanted by Fulham and Everton
Sevilla and Stoke enquired about taking him on loan but he was reluctant to join them while Sunderland dropped interest.
Hull meanwhile have held talks with former Bolton midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker who has attracted interest from Fulham.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2189470/Fulham-want-Steven-NZonzi-Blackburn.html#ixzz23mfsooT2 (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2189470/Fulham-want-Steven-NZonzi-Blackburn.html#ixzz23mfsooT2)
FM Preview: Fulham v Norwich City 18 Aug 2012
The game between Fulham and Norwich City in the Premier League on 18th August 2012 at 15:00 takes centre stage for FootyMad's preview analysis.
History of the Fulham v Norwich City fixture
Fulham prepare to entertain Norwich City at Craven Cottage on Saturday afternoon, and hold the advantage on previous meetings between the two. Of the 20 games played, Cottagers have recorded 10 wins, and Norwich City have come away with 5 victories.
The most recent encounter between these two sides at Craven Cottage was less than a year ago, in March 2012, the Cottagers carving out a narrow 2-1 victory in a Premier League match.
Recent encounters between the teams
Season Date Team Result Team Comp
2011/2012 Sat 31 Mar Fulham 2-1 Norwich City Premier League
2011/2012 Sat 31 Dec Norwich City 1 - 1 Fulham Premier League
2004/2005 Sun 15 May Fulham 6 - 0 Norwich City Premiership
2004/2005 Sat 04 Dec Norwich City 0 - 1 Fulham Premiership
2000/2001 Sat 13 Jan Fulham 2 - 0 Norwich City League Division One
2000/2001 Mon 28 Aug Norwich City 0 - 1 Fulham League Division One
1999/2000 Sat 30 Oct Fulham 1 - 1 Norwich City League Division One
Recent respective form guides
Fulham have lost just once in their last six home games, winning four and drawing the other one. A total of 12 goals have been scored by the Cottagers in those games, with 7 conceded.
In complete contrast to Fulham, Norwich City are having a torrid time on their travels, accumulating just 1 victory and 1 draw from their last six played. While the Canaries have hit 6 goals, 10 have hit the back of the wrong net.
Current overall team form
Team P W D L F A P
Fulham 6 3 1 2 6 9 10
Norwich City 6 2 1 3 8 15 7
FootyMad's prediction ...
Fulham may be coming up against a decent side in Norwich City, but we do believe that its going to result in a narrow home win for the Cottagers. Home Win
Sequence statistics
Team Sequences
Fulham Unbeaten in the last 4 home games.
Not drawn a match in their last 5 .
Norwich City Not won in previous 2 away matches.
http://www.fulham-mad.co.uk/news/prev/fm_preview_fulham_v_norwich_city_18_aug_2012_752556/index.shtml? (http://www.fulham-mad.co.uk/news/prev/fm_preview_fulham_v_norwich_city_18_aug_2012_752556/index.shtml?)
Fulham star spurred on by Euro 2012 snub
(http://images.icnetwork.co.uk/upl/fulhamchronicle/aug2012/7/2/stephen-kelly-image-1-996491578.jpg)
Stephen Kelly
STEPHEN Kelly admits the heartbreak of Ireland's miserable Euro 2012 campaign has made him even more determined to succeed with Fulham this season.
The right-back failed to make an appearance as the Boys in Green bowed out at the group stage after three defeats on the spin.
Kelly admits his omission was a big blow after helping his country to the finals in Poland and Ukraine.
However, the 28-year-old, who signed a new deal at Craven Cottage last month, insists he's hungrier than ever heading into the new campaign.
He told the Chronicle: "It was really difficult and frustrating not getting a game but these things happen in football and you have to get on with it.
"I thought I would've had an opportunity to play at some point, considering I played in a lot of the qualifiers.
"I helped us get to the championships and when things didn't go our way I thought I might have got a game. The manager had different plans and unfortunately these things happen.
"It's made me even more hungry to come back in and put a stamp on things. After being there and so close to making the tournament, this kind of thing makes you stronger and more determined to prove yourself.
"I've got the bit between my teeth and want to concentrate on doing well for Fulham."
Fulham finished last season in ninth spot, missing out on a spot in the Europa League.
However, Kelly is desperate to have another crack at the competition the Whites reached the final of in 2010.
"Every season you want to improve," he added. "Last year we played some really good football and we want to improve on that and our league position.
"If we finish in a European spot that would be great. As a club I believe that's a goal that's achievable for us because we've done it before.
"I've had two European campaigns with Fulham and really enjoyed both of them. As a club it's a competition we should want to be in.
"If we can stay in and around the top 10 and push for a European spot that would be brilliant."
Fulham kick-off their Premier League campaign at home to Norwich City tomorrow.
Read More http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/fulham-fc/2012/08/17/82029-31639512/?#ixzz23n48g6ET (http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/fulham-fc/2012/08/17/82029-31639512/?#ixzz23n48g6ET)
Fulham Premier League season preview 2012-13
Read a full preview of Fulham's 2012-13 Premier League season including transfer ins and outs, what you may have missed watching the Olympics and a prediction where they will finish.
(http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02312/BREDE-HANGELAND_2312277b.jpg)
Photo: GETTY IMAGES
Season preview
Martin Jol's achievement in guiding Fulham into the top 10 of the Premier League last season was hard won. At the end of September last year they had not won a single game and were only kept out of the relegation positions by goal difference.
But to the credit of the chief executive, Alistair Mackintosh, the board did not panic as they could see encouraging signs in the early-season Europa League fixtures. League results duly came. A similarly relaxed approach appears to have prevailed this summer.
The departure of the captain, Danny Murphy, was as surprising as it was saddening for Fulham fans: he made 48 appearances last season and his boots will be hard to fill. Dickson Etuhu, who joins Murphy in leaving Fulham for Blackburn, is less of a miss but is another departure from central midfield.
Jol, a former Eredivisie coach of the year for his work with bringing youngsters into the first team at RKC Waalwijk, is looking to the likes of the 18-year-old Kerim Frei to fill the Murphy void.
He will in time be capable, but it represents a gamble for now. The Mali captain, Mahamadou Diarra, who joined in February, should in theory be a more mobile and technically proficient defensive-midfield presence than Etuhu but needs to prove he is still the player who wore the Real Madrid 90 times.
There have been even bigger holes to fill up front. Pavel Pogrebnyak, who exploded on the Premier League scene with five goals in his first three appearances after joining on loan from Stuttgart in January, will line up against the Cottagers for Reading this season.
Andrew Johnson is another forward to quit the club this summer, joining his former strike partner, Bobby Zamora, who also left the Thames-side for Queen's Park Rangers, in January.
Replacing them is Hugo Rodallega, a free transfer from Wigan Athletic.
But his two goals in 23 Premier League appearances last season — his overall strike rate in three-and-a-half years in England is little better than one in every five games — suggest the Colombian is not likely to be a prolific finisher.
Perhaps the big Croatian Mladen Petric, who rejoined Jol this summer from Hamburg, where they worked together, will get the best out of him but there can be no guarantees the partnership will click.
In short, Jol has taken some risks this summer and faces a challenge to make this team gel. But given his record, it would be wrong to back against him.
Transfer ins and outs:
IN: George Williams (MK Dons, undisclosed), Mladen Petric (Hamburg, free), Hugo Rodallega (Wigan, free), Sascha Riether (Cologne, loan).
OUT: Dickson Etuhu (Blackburn, £1.5m), Marcel Gecov (AA Gent, undisclosed), Danny Murphy (Blackburn, free), Andrew Johnson (QPR, free), Bjorn Helge Riise (Lillestrom SK, free), Orlando Sa (AEL Limassol, free).
What you may have missed while the Olympics was on
Experienced campaigners Danny Murphy and Andrew Johnson have left, the battle to hold onto key man Clint Dempsey rages on. Statue still in place, despite fans' protests.
Player to watch
Mladen Petric arrives on a free from Hamburg. The experienced Croat has 12 goals from 44 internationals and looks the physical type to do well in the Premier League.
Not ready for football yet? Something to get you in the mood
This is still standing watch over the Craven Cottage faithful
Michael Jackson statue unveiled at Fulham (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-xU3dkUF49o#ws)
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/fulham/9475681/Fulham-Premier-League-season-preview-2012-13.html (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/fulham/9475681/Fulham-Premier-League-season-preview-2012-13.html)
Fulham vs City preview
Craven Cottage isn't exactly the happiest of hunting grounds for Norwich City. Assuming that you, dear reader, are of the yellow and green persuasion, you need not be reminded of that fateful afternoon of May 14th 2005, when the home opposition embarrassingly tore through Nigel Worthington's shell-shocked troops 6-0 to hand them an immediate second tier return.
Thankfully, the encounter this past March resulted in no such dismay and with no such excruciating consequence, but still with little to cheer about and certainly no points to take back to East Anglia. The one consolation was a personal milestone for Aaron Wilbraham, who netted his 100th career goal.
But Aaron Wilbraham won`t be playing this time, and another figure will be a notable absentee. After three glorious seasons under Paul Lambert, the players are faced with the unenviable task of trying to keep up the good work without the man who has been guiding them from the bottom half of the League One table all the way to just outside the top ten of the Premiership. This will be a tough start to life without him.
City's opening day League fixtures in the last few seasons don't exactly inspire confidence either. It's been an entire decade since City won their curtain raiser, with Grimsby Town visiting Norfolk to receive a 4-0 thumping, and in the last 13 seasons that's the only time the Canaries have managed to register a victory right out of the gate.
Questions are already being raised after the club's pre-season campaign, in which goals have seemingly dried up completely, and some fans aren't exactly doing cartwheels over the latest playing staff arrivals when they might've been hoping for more glamorous names appearing at Costa Del Colney.
Chris Hughton will take charge for the first time in a competitive setting. Can he break two hoodoos in his first official game at the helm?
Pre-season- Why we shouldn't get our knickers twisted.
Observe this tweet by @GeraldSteroo who seems a little disgruntled to say the least.
'#ncfc What a shocking preseason we've had. An awful defence, a toothless attack and a clueless manager. 35 points max. #relegation" (234573126514647041[/tweet]] (//%5Btweet)[/url] )
I pray the above tweet was in jest, and if it is please discard the following comments. But if it's serious, and there have been similar tweets from fans during the summer...
*Bangs head against the keyboard*
Get a hold of yourselves!
Pre-season isn't about results. At all. It is purely about fitness levels and getting your squad ready for the forthcoming marathon. Gradually as it progresses you generally see a higher class of opposition, thus your players work harder and harder the better the opposition that comes their way, and before you know what's hit you, you'll be ready and waiting for League competition again.
The so-called toothless attack certainly didn't have bad start to their summer programme, with James Vaughan, Grant Holt and Steve Morison all getting amongst the goals early on. Whilst they've dried up a bit now, something Hughton is keen to address, the defence have actually been quite solid, attaining a number of clean sheets and already looking stronger than last season's backline which only managed three shut outs during the entire campaign.
And clueless manager? Chris Hughton? Clueless? Not bloody likely.
The former Newcastle and Birmingham chief will be absolutely determined to prove himself as a Prem boss after he was so cruelly dismissed during his last tenure in the division, and Brum's play-off heartache last spring.
Crucially, he will be surrounded by players who will be just as eager to defy talk of the dreaded "Second season syndrome" and that they can still thrive at this level without Lambert's stewardship. Perhaps even more crucial when it comes to avoiding said syndrome is that Hughton's arrival automatically calls for fresh approaches to aspects of City's game, from formations to playing staff. Just when other clubs think they have them "found out" this time around, Hughton should get them all guessing again.
Speaking of proving one's self, Grant Holt will be all too eager to silence the doubters and maintain his excellent goalscoring return from last season. Safe in the knowledge that he's got the third year added to his contract and peace of mind restored, the stage is set for him to continue to make life miserable for rival defenders. Whilst his total was impressive in itself, don`t forget that he also netted against Man United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Everton. Make no mistake, he's absolutely capable of repeating such feats, and time will tell if he manages to do so.
Ful of it- Opposition.
Fulham will have been chuffed with their top ten finish last term. Prior to that previous meeting in March, they still weren't totally out of the woods in terms of the relegation battle. Early Europa League clashes had left their squad overworked and lagging slightly, but Martin Jol still guided them to 9th place and within just a point of their record Premiership points haul. They registered a first ever Anfield league win, and Pavel Pogrebnyak wrote his own name in the Cottager's history books by becoming the first player on their books to score in his first three games for them in the league.
The departure Danny Murphy has left a slight void, as has Pogrebnyak after he couldn`t agree personal terms with the club`s hierarchy and chose Reading instead. Clint Dempsey's name has been commonly heard round the rumour mill, they've released goalscorer Andy Johnson and former Canary Dickson Etuhu has left for Blackburn.
But even without a proven Premiership striker, they still boast a strong squad. Veteran goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer is as impressive as ever and his number 2, David Stockdale, just can't get a look-in and looks set to be farmed out on loan yet again. Dempsey, if they keep him, is an exceptional player. Hugo Rodallega has arrived from Wigan to boost their forward threat, ditto Mladen Petric who they hope will provide the perfect replacement for AJ and "The Pog." They are armoured with plenty of experience and steel in the shape of Brade Hangeland at the back.
Their own pre-season schedule doesn't exactly look like the sternest of warm-up tests on paper. They battered French Ligue One side OGC Nice 4-0, but otherwise they've not really been tested in the same way City have. They fought the likes of HB Koge of the Danish first division and Lokomotive Liepzig who are from German football's FIFTH tier, which to me hardly seem like the kind of teams you want to play in order to get ready for fellow Premiership teams.
Prediction
Personally I think City have had much sterner pre-season opponents in Ajax and Borussia Monchengladbach, in addition to a couple of tricky customers from the Championship and a battling Celtic, so if anything we may be the sharper of the two teams going into the game. Fulham need a striker, and they`ll likely get one, but apart from Dempsey and perhaps Rodallega, they might not trouble our defence as much as you`d initially think. The jury is out on Petric, at least in this league, but he`ll need to be watched if he starts.
I said right from the start that I`ve maintained every confidence in Hughton`s appointment, and I think we could be good value for a victory this weekend. Watch this space.
Read more: http://www.norwich.vitalfootball.co.uk/sitepage.asp?a=290245#ixzz23n54RZ1y (http://www.norwich.vitalfootball.co.uk/sitepage.asp?a=290245#ixzz23n54RZ1y)
Repeat of first home game 2006/2007 – Fulham
Manchester United's first home game of the brilliant 2006/2007 season was that 5-1 stuffing of Fulham. We sold our top scorer, Ruud van Nistelrooy and didn't buy a replacement. We brought in Michael Carrick as our new number 16 but there weren't many who had him as their first choice to replace Roy Keane. In contrast, Chelsea, having won consecutive titles, bought one of the best defenders (Ashley Cole), one of the best midfielders (Michael Ballack) and one of the best strikers (Andriy Shevchenko) in Europe. To add to this, Wayne Rooney and Cristiano Ronaldo, our brightest prospects had apparently fallen out massively following the events of the 2006 World Cup and wouldn't be able to play together. We had no chance, right?
That opening day was one of my favourite starts to the season ever. Whilst no one knew at that stage we would be eight points clear on the day the title was won, all the people that had been slagging us off for months had to hold back with that criticism and rethink whether we actually were dead and buried.
Our first home goal of 2012-2013 is Fulham again and RoM has two tickets to give away thanks to bwin. Simply follow @R_o_M on Twitter and tweet #RoMFulhamTickets.
Kristian Balkin from the Fulham website, Cottagers Confidential, has shared his thoughts ahead of the new season.
Scott the Red: What would have to happen this season for you to class this as a successful one?
Kristian Balkin: A cup run, of any form, would be perfect for us. Our Premier League form over the past few years has been consistent and, on the whole, positive but you get the feeling that, with our squad at least, we've hit a ceiling with finishing 8th or 9th ish. With a few more signings I think we could definitely push on in that respect but, of course, while we may improve, so will everyone else. That's why a cup run would do us some good – we're not bothered if it's the Carling Cup or the FA Cup, just any success would be great. If Birmingham City can do it, while getting themselves relegated, so can we!
STR: How do you feel about your club's business in the transfer window this summer?
KB: Good, but unambitious. As I write this, we haven't spent a penny, instead bringing in Hugo Rodallega and Mladen Petric on free transfers, and supplementing our defence with the loan signing of FC Koln's Sacha Riether. If Petric's pre-season form continues into the Premier League campaign then that deal will prove to be an incredible piece of business while, in his own right, Rodallega is a good signing. He's not a goalscorer – something we've lacked for a while – but he has the quality to impress at the top level, which is all that matters. Riether looks good enough to make the right back spot his own so the three signings we have made are solid. No-one is doubting that we need more, however, and Martin Jol has made suggestions that perhaps even four could come in. We're leaving it incredibly late, however, and the names we're being linked with are hardly inspirational. David N'gog, Jordan Rhodes and Paul Taylor won't have our rivals quaking in their boots. Maybe if you guys give us Berbatov though...
STR: Who do you think will be your most important player this season?
KB: Depends who stays, really. Clint Dempsey would likely have another brilliant campaign but it doesn't look like he'll be around in SW6 to carry his form on. Moussa Dembele would definitely be huge but, again, we can only speculate as to where he'll be by September. For that reason, I'm going to throw in a curve ball and put forward Bryan Ruiz. He was disappointing last season but he was marred by injuries and a quite distinct failure to acclimatise with haste to the English game. He's had a year now, though, and he has started to look sharp. Jol may be tempted to pop the Costa Rican international behind the striker and I think he could really do a job there. He's wonderfully gifted and he can strike a ball with quite some craft – just ask Tim Howard!
STR: How do you rate your manager's ability to take your club forward?
KB: Jol is more progressive than any of our other recent managers – perhaps even Roy Hodgson. Hodgson was an amazing manager – undoubtedly one of the best we'll ever have – but he doesn't look forward in the way the Dutchman does. In only one season at Craven Cottage, he has blooded Matthew Briggs, Kerim Frei, Alex Kacaniklic and, to an extent, Marcello Trotta. I'd expect at least two of them to be very important this season. Jol always has one eye on the future and, quite palpably, that's key to progression.
STR: Who do you think will win the league this season?
KB: You'll be pleased to hear I've vouched for Manchester United. It will be close though, don't get me wrong. Man City still have the superior squad – sorry guys – but I don't see enough about them to keep you at hold for a second season. United still have that unnerving ability to win when they're nowhere near their best and, with Ferguson at the helm, you'll always have that extra air of experience, that extra self belief, that you're deserving of the Premier League title. That is key.
STR: If you could pick one United player to have in your squad who would it be?
KB: I'm sure you've heard it before but we'd quite happily take Wayne Rooney. He's everything you need in a striker and, with him, I needn't worry about the qualities of Rodallega or Petric because we could guarantee goals, work-rate and all that is important is already at a premium. Failing that, I'd have Javier Hernandez for similar reasons.
http://therepublikofmancunia.com/repeat-of-first-home-game-20062007-fulham/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=repeat-of-first-home-game-20062007-fulham (http://therepublikofmancunia.com/repeat-of-first-home-game-20062007-fulham/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=repeat-of-first-home-game-20062007-fulham)
Fulham vs Norwich
Norwich are hopeful midfielders Wes Hoolahan (Achilles) and Anthony Pilkington (hamstring) will be in the squad for Saturday's Barclays Premier League opener at Fulham.
Summer signings Steven Whittaker (ankle) and Jacob Butterfield (knee) will miss out, but Robert Snodgrass and Michael Turner should feature.
Javier Garrido is awaiting international clearance on his season loan from Lazio, so may not be available.
Midfielder David Fox (knee) and defender Elliott Ward (leg) continue their rehabilitation.
Teams
Fulham (from) Will appear here...
Norwich (from): Ruddy, Tierney, R Bennett, Turner, Martin, Pilkington, Johnson, Howson, E Bennett, Holt, Morison, Rudd, Barnett, Hoolahan, Lappin, Surman, Jackson, Snodgrass, Vaughan, Garrido.
http://www.sportinglife.com/football/live/match-preview/261563/norwich-wait-on-midfield-duo? (http://www.sportinglife.com/football/live/match-preview/261563/norwich-wait-on-midfield-duo?)
Cottagers to wait on Hangeland deal
Brede Hangeland claims he will 'decide sometime during this year' to hold deal talks with Fulham, despite being in the final 12 months.
The 31-year-old Norwegian defender has been an integral part of the Cottagers' squad since he joined in 2008 with several rival Premier League clubs, such as Arsenal and Liverpool, being linked with a swoop for him during the past four years.
However, while Hangeland has always stayed put at Craven Cottage, there was a suggestion that he could be pondering his future when agent, Rune Hauge, recently insisted that he was 'not even close' to agreeing an extension.
The former FC Copenhagen stopper has now broken his silence to confirm that he is not in any rush to hold talks about staying on with Fulham, despite having a less than a year to go on his current one.
Speaking after he captained Norway in a 3-2 home defeat by Greece, Hangeland said: "When we haven't signed a contract at this point, then it's fairly obvious that we haven't reached an agreement. Rune is right about that.
He added: "I am quite relaxed compared to many other players who begin to unwind as they have one year left on their contract.
"As long as I do not get injured there is no problem - I'll decide sometime during this year."
http://www.setanta.com/ie/Articles/2012/08/17/Cottagers-to-wait-on-stopper-deal/gnid-151059/? (http://www.setanta.com/ie/Articles/2012/08/17/Cottagers-to-wait-on-stopper-deal/gnid-151059/?)
Fulham back in for Steven Nzonzi
(http://www.standard.co.uk/incoming/article8056476.ece/ALTERNATES/w460/Steven-Nzonzi.jpg)
Fulham have revived their interest in Blackburn midfielder Steven Nzonzi.
The 23-year-old wants to leave the Championship side this summer and is no longer part of manager Steve Kean's plans at Ewood Park.
Sevilla, Stoke and Everton are also said to be interested.
http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/fulham-back-in-for-steven-nzonzi-8056467.html (http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/fulham-back-in-for-steven-nzonzi-8056467.html)
Lawro's prediction
(http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/62317000/gif/_62317741_ful_nor.gif)
Fulham v Norwich
Both these sides had decent seasons last time out, but I think they might struggle this time around.
The key for Fulham boss Martin Jol is going to be whether he can keep Clint Dempsey. If Dempsey follows Bobby Zamora and Andy Johnson in leaving Craven Cottage, then a good proportion of his side's goals from the previous campaign will have left.
They are up against a Norwich team very much built by previous manager Paul Lambert.
Chris Hughton, who has replaced Lambert, is a very good coach and I like the look of Robert Snodgrass, who he has brought in from Leeds.
But Norwich's survival rests on whether their goalscorers Grant Holt and Steve Morison can have the same impact they did last year, and I think that is a very big ask.
Prediction: 2-1
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19286099 (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19286099)
Fulham v Norwich preview
Team news ahead of Saturday afternoon's Premier League clash between Fulham and Norwich at Craven Cottage.
Norwich are hopeful midfielders Wes Hoolahan (Achilles) and Anthony Pilkington (hamstring) will be in the squad.
Summer signings Steven Whittaker (ankle) and Jacob Butterfield (knee) will miss out, but Robert Snodgrass and Michael Turner should feature.
Javier Garrido is awaiting international clearance on his season loan from Lazio, so may not be available.
Midfielder David Fox (knee) and defender Elliott Ward (leg) continue their rehabilitation.
Fulham team news to follow...
http://www.teamtalk.com/match/preview/978/7998014/Fulham-v-Norwich-preview? (http://www.teamtalk.com/match/preview/978/7998014/Fulham-v-Norwich-preview?)
Fulham v NORWICH: Midfield duo Hoolahan and Pilkington in race to prove fitness
Norwich are hopeful midfielders Wes Hoolahan (Achilles) and Anthony Pilkington (hamstring) will be in the squad for Saturday's Barclays Premier League opener at Fulham.
Summer signings Steven Whittaker (ankle) and Jacob Butterfield (knee) will miss out, but Robert Snodgrass and Michael Turner should feature.
(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2012/08/17/article-0-14812BF5000005DC-81_468x328.jpg)
Robert Snodgrass should feature in Norwich's opening day trip to Fulham on Saturday
Javier Garrido is awaiting international clearance on his season loan from Lazio, so may not be available.
Midfielder David Fox (knee) and defender Elliott Ward (leg) continue their rehabilitation.
Provisional Squad: Ruddy, Tierney, R Bennett, Turner, Martin, Pilkington, Johnson, Howson, E Bennett, Holt, Morison, Rudd, Barnett, Hoolahan, Lappin, Surman, Jackson, Snodgrass, Vaughan, Garrido.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2189626/Fulham-v-NORWICH-Wes-Hoolahan-Anthony-Pilkington-hopeful-place-squad.html#ixzz23nKEmSTZ (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2189626/Fulham-v-NORWICH-Wes-Hoolahan-Anthony-Pilkington-hopeful-place-squad.html#ixzz23nKEmSTZ)
Summing up the summer: Fulham
Keeping Dempsey crucial for the Cottagers
Clint Dempsey has undoubtedly been Fulham's star player for the past couple of seasons, scoring important goals from midfield and controlling much of his team's attacking play.
Making sure he doesn't leave Craven Cottage has been boss Martin Jol's primary concern this summer and he still has about two weeks to complete his objective.
A whole host of influential players have left Craven Cottage this summer, including former captain Danny Murphy, midfield powerhouse Dickson Etuhu, goal poacher Andrew Johnson, and defender Carlos Salcido.
It looks like Moussa Dembele may be on his way out as well.
Jol has made reinforcements, though, bringing in three players and re-signing veteran Mahamadou Diarra to be his enforcer in the middle of the prk.
Croatia international, Mladen Petric, a name that will have England fans cringing as he scored the famous third goal at Wembley in Croatia's 3-2 win that ended England's chances of reaching Euro 2008, has joined the club from Hamburg.
He will be re-united with his former manager Jol and will surely bolster the Cottagers' attacking options.
Joining him up front is former Wigan star Hugo Rodallega – the man who has proven himself at the Premier League level and scored goals on the final day to keep Wigan in the Premier League.
Rodallega will, undoubtedly, look to lead a new-look Fulham strike force. His arrival came after Jol surprisingly decided not to try and bring in Pavel Pogrebnyak on a permanent basis despite the Russian scoring six goals in 12 appearnces last season whilst on loan.
Fulham's third signing brings further experience to their defense. The 29-year old Sascha Reither joins on a season long loan from FC Cologne, with the option of making the deal permanent at the end of the season. Reither brings Champions League experience as well as a Bundesliga winners' medal with him.
If Dempsey's services are retained and a more consistent Bryan Ruiz shows up, Jol should be able to guide this Fulham side to yet another comfortable mid-table finish.
http://www.premiershiptalk.com/2012/08/17/summing-up-the-summer-fulham/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PremiershipTalk+%28Premiership+Talk%29 (http://www.premiershiptalk.com/2012/08/17/summing-up-the-summer-fulham/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PremiershipTalk+%28Premiership+Talk%29)
Why Cottagers can clip Hughton's wings on Canaries debut
Fulham are good value to repeat last season's 2-1 triumph over Norwich at football betting odds of 29/4, says Rich Hook.
With both sides among last season's overachievers, Fulham – who finished ninth - and Norwich City – who finished 12th – will want to make fast starts to maintain that momentum.
But given the relative lack of funds at Craven Cottage and Carrow Road, it's going to hard for either team to push on and this is reflected in bwin's relegation odds, which see Fulham priced 10/1 and looking slightly safer than Norwich at 7/5.
This is mostly down to the loss of the Canaries' inspirational manager Paul Lambert, with the architect of Norwich's double promotion leaving for Aston Villa, and it remains to see whether replacement Chris Hughton can do as good a job of motivating a squad still short of Premier League experience.
Fulham, by contrast, have enjoyed a fairly stable summer and even enhanced their squad with the acquisition of two experienced internationals in Mladen Petric and Hugo Rodallega.
With both sides not wanting to start the season badly, it would be no surprise if these two evenly matched teams finish up sharing the points, so lead-draw looks to be the best call at 7/2 in the run of play market.
As such, the Lilywhites are rightly 4/5 favourites in bwin's 3Way football betting market ahead of the two teams' opening-day encounter at Craven Cottage on Saturday.
This leaves the draw at 5/2 and a Norwich win at 17/5.
Martin Jol's team (as with many Fulham sides) have built their success on their home record and last season were the sixth best Premier League team on their own patch.
Crucially, included among their list of ten triumphs at Craven Cottage was a 2-1 victory over Norwich.
It's 29/4 for a repeat performance and new customers using the £20 free bet available when registering with bwin stand to win ₤165 if they successfully back this outcome.
For a more sure-fire bet, consider a punt on over 2.5 goals at 91/100.
Norwich had a refreshingly open approach on their return to the Premier League, with 27 of their games last season featuring three goals or more, so it would be no surprise to see a few goals fly in at the Cottage.
With last season's top scorer Grant Holt spurning a move to West Ham to stay at Carrow Road, he's worth backing at 8/1 to get the last goal – especially as the Canaries scored 16 times in the last 15 minutes of games last term
Because of their ability to get late goals, should Hughton's new charges come into half-time level they will be confident of turning that into three points and punters can back them to do so at 35/4.
But with both sides not wanting to start the season badly, it would be no surprise if these two evenly matched teams finish up sharing the points, so lead-draw looks to be the best call at 7/2 in the run of play market.
http://bwinbetting.com/leagues/premier-league/cottagers-clip-hughtons-wings-canaries-debut,22512.html? (http://bwinbetting.com/leagues/premier-league/cottagers-clip-hughtons-wings-canaries-debut,22512.html?)
Fulham newboy Riether glad to be workhorse among the pedigree stars
Sascha Riether knows his place on the pitch. The latest recruit to Fulham's defensive ranks accepts he is one of the game's grafters, whose contribution will always be overshadowed by goal-scoring royalty like his friend and former Cologne team-mate, Lukas Podolski.
Riether insists Podolski can succeed at his own new club, Arsenal. The Germany international said: "Lukas is a good player. At Cologne he was the king. All the crowd looked only to him, so he knows how to handle pressure. Lukas is very experienced and, for him, I don't think pressure will be a problem at Arsenal."
As for his own role at Fulham, the 29-year-old, who will make his competitive debut at home against Norwich tomorrow, said: "In Germany we know you need workers on the pitch. You can't have only kings. I know my job, I know how I must play and I am happy to do the work for other people. I always give my best for the team, I always give 100 per cent."
The right-back took advice from fellow countryman and Fulham cult hero Moritz Volz before agreeing to make the move on a season's loan from Cologne that all the relevant parties hope will lead to a permanent deal. "I am a quieter character than Moritz," he laughed. "But I hope the fans will like me, too."
He has already experienced the passion that can be generated at the Cottage, having played at the Thames-side ground for Wolfsburg in the quarter-final of the Europa League in April 2010.
Recalling Fulham's 2-1 victory, Riether said: "For us it was not easy. It was a small pitch and a hot atmosphere. For any 'guest' teams it cannot be easy to play there. In Germany the stadiums are all new. Here in England there are a lot of stadiums that are big but very traditional. Old but special. I like that very much."
Riether (above) likes what he sees at Fulham's Motspur Park training ground, too. Hugo Rodallega, on a free from Wigan, and Mladen Petric, who played for Martin Jol at Hamburg during the 2008/09 Bundesliga campaign, have also reinforced the quiet revolution that is transforming Fulham's playing style from essentially British under Roy Hodgson and Mark Hughes to distinctly European under Jol.
Riether said: "Martin Jol was very successful at Hamburg. They played good football and I knew I wanted to work with him. At Fulham, training is very organised, everybody knows what to do. The manager speaks a lot with the players but in a quiet way. There is no crying or shouting.
"There are new players here and the manager has told us he wants us to play a little bit different to the coaches before. For me, it is good to be part of this."
The one constant at Fulham, under Hodgson, Hughes and Jol, is a solid defence built mainly around the triangle of goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer and centre-backs Aaron Hughes and Brede Hangeland.
Wolfsburg sported a similar successful defence when they won the Bundesliga in 2009 and Riether said: "My new team-mates have already helped me a lot. Up front we have such good players who can always win games for us, so for the defence the first thing, the most important thing, is a clean sheet."
That will take hard graft to achieve and in Riether it seems Fulham have got a grafter.
Tickets for Fulham's game against Norwich are available from fulhamfc.com/tickets or on the gate
http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/fulham-newboy-riether-glad-to-be-workhorse-among-the-pedigree-stars-8056563.html (http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/fulham-newboy-riether-glad-to-be-workhorse-among-the-pedigree-stars-8056563.html)
Fulham back for Blackburn's N'Zonzi
Martin Jol has renewed his interest in Blackburn Rovers midfielder Steven N'Zonzi, after closely following the player's fortunes earlier in the summer, according to the Daily Mail.
At that point, Fulham's interest dried up as Jol turned his attention to other prospects. Now, though, with very few targets even reaching the negotiations table, N'Zonzi has again become a realistic signing to cover the departure of Danny Murphy.
The player himself is eager to leave Blackburn and Craven Cottage would appeal to him, but our Dutch manager isn't the only one keen on bringing him in. Stoke City and Sevilla are believed to be chasing his signature too, while Everton have recently made an enquiry.
Steve Kean, the Blackburn manager, is happy to sell after the 23 year-old refused to play towards the end of last season.
http://www.cottagersconfidential.com/2012/8/17/3248938/fulham-blackburn-everton-stoke-sevilla? (http://www.cottagersconfidential.com/2012/8/17/3248938/fulham-blackburn-everton-stoke-sevilla?)
Will Dempsey feature? Game preview - Norwich (h)
New official website. New look stadium. New screens. New players. New season.
And how I've longed for it. We've had a summer full of football - from the European Championships to the Olympics, there's been plenty to savour, but nothing can quite top a fresh Premier League campaign, full of hope, expectation and, as always, that little bit of dread.
With Fulham, the dread has been somewhat exaggerated by the lack of activity at Motspur Park or, to be more specific, the lack of inward activity. We've lost plenty of players - Danny Murphy, Pavel Pogrebnyak, Dickson Etuhu, Andrew Johnson, Marcel Gecov and Orlando Sa(in order of significance) - but have yet to spend a penny on their replacements. Of course, time is on our side, but that hasn't taken the edge off the concern.
You have to feel, however, that we have enough about us to see off he threat of Norwich City. They have a new manager, in the form of Chris Hughton, yet there are major questions lingering over his head as to whether he can replicate, or even go close to replicating, last season's heroics under Paul Lambert. The away fans at the Cottage on Sunday will certainly be hoping so but the bookies don't look at them quite so favourably. With SkyBet, they are 6/4 to get relegated, level with Wigan Athletic.
Matches aren't played on paper though, and the Canaries have had a respectable pre-season, beating Celtic away and taking a draw against Ajax. Fulham perhaps had the better summer, with the highlight being a hammering of OGC Nice away in France. Mladen Petric has been particularly potent.
In the same fixture last season, we defeated Norwich 2-1 with all the work done within 13 minutes, Damien Duff and Clint Dempsey the scorers. Whether Dempsey will feature on Saturday is a question many are afraid to answer, with a potential move away from the club still playing on everyone's mind. Sa scored a sumptuous volley in the reverse fixture, helping claim a 1-1 draw at Carrow Road.
New Norwich signings Steven Whittaker and Jacob Butterfield won't play a part while Javier Garrido is thought to still be awaiting international clearance after his loan move from Lazio was confirmed.
Fulham team news has yet to be released, but there are thought to be no major injury concerns.
Potential line-up: Schwarzer; Riise, Hangeland, Hughes, Riether; Duff, Diarra, Dembele, Kacaniklic; Ruiz; Rodallega
Score prediction: Fulham 3-0 Norwich
http://www.cottagersconfidential.com/2012/8/17/3248953/clint-dempsey-feature-norwich? (http://www.cottagersconfidential.com/2012/8/17/3248953/clint-dempsey-feature-norwich?)
Fulham v Norwich: Petric to make an instant impact in home win
Mladen Petric has enjoyed his first pre-season at Fulham, scoring four goals
(http://news.ladbrokes.com/en-gb/wp-content/uploads/2012/08/Fulham.gif)
Fulham have won eight of their last ten meetings with Norwich in all competitions and new recruit Mladen Petric can ensure this strong record continues.
There is nothing like scoring on a home debut to make a positive impression on new supporters and Petric is 11/2 to break the deadlock against Norwich.
Since signing on a free transfer, Petric has made it a knack to find the target in pre-season friendlies, scoring twice against Kaiserslautern to add to further strikes against Lokomotiv Leipzig and Nice.
With Fulham arguably short of a striker following the summer departures of Pavel Pogrebnyak and Andy Johnson, Petric looks a certain starter against Norwich and may even be partnered in attack by fellow new-boy Hugo Rodallega.
It is 4/5 that Fulham beat Norwich and under Martin Jol they ended last season with a fine record on their own patch, winning seven of their last ten games at Craven Cottage.
One of these victories was also a 2-1 triumph over Norwich and a repeat of this success can be backed at 15/2.
However, Norwich have not found goals easy to come by in their pre-season friendlies under Chris Hughton, failing to trouble the scorers in their last two games against League One promotion favourites MK Dons and Borussia Monchengladbach.
Fulham are 7/4 to shut out Norwich too.
Meanwhile, there may be some joy in backing the goalless draw at 10/1, given this has been the result for Fulham on the opening day of the last two seasons.
In fact, Fulham have only won once on the opening day in eight seasons and this slow-starting nature may give Norwich a chance.
Norwich are 7/2 to collect a valuable away win at Fulham, with the draw on offer at 5/2.
http://news.ladbrokes.com/en-gb/football/premier-league/fulham-v-norwich-petric-to-make-an-instant-impact-in-home-win_113909.html (http://news.ladbrokes.com/en-gb/football/premier-league/fulham-v-norwich-petric-to-make-an-instant-impact-in-home-win_113909.html)
Pundits predict a tough season for Norwich City
As Norwich City begin their bid to stay in the Premier League at Craven Cottage on Saturday, pundits are sceptical about the Canaries chances of escaping 'second season syndrome'.
The Guardian's Paul Doyle emphasises the success Hughton has achieved on tight budgets.
Guardian writers predict Norwich to finish six places behind their efforts of last season at 18th and give odds to win the league as 5000-1.
ESPN is slightly more optimistic predicting Norwich to finish 16th, above Reading, Wigan, Swansea and Southampton.
ESPN writer Ravi Ubha lays hopes on Holt's pledge to remain at Norwich, and predicts him to hit double digits in the goal scoring tally again this season.
Panbet follow a similar view with relegation for Norwich and Wigan Athletic both offered at 3/2 (2.50) behind favourites Reading at 23/20 (2.15) and the Royals (2.30) and West Ham (3.50).
Odds at Betfair show a little more hope for Norwich placing them third from bottom at 8/5 to be relegated, with Manchester City being offered at 11/8 favourites.
Concerns for Norwich this season begin with the tough start they face, a danger Bolton know only too well from last season.
The Canaries' past at Craven Cottage is not a happy one, having not won there for 26 years.
Whilst the Cottagers are likely to be without midfielder Simon Davies due to a neck injury, as well as Aaron Hughes (ankle) and Philippe Senderos who was sidelined during pre-season, their main signings Rodallega, Reither and Petric will add to the dangers of a Norwich defeat.
Unfortunately for Canary fans the professionals agree on tomorrow's match with Betfair placing Fulham as the favourites at 5/6 (1.84) to win above Norwich to win at 4/1 (4.8).
Reasons to be hopeful:
• Outside the top 10, no team scored more goals last year than Norwich
• Hughton's side have kept a clean sheet in four of seven pre-season games
• Norwich goalkeeper John Ruddy became the first Canaries player since Robert Green to play for England when he appeared for 45 minutes against Italy on Wednesday.
http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/pundits_predict_a_tough_season_for_norwich_city_1_1485744?# (http://www.edp24.co.uk/news/pundits_predict_a_tough_season_for_norwich_city_1_1485744?#)
Preview: Fulham vs. Norwich
Tomorrow, the season kicks off. That feels good to say. So good, I'm gonna do it again.
Tomorrow, the season kicks off.....!!!
Football's back everyone. I'm so excited, I called it football. THAT'S HUGE.
Anyways, I digress. This is supposed to be a preview post, so let's do some previewing.
State of Fulham:
This is the one chance in the season everyone gets to say they're in first place. It's a clean slate, a wiping clean. However, despite being level with the likes of Manchester United, Arsenal, and the newly promoted clubs all at the same time, Fulham still find themselves in an interesting state. Some would say a state of limbo. They've lost a large portion of last season's goal production, and I don't think many would say they're done with the replacement process. Fulham will debut Hugo Rodallega and Mladen Petric in the goal production department, but it seems over the long haul, at least according to Martin Jol, the squad will require one or two more bodies, preferably younger bodies, to add to the assembly line.
(http://www4.pictures.zimbio.com/gi/Zak+Whitbread+Fulham+v+Norwich+City+Premier+xIz-MMwD_Njl.jpg)
Will Clint Dempsey feature in Fulham's opening day match at Craven Cottage, despite the shroud of uncertainty surrounding his future? Most likely not.
Either way, unless Fulham unveil someone today, which isn't likely, they will go into this match without those additions, which is completely fine, for now. But soon, before the window closes, they will need to do some work.
For now though, it seems those two will be the front of the Fulham strike force, backed up by some youngsters. Alex Kacaniklic, Kerim Frei, and Pajtim Kasami could all get a chance in this match to be of assistance to the new help. It will be fans first look at what formation – and what players – Jol sees as his first choice. Seeing as this is the first match of the season, this is clearly the biggest question on everyone's mind. One person you probably WON'T see in the lineup is Clint Dempsey. Despite the fact many believe he's the most complete and talented player on the Fulham roster, he most likely will not play in the match, or at least will begin on the bench. I guarantee if that happens, the club will cry fitness again, but there's zero chance it's taking Dempsey this long to get fit. He rejoined the club even before Hugo Rodallega did because of an ankle injury Rodallega picked up, and Hugo even played in the last preseason match.
State of Norwich:
Like Fulham, Norwich fans will be curious to see how their squad shakes out, but for a different reason. Newly promoted last season, Norwich finished well above where anyone had expected them to, thanks in large part to manager Paul Lambert. This time around it will be Chris Hughton's turn to guide Norwich, and an away test at Craven Cottage is always a tall task for any club in the bottom half.
I don't believe the supporters realistically are expecting the same result as last year. Sure, it makes it seem much less unlikely now, but again the target for Norwich is to avoid relegation, and rightly so. However, I think they'll have a good chance to do so. Besides their manager, they lost practically no one, including Grant Holt. This is a major strength for the club, as Hughton doesn't have to fill any major gaps left void due to key pieces moving on, something Fulham is certainly facing at the moment, as are a number of other clubs. It's something that will definitely give Norwich an advantage in the battle to save their Premier League spot. Consistency will be the name of the game here.
Head to head:
Last season, Fulham were able to pick up 4 points from the fixtures with Norwich, drawing away 1-1 and winning 2-1 at home. In fact, Fulham have not lost in the last 10 times they've faced Norwich City.
By the numbers:
Some very Fulham-heavy stats to give you an idea what to expect -
The last time Fulham conceded a goal on opening day of the league at home: 2003
You have to go all the way back to 1989 to see the last time Fulham lost a league game at home on opening day. That was to Tranmere.
Fulham have been given just THREE red cards in the last three league seasons, and had only four sending offs.
Part of Norwich's success last season: they had opponents hit the woodwork more than any other club: 26 times
Each of the last two opening day fixtures for Fulham have been 0-0 draws.
Something tells me it's going to be a very dull match, but the sheer fact it's opening day of the league should offset most, if not all, of that. I'm going to say 1-0 to Fulham but a draw of 0-0 or 1-1 wouldn't shock me either.
Let's have another great season, shall we?
http://fulhamsfinest.com/2012/08/17/preview-fulham-vs-norwich/? (http://fulhamsfinest.com/2012/08/17/preview-fulham-vs-norwich/?)
How much difference does one player make anyway?
(http://cravencottagenewsround.files.wordpress.com/2012/08/jr.jpg?w=547)
Interested in your views on how replaceable players are. I remember a few years ago, getting to White Hart Lane and finding that Hangeland was out and the much maligned Chris Baird was playing instead. The result: comfortable enough 0-0 draw.
If Hangeland were to break his leg tomorrow I would be reasonably happy that a combination of Hughes, Baird and Senderos would be more than adequate to keep us broadly where we'd have been with Hangeland. We wouldn't be quite as good, but all of these players can play as part of a functioning back four well enough; I don't think the drop-off over a season would be *that* great.
Similarly, if we lose Dembele then Steve Sidwell plays more. How much of a difference is that really going to make over a season? Again, we'll be a bit less good, but not by that much because Sidwell's a good player who brings extra things to the team.
Dempsey is the big concern, having scored so many goals, but even he can't be worth that many points a season can he? We managed 16 more points than the team that finished 17th last year. Put another way, that means that our entire team contributed 16 more points than Bolton's entire team. How many of those can you attribute to one man? If you think Dempsey's worth 15 points a season you're effectively saying that the rest of our team is about as good as Bolton's (aren't you?), and it isn't. If Dempsey hadn't played, someone else would have, and that person would presumably have contributed *something*. The drop-off won't be that big, even from the best players.
I think this is why teams routinely soldier on after losing their star men. To really get into trouble Fulham will have to lose more than a couple of good players – I simply think we've done too much right in the last few seasons to be at risk.
Rich
https://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2012/08/17/how-much-difference-does-one-player-make-anyway/? (https://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2012/08/17/how-much-difference-does-one-player-make-anyway/?)
Fulham vs Norwich - Match preview and team news
Fulham open their campaign against Norwich in a game which involves two teams who had particularly good seasons last year. The Cottagers finished inside the top half whereas the Canaries comfortably avoided relegation with a 12th placed final standing. Both will be looking to keep their form from last season, despite the loss of key figures in their line-ups.
(http://static.adifferentleague.co.uk/images/articles/fulhampreview.jpg)
For Fulham, they have lost a creative presence in Danny Murphy, who made the decision to drop down to the Championship and sign for Blackburn Rovers. The 35 year old moved on a free transfer after failing to negotiate a new deal with Fulham and Jol has not yet found a replacement.
Pavel Pogrebnyak, who scored six goals in 12 starts during his loan spell last season, chose to play for Reading next season and Jol has moved to replace him by signing Mladen Petric from Hamburg. Jol's main aim is to not lose Clint Dempsey, who has come under the radar of Liverpool. The American international was left out of the club's training camp in Switzerland and whether he will be a Cottager by the end of the window remains to be seen.
Jol has rejuvenated the Fulham side, mixing youth and experience, and there will be plenty of first-team opportunities this season for the likes of Kerim Frei and Alex Kaciniklic. The Cottagers were hard to beat at times last season with Norwegian central defender Brede Hangeland marshalling the backline and Jol will expect the same this time around. Fulham's opener against Norwich could prove to be somewhat of a banana skin, after the bright opening the Canaries had last season.
Norwich fans were delighted with last season's heroics, but the summer that followed proved to be distressing as they lost manager Paul Lambert to Aston Villa. Lambert guided the club to back-to-back promotions from League One to the Premier League and then cemented their place last season with a brand of adaptable, attacking football. The Canaries now have Chris Hughton at the helm, who has plenty of experience in Premier League football following his time with Newcastle United. Hughton did a great job with Birmingham in the Championship last season and Norwich fans will hope he can produce the same quality performances.
Grant Holt has agreed to stay at the club, signing a three year deal following an initial transfer request early in the summer, and his goals last season were pivotal. The striker scored 17 in all competitions and Hughton will be looking for a similar number if he wants to have success at Carrow Road. Holt will be backed up by a talented midfield, which has been strengthened by the arrival of Robert Snodgrass from Leeds United. Other summer recruits include Steven Whittaker on a free, Jacob Butterfield from Barnsley and Michael Turner from Sunderland.
Fulham were undefeated against Norwich in last season's outings, grabbing a 2-1 win in the fixture at Craven Cottage. Murphy's absence in the Cottagers midfield is a distinct worry and Jol will be searching for a replacement before the window shuts. Fulham should have enough class to get past a Norwich side who need to shake up their defensive frailties from last season.
http://www.adifferentleague.co.uk/p6_1_16235_fulham-vs-norwich-match-preview-and-team-news.html (http://www.adifferentleague.co.uk/p6_1_16235_fulham-vs-norwich-match-preview-and-team-news.html)
Betting: Fulham just shade odds for Premier League opener against Norwich City
Bookies are forecasting an uncertain future for the Canaries despite last season's impressive return to the top flight.
William Hill price them at 6/4 to be relegated, although the 8/1 offered by Skybet against them enjoying a finish in the top half of the Premier League table is likely to have greater local appeal.
They open their campaign with a tough-looking duel against Fulham, installed as Coral's 5/6 favourites.
Few bookies anticipate a goalfest, especially as Fulham have opened their last two home league campaigns with goalless draws, a record which explains the popularity of BetVictor's 10/11 posted about it yielding fewer than 2.5 goals and of Paddy Power's 8/1 for it to end goalless again.
One goal could definitely settle it and Grant Holt looks a tad too frothy (8/1, BetVictor.com) to open the scoring. Stan James considers the likelihood of it ending with honours even to be an 14/5 shot, an outcome either manager would probably take.
Punters who suspect that City could defy bookmaker's odds and claim three points in west London will undoubtedly fancy the look of bet365's 14/1 odds posted about a 2-1 away victory.
http://www.edp24.co.uk/sport/norwich-city-fc/betting_fulham_just_shade_odds_for_premier_league_opener_against_norwich_city_1_1485843? (http://www.edp24.co.uk/sport/norwich-city-fc/betting_fulham_just_shade_odds_for_premier_league_opener_against_norwich_city_1_1485843?)
2012-13 Season Preview – Fulham
Off the field there have been reasons to be cheerful for Fulham supporters this summer.
The approval of planning permission for the clubs ambitious £30m development plan for the Riverside stand prefaces a great leap forward for the club. The biggest piece of investment in the clubs history will go a long way to achieving the Chairman's goal of self sustainability and increases the likelihood of a prolonged stay in the top flight. Steve Wigley has slipped quietly into the role of Academy Head of Coaching and U-18 Coach from his role as England U-21 Coach but big things are expected of this experienced operator.
Further evidence of Fulham's focus on youth development has been seen in Huw Jennings continuing to hoover up some of the best young players during the close season and new contracts for Alex Kacaniklic, Marcello Trotta, John Pritchard & Alex Smith. Look out for all four making good progress this season.
The biggest departure from the club has been that of Danny Murphy. A Captain of the first rank & possessed of the finest footballing brain at Fulham in the last 40 years, he was one of the most effective playmakers in the top flight and will be extremely difficult to replace. If Fulham struggle this season it will be the loss of Murphy that is the biggest factor rather than any other departures. There is much to admire in Martin Jol's courageous efforts to play attractive and attacking football and to tackle what was one of the oldest squads in Europe. His frustration at the limitations of last season's squad to deliver on his footballing vision was evident and there looks certain to be more radical change ahead as he strives to stamp his mark on the club. Jol's affable & approachable persona endears him to the fans but the jury is still out on his handling of relationships with the players. A sufficiently large number of supporters are still firmly atop the fence about Jol to suggest that any early season struggles will see the manager quickly under pressure.
Player to Watch
Bryan Ruiz – Fulham have not had the best of luck with big money signings over the years but there is quiet confidence in the stands that the teasing glimpses of quality shown by the Costa Rican last season will develop into something altogether more compelling. One of the most interesting factors is the confidence of the player himself. He fully expects to play a big part this season and to score lots of goals in a side that will be denuded of its top 5 scorers from last term when Dempsey eventually departs.
Jol likes flexible formations and players and the expectation is that Ruiz will be played in a more central role this time just behind the main striker and that this will play to his creative strengths. He scores goals of the very highest quality and is possessed of great calmness and vision in and around the box. There is frustration that he gets knocked off the ball too easily, doesn't fight for the ball and drifts out of games too often but the player seems to be aware of at least some of these shortcomings and we can expect to see a very different season from 'The Weasel'.
Player to Sell
Clint Dempsey – After five and half years in which Dempsey's rise has mirrored that of the club, the enigmatic American has earnt a move to pastures new. He has worked tirelessly to impress a bewildering succession of managers and has proved himself time and again when being played in a variety of different roles. Though he has excelled against the top teams he is by no means just a big game player and has produced consistently despite playing more games than almost any player on the planet. When he arrived he looked at first sight to be the very model of a flashy American; all step overs and shoulder drops. His natural competitiveness and desire to improve saw him adapt quickly to the English game and the fans loved his tireless, never say die approach. When Jol arrived he was wary of the teams over reliance on Dempsey and the player compounded this with one the best individual season's by a Fulham player. He is a difficult player to categorise and not the sort of player Jol would normally look to sign.
The manager wants the goals to be to shared around the team and to play with conventional wingers and this has led to a sense that Dempsey has gone as far as he can at Fulham. The players repeated declarations that he wants to play Champions League football, while truthful and consistent, have been something of a red herring. The unpalatable truth is that he wants to leave Fulham. He feels he needs a new challenge and, while he has not given up entirely on playing in the Champions League, he wants to play for a bigger club and to have the prospect of regular European football. It has been a privilege to watch him play in a Fulham shirt and once the pain of his departing has passed he will be remembered with the best of them. For Jol and Fulham's sake though it had best been done quickly so that money can be spent and stability maintained.
View on the Manager
It was never going to be more of the same with Jol and he was attracted to the Fulham job because of the radical brief put in front of him. Fulham had prospered by bringing in experienced players with 2 or 3 more quality years still on the clock and playing a very rigid and well-drilled formation. Ultimately the club wanted to achieve a joined up approach to the first team squad that made the most of the great strides being achieved in their youth set-up. Jol is a risk taker, in a way that Hodgson and Hughes were not, and is happy to gamble on giving youth its head and trying different formations and players out of position. He is not bothered about his personal popularity and seems quite happy to break eggs in his search for the right formula on the pitch.
The suspicion remains that he may not look too closely at discarded bath water but he definitely has an eye for a player and it looks likely that by this time next year only a couple of the starting eleven will be pre-Jol. His most crowd pleasing move of last season was moving the sumptuously gifted Moussa Dembele into a defensive midfield role where he was transformed into one of the 3 or 4 best players in that position in the country. There was a certain amount of patience and good will for Jol last season because of the circumstances he arrived in after the club was left in the lurch by the 'very strange' Mark Hughes. Many fans will be looking at his second season as 'make or break' and will be expecting Jol's vision to become clearer and more effective.
Realistic Ambitions
Life is never boring with Jol and it is difficult to know what the forthcoming season holds because the manager throws so many variables into the mix. The fans and Chairman will be expecting another top 10 finish and, while that will be the stated objective, it promises to be a tougher proposition this time. The promoted sides look stronger than those they replaced and other mid table sides have made good progress over the summer. Jol said early on in his tenure that regular European football and top half finishes were the objective but its difficult to see Fulham finishing in a European berth this time. Fulham have missed out on the magic of The Cup more than most other sides in the last 100 years and a decent and entertaining Cup run would do much to win over the waverers. Even a League Cup run would suffice as the club have a bigger phobia about this competition than they do away games. Mark Hughes had made Fulham more attacking and adventurous on the road and Jol has continued this approach. Much still needs to be done on this front to win back travelling supporters and making Fulham a competitive away proposition may be the manager's greatest achievement this season.
League Position
Having got used to steady advancement under Hodgson, Fulham fans have fallen back into the slew of 'transition' as managers start to come and go again. If we can keep Jol he will rise to meet any crises and the club will end the season in reasonably good shape. 10th
(article written by @WhiteNoise1879)
http://the4thofficial.co.uk/2012/08/17/2012-13-season-preview-fulham/? (http://the4thofficial.co.uk/2012/08/17/2012-13-season-preview-fulham/?)
FULHAM PREVIEW
A look ahead to Saturday's 3pm kick-off at Fulham
THE 2012-13 Barclays Premier League season kicks off for the Canaries with an away trip to Fulham at Craven Cottage on Saturday in Chris Hughton's first competitive match in charge of Norwich City.
With five new faces in his squad and an excellent pre-season behind them, Hughton's squad are in good shape going into the clash against Martin Jol's Fulham, who themselves have undergone significant changes of personnel over the summer.
Kick-off will be at 3pm, and you can listen live to all the action with Canaries Player, as well as following live updates on Canaries.co.uk, and our official twitter and facebook pages.
Watch Chris Hughton's pre-match press conference on Canaries Player by clicking here.
Watch Ryan Bennett's pre-match interview on Canaries Player by clicking here.
TEAM NEWS:
City: The Canaries will be without defender Steven Whittaker (ankle) for the opening fixture against Fulham on Saturday, as well as midfield pair David Fox and Jacob Butterfield, who are back in training but unlikely to be available. Wes Hoolahan is also back in training, whilst Elliott Ward is a week away from fitness. It is not yet known whether late addition Javier Garrido will be eligible for the fixture.
Fulham: The Cottagers are likely to be without midfielder Simon Davies for the clash, who is out with a neck injury, while Aaron Hughes (ankle) is thought to be a doubt. Jol has an otherwise fully fit squad to choose from however.
PRE-SEASON:
Fulham
HK Køge 0-0 Fulham
FC Lokomotive Leipzig 0-4 Fulham
FC Kaiserslautern 2-2 Fulham
Wycombe Wanderers 0-3 Fulham
OGC Nice 0-4 Fulham
MK Dons 0-1 Fulham
Fulham 1-2 Charlton
City
Hertha Berlin 3-2 City
Celtic 0-1 City
Peterborough United 0-2 City
City 1-1 Ajax
MK Dons 0-0 City
Hull City 0-0 City
City 0-2 Borussia Monchengladbach
TRANSFERS:
Fulham
Ins: George Williams (MK Dons) undisclosed, Mladen Petric (Hamburg) free, Hugo Rodallega (Wigan) free, Sascha Riether (Cologne) loan.
Outs: Marcel Gecov (Gent) undisclosed, Ricahrd Barroilhet (RKC Waalwijk) free, Dickson Etuhu (Blackburn) free, Andrew Johnson (QPR) free, Danny Murphy (Blackburn) free, Pavel Pogrebnyak (Reading) free, Bjorn Helge Riise (Lillestron) free, Orlando Sa (AEL Limassol) free.
City
Ins: Steven Whittaker, Jacob Butterfield (Barnsley) undisclosed, Michael Turner (Sunderland) undisclosed, Robert Snodgrass (Leeds United) undisclosed.
Outs: Andrew Crofts (Brighton) undisclosed, Matt Ball (Stevenage) free, Josh Dawkin (Braintree) free, Adam Drury (Leeds United) free, Zak Whitbread (Leicester) free, Aaron Wilbraham (Crystal Palace) free, Dani Ayala (Nottingham Forest) season-long loan.
MANAGER: MARTIN JOL
The Dutchman took charge of Fulham on June 7, 2011, and is a man City boss Hughton will be very familiar with, having served as his assistant for part of Jol's spell as manager of Tottenham Hotspur between 2004 and 2007.
The former West Bromwich Albion and Coventry City midfielder also had spells in charge of Roda JC, RKC Waalwijk, Hamburg, and Ajax before being appointed manager of the Cottagers by pwner Mohammed Al-Fayed.
ONE-TO-WATCH: MOUSSA DEMBELE
Fulham's highly-rated creative midfielder Moussa Dembele will certainly be a key man for the Cottagers when City turn up to Craven Cottage on Saturday.
The 25-year-old Belgium international signed for Fulham in 2010 from Dutch side AZ Alkmaar for a fee believed to be in the region of £5M, and has impressed, scoring five times in over 50 games.
His menacing runs from midfield will be something the City defence will need to keep an eye out for if they are to keep Fulham quiet and pick up a result on the opening day.
HEAD-TO-HEAD:
Fulham v Norwich City
Fulham wins Draw City wins
League 14 10 10
FA Cup 1 0 0
League Cup 2 0 1
Total 17 10 11
Fulham have the edge over City in terms of all-time wins between the two sides, and came away with all three points in last season's clash at Craven Cottage – winning 2-1 thanks to goals from Dempsey and Damien Duff. Aaron Wilbraham responded for City.
The last time City secured a victory at Craven Cottage was on New Year's Day in 1986, thanks to Kevin Drinkell's goal in the old Division Two.
2011-12 SEASON:
Fulham
Premier League – 9th
FA Cup – Fourth round
League Cup – Third round
Europa League – Group stages
Top league scorer – Clint Dempsey (17)
Most league starts – Brede Hangeland (38)
City
Premier League - 12th
FA Cup - Fifth round
League Cup - Third round
Top League Scorer - Grant Holt (15)
Most league starts - John Ruddy (37)
Craven Cottage:
Capacity - 25,700
http://www.canaries.co.uk//news/article/fulham-preview-317862.aspx?&pageView=full#anchored (http://www.canaries.co.uk//news/article/fulham-preview-317862.aspx?&pageView=full#anchored)
Fulham v Norwich
By Dan O'Hagan
Match of the Day commentator
BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Craven Cottage Date: Saturday, 18 August
TEAM NEWS
Fulham manager Martin Jol looks likely to hand debuts to new strikers Hugo Rodallega and Mladen Petric.
There are doubts over the fitness of wantaway talisman Clint Dempsey after he missed the club's pre-season tour.
Norwich have injury worries over Wes Hoolahan and Anthony Pilkington, but new recruits Robert Snodgrass and Michael Turner should play.
Fellow new boys Steven Whittaker, Jacob Butterfield and Javier Garrido (international clearance) are out.
MATCH PREVIEW
There's no denying these two performed admirably last season. Fulham's ninth place finish, on the back of another managerial change, was as commendable as new-boys Norwich - just three places below them. For both, that has set the bar high this time around.
There are few more popular figures in the game than Chris Hughton, and his arrival in Norfolk has been met warmly
Fulham's summer has been one of fine-tuning - the squad is much the same as last year's. Pavel Pogrebnyak has gone, tempted by the Russian Revolution taking place down the M4 at Reading, but in Mladen Petric they have a fine replacement, honed by five years of battering Bundesliga defences. Hugo Rodallega is proven in the Premier League having given Wigan good service, and may just benefit from a change of scenery. The biggest shoes to fill though, for now, will be Danny Murphy's.
I say 'for now' because Fulham's biggest achievement this close season has been hanging on to the family jewels - namely Clint Dempsey. Imagining a Fulham side without him is difficult. With nearly 30 goals across the past two Premier League seasons, the likeable Texan has been the backbone of those consecutive top-ten finishes. Press reports suggest a move to Merseyside might still happen before the window shuts - down by the Thames, every hour the window remains open will pass oh-so-slowly.
This could have been a difficult summer for Norwich. The pain of seeing Paul Lambert, who could do no wrong in Canary eyes, snatched away by Aston Villa may have been a difficult wound to heal had City chosen his replacement less wisely.
There are few more popular figures in the game than Chris Hughton, and his arrival in Norfolk has been met warmly, as have a phalanx of high-calibre new arrivals - bolstered further just last night with Javier Garrido's loan from Lazio.
Michael Turner could thrive at Carrow Road - let's not forget it was only a handful of seasons ago he was being touted as future England material. He and Ryan Bennett, who debuted in this fixture last season, could forge an excellent and much-needed partnership in central defence, which was arguably the Canaries weak spot last year. Robert Snodgrass has been on the Norwich radar for what seems like an eternity, and brings speed, dynamism and excellent set-pieces, while Jacob Butterfield was flying for Barnsley last year before injury intervened.
So what would qualify as success over the coming season? Fulham will fancy earning another European run, while for Norwich, few would back against Hughton building on Lambert's excellent foundations - Saturday will tell us plenty about what lies ahead.
MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
Fulham have won both previous Premier League home matches against Norwich, including a 6-0 triumph at the end of the 2004-05 season that ultimately relegated their opponents.
In total, Fulham are unbeaten in their last 10 matches against Norwich in all competitions.
Norwich's last win at Craven Cottage was a 1-0 victory on New Year's Day 1986, Kevin Drinkell with the goal.
Fulham
Fulham have never lost a Premier League opening match at home (W3, D2).
The Cottagers have not lost the first game of a new season since losing 2-1 at Hull at start of the 2008-09 campaign.
The club won 10 of their home league matches last season, picking up 35 points - only the top six clubs in the division had better home records.
Martin Jol's men are unbeaten in their last four home games.
Norwich
Norwich have only ever won one Premier League opening day fixture in five previous attempts - a 4-2 win at Arsenal on the first ever day of Premier League football in August 1992.
City have taken four points from the last six available to them on trips to London (3-3 v Arsenal and 2-1 v Spurs). Their 2-1 defeat at Fulham in March was their last loss in the capital.
The Canaries lost three of their last five matches at the end of last season, conceding 14 goals across all five games.
Norwich has conceded in each of their last 33 top flight away matches - a Premier League record. They last kept an away clean sheet came in a 0-0 draw at West Brom in October 2004.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19221586? (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19221586?)
Fulham v Norwich City: match preview
Read a full match preview of the Premier League game between Fulham and Norwich City at Craven Cottage on Saturday Aug 18 2012, kick-off 15.00 BST.
(http://i.telegraph.co.uk/multimedia/archive/02312/Hugo-Rodallega_GI_2312270c.jpg)
Hugo this way: New Fulham striker Hugo Rodallega could make his league debut against Norwich
Photo: GETTY IMAGES
Saturday, August 18, 2012
Fulham v Norwich City
Craven Cottage
Kick-off: 15.00 BST.
TV: Highlights BBC1 Match Of The Day
Fulham (Possible, 4-4-2): Schwarzer; Reither, Hangeland, Baird, Riise; Duff, Diarra, Dembele, Ruiz; Rodallega, Petric.
Out: Davies (neck), Hughes (ankle).
Norwich (Possible, 4-4-1-1): Ruddy; R Bennett, Turner, R Martin, Tierney; E Bennett, Johnson, Howson, Pilkington; Snodgrass; Holt.
Out: Hoolahan (Achilles), Pilkington (hamstring), Fox (knee), Ward (leg), Garrido (international clearance).
Tests: Butterfield, (ankle), Whittaker (ankle).
Referee: Michael Oliver. Matches (last season): 21, Red 4, Yellow 52.
Team News
Norwich are hopeful midfielders Wes Hoolahan and Anthony Pilkington will be available.
Summer signings Steven Whittaker and Jacob Butterfield will miss out, but Robert Snodgrass and Michael Turner should feature.
Javier Garrido is awaiting international clearance on his season loan from Lazio, so may not be available.
Midfielder David Fox and defender Elliott Ward continue their rehabilitation.
Match Notes
Norwich's their fortunes this weekend largely depend on whether Fulham's new-look strike partnership of Hugo Rodallega and Mladen Petric hit the ground running.
With Clint Dempsey unlikely to feature, Fulham manager Martin Jol will be looking to midfielder Mousa Dembele, another linked with a move away, for inspiration.
Chris Hughton's first match in charge of Norwich should be instructive, though, with Robert Snodgrass tipped for big things after moving from Leeds United.
Betting: Home 4-5, Away 14-5, Draw 23-10.
Stat of the game: Norwich last won at Craven Cottage in January 1986, 26 years ago.
Julian Bennetts' prediction: Fulham 2 Norwich City 1
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/premier-league/9477650/Fulham-v-Norwich-City-match-preview.html (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/premier-league/9477650/Fulham-v-Norwich-City-match-preview.html)
Jol confirms Dempsey wants to leave
Fulham manager Martin Jol has confirmed that Clint Dempsey wants to leave the club.
The 29-year-old United States international has been the subject of summer-long transfer speculation, and has been heavily linked with a move to Liverpool.
Speaking ahead of his side's Premier League opener against Norwich, Jol confirmed the player would not be in the Whites squad for the game and will move if a satisfactory offer is received.
http://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/jol-confirms-dempsey-wants7-to13-leave? (http://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/jol-confirms-dempsey-wants7-to13-leave?)
Reading striker Pavel Pogrebnyak says Fulham chairman Mohamed Al Fayed did not try hard enough to sign him
Pavel Pogrebnyak has claimed he snubbed Fulham to join Reading because
Mohamed Al Fayed did not try as hard as Anton Zingarevich to sign him.
Pogrebnyak made a sensational start to life in the Barclays Premier League after moving to the Cottagers on loan from Stuttgart in January, netting an unprecedented five goals in his first three games.
The 28-year-old's record-breaking exploits sparked a flurry of interest from clubs across Europe but Fulham appeared to be in the driving seat and offered him a contract.
Pogrebnyak turned it down and has now suggested it was because the deal was for one year only, with an option to extend it, and also because he felt Cottagers chairman Al Fayed was indifferent towards him staying.
That was in stark contrast to new Reading owner Zingarevich, who bent over backwards to convince his fellow Russian to spearhead his Royals revolution, visiting the striker during their country's European Championship campaign this summer and offering him a four-year deal.
Speaking ahead of what is expected to be his competitive debut in tomorrow's Premier League opener against Stoke, Pogrebnyak said: "I signed four years here. Fulham gave me, one and after two.
"Fulham's president, I think, didn't want so much for me to be at Fulham."
Confirming Zingarevich sold the club to him during the Euros, he added: "He said that he wanted to see me at Reading.
"It's very important for me that Anton speaks Russian and as well that our coach wanted me."
Pogrebnyak was also won over by the plans of Royals boss Brian McDermott.
"I knew a lot about Reading and the coach was the number one coach in the Championship," he said, confirming he was also desperate to remain in the Premier League.
"I prefer England and it was my dream. I always wanted to play in England. I want to stay here as long as possible."
Pogrebnyak had no qualms about joining a club that have inevitably been installed as one of the favourites for relegation following their promotion from the npower Championship.
"I'm sure that Reading will be a great club," he said, hinting at Zingarevich's ambitious plans for the Royals.
"We spoke with Anton about this."
Neither did the striker feel under any pressure to extend his Fulham form across a whole season, refusing to set himself a goals target.
By sheer co-incidence, tomorrow's opponents are the same team Pogrebnyak made his Premier League debut against but he said: "I don't think about this. I must help my team on the pitch.
"It was brilliant that I scored five goals in three games. But I must be more consistent."
His Fulham exploits failed to convince new Russia boss Fabio Capello, who left him out of Wednesday's friendly against the Ivory Coast.
Pogrebnyak revealed he had no call of explanation from either the Italian or anyone at the Russian Football Union but was confident of earning a recall for his country's next game.
"Of course, I'm disappointed," he said.
"I will continue to work and I think next game I will be in the Russia squad."
Indeed, Pogrebnyak even refused to rule out a tilt at the 2018 World Cup, which Russia will host.
He said: "I will be [almost] 35? Yeah, why not?"
Meanwhile, Reading were still waiting today on whether goalkeeper Mikkel Andersen would join crisis club Portsmouth on loan.
That would allow the Royals to complete a move for Stuart Taylor, who has been training with them since being released by Manchester City this summer.
PA
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/reading-striker-pavel-pogrebnyak-says-fulham-chairman-mohamed-al-fayed-did-not-try-hard-enough-to-sign-him-8056887.html (http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/reading-striker-pavel-pogrebnyak-says-fulham-chairman-mohamed-al-fayed-did-not-try-hard-enough-to-sign-him-8056887.html)
CLINT DEMPSEY NEARS LIVERPOOL MOVE AFTER TELLING FULHAM HE WANTS TO QUIT
FULHAM boss Martin Jol has confirmed that Liverpool target Clint Dempsey wants to quit the club.
The US international, who scored 21 league goals last season, has been heavily-linked with a move to Anfield this summer.
And the 29-year-old is edging closer to the exit door at Craven Cottage, after telling club bosses he no longer wants to play in west London.
Jol also revealed that Dempsey will not be part of Fulham's squad for their game against Norwich tomorrow.
Liverpool midfielder Charlie Adam has been touted as a make-weight in any deal for Dempsey, who could move for a cut-price fee due to the fact he is in the last year of his contract.
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/267523/Clint-Dempsey-nears-Liverpool-move-after-telling-Fulham-he-wants-to-quit/? (http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/267523/Clint-Dempsey-nears-Liverpool-move-after-telling-Fulham-he-wants-to-quit/?)
Dempsey left out of Fulham squad as boss Jol admits Liverpool target can leave
Fulham boss Martin Jol has invited offers for Clint Dempsey.
Dempsey has been linked with Liverpool for most of the summer and Jol confirmed he will sell for the right price after leaving the United States international out of his squad for the Premier League opener against Norwich.
'If we get the right price for Clint we will sell him. If not, he will stay,' said Jol.
West Ham failed in their attempts to lure the attacking midfielder to Upton Park.
More to follow...
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2189790/Clint-Dempsey-leave-Fulham-says-Martin-Jol.html#ixzz23o7ZOR6i (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2189790/Clint-Dempsey-leave-Fulham-says-Martin-Jol.html#ixzz23o7ZOR6i)
Clint Dempsey wants to leave Fulham, says Martin Jol
(http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/61652000/jpg/_61652754_clint_dempsey_getty_2.jpg)
Fulham boss Martin Jol says Clint Dempsey wants to leave the club and they will sell him for the right price.
Jol said the United States forward was not in the squad for Saturday's match against Norwich.
He told a pre-match news conference: "If we get the right price for Clint we will sell him. If not, he will stay."
Earlier in the summer a post appeared on the website of the company that owns Liverpool suggesting the Reds had signed him.
It was later taken down with Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers saying: "Clint is a player we've enquired about, it is as simple as that."
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19298824? (http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19298824?)
