http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=199974 (http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=199974)
Fulham in Keeper Link!
With media speculation surrounding the future of Mark Schwarzer, with the keeper linked to a shock move to Arsenal, the grapevine hasn`t taken long in coming up with the name of a replacement.
Rupert Murdoch`s television giant Sky Sports, are reporting that Fulham are showing an interest in the Crystal Palace keeper, Julian Speroni.
Speroni, an Argentine, has been liked with a move to other London clubs with Queens Park Rangers and West Ham United in the frame.
At thirty-one years of age, his experience between the sticks has seen him voted as the Palace Player of the Year for the past three seasons and he could well serve Fulham well, especially with the only other candidates to replace a possible departing Schwarzer being the ageing Pascal Zuberbuhler and young David Stockdale.
Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=199974#ixzz0pClpmSmb (http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=199974#ixzz0pClpmSmb)
http://www.england.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=199985 (http://www.england.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=199985)
Kamara To Convert To Help England Win WC!
I must admit, I just love this. Talk about taking one for the boys!
Following an internet campaign by England fans, Chris Kamara, one of the most positive men in English football has taken up the challenge to change his name to help bring the cup home this summer. Fans who believe a scientifically proven chant, Cabanga, will have a positive effect on our boys in South Africa have called for Kamara to be the movement`s ambassador and become Chris Cabanga for the duration of the tournament.
Chris Kamara has accepted their challenge but has called for 20,000 people to join England`s cause at www.facebook.com/ThinkCabanga (http://www.facebook.com/ThinkCabanga) before he changes his name to Chris Cabanga.
The man soon to be called Cabanga said, 'These crazy people want me to change my name to Chris Cabanga. They say it will help the boys win the World Cup. It looks like fun and I`ll do anything that helps England bring home the cup but I'm not going to change my name unless I know that the public are behind England and show that they want me to become Chris Cabanga!'
Having witnessed the results of Cabanga at www.youtube.com/user/cabanga (http://www.youtube.com/user/cabanga) Chris has become a believer in the power of the 12th man.
He added: 'I have seen the effects of the word Cabanga on performance, it seems clear we can use it to help cheer our lads to victory. With everyone chanting Cabanga it could make a very real difference. It could even be the crucial, deciding factor if a match goes to the dreaded penalties - I think if we all believe it, it could happen.'
Chris joins former England and Arsenal player, Lee Dixon, in backing Cabanga and England.
Dixon said: 'From my personal experience of hearing fans chant 'ENGLAND' during the key stages of a match I can honestly say the 12th man can help England win. With everyone chanting Cabanga it could make a very real difference.'
The movement came about after a team of researchers, backed by the Texaco brand, at the Mindlab International Laboratory discovered the perfect phrase for fans to shout is the Zulu word 'Cabanga', which means 'imagine'.
The crowd can often have the effect of a 12th man - so for the first time scientists studied the influence fans can have on a game. Three stages of testing were conducted, during which, players on the receiving end of the chants had their brains, heart rates and footballing skills monitored.
When the footballers heard 'Cabanga' being chanted they played better and were able to do more keep-ups and headed passes.
Experts in sports performance believe that if England fans adopt the chant it will give the players such a boost it could propel them to glory in South Africa this summer. Tests even showed that fans thinking the word could have a positive effect on performance and a Facebook page has now been set up to encourage this positive thought.
Dr David Lewis-Hodgson, who led the research, said: 'We all want England to do well this summer, but fans can hardly pull on a pair of boots and actually get out there to help the team."
He continued 'It's well documented that vocal fans can have a positive impact on team performance - we wanted to see if we could focus this energy further via scientific methods. By discovering the most resonant word, Cabanga, we have found a means of focusing this energy and found proven evidence that it works. It unifies the crowd so it has a greater effect than other chants. It's a way of channelling positive energy and the enthusiasm of the crowd is what players thrive on. The chanting and cheering of football fans have proved to have a profound effect on the performance of teams and individual players".
England supporters haven`t had much to sing about over the last few tournaments. Chris is now asking them to register their positivity at www.facebook.com/ThinkCabanga (http://www.facebook.com/ThinkCabanga) and actually will the England team on to victory. In return he will become the one and only Chris Cabanga.
--------
And no article would be complete without the classic Kamara clip, hopefully Sky won't mind this being linked from YouTube. The great thing about Kamara, sorry, Cabanga...!... is he takes football but not himself seriously! Top notch.
Read more: http://www.england.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=199985#ixzz0pCmUalbD (http://www.england.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=199985#ixzz0pCmUalbD)
http://fulham.theoffside.com/team-news/the-league-table-by-the-numbers.html? (http://fulham.theoffside.com/team-news/the-league-table-by-the-numbers.html?)
The league table by the numbers
By: timmyg | May 27th, 2010
My apologies on the dearth of posts lately — I recently moved and my new place doesn't have internet and probably won't for the near future. (Don't get me started on that...)
(http://fulham.theoffside.com/files/2010/05/Untitled-4.jpg)
As a result, I really should have done this a few weeks back but finally got around to it now. Here is a chart that shows how exactly Fulham fared against league opponents and ultimately finished 12th, 7 points less than last year's record-setting 7th place finish.
Obviously, Fulham lower points tally meant that there would be more red than green, but the record against the top-half of the table this season is what really did Fulham in. This season's 5 points from the top 6 is about a third of last season's 13 points from the top 6.
Moreover, it was not mailing in the league in the final months as Fulham progressed further into Europe that really hurt the cause as we all think.
Fulham played Chelsea on August 23 and December 28; Spurs on December 26 and January 26; and Villa on August 30 and January 30 — all before our European Campaign really took off. Although the home loss to City on March 21 was right after the monumental win over Juventus, Roy still fielded a full strength XI.
Only against Arsenal, played on the last day of the season, did Fulham trot out a JV squad against a top 6 side.
Although Fulham achieved the same amount of points against the relegated sides this season (13 total) then they did last season, they actually did a point better against the promoted sides this season (8 total against Brum, Wolves, and Burnley) than last season (7 against West Brom, Hull City, and Stoke City).
So by my calculations, it was the lesser results against Chelsea, Spurs, and City that ultimately account for the 7 point gap between the two seasons. Could this have been counteracted with results against Hull, Stoke, and Wolves? Perhaps...
Right, on to some positives!
Fulham did manage to defeat West Ham (yay!) and Liverpool which subsequently allotted the highest tally against them in ages. We avenged last year's losses to Hull City Blackburn, and continued our home dominance over Everton after last year's blip. And, we beat United at home again.
***
With the long, gut-wrenching season over, the World Cup on the horizon, my internet situation not optimal, and summer's onset official with the upcoming Memorial Day weekend, I'm probably going to take a sabbatical for a bit unless something major happens.
Thanks for visiting my site this year. Because of you this site reached record visit and pageview heights. And for that I'm extremely grateful.
Until whenever, enjoy:
http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=200001 (http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=200001)
Fulham - Brown Departs
A small piece of news which may have easily passed on by without notice, is that of the departure of Wayne Brown, a once promising prospect through our fledging youth academy.
Following a successful loan spell with Bristol Rovers, their manager Paul Trollope has decided to make his move a permanent one, and no more will be seen of Mr Brown in a white shirt.
At the tender age of 21, Brown has already proven he can cut with a particularly rewarding temporary move to Finland with TPS Turku, in which he became a firm fan's favourite.
While I'm not overly sad to see him go, I can see this sale coming back and biting us on the bum one day.
I get the sense he may be a Premier League player in years to come.
We shall have to wait and see.
Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=200001#ixzz0pCndWTnA (http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=200001#ixzz0pCndWTnA)
http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=200003 (http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=200003)
Fulham - New Brede Link
Once the Chris Smalling deal was finalised, I was happy to accept defeat and take the sale on the chin. After all, the lure of Champions League football was one that the young lad was never going to turn down.
His departure did weaken our defence a little, in the sense that depth has now become an issue, but, again, I had to think positively and the thought of Hughes and Hangeland holding their places was nothing but pleasing.
However, it would seem Sir Alex wants another poke at the Fulham factory line of class defenders, and he really is taking the biscuit with a supposed swipe for Brede Hangeland.
Whilst the rumour has not been circulated Worldwide, there are small suggestions from certain areas of the media that Manchester United are gearing up a £12 million bid to tempt the Norwegian captain up North, where the weather is of course, slightly more Nordic.
Last season it was no secret that United were having defensive issues, which we only highlighting with a fine 3-0 victory at the Cottage; a game in which I remember 2 midfielders filling into their backline.
That fact adds concern to this speculation, however, we can only hope it's not true.
Surely the Man Utd gaffer wouldn't steal from us twice in 6 months?
Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=200003#ixzz0pCnwxziD (http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=200003#ixzz0pCnwxziD)
http://www.mls-daily.com/2010/05/dempsey-calls-out-harkes-over.html? (http://www.mls-daily.com/2010/05/dempsey-calls-out-harkes-over.html?)
Dempsey Calls Out Harkes Over Confederations Cup Criticism
Grant Wahl has a knack for getting the United States' top players to open up to him. A year ago, his book The Beckham Experiment garnered worldwide attention after exposing a rift between Landon Donovan and his Los Angeles Galaxy teammate David Beckham. Now, it's US midfielder Clint Dempsey who is pouring his guts out to Wahl, upset over what he says was unfair criticism lobbed his way by former international and current ESPN commentator John Harkes during last summer's Confederations Cup.
"He criticized me in [Confederations Cup] for looking tired and said I should be benched, but I was top three in distance covered in the whole tournament. It's funny that he criticized me so much and yet I feel like I've done more in my international career than he has. Just compare our national team stats. I've also scored in a World Cup, scored three goals in Confederations Cup, and got the Bronze Ball for third-best player in the whole tournament. Look at what he's done. I'm 27 and still have a lot of games left in me and he's finished."
Harkes, who was at the center of his own controversy earlier this year, responded to Dempsey's attack with the following statement:
"Clint Dempsey is a great player, highly skilled and very entertaining. My job is to commentate on the games. It's never personal. As a former player, you realize it's part and parcel of the profession. I wish Clint and the whole U.S. team the best of success, especially in the World Cup."
It's unclear as to why this feud is coming out now, nearly a year after the Americans' shocking run in the 2009 Confederations Cup. Perhaps 'Deuce' is hoping to prevent similar comments during the upcoming 2010 World Cup, for which Harkes will again be commentating. Or maybe, Dempsey has been hanging around the unusually moody Oguchi Onyewu too much lately.
http://www.tribalfootball.com/birmingham-launch-ambitious-bid-fulham (http://www.tribalfootball.com/birmingham-launch-ambitious-bid-fulham)'s-zamora-konchesky-868111?
Birmingham launch ambitious bid for Fulham's Zamora, Konchesky
Birmingham City boss Alex McLeish is keen to strengthen his squad further by planning a double raid for Fulham's Bobby Zamora and Paul Konchesky.
Brum have already completed the signings of goalkeeper Ben Foster from Manchester United and Serbian striker Nikola Zigic but want more quality on their list.
McLeish is believed to be prepared to offer Zamora a four-year deal worth £50,00 a week – similar to Zigic's - and is also keen to bring in left-back Konchesky who has 12 months to run on his Cottagers contract.
http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/international-sport/4592-kewell-and-schwarzer-join-training.html (http://www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/international-sport/4592-kewell-and-schwarzer-join-training.html)
Kewell and Schwarzer join training
JOHANNESBURG: Former Liverpool star Harry Kewell took part in the first Australian training session yesterday since they arrived in South Africa as he continues his comeback from injury.
The Turkey-based midfielder joined the rest of the 28-man squad in a light session at their northern Johannesburg base just 12 hours after becoming the first team to land here for the 2010 World Cup.
Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer also trained after recovering from a sprained wrist he picked up during a training camp in Melbourne and captain Lucas Neill welcomed both back.
"We did not even see a ball come out but everyone did really well and it's great to have a fully fit team participating in training and working towards the tournament," he said.
"They worked us pretty hard today but that's because we have to get used to this altitude. You notice the breathing straight away because we are at 1700 metres so it will take some adjusting."
The former Blackburn, West Ham and Everton defender acknowledged they had plenty of work to do, but was positive his team will be in good shape.
"It's hard to put an exact percentage on how ready we are but we definitely know we have got a lot to improve on," he said.
"You can see people are starting to come back into the squad and clear the rust as it were - a lot of us had a break of one or two weeks before we all met up, but the touch is coming back. There is a general hunger among the squad."
Group D contenders Australia are using purpose-built facilities at St Stithians College which overlooks the upmarket Sandton business district with Johannesburg city centre visible in the distance.
The 'Socceroos' tackle three-time champions Germany, Ghana and Serbia in one of the most competitive of the eight first round mini-leagues with the winners and runners-up advancing to the knockout stage.
Coached by Dutchman Pim Verbeek, the Aussies will play Germany in their opening fixture in the Indian Ocean city of Durban on June 13 as they hope to at least repeat a last-16 showing four years ago.
Reading goalkeeper Adam Federici knows he is likely to be a reserve behind the experienced Schwarzer, but believes he has a role to play.
"Mark is much better now and obviously he is number one so I'm here in a supportive role, but if I'm needed to play I'll be ready. "We've got a very tough group and it's going to be difficult for us to get through but we are confident we can make it," he said.
"Now we have to try and get over the jetlag, but I'm sure that won't take too long."
Horne is new FA general secretary
London: Alex Horne has been appointed general secretary of the English Football Association following the resignation of Ian Watmore as chief executive.
Horne, who has been acting chief executive since March, was handed his new role following an FA board meeting yesterday, where Roger Burden was also made acting chairman until a new independent chairman can be appointed to succeed Lord Triesman.
Triesman quit two weeks ago after a newspaper quoted him as saying Spanish and Russian officials may be colluding to bribe referees at the World Cup.
His allegations were seen as potentially disastrous to England's bid to stage the 2018 World Cup and the FA have opted to take their time to find a suitable replacement. Burden, who could be acting chairman until the end of the year while the search for a permanent appointment proceeds.agencies
http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/davidbond/2010/05/its_financial_fair_play_stupid.html (http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/davidbond/2010/05/its_financial_fair_play_stupid.html)
Football scrambles to tackle debt problem
Uefa president Michel Platini described it as the start of an important journey for European football that would eventually lead to a return of "economic common sense".
Thursday's approval of Uefa's new financial fair play rules means that, for the first time, clubs wishing to compete in the Champions League or Europa League must aim to break even each season.
In addition, club owners will be limited to investing just £38m in the three seasons after the regulations come in, starting in 2012/2013.
The aim is to create a more level playing field but the impact on England's biggest clubs could be very serious. The super rich owners of Chelsea and Manchester City, for example, will no longer be able to pour in hundreds of millions of pounds to write off losses and buy star players.
At the same time, the Premier League - which has been so resistant in the past to the slightest suggestion that its clubs should face a tougher system of regulation than that experienced by all other businesses - is introducing a raft of new financial rules.
The Premier League's annual general meeting next week is set to rubber-stamp a set of laws designed to prevent another Portsmouth-style collapse.
These include new measures which will allow the Premier League to intervene or withhold TV rights payments if it is unhappy with the financial direction the club is travelling in.
For the first time, it will have the power to:
*Assess clubs' financial sustainability through regular monitoring of accounts;
*Block a takeover if there were any doubts over funding;
*Demand full details of all loan agreements;
*Meet any potential new owner to assess their suitability.
But I have learned that next week's Premier League meeting will also include a discussion about introducing even tougher measures to deal with club debts.
With top-flight teams owing a combined £3bn, debt has become the dirtiest word in football, and smaller clubs - such as Wigan and Stoke - are asking whether the Premier League should be doing more to tackle the problem.
Some of the ideas due to be discussed include:
*A ban on all so-called leveraged buy-outs where the club is used as security to borrow the money needed to complete the takeover; (This would have prevented the Glazer acquisition of Manchester United or the sale of Liverpool to Tom Hicks and George Gillett.)
*Limiting the amount clubs can borrow to 25% of their income;
*Introducing a ban on borrowing from any institutions that are not approved by the Financial Services Authority;
*Restricting owner investment to equity and not loans (there is obviously some overlap here with Uefa's new rule);
*Breaking all player transfers down into two instalments - 50% up front with 50% left to pay.
These proposals go way beyond what Uefa passed on Thursday and what the Premier League itself will vote on next week.
Some of the bigger clubs are sure to resist any further measures that bound them in more red tape.
What all this reflects is a realisation, at last, that the vast sums of money being made in football are in danger of being thrown away by those clubs willing to gamble their long-term future on short-term success.
Football may take a while to arrive in Platini's land of common sense but it seems there is at least a will to try and get there.
http://www.teamtalk.com/fulham/6176100/TT-Soccers-Game-of-Year? (http://www.teamtalk.com/fulham/6176100/TT-Soccers-Game-of-Year?)
TT Soccers - Game of the Year
TEAMtalk Deputy Editor James Marshment ends week one of our Soccers ceremony by handing out the award for Game of the Year.
The 2009-10 season has arguably been the most dramatic ever. The race for the title went right down to the wire, while the battle to avoid the drop and the fight for a Champions League place also enjoyed nerve-jangling finales.
But it's not just in the top flight where great entertainment can be found, with some tension-strewn matches witnessed throughout the Football League.
Given more time, we could easily have compiled a list of cracking encounters for all four divisions. But it's the Premier League and in European competition where the cream really rises to the top, so we've restricted our search for Game of the Season to these competitions only.
5 - Barcelona 4 Arsenal 1: After only managing a 2-2 draw in the first leg of this Champions League quarter-final tie at Emirates Stadium, it seemed the Gunners had a mountain to climb if they were to reach the last four in the backyard of the reigning champions.
But when the much-lambasted Nicklas Bendtner tucked home a scrappy opener at the second (or was it third?) time of asking, the impossible, all of a sudden, seemed possible.
For two minutes in the Nou Camp, Arsenal dared to dream. But those dreams were soon turned to dust when Lionel Messi capitalised on a mistake by Mikael Silvestre to lash an unsavable effort into the top corner. It was a strike of genuine quality, and any misgivings Arsenal may have had about the young Argentinian's talent were soon blown away when he scored not once, not twice, not three times, but four devastating times in total. Every goal had something a little different, but all four were laced with absolute star quality to not only underline the Gunners' shortcomings, but also Messi's status as the world's best player.
4 - Wigan 3 Arsenal 2: Gunners fans can be forgiven for thinking we have a vendetta against them (I can assure them we don't) after our fourth top game of the year also featured an Arsenal defeat. Just 12 days after their Nou Camp humbling, Arsenal travelled to Wigan hoping for a win that would keep their faint title hopes alive.
And three minutes into the second half it all looked plain sailing for the Gunners when a rare Silvestre strike put the visitors 2-0 up. Wigan had already shown several times over this term that they have a soft centre so at this stage, it was just a question of how many the Gunners would score.
But Wigan had other ideas and three goals in the final 11 minutes turned both the game on its head - and ended any lingering title ambitions Arsene Wenger's troops may have had. Ben Watson set the ball rolling after 80 minutes and when a Lukasz Fabianski gaffe allowed Titus Brambles an equaliser, it seemed things could not get any worse for Arsenal.
But in added-on time Charles N'Zogbia curled home a wonderful left-footed strike which flew in off the upright to cap a remarkable turnaround and earn 4th spot in our Game of the Season honours.
3 - Chelsea 8 Wigan 0: The Blues needed to only better Manchester United's result on the final day of the season to secure their first Premier League title since 2006. Latics, despite having inflicted a rare defeat on Chelsea earlier in the season, were expected to put up little resistance, especially given their 9-1 tonking down at White Hart Lane earlier in the season.
Chelsea started the match tentatively, but soon took the lead when Nicolas Anelka fired home. But when Gary Caldwell was sent off and Frank Lampard wrestled penalty duties off a belligerent Didier Drogba, there was no way back for Wigan.
That said, there was nothing to suggest at the interval just what sort of a show the champions would put on in the second period, with a Drogba treble - to seal the Golden Boot award - the notable highlight.
It was a fitting end to a fine league campaign for Carlo Ancelotti's side and their eight-star display was very much worthy of the champions.
2 - Man United 4 Man City 3: City had already served notice of their top-four hopes by putting Arsenal to the sword just a week earlier, so headed to Old Trafford in high spirits. The game was quite rightly chosen for live TV coverage but no-one could quite have expected the high-octane drama which was about to unfold. United took an early lead through Wayne Rooney, but City were soon back on level pegging when Carlos Tevez pressured Ben Foster into an error which was eventually punished by Gareth Barry.
Darren Fletcher then put United ahead before Craig Bellamy conjured up a Goal of the Season contender to level the scores.
In the 80th minute Fletcher made it 3-2 with his second header of the game but in the 90th minute a woeful Rio Ferdinand error was punished to maximum effect by a rapid City break as a jubilant Bellamy bagged his second to seemingly snare a share of the points.
But deep, deep, deep into added-on time Ryan Giggs played a superb throughball to Michael Owen, who planted a well-placed shot into the corner of Shay Given's net to send Old Trafford delirious and cap what many have tagged the greatest Manchester derby of all-time.
1 - Fulham 4 Juventus 1: The Cottagers' run to the Europa League final will forever live in club legend. Although they fell just short of a sensational victory in the Hamburg-staged final, the club will quite rightly look back on a memorable season on the big stage.
Hamburg, Shakhtar Donestsk and Wolfsburg were among the big names to feel the might of the Cottagers - but it was undoubtedly the second leg of their round of 16 tie against Juventus which will live longest in the memory.
After finding themselves 3-1 down from the first leg, Roy Hodgson's side needed to ensure they made a good start in the return leg. But a second-minute goal from David Trezeguet appeared to end their hopes of progressing any further.
However, Fulham refused to lie down and within seven minutes, Bobby Zamora volleyed in a fine leveller. However, it still looked like a mountain to climb for the Cottagers and they needed some divine intervention to help them along their way. And their prayers were answered in the 27th minute when Fabio Cannavaro collided with Zoltan Gera and received his marching orders to leave the Old Lady a man light.
That was the incentive Fulham needed and when they struck the woodwork twice, it seemed only a matter of time before they took the lead on the night. And the breakthrough came when Gera fired high into the roof of the net to make it 3-4 on aggregate. Suddenly the impossible seemed possible.
Buoyed by their first-half performance, Fulham continued to pile on the pressure after the break and it soon paid off when Diego was adjudged to have handled Damien Duff's cross in his own box and Gera kept his cool to slot home the penalty to make it 4-4 on aggregate.
That gave the Cottagers around 40 minutes to conjure up what would surely be a winner. But they had to wait until eight minutes from time when Clint Dempsey drifted a sublime chip past keeper Antonio Chimenti to seal a historic 5-4 aggregate win for the Cottagers.
It was a goal fitting to win any match but one which also assured Dempsey's place in Cottagers folklore. And to add to Dempsey's satisfaction, the goal also allowed the Cottagers to take pride of place in the number one slot in the TEAMtalk Soccers Game of the Year.
http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=200031 (http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=200031)
Fulham - Zamora to Birmingham Link (3)
This really is getting as monotonous as the Zamora link to Hull we endured last summer.
After netting nineteen goals last season Bobby Zamora really is hot property and so hot Birmingham seem intent on luring him to St Andrews.
Apparently, according to a leading tabloid, Birmingham have had one official approach rejected but are now preparing another, one that would seemingly want to tempt Bobby north with a promised salary of £50,000 a week.
Fulham, on the other hand, are reportedly trying to tie Bobby to a new deal to disperse all these rumours.
All we`ll say is hurry along boys, we don`t want to lose our Bobby do we?
Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=200031#ixzz0pDC2KEzA (http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=200031#ixzz0pDC2KEzA)
http://www.teamtalk.com/blogs/james-marshment/6176100
TEAMtalk Soccers - Game of the Year
Friday 28th May 2010 8:05
TEAMtalk Deputy Editor James Marshment ends week one of our Soccers ceremony by handing out the award for Game of the Year.
The 2009-10 season has arguably been the most dramatic ever. The race for the title went right down to the wire, while the battle to avoid the drop and the fight for a Champions League place also enjoyed nerve-jangling finales.
But it's not just in the top flight where great entertainment can be found, with some tension-strewn matches witnessed throughout the Football League.
Given more time, we could easily have compiled a list of cracking encounters for all four divisions. But it's the Premier League and in European competition where the cream really rises to the top, so we've restricted our search for Game of the Season to these competitions only.
5 - Barcelona 4 Arsenal 1: After only managing a 2-2 draw in the first leg of this Champions League quarter-final tie at Emirates Stadium, it seemed the Gunners had a mountain to climb if they were to reach the last four in the backyard of the reigning champions.
But when the much-lambasted Nicklas Bendtner tucked home a scrappy opener at the second (or was it third?) time of asking, the impossible, all of a sudden, seemed possible.
For two minutes in the Nou Camp, Arsenal dared to dream. But those dreams were soon turned to dust when Lionel Messi capitalised on a mistake by Mikael Silvestre to lash an unsavable effort into the top corner. It was a strike of genuine quality, and any misgivings Arsenal may have had about the young Argentinian's talent were soon blown away when he scored not once, not twice, not three times, but four devastating times in total. Every goal had something a little different, but all four were laced with absolute star quality to not only underline the Gunners' shortcomings, but also Messi's status as the world's best player.
4 - Wigan 3 Arsenal 2: Gunners fans can be forgiven for thinking we have a vendetta against them (I can assure them we don't) after our fourth top game of the year also featured an Arsenal defeat. Just 12 days after their Nou Camp humbling, Arsenal travelled to Wigan hoping for a win that would keep their faint title hopes alive.
And three minutes into the second half it all looked plain sailing for the Gunners when a rare Silvestre strike put the visitors 2-0 up. Wigan had already shown several times over this term that they have a soft centre so at this stage, it was just a question of how many the Gunners would score.
But Wigan had other ideas and three goals in the final 11 minutes turned both the game on its head - and ended any lingering title ambitions Arsene Wenger's troops may have had. Ben Watson set the ball rolling after 80 minutes and when a Lukasz Fabianski gaffe allowed Titus Brambles an equaliser, it seemed things could not get any worse for Arsenal.
But in added-on time Charles N'Zogbia curled home a wonderful left-footed strike which flew in off the upright to cap a remarkable turnaround and earn 4th spot in our Game of the Season honours.
3 - Chelsea 8 Wigan 0: The Blues needed to only better Manchester United's result on the final day of the season to secure their first Premier League title since 2006. Latics, despite having inflicted a rare defeat on Chelsea earlier in the season, were expected to put up little resistance, especially given their 9-1 tonking down at White Hart Lane earlier in the season.
Chelsea started the match tentatively, but soon took the lead when Nicolas Anelka fired home. But when Gary Caldwell was sent off and Frank Lampard wrestled penalty duties off a belligerent Didier Drogba, there was no way back for Wigan.
That said, there was nothing to suggest at the interval just what sort of a show the champions would put on in the second period, with a Drogba treble - to seal the Golden Boot award - the notable highlight.
It was a fitting end to a fine league campaign for Carlo Ancelotti's side and their eight-star display was very much worthy of the champions.
2 - Man United 4 Man City 3: City had already served notice of their top-four hopes by putting Arsenal to the sword just a week earlier, so headed to Old Trafford in high spirits. The game was quite rightly chosen for live TV coverage but no-one could quite have expected the high-octane drama which was about to unfold. United took an early lead through Wayne Rooney, but City were soon back on level pegging when Carlos Tevez pressured Ben Foster into an error which was eventually punished by Gareth Barry.
Darren Fletcher then put United ahead before Craig Bellamy conjured up a Goal of the Season contender to level the scores.
In the 80th minute Fletcher made it 3-2 with his second header of the game but in the 90th minute a woeful Rio Ferdinand error was punished to maximum effect by a rapid City break as a jubilant Bellamy bagged his second to seemingly snare a share of the points.
But deep, deep, deep into added-on time Ryan Giggs played a superb throughball to Michael Owen, who planted a well-placed shot into the corner of Shay Given's net to send Old Trafford delirious and cap what many have tagged the greatest Manchester derby of all-time.
1 - Fulham 4 Juventus 1: The Cottagers' run to the Europa League final will forever live in club legend. Although they fell just short of a sensational victory in the Hamburg-staged final, the club will quite rightly look back on a memorable season on the big stage.
Hamburg, Shakhtar Donestsk and Wolfsburg were among the big names to feel the might of the Cottagers - but it was undoubtedly the second leg of their round of 16 tie against Juventus which will live longest in the memory.
After finding themselves 3-1 down from the first leg, Roy Hodgson's side needed to ensure they made a good start in the return leg. But a second-minute goal from David Trezeguet appeared to end their hopes of progressing any further.
However, Fulham refused to lie down and within seven minutes, Bobby Zamora volleyed in a fine leveller. However, it still looked like a mountain to climb for the Cottagers and they needed some divine intervention to help them along their way. And their prayers were answered in the 27th minute when Fabio Cannavaro collided with Zoltan Gera and received his marching orders to leave the Old Lady a man light.
That was the incentive Fulham needed and when they struck the woodwork twice, it seemed only a matter of time before they took the lead on the night. And the breakthrough came when Gera fired high into the roof of the net to make it 3-4 on aggregate. Suddenly the impossible seemed possible.
Buoyed by their first-half performance, Fulham continued to pile on the pressure after the break and it soon paid off when Diego was adjudged to have handled Damien Duff's cross in his own box and Gera kept his cool to slot home the penalty to make it 4-4 on aggregate.
That gave the Cottagers around 40 minutes to conjure up what would surely be a winner. But they had to wait until eight minutes from time when Clint Dempsey drifted a sublime chip past keeper Antonio Chimenti to seal a historic 5-4 aggregate win for the Cottagers.
It was a goal fitting to win any match but one which also assured Dempsey's place in Cottagers folklore. And to add to Dempsey's satisfaction, the goal also allowed the Cottagers to take pride of place in the number one slot in the TEAMtalk Soccers Game of the Year.
http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/May/ClintsPresidentialVisit.aspx? (http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/May/ClintsPresidentialVisit.aspx?)
Presidential Seal Of Approval
(http://www.fulhamfc.com/Images/MainNews/NewsPages/Players/Dempsey/dempseyusapplause.jpg)
Fulham midfielder Clint Dempsey visited the White House on Thursday to receive a Presidential send off from Barack Obama, Vice-President Joe Biden and former President Bill Clinton.
President Obama stated that he will be following his nation's fortunes at this summer's World Cup Finals in South Africa, as Dempsey and company received a tour of the White House.
"I just want to say how incredibly proud we are of the team," said Obama on Thursday. "Everybody's going to be rooting for you. And although sometimes we don't remember it here in the United States, this is going to be the biggest world stage there is. And you're going to be representing all of us.
"We're going to be proud of what you do when you get to South Africa, and you will have somebody in the Oval Office who's going to be watching ESPN to make sure that things are going OK."
Following their tour of the White House the US international team travelled to Philadelphia ahead of Saturday's exhibition match against Turkey, where they will be backed by 48,000 supporters at Lincoln Financial Field.
Dempsey is clearly looking forward to this summer's Finals where he will face England in the Unites States' opening match of the tournament.
"We've been working really hard to get ready for the World Cup," said Dempsey. "I think the team is confident.
"It would be nice to go into South Africa with a solid performance against Turkey. We'll be ready to play Saturday, and I think the guys on this team believe in each and what we're trying to accomplish."
Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/May/ClintsPresidentialVisit.aspx?#ixzz0pDlNMCwu (http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/May/ClintsPresidentialVisit.aspx?#ixzz0pDlNMCwu)
http://www.ealinggazette.co.uk/sport/football-ealing/fulham-fc-ealing/2010/05/28/greening-wants-fulham-talks-64767-26541465/? (http://www.ealinggazette.co.uk/sport/football-ealing/fulham-fc-ealing/2010/05/28/greening-wants-fulham-talks-64767-26541465/?)
Greening wants Fulham talks
JONATHAN Greening wants to sit down with Roy Hodgson and discuss a permanent move to Fulham.
The 31-year-old is due to return to West Brom following a season-long loan from the Hawthorns, although the Whites do have an option to keep him at Craven Cottage.
And the former Manchester United midfielder has given the green light to stay in SW6 – if he's wanted.
He said: "I've really enjoyed this season at Fulham, and it's up to the manager and the club now to sort out if they want me to stay.
I'm really happy here, it's been a great year. To finish 12th in the best league in the world and reach the Europa League final has been brilliant."
Greening made just 15 starts in the Premier League for Fulham last season, but did feature heavily in their run to the Europa League final.
He admits he would have more chance of regular first-team football in the Midlands, but would rather battle it out with Danny Murphy and Dickson Etuhu for a slot in the Whites engine room.
"At West Brom I was playing every game," he added.
"You get used to playing week in, week out and when you haven't played for three or four weeks it's hard to come back in and play as well as you usually can do.
"It's an option to go back there as I have a year left on my contract, but I want to stay at Fulham. We said we'll speak after the Europa League final."
http://hammyend.com/?p=7194 (http://hammyend.com/?p=7194)
7th place again
by TOR on MAY 28, 2010
This time in Europe – that's right, we're 7th in the UEFA Team Coefficients for 2009/10. Not bad. We're the second highest English team after Manchester United, and above the likes of Arsenal and them down the road, so it shows how well Roy and the boys did (as if we didn't know already).
Interestingly, Atlético Madrid are 9th so I'm going to insert a great big massively immature ha right here; HA!
http://www.eatsleepsport.com/birmingham-city/mcleish-linked-with-fulham-pair-1065434.html? (http://www.eatsleepsport.com/birmingham-city/mcleish-linked-with-fulham-pair-1065434.html?)
McLeish linked with Fulham pair
Birmingham boss Alex McLeish is thought to be preparing a bid for Fulham duo Bobby Zamora and Paul Konchesky.
Reports claim McLeish is preparing a double bid for the Fulham pair, having seen a bid for Zamora already rejected by Fulham at the end of last season.
It is thought the Scottish manager values defender Konchesky at £2.5million, with striker Zamora set to command a hefty fee after his 18 goals in all competitions last season.
It is believed McLeish has already seen a bid of £8million rejected by the Cottagers for the former West Ham striker and Fulham boss Roy Hodgson is known to be eager to keep hold of the powerful forward.
http://www.cottagersconfidential.com/2010/5/28/1491243/cottagers-daily-rumor-mill-update? (http://www.cottagersconfidential.com/2010/5/28/1491243/cottagers-daily-rumor-mill-update?)
Cottagers Daily Rumor Mill Update: Are Fulham and West Ham battling for the services of Frederic Piquionne?
Back on May 17th I posted a story that Fulham were leading the charge for Frederic Piquionne. This information was according to a Skysports.com story. Today I just read a story in the Daily Mail that West Ham have made a £3million bid for the Lyon player.
The former Portsmouth player is back with Lyon after his loan finished. He is a quality striker and would be a good fit for several Premiership clubs.
With Avram Grant becoming manager of West Ham this could give them an advantage of landing Piquionne. The player is already familiar with the manager as he just played underneath him.
Only time will tell if Fulham make a formal offer for Piquionne. There is no question they would have another club competing for his services.
http://www.clubcall.com/fulham/fulham-pair-attracting-interest-1065436.html (http://www.clubcall.com/fulham/fulham-pair-attracting-interest-1065436.html)
Fulham pair attracting interest
Birmingham boss Alex McLeish is thought to be preparing a bid for Fulham duo Bobby Zamora and Paul Konchesky.
Reports claim McLeish is preparing a double bid for the Fulham pair, having seen a bid for Zamora already rejected by Fulham at the end of last season.
It is thought the Scottish manager values defender Konchesky at £2.5million, with striker Zamora set to command a hefty fee after his 18 goals in all competitions last season.
However, Fulham are thought to have already rejected a bid of £8million from Birmingham for the powerful forward and although boss Roy Hodgson may be willing to allow Konchesky to leave if he can secure a permanent deal for Nicky Shorey it is thought he is eager to retain Zamora's services.
http://www.telegraaf.nl/telesport/voetbal/6800580/__Clubs_in_rij_voor_Granqvist__.html?sn=voetbal (http://www.telegraaf.nl/telesport/voetbal/6800580/__Clubs_in_rij_voor_Granqvist__.html?sn=voetbal)
GRONINGEN - De kans is groot dat FC Groningen een nieuw centraal verdedigingsduo moet aanschaffen. Gibril Sankoh verkaste eerder naar FC Augsburg en Andreas Granqvist staat in de belangstelling van diverse Europese subtoppers. Schalke 04, HSV, Wolfsburg, Newcastle United en Fulham willen de Zweedse verdediger graag inlijven.
Andreas Granqvist (links) lijkt te vertrekken uit Groningen.
"Van Wolfsburg heb ik niets gehoord, ik weet dat die andere clubs in mij geïnteresseerd zijn", vertelt Granqvist. Hij zegt toe te zijn aan een stap hogerop. "Maar als er niets concreet wordt, blijf ik met plezier in Groningen." Granqvist staat tot 2012 onder contract en zou voor drie miljoen weg mogen.
Groningen wil zich volgend seizoen versterken met een centrale verdediger, een spits en een creatieve buitenspeler. Voor die laatste positie is de 21-jarige Serviër Dusan Tadic de hoofdgegadigde. "Groningen heeft een bod uitgebracht bij zijn huidige club FK Vojvodina Novi Sad", laat zijn zaakwaarnemer Zoran Pavlovic weten.
___________
Fulham interested in Groningen and former Wigan defender Andreas Granqvist. Also interested: Schalke, Hamburg, Wolfsburg and Newcastle United. Granqvist is contracted to Groningen until 2012 and could be available for €3Mio.
"I didn't hear anything from Wolfsburg, I only know that the other clubs [Schalke, Fulham etc.] are interested in me. If I don't hear anything concrete, I'll stay at Groningen with pleasure."
http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=200069 (http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=200069)
Fulham - Your Schwarzer Verdict!
When the rumour broke that Mark Schwarzer might be bound for Arsenal, it gave the editorial team here at Vital Fulham kittens.
Could Fulham possibly lose one of the safest pairs of hands in the Premier League to a London rival?
We were undecided so we put it to the vote and we`re a little more reassured now that 58% of you believe it`ll never happen.
But 29% thought it could possibly happen with 13% thinking it probably would.
For once, I`m hoping the majority are proved right!
Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=200069#ixzz0pEDtxdT0 (http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=200069#ixzz0pEDtxdT0)
http://www.cottagersconfidential.com/2010/5/28/1491445/cottagers-daily-rumor-mill-fulham (http://www.cottagersconfidential.com/2010/5/28/1491445/cottagers-daily-rumor-mill-fulham)
. Share Cottagers Daily Rumor Mill: Fulham and Newcastle United are among the clubs that are reported to be interested in Andreas Granqvist
I saw this interesting rumor that I wanted to share with a link to Fulham. According to De Telegraaf there are several clubs interested in Andreas Granqvist who is a Swedish Defender. He currently plays for the Dutch club FC Groningen. He is 25 years old and is 6ft. 3 inches tall.
Fulham are mentioned as one of the clubs who could be monitoring him. According to this article, other clubs that might be looking at the Swedish Defender include Newcastle United, Wolfsburg, Schalke 04, and HSV.
Granqvist does have prior experience with playing in England. In January of 2007 he went on loan to Wigan. He then several months later signed a permanent deal with the club. He played for less than a season with Wigan Athletic.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger ready to make £10m bid for Fulham defender Brede HangelandBy Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 5:04 PM on 28th May 2010
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is known to be keen on strengthening his defence, with William Gallas and Sol Campbell both looking likely to leave the club over the summer.
In demand: Fulham defender Brede Hangeland
Hangeland signed a new three-and-a half-year contract in November, but Arsenal have always maintained their interest and could be ready to shell out £10m for the player, according to reports.
Hangeland played a major role in Fulham's magnificent run to the Europa League final.
He turns 29 over the summer, but even though Wenger normally prefers to sign younger players he is believed to have had a rethink since the success of taking back Campbell on a free transfer for the second half of the season.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1282254/Arsenal-boss-Arsene-Wenger-ready-make-10m-bid-Fulham-defender-Brede-Hangeland.html?ITO=1490#ixzz0pFG7dlFe (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1282254/Arsenal-boss-Arsene-Wenger-ready-make-10m-bid-Fulham-defender-Brede-Hangeland.html?ITO=1490#ixzz0pFG7dlFe)
Fulham - now THIS could be trouble
Skysports.com are reporting that Inter Milan are prepared to wait till after the World Cup to name a new manager, if Mourinho leaves for pastures new.
'The Inter squad will reconvene on 15th July for pre-season training. We can wait until then.'
Were the succinct words of Milan technical director Marco Branca.
Apparently Capello has a clause in his contract that would allow him to leave after the World Cup.
Right now the upcoming Finals are his primary objective, as well they should be, and he has refused to comment on his future after the summer spectacle.
How does this effect little old Fulham?
If Capello leaves the position of England Manager to take the helm at Inter Milan, there can be only one replacement: our man (Sir) Roy Hodgson. You could hardly blame him for leaving, and I am personally convinced this is the only position he would leave Fulham for.
There is no greater honour than playing, or in this case managing, for your country on the world stage. I would be proud to see him go. It would leave a bit of a void to fill, unfortunately.
Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=200103#ixzz0pFGng7bZ (http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=200103#ixzz0pFGng7bZ)
Thank you, Mr. Lighthouse for the 273rd link this calendar year about Brede going to Arsenal and the 18th thread this week about Roy leaving for England or Inter.
Cutting edge stuff. Heard anything about Helguson leaving for Bolton?
HD - I am just the vessel the voices come through. Are you there KD.
South African international midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi is hoping that this summer's World Cup Finals will put him in peak condition to challenge for a regular place in Fulham's starting eleven next season.
KG clearly enjoyed his inaugural season in SW6 but the midfielder is hoping to become a permanent fixture in Roy Hodgson's Team after the 2010 Finals.
"Last season was fantastic," said Dikgacoi. "We got through to the Final of the Europa League in my first season so I really enjoyed myself. From the start no one expected us to reach the Final but through hard work and determination we made it.
"Everyone was working hard and I think that as soon as we realised that we were playing the likes of Juventus and Shakhtar Donetsk, that's when we saw the possibility of reaching the Final.
"For some of the players, like those who were regulars in the starting eleven it was difficult, but credit must also go to the manager. He has been changing the team, giving some other players chances and they proved themselves.
"I must say that I joined the Club after the Confederations Cup when my fitness levels were high so for me it was easy to gel in with the Team. Playing in this team is all about professionalism. Everyone is professional and everyone knows what their duties are. When that happens it makes things a lot easier.
"At first I thought it was going to be difficult and I was going to struggle but I worked hard on my weak points and I managed to make a few appearances. Now I am ready for next season and it won't be as difficult as the first season."
Dikgacoi clearly appreciates the personal approach of Fulham Manager Roy Hodgson, who the midfielder credits with taking his game to a higher level over the past 12 months. Whilst KG is now hoping to play his part for the host nation at this summer's World Cup Finals, the midfielder will be hoping to push for further European success with Fulham in the coming seasons.
"He's [Roy Hodgson] a good manager; he's always encouraging his players," explained Dikgacoi. "He's someone who likes to approach you, it doesn't matter if you've done well or haven't done well. Working under such a person is good for me because some managers won't approach you and tell you what you're doing wrong or right.
"He [Hodgson] wants his player to enjoy their football, play the ball on the ground and that's what we're doing. I enjoy the training sessions and most of the time we're working on technical aspects or tactical awareness. That has improved my game a lot.
"I think we should aim high next season. We have seen the possibility for doing well in big tournaments so we should look to finish in a respectable position and maybe qualify for Europe. If I come back to the Team after the World Cup with high energy levels then I will be aiming to be in the starting eleven
Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/May/DikgacoiNextStep.aspx#ixzz0pFmOma00 (http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/May/DikgacoiNextStep.aspx#ixzz0pFmOma00)
