http://www.tribalfootball.com/johnson-frustrated-long-term-fulham-injury-1214261? (http://www.tribalfootball.com/johnson-frustrated-long-term-fulham-injury-1214261?)
Johnson frustrated with long term Fulham injury
Fulham striker Andy Johnson has admitted it was hard to cope with a year long absence on the sidelines.
Johnson returned to first-team action as a substitute in the 2-1 defeat at West Brom last weekend and will continue his comeback against Wigan on Saturday.
"I'd never spent such a long period on the sidelines and it was very frustrating," said Johnson.
"It was something mentally hard that I had to deal with.
"The fans mostly see the glitz and the glamour, the nice cars and the nice houses and all the other rubbish connected with football that appears in the newspapers and magazines.
"This was the other side of the game. For me, it was very tough."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1325106/Fulham-2-Wigan-0-Clint-Dempsey-double-sink-lacklustre-Latics.html? (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1325106/Fulham-2-Wigan-0-Clint-Dempsey-double-sink-lacklustre-Latics.html?)
Fulham 2 Wigan 0: Clint Dempsey at the double to sink lacklustre Latics
Mark Hughes set his team the target of staying in the top half of the Premier League after this emphatic win swept Fulham eight places up the table.
In a faltering start to the season, the London club had won only one of their first nine games, but this quality performance against a poor Wigan side gave undoubted credence to the Welshman's pre-match boast that Fulham should be in the top 10.
'It's been frustrating not getting the results our performances have deserved, so we're delighted by the events of today,' said Hughes. 'I wasn't worried with our position in the table because I feel we're a top-10 side.
(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/10/30/article-1325106-0BD64B80000005DC-895_634x358.jpg)
Star man: Clint Dempsey looks skyward at Craven Cottage
'I see the quality every day in training. We're now up to eighth in the table and we have to make sure we stay there.'
Against a Wigan side surprisingly unbeaten away in the league before yesterday, Fulham dominated in every department, scored twice in 14 minutes before half-time and comfortably held at bay any possible Wigan fightback.
There were excellent performances from the likes of Mexican left-back Carlos Salcido, captain Danny Murphy in midfield and bustling Belgian striker Mousa Dembele. But the star man was Clint Dempsey, whose first effort was a soaring header to meet Salcido's left-wing cross, the second a sharp volley from a Chris Baird centre, giving Ali Al Habsi no chance on either occasion.
Hapless Wigan barely mounted an attack and their manager, Roberto Martinez, described this as their worst performance of the season.
'We came here with no real energy,' said the Spaniard. 'We couldn't get the ball and we were weak.
'They were brighter and sharper than us and our performance was one of those that we have to eradicate from the rest of the season. We must make sure it never happens again.'
(http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/pix/2010/10/30/article-1325106-0BD6489E000005DC-8_634x286.jpg)
Making the points secure: Clint Dempsey hits his second of the game
In his team's defence, Martinez pointed to the midweek Carling Cup victory over Swansea City which had left his players with some knocks and bruises and short of energy.
'Some of the players can't cope with three games in a week,' said Martinez.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1325106/Fulham-2-Wigan-0-Clint-Dempsey-double-sink-lacklustre-Latics.html?#ixzz13v81cll1 (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1325106/Fulham-2-Wigan-0-Clint-Dempsey-double-sink-lacklustre-Latics.html?#ixzz13v81cll1)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/oct/30/fulham-wigan-athletic-premier-league? (http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/oct/30/fulham-wigan-athletic-premier-league?)
Fulham ease past woeful Wigan Athletic thanks to Clint Dempsey double(http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Football/Pix/pictures/2010/10/30/1288454668908/Clint-Dempsey-scores-the--005.jpg)
Clint Dempsey scores the first of his two goals for Fulham against Wigan Athletic in
their 2-0 win. Photograph: Tony O'Brien/Action ImagesFulham finally secured their second league win of the season, with two superb first-half goals from Clint Dempsey catapulting Mark Hughes's side from 16th to eighth in the Premier League and easing the pressure at Craven Cottage.
Not that Hughes had been unduly concerned with the club's lowly status. "When you wake up on Sunday morning you want to see yourselves in the top half, that goes without saying," the Fulham manager said. "We feel we're a top-10 side. I see the quality we have every day in training. Nothing sways me from that. It is just the make-up of the Premier League, with a lot of teams on a similar amount of points. We just found ourselves on the bottom of that pile. What are we now seventh, eighth? It can happen very quickly. What we need to now is make sure we stay there."
After a drab opening half-hour, Fulham's first goal was anything but. Carlos Salcido, a rampaging presence at left-back throughout, surged to the byline and dinked in the perfect cross to find Dempsey. The American, climbing high, powered his header home.
That seemed to galvanise the home side and they were deservedly two goals up by the break. Dempsey had already been denied by a combination of Ali al‑Habsi and the crossbar, again from a Salcido centre, when, seconds before the break, he acrobatically turned Zoltan Gera's ball past the Wigan goalkeeper.
Roberto Martínez responded by replacing the utterly ineffectual Franco di Santo with Jordi Gómez, but the effect was negligible. Fulham eased off from their pre-interval frenzy, but never seemed likely to allow the visitors back into the game. Indeed Dempsey almost completed his hat-trick midway through the half, just failing to slide on to Simon Davies's low cross, and five minutes later Gera had Habsi at full stretch with a drive from 20 yards. The Latics, ostensibly chasing down a two-goal deficit, failed to register a shot on target.
Before the game Martínez had insisted that performances mattered more than results at this stage of the season, but he got neither from his side here, despite Charles N'Zogbia's best efforts in the first half.
Wigan have now won once in seven attempts and have scored seven goals in the league. "It's our worst performance of the season," said Martínez, who felt his side were lacking sharpness following their Carling Cup victory over Swansea in midweek. "It's something we must eradicate and make sure it never happens again."
THE FANS' PLAYER RATINGS AND VERDICT
DAVID LLOYD, TOOFIF.co.uk It was a routine win for us and the ultimate team performance. We just kept going and they didn't trouble our keeper. At the start there was a lot of huff and puff, some clever interplay but no result. I think the key thing was it was very tight down the middle but once we got wide Salcido got a cross in and Dempsey had an easy header. In the end it was hugely impressive considering that we have slipped a bit recently. It also proves there is life after Zamora and it was also great to see Johnson get on near the end, although it was just a cameo performance. The result takes the pressure off Mark Hughes.
The fan's player ratings Schwarzer 7, Baird 8, Hughes 8, Hangeland 8, Salcido 8; Gera 8, Murphy 8 (Dikgacoi 86 7), Davies 8 (Johnson 80 7), Greening 8; Dempsey 8,Dembélé 8
MARK ASHURST, Observer reader Beaten by a better team, it was a mixture of them being good and us poor. They were quicker to the ball. We started off OK but didn't really threaten their keeper. Their fans will be thinking it was the easiest game of the season. We have been on a half-decent run so it is not the end of the world. We missed the injured James McCarthy in midfield and our right hand side was weak. Cleverly did well on loan from Manchester United but will probably go back to them soon. The game was overshadowed by the death of our former manager John Benson. He worked very hard for the club in a number of roles.
The fan's player ratings Habsi 6, Stam 5, S Caldwell 5, Alcaraz 6, Figueroa 6; Thomas 6,Diamé 5 (Moses 73 6); N'Zogbia 7, Cleverly 7, Rodallega 6; Di Santo 6 (Gómez ht 5)
To take part in the Fans' Verdict, email
[email protected]
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/premier-league/7943541/Fulham-2-Wigan-Athletic-0-match-report.html? (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/premier-league/7943541/Fulham-2-Wigan-Athletic-0-match-report.html?)
Fulham 2 Wigan Athletic 0: match report
Read a full match report of the Premier League game between Everton and Stoke City at Goodison Park on Saturday Oct 30 2010.
(http://i.telegraph.co.uk/telegraph/multimedia/archive/01750/fulhamreu_1750344c.jpg)
High rise: Clint Dempsey heads Fulham ahead against Wigan
Photo: REUTERS
Clint Dempsey scored twice to lead Fulham out of a barren spell in the sunshine of Craven Cottage.
The American steered Fulham to a first win in seven games with two first half goals, a victory that enabled Mark Hughes' side to leap-frog Wigan Athletic in the Premier League.
Wigan, unbeaten in their previous six games, were first to threaten in a generally mundane opening period with Franco Di Santo, once of nearby Chelsea, seeing an effort hit the body of team-mate Tom Cleverley.
The Manchester United midfielder, on loan at the DW Stadium, was given his first start for Wigan and offered an attempt of his own soon afterwards but the weak effort was held easily by Mark Schwarzer.
Fulham's response was minimal, with Wigan goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi forced to rush from his area to clear from the feet of Clint Dempsey.
And when Fulham won a free-kick 20 yards out, Zoltan Gera's dipping effort flew narrowly over the target.
However, a dull game suddenly came to life after half an hour when Fulham scored a classically manufactured goal.
Gera found Carlos Salcido on the left and the Mexican defender's well-placed cross was met by the head of Dempsey, the American claiming his fourth goal of the season.
Fulham finished the first half with a flourish. Gera came close to a second goal on two occasions, firstly finding the side netting, then heading over from a matter of yards after Ali Al Habsi had saved from Mousa Dembele's header.
But in the penultimate minute of the half, poor defending allowed Dempsey to claim his second. Chris Baird crossed from the right and Dempsey got behind returning captain Gary Caldwell to finish in style.
Wigan made an interval change, with Jordi Gomez replacing the ineffective Di Santo, but Fulham continued to dominate.
The ever-improving Salcido almost turned a cross into a goal when his deceptive delivery dropped just over the Wigan bar, in the 55th minute.
Wigan responded briefly with a telling run from Mohamed Diame, but he shot wide from an acute angle.
Al Habsi denied Gera a goal he deserved, in the 76th minute.
Fulham were cruising and were able to give Andy Johnson another valuable run out when the striker, who last started a game in January, came on for the final 10 minutes.
Johnson was offered the chance to claim a late third goal for Fulham, from Dembele's long ball, but the striker lost possession to Maynor Figueroa. And in the closing stages Johnson fell at the feet of Hendry Thomas but was denied a penalty.
http://www.premierleague.com/page/MatchReports/0,,12306~51684,00.html (http://www.premierleague.com/page/MatchReports/0,,12306~51684,00.html)
Fulham 2-0 Wigan Athletic
Fulham avoided a third successive league defeat to rocket up the table with victory over Wigan Athletic.
Clint Dempsey struck twice as Fulham avoided a third successive Barclays Premier League defeat to rocket up the table.
Dempsey, paired alongside Moussa Dembele in attack, took his tally for the season to five with both goals arriving in the first half of an encounter dominated by Mark Hughes' side.
The USA international's brace saw him take centre stage at Craven Cottage, but left-back Carlos Salcido was another outstanding performer.
Salcido, a £1.6m summer signing from PSV Eindhoven, set up the opener for Dempsey and was a constant menace to Wigan Athletic's over-worked defence.
The Mexican has become a key attacking weapon and his reputation at Craven Cottage is growing.
Fulham should have claimed their second league victory of the season by a more convincing scoreline given their ascendancy with Zoltan Gera and Brede Hangeland missing chances.
It was Wigan's first defeat in seven matches in all competitions and they appeared lethargic, hardly troubling Mark Schwarzer throughout the 90 minutes.
Athletic made five changes to the side that drew with Bolton, among them the return of Gary Caldwell who was making his first league appearance of the season having undergone double hip surgery over the summer.
ATTACKING MOMENT
The Wigan captain was involved in an early goalmouth scramble that was eventually cleared before Hangeland nodded a Simon Davies free-kick over the crossbar.
The lively Davies, who along with Danny Murphy was restored to the midfield after overcoming injury, squared a quickly-taken free-kick when he should have pulled the trigger himself.
Charles N'Zogbia ended a dynamic run by blazing wide of the left post as Wigan enjoyed a rare attacking moment.
N'Zogbia continued to look Wigan's most penetrating player as he darted into space once again, though on this occasion his shot fell straight into the arms of Schwarzer.
Fulham were still the more likely goal scorers, however, and in the 30th minute they crept into the lead through Dempsey.
Murphy sprayed the ball wide to Salcido who dashed forward before delivering a tremendous cross into the six-yard box.
Dempsey drifted in between Antolin Alcaraz and Caldwell before outjumping the latter and heading into the corner to give goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi little chance.
Fulham almost extended their lead but Gera hit the side netting with a sweetly-struck shot and a heartbeat later the Hungarian shook his head in reaction to missing a good chance.
POINT BLANK
The dangerous Salcido delivered another superb cross which Dempsey appeared to have converted only for Al Habsi to scoop his effort off the line.
The danger was not over as the ball fell to Gera but he nodded over from point blank range.
Fulham were on the rampage and the second arrived a minute before half-time, Chris Baird supplying a wonderful pass that outwitted Caldwell for Dempsey to thump home.
Dembele was eventually crowded out as he zig-zagged his way into Wigan's area before Salcido found the top netting with a speculative lob.
The home defence was largely confined to a watching brief as Wigan struggled to secure any possession.
Fulham continued to dominate but could not produce the decisive ball, though Jonathan Greening caused a few anxious moments with a crafty pass.
Davies slid a ball across goal that the omnipresent Dempsey just failed to meet before stabbing Gera's cross wide.
Gera and Dembele saw attempts foiled by desperate defending as Fulham pressed for a third they richly deserved.
Davies was replaced by Andy Johnson with 10 minutes to go, but the former England striker had little impact as outgunned Wigan focused on damage limitation.
http://www.skysports.com/football/match_report/0,19764,11065_3283268,00.html? (http://www.skysports.com/football/match_report/0,19764,11065_3283268,00.html?)
Dempsey double sinks Latics
Dempsey hits brace to give Cottagers deserved win
Clint Dempsey notched a first-half brace to hand Fulham a deserved victory over Wigan at Craven Cottage.
The American striker headed home the opener from six yards on the half-hour mark from Carlos Salcido's cross.
He then doubled the advantage with a strike from 12 yards from Chris Baird's cross a minute before the interval.
The victory saw Mark Hughes' side rise to eighth in the top flight, while Roberto Martinez's team lost their unbeaten away record.
Dempsey, who took his tally for the season to five, took centre stage at Craven Cottage, but left-back Salcido was another outstanding performer.
Salcido, a £1.6million summer signing from PSV Eindhoven, was a constant menace to Wigan's over-worked defence.
The Mexican has become a key attacking weapon and his reputation at Craven Cottage is growing.
Fulham should have claimed their second Premier League victory of the season by a more convincing scoreline given their ascendancy with Zoltan Gera and Brede Hangeland missing chances.
It was Wigan's first defeat in seven games in all competitions and they appeared lethargic, hardly troubling Mark Schwarzer throughout the 90 minutes.
Changes
Athletic made five changes to the side that drew with Bolton, among them the return of Gary Caldwell who was making his first Premier League appearance of the season having undergone double hip surgery over the summer.
The Wigan captain was involved in an early goalmouth scramble that was eventually cleared before Hangeland nodded a Simon Davies free-kick over the crossbar.
The lively Davies, who along with Danny Murphy was restored to the midfield after overcoming injury, squared a quickly-taken free-kick when he should have pulled the trigger himself.
Charles N'Zogbia made a dynamic run from inside his own half into the Fulham box but blazed wide of the left post as Wigan enjoyed a rare attacking moment.
N'Zogbia continued to look Wigan's most penetrating player as he darted into space once again, though on this occasion his shot fell straight into the arms of Schwarzer.
Fulham were still the more likely goalscorers, however, and in the 30th minute they took the lead through Dempsey.
Murphy sprayed the ball wide to Salcido who dashed forward before delivering a tremendous cross into the six-yard box.
Dempsey drifted in between Antolin Alcaraz and Caldwell before outjumping the latter and heading into the corner to give goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi little chance.
Missed sitter
Fulham almost extended their lead but Gera hit the side-netting with a sweetly-struck shot and a heartbeat later the Hungarian shook his head in reaction to missing a sitter.
The dangerous Salcido delivered another superb cross which Dempsey appeared to have converted only for Al Habsi to scoop his effort off the line.
The danger was not over as the ball fell to Gera but he somehow nodded over from point-blank range.
Fulham were on the rampage and the second arrived a minute before half-time, Baird supplying a wonderful pass that outwitted Caldwell for Dempsey to thump home.
After the interval, Moussa Dembele was eventually crowded out as he zig-zagged his way into Wigan's area before Salcido found the top netting with a speculative lob.
The home defence was largely confined to a watching brief as Wigan struggled to secure any possession.
Fulham continued to dominate but could not produce the decisive ball, though Jonathan Greening caused a few anxious moments with a crafty pass.
Davies slid a ball across goal that the omnipresent Dempsey just failed to meet before stabbing Gera's cross wide.
Gera and Dembele saw attempts foiled by desperate defending as Fulham pressed for a third they richly deserved.
Davies was replaced by Andrew Johnson with 10 minutes to go, with the former England striker, who featured against West Brom last week, receiving a rapturous ovation from the Fulham faithful as he made his return from long-term injury at Craven Cottage.
Johnson created problems for the Wigan defence but could not add to his side's goal tally as the Cottagers ran out easy winners.
http://blogs.soccernet.com/fulham/archives/2010/10/double_delight_from_deuce.php? (http://blogs.soccernet.com/fulham/archives/2010/10/double_delight_from_deuce.php?)
Double Delight from 'Deuce'
Fulham end Wigan's unbeaten run on the road with their most convincing performance to date under Hughes. The Whites give full value, with two goal Dempsey the hero.
A huge fillip for the fans - and new manager Mark Hughes, with Fulham playing delightful, fluent football in the autumn sunshine. The return of Davies and Murphy restored cohesion to midfield, the ball was played up at speed, the side added width to their approach play, and Dempsey profited with two great goals. Best of all, we finally managed a clean sheet.
On 30 minutes Gera galloped across the park as Wigan backed off, fed the ever willing Salcido and his cross from in front of the Cottage was powered into the bottom corner by the soaring Clint. Fulham's second goal was even better. A minute before half-time a neat triangle gave Baird all the time in the world to rifle in a cross from the opposite flank and Dempsey reacted brilliantly to get ahead of hs marker and volley home from 12 yards for his 5th of the season.
Gera headed over an empty net, saw the keeper parry a fierce drive in the 2nd half with Dembele almost turning in the rebound, and went close on two other occasions. At the other end Schwarzer was never troubled by a very subdued Wigan side. It's now eight attempts since they last beat us.
Fulham were so dominant it was only a shame not to see further goals arrive after half-time to boost the GD and reward fans at the Hammy End. As the clock ran down AJ got a brief chance to unsettle defenders, with Clint even showboating some feints and tricks. Unlike previous weeks nobody underperformed, even Greening putting in a decent shift. Clint though takes the plaudits as our matchwinner, how he loves scoring against Wigan.
So tight is the table, Fulham supporters are tonight all smiles as the Whites zoom up into 8th place. And their pass and move football - especially from the first-half - made this a significant step in Mark's development of the team. More of the same please for Villa next week.
Well done to the boys, and, at last, no need to mention the match officials!
http://wigan.illarterate.co.uk/2010/10/30/fulham-2-0-wigan-scary-stuff/? (http://wigan.illarterate.co.uk/2010/10/30/fulham-2-0-wigan-scary-stuff/?)
Fulham 2-0 Wigan: Scary stuff
In the interests of keeping you awake long enough to even make it as far as the second paragraph, I'm going to start off by 'doing a Bob' and attempting to stick to the positives that came out of today's game.
Nnnngh... well, I think that would actually be nigh on impossible, because this really was a totally forgettable game from Wigan's point of view. In fact, many of those that made the arduous trip to London would struggle to remember if there even was a Latics match this afternoon, we were so ineffective. I suppose things have picked up a bit from our drubbing at the hands of Portsmouth this time last year, and on the whole I'd say we're performing a bit better than we were at that point, but it isn't much consolation.
Maybe the midweek cup tie against Swansea took its toll on Latics' squad, whereas Fulham had a nice week of rest and relaxation, but that doesn't account for our non-appearance at Craven Cottage. Yes, there was the odd sniff of an opportunity, but the long-distance shooting we favoured in the first 45 minutes was never really going to challenge Mark Schwarzer.
If Wigan struggled in the first half, they simply weren't even present for the second. I suppose the majority of our troubles stemmed from lack of possession, which limited the potency of our attackers and put Alcaraz and Caldwell under too much pressure. In this sense, Fulham must be credited for their tight, man-to-man football (doing their homework well, then) which Wigan never adapted to at any stage, really. Roberto actually made a change or two to try and combat this, but it wasn't much use when the midfield couldn't string more than a couple of passes together, relegating Rodallega to a mere spectator in the second stanza.
It's been a bad day in more ways than one, as just a few hours before kicking off at Fulham, Latics were drawn away to Arsenal in the Carling Cup. It was a toss-up as to whether the Gunners or Man United would be the more difficult, but we'll have to see how that goes. I can tell you right now, though, we'll have to be infinitely better than we were today if anyone at the club harbours ambitions of making it to the semis. Either that or Arsenal agree to play the game with ten men, and even then we would struggle.
Forgive me if I'm totally unenthusiastic today, but I'll bet you can guess why. I also note that Tomasz Cywka, who left on a free during the summer, continued his fine scoring spree by grabbing two for Derby County this afternoon. I can't help but think he's the kind of player we might miss this season, and it's a bit of a shame we had to let the two Polish lads leave.
Still, I guess today's scoreline could have been a lot more damaging had Fulham not effectively settled on their lead. Doesn't change the fact we now have the worst goal difference in the league, though, and let's not hope it doesn't come back to haunt us to that in May 2011. Haunt, get it? Cos it's Halloween? Hmm, I guess that 'joke' fell as flat on its face as Latics did today.
http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=1326378.html?cid=rssfeed&att= (http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=1326378.html?cid=rssfeed&att=)
Dempsey double sinks Wigan
Clint Dempsey struck twice against Wigan Athletic as Fulham avoided a third successive Premier League defeat to rocket up the table. Dempsey, paired alongside Moussa Dembele in attack, took his tally for the season to five with both goals arriving in the first half of an encounter dominated by Mark Hughes' side.
The USA international's brace saw him take centre stage at Craven Cottage, but left-back Carlos Salcido was another outstanding performer. Salcido, a £1.6m summer signing from PSV Eindhoven, set up the opener for Dempsey and was a constant menace to Wigan's over-worked defence. The Mexican has become a key attacking weapon and his reputation at Craven Cottage is growing.
Fulham should have claimed their second Premier League victory of the season by a more convincing scoreline given their ascendancy with Zoltan Gera and Brede Hangeland missing chances. It was Wigan's first defeat in seven games in all competitions and they appeared lethargic, hardly troubling Mark Schwarzer throughout the 90 minutes.
Athletic made five changes to the side that drew with Bolton, among them the return of Gary Caldwell who was making his first Premier League appearance of the season having undergone double hip surgery over the summer.
The Wigan captain was involved in an early goalmouth scramble that was eventually cleared before Hangeland nodded a Simon Davies free-kick over the crossbar. The lively Davies, who along with Danny Murphy was restored to the midfield after overcoming injury, squared a quickly-taken free-kick when he should have pulled the trigger himself.
Charles N'Zogbia ended a dynamic run by blazing wide of the left post as Wigan enjoyed a rare attacking moment. N'Zogbia continued to look Wigan's most penetrating player as he darted into space once again, though on this occasion his shot fell straight into the arms of Schwarzer.
Fulham were still the more likely goal scorers, however, and in the 30th minute they crept into the lead through Dempsey. Murphy sprayed the ball wide to Salcido who dashed forward before delivering a tremendous cross into the six-yard box. Dempsey drifted in between Antolin Alcaraz and Caldwell before outjumping the latter and heading into the corner to give goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi little chance.
Fulham almost extended their lead but Gera hit the side netting with a sweetly-struck shot and a heartbeat later the Hungarian shook his head in reaction to missing a sitter. The dangerous Salcido delivered another superb cross which Dempsey appeared to have converted only for Al Habsi to scoop his effort off the line. The danger was not over as the ball fell to Gera but he somehow nodded over from point blank range.
Fulham were on the rampage and the second arrived a minute before half-time, Chris Baird supplying a wonderful pass that outwitted Caldwell for Dempsey to thump home.
Dembele was eventually crowded out as he zig-zagged his way into Wigan's area before Salcido found the top netting with a speculative lob. The home defence was largely confined to a watching brief as Wigan struggled to secure any possession.
Fulham continued to dominate but could not produce the decisive ball, though Jonathan Greening caused a few anxious moments with a crafty pass. Davies slid a ball across goal that the omnipresent Dempsey just failed to meet before stabbing Gera's cross wide. Gera and Dembele saw attempts foiled by desperate defending as Fulham pressed for a third they richly deserved.
Davies was replaced by Andy Johnson with ten minutes to go, but the former England striker had little impact as outgunned Wigan focused on damage limitation.
http://www.itv.com/sport/football/news/matchreports/report-fulham-v-wigan-38189/? (http://www.itv.com/sport/football/news/matchreports/report-fulham-v-wigan-38189/?)
Report: Fulham v Wigan
Dempsey at the double Clint Dempsey struck both goals in the 2-0 win over Wigan as Fulham avoided a third successive Barclays Premier League defeat to rocket up the table.
Dempsey, paired alongside Moussa Dembele in attack, took his tally for the season to five, with both goals arriving in the first half of an encounter dominated by Mark Hughes' side.
The USA international's brace saw him take centre stage at Craven Cottage, but left-back Carlos Salcido was another outstanding performer.
Salcido, a #1.
6million summer signing from PSV Eindhoven, set up the opener for Dempsey and was a constant menace to Wigan's over-worked defence.
The Mexican has become a key attacking weapon and his reputation at Craven Cottage is growing.
Fulham should have claimed their second Premier League victory of the season by a more convincing scoreline given their ascendancy with Zoltan Gera and Brede Hangeland missing chances.
It was Wigan's first defeat in seven games in all competitions and they appeared lethargic, hardly troubling Mark Schwarzer throughout the 90 minutes.
Athletic made five changes to the side that drew with Bolton, among them the return of Gary Caldwell who was making his first Premier League appearance of the season having undergone double hip surgery over the summer.
The Wigan captain was involved in an early goalmouth scramble that was eventually cleared before Hangeland nodded a Simon Davies free-kick over the crossbar.
The lively Davies, who along with Danny Murphy was restored to the midfield after overcoming injury, squared a quickly-taken free-kick when he should have pulled the trigger himself.
Charles N'Zogbia ended a dynamic run by blazing wide of the left post as Wigan enjoyed a rare attacking moment.
N'Zogbia continued to look Wigan's most penetrating player as he darted into space once again, though on this occasion his shot fell straight into the arms of Schwarzer.
Fulham were still the more likely goal scorers, however, and in the 30th minute they crept into the lead through Dempsey.
Murphy sprayed the ball wide to Salcido who dashed forward before delivering a tremendous cross into the six-yard box.
Dempsey drifted in between Antolin Alcaraz and Caldwell before outjumping the latter and heading into the corner to give goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi little chance.
Fulham almost extended their lead but Gera hit the side netting with a sweetly-struck shot and a heartbeat later the Hungarian shook his head in reaction to missing a sitter.
The dangerous Salcido delivered another superb cross which Dempsey appeared to have converted only for Al Habsi to scoop his effort off the line.
The danger was not over as the ball fell to Gera but he somehow nodded over from point blank range.
Fulham were on the rampage and the second arrived a minute before half-time, Chris Baird supplying a wonderful pass that outwitted Caldwell for Dempsey to thump home.
Dembele was eventually crowded out as he zig-zagged his way into Wigan's area before Salcido found the top netting with a speculative lob.
The home defence was largely confined to a watching brief as Wigan struggled to secure any possession.
Fulham continued to dominate but could not produce the decisive ball, though Jonathan Greening caused a few anxious moments with a crafty pass.
Davies slid a ball across goal that the omnipresent Dempsey just failed to meet before stabbing Gera's cross wide.
Gera and Dembele saw attempts foiled by desperate defending as Fulham pressed for a third they richly deserved.
Davies was replaced by Andy Johnson with 10 minutes to go, but the former England striker had little impact as outgunned Wigan focused on damage limitation.
http://www.cottagersconfidential.com/2010/10/30/1783508/clint-dempsey-scores-twice-in-fulhams-dominant-2-0-victory-against? (http://www.cottagersconfidential.com/2010/10/30/1783508/clint-dempsey-scores-twice-in-fulhams-dominant-2-0-victory-against?)
Clint Dempsey Scores Twice In Fulham's Dominant 2-0 Victory Against Wigan
Until today's game against Wigan, Fulham had only one victory this season in the league. Fulham definitely took care of business today in a dominant performance at Craven Cottage. Clint Dempsey scored twice in the first half leading Fulham to the 2-0 victory against Wigan.
Before the game began Fulham fans were given great news. Danny Murphy and Simon Davies returned to the starting lineup for the Cottagers. Both players would make their presence felt in this match.
The first half began with the clubs feeling their way into the match. Fulham's first opportunity of the match came in the 10th minute. Fulham had a free kick which was taken by Simon Davies. His kick went to Brede Hangeland, and his header just went over the net.
In the 20th minute, Fulham would have another great scoring opportunity. Fulham had a free kick just outside of the box. Zoltan Gera had a strike just went over the net. It was a nice shot by Gera.
Fulham were really beginning to control the first half. The Cottagers hard work would pay off in the 30th minute. Carlos Salcido made a great run, and sent in a tremendous cross into the box. Clint Dempsey headed the ball past Al Habsi and Fulham were up 1-0.
Fulham's aggressive play would continue late in the first half. They would have a few chances to get a second goal. In the 42nd minute, Moussa Dembele sent a great pass to Gera. His shot just goes wide of the goal. In the 43rd minute, Salcido sent in an another great cross into the box. That pass led to a header by Dempsey which was saved, and got out to Gera, who also had a header that just went over the net.
Fulham were knocking at the door. They finally opened it in the closing minutes of the first half. In the 44th minute, Chris Baird just outside of the box on the right, sent in a great pass to Dempsey. He slammed the cross past Al Habsi to give Fulham a 2-0 lead. The half would end shortly afterwards.
The second half was completely dominated by Fulham. There really weren't too many chances in the second half. Fulham controlled the play. Mark Schwarzer barely worked up a sweat in this game. He was not really challenged all day by Wigan. The game ended with Fulham taking a convincing 2-0 victory against Wigan.
Today, Fulham really played a great game. Danny Murphy being back in the lineup made a huge difference in the midfield. He really controlled the play of the game with his passing. He wasn't the only Fulham player that stood out. Clint Dempsey was tremendous scoring 2 goals, and really tried hard to get the hat trick. Carlos Salcido and Chris Baird were very instrumental in creating scoring chances for other Fulham players. Both players sent great crosses which led to both goals by Dempsey.
However, this was a complete team effort by the Cottagers. I think they showed Wigan the kind of quality play they are capable of playing each and every week. Let's hope Fulham can put in this type of performance next week against Aston Villa.
http://www.soccerway.com/news/2010/October/30/dempsey-at-the-double-as-fulham-end-winless-run/? (http://www.soccerway.com/news/2010/October/30/dempsey-at-the-double-as-fulham-end-winless-run/?)
Dempsey at the double as Fulham end winless run
LONDON (AFP) - A first-half double from Clint Dempsey earned Fulham a 2-0 win at home to Wigan Athletic on Saturday as the Cottagers brought a five-game winless run to an end with only their second victory of the season.
American international Dempsey's goals proved enough to inflict a first away defeat of the season on Roberto Martinez's Wigan, who slip one place to 16th in the Premier League table while Fulham shoot up to eighth.
Wigan were first to threaten, with Tom Cleverley's shot inadvertently blocked by team-mate Franco di Santo, but the presence of Brede Hangeland in the Wigan penalty area soon began to cause problems for the visitors.
The giant Norwegian centre-back had a shot blocked after Wigan goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi sewed chaos in the area by fumbling a corner and Hangeland then sent a header over the crossbar from a deep Simon Davies cross.
The pace of Charles N'Zogbia on the counter-attack was a constant source of concern for the Fulham defence but in the 30th minute the hosts took the lead with a well-constructed goal.
Zoltan Gera sprayed the ball wide to Carlos Salcido on the left and the Mexican international's cross was headed into the bottom corner by Dempsey.
Gera twice came close to extending Fulham's advantage, curling a low effort inches wide of the post and then heading over the crossbar after Al Habsi had tipped Demsey's header onto the bar following another Salcido centre.
Mark Hughes's side did not have to wait long for a second goal, however, as Dempsey lashed a half-volley high into the net from Chris Baird's cross a minute before the interval.
Salcido almost put Fulham 3-0 up early in the second half with a mis-hit cross that narrowly avoided dipping inside the far post, while Mohamed Diame threatened for the visitors with a marauding run and shot that went wide from a tight angle.
Striker Andy Johnson was given a rousing reception by the Craven Cottage crowd when he came on as a late substitute to make his first home appearance since January after a spell on the sidelines through injury.
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_6477407,00.html? (http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11095_6477407,00.html?)
Hughes hails dominant display
Fulham boss delighted after top display to see off Latics
Mark Hughes believed it was Fulham's best performance of the season after his side easily beat Wigan at Craven Cottage.
American hot-shot Clint Dempsey sealed a vital three points with a first-half brace (30, 44) as Fulham dominated the game.
The deserved win was only Fulham's second in the top flight this term and moved the Cottagers from the bottom five up into eighth in a tight league.
Hughes told Sky Sports: "I am delighted. We've played well this season and today, I thought certainly in the first half, it was the best we've produced all year.
"That's saying something because we have played well this year so I was delighted with going in two-nil to the good and we were good value for that in fairness.
"Second half Wigan tried to ask more questions of us but in fairness we were quite comfortable and Mark Schwarzer has had very little to do today.
"So, I just thought our intensity to out-play and our real intention and the way we took the initiative in the game was there for everybody to see and we fully deserved the win today."
Attacking threat
Full-backs Carlos Salcido and Chris Baird provided the crosses for Dempsey to convert and Hughes hailed the attacking threat of his side.
"We have great movement, we've got a lot of rotation in forward areas," he said.
"What we wanted to do today was to play in the opposition half - sometimes we've been guilty of conceding a little bit of ground and having too much to do going forward but today we played the vast majority of the game in Wigan's half and they found it very difficult.
"Time and time again we released our full-backs to good effect and the crosses from wide areas were perfect for Clint."
He added: "I think it (the win) was important for us, I think we've played well and maybe not got the results that our performances have deserved.
"Last week (in the loss to West Brom) we were missing a few key personnel and I think you saw the difference today, obviously with the likes of Danny (Murphy) who has a big influence on the team and Simon Davies gave us his experience and I just thought straight from the off we showed real intent that we really wanted to get something out of this game and, as I said, arguably our best performance this year."
http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/October/WiganReaction.aspx? (http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/October/WiganReaction.aspx?)
Hughes' Wigan Reaction(http://www.fulhamfc.com/Images/MainNews/NewsPages/Management/Hughes/General4.jpg)
Speaking after Saturday's two-nil victory over Wigan at the Cottage, Fulham Manager Mark Hughes gave his post-match assessment.
"We made it easy for ourselves because of the manner of our performance. From the start we were on the front foot," said Hughes.
"In the first-half I thought we were outstanding - certainly some of the approach play we produced was on a par with anything we've been able to produce so far this season.
"We had plenty of energy and dictated to the opposition, which is what we want to do this season.
"We're asking the Team to be more dynamic this year and not concede ground as readily as they did in the past.
"We saw the benefit of that today. The guys are enjoying the type of football we're playing and we were rewarded.
"We felt that maybe we haven't been getting the points our performances deserve this season.
"We weren't worried about dropping down the table but you want to be in the top half when you wake up on a Sunday morning.
"I feel we are a top 10 side and I won't be persuaded from that."
Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/October/WiganReaction.aspx?#ixzz13vCxu2Rl (http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/October/WiganReaction.aspx?#ixzz13vCxu2Rl)
http://hammyend.com/index.php/2010/10/dempsey-double-downs-wigan/? (http://hammyend.com/index.php/2010/10/dempsey-double-downs-wigan/?)
Dempsey double downs Wigan
by DAN on OCTOBER 30, 2010
Fulham fans have become accustomed over the years to watching two completely different sides. The insipid, sickly travellers are a world apart from the team that calls Craven Cottage home and it has largely been the Whites' sparkling home form that has sustained their ten year stay amongst the elite of English football. It was little surprise that Fulham were far more vibrant this afternoon in brushing aside Wigan than their dour display at West Brom a week ago and the win was a much appreciated boost for Mark Hughes, who might not have been under pressure down by the Thames yet, but would have been alarmed by how easily that 'draw specialist' tag had transferred from Manchester City to Fulham.
Hughes' side have all the quality necessary to finish in the top half of the table, but injuries and a disappointing recent run of form had seen Fulham moored closer to the relegation zone than the top ten at the start of play. Wigan, on a rather unheralded seven-game unbeaten streak, might have sensed an opportunity to snare a point or more given how meekly their opponents had surrendered under the slightest pressure at The Hawthorns last week but the combined talents of Clint Dempsey and Zoltan Gera soon had Hughes smiling.
Gera and Dempsey had started the season in competition for the same spot in support of Bobby Zamora, but the Hungarian had found himself out of favour after Hughes had introduced Moussa Dembele. Gera's continued absence, even after Zamora felt the full force of Karl Henry's mistimed lunge a month ago, has baffled many regulars at the Cottage. You don't go from player of the season and a potent goal threat to a poor player simply because your manager has changed. With Gera playing in a more advanced role this afternoon, Fulham looked far more lively going forward.
The game was decided by two goals in 15 minutes from Dempsey as the first half came to a close but Gera's artistry threatened the Wigan goal long before that. His languid, almost relaxed running style, disguises both his quick feet and a clever footballing brain. Floating between a fluid front two of Dempsey and Dembele, Gera was afforded the license to influence the contest, something which Wigan would soon come to forget. Wigan endured a sticky opening with Ali Al-Habsi's juggling of a Simon Davies corner somehow unpunished after a desperate goalmouth scramble and Brede Hangeland heading over from close-range, but it was remarkable that they resisted the white tide for half an hour.
When the deadlock was broken it was Gera who was the architect of the opening goal. Spotting Carlos Salcido surging down the left flank, Gera spread the play with a perfectly weighted pass and Dempsey gleefully glanced Fulham in front from the edge of the six-yard box. He could have stretched Fulham's lead, too, shooting narrowly wide and spurning a glorious headed chance, but Dempsey gave the half-time scoreline a more convincing look with a predatory volley from Chris Baird's cross shortly before the interval.
Fulham started the second half with similar ambition and Salcido was a matter of inches away from opening his Fulham account with a confident cross-shot that almost outfoxed Al-Habsi before the busy Wigan goalkeeper denied Gera a deserved goal and fielded a follow-up from Dembele. Roberto Martinez's side carried more of an attacking threat in the second period but a slalom run from Mohamed Diame only resulted in a low drive into the side netting and Hugo Rodallega saw little of the ball up against Aaron Hughes and Brede Hangeland.
The three points vaulted Fulham from sixteenth up to eighth in the table after ten games, though nobody will be celebrating just yet. If Hughes could complete the conundrum that has flummoxed all of his predecessors – namely how to get Fulham turning in complete performances away from the Cottage as well – then it might be time to crack up the champagne. Until then, his evolving side is very much a work in progress.
FULHAM (4-4-2): Schwarzer; Baird, Salcido, Hughes, Hangeland; Greening, Murphy (Dikgacoi 86), Davies (A. Johnson 80), Gera; Dempsey, Dembele. Subs (not used): Stockdale, Kelly, Pantsil, Riise, E. Johnson.
GOALS: Dempsey (30, 44).
WIGAN ATHLETIC (4-4-2): Al Habsi; Alcaraz, G. Caldwell, Stam, Figueroa; Thomas, Cleverley, Diame (Moses 73), N'Zogbia; Di Santo (Gomez 45), Rodallega. Subs (not used): Kirkland, Gohouri, S. Caldwell, Watson, Boselli.
REFEREE: Andre Marriner (Birmingham).
ATTENDANCE: 25,448.
http://hammyend.com/index.php/2010/10/hughes-delighted-with-dominant-fulham/? (http://hammyend.com/index.php/2010/10/hughes-delighted-with-dominant-fulham/?)
Hughes 'delighted' with dominant Fulham
by DAN on OCTOBER 30, 2010
Mark Hughes was 'delighted' with Fulham's impressive win over Wigan this afternoon, suggesting that his side have been a little unfortunate not to pick up more points given the quality of the football they have been playing.
I am delighted. We've played well this season and today, I thought certainly in the first half, it was the best we've produced all year. That's saying something because we have played well this year so I was delighted with going in two-nil to the good and we were good value for that in fairness.
Second half Wigan tried to ask more questions of us but in fairness we were quite comfortable and Mark Schwarzer has had very little to do today. So, I just thought our intensity to out-play and our real intention and the way we took the initiative in the game was there for everybody to see and we fully deserved the win today.
We have great movement, we've got a lot of rotation in forward areas. What we wanted to do today was to play in the opposition half – sometimes we've been guilty of conceding a little bit of ground and having too much to do going forward but today we played the vast majority of the game in Wigan's half and they found it very difficult.
Time and time again we released our full-backs to good effect and the crosses from wide areas were perfect for Clint. I think it was important for us, I think we've played well and maybe not got the results that our performances have deserved.
Last week we were missing a few key personnel and I think you saw the difference today, obviously with the likes of Danny (Murphy) who has a big influence on the team and Simon Davies gave us his experience and I just thought straight from the off we showed real intent that we really wanted to get something out of this game and, as I said, arguably our best performance this year.
http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11681_6477527,00.html? (http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11681_6477527,00.html?)
Dempsey hails overall display
Two-goal hero praises Cottagers' all-round display after easy win
Two-goal hero Clint Dempsey hailed Fulham's all-round display after the Cottagers registered an easy victory over lacklustre Wigan.
The American headed home a fine cross from Carlos Salcido in the 30th minute before converting another good assist from fellow full-back Chris Baird a minute before the break.
The convincing victory ended a two-game losing run for Fulham and moved the hard-working Cottagers up from the bottom five to eighth in the Premier League.
Afterwards Dempsey told Sky Sports that Mark Hughes' men came out and pressed as hard as they could, chose their moments when to get forward, put the opposition under pressure and made it difficult for the Latics to play out of the back.
"Also we wanted to get more crosses in the box and the two goals that I scored were great crosses and without that I wouldn't have been in a position to score," he said, adding he thought his headed goal to open the scoring was his best of the day.
He added: "It's always good to get the first one out of the way, another good ball in by Carlos - it's the second goal I've scored off a cross from him.
"So that was probably my best goal of the day but the most important thing was that we got the three points and we are looking to replicate that performance in the future."
Although the Cottagers were not able to get a third goal in the second period, Dempsey thought Fulham did a good job of managing the game.
"Even though we weren't able to kill the game off in the sense of getting the third, we were able to keep a clean sheet which is important after having two defeats and it is something to build upon for the future.
"We feel that we are a team that should be in the top half and it was good to get the points to move us out of the position that we were in."
http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/October/WiganPhotoSpecial.aspx? (http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/October/WiganPhotoSpecial.aspx?)
Wigan Photo Special
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/f/fulham/9142255.stm? (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/f/fulham/9142255.stm?)
Mark Hughes video interview
http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/f/fulham/9142359.stm? (http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/f/fulham/9142359.stm?)
Fulham manager Mark Hughes is delighted after Wigan win
Fulham manager Mark Hughes was delighted with the manner in which his side ended their six-match winless run with a 2-0 victory over Wigan.
A first half brace from midfielder Clint Dempsey earned Fulham all three points and Hughes told BBC Sport: "This was a result waiting to happen.
"There was a real intent to our play and we were totally dominant, particularly in the first half.
"We don't have the points on the board we feel we have deserved so far."
Injuries and a lack of goals have hampered Fulham's progress since Hughes took over at Craven Cottage in the summer but he is confident results will start improving.
606: DEBATE
Anybody who ever questioned whether Clint Dempsey should be starting for Fulham has probably been silenced by this point.
Scott
"Some of the approach play was on a par with anything we have been able to produce this season so far. We made it very difficult for Wigan to get a foothold in the game.
"We worked the ball out wide and two good crosses produced two goals and it could have been more in that first half.
Obviously after the break we expected a response from Wigan but even so they created very few chances in fairness," said Hughes.
The victory has moved Fulham up to eighth in the Premier League and Hughes thinks the table is starting to show a more accurate picture of their progress.
"We're getting to the point where things are starting to even out and get more of an idea of the level teams will think they can play at. We certainly feel we're a top 10 side given the quality we have in our team," added Hughes.
Meanwhile Wigan manager Roberto Martinez felt the midweek Carling Cup win over Swansea City had taken its toll on his players.
"I felt Tuesday's game took a lot out of us, we had a lot of knocks and niggles and we couldn't match Fulham," he told BBC Sport.
"Today we were very flat even though we made changes and we need to isolate this as a bad performance and make sure it doesn't happen again.
"We need to make sure we recharge and rest ahead of our next game on Saturday," Martinez said.
The defeat was Wigan's first in seven games and Martinez does not think they will suffer the same inconsistency as last season.
"We had two difficult games right at the start but since then we've been consistent. I don't have any complaints about today's result. Fulham deserved to win. Once they had a two-goal lead they played really well," Martinez added.
http://www.givemefootball.com/premier-league/dempsey-at-the-double-match-review? (http://www.givemefootball.com/premier-league/dempsey-at-the-double-match-review?)
Dempsey at the double: Match Review
Fulham Vs Wigan Athletic,Sat 30 Oct 2010
Clint Dempsey struck both goals in the 2-0 win over Wigan as Fulham avoided a third successive Barclays Premier League defeat to rocket up the table.
Dempsey, paired alongside Moussa Dembele in attack, took his tally for the season to five, with both goals arriving in the first half of an encounter dominated by Mark Hughes' side.
The USA international's brace saw him take centre stage at Craven Cottage, but left-back Carlos Salcido was another outstanding performer.
Salcido, a #1.6million summer signing from PSV Eindhoven, set up the opener for Dempsey and was a constant menace to Wigan's over-worked defence.
The Mexican has become a key attacking weapon and his reputation at Craven Cottage is growing.
Fulham should have claimed their second Premier League victory of the season by a more convincing scoreline given their ascendancy with Zoltan Gera and Brede Hangeland missing chances.
It was Wigan's first defeat in seven games in all competitions and they appeared lethargic, hardly troubling Mark Schwarzer throughout the 90 minutes.
Athletic made five changes to the side that drew with Bolton, among them the return of Gary Caldwell who was making his first Premier League appearance of the season having undergone double hip surgery over the summer.
The Wigan captain was involved in an early goalmouth scramble that was eventually cleared before Hangeland nodded a Simon Davies free-kick over the crossbar.
The lively Davies, who along with Danny Murphy was restored to the midfield after overcoming injury, squared a quickly-taken free-kick when he should have pulled the trigger himself.
Charles N'Zogbia ended a dynamic run by blazing wide of the left post as Wigan enjoyed a rare attacking moment.
N'Zogbia continued to look Wigan's most penetrating player as he darted into space once again, though on this occasion his shot fell straight into the arms of Schwarzer.
Fulham were still the more likely goal scorers, however, and in the 30th minute they crept into the lead through Dempsey.
Murphy sprayed the ball wide to Salcido who dashed forward before delivering a tremendous cross into the six-yard box.
Dempsey drifted in between Antolin Alcaraz and Caldwell before outjumping the latter and heading into the corner to give goalkeeper Ali Al Habsi little chance.
Fulham almost extended their lead but Gera hit the side netting with a sweetly-struck shot and a heartbeat later the Hungarian shook his head in reaction to missing a sitter.
The dangerous Salcido delivered another superb cross which Dempsey appeared to have converted only for Al Habsi to scoop his effort off the line.
The danger was not over as the ball fell to Gera but he somehow nodded over from point blank range.
Fulham were on the rampage and the second arrived a minute before half-time, Chris Baird supplying a wonderful pass that outwitted Caldwell for Dempsey to thump home.
Dembele was eventually crowded out as he zig-zagged his way into Wigan's area before Salcido found the top netting with a speculative lob.
The home defence was largely confined to a watching brief as Wigan struggled to secure any possession.
Fulham continued to dominate but could not produce the decisive ball, though Jonathan Greening caused a few anxious moments with a crafty pass.
Davies slid a ball across goal that the omnipresent Dempsey just failed to meet before stabbing Gera's cross wide.
Gera and Dembele saw attempts foiled by desperate defending as Fulham pressed for a third they richly deserved.
Davies was replaced by Andy Johnson with 10 minutes to go, but the former England striker had little impact as outgunned Wigan focused on damage limitation.
Copyright (c) PA Sport 2009, All Rights Reserved.
http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/October/DempseyWiganReaction.aspx? (http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/October/DempseyWiganReaction.aspx?)
Dempsey's Double(http://www.fulhamfc.com/Images/MainNews/NewsPages/Players/Dempsey/CelebvWiganHome.jpg)
Fulham returned to winning ways on Saturday with Clint Dempsey's two goals helping to secure an important win over Wigan Athletic.
In what was a superb performance from the Whites, Mark Hughes' side impressed from the off and brought Wigan's six-game unbeaten run to an end.
The result also moved Fulham above the Latics in the league table jumping from 16th to eighth.
"More than anything today was all about the result," said Dempsey. "We had slipped down the table and that wasn't where we wanted to be.
"This win has put us in a more positive position and we can build on that and move forward."
The 27-year-old tops Fulham's goal scoring chart with four goals in 10 league appearances. He opened the scoring by meeting Carlos Salcido's cross from the left with well-taken header before sweeping home a second from a teasing Chris Baird delivery.
"It was really good service into the box today," he explained. "Without that I wouldn't have been in a position to score. I think the credit should be shared.
"We deserved the win, we were the better side. We showed a lot of intent going forward and did very well not to concede at the back. Right through the team we were strong."
The win also ended the Whites' run of two successive defeats.
"It's a long season so of course, you can't read too much in to that. But obviously it was nice to return to winning ways," he said. "We felt that we are a better team than what was being reflected and we feel that we belong in the top half."
The Whites return to Craven Cottage next Saturday, with Aston Villa making the trip to SW6.
"We want to keep the momentum that we have from this win going and hopefully we can do that," said Clint. "It's important to get as many points as we can and the Cottage has always been good to us.
"It will be a tough game because Villa are a good side, but we have every confidence that we can get the result we need."
Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/October/DempseyWiganReaction.aspx?#ixzz13vFR8Gpg (http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/October/DempseyWiganReaction.aspx?#ixzz13vFR8Gpg)
http://www.ealinggazette.co.uk/sport/football-ealing/fulham-fc-ealing/2010/10/30/clint-dempsey-fires-fulham-to-wigan-win-82029-27572648/? (http://www.ealinggazette.co.uk/sport/football-ealing/fulham-fc-ealing/2010/10/30/clint-dempsey-fires-fulham-to-wigan-win-82029-27572648/?)
Clint Dempsey fires Fulham to Wigan win
CLINT Dempsey's double gave Fulham their first win in seven matches against Wigan.
The American scored twice in the first-half to give Mark Hughes's men a comfortable win against the Latics at Craven Cottage.
The hosts made most of the early running, with Brede Hangeland heading over the top, and Zoltan Gera going close with a free-kick.
And their early pressure paid off on the half-hour mark.
Gera sent the ball out wide to Carlos Salcido, and the Mexican put it on a plate for Dempsey, who rose above his marker to head into the far corner.
Salcido was causing havoc down the left, and Fulham should've added a second just before the break through Gera, but his header went over the top.
However, the Whites did double their lead moments later when Dempsey swept home Chris Baird's cross from the right.
Gera and the impressive Mousa Dembele could've added to their lead after the break, but Fulham had to settle for just two as they ran out easy winners to climb up to eighth in the table.
http://cottagers.blogspot.com/2010/10/karma-works-very-quickly-these-days.html? (http://cottagers.blogspot.com/2010/10/karma-works-very-quickly-these-days.html?)
Craven Cottagers
Following the 2007/8, 2008/9, 2009/10 and 2010/11 seasons at Craven Cottage - recounted by season ticket holders who aren't actually Fulham fans.
Karma works very quickly these days
They say things even themselves out over the course of a season, but seeing the Spurs players surround the linesman and referee at Old Trafford over a goal that involved the latter overruling the former took me back just seven days to similar scenes at the Cottage.
It seems Spurs have already had to pay for their slice of luck last week, although at least the controversial goal wasn't a winner.
All that remains for Karma to balance itself out now is for Fulham to score a dubious goal at Old Trafford and the circle (triangle) will be complete.
http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/london-sport/fulham-fc/2010/10/30/fulham-boss-throws-down-the-gauntlet-to-stars-82029-27572997/? (http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/london-sport/fulham-fc/2010/10/30/fulham-boss-throws-down-the-gauntlet-to-stars-82029-27572997/?)
Fulham boss throws down the gauntlet to stars
MARK Hughes challenged his players to reproduce more of the same after their impressive display against Wigan.
American Clint Dempsey's 15-minute brace before half-time was enough to wrap up three much-needed points for the Whites.
And Fulham boss Hughes insisted his side's first-half performance has set the benchmark for the season.
He said: "Straight from the start we were on the front foot and dictated the game which is what we want to do this year.
"I asked the team to be more dynamic and they did just that.
"The boys are enjoying the way they are playing at the moment."
Fulham's deserved win over the lacklustre Latics saw them move out of the bottom five and into eighth.
And Hughes insists there's no reason why they can't stay there.
"We haven't got as many points on the board as we feel our performances have deserved," he added.
"There is no question we are a top-10 side because of what we can produce."
Read More http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/london-sport/fulham-fc/2010/10/30/fulham-boss-throws-down-the-gauntlet-to-stars-82029-27572997/?#ixzz13vGYCk00 (http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/london-sport/fulham-fc/2010/10/30/fulham-boss-throws-down-the-gauntlet-to-stars-82029-27572997/?#ixzz13vGYCk00)
http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/woeful-wigan-spooked-by-dempsey-the-deliverer-2121294.html? (http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/woeful-wigan-spooked-by-dempsey-the-deliverer-2121294.html?)
Woeful Wigan spooked by Dempsey the deliverer
Clint Dempsey may be forever remembered as the scourge of England after his goal in the World Cup – not forgetting Rob Green's contribution – but his two strikes here were an impressive demonstration that he does not always need such help from the opposition to get his name on the scoresheet.
A header, guided inside the far post, and a thumping shot 15 minutes later were belated proof that with the American leading the line Fulham can win without Bobby Zamora.
It has been seven weeks and as many games since they lost Zamora to injury, against Wolverhampton early last month, which was also their previous win. If they can beat Aston Villa, the visitors next weekend, that will be more convincing proof of Fulham's credentials, because Wigan offered nothing in the way of a test. On Hallowe'en eve it was frightful stuff, and Roberto Martinez agreed. The Wigan manager said: "We deserved nothing, it was our worst performance of the season. There was no energy, we were flat and very weak."
Fulham's first move of genuine intent brought its deserved reward. Two quick passes saw Zoltan Gera move the ball out to Carlos Salcido and Dempsey angled his header from the Mexican's cross inside Ali al-Habsi's far post. That was after 30 minutes, and in the next 15 minutes Fulham could have scored more – through Gera, who hit the post, and Dempsey again – before Dempsey got his second. Chris Baird's low cross was the cue for the American, who timed his effort perfectly. Al-Habsi could have had Green in goal alongside him and neither would have been able to get anywhere near it.
Mark Hughes, scorer of a fair few goals himself in his heyday, praised the build-up as much as the strikes themselves, claiming that was proof of how his sideare developing.
Dempsey's second goal came just before half-time, but could not have changed the manner of Martinez's team-talk. He took off the ineffective Franco Di Santo and brought on Jordi Gomez, but he would have needed at least double his permitted three substitutionsto make any improvement.
Only Charles N'Zogbia, twice from long range, troubled Mark Schwarzer, with the Australian tipping a free-kick from 35 yards over the crossbar. Not that the referee saw it that way, only giving a goal-kick. That summed up Wigan's afternoon.
Attendance: 25,448
Referee: Andre Marriner
Man of the match: Dempsey
Match rating: 6/10
http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/208542/Fulham-2-Wigan-Athletic-0-Yanks-a-lot-Clint-? (http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/208542/Fulham-2-Wigan-Athletic-0-Yanks-a-lot-Clint-?)
FULHAM 2, WIGAN ATHLETIC 0: YANKS A LOT, CLINT!
Fulham 2, Wigan Athletic 0: IF ever Wigan keeper Ali Al Habsi and Robert Green ever get round to swapping notes, the name Clint Dempsey is sure to pop up.
The American striker, who turned Green's England World Cup dream into a nightmare in South Africa, yesterday gave Al Habsi the promise of a sleepless night by scoring two cracking goals.
The win pushed Fulham up the table and left the Latics looking down towards the Championship.
Dempsey was the big difference yesterday – and not just for his goals. He joyfully cashed in on a woeful Wigan performance that poses huge questions over their Premier League status.
To say they were poor is an understatement. Fulham, quite simply, couldn't have had it easier.
You always knew this was never going to be the headline game on Match Of The Day. In fact, it barely deserved to be shown on telly at all.
Wigan's ambitions patently stretched no further than a point and you almost blinked in surprise when Charles N'Zogbia was the first to stretch a keeper after 27 minutes.
Thankfully, Carlos Salcido and Dempsey between them woke up the slumberers with a classic – if somewhat unexpected – goal.
The Mexican defender showed how well he has settled here with a typically English cross. Dempsey met it with the sort of header that any of those old fashioned, legendary English centre forwards would have been proud of.
The Fulham faithful certainly enjoyed it. They hadn't had too many goals to celebrate at Craven Cottage this season.
But to be fair, if either side was going to score, it was going to be Fulham. And Dempsey in particular.
The American would have had a second soon after his first, had Al Habsi not denied him. But the Fulham striker made it a double he deserved just before the break
This time Chris Baird provided the service and Dempsey got on the end of the full back's cross with a stunning volley that the Wigan keeper didn't have a prayer of stopping.
Given that Wigan had been so unadventurous up until then, you could say they got what they deserved. Fulham certainly did.
The same, it must be said, applied to Wigan's Franco Di Santo, who was replaced for the second half by Jordi Gomez after a wretched first 45 minutes back in West London.
You can understand why he never started a first team game in two years at Chelsea if his performance yesterday was anything to go by.
To replace a striker with a midfielder speaks volumes really – about both Di Santo and about Wigan's virtually non-existent attacking ambitions.
And from that point on there was only ever going to be one winner. Fulham simply coasted through the second half with their keeper Mark Schwarzer a virtual spectator throughout.
And manager Mark Hughes even had the luxury of giving Andy Johnson a run-out for the final 10 minutes after he had been out injured for more than nine months.
Johnson could hardly have wished for an easier return and might well have celebrated it with a goal if referee Andre Marriner hadn't spoilt things by waving away pleas for a penalty.
Fulham could and should have had a few more goals to show for their almost total second half dominance.
The fact that they didn't will probably prompt a few searching questions from Hughes at tomorrow's match inquest.
Goodness knows what Wigan boss Roberto Martinez will have to say.
http://www.tribalfootball.com/hughes-fulham-players-responding-new-playing-style-1214391? (http://www.tribalfootball.com/hughes-fulham-players-responding-new-playing-style-1214391?)
Hughes: Fulham players responding to new playing style
Fulham boss Mark Hughes is delighted with the way the players are responding to his tactics after their 2-0 victory over Wigan Athletic.
Clint Dempsey struck twice in the first half to complete an easy victory which has lifted the club into eighth place in the Barclays Premier League.
"We made it easy for ourselves because of the manner of our performance. From the start we were on the front foot," said Fulham boss Hughes. "We had plenty if energy and dictated to the opposition, which is what we want to do this season.
"We're asking the team to be more dynamic this year and not concede ground as readily as they did in the past. We saw the benefit of that today. The guys are enjoying the type of football we're playing and we were rewarded.
"We felt that maybe we haven't been getting the points our performances deserve this season.
"We weren't worried about dropping down the table but you want to be in the top half when you wake up on a Sunday morning.
"I feel we are a top 10 side and I won't be persuaded from that."
Dempsey profited from excellent approach play from full-backs Carlos Salcido and Chris Baird.
The USA forward nodded in Salcido's cross for the opener on the half hour mark before rifling home the second, teed up by a clever pass from Baird.
"Both goals were after good passages of play. The first was an excellent goal that saw us change the focus of attack," said Hughes. "It was a great header from Clint and the second was similar from the other side. At 2-0 we were very comfortable."
http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/160809/Fulham-2-Wigan-1-Clint-s-stint-puts-shaky-Wigan-through-the-mill/? (http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/160809/Fulham-2-Wigan-1-Clint-s-stint-puts-shaky-Wigan-through-the-mill/?)
FULHAM 2 - WIGAN 1: CLINT'S STINT PUTS SHAKY WIGAN THROUGH THE MILL
FULHAM 2 -- WIGAN 0
CLINT DEMPSEY, the American striker who turned Robert Green's World Cup into a nightmare, saved Fulham boss Mark Hughes from one.
Dempsey scored twice as the pressure was mounting on Hughes, with Fulham failing to win any of their last five matches.
It left them teetering above the drop zone and dark whispers were already being heard around west London.
Fulham also had the bonus of striker Andrew Johnson back after almost a year out with a series of injuries.
Dempsey took advantage of Wigan's blatant decision to defend and Fulham really should have won by more. At first they struggled to open doors, leading to a dull opening that didn't explode until the 27th minute.
That was when Wigan striker Charles N'Zogbia, in a rare moment of attack, fired the first shot of the game which Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer stooped low to collect. Fulham's response was to continue going forward and they took the lead three minutes later.
Jonathan Greening swept the ball from midfield to Carlos Salcido on the left and his pin-point cross was headed in by Dempsey.
Dempsey, who earlier had a header punched out by Ali Al Habsi, made it two in the 44th minute, sweeping in a stunning volley from Chris Baird's cross from the right.
Wigan finally realised they had no Plan B and Gera nearly made it three with a 75th-minute shot that Habsi fisted clear.
The win sent Fulham eight places up the table and boss Hughes said: "It shows what a crazy league this is but let's hope we stay there now.
"We haven't been getting the points our play deserved but I was never worried. I knew what this team could offer."
Wigan manager Roberto Martinez had no excuses.
"That was our worst performance of the season, one you hope will never be repeated," he said.
fulham: Schwarzer 6; Baird 6, Hughes 6, Hangeland 6, Salcido 6; Gera 6, Murphy 6 (Dikgacoi 86th), Davies 6 (Johnson 80th); Greening 6; Dembele 7; Dempsey 8
wigan: Habsi 6; Stam 6,Caldwell 6, Alcatraz 6, Figueroa 6; Rodallega 6, Clevereley 6, N'Zogbia 6, Thomas 6; Diame 5 (Moses (73rd) 5); Di Santo 4 (Gomez (45th) 5)
STAR MAN: Clint Dempsey
Ref: A Marriner
http://www.tribalfootball.com/two-goal-dempsey-deflects-praise-fulham-teammates-1215091? (http://www.tribalfootball.com/two-goal-dempsey-deflects-praise-fulham-teammates-1215091?)
Two-goal Dempsey deflects praise to Fulham teammates
Clint Dempsey was happy to deflect praise to teammates after his double helped Fulham to victory over Wigan Athletic.
The result moved Fulham above the Latics in the league table jumping from 16th to eighth.
"More than anything today was all about the result," said Dempsey. "We had slipped down the table and that wasn't where we wanted to be.
"This win has put us in a more positive position and we can build on that and move forward."
The 27-year-old tops Fulham's goal scoring chart with four goals in 10 league appearances. He opened the scoring by meeting Carlos Salcido's cross from the left with well-taken header before sweeping home a second from a teasing Chris Baird delivery.
"It was really good service into the box today," he explained to fulhamfc.com. "Without that I wouldn't have been in a position to score. I think the credit should be shared.
"We deserved the win, we were the better side. We showed a lot of intent going forward and did very well not to concede at the back. Right through the team we were strong."
http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/cottagers-clicking-2401332.html? (http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/cottagers-clicking-2401332.html?)
Cottagers clicking
Mark Hughes believes his Fulham side are beginning to benefit from a change in style -- after Clint Dempsey struck twice in the first half to complete an easy victory, which lifted the club into eighth place in the League.
"We made it easy for ourselves because of the manner of our performance. From the start we were on the front foot," said Hughes. "We had plenty of energy and dictated to the opposition, which is what we want to do this season.
"The guys are enjoying the type of football we're playing and we were rewarded. We felt that maybe we haven't been getting the points our performances deserve."
"We weren't worried about dropping down the table but you want to be in the top half when you wake up on a Sunday morning. I feel we are a top-10 side and I won't be persuaded from that."
Dempsey profited from excellent approach play from full-backs Carlos Salcido and Chris Baird. The USA forward nodded in Salcido's cross for the opener on the half-hour mark before rifling home the second, teed up by a clever pass from Baird.
If Dempsey was man of the match, then the outstanding Salcido was not far behind him. "Salcido is a good player -- everybody could see that today," said Hughes.
"His enjoyment of the Premier League is clear. He likes the intensity and wants to be involved. He's had a real impact for us."
- Duncan Bech
Sunday Independent
http://www.givemefootball.com/premier-league/hughes-hails-dynamic-cottagers? (http://www.givemefootball.com/premier-league/hughes-hails-dynamic-cottagers?)
Hughes hails dynamic Cottagers
Mark Hughes insisted Fulham are beginning to benefit from a change in style after they swept aside Wigan 2-0 at Craven Cottage.
Clint Dempsey struck twice in the first half to complete an easy victory which has lifted the club into eighth place in the Barclays Premier League.
"We made it easy for ourselves because of the manner of our performance. From the start we were on the front foot," said Fulham boss Hughes.
"We had plenty if energy and dictated to the opposition, which is what we want to do this season.
"We're asking the team to be more dynamic this year and not concede ground as readily as they did in the past.
"We saw the benefit of that today. The guys are enjoying the type of football we're playing and we were rewarded.
"We felt that maybe we haven't been getting the points our performances deserve this season.
"We weren't worried about dropping down the table but you want to be in the top half when you wake up on a Sunday morning.
"I feel we are a top 10 side and I won't be persuaded from that."
Copyright (c) PA Sport 2009, All Rights Reserved.
http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Fulham-2-0-Wigan-Sunday-Mirror-match-report-Clint-Dempsey-brace-stuns-Lactics-article617145.html (http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Fulham-2-0-Wigan-Sunday-Mirror-match-report-Clint-Dempsey-brace-stuns-Lactics-article617145.html)
Fulham 2-0 Wigan Athletic: Sunday Mirror match report
Clint Dempsey used to be a rapper called 'Deuce' before he moved to England.
It was the American's quick-fire one-two that left Wigan boss Roberto Martinez singing the blues.
And Dempsey only played up front yesterday because of the lack of striking options, with Andrew Johnson and Diomansy Kamara not match fit.
Mark Hughes' men hadn't won for seven weeks, since losing Bobby Zamora to a broken leg against Wolves.
But Dempsey, who humiliated Rob Green and made a mug of Fabio Capello at the World Cup finals, embarrassed Wigan with two cracking strikes.
Fulham appear to have found a new hero in £2.5-million signing Mexican full-back Carlos Salcido.
The 30-year-old set up Dempsey's first goal with an impressive cross that was met by an equally good header.
The deadly duo combined again, with Dempsey's header hitting the crossbar and Zoltan Gera missing an open goal chance from the rebound.
Chris Baird's wicked cross was lashed home by Dempsey for his fifth goal this term, just before half-time.
But the second-half became a virtual non-event following the two goals.
"We made the win look very easy," admitted Hughes.
"Both goals were excellent and at 2-0 we were comfortable.
We are a top 10 side and we want to stay there."
Wigan boss Martinez was fuming after his side's run of six games without defeat in all competitions came to a sudden halt. The defeat leaves Wigan just a single point and one place above the relegation zone.
"That was our worst performance of the season. We had no energy and looked flat," admitted Martinez. "We really need to make sure that does not happen again."
Charles N'Zogbia's free-kick was well tipped over by keeper Mark Schwarzer, but a record of seven goals scored in 10 Premier League games tells you exactly why Wigan are in trouble.
Although Wigan's problem is scoring goals, they are not too clever at stopping them going in either.
And the visitors had no one to compare to American Dempsey, who was deadly in front of goal, with his bullet header on the half-hour mark.
It was game over when the 27-year-old lashed home just before the break, because Wigan had no answer.
Read more: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Fulham-2-0-Wigan-Sunday-Mirror-match-report-Clint-Dempsey-brace-stuns-Lactics-article617145.html#ixzz13vJYmyxT (http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Fulham-2-0-Wigan-Sunday-Mirror-match-report-Clint-Dempsey-brace-stuns-Lactics-article617145.html#ixzz13vJYmyxT)
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http://cottagers.blogspot.com/2010/10/halloweegan-nightmare-ful-2-0-wig.html? (http://cottagers.blogspot.com/2010/10/halloweegan-nightmare-ful-2-0-wig.html?)
Craven Cottagers
Following the 2007/8, 2008/9, 2009/10 and 2010/11 seasons at Craven Cottage - recounted by season ticket holders who aren't actually Fulham fans.
Halloweegan nightmare - FUL 2-0 WIG
Strange game this weekend. Wigan were incredibly flat for a team unbeaten in 7 matches and Fulham were efficient enough to scoop an essential victory. It was enough to please the natives though, with the Hammy End trying out a few songs dedicated to Mark Hughes. They did seem a bit forced, but maybe in time better ones will develop.
Fulham's first actually came while Wigan were having their best spell of the game - not that they were actually doing anything with it than a couple of speculative long range shots. The visitors were very quick on the break in the first half, although Salcido's tight marking of Nzogbia was effective enough to curtail many of the Wigan forays.
The little Mexican then popped up on the wing to put in a delicous cross that Dempsey knocked in impressively with his head, topping off a great Fulham move. The second, when it came, was more deserving and was the culmination of a good five minutes of strong pressure on the Wigan goal. Again Dempsey's acrobatic volley powered past the very shaky Al Habsi in goal and Fulham enjoyed a two goal cushion in the league for the first time this season. The second half was not much to write home about, so I won't.
Dembele is an interesting player - lots of nice tight control and seems to distract defenders and allow team mates to find more space. I'm just not sure where his direct goal threat comes from. Andy Johnson when he came on as sub was an impressive handful in 10 minutes. It'll just take team mates a while to adjust to the sort of passes that he likes and he will be a potent goal threat. His pace should be especially useful away from home.
Ish - who this season I have challenged to attend ten home matches - forgot the match was on, so didn't show. Which was useful as there were even more mongs on our row than normal, including three people who clearly didn't know where their seats were supposed to be and just sat anywhere - pretty tricky in a sold out stadium. I'm still astounded that the game sold out. Even with the £5 ticket offer to season ticket holders, there were only about 300 Wigan fans attending, so the club should be congratulated for its efforts to maximise capacity. There were even ticket touts with the usual refrain of buy or sell tickets on the walk to the ground. For Fulham v Wigan. Crazy.
http://www.sport.co.uk/news/Football/46064/Fulham_display_has_Hughes_purring.aspx? (http://www.sport.co.uk/news/Football/46064/Fulham_display_has_Hughes_purring.aspx?)
Fulham display has Hughes purring
Fulham manager Mark Hughes hailed his side's performance in Saturday's 2-0 Premier League victory over Wigan Athletic.
The Cottagers dominated from start to finish and a brace from American international Clint Dempsey was enough to seal all three points in the capital.
Hughes was particularly delighted with the attacking promise his team showed as they grabbed only their second three-point haul of the campaign.
"I'm delighted. We've played well this season and, today, I thought certainly in the first half, it was the best we've produced all year," he said.
"That's saying something because we've played well this year so I was delighted with going in 2-0 to the good and we were good value for that in fairness.
"In the second half Wigan tried to ask more questions of us but in fairness we were quite comfortable and Mark Schwarzer has had very little to do today.
"So, I just thought our intensity to outplay and our real intention and the way we took the initiative in the game was there for everybody to see and we fully deserved the win today.
"We have great movement, we've got a lot of rotation in forward areas.
"What we wanted to do today was to play in the opposition half. Sometimes we've been guilty of conceding a little bit of ground and having too much to do going forward but today we played the vast majority of the game in Wigan's half and they found it very difficult."
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1325328/Roque-Santa-Cruz-set-Getafe-loan-Fulham-face-battle-land-striker.html? (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1325328/Roque-Santa-Cruz-set-Getafe-loan-Fulham-face-battle-land-striker.html?)
Roque Santa Cruz set for Getafe loan move as Fulham boss Mark Hughes faces battle to land unsettled Manchester City star
Fulham boss Mark Hughes could miss out on a reunion with Roque Santa Cruz with the Manchester City striker set to be on the verge of sealing a January loan escape to Spanish outfit Getafe.
The Paraguay international has fallen out of favour at Eastlands under manager Roberto Mancini, making just one appearance so far this season in the Carling Cup defeat to West Bromwich Albion.
Hughes, who signed Santa Cruz both for Blackburn and then last year costing City £17million, registered an interest in signing the unsettled forward in the summer.
Having failed to finalise a deal before the window slammed shut in September it is understood the Fulham manager listed the 29-year-old at the top of his transfer wish-list for January.
However it is believed City are reluctant to do business with any of their Barclays Premier League rivals for any of their players unless it is an outright deal.
Leicester boss Sven Goran Eriksson is also said to be keen on a temporary deal for the former Bayern Munich hitman but the Championship side would only be able to offer City a £20,000-a-week contribution - a fraction of the player's weekly salary.
Santa Cruz is deeply frustrated at his lack of playing activity having fallen way down the pecking order behind Carlos Tevez, Mario Balotelli, Emmanuel Adebayor and Jo.
It is reported that La Liga side Getafe would offer him first team football assurances and president Angel Torresis set to open discussions with City chiefs in a bid to beat off rivals suitors from England and Spain, with Real Mallorca and Espanyol also keen.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1325328/Roque-Santa-Cruz-set-Getafe-loan-Fulham-face-battle-land-striker.html?#ixzz13wjfQXNj (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1325328/Roque-Santa-Cruz-set-Getafe-loan-Fulham-face-battle-land-striker.html?#ixzz13wjfQXNj)
Roque Santa Cruz set for Getafe loan move as Fulham boss Mark Hughes faces battle to land unsettled Manchester City star
By Sportsmail Reporter
Last updated at 12:59 PM on 31st October 2010
Fulham boss Mark Hughes could miss out on a reunion with Roque Santa Cruz with the Manchester City striker set to be on the verge of sealing a January loan escape to Spanish outfit Getafe.
The Paraguay international has fallen out of favour at Eastlands under manager Roberto Mancini, making just one appearance so far this season in the Carling Cup defeat to West Bromwich Albion.
Hughes, who signed Santa Cruz both for Blackburn and then last year costing City £17million, registered an interest in signing the unsettled forward in the summer.
Having failed to finalise a deal before the window slammed shut in September it is understood the Fulham manager listed the 29-year-old at the top of his transfer wish-list for January.
However it is believed City are reluctant to do business with any of their Barclays Premier League rivals for any of their players unless it is an outright deal.
Leicester boss Sven Goran Eriksson is also said to be keen on a temporary deal for the former Bayern Munich hitman but the Championship side would only be able to offer City a £20,000-a-week contribution - a fraction of the player's weekly salary.
Santa Cruz is deeply frustrated at his lack of playing activity having fallen way down the pecking order behind Carlos Tevez, Mario Balotelli, Emmanuel Adebayor and Jo.
It is reported that La Liga side Getafe would offer him first team football assurances and president Angel Torresis set to open discussions with City chiefs in a bid to beat off rivals suitors from England and Spain, with Real Mallorca and Espanyol also keen
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1325328/Roque-Santa-Cruz-set-Getafe-loan-Fulham-face-battle-land-striker.html#ixzz13xDGeA8W (http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1325328/Roque-Santa-Cruz-set-Getafe-loan-Fulham-face-battle-land-striker.html#ixzz13xDGeA8W)
http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2010/10/31/clint-and-bryan-robson/
Clint and Bryan Robson
Filed under: General — rich @ 10:37 am
Clint scores a lot of goals, and furthermore, a huge variety of goals. I was trying to think who he reminded me of in this sense, and this morning I think I've got it: Bryan Robson.
Bryan Robson compilation (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYmAxqG59l0#)
It's not completely like for like, and obviously they're completely differentt players, but in terms of getting into dangerous areas and finding a way to get the ball in the net, I think I'm onto something.
Clint Dempsey Fulham Star (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z7zqzs_Gy9s#)
http://hammyend.com/index.php/2010/10/fulham-v-wigan-player-ratings/ (http://hammyend.com/index.php/2010/10/fulham-v-wigan-player-ratings/)
Fulham v Wigan – Player Ratings
by Lork on October 31, 2010
Really good performance yesterday with some fine passing football which has lifted us into the top half of the table from the bottom five. Just goes to show how tight everything is, even 10 games into the season, so we can't really say whereabouts we'll finish in the season. However, if we play like yesterday more often than not, I think we'll end up in the top 10. Anyway, as a I say, we played well yesterday, so here goes a lil bit of player rating:
Schwarzer – 6, can't recall him having to do anything other than collect a few long range shots which he handled well enough.
Salcido – 7, he can't half cross a ball! Some great balls into the box, two footed, and of course got an assist for Dempsey's first. Wasn't really tested too much defensively, although when N'Zogbia or Cleverly came up against him he generally got the better of them. Looks to be settling in well.
Baird – 7, a lovely ball for Dempsey's second, a low delivery on the ground into a very dangerous area which was converted superbly, and in general had another good game. You had to worry a bit whenever N'Zogbia was one on one against him, simply because of the difference in pace between the two players, but Wigan barely had a sniff all game down his side apart from a couple of bursts into the box. So yeah, good performance from someone establishing themselves as a permanent fixture in our first team
Hangeland – 6, usual dominance in the air, but really had little to do.
Hughes – 6, same as Hangeland, wasn't pushed in the game.
Greening – 6, since coming in for Etuhu he's been quite impressive! Not too exciting on the ball but neither is Etuhu, and unlike him Greening isn't really that intimidating a figure. He does however use the ball more intelligently and he's more agile so you can see him, like Murphy actually, skip past players to make space. My highlight of the season so far was seeing Greening nutmeg Sandro in the Tottenham game, made him look silly! He's also really impressed me in the tackle, before this slight run of games he always seemed to be quite Scholes-esque with his rashness (or dirtiness), but he won the ball a fair few times yesterday. It'll be interesting then to see what happens when Etuhu's fit again
Murphy – 7, great to see him back in the team. He has come in for some unjustified stick for his performances but yesterday showed firstly just how key he is to our play and secondly just how good a player he is. I know I've said it before but he's just so intelligent, and he can pass a ball well too, he really is the heartbeat of our team and dominated our midfield. Off the ball he isn't half bad, won his fair share of tackles yesterday, the protection from the midfield for the defence was much better yesterday than against West Brom which I'm sure contributed to our overall good performance. The pattern of Murphy coming off for the last few minutes continued however, replaced by Dikagcoi on 86 minutes, which again brings up the question of how long his performances can continue past this season, but for now the comparison between Wigan and West Brom shows that he should be the first name on the team sheet.
Davies – 7, ran at Stam and won the battle. Davies played well yesterday and looked dangerous all game. Played out on the left again but as I say I prefer him there, although he didn't get too many dangerous crosses into the area. His movement did allow Salcido alot of space to cross the ball though.
Gera – 7, unlucky not to score with some good long range efforts and missed a 2 yard header but that was trickier than it sounds so I'll forgive him. I think I'm right in saying that he made both passes to the full backs for the goals, and he made a number of other incisive, testing passes for the Wigan defence. Completed something silly like 50 of them too. Gera played on the right as opposed to behind the striker but he kept drifting in to the channel instead of staying out wide which allowed him to see alot of the ball and get alot of space to use it. Pleased to see him doing well back in the first team and like Greening and Etuhu, Duff might have a challenge on his hands when he recovers from injury.
Dembele – 7, this fella is class. His balance, strength on the ball, dribbling, he's just great to watch. He goes past players for fun. However, what we do need to see from him is more shots and passes in dangerous areas because he has the ability to cause problems there's no doubt about that.
Dempsey – 8, two very nice finishes to a very good performance. He's taken a while to warm up I think, he didn't start the season too well, but now he has 5 goals in 10 games (4 in 8 in the league) which is impressive, Kamara take note. Dempsey gets into dangerous areas but I still don't think he should be playing upfront. He gets into goalscoring positions from midfield just as well, and playing upfront limits his ability, but he's only there through necessity and when AJ gets more match fit I think he'll drop back. I loved it when he went out wide later in the second half and beat the Wigan defender twice with some nice quick feet and flicks. Looking at his chalkboard too, 33 passes out of 35 which is impressive but they came all over the pitch. So we do lose a bit of emphasis upfront when he plays there, and had AJ started I think that we would have won even more convincingly.
Subs:
AJ – N/A, only had a quick cameo at the end of the game like at West Brom last week but looked pretty sharp and quick, I wonder if he'll start against Villa. I think he should have won a penalty too. Great to see him back from injury too, his interview on the offal was a really good read, if you haven't seen it make sure you do!
Dikagcoi – N/A, even less time than AJ but good to have another option in midfield. Looked neat but he couldn't show much in 4 minutes so let's not judge.
http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2010/10/31/fulhams-tackling-interceptions/
Fulham's Tackling Interceptions
Filed under: Analysis — timmyg @ 3:57 pm
Hello there. After writing for TheOffside for the past 2.5 years, Rich has been so kind as to let me join CCN. I hope you're as kind to read and discuss my thoughts. We're all family, no?
Last week against West Brom, Fulham were chastised for "running out of ideas" and the like. Yesterday Fulham were in cruise control from the opening whistle. Wigan and West Brom are two similar sides, so what was the difference? Let's take a look:
(http://cravencottagenewsround.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/picture-11.jpg?w=661&h=564)
The tackling chart on the left-bottom shows that Fulham were essentially ball chasing all around The Hawthornes, and not doing a very effective job at that. Additionally, the interceptions chart at the bottom-right show we were only able to cut out the ball at the top of the box. As Rich wrote about last week, this was all a result of our midfield being overrun and out of position from West Brom's "run-n-gun" offense.
Thankfully,the charts from yesterday show a different story than last week. Danny Murphy's return to the side completely reshaped our formation and kept the ball from ever really threatening our back four. All the interceptions are in the middle third near the center circle. The tackles are still in the middle third but all over the place — proof we were hustling and harrying them all around the Cottage. How we forced Wigan into our trap could be because of their ineptitude on the day (if you have a chance, be sure to dial up their passing chalkboard — not pretty), or Hughes made a point to train on this facet during the week, or maybe it is just down to Danny Murphy. Or maybe all three?
Roy was fantastic at getting our defense and midfield to form a phalanx that proved impenetrable. Hughes has abandoned the phalanx for, well, I'm still not too sure what. But the importance of having a rock in the center like Danny Murphy (who won 7 of 8 tackles) was on display yesterday like never before.
Oh, it also doesn't hurt to have a sidekick like Jonathan Greening with his team-leading 91% pass completion rate.
http://www.pinkun.com/norwich-city/fulham_u18s_1_norwich_city_u18s_2_1_713851
Fulham U18s 1, Norwich City U18s 2
Sunday, 31 October, 2010
14:48 PM
Norwich City saw off another big challenge when they came back from a goal down to beat their nearest rivals at Motspur Park on Saturday.
Fulham began the day two points behind leaders City in Group A of the FA Premier Academy League, and they took the lead on 14 minutes when Marsh-Brown hammered the ball past Jed Steer from 10 yards.
But Norwich responded inside two minutes - Matt Ball did well to make ground through the middle before despatching a through ball which undid the tall Fulham centre backs, and Josh Dawkin calmly tucked the ball inside the far post.
Norwich were unlucky not to go ahead on 24 minutes as Ryan Oakley collected a free-kick and from the right whipped the ball with accuracy inside the Fulham penalty area, but Kelly, diving in full length, could not make a connection with his head.
Norwich took the lead on 26 minutes, with Fulham down to 10 men after Maloney picked up his second yellow card within a matter of minutes. The official pointed to the spot, and Ball converted.
Kelly saw a downward header from Remy Gordon's corner cleared off the line, Dawkins shot wide and Dobbs tried with a smart drive. Ball should have done better than shoot wide on 57 minutes.
But Fulham were not out of the match in the final stages, Trotta glancing a header over the bar as they pressed for an equaliser.
• City: Steer, Barker, Gordon, Florence, Jones, Habergham, Oakley, Dobbs, Dawkin, Ball, Kelly (Loza, 74). Subs not used: Gunn, Clunan, Simons, Toffolo.
