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Wednesday Fulham Stuff (10.02.10)

Started by White Noise, February 09, 2010, 10:10:34 PM

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White Noise

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/elm-ensures-burnleys-poor-run-continues-1894667.html

Elm ensures Burnley's poor run continues

Fulham 3 Burnley 0

By Dean Jones


Wednesday, 10 February 2010


When David Elm arrived at Fulham, manager Roy Hodgson admitted he would not be given many chances to make an impression in the first team. This was just his second start in a white shirt, yet by half-time he had set up an opening strike for Danny Murphy and scored his first Premier League goal.


The contribution left Burnley dumbstruck, perhaps because most of their players had probably never heard of him before. Elm joined from Kalmar FF at the end of August for about £300,000, and was signed in hope he could fulfil his potential, rather than meet any expectations. He signed a one-year contract, and could not have done more here to show that he can still have a future in England.

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In light of Chris Smalling's recent £10million transfer to Manchester United following a rapid rise from non-league Maidstone United, he could yet turn out to be the club's latest diamond.

"He will be encouraged by the goal and has been a revelation since he joined," said Hodgson. "He has really progressed quickly through the ranks. When we play like that we are a tough nut to crack for any team."

This victory virtually ensures Fulham will not become entwined in a relegation battle. Instead they can focus more intently on attempting to win silverware. They remain in the FA Cup and Europa League and will have high hopes of finishing in the top half of the Premier League.

As routine victories go, this is about as straightforward as they come. And while Burnley continue to search for a first away league victory, manager Brian Laws can not help but feel his side are having little luck.

He felt the two opening goals could have been given as offside. "You need the referee and linesmen to get those decisions right, and quite clearly they didn't," he said. "It knocked the stuffing out of us, but we will pick ourselves up because no one is crying about it. Our away form is not great but we have to remain optimistic."

Fulham were bouyed by the presence of Bobby Zamora, returning from a brief bout of flu. The only surprise after Fulham had dominated the opening stages was that Zamora did not score the opening goal. Instead the honour fell to captain Murphy.

Full-back Nicky Shorey swept a cross deep into the Burnley penalty box and Elm headed the ball downwards Murphy arrived to steer the ball over the line. Fulham doubled the lead when Zamora sent a drilled effort towards goal which goalkeeper Brian Jensen failed to hold and Elm followed in to score. Zamora put the game out of sight, curling home a free-kick from the edge of the penalty area.

It all looked so easy. Burnley have 13 matches left to prove they are worthy of their Premier League status. That may prove far from easy.

Fulham (4-4-2): Schwarzer; Shorey, Hangeland, Hughes, Baird; Davies (Greening 62), Etuhu, Murphy, Duff (Riise 77); Zamora (Okaka 71), Elm. Substitutes not used: Zuberbuhler (gk), Kelly, Smalling, Nevland.

Burnley (4-4-2): Jensen; Carlisle, Mears, Cort (Eagles 32), Edgar; Fox, Bikey, McDonald, Elliott (Cork 56); Fletcher, Nugent (Paterson 76). Substitutes not used: Weaver (gk), Duff, Blake, Thompson.

Referee: C Foy

Booked: Fulham: Etuhu

Man of the match: Zamora

Attendance: 23,005

White Noise

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Fulham-3-0-Burnley-Murphy-Elm-and-Zamora-strike-for-Cottagers-The-Daily-Mirror-match-report-article318955.html


Fulham 3-0 Burnley: The Daily Mirror match report


Published 23:04 09/02/10


By Mike Walters


David Elm left travel-sick Burnley looking like relegation fodder who can't see the wood for the trees.

Riddled with a disease as virulent as the Clarets' anaemic away from, it had to be a man called Elm who extended their wretched spoils to just one point from a possible 39 when they venture beyond their front doorstep at Turf Moor.

Elm, a Scandinavian totem who travels to training by rail every day, decorated his full home debut with a poacher's goal as Burnley went barking up the wrong tree again.

At £550,000, Fulham paid less for Elm than it allegedly takes for an England captain to buy a kiss-and-tell lover's silence.


But if his partnership with Bobby Zamora continues to sprout as easily as the green shoots of promise evident at Craven Cottage last night, he will soon e a household name in the capital from Gospel Oak to Forest Gate.

Poor Clarets boss Brian Laws takes his squad to Portugal today for a sunshine break in the hope they will recover their wanderlust. They were so poor last night that he will be lucky if half of his players remember their passports.

Unlike celebrity Burnley fan Alastair Campbell, who was tongue-tied and close to tears on TV last weekend, at least Laws was not completely lost for words after Fulham's routine stroll by the Thames towpath.

But on the evidence of this desultory display, his predecessor Owen Coyle deserted a sinking ship last month, and Laws said: "That performance was not up to the standard we set against West Ham on Saturday, but it didn't help that the first two goals were offside.

"We need all the help we can get away from home, and when you're having a difficult time you rely on the referee and linesmen to get the important decisions right.

"But we've got to pick ourselves up, dust ourselves down and start picking up points away from home, so there's no point in crying about it. We still have a fantastic opportunity to stay in the Premier League, but we can't rely on our home form alone to do it - I think pretty soon the whole nation will want us to win away from home."

After a sluggish start, when pulse rates were comparable with those in a chapel of rest, Fulham seized the initiative with two goals in eight minutes midway through the first half.

Elm's superb cushioned header from Nicky Shorey's deep cross set up Danny Muphy to sweep home his sixth goal of the season, and when Burnley keeper Brian Jensen could only shovel Zamora's shot across the six-yard box, Elm pounced on the rebound.

Burnley's magnificent band of travelling fans never stopped singing, even though their team gave them little to shout about, and when Jensen went down in instalments, too late to reach Zamora's tame free-kick 10 minutes after the break, the Clarets had long been reduced to cheap plonk.

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson said: "Elm will be encouraged by his goal and the marvellous way he set up the first one for Danny.

"David is probably the least famous of three brothers who played for the same club in Sweden, and I believe Everton were close to signing one of them, Rasmus, before he went to AZ Alkmaar in Holland.

"He has been a revelation because, when he joined us, we had quite a few forwards available, but he has moved up the pecking order quickly and he deserves to be there.

"I feel a bit sorry for Burnley - we were excellent from back to front tonight and we would have been a tough nut to crack for any team."

Fulham: Schwarzer 7, Baird 6, Hangeland 7, Hughes 7, Shorey 8, Davies 6 (Greening, 62, 5), Murphy 7, Etuhu 7, Duff 7 (Riise, 77, 7), Zamora 7 (Okaka, 71, 6), Elm 7.

Burnley: Jensen 5, Mears 6, Carlisle 6, Cort  4 (Eagles, 32, 5), Edgar 5, Bikey 6, McDonald 6, Fox 5, Elliott 5 (Cork, 56, 5), Nugent 4 (Paterson, 76, 4), Fletcher 5.



WhiteJC

http://www.teamtalk.com/football/story/0,16368,1788_5929659,00.html
Graft paid off for Cottagers - Roy
Roy Hodgson was delighted with Fulham's 3-0 win over Burnley - a result that pushed the Cottagers into ninth place in the Premier League

First-half goals from Danny Murphy and David Elm put the home side in control at Craven Cottage on Tuesday night and Bobby Zamora wrapped-up all three points with a second-half free-kick.

The result stretched Fulham's unbeaten run to three games while Burnley remain without an away success this season.

"I thought the victory lay in the hard work and the quality of our defending," said Hodgson.

"We gave them very little time and space to play and we used the ball wisely.

"We got everything right tonight - the defending and attacking - and on a night like that, we would have been a tough nut to crack for any team."

Hodgson was also delighted to see Elm grab his first goal for the club.

The Swedish striker made the opener for Murphy and then slotted home from close range after Brian Jensen had parried a shot by Zamora.

"It was really good to see David score," added Hodgson. "He's been a bit of a revelation. At the time he came in we had a lot of strikers, but he has moved up the pecking order and deserves to be where he is."

Fulham now face Notts County in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday and then Shakhtar in the Europa League next week.

But Hodgson is not getting excited about the resumption of their European adventure.

"We will attack the FA Cup," said Hodgson. "But I'm not going to change by mind about the Europa League. My priority is still the league and the FA Cup."

Burnley boss Brian Laws claimed Fulham's opening two goals were offside but insists they will keep working hard in an effort to start winning away from home.

"Luck has not been on our side tonight," said Laws. "We did not particularly play well but I thought their first two goals were offside.

"The TV replays show the referee and linesman got it wrong. They are important decisions for us. We need any help we can get.

"Our performance was not up to the standard we set on Saturday against West Ham.

"We shot ourselves in the foot with the first goal because we could have cleared our lines, but the second phase of play was offside.

"But if the referee and linesman get it right, it is no goal. One or two heads dropped but we cannot carry anybody.

"The two goals coming in quick succession, knocked the stuffing out of us.

"We know our away form is not great but we will just have to pick ourselves up."

Laws admits it is vital that his side manage to break their away duck.

"Psychologically it will start to affect the players," conceded Laws. "We have to change the mind set.

"We put in a magnificent performance against West Ham on Saturday and we have not had time to enjoy that because there was another important game against Fulham."


WhiteJC

http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/football/812528-fulham-find-it-so-easy-against-burnley
Fulham find it so easy against Burnley

FULHAM 3-0 BURNLEY
Fulham moved into ninth place in the Barclays Premier League with a comfortable win over Burnley at Craven Cottage.


First-half goals from Danny Murphy and David Elm put the home side in control and Bobby Zamora wrapped up all three points with a second-half free-kick.

Burnley, who have yet to win away this season, remain close to the relegation zone.

Fulham engineered the first chance of the game in the seventh minute when Damien Duff's cross shot only just evaded the far post and the waiting Simon Davies.

Duff should have done much better when he got clear of the Burnley defence five minutes later but his cross from the touchline fell behind all the onrushing Fulham attackers.

Burnley responded with Andre Bikey trying his luck from 30 yards. However, his weak effort was well wide of the target.

There was little to enthuse about in a dull opening period although Duff continued to threaten for the home side.

In the 21st minute, Elm tried to curl the ball around Brian Jensen but the Burnley goalkeeper held the ball at the second attempt.

But captain Murphy broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute. A cross from Nicky Shorey was headed into his path by Elm and the Fulham midfielder applied a neat finish from six yards.

Burnley almost levelled from the restart but Steven Fletcher's 20-yard angled drive flashed past Mark Schwarzer's right-hand upright.

Dickson Utuhu was denied Fulham's second goal in the 28th minute when his 20-yard shot was brilliantly pushed to safety by Jensen.

But the second goal arrived in the 31st minute when Zamora got the better of Leon Cort only to see his shot parried by Jensen.

However, Elm followed up to slip the loose ball beyond Jensen from six yards for his first goal for the club.

Burnley boss Brian Laws immediately replaced Cort with Chris Eagles.

In the 42nd minute the Clarets almost pulled a goal back when a 25-yard free-kick from Tyrone Mears hit the angle of crossbar and post.

But Fulham remained in charge and Elm could have added to his tally had he not drifted offside moments later.

Zamora was a constant thorn in Burnley's side but required much better support from the midfield.

Schwarzer was called upon to deal with a cross from Wade Elliott in the 45th minute but the Fulham keeper had largely been untroubled in the opening half.

Zamora should have made it three for Fulham five minutes after the interval but his eight-yard shot was brilliantly saved by Jensen.

Seconds later an attempted cross from Duff almost confused Jensen and the Burnley keeper was relieved to see the ball drop onto the top of the net.

But Burnley paid for some woeful defending in the 54th minute when Zamora was fouled by David Edgar on the edge of the Fulham penalty area.

The striker dusted himself down and curled a low free-kick into the bottom corner of the net to make it 3-0 to the home side.

Fulham continued to dominate and Duff had a shot deflected just wide in the 65th minute.

Elm and Zamora were forming a clever partnership in attack and Burnley struggled to cope with their neat approach work.

In the 69th minute Murphy almost worked a shooting chance for himself after threading his way through the Burnley defence but Jensen smothered the danger.

Substitute Stefano Okaka should have made it 4-0 to Fulham in the 78th minute but Jensen pulled off another fine save to deny him.

Okaka then saw a 90th-minute shot flash just the wrong side of the post as Fulham tried to finish with a flourish.

WhiteJC

http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-sport/football/article-23804025-roy-hodgsons-gamble-paying-off-as-its-a-nightmare-on-elm-street-for-struggling-burnley.do
Roy Hodgson's gamble paying off as it's a nightmare on Elm street for struggling Burnley

Fulham 3
Burnley 0


When Roy Hodgson failed to sign Sweden international Rasmus Elm last summer, he decided to gamble £500,000 on the midfielder's brother, David.

It may turn out to be one of the bargains of the season, as Elm impressed in his first Premier League start at Bolton on Saturday and was even better last night, setting up one goal for Danny Murphy and scoring another.

The 27-year-old striker was brought from Swedish league champions Kalmar FF as an understudy for Bobby Zamora and although he initially found it hard to adapt to English football, he hopes to win an extension to his one-year contract.

He said: "It has been difficult coming from Sweden to the Premier League. There is a big difference in the tempo of the game here and it is more aggressive but I have been patient and I took my chance when I got it against Burnley.

"Fulham told me before I joined that I was an interesting player and it would be exciting to see if I could make the step. I knew it was going to be tough but I never had any second thoughts. I love it here. The dream scenario is that I can get a lot of time playing here."

Elm is desperate to emulate brothers Rasmus, 21, and Viktor, 24, by playing for Sweden.

Impressing with Fulham will help him achieve that goal and he has certainly made an impression on Hodgson.

The Fulham boss said: "At the time David came in, we had quite a lot of forward players but he's moved very quickly up the pecking order and he's shown that he deserves to be there. He's probably the least-famous of the three brothers.

"Rasmus was the one who had attracted the most attention, both ourselves and Everton were very keen to sign him. He eventually chose to go to AZ Alkmaar. Viktor was already at Heerenveen and I don't think David was really expecting a foreign club to come in for him.

"Luckily I have some contacts in Sweden, everyone spoke very well of him and I must say he's been a bit of a revelation."

Elm has got his chance as a result of long-term injuries to Andy Johnson and Clint Dempsey and because Seol Ki-Hyeon and Diomansy Kamara have been allowed to go elsewhere.

Playing alongside Zamora, Elm was instrumental in Fulham's opening goal against struggling Burnley after 23 minutes when he touched on Nicky Shorey's deep cross for Danny Murphy to beat goalkeeper Brian Jensen from close range.

Seven minutes later, Jensen could only parry Zamora's low curling shot into the path of Elm, who could not miss from four yards out.

Zamora himself sealed the win in the 53rd minute with a low free-kick from just outside the penalty area.


White Noise

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/121602/Elm-chop-for-Clarets/



ELM CHOP FOR CLARETS


10th February 2010


By Sami Mokbel





SWEDISH striker David Elm gave Fulham owner Mohamed Al-Fayed a reason to keep his cheque book closed last night.

Boss Roy Hodgson called on the megarich Harrods owner to bank roll his plans for a summer spending spree.

But the £500,000 bargain buy from Kalmar last summer could save the Egyptian a fortune if he continues to show the form that left relegation threatened Burnley in a spin at Craven Cottage.

Elm's first goal for Fulham helped them to a comfortable win over Brian Laws' strugglers.

Prior to last night's clash, the Clarets hadn't tasted an away league victory since a 2-1 win at Plymouth in the Championship last March.

And on the evidence of their display at Craven Cottage, there is little chance of that sorry stretch ending any time soon.

Fulham started the brighter, as Damien Duff's right-footed cross-shot from Bobby Zamora's headed knock down rolled just short of Simon Davies in the ninth minute.

Elm forced Brian Jensen into the fi rst save of the game in the 22nd minute with a curling effort from the edge of the box after linking up with Duff.

And it was the Swede, who turned 27 last month, who helped unlock the Clarets a minute later.

Elm – who looked to have strayed just offside – nodded Nicky Shorey's clipped ball into the path of Danny Murphy.

And the former Liverpool midfi elder fired past Jensen to give Hodgson's men the advantage.

Steven Fletcher smashed a venomous shot just wide from fully 25 yards two minutes later as Burnley looked to hit
back.

But the Clarets had Jensen to thank for not going further behind after the giant Dane produced an acrobatic one-handed save to keep out Dickson Etuhu's 20-yard drive.

But Elm did double the Cottagers' lead in the 31st minute, though there was again a hint of offside in the build-up.
Bobby Zamora looked to have gone a split second too early in his burst to collect Chris Baird's pass, but the fl ag stayed down.

The ex-West Ham man cut inside Leon Cort before sending a low strike straight at Jensen – who failed to hold it, leaving Elm to put Fulham two up.

Tyrone Mears hit the outside of the post with a curling free-kick two minutes before the break.

But Fulham continued their dominance in the second period, Zamora forcing Jensen into a smart low save .

Zamora didn't have to wait long before notching his 12th goal of the season and boost his hopes of a debut England call-up in the forthcoming friendly against Egypt.

Picking himself up after being fouled by Edgar on the edge of the box, the Fulham hitman smashed a low effort past
the luckless Jensen to give his side a 3-0 lead –and leave Burnley deep in the mire

White Noise

http://wvhooligan.com/2010/02/09/the-evolution-of-the-american-striker/

The Evolution of the American StrikerEPL, MLS

How has Eddie Johnson has changed our lives? New WVH writer John Parker takes a look.

By John Parker

Brian Mcbride was a good player. So was Joe-Max Moore. Eric Wynalda held the American scoring record for nearly a decade.

Alright, I don't know where to start with this, and my free writing is a little sub par here. But there is a point, and it's not that subtle. The US has produced some adequate players up top, but the position has been the country's Achilles heel...and an anomaly. This is a nation that hosts the most astonishing athletes in the world, and yet cycle after cycle we see gadflies, overachievers and "hard workers" leading the line. Meanwhile, the Damani Ralph's of the world were entering the MLS and snatching golden boots.

Before the 2006 cycle, this is what we not only experienced, but expected. We waited on the coming Hispanic infusion that would introduce craft to the position; the demographics of America were rapidly changing, and the future of American soccer supposedly with it. We would see a new breed of player, one who preferred to play on the ball, to strike it from distance and to create for his teammates. Brian Mcbride was great, but we could improve.

But then something curious happened. Eddie Johnson, an American striker with sub par ability on the ball won the golden boot with the U-20's, and then again with the MLS. It was astonishing...because he was an astonishing athlete. Playing off the hips of the defender, Eddie looked to impose his will with his speed. He didn't finish off of crosses or set pieces but rather through balls. He was introduced to the National Team and quickly reeled off seven goals. The message boards lit up. People bought the jersey they were sure to wear for a decade...after all, who offered what Eddie did up top? Those seven goals may have been somewhat of a fluke, but they may also have been proof of something greater than just Eddie. The American style, with its counter-attacks and its high pressure defending (which leads to interceptions up the pitch) could take advantage of a forward who routinely got behind the defense. The Twellman's of the world slowed down our attack when, if anything, we needed to be speeding up.

Don't beat yourself up for falling for the hype to early. I did...and your favorite blogger probably did too. After all, it's not like we could complain that Eddie's ball skills didn't compare with the rest of the pool. We'd later realize how much better Mcbride's first touch was, or how much better Moore was off the ball...but the point is for a youth player it was tough to criticize him in comparison (remember, he was battling Taylor Twellman for a spot).

Yes, in the end it did not work out with Eddie. However, his fiery start revealed a seed that is just barely now sprouting. The American striker was not going to be born out of Latino influence but rather an American one. Our obsession with physically dominating our opponents...of physically imposing our will...that was the future of the position, and one that fit our American sensibilities.

Yeah, we are still lacking at the position, but let's go back to the beginning of the current cycle. Eddie Johnson was beginning to be exposed...and...and...who started against Mexico in the Gold Cup? (Hint: one isn't a forward, and the other probably won't be there this summer. Look it up...it took me five minutes to figure it out too.)

Now, the trail-blazing Eddie Johnson has left us with two (yes two!) options up top who offer an array of talents. I know Davies is injured, but as an American product, he must be discussed. You see, we now have a striker tree building from Eddie. One branch, Jozy Altidore, offers extraordinary power, good speed, and a penchant for taking players on off the dribble. The other, CD9, has fantastic speed, good power, and consistently attack the goal with fiery determination. Both can score off through balls, or create a goal themselves. They can play off the defenders hip, but can also be effective receiving it with their backs to the goal. In general, they're advantage is an athletic one coupled with adequate skills and a confidence we haven't seen in our past strikers...it's a confidence that wants to take over the game rather than simply be a cog. Yes, "team" play is great, but sometimes you need more from your strikers than target play. Sometimes you need a goal like Jozy's against Spain, or Charlie's against Mexico. Sometimes you need it from both your strikers.

So where do we go from here? Sheer math makes me believe that the previously mentioned dearth of Hispanic influence will be overcome. However, if you look at the current prospects, the proof points more to the growth of the Eddie tree.

Brek Shea, a tall, lanky winger/striker was taken second by FCD in the draft a couple of years ago after a display of speed and flair at the combine. He may not be a striker in the end, but the mere fact that he was drafted with the position in mind was proof of a new American mindset. He still might have a future at the position.

Robbie Findley will probably see little time on the pitch for the US in any competitive matches, but Findley seems to have become a preferred option to the Conor Casey's of the world because of what he offers athletically (which, unfortunately, is about all he offers).

At the U-20 level, Juan Agudelo and Stefan Jerome seem to be top options for the next cycle. Agudelo is looking at offers from NYRB and Millionaros because of an intriguing balance of size, speed and technical ability, especially at his age. Jerome, who has fallen off quite a bit since his stunning performance against Brazil a couple of years ago, is a tall, lanky striker with speed and desire to beat his defender off the dribble (perhaps too much). [Note: The other striker here is Jack McInerney, but he is unlike any American striker produced, so I'll pretend he doesn't exist for the purposes of this article]

Then there is the 2010 draft. Teal Bunbury may be playing for Canada, but he fits the mold, and MLS large GA offer is proof to his value in the American game. However, Danny Mwanga, the first pick of the draft, should be of more interest to us. Mwanga told a soccernet reporter he hoped to play for the U.S., and given his status as a refugee with a green card, he shouldn't be too far away from his citizenship. As a 6-2 striker who wows with both elite level athleticism and the technique to match, he would be a natural fit in the new breed of American striker.

Finally, there is Alfred Koroma, the 15 year old who recently left Bradenton after beginning his second cycle. Koroma was highly advertised as the star of the new class as a player who was not only physically dominant but also technically advanced. Yes, he is young...but Jozy got his first cap at 17 and Koroma will turn 19 before the next world cup.

All of this is admittedly wild speculation. All the speculation, however, points towards one conclusion. Many of these players won't make it, but the fact that almost all of America's top prospects at the position fit the Davies/Altidore mold speaks to what we can learn from the past and expect of the future. Current trends point towards a focus on strikers with the ability to get behind defenses off the ball and to overtake them off the dribble.

With Davies and Altidore taking two positions in the next cycle, two remain open. Will we see an entire leading line built in a similar fashion? Will it become a position of strength? Will the American striker become a unique character in the world of soccer?

All of this is unlikely...but it's still cool to think that Eddie Johnson may have changed American soccer forever.

Editor's Note: John Parker is new to WVHooligan.com. Feel free to leave him a comment below.

White Noise

Lucky Programme Number



Wednesday 10th February 2010

Fulham FC News

The lucky programme number from Tuesday night's match against Burnley at the Cottage was 00142.

If you were the lucky buyer of this numbered edition then please email [email protected]| with a scan or photograph of the inside back cover as proof of your success.

The winner will receive a medium Fulham shirt, signed, as well as a signed copy of Tuesday's programme.

Be sure to pick up a copy of the programme at every home game to be in with a chance of winning great Fulham prizes like these.


Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/February/BurnleyLuckyProgrammeNumber.aspx#ixzz0f82OlqKt


White Noise


White Noise

http://www.chicagonow.com/blogs/chicago-fire-confidential/2010/02/john-looking-for-redemption.html


John looking for redemption


Sam Stejskal

on 02.09.10 at 9:04 AM | 12 comments 



It's been a long journey for Collins John.

Bursting onto the scene in 2004 as a precocious 18-year-old, John quickly became a fan favorite at Craven Cottage. But despite displaying a solid strike rate and picking up two full international caps with Holland during his first year in the Premiership, the best was yet to come from John. He proved that with his 2005-06 season, which saw him lead Fulham with 11 league goals despite the fact that he only started 15 of the 37 games he appeared in.

Unfortunately for John, he has never been able to recreate the magic of 2005-06. He lost his place at Fulham, bounced around the second division of English soccer, failed to impress during a one-year loan with Dutch side NEC Nijmegen, and - most recently - got cut from Belgian team KSV Roeselare. Now, John finds himself on-trial with the Fire, where he is hoping he can make a good impression and jumpstart his once promising career.

"I just needed a new spot," John said. "I have played in the big competition that is the Premiership. I've played in Holland, I've played in Belgium... but after this fall I just wanted to get far away from European football and I guess that's what brought me to MLS."

"Hopefully I can do well here and play well in my auditions to the team and maybe I can play and maybe in a couple of years I can go back to Europe, but you never know. I may love it here and stay for the rest of my life. It's still early days. So far I'm enjoying my time here, I'm having a good training camp and hopefully I can score a lot of goals for Chicago this season."

If John is to rack up the goals for the Fire this season, he'll be doing it in his own way. Employing a playing style he compared to that of Juventus-striker David Trezeguet, John typically looks to use a quick first step to capitalize on the mistakes of defenders.

"Obviously we've got [Patrick Nyarko] as a striker and [Brian McBride] as a striker but I think I'm a different type than both of them," John said. "McBride is good in the air and Pat is a good dribbler and I think I'm a totally different player... You might not see me for 15 minutes in a game and all of a sudden I score a goal. I'm a hunter, I just wait for the moment and then I grab it."

While past managers have criticized John for attitude and fitness problems, he has received nothing but positive remarks from the staff in Chicago.

"Collins John is a proven guy," Fire Technical Director Frank Klopas said. "He's been at a high level when he was a young player and I think his additive results have been very good. He's been working very hard to get back to the fitness level that he knows he can be at and... he has a good attitude - he gets along with the other players. It's [only a few] days into it and we'll get to know more as the days go by but so far it's been very good."

For his part, John is looking at his chance to make the Fire as an opportunity for redemption. His career has fallen a long way since he was Fulham's top goal scorer in 2005-06 and he wants to get back to the form he knows he can play at.

"I'm still a young player; I'm just 24 years old. I just want to play football and put everything behind me," John said. "I've had a great career already. I've played for a lot of big clubs, I've got three caps and last year and a half hasn't worked out for me but I guess that's football. It's ups and downs. I've been down but I want to go up this year with Chicago. Hopefully I'm going to score a lot of goals this year and forget about everything that happened in '08 and '09. That's one of the key things in sports, if things don't go well for you then you have to try and forget things and work hard and get back to the level you want to be and that's what I'm doing right now."


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

It's clear to me that John has more than enough talent to be a great player in this league. The only questions for me are his work ethic and attitude. If he continues to get along with the Fire players and staff and continues to work hard to get his game up to snuff, then there is no reason why he shouldn't have success in Chicago. For now though, I'm going to remain a skeptic. With John - who hasn't exactly left his last two teams on the best terms - I'm going to have to see it to believe it.

White Noise

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11708_5928890,00.html

Cottagers clout Clarets


Fulham seal comfortable 3-0 win over struggling Burnley


Last updated: 9th February 2010   


Man of the match: David Elm. The Swede not only claimed his first Premier League goal but also helped Danny Murphy break the deadlock in the 23rd minute.

Moment of the match: When Bobby Zamora capitalised on some poor wall positioning to score Fulham's third and final goal.

Save of the match: Brian Jensen produced a fine reaction save to deny Bobby Zamora moments in the 50th minute.

Talking point: How much longer will Burnley's woeful away record continue? They played the ball nicely but were unable to find that killer touch.


Strikes from Danny Murphy, David Elm and Bobby Zamora earned Fulham a comfortable victory as Burnley's woeful away record continued at Craven Cottage.

Murphy converted a well-worked move to power the hosts in front and Elm doubled the advantage before the break by tapping in from close range after Clarets goalkeeper Brian Jensen had parried a fizzing Zamora shot into his path.

Roy Hodgson's side continued to press forward and Zamora made it three by passing his free-kick around the wall and into the bottom corner.

Burnley tried their best to haul themselves back into the game but were constantly thwarted by a solid Cottagers defence.

The closest the visitors came was in the final minute when Chris Eagles drew a good low save from Mark Schwarzer.

Fulham had looked in determined mood from the off and engineered the first chance of the game in the seventh minute when Damien Duff's cross shot only just evaded the far post and the waiting Simon Davies.

Duff should have done much better when he got clear of the Burnley defence five minutes later but his cross from the touchline fell behind all the onrushing Fulham attackers.

Response

Burnley responded with Andre Bikey trying his luck from 30 yards. However, his weak effort was well wide of the target.

There was little to enthuse about in a dull opening period although Duff continued to threaten for the home side.

In the 21st minute, Elm tried to curl the ball around Brian Jensen but the Burnley goalkeeper held the ball at the second attempt.

But captain Murphy broke the deadlock in the 23rd minute. A cross from Nicky Shorey was headed into his path by Elm and the Fulham midfielder applied a neat finish from six yards.

Burnley almost levelled from the restart but Steven Fletcher's 20-yard angled drive flashed past Mark Schwarzer's right-hand upright.

Dickson Utuhu was denied Fulham's second goal in the 28th minute when his 20-yard shot was brilliantly pushed to safety by Jensen.

But the second goal arrived in the 31st minute when Zamora got the better of Leon Cort only to see his shot spilled by Jensen.

However, Elm followed up to slip the loose ball beyond Jensen from six yards for his first goal for the club.

Burnley boss Brian Laws immediately replaced Cort with Chris Eagles.

In the 42nd minute the Clarets almost pulled a goal back when a 25-yard free-kick from Tyrone Mears clipped the upright.


In charge

But Fulham remained in charge and Elm could have added to his tally had he not drifted offside moments later.

Zamora was a constant thorn in Burnley's side but required much better support from the midfield.

Schwarzer was called upon to deal with a cross from Wade Elliott in the 45th minute but the Fulham keeper had largely been untroubled in the opening half.

Zamora should have made it three for Fulham five minutes after the interval but his eight-yard shot was brilliantly saved by Jensen.

Seconds later an attempted cross from Duff almost confused Jensen and the Burnley keeper was relieved to see the ball drop onto the top of the net.

But Burnley paid for some woeful defending in the 54th minute when Zamora was fouled by David Edgar on the edge of the Fulham penalty area.

The striker dusted himself down and curled a low free-kick into the bottom corner of the net to make it 3-0 to the home side.

Fulham continued to dominate and Duff had a shot deflected just wide in the 65th minute.

Elm and Zamora were forming a clever partnership in attack and Burnley struggled to cope with their neat approach work.

In the 69th minute Murphy almost worked a shooting chance for himself after threading his way through the Burnley defence but Jensen smothered the danger.

Substitute Stefano Okaka should have made it 4-0 to Fulham in the 78th minute but Jensen pulled off another fine save to deny him.

Okaka then saw a 90th-minute shot flash just the wrong side of the post as Fulham tried to finish with a flourish.

That result moves Fulham up to ninth in the table while Burnley have dropped to 16th, just two points above the drop zone.


Fulham
Team Statistics
Burnley

3 Goals
0

2 1st Half Goals
0

8 Shots on Target
3

4 Shots off Target
8

5 Blocked Shots
0

6 Corners
2

13 Fouls
10

5 Offsides
3

1 Yellow Cards
0

0 Red Cards
0

75.8 Passing Success
75.8

34 Tackles
20

67.6 Tackles Success
70

49.8 Possession
50.2

51.5 Territorial Advantage
48.5




White Noise

http://goal.com/en/news/9/england/2010/02/09/1783919/fulham-3-0-burnley-ruthless-cottagers-down-toothless-clarets


Fulham 3-0 Burnley: Ruthless Cottagers Down Toothless Clarets


Cottagers earn comfortable victory...


By Tom Hird


Feb 9, 2010 9:50:00 PM

A display of attacking first half football earned Fulham a comfortable victory that sent Burnley to their 17th away defeat in succession.

The home side started the brightest with Simon Davies and Danny Murphy both going close. Swedish striker David Elm also produced a fine save from Burnley goalkeeper Brian Jensen.

The Cottagers eventually opened the scoring in controversial fashion. Nicky Shorey played the ball onto the head of Elm who flicked it on to Murphy and the ex-Liverpool man slotted home. Elm did, however, appear to be in an offside position much to Burnley's dismay.

Steven Fletcher then went down the other end and almost immediately levelled for the visitors, before Dickson Etuhu forced another good save out of Jensen with a shot from the edge of the area.

It was Fulham who scored again just after the half hour mark when Bobby Zamora found himself in space but after his shot was saved, Elm followed up to tap in the rebound with more suggestions of offside.

Tyrone Mears went close with a free-kick just before the break, but it was Zamora this time who effectively ended the contest just before the hour mark. His free-kick looked weak but somehow found its way past Jensen to put Fulham out of sight.

The away side struggled to create anything against a mean Fulham defence led by Brede Hangeland, and the game eventually fizzled out into a rather disappointing affair.

The Cottagers could, and perhaps should, have scored more goals, but they won't turn down what will probably be their most comfortable victory of the season.

White Noise

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11681_5929334,00.html

Hodgson hails performance


Cottagers boss delighted by comfortable win



Last updated: 10th February 2010   

Fulham manager Roy Hodgson was delighted with the way his side capped a busy week by claiming a comfortable 3-0 victory over Burnley.

The Cottagers made it seven points from nine and climbed to ninth in the Premier League table courtesy of strikes from Danny Murphy, David Elm and Bobby Zamora.

The hosts were rarely troubled by the Clarets and Hodgson felt they had fully deserved their win.

He said: "It's been a very good week and it was nice to crown it in a positive way.

"I thought we worked well from the first to the last minute and we were good value for our victory.

"With this game coming after a few where we were forced to ride our luck from time to time, it was nice to win in a very convincing manner."

Zamora and Simon Davies both made their returns to the side after illness and injury respectively, and Hodgson was full of praise for their contributions.

"When you have quality players like those two, you miss them when they are not playing.

"Getting Simon and Bobby back was really important and both of them did very well to last as long as they did.

"It was nice to be able to substitute them fairly early on as well and not push them to the limit."

White Noise

http://www.punchng.com/Articl.aspx?theartic=Art201002100292817

Eagles will perform in S'Africa – Etuhu


By 'Tana Aiyejina, Published: Wednesday, 10 Feb 2010


Fulham defensive midfielder Dickson Etuhu believes that the Super Eagles can post a good outing at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa, despite the team's unimpressive performance at the Angola 2010 Africa Cup of Nations in January.

The Eagles ended in third position at the biennial championship after they were eliminated in the semifinals by the Black Stars of Ghana. But Etuhu is optimistic about a better performance at the Mundial.

He said, "We can do better at the World Cup than we did in Angola because of the quality of players in the squad. Just like any other player, I am ready to give my best always if invited for the World Cup.

"We were favourites in Angola but we ended up in the third place. I still feel we had a great squad that could have reached the final and probably win the cup but that is over now and we have to prepare for the World Cup."

The player, who suffered a tooth problem during the tourney, is happy that he did not leave Angola empty-handed even if the Eagles failed to perform to expectations at the Africa Cup of Nations.

"I think I am very happy to have returned to England with a medal. This is my second Nations Cup and it's an improvement on our performance two years ago in Ghana when we lost to the Black Stars in the quarterfinals.

"I know there is a lot of disappointment back home because our fans expected us to win the trophy but football could be funny. We should have beaten Ghana in the semifinals but for ill luck. We had goods chances which we failed to convert into goals," Etuhu told our correspondent on the telephone on Monday.

The 27-year-old former Manchester City player, who was also eligible to play for England, made his international debut for Nigeria in 2007 in a friendly match against Mexico.


White Noise

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/157221/Laws-men-felled-by-towering-Elm-

LAWS MEN FELLED BY TOWERING ELM 



Wednesday February 10,2010


By Tony Banks


Fulham 3, Burnley 0


DAVID ELM added to Burnley's away disease last night, as he dismantled their dismal defence and plunged the Lancashire club deeper into relegation trouble.

It might be the Swedish version of the disease rather than the traditional Dutch with Elm, 27, a native of the Scandinavian country.

He made one goal and scored one on his full home debut for Fulham to begin putting down roots in English football in some style.

Elm, signed from Kalmar in September for just £500,000 and who still travels to training on the train, set up the first goal for Danny Murphy.

Then he neatly added the second himself and watched strike partner Bobby Zamora add to Burnley's misery with a third in the second half.

The last time Burnley won at Fulham was back in 1980, when a certain 18 year old named Brian Laws nabbed the opening goal in a 2-0 win in the old Third Division.

This time round the need for a win for the man now in charge was even more urgent.

Burnley tasted victory for the first time in five games under Laws when they beat West Ham at Turf Moor on Saturday, but they had not won on their travels all season in a dozen attempts.

Injury-hit Fulham boss Roy Hodgson has said he will be asking chairman Mohamed Al Fayed for some cash during the summer to prevent another backs-to-the-wall season like this.

At times he has seen his side robbed of as many as seven key players through injury. But his team at least put an end to a five-game losing streak last week in beating Portsmouth and went into last night's game unbeaten in their last two, keeping two clean sheets in the process.

Fulham went close early on as Damien Duff shot across the face of gaol, then Swedish beanpole Elm forced a fine diving save from Burnley keeper Brian Jensen.

But a minute later their persistence paid off.

Nicky Shorey's long cross from the left was neatly nodded down by Elm, and there was skipper Murphy racing into the area to pick up the ball and slot home for his sixth goal of the season after 23 minutes.

Steven Fletcher curled a 25-yard effort just wide as Laws' team tried to hit back.

Then Jensen saved his side again as he reacted superbly to tip Dickson Etuhu's blistering shot away one-handed. But the second goal arrived just after the half-hour. Chris Baird released Zamora, who looked suspiciously offside, to cut in and shoot.

Jensen managed to parry the ball, but could not hold on to it and there was Elm in the right place to tap in his first goal for the club.

It was all the more galling for Laws and Burnley, as Tyrone Mears' free-kick then shaved the angle of Fulham's post and bar as they desperately tried to get back into the match.

But Fulham almost added a third when Burnley once again failed to clear the ball and the alert Zamora picked up, made space and fired in a shot that Jensen tipped round the post.

It didn't matter, however. Burnley's defending was so woeful another chance was bound to come along.

It did, as Zamora was hauled down on the edge of the area. The Fulham striker picked himself up to take the free kick himself, and curl it with aplomb around a wretchedly placed wall and into the corner of the net.

And it was nearly four for rampant Fulham as the alert Jensen had to dive bravely at Zamora's feet to prevent the evening turning into a rout for Laws' men.

But Fulham, with Murphy running the show, were never in any danger of failing to take their unbeaten run to three games.

Burnley travel to Portugal for a mid-season break today. Let's hope its a better trip than the rest of their adventures this season.

Fulham (4-4-2): Schwarzer; Baird, Hughes, Hangeland, Shorey; Duff (Riise 77), Murphy, Etuhu, Davies (Greening 62); Zamora (Okaka 71), Elm. Booked: Etuhu. Goals: Murphy 23, Elm 31, Zamora 54.

Burnley (4-4-2): Jensen; Mears, Cort (Eagles 32), Carlisle, Fox; Elliott (Cork 56), McDonald, Bikey, Edgar; Nugent (Paterson 76), Fletcher.

Referee: S Bennett (Kent).

White Noise

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/10022010/58/premier-league-fulham-trounce-burnley.html

Premier League - Fulham trounce Burnley



Eurosport - Tue, 09 Feb 21:56:00 2010

Goals from Danny Murphy, Bobby Zamora and David Elm - his first for Fulham - saw off Burnley, who were outclassed as their hosts took seven points from three games since snapping a worrying losing streak.

After a 3-0 win over Manchester United and goalless draw with Tottenham were followed by five straight defeats, it seemed like the rails had come off for Roy Hodgson's side, with injuries to John Pantsil, Paul Konchesky, Clint Dempsey and Andy Johnson threatening to ruin their season.

But the loan signings of Nicky Shorey and Stefano Okaka have helped the Whites bounce back, with Swedish target man Elm adapting to the Premier League and left-back Shorey helping them regain their shape.

Elm was particularly impressive, with a goal and an assist in an all-round performance showcasing an impressive touch alongside his natural aerial ability.

Burnley, for all their neat passing and endeavour, lacked that cutting edge up front and were short of defensive organisation as they were cut apart at times.

A slow start by both sides reflected a lack of recent confidence compared to their early-season exploits, but with possession the name of their games they soon found passing grooves.

With ownership of the ball evenly-matched, Fulham's extra quality told as they created the better chances.

Brian Jensen saved well from Elm and Dickson Etuhu, Damien Duff somehow placed a cut-back to the edge of the box when clean through on the right and Simon Davies was just not quick enough for Duff's cross-shot, before scooping over later in the half.

Burnley were restricted to long-range efforts, Steven Fletcher firing wide twice, a 25-yard Danny Fox free-kick deflected harmlessly into Mark Schwarzer's arms and a Tyrone Mears effort from the same spot that fizzed just over.

The hosts took the lead on 23 minutes after a spell of pressure was rounded off by Murphy's low finish into the bottom right, fed by classic centre-forward play from Elm to control and lay-off Shorey's crossfield pass.

Elm doubled the hosts' lead eight minutes later with his first goal in a Fulham shirt, a tap-in from close range after Jensen could only parry Zamora's low drive.

There was a hint of offside about that goal, with Zamora marginal when he initially raced through down the right, although Fulham had a penalty appeal waved away when Duff's cross appeared to hit a Burnley defender on the arm.

The second half followed a similar pattern as Fulham, in control now, toyed with their opponents with some mesmerising passing.

Zamora missed one sitter, allowing Jensen to save from eight yards after a sweeping move down the right saw him played clean through.

But he made up for it with a 54th-minute free-kick placed low into the bottom left, exploiting a poorly-positioned wall and Jensen's lack of awareness of the gap.

Burnley battled gamely enough in an attempt to salvage some face, with Chris Eagles shooting just over and several deliveries from wide testing Schwarzer.

Fulham had another penalty appeal turned away by referee Chris Foy, the ball bouncing up against Edgar's arm after Duff fired a low shot in following a corner.

Substitute Okaka impressed on his introduction and the Italian should have hit a fourth to open his account at the Cottage, but a combination of hesitance to finish and a slide challenge from Clarke Carlisle were enough to allow Jensen to save.

Despite the match being effectively over from Zamora's strike, both sides pushed for more goals, with Okaka and Eagles both going close from the edge of the box.

The result means Fulham climb one point above Everton to ninth, although the Toffees have two games in hand, while the Clarets slip one place to 16th after Wigan drew with Stoke.

Reda Maher / Eurosport

White Noise

http://hammyend.com/?p=5332

Bobby boosts improving Fulham

by Dan on February 10, 2010

This was a lot more like it from Fulham. Bobby Zamora returned from being laid low with a virus to deliver the kind of display that makes him virtually unplayable and, even more pleasing, David Elm – who Roy Hodgson surprisingly preffered to Stefano Okaka up front – notched his first goal for the club. Burnley were obdurate and played some pretty football, particular in the first twenty minutes when the movement of Steven Fletcher and David Nugent posed problems for Fulham's back line but once Danny Murphy put the home side in front there was an assurance about their play.

The relative goal glut that ensured – Hodgson's side had mustered a grand total of five goals in their eight previous league encounters – lifted the doom and gloom that has been prevalent amongst Fulham fans lately. A dire injury crisis was supposed to rob the side of vigour and see Hodgson reevaluate his priorities. A series of away defeats could prompted a slide down the table that might see us scrapping for our lives again, according to the pessimists. Not so. Fulham have been steadily improving since the nervy win over Portsmouth and thoroughly deserved the three points, even if the margin of victory might have been a bit flattering by the end.

Credit to Brian Laws and Burnley, who didn't come to sit in and see what happened, preferring to go forward in search of their first away win of the season. They didn't create a great deal in the early stages but there were some ominous moments as both Hughes and Hangeland were forced into last ditch tackles. There was frustration at the other end as Damien Duff narrowly failed to find the returning Simon Davies, who provided plenty of penetration down the left, at the far post with a low cross. Elm almost opened his account with a curler from 20 yards, but Brian Jensen did well to smother the shot.

The distribution of Fulham's full backs was splendid throughout. Nicky Shorey continued his fine start to his Fulham career with a gloriously floated ball up to the towering Elm, who might have been offside, and the Swede's deft flick on found Danny Murphy. The Fulham captain was clinical from six yards, but the visitors could have been level only moments later when Fletcher's volley flew just past the junction of crossbar and post from outside the box.

Dickson Etuhu, who added plenty of bite to Fulham's midfield on his return starting line-up, tested Jensen's reflexes with a fierce shot from the edge of the area and Zamora went close to doubling the lead. The pressure paid soon afterwards, though when Chris Baird sent one of several searching balls into the inside right channel. Zamora pursued it gamely, cut inside his man and fired a shot towards goal. Jensen could only push it out and Elm had his first goal from a simple finish into six yards out.

Laws responded by bringing out Chris Eagles, who I had expected to see in the side from kick off, and Tyrone Mears served notice of Burnley's continued ambition when his free-kick clipped the top of the crossbar just before the break. Any question of a nervy second period with an awkward two-goal advantage, disappeared when Zamora, who had already drawn a top-drawer save from Jensen, drove a low free-kick into the corner t0 put the game beyond Burnley.

Stefano Okaka came on with victory assured and missed a couple of decent chances to open his Fulham account, although Burnley's Danish goalkeeper did well to save with his legs as the Italian striker bore down on goal. The press reports make a lot of Hodgson pledging 'to attack the FA Cup' this morning. That should make Sunday, with Sven-Goran Eriksson, Lee Hughes and Ade Akinbiyi travelling to the Cottage with Notts County, very interesting indeed.

FULHAM (4-4-2): Schwarzer, Baird, Shorey, Hughes, Hangeland; Etuhu, Murphy, D. Duff (Riise 77), Davies (Greening 62); Zamora (Okaka 71), Elm. Subs (not used): Zuberbuhler, Smalling, Kelly, Nevland.

BOOKED: Etuhu.

GOALS: Murphy (23), Elm (31), Zamora (54).

BURNLEY (4-4-2): Jensen; Mears, Cort (Eagles 32), Carlisle, Edgar; Elliott (Cork 56), McDonald, Bikey, Fox; Fletcher, Nugent (Paterson 76). Subs (not used): Weaver, M. Duff, Blake, Thompson.

REFEREE: Steve Bennett (Orpington).

ATTENDANCE: 23,005


White Noise

http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/london-sport/fulham-fc/2010/02/10/brede-backs-fulham-ace-to-build-on-first-goal-82029-25804127/


Brede backs Fulham ace to build on first goal



Feb 10 2010 By Yann Tear



BREDE Hangeland has given a big thumbs up to fellow Scandinavian David Elm after the striker bagged his first goal for Fulham in Tuesday night's canter to victory over Burnley.

Elm, who has had to bide his time waiting for a chance to shine at Craven Cottage, headed a Nicky Shorey cross smartly down for Danny Murphy to open the scoring on 23 minutes.

Eight minutes later, the Swede was on hand to tuck home a rebound after keeper Brian Jensen had spilled a Bobby Zamora shot.

"I thought David Elm was outstanding," Hangeland said.

"No-one knows him and he hasn't really played a lot at this level, but he really showed that he can play and all credit to him.

"He's got that nice Scandinavian mentality where he comes to a club and sees that he has to work really hard to get to the right level and that's what he's done.

"He's worked hard in the gym and worked hard in every session and it paid off. I'm delighted for him."

Fulham added a third goal after 54 minutes through Bobby Zamora and always looked in control against a team with only a single point away from home all season.

"In the end it was comfortable, but it never feels totally comfortable when you play a Premier League game," Hangeland said. "It always takes a lot of hard work to put yourself in that position.

"But I felt we were back to somewhere near our best and it was very nice to get a good performance and a good win.

"Even though we beat Portsmouth and got a draw against Bolton, we didn't play well, but against Burnley we played well and deserved to win."

White Noise

http://www.burnley.vitalfootball.co.uk/matchrep.asp?a=187768

Fulham 3 - Burnley 0


Craven Cottage

Tuesday 9th February 2010 @8pm Kick-Off

Attendance: 23,005





New Lows in Fulham Debacle

A few weeks ago we went down to Manchester United at Old Trafford 3-0. This was Brian Laws first game in charge and despite the defeat there were a number of positives to take from the match and we received a number of plaudits. The criticism was that we didn`t take our chances and Laws admitted himself that at times we were a little 'Gung-Ho` and had to tighten up in defence.

Well against Fulham at Craven Cottage last night we lost 3-0 again and the problem this time was that we didn`t create ANY chances and were in fact more 'dung-ho` than 'gung-ho` This match would be my candidate by far as our worst performance on the road in the Premier League this season even beating the recent frustrating game at the Reebok against Susan Boyle`s Bolton. We were woeful in defence, clueless in midfield and may as well have played 4-6-0 such was the ineffectiveness of both Fletcher and Nugent. This is simply not good enough and was so disappointing after the highs against West Ham on Saturday. We simply can`t string two good games together and you have to go back to August before we had back-to-back League wins (against Manchester United and Everton at Turf Moor). Disappointing is just one word but there are numerous other D words you could take from this mauling. Dross, dire, dreadful, diabolical, disaster...but you get the idea with that!

If this was a battle of tactical wits, Roy Hodgson had done his homework better than Laws. He certainly got his side to stifle any chances we tried to create with everything it seemed snuffed out by their defence. It looked like our only option was to shoot from distance and those attempts were few and far between and I don`t recall their keeper being properly tested all night. Things were not much better at the other end with Edgar in particular looking exposed at left back and Jensen having a poor night. The Beast seemed at fault with all the goals and had problems communicating with the back-four at times. It probably didn`t help also losing Cort to injury in the first half after just 32 minutes although that did allow Fox to go back into his more familiar left back position with Edgar now playing in the centre of defence. Eagles came on to replace Cort but again he seemed subdued and ineffective.

Our best spell if that`s what you can call it was probably the opening few minutes of the match when we seemed to have most of the possession but could not make any of it tell. Two Fulham goals in eight minutes virtually killed off our chances though when first Murphy put the Cottagers ahead on 23 minutes before Elm doubled their lead on 31 minutes. There was a suspicion of offside for both goals but Fulham deserved to be ahead based on our lacklustre performance.

In the second-half Fulham killed off the game when pesky Zamora scored their third goal from a direct free kick after 54 minutes

The defeat at Fulham means we drop one place to 16th but we could find ourselves back in the relegation zone tonight with Bolton and Portsmouth if both West Ham and Wolves win their home games against Birmingham and Spurs respectively. We now have a break until the 21st February with the FA Cup fifth round ties being played next Saturday and Laws is taking his squad to sunny climes for some team-bonding and training in Portugal. He will certainly need to shake them up after this very poor performance considering our next game is against Aston Villa at Villa Park. Villa currently in 7th spot are chasing a Top 4 finish and make no mistake about it, if we play against them like we did against Fulham we will be absolutely massacred.

The Clarets Team Sheet

Brian Laws according to Owls fans had a reputation at Sheffield Wednesday for selecting players out of their normal positions; he seems to be continuing that tradition with the Clarets! Danny Fox had been brought in we thought to tighten up our defence at left-back whereas David Edgar is more renown for being a centre back. It was perhaps surprising therefore that Laws decided to play Edgar at left-back a role he has played a couple of the times for the Clarets recently but play Fox in front of him on the left side of midfield. This was the only change Laws made to the eighteen he selected for our previous game against West Ham at Turf Moor last Saturday. Robbie Blake was the unfortunate casualty of the change and was dropped back to the bench. Chelsea loan midfielder, Jack Cork also had to be content with a place on the bench for his second game since arriving in the January window.

The line-up in summary was as follows:

Jensen, Mears, Carlisle, Cort, Edgar, Bikey, Elliott. McDonald, Fox, Nugent, Fletcher.

Subs: Weaver, Duff, Eagles, Cork, Blake, Thompson, Paterson

The Full Match Report

(to follow)

Match Detail

Fulham: Schwarzer, Baird, Hughes, Hangeland, Shorey, Duff (Riise 77), Murphy, Etuhu, Davies (Greening 62), Elm, Zamora (Okaka 71.

Subs Not Used: Kelly, Nevland, Smalling, Zuberbuhler.

Goals: Murphy 23 Elm 31 Zamora 54

Booked: Yellow Card for Etuhu

Burnley: Jensen, Mears, Carlisle, Cort (Eagles 32), Edgar, Bikey, Elliott (Cork 56). McDonald, Fox, Nugent (Paterson 76), Fletcher.

Subs Not Used: Subs: Weaver, Duff, Blake, Thompson

Booked: 0

Possession: Fulham 54% Burnley 46% (Source: BBC Sport)

Referee: Steve Bennett (Kent)

Star Player

There were definitely no stars in this game. A very poor performance in all departments makes it difficult to pick out the best player.

Just as nobody was rated below 7 in our last game, in this match nobody would be rated above 6 in my opinion

Andre Bikey had his moments but then faded and the only bright spark was really Jack Cork, our new loan midfielder from Chelsea. He came on from the bench to make his Clarets debut in the 56th minute to replace a woeful Elliott and looked both lively and determined. He was not on the pitch long enough really to give a full assessment but in the absence of anybody else shining enough to deserve our star player award, we give the honour to Jack!

There was only one star performer on the night and that was our away support. Only Clarets fans could shout 'Brian Laws Claret & Blue Army` continually for almost 50 minutes in the second half just before and after going 3-0 down. The din was immense. I had to leave a few minutes early to catch a train back and I could hear the resonant Clarets fans for a full three minutes at least walking away from the ground. Proud to be a Claret but these away defeats have to stop.