Monday Fulham Stuff (21.02.11)

[White Noise]

Fulham 0-1 Bolton: Daily Mirror match report

Published 22:30 20/02/11


By Darren Lewis



They promised so much after their stunning FA Cup demolition of Spurs last month.

But Fulham's season is now over courtesy of Ivan Klasnic's 20th-minute strike and their failure to break down a superbly-drilled Bolton side.

By this stage last season the west Londoners had performed magnificently to reach the quarter-finals of this competition and the Final of the Europa League.

This year, however, there is a feeling of anti-climax around Craven Cottage as the players, fans and Mark Hughes concentrate on the league and rue the poor display of referee Stuart Attwell.

 
The rookie ref, 28, still appears not to know what consitutes a foul, angering the home crowd with some extremely poor decision making.

The Warwickshire official failed to penalise the likes of David Wheater for blatant shirt-pulling on Moussa Dembele on the half hour.

He failed to penalise Bolton defender Gary Cahill for his rough-house handling of Dembele on the stroke of half time.

He decided against producing a card on the hour when Paul Robinson went clattering into Clint Dempsey.

And there was no foul given five minutes from time when David Wheater decided to get a piggy-back off sub Bobby Zamora while the England striker was a bit busy trying to set up Andy Johnson.

There were many more examples of the referee's ineptitute and, as impressive as Bolton were - five clean sheets in their last six - Attwell was poor.

Hughes, who had been confident of going all the way with his side, was understandably not happy.

The Welshman said later: "There were a couple of situations where you think: 'The referee needs to make a positive decision' and just waving your hands and saying 'Play on' at times can be a cop-out.

"You've got to be able to be strong enough to make decisions when they are needed.

"I just felt there were certain situations where he was saying he was playing the advantage. But in and around the opposition box you don't want the advantage.

"You want free-kicks and set-plays which we didnt seem to get. We had very few in the first half.

"Second half there were a few decisions that we probably disagreed with and that I found difficult to understand.

"But its always a dangerous thing to talk about referees when you've just got beaten in a cup competition because it smacks of sour grapes. So I dont really want to go down there."

Talk to any Fulham fan today and they WILL go there. But they will hopefully be gracious enough also to acknowledge that Bolton did extremely well in the face of a sustained rally from the home side.

Owen Coyle deserves credit not only for taking Bolton up the table but also for changing the image of a club from that of a long ball outfit to one with the guile to unlock defences combined with the defensive steel to keep clean sheets.

Chelsea decided against moving for centre-half Gary Cahill last month but the Sheffield-born 25-year-old is quality and is surely destined for bigger things on the evidence of his performances this season.

It was Man of the Match Cahill's block Dempsey with just two minutes to go that prevented the striker from snatching a last-gasp equaliser from close range.

Alongside him Wheater may have had his moments but he too looks a canny acquisition for Coyle and, despite Birmingham's decent home record in the league and in the cups, Bolton can go there with a great deal of confidence.

Especially when you consider this win was achieved without cup-tied, red-hot, Chelsea loanee Daniel Sturridge or leading scorer Johan Elmander.

Fulham had a great chance to go ahead after just four minutes when Dembele found himself clean through only to allow Bolton keeper Adam Bogdan to save with his feet.

Ivan Klasnic showed him how it was done on 20 minutes when Fulham defenders Aaron Hughes and Brede Hangeland failed to clear.

The Croatian marksman, who only this weekend received confirmation that rape charges against him have been dropped, celebrated with his second goal in two games following his winner against Wigan in midweek.

After that Fulham huffed and puffed but they could never quite blow Bolton's house down.

Indeed it was the Cottagers who actually had the best chance to win it with 25minutes to go as Martin Petrov and Kevin Davies found themselves two against one with Hangeland.

Davies' failure to pull the trigger when Petrov squared it to him owed much to the determination of Chris Baird who came storming back to worry the striker out of it.

Fulham will take consolation from the return of Zamora, who held the ball up well after his re-introduction after six months out and was unlucky to see a late effort scorch over the crossbar.

But this was Bolton's day. Birmingham are in for one hell of a game at St Andrews.



Read more: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Fulham-0-1-Bolton-Daily-Mirror-match-report-Cottagers-season-over-courtesy-of-Ivan-Klasnic-s-20th-minute-strike-article703115.html#ixzz1EXkYkohY

[White Noise]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/feb/20/fulham-bolton-wanderers-fa-cup

Ivan Klasnic keeps Bolton in the FA Cup as Fulham miss out again

Fulham 0 
Bolton Wanderers 1 Klasnic 19

Nick Szczepanik at Craven Cottage


guardian.co.uk, Sunday 20 February 2011 17.32 GMT



Ivan Klasnic celebrates scoring another FA Cup winner for Bolton Wanderers. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images

Bobby Zamora returned to the Fulham first team on Sunday after five months absent through injury, but the England striker was upstaged by Bolton Wanderers' bit-part player Ivan Klasnic.

The Croatia forward, who learned last week that he will not face charges over an alleged rape in Manchester city centre last October, volleyed home in the 19th minute to send Bolton through to the FA Cup sixth round for the first time since 2005.

Klasnic has not started a Premier League game this season, but he also netted the winner against Wigan Athletic in a fourth-round replay last Wednesday, and Owen Coyle, the Bolton manager, hopes there will be more to come.

"We were delighted to find out there was no case to answer," Coyle said. "Ivan was in a bad position, and the football club, but we could not really say anything. But we knew from the outset that he did nothing wrong. A lot of people [in Croatia] looked up to Ivan and it was horrible for them to read that, particularly when he was totally innocent. We are glad that it's away and hopefully we can see the best of Ivan in the run-in."

Zamora, who broke his leg and damaged ankle ligaments in a match against Wolverhampton Wanderers on 11 September last year, took the field as a substitute after 67 minutes, but was unable to inspire Fulham, who barely troubled Adam Bogdan, the Bolton goalkeeper.

It was only Fulham's second defeat in 10 games, but for Mark Hughes, their manager, who was linked in a Sunday paper with a possible vacancy at Chelsea, it was little consolation that his side had remained in the FA Cup a day longer than their west London neighbours.

"If we take positives, the appearance of Bobby Zamora was huge for us," he said. "Everybody saw what ability he has got and what we have lacked this year at times, that focal point and big physical presence up there. He is going to give us that between now and the end of the year, so we pick ourselves up and we carry on. We won't be affected confidence-wise by this because we are playing well."

Bolton overcame injuries that restricted them to six substitutes and forced Paul Robinson to play out of position at right back, but Fulham should have taken the lead before they settled. Instead, Moussa Dembélé hit his shot at Bogdan with most of the net at his mercy.

Fulham paid when Aaron Hughes and Brede Hangeland both failed to clear Fabrice Muamba's low cross from the right and Klasnic volleyed past Mark Schwarzer from 12 yards – the first goal Fulham had conceded in five home games.

Fulham tried to hit back, but could not find the final pass that would unlock the Bolton defence. "They got lots of bodies behind the ball and made key tackles, good challenges, and we found it difficult to break them down," Hughes said.

Bolton came closer to doubling their lead than Fulham did to equalising. Muamba's shot drifted inches wide, Chris Baird took the ball off the toes of Kevin Davies, and Schwarzer saved Martin Petrov's angled shot. Baird was lucky still to be on the pitch after appearing to strike Petrov off the ball.

Zamora finally brought the crowd to its feet with a late shot on the turn that cleared the crossbar, but Bolton were worth their victory. "I don't recall too many clear-cut chances where Fulham could have scored," Coyle said. "I don't think there's any doubt that we deserved to win."

[White Noise]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/fa-cup/8332395/Fulham-0-Bolton-Wanderers-1-match-report.html


Fulham 0 Bolton Wanderers 1: match report

Read a full match report of the FA Cup game between Fulham and Bolton Wanderers at Craven Cottage on Sunday Feb 20 2011.


By John Ley 5:00PM GMT 20 Feb 2011


Ivan Klasnic claimed the winning goal for Bolton Wanderers in an FA Cup tie for the second game in succession at Craven Cottage.

The Croatian stole what proved to be the winner early in the first half. Even the long-awaited return of Bobby Zamora could not help Fulham.

Both teams had threatened to score before Klasnic gave Bolton a 19th minute advantage, Fulham, with Zamora on the bench for the first time since breaking his leg in September, were first to make a mark when Clint Dempsey's flick on allowed Moussa Dembele a chance but he shot against the legs of goalkeeper Adam Bogdan.

Bolton responded when Stuart Holden should have done better with a wayward left-foot drive. But they quickly made amends when Fulham failed to clear Fabrice Muamba's attempt and the ball fell to Chung-Yong Lee.

Both Aaron Hughes and Brede Hangeland failed to clear his cross and the Croatian responded with his second goal in five days.

Bolton went into the tie with three wins from their last four games and with four clean sheets in their previous five.

Shortly before the interval Fulham threatened again, Dempsey's raking shot flying wide of the left post and Andy Johnson saw an offering blocked by the Bolton defence.

Young referee Stuart Attwell had incurred the wrath of the crowd for failing to protect Dembele.

And early in the second half the game threatened to get out of hand when Martin Petrov went down under a challenge from Chris Baird and the Fulham defender was furious at the player's reaction and the pair exchanged slaps, with both receiving cautions.

But soon afterwards, Bolton's Paul Robinson was lucky to escape punishment when he clattered into Dempsey before Gary Cahill pushed Andy Johnson and the defender also avoided any punishment.

And Bolton could have sewn the tie up in the 65th minute when they counter-attacked with Petrov attempting to feed Kevin Davies but Baird made a timely intervention.

Zamora was introduced in the 67th minute, but Bolton threatened again with Mark Schwarzer making a telling save to deny Klasnic another goal.

Robinson did receive a yellow card, for a foul on Danny Murphy, whose resultant free-kick flew just over the cross bar.

But at the other end Bolton continued to suggest they would score again with Schwarzer saving well from Petrov.

Before the end Dempsey went close to securing an equaliser and the American should have done better with a late header, from Murphy's corner, which sailed over the bar.

[cutbushcitylimits]

Think the mirror have got it spot on with that report........so disappointed with the result but fair play to bolton,i thought they done well today.


That ref however should be struck off......absolutely shocking, i have never seen a ref go to the bench to explain why he didnt call a blatent foul and whilst doing it added 3mins e/t!!!!!

[White Noise]

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fa-league-cups/fulham-left-fuming-after-klasnics-strike-snatches-victory-for-aggressive-bolton-2220689.html


Fulham left fuming after Klasnic's strike snatches victory for aggressive Bolton


Fulham 0 Bolton Wanderers 1

By Arindam Rej at Craven Cottage


Monday, 21 February 2011


Ivan Klasnic scored his second FA Cup match-winning goal in four days


They lunged, they blocked and they conquered. Bolton Wanderers' destructive gameplan will not win them many prizes for aesthetic merit but it took them into the FA Cup quarter-finals, with a little bit of help from lenient referee Stuart Attwell.

In fairness to Bolton, they have a new-found flexibility in their play under Owen Coyle, which ensures they pass prettily on the break. But this victory was all about toughness, stopping the opposition from playing and breaking up the flow of the game. It was admirably defiant defending, by fair means or foul.

Ultimately Ivan Klasnic's 19th-minute goal made the difference. It was the Croatian's second FA Cup match-winning goal in four days, a commendable feat considering his off-field difficulties with rape allegations, which have been dropped.

"We knew that there was nothing to them," said Bolton manager Coyle. "It's been a hard time for his family. I'm delighted he scored. He's a natural goal-scorer."

Once that went in, Bolton succeeded in aggravating Fulham, throwing the home side out of their stride. Early in the second half, Martin Petrov had even provoked Chris Baird into slapping him in the face when angry words were exchanged following the Bolton midfielder's subtle hit on the Northern Irishman. Good job for both players that Attwell noticed neither the initial incident nor Baird's raised hand.

Emotions had already been simmering long before then, though. Shortly before half-time, Fulham's frustrations were unleashed on the touchline when Mousa Dembélé had his shirt pulled by David Wheater. When it was not spotted, Fulham manager Mark Hughes and his coaching staff went, frankly, ballistic.

"Disappointment is over-flowing," said Hughes. "There were decisions that I did not understand, but it's dangerous to talk about referees so I'm not going to go down that route."

Long balls and flick-ons had been the favoured method of attack for both sides in the early stages on a bobbly surface. When Bolton finally showed some of the neat passing that their attackers are capable of, they opened the scoring. Chung-Yong Lee and Klasnic exchanged passes alertly. The ball eventually found its way out to Fabrice Muamba and his diagonal cross from the right was only partially cleared by Brede Hangeland. The loose ball fell to Klasnic, who drove in from 15 yards.

Hughes's men worked hard to carve out openings, but the more that Fulham tried to play football, the more hard-nosed Bolton became.

Fulham wasted little time in trying to take the game to Bolton in the second half, pressing high up the field. Dembélé charged forward impressively twice, but on both occasions, his shooting let him down. Bolton were soon up to their usual tricks though, Muamba scything down Dembélé, prompting Attwell to finally show a yellow card.

In a rare moment of calm, Baird supplied Steve Sidwell, on the edge of the 18-yard area in the 55th minute, but the midfielder's low shot went wide. But it was not long before tempers were lost again with the fall-out between Baird and Petrov, culminating in both being booked.

The Fulham fans' irritation was quelled by the return of Bobby Zamora from injury as he came on as a 67th-minute substitute. They were nearly silenced again when Petrov came close for Bolton as Mark Schwarzer was forced into a save. Fulham also had chances late on; Dembélé mis-hit a shot, Clint Dempsey headed high and Zamora also hoisted an attempt over as Coyle's men held firm to ensure a visit to Birmingham in the last eight.

Subs: Fulham Zamora 6 (Gera, 67). Unused Stockdale (gk), Kelly, Pantsil, Etuhu, Greening, Kamara. Bolton Elmander (Klasnic, 79). Unused Jaaskelainen (gk), Taylor, Cohen, Moreno, Blake. Booked: Fulham Baird. Bolton Robinson, Muamba, Holden, Petrov.

Man of the match Muamba Match rating 6/10. Possession Fulham 51% Bolton 49%.

Attempts on target Fulham 7 Bolton 3.

Ref S Attwell (Warwickshire). Att 19,571.

[White Noise]

FULHAM 0 - BOLTON 1: IVAN KLASNIC IS IN THE CLEAR 

Owen Coyle said he was hoping Croatia striker Ivan Klasnic would finally show his true ability

Monday February 21,2011


By Gideon Brooks


Fulham 0 - Bolton 1


BOLTON manager Owen Coyle said he was hoping Croatia striker Ivan Klasnic would finally be able to show his true ability in the season's run-in after he capped a big week with his second FA Cup winner.

Just five days after his solitary goal proved the difference between Bolton and Wigan in the fourth-round replay at a near empty DW Stadium, Klasnic again was the difference at Craven Cottage against Fulham with a first-half winner.

However, it was news received by Klasnic last week that he had no case to answer over an allegation of rape, made by a 17-year-old girl in October last year, that has been the biggest weight off his shoulders.

And it was that, rather than his sharpness in front of goal, that had Coyle hoping for big things from now until the end of the season.

"First and foremost we were delighted to be told during the week that there was no case to answer, something we always knew," said Coyle. "Ivan was in a bad position, but we knew from the outset that he had done nothing wrong.

"He has tried to deal with it with a smile on his face, but there is no doubting from a family perspective he felt that they have been hurt more than anything. We are just glad it's gone away and hopefully we can see the best of Ivan in the run-in."

Klasnic's goal, after 19 minutes of a match well-contested and entertaining throughout, earned Bolton a quarter-final tie against Birmingham on the weekend of March 12-13. Coyle versus Alex McLeish, his manager when he was a striker at Motherwell, will be an interesting affair on two counts, with Birmingham proving difficult to beat in cups and Bolton looking like FA Cup dark horses.

In a match not overflowing with great chances, Klasnic did well to react quickly when his came along. He swung a left foot to beat Mark Schwarzer from 12 yards out, after he had only half-cleared Fabrice Muamba's cross from the right. Bolton then defended what they had in the face of growing pressure from Fulham, with Gary Cahill outstanding at the heart of the visitors' back line.

Kevin Davies and Martin Petrov should both have settled things for Bolton, but failed to take their chances.

At the other end, Fulham went close but never really troubled goalkeeper Adam Bogdan.

Aside from Moussa Dembele, who should have scored early in the first half but scuffed his shot when clean through, their chances were all half ones. Clint Dempsey had three late efforts but put one wide, another over and a third was smothered by Cahill.

For all that, Mark Hughes criticised referee Stuart Attwell afterwards.

"You need the referee to make positive decisions and just waving your hands and saying play on at times can be a bit of a cop out," he said.

But he added: "I don't really want to go down the route of criticising the referee when we've just lost in a cup competition. That smacks of sour grapes."

Where some saw dark clouds, Hughes – whose side travelled to the Algarve for a week's break last night – could see only a silver lining in the return from five months out of striker Bobby Zamora following a broken leg.

He has come through two reserve matches and came on as a substitute after 68 minutes, seeing one shot on the turn flash narrowly over in the final minute.

Fulham (4-4-1-1): Schwarzer; Baird, Hughes, Hangeland, Salcido; Gera (Zamora 68), Murphy, Sidwell, Dempsey; Demebele; Johnson. Booked: Baird.

Bolton (4-4-1-1): Bogdan; Robinson, Cahill, Wheater, Alonso; Lee, Muamba, Holden, Petrov; Davies; Klasnic (Elmander 79). Booked: Muamba, Robinson, Petrov, Holden. Goal: Klasnic 19.

Referee: S Attwell (Warwickshire).



Read more: http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/230315/Fulham-0-Bolton-1-Ivan-Klasnic-is-in-the-clear/Fulham-0-Bolton-1-Ivan-Klasnic-is-in-the-clear#ixzz1EaJZ5Ogk

[White Noise]

Fulham 0 Bolton 1: Nightmare over for Klasnic as he scores second winner in a week

By Laura Williamson


Last updated at 7:38 AM on 21st February 2011


Ivan Klasnic scored Bolton Wanderers' FA Cup winner for the second round in succession as Owen Coyle's side saw off Fulham to reach the quarter-finals.

The Croatian international netted the only goal in Bolton's fourth-round replay against Wigan on Wednesday night and his 19th-minute strike proved decisive again yesterday. It was the perfect end to a week when Klasnic, 30, saw an off-field nightmare brought to an end.

Klasnic was arrested in October after a 17-year-old claimed she had been attacked in a Manchester apartment, but all allegations were dropped this week.


Two in two: Ivan Klasnic (centre) celebrates the winner

Bolton boss Coyle said: 'We knew from the outset that he did nothing wrong. But the thing about it is in terms of his fan base in Germany and Croatia, a lot of people looked up to Ivan and it was horrible for them to read that, particularly when he was totally innocent.'

Fulham manager Mark Hughes, a four-time FA Cup winner with Manchester United and Chelsea, was left to lament an opportunity missed yesterday, particularly as his side were unbeaten at Craven Cottage in 2011 before yesterday's match.

The Welshman criticised referee Stuart Attwell after venting his frustration at an incident in first-half stoppage time. Gary Cahill and David Wheater muscled in on Moussa Dembele, pulling the Belgian's shirt, but Attwell let play continue.


On target: Klasnic scored in the first half with a 10-yard volley

But Bolton could point to missed opportunities, too. Kevin Davies was unlucky a push by Salcido in the area just after the re-start went unnoticed. Chris Baird might also have seen red and not yellow for shoving Martin Petrov. The Bulgarian responded and was also booked.

Hughes said: 'There were a couple of occasions where you want the referee to make a decision. You've got to be strong enough to make those decisions.'

MATCH FACTS

Fulham (4-4-2): Schwarzer 6, Baird 6,
Hughes 5, Hangeland 6, Salcido 5; Gera 6 (Zamora 68min, 7), Sidwell 6, Murphy 6, Dempsey 7; Johnson 6, Dembele 7.
Subs not used: Stockdale, Kelly, Pantsil,
Kamara, Etuhu, Greening. Booked: Baird.

Bolton (4-4-2): Bogda 6; Robinson 6,
Cahill 8, Wheater 7, Alonso 6; Lee 5,
Muamba 6, Holden 6, Petrov 5; Klasnic 7
(Elmander 79), Davies 7.
Subs not used: Jaaskelainen, Taylor,
Moreno, Blake, Cohen. Booked: Muamba, Petrov, Robinson, Holden.

Man of the match: Gary Cahill.

Referee: Stuart Attwell 3.

Attwell's apparent lack of control over this absorbing physical contest should not detract from Bolton's impressive performance.

Fulham's front two - Dembele and Andrew Johnson - certainly did not appreciate the close attentions of Cahill and Wheater, who were excellent. At the other end, Davies and Klasnic provided a constant threat.

Bolton, who will face Birmingham in the quarter-finals, were clinical where Fulham floundered. The hosts had seen Dembele scuff a left-foot shot and Johnson just missed a delightful ball from Zoltan Gera. But Klasnic pounced when Aaron Hughes and Brede Hangeland failed to clear Fabrice Muamba's cross.

Fulham were buoyed by the return of Bobby Zamora, making his first appearance as a 68th minute sub since breaking a leg on September 11.

But it was Bolton who had the best chance to seal the tie after 73 minutes when Davies found Petrov, unmarked, on the left side of the area but he failed to capitalise.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1358942/Fulham-0-Bolton-1-Nightmare-Bolton-hero-Klasnic-scores-second-winner-week.html#ixzz1EaK34tuq

[White Noise]

http://swsix.blogspot.com/2011/02/90-minutes-of-mourning.html

Monday, 21 February 2011



90 Minutes Of Mourning


Just got back from a funeral. It was a sad day. The departed was the once beautiful game of football. The pall-bearers were Bolton Wanderers FC. The service was conducted by the Reverend Stuart Atwell.

Many of us witnessed the murder, watched the agonising death drawn-out over several seasons. The police may be getting involved. The F.A. are not helping them with their enquiries.

[White Noise]

http://www.theboltonnews.co.uk/sport/wanderers/wanderersnews/8864959.Fulham_boss_hits_out_at_ref_Attwell/

Fulham boss hits out at ref Attwell

8:30am Monday 21st February 2011



MARK Hughes was critical of referee Stuart Attwell after seeing his side crash out of the FA Cup to Wanderers.

The Fulham boss felt Bolton's fifth-round victory at Craven Cottage was not without its controversies.

Tempers boiled over in the second half with an off-the-ball clash between Chris Baird and Martin Petrov.

Both men were fortunate to only be booked as Petrov appeared to catch Baird with a flailing arm and the Fulham defender responded by shoving the Bolton winger in the face.

And the former Manchester City boss was not happy with Attwell.

"There were a couple of situations where you think the referee needs to make a positive decision and just waving your arms for an advantage can be a cop-out," said Hughes.

"In and around the box you don't particularly want advantage. You want free-kicks and set-plays, which we didn't seem to get.

"In the second half, there were a few decisions we found difficult to understand."

Fulham were at least able to cheer the return to action of striker Bobby Zamora, who came off the bench after five months out with a broken leg.

"If we take the positives, the appearance of Bobby Zamora was huge for us and everybody saw what talent he has and what we have missed this year," Hughes added.

Hughes also felt his side's defenders could have done more to prevent the game's winner, scored by Ivan Klasnic.

"I thought we had opportunities to clear before the lad was able to convert the chance," he said.

"Then Bolton, as the away side and one-nil to the good, were always going to defend that lead with their lives.

"And credit to them, they got a lot of men behind the ball, made some key tackles and good challenges and we found it difficult to break them down."

[White Noise]

http://www.kickoff.com/news/20378/kagisho-dikgacoi-happy-with-crystal-palace-debut.php

Dikgacoi looks to tackle Mokoena next

Posted: 2011-02-21 10:19

Bafana Bafana midfielder Kagisho Dikgacoi is excited after playing the full 90 minutes, making his debut for Crystal Palace in the English Championship against Sheffield United played at Selhurst Park on Saturday. 

Speaking with KickOff.com from England, Dikgacoi says his new coach at Crystal Palace was impressed with his performance after their 1-0 win.

"I was happy to play 90 minutes in a competitive game after such a long time. I also spoke to the coach after the game and he said he was impressed with my performance. I hope to continue where I left off on Saturday so as to regain full fitness and keep my place in the starting line-up."

Crystal Palace take on Portsmouth in their next League game on Tuesday and Dikgacoi is excited about the prospect of coming face-to-face with his Bafana Bafana captain Aaron Mokoena in that encounter.

"During a Premiership match last season Mbazo was injured and so this will be my first time that I will be playing against him since moving to England."


Ernest Fakude

[White Noise]

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11681_6769300,00.html


Defeat frustrates Hughes

Fulham boss questions referee's decision making after cup exit



Last updated: 20th February 2011

   

Boss Mark Hughes accepts Fulham's FA Cup defeat to Bolton but was critical of referee Stuart Attwell's performance.

Ivan Klasnic's first-half strike secured a 1-0 win for the visitors as Fulham struggled to break down a resilient defensive display from the Trotters.

Hughes was disappointed his side failed to clear before the Croat volleyed in, but praised Owen Coyle's men for seeing out the fifth-round win.

"I thought we had opportunities to clear before the lad was able to convert the chance," Hughes told Sky Sports.

"Then Bolton, as the away side and one-nil to the good, were always going to defend that lead with their lives.

"And credit to them, they got a lot of men behind the ball, made some key tackles, and good challenges and we found it difficult to break them down."

Decisions
An ugly off-the-ball clash between Fulham's Chris Baird and Bolton's Martin Petrov threatened to mar an entertaining cup-tie.

Both men were fortunate to only be booked as Petrov appeared to catch Baird with a flailing arm and the Cottager responded by shoving the Bolton winger in the face.

Hughes, miffed at Attwell's decision making particularly when determining advantages, was critical of the referee's performance after a frustrating evening.

He said: "There were a couple of situations where you think the referee needs to make a positive decision and just waving your arms for an advantage can be a cop-out," said Hughes.

"In and around the box you don't particularly want advantage. You want free-kicks and set-plays, which we didn't seem to get.

"In the second half, there were a few decisions we found difficult to understand."

[White Noise]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/fa_cup/9403131.stm


Fulham boss Mark Hughes annoyed by FA Cup decisions  



Hughes was left frustrated by Attwell

Fulham manager Mark Hughes said he was left "frustrated" by the officials as his side were knocked out of the FA Cup following a 1-0 loss to Bolton.

Ivan Klasnic's goal in the first half proved enough to put Bolton through to last-eight tie at Birmingham.

"Bolton went ahead, then they got people behind the ball," said Hughes.

"We were frustrated with the officials. I don't think they got enough decisions right during the match but that was the same for both teams."

One incident in the first-half saw both Hughes, his staff and the home support vent their fury at referee Stuart Attwell for not taking action against Bolton's defenders, who appeared to pull back forward Moussa Dembele on the edge of the area.

Hughes added: "We questioned a number of those situations and on this occasion the ref said he was playing the advantage. It was on the edge of the area so we would rather have had a free-kick."

We'll field a attacking line-up at Birmingham because we want to win

Bolton boss Owen Coyle
The Welshman, who won the FA Cup on four occasions as a player, said his side lacked invention in the attacking third.

"Bolton have good competitors everywhere - they were able to keep us out," he continued.

"We dominated after the break and it was one-way traffic. We needed poise and guile in the last third."

Hughes also welcomed the return of striker Bobby Zamora, who returned to first team action in the second half having been out since September with a broken leg.

"That was a huge positive and everybody saw, in the short time he was on, what we've missed. He gives the team the ability to keep the ball high up the field of play and in coming weeks he will be vitally important."

Meanwhile, Bolton boss Owen Coyle praised his goalscorer Klasnic, who struck his second in a week, and said he was looking forward to the quarter-final match at Birmingham.

"Klasnic is terrific goalscorer. He missed pre-season and then suffered an injury. But he's back to the Klasnic we know and love. He could have had another but Mark Schwarzer made a great save.

"We've been to Wigan and Fulham and won those cup-ties. We'll do everything in our power to reach the semis.

"We'll field a attacking line-up at Birmingham because we want to win."

[White Noise]

http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2011/02/20/fulham-0-1-bolton/

Fulham 0-1 Bolton

Filed under: Match reports — rich @ 6:59 pm

Bah.  Never really looked like winning.   Never mind parking the bus, Bolton parked an armoured tank in front of their goal and we had no way round, through or over it.

The match's big moment was Ivan Klasnic's goal, a sloppy pass from Gera eventually leading to a sloppy clearance from Baird, and next thing we knew Klasnic had volleyed home (just as he had a couple of years ago) from around the penalty spot.  Soft goal really, but entirely in keeping with the way the first half had gone.   We couldn't keep the ball (Bolton pressed with great energy), couldn't build any worthwhile attacks, and most importantly, couldn't link midfield and attack.   Johnson scurried as he always does but Dembele was entirely shut out of the game.

And not always reasonably.  Word is clearly getting round about our man's quality, and Bolton took it upon themselves to shut him out by fair means or foul.  It was remeniscent of Wolves earlier in the season, death by 1000 cuts (from Wikipedia:  "to methodically remove portions of the body over an extended period of time"  -  indeed).   Bolton pushed, pulled, blocked and tugged, and our man was not a factor.  Eventually the crowd tired of this and told referee Atwell what they thought of him.  This felt entirely fair; you have to crack down on this nonsense or it just encourages them.   Murphy accompanied Atwell back across the pitch at half-time, arms wide in the French "eh?" style.

The second half seemed a bit better.  Dembele got much more of the ball, and was soon dribbling like a speed skater, whizzing past people magnificently.   But Bolton kept at it and their keeper was never really bothered.   On came Bobby Zamora, and instantly we looked better.   The long dumps over the top that Johnson had so struggled with were now legitimate passes, Zamora finally giving Cahill and Wheater a taste of their own medicine.    The attacks flowed now, but we seemed to spend the last twenty minutes taking corners that never came to anything.    It was extremely frustrating.

It was a kind enough draw, but credit Bolton for a fine performance.  Atwell helped by letting the physical side of the Bolton game carry on too long, but Bolton can play too:  Wheater and Cahill, Muamba and Holden, Davies and Klasnic.   Fine partnerships up the middle, and it's probably fair to say that these six outplayed their opponents for most of the game.

A bad day at the office then.  Great to see Zamora back, nice to see Salcido finding form, too, but it will be interesting to see if we can adapt to the way teams are starting to play against us:  harrass Murphy, hammer Dembele, stop most of our creativity.    Sidwell again looked promising, but Johnson's pot seems to have been moved off the cooker and their are suspicions Dempsey's play outside the penalty area has been sub-par (by his standards) for a while.    The glass is half-full, but we'll need to do better than this to stay away from trouble.

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http://www.ealinggazette.co.uk/sport/football-ealing/fulham-fc-ealing/2011/02/20/zamora-s-inspiration-ends-in-fa-cup-defeat-for-fulham-against-bolton-wanderers-82029-28203259/

Zamora's inspiration ends in FA Cup defeat for Fulham against Bolton Wanderers

Feb 20 2011


By Chris Slavin




Fulham 0-1 Bolton Wanderers

BOBBY Zamora's shock return failed to inspire Fulham as they missed out on an FA Cup quarter-final trip to Birmingham City today.

The England hit-man was back after injury to lead the Fulham attack as a 67th minute substitute for Zoltan Gera, but a first-half strike from Ivan Klasnic was enough to take Owen Coyle's men through.

Wanderers grabbed the lead against the run of play in the 19th minute after Fulham failed to deal with a Fabrice Muamba cross and Klasnic needed no second invitation to shoot emphatically past Mark Schwarzer.

The Cottagers should have been in front by that time as Moussa Dembele was put clean through, but he took too long to get his shot away and Bolton goalkeeper Adam Bogdan got down well to save.

The hosts produced a spirited response to falling behind and had Owen Coyle's men pinned in their own half for long spells of the first-half.

However, the visitors produced a stubborn resistance and Fulham only came close when Clint Dempsey fired wide from just outside the area.

Though Fulham continued to dominate possession in the second-half, they struggled to find a cutting edge and the impressive Fabrice Muamba almost made them pay with a 25-yard screamer that fizzed just wide.

The home faithful vented their fury with referee Stuart Attwell after he failed to punish a string of nasty fouls from the visitors, in particular Martin Petrov escaping with just a yellow card for appearing to elbow Chris Baird in the face.

Fulham hero Zamora made his long-awaited return as a 67th minute substitute for Zoltan Gera, but Mark Hughes' men should have been killed off when Klasnic fired a great chance too close to Schwarzer.

Dempsey had a shot deflected wide as Fulham belatedly turned up the heat on the visitors, but they failed to find the equaliser and slipped to their first defeat in seven home matches.

Fulham: Schwarzer, Salcido, Hangeland, Baird, Sidwell, Johnson, Gera (Zamora 67), Murphy, Hughes, Dempsey, Dembele

[White Noise]

http://www.skysports.com/football/match_report/0,19764,11065_3369353,00.html

Klasnic dumps out Cottagers

Trotters striker the hero again as Bolton triumph at Fulham


Last updated: 20th February 2011


   
Ivan Klasnic scored the only goal of the game as Bolton edged into the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 1-0 win at Fulham.

It was the second successive round in which Klasnic netted the winner, having scored in the 1-0 success over Wigan on Wednesday, and the Trotters now travel to Birmingham.

The Croatia international volleyed in from 12 yards on 19 minutes after Fabrice Muamba and Lee Chung-yong caused problems for the Fulham defence.

For Fulham, the most positive aspect of the game was the return of Bobby Zamora, who looked lively in his first appearance since breaking his leg in September.

Zamora replaced Zoltan Gera on 67 minutes and added a cutting edge to Fulham's attack, but it was not enough to spark a turnaround as the visitors held out.

Bolton have not graced the FA Cup final since the late, great Nat Lofthouse scored twice to beat Manchester United in 1958. They have now taken two significant steps in the space of a week.

This victory was not without its controversies, though, as tempers boiled over in the second half with an off-the-ball half between Chris Baird and Martin Petrov.

Both men were fortunate to only be booked as Petrov appeared to catch Baird with a flailing arm and the Fulham defender responded by shoving the Bolton winger in the face.

Bolton's physical centre-back pairing of David Wheater and Gary Cahill were effective in crowding out Andrew Johnson and Moussa Dembele, if not always legal.

Changes
Fulham boss Mark Hughes made one change to his starting line-up from Monday's Premier League draw with Chelsea, with Gera replacing the injured Damien Duff in midfield.

Bolton brought back striker Kevin Davies and midfielder Stuart Holden following their midweek cup win, while Marcos Alonso started at left-back in place of the injured Sam Ricketts.

Fulham started brightly. Clint Dempsey beat Cahill to flick the ball into the path of Dembele, whose shot was deflected away by Bolton keeper Adam Bogdan.

Holden had Bolton's first shot on goal as he latched onto a knock-down from Davies on the edge of the Fulham box but his left-footed effort flew wide.

Dempsey was dominating the middle of the park and he pounced on a loose piece of control from Alonso and released Gera down the right, who whipped in a teasing low cross that was just too far ahead of Johnson.

But it was Bolton who took the lead after 19 minutes with a left-foot volley from Klasnic after some clever approach play from Lee.

The South Korean completed a neat one-two with Klasnic on the edge of the Fulham box before Muamba drilled in a cross that Aaron Hughes failed to deal with cleanly.

As the ball dropped inside around the penalty spot, Klasnic was the first to react and he rifled his shot past Mark Schwarzer.

Fulham continued to press and Dembele's misplaced pass ended up creating a shooting opportunity for Gera but the Hungarian fired over the top.

Wheater was fortunate to receive only a lecture from referee Stuart Attwell after he hauled Dembele to the ground in the build-up to a promising move.

Johnson was lively up front for Fulham, trying desperately to steal a yard in between the two centre-backs but with little reward.

Cahill went through the back of Johnson once but the England international also pulled off a perfectly-timed interception on the edge of his own box.

Fulham were having to battle against Bolton's physicality but they did have chances, with Brede Hangeland playing Dempsey into space 25 yards out only for the American to drag his low shot wide of the near post.


Second half
Fulham made a lively start to the second half with Dembele lifting one shot over before forcing Bogdan into a smart save with a low curling effort from the edge of the box.

Muamba was booked by Attwell when he halted Dembele's run by scything him down from behind. Tempers were beginning to fray, with Petrov and Baird clashing off the ball.

Sidwell cut in from the left and tested Bogdan from distance while, at the other end, Baird denied Davies a shot on goal with a well-timed challenge in the box.

Schwarzer kept Fulham in the game by clawing away Klasnic's close-range effort after the Bolton striker had been picked out in the box by Lee.

Fulham won a free-kick 25 yards from goal after Davies was judged to have fouled Danny Murphy. Robinson charged furiously to protest and was booked for dissent.

Murphy tried to bend his shot around the wall but it floated over the far post.

Petrov then found himself in acres of space in the Fulham box but he took one touch too many and his fierce drive was tipped around the near post by Schwarzer.

Fulham threw the kitchen sink at Bolton in the closing stages but the Trotters clung on to seal the victory, with Cahill producing a magnificent block from Dempsey's shot inside the box.

[White Noise]

http://www.fulhamweb.co.uk/news/Hughes-says-Greening-not-available.aspx

Hughes says Greening not available

last updated Monday 21st February 2011, 9:41 AM

   
Fulham boss Mark Hughes has told Nottingham Forest that Jonathan Greening is staying at Fulham.

The Championship promotion hopefuls have been linked with a loan move for the former Manchester United and West Brom midfielder, who has been restricted to just four starts all season.

But although Hughes this week allowed Kagisho Dikagcoi and Bjorn Helge Riise leave Craven Cottage, he insists no one else will be heading out the exit door.

He said: "I'm not looking to loan Johnno out, he'll get game time with us.

"We've let two midfield players go so we don't need to let any more out.

"He's been unlucky with the form of Danny Murphy. Johnno's a very good player and he showed that when he came on in the FA Cup game [against Peterborough] and scored a goal.

"He's in my thoughts and will get game time between now and the end of the season.

"I don't want to spread ourselves too thin. Our numbers are correct now."

[White Noise]

http://www.visir.is/eidur-ekki-med-i-dag---gleymdist-ad-skra-hann/article/2011110229984


20. February 2011 13:34

Eid not today - forgot to register it


Eidur Gudjohnsen. Nordic Photos / Getty Images Ásgeirsson Eric Stephen writes:

Eidur Gudjohnsen will not be with Fulham when the team meets in Bolton 16-Round FA Cup today.

According to sources Vísir missed getting Oaths Smári competition license in the English Cup with Fulham in time for the game today.

Of human error was involved in the Fulham office. Eid will still be able to play with Fulham in the cup later this season if the team can remain in the quarter finals today.

This is obviously disappointing for Eid, which had a good income for Fulham against Chelsea in the Premiership at the start of the week. English media believed likely that he would be starting today.

[White Noise]

http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/london-sport/fulham-fc/2011/02/20/fulham-s-damien-duff-should-return-for-manchester-city-clash-82029-28204023/

Fulham's Damien Duff should return for Manchester City clash


By Chris Slavin


Feb 20 2011



DAMIEN Duff should return for next Sunday's trip to Manchester City after missing Fulham's FA Cup knockout.

The Irish winger pulled up with a calf injury during training on Thursday and was forced to miss the 1-0 defeat to Owen Coyle's men.

It was a match that was crying out for Duff's creativity as Fulham barely had a meaningful chance against Bolton, but boss Mark Hughes says he is likely to be fit for the trip to Eastlands.

Hughes is also hopeful that Simon Davies will also be back in contention after injury.

[White Noise]

Taking the Positives


Sunday 20th February 2011



Speaking after Sunday's narrow FA Cup Fifth Round deafeat to Bolton Wanderers at Craven Cottage, Mark Hughes gave his post-match assessment.

"Disappointment is what we're feeling at the moment," Hughes said. "We wanted to progress in this competition and, unfortunately, we haven't been able to do it. We were disappointed with manner of the goal that Bolton scored because we had opportunities to clear it before the lads was able to convert the chance.

"At that point, with Bolton one goal to the good as the away team, they're going to defend the situation with their lives – and credit to them they got lots of bodies behind the ball and we found it difficult to break them down.

"In fairness, the second-half was one-way traffic and we needed that little bit of guile in the final third to unlock the door – unfortunately we didn't have it.

"But from our point of view, if we take the positives, the appearance of Bobby Zamora was huge for us and I think everybody saw what ability he's got and what we lacked this year at times; that focal point and big physical presence up there. So he's going to give us that from now until the end of the season."


Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2011/February/HughesBoltonReaction.aspx#ixzz1EX8N4OMm

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Cup Frustration


Sunday 20th February 2011




Brede Hangeland insists Fulham deserved more as the Whites' FA Cup run came to a disappointing end on Sunday.

After a disjointed first-half, in which Bolton's Ivan Klasnic scored the only goal of the game, Fulham dominated the second period and unquestionably should have had more to show for their efforts.

"We're disappointed of course, and I think we definitely deserved more," Hangeland told fulhamfc.com. "It was a frustrating afternoon for us that's for sure.

"We didn't play as well as we know we can, but I still think we were the better team. But in football the better team doesn't always win.

"You know what you get with Bolton and to be fair to them they did well - they made life difficult for us. Once they took the lead it was always going to be difficult for us because they put a lot of men behind the ball."

In a positive second-half, Fulham took the game to the visitors with both Steve Sidwell and Clint Dempsey going close from distance and chances falling for Mousa Dembele and the returning Bobby Zamora.

"The second-half was better but sometimes in football you don't always get the luck that you need," added Hangeland. "With the possession we had we probably should have created more chances, but at times we did go very close.

"It just seemed to be one of those days for us. We had enjoyed a decent run in the Cup up until this point and of course, we wanted to go further.

"It's hard to take and as a result it's Bolton who have got themselves into the Quarter-Final. It was a day to forget, so let's move on."


Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2011/February/HangelandFACupReaction.aspx#ixzz1EadMMuQo