Saturday Fulham Stuff (02.04.11)

[White Noise]

Fulham v Blackpool tickets

Barclays Premier League


Sunday 3rd April


Kick-Off 13:30

With only a limited number of tickets remaining for Sunday's match against Blackpool the Club is expecting this game to sell out. Make sure you don't miss out on this crucial encounter and buy your ticket today.



On-sale dates
Season Ticket Holders  On sale (6 tickets)
Fulham Club Members On sale (6 tickets)
General Sale On sale (4 tickets)
Loyalty points: 3 (more info)| 

Buy tickets online| 

How to Buy Tickets
buy tickets online  - 7 days a week, 24 hrs a day. Save on booking fees by booking online*
by phone on 0843 208 1234 (option 1) - 7 days a week, 24 hrs a day
in person from the Ticket Office: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; non-match day Sat 10am-12pm * Lower booking fees compared to telephone booking

† Special offers and packages only available on advance bookings and not on the day of the match.

Prices
Category B prices apply to this match.

NB: Blocks A and AL are a designated Family Area and are not available to book online. To book, call the Ticket Office on 0843 208 1234 opt 3 (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm).



  Stand (Grade B)   Block   Adult   Conc   Junior 
Riverside   S, Z   £40   £25   £10 
J Haynes   D, DL, G, GL   £42   £28   £15 
Hammersmith / Putney   All Blocks   £35   £25   £15 
J Haynes   B, BL, C, CL J, JL, H, HL    £40   £25   £10 
J Haynes   A, K, AL, KL   £30   £20   £10 

 

Junior - under 16
Concessions: Young Person - under 21. Under 21 prices are not available to purchase after midday on matchdays (Saturday/Sunday) and after 4pm for midweek matches.
Concessions: Senior - over 65
Matchday Info
Seat Moves & Upgrades


Seat moves are not available on the day of the game. Upgrades can be obtained by visiting the Ticket Office.

Refunds
Refunds will only be given on tickets if the match is cancelled or postponed. The ticket must be returned to the Ticket Office within 7 days of the rescheduling announcement, which shall be made on fulhamfc.com

Postponements
Tickets will remain valid for the rearranged match.

Lost Season Tickets / Match Tickets
Fans must report to Ticket Office where valid ID must be shown. £5 is charged to replace a lost access card.

Concession Ticket Holders
Supporters with junior and concession tickets are reminded to bring ID to the stadium in the event of being asked for proof of age on matchday.
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Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Tickets/Games/BlackpoolHome.aspx#ixzz1ILWI8BA1

[White Noise]

http://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/carney-out-blackpool-v-fulham-fixture-1544601


Carney out of Blackpool v Fulham fixture

01.04.11 | Andrew Slevison


David Carney has been ruled out of Blackpool's meeting with Fulham on Sunday.

The left-back hurt his shoulder in Australia's 2-1 victory over Germany on Tuesday, in which he scored the equaliser for the Socceroos.

He will now miss the chance to face off with national teammate Mark Schwarzer who will be in goals for Fulham at Craven Cottage.

Fulham currently sit 12th on the table but have lost just one of their last six (to Tim Cahill's Everton) whilst Blackpool, as entertaining as they are, sit 15th and are just a point off the relegation zone.

[Tom]

Aaron Injury Update


Friday 1st April 2011



There was some positive news regarding the fitness of Aaron Hughes on Friday afternoon when Manager Mark Hughes revealed he is confident the defender will be fit for Sunday's game against Blackpool at the Cottage.

The Northern Ireland international retuned early from international duty last week after suffering a shoulder injury but after training on Friday, Hughes explained the nature of the injury and his belief that the ever-present defender will be lining up alongside Brede Hangeland this weekend.

"Aaron's had an issue with his shoulder," Hughes explained. "It was a slight dislocation of the shoulder where it's popped out and straight back in. He's trained today [Friday] and he's got a little bit of tenderness there but we don't anticipate that he'll miss the game.

"The issue is at the back of the shoulder rather than the front and more often than not if the issue is at the front it's more than likely to pop out again. The medical staff think there's only a slight chance of that and it would have to be a very unfortunate way of falling.

"We feel he's moving correctly and not carrying the injury so he should be okay."


Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2011/March/HughesFitnessUpdate.aspx#ixzz1ILV2ahXO

:beer:  :wine:  :beer:  :wine:  :yay:

[White Noise]

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/3505038/Mark-Hughes-says-Ian-Holloway-is-more-than-a-joker.html

Ian is an Ollie good boss

By CARL LONG

Published: Today

MARK HUGHES says Blackpool manager Ian Holloway is as wacky off the pitch as he is on it.

Fulham boss Hughes, preparing for tomorrow's visit from the Seasiders, has become a pal of opposite number Ollie over the years.

Hughes said: "I really enjoy his company as you'd expect. He is a great personality and a great guy to spend time with. And he is exactly the same in private as he is in public.

"What you have to understand is that at times people laugh at his comments and his bravado but he knows his stuff. He is a very knowledgeable football man.

"Sometimes when he says stuff that makes people chuckle, that is lost.

"But make no mistake, he knows what he is about and that is reflected in his teams."

[White Noise]

Why Roy Hodgson deserves a standing ovation from the travelling Liverpool fans today

By Mark Lawrenson


Published 07:01 01/04/11


Roy Hodgson was the wrong manager, in the wrong place, at the wrong time as Liverpool boss.

But he has done really well at West Brom. He is making them much more difficult to beat and hard to play against.

That is Roy. His coaching is about filling in the holes defensively. He has them all onside, buying into it, and Albion have not been beaten since he took over, so confidence is good and the mood brighter.

Hodgson tried to do the same thing at Anfield.

The problem with that was Liverpool didn't need to be turned into a team who are ­difficult to play against, they had that anyway. Over the years under Benitez they never conceded that many goals.

Liverpool needed the coaching to be geared to the other end of the pitch - how could they get Gerrard and Torres into positions to create more chances?

Roy had to deal with the club being sold too.

He did a wonderful job at Fulham, and looks like he will do a wonderful job at West Brom. But at Liverpool he just didn't fit.

It happens.

He has not become a bad manager. He is one of the good guys, as everyone knows. I think the Liverpool fans say thanks Roy, but no thanks.

The fans who go to the Hawthorns will give him an ovation because that is just the way they are.



Read more: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/mark-lawrenson/Mark-Lawrenson-on-Why-West-Brom-Roy-Hodgson-deserves-a-standing-ovation-from-the-Liverpool-fans-today-article718970.html#ixzz1ILYweuPj

[White Noise]

Like Roy Hodgson at Liverpool, Gerard Houllier is being FOUND out by fans rather than DRIVEN out


By Brian Reade

Published 23:02 01/04/11


It would be nice if UEFA's veteran technical advisors occasionally descended from their Ivory Towers to admit the flaws in their own ability.

I'd have more respect for men such as Roy Hodgson and Gerard Houllier (who when "resting" between coaching jobs are flown round the world by UEFA to compile critical reports) if they confessed their own technical limitations. If they admitted that when it comes to the highest level of management they may just be out of their depth.

Instead, both arrogantly wave away any criticism of their ability with the dismissive air of pseudo-intellectual academics.

As Hodgson faces his old club today, he's telling everyone it was the fans who got him the sack at Anfield. That every Kopite wanted Kenny Dalglish appointed last July, which meant he was doomed from the off.

That's just not true.

There was no mass call for Dalglish to succeed Rafa Benitez. The majority of supporters may have been ­underwhelmed by Hodgson's appointment but backed it and willed him to succeed.

They only started calling for Dalglish five months into ­Hodgson's reign when they were in despair over most of his woeful summer signings, his negative tactics and his clear inability to motivate world-class players.

They concluded that Hodgson's coaching strengths lay in helping lower-to-mid-table teams punch above their weight, which made him the wrong man for Liverpool.

To carry on blaming the fans for his abject failure only serves to prove his blindness to his own limitations.

Even if he beats Dalglish's side today and pushes relegation ­strugglers West Brom closer to safety, it won't vindicate his ­reputation but serve to confirm it.

Houllier, it seems, is equally blinded to his own culpability in Aston Villa's fall from top six side under Martin O'Neill, to relegation fodder under him.

Indeed, he blamed a recent defeat at Bolton on the zonal marking system he inherited from O'Neill. But apart from the fact Villa didn't defend corners zonally under O'Neill, Houllier has been in charge since last September. So why didn't this technical genius change it?

This week, he pointed the finger of blame at his players. Not just the indisciplined like Richard Dunne and James Collins, the banished like Stephen Warnock, but those who turn it on for their country yet turn it off for him.

"We've a squad half-full of international players so should be able to cope," he said, before claiming the manager may be responsible for the results "but the players are responsible for the game".

Feel free to unravel that denial of guilt if you can.

Houllier has never been short of excuses.

He still puts his failure to qualify for the 1994 World Cup as France boss totally down to one poor David Ginola cross.

At Liverpool, he refused to see that not getting anywhere near winning the Premier League or Champions League meant he had ultimately failed, instead painting his time there as an unmitigated success.

Who will he blame if Villa fans' anger towards him reaches breaking point and he is forced out at the end of the season?

Probably them.

No doubt, like Hodgson, after he's pocketed his hefty pay-off, he will put his sacking down to their hostility rather than his lack of ability.

Despite the truth being, that, like Hodgson at ­Liverpool, Houllier isn't being driven out, just found out.

But when it comes to them writing their own technical report into their time in charge, don't expect them to admit it.

As long as UEFA view them as coaching geniuses of the highest calibre, so will they.

***

Andy Carroll's main problem over the next couple of years is going to be the fact that ever bad touch will be greeted by people yelling "£35million for that?!"

My advice is to invest in a DVD of Tuesday night's game against Ghana and watch it repeatedly.

Not to study his goal, but to see Joleon Lescott's performance, enabling him to scream "£24million for that?!" - and feel good about himself.

As for Carroll being forced to go to the Under-21 tournament this summer, someone needs to remind Sergeant Major Pearce that we did away with compulsory National Service in 1960.

And even back then the law restricted it to young men between 17-21. Carroll is 22, meaning he doesn't even need to play the conscientious objector card.

He can just claim to be part of Dad's Army.

***

Liverpool's shirt sponsors Standard ­Chartered say they don't care if the Reds fail to qualify for the Champions League as matches are played when their Asian audience is asleep.

Presumably, they're not too worried about the Europa League either – when those games are played the entire world ­audience goes to sleep.



Read more: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/brian-reade/Brian-Reade-column-Like-Roy-Hodgson-at-Liverpool-Gerard-Houllier-at-Aston-Villa-is-being-FOUND-out-by-fans-rather-than-DRIVEN-out-plus-Liverpool-and-Andy-Carroll-article718954.html#ixzz1ILZJd4Vg

[White Noise]

http://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/blackpool-morale-remains-strong-cathcart-1545171

Blackpool morale remains strong - Cathcart

02.04.11 | tribalfootball.com



Blackpool morale is as strong as ever, says defender Craig Cathcart.

The former Manchester United defender says Ian Holloway's off-the-wall approach to management has made the Seasiders squad an incredibly close unit.

Cathcart, whose side travel to Fulham tomorrow, said: "There is a fantastic bond at the club.

"I'd suggest we're probably even tighter than our rivals because of what we've been through together.

"The feeling of togetherness gets stronger when you're running on the beach in the snow together.

"We haven't had any days at the casino or the pleasure beach for a while because of all the games. But it's also because the manager could see we'd got that spirit he was trying to build."

[White Noise]

http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2011/04/01/we-have-no-memory-tonight/

We have no memory tonight

Filed under: General — rich @ 9:05 am


I can't remember who it was, but I read an interview with a football who said that he never watches his goals on TV as his memory of scoring the goal becomes eroded and replaced by the TV version.  I know exactly what he means there.

When you think back to last year's Europa League run, which parts can you remember from the grounds?  Which from the TV images?

I haven't seen the final on TV so that's as I saw it, save for the goals, which are TV images.

I didn't do away games so those are TV images.

The Juve game is almost all TV now.  I can sort of remember the Trezeguet goal in person: the ground seemed somehow golden, caused no doubt by the early evening kickoff and the Juve away kits.   But while I remember the euphoria and slowness (time stood still) of Dempsey's chip, the act itself is more or less a TV image.

Roma at home I haven't seen on TV, so that's all in my mind.

The Wolfsburg game I can't remember very well.

The Hamburg game I do remember, but I didn't enjoy that.  I remember not enjoying it, but not what happened on the pitch.  I do remember not standing up when people said "Stand up if you still believe" because I didn't believe.

Does any of this apply to anyone else?  Do you see football as you saw it at the ground, or as you saw it on TV?   I would rather remember Clint's chip as it happened at the ground, but to preserve that particular memory you'd have to avoid all TV coverage of it.  And who could do that?

[White Noise]

http://www.skysports.com/opinion/story/0,25212,15205_6845738,00.html

Staying power

Merse previews the Super Sunday games


Paul Merson Posted 1st April 2011

Sky Sports brings you a Super Sunday double header with implications at both ends of the table.

Things kick off at Craven Cottage from 1pm as Blackpool travel to Fulham hoping to boost their survival chances, while their opponents are bidding to avoid getting dragged into the dogfight.

Fulham v Blackpool

1pm, Sun, Sky Sports HD1

Everybody wants to see Blackpool stay up - apart from fans of the three teams that end up going down.

The thing about them is they are a bit too naïve. I watched their last game against Blackburn and they were 2-0 up at half-time. If they'd kept it tight for 10 minutes after the break they would have won that game comfortably, but they conceded a quick goal and ended up drawing the match.

At one point in the second half, they had a corner at 2-1 up. Before you knew it Blackburn had a break with three against two and Blackpool left themselves too wide open. It's very entertaining, but it might not help them stay up.

All season long they seem to have decided they're not good enough to keep clean sheets, so they've played with freedom and tried to score lots of goals. Ian Holloway has told his players to go forward and I hope it works for him.

Scoring goals is the only thing that can keep them up. I don't expect Blackburn to even look like scoring at Arsenal on Saturday, but Blackpool look like getting goals everywhere they go. They even had great chances when they lost 6-0 at the Emirates.

That's the reason I think they will stay up and that's the reason I think this game will be very entertaining.

I personally believe that if Matthew Gilks was fit they'd be safe already. Richard Kingson was outstanding at Wembley the other night, but he has thrown away points in games for his club.

He's done his best but he's not in the same class as Gilks. He doesn't look commanding and he's not great on crosses, which is an issue in the Premier League.

This game will hinge on Saturday's results to some extent. If results go against Blackpool then the pressure is on, but if the teams below them lose then this is like a free punch. They can go out and play with freedom.

It's a bit like the golfer who putts second. If the first guy holes his then it becomes a very small hole to aim for, but if he misses then it's a massive target.

Fulham can't afford to lose this game either. I don't see them going down but they'd have questions to answer if they lost this.

They'll have highlighted this game as a must-win match, but a draw would be great for Blackpool. To go to Blackburn and Fulham without losing either game keeps them right in the hunt.

Sadly I think they might come unstuck.

PAUL'S PREDICTION

HOME WIN - I hate predicting against Blackpool because they can make you look silly. I can't see them keeping a clean sheet, but you can't be sure about much else. I'm going to say this will be a very entertaining football match, but Fulham are a good team when their players are fit and I expect them to win 2-1.

MERSON'S MAGIC MAN
DANNY MURPHY - The midfield battle between him and Charlie Adam could be a crucial area in this game. If Murphy can boss it then I think Fulham will go on to win the match.

[White Noise]

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11681_6846589,00.html

Latics facing drop - poll


Readers and bookies in agreement as Wigan edge closer to relegation


By Kristian Walsh   


Last updated: 1st April 2011   


Nearly half of skysports.com readers believe Wigan Athletic are most likely to be relegated from this season's Premier League, but the remainder appear split.

The uncertainty surrounding this season's relegation battle has been replicated by readers, with only two clubs - Wigan and Wolverhampton Wanderers - polling more than 10 per cent of the vote.

Forty-nine per cent of the 15,000 readers who took part in the poll believe bottom-of-the-table Wigan will go down, making them clear favourites; but even Wolves, with 11 per cent, are no guarantee to go down with our readers.

Fierce rivals West Brom are third with seven per cent, while four more teams polled between six and seven per cent, reflecting how tight this year's relegation battle is.

Blackburn, Blackpool, West Ham and Birmingham make up that contingent, while Aston Villa and Newcastle garnered four and three per cent of the vote respectively.

Bookmaker Sky Bet appear to mirror the result of the poll with Wigan strong odds-on favourites for the drop. Roberto Martinez's side are only two points from safety but face trips to Chelsea, Sunderland and Aston Villa, making their odds of 1/3 seem fair.

Readers have more faith in Blackpool (11/10) than the online bookmaker with only six per cent of readers backing Holloway's men for the drop; with the return of Matt Gilks in goal and home games against Wigan, Newcastle, Stoke and Bolton, the Tangerines are capable of peeling away from the relegation mire.

Readers seem less confident on the chances of Wolves and West Brom (7/4), while Blackburn's woes are not considered too troubling by readers.

Although Rovers currently sit fourth in the poll, the online betting firm make them 6/4. This low price can be attributed to the growing worries surrounding Steve Kean's job, while away matches to relegation rivals West Ham (7/4) and Wolves could prove their downfall.

The wild cards in this fight for survival are the Midlands pair of Birmingham (13/8) and Aston Villa (7/1). The poll suggests both are capable of staying in the Premier League despite both facing crunch games against those around them.

Birmingham will play Blackburn, Newcastle, Wolves and Fulham, while Gerard Houllier's side encounter Newcastle, West Ham, Stoke, West Brom and Wigan.

Both their fates may rest upon those games, particularly with Birmingham yet to play Chelsea, Liverpool or Spurs away, while Aston Villa face Arsenal and Liverpool in their final two fixtures, meaning wins against those around them will be paramount to their survival.

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[White Noise]

Hughes: I'm a man on the brink



Published 17:37 01/04/11


By MirrorFootball




Mark Hughes believes Fulham are on the brink of guaranteeing their survival in the Barclays Premier League for another season.

The Cottagers, who host Blackpool on Sunday, occupy 12th place in the table yet are still only three points above the relegation zone.

However, they have won four of their last five home league matches and with four games at Craven Cottage remaining, Hughes is confident they are on course to avoid the drop.

"We're very close to where we think we should be," he said.

"We want to maximise our home games and that should get us to the target we thought we'd reach.

"Up until our defeat by Everton last time out we'd been on a great run and that loss maybe made us take a step back.

"But we're still playing well and are on the back of a decent run of results and performances - the first half against Everton is the only exception to that.

"We're happy that we're playing well and producing positive performances, which is what you need at this time of year.

"If you're struggling for form and points, then it becomes a case of looking over your shoulder and then at the fixture list to see where your next points are coming from.

"We don't feel like that, we feel like we're playing well enough to pick up a good portion of the points we have left to play for.

"We're 12th in a very congested area of the table. We still have to get the job done, but we're playing well."

Traditionally 40 points is viewed as the safety net required to escape relegation, but Hughes insists an unpredictable season makes it impossible to predict a minimum target.

"It's difficult to call what points total will be enough," he said.

"You can look at trends and previous years and there have been very few times when 40-plus points have been needed.

"Maybe this year will be one of those, but there have been so many unexpected results with top teams not getting maximum points when you suspect they will.

"Then teams at the bottom gain points when previously you thought they had no chance of doing so.

"It's been that kind of season from the start and that's not going to change now.

"There will still be twists and turns and results that surprise us."

Fulham chairman Mohamed Al Fayed will unveil a commemorative statue of Michael Jackson before Sunday's match in memory of his friendship with the singer.



Read more: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Mark-Hughes-believes-his-Fulham-side-are-on-the-brink-of-clinching-survival-in-the-Premier-League-for-another-season-article718997.html#ixzz1ILbGLAnU