Sunday Fulham Stuff 12/06/11

[b+w geezer]

Thanks for all this as usual. `The People' is going into overdrive on us this week, it seems. Dave Kidd (Fulham supporter who has a column nowadays in TOFFIF) is clearly keen on Jol, which is reassuring. So is Jimmy Greaves, who writes uncannily like Dave Kidd. Greaves was a wonderful footballer in his time and it's nice to hear affection for FFC from his ghosted lips. When we were due to be merged into Fulham Park Rangers his byelined opinion was less favourable though. Too many clubs in London and we were [sweet but] expendable. A quarter century has erased most memories but not that.

[mrska]

Fulham look keen to take Spur's unwanted winger David Bentley on loan according to The News Of The World..

Former Craven Cottage boos Mark Hughes failed in a move for Bentley in January, when he was loaned out to now relegated Birmingham.

New Fulham Martin Jol is also keen on a player who does not feature in Spurs Boss Harry Rednapp's plans for the coming season and cost 15 million from Blackburn in 2008.

[os5889]

QPR Transfer Rumour: Warnock Will Target Andy Johnson Not Robbie Keane   

By Chris Potter (Tottenham Hotspur Featured Columnist) on June 12

According to free daily newspaper Metro, Fulham's Andy Johnson may have earned a move to promoted team Queens Park Rangers.

Although 30 year-old Johnson scored for fun when at Crystal Palace, he has consistently failed to score sufficient goals at the highest level in five years with Everton and Fulham as injuries have robbed him of pace and a lack of playing time has unsettled his rhythm.

Now new Cottagers boss Martin Jol, who is looking to work once again with Republic of Ireland forward Robbie Keane, has sanctioned Johnson's departure.

QPR relied a lot last year on mercurial midfielders Alejandro Faurlin and Adel Taarabt to provide their spark, but will keen to get several experienced Premier League players on board who will provide different options. Johnson may be the first arrival at Loftus Road and would cost The Hoops upwards of $5 million.

http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/866029-andy-johnson-set-to-be-subject-of-qpr-transfer-bid

[os5889]

The Gunners are also said to be interested in Auxerre striker Ireneusz Jelen.

The Pole has hit 48 goals in 138 games for the French side but is set to move on from Auxerre after five years there. Jelen's age would count against him being offered anything more than a one-year deal. Jelen turned 30 in April.

Fulham, Norwich and Swansea are also said to be interested.

http://www.footballgossip.org.uk/index.php/2011/06/12/arsenal-transfer-news-and-rumours-sunday-12-june/

[os5889]

http://www.sundaymercury.net/midlands-sport/west-bromwich-albion-fc/west-brom-news/2011/06/12/west-brom-open-talks-with-peter-odemwingie-over-new-contract-66331-28862584/

West Brom open talks with Peter Odemwingie over new contract
Jun 12 2011 by Gregg Evans, Sunday Mercury



ALBION have opened up talks with Peter Odemwingie over a new contract, however nothing will be finalised until late next week according to the player's agent.

The Baggies ace is currently out of the country but is hoping to complete a deal through his representative, David Omigie, who sat down for early negotiations with the club on Friday.

Talks were due to begin last week but they were put on hold as Albion chairman Jeremy Peace and sporting director Dan Ashworth were both unavailable for different personal reasons.

Manager Roy Hodgson is desperate to keep hold of the 15-goal hotshot but will face an extended wait to see if his prized asset agrees to new terms at The Hawthorns.

"We are now in negotiations with the club but there's still a long way to go," said Omigie.

"We have started now, yes, but we will be busy talking all through next week."

Albion's highest ever Premier League scorer has been linked with a move to Arsenal but the club have had no contact or inquiries from the Gunners or any other club.

At present the Nigerian, who turns 30 next month, is on holiday in America having spent the past few weeks in Russia and South Africa.

Hodgson allowed him to finish the season a week earlier than the rest of his teammates because he hadn't had a proper break for almost two seasons.

To entice the striker into extending his stay in the Midlands, Albion are ready to offer him a significant pay rise to secure his long-term future after his stunning debut Premier League season.

He is likely to be offered wages between £35-40k per week and could become the club's highest-paid player.
Albion are also leading the race to sign Blackpool midfielder David Vaughan after he turned down a new deal at the recently relegated club.

Vaughan, who is now a free agent, has spoke with the club over a potential move but Sunderland are still in the hunt for his services leaving the midfielder with a dilemma on his hands.

Blues have shown an interest but the Wales international is keen on a move back to the Premier League after impressing for the Tangerines last season.

The 28-year-old has always stated that if he was to move, the location of a new club would have to be right.
His family are settled in Chesire meaning that Albion would be the more suitable option of the two.

Hodgson has already snapped up Gareth McAuley and Billy Jones after their contracts expired at Ipswich and Leicester respectively.

His summer dealings are by no way completed just yet, although talk of Fulham defender and former Villa man Aaron Hughes joining the club are wide off the mark.

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham to strike loan deal for Bentley?
by DAN on JUNE 12, 2011

Staying with the Spurs connection and Fulham are considering taking David Bentley on loan from Tottenham.

The 27-year-old winger has no future at White Hart Lane, having been loaned out to Birmingham for the second half of last season. Blues' relegation ended any chance of him making a permanent move to St. Andrews' and Harry Redknapp is keen to trim both the size of his squad and Tottenham's wage bill to make way for new signings this summer.

Fulham have been consistently linked with a loan move for Bentley after Mark Hughes took over from Roy Hodgson last summer. Hughes, who managed Bentley during his Blackburn days, narrowly failed to get his man at the end of the August transfer window last year before Bentley picked Birmingham as his destination in the new year, and new boss Martin Jol seems keen to revive a deal. Given the winger's previous altercations with management and the law, how he flattered to deceive with Birmingham and the fact that Fulham are well-equipped in the wide areas, this strikes me as one to avoid.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2011/06/fulham-to-strike-loan-deal-for-bentley/?

[WhiteJC]

 
USA humbled by Panama
by DAN on JUNE 12, 2011

Panama produced a shock result in Tampa last night, inflicting the first Gold Cup defeat on the United States in 26 games, with a 2-1 win that saw them qualify for the last eight.

Goals from Luis Tejada and Gabriel Gomez saw Panama race into a two-goal lead inside 36 minutes before Clarence Goodson reduced the American arrears midway through the second half. Fulham's Clint Dempsey played the full 90 minutes for the USA, who now need to beat Guadeloupe in Kansas City on Tuesday night to reach the quarter finals.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2011/06/usa-humbled-by-panama/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Mine`s A Bentley?
Well it`s not really it`s an ageing Vauxhall Astra!

But it`s interesting to read in the transfer gossip column of one respected (if that`s the correct word to use when you refer to tabloids) that Fulham are in the market for a certain David Bentley, of Spurs.

Bentley, once touted as the next flash thing, has struggled since moving to White Hart Lane and the tabloid reckons that Martin Jol could very well return to his former club to take the player on a season long loan.

It`ll be interesting if he can go through the gears to pull this one off!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=244181#ixzz1P43iJQjg

[WhiteJC]

 
Jol on a fast start and reshaping the squad
by DAN on JUNE 12, 2011

There have been a couple of comments in the comments this morning about a Martin Jol interview in the Sunday Times. It's not available online, but I've been down and grabbed the last copy from the Co-op and there are some interesting snippets.

He's pretty relaxed about the very early start to Fulham's season:

We'll have to play after one week [of pre-season training] and a few of the guys are going to be coming back late. There are no warm-up games but even if we're not at our peak, we can handle it. I had to play in the Champions League after one week [with Ajax in 2010-11 when key players were returning late from the World Cup], so I've done it before.

Jol's enthusiastic about the task ahead, too:

Fulham is a happy club, players enjoy playing there. I feel we've a settled squad which has been together a long time. Fulham's not a club where you arrive and need to sign six or seven players. If we sign players, it won't just be to fill the squad, it'll be adding those who can make a difference.

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of his recruitment policy will be a desire to bring down the average age of the squad, which was bolstered by Roy Hodgson placing a premium on experience. Jonathan Northcroft, who wrote the piece, refers to the 20-25 age bracket but there are no distinct quotes on ages from Jol:

If you've got an older team and play in a lot of competitions, you need some younger players. You saw Birmingham. If you have other obligations [apart from the Premier League], you can suffer.

We have good young players in the reserves. I'm happy we've got Matthew Briggs, a younger who's already experienced, and Moussa Dembele. He's a great talent.

Jol also expanded on his targets and the type of football he wants to bring to Craven Cottage:

We want to be in mid-table [in contrast to Fulham's slow start to last season], then push on. We must maybe attack opponents more and score more goals but have the same stability at the pack as the past few seasons. The difference between eighth and 14th can be two points. You need players who can make a difference but I feel we have some.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2011/06/jol-on-a-fast-start-and-reshaping-the-squad/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Who needs Jenas when you've got Sidwell
Fulham are unsurprisingly being linked with yet another Spurs player; a midfielder this time.

Unfortunately it's Jermaine Jenas, though the former England international is still valued at £8 million; a figure which makes little logical sense even taking into account the saying that prices are higher in London.

A year ago Jenas may have been a good addition, but that was before the signing of Steve Sidwell from Aston Villa.

Having made a pretty successful start at Fulham, Sidwell already fills the role of the talented central midfielder who can score and create goals. For what Jenas would cost, a manager like Martin Jol could probably find a couple of cheaper and equally talented alternatives.

Fulham's squad needs strengthening, but not by filling the ranks with even more players already into the second halves of their careers.


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=244189#ixzz1P44CeI3a

[WhiteJC]

 
Admiring Jol!
For Fulham the summer vacation is almost over!

Soon we`re back to the hard grind of getting match-fit in preparation for a season that starts with our involvement in the Europa League, at the end of this month.

We`ve anew manager in harness and it`s a manager that our veteran Australian goalkeeper, Mark Schwarzer, has a lot of time for with the thirty-eight year old commenting,

"Martin is a very well respected and successful manager."

"His last job was at Ajax, and he was at Hamburg and Tottenham. They`re some very big clubs he`s been involved with."

"I`ve been coached by a few Dutchmen and they`re all technically strong. I`m looking forward to working with him."

They`ll certainly be interesting times ahead!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=244190#ixzz1P44NqmGk

[WhiteJC]

 
Cole Linked to Craven Cottage!
For some strange, but most welcome in my eyes, reason Fulham Football Club are pretty dominant in the transfer speculation this weekend.

Now whether it`s because we`ve a new manager in place and the grapevine has suggested there is money to spend is open to debate.

But one target the tabloid press suggest we have in our sights is an interesting one.

The player linked to us this time is Joe Cole.

Cole, currently on the books of Liverpool Football Club, had a disappointing debut season at Anfield and could be deemed as surplus to requirements.

Following on the back of Liverpool signing the young Sunderland midfielder, Jordan Henderson, the hacks are intimating that Martin Jol may well be contemplating asking Kenny Dalglish if Fulham can have Joe on a season long loan deal.

Yes, is the answer I`m hoping Kenny comes back with!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=244191#ixzz1P44Y7MdS

[WhiteJC]

 
Hughton considers working with Jol
by DAN on JUNE 12, 2011

Chris Hughton is interested in working with Martin Jol again – but only if he fails to land a managerial position by the start of the new season.

The former Newcastle manager is thought to be amongst the top contenders to replace Dave Jones at Cardiff, with the Championship club expected to make a decision early next week. Jol has told Fulham's board that he wishes to bring Hughton, who was his assistant at Tottenham, to Craven Cottage as part of his backroom team and Hughton's interest comes as something of a surprise after he was quoted saying that he was only looking to managerial posts last week.

In yet more welcome news, it looks as if Ray Lewington will be promoted back to working with the first-team having been sidelined under Mark Hughes.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2011/06/hughton-considers-working-with-jol/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fomer boss eyes Spurs duo

New Fulham boss Martin Jol is contemplating a raid on his former club Tottenham to snap up Jermaine Jenas and David Bentley.
Jol, who managed Spurs between 2004 and 2007, is interested in enticing the players from north to west London in pemanent and temporary deals.

The new Craven Cottage chief is believed to be contemplating matching an £8million asking price for Jenas and a loan bid for winger Bentley.

Jenas, who has struggled to hold down a place in the Spurs side in recent seasons, is said to be available at £8million and Jol, who took him to White Hart Lane back in 2005, is an admirer of the England international.

Meanwhile, 27-year-old Bentley is also available for a move across London as Spurs boss Harry Redknapp has made it quite clear the player is no longer wanted by the club.

The former Blackburn wideman was loaned out to Birmingham last season, but the Blues' relegation ended the possibility of him joining Alex McLeish's side on a permanent deal.

While Bentley and Jenas' team-mate Robbie Keane has apparently been ruled out of a possible move to Fulham due to his wages, £70,000 a week, being too high for the Cottagers to accommodate.


http://www.eatsleepsport.com/tottenham-hotspur/fomer-boss-eyes-spurs-duo-1225407.html?

[os5889]

http://www.epltalk.com/should-carlos-tevez-and-cesc-fabregas-be-sold-this-summer-32292

Should Carlos Tevez and Cesc Fabregas Be Sold This Summer?
by RANDY TANUBRATA on JUNE 12, 2011 · 0 COMMENTS


Summer is the time when transfer speculation and analysis dominate the news. Almost all of the transfer speculation focus on the players going to new clubs. However, for managers, selling and releasing players is also important during off-season.

Like other sports, managers sell or release players based on different obvious reasons. Some players were sold because they became too old, the money was too good to turn down or they didn't fit the tactics anymore.

But there is another reason why certain players were shown the door: they need to go to improve or maintain team chemistry.

Whenever I read stories about Cesc Fabregas or Carlos Tevez, I always think: "It's time to sell both of them". Both are captains for their clubs yet they provide a lot of distractions for their team mates. Does anyone (especially Arsenal fans) wonder why Fabregas went to see the Spanish Grand Prix while his teammates were playing against Fulham? Do the Citizens fans feel disgusted every time Carlos Tevez says he's not happy playing football and wants to quit soon? If the fans start to feel disgusted, you can imagine the feeling of the other players in the dressing room.

There are different "problem players' in the dressing room and managers don't need a lot of them to cause distractions to team and in some cases, could cost your job.


When a player's heart is not with the team anymore, the player becomes useless for the team, regardless of their role. Granted, Fabregas and Tevez have performed quite admirably this season (especially Tevez) but their actions implied a "me first" attitude which could be detrimental to their teams. In this era, you can blame media for creating stories that certain players want to quit or are unhappy with their lives but when the same players frequently appear with the same story, then there must be something wrong with them. If you watched Eric Cantona's performance in his last season, I bet that no one ever predicted that he was going to retire at the end of that year: there were no Tevez-like statements of "I'm disillusioned with football" although that was the real reason behind Cantona's sudden and premature retirement.

When a manager decides that a player has started to challenge his authority, it's always a good reason to sell him. Paul Ince was sold to Inter Milan when he started calling himself "The Guv'nor of Old Trafford",  Bayern Munich's captain Mark van Bommel's contract was terminated in January by Louis van Gaal because he challenged LVG's authority. Fernando Morientes also was loaned out of Real Madrid after lashing out at Vicente del Bosque because he didn't like playing in the "garbage minutes" and there's another reason besides tactical why Craig Bellamy was sent to Cardiff on-loan instead of staying in Manchester to name just a few. Interestingly, Bellamy also managed to rile Graeme Souness when playing for Newcastle and Rafa Benitez while at Liverpool.

When a player creates frictions with his teammate, it could also be a good case for the manager to show him the door. Theoretically, you don't need to be friends to work together (just ask Andy Cole and Teddy Sheringham) but if the player attacked his teammate with a golf club (Craig Bellamy) or reportedly sent harassing text messages to a very powerful teammate (Bellamy again), then the exit door would be shown by the manager. Ruud van Nistelrooy was let go not long after he reportedly mocked Cristiano Ronaldo by saying "Go to your daddy" (referring to assistant manager Carlos Queiroz) while Ronaldo's dad just passed away several weeks earlier. But no famous player learned this lesson the hard way more than Roy Keane: the Manchester United then-captain was shown the door in two weeks after giving an interview with MUTV criticizing United's younger players, Darren Fletcher and John O'Shea.

Despite the importance of selling these "trouble makers", the process is not as easy as it looks because of the nature of this decision.

First, there is an importance of a particular player to a team. Take Fabregas and Tevez: will the manager be criticized for selling that particular player if the team fails next season? Can he find an adequate replacement? Alex Ferguson still regrets selling Jaap Stam to Lazio after Stam's book mentioned the Neville brothers as "not world class defenders" and implied Fergie of illegally tapping him. The same consideration was probably behind Arsene Wenger 's decision not to show William Gallas the door, but merely stripped his captaincy after Gallas criticized his teammates in 2008 during an interview with AFP (Gallas was even offered a contract extension before ended up joining Tottenham in 2010).

Another reason involves cost and benefit of keeping against selling/releasing the players. Sometimes, things become a waiting game: the selling club wants to get rid of the troublemaker as soon as possible and the prospective buyer wants to wait until the seller budges. Sometimes, not many clubs can afford the players and selling the player could result in the player haunt his old club. Take Bellamy as example: Mancini refused to let him go to a certain Premiership club while none of the "permitted" clubs could afford to pay his salary that he eventually loaned to Cardiff with City paying certain portion of his wages. Another example is Samuel Eto'o: Barca was so anxious to offload him to Inter and he came back to haunt Barcelona.

So, Man City and Arsenal fans, should Tevez and Fabregas be let go this summer? Also for other club's fans: are there any players you think should be shown the door because of the factors above? Share your opinions in the comments section below.

[zzamora]

http://www.epltalk.com/should-carlos-tevez-and-cesc-fabregas-be-sold-this-summer-32292

Should Carlos Tevez and Cesc Fabregas Be Sold This Summer?
by RANDY TANUBRATA on JUNE 12, 2011 · 0 COMMENTS


Summer is the time when transfer speculation and analysis dominate the news. Almost all of the transfer speculation focus on the players going to new clubs. However, for managers, selling and releasing players is also important during off-season.

Like other sports, managers sell or release players based on different obvious reasons. Some players were sold because they became too old, the money was too good to turn down or they didn't fit the tactics anymore.

But there is another reason why certain players were shown the door: they need to go to improve or maintain team chemistry.

Whenever I read stories about Cesc Fabregas or Carlos Tevez, I always think: "It's time to sell both of them". Both are captains for their clubs yet they provide a lot of distractions for their team mates. Does anyone (especially Arsenal fans) wonder why Fabregas went to see the Spanish Grand Prix while his teammates were playing against Fulham? Do the Citizens fans feel disgusted every time Carlos Tevez says he's not happy playing football and wants to quit soon? If the fans start to feel disgusted, you can imagine the feeling of the other players in the dressing room.

There are different "problem players' in the dressing room and managers don't need a lot of them to cause distractions to team and in some cases, could cost your job.


When a player's heart is not with the team anymore, the player becomes useless for the team, regardless of their role. Granted, Fabregas and Tevez have performed quite admirably this season (especially Tevez) but their actions implied a "me first" attitude which could be detrimental to their teams. In this era, you can blame media for creating stories that certain players want to quit or are unhappy with their lives but when the same players frequently appear with the same story, then there must be something wrong with them. If you watched Eric Cantona's performance in his last season, I bet that no one ever predicted that he was going to retire at the end of that year: there were no Tevez-like statements of "I'm disillusioned with football" although that was the real reason behind Cantona's sudden and premature retirement.

When a manager decides that a player has started to challenge his authority, it's always a good reason to sell him. Paul Ince was sold to Inter Milan when he started calling himself "The Guv'nor of Old Trafford",  Bayern Munich's captain Mark van Bommel's contract was terminated in January by Louis van Gaal because he challenged LVG's authority. Fernando Morientes also was loaned out of Real Madrid after lashing out at Vicente del Bosque because he didn't like playing in the "garbage minutes" and there's another reason besides tactical why Craig Bellamy was sent to Cardiff on-loan instead of staying in Manchester to name just a few. Interestingly, Bellamy also managed to rile Graeme Souness when playing for Newcastle and Rafa Benitez while at Liverpool.

When a player creates frictions with his teammate, it could also be a good case for the manager to show him the door. Theoretically, you don't need to be friends to work together (just ask Andy Cole and Teddy Sheringham) but if the player attacked his teammate with a golf club (Craig Bellamy) or reportedly sent harassing text messages to a very powerful teammate (Bellamy again), then the exit door would be shown by the manager. Ruud van Nistelrooy was let go not long after he reportedly mocked Cristiano Ronaldo by saying "Go to your daddy" (referring to assistant manager Carlos Queiroz) while Ronaldo's dad just passed away several weeks earlier. But no famous player learned this lesson the hard way more than Roy Keane: the Manchester United then-captain was shown the door in two weeks after giving an interview with MUTV criticizing United's younger players, Darren Fletcher and John O'Shea.

Despite the importance of selling these "trouble makers", the process is not as easy as it looks because of the nature of this decision.

First, there is an importance of a particular player to a team. Take Fabregas and Tevez: will the manager be criticized for selling that particular player if the team fails next season? Can he find an adequate replacement? Alex Ferguson still regrets selling Jaap Stam to Lazio after Stam's book mentioned the Neville brothers as "not world class defenders" and implied Fergie of illegally tapping him. The same consideration was probably behind Arsene Wenger 's decision not to show William Gallas the door, but merely stripped his captaincy after Gallas criticized his teammates in 2008 during an interview with AFP (Gallas was even offered a contract extension before ended up joining Tottenham in 2010).

Another reason involves cost and benefit of keeping against selling/releasing the players. Sometimes, things become a waiting game: the selling club wants to get rid of the troublemaker as soon as possible and the prospective buyer wants to wait until the seller budges. Sometimes, not many clubs can afford the players and selling the player could result in the player haunt his old club. Take Bellamy as example: Mancini refused to let him go to a certain Premiership club while none of the "permitted" clubs could afford to pay his salary that he eventually loaned to Cardiff with City paying certain portion of his wages. Another example is Samuel Eto'o: Barca was so anxious to offload him to Inter and he came back to haunt Barcelona.

So, Man City and Arsenal fans, should Tevez and Fabregas be let go this summer? Also for other club's fans: are there any players you think should be shown the door because of the factors above? Share your opinions in the comments section below.

dont wanna be rude but this is hardly fulham news -_-

[os5889]

http://www.bournemouth.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=244204

Cherries reject bids for Pearce, Ings and Wiggins

AFC Bournemouth have rejected offers from Fulham, Barnsley and Charlton for three of the Cherries squad.

The Daily Echo have confirmed that the Cherries have rejected offers from Premier League side Fulham for striker Danny Ings, Championship side Barnsley for Jason Pearce and League One rivals Charlton for Rhoys Wiggins.

The Barnsley Chronicle on Friday reported that following Peterborough United's failed bid for Cherries captain Jason Pearce, Barnsley, now managed by former Rochdale manager Keith Hill, were set to make an approach for centre back Jason Pearce, however the Echo have revealed that AFC Bournemouth chairman Eddie Mitchell has rejected that bid.

The Echo has also confirmed that previous reports of bids for Danny Ings from Fulham and Charlton's two offers for Wiggins have also been rejected.

Reports that Fulham were tracking Danny Ings began two weeks ago, while reports of Charlton's interest in Wiggins began on 3rd June.

The Daily Echo also speculates that 'Marc Pugh is also understood to be attracting interest.'

[os5889]

http://www.mlssoccer.com/goldcup/news/article/2011/06/12/gold-cup-us-player-ratings-group-c-loss-panama

Gold Cup: US player ratings from Group C loss to Panama

Not a single player escapes criticism after a poor US effort

AMSTERDAM — These grades will leave some red faces after the US suffered a disjointed Gold Cup defeat to Panama in Tampa, Fla., on Saturday night.

The Americans stayed with the lineup that played so smoothly against Canada, only to have them perform out of rhythm for most of the night.

The 'Nats were most hampered by a passing game that constantly left receivers either lunging or slamming on the brakes for the touch. The attacking four interchanged freely, offering a new wrinkle and 17 shots fired, but they failed to pull this one out of the fire.

Tim Howard (5) - Though he made a decent initial stop, he probably wishes he'd have done better with the rebound on Panama's opener. Other than that, he had a tidy night.

Steve Cherundolo (5) - It's tough to be too critical when the right back provided a forward thrust all night, but his crosses were so repeatedly disappointing as to leave no choice. However, aside from one glaring misstep, his defensive work stood above the other back liners.

Clarence Goodson (4.5) - It was largely an atypical bumbler of a night for the Brøndby man. He was bested by Luis Tejada for the rebound goal and later got away with being sadly beaten over the top by him. Goodson is always a palpable menace on corner kicks, which resulted in a fine lunging goal and saves this grade from the muck.

Tim Ream (3.5) - Though he was better in the second half, Ream never looked fully comfortable. His penalty kick foul out by the edge of the box was truly one for the gag reel, he was exposed by a good cross before that and a couple of his soft clearances invited real danger.

Carlos Bocanegra (4) - Like his opposite, the captain did well to help the team move up field, but his crosses were poor. Bocanegra, however, compounded problems by getting caught up several times. Most notably, he completely lost track of initial shooter Felipe Baloy on the first Panama goal play.

Michael Bradley (6) - Until his flick set up the Goodson goal, it was mostly a nondescript showing from the midfield general. For the most part, he kept things moving and avoided mistakes, but he also fell short of putting an authoritative stamp on the game. That late missed shot in the area is one Bradley usually buries.

Jermaine Jones (4) - The Blackburn target started the game looking alert and aggressive, but he was soon just out of sorts. His flub on the ball facilitated the yellow-card foul that preceded Panama's opener. It never really got that much better from there.

Landon Donovan (5) - The last Bradley sentence also applies here for the run of play work from the No. 10, part of the reason being he again looked somewhat indecisive in the final third. Seven of Donovan's dozen danger restarts were useful — a percentage a bit lower than one should expect from a team's sole taker.

Clint Dempsey (5.5) - The ball just never quite fell right for Deuce in this game, but he kept plugging and was about the only 'Nat out there interested in the concept of switching direction of play. Dempsey was probably also the victim of a few bad non-calls. Instead of getting frustrated (like some of his teammates), the Fulham star stayed after it all night.

Juan Agudelo (4) - The New York Red Bulls prodigy was one of those frustrated 'Nats. When he wasn't dribbling head down and solo into traps, Agudelo was fumbling touches. To his credit, he did offer something by tracking back to make a few important defensive helps.

Jozy Altidore (5) - Some of his hold-up touches were extra clunky, but to be fair, he was often having the hell beat out of him. Jozy deserved a game-tying assist for his fine work on Chris Wondolowski's least favorite YouTube clip. By the end, he had teed up four shots for teammates with various methods.

Coach Bob Bradley (4) - Let's start with this: This guy did not lose his marker or mishit passes or do whatever that was Ream did on the penalty call. Nevertheless, Bradley could not hit his magic adjustment button this time and there should now be some lineup scrutiny.

Subs:

Sacha Kljestan (5) - The sub was patient enough on the ball to look for ways to unlock the Panama defense, but perhaps a little too timid to choose one.

Alejandro Bedoya (5) - After getting caught for a dive in search of spot kick payback, the hot transfer topic quickly caught the team bug of missing that last level of crispness.

Chris Wondolowski (1) - Not to be harsh, but Wondo normally could have sneezed that one home.

[os5889]

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11681_6986415,00.html

Somogyi eyes Fulham move
Hungarian stopper wants summer move to Craven Cottage
Goalkeeper Csaba Somogyi is hopeful of following Martin Jol and signing for Fulham this summer.

Jol offered a trial to the Rakospalotai EAC stopper last December while he was still in charge of Dutch giants Ajax.

And Somogyi impressed the former Tottenham manager during his short stint at the Amsterdam Arena.

Now, the Hungarian 'keeper claims Jol promised him that wherever he went, he would try to sign the 26-year-old from the second division club.

The player told Nemzeti Sport: "I'm very happy that Martin Jol was appointed as the new coach of Fulham. I hope I will get the chance to play for him."

His team-mate Gabor Torma has also indicated the goalkeeper's wish to join up with Jol, saying: "I have a great relationship with Martin Jol. When he agreed to join Fulham, I spoke to his agent immediately.

"The Dutch coach wanted to sign Somogyi, but his contract was then terminated.

"Now he stressed it again that he wants Csaba to play in the team where he is coach."