Sunday Fulham Stuff 12/06/11

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Read more: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/News-Fulham-goalkeeper-Mark-Schwarzer-happy-with-appointment-of-Martin-Jol-article746382.html#ixzz1P0vWVy00

Fulham goalkeeper thrilled with Jol appointment



Mark Schwarzer thinks Martin Jol's appointment as Fulham boss is a major coup for the Cottagers.

Jol was handed the job last week following Mark Hughes' decision to quit Craven Cottage.

Australia's goalkeeper said: "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.''

Jol will have £15million to spend to try to improve on last season's eighth-place finish. But Schwarzer said: "It's a huge ask to get into the top six."

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Read more: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Newcastle-transfer-news-Kevin-Nolan-may-leave-if-a-4million-bid-is-made-but-West-Ham-unlikely-to-sign-him-article746372.html

West Ham unlikely to secure marquee Toon signing



Sam Allardyce's hopes of being reunited with Newcastle skipper Kevin Nolan appear to be subsiding.

West Ham's opening offer for the influential midfielder amounted to just £1.5million, but Newcastle have not ruled out selling Nolan if any club is prepared to meet their £4m valuation, which has alerted London clubs QPR and Fulham.

Stoke and West Brom are also monitoring Nolan's situation.

Although Allardyce and Nolan share the same agent as Andy Carroll – Mark Curtis – it is unlikely to influence the 28-year-old, who is reluctant to either leave Newcastle or drop down into the ­Championship.



Hammers co-owner David Sullivan was even prepared to subsidise Nolan's wages out of his own pocket.

He is earning £42,000 a week at Newcastle, but Sullivan was prepared to make him the club's marquee summer signing and give him a four-year contract worth £55,000 a week.

Despite the interest Nolan is happy to sign a new deal.

As Sunday Mirror Sport ­revealed last week, Nolan is torn apart by the situation and is now beginning to feel he is being pushed out of the door.

On Monday, Newcastle claimed Nolan had rejected a new contract, yet their latest offer to date would only come into effect at the end of next season and was ­dependant on the club ­securing a top-seven finish in the Premier League.

On that basis, Newcastle were prepared to give Nolan a bonus and 12-month ­extension and a ­reported rise of around £10,000 a week.

Earlier this season, manager Alan Pardew had assured Nolan that he would be ­offered a new deal, but it never materialised ­leaving him in complete limbo.

If Newcastle decide to sell Nolan, it would cause untold unrest in the dressing room.

He is very influential and the players tend to come to him for advice and guidance.

When they were promoted from the Championship, he paid for a celebration party for the players. When Toon had problems with Carroll, Nolan took him into his home to look after him.

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http://www.people.co.uk/sport/football/football-hotline/2011/06/12/fulham-to-monitor-jermaine-jenas-situation-102039-23195697/

Fulham to monitor Jermaine Jenas situation
Jun 12 2011 by Dave Kidd, The People



MARTIN JOL must make a decision on whether to pursue FULHAM'S interest in his former Tottenham midfielder Jermaine Jenas, writes DAVE KIDD.

Jol's predecessor Mark Hughes was keen to sign the £8million-rated England man, one of several players who will be allowed to leave White Hart Lane this summer if the price is right.

Jol signed Jenas for Spurs from Newcastle back in 2005. Yet he hardly thrived under Jol, with the England player's fortunes improving once Juande Ramos replaced the Dutchman.

But Jol is aware that Fulham need to add some midfield creativity and knows 28-year-old Jenas (right) is a player Fulham could afford.

Robbie Keane, who was a firm favourite of Jol, has also been linked to Fulham – but the 30-year-old would need to take a massive cut in his £70,000-a-week wages to move across London.

Ironically, Spurs boss Harry Redknapp wants to sign Fulham striker Moussa Dembele, 23, but Jol is adamant that no swap deal will be considered and that the Belgian will not be sold.

Blackpool's 29-year-old forward DJ Campbell, available for just £1.2m, remains on Fulham's radar.

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Fulham linked with Kop flop Joe Cole
11 June 2011



Fulham are the latest club to be linked with Kop flop Joe Cole.

The Liverpool midfielder is available for transfer - but not 'transfer listed' - as the Reds want to get him off the wage bill after failing to make an impact at Anfield.

Tottenham are interested but a sticking point is the player's salary. He would have to take a considerable pay cut to team-up with Harry Redknapp and you would assume that would be the case with just about any other club that registers an interest in him.

We like Joe. He's a nice lad. It's just a shame that his move hasn't worked out for all concerned.

Read more: http://www.koptalk.co.uk/201106113778/Liverpool-FC-News/fulham-linked-with-kop-flop-joe-cole.html#ixzz1P0wAHPNL

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http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/news/retail-empire-alfayeds-back-online-2296341.html

Retail Empire: Al-Fayed's back: online
By Laura Chesters

Mohamed al-Fayed is to return to shopping with a new online retail empire.

The Fulham FC chairman and former Harrods owner is in talks to buy the online fashion business, Cocosa, from Bauer Media – which owns Grazia magazine and Kiss radio station.

Cocosa, a private membership fashion website set up in 2008, has more than 400,000 members. It sells luxury brands at discount prices to its members.

Mr Fayed sold his Harrods business for £1.5bn to Qatar Holdings last year. If talks are successful to buy Cocosa, he will use the business as the launch pad for his online retail empire.

Last month two colleagues from Balnagown, his Highland estate business – Jeffrey Byrne and Robert Fallowfield – were registered as directors of a newly set up business called Cocosa Lifestyle.

Cocosa is run by managing director Linda Peters. If Mr Fayed takes over, her future role is unclear.

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QPR rise to Premier challenge

With the new football season only 18 days away (Fulham embark on their Europa League journey on June 30) and the domestic fixture lists due to be published this week, this column's season-ticket price hike award for 2011-12 goes to QPR, whose average seat price increase is around 75 per cent.

Season tickets at Loftus Road will now range from £549-£999.

Only Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham have more expensive top-priced 'normal' season tickets.

There is a 6.5 per cent rise at Arsenal (including the VAT rise), a 6.6 per cent hike at Liverpool, 6.2 per cent rises at Tottenham, while prices are up by as much as 8 per cent at Chelsea.

Manchester United's average rise is 2.6 per cent, although the cheapest season tickets, at £513, remain the same price as in 2010-11.

United are keeping rises low because they want to sell out.

The same rationale is behind low price rises at many other clubs - and no rise at Everton, West Bromwich Albion, Stoke, Bolton or Blackburn.

Norwich have arguably the best story to tell: rises of around 12 per cent, but a total sell-out of all 21,883 season tickets before the end of May - and a waiting list of almost 2,000


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-2002552/Nick-Harris-2012-chiefs-sold-signs-sports.html#ixzz1P0x8F8Zz

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http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/australasia/australias-goalie-faces-a-late-penalty-at-home-2296489.html

Australia's goalie faces a late penalty at home
Neighbours object to footballer's plans for Sydney writer's house

By Kathy Marks in Sydney
Sunday, 12 June 2011



Sometimes called Australia's "lost" novelist, Christina Stead went long unrecognised in her home country, and even had one of her books banned as too salacious. So when the US best-selling author Jonathan Franzen wrote a lengthy essay in The New York Times last year, calling for her to be included in the Western literary canon, he sparked a massive resurgence of interest.

Stead's most famous novel, The Man Who Loved Children, which Franzen called "a masterpiece", was based on her own childhood, part of which she spent in a house overlooking Sydney Harbour. Now her former home has become the focus of a bitter dispute between local residents and its current owner, the Fulham footballer Mark Schwarzer, who is also goalkeeper of the Australian national team.

Schwarzer and his wife, Paloma, want to carry out extensive renovations to the five-bedroom Victorian house in the historic suburb of Watsons Bay, which they bought two years ago for A$10.2m (£6.63m). However, their neighbours say the plans – which include building a three-car garage and a glass pavilion – are out of keeping with the area, and do not respect the house's literary heritage.

The Watsons Bay Residents Association has launched a petition which has been signed by Franzen himself, and also by Fay Weldon, who wrote a screenplay of one of Stead's novels, For Love Alone. Residents have lodged 13 objections to the Schwarzers' plans, which the local council is expected to approve or reject later this month.

Stead, who died in 1983, was born in Sydney and returned to Australia in later years. However, she spent much of her adult life in Europe and the US. The author of 15 novels, she was unpublished in her own country until 1965, more than 30 years after her debut novel, Seven Poor Men of Sydney.

Franzen – who has written an introduction to a new edition of The Man Who Loved Children, about a dysfunctional family – describes it as "one of the truly great novels of the 20th century". The author of Freedom and The Corrections says that although Stead's original US publishers insisted that she set it in America, "its heart is clearly in Watsons Bay... Her childhood home therefore seems to be a literary heritage site of the first order."

The house, which dates back to the 1880s, has had a series of owners over the years, and undergone numerous facelifts. According to a heritage consultant engaged by the council, very little of the original fabric remains, other than floorboards, ceiling panels, and concealed timber framing. The Schwarzers want to install a swimming pool and home entertainment room.

Roger Bayliss, the convenor of Watson Bay Residents, said last week: "We don't think that the additions and alterations are consonant or sympathetic with the structure or with the area. The house is highly significant because of its history and its associations with one of Australia's greatest literary families."

However, the Schwarzers' architect, Nick Tobias, defended the plans, saying they had been praised by six heritage experts. "The site has been treated with the utmost sensitivity since we were first briefed on it. Although it's not a heritage listed building, we've always treated it as if it was." The Schwarzers, Mr Tobias added, had "fallen in love with the property because of its historical charm".

In a letter to The Sydney Morning Herald, one of Stead's nieces, Elizabeth, said that while she admired "the efforts of Jonathan Franzen and so many others... to stop ugly changes" to the house, it should be remembered that Christina had spent much of her childhood in another area of Sydney.

Another niece, Margaret Hanks, wrote that the house "bears little, if any, resemblance to the house in which she [Christina] grew up". She suggested that a commemorative plaque be put up – which, according to Mr Tobias, is part of the Schwarzers' plans.

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http://www.people.co.uk/sport/football/news/2011/06/12/hodgson-reckons-next-england-manager-can-win-world-cup-102039-23195132/

Hodgson reckons next England manager can win World Cup
Jun 12 2011 by Dean Jones, The People



ROY HODGSON reckons the next England manager could be the luckiest of all – ­because he will inherit a new generation capable of lifting the World Cup.

There have been many false dawns since Bobby Moore last collected football's most ­valuable prize back in 1966, as batch after batch of Three Lions sides have failed to live up to the hype.

But a new crop of talent is now breaking through that Hodgson feels can genuinely challenge the world's top nations.

Today's England's Under-21 clash with Spain will give further insight into our exciting future, with Liverpool's £20million new-boy Jordan Henderson and Manchester United target Phil Jones on show.

And Hodgson said: "It looks like there are a lot of emerging young players in the English game.

"In the recent matches, I thought Ashley Young did well and Stewart Downing and Adam Johnson gave them something ­different because they can run with the ball.

Glittering

"That's something we have ­lamented not having in the past. We also have the speed of Theo Walcott and Aaron Lennon. It's looking good that we have different players who can give the coach ­different options.

"As for Jack Wilshere, he's a very, very talented all-round midfield player. He can ­tackle, shoot, pass.

There are certainly good signs for the future for the next manager, whoever he is. I've got a feeling the ­glittering prize is not that far off for the England team – so who knows? The next England manager might be the lucky one."

Hodgson, of course, is one of the men that will be vying for the job.

It has been a rollercoaster year for the 63-year-old, as he led Fulham to a Europa League final, then quit to take up a dream job at Liverpool, before being fired in January and finishing the campaign as West Brom manager.

Despite that dodgy spell at Anfield, a good season in charge at the Hawthorns is sure to leave him in the frame when Fabio Capello quits after Euro 2012.

But he added: "I don't think it should be an ambition to be England manager. I don't think you can make one particular job an ­ambition but, of course, it's the greatest honour you can be given as a coach.

"But it's also turned out to be a poisoned chalice because you can be open to ­enormous criticism and ridicule.

"The greatest examples are Sir Bobby Robson and Terry Venables, who did outstanding jobs and got England to semi-finals which they lost on penalties. Both were mercilessly lampooned and ­criticised, only to be welcomed back into the bosom later with everyone saying what good coaches they were.

"If you do the job you have to keep it long enough to get to that stage! It's certainly a job you'd go into with your eyes wide open.

"There is a chance of success – you could win a World Cup – but there's also a chance people will speak badly of you because you didn't win the World Cup. Even Sir Alf Ramsey suffered it. A few years after winning it they were talking about him having no idea because we didn't win the next one.

"The people who select the manager understand the problem. They need to appoint someone who will do a good job and that will help move the nation forward even if they don't get the glittering prize."

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http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/news-and-comment/the-last-word-martinez-has-given-new-life-to-old-virtues-2296431.html

The Last Word: Martinez has given new life to old virtues
Wigan manager's decision to turn down Villa must be very confusing for football's little dictators

By James Corrigan



Imagine if every Premier League manager was like Roberto Martinez. Imagine if all of our top-level gaffers were as loyal as the Principled One from Wigan Athletic. Where would the game be then?

Somewhere between the pickle and the U-bend, that's where. How would it make the most powerful men in the sport feel – you know, those owners who keep the Big Top's cash tills ticking to aid our entertainment? Their dilemma would suddenly be truly horrendous. Why, it would take all the fun out of being a dictator.

So you want to be rid of the dolt in the dugout who has had the temerity to: a) not win a trophy for a whole season; or b) lacked sufficient reputation to impress your fellow multimillionaires in the directors' box.

So what to do? Easy. Squeeze the trigger and hire a manager whose star is in the ascendancy. But wait a minute. That manager won't be enticed from his current position; by salary, transfer kitties or promises of silverware. He's staying loyal to his club, just like all the rotters are nowadays.

So where to go now? There's only one thing for it. You have to pin your faith in the present manager, invest in his long-term plan, give him the time and space to create a team who embody his footballing philosophy and wait for however longer ittakes for the success to arrive. How sensible, how boring, how thoroughlyun-football...

But then, the Abramovichs out there need not fret, need not stir on their silken sheets as their slumber is invaded by visions of a world where humans don't necessarily have their price. Because the great news for market forces is that in gafferdom personal interest is still very much top of the agenda. And the evenbetter news is that hardly any blame is apportioned.

If Martinez had decided to join Aston Villa, outside of Wigan he would not have received any criticism, regardless of whatever loyalty his chairman, Dave Whelan, had extended. It would have been his right to choose, to do the best by his family and, if by must, for his ambition. You couldn't fault the Spaniard.

Well yes, you could actually. You can't heap all this praise upon Martinez for "doing the right thing" by staying with the perceived lesser club and then, in the opposite scenario, also claim he would be "doing the right thing". That makes no sense at all. All that twisted logic achieves is to give managers carte blanche to do whatever they like. Which is exactly what they have now.

Take Mark Hughes leaving Fulham. The immediate question on his surprise resignation wasn't, "Why has he quit a club he has managed for under 11 months and took to eighth in the Premier League?" It was, "I wonder who has tapped him up – Villa, Chelsea or some other club who haven't printed off the P45 yet?"

Exactly nobody in the entire universe believed his agent when he outlined Hughes's reasons for leaving – as if his ambitions, or those of Fulham, have changed since last July – or when he pointed out how kind Hughes had been to Fulham in grant-ing them time to find a replacement. But then, his agent does happen to be Kia Joorabchian.

Until they appointed Martin Jol, Fulham fans were understandably aggrieved, remembering all Hughes had said when joining. The neutrals merely shrugged. Don't forget these were the same neutrals who were morally affronted when Manchester City sacked Poor Sparky mid-season. Perhaps they'd forgotten the time when Sparky left Poor Wales mid-qualifying campaign when Blackburn came calling. Not a whisper of dissent then. Tell me, why is a person's ambition deemed so much more precious than a club's ambition or even a country's ambition? It would be interesting to see the reaction if Hughes does pitch up at Villa Park. Probably a ho, maybe a hum.

There have been occasions when managers have been labelled Judas. Mark McGhee when he jumped from Reading to Leicester to Wolves in rapid succession, Steve Bruce when he unashamedly hopped from prettymuch everywhere to anywhere in his early days. But these, in footballing terms, were a while ago. We are at the stage now where a manager would leave his relegation-threatened club on the last day of the season for the club in 18th to a chorus of, "We completely understand".

We can thank the boardroom for all this. They are the ones who ensureddisloyalty would be a two-way street. After decade upon decade of trigger-delirious chairmanship, Darwinian laws dictated a survival gene developed to help managers understand that not only do they have to walk before pushed,they have to do so regardless of whatever broken vows are left behind. Hence the mercenaries who prowl the technical areas with their hearts on their sleeves and their agents on the blower.

Hey, the oh so inevitable cry goes, what would you do if you were offereda better job? Why should managers be any different? Fair enough, why should they? As long as they realise they have become complicit in football's culture of "to fire is to fix", as long as they realise their greed and total absence of managerial comradeship is encouraging the overlords to be ever-increasingly egomaniacal.

It is the managers who wave to the fans on a weekly basis, accepting the hero-worship, declaring what the club mean to them, banging on about their vision, saying how we're all in this together. That doesn't happen in normal jobs, in normal life. That's what makes it different, that and the responsibility they are always so keen to assume to those thousands of fans. Being honest is the very least of that responsibility.

Perhaps it is hopelessly naïve to expect other managers to follow Martinez's example. Indeed, perhaps it's hopelessly naïve to expect Martinez to follow Martinez's example. (After all, he left Swansea to join Wigan and the Swans' recent elevation shows his job was clearly not finished at the Liberty). But just for once, a gaffer put his heart before his head, his pride before his wallet, his pledge before his ambition. That's football before business for those of you who don't understand. Thankfully, there is still a distinction between the two.

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http://www.people.co.uk/sport/football/football-hotline/2011/06/12/blackburn-resign-to-losing-talisman-chris-samba-102039-23195372/

Blackburn resign to losing talisman Chris Samba
Jun 12 2011 by Dave Kidd, The People



Blackburn are set to lose their battle to keep Chris Samba with Arsenal poised to clinch the giant defender's signing.

People Sport revealed last week that while Rovers were ­resigned to Phil Jones' exit, they hoped to keep central-defensive partner Samba.

But even with Jones on the verge of a £16.5million move to Manchester United – once ­wrangling over the fee is sorted out – the Ewood Park club accept 6ft 4in Samba is also on his way.

The Congo ­international was the ­subject of a £10m Arsenal bid in January and ­Gunners boss Arsene Wenger should clinch a deal for around £12m.

Samba signed an improved contract in February but Rovers will not block a move to a Champions League club for a 27-year-old who has given them four-and-a-half years' service.

Wenger wants Samba to feature alongside Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen, who will also be fully fit in August after an injury-ravaged 2010-11 campaign.

But Arsenal could still snap up Bolton's Gary Cahill, as well as Samba. Tottenham have also shown interest in the Congo star but have not registered a bid.

Rovers boss Steve Kean has drawn up a hit-list of replacements that includes Aston Villa's James Collins and Roger ­Johnson, of relegated ­Birmingham.

Kean is expected to be given a large kitty – including the cash from Jones and Samba.

Rovers are showing ­interest in Auxerre's Poland attacker Ireneusz Jelen.

A proven scorer in France with 48 goals in 138 games, Jelen is on the move after five years in Ligue 1.

Fulham, Norwich and Swansea are all also interested.

[White Noise]

http://www.people.co.uk/sport/football/news/2011/06/12/hughton-opens-doors-to-work-with-martin-jol-102039-23195691/


Hughton opens doors to work with Martin Jol


Jun 12 2011 by Dean Jones, The People


CHRIS HUGHTON has told Martin Jol he is open to the prospect of linking up at Fulham – but not yet.

The pair used to work together at Tottenham and Jol made it clear to the Cottagers' board he would like to work with him again.

Hughton is currently in the running for the vacant Cardiff job, and wants to hold out to see if he is offered any managerial post.

But if no No.1 job comes along by August, he is prepared to step in as Jol's right-hand man at Fulham.

And People Sport understands it is possible Fulham would be willing to include a clause in his contract that would allow Hughton to go for any manager's job that comes along. Ray Lewington is also set to move back into the first-team spotlight as part of the backroom reshuffle in West London.

He had been shifted into the youth set-up after previous Craven Cottage boss Mark Hughes overhauled the first-team squad last year.

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http://www.people.co.uk/sport/football/football-hotline/2011/06/12/cardiff-city-will-employ-new-manager-in-next-48-hours-102039-23195370/


Cardiff City will employ new manager in next 48 hours

Jun 12 2011 by Alan Nixon, The People


Cardiff CITY will choose between Malky Mackay and Lee Clark to become their new boss in the next 48 hours.

The Bluebirds have a summit meeting today as their owners fly in to discuss the two candidates left in the race to succeed Dave Jones.

Watford chief Mackay is just in front in the chase – as People Sport revealed last week – and Cardiff are ready to pay the Hornets over £300,000 in compensation.

Mackay would need to find out if Cardiff have the funds to put together a new team, so the move is not set in stone – but the Scot appears prepared to leave Watford.

Huddersfield's highly-rated gaffer Clark, 38, is an alternative after missing out on promotion to the Championship in the play-off final.

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http://www.people.co.uk/sport/football/news/2011/06/12/mark-hughes-on-standby-to-take-charge-of-aston-villa-102039-23195692/


Mark Hughes on standby to take charge of Aston Villa


Jun 12 2011 by Alan Nixon, The People



MARK HUGHES is still on standby to answer Aston Villa's SOS.

The Welshman, who walked out on Fulham a fortnight ago, was red-hot ­favourite with bookies to succeed Gerard Houllier in the hot-seat but was left ­hanging by the phone as the Villa board wooed rival bosses instead.

But after highly-rated Wigan gaffer Roberto Martinez said no to their offer, and Malaga coach Manuel Pellegrini also cold-shouldered them, Hughes believes he could capitalise with Villa running out of options.

Villa were far from impressed by the way he handled his Fulham exit and have insisted they will not perform a U-turn.

Misgivings

But Hughes has told pals he still wants the job even though he has yet to receive any contact from the Midlands club.

If Villa decide the Welshman is still persona non grata, they could turn once more to Steve McClaren.

The former England boss was in the box seat for the job until Villa fans made it clear to their club's board that he would not be welcome.

Chairman Randy Lerner agreed with their misgivings but, with alternative names falling by the wayside, McClaren is once more being considered as a ­realistic option, and is thick-skinned enough to say 'yes' if given a second chance.

McClaren has other irons in the fire, including a return to the Dutch League, but Villa would be his No.1 choice.

Birmingham manager Alex McLeish has been backed at the bookmakers and, ­concerned about his own club's finances, he may fancy a move but sources atSt Andrews say Big Eck would not ­consider a switch to City's hated rivals.

Just to add to the chaos around the appointment, Leeds boss Simon Grayson – who suddenly took over as the bookies' favourite yesterday – was ­adamant he knew little about the situation.

He said: "A friend just sent me a text to tell me I was favourite but that's all I've heard."

Bolton's Owen Coyle has also been mentioned but sources close to him say he has no interest, especially as Villa made it clear they fancied several candidates ahead of him.

But there are other contenders who do want the challenge.

Kevin MacDonald is keen to step back into the hot-seat after a spell as caretaker when Martin O'Neill quit last season.

The quiet Scot seemed to find the spotlight ­uncomfortable but has now told pals that he wants to be considered.

Popular with the players, MacDonald could be the solution Lerner is looking for as Villa continue to bungle their search for a new boss.

Expensive

Villa's hierarchy rate MacDonald ­highly. He and first-team coach Gordon ­Cowans have been told they have futures at the club even if an outsider comes in.

Rafa Benitez was heavily backed last week but the former Liverpool chief, out of work and available, is believed to be too expensive for Villa's taste.

Former Villa skipper Gareth Southgate has also been discussed as a candidate.

Now the FA's head of elite development and an ITV ­pundit, Southgate retains close links with the Villa boardroom.

He was sacked from his only previous managerial job with Middlesbrough in 2009 but is still highly regarded at Villa.

Dutch legend Frank Rijkaard remains a possibility. The ex-Holland and Barcelona coach has been out of football since leaving Galatasaray last October.

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http://www.people.co.uk/sport/football/sport-confidential/2011/06/12/martin-jol-starts-spending-at-craven-cottage-102039-23195431/



Martin Jol starts spending at Craven Cottage


Jun 12 2011 by Dean Jones, The People


MARTIN JOL started spending minutes after arriving at Fulham. On Tuesday the Dutchman visited the club's training ground, then popped down to Craven Cottage and snapped up a £14.99 Billy the Badger souvenir in the club shop – just 12 quid with his 20 per cent staff discount!

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http://www.people.co.uk/sport/columnists/dave-kidd/2011/06/12/managers-being-hired-for-their-accents-is-a-risqu-approach-102039-23195377/



Managers being hired for their accents is a risqué approach


Jun 12 2011 by Dave Kidd, The People


THE soothing tones of a Dutch accent are the must-have accessory for Premier League managerial candidates, with Martin Jol taking over at Fulham and Guus Hiddink to do likewise at Chelsea. Steve McClaren won't have to wait too long, for shhhhooor. West Ham's favourite Italian son Paolo Di Canio is at Swindon, while Man City's German cult hero Uwe Rosler is the new manager of Brentford, suggesting that legendary former Premier League imports are all the rage as lower-division bosses. Eric Cantona (pictured) for Accrington Stanley? You heard it here first.

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http://www.people.co.uk/sport/columnists/jimmy-greaves/2011/06/12/jol-s-dutch-of-class-is-perfect-for-friendly-fulham-102039-23195363/


Jol's Dutch of class is perfect for friendly Fulham

Jun 12 2011 by Jimmy Greaves, The People





IT'S hard to imagine a more snug fit than Martin Jol taking over as manager of Fulham.

It would certainly be wrong to regard the big Dutchman as some kind of big softy – he is too successful for that.

But I cannot think of another Premier League boss who has enjoyed such popularity from the football-supporting public.

The manner of his sacking by Tottenham almost four years ago remains an embarrassment to all of us who have Spurs in our blood.

Jol was just a dodgy lasagne away from guiding them into the Champions League in 2006. Food poisoning decimated his side for a final-day defeat by West Ham – allowing Arsenal to pip their great rivals to fourth place.

Jol was sacked despite successive fifth-placed finishes, when chairman Daniel Levy went behind his back to appoint Juande Ramos.

The Dutchman was huge favourite at White Hart Lane and those I know at the club were gutted by his sacking.

Fulham, meanwhile, have always enjoyed that 'family' reputation and they are what I'd call a traditional football club, from their stadium, to their supporters, to the way they conduct themselves.

Jol just seems like a Fulham kind of man. He takes me back to Alec Stock, the manager who guided them to their only FA Cup Final, back in 1975, when Bobby Moore was in the side.

Alec was universally loved and had a unique way of talking. He was the inspiration for Paul Whitehouse's brilliant Ron Manager in The Fast Show.

Another great Fulham character was Charlie Mitten, who once evicted the club's England captain Johnny Haynes from the Craven Cottage treatment table because he wanted to use the heat lamp on an injured greyhound!

Jol isn't a comic-book character, of course, and he did have his fair share of run-ins with players while at Spurs. But I know Fulham fans will warm to him.

Like most Dutchmen, he speaks our language better than we do and, having played for West Brom and Coventry as a combative midfielder, he knows what the English game is all about.

You just knew he was destined to come back to the Premier League sooner rather than later.

He will feel that he has some scores to settle and I certainly wouldn't bet against Fulham getting a result or two against Spurs next season.

With Fulham having finished eighth and another season of Europa League football to look forward to, you have to wonder why Mark Hughes left the club.

Like Roy Hodgson last year, he felt he could go on to bigger and better things and looks to have fallen flat on his face – because he is now going to be out of work.

It was like Martin O'Neill leaving Aston Villa last summer because of a disagreement over transfer funds – and no matter how good a job O'Neill did at Villa Park, where is he now? Still on the outside, looking in.

A lot of current football managers have unfeasibly high opinions of themselves, but there are not enough big clubs to satisfy the ambition and self-regard which is out there.

There is only so much silverware up for grabs and, each season, there will be several clubs who end up empty-handed.

That's something Tottenham failed to recognise when they axed Jol. Not that Fulham will be complaining.

● Jimmy starts his theatre tour with Paul Gascoigne on June 18 at the Bournemouth Pavilion. For details of the GAZZA and GREAVSIE show go to gazzashow.com or call 01202 475600 for VIP tickets to all shows.

[White Noise]

http://www.people.co.uk/sport/columnists/dave-kidd/2011/06/12/micky-adams-pays-his-way-for-job-security-102039-23195374/


Micky Adams pays his way for job security


Jun 12 2011 by Dave Kidd, The People



PORT VALE boss Micky Adams was once sacked by Fulham just a couple of months after guiding them to promotion.

He was then axed by Brentford when new owner Ron Noades decided he'd like to pick the team himself. This season he was given the bullet by Sheffield United after just four months in charge, despite enjoying the overwhelming support of fans.

Little wonder, then, that Adams is stumping up £50,000 to join Vale's board of directors.

[White Noise]

http://www.people.co.uk/sport/football/news/2011/06/12/west-ham-offer-kevin-nolan-lucrative-deal-to-sign-toon-captain-102039-23195189/

West Ham offer Kevin Nolan lucrative deal to sign Toon captain


Jun 12 2011 by Alan Nixon, The People


Sam ALLARDYCE is willing to pay his old skipper Kevin Nolan £50,000 a week to lead West Ham out of the Championship. But the Hammers boss has tabled an offer of just £1million for the Newcastle captain – a bid that was laughed out of Toon. West Ham are set to lose some big earners so are ready to throw a huge pay deal at Nolan to persuade him to drop down a level. But he still has two years left on his contract at St James' Park and a Newcastle source said: "Players will be expected to honour their contracts and, if sold, it will only be at a price beneficial to Newcastle United."

[White Noise]

Rodgers sets sights on Eidur's experience


by Chris Wathan, Wales On Sunday


Jun 12 2011


SWANSEA CITY are ready to renew their bid for former Chelsea and Barcelona striker Eidur Gudjohnsen.

Wales on Sunday understands Swans boss Brendan Rodgers has placed the Champions League winner on his Premier League wish list as he seeks to strengthen his squad ahead of the top flight.

And he is prepared to use the transfer war-chest funded by the club's play-off promotion success to lure the Icelandic ace to the Liberty Stadium.

Rodgers made a move for Gudjohnsen, 32, last season as he looked to bolster his attacking options, only for the approach to Stoke to be rebuffed.

But following his release by the Potters, Rodgers has declared an interest in signing the star he knows well from their Stamford Bridge days.

The news comes 24 hours after Marcos Senna's agent gave the green light for a sensational swoop for the Spain Euro 2008 star, the out-of-contract midfielder ready to discuss a move from Villareal to South Wales.

Rodgers has stressed he needs only a few quality signings to help his squad flourish in the top flight after a hugely-successful season in the Championship.

And, while he is looking at younger targets, the interest in Senna and ex-Monaco and Spurs frontman Gudjohnsen suggests he feels Swansea could benefit from the know-how of players who have been there and done it at the top level.

Gudjohnsen (pictured) has more than 50 Premier League goals to his name after a starring spell at Chelsea before tasting European glory with Barcelona.

And despite his bit-part roles with Stoke and, latterly, a loan spell with Fulham, Rodgers seems keen to add him to his forward line, having already snapped up the services of Championship top scorer Danny Graham in a record-breaking £3.5m deal last week.


Read More http://www.walesonline.co.uk/footballnation/swansea-city-fc/2011/06/12/rodgers-sets-sights-on-eidur-s-experience-91466-28862564/#ixzz1P2hGq1hi

[White Noise]

http://hammyend.com/index.php/2011/06/dempsey-lines-up-for-usa-tonight/


Dempsey lines up for USA tonight

by Dan on June 11, 2011


Clint Dempsey has been named in an unchanged American line-up for their Gold Cup clash with Panama tonight.

The Fulham midfielder, who scored in the midweek win over Canada, takes his place in midfield as the United States attempt to clinch qualification from Group C this evening. The game, staged in Tampa, kicks off in a little under an hour at 1am UK time.

The full American side that Bob Bradley has picked is as follows:

USA (4-4-2): Howard; Cherundolo, Goodson, Ream, Bocanegra (c); Dempsey, Bradley, Jones, Donovan; Altidore, Agudelo. Subs: Onyewu, Edu, Wondolowski, Lichaj, Kljestan, Bedoya, Hahnemann.