Monday Fulham Stuff (13/06/11)...

[WhiteJC]

 
New boss looks to former club

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.clubcall.com/fulham/new-boss-looks-to-former-club-1225404.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Could Fulham take Joe Cole on loan?
by DAN on JUNE 12, 2011

A Fulham move for Joe Cole has been rumoured on Liverpool messageboards for the best part of a week and the Sunday Mirror has a few paragraphs on a potential loan move for the England international.

Cole's Bosman switch to Liverpool from Chelsea this time last year was supposed to one of the steals of the summer, but things haven't worked out for him on Merseyside. Sent off on his debut, Cole endured an injury-ravaged season and is not deemed to be part of Kenny Dalglish's future plans. He has not been officially transfer-listed but Liverpool are open to offers, especially after completing the signing of Sunderland's Jordan Henderson.

The Mirror's scribes reckon that a loan deal would be most likely, although Cole's wages would most probably have to be met by his parent club given Fulham's tight wage-structure. Bringing in Cole, even on a temporary basis, would be a real statement of intent by new manager Martin Jol, but would probably prompt a change in formation to accommodate him. Exciting as it may be, I think this one's still very much a long shot.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2011/06/could-fulham-take-joe-cole-on-loan/?

[WhiteJC]

 
QPR show interest in Fulham Striker

NPower Championship Champions, Queens Park Rangers are reported to be interested in Fulham striker Andy Johnson.

Metro.co.uk is reporting that QPR are planning a £3million bid for the striker and Martin Jol the new Fulham manager could be tempted to sell Johnson.

With Martin Jol looking to buy out of favour Robbie Keane from former club Tottenham, who QPR have also been linked to ( see here ), Jol may well see Johnson as surplus to requirements at Craven Cottage.

Johnson, the former Crystal Palace, Everton and England striker, has experienced a torrid time with injuries whilst at Fulham and could well be tempted to move across London, to join up with the Premiership new boys.



http://www.footie-online.co.uk/2011/06/qpr-show-interest-in-fulham-striker/?

[WhiteJC]

 
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.'


Read more: http://www.bournemouth.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=244204#ixzz1P8VnenzI

[WhiteJC]

 
WHY WHEN IT COMES TO TOTTENHAM, MARTIN JOL WILL HAVE THE LAST LAUGH

The UEFA Cup has generally lacked excitement and controversy, or at least it did until the 25th October 2007, the date when Tottenham Hotspur turned the sacking of Martin Jol into a Hollyoaks episode during the game against Getafe. The Dutchman found out before the game, the whole world and his dog knew by half time and come full time a red faced Daniel Levy had some explaining to do.

The Lilywhites faithful have maintained their 'love' for their former manager since his sacking and I think even Arsenal fans would find it hard to argue that Jol was a decent guy who was unfairly treated and embarrassed by the Tottenham hierarchy. Which is why it was a pleasure to hear this week that Jol will be returning to Premier League management with Tottenham's London rivals Fulham. Does the former Ajax man return to the Queen's homeland with a desire or even a need to prove himself?

The former West Brom player led Tottenham to consecutive fifth place finishes before being sacked after one win in the opening ten games of the next Premier League season. His replacement, Juande Ramos, did lead the Lilywhites to a League Cup success, but the former Sevilla manager's start to the next season sealed his fate and left many Spurs' fans wondering why Jol went in the first place (perhaps it was Jol openly stating he would be open to the Newcastle job in 2006).

Since his bitter departure from White Hart Lane, the Dutchman has had a fairly indifferent few seasons, but managed to achieve moderate success, first leading Hamburg to the semi-finals in both the German Cup and the UEFA Cup, then winning the Dutch Cup with Ajax and coming runners up in the league to Steve McClaren's FC Twente, earning an incredible goal difference of +86 in the process.

Jol obviously feels extremely bitter in the manner of his departure, but by joining Fulham, a club very much on the up, the former Ajax man could have the last laugh.

Fulham are a 'sound' club with solid foundations and a supportive chairman. With Europa League football guaranteed next season, Jol may have the platform to establish himself as a top quality manager and subsequently prove a few people wrong in N17.



http://thisisfutbol.com/2011/06/blogs/why-when-it-comes-to-tottenham-martin-jol-will-have-the-last-laugh?

[WhiteJC]

 
A farmers' market at Craven Cottage

Doing markets can be great fun. Hade and I have done market stalls in Balham (Christmas market), Greenwich, and various others here and there.  We sold Hade's handywork, and some went well and some didn't. The problem you have is that for some of these you're paying £60+ for your pitch, so have to shift an awful lot of stuff just to break even.  It was good fun, giving a nice 'back to basics' vibe, but also very stressful.  We did some markets that were freezing, some in downpours, and in the latter in particular the people stay away and the stall-holders get depressed.

Well, today was the Fulham farmers' market, and it pissed it down. There were a few people browsing but the tables full of food told their own story.  We bought some nice bread, two giant iced buns and a bit more bread, then hot-footed it into the cafe under the Stevenage Road stand for a hot chocolate (then to the club shop, where father and son bought last season's away kit: mine was £15 for a long sleeved version, his was £2.99, 10% off the whole thing as a S/T holder – nice).

So a nice little jaunt, but hard lines on the market stall holders. I hope Fulham didn't charge them too much for their pitches.

A tremendous bread stall under the Putney End.



http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2011/06/12/a-farmers-market-at-craven-cottage/?

[WhiteJC]

 
COULD ROBBIE KEANE AND CO HELP CONTINUE FULHAM'S "SUCCESSFUL JOURNEY?"

The appointment of Martin Jol should promise to be one of Mohamed Al Fayed's wiser decisions (whatever happens with the former Tottenham Hotspur man, it surely won't be as despairing as the sight of a (badly) sculpted Michael Jackson lingering outside Craven Cottage.

New managerial appointments in football almost always serve up links with the said manager's former players. It certainly applies to the Cottager's new boss who is reportedly looking to sign his former protégé at Spurs, Republic of Ireland international Robbie Keane. The Irishman enjoyed an affluent time under Jol, winning the club's Player of the Year in the 2005/2006 season, a campaign in which the Dutchman guided Tottenham from their usual end-of-season mid-table mediocrity to the brink of the Champions League, which they would have qualified for had it not been for a 2-1 defeat against West Ham United in their last game of the season. Keane has spoken of Jol in glowing terms in the past:
I haven't got a bad word to say about him. I loved working with him and we got on really well Al Fayed said after Jol's appointment, ''we have enjoyed three incredibly successful years, and my hopes and dreams for this club are for that journey to continue.'' The signing of Keane could well be a good deal for all concerned. If Fulham are to continue pushing on and progressing then they need a few more players first; starting front to back, the acquisition of Keane would mean that Fulham would have four good quality strikers on their first-team books – the other's being Bobby Zamora, Andy Johnson and Mousa Dembele (Eidur Gudjohnsen is not expected to extend his loan deal or turn it into a permanent one, but if he did, then they would have five top-notch forwards should Keane join) – not to mention free-scoring midfielder, Clint Dempsey, the club's top marksman last season with twelve league goals.

It could be argued that Keane is beyond his best form, the kind of form that saw him win Tottenham's Player of the Year three times, but he has shown recently on the international stage that he's still got the mettle needed to score goals as he overtook England legend, Bobby Charlton as the top scorer for a country that is situated in the British Isles. The white's will need the former West Ham United loanee to be in form if the rumours are to be believed that Dempsey desires a move away from Craven Cottage, because if does, then that 'desire' is likely to come true with many side's I'm sure, willing to offer him their services.

If he leaves the west London club then the perfect replacement, for now at least, could be Newcastle United's captain Kevin Nolan – 29 later this month – a high-scoring midfielder who coincidently also scored twelve league goals playing in the centre of the park, and another player who has been linked with Jol's new regime. Nolan, along with Keane, would give Fulham the potential to become a team that is very capable of yielding a healthy goal return. And with defender Brede Hangeland chipping in with six in the league last term, goals shouldn't be a problem, should they sign Messrs Keane and Nolan.

Many of Fulham's providers such as Damien Duff and Danny Murphy are arguably past their best, but with Zamora seemingly at his peak, they are still good enough to create chances for Fulham's decent forward line. Keane could soon be joining them. Fulham completed the 2010/2011 Premiership campaign in a respectable 8th place albeit in an unusual season whereby their 49 points would have seen them finish well inside the bottom half in previous ones. If they are to ''progress'' as Al Fayed wishes them to then they will need to keep hold of their best players like Dempsey, whilst also acquiring the services of players such as Robbie Keane and Kevin Nolan or at least ones of the same calibre. Arsenal are said to be monitoring Brede Hangeland's situation and with other side's ready to splash out in order to 'progress' and finish top of the 'mini-league' that has been created outside of the top-six then the Cottagers will surely have to strengthen within their ranks. Whether they will be able to afford or be willing to pay the equivalent to or in excess of Keane's wages, thought to be around £70,000 a week, is another matter. Think that sounds ridiculous? Then head to the entrance of Craven Cottage. There, you will see ridiculousness in its true art form.



http://thisisfutbol.com/2011/06/blogs/could-robbie-keane-and-co-help-continue-fulhams-successful-journey?

[WhiteJC]

 
SOMOGYI EYES FULHAM MOVE

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 trail 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 teammate 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."




http://www.football365.com/story/0,17033,8668_6986419,00.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Swansea want Gudjohnsen after new Fulham boss Jol pulls plug on deal

Swansea City are ready to revive their interest in Eidur Gudjohnsen. The Iceland striker was close to signing a deal with Fulham, but new boss Martin Jol prefers Spurs' Robbie Keane.

Swansea manager Brendan Rodgers had a loan bid for Gudjohnsen turned down by Stoke last January.

Meanwhile, Villarreal want another Swans target, Marcos Senna, to sign a new contract rather than leave on a free.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2002819/Swansea-City-want-Eidur-Gudjohnsen.html#ixzz1P8YGJhs3

[WhiteJC]

 
Send Us Your Skills

Do you think you've got what it takes to be a future star for Fulham Football Club? If so, then upload a video clip of your skills now and our Academy Team will check out your talent.

This is a great chance for our younger fans to engage with the Club's Academy and potentially fulfil their sporting dreams. We promise to watch every video and remember, it wasn't so long ago that the Club offered Chris Smalling a trial after the young defender wrote a letter to the Club! At Fulham our fans come first.

You can upload videos to the Club's social network Cottage Corner (just tag them with the word "skills" when submitting), or simply post the video to YouTube. When done, just send us the link to the video using the form below:



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/SkillsCentre/SendUsYourSkills/SendUsYourSkills.aspx#ixzz1P9eROctJ

[WhiteJC]

 
Jol linked to Bentley move
by MATTHEW HARRIS on JUNE 13, 2011
Since Martin Jol's arrival at Fulham, the rumours have continued to grow relating to Tottenham targets and one story has emerged concerning a season long loan deal for David Bentley.

After failing to secure a move to Birmingham, the 27 year old will be keen to start playing some regular football again and the locality could well suit. Fulham fans seem to have met the story with a mixed reaction, but for many Cottagers' supporters the deal seems to be a good one.

A season long loan however doesn't quite fit with Daniel Levy's streamlining promise and would just seem to delay the issue even further. While Fulham have been linked with permanent moves for Robbie Keane and Jermaine Jenas, they may only want to tie up Bentley for a year and while that could be an issue, it may end up being the only bid on the table.



http://www.tottenhamblog.com/2011/06/13/jol-linked-to-bentley-move/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Back to His Best

Philippe Senderos is looking forward to the Club's forthcoming UEFA Europa League matches after having to spend the majority of last season recovering from injury.

The Swiss international defender capped off the 2010/11 campaign with appearances against Sunderland, Birmingham and Arsenal and is now anticipating an exciting season at the Cottage.

"For me playing in Europe would be a fantastic thing because I had a year out," he told fulhamfc.com. "It will be a great challenge for me, coming back to European action and hopefully bringing my qualities to the Team. The more games there are, the more opportunities there are for everyone."

Senderos impressed everyone at the Club with his determination to recover as quickly as possible following his injury – and the defender was eager to praise a number of people for their role in his recovery.

"It's always hard for anyone who gets injured for a long time, it's very difficult," he explained. "The goal for someone who gets injured it not to get too down – for someone who had great success the goal is not to get too high emotionally. I'm really lucky that I've got a good family, a good wife who is there to support me. The Club was here to support me and I tried to keep myself busy, that's the most important thing I could do.

"It's different for everyone, but for me I needed to be busy and keep working hard, whether it's in the gym or anything. I try and keep my mind busy as well; I think it's very important to open yourself up to everything.

"On the physical side, we set up a plan with the medical staff here. I was busy every single day and that's what I needed to keep going and not just switch off. That showed in my recovery, I came back really sharp and I felt really good.

"The medical staff have been working together and they link together really well from the physios, nutritionists and fitness coaches to the physical coaches outside. It's a very good group who are well organised.

"From the minute that the injury happened I tried to put myself in recovery mode, that's what kept me going and made me comeback quicker."



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2011/June/SenderosRecovery.aspx?#ixzz1PALb9uwc

[WhiteJC]

 
Fathers Day

Make Fathers Day extra special


With a great range of products to choose from, any Fulham fan will love the gifts that could make Fathers Day extra special. Now available in the online store are the Fulham Retro Leather football with plinth as well as a silk tie from our Signature range. The Fulham Executive Leather wallet (3 fold) is also a great gift for Dad that can be used every day.  We've even put some of our great Fathers Day gifts together in a special Fathers Day section in the online Fulham store.

For that extra special gift buy your Dad the one-of-a-kind commemorative limited edition Third Shirt celebrating Fulham's 10 Premier League Years.  There are very few of these remaing with each box numbered and coming with a 2010/11 Third Shirt as well as a certificate of authenticity both with corresponding numbers making this one-of-a-kind kit a must-have. At the special price of just £99 this gift will make any Fulham fan happy!



10% Discount for Season Ticket Holders


Your Fulham Season Ticket offers a variety of additional benefits. From today through to 30th June 2012, 2011/12 Season Ticket Holders are entitled to a 10% discount on a variety of Fulham products which could be used to buy that perfect Fathers Day present to make anyone's day!

Check out the best in Fulham Fathers Day gifts in our online store.



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2011/June/Fathersday.aspx#ixzz1PALmvlXt

[WhiteJC]

 
Season Tickets

With 11/12 Season Tickets selling faster than ever before, availability is rapidly reducing! There are still some great locations available to buy, but only for those fans who get in now.

2011/12 Season Tickets are still available for the from just £379 for adults and £125 for juniors, making Fulham's the lowest priced Barclays Premier League Season Ticket in London. Secure your seat for all 19 Barclays Premier League home games and buy today.

If you wish to renew your current Season Ticket seat(s) please note that your current seat location is no longer guaranteed, please check online for availability and to buy.

Season Tickets at Fulham are a genuinely affordable way to catch all 19 of Fulham's Barclays Premier League home games.

Adult Season Tickets start at just £379, and Junior Season Tickets from just £125. That's under £20 and just £7 per game respectively. We still have a limited number of FREE Season Tickets for Under 8s.*

Buy online now

You can now save 10% on a number of Fulham products

Your Fulham Season Ticket offers a variety of additional benefits, all of which are listed in full below. From 1st June 2011 to 30th June 2012, 11/12 Season Ticket holders are entitled to a 10% discount on a variety of Fulham products including the new, all black Away Kit.

Exciting places to sit in 2011/12

Join the growing number of fans in Cottage Corner. Situated next to the tunnel, it has proven to be a hit with supporters who try it out for the first time and return again and again.

And for those of you with youngsters, we have created another Family Zone situated in the Johnny Haynes Stand adjacent to the tunnel in Blocks K & KL.*



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Tickets/SeasonTickets.aspx#ixzz1PAM2wThC

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham seek Whelan deal
Stoke set to offload Irish midfielder

FULHAM are poised to sign Ireland man Glenn Whelan if Stoke City decide to offload the Dubliner.

Whelan endured some tough times at the Potters last season, especially in the first half of the campaign and didn't start a single league game between September and January.

When the transfer window opened in January, Whelan held talks with Stoke manager Tony Pulis about a move away as he was concerned about losing his place in the Ireland side due to the lack of first team football with the Britannia Stadium-based side.

But he forced his way back into the team and finished the season strongly, playing for Stoke in their FA Cup final defeat to Manchester City and helping the club qualify for the Europa League.

Yet Pulis is now considering the sale of Whelan and that has caused rival clubs to step up their interest.

West Ham United have already made an inquiry about the 27-year-old but Whelan, who helped Stoke win promotion to the Premier League three years ago, is not keen to drop down to the Championship.

Fan

Wolves manager Mick McCarthy is also a big fan of Whelan, but McCarthy's main transfer target this summer is the permanent signing of on-loan midfielder Jamie O'Hara -- and if O'Hara signs from Spurs, McCarthy would not be able to offer Whelan the guarantee of first-team football.

So that could see Fulham make a formal bid for the player.

New manager Martin Jol -- who has also been linked with Irish captain Robbie Keane -- is an admirer of Whelan and Fulham know that they could land him for a fee of less than £1m.

Meanwhile, SPL side Inverness Caledonian Thistle fear they will lose star striker Adam Rooney to an English club this week.

Rooney, third-top scorer in the SPL last season, is out of contract with Caley and though he has not yet said that he wants to move, he has been in talks with several Championship sides.

Rooney saw the impact that fellow Dubliner Conor Sammon made in the English Premier League following his mid-season switch from Kilmarnock last season and he may do the same.

- Aidan Fitzmaurice



http://www.herald.ie/sport/soccer/fulham-seek-whelan-deal-2673235.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
There's No Place Like White Hart Lane For Jol

I think everyone was pleased when Fulham announced the return of Martin Jol to the Premier League as their manager last week, after his rather disrespectful exit from Tottenham Hotspur. The Dutchman though will no doubt not want fans', pundits' and newspapers' reminding him of his exit from White Hart Lane as he looks to begin his own quest to go down in Fulham's history. The former Ajax manager has taken over a club very much on the up with a supportive chairman and good 'solid' foundations, and with Jol looking to make his own 'mark' on the Fulham squad there is definitely a case that the former Tottenham man should return to North London for a few 'bargains'.

Fulham are lacking a striker who can consistently get them 15-20 goals a season, Bobby Zamora and Moussa Dembele are their main attacking outlets and both players' do offer attacking flair in the final third but the two forwards, in my opinion, will not be setting the goalscoring charts alight any time soon, which why a cut price move for Lilywhites striker Robbie Keane would be an ideal signing. The Irishman has continually proven himself as a clinical finisher in the Premier League, and despite a disappointing campaign this season, which has culminated in Harry Redknapp stating that Keane doesn't feature in his plans, the former Inter Milan forward could be a huge success at Craven Cottage with just a little bit of TLC.

The Cottagers lack that spark in midfield, that player that can unlock a defence or win you a match but if Jol were to sign Niko Kranjcar all those problems would be solved. Many Spurs fans rate the former Portsmouth player highly and were left baffled when he didn't start the Champions League first leg against Real Madrid after Aaron Lennon pulled out. It is moments like that which have led to the Croatian international stating he wants to leave White Hart Lane and with Redknapp clearly lacking faith in Kranjcar, he could be available for next to nothing.

The third and final addition that I believe the new Fulham boss should make from White Hart Lane is Jermaine Jenas (don't shoot me down just yet). Fulham will be a bit light in midfield with both Clint Dempsey and Zoltan Gera more than likely on the move in this transfer window, and Danny Murphy isn't getting any younger (even though his performances have gotten better with age if anything), so the signing of the former Newcastle United player would help re-energise the middle of the park for Fulham. The England international doesn't have too many admirers in the beautiful game but on his day the former Nottingham Forest player can be a real influence at the heart of the midfield.



http://www.footballfancast.com/2011/06/football-blogs/theres-no-place-like-white-hart-lane-for-jol