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Friday Fulham Stuff (01/07/11)...

Started by WhiteJC, July 01, 2011, 07:58:57 AM

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WhiteJC

 
MARK HUGHES' SECRET DIARY: UNCENSORED, UNINHIBITED, UNEMPLOYED
The heartfelt journal of an out-of-work manager


All managers keep score. Only the great ones put it in writing

With Mark Hughes missing out on the Aston Villa and Chelsea jobs and currently unemployed after walking out on Fulham, talkSPORT has gained exclusive access* to this personal diary. Here is the entry dated 1 July 2011...

6.30am: Alarm went off, jumped out of bed ready for another day's football training and transfer dealing. Then woke up, realised it was all a dream, pulled the covers over my head and went back to sleep.

8am: Got up and checked talksport.co.uk to see if I'm being linked with any managerial vacancies. I'm not and my heart sank further when I saw my old club Fulham had beaten NSI Runavik 3-0 in the Europa League. I thought NSI was National Savings and Investments, which reminds me... I must pop to the Post Office and send some more speculative CVs.

9.25am: Just remembered today is the first day I can officially speak to other clubs. The phone hasn't rung yet, so I'm just going to watch a little bit of Jeremy Kyle before I get talking to all those clubs I imagine are lining me up as their next manager.

11am: What's this? I'm in the news! 'Future unclear for TJ Hughes' it says. Don't they know my name is Mark?

11.15am: Turns out TJ Hughes is a department store that's gone into administration and, as a result, sadly lots of people are facing an uncertain future. I know the feeling.

1pm: Log on to Facebook to see if any football chairmen have poked me, but waste an hour looking at other people's pictures. Fergie looks so smug in that photo of him and De Gea – can't believe he liked his own post and commented 'lol'.

3pm: Get a tweet from Mark Bowen asking if I've accepted the Bury job. No idea what he's talking about.

3.15pm: False alarm. A quick Google search reveals that Bury have signed a 24-year-old centre-half named Mark Hughes. Apparently they've got a new manager, Richie Barker – never heard of him. How do these people get jobs?!

4pm: Deal or No Deal is on. Thinking of applying to be a contestant because otherwise, by the looks of it, I won't be doing any deals this summer. Mind you, if Noel Edmonds could find work again, anything's possible.

6pm: I see on talksport.co.uk that Fulham have released a range of Michael Jackson memorabilia called 'Michael at the Cottage'. Makes me glad to be out of it, although I quite like the look of the statue tee – good for sleeping in.

8pm: Brilliant! I'm over the moon! I knew today was going to be a good day and, sure enough, I've found an episode of Friends on E4 that I've never seen before. Wonders never cease.

10pm: Bedtime. One last check of my email and it looks promising. 'An Advance Fee From Russia' is the subject title and it seems I've been chosen by an oil tycoon to help him out with a bit of business. Hoping it's that Usmanov fella at Arsenal. Looks like I'm going to have the last laugh, Roman!

*We've made it up, basically.



http://www.talksport.co.uk/magazine/features/2011-07-01/mark-hughes-secret-diary-uncensored-uninhibited-unemployed?

WhiteJC

 
LEAGUE THE PRIORITY FOR FULHAM

Fulham captain Danny Murphy admits the Barclays Premier League remains the main focus despite the Cottagers beginning their Europa League adventure on Thursday night.

Damien Duff, Murphy and Andrew Johnson netted the all-important goals as recently-appointed manager Martin Jol enjoyed a 3-0 victory over Faroese minnows NSI Runavik in his first match at the helm.

Fulham have seemingly already dispatched NSI with a clinical display in the first leg of their first qualifying round clash, but a further 22 matches remain if they are to repeat the heroics of 2010 and make the final.

Thursday night's game also marked the start of an 11-month season for Jol and his men, which some fear could see them struggle for form and fitness in the Premier League.

Murphy admits competing in Europe has the potential to have a detrimental effect on their domestic campaign, although he insists the Cottagers will always put league success first.

"I think last time we did it - if I remember correctly - we put ourselves in quite a safe position (in the league) quite early on," he said.

"We were never ever in any trouble and I think the problems come if you are trying to fight a relegation battle.

"Or like last season where there were 10 teams up until probably the last month of the season fighting week-in, week-out.

"If you're trying to play European games as well then it could be problematic but let's hope we're not in that position.

"The squad is as healthy as it has been in a long time in terms of quality. We are lacking a few numbers - that's true - but they know that upstairs and they will be addressing it.

"But we've got to be careful not to get too focused on the Europa even though that is the focus at the moment, if you know what I mean?

"The Premier League is your bread and butter and the last thing you want to be doing is losing silly games and points because you're trying to progress in this competition.

"It is a fine balance but the manager gets paid big bucks for (making decisions like this)."

After seeing off NSI with relative ease at Craven Cottage, senior players like Murphy could be rested for next week's jaunt to the Faroe Islands.

And while the 34-year-old midfielder admits that progression is not yet a done deal, he expects Jol to blood a few youngsters in the second leg.

"It is a difficult one at 3-0," he said.

"If it was five than it would probably be a little bit easier.

"I would expect one or two of the younger lads to play maybe. Of course you need a spine [of senior figures] but the difference when you play away is that it can be a bit of a dodgy pitch, a bit of a different atmosphere and so on.

"It can only take one mistake and you're a goal down after 10 minutes and all of a sudden some of the younger lads might be like 'what is going on?' so you have to be a bit careful.

"Whatever team he plays, let's be honest, we should be comfortable with a 3-0 lead. They're not particularly good and as the game went on we should have wrapped it up more really.

"It will be used as a fitness exercise I imagine and I don't know whether he will take everyone or not. He will obviously be having a think about that over the next few days."



http://www.sportinglife.com/football/premiership/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/11/07/01/SOCCER_Fulham_Nightlead.html

WhiteJC

 
Murphy: Fulham have to be on their guard in second leg

Fulham skipper Danny Murphy has urged caution ahead of his side's Europa First Qualifying round second leg clash against NSI Runavik when the two face off in the Faroe Islands next Thursday.

The Cottagers go into the tie three goals up as strikes from Damien Duff, Danny Murphy and Andrew Johnson ensured a comfortable victory in west London yesterday evening.

However Murphy concedes progression is not yet assured against a side who he describes as 'not particularly good'.

"It is a difficult one at 3-0," he said. "If it was five than it would probably be a little bit easier.

"I would expect one or two of the younger lads to play maybe. Of course you need a spine of senior figures but the difference when you play away is that it can be a bit of a dodgy pitch, a bit of a different atmosphere and so on.

"It can only take one mistake and you're a goal down after 10 minutes and all of a sudden some of the younger lads might be like 'what is going on?' so you have to be a bit careful.

"Whatever team he plays, let's be honest, we should be comfortable with a 3-0 lead. They're not particularly good and as the game went on we should have wrapped it up more really.

"It will be used as a fitness exercise I imagine and I don't know whether he (manager Martin Jol) will take everyone or not. He will obviously be having a think about that over the next few days."



http://www.london24.com:80/sport/fulham/murphy_fulham_have_to_be_on_their_guard_in_second_leg_1_950497?


WhiteJC

 
Dalla Valle delight at Cottage debut
Fulham - Lauri Dalle-Valle happy with first appearance in Europa League

Fulham starlet Lauri Dalla Valle was thrilled to make his first senior appearance for the club last night.

The Finnish teenager made a second-half substitute appearance for the Cottagers in the Europa League against NSI Runavik, replacing Bobby Zamora late-on and providing a clear attacking threat for the Cottagers.

"I enjoyed it a lot. It was a good crowd and it was nice to get on today. I was hoping for it, of course, before the game, and naturally I'm really happy to have got on," he told the official Fulham website.

"I've been training with the First Team since I've been back and I thought I'd been working hard and doing well, so I thought I might have a chance, and it happened, so I'm feeling really positive and happy about it."

A product of the Liverpool academy, Dalla Valla moved to Craven Cottage as part of the deal that took Paul Konchesky to Anfield, and has impressed in the club's development squad thus far during his time in west London.



http://www.givemefootball.com/europa-league/dalla-valle-delight-at-cottage-debut?

WhiteJC

 
Leeds Winger Linked!
Transfer speculation continues to grow and every day it`s now a race t the newsagents to see who the tabloid press have linked our club with.

This morning, if the rumours are to be believed, Martin Jol is interested in bringing the exiting Leeds United winger, Max Gradel, to Craven Cottage.

Rated in the £2 million bracket, Gradel, at twenty-three years of age, is also wanted by West Ham United, the question being does he see his future in East or West London?



Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=245925#ixzz1QrrRYGeB

WhiteJC

 
Fulham 3 NSI Runavik 0
Only thirty-nine days after our season ended Fulham were back in action last night.

Having qualified for the Europa League, via the Fair Play League, we started our qualification campaign against the minnows form the Faroe Islands, NSI Runavik.

Martin Jol, in his first competitive game since taking over from Mark Hughes, selected a strong starting eleven, the only absentees being those still away on international duty - Carlos Salcido and Clint Dempsey, plus the injured Moussa Dembele.

With reduced admission prices, 14,910 were enticed through the Craven Cottage turnstiles to see Fulham register a 3-0 win against opposition they knew very little about.

The first of the three goals came in the 33rd minute when Damien Duff collected a ball from Simon Davies, before hitting home a low shot from the edge of the area.

Unfortunately, Fulham couldn`t edge a second before the break but the fifteen minute intervention allowed Martin Jol to up the ante and Fulham came out stronger in the second half and looked more purposeful.

The lead was doubled just past the hour mark when Simon Davies was adjudged to have been tripped in the box and Danny Murphy coolly slotted home from the penalty spot.

The third came with twenty minutes to go when Andrew Johnson, the subject of much transfer speculation this summer, produced a neat shot on the turn, from twelve yards, to put Fulham firmly in the driving seat for the second leg, a fixture whereby Martin Jol may well field a few youngsters.

Football is back and doesn`t it feel great!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=245923#ixzz1QrrbuLsr



White Noise


http://www.potomacsoccerwire.com/news/458/17077



Virginia-bred Moravek duo making progress in Fulham FC's youth academy


30 Jun, 2011

By Charles Boehm



Winchester, Va. natives William and Michael Moravek recently concluded their first season in the youth system of English Premier League side Fulham FC, and have been invited to remain in the program for the 2011-12 campaign.

The two brothers and their parents, Bill and Cheryl, relocated from Virginia to south London at the beginning of the year when William was offered a spot in Fulham's highly-regarded academy, while his younger sibling Michael enrolled in the pre-academy development program.

Despite the challenges posed by a midseason arrival, cultural adjustments and a rough welcome from some of his fellow prospects in the extremely competitive system, William's performances earned positive reviews from the coaching staff and he will continue his development with at least another year at Fulham.

Despite the Moraveks' short tenure, this was far from assured: The pursuit of academy spots at top-flight clubs is nearly as competitive as at the senior level, with many young prospects routinely dropped at the end of the season.

"It has been quite an adjustment of course," Bill Moravek told Potomac Soccer Wire earlier this month. "Coming in mid-year with kids that have been in the club for a while, and the same for school – and being from a different country is not easy.

"The amount of football is so much more than in the USA that it has taken time to adjust to the workload. But they have both done remarkably well and are thriving in the professional environment."

According to his father, William has played some 25 matches since arriving in London, along with four training sessions per week. He was selected to represent the club's 2002-birth-year squad at a major international tournament in Holland and Germany at the end of the season.

"They actually fly out together as a club to the tournaments and parent involvement is very much limited. These tournaments can have as many as a couple thousand people watching the games with people playing music, wearing face paint – very much like a world cup atmosphere, but for kids," explained Bill Moravek. "It's a good test to see how players deal with fans and pressure – part of the development for possible professional life in the future."

William and the rest of Fulham's '02 team flew to Venlo, Holland to face off against their counterparts from elite European clubs like AC Milan, Sparta Prague, Sparta Rotterdam and Schalke 04.

The English side reached the tourney's semifinals before bowing out 1-0 to German side Borussia Mönchengladbach, who went on to defeat AC Milan 3-1 in the final. Scoring three goals and playing a variety of roles in attack, midfield and defense – part of the club's holistic development philosophy –William was named as one of Fulham's top performers in the competition.

More importantly, the trip provided the youngsters with a true taste of life as professional players.

"It was the first time away from home for all of them. To be able to travel to a different country to play against top pro academies in a tournament representing one of the top academies in England is amazing," said his father. "Traveling together as a team by plane, staying in a hotel as team, doing everything together as a group at the age of 8-9 is truly a unique experience."

Meanwhile, Michael has been playing for Fulham at the U-7 level, including two tournaments closer to home in England.

The family will return to the United States for a few weeks this summer before Fulham's preparations for the new season begin on August 13.

[ + Click here to read PSW's previous coverage of the Moraveks' Fulham adventure ]