Thursday Fulham Stuff (01/09/11)

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Fulham complete deal for young Irish defender

Fulham have completed the signing of 17-year-old defender Sean Kavanagh from Belvedere FC.

The left-back has signed a two-year-deal at Craven Cottage after impressing scouts at the Irish youth team and has joined Martin Jol's side for an undisclosed fee.

Kavanagh follows a long line of notable players who have started their career at the celebrated feeder club, including Norwich's Wes Hoolahan and current Fulham defender Stephen Kelly.

Jol also completed deals for Porto's Orlando Sa and FC Twente's Bryan Ruiz who both play in attack.



http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-news/football/premier-league/transfer-rumours/1042/69/fulham-complete-deal-young-irish-defender?

[WhiteJC]

 
Chris Baird's time: why I believe he's important to the side


The signing of Ruiz gives us an extraoardinary array of attacking talent. It means we can field a combination of Zamora, Duff, Dempsey, Dembele and Ruiz, which you'd hope would suffice for our needs.  They can't all play, but even if we see three or four of them, their attacking instincts need to be covered by someone to defend.

This is where we need Chris Baird. Two things: we don't want to play a 'broken team', in which we have five players attacking and five defending.  That doesn't work so well in modern football, and we don't have the players for it really anyway.  Second, John Arne Riise is an attacking full-back, as is Matt Briggs, so there's no sense in compromising their talents.  Steve Sidwell is a box to box midfielder of the kind English fans love, but if he's in one box he's not in the other, and this makes him the kind of player who can get cut out when we lose the ball.  Danny Murphy is outstanding when we don't have the ball, but again, to make the most of his talents, you need him a little further up the pitch – sitting in front of the back four is compromising his talents, too.

Baird, then.  Barcelona have used Sergio Busquets all over the place, but as these articles on Zonal Marking show, his principle use has been to drop into the back four when his team has possession.  *Has* – he drops back when Barcelona are in possession.  He does this because the team's full-backs like to attack, so Dani Alves takes off, Busquets steps in, and Alves knows he can concentrate on attacking without compromise.

We're almost getting to the same point.  Put another way, if we don't do something like this then our defence is being shielded by whoever's playing wide (fair, but not great, especially if it's Dembele and Ruiz (defensive work to be confirmed) and whoever's shielding the back four (because I firmly believe someone should be doing this).  I don't think it's enough to let the two central midfielders and the two wide players 'do their best' to provide cover.  If we're to get away from Roy's rigid 4-4-2 without being too open we need more cover, which should also permit greater attacking flexibility (because others are free to attack).  It has to be Baird.

Baird is practically perfect for the role.  He can play in all four defensive roles, but has shown himself adept in midfield, too. That's the job description.  Busquets is so good because his positional sense and discipline are very strong, his tackling good and his passing good enough (simple usually).  Baird is exactly the same (if to a lower level).

Suggested team: Schwarzer – Grygera, Hughes, Hangeland, Briggs/Riise – Baird – Murphy, Sidwell – Two of Duff, Dempsey, Dembele and Ruiz – Zamora (or one of the AMs, depending on opposition)




http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2011/09/01/chris-bairds-time-why-i-believe-hes-important-to-the-side/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Premier League signings XI

JOHN ARNE RIISE (Fulham, £2.2m)

The Norwegian left-back arrived at Craven Cottage 10 years after turning down Jean Tigana's Fulham in favour of a move to Liverpool.

Riise was a fans' favourite during his seven-year spell at Anfield. He scored 31 goals in 371 games for the Reds, helping them win the FA Cup, League Cup and Champions League. He departed for Roma in 2008 after losing his place to Fabio Aurelio.

The 30-year-old links up with younger brother Bjorn Helge at Craven Cottage. He started Fulham's first two league games before picking up an injury playing in the Europa League.

Lawro's verdict: "He's experienced, consistent and will score the odd goal so there's no gamble and he's delighted to be back in the Premier League at Fulham."



http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/14110039.stm?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham sign Swedish striker Muamer Tankovic

Fulham today confirmed the signing of Swedish striker Muamer Tankovic on a three-year deal.

The 16-year-old IFK Norrkoping attacker had been generating interest from Barclays Premier League clubs this year and has now joined the west London side.

Tankovic netted a brace in Sweden Under-16's 3-1 win against Wales in May and will remain at Craven Cottage until the summer of 2015



http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/fulham-sign-swedish-striker-muamer-tankovic-2347476.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham loan Rafik Halliche to Swansea City

Swansea City have added Rafik Halliche on loan from Fulham until January, subject to Premier League clearance.

The Algeria centre-back was the third defender signed by manager Brendan Rodgers on transfer deadline day.

Halliche, who is 25 on Friday, follows the permanent signings of Fede Bessone from Leeds and Darnel Situ from Lens.

Since joining Fulham from Benfica in August 2010 after impressing during the World Cup, Halliche has played just twice for the Cottagers.

Swansea urgently needed defensive cover after Alan Tate broke his leg in a golfing buggy accident last week, ruling the centre-back out for most of the season.

Although the initial loan period is for four months, Swansea may then seek to extend Halliche's deal until the end of the season.

The Liberty Stadium side had also enquired about Watford defender Adrian Mariappa and Middlesbrough's Matthew Bates as they seek to survive in their first season in the Premier League.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/14744902.stm?

[WhiteJC]

 
Rising star Stockdale's putting the pressure on me, admits Hart

England's Joe Hart today revealed he is being driven to retain his status as first-choice goalkeeper by the presence of Fulham prospect David Stockdale in Fabio Capello's European Championship squad.

Stockdale, on loan at Ipswich, is set to be on the bench when England seek to consolidate their position at the top of the Group G qualifying table against Bulgaria in Sofia tomorrow night.
But Hart knows the 25-year-old, whose potential was recognised by Fulham with the award of a four-year extension to his contract this summer, has set sights on the England No1 jersey.

"There is ambition there," said Hart, who dismissed concerns for the state of English goalkeeping even though Stockdale and Derby's Frankie Fielding - who earned a late call-up when West Ham's Robert Green withdrew - are plying their trade in the Championship.

The Manchester City player insisted the lack of Premier League competition did not mean that he could take his position as England main stopper for granted, insisting Stockdale and Fielding were putting him under considerable pressure.

He said: "They're not going to be thinking, 'We've got no chance'. They're going to push for it.

"With injury and other people making decisions on what they're doing with their




http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-sport/football/article-23983126-rising-star-stockdales-putting-the-pressure-on-me-admits-hart.do?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham - Deals Confirmed

Having called it a day at 22:00 hours last night, some of us have to work for a living you know, I awoke this morning to find that two further deals had gone through before the transfer window closed.

The first was a real coup with Bryan Ruiz signing on the dotted line, for a fee of, reportedly, £10 million. Before retiring to bed, it had been suggested that Newcastle were trying to hijack the deal by flying the Dutchman to the North East in a helicopter.

Thankfully, that appears to have been cow-poo and Ruiz, who scored 36 goals in 61 games for Twente is a Fulham player.

The second acquisition, one that I have to admit I know very little about is that of Orlando Sa apart from he is twenty-three years of age and that he signed for an undisclosed fee from Porto.

Welcome to Craven Cottage chaps.



Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=253653#ixzz1Wii69MqR