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Saturday Fulham Stuff (10/09/11)...

Started by WhiteJC, September 10, 2011, 07:43:27 AM

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WhiteJC

 
Back to the Grind: Rovers Come to Town

After a relatively uneventful international break (sometimes, no news is good news), we're back in action this weekend.  Thank god.  I know most of you, as was I, missed having the club play over the weekend.  Well, it's back!  It almost feels like a new season between the slight break and the new transfers.  Despite Fulham only having recorded 1 point in their first 3 matches, most people seem optimistic about the rest of the season, or at least about the near future.  Why? Well, let's find out!

State of Fulham:

The international break, although boring, did Fulham a lot of good.  First off, it gave time for newcomer Bryan Ruiz to get his work permit, and for whatever reason that took a little longer than expected.  He did miss a decent amount of training, but at least he wasn't missing matches. Supposedly he's ready to go for this match, and very well may get the start.  The best news from the international break, however, is that Bobby Zamora is healthy and ready to go for the match as well.  So the club that had 1 goal in its first 3 matches could have its best striker back from injury and its new high-profile signing supporting him as well.  It's going to be interesting to see how Jol works the lineup, either putting Ruiz at winger or striker, but with Duff and Dempsey locking down the wings I'm assuming it's relatively safe to say you'll see Ruiz at the top, supporting Zamroa who would obviously be in the #9.

In the back, it could be interesting as well.  Newcomer Zdenek Grygera could see some action, although I'd assume he would start on the bench, with the two H's in the middle and Briggs or JA Riise (depending on Riise's health; he played – poorly – with the Norweigan team) on one side and Baird on the other.  But who knows, he's surprised us more than once with the lineups.

You may also see Orlando Sa on the bench, although I'd assume, if Ruiz and Zamora do indeed start up top, you will see Andy Johnson and Mousa Dembele on the bench, which wouldn't really leave any room for Sa.  I know Dembele isn't a true striker, but I don't think you'd see Jol, a relatively conservative lineup creator, put more than 1 striker and 1 very attacking midfielder on the bench.

This match starts a string of 3 home matches, a much needed return to Craven Cottage after a rough 3 games away, all which ended in losses (although the loss at Dnipro still sent Fulham to the Europa group stage).  Given Fulham's home form, the injection of new talent and health, and the international break, I think Fulham have the opportunity to completely turn their season around here.  It will be a very important 3 matches to set the tone both in the Premier League and in the Europa League. The group's #1 seed Twente will be their European opponent at the Cottage splitting the two Premier League matches, and the final of the homeset is the out of this world in-form Manchester City.  It will be a tough 3 matches, but I think Fulham could realistically, best case scenario, be looking at 4 Premier League points and 3 Europa League points.  Is that too much to ask? I don't think so.  Fulham have only lost 1 of their last 10 Premier League matches at home.

But I digress.  Fulham will be looking to shake off what is their worst start in a Premier League season since the 2005/2006 season, partly due to the aforementioned Zamora injury.  Martin Jol admitted it hurt a lot, as putting Clint Dempsey up front wasn't the answer.

"When Bobby wasn't available we tried with Clint and we tried with Andrew Johnson, but of course Andy for example, is better with someone like Bobby Zamora. So we had a little bit of a problem there. Hopefully now that problem is solved."

At least the manager understands the problem.  AJ and Bobby were really clicking in the early stages of the Europa League before Bobby went down, so we'll see what happens.  That could be the one X factor in determining where Ruiz plays.

One small squad note: Bjorn Helge Riise is now fit, while Simon Davies is still out with his knee problems.

State of Blackburn:

If you think Fulham's start to the season is bad, you only need to feast your eyes upon how Blackburn has begun the campaign.  They've scored 1 more goal than Fulham, but have 1 less point.  Seeing as Fulham have only 1 point so far on the season, after you do your kindergarden math, you find Blackburn with a big goose egg.  In fact, that's their worst start to a top flight league since 1947, and the last time Blackburn went point-less in 4 straight matches at any point in a season was back in December of 08. So history's on their side.

Also on their side are a few deadline day additions, and they will be looking to feature a few new players to the lineup. One of them could be Jordan Slew, who Fulham were very keen on and made a few bids to his former club Sheffield United which were ultimately turned down.  Also new to Rovers are Yakubu, Scott Dann, and Simon Vukcevic, and you could possibly see all 4 make their club debuts.

Out for Blackburn with a hamstring injury is Morten Gamst Pedersen, and David Dunn is a doubt with a hamstring problem as well.

Statistic to watch: Clint Dempsey has scored 4 times in the last 5 matches against Blackburn.

Milestone watch: Rovers are sitting on 299 away victories in their club's top flight history.  Damien Duff is still stuck on 49 Premier League goals.

Prediction: I can't see, with everything going for Fulham and everything against Rovers, anything other than a victory.  I think a draw would be a disappointment, as I often feel at home against a bottom half club.  I'm going with 2-0 Fulham with Ruiz and Hangeland on the scoresheet.  Boy wouldn't seeing Ruiz get his first be fun? The answer is yes.




http://fulhamsfinest.com/2011/09/09/back-to-the-grind-rovers-come-to-town/?

WhiteJC

 
Gignac Deal Shelved For January?

Much to my delight, I saw today that Martin Jol has hinted he could make a second go at getting Andre-Pierre Gignac to Craven Cottage come the January transfer window.  He was about 5 centimeters from getting him this past window (that's the distance between the pen and paper when Marseille came calling for him back) and according to Jol, developed a good relationship with the club.  But don't take my word for it:

"We had the player here and thought we would get him on loan but Marseille decided they needed him back. We have established a good relationship with the player and the club so we will see what happens in the future."

Those were Martin Jol's words.  Nothing too concrete, but then again, that's coach-speak for you.  I wouldn't be surprised in the least to see the Fulham brass take another swing at him.  I really wanted him to come to Craven Cottage in the summer.  Lots of people told me he has baggage, but at this point, if he scores goals, I'll take the baggage.  And to be fair to the guy, he's been nothing but class during this whole thing.  If he really did have baggage or ego issues, you would have seen him take bigger swings at his French club for botching the deal, and he even turned down a last-second deal with Sunderland out of respect for Fulham.  I give him a lot of credit, and if he has baggage issues, we haven't seen them.

Gignac did say after the fact that he was really hoping he would come to the Cottage, and has expressed his interest in coming in the future, so we'll see what January holds.  I hope it happens.



http://fulhamsfinest.com/2011/09/09/gignac-deal-shelved-for-january/?

WhiteJC

 
FULHAM v BLACKBURN
EARLY TEAM NEWS


Blackburn include new signings Yakubu, Scott Dann, Simon Vukcevic and Jordan Slew in their Blackburn squad for their visit to Fulham on Sunday.

However, Morten Gamst Pedersen is out while David Dunn is doubtful, both with hamstring problems, and Ryan Nelsen will be assessed to see if he has recovered from his knee injury.


Bryan Ruiz could make his Fulham debut after signing for the Cottagers in a £10.6million from FC Twente. He could be joined in the squad by fellow deadline day signings Zdenek Grygera and Orlando Sa.

Fulham manager Martin Jol has confirmed his international players have returned from duty unscathed, while Bobby Zamora, Bjorn Helge Riise and Matthew Briggs have overcome knocks.

Fulham Squad: Schwarzer, Somogyi, Baird, Hangeland, Hughes, Senderos, Kelly, Grygera, JA Riise, BH Riise, Duff, Sidwell, Dembele, Dempsey, Etuhu, Gecov, Murphy, Sa, Zamora, Johnson, Ruiz.

Blackburn Squad: Robinson, Salgado, Samba, Givet, Dann, Hanley, Olsson, Hoilett, Nzonzi, Petrovic, Grella, Lowe, Vukcevic, Formica, Rochina, Roberts, Goodwillie, Yakubu, Slew, Blackman.



http://sportingpreview.com/football2012/11120716.php?


WhiteJC

 
It Was Good Business!

With the transfer window now history and before the crucial fixture with Blackburn dominates our thoughts, it`s time to revisit a poll!

Following the closure of the transfer window, we asked if you believed the signings made by Martin Jol represented a decent bit of business for the club.

With three options to choose from, it appears that the majority of you, 74% thought Jol had conducted his affairs good.

Surprisingly, a mere 2% of you went for the opposite and thought he`d done bad business whilst the remainder, 24% were reticent to commit opting for the other option - the too early to say.

Would anyone care to elaborate?



Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=254817#ixzz1XWvOxByc

WhiteJC

 
Martin Jol pleased with additions to Fulham squad


Martin Jol's Fulham currently occupy 16th spot in the Premier League table

Fulham manager Martin Jol has declared himself pleased with the Cottagers' summer transfer activity.

Jol stated that their slow start was due to a threadbare squad and subsequently made three new signings on August 31.

Zdenek Grygera and Orlando Sa were brought in from Juventus and Porto respectively, while Bryan Ruiz joined from FC Twente in a £10.6m deal.

"I am happy now with the squad," the former Tottenham boss said.

"I feel like everything went well for us, with Ruiz and Grygera. And Sa as well, because there will be a few clubs who don't have that back-up player and are still without players."

Fulham have struggled in their attempts to juggle the Europa League with the Premier League this season, securing just one point from three games, and Jol commented that the length of the summer transfer window added to his troubles.

"I have to say the transfer window was a bit long," he added. "If you have a transfer window it takes four, five, six weeks of talking about people coming or leaving. It is a bit unsettling.

"But we now have almost two players in every position. Maybe not like Manchester City or Chelsea but I think we did well. We had 10 or 11 players [who] left and we got six or seven players in, so we are fine."

Despite declaring himself pleased with his squad, Jol was left frustrated at missing out on France international Andre-Pierre Gignac.


Gignac has made 32 league
appearances for Marseille, scoring
eight goals



The 25-year-old was at Fulham's Motspur Park training ground on deadline day and was ready to join the Cottagers on loan, only for his club, Marseille, to pull out at the last minute.

Jol refused to rule out another move for Gignac when the transfer window reopens in January.

"It is always good to have a good look at the players again," he said of Gignac.

"As you know, the transfer window is a madhouse in England and we had a very good relationship with the player, Gignac.

"He wanted to stay and didn't want to go back. First they said you can get him on loan and then they said 'No, we don't have another player for him,' so they called him back. That was pretty annoying."

Jol ruled out the possibility of playing all three deadline-day signings in Sunday's Premier League match against Blackburn, but indicated that Ruiz could start at Craven Cottage.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/14861702.stm?

WhiteJC

 
My war with Kenny Dalglish



He'll win in the long run but we've been jostling for top spot in the prestigious "British Football Clubs" category all day and at various other moments in the past few weeks. Not that I've been checking Amazon every five minutes. Of course not.




http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2011/09/09/my-war-with-kenny-dalglish/?


WhiteJC

 
Ruiz will get us back on track, insists Fulham manager Jol

Martin Jol believes his £10million striker Bryan Ruiz can score the goals to finally get Fulham winning matches.

Fulham have suffered back to-back defeats and recorded only one point ahead of tomorrow's clash with Blackburn but Jol claims to have a trick up his sleeve in Ruiz, who he signed from FC Twente.

'He was probably the best player in the Dutch league,' Jol said.


Quality: Fulham's new signing Bryan Ruiz

'Ruiz wanted to go to a bigger league and I had not known of him personally before but he is a very, very good player and can definitely score goals.

'He is fit so he might play.'

The Costa Rica forward netted 36 goals in two years for FC Twente and is known for his versatility up front, which Jol is now eager to exploit.

'He is a left-footed player but has played on the right and his preferred position is in the hole,' Jol added.

'He's quite similar to Damien Duff and can fill in easily, fitting into more than one position. For me, that is a great quality.'

Fulham's late transfer business has buoyed the team after a disappointing start to the league campaign. Jol added: 'Pressure is only there because of those two defeats.

But we are very happy to have signed Ruiz, along with Zdenek Grygera and Orlando Sa.

'I would have a problem with starting them all in the next game, but we are happy.'




Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2035752/Ruiz-track-insists-Fulham-manager-Jol.html#ixzz1XWwvJQ9u

WhiteJC

 
It's Top Secret: Fulham's Bobby Zamora talks carp fishing, roasts and Pele

Who is your sporting hero?
Diego Maradona or Pele. I used to have a Maradona video. God knows how many times I watched it.

What would you be if you weren't a sportsman?
I really have no idea. Worrying, to be honest!


Hammers fan: Bobby Zamora knew West Ham would struggle without him

Which other sportsman would you like to be?
I would quite like to be a quarterback in American football. I'm not really into other sports, but I watch a bit of it on TV.

Career highlight?
Scoring the winning goal in the play-off final (against Preston in 2005). I'm a West Ham fan, so getting them back into the Premier League was nice. But I wasn't there last season, so I thought they would struggle...

...And the worst moment?
Probably not being fit at the end of last season and not really playing to my potential in the semi-final and final of the Europa League. Then missing out on England (with the same achilles injury), too.


Great advice: Hodgson

What's the best advice you've ever been given?
Roy Hodgson just told me to keep doing what I was doing in my first season at Fulham. It paid off.

If your house was burning down, what one possession would you save?
Nothing. I've got insurance. I'm not bothered about possessions - and I would hope the dog would run out of the back door!

Favourite karaoke song?
I don't sing karaoke. Never have.

Three most-listened to songs on your ipod?
Lil Wayne - A Milli. Michael Jackson - Billie Jean. Notorious B.I.G. - Ten Crack Commandments.

Last film you saw?
Hereafter. It was all right, which was surprising as the missus picked it. She's not known for choosing good films.


Pass master: Zamora would like to be a quarterback like Michael Vick

Last book you read?
I'm not interested in books to be honest, but it would be Lance Armstrong's It's Not About the Bike: My Journey Back to Life.

Favourite pre-match meal ?
I don't have a ritual. Just whatever I fancy on the day.

Can you cook? Best dish?
Yes. I'd say a Sunday roast - chicken, not beef.

Your favourite holiday destination?
Greece.


Footlights to football boots: Actor and entertainer Will Smith

In a film of your life, who would you like to play you?
Definitely Will Smith.

What's the most expensive thing you've ever bought?
Probably a car - a Range Rover Vogue.

Tell us a secret. .
I like going carp fishing.




Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2035733/Its-Top-Secret-Fulhams-Bobby-Zamora.html#ixzz1XWxR0a6g

WhiteJC

 
JOY OF SIX AS BRYAN RUIZ IS INSTANT HIT

BRYAN RUIZ took just six minutes to convince Martin Jol he had landed a £10.6m bargain.

The Fulham boss raided Dutch club FC Twente to snap up the Costa Rica striker on transfer deadline day.

And Jol believes an instant hat-trick in training ­confirmed he had made the right move.

He said: "He trained for the first time with us on Wednesday and looked well. We had games of four and four and he scored three goals in six ­minutes so that was a good start.

"He was our prime target but a few other clubs wanted him. As soon as we had him in the building we never let him go again so he stayed with us!"

Ruiz, 26, could feature for Fulham ­tomorrow as they welcome to Craven Cottage a ­Blackburn side who are yet to pick up a point this season.

Rovers boss Steve Kean has drafted in around £11m of new talent, ­including Scott Dann, Yakubu and Montenegro winger Simon Vukcevic, since the ­last game against Everton ­ended in a 1-0 defeat.

And the Scot admits he deserves all the abuse coming his way if Rovers' awful start continues.

A ­survey by YouGov found a ­staggering 81 per cent of fans want Kean sacked.

But he said: "I can understand their frustration with results.

"What I said was bear with us and judge us at the end of the transfer window.

"I'm very confident we can put points on the board and climb the table quickly."




http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/210377/Joy-of-six-as-Bryan-Ruiz-is-instant-hit/?


WhiteJC

 
FULHAM v BLACKBURN
BIG MATCH FACTS AND STATS


Fulham have found the net three times in their last two games at home to Rovers.

Clint Dempsey has scored three goals in his last four appearances against Blackburn.

The Whites have scored at least twice in five of their last six league games at Craven Cottage.


Blackburn have lost only two of their last 10 games against Fulham, although they have been beaten on their last two trips to Craven Cottage, conceding a total of six goals.

This fixture has not produced a goalless draw since 1983 when the sides met at Ewood Park in a Division Two game.

Martin Jol's men have lost only one of their last 10 PL matches at home.

Blackburn are on a run of three straight league defeats, they have not lost four in a row since December 2008 under Paul Ince.

Fulham have used only four substitutes in the top-flight this season, fewer than any other side.

Fulham have kept clean sheets in 10 of their last 16 competitive games (including Europa League qualifiers). However, they have conceded four goals in their last two league games.

This will be their 12th match of the season.

Fulham's only home league defeat in 2011 is their 5-2 loss to Liverpool on 9 May.

Damien Duff needs one more goal to reach 50 in the Premier League.

Rovers have lost their opening three Premier League games for the first time.

The last time they began a top-flight season with three successive defeats was in 1947-48, when they were eventually relegated. That year they drew their fourth game 0-0.

Victory would give Rovers their 300th away win in the top flight.

Blackburn have lost seven of their last 10 away league games (W1, D2, L7). Their only win was the 3-2 victory at Wolves on the final day of last season.




http://www.sportingpreview.com/football2012/11120757.php?

WhiteJC

 
Fulham boss Jolly happy with squad

Fulham manager Martin Jol has declared himself pleased with the Cottagers' summer transfer activity despite a deadline-day move for Marseille's Andre-Pierre Gignac breaking down.

The Cottagers have struggled in their attempts to juggle Europa League commitments with the Barclays Premier League this season, securing just one point from three games.

Jol admitted the west Londoners' poor start was mainly due to their threadbare squad and subsequently bolstered the team with three new signings on August 31.

Zdenek Grygera and Orlando Sa were brought in from Juventus and Porto respectively, while Bryan Ruiz joined from FC Twente in a £10.6 million ($16 million) deal despite late interest from Newcastle.

"I feel like everything went well for us - with Ruiz and Grygera, for example," said Jol.

"And Sa as well because there will be a few clubs who don't have that [back-up] player and are still without players.

"But I have to say [the transfer window] was a bit long.

"If you have a transfer window it takes four, five, six weeks talking about people coming or leaving. It is a bit unsettling.

"I am happy now with the squad. We now have almost two players in every position.

"Maybe not like Manchester City or Chelsea but I think we did well.

"We had 10 or 11 players left and we got six or seven players in so we are fine."

Jol ruled out the possibility of playing all three deadline-day signings in Monday's (AEST) Premier League clash against Blackburn, although admitted Ruiz could start at Craven Cottage.

"We will wait and see whether he will play this weekend because there are always different things [to consider]," he said.

"Sometimes you have to throw a player in at the deep end but sometimes it might be good to look at the first XI, look at the style and what we do and get to know the players.

"But I think Bryan is one of them that could start."

Despite declaring himself pleased with his squad, Jol was frustrated to miss out on France international Gignac.

The 25-year-old was at the club's Motspur Park training ground on deadline day and ready to join the Cottagers on loan until parent club Marseille pulled out at the last minute.

Jol refused to rule out another move for Gignac when the transfer window reopens in January and was relieved to be able to bring in Portuguese attacker Sa.

"It is always good to have a good look at the players again," he said of Gignac.

"As you know, the transfer window is a madhouse in England and we had a very good relationship with the player, Gignac.

"He wanted to stay and didn't want to go back, but he had to so that was the only thing that was a bit annoying, you know?

"First they said you can get him on loan and then they said, 'No, we don't have another player for him,' so they called him back. That was pretty annoying."

"Because Bobby [Zamora] was injured I thought we needed somebody for him and Orlando was there and it proved to be a good plan B."




http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/english-premier-league/news/1072256/Fulham-boss-Jolly-happy-with-squad?

WhiteJC

 
Fulham boss Jolly happy with squad

Fulham manager Martin Jol has declared himself pleased with the Cottagers' summer transfer activity despite a deadline-day move for Marseille's Andre-Pierre Gignac breaking down.

The Cottagers have struggled in their attempts to juggle Europa League commitments with the Barclays Premier League this season, securing just one point from three games.

Jol admitted the west Londoners' poor start was mainly due to their threadbare squad and subsequently bolstered the team with three new signings on August 31.

Zdenek Grygera and Orlando Sa were brought in from Juventus and Porto respectively, while Bryan Ruiz joined from FC Twente in a £10.6 million ($16 million) deal despite late interest from Newcastle.

"I feel like everything went well for us - with Ruiz and Grygera, for example," said Jol.

"And Sa as well because there will be a few clubs who don't have that [back-up] player and are still without players.

"But I have to say [the transfer window] was a bit long.

"If you have a transfer window it takes four, five, six weeks talking about people coming or leaving. It is a bit unsettling.

"I am happy now with the squad. We now have almost two players in every position.

"Maybe not like Manchester City or Chelsea but I think we did well.

"We had 10 or 11 players left and we got six or seven players in so we are fine."

Jol ruled out the possibility of playing all three deadline-day signings in Monday's (AEST) Premier League clash against Blackburn, although admitted Ruiz could start at Craven Cottage.

"We will wait and see whether he will play this weekend because there are always different things [to consider]," he said.

"Sometimes you have to throw a player in at the deep end but sometimes it might be good to look at the first XI, look at the style and what we do and get to know the players.

"But I think Bryan is one of them that could start."

Despite declaring himself pleased with his squad, Jol was frustrated to miss out on France international Gignac.

The 25-year-old was at the club's Motspur Park training ground on deadline day and ready to join the Cottagers on loan until parent club Marseille pulled out at the last minute.

Jol refused to rule out another move for Gignac when the transfer window reopens in January and was relieved to be able to bring in Portuguese attacker Sa.

"It is always good to have a good look at the players again," he said of Gignac.

"As you know, the transfer window is a madhouse in England and we had a very good relationship with the player, Gignac.

"He wanted to stay and didn't want to go back, but he had to so that was the only thing that was a bit annoying, you know?

"First they said you can get him on loan and then they said, 'No, we don't have another player for him,' so they called him back. That was pretty annoying."

"Because Bobby [Zamora] was injured I thought we needed somebody for him and Orlando was there and it proved to be a good plan B."




http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/english-premier-league/news/1072256/Fulham-boss-Jolly-happy-with-squad?


WhiteJC

 
EPL Preview: Fulham v Blackburn

Fulham and Blackburn hope to put disastrous starts to the English Premier League season behind them on Sunday when they clash at Craven Cottage.

Steve Kean's Blackburn, who finished just four points outside the relegation zone last term, have been beaten by Wolves and Aston Villa already this season.

In their most recent match they had their hearts broken by an injury-time penalty from Everton's Mikel Arteta in a 1-0 loss at home, after Blackburn had missed two second-half spot kicks of their own.

Martin Jol's Fulham have endured a woeful start, with an opening day draw at home against Aston Villa their only point of the campaign so far.

They followed that effort with a 2-0 loss to Wolves at Molineux and in their most recent start they were beaten 2-1 by Newcastle at St James' Park.

Jol's side has been hit by injuries early on in the campaign, with Welsh midfielder Simon Davies ruled out for at least two more months after a setback in his recovery from a knee injury.

Striker Bobby Zamora is a chance to return from an ankle problem, but new signing John Arne Riise is under a cloud with a groin strain.

Kean has worries of his own, with midfielder David Dunn (hamstring), winger Morten Gamst Pedersen (hamstring) and defender Ryan Nelsen (knee) battling to be fit.

Kean will, however, be able to call on his new signings for the clash, with striker Yakubu and centre-back Scott Dann playing their first games for the club in a closed-doors friendly against Celtic on Tuesday.



http://www.sportal.co.in/football-news-display/preview-fulham-v-blackburn-137387

WhiteJC

 
Ruiz will give us a Dutch of class, says Fulham boss



Martin Jol reckons he has signed the best player in Holland in bringing striker Bryan Ruiz to Fulham.

Jol fought off last-minute interest from Newcastle to land the £10.6million Costa Rican who helped FC Twente win the Dutch title two seasons ago.

And the Cottagers boss believes the 26-year-old has already shown in training he is ready for tomorrow's clash with Blackburn.

"It was good to get him – he is probably the best player in the Dutch league," said Jol.

"He was our prime target but a few other clubs wanted him but as soon as we had him in the building we never let him go again so he stayed with us!

"He trained for the first time with us on Wednesday and looked good. We had games of four against four and he scored three goals in six minutes so that was a good start.

"His favourite position is probably in the hole but in Dutch league he played on the right.

"He wants to go inside all the time and look for the one-twos and shots and prefers to play on the right. It's a great quality to have if you can fill in three positions. He's a bit like Damien Duff."

Jol declared himself happy with his transfer dealings, acquiring former Juventus defender Zdenek Grygera and Porto striker Orlando Sa.

He said Sa was only signed after 11pm on the final day of the transfer window after a loan deal for Marseille striker Andre-Pierre Gignac collapsed.

The France forward, who was at Fulham's training ground, was recalled at the last minute when Marseille failed to sign Juventus's Carvalha Amauri.

"As you know, the transfer window is a madhouse in England," said Jol.

"Gignac wanted to stay but had to go back. First they said you can get him on loan and then they said, 'No, we don't have another player for him', so they called him back. That was pretty annoying."

The Dutchman added: "Sa was our Plan B and he was waiting in the corridor. But I was very happy to give him more ­attention and the window has worked out well for us."

Jol put Fulham's poor start to the Premier League season – one point from three games – down to having to juggle domestic and Europa League commitments with a ­threadbare squad.

"I'm happy now with the squad," he said. "We have almost two players in every position. Maybe not like Manchester City or Chelsea but I think we did well."



Read more: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Ruiz-will-give-us-a-Dutch-of-class-says-Fulham-boss-article796716.html#ixzz1XX1Ouqn0
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WhiteJC

 
Fulham - Blackburn Preview: Early season strugglers search for first victory of campaign
Cottagers look to avoid their worst ever start to a Premier League season, while Rovers boss Steve Kean hopes to appease angry fans by ending run of three consecutive defeats

PROBABLE LINEUPS

FULHAM
Schwarzer
Grygera, Hangeland, Hughes, Baird
Duff, Murphy, Sidwell, Dempsey
Dembele, Ruiz

BLACKBURN
Robinson
Salgado, Samba, Dann, Olsson
Formica, N'Zonzi, Petrovic, Hoilett
Yakubu, Goodwillie

Fulham boss Martin Jol is likely to hand deadline day signing Bryan Ruiz an immediate debut up front on Sunday with Bobby Zamora not yet ready to return to the starting XI following an ankle knock and Andy Johnson unimpressive so far this term.

In defence, the versatile Chris Baird will likely shift over to left-back to cover for the injured Jon Arne Riise, leaving space for experienced Czech international Zdenek Grygera, a summer arrival from Italian giants Juventus, to make his debut at right-back.

Blackburn will be hoping new boy Scott Dann can slot straight into the centre of defence alongside Christopher Samba and fill the void left by injury to Ryan Nelsen and the departure of Phil Jones to Manchester United over the summer.

Boss Steve Kean is likely to field an attacking lineup in a bid to end his side's losing start to the season, with Junior Hoilett and Mauro Formica providing attacking threat from the flanks and deadline day signing Yakubu handed his first start alongside David Goodwillie up front.

DID YOU KNOW?
If Fulham fail to win on Sunday, they will have suffered their worst ever start to a Premier League season.

In losing their opening three league matches, Blackburn have made their worst start to a campaign in 64 years. If they lose on Sunday, it will become their worst ever.

Fulham have only beaten Blackburn twice in the last 10 meetings between the sides, but those two victories happened to come on Rovers' last two visits to Craven Cottage.

Recent records suggest there will be goals at Craven Cottage on Sunday; The last goalless meeting between Fulham and Blackburn was in 1983.

Blackburn have lost seven of their last 10 Premier League matches away from home. Their only victory in that time was the 3-2 win over Wolves on the final day of last season which preserved their top-flight status.

Liverpool are the only team to have beaten Fulham at Craven Cottage in 2011, inflicting a 5-2 defeat on the west Londoners back in May.

Blackburn boss Steve Kean (pictured above) has lost 13 out of 27 games since taking charge at Ewood Park last December, and has a win percentage of just 26 per cent.

Due to their involvement in the Europa League qualifiers, Sunday's clash will be Fulham's 12th game of the season.




http://www.goal.com/en-gb/match/60187/fulham-vs-blackburn-rovers/preview