Thursday Fulham Stuff (22/09/11)

[WhiteJC]

 
View from the river: Looking up from towards the bottom... It's not that bad

"Until Sunday the team had only scored twice in four games and there were a few grumbles to be heard after the draw with Blackburn last weekend"

First a bit of superficial bad news, five games in to the Premier League season and Fulham are currently in the relegation zone and are the only team not to have won in the league. Until Sunday the team had only scored twice in four games and there were a few grumbles to be heard after the draw with Blackburn last weekend.

Then there was Sunday.

After 45 and a bit minutes Fulham were 2-0 down and facing (what I thought could be) a potential thrashing. Aguero and Silva were everywhere and we were seriously struggling to keep the ball and keep them out. The team were sitting deep and City were threatening to run riot.

What a difference 45 minutes makes.

A great Zamora goal, a Danny Murphy deflected effort (with two great saves from Hart sandwiched in between) and a classic and hilarious Hammy end Poznan and everybody went home happy and feeling a lot more positive about life. The team deserve great credit for getting a result not many would have thought possible just after half time and Jol would have been a much happier man to see a great fight back and a vastly improved attacking display.

The hope is that the team can now kick on from this result and, with league games against West Brom and QPR up next, start to move up the table. Oh yes and the matter of that team up the road tonight. Still we haven't won there since 1979 so we must be due a win...right??

And at least we're not Torres....




http://www.london24.com/sport/fulham/view_from_the_river_looking_up_from_towards_the_bottom_it_s_not_that_bad_1_1029554?

[WhiteJC]

 
Aaron Hughes set for Fulham return

West Brom v Fulham

AARON Hughes is in line to return from injury for Saturday's trip to the Hawthorns.

The Fulham defender has missed the past three games with a knee problem, but boss Martin Jol is hopeful the Northern Irishman will recover in time to face the Baggies.

Jol will ring the changes from the side which pushed Chelsea all the way in the Carling Cup on Wednesday night, with Brede Hangeland, Danny Murphy, Damien Duff and Clint Dempsey returning to the starting XI after being rested.

However, the Whites boss is still without the injured Dickson Etuhu (thigh), Bjorn Helge Riise (groin) and Andy Johnson (ankle).



Read More http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/london-sport/fulham-fc/2011/09/22/aaron-hughes-set-for-fulham-return-82029-29468552/?#ixzz1YgOjPSZQ

[WhiteJC]

 
Future looks good for hitman - Jol

Martin Jol felt penalty shoot-out villain Bryan Ruiz had an 'excellent game' at Chelsea and backed him to be a big hit for Fulham.

The Cottagers chief spoke out about his £10.6million transfer deadline day signing from FC Twente after the Costa Rican missed the decisive spot-kick at Stamford Bridge as London rivals Chelsea progressed to round four of the Carling Cup on penalties following a goalless 120 minutes.

It has resulted in more question marks about Ruiz given the size of his transfer fee and the fact that he failed to impress during his debut against Blackburn on September 11.

However, Jol is in no doubt that Ruiz put on a much-improved performance at Stamford Bridge and feels he will continue to get better for Fulham.

He said: "Penalties are a lottery. He had an excellent game, especially in the first-half and a part of the second.

"After that he looked a bit tired but the variation up front with [Moussa] Dembele and Ruiz worked well. He's a confident player who needs to find his rhythm and cope with the English style. Chelsea are a top team so there's positives for the future."



http://www.clubcall.com/fulham/future-looks-good-for-hitman---jol-1292430.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Jol sees Ruiz improvements



Martin Jol felt penalty shoot-out villain Bryan Ruiz had an 'excellent game' at Chelsea and backed him to be a big hit for Fulham.


The Cottagers chief spoke out about his £10.6million transfer deadline day signing from FC Twente after the Costa Rican missed the decisive spot-kick at Stamford Bridge as London rivals Chelsea progressed to round four of the Carling Cup on penalties following a goalless 120 minutes.

It has resulted in more question marks about Ruiz given the size of his transfer fee and the fact that he failed to impress during his debut against Blackburn on September 11.

However, Jol is in no doubt that Ruiz put on a much-improved performance at Stamford Bridge and feels he will continue to get better for Fulham.

"Penalties are a lottery. He had an excellent game, especially in the first-half and a part of the second," he said.

"After that he looked a bit tired but the variation up front with [Moussa] Dembele and Ruiz worked well.

"He's a confident player who needs to find his rhythm and cope with the English style.

"Chelsea are a top team so there's positives for the future."




http://www.setanta.com/ie/Articles/2011/09/22/Chief-sees-Cottage-star-improvements/gnid-109925/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Chelsea v Fulham – Player Ratings
by LORK on SEPTEMBER 22, 2011

Awful awful awful. After games like thatthere's just such a heavy feeling of disappointment, despite the performance of the team which I thought was very promising and Jol seems to have found something that clicks, starting with the second half against City. When you put a reserve side out at a team like Chelsea you're always conscious that they generally have better players in their B team than you do in your A, so to play like we did, without fear more than anything, was really good to see. Anyway, a few players stuck out last night. Can anyone else not believe Frei's 17?

Schwarzer – 7.5, made a wonderful wonderful save from Terry's header and the save from Lampard's penalty was also pretty good. His handling on a couple of occasions was again fantastic, as shots were fizzed in he made saves which he should have done but caught them instead of palming them into a crowded 6 yard box. Another good performance and after a few doubts he seems in top form now.

Grygera – 8, I have to admit to being a bit unsure about his signing. One of them 'solid' back ups where you can't go wrong on a free but would be 3rd or 4th choice in both positions that he plays in, but his performance yesterday was certainly one that caught the eye. His composure on the ball and reading of the game was spot on, he was the 'sweeper' of the two centre backs. Didn't have to do too much in the air which was interesting, I'm not sure how he'd fair in a full on physical battle with a striker such as Drogba (he didn't really seem to come up too much against Lukaku one on one). But this guy could be an impressive surprise.

Senderos – 7, Senderos v Chelsea, brings back poor memories on his part from Arsenal games gone past but he did well. I've said it before and I'll say it again, Senderos is a quality centre half and on top form is Champions League material. I hope, and I think he will, he flourishes at Fulham. One dodgy moment when he lunged in on Lukaku who skipped past him and would have been through on goal but Grygera covered well, and cut out a cross with his hand but I don't think that was ever a penalty.

Kelly – 6.5, a performance that kinda didn't stick out but quietly Kelly did well, getting forward very actively (is he Jol's right back now?) and making one wonderful challenge on Malouda when he was set to score. Seemed to get beaten a few times.

Briggs – 7.5, literally gets better and better with every game. His pace is absolutely phenomenal, the strong touch to just fly past two Chelsea players for the Terry own goal attempt (what a fabulous save from Turnball by the way) sticks out, and his crossing is also very good, the ball in which led to Cech's injury was a good one. He's a very positive player, despite being at left back will always try and make something happen if he can in an attacking sense. His defensive responsibilities are improving too, he does have a habit of playing his way into trouble in the final third but kept it simple. His concentration too could be better as could his strength but that is being pretty critical and he covered his side well enough, while a feint or trick can beat him a bit too easily good luck to any player who tries to beat him for pace. This really is the season he makes his mark and Riise really does need to step up I feel to keep his place, Briggs is that good.

Baird – 7, the Northern Irish Finnan/Goma/Brevett/Murphy? The guy can cover 4 positions very very well and I'm so glad he stayed in the summer. This time he played centre midfield, covering deep alot of the time and picking the ball up from the defence. His range of passing, especially for someone who has played almost all their time in defence, is really impressive, several times he switched play out wide with an accurate long range ball, and of course being a defender his awareness is always going to be very good. It's a bit like Busquets actually, although obviously not as good, but a player that you know can start off attacks and stop their opponents.

Gecov – 7.5, a bit like Sidwell in many ways and not just because of the hair. Gecov doesn't seem to have the passing that Murphy does, which is why I'm always a bit unsure when people mention him as a replacement, but his all round game is pretty good. Not slow, certainly not a liability on the ball, solid, professional, good tackler, on the whole a box to box player like Sidwell. Infact I'd say our midfield game slowed down when Sidwell came on for him, perhaps that's where people say Gecov is similar to Murphy, because of his awareness and ability to find a momentum saving pass very quickly. He has a nice signature touch too where he spins and rolls the ball under his foot to make space and I like how he moves around to find the ball to keep it moving. I thought he'd struggle at first to be honest but he fit in like he'd been here for years.

Kasami – 7, ARGH! He wasn't unfortunate with the penalty, it was a shocking penalty, let's not pretend anything else. Turnball dived early so Kasami had half the goal to stroke it into. But you can see why he took it, he can strike a ball well and he has a nice air of authority about him. I think that's what I like most about him. He has a whole load of skill about him with a wicked cross with both feet but he also does not hide at all, he takes responsibility. For such a technically adept guy he's physically a beast too. I really like the look of him. Would be nice if he took a chance soon though!

Frei – 7.5, OK, it's very hard not to get carried away but on the other hand for an hour a 17 year old ran Chelsea ragged. I would have taken him off instead of Kasami personally, he looked absolutely exhausted, but his talent is there for everyone to see. I'm not calling him to be a first team player right now, I think that'd ruin him actually, but I like how Jol is giving him games here and there. I certainly wouldn't have played him last night so not only is it good to see him get a couple of hours of game time but the trust that the manager has in him to play in a game of this importance, I think that says more than his performance to be honest.

Ruiz – 7, he missed a penalty and just like Kasami's it was dreadful, but I won't hold it against him. He is struggling I think to adapt to the English game instantly, I wouldn't expect anything else though, and it was good for him to get the full 120 minutes despite him obviously strugging for fitness for the last 30 or 40 of them. He showed some of the talent that he has, the two exquisite balls for Sa (which should have both been goals) with the outside of his foot then the chip, the set up for Frei to win the penalty and one lovely deft touch when picking the ball out of a 20 foot drop to turn inbetween and away from two Chelsea players. The guy has talent that is for sure and we must be patient because when he finally plays to his potential we will have a real star.

Sa – 6.5, like Grygera a signing that can't go wrong but you wouldn't expect much from. Actually I say that but there was a stage in his career when he looked like he'd be the striker that Portugal's been looking for, so we know he does have a fair bit of natural talent. In the game I thought his movement and desire to get behind the Chelsea defence was pretty good as was his link up play, but a couple of times his composure through on goal really let him down. The first when he was one on one, Cech was entirely in no mans land and Sa could have just curled the ball around him I thought, but instead he kept running and Alex tackled him. The second was even worse, instead of firing across goal to Kasami who was completely and utterly unmarked 4 yards out he fired into the side netting. Unfortunately those are the two moments which stick out most for me. However he did show signs of being a capable replacement for Zamora, and like Kasami I wouldn't have taken him off.

Subs:

Dembele – 6, another indefencible penalty. I didn't think he'd score when he stepped up, a wonderful player who approaches everything so casually which is a great attribute to have but it can be detrimental too. I could see the logic in the substitution, against 10 men who are hard to break down someone to attract players and take them out of position, but unlike his performance on City on sunday which was awesome he didn't create too much when he did make that space.

Zamora – 6, like last week against Twente our attack slowed down when he came on. Without a doubt one of our best players and we are a better team with him, but we play differently without him than we do with him, and when we are playing so well without Zamora do we necessarily have to put him on? It wasn't until he came on that Chelsea started to come back into it again really. Not a criticism of Zamora at all though, more Jol.

Sidwell – 6, another one who sort of slowed the pace of our attacking game down. Would have liked to have seen him get forward a bit more and almost scored when he did, I think from another Briggs cross, but the volley was over. Not sure why he came on either because Gecov didn't seem off the pace particuarly.




http://hammyend.com/index.php/2011/09/chelsea-v-fulham-player-ratings/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Chris Brunt sees hope for Fulham clash

Captain Chris Brunt today claimed West Brom's Carling Cup performance at Everton can spur them on against Fulham despite their extra-time heartbreak.

The Baggies skipper believes the improvement at Goodison Park last night from Saturday's dismal defeat at Swansea bodes well for the Premier League Hawthorns showdown with the Cottagers.

"There are plenty of positives to take from the performance last night," said Brunt. "It would have been nice to be in the hat for the next round but it's not our time so we'll move on.

"The Premier League is the main thing. We haven't had a great start to the season so we need to push up the table and we have a good opportunity to do that on Saturday."

* Albion defender Jonas Olsson should be fit to face Fulham on Saturday despite limping off at Everton last night.

The Swede was replaced by Craig Dawson during extra-time.

However, manager Roy Hodgson revealed: "It was just a bit of cramp and we took him off as a precaution."



Read more: http://www.expressandstar.com/sport/west-bromwich-albion-fc/2011/09/22/chris-brunt-sees-hope-for-fulham-clash/#ixzz1YgPqsZt6

[WhiteJC]

 
OB strive to overcome English opponents

Odense BK entertain Fulham FC in UEFA Europa League Group K knowing they must break their duck against English opponents after seven attempts without success.

Odense BK will look to finally break their duck against English opponents at the seventh attempt as Fulham FC come to Denmark in UEFA Europa League Group K.

Previous meetings
• The sides are meeting for the first time in UEFA competition, and this is also Fulham's first meeting with Danish opponents.

• OB's six games against English teams have ended W0 D2 L4 (W0 D1 L2 at home).

• Fulham midfielder Steve Sidwell will remember OB's most recent home game against an English side well; the midfielder scored an own goal as Aston Villa FC drew 2-2 in Odense in the 2008 UEFA Intertoto Cup.

Match background
• OB have lost just one of their last 15 European home games (2-1 against VfB Stuttgart on matchday two of last season's UEFA Europa League group stage), with the record on that run of W8 D6 L1.

• Fulham have won one of their four away games in Europe this season, 3-1 at Crusaders FC, but failed to score in their other three fixtures on the road.

Team facts
• OB are within four goals of their 100th in the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Cup; this is their 54th game in the competition.

• Young Fulham striker Marcello Trotta celebrates his 19th birthday on the day of the game; he has yet to make his European debut for the club.

• A number of OB players have experience of English football:
Eric Djemba-Djemba (Manchester United FC, 2003-05, Aston Villa 2005-06)
Andreas Johansson (Wigan Athletic, 2005-07)
Bernard Mendy (Bolton Wanderers FC, 2002-03, Hull City AFC, 2008-10)
Morten Skoubo (West Bromwich Albion FC, 2004)
Stefan Wessels (Everton FC, 2007-08)

• Former Denmark midfielder Claus Jensen played for Fulham from 2004 until his retirement in 2007.

• Henrik Clausen has spent almost his entire career with OB, barring a brief spell as assistant coach at Vejle BK. He led the club's youth and reserve teams for a long while before being given the senior job in 2010, leading them to second place in the league. His side finished bottom in their section in last season's UEFA Europa League group stage.

• A former midfielder, capped three times for the Netherlands, Fulham boss Martin Jol played in Germany and England as well as his home country, and has coached in all three nations too with Tottenham Hotspur FC, Hamburger SV and AFC Ajax.



http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2012/matches/round=2000272/match=2007321/prematch/background/index.html?rss=1669426+OB+strive+to+overcome+English+opponents