Friday Fulham Stuff (30/09/11)...

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Premier League preview: Fulham v QPR

Fulham host Queens Park Rangers on Sunday in another west London derby in the Premier League.

Fulham already had rivals Chelsea to contend with in the English top flight, but the presence of Championship winners QPR has added another feisty derby to the line of fixtures.

The two sides last played each other in the Championship in March 2001, with Fulham winning 2-0, while QPR have failed to score in their past four clashes against the Cottagers.

But Neil Warnock's side are in good form and will look to prolong Fulham's winless streak in the Premier League this season to seven games.

They will have to do so without Kieron Dyer, however, with a foot injury sustained on the season's opening day keeping the veteran midfielder sidelined. Rob Hulse and Jamie Mackie are also nurturing long-term injuries.

Despite their winless start to the domestic campaign, Martin Jol's Fulham side will take confidence from their 2-0 away win at Odense in the Europa League on Thursday.

Andy Johnson scored both goals against the Danish side, and Jol revealed post-match that the club have offered the former England striker a two-year extension on his contract at season's end.

Former Wales international Simon Davies is Jol's only injury concern, as he is out indefinitely with a knee injury.

Jol will also be eager to end another drought over the weekend, with the Cottagers failing to win a London derby in their past nine encounters.



http://www.soccerway.com/news/2011/September/30/premier-league-preview-fulham-v-qpr/?

[WhiteJC]

 
ODENSE BK 0 vs FULHAM 2

FULHAM manager Martin Jol vowed to keep Andy Johnson after the striker scored twice to earn their first win in Europa League Group K.

Johnson, who is in the final year of his contract and can leave for free next summer, scored in the 36th and 88th minutes to take his season's tally to six.

"He was a handful tonight," said Jol. "We have offered him another two years so there is a lot of confidence in him. He has one year left and hopefully we can change that."

Johnson scored with a powerful low drive and then a late curler to hand the Cottagers a first victory in nine games, before Kalilou Traore was sent off for the Danish side.



http://www.cityam.com/sport/odense-bk-0-vs-fulham-2?

[WhiteJC]

 
Martin Jol eyes new Fulham deal for Andrew Johnson after Odense win
Fulham manager Martin Jol is ready to give Andrew Johnson a new deal, after the striker scored twice in the club's 2-0 victory over Odense.

The 30-year-old broke the deadlock with a first-half strike that went under former Everton goalkeeper Stefan Wessels, before a fine curling effort with two minutes remaining took his tally in Europe to six this season.

And afterwards manager Martin Jol set his sights on tying Johnson down to a new deal, saying: 'He is top scorer in Europe if you count qualification matches too. He was a handful tonight.

'He hasn't done it in the league but sometimes you have to give him the opportunities too. The second goal was unbelievable. The ball was high and he took it on his shoe.

'It was amazing. It came from nothing. We have offered him another two years so there is a lot of confidence in him. Andy is a good boy and a good worker. He has one year left and hopefully we can change that. If not, it is in his hands. He is a team player and will give you his all.'

Johnson's brace has now seen him rack up six Europa League goals in nine appearances and Jol hinted such form could see him start Sunday's Premier League derby with West London rivals QPR.

'I'm 100 per cent certain if I start Andy he won't let anyone down,' added Jol. 'He is a true professional, always plays with his heart.'




Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/football/877106-martin-jol-eyes-new-fulham-deal-for-andrew-johnson-after-odense-win#ixzz1ZPvWY2XL

[WhiteJC]

 
FULHAM SEE OFF ODENSE

PARIS: Fulham and Birmingham City both got their Europa League campaigns up and running with wins on the road last night, while a late equaliser for Udinese denied Celtic in Glasgow.

Martin Jol's Fulham had gone eight games without a win in all competitions before travelling to Denmark for a tricky-looking tie against Odense.

However, Andrew Johnson continued his excellent European form this season by putting the Cottagers ahead nine minutes before half-time and then completing his brace and sealing a 2-0 win late on.

The former Everton striker latched on to a Brede Hangeland punt downfield before curling home his sixth goal of the campaign as Fulham move level on four points with Twente Enschede at the top of Group K.

The Dutch club came from behind to win 4-1 at home to Wisla Krakow, with giant Austrian striker Marc Janko scoring twice.

Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur got the better of Shamrock Rovers, but only after the League of Ireland side had taken a shock second-half lead at White Hart Lane.

Stephen Rice sent the huge travelling support into raptures when he deflected a Gary Twigg shot past Spurs 'keeper Carlo Cudicini five minutes into the second-half.

The goal had come completely against the run of play, and the Premier League aristocrats were back level 10 minutes later when Roman Pavlyuchenko headed home from point-blank range.

Within six minutes, Jermaine Defoe and Giovani Dos Santos had also netted to complete the turnaround as Spurs ran out 3-1 winners to go level with Rubin Kazan - who drew 2-2 with PAOK Salonika earlier in the day - on four points atop the group.

Championship club Birmingham came from a goal down to win 2-1 away to Maribor of Slovenia in Group H.

Next up for Birmingham are Club Brugge of Belgium, who won 2-1 away to Braga courtesy of Ryan Donk's last-minute effort.

There was no such luck for Celtic, however, with Neil Lennon's side being denied a first win in Group I by Udinese in a tale of two penalties.

South Korean midfielder Ki Sung-Yeung converted from 12 yards to give the Scottish Premier League side the lead with less than three minutes on the clock, but the Serie A outfit came away with a point thanks to Almen Abdi's spot-kick in the dying moments.



http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/NewsDetails.aspx?storyid=314528

[WhiteJC]

 
QPR boss hopes to end Fulham drought

NEIL Warnock is praying his luck will change when he goes to Fulham on Sunday.

As a player and a manager, the QPR boss has never won there in six attempts. In fact, his last appearance at Craven Cottage as a right-winger for Chesterfield in September 1970, netted him a gashed ankle and four stitches.

The Spireites lost 2-0 that day, and as manager at Notts County, Plymouth, Huddersfield and Sheffield United he has not gathered so much as a point for his pains down Stevenage Road.

However, Warnock believes his best chance of breaking his duck comes with a revived Rangers, who should be three out of three for away wins.

A solitary defeat at Wigan in August with the old-look team was still against the run of play.

"I just think we're geared up for away wins, where the onus is on the home team to come at us," said Warnock. "We had a good away record last season as well, and there's shades of that with this team."

It will be cold comfort for the Rs manager if Bobby Zamora scores against him on Sunday.

Warnock tried to sign the Fulham striker when he was boss at Sheffield United in 2003 – recognising then that Zamora was headed for the top.

"It was the season United got to the semi-final of the FA Cup," said Warnock. "Bob was at Brighton, and I had a go thinking he might fancy a team that had done so well.

"But Spurs came in for him, and that was that."



Read More http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/london-sport/london-qpr/2011/09/30/qpr-boss-hopes-to-end-fulham-drought-82029-29511259/?#ixzz1ZPwDxUHp

[WhiteJC]

 
Twente come from behind to tame Wisła
FC Twente 4-1 Wisła Kraków

Trailing after nine minutes, Twente's superiority shone through thereafter with Marc Janko scoring twice as they recorded a comfortable first Group K win.



http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2012/matches/round=2000272/match=2007320/index.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Lawro's prediction

Fulham v QPR
I'm going to go for Fulham in this one because I just feel they're due a good result having been unfortunate at times this season, in particular against West Brom last week when on another day they could have won by a couple.

QPR worry me as far as scoring goals is concerned - I'm just not sure where they are going to come from for Neil Warnock's side.

I like their general play but I'm not sure about their forwards. I'm not convinced Jay Bothroyd will score that many, DJ Campbell has been restricted to cameo roles so far and Adel Taarabt has only shown in glimpses what he's capable of. Goals are QPR's problem.

For that reason, I'm going for a Fulham win - it's about time the Cottagers got their first three points of the season and I just think on the day they'll have more quality than QPR.

Prediction: 2-0

[WhiteJC]

 
Jol wants to keep two-goal Andrew Johnson

FULHAM manager Martin Jol set his sights on tying Andrew Johnson down to a new contract after he proved the matchwinner at Odense.

The 30-year-old's brace helped the Cottagers end an eight-game winless run and secure three points in Group K of the Europa League at the Odense Stadion.

Johnson, whose contract expires at the end of the season, broke the deadlock with a first-half strike that snook under former Everton goalkeeper Stefan Wessels, before scoring with a neat curling effort with two minutes remaining.

Jol said: "He is top scorer in Europe if you count qualification matches too. He was a handful tonight.

"He hasn't done it in the league but sometimes you have to give him the opportunities too.

"The second goal was unbelievable. The ball was high and he took it on his shoe.

"It was amazing. It came from nothing.

"We have offered him another two years so there is a lot of confidence in him.

"Sometimes it's better to start talking in December or January."



Read More http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/amateur-football/2011/09/30/jol-wants-to-keep-two-goal-andrew-johnson-100252-29512923/?#ixzz1ZPzZDt1m

[WhiteJC]

 
ETUHU READY FOR QPR TEST

Fulham midfielder Dickson Etuhu believes last night's Europa League victory at Odense BK stands the Cottagers in good stead for QPR's visit this weekend.

The 29-year-old helped the west Londoners secure a 2-0 victory in their Group K tie at the Odense Stadion, which ended an eight-game winless run.

Andrew Johnson's brace handed Fulham victory and Etuhu believes the performance is a good platform to build on for QPR's visit to Craven Cottage this weekend.

"I thought we could have killed the game off a bit earlier," he said.

"We had a few chances and didn't take them.

"They were a difficult side and at times they gave us problems with crosses and stuff.

"But we were always comfortable and we had the better players. It is as simple as that.

"I've been injured for a while so it is nice to be back and get a game.

"Obviously before that I wasn't really involved but it was nice to get a game.

"The win was good for the team, good for everybody's confidence and really good ahead of the weekend."

Sunday's opponents QPR brought in a host of new players during the summer, with a late transfer splurge following Tony Fernandes' takeover.

Etuhu knows there is a feel-good factor at Fulham's west London neighbours but believes victory is within their grasp.

"Of course they are a good side, everybody can see that," he said.

"They've got that little buzz at the club with the new signings and the new chairman.

"But we're Fulham, we're playing at home and you'd like to think we will get a win.

"It won't be an easy game but we believe in ourselves. It'll be a hard afternoon."

Fulham travelled back to England immediately after last night's game as attention switches to QPR's impending visit.

Bobby Zamora and Mousa Dembele did not travel to Denmark but could return against the Hoops, although Etuhu thinks striker Johnson merits a starting role too.

"AJ is the only striker of his kind," he added.

"There are not many people around that go the other way and cause such problems with his pace and his fitness.

"He is always there, always sniffing for a goal.

"It is great to see him score again.

"He was unlucky not to get more games and hopefully that is something to show the manager he should use him a bit more."



http://www.sportinglife.com/football/premiership/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/11/09/30/SOCCER_Fulham_Etuhu.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Odense BK 0 Fulham 2

Andrew Johnson's brace helped Fulham end an eight-game winless run and secure three points at Odense in the Europa League on Thursday evening.

The 30-year-old broke the deadlock with a first-half strike that snuck under former Everton goalkeeper Stefan Wessels, before scoring with a neat curling effort with two minutes remaining.

Odense had started the Group K encounter strongly and Djiby Fall twice went close to breaking the deadlock in the opening 20 minutes.

Mark Schwarzer did well to save the first effort and was called into action on a number of occasions during the evening's play at the Odense Stadion.

The hosts had only lost one of their previous 15 home games in European competition, but the west Londoners remained resolute to secure victory.

Heading into the Group K encounter, Johnson was named as lone striker in a 4-4-1-1 formation and was one of six changes made to the side that started Saturday's 0-0 draw with West Brom.

Fulham's Danish opponents named four players with Premier League experience in their starting XI, including former Manchester United and Aston Villa midfielder Eric Djemba-Djemba.

Odense came into this evening's match on a poor run of form having lost three successive matches, including a 4-1 home defeat to FC Midtjylland on Sunday.

However, Henrik Clausen's side have impressed in Europe and had their first shot within a minute when Bashkim Kadrii skewed a volley wide.

While Odense goalkeeper Wessels was forced to save goalbound efforts from Pajtim Kasami and Clint Dempsey within the opening 10 minutes, the home side dominated the early exchanges.

Djemba-Djemba fired a 20-yard drive just wide and only a superb one-handed Schwarzer save prevented Fall breaking the deadlock in the 12th minute.

The latter again came agonisingly close to scoring eight minutes later but the Senegal international's acrobatic volley from Andreas Johansson's cross went just wide.

Fulham were being pinned back by their hosts but looked dangerous on the counter-attack, going close in the 27th minute.

After neat play between Philippe Senderos and Johnson, the ball fell kindly to Dempsey in the six-yard box and only Tore Reginiussen's last-gasp block prevented a certain-looking goal.

The Cottagers were beginning to find their feet as the first half wore on and, after Dempsey blazed over, Wessels had to thwart Brede Hangeland from a corner.

The visitors were getting ever closer and a powerful Dempsey header was sneaking in before Djemba-Djemba's goalline clearance.

Fulham's pressure eventually paid dividends in the 36th minute when Johnson latched onto a ball from Dempsey and struck a shot that snuck under Wessels.

Fall and Kadrii both blazed wide attempts to equalise wide shortly after, allowing the visitors to go in boasting a half-time lead.

Odense looked rejuvenated after the break and, aside from a Kasami drive, dominated the first 10 minutes.

Djemba-Djemba thrashed over and Johansson saw a shot flash just wide after Schwarzer saved well from Kadrii.

Damien Duff managed to wriggle free and force Wessels to save at the other end, before the home side returned to the attack.

Senderos was booked for a 63rd-minute foul on Fall as the home side threatened to break, before the striker was replaced four minutes later by Peter Utaka - brother of former Portsmouth forward John - in a bid to force an equaliser.

Shortly after the change, Kalilou Traore received a yellow card for a two-footed challenge on Matthew Briggs that saw the left-back receive treatment.

The youngster recovered from the injury and had to defend immediately as Odense pressed for an equaliser.

Schwarzer was forced into action to stop substitute Utaka before Johnson wrapped up victory with his second of the evening.

The striker showed a good touch to control a long ball before curling the ball past Wessels in the 88th minute.

Odense's evening got even worse moments later when Traore was sent off for a second booking.

Teams

Odense BK Wessels, Ruud, Christensen, Reginiussen, Mendy, Andreasen, Johansson, Traore, Djemba-Djemba (Skoubo 84), Kadrii (Gislason 79), Djiby Fall (Utaka 69).

Subs Not Used: Toppel, Chris Sorensen, Larsen, Hoegh.

Sent Off: Traore (90).

Booked: Traore.

Fulham Schwarzer, Kelly, Hangeland, Senderos, Briggs, Kasami (Orlando Sa 84), Murphy (Sidwell 77), Duff, Etuhu, Dempsey, Johnson.

Subs Not Used: Etheridge, Riise, Baird, Frei, Grygera.

Booked: Senderos, Etuhu.

Goals: Johnson 36, 88.

Att: 6, 500

Ref: Maksim Layushkin (Russia).




http://www.sportinglife.com/football/premiership/fulham/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/11/09/29/SOCCER_Fulham.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Jol Praises Johnson After Victory

Fulham manager Martin Jol has praised Andrew Johnson after the striker bagged a brace in their Europa League victory over Odense on Thursday night.

The former England international scored both goals in a 2-0 win for the Craven Cottage outfit, and the Dutch coach was impressed with his hitman.

"The second goal was unbelievable. The ball was high and he took it on his shoe. It was amazing," he told reporters after the game.

With the forward's contract running out, the Cottagers have made it clear that they are keen to extend his current deal, which Jol confirmed once more.

"We have offered him another two years so there is a lot of confidence in him. It's a good marriage, you know.

"Andy is a good boy and a good worker. He has one year left and hopefully we can change that. If not, it is in his hands.

"He is a team player and will give you his all. He was good for us today and Fulham has been good to him before my time here," Jol concluded.

Fulham will search for their first league victory of the season on Sunday, as they host London rivals QPR at Craven Cottage.




http://www.footballfancast.com/2011/09/football-news/jol-praises-johnson-after-victory

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham v QPR Betting Preview

Profit and decent tips all round last week, can the lads maintain that form ahead of this weekend's clash with Fulham?

From small acorns mighty oaks do grow and all that. Andy, who made a measly £1 a week ago, cranked it up a notch with a £43 win last weekend. His losses are now down to £97.50.Brian was AWOL so remains £53.80 in arrears while our pro, professional odds compiler Owen Goulding, made it two successful predictions from two attempts with a 0-0 halftime score bet in the QPR game.

Andy Hillman
Well, a cracking week for me at last, with a clear profit to the tune of £43, based on my accumulator coming in and QPR drawing with Villa. it could have been more, as at the last minute I changed my mind on whether to include Man U not winning at Stoke (which would have won) in exchange for Spurs to win to nil at Wigan(which didn't...)

This week sees the first London derby of the season, as QPR travel to Fulham. Fulham are much better at home than away, and QPR are much better away than at home. for this reason I'm going to err on the side of caution and predict another draw, available at 13/5 with Paddy Power, who will refund losing bets if Zamora or DJ score the last goal. i'm going to keep my anytime goal scorer bet of Wright-Phillips alive until he does actually score, still at 4/1, with Paddy Power for the same reasons listed above.

Elsewhere, Bolton host Chelsea on Sunday, having not scored against them at the Reebok since November 2002. A Chelsea win to nil is available at a generous 8/5, so I'll take some of that.

There are three derbies this weekend, at Everton, Fulham and Spurs. I'm going to have three doubles and a treble at £2.50 a leg that they're all draws.

Finally, my accumulator, and I'm going for a fivefold this week, backing Man City, Man Utd, Crawley, Rangers and Bayern Munich all to win, at odds of 9/2 with Betfair.

For the Weekend:

Fulham vs QPR - Draw - £10 @13/5 (Paddy Power)

Fulham vs QPR - SWP to score anytime - £5 @ 4/1 (Paddy Power)

Bolton vs Chelsea - Chelsea win to nil - £10 @ 8/5 (William Hill)

Everton vs Liverpool, Spurs vs Arsenal, Fulham vs QPR - all draws - 3 doubles and a treble £10 @ various odds.

Fivefold accumulator - Man City, Man Utd, Crawley, Rangers and Bayern Munich all to win £10 @ 9/2 (Betfair)

Previously Advised:

Rugby World Cup:

New Zealand to not win - £15 @ 6/4 (Various)

The Big 4 to all win their group - £10 @ 11/8 (Various)

Brian Power
As regular readers to this column (Hello to you both) would have noticed last week I failed to submit a column. I didn't do a Tevez and refuse to participate I just forgot to send then item in on time. However if Clive doesn't believe my story I might be suspended for a couple of weeks.

The short trip to Craven Cottage on Sunday gives us our first derby of the season against Fulham. Martin Jol's men have drawn all 3 home games so far and are yet to win a league game. With Fulham having to play Europa league on Thursday I think our fresher legs could come into play and I fancy us to win at 16/5. I will stick with SWP at 12/1 for first scorer at Victor Chandler with their special offer of double the odds if they score again. I also fancy the 2-1 win at 14/1 with Boyles.

The Merseyside and North London derbies take place this weekend and draws in both games looks the bet at 23/10 and 13/5 I will add in another couple of games to make up the football acca this week.

The last group games of the Rugby World Cup take place and Tommy Bowe is 8/1 to score the first try for Ireland against Italy. Back this with Ladbrokes and if he does not get the first but scores the second you get your money back.

The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe takes place at Longchamp on Sunday and Snow Fairy can land the spoils backed in from 20/1 to 14/1 this week. Ed Dunlop's horse is ridden by Frankie Dettori and will shorten in price by the day and can add this to English and Irish Oaks success of last she. She comes up against So You think who has beaten her twice but is unproven over this distance and with our selections turn of foot and her liking for the ground makes 14/1 good value.

Finally as we have an International break next week I am going to select Aidan O'Brien horse Power for the Dewhurst Stakes on the October 8. Available at 10/3 it has a good record and with a name like that it is sure to be a winner.

For the weekend:

£5 SWP first goal 12/1

£5 Correct Score Fulham 1 QPR 2 14/1

£7.50 Tommy Bowe 1st try Ireland V Italy 8/1

£5 ew Prix de l'Arc de triomphe Snow Fairy 14/1

£12.50 win Power10/3 Dewhurst Stakes 08/10/2011

£2 trebles and £2 acca

Draw Liverpool/Everton 23/10

Draw Spurs/Arsenal 13/5

Rotherham 2/1

Previously Advised:

£15 Australia to win Rugby World Cup 7/2

£5 O'Connor top tryscorer 16/1

The Pro
Another solid performance from QPR against Aston Villa, and but for some extremely 'dubious' refereeing decisions, they could of been taking their first maximum haul at home this season. But alas, it was not to be, so it's back on the road in search of three points in the first of many London derbies for the Hoops this season. From an odds compiler's point of view, these games are a minefield. What sort of team will Fulham play? How many of their players will pick up injuries on their trip to Denmark? In Fulham's favour, it isn't the longest trip they could be making- and as such, I can't see it having a massive bearing on team selection. I would expect Fulham to be near on full strength barring any injuries come Sunday. QPR on the other hand will have to have a little shuffle at the back following Traore's sending off with Connolly the likely replacement. This will have an impact on the counter attacking abilities of the R's - especially considering how potent Traore was in the win at Wolves. It's incredibly hard to call this one. Fulham are currently a shade of odds-on with QPR around the 3/1 mark. However, I am finding it hard to separate these teams for this match and am advising a very small bet on the draw at 13/5 (Stan James).

For my bet of the weekend, I am tipping Southend at 13/8 (Betfair) on Friday night to continue their fine recent form with a victory over Shrewsbury. The Shrews have lost the influential Reuben Hazell following injury last week, and already have both Sharps and Candall-Sheriff unlikely to play, leaving a void at the back that the Shrimpers could well exploit.



http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/queensparkrangers/fb_news.php?storyid=14232

[WhiteJC]

 
QPR hunt bragging rights against travel sick Fulham – full match preview

QPR travel to Fulham on Sunday with two away wins under their belt already this season. The hosts, meanwhile, are still searching for a first league win amongst a hectic fixture schedule.

Fulham (17th) v QPR (10th)

Barclays Premier League >>> Sunday October 1, 2011 >>> Kick Off 3pm >>> Craven Cottage, London, SW6

You only have to embark on a couple of awaydays to places like Wolverhampton and Hull to know there are many, many great things about living in London and supporting a London football club. The pubs, the restaurants, the transport, the amenities, the people, the civilisation – it's all here. Hell, there are parts of the world around Derby where the shops still shut early on a Wednesday afternoon.

But one thing most London clubs lack is a real, genuine, fierce rivalry. Only really Arsenal and Tottenham have a passionate mutual dislike of each other in the capital, and coincidentally they're facing off on the other side of town on Sunday afternoon while we battle Fulham. Our game is a geographical derby game, you can walk from one ground to the other in no time at all, but in all other aspects this is just another match. Games here have been, as Danny Dyer might say, "a bit nawty" when they've been played in recent times but then we've had games at Stoke, Hull and even Hartlepool since then that have been "pwopah nawty" and you wouldn't count any of them as derby matches.

This lack of a Portsmouth v Southampton style hatred is partly due to the lack of meetings between these sides through history. Football tends to go in cycles and by some strange quirk whenever QPR have been on the up Fulham have been going the other way and vice versa. So occasionally these sides meet as they pass each other, but they've only managed 27 meetings in more than 100 years of playing the game three miles away from each other, and four of those were in cup competitions. There have been four matches in the last 20 years or so, all bunched around the turn of the Millennium when Al Fayed was throwing good money after bad in the quest to promote Fulham from the bottom division to the top while QPR were busy having one of their collapses on and off the field. Rangers failed to score once in those four matches.

But then there is also this weird West London food chain to consider that just doesn't happen in other cities. One night during the summer I was at a loose end so dragged myself off to Griffin Park to watch a very tidy Brentford side comprehensively outplay Premiership Stoke and win 1-0. There was a good crowd there that night, and the boisterous lot on the Ealing Road terrace took great delight in singing anti-QPR songs all evening. This seemed bizarre to me, but then I dare say Chelsea fans will find it a bit off coming to Loftus Road later this season and hearing us slagging them off. Brentford don't even register on the QPR radar, and however much you may try and kid yourself differently we're not much more than a blip on Chelsea's screen either. There's a similar situation over in the East where West Ham hate Spurs who hate Arsenal, Millwall hate everybody and Leyton Orient wished they mattered enough for anybody to give much of a toss.

The last time QPR played in the Premiership Fulham were getting crowds of 4,000 in the Third Division. Now they get 20,000. I don't say that to make a point about lack of a hardcore support and glory hunting, but to show that the vast majority of Fulham fans at least, and a fair few QPR fans I dare say, know nothing of matches between QPR and Fulham other than four dire games ten years ago.

Maybe a rivalry will fester again in these parts if we can stay together in the top flight for any length of time.

Sadly I shall not be joining you all in the away (or the neutral) end of Craven Cottage on Sunday. Much to my dismay my day job is sending me to Cannes for the next seven days. I leave you in the capable match reporting hands of Colin Speller on Sunday.



This Sunday

Team News: Neil Warnock just cannot get a settled back four together at the moment and the suspension of Armand Traore for one match necessitates another reshuffle for this game and, in all likelihood, another one for the visit of Blackburn in a fortnight. Danny Gabbidon is still injured so Fitz Hall clings to life at the heart of the defence again. The question will be whether Luke Young is joined by Matt Connolly or Bradley Orr in the full back positions. Connolly would mean less changing, as he could slot straight in at left back, but he looked nervous coming on against Newcastle. Elsewhere nothing new to report, Jay Bothroyd is still likely to be preferred to DJ Campbell in attack despite a lack of goals so far this season.

Fulham left striking duo Bobby Zamora and Moussa Dembele in London this week while the rest of the team went to Denmark for a Europa League game with Odense – the pair of them had slight stomach bugs so were rested, but now find themselves facing competition from Andy Johnson who scored twice on Thursday in a 2-0 away win. Zamora seems to be developing a little bit of travel sickness this season – he's played in all three league games at home, and none of the three away matches so far.

Elsewhere: A week of European action means this weekend's fixtures are once again split over two days, with our game at Fulham one of four taking place on the Sunday. It's also a derby day weekend, with Spurs v Arsenal in North London on Sunday afternoon and Everton v Liverpool on Sky at lunchtime on Saturday. The league leaders all have games that would be considered walkovers had they not been travelling and disgracing themselves during the week – Man Utd should still make simple work of a home game against Norwich but Chelsea heading to a Bolton side desperate for a win might not be straightforward and after Man City's unhappy trip to Munich they now go to Blackburn. Another crisis club, Sunderland, are at home to West Brom at the end of a week where they lost badly at Norwich and had their main centre half arrested for sexual assault and drug possession. Villa v Wigan, Wolves v Newcastle and Swansea v Stoke all seem rather mundane on paper.

Referee: Andre Marriner is the man in the middle for this West London derby, his fourth match of the season so far. He's done very well for himself in recent years, winning promotion to the Premiership and becoming one of its better rated officials. However his previous history with QPR is less than impressive. We've not met for several seasons now, you can see his QPR case file by clicking here, so hopefully we'll notice the improvement this Sunday.



Form

Fulham: Martin Jol's men have made their worst ever start to a Premiership campaign with no wins from their first six matches – four draws, two defeats. That may have something to do with the extraordinary number of matches they have played so far. Qualifying for the Europa League through the Fair Play League last season meant they had to start from the very beginning of the competition's qualifying rounds in June and they have already played 18 competitive matches this season in all competitions – QPR have played just seven. QPR can take heart from the fact that both Fulham's defeats so far this season have come on the Sunday straight after one of their European adventures, at Wolves and Newcastle. They have however been pretty good on this ground – coming from two down to draw with Man City last time out made it eight home games without defeat this season and they have kept clean sheets in five of those. Striker Bryan Ruiz scored five goals in Europe for Twente before arriving at Fulham, who then drew the Dutch side in their Europa League group. Ruiz is therefore cup tied and that means that both he and Bobby Zamora will be fit and fresh for this game.

QPR: Richard Dunne's dramatic own goal at the Loft End last week brought to an end a worrying run of three home games without a QPR goal. Given that Heidar Helguson scored in the first minute against Leeds at the end of last season and Dunne scored in the last minute last Sunday that was the thick end of five games without a goal in W12. QPR are still searching for a first home win in eight attempts though. Things are better on the road, where QPR have already won twice at Everton and Wolves – that's more away wins than Norwich and Burnley managed in their entire seasons the last time they were both promoted into this division. One of the main problems in the Villa game was the dreadful quality of QPR's direct free kicks on the edge of the box – five different players tried and failed with them, and you have to go back to October 2009 at Derby for the last QPR goal from such a set piece.

Betting: Professional odds compiler Owen Goulding has been right two times out of two since joining the LoftforWords team, so the pressure is on for him to maintain it going into this derby game.

Another solid performance from QPR against Aston Villa, and but for some extremely 'dubious' refereeing decisions, they could of been taking their first maximum haul at home this season. But alas, it was not to be, so it's back on the road in search of three points in the first of many London derbies for the Hoops this season. From an odds compiler's point of view, these games are a minefield. What sort of team will Fulham play? How many of their players will pick up injuries on their trip to Denmark? In Fulham's favour, it isn't the longest trip they could be making- and as such, I can't see it having a massive bearing on team selection. I would expect Fulham to be near on full strength barring any injuries come Sunday. QPR on the other hand will have to have a little shuffle at the back following Traore's sending off with Connolly the likely replacement. This will have an impact on the counter attacking abilities of the R's - especially considering how potent Traore was in the win at Wolves. It's incredibly hard to call this one. Fulham are currently a shade of odds-on with QPR around the 3/1 mark. However, I am finding it hard to separate these teams for this match and am advising a very small bet on the draw at 13/5 (Stan James).

Prediction: The sensible thing to do, given his form, would be to just follow whatever Owen is betting on and on this occasion that's exactly what I'm going to do. Were QPR at full strength I'd be tempted to back the R's for a win but the suspension for Traore means another defensive reshuffle and that back four moves another player closer to the porous line up we fielded at Wigan with Matt Connolly and Fitz Hall now both likely starters. Fulham have been abroad but rested Bobby Zamora and their strike force is the most potent we have faced for some time. Fulham have drawn all three games on this ground so far so a fourth straight tie would be unusual but I fancy this to finish 1-1.

1-1, 6/1 available with William Hill.



http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/queensparkrangers/fb_news.php?storyid=14233

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Martin Jol impressed by Andrew Johnson after Fulham's 2-0 win

Fulham manager Martin Jol set his sights on tying Andrew Johnson down to a new contract after he proved the matchwinner at Odense.

The 30-year-old's brace helped the Cottagers end an eight-game winless run and secure three points in Group K of the Europa League at the Odense Stadion.

Johnson, whose contract expires at the end of the season, broke the deadlock with a first-half strike that snuck under former Everton goalkeeper Stefan Wessels, before scoring with a neat curling effort with two minutes remaining.

Jol said: "He is top scorer in Europe if you count qualification matches too. He was a handful.

"He hasn't done it in the league but sometimes you have to give him the opportunities too.

"The second goal was unbelievable. The ball was high and he took it on his shoe.

"It was amazing. It came from nothing.

"We have offered him another two years so there is a lot of confidence in him.

"Sometimes it's better to start talking in December or January.

"Andy is a good boy and a good worker.

"He has one year left and hopefully we can change that. If not, it is in his hands.

"He is a team player and will give you his all.

"He was good for us today and Fulham has been good to him before my time here.

"He has had a lot of big injuries and didn't score a lot of goals last year, just two, maybe three. It's a good marriage, you know?

"I want Andy to be with us and stay here. I don't think there's a lot of difference [in the negotiations].

"We have spoken a couple of times in the last couple of weeks."

Johnson's brace has seen him rack up six Europa League goals in nine appearances.

Jol hinted such form could see him start Sunday's Barclays Premier League encounter with QPR, against whom he hopes the Cottagers will be more clinical.

"I'm 100% certain that if I start Andy he won't let anyone down," the Dutchman added.

"He is a true professional, he always plays with his heart and you can't say that of all the pros in football.

"We didn't do particularly well in first half.

"We have to look at every game again. If we'd scored against West Brom there's no problem. We have had five draws. It's ridiculous.

"It means we are good defensively but we couldn't put the ball in the net."

Many Odense fans felt the 2-0 defeat was harsh given the balance of possession and manager Henrik Clausen was also frustrated by the result.

"The situation in the group is where you'd expect it to be with Fulham and Twente the favourites," he said.

"I saw a lot of opportunities to get a point today but we didn't so that decreases our chances of going through.

"But there's a long way until December 14 and we still have two home games.

"Plus if we have a good day at Fulham we still have a chance to go through and I will be very happy."

On Odense's performance against Fulham, he added: "We played the way I want them to play.

"I was happy with the performance but not the result.

"They took their two chances well. This was a far, far better performance than our previous three games."




http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/standard-sport/football/article-23992812-martin-jol-impressed-by-andrew-johnson-after-fulhams-2-0-win.do?

[WhiteJC]

 
Hangeland hails Fulham's clinical side


Anders Møller Christensen challenges Andrew Johnson in the air
©Getty Images

Andrew Johnson's two goals earned Fulham FC a 2-0 UEFA Europa League Group K win at Odense BK and visiting defender Brede Hangeland said the taking of chances is "the difference between a team from Denmark and a team from England". OB are only a point behind Fulham and next opponents FC Twente so Anders Møller Christensen remains upbeat.

Brede Hangeland, Fulham defender
It was an even match. It could have gone both ways. We were lucky to score the first goal and obviously we got a big advantage from that. So, a tough game but we are really happy to win.

Our striker Andrew Johnson scored two goals and probably that was the difference between the two teams today. We managed to take our chances and they didn't. Most times that's the difference between a team from Denmark and a team from England. We are really happy to win today after a disappointing draw in the first game [against Twente]. It's in our hands really to get enough points to go on to the next stage, so that's the goal of course.

Anders Møller Christensen, Odense defender
I think that we had a good game throughout and then they scored in the [88th] minute. So we are very disappointed right now but I think we played OK. They took their chances and we are a little bit unlucky that we didn't. But that's football sometimes and they scored two goals so that's disappointing for us defensively.

I hope that we will play like this [in the upcoming matches], keeping a clean sheet at our end and then hopefully scoring some more goals. It's a very exiting group with a lot of good teams but we can do it if we play well like in [the 3-1 win at Wisła Kraków]. Today we also played well but we missed our chances, we didn't score, but I think it's open and we can still go through and that's what we are going for.




http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2012/matches/round=2000272/match=2007321/postmatch/quotes/index.html?rss=1691705+Hangeland+hails+Fulham%27s+clinical+side

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Etuhu: Johnson deserves to start against QPR

Midfielder believes FUlham's two goal hero deserves a chance this weekend


Fulham midfielder Dickson Etuhu believes the goalscoring exploits of Andy Johnson should earn him a starting berth against QPR at Craven Cottage this Sunday.

The striker, whose contract expires at the end of the season, bagged a brace as the Whites beat Odense 2-0 in their Group K Europa League encounter last night.

"AJ is the only striker of his kind," he added.

"There are not many people around that go the other way and cause such problems with his pace and his fitness.

"He is always there, always sniffing for a goal.

"It is great to see him score again.

"He was unlucky not to get more games and hopefully that is something to show the manager he should use him a bit more."

Johnson will be competing with Orlando Sa as well as Bobby Zamora and Mousa Dembele who did not make the trip to Denmark.

Etuhu acknowledges it will be a tough encounter but the former Sunderland midfielder has faith that they can register a first league win of the season.

Of course they are a good side, everybody can see that," he said.

"They've got that little buzz at the club with the new signings and the new chairman.

"But we're Fulham, we're playing at home and you'd like to think we will get a win.

"It won't be an easy game but we believe in ourselves. It'll be a hard afternoon."




http://www.london24.com/sport/fulham/etuhu_johnson_deserves_to_start_against_qpr_1_1075643?

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Jol targets attractive, attacking football for Fulham

Fulham manager Martin Jol has declared his intention to win playing good quality, attacking football, and insists the club were unlucky not to beat Chelsea in the derby match earlier in the season.

"My ambition is to follow the same Dutch principle," said Jol. "If you play your best football, starting from the back, the results will come naturally. If you don't, you go back to the defensive, compact way - it's good, because it's the style Fulham used - but to go forward you need to score goals. The focus for me is on the performance and style - if you get that right, then you will achieve your objectives.

"On Saturday we could have won easily; we could have beaten Chelsea; against Man City we came from two down to make it 2-2 and could have nicked it at the end. If you play good football, your opponent will be under pressure, and they will be the ones who have to shift to a 4-5-1, and that was good to see against Man City."

Next up for the Cottagers is the west London derby at home to Queens Park Rangers on Sunday.



http://www.adifferentleague.co.uk/p6_1_9961_jol-targets-attractive-attacking-football-for-fulham.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Martin Jol talks on role on Sporting Director on English football

Martin Jol has shed some light on the role of the Sporting Director in the modern game, and revealed that club managers rarely are involved with any negotiations for players.

The system is common-place in Europe, and in the last decade has been seen more prominently in the UK, with the likes of Damien Comolli (Liverpool) and Frank Arnesen (previously at Tottenham and Chelsea) being among the more high-profile ones.

"It is a long time since they said to the manager: "This is your budget, do what you like." I think at every club in England the manager is working with a chief executive or a managing director who is taking care of the finances.

"I don't even think Sir Alex Ferguson is doing the financial side. But that is not the same as having somebody else who is responsible for choosing which players to buy. Sir Alex Ferguson chooses which players to buy, even if other people deal with the financial aspects.

"I think it is a good structure to have a sporting director, but only if the manager is ultimately responsible for selecting the players. If the manager tells you not to get a player, don't get him."

Jol also talked about his own set-up at Fulham, and championed the way they do transfers at Craven Cottage:

"At Fulham I've got Alistair Mackintosh, who will always ask me: "Is he good?" So I've got my scouting system, and there will never be a player coming in without my permission. But the price and the wages of course have to be right, and they are doing the negotiations and I think that is right. So if they are too expensive, they won't come.

"I worked well with Frank Arnesen at Spurs; we got along well, he never did anything behind my back. If I said: "I like this player," he would never say: "No, he is too expensive." He would find out first, then tell me. In a bad structure, the sporting director can tell you a player is too expensive or doesn't want to come without checking it out. In that case, you have got a big problem."



http://www.adifferentleague.co.uk/p6_1_9965_martin-jol-talks-on-role-on-sporting-director-on-english-football.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Dismal defeats for Danish duo

OB valiantly succumb to Fulham, while FCK are cut to shreds by Standard


OB's Kalilou Traoré gets sent off after receiving a red card in last night's 3-0 loss against
Standard Liège (Photo: Scanpix)

FC Copenhagen sit on top of the Superliga standings, already with a ten-point lead after just ten games of the season, but yet they capitulated last night against Belgian side Standard in the Europa League, losing 3-0.

FCK impressively came from behind to beat fierce rivals Brøndby 2-1 last Sunday – their 99th and 100th goals in 75 fixtures between the clubs - but there were to be no repeat of those heroics once they fell behind in the 57th minute. From that moment on, the Belgians – who are better known for their defensive qualities than offensive – dominated, adding goals in the 72nd and 77th minutes to complete what was a rout by their standards.

Meanwhile, OB made it two losses out of two for Danish sides in Europe by losing at home to English Premier League outfit Fulham. Unlike FCK, the Odense side actually played well, but could not find a way past Fulham's Australian keeper Mark Schwarzer.

Goals from Fulham's Andy Johnson in the 36th and 88th minutes sealed the win in an evenly-balanced game that saw Kalilou Traoré red-carded late on. It was Fulham's first win in nine games in all competitions this season.

The losses leave the Danish clubs in identical positions in their groups: in third place on three points, a point behind their victors and their next opponents.

While FCK will be alarmed by how easily Standard tore them apart in the second half, they know it will be a different story at Parken, where realistically they will need to beat both Standard and Hannover 96, who beat FC Vorskla Poltava 2-1 last night, to have a chance of advancing.

OB, meanwhile, will remain hopeful that the Polish champions Wisla Krakow, who they beat away in their first game but lost 4-1 at FC Twente last night, will take some points off their rivals when they visit Poland.  Wisla have won seven out their last eleven European games at home, losing just twice.



http://www.cphpost.dk/sport/120-sport/52245-dismal-defeats-for-danish-duo.html?

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Winger not worried over Fulham link

Shaun Wright-Phillips is looking ahead to the derby with Fulham this weekend and has no regrets about not joining them.

Wright-Phillips could have joined up with Fulham last January as they enquired about taking him on loan from Manchester City.

The deal fell through, however, due to complications over his wages, and he is now ready to play against them this weekend without any regret.

He told the Ealing Gazette: "I didn't think about it (going to Fulham).

"When I got the chance to come to QPR - I took it and that's what I wanted to do.

"The rest is all so much history and nothing more to worry about."



http://www.clubcall.com/queens-park-rangers/winger-not-worried-over-fulham-link-1299630.html?