Wednesday Fulham Stuff (12/10/11)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham Keeping Tabs On Wilson



Blue Square Bet South side Eastleigh have agreed to give Premier League outfit Fulham a first refusal on teenage striker Sam Wilson.

The 16-year-old recently linked up with the Cottagers for a week-long trial and was also the subject of interest from four other Football League clubs.

A statement on Eastleigh's official website read: "On Monday, Eastleigh FC had a long conversation with Fulham FC in respect of Sam Wilson.

"FFC were very, very impressed with Sam - and they will continue to monitor his progress in the coming months.

"We have agreed with Fulham that we will not covet interest in the player from other Clubs for a period of time - and review that situation in the New Year.

"Our supporters will therefore be pleased to know that Sam will now return to the 1st team squad - and is available for selection for our HSC game tonight (Tuesday) against Aldershot (ko 7.45pm)."

Wilson was a member of Portsmouth's academy before joining the Eastleigh youth set-up last season.

He has made one league start this term, with a further seven appearances coming from the bench.



http://www.bluesqsouth.com/story/0,20970,13042_7235310,00.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Pompey's Bjorn Helge Riise taking time to settle at Fratton Park


Riise has played 31 times for his country and scored one goal

Portsmouth's on-loan Norway international Bjorn Helge Riise says he is taking time to gel into the squad.

The 28-year-old defender arrived at the end of September from Fulham, and is due to return at the start of November.

Riise has played three games for Pompey: the home loss to Peterborough, an away defeat by Leeds and a friendly against Russian side FC Rostov.

"I am still getting to know the lads, hopefully I can just keep improving," Riise told BBC Radio Solent.

Portsmouth are currently 19th in the Championship with just nine points from 10 games.

But despite their lowly position Riise says he is enjoying life at Fratton Park.

"The more games I get, the more match fitness I am going to get and the better I will be," said Riise.

"It has been really good since I arrived here, from the moment I arrived they took care of me and the gaffer makes me feel at home."



http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/15257315.stm?

[WhiteJC]

 
Eastleigh give Fulham first refusal on youngster
by DAN on OCTOBER 11, 2011

Eastleigh have agreed to give Fulham first refusal on Sam Wilson after the young striker impressed during a trial at Mostpur Park.

The Blue Square South side said in a statement that they would not encourage interest from other sides prior to January and that the position would be revisited in the new year:

On Monday, Eastleigh FC had a long conversation with Fulham FC in respect of Sam Wilson. FFC were very, very impressed with Sam – and they will continue to monitor his progress in the coming months.

We have agreed with Fulham that we will not covet interest in the player from other Clubs for a period of time – and review that situation in the New Year.

Fulham had beaten off competition from four Football League sides to take the 16 year-old on trial earlier this month. Wilson will now return to first-team action with Eastleigh and is available for selection for their Hampshire Senior Cup tie against Aldershot this evening.




http://hammyend.com/index.php/2011/10/eastleigh-give-fulham-first-refusal-on-youngster/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham to revive El-Hamdaoui interest?
by DAN on OCTOBER 11, 2011

TalkSPORT have revived talk of Mounir El-Hamdaoui moving to Fulham this morning but I'm not sure how much stock to place in the story.

Martin Jol has supplemented his attacking options by signing Orlando Sa and may well return to previous target Andre-Pierre Gignac in January. A significantly reduced £2.5m valuation is supposed to attract the Fulham manager, who has already publicly dismissed stories linking him to the temperamental Moroccan forward and a move to Espanyol remains more likely.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2011/10/fulham-to-revive-el-hamdoui-interest/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Determined Mood

Fulham defender Stephen Kelly is hoping to banish the memories of missing out on the 2010 World Cup Finals tonight by setting the Republic of Ireland up for a shot at the Euro 2012 Finals next summer.

A point in Dublin for the Irish against Armenia this evening would be enough to secure a play-off place once again, and after suffering heartbreak against the French in Paris two years ago, Kelly is in the mood to put things right tonight.

"The disappointment we had in France was so heart-wrenching and most of us were there to experience that," said Kelly of Ireland's cruel World Cup qualification exit at the hands of the French.

"To go out the way we did left a sour taste in everybody's mouth. We don't want something like that to happen again. We are really going to do everything in our power to make sure it doesn't.

"It's so recent in all our memories, we don't want that to happen again or be in a situation where something like that could happen again.

"That makes us even more formidable in the play-offs because we've had our fingers burned. We have experience of them and go into games knowing what needs to be done.

"We are going to give our all and hopefully with a little bit of luck, we might not be in that situation."

This evening's match between the Republic of Ireland and Armenia will be shown live on Sky Sports 1 from 6.30pm.



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2011/October/KellyEyesPlayOff.aspx?#ixzz1aXzwqJLt

[WhiteJC]

 
Make It Happen

Mousa Dembele's national coach Georges Leekens has called for his Belgium team to 'make the impossible possible' tonight and secure a Euro 2012 Play-Off place by defeating Germany in Dusseldorf.

Belgium currently reside in second place in Group A ahead of tonight's final round of Euro 2012 qualification matches. However, with Turkey sitting just one point behind the Belgiums and playing Azerbaijan in Istanbul, Dembele and company know only a victory in Germany will suffice.

Having beaten Kazakhstan 4-1 in Brussels last week, with Dembele playing the full match, coach Leekens spoke of the task that awaits his team in Dusseldorf this evening but highlighted that anything is possible in football.

"Tuesday will be a completely different game – we deserve that final in Germany," said Leekens.

"The Germans have maximum points but we believe in our small chance. It is not always the strongest team that wins.

"Germany are great opponents. We will have to be at our best. We have survived until the end and now we have to make the impossible possible."





Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2011/October/DembeleEuroChallenge.aspx?#ixzz1aY0CfqRK

[WhiteJC]

 
Grygera settling into English life
Zdenek Grygera is enjoying himself at Fulham



Zdenek Grygera says he feels satisfied with his career at Fulham, though the defender admitted that it is difficult getting used to the English style of football.

Grygera joined the Cottagers on deadline day in the summer transfer window, and has made two appearances for the side since.

And after spending four years in the Serie A, the 31-year-old says it is a different style in England that will take time to adapt to, which Martin Jol has been mindful of when making selection decisions.

"The football is different. It's much faster than Italian football, which is more tactical," Grygera told the Fulham Chronicle.

"I don't know how long it will take me to get used to it, but I hope it's not more than one year!

"I feel good and am happy with how it's going so far."

Grygera can play in numerous defensive positions, and has already shown his capability to move around the park for Fulham at Jol's request. And the Czech Republic international said that playing on either side of the defensive line up is only the beginning of what he can do.

"My best position is right-back or left-back but I can also play in the centre," he revealed.

Grygera will be hoping to get another shot in the first team when Fulham take on Stoke at Britannia Stadium this weekend, with the Cottagers looking to back up their 6-0 thrashing of QPR before the international break.




http://www.givemefootball.com/premier-league/grygera-settling-into-english-life?

[WhiteJC]

 
Well That Worked Well Not!

Well that didn`t work did it!

And the suggestion that madness was creeping up on me looks to be spot on.

There I was hoping that Matthew Briggs would get a second consecutive cap, after starring in the win over Iceland, only for the youngster to not play a part at all!

Serves me right I suppose!

For the record though, England beat Norway 2-1 to continue their recent good run!




Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=258443#ixzz1aY10kFRW

[WhiteJC]

 
Diego Maradona – a very dry inspection



Alright, so this is a bit odd.

Based on what we did for Pele yesterday, I've run the numbers for Diego Maradona.

And they're surprising.

High level:

With Maradona in the side Argentina were P90, W41, D 29, L20.  Without him they were P97, W43, D34, L20.

Points per 38 games: 64 and 64!

In home games:

P28, W16, D9, L3 with Maradona, P 37, W19, D13, L5 without him.  Points per 38: 77 v 72.  So a bit better with him there.

Away games:

P62, W25, D20, L17 with him, P60, W24, D21, L15 without him. Points 58 v 59.

Hmmm.

What does it all mean?

Here's something. In 1991 Maradona receive d a ban after testing positive for Cocaine.  If we look at the numbers before and after that we see something:

Before the ban:

With Maradona 63 points per 38 games (P79, W36, D24, L19), without him 57 pp38 (P62, W23, D22, L17)

After the ban:

With Maradona 55 pp38 (P11, W5, D1, L5), without 78 pp38 (P35, W20, D12, L3).

Small samples there, but equally, it's instructive perhaps. Diego Maradona's lifestyle was famously awful, perhaps his fame and ability meant that he was picked for longer than he should have been?

The other thing that stands out is that while Brazil were clearly a fine side with or without Pele, Argentina are clearly a notch below. We always fear them because of the great players they produce, but are they all that, really?

Another conclusion might be that Pele was an extraordinarily gifted team player, whereas Maradona very much played for himself.  His genius allowed his teams to sometimes reach spectacular heights, but we might surmise that football's very best sides are those where the team is universally strong and becomes greater than the sum of its parts, and any team over-reliant on one player may be similarly less than itself.

I don't know. Having started all this being firmly in the Maradona camp I'm now a little uncertain.  The results suggest that Argentina didn't really suffer when Maradona was absent.  This is piffle to an extent – they'd never have won in 86 had he not been there – but equally the results are the results.

So.... more research needed.

Data sourced from:

http://www.rsssf.com/tablesa/arg-intres.html
http://www.vivadiego.com/arggoals.html



http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2011/10/11/diego-maradona-a-very-dry-inspection/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Gallagher: Demotion in refereeing is a bad idea

Former Premier League ref Dermot Gallagher backs the decision to allow Martin Atkinson to take charge of Stoke v Fulham this weekend despite getting the decision wrong when he sent off Everton midfielder Jack Rodwell against Liverpool. Gallagher says that demoting or relegating referees creates a bad stigma against that individual and is bad for their confidence.



http://www.talksport.co.uk/radio/andy-goldsteins-sports-bar/blog/2011-10-11/gallagher-demotion-refereeing-bad-idea?

[WhiteJC]

 
Pompey stay appeals to loanee
Portsmouth – Bjorn Helge Riise wants to extend spell



Portsmouth midfielder Bjorn Helge Riise has revealed he is hopeful of extending his stay at the club past his loan deal, with the Fulham star enjoying his time at the club so far this season.

Riise moved to Pompey from Fulham in the transfer window, and has featured for the side twice now, showing great potential.

And the 28-year-old is ready to play his heart out for the Portsmouth badge, and if Steve Coterill likes him enough, he might stay a little longer.

"Hopefully I can play my part while I'm here," Riise told the official Portsmouth website.

"I want to do as well as possible during my time at Pompey and help the club climb the table. I want to play as many games as I can while I'm here. The only way I'm going to do that is by offering something on the pitch.

"If I can do that then hopefully I can stay at Pompey for longer, because I'm enjoying my time here."

Portsmouth are currently 19th on the Npower Championship table, with nine points from 10 matches. The south coast club are looking to get their season back on track this weekend when they face 16th placed Barnsley at home.



http://www.givemefootball.com/championship/pompey-stay-appeals-to-loanee?

[WhiteJC]

 
Barbarism begins at home

Pedantry: email subjects aren't a big deal or anything, but a big ol' organisation like the FA ought to be able to spell "England".

File under "can they do anything right?"





http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2011/10/11/barbarism-begins-at-home/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Clint Dempsey is raising his game

HARRISON, N.J. -- The most fascinating tactical development of Jurgen Klinsmann's short tenure with the U.S. national team has taken shape in the past week, with the new coach expanding Clint Dempsey's role in the attack.

On Saturday against Honduras, the 28-year-old floated around the middle of the field, just behind target man Jozy Altidore, with the ball going through him frequently. The Yanks' current No. 10 -- more on that in a minute -- created two goals: one a brilliantly manufactured, left-footed strike from the box that stood up for the U.S. in a 1-0 victory in Miami; the other a high-rising, second-half header which was called off by the ref for a phantom foul.

In Dempsey's first full national team camp, Klinsmann has challenged the Fulham star and U.S. prime-timer to raise his game. "I told him, 'I'm gonna ride you,'" Klinsmann told Insider ahead of Tuesday's match at Red Bull Arena against Ecuador. "I'm not holding back. I will tell you, there's more to come from him. He showed that against Honduras, the power that he has."

Dempsey so far has enjoyed that challenge, which includes more time on the ball. "I feel like I'm able to make more of an impact on the game," he said. "I like being closer to goal, whether it's putting people closer to goal or getting goals myself, so it's a position where I feel like I can express myself, play the style I fell in love with growing up."

That style was on full display against Honduras, which in addition to shot-making, included distributing the ball to the wings and organizing possession as a withdrawn forward. And since it was Dempsey, who can't help but show some flair with a ball at his feet, there were a few more "Clintinho" moments from the Texan. "He has so many tools in his toolbox that are very special," Klinsmann said. "I think he realizes now, too, that he can step up his game, he can still get to another level."



http://insider.espn.go.com/sports/soccer/blog?name=us_national_soccer&id=7089109&_slug_=how-clint-dempsey-responded-jurgen-klinsmann-challenge&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fsports%2fsoccer%2fblog%3fname%3dus_national_soccer%26id%3d7089109%26_slug_%3dhow-clint-dempsey-responded-jurgen-klinsmann-challenge

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham Looking To Land Ajax Hit Man For As Little As £3 Million

Fulham boss Martin Jol is planning to raid his former club Ajax in January with a bid for Mounir El Hamdaoui, a player that he has signed and managed twice before.

El Hamdaoui, 27, is out of favour with current Ajax boss Frank de Boer and has yet to appear for the Dutch side this season. Reports in Holland suggest that he will be available for as little as £3 miilion once the transfer window reopens in January, a price that is well within reach of Fulham.

Jol is no stranger to El Hamdaoui as he took him took to Spurs in 2005, though he did not feature in the first team, and he also took him to Ajax at the beginning of last season.

El Hamdaoui was a target for Blackburn Rovers in the summer, but they eventually bought David Goodwillie so it appears as though the way is clear for Fulham and Jol to make their move.

They may face some competition from Spanish side Espanyol though, as reports on the Spanish radio station Cadena SER suggest they too could be interested in signing the Moroccan international, but Jol is confident of landing El Hamdaoui for a third time according to a source close to the London club.




http://www.footylatest.com/fulham-looking-to-land-ajax-hit-man-for-as-little-as-3-million/24330?

[WhiteJC]

 
If you're manning the panic stations, stand down

The 6-0 massacre at Fulham has left many QPR fans nervous and unsure what to expect next from their team – but despite the disastrous defeat at Craven Cottage our chances this season still look good.



Intruding on private grief
Cannes is a bit of an odd place as it turns out. Being on the southern coast of France you'd expect it to be just another sunshine bathed paradise and judging by the size of the cruise ships that roll silently into the bay every night and dump a thousand German pensioners onto the quayside for a day out that's exactly what it is to some.

But Cannes is unmistakeably a conference town. At its heart stands an enormous, seven level, impossible to fathom, multi-screen conference centre and spreading out from there is one hotel after another with screening rooms, meeting facilities and networking locations. French waiters serve Italian food to American television executives and stage competitions with each other to see who can be the rudest.

Even the beach is fake – a man made stretch of builders' sand that washes away whenever any sort of inclement weather sweeps in off the Mediterranean taking the restaurants and conference marquees with it. This is a place for business and yacht spotting. It is not a place for a holiday, and it is not a place to try and watch Fulham v QPR.

We're told that the Premiership is the most watched league in the world and that you cannot move in foreign towns without stumbling across a bar of some sorts showing an English football match. In Cannes, you'd barely even know football exists. People there are too bothered about the latest films, or the latest television series, or whatever the latest conference is about, or what hat to buy for their unfeasibly small dog to give much of a stuff at all about QPR, Fulham or anybody else in our all consuming sport.

Not the ideal place therefore for me to be stationed for the last week during which QPR looked forward to, took part in, and disgraced themselves during the opening London derby of their first Premiership season for 15 years. My popularity at the Martinez Hotel soared as I used up seven eighths of the kids TV conference's bandwidth to try and stream our match at Craven Cottage but even sapping every last drop of internet available only achieved a patchy picture at best.

My feed had a peculiar method of playing for ten seconds, then stopping for five, and then resuming. After doing this four times the pictures had fallen 20 seconds behind the actual action and so in an effort to catch up it would suddenly lurch ahead. I wondered if this was just the feed settling down to begin with but sadly no – this start, pause, continue, pause, continue, pause, continue, pause, skip forward 20 second pattern of feed was all I had for the duration of the first half. This meant that Andy Johnson's goal actually seemed to me to be scored during a passage of QPR possession at the other end. They say it only takes a second to score a goal but in the world of dodgy internet feeds it doesn't even take that. I gave up on the game roughly the same time our team did and relied on increasingly perplexed texts from Colin and Neil in the away end. It could have been worse boys, you could have been in Cannes.

The reaction has been the same as the reaction is to any match in football these days – over the top. Every defeat is a pre-curser to a certain relegation, every victory the first step on what is sure to be a glorious run to the league title. Teams do not just lose games any more. Teams lose because they've all fallen out, or because the manager has lost the dressing room, or because the board is interfering. After two defeats the manager is facing the sack, after two wins people start touting him to replace Fabio Capello. It's how football is these days. Time was when you could go without a win for eight or nine games without anybody wondering whether a change of manager was in the offing – Ian Holloway did that twice in his time at QPR remember and went on to prosper.

I've seen message board posters writing Jay Bothroyd off as useless and saying he should be dropped immediately. I've seen people advocating a switch from 4-2-3-1 to 4-4-2 and recalling Jamie Mackie as a full back. I've seen people questioning whether Shaun Derry and Alejandro Faurlin can play together in the Premiership, whether Joey Barton is really contributing anything, whether Shaun Wright Phillips is in the right position, why Danny Shittu wasn't included in the 25 man squad, why Clint Hill has been loaned out and whether our team is actually fit enough to compete at this level. And, of course, I've seen several of the message board threads that appeared, without fail, before every single match in the second half of last season – the ones that proclaim the next match (Blackburn this Saturday in the latest case) to be the most important of this or any other season at Loftus Road. If we don't beat Blackburn we're doomed. Apparently.

Lest we forget that after dominating the Aston Villa game the talk was of top half finishes and just how far this team can go. One game, even a game as disastrous as the Fulham one, surely doesn't change everything?

Now maybe it's because I wasn't there to witness the full horror of a collapse at the hands of the inflatable clapping stick wavers in person but this all seems rather silly to me. As I recall many people were actually tipping us to beat Fulham before the match without so much of a hint of problems behind the scenes and key flaws with the team selection or player fitness levels. We have started the season very well, with two away wins already which is more than Norwich or Burnley managed in their entire campaigns when they were last promoted to this level. We've signed some excellent players and played established top flight sides Newcastle, Wolves and Aston Villa off the park.

After the Villa game it didn't matter that Jay Bothroyd wasn't scoring because he was playing the lone striker role so well but now suddenly one game later he's a useless donkey. The 4-2-3-1 formation that helped us win promotion and seems to suit our players now apparently needs to be changed for a 4-4-2 formation that, it's probably worth mentioning, we used in the second half at Craven Cottage and still lost 3-0 with.

Before Fulham Alejandro Faurlin's call up to the Argentina squad was only a matter of time and Shaun Derry was a footballing and medical miracle – both exaggerations when things were going well, just as the concerns we're hearing now about both are overblown after this one defeat. Joey Barton is a good player, Shaun Wright Phillips was irresistible against Newcastle and Wolves in the position he played in at Fulham and our team was certainly fit enough to equalise in stoppage time against Villa with ten men. And Clint Hill, bless him, is no more a Premiership defender than I am.

Blackburn at home isn't the be all and end all. A long season still lays ahead and while a quirk of our fixture list means the Rovers game is more important than most, it's not quite time to dust off the Championship travel guides just yet even if we are beaten by Steve Kean's beleaguered side.

Sunday at Fulham told me nothing I didn't already know about QPR this season i.e. we have a good starting 11 and nothing beyond that. Lose one player and we can cope, lose two and we might be ok, but lose more than that or lose two from the same area of the field and we're in massive trouble. My thoughts on Fitz Hall are well known and at the Cottage not only did we have to cope with his inclusion, but Armand Traore's suspension as well. The absence of two players from the back four was too much to cope with against a Fulham side that many QPR fans seem happy to write off despite their ascent to regular mainstays of the top ten and Europa League in recent times. Traore's absence for the African Cup of Nations in January looks ominous but other than that I'm not overly concerned.

If we don't win for the next six or seven games then come back to me with concerns, but at the moment all I see is a newly promoted team that had a bad day at the office while carrying injuries. I worry that the recent squad strengthening is going to destroy the patience the fans who applauded the team off after a 4-0 defeat against Bolton had shown previously and replace it with inflated expectations.

...that said
It does rather appear as though Neil Warnock has made an error in the transfer market (a rare occurrence during his time at Loftus Road) in assembling his defence for this season. The decision to allow Kaspars Gorkss to join Reading looked strange at the time, even allowing for the Latvian's lack of pace and ability to play at the top level. Now it looks even more bizarre.

As Gorkss went through the exit door Bruno Perone came in the opposite direction. Now Gorkss had his hairy moments even in the Championship last season but has played regularly at international level against quality centre forwards for years. Perone has played neither intentionally, nor at club level, against any kind of quality opponent and to be fair didn't even impress me against our meagre pre-season opposition when I saw him play Crawley and Cesena. I didn't understand why we were so keen to keep him in the summer and I'm even less sure now - Neil Warnock decided to play Fitz Hall injured at Fulham rather than trust Perone because he was "disappointed" with the Brazilian's showing at Wigan. I actually thought he did ok at the DW Stadium, although an early ballet lesson from Victor Moses was his Bob Malcolm moment that drew gasps of horror from the away end.

Hall we know all about. When he's fit he's fine for 89 minutes but in the remaining time he costs us a goal. Mostly he spends his time out injured, or on the field thinking he might be injured limping around and signalling to the bench rather than getting on with the job of actually defending.

And then there's the bizarre situation with Peter Ramage and Danny Shittu, who were both given one year contracts in the summer and then left out of the 25 man squad. Personally I think Warnock took one look at the budget offered to him by Flavio Briatore, decided it was a case of any port in a storm and signed the pair of them up double quick for fear he wouldn't get anything better. That situation changed when Tony Fernandes arrived but still, why is Perone included but Shittu isn't?

I'm not for one moment suggesting that Gorkss, or Shittu, are the answer to any issues we may have in defence this season. But they're a better answer than Perone is. The sale of Gorkss probably made good financial sense - a healthy profit for a high earning centre back who probably isn't good enough for the top flight - but is has left us now relying on two centre backs, Hall and Danny Gabbidon, whose fitness records are laughable and one who even the manager doesn't seem to rate after a single outing. I anticipate a few more results like the one we suffered at Fulham between now and January if we can't get the Young-Ferdinand-Gabbidon-Traore back four out on the field regularly.

Elsewhere
I'm starting to loathe the international breaks even more than usual this season. I feel as if the campaign has hardly got going at Loftus Road because even though we're already in October we've only played seven times, and those games have been in short sharp bursts separated by these huge stretches of inaction while England flap about. However I do enjoy the opportunity to catch the obscure lower division matches that appear on our screens during these enforced rest periods and did so again this weekend with Notts County v Hartlepool followed by Oldham v MK Dons.

For Notts County, the familiar bald pate of Gavin Mahon anchored the midfield with rigid discipline - which seemed rather needless against a Hartlepool side with all the attacking ambition of the Swiss Army. Still, it's good to see him with a club after the best part of two years where he's hardly played for anybody at all.

At the other end of the age range Angelo Balanta was part of the beaten MK Dons team in typical Oldham weather conditions on Monday night. Like so many of our youth team graduates in recent years I've never really been that impressed with Balanta so I was looking forward to having another look at him in this game. He played as part of an attacking midfield three behind a lone striker, in a similar position to that occupied by Adel Taarabt at Loftus Road for much of last season. That bodes well for his future in W12, as does the Dons' style of football which is certainly easy on the eye.

Sadly, I'm still not really that impressed with him though. He was the best player on the field in almost impossible conditions for the first 20 minutes of the game but seems to have developed an unhappy knack of choosing the wrong option for his final ball on every single occasion - shooting when he should pass, passing when he should cross, looking for a team mate when he should go on his own. Anyway once Oldham had taken the lead in farcical circumstances he disappeared from the game altogether and was substituted midway through the second half. Sadly, I couldn't help but think that he's already at his level.




http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/queensparkrangers/fb_news.php?storyid=14352

[WhiteJC]

 
Duff & Kelly Advance

Duff & Kelly advance to Euro 2012 Play-Offs

Damien Duff and Stephen Kelly helped the Republic of Ireland secure a Euro 2012 play-off spot after defeating Armenia 2-1 in a tense final qualifier in Dublin on Tuesday night.

The action packed contest at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin saw two red cards, a flurry of bookings, and a bizarre 'own goal' as Ireland secured the win with Duff and Kelly both playing the full 90 minutes.

Armenia endured a nightmare first half, with goalkeeper Roman Berezovsky sent off for handling the ball outside his area before defender Valeri Aleksanyan somehow managed to poke the ball in his own net from just a few yards out to give the Irish a 1-0 lead.

Richard Dunne then doubled Ireland's lead just shy of the hour mark before Henrikh Mkhitaryan reduced the deficit to 2-1. In a tense finale, which included a red card for Kevin Doyle, the Irish held on to secure the win.

Next month Duff and Kelly will be hoping to banish the memories of their cruel 2010 World Cup play-off exit at the hands of the French and take Ireland to next summer's Euro 2012 Finals in Poland and the Ukraine.

The Republic of Ireland's play-off matches will be played on the 11th and 15th November 2011.



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2011/October/RepublicOfIrelandVictory.aspx?#ixzz1aYhMdt4x

[WhiteJC]

 
International Landmark

Clint Dempsey earned his 80th cap for the USA on Tuesday in an international friendly match against Ecuador at the Red Bull Arena in New York.

Having played in two World Cup tournaments in 2006 and 2010, Dempsey is now targeting the 2014 Finals in Brazil and shows no signs of letting his foot off the gas over the next few years.

Following Tuesday's 1-0 defeat to Ecuador, Dempsey spoke of the spoke of the competitive nature that has served him so well on the international and domestic during his career to date.

"I always put pressure on myself to perform," said Dempsey after Tuesday's match. "Whether I am a veteran or not, I have always been that type of person.

"I go out and every game I try to make an impact and try to win it. So it doesn't matter if it is my first cap or my 80th cap, I have the same mentality."

During the international break Dempsey scored the decisive goal in last Saturday's 1-0 victory over Honduras in Miami before Tuesday's defeat to Ecuador.

Dempsey played the full 90 minutes in both matches and will now return to SW6 ahead of this weekend's Barclays Premier League match against Stoke City at the Britannia Stadium.



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2011/October/DempseyHits80.aspx#ixzz1aZ2pfRiL

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Video: See Fulham striker's international goal

Dempsey scored the winner against Honduras

MNT vs. Honduras: Clint Dempsey Goal - Oct. 8, 2011

Fulham striker Clint Dempsey scored a fantastic goal against Honduras on Saturday in a 1-0 win for the USA.

The 28-year-old's control was exceptional before he curled the ball into the top corner, leaving the Honduras keeper with no chance.

Dempsey has scored 24 goals in his 80 appearances for his country, while scoring 35 goals in 154 games for Fulham

Click above to see his finish and goal celebration.




http://www.london24.com/sport/fulham/video_see_fulham_striker_s_international_goal_1_1087408?

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First refusal for Fulham

Eastleigh will give Fulham first refusal on 17-year-old striker Sam Wilson.

After a successful week's assessment with the Premier League club, the former Wildern schoolboy scored twice on trial for Fulham's academy side in a 4-1 win over Portsmouth on Saturday.

Now, following lengthy talks with the Londoners, Eastleigh have agreed not to allow any other club to jump the queue for the remainder of 2011.

Spitfires director of football Dave Malone confirmed: "Fulham were very, very impressed with Sam and they will continue to monitor his progress in the coming months.

"We have agreed with Fulham that we will not covet interest in the player from other clubs for a period of time and we will review that situation in the new year."

Wilson's scoring touch deserted him last night as Eastleigh – without their major senior players – bowed out of the Hampshire FA Senior Cup 4-1 at League Two outfit Aldershot Town.

The Spitfires were trailing 2-0 when Wilson was upended by Bradley Pegg, but his penalty was saved by 'keeper Jamie Young diving to his left.

Jermaine McGlashan (2), Aaron Brown and Pegg scored for a strong Shots side featuring eight players with first-team experience, including ex-Saints midfielder Anthony Pulis who was captain.

Eastleigh's consolation came on 86 minutes when Andrew White's powerful shot crashed in off the post.

"The goals we conceded were naïve, as you'd expect, but I was really pleased with the way we stuck to our task. We never stopped trying to play football and the lads got their just rewards with the goal by Whitey," said man ager Ian Baird.

*Henrik Breimyr, who has been on loan at Eastleigh from Aldershot, has been selected by Norway for their UEFA European under-19 Championship quali fiers later this month.

The 18-year-old midfielder/defender will travel to Cyprus for the three-match tournament which pits Norway against Latvia, Iceland and the host nation.

His call-up is a significant achieve ment as he is the only squad member who plays outside Norway.



http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/sport/9301129.First_refusal_for_Fulham/?

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International Summary

Euro 2012 Round-Up:

Bobby Zamora & David Stockdale


Fulham's duo were called up to Fabio Capello's squad for England's decisive Euro 2012 qualifying match against Montenegro but did not feature in Friday's 2-2 draw in Podgorica.

Zamora was an unused substitute on the night as England let a two goal advantage slip as Montenegro picked up the plaudits for a comeback that guaranteed them second place and a crack at the play-offs.

England confirmed their berth at next summer's Euro 2012 Finals in Poland and the Ukraine, finishing top of Group G with 18 points from 8 games.

Damien Duff & Stephen Kelly


The Republic of Ireland secured a Euro 2012 play-off place after taking maximum points from their final two qualifying matches over Andorra and Armenia.

Damien Duff played 75 minutes against Andorra and the full 90 against Armenia whilst Stephen Kelly was involved from start to finish against Armenia in Dublin on Tuesday night.

The Republic of Ireland's play-off matches will be played on the 11th and 15th November 2011.

Chris Baird


Any hopes of qualification for Northern Ireland was firmly extinguished last week when Nigel Worthington's team were beaten 1-2 by Estonia in Belfast.

A 3-0 defeat to Italy in Pescara followed on Tuesday night as Northern Ireland ended their qualification campaign in fifth place in Group G.

Fulham's Chris Baird played the entirity of both games whilst club colleague Aaron Hughes was ruled out through injury. The end of Northern Ireland's qualification campaign also marks the end of Hughes' international career.

After more than a decade of outstanding service to his country, Hughes recently announced his retirement from international football to focus on his club career with Fulham.

Philippe Senderos


Montenegro's outstanding 2-2 draw against England last Friday ended Switzerland's chances of claiming a berth at next summer's Finals.

Switzerland's hopes of qualification were put to bed last weekend in Swansea as Wales defeated the Swiss 2-0 at the Liberty Stadium.

A 2-0 victory over Montenegro on Tuesday night made no difference to the final standings in Group G as the Swiss finished in third place, two points behind Montenegro. Philippe Senderos did not take part in Switzerland's final round of matches. 

Mousa Dembele


Victory over Germany in Dusseldorf proved too much of a challenge for Belgium as they were beaten 3-1 by their hosts on Tuesday evening to shatter any hopes of reaching next summer's Euro 2012 Finals.

Belgium knew that a victory over Germany was required to claim second place in Group A but with Turkey beating Azerbaijan 1-0 in Istanbul, even a draw would have proved worthless. Turkey took the play-off place with a two point margin over Belgium. 

Mousa Dembele played for 65 minutes in Dusseldorf on Tuesday night after playing 90 minutes in a 4-1 win over Kazakhstan last Friday.

John Arne Riise


Norway's 3-1 win over Cyprus on Tuesday night fell short of the margin of victory required to take the Group H play-off place away from Portugal.

Brede Hangeland, John Arne Riise and brother Bjorn Helge will miss out on the EURO 2012 Finals as Portugal claimed the play-off place in Group H on goal difference.

John Arne Riise played 90 minutes on Tuesday night whilst Club team mates Hangeland and Bjorn Helge Riise were not included in Norway's squad for their final qualification match.

Matthew Briggs (Euro 2013 / U21)


Fulham Academy graduate Matthew Briggs played the full 90 minutes in England's 3-0 win over Iceland in Reykjavik last Thursday evening but was ruled out of Monday night's 1-2 win over Norway in Drammen.

England's Young Lions have now recorded three successive wins in Group 8, placing Stuart Pearce's side three points ahead of Norway and five clear of third-placed Belgium.

Pajtim Kasami (Euro 2013 / U21)


Switzerland defeated Georgia 0-1 last week to keep the Swiss in touch with Spain at the top of qualifying Group 5.

BSC Young Boys defender's Francois Affolter scored the decisive goal of the game from Pajtim Kasami's 56th-minute corner that puts Switzerland on seven points after three qualifying games.



International Friendly Matches:

Clint Dempsey


Dempsey played the entire duration of America's two friendly matches in Miami and New York during the current international break.

The Fulham midfielder scored the decisive goal in last Saturday's 1-0 victory over Honduras in Miami before suffering a 0-1 defeat to Ecuador at the Red Bull Arena in New York on Tuesday evening.

Dempsey collected his 80th international cap for the USA in New York and after the game spoke of the competitive mentality that has served him so well on the international and domestic scene over the years.

"I always put pressure on myself to perform," said Dempsey. "Whether I am a veteran or not, I have always been that type of person.

"I go out and every game I try to make an impact and try to win it. So it doesn't matter if it is my first cap or my 80th cap, I have the same mentality."

Neil Etheridge


Fulham's current No.2 goalkeeper will return from Manila after keeping a clean sheet in the Philippines 4-0 victory over Nepal in an international friendly match at the Rizal Memorial Stadium.



U19 International Friendly:

Kerim Frei


Switzerland's U19 team played two friendly matches against Finland at home on Sunday and Tuesday. The first match was played in Renens with the Swiss winning 2-1 before Finland exacted revenge on Tuesday night with a 0-2 victory in Vevey.



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2011/October/InternationalSummary.aspx?#ixzz1aZIWGmNw