Friday Fulham Stuff (28/10/11)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Watson wants a win


BEN Watson turned his back on the chance of joining Fulham when he signed for Wigan in January, 2009.

And the cultured midfielder is determined to inflict more misery on the Cottagers at the DW this weekend.

It would have been easy for Watson – a born and bred Londoner – to have plumped for Fulham when it came to leaving Crystal Palace.

But the former England Under-21 ace has never regretted trying his luck up north, despite Wigan's struggles over the past couple of years or so.

With Latics attempting to arrest a slump that has seen them lose their last seven games in all competitions, Watson acknowledges the importance of tomorrow afternoon's encounter.

But he warned against the danger of taking lightly a Fulham side who, despite being only a point above the relegation zone, are more than capable of causing any team problems.

"You know what you're going to get from Fulham, and they're never easy games against them," Watson told the Evening Post.

"They had a poor result last week against Everton, despite playing well, so they'll be up for it as well.

"I know we lost at Newcastle, but there were a number of positives to take out of the game.

"We wanted a reaction to the Bolton game and we got one.

"And if we can perform like that throughout the season, we'll pick up enough points. I've no doubt about that."

Despite seeing their losing sequence extended on Tyneside last weekend, Latics were far from disgraced and created enough chances to have won the game before Yohan Cabaye's late winner.

And Watson says it's important Wigan maintain that level of performance if they are to ensure their league position reflects the quality in the squad.

"Everyone knows with the standards that we set every day in training that we're a better team than we've been showing on a Saturday," the 26-year-old recognised.

"And the only ones that can put that right are the players.

"The gaffer and the backroom staff can do all they can but we're the ones that go out on a matchday and it's up to us to do the job. We haven't been doing that enough, and we had a couple of chats and it obviously worked."

With tomorrow's game the first of four matches on the bounce against sides in the bottom seven, Watson is well aware the next month could make or break the whole season.

"Fulham's a massive game, but you could say the same about Wolves the week after that, then Blackburn and then Sunderland," he added.

"Four massive games, four cup finals coming up, but four performances like we showed at Newcastle and we'll start to climb up the table.

"It is early in the season, but I don't think you can overplay the significance of games like this. From the moment you get the fixture list in the summer, you look at games like this and target them for picking up points.

"You have to beat the teams around you, and we know we have to perform well to do that."



http://www.wigantoday.net/sport/wigan-athletic/watson_wants_a_win_1_3918249

[WhiteJC]

 
Major Stumbling Block

The saga of the ongoing contract situation surrounding Andrew Johnson continues.

With there still being no advancement on any possible putting of pen-to-paper on a new deal, Martin Jol has stepped forward to give a broad hint of where the problems lie.

It appears to be that club and player are at odds over the length of the new deal with Jol commenting in the morning press,

"I talk to him every day and tell him what the difference is between one-and-a-half and two years but he doesn`t agree."

"He wants this year and another two which is about what we are arguing."

Will some middle ground be established before the January transfer window comes around?

Or will AJ 's situation simply be allowed to drift and we wave one of our most expensive signings cheerio?



Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=260619#ixzz1c5jB0uNk

[WhiteJC]

 
Stockdale Mystery!

I have to admit that I missed them but there have been rumours floating around about the possible future of our young goalkeeper, David Stockdale.

Now twenty-six years of age, these rumours (that I missed) inferred that Ipswich Town were interested in tasking the England fringe keeper on a permanent basis.

But, Martin Jol has moved quickly to deny these rumours responding,

"He`s part of our plans."

Nice to hear, especially as Mark Schwarzer isn`t getting any younger!



Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=260620#ixzz1c5jNAE2u

[WhiteJC]

 
Squad sheets: Wigan Athletic v Fulham

Two managers meet at DW Stadium tomorrow grateful for the faith showed in them by their paymasters. Wigan Athletic almost never win but Roberto Martínez's seat remains among the safest in the Premier League, while Martin Jol received a high-profile pat on the back this week when the Fulham owner, Mohamed Al Fayed, described the Dutchman as the manager he always wanted in a tit-for-tat with Mark Hughes. The feeling of bonhomie may dissipate, though; the team which loses this match will end the day in the bottom three. James Callow

Venue DW Stadium

Tickets £15-£22 (0871 66 33 552)

Last season Wigan 1 Fulham 1

Referee M Jones

This season's matches 7 Y31, R3, 4.86 cards per game

Odds Wigan 7-4 Fulham 6-4 Draw 9-4


Wigan Athletic v Fulham: Probable starters in bold, contenders in light.
Photograph: Graphic

Wigan

Subs from Pollitt, McArthur, Sammon, López, Thomas, Gómez, Maloney, Gohouri, Van Aanholt, Stam, Jones, Di Santo

Doubtful McCarthy, Di Santo (both hamstring)

Injured Kirkland (back, 5 Nov)

Suspended None

Form guide LLLLLL

Disciplinary record Y18 R1

Leading scorer Di Santo 3

Fulham

Subs from Etheridge, Somogyi, Grygera, Kelly, Gecov, Briggs, Etuhu, Frei, Kasami, Dembélé, Ruiz, Trotta, Kacaniklic

Doubtful Senderos (thigh)

Injured Hughes (thigh, 5 Nov), Sa (hamstring, 5 Nov), Davies (knee, Dec)

Suspended None Form guide LLWDDD

Disciplinary record Y21 R0

Leading scorer Johnson, Zamora 3

Match pointers

• There have been only 18 goals scored across the 12 Premier League meetings between these sides

• Wigan have not lost three consecutive home fixtures since November 2007

• Clint Dempsey and Andrew Johnson have both scored five goals in their last eight league appearances against the hosts

• Victor Moses has had more shots on target (26) and off target (17) than any other Wigan player

• Fulham have failed to score in three of their last four Premier League away fixtures



http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/oct/28/squad-sheets-wigan-athletic-fulham?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+theguardian%2Ffootball%2Frss+%28Football%29

[WhiteJC]

 
Martinez wants to repay loyal fans with a victory

Wigan boss Roberto Martinez wants his players to reward the fans who have stayed loyal to them through a difficult couple of months with victory over Fulham.

The Latics have lost six straight Barclays Premier League games, with their last points coming courtesy of a 2-0 victory over QPR back in August.

Only Blackburn, who also have five points, sit beneath them but, unlike at Ewood Park, where fans have been staging protests to call for manager Steve Kean's sacking, Martinez has received nothing but support.

The Spaniard turned down the chance to manage Aston Villa in the summer and his loyalty has been reflected in the attitude of chairman Dave Whelan and the Latics fans.

Martinez said: "The chairman will never change, he's always so supportive because he's part of the whole thing. The unique strength that we've got at our football club is that we cope with disappointment probably better than any other football club because we've got that family touch.

"We've had an incredible football story. Seven seasons in what I consider the best league in world football is a real achievement and it's no coincidence. We all have to work extremely hard and work together and you can breathe the support in the football club. Saturday is a unique opportunity to feel our fans, to enjoy our football in front of them and hopefully we can repay them because their support has been fantastic."



http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/28102011/63/martinez-wants-repay-loyal-fans-victory.html

[sunburywhite]

Sorry WhiteJC you do a fantastic job but what is Fiiday as per the title of this thread

Sent from my calendar on the wall

[WhiteJC]

Sorry WhiteJC you do a fantastic job but what is Fiiday as per the title of this thread

Sent from my calendar on the wall

early morning, half asleep, spoiling mistook  :dft012: