Tuesday Fulham Stuff (08/11/11)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham's Dickson Etuhu rejects referee's apology over missed penalty decision
Cottagers' midfielder tells Peter Walton that 'sorry isn't good enough' after handball incident, while stand-in Tottenham coach Joe Jordan feels it was the correct decision

Fulham midfielder Dickson Etuhu has refused to accept referee Peter Walton's apology after he missed a handball in the area from Tottenham's Kyle Walker, which could have led to his side gaining a point in the sides' clash on Sunday.

The Cottagers ended up losing the London derby 3-1 despite having 26 attempts on goal, compared to Tottenham Hotspur's eight.

The decision to not award the penalty came with the scoreline at 2-1 and amongst a flurry of chances for Fulham. Then, deep into injury time, Jermain Defoe sealed the victory for Spurs.

The Nigerian told The Sun: "It was handball. I was right there and he handled it.

"The ref knows. I had a word with him and he said 'Listen, I didn't see it and if it was a handball then I'm sorry'.

"And I said to him 'Sorry isn't good enough'.

"It was the defining moment. If we had got a penalty, we'd probably have got the goal and it would have been tight at the end.

"The way it ended, we got punished with a third goal as we had to go for it. It's hard to take.

"We deserved to win the game the way we played. We were the better team. We did the right things and we are heading in the right direction. I'm sure we'll start moving up the table soon."

With manager Harry Redknapp recovering from heart surgery, stand-in boss Joe Jordan joined assistant manager Kevin Bond in leading the side and denied that it should have been a penalty.

He said: "I don't think it was a penalty. There were a number of other areas you could look at when they had chances and didn't take them. They'll be disappointed."



http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2011/11/07/2746754/fulhams-dickson-etuhu-rejects-referees-apology-over-missed?

[WhiteJC]

 
Final Challenge

Fulham's Stephen Kelly has stated that 'no stone will be left unturned' this week as the Republic of Ireland prepare for their two-legged Euro 2012 play-off match against Estonia.

The first leg will be played on Friday evening at Le Coq Arena in Tallinn before the action returns to the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Tuesday night and Kelly is relishing a chance to reach the Finals in Poland and the Ukraine.

"I'm so excited about this fantastic opportunity and we've just got to stick with the same form we've shown recently," said Kelly.

"We're playing a side that is very resilient and hard to beat and we've got to make sure we get a good result away from home to put us in a good position when we return for the home leg.

"I'm sure our team will have done all their homework on Estonia and provide us with all the stats on all the players. No stone will be left unturned so we'll be going into the games fully prepared."

Ireland have only reached the European Championship finals once before, in West Germany in 1988, but have played in five play-offs before, wining just once.

Ireland do have previous winning form against Estonia with victories over their play-off opponents in 2000 and 2001.

Estonia, playing in their first ever play-off, have never reached the finals of a major tournament before but recorded two victories over Northern Ireland in their Euro 2012 qualifying campaign.



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2011/November/KellyPlayOffPreview.aspx?#ixzz1d5unhi5l

[WhiteJC]

 
Hammer blow to Swede move for Fulham

West Ham United are set to beat Fulham to the signature of Swedish winger Mervan Celik in January.

The 21-year-old's contract with Gothenburg-based side GAIS expires on New Year's Eve and Fulham have been linked with a move for him.

However, the player's agent last week played down the Cottagers chances, despite the fact that at least two London clubs are known to be interested.

It now appears as though Sam Allardyce's West Ham are confident they are in the driving seat to take Celik to Upton Park.

Trabzonspor were also linked to Celik in the summer but he opted to see out his contract with the Swedish club.



http://www.eatsleepsport.com/fulham/hammer-blow-to-swede-move-for-fulham-1331949.html?#.TrjSHWAlE98

[WhiteJC]

 
Arsenal Res 2-0 Fulham Res

Fulham's Reserves were unable to build on last week's Barclays Premier Reserve League victory over Wolves – suffering a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Arsenal at London Colney on Monday afternoon.

Arsenal took the lead on three minutes when Oguzhan Ozyakup collected the ball some 18 yards from goal and placed his finish beyond Marcus Bettinelli.

Despite the strong start from Arsenal, Billy McKinlay's men started to gain a foothold in the game, with Alex Kacaniklic leading the charge for the Whites.

Kacaniklic was denied a good goalscoring opportunity late in the half when a last ditch tackle from Craig Eastmond ended the danger.

Fulham made a positive start to the second-half with Tue Na Bagna going close after breaking through but it was Arsenal who fully capitalised on their chances a matter of minutes later when Sanchez Watt fired past Bettinelli.

The home side maintained the upper hand for long periods of the second-half, with Fulham testing the Gunners through opportunities for Trotta and Donegan. Unfortunately, the Whites were unable to find a way through Arsenal's back line as the Gunners held out for the win.

Fulham: Bettinelli; Dean, Halliche, Burn, Smith; Harris, Pritchard, Donegan, Na Bangna (Banya 62), Kacaniklic' Trotta

Unused Subs: Smith, O'Reilly, Minkwitz



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2011/November/ArsenalResvFulhamRes.aspx?#ixzz1d5vOzEPU

[WhiteJC]

 
Hangeland - Luck will turn
Fulham defender happy with performances but not results


Brede Hangeland: Hopes Fulham will get some lucky wins in the second half of the season

Brede Hangeland is hopeful that Fulham will soon start getting the results their performances deserve after Sunday's frustrating loss to Tottenham.

The Cottagers created numerous chances in the clash with their London rivals but could not take advantage and eventually went down 3-1.

The result left Martin Jol's side 16th in the Premier League standings and just one point above the relegation zone going into the latest international break.

However, central defender Hangeland is confident they will soon start to climb the table.

"We have been producing a lot of good performances without getting the points," said the Norwegian.

Another decade

"I've always thought if you put in a lot of good performances over a season you get what you deserve.

"If we keep going like this hopefully our luck will turn and maybe we'll even get some lucky wins in the second half of the season."

An inspired performance from Tottenham's 40-year-old goalkeeper Brad Friedel helped keep Fulham at bay, and Hangeland joked after the final whistle that the American could carry on for another decade.

He said: "Brad did really well. He was man of the match and he proved he can play maybe until he is 50. It looked like that against us anyway."



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/7297614/?

[WhiteJC]

 
How?

I`m still puzzled as to how we didn`t get something out of the game yesterday!

That incessant pressure seemed certain to buckle the Spurs defence, but Brad Freidel played out of his skin and Harry Redknapp, recovering from his recent heart scare, would have been a happy man seeing Spurs pick up the three points.

With no Harry on hand though to liven up the post match press conference, it was left to his sidekick, Joe Jordan, to give his verdict on the onslaught his side somehow survived with the Scot remarking about the effect it might have had on Harry

"If he passes that, which I`m sure he will, he`ll be back early. We treated him nicely in that first half but we took some punishment in that second."

If Harry`s nerves survived that then he`ll be back on that bench again very shortly!



Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=261792#ixzz1d5w0rqNd

[WhiteJC]

 
Stockdale in Squad!

Although, across the capital, Sam Allardyce has been championing the case for Robert Green to be recalled to the England squad, it`s our own David Stockdale that has been selected.

Green may well have the experience of playing for the national side and his side may be higher in the division than Stockdale`s but Fabio Capello obviously sees something in Stockdale that impresses him.

Now whether Stockdale can oust Joe Hart from between the sticks or whether it`ll be a place on the bench remains to be seen, but we can but hope!



Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=261793#ixzz1d5wHdt5L

[WhiteJC]

 
Jol`s Lament

Going two goals behind, Martin Jol would have accepted that it was always going to be hard to get something out of the match, against his old team.

But, on another day we`d not only have gotten something out f the match but we might well have won it.

Instead Jol was left to rue over what might have been and lament the fact that, once again, our search for a goal led to our own downfall, commenting,

"I felt after the first half, of course, that a good result would be a draw. And I feel we deserved at least a point."

"We didn`t play them off the park but we played well and put them under pressure."

"This isn`t the first time we have suffered late on. We missed two sitters in the 89th and 90th minutes against Everton - and then they scored."

"Tottenham scored three times from eight attempts. We had 23 attempts."

And another word on the lack of that handball decision not resulting in a penalty,

"We felt hard done by with the penalty situation."

You win some, you lose some, some might say!



Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=261795#ixzz1d5wTTZNR

[WhiteJC]

 
Zamora`s Golden Chance

Cast aside, thanks to that red card he received, Wayne Rooney`s absence from the England squad nominated to face Spain and Sweden has resulted in a golden chance for our own Bobby Zamora.

With Fabio Capello intent on finding an alternative to a Rooney led attack with the striker set to miss the group games in the finals of Euro 2012, these two fixtures could provide Bobby with the perfect chance to cement his own claims.

Now we`re realistic enough to accept that Bobby will probably only get his chance to impress in one of the two fixtures. If pushed, although the Spain match carries more prestige, with it being against the World Champions, however, you suspect that a fixture against Sweden might give Bobby a better chance of hitting the net and subsequently showing Capello what he can do!



Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=261794#ixzz1d5we8bxk

[WhiteJC]

 
Handball?

In the heat of the battle yesterday, it almost slipped my attention that we should have had a penalty as there was so much going on.

But it didn`t escape the attention of Dickson Etuhu who was involved in quite a vehement exchange with the referee,

After the game, Dickson continued to express his disappointment that a clear-cut penalty wasn`t given, remarking,

"It was handball. I was right there and he handled it."

"The referee knows I had a word with him and he said 'Listen, I didn`t see it and if it was a handball then I`m sorry."

"And I said to him 'Sorry isn`t good enough`

"It was the defining moment. If we had got a penalty, we`d probably have got the goal and it would have been tight at the end."

"The way it ended, we got punished with a third goal as we had to go for it. It`s hard to take."

Indeed, it was hard to take but, like I inferred in my match report yesterday, things are looking brighter for Fulham, with Dickson further adding,

"We deserved to win the game the way we played. We were the better team. We did the right things and we are heading in the right direction. I`m sure we`ll start moving up the table soon."

I`m not sure, I`m certain!



Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=261796#ixzz1d5woauOn

[WhiteJC]

 
Jol: Dembele will be one of the best players in the Premier League



Fulham boss Martin Jol believes Moussa Dembele can follow in the footsteps of Rafael Van Der Vaart and become one of the best players in the Premier League.

Dembele produced another eye-catching display for the west London club despite the 3-1 defeat against Tottenham and has been one of Fulham's best players this season.

The Belgian international has taken his time adapting to the rigours of the Premier League following his move from AZ Alkmaar in August 2010. But Jol has no doubts he has the quality to become one of the best wingers in the country.

Jol said: "Mousa Demblele is a very gifted player. He gave Tottenham a lot of problems. Hopefully he can be like Rafa in a couple of months.

"He will learn and will be one of the best players in the Premier League."



http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-news/football/premier-league/1261/47/jol-dembele-will-be-one-best-players-premier-league?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham v Spurs ~ Player Ratings
by LORK on NOVEMBER 7, 2011

It's genuinely quite hard to keep objective after such an unbelievable game and I'm sure I wasn't the only one who woke up this morning still wondering how we didn't get a point out of it.  If Wigan balanced out an agonising loss against Everton we'll need a dozen more to restore the equilibrium that Spurs disrupted.

Schwarzer – 6, really wasn't tested at all, I can't remember a proper save or problem to deal with apart from for Spurs' first goal, which would be harsh to attribute to Schwarzer.

Baird – 6, was part of a centre back pairing which kept Spurs forward players quiet all game but was done all ends up for Lennon's goal which killed us a bit, in terms of the task ahead of us anyway.

Hangeland – 7.5, dominated at the back, both in physical battles and defending along the ground, and caused trouble at set pieces including for our goal. Very impressive display. Overally actually we defended well, Spurs had just three dangerous attacks (from which they converted) and none of them came from sustained pressure,rather pacey counters.

Grygera – 6, again like Baird had a solid game, Bale didn't really trouble him but was done totally by the one-two for that Lennon goal. As soon as he got tight to Lennon there would be trouble. Hopefully his injury is not too bad but it looks it.

Riise – 5.5, was a really poor decision to dive into the tackle against Walker and that could have been avoided. Asides from that didn't look particuarly steady all game. His position must really be under threat from Briggs now.

Murphy – 7, usually when you come up against Parker and Modric in midfield you wouldn't expect to dominate it but that's exactly what  both Murphy and Sidwell did. Murphy sprayed the ball about with typical aplomb and made a number of clever interceptions. Not sure why he was taken off.

Sidwell – 7, dominated alongside Murphy although he took a little longer to get into the game. Doesn't have the ability that Murphy has but offers mobility and energy which is all important in a style like this from midfield. I commented at the beginning of Jol's reign how Carrick and Jenas were a midfield pairing used quite often under him at Spurs and how Sidwell and Murphy could be similarly successful and work in the same way. Looks like it's turning out like that.

Dempsey – 7, like Sidwell took a while to become a major influence in the game, that chance in the first half aside which he really should have scored, but in the second half played very very well, with some dangerous runs and good technical play, although I would have liked to have seen him attack the ball in the air a bit more. Really unfortunate not to score but for that Ledley King block.

Duff – 6.5, busy as always, and always hinted at a threat although didn't particuarly deliver one.

Dembele – 7.5, had a marvellous game defensively first and foremost,  he started many attacks just by tracking back and using his strength, balance and quick feet to win the ball off players, and now he's starting to put some decent performances together which is good to see. If he finds that consistency he could be a really fantastic player.

Zamora – 7, there had been some concern among Fulham fans that Zamora hadn't been quite there with regards to his touch this season but I think this performance alleviated it. Almost every ball up to him stuck and that marvellous chest control, which had almost become the signature characteristic of his play, was put to good use. Worked incredibely hard too, although didn't particuarly have any great goal scoring chances. Still, threatened a few times and forced Friedel into a save when he burst into the area.

~Subs~

Kelly – 6.5, came on at half time and had a good game, no defensive troubles and a few enthusiastic runs forward, although I would have liked to have seen him go to the byline to stretch play a bit more especially when we were deep in the Spurs area.


Ruiz – 6.5, slowly but surely his class is coming to the fore after a difficult few opening games. The subtelty of the touch is enough to tell you he is really good but he has vision and ability to pull off some outstanding passes, like the one for Dempsey soon after he came on. Might be worth a start soon.

Etuhu – 6, can only presume he was brought on to give us more of a threat with high balls in the box but did nothing really apart from cause a bit of confusion in the box in that late goalmouth scramble, in fact I think it was a ball up to him which initated it.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2011/11/fulham-v-spurs-player-ratings/?

[WhiteJC]

 
JOL LOOKS TO SNEAK UNDER THE RADAR TO LAND PREMIERSHIP PROVEN INTERNATIONAL

Martin Jol is quietly molding Fulham into a classy side, in a similar vein to his Ajax, Hamburg and Tottenham teams, he is effectively continuing the work Roy Hodgson began, before his departure to Anfield.

Jol's next move in the transfer market is likely to be for Ajax's Mounir El Hamdaoui, who has been told by manager Frank De Boer to find a new club in June.

Fulham made an approach for the player in the summer but were unwilling to fork out £3m, as Ajax want to get the Moroccan's high wages off their pay-roll, this figure may come down.

Jol is clearly a fan of El Hamdaoui, he signed from SBV Excelsior for Tottenham when he was manger there and he signed him again for Ajax from AZ Alkmaar in 2010.

The 27-year-old also had a couple of loan spells at Derby that were both cut short by injury and a deal to take him to West Ham under Gianfranco Zola was an almost a done deal, but it fell through at the last minute.

In the summer there was a deadline day switch to Espanyol due to go through, but again it failed to materialise, supposedly because Ajax did not want to loan the player first with a view to a permanent move.

To add fuel to the speculation that El Hamdaoui is England bound, it has been rumoured Ajax have hired a British based agent to help the club find a buyer in this country.

El Hamdaoui has quite an impressive scoring record at Ajax, with 30 goals in 57 games, but given De Boer's stance on the player a move in June, if not in January, looks almost certain.

Blackburn and Swansea are also monitoring the situation as well, but given the player's history with Jol, Craven Cottage is the more likely destination.



http://www.footballtransfertavern.com/2011/11/premiership/jol-looks-to-sneak-under-the-radar-to-land-premiership-proven-international

[WhiteJC]

 
Spurs target £10m move for Fulham striker Dembele after star showing in defeat

Tottenham have revived interest in Fulham forward Moussa Dembele and are preparing a £10million bid.

Fulham have rejected two offers from Spurs for the Belgium star in the past 12 months, but he remains on the White Hart Lane club's radar.

Former Fulham boss Mark Hughes signed Dembele in August 2010 for £5million and the 24-year-old still has 18 months left on his contract.


Audition: Moussa Dembele (top) impressed Spurs at the weekend

Speaking after Dembele shone in Fulham's 3-1 defeat by Tottenham on Sunday, Hughes's successor Martin Jol said: 'Moussa Dembele gave Spurs a lot of problems.

'In a couple of months he will be like Rafa van der Vaart. Dembele will become one of the best players in the Premier League.'

Less happily for Jol, Fulham right back Zdenek Grygera has ruptured anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee after twisting the joint against Spurs.


Double or quits? Fulham could sell Dembele for twice his fee in 2010 of £5m

Fulham await reports from further MRI scans, but the 31-year-old Czech Republic defender - signed from Juventus in the summer - will struggle to play again this season.

Spurs defender Steven Caulker, on a season-long loan at Swansea, was arrested on Saturday for an alleged public order offence during a night out in the Welsh city.

The England Under 21 centre half, 19, was issued with a fixed penalty notice by police before being released.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2058696/Tottenham-target-10m-Fulham-striker-Moussa-Dembele.html#ixzz1d5yUm1dr

[WhiteJC]

 
BREDE HANGELAND: FULHAM MUST HANG IN THERE

BREDE HANGELAND is convinced Fulham's luck is about to change.

The Cottagers were left wondering what might have been on Sunday after their unlucky 3-1 defeat at home to Spurs left them 16th in the Premier League.

But Norway centre-back Hangeland, 30, said: "If you put in a lot of good performances over a season, you get what you deserve.

"I think everyone will agree we should have had more points from our performances.

"If we keep going like this hopefully our luck will turn and maybe we'll even get some lucky wins in the second half of the season."



http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/219740/Brede-Hangeland-Fulham-must-hang-in-there/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Pointless against Spurs
by JOSEPHUS on NOVEMBER 8, 2011

As we streamed out into Stevenage Road after this match, the pathetic consensus amongst my close companions, shared by me, was that Fulham had deserved at least a point. Our simplistic reading of the arc of this game was that Spurs had the better first half, though they were decidedly flattered by their two goal lead at the interval. Thereafter that Fulham were by far the superior team, but were denied a farer result by virtue of the combination of: some superb saves by Brad Friedal; desperate goal line clearances by both Ledley King and Luca Modric; and the iniquitous failure of the referee to spot Karl Walker grounding his low two handed catch of the ball in the six yard box, with ten minutes left of the game – when this penalty denied might well have given Fulham goal parity and potential ascendancy.

Having now reflected on this match, and with the benefit of having studied a recording of the live TV screening, I am not now so sure that Fulham truly merited a better result. Not that I would for a moment deny that Brad Friedel was correctly awarded 'Man of the Match'. (It was a vintage display from Spurs' veteran keeper. In particular, his brilliant reaction-save to Steve Sidwell's header in the second minute, and his safe-handed clutch to hold onto Chris Baird's pile-driver hit strike in the seventieth minute were crucial events in preventing Fulham from succeeding.) Nor does the recording fail to bear-out the impression, formed by spectators at the match, of Fulham having much more of the play. (This indeed is confirmed by the match stats, see below.) However my present, more considered view is that a subtle combination of the factors outlined and discussed below, each of which arguably comprises a tactical error, may well have made the vital contribution to Fulham's failure.

Quiet extraordinarily for the first week in November, Fulham have already this season played a total of 24 competitive games in all competitions. This is therefore an opportune time to take stock of what new manager Martin Jol has brought to the team's performance, and what possibly may be lacking, as exemplified in this game. On the very positive side, Fulham have much greater flexibility going forward, as well as being a more attack-minded side. In this game the team's starting set-up of 4-4-1-1, (with Zamora out front and Dembel positioned centrally as a 'false number 9',) morphed at times almost seamlessly in and out of a 4-3-3, (with at the front Dempsey working left, Zamora right, and Dembele centrally,) and on occasions late in the second half to a 4-2-4, (with the subbed on Bryan Ruiz working to the right up front.) As well as this new more flexible deployment, there is a marked increase in rapidity of the build up, with Fulham at last showing some capability to move with speed through midfield without any need to resort to long-ball passes. These very real improvements can, and certainly did in this game against Spurs, produce more good scoring opportunities. Rarely in the Premiership does a side lose who have had 13 shots on target, as did Fulham.

On the deficit side, it is becoming clear that Fulham are not now so markedly good at preventing penetration into the their penalty area, as they were in recent seasons under the management of Hughes and Roy Hodgson respectively. It is of particular concern that in the games since the draw at home against Manchester City back in September this year, the characteristic tightness and effective defensive shape that were the Hodgson hallmarks, have been consistently dissipated. In this game, both of Spurs' first half goals stemmed from avoidable errors in defending technique. The first goal followed a move by the Spurs fullback Kyle Walker who, whilst on a right overlap, was allowed to accelerate into the penalty area past a late arriving and hapless J.A. Riise. For the second goal the Fulham defence was caught out by Aaron Lennon, who having switched wings with Gareth Bale, avoided Zdenek Grygera and then sped on, turning the retreating Chris Baird before slotting his shot home close to the left post.

Also directly associated with this game were the following important judgement calls upon the manager, where possibly Marin Jol may have erred. First, was it prudent to field so many 'first team players' in the Euro Cup game on the preceding Thursday evening? Eight of the Fulham players who started the game against Spurs played in the Euro cup game, as also had all the subs that Fulham subsequently used. (In marked contrast none of Spurs' starting eleven played in their Euro game.)

Secondly, why has Martin Jol persisted with J.A. Riise at left back despite his poor performances in recent games? Riise seems at present a muscle-bound shadow of his Liverpool days, lacking positional sense and timing in the performance of his defensive duties, and no longer really effective when he (over)commits to his endeavours forward. Surely it is over time now to give the outstanding young player Mathew Briggs a good run as first choice left back?

Thirdly, although Martin Jol is correct in realising, (as did Hughes,) that Danny Murphy does need to be substituted before he may fade in the last quarter of the game, the choice of sub made in this game is questionable. Was it appropriate at the time when Fulham needed to force the game forward to bring on Dickson Etuhu, who operates best as a defensive/holding midfielder? Would not Kasami, an attacking midfielder with an eye for goal, have been the better option?

Fourthly, was the introduction of Bryan Ruiz, some twenty minutes before end, left too late? Bryan (I use his own preferred choice of name,) was subbed as a direct replacement for Duff, to be another naturally left sided player also working in from the right, and taking on Duff's right-corner taking responsibility. He gave a good cameo performance, consistently giving the slip to his would be marker Modric, whose influence on the game was eclipsed following Bryan's introduction. However as a potentially very sharp finisher, (as is indicated by all his goals last year in the Dutch league, plus 'BBC Goal of the Month' for October,) could he not have been more effectively used earlier and more centrally, possibly as a replacement for Zamora or Dembele?

Martin Jol is a progressive manager whom I trust will consider these matters. His endeavours to add to Fulham's attractive passing game a more effective attacking emphasis should be applauded. It remains encouraging that there were times during the second half when Fulham were more fluid in their built –up and quicker in their passing movement then in any previous game this season. The really important thing must be that Fulham learn from this disappointing home defeat.



Match Stats

Goals

Fulham: Kaboul own goal 55;

Spurs: Bale 10, Lennon 45, Defoe 90

Attempts on goal

Fulham 23 (13 on target); Spurs 6 (6 on target)

Corners: Fulham 11; Spurs1

Possession: Fulham 53%, Spurs 47%

Yellow Cards: Fulham: none. Spurs: Kaboul.

Fulham: Schwartzer;Grygera (Kelly 45 mins); Baird; Hangeland; J.Riise; Dempsey; Murphy (Ethu 76 min); Sidwell; Duff (Bryan Ruiz 71 mins); Zamora; Dembele

Spurs: Friedel; Assou-Ekotto; King; Kaboul; Walker; Bale; Modric; Parker; Lennon; Van Der Vaart (Defoe 66); Adebayor

Referee: P.Walton

Attendance: 25,698



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2011/11/pointless-against-spurs/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Difficult to Take

Brede Hangeland has mirrored the opinion of his Manager and team-mates by insisting Fulham deserved more from their game against Tottenham on Sunday.

A mixed first-half saw the Whites go two goals down, however Martin Jol's side hit back with an onslaught on the visitors' box – finishing the game with 26 attempts on goal and 11 corners.

"We had a lot of chances," said Hangeland. "To say that we were unlucky and should have had more to show is an understatement. I thought that we played really well, especially in the second-half.

"To be honest it is hard to believe that we didn't come away with something – that is the general feeling of the squad. It was difficult for all of us to take, and it is something that following on from the home defeat against Everton it just adds to the frustration. Both were games we should have taken more from.

"On the day though, they [Tottenham] were just more clinical. We certainly had more chances, so that was obviously one of the big differences. We have to give them credit though because when opportunities did present themselves they made sure that they took them.

"Their goalkeeper, Brad Friedel, was man-of-the-match too, so that tells the story really. The guy may be 40, but on that performance it looks like he could play until he was 50 – he made some incredible saves."

Despite the result this was an encouraging display from Fulham, whose second-half spirit and endeavour had Champions League-chasing Tottenham on the back foot.

"The important thing is that there are plenty of positives to be taken," added Hangeland. "We will cause most teams problems, and that was certainly the case against Spurs, but unfortunately it was just one of those days.

"We have shown a number of times over the past couple of years, that on our day, we can outplay most teams. You just want more to show though.

"I don't think there is any reason to panic because we are playing well. I believe that if we can play like that over the course of the season we will be just fine. Hopefully I will be proved right.



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2011/November/HangelandInterview.aspx?#ixzz1d7NaZ6O5

[WhiteJC]

 
Spurs gun in on Dembele to keep Arsenal out
Beckham on the horizon; Gunners aim for teen Balmy

Tottenham are moving fast to ensure they have enough ammo to keep the resurgent Gunners at bay.

Despite manager Harry Redknapp's health woes, reports were out in the British press today that Spurs are preparing a £10million bid for Fulham playmaker Moussa Dembele.

This comes close on the heels of David Beckham saying he would prefer to play in England when his US contract ends soon.

Harry has been chasing Beckham for some time now.

Fulham boss Martin Jol is aware of his former club's interest and said: "Moussa Dembele is a very gifted player. He gave Tottenham lots of problems. In a few months, maybe a year, he will be like Rafa van der Vaart.

Arsenal and Tottenham have joined the race to sign Le Havre teenager Jeremy Balmy.

Reports in France say the 17-year-old, who is available next summer, has caught the eye of Arsene Wenger and Harry Redknapp.

Valencia are also reportedly interested in Balmy.



http://www.emirates247.com/premier-league/spurs-gun-in-on-dembele-to-keep-arsenal-out-2011-11-08-1.427282?

[WhiteJC]

 
Back to his Roots

The following article is reproduced with the permission of Darlington FC.

As far as level-headed young footballers go, you won't find any more sensible than Dan Burn. The commanding centre-back made a dream move to Premier League club Fulham earlier this year after bursting on to the Quakers scene with just a handful of appearances.

Having attracted the attention of a string of clubs, including Everton, Manchester United and boyhood club Newcastle United, the Blyth-born defender eventually opted for the Londoners, signing a dream three-year contract, after playing just 10 league games last season.

And after recovering from a knee operation in May, just a few days before Darlington's momentous FA Trophy win at Wembley, Burn is slowly starting to establish himself in Fulham's reserves side, coached by the former Scotland international Billy McKinlay.

As with all top clubs, Fulham will be keen to nurture Burn, to realise the potential which made them so keen to prise him away from his native North-East.

But they won't find it difficult in trying to keep his feet on the ground.

Burn, who turned 19 in May, had an option of either getting his own flat near to the club's training ground in Kingston, South-West London, or moving in with one of the club's registered landladies.

He opted for the family home in Cheam, a suburban village near Sutton which is just a 10-minute drive from training.

And despite playing seven reserve games for the Cottagers already, Burn is still maintaining a level-headed and realistic outlook.

"The reserves boss Billy McKinlay is very similar to Craig Liddle so I think that's helped me as well," says Burn.

"He has loads of experience but he talks to players. He'll let you know when you're not doing something that you should be, but he's constructive with it and that's why he reminds me of Lidds, who I learned a lot from.

"But I'm realistic in terms of what I want to achieve this season. The first aim is to establish myself in the reserves set-up as best I can. I'm still settling into the club at the moment, so I need to take each step as it comes.

"Sometimes you might think you're getting closer to the first team, then the gaffer involves you and you realise you're not ready. It's such a big step.

"But I've just got to make sure I make progress and develop into a player who will one day be ready to make that step."

Burn admits it took him a few days to get over the initial shock of training with Premier League stars – but is now learning a lot from them every day.

He says: "I had the operation and by the end of May I was back in light training so I was just getting myself prepared for pre-season training.

"Because Fulham were in the Europa League we were back in at the end of June and the new manager wanted everyone together, so I was training with the first team from day one and that was just surreal.

"There I was with players I was used to seeing on the TV, playing with them, tackling them or passing to them, and if I'm honest I was a bit star-struck.

"They tell you to get used to it quickly, and after a few days I was starting to settle into it.

"I get on great with all the younger lads and the reserve players and there's a couple of the senior pros I find really easy to talk to.

"Clint Dempsey has been great, he's always prepared to offer good advice, and Aaron Hughes has been good to talk to as well, he has so much experience and a lot to learn from.

"I also talk to Brede Hangeland quite a lot because he plays in my position so it's good to listen to him, and Danny Murphy is great as well.

"So there's plenty of the experienced pros in the squad who are always prepared to pass on their advice.

"It's a really friendly club. I've just been made to feel so welcome from the start, which has made things so much easier for me.

"The training has taken some getting used to and I'm sleeping a lot more! I don't get out a lot because I'm always knackered from training. It's so intense, I'll get in from training and sleep until tea time!

"You have to be at your best every day and raise your game but I'm loving the challenge."

Despite having just had his operation on a torn meniscus, Burn was allowed to join up with the Darlington team for their memorable London trip in May.

"Wembley was just fantastic," beams Burn. "It didn't really sink in that I wasn't going to be involved until the day before. I met up with the lads the night before during a trip to the stadium and it started to dawn on me that I wasn't going to be part of it the next day, and I was absolutely gutted.

"But the gaffer and the lads made me feel part of it. I joined up with them at the hotel, stayed overnight and travelled with them to Wembley and sat on the bench so I really felt involved and it was the best football experience of my life.

"To win it the way we did was just unbelievable. I'll always look back at Darlington and I'll always look out for their results."

Now he's hoping to see his former club turn a corner, with his mentor, Craig Liddle, currently in caretaker charge at the club.

Burn said: "I've been gutted to see how things have changed.

"To see Mark (Cooper) leave just a few months after becoming a legend just shows how quickly things can change in football.

"But I'm sure the club will bounce back. I hope they do. I keep in touch with a few of the lads, Dusty and Arni, and obviously Lidds.

"I get back up home as much as I can, at least once or twice a month, and recently watched the youth game take on Burton Albion, so it was great to be around the place again and see some familiar faces."



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2011/November/DanBurnBacktohisRoots.aspx?#ixzz1d7OKk2fS

[WhiteJC]

 
Tottenham to Make £10m Bid for Player "As Good as Van der Vaart"!

White Hart Lane boss interested in player who gets a slightly over inflated recommendation from his boss.

Tottenham have revived interest in Fulham forward Moussa Dembele and are preparing a £10million bid.

Fulham have rejected two offers from Spurs for the Belgium star in the past 12 months, but he remains on the White Hart Lane club's radar.

Former Fulham boss Mark Hughes signed Dembele in August 2010 for £5million and the 24-year-old still has 18 months left on his contract.

Speaking after Dembele shone in Fulham's 3-1 defeat by Tottenham on Sunday, Hughes's successor Martin Jol said: 'Moussa Dembele gave Spurs a lot of problems.

'In a couple of months he will be like Rafa van der Vaart. Dembele will become one of the best players in the Premier League.'
SOURCE: Daily Mail

Why is Martin Jol comparing Moussa Dembele to Rafael Van der Vaart? Forget for a moment that the two players occupy different positions on the field of play and concentrate on the comparison itself. Is the former Tottenham boss trying to get as much money as possible for the Belgian international or is he trying to scare the North London club away with wild compliments?

The 24 year old Fulham man is used predominantly as a forward but can at a push play as an attacking midfielder and is apparently a Harry Redknapp target, but then again who isn't? Dembele is a decent player but by no means a player who will generate a great deal of interest if he was made available for sale by the Craven Cottage side.

It seems likely that if Redknapp was to make an offer for Dembele it would be in order to add more attacking options up front having seen Robbie Keane and Peter Crouch leave in the summer and watched as Roman Pavlyuchenko continues to get annoyed about never getting the playing time he deserves. Jermain Defoe started the season well but has been on the bench in recent weeks as Tottenham opt for playing Man City loanee Emmanuel Adebayor up front on his own.



http://www.caughtoffside.com/2011/11/08/tottenham-to-make-10m-bid-for-player-as-good-as-van-der-vaart/?