Monday Fulham Stuff (28/11/11)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Former Fulham and Olympique Lyonnais coach Jean Tigana ponders Shanghai Shenhua move
The ex-France international spent three days in Shanghai inspecting the club's facilities but will mull over his decision to become the Super League outfit's new coach



Former Olympique Lyonnais, Monaco and Fulham coach Jean Tigana has flown out of China after a three-day visit to survey prospective new employers Shanghai Shenhua.

The 56-year-old former France international, who hasn't had a coaching role since leaving Bordeaux in May, told the Chinese media during his visit he was seriously considering taking up the post at Shenhua.

"I am not coming for a holiday, I'm here to survey the city of Shanghai and its club Shanghai Shenhua. Time is tight, only three days. I would go back to France on Monday," he said according to Sina Sports.

"If you could see me again in China, it means I would be the new coach of this club."

Tigana, who will ponder his options now, also offered advice to Shenhua about improving the club's facilities.

Shenhua, who finished the 2011 season in 11th, were last week linked with a move for Chelsea's French striker Nicolas Anelka.



http://www.goal.com/en/news/14/asia/2011/11/28/2777876/former-fulham-and-olympique-lyonnais-coach-jean-tigana?

[Tom]

Our Kits



Looked great, no?



http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2011/11/27/our-kits/?

Looks great! A lot better than the white on white. Keep the black shorts!  082.gif

[WhiteJC]

 
Szczesny - We'd have lost that last season

Wojciech Szczesny believes Arsenal would not have retrieved a point against Fulham in the same circumstances last season.

The Gunners were forced to battle for a hard-earned point against the Cottagers at Emirates Stadium on Saturday with Thomas Vermaelen's late header eventually earning the hosts a share of the spoils.

Szczesny believes there are plenty of positives to take from the match despite not walking away with all three points.

"Let's take the positives because we responded well," he said. "I told the lads that after the game.

"We were frustrated in the dressing room because we want to win every game. But when we calm down a bit we will realise we played really well and looked like the only team that would win.

"You can see from today that we are up for a fight. It's not as beautiful but we got there.

"We lacked a bit of luck in the box, they made some fantastic blocks and clearances. It's not always beautiful but it's effective. Hopefully that will take us further up the table.

Szczesny praised the visitors for a battling display, citing his opposite number Mark Schwarzer for a particularly eye-catching performance.

"Of course, we're always disappointed not to get three points," he said. "I thought we played well, our attitude was fantastic.

"Credit to Fulham, they defended fantastically towards the end and Schwarzer made a few fantastic saves. I think we needed a few more minutes to win the game.

"It didn't happen though and we can only praise the team spirit. We finished on a high, which hopefully we can take into the next game.

"We've still got the momentum so hopefully we can take that onto the Man City and Wigan games. We are still confident."



http://www.arsenal.com/news/news-archive/szczesny-we-d-have-lost-that-last-season?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+arsenal-news+%28News+Feed%29

[WhiteJC]

 
Jol - Zamora needs more goals
Cottagers striker lacking goals on the road


Bobby Zamora: Has not scored away in the Premier League for Fulham since August 2010

Fulham manager Martin Jol has called on striker Bobby Zamora to become more prolific if he wants to be included in Fabio Capello's England squad for Euro 2012.

The Cottagers frontman put in a hard-working display but failed to find the back of the net as Jol's men claimed a point in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Arsenal.
That encounter left Zamora without a goal in six Premier League games, while he has not scored on the road since August 2010.

Option

England boss Capello is thought to be considering the 30-year-old as an option to lead the line in place of Wayne Rooney at the European Championship next summer, with the Manchester United striker suspended for the first three group games.

But Jol believes Zamora must become more productive if he wants to make the cut for Poland and Ukraine.

The Cottagers boss told The Sun: "Bobby is brilliant as a No 9. He is a specific type of player, a target man who is one of our main strengths.

"Whether he goes with England to the European Championships depends on what you want.

"As a striker, you have to score goals and I hope Bobby can be a bit more productive. We have to believe in ourselves and score goals at the right moments."



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/7338464/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Gary Speed RIP

Fulham Football Club joins the rest of the football world in mourning the untimely death of Gary Speed.

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family at this sad and difficult time.



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2011/November/GarySpeedRIP.aspx?#ixzz1f0Hsk0qZ

[WhiteJC]

 
The Season So Far: Fulham

A creditable draw at Arsenal and huge win against rivals QPR are among the high points in a stop-start season for Fulham so far.


Star man: Danny Murphy


Notable mentions: Mark Schwarzer, Andy Johnson, and Bobby Zamora

Must do better: Bryan Ruiz, to date he has only provided a modest investment on the £10 million the club paid for him.

Manager: Martin Jol has not done badly so far, but he has a lot of work to do to improve the squad, and needs time to put his own stamp on the club.

Grade: C

Verdict: Fulham started the season fairly poorly, which was almost understandable considering their players were dragged back in June to compete in the Intertoto Cup. Their exploits in the Europa League are certainly a distraction, and as the season goes on the club will have to do better at balancing the two.

The re-emergence of striker Andy Johnson has been a big plus point of Fulham's season, but the club need a playmaker to add to Danny Murphy who is at times expected to do too much. Clint Dempsey has been his usual consistent self, and Fulham should have enough in them to comfortably avoid a relegation fight, but a top ten finish looks beyond them this season, unless Jol can add quality to the squad in January.



http://hereisthecity.com/2011/11/28/the-season-so-far-fulham/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Lucozade Ticket Competition

Thanks to Lucozade and their on-going YES campaign you could win VIP tickets to see Fulham take on Liverpool at Craven Cottage on Monday 5th December (KO 8pm).

The Lucozade competition winner will receive two VIP tickets and an official signed shirt, plus the following hospitality at the match:

• Drinks reception
• Three course meal pre-match
• Matchday programme
• Executive seats
• Half-time and Full-time refreshments

Our competition runner-up will also receive two VIP tickets and an official signed football and there's even a further two VIP tickets for the Fulham fan finishing in third place!

To be in with a chance of winning, all you have to do is answer the following YES question:

Earlier in the season, Fulham tore QPR apart in a 6-0 win, a result that gave the feeling of YES to all Fulham Football Club fans. But which player scored a brilliant hat-trick in that game?

a) Chris Baird
b) Andrew Johnson
c) Damian Duff

Simply email your answer, along with your name and contact number to [email protected]. The winner will be contacted soon after the competition closes on Thursday 1st December.

Lucozade has been the Official Sports Drink of the Barclays Premier League since 1992 and if you want to get involved in other Lucozade competitions, as well as the opportunity to share your thoughts on the 20th Premier League season, get yourself over to www.facebook.com/lucozadesportfootball 



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2011/November/LucozadeTicketCompetition.aspx?#ixzz1f0IhNz00

[WhiteJC]

 
Arsenal star reserves special praise for Fulham's Mark Schwarzer

Szczesny was also pleased with the way Arsenal responded to going a goal behind

Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny was magnanimous after the Gunners drew at home with London rivals Fulham.

The Polish goalkeeper was quick to praise his opposite number Mark Schwarzer as well after the game.

"Credit to Fulham, they defended fantastically towards the end and Schwarzer made a few fantastic saves. I think we needed a few more minutes to win the game," he said.

"It didn't happen though and we can only praise the team spirit. We finished on a high, which hopefully we can take into the next game.

"We've still got the momentum so hopefully we can take that onto the Man City and Wigan games. We are still confident."

Szczesny was also pleased with the way Arsenal responded to going a goal behind.

"Let's take the positives because we responded well," he said. "I told the lads that after the game.

"We were frustrated in the dressing room because we want to win every game.

"But when we calm down a bit we will realise we played really well and looked like the only team that would win.

"You can see from today that we are up for a fight. It's not as beautiful but we got there.

"We lacked a bit of luck in the box, they made some fantastic blocks and clearances.

"It's not always beautiful but it's effective. Hopefully that will take us further up the table."



http://www.london24.com/sport/arsenal/arsenal_star_reserves_special_praise_for_fulham_s_mark_schwarzer_1_1138760?

[WhiteJC]

 
Arsenal 1-1 Fulham: More Rotation Required

Arsenal dropped 2 points but gained one point on Saturday afternoon, after Thomas Vermaelen's header made up for his own goal. Despite the come back, there was still some feeling that Arsenal should've done better. Fulham came with a good strategy to stop Arsenal playing. They sat deep when required to, with Clint Dempsey stopping Johan Djourou getting forward in the first half and then doubling up on Theo Walcott in the second. When they had to, they went long to Bobby Zamora and played from his knock downs, or they built through the midfield. They played well, but Arsenal should've had enough to beat them. However, they didn't, as they lacked creative spark until much needed changes after Fulham's goal.



1. Andrey Arshavin fails to impress

The stage was set for Andrey Arshavin to show his worth. After Gervinho was rested, Arshavin had his chance to remind everyone that he isn't a backup player. He started brightly, almost creating a chance for Robin van Persie, before fading into obscurity. The problem that Arsenal had with Arshavin on the left, aside from the now annoyingly habitual give aways, is that Arshavin seems to no longer be able to beat defenders. While he did run past them in his earlier contributions, when taking defenders on, he's not nearly as successful as Theo Walcott or Gervinho. Whether it's a lack of pace or predictability, Arshavin seems to no longer be able to do it. Thus, when Fulham began to get deeper and deeper, Arsenal found it harder to break them down through the middle. Theo Walcott, who had beaten John Arne Riise with ease earlier on was double teamed on Martin Jol's instructions, restricting that route for Arsenal. Arshavin, though, wasn't double teamed, yet could not contribute. The difference when Gervinho came on was easy to see; he got in behind the Fuham defence, something Arshavin failed to do.



Arsenal won less take ons on the left hand side on Saturday compared to last Wednesday. On Wednesday, the combination of Gervinho and Alex Song saw a goal created for Robin van Persie, along with several chances, as the Ivorian had a strong game. On Saturday, Andrey Arshavin had a poor game, and didn't win any take ons.

via tf-chalkboards.s3-website-eu-west-1.amazonaws.com

2. Arsenal fail to create in middle areas

As has their wont this season, Arsenal weren't terribly creative in middle areas on Saturday. Aaron Ramsey, tired by the amount of matches he's played this season in his return from a year's absence, was wayward in his passing, both in precision and speed. The Welshman's passing wasn't penetrative enough, as he completed only one pass into the Fulham penalty area, and completed 0 through balls. Neither Mikel Arteta nor Alex Song could, unlike in previous fixtures, provide extra creativity to make up for Ramsey, though Song did try to up the tempo by driving from midfield and trying to thread passes through the middle, to no avail. Arteta did have one excellent ball for Robin van Persie, when his shot was cleared by Chris Baird, but, otherwise, had his normal game, which was disappointing given the way he got forward in Arsenal's previous home league fixture.



Arsenal's midfield two of Mikel Arteta and Aaron Ramsey weren't penetrative enough on Saturday. While Arteta spread play nicely, and had a quiet, if effective game, Ramsey's passing was poor, at 75%, and he wasn't able to make up for the poor ratio by playing a lot of through balls or long balls over the top for Robin van Persie or Theo Walcott. Alex Song tried to provide creativity, but Fulham successfully snuffed out that route.

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3. Arsenal need more rotation

You could see Arsenal's tiredness by the way they defended. Arsenal didn't press at all in Fulham's defensive third, and were slower to close down when Fulham had the ball in Arsenal's half. Usually this season, Arsenal are happy for other teams to have the ball in their own third, but will press when they get into Arsenal's half. However, Arsenal were clearly tired by their efforts last Wednesday, and with 9 of the 11 starting again, there were few fresh legs on the pitch, one being the excellent Johan Djourou, and the other the anonymous Andrey Arshavin. Hindsight is a wonderful thing, but it appears that Arsenal might've played better if tired players, like Aaron Ramsey, had been replaced by someone like Yossi Benayoun. Last season, Arsenal ran out of steam in March, following a Carling Cup run to the final and injuries hurting a small squad. Arsenal have a bigger squad this season; it would be a shame to run into the same problem because they didn't use it.



http://www.theshortfuse.com/2011/11/28/2590556/arsenal-1-1-fulham-more-rotation-required?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham defender hopeful of change in fortunes



BREDE Hangeland hopes Saturday's draw at Arsenal can kick-start Fulham's season.

The Whites are struggling at the wrong end of the table after winning just two out of 13 games so far.

But they claimed a deserved point at the Emirates to provide a confidence boost ahead of a hectic schedule of EIGHT games in the next month.

"We're moving in the right direction," said Hangeland. "We've had two games at home, Everton and Tottenham, which we should have won.


"That would've given us six more points and everyone would've been really happy. We need to keep working on the performance and we'll get the results in the end.

"It's a tough month coming up, but this result gives us a bit of confidence.

"We would've taken a point before the game but when you're nine minutes away from a win you're obviously a little bit disappointed. Although we played well they deserved a point."



Read More http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/london-sport/fulham-fc/2011/11/28/fulham-defender-hopeful-of-change-in-fortunes-64767-29856145/?#ixzz1f0Ntoqag

[WhiteJC]

 
Mythbusting


Oh.


http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/mythbusting/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham star believes club are suffering due to battling on two fronts

The west London club are on course to qualify from their Europa League group, although they have a difficult game first against FC Twente

Fulham midfielder Danny Murphy believes the Whites are suffering mixing European and Premier League commitments.

The west London club are on course to qualify from their Europa League group, although they have a difficult game first against FC Twente.

They also have to host both Liverpool and Manchester United at Craven Cottage before Christmas.

"We're confident in the team and the squad we've got; of course, it's hard mixing Europa League and Premier League but we can't hide behind that," he said.

"We've got to perform better than we have been and get more points on the board.

"But I certainly think if we have many more performances like that we'll be okay."


http://www.london24.com/sport/fulham/fulham_star_believes_club_are_suffering_due_to_battling_on_two_fronts_1_1138961?

[WhiteJC]

 
John coming on strong at Twente


Ola John will look to impress against his big brother's old side
©Getty Images

FC Twente coach Co Adriaanse is full of praise for Ola John, the 19-year-old forward who has set up twice as many goals – four – as any other player in this season's UEFA Europa League group stage.

"He is strong and hardly ever injured," said the 64-year-old, who brought the teenager into the first team following the summer departure of Bryan Ruiz to Fulham FC – Twente's Group K visitors on Thursday – and an injury to Nacer Chadli. "Ola is never tired, always ready to go and happy every day. That makes him a very pleasant player to work with. Actually he is the ideal son-in-law."

John's creativity and excellent wing play have even helped him retain his starting place as a left-sided attacker since Chadli returned to fitness. Captain Peter Wisgerhof said of the prospect: "Ola is developing brilliantly. He keeps two opponents busy in every match – he is already good enough that they double-mark him. That gives extra space to his team-mates."

John has yet to score in Group K but the four goals he has created have contributed towards propelling the Dutch side into the round of 32. Twente will seal top spot in the section with a win or a goalless draw against Fulham on matchday five.

Fulham fans may not know much about Ola John, but they certainly know his older brother Collins, who left Enschede for west London in January 2004 and went on to notch 20 goals in 95 Premier League games before moving on in 2009. Collins, Ola and another footballing brother, VfL Osnabrück striker Paddy, lost their father in the civil war in Liberia, yet settled successfully after landing in the Netherlands with their mother.

"Collins was the father figure in our family and, for financial reasons too, he grabbed the chance to play in the Premier League," said Dutch Under-21 international Ola John. "He had a good spell in England. He was Fulham's top scorer one year and also got into the Dutch national team [making two senior appearances]."

A similar path to international success may beckon for Ola, who, with three Eredivisie goals in 14 appearances this term, cuts a confident figure. "I am never nervous when I go on to the pitch, even if I know I am up against a physically strong opponent," he said. "Who have I got to fear? Defenders are more scared of attackers than the other way around.

"You cannot get intimidated by opponents," added John, who has been linked with several leading English sides. "They are all just people when you are up against them. Also, when you are clever, you always get chances, even against a strong opponent."



http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/season=2012/matches/round=2000272/match=2007393/prematch/focus/index.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Blackburn and Fulham battle for Brum defender




Blackburn Rovers have joined Newcastle in the race to sign the versatile Birmingham City defender Liam Ridgewell in the January transfer window.


http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/transfer-news/Fulham-and-Blackburn-to-battle-for-Birmingham-City-defender-Liam-Ridgewell-article835802.html

[WhiteJC]

Fulham join the race for Bournemouth winger

Fulham and Southampton have joined Burnley in competing for Bournemouth winger Marc Pugh.



http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/transfer-news/Fulham-Southampton-and-Burnley-chasing-Bournemouth-winger-Marc-Pugh-article835805.html?utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitterfeed