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Monday Fulham Stuff (22/03/10)

Started by WhiteJC, March 22, 2010, 07:07:36 AM

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WhiteJC

http://www.dexysden.com/2010/03/fulham-heroes-give-chelsea-something-to-think-about/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+UkFootballFinderMemberArticles+%28Dexy%27s+Den+-++The+UK%27s+%231+Football+Blog%29
Fulham heroes give Chelsea something to think about
There is absolutely no deadwood in the Fulham team and on Thursday evening they showed that they have completely shed their "soft" image as they outplayed and outthought the 27 time Italian league winners Juventus.

Some of the supporters must have been thinking that it was lights out time after the 2nd minute when David Trezequet slotted home in front of the Hammersmith End. What followed was one of the greatest comebacks West London has ever seen.

Who would have thought the previously ridiculed Bobby Zamora could out think five time World Cup winner Fabio Cannavaro as he fired home in the 9th minute.

It was also Zamora's ball that caught out the Italian general as Zoltan Gera burst through only to be cynically tripped by the defender. A straight red card seemed a little harsh, but the depth of quality on show in Juventus' squad still remained favourites with Fulham needing to score three more times to win the tie.

The little West London club kept pressing, harrowing and risking as they went in search of a second. It came. Just before half time in the move of the match, Konchesky fed Zamora, who played a delightful chip across to Simon Davies who played it square to Gera who emphatically placed the ball into the top corner.

It was a beautifully crafted goal and it put Fulham in the driving seat going into the second half.

The second half saw more inspired football form Hodgson's men and Fulham were soon 3-1 ahead on the night.  Gera calmly slotted home after Brazil playmaker Diego handled in the box. Craven Cottage was going absolutely berserk with the chorus of "Roy Roy Roy!" echoing round the oldest stadium in the Premier League.

The game predictably lost momentum but before too long there came back Fulham with the much-missed Dempsey shimmying and then guiding an exquisite chip into the top corner from 20 yards.

It's not often that Fulham can have one up on their rivals Chelsea but this week is perfect for bragging rights surely? After losing at the San Siro, Chelsea needed to score one goal to progress past Inter Milan. They couldn't.

Fulham managed five goals when Chelsea could only manage one on aggregate.

It sure feels good for a change! Fulham were through and in absolute and unparalleled dreamland.

WhiteJC

http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/soccer/2010/0321/1224266801988.html
Fulham back to earth with a bump
Fulham 1 Manchester City 2: Manchester City forward Carlos Tevez earned victory at Craven Cottage to maintain his side's Champions League hopes and give Fulham a European hangover.


The hosts still had their famous victory against Juventus fresh in the mind when they found themselves behind to Roque Santa Cruz's opener, with Tevez then extending the lead before the break.

Fulham are comfortable in mid-table and boss Roy Hodgson illustrated his is Europa League and FA Cup priorities by taking off key players — but Danny Murphy pulled a goal back from the penalty spot and they could have snatched a point.

With Liverpool defeated at Old Trafford, City now move above Rafael Benitez's side and know their destiny is in their own hands — if they win the rest of their games they will be in the top four.

Their victory came despite Joleon Lescott suffering a hamstring injury in the warm-up and Javier Garrido getting drafted in but Mancini's makeshift defence was protected well by Gareth Barry and Patrick Vieira, with the Frenchman making his first start since returning from a three-match ban for violent conduct.

Fulham fans were still buzzing from their victory over Juve and almost had more to sing about after coming close to scoring just before City's opener in the seventh minute.

Damien Duff lofted a cross to the far post where Bobby Zamora headed back and Zoltan Gera touched over Shay Given, only for Kolo Toure to acrobatically clear off the line.

The visitors retained the ball and sprung a counter-attack, with Tevez feeding the ball to Craig Bellamy on the right flank. The Welshman's tame shot flicked the heels of Aaron Hughes, struck the post and bounced over Mark Schwarzer, allowing Santa Cruz to poke home as Dickson Etuhu closed in.

It was his fourth goal of an injury-hit season and his first under Mancini, who was rewarded for fielding an attacking line-up against a team that had only lost once at home since September. Their formation often looked like 4-2-4 when they had the ball.

Tevez had tested Schwarzer twice in the first half, the first with a powerful drive that looked set for the bottom corner and then after Paul Konchesky had carelessly given the ball away in a dangerous area.

He then doubled the lead nine minutes before the break, finishing off a flowing move that started from Pablo Zabaleta at right-back. Tevez nut-megged Murphy then found Bellamy, whose floated return pass from the left flank found his team-mate one on one against centre-back Chris Smalling.

It was a case of Manchester United past versus future, with the Argentina forward cutting inside Old Trafford-bound Smalling before finishing crisply past Schwarzer.

Hodgson clearly had one eye on Wednesday's FA Cup quarter-final replay against Tottenham as he took off Zamora and Gera early in the second half, with Clint Dempsey and Stefano Okaka coming on to try to get the hosts back in the game.

City, however, looked likely to add to their lead. Adam Johnson laid on a chance for Santa Cruz that Schwarzer parried, then Johnson cut inside from the right wing and fired a shot that struck the post.

Bellamy was also found by Johnson unmarked in the penalty area and had time to

chest the ball under control — but his finish went wide of Schwarzer's upright.

The game appeared to be drifting towards a routine City victory until Lee Probert, with the help from his assistant, awarded a penalty for Barry handling Chris Baird's cross from the right.

Murphy sent Given the wrong way with the penalty to set up a tense finale, with Okaka missing a straightforward chance to equalise and Probert turning down another spot-kick appeal when Vincent Kompany appeared to handle

WhiteJC

http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/March/HodgsonManCityReaction.aspx
Roy's Reaction




Speaking after Fulham's Barclays Premier League defeat to Manchester City at the Cottage, Roy Hodgson gave his post-match reaction.

"I thought the team did remarkably well to come back and had much the better of the second-half and came close to an equaliser," said Hodgson.

"There was a great chance for Okaka that he unfortunately missed, and a penalty appeal that might have led to a second penalty.

"It was tough to come in two-nil down at half-time to the two counter attacks that we didn't defend well enough. We had a couple of close shaves in the first-half - I wasn't that satisfied with our first-half performance.

"In the second-half we did much better and I would have liked the game to have gone on a bit longer. Maybe I would have liked to have seen two penalties given instead of one.

"I don't think that we were out-run or out-powered; I thought that our players worked very hard throughout the 90 minutes. We got back to two-one and came very close to two-two but we couldn't quite make it. City were much happier to hear the final whistle than we were."



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/March/HodgsonManCityReaction.aspx#ixzz0it3SduNO


WhiteJC

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_6045496,00.html
Hodgson free of fitness fears
Fulham trio rested for Wednesday's crucial Cup clash
Roy Hodgson expects Bobby Zamora, Zoltan Gera and Brede Hangeland to be fit for Wednesday's FA Cup quarter-final replay following Fulham's 2-1 defeat by Manchester City.

Although Hangeland recovered from a chest problem to play in Thursday's Europa League win against Juventus, he was not risked against City at Craven Cottage on Sunday to save him for the midweek cup clash at Tottenham.

In-form Zamora and fellow forward Gera were withdrawn early in the second half but Hodgson confirmed it was only a precaution as he felt victory was beyond his side with first-half goals from Roque Santa Cruz and Carlos Tevez having put City in control.

"They're both okay," the Fulham boss told Sky Sports. "I'm not worried about them, I took them off to give them a rest.

"It was 2-0 and it's usually hard to get back to win the game so I had a chance to rest those two.

"We got back to 2-1 and we very close to making it 2-2. We could have had a penalty and Stefano Okaka missed a really good chance.

Hangeland return
"As far as Hangeland's concerned, he did very well to recover so quickly from the injury against Manchester United to play against Juventus and we think he'll be fit for Wednesday."

City scored both goals on the break in an assured first-half performance.

Danny Murphy gave Fulham hope of snatching a point as he converted a 75th-minute penalty after Gareth Barry was adjudged to have handled a Chris Baird cross.

The Cottagers had another penalty shout late on as substitute Bjorn Helge Riise's cross struck Vincent Kompany's arm but referee Lee Probert ruled it was not deliberate.

"I believe it was a penalty," said Hodgson. "I can't say for certain from my position. It was a long way away and there were a lot of bodies between me and the ball.

"But our players who were close to it were convinced it was a penalty and no doubt we'll see on the replays. But it's only a penalty if the referee gives it so we have to abide by that."

Hodgson shrugged off claims his side were suffering from a European hangover following their famous victory in midweek.

"I don't think we played that well in the first half but the second half wasn't a bad performance," he added.


Good reaction
"We were playing against one of the top teams in the country, a team that's been very expensively put together. They had people like Patrick Vieira coming into the team and there aren't many clubs that have that luxury so we knew we were in for a tough game and it did come three days after one of our greatest nights.

"But I don't think that was the whole reason why we lost. We lost because we conceded two bad goals from poor defending in the first half.

"We gave ourselves a very difficult task by conceding those two goals on the counter-attack and in the second half we didn't quite have long enough to get to 2-2 although we went very close.

"We came out well in the second half and it was a good reaction to push them as hard as we did and go so close to getting an equaliser."

WhiteJC

http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/March/SmallingManCityReaction.aspx
Smalling's Summary




For the second successive game Fulham found themselves behind early on, but unlike Thursday evening's memorable comeback, opponents Manchester City held on to take Sunday's encounter.

The Whites certainly looked like they might mount another revival after goals from Roque Santa Cruz and Carlos Tevez sent City two up at the break. A much improved second-half and a Danny Murphy penalty put Fulham back in the contest, with Roy Hodgson's side a tad unfortunate to come away from Craven Cottage with nothing.

Chris Smalling, in for the absent Brede Hangeland, certainly thought so, telling Fulhamfc.com: "When you look at our performance in the second-half, I think we definitely deserved something. It was a disappointing day for us and having made a slow start, it was always going to be tough to come back having conceded two goals.

"The first came after just seven minutes, and from a corner, which you never like to see. The second was a good move on their part on the counter, and I think maybe we could have done more there as well.

"It was back to the bread and butter of league football this afternoon, and unfortunately we couldn't produce the same highs as we did against Juventus. I'm sure some would have expected that, but it's hard to repeat that kind of performance.

"We won't be using that as a reason for today, because this team is used to playing two games in a week. I certainly don't think that City were any fitter, quicker or stronger.

"We were the better team in the second-half, which was a lot more positive and having had a lot of possession and a few chances, we gave it a good go but just fell a little short. It was one of those days where it just didn't happen.

"It was one of those where you wish you could play for a bit longer, because I think a second goal was coming. We finished on top and could well have been awarded another penalty late on. I think it was decision that went against us, and if anything it was a clearer one than the first. But that happens in football – we just have to accept it and move on."

And move on they will, with Tottenham Hotspur up next in Wednesday night's FA Cup Quarter-Final Replay at White Hart Lane.

"Well that's another massive game for us, because potentially we are 90 minutes away from a trip to Wembley," said Chris.

"Hopefully, it will be another special night for the Club. But to make that happen we have to get the better of Tottenham at their place – which will be difficult.

"We'd love to reach the Semi-Final of the FA Cup, and that really would make this season another one to remember. We've had quite a few games lately, but the focus now falls solely on Spurs, and it's one we're all relishing."

Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/March/SmallingManCityReaction.aspx#ixzz0it4F5IIl

WhiteJC

http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/london-sport/fulham-fc/2010/03/21/defensive-mistakes-cost-us-says-fulham-boss-roy-hodgson-82029-26080791/

Defensive mistakes cost us, says Fulham boss Roy Hodgson

Fulham 1-2 Manchester City

FULHAM boss Roy Hodgson blamed poor defending for this afternoon's defeat to Manchester City.

First-half goals from Roque Santa Cruz and Carlos Tevez were enough to earn the points for Roberto Mancini's Champions League chasers.

And despite a spirited late fightback after Danny Murphy's penalty, Hodgson admits the damage had been done.

"We lost the game because we conceded two very bad goals in the first-half after two counter attacks," he said.

"The first came after our players had thought the ball had crossed the line at their end, but they countered and scored a lucky goal.

"Then one of our corners was cleared and poor defending led to them scoring a second."

The hosts were hit with a sucker punch on six minutes.

Zoltan Gera's effort was hooked off the goalline by Kolo Toure, and when City raced up the other end, Craig Bellamy's effort was deflected onto the post by Aaron Hughes, and despite the best efforts of Mark Schwarzer, Santa Cruz had a simple tap-in from two yards.

Things got even worse for the Europa League quarter-finalists when Tevez doubled the visitors' lead 10 minutes before the break when he ghosted past Chris Smalling and drilled past Schwarzer from eight yards.

The hosts were handed a lifeline after the interval when Damien Duff's cross struck the hand of Gareth Barry, and Murphy made no mistake from the penalty spot.

Substitute Stefano Okaka missed a golden chance to level when he fired wide from close rage, while the Whites were denied another spot-kick when the ball appeared to strike the arm of Vincent Kompany's arm, only for referee Lee Probert to wave away appeals.


WhiteJC

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1259583/Fulham-1-Manchester-City-2-Roberto-Mancinis-men-gain-strength-big-showdowns.html?ITO=1490
Fulham 1 Manchester City 2: Roberto Mancini's men gain strength before their big showdowns

With a run-in that includes matches against Manchester United, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Tottenham, it was imperative Manchester City bolstered their fourth-place ambitions with victory at Fulham on Sunday.

Roberto Mancini's side got the win they desired, but the manager wasn't kidding anyone when he said it had been 'comfortable'.

Yet a match that began with the loss of Joleon Lescott to a hamstring injury in the warm-up — he will miss Wednesday's match against Everton — and ended with the City manager denying Sunday newspaper reports linking him with the Juventus job, resulted in City moving to fifth place, two points behind Tottenham who have played a game more.



Net gains: Roque Santa Cruz prods home the opening goal

Mancini said: 'It was an important win. Here, against Fulham, it's difficult. They're a good team and have a good manager. It was very comfortable. We played a strong game and deserved to win.

'It'll be a fight until the end of the season with the other three teams. Liverpool are a fantastic team and we must fight with them, Aston Villa and Tottenham.'

Sunday's match came less than three days after Fulham's historic 4-1 Europa League win over Juventus and was always in danger of being overshadowed by that and the looming FA Cup quarter-final replay against Tottenham on Wednesday.

Kolo Toure cleared a Zoltan Gera effort off the line inside six minutes after a Bobby Zamora knockdown, but Fulham were caught on the break as Carlos Tevez found Craig Bellamy, whose shot deflected off Aaron Hughes, wrong-footed Mark Schwarzer and was tapped in by Roque Santa Cruz from a yard out.


Pure delight: Carlos Tevez wheels away after his strike

With Manchester United's £10million signing Chris Smalling deputising for Brede Hangeland, who has a chest injury, in central defence, and too many tired legs on display, it was another counter-attack that caught Fulham out for City's second goal after 36 minutes.

The hosts failed to track Tevez's run as he pushed the ball out to Bellamy and sprinted into the penalty box. The striker took Bellamy's return ball down beautifully, sent Smalling the wrong way and slotted a right-foot finish low into the corner for his 22nd goal of the season.

But City's threat petered out in the second half and they looked vulnerable.

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson took off Zamora and Gera and threw on 20-year-old Stefano Okaka, on loan from Roma, and Clint Dempsey.


Eyes on the ball: Gareth Barry (right) challenges Bobby Zamora and Simon Davies

By the time Chris Baird's cross hit Gareth Barry's hand in the 75th minute and referee Lee Probert pointed to the spot, City were looking the more weary side.

Fulham captain Danny Murphy, restored to the side after missing the Juventus win through suspension, converted the penalty and Okaka missed two good chances to level the match.

Fulham also had a second credible penalty shout when a cross from substitute Bjorn Helge Riise hit Vincent Kompany's hand in added time. A similar decision went Fulham's way against Juventus, but this time the referee waved play on.


Spot on: Danny Murphy tucks home his late penalty

Hodgson said: 'Those people who were here today will have seen a stronger Fulham second half than Manchester City's. I don't know what took it out of them.

'There was a great chance for Okaka that he missed and a penalty appeal that might have led to a second penalty. That's how close we came.

'City were much happier to hear the final whistle than we were.'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1259583/Fulham-1-Manchester-City-2-Roberto-Mancinis-men-gain-strength-big-showdowns.html?ITO=1490#ixzz0it6VScQ8


WhiteJC

http://www.ealinggazette.co.uk/sport/football-ealing/fulham-fc-ealing/2010/03/21/fulham-boss-roy-hodgson-blasts-defending-after-manchester-city-defeat-64767-26081404/
Fulham boss Roy Hodgson blasts defending after Manchester City defeat
Fulham 1-2 Manchester City

FULHAM boss Roy Hodgson blamed poor defending for this afternoon's defeat to Manchester City.

First-half goals from Roque Santa Cruz and Carlos Tevez were enough to earn the points for Roberto Mancini's Champions League chasers.

And despite a spirited late fightback after Danny Murphy's penalty, Hodgson admits the damage had been done.

"We lost the game because we conceded two very bad goals in the first-half after two counter attacks," he said.

"The first came after our players had thought the ball had crossed the line at their end, but they countered and scored a lucky goal.

"Then one of our corners was cleared and poor defending led to them scoring a second."

The hosts were hit with a sucker punch on six minutes.

Zoltan Gera's effort was hooked off the goalline by Kolo Toure, and when City raced up the other end, Craig Bellamy's effort was deflected onto the post by Aaron Hughes, and despite the best efforts of Mark Schwarzer, Santa Cruz had a simple tap-in from two yards.

Things got even worse for the Europa League quarter-finalists when Tevez doubled the visitors' lead 10 minutes before the break when he ghosted past Chris Smalling and drilled past Schwarzer from eight yards.

The hosts were handed a lifeline after the interval when Damien Duff's cross struck the hand of Gareth Barry, and Murphy made no mistake from the penalty spot.

Substitute Stefano Okaka missed a golden chance to level when he fired wide from close rage, while the Whites were denied another spot-kick when the ball appeared to strike the arm of Vincent Kompany's arm, only for referee Lee Probert to wave away appeals.

WhiteJC

http://www.tribalfootball.com/hodgson-admits-managing-fulham-defeat-man-city-eye-cup-716481
Hodgson admits managing Fulham defeat to Man City with eye on Cup
22.03.10 | tribalfootball.com
Fulham boss Roy Hodgson admits he managed his team in defeat to Manchester City yesterday with an eye on their FA Cup replay against Tottenham.

Hodgson took off Bobby Zamora and Zoltan Gera early in the second half in preparation for the FA Cup quarter-final replay against Tottenham on Wednesday. He is also hoping that Brede Hangeland will have recovered from a chest problem.

"Hangeland is injured but hopefully fit for Wednesday," he said. "(John) Pantsil is a long way away, weeks."


WhiteJC

http://www.tribalfootball.com/hodgson-does-not-want-break-bank-improve-fulham-squad-716501
Hodgson does not want to break bank to improve Fulham squad
22.03.10 | tribalfootball.com
READ MORE NEWS ON: Fulham, Premier League, Premiership
Fulham boss Roy Hodgson doesn't want the club to risk their financial future by attempting to break into the top six of the Premiership.

The Cottagers finished seventh in the Premier League last season to qualify for Europe but Hodgson does not want the club to try to compete financially with the top flight's bigger sides to achieve a higher position.

The modest Hodgson, who described himself as "nothing particularly special" despite their stunning success against Juve, told BBC Radio 5Live's Sportsweek programme: "The amount of money that the top teams are spending increases every year - not just the transfer fees but also wages.

"I know the chairman (Mohamed Al Fayed) has done an article this week that in his view clubs should not really be living beyond their means and clubs should not be depending on sugar daddies in order to survive.

"I totally agree with that philosophy as well so it would be unwise of me to say that we should try to break into that top six by breaking the bank.

"The teams in that top six have a massive advantage over Fulham, and that is that they have a capacity of 60-70,000 whereas we have 23,000."

WhiteJC

http://mikewhalley.wordpress.com/2010/03/22/sign-of-the-thames/
Sign of the Thames
CRIKEY, where did spring suddenly come from? Twenty-four hours after watching my hands turn a strange bluish-purple at Doncaster, I was positively sweltering in the sun at Fulham. Mind you, I was wearing a winter coat, a jumper and a shirt.

Has there ever been a better time to be a Fulham fan? Last season, the club recorded their highest-ever league finish (and won this blog's prestigious Gubbometer prize to boot.) This season, they've somehow managed to sail along quite nicely in the Premier League while going on a Europa League run bordering on the surreal.

Did they really knock out the holders Shakhtar Donetsk in the last 32? And did they really come back from three goals down on aggregate to knock out Juventus? THE Juventus? And did they really win the tie with a gorgeous chip from Clint Dempsey? Even if you were there to see it, you must have struggled to believe it.

Fulham manager Roy Hodgson popped up this morning on Radio Five Live's Sportsweek, the show in which Garry Richardson politely asks awkward questions to high-profile guests who politely avoid answering them. It's like Newsnight transported to the Victorian era, yet it's compelling listening.

Richardson politely tried to probe Hodgson for the secret of his success, but the Fulham manager steadfastly refused to take any credit at all. As Jeremy Paxman would say: Oh, come on. Roy, you've managed to transform Bobby Zamora into a candidate for England's World Cup squad. That in itself shows genius.

Maybe it's an obvious thing to say that Hodgson's understated style seems to fit Fulham perfectly. There's something reassuringly old-fashioned about Hodgson, just as there is about Craven Cottage.

For a start, no sensible person would ever go there by car. (I went by car. I parked so far away, I was practically in Hammersmith.) And the Johnny Haynes Stand – the oldest in the Football league – is a Grade II listed building. The brick façade on the outside of the stand facing on to Stevenage Road was my first sight of the ground on getting there for yesterday's match against Manchester City. Once inside, I was shown the way to my press seat by a friendly and helpful steward, who was very keen to tell me about the stand's history.


It's got a lot of character has Craven Cottage, sitting beside the Thames, along the route of the Boat Race. But it's not a cheap day out, especially if you're an away fan. City's fans threatened to boycott this fixture last month after learning that they would have to pay up to £49 for a seat. As Howard Burr, secretary of the club's Centenary Supporters Association, said to me at the time: "It's City who have got all the money – not their fans!" There was still, though, a large and vocal away following yesterday.

City's owner Sheikh Mansour has invested something in the region of £220million in the team since taking over in late August 2008. Not all of the purchases have worked out, and there has been a change of manager along the way, but they have a good chance of qualifying for next season's Champions League.

Their problem – it's always been City's problem – is inconsistency. They are the only club to have done a Premier League double over Chelsea this season. They're also the only club to have failed to record a home win over Burnley. You never quite know what you're going to get with City. But you do know what you're going to get with Carlos Tevez.

At present, City look a far more dangerous side when Tevez is playing. They missed him when he flew home to Argentina on compassionate leave to be with his daughter, who was seriously ill after being born prematurely. It's hard to think of another player who could go through all that worry, then get on a plane, fly for the best part of a day to get back to England, and then score twice against Chelsea.

Fulham couldn't handle Tevez in the first half yesterday. Perhaps they were tired after their efforts against Juve – this was their 49th game of the season, and they do not have a Champions League-sized squad. Whatever the reason, they stood off to allow Tevez a crack at goal in the fourth minute, which keeper Mark Schwarzer saved well. And the Argentinian played a part in City's opening goal three minutes later.

It was a curious moment in the game, because Fulham almost scored seconds before City did. Damien Duff crossed from the left, Zamora headed across goal, Zoltan Gera lifted the ball over Shay Given, but Kolo Toure hooked it away.

Then Tevez set Craig Bellamy off down the other end, and his shot was deflected against the post by Aaron Hughes. Schwarzer, wrongfooted and off balance, couldn't get his hands on the loose ball, which Roque Santa Cruz prodded into the net from tap-in distance.


That goal calmed City down. Although it didn't calm Patrick Vieira, who irked the home fans by clattering into Danny Murphy, a challenge which went unpunished. Zamora worked hard to try to drag Toure and Vincent Kompany away from their centre-back positions, but Vieira and Gareth Barry made a point of covering for them. City looked more solid defensively than they have for a long while.

Fulham, in the meantime, continued to give Tevez too much space. Nine minutes before half-time, he fed Bellamy down the left, darted into the area to take the return pass, skipped around an exposed Chris Smalling and made it 2-0. Simple.

It should have been more after the break, with Adam Johnson hitting the post and curling another effort just wide, while Bellamy also went close.

But with 15 minutes left, Barry was judged to have handled Chris Baird's cross – I wasn't convinced – and Murphy's faultless penalty gave Fulham hope.

That set up the kind of frantic finish which had Fulham equaliser written all over it. In the closing stages, Kompany appeared to handle Bjorn Helge Riise's cross – it looked a stronger penalty shout than the one that was given – but referee Lee Probert turned down the appeal, and City held on. They sit two points off fourth spot with a game in hand.

Manager Roberto Mancini spoke of his hope that City could finish in the top four, although his attempts to get to grips with English still frustrate his attempts to express himself clearly.

I didn't help matters by asking if he thought the win could be a springboard for City's Champions League push. He didn't know what the word 'springboard' meant – which is fair enough. After all, I don't know how to say it in Italian. I was perhaps over-ambitious in throwing a gymnastic equipment-related metaphor at him.

Fulham don't have time to feel sorry for themselves, as they have an FA Cup replay at Tottenham on Wednesday. There's a Europa League quarter-final against Bundesliga champions Wolfsburg to come too. By the end of this season, Hodgson's side will have played a minimum of 60 games. Great times, but exhausting times.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

WhiteJC

BBC Sport - Football - Fulham 1-2 Man City
Fulham   1 - 2   Man City
By Phil Dawkes 


Manchester City kept up their hopes of a top-four finish and brought Fulham back to earth after their Europa League heroics with victory at Craven Cottage.

For the second successive game Fulham were behind early on as Roque Santa Cruz followed up to tap City ahead after Craig Bellamy had hit the post.

Carlos Tevez fired in from close range just before half-time to make it 2-0.

Gareth Barry's handball allowed Danny Murphy to reduce the arrears from the spot but an equaliser would not come.

Tottenham's 2-1 victory at Stoke on Saturday, which strengthened the London club's hold on a place in the Premier League top four, meant it was imperative that City won to maintain their challenge for Champions League football next season.

The efficient way they went about this, against a Fulham side who have won their last three games at the Cottage, bodes well for City's lofty ambitions.

Fulham deserved more - Hodgson
They are two points adrift of Tottenham with a game in hand but, perhaps decisively, six of their remaining nine games are at home - including back-to-back fixtures against fellow Champions League aspirants Aston Villa and Spurs at the start of May.

They gave themselves the perfect platform for the win through Santa Cruz's opening goal in the sixth minute; a simple finish that owed a great deal to two principle contributors.

Centre-back Kolo Toure was firstly on hand to hook the ball off his own line after Zoltan Gera had poked the ball past Shay Given, and then from the swiftest of resulting counter-attacks Bellamy produced a superb drive that struck a post and evaded Mark Schwarzer before falling perfectly to Santa Cruz for the simplest of tap-ins.

It was the second time in a week that Fulham have fallen behind to a goal in the first 10 minutes after David Trezeguet's second-minute goal for Juventus in Thursday's Europa League second leg match.

Three days ago, the early goal spurred the Cottagers on to one of the finest results in their history, winning 4-1 against the Italian giants to overcome a 3-1 first leg deficit and book a Europa League quarter-final place.

606: DEBATE
Now after three good away results and six home games to come, where we look unbeatable, is Mancini proving me and the other doubters wrong?

IronFistCliveMyers
But here both the atmosphere inside Craven Cottage and the play of the home side lacked the bite that had made the midweek match such a special occasion.

This performance was more akin to their disappointing display at Old Trafford in their previous league match, where they offered little in a 3-0 defeat to City's Manchester rivals United.

Their task was made even harder when, 10 minutes before half-time, Tevez doubled City's advantage with a well-taken goal.

The lively Bellamy was released down the left and his cross was brought down superbly in the box by Tevez, who turned defender Chris Smalling and finished with aplomb.

It was Tevez's 22nd goal of the season, his fourth in four games, and a fitting highlight of what was a typically robust display from the striker.

Winger Adam Johnson came off the bench against Sunderland last Sunday to earn City a point with a last-minute goal and he had enough chances in the second half here to make his side's route to three points much more comfortable than it ended up being.

Edgy Man City make Mancini nervous
Midway through the half he cut in from the right and unleashed a dipping drive which struck the outside of Schwarzer's right-hand post and went wide.

Not long after, Smalling's tackle on Tevez after the Argentine had penetrated the box with a mazy run diverted the ball to Johnson, but his curling effort from 18 yards drifted past the far post.

Santa Cruz and Bellamy also wasted good opportunities before, out of the blue, Fulham were gifted a lifeline that their performance had barely merited.

Chris Baird's cross from the right struck Barry, prompting referee Lee Probert to blow for a penalty, feeling the ball had struck the midfielder's left hand.

Murphy, back in the side after suspension for the midweek game with Juventus, calmly slotted the resulting spot kick.

Substitute Stefano Okaka should have drawn the home side level minutes later when fellow replacement Bjorn Helge Riise played him in on goal but from 10 yards out and with only the keeper to beat he put his shot past the near post.

In injury time, Fulham once again appealed to referee Probert after Riise's cross struck Vincent Kompany's right arm - arguably a clearer offence than the earlier one adjudged to be a penalty - but the official waved them away.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fulham manager Roy Hodgson:

"I think we maybe deserved a point on our second half performance.

"I wasn't that satisfied with our first half performance but in the second we were much better and I'd have liked the game to go on a bit longer.

"It's disappointing after such a good win on Thursday night to be brought back down to earth today."

Manchester City manager Roberto Mancini:

"We deserved to win the game. We created a lot of chances.

"We had two or three chances in the second half and if you don't finish off the game there's always a chance something can happen.

"We must think game after game. We have won this but on Wednesday we have a hard match against Everton. There will be a fight until the end of the season."


WhiteJC

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/mar/21/clint-dempsey-fulham-europa-league
Clint Dempsey merits moment of glory after tough route to top
• Clint Dempsey a fitting European hero for Fulham
• American midfielder has overcome family tragedy to thrive

Fulham's tenacious midfielder Clint Dempsey has made more tackles than all but two Premier League forwards this season. Photograph: Glyn Kirk/AFP/Getty Images

If the presence of Fulham in the quarter-finals of European competition seems a wonderful incongruity, then it is apt that the scorer of the goal that capped last Thursday's sensational comeback against Juventus was Clint Dempsey.

Apt too that the American had begun on the bench before making his mark with a breathtaking lob. Because this is a pleasingly unusual player who throughout his career has wrenched improbable success from inauspicious starting points.

"Soccer" may be perceived as a sport for the affluent in the United States, but that is not Dempsey's background. His childhood home was a trailer in his grandparents' garden in Nacogdoches, a small town in East Texas whose greatest claim to fame is that most of the debris from the doomed space shuttle Challenger fell on it. Young Clint had a go at all the traditional American sports, but by the age of 10 it was clear his calling was football, which he played with Hispanic kids on nearby wasteland. The problem was that the nearest club, the Longhorns, was a three-hour drive away in Dallas. Clint was snapped up after a trial, but had to quit playing for the club at the age of 12, as the costs became prohibitive for his parents, especially as his 16-year-old sister, Jennifer, was in the early, expensive stages of a professional tennis career.

Clint was disappointed. Soon, he and his family were to be devastated – later that year his sister suffered a brain aneurism and died. "It's something you can never get over and it's sad it takes something like that to make you appreciate everything in your life," Dempsey told The Guardian in 2007. This unwelcome reminder of life's ephemeral nature seemed to reinforce his determination to succeed. In his teens he returned to Dallas and from there, in 2004, he was drafted into Major League Soccer by New England Revolution, managed by the former Liverpool defender Steve Nicol.

His surges from midfield, eye for goal and willingness to try the unconventional made him an instant success. In 2006 Charlton tried to sign him, but their £750,000 bid was rejected. The following year Chris Coleman signed him for Fulham for double that amount. Over the past three seasons Dempsey, playing mainly in midfield, has scored more Premier League goals, 19, than any other Fulham player. Underpinning his skill, and his popularity with fans, is unquenchable tenacity – this season he has made more tackles than all other Premier League forwards bar two (Bolton's Kevin Davies and Birmingham's James McFaadden). When we consider that in 2007 he played two matches for New England with a broken jaw, it is no surprise that his winner against Juventus came while he is still working his way back from a seven–week layoff with knee damage.

WhiteJC

Home > Club > Club News > NewsArticles > 2010 > March > Wolfsburg Away Travel


Fulham Flyer to Germany
Monday 22nd March 2010
Fulham FC News Powered by 
Official Day Trip to see Wolfsburg v Fulham
Fulham FC are pleased to announce that the Official Fulham Flyer Day Trip to Germany is now on sale to Season Ticket Holders and Club Members.  Your support at this match will be crucial to seeing the Whites through to the Semi-Final round of the UEFA Europa League. Reserve your seat for the day trip now!|

The cost of the official day trip to Wolfsburg is £299pp and includes:


  • Chartered flight from Gatwick to Hannover departing on the morning of Thursday April 8th
  • Coach transfer from the airport to Hannover City Centre
  • Free time in Hannover
  • Coach transfer from Hannover to the Volkswagen Arena, Wolfsburg
  • Transfer from the stadium back to Hannover Airport after the final whistle
  • Chartered flight returning after the game, arriving back into Gatwick in the early hours of Friday morning.
  • Fulham stewards and TMG trip escorts throughout
  • All taxes, fees and ATOL bonding
  • Your match ticket
You will be required to input your Season Ticket Number or Club Membership Number as well as date of birth at the time of booking.  There are a limited number of seats so reserve your place today|.

The Club hope to announce details of an Official Club Overnight Trip within the next day; if you would like to be the first to hear about the Official Overnight Trip package, please register on the TMG Website|.



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/March/WolfsburgAwayTravel.aspx#ixzz0itojD1Kc

WhiteJC

http://www.yourlocalguardian.co.uk/sport/football/5075217.Hodgson__Away_form_hampering_Fulham/
Hodgson: Away form hampering Fulham

Roy Hodgson admits Fulham have to learn how to win on the road if they are ever to break into the elite bracket in the Premier League.

The Cottagers head to Hull City this weekend on the back of a disappointing 2-1 defeat to Manchester City at Craven Cottage on Saturday.

And with just one away win, at doomed Portsmouth on the opening day of the season, to their credit this campaign, Hodgson agrees that has to change.

He said: "We have not won as many games from home as we would have liked, that is for sure.

"In many ways it is a good job our home form is so good.

"We have lost games at home this season so it is not exactly a fortress, but until we get our away form sorted it is something we are having to rely on."

Sunday's setback was all down to a first-half display that saw City score twice, leaving Danny Murphy's late penalty a mere footnote.

But Hodgson was quick to dismiss talk of burnout after last Thursday's Europa League heroics against Juventus.

He added: "We have been handed a very quick dose of reality.

"But the truth is we are always stressing the need to face the facts and nobody gets ahead of themselves.

"I do not think we can use the Juventus game as any sort of excuse.

"I did not think we were out-run or out-powered, it was just a case of being caught on the counter-attack.

"I thought we improved noticeably in the second-half and thought that we warranted a draw, but it was not to be."

The Cottagers are hoping to book a Wembley date on Wednesday night when they travel to Tottenham for their FA Cup quarter-final replay.

Fulham's next three matches: Mar 27 Hull City (a), Apr 1 Wolfsburg (EL, h), 8 Wolfsburg (EL, a)



White Noise

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/stan-collymore/Stan-Collymore-column-Why-Fulham-s-Bobby-Zamora-must-get-a-call-up-for-England-plus-Iain-Dowie-should-be-given-time-to-get-things-right-at-Hull-article364017.html

Fab must call up Bobby dazzler, plus Dowie could do a Hull of a job

By Stan Collymore

Published 22:47 21/03/10


What an incredible result for Fulham on Thursday against Italian giants Juventus.

There are two men at Craven Cottage whose work this season merits a call from England, whether immediately or in the near future.

Bobby Zamora has proven with his performances against Roma, Basel, Shakhtar Donetsk and Juventus that he is every bit the equal of Emile Heskey, Peter Crouch and Carlton Cole, and he should be given an opportunity to wear the England shirt in the World Cup warm-up matches.

Mobile, strong, and very good technically, Zamora has done enough to warrant England recognition.


Unless Fabio Capello (who was at the Cottage on Thursday) gives him an opportunity, how on earth are we supposed to know if Zamora is good enough?

Come on Fabio, give big Bob a chance!

The second Fulham employee who should get a call from the FA is manager Roy Hodgson.

His star waned several years ago at Blackburn but a more knowledgeable football man you couldn't find. He has to be the man to take over England when Capello's time is up

I would let Roy chose the brightest young things from English coaching talent to work with him to avoid ever again having to appoint a foreign manager.

The next manager of England should be English.

The next manager of England should be Roy Hodgson.

White Noise

A matter of timing for Roy

Roy Hodgson may be the man to follow Fabio Capello. He should be grateful he was not given the opportunity to precede him, however.
After Fulham's magnificent triumph over Juventus there has been more talk about Hodgson and England. The revisionist view is that he could have achieved the same improvement as Capello for less money. We will never know. Yet, with qualification for the World Cup achieved so smoothly, it is possible to forget the mess Capello inherited, and how it may have engulfed a lesser man.

Capello took charge of a squad that had just suffered the greatest humiliation in English football since defeat to the United States in 1950. English clubs had never enjoyed greater standing, English footballers had never been better rewarded, yet the England team finished third of seven and failed to qualify for the 2008 European Championship.

The team were afraid to play at Wembley, confidence was on the floor and several of the senior players - Michael Owen and Wayne Rooney, Frank Lampard and Steven Gerrard - appeared incompatible. Into this walked Capello and, because he was a figure of huge reputation, instantly made an impact. His regime was austere, but it was necessary. The players responded, first through fear, then belief.

Hodgson (right) is an excellent manager, but would he have carried the same clout? No. Would he have made the dressing room jump to attention? No. Capello's unique standing in the modern game revived England's self-belief. It would have been hard, almost impossible, for Hodgson to inspire a dispirited dressing room the same way.

Do not forget, too, that on December 14, 2007, when Capello was formally appointed, Hodgson was not yet employed by Fulham. He would have landed the England job on the back of a decent, if ultimately failed, attempt to qualify for Euro 2008 as manager of Finland. His last job in English club football would have been with Blackburn Rovers in 1998. He was sacked in November with the club bottom of the table.

So Hodgson may be what England need after Capello, but he certainly wasn't the answer after Steve McClaren. As a sensible, experienced football man, he will know it, too.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/article-1259642/MARTIN-SAMUEL-Footballs-Lassie-like-watchdogs-barking-wrong-tree.html#ixzz0iuEwOxgR

White Noise

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/7493738/Kevin-Garside-Buy-British-if-managerial-merry-go-round-goes-into-overdrive.html

Kevin Garside: Buy British if managerial merry-go-round goes into overdrive


It is not beyond football's mad parameters to forecast regime change at Chelsea, Manchester City and Liverpool during the summer audit.

By Kevin Garside

Published: 7:00AM GMT 22 Mar 2010

Comments 1 | Comment on this article

Top men: Fulham manager Roy Hodgson (right) and Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp have proved they are equal to their foreign counterparts Photo: ACTION IMAGES
You never know, another Champions-Premier League double could persuade Sir Alex Ferguson that his work is done at Manchester United.

How long before a British manager is called to fill the next vacancy at the top of the English club game? Jose Mourinho can't manage them all. Besides the myth of the foreign guru is eroding.

With the obvious exceptions of Arsène Wenger and Mourinho, imported expertise appears no better than the domestic alternative. Carlo Ancelotti is roasted by Roman Abramovich and Roberto Mancini's stock dives at Manchester City with every point surrendered.

English success in European club football has gradually downgraded the idea of continental superiority in all aspects of the game. Wayne Rooney has bulldozed the upper echelon of world-ranked players achieving a notional rating higher than any Brazilian. Fancy that. Only the lack of an elite platform, Sir Alex apart, denies British coaches wider visibility abroad.

Roy Hodgson, a poster boy at 63, comes close. He was an outstanding operator before Fulham beat Juventus. The Europa League win lifted him into the glamour slot that his inventive, day-in, day-out husbandry by the Thames does not warrant.

There are others like him. They have one thing in common. They carry a British passport. Hodgson sits in a beautiful bracket that frames seventh to 10th places in the Premier League and includes default standard bearers Martin O'Neill and David Moyes.

Also in the group of four is Alex McLeish, who despite Saturday's reverse at Sunderland, has steered Birmingham into eighth place through nimble midfield feet and pace up front.

The point about midfield geometry is not made lightly. The Birmingham aesthetic – no longer a contradiction – approximates to an orange template that goes by the name of total football.

McLeish cannot call on a Cruyff, a Neeskens or a Krol, but those he does have, marshalled by Rangers exile Barry Ferguson, know how to keep the ball on the deck.

O'Neill and Moyes are established members of the management aristocracy. The latter has shortened Everton's game, recorded wins over Chelsea and Manchester United at Goodison Park and chased Chelsea and Arsenal around their London fields sharing six goals on each occasion.

O'Neill, too, is less inclined to the style book's longer version the better his Aston Villa team becomes. Someone up there is staging an audition.

This week's fixture list sees Moyes take on Mancini in Manchester on Wednesday and on Saturday McLeish hosts Wenger and O'Neill occupies Mourinho's seat against Ancelotti at Stamford Bridge.

The usual impediments are placed before our boys, bigger squads and deeper pockets. My guess is that neither Arsenal, Chelsea nor Manchester City would be overly diminished by association with any of the British quartet above.

The British beauty contest must include Harry Redknapp, a man of deep footballing intelligence who might have been appointed at White Hart Lane earlier, were it not for a foreign fad that saw greater merit in the exotic nomenclature of Jacques Santini, Martin Jol and Juande Ramos.

At least Jol could speak a language that his players understood. Whatever ideas Ramos might have had were locked beneath a tongue that could not express itself. The Spaniard was demonstrably out of his depth and had to go.

That is not the case with others presently answering to overbearing owners. Ancelotti is asked to justify himself following Chelsea's Champions League exit to Inter Milan, which is absurd.

The reaction of Abramovich to that defeat can be attributed to hysteria on the part of an omnipotent owner whose judgment is warped by status, ignorance and disappointment.

It was in this withered mental state that he laid into Ancelotti last Thursday, holding him accountable for the humiliation orchestrated by Mourinho. No fault attached to Abramovich, of course, for appointing Ancelotti, or Luiz Felipe Scolari in the first place.

Another Rasputin brought in from overseas to marshal the mysterious arts of continental success, Mancini, found himself similarly assailed the moment balls began collecting in the Manchester City net.

Two wins in four days, albeit against Portsmouth and Lille, eased the lot of Rafael Benítez,, who is spared persistent harassment by a punitive clause in his contract that will reportedly clobber Liverpool's owners for £16 million within 24 hours of his removal.

It is not for us to pick apart the lunacy of intolerant owners, only to recognise its force. Mourinho tops any sane shopping list should heads roll. Beyond him there is no outstanding candidate. Jurgen Klinsmann? He would not get a reference from Bayern Munich. Laurent Blanc? Fine player and shaping up well at Bordeaux, but not proven.

The answer is to buy British. The policy has not done United any harm.


White Noise

http://www.wandsworthguardian.co.uk/sport/5074976.Gale__Desperate_times_for_Walton/


Gale: Desperate times for Walton

9:20am Monday 22nd March 2010

By Simon Fitzjohn »


Tony Gale admits April could prove to be a pivotal month in the history of Walton Casuals, both on and off the pitch.

The Stags languish near the foot of the Ryman Division One South table, having failed to win a game in 2010.

And with a ground development proposal set to go before the FA in a matter of weeks, Director of Football Gale is in no mood to downplay the situation.

He said: "April is a massive month for us, both in terms of whether we can survive and whether we get the go ahead to develop the ground.

"As things stand the club is really run down and it looks as though it could fall down any day.

"We want a facility that the area can be proud of and for that we need the FA's backing."

On the field Casuals have endured a nightmare run, having gone 15 games without a win after Saturday's 1-0 defeat to league leaders Croydon Athletic.

And former West Ham and Fulham star Gale reckons he is as much to blame as anyone else.

He adds: "I have really taken my eye off the ball when it comes to the first team and I hold my hands up for that.

"I have put so much effort into the development programme that I have left the first team alone and I certainly could have done more to help.

"Looking at the league the position is more than dicey.

"You can get on a losing run just as easily as a winning run and we are on a nightmare run at present.

"You cannot see where the next win will come from and that is something we have to change fast."

Despite drafting in the likes of Craig Bradshaw and Carl Gibbs in the last week, Gale insists he is not about to splash the cash to beat the drop.

And he insists it is time for the current squad to pull their socks up.

Gale added: "Last season I brought in some new faces but not this year.

"To be honest players that are happy to hop about here and there for an extra £20 or £30 I am not really interested in.

"We have come a long way as a club since the Combined Counties days and it would be a big blow if we sunk to that level again.

"So I am asking everybody associated with the club for one last effort to try and beat the drop."

Walton Casuals' next three matches: 27 Whyteleafe (h), Apr 3 Chatham Town (a), 5 Fleet Town (h)

White Noise

http://www.betting-directory.com/football/22032010/spurs-v-fulham-odds-make-tottenham-favourites-ahead-of-fa-cup-quarter-final-replay.php

Spurs v Fulham Odds Make Tottenham Favourites Ahead of FA Cup Quarter Final Replay

Spurs and Fulham do battle once again in this FA Cup quarter final replay at White Hart Lane where bet365 make the home team a best price of 8/13 odds on to win. They also make the draw a 13/5 option, but Fulham fans will be pleased to see that they can get 5/1 on their team turning Spurs over and earning the right to face Portsmouth in the Semi Final.

The two sides played out a tense goalless draw last week at Craven Cottage, but they also met at White Hart Lane in the Premier League in January in a match which Spurs won by 2-0, with goals coming from Peter Crouch and David Bentley. In fact this is the fourth encounter between the two teams this season and Fulham have yet to score a goal.

Comprehensive 2010 FA Cup Betting Page.

Both teams are having great seasons, with Spurs pushing very hard and looking likely to become a member of the Premier League top four, while Fulham have once again under Roy Hodgson, consolidated themselves in the top half of the league and have qualified for the Europa Cup quarter final after an epic display at home against Juventus. An FA Cup Final place therefore would be 'icing on the cake' for both teams.

Free £200 in FA Cup Soccer Bet From Bet365

On recent form, it would seem that Spurs have the upper hand, having won five of their last six games, including an excellent away win at Stoke last weekend, where once again Peter Crouch was on the scoresheet. Without the injured Jermaine Defoe in the line up, Crouch looks a good bet in the goal scoring markets for this match, where he is even money to score on the night and 4/1 to score the first goal.

Fulham in fact come into the game having lost their last two League matches against Man Utd and against Manchester City last weekend, where they lost 1-2 at home, this is form which we think gives Harry Redknapp's team the edge.

Anything of course can happen in a one off FA Cup quarter final, but common sense tells us that the most likely winners will be Spurs and we would back them to win by a score of no more than one goal, with 2-1 looking a potentially good bet with odds of 7/1 from Bet 365

Spurs v Fulham Odds

8/13 Spurs
13/5 Draw
5/1 Fulham


2-0 win Spurs – 6/1
2-1 win Spurs – 7/1
3-2 win Spurs – 25/1