Monday Fulham Stuff (29/03/10)

[whitejc]

http://blogs.soccernet.com/fulham/archives/2010/03/tough_week_for_fulham_as_wolfs.php
Tough Week For Fulham As Wolfsburg Looms
After Fulham's historic come from behind win over Juventus 11 days ago that put the Cottagers into the final eight of the Europa League, things have not gone well for the Cottagers. Roy Hodgson's crew sandwiched Premier League losses to Manchester City and Hull City around a disappointing FA Cup quarterfinal loss to Tottenham at White Hart Lane during the midweek. Despite the recent setbacks, all eyes are on Thursday when Fulham takes on Wolfsburg in the Europa League quarterfinals at Craven Cottage.


Admittedly the Premier League losses are not a big deal to me. A European finish was not going to be in the cards as it stood and on the opposite end of things, relegation is not going to happen either. Outside of the money a team earns for its' finishing position in the Premier League table, the Cottagers have very little to play for in the league. That's not to say the matches have no importance, but I would say at this point the priority of the team rests in the Europa League.

The main reason priorities have changed in the past week is not just the league table, but because Fulham was knocked out of the FA Cup. Like many others, I was really hoping and thinking this was going to be the year that the Cottagers got back to an FA Cup final for the first time since their last and only final appearance at Wembley in 1975.

Unfortunately, after an early 1-0 Fulham lead, the wheels fell off at White Hart Lane and Tottenham took the Cottagers to the cleaners and ended any hope of a 1975 repeat for Fulham fans. A win over Spurs would have set up a very winnable semifinal date with lowly Portsmouth at Wembley. As it stands, Spurs will take on Pompey and the Cottagers will be left to focus on the Europa League.

With three matches over the previous seven days, it was nice to see Roy Hodgson rest some of his regulars in this past Saturday's match with Hull City. This came at a cost as Hull City defeated the Cottagers 2-0. However, as mentioned earlier, there is little to play for in the Premier League at this point in the season and a priority on resting players in preparation for the defending German champions Wolfsburg to me is wise move by Hodgson and it will give his side its' best chance at winning at Craven Cottage on Thursday.

Wolfsburg is having a disappointing season in the German Bundesliga. After winning the title last season the club has slumped to 9th place in the league. This past weekend they were 2-0 winners over Mainz but the previous weekend Wolfsburg was buried 5-1 against Hertha Berlin. Perhaps Wolfsburg was resting regulars after their Europa League tie the week before the Hertha match, but regardless, a 5-1 defeat at home is not good for any club no matter what players are on the pitch.

Expect a well rested Fulham team on Thursday and with the first leg being played at home, it is important that the Cottagers get the upper hand in this tie before heading to Germany a week later to try and finish off Wolfsburg. Almost as important as winning on Thursday will be not allowing the German champions to score and get the all important away goal. If the Cottagers can keep the Germans off the scoresheet on Thursday it will be a job well done by Roy Hodgson's side.

Needless to say, Thursday is going to be a great day for Fulham Football Club. The team's run in the Europa League has been nothing short of sensational and exciting and I expect more of the same later this week. A semifinal birth is at stake and with Roy Hodgson in charge of our side I am sure the team will be prepared and ready to play. I do like our chances in this tie. After the miracle comeback against Juve in the last round, anything is possible.

Do you think Fulham will win on Thursday against Wolfsburg? Are you disappointed in the team's play over the last week? Did you agree with Roy's decision to rest some of the regulars against Hull City on Saturday? I would like to read what you have to say.

Thursday will be fun against Wolfsburg. I can't wait.

[whitejc]

http://www.premiershiptalk.com/2010/03/29/a-trip-to-craven-cottage/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PremiershipTalk+%28Premiership+Talk%29
A trip to Craven Cottage

Fulham have suddenly dropped in the form table with a disappointing FA Cup elimination at the hands of Tottenham last week, which followed the previous weekend’s 2-1 home defeat against Manchester City. A 2-0 defeat away to Hull this past weekend only made matters worse.  However, as Juventus learned after a shocking defeat in the 2nd leg of their Europa League clash against Roy Hodgson’s men a little more than a week ago, Craven Cottage is host to truly one of the greatest atmospheres in English football. Some may argue that on a night as magnificent as that, the atmosphere at any stadium would be terrific.

Therefore, this article is dedicated to documenting my personal experience visiting the Cottage towards the end of 2007. My visit came when Fulham hosted Blackburn Rovers in a routine mid-season Premier League game that carried no immediate repercussions. Why did I particularly choose the visit of the Rovers? Well, aside from the fact that Blackburn’s visit was conveniently scheduled, I was excited to see the likes of Brett Emerton and Morten Gamst Pedersen in action.

As soon as I arrived outside the stadium, which is located ideally on the banks of the Thames, I saw hundreds of fans marching towards the entrance with great excitement. Most of them were extremely friendly as they spoke to me about their optimism in regards to winning the game. Fulham was struggling at that point while Blackburn was an established midtable team, but the persistent group of Fulham supporters looked far from intimidated. In fact, upon finding out that I am an Arsenal supporter, they even joked about their willingness to take on the Gunners instead of Blackburn that afternoon.

Once inside the Cottage, it was a pleasure to see how beautifully the club has preserved its history by retaining the classic architecture. One can clearly feel being at the ground of an English football team with a notable past. Throughout the announcement of the line-ups, fans cheered the name of each Lilywhite with great zeal, and the energy within the stadium only increased as the game went on. Supporters shared entertaining jokes but the banter was only one of the many reasons that led to the high energy level.

Other reasons included the unconditional support that the home faithful provided every time Fulham touched the ball, and most importantly, whenever Fulham trailed – which happened twice during the 2-2 draw – the crowd got even more involved in the game rather than projecting even a mere indication of surrender. As expected, the crowd erupted with cheers when the Cottagers scored a late second goal to level matters. In fact, Blackburn survived a few nervy moments towards the end of the encounter as the home fans continued to sing loud and proud for a good few minutes after the final whistle.

Without a doubt, this trip to Craven Cottage remains etched in my memory as one of the most entertaining experiences I’ve had watching a football game. As a neutral, I got to see all the action I could ask for and paid only a fraction of the price that is needed to attend matches hosted by the top teams in England. I reiterate what locals tell most tourists seeking to experience a Barclays Premier League game: don’t think twice about visiting Craven Cottage .

[whitejc]

http://www.tribalfootball.com/hull-playmaker-bullard-tops-newcastle-shopping-list-733741
Hull playmaker Bullard tops Newcastle shopping list
Hull City midfield schemer Jimmy Bullard will be Newcastle United's No1 summer target should they win promotion back to the Premiership.

The Sun says Toon boss Chris Hughton is already looking to life back in the big-time with Hull midfield ace Bullard one of his top targets.

Owner Mike Ashley is set to give Hughton £15million to go shopping.

Bullard cost Hull £5m from Fulham two years ago and earns around £30,000 a week at the KC Stadium. That is small fry for Toon.

Hughton said: "We have a lot of good players here but we are always looking to strengthen. I've got some big decisions to make.

"We've got a scouting system set up to identify players doing well and there are ones we have on the radar once we've achieved promotion."

[whitejc]

http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/March/RogerBrownTribute.aspx

Roger Brown Tribute Evening
Monday 29th March 2010


ROGER BROWN TRIBUTE EVENING
THURSDAY MAY 6TH, 7.30pm
As many of you will already know, our former captain and central defender, Roger Brown, has been experiencing serious health problems.

Some of his former colleagues are planning a reunion to celebrate Roger’s career, an event for which a limited number of tickets are available for interested supporters.

On Thursday May 6th, kick off 7.30pm, Malcolm Macdonald’s 1981-82 promotion side will be getting back together in the McBride's Lounge for an evening hosted by Tony Gale and Les Strong. All proceeds will go to Roger.

Space is limited and tickets, priced £40 (to include a buffet), are available on a first come, first served basis. To secure your seat, book your ticket at www.fulhamprogrammes.co.uk|.



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/March/RogerBrownTribute.aspx#ixzz0jZexKSGI

[whitejc]

http://www.fulhamfc.com/Tickets/Games/FulhamvWolfsburg.aspx
Fulham v Wolfsburg tickets



UEFA Europa League
Thursday 1 April
Kick-Off 20:05


On-sale dates
Season Ticket Holders on sale (6 tickets per person)
Fulham Club Members on sale (6 tickets per person)
General Sale on sale (6 tickets per person - Putney End only)


How to Buy Tickets
buy tickets online  - 7 days a week, 24 hrs a day. Save on booking fees by booking online*
by phone on 0870 442 1234 (option 1) - 7 days a week, 24 hrs a day
in person from the Ticket Office: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; non-match day Sat 10am-12pm
by fax 0207 384 4810 (download printable form )
by postal application to FFC Ticket Office, Stevenage Road, Fulham, SW6 6HH enclosing a stamped addressed envelope (download printable form )
Seatwave - the official fan-to-fan ticket exchange
Thomas Cook - match breaks for all Fulham FC home games
* Lower booking fees compared to telephone booking



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Tickets/Games/FulhamvWolfsburg.aspx#ixzz0jZfpxlzv

[whitejc]

http://www.cottagersconfidential.com/2010/3/29/1395008/roy-hogdson-manages-his-way-for
Roy Hogdson manages "his" way for Fulham
Before the Fulham match on Saturday I thought a win on the road was very important for Fulham. I watched earlier in the year, Fulham destroy Hull City at Craven Cottage. I was very confident going into the match regardless of Fulham's record on the road.

Before the match, I checked online to see what the starting lineup was going to be for the Cottagers. I thought  maybe Bobby Zamora would be sitting on the bench, and that would be the extent of the lineup changes. I was shocked to see how many changes there were to the lineup from the last match. Bobby Zamora, Danny Murphy, and Damien Duff were all out, and not even listed as substitutes. Dickson Etuhu and Aaron Hughes were not starting, but were on the bench.  They ended up not playing at all either. The fact that all these players were not starting surprised me before the match.

As a fan I want the best lineup out there every match. I believe if the players are able to play they should. I have never been a believer in "resting players" in a match unless they are hurt. Bobby Zamora was suffering from an illness in the last match. I could understand him not playing, but why all the other changes for the Cottagers?

Roy Hogdson is the manager, and not a fan. If he went by what I wanted, and other fans every week he would be out of a job quickly. Am I at training every day? Do I know if any players need some extra rest? Do I know if any players deserved more playing time from hard work? The answer to all of these questions is a resounding "no".
 

Hogdson needs to make tough decisions for what he thinks is right for his club. In the article from Skysports.com "Hogdson defends his selection"  , he explains some of the reasons for the selections on Saturday. According to this article on Skysports.com Hogdson stated " We played 7 matches in 21 days in February. We played eight in 24 days in March, and we have got another seven or eight in 26 days in April".  Hogdson also stated" I do not think it is fair for anybody to suggest that we can do that with 11 players.

 Hogdson also talked about why some of the players were playing in this match. According to the Skysports.com article, " Hogdson defends his selection"  Hogdson stated " I think the players who have come into the team, Dempsey for Zamora,  Dikgacoi for Murphy and Chris Smalling for Hughes, I think I am entitled to say that those players are more than capable of playing at this level".  I would definitely recommend reading this article in its entirety if you have a chance.




Based on what I have read the decision of player selection for the match were a couple of reasons. First, it sounds like Roy wanted to rest some players because Fulham have been playing a huge amount of matches in a short period of time. It also sounds like to me he wanted to give some players a chance to play that he feels can do the job. Who am I to judge? I am just a fan who loves the team. I want them to win every match and that is not possible.

I do understand why Roy Hogdson made the lineup changes on Saturday. As a fan of the club I just don't happen to like the decisions made. What I do know is that Hogdson is making decisions that he thinks are in the best interest of the club. He has the knowledge and the information that fans like me do not have. 

Roy Hogdson is one of the reasons I love Fulham. I think he has done an extraordinary job with the team. For me there is no other manager I would want for the Cottagers. He is the right manager with the right club. It is a perfect fit. I might not like everything he does, but I know how lucky Fulham are to have him. I might not like these decisions on Saturday, but I do know they were made in the best interest of the team. In concluding there is one great thing I can say about the Fulham manager.  Roy Hogdson manages "his" way for Fulham.