Wednesday Fulham Stuff(13/06/12)...

[WhiteJC]

 
FFC Father's Day Gifts

Make this Father's Day that little bit more special with some great Fulham gifts starting from only £1.99. Check our online range of gift ideas and make it a Fulham Father's Day.

The 2011/12 Season Review DVD is now available for order, so why not get your Dad this special disc and relive with him all of last season's games and goals on his special day.

We also have a Fulham Wash Bag available for you to fill up with summer essentials such as the Fulham Shower Gel and the Fulham Body Spray.

Moreover, why not go that step further and pre-order the brand new 2012/13 Fulham Away Kit for Father's Day and be in with a chance of winning a SEAT Ibiza car*!

See more Gift Ideas

Father's Day is fast approaching so order that special present online now to ensure you receive it in plenty of time before Sunday.

*SEAT Ibiza SC SE. Terms and conditions apply. See www.fulhamfc.com/seatcomp for details.



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2012/June/FulhamGiftsforDad.aspx?#ixzz1xdnoBxQq

[WhiteJC]

 
Jol linked with Emirates raid

Fulham boss Martin Jol is reportedly ready to rival Zenit St Petersburg for Arsenal forward Andrey Arshavin.

The Russian international seems set to depart the Emirates Stadium this summer after joining Zenit on loan at the end of last season.

Zenit are keen to sign Arshavin on a permanent basis but it is thought the Russian side are unwilling to match the Gunners' £8million asking price, with Zenit prepared to pay around £5million for the 31-year-old.

Jol is eager to add to his attacking options this summer, with Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembele widely tipped to depart Craven Cottage, and the Ducthman has been linked with a move for Arshavin, with Jol expected to be handed money to reinvest in his squad should Dempsey or Dembele be sold.


http://www.clubcall.com/fulham/jol-linked-with-emirates-raid-1437451.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Euro 2012: Fulham Watch Update (and other thoughts)


Damien Duff and Ireland endured a disappointing opening to Euro 2012, a 3-1 loss to Croatia

So, the first round of matches for our mighty Cottagers came and went, and all in all there wasn't too much to talk about. Pogrebnyak sat on the bench and watched Aleksandr Kerzakhov miss chance after chance, before the man picked ahead of the Pog to replace him, Roman Pavlyuchenko, scored a fine goal of his own. For the record, I thought Kerzakhov's play other than shooting was brilliant; he played the role of dropping back to combine with Dzagoev and Arshavin brilliantly.

However, even if he is benched next game for his wastefulness in front of goal (Opta provided the hilarious statistic that he is the first player to ever have seven shots off target at the Euros), it looks like Pavlyuchenko will be the one to step up, so don't expect much time for Pavel unless injury or suspension hits.

As a side note, I was quite pleased with Russia, having decided to adopt them as my team to support during this tournament – due to Andrey Arshavin being one of the strangest people I've ever watched, the Pog, and Russia being an interesting place in general to me. They looked confident and fluid, but we'll see how they do against a big side (assuming they make it out of the group, which they should).

On to our Irish representatives. Damien Duff played the whole ninety minutes against Croatia, and generally put in a pretty disappointing display, considering he is one of Ireland's main attacking outlets. His crosses were decent, but he wasn't consistently involved. That said, he worked hard on defense and made a couple of well-timed tackles and clearances. At Fulham, unfortunately, that isn't what he'll be judged on, so it wasn't the best outing. He won a few free kicks, but his one shot I can remember was well wide (which should sound familiar). I've never quite understood managers playing him on the right when he's clearly more comfortable and better at getting to the by-line and crossing with his much stronger left foot, rather than cutting in and shooting. There's probably something I don't know, but that's my opinion based on what I've seen.

Stephen Kelly, the final Fulham player, didn't make the field in Ireland's loss, with John O'Shea appearing a lock in his position. Given Kelly's unimpressive one-on-one defending most of the time this season and Trapattoni's defensive tactics, I can't say I blame the manager. Unfortunately for Ireland, their plan went awry early on with that strange headed goal, and they never quite looked like getting anything from the game – apart from a few minutes after their equalizer.

Croatia's cross-heavy tactic and two-forward system seemed to take Ireland by surprise. They pushed hard, but I honestly see them leaving pointless from this tournament. Their fans have still been fantastic, as was expected, and it's a shame to see them likely leaving early.

Well, that's about that for the Fulham update. Hopefully next time will have some more to talk about. Here's some other random thoughts about the tournament so far:

First a little about the coverage from ESPN, so skip this if it doesn't apply to you. Overall it's been fantastic (presentation-wise), but I have several gripes.

Alexi Lalas is a pompous, egotistical know-it-all whose predictions thus far have consistently made me laugh out loud. Seriously, he's said already that this tournament will see the "withering of Spain" and that the Dutch "have peaked". Let the ball be kicked before you start throwing stuff like that around. He could end up being right (I sincerely hope not), but he seemed to be doom-saying just to doom-say.

Michael Ballack is a great addition. His insight and experience with a large portion of the tournament field give him a unique perspective, he's got a nice sense of humor, and he looks sort of like Matt Damon. He's struggled a bit with the English, but I think he'll get better and better as the tournament progresses.

Kasey Keller cannot pronounce names. This was infuriating. His overall commentary was okay, but his absolute butchering of pronunciations was frankly embarrassing. Dzagoev: jay-go-ev (most annoying one in my opinion). Varela: Villa (with an "l" sound, naturally). Akinfeev: ah-ken-feh-nov (seriously!? Where did that come from?!). I'm sure there were more, especially from the Russia-Czech Republic game. I really don't understand why he doesn't just listen to Derek Rae and say things the way he does.

About the games themselves:
I thought the commentators were way too critical of Spain in the Italy match. It was always going to be a tight game, and their main issue seemed to be that the striker-less formation wasn't creating chances, which is just plain wrong. That had at least six legitimate chances in the first half, and actually worked the goalkeeper on almost all of them. On comes Torres, who – credit where it's due – created chances, but his finishing was even worse. Spain won't be panicking, and none of their supporters should either; it was a decent performance, and I predict they'll only get better from here.

The Czechs look weak at the back. They can pass well and create chances, but looked extremely vulnerable. I don't see them getting out of Group A.

The Netherlands just seemed off. Their passing wasn't crisp, and no one seemed on their game apart from Wesley Sneijder – to the point that the deadliest striker in the Premier League failed to even make contact with the ball on a great chance. They'd better shape up fast; if Germany and Denmark both win their next matches (which is entirely possible), they're out.



http://fulhamsfinest.com/2012/06/12/euro-2012-fulham-watch-update-and-other-thoughts/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham midfielder poised for loan switch



MARTIN Jol plans to send Fulham midfielder Marcel Gecov out on loan next season.

The 24-year-old has made just three starts for the Whites since his move from Slovan Liberic last summer, spending most of his time stuck in the stands.

Gecov is way down the pecking order at Craven Cottage, with Danny Murphy, Steve Sidwell, Dickson Etuhu and Mahamadou Diarra all in front of him.

The Czech snubbed a loan switch to Sheffield Wednesday in March, but boss Jol wants the former Slavia Prague youngster to get game time elsewhere next campaign.

He told the Chronicle: "There were a few clubs who were interested in him [last season] and I thought it was better for him to go on loan, but he didn't want to go.

"He was a very good player when he was in the Czech Republic. He came to us but there was too much rivalry for his position.

"I think it would be good for him, like a few other players, to go on loan and get their rhythm."



Read More http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/fulham-fc/2012/06/13/82029-31170578/?#ixzz1xgKBUF5l

[WhiteJC]

 
Membership



2012/13 Fulham membership coming soon
The 2011/12 season saw even more sell-outs at the Cottage with many of our biggest matches not even reaching General Sale. With fans already talking about the 2012/13 campaign, FFC is putting the final touches on a new and improved Club membership.

For a fourth consecutive season the Club will be offering bespoke packages for our UK and International fans giving you the chance to get closer to the Club you love, no matter how far away you may be.

Members will receive some great new benefits for the new season, including improved match ticket discounts for designated games throughout 2012/13, a guaranteed number of seats held for all home League and Cup matches, and continued inclusion into the Club's ticketing Loyalty Points Scheme.

This will allow you to build on the points you've accumulated last season or keep the ones you've worked hard to earn, and will improve the access you get to those big games.

Register your details below and get exclusive access to purchase your membership before anybody else.



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2012/June/Membership.aspx?#ixzz1xgKYnnCp

[WhiteJC]

 
Jol plans to loan out Gecov
Fulham's Czech midfielder Marcel Gecov is likely to go out on loan next term after a lack of action in his first season



The 24-year-old played just three times last term following his arrival from Slovan Liberec, but was not interested in a short-term spell at Sheffield Wednesday.

Gecov's first-team prospects have not improved in the meantime, with January signing Mahamadou Diarra now ahead of him in the reckoning.

And boss Martin Jol told the Fulham and Hammersmith Chronicle: "There were a few clubs who were interested in him last season and I thought it was better for him to go on loan, but he didn't want to go.

"He was a very good player when he was in the Czech Republic. He came to us but there was too much rivalry for his position.

"I think it would be good for him, like a few other players, to go on loan and get their rhythm."



http://www.football365.com/premier-league/7810105/Jol-plans-to-loan-out-Gecov?

[WhiteJC]

 
Jol: Robben Can Inspire Netherlands to Euro 2012 Success [VIDEO]

Fulham manager Martin Jol believes Arjen Robben can provide the spark to turn the Netherlands' faltering Euro 2012 campaign around against Germany on Wednesday evening.

A victory is vital for Bert van Marwijk's side - one of the pre-tournament favourites - after they lost to Denmark in their Group B opener, while Germany beat Portugal.

Robben has experienced significant despair for club and country in recent years, including defeats in the 2010 World Cup final and in two Champions League finals. However, Jol remains adamant that those experiences will not weigh the winger down and only serve to inspire him to achieve future glory.

"Of course he's had his disappointments, losing in two Champions League finals, the German Cup and the World Cup against Spain," Jol told Yahoo! Sport. "But that was all coincidence; Arjen Robben is a player that will make the difference and has made the difference for Bayern Munich in the past.

"I know as a sportsman he will love to put it all right and show everyone he is one of the best players in Europe."

The Dutch were guilty of wasting a number of chances against Denmark and the 2010 World Cup losing finalists are in danger of being knocked out of the competition in the group stages if they lose to Germany.

In competitive matches between the pair, Germany have three wins compared to two for the Netherlands, while four have ended in a draw.

"If you look at Joachim Löw he plays in the same style all the time and that is probably the biggest advantage," said Jol. "They play a 4-2-3-1, they have Podolski and Klose, he (Klose) is still a killer and he scores goals.

"They've also got Gomez who was almost the top scorer in the Bundesliga League. They've also got a few youngsters, for example Müller who played on the right and their biggest talent Mesut Ozil as well as Mario Götze from Dortmund. So if you look at the quality I think that they are similar to Holland.

"If you look at the Dutch team they have to change their style occasionally. In the last couple of friendly's before the big tournament Van Der Vaart was playing on the left, Van Persie was playing on the right, they changed the style and there was a lot of criticism about this in Holland.

"Of course Robben wasn't there all the time because he and the Champions League final, which he didn't win and that was a big disappointment. Overall I would say that Germany are settled in their system and Holland are not."

There is an intense rivalry between the two countries; with explosive encounters mixed with moments of brilliance over the years. "Football is war," said the great Dutch manager Rinus Michels and Jol believes the analogy aptly describes the competitiveness between the two countries.

"The fact that we are a smaller country and they are our big neighbours, of course maybe the war has something to do with it," added Jol, who made three appearances for the Dutch national side in 1980.

"They were always better than us in the early sixties but in the seventies we won the European Cup with Feyenoord and Ajax so our national team got better and better, and this was helped by our star man Johan Cruyff.

"The result was a final in '74 and that was amazing, I can remember everything, I was eighteen years old in Germany with my sister who was married to a German bloke. But it was the biggest disappointment for a Dutch man in the history of our international football career."



http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/351656/20120613/jol-robben-inspire-netherlands-euro-2012-success.htm?

[WhiteJC]

 
Relive Our 2011/12 Season

2011/12 Season Review DVD

Relive all of last season's highlights now with the 2011/12 Season Review DVD. Available online, instore and direct* for only £15.99.

The Whites' ninth place finish in the top flight included highlights such as Pavel Pogrebnyak scoring five times in his first three matches, and Clint Dempsey breaking former Fulham Captain Brian McBride's record for the most goals scored by an American in the Barclays Premier League.

Secure this collectable DVD and relive our epic 2011/12 campaign. Better yet, why not make this the perfect present for Father's Day and spend this Sunday going over last season's greatest moments. 

Buy now

*Fulham Direct: 0843 208 1223 (Mon - Sat 9am-5pm; Sun 11am - 3pm)



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2012/June/Relivethe201112Season.aspx?#ixzz1xgLu541x

[WhiteJC]

 
Gecov heading out on loan
Czech international will be farmed out on-loan next season

Fulham manager Martin Jol will send midfielder Marcel Gecov out on-loan next season to get some much needed experience.

Gecov, 24, joined the club last summer from Slovan Liberec but has only managed three appearances during that period.

The Czech international rejected the opportunity to go on loan to Sheffield Wednesday in March, but Jol will now ensure he gets game time elsewhere next term.

Interested

"There were a few clubs who were interested in him [last season] and I thought it was better for him to go on loan, but he didn't want to go," he told The Chronicle.

"He was a very good player when he was in the Czech Republic. He came to us but there was too much rivalry for his position.

"I think it would be good for him, like a few other players, to go on loan and get their rhythm."



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/7810287/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Father's Day Tours

Make Father's Day special this weekend by taking your Dad behind the scenes at London's original Football Club.

If you are visiting London with Dad this weekend make sure you explore London's rich football history by making Craven Cottage your first stop.

Home of Fulham Football Club, the Cottage is a unique stadium positioned on the scenic bank of the River Thames, making your visit a perfect day out.

Explore the Club's unique 19th Century ground on a tour that will take you past the Michael Jackson statue, along the riverside and into Chairman Mohamed Al Fayed's box.

This unmissable experience, at London's original football club, is just £8 for adults, £5 for juniors and free for under 5s.

For more info visit www.fulhamfc.com/cottagetours.

Book now



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2012/June/FathersDayTours.aspx?#ixzz1xgMaxEMu

[ToodlesMcToot]

Hope thatim not stepping on toes here, but I thought I'd share that our man Clint scored a fine goal last night vs the Guatemalans.

The game was PPV here in The U.S. and on a very lo def feed. Thought folks might enjoy seeing the goal anyway. Here 'tis.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWueBeA_o0A#ws