Friday Fulham Stuff (13/07/12)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham sign free agent Hugo Rodallega on three-year deal
• Striker's contract with Wigan ended last month
• 'He is a great addition,' says Fulham manager Martin Jol


Hugo Rodallega spent three and a half seasons at Wigan.
Photograph: Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Fulham have bolstered their strike options after completing a deal to sign Hugo Rodallega on a free transfer. The former Wigan forward has signed a three-year deal at Craven Cottage, subject to a work permit.

Rodallega had become available on a free transfer after his contract with Wigan Athletic, where he spent the past three years, expired last month.

"I'm thrilled to have signed for Fulham," the Colombian said. "I wanted to stay in England and I'm delighted that I now have this opportunity with Fulham.

"I would like to thank the staff and fans of Wigan Athletic for three and a half wonderful seasons there. I'm looking forward to pre-season training with the rest of the Fulham squad and starting a new chapter in my career."

The Fulham manager, Martin Jol, said: "There has been a lot of interest in him from other top-flight teams in England and abroad, so to be able to add his quality to our squad is a massive boost this early in our preparations for the new campaign. He is a great addition and I think he will contribute very well to our style and philosophy here."



http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jul/12/fulham-sign-hugo-rodallega?

[WhiteJC]

 
Clint Dempsey: Team USA Star Would Be Great Addition for Liverpool



New manager Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool need to improve upon their 2011-12 campaign, and one way to begin that process on the right foot would be to bring USA National Team and Fulham star Clint Dempsey to Anfield.

And it would appear that transfer is in the works. From the Mirror Online:

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is ready to bid £7.5 million for Fulham's American star Clint Dempsey in his first major transfer raid.

Rodgers wants to snap up Dempsey quickly and tie up a deal before the Kop fly to the shooting star's homeland next week.

Dempsey had a sensational season for Fulham but may have to be sold as his deal is running down and he fancies a 'glamour' move at this stage of his career - with the Anfield club prepared to pay.

The Mirror has also reported that Fulham could use Dempsey as an asset to send along to Liverpool, as the Cottagers hope to pry Andy Carroll away from the Reds.

Dempsey had a fantastic 2011-12 season for Fulham, scoring 23 goals and tallying six assists in all competitions for the team. But how would he fit in with Liverpool?

Clint Dempsey - I Stand Alone (All 2011-12 Highlights)
Bleacher Report soccer scribe Will Tidey believes Rodgers will utilize a 4-3-3 formation this season, and Dempsey would fit in as one of the wings in the attacking third, likely opposite Luis Suarez on the other side.

That would leave either Andy Carroll as the lone striker, or perhaps Fabio Borini if he ends up coming to Anfield on a transfer, as rumors have suggested is in the works.

No matter who ends up as the team's striker, the team would have some serious goal-scoring punch with Dempsey, Suarez and Steven Gerrard's ability to blast long-range goals from the midfield. You can't tell me you wouldn't be excited about watching Liverpool  next season if the crafty and creative Dempsey was added to the squad.

He may not replicate his 23-goal season for Liverpool—truthfully, with more talent around him he won't need to for the Reds to have success—but he'll certainly add some spice to the team's attack.

It seems like the perfect fit, and I would expect this rumor will become truth soon enough.



http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1256333-clint-dempsey-team-usa-star-would-be-great-addition-for-liverpool?

[WhiteJC]

 
Vertonghen: How former Spurs boss played a central role in my career

Jan Vertonghen has revealed that former Tottenham manager Martin Jol played a central role in his development by moving him into the heart of the defence.

The adaptable Vertonghen is best known as a centre-back but operates as a left-back for the Belgium national team, and is also comfortable in midfield.

Spurs' new signing admits that his versatility caused him problems earlier in his career – but that Jol put him on the right track during his year in charge of Ajax in 2009-10.

"I used to play in midfield for quite a long time, and even in the first team at Ajax," said Vertonghen. "They didn't know what I was exactly, but when Martin Jol came he told me that I'm a central defender, and it was the time for me to develop my body and my way of playing to be a central defender - and that really helped me to make a choice about my position.

"He [Jol] had a great time here [at Spurs] but he didn't tell me that much about Tottenham – I think he was little bit afraid that I would leave his team! But he was always very positive about the Premier League and Tottenham, and I'm glad to be here now.

"I think really I'm a central defender. I play left-back in the Belgium team because they already have some great central defenders there - you all know them.

"I can play there, and in the Belgium team I'm happy that I can play in the team because they have a lot of quality players, but my ambition here is to play in central defence - and I think that's where they want me to play."

As a big fan of the Premier League, Vertonghen was thrilled to complete his protracted move to Spurs – and he is now intent on getting up to speed with English football.

"The Premier League was the only competition that I was really following on the TV, and I think for every football player the dream is to play in the Premier League, because football was born here," he said.

"I went to the last game of the season - Tottenham against Fulham - and I tasted the ambience and the atmosphere, and it was amazing.

"The level of the Premier League is different from the Dutch league, and the tempo and the level is higher.

"I hope I can adapt - that's one of the reasons why it was very important for me to start preparations now, to adapt to the level and the tempo.

"It's a little bit higher than in Amsterdam, but I'll have five or six weeks to adapt and then I want to be ready to start quickly."

Vertonghen may only have been at Spurs for a couple of days, but he says the playing style – and the coaching style of Andre Villas-Boas – is very familiar.

"The way the team play football, that's one of the reasons I came here," he said. "I really want to play good football, and it's similar to the way that Ajax wanted to play.

"I saw them [Tottenham] playing in the Champions League - it was just amazing. They have real quality players here, and that's what Rafael van der Vaart told me too.

"Villas-Boas? I'm very impressed by him. He's really involved on the pitch, and in his coaching.

"I like that kind of training, because Frank de Boer was quite similar. He was always with the players - he was talking, he was coaching and that's what I like.

"He [Villas-Boas] keeps the team busy. He's running around and when we play games he's on the field between the players. I like those kind of trainers.

"I've been here for a few days and I think we have a quality team, so we want to aim as high as possible. Last year Tottenham were in the race for the championship for a long way, so we have to try to do that again – and maybe a little bit longer."

Vertonghen, who was speaking at the launch of Spurs' new kit, added: "It's really important to play in a nice shirt. I know the Tottenham kit from before and it feels amazing to play in the kit right now. Everybody knows the white shirt and it's like a dream come true for me."

Under Armour is the Official Technical Partner of Tottenham Hotspur FC. Under Armour is a leading performance apparel, footwear and accessories brand. For details of the new kit go to www.tottenhamhotspur.com



http://www.london24.com/sport/tottenham/vertonghen_how_former_spurs_boss_played_a_central_role_in_my_career_1_1444221?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham sign Hugo Rodallega

Hugo Rodallega signed for Fulham today on a free transfer. The 26 year old penned a three year deal.

My gut reaction was a bit of worry: Wigan started winning last season when Hugo stopped playing (club went 4-1-2 in the 7 weeks he was out, including some massive wins over Arsenal and Liverpool), he netted just two goals (both coincidentally in January, both losses), and was often out with knee injuries. All this in a contract year.

But perhaps this helped in Fulham's negotiations. Hugo clearly has talent: he scored 9 goals in 2010-11, 10 in 2009-10, and 3 after being a January arrival in 2008-09. He currently holds Wigan's record for goals scored (24) in the EPL. Despite being right footed, 6 of those goals have come from his left foot, and 2 from the penalty spot.

This for a club that's never been higher than 16th (which was this season) in goals scored in the past five years. And, for me, if I ever was watching a Wigan game, I'd usually just focus on him.

Speaking of which, enjoy this video (while we can) of all his goals for Wigan that was floating around twitter today.

Hugo Rodallega- all Wigan goals

So make that three signings as of July 12, with zero transfer fee outlay. Still some holes to fill overall, but good bits of moneyball, eh?



http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2012/07/12/fulham-sign-hugo-rodallega/?

[WhiteJC]

 
A Breakdown of Hugo
by LYDIA on JULY 12, 2012

As Fulham fans, we are generally used to business in the transfer window happening reasonably late in the window but this time, we already have had players leave and players swiftly brought in. It has been very busy for Jol which tells me that he has had a plan to freshen up the squad for quite some time now. The decisions to allow Pog and AJ to leave without much of a fight as well as saying good bye to our beloved captain panicked many fans but at the same time probably filled a lot of us which wonder, asking, "What is Jol's plan?"

Many have been very impressed with the signing of Petric and few fans could deny that right back was an area that needed strengthened so the signing of Riether would have caused a few nods. Now we have former Wigan striker Hugo Rodallega added to the ranks of our squad.  Just before I go on to talk about our latest recruit I want to add the point that it is significant that Jol is doing some business early. I reckon that one of the reasons that Ruiz didn't shine last year as much as we had hoped was because he was a late signing and was thrown straight into the mix whenever he definitely wasn't ready. I believe that Ruiz will be much more important for us this year whenever he has had a solid year to learn about the English game. Petric, Riether and Rodallega will have the whole of pre-season to learn about the way Fulham play and the philosophy that Jol is now rapidly bringing to the club. I don't think that Jol is anywhere near done in the window and don't expect that all of the dealings will be done early, we are Fulham after all!


Hugo at the training ground today

Now let's talk about Jol's newest acquisition. What can we expect from the man who has had a mixed 3 years at Premier league strugglers Wigan? Well, I think we can expect a Zamora-esque style of play. He is a big, strong guy who can hold the ball up away from defenders as well as having a good burst of speed. He is tricky player to defend against because of this. He was Wigans' top PL goal scorer with 24 goals and his best season was 10 goals in the 2009-10 season. I think that with good service, something that he perhaps didn't always get at Wigan, we could expect to get 10-15 goals in all competitions from him. Jol spoke highly of Hugo and seems convinced that he will fit in to the style at Fulham so I think that he expects that he will benefit from the service that the likes of Frei, Ruiz and (hopefully) Dempsey will provide him with.  Youtube have a good video showing nearly all of Rodallega's goals for Wigan. Most of his goals come from inside the box and we have headers, left footers and right footers. He looks very handy inside the box as many of his goals are due to him being much sharper than the defenders! He looks like a very solid player and the fact that he was on a free means that t was a good piece of business.


Will Andy Carroll be in a Fulham kit by the start of the season?

I still think Jol might buy another striker, as we haven't spent anything on Rodallega or Petric so I'm not sure who we will see in our starting line up this season. Will it be a Petric-Rodallega strike force or will we, as rumours suggest, have Andy Carroll in the mix as well? Now that would be interesting. I think that some of the pre-season games will give us more clues as to how we will line up this year but at the same time I don't think Jol is done in the transfer window just yet and it just adds to my excitement about the next season!



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2012/07/a-breakdown-of-hugo/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Clint Dempsey: Fulham Must Cash in by Selling American Star to Liverpool

Liverpool is attempting to revitalize their squad this summer, and one of the best ways for them to do this is to snag American star Clint Dempsey from Fulham on the transfer market.

While it's not too often that the Reds are simply able to purchase a player of Dempsey's caliber from a team that direly needs him, the simple fact is that the U.S. national team midfielder is in the last year of his contract and would be able to transfer for free next year.

New Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is apparently keen to making an offer for Dempsey's services.

According to Giuseppe Muro of the London Evening Standard, the Reds are looking to make a £7.5million bid for the 29-year-old mid that may involve a non-important player from Anfield moving to Craven Cottage.

Fulham boss Martin Jol would be wise to accept this bid and allow Dempsey to make a move to an EPL rival. The squad's chances of re-signing him after his current deal dries up are slim-to-none.

It's also a smart move for Liverpool, as the side would love a versatile mid that could join the attack on the left flank or use his excellent defensive skills to play a bit deeper.

Fabio Borini, another rumored Liverpool transfer target, is a solid striker up top who would be able to feed off the skills of Dempsey, Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez. This would give the Reds a patented and dangerous offensive attack, which is something they sorely need to get back into contention with the top-flight teams.

It'll be interesting to see how Liverpool plays the transfer market, and if they decide to make a serious run at Dempsey. If the organization does, it would benefit both Liverpool and Fulham, which makes the deal a no-brainer.



http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1256695-clint-dempsey-fulham-must-cash-in-by-selling-american-star-to-liverpool?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham to offer Clint Dempsey to Liverpool in bid for Andy Carroll
• Brendan Rodgers could be tempted by £9m plus Dempsey
• Fulham sign Hugo Rodallega on free transfer from Wigan


Clint Dempsey only has 12 months left on his Fulham contract and is eager to
move to a bigger club. Photograph: Tony O'Brien/Action Images

Fulham hope to use Liverpool's interest in Clint Dempsey to drive an audacious swap deal for Andy Carroll, which would feature a cash adjustment, as they also completed the free transfer of Hugo Rodallega from Wigan Athletic.

Dempsey, who scored 23 goals in all competitions last season, has 12 months to run on his Fulham contract and he is keen to move to a bigger club. Brendan Rodgers, the Liverpool manager, appears prepared to let Carroll go and the striker has also attracted the interest of West Ham United and Newcastle United, his former club.

Fulham would have to give Liverpool around £9m on top of Dempsey, but the deal for Rodallega, who has signed a three-year contract, has strengthened their options following the departures of Andy Johnson and Pavel Pogrebnyak.



http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jul/12/fulham-clint-dempsey-liverpool-andy-carroll?

[WhiteJC]

 
Rodallega joins Fulham on free transfer

Fulham have completed a deal to sign Colombia striker Hugo Rodallega on a free transfer. The former Wigan frontman has signed a three-year deal at Craven Cottage subject to a work permit.

Rodallega had become available on a free transfer after his contract with Wigan, where he spent three years, expired last month. Despite managing just two goals last term, the Colombia international had reportedly also drawn interest from Everton and Aston Villa.

"I'm thrilled to have signed for Fulham," Rodallega said. "I wanted to stay in England and I'm delighted that I now have this opportunity."



http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/rodallega-joins-fulham-on-free-transfer-7939525.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Hugo's Craven a new challenge as Roadallega joins Fulham

FULHAM have bolstered their strike options after completing a deal to sign Hugo Rodallega on a free transfer.

Buy Vintage Football Shirts on Ebay
The former Wigan frontman has penned a three-year deal to join the Craven Cottage club subject to a work permit.

Rodallega had become available on a free transfer after his contract with Wigan, where he spent the past three years, expired last month.

Despite managing just two goals last term the Colombia international had also drawn interest from Everton and Aston Villa, and admitted he had hoped to remain in England.

"I'm thrilled to have signed for Fulham football club," Rodallega said.

"I wanted to stay in England and I'm delighted that I now have this opportunity with Fulham.

"I'm looking forward to pre-season training with the rest of the Fulham squad and starting a new chapter in my career."

Manager Martin Jol described Rodallega's arrival as a "massive boost'" ahead of the new campaign.

Fulham's strike options have been weakened over the summer following the departure of Andy Johnson to QPR while Pavel Pogrebnyak, who impressed on loan in the second half of last season, opted to join newly-promoted Reading.



Read More http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/sport/amateur-football/2012/07/13/100252-31385013/?#ixzz20VjUU0Gl

[WhiteJC]

 
Current affairs



The summer months can get frustrating for football fans. For every newspaper story (most, we assume, with a grain of truth to them) we have several internet rumours and counter rumours (few, we assume, with a grain of truth to them) and everyone laps it all up anyway because without actual matches our addiction needs feeding somehow.

Really it's all about players coming and going.

The significant moves so far, then:

Subtract: AJ, Orlando Sa, Danny Murphy, Pavel Pogrebnyak
Add: Mladen Petric, Hugo Rodallega, Sascha Riether

If we add in the likely disappearances of Dempsey and Dembele you see the following:

AJ, Sa, Murphy, Pogrebnyak, Dempsey, Dembele

AJ doesn't really need replacing. He was a squad player on star player wages, and living embodiment of the 'health is a skill' maxim. Ditto Orlando Sa, whose contribution last season could be covered by a younger player.

Danny Murphy is a big loss but Mahamadou Diarra is a big gain. They are completely different to look at but actually possess reasonably similar skill-sets. So of course we'll miss Murphy in all kinds of ways, but it's not like there's a huge void where he once stood. Indeed, Diarra's form at the end of the year was presumably the beginning of the end for Murphy.

Pogrebnyak hit some extraordinary goalscoring form when he first arrived but never really convinced beyond those goals. Had he not scored with his first five shots (or whatever it was, a statistically improbable feat that he'll never replicate) his spell here would have been considered a lot of nothing. Now, of course he did score those goals, but the point is that him doing so was so far beyond the realms of probability that the word fluke is probably not unreasonable. It was a happy fluke but I'll eat my hat if he scores 12 league goals for Reading this season. Mladen Petric doesn't have to do much to replace what I'd expect from Pogrebnyak next season.

We don't know anything much about Sascha Riether. As I'm fond of saying, we Fulham fans can't agree about players we see every week so why we'd take a second hand view of "someone from Germany" to describe a player I don't know.  His CV suggests a moderately interesting player of Fulham-like quality, but really we'll have to see him in action before passing judgement.

Timmy's Rodallega post is exactly what I'd have written, too. He's a very talented player who might or might not be a fine signing. It's interesting to see the club move beyond Roy Hodgson's preference for sensible Anglo-Saxons (I know, I know), and we could find ourselves in a crazy mad skillz flair-off in which Rodallega and Ruiz go bananas with wizardry next season (probably once, against Wycombe in the Milk Cup). If we consider Rodallega a Dempsey replacement (he's not, but can perform essentially the same role, with different attributes, obviously) then this is another "big thing" ticked off Jol's list.

So really it's just now a question of Dembele. Steve Sidwell's fitness can mean that we're not actively shopping in this area, but behind Sidwell we'd be looking at Gecov and Etuhu, neither of whom Jol appears to trust. So if we get real money for Dempsey and Dembele then we might like to spend it on another midfielder.

Jol also has the likes of Kasami, Frei, Trotta and Kacaniklic to fit in next season and between them we might expect at least one major step forward. Bryan Ruiz, if he's going to come through, will do so in this his second season. That alone could cover for the lost genius of Dembele.

When you look at all this we're really not far off being fine. Even if we lose Dempsey and Dembele we're now just about par for the course, with an equivalent arrival probably amounting to a serious cherry on top. This assumes that everyone gels and plays nicely, but there's no reason to think that this won't be the case.  We're moving into Martin Jol's team now, quickly, with only really Hangeland and Schwarzer remaining as key players from the Hodgson team.



http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2012/07/13/current-affairs/?

[WhiteJC]

 
All-change at Liverpool as Borini joins with Dempsey set to follow
The future looks less rosy for Andy Carroll under Brendan Rodgers though

Liverpool have allegedly agreed a fee in the region of £10million with Roma for striker Fabio Borini.

The Italian international impressed at Roma last term and was included in the Italy squad for Euro 2012 – although he didn't get on the pitch during the tournament.

Borini has linked up with Brendan Rodgers before, first while the Northern Irishman was working at Chelsea and then when he took the 21-year-old on loan to Swansea City.

His six goals in nine Championship games helped the Swans to promotion and he has all the makings of an excellent signing for the Reds.

Meanwhile, the Guardian are reporting that Fulham are preparing to offer Liverpool Clint Dempsey and £9million for the out-of-favour Andy Carroll.

After hitting 23 goals for the Cottagers last term, the American is keen to move on to a bigger club and, with the player now 29-years-old, this could be his last chance for a big move to come to fruition.

The Liverpool transfer rumours don't stop there though, with Swansea winger Scott Sinclair apparently stalling on signing a new deal with the Welsh side.

His contract runs out next summer and, despite Rodgers allegedly telling Swansea chairman Huw Jenkins that he wouldn't take any players from the Liberty, Liverpool are thought to be sniffing around.

Sinclair is rated at somewhere in the region of £5million although whether the player, who had a decent rather than spectacular season with Swansea last term, is of the standard Reds fans would wish for is another matter.



http://news.ladbrokes.com/en-gb/football/premier-league/all-change-at-liverpool-as-borini-joins-with-dempsey-set-to-follow_110780.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Hugo Rodallega gets his big club move

After all the speculation over the last eighteen months as to which BIG Club Wigan Athletic's Columbian striker Hugo Rodallega was going to move to, our wait has finally ended, he's going to Fulham.
It was only six months ago that Hugo's agent was touting names like Chelsea, Arsenal, AC Milan and Ajax being after his 'sought after' player. He was advised not to sign an extension to his existing contract at Latics as he would move on to bigger and better things in the summer. Not everything panned out the way he thought it would though and at the Players Awards night he even told Cockney Latic that he was trying to sort out a deal to stay on at Wigan.

Since the turn of the year, he made very few starts and scored no goals besides having plenty of chances (he has scored only two goals from the 23 games he has played this season). After dropping him after March 11th, Latics went on a tremendous run and showed that the adage of 'no player is bigger than the club' rung true.
He leaves Wigan on a free transfer having played no part in the final nine games that saw Wigan pick up 21 points (except for a cameo in the final game against Wolves) and seeing his last ditch effort to stay evaporate because of wage demands.

So Hugo now heads off to London after a playing 117 games for Latics and scoring 24 goals, he has a times been a frustrating player but has also showed some tremendous from. I feel he may go the way of many ex-Latic players that leave for better prospects, only for them to wish they had signed that extension.

"I am delighted that Hugo has decided to join Fulham," Martin Jol said. "There has been a lot of interest in him from other top-flight teams in England and abroad, so to be able to add his quality to our squad is a massive boost this early in our preparations for the new campaign. He's a great addition and I think he'll contribute very well to our style and philosophy."

For the record, the only teams to show an interest were Everton and well Everton, who allegedly baulked at the £70,000 a week wage demands. With exit of Andrew Jonson and loanee Pogrebnyak (who chose to sign for Reading instead of the Cottagers) Rodallega could well make quite a few starts next term.

We at Wigan will wish him all the best on his new challenge



http://www.cockneylatic.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1241%3Ahugo-rodallega-gets-his-big-club-move&catid=1%3Alatest-news&Itemid=50

[WhiteJC]

 
Back To Fitness

While the majority of Fulham's First-Team squad have been enjoying some sunnier climes over the summer months, Steve Sidwell has been putting in the hard graft at the Club's Motspur Park Training Ground.

Sidelined since early February with a hernia problem, the midfielder is desperate to be firing on all cylinders by the time the new season begins.

And his determination appears to have been rewarded, with the 29-year-old able to take part in full training when the squad returned for the start of pre-season this week.

"It's been tough, I've been in all summer," he told the official website. "I had a bit of a break with the missus and kids as soon as last season ended but I've been here pretty much the whole summer getting fit and it's paid off.

"We're in our first week of pre-season training now and I've felt good. There will probably be a few little niggles here and there but the surgeon said that's completely natural. I feel like I'm on par with the rest of the lads fitness-wise.

"It was tough coming in when everyone else was off. It's the first time I've had to do that. I'm not someone who usually gets injured so to be in when everyone else is on a break is difficult. You're doing the work on your own as well which is hard but the fitness lads were first class. Hopefully, it's onwards and upwards from now on."

Sidwell, signed from Aston Villa in January 2011, made 27 appearances for the Whites last term until the niggling hernia problem eventually had to be operated on.

His last game came in the 1-1 home draw with West Bromwich Albion at Craven Cottage and being out of action for so long has led to some frustrating times.

"It's a lonely place being injured, even during the season," he said. "During the season you come into training and everyone goes out onto the pitches but you have to stay behind and do rehab.

"Off-season when you're doing it on your own, that's even tougher. But it's part and parcel of the game. You have to be mentally strong to deal with it and hopefully now I've come through the injury problem. It's been really nice to be back out there with the boys and being in full training."

With three goals to his name, the injury setback came at a bad time for Sidwell, who felt he had firmly established himself in Martin Jol's starting line-up.

"Up until the injury I thought I'd done quite well," reflected Sidwell. "The season had started pretty early with the Europa League and I wasn't in the gaffer's starting XI then but I worked my way in pretty quickly and I think the games I did play in, I was a consistent performer week in, week out.

"For a lot of those games I was playing with an injury and it got to the point where enough was enough and I had to have an operation. Up until then, I'd been pleased with my performances."

Now he's back in the full swing of things, Sidwell is excited by the challenges that lie ahead for both himself and Fulham.

"Personally, there will be a lot of hard work needed to get back into the starting XI," he said. "First and foremost that's what I need to achieve.

"For the team, we've had two good seasons in the league so it's about trying to repeat that or even better it. A cup run would be nice as well."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2012/July/BackToFitness.aspx?

[WhiteJC]

 
Show your stripes: Fulham ditch plain white shirts in favour of new kit design

It's been a summer of teams changing their club colours, traditional kit pattern and copying ideas from the past - and it's no different at Fulham.

The club have unveiled their new home shirt for the 2012/13 season which for the first time in their Premier League history will feature stripes.


Standing proud: Brede Hangeland shows off Fulham's new striped home kit

Stripes are not a unique addition to the Fulham kit from years gone by with the club displaying a similar pin-stripe experiment in the 1980s.

The switch in styles is likely to surprise supporters, despite the Cottagers teasing fans with a 'show your stripes' campaign in the run-up to the release.


New design: Stripes feature on the Fulham kit for the first time in their Premier League history

The home strip is the third made by Italian designers Kappa and follows on from the earlier release this summer of an orange away kit.

Boss Martin Jol will hope the strip, which will be worn by new signings including Hugo Rodallega, will keep the Cottagers back in the top half of the Premier League.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2173030/Fulham-unveil-new-striped-2012-13-home-kit.html#ixzz20VleR4PY

[WhiteJC]

 
Two goal Rodallega delighted with Fulham move

Hugo Rodallega has officially joined Fulham on a bosman style free transfer after his contract with the Latics expired.

Rodallega was drastically out of form for hte Latics last season and managed only two goals all season.

The Columbian international striker made clear from the start of last season that it was his intention to leave the Latics at the end of his contract.

As well as Fulham, Everton and Stoke were said to be interested in signing Rodallega but both David Moyes and Tony Pulis failed to yield to the £70,000 a week wages desired by the striker.

As with Momo Diame's move to West Ham, the transfer seems to be motivated by factors other than footballing integrity.

Speaking about the transfer to Fulham, Rodallega said: "I'm thrilled to have signed for Fulham football club. I wanted to stay in England and I'm delighted that I now have this opportunity with Fulham.

"I would like to thank the staff and fans of Wigan Athletic for three and a half wonderful seasons there. I'm looking forward to pre-season training with the rest of the Fulham squad and starting a new chapter in my career."

Rodallega has signed a three year deal with the Cottagers.


http://www.wiganer.net/news/tmnw/two_goal_rodallega_delighted_with_fulham_move_749447/index.shtml?

[WhiteJC]

 
Stars in stripes: Fulham's new look



Fulham today unveiled their new striped home shirt for the 2012-13 season.

Kerim Frei (above left) models the Kappa kit while Brede Hangeland (above right) shows off a Dutch-inspired orange away top.

The Craven Cottage club yesterday signed striker Hugo Rodallega on a three-year deal from Wigan, subject to a work permit.

"I wanted to stay in England and I'm delighted to have this opportunity," said Rodallega.

Manager Martin Jol added: "To be able to add his quality to our squad is a massive boost. I think he will contribute very well to our style and philosophy here."



http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/stars-in-stripes-fulhams-new-look-7941827.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Setting Up a Deal?

Several news sources are implying that Fulham are keen to do a deal with Liverpool Football Club.

Having reported Liverpool`s interest in Clint Dempsey and with Andy Carroll, supposedly, not in Brendan Rodgers plans next season, the rumour is that Fulham are set to offer Liverpool £9 million and Clint Dempsey for Andy Carroll.

What`s your verdict on this suggestion?



Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=287075#ixzz20VnlTSSu

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham planning player-plus cash deal for Liverpool striker.

Friday, July 13, 2012 - Craven Cottage occupants, Fulham FC seek to offer out of favour Liverpool striker Andy Carroll an escape route after reports emerged that the London based club are plotting to offer Liverpool £9m plus striker Clint Dempsey.

The giant striker made a sensational switch to Liverpool from Newcastle United in a massive £35m deal but has failed to establish himself at Anfield scoring a paltry six goals the entire season.

Dempsey, who scored 23 goals in all competitions last season, has 12 months to run on his Fulham contract and he is keen to move to a bigger club.

Brendan Rodgers, the Liverpool manager, appears prepared to let Carroll go and the striker has also attracted the interest of West Ham United and Newcastle United, his former club.
Rodgers is keen to bring a new dimension in the Liverpool attack and it appears that Carroll is not in his future plans and has even stated that he is willing to let him go on loan to get regular football.

However, Carroll has maintained he is not thinking of quitting Liverpool opting to stay and prove his worth.



http://www.kenyan-post.com/2012/07/fulham-planning-player-plus-cash-deal.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Show Your Stripes: Fulham Release 2012/2013 Home Kit

Well, there it is! Not too much to write about, but what are your thoughts? In my opinion, I really like it.  Stripes can be very overpowering and distracting, but the pinstripes here are clearly not the case.  It's designed in such a way that the stripes are NOT the dominating part of the jersey, the logo and sponsor still dominate.  They're crisp and clean, and I like how they combined last year's plain white look with the change of the pinstripes.  I know some still wish they stuck with last year's, but that's no fun!

Also, what's gotten into Brede Hangeland and modeling? He's rockin this home kit pretty well now. Guess he has a career after footballing is done!







http://fulhamsfinest.com/2012/07/13/show-your-stripes-fulham-release-20122013-home-kit/?

[Mr Fulham]

Clint Dempsey: Team USA Star Would Be Great Addition for Liverpool



New manager Brendan Rodgers and Liverpool need to improve upon their 2011-12 campaign, and one way to begin that process on the right foot would be to bring USA National Team and Fulham star Clint Dempsey to Anfield.

And it would appear that transfer is in the works. From the Mirror Online:

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers is ready to bid £7.5 million for Fulham's American star Clint Dempsey in his first major transfer raid.

Rodgers wants to snap up Dempsey quickly and tie up a deal before the Kop fly to the shooting star's homeland next week.

Dempsey had a sensational season for Fulham but may have to be sold as his deal is running down and he fancies a 'glamour' move at this stage of his career - with the Anfield club prepared to pay.

The Mirror has also reported that Fulham could use Dempsey as an asset to send along to Liverpool, as the Cottagers hope to pry Andy Carroll away from the Reds.

Dempsey had a fantastic 2011-12 season for Fulham, scoring 23 goals and tallying six assists in all competitions for the team. But how would he fit in with Liverpool?

Clint Dempsey - I Stand Alone (All 2011-12 Highlights)
Bleacher Report soccer scribe Will Tidey believes Rodgers will utilize a 4-3-3 formation this season, and Dempsey would fit in as one of the wings in the attacking third, likely opposite Luis Suarez on the other side.

That would leave either Andy Carroll as the lone striker, or perhaps Fabio Borini if he ends up coming to Anfield on a transfer, as rumors have suggested is in the works.

No matter who ends up as the team's striker, the team would have some serious goal-scoring punch with Dempsey, Suarez and Steven Gerrard's ability to blast long-range goals from the midfield. You can't tell me you wouldn't be excited about watching Liverpool  next season if the crafty and creative Dempsey was added to the squad.

He may not replicate his 23-goal season for Liverpool—truthfully, with more talent around him he won't need to for the Reds to have success—but he'll certainly add some spice to the team's attack.

It seems like the perfect fit, and I would expect this rumor will become truth soon enough.



http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1256333-clint-dempsey-team-usa-star-would-be-great-addition-for-liverpool?

God almighty, all these Bleacher report guys are already sh*tting themselves, aren't they?