Saturday Fulham Stuff (14/07/12)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham offer sensational Carroll swap
Fulham offer Clint Dempsey plus cash for Andy Carroll



Fulham are ready to offer up Clint Dempsey and a further £9 million in order to land out-of-favour Liverpool striker Andy Carroll.

Carroll faces an uncertain future at Anfield after new boss Brendan Rodgers suggested he could be sent out on loan or even sold earlier this week, while the impending arrival of Fabio Borini could also compromise his future at the club.

Liverpool have been linked with a move for Dempsey for some time, with the American going public with his desire to secure a move to a bigger club that can offer Champions League football.

While Liverpool are currently unable to do that a move to Merseyside may appeal, and Fulham are seemingly willing to facilitate that, but only if Carroll heads in the opposite direction.

The Guardian report the Cottagers are willing to offer a fee of around £9 million to make the deal happen. The West London side are seeking to overhaul their front line after missing out on Pavel Pogrebnyak and letting go both Andy Johnson and Bobby Zamora, with Wigan's Hugo Rodallega arriving earlier this week.

Even with Dempsey involved any deal would represent a significant loss on the player Liverpool paid £35 million for in the 2011 January transfer window.



http://www.givemefootball.com/premier-league/fulham-offer-sensational-carroll-swap?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham Home Shirt for 2012-13 Season: Stripes?! [PHOTO]



Not to be outdone by Manchester City's nod to the past, Fulham looks back to 1984 to update a modern design of their home kit

Italian manufacturers Kappa have been running an ad campaign and are hoping supporters will get behind them in this effort.

With the exception of the stripes, very little has changed with the overall kit design to last year's model.

The only other change is the placement of the Kappa symbols on the sides of the kit.



This change to the Fulham home kit is in very big contrast to the Fulham orange away kit, which in some circles have divided supporters.

The new Fulham home kit will be available for sale 16 August 2012.



http://www.epltalk.com/fulham-home-shirt-for-2012-13-season-stripes-photo-44625?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+EPLTalk+%28EPL+Talk%29

[WhiteJC]

 
Sivok staying in Turkey
Czech defender pens new deal with Besiktas


Tomas Sivok: Considered plenty of offers but has opted to remain with Besiktas

Tomas Sivok has brought an end to the mounting speculation surrounding his future by signing a new contract at Turkish side Besiktas.

The Czech Republic international saw his previous deal expire in June, making him available as a free agent.

Reports suggested he was destined to try his luck elsewhere, with clubs across Europe putting terms to him.

Sivok has, however, opted to prolong a four-year stay at Besiktas.

"We have agreed on an extension of his contract and on Wednesday Tomas is to join Besiktas at their training camp base in Seefeld, Austria," Sivok's agent Jiri Mueller told CTK.

"The best offer has won. Before Euro 2012, Besiktas offered Tomas an extension on reduced terms, but the new offer was double the amount.

"It has paid off to wait."

Lucrative

Sivok is understood to have received offers from Sevilla, Everton, Fulham, Valencia, Spartak Moscow, Juventus and clubs in the Middle East.
"We received one very lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia, but there was also one from Juventus," added Mueller.

"Pavel Nedved is a member of their management and he was interested in Tomas.

"However, he would have been a third choice defender there and we did not want him to warm the bench.

"His family did not want to move to Moscow so, in the end, it has turned out best for all concerned."



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11681/7898355/Sivok-staying-in-Turkey?

[WhiteJC]

 
Peerless Schwarzer leads by example

Australia's greatest ever goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has revealed the secret behind his longevity as he prepares to play the 100th game for his country.

Schwarzer, 39, has kept goal for the Socceroos 98 times and is expected to notch his 'century' in Australia's next 2014 FIFA World Cup qualifier against Jordan in Amman in September.

Before that, the Socceroos will play Scotland in a friendly international in Edinburgh in August.

Schwarzer, who was named as Australia's best ever goalkeeper in Sydney this week, said that a healthy lifestyle and good fortune with injuries had much to do with his successful career that seems to be getting better and better.

"It's all to do with the way you look after yourself, the way you train and live your life," he said from Leipzig where he is undergoing pre-season training with his Premier League club Fulham.

"I've also been fortunate with injuries over the years but by the same token I do a lot of work to prevent injuries.

"I also do a lot of good old hard work because I still have the desire to keep on playing as long as possible at the highest level."

Schwarzer, who felt "honoured, humbled and surprised" to be named in Australia's greatest ever team, said he was still as enthusiastic about the game he loves as when he started his magnificent career with Marconi in the National Soccer League in 1990.

"It's not difficult at all to keep my motivation going," he said.

"For me if I find it difficult to get motivated to get up and go to football every day then I would definitely consider retiring.

"I still get very excited about playing games and going to training.

"I like training because I enjoy working out to feel fit.

"And if I'm doing that then it makes it easy."

Schwarzer made his Socceroos debut in July 1993 when he came on for Robert Zabica after the Adelaide City goalkeeper was sent off 17 minutes into a World Cup qualifier against Canada in Edmonton.

He admitted that in that period when he used to sit on the bench waiting for his chance to become a full international he never imagined he would go on to play close to 100 matches for his country and still be playing at the highest level two decades later.

"Not in my wildest dreams did I ever believe that I would be playing almost 20 years later and nudging 100 caps for my country," he said.

"I don't suppose anyone would imagine playing for that long. I think these things evolve as times goes by.

"A lot of things have to fall in your favour along the way and you need a lot of hard work and dedication.

"You get a lot of ups and downs in your career and there are a lot of factors that dictate if you play that long or get that many caps.

"So I feel very privileged to have reached this stage of my career and I'm enjoying every moment of it.

"The last two years have been the most enjoyable in my life in football terms."

Schwarzer, who is widely regarded as one of the true gentlemen of Australian sport, has established himself as a role model for the game due to his impeccable behaviour on and off the pitch.

He would be an idol to many aspiring goalkeepers in Australia and England.

So who were his idols when he was a child?

"When I was growing up I used to watch many World Cups and European championships and because of my German heritage I was always supporting West Germany," he said.

"Unfortunately I was not even two when Australia played in its first World Cup in 1974.

"I used to look up to European goalkeepers like Harald Schumacher to a degree and particularly Jean-Marie Pfaff (who was Belgian but played six seasons for Bayern Munich) and later Germany's Bodo Illgner."

Schwarzer has firm views on sporting stars' responsibility to behave themselves properly and be ambassadors of the game they play.

"Behaviour is definitely an aspect of one's career," he said.

"But you get that (mix) in all walks of life.

"There are those who believe that they should act responsibly on and off the pitch while others choose to live their own lifestyle.

"But it is true that there are always repercussions to your actions.

"As far as I'm concerned I've always set a standard that I've tried to follow on and off the field.

"And when you become a father it becomes even more important to you because you want to lead by example."

Schwarzer's Socceroos career is crammed with many great memories but he said he will never forget two of the 98 matches he played for the green and gold.

"There are two games that stand out for me," he said.

"The return leg against Canada at the Sydney Football Stadium in the qualifiers for the 1994 World Cup effectively started my career.

"The other was the match against Uruguay at Telstra Stadium that gave us the ticket to the 2006 World Cup."

This is hardly surprising because his favourite matches happened to be crucial World Cup qualifiers that both went to a shootout and he became the hero by saving two penalties in each of them.

"That Uruguay result pushed football to the forefront of most people's minds in Australia and gave the game's profile a big lift," he said.

"The game in Australia changed overnight."

Schwarzer's career can be aptly described as glamorous, successful and rewarding.

However there were times especially in Schwarzer's early days as a professional when, believe it or not, he did not know where his next match was coming from.

"The most difficult time for any player is when you are not playing for your club," he said.

"And for me my hardest period was when I first went overseas in 1994 and for the first two and a half years at Dynamo Dresden and Kaiserslautern I never played.

"I had to find my feet and in the meantime I was excluded from the national team, which was understandable.

"But once I started playing again (with Bradford City) I tried to establish myself at club level and with the national team but it was very hard."

The big question now is when will Schwarzer call it a day and give somebody else a chance to keep goal for Australia.

"My goal is the 2014 World Cup and that is a very realistic target but beyond that is too far for me," he said.




http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/news/1113162/Peerless-Schwarzer-leads-by-example?

[WhiteJC]

 
Borini set to replace Carroll at the Liverpool

Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has stated that he would be open to allowing Andy Carroll out on loan with Fulham the most likely destination.

It has been reported by the Guardian that Fulham are willing to offer Clint Dempsey to Liverpool in bid for Andy Carroll. The 23 year old striker has struggled to live up to his billing since his big money £35 million move from Newcastle in January 2011 scoring only 11 goals in 56 appearances.

Liverpool have a agreed fee to buy Fabio Borini from Roma according to Guardian which is bad news for Carroll.

The England international has reportedly been the subject of interest from AC Milan who were impressed by his three appearances during Euro 2012. With Zlatan Ibrahimovic seemingly on his way to PSG in a big money move, there is a need for a new front man at the Milan giants. A loan move would suit the Rossoneri who are experiencing acute financial difficulties.

"It's something I would have to look at, I have to be honest," said Rodgers.
"Andy's always going to be linked with clubs, whether he was here or not. He knows exactly where he stands, but I have had no inquiries about him."

Rodgers continued, "There are many things to going on loan. Is it going to be beneficial for the club, that's the most important thing? Sometimes a player going out on loan – in general, not just Andy – can benefit the club in the long term. It gets them game experience and they come back a better player, a more confident one. Certainly more so than if they've been sitting on the bench for the majority of the season. "

"I'm not going to sit here and say I will never let anyone go on loan, then come in here in two weeks and a player's gone, and you're saying 'you said you wouldn't let them go'," Rodgers added.

Several premiership clubs are interested in the striker with Fulham thought to be the only club ready to table a permanent transfer. Carroll is almost certainly going to end up in London with West Ham keen to secure a marquee signing following their promotion from the Championship. Kevin Nolan, a friend of Carroll's from his time at Newcastle could play a big part in his decision.

West Ham co-owner David Gold has confirmed their interest saying, "I am not aware of any talks between ourselves or Liverpool over Andy Carroll. But that's not to say we don't have an interest should he become available."

Andy Carroll is likely to struggle in Rodgers' favoured 4-3-3 style of play with the Liverpool boss has made overtures to Parma for their Italian striker Fabio Borini. The 21 year old striker played for Rodgers at Chelsea and Swansea where he helped them gain promotion to the premiership in 2010-11. Borini was selected in Italy's Euro 2012 squad after making his first team debut in February this year against the United States. Any deal for the highly rated striker will cost around £11 million.



http://www.sportsnewsireland.com/soccer_irish/116480/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham boss Jol delighted with signing of Wigan Athletic striker Rodallega

Fulham boss Martin Jol is pleased he has been able to secure the signing of Wigan Athletic forward Hugo Rodallega.

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 while Pavel Pogrebnyak, who impressed on loan in the second half of last season, opted to join newly-promoted Reading.

"I am delighted that Hugo has decided to join Fulham," 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.clicklancashire.com/sport/wigan-athletic-fc/1212958-fulham-boss-jol-delighted-with-signing-of-wigan-athletic-striker-rodallega.html?

[fulhamben]

i cant believe the carroll rumour is still running, he has already said he wants to stay at liverpool and cant see us matching his wages