Wednesday Fulham Stuff(18/07/12)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham issue Dempsey warning

Fulham have revealed they have not received any offers for Clint Dempsey and discouraged any interested club from making a move for the USA international.

Following speculation about the midfielder's future, the Cottagers issued a warning to any interested clubs. "We have received no offers from any club for Clint Dempsey," a Fulham spokesman said. "We would discourage any club from making a bid for him."

Dempsey has been with the west London side since 2007 after joining from Major League Soccer's New England Revolution.

The Texan has established himself as one of Fulham's key players and last term won their player of the season award, as well as finishing fourth on the Football Writers' Association's Footballer of the Year list.


http://www.fifa.com/worldfootball/clubfootball/news/newsid=1665458.html?cid=rssfeed&att=

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham warn Liverpool off launching a bid for Clint Dempsey
• London club deny they are set to sell striker
• 'We have received no offers from any club for Dempsey'


Clint Dempsey is not for sale, say Fulham. Photograph: Jed Leicester/Action Images

Fulham have denied receiving a bid from Liverpool for Clint Dempsey, and have insisted the United States international is not for sale.

Speculation has been rife that the 29-year-old is set to move to Anfield, with a report on the Liverpool owners' official website on Wednesday suggesting a deal was complete.

An article linked to the Fenway Sports Group homepage claimed that Liverpool had "added Clint Dempsey to a team that came within a game of winning the FA Cup".

But all mentions of Dempsey, who has a year left on his contract, were later removed from the article, and Fulham said the report was unfounded.

"We have received no offers from any club for Clint Dempsey," a club spokesman said. "We would discourage any club from making a bid for him."

It is understood the two clubs had a conversation about the possible transfer of Dempsey earlier in the summer but that has not been followed up by any official approach, contrary to reports.

Dempsey has been with Fulham since 2007 after joining from Major League Soccer's New England Revolution. The Texan has established himself as one of the side's key players and won their player of the season award for 2011-12, also finishing fourth on the Football Writers' Association's Footballer of the Year list.



http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/jul/18/liverpool-bid-clint-dempsey-fulham?

[WhiteJC]

 
Liverpool left red-faced as Fulham deny Clint Dempsey transfer to Anfield
Liverpool have been left red-faced after a website run by owners Fenway Sports wrongly claimed the club has signed Clint Dempsey from Fulham.


No bid: Fulham say they have not sold Dempsey to Liverpool

The erroneous post appeared on the Fenway Sports Group's news website this morning, with the title: 'Fabio Borini, Liverpool gear up for North American Tour as Clint Dempsey joins club'.

The article instantly drew hundreds of clicks and social networking comments from Liverpool fans all over the world, who believed that the club's two-month long pursuit of America star Dempsey was finally over.

However, as the news began to spread around the internet, furious Fulham were forced to issue a statement confirming that Dempsey was not on his way to Anfield after all.

'It is totally not true. We have not received any bids,' a Fulham spokesman told the BBC.


Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/football/905550-liverpool-left-red-faced-as-fulham-deny-clint-dempsey-transfer-to-anfield#ixzz20z3Q1tk0

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham's 'concrete' Iaquinta interest

The representative of Vincenzo Iaquinta has confirmed Fulham's interest in the available Juventus striker.

The forward has been told to find a new club by the Old Lady given that his contract in Turin will expire next June.

"We are verifying a number of different options for Iaquinta in Italy, but especially in England," Andrea D'Amico told Calcio Sport 24.

"Fulham? That is a concrete possibility."

The 32-year-old didn't play a single minute for the Bianconeri in 2011-12 and was sent out on loan to Cesena in January.

The former Udinese player has had an injury plagued last 24 months and he only managed one goal in seven games for the Seahorses last term.


http://www.football-italia.net/21282/fulham's-'concrete'-iaquinta-interest?

[WhiteJC]

 
Thoughts on Fulham's interest in Romelu Lukaku

Sky Sports reported yesterday that Fulham have expressed an initial interest in taking Romelu Lukaku away from Chelsea for a year on-loan.

That's potentially a situation in which everybody wins: the player gets his first-team minutes, Fulham get a forward capable of bullying defences up and down the country, and Chelsea give one of their players some much needed Premier League experience.

Regardless of what does, or does not happen with Clint Dempsey – and by Fulham's press-release this morning it looks as if they're determined to hold on to the American – Martin Jol needs a forward to replace Pavel Pogrebnyak.

In terms of what Lukaku can bring to a side, it's all fairly hypothetical clearly – we've seen so little of him in English football that nobody can be quite sure as to what he's capable of. That being said, if you're judging a player on his measurable attributes, this could be a season-long steal for Jol and Fulham.


http://thepremierleagueowl.com/thoughts-on-fulhams-interest-in-romelu-lukaku/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=thoughts-on-fulhams-interest-in-romelu-lukaku

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham deny Dempsey exit reports

Fulham have denied reports that Clint Dempsey is on the verge of leaving Craven Cottage to join Liverpool.

It has been reported that a fee has been agreed for the 29-year-old United States international, while a website linked to Liverpool's American owners appeared to confirm that Dempsey was on his way to Anfield.

But Fulham continue to insist they do not want to sell Dempsey and say they have not received a bid for him.

Dempsey, who scored 23 goals last season, is now in the final year of his Fulham contract.



http://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/fulham-deny7-dempsey-exit81-reports?

[WhiteJC]

 
Clint Dempsey deserves an optimistic welcome from Liverpool
Pay no heed to misgivings over Liverpool's proposed new signing – the American international is a ferocious competitor

Two pairs of words have been prominent in the reaction to the news that Liverpool seem poised to sign Clint Dempsey once they remember to get the go-ahead from Fulham. One of those pairs has no business being bandied about, viz. Charlie Adam. The other pair is more pertinent: Brendan Rodgers.

The reference to Adam has been made by people who believe Liverpool have been seduced by one fine season into coveting a player who cannot reasonably be expected to bring Liverpool nearer to the level they aspire to play at. Such people should be sworn at like cold callers.

Because although last season was Dempsey's most productive, he has been an excellent performer in the Premier League for the best part of five years. Furthermore, where Adam's most obvious failing is a lack of mobility for which his attempts to atone lead him to strain, lunge and generally become clumsy, Dempsey is a genuine dynamo, the second most prolific tackler among forwards in the Premier League for each of the past three seasons and covering more ground than prize horse manure.

Tenacity and energy are Dempsey's first two defining traits and also the founding blocks of the style that Rodgers will seek to build, if his old Swansea City side were anything to go by. The drive that has already propelled Dempsey from his relatively disadvantaged roots in a small town in East Texas to the top of the MLS and then the Premier League ensure that he will not be rendered as meek by Anfield expectations as, say, Stewart Downing and young Jordan Henderson appear to have been.

This is a ferocious competitor who has played matches with a broken jaw and gone into challenges hard enough to fracture John Terry's cheekbone. A seasoned American international, he will be fazed neither by the stature of Liverpool nor the amount of off-the-ball work that Rodgers will demand.

That is the foundation. Dempsey, of course, offers much more on top. His well-timed surges, dangerous shooting and knack for the audacious and unpredictable mean he could help overcome the dependency on the undependable Luis Suárez for goals. His intelligence and instincts make him adaptable: while it is easy to see him slotting in on either side of the front of a Swansea-style 4-3-3 or a 4-4-2, at Fulham he also proved his usefulness as a shape-shifting No9 long before Cesc Fábregas showcased the role at Euro 2012.

Dempsey would deserve to be greeted at Liverpool by the same sort of optimism that Joe Cole's arrival inspired a couple of years ago: and since he is a more intelligent and influential footballer than Cole, the feelgood factor should last a lot longer. At 29, he hardly represents the far future of the club but he could play a significant role in setting it on the right path.



http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/blog/2012/jul/18/clint-dempsey-liverpool?

[WhiteJC]

 
Cottagers will get pre-season going with win in Leipzig
Fulham play the second match of their pre-season tour of Germany and after a goalless draw on Sunday, they can chalk up another clean sheet.

With the exception of the odd outburst from ever-eccentric chairman Mohamed Al-Fayed, Fulham have always conducted themselves with an old-fashioned dignity during their 11-year stay in the Premier League, so it is no surprise that their pre-season preparations are following suit.

While other Premier League teams travel the globe in order to enhance their 'brand' (what a horrible thing football has become), good old traditional Fulham are content to make the relatively short trip to Germany for a quick tour that is at odds with the so-called big clubs' greed for worldwide exposure.

It is typical of this most quaint of football clubs and the Cottagers are already well into their summer programme.

Martin Jol's troops have been in Germany for the best part of a week, having played out a goalless draw against Danish side HB Køge on Sunday, and will be looking to kick on as they play the second of three tour matches against Lokomotive Leipzig on Wednesday evening as the Premier League kick off looms large.

I don't see limited Leipzig having enough to trouble Fulham and having kept a clean sheet against a much better team on Sunday, Jol's team can do so again this evening.

Fulham are understandably favourites with bwin to beat their lowly opponents, with the Whites priced up at 7/25 odds-on shots. The draw is 15/4, with the hosts quoted at a chunky 15/2.

Lokomotive Leipzig have a proud history, but have fallen on tough times. Loksche have won the Bundesliga in their time and will no doubt remember their '70s and '80s heyday, where Leipzig were a regular on the European scene, losing the 1987 Cup Winners Cup final to Johan Cryuff's Ajax.

Those glory days seem a long way away now, with the club languishing in the fifth tier of German football after being declared bankrupt in 2004. Under normal circumstances, you wouldn't give them a chance against a Premier League outfit, but at this stage of pre-season there is no point in getting involved in the 7/25, even if Fulham are obviously the vastly superior side.

Make no mistake, the Cottagers should win. While Clint Demspey's future remains up in the air amid reports of strong interest from Liverpool, Jol has few injury problems and fielded two completely different starting elevens in each half of the draw against HB Køge.

The first, full of youth and fringe players, was replaced by regular first teamers for the second period for their opening workout of the season and even if Jol adopts a similar policy against the Germans, it is hard to see Fulham not emerging victorious.

Still, nobody is going to back 7/25 on a friendly so instead have a go on the 91/100 that both teams don't score. I don't see limited Leipzig having enough to trouble Fulham and having kept a clean sheet against a much better team on Sunday, Jol's team can do so again this evening.

Recommended bet: Both teams not to score @ 91/100



http://bwinbetting.com/leagues/club-friendlies/cottagers-pre-season-win-leipzig,21597.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Lokomotive Factfile

History

- The German club was formed in 1896, 17 years after Fulham Football Club was established

- They have gone under several names and have been forced to merge with other clubs on more than one occasion in the past

- Lokomotive were playing in the Bundesliga as recently as 18 years ago, but were relegated after one season in Germany's top-flight

- By 2001 the club found itself in the fourth tier of German football, before it went bankrupt three years later which led to the club's dissolution

Fan base

- Not long after the club was dissolved, it was reformed by a group of fans and the club entered the German football system in the nation's 11th tier

- In October 2004, the club's match against Eintracht Großdeuben II drew a world record crowd for a match at that level, as just under 12,500 fans were in attendance

Lokomotive in Europe

- Like Fulham, Leipzig can also boast to having won the Intertoto Cup after they triumphed in 1966

- The club enjoyed considerable success in European competition during the 70s and 80s, going out to Tottenham Hotspur in the Semi Final of the 1973/74 UEFA Cup

- Leipzig lost the 1986/87 Cup Winners' Cup Final to an Ajax side that included Dennis Bergkamp, Frank Rijkaard, Marco van Basten and which was managed by Johan Cruyff

John Arne Riise's match preview

"We've been staying in Leipzig all week and we've had a good walk around and have checked the place out.

"The people seem nice so it'll be good to play in front of them and against their local team.

"It's always nice to get that first game [against HB Køge] out of your system and now some of us will be looking to play for more than 60 minutes.

"I didn't feel so bad after the first game because I did quite a bit of training before I came back. But we're only going to get sharper and hopefully we can show that tonight.

"We'll be looking to up the tempo and pass the ball quicker and show we are getting closer to match fitness."


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

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham dismiss Dempsey reports

FULHAM have rubbished reports linking Clint Dempsey with a move to Liverpool and insist they've received no bids for the American.

The forward is in the final 12 months of his contract at Craven Cottage and has so far stalled on signing a new deal.

Liverpool were believed to be closing in on Dempsey, but the Whites insists they've had no offers for their star man.

"We have not received any bids for Clint Dempsey," a spokesperson said. "We would also discourage any bids."



Read More http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/fulham-fc/2012/07/18/82029-31421392/?#ixzz20z5jSi76