Tuesday Fulham Stuff (14/08/12)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham youngster learning from new strikers


Marcello Trotta has signed on at Fulham until 2015. Photo: Andrew Matthews/EMPICS Sport

Fulham youngster Marcello Trotta has signed a new contract with the Cottagers

Young Fulham striker Marcello Trotta has put pen to paper on a three-year contract extension and says he is looking to learn from star strikers Mladen Petric and Hugo Rodallega.

The 21-year-old Italian made his first team debut in January last year and has had loan spells at Wycombe Wanderers and Watford.

"I'm very happy to sign this contract and stay here for another two years, hopefully more," he told Fulham's official website.

"[Fulham] are like a family so everyone tries to help eachother

"You look, as a striker, at Petric and Hugo [Rodallega] is coming now.

2They're the sort of people to look and learn from."



http://www.london24.com/sport/fulham/fulham_youngster_learning_from_new_strikers_1_1479884?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham Fanview: 'With a tighter defence we should remain a force in the top 10'
"After Zamora and Johnson joined Hughes at QPR, I'd love to repeat our 6-0 demolition of them this year" - a Cottagers fan offers his views ahead of the new Premier League season



The target: Top 10 finish

A top-half finish to the season would be good. A solid display throughout last year saw us finish in ninth and more of the same this time round would be great. It's difficult to better yourself year on year due to the amount of money that is being spent by teams around us, but Martin Jol has invested what funds are available to him to give the squad a new look, particularly up front, with a lot of players also departing Craven Cottage.

My thoughts on the gaffer...

After a shaky start last season, from Christmas we saw a great improvement in the team and Martin Jol's football philosophy is now starting to show through.

Having had three different managers in three seasons, consistency and stability is required now. Hopefully Jol continues to bring through youth players and play attractive football at the Cottage, and I'm confident he will build for the long term.

Our key man this season
A solid defence is essential to us building on last season and finishing in the top half. It would seem that when Brede Hangeland is in the team we are a lot more organised and solid at the back, and if we can tighten up on the 56 goals conceded last term, then we have the foundations push on to make a surprise challenge for European places, or at least a potential cup run.

Youngster to watch

Kerim Frei has come through the ranks at the club and broke into the first team last season. He's small, quick, sharp and adds another dimension to our team when he plays.

A lot like Aaron Lennon at Tottenham, Jol likes the smaller, quicker players to play wide and supply to the front men. And it's not just fans at the Cottage who are noticing his potential, with the 18-year-old also recently called up to the Turkish national side for a friendly with Austria.

A player who must deliver

Bryan Ruiz joined the club in the summer transfer window last season after we beat Newcastle to his signature, but he endured a torrid time in his first five or six games.

He's since shown glimpses of the player that the Twente fans adored, including that wonderful chipped goal against Bolton at the back end of last year. After a full pre-season, he will be fit and up to the speed of the Premier League, therefore he must begin to deliver week in week out. We don't want another Steve Marlet on our hands!
Our Achilles heel

We have never been the most productive team in the last third of the field and the changes in management in recent years have not really improved the situation. We relied a lot on Clint Dempsey last year, and his 23 goals in all competitions from midfield contributed massively to our top 10 finish.

However, he seems destined for pastures new, with Liverpool still likely to be his next destination. Therefore the new-look front line of Hugo Rodallega and Mladen Petric must step up with the goals and ease the pressure on the attacking midfield players.

Fixture I am looking forward to the most...

QPR are our local rivals, and while the clash with Chelsea at home is a big one, the Rs recently signed Bobby Zamora and Andy Johnson from us, as well as having Mark Hughes at the helm after he left Fulham due to a supposed lack of ambition. Those three moving across west London has not helped relationships between us and QPR and I'm pretty keen to see us repeat the 6-0 demolition from last season at the Cottage!

Our toughest opponents will be...
Manchester City - although they have not spent big so far in the transfer market, I still anticipate the oil money will be used again to strengthen their squad as they look to retain the Premier League title. If you look at the City team, they have at least two world class players for every position, but will naturally look to reinforce if they want to dominate European competition.

Having said that, we were the first side to halt the Man City juggernaut last season with a 2-2 draw in September, and it would be great to see us go one better this year.

Player we love to hate

Definitely Bobby Zamora! He joined QPR in the January transfer window for their ambition, but almost found himself in the Championship. There is no doubt he was great at times with us, and the big calls to see him in the England set-up only came when he was in a Fulham shirt. Yet I'm sure we will see the old lazy Bobby in for the Hoops this year.



Rival player from the Premier League you'd have in your team?

I'm a big fan of Manchester City playmaker David Silva. He has the ability to change a game, he can dazzle with the ball at his feet and is always likely to chip in with the odd goal. The Spaniard may have tailed off towards the back end of last season, but he bore so much of City's attacking impetus in the first six months of the campaign, it's no wonder that the odd injury and niggle began to take its toll. If we could have him at the Cottage, well, it'd be blooming fantastic!

My first choice XI

SCHWARZER

RIETHER   HANGELAND   HUGHES
RIISE
         
DUFF   DIARRA   DEMBELE
FREI
         
RUIZ

RODALLEGA

My verdict
I'm looking forward to the new season and I'm certainly approaching the big kick-off on Saturday with a sense of optimism. I think we need a few more new faces in through the door before the August 31 deadline, and if Dempsey does leave, certainly in attacking midfield.

I hope that our away form picks up this year and we continue to play the good, attractive football which we saw glimpses of last season. If we maintain a place in top 10 with all the above as well, I think many Fulham fans would be satisfied.



http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2869/fanview/2012/08/13/3299228/-?

[WhiteJC]

 
THE REAL QUESTION MUST BE 'IS HE WORTH MORE THAN £10M?'

With the Barclays Premier League kicking off next weekend, Brendan Rodgers' is keen to continue building his side for the opening weekend. After securing the services of Joe Allen this week, attention has turned at Liverpool to sealing a deal for Clint Dempsey.

With Rodgers' desperate to get the American, Charlie Adam's Liverpool days could be numbered. According to the Daily Mail, Liverpool are keen to use the Scot as a makeweight in their efforts to get Dempsey to Anfield. So far Liverpool have yet to agree on a deal with Fulham for the 29-year-old, who is valued at around £10m, yet it is thought that the inclusion of Adam in a deal might help speed up the process.

There may be fans that question Rodgers decision to simply cast aside Adam yet lets look at the facts. Dempsey is easily the better player and with Lucas Leiva healthy, Joe Allen arriving and Jonjo Shelvey having a surprisingly good preseason Adam certainly finds himself surplus to requirements with a lot to prove at Anfield.

Dempsey would bring the goal threat that Liverpool desperately craves and it is crucial for Rodgers to try and get a deal done as soon as possible. Along with helping create chances and scoring goals, Dempsey brings vital Premier League and international experience to a young Liverpool side that is developing under the tutelage of Rodgers and captain Steven Gerrard.

Talking about goal threats, an update on the Andy Carroll situation. With West Ham cooling their interest after the number 9 demonstrated his reluctance to move to East London, Liverpool now look set to try and get a deal done to ship the former Magpie back to the North East.

Personally, I have been against such a deal for an extended period of time. The former Newcastle player certainly got stronger towards the end of last season and in the European Championships and should be given a fair chance in Brendan Rodgers' passing system in my book. Carroll looked impressive today in Liverpool's friendly win over Bayer Leverkusen and losing him would only leave three strikers in the squad (Sterling, Suarez and Borini). Unless Rodgers has someone else lined up, losing Carroll is simply too big a risk to take.

Liverpool fans should be looking forward to this season in my opinion. In Rodgers we have a bright young coach who is introducing an attractive style of football at Liverpool with a youthful squad. The Northern Irishman has already shown in the transfer window that he is not afraid to make big decisions, something that will certainly help as the season progresses.

Losing Adam would certainly not be a major loss, especially if Dempsey is acquired in the process. Yet the exit of Andy Carroll – I have a feeling that might come back to bite us.



http://www.footballtransfertavern.com/2012/08/premiership/the-real-question-must-be-is-he-worth-more-than-10m?

[WhiteJC]

 
Season Preview: Fulham

Mohammed Al Fayed's takeover in 1997 proved successful for Fulham as his financial backing allowed the club to reach the Premier League in 2001. They have maintained their league status ever since, and even managed to reach the Europa League final (losing to Atletico Madrid) in 2010, managed by Roy Hodgson. Despite Al Fayed pumping cash into the club, they still struggle to keep up with other clubs in terms of finances; last year, the club announced a loss of nearly £17 million, which is something that will need looking at, even though Al Fayed has insisted that he will continue to invest in the club.



Last Season

Last season was full of ups and downs for Fulham, and it seemed to start quite slowly, as they dropped out of the Europa League early, and struggled to adapt to Martin Jol's more offensive style from Mark Hughes and Roy Hodgson's more conservative methods. Things did pick up eventually, and they pushed well in the latter stages to finish ninth and achieve their second best finish in the Premier League. Consistency proved to be key for Fulham last season, and even though they didn't play particularly amazingly, they still managed to get results, including a double over Liverpool.

Overall, it was a successful campaign, and the attacking style of play employed by Jol gave them the results they needed to get a top half finish.

-

Transfer Movements

There have been lots of personnel changes at the club this summer, including the departures of captain Danny Murphy and striker Andrew Johnson, moving to Blackburn and QPR respectively. Other notable exits come from Dickson Etuhu, Marcel Gecov and Orlando Sa.

To strengthen the front line, Fulham have brought in Hugo Rodallega from Wigan and Croatian international Mladen Petric from Hamburger SV. Rodallega's form at Wigan was quite inconsistent, but he has proven himself as a quality player over the years and will look to cement a good run of form at the cottage. Petric will be looking to prove himself in the Premier League, and if he carries on his pre-season form (five goals in five games), he could prove vital, and take some heat off Clint Dempsey. Sascha Riether also joins the club on loan from FC Cologne and is an experienced full-back who should do well at the Cottage.

The club are yet to spend a penny on transfers with Jol bringing in Rodallega and Petric on frees, and Riether on loan, and this will certainly help the club in terms of finances.



Despite all the transfers, Fulham are still short in the midfield and, potentially, up front. If Rodallega and Petric don't hit good form, Bryan Ruiz or Dempsey can also play up front. Youngster Marcello Trotta is also an option after some impressive displays. In the midfield, Murphy certainly leaves a hole, but the strong partnership of Diarra and Dembele makes up for it. The main worry is over the futures of Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembele, who are both attracting the attention of clubs around Europe, and if they do leave, there will be a sense of urgency to bring in some talent and depth.

Fulham are in a transition period, and Jol has plans to create a new, young and vibrant team. It will be Jol's second season, and second seasons in charge are usually where we start to see changes, but as we know, the second year can often be hardest on players and managers.

-

Key Player

Clint Dempsey had a fantastic season and was vital to the team, as he finished top scorer of the club with 23 goals, being at the heart of most of their attacking play. With the arrivals of Rodallega and Petric, he will probably be dropped back to somewhere in the midfield, and this might lessen his scoring opportunities. However, he still makes the team tick, has that spark wherever he plays, and provided that he stays, will pop up with some important goals for sure.



-

One(s) to watch

There will be a couple of players to watch out for at Fulham this upcoming season, the first being Alex Kacaniklic. He's only 18 years old, and played great last season. He impressed so much with Watford in the Championship that he was recalled from his loan spell in March of last season and played a part in securing a top half finish in the Premier League. He was brought in from Liverpool in the swap deal with for Paul Konchesky two years ago, and is quick and has great control of the ball, which plays perfectly into Jol's plans.



The second for me is Bryan Ruiz. His debut season was injury stricken, but when he was fit, he showed signs of a player with some genuine talent. His link up play is great, and he knows where the goal is too, scoring a couple of sublime goals and getting a number of assists. If he can stay fit and get a consistent run of form, he will be a big player for Fulham.



-

Expectations and Finishing Position

Martin Jol has picked up where Roy Hodgson and Mark Hughes left off, in achieving solid league finishes. Fulham have consistently finished in the top half or mid-table over the past few years and Jol will be looking to build on that to climb up the table. I think the club will also be looking to go on a cup run, as they have a good squad, and certainly have the ability to cause a few upsets; if they get a few good results, confidence can play an important part in keeping the run of form going. It will be crucial that the club hold on to their key players and integrate the young talent well, and if Jol can do that, his plan of progressing and achieving more just might happen.

Everyone will probably predict another top 10 finish for Fulham next season, but I'm going to take a punt and say they'll finish in 7th place, provided they keep injuries to a minimum, hold on to their assets and find some consistent form, because they are more than capable.



http://ballsybanter.com/2012/08/13/season-preview-fulham/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham Prediction: Failure to Sign Pogrebnyak Could Jeopardise Top Half Repeat
Martin Jol's signing of Mladen Petric might not be enough to retain Fulham's top half status this season

Signing evaluation

Martin Jol's transfer history in the Premier League fluctuates between the sublime and the ridiculous, and his dealings this summer look likely to go down the same bumpy path. In Mladen Petric The Whites have signed a player with a wealth of experience and one that worked with Jol during his days at Hamburg. Hugo Rodallega's four Premier League starts in 2012 for Wigan reflect his importance in the club's late survival charge, while defender Sascha Riether comes from a Cologne defence which leaked 75 goals and suffered relegation from the Bundesliga last season. A replacement for Danny Murphy appears unlikely.

Pre-season form

Without preliminary qualifiers in the Europa League to contend with, Jol has the opportunity to ease his squad in before the new campaign, and if pre-season is anything to go by, then the signing of Petric could be a masterstroke. Five goals in seven games represents a decent start, while Rodallega and Marcello Trotta have also got in on the act to comfort fans concerned by a lack of fire power after Pavel Pogrebnyak, who scored six goals in 11 games on loan from Stuttgart, was allowed to join Reading.

Reasons why they'll be successful

Jol has formed an experienced spine to his Fulham side, with Mark Schwarzer, Brede Hangeland, Mahamadou Diarra and Clint Dempsey the backbone of a squad with a series of exciting young players such as Kerim Frei and Alexander Kacaniklic, Moussa Dembele will be expected to improve on a goal ratio of one every 10 games, while the return tom full fitness of Aaron Hughes could be a vital addition to the back-four.

Reasons why not

Without Murphy, who by his own admission was beginning to waver last season, Fulham have no player who can keep the midfield ticking over, with Diarra the only purely defensive player available. Jol's insistence on partnering Hangeland with the hapless Philipe Senderos exposes them constantly, while the Dutch boss is likely to still be reeling from his inability to sign Pogrebnyak permanently.

Expectations

With no genuine overachievers in the top eight last season, bar perhaps Newcastle United, Fulham can expect a tough job to finish any higher than ninth again given the lack of cash available for new players. Should Dempsey eventually leave the club, expected hopes to be slashed.

Prediction

Mid-table mediocrity awaits. 10th



http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/373108/20120813/fulham-prediction-transfers-martin-jol-mladen-petric.htm?

[WhiteJC]

 
Adam Linked to Dempsey Move
   
Following on from the inference published yesterday, relating to Clint Dempsey possibly being Anfield bound, an interesting proposition has come to light.

Yesterday (Sunday), the inference from the Sunday Mail was that Liverpool could be ready to tempt Martin Jol to part with Clint by offering Charlie Adam in part exchange.

Adam, since Brendan Rodgers took over, appears to be surplus to requirement, but the big question being is whether we feel Charlie Adam would be an acquisition we could utilize.


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=289842#ixzz23UL379Ku

[WhiteJC]

 
Any Takers?
   
An old friend of ours is looking for a new club.

Jimmy Bullard, who left Craven Cottage with wild ideas about having a successful career with Hull City, had been playing in the Championship with Ipswich Town.

However, news broke this morning that his contract with the Suffolk club has been cancelled by mutual consent with the current Ipswich manager, Paul Jewell, commenting,

"He`s stated he wants to play regular first team football and I can`t guarantee that here."

It`ll be interesting to see where Jimmy ends up next!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=289844#ixzz23ULHAFZL

[WhiteJC]

 
Ngog Shock!
   
Yesterday we reported on how the tabloid press was linking us with a move to the Bolton forward David Ngog,

Yesterday we asked whether you believed that Ngog was the sort of player that would take us forward.

Overnight the speculation appears to have increased with every tabloid now inferring that Martin Jol is looking at making a £3 million bid for the player.

But one thing that has surprised me about the whole scenario is that the Frenchman, despite having been around for awhile with Liverpool and now Bolton, is still only 23 years of age!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=289843#ixzz23ULSZyfw

[WhiteJC]

 
All Change!

Not a wholesale revamp of the Fulham squad, rather an in-house revolution as to how we bring you all that's great about following the mighty Whites

One reason for not rushing into print ahead of the 2012/3 season is that our delivery mode on all things football here at ESPN Towers is about to undergo a major transformation.

After eight years of growth the individual club blogs are being phased out this week. This move from the tecchies may come before the weekend's big kick off - I am myself unsure of the pace of developments - to be replaced by something altogether more whizz-bang.

Your humble correspondent is therefore being elevated onto contract basis to ensure an even greater level of professionalism on my return to London.

This holding note is to advise those who wish to save any archived stories from past seasons to do so now. Although I have been advised past content will survive somewhere on the web, save to disk now just in case should you wish to fondly remember diatribes, controversies, the ebb and flow of seasons and triumphs from the past.

More breaking news as I get it. The wheels are being turned in Bristol CT as I type.

Twitter@fulhamphil .



http://blogs.soccernet.com/fulham/archives/2012/08/all_change.php?

[WhiteJC]

 
Dempsey 'believes Liverpool will now move to sign him'

Clint Dempsey thinks Liverpool will now finally table a firm bid for him, the Daily Mirror say.

Anfield boss Brendan Rodgers is interested in signing Dempsey from Fulham, where the American has reportedly fallen out with manager Martin Jol.

And it is claimed that Liverpool shelling out £15m to capture midfielder Joe Allen from Swansea has left Dempsey believing Rodgers will now look to complete a deal to sign him too.

Liverpool's Merseyside rivals Everton are considering making a move for Dempsey, the Daily Mail report.

The Sun claim Arsenal are ahead of QPR and Fulham in a race to sign South Korean star Ki Sung-Yueng from Celtic.

Once again it is suggested – this time by the Mail –  that QPR want to loan Joey Barton to a League club in order to run down his 12-match ban but the Football League will not sanction a deal.

Meanwhile, the Mirror say Chelsea have entered fresh talks with Marseille in an attempt to push through the £6m signing of Spain full-back Cesar Azpilicueta before the new season starts.

They will apparently turn to alternatives, including Juventus' Switzerland right-back Stephan Lichtsteiner, if their pursuit of Azpilicueta does not work out.



http://www.westlondonsport.com/features-comment/dempsey-believes-liverpool-will-now-move-to-sign-him

[cebu]

Season Preview: Fulham

Last Season

Last season was full of ups and downs for Fulham, and it seemed to start quite slowly, as they dropped out of the Europa League early, and struggled to adapt to Martin Jol's more offensive style from Mark Hughes and Roy Hodgson's more conservative methods. Things did pick up eventually, and they pushed well in the latter stages to finish ninth and achieve their second best finish in the Premier League.

http://ballsybanter.com/2012/08/13/season-preview-fulham/?

Second best finish? Under Hodgson we were 7th and under Hughes 8th!   092.gif

[Ordar]

I would imagine he's referring to the points total

[cebu]

I would imagine he's referring to the points total

Ah, good point, I hadn't thought of that!   :dft001: