Saturday Fulham Stuff (25/08/12)...

[WhiteJC]

 
LAWRO'S PREDICTION

Man Utd v Fulham

Manchester United are still trying to integrate their new players into their team.

The fuss and furore over Robin van Persie and the 20 minutes he played against Everton on Monday night was unbelievably over the top because it will take him time to get to know his new team-mates and how they play.

Much was made of United's defeat against the Toffees, but that was always going to be a really tough fixture, especially in a night game at Goodison Park and in the first game of the season.

A weekend home game against Fulham is a completely different proposition, although Fulham had an excellent opening-day win at home over Norwich.

People are asking questions about where all United's attacking players will fit in but I am not sure Sir Alex Ferguson will be too bothered. He knows he has so many good players, who are versatile enough to play anywhere across the frontline.

It is at the back they are a bit short at the moment, although I hear Jonny Evans might be fit by Saturday.

To be honest, though, I cannot see the United defence being worked too hard, no matter who is in it.

Of far more concern to Ferguson will be getting the attacking side of things right. They need to play with the same sort of width we have come to expect from United in recent years and, if they do, I cannot see Fulham stopping them.

Prediction: 3-0


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19326517

[WhiteJC]

 
Rodgers - No need to make peace over Dempsey

Brendan Rodgers insists there is nothing to say about Fulham's complaint in regards to the Reds' alleged tapping up of Clint Dempsey.

The Cottagers approached the Premier League to express their unhappiness with what they felt was their public pursuit of the United States international.

Fulham manager Martin Jol feels Dempsey has been distracted by the speculation and having left him out of the squad for last weekend's opening fixture he will do the same again this weekend.

However, Rodgers insisted the club had made their response privately to the Premier League and would not be commenting any further.

"For me there is nothing to say on it," said the Northern Irishman.

"This was something I was aware of a number of weeks ago. That has been dealt with in-house."



http://www.clubcall.com/liverpool/rodgers---no-need-to-make-peace-over-dempsey-1459325.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Preview: United v Fulham

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Date, time and coverage: Saturday 25 August 2012, 15:00 BST kick-off. Follow it live on ManUtd.com with text and radio and watch highlights on MUTV.

Form guide: Fulham's opening game could not have gone better as Martin Jol's side battered Norwich 5-0 at the weekend with his new players having an instant impact. Mladen Petric scored twice on his debut and confidence will be sky-high. The Reds were defeated at Everton, of course, and will look to bounce back in the first game of the season at Old Trafford.

Betting:  United have been installed as strong 7/25 favourites to beat Fulham, who are rated as 9/1 outsiders (the draw is at 17/4). Despite some ongoing defensive injury concerns, the Reds will be confident about overcoming a Cottagers side who have not won at Old Trafford since October 2003. All eyes will be on the United teamsheet to see if Robin van Persie makes his first start following his move from Arsenal. The Dutchman is 3/1 to score first and 17/20 to notch at any time. Register here with bwin to place up to £20 in free bets on the match.



http://www.manutd.com/en/News-And-Features/Football-News/2012/Aug/manchester-united-v-fulham-match-preview.aspx?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham eye Odemwingie
Jol keen on Baggies striker


Peter Odemwingie: Being chased by Fulham and several other clubs

Sky Sports understands Fulham have joined the list of Premier League clubs keeping tabs on Peter Odemwingie.

The 31-year-old is being monitored by West Ham and Sunderlandwho have both expressed an interest in the West Brom striker.

Fulham are bracing themselves for the departure of Clint Dempsey - their top scorer from last season - before the transfer window closes next week.

Martin Jol has drawn up a list of possible alternatives and Odemwingie, who has scored 26 Premier League goals since arriving at The Hawthorns, figures quite highly.

Qatari club Al-Gharrafa had a bid rejected for the Nigeria international earlier this season.

Baggies boss Steve Clarke now faces a fight to hold onto his striker but the Midlands outfit are determined he will only leave if their valuation is met



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11681/8015277?

[WhiteJC]

 
TOTTENHAM READY TO BATTLE IT OUT WITH MANCHESTER UNITED FOR FULHAM STRIKE ACE

Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas remains keen to further rebuild his squad this summer, and is ready to battle with Manchester United for Moussa Dembele's signature.

United have long-admired Dembele, who enjoyed a sparkling campaign for Fulham last year, but their bid for the midfielder was described as "very low" by his current club.

Now, Spurs may be set to step in and test the Cottagers' resolve, in the knowledge that Dembele has just one year remaining on his current Fulham contract.

There is an option for a further year, which Fulham would love to activate, but they face a struggle to hold on to one of their prize assets beyond August.

Indeed, a £15m buy-out clause is believed to exist within Dembele's current contract terms, and Spurs now appear ready to trigger that clause.

After finally sealing the permanent signing of Emmanuel Adebayor, Villas-Boas is keen to add further creativity to his side to compliment his attacking options.

As Luka Modric prepares to seal his move to Real Madrid too, a new playmaker-in-chief is required at White Hart Lane, and Dembele could suit the role perfectly.

Signing a long-term successor to Paul Scholes remains a priority for Sir Alex Ferguson meanwhile, and at just 25-years-old, Dembele's age will appeal to the Scotsman.

Initially a forward when moving to England, Dembele has flourished in an advanced midfield role, seeing him attract the attention of such clubs as Spurs and United in the first place.

The former AZ Alkmaar midfielder is also thought to have been chased by Arsenal and Chelsea recently, but their respective signings indicate they have given up on the Belgian.

Therefore, Spurs and United would appear the only clubs still in the hunt for the crafty midfielder, and Dembele could soon have his pick of the clubs.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.



http://www.sportingpreview.com/football2012/2012273.php?

[WhiteJC]

 
Behind Enemy Lines : Fulham

After the disappointment of Monday nights loss to Everton we move onto our first home game of the season when we will be playing Fulham in a rare, for us, 3pm kick off.

Ahead of the game I spoke to Archie Rhind-Tutt, a passionate Fulham fan and up and coming broadcaster who writes the brilliant "Gone with the Rhind" blog, about his hopes for Fulham this season and our upcoming game.

So, your start to the season was pretty good and you're top of the table! Did you think you'd beat Norwich that convincingly?

What with the rumblings about Dempsey's future – certainly not. There were fears the Dempsey affair might spill onto the pitch but Fulham swept Norwich away on Saturday. The Canaries were very poor but still, it was a very encouraging and impressive performance from the Whites.

What do you make of your new signings so far?

Only three new first team players have come in but all three played on Saturday – Hugo Rodallega came on and won a penalty and Sascha Riether had a leisurely game at right back. However, the best signing by far is Mladen Petric. It's very early days – yes. Yet the Croatian was superb in pre-season and carried that on in the first game with a handy double. One for United to watch carefully this weekend...

Clinton Dempsey has apparently refused to play for the club and stated his desire to leave the club, even though it's worth noting that Dempsey himself later tweeted "There's two sides to the story". What are your thoughts on this?

It's such a shame that it has come to this after the times Dempsey's enjoyed at the club. He's scored so many important goals whether it was the winner against Liverpool to keep us up in 2007 or the infamous winner against Juventus in 2010. Last season he was sublime but you can understand why he wants to play in the Champions League. He's 29 and doesn't have too many years left at the top. However, if the reports that Clint has gone on strike are true, and he subsequently departs, it would be a disappointing end to an otherwise fantastic time at Craven Cottage.

If Dempsey does leave is he someone you can replace or do you think you'll have to change the system he make up for his absence?

Though Clint would be a great option to have, Fulham can certainly cope. The likes of Kerim Frei and Bryan Ruiz are both extremely capable in the role behind the striker, which is where Clint is best. They're not as direct as Dempsey but they're very capable of feeding Mladen Petric and things will happen if the ball is at his feet in and around the box.

What are your thoughts on Martin Jol so far? I've spoken to a few Fulham fans who think that his management style is making players not want to play for the club, e.g. Zamora and now Dempsey. Do you think this is fair?

There were some fantastic results last year (unbeaten against Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool in the league) but there are some worrying things about the Jol reign. Since he joined, none of the senior players at the club have been rushing to renew their contracts which is disturbing. Unsettled players (Zamora, Johnson, Dempsey) is something we haven't seen at Fulham for a while after what were halcyon days under Roy Hodgson. Jol still has some convincing to do...

What are your hopes for this season?

Top half finish again would be great but having spent 11 seasons in the Premier League, it's about time Fulham reached a domestic cup final. It hasn't been done in 37 years though – easier said than done!

Onto the game, who do you think will win?

United will win but it shouldn't be a walk over as we proved at Old Trafford last season – in fact Fulham were unlucky not to get a point but Michael Oliver decided Danny Murphy tripped himself up... The match at Craven Cottage was an anomaly as Fulham usually give very good accounts of themselves against the big sides. After the Norwich game, fans will be hopeful and United need to be wary of Kacaniklic on the left especially.

United have enjoyed some great matches with Fulham over the years. What has been your favorite encounter between the two teams?

Some good games you say – mainly for United! But no, we've have had terrific matches at home against United over the last few seasons. However, the absolute favourite has to be way back in 2003. I remember the date to this day – 25th October. Fulham won 3-1 at Old Trafford. It was the first time I saw Fulham win away in the Premier League – a very deceiving experience as in the years after, many more didn't follow!

Where do you think you'll finish this season?

An optimistic 10th...

Where do you think United will finish this season?

Everyone looks at United's signings now and will focus solely on van Persie. However, should he be given plenty of game time, the real one to watch is Shinji Kagawa. He is an unreal talent and will provide the strikers with more than enough chances to win a title. The defence needs to improve but I think this year United will return to the top of the league as Champions.



http://7cantonas.com/2012/08/behind-enemy-lines-fulham/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=behind-enemy-lines-fulham

[WhiteJC]

 
United hopes to bounce back against Fulham

Manchester, England –  It wasn't an ideal start to Manchester United's Premier League campaign.

After title rivals Chelsea and Manchester City picked up three points, the Red Devils were bested by Everton in a 1-0 match at Goodison Park on Monday, suffering their first opening day defeat in eight years.

Shinji Kagawa enjoyed an impressive debut with the Reds, but United, as a team, struggled to unlock an organized Toffees defense.

The second-half introduction of striker Robin van Persie, who signed for United a few days prior, also failed to spark a comeback as the visitors were held scoreless.

But even with a visit from Fulham looming, Manchester United defender and captain Nemanja Vidic is refusing to press the panic button.

"We knew it would be a hard game [against Everton]," Vidic told Manchester United's television outlet. "They did what they're best at - playing long balls and focusing on set-pieces. They had a few chances and in the end deserved to score, but we're never happy when we concede from a set-piece. We had some possession but we weren't clinical. When you go away from home you expect the home side to have some chances, but we need to be more clinical.

"It wasn't a great game but we're already looking forward to the next one. We've lost our first match [of the season] in the past and finished well so hopefully we can win our next game and go on a long run."

Fulham certainly pose a legitimate threat to United's hopes of claiming maximum points at Old Trafford on Saturday.

The Cottagers got off to a cracking start this season, cruising to a 5-0 home win over Norwich City despite the absence of Clint Dempsey. The American appears to be on his way out of the club and is unlikely feature for Fulham at Old Trafford.
Fulham's fiercest rival, reigning European champion Chelsea, is also off to superb start in league play, sitting atop the table with six points from two games.

The Blues built upon their 2-0 defeat of Wigan at the weekend with a 4-2 win over Reading on Wednesday. But Roberto Di Matteo's side will face its toughest test of the young season when it welcomes Newcastle United, fresh off of its 2-1 win over Tottenham, to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Spurs, meanwhile, also faces a stern test Saturday as the club welcomes West Bromwich Albion to White Hart Lane. The Baggies will be flying high after their 3-0 thrashing of Liverpool last time out.

Also on Saturday, Swansea City looks to build upon a strong opening match when it hosts West Ham United at the Liberty Stadium, Aston Villa hosts Everton at Villa Park, Norwich welcomes QPR to Carrow Road, Southampton takes on Wigan at St. Mary's and Reading heads to the Stadium of Light for an intriguing tilt with Sunderland.

Sunday's action should prove to be quite appetizing for spectators as it features three Premier League heavyweights.

Arsenal, which was held to a scoreless home draw by Sunderland at the weekend, will be searching for its first goals of the season when it faces Stoke City at the Britannia.

And finally, Manchester City will face Liverpool at Anfield as manager Brendan Rodgers looks to help the Reds bounce back from a humiliating defeat at the Hawthorns last time out.



Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/sports/2012/08/24/united-hopes-to-bounce-back-against-fulham/?#ixzz24WgM1028

[WhiteJC]

 
We need to attack - Game preview - Man Utd (a)

If form is anything to go by, Manchester United don't stand a chance of beating Fulham on Saturday afternoon. We're second in the table, unbeaten, with a plus five goal difference while lowly United sit in 16th, without a single point separating them from the likes of Wigan Athletic, Norwich City and Queens Park Rangers.

Form is, of course, nothing to go by at such a preliminary stage in the season but why shouldn't we enjoy it while it lasts, because the masses would have you believe it won't last particularly long at all?

They're probably right but there is a distinct buzz to Fulham under Martin Jol - one that seems to have overlooked the lack of transfer activity around Motspur Park and one that has ignored the disheartening saga that surrounds Clint Dempsey. That took another turn on Thursday with an official complaint towards Brendan Rodgers.

It's a buzz that relates almost directly to the positive brand of football which Jol is so keen to encourage and, if any evidence is required, was on show against Norwich as we cruised to a 5-0 victory last weekend. It was, by all accounts, not the most uphill of struggles but Mladen Petric shone, Alex Kacaniklic glowed and, perhaps this has gone without notice, Mahamadou Diarra looked firmly back to his very best.



Why does this matter, this style of play that is apparently so pleasing? Well, Jol believes it can be United's undoing. They're lacking a centre half while Antonio Valencia is filling in at right back and Fulham fans, of all people, know exactly what is possible when Sir Alex Ferguson finds himself short on defensive numbers.

"Hopefully we can play our own game," said Jol, keen on pressing United's weakened back line.

"We have to try and play our football and create chances and if you score one or two goals then you're always in with a chance of a result."

The last bit may well be quite the non-statement but at least he has shown ambition. We haven't taken three points from Old Trafford since 2003 and the only way we will change that is to push the home side and show what we can do.

Man Utd come into this game with a disappointing start to the season. They were defeated by a Marouane Fellaini-inspired Everton and, if they fail to beat us, could be in line for their worst start to a season since 2007. United's pre-season wasn't much better, being held to draws by Valerenga and Ajax Cape Town.

In contrast, Fulham's opener was emphatic while their pre-season was overly successful. The Whites, in that sense, hold the upper hand with impetus.

In the corresponding fixture last season, controversy reigned supreme as Danny Murphy was denied a penalty in the dying minutes of a 1-0 Fulham defeat. Jol's side played well, with style and pressed United up the pitch. It was a staunch improvement on the 5-0 defeat we suffered at home.

Rio Ferdinand, Chris Smalling and Phil Jones are all still out but Jonny Evans may be in contention to partner Nemanja Vidic at centre back.

Kerim Frei remains injured and Clint Dempsey will not be included for Fulham as his transfer story continues to unfurl. Phillippe Senderos is also out.

Potential line-up:


Score prediction: Man Utd 2 - 1 Fulham



http://www.cottagersconfidential.com/2012/8/24/3266007/we-need-to-attack-game-preview-man-utd-a?

[WhiteJC]

 
Manchester United vs. Fulham Preview: Top and Bottom of PL Table Clash


My guess is that Danny Welbeck will give way to Robin van Persie in the starting lineup after his underwhelming performance against Everton last week.

That's right. Champions League-bound Fulham, currently sitting 2nd in the league with a game in hand, travel to Old Trafford to face relegation-battling Manchester United.

What's that you say? We're only one game into the season? DOES IT LOOK LIKE I CARE?? MWAHAHAHAHA. Haha. Ha. Haaa........

Ok now that I got that out of my system, let's jump back to reality.

Before I get into it, I was honored to be asked for my opinion at two major Manchester United blogs, Can They Score and Old Trafford Faithful. I've linked my interviews there.

State of Fulham:

After a 5-0 dismantling of Norwich City to kick off the brand new season, Fulham are getting a dose of the Premier League's best in Manchester United.  The first game showed Fulham won't be without goals, despite losing most of their goal production from last season fell victim to old age (known in some languages as "QPR"), somewhat silly wage offers (occasionally referred to as "Reading"), or a jerk manager promising the world only to not deliver (see: "Liverpool").  Mladen Petric proved he has the complete package as a target man, complete with ball skills and technical ability (batteries not included), most of which the big Russian who occupied that position previously didn't.  This should allow Petric to be consistent throughout the season with his goalscoring, something again which Pogrebnyak was not after his original burst of Premier League goals.

The injury report for the club is the same as last week.  Unfortunately Kerim Frei won't be available again, as this is a game I believe in which he would flourish and will be sorely missed.  Senderos is also once again unavailable. Obviously Clint Dempsey is still suffering from Red Is My Favorite Color All Of A Sudden Syndrome and is currently still too sick with that to play.

Obviously, any points whatsoever would be a smashing success, and I think it's certainly possible as the players will be brimming with confidence from last week.  However, I don't think it will turn out the way we hope because...

State of Manchester United:

...Manchester United lost last week.  And the WORST possible time to face United is after a loss.  There are many things Sir Alex Ferguson is known for, but losing two weeks in a row is not one of them.  And that's why I'm pessimistic as hell heading into this match.  Maybe I'm being a little too much of a downer, but that alone makes me nervous.

It seems nobody is really panicking in Manchester after the loss, but it certainly makes them wonder when the club couldn't score in their opening match.  Danny Welbeck was underwhelming, and Robbie van Persie was as well, but the Dutchman was used incorrectly on the wing, and hopefully they'll do the same in this match, rendering him wildly ineffective.

The defense is in a bit of disarray due to a few injuries, including the long-term absence of Chris Smalling, so Patrice Evra will most likely slide into the center of the defense, and United will probably slot Alex Buttner directly into the lineup after securing his services just a few days ago.

Fulham will win if:

They play defensive and succeed at it.  I know many will disagree with me here, as I've seen multiple previews calling for Fulham to throw everything they've got at United.  I disagree completely.  Fulham becoming an all-out attack club will expose them far too easily, as they're not enough of a possession club to possess the opponent out of the game against a top team like United.  My scenario for Fulham to pull off the upset hinges on the first 15-20 minutes of the match.  If they can sit back and weather the attack from United without conceeding a goal, the chances to frustrate the opponent skyrocket, and that's when Fulham can pounce.  I see Fulham winning IF they sit back, defend successfully for the first 15-20 minutes, then turn on the heat and grab a goal just before halftime.  That will produce a winning scenario.  If United manage to get on the scoresheet in the first 15 minutes or so, Fulham could be in for a long day.

Mahamadou Diarra will be key in the midfield and a lot will hinge on his ability to shut down Kagawa.  Keep an eye on that matchup, because Kagawa scares me.  Fellaini showed last week why a rock-solid midfield is important against United.

Food for thought:

Martin Jol has never beaten United in Premier League play, and has lost his last 6 matches against them.

Fulham have scored goals in only 2 of their last 9 matches at Manchester United. Meanwhile, Wayne Rooney has scored 4 goals in his last 3 matches against Fulham.

Fulham have never started a top-flight season with 2 straight wins.

The last time United lost their first two league matches in a season: 1992-1993 against Sheffield United and Everton. They won the league that season.

Prediction:

Lineup-wise, I expect to see the exact same lineup Fulham used against Norwich, because it worked.  I would have tipped Kerim Frei to replace Alex Kacaniklic but Frei is still injured so look for Kaca to grab another start.  Steve Sidwell will get his time, but I believe Jol will want to ride the hot squad if he can. Also, adding Sidwell means Ruiz will have to move to the wing, and I think Jol has realized Ruiz works best in the middle behind the striker and in front of Dembele.

A 2-0 United win is what I'm thinking.  Too much history against Fulham for them to overcome in this one, and again, I don't see a scenario where SAF loses two in a row to start the season.



http://fulhamsfinest.com/2012/08/24/manchester-united-vs-fulham-preview-top-and-bottom-of-pl-table-clash/?