Friday Fulham Stuff (31/08/12)...

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Clint Dempsey looks destined for Liverpool

It's not the Champions League football that he wanted, but given the promise Brendan Rodgers' side showed last Sunday, maybe Clint Dempsey will be joining a Liverpool who will be back in the top-four sooner than we expected.

Given that Rodgers has allowed Andy Carroll to leave the club, you have to believe that he's confident of bringing somebody in to replace him. No club can go through a Premier League season with just two options at forward, somebody else must be on their way in.

That's probably Clint Dempsey.

Martin Jol has pulled off a coup in bringing Dimitar Berbatov to the club for just £4m, and so the prospect of the American leaving is now far less terrifying. Also, Jol appreciates the value of cutting ties with a player who clearly no longer wants to play for Fulham, and so expect Fulham to be a lot more receptive to bids for him today.

Regarding what Dempsey might bring to Anfield, we covered that in more detail here – the precis of which being, that he affords a level of attacking dexterity which is really valuable in today's game. He'd be a good signing, and expect him to be a Liverpool player by 11pm.

As an extra detail, Rodgers supposedly tried to offload Jordan Henderson to Fulham as part of the deal last night: with Adam heading out to Stoke, Carroll already gone, and Henderson living on borrowed time, the current 24-hours is a blunt indictment of the previous regime's transfer policy.



http://thepremierleagueowl.com/clint-dempsey-looks-destined-for-liverpool/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=clint-dempsey-looks-destined-for-liverpool

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Fulham ready to splash out again with last-minute deal for £6m Odjidja-Ofoe

Martin Jol is launching a late bid to go down as the transfer window's busiest manager after lining up a £6million move for Belgium midfielder Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe.

Flushed with cash after selling Mousa Dembele to Tottenham for £15m, the Fulham boss has already hailed Dimitar Berbatov's £5m signing as the biggest in the club's history and earmarked Sunderland's Kieran Richardson for the left-back spot at Craven Cottage.

Now he is hoping to strengthen the heart of his midfield by recruiting highly-rated Bruges anchor man Odjidja-Ofoe, who impressed in last season's Europa Cup tie against Birmingham City and laid on a goal for Joseph Akpala in the 2-2 draw at St Andrews.


New Fellaini? Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe is wanted at Craven Cottage

The 23-year-old, capped three times and hailed as the new Marouane Fellaini in his homeland, attracted interest from West Brom last season and could be on his way to the Barclays Premier League at the second attempt, if Fulham can reach an agreement.

The 6ft 1in powerhouse joined Bruges from Bundesliga side Hamburg for £800,000 three years ago and has established himself as their midfield mainstay during a return of 14 goals from 117 appearances.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2196214/Fulham-eye-transfer-deadline-day-signing-Vadis-Odjidja-Ofoe.html#ixzz2578ydS00

[WhiteJC]

 
Defender rules out Fulham exit

MATTHEW Briggs has ruled out leaving Craven Cottage on loan and wants to fight it out with John Arne-Riise for Fulham's left-back slot.

With Riise missing through injury, the youngster made his first Premier League appearance for nine months in last weekend's defeat at Manchester United.

Boss Martin Jol told the Chronicle earlier this month that he was weighing up whether to send the England U21 international on loan to get regular football, with Watford and Peterborough United keen.

However, Briggs, who spent a spell at Championship Posh last year, insists he wants to stay in SW6 and battle for his place.

"I'm not thinking about going on loan at the moment," he told the Chronicle.

"I want to fight for the shirt. We [John and I] are friends off the pitch but on it we both want to play."

The 21-year-old only made a handful of league appearances last season, but was a regular in Europe.

Briggs says he benefited from his one-month spell at Peterborough, but is determined to stay in Jol's first-team plans.

"Getting knocked out of Europe last season limited my chances to play, and John was doing well," he added.

"Going on loan was a good experience as it gave me the opportunity to go out and get some games. It was the first time I've moved away from home and a little bit of a challenge.

"But I want to stay here and have got to keep fighting for my position."



Read More http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/fulham-fc/2012/08/31/82029-31731919/?#ixzz257AN4NXM

[WhiteJC]

 
Palace Trip For Under-18s

Following last weekend's comprehensive 7-1 defeat of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Steve Wigley's Under-18s are in action again on Saturday with a trip to Crystal Palace (11am).

Three goals from Emerson Hyndman and two from Cauley Woodrow, added to Lyle Della Verde and Moussa Dembele strikes, made it a comfortable afternoon as Fulham opened their Barclays Under-18 Premier League campaign in style against Wolves.

Saturday's Group Three opponents, Palace, have drawn both their matches so far, with last weekend's 3-3 draw at Liverpool following their 1-1 draw against Middlesbrough.

Academy Director Huw Jennings said: "It was a good start for us, and I was very pleased for Steve and the boys - it was well deserved. We don't take anything for granted though, and want to build on that performance now.

"Palace are up next and they have a strong reputation in youth football. Hopefully, it will be another positive result for us."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/august/31/palace-trip-for-under18s?

[WhiteJC]

 
Over to you Liverpool! Dempsey chase hots up as Fulham accept £7m bid from Aston Villa

Fulham have accepted a £7million bid from Aston Villa for Clint Dempsey - increasing the pressure on Liverpool to raise the stakes in their pursuit of the United States international.

Dempsey has been linked with Liverpool for most of the summer and has been left out of the Cottagers' opening games of the season since declaring his intention to leave.


Where to now? Aston Villa have entered the race for Clint Dempsey

Sunderland are also keen on the 29-year-old but Anfield looked the most likely destination with Dempsey keen on a move to Merseyside.

Aston Villa boss Paul Lambert has now shaken things up as he looks for reinforcements to take some of the burden off striker Darren Bent.

The deal was agreed on Thursday night and is cash only - with no add ons and no other players involved.

Reds boss Brendan Rodgers remains keen on Dempsey and will have to make his move with the transfer window closing at 11pm tonight (Friday).

Fulham reported Liverpool to the Premier League last week claiming Dempsey had been tapped up and Craven Cottage boss Martin Jol criticised the player for not keeping quiet about his wish to move on.

Fulham's complaint was placed before the August meeting of the Premier League board and Liverpool have been asked for their observations.

The board will decide whether to take the complaint further. It could eventually go before an independent panel, who could impose fines or even suspended point sanctions on the Merseyside club.

Liverpool, however, are more likely to face a  four-figure fine if Fulham's complaint is upheld. The matter would be dropped if the clubs agree a fee for Dempsey, who was Fulham's top scorer last season.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2196222/Fulham-accept-7m-Aston-Villa-bid-Clint-Dempsey.html#ixzz257C3NerQ

[WhiteJC]

 
Sir Alex: It wouldn't surprise me if Berbatov goes to Tottenham
The 31-year-old striker has been linked with a move away all summer after the arrival of Robin van Persie, but his destination is still unclear according to his manager

Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson has admitted Dimitar Berbatov is not a certainty to join Fulham and revealed the Bulgarian could still make a surprise return to Tottenham.

The 31-year-old fell way down the pecking order at Old Trafford last term behind Wayne Rooney, Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez and his exit has been on the cards for some time now, particularly in the wake of the club clinching the signing of Robin van Persie from Arsenal this summer.

However, it was widely assumed that a deal to reunite with former boss Martin Jol, this time at Craven Cottage was all but completed, but Ferguson believes that there could be a final twist in the tale yet before the transfer window closes.

"It wouldn't surprise me if he's at Tottenham," said Ferguson.

"I don't think he's certain to go to Fulham, put it that way. I said last year he'd be leaving the end of the season.

"I don't know what's happened. He's not gone yet. I don't know anything about it. There's not been any contact whatsoever from him.

"According to Fiorentina he was supposed to be on a plane, and we thought that too. We thought he was in Italy.

"It's turned out he's not in Italy. He could be anywhere to be honest. I have no idea where he is."

The club's chief executive David Gill at the Champions League draw yesterday, though, appeared to rule out any further major departures from the club, aside from Berbatov, contradicting Ferguson, by naming Fulham as his destination.

"There's certainly no acquisitions, as Sir Alex well communicated," Gill told Sky Sports.

"Not confirmed yet but Dimitar (Berbatov) is likely to go to Fulham and there's probably going to be one or two more loans out but we're not working on anything specific at the moment.

"We've bought five players in this window and we're very happy with what we've acquired and we look forward to a very long but exciting season ahead.

Any move would bring an end to a five-year spell at the club for Berbatov, during which he's helped the side win the Premier League on two occasions.



http://www.goal.com/en/news/9/england/2012/08/31/3343124/-?

[WhiteJC]

 
West Ham v Fulham: Difficult to separate sides in London derby
A first draw of the season for either side looks in prospect at Upton Park

West Ham host Fulham in a televised clash this Saturday, with the respective results of either side so far making this an intriguing contest.

Home side West Ham, wounded by a 3-0 defeat at the hands of Swansea last week, are 6/4 to triumph, and in turn record their second Upton Park success of the season.

They face an extremely testing proposition in Fulham though, who were unlucky in defeat to Manchester United last week, after kicking off their season with a 5-0 victory over Norwich.

A key performer for the Cottagers in those games was Moussa Dembele though, and his departure to Tottenham could deter some punters from backing an away win at 9/5 here.

Fulham have lost only once to the Hammers in their past four meetings however, with the stalemate the most popular result in this time, occurring on half of these occasions.

It is 9/4 about the draw in this match, and that looks advisable bearing in mind the way each side's season has progressed in the early stages of the campaign.

Indeed, either side has recorded a home win and suffered an away defeat, so the pair could each be set to finish level for the first time this term.

Meanwhile, it is worth noting that both teams have scored in their past six encounters opposing each other, so the 4/6 about that happening again seems a worthwhile bet.

And the score draw could provide better value for punters as a 3/1 shot, whilst correct score markets could too prove profitable.

1-1 draws most commonly occurred last term for either side, and thus, 11/2 odds regarding this scoreline on Saturday look very tempting.

First scorer options look abundant in this game also, with either side able to boast significant goal threats.

Mladen Petric is 11/2 favourite to open the scoring for the visitors, this in the aftermath of a debut brace for the Croatian forward that endeared him to Cottagers fans.

For the home team, Carlton Cole has a point to prove after coming under much scrutiny amidst a disappointing display at Swansea last week, and he's 6/1.

Whilst Hammers captain Kevin Nolan always poses a threat, and could pay dividends as a 9/1 shot to break the deadlock, and follow up his opening-day Upton Park winner.



http://news.ladbrokes.com/en-gb/football/premier-league/west-ham-v-fulham-difficult-to-separate-sides-in-london-derby_115712.html

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Fulham eye Dejagah
Iran international reveals to his club boss he would like a move


Ashkan Dejagah: Wolfsburg striker has just 12 months left on his deal at the club

Wolfsburg boss Felix Magath has confirmed striker Ashkan Dejagah is interested in a move to Fulham before the close of the transfer window.

The 26-year-old has just 12 months remaining on his contract with the Bundesliga side and has risen through the ranks at the club.

Fulham are keen to bolster their squad before the close of the window on Friday evening and are scouring the market for targets.

Magath, however, seems willing to let the Iran international leave the club for a fee of around £1.9million.

"I have asked Ashkan about this (move to Fulham) and he said he would be keen to make the move," he told Kicker-Sportmagazin.

"I have to say I am not happy about him leaving us but we had to consider the whole situation."



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11681/8036502?

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West Ham v Fulham preview

Team news ahead of West Ham's Premier League clash with Fulham at Upton park on Saturday (kick-off 12.45pm).

England striker Andy Carroll is in line to make his West Ham debut after completing a season-long loan switch from Liverpool.

Left-back George McCartney (ankle) and centre-halves James Collins (calf) and Winston Reid (knee) face late fitness tests after picking up knocks against Swansea last weekend.

Midfielder Jack Collison remains sidelined with a knee problem but the likes of Jussi Jaaskelainen, Guy Demel, Mark Noble, Mohamed Diame and Matt Jarvis will return after they were rested for the midweek Capital One Cup win over Crewe.

West Ham (from): Jaaskelainen, Henderson, Demel, Tomkins, Collins, Reid, McCartney, O'Brien, Potts, Spence, Diarra, Diame, Noble, Taylor, O'Neil, Nolan, Jarvis, Vaz Te, Maiga, Carroll, Cole.

Fulham team news to follow...


http://www.teamtalk.com/match/preview/978/8036534/West-Ham-v-Fulham-preview?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham Focus - Berbatov signing could be the light at the end of the tunnel

Even the staunchest Fulham fan would admit that it has not been the best week for the Cottagers. After their defeat at Old Trafford last Saturday followed a dismal cup exit to Sheffield Wednesday in midweek, star man Moussa Dembele was sold to Tottenham Hotspur. On top of that, the Clint Dempsey situation remains unsolved.

Although the defeat to Manchester United brought a good performance from Martin Jol's men, a defeat is a defeat and the Cottagers should have approached their Capital One Cup tie at Hillsborough in a determined mood. Aside from wanting to continue their encouraging start to the season, Fulham have not had a serious cup run since their foray to the FA Cup Semi-Final in 2002. The subsequent defeat and poor performance to a lower league club has perhaps disappointed fans more than Jol had anticipated.

However, the loss of Dembele has struck arguably the biggest blow of the week at Craven Cottage. The Belgian had started the season in superb form and as this column pointed to, dominated the midfield at Old Trafford. Interest in Demble has been well documented but with all the focus being on Dempsey, Fulham fans believed that with the transfer window so close to shutting and Dembele proving his commitment by his excellence on the field, that their new talisman would stay.

Thus, the accelerated nature of his departure to White Hart Lane has left a gaping hole in Fulham's midfield. With a potential replacement in Dempsey refusing to play, the likes of Steve Sidwell and Pajtim Kasami are simply not in the same class as Dembele. The news that Kieran Richardson is in talks to arrive at Craven Cottage, while a good, pacey player who can fill in a variety of positions, will not pacify concerned fans.

So with very little time left before the transfer window slams shut, Martin Jol has much work to do if he is to retrieve the feel good factor that had been present around the club before the events of this week. Moves for Mark Noble have been mooted in some quarters but the potential arrival that has really captured the imagination of the fans is the enigmatic Dimitar Berbatov.

Jol's announcement to fulhamfc.com that Berbatov would shortly join the Cottagers can potentially reignite Fulham's stalling start to the campaign. The Bulgarian has his critics but he would offer the skill and creativity of Dembele but additionally, the goals that were lacking from the Belgian's game. Indeed, 27 goals in his last 44 league games would bring a goalscoring threat Fulham have not had since Louis Saha.

Having worked with Berbatov to such great effect at Tottenham, Jol will feel he can get the best out of him at Craven Cottage. Of course, at the time of writing, the Dempsey headache remains but the imminent signing of Berbatov would at least provide some relief to a difficult week.



http://www.adifferentleague.co.uk/p6_1_16466_fulham-focus-berbatov-signing-could-be-the-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel.html

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Liverpool prepare counter Dempsey offer as three players undergo Fulham medicals
The Reds are lining up a new bid for the American, with Aston Villa also believed to have had a bid accepted, while a trio of senior stars are close to joining Martin Jol's side

EXCLUSIVE
By Wayne Veysey | Chief Correspondent

Liverpool are expected to make a counter-offer to Fulham for Clint Dempsey following interest elsewhere in the United States international.

Aston Villa made a formal offer on Thursday night for Dempsey, who is valued at £7 million by the London club.

Fulham are believed to have accepted the bid, but sources have said that Dempsey is reluctant to move to Villa Park and is still holding out for a deadline day switch to Anfield.

Goal.com revealed on Thursday that the Merseysiders were back in negotiations with Fulham to sign Dempsey, with discussions centring on the players who could move to Craven Cottage in part-exchange.

Liverpool are reluctant to meet Fulham's asking price for the 29-year-old and several senior and junior players have been mentioned as makeweights in the deal in order to meet the valuation.

This news comes as Goal.com can also reveal that three senior players have undergone medicals at Fulham in the last 24 hours.

These are believed to be Dimitar Berbatov, Kieran Richardson and an unidentified third potential first-teamer.

Berbatov is close to completing a £4.5m move from Manchester United despite mischievous comments from Sir Alex Ferguson on Friday morning that he did not think it was certain the Bulgarian would join Fulham and "it wouldn't surprise me if he's at Tottenham".

Richardson will move from Sunderland for £2m, while the third player is likely to fill the central midfield gap left vacant following the departures this summer of Mousa Dembele and Danny Murphy.

Meanwhile, Lauri Dalla Valle, the Finnish striker who joined from Liverpool in 2010, can be revealed to be heading to Charleroi in Belgium on a season-long loan.

Fulham are desperate to offload Dempsey as Jol and senior Fulham figures accept that there is no way back for the attacker at the club.

The 29-year-old has made it clear that his preference is to quit Craven Cottage for Liverpool, whose manager Brendan Rodgers has admitted that he has made enquiries about signing the player.

As revealed by Goal.com earlier this month, Dempsey has been training on his own after making it clear he does not want to play for the Londoners again while waiting for a move to Liverpool to materialise.

The American has been left in limbo while his future remains up in the air but he has been reluctant to consider alternative offers, with Sunderland and Everton also showing interest.


http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2012/08/31/3343252/-?

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Fulham: Dimitar Berbatov- Bargain of the Summer

Sunday 19th August 2001, away to Manchester United on our first full season in the Premiership, was my first Fulham game. Then, as last weekend, we lost 3-2. What has changed is that the squad and ethos of the entire club has altered dramatically since that day 11 years ago.

Back then we were on an adventure, successive promotions had led to a largely unsuspected – at least in my mind – foray into the Premiership.

With a suave French manager in Jean Tigana and the £11.5 million Steve Marlet, what could go wrong? On that day in Manchester Barry Hayles lined up with Louis Saha in our front line; neither did a disservice to the club, indeed, Hayles remains a firm fan favourite. But yesterday Fulham pulled off the bargain-buy of the transfer window when they completed the signing of Dimitar Berbatov from Manchester United.

Fulham manager Martin Jol revealed he was "a happy man" after confirming the £4million Bulgaria striker. This is, surely, something of an understatement. In a week that has seen our talismanic midfielder, Moussa Dembele, shipped off to Tottenham and suffering the embarrassment, there is no other word, of an early exit from the Capital One Cup at Sheffield Wednesday, Fulham fans needed some good news.

Our capture of Berbatov is the bargain of the transfer window, and his presence at Craven Cottage will go a long way to appeasing Fulham fans nervous at the sale of Dembele, and the imminent departure of Clint Dempsey.

That Berbatov chose Fulham over the mighty Italian giants of Juventus, who we quashed several seasons ago on our memorable Europa League run, and Fiorentina should make Craven Cottagers smile. We are not, as were we 11 years ago, minnows to be patronised in the cut throat league of the Premiership. We have shown over that time when other bigger clubs have fallen, and fallen hard, that we have the squad, structure, ethos and sheer ability to not only survive in the best league in the world but actively compete. That we are now able to attract the likes of Berbatov, a Golden Boot winner only two years ago, is a true statement of intent.

Of course, doubts over his work rate, his sulkiness, and his wages can wait until another day. That we do still desperately need one, perhaps two, new attacking midfielders is self evident.

But there aren't many days when a football club can welcome a former £30m striker for a mere £4m. Welcome, Dimitar.



http://www.o-posts.net/news/teams/uk/manchester-united/fulham-dimitar-berbatov-bargain-summer/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+O-posts-news+%28O-Posts+-+Football+News%29

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Whites Seal Richardson Signing

Fulham Football Club is delighted to announce the signing of Kieran Richardson from Sunderland on a three-year deal, with an additional year's option, for an undisclosed fee.

The 27-year-old midfielder made 149 appearances for the Black Cats after signing from Manchester United in 2007 shortly after lifting the Premier League trophy.

Richardson, born in Greenwich, London, has eight international caps and scored two goals on his England debut in a 2-1 win against the USA in 2005.

Speaking at Fulham's Motspur Park Training Ground on Friday morning, Richardson, who has been handed squad number 15, said: "I'm delighted that my transfer to Fulham has been completed and now I'm eager to start training for my new club straight away and pulling on the white shirt for the first time."

Fulham Manager Martin Jol added: "Kieran is a proven top-level player, who has the versatility to play a number of positions. He will bring all-round quality which will add strength to our squad and I'm confident that he will adapt well to our style of football, and make an impact for us."

Able to play on the wing and in central midfield, Richardson can also operate at left-back or as a second striker.

The star's career began as a youngster at West Ham United, before Manchester United stepped in to seal a move to Old Trafford.

He made 81 appearances in almost five years with the Red Devils, winning the League Cup in 2006 and the Premier League title in 2007. He also enjoyed a successful loan spell at West Bromwich Albion in 2005, scoring three goals in 12 games as the Baggies avoid relegation by the skin of their teeth.

Richardson joined Sunderland in July 2007 for an undisclosed fee following their return to the top flight.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/august/31/whites-seal-richardson-signing?

[WhiteJC]

 
Clint Dempsey Says No To Villa, Continues To Wait On Liverpool

Poor Aston Villa. They're the only team to have stumped up the money for American midfielder Clint Dempsey, and they've been unceremoniously rejected by him:

Clint Dempsey has turned down the chance to join Aston Villa despite Fulham accepting an offer for the forward #bbcfootball

— BBC Sport (@BBCSport) August 31, 2012

Dempsey is in the middle of throwing a major tantrum at Fulham, refusing to play until he gets a transfer to a bigger club. Apparently what he really meant was a transfer to Liverpool. The problem, of course, is that Liverpool don't necessarily have the money to persuade the Cottagers to sell. Villa do, but Dempsey doesn't want to go there. This is the worst love triangle ever.

Anyway, this is probably good news for Aston Villa's defenders. Sure, they wouldn't have to play against Dempsey in real matches, if they got him. But if 'Deuce' had joined up with Paul Lambert and company at Villa Park, they'd have had to train with him and his flying elbows. That's a recipe for mild concussion if I've ever seen one. So Villa has that going for them!



http://www.7500toholte.com/2012/8/31/3281994/clint-dempsey-transfer-aston-villa-liverpool?

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Richardson seals Fulham deal
Jol happy with Sunderland signing

Fulham have completed the signing of Kieran Richardson from Sunderland for an undisclosed fee.

As revealed by Sky Sports earlier this week, Fulham had lined up a deal for Richardson who was looking to return to London for family reasons.

Richardson has now penned a three-year deal with the option of another 12 months at Craven Cottage after passing a medical and agreeing personal terms.

Fulham boss Martin Jol believes Richardson will be a valuable addition to the squad as he can play in several positions.

"Kieran is a proven top-level player, who has the versatility to play a number of positions," Jol told the club's official website.

"He will bring all-round quality which will add strength to our squad and I'm confident that he will adapt well to our style of football, and make an impact for us."



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11695/8036812?

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Gameiro Goes Dutch

Fulham youngster Corey Gameiro has joined Dutch side FC Eindhoven on a four-month loan.

The highly-rated 19-year-old Australian striker will hope to make his mark in the second tier of Dutch football.

He is the latest Academy starlet to head out on loan, following in the studmarks of Marcus Betenelli (Dartford) and Richard Peniket (Kidderminster Harriers).



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/august/31/gameiro-goes-dutch?

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Villa end interest in Dempsey
United States international wants to join Liverpool

Sky Sports sources understand Aston Villa have ended their interest in Clint Dempsey as the Fulham attacker wants to join Liverpool.

Villa had a £7million bid accepted by Fulham earlier on Friday morning as they tried to plot a sensational deadline swoop for the attacker.

Liverpool have been stalking the United States international for the majority of the close season and Anfield appears to be his likely destination.

It is understood that his preference for a move to Liverpool has prompted Villa to call off their pursuit of Dempsey.
Sunderland, however, are still maintaining their interest in the attacker who has scored 50 goals for the Cottagers in 184 league games.

Dempsey signed for the West London side in 2007 for £1.5million from the New England Revolution and has gone on to become one of the best attacking midfielders in the Premier League.



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11681/8036891?

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Man Utd man unlikely to make Fulham debut at West Ham

Team News: West Ham v Fulham

Fulham target Dimitar Berbatov is unlikely to be able to make his debut against West Ham after there was a delay in completing the deal

Manager Martin Jol will, however, welcome back the majority of the players who missed the midweek Capital One Cup defeat at Sheffield Wednesday.

Forward Mladen Petric did not feature in the 1-0 loss due to a slight knock, while midfielder Mahamadou Diarra was rested.

Full-back John-Arne Riise returns following a muscular injury but Bryan Ruiz, who pulled up with a hamstring problem during the warm-up at Hillsborough, is a doubt with Kerim Frei (pelvis) and Philippe Senderos (foot) still ruled out.

Squad: Schwarzer, Stockdale, Somogyi, Etheridge, Kelly, Riise, Hangeland, Baird, Briggs, Grygera, Hughes, Riether, Halliche, Diarra, Sidwell, Kasami, Duff, Ruiz, Kacaniklic, Petric, Rodallega, Trotta.



http://www.london24.com/sport/fulham/man_utd_man_unlikely_to_make_fulham_debut_at_west_ham_1_1500680?

[WhiteJC]

 
12 hours to change the World (or just our team)
by LYDIA on AUGUST 31, 2012

Not long left now. Infact, as I write this we have 11hours and 25minutes left to make final changes to our team before the transfer window slams shut in our faces until January. This week was quite a strange one for Fulham fans. We have been expecting Dempsey to leave for some time now but that just hasn't quite went as we expected, especially as I woke up this morning to the news that we have agreed a deal with Villa?! Improving club to relegation battle, I'm sure that isn't what Clint had in mind. Although I'm reading now that Villa have ended their interest because the man himself only wants to move to Liverpool (forgive me, I am trying to write this while watching Skysports Transfer Deadline day). I don't think any of us will be surprised if Dempsey is at Liverpool or someone else at the end of the day.


Who knows where Dempsey will end up?
The Dembele deal was harder to take. Jol was so sure that our best player was going to stay but the buyout clause let us down and we have lost one of the best centre midfield players for the fee of just 15million pounds. Frustrating? Yes. Totally surprising? No. A guy with his ability was always going to leave at some stage, it's NOT that we are a club with no ambition; it's just how it is. If you want to read more about Dembele I'll direct you to Lorks article from the other day because I couldn't put it any better myself!

But let's not focus on the talent that has and will (Dempsey still isn't away yet) leave us, but let's focus on what this day could bring us. Kieran Richardson has just completed his signing. I'm not too sure about this and I assume Jol has brought him in because he is versatile and can play in a few positions. To me this is just a signing to add a bit of cover to the squad. Berbatov looked set to join yesterday after passing a medical but Alex Ferguson has made us all panic a bit by claiming that Berbatov could be at Spurs. Personally I think that he is talking a load of rubbish but we are still to hear confirmation from the club. He would be an unbelievable coup for the club and no one can deny his ability on his day. Having Petric and Berbatov up front looks likely to terrify Premier League teams all over the country!


Will Berba be scoring his goals at the Cottage this season?
We now look impressive up front, bit what about in midfield? We had a lot of exits this summer and a centre midfield is essential for us to attempt to fill the gap left by Dembele. It looks like Charlie Adam is away to Stoke so the rumoured 'Dempsey for Adam' looks unlikely to happen but there is still the potential for a 'Dempsey forHenderson' maybe? That was another rumour flying around but again I don't know how likely that is. I think that our Dempsey replacement is more likely to come in the form of Wolfsburg player Dejagh. He is quite similar to Dempsey as he can play just behind the striker but reports fromGermanyare quite mixed due to an injury he has sustained. We will just have to see what happens there though because at the minute, Dempsey doesn't quite need replacing!

I would also say to Fulham fans, don't completely rule out a mystery big name coming in. It might not be someone we know about but if you cast your minds back to last year when Ruiz was a late acquisition to the team, you will be reminded that Jol has a knack for pulling something out of the bag. It might not happen, but then again it might!

COYW



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2012/08/12-hours-to-change-the-world-or-just-our-team/?

[WhiteJC]

 
West Ham United v Fulham



Preview Percy hates transfer windows. The constant stream of comings and goings means we keep returning his copy for updating. Last season his nurse told us off for giving him palpitations by telling him that Martin Peters had gone. We still haven't dared to risk telling him that it was Spurs that Peters went to. Here's the mad one's look at Saturday's visit of Fulham to the Boleyn. Historical background to the fixture supplied by the ever-reliable John Northcutt...


Next cab off the rank is a home fixture with Fulham. Kick-off is at the silly hour of 12.45pm with the game being beamed through the ether on satellite television, or "the wireless with pictures" as we call it around here. There doesn't appear to be any engineering works on the tubes or the trains but it may get a bit busy from the Paralympics just up the road – might be worth checking the various signs before risking a change into the wrong lane.

Fulham currently sit in sixth place in what passes for a league table at the moment. I preferred it when they didn't bother to publish it until three games had passed – the papers taking over just as you got fed up with updating those ladder things that football magazines used to stick on their front covers.

They had a decent start to the season, dispatching Norwich 5-0 with some ease. The fixture computer did them few favours by sending them up to Old Trafford where they took an early lead against the Salford Whingers. The middle part of the match belonged to the home side, who took a 3-2 lead but Fulham came back into the match as the result of a bizarre own goal and, arguably, finished the stronger of the two sides.

The one real fly in the ointment this season has been the midweek exit from the League Cup at the hands of Sheffield Wednesday. It was a reasonably strong squad that made the journey up the M1 so they'll be disappointed by that one, especially with the stattos informing me that they managed only the one shot on target all night.

Last season they finished up in 8th place, drawing 13 of their last 15 matches in the process. This was enough to qualify them for the Europa League thingy thanks to them being jolly good sports, something that enabled them to finish high enough in the fair play league to ensure qualification. They were eliminated in the group stages of that rather bloated tournament ..

The boss is Martin Jol, whose sacking by Spurs proved that nobody connected with that club would recognise a half decent coach if they employed one. Jol took over from Mark Hughes in June 2011 after the Welshman's sudden and never-quite-satisfactorily-explained resignation after less than a year in the job. Mohammed Fayed – the club's owner – angrily remarked that Hughes was "a strange man" as if constantly inventing crackpot conspiracy theories and erecting statues to loopy pop stars were the most normal things in the world to go about doing. Sorry Fulham but our statue is much better. And a lot less embarrassing.

It's been a strange transfer window for the Cottagers this time round. Liverpool's blatantly (and sadly typical) illegal overtures to Clint Dempsey seem to have resulted in some sort of stand-off between player and club. Some sources suggest that Dempsey has refused to play for Fulham as yet another Premier League tribunal seems set to sweep the Scousers' continued by-passing of the rules under the carpet once more. It would be interesting to see what division Liverpool would be in had every illegal transfer they'd been involved in been properly investigated. Meanwhile Dempsey seems to have taken refuge in the Ecuadorian embassy until he's allowed to leave, or something.

The recent transfer of Modric to a club more befitting of his talents has left Spurs with a few Euros burning a hole in the club's pockets and some of that appears to be heading in the direction of Craven Cottage with midfielder Moussa Dembele heading off in the other direction. It has been reported that Fulham have, in turn, made a polite enquiry about the availability of Mark Noble, an enquiry that hopefully met with a polite but negative response.

Two players arrived during the summer. Hugo Rodallega formed part of the exodus from Wigan. Like Mo Diame, Rodallega left at the expiry of his contract and, also like Diame, no fee was paid. If you listen carefully you can hear Dave "Child Slave Labour A Speciality" Whelan sobbing into his beer over the loss of money. A Colombian international, Rodallega has a spell in goal for his country under his belt, replacing the red-carded first-choice 'keeper after all three subs had been used in a 2007 Copa America match.

That's another thing that I miss from football. The introduction of subs benches containing more people than watch Millwall (just) means that the sight of an outfield player pulling on an ill-fitting shirt and flapping at crosses is becoming an increasingly rare thing. Even more so since the "Championship" returned to having seven on the bench – we wouldn't have seen Lansbury up at Blackpool last year had we been allowed seven players on the bench.

The other new boy in town is Mladen Petric, who was born in the Bosnian-Herzegovnian bit of what we used to call Yugoslavia. A Croatian international striker, he scored the winner for his country in the in the infamous "Wally With The Brolly" match at Wembley. Like Rodallega he has a spell between the sticks to boast of, taking over from the regular custodian after he'd conceded a penalty and received marching orders for his trouble.

Of the two I reckon Petric has the bragging rights as his first touch of the ball was to save the penalty. Petric bagged a brace in the win over Norwich. Although he missed the trip to Hillsborough through injury, it's likely that his absence was of a precautionary measure given his non-presence of his name on any of the usual injury lists.

Dempsey's replacement, assuming he goes, is likely to be Dimitar Berbatov. Berbatov's transfer from Spurs to Salford broke so many rules it is hard to know where to start. Ever since then Berbatov has joined loads of other foreign tourists in watching matches at Old Trafford and the recent arrival of Robin Van Persie means that they have more than enough cover in the diving department, hence Berbatov's return to London. As I write he is having a medical so should be available for selection this weekend if the paperwork is completed on time.

Us? Well there's not much to be taken from what was a reserve XI's win in midweek. Fine as his goal was (nice neat passing move) Maynard appears to be surplus to requirements (ie we need the cash for someone else). Maiga's goal has got him off the mark – never a bad thing (eh Torres?!) but otherwise it was just a case of everyone feeling old at the sight of a team containing Potts and Moncur once more.

As for new faces, all week the Sullivan family twitter account has been full of how we're going to sign a "top class" striker – and I'm not sure whether to be relieved at the denial that it's Heskey or to be worried that the question was taken seriously in the first place.

To nobody's surprise the top class striker turned out to be Andy Carroll who, having finally taken the hint that even a side as poor as the Scousers wouldn't pick him, at last twigged that he might get more goals playing in a better side. Certainly his England prospects will be better playing for us than watching a relegation battle from the sides at Anfield. Quite where all this leaves poor old Carlton Cole one can only speculate. Perhaps the moron who gave him such abuse on twitter will be finally happy and can then crawl back under whatever stone he's been hiding under.

Given the manager's comments regarding Jarvis last week (he's fit and not foreign so he's playing) I'd expect Carroll to go straight in for this one – and I'd expect the rest of the team to be not dissimilar to that which started against Swansea – with perhaps one of the 400 holding midfielders we have making way for RVT?

I'd say that the teams were pretty closely matched but the transfer activity of recent days seems to have weakened them – the departures of Dempsey (presumably) and Dembele certainly won't have been welcomed by Jol. Meanwhile, our departures have consisted of players who (Green apart) probably wouldn't have been first up for selection anyway. The arrival of Carroll may prove conclusive.

Also, if we do have a slight edge it may be in the fact that Fulham haven't been the best of travellers in recent seasons – ok you can be forgiven for not getting a result at Old Trafford but that was a relatively strong side they took to Hillsborough. So my thoughts on this one have changed over the past few days and the Rest Home's Hardship Fund for Residents who have fallen on hard times (£2.50) will now be placed on a 3-1 home victory.

Enjoy the game!


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