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

[WhiteJC]

 
Dempsey`s Dilemma
   
Today could very well be one of the most important day sin the career of Clint Dempsey.

Looking to get away from Craven Cottage, Clint`s wish to not play for Fulham again could see him get his desire today.

Last night Fulham admitted that Sunderland had been given permission to speak to Clint but we reckon Clint harbors a desire to move to Anfield.

On that track, it looks as if Liverpool have a striking vacancy with Andy Carroll having left for a season long loan deal at Upton Park.

But the matter is further complicated when you consider that Liverpool, apparently, do not have sufficient funds to secure a deal and may well be looking towards loaning Daniel Sturridge from Chelsea if our neighbours can secure a deal for a new striker, rumoured to be Schurrle, of Bayer Leverkusen.

With the morning synopsis being that Demspey was bound for either Liverpool or Sunderland, it appears that another team entered the fray this morning when Aston Villa registered an interest and had a bid accepted by Fulham.

However, it didn`t take long for confirmation to filter through that Dempsey had rejected a move to Villa Park.


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=292094#ixzz258edgYna

[WhiteJC]

 
Deal Collapses?
   
Rumours, floated on the BBC web site, infer that a deal to sign a striker has collapsed.

They`re suggesting that a move to sign the 26 year-old Iranian, Wolfsburg striker - Ashkan Dejagah, for €2.5 million collapsed after the striker injured his hamstring.

However, details later emerged that the injury would not be a problem when it came to the deal, leaving us all in suspense.


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=292095#ixzz258fmWW6A

[WhiteJC]

 
Young Keeper Signs!
   
FC Twente have announced that Fulham have secured the services of one of their keepers.

It appears that nineteen year-old Chris David, a Dutch youth international has moved across the North Sea to become a Cottager.

No fee or contract details are presently available but we`d like to wish him all the best at Craven Cottage.


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=292097#ixzz258g7OBRm

[WhiteJC]

 
Berbatov plumps for Fulham

Linked yesterday with Fiorentina and Juventus, Manchester United's Dimitar Berbatov has completed a transfer to Premier League outfit Fulham.

The Bulgarian striker completed the deal this afternoon before being presented to the media in London.

Yesterday saw him reported as being on the verge of a move to Italy, however. Fiorentina confirmed that they had agreed a deal with United for the player, only for him to fail to turn up for an arranged medical.

It was rumoured that last-minute interested from Juventus had turned his head, but it turned out that Fulham were pursuing the forward.

Berbatov joins the Cottagers on a reported £5m deal and has signed a two-year contract.


http://www.football-italia.net/24545/berbatov-plumps-fulham?

[WhiteJC]

 
BREAKING NEWS: Derek Boateng move to Fulham in doubt
The Cottagers had agreed a deal to take the 29-year-old to Craven Cottage however the Ghana international has indicated talks have broken down, Tweeting the deal is "in doubt"

Dnipro midfielder Derek Boateng has revealed that his proposed move to Fulham has hit a snag

The 29-year-old has been linked with a move to the west London side throughout the summer, with West Brom also rumoured to be interested in the midfielder.

Reports firstly suggested that Martin Jol had failed with a bid for the Ghana international, but the Cottagers did eventually agree a deal earlier on deadline day.

However, the player, who is keen to leave Dnipro after manager, and former Tottenham boss, Juande Ramos revealed he is no longer part of his plans, has now indicated that the move has potentially broken down.

He wrote on his official Twitter account: "Have problems with move to @FulhamFC

"Deal in doubt now."

Boateng, who can play as a defensive midfielder or at centre-half, would be a handy addition to Jol's squad after they lost duo Dickson Etuhu and Danny Murphy to Blackburn.

Fulham have already been busy in this summer's transfer window, adding Dimitar Berbatov, Hugo Rodallega, Mladen Petric, Sascha Riether and Kieran Richardson to their ranks.

However the club have seen one of their stars from last year, Mousa Dembele, move to White Hart Lane with Clint Dempsey likely to complete a move away from Craven Cottage after making it clear he wants to leave.



http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2012/08/31/3344364/-?

[WhiteJC]

 
A Drop Of Claret And Blue: West Ham vs Fulham preview

Welcome to A Drop of Claret and Blue. At the time of writing this article, West Ham United have announced the signing of Andy Carroll from Liverpool on a season-long loan deal. The 23-year old striker had been linked with the East London club for the best part of the transfer window, and whilst it looked like the move was unlikely to take place, the Gateshead-born forward has finally put pen to paper. We at Ballsy Banter would like to wish him all the best at his new club.

Before we look forward to the Premier League clash at home to Fulham, and Carroll's almost certain debut, let's look back to the Capital One Cup 2nd round fixture against Crewe Alexandra; a match that we thoroughly deserved to win, and did by a comfortable two-goal margin. Nicky Maynard opened the scoring against his former club, taking his goal very well after some quality build up play; a well struck volley from inside the area gave the Irons a lead to defend at the half time whistle. And early in the second half, Modibo Maiga showed great awareness to react quickest to the loose ball and prod home his first goal for West Ham, after Crewe goalkeeper Alan Martin failed to hold on to an initial shot. It was unfortunate to see Nicky Maynard depart West Ham United after netting his first goal of the season, but we wish him all the best at his new club, Cardiff City.

Being at Upton Park on a match day, I occasionally have the absolute pleasure of meeting some of the greats who have worn the hallowed claret and blue colours over the years, and Tuesday night was no exception. Frank McAvennie could be seen walking the corridors with a vodka and coke in his hand, swapping stories for smiles, and whilst I never got to address him personally, I was fortunate enough to grab a few words with West Ham legend Phil Parkes. Below is a picture of myself and the goalkeeper after West Ham beat Hull 2-1 at the end of last season.

I told Phil about the blog, and how readers would appreciate comments from the man himself. When asked to summarise our performance against Crewe in three words, he promptly responded with a grin: "Good young talent." And you can't argue with that assessment, considering the ease of this victory with the likes of Jordan Spence and Daniel Potts displaying their talents for the full 90 minutes, and Matthias Fanimo, Robert Hall and George Moncur coming off to bench to show what they can offer. Stephen Henderson looked assertive in goal, and helped maintain our unbeaten home start to the season; two games in which the home faithful have yet to see an away goal. Next up for West Ham in the cup is a tricky home tie against Wigan – a fixture afforded extra spice by the fact it will be the first encounter between the two clubs since Wigan confirmed West Ham's relegation to the Championship two seasons ago, coming from behind to win 3-2 on the day. The 3rd round fixture will be played in the week commencing September 24th.

Now we look ahead to this Saturday's early kick off against London rivals Fulham. Fulham enjoyed a 5-0 opening day outing against Norwich, and were unlucky to leave Old Trafford without at least a point. They also lost their midweek cup game to Sheffield Wednesday by a goal to nil, but it'd be foolish to think this gives us any edge over them. While we have certainly fared better than them in recent head-to-head history, only losing once in twelve since the 05/06 Premier League season, there is no denying that they are a strong team, and with the addition of Kieran Richardson, as well as the much hyped signature of Dimitar Berbatov, they will only be stronger. The Cottagers have been waiting a long time for a win at the Boleyn Ground, and while I fancy our chances of denying them a victory here for yet another season, I can't help but feel this one will end in a draw.



Prediction: 2-2

Expect a few goals to fly in, and don't rule out a debut effort for Carroll if he makes an appearance. It'd be nice to see Carlton Cole open his account for the season (if he is still wearing a West Ham shirt come September 1st...) and extend his goalscoring record against Fulham; a record that has seen him score six in his last six games against them. I welcome you all to share your thoughts in the comment section ahead of this league encounter, and of course ahead of the transfer window shutting. I am at Upton Park for this weekend's game, and will try and grab a few more words from Phil Parkes, and any other familiar faces over there.

Come On You Irons!



http://ballsybanter.com/2012/08/31/a-drop-of-claret-and-blue-west-ham-vs-fulham-preview/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Reds and Spurs battle for Dempsey
Duo bid for American ace

Sky Sports understands that Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur have both lodged deadline day bids for Clint Dempsey.

Aston Villa were first to make an offer early on Friday, but they withdrew their interest when Dempsey made it known he was not interested in joining them.

Sunderland have also shown an interest in the 29-year-old - but Sky Sports can now reveal that both Spurs and Liverpool have made contact with Fulham.
Liverpool's interest has been long-standing, but with the likes of Charlie Adam and more importantly Andy Carroll now leaving Anfield - they have room to bring in Dempsey.

However, Sky Sports also understands that Tottenham have joined the bidding and are keen to lure the American forward across the capital.



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11681/8038065?