Thursday Fulham Stuff (06/09/12)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Get Into The Groove

As debuts go, Kieran Richardson's Whites bow didn't exactly live up to expectation - but the recent arrival insists he will soon get into the Fulham groove.

Signed on transfer-deadline day from Sunderland, Richardson was thrown straight into Fulham's starting XI for Saturday's away trip to West Ham United.

But when Kevin Nolan fired the hosts into the lead after less that a minute, it was always going to be an uphill struggle for the Whites.

And so it proved, as further first-half efforts by Winston Reid and Matt Taylor secured a comprehensive 3-0 win for the Hammers.

"I was upset with the way the game went," Richardson told fulhamfc.com. "I didn't feel sharp at all, I felt sluggish. I hadn't really trained with the Team so I didn't know the way they played that well but I've got a break now before the next game and I'll get my fitness up and understand more on how the Team play.

"West Ham is always a hard place to go to. On Saturday they kept hitting the target man and they got the knock-downs. We started badly and that just set the tempo."

The West Ham result aside, Richardson couldn't be happier with his new life in SW6.

The Greenwich-born midfielder, who started his career at West Ham before joining Manchester United at the age of 14, said: "I'm so pleased. Me and my family are so chuffed to be here.

"I first heard that Fulham were interested in me was towards the end of last season so I've always had it in the back of my mind that I could be coming here. Finally it did happen for me and I want to thank the Manager and the Chairman. I want to do well for the Club and for the fans.

"I've spoken to the Manager and we've had a good chat. I'm hoping he'll get the best out of me. Saturday was a bad performance but I've put that behind me and I'll be working hard on the training field to prepare for West Bromwich Albion."

Richardson joined Sunderland in 2007, going on to make 149 appearances for the Black Cats.

"I enjoyed it at Sunderland," he said. "I had a really good relationship with the fans. But I'd been there for five years and I felt like I needed a change. My family wanted to come back south as well.

"The Sunderland fans still talk about my free-kick against Newcastle United a few years ago. It was a good moment. I scored two free-kicks at Fulham once, but one got disallowed. Hopefully I can get involved in free-kicks here."

There was another debutant for Fulham on Saturday when Dimitar Berbatov was introduced for the start of the second half.

And Richardson is looking forward to working with the Bulgaria international, adding: "He's got a great touch and he just seems to float around the pitch. He holds the ball up well and as midfielders it's our job to support him. Hopefully he'll score a lot of goals for Fulham."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/september/05/get-into-the-groove?

[WhiteJC]

 
Grygera left out of Fulham squad

ZDENEK Grygera will continue to train with Fulham despite being left off the squad list submitted to the Premier League last night.

The out-of-contract Czech defender has been trying to prove his fitness to boss Martin Jol in a bid to earn a new deal at Craven Cottage as he continues his recovery from a horrific cruciate ligament injury picked up last season.

However, the 32-year-old, who is still training with the club at Motspur Park, wasn't included in the 21-man squad given to the league yesterday.

Jol told the Chronicle a fortnight ago that he was still weighing up whether to offer Grygera a new deal in SW6.

But the former Juventus full-back will still be eligible to compete in the Premier League if handed fresh terms as the Whites have registered fewer than 25 players.

The full squad is: Mark Schwarzer, David Stockdale, Csaba Somogyi, Neil Etheridge, Sascha Riether, Stephen Kelly, Aaron Hughes, Brede Hangeland, Philippe Senderos, John Arne Riise, Damien Duff, Ashkan Dejagah, Simon Davies, Chris Baird, Steve Sidwell, Mahamadou Diarra, Bryan Ruiz, Kieran Richardson, Mladen Petric, Hugo Rodallega and Dimitar Berbatov.

Youngsters Matthew Briggs, Kerim Frei, Alex Kacaniklic, Pajtim Kasami and Marcello Trotta can still play despite being excluded off the list as they're under 21.



Read More http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/fulham-fc/2012/09/05/82029-31770439/?#ixzz25epjbRhL

[WhiteJC]

 
Richardson vows to come good
New Fulham signings eyes improvement


Kieran Richardson: Eyes improvement

Kieran Richardson insists better things are to come for him at Fulham, after admitting he disappointed on his debut.

Richardson had a game to forget after being thrown in at the deep end in

Saturday's defeat at West Ham and was hauled off after an hour.

That was 24 hours after the midfielder's reported £2million deadline-day switch from Sunderland and he told his new club's official website that he was not happy with his debut.

"I was upset with the way the game went. I didn't feel sharp at all, I felt sluggish," he said.

"I hadn't really trained with the team so I didn't know the way they played that well but I've got a break now before the next game and I'll get my fitness up and understand more on how the team play."

Back home

Richardson, who was born in Greenwich and was on West Ham's books before joining Manchester United, was delighted to be back in London.

He said: "I'm so pleased. Me and my family are so chuffed to be here," he said.

"I first heard that Fulham were interested in me towards the end of last season, so I've always had it in the back of my mind that I could be coming here.

"Finally, it did happen for me and I want to thank the manager and the chairman. I want to do well for the club and for the fans.

"I've spoken to the manager and we've had a good chat. I'm hoping he'll get the best out of me.

"Saturday was a bad performance but I've put that behind me and I'll be working hard on the training field to prepare for West Bromwich Albion."

Richardson spent five years at Sunderland and does not regret his time in the North East.

"I enjoyed it at Sunderland," he said. "I had a really good relationship with the fans.

"But I'd been there for five years and I felt like I needed a change. My family wanted to come back south as well."

The 27-year-old was relishing linking up with another deadline-day signing, and another ex-United player in Dimitar Berbatov.
"He's got a great touch and he just seems to float around the pitch," Richardson said.

"He holds the ball up well and, as midfielders, it's our job to support him.

"Hopefully, he'll score a lot of goals for Fulham."



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11661/8054680?

[jazz hardrockin]

http://www.london24.com/sport/fulham/italian_side_demand_payment_from_ex_man_utd_star_1_1506858

lol...... 064.gif Talking about sour grapes?  After all ,how much are two first class tickets to Florence? 500 euros maybe?...

Daniele Prade told Radio Blu.

"I'm glad that he did not arrive.

"We will request to his agent the money we paid for their flight to come to Florence, 100 per cent."

Mr Prade don't tell the world every other day how CHEAP you are,please!.....  064.gif  :046:

[jazz hardrockin]

Meanwhile, Press Association Sport understands Zdenek Grygera will be given the chance to prove he is worthy of a place in Fulham's Barclays Premier League squad for the first half of the season, despite being omitted from their original submission.

Czech defender Grygera has remained with the Cottagers since his contract expired this summer as he continues his recovery from the serious cruciate ligament injury he suffered last season.

Manager Martin Jol was last month still deciding whether to offer the 32-year-old a new deal, which would automatically see him added to Fulham's squad because the club registered fewer than 25 players on Tuesday.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/fulham/9524895/Dimitar-Berbatov-facing-invoice-from-Fiorentina-after-snubbing-Italian-side-in-favour-of-Fulham.html

[jazz hardrockin]

However, Prade admitted that signing Berbatov "would have been the icing on the cake of an excellent transfer window... but we are happy as we are."
Sure you are....... 064.gif

Read more at http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/168870.html?CMP=OTC-RSS#WJBI3Ec3FdWCV9Tu.99

[WhiteJC]

 
Viola demand Berbatov money
Viola sill not happy with Bulgarian


Dimitar Berbatov: Turned down Fiorentina

Fiorentina remain angry at Dimitar Berbatov's failed move to the club and have insisted they will demand lost money from his agent.

The Viola paid for Berbatov and his agent Emil Dantchev to fly to Italy on transfer deadline day, but it then emerged that rivals Juventus had hi-jacked a move.

Then he turned his back on Italy all together by deciding to join Fulham and Fiorentina were left furious with his actions - insisting that Berbatov was not worthy of their club.

But sporting director Daniele Prade says the club want reimbursing in full for flights and expenses that they paid for and which were used by Berbatov.

"Berbatov? The final lines of our press statement are just my thoughts," he told Radio Blu.

"I'm glad that he did not arrive. We will request to his agent the money we paid for their flight to come to Florence, 100 percent."

On deadline day Fiorentina sold their defensive star Matija Nastasic to Manchester City and Prade admitted they would be due extra money if he achieved success, so they would be backing the English champions.

"Nastasic's move to Manchester City was one of the most important ones in the European market," he said.

"There will be various bonuses both for his performance and both for the team's results, so we have to root for Manchester City."

Deals

Prade also discussed the window, admitting signing Alberto Aquilani, Borja Valero and Gonzalo Rodriguez was tough.

"The most difficult operation? The one with Liverpool for Aquilani, who had a salary impractical for Fiorentina and perhaps also for all Italian clubs. We resolved it along with Liverpool, our good relations paid off," he said.

"It was great taking back Aquilani to Fiorentina. Alberto in Florence will again be a top player.

"Borja Valero? He was one of our top targets for the midfield, but we thought it was impossible to take him because the first time Villarreal asked us for 12 million. Then in the market things change and two days later we closed the move along with Gonzalo Rodriguez, for a total price of about 8 million plus bonuses."



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11681/8055382?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham boss plans Trotta loan
Marcello Trotta

MARCELLO Trotta will be given the green light to go out and get regular first-team football when the loan window opens this week.

Fulham boss Martin Jol put a block on any move for the young Italian in the summer as he was needed at Craven Cottage as back-up for Mladen Petric.

But the frontman has been now given the go-ahead to leave SW6 after the deadline-day arrival of Dimitar Berbatov from Manchester United.

Trotta signed a new long-term contract at Craven Cottage recently, but featured just twice for the first team last term and is down the pecking order again this time around.

The 19-year-old spent a prolific loan spell with Wycombe last season, scoring eight goals in as many goals for the Chairboys, before a frustrating stint at Championship outfit Watford.

However, Jol is ready to send Trotta out again to get some minutes under his belt.

Meanwhile, Fulham will renew their attempt to get number two keeper David Stockdale a loan move, while they could also consider offers for Matthew Briggs as new boy Kieran Ricahrdson can provide cover for John Arne Riise at left-back.



Read More http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/fulham-fc/2012/09/06/82029-31779003/?#ixzz25hMQYkhC

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham transfers: Kieran Richardson 'chuffed' to join the Cottagers
Fulham transfers: Kieran Richardson admits he is "chuffed" to be at Fulham after completing a move from Sunderland


Martin Jol signed Kieran Richardson on deadline day
Photo: Sorodorin, via Wikimedia

Kieran Richardson has admitted his delight at completing his move to Fulham from Sunderland.

The former Black Cats captain made a £2m switch to the Cottagers on deadline day, and the England international has vowed to improve on his disappointing debut in Fulham's 3-0 defeat by West Ham United.

"I'm so pleased. Me and my family are so chuffed to be here," Richardson said.

"I first heard that Fulham were interested in me towards the end of last season, so I've always had it in the back of my mind that I could be coming here.

"Finally, it did happen for me and I want to thank the manager and the chairman. I want to do well for the club and for the fans.

"I've spoken to the manager and we've had a good chat. I'm hoping he'll get the best out of me.

"Saturday was a bad performance but I've put that behind me and I'll be working hard on the training field to prepare for West Bromwich Albion."

Richardson joined Sunderland from Manchester United in 2007, but the former West Bromwich Albion midfielder felt it was time for a new challenge.

"I enjoyed it at Sunderland," he added. "I had a really good relationship with the fans.

"But I'd been there for five years and I felt like I needed a change. My family wanted to come back south as well."

The left winger is also looking forward to teaming up with Dimitar Berbatov after the Bulgaria striker completed a move from United to Craven Cottage.

"He's got a great touch and he just seems to float around the pitch," Richardson said.

"He holds the ball up well and, as midfielders, it's our job to support him.

"Hopefully, he'll score a lot of goals for Fulham."


http://www.thesportreview.com/tsr/2012/09/fulham-transfers-kieran-richardson-chuffed-the-cottagers/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Learning Curve

Following Fulham's opening day 5-0 demolition of Norwich City and a narrow 3-2 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford, Martin Jol's Team suffered a double dose of defeat to Sheffield Wednesday and West Ham last week before the current international break.

Whilst the Team were evidently bitterly disappointed by last week's results, Fulham's second half performance at Upton Park and Dimitar Berbatov's impressive cameo role certainly lifted spirits, as defender Matthew Briggs explained to fulhamfc.com.

"We came off at Old Trafford with our heads held high, but Sheffield Wednesday in the Cup was a different story last week," said Briggs.

"We knew it would be tough against them but we didn't perform as we should have. The penalty was harsh, but we never really did enough to win the game and everyone was really disappointed afterwards.

"Watching from the bench at Upton Park - it wasn't good enough against West Ham. We got off to a terrible start and it was always going to be hard from that moment. We improved in the second half and Dimitar Berbatov showed what a good player he is when he came on. The way he controls the ball is a joy to watch."

After playing against Manchester United and Sheffield Wednesday, Briggs made way for John Arne Riise at Upton Park and the Norwegian international has certainly made a strong impression on the Fulham youngster.

"I knew John was close to fitness for Saturday's game against West Ham but I just trained as I normally do and made sure I was ready for the game," Briggs explained. "He then trained on the Thursday and Friday without any complications so I kind of knew he'd be back in the starting eleven.

"John is such a professional. He's always one of the first to arrive for training in the morning and one of the last to leave. I've learnt a lot from him and he's always telling me things I can do to improve my game."

Briggs will spend the current international break at Fulham's Motspur Park Training Ground after missing out on selection for England's U21 squad for forthcoming qualifiers against Azerbaijan and Norway.

Whilst disappointed to miss out, the defender is now focused on gaining more minutes for the First Team as Fulham target a return to winning ways on Saturday 15th September when the Team challenge West Bromwich Albion at Craven Cottage.

"I wasn't in the latest England U-21 squad but hopefully I'll get an opportunity in the not-too-distant future and when another First-Team chance comes along, I'll be ready," said Briggs. "We're back at the Cottage after the international break with a tough game against West Brom who have enjoyed a strong start to the season."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/september/06/learning-curve?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham pursue complaint against Liverpool for Dempsey pursuit

September 6 - Fulham are pursuing a complaint against Premier League rivals Liverpool over the chase for American midfielder Clint Dempsey this summer.

Dempsey was dropped from the Fulham squad after making clear his desire to leave this summer, with Liverpool the front-runners for his signature.

However, in the last moments of last Friday's (August 31) transfer window, Tottenham Hotspur signed the player instead, after Liverpool and Fulham failed to agree a fee.

The Cottagers reportedly demanded £1 million (€1.2 million/$1.6 million) more from Liverpool than other potential suitors, possibly because of the way in which the Merseysiders pursued the midfielder.

Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers admitted making an enquiry for the player during the summer, while at one point the the club's owner, the Fenway Sports Group, published a story on its website saying the player had signed from Fulham.

That story was removed after appearing online for several hours.

The Premier League has confirmed it has received a complaint from Fulham "regarding comments made by Liverpool FC officials" and that it is "looking into the matter".

As a result of the summer-long saga, Dempsey did not feature in either of Fulham's opening two games of the new season.



http://www.insideworldfootball.biz/premierleague/41-news/11304-fulham-pursue-complaint-against-liverpool-for-dempsey-pursuit?

[WhiteJC]

 
Transfer Window Assesment

Douglas McNeill is back with another guest post. Enjoy.

After my July piece on Fulham's finances, I promised a follow-up once the transfer window had closed. So here goes. I see eight key points.

1. There has been a marked reduction in squad size. Eleven players have gone (Dembele, Dempsey, Etuhu, Gecov, Gryhgera, Halliche, Johnson, Murphy, Pogrebnyak, Riise BH, and Sa) and only six have come in (Berbatov, Dejagah, Petric, Richardson, Riether and Rodallega). That's why...

2. ...Berbatov is affordable. His transfer fee was relatively cheap, but his wages aren't. He's on a reported £100k a week, whereas I reckon that the average at Fulham is only about £40k. But with five fewer players in the squad, his arrival probably won't mean an increase in the overall wage bill. And...

3. ...there was a healthy overall cash surplus. It looks to have been around £13m, with the sale of Dembele and Dempsey leaving plenty left over even after the acquisition of Berbatov, Dejagah and Richardson. That sounds like a great start to the year, in financial terms. But on the other hand...

4. ...the big financial change this season is the absence of Europa League income. Last year, there would have been £8-9m of that, I reckon. But having banked a £13m surplus in the transfer window just ended, Fulham can expect to break even in cash terms this season – even if the Premier League campaign goes badly. In fact...

5. ...we could probably finish bottom of the league and still break even. In contrast, a ninth-place finish – as currently predicted by the spread-betting markets – would mean a surplus of around £10m. So...

6. ...Jol's budget in the January transfer window will depend heavily on league form. If a top-half finish is on the cards, then I imagine he'll be allowed to spend away that £10m. If not, then his spending power will be reduced accordingly. Of course, he may also want to make some disposals in January, especially since...

7. ...nearly half the squad is out of contract next summer. But of the players in question, probably only Senderos has resale value in January. He'll be 28 next year, whereas the others will all be 30 or over. Ditto for those whose deals expire in summer 2014 (e.g. Berbatov, Riise, Sidwell). But at that point, a number of players will be sub-30 and still have a year left on their contracts – namely Dejagah, Frei, Kacaniklic, Kasami, Richardson, Rodallega, Ruiz and Stockdale. Therefore...

8. ...it looks like summer 2014 will be the next chance to bring in some significant cash from the transfer market. So whilst it looks to me as though Jol will have £10m at his disposal in January, he might actually prefer to keep it up his sleeve until next summer.

Incidentally, a version of this piece appears at SummingUpSoccer.blogspot.co.uk where I've also written on Chelsea, for anyone who is interested.



https://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2012/09/06/transfer-window-assesment/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Hangeland won't make predictions

Norway captain Brede Hangeland is reluctant to pick any favourites to advance from World Cup qualifying Group E but is confident he and his team-mates have what it takes to reach Brazil 2014.


Brede Hangeland: Group E is very even

Egil Olsen's side open their qualifying campaign on Friday evening away against Iceland in a group that also features Albania, Cyprus, Slovenia and Switzerland.

The latter pair in particular will fancy their chances of making it through to the finals but Hangeland does not want to start making predictions.

However, the Fulham defender is sure that if Norway play to their potential, they are good enough to emerge from the group and compete in what would be their first major tournament for 14 years.

Asked about who the favourites are in Group E, Hangeland told fotball.no: "Switzerland has been mentioned, but I find it difficult to answer.

"We might have trouble naming many of the Slovenian players, but they probably have a very good team. All matches will be difficult.

"This is a very even group. We should be happy that we avoided the top nations, but there are no easy opponents in the pot.

"It is not impossible - if we play at our best, we are good enough. We need to focus."

Hangeland expects a testing assignment for the team in Reykjavik.

"The most important thing for us in this qualification campaign is that we have maximum winning mentality, which will be very important in the first match against Iceland," Hangeland said.

"It will be a very tough game, a game for men."

After the Iceland game, Norway face Slovenia at home on Tuesday and then both Switzerland and Cyprus away in a double-header in October.

Speaking about his hopes and expectations for his side, head coach Olsen said: "It's a tough opening for us, and six points can be good, although it depends on how we get them.

"A win against Slovenia and drawing the other three games would be a good start, but if we lose against Slovenia, that is not good.

"The most important thing is what we do at home. We will be in trouble if we give away too many points at the Ullevaal Stadion."

Friday's other Group E games see Slovenia host Switzerland and Albania entertain Cyprus.



http://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/article/165/8056763/hangeland-wont-make-predictions?

[WhiteJC]

 
Hangeland, Olsen discuss Norway hopes

Norway captain Brede Hangeland is reluctant to pick any favourites to advance from Group E in European Zone qualifying for the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil™, but is confident he and his team-mates have what it takes to make it. Egil Olsen's side open their campaign in Iceland on Friday, in a group that also features Albania, Cyprus, Slovenia and Switzerland.

The latter pair in particular will fancy their chances of making it through to the finals, but Hangeland does not want to start making predictions. However, the Fulham defender is sure that if Norway play to their potential, they are good enough to emerge from the group and compete in what would be their first major tournament for 14 years.

Asked about who the favourites are in Group E, Hangeland told Fotball.no: "Switzerland have been mentioned, but I find it difficult to answer. We might have trouble naming many of the Slovenian players, but they probably have a very good team.

It will be a very tough game, a game for men.
Brede Hangeland on Norway's opener in Iceland

"All matches will be difficult. This is a very even group. We should be happy that we avoided the top nations, but there are no easy opponents in the pot. It is not impossible to qualify. If we play to our best, we are good enough. We need to focus."

Hangeland expects a testing assignment for the team in Reykjavik. He stressed: "The most important thing for us in this qualification campaign is that we have maximum winning mentality, which will be very important in the first match against Iceland. It will be a very tough game, a game for men."

After the Iceland game, Norway face Slovenia at home on Tuesday and then both Switzerland and Cyprus away in a double-header in October.

Olsen demands home success
Speaking about his hopes and expectations for his side, head coach Olsen said: "It's a tough opening for us, and six points can be good, although it depends on how we get them.

"A win against Slovenia and drawing the other three games would be a good start, but if we lose against Slovenia, that is not good. The most important thing is what we do at home. We will be in trouble if we give away too many points at the Ullevaal Stadion."

Friday's other Group E games see Slovenia host Switzerland and Albania entertain Cyprus.



http://www.fifa.com/worldcup/preliminaries/news/newsid=1696250/index.html?cid=rssfeed&att=