Saturday Fulham Stuff (08/09/12)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Open Day Success

Fulham Deaf FC held their annual Open Day at the First Team Training Ground in Motspur Park on Sunday 19th August. Over 80 people attended the day which saw past and present Deaf team members, their families, Fulham fans and local residents come together for an array of activities, football matches and entertainment.

The Fulham Deaf FC ladies and men's teams took part in a small tournament, displaying their football skills and team work in an effort to encourage those attending with a hearing impairment to take part in the sport.

Fulham FC Foundation staff took coaching sessions for the younger children, teaching them skills and honing their shooting ability in the Club speed cages. A balloon modeller and face painter kept the very youngest of attendees amused whilst the day culminated in a group BBQ.

The GB Ladies Deaf Team kicked off the day's matches when they took on the current Fulham Deaf Ladies squad. The GB team dug deep and eventually won the match 3-2 after April Malin netted for the National team side.

It was then the turn of the men's teams to take to the pitch with the current Fulham Deaf Team squad taking on an All Stars team formed of past players for Fulham and GB. The current squad were victorious on the day, beating the All Stars 7-0 with Ross Ward scoring a hat-trick and Shyloh Morally netting 2.

Over £500 was raised for the Fulham Deaf Team on the day which will go towards the launch of a new Youth Deaf club starting at Surrey sports Park on 28th September.  For more information on Fulham Deaf FC mens, ladies and youth please contact the Foundation or visit www.fulhamdfc.com.

For more information on any of the above programmes or initiatives, please visit Fulhamfc.com/foundation or contact Fulham Football Club Foundation on [email protected] or 0870 442 5432.   



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/september/07/open-day-success?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham eye Greek star
Free agent Karagounis attracts Jol's interest


Giorgos Karagounis: Attracting interest from Fulham as a free agent

Sky Sports understands Fulham are weighing up a move for Greek international Giorgos Karagounis.

Karagounis is available on a free transfer and therefore able to sign for a club outside the transfer window.

The experienced midfielder is looking for a new club after leaving Panathinaikos earlier this summer.

Fulham boss Martin Jol is keen to bolster his midfield options after seeing key figures Moussa Dembele and Clint Dempsey leave the club last month.

Jol is short of options in midfield after also allowing Danny Murphy and Dickson Etuhu to leave for Blackburn earlier this summer.

Karagounis has a wealth of experience having won over 100 caps for Greece, helping them win Euro 2004, and counts Inter Milan and Benfica among his former clubs.

A number of clubs are thought to be keen on signing Karagounis, but Fulham are giving serious consideration to offering him a deal at Craven Cottage.



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11681/8059717?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham XI 3-1 Oman 'A'

Hugo Rodallega's brace and Marcello Trotta's neat header secured a Fulham XI a comfortable 3-1 friendly win over Oman 'A' at Motspur Park on Friday afternoon.

Fulham put out a strong side to face the Omanis in the glorious sunshine at our Training Ground, in front of the watching Martin Jol.

The Whites got off to a fantastic start and took the lead with their first foray forward on two minutes when Rodallega tapped in from close range after a fine cross by Matthew Briggs from the left flank.

The young full-back was enjoying regularly marauding forward and only a last-ditch tackle denied him after he'd embarked on a mazy run towards goal after robbing the Omani right-winger 40 yards from goal.

We doubled the lead on eight minutes and the goal again came following good play down the left wing. This time Kieran Richardson found space and picked Trotta out in the area for the Italian to expertly plant his header back across goal and inside the far post.

Oman pegged us back instantly, though, as a smart throughpass straight from kick-off caught the Fulham defence unawares and Ahmed Hadid poked past David Stockdale to make it 2-1.

The tempo of the game slowed after Oman scored and it wasn't until the 25th minute that either goal was threatened when Zdenek Grygera's well-timed challenge in the box denied Oman a shooting opportunity.

The away side were enjoying a rare spell of possession and Hussain Aloi called Stockdale into action moments later with a well-struck drive from range. Fulham's number 13 comfortably held the effort, though, with minimal fuss.

The Whites almost punished Oman for giving away a sloppy corner on 36 minutes when Grygera flicked on Simon Davies' set piece, only for Steve Sidwell to volley narrowly over from 18 yards.

Trotta had a golden chance to extend our lead 10 minutes into the second period after being put in by a ball over the top from Dan Burn. The Italian had Rodallega in support but his predatory instincts took over and he went for goal himself, but his shot was straight at the Oman keeper.

A great effort from the left foot of Aloi from 25-yards out minutes later drew a fingertip save from Stockdale as Oman searched for a way back into the match. Stockdale then claimed the resulting corner kick with ease.

The game was flowing from end-to-end and Rodallega should have perhaps done better on the hour mark when Sean Kavanagh – a half-time replacement for Briggs – floated an exquisite cross into the area, only for the Colombian to head over.

Oman should have drawn level two minutes later when Al Rujaibi found himself in space in the box but the striker appeared to be surprised at the amount of time he had and fired well over when he should have tested Stockdale at the very least.

The Whites took full advantage of the visitors' profligacy in front of goal as we went up the other end and Rodallega clinically thumped home into the top corner from 20 yards out.

Richardson almost extended the lead even further on 74 minutes but the Oman stopper tipped his free-kick just over the bar after his side were penalised for handball 25 yards from goal.

That effort proved to be the final meaningful opportunity of the game as Fulham claimed a deserved victory against an enthusiastic Oman outfit.

Fulham: 13. Stockdale, 2. Brister, 5. Burn, 26. Grygera, 17. Briggs (3. Kavanagh, 46), 29. Davies (9. Altman, 73), 16. Smith (4. Pritchard, 69 mins), 7. Sidwell (C), 15. Richardson (10. Dalla Valle, 77), 39. Trotta (12. Banya, 65), 20. Rodallega

Oman: 3. Alowaisi, 4. Aljabri, 7. Aloi, 10. Basheer (C), 11. Suhail, 13. Almukhaini, 14. Al Rujaibi, 15. Alajimi, 18. Al Rushidi, 19. Alsadi, 21. Hadid

Tickets are still available to see the full Oman team in action when they face the Republic of Ireland at Craven Cottage on Tuesday.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/september/07/fulham-xi-31-oman-a?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham make move for Blackburn Rovers ace N'Zonzi

According to reports Fulham are making a move for Blackburn Rovers midfielder Steven N'Zonzi.

The Daily Mail claims the Cottagers have revived their interest following an enquiry from Everton for the Blackburn midfielder.

The 23-year-old is no longer part of manager Steve Kean's plans having refused to play at the end of last season.


Read more at http://www.clicklancashire.com/sport/blackburn-rovers-fc/1213195-fulham-make-move-for-blackburn-rovers-ace-n%C3%A2%E2%82%AC%E2%84%A2zonzi.html?#H6zgZismE3aFUvfv.99

[WhiteJC]

 
Last few seats for West Bromwich Albion

With the Whites returning to Craven Cottage for the first time in just under a month, tickets for the match against West Bromwich Albion (Saturday 15th September, Kick-Off 3pm) are now extremely limited.

Having suffered a double dose of defeat in the Barclays Premier League, Martin Jol's men will be fired up for this match, as they look to build on the three points earned in their 5-0 victory over Norwich on the opening day.

With this potentially being the first opportunity for many fans to see our summer signings take to the Cottage pitch for the first time in the white of Fulham, along with the return of our very popular Family Fun Day in Bishops Park from midday, supporters wishing to attend this match are advised to get in quick with the Cottage expecting a sell-out capacity.

Tickets for this game start at just £30 for adults and juniors are just £1!* To purchase your tickets today, call 0843 208 1234 (option 1) (Mon-Fri 9am-5pm), or buy online. Supporters can also visit the ticket office in person this Saturday between 10am-12pm.

*£1 tickets are available in the Putney End only. Subject to availability, prices will increase to £5 on the day.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/september/07/last-few-seats-for-west-brom?

[WhiteJC]

 
I was close to tears! Dempsey devastated by Fulham row before exit to Tottenham

Tottenham new boy Clint Dempsey has revealed how his exit from Fulham left him close to tears.

The American forward fell out with manager Martin Jol during pre-season, resulting in suggestions that the 29-year-old had refused to play for Fulham - claims the forward denies.

Liverpool were expected to complete a move for Dempsey, but instead he joined Tottenham in a £6million deal, registered just minutes before the 11pm deadline eight days ago.


In tears: Clint Dempsey said the row preceding his move to Tottenham was 'tough' to deal with

'I just remember calling my wife and my mom and almost wanting to break down in tears because it was a tough time,' Dempsey told Sports Illustrated.

'Going into that last day and night there were still a lot of question marks. It wasn't clear cut this was going to happen.

'Some other things came up and you are going through that struggle, which was not fun for anybody. It was difficult for Fulham and for me, not knowing how it was going to end.

'It's about holding on to hope that something was going to happen that both parties would be happy with.

'In the end that was accomplished, but the deal didn't get done until about 9pm and that was when a fee was agreed.

'But then you had to look at all the logistics, trying to get to Tottenham's training ground, trying to make sure all the paperwork was through, doing the medical, signing the contract and having everything sent back before 11pm.'

On the rumours surrounding his exit from Fulham, Dempsey said: 'I did not refuse to play. Some things that were said were not true.'

Demspey was Fulham's top scorer last season with 23 goals but is now looking forward to proving himself across the capital.

'I'll die a happy man in the sense of knowing I was able to see if I could do it (at a higher level) or not,' he said.


Proving it: Dempsey hopes he can show he is capable of playing at the top level



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2199991/Clint-Dempsey-close-tears-Fulham-exit.html#ixzz25r3jk1T0

[WhiteJC]

 
The International break: Cottagers Abroad

Like most Americans that fancy football--or as we say in the states, soccer--I turn my eyes to Kingston with the US Men's National Team looking to grab hold of their group. The possibility may in fact exist for The Stars and Stripes to be set-up for a disappointing night against Jamaica. The team has yet to ever take the full 3 points from a game play in Independence Park. However, the Yanks did just are come out of Azetca with their first ever win and there are plenty of believers who think a first could be in store for tonight as well.

What makes this specific game so unique to the Fulham club, is that they don't actually have a player to support in the match. For years and years back before I was even a Fulham supporter, US Mens National team call-ups were a regular thing around West London. Now, for the first time in... well I'm not quite sure how long... but let's say, roughly, the last decade (actually, I just found an article that says since 2003, so I was close).

It seems so strange that the Whites were not impacted by the US Qualifier and as many have pointed out, Fulhamerica may have come to an end.Between Carlos Bocanegra, Brian McBride, Eddie Johnson, Clint Dempsey and Kasey Keller the Cottagers have been home for quite a few National Team stars. While this bond may end their International streak for the Yanks, Fulham still has a few different members of the club abroad representing their various countries proudly, and in the highest capacity.



Currently we've seen Chris Baird and Aaron Hughes, representing Northern Ireland. Unfortunately they lost to the juggernauts coming out of Russia. They still have a chance to collect points as they face off against Luxemburg, which I didn't even know had it's own football team. But apparently they do. So congrats for however long that's been going on... which is probably been awhile knowing my keen inability to realize global facts.

Bryan Ruiz, Costa Rica,is part of the starting XI taking on Mexico tonight in what is probably the most exciting game for those of us in America. Not only do we get to root for a guy who looks to take a huge step forward this year for our team. He's also taking on our rivals from the south, and Lord knows I'd love to see them stumble and loose out on any points.

Brede Hangeland, the Captain of Norway football. will lead his boys against the evils of Iceland. You know those guys that we all hated in the Mighty Ducks. Their mean and their 90% blonde. What's there really to like, am I right? All jokes aside, Hangeland has been quick to set aside any notion that they should coast through this game.

"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."

It should be an interesting match and possibly the closest out of all the ones that represent the Whites. Norway is considered a front runner to win Group E out of the European zone qualifier.

Dimitar Berbatov actually turned down the opportunity to return Bulgeria in their upcoming match against But has been removed from the team since 2010. Citing "The boys will manage without me. I have not been playing for Bulgaria, I have lost my rhythm". Berbatov is just one of three Fulham players who have retired from International play. Both Simon Davies and Damien Duff have both recently retired from their national clubs, Wales and Ireland, respectively.

With Premier matches put on hold for the next few weeks it should be fun just to sit back and watch our guys out there representing their countries and it'll be a nice way to put behind the horrible buisness that happened at West Ham, last weekend.



http://www.cottagersconfidential.com/2012/9/8/3301703/the-international-break-cottagers-aboard?

[WhiteJC]

 
No Bryan Ruiz for Costa Rica tonight

It appears the injury that Bryan Ruiz suffered to his hamstring kept him out of tonights game against Mexico. Terrible news for Costa Rica and disappointing to me. I had hoped to see him continue his strong form. Hopefully he'll be fit against a tough West Brom next week.



http://www.cottagersconfidential.com/2012/9/8/3302231/no-bryan-ruiz-for-costa-rica-tonight?

[Nero]

Fulham make move for Blackburn Rovers ace N’Zonzi

According to reports Fulham are making a move for Blackburn Rovers midfielder Steven N’Zonzi.

The Daily Mail claims the Cottagers have revived their interest following an enquiry from Everton for the Blackburn midfielder.

The 23-year-old is no longer part of manager Steve Kean's plans having refused to play at the end of last season.


Read more at http://www.clicklancashire.com/sport/blackburn-rovers-fc/1213195-fulham-make-move-for-blackburn-rovers-ace-n%C3%A2%E2%82%AC%E2%84%A2zonzi.html?#H6zgZismE3aFUvfv.99

This is from the 21st August!!!! and hes at Stoke now.....