Friday Fulham Stuff (14/09/12)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Ex-West Bromwich Albion man Martin Jol turns from nasty to nice



MARTIN Jol may be one of the most likeable managers in the Premier League but as a player he was quite the opposite.

When the ex-Albion man left Holland for The Hawthorns in 1982 he wasted no time stamping his authority on the English game and anyone who got in his way would soon live to regret it.

Playing alongside him was a joy, recalls fellow former Baggie Gary Owen, who watched Jol take the top flight by storm.

But the same could not be said if you happened to line up against the midfield powerhouse as he was in no mood to take any prisoners during his two seasons in the Black Country.

"He came in literally right from the first minute, whether it was training or not, and played as if it was a match," said Owen, who played for Albion between 1979-1986.

"He was a very aggressive midfielder.

"If a challenge was there to be won, he'd win it whether or not you were in his club, or you were against him.

"He was a nightmare for opponents and was almost always only ever a tackle away from a sending-off because he was fully committed.

"Because of his English-like style he settled in very quickly.

"Although he played with flair he would go toe-to-toe with any of the players he came up against and there was only ever one winner."

Owen remembers his leadership skills on the pitch and believes that is what has helped the Fulham manager become a successful boss.

"He was very demanding, but in the team he played in, we were all demanding of each other from the defence all the way up to the forwards,'' he added.

"That's probably why he settled in so quickly and easily.

"In those days he had the athleticism of an all-round midfield player.

"He was very strong in his beliefs, too, and he wouldn't be frightened to say what he felt. He was certainly no shrinking violet.

"That has showed as he's gone into management, he's not frightened of making a decision or saying what he feels.

"That is a trait as far back as I can remember from being at the Albion in the 80s."

Jol has cooled down over the years but Owen admits that's not the only thing that has noticeably changed. "I look at him now and he looks a lot smaller," he added.

"Obviously he has put on a few pounds like all of us but he just doesn't look so tall any more.

''Maybe it's because he's gone outwards a little bit, he's not the only one who's gone a bit wider, we all don't slip into 32in jeans any more!

"But Martin used to have long hair and be very slim. Now he doesn't have long hair and is not very slim."



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[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham Is My Club

There has been a familiar beaming smile around our Motspur Park Training Ground for the past couple of weeks as Luis Boa Morte has been working with Fulham in a bid to keep his fitness up.

Our former winger has been without a club since leaving South African side Orlando Pirates in May and is pleased to be back at the base where he spent arguably the best years of his career.

"The Training Ground looks a million dollars," Luis told fulhamfc.com. "I'm glad that our Chairman has invested a lot in the Club because it looks really nice now.

"I'm glad that the Club has stepped forward and the place looks really nice and well set up."

One of the most colourful characters in our recent history, Boa Morte told the official website that he enjoyed the best times of his career in SW6.

"At the end of the day, after leaving Fulham I never really got back to the levels that I reached here," he admitted. "I hope that the Fulham supporters always remember me as a guy that lived everything on the pitch and always fought for the Club.

"I always wanted to win but, whatever happened, by the next match I was always ready to play and fight for the result again."

Whites fans proved they do have fond memories of the Portuguese's performances down by the banks of the Thames by voting him into our all-time Premier League Fulham XI.

"Thanks to all the supporters who voted for me," Boa said after being informed of his accolade. "Every time I played against Fulham I always got a good welcome from the fans and I'm really pleased with that.

"In England I played for four clubs; Arsenal, of course, I appreciated because they were the team that brought me to England but Fulham definitely is my team because it was here that I lived all my best moments.

"I would say that winning the Premier League and the FA Cup, and the Charity Shield twice, at Arsenal was massive. And it was good for someone who had just arrived in England to play in the Premier League with big players.

"That was quite difficult for me but at Fulham I won the Championship – the old Division One – and the Intertoto Cup, which was important as we wanted to play in Europe in the UEFA Cup.

"Plus all the other moments I lived at Fulham in the six-and-a-half years that I played here and lived here. That was massive for me, so Fulham is definitely my Club in England.

"I was pleased to see that we've got planning permission for the new stand so everything seems to be going in the right direction. I think we could end up being a massive Club."

Speaking to the man who made 250 appearances for the Whites – scoring 54 goals in the process – it's clear that he still loves the Club and he, like the rest of the Fulham Faithful, is hopeful we can return to winning ways against West Bromwich Albion on Saturday.

"I watched the match against West Ham but didn't see the game against Norwich – which was obviously a great match – and I watched the match against Manchester United," Luis explained. "The Team played really well at Old Trafford - they got beat - but they played really well.

"The match against West Ham wasn't that good and I was really sad that they didn't beat West Ham United – I really wanted Fulham to win! But, for sure, this weekend against West Bromwich Albion, the players will give the best answer for the defeat against West Ham."

Having turned 35 last month, Boa Morte is now in the twilight of his career but our charismatic former Captain is optimistic that he still has something to offer.

"I haven't got any immediate plans at the moment," he said. "I'm training here with Fulham; last week was with the First Team and this week with the Reserves to just keep fit before I decide what I'm going to do in the future.

"I haven't hung up my boots but if I have to then that will be a sad day."

Keep an eye on fulhamfc.com for another exclusive interview with Luis coming soon.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/september/14/fulham-is-my-club

[WhiteJC]

 
Double Deal

Fans heading to Saturday's game with West Bromwich Albion can snap up an official matchday programme and an edition of the Republic of Ireland v Oman programme for just £5.

Ireland took on Oman at Craven Cottage on Tuesday night and the official programme for the fixture had plenty of exclusive Fulham-based content, including interviews with Stephen Kelly and Jimmy Conway, as well as a detailed look at the Whites' Irish connection.

The matchday programme for the visit of West Brom includes exclusive interviews with Martin Jol, Steve Sidwell, Matthew Briggs, Jonathan Greening, Zoltan Gera, Barry Hayles and Les Strong, as well as plenty of other fun and exciting features.

And supporters can get their hands on both programmes for the special price of just £5 from various sellers on Stevenage Road from two hours before kick-off.

To read more about Saturday's matchday programme, head here.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/september/14/double-deal?

[WhiteJC]

 
FFC App Launches!

The official Fulham Football Club app is now available on Android phones, with iPhone availability following very shortly. It's all you'll need to keep in touch with all-things Fulham throughout the season.

Featuring all the latest news and updates from Fulham, including exclusive player interviews, team news, match reports and much more, you can also see what other fans are reading about most or look back at updates from the past month at the touch of a button.

Fans can also head to the Match Centre for up-to-the-minute updates from each Fulham game, including line-ups, match statistics, text commentary and audio commentary from the legendary Gentleman Jim.

Purchasing match tickets and hospitality has also never been easier; with direct access to our mobile ticketing service you'll never miss out again. Plus, get your official Fulham FC merchandise with access to our Online Store, optimised for use on your mobile device.

Fans can also view upcoming fixtures for the current season, including league and cup games, which are all updated to reflect any fixture changes throughout the term, as well as peruse First Team player profiles and view individual statistics for the current campaign.

Can't remember who scored on the opening day of the season, or looking to see how we performed in our last game? Check out the previous results from the current season and see statistics and more for each game.

Whether you're visiting Craven Cottage for the first time and need directions, want to read about the history of the Club or find out more about our Chairman, Mohamed Al Fayed, the Visit section will provide you with all of the answers.

And - coming soon; meet up with Fulham fans the world over by discovering new places to watch and chat about the game.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/september/14/app-launch?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham v West Brom: Pre-match notes

Pre-match notes ahead of the big clash between Fulham v West Brom.

WHO'S HOT: Shane Long has three goals in his last two Baggies starts and scored for the Republic of Ireland in midweek.

WHO'S NOT: Graham Dorrans failed to get a single minute on the pitch for Scotland during the international break.

LAST FIVE GAMES

FULHAM................WWLLL

ALBION..............WWDWW

ALBION (from): Foster, Myhill, McAuley, Olsson, Ridgewell, Popov, Tamas, Dawson, Jones, Jara Reyes, Thorne, Mulumbu, Morrison, Brunt, Gera, Dorrans, Odemwingie, Fortuné, Long, Lukaku, Rosenberg. Injured: Thomas. (hip) Doubt: Reid (hamstring).

Referee: H Webb (Yorkshire)

FORECAST:.................Draw.

LAST TIME THEY MET

February 1, 2012, Fulham 1 Albion 1: Somen Tchoyi bagged a late equaliser at Craven Cottage to cancel out Clint Dempsey's 69th-minute opener.



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[WhiteJC]

 
West Brom: Dimitar Berbatov will be a big threat for Fulham

FULHAM and Dimitar Berbatov have one main thing in common: you never know which side is going to turn up.

Like the Bulgarian striker, the Cottagers blow hot and cold so often that it's impossible to predict their fortunes from one week to the next.

In that respect it's quite fitting that the ex-Manchester United man is now plying his trade in west London.

But one thing is for sure, you do not want to come up against the 31-year-old when he hits top form.

Unlike other teams in the Premier League, Albion have never really felt the full force of the Berb.

His only goals against the Baggies came in the 2008/2009 season when he scored home and away for United and there's no doubt he is still a huge threat.

Fulham tend to pick up the majority of their points at Craven Cottage and it's their home form that carries them through each season.

When ex-Albion boss Roy Hodgson saved them from relegation on the final day of the 2007/2008 season it was the points clocked up on home turf that proved to be their saving grace.

The run to the Europa League Final in 2010 was also heavily inspired by Fortress Cottage.

The pattern has continued this season.

A 5-0 opening-day win over Norwich at home raised expectations but since then Martin Jol's side have lost away at Manchester United, West Ham and Sheffield Wednesday in the Capital One Cup.

Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembele have both left but this week they signed Greece captain Giorgos Karagounis.



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[WhiteJC]

 
Why Zolta Gera's Fulham return could be thwarted by Jose Mourinho

WHEN Steve Clarke worked under Jose Mourinho at Chelsea he remembers the 'Special One' dropping his first-team stars when they returned to their former clubs.

So any hopes Zoltan Gera had of using his return to Fulham as a valuable reason for a recall have been instantly dashed.

The Baggies midfielder has not started since the opening game of the Premier League campaign despite scoring a goal-of-the-season contender in the 3-0 win over Liverpool.

He would love the chance to wreak havoc on his former employers from the start of the match tomorrow but knows he may have to settle for a place in the Craven Cottage dugout.

"Jose Mourinho used to leave them out of the team when they played against their former club," said Clarke.

"I don't know why Jose did that, I never asked him. It was just something he did.

"Some people will go back and be determined to do really well against their former club.

"Others might go back and be a bit easy-oasy about it and pally-wally with the rest of them.

"I'll have a little chat with Zolly and see which one he is!"

Clarke admits the Hungarian has been unlucky not to keep his place in the side after his wonder goal on day one.

But he felt the ruthless decision needed to be made because Gera was showing signs of tiredness after an immense effort to get fit during pre-season.

"He's been very unlucky and if I'm being honest he exceeded my expectations over the course of pre-season," he added.

"He got himself into a position where I felt as though he was ready to play the first game.

"I thought he would play a lot of it on adrenaline, which he did, because it was such a big occasion for him.

"Then the week after that in training he dipped a little bit, which I half expected.

"I've been trying to look after him, and he's trained well.

"He went away on international duty and represented his country twice and the little injury scare that he had wasn't a big issue.

"He's back and pushing for selection again so it makes my job difficult."

Clarke is happy that his main concern at present is a selection headache.

"We have a good squad, good players and, importantly for me, good people," he added.

"I want to keep them all fit. They will all have their part to play.

"Over the course of the season all of the squad will be utilised, there's no doubt about that, because players will inevitably fall in and out of favour."



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[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham v West Brom

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Craven Cottage Date: Saturday, 15 September

TEAM NEWS

Fulham could welcome back Bryan Ruiz, who has missed the last two games with a hamstring problem.
Dimitar Berbatov could make his first start for the Whites, while full-back Stephen Kelly hopes to earn a recall.
West Brom right-back Steven Reid is doubtful with a hamstring injury that forced him off against Everton.
Romelu Lukaku has recovered from the foot injury that ruled him out against the Toffees, but Jerome Thomas remains out after undergoing knee surgery.

MATCH PREVIEW

It's always debatable as to whether the timing of the international break has been inconvenient for a club side, but for Fulham you do get the feeling that the two weeks off may have been opportune.

Though the new season began encouragingly with a five-goal demolition of Norwich, three successive defeats, including an immediate exit from the League Cup, quickly dampened the initial fervour.

That their most recent reverse occurred only hours after the departures of Clint Dempsey and Mousa Dembele did little to alleviate any anxiety. A thoroughly forgettable first 45 minutes at West Ham was hardly the ideal way to begin life without two of their most influential players of recent times.

Fulham appear to be in a state of transition. Of the 48 goals that helped secure a second successive top-10 finish last term, 36 of them were scored by players no longer at the club and five others were own goals!

There is, though, still genuine cause for optimism. Martin Jol has boasted that the signing of Dimitar Berbatov is the "biggest in the history of Fulham". He was able to harness the talent of the mercurial Bulgarian during their time together at Tottenham, and the 2010-11 Premier League golden boot winner will surely be fired-up, having been given just five league starts last season at Old Trafford.

West Brom will arrive for Berbatov's home debut with "boing-boing" a-plenty. Under new boss Steve Clarke they've held Spurs and comfortably seen off the Merseyside Blues and Reds.

Seven times last season they were victorious on their travels, a record only Europe-bound clubs could better. They will certainly not want for confidence when this intriguing fixture commences

LAWRO'S PREDICTION
"Dimitar Berbatov is the best walking footballer I have ever seen. He is also a player that needs to be loved. You basically have to give him the ball and get people around him as he makes things happen."

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head
Both of last season's meetings ended in draws.
Fulham have won five of their six previous Premier League games at home to the Baggies, keeping clean sheets in four of those matches.

West Brom's last league win at Craven Cottage was a 2-1 victory on 7 October 1967. Since then their record reads P13, D5, L8, with just three goals scored.

Fulham
The Cottagers have lost their last three games in league and cup, all away from home.
Martin Jol's men are unbeaten in their previous five Premier League games at Craven Cottage (W4, D1), winning the last three. Their most recent defeat there was a 3-0 loss to Swansea on 17 March.
Since January 2011, Dimitar Berbatov has only scored one Premier League goal away from Old Trafford. It came in a 5-0 win away to Fulham in December 2011.
Opta statistics show that Fulham have hit 80% of shots on target this term, more than any other Premier League side.

West Bromwich Albion
The Baggies have made their best start to a top-flight season since 1978-79, when they won their first three fixtures.
They have lost just one of their previous eight league games (W4, D3, L1).
Steve Clarke's side have conceded one league goal this season - only Arsenal have a better record in the English leagues.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/19528154?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham v West Bromwich Albion: match preview
Read a full match preview of the Premier League game between Fulham and West Bromwich Albion at Craven Cottage on Saturday Sept 15, 2012, kick-off 15:00 BST.


Ready: Dimitar Berbatov (right) should start for the first time in a Fulham shirt, against WBA Photo: REUTERS

Saturday, September 15
Fulham v West Bromwich Albion
Kick-off: 15.00 BST.
TV: Highlights, BBC1 Match of the Day.

Fulham (Possible, 4-3-3): Schwarzer; Reither, Hughes, Hangeland, Riise; Duff, Sidwell, Diarra, Richardson; Petric, Berbatov.
Out: Davies (neck).
Tests: Frei (pelvis), Ruiz (hamstring), Senderos (foot).

WBA (Possible, 4-2-3-1): Foster; Jones, McAuley, Olsson, Ridgewell; Mulumbu, Yavob; Fortune, Morrison, Dorrans; Long
Out: Thomas (knee).
Test: Reid (hamstring).

Referee: Roger East (Matches 1, R1 Y2)
Betting: Home 19-20, Away 11-4, Draw 13-5.

Team News
Right-back Steven Reid is West Bromwich Albion's major injury concern at Craven Cottage.

Reid suffered a hamstring injury during the second half of the 2-0 home success over Everton before the international break.

However, on-loan Chelsea striker Romelu Lukaku has recovered from the ankle injury which kept him out of that match.

But winger Jerome Thomas, who has missed the first four league and cup games of the season, faces a further lay-off after undergoing minor knee surgery.

Match Notes
West Bromwich Albion are looking down on the two Manchester clubs after their unbeaten start, having been galvanised under Steve Clarke's guidance.

Although they have struggled at Craven Cottage over the years, their confidence will be soaring after wins over the Merseyside clubs.

Stuttering Fulham are adjusting to life after Clint Dempsey and Mousa Dembele, but can take heart from the prospect of Dimitar Berbatov's first start and the arrival of experienced schemer Giorgos Karagounis.

Stat of the game: Albion have gone 45 years since they last won at Fulham, in October 1967.

Arindam Rej's prediction: Fulham 1 West Bromwich Albion 1.


http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/premier-league/9537935/Fulham-v-West-Bromwich-Albion-match-preview.html

[WhiteJC]

 
U18s Face Middlesbrough

Fulham's Under-18s will be looking to take their third straight win of the 2012/13 season when they make the trip to Group Three rivals Middlesbrough on Saturday.

Defeats of Wolverhampton Wanderers (7-1) and Crystal Palace (4-3) see Steve Wigley's charges enter the weekend's action in top spot following an impressive start to the campaign.

Opponents Middlesbrough have made a less auspicious start, drawing their opening game at Palace (1-1) and losing against Manchester City (1-0) last time out. However, Boro boast a fine reputation at youth level and Fulham's Academy Director Huw Jennings insists the Whites will not be taking them lightly.

"Middlesbrough has a fantastic record of producing home-grown talent," explained Jennings. "Few clubs have seen the success that they have. Players like Stewart Downing, Adam Johnson, Lee Cattermole, James Morrison, Danny Graham, Stuart Parnaby, David Wheater and Tony McMahon are all amongst those that have come through.

"More recently, they've had boys come through and represent the first team too, so it shows the good work that is being done up there. They're a club that do things the right way.

"They like to play good football on top of that, just like we do, so Saturday's encounter promises to be a match of real quality. We haven't read too much into the fact that they're still searching for their first win, because make no mistake, they're a very good side.

"We've managed to start the season well, and that's been great to see. Obviously the 7-1 defeat of Wolves has been a real highlight, but the 4-3 victory over Palace was one of real character.

"Unfortunately we'll be without Moussa Dembele and Emerson Hyndman for the trip to Middlesbrough, two players that have made a bright start to season so far. While that's an undoubted blow, we do welcome back Stephen Athurworrey and Josh Passley, who both return from injury.

"Under-16 midfielder Pat Roberts will also be included, and having done really well for Mark Pembridge it's a great opportunity for him to show what he can do. He's recently been called up into the England Under-16 squad for the Victory Shield opener against Northern Ireland and he's a player we believe can do well.

"But it will be a good test for them all. In taking both of the Under-16 and Under-18 squads on the road for the first time will be good experience. This is what the new national league system is all about, the boys getting used to being away from home, travelling further afield and taking on teams they wouldn't normally face.

"We will learn a lot as the season progresses, and hopefully we can build on what has been a very positive start."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/september/14/u18s-face-middlesbrough?

[WhiteJC]

 
Jol's West Brom Preview

Martin Jol confirmed that Dimitar Berbatov will make his full debut for the Club when West Bromwich Albion visit the Cottage on Saturday (3pm).

In his pre-match press conference on Friday afternoon, Jol also confirmed that fellow new signing Giorgos Karagounis could feature, before detailing the status of the players in the treatment room.

"Karagounis will be in the squad but Berbatov will start against West Brom," Jol told the media. "We will do an injury test on Bryan [Ruiz] ­on Saturday so he's 50/50 at the present.

"As for the rest of the squad, [Kieran] Richardson is out with a hip injury, and of course we know about Kerim Frei. [Ashkan] Dejagah was not fit when he joined so hopefully we will get him fit in the next couple of weeks.

"Philippe Senderos is doing well, he came back and trained with us on Friday, but he's not ready to join us yet. And [Mahamadou] Diarra has a problem with his knee."

The Whites are looking to get back on the victory trail after a disappointing 3-0 defeat to West Ham United in our last outing.

The Hammers used their aerial dominance to good effect at Upton Park, but Jol refused to criticise their physical style and admits he was disappointed with Fulham's failure to deal with their route one tactics.

"I think if you've got the experience that we've got then the players can cope with a variety of playing styles as they are used to it," our Manager said. "We spoke about West Ham's style and I don't want to say that it's a bad style because it's good to have a style.

"But to watch the game and analyse the game, you see that in the first minute they hit a long ball and got a knock down and we conceded a goal which was exactly what we spoke about.

"It's not that we couldn't cope with it but we should have done better. And then the second goal was a corner-kick and the third goal was a long ball again so we should have done better."

The visit of Steve Clarke's Baggies presents a completely different challenge, though, and Jol is optimistic that his troops can get back to winning ways.

"Against West Ham we threw it all away in the first couple of minutes but West Brom play with a different style," he explained. "That's something we spoke about on Friday in our training session and hopefully we can get a good result.

"We made a big step against Norwich City – we made a big step last year too but I thought that performance [against Norwich] was even better than last year. Hopefully we can take a step forward again but it will be difficult as we will have a totally different midfield tomorrow."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/september/14/jols-west-brom-preview?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham v West Brom: Cottagers glad to be home after three away defeats
Goals forecast but Fulham need a result to forget recent away day blues

West Brom have enjoyed a surprising start to the season, picking up seven unexpected points against Liverpool, Tottenham and Everton.

Fulham's solidity at home, however, means it's unlikely they'll chalk up an away win here, as a price of 11/4, correctly, signifies.

The Cottagers got off to a flyer in front of their own fans, smashing five past Norwich, but have lost three on the road since in league and cup action and will be keen to get back to west London for this game.

They only lost four games in all competitions at Craven Cottage in a typically steady 2011/12 season, only one of them to a side they would normally expect to beat.

You can back a home win at 1/1 which, given the contrasting fortunes for both sides in recent weeks, is a touch on the short side and should be avoided, despite Fulham's aforementioned reliability at home.

However, a bet offering excellent value, based on the evidence of last season, is 1/1 for there to be over 2.5 goals scored.
Of the 19 games Fulham hosted last term, 13 of them surpassed this mark, which was also the case in 11 of the Baggies' 19 away days.

With Fulham lamping in five on the opening day and Steve Clarke's men hitting five in two away days at Spurs and Yeovil, there looks set to be a few crossing the line when these two lock horns.

In terms of who'll score them, Dimitar Berbatov is in line for his first Cottagers start and is priced up at 9/2 to win over the fans early doors with the game's opener, though 6/1 for Mladen Petric to beat him to it could be a more profitable option after his brace on debut in his last home appearance.



http://news.ladbrokes.com/en-gb/football/premier-league/fulham-v-west-brom-cottagers-glad-to-be-home-after-three-away-defeats_117532.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Aaron's Extension

The Club is delighted to confirm that Aaron Hughes has signed a one-year contract extension with Fulham that will see the Northern Ireland international remain at Craven Cottage until the summer of 2014.

Hughes has been a regular presence at the heart of Fulham's defence for five years, forming a formidable partnership with Brede Hangeland that has been integral to the Club's success in recent seasons.

After signing his contract extension on Friday, fulhamfc.com caught up with Aaron, who spoke of his delight at having secured his future with the Whites.

"I'm obviously delighted as I've enjoyed my time here so far and to know that I'll be around for another couple of years is a nice thing for me," Hughes said.

"I've had a lot of good experiences so far and hopefully I'll have more between now and 2014."

The good experiences Hughes speaks of include some of the most dramatic and successful times in the Club's history, from the 'Great Escape' in 2008 to the UEFA Europa League Final in 2010.

"Even in my first year when things didn't work out in the sense that it was a little bit uncertain fighting relegation and we managed to stay up, that was, even in a weird way, a highlight because we managed to stay up," Hughes explained.

"Obviously, had it gone the other way it wouldn't be so much [a highlight], though the euphoria and actually getting over that line and staying in the Barclays Premier League was fantastic. To build on that by finishing seventh in the league and then playing in Europe, getting to the final and almost winning.

"It's been a pretty amazing experience for different reasons and that's why I'm delighted to be staying here for that extra year."

Over the past five years Hughes has made more than 200 appearances for Fulham and the defender is clearly pleased to have secured his future at Craven Cottage.

"I've only been at two other clubs in my career," said Hughes. "At Newcastle United, coming from when I was a kid, that made up a good chunk of my career as well.

"When I signed here I really didn't know how long I would be here, I just wanted to do as well as I could and hopefully fit in to the team well.

"To be here now and to experience what's happened so far and to know that I have plans for the next couple of years as well, I'm happy with that."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/september/14/hughesdeal?