Tuesday Fulham Stuff (25/09/12)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham Focus - Rodallega gets off the mark in fine victory

In hindsight, this was the perfect away game for Fulham to get their first victory on the road this season. The Cottagers, being an attacking outfit with the talents of Dimitar Berbatov, Hugo Rodallega, Bryan Ruiz, Damien Duff and Alex Kakaniclic at their disposal, were always going to take advantage of the space a similarly attractive side such as Wigan affords them. In such contests, if the team with the better players are anywhere near their best, then that team should come out on top. That is precisely what happened at the DW Stadium.



Despite some nervous moments, particularly in the second-half when Arouna Kone and Mauro Boselli missed some gilt-edged chances for the Latics with the score at only 0-1, Martin Jol's men always seemed to carry the greater threat, particularly through the brilliant Berbatov and Rodallega, who inevitably marked his return to Wigan with his first goal for Fulham.

However, Jol will take great confidence from the way his team did not buckle under the pressure and instead came away comfortable winners despite the rather tight 2-1 scoreline. Berbatov in particular was mesmeric and appears to have added a modicum of hard work and desire to his game that has been absent in recent years. Whether that continues as time goes on and at 31-years-old remains to be seen but the Bulgarian's presence has undoubtedly lifted his teammates and the Fulham fans just when the season threatened to turn sour for the Cottagers.

Rodallega's first goal for the club could also prove a key moment for Fulham's season. Mladen Petric may have got the headlines so far following his goals against Norwich on the opening day but the Croatian will turn 32 in January and lacks what Rodallega brings to the team: Pace. The Colombia international may be an erratic finisher but the likes of Berbatov, Duff and Ruiz are not the quickest and so the ability to call upon a confident and in-form Rodallega up front to stretch defences, thus creating more space for Berbatov behind him, is vital for the Cottagers.

Jol will know not to get carried away despite Fulham's good run, which briefly saw them enter the Champions League places on Saturday afternoon. Particularly, the Dutchman will be aware that tougher tests away from home lie ahead for his team. The Wigan victory may have been a welcome one but Fulham were always likely to thrive against a team that plays Wigan's style of football. What the Cottagers will struggle with more is the kind of bombastic aerial threat and power that West Ham and Andy Carroll used to such effect in Fulham's last defeat.

However, with a home match against a shaky Manchester City side to come next Saturday, Fulham will be confident of getting a positive result to continue their run of good form.



http://www.adifferentleague.co.uk/p6_1_16842_fulham-focus-rodallega-gets-off-the-mark-in-fine-victory.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham v Man City – Picks of the Week
After being pegged back by Arsenal, the champions now face another tricky away test as they visit Craven Cottage.

Craven Cottage may have been the home to English greats like Bobby Moore and Johnny Haynes in the past, but these days it's a Dutchman and a Bulgarian who are putting smiles on the faces of the Fulham faithful.

Martin Jol and his motley crew of free transfers and cut-price signings are proving to be the entertainers of the Premier League this season with 12 goals in their five league games and the star of the show since his arrival has been Manchester United reject Dimitar Berbatov.

The enigmatic Bulgarian forward was snapped up by the Cottagers for just £5 million, a £25 million reduction on the price United paid to sign him from Tottenham four years ago, and he has made an immediate impact. An action-packed cameo role from the bench on his debut against West Ham showed encouraging signs and then he bagged two goals in the 3-0 win over West Brom to remind everyone of the level he can reach when given the playing time.

Although they may look near-invincible in front of their own fans, City are definitely vulnerable on the road and Fulham are in just the right sort of form to take advantage.

Thanks to Berbatov and the likes of Hugo Rodallega, Damien Duff and young Alex Kacaniklic, Fulham have taken an early position near the top of the table and are 17/5 to continue their 100% home record on Saturday when Manchester City come to town.

The champions are, unsurprisingly, the clear favourites in bwin's 3-way betting market at 4/5 and the draw is only at 5/2. Yet while City will be expected to pick up the three points by the Thames, they have not looked convincing in any of their games so far, particularly away from home.

Roberto Mancini's men have drawn their two away games in the league and lost in dramatic fashion to Real Madrid in the Champions League – results that continue a worrying trend for the Italian and his team.

City went through the whole of their title-winning campaign unbeaten at home and stretched that run to 32 games with Sunday's 1-1 draw with Arsenal, but they struggled to replicate their stunning form away from the Etihad Stadium last season. Despite dropping just two points all year at home, the Citizens managed to win just half of their away games, including a 2-2 draw at Craven Cottage.

It's clear to see that although they may look near-invincible in front of their own fans, City are definitely vulnerable on the road and Fulham are in just the right sort of form to take advantage.



http://bwinbetting.com/leagues/premier-league/picks-week-fulham-man-city,25132.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Wigan 1 Fulham 2
   
Firstly, apologies for the late match report and also for the briefness of it but posting it so late is hardly going to maintain its originality is it.

Nevertheless, a weekend away in the north-west whilst also watching Fulham notch up a very rare Premier League away win, is reason enough to post a belated report.

Going into the encounter, I was a little wary that the form Wigan had shown in the back end of last season and in fits and starts this season would have us troubled, even more so when you consider our away form this season had seen us draw blanks on both trips.

But the DW Stadium, on Saturday, was different, we had a fire dup Dimitar Berbatov in our ranks and boy did it show. The Bulgarian was excellent and looks an absolute bargain at the price we stole him for.

His movement, his anticipation and his class were behind most things we created. From the off we had Wigan on the backseat forcing a succession of corners, one of which saw Berbatov have a shot blocked.

Wigan`s forays into our half of the field were rare and one instance where they did look threatening came when they won a free kick but Watson`s kick was woeful.

Lee Probert provided a moment of hilarity when he was sandwiched between Watson and our own Sidwell and the referee, lying in a prone position, flashed a red card at the physio who had come on to treat him.

Still Fulham poured forward though and good link up play between Berbatov and Rodallega forced the keeper into a save from the later before the former saw a shot hooked off the line and another, from long range saved by Al-Habsi.

But, just past the half hour mark, Fulham deservedly took the lead when Hugo Rodallega scored against his former club with the goal coming from a cross from Berbatov.

Leading at half time you kind of expected that Wigan would come back into it, such has been our away form in recent times, but Fulham continued to dominate. Although Wigan were creating chances, there were no heart-attacks amongst the faithful even when Boselli missed a sitter.

In fact our good play saw us double our lea din the 68th minute when Damien Duff scored from a corner we`d won.

Wigan responded with a Ramis header, from seven yards out that produced a good save from Schwarzer but any hopes the Aussie had of keeping a clean sheet vanished in the last minute when Arouna Kone scored a consolation for the home side, in a way, considering how things have gone in the past, perhaps we should be grateful it was the last minute!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=294365#ixzz27Rt8XvkZ

[WhiteJC]

 
U21s 1-0 Manchester City

Pajtim Kasami's second-half goal secured a first win of the season for Fulham Under-21s at a blustery Motspur Park on Monday afternoon.

The game also saw Philippe Senderos and Giorgos Karagounis get some valuable match time under their belts as they played 45 and 63 minutes respectively before being replaced.

The first chance of the game fell to City captain Alex Nimely on four minutes when he skipped inside two challenges before firing goalwards but David Stockdale comfortably smothered his deflected strike.

Good link-up play between Sean Kavanagh and Marcello Trotta on 17 minutes almost saw the Irishman put through on goal but the City defence recovered with a good challenge on the edge of the area.

The opening half hour was a tight affair with both sides trying to weigh the other up, with Fulham's first effort coming after 23 minutes but Kasami's scuffed shot was never at risk of troubling the goalkeeper.

Kasami went closer moments later though when Karagounis found him down the right. The Swiss youth international got a powerful strike in but the keeper blocked well at his near post.

The Whites were growing in confidence and Trotta was next to try his luck on 32 minutes but his shot from distance was easily claimed.

A lovely backheel a minute later by Nimely found the lively Marco Lopez in space but his cross along the face of goal was cleared away by Zdenek Grygera.

Lopez was proving a tricky customer and he showed good skill before laying the ball off to Alex Henshall who fired straight at Stockdale.

A well worked free-kick saw Karagounis find Alex Smith in space but nobody could get on the end of the Fulham Captain's dangerous cross.

Five minutes into the second period saw the best chance of the game as Nimely headed against the bar from a corner, with Stockdale beaten.

The Whites took the lead just before the hour mark when Grygera volleyed across goal after being picked out by Karagounis' cute free-kick, leaving Kasami with the simple task of knocking into an empty net.

Smith was in moments later after latching onto substitute Dan Burn's through-ball but his attempted lob sailed harmlessly over.

Karagounis was replaced on 63 minutes by Tom Donegan and the 120-cap Greece international showed plenty of deft touches and slick passes in his first Fulham outing.

Charles Banya caught visiting right-back Shay Facey in possession minutes later and fed Trotta but the Italian shot too close to the keeper who parried for a corner.

From the resulting set-piece, Banya found himself some space on the corner of the area and was desperately unlucky to see his curling shot narrowly fly over the crossbar.

With a quarter of an hour to go the away side pushed for an equaliser but were restricted to speculative long-range efforts from Lopez and Emyr Huws.

Kavanagh had a golden opportunity to secure the points when he glided into the area after collecting Trotta's one-two. The left-back dummied his shot to fool the defender but then curled against the near post.

Lopez went on a mazy run with three minutes remaining but could only fire wide after beating several white shirts in what proved to be the last chance of the match as Kit Symons' boys held on for a valuable win.

Fulham: 13. Stockdale; 2. Grimmer, 6. Grygera, 4. Senderos (15. Burn, 45 mins), 3. Kavanagh; 8. Kasami, 10. Pritchard (17. Vigen Christensen, 84 mins), 14. Karagounis (16. Donegan, 63 mins), 7. Smith (C), 11. Banya; 39. Trotta. Subs (not used): 12. Bettinelli, 18. Islamovic.

Manchester City: 1. Johansen; 2. Facey, 5. Kennedy, 6. Plummer, 3. Helan; 11. Henshall, 8. Huws, 4. Evans, 7. Lopez; 10. Pozo (16. Cole, 69 mins); 9. Nimely. Subs (not used): 12. Leigh, 13. Lawlor, 14. Walter, 15. Glendon.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/september/24/u21s-score?

[WhiteJC]

 
Remember Collins John?
   
As opposed to John Collins!

Confusing I know but then again I`m a confusing kind of person.

Anyone, getting to the gist of the matter, it appears that Collins John, the lively forward that showed promise at Craven Cottage but never really delivered, has fallen firther form grace than our old mate Lee Cook.

John, who was tipped for great things, has just signed for Barnet on a free transfer!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=294366#ixzz27RtcDh3f

[WhiteJC]

 
Rodallega Explains
   
Just how many times does it happen?

Just how many times does a former player score a goal against a former team that proves to be decisive?

Numerous times I`d say!

But, I`d be curious to know just how many players who fit the above scenario celebrate in such a subdued fashion as Hugo Rodallega did against Wigan on Saturday.

To say his celebration was muted is an under-statement although after the fantastic away win at the DW Stadium, Hugo commented on his actions and a return to his former club, remarking,

"I did not celebrate my goal because I have too much respect for Wigan and their fans, having been through all those great things with them."

"I`ve got good memories of things like scoring the winner at Stoke on the last day. It was great when they applauded me back."

"It`s been a very special day for me. I went and said hi before the game in the changing room. I made sure I said hi to my friends Franco Di Santo and Maynor Figueroa, all the guys at Wigan, and Roberto Martinez."

"That was my first goal and it`s very important. It`s going to give me confidence. I had a lot of injuries in my last season with Wigan and I hope this goal will start a new chapter for me."

It would be good if it did start a golden run wouldn`t it!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=294367#ixzz27Rtol7tL

[WhiteJC]

 
Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham keen on African forward

Anderlecht striker Dieumerci Mbokani is in the sights of Tottenham Hotspur and Fulham – although the pair could face competition from Juventus.

According talkSPORT, Mbokani is hopeful of a switch to the Old Lady in January with talks already held in Turin over the sale of the 26-year-old, however, agent Fabio Baglio refused to rule out a move to England for his client – hinting that Tottenham or Fulham could yet land the player.

"There have been contacts between Anderlecht and Juventus and last week I was in Turin. A sale in January? You never know." he is quoted by talkSPORT.

"There are many candidates, like Fiorentina, who are building a new team, and in England Tottenham are the most attractive option."

He continued: "Of all the clubs, Juventus is the most practical option. It is not a new thing, because they have already followed Dieu when he played for Standard Liege."

The DR Congo frontman was believed to be interesting Fulham during last year yet a move never materialised and so far this season, has bagged four times in six starts for Anderlecht.



http://www.cleansheetsallround.co.uk/2012/09/tottenham-to-rival-fulham-for-mbokani?

[WhiteJC]

 
Schwarzer hails 'excellent' Fulham team-mate Berbatov
The Australia international has praised the Bulgarian's start to life at Craven Cottage, singling him out as the club's star signing of the summer transfer window

Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has hailed the quality of recent arrival Dimitar Berbatov, expressing delight with the speed at which the striker has settled into life at the club.

The Bulgarian has enjoyed an impressive opening to his career with the Cottagers, having scored twice in two Premier League starts.

And the Australia international singled out the forward, who joined from Manchester United on deadline day, as the club's star signing.

He told the club's official website: "Dimitar Berbatov is an excellent player, everyone knows what a great player he is and he's been excellent for us since the day he arrived.

"He's a top pro who is happy to help out the young boys and I think he's a massive plus for us and we've seen that in the games he's played.

"When you've got new players added to the squad, it's always important to have that core of a team that have the experience and know what it's like to play for Fulham Football Club.

"I think the players that have come into the club have done extremely well."

The veteran goalkeeper was also keen to deflect attention from his own solid performance during Saturday's 2-1 win at Wigan, praising his team-mates' contributions.

"It was a really good away performance from us," continued Schwarzer.

"We started the game very well and were a little bit disappointed that we weren't a couple more goals up at half-time. We started a bit sluggish in the second half but we worked really hard and then scored the second goal.

"You just do your job. You know going away from home that you're going to be under pressure and I just get on with it and play my game and as a team we got the result which is the main thing."



http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2012/09/24/3400918/-?

[WhiteJC]

 
Jol offered Hitzelsperger, Hargreaves and Reo-Coker

With Fulham's midfield worries ever deepening after the news that Mahamadou Diarra could be out of action for anything up to six months, Martin Jol is said to be keeping an eye on former Bolton Wanderers midfielder Nigel Reo-Coker and has also been offered former Aston Villa man Thomas Hitzelsperger and Owen Hargreaves.

All three would be available on free transfers and it is thought that, in light of Fulham's problems, the agents of all three players have approached the club in order to find their respective clients some first team football.

Any of the trio would be able to register with the club as there is still room in the 25 man squad to accommodate at least one new player, as long as they are currently unregistered.

It is unlikely that Jol will be tempted by Hargreaves, given his extensive history of injuries, but Hitzelsperger and Reo-Coker may well appeal to the Dutch coach as desperate times appear to call for desperate measures.



http://www.cottagersconfidential.com/2012/9/24/3384958/jol-hitzelsperger-hargreaves-and-reo-coker?

[jazz hardrockin]

Hitzelsperger is already on 2 weeks trial with Everton...

[WhiteJC]

 
Lambeth World Cup

Fulham FC Foundation partnered with the London Borough of Lambeth and the St Matthews Project again this year to deliver the "Lambeth World Cup 2012".

The six-week tournament began on 23rd July, with an initial four weeks of training sessions and matches delivered by Fulham FC Foundation and St Matthews's project. The final of the tournament was then held at Fulham FC's prestigious Motspur Park training ground on the 2nd September.

The young people taking part in the tournament were placed into three different age groups, under 11's, under 13's and under 15's. The competition, which was open to all young people from the Borough of Lambeth, aimed to increase the integration of those taking part, teaching them team-building skills. This new system meant that participants were put into teams by Fulham FC Foundation staff for the competition and groups that had entered together were split.

The Fulham FC lead sessions were delivered across three different venues, Larkhall Park, Kennington Park and Brockwell Park. The winning teams from these venues, as well as the winners of the St Matthews-run programme and a number of other teams from across Lambeth were invited to take part in the Final at Fulham FC's training ground in Motspur Park.

The tournament saw eighty-one young people participate across the three different age groups. On the day, each team played each other twice, with the top two teams competing in the Final.

David Kiobel, Lambeth Community Sports Officer commented:

'I would like to take this opportunity on behalf of the council to thank all that contributed to this year's Lambeth Summer World Cup Program. The partnership element has developed immensely over the years and we all pulled together once again to offer an engaging activity for Lambeth's youngsters – Well done!!'

U11's Winners – Lambeth Tigers

U11's Runners up – St Matthews Project

U13's Winners – St Matthews Project

U13's Runners up – South Oak FC

U15's Winners – BigKid Foundation

U15's Runners up – St Matthews Project

For more information on Lambeth World Cup and Fulham FC Foundation please contact www.fulhamfc.com/foundation or phone 0870 442 5432



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/september/25/lambeth-world-cup-2012?

[WhiteJC]

 
Senderos returns from injury with reserve appearance

Central defender Philippe Senderos, who has missed all of Fulham's season so far with a foot injury, made an appearance for their Under-21 side last night and played 45 minutes as Fulham's defeated Manchester City 1-0.

Senderos, who was out with a fractured foot, picked up the injury in July and the Swiss international has not only missed Premier League games for Fulham, but also his national side's World Cup qualifiers against Slovenia and Albania.

Speaking about the player, Fulham manager Martin Jol recently said

He's been out for months, so he needs a couple of games for the reserves.

The defender moved from Arsenal to Craven Cottage in 2010 after spending six years with the North London side although he only made two appearances for Arsenal in his final season there.  He signed for Fulham on a free transfer and his Fulham contract is due to expire next summer.



http://injuryleague.com/2012/09/senderos-returns-from-injury-with-reserve-appearance/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+InjuryLeague+%28Injury+League%29

[WhiteJC]

 
Burn's Loan Deal

The Club can confirm that defender Dan Burn has gone on a one-month Youth Loan to npower League One side Yeovil Town.

The first match in which Dan could feature is Yeovil's away game against Preston North End on Saturday 29th September.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/september/25/burnloan?

[WhiteJC]

 
Berbatov won't pay Viola
Fiorentina still want money for tickets


Dimitar Berbatov: Turned down Fiorentina

Dimitar Berbatov's agent has told Fiorentina not to expect any money after the Bulgarian turned down a move to the club.

The Viola were left fuming on deadline day after they arranged for Berbatov to fly into Florence after agreeing a deal with Manchester United.
However, firstly Juventus and then more tellingly Fulhamstepped in to make rival bids and Berbatov moved to Craven Cottage.

Fiorentina were furious and demanded that Berbatov and his agent paid for the flights and arrangements that were in place

But Emil Dantchev says that will not be happening, telling Tuttomercatoweb: "What about Fiorentina's request? It's an irrelevant question.

"Why should we pay for the plane? And because in Italy you take care so much about such a thing? Juventus and Fiorentina were two options for Dimitar, but then he chose England and coach Jol's Fulham. A choice that satisfies us fully."

But Fiorentina's sporting director Daniele Prade says he is still waiting to be paid, telling ANSA: "There was no explanation with Juventus over Berbatov.

"Anyway I'm still waiting for Berbatov and his agent to return to us the money for the plane ticket. When it happens I'll say it publicly."



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11681/8108964?

[DiegoFulham]

Berbatov won't pay Viola
Fiorentina still want money for tickets


Dimitar Berbatov: Turned down Fiorentina

Dimitar Berbatov's agent has told Fiorentina not to expect any money after the Bulgarian turned down a move to the club.

The Viola were left fuming on deadline day after they arranged for Berbatov to fly into Florence after agreeing a deal with Manchester United.
However, firstly Juventus and then more tellingly Fulhamstepped in to make rival bids and Berbatov moved to Craven Cottage.

Fiorentina were furious and demanded that Berbatov and his agent paid for the flights and arrangements that were in place

But Emil Dantchev says that will not be happening, telling Tuttomercatoweb: "What about Fiorentina's request? It's an irrelevant question.

"Why should we pay for the plane? And because in Italy you take care so much about such a thing? Juventus and Fiorentina were two options for Dimitar, but then he chose England and coach Jol's Fulham. A choice that satisfies us fully."

But Fiorentina's sporting director Daniele Prade says he is still waiting to be paid, telling ANSA: "There was no explanation with Juventus over Berbatov.

"Anyway I'm still waiting for Berbatov and his agent to return to us the money for the plane ticket. When it happens I'll say it publicly."



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11681/8108964?

ahahahaha BANTER!!!