Friday Fulham Stuff (12/10/12)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Boa Morte Returns

Yesterday, we reported on how one of our former players, Collins John, had found employment in the lower leagues, joining League Two side Barnet.

Well today it has been announced that another of our former players, Luis Boa Morte, has done something similar.

Boa Morte has returned to English football to take up a contract with the League Two club, Chesterfield.

The contract lasts until the end of January and will allow the 35 year-old to showcase his talents whilst, we presume, waiting for other offers to pour in when his contract expires in January 2013.


http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=296293

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham manager Jol relieved by Duff's international retirement
The former Republic of Ireland winger amassed 100 caps for his country before calling it a day, and his manager has admitted it has had its advantages for his club this season


Getty Images

Fulham manager Martin Jol has revealed his relief over Damien Duff's decision to quit international football, as it means there is one less injury to worry about.

The Republic of Ireland international retired after earning his 100th cap during this summer's European Championships but has had a troublesome career with injuries.

The 33-year-old has three goals in seven Premier League appearances already this season - more than last year's total - and having lost Mahamadou Diarra to injury whilst on international duty, Jol is relieved he does not have to worry about Duff anymore.

The Dutchman told Fulham Chronicle: "Of course, there's always a risk of an injury when you play these games.

"I think he's got to 100 games and he decided to call it a day, so I won't say I'm happy he did that but it's certainly got a few advantages."

However, Jol insists he would have no worries over Duff's fitness even if he did continue to play for Ireland, after amassing 56 games for club and country last year, and says he could always call on him despite his advancing years.

He added: "I feel there's no difference with Damien [whether he plays for Ireland or not].
"We played a lot of games in Europe and I could always play him. When you get a bit older you normally give them a rest but I needed them all the time."


http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2012/10/11/3443001/-?

[WhiteJC]

 
Boss to spend big

Fulham manager Martin Jol is looking forward to the January transfer window when he plans to utilise the money gained from transfers.

The Cottagers have seen a number of top players leave the club over the last year, most notably Moussa Dembele and Clint Dempsey.

The London club made £22 million in profit over the summer, and the boss has been informed by chairman Mohamed al Fayed that he can reinvest that money in the next window.

The departures have left Fulham short of players in midfield, with Dickson Etuhu and Danny Murphy also making their way out of the club and joining Blackburn Rovers.

The Dutch manager did use some of the funds available to him by bringing in Hugo Rodallega, Mladen Petric, Kieran Richardson and arguably one of the best signings of the window in Manchester United's Dimitar Berbatov.

"He said before the season you can spend the same amount as last year and we sold for over £30 million and only bought for £8 million," Jol explained. "So I am 100% certain he knows there is a lot on the kitty."


http://www.clubcall.com/fulham/boss-to-spend-big-1483181.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Ex-Arsenal star Luis Boa Morte joins Chesterfield

Former Arsenal, Fulham and West Ham winger Luis Boa Morte has signed for Chesterfield.

The 35-year-old, who played 28 times for Portugal, has agreed to join the Spireites initially until January and, as long as international clearance is received in time, he may make his debut against Dagenham and Redbridge at the Proact Stadium this Saturday.

Boa Morte opened talks with Chesterfield following a chance meeting in London with former Fulham team-mate Mark Crossley, who is assistant to the Derbyshire club's caretaker-manager Tommy Wright.

He told the club's official website: "He asked me if I'd fancy coming up to Chesterfield and it went from there.

"The most important thing for me now is to play football and get going again. I'll be here until the end of January but that doesn't mean that I won't stay until the end of the season."

Wright added: "To have a player of Luis' quality coming to Chesterfield is a fantastic coup for us. It's great that a player of his ability wants to play football.

"The financial aspect of the deal was no worry - he just wanted to come and play."

Boa Morte has made more than 300 appearances in English football over a 15-year period having arrived at Arsenal from Sporting Lisbon in June 1997 as one of Arsene Wenger's first signings.

He won the double with the Gunners in 1998 and after a brief spell with Southampton moved to Fulham before spending four-and-a-half years at West Ham before leaving by mutual consent in August 2011.

Boa Morte has been training recently with Fulham following brief spells with South African club Orlando Pirates and MLS outfit Toronto FC.



http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/exarsenal-star-luis-boa-morte-joins-chesterfield-8206288.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham keeper makes international pledge

FULHAM keeper Mark Schwarzer insists he's got no plans to retire from international football.

The Aussie shot-stopper, who turned 40 last week, is desperate to get his country to the finals in Brazil in 2014 and wants to go into that tournament on the back on another season at the highest level of club football.

Schwarzer, who is in Qatar this week for a World Cup qualifier against Iraq, says his international ambitions remain at the forefront of his thinking.

"My goal for now is just 2014," he told the Chronicle. "I want to help Australia get to the World Cup and then we'll see what happens after that. It's definitely something I want to do.

"I'm happy to put in the hours of travelling it takes. It would give me more time at home if I didn't play international football, for sure, but it's a big part of my life.

"It is what I am, and contributes to what I am, and that's why I've still got the urge to play. If I'm still playing well enough and I'm still getting selected, I'm going to keep playing."



Read More http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/fulham-fc/2012/10/12/82029-32014660/?#ixzz294hg0xI1

[WhiteJC]

 
International Whites

A host of Fulham's First Team stars and young prospects will be in action during the international break after being called up for their respective countries.

Giorgos Karagounis is expected to feature for Greece for the first time since the 2012 European Championships when they host group leaders Bosnia & Herzegovina on Friday. If he plays, it will mean a 121st cap for Giorgos, making him outright the most capped Greek of all-time – he's currently level on 120 with Theo Zagorakis.

The Greece captain will be desperate to mark the occasion with a positive result but it won't be easy against a side which has hit 12 goals from their two matches so far. Greece then travel to Slovakia to take on the side one place below them in Group G on Tuesday.

Alexander Kačaniklić could make his competitive debut for Sweden when they face European minnows the Faroe Islands in Torshavn on Friday, before travelling to Berlin to take on Germany on Tuesday.

Northern Ireland have arguably their toughest test of the qualifying campaign when they take on Portugal at the Estadio do Dragao on Tuesday. Chris Baird and Aaron Hughes are both likely to feature as Michael O'Neill's men go in search of a first Group F win.

Group E is very tight after two matches – Norway sit second bottom as things stand but could go top with a win over Switzerland in Bern on Friday. John Arne Riise and Brede Hangeland will both add to the plethora of caps they can already boast, before they face Cyprus the following Tuesday.

Stephen Kelly's Republic of Ireland have the same fixtures as Kačaniklić's Sweden, just in reverse; they host the Germans at the Aviva Stadium on Friday and travel to the Faroe Islands for Tuesday's clash.

Costa Rica have two vital qualifiers when they take on El Salvador, who sit one place above them in the table, and Guyana – the only side below them in Group B. It's just as well, then, that Bryan Ruiz has returned to full fitness as his creativity will be imperative if the Ticos are to progress.

There are Fulham players involved in each of the Asian qualifying groups, with Ashkan Dejagah's Iran side facing the Korean Republic in Group A, and Mark Schwarzer and Australia taking on Iraq in Group B; both matches taking place on Tuesday.

Dejagah will be hoping to feature as Iran welcome the group leaders to Tehran – Ashkan's city of birth – while Schwarzer will keep goal as the Socceroos look to get their qualifying campaign back on track after a shock defeat by Jordan in their last match.

Neil Etheridge will join up with the Philippines national side after turning out for Bristol Rovers at the weekend as the Azkals take on Kuwait City in a friendly match on Tuesday.

Pajtim Kasami has two huge games ahead of him as Switzerland Under-21s need to beat Germany in their two-legged Play-Off tie in order to qualify for the European Championships next summer. The first leg is in Leverkusen on Friday, before the Swiss welcome Germany to Lucerne on Tuesday.

Omri Altman, Lasse Vigen Christensen and Jack Grimmer have all been called up for their respective nations' Under-19 sides for three European Championship qualifying matches. Israel face France, Portugal and Latvia; Denmark take on Lithuania, Turkey and Serbia; while Scotland come up against Armenia, Romania and Switzerland.

Finally, Ryan Williams and Corey Gameiro have been selected to represent Australia Under-20s at a training camp in Portugal, while Jesse Joronen joins up with Finland Under-21s for a friendly tournament.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/october/12/international-whites?

[WhiteJC]

 
English Premier League sides are chasing VVV Venlo winger Yanic Wildschut


Yanic Wildschut (left): Attracting interest from several clubs after catching the eye at VVV Venlo

Sky Sports understands a host of Premier League clubs are tracking VVV Venlo winger Yanic Wildschut.

Wildschut has impressed at Venlo since joining the club in the summer of 2011 from FC Zwolle.

The 20-year-old is a product of the famed Ajax academy and he is a regular in the Holland Under 21 side.

The left-sided winger has shown he has an eye for goal having scored seven times in 29 appearances for Venlo.

English trio Newcastle, Fulham and Swansea are all thought to be admirers of Wildschut and have watched the attacker in action.

Wildschut is thought to be keen on a move to England with Venlo valuing the player in the region of €3.5million.



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11731/8160289?

[WhiteJC]

 
Midfield Target?
   
One of the tabloids read by millions has an interesting piece of gossip.

It`s implying that Martin Jol is looking at bringing another midfielder to the club, whenever the opportunity arises.

He currently plays for Inter Milan and goes under the engaging name of McDonald Mariga.

It`ll be interesting to see if anything concrete develops.


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=296340#ixzz295fguLgw

[WhiteJC]

 
Fully Focused

He may have turned 40 earlier this month – but Mark Schwarzer is far from finished yet.

Fuham's evergreen goalkeeper, who made his 475th top-flight appearance when the Whites drew 2-2 with Southampton last time out, has no intention of winding down his time between the sticks.

Indeed, he's still resolutely determined to represent Australia at the next World Cup in two years time in Brazil.

"All I'm focusing on is playing well for Fulham, winning games, having a good season and qualifying for the World Cup with Australia," he said. "They say you know when it's time to step aside. Maybe I will, but I've got goals ahead of me. It's all part of the grand plan."

That grand plan involves helping Fulham to another successful season, an aim Schwarzer believes will be aided by the arrival in SW6 of Dimitar Berbatov.

"Whenever any player comes to the club you wonder if he'll fit in and flourish, and if he'll reproduce the form he'd shown previously at Manchester United," stated Schwarzer. "But you could see straight away in training that the guy has amazing talent.

"It was just a matter of how long it would take him to gel with the Team, and he's settled in almost instantly and been outstanding; his level of commitment, his skill and vision on the ball, and the demands he makes of other players. The younger players in particular. He's hard with them, but also quick to praise them if they do something well. That's something we'd lost."

He continued: "We've lacked a bit of that demanding of players to really produce at a high level. Berba's developed that at Tottenham Hotspur and United, that attitude of expecting the best from everyone, and he's brought that with him. We, as the experienced players, set the standard.

"Some would say the young guys get in too easily these days, are looked after too quickly, and then get carried away with themselves. It's our job, as senior players, to knock them down a couple of notches sometimes, give them a reality check, to get the best out of them."

Born in New South Wales, Australia, Schwarzer's career has taken him from Marconi Stallions to Dynamo Dresden, Kaiserslautern, Bradford City, Middlesbrough, and now into a fifth season at Fulham.

It's a 22-year professional career that shows no sign of letting up. Having recently made history by earning his 100th cap for Australia, Schwarzer reflected: "To be the first to reach that landmark makes it all the more special. [But] this is a transitional period for the national team, and we don't have the numbers playing in the Premier League that we used to. The reality is our success hangs on the quality of the players coming through, and we need them to step up."

Schwarzer remains a model of consistency every week for the Whites in the Barclays Premier League and no other foreign import has played as many top-flight games as the shot-stopper. Long may it continue.

Schwarzer was talking to the Guardian's Dominic Fifield.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/october/12/fully-focused?