Thursday Fulham Stuff (08/11/12)...

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Fulham boss Jol 'planning £2.5m swoop' for midfielder

Fulham are planning a £2.5m swoop for Standard Liege midfielder William Vainqueur, The Sun say.

It is claimed that Whites boss Martin Jol has had the Frenchman watched several times and is keen to sign him.

Vainqueur's agent Nico Vaesen is quoted as saying: "Fulham's style suits. They've a Dutch coach who likes a passing game."



http://www.westlondonsport.com/features-comment/fulham-boss-jol-planning-2-5m-swoop-for-midfielder

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Liverpool "could endure points deduction" over Dempsey saga

Fulham are proceeding with their complaint to the Premier League over the actions of Liverpool in their persuit for attacker Clint Dempsey this summer.

Although the Reds missed out on signing the American international, with Dempsey signing for Tottenham, Fulham are unhappy with the way the club approached the 29-year-old.

Fulham refer to comments made by Brendan Rodgers on the official Liverpool FC website in July relating to their interest in Dempsey.

In addition, a statement appeared on NESN, the club's owners website, that a deal had been reached for Dempsey's signature. An apology was later released.

The Telegraph report today of the possible consequences of Liverpool's actions:

Evidence is still being assembled in the case, but Liverpool could be fined or hit with a suspended points deduction if they are unable to defend themselves against the charge.

Liverpool intend to fight the allegations.


http://www.thisisanfield.com/2012/11/liverpool-could-endure-points-deduction-over-dempsey-saga/?

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Crewe Alexandra: Lauri Dalla Valle blasts debut goal to shoot down Doncaster Rovers

CREWE manager Steve Davis had a special word of praise for Lauri Dalla Valle after the young striker marked his Alex debut with an opportunist goal.

The 21-year-old Finnish forward, who is on loan from Premier League Fulham, outpaced the home defence to latch on to a magnificent through-ball from Chuks Aneke in the fifth minute and finish in fine style.

Mathias Pogba added a second after the break to seal a fine victory, but Davis said: "It was a perfect start for us and the player himself.

"He made a terrific run to get in behind the defence, picked his spot and slotted the ball home.

"Scoring first and early is something we haven't been doing, and it allowed us to settle and control the game better.

"I thought it was a terrific team performance and everyone played their part.

"It showed what we can do, and hopefully it will give us confidence to push on from here because this is a hard place to come and get a result.

"We were immense defensively, but I told the players at half time not to sit back and invite pressure.

"We were positive and I thought we deserved the second goal. It was pleasing to score from a corner and to keep a clean sheet.

"Sometimes I think the players don't believe in themselves enough, but after the way they played here it should give us the confidence to kick on and improve."

The visitors ended high-flying Rovers' seven-match unbeaten run, and it was also Crewe's first win at Doncaster for more than 20 years.

Rovers boss Dean Saunders said: "It's not gone well for us, but we've had a brilliant run so we can't complain.

"We're missing a few players who are out injured and I thought we lacked a bit of creativity in the wide areas.

"We just got stuck a bit and we didn't make the most of the chances we created and we also hit the woodwork when we should have scored.

"It was just not our night, but you have to give Crewe a bit of credit as well.

"They played a young lad who only signed the previous day and it's paid off for them when he's gone and scored on his debut.

"The lad's done well, but for us it's a criminal goal to concede, and then the second came from a set-piece which makes it even worse.

"We haven't been conceding goals like that recently and we had too many players below par."

Crewe outplayed Doncaster from the start and retained possession, passing the ball around comfortably with Abdul Osman and Aneke impressive in midfield.

They made a dream start when Dalla Valle raced on to Aneke's through-ball and outpaced the home defence before firing into the bottom corner of the Rovers net.

The hosts were fortunate not to concede again minutes later when home keeper Gary Woods did brilliantly to claw the ball off the line, sparing the blushes of Tommy Spurr who had mistimed his clearance.

Doncaster just could not get their act together in the first half and Woods did well again to tip away a dipping shot from Osman with some difficulty in the 28th minute.

Rovers were rarely a threat, but they should have equalised in first-half injury-time when Iain Hume dribbled through cleverly after controlling a splendid pass from Paul Keegan, but after racing clean through he fired well wide of the mark.

Doncaster suffered a blow when influential skipper Rob Jones had to come off with a head injury following a clash with Osman, but played much better in the second half.

Teenage left-back James Husband raced clear to hit an angled drive which was parried by Alan Martin straight to Keegan's feet.

But the Rovers midfielder could only hit the crossbar with the goal gaping.

Robbie Blake had a shot saved before Crewe added their second goal on 72 minutes when powerful striker Pogba headed home at the far post following a corner from Michael West.

Doncaster battled to the finish with Hume and Blake going close again, but Crewe deservedly held on to take the points.



http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/story-17255999-detail/story.html?

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Fulham planning a £2.5m raid for Standard Liege midfielder William Vainqueur


William Vainqueur: Standard Liege midfielder is interesting Fulham

Fulham are planning a £2.5m raid for Standard Liege midfielder William Vainqueur.

The Frenchman progressed through the youth system at Nantes and made his senior debut during the 2006/07 Ligue 1 season.

He left France for Belgium in August 2011, signing a five-year contract with Liege, but Craven Cottage manager Jol is desperate to bolster his squad in the January transfer window.

Vainqueur's agent Nico Vaesen said: "Fulham's style suits. They've a Dutch coach who likes a passing game."

Jol brought in French-born Senegal midfielder Mickael Tavares on a short-term contract in October after losing Mahamadou Diarra.
However, the Mali international has returned from his knee problem quicker than expected and is back in the Fulham team.


http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11681/8231209.5m-raid-for-Standard-Liege-midfielder-William-Vainqueur?

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Young Socceroos Draw

Corey Gameiro grabbed his second goal in as many games as Australia came from behind to draw 1-1 with Syria in the AFC U19 Championship in the UAE on Tuesday evening.

Gameiro came close to opening the scoring on 35 minutes when he collected Terry Antonis' pass and fired a shot goalwards, only to see his effort expertly kept out by Shaher Al Shakir in the Syrian goal.

With little over quarter of an hour of the match remaining, Syria took the lead against the run of play when Mahmoud Al Mawas collected a long ball before slotting home.

The Socceroos were only behind for seven minutes though as they equalised with a goal that was made in Fulham. Ryan Williams, occupying his familiar role on the right flank, beat three Syrian defenders as he cut into the penalty area before laying the ball the ball off to Gameiro whose clinical near post finish brought his side level.

The pair linked up again a minute later but this time Gameiro fired wide after Williams had put him into another goalscoring position.

Qantas Young Socceroos Head Coach Paul Okon was full of praise for the two Fulham boys after the game.

"We conceded a goal from our only mistake in 90 minutes," Okon said. "But credit to the players they believed they could get back into the game and did so through a magnificent goal from Corey Gameiro after a great passage of play from Ryan Williams.

"After the game I emphasised to the players that this is just another step towards qualifying for the FIFA U20 World Cup. The performance tonight was outstanding and we need to continue this in the next match against Saudi Arabia."

The Young Socceroos face Saudi Arabia on Thursday in their final Group D match of the AFC U19 Championship.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/november/07/young-socceroos-draw?

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Fulham came close to signing Twente's Nacer Chadli over the summer, says agent


Nacer Chadli: Could make a move to England next summer

The agent of Twente forward Nacer Chadli claims his client came close to signing for Fulham over the summer.

No agreement was reached before the deadline passed, but there is every chance that the Belgium international will be turning out in England in the near future.

Chadli is keen to test himself in the Premier League, rather than open the door to interested parties from Italy and Germany, and a deal could be put in place at the end of the season.

The 23-year-old's representative Daniel Evrard told calciomercato.it: "A lot of European teams are interested in him and I have had contact with German and English sides.

"The club that came close to signing him in the summer was Fulham, but in the end a deal didn't go through.

"Italian teams? I have not had any contact with Genoa but I know that AC Milan have sent scouts to watch him many times.

"His future? Nacer has a contract with Twente until June 2014, but at the end of this season he could go to a big team in a big league. His preference would be the Premier League.

"I don't think Twente will sell him in January because they are top of the Eredivisie and they want to play in the Champions League next season."



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11681/8231860?

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Inside The Emirates

Gunners supporter Ed Davis gives us the lowdown on Saturday's game from an Arsenal point of view.

First things first, what have you made of Arsenal's start to the season so far?

I've got to say that I've had very mixed opinions of how we've done in the games to date. In our first few matches of the new campaign I was really impressed and actually thought that we were improving on how we'd performed last season. But, saying that, some of the games recently just haven't been up to scratch so I'm not too sure if we have improved or not to be honest.

The recent period has been a tough one for the Gunners hasn't it? Three points is a must on Saturday, right?

Absolutely. No offence to Fulham but we've got to be looking at this weekend as a victory. We've got Tottenham Hotspur visiting the Emirates the following week which won't be an easy game so it'd be nice to go into that with three points under our belt from the Fulham match.

That said, Fulham are a side that has made life difficult for Arsenal over the years, so what kind of game do you anticipate?

I can see it being a very tight match and I think it is going to be important that we nick an early goal as Fulham are tough to break down. I worry that the longer it goes on with the score at 0-0, or even with Fulham winning, that the fans and players will just get more and more frustrated, and that certainly won't help us play our best football.

Jack Wilshere has returned for you - how much of a boost will he be this season? Although he will of course be missing this weekend.

It's obviously a great boost to have him back in the side and he has looked really good in the games he's played so far. It's gutting he picked up that red card at Old Trafford and he will be a big miss this weekend.

What are your targets for the season? There's a sense that a top-four finish may not quite be the foregone conclusion it has been in recent years.

I think finishing in that top four is a must this season once again, even with the new competition that we've got in the league. Obviously it'd be great to finally end that wait for some silverware so it would be nice if we can pick up a cheeky League Cup or FA Cup trophy!

There are quite a few players missing for Arsenal at the moment. How do you react to that? Is it a case of just getting on with things – after all that's what you have a squad for, and it's just part of the game?

We do seem to always have more injuries than most teams! I just worry the players coming in are not good enough but I suppose we'll just have to wait and see. Hopefully the guys who come in will be able to do a job for us.

Arsene Wenger has said recently that he feels his players have forgotten just how good they are - would you agree with that?

To a degree, but I still think we lack real quality in certain areas.

For you, what are your team's strengths and weaknesses?

I think our major weakness is definitely the fragility of the players' confidence when things aren't looking great. When their heads are down, they just cannot seem to play in my opinion. It's frustrating because when confidence is high we can absolutely tear teams apart. For a long time now our major strength has been our ability to pass the ball. I think this is still the case and when we are on form, we move the ball about so quickly and can cut teams open at will.

Which players do you think Fulham should be most aware of on Saturday?

Santi Cazorla has been the main man this season; he's settled very quickly and you'll need to come up with an idea or two to stop him. Theo Walcott has found a spot of form in recent weeks too and if he starts then he will cause problems as he is very good in front of goal. I think that if he's given a decent chance he could prove to be a 20 goal a season striker.

And, likewise, what Fulham players do you think could cause you a few problems?

Dimitar Berbatov is a proven goalscorer and if the game is tight then he can make the difference. I've also always been a big fan of Brede Hangeland at the back – he's a very reliable defender.

For our travelling fans, what is the best and worst thing about a trip to the Emirates?

The best is that the stadium itself is fantastic. It's got great facilities throughout and is just so impressive. If I had to pick the worst thing about a trip there I'd have to say the food and drink prices inside the ground. It is not cheap in there so I'd definitely recommend filling up before you arrive!

What are your stand-out memories from previous clashes between Arsenal and Fulham?

In 2007 we grabbed two late goals to win 2-1 on the opening day of the season. Fulham had taken a very early lead through David Healy. It was a huge relief and the crowd went absolutely mad.

One song we're bound to hear?

One-nil, to the Arsenal!

Where should travelling fans get a pint? And what would you recommend to eat – what are the pies like?

The Drayton Arms in Highbury is where most away fans go pre-match but there are also loads of options in nearby Finsbury Park. I've never had an Emirates pie but I can vouch for the hotdogs.

Score prediction?

I'm going to be optimistic and go for 3-1 to Arsenal.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/november/07/inside-the-emirates?