Saturday Fulham Stuff (17/04/10)

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http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/london-sport/fulham-fc/2010/04/16/fulham-keeper-mark-schwarzer-eyes-europa-league-glory-82029-26256918/
Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer eyes Europa League glory

MARK Schwarzer has urged his Fulham team-mates to grasp the 'chance of a lifetime' by ending the season with European glory.

Fulham's number one was a hero for the Cottagers in a fantastic four days for the club that started with Europa League quarter-final success over Wolfsburg and ended with a point at Anfield on Sunday.

But Schwarzer, who reached a Uefa Cup Final with Middlesbrough in 2006, warned that Fulham must maintain their momentum if they want to achieve success, ahead of the first leg at Hamburg on Thursday.

"We need to continue the momentum and we did that by getting a great result at Anfield after our tough game in Europe against Wolfsburg," he said.

"But we have Wolves next and we have to keep it going before the game against Hamburg. We have the chance of a lifetime now as we have just two games to get to a European final. If we keep going for it then the sky is the limit.

"We are all fighting for the same cause and we want the club to be successful. That desire is there for the players and the manager. We are looking forward to playing Hamburg in the semi-final and it is in our hands now."

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http://football.fanhouse.co.uk/2010/04/16/fulham-v-wolves-preview-aaron-hughes-is-still-eyeing-top-ten-fi/
Fulham v Wolves Preview: Aaron Hughes is Still Eyeing Top Ten Finish

Fulham could be forgiven for being preoccupied with their pending Europa League semi-final with Hamburg, but despite their marathon season, the club's midfielder Aaron Hughes insists they will not throw in the towel when it comes to their league campaign.

Instead, the Northern Ireland international has targeted a 10th place finish in the Premier League. He told the club's official website: "The season's not yet over for us. A lot of people are looking at the Hamburg game because it gives us the chance of reaching a final.

"But in terms of the league it would be nice to finish in the top 10. We'd like to push for that but we'll have a tough game against Wolves, who themselves have had a very good season.

"I think we've coped very well with not letting one competition distract us from another one this season. There are a few teams who are all pushing to get into that top 10 - so it would be nice to still be able to finish up there with all of the games in the FA Cup and Europa League we've had to deal with.

Hughes's attitude is laudable and will be welcomed by Wolves's relegation rivals, although Roy Hodgson concedes it is difficult to give a routine league game his full attention, depsiet having the rare bonus of a clear midweek.

"It would be nice to say no and that we only have thought about Wolves and that we haven't thought about Hamburg but if I said that, it wouldn't be accepted because anybody in their right minds would know that the semi-final of a Europa League is a massive occasion for any club, let alone a club like Fulham," said the Cottagers manager.

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http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/8618476.stm
Fulham    v    Wolverhampton

TEAM NEWS
Fulham defender John Pantsil will make his first appearance since December after recovering from a knee injury.

Clint Dempsey remains sidelined with a thigh problem, while David Elm has yet to overcome a virus.

Wolves manager Mick McCarthy has no fresh injury worries following the draw with Stoke last weekend.

Skipper Karl Henry serves the second game of a three-match ban following his red card against Arsenal two weeks ago. Dave Edwards could again deputise.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fulham

Injured: Dempsey (thigh), Elm (virus), A Johnson (knee)

Wolves

Suspended: Henry (two matches) Injured: Kightly (knee)


MATCH PREVIEW
Wolves striker Kevin Doyle believes his side need two more wins to guarantee survival in the Premier League but Craven Cottage will not be an easy place to pick one up. Fulham, who face Hamburg in their Europa League semi-final first leg on Thursday, have beaten Manchester United, Liverpool and Juventus at home this season.

We want to continue to get results and end with a flurry, not causing ourselves any problems by worrying about other results

Wolves manager Mick McCarthy
However, a glance at the league table tells you that Wolves are virtually safe already. Six points clear of the relegation zone, most bookmakers are no longer accepting bets on them staying up. "The good thing is our destiny is in our own hands," admits Doyle.

Fulham's priority is undoubtedly Europe, which may explain why they've won just one of their last six Premier League games. Given that this will be Fulham's 56th match of the season, Roy Hodgson is understandably doing his best to keep his squad fresh.

But a top-10 finish in the Premier League remains a target, with Fulham currently a point behind 10th-placed Stoke City. "It would be nice to still be able to finish up there with all of the games in the FA Cup and Europa League we've had to deal with," Fulham defender Aaron Hughes said this week.


MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head

• This is the 76th time these sides have met. Wolves lead by 35 wins to 22, with 18 draws.

• Fulham have yet to beat Wolves in the Premier League (P3 D1 L2)


Fulham

• Fulham are unbeaten in their last four games in all competitions.

• Roy Hodgson's next Premier League victory will be his 50th in the division as a manager. He has won 49, drawn 36 and lost 56 of 141 Premier League matches in charge of Blackburn Rovers and Fulham.

• Fulham have failed to score a first-half goal in their last seven league games.

• Fulham have received fewer cards than any other team this season: 41 yellow cards and one red.

Wolves

• Wolves have gone three games without scoring, although two of those were valuable goalless draws.

• They have scored 28 goals in 34 games - the weakest attack in the Premier League, along with Portsmouth.

• Their current tally of 33 points equals their total for the whole of the 2003/04 Premier League season.

• Wolves have been awarded just one penalty this season, fewer than any other Premier League team.


LEADING GOALSCORERS

 
Fulham

Zamora: 19 goals (8 league); Duff: 10 goals (7 league)


 
Wolves

Doyle: 7 goals (7 league); Craddock: 5 goals (5 league)


MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Mike Dean

Assistant referees: Simon Beck & Mo Matadar

Fourth official: Keith Hill


LAST LEAGUE MATCH LINE-UPS
Fulham (D0-0 v Liverpool, a): Schwarzer; Baird, Hangeland, Hughes, Konchesky, Greening (Riise 82), Murphy (Dikgacoi 75), Etuhu, Duff, Nevland, Zamora (Okaka 68). Subs not used: Zuberbuhler, Kelly, Shorey, Smalling.

Wolves (D0-0 v Stoke, h): Hahnemann; Zubar, Craddock, Berra, Elokobi, Mancienne, D Jones (Milijas 79), Edwards (Iwelumo 59), Foley, Jarvis, Doyle. Subs not used: Hennessey, Ebanks-Blake, Ward, Halford, Guedioura.


MOST RECENT MEETING

Wolves 2-1 Fulham (20 September 2009)

Wolves scorers: Doyle 18, Edwards 50

Fulham scorer: Murphy (pen) 66

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http://www.eatsleepsport.com/fulham/duos-chance-to-return-1051746.html
Duo's chance to return

Clint Dempsey and Zoltan Gera are hoping to return against Wolves as Fulham chase their 11th Premier League home win of the season.

Dempsey could feature after a thigh problem while Gera should overcome a knock.

John Pantsil may be in line for a shock comeback after not featuring since December because of a knee injury but Andy Johnson remains sidelined by a similar problem.

Roy Hodgson is not expected to start with top scorer Bobby Zamora, who he will wrap up in cotton wool for the Europa League semi-finals, and play with Erik Nevland up front.

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http://www.clubcall.com/fulham/roy-ready-rotate-1051746.html
Roy ready to rotate  

Clint Dempsey and Zoltan Gera are hoping to return against Wolves as Fulham chase their 11th Premier League home win of the season.

Dempsey could feature after a thigh problem while Gera should overcome a knock.

John Pantsil may be in line for a shock comeback after not featuring since December because of a knee injury but Andy Johnson remains sidelined by a similar problem.

Roy Hodgson is not expected to start with top scorer Bobby Zamora, who he will wrap up in cotton wool for the Europa League semi-finals, and play with Erik Nevland up front.

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http://www.ealinggazette.co.uk/sport/football-ealing/fulham-fc-ealing/2010/04/16/fulham-suffer-john-pantsil-euro-blow-82029-26258757/
Fulham suffer John Pantsil Euro blow

JOHN Pantsil has been ruled out of the rest of Fulham's Europa League campaign.

Roy Hodgson revealed at today's press conference that the Ghanaian isn't available for next week's semi-final with Hamburg - or the final if they get there - because he wasn't registered in time for March's deadline.

The news is a big blow for the club, who have fielded Chris Baird, Stephen Kelly and Simon Davies at right-back in Pantsil's absence.

The former West Ham full-back is now back to full fitness after recovering from a knee injury, and could feature against Wolves tomorrow.

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http://www.expressandstar.com/sport/2010/04/16/zamora-england-class-for-berra/
Zamora England class for Berra


Wolves defender Christophe Berra has told national boss Fabio Capello that Fulham striker Bobby Zamora deserves an England World Cup call.

Berra is set to mark Zamora at Craven Cottage tomorrow – if the Cottagers striker shakes off an Achilles problem.

With Zamora having confounded his critics with 19 goals this season, Scotland international Berra has now joined the clamour to see the 29-year-old win a place on the plane to South Africa.

He said: "Bobby must be one of the form strikers in the league at the moment and is scoring a lot of goals.

"It looks like he might get an England call-up the way things are going and I think he deserves it from the way he's been playing.

"Fulham have got some good strikers, but no matter who they've got up front we know it will be a hard game and we'll have to be on the ball to pick anything up."

Wolves go to Fulham six points clear of the drop zone with four games to go, knowing another victory could be enough to keep them up.

But Berra has urged his team-mates to keep up their recent stubborn form that has seen the team pick up seven points from their last four trips to climb to 14th in the table.

He said: "Performances have been good recently, but we've got to keep that going for the next four games.

"We will definitely have to do that tomorrow because Fulham are a good side, particularly at Craven Cottage, so it's going to be very difficult game.

"We're going to have to produce a top performance if we're going to come away with anything. We won't take our foot off the pedal, not that the gaffer would ever let us do that anyway. We have to give as much over the last four games, as we did the first four games of the season.

"It's always nice to achieve something by your own results rather than relying on anyone else's."

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http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1266538/FULHAM-v-Wolves-Roy-Hodgson-boosted-long-awaited-return-John-Pantsil.html?ITO=1490
FULHAM v Wolves: Roy Hodgson boosted by long awaited return of John Pantsil



John Pantsil will make his first appearance since December in Fulham's Barclays Premier League game against Wolves.
The defender has recovered from the cruciate knee ligament injury he picked up against Chelsea which had threatened to end his season.
David Elm is still struggling to recover from a virus while Clint Dempsey (thigh) and Andy Johnson (knee) remain sidelined.
Provisional squad: Schwarzer, Konchesky, Baird, Riise, Hughes, Smalling, Pantsil, Etuhu, Duff, Murphy, Gera, Okaka, Davies, Zamora, Zuberbuhler, Greening, Shorey, Kelly, Hangeland, Stoor, Nevland.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1266538/FULHAM-v-Wolves-Roy-Hodgson-boosted-long-awaited-return-John-Pantsil.html?ITO=1490#ixzz0lKszy5iQ

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http://www.teamtalk.com/celtic/6097167/Kamara-doubtful-as-Hoops-host-Hibs
Kamara doubtful as Hoops host Hibs

Diomansy Kamara is a doubt for Celtic's SPL game against Hibernian on Saturday (12:15pm) after aggravating a hamstring injury.

A decision will be made in the morning on the fitness of the Senegal striker, who made his first appearance since February in Tuesday's 2-1 win over Motherwell.

Darren O'Dea is expected to continue to play through the pain of a thigh strain, but the game comes too soon for fellow defenders Glenn Loovens and Thomas Rogne, while Jos Hooiveld and Shaun Maloney remain on the sidelines.

Bhoys (from): Boruc, Naylor, O'Dea, Hinkel, McGinn, Kamara, Thompson, Brown, McGeady, NGuemo, Samaras, Fortune, Keane, Rasmussen, Wilson, McGowan, Braafheid, Crosas, Zaluska, Ki.

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http://www.fulham-mad.co.uk/news/tmnw/doyles_euro_hope_519386/index.shtml
Doyle's Euro Hope

Wolves' Kevin Doyle is hoping Fulham will be distracted by the possibility of reaching a European final when the two sides meet on Saturday.

Roy Hodgson's side are gearing up for a Europa League semi-final with Hamburg after overcoming Juventus and Wolfsburg on their way to the last four.

With their Premier League safety assured, Doyle is hoping Wolves can take advantage and take a further step to guaranteeing their own top flight status for another season.

The Republic of Ireland striker said: "Fulham are an excellent team and I'm hoping that they are concentrating a little bit on what is a massive game for them in Europe. I'm sure they will be trying their best and everything but you just hope that in the back of their mind that takes something out of them."

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http://www.fulham-mad.co.uk/news/tmnw/zubar_expects_fulham_test_519098/index.shtml
Zubar Expects Fulham Test

Wolves defender Ronald Zubar does not expect Fulham to take their eye off the ball when the two sides meet at Craven Cottage on Saturday.

Roy Hodgson's men face Hamburg next Thursday in the first leg of their Europa League semi-final, but Zubar does not expect that to be on the Fulham players' minds at the weekend.

He told the Express & Star: "Fulham are playing us at home, where they're very strong and as they're playing well, they will be on the front foot. I think to have the confidence they need against Hamburg it's best if they go there with a win, so they will be fully committed to beating Wolves.

"The players want to play - Bobby Zamora has a chance of playing in the World Cup so he needs to play, and Clint Dempsey is the same. They might also be thinking of getting to the final, so that could be good for us, but it would be wrong to say they're going to ignore the game against us."

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http://www.fulham-mad.co.uk/news/tmnw/pantsil_wants_euro_place_518768/index.shtml
Pantsil Wants Euro Place

John Pantsil is desperate to put his injury heartbreak behind him by helping Fulham secure a place in the Europa League final.

The full back has been out of action since picking up a serious knee injury in the Cottagers' west London derby defeat against Chelsea in December.

The injury ruled Pantsil out of the African Nations Cup and the majority of Fulham's march through Europe which has seen them beat Juventus and Shakhtar Donetsk to make the semi finals, where they will meet Hamburg next week.

Pantsil had to undergo an operation to cure the problem with his posterior cruciate ligament in January before returning to training three weeks ago.

Since then the defender has played three reserve games and he is now hoping to play some part in Fulham's bid to win their first major European competition.

"To play a full 90 minutes against Aston Villa's reserves on Monday was fantastic and I'm looking to be involved with the first team again very soon," the 28-year-old told Fulham's official club website.

"The injury happened on the last day before leaving to join my colleagues in the African Cup of Nations so I missed out on the African Cup of Nations and also all the Europa League games and I nearly lost the World Cup.

"We all started the season together but my injury pushed me away from competing in the Europa League competition.

"The boys are doing so well and I'm really pleased with their performances but on the other hand I'm not happy that I'm not involved."

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http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/2010/0416/fulham_wolverhampton.html
Fulham v Wolverhampton Wanderers

John Pantsil will make his first appearance since December in Fulham's Barclays Premier League game against Wolves.

The defender has recovered from the cruciate knee ligament injury he picked up against Chelsea which had threatened to end his season.

David Elm is still struggling to recover from a virus while Clint Dempsey (thigh) and Andy Johnson (knee) remain sidelined.

Wolves will again be without skipper Karl Henry.

The midfielder will have to serve the second game of a three-match ban for his red card against Arsenal a fortnight ago.

Dave Edwards could again deputise as Wolves look to build on a run of nine points from the last six games which has moved them six points clear of the bottom three.

Wolves boss Mick McCarthy has no fresh injury worries following the goalless home draw with Stoke last weekend.

Fulham: Schwarzer, Konchesky, Baird, Riise, Hughes, Smalling, Pantsil, Etuhu, Duff, Murphy, Gera, Okaka, Davies, Zamora, Zuberbuhler, Greening, Shorey, Kelly, Hangeland, Stoor, Nevland.

Wolverhampton Wanderers: Hahnemann, Zubar, Craddock, Berra, Elokobi, Foley, Edwards, Jones, Mancienne, Jarvis, Doyle, Hennessey, Guedioura, Milijas, Castillo, Stearman, Mujangi Bia, Ward, Halford, Surman, Vokes, Keogh, Iwelumo.

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http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2557/news/2010/04/16/1881351/fulhams-aaron-hughes-targeting-top-half-premier-league
Fulham's Aaron Hughes targeting top half Premier League finish
Cottagers skipper not looking past Saturday's game with Wolves...

Fulham captain Aaron Hughes is looking for a second successive top half finish to cap a very successful season at Craven Cottage.

The Northern Ireland skipper has been at the heart of Fulhams' thrilling run in the Europa League which has seen them account for Wolfsburg, Juventus and Shakhtar Donetsk amongst others.

However, the resolute defender is not looking beyong a win against Wolves on Saturday as Fulham chase a top 10 finish, before turning his attention to the semi-final with Hamburg next Thursday.

"The season's not yet over for us," Hughes told reporters. "A lot of people are looking at the Hamburg game because it gives us the chance of reaching a final. 

"But in terms of the league it would be nice to finish in the top ten, we'd like to push for that but we'll have a tough game on Saturday against Wolves, who themselves have had a very good season.

"I think we've coped very well with not letting one competition distract us from another one this season.

"There are a few teams who are all pushing to get into that top ten - so it would be nice to still be able to finish up there with all of the games in the FA Cup and Europa League we've had to deal with.

"Those games have given the manager the chance to give a few of the other lads a game and allow them to show what they can do.

"We've used the squad well and all of the lads have done well."

Hughes, who joined Fulham in 2007 following a spell at Aston Villa, insists that he wants the side to finish strongly, and turn a good season into one that would be viewed as truly great.

"With the European competition we've had some good nights, obviously the Juventus match sticks out," continued Hughes.

"For me the Shakhtar Donetsk away game was massive - that game maybe didn't get the same level of hype as the Juve game.

"Maybe Shakhtar weren't as well known as Juve but for us the result was just as big. In terms of the league we had a good wins against Liverpool and Manchester United at home.

"Now our ambitions are to do well in the Europa League, that's a big incentive, but we also want that top 10 finish."

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http://www.fulham-mad.co.uk/news/tmnw/team_news_for_wolves_visit_519559/index.shtml
Team News For Wolves Visit

Clint Dempsey and Zoltan Gera are hoping to return against Wolves as Fulham chase their 11th Premier League home win of the season. 

Dempsey could feature after a thigh problem while Gera should overcome a knock. John Pantsil may be in line for a shock comeback after not featuring since December because of a knee injury but Andy Johnson remains sidelined by a similar problem. Roy Hodgson is not expected to start with top scorer Bobby Zamora, who he will wrap up in cotton wool for the Europa League semi-finals, and play with Erik Nevland up front.

[WhiteJC]

http://www.fulham-mad.co.uk/news/tmnw/berra_bobby_deserves_callup_519543/index.shtml
Berra: Bobby Deserves Call-Up

Wolves defender Christophe Berra has told national boss Fabio Capello that Fulham striker Bobby Zamora deserves an England World Cup call. 

Wolves defender Christophe Berra has told national boss Fabio Capello that Fulham striker Bobby Zamora deserves an England World Cup call.

Berra is set to mark Zamora at Craven Cottage tomorrow - if the Cottagers striker shakes off an Achilles problem.

With Zamora having confounded his critics with 19 goals this season, Scotland international Berra has now joined the clamour to see the 29-year-old win a place on the plane to South Africa.

He said: "Bobby must be one of the form strikers in the league at the moment and is scoring a lot of goals.

"It looks like he might get an England call-up the way things are going and I think he deserves it from the way he's been playing.

"Fulham have got some good strikers, but no matter who they've got up front we know it will be a hard game and we'll have to be on the ball to pick anything up."

Wolves go to Fulham six points clear of the drop zone with four games to go, knowing another victory could be enough to keep them up.

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http://www.cottagersconfidential.com/2010/4/16/1425831/my-5-keys-to-victory-for-fulham
My 5 Keys to Victory for Fulham against Wolverhampton - Match Preview


Fulham play tomorrow against Wolverhampton at Craven Cottage. The game takes place at 3PM UK Time and 10AM EST. The game will be shown on taped delay on Fox Soccer Plus at 4:30 EST in the U.S.  Back In September Fulham lost  2 - 1 away to Wolverhampton.  Fulham are currently 12th in the league with 42 points. Wolverhampton are 14th with 33 points. Since it is a home game and Wolverhampton has a hard time scoring,  this is a game that Fulham can win. Below are"my 5 keys to victory for Fulham against Wolverhampton."   

1. Will John Pantsil be starting for Fulham tomorrow?  Panstil is coming back from an injury. He has played in a few Reserves matches lately. However, he did not play last night for the Reserves. Is that an indication we will see him tomorrow?  If he does play at right back that could give Roy Hogdson the flexibility to possibly use Chris Baird in the midfield. I think if Pantsil can play this just gives Hogdson more lineup choices. Another advantage of Pantsil playing is his ability to push the ball and himself forward. When Panstil got hurt in the Chelsea game he was playing very well.  If he can play tomorrow I think this would be a major positive for Fulham.       

2. Fulham need to contain Kevin Doyle.  In the first matchup, Kevin Doyle scored in the game at Wolverhampton. He currently has 7 goals and is Wolverhampton's main option at striker. Wolverhampton have only scored 28 goals in the league. This amount is tied for last in the league with Portsmouth.  If Fulham can control Doyle they should have a great chance at winning the match.   

3. Danny Murphy needs to control the midfield.  I am big fan of Danny Murphy. He was one of my keys last week as well. Karl Henry is suspended for this match. His replacement will probably be Dave Edwards. Murphy has the opportunity to completely control the match and keep the pressure on Wolverhampton. If he can get some of his great passes to the strikers tomorrow,  Fulham could be in great shape.

4. Who will be playing on the left side of the midfield?  In last week's game against Liverpool it was Jonathan Greening for the majority of the match. He makes me a little nervous in that position. He got a yellow card and could have gotten another card on a foul. If he did get another card that would have taken him out of the match and left Fulham with 10 players. It is unclear if Simon Davies will be recovered in time from an injury for this match.  He would be a great option. Also, it is unclear if Clint Dempsey is ready yet to return from injury. Other options at this position could be Bjorn Helge Riise, or possibly Chris Baird. Who Roy plays at this position definitely to me is a key to the match.

5. If Fulham score early in the first half they can completely control this match.This key can serve two purposes. An early goal for Fulham would really put Wolverhampton at a disadvantage. As I mentioned prior, Wolverhampton do not score many goals. In their last 3 games they have not scored a goal. One goal could be enough for Fulham to win the match. Also, an early goal could give options for Hogdson in the second half to rest a few players with substitutions. Fulham have the Europa League match in Hamburg on Thursday. It might not be a bad thing to give a few players some rest in the second half if the game is in control.     


I think it is still important for Fulham to win the matches they have left in the League. At this point they are not going to be relegated. However, it would be nice to end the season strong and show the rest of the League that last year's result was not a fluke.  If they could win the rest of their home games which are three, that would bring their point total to 51. I think that point total would be a great accomplishment. I am hoping Fulham can win tomorrow which could give the team nice momentum for the rest of the League season and the Europa League

[WhiteJC]

http://www.fulham-mad.co.uk/news/tmnw/roy_chases_ruiz_519579/index.shtml
Roy Chases Ruiz?

Fulham are interested in FC Twente striker Bryan Ruiz but would have to smash their transfer record with the Dutch side putting a £13m release clause in his contract. 

Roy Hodgson watched the Costa Rican international in action for the Dutch league leaders in their 1-0 defeat at AZ Alkmaar on Tuesday.

Left-sided attacker Ruiz has only been at Twente since July last year when ex-England boss Steve McClaren signed him from Belgian club Ghent for £4m.

Sevilla, Villarreal and Everton have also watched him.

[WhiteJC]

http://www.cottagersconfidential.com/2010/4/16/1426006/john-pantsil-is-not-eligible-for
John Pantsil is not eligible for the rest of the Europa League Matches for Fulham this season

According to the Ealing Gazette, John Pantsil will be not be eligible to play next week, or any other game in the Europa League this season. Pantsil has been out with an injury, but is set to return shortly for Fulham in EPL matches. This is an unfortunate development for the team and Pantsil.

According to the Ealing Gazette article, " Fulham suffer John Pantsil Euro blow"  Roy Hogdson revealed at his press conference that Pantsil is not available for the Semifinal. He also mentioned he would not be available for Fulham if they got to the Final of the Europa League. According to this article, the reason for Pantsil being ineligible is he wasn't registered in time for March's deadline.

As mentioned prior, Pantsil could be ready to play as early as tomorrow against Wolverhampton. I look forward to seeing Pantsil back on the pitch soon. He is a very valuable player for the Cottagers.

[WhiteJC]

http://www.expressandstar.com/sport/2010/04/16/hahnemanns-debt-to-ex-club-fulham/
Hahnemann's debt to ex-club Fulham



Wolves goalkeeper Marcus Hahnemann will always be indebted to Fulham for giving him his big chance – but warns he is in the form of his life now.

The 37-year-old returns to Craven Cottage tomorrow aiming to make a bigger impression than his time there from 1999 to 2002.

Hahnemann was limited to just four games in west London, before loan spells with Rochdale then Reading gave him chance to join the latter on a permanent basis.

He said: "I was indebted to them for giving me a chance – they were my first club over here and we had a great time.

'From day one, everyone was super good to us but it was just one of those things where I just never got to play."

The veteran is enjoying some of his best form of his career – and puts some of it down to his time as second choice for the first four months of the season.

He said: "I feel great. With all the training I've been doing and the extra stuff I've done this season, it's really paid off for me.

"Maybe not playing right at the beginning helped, because you can do a lot more work when you're not playing than when you're playing.

"For example, this week I've only rode my bike in once, whereas I'd normally do it at least twice.

"I was also really poor in training on Tuesday, but that's always the way when I come back in after a day off, because I'm so stiff."

Hahnemann doubts if some Fulham fans will even remember him, so does not know what reception he will get.

He said: "We'll see – I don't know if they will remember me! It's been a long time since I left.

The goalkeeper has pinpointed a Fulham danger tomorrow – his United States international team-mate, midfielder Clint Dempsey, who is battling back from a thigh strain following cruciate knee ligament damage.

He said: "Clint is really good in the air for someone not so tall, but there's a lot of guys like him, Brian McBride and Tim Cahill at Everton who have a great leap on them with great timing.

"With those attributes, you can really score some headers."