Sunday Fulham Stuff (18/11/12)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham v Sunderland



BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Craven Cottage Date: Saturday, 17 November

TEAM NEWS

Fulham's Kieran Richardson misses out on facing his former club as he is suffering from a hamstring injury.

Chris Baird is suspended, Simon Davies is recovering from a hip operation and Mahamadou Diarra remains a doubt.

Sunderland top scorer Steven Fletcher (calf) is one of several fitness concerns for manager Martin O'Neill.

Lee Cattermole (knee), Phil Bardsley (hamstring) and Keiren Westwood (thigh) are also doubts, with 18-year-old goalkeeper Jordan Pickford on standby.

MATCH PREVIEW

With over a quarter of the season gone, it seems fans of free-scoring Fulham can be optimistic of what lies in store over the coming months, while Sunderland and their supporters have had to reset their goals.

Going into the weekend, the Cottagers are the league's second-highest scorers with 24 goals from 11 games. Dimitar Berbatov and Alex Kacaniklic have swiftly replaced Clint Dempsey and Mousa Dembele as fan favourites.

Martin Jol's side were unlucky not to pick up all three points at Arsenal last weekend and the manager believes he knows how to improve matters still - by stemming the flow of goals conceded from set pieces: "If you see, for example, (games at) Reading, Southampton, Arsenal - 60 or 70 per cent of these goals were set plays, corners and free-kicks... We knew exactly what Arsenal were doing but they still scored, so we have to be a bit tougher.

"We have to put that right because it is awful if you score three goals away from home at Reading or Arsenal and you still don't win. It is frustrating."

Sunderland lost back-to-back games for the first time this season with defeat at Everton last weekend. Adam Johnson became only the second Black Cats player to score this term, and the paucity of goals has put extra pressure on Sunderland's defence.

Manager Martin O'Neill is hoping that Johnson's goal can kickstart Sunderland's season: "There are a group of teams gathered where there is not a great deal of points differential. But we can talk about it every single week here - we need to win some football matches and the sooner we do that, the better. We have to look at points on the board now at this stage and start galvanising ourselves."

With West Brom and QPR to follow at home, could this run of three matches be where Sunderland's season starts to turn?

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head
Fulham have won five of their eight Premier League encounters with Sunderland at Craven Cottage, including a 2-1 win towards the end of last season. The now-departed Clint Dempsey and Mousa Dembele were both on target that day.

Fulham are unbeaten in their last six league matches against Sunderland, keeping clean sheets in five of them.

Sunderland's only triumph at Fulham during the Premier League era was a 3-1 victory in April 2008.

Fulham
Fulham's tally of 24 league goals is bettered by only by league leaders Manchester United (29), however they have also conceded 19 goals - only Southampton (29) and QPR (20) have let in more.

Martin Jol's side have drawn four of their last five games, including each of their last three.

No Premier League club has dropped more points from winning positions than Fulham this season (14).

Dimitar Berbatov has scored five goals in seven league matches for the club.

Sunderland
Martin O'Neill's side have won just one of their last 18 league games.

Adam Johnson's goal at Everton last week was the first scored by a Sunderland player in 444 minutes (7hrs 24min) of Premier League football.

The Black Cats have had both the fewest shots at goal (58) and on target (15) in the Premier League this season, they've also made the fewest ball touches in the opposition penalty area this season (121).

Steven Fletcher has fired five goals in nine league games for the club but has not scored since the Black Cats' 1-0 win over Wigan on Sep 29th - Sunderland's only league win this campaign.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/20286120

[WhiteJC]

 
Berbatov blooming in the autumn of an enigmatic career

It is Friday morning at Motspur Park, Fulham's training ground, and Dimitar Berbatov gives another demonstration to manager Martin Jol of the penalty he took against Arsenal in the 3-3 draw last weekend. Once again there is a stroll up to the spot, a hesitation, and the ball is stroked into the net.

"He wanted to show me that his last penalty wasn't a coincidence," Jol explains. "I said, 'Please, next time, just put it in the net, don't wait for the keeper'. But he did it because I had said to him that there's no player playing in England who can wait for the keeper [to dive]. And that's what he did. But he did it in front of 60,000 people. And that's quite different - and he's different."

After scoring so nonchalantly at the Emirates Stadium, Berbatov wheeled away to the Fulham bench. "He came running over to the touchline because he wanted to prove to me he could do it," Jol adds. "I don't think he likes to be an entertainer but he entertains with his style and I don't want to take that away from him."

Berbatov, an enigma even at the age of 31, certainly divides opinion. At Manchester United, whom he joined for a (still) club record pounds 30.75?million from Tottenham in 2008 - where he had been signed by Jol of course - he became "Berbagod" to some, "Berbaflop" to others as his languid style, lone wolf instinct and single-mindedness polarised views. But Jol is clear. "People think he's a sulker and that he might not be giving 100 per cent but in his mind he is giving everything for the team and you have to accept that. He's a fantastic footballer," he says.

Unsurprisingly, the deadline-day signing of Berbatov from United for just pounds 5?million, hailed as the most significant in the club's history by the manager, is an expansive topic of conversation for Jol, who categorically states that the striker only agreed to move to Craven Cottage because of the Dutchman's presence there. Jol explains how he beat off competition from Juventus and Fiorentina to get him.

"I thought it wasn't possible but after talking to him I thought 'maybe'," Jol explains. "He was at the airport and his agent [Emil Dantchev] phoned me and said, 'Give him a phone call because he's waiting for a plane to go to Italy' and straight after the phone call he changed his mind and he came back." So what persuaded him? "I didn't have to say too much to him but I do remember saying, 'Yeah, but I'm here as well'," Jol adds. "I was at Fulham and I told him, 'I've got Diarra, Schwarzer, Petric, Duff. There are a few nice names here. And I am here as well'. That's what I said to him and I also said, 'You could be here also'."

The wooing process had started last December - when Fulham visited Old Trafford and Berbatov came off the United bench to score what was the fifth goal in an embarrassing thrashing. "The 5-0 probably put him off a bit," Jol says. "I thought, 'He'll never come now' because were not great. And then a few months later he saw us against Man United again [in August] - and it was 3-2 and we looked a different team. Maybe that changed his mind. The only problem was [Moussa] Dembele left the same day."

The manager's impressive rebuilding and remodelling of Fulham has been overlooked. He lost Dembele and Clint Dempsey, but has fashioned an even more creative team around the axis of Berbatov and Bryan Ruiz. He positively purrs at the suggestion his team are now more entertaining - only Manchester United have scored more Premier League goals. Today they are at home to Sunderland.

"It's about good footballers," Jol says. "If you look at the type of players - Berbatov and Ruiz - then maybe, to your eye, it's not the best combination but nothing is always what it seems." It is probably an apt description, also, of Berbatov. Nothing is always as it seems. Five goals in six starts - and Fulham have not lost any of them - has transformed a season that, Jol admits, he was concerned about given the transfer upheaval.

"I really thought we'd have a problem but in the last couple of days [of the transfer window] he came in. But he first had to prove himself and he's done that and now we are probably playing better than ever. He's happy, he's smiling. His wife is pregnant and hopefully the child will be born next week. And then he can come back and be even better still."


http://www.dnaindia.com/sport/report_berbatov-blooming-in-the-autumn-of-an-enigmatic-career_1766101?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham 'expect to sign David'

Fulham expect to sign FC Twente midfielder Chris David in January, according to the Sunday People.

They were linked with the 19-year-old in the summer and it is claimed a deal has now been put in place.

The People also say Chelsea want Luis Suarez and believe they can lure him away from Liverpool by installing Pep Guardiola as boss.

Suarez's agent is Guardiola's brother Pere and it is suggested that Liverpool fear the link will trigger the Uruguayan's exit.

Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich is said to want Guardiola as his next manager and to pair Suarez with Atletico Madrid's Radamel Falcao.

The Sunday Mirror suggest Chelsea are now favourites to capture Falcao because Manchester City have turned down the chance to bid for the Colombian striker.

The Sun on Sunday report that Daniel Sturridge was the target of abuse from Chelsea fans as he went to see his family in the away end after Saturday's game at West Brom.

A Blues fan is quoted as saying: "One of the family said Daniel had had enough and could move on."

The People say QPR are tracking Guinea-born striker Salim Cisse, 19, of Portuguese club Academica Coimbra.

And The Mail on Sunday say Rangers manager Mark Hughes will hold crunch talks with chairman Tony Fernandes following the dire 3-1 home defeat to fellow strugglers Southampton.



http://www.westlondonsport.com/features-comment/fulham-expect-to-sign-david

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham boss Jol hails reluctant entertainer Berbatov
The 56-year-old Craven Cottage boss praises the Bulgarian forward as an unwilling showman, highlighting the penalty that the 31-year-old scored against Arsenal as a prime example



Fulham boss Martin Jol has praised in-form forward Dimitar Berbatov as an "entertainer", describing the 31-year-old as a "fantastic footballer" following his impressive start to the season.

The former Manchester United striker has scored five goals and assisted three more in seven games for Fulham this season, with the Cottagers sitting in ninth position in the Premier League table before Sunday's game against Sunderland.

And, while the 56-year-old manager admits that the mercurial finisher may not necessarily want to entertain people, he argues that it comes naturally to the Bulgarian - and he would not change him.

"I don't think he likes to be an entertainer but he entertains with his style and I don't want to take that away from him," Jol told the Daily Telegraph.

Berbatov put in an impressive performance as the Cottagers drew 3-3 away to Arsenal on November 10, scoring two and setting up another, with one of the goals coming from the penalty spot.

Jol suggested that the striker's method of pausing to wait for the goalkeeper to dive before striking the spot kick makes him unique in the English game.

"He wanted to show me that his last penalty was not a coincidence," the Dutchman recalled. "I said: 'Please, next time, just put it in the net, don't wait for the keeper'.

"But he did it because I had said to him that there's no player playing in England who can wait for the keeper [to dive]. And that's what he did. But he did it in front of 60,000 people. And that's quite different - and he's different."

Despite Berbatov's sullen appearance in the eyes of some fans, Jol sees a different image of the player, continuing: "People think he's a sulker and on the field they think he might not be giving 100 per cent but in his mind he is giving everything for the team and you have to accept that.

"I accept that and he's a fantastic footballer."


http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2012/11/18/3536743/-?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham to ease past Sunderland

Can anybody see anything other than a home win? Even the most optimistic of Sunderland fans would have to admit that they travel down to London today with hope rather than any real expectation.

If you're not a fan of either of these sides, then don't just skip over Super Sunday purely because it doesn't involve a marquee game, have a watch – Fulham are a very entertaining side and Martin Jol deserves far more recognition than he's currently getting. Obviously Dimitar Berbatov is what we all know him to be, but there are other players in this side who deserve a lot of credit – amongst others, Bryan Ruiz is having a very decent season, and is justifying the transfer fee Jol handed over for him. The Costa Rican's vision and weight of pass is masterful at times, and he's done an admirable job in filling the gaps left by the Summer's high-profile departures.

Above all else, Jol's side work really hard for each other. That's cliched, but it's very important. The Dutchman is a master at getting the absolute most of players' ability, and so it's little surprise to see someone like Chris Baird performing so admirably, or Steve Sidwell emerging from his Chelsea-induced malaise over these last two seasons. Players will always want to play for Jol, and their league placing and results make a mockery of those claims by Bobby Zamora back in September.

Sunderland? God knows, actually. They lack any kind of belief, and are completely hamstrung because of it. Look at the players Martin O'Neil has, and then look at the performances being turned-in. Stephane Sessegnon, Adam Johnson, James McLean, Seb Larsson...these players have gone missing this season, and they owe an awful lot more than they're currently producing. Johnson, in particular, has been incredibly disappointing since he moved clubs, and is demonstrating exactly why he never got more game time at Manchester City – full-backs know where he's going, and nobody really fears a winger who continually cuts inside.

If Fulham win, then they'll go level on points with Arsenal – and that would flatter Arsene Wenger's side. Expect Jol's team to have this won by half-time, Craven Cottage is no place for opponents' bereft of belief and Sunderland are there to be turned over.


http://thepremierleagueowl.com/fulham-to-ease-past-sunderland/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=fulham-to-ease-past-sunderland

[WhiteJC]

 
Signing Imminent?
   
Tabloid reports are indicating that our previous interest in the FC Twente midfielder, Chris David, could be revived in January.

Seemingly, a deal for the 19 year-old fell through on the last day of the summer transfer window but the indications are now there that everything is set to be concluded once the January transfer window opens.


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=300227#ixzz2CZkEUbfn