Sunday Fulham Stuff (02/12/12)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham 0 Tottenham Hotspur 3 : match report
Read a full match report of the Premier League game between Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur at Craven Cottage on Saturday Dec 1 2012.

Jermain Defoe struck twice after Sandro had spectacularly scored his first goal in 18 months to secure a deserved victory for Tottenham Hotspur - but it came at a price as Gareth Bale limped off with a hamstring injury.

Bale had earlier been the centre of some controversy as he was yet again booked for simulation after tumbling over Steve Sidwell's attempted challenge. As well as losing him, Tottenham also had captain Michael Dawson forced off early on with a twisted ankle.

Tottenham's afternoon improved - after a goalless first half - when Sandro managed to score from 35 yards with Fulham failing to close him down, then in-form Defoe moved his tally for the season to 12 for his club. The manner of this win, at a difficult ground to get results, highlighted that this improving Tottenham team are serious top-four challengers.

Boos had earlier greeted Clint Dempsey on his return to the club, but he quickly reminded Fulham what they have been missing by collecting a pass from Defoe and turning adroitly beyond Philippe Senderos before shooting fractionally wide.

It was soon Dimitar Berbatov's turn to exhibit his class to his former employers, Tottenham, with a cunning backheel for Ashkan Dejagah, whose cross was cleared only as far as Kerim Frei, but the Turkey midfielder scooped the ball over from 16 yards. Dawson then twisted an ankle while landing awkwardly and was replaced by William Gallas.

Bale has been booked more times for simulation this season than any other Premier League player - and he was again shown a yellow for that offence, for the second successive game, when he dived over Steve Sidwell's attempted challenge. The winger's sarcastic applause afterwards was not the most appropriate response.

Tottenham had been in the ascendancy during an open first half, but Fulham were unlucky not to snatch the lead when John Arne Riise crossed for Mladen Petric, whose effort was blocked by Hugo Lloris. The visitors finished the half strongly though, as Dempsey dragged a shot wide from 20 yards and Bale later flicked over a chance from close range from Aaron Lennon's cross.

Sandro rewarded them for their persistence early in the second half, as he was given time and space - with Fulham not expecting him to shoot and Sidwell standing back - before he unleashed his low 35-yard shot. The ball zipped beyond Mark Schwarzer, diving to his right, and nestled in the bottom corner. It was only his second goal in the Premier League.

Bale had a chance to make it 2-0 soon aftewards, firing an angled shot at Schwarzer, and he injured his left hamstring in the process, requiring treatment before limping off. That bad news for Tottenham was almost compounded when Fulham came close to scoring after more Berbatov magic. He deftly lofted the ball over to Damien Duff on the right wing and the Irishman dashed forward and delivered a cross that Dejagah headed over.

Tottenham were cruising though when Bale's replacement Gylfi Sigurdsson made a piercing run that confused Senderos and crossed for Defoe to guide the ball in with a typical poacher's finish. Dempsey then helped Defoe to another by threading the ball through accurately - with Senderos again failing to cut it out - allowing the striker to stroke the ball beyond Schwarzer.

Fulham (4-4-2): Schwarzer; Riether (Kelly 29), Hughes, Senderos, Riise; Dejagah, Sidwell, Diarra, Frei (Duff 62); Petric (Rodallega 79), Berbatov.
Substitutes: Etheridge (gk), Baird, Karagounis, Richardson.

Tottenham Hotspur (4-2-3-1): Lloris; Naughton, Dawson (Gallas 17), Caulker, Vertonghen; Sandro, Dembele (Carroll 84); Lennon, Dempsey, Bale (Sigurdsson 62); Defoe.
Substitutes: Friedel (gk), Falque, Walker, Livermore.
Booked: Bale, Gallas.

Referee: Chris Foy (Merseyside).

Attendance: 25,426



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/competitions/premier-league/9712341/Fulham-0-Tottenham-Hotspur-3-match-report.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Tottenham's Jermain Defoe strikes twice to seal win at Fulham

Gareth Bale had an afternoon to forget but for Tottenham, and Jermain Defoe in particular, it was another one to remember. They secured their third win on the bounce and Defoe took his goal tally to 12 as Fulham crumbled in the second-half.

Bale was harshly booked for diving for the second time in four days and the fourth time since the start of last season, and then hobbled off with a hamstring injury. His club, though, leapfrogged West Bromwich Albion into fourth, drew level on points with third-placed Chelsea and, for the optimistic Spurs fan, closed the gap on Manchester City. "We've had a very good week," André Villas-Boas said. "We've managed to change our fortunes."

The scoreline suggests a straightforward game but Fulham began as the better team. In the early skirmishes, Dimitar Berbatov stood out from the melee like neon in fog. A breathtaking touch and pass from halfway almost put Steve Sidwell through after four minutes and 10 minutes later a glorious flick sent Ashkan Dejagah away down the right. His cross evaded the Bulgarian but dropped loose to Kerim Frei, who really should have done better than to spoon high and wide.

In between those moments of majesty, Clint Dempsey, whose every touch was booed on his return to Craven Cottage, also had a fine chance to open the scoring, but having done the hard part in wriggling past two tackles on the edge of the box, pushed his shot wide of Mark Schwarzer's goal.

As Berbatov drifted out of the game so did Fulham, and it was no real surprise when Tottenham took the lead, although the manner in which they did was somewhat unusual. Sandro was afforded too much space 40 yards from goal and though his low shot was not struck with great venom, it managed to squirm through the palms of the usually reliable Schwarzer. "From the bench it looked a stoppable shot," said a disappointed Martin Jol.

For Bale it was something of a nightmare afternoon, with one free-kick that would have found a better home down the road at Twickenham, several miss-hit crosses and, in the first-half that booking. As against Liverpool in midweek he appeared hard done by, with Sidwell apparently catching the winger's leg with his own. Bale's reputation, whether deserved or not, now seems to precede him.

"It's difficult. Gareth is so fast that it is difficult to judge situations," Villas-Boas said. "He has suffered big injuries to his ankles before and sometimes he wants to protect himself a little bit. He might put his body in situations where the referee thinks that he is diving and he has suffered from it in the last two games. Now he is near a suspension for two unfair yellow cards. You gain a reputation for being a diver unfairly sometimes."

Bale limped down the tunnel with 28 minutes to go – he will definitely miss Spurs's Europa League match against Panathinaikos on Thursday and is expected to be out for up to two weeks – to be replaced by Gylfi Sigurdsson, who took no time to create Tottenham's second. The Icelandic midfielder eased past the flatfooted Philippe Senderos and crossed low for Defoe to tap home. Five minutes later the defence were cut apart once more, with Dempsey putting Defoe through for his second.

Fulham are now without a win in seven and have failed to score in their last three but Jol insisted he was not worried about the team's form. "Brede Hangeland is coming back, Bryan Ruiz will be back next week," said the Fulham manager, "so hopefully we can get some points on the board and get back on the winning track."



http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/dec/01/fulham-tottenham-hotspur-premier-league?

[WhiteJC]

 
Christmas at the Cottage

Christmas at the Cottage returns this year on Tuesday 18th December at 6.30pm.

Junior Season Ticket Holder Signing Session

Due to growing demand each year with more and more fans coming along to Christmas at the Cottage, we have decided that from this year the Christmas at the Cottage Signing Session will be a strictly ticketed event.

Junior Season Ticket Holders now have the chance to enter an online ballot where 250 will be randomly selected. If successful, Junior Season Ticket Holders will be invited to attend our Christmas at the Cottage Signing Session with an accompanying adult.
Click here for more information and to enter the ballot.

Christmas at the Cottage Dinner


With the signing session limited to just Junior Season Ticket Holders, fans are invited to purchase our Christmas at the Cottage Dinner.

This Dinner, priced at just £55 for adults* and £45 for under 16s, allows supporters to spend an evening in one of our Hospitality lounges where they will enjoy a three-course Christmas Dinner and appearances from members of the First Team, and Fulham Manager Martin Jol.

The Christmas at the Cottage Dinner will go on sale from Monday 3rd December. More information can be found here.

*All prices exlcude VAT



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/december/01/christmas-at-the-cottage?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham display pleases Jol
Martin Jol was disappointed to end a derby duel with Tottenham empty-handed, with his side putting plenty into the game.

The Cottagers held their own for 55 minutes against a capital rival on Saturday, but the opening goal of the contest swung the tie in Spurs' favour.

A rare mistake from Mark Schwarzer proved to be costly for Fulham, as he allowed a speculative effort from Sandro to slip through his grasp.

Buoyed by that effort, and with the hosts tiring, Tottenham wrapped up a 3-0 win at Craven Cottage courtesy of a quick-fire double from Jermain Defoe.

Jol believes the final scoreline flattered Spurs, with his players having dug deep at the end of a busy week to put in another gutsy display.

He told Sky Sports: "First half we played particularly well, we restricted them and their quality players on the flanks - (Gareth) Bale is a great player but couldn't do what he normally does.

"(Aaron) Lennon and (Clint) Dempsey had very quiet games, which was good. Defoe was waiting for his chances. We had more possibilities than them, so I thought we did okay.

"Then we had the situation with Sascha (Riether) with his injury and we had to change a bit. But I think after the goal it changed a lot."



http://www.football365.com/fulham/8300399/Martin-Jol-satisfied-with-Fulham-s-showing-in-defeat-to-Tottenham?

[WhiteJC]

 
The View from South Texas — Tottenham v. Fulham FC
by HatterDon

Well, I am ever so glad that I'm not paid to write these things. If I were, I'd have to actually review this abortion of a match. So, instead, here's a couple of random comments:

a. Isn't it nice to have Senderos [and now Kelly] to blame for our last three results — especially the fact that we've not scored in the last three matches?

b. two sterling matches in a row for Sidwell, one point total. Mega-sigh

c. Sometimes that "fire drill" song ain't so funny, is it?

d. Will the myth of "exciting attacking football" survive for another week? Well, of course it will. That was a silly question.

e. HatterDon's man of the match goes to Mark Schwarzer who single-handedly [literally] changed the match from a sterile display of not risking anything to a goal-fest.



http://www.friendsoffulham.com/wordpress/?p=227

[WhiteJC]

 
Jol frustrated by Fulham's defensive lapses
by DAN on DECEMBER 1, 2012



Martin Jol was left frustrated by second half defensive lapses as Fulham slipped to a 3-0 defeat by Tottenham at Craven Cottage this afternoon.

The Fulham manager felt that the Whites' second London derby in the space of three days was an even contest until Mark Schwarzer failed to keep out a long-range strike from Sandro, although he refused to absolve Fulham's defenders of blame for the crucial first goal. Spurs striker Jermain Defoe took advantage of slack marking and a high defensive line to swiftly bag a brace that put a more convincing gloss on the scoreline for the visitors.

The first goal was a big blow for the team. It was unstoppable and it changed a lot. The second goal was cheap and so was the third goal. We started to make mistakes, like we did against Southampton and Reading as well, so we need to improve that or it will be very difficult for us to get a very good position in the league.

In the first half I thought we had better opportunities than them. It was a tough game but if you look at the likes of Bale, Lennon, Dempsey, Defoe, I thought we kept them very quiet so it was very disappointing to concede three goals out of nothing. Of course they are a very good footballing team but even Dembele – who is a very good player – was quiet too. They did well but I think we had more possibilities; we had five or six crosses where we could have scored.

Jol's side are now on a seven match winless streak, but the manager remains calm as he looks ahead to the festive run of fixtures.

We're still only three points away from 20 and there are still three games to go before we've even reached the halfway point of the league programme. Our target is always – like 10 or 12 other teams – to get to 40 points so I'm not worried. Hangeland is coming back, Bryan Ruiz is coming back, so hopefully if everyone is on the board we can try to get back on the winning track.


http://hammyend.com/index.php/2012/12/jol-frustrated-by-fulhams-defensive-lapses/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Sandro scores freak goal as Spurs beat Fulham 3-0

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Sandro scored a freak 35-yard goal to help Spurs beat Fulham 3-0 at Craven Cottage on Saturday.

Sandro opened the scoring in the 56th minute following an uninspiring first-half, in which there were few scoring opportunities created by either side.

The Brazilian collected the ball by the centre circle, advanced a few yards unchallenged, and decided to try his luck.

His low drive appeared to catch Mark Schwarzer by surprise and the goalkeeper could only turn it against the post and into the net.

Tottenham began to find their rhythm and although Gareth Bale had to be substituted due to a hamstring injury, the Welshman's replacement set up the next goal for the visitors.

Gylfi Sigurdsson drove into the box, skipping past Senderos, before squaring for Defoe to score, who then completed a three-goal 21-minute burst when Dempsey sent him clear as Senderos tried to play offside.

Fulham mustered a couple of half-chances but goalkeeper Hugo Lloris dealt ably with the threat, most notably from a low Hugo Rodallega header, as Tottenham saw out the game confidently to seal their third consecutive Premier League win.

Andre Villas-Boas, Spurs boss, said: "We have had a very good week. We have changed the momentum of our results. It was a game where one goal can unlock the game and we were fortunate to get it.

"It was good for Sandro, he is such an important player for us, and Defoe has a clinical touch."

Sandro has been in impressive form for Spurs this season, having made himself a permanent feature in Villas-Boas' starting eleven.

The Brazilian has subsequently been nominated for the Samba Gold trophy, which the public can vote for as of today.

The competition to find the best Brazilian in European football this year will run until the end of the month, when the winner will be officially announced here on Sambafoot.com.



http://www.sambafoot.com/en/news/39645_sandro_scores_freak_goal_as_spurs_beat_fulham_3-0.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham 0-3 Spurs

Goals change games, don't they? Take the three goals away and you might call it an evenish contest. But of course you can't take the three goals away, much as you might like to.

What a farce they all were. Sandro, dawdling just inside his own half, decides to have a dig. You'd say it was an insult to Mark Schwarzer, except the shot went in, swerving nastily and hopping over his hands. But even so. If David Stockdale had let that in it'd be proof that he's not ready. I don't know what it says about Schwarzer but I suspect there's a reason you don't see that many goalkeepers keep playing towards 40 odd. It feels a bit wrong criticising Schwarzer, as good a goalkeeper as Fulham will ever have, but this is part of the problem with playing a player to such an advanced age. When is a mistake just a mistake? When is it a sign of fading powers?

Bad became worse when Sigurdsson thoroughly fooled Philippe Senderos on the edge of the area and teed up Defoe for the sort of chance he lives on. Then Dempsey threaded a ball through our zig-zagged offside trap, Senderos again found himself partly playing offside, partly trying to intercept the ball, and of course he did neither and Spurs had a third. You could see the frustration in the big defender, and I felt for him: he hasn't deserved the negativity his play sometimes attracts, but when he does make a mistake it's proof that the naysayers were right all along.  When you look at his Fulham career he has generally done well, and our results haven't been any worse with him than without him, but once people make up their minds... in any case, he had a bit of a disaster today.

Other things: Gareth Bale annoyed me. After throwing himself over a tackle he got a yellow card. He then sarcastically clapped the referee. Certainly it would be harsh to send someone off for two consecutive minor misdemeanors, but if taking the piss out of the referee isn't a bookable offence I'm a dutchman. Bale's not nearly as good as he thinks he is and today did a very good impression of an arrogant p****.

Clint Dempsey had a quiet game and got a bit of stick from the crowd. He might have scored a couple of times but it didn't quite happen for him, just as it never quite happened for him while he was at Fulham when he didn't crash the area. Spurs seem to be using him as a second striker but he never got into the dangerous areas he needs to get into. The other former Fulham player, Mousa Dembele, had an understated but excellent game.

It's hard to judge the Fulham effort because of the scoreline. Without those three mistakes we were more or less at the races in a tight and fitfully absorbing game. With that in mind perhaps you have to give some credit to the players, except... why were we playing so many long balls? What did we hope to achieve? It was enfuriating.  We either won the header, in which case Spurs got the second ball, or we didn't, and Spurs get the ball anyway. Why so many aimless hoofs? Nobody wanted the ball at the back because Spurs pressed quite well, but something was missing. Ruiz, mainly, but the team seemed to lack a bit of cohesion, partly because of Spurs' smothering defensive work, but it felt like more than that.

Petric, for instance – a player I like a lot – seems to need a bit more approach work around him, otherwise he looks far too isolated. Berbatov played well but is perhaps trying to do too much and therefore perhaps not always where you need him to be. Dejagah shows promise, Frei the same (although he HAs to be more aggressive in his running!) Sidwell had a strong game, Diarra, too, but... no, this isn't right, Spurs were pretty good.

We didn't deserve to lose 3-0 but these things happen when you make mistakes against good teams.



http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2012/12/01/fulham-0-3-spurs/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham 0-3 Tottenham: Player ratings
by DAN on DECEMBER 2, 2012



This was one of those defeats that brings you back to earth with a bump. After a morale-boosting point at Stamford Bridge in midweek, Fulham headed into a tough test against Tottenham believing they could match Andre Vilas-Boas' men and Martin Jol's team selection was certainly adventurous. Not for the first time in his Craven Cottage tenure, the Dutchman was perhaps too open against a top side – playing both Kerim Frei and Ashkan Dejagah from the start, although the hosts were certainly contributing to an even contest up until Mark Schwarzer let Sandro's speculative shot from distance squirm through his body and into the net.

The dispiriting nature of Fulham's meek surrender after Sandro's strike will have perturbed Jol, who spoke afterwards of a loss of Fulham's 'fighting spirit'. Many of the basic mistakes that littered their display were worrying and the squad now have eight days to put things right down at Motspur Park prior to the visit of Newcastle United, another side struggling to recapture their scintilating early-season form, on Monday week.

Player ratings

Schwarzer: The Australian goalkeeper's decline is now becoming noticeable. Now 40, Schwarzer has a definite difficulty in getting down to save shots hit low to his right – and should never have let Sandro's effort get through his grasp – although Fulham stood off the Brazilian alarmingly to allow him the pop at goal from such a distance. Stood little chance with the two predatory finishes from Jermain Defoe, but the psychological damage from his earlier mistake was considerable. 5

Riether: Forced off after coming off worse following a clash with Clint Dempsey – having gamely tried to persevere despite spending some time on the sidelines clutching his rib. Fulham badly missed the German who has been one of their most consistent performers this season and it remains to be seen how much recovery time he'll need. 6

Riise: Found it difficult to contain the lively Aaron Lennon and also struggled to raid forward effectively. The England winger did well to pen his opposite number back, but with Kerim Frei fading badly by the hour mark, Fulham could really have down with some impetus to be provided by their adventurous full-back. He didn't make any glaring mistakes and will probably still be reflecting on the golden opportunity he spurned in front of goal at Stamford Bridge. The Norwegian was noticeably the only man to venture past the halfway line to applaud the fans following this dismal defeat. 6

Hughes: Unable to replicate his midweek excellence, although this wasn't a disastrous display from the Northern Ireland centre back. Largely successful in keeping Defoe quiet for much of the contest, but the England striker showed his international class by taking the two clear openings he had in the space of five minutes. Looked comfortable in possession, but had limited 'out ball' options due to a lack of movement in front of him. 6

Senderos: The Swiss has swiftly become the scapegoat for every poor performance and, although he was well below his Stamford Bridge levels, so were many other Fulham players this afternoon. Competed well in the air, but gave the ball away far too regularly and his two poor decisions cost Fulham dear. He opted to try and jockey Gilfyi Sigurdssson, but the substitute skipped away from him on his way to byline to cross for the second goal and, five minutes later, Senderos' late decision to push up having failed to track Defoe's run allowed the Spurs striker through on goal. Disappointing. 5

Diarra: Still looks short of match sharpness – and the worry is that the Malian midfielder will only be approaching his peak performance levels by the time he's set to represent his country at the Africa Cup of Nations. He was combative enough in the midfield area, flooring Clint Dempsey early on with one fiesty tackle that delighted the boo boys, but too often chose the wrong option when in possession. Struggled to dictate the game against Spurs' efficient duo of Sandro and Dembele. 6

Sidwell: Another whole-hearted performance from the man who's quickly become the heartbeat of the side. Looked lively and, as a Londoner, understood the importance of another local derby. Played at a tempo that was missing from the rest of the side, but was often involved in an uphill struggle, battling to retrieve possession. Might have put Fulham in front with a little bit more guile and pace when released by a brilliant Berbatov pass in the early stages – and maybe that would have made for an altogether happier afternoon. 7

Dejagah: Given an opportunity to reprise his energetic effort against Arsenal last month and, although the Iranian started impressively, he couldn't get the better of the outstanding Jan Vertonghen, who was filling in for Benoit Assou-Ekotto again at full-back. Full of running, Dejagah's willingness to attack the Tottenham defence was commendable but he often opted to hold onto the ball or dribble past another man rather than retaining possession. It's still early in his English adventure but this was a timely lesson about the importance of an end product. Had Frei converted his first-half cross things could have been very different. 6

Frei: For me whilst Frei is still finding his fitness, the teenager's a far better option off the bench to run at tiring defences. He lifted a shot over from a promising position after Dejagah had been sent scampering down the right by another beautiful Berbatov flick, but faded badly thereafter. At 19 and having had so little time on the pitch this season, it's harsh to be overly critical but the Turkish international too often took the ball into traffic and looked predictable after being nullified by Kyle Naughton. 5

Petric: Often a chance to press his claims for a permanent place in Fulham's starting line-up, Petric struggled to get the ball in areas where he could hurt Tottenham in an almost carbon copy of his frustrating afternoon at Stoke a week ago. The Croatian, who couldn't repeat his Hamburg heroics from a free-kick in a similar position at the Hammersmith End, looks a little more hesitant than he did at the start of the season, when he was taking shots from all angles, but there was no faulting his work rate on what became an infuriating afternoon. Expressed his disbelief at the heavy defeat following the final whistle on Twitter – and is likely to be sacrificed should Bryan Ruiz be fit to return against Newcastle. 6

Berbatov: Brilliant again against his former employers, but you have to wonder whether he's becoming frustrated with those around him. Was Fulham's creative hub in a fluent first half, playing two brilliant passes to send Sidwell and Dejagah surging forward, but his scornful look at the Iranian after he headed into the Hammersmith End in the second half said it all. Once again, Berbatov was forced to drop deeper to influence proceedings and found himself regularly running away from goal to retrieve the ball, thereby reducing the time he spent in space that could occupy Tottenham's two centre halves. Looked horribly isolated without Bryan Ruiz creating space and pulling the strings behind him. 7

Substitutes

Kelly: Like Senderos against Sunderland, the Irish full-back's been out of the first-team picture for so long it is harsh to judge his effectiveness on an unexpected early arrival caused by Riether's injury. Did well to contain Gareth Bale – who would be far from your ideal opponent as a full-back looking to make an impression – but made the mistake of showing Sigurdssson inside a matter of minutes after he had replaced the Welsh winger. Five minutes later, he was caught horribly square by Dempsey's through ball for Defoe as the England forward finished the contest clinically. 5

Duff: Kelly's compatriot would have justified in his disappointment at being dropped after a diligent and effective display at Stamford Bridge, but being the consummate professional, Duff's displeasure didn't show. He made an immediate impact having been sent on for the fading Frei and was far more effective in running at Vertonghen than the teenager, although Defoe's five-minute double rendered it all rather academic. For me, Jol got this selection wrong – and Duff will be desperate to start against his old club when Newcastle come to town. 6

Rodallega: The Colombian was offered ten minutes to pose a pacier problem for Tottenham's back four than Fulham had managed previously, but the game was largely played in front of the visitors back four. 6



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2012/12/fulham-0-3-tottenham-player-ratings/?