Monday Fulham Stuff (17/12/12)

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http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2012/12/16/3607676/-



Fulham defender Riether to see specialist over hamstring injury

The Cottagers' full-back suffered the blow during his side's disappointing 2-1 defeat to local rivals QPR, a loss that handed Harry Redknapp's side their first Premier League win


16 Dec 2012 20:48:00


By Adam Mazrani



Getty Images


Fulham defender Sascha Riether has travelled to Germany to be assessed by a specialist after the damaging his hamstring during Saturday's defeat to QPR, manager Martin Jol has revealed.

The 29-year-old, who is currently on loan at Craven Cottage from Cologne, had been an ever-present for the Cottagers this season but had to be substituted at half-time.

The Dutchman has seen his Fulham squad severely hampered by hamstring injuries of late, with Kieran Richardson, Alex Kacaniklic and Bryan Ruiz all having been struck down - with the latter being ruled out until the New Year.

"We have to assess it," Jol told reporters post-match.

"The doctor came in and said he couldn't carry on so I had to change it."

Rither's half-time replacement Stephen Kelly is now expected to deputise during the German's absence.

Following another defeat away from home, Fulham have won just one of their last nine Premier League outings and currently lie 13th in the table, just five points above the drop zone.

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http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/fulham-fc/2012/12/16/82029-32438330/


Hughes: We let ourselves down at QPR

By Jacob Murtagh


Dec 16 2012




Aaron Hughes


AARON Hughes admitted Fulham let themselves down after their derby defeat to QPR on Saturday.

Adel Taarabt's two-goal blast earned Rangers their first win of the season against their west London rivals, despite Mladen Petric's late consolation.

And Hughes admits the Whites failed to hit the same heights as they did in their win against Newcastle five days earlier.

"Any loss is disappointing, especially a derby loss," said the Fulham defender.

"It was a hard-fought game on Monday night and hard-fought game against QPR. It is just a shame we couldn't come out the right side of it.

"We knew they were going to be up for it. They are fighting for the lives down there so we knew from the off it would be like that.

"Take away everything else, the qualities they have and all the other things, the first thing they were going to have was going to be a lot of fight.

"They showed that and we got away with a couple of things in the first half. We got ourselves back in the game a little bit, we're just disappointed with the goals we conceded.

"After a big performance on Monday night, we sort of let ourselves down. We came a little bit short."


Read More http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/fulham-fc/2012/12/16/82029-32438330/#ixzz2FIK2c9ZE

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http://hereisthecity.com/2012/12/14/fulham-in-for-liverpools-henderson-how-would-he-fit-it-in/


Fulham in for Liverpool's Henderson - How would he fit it in?





by Jenny Leigh

posted: 22 hours ago


According to reports Fulham are lining up a January bid for Liverpool's Jordan Henderson who, under new manager Brendan Rodger's, has fallen down the pecking order at Anfield.

Goal.com claims that the England international had been approached by the Cottagers over the summer but opted to fight for his place in Rodger's new setup.

That, however, has yet to come to fruition at the Reds where he's made just starts this season – a huge cut from his 41 starts last season under Kenny Dalglish.

It was Dalglish who brought his to Anfield from Sunderland where he was heralded as one of the country's most promising prospects in midfield.

After a brief stint on loan at Coventry City, he returned to his parent club in 2009 and made his breakthrough into the first team, where he became a regular and impressive performer.

Subsequently, he was poached by Liverpool who spent £16 million on the then 21-year-old England youngster who the club hoped could one day replace Steven Gerrard as the engine of the team.

Now, under Rodgers he has become more of bit-part player and despite the long-term injury concerns of Lucas, he has hardly featured in the Red's manager's plans.

Martin Jol is understood to be an admirer of the 22-year-old and, should the move become a done deal, he could bring quality and energy to an experienced and, at times, ordinary Fulham midfield.

The Cottagers possess exceptional quality up front in the form of Dimitar Berbatov but their midfield contains a number of older players who are playing out the twilight of their careers.

Not to slight the quality and experience of players like Damien Duff, Steve Sidwell, Simon Davies, Mahamadou Diarra, and Giorgod Karagounis but they're certainly past their peak and, although Jol has promoted the likes of Tom Donegan, Pajtim Kasami, Karim Frei, Na Banga, Christensen and Alex Kacaniklic, only the latter has really produced quality consistently.

The Fulham youngsters still need time to develop and I would expect, whilst Henderson is of a similar age, he would be the kind of leader of the pack that could inspire the new generation as they re-invent for the future.

Henderson is not a glamour player by any means but he is intelligent, diligent, and possesses that natural leadership ability that makes him future captain material for both club and country.

Despite the fee Liverpool paid, I doubt they'd expect to receive that figure for him now – Dalglish made a number of curious financial investments during his third spell at Anfield and the Reds will be expecting to make a loss on Andy Carroll, Stewart Downing, and Jordan Henderson.

Fulham will likely snap him up if Liverpool are willing to accept less than £10 million for him and he'd likely bite their hand off for an opportunity to regain first-team football in the run up to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

[White Noise]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/dec/16/queens-park-rangers-fulham-report


Transformed Adel Taarabt has Harry Redknapp purring as QPR beat Fulham


• Moroccan scored twice in vital QPR victory

• 'The boy is a genius, he could play with anybody'


Paul Doyle at Loftus Road

The Guardian, Sunday 16 December 2012 23.00 GMT

After Queens Park Rangers were promoted from the Championship in 2011, the then-Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp was asked how he thought his former player Adel Taarabt would perform in the Premier League. "He will take the division by storm," said Redknapp before adding: "for a few weeks". But that was then. Now Taarabt, once the epitome of a mercurial luxury player, has added consistency to his breathtaking skills and Redknapp finds himself relying on the Moroccan to keep his team in the Premier League – and dreading the prospect of parting with him again. If Taarabt is summoned by his country for the Africa Cup of Nations in January, QPR's survival hopes will take a hit.

"He's got ability like not many people you've ever seen in your life," said Redknapp of the player who crowned a wonderful personal display against Fulham with two fine goals to give QPR their first league win of the season and haul them to within five points of safety. "He can do things that nobody else can do ... He's my type of player, I love people with that ability. I had [Paolo] Di Canio [at West Ham] and he's like that. The boy is a genius, he could play with anybody."

Redknapp was not always so enamoured with Taarabt, who featured infrequently for Tottenham after joining as a 17-year-old from Lens in 2007, and was loaned out to QPR before joining permanently for around £1m in 2010. He then inspired the west London side to promotion. Redknapp now claims that even though the player could be frustrating back then, he never wanted Tottenham to sell him. He has been pleased to find that the player has progressed since they were last together. "I said before that he was a nut and he can be a nut ... but he's grown up a bit now, he's better than he was. He was a complete fruitcake at Tottenham."

The QPR full-back Armand Traoré, who has known Taarabt since he was a teenager, said Redknapp's predecessor, Mark Hughes, deserves much of the credit for the Moroccan's improvement. "Mark Hughes showed him how much of a good player he is and on the other hand he has to work hard," said Traoré. "I think it was a really good step for Adel to have that manager."

Redknapp said that he still had to remind the 23-year-old to keep his focus after the draw at Wigan Athletic last week. "I took him off last week and he wasn't in the best of moods and didn't behave in the best of ways so I had him in the office on Monday morning and had a good heart-to-heart chat with him and he's responded to that."

Redknapp also gave Taarabt a new position, placing him in the advanced central role in a 4-2-3-1 and the player thrived in it, orchestrating virtually every attack against Fulham, who never looked worth a point even when Mladen Petric narrowed the deficit in the 88th minute.

"I freed [Taarabt] up to play in there and try to get him in between their midfield and their back four and get the ball to him at every opportunity because he can do damage to anybody," said Redknapp. "It's important to get him in the right position, he's not as effective out on the left." Fulham's manager Martin Jol, who worked with Taarabt at Tottenham and then tried to sign him for both Hamburg and Ajax, hailed him as "a wizard".

Taarabt has seldom been a regular starter for his country and QPR now hope that Morocco's manager, Rachid Taoussi, does not recognise the player's newfound reliability because if he is called up for next month's Africa Cup of Nations he will miss between two and five matches for his club, depending on how far his country progress. They are in a tough group, with Angola, Cape Verde and the hosts South Africa, but are capable of reaching the final. Taarabt, knowing how vital he is to his club's survival, has admitted he is torn about what to do if called up but is unlikely to turn down his country. "It's really hard," says the Senegal international Traoré. "I've been in that situation last year. If you say no to your country, you and your family will get slaughtered. On the other hand QPR really need him so I think it's just going to have to be how he feels. But you can't really say no to the national team."

Man of the match Adel Taarabt (QPR)

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QPR 2 Fulham 1: Taarabt revives Rangers as they record first league win



By Malcolm Folley

PUBLISHED:16:51, 15 December 2012| UPDATED:00:22, 16 December 2012

Comments (32)

The worst start in Premier League history is over. And in the directors' box at Loftus Road, Rangers owner Tony Fernandes punched the air and wore a grin like a child on Christmas morning. Relief flooded the stadium.


At the 17th attempt this season, Rangers recorded their first win, thanks to the sorcery of Adel Taarabt in a spirited performance that reflected the work of Harry Redknapp.


Match facts 

QPR: Green, Traore, Hill, Nelsen, Onuoha, Faurlin, Mbia, Wright-Phillips (Da Silva 85), Taarabt, Cisse (Ferdinand 90), Mackie. Subs Not Used: Julio Cesar, Diakite, Derry, Granero, Hoilett.

Booked: Taarabt.

Goals: Taarabt 52, 68.

Fulham: Schwarzer,Riether (Kelly 46), Hangeland, Hughes, Riise, Duff, Sidwell, Baird, Richardson (Petric 63), Berbatov, Rodallega (Dejagah 72). Subs Not Used: Etheridge, Senderos, Karagounis, Kacaniklic.

Booked: Sidwell, Dejagah.

Goals: Petric 88.

Att: 18,233

Ref: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire)


For the first time, Rangers have vacated the bottom rung of the table. For the first time in a season that cost Mark Hughes his job after spending tens of millions of Fernandes' fortune, there is hope rather than despair in the air in Shepherd's Bush.

Fernandes runs a successful airline and he has not invested heavily in Queen's Park Rangers to see them timidly vanish from the Premier League.

'That is the best Christmas present ever,' said Fernandes last night. 'It is looking good - we're undefeated under Harry. I feel like I have won the championship.'

Redknapp's brief on his appointment could not have been more simple, or more difficult.

From this morning, he has 21 games left to keep Rangers in the top echelon of English football, and that is a mission he can approach with slightly more optimism now.

'It's going to be tough, we're not kidding ourselves,' admitted Redknapp.

'But we have taken six points from four games; and if you get six points from every four games you can stay in the league.'

Last night the Rangers dressing room was the happiest it had been since relegation was avoided on the final day of last season and the difference was created by a tactical masterstroke.

Taarabt was given the freedom to play in the space behind striker Djibril Cisse.

'Every time we got him on the ball, Fulham were in trouble,' said the Rangers manager.

Redknapp is no stranger to the Moroccan's talent.

He had managed him at Tottenham but, at a club brimming with high-class players, Redknapp opted to sell Taraabt, a teenager with maverick tendencies, to QPR for £1million.

He appreciates that piece of business now.

'He has fantastic ability; he was amazing today,' said Redknapp.

Taarabt's touch and control are beautiful to behold. He has the vision and time on the ball that only few possess.

And with space to play against Fulham, a conservative, unambitious team, he contrived to make a decisive breakthrough with Rangers first goal before scoring the second with sublime impudence.

In the 52nd minute, Taarabt cleverly brought the ball down, and as Cisse peeled to his left, he took advantage of the gap that opened in front of him.

Taarabt's shot, perhaps not the finest he has struck, took a big deflection off the outstretched leg of Brede Hangeland and left Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer wrong-footed as he covered the other side of his goal.

Taarabt raced to a corner of the ground to accept the congratulations of a section of a crowd that has not had much to shout about so far this season.

His next incisive involvement was memorable.

Barely in Fulham's half, Taarabt squeezed the ball through Hangeland's legs without the kind of resistance Fulham manager Martin Jol would have expected from his giant centre back.

In the clear, Taarabt teased John Arne Riise, running hard towards the Fulham penalty area.

And then after rolling the ball under his right foot, backwards and forwards with the skill of a conjuror, Taarabt dispatched a shot with the outside of his boot that entered the bottom corner of the net with gentle precision.

It was a moment of footballing genius. It was also a moment Redknapp celebrated by jumping from his seat with his arms raised above his head.

Rangers fans roared their approval. But when a team is at the wrong end of the table, life is rarely easy.

Two minutes from time Fulham substitute Mladen Petric was allowed to get within striking range and his left-footed shot beat Rangers goalkeeper Robert Green after taking a deflection off Alejandro Faurlin.

'I can only guess what psychological effect that had on the team having not won all season,' said Redknapp.

'I know how hard it was for me to live through those final minutes of the game.'

Jol, however, looked for no sympathy. He was disgusted with his team's performance.

'I wanted to give 10 of the 11 players who beat Newcastle on Monday a chance to do it again,' he said.

'But we never looked like earning the right to play. Rangers were first to the ball all the time and I am very disappointed with our style of play.'

For Redknapp there was only one blemish on the day.

In January, he can expect to lose Taarabt to Morocco for the Africa Cup of Nations.

But if Rangers can collect a couple more victories between now and then, Fernandes could be more easily persuaded to allow Redknapp to raid the market in the transfer window.

Last night, at last Rangers' season had lift-off.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2248571/QPR-2-Fulham-1-match-report-Rangers-magic-Adel-Taarabt-conjures-league-win.html#ixzz2FINo1CEA

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http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/queens-park-rangers/9748963/Queens-Park-Rangers-striker-Adel-Taraabt-shows-a-touch-of-genius-as-his-two-goals-see-off-Fulham-at-Loftus-Road.html

Queens Park Rangers striker Adel Taraabt shows a touch of genius as his two goals see off Fulham at Loftus Road


Wizard? Fruitcake? Catastrophe? Whatever they say about Adel Taarabt, it is no surprise that the man from Fes can be a magician and he made his mark on Queens Park Rangers' chaotic season in the most emphatic way by scoring twice as Fulham were beaten 2-1.


By Gerry Cox, Loftus Road


11:00PM GMT 16 Dec 2012



QPR's first win of the season, at the 17th attempt, took them off the bottom of the table and Taarabt was outstanding. If the first – a deflected shot seven minutes after half-time – had a slice of luck, the second had the touch of genius, as Taarabt waltzed from the halfway line through a crowd of defenders before curling the ball past Mark Schwarzer with the outside of his right boot. It was like watching Matthew Le Tissier at his best.

"The first was lucky, the second was very good," said the Moroccan afterwards.

Fulham substitute Mladen Petric scored in the 88th minute to set home nerves jangling again, but Queens Park Rangers held out to give Harry Redknapp his first victory as manager after three draws since he took over from Mark Hughes last month.

And if Redknapp is to live up to his Harry Houdini reputation as the great escapologist, he knows the secret will be making the most of Taarabt. "Yes, getting Adel in the right position is important," the manager said. "He has played off the left but he's not as effective out there, so I freed him to play in the hole. We try to get the ball to him at every opportunity because he can do damage to anybody. He's as strong as an ox on the ball, people can't knock him off it.

"He's not a lightweight with skill, he's a strong, powerful player with the ball. It was a great performance."

Taarabt's talent has been evident since he made his debut as a teenager for Tottenham under Martin Jol, who described him as a "wizard, sometimes in a good way and sometimes in a bad way". But the Moroccan's mentality has been questioned by a succession of managers.

"He's hard work," admitted Redknapp. "He can be a bit of a nut but his heart's in the right place, he wants to do well and he thinks about the game. I took him off at Wigan last week and he wasn't in the best of moods. He didn't behave well so I called him into my office on Monday and had a good heart-to-heart chat with him and he's responded to that.

"He's temperamental but he's an amazing talent. He needs to harness that talent and just play. I said, 'Don't throw your arms up when you lose the ball, don't stand with your hands on your hips, just get after the ball if you lose it otherwise everyone sees that you made a mistake and it gets highlighted'. And he did that and he was fantastic."

When QPR lost 6-0 at Fulham last year, Taarabt was substituted and left Craven Cottage at half-time, leading to disciplinary action from the club. On Saturday he was lauded by fans and staff alike.

"That's what I'm saying," Redknapp added. "Talented people like that are difficult to handle."

Redknapp compared him with Paolo Di Canio, whose career he resurrected when they were both at West Ham in the 1990s. "Paolo was difficult to handle but he was a genius who could win you a match and Adel is the same. He can be a top, top player. He's like Di Canio, doing things nobody else can do. He nutmegs people, he goes past two or three and they're hanging on to him, but they can't get the ball off him."

Taarabt hardly played at Tottenham Hotspur and Redknapp sold him for £1 million in 2010. "He used to come back to see his mates and I'd say to him, 'You're making me look a fool, Adel. I keep seeing you on TV and you're worth £20 million. I sold you too cheap!'

"He wasn't a player I wanted to release. He's grown up now, he's better than he was. He was a complete fruitcake at Tottenham."

Armand Traoré, QPR's Senegal international, said: "I've known Adel since I was 14 or 15, so I know what he's like. He was a catastrophe," laughed Traore. "We used to play together in the French national team at junior level. I used to overlap him and he would nutmeg the same guy four or five times. The manager used to say, 'If you don't pass the ball, you come off'. Adel didn't care. He was getting penalties, scoring goals.

"He's now improved a lot in terms of work-rate, and matured as a person. I think he's got further to go. We see some goals in training no one has seen." But QPR fear a call-up by Morocco for the Africa Cup of Nations is imminent. "I was in that situation last year," added Traoré. "If you say no to your country, you and your family will get slaughtered."

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http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/norwich-transfer-news-chris-hughton-1493570


Seagull hunt: Hughton raiding Brighton for Norwich reinforcements

16 Dec 2012 22:30

Striker Craig Mackail-Smith and midfielder Liam Bridcutt are top of the list as Canaries look to cement incredible start to the season

Norwich boss Chris Hughton plans to raid Championship club Brighton for striker Craig Mackail-Smith and midfielder Liam ­Bridcutt.

Hughton had a £3million offer for Mackail-Smith rejected in August but is ready to launch a fresh bid for the Scotland international.

The Canaries chief is also battling Aston Villa and Fulham to land former Chelsea player Bridcutt.

The midfielder is out of contract and has yet to agree a new deal at the Amex Stadium.

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http://www.fulhamweb.co.uk/news/jol-very-disappointed.aspx?asid=01d26c16


JOL VERY DISAPPOINTED


last updated Sunday 16th December 2012, 8:47 PM



Fulham manager Martin Jol hit out at his players for letting their standards slip in the 2-1 defeat to struggling Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road.

Jol was delighted with his side's performance in Monday's 2-1 win over Newcastle, but they failed to build on that result as the Rs claimed their first league win of the season.

Adel Taraabt's double ultimately earned three points for the hosts, although Mladen Petric pulled one back in the second half as Fulham threatened to extend QPR's winless run.

"I'm very disappointed with our style of play - I can complain about the goals but especially first half we never looked to earn the right to use our quality," he said.

"We looked a bit rigid. On Monday we had players in midfield, like they had Adel Taraabt today, they need to travel and do something extra.

"We didn't do the simple things or play in the flow. I wanted to give 10 of the 11 players who played last week the chance to do it again but there were too many players not there.

"The second goal for example was very cheap and easy and the second was a deflection.

"We tried to get in their half and the passing was sloppy and they could break us away from home. Our two central midfield players could never get up the pitch and support."

[White Noise]

http://www.fulhamweb.co.uk/news/fulham-fail-to-turn-up-at-qpr-match-report.aspx?asid=01d26c16



FULHAM FAIL TO TURN UP AT QPR :- MATCH REPORT

last updated Sunday 16th December 2012, 8:30 PM


QPR (0) 2 Fulham (0) 1



QPR finally won a league game at the 17th time of asking, dispatching west London rivals Fulham 2-1 to move off the bottom of the pile.

Adel Taarabt's inspired performance proved the difference at Loftus Road as Harry Redknapp's side belatedly broke their duck with a narrow victory against their near neighbours.

Few could have predicted the Hoops' winless start to a campaign, with a summer of high-profile acquisitions and ambitious plans raising expectations in Shepherd's Bush.

Last weekend's draw at Wigan saw them break the record for the longest winless start to a Premier League season, with chairman Tony Fernandes this week admitting the season has been "nothing short of a disaster".

The R's have, though, shown signs of improvement since Redknapp succeeded Mark Hughes at the helm, following up three successive draws with a first win - thanks in no small part to Taarabt.


Match Stats
   
QPR   Fulham

Goals    2    1

Scorers   Taarabt 52    Petric 88
   Taarabt 68    

Goal attempts    20    5
On target    6    2
Possession    45%    55%
Corners    3    3
Offsides    2    2
Total Passes    402    487
Pass Success    77.9%    80.1%
Tackles    17    9
Tackles Success    82.4%    33.3%
Crosses    15    17
Saves    1    4
Fouls    10    15
Yellows    1    2
Reds    0    0

source: Soccernet/SkySports

The Morocco international proved a thorn in Fulham's side from the outset and saw an effort deflect in off Brede Hangeland seven minutes into the second half. Taarabt doubled QPR's advantage with an exquisite solo effort and they held on for three points despite substitute Mladen Petric's late strike.

Djibril Cisse was one of three QPR changes made for the game and he almost made an immediate impact, forcing Mark Schwarzer into action moments after kick off.

The Frenchman was played through by Taarabt, who appeared fired up and came close from 40 yards in just the second minute. It proved the start of a QPR onslaught, with Cisse firing wide before Jamie Mackie wasted a glorious chance to break the deadlock when latching onto a poor John Arne Riise backpass.

A marauding Taarabt run through the middle ended in a strike that tested Schwarzer as QPR continued to show a level of skill and spirit rarely seen this season. Fulham were struggling to get a foothold on proceedings but were almost gifted an opener by goalkeeper Robert Green.

Redknapp stuck with the England international despite the return of Julio Cesar from a groin injury - a move that almost backfired when he sent a miskick straight to Hugo Rodallega.

The Fulham attacker could not make the most of the lax clearance and, after Taarabt lashed wide and Cisse tested Schwarzer, there was another fortuitous moment for the hosts when referee Martin Atkinson waved away penalty appeals for an apparent Stephane Mbia handball.

The match lost its tempo at the end of the first half but the 3,148 travelling fans were enjoying themselves, goading the hosts with chants of "stand up if you've won a game". However, it was QPR supporters with something to shout about when the game restarted for the second half.

Stephen Kelly came on for the seemingly injured Sascha Riether when play resumed, with QPR taking just seven minutes to score their first goal against Fulham since 1983. Like so many times before, Taarabt made a burst forward but this time his strike took a lucky deflection of Hangeland, wrong footing Schwarzer and trickling home.

The playmaker was booked for his celebrations but it could not stop QPR's momentum, with Cisse curling just wide in the 60th minute after Chris Baird was dispossessed.

Fulham were rarely threatening the hosts, who deservedly got their second when Taarabt burst through in the 68th minute. After picking up the ball just inside the Fulham half, the midfielder went past Hangeland and showed a few neat touches, before putting past Schwarzer with the outside of his right foot.

Fulham's frustrations were clear in a match they failed to assert their authority, with Steve Sidwell and substitute Ashkan Dejagah soon picking up bookings.

The former will miss the trip to Liverpool next week as it was fifth yellow card of the season and Petric ensured a nervy ending when his strike deflected in off Mackie's outstretched leg.

Schwarzer somehow clawed out a goalbound Cisse header at the death as QPR went onto secure victory, leading to raucous celebrations at the final whistle.

QPR: Green, Traore, Hill, Nelsen, Onuoha, Faurlin, Mbia, Wright-Phillips (Da Silva 85), Taarabt, Cisse (Ferdinand 90), Mackie.
Subs Not Used: Julio Cesar, Diakite, Derry, Granero, Hoilett. Booked: Taarabt.

Goals: Taarabt 52, 68.

Fulham: Schwarzer,Riether (Kelly 46), Hangeland, Hughes, Riise, Duff, Sidwell, Baird, Richardson (Petric 63), Berbatov, Rodallega (Dejagah 72).
Subs Not Used: Etheridge, Senderos, Karagounis, Kacaniklic. Booked: Sidwell, Dejagah.

Goals: Petric 88.

Att: 18,233.

Ref: Martin Atkinson (W Yorkshire)

[White Noise]

http://www.thisissomerset.co.uk/story-17609237-detail/story.html


Dan Burn suspended for Yeovil Town match against Oldham Athletic


Monday, December 17, 2012



Players who escape the first half of the season with only five bookings should be rewarded with a medal, not punished by suspension, according to Gary Johnson.

Yeovil Town will be without Fulham loan defender Dan Burn to face Oldham Athletic next weekend after he picked up his fifth yellow card of the season against Walsall.

Suggesting that yellows were brandished too easily and the punishment for five was too harsh, Johnson said: "Bookings seem to be part of the game at the minute.

"If somebody only gets five bookings from August through to February, they should get a medal, not a ban in my opinion with the way yellow cards are handed out.

"For five bookings in that space of time nobody should be banned, they should be saying 'well done, you have only had five bookings in that time'.

"Maybe the League Managers' Association will have to look at it but some referees think five bookings should be three years in prison. It depends what people think, I don't think that.

"Bookings are being given out for fouls and of course there are lots of fouls. If you go through the leagues you will find a lot of players whose livelihoods have been taken away at this point for five bookings in 30-odd games come February."

Johnson took issue with a disallowed 'goal' at Walsall on Saturday when Jamie McAllister's lofted deep free kick crept in only for referee Tony Bates to award a free kick on keeper Aaron McCarey.

He was also less than impressed by the game being ended as Yeovil attacked a similar set-piece.

Johnson said: "Other than being disappointed with my team for a long time I thought that was a goal because the keeper was behind our player and he had put his arm over.

"So unless he is one of those ambidextrous people that can move their arm back that far I don't think that was a foul.

"Right at the death, how does someone know that there's a second left when the game should finish?

"That ball goes in there, we win the first header, there are eight men in the penalty area and he blows for full time.

"I'm not too sure what the rule is but I would love to know. We try the find the man who looks after referees and we never see those assessors.

"I would like to know what he thought about it because I am not sure you can know the end of the game by a second, especially when the ball is going to be played into the opposition net."

[White Noise]

Peach: Beating Fulham was like winning a trophy for QPR


By Anton Stanley | Sunday, December 16, 2012


The reporter for the Press Association discusses the Super Hoops' first victory of the season as they beat the Cottagers 2-1 at Loftus Road.

He looks at relief felt around the stadium after the final whistle and how QPR have changed since the appointment of Harry Redknapp as manager.

Peach also discusses Tony Fernandes' reaction to the triumph and Fulham's poor performance as Dimitar Berbatov failed to put in his usual display of grace and guile.


Listen Here : http://www.talksport.co.uk/radio/football-first/121216/peach-beating-fulham-was-winning-trophy-qpr-187526#ixzz2FIY8zOf1

[White Noise]

Jol gives Hull City green light over Fulham keeper


By Jacob Murtagh


Dec 17 2012



MARTIN Jol is happy for David Stockdale to extend his stay at Hull City – as long as number one Mark Schwarzer remains injury-free.

The England keeper has made five appearances for the Tigers since his loan move last month, but is due to return to Craven Cottage in January.

Hull boss Steve Bruce is keen to retain the 27-year-old, and Fulham counterpart Jol is happy for the former York City youngster to remain at the Championship club as long as Schwarzer stays fit.

"As long as Mark is fit he will stay there," he said.

"We have a recall clause and if necessary we will get him back. If not, then he will stay there."


Read More http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/fulham-fc/2012/12/17/82029-32443976/#ixzz2FJVlCT1w

[White Noise]

Kelly's Rangers Reflection


Monday 17 December 2012 10:21


Stephen Kelly has urged Fulham to dust themselves down and move on after Saturday's 2-1 defeat to Queens Park Rangers.

A brace from Adel Taarabt meant substitute Mladen Petrić's late strike proved to be little more than a consolation at Loftus Road.

Kelly, a replacement at half-time for the injured Sascha Riether, admitted his Fulham teammates were hurting after the loss.

"In the first half we never got ourselves into it," Kelly told the official website. "We seemed to be on the back foot and never got going. They came at us and we didn't have anything to counter that.

"The goals we conceded just kind of summed it up. The first took a massive deflection of Brede Hangeland and it would have been a comfortable save for Mark Schwarzer. The second one was a good finish but he got a lucky bounce off Brede to get in that position. As a team we've conceded goals that have been sloppy and we've been punished.

"We got a goal towards the end and we were pushing and pushing but it never came. Overall, we're disappointed for everyone."

He continued: "Coming here, with it being a derby and being big rivals, we wanted to give the fans something to cheer like last season when we won here. They came out in their droves on Saturday and it's a shame we couldn't give something back to them."

Fulham are on their travels again on Saturday (5.30pm) when they head to Anfield to face Liverpool, before successive home games with Southampton and Swansea City.

"We've got to pick ourselves up and go on from there," said Kelly. "It [the QPR defeat] is something we have to learn from and look ahead to the next game. We've got a big match at Liverpool on Saturday. It's a tough place to go but we did well there last year."

The form of summer arrival Riether has led to limited opportunities for Kelly this term.

But the Irishman has looked solid in two recent substitute appearances against Tottenham Hotspur and Rangers and is now hoping for further First Team chances over the coming weeks.

"It was nice to come on," said Kelly. "I came on against Tottenham and then against QPR so it's good to be back involved. I haven't had much match action this season but I felt I did okay in both games and it's nice to be back in the swing of things.

"It's been very frustrating not playing. We've done okay this season but we've slipped down the table in the last seven or eight games. For me, maybe it's an opportunity to get in and see where we go from there. It's always difficult watching from the sidelines, especially on the back of last season. I signed a new contract in the summer and I haven't really had too much of an opportunity.

"Hopefully now, after two solid performances from my own perspective, I'll get a chance to play."

[White Noise]

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/december/17/ian-black-1924-2012



Ian Black: 1924-2012



Monday 17 December 2012 11:30


Fulham Football Club was saddened to hear that one of the Whites' greatest-ever goalkeepers, Ian Black, has died at the age of 88.

Fulham's goalkeeper for virtually all of the 1950s, Black was tall and stylish with a safe pair of hands.

He began his career at hometown club Aberdeen in 1944, before moving to Southampton for £1,000 in December 1947 when he was working as a mechanic in the town. Shortly after joining the Saints, he made his one and only appearance for Scotland in a 2-0 defeat of England at Hampden Park.

When Saints boss Bill Dodgin moved to Fulham, Black soon followed. He would go on to make 277 appearances in all competitions for the Club.

He is the only Fulham goalkeeper to have scored in the league, heading home when injury forced him to play at centre-forward against Leicester City in August 1952.

Black left Fulham in 1959 to join Bath City. He was then manager at Canterbury City, youth-team boss at Brentford and finally football advisor to Redhill.

Black passed away on Thursday 13th December. His funeral will take place on Friday 28th December. The thoughts of everyone at Fulham are with Ian's family and friends.

For fans who wish to make a donation to Ian's chosen charity - The Mid Surrey Palliative Care Trust Fund - details can be found at www.butterfly-appeal.org.uk or by emailing [email protected].

[White Noise]

http://www.headlines.nl/nieuws/12/582929/


Chadli: "Hope for a bigger club than Fulham '


This article was written by: MartijnOm 1:14 p.m. on 22-11-2012Bron: ELF Football


Nacer Chadli will now return from injury. In the match against Feyenoord winger ran the FC Twente an ankle injury. ELF interviewed Belgian football striker.

Chadli talks about his unfortunate period in Enschede. "I'm the best to my right as a left winger, but played there under Co Adriaanse and Steve McClaren never roamed the team. If a hole filled to be, I could get trotted out. I felt unimportant.'s Team turned bad and the criticism focused on me. the irritations piled up and at one point I could not stand it mentally. I was done with it and said after the season, I go on vacation and never come here again. "

"What game are at a transfer is involved, I noticed after my first year at Twente. Fulham have wanted me, they even gave me a tour of the club. Shortly after I got injured and I was suddenly no longer needed. Past summer Fulham did not reach an agreement with FC Twente. I do not know what I did if it had succeeded. Following my previous experience, I was ready with Fulham. But at that time still with Twente. "

The conversion came only after the conversation with McClaren. "From McClaren got the commitment at left to play. Moreover, the club properly purchased and arose on the field chemistry between me, Dusan Tadic and Leroy Fer. Then I have the button turned myself and instilled that my time at FC Twente could not end without a title. Now I work towards next summer. I'm ready for a new step and hope for an even bigger club than Fulham. "