Thursday Fulham Stuff (27/12/12)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Rickie Lambert penalty earns Southampton late point at Fulham

Fulham's descent into relegation trouble goes on. After looking capable of qualifying for Europe two months ago, Martin Jol's team are just six points clear of the bottom three and playing with a level of carelessness that suggests their fortunes are not going to improve in the new year. They were booed off following Rickie Lambert's deserved late equaliser and that could well become a common sound in these parts until May.

It is now just one win in 11 games for Fulham and while this result, combined with Wigan's defeat at Everton, means the Londoners are a point further away from the relegation zone, they have dropped one place to 14th and are undeniably in a rut. Having been thumped 4-0 by Liverpool last Saturday, this was meant to be the start of the turnaround, when Fulham showed their supporters what they are really made of. Instead they failed to beat a side that, before Wednesday, had lost six of their seven away league games this season.

What will be particular frustrating for Jol is that Fulham had started brightly, winning possession keenly and using it crisply and with purpose. Southampton were being overwhelmed in the opening stages and it came as no shock when the hosts took the lead after eight minutes through Dimitar Berbatov's close-range strike after Kelvin Davis had made a poor attempt of dealing with Sascha Riether's cross. In celebration, Berbatov revealed a T-shirt bearing the message: 'Keep calm and pass me the ball'.

It was an instruction that the Bulgarian's team-mates became increasingly incapable of adhering to and one his manager, having seen the striker booked for taking his shirt off, did not welcome.

"That was stupid," said Jol. "He [Berbatov] probably thought he would not get booked because he never gets booked, but I will have a word with him because it's not the brightest thing to go and do.

"He wanted to make a statement and in fairness that is something he is always telling the young players in training: to play with confidence and to play football. That is something we did not do today; we didn't link up in midfield and in the end it was old-fashioned long-ball play, which is not what we wanted."

Fulham's failure to win was not all down to their failings. Southampton deserve credit, too, for how they weathered the storm and eventually began to exert control over their opponents, with the midfield due of Morgan Schneiderlin and Jack Cork distributing possession intelligently. In Jason Puncheon, who played both on the right and left flank here, they had a constant and willing outlet.

As the hosts' passing became erratic and their energy levels dipped, the visitors grew in confidence and Puncheon hit an instinctive drive from the edge of the area that fizzed just wide of the far post.

The pressure continued and as nervousness began to spread through the home fans, those packed into the away end became more fervent in their support. They were rewarded five minutes from time when the referee, Phil Dowd, deemed Chris Baird had handled Gastón Ramírez's corner while under pressure from Lambert. Southampton's top scorer drove in the resulting penalty for his seventh goal of the season.

Fulham did have chances to win the game late on, most notably through Brede Hangeland's header in stoppage time, but there was to be no salvation.

"The players showed good resolve and to leave a game away from home with something is important," said Nigel Adkins, the Southampton manager.

He felt Berbatov could well have received a second yellow card for a lunge on Puncheon soon after his goal but was satisfied with the key decision that did go his team's way. "We should have had six penalties this season and haven't had one, so it was about time."

Southampton remain 17th but are rightly looking up. Fulham, in contrast, have that sinking feeling.



http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2012/dec/26/fulham-southampton-premier-league-match-report?

[WhiteJC]

 
Martin Jol: "Chris Baird lost his head"

Fulham manager Martin Jol has criticised utility player Chris Baird for giving away the penalty that led to Southampton's equaliser in Saturday's 1-1 draw.

Baird jumped with his arm at a corner, with Rickie Lambert scoring the resultant penalty, and Jol was far from pleased with the Northern Irishman's decision.

"It was a blatant handball and Chris Baird lost his head I think," BBC Sport quotes Jol as saying.

"He did it on purpose and there was no need for that five minutes from the end."

Fulham have now won just once in 11 Premier League games.



http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/fulham/news/jol-baird-lost-his-head_61135.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Angry Jol 'like a thunderstorm' after poor draw against Saints

Fulham manager Martin Jol compared his mood to a "thunderstorm" after a drab performance by the west Londoners allowed Southampton to snatch a point.

Dimitar Berbatov's eighth-minute strike looked enough for the Whites to secure victory on a wet and blustery afternoon at Craven Cottage.

However, Rickie Lambert's penalty five minutes from time earned Southampton a 1-1 draw, meaning Fulham have won just one match in 11 attempts.

"I am like a thunderstorm, I am very angry," Jol said. "Sometimes with myself and sometimes you can do something about it.

"You want to change things and sometimes the players are not there to change things.

"I was very happy today at half-time to be able to bring Bryan Ruiz on but it was not enough. He will be fit to start against Swansea.

"Against Liverpool, I was angry because we didn't have the weapons to play with and that's even more frustrating.

"Today I thought if we played in the way we could play, we could make a difficult for them.

"We could have scored again as we had a couple of chances, but it is not enough. You will never hear me say it was enough to earn three points today because it wasn't."

Jol was also irked by talisman Berbatov, who received an early booking for revealing a shirt saying 'Keep Calm and Pass Me the Ball'.

"That was stupid," he said. "I need to have a word with him.

"He probably thought 'I will never get booked' because he never gets booked.

"But later he had a situation where he could have gone so I will have a word with him because it is not the brightest thing to do.

"He wanted to make a statement and he is telling us and the youngsters every day to play with confidence, keep the ball and not to be afraid.

"That is what he wants and today I think he was right because you need self-belief and confidence to play your football.

"I won't say it was terrible but it was not good enough for us to say we should have won this game."

Fulham's recent slump has coincided with a number of injuries and suspensions to key players.

Jol is confident of turning things around when they return and is planning business in the January transfer window to help boost his ailing side.

"We are always looking and trying to get players," he said.

"Maybe we've got the time now to do something because we've lost quite a few players in the transfer windows.

"We have suffered from that and hopefully we can do something. We have targets in mind."

Standard Liege goalkeeper Sinan Bolat could well be the first new addition after finishing up his rehabilitation from a cruciate ligament injury at Fulham.

"He will have a free transfer in the summer," Jol said. "We wanted to take him last summer but he had this injury.

"He wanted to do his rehab with us, his club gave him permission to do that and he is fit now. Now it is a decision to take him or to leave it in January."

Bolat's potential addition raises questions over the futures of Mark Schwarzer and David Stockdale.



http://www.london24.com/sport/fulham/angry_jol_like_a_thunderstorm_after_poor_draw_against_saints_1_1753379

[WhiteJC]

 
Mariga linked with move to EPL side Fulham

Over the past weeks, there have been numerous reports linking Celtic midfielder Victor Mugubi Wanyama to English Premier League (EPL) side Manchester United.

Going by the reports emanating from the United Kingdom, the former EPL champions are expected to make a bid for the Kenyan international next month.

Now Wanyama's brother McDonald Mariga is reported to have attracted the interest of another EPL side Fulham.

Reports in the Daily Mail over Christmas say Fulham are preparing a bid for the Kenyan international who currently turns out for Italian giants Inter Milan.

Mariga has struggled to find a place in the Inter Milan line-up being reduced to a second half substitute.

He has so far made only one appearance this season after suffering a near career ending injury that kept him out for the last eight months. Previously, he was on loan at Real Sociedad in Spain and Parma before returning to Milan.

Mariga became the first Kenyan player to play in the Italian Serie 'A' a feat he achieved five years ago when he joined Parma.

After an impressive stint at Parma he attracted interest from Manchester City in 2010, but luck of a work permit on account of Kenya's poor ranking at the time curtailed his move to the EPL champions.

With Mariga's contract running out next summer, it is normal that he would want to move elsewhere to get more playing time and resurrect his international career.

Sources close to the player, however, insist that he was happy at Inter Milan despite not getting playing time from coach Andrea Stramaccioni.

"He is comfortable at Inter Milan. The money is good and believes no club in Italy can match it at this time and so he would not mind staying longer," said the source.

Mariga's agent Lorenzo Marchesi also supports this view insisting that the player will get more playing time next season.

"Inter are willing to wait for Mariga to recover his form after a long injury. They believe in him and the coach has promised him more playing time," he said.

Mariga is currently on holiday in Nairobi but we could not reach him for comment. In October he was recalled for national duty with Harambee Stars but declined to honour the call as he was yet to fully recover.

His brother Wanyama has been having a great time with Celtic in the Scottish league and remains on the radar of Manchester United and other top English clubs.

Wanyama featured for Celtic in the Champions League scoring against giants Barcelona in a 2-1 win for his club.



http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/?articleID=2000073756&story_title=Kenya-Mariga-linked-with-move-to-EPL-side-Fulham

[WhiteJC]

 
Keep Calm And Pass Dimi The Ball
by LRCN on DECEMBER 26, 2012



During this rut over the last few weeks I've been fairly irritated but indifferent to the whole thing. Clearly, our sparkling early season performances had dwindled – having seemingly degenerated from form which reaped results to form which deserved more than the results it got to form which deserves the terrible winless streak we're now in – but I was certain that Jol would turn it around and we are too good to go down.

This Southampton display, however, was worrying. Very worrying. The previous two results and performances against QPR and Liverpool were terrible, but that is worst I had seen them for a long time and since they came just after a good win over Newcastle it they seemed fairly anomalous. A home game against struggling Southampton however, and you have a right to expect a result and the confidence from the team to get one. A draw can usually be excused if it is an injustice, or had bright points. But today was an abomination. The first 10-15 minutes aside, we couldn't put more than three passes together, usually because it was a long ball to Berbatov or Ruiz against the tall Southampton back line. It was surreal to watch, and such a far cry from the lovely stuff we played against West Brom, Norwich and even Reading and Arsenal.

But, as I say, it all started so well. Kacaniklic, who was a thorn in Clyne's backside throughout his minutes on the pitch – although Clyne also had free reign in the Fulham half it has to be said – was back in the side and doing well, offering a constant threat down the left, but it was from the right where we scored our 8th minute goal: Dejagah combining well with Riether to let the right back fizz in a delicious cross which Berbatov eventually tapped in. Berbatov should have made it two shortly after following a cross from the aforementioned Kacaniklic, but his header was well wide despite finding himself totally unmarked.

That, however, was it. We started to struggle to move forward and fluently, and although Southampton didn't force Schwarzer into a save into the first half we displayed moments of tragic comedy in our back line (for those who saw the match and witnessed Riise walk away from the ball as Ramirez picked it up unworried on the byline, is that the worst bit of defending of all time?). The saviour Bryan Ruiz strolled on at half time and, after a couple of shaky moments, we picked up for the first 20 minutes or so, welcome that we finally had someone who would receive the ball and play it intelligently! Then Jol switched him to the right and we lost all hope. Our manager has a lot to answer for today, and I have no idea what he was doing. I didn't see the handball but Jol didn't complain; I don't know what Baird was doing. Even Schwarzer would feel that he should have saved the penalty. To be honest, I have no idea what any Fulham player was doing out there today, and Southampton could justifiably say they were the better side.

Berbatov is wonderfully arrogant. I don't mind that he is aware that he is a level above the other Fulham players so long as he's striving to do his best for them. And while his celebration was perhaps a little ill-judged – I still love it – the message was clear and the message was correct; pass the ball. I could not believe how incoherent we were on the ball, our fluency on the ball totally out of the window. Riise offered absolutely nothing (at least his attacking used to be enough to divert attention away from his defending!), Rodallega was ineffective once he became a left midfielder, for Rodallega read Ruiz on the right, and Baird... Baird...! He has had a chance, and when we needed players to step up and show quality Baird has demonstrated once established consistently in the first team that he has little. Sidwell, at least, was showing some sort of urgency, and what a shame it was that his flying volley flashed just wide.

This poor possession means more focus on our defence which is never desirable when we are looking as brittle as a porcelain spider web and as easy to open up as a can of coke. Senderos is being slated on the message boards, and while I think that's harsh he's clearly not the answer. Hangeland is shaky – how bad was his distribution in the second half? - Riise is woeful when we don't have the ball and Schwarzer is now quite clearly not the keeper he was. Please, a Douglas would be nice Jol.

Right now, this team has too many weaknesses and too little confidence to compensate for them. If against Swansea we demonstrate we have our passing touch still there somewhere, I'll be pleased. We desperately need to recruit a central midfielder who can get their foot on the ball and drive it forward, someone similar to Dembele even if they won't come with the dribbling, and a genuine class wide man. Not to mention where on earth have our attacking patterns gone? Jol was fuming in tonight's press conference, and rightly so, because even as an ardent Jol supporter that performance left me asking so many questions I couldn't even answer a third of them coherently in a 900 word article.

LRCN



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2012/12/keep-calm-and-give-dimi-the-ball/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Unsettled Aston Villa striker Darren Bent looks set for a return to London with Fulham

Aston Villa are struggling for goals and Darren Bent still can't force his way into the plans of manager Paul Lambert.

Something has to give and the former England striker seems set to have new employers by the end of January.

There is no doubt the former Charlton, Spurs and Sunderland star has the potential to score at a regular and impressive basis so whoever signs him will be getting a decent deal for around £13million.

QPR desperately need someone to convert enough chances to haul them out of the relegation zone and it's a similar story at Sunderland.

Cardiff could also sign the Londoner to boost their realistic chances of gaining promotion to the top flight then staying there and Newcastle may fancy him as a replacement if Demba Ba jumps shop and joins Arsenal or Liverpool.

But Fulham may be the likeliest destination where Bent could reconnect with former White Hart Lane boss Martin Jol at 9/4 with Bet365.

His lace and Dimitar Berbatov's skills would form a highly efficient strikeforce and would make perfect sense for all involved.


http://metro.co.uk/2012/12/26/unsettled-aston-villa-striker-darren-bent-looks-set-for-a-return-to-london-with-fulham-3330015/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Keep Calm And Pass Dimi The Ball: Pt. 2
by LRCN on DECEMBER 26, 2012


Pictured: The Hammersmith End observing a typical pass from Fulham's back five against Southampton.
—

Just looking at pass completion rates for the game. I'm still fuming. Here are some standout figures:

Schwarzer: 33%. Mmm. Can't trust him with the ball. Nothing knew but he was still dismal. 32/40 were long balls, just 7 found a target (note that long balls also include clearances).

Hangeland: 71%. Not great, especially if we want to keep and recycle possession, but not the worst. 13 though were long balls, although four were on target, mainly in the first half when he found Kacaniklic with some sweeping passes.

Senderos: 74%. Actually our most accurate, and short, passer in our defence. 0 of 4 long balls found their target. He also made 27 passes to Hangeland's 41.

Riether: 69%. Really poor considering full backs see so much possession. 2/6 long balls.

Riise: 54%. 54. Almost half of his passes were inaccurate. That is dreadful. His distribution was really, really bad today. And of 39 of his passes, 11 were long balls, and 1 of those found the target.

Really this shows just how much we struggled to get the ball moving. Usually you can expect it to be 80+% bar Schwarzer. And a way, way too big a percentage of long balls.

So, keep calm and pass Dimi the ball. Or really just anyone, so long as it's on the floor!

(Our centre mids did ok in this regard, 85% average and 49 passes each, but you'd like to see that number closer to 80 in good games when we pass it quickly and also it doesn't say just how poor their passing was in terms of substance. Also, in his 22 minutes Frei passed just twice – although both were accurate – and Ruiz passed 30 times in his second half cameo which is equivalent to 60 over the course of 90 minutes which is a fifth more than anyone else.)

LRCN



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2012/12/keep-calm-and-pass-dimi-the-ball-pt-2/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Jol criticises 'stupid' Berbatov

Fulham manager Martin Jol described striker Dimitar Berbatov as "stupid" after the Bulgarian was booked for a bizarre T-shirt gesture after scoring in a 1-1 draw with Southampton.

Berbatov scored his sixth goal for the London side after eight minutes at Craven Cottage before Rickie Lambert levelled five minutes from time.

Berbatov was yellow-carded for his celebration which involved revealing a T-shirt which read: 'Keep calm and pass me the ball'.

"It was a bit stupid and I will have to have a word with him," Jol said.

"He probably thought he would get away with it as he never gets booked. It wasn't the brightest thing to do but he wanted to make a statement.

"He tells the youngsters every day to play with confidence, keep the ball and don't be afraid.

"You need confidence and self-belief to play your football. He wants us to play in a certain style and that is the message he's trying to get across."



http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/news/1134550/Jol-criticises-stupid-Berbatov?