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Thursday Fulham Stuff (22.04.10)

Started by White Noise, April 22, 2010, 09:11:49 AM

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White Noise

http://www.cottagersconfidential.com/2010/4/22/1436460/talking-fulham-vs-hamburg-on-world

Talking Fulham vs. Hamburg on World Football Daily


by Fulhampatsfan on Apr 22, 2010 1:20 PM BST

This afternoon I will be on World Football Daily previewing the upcoming Europa League Semifinals match for Fulham. I would highly recommend this show and website for all fans of football.  They have a few options for listening and viewing the show. Please go to there website for details. The show begins at noon EST. I should be on sometime around 12:45 PM EST.

This will be my second appearance on the show as a guest. I look forward to talking about Fulham. I will be posting a an audio clip after the show once it is available.

White Noise

http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/football/822892-hamburg-v-fulham-key-battles


Hamburg v Fulham: Key Battles - Van Nistelrooy v Hughes, Boateng v Zamora, Jarolim v Murphy

Metro picks out the key battles for tonight's Hamburg v Fulham Europa League semi-final: Ruud van Nistelrooy against Aaron Hughes, Jerome Boateng against Bobby Zamora, and David Jarolim against Danny Murphy.

RUUD VAN NISTELROOY v AARON HUGHES

Fulham expect star centre-half Brede Hangeland to be available after his wife went into labour over the weekend but if not, Aaron Hughes will be the senior man at the heart of the Cottagers' defence.

Ruud van Nistelrooy – a three-time Champions League top scorer – is set to lead the Hamburg line after Croatian Mladen Petric was ruled out with a torn hamstring.


JEROME BOATENG v BOBBY ZAMORA

Bobby Zamora has been a revelation in Europe this season and is the top scorer left in the competition with six goals.

Jerome Boateng, brother of Portsmouth's Kevin-Prince, is adept across the back four.

The 6ft 3in German Under-21 international's height will be important to nullify Zamora.

DAVID JAROLIM v DANNY MURPHY

Czech midfielder and club skipper David Jarolim is a key man in the heart of the Hamburg engine room and sets the tempo for his side.

Likewise, Danny Murphy is Fulham's linchpin, with the ability to slip the killer pass.

A class act, the veteran's technical nous is well-suited to the more refined pace of European football.


White Noise

http://www.uefa.com/uefaeuropaleague/news/newsid=1479807.html

Beckenbauer's Hamburg hopes

Published: Thursday 22 April 2010, 10.55CET

Having seen FC Bayern München take a big step towards a European final, Franz Beckenbauer hopes that another former club, Hamburger SV, can achieve more of the same tonight.

Franz Beckenbauer may be an FC Bayern München man to the core but the German football great has a soft spot for Hamburger SV – and says it would be "a dream" for them to reach this season's UEFA Europa League final on home soil.

'Der Kaiser' spent two years with HSV after moving back to Germany from New York Cosmos and helped them win the 1981/82 Bundesliga in his final campaign before a valedictory season with the Cosmos.

Hence he is hoping Bruno Labbadia's charges can achieve their goal of participating in the inaugural UEFA Europa League final at their own Hamburg Arena on 12 May. "HSV are one of the best teams we have in Germany," Beckenbauer told UEFA.com at last month's UEFA Congress in Tel Aviv.

"Fate has decreed that the final of the Europa League will take place in Hamburg, and it would be a dream if HSV could reach the final. It is possible – of course it is possible, the draw has made it possible – but it will definitely be very difficult."

Beckenbauer is now honorary president of Bayern and watched his side defeat Olympique Lyonnais 1-0 in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League semi-final last night. A similar result against Fulham FC tonight would also put HSV in the box seat ahead of next week's return match in London.

Hamburg lost to another Bundesliga team, Werder Bremen, at the semi-final stage last term and have been urged by coach Labbadia to take "this great chance" as they target their first major European final since winning the European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1983.

It would be a fitting return to the top for a side Beckenbauer praised for their long tradition, describing them as a "real institution" in the German game.

"HSV are a traditional club, an old club, more 100 years old. They have produced many big players – Uwe Seeler, Willi Schulz and so on. They're a traditional club in the Bundesliga, and also a great name in international football.

"The Bundesliga was created in 1963, and HSV are the only club that have always stayed in the Bundesliga – all the others have gone up and down, while Bayern only joined in 1965. So HSV are a real institution, a real tradition. I think any fan of HSV is proud to support their club."


White Noise


http://www.bettingpro.com/category/Football/Hamburg-v-Fulham-preview-and-betting-tips-201004220089/


Hamburg v Fulham preview and betting tips

Bobby Zamora is 8/1 to open the scoring tonight in Hamburg

Bettingpro Staff - 22 Apr 2010

German side may be too strong for Cottagers

Fulham's season has dipped since they begun concentrating on the Europa League, and since their first-leg against Juventus at the start of March, Roy Hodgson's side have only one out of nine domestic fixtures.

Form is vital towards the end of the season, as bodies and minds become tired, and Fulham may find it difficult to lift their game sufficiently to cope with the threat posed by Hamburg this evening, particularly after a 27-hour coach trip to Germany.

Fulham did beat Wolfsburg the last time they were in Germany, and Hodgson will attempt to play the same stifling defensive tactics that worked so well against the Wolves. His ideal result would be another one-nil victory (12/1, SkyBet), although it is unlikely that the English side will be able to stop their opponents from scoring.

Hamburg have scored in, and won, every one of their home Europa League fixtures this season, apart from a goal-less draw with Celtic in the group stages. They are, therefore, actually good value, at 4/6 (Bet365) to win tonight, particularly as the last time Fulham played a first-leg tie away from home they were soundly beaten three-one by Juventus.

It is 14/1 (Bet365) that Hamburg win by the same score-line as Juventus did, and both Marcus Berg (6/1, StanJames) and Ruud Van Nistlrooy (4/1, Bet365) are capable of goals. The latter has been adding his voice to the growing number calling for Bobby Zamora (8/1, Bet365) to be called into the England World Cup squad. If Zamora can score at any time tonight (5/2, Bet365) then he will greatly increase his chances of catching Fabio Capello's eye.

Recommendation

Win Market – Hamburg (4/6, Bet365)

White Noise

#44
http://community.footballpools.com/blog/2010/04/22/cascarinos-europa-league-preview-hamburg-v-fulham/

Cascarino's Europa League Preview: Hamburg v Fulham

It would take a brave man to bet against Fulham reaching the Europa League final as they keep surprising everybody with their performances in this competition including me. Roy Hodgson and his team will not be overawed by Hamburg in any way shape or form after dumping out the likes of Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus and Wolfsburg en-route to the semi-final. The Cottagers comfortably beat a German side in the last round and they will line-up in a very similar way with the same game-plan in order to progress this time.

Why should Roy change anything tactically for this one when his team have kept coming up with aces against the top European teams they've faced. It has been a simply amazing adventure for Fulham in Europe this season and they won't want it to end when they are so close to a final. The Cottagers are a very strong organised team and will be extremely hard for the Germans to break down.

Hodgson has obviously put in the hours on the training ground with this team and it has paid dividends. Fulham are one of the most organised sides in the Premier League and give very little away. There is plenty of experience within the team and they all know their roles and all put in a shift on the pitch. One of the unsung heroes for me this season has been goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer who has been consistently strong and breeds confidence to his defence. He has been a solid Premier League goalkeeper for some time and he has got to be one of the best signings the club has made in recent years.

Bobby Zamora also plays a key role in holding the ball up and getting the midfield runners involved and his performances in this competition have been superb. He will occupy the home defenders and look to feed the likes of Damien Duff, Zoltan Gera and Simon Davies who all make great supporting runs. Bobby is the team's main goal threat too and he has shown a real eye for goal in Europe with seven goals including scoring home and away against Wolfsburg. Hopefully he can add to that tally again tonight.

Hamburg are likely to have former Manchester United striker Ruud Van Nistelrooy up front so Fulham will need to keep a close eye on him. The Dutchman has had his injury problems and at 33-years-old is not getting any younger but he remains an excellent finisher. He is not the player he once was but if you allow him any chances in the box, more often than not, he will score. Ruud has scored five goals in 14 appearances for Hamburg but only started ten games. He has only played a full match on five occasions as injuries have limited him but he is still a player to be feared, at least in terms of taking chances. The Dutchman won't offer an awful lot outside the box these days but give him a sniff and he is likely to score.

The way Fulham play is perfect for playing away in Europe; they hold their shape, flood the midfield and have a number of intelligent footballers like Danny Murphy who can keep possession when needed. After getting this far against the odds, I certainly wouldn't back against them getting a positive result ahead of the 2nd leg at Craven Cottage even with all the travelling they've done.

White Noise

http://www.premiershiptalk.com/2010/04/22/fulham-show-unity-in-pursuit-of-glory/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+PremiershipTalk+%28Premiership+Talk%29

Fulham show unity in pursuit of glory


By Zain Alvi | 22nd April 2010


It wasn't too long ago that Fulham were poised for relegation. To be precise, about two years ago, the Cottagers were battling for Premier League survival, which was finally masterminded by their persistent manager Roy Hodgson. One of the most impressive English managers in the modern game, Hodgson inherited (and successfully groomed) a team that had struggled to find its identity under Lawrie Sanchez.

Now that the West Londoners are only three games away from lifting the Europa League title, the club's players are making it a point to publicly recognize the contributions of a man who is a very qualified candidate for the Manager of the Year award this season. Speaking ahead of Fulham's semifinal first leg in Hamburg, Danny Murphy lavished praise at his boss for changing the mentality of the club.

"He changed the whole way we were playing. He made us more of a footballing team than the direct‑ball team under Lawrie. It hadn't been ideal for the players we had: we had footballers, rather than just 6ft 2in athletes."

Murphy, who inherited the captain's armband under Hodgson last season, added: "Roy brought in some of his own personnel and made some really astute signings. The squad suddenly had more experience and, with time, we were able to adopt the style and pattern of play that he wanted.

"It was clear very quickly that we were moving forward as a squad and a team. His knowledge of the game, his philosophies ... he has that temperament a manager needs. He never gets too down, and he doesn't let us get too carried away when we're having a good spell, either."

The Fulham faithful have also made it clear that they are enjoying their team's football a lot more than they did before Hodgson took over. Their strong support was witnessed at the beginning of the week when a lot of them decided to follow the team to Germany in a long trip that involved traveling by ferry and ground transportation in the absence of an operational airspace.

Defender Aaron Hughes made it a point to also pay tribute to these fans. He told the club's website that the players are delighted to see the supporters show such great enthusiasm.

"Having a bit of support in the stadium will be great," Hughes told fulhamfc.com. "It's good for the supporters because it gives them the chance to come out and see the semifinal and it's not very often you get to see a European semifinal.

"A lot of people are desperate to come and watch us – they've traveled so far following us throughout this competition. Now that the flights are back on, it will make life easier for so many fans," he concluded.