Thursday Fulham Stuff (03/01/13)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Martin Jol believes keeping Bryan Ruiz fit will keep Fulham in the Premier League


Bryan Ruiz: Missed five weeks with hamstring injury

Fulham manager Martin Jol believes the return of Bryan Ruiz from injury will be crucial in turning their season around.

The Costa Rican playmaker was sidelined for five weeks by a hamstring problem, but he returned for the Boxing Day draw with Southampton.
Jol insisted Ruiz was "influential" in the 2-1 win at West Brom on New Year's Day which saw the Cottagers pull six points clear of the Premier League relegation zone.

"We need five or six wins as soon as possible because all the managers of all these teams around us will worry because it is not a great position to be in," said Jol.

"But you saw at West Brom how influential Bryan Ruiz can be and he wasn't there for seven or eight games."

Jol also had positive reports on injured duo Damien Duff and Mladen Petric as he looks to guide Fulham into the top half of the table.

"Damien hopefully will come back next week and Mladen will come back," he added. "If we've got everybody on board, I think we are a good team, but, if not, then we struggle."



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11661/8377284?

[WhiteJC]

 
Bulgarian Football Star Berbatov Declared 'The Macedonian'

Neighboring Macedonia has been accused in Bulgaria of "limitless megalomania" after labeling Bulgarian star striker and Fulham player Dimitar Berbatov "Mitko the Macedonian."

The Bulgarian Standard daily writes that Macedonian site sitel.com.mk has written the following after Fulham's win against West Bromwich when the Bulgarian football player scored a goal: "Bulgarian national player, born in the city of Blagoevgrad, known in his homeland as Mitko "The Macedonian," scored the first goal in the Premiership League for 2013."

"The boldness of our neighbors does not stop with Berbatov. According to the Macedonian site, Swedish national with Serbian origins, Alex Kacaniklic, also has Macedonian roots," Standard writes.

Similar reports appeared in a number of Bulgarian media Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Sitel already struck back, quoting the Bulgarian publications, and reminding readers that there is a Facebook page with 2 000 supporters titled "Dimitar Berbatov, the Best Macedonian Football Player."

Sitel further insists that Dimitar's father Ivan, who felt Macedonian, took the young player first to sign with the Vardar Football Club, and he ended with the Sofia-based CSKA only because Vardar rejected him.

"We don't have anything else left to say, except to wish Mitko to continue scoring goals in the new season and that the time has come for him to play, let it be only in a humanitarian game, for Macedonia. Fast forward, Mitko..."



http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=146509

[WhiteJC]

 
Kacaniklic targets strong finish
Alex Kacaniklic has challenged Fulham to re-establish themselves in the Premier League top ten and hailed the contribution of Dimitar Berbatov.

Kacaniklic helped Martin Jol's side to secure only their second win in 13 Premier League matches via a 2-1 triumph at West Brom with a cool second-half finish at the Hawthorns on New Years Day.

But Berbatov was the Cottagers' man of the match, scoring the opening goal and continually tormenting Albion with his vision and skill on the ball.

The Bulgarian has now netted seven times this season and appears to be benefiting from the regular football which he seldom achieved at Manchester United.

Kacaniklic said: "Dimitar is always good. You can just tell, he's so comfortable on the ball, and he scored a goal as well.

"He's been at some of the top clubs in England and at international level too.

"You always learn from him every day in training and again in games.

"For me, he is a player who should be playing every week.

"He is a class player and he should be playing every week with any team he's in."

Fulham had been sliding towards the relegation zone after a bright start to the season before winning in the Premier League for the first time at the Hawthorns at the seventh attempt.

"We needed a win. We've been unlucky with results for the past two months," Kacaniklic added.

"We needed to start the New Year well.

"If you look at the squad, we have great players and we just haven't played as well as we can. Hopefully now we can get going again.

"For the first few games we were high up the table. But two wins out of the last 13 games is not good enough for us.

"We should be higher up than we are. We should get into that top 10."

Fulham boss Martin Jol praised the influence of Bryan Ruiz and knows the importance of having key players back available after injury.

He said: "We need five or six wins as soon as possible because all the managers of all these teams (around us) will worry because it is not a great position to be in.

"But you saw at West Brom how influential Bryan Ruiz can be and he wasn't there for seven or eight games.

"Damien (Duff) hopefully will come back next week and (Mladen) Petric will come back. If we've got everybody on board, I think we are a good team, but, if not, then we struggle."

Baggies defender Billy Jones remains optimistic the midlands club can build on a successful first half to the season despite the setback against Martin Jol's side.

He said: "We have to remain positive, the position we're in is a good one, we just want to kick on from where we are.

"We want to get to 40 points and see how far we can go, To be honest, what gets talked about is reaching 40 points as soon as possible.

"But we can't take it for granted that we're going to have a great season from the position we're in at the moment.

"We'll have little blips, we've had back to back losses before then gone on to win games."



http://www.football365.com/west-bromwich-albion/8377322/Kacaniklic-targets-strong-finish?

[WhiteJC]

 
Bridcutt Still on the Radar

With the January transfer window now having creaked open, we`re all anxiously waiting to see who Martin Jol will bring to Craven Cottage.

Today the name of one possible target has resurfaced, that of the unsettled Brighton midfielder Liam Bridcutt

Apparently, along with Reading, Aston Villa, Swansea City, our interest is supposed to be genuine.

Will Bridcutt become a Fulham player?

We can but wait and see!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=304237#ixzz2GvWsU4lE

[WhiteJC]

 
Karagounis - Onwards And Upwards

Giorgos Karagounis has hailed Fulham's 2-1 win at West Bromwich Albion on New Year's Day as a 'massive victory' for the Whites.

Fulham went into the televised game at The Hawthorns with just one win in their previous 12 matches, a disappointing run of form which had seen Martin Jol's side slip into the bottom half of the Barclays Premier League table.

But, despite the early start, the Whites began 2013 with a bang as goals from Dimitar Berbatov and Alexander Kačaniklić either side of Romelu Lukaku's leveller earned Fulham a vital three points.

And Greek midfielder Karagounis, who started the fixture, told the official website: "Prior to the match against West Brom we didn't take as many points as we had hoped, especially at home. We felt as though we deserved a bit more given the quality in the squad. I feel that we didn't have much luck go our way against Swansea City, it was a game we should have won but we didn't even come away with a draw.

"We must leave that behind us now because we started the New Year with a massive victory away from home which helps give our confidence a boost given the results from the previous matches."

Karagounis, who joined the Whites as a free agent in September, is now hoping Fulham can take use the win at the home of the Baggies as the springboard for a successful second half of the campaign.

"I think that we can now take this forward in the next games that we play, starting with Saturday's FA Cup match against Blackpool," he said. "The result against West Brom can help us move forward now with greater confidence because the Team doesn't deserve to be in its current league position but higher up - as we were at the start of the season.

"We want to finish as high as possible in the Premier League and to progress as far as we can in the FA Cup. If we have a chance to win it, then why not? If we keep our focus on the game we are about to play, it shows that we will always give each fixture our full concentration which in the long run will be better for everyone and the Team."

As one of the most experienced players in the squad, the 35-year-old admits he has an important role to play at Fulham - on and off the pitch.

"Even when I was a lot younger, the senior players with a lot of experience helped me," stated Karagounis. "Young players just want to learn. You might think that you know everything when you are young, and I perhaps thought this myself at the time, but it's not true. If a young player asks me for advice, I'm not only happy to help but feel it's my duty. The only problem I have is with the language as I need to improve my English a bit more but I try to help as much as I am able to with great pleasure."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/january/02/karagounis-onwards-and-upwards?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham Clinch Signing Of Twente's Teen Chris David
by LRCN on JANUARY 2, 2013



Reports from Holland are strongly suggesting that Dutch midfielder Chris David has finally secured a long-await move to Fulham. The nineteen year old was all set to join from Steve McClaren's FC Twente in the Summer – the Twente website even going as far as confirming a move - but time ran out for a sufficient medical. However, the transfer was wrapped up in the early weeks of the season and it seems as if it was just a case of confirming the move once the transfer window had reopened despite interest from Dutch giants Ajax.

Ahead of the move, Twente refused to feature him this season, but as one for the future one can hope that in a few seasons time he can make the same kind of impact Bryan Ruiz has at Fulham who also followed the same path to the London club. The fee is expected to be nominal.

See below for a video of (a younger) Chris David, and click here for a mention of him in HammyEnd's Summer Transfer window roundup.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2013/01/fulham-clinch-signing-of-twentes-teen-chris-david/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Boateng To Fulham - Done Deal

Ghanian international Derek Boateng has undergone a successful medical today ahead of a January move to Fulham.

Boateng, who has been out of favour at Ukrainian club Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk - managed by Juande Ramos - this season, was close to a move to Craven Cottage in the summer, only for talks to break down on deadline day.

But in early December the west Londoners resumed negotiations with the midfielder with a view to completing the protracted deal in the New Year

Now it appears an agreement has been reached and, barring any late complications, the deal should be finalised and announced in the coming days.

Martin Jol is a long-term admirer of Boateng, who can also play at centre-back, and is looking to add protection to a defence which has conceded 37 goals in 21 Premier League games this season.

The 29-year-old has enjoyed a nomadic career, including spells at Panathinaikos, Beitar Jerusalem, Bundesliga side Koln and La Liga outfit Getafe, as well as earning 40 caps for his country.



http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/soccer/artikel.php?ID=261049

[WhiteJC]

 
Greek grit gives Fulham a firm foundation
by DAN on JANUARY 2, 2013



Nobody's quite sure how long Giorgos Karagounis will last at Fulham. His arrival was seen by some as a desperate decision from Martin Jol, signing a 35 year-old stopgap after the Dutchman found it far from straightforward to plug the gaps left by the departures of Danny Murphy, Dickson Etuhu and Mousa Dembele during the summer. The Greek veteran has had to wait patiently for his chance, but his doughty presence at the heart of Fulham's midfield has suddenly provided some of the steel that has been sorely lacking during the recent woeful winter winless streak.

He might not possess the fleet-footedness of a Dembele and can't quite match Murphy's cultured passing, but Karagounis' intelligent football brain is an asset to any side. Coupled with his immense hunger for success and a dogged determination, it has made him nothing short of an idol in Greek football. Revered by Panathinaikos fans for his whole-hearted displays over ten years – split into two spells – with the Shamrock, opposition goalkeepers remember the pint-sized predator. Fabien Barthez described the free-kick that Karagounis lashed past him from 20 yards at Old Trafford in 2000 as one of the fiercest he'd ever faced, whilst Arsenal fans still wince at the memory of his diving header that sealed a famous win in the Apostolos Nikolaidis the following season. That's before we consider the strike that shocked the hosts of Euro 2004, but proved a potent of things to come, as the unheralded Greeks went on to win the tournament, surprising Portugal again in the final.

Karagounis has appeared in a variety of positions already in his short spell at Fulham. Together with Kieran Richardson, he helped alter the momentum of a game that seemed to be slipping away at Southampton, as a substitute in central midfield. He operated on the left of a five-man midfield at Stoke, but it was on his next start at Stamford Bridge, in a more advanced position, that Karagounis really shone. His tireless work rate denied Oriel Romeu and Ramires any time on the ball and John Arne Riise really should have profited from a sublime, searching pass from that sent the full-back bearing down on Petr Cech.

In the last week, offered a chance to add a little more bite and guile in a malfunctioning Fulham midfield, Karagounis has switched from stopgap to an integral part of the side. His performance at the Hawthorns yesterday was typical. He successfully won a physical battle with Yousef Mulumbu for control of the midfield and, crucially, dropped into the deeper positions too often vacated by Baird and Sidwell in recent weeks, to take the ball off the back four. He strode forward with purpose and had the most successful distribution of anyone on the field, completing 92% of his passes. His dynamism and energy allowed Fulham to play more first-half football than they have of late and created the space for the team's two artisans, Bryan Ruiz and Dimitar Berbatov, to hurt West Brom.

Karagounis' introduction to the pace and power of the Premier League has revived an international career that appeared to be after he fell out of favour with Panathinaikos coach Jesualdo Ferreira. Now his country's most-capped player, Karagounis hopes to end a glittering career in the service of his troubled nation in Brazil at next year's World Cup. His endeavour has already made him a popular member of the Fulham dressing room, even if he admits he still struggles to understand the hurried English of some of his team-mates. Despite the energy-sapping 75 minutes of action, Karagounis sprinted off the substitutes' bench at the Hawthorns with all the energy of a teenager to celebrate yesterday's vital win, and he's already bellowed at plenty of referees in Greek to avoid a caution.

Should Martin Jol strengthen his midfield as he wishes in the next two transfer windows, Karagounis' stay at Craven Cottage might be a short one – but the gritty Greek's already made quite an impression. He's already eager to build on the win over West Brom and, with Mahamadou Diarra and potential new recruit Derek Boateng possibly off to the African Nations' Cup in a couple of weeks, he could plenty more ground to cover.


http://hammyend.com/index.php/2013/01/greek-grit-gives-fulham-a-firm-foundation/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Slogan's run: Berbatov's Fulham pals have forgiven T-shirt message

The Bulgarian big head flaunted the message 'keep calm and pass me the ball' - but he's a big enough talent to be forgiven


Keep calm! Dimitar Berbatov of Fulham celebrates his goal against Southampton

Dimitar Berbatov's Fulham team-mates have forgiven the striker for his arrogant T-shirt antics.

Fulham's mercurial Bulgarian revealed a personalised top saying 'keep calm and pass me the ball' after netting against Southampton.

His actions on Boxing Day in the 1-1 draw with Saints earned a rebuke from boss Martin Jol.

Berbatov's team-mates were not impressed either by his criticisms.

But Berbatov, 31, signed from Man United last summer, redeemed himself inspiring Fulham to just their second League away win this term at West Brom.

The forward's man-of-the-match display and opening goal ensured a vital 2-1 win for the strugglers.

Alexander Kacaniklic grabbed a second half winner and insisted there are no on-going issues with Berbatov.

Asked about Berbatov's T-shirt antics, Kacaniklic, 21, said: "It wasn't a problem.

"He keeps the ball for the team and he scored a goal too. When he plays like that he is one of the best players in the league definitely.

"Not many players are better than him. He is always good. You can just tell he is so calm with the ball."

Berbatov's goal at The Hawthorns was his seventh of the season.

He was allowed to leave Old Trafford in a cut-price deal and Kacaniklic believes Fulham have got a bargain.

Kacaniklic added: "He has been at top clubs in England and international level too. You always learn from him in training and look at him in games. He is a great player. He should be playing every week at any team he is in - he is class."

Victory at Albion was just Fulham's second win in 13 matches. Kacaniklic said: "We needed a win. We have been unlucky the past two months. We haven't played as well as we can. Hopefully now we can get going again."



http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/fulhams-dimitar-berbatov-has-been-forgiven-1515199?

[WhiteJC]

 
Duo on Cottage wanted list

Fulham are reportedly set to sign Ghana international midfielder Derek Boateng and teenage Dutch midfielder Chris David this month.

Cottagers boss Martin Jol has made no secret of the fact that he wants to bolster his squad with several new faces in this January transfer window and it appears he is going back to sign players that he just missed out on last summer.

A bid to bring in Boateng from Ukrainian club Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk failed to materialise in August when talks broke down.

But with the player out of favour under former Tottenham boss Juande Ramos so far this term, it seems he is now desperate to make the move to Craven Cottage.

It is thought negotiations in December went well and the 29-year-old could join the club in the coming days, subject to a medical.

Meanwhile, 19-year-old David is also again being linked with a move to Fulham after running out of time to complete a medical in August.

The youngster remained with Steve McClaren's FC Twente for the first half of the season but reports claim David was always going to make the move as soon as the January window opened regardless of interest from Ajax.



http://www.clubcall.com/fulham/duo-on-cottage-wanted-list-1525981.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Derek Boateng set for work permit hearing ahead of proposed Fulham transfer

Sky Sports understands that Fulham will attend a work permit hearing for Ghana star Derek Boateng on Friday.

The Premier League outfit have been leading the chase for the midfielder for a number of months and they are now hopeful of sealing a deal for the 29-year-old.

Boateng is currently playing in Ukraine with Dnipro, but he and his family are far from settled and are eager to move to England.

The former Getafe star was close to moving to the Premier League in the summer of 2011 before joining Dnipro, but a deal with West Brom failed to materialise.

As a teenager Boateng was poised to join Middlesbrough, but that was before he became a full international and he did not qualify for a work permit at that stage.



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11661/8378184?

[WhiteJC]

 
Royals Up First For U18s

Fulham's Under-18s will begin their Barclays Academy Premier League Elite Group with an away trip to Reading on Saturday 19th January (11am).

Steve Wigley's side finished in second place in Group Three of the qualification phase, winning eight of their 12 matches and scoring 38 goals.

That saw the Whites seal their place in the Elite Group and Wigley's men will face the Royals in their first game, before hosting Manchester United at Motspur Park on Saturday 26th January (11am).

Other highlights for Fulham, who have won two straight Academy League titles, as well as the National Play-Off Final last season, include home and away fixtures with Chelsea as well as a London derby with Crystal Palace.

To see the full list of fixtures, click here.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/january/03/royals-up-first-for-u18s?

[WhiteJC]

 
Blackpool Tickets

Martin Jol's Team begin their FA Cup campaign this weekend as Blackpool visit Craven Cottage on Saturday 5th January (3pm).

Following an away win at West Bromwich Albion on New Year's Day, the Whites will be hoping for another good result at home.

Match tickets are available for just £15 for adults and £5 for juniors when purchased in advance. Adult tickets rise to £20 on matchday so be sure to buy yours today.

Tickets can be purchased online, or by calling the Ticket Office on 0843 208 1234 (option 1).


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/january/03/blackpool-tickets?

[WhiteJC]

 
Vegard Forren looks set to leave Molde, Norwegian club have confirmed

Norwegian club Molde have confirmed that they are in talks with an unnamed club over the sale of defensive star Vegard Forren.

The highly-rated 24-year-old defender has been watched closely by a number of Premier League clubs in recent months.

Everton were regarded as favourites after David Moyespersonally took in a Molde game, while Manchester United,Newcastle, Fulham and Sunderland are also said to have an interest.

Now Molde's boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has revealed that Forren will not be linking up with the Norway national squad this month as he is in talks to leave the club.

"Vegard is not travelling to the National Team camp because we are in the final stages of negotiations with another club," Solskjaer told Romsdals Budstikke.

"It's possible that Vegard will go for a medical check-up and negotiate his personal contract."



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/8378461/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Boss To Decide On LDV After Boro

Davis to wait until after Stevenage game before making decision on Lauri

Boss Steve Davis says he will decide on whether to extend Lauri Dalla Valle's loan spell from Fulham after Saturday's game with Stevenage.

Dalla Valle has hit five goals in 11 appearances for the Alex, but the game with Boro is set to be his last in a Crewe shirt.

Davis admits he has a decision to make: "Lauri has the Stevenage game and then we will reassess the situation. I am not quite sure what to do yet.

"He is a real team player and is good goal poacher, he showed that against Carlisle. He will improve as he plays more games so we will talk with Fulham about the situation."


http://www.crewealex.net/news/article/boss-to-decide-on-ldv-after-boro-576455.aspx?