Saturday Fulham Stuff (19/01/13)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Richardson could fill Riise role at Fulham

KIERAN Richardson has the potential to make left-back his best position, says Fulham boss Martin Jol.

Richardson, who netted a 90th minute equaliser at Blackpool on Tuesday night, was surprisingly used as a full-back against Wigan on Saturday, rather than the out-of-favour John Arne Riise or Matthew Briggs, who was carrying a slight knock.

It was a position Richardson played in for Sunderland at times, but reportedly without the enthusiasm he has for the midfield roles he normally takes.

Yet Fulham's boss is convinced left-back could be the way forward for the former Manchester United and England player.

"He said when he was at his previous club that he didn't like the position, but from what I've seen of him, I think he's the perfect left-back," Jol said.

"He's quick and he doesn't back off.

"I had a couple of conversations with him, and he enjoyed it because he said over here he can play it in a more offensive style, and he feels better about it now.

"I always try to get the best out of my players and I feel that, at the moment, it is probably his best position."

It was only a few weeks ago that Jol suggested Richardson was under-achieving and lacking fitness, but Fulham's manager was pleased with what he saw in the player against Wigan.

He added: "I feel that he was disappointed with himself before, so I'm happy for him now that he finds his form, that he's more confident now."



Read More http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/fulham-fc/2013/01/18/82029-32631104/?#ixzz2IOPvi1T2

[WhiteJC]

 
Hull City: Fulham keeper David Stockdale re-joins on loan

Hull City have signed Fulham goalkeeper David Stockdale on loan until the end of the season.

The 27-year-old played five games for the Tigers earlier this campaign before being recalled by the Cottagers.

Boss Steve Bruce told BBC Radio Humberside: "It is until the end of the season but of course that could change if anything happens to Mark Schwarzer."

Stockdale helped the club to three wins and a draw in his initial spell with the Championship side.

Meanwhile, Bruce has revealed the club are in discussions with QPR over striker DJ Campbell.

The 31-year-old, who scored 10 goals in 17 games for Ipswich during a loan spell earlier this season, has played just once for Harry Redknapp's side during the current campaign.

He said: "We'll have to see what DJ wants to do but it could be with a view to a permanent deal and it's ongoing.
"Ipswich will be trying desperately to get him and I think Crystal Palace are looking at him too."

He added: "I know the boy because I signed him for Birmingham from Brentford a lot of years ago. Maybe he owes me one.

"He's a very talented boy and he was scoring goals in the Premier League a couple of seasons ago. He'll do great if he comes."

Possibly on the way out of the KC Stadium is midfielder Paul McKenna, who is attracting interest from League Two side Fleetwood.

McKenna, 35, has not featured in the league since the 2-1 win over Wolves in November.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21079606?

[WhiteJC]

 
Premier League: Manchester City v Fulham Match Preview
A
look ahead to this weekend's Premier League fixture at the Etihad Stadium

Manchester City have taken maximum points in their past three outings, as they look to close the seven point gap behind leaders Manchester United.

The champions have won seven of their past eight matches in all competitions, with a 2-0 victory at Arsenal last time out enhancing their title credentials.

Sergio Aguero could return from injury as Manchester City look to extend their winning run against Fulham on Saturday. City also received a welcome boost on Tuesday when the red card shown to captain Vincent Kompany against Arsenal was overturned. Samir Nasri is in contention after serving a three match ban for the dismissal he received at Norwich, but Micah Richards and Maicon (both knee) are out, along with Jack Rodwell (hamstring).

Fulham have slipped to the bottom half of the table after winning just two of their past 14 games.

The west London club were held to a 1-1 draw at home to Wigan Athletic at the weekend before snatching a place in the fourth round of the FA Cup with a 2-1 win over Championship side Blackpool on Tuesday.

Dimitar Berbatov will return for the trip to the Etihad, after the Bulgarian was rested midweek.

Bryan Ruiz and Steve Sidwell are available, but Davies (hip), Kerim Frei (groin) and Mahamadou Diarra (knee) are all out.



KICK-OFF: Saturday, 3pm



PAST THREE MEETINGS...

Fulham 1 (Petric) Manchester City 2 (Aguero, Dzeko) – Premier League. September 2012

Manchester City 3 (Aguero, Baird o.g, Dzeko) Fulham 0 - Premier League.  February 2012

Fulham 2 (Zamora, Kompany o.g) Manchester City 2 (Aguero 2)- Premier League. September 2011



STATS...

Manchester City have won 65 of the last 67 games when they have been leading by two goals - the others both ended in draws.

City defender Pablo Zabaleta has made more tackles (67) than anyone else at the Etihad Stadium. He averages one every 22.5 minutes.

The reigning Premier League champions are averaging 1.12 points per goal in the top flight this season.

Fulham have scored almost a quarter (23%) of their 31 Premier League goals this season in the final 10 minutes of matches.

The Cottagers have only won three of their last 16 matches in all competitions.

Summer signing Dimitar Berbatov is the club's leading goalscorer this season - he has seven goals to his name.

Chris Baird has made the joint-highest number of interceptions per game (3.6) in the Premier League.



ODDS...

Manchester City to win: 1.27

Fulham to win: 14

Draw: 6.8



TV: Highlights on BBC1 at 10.30pm



http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/premier-league-manchester-city-v-fulham-match-preview-8457951.html

[WhiteJC]

 
FULHAM MUST BUILD

It wasn't ideal and it wasn't perfect, but Fulham's 2-1 replay victory over Blackpool could be just what's required in order to kick-start their jittery campaign.

A late goal from Kieran Richardson rescued the Cottagers FA Cup campaign before Brede Hangeland headed in the winner in the 116th minute.

The victory was expected of the West London side however the tie shouldn't have reached that stage; routine victory should have been wrapped up against the Championship side at the Cottage.

Martin Jol is currently bookies favourite for the next Premier League manager to be sacked, which highlights the poor performances on the pitch so far.

With only two league wins since October, the Whites need to up their game otherwise they could be dragged back down into a relegation battle.

What needs to happen?

Well, in order to avoid a relegation battle Jol quite simply needs to bring new players in. Whilst Petric showed good early form, and Rodallega has been good in patches, seven league goals between the two have not been enough.

The Whites need a goalscorer who can feed off Berbatov, a forward that can score goals to fire Fulham to some form. Berbatov plays the perfect role of the support striker and the creator but he needs someone who can stick away those chances.

Darren Bent who is out of favour at Aston Villa would be the perfect fit but will cost Fulham too much. It's not only important that the Whites strengthen upfront but also in other areas.

If the club could sign Yann M'Vila from Rennes he could play the pivotal role in commanding the midfield, similar to Dickson Etuhu who was the unsung hero of previous campaigns.

Jol must not lose the dressing room. There have already been reports of a bust-up with Jon Arne Riise, even though media reports are not always true, it's important for Jol to keep the dressing room behind his tactics.

The negatives out of the way, the season still has a long way to run and the Whites are 13th in the league. They must arrest their current form and start turning the Cottage into a fortress again.

In Jol we trust, onwards and upwards.


http://www.shoot.co.uk/news/latest_article/C48/premier_league/fulham_must_build/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Redknapp keen to bring in Hangeland

QPR manager Harry Redknapp has admitted to his interest in signing Fulham's Brede Hangeland this January.

Redknapp has been targeting central defenders since arriving at Loftus Road in November and that need has only increased with the news that Ryan Nelsen will be departing for Toronto FC, with the centre-back set to leave at the end of February.

Whether Hangeland will help with the remainder of the relegation fight remains to be seen, though, as Redknapp conceded that it will take something significant to prize him away from Fulham.

Redknapp said: "I like him but I think it'll be difficult to get him. He's at Fulham but I like him as a central defender for sure. Ryan's going. It leaves us... he's a real leader for us, Ryan Nelsen, a big miss for us.

"We could do with another strong character in there. Hopefully not until the end of February, beginning of March, that period."

Despite his requirements, however, Redknapp re-iterated he would only make more signings if he felt they could improve the team.

He added: "If the players can help this squad, I'll change a few around if I can. But, if I can't find the ones that I think will make a bit of difference, I won't bother."



http://soccernet.espn.go.com/news/story/_/id/1304518?&cc=5739

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham battle to secure midfielder deal

Fulham have met the £5million price tag placed upon Zulte Waregem midfielder Junior Malanda but still face a battle to secure the young star's signature, according to Mail Online.

The West London club made two bids last week but neither met Zulte Waregem's asking price and both were rejected, it is claimed.  The new bid consists of £3.4million up front and the remainder in instalments.

Struggle

However, Waregem are keen to hold on to the youngster until the end of the season, meaning that Fulham may struggle to secure Belgian's services by the end of the January transfer window.

The 18-year-old is seen as a key transfer target by Fulham manager Martin Jol, who is hoping to use the powerful midfielder to strengthen his midfield.

Strength

The Craven Cottage boss reportedly believes Malanda could be used as a midfield anchor man because of his strength.

The Whites are in need of reinforcements having struggled to find their form so far this term.

The club currently lie in 13th position in the Premier League and are only six points clear of the bottom three.


http://www.touchlinetalk.com/fulham-battle-to-secure-midfielder-deal/25490/?

[WhiteJC]

 
I'm a lover not a fighter: Jol dismisses talk of bust-up with Riise as defender nears Fulham exit

Martin Jol has branded himself 'Mr Nice Guy' in an attempt to play down talk of a feud with John Arne Riise after a scathing accusation of 'arrogance' was levelled at him by the defender's brother. 

The Fulham manager is understood to have had a row with the 32-year-old after Fulham's 2-1 home defeat against Swansea on December 29, with the full back believed to be angry at his demotion to the bench.

Jol was cryptic when asked if Riise was on his way out of the club, but Lillestrom midfielder Bjorn Helge Riise, who was offloaded on a free by the Dutchman in the summer, told a Norwegian newspaper that the pair have fallen out and suggested Jol is not popular in the Craven Cottage dressing room.


Mr lover man: Martin Jol says he has not had any bust-ups at Fulham

'Martin Jol is disliked by most players and can act very arrogantly,' Riise told Sunnmorsposten.

'He is OK with those he likes, but does not speak to those who are at odds with him. I am not surprised by this [falling out].'

Jol hit back yesterday by claiming he was on good terms with John Arne Riise. He said: 'My relationship with John was fantastic. It is now probably okay, still good. If a player is not playing the reason is apparently always a bust-up.

'But I have never had one with any player. I had a good conversation with John again today and there is no problem. I wanted to change a couple of things after the Liverpool game and that's what we did. He will fight for his place like any player would do if he wasn't playing.'

Jol claimed Bjorn Helge Riise called the club to distance himself from the reports. He said: 'He was almost crying and saying it is not true. He said I never said anything so I will take his word for it.'

Bjorn Helge Riise's comments of dressing room unrest are similar to those made by Bobby Zamora last year, but Jol believes his image is unwarranted.


On his way out: John Arne Riise looks set to leave Fulham

'I think it is a bit about me,' he said. 'If they look at me they think of someone who has bust ups all the time, but to be fair nothing is what it seems with that. What I think about myself is that I'm a nice guy.

'The players I feel always have a nice excuse to use a bust-up as a reason to leave a club. I never had a bust up here.'



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2264896/Martin-Jol-says-nice-guy-dismisses-bust-ups-Fulham.html#ixzz2IORy1Jbr
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[WhiteJC]

 
MARTIN JOL'S COTT NO WORRIES

MARTIN JOL has played down fears of Fulham being sucked into the Premier League relegation dogfight.

The Cottagers have plunged down the table at an alarming rate, having won just twice in their last 14 league games.

They now lie six points off the bottom three and the Fulham boss has been forced to defend rumours of dressing room bust-ups and boardroom splits.

And it does not promise to get any easier with today's trip to champions Manchester City.

But Jol said: "I am not alarmed. I feel we are strong enough to get points. We are unbeaten in January so far, winning two away games, which is pretty good.

"Of course, it will be better if you get three points against the Wigans of this world. Every point we get from these kind of places is a bonus."

Jol has seen Moussa Dembele, Clint Dempsey and Danny Murphy all head off to new clubs this season.

In their place the likes of Hugo Rodallega, Alex Kacaniklic and Kieran Richardson – who scored in the midweek FA Cup win at Blackpool – have taken time to find their feet. Jol added: "We have made some changes but we have players back now."

Fulham will face Vincent Kompany today after the FA rescinded the City defender's controversial red card at Arsenal.
Jol said: "A club has the right to appeal. All credit to them."

Meanwhile, Fulham will step up interest in Roma keeper Maarten Stekelenburg after letting David Stockdale joined Hull on loan for the rest of the season.



http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/293916/?