Wednesday Fulham Stuff(20/02/13)...

[WhiteJC]

 
FFC's Ultimate Fan

Ahead of this Saturday's home match against Stoke City, we want to find FFC's ultimate fan.

We want to see as many supporters as possible in their Fulham colours this weekend as we take on Stoke, so get your shirts, hats and scarves at the ready as you make your way to the Cottage.

With £15 off adult Replica Shirts, there's no reason not to get involved and get behind the Team.

What's more, we're going to give away a Replica Shirt to one lucky supporter, complete with "ultimate fan" printing on the back. To be in with a chance of being our winner, show us why you're our ultimate supporter by sending in a six second video clip using "Vine".

You can view our Vine video clip here.

What is Vine?
Vine is a mobile service that lets you create and share short looping videos (six seconds). Videos you post on Vine appear on your profile and are shared with your followers. You can also share them instantly to Twitter or Facebook.

How do I get started?
Vine is currently available for iPhone and iPod touch. You can download it here. After installing Vine on your device, you can sign up using an email address or sign in with your Twitter account. Once you've logged in, you can find people to follow, post your own videos, and more.

How can I win?
Simply show us why you're the Ultimate Fulham Fan. If you travel to every game, home and away, show us your ticket stubs or programme collection. Are you the first fan into the Cottage and the last one out? Do you sleep in a Fulham themed bedroom? Does Billy the Badger have pride of place in your house? Whatever it is that makes you our Ultimate Fan, show us in a 6 second video clip.

Once you've created your clip, be sure to tag it with #ffc #ultimatefan and we'll pick a winner from all of the entries on Monday 25th February.

Fulham v Stoke tickets still available on General Sale
If you've yet to get your tickets for Saturday's match, there's still time. Buy yours online today from £35 adults and £15 juniors.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/february/19/ffc-ultimate-fan?

[WhiteJC]

 
Under-18s 3-1 Reading

A Moussa Dembele-inspired Fulham Under-18s defeated Reading 3-1 at Motspur Park on Tuesday afternoon.

Dembele had put the Whites two goals up by half-time and although the Royals pulled one back, his stoppage-time strike secured his hat-trick and the points.

Dembele's first was a neat finish following a mistake by the visiting defence, whilst his second was a powerful volley after Reading had failed to clear their lines from a Fulham corner.

A Josh Passley foul saw the Berkshire side reduce the deficit but Dembele tapped in late on to maintain the Under-18s' 100 per cent record in the Elite Group.

Reading started the game brightly and had the ball in the back of the net on three minutes, but offside was given as it was headed in from a well-delivered free kick.

With nine minutes gone, Muamer Tankovic forced the keeper into a fine sprawling save with a rasping drive from range, before a gut-busting run down half the length of the pitch from Passley ended with him putting in a dangerous cross that was headed away for a corner. A goalmouth scramble followed but nobody could force the ball in and the referee ended up awarding the away side a free-kick.

The Whites took the lead on 14 minutes when a Reading defender attempted to play the ball back to his goalkeeper but could only find Dembele. The forward kept his composure to easily slot beyond the advancing keeper.

And Steve Wigley's side made it two on 21 minutes. A blistering counter attack saw Dembele play in Pat Roberts, but his left-footed effort was superbly palmed wide for a corner. Reading failed to clear the subsequent set-piece and Dembele thundered home a volley with aplomb inside the crowded penalty area.

Reading responded with a sweet free-kick which Max Oberschmidt was relieved to see fly just wide of his near post. Dembele was causing all manner of problems and he won a free-kick on 32 minutes when he was hauled down 20 yards from goal. Tankovic curled the resultant set-piece goalwards but it just clipped the bar before going over. It was a great effort from the Swede.

Fulham were dominating but Reading remained a threat and had an effort hit the woodwork themselves when their lone striker saw his low shot come back off the post, before George Williams saw an effort well saved on 43 minutes after Dembele had played him in from the left.

Reading started the second period with intent and it required a great last-ditch tackle from Liam Donnelly - a half-time replacement for Williams - to deny their right winger a clear shot on goal just inside the box.

Good play between Roberts and Emerson Hyndman down the right on 58 minutes saw the ball cut back to Tankovic but his shot was comfortably saved, and Reading had the ball in the net for the second time a minute later, but it was ruled out for a foul in the build-up. More good link-up play between Hyndman and Roberts saw the American play the winger in, only to see the keeper smother the shot that followed.

Dembele was desperately unlucky not to secure his hat-trick on 71 minutes. His pace saw him go one on one after being played in by Tankovic and his shot beat the keeper but hit the bar and bounce down onto the line. Unfortunately, the spin on the ball didn't work in Fulham's favour and it rolled away from goal rather than over the line. Hyndman was next to try his luck when he was in space eight yards from goal but he dragged his shot wide of the far post.

Reading pulled one back on 76 minutes with a penalty after Passley was adjudged to have blocked his man unfairly. Oberschmidt went the right way but there was too much power on the spot-kick.

Dembele was again denied the match ball moments later when his shot was blocked on the line by a man in yellow. And Tankovic missed a chance to sew up the points on 83 minutes, dragging his long-range effort narrowly wide after Dembele had found him with a neat flick.

Dembele wasn't to be denied altogether, though, as he secured his hat-trick in stoppage time following good play by substitute Dean O'Halloran.

The winger burst into his box and beat his man before playing across the face for the Frenchman to slide in and make it 3-1 with the last meaningful action of the game.


Fulham: 1. Oberschmidt, 2. Passley (c), 3. Evans, 4. Burgess, 5. Arthurworrey, 6. Hyndman, 7. Roberts (16. O'Halloran), 8. Sambou, 9. Dembele, 10. Tankovic, 11. Williams (14. Donnelly)

Subs (not used): 12. Granger, 15. O'Reilly, 17. Richards


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/february/19/under-18s-3-1-reading?

[WhiteJC]

 
Frimpong looking to 'push on'

Emmanuel Frimpong was pleased with his Fulham debut and is hoping to improve during his loan spell at Craven Cottage.

Arsenal midfielder Frimpong, 21, has been battling his way back to fitness after suffering a cruciate ligament injury in February last year during a loan spell at Wolves.

He was briefly borrowed by Charlton at the end of last year after overcoming the tear and then in January joined Fulham on a deal until the end of the season.

Having made his first appearance for the Cottagers in the 0-0 draw with Norwich on February 9, he is hoping to kick on.

"I think it went well," he told the club's official website of his debut. "Before I came to Fulham I had hardly played any football - the last time I played in the Premier League was a year ago because of my injury.

"It was nice to play in the Premier League again and, hopefully, I'll get better with the more games that I play. I want to push on all the way until the end of the season."



http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1345922?&cc=5739

[WhiteJC]

 
American Exports: Shea may make Stoke debut at Fulham

AMSTERDAM – Fresh Stoke City catch Brek Shea has been deemed fit for manager Tony Pulis' selection for Saturday's Premier League trip to Fulham.

The 22-year-old is ready take the final step in recovery from knee surgery in the fall after going the distance in a friendly with League One side Scunthorpe on Monday.

"It was nice for Brek to play another game," Stoke assistant coach Mark O'Connor told reporters. "He's getting to know his teammates and developing that understanding the more they play together. He comes into our thinking for Fulham. He is in the mind of the manager."

When Shea does get the nod from Pulis, it will not be as a left back, as had been previously suggested in US media circles. O'Connor says the club view the former FC Dallas ace exclusively as a winger.

"His position is definitely on the left side of midfield," stated the coach.

Stoke currently stand 10th in the EPL table, having snapped a six-game win drought by defeating Reading last weekend.



http://www.mlssoccer.com/news/article/2013/02/19/american-exports-shea-play-stokes-fulham-trip?

[WhiteJC]

 
Moussa Dembele setting Fulham alight

A hat trick in his latest outing shows just how far the young Frenchman has come since joining in the summer

It's likely that, for quite some time, Fulham's Moussa Dembele won't be shaking off the shadow of his namesake, now at Tottenham Hotspur. The older Dembele left an indelible mark in SW6 and he's doing more of the same in North London.

But, for what it's worth, Dembele mark two is establishing himself as something of a stand out player in Fulham's Under 18 squad, his latest exploits including a hat trick against Reading.

The first was well placed, showing precision that took it beyond a sprawling goalkeeper. The second was a thunderous effort as he slapped in a volley from outside the area after Reading couldn't clear their lines. Dembele's third, though less dramatic, was slotted home neatly from a Dean O'Halloran cross. It leaves Fulham as the only side to win all of their games in the Phase Two Elite Group.

And, though it is, of course, a team game, Dembele very much has shown himself to be a focal point to the side's recent successes. He plays, quite simply, with maturity and talent beyond his years.

Despite only being 16 years of age, first team players have openly admitted that, in terms of flair, the young Frenchman is by far the most technically proficient. Skill, unfortunately, doesn't get you everywhere in football but it's a good place to start.

He finishes well too, a vital attribute to anyone plying their trade in the front three. His pace causes unimaginable problems to opposition defences and, although he only measures 5ft 11in in height, he has a physical presence that, again, belies his age.

By no means is Dembele the complete package, understandably. Yet, he has progressed at a rate that even the most optimistic academy coaches could not have expected. He was a considered coup when he arrived from Paris St Germain last summer and with every week that passes, he's looking every bit the worthwhile investment.

So much so that, surely, before long, a first team call will be beckoning.



http://www.cottagersconfidential.com/2013/2/19/4005768/moussa-dembele-fulham-under-18s-reading?

[WhiteJC]

 
Pleasing Debut For Midfielder
   
Fulham's on loan midfielder, the delightfully named Emmanuel Frimpong, was left pleased following his Fulham debut recently.

After a year, give or take, of injury problems that limited his ability to play football after he picked up a cruciate ligament injury on loan with Wolves in February last year (returning at the tail end of last season for a brief loan spell with Charlton) he was loaned to Fulham by London rivals Arsenal in January.

On his debut against Norwich the 21-year-old, who feels more is to come, had the following to say to the official website: 'I think it went well.

'Before I came to Fulham I had hardly played any football - the last time I played in the Premier League was a year ago because of my injury.

'It was nice to play in the Premier League again and, hopefully, I'll get better with the more games that I play. I want to push on all the way until the end of the season.'

If Frimpong can stay injury-free and if his best form can be found, which has been viewed previously, then he'll definitely offer Fulham something positive between now and the end of the season.


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=309895#ixzz2LSA5FPCL

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham colleagues remember Moore
Former Cottagers teammate Les Strong recalls Bobby's impact in west London

Twenty years ago this Sunday, West Ham United and England's greatest-ever defender passed away.

Bobby Moore OBE, the first Hammers captain to lift the FA Cup and the only man to skipper England to FIFA World Cup glory, was just 51 when he lost his battle with bowel cancer in February 1993.

In a week-long tribute to Moore, the official website, West Ham TV and the Official Programme for the Barclays Premier League visit of Tottenham Hotspur on Monday 25 February will feature a series of interviews and features paying homage to West Ham's No6.

Les Strong was a defensive colleague of Bobby's at Fulham and he credits the success he had in west London to the help he received from Moore.

WATCH BOBBY'S FULHAM COLLEAGUES TALK TO WEST HAM TV

He told West Ham TV: "It was brilliant when he was here [at Fulham]. A great man, as everyone knows, and a great player, as everyone knows, but so humble. The mild success that I had was all down to him really, playing alongside him.

"I played in the whole of the 1974/75 season. We played eleven games to get to Wembley, still a record and I played in every one of those games apart from the final. Unfortunately I got injured two weeks before and missed the big day. When it was confirmed I wouldn't be playing Bobby came up to me and said if he could change places with me he would. That was a nice little touch.

"It was amazing playing alongside Bobby. As a full-back, technically, you shouldn't be too far advanced of your centre-half. I would actually stand on the halfway line and get one ball from him and I was attacking. People used to think I was a great attacking full-back, but when he left I don't think I went over the half-way line."

This week, West Ham TV will bring you interviews with those who knew Moore best, including his daughter Roberta and his former West Ham, Fulham and England team-mates.

A special 100-page commemorative Official Programme is also being published for the visit of Spurs, complete with exclusive interviews with West Germany legend Franz Beckenbauer, broadcaster Jonathan Pearce and many, many more. To order your copy online now, click here.


http://www.whufc.com/articles/20130220/fulham-colleagues-remember-moore_2236884_3082609?

[WhiteJC]

 
Quo Vadis for Fulham target

Fulham are still tracking former target Vadis Odjidja-Ofoe after Everton failed to lure him from Club Brugge in the transfer window.

Fulham sent a scout to Lokeren's clash with Brugge on Sunday as boss Martin Jol makes plans for a summer swoop - almost a year after failing with his first attempt to sign the 24-year-old Belgian midfielder.

Jol was all set to swoop on deadline day last August but the move fell through because of red tape and rival interest from Everton boss David Moyes.

The Goodison Park club were strongly linked to Odjidja-Ofoe in the lead up to the January window but again failed to come up with a bid.

The midfielder, capped three times and hailed as the new Marouane Fellaini in his homeland, joined Club Brugge from Bundesliga side Hamburg for £800,000 nearly four years ago and has established himself as one of the best players in the Belgian Pro League.

Ajax, FC Twente, Borussia Dortmund, Benfica, Villarreal, FC Nurnberg, Sochaux and Chievo Verona were also represented at the game in Lokeren on Sunday night which finished 1-1.


http://www.clubcall.com/fulham/quo-vadis-for-fulham-target-1549799.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Loan Round-Up

David Stockdale and Hull City closed the gap on league leaders Cardiff City to five points with a 2-0 win over Blackburn Rovers in the npower Championship on Tuesday night.

Stockdale played the full 90 minutes as Egyptian duo Gedo and Ahmed Elmohamady both struck to secure the three points.

The victory keeps Hull in second place in the table, with leaders Cardiff losing 2-0 at home to Brighton & Hove Albion. The Tigers are away to Bolton Wanderers on Saturday (3pm).

Also on Tuesday night, in the Blue Square Bet South, Tom Donegan and Farnborough were beaten 2-0 at Welling United.

Farnborough, who are eighth in the table, host struggling Eastbourne Borough on Saturday (3pm).


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/february/20/loan-round-up?