Wednesday Fulham Stuff(27/02/13)...

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Robert Huth is charged over clash with Philippe Senderos

Stoke's Robert Huth has been charged with violent conduct following an incident during Saturday's Premier League game at Fulham.

The Football Association confirmed this afternoon the defender would face action following a clash with Fulham's Philippe Senderos.

The incident was not seen by the match officials at Craven Cottage — but was caught on video.

Huth has until 6pm tomorrow to respond to the charge.

Dimitar Berbatov's goal was enough to settle a scrappy contest.

Meanwhile, the FA will look into a number of incidents which occurred at last night's Premier League Under-21 match between Liverpool and Manchester United.

A fan ran onto the pitch and appeared to direct abuse at Liverpool striker Adam Morgan. There were also two flares set off in the stands.


http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/robert-huth-is-charged-over-clash-with-philippe-senderos-8511763.html

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Jol says Riether would be happy to stay

Fulham manager Martin Jol is convinced right-back Sascha Riether will be happy to remain at Craven Cottage if the club want to sign him on a permanent deal in the summer.

Riether, 29, is at Fulham on a season-long loan from Cologne and has made 30 appearances in all competitions, missing only one Premier League game.

As part of the deal that brought the German to London, Fulham have first option to retain his services – an option Jol is very likely to take up.

He told press agency Deutsche Pressagentur: "Sasch is a fans' favourite. He is the right back in my starting XI. He runs, he works and he has a good view of situations. I am glad to have him at this club.

"We possess an option to buy him. If we are to exercise it, he will have to remain at our club.

"But, if he is not happy, we would have to talk then. I really don't think that this is the case with him. I think he feels fine being a first-team regular with us."

Riether missed Fulham's 0-0 draw at Norwich earlier this month through illness, but returned to the starting line-up for the 1-0 win over Stoke on Saturday.


http://espnfc.com/news/story/_/id/1355389?&cc=5739

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Spurs Fixture Amendment

The Club can confirm that our Barclays Premier League clash with Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane will now take place on Sunday 17th March at 3pm.

The match was initially scheduled for Saturday 16th but has been moved as a result of Spurs' continued participation in the UEFA Europa League.

Tickets are currently on sale for this London derby, priced from £37 for adults, £21 for over-65s and £19 for under-16s.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/february/26/spurs-fixture-amendment?

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PSG Defender on the Radar?
   
According to some sources, Fulham are one of three Premier League clubs tracking a defender currently on the books of the French side, Paris St Germain.

Reports suggest that Zoumana Camara, now thirty-three years old, is interested in a return to the Premier League, a league he previously graced whilst with Leeds United in 2003/2004.

At PSG, Camara has fallen from grace making only three appearances, in Ligue 1, this season. Although he has an £8 million release clause in his contract, it is suggested that a deal could be done for half of that.

As for the other Premier League clubs supposedly interested, it is believed they are West Ham and West Brom with the Bundesliga side, Hamburg, also expressing an interest.

We`ll see how this all works out shall we!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=310622#ixzz2M4UtTNi3

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Aston Villa U21s 0-2 Fulham U21s

Kit Symons' Under 21s overcame in-form Aston Villa with a resolute performance bookended with goals from Omri Altman and Cauley Woodrow.

The Young Whites travelled to Hinckley United's De Montford Park to face a Villa team who had secured back-to-back victories in the second stage of the Barclays Under 21 Premier League.

With two draws and two defeats from their first four matches, Symons' Team were determined to get off the mark with a victory and they made the best possible start.

Nine minutes were on the clock when Israeli striker Altman's smart footwork in the Villains' penalty box created space for himself to fire past home goalkeeper Bradley Watkins.

In a closely-contested first half, Altman had the opportunity to double his tally on the quarter hour but this time Watkins was equal to his half volley, as the Whites consolidated their lead heading into half-time.

The home team's first real sight at goal arrived on the hour mark when Andras Steiber dragged his strike across the face of First Team back-up keeper Neil Etheridge's goal.

Whites substitute Muamar Tankovic soon made his presence felt with a shot which cannoned back off Aston Villa's crossbar and, sensing that time was running out, Villa were forced to open up and push forward in search of a leveller.

A well-organised Whites rearguard ensured the opportunity for an equaliser never arrived and our forward line eventually seized their chance to double the lead in the closing moments.

Tankovic burst forward and put the ball on a plate for Woodrow to notch a poacher's strike from close range, leaving Symons delighted to seal a hard-fought victory, albeit late on.

"We could have had the victory wrapped up a bit sooner but I was really pleased with the overall performance," Symons told fulhamfc.com

"It was a strong start and a well-taken goal by Omri. We played a lot narrower than usual, without any natural width in the team, but we had a few words at half-time.

"The second half was much better and [Villa Under 21s Manager] Gordon Cowans came over to me and said it was a well deserved victory, which means a lot coming from somebody like him.

"Neil Etheridge hardly had a shot to save all game but 1-0 is always a dangerous scoreline. My only gripe is that we should have put it to bed a bit sooner but I'm pleased we managed to get that second goal and see it out."

Fulham: Etheridge; Passley, Kavanagh, Grimmer, Briggs; Islamovic, Minkwitz, Smith, Christensen; Altman, Woodrow. Subs: Joronen, Tankovic, Sambou, Arthurworrey.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/february/27/u21s-aston-villa?

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Is Dimitar Berbatov Lazy or Technical? Both. Now Stop It.


Dimitar Berbatov has drawn lots of criticism for the appearance of his playing style despite garnering plenty of positive results.

I've had enough of one of the stupidest yet most polarizing debates in English football: is Dimitar Berbatov lazy, or is his style simply overwhelmingly technical? The answer is simple: it's a combination of both, and in the end it doesn't matter.

It's just his playing style, there's no other way to put it.

First off, I'm pretty sure no footballer could reach the levels of success he has, especially coming off the bench most of his time at United, if they were just plain old "lazy." We're going to tackle this in two parts. The first will prove that in a way, yes, he is lazy. The second part will prove to you why it doesn't matter and this whole argument is stupid.

Is Dimitar Berbatov lazy?

Yes and no. Is lazy the right word? There are two official definitions of the word "lazy" from Dictionary.com, and they provide something quite interesting. The first definition: "Unwilling to work or use energy." Does that apply? I think it does not. That definition has implications of a lack of effort, as characterized by the phrase "unwilling to work." I do not believe for a second that the Bulgarian has effort issues. Take this for example: a heatmap of Berbatov's game in the Newcastle win in December:

 

That's not the heatmap of a player unwilling to put forth effort. He's all over the pitch, contributing defensively (which I believe he's done more at Fulham than he ever did at United) and both in chance-creating and chance-finishing positions up front.

However, there is a second definition of lazy. It reads, "Characterized by lack of effort or activity." We've already discussed effort. However, watching Berbatov's game, there clearly is a style to his game that could fall under the "lack of activity" portion. He's even said it himself:

"I like to play with beauty and grace – that has always been my philosophy from a young age. That's how I play and that's what football is about. Plenty of football players play like this and that is what I want to watch. I don't want to watch players puffing around the pitch. You see games where the ball is flying from one box to another and it makes my neck hurt. That is not football for me."

So he's not a runner. Does that mean he's "lazy?" Well, as we've seen here, no he's not based on the effort section, but yes he is in the simple terms of a general lack of activity. So, depending on your interpretation of the word, you could have an argument.

Does Berbatov's technical ability outweigh his low energy output?

Absolutely, there's no question about it.

Dimitar's an interesting character. He's not a guy who likes the limelight, and he's certainly not someone who wants to be noticed. He just wants to play. Mark Ogden wrote an interesting article for The Telegraph in January in which he told an anicdote that very accurately describes the Bulgarian's character traits. He scored a hat-trick for United against Liverpool to win the match 3-2, and after the match he attempted to sneak through the player's lot to his car to avoid speaking to even the Red Devils' own in-house TV channel.

However, many mistake this for a lack of desire. It's not at all. Different people express themselves in many different ways. It's just how he is as a person.

And the same can be said for his playing style.

Think about watching Dimitar play with Fulham. We all know about Martin Jol's passing and possession style of play. Now, when have you ever seen Fulham play a long ball into the middle of the pitch? Almost never. When they do, who's ALWAYS on the receiving end? Berbatov, of course. It's almost like he's got magnets in his boots. No matter if he's playing up front or as a Number 10, he's the only guy Jol will allow the rest of the players to play a long ball to. Look no farther than this past weekend's win at Stoke. Here's his passes received:



So many long balls! Now, to be fair, he played up front, so of course he's going to get most of the long balls to an extent. But if you take a look at the passes received of even the wingers and of Bryan Ruiz, only Askhan Dejagah got more than 1 long ball, and his were 2 from the goalkeeper and 2 passes square across the pitch. Berba's the only one.

An article by James Andrew for The Daily Mail from back in December brought up the previous month's 3-3 draw with Arsenal from the Emirates. "Against Arsenal last month" the article reads, "with Fulham 2-0 down after 25 minutes he single handily dragged Jol's team back into the game and earning a point by scoring two and creating the other one for Kacaniklic."

That match couldn't be a better example of how Berbatov is a master of placement, selection, and technical ability. He filled the leadership role that day, something he's not terribly fond of doing (a leader isn't exactly someone who sneaks out past reporters after a hat-trick), after Fulham fell down 2-0 early.

Look at the video. On the first goal (0:31), he may not have snuck past reporters that day at Old Trafford, but instead of running laps around the penalty area until he found an opening, he snuck behind defenders and directed his header in. For the second one, his assist to Kacaniklic (0:40), SURPRISE! Dimi is actually somewhat fast! How can you say someone making that quality of a run demonstrates a lack of effort? You can't. His cross shows his ability with the ball, as he picks out the farthest of 3 possible targets. And for his second goal and the team's third, albeit a penalty, there was never any doubt, and he cooly slots the ball. Is there a more Berbatov-esque penalty? Don't think so.

Arsenal 3-3 Fulham

Still not convinced? This:

Berbatov Amazing Goal Fulham 1-0 Stoke 23-02-2013

Let's end this section with a quote from one of the greatest managers of all time, Sir Alex Ferguson:

"I don't think Dimitar was a failure here. He did a great job. The problem is I had choices and, at his age, it's not easy to be part of those choices when he's not playing. Some people like to see players run through brick walls all the time. Dimitar is not that type of player, but he is a very talented boy who had a decent goalscoring record here."

I'll let you take from that what you want.

Does Berbatov's playing style limit what system he can play in?

Yes. I don't think there's any question about this, and we've seen it first-hand this season. It's the one big downfall to his vastly distinctive style, and why many people often do come to the conclusion that he's lazy. Because when he isn't put in a system that suits his style, it ends very very poorly.

When Berbatov was at Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson recognized his immense talent and acknowledged he was a massive asset. Unfortunately for the Bulgarian, it became all too clear over time that the style SAF wanted to play relied more on speed and accuracy of passing on the go than Berbatov's special skills on the ball, and thus his role slowly but surely diminished. Barney Chilton, editor of Red News fanzine, said of his time at United, "We signed a square piece and wanted to put him in a round hole." He just didn't fit. Given that fact though, do you think Fergie would have stuck with a player who so poorly fit United's schemes if he didn't bring something else massive to the table? Absolutely not.

Martin Jol, however, has built Fulham's blueprint this season around Berbatov. Everything runs through him, whether he's up front or in the Number 10. There was a point in time this season when, because of Fulham's dire situation in the central midfield for a period of time, Bryan Ruiz was slotted so far back in his attacking midfield role (almost a Dembele-like position) that Berbatov's feeder system up front was completely dry. This sincerely hurt his production, and it appeared to many of us, including myself, that Berbatov had lost interest, and was almost regretting his journey to Craven Cottage in search of more playing time. This is a situation of how poorly it can go when the team's situation doesn't perfectly fit his style. Berbatov had to physically work for his chances, and that's not how he plays. However, I am kicking myself for thinking that. It's obvious that's not the case, and he's stuck with it, once again becoming a vital cog in the machine that's picked up 7 points from their last 4 matches in the league.

Bryan Ruiz knew he was invested the whole time:

"Whatever it looks like, he does care. He is a different person, he doesn't talk to everyone, but when you go up to talk to him, he is open. You see sometimes by his body language that he really wants to win. That means he cares. He is one of the best players I've played with. I don't remember one player with the same skills as him."

Why none of this matters:

He gets results. So what if he's lazy? If put in a situation where he can play his way, which Fulham are currently providing him, he will put up the goals and assists, and he's done just that this season and in the past. He's won a golden boot and a title with Manchester United. 9 goals and 4 assists this year for the Whites. What more could we ask for, given the state of the midfield behind him? The new year has been especially kind to Berbatov. Since Southampton on December 26, Dimitar's scored 4 goals and provided an assist over an 8-match span. Here's to hoping he keeps it up, this season, and beyond.

So let's please never have this discussion again. Cool? Thanks.



http://fulhamsfinest.com/2013/02/27/berbatov-lazy-or-technical-both-now-stop-it/?

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Fulham can help Frimpong fulfil his dream with Ghana

Emmanuel Frimpong hopes his loan move to Fulham will enhance his chances of a call-up to the Ghana squad.

The Arsenal midfielder represented England at youth level but has been given FIFA clearance to play international football for the country of his birth.

Frimpong has not been capped but recently spoke to Ghana coach Kwesi Appiah and has targeted a call-up for next month's World Cup qualifier against Sudan.

"I want to play for Ghana and, hopefully, I can start doing that very soon," said Frimpong, 21. "That is my aim, to get into the squad. But for that to happen, I need to start playing regularly.

"I spoke to the manager recently and he said I should just carry on playing my football and see what happens for the next game. That is next month so we will have to wait and see what he decides."

Frimpong, who was overlooked for last month's Africa Cup of Nations, found opportunities limited at Arsenal and has joined Fulham until the end of the season.He has only made one appearance since moving to Craven Cottage last month but is confident he will get more regular playing time.

Frimpong said: "I hope to play in most of the games. I know it will be hard to play in every game when you have got great players here, I understand that.

"I'd consider it an achievement if I played a good amount of matches, made a good name for myself with the Fulham fans and showed my team-mates that I can help them. If I can achieve all these things come the end of the season, then I'll be happy with my work."

Fulham are eight points clear of the drop zone with 11 Premier League games remaining but, ahead of Saturday's trip to Sunderland, Martin Jol has warned his side they could still get sucked into a relegation battle.

The manager said: "We all remember Blackpool being ninth or eighth and they got relegated. I can remember Birmingham, who were in the top 10 and won the League Cup but were relegated.

So you are never safe."



http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/fulham-can-help-frimpong-fulfil-his-dream-with-ghana-8512813.html

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Inside The Stadium Of Light

Sunderland fan Justin Milne gives us an insight into the home camp ahead of Fulham's clash at the Stadium of Light on Saturday.

What are your views of Sunderland's season so far?

If truth be told, it's been disappointing. We only won two of our first 15 games and have lost our last three. Only a decent run over December and January has kept us out of the relegation zone. There's still enough time and games left to turn the season around but we need to start matches with more of an attacking threat.

What were the aims and expectations at the start of the season?

When Adam Johnson and Steven Fletcher signed in the summer, I think we all expected this season to be the one where we kicked on and established ourselves as a top-10 team rather than just settling for survival. It just hasn't happened. We also hoped for a decent cup run as Martin O'Neill placed a big emphasis on playing his strongest team. So to be knocked out by npower Championship opposition in both cups was extremely disappointing.

What's the verdict on Martin O'Neill?

The majority of fans still back him and want him to succeed, myself included. I still feel he needs more time to mould his own squad and he's trying to do that in each transfer window. Tactically, I think everyone knows he likes to counter attack, but I'd like to see him commit more men forward during these attacks.

You were quite active in the January transfer window – were you pleased with your dealings?

The jury's still open. Alfred N'Diaye is the big powerful player we've needed in the middle of the park, but he's still raw. Danny Graham's hardly played and I think most fans were surprised we went for him when he'd spent most of the season sat on Swansea City's bench. I don't think anyone was surprised when O'Neill let Fraizer Campbell and David Meyler go as he couldn't offer them first-team football.

Who have been your star players this season?

Fletcher, Danny Rose and Simon Mignolet.

What sort of game are you expecting on Saturday?

Fulham will probably look at this game as winnable, given our recent form. But if O'Neill starts with two up top again we'll hopefully start playing from the kick-off, instead of waiting until we're 2-0 down.

Which players do you fear in the Fulham squad?

If Dimitar Berbatov's on his game, there's not many better in the league and Brede Hangeland is immense in both boxes. His sending off in the match at Craven Cottage earlier this season changed the complexion of the game.

For those Fulham fans making the trip, what can they expect when they visit the Stadium of Light? Should we wrap up warm?

Anyone returning will notice the away fans no longer have the position behind the goal in the South Stand and are now up in the Gods in the opposite North Stand. As you're more open to the elements and North Sea breeze, I'd say wrapping up is essential.

Where's the best place for a pre-match pint?

It's got to be The Colliery Tavern. It's an old school pub on the way into the stadium and there's usually a mix of fans in there before the game. Get there early as it tends to be standing room only.

What's the one song Fulham fans are bound to hear?

Sung to the tune of Tight Fit's 'The Lion Sleeps Tonight':

"He's our keeper,

"Our Belgian keeper,

"Simon Mignolet,

"...a Mignolet...a Mignolet...a Mignolet..."

Score prediction?

Recently the games against Fulham at the Stadium of Light haven't been full of excitement and have usually finished goalless (we'll forget about the 3-0 reverse a couple of years ago). However, Fulham haven't travelled well for the last couple of seasons, so I'm going for a 2-1 Sunderland win.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/february/27/inside-the-stadium-of-light?

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Agent says Andrey Arshavin has gone mad and will probably join Fulham after Arsenal



There we were, minding our own business and perusing the Russian sport media for news on their transfer deadline day, when a line in a interview with 'super agent' Dimitri Seluk caught our attention more than anything else. That line was 'Arshavin has gone mad'.

He was explaining to Sports.ru that the Russian footballer has got himself into a difficult situation at Arsenal and probably isn't too fussed about getting out of it. Seluk, who doesn't represent the player, says Arshavin priced himself out of return to Russia with it only being Zenit who could afford him. Seluk also says that the Spanish league would best suit Arshavin for the end of his career but that he's priced out of that league too, despite being available on a free transfer this summer.

Arshavin didn't even get onto the Arsenal bench at the weekend, and there are no reports of injury. This year he's only managed 16 minutes of football, as a late substitute against Chelsea. He hasn't started a single Premier Leaguegame so far this season and it's obvious that he'll be off in the summer when his contract runs out and Seluk thinks that Fulham is the obvious destination for the 31 year old.

"Top English clubs won't take him, and considering the fact that he doesn't want to leave London, the next club for Arshavin will be Fulham or something like that."

Fulham may not fancy being a retirement home for disinterested Russian footballers but if Arshavin does insist on remaining in London then his options are numbered. He'll be disappointed he failed to jump on the QPR gravy train, a move that in hindsight looks like it should have happened.

Arshavin's 'madness', his wish to remain in London and huge salary have held back the final years of his career and this is obviously something which irritates Seluk.

Irritating Seluk seems to be easy and when asked about examples of crazy things in his job, he happily reveals that dealing with football clubs can be difficult "Sometimes you start to discuss something, and get the feeling that you are surrounded by a sea of ​​morons. Basic things that are clear to third-graders, sometimes you have to explain for hours."



http://sportwitness.ning.com/forum/topics/agent-says-arshavin-has-gone-mad-and-will-probably-join-fu

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Jol reveals Fulham contract talks

MARTIN Jol has turned his attentions to securing the futures of Fulham's other top stars after he tied Damien Duff to a new deal.

Mark Schwarzer, Brede Hangeland, Mladen Petric, Giorgos Karagounis, Simon Davies, Chris Baird and Philippe Senderos are among 11 first-team players whose contracts expire in the summer.

Talks with a number of those are already underway, and Jol hopes they will join Duff in committing their futures to Craven Cottage.

He said: "There's a lot of players finishing their contracts [at the end of the season] and we are talking to most of them.

"We will have a few more in the next couple of weeks.

"There's a couple with clauses if they play more than 25 matches will get an automatic extension."



Read More http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/fulham-fc/2013/02/27/82029-32891201/?#ixzz2M7BhxtUf

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Fulham boss Martin Jol fears Mahamadou Diarra may not play again this season

Fulham boss Martin Jol admits that Mahamadou Diarra may not play again this season.

The Mali midfielder has suffered another setback in his recovery from a knee injury which has restricted him to just five appearences since September.

The former Real Madrid star's last outing came in the Spurs defeat at the beginning of December and Jol said: "Diarra is still not right.

"He will need quite a while to come back, hopefully before the end of the season.

"He had an operation, looked better and then had a rest and it was even more painful. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks we will know more."



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11681/8527247?