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Saturday Fulham Stuff (09/03/13)

Started by White Noise, March 09, 2013, 10:23:19 AM

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White Noise

http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/story-18365630-detail/story.html#axzz2N2Kr5H9l



Calm David Stockdale won't let panic set in to Hull City's leaky defence




Saturday, March 09, 2013


FOR a goalkeeper that conceded just six goals in his first 11 Hull City appearances, it is safe to assume David Stockdale has not enjoyed the past fortnight.

A 4-1 loss at Bolton and a 4-2 defeat at Crystal Palace stand awkwardly as the two heaviest defeats of City's season. Even the emphatically-reassuring win over Birmingham last weekend saw two late goals leaked to tarnish the perfect afternoon.

Ten goals shipped inside three fixtures account for almost a quarter of the Tigers' total of 43 conceded this season.

Stockdale is the man tasked with ensuring the exception does not become a new rule when City travel to Burnley on Monday night, and he has every faith Steve Bruce's side will soon recapture their resilient best.

"We're trying to put our finger on what went wrong but you can't look at it too in-depth," he told the Mail.

"It's an up and down league and we've just got to look to move on.

"Over the course of a 10-month season, these things can happen. People have to not forget about all those games before the last three. We've defended well this season.

"The biggest thing is not to beat yourself up about things if they don't go your way. There'll be lots of twists and turns yet."

Although a 5-2 win over Birmingham seven days ago ranked alongside the best of Bruce's reign, the defensive fault-lines revealed at Bolton and Palace have twice cost City their place in the automatic promotion places.

Stockdale, much to his frustration, was powerless to prevent a miserable evening at Selhurst Park on Tuesday.

A first-half penalty save denied Glenn Murray from the spot, but Kevin Phillips' quick-fire hat-trick, one that began with a hotly-contested penalty, clawed Palace back to within a point of the Tigers.

"There's no one any less confident," said Stockdale. "We're still a point ahead of Palace, a point behind Watford and six behind Cardiff. If someone told you that after you'd lost two of the last three, you'd be happy.

"Every side will have their ups and downs and it's up to us to take care of ourselves.

"You can't count anyone out at this stage. As you saw with Reading last year, teams can come from nowhere."

All City can do today is hope for misfortune to visit their rivals.

Watford host Blackpool this afternoon bidding to move four points clear of the Tigers, while Palace can climb into third if they are able to avoid defeat at home to Leeds. Leicester, not to be discounted in fifth, host Sheffield Wednesday eyeing a return to winning ways that would drag them within four points of City.

The Tigers will get their own opportunity to turn up the heat when travelling to Burnley in front of the Sky TV cameras on Monday night, where they will attempt to end a run of seven consecutive defeats against their bogey side.

Stockdale will allow himself a peak at the results of others this weekend, but is determined not to become "fixated" by City's rivals.

"It will be tight all the way down to the wire," he said. "There's three teams going for second spot and that's not to say Cardiff are home and dry.

"Everyone will drop points. If you start worrying about what other teams are doing, thinking we need this many or that many points, you can get fixated and worried.

"That's not good for anyone so our focus has to be on ourselves."

The notion of anxiety stalking Stockdale between now and May 4 appears slim. Few, if any, in the City dressing room appear more at ease contemplating the final 10 games.

"I'm not the type to get worried about things, not at all," he said.

"The lads call me laid back and I'm happy to take things as they come.

"You can't get worried about mistakes as a goalkeeper. If your team-mates see you calm and collected it has a positive reaction on them. That's just the way I am. I don't let things get too on top of me."

Do not mistake Stockdale's serenity for apathy. The on-loan Fulham goalkeeper has bought into the collective desire apparent all across the City squad and knows full well the stakes on offer over the next eight weeks.

"I understand what this means to the fans and the manager," he said.

"It means just as much to the players as well because you never know when an opportunity like this is going to come around again."

Promotion to the Premier League would bring an inevitable question over Stockdale's future.

City are the fifth club he has served on loan since joining Fulham from Darlington five years ago and, at 27, the desire to play regular football is beginning to itch.

Two years remain on his Craven Cottage deal but, with talks underway to extend the stay of Mark Schwarzer, there are no assurances it will bring the action Stockdale craves.

A crossroads is approaching and he said: "I can only see my future until the end of the season and then the two years with Fulham that's written down on paper.

"I'm still enjoying myself here and there's no reason to think a move here wouldn't be possible.

"That's up to the manager and to Fulham but so long as I've been involved with getting Hull promoted, that will do for me."

CITY rookie Dougie Wilson has joined Grimsby Town on loan until the end of the season.


Read more: http://www.thisishullandeastriding.co.uk/story-18365630-detail/story.html#ixzz2N2KyNwdN

White Noise


http://www.novinite.com/view_news.php?id=148527


Berbatov Reconciles with Fiorentina, Proposes to Pay for Plane Ticket

Sports | March 8, 2013, Friday| 675 views



Dimitar Berbatov of Fulham (R) celebrates with Fulham`s manager Martin Jol (L) after scoring a penalty against Arsenal during the English Premier League soccer match between Arsenal and Fulham at The Emirates Stadium, London, Britain, on 10 November 2012.


Fulham's Bulgarian forward Dimitar Berbatov and Italian club Fiorentina have reconciled, according to the team's sporting director.

At the end of August 2012, Berbatov was on a flight to Florence to sign with Fiorentina when it emerged that he had received an offer from Juventus while other football clubs in Europe were also showing interest in him.

The striker eventually moved to Fulham,

Fiorentina's sporting director Daniele Prade has now revealed that the club is no longer angry at the Bulgarian.

"Did we hear from Berbatov? Yes, his agent called us. They were kind and they even offered to repay the famous flight ticket," Prade has said.

Fiorentina had already paid for the Bulgarian and his agent to fly to Italy before being snubbed. The club later demanded its money back.

White Noise


http://blog.squawka.com/2013/03/08/riise-wins-more-headers-in-his-own-half-than-whole-of-epl-top-5-includes-chelsea-west-ham-west-brom-players/201303086476



Riise wins more headers in his own half than whole of EPL. Top 5 includes Chelsea, West Ham & West Brom players


Contesting an aerial ball during a football match is a much more complex process than it seems. There's positioning, height, physicality, jumping ability and experience which play a huge part in determining who comes out on top in this battle of wills.

We thought it would be interesting to see who wins the most aerial duels inside their own half in the Premier League. The results are partly surprising and partly reassuring but to make sure it's fair we've only included players who have contested 30 or more aerial duels in the EPL this season so far. Here is our top 5...

5. Brede Hangeland – Fulham (74.7%)



4. Gary Cahill – Chelsea (76.3%)



3. Gareth McAuley – West Bromwich Albion (77.2%)



2. James Tomkins – West Ham United (79.3%)



1. John Arne Riise – Fulham (82%)



Some "usual" suspects here in Tomkins, McAuley & Hangeland who all have specific roles in their respective defences; McAuley in particular is charged with clearing aerial defensive duties very specifically at set-pieces.

The huge surprise is John Arne Riise at number one. The full-back has enjoyed quite the renaissance under Martin Jol and he uses his experience very carefully to provide extra aerial support at the back.


White Noise


http://www.clubcall.com/fulham/gornik-keeper-watched-by-fulham-1557541.html



Gornik keeper watched by Fulham


Fulham, Last updated: 09:45, March 8, 2013


Fulham scout Brian Talbot has been in Poland to scout several young players including Gornik Zabrze keeper Lukasz Skorupski.

Talbot attended several matches in Poland last month when the Ekstraklasa competition resumed after the winter break and was spotted by a jounalist from the local Sport newspaper at Gornik's 1-0 home win over Piast Gliwice.

The former Arsenal midfielder, who has been on Fulham's scouting staff since 2011, revealed he was there to check on two players who he had identified from the Polish Under-21s, Skorupski and Piast defender Mateusz Matras - and midfielder Konrad Nowak - a teenager who had been playing regularly for Gornik.

But he then admitted that none of them had particularly impressed him on the night and he was now more interested in Gornik's Pawel Olkowski - a right-sided midfielder or full back.

Talbot will report his findings to Fulham boss Martin Jol and the manager will send a member of the coaching staff with him for a second look if he wishes to follow up on any of the players.

Gornik keeper Skorupski, 21, was on the bench for Poland's 1-1 World Cup qualifying draw with England in September and is being tipped to follow in the footsteps of other talented Polish keepers to one of the bigger leagues in the next couple of years.

White Noise



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/march/08/download-the-new-fultime



Download The New Fultime


Friday 8 March 2013 16:29






The spring edition of the official Fulham FC magazine, Fultime, is available to download digitally for just £2.49.

The latest edition features in-depth discussion from Manager Martin Jol, Damien Duff, Sascha Riether, Matthew Briggs, Les Strong, Steve Wigley, Erik Nevland and Fulham fan and television presenter Millie Clode.

Kit Symons picks his Fulham XI, we also take a look at FFC in the 1960s, provide the second installment of the 100 Men Who Shaped Fulham Football Club, and offer a comprehensive guide to all of the Whites' January transfer window purchases down the years.

There's plenty more too - including a chance to win the latest album from The Cribs, as well as EA's Need For Speed: Most Wanted on Xbox.

To read Fultime #40 on your PC or Mac, simply login to www.pocketmags.com and order your copy.

The traditional hard copy of Fultime can also be ordered from Club shops or online, priced £3.50.

White Noise



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/march/08/blackburn-u21s-1-ffc-u21s-3



Blackburn U21s 1 FFC U21s 3


Friday 8 March 2013 21:02




Goals from Chris David, Omri Altman and Alex Smith saw Fulham's Under-21s defeat 10-man Blackburn Rovers 3-1 at Ewood Park on Friday evening to seal a third successive win.

On a freezing night in Lancashire, Fulham went in front after just five minutes when Dutchman David collected Ronny Minkwitz's fine pass before curling a shot home.

Cauley Woodrow then saw an effort disallowed for offside, before Altman fired over after robbing Will Beesley of possession.

Just after the half-hour mark, Woodrow saw a shot tipped onto the crossbar after meeting David's cross, but it was 2-0 to Fulham on 38 minutes when Altman headed home Sean Kavanagh's delivery.

Boumesca Tue Na Bangna replaced Dino Islamovic at half-time and Rovers were dealt a further blow on the hour mark when Fabio Nunes was shown a second yellow card followed by a red. He had been booked in the first half for failing to retreat at a free-kick and was issued a second yellow for a needless challenge.

Despite their numerical disadvantage, Rovers pulled a goal back on 63 minutes when a Robbie Cotton free-kick was headed home at the back post by Micah Evans.

The Whites saw a chance to regain their two-goal advantage thwarted 10 minutes later by the woodwork when Charles Banya slammed a shot against the post. Smith then blazed over on 82 minutes with just Rovers keeper Christopher Dilo to beat.

At the other end, Fulham somehow survived when a Cotton corner was met by Jordan Slew who saw his shot cleared off the line, with Kellen Daly then seeing an effort cannon back off the crossbar before the Whites scrambled the ball to safety.

With the game entering added time, Fulham made sure of the points when Smith finished emphatically to end any hopes of a Blackburn comeback.

Under-21s Manager Kit Symons told fulhamfc.com: "I'm delighted with the win. It's three on the spin now. We scored three really good goals as well, the quality was excellent. To be honest, we didn't play as well as we did in the previous two wins against Aston Villa and Chelsea. I thought we passed the ball better in those games and played at a better tempo.

"But we worked very hard defensively and the closing and pressing was good. On the ball, some of our passing wasn't as slick as it has been in previous weeks, but we're still very pleased with the win.

"It was another nice pitch and another nice stadium and while you're not always going to play silky soccer in every game, we didn't pass it as well as we could. We still deserved the win, though."

Fulham are next in action on Thursday (1pm) when they host Rovers at Motspur Park, with Symons adding: "It will be a tough game. They're a strong, hard-working team. Whether it will pan out in a similar way, you never quite know."

Fulham: Joronen, Christensen, Kavanagh, Minkwitz, Athurworrey, Grimmer, David, Altman, Woodrow, Islamovic, Smith.


White Noise


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/march/08/royals-clash-off


Royals Clash Off


Friday 8 March 2013 15:20




Fulham's Under-18s have seen Saturday's clash with Reading postponed due to a waterlogged pitch.

Steve Wigley's side were looking for a seventh straight win when they headed to the Royals, but the game has now been called off.

The fixture has been rearranged for Wednesday 13th March (1pm) at Hogwood Park.

White Noise


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/march/08/chelsea-fixture-update




Chelsea Fixture Update



Friday 8 March 2013 13:30





Following the Club's previous announcement that this Sunday's match against Chelsea has been postponed due to their participation in the FA Cup with Budweiser, Fulham is still waiting to hear from the Barclays Premier League regarding a rescheduled date.

As soon as this information is made available to the Club, it will, of course, be passed on to fans at the soonest opportunity. 

Tickets already purchased for this weekend's match will be valid for the rescheduled date.

However, if the proposed date and time do not suit, details regarding obtaining a refund will be made available.

White Noise



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/march/08/off-the-mark




Off The Mark


Friday 8 March 2013 11:53



Sascha Riether was delighted to open his account for Fulham in last Saturday's 2-2 draw with Sunderland, but he admits he would have happily traded his goal for three points.

It's a statement that will come as little surprise to fans, with the right-back's team ethic and selfless nature evident in abundance on the football pitch.

"I saw a chance for a counter and there was a lot of space on the left side," Sascha recalled of the move that led to his strike. "I actually wanted to get the ball earlier! But they played on the right so it was a little bit lucky that it made its way to me, but a goal's a goal.

"It was my first goal and I'm happy but, for me, it would have been better if we'd got the three points. To be on 35 points would be great for us but we don't have it so we have to live with the one point.

"If you lead 2-0 in an away game then it's important that you take that two goal lead into half-time. But it's not easy to do that and they made it 2-1 before the break which made it a much more open game and, in the end, maybe we were lucky that we didn't lose the game. So a point is okay but if you lead 2-0, normally you will win the game."

Our goals were both created by winger Ashkan Dejagah who has won praise for his recent displays, and Riether is confident his teammate and friend will continue to impress the Fulham faithful.

"In the last games Ashkan played very well," he told the official website. "You can see that he's a very good player and a very important player for Fulham and I hope that perhaps in the coming weeks he will score his first goal too.

"He'll keep improving – I've known him for a long time and we understand each other on the pitch very well and I hope he can carry on in this form."

With matches being moved for television coverage and to accommodate the FA Cup with Budweiser schedule, it has ended up being a quiet month for the Whites.

With the new date for our SW6 derby against Chelsea still unknown, it's possible that Martin Jol's side only play twice during March, with a trip to White Hart Lane on Sunday the 17th our only other confirmed fixture.

"It is strange to only have two games in a month and it's strange that from the next four matches we have three away games," Riether said. "That's not easy and, because of that, the Queens Park Rangers game will be very important.

"We are showing that we're difficult to beat away from home but we're playing against teams like Tottenham Hotspur - who are very, very good at the moment – and we've got to go to Aston Villa and Newcastle United who will fight for their lives, so it will be a very important few weeks."

Contrary to Fulham, Spurs are currently going through one of the busiest phases of their campaign. Thursday night's 3-0 victory over Inter Milan will be followed up at the weekend by a trip to Anfield, before they make the return journey to the San Siro looking to cement their progression in the UEFA Europa League.

They then face the Whites three days later and Sascha admitted that fixture congestion can sometimes be difficult to manage.

"For them, it's very hard," he explained. "It's not only the games, it's the travel too. It's very hard – I did it when I was playing in the Champions League and the Europa League and it can make you very tired. Perhaps that will be an advantage for us."

Andre Villas-Boas' side have been in fine form of late, winning six of their last seven matches in all competitions, but Sascha is taking confidence from the meeting between the sides back in December.

He also admitted that the Whites will have to be wary of the free-scoring Gareth Bale, but he is relishing the challenge of coming up against the Welshman once again.

"When we played them at Craven Cottage this season we lost 3-0 but in the first half we played one of our best halves of the season," he said. "We know that we're capable of beating any team and although Spurs are playing good football, there's no reason why we can't take something there.

"Everyone is talking about Bale and at the moment he's different class. Every game he makes his goals and he's very important for Tottenham so we'll have to see how they play. He might play as a striker or he might play on the left-wing. If he does play left-wing, I'll have to handle it."


A Humble Man

Five out of eight headers is 62% not 82%.  That top five is rubbish.
We Are Fulham, Believe.

jeremyfulham


A Humble Man

Quote from: jeremyfulham on March 09, 2013, 02:24:11 PM
its 5 out of 6 read it properly

It definitely says 8 total 5 won 3 lost.



We Are Fulham, Believe.


Forever Fulham

5 total, of which 5 won, three lost.  And there are 5 green circles and 3 red circles on the attending chart.  Humble is right.  Regardless, it doesn't seem statistically significant either way, does it?  To be meaningful, the reporter should set and defend the use of a certain minimum number of total headers (won and lost) per player within an established number of games as a prerequisite to be considered for the comparative listing.  And the chart doesn't account for the types of headers in contention, right?  I've never seen any scientific studies on this (and I'm not sure I'd want to read it), but I've always assumed certain types of air balls grossly favor the defender, whereas the outcome of others seem to depend more upon the hustle and determination of the offensive player.   Getting a head on a pop up play seems to me to be more like a 50/50 ball, yes?  But winning a 30+ yard well struck upfield ball--that's almost a lock for the defender.  Then there's high balls with more hang time v. line drives.  They'd have to factor in the available time to get in position to challenge the already-there defender.  That variable is missing as well.

Arthur

#13
Quote from: A Humble Man on March 09, 2013, 10:39:52 AM
Five out of eight headers is 62% not 82%.  That top five is rubbish.

Not so..

The list is intended to show those who have won the most headed duels in their own half and states that players have to have contested 30-or-more duels to be eligible.

The diagram that shows Riise winning five and losing three of eight duels is specific to the game against West Ham and, as jeremyfulham rightly states, of the six headers that Riise contested in his own half, he won five; the other two that he lost were in the opposition's half of the pitch.

Forever Fulham

You're right; I didn't see that.  30 minimum.  And samplings provided are just that, snapshots of a chosen game.  It does look good for Riise.