Monday Fulham Stuff (11/03/13)

[White Noise]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/fulham-transfer-news-danny-murphy-1755580?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter


Rovers return: Danny Murphy to quit Blackburn for Fulham backroom job


10 Mar 2013 22:30


The veteran midfielder quit Craven Cottage last summer to join Championship side but is in talks to cancel the deal now


Fulham hero: Danny Murphy in his Craven Cottage days


Fulham are ready to make a surprise move to bring Danny Murphy back to the club – and give him a job behind the scenes.             

Veteran midfielder Murphy quit Craven Cottage at the end of last season to join Blackburn on a lucrative contract, but now he could head back to his 'home'.

Murphy is in talks to cancel his deal at Blackburn after being stripped of the captaincy and left out of the first-team training group ahead of an early exit.             

And Fulham have lined up a post for him, with some coaching duties and promotional work for the London club - who have been trying to tempt him back recently.             

Murphy, who has been taking his coaching badges, has just moved into a new house in the capital and would prefer to return after an unhappy spell in Lancashire.

[White Noise]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/scott-dann-new-blackburn-skipper-1754325


Everybody's Dann's now: New skipper part of Appleton's change in direction at Ewood


10 Mar 2013 12:33


The times they are a-changing at Blackburn Rovers, and Michael Appleton wants Dann, not Danny to lead his hungry young squad


Laurence Griffiths


Michael Appleton has warned there will be no more final pay days at Blackburn.

And in a move to shake up the squad, Blackburn boss Appleton has taken the club captaincy off 35-year-old Danny Murphy.

Defender Scott Dann has taken over as full-time skipper and will wear the armband in the FA Cup quarter-final against Millwall today.

The decision puts the future of former Liverpool star Murphy in doubt, having only joined Blackburn from Fulham last summer.

"Ultimately, I want to take the football club in a different direction," said Appleton. "I don't want this club to get a reputation of being a last pay day for some players to come and have a little bit of football. We want hungry players, who are desperate to succeed.

"For some of the players it's been difficult to adapt to Championship football after plying most of their trade in the Premier League.

"Danny and I had an honest conversation. It wasn't easy, as he's a good guy and a good influence in the dressing room, but I told him we have to be sensible.

"I understand it looks like Danny might be getting the push, but we need to make changes in the squad. He is very professional and I'm sure he will still give 100 per cent and work hard.

"I've not taken the decision lightly and, having done it, there will be a period of time when he's not involved with the team because I have to back up what I've said and done, and give an opportunity to other players."

On his decision to award Dann the captaincy, Appleton added: "I've seen a leader in Scott, he leads by example. He enjoys defending and he's quite vocal on the training ground and in the games."

[White Noise]

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/march/11/brede-previews-spurs


Brede Previews Spurs

Monday 11 March 2013 11:54






Without a game last weekend, Fulham Captain Brede Hangeland says he's looking forward to the side's return to action this coming Sunday.

Due to Chelsea's involvement in the FA Cup sponsored by Budweiser, the Whites had a break from fixtures, with Martin Jol's Team facing Tottenham Hotspur in six days' time.   

Spurs have enjoyed a fine campaign to date, and enter Sunday's (3pm) encounter determined to secure their place in next season's UEFA Champions League, with Andre Villas-Boas' side currently residing in third place with 54 points from their 29 games.

"They are a very good side and right now are one of the top teams in the country," said Brede to fulhamfc.com. "I watched them against Inter Milan in the UEFA Europa League last week and thought they were superb. They were a little unlucky against Liverpool on Sunday, but they've got their eye on qualifying for the Champions League next season, and you wouldn't rule it out.

"Villas-Boas has them playing some really good football this term, and throughout their squad they have some very talented players. Gareth Bale is in fine form, whilst they also have the likes of Aaron Lennon, Mousa Dembélé and Jermain Defoe who can make a difference in the final third.

"At the back, they have a lot of strength too; they have a good goalkeeper in Hugo Lloris and in front of him Michael Dawson and Jan Vertonghen are a strong partnership. We know that they will be difficult to beat.

"White Hart Lane is a tough ground to visit too, and I'm sure that many will see Spurs as the favourites. But that's fine, we know what we are capable of and we like to think that we can continue our recent good form and take something from the game.

"They beat us 3-0 at Craven Cottage at the start of December, so it would be nice to address that this weekend. Spurs have played a lot of games recently, because of their involvement in the Europa League, and having had a bit of a break, hopefully that will be an advantage to us.

"Mentally, the break was a good thing, but personally, I'd have preferred to have had a game. I think momentum is important and it has to be said that we were on a decent run. I'm just looking forward to getting out there and playing again, like the rest of the squad, so hopefully we can make it a memorable day."

Fulham will be looking to build on an unbeaten run of three matches when they make the trip to North London, where last season Spurs recorded a 2-0 win at our expense. 

"I think we have improved over the past month or so," he added. "We have managed to get a good couple of results and put points on the board. That said, I still feel that we could have had more to show, especially from the game at Sunderland where I thought we should have won.

"We are starting to look up again, rather than down. With quite a few points up for grabs still, we want to finish the season as strongly as possible. We have a habit of finishing the season well and hopefully that will be the case again.

"If we can continue to pick up the points and see the campaign through to the end, we still have a chance of doing well. We know that other teams may switch off, and when they do we have to make the most of that. It would be nice to finish in the top half, and I believe we can do that." 

[White Noise]

http://www.goal.com/en/slideshow/2205/12/title/the-goal-rich-list-2013


39. Damien Duff (Fulham) - £18.5m





Fulham winger Damien Duff turned 34 in early March and has amassed more than 350 league appearances in 17 years as a Premier League player, while also appearing 100 times for Republic of Ireland.

He earns £45,000-a-week in west London with a further £150,000 available in bonuses. He won his 100th and final cap for Republic of Ireland at Euro 2012 before announcing his international retirement.

Prior to signing for Fulham, Duff played for Newcastle United, where he was earning £70,000-a-week. However, with two years left on his contract, he left for an undisclosed sum in 2009 after the Magpies were relegated from the Premier League.

Duff enjoyed a lucrative contract at Chelsea too after signing for a £17 million fee from Blackburn Rovers. At Stamford Bridge he won two Premier League titles in three years before departing for St James' Park in a £5m transfer.

His company Lightzest showed a 'net worth' of £1.1m as of July 2011, while his investments have included properties in London, Ireland, Newcastle and a series of beachfront properties in the Caribbean. Duff's off-field earnings include a sponsorship deal with Lucozade.

With one eye on a future after hanging up his boots, Duff has teamed up with Ireland rugby union legend Brian O'Driscoll to invest in a sports management company called IKON, with the pair acting as mentors to clients.

[White Noise]

http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11681/8557349



Mahamadou N'Diaye is attracting interest, but no offers made


By Francisco Acedo.   Last Updated: March 11, 2013 4:30pm



Mahamadou N'Diaye: No offers made

Vitoria Guimares have confirmed that they have not received any offers for their highly-rated defender Mahamadou N'Diaye.

The 22-year-old Mali international has impressed at the heart of their defence, whilst he also helped his country to third in the recent Africa Cup of Nations.

Premier League outfit Fulham are understood to have posted scouts to watch N'Diaye in action - which has led to speculation about his future.

Whilst Vitoria are likely sellers, they say they have not been approached by any club.

"Formally we have not received any propositions," Vitora sources told Sky Sports.

"It is normal we would look at this at the end of the season."

[White Noise]

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/march/11/u21-highlights



Blackburn U21s 1 Fulham U21s 3


Monday 11 March 2013 15:23


Blackburn 1-3 Fulham - Barclays U21 Premier League


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.

Watch the footage as Kit Symons' U21s scored some superb goals to continue their fine form with a resounding victory over Blackburn at Ewood Park.