Thursday Fulham Stuff (14/03/13)

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http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/fulham/id/768?cc=5739


The Dimitar Berbatov Appreciation Society


Posted by Phil Mison



Berbatov's goalscoring ability has outshone his petulance this season

Those hacks over at the Daily Mail must have too much time on their hands. Either that or they are mostly Fulham fans finding time hangs heavy between fixtures for the finest team in London. It appears they sent out a survey to all managers in the Premier League asking for a qualitative assessment of their peers and colleagues. I'm a little surprised the forms actually got returned – how many club secretaries I wonder filled them in by proxy? Anyway, for what it's worth Michael Laudrup justifiably comes out as the man to make the biggest impact this season, while our very own Bulgarian superstar comes in at number four in the 'best signing of the season' category.

Michu came in first, followed by Robin van Persie and Santi Cazorla. Two Spaniards in the top three, yet none in the Fulham ranks? I know I've raised this before, but this is something we should be addressing for our next phase of rebuilding. Scouting is a global business today and there is no excuse for not having coverage across all areas. Flights to Spain from London are as cheap as any while Primera Liga coverage via satellite is high profile, entertaining and excellently packaged. Which ex-pro would turn that gig down for nine months of the year? I'll take it on tomorrow Mr. Mackintosh, just pay me in hotel rooms and cuba libres. If you're reading this and you follow football, you have to make a pilgrimage to the Nou Camp and the Bernabeu at least once in your life.

Enough already, this blog is meant to be a long overdue salute to the skills of Dimitar Berbatov and his decision to join Fulham. It certainly made headlines last August, and caught everyone by surprise. Such a high profile signing had overtones of the Edwin van der Sar deal about it. Back in the days of Jean Tigana and our baptism in the Premier League, incredibly it was little Fulham who elbowed their way to the front of the queue, banged down a cheque for £8 million and spirited the Dutch giant away from Juventus to the banks of the Thames. Rumours that Holland's national keeper was restless in Turin surfaced that spring. I found myself alongside Edwin at a Rotterdam press conference before an international friendly and casually asked him if any English clubs appealed to him. I can assure you, Fulham did not get a mention! But once he joined, Tigana came out to tell the press: "This is a transfer that tells football Fulham under Mr. al Fayed mean business and top players in turn will attract other good players to the club."

Talismanic our top-scorer may be, but has Berba given value for money, and more controversially, has he been good for the team? This is where I suspect we might attract a broad spectrum of opinion. Considering his reputation, and that last stop-start season at Old Trafford where Sir Alex gave his £30 million pound man equal game and bench time, I don't think any of us expected to see quite a work rate from Berbatov at both ends of the pitch. It hasn't been exemplary – I recall a handful of games over the winter where Dimi decided the game was up and he wasn't going to keep chasing lost causes and misplaced passes. To be fair to the player, barely had Dimi selected his locker-room peg than Fulham's prime forward threat was heading off to White Hart Lane, following hard on the heels of midfield maestro Mousa Dembele. With the die already cast, in that fateful week leading up to West Ham away, Fulham's equilibrium suffered a near fatal blow.

Without doubt Berbatov remains a sublime talent. Every other club in the league would covet him. Great credit goes to Martin for persuading him down to SW6. We can only hope some of his magic dust has rubbed off on others throughout the club ranks, and that his influence becomes ever more telling with better players around him next season. Even his penalties are a thing of beauty.

I could do without a lot of the on-field histrionics, finger-pointing, shrugs and pouts that would have seen Dimi in permanent detention with my old sports master. But at least it shows he cares. And heavens knows, were we not all happy to tolerate similar attitude from the incomparable Johnny Haynes? I guess the jury is still out until we know our status is secured. Another half dozen goals to add to his tally and some fluent performances in the spring sunshine will certainly add lustre to both Berbatov's and Fulham's rollercoaster season to date.

Twitter@fulhamphil

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How efficient is your team at crossing? Premier League Crossing Stats

http://www.eplindex.com/28299/how-efficient-team-crossing-premier-league-crossing-stats.html

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Police fear fan chaos as Chelsea's FA Cup replay means all three west London clubs will be together on Easter Monday



By Janine Self

PUBLISHED:08:31, 14 March 2013| UPDATED:08:31, 14 March 2013

Comments (0)

London police face an Easter Monday nightmare following the decision to schedule Chelsea's FA Cup replay with Manchester United for that day.

Fulham are due to meet Queens Park Rangers a few hours later, which means supporters of three west London clubs will be in the same area.

The fixtures computer always pairs rivals Chelsea and Fulham so that they alternate their home matches because of policing demands. They have not played on the same day since the 1960s.







Fatigue: With Chelsea still in the Europa League they have a very bunched fixture list






Equaliser: Ramires scored Chelsea's second goal to bring them level and force the replay



Chelsea's quarter-final replay is due to kick off at 12.30 while the Sky Barclays Premier League clash between Fulham and QPR is at 8.00pm.

In addition, it is a Bank Holiday and supporters are likely to stay on in the local pubs afterwards, posing a policing headache.

To add to the mix, United are also guaranteed to bring their maximum quota of fans to Stamford Bridge.






Trouble: The police are worried that the three sets of rival fans will cause problems being in the same area




London derby: Fulham and Chelsea have not played at home on the same day since the 1960s


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2293138/Chelseas-FA-Cup-replay-Manchester-United-day-Fulham-play-QPR.html#ixzz2NVCvnxVf
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http://www.ghanasoccernet.com/pantsil-claims-people-were-paid-to-destroy-me/?utm_campaign=archives&utm_medium=twitter&utm_source=twitter


Ghana defender John Pantsil claims journalists were paid to destroy him


Posted On Wednesday, 13th March 2013


John Pantsil said people were paid to bad-mouth him.


Ghana defender John Pantsil claims people have been paid to run him down following his recent domestic problems in Accra.

The Israel-based defender was arrested by the Police in Ghana for allegedly assaulting his wife after an argument broke out.

The right-back is also alleged to have beaten up a neighbour who tried the separate the fighting couple in their residence in the plush neighbourhood in Accra.

A section of the press in Ghana widely reported that he stabbed his wife but the report emanated from, the police spokesman Freeman Tettey who later retracted the stabbing claims.

Few days later a radio station reported that his contract with Hapoel Tel Aviv has been cancelled, a report he vehemently denied.

Paintsil believes there are some people in the country who have paid the media to damage his previously clean reputation.

"We had arguments but I did not stab her," Pantsil told Tel-Aviv based Channel 10.

"To be honest with you, some people were trying to (I mean) disgrace me and paying people to do unnecessary things, stupid things on air to destroy my name but I have no idea and I just wanna leave everything to God. That's it."

He also added that: "The Police made a mistake to issue that statement and they are coming out to apologize for it.

"Everything is fine, you can see I'm very very very well. Nothing like that; everything you've been hearing on the internet, radio or newspaper is bull****.

It's never true so please send a message across to people in Israel that they know who John Paintsil is.

"I'm not like that type and they should cheer up and keep their heads focused but I'm well, I'm fit and happy so nothing is going wrong on my side."

The right-back had to be revived in hospital after collapsing in his home as his domestic issues took a toll on his health.

Paintsil's is yet to return to his club in Israel where his contract with Hapoel Tel Aviv where has been told to look for a new club.

He was alleged to have bedded prostitutes at the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations in South Africa.

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Frimpong called up to Ghana squad for first time after switching from England



By Bill Rungay

PUBLISHED:16:38, 13 March 2013| UPDATED:16:38, 13 March 2013

Comments (4)

Former England youth international Emmanuel Frimpong has been called up to the Ghana squad for their World Cup Qualifier at home to Sudan on March 24.


The Arsenal midfielder, who is on loan at Fulham, switched his allegiance from England to his birth country last year and this is his first international call up since.



International call-up: Emmanuel Frimpong (left) is set to make his Ghana debut

However, former Fulham defender John Pantsil has not been called up after his arrest for attacking his wife last month, despite the charges being dropped.


AC Milan's former Portsmouth midfielder Sulley Muntari has been recalled.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2292787/Emmanuel-Frimpong-called-Ghana-squad-time.html#ixzz2NVErHPJB
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http://pickourteam.com/premierleague/news/13-03-2013/no-substitute-for-dembeles-all-round-class-2/821215


No substitute for Dembele's all-round class


It was just over six months ago that Mousa Dembele left SW6 for North London. This period of time has seen constant tinkering from Martin Jol in an effort to fill the central midfield void left by the Belgian. Looking at Opta's stats for Dembele last season (2011/2012) compared with Jol's midfield options this term (Mahamadou Diarra, Giorgios Karagounis, Steve Sidwell and Chris Baird), the extent of the Cottagers' loss becomes all too clear.

First things first, in terms of basic stats of open play pass completion, ground and aerial 50/50s, tackle success and chance creation, Diarra and Karagounis are well ahead of Sidwell and Baird (although Sidwell pips them both in terms of chance creation). Obviously there's the fairly vast caveat that statistics only tell one part of the story, and I appreciate that Sidwell and Baird bring a huge amount to the side, but please bear with me.

With a focus on Karagounis and Diarra, let's compare with Dembele last season; Karagounis has a more successful 50/50 rate, a higher tackle success rate and a marginally higher open play pass completion rate (92% versus 89%). However, Dembele made a considerably higher number of interceptions and dribbles per game, while 32% of his passes went forwards (versus 16% for the Greek, who tends to pass sideways a lot more often). The Belgian created a chance every 58 minutes compared with Karagounis' chance created every 135 minutes. Diarra, meanwhile, has very similar stats to the creaking Greek, although he is even less creative.

As holding destroyers and hod-carriers, Diarra and Karagounis can match Dembele's stats. Karagounis has done much to shore up the Fulham midfield, but imagine if Diarra had been fit enough to play alongside him. Unfortunately, though, they have only managed 75 minutes together this season, and that looks likely to be it. Even with both fit, it is unlikely that they could fill the hole left by Dembele. It is in his all-round ability that the Belgian's value comes. His interceptions, dribbles, potency in the final third and chance creation make him a lot more than a holding midfielder; he is a driving force.

Effectively, Dembele is two players in one; no wonder Jol has struggled to replace him. I don't buy all this talk of Michu, Robin van Persie or Santi Cazorla as the buys of the season; for a paltry £15m Spurs didn't just get the signing of the season, they got the bargain of the decade.


Published by: Henry Hoare
on 13 March 2013


Read more: http://pickourteam.com/premierleague/news/13-03-2013/no-substitute-for-dembeles-all-round-class-2/821215#ixzz2NVFqchYC

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http://www.football365.com/faves/8562344/Who-Scored

Ranking second for the same statistic is Chelsea's Petr Cech, who has been called into action more often than he has become used to in recent seasons. Only five keepers have faced more shots on target than the Blues' number one (115) and of those only Mark Schwarzer plays for a side currently in the top half of the table. Cech has made the fifth highest number of saves (89), giving him a success rate of 77.4%.

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http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/march/14/anything-can-happen?utm_source=hoot&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=allsocialandre


"Anything Can Happen"


Thursday 14 March 2013 09:00

John Arne Riise wants Fulham to take advantage of Tottenham Hotspur's hectic schedule when Martin Jol's men head to White Hart Lane on Sunday (3pm).

Fulham's scheduled Barclays Premier League clash with Chelsea last weekend was postponed due to the Blues' FA Cup with Budweiser participation, meaning the Whites haven't been in action since the 2-2 draw at Sunderland on 2nd March.

Tottenham, in contrast, will have played three additional fixtures by the time they face the Whites and Riise is hopeful that Spurs' busy run can work in Fulham's favour.

"It's one of the toughest matches because of the way they play and they're in good shape," Riise told the official website. "But they have a heavy schedule right now as they're playing in the UEFA Europa League so hopefully they'll be a bit tired."

Not that Riise is expecting an easy afternoon in North London.

"They still have one of the best players in the league at the moment in Gareth Bale," said Riise. "He can't stop scoring and he's a fantastic person as well. They've got Aaron Lennon on the other side too and good players all over the pitch. It will be nice to see Mousa Dembélé and Clint Dempsey again but it will be a very tough game for us. That's the type of game we'll go into to try and get at least a point."

The fixture also represents the chance for Fulham to make amends after the somewhat harsh 3-0 loss to Spurs at the Cottage earlier this term.

"We should have won that game but somehow lost," said Riise. "But every game has its own life and, as I said, they have a busy schedule, whereas we'll have had a free weekend. We'll train well and prepare our best for it and we look forward to it. It's a derby and anything can happen."

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http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/march/13/u18s-lose-at-reading



Reading U18s 3-1 FFC U18s


Wednesday 13 March 2013 16:00

Fulham Under-18s slipped to their first defeat of the Barclays Under-18 Premier League Elite Group phase on Wednesday following a 3-1 loss at Reading.

Steve Wigley's side entered the game on the back of six straight victories, with a 3-1 home defeat of Reading included. However, the Royals had also been enjoying their own good form with two consecutive wins.

After a relatively even start, Fulham almost opened the scoring on 10 minutes, with the Reading goalkeeper, Dan Lincoln, making a stunning stop to keep out Moussa Dembele, who had claimed a hat-trick in the previous fixture between the two.

Muamer Tankovic was also denied with an equally impressive save, as again Fulham threatened to break the deadlock early on. Tankovic did have the ball in the net after 25 minutes, but the Swedish youngster's strike was ruled out for offside.

Moments later, it was Reading that made the difference, with Dominic Hyam smashing in a volley following a knock-down from a corner.

And on the stroke of half-time, Sean Long doubled his side's lead with a headed effort following a teasing free-kick from the right.

Dan Lincoln in the Reading goal made a fabulous sprawling save to deny Fulham minutes into the second-half after one of his defenders had misjudged a headed pass. He then kept out Dembele from the edge of the box.

The Whites did pull a goal back, though, with Dembele and Tankovic combining smartly before the latter finished with a cool side-footed effort.

With the deficit halved, Fulham looked for an equaliser with Emerson Hyndman trying his luck from distance, and Cameron Burgess (pictured) going agonisingly close with one stooping header.

But Reading's two-goal advantage was restored when Uche Ikpeazu added a third following another knock-down from a set-piece with minutes remaining.

"It wasn't our best performance of the season," admitted Academy Director Huw Jennings to fulhamfc.com. "Reading play with a particular style and we struggled with that. To be fair to them [Reading], they did it well. For me, we didn't really create enough and when we did get opportunities, we just didn't take them.

"We conceded three goals from three set-pieces and, quite frankly, that just isn't good enough. Our good run came to an end, but the boys will regroup and look to the next match which is a trip to Manchester United on Saturday.

"They'll want to bounce back and show what they are capable of, so it's a game we're all looking forward too."

Fulham 18s: Oberschmidt; Donnelly, O'Reilly, Burgess, Richards (Evans 60); Roberts, Sambou, Hyndman, O'Halloran (Williams 60); Tankovic; Dembele

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http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/march/13/fans-forum


Fans Forum

Wednesday 13 March 2013 15:31

As part of our Open Training Day, the Club will be hosting a Fans Forum on Tuesday 9th April.

Craven Cottage already receives fantastic feedback from home and away fans, as well as first-time supporters, and as we enter the closing stages of the season we'd love to hear your ideas on how we can make our matchday even better.

Your thoughts on atmosphere, facilities, product range and other elements of the matchday experience, such as travel and ticketing, will help us to formulate our plans for the 2013/14 season, and beyond.

Entry is free to all Open Training attendees (aged 16 years and over) but due to limited capacity attendance is by invitation only. If you are interested in taking part, please contact our Supporter Relations team.

The event will take place in McBride's Bar in the Riverside Stand and will run from 1.15pm – 2.30pm (approx). Open Training ends at approximately midday and an informal buffet lunch will then be made available in McBride's for forum attendees to enjoy before the discussion begins.

If you are unable to attend, you can still contribute by emailing your thoughts to [email protected] or by writing to our Supporter Relations team. We'll include all written submissions as part of our findings, responding where appropriate to each individual contributor.

Junior Whites Huddle

After Open Training we'd also love to meet with younger fans to chat about all things Fulham!

Our special half-hour huddle will be held in the Players' Lounge at 12.15pm and some very special guests will be joining us to hear your views. It would be great to know what our junior fans think about the team, the stadium and, in particular, what makes being a Fulham fan so special. We'd also like to hear about any great new ideas and suggestions.

Junior Whites can sign up by asking their parent or guardian to contact our Supporter Relations team. We will then send out further information and invitations in advance. Please note that junior fans must be accompanied on the day by a responsible adult.

To allow us to plan effectively, participation is by invite only. If we have too many applicants then we will pick attendees at random from everyone who contacts us before Thursday 28th March. Please confirm your Client Reference number(s) when applying for a place.

Open Training Tickets

Open Training tickets are free of charge and you can book now by contacting our Ticket Office on 0843 208 1234 (option 3). You will need a pre-booked ticket to attend either Forum.

Following the success of last year's event, this promises to be another very special day out at the Cottage and we look forward to meeting and chatting with fans of all ages.

Contact Us

Supporter Relations Department              Email: [email protected]

FFC Training Ground                              Phone: 0843 208 1222 (option 4)

Motspur Park

KT3 6PT

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http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/march/14/fulham-v-arsenal-tickets


Fulham v Arsenal Tickets

Thursday 14 March 2013 09:00

Tickets for the Whites' home game against Arsenal are now on sale to all supporters with a Booking History.

The Gunners visit Craven Cottage on Saturday 20th April (3pm) and you could be there to cheer us on!

Last season's encounter in SW6 will live long in the memory for Fulham fans, with two goals in the last five minutes seeing the Whites to a 2-1 victory.

The two sides also played out an enthralling 3-3 draw at the Emirates Stadium in November, with Mark Schwarzer making a 95th-minute save from Mikel Arteta's penalty in a game that had everything.

Buy your tickets online today.

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http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/march/14/u21s-host-rovers


U21s Host Rovers


Thursday 14 March 2013 10:27



Fulham's Under-21s will go in search of a fourth successive win when they host Blackburn Rovers in a behind-closed-doors fixture at Motspur Park on Thursday (1pm).

The Whites defeated Rovers 3-1 at Ewood Park last Friday and will be looking for a quick-fire double over the Lancashire outfit to add to the recent victories over Aston Villa and Chelsea.

Goals from Chris David, Omri Altman and Alex Smith saw Kit Symons' side defeat 10-man Rovers 3-1 last week.

Dutchman David put Fulham in front early on, before Altman headed home Sean Kavanagh's delivery to make it 2-0 on 38 minutes.

Rovers were dealt a further blow on the hour mark when Fabio Nunes was shown a second yellow card, but the hosts pulled a goal back on 63 minutes when a Robbie Cotton free-kick was headed home by Micah Evans.

With the game entering added time, Fulham made sure of the points when Smith finished emphatically.

Looking ahead to the rematch with Rovers, Symons said: "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."

Rovers have lost five of their seven Phase 2 games in Group 1 of the Barclays U21 Premier League.

Former Everton youngster Anton Forrester, who made his senior debut in Wednesday night's FA Cup with Budweiser defeat to Millwall, will start up front alongside Jordan Slew against the Whites. Academy defender Bradley Bauress makes his first start at Under-21 level.