Wednesday Fulham Stuff (20/03/13)

[White Noise]

http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/oman-national-team/news/1144758/The-buzz-that-keeps-Schwarzer-going


The buzz that keeps Schwarzer going



1Comments


20 March 2013-SBS: Philip Micallef




Welcome skipper ... Mark Schwarzer greets FFA CEO David Gallop at training on Tuesday (AAP)


Australia's stand-in captain Mark Schwarzer said he gets the same thrill from playing for the green and gold now as when he made his national debut in 1993.

Schwarzer, 40, has played for Australia 104 times since making his first appearance in a FIFA World Cup qualifier.

On Tuesday night Schwarzer will deputise for suspended defender Lucas Neill in the 2014 World Cup qualifier against Oman at Stadium Australia.

"Anything less than three points will be a disaster for us," Schwarzer said, at the team's hotel in Sydney on Wednesday afternoon.

"It's going to be a very, very tough task for us."

"Obviously, if you look at where we're sitting on the table, it has worked out ok.

"We would have liked to pick up a couple more points along the way.

"Now with the four remaining games, every one of them is obviously vitally important, particularly the three home games."

Next week's Oman encounter is a crunch game and Schwarzer will be just as excited as when he came on as a substitute for Robert Zabica in Edmonton, Canada, two decades ago.

"Of course, I get the same buzz," Schwarzer said.

"Yes, it's very true, I have been playing a long time but I think that, the longer you play, the more games you play, if you do not get that buzz that I still get from playing for your country I would not be sitting here today.

"That is what drives me, that continuous buzz from representing my country."

Schwarzer, who plays his club football for Fulham in the English Premier League, is coach Holger Osieck's most experienced player and he had no qualms about giving him the captaincy when it became available.

Goalkeeper captains are not very common at club or national level.

While many believe goalkeepers have the best seat in the house to see what's unfolding in front of them, others maintain that sometimes they are too far away from the action to be able to exert any influence.

The veteran custodian, who was raised in Sydney's west, clearly subscribes to the former view.

"The game is all about opinions," he said.

"And my view is that a goalkeeper's position is just as important as any other on the park.

"I think you can have influence from any position.

"What's important is that we have a team that has a good balance of experienced players who are able to lead from all over the park.

"When Lucas is here he is definitely one of the more vocal players in the team but there are other leaders too.

"You cannot have just one leader."

Schwarzer, who has tried to avoid controversy throughout his career, raised many eyebrows in 2012 when he said that Aussie players coming home to end their careers in the A-League were at risk of falling victim of the notorious tall poppy syndrome.

He cited as an example World Cup striker John Aloisi's two-year stint with Sydney FC when he was often heavily criticised by the fans for his performances that did not meet expectation.

"I'm not going to hide from the fact that I did say that, yes," Schwarzer said.

"I think early on it (the criticism) was something that happened.

"But I don't think that as the years went by it happened as often any more, in fact I don't think it happens at all now.

"All the returning players I have spoken to since then speak very highly of the way in which they are received here in Australia.

"I think the league has evolved and become very competitive and even the fans have taken the competition to a higher level.

"Western Sydney are a great example of that."

Many members of the Socceroos squad have expressed their wish to attend the much-awaited Sydney derby at Parramatta Stadium on Saturday night.

But Osieck has ruled this out because he said it would be too much of a distraction three days before a key qualifier.

The team will have to watch the match as a group at its hotel via a set of big screens.

So who will Schwarzer back in the derby?

"I will be supporting Western Sydney definitely," he said.

[White Noise]

http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/soccer/lafferty-and-baird-given-shore-leave-by-o-neill-1.1331496


Lafferty and Baird given shore leave by O'Neill


Suspended duo will be allowed to rest up ahead of the meeting with Russia on Friday


Tue, Mar 19, 2013, 18:16


Manager Michael O'Neill will allow suspended duo Kyle Lafferty and Chris Baird time away from the squad for the first part of Northern Ireland's World Cup double-header.

Lafferty and Baird will both miss the visit of Russia on Friday but have been named in a 26-man group with a view to featuring against Israel four days later. And while they will be in Belfast for the next few days, O'Neill does not intend to include them in full training until the first fixture is done and dusted.

A little free time back home may come in particularly handy for Lafferty, the former Rangers striker who now plies his trade in Switzerland with Sion.

"With both players there is no real benefit to having them (training) with us now, so we'll look to bring them in later in the week when the focus turns to the Israel game," O'Neill said. "That gives the likes of Bairdy and Kyle the chance to see family back here in Belfast. They're at the stage of the season where two days off and away from it won't harm them in any way or affect them fitness-wise at all.

"It's always difficult to be involved when you know you can't play: it's not great for them and it's not ideal for the team either."

One man who will be relishing being back involved with the senior side ahead of the Russia match is midfielder Sammy Clingan. He captained an under-strength side in O'Neill's second game in charge — a 6-0 demolition in Holland — but has been missing from recent squads after an unsettled season at club level.

Having decided to leave Coventry at the end of the last campaign he spent the first part of the season without a club and then had an unsatisfactory spell with Doncaster. He is now back in action with Kilmarnock and turning in some impressive performances.

"Sammy has had a difficult six or seven months and the club situation has been a bit up and down," admitted O'Neill. "I encouraged him in coming to Scotland, that it would be a good option to consider and I've seen him three times now. I've been impressed and he's getting better and better. "It's great to have Sammy back in the squad because he's an important player for us."

Clingan's fellow midfielder, Windsor Park favourite Grant McCann, is also back in the squad having been on the periphery during the first four qualifiers. He is currently helping Peterborough battling relegation from the npower Championship — an experience O'Neill believes can be beneficial to the national side.

"It's good to have Grant back," he said. "He's played a lot of football recently and his club are in there fighting for survival in the Championship. "That means he's playing a lot of high-pressure games and that bodes well for him coming in with the nature of the matches we have in the next week or so."

[White Noise]

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2013/03/19/3838853/-


Fulham winger Dejagah wants top-half spot after Tottenham win


Latest Michu praises Swansea's growing international contingent NextHangeland & Schwarzer set to agree new Fulham deals


By Nicholas McGee


19 Mar 2013 20:56:00


The Iran international has expressed his joy after the Cottagers overcame Spurs to move into 10th in the Premier League, and is hoping they can now improve and move up the table

Ashkan Dejagah has expressed his delight at Fulham's win over London rivals Tottenham and is eyeing a top-10 finish for the Cottagers this term.

The winger played the full 90 minutes in the victory at White Hart Lane and was eager to stress that Martin Jol's side can now use that success as a springboard and end their season on a high.

He told the club's official website: "We were very happy because it was a big game and it's not easy to win against Tottenham.

"We played good football and we stuck together as a team from the first minute. We fought all together on the pitch and that was very important.

"It was great, also, to keep another clean sheet. All the world knows that Tottenham have good players; Gareth Bale, Emmanuel Adebayor, many players. But I think we played together very well on Sunday as a team and we're happy to win what was a big game.

"The top half is where we want to be so obviously we're pleased to be 10th again in the league.

"We have quality in the team – we showed that at the weekend and we have to make sure we concentrate on the next game and hopefully in the next few weeks we'll take our chances to continue moving up the table."

[White Noise]

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/march/19/opta-evaluation


Opta Evaluation


Tuesday 19 March 2013 11:30


Fulham can be delighted with the manner in which they contained a Tottenham Hotspur side that boasts a plethora of attacking talent on Sunday at White Hart Lane.

Gareth Bale, Emmanuel Adebayor, Clint Dempsey, Gylfi Sigurdsson and Jermain Defoe all featured for Spurs at the weekend, but Fulham remained disciplined and organised throughout to secure a third clean sheet from our last four matches.

The shutout is all the more impressive considering the home side bossed the majority of the Opta statistics – although all Fulham fans will care about is the one most important stat; the scoreline.

Spurs had twice as many attempts on goal as Fulham (15 to seven), but they only managed one more effort on target, meaning that we boasted a superior shot accuracy of 28.6 per cent to Tottenham's 20 per cent. Of their three efforts that tested Mark Schwarzer, it was a shot on 90 minutes that was the most dangerous, as the Australian threw himself in front of Defoe's effort from point-blank range to ensure our three points didn't get reduced to one.

Possession was dominated by the home side (59.4 per cent) but Fulham did a good job of winning the ball back, successfully completing 21 tackles to Spurs' 13. Giorgos Karagounis was his usual industrious self in the middle of the park, winning six tackles. Benoit Assou-Ekotto was the Lilywhites' best performer in this department, robbing a Fulham player of the ball on four occasions.

An area where Fulham were head and shoulders above our opponents was in the air, with Martin Jol's men winning 18 aerial duels to Tottenham's seven. Captain Brede Hangeland – who enjoyed a sterling game at the back – was the most dominant with five successful battles in the air.

Fulham's busiest player on Sunday was Sascha Riether, with the full-back involved in 70 ball events, including one assist, two key passes and 31 accurate balls. Only Karagounis (41) made more accurate passes than the German.

[White Noise]

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/march/19/arsenal-sold-out

Arsenal Sold Out


Tuesday 19 March 2013 12:25


Fulham's match against Arsenal on Saturday 20th April (3pm) has now sold out.

A limited number of hospitality options remain available, including our off-site option at the Fulham Palace.

Fulham scored a last minute winner in this fixture last season at Craven Cottage, and were involved in a thrilling 3-3 draw at the Emirates this campaign, so who knows what this match will have in store!

[White Noise]

http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-news/football/premier-league/transfer-rumours/130319/fulham-target-distances-himself-premier-league-move-193967


Fulham target distances himself from Premier League move


By Alex Shaw | Tuesday, March 19, 2013




Fulham target Maarten Stekelenburg says he does not want to move to the Premier League amid rumours he could leave Roma.

The Dutchman, 30, wanted to join Fulham in the January transfer window after he lost his first team place to Mauro Goicoechea.

But despite boarding a plane to London, he could not finalise a deal and he remained at Roma.

He has since won his place back under Aurelio Andreazzoli and now he does not want to play for Martin Jol.

"There is no reason to leave," he said. "I knew that I could do well and I know how football works.

"It was a very difficult period for me, but the new coach has faith in my abilities."


Read more: http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-news/football/premier-league/transfer-rumours/130319/fulham-target-distances-himself-premier-league-move-193967#ixzz2O40dHN3W

[White Noise]

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/march/20/lowdown-on-urby


Lowdown On Urby


Wednesday 20 March 2013 09:00


Urby Emanuelson's deadline day loan move from AC Milan to Fulham was seen as something of a coup for the Club and Italian journalist Federico Farcomeni is backing the midfielder to be a hit at Craven Cottage.

Netherlands international Emanuelson, capped 16 times for his country, joined Milan in January 2011 and helped the Rossoneri to the Serie A title in his first season. He also played as his new side beat rivals Inter Milan to the Supercoppa Italiana in August 2011.

Prior to his move to Italy, he had made 240 appearances for Dutch giants Ajax where he worked with Martin Jol during the 2009/10 campaign.

Thus far, Whites fans have only seen Emanuelson appear from the substitutes' bench, so Farcomeni - UK correspondent for Italian radio station Maná Maná - gives us the lowdown on the 26-year-old.

What sort of player is Emanuelson? What will he bring to Fulham?

He can play at inside left in midfield or even as a left-back. His versatility could be key in his adjustment to the Barclays Premier League.

Where do you see his best position?

I can't see him in any other place than midfield, but at Ajax he showed he could play well also as a left-back so Martin Jol could try him in that role too. Milan manager Massimiliano Allegri even tried him behind the strikers, which could be another option. In any case, Urby declared several times that Milan was pivotal in him maturing as a complete footballer so I could even see him play as a 'trequartista' in a 4-3-1-2 formation.

Why do you think Milan allowed him to leave on loan?

At Milan, he met fierce competition for a starting spot from Luca Antonini and Mattia De Sciglio, who is the next big thing at the San Siro. Allegri and Milan decided to go with a new young and Italian philosophy in some key areas (see also Stephan El Shaarawy and Mario Balotelli together in attack, something Italy's manager Cesare Prandelli is very proud about) so Urby perhaps was in the right place but at the wrong time in Milan's history.

Do you think he can be a success at Fulham?

Why not? The new 'Oranje' connection could play in Fulham's favour. Whoever has come out from 'De Toekomst' (Ajax Academy) has always had the right frame of mind to succeed. Last year, I had the chance to interview Urby in the mixed zone after the Netherlands beat England 3-2 at Wembley and he told me that he was very happy to have played in London – a hint that he wouldn't struggle to adapt quickly to his new life here. He just needs more minutes under his belt.

[White Noise]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/mar/20/fulham-martin-jol-contract?CMP=twt_gu


Fulham take option to keep Martin Jol on as manager for another year


• Craven Cottage club activate one-year extension


• Dutchman has guided club to 10th in Premier League


David Hytner


guardian.co.uk, Wednesday 20 March 2013 10.33 GMT

Martin Jol will manage Fulham for at least another season after the club took the option to extend his deal by a year. Photograph: Richard Sellers/Sportsphoto Ltd
Fulham have activated the one-year option on Martin Jol's contract and the manager is set to remain in charge for next season.

There has been confusion in some quarters about Jol's future, principally because he has not signed any paperwork on the option, which was bolted onto the two-year deal that he agreed when he took over at Craven Cottage in June 2011.

But as the option is on Fulham's side, there is nothing for Jol to sign. The club informed him last October that they wanted for him to stay for the extra year and they have continued to plan with him. Fulham have made no announcement regarding the option on Jol and nor do they intend to, as they feel that there is no need for any fanfare.

Jol has guided the club to 10th place and within touching distance of Premier League safety, despite losing two of his key players, Mousa Dembélé and Clint Dempsey, in the final days of the summer transfer window for a combined £21m to Tottenham Hotspur.

He reinvested a total of £9m in fees on Dimitar Berbatov, Ashkan Dejagah and Kieran Richardson while in January, he made four loan additions until the end of the season – Emmanuel Frimpong, Urby Emanuelson, Eyong Enoh and Stanislav Manolev. Jol is £13m in credit, according to transfermarkt.co.uk on his dealings at Craven Cottage, in terms of fees.

The club's priority is to tie down the goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer and the defender Brede Hangeland to new deals – the pair are out of contract at the end of the season – and, also, to take up the one-year option that they hold on the defender Sascha Riether, who signed last July for one year. A host of other players' deals expire in the summer, including Mladen Petric, Mahamadou Diarra, Giorgos Karagounis, Chris Baird and Simon Davies.

Fulham's morale was boosted by Sunday's 1-0 win at Tottenham, which took them to 36 points with nine matches to play. Jol's finished his first season at the club in ninth place and with 52 points.

[White Noise]

An apology to Philippe Senderos


Philippe, I am sorry for the way I have treated you over the past couple of years. I'm sorry for my tired looks of resignation every time I saw your name on the teamsheet and for the pangs of fear induced by your every touch. I am sorry for the terror invoked in me when you played well; a panic borne out of the absolute certainty that the better you play, the bigger the mistake you are likely to make.

Don't get me wrong, you still frighten me. You still have it in you to do a worryingly good impression of Geneva's answer to Titus Bramble. You still have one rather significant error in you every game. However, you are also a very decent central defender. You may have the turning circle of a 430 bus that traverses the Fulham Palace Road, your second touch may often be a tackle, and you still have the ability to look as flustered as a hen unsure of its chicks' whereabouts, but you have added real steel to the team since your recall to the side.

You have improved as a player, you have matured as a defender, and you now provide a palpable and consistent contribution to this Fulham team. In previous years that had not been the case. The team now looks stronger for your inclusion. You are now a decision maker rather than an indecision maker. Of course, you still have your limitations; your capacity to drop a clanger every 90 minutes remains understandably infuriating and your weakness when isolated one-on-one is an irrevocable flaw. But every player has their weaknesses. It is those players who adapt and allow for their weaknesses that achieve the most.

You are still making those mistakes; Wayne Rooney's winner at the Cottage in January, the penalty away at Sunderland, to name but a few. However, you are making up for those errors with the rest of your contribution. You are showing leadership qualities, you are finally taking responsibility for your actions, making bolder decisions with regards to when to press, when to drop back, when to charge forwards. You are finally proving the seasoned naysayers, like me, wrong; good on you.

I'm afraid that it will take some time, and indeed therapy, to rid myself of the Senderos-inspired shudders that accompany watching you play for Fulham, but I'll gladly say that you have won me over.


Published by: Henry Hoare

on 20 March 2013


Read more: http://pickourteam.com/premierleague/fulham/news/20-03-2013/an-apology-to-philippe-senderos/822260#ixzz2O7NAO0fh

[White Noise]

http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/march/20/enoh-update


Enoh on Life in SW6

Wednesday 20 March 2013 10:29


After making his Fulham bow at White Hart Lane, Eyong Enoh discusses life at Craven Cottage following his January loan move from Ajax Amsterdam.

The Whites' latest debutant, Eyong Enoh, talks to Fulham TV

[White Noise]

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


Loan Round-Up


Wednesday 20 March 2013 08:30


Yeovil Town and Dan Burn's promotion hopes took a hit on Tuesday evening as they lost 2-0 at home to Swindon Town in npower League One.

The Glovers could have moved above their promotion rivals with a win but a late Adam Rooney penalty and James Collins' stoppage-time strike did the damage. Burn played the full 90 minutes as the two-goal deficit saw Yeovil move out of the Play-Off places on goal difference.

In the Blue Square Bet Premier, James Musa played the entirety of Hereford United's 3-2 defeat at Gateshead. The Bulls had taken the lead through Chris Sharp, but the hosts fought back to go 2-1 up through Ryan Donaldson and James Brown before half-time.

Marlon Jackson's fierce drive levelled things shortly after the interval, but Brown grabbed his second on 55 minutes to secure the three points for the Tynesiders. The result sees Hereford drop to ninth in the standings.

In the same division, Marcus Bettinelli and Dartford fell to a 1-0 defeat at home to Barrow. Richie Baker's penalty on 74 minutes proved to be the difference between the two sides, although the Darts relied on Bettinelli to make a number of decent saves early on in the tie. The result means the Kent side remain 12th in the league.

On Monday in the Blue Square Bet South, Farnborough suffered a 6-0 mauling in Essex at the hands of Chelmsford City, with Richard Peniket withdrawn shortly before half-time after suffering a nasty head wound.

Peniket actually had a chance to open the scoring in the 11th minute when he was put through on goal. His shot was well saved by the Clarets keeper, although there were shouts for a penalty as the striker appeared to be knocked off balance. The result left Farnborough eighth in the table – seven points off the Play-Off places.

[White Noise]

Hughes seeks reward for hard work


Aaron Hughes says a good result for Northern Ireland against Russia on Friday night would be just reward for the hard work put in by the squad since Michael O'Neill took over as manager last year.

The former NI skipper expects a tough test against the Russians, who are unbeaten in the World Cup qualifying campaign so far.

Northern then play Israel at Windsor Park on Tuesday, 26 March.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21866334