Monday Fulham Stuff (25/03/13)...

[WhiteJC]

 
In The Mix?
   
Transfer speculation is linking Fulham with a move for the Celtic striker Gary Hooper.

But before we get all excited about the hot-shot coming to Craven Cottage, we should point out that, in our opinion, we`re rank outsiders to land the twenty-five year old with several other clubs also showing an interest.

Rated at £8 million, Hooper`s long list of apparent suitors includes Aston Villa, Sunderland, ourselves and Inter Milan.


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=313731#ixzz2OX4MEaXF

[WhiteJC]

 
Linked to a Hammers Youngster!
   
Could Fulham be about to take advantage of a contract dispute over at Upton Park!

It is being reported that the promising nineteen year-old West Ham striker Robert Hall hasn`t settled on a new deal and could be leaving for as little as £500,000 at the end of the season.

An England U19 international, Hall is also attracting interest from Liverpool and Southampton, but could Hall be enticed by the fact that a move to Craven Cottage could allow him to maintain his London base?


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=313735#ixzz2OX4aQrFB

[WhiteJC]

 
FFC 3 Coritiba 1

Goals from Cauley Woodrow, George Evans and Muamer Tankovic earned Fulham a 3-1 win over Brazilian side Coritiba in the opening game of the Dr Pepper Dallas Cup on Sunday.

At the 92,000 capacity Cotton Bowl Stadium, Woodrow put Fulham in front on the stroke of half-time with a far-post header, with the same player then seeing an effort disallowed for offside early in the second period.

But with Solomon Sambou pulling the strings in midfield, the Whites soon had their second when substitute Evans scored with his first touch of the game.

A classy finish by Tankovic made it 3-0, before Coritiba pulled a late goal back after some sloppy play by Fulham.

The Whites are next in action on Monday when they face LA Galaxy.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/march/24/winning-start-for-whites?

[WhiteJC]

 
Schwarzer wary of Oman test

Mark Schwarzer has described Australia's World Cup qualifying match against Oman on Tuesday night as their "toughest game to date", simply because of the importance of the result.

Australia are second in the group, but only just - they're ahead of Oman and Iraq on goal difference and a point in front of Jordan.

With regular skipper Lucas Neill suspended, Schwarzer will wear the captain's armband for the crucial clash at ANZ Stadium.

"It is great to be playing back home in Australia and I'm confident we'll hit the ground running," Schwarzer said on Monday.

"We need to win the game...we all know that.

"We all know how important the game is and we know we need to pick up three points."

Coach Holger Osieck also got straight to the point, emphasising how crucial a win is.

"We don't need to talk around the subject - it's a game that we have to win and we go into it in order to win," he said.

"It's really a crucial one for us in our qualifying campaign."

Both Schwarzer and Osieck said the week-long preparation for the match has been extremely valuable, with the players able to spend quality time together both on and off the field.

Osieck also said he's decided who will replace Neill in the centre of defence, but was reluctant to give anything away during the press conference.

"In my mind, yes I have settled on the pairing," Osieck said.

"Knowing that Lucas wouldn't be available for tomorrow, I've already worked on this and I'm pretty sure I'm going to have a good pairing in central defence."

Meanwhile, Oman are happy to go into the match as underdogs.

Coach Paul Le Guen says Australia will be under pressure to get a result, which could free his team up to spring a surprise on the hosts.

"Once again they (Australia) will be favourites, we will be outsiders," Le Guen said.

"But we will try our best."



http://www.sportal.com.au/football-news-display/schwarzer-wary-of-oman-test-227585

[WhiteJC]

 
No Murphy return - Jol

Boss Martin Jol has denied reports claiming Danny Murphy is poised for a return to Fulham to join the coaching staff.

The Cottagers boss has spoken out following a weekend of rumours that he has been in touch with the 36-year-old midfielder, who departed Craven Cottage in the summer transfer window to join Championship outfit Blackburn Rovers.

However, Murphy's spell at Ewood Park has turned sour with the club now embroiled in a battle to avoid being relegated for a second successive season, while Rovers' owners Venky's recently axed boss Michael Appleton - their third manager of the season following on from Steven Kean and Henning Berg.

Jol claims there have been no discussions between Fulham and Murphy about a return to the Londoners and the Dutch tactician expects him to stay with the Lancashire outfit.

He said: "We haven't thought about it and we haven't spoken about it. I don't even know what he wants. He is at Blackburn. So maybe he will be a coach there."



http://www.clubcall.com/fulham/no-murphy-return---jol-1565834.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Australia v Oman: the match-ups

Mark Schwarzer v Ali Al-Habsi

If you thought Mark Schwarzer was revered here, Ali Al-Habsi would be every bit as famous in his homeland. Al-Habsi has become a top player in the English Premier League after leaving Bolton to join Wigan. While Schwarzer won't be expecting much action, he'll have to be alert to the counter-attacking style of the Omanis, which could produce chances. As for Al-Habsi, he'll be preparing for a torrid night.



Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/sport/football/australia-v-oman-the-matchups-20130325-2gq90.html#ixzz2OXxpMhfn

[WhiteJC]

 
Osieck's changing of guard

Though Holger Osieck reckons he's finally picked his starting side to face Oman in Tuesday night's World Cup qualifier at ANZ Stadium, the Socceroos coach says it's brought him no end of sleepless nights trying to get it right.

Australia is missing stalwarts such as Lucas Neill, Brett Emerton, Josh Kennedy and Sasa Ognenovski, and getting the mix right hasn't been simple for Osieck, who looks set to choose the most youthful side for a competitive match in years.

While the availability of Mark Schwarzer, Mark Bresciano and Tim Cahill ensures there's no shortage of veterans on offer, the changing of the guard appears to be slowly but surely taking place.

Though the likes of Tommy Oar, Robbie Kruse, Mark Milligan, James Holland, Mile Jedinak and Robbie Cornthwaite are hardly considered youngsters any more - some are in their late 20s - they mark the kind of players who could form the core of the next two World Cup campaigns.

Much will be learnt about Osieck's mindset about the decision he makes on a defensive midfield partner for Jedinak. Though Bresciano offers a touch of class, the coach is a huge fan of Holland, who has experienced a breakout year for Austria Vienna and appears the slight favourite to get the start over his more illustrious teammate.

''I'm now in a position that I have to admit I really haven't been in before in that I will really have some headaches but positive ones,'' Osieck said at the team's hotel in Sydney on Monday.

''There is a great deal on offer now in terms of players. There's decent quality and players that have made tremendous progress in the last couple of months.

''In recent games, at times I have had the problem to really find a good number of players ready for selection, but this time the quantity is there and within that quantity I have a lot more quality.''

The Socceroos have had an extended training camp in Sydney which has focused purely on preparation for this match and Schwarzer believes it's been an ''invaluable'' period.

''The last qualification game we had against Iraq in Qatar showed how important having that lead-up time together as a group really is,'' he said. ''It gives us an opportunity to sit down and discuss the different aspects of the game and spend quality time together.''

Oman coach Paul Le Guen was happy to claim the underdog tag for the game but noted his side had been well briefed on how to nullify Cahill.

''I know he is good in the air and he likes fighting,'' Le Guen said. ''I have shown [my players] video, but I don't know if that will be enough.''



Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/sport/soccer/osiecks-changing-of-guard-20130325-2gq8c.html#ixzz2OXyCEHzw

[WhiteJC]

 
Schwarzer predicts style change

Veteran Mark Schwarzer predicts the Australia side of the future will play a drastically different brand of football as more players opt for non-European clubs.

With only seven players who were in the 2010 World Cup squad named in the 23-man squad to play Oman in Australia's World Cup qualifier on Tuesday, it's already a new-look Socceroos.

But while the side goes through a period of transition, Schwarzer feels the emergence of leagues outside Europe as an option for Socceroos aspirants will shape the playing style of the future team.

Whereas the big leagues in Europe have long been the ambition of most players, of the 23 in the current squad more than half ply their trade in the Middle East, Asia and our own A-League.

The likes of Matt McKay and Ryan McGowan both play in the Chinese Super League while former Perth Glory defender Dino Djulbic left Chinese club Guizhou Renhe to join Alex Brosque in the UAE.

Socceroos tyro Tomas Rogic's rapid rise earned him a contract with Scottish giants Celtic but his former Central Coast Mariners teammate Mathew Ryan continues to prove himself domestically.

Ryan is among six A-League players to receive a call up.

"It's become a different path for a lot of players to take," Schwarzer said.

"I think the team in the future is probably going to take on a different direction in the way it plays.

"It will have different traits from different countries around the world."

But while Schwarzer is certain the future Socceroos side won't play the same way he's unsure if they'll be as good.

"That's the big question. Only time will tell," the 40-year-old Fulham Athletic goalkeeper said.

"You could argue whether or not playing in Europe is better for development than playing in Asia or playing in other parts of the world but only time will tell."



http://theworldgame.sbs.com.au/news/1145344/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Ten of the worst - Part 1


GettyImages
Andrejs Stolcers: It was all downhill after scoring on debut

Like a foot soldier in the trenches, your blogger fears he must put his head above the parapet. With hostilities stayed it's all quiet on the Western Front (well the SW6 front anyway) for the second time this month. While the battalion's officers withdraw behind the lines to dally with the ladies and sleep long in soft beds on full stomachs, this poor Tommy has to sally forth into no-man's land and remind the enemy we're still here. Ever willing for the cause, I'm going over the top.

In the finest traditions of journalism I have turned to plagiarism with which to entertain you. Surfing the net midweek I came across the following: "Top 10 rockers who should be dead but aren't". The usual suspects were there – Lemmy, 'Keef' and Ozzy, though Slash and Iggy surprisingly got overlooked. Newspapers, magazines, and TV production companies invariably fall back on these lists whenever creatives hit a barren patch. "Countdown to your 50 most embarrassing dance crazes." There you go – guaranteed ratings winner and as hard to assemble as bolting Lego bricks.

So why should the world of football be any different? Cue lights and curtain up for "Ten who should never have worn the Fulham shirt." Treat it as a light-hearted and scantily researched piece born out of my own personal prejudices. I am sure you will find much to disagree with. Before we build up to the serious business of rubber-stamping Rangers relegation on Easter Monday, feel free to reply with your own nominees. We'll concentrate here only on players from the Premiership era.

Number 1: Andrejs Stolcers. Jean Tigana made a major miscalculation on this Latvian winger in November 2000 while wasting £2 million of the chairman's money. He signed from Shakhtar Donetsk, had been on loan at Spartak Moscow, scored on his debut at West Brom – and that was as good as it got. Signed in our promotion season, never looked the part from his handful of starts, yet stayed on the books for three years before Fulham managed to dump him. He goes straight to number one in my list for one stand-out memory.

Disregard all the attitude you've witnessed this season from Dimitar Berbatov. I shall never forget standing in the old Enclosure with Fulham attacking down the right wing through Lee Clark. Lee was looking for Stolcers to play a 1-2. He didn't. Clarkie then gestured for the winger to come short for the pass. He didn't. As he was about to get closed down, Clark in desperation called for Stolcers to go down the line for a hit and hope ball into the corner. The player remained frozen to the by-line. I have never forgotten Lee's expletive and the look of utter contempt thrown the Latvian's way. It was the clearest display of disgust I have ever witnessed in all my time watching the Whites.

Number 2: Steve Marlet. Fulham's record signing at the time at £11.5 million was one very expensive failure too far for the chairman. Never a goal machine at Auxerre or Lyon and with just a handful of caps for France, I watched Steve's early games but saw nothing exceptional in him. With 6 goals from his first season he was outscored by both Louis Saha and Barry Hayles. Tigana persevered as the fans grew increasingly frustrated. In season three he was loaned out to Marseille (with Fulham paying the bulk of his wages).

Steve's downward spiral however proved terminal, Fulham wrote off the loss, and the chairman Mohammed Al Fayed took Jean Tigana to court over the signing. It was alleged that Tigana signed the player for an inflated sum, taking a cut of the fee himself. "I won't let any crook destroy Fulham," said Al Fayed. Tigana got sacked, then sued the club for full settlement on his contract, and won.

Number 3: Tomasz Radzinksi. Selective memory might call to my mind a few decent strikes in his time at the Cottage, not least the winner against a top Arsenal side in a night game. For me, the Canadian international born in Poznan never threatened the heights hit at Everton, or for Anderlecht, where his 52 goals from 77 games earnt him a big money move to the EPL.

Chris Coleman signed him for £1.75 million when the Pole was already on the wane. A fact confirmed by a Belgian fan I spoke to on the day he signed. What infuriated me about 'Radz' was his timidity on the pitch. He was a 'bottler'. He never went in hard and was a wet fish in the tackle. His career for me summed up by his pathetic inability to pass the ball into an open and unguarded net at home to Man City in November 2005. David James came up for a last-minute corner with City 2-1 down. Fulham cleared upfield, Steed sped across halfway and crossed for Radzinksi.

Approaching the penalty area with no City player in sight Radzinksi wafted at the ball like a big girl and a defender got back to clear off the line. How we howled on the Hammy End!  Finally shown the door in May 2007 by Lawrie Sanchez, Tomasz headed off to obscurity in Greece, his FFC record 17 goals from 117 games.

Number 4: Michael Brown: The ultimate in thuggery from anyone ever honoured to pull on the white shirt. It was one thing for the Fulham management to seek added steel to a side built largely on Tigana's ethics of pass and play, but signing Brown was akin to asking Dracula to attend to your nose bleed.

YouTube delivers leg-breaking speciality challenges of this tyro in all their glory – Giggs, Ashley Cole and former Fulham favourite Sean Davis feeling the full force. Signed by Coleman from Spurs – and even appointed captain – before Sanchez (who knew plenty about on-field ultra violence) cast him out. Thank heavens! A player who plenty to this day felt had no place in any Fulham team, however much we might have been struggling.

Number 5: Ahmad Elrich. Another aberration from Coleman and his staff in 2005 as Fulham teams began to fall away dramatically with the remnants of Tigana's first EPL side breaking up and moving on. Nobody in their right mind could ever have been fooled into thinking Ahmad was a competent footballer. He came out of Parramatta in Aussie football, made a bit of a name for himself in a soft league and moved up to South Korea.

Someone from Fulham signed Elrich to a three-year deal from Busan I'Park, presumably after some late night bender and too much sake following a flight stopover to the Far East. An inexplicable signing in every respect, unless Harrods were looking to open a branch in downtown Seoul? In 2011 and back in Oz Ahmad found himself fingered by the police when in possession of two loaded pistols and a large quantity of Cialis.



http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/fulham/id/798?&cc=5739#

[WhiteJC]

 
Ten of the worst Fulham players - Part 2


GettyImages
Bjorn Helge Riise. Number eight in Fulham's top 10 worst players.

Phil Mison continues to delves into Fulham's top 10 worst players. Here for your delight are numbers six down to 10 from our Hall of Shame.

Number 6: Ian Pearce. Looking for start of season pointers to where clubs might struggle, I always start with the centre half. For me, it's the lynchpin of any team. You can mask, and perhaps carry, deficiencies elsewhere in a side, but not at the heart of defence. That's why every manager's over-riding priority must be the spine of his side - keeper, centre-back, then striker. It's the trunk that supports all the branches.

Fulham wrapped up their 2005-06 season in 12th place with a narrow and flattering home win over Middlesborough. Alain Goma's Fulham career ended that day. Bought to the club by Tigana and later installed as captain, the Frenchman's great reading of the game was enormously beneficial to Zat Knight, but when Goma retired, Chris Coleman had a problem.

For the following season Chris never fashioned a solid centre-back partnership as Fulham started a miserable campaign with a 5-1 hammering to United. Who should partner Knight? Carlos Bocanegra one week, Philippe Christanval the next, and veteran Pearce got 23 starts. The ex-Rovers stopper may have had a title-winning medal from 1995 but when he swapped West Ham for Fulham in 2004 he was injury-prone and plagued by a bad back. He also had the turning circle of an oil tanker, dived recklessly into the challenge, conceded penalties and looked a massive liability whenever the ball came into the box. Chris never missed a chance to tell the fans what a fantastic pro Ian was and how he trained like a teenager.

Supporters made up their own minds as the club went on a long winless run and dodged relegation by a point. Sanchez shipped him out two weeks into the following season. The player later stated his three years at Craven Cottage were the 'worst period of his career'. But we knew that.

Number 7: Eddie Johnson. He was Clint Dempsey's room-mate. The two knocked around London's clubs and fast-food joints before the Deuce settled down to family life and became a Fulham hero while Eddie just couldn't cut it. He was left playing catch up, despite numerous chances out on loan and a dozen or so Fulham starts. How he tried, and we willed him on, if only to keep Clint settled. Potential unfulfilled and three years going nowhere for not so fast Eddie. It wasn't Batman and Robin, more a case of David Brent and Gareth.

Number 8: Bjorn Helge Riise. The cheeky chappie looked like a schoolboy when he arrived in 2009, and played like one too, even though he was 26 and an established international. Proving he was human, Hodgson gambled £2 million on this winger/midfielder. For that outlay, Riise junior should have been more than just a squad player, but apart from one impressive display in Basel during the Europa League run, he failed to justify his fee or establish himself in the side. Roy saw the error of his ways inside one season and the inevitable loan spells followed. Bjorn always had plenty to say for himself, but actions rarely matched the words as his contract was run down in the absence of any interest from other clubs. £2 million down the drain.

Number 9: Seol Ki-Hyeon. A strange deal from Laurie as the South Korean had form, having fallen out with previous managers at Wolves and Reading. The deal saw Liam Rosenior head in the opposite direction to Reading, and while that Fulham side badly needed a decent full-back, this wasn't it. Nor could the Korean produce it up front or on the wing. Appearances barely made it into double figures and the fans remained distinctly unimpressed. As was Hodgson, and the contract got cancelled by mutual consent. There are strong rumours the deal only came about in the first place to appease LG, club shirt sponsors at the time. Wonder how many replica shirts were sold in the Far East en route to Hamburg?

Number 10: Lee Cook. £2.5 million handed to the biggest bunch of jokers ever to gain control of a football club and Cook never played a single first team game at Fulham. The simple moral here is NO player from QPR can ever be good enough to play for us. No further words necessary.



http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/fulham/id/805?&cc=5739

[HatterDon]

Ten of the worst Fulham players - Part 2


GettyImages
Bjorn Helge Riise. Number eight in Fulham's top 10 worst players.

Phil Mison continues to delves into Fulham's top 10 worst players. Here for your delight are numbers six down to 10 from our Hall of Shame.

Number 6: Ian Pearce. Looking for start of season pointers to where clubs might struggle, I always start with the centre half. For me, it's the lynchpin of any team. You can mask, and perhaps carry, deficiencies elsewhere in a side, but not at the heart of defence. That's why every manager's over-riding priority must be the spine of his side - keeper, centre-back, then striker. It's the trunk that supports all the branches.

Fulham wrapped up their 2005-06 season in 12th place with a narrow and flattering home win over Middlesborough. Alain Goma's Fulham career ended that day. Bought to the club by Tigana and later installed as captain, the Frenchman's great reading of the game was enormously beneficial to Zat Knight, but when Goma retired, Chris Coleman had a problem.

For the following season Chris never fashioned a solid centre-back partnership as Fulham started a miserable campaign with a 5-1 hammering to United. Who should partner Knight? Carlos Bocanegra one week, Philippe Christanval the next, and veteran Pearce got 23 starts. The ex-Rovers stopper may have had a title-winning medal from 1995 but when he swapped West Ham for Fulham in 2004 he was injury-prone and plagued by a bad back. He also had the turning circle of an oil tanker, dived recklessly into the challenge, conceded penalties and looked a massive liability whenever the ball came into the box. Chris never missed a chance to tell the fans what a fantastic pro Ian was and how he trained like a teenager.

Supporters made up their own minds as the club went on a long winless run and dodged relegation by a point. Sanchez shipped him out two weeks into the following season. The player later stated his three years at Craven Cottage were the 'worst period of his career'. But we knew that.

Number 7: Eddie Johnson. He was Clint Dempsey's room-mate. The two knocked around London's clubs and fast-food joints before the Deuce settled down to family life and became a Fulham hero while Eddie just couldn't cut it. He was left playing catch up, despite numerous chances out on loan and a dozen or so Fulham starts. How he tried, and we willed him on, if only to keep Clint settled. Potential unfulfilled and three years going nowhere for not so fast Eddie. It wasn't Batman and Robin, more a case of David Brent and Gareth.

Number 8: Bjorn Helge Riise. The cheeky chappie looked like a schoolboy when he arrived in 2009, and played like one too, even though he was 26 and an established international. Proving he was human, Hodgson gambled £2 million on this winger/midfielder. For that outlay, Riise junior should have been more than just a squad player, but apart from one impressive display in Basel during the Europa League run, he failed to justify his fee or establish himself in the side. Roy saw the error of his ways inside one season and the inevitable loan spells followed. Bjorn always had plenty to say for himself, but actions rarely matched the words as his contract was run down in the absence of any interest from other clubs. £2 million down the drain.

Number 9: Seol Ki-Hyeon. A strange deal from Laurie as the South Korean had form, having fallen out with previous managers at Wolves and Reading. The deal saw Liam Rosenior head in the opposite direction to Reading, and while that Fulham side badly needed a decent full-back, this wasn't it. Nor could the Korean produce it up front or on the wing. Appearances barely made it into double figures and the fans remained distinctly unimpressed. As was Hodgson, and the contract got cancelled by mutual consent. There are strong rumours the deal only came about in the first place to appease LG, club shirt sponsors at the time. Wonder how many replica shirts were sold in the Far East en route to Hamburg?

Number 10: Lee Cook. £2.5 million handed to the biggest bunch of jokers ever to gain control of a football club and Cook never played a single first team game at Fulham. The simple moral here is NO player from QPR can ever be good enough to play for us. No further words necessary.



http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/fulham/id/805?&cc=5739

Sorry, but Ian Pearce will always be one of my Fulham heroes, scoring with a busted foot will do that every time.

On the other hand, there seem to be a lot of uncritical references to Sanchez.

[CanadianCottager]

Coach Holger Osieck also got straight to the point, emphasising how crucial a win is.

http://www.sportal.com.au/football-news-display/schwarzer-wary-of-oman-test-227585

Holger Osieck is Australia coach now? Man he's been all over the commonwealth! I still remember that 2000 Gold Cup winning side he put together, that Canada team could have made the World Cup if the primadonnas didn't throw a temper tantrum to get him tossed out. Respect to a great coach, hope Australia makes the World Cup again, they're usually a fun team to watch.

[MOR :]

Ten of the worst - Part 1


GettyImages
Andrejs Stolcers: It was all downhill after scoring on debut

Like a foot soldier in the trenches, your blogger fears he must put his head above the parapet. With hostilities stayed it's all quiet on the Western Front (well the SW6 front anyway) for the second time this month. While the battalion's officers withdraw behind the lines to dally with the ladies and sleep long in soft beds on full stomachs, this poor Tommy has to sally forth into no-man's land and remind the enemy we're still here. Ever willing for the cause, I'm going over the top.

In the finest traditions of journalism I have turned to plagiarism with which to entertain you. Surfing the net midweek I came across the following: "Top 10 rockers who should be dead but aren't". The usual suspects were there – Lemmy, 'Keef' and Ozzy, though Slash and Iggy surprisingly got overlooked. Newspapers, magazines, and TV production companies invariably fall back on these lists whenever creatives hit a barren patch. "Countdown to your 50 most embarrassing dance crazes." There you go – guaranteed ratings winner and as hard to assemble as bolting Lego bricks.

So why should the world of football be any different? Cue lights and curtain up for "Ten who should never have worn the Fulham shirt." Treat it as a light-hearted and scantily researched piece born out of my own personal prejudices. I am sure you will find much to disagree with. Before we build up to the serious business of rubber-stamping Rangers relegation on Easter Monday, feel free to reply with your own nominees. We'll concentrate here only on players from the Premiership era.

Number 1: Andrejs Stolcers. Jean Tigana made a major miscalculation on this Latvian winger in November 2000 while wasting £2 million of the chairman's money. He signed from Shakhtar Donetsk, had been on loan at Spartak Moscow, scored on his debut at West Brom – and that was as good as it got. Signed in our promotion season, never looked the part from his handful of starts, yet stayed on the books for three years before Fulham managed to dump him. He goes straight to number one in my list for one stand-out memory.

Disregard all the attitude you've witnessed this season from Dimitar Berbatov. I shall never forget standing in the old Enclosure with Fulham attacking down the right wing through Lee Clark. Lee was looking for Stolcers to play a 1-2. He didn't. Clarkie then gestured for the winger to come short for the pass. He didn't. As he was about to get closed down, Clark in desperation called for Stolcers to go down the line for a hit and hope ball into the corner. The player remained frozen to the by-line. I have never forgotten Lee's expletive and the look of utter contempt thrown the Latvian's way. It was the clearest display of disgust I have ever witnessed in all my time watching the Whites.

Number 2: Steve Marlet. Fulham's record signing at the time at £11.5 million was one very expensive failure too far for the chairman. Never a goal machine at Auxerre or Lyon and with just a handful of caps for France, I watched Steve's early games but saw nothing exceptional in him. With 6 goals from his first season he was outscored by both Louis Saha and Barry Hayles. Tigana persevered as the fans grew increasingly frustrated. In season three he was loaned out to Marseille (with Fulham paying the bulk of his wages).

Steve's downward spiral however proved terminal, Fulham wrote off the loss, and the chairman Mohammed Al Fayed took Jean Tigana to court over the signing. It was alleged that Tigana signed the player for an inflated sum, taking a cut of the fee himself. "I won't let any crook destroy Fulham," said Al Fayed. Tigana got sacked, then sued the club for full settlement on his contract, and won.

Number 3: Tomasz Radzinksi. Selective memory might call to my mind a few decent strikes in his time at the Cottage, not least the winner against a top Arsenal side in a night game. For me, the Canadian international born in Poznan never threatened the heights hit at Everton, or for Anderlecht, where his 52 goals from 77 games earnt him a big money move to the EPL.

Chris Coleman signed him for £1.75 million when the Pole was already on the wane. A fact confirmed by a Belgian fan I spoke to on the day he signed. What infuriated me about 'Radz' was his timidity on the pitch. He was a 'bottler'. He never went in hard and was a wet fish in the tackle. His career for me summed up by his pathetic inability to pass the ball into an open and unguarded net at home to Man City in November 2005. David James came up for a last-minute corner with City 2-1 down. Fulham cleared upfield, Steed sped across halfway and crossed for Radzinksi.

Approaching the penalty area with no City player in sight Radzinksi wafted at the ball like a big girl and a defender got back to clear off the line. How we howled on the Hammy End!  Finally shown the door in May 2007 by Lawrie Sanchez, Tomasz headed off to obscurity in Greece, his FFC record 17 goals from 117 games.

Number 4: Michael Brown: The ultimate in thuggery from anyone ever honoured to pull on the white shirt. It was one thing for the Fulham management to seek added steel to a side built largely on Tigana's ethics of pass and play, but signing Brown was akin to asking Dracula to attend to your nose bleed.

YouTube delivers leg-breaking speciality challenges of this tyro in all their glory – Giggs, Ashley Cole and former Fulham favourite Sean Davis feeling the full force. Signed by Coleman from Spurs – and even appointed captain – before Sanchez (who knew plenty about on-field ultra violence) cast him out. Thank heavens! A player who plenty to this day felt had no place in any Fulham team, however much we might have been struggling.

Number 5: Ahmad Elrich. Another aberration from Coleman and his staff in 2005 as Fulham teams began to fall away dramatically with the remnants of Tigana's first EPL side breaking up and moving on. Nobody in their right mind could ever have been fooled into thinking Ahmad was a competent footballer. He came out of Parramatta in Aussie football, made a bit of a name for himself in a soft league and moved up to South Korea.

Someone from Fulham signed Elrich to a three-year deal from Busan I'Park, presumably after some late night bender and too much sake following a flight stopover to the Far East. An inexplicable signing in every respect, unless Harrods were looking to open a branch in downtown Seoul? In 2011 and back in Oz Ahmad found himself fingered by the police when in possession of two loaded pistols and a large quantity of Cialis.



http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/fulham/id/798?&cc=5739#

No ten of the worst Fulham players list would be complete without the name of Mark "TOSSER" Cooper