Tuesday Fulham Stuff (26/03/13)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Trio of Premier League sides join West Ham in race for £12m-rated Ivorian hitman Bony

Premier League clubs are bettling each other race to sign scoring sensation Wilfried Bony, who is pushing for a move to the English top flight next season.

The Ivory Coast striker, rated at around £12million, has been in prolific from for Vitesse Arnhem this season and is the top scorer in Holland with 26 goals in 24 league games.

His contract runs until 2015 but Sportsmail understands his agent is in talks with at least four Premier League clubs — West Ham, Fulham, Stoke and Everton — and hopes to complete a deal by the end of the week.


Strike rate: Bony (right), seen here in action for Ivory Coast, has scored 26 goals in 24 games this term

The 24-year-old tried to leave Vitesse in January, but the club held firm and insisted he continued to help the club push for a Champions League spot for next season.

Since his £4million move from Sparta Prague at the beginning of 2011, Bony has scored 46 times in 63 appearances for Vitesse — including an amazing recent run which has seen him net 10 goals in his last six games.

Were West Ham to land him for around £12m it would smash their previous transfer record of buying Matt Jarvis from Wolves for £10.75m.

Bony learned the game by playing street football called 'Maracana', competing in city competitions before spending three years at the Cyrille Domoraud football Academy located in the city of Bingerville, in south-east Ivory Coast.


Options: Sam Allardyce will be looking for more firepower, with his side netting just 32 goals this season

Jumping the gun? Someone has edited Bony's Wikipedia page...




Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2298766/Wilfried-Bony-chased-West-Ham-Fulham-Stoke-Everton.html#ixzz2Od8UJkFM
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

[WhiteJC]

 
McBride Discusses Dallas

Fulham favourite Brian McBride was delighted to learn that our young Whites are currently stateside competing in the 2013 Dallas Cup.

It's a tournament that our popular former Captain knows well having played in it as a youngster, and he believes it can only stand our Academy boys in good stead for the future.

"I've got great memories of playing in the Dallas Cup," Brian told fulhamfc.com. "To see a tournament of that size and stature here in the States, and to be a part of it at the highest level, was exceptional.

"It's a great experience as a young player because you're playing against some of the top competition in the world. For me, I was playing as part of a very small club but for a Club like Fulham it's only going to help these guys to understand what's ahead of them; the challenge of playing against different styles and different formations that sometimes you don't see in your own country.

"It's a great experience - I remember we played a team from Bolivia that had won it a few times and everybody was coming into the game saying, 'wow, what's it going to be like?' We came off at half-time leading 1-0 thinking 'alright, we can do this,' and then they came out and whacked us 5-1!"

The cup plays host to teams from across the globe and the 95-cap former United States international hailed the merits of competing in the tournament.

"Most of the soccer players here know about it," Brian explained. "The higher-level youth soccer players all want to be a part of it and want to be invited so when you get the invite, it's pretty special here in the States.

"I wish the boys all the best and hope they enjoy every aspect of it because it's not just the on-the-field stuff where you have fun and learn, but off the field you get to meet people from lots of different countries who you wouldn't necessarily get to meet in a normal setting, so it's an incredible time."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/march/25/mcbride-discusses-dallas?

[WhiteJC]

 
Jol too late with striker bid

West Ham are set to hold off late interest from Fulham to win the race for Vitesse Arnhem striker Wilfried Bony.

The Hammers are expected to make a major offer in the summer for the Ivory Coast international but some reports claim the Dutch side are looking for as much as £15m for the player, who himself is after a wage of £55,000 a week.

Hammers boss Sam Allardyce knows he needs to strengthen his attack over the summer as he is almost certain to lose Andy Carroll from an already-thin front line and he is said to be ready to break the club's transfer record to land the 24-year-old.

Bony is the leading scorer in the Eredivisie, with 26 goals in 24 games this season, and has made no secret of his desire to play in England.

Cottagers boss Martin Jol has been linked with a possible bid to hijack a deal for the player but it seems he has come in too late.



http://www.clubcall.com/fulham/jol-too-late-with-striker-bid-1565969.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Roma Goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg Not Thinking About Fulham Move Resurrection

Roma goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg has affirmed that he is happy at the club and is not looking to join Fulham, the club he came close to moving to in January.

The Holland international was determined to join Martin Jol's Fulham in the winter window, but he saw his plans collapse when he was on the plane to London.

"I'm happy now", the 30-year-old told Corriere dello Sport, putting speculation that he could be ready to join the English side again to rest.

He joined the Serie A side in the summer of 2011 after a long stay at Ajax, and has a contract that runs until 2015.

Stekelenburg was subsequently named the first-choice goalkeeper for the Dutch national side, although he last played for the Oranje in a clash against Romania last year, and did not start in the 2014 World Cup qualifier against Estonia last week.

"I want to stay and be the best goalkeeper at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil", he said, despite being Louis van Gaal's second-choice goalkeeper at the moment.

The Dutch take on Romania on Tuesday at the Amsterdam Arena.



Read more at http://www.insidefutbol.com/2013/03/25/roma-goalkeeper-maarten-stekelenburg-not-thinking-about-fulham-move-resurrection/81959/#REqV8PzBozEWdqXf.99

[WhiteJC]

 
Where is the best option for Hangeland in the summer?

Fulham central defender Brede Hangeland is running out of contract and is set to be a free agent, not that this scenario will ever happen of course.

The Norwegian International has long been touted to make a step up to possibly even as high as Champions League football with his aerial presence and dominant tackling.

It appears that Arsenal would be the most prominent option within England as Wenger is known to have any eye for a bargain.

If he were to stay put he would be admitting that he is going to see out the rest of his career with the Cottagers and may be careful what he wishes for.

Is this such a bad thing though after all with a manager who clearly has faith in his abilities and wanting to tie him up to a new deal as soon as possible.

Jol said to the Daily Mirror: "We are talking to a few players and Brede is one of them. We are talking, which is a positive thing, and he wants to stay here. Hopefully there will be news in the next couple of weeks."

He has though been stalling over a deal all season and whilst the grass may seem greener elsewhere, he should give careful though to leaving Craven Cottage this July.



http://www.footballfriendsonline.com/blogs/2013/3/25/where-is-the-best-option-for-hangeland-in-the-summer.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Kacaniklic: We will beat Irish to Rio

SWEDEN star Alexander Kacaniklic believes that his side will still finish ahead of Ireland and Austria in the race to qualify for the World Cup finals, even though Friday's game in Stockholm was a case of two points dropped for the Swedes.

With no qualifier for Sweden this week – they play Slovakia in a friendly tomorrow – there's a chance for Austria and Ireland to win some ground in the race for second place, though there's no doubt that the scoreless draw was a blow for the Swedes – apart from a friendly with Brazil, last Friday was the first time in three years that the Swedes failed to score at home.

"I think everyone knows that Germany will win the group but I feel we are still the team who will have a chance of qualifying as well," the Fulham winger – currently on loan to Championship side Burnley – said.

"Friday was two points dropped for us. To qualify for something you need to win your home games and we didn't do that. The group is still very open, Germany and Austria both had good wins on Friday night, so anything could happen but we are still in a good position to qualify.

"Friday was a strange game, not many chances and a very tight match. I would say it was a bit boring for the supporters, and while Ireland will be happy with the result they didn't cause us too many problems and they did what they hoped to do. They came here for a draw and managed to get it.

"Now the Ireland-Sweden game in Dublin in September could be the crucial game in the group. Whoever wins that will have a very good chance of going to Brazil."



http://www.herald.ie/sport/soccer/kacaniklic-we-will-beat-irish-to-rio-29152088.html

[WhiteJC]

 
West Ham and Fulham in battle for £15m-rated striker Wilfried Bony
Ivory Coast international attracting interest from the London clubs

Fulham have joined West Ham in the race to sign the highly rated Ivory Coast international Wilfried Bony.

It is understood that the Hammers, buoyed this week by the announcement that they will become the tenants of the Olympic Stadium, are prepared to smash the club record £11m they paid for Matt Jarvis last year in order to sign a forward for next season.

And it is the Vitesse Arnhem front man who is thought to top their wish list, with The Evening Standard reporting that a club source confirmed the 24-year-old is one player under consideration. Manager Sam Allardyce has prioritised a striker for next season.

The source also revealed that "five other Premier League clubs" are looking at the striker, including Fulham. The Dutch club want £15m for Bony, who has scored 26 goals in 24 league games this season.

West Ham have the fourth worst goal-scoring record in the Premier League this season, with just 32 goals in 29 games. Captain Kevin Nolan remains the leading scorer with six goals.

Allardyce, meanwhile, could sign a new deal as early as next month, providing the club ensure their safety in the Premier League.

There have been rumours that Harry Redknapp could return as manager next season should Queens Park Rangers be relegated and much may depend on Allardyce's demands when talks begin on a new deal. It is understood, though, that the Hammers are optimistic that Allardyce will stay.



http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/transfers/west-ham-and-fulham-in-battle-for-15mrated-striker-wilfried-bony-8548782.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Season Tickets On Sale Now

We'd love to see you in SW6 next season to cheer on the team and your Cottage seat is waiting as 2013/14 Early Bird Season Tickets are now available to buy, with prices starting from just £399 for adults! All the information you need can be found online at fulhamfc.com/seasontickets.

2012/13 Season Ticket Holders and Half Season Ticket Holders have until Tuesday 7th May to retain their current seats.

New Season Ticket Holders can purchase now, with Early Bird prices available until Tuesday 28th May.

Supporters can purchase their Season Ticket online in three simple steps:

1) Visit fulhamfc.com and log in
2) Select your seat
3) Complete your transaction

Current Season Ticket Holders wanting to move seat will be prompted to either renew their current seat or choose a new one.

Full FAQs are available online.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/march/25/season-tickets-on-sale-now?

[WhiteJC]

 
Musa Returns to Fulham

James Musa has returned to Fulham and it's unlikely he will be seen in a Hereford United shirt again this season.

Musa recently contracted glandular fever and hasn't featured in the last couple of games.

Musa's loan spell had been due to end after the Easter weekend.

Meanwhile a reported target of Martin Foyle is back at Crawley.

Richard Brodie had been on-loan with Grimsby


http://bullsnews.blogspot.co.uk/2013/03/musa-returns-to-fulham.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham 2-1 LA Galaxy

Fulham Under-19s made it two wins from two in the Dallas Cup as they defeated LA Galaxy 2-1 on Monday.

Goals from Lasse Vigen Christensen and Jordan Evans secured victory for the Whites on a cold and blustery afternoon, although the American outfit proved a worthy opponent.

Fulham started the game brightly and Vigen Christensen had already seen a decent opportunity saved when he put his side ahead on 14 minutes. Good build-up play from Cauley Woodrow led to the chance for the Denmark youth international who smashed the ball into the top corner with aplomb.

The Whites went into the break a goal to the good and the lead was soon doubled. Following a Galaxy corner, Fulham broke and Jack Grimmer found Evans who coolly slotted home for his second goal in two matches.

The Los Angeles team began to exert some more pressure as the hour mark passed and pulled a goal back with 15 minutes remaining from the penalty spot. They pushed for an equaliser but the Whites held firm to cement their place at the top of the group.

Fulham: Rodak; Passley, Arthurworrey, Grimmer, Kavanagh; Sambou, Vigen Christensen, Hyndman; Tankovic, Woodrow, Evans.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/march/25/fulham-la-galaxy?

[WhiteJC]

 
FULHAM CHASE PETERBOROUGH STRIKER

FULHAM are watchingPeterborough striker Dwight Gayle, who has scored 11 goals in 21 games.



http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/305611/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Bettinelli's Darts Joy

Marcus Bettinelli was full of praise for Dartford after concluding his loan deal with the Blue Square Bet Premier side.

The 20-year-old goalkeeper enjoyed a fruitful spell in Kent, making 35 appearances after quickly establishing himself as first choice, and the young stopper had only good things to say about the club.

"I really enjoyed it," he told fulhamfc.com. "It was my first real experience of going out on loan and I really enjoyed my time there. The lads and the coaching staff were brilliant, and the fans were great and I can only look back with happy views.

"At the start of the season if you were to say to me that I was going to go and play nearly 40 games in the Conference, and stay injury free, then I would have snatched your hand off in an instant.

"[Dartford manager] Tony Burman has been great; he took a chance on me at the start of the season and luckily enough we did pretty well. It was a great experience and it worked out well for all parties.

"I managed to keep quite a few clean sheets and our form against the top five or six was really good. There were a lot of moments when we weren't expected to get anything out of the game but we ended up coming away with the win – against Wrexham and Grimsby Town, for instance.

"So there were a few highlights but, personally, for me my best one was probably Luton Town at their ground when we beat them 2-0. I had quite a good game and we were solid at the back and it was just a great day for everyone involved."

Now back at Motspur Park, Bettinelli is looking forward to absorbing what he can from the Fulham staff, before potentially heading back out on loan to a side in the npower Football League.

"Ideally I would like to try and get out to League Two or League One and hopefully make my league debut before the end of the season," he explained. "Whether that's going to happen or not is out of my hands but I'd like to do that. I'm back at Fulham now so I'm looking forward to training with the First Team and learning from Mark Schwarzer and Hans Segers.

"Mark's a class above the rest and he really is the perfect role model to learn from. He's so professional in everything that he does on and off the pitch. He's always in the gym and you can learn so much from him, even if you're only training with him for one session. He helps you out, he's always got time for you. He always wants to try and make you a better goalie and give you everything that he can.

"Hans is really good as well in terms of the coaching side and [Goalkeeping Coach] Martin Brennan's also been a huge influence this season on me, taking me under his wing and coming to a lot of the Dartford games.

"David Stockdale rings me a lot of the time to ask how I'm getting on so they're all brilliant and they've all got their individual qualities that you can learn from and take into your own game."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/march/26/bettinellis-darts-joy?

[WhiteJC]

 
Bryan Ruiz

HIS nonchalant gait can definitely be misleading.

He seems to wonder around almost uninterestingly, but he is a real quality player who can change a game in an instance.


RUIZ (right)... has an eye for creating goalscoring opportunities

He is 27-year-old Bryan Ruiz, a highly intelligent 1.88m, left-footed player who usually plays as a second striker or on either
inside flank.

The Costa Rican captain is of genuine pedigree, having earned the Player of the Year award when he played for Gent in the Belgian league in 2009. He repeated the feat when he was named Player of the Year for FC Twente in the Dutch league the following year, and now he's an integral part of the Fulham team in the Barclay's England Premier League.

Currently boasting a market value of £11.5 million, Ruiz has registered 10 goals in 51 international appearances, according to the Wikipedia website.

He is blessed with good control, he heads well, passes well and has an eye for creating goalscoring opportunities for himself and teammates. When he plays on the right side he tends to cut inside to unleash shots on goal. Jamaica's central midfielders and centre backs will have to keep a close eye on this crafty individual, who possesses the experience to turn the game if given the opportunity.

On 18 August 2012, Ruiz started Fulham's first Premier League game of the season, a 5-0 win against Norwich and assisted Mladen Petric in scoring his second goal in his début match. A week later, Ruiz kept his position on the left wing in the second match away at Manchester United. In the third minute, he took a freekick that Damien Duff converted into a goal to give Fulham the lead but Fulham eventually lost the match 3-2.

He didn't feature in Fulham's third and fourth games of the season. In the fifth match away against Wigan Athletic FC, Ruiz came off the bench and assisted Damien Duff in scoring Fulham's seconnd goal in a 2-1 win. He then featured against Reading on 28th of August, coming on as a substitute and scoring a memorable goal from outside the box in a 3-3 draw. The next few games saw Ruiz partnered with Berbatov up front, a scenario in which Ruiz felt was "like being a kid in a candy store".

-- IB



Read more: http://www.jamaicaobserver.com/sport/Bryan-Ruiz_13949359?#ixzz2Odzj2tfS

[WhiteJC]

 
Where Are They Now - Ronnie Mauge
Wembley hero Ronnie Mauge is next under the spotlight in Peverell Green's Where Are They Now series.

RONNIE MAUGE - Born 10th March 1969 Islington, London.

Born Ronald Carlton Mauge, Ronnie began his football career on 22nd July 1987 as a trainee at Charlton.
He stayed with them for just over a season without making a first team appearance before signing for Fulham on a free transfer early in the 1988-89 season.
He spent two seasons at Craven Cottage regularly playing in the first team and scoring his first league goal.
While at Fulham he made a total of 56 appearances and scored two goals.
A bid of £40,000 from Bury persuaded Fulham to let Ronnie move north.

Ronnie spent five seasons at Gigg Lane, again as a regular first team player making 134 appearances and scoring 14 goals. He was also loaned out to Manchester City spending most of the 1991-92 season at Maine Road, but made one appearance for them.
When Bury played Huddersfield, their manager Neil Warnock was impressed with the way he had controlled the midfield and made a note of him.
When the now Argyle manager heard he was available paid Bury the same amount they had paid for him.

Ronnie joined Argyle on 21st July 1995 and made his debut on the opening day of the season in a 2-1 defeat away to Colchester with Adrian Littlejohn scoring the Argyle consolation goal.
He scored his first goal for the club in October in a thrilling 4-3 win at Home Park against Torquay, with an Adrian Littlejohn hat trick doing most of the damage.
He also scored in the other Devon derby on New Year's Day in a 2-2 draw at home to Exeter with Ian Baird scoring the other goal.
He continued to score against our local rivals when he scored the first goal in a 2-0 win at Plainmoor with Adrian Littlejohn again scoring.
The following Saturday he was on target again, once more scoring the first goal in a 5-1 rout of Scarborough at Home Park.

A fine end to the season saw Argyle win five of the last six games to finish in fourth place, only one point behind Bury and earning a place in the end of season play-offs.
In the other play-off fifth placed Darlington were to play the team one place below them in the table, Hereford.
With Argyle playing Colchester who had finished six points behind them in the table.
A trip to Layer Road saw Argyle narrowly beaten 1-0, the eagerly awaited return leg three days later saw 14,525 turn up at Home Park, the biggest crowd of the season, with goals from Mickey Evans, Chris Leadbitter and Paul Williams ensuring they went home happy and set up a meeting at Wembley against Darlington on May 25th.

The vast majority of the 43,431 Wembley crowd were wearing green, after a fairly dull opening hour Argyle fans finally got the goal they craved.
It came from a well worked training ground move. A Chris Leadbitter corner was played into space to Mark Patterson; he crossed onto Ronnie's head who placed it beyond the reach of Darlington goalie Paul Newell for the only goal of the game. Wembley erupted to the cheers of the Green Army.
Argyle held on and once again the Argyle fans roared as captain Mick Heathcote raised the trophy.

1996-97 saw Argyle back in the Second Division where Ronnie scored three league goals. He also scored two in the FA Cup; he scored the first goal in a 5-0 mauling of Fulham at Home Park in the first round with Mickey Evans (2), Adrian Littlejohn and Carlo Corazzin getting the others.
The Second Round saw another thrashing for our opponents, this time Exeter were the victims, after Mickey Evans scored the first goal, Ronnie, Chris Billy and Adrian Littlejohn ended our neighbours cup hopes for another season.

The following season Ronnie only managed to score two goals, one in the league and one in the FA Cup.
His league goal came in November, scoring the last goal in a 4-2 home win over Wycombe with Carlo Corazzin (2) and Adrian Littlejohn also getting on the scoresheet. A first round replay against Cambridge saw Ronnie score his other goal that season, after an away 0-0 draw Argyle lost the replay at Home Park 3-2 with Ronnie and Earl Jean getting the Argyle goals.
Unfortunately we finished 22nd in the table and after only two seasons in Division two were relegated along with Brentford, Carlisle and Southend.
1998-99 was to be Ronnie's last at the club and he got the season off to a good start by scoring the first goal in a 2-1 home win over Rochdale with Earl Jean getting the other.
He got another goal in September when scored the Argyle consolation goal in a 2-1 home defeat at the hands of Darlington.
His final goal came away to Orient, Steve Guinan and Dwight Marshall also scored, but it wasn't enough to save Argyle from going down to a 4-3 defeat.
His final game for the club was the last home match of the season against Cambridge which ended in a 2-2 draw.
He had already told manager Kevin Hodges he wouldn't be signing a new contract and when the match was over did a solo lap of honour to thank the Green Army for the support they had given him in his four years at the club.
While at Argyle he made 158 appearances and scored 18 goals.

On 10th June 1999 he joined Bristol Rovers on a Bosman free transfer where he soon became as popular at Rovers as he had been a Home Park. In 2000 his talents were recognised when he was selected to play for Trinidad and Tobago, the birthplace of both his parents, against Canada and later in the same season against Morocco and Mexico, a broken leg in the match against Mexico kept him out of the Bristol team for most of the remainder of the season.

The following season he played again against Jamaica, Guatemala, Mexico, Costa Rica and the Cayman Islands.
While at Rovers he made a total of 69 appearances but didn't manage to score any goals.

In April 2002 he retired from professional football, but not football completely playing for St.Albans City and Aldershot before joining Whitton United in 2004, the following season he became player/manager before finally hanging up his boots in 2006 and spending another season at Whitton as their manager.

On leaving Whitton he became the Football Development Officer for Ipswich Borough Council.
Never far from controversy whether it was referees and red cards, or the police and courts, Ronnie will always be a part of Argyle folklore for one 65th minute glorious goal he scored at Wembley.


Read more: http://www.plymouth.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=313875#ixzz2Oe06U5Ee

[WhiteJC]

 
Crewe Alex: Pre-match stats v Crawley Town

PREVIOUS MEETING

Nov 24, 2012: League One.

CREWE ALEXANDRA 2

(Dalla Valle, 62, 65)

CRAWLEY TOWN 0

LOAN boy Lauri Dalla Valle's quickfire brace helped Crewe take three points with a dominant second-half performance.

The home side took control when Dalla Valle headed in Murphy's 62nd-minute free-kick, losing his marker to flick a superb finish over the keeper.

The striker doubled his account three minutes later when Chuks Aneke's superb through-ball found Byron Moore and the winger's miscued shot was snapped up from close range by Dalla Valle who had instinctively chased the move into the box.

Minutes later Dalla Valle fired over when he was well placed to complete his hat-trick.

Crewe: Martin, Tootle, Robertson, Davis, Ellis, Murphy, Osman, Pogba, Moore, Aneke, Dalla Valle. Not used: Phillips, Dugdale, Turton, Guthrie, Inman, Clayton, Colclough.

Crawley: Jones, Byrne (Ajose, 67), Sadler, Connolly, McFadzean (Walsh, 39), Akpan, Clarke, Simpson, Adams, Jones (Clifford, 84), Alexander. Not used: Kuipers, Hunt, Torres, Bulman.
Attendance: 5,236.

FORM GUIDE
Crawley: LWDDDD
Crewe: WLLWDW

WHO WE'D LIKE TO BUY
Nicky Adams: Not to be confused with his near namesake managing in League Two, the winger has a real eye for goal.

WHO TO BOO
Billy Clarke: Scored a fairly scrappy hat-trick against Gudjon Thordarson's Crewe while on loan at Northampton in January 2009.

MAN IN THE MIDDLE
Fred Graham (Essex): Oversaw Crewe's Capital One Cup demise at West Ham United in August.

PROBABLE TEAMS
Crawley: Jones, Dumbuya, Essam, Walsh, Sadler, Adams, Sparrow, Taylor, Clarke, Proctor, Hayes.
Crewe: Phillips, Mellor, Robertson, Davis, Ellis, Turton, Osman, Colclough, Moore, Ellington, Leitch-Smith.

PREDICTION
Harry Davis gets his first goal of the season with a first-half header, but Crawley fight back to claim a point thanks to Paul Hayes who converts from the penalty spot.



Read more: http://www.thisisstaffordshire.co.uk/story-18521542-detail/story.html?#ixzz2Oe1H8sBG
Follow us: @thisisstaffs on Twitter | thisisstaffordshire on Facebook

[WhiteJC]

 
LA Galaxy Academy lose 2-1 to Fulham FC on second day of Dallas Cup
Comeback bid falls short as Drew Murphy scores again in 2-1 defeat

DALLAS— This time the hole was too big.

A day after coming from behind to beat Eintracht Frankfurt of Germany, the LA Galaxy Academy were unable to conjure up another comeback and suffered a disappointing 2-1 loss to Fulham FC of England on Monday in the second day of the 34th Annual Dr. Pepper Dallas Cup.

"I thought we were close (to getting the equalizer)," said LA Galaxy Academy Head Coach Alex Yi. "The guys really fought to the end. I'm really proud of them, but it wasn't meant to be."

On a blustery day in north Texas, the Galaxy struggled with the conditions and fell behind early, conceding a goal in the 14th minute. Unable to maintain possession and down a goal, Yi's squad bunkered down and got into halftime without allowing Fulham to double their lead.

"We wanted to go against the wind in the first half and have the wind with us in the second half, so I think down 1-0 at halftime was OK— we were still in a comfortable position," said Yi. "Second half was much better, we had the wind at our back, but conceding the goal from our corner kick of a counter attack was really hard."

After halftime, the Galaxy immediately looked much comfortable with the wind at their backs. They began to put pressure on Fulham's goal. But when a Galaxy corner kick was cleared by the English side, it led to a breakaway. Fulham midfielder Emerson Hyndman, grandson of FC Dallas head coach Schellas Hyndman, played through forward Jordan Evans who was able to stay onside and beat goalkeeper Juan Cervantes with a perfectly slotted left-footed shot, giving Fulham a 2-0 lead in the 50th minute.

Despite the goal, the Galaxy continued to apply pressure on Fulham's goalkeeper Max Oberschmidt, who is from Germany and is dubbed the 'new Oliver Kahn' on Fulham's website due to his physical resemblance to the goalkeeper.

Just after the hour mark, LA nearly pulled a goal back when Oberschmidt came off his line to break up a play and the ball sprung right to Galaxy midfielder Raul Mendiola, who dribbled into the box and fired a shot on goal. That shot was blocked, but the rebound fell right to forward Jaime Villarreal, who saw his shot was cleared off the line by a defender.

A few minutes later, the Galaxy attack earned a penalty kick when Fulham was called for a handball in the box. Murphy, who scored the game-winner a day earlier against Eintracht Frankfurt, stepped up and drilled the ball past Oberschmidt to make it 2-1.

The Galaxy are still alive in the race for one of the four spots in the Gordon Jago Super Group semifinals, but in order to advance they will need to beat Coritiba of Brazil and hope that their goal differential is better than that of Fulham (2-0-0), Manchester United (2-0-0) or Kashiwa Reysol of Japan (2-0-0)— all three teams have six points and a goal differential of plus-3, plus-4 and plus-5, respectively. By comparison, the Galaxy (1-1-0) are at three points and have a goal-differential of zero.

"Win— we just need to win," Yi said as he simplified what the Galaxy need to do next. "Whether we progress or not it's not really in our hand, but we need to win to put us in a position to possibly advance."



http://www.lagalaxy.com/news/2013/03/la-galaxy-academy-lose-2-1-fulham-fc-second-day-dallas-cup?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham FC & Surrey FA Junior Club Day

Fulham FC and the Surrey FA have joined forces for Junior Club Day when Reading visit Craven Cottage on May 4th.

For the third year in a row, clubs from Surrey that have achieved FA Charter Standard status will be able to purchase discounted tickets for the match as well as receiving a whole host of other goodies and special surprises on the day.

The event offers a great opportunity for young players and coaches to witness Premier League football up close and get inspired by some of the country's best players and role models.

This year, tickets are priced at just £10 for juniors (Under-16s), and for every 10 purchased, clubs will receive a FREE adult ticket.

And while the match itself kicks-off at 3pm, the real action starts at 11am at Bishop's Park - right next to Craven Cottage - which will feature the EA Sports dugout, an inflatable pitch and the FA Women's Cup on display.

All juniors will be given a goody bag on arrival, while club names will appear in the official match-day programme and on the electronic boards around the pitch. There will also be exclusive offers on food and drink inside the stadium.

And that's not all - the Charter Standard club that sells the most tickets will win a coaching session at Fulham's Training Ground in Motspur Park, along with a pitch presentation recognising their achievement and a signed Fulham shirt.

Charter Standard Clubs can book tickets either by downloading and completing the booking form here, or by calling the Fulham FC ticket office on 0843 208 1234 and selecting option 3 (open Monday-Friday, 9-5pm).

So get your club together, head down to Craven Cottage and enjoy some Premier League action for only £10!



http://www.shekicks.net/news/view/7302?

[WhiteJC]

 
Gayle on Fulham radar

Fulham have been linked with a summer swoop for Peterborough striker Dwight Gayle, who has impressed in the Championship this season.

Gayle has hit 11 goals in 21 games for Posh so far this term and has been watched by several Premier League scouts in recent weeks.

The 22-year-old was on loan at Dagenham and Redbridge for the first few months of the season, but returned to London Road after scoring eight goals for the League Two side.

His form has been so good that he is now commanding a regular starting role for Posh and Fulham boss Martin Jol has been alerted to the youngster.

Jol is on the look-out for emerging English talent and is reportedly considering a summer offer for the forward who is valued by Peterborough at around £2million, although that could rise if he continues to impress.


http://www.clubcall.com/fulham/gayle-on-fulham-radar-1566160.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Looking to Fulham for inspiration (and three points)

And so mission impossible moves across Hammersmith Broadway to Fulham over the Easter weekend.

While it seems plainly obvious that three points is a must against the side that was the first of too few scalps for QPR this season, it is for another reason that we look to our nearest rivals for inspiration.

Many have said that a seven-point deficit at this stage of the season is too insurmountable an obstacle to negotiate, but the Cottagers have a similar experience in their near history from which the Rs can draw inspiration.

For it was Fulham who, back in 2008, found themselves six points from safety with just six games to play. On top of that, they had by far the worst goal difference of the seven teams competing to avoid the last two remaining relegation places as Derby County, bless em, had already been relegated.

It's a position not dissimilar to QPR's.

But they got out of it. To do so, Fulham won four and lost one of their last five games - and their reward was an uninterrupted place in the Premier League and two seasons of European football since.

And they are not the only team in the Premier League to manage the great escape. West Ham, the previous season (2006-7), were five points from safety before they pulled themselves clear thanks to one Carlos Tevez - much to the chagrin of Neil Warnock and Sheffield United.

Bradford City also overcame a six-point gap between themselves and Wimbledon between Easter and the end of the season in 2000, while both Coventry and Southampton managed to pull themselves clear in 1997.

So, there is hope. But what if QPR lose against Fulham on Easter Monday, would that be it? Well, during their escape from relegation in 2008, Fulham lost to Sunderland on April 5 - and that seemed to be it at the time. So hope does not die with three points lost at Craven Cottage.

And the team that Fulham eventually sent down at the end of the season? That would be Reading.



http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/queensparkrangers/id/834?&cc=5739

[WhiteJC]

 
International Preview

Tuesday evening will finally see Aaron Hughes step out at Windsor Park as Northern Ireland take on Israel following the postponement of their match with Russia at the weekend. The Israelis have impressed in Group F so far, top scoring with 13 goals as they currently sit second in the table. A win for Michael O'Neill's men will see them move to within two points of their opponents, although they will be without Chris Baird who misses out through suspension.

In Group A, Croatia are looking to build on Friday's win over Serbia when they face Wales at Swansea City's Liberty Stadium. Mladen Petrić didn't make it off the substitutes' bench last time out so he'll be hoping he's given the opportunity to shoot down Chris Coleman's men, who go into the match on the back of victory over Scotland.

Kerim Frei will want to build on his cameo appearance for Turkey on Friday when they welcome Hungary to Istanbul in Group D. The Turkish will remain fourth in the table regardless of Tuesday evening's result, but victory would see them move to within a point of the second-placed Hungarians.

The final European Qualifier potentially involving a Fulham man is in Denmark where Bulgaria and Stanislav Manolev are competing in Group B. They could finish the evening top of the group, although that would depend on Italy dropping points away to Malta.

Over in San José, Costa Rica will be desperate to bounce back from their defeat by the United States when they face Jamaica in a North, Central America and Caribbean World Cup Qualifier. Los Ticos will rely heavily on captain Bryan Ruiz to influence matters as they look to move off the foot of the table.

Away from the World Cup, Ashkan Dejagah is likely to start for Iran in their AFC Asian Cup Qualifier in Kuwait. Iran are currently level on points with their opponents at the top of Group B after one match but boast a superior goal difference following their 5-0 thumping of Lebanon at the beginning of February.

Alexander Kačaniklić played the full 90 minutes for Sweden against the Republic of Ireland on Friday and could be involved again for their friendly match against Slovakia at the Pod Dubnon stadium in Zilina.

Following his appearance on the bench for the full Finland squad in the draw with World Champions Spain, Jesse Joronen is back with the Under-21s for their friendly match away to Hungary.

Mark Schwarzer was in action earlier on Tuesday as Australia fought back from two goals down to snatch a draw against Oman. The Socceroos fell behind when Abdul Aziz beat Schwarzer after six minutes, with Mile Jedinak putting through his own net early in the second half to double the Omanis' advantage.

But former Everton man Tim Cahill reduced the deficit moments later, and Brett Holman brought his country level with five minutes remaining of the match in Sydney. The point means Australia remain second in Group B of the Asian Qualifying section, seven points behind leaders Japan.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/march/26/international-preview?