Monday Fulham Stuff (01/04/13)...

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Jol backs Bobby to keep QPR in Premier League but admits time was right for Fulham exit

Martin Jol believes a fit again Bobby Zamora can keep Queens Park Rangers in the Premier League but hopes any impact begins after the striker's return to old club Fulham tomorrow.

The Dutchman is targeting three points against a Rangers side that is likely to contain the striker and while the Whites boss recognises his quality, he believes the parting of the ways in January 2012 was the right time for both parties.

Jol said: "Bobby wanted to move. He felt he could help QPR. Hopefully, after our game, he will help them. If he is fit he can help any team because he is a good striker.

"When he played he did ever so well but he missed 30 or 40 per cent of the games. If he was fit he was selected for the national team. He has got all the qualities but when Bobby was not there we had a problem up front and that is why we changed it and now we have Ruiz and Rodellega and Berbatov and most of the time they are fit to select."

While R's boss Harry Redknapp believes his side need to win five of their remaining eight games stand a chance of avoiding the trap door, his west London counterpart refuses to accept the Cottagers are entirely safe on 36 points.

A win would take Fulham to within a point of what Jol believes would be the safety of the 40-point mark but he also believes QPR could still survive.

He said: "QPR have bought a lot of players, 12, 13 when Mark Hughes was there. It is not easy to start and have a settled team. Then Harry had to change again. But I think if they got two wins it will be exciting again, so it's not over.

"I remember teams like Blackpool and Birmingham, middle of the table, doing well, final of the Carling Cup and then get relegated. So in England you can't say it is over eight games before the end.

"I agree with Harry, if they win four or five they could survive."



http://www.london24.com/sport/fulham/jol_backs_bobby_to_keep_qpr_in_premier_league_but_admits_time_was_right_for_fulham_exit_1_1997562

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Karagounis Previews QPR

Giorgos Karagounis has called for more of the same as Fulham look to extend their recent good form against West London rivals Queens Park Rangers on Monday (8pm).

Martin Jol's side enter the encounter unbeaten in their last four matches, with the win against Tottenham Hotspur last time out underlining their intentions of another top 10 finish.

"We've played some great matches lately," said Giorgos to fulhamfc.com. "We have managed to get a good run of form together, and as a result, we have rhythm – which is important.

"However, we can't rest on that, because every game has its own story to tell and we will take nothing for granted. The game with QPR is another big match for us, and we need to play with the same passion, the same determination and the same spirit that we have shown in recent months.

"We know that they [QPR] need the points, they're a team that are fighting for their Premier League survival. They really want, and need points, and to be honest, I thought they were very unlucky in their last game against Aston Villa – for me, they could have won.

"QPR are a good side, and have quality, perhaps their league position doesn't reflect that, though. It's going to be a tough evening, but I'm confident that we can get the result we need and in front of our fans."

April will be a month of West London derbies, with QPR up first and then Chelsea visiting Craven Cottage in little more than two weeks' time. Understandably, for our fans, both are highlights of the fixture calendar.

"Of course, these are the games that the fans look forward too – they're exciting," he said. "But in the Premier League, every match is like a derby because they are all played with such intensity.

"Games against neighbouring clubs do add something extra, and hopefully a win on Monday will give our fans the bragging rights. We lost against QPR in December, so it would be nice to make up for that disappointment.

"When that final whistle goes on Monday, I just hope we will be able to dedicate a good win for our supporters and celebrate another three points together. It would be a special occasion."

The 36-year-old joined Fulham in September with considerable experience in the game – a career that has spanned some 17 seasons across some of Europe's top leagues.

As a result, he has played in the great Greek derby between Panathinaikos and Olympiakos, the famous Milan meeting between Inter Milan and AC Milan and the Lisbon derby where Benfica take on Sporting Lisbon.

"Wherever you go in the world, you will find big rivalries – it is part of football," added Giorgos. "Generally, I enjoy derby matches, although in some countries it can be less fun than others. In England, I feel like the games are more celebratory, where that probably isn't the case in Greece.

"But like every player, I enjoy and want to be part of big games and this is what they are. I've been on the winning and losing side before; I've shared joy and sadness with my teammates because the interest and meaning of these matches is so high.

"Besides the points, you are playing for prestige. Every player raises their game too, so they are also fiercely competitive. But I like that, and hopefully, if I am involved on Monday I will play my part in an important victory for Fulham."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/march/31/karagounis?

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Sascha Riether expecting to hold transfer talks with Fulham


Sascha Riether: Has impressed during loan spell at Fulham

Sascha Riether has reiterated his desire to remain at Fulham and expects transfer talks to be held shortly.

The experienced full-back has been among the Cottagers' most consistent performers this season after arriving on loan from Cologne.

His short-term agreement at Craven Cottage is due to expire in the summer, but he has expressed a desire to stay in England.

Martin Jol has suggested in the past that he will assess the situation once the 2012/13 campaign comes to a close, but Riether claims discussions could be held before that.

He said: "I have enjoyed this year in the Premier League and we will have talks in the next few weeks.

"We hope we have a positive result from that."


http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11681/8609601?

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Martin Jol is hopeful Mark Schwarzer will sign a new contract at Fulham


Mark Schwarzer: In contract talks with Fulham

Fulham boss Martin Jol says Mark Schwarzer can play in the Premier League for at least another two seasons.

The 40-year-old has been in top form this term and is expected to go to Brazil as part of Australia's World Cup squad next summer.

Schwarzer is currently in talks with Fulham about a new contract and Jol is hopeful that it will extend beyond the 2014 World Cup.

"He (Schwarzer) can go on for the next one or two years but it's not like he is 22 and has another 10 years left in him," said the Dutchman.

"But how old are goalkeepers? If you look for evidence of them being 44-45, I can't see it. So 40 is quite remarkable.

"They (Australia) will go to the World Cup and he wants to be there. He will be 42 and then he will come back to us hopefully."

Schwarzer's form is the reason David Stockdale is out on loan with Hull City and with Neil Ethridge waiting in the wings, Jol admits he may have to let one of his goalkeepers leave permanently.

"David wants to be a number one," said Jol. "I'm always looking for a good goalkeeper. I've got another good goalkeeper who's 23, Neil Etheridge, and he's very talented but he needs to play.

"So maybe we will put him on loan. Stockdale is already on loan; so I have a problem. We need one or two goalkeepers. Hopefully we can get competition for places because that's the ideal."



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11681/8609599?

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Fulham Face Reysol


Fulham's Under-19s take on Kashiwa Reysol of Japan in Sunday's Final of the Dr Pepper Dallas Cup.

The Whites made it through to the tournament's showpiece having seen off Fluminense in an entertaining Semi-Final encounter on Friday.

Ryan Williams opened the scoring for Fulham on 30 minutes, only for the Brazilian side to level not long after. Steve Wigley's charges dominated the second period, but a second goal proved elusive.

As a result, the game was decided from the spot, with Fulham winning 4-3 on penalties. Cauley Woodrow, Sean Kavanagh, Emerson Hyndman and George Williams all converted their chances.

Prior to the Semi-Final, Fulham had also seen off Coritiba (3-1), LA Galaxy (2-1) and Eintracht Frankfurt (5-0).

Opponents Kashiwa Reysol have also been one of the standout teams of the competition, topping Group A following defeats of Manchester United (2-0), Club America (5-1) and Dallas Texans (1-0).

They qualified for the Final following a comprehensive 4-0 victory over Aalborg BK.

At senior level, Reysol have been a dominant force in Japanese football of late, winning the J. League title in 2010 and in 2011. Last year they also won the Emperor's Cup and reached the Semi-Final of the J. League Cup. A number of the squad came through from the club's youth ranks.

Fulham's clash with Kashiwa Reysol will take place in the Cotton Bowl Stadium (6pm local time) and the game will be streamed live on Kick TV via YouTube here.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/march/31/dallas-cup-final?

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Rangers revival to continue

David John fancies QPR to boost their bid for Premier League survival with a win at Fulham on Monday night.

Fulham v QPR (2000BST)

This match last season at the Cottage was famous not only for Fulham's 6-0 drubbing of the Hoops but also Adel Taarabt being substituted at half-time and then storming out and waiting for a bus in his tracksuit in disgust at former manager Neil Warnock's fresh tactical approach.

Warnock is long gone and the mercurial Moroccan still falls in and out of favour under Harry Redknap but the visitors are fancied to boost their survival prospects with a valuable three points from the short journey across west London.

They remain rooted to the foot of the table and seven points from safety before Saturday's games kicked off but they are playing as well as at any time of the season and Redknapp remains optimistic he can pull off another famous great escape.

"It is up to us," was his succinct assessment with the points on offer from eight remaining games looking more than enough to make a horserace of it.

QPR were certainly on the generous side last time when they allowed fellow strugglers Aston Villa to escape with a 3-2 victory as Redknapp fumed at his team for not being four up and out of sight at the break.

But the influx since the new year of the likes of Loic Remy, Andros Townsend and a resurgent Jermaine Jenas (two goals in his last two games) have overall given Rangers some impetus as they try and rescue themselves from a return to the Championship.

It is a case of the same old, same old for Fulham.

They are a solid enough Premier League outfit capable of the odd flash of something worth watching - usually inspired by Dimitar Berbatov.

But once again they find themselves playing for little more than a top-10 finish between now and the end of the campaign, although a stretch of four games unbeaten is creditable.

The visitors have won just once against Fulham from their last seven encounters but I have seen enough of late from them to reverse that trend.

This is exactly the sort of fixture Redknapp knows he must win if they are to have any chance in the grand scheme of things and a small investment on them is the play.

Verdict: Fulham 1 QPR 2


http://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/article/165/8609636/rangers-revival-to-continue?

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Fulham v QPR

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Craven Cottage Date: Monday, 1 April

Fulham striker Bryan Ruiz faces a late fitness after he picked up a hamstring injury while playing for Costa Rica during the week.

Mahamadou Diarra has been ruled out until the end of the season as he requires knee surgery.

QPR striker Bobby Zamora has been declared fit after overcoming a recent ankle injury and a bout of flu.

Harry Redknapp is mulling over whether to recall Adel Taarabt, but he has no other injury problems.

MATCH PREVIEW

The meeting at Craven Cottage is a clash between two former Tottenham managers as Fulham's Martin Jol and QPR's Harry Redknapp square off.

Fulham were shock winners at Spurs last time out and are on a four-match unbeaten run. Martin Jol has earmarked former Fulham striker Bobby Zamora, who joined QPR in January 2012 as the opponents' chief threat : "Bobby wanted to move. He felt he could help QPR. Hopefully after our game, he will help them.

"If he is fit he can help any team because he is a good striker. When he played he did ever so well but he missed 30 or 40 per cent of the games.

"He has got all the qualities, but when Bobby was not there we had a problem up front and that is why we changed it and now we have Bryan Ruiz and Hugo Rodallega and Dimitar Berbatov and most of the time they are fit to select."

QPR's first win under Harry Redknapp came against Fulham back in December. They will kick-off seven points from safety after the weekend's results so a first league double of the season is essential to get their survival hopes back on track following defeat at Aston Villa.

Their first-team coach Joe Jordan has talked up The R's attacking threat. "We have the players now that are capable of taking the game to the opposition. We have a depth now that we didn't have (before).

"When we arrived here we could only really play in a certain way, but that has changed now. We had to defend and play on the break, whereas now we can take the game to the opposition when it is needed.

"Performance-wise, we are improving all the time and there is a belief in the camp, because we are playing well."

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head
QPR have lost on their previous three visits to Fulham, including a 6-0 thrashing on their last trip to Craven Cottage in October 2011. It's their heaviest-ever Premier League defeat.

QPR's 2-1 victory in the reverse fixture in December was their first win of the season at the 17th time of asking.
Before that 2-1 win in December, they had not scored in six matches against Fulham.

Fulham
Fulham are unbeaten in four league games (W2, D2).

They have scored 40 league goals this season. They have only scored more after 29 matches in one other season - 2003-04, when they scored 42.

Dimitar Berbatov has scored in each of his last three league matches - the last Fulham player to score in four consecutive league matches was Steed Malbranque between January and February 2003.

QPR
QPR have won just two of their last 28 away matches in the Premier League.

They are unbeaten in four league matches against London clubs. Their last defeat was a 1-0 to Arsenal in October.

Adel Taarabt is set to make his 150th Queens Park Rangers appearance, while Andros Townsend could make his 100th career league appearance.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/21921182?

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Opta Big Match Stats: Back Under 2.5 goals at Fulham

Using those all-knowing Opta stats, Christian Crowther picks out three bets for Easter Monday's televised duel between Fulham and QPR...

Fulham v QPR (Monday, 20:00, Sky Sports 1)

Fulham have won fewer points (8) than any other side in Premier League London derbies this season, but defeated Spurs in their last match

Not even Nostradamus himself would have predicted Fulham stealing away from White Hart Lane with all the points on their last Premier League outing, given Tottenham's lofty position. After all, the Cottagers' dubious record in London derbies speaks for itself this season, including becoming the first members of a very exclusive list of QPR's league victims (there are only four to date) at Loftus Road back in December. What that win at Spurs did do for Martin Jol's side was relieve relegation fears by lifting them into tenth with a game in hand over most, which could give cause for complacency. However, for QPR, this really does represent the last chance saloon, and that extra determination may at least bring them a point.

Recommended Bet: Lay Fulham to beat QPR @ 2.08

Jermaine Jenas has scored in two successive appearances in the Premier League. On the last occasion that he did this (February 2007), he went on to net in three successive games

Cast aside by Tottenham after many an injury-plagued season and two loan spells, Jermaine Jenas is revelling in his switch across to west London. The former England man has always been blessed with considerable talent, but unfortunately not the body to consistently carry the fight. Still, none of that will matter to Harry Redknapp if Jenas can continue firing in goals to help lift QPR towards their dream of Premier League survival. Alongside former stablemate Andros Townsend - on loan from White Hart Lane - the pair have breathed new life into the Hoops' in the last two matches, both helping themselves to a pair of goals.

Recommended Bet: Back Jermaine Jenas to score @ 8.8

There have been just 13 goals scored in QPR's eight Premier League London derbies this season; an average of 1.63 per game
One of QPR's many deficiencies this season has been their distinct lack of firepower, not helped it must be said by a series of injuries to their strikers. The three goals Rangers scored in the recent 3-1 win over Sunderland at Loftus Road represented the first time they had actually managed to surpass the two-goal mark in the Premier League this season.
Although they have rectified that to a degree in recent matches, these London derbies are often tense affairs, especially where the R's are concerned. The Hoops have managed just three goals from four cross-capital ventures, and Jol's side have notched only once across their last two Craven Cottage fixtures.

Recommended Bet: Back Under 2.5 goals @ 1.98



http://betting.betfair.com/football/opta/opta-big-match-stats-under-25-goals-at-fulham-280313-579.html?

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Settling the score
by DAN on MARCH 31, 2013



If one game epitomised the desperate nature of Fulham's winter slump, it came at Loftus Road on December 15. Leaving that ground, Fulham's home in name only for a couple of seasons before their return home almost a decade ago, after watching a performance hardly worthy of the name was a desolate experience. Spineless, supine, sacrificial: several synonyms could sum it up. Fulham were wretched and meekly surrendered in a second half that unfortunately isn't forgettable.

The sight of Adel Taraabt, who famously sought a quick getaway from Craven Cottage after being substituted at half time in last season's 6-0 drubbing, dribbling through the remnants of a lackadaisical Fulham defence to score QPR's second, winning a loose ball from Brede Hangeland just past the half way line, will send a shiver down my spine for years to come. For me, it wasn't so much that QPR had secured their first league win of the season and glimpsed survival after the poorest start in Premier League history, but that Fulham were so devoid of fight, passion and spirit. It seemed fitting that Mladen Petric's deflected strike came too late – it was almost an apologetic afterthought.

Rivalry for me didn't come into it, although it certainly will have bothered others. I grew up with a raging dislike of Brentford, who were a division above Fulham when I first started visiting Craven Cottage regularly and had aspirations of climbing higher, while Chelsea feel like more natural geographical rivals these days. Passions will rise in anticipation of Monday's return fixture for many, however. 1983 still lingers long in the memory, an abject 3-1 defeat securing the Second Division title for Rangers, and the deathly phrase 'Fulham Park Rangers' should serve as a reminder of how far we've come in the years since Fulham conjured up images of the halcyon days of the 60s, the 1975 Cup final and the latter stages of Bobby Moore and George Best's careers.

More recently, of course, the fortunes of the two clubs have been inextricably linked. From Mark Hughes' own 'ambition' to that of Bobby Zamora and Andy Johnson, there's been a fair bit of traffic travelling down the Askew Road towards Shepherds Bush. Hughes' departure from the Cottage looks more and more like a moment of hubris that might prove one of his biggest managerial miscalculations – his time at Loftus Road saw an expensively assembled squad plumb depths that few pundits could have predicted in the summer – while his two striking recruits have endured uncomfortable injury-plagued spells at their new club. Andy Johnson's lack of fitness was the reason why Fulham were unwilling to extend his contract, while Lorcan's already adequately covered the subject of Zamora's return.

Monday's meeting assumes massive significance for QPR as Harry Redknapp runs out of games to prove he can still claim his Houdini mantle. It goes without saying that Rangers badly need a win, even though they've climbed off the foot of the table thanks to Arsenal's pummeling of Reading on Saturday, but the importance of the fixture for Fulham shouldn't be understated. Jol's side have quietly crept towards the top half of the table – and as both Swansea and West Brom stumble ahead of them – there's a slim chance that Fulham could climb even higher. The Whites have acquired the handy habit of finishing seasons strongly in recent years – and Monday's game offers the rare opportunity to clinch consecutive London derby wins following the defeat of Tottenham before the international break.

Victory tomorrow night would prove cathartic for a number of the Fulham faithful. It shouldn't be taken for granted, however. QPR do have the ability to score goals – Redknapp's capture of Loic Remy and Zamora's return to fitness have offered the strugglers a striking threat that they had previously lacked. If Fulham can console themselves that the mercurial talent of Taraabt might start on the bench, they'll face a physical and explosive partnership in the shape of the French forward and a man whose ability to infuriate central defenders we know all about.

In their media comments in the build up to this game, it seems as though both Jol and the players have got the message. They seemed lacklustre and leaden-footed at Loftus Road. It wasn't good enough. There's a score to settle this time – and a few psychological scars to repair.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2013/03/settling-the-score/?

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Two More Years?
   
With Brede Hangeland having put pen-to-paper on a two year contract extension, Martin Jol is now looking at snaring Mark Schwarzer to a new deal.

Schwarzer, now forty years of age, is tipped by Jol as having at least two years left at the top level.

Talking about his keeper, Jol is quoted as having remarked,

"He (Schwarzer) can go on for the next one or two years but it's not like he is 22 and has another 10 years left in him."

'But how old are goalkeepers? If you look for evidence of them being 44-45, I can't see it. So 40 is quite remarkable."

'They (Australia) will go to the World Cup and he wants to be there. He will be 42 and then he will come back to us hopefully.'

It`s widely recognized that keepers are a different breed, but is Jol right about Schwarzer being able to go on for another couple of years?


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=314541#ixzz2PC93vNwK

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Fulham's Martin Jol backs Mark Schwarzer to stay in Premier League
• Manager says veteran has at least two more years at the top
• Brede Hangeland signs new contract ahead of QPR game


Mark Schwarzer, right, claiming the ball from Tottenham Hotspur's Emmanuel
Adebayor, has been in great form for Fulham. Photograph: Kerim Okten/EPA

Fulham's manager, Martin Jol, insists that his goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer can keep going for at least another two years in the Premier League.

Schwarzer, 40, has been instrumental in Fulham securing a mid-table berth with eight matches remaining this season, and Jol sees no reason why he cannot continue to do a first-rate job at Craven Cottage.

The form of the Australian veteran, who is set to go with his country to Rio de Janeiro for the World Cup next year, is the reason David Stockdale is on loan at the Championship side Hull City and Jol accepts that he might have to let the 27-year-old go permanently.

"David wants to be a No1," said Jol, whose side host Queens Park Rangers on Monday night in a west London derby that has huge significance, in particular, for Harry Redknapp's side.

"I'm always looking for a good goalkeeper. I've got another good goalkeeper who's 23, Neil Etheridge, and he's very talented, but he needs to play. So maybe we will put him on loan. Stockdale is already on loan; so I have a problem. We need one or two goalkeepers. Hopefully we can get competition for places because that's the ideal."

Fulham's priority, however, is to sign up Schwarzer on a new contract that Jol hopes will extend beyond the 2014 World Cup. Talks are in progress and Jol said: "He can go on for the next one or two years, but it's not like he is 22 and has another 10 years left in him. But how old are goalkeepers? If you look for evidence of them being 44-45, I can't see it. So 40 is quite remarkable.

"They (Australia) will go to the World Cup and he wants to be there. He will be 42 and then he will come back to us hopefully."

Meanwhile, Jol has been boosted by captain Brede Hangeland signing a new two-year contract. The Norwegian central defender will have the task of nullifying the threat of former Fulham and England striker Bobby Zamora, who has been passed fit to face his old team-mates.

Zamora left Craven Cottage for Loftus Road in January 2012, but Jol has few regrets at losing a player with a dubious fitness record.

"Bobby wanted to move," said Jol. "He felt he could help QPR. Hopefully, after our game, he will help them. If he is fit he can help any team because he is a good striker. When he played he did ever so well, but he missed 30 or 40% of the games. If he was fit he was selected for the national team.

"He has got all the qualities, but when Bobby was not there we had a problem up front and that is why we changed it, and now we have Bryan Ruiz and Hugo Rodallega and Dimitar Berbatov – and most of the time they are fit to select." "Don't forget Bobby wanted that move and at the time we had (Pavel) Pogrebnyak who scored six goals in five games, so everybody was happy. Bobby was happy with his move and we were happy with Pogrebnyak."

Jol believes Fulham, on 36 points, require two wins to guarantee survival and expects a fierce scrap with QPR, who lie second bottom and are fighting for their Premier League lives.

Jol said: "This is a home game, a derby game, they are desperate for three points and we can use them as well."


http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2013/mar/31/fulham-qpr-premier-league-preview?

[WhiteJC]

 
One to Watch - Dimitar Berbatov
   
Name: Dimitar Berbatov

Date of Birth: 30/1/1981

Nationality: Bulgaria

Former Clubs: CSKA Sofia, Bayer Leverkusen, Tottenham, Man Utd

League Appearances (Goals): 404 (182)

International Appearances (Goals): 78 (48)

Stat of the Day: Eight of Dimitar Berbatov`s Premier League goals for Fulham have come before half-time

Player Profile: 'Keep calm and pass me the ball`. That was the message Berbatov gave his teammates on Boxing Day against Southampton; they`ve clearly embraced the subtle note and are revelling in the Bulgarian`s class. The striker has the talent, and he knows it, yet it is his effortlessness and calmness that endears him to many. It is not that he does not try, as his critics profess; rather, that he does not seem to. He makes a mockery of the Jamie Mackie`s and Wayne Rooney`s of the Premier League and their redundant work rate; he is all about the connoisseur`s quality. Everyone can ramble on about Michu and RVP as the steals of the season, but at a cut price £5 million Berbatov looks to have torn the value of the transfer market to shreds.

One story from his time at Tottenham sums up the ability and the attitude. Jamie O'Hara remembers Berbatov being in possession, with his back to him, about 40 yards away. "I was yelling for the ball," O'Hara said. "Berba dropped his shoulder and, without looking, he played a pinpoint pass right to my feet. After training, he said to me: 'I know where you are. You don't have to shout." Berbatov`s talent has never been in question, but his aloofness and quietness off the pitch have infuriated many. To Berbatov though, these people do not matter; laziness is not an issue, buckets of sweat do not embellish a performance. Martin Jol understands the Bulgarian - "What do you want?" he said. "A player without quality who works hard? Or a quality player who hopefully works hard?"

Player History:

Dimitar Berbatov`s successful career started out at CSKA Sofia, where he joined The Armymen aged just 17, following in the footsteps of his father who also played for the club. His impressive goalscoring talents quickly attracted attention from Bundesliga club Bayer Leverkusen, who made their move in January 2001 after Berbatov scored nine goals in eleven games at the beginning of the 2000/2001 season. Leverkusen paid €1.3 million to sign the striker, and whilst his career in Germany started slowly he regularly shone in the Champions League, helping his side knock Man United out of the Champions League semi-finals in April 2002.

His Leverkusen career continued to flourish as he finished up with 69 league goals in 154 appearances for the German side. It was eventually Tottenham who managed to snap up the striker, signing him for £10.9 million in 2006, making him the most expensive Bulgarian footballer ever. It was Martin Jol, now Berbatov`s manager at Fulham, who signed the expansive striker and his stay at Spurs divided many views with some labelling him 'Berbagod`, some 'Berbaflop`. He scored 23 goals in his opening season, which he matched again in 2007/2008. He scored a total of 27 league goals in 70 appearances for Spurs and after months of speculation linking him with a move to Old Trafford in the summer of 2008, Sir Alex Ferguson finally got his man.

He struck up an effective partnership with Wayne Rooney in his debut season, helping his side to win the title, finishing with 14 goals. Further success was to follow in 2010/2011 as the Bulgarian scored 20 league goals to claim the Golden Boot jointly with Man City`s Carlos Tevez. The emergence of Danny Welbeck and Javier Hernandez soon left Berbatov further down the pecking order at United, and this summer he made the decision to reunite with Jol at Fulham.


Read more: http://www.qpr.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=314547#ixzz2PC9oHQo6

[WhiteJC]

 
One to Go?
   
On discussing the possible future of Mark Schwarzer, Martin Jol has intimated that he may have to let a goalkeeper go.

Naturally David Stockdale fancies regular first team football and now it appears that Neil Etheridge, at twenty-three years of age has a similar earning.

However, Jol may have another solution which would see both Stockdale and Etheridge parked, on loan, at other clubs, with the boss remarking,

'David wants to be a number one.'

'I'm always looking for a good goalkeeper. I've got another good goalkeeper who's 23, Neil Etheridge, and he's very talented but he needs to play."

'So maybe we will put him on loan. Stockdale is already on loan; so I have a problem. We need one or two goalkeepers. Hopefully we can get competition for places because that's the ideal.'

My personal view is that Stockdale will move on next season and Jol will bring a second string keeper to Craven Cottage with Etheridge going out on loan.


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=314555#ixzz2PCAJmHpl

[WhiteJC]

 
QPR winger Townsend eyeing derby victory

The on-loan attacker insists that despite the club's lowly position, confidence is high at Loftus Road ahead of the Rs crunch match with local rivals Fulham on Monday night

QPR attacker Andros Townsend says confidence is high at Loftus Road ahead of the Rs' derby with neighbours Fulham on Monday night.

The west Londoners have fared well in derby matches this season, taking four points off Chelsea as well as defeating Martin Jol's men in an Adel Taraabt-inspired 2-1 win in the reverse fixture, leaving Townsend in a bullish mood.

"We're confident we can get a result there," the 21-year-old told QPR's official website.

"The fact it's a local derby is an added incentive, but all we're focused on is returning to winning ways and getting another three points on the board."

Rangers moved off the bottom of the Premier League without even playing at the weekend with Reading losing heavily at Arsenal, and after claiming two wins in their last three outings Tottenham loanee Townsend says no one at the club has given up on survival.

"We've got eight games to go and we believe we can still get out of it," the young winger added. "Obviously it's going to be tough, but we're a confident group of players and we're playing well at the moment.

"We're scoring goals again and looking like we can really take the game to the opposition, so we're all confident.

"The gaffer has said he thinks 37 points might be enough and that's four wins and two draws, which we feel we are capable of achieving.

"That's what we're aiming for.

"We still believe and we'll be giving everything we can to stay up."



http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2013/03/31/3868189/-?

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Handle with care: QPR boss urges Fulham fans to lay off Bobby Zamora on his return

'I suppose it is tradition. But why do you abuse someone when they have given your club good service?' says Harry Redknapp


Italian job: Zamora led his former club to victory over Juventus
Chung Sung-Jun

Harry Redknapp has urged Fulham fans to lay off Bobby Zamora when he returns to Craven Cottage with QPR tonight.

The Rangers boss has also slammed the culture of supporters barracking players when they return to their former clubs.

Zamora spent four years at Fulham, leading their frontline ­magnificently to the Europa League final in 2010.

The 32-year-old striker's displays that season included goals in magnificent wins against Juventus and Shakhtar Donetsk

But he left the Cottage for Loftus Road under a cloud in January 2012 and Redknapp fears he could be in for a hot reception.


Tall order: Redknapp wants four wins from their last eight games
Ben Hoskins

Redknapp said: "Bobby is so important for us.

"I don't know why you should get stick when you back to a club, when you have done so well for them.

"I suppose it is tradition. But why do you abuse someone when they have given your club good service?

"I went and watched when Fulham played Juventus that night, and that was probably one of the best footballing nights I have ever been to. Fulham were 4-1 down on aggregate, but what a night of football.

"Bobby ripped Juventus to pieces - ripped the backside out of them. So he ought to go back to Craven Cottage and get a fantastic welcome.

"Years ago people would go back to their old club and get a standing ovation, all the crowd would clap them. Now, dear oh Lord, what has happened?"

QPR are second-from bottom on goal difference following Reading's 4-1 defeat at Arsenal Saturday.

Redknapp believes his team need to win four of their last eight games, starting at Fulham tonight, to have a chance of staying up.

Meanwhile, Fulham boss wants veteran goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer to go on playing for another two years.



http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/news/fulham-vs-qpr-preview-harry-1795483?

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Rumble by the River Thames

Red-blooded rivalry sees Fulham and QPR face off Monday night with sole ownership of the Premier League stage. The game (on ESPN Deportes and ESPN3/WatchESPN) is full of delicious connotations -- enough to satisfy supporters of both clubs plus the attendant press corps. There are sidebar issues aplenty as former Tottenham managers cross swords at the Cottage, both seeking something from the game.

With his Fulham side unbeaten in four, Martin Jol knows all lingering thoughts of a late relegation struggle can be tossed aside come 10 o'clock Monday night with three points. The Whites are gaining momentum with their usual spring flourish in form. Turning over their neighbours from the Bush will provide the ideal platform to push on for a top-half finish, Rangers being the first of all three sides currently at the bottom Fulham are still to meet.

Fulham's fixture list with nine games to play (five at home) suggests the Whites will comfortably pick up the necessary points here and there to ensure survival. But QPR know they really are drinking in the last-chance saloon, seven points adrift and running out of games. Results over the weekend for teams in the bottom half could not have fallen better from a Fulham perspective.

This 'win-or-bust' scenario from Harry's men suggests a game of high stakes where Fulham will be pushed all the way to get a result. There's no question in my mind that will be the case, and I could have wished for better news on the refereeing front, seeing the game being given to Lee Probert in a late switch. Here's a ref to my mind who enjoys being centre stage a tad too much . . . .Neither side plays it dirty, so let's hope the officials are not the ones making the headlines.

I'm hard pushed to see Fulham pulling another 6-0 out of the hat; we just don't have the attacking options now for performances like that. With Bryan Ruiz likely to miss the game with a recurrence of hamstring trouble, Redknapp will no doubt warn his defenders his side can concentrate their efforts on nullifying Dimitar Berbatov, who, should he find the back of the net, will be the first Fulham man since Steed Malbranque in 2003 to score in four consecutive games. Here's hoping!

Will we miss the Costa Rican that much should he be ruled out? Having returned from the Colorado whiteout not with the usual carton of duty-free ciggies for Dimi, but yet another sicknote, Bryan's absence gives Jol the option to play a conventional 4-4-2. As it is imperative Fulham do not hand the initiative to the Rangers boys in the lame manner they did at Loftus Road in December, a more offensive pairing up front as the home team should work to Fulham's advantage.

Expect that to be the one change from the line-up at Spurs. I hope too for a constructive and bold interchange from the bench once Fulham's Greek maestro Giorgos Karagounis has shot his bolt from midfield.

As for the opponents, like the management teams get from 'Arry, all is not always on the level. It's a first return to his old club for the love-him-or hate-him Bobby Zamora. Rangers say he's fit and their survival hopes are riding very much on him and Loic Remy firing the goals to give them any sliver of hope. But after QPR lost at Villa I heard the club saying Bobby's hip (requiring surgery in May) causes him so much discomfort Zamo has to be kept mobile during the interval to stop him seizing up. Frankly, I shall be surprised if he lasts the 90. But I will be giving him a quiet patter of applause for his time -- and goals -- with FFC. Anything less would be disrespectful. Not that I'd object if Philippe Senderos roughed him up a little.

While QPR are now a more virile outfit than under the lamentable Mark Hughes, and with players in key positions who are indeed EPL quality, if nerves are to get the better of either side, it surely will be Rangers. Redknapp knows the game is almost up. Martin's team talk is a simple one. The gaffer himself last week managed to finally address that black day last December at the Loft. He described it as Fulham's worst display of the past two seasons. I agree wholeheartedly. Pride in our club demands redemption Easter Monday from 8pm. Be there or in front of your TV screen for a night to remember.  Can you imagine a more fitting backdrop for our skipper to lead out the side having just announced his further two year commitment to the best team in West London?

COYW!   Twitter @fulhamphil



http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/fulham/id/826?&cc=5739

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Change of referee for Fulham clash

With our scheduled official Jon Moss replacing Martin Atkinson at the Southampton v Chelsea match, Lee Probert has stepped into the breach for QPR's Monday night match at Fulham.


Referee >>> Lee Probert (Wiltshire), refereed QPR three times this season in defeat at home to Swansea and away at Man Utd and most recently in a 0-0 home draw with Spurs.

Assistants >>> Simon Long (Devon) and Ron Ganfield (Somerset)

Fourth Official >>> Chris Foy (Merseyside), refereeing Arsenal v Reading on Saturday before taking charge of our game at Craven Cottage.


http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/queensparkrangers/fb_news.php?storyid=31748

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Berbatov and Fulham hunt Rangers revenge – opposition focus

Fulham, and their enigmatic striker Dimitar Berbatov, have done enough to secure another season in the top flight, leaving the small matter of revenge over QPR as the main aim for the closing fixtures.


Overview
'Just what is the point of all this?' is becoming something of a running theme for the Opposition Profile pieces on LFW this season. As each season goes by the Champions League regulars garner ever more cash and power leaving the rest of the division aiming simply to stay in the league, and often deliberately sacrificing their places in the cup competitions to do so. Fulham, like a dozen other teams, know before they even begin their campaign that they're essentially playing for seventeenth or higher and little more.

It wasn't always like this down on the riverbank. In the late 1990s and early part of the new millennium Fulham soared through the divisions backed financially by Harrods owner Mohammed Al Fayed who talked bullishly about becoming the "Manchester United of the south." Indeed when First Division Fulham pulled United in the FA Cup, and then again for their first ever Premier League fixture, it was billed as some sort of battle between those in possession and the pretenders to the crown. Al Fayed dreamed of a space ship-like mega stadium on the banks of the Thames and threw big money at players like Edwin van der Saar, Steve Marlet and Steed Malbranque. Manager Jean Tigana insisted on a progressive, attractive style of play based on prolonged periods of possession at a time when Swansea were still dying on their arse at the bottom of the Third Division, Barcelona were just very good rather than exceptional and Spain were still the world's great underachievers at international level.

Over the years the rhetoric has changed in this corner of West London. The basement excavators of SW6 didn't particularly like the idea of the 5,000 lower division football fans that used to quietly stumble into Fulham's decrepit old ground suddenly being replaced by 40,000 football tourists flocking to a steel monstrosity and planning permission proved unobtainable. Instead Fulham moved into Loftus Road on a temporary basis while they replaced the two terraces at either end of their pitch with functional, single tier all seated affairs. Only now are plans afoot to expand up to 30,000 by redeveloping the Riverside stand.

The transfer policy has changed too. Fulham are now far more likely to sell a player for big money than spend it themselves and the Cottagers are reliant on the skills of their manager to keep them competitive at the highest level. Lawrie Sanchez put his faith in lower league players who had served him well as Northern Ireland boss and Fulham almost paid with their top flight status. Roy Hodgson performed a miraculous recovery and then led the Whites to a major European final with a strictly regimented outfit drilled remorselessly into the sort of consistency most clubs can only dream about. Mark Hughes' stay was brief and Martin Jol is now approaching the second anniversary of his appointment.

For Jol the task has been no small one. The team he inherited relied heavily on players much closer to the end of their careers than the beginning – Danny Murphy, Bobby Zamora, Andy Johnson – and talented individuals like Moussa Dembele and Clint Dempsey who were always likely to tempt no-brainer offers from the playground's bigger boys. A rebuild has been required on a budget while maintaining Premier League status – Fulham are currently squeezing buy with ageing Greek Kiragounis in the centre of midfield with Steve Sidwell who, after a decent first season with Reading, has often struggled at the highest level. When you consider that, and look at how poor they were against QPR in the first meeting between the two this season when they became the first team to lose to the R's this season in the seventeenth round of the competition, it's amazing they haven't struggled more than they have. Jol deserves huge credit.

So what is the point of this? Well, unlike fans of West Brom, West Ham, Stoke and all the others who are neither at the top nor the bottom and set up each season with the explicit aim of achieving a boring midtable finish that effectively ends the campaign as a contest in early March, Fulham do at least have Dimitar Berbatov.



When you watch Stoke City's turgid team rough house their way to another fourteenth place finish, stringing together as many passes in an entire season as Swansea would do in a fortnight, the 'what is the point?' question is valid. When you watch Berbatov play for Fulham he can, at times, make you fall back in love with an increasingly loathsome sport. The Bulgarian plays the game at his own pace and pretty much does as he pleases. It's an attitude that sits uncomfortably with English football fans brought up on a diet of Stuart Pearce and Terry Butcher and taught to extol the virtues of Jamie Mackie while picking fault with the defensive attributes of Adel Taarabt. I often cite the example of Manuel Pellegrini building his entire Villarreal side around the lethargic but wonderfully talented Juan Riquelme and while you could say Neil Warnock did the same with Taarabt in QPR's Championship side, the Moroccan was so much better than the level he was playing at that was almost cheating.

Berbatov is talented enough to play for the best team in the country, but even though his goalscoring record while at Manchester United stood up to anybody else's, people still preferred to pick on his lethargic style on the occasions it didn't go well. Which means he's at Fulham – a travesty really – and that gives the Craven Cottage faithful a reason to keep forking over their hard earned. Yes their away record is persistently poor, no they're not going to trouble the top end of the league, yes they're eliminated from the cups very early on more often than not – but every now and again Berbatov will do something astonishing, and you'll remember why you loved football so much in the first place.

Interview
We've acquired one or two Fulham fans on our message board this season which is nothing to do with gloating about the ginormous cock up Mark Hughes made of his 'ambitious' project at Loftus Road I'm sure. Whatever the reason, we decided to put a couple of them to work this week by giving us the latest from Craven Cottage. Thanks to Alex and Konk for their time...

Assess Fulham's season for us overall

Konk: It's been pretty disappointing and largely forgettable. We started very well, but conceded late goals in a number of matches which saw us draw rather than win and contributed to a poor run of one win in 12. At the end of the year we were four points clear of the relegation spots and looking to be in a bit of trouble. Since then we've arrested the slide and I expect we'll finish somewhere between eighth and twelfth. We went out to Sheffield Wednesday in the League Cup and scraped past Blackpool in the FA cup before a fourth round tonking at Old Trafford. Not a vintage year.

Alex: This season has been very mixed in terms of results and performances. We have been uncharacteristically shaky in defence at times, but have also shown a greater degree of offensive flair and fluency spearheaded by Berbatov and his supporting cast of interchanging attacking midfielders. We have been much more solid in the second half of season and, like QPR, have managed an improbable away victory in London. We seem to be on course for a third successive top ten finish which, though not a success in itself, would represent pleasing consistency for a club of our size. The game against QPR is one of the most anticipated by the fans and this one is as difficult to call as ever; it's an important game for QPR, but Brede Hangeland has been quoted as saying he wants 'revenge' for the defeat at Loftus Road.

What is your opinion, and the general mood, towards manager Martin Jol? How do people think he's doing?

Alex: Martin Jol is popular with the Fulham fans primarily because he has made us more entertaining to watch, particularly away from home; the 0-0 snorefests which were Roy Hodgson's calling card and which persisted under Mark Hughes have largely been eliminated. Also, Jol did himself great credit in his handling of Clint Dempsey's unforgivable strike action and seems, like Harry Redknapp, unafraid of letting players know how things stand. The only is exception to this is Berbatov who, frustratingly at times, is immune from substitution and is basically allowed to do what he wants. Without being flippant, in terms of 'general mood' I think Martin Jol resonates well with the slightly tubby element of our fanbase who appreciate the down to earth impression he creates.

Konk: Generally good, but if he'd been sacked in January it wouldn't have been a universally unpopular decision. Quite a few folk had lost the faith by that point. At Loftus Road and Anfield, Fulham turned in truly abject performances where even the most reliable and committed of players seemed to be going through the motions, and something did look to be seriously wrong. Things have picked-up over the past few games though and I think there's a general realisation that Jol's had a pretty difficult job to do. Losing Dembele, Murphy and Dempsey in the summer ripped the guts and quality out of midfield and deprived us of invaluable goals. Of the £21m that came in from Tottenham, Jol has been given relatively little to spend and in a division where you have to run to stand still, we really needed to add a bit of quality. Diarra had been excellent in the second half of last season, and his injury-enforced absence was another big blow to our midfield. An absence of class in midfield has at times seen a frustrated Berbatov unilaterally redefining himself as a centre-midfielder, leaving us with no presence or threat at all up front. But this now looks to have been largely corrected with Berba no longer patrolling the centre-circle quite so diligently. After looking fairly shambolic at times this season, I was pleased to see us looking organised, committed and fluid at Tottenham last week, and hopefully that will remain the case for the rest of the season. I worry that we might not ever have the players needed to produce the football that Jol would like to play, but I rate him and if he's able to bring in two or three quality players in the summer, then I think we could be a very tidy side.

Who are the leading contenders for the club's Player of the Year award?

Konk: Our right-back, Sascha Riether, should walk it. He's been magnificent and it seems strange that he wasn't considered an automatic pick at FC Koln in the German second division. We have an option to buy him at the end of the season and hopefully he'll want to stay. Sidwell can be a niggly pain in the arse, but he's done well in a midfield that's struggled for large chunks of the season. And whilst most of us were underwhelmed by the signing of Karagounis, he's been something of a revelation; an intelligent, busy player who always shows for the ball and plays with great energy. He's also scored a couple of absolute crackers and it's a pity we waited until he was thirty-five before we signed him. Berbatov's our top scorer and is sublime at times, but I don't think he's done enough to be in consideration for Player of the Year.

Alex: I'm sur there are other contenders for player of the year, but I would be stunned if full back Sascha Riether did not win the award. He has been remarkably consistent since his transfer from Cologne, has made some excellent attacking contributions and always plays with total commitment. Berbatov has been outstanding at times, but I'm sure Riether will be the deserving winner.

Where are the weak links in the side? What sort of transfer activity can we expect from you guys this summer? Where needs strengthening?

Alex: We certainly missed the departures of Danny Murphy and Dickson Etuhu to Blackburn, both of whom provided very disciplined defensive in previous seasons. The signing of Urby Emanuelson from AC Milan was an exciting one, but he has yet to establish himself in the side so I would certainly say that central midfield needs strengthening. Jol often looks to sacrifice our solidity in this area to adopt a more attacking style, but we've sometimes been made to pay for this so some improvements will definitely be necessary in the summer.

Konk: It feels a bit disloyal to talk about players who've served us so well needing replacing, but a few of the old guards' days look to be numbered. Schwarzer is still capable of breath-taking saves, but at 40 he's not the consistent presence he was, and the fact that we came very close to signing Roma's Maarten Stekelenburg on loan in January, whilst loaning Stockdale to Hull, suggests that Jol may well be in the market for a new first choice keeper. At centre-back Aaron Hughes has been superb for us but isn't getting any younger and could probably now be improved upon, whilst Hangeland is yet to sign the new contract that the club have offered him. Hopefully he'll stay as his form has picked-up again over the past couple of months. Senderos generally does okay, but seems to have a moment in most games where he channels the spirit of Zat Knight and does something depressing, so I'm not sure how confident I'd be watching big Phil without a more experienced partner alongside him. I don't rate Riise, so would like to see a left-back come in (although Richardson may well fill that slot if he can stay fit for longer than ten minutes) So, we could potentially do with replacing the entire back-four and keeper if Hangeland and Riether don't sign in the summer! And we could definitely do with a bit of class in a workman-like midfield, as whilst Ruiz can be brilliant on occasions, we still haven't figured how to get the best out of him on a consistent basis.



Does the aim each season remain avoiding relegation? Do Fulham have any greater ambition than that? Is there any boredom/apathy setting in?

Konk: Barring some very strange results, next year will be our thirteenth consecutive season in the Premier League and for a club of our size and our resources, that's a decent achievement. However, history suggests we'll go down at some point, so I suppose every season starts off with the goal of avoiding relegation. But we've finished seventh, twelfth (with the Europa League final and 19 additional games), eighth and ninthin the last four seasons, so there's a sense that we're progressing and establishing ourselves as a steady, mid-table club now. Without an insane level of investment the limit of our ambitions is probably seventh spot – which isn't the stuff that dreams are made of, but that's modern football for you. Is it boring? Probably. Pre-season excitement tends to be centred upon the prospect of watching new signings rather than the possibility of actually winning some silverware or even qualifying for Europe, which isn't very Roy of the Rovers. Despite going so close in Hamburg, we still haven't won a major trophy in our 134 years, so other than the small minority who obsesses about relegation, most of us would love the occasional decent cup run. People should stop worrying about us over-stretching ourselves and finishing eleventh rather than eighth and embrace the cups. That's where the glory lies. Swansea have shown what's possible and we should be looking to emulate them.

Alex: I think the primary aim each season is to avoid relegation, but having come so close in 2010 (albeit against the likes of Forlan and Aguero) the majority of Fulham fans would consider winning a major trophy a much more important success than mere survival in the league, however much that cannot be taken for granted each season. I definitely don't think there is boredom or apathy setting in for the majority of fans, though I have spoken to several who feel disillusioned by the Premier League in general and look back fondly on our league days and the greater proximity of the fans to the club. To sum up, I think that for the fans the incentive to stay in the Premier League is ultimately to increase our chances of winning a trophy.

What do you make of the mess QPR have worked themselves into this season? Try not to gloat too much.

Alex: It's brilliant how Harry Redknapp has made the players fully responsible for performances, as it seemed from a distance that too many were happy to collect the big wages while allowing Mark Hughes to take the blame for results. I'm sure that had a lot to do with Hughes's management, but it was incredible to see largely the same group of players get such a deserved win at Stamford Bridge. You seem to have made some excellent signings in the January window, and given the positive noises Fernandes has recently made in the media I'm sure that regardless of what happens this season, QPR will remain a force to be reckoned with.

Konk: I don't know anyone who thought you'd be anything other than mid-table this season. Hughes was a manager with a decent track record, he's made some astute signings in the past and Tony Fernandes seemed happy to indulge him in a way he never was at Fulham or Blackburn. When Zamora and Johnson signed for Rangers the feeling amongst our support was generally, good luck to AJ – nice final pay day with little prospect of actually being fit to play, and that Zamora had looked lame (in the traditional sense) for some time and wasn't going to be too great a loss either. With Hughes being familiar with both players' injury records and with few alternative options up front, they seemed high risk signings. The signing of Cesar a few weeks after you'd signed Green on £50kpw, and then signing a full-back on £60kpw suggested a bit of a random, ill-conceived approach to targets and wages for an as yet unestablished Premier league club. Some players look to have been signed because they were well-known and available rather than as part of some coherent strategy. With Rangers bottom for most of the season despite heavy investment in salaries, it's obviously been a bit of a disaster, but if Rangers can get a win at our place, I still reckon you'll stay up.


http://www.fansnetwork.co.uk/football/queensparkrangers/fb_news.php?storyid=31749

[WhiteJC]

 
Dallas Cup Champions

Fulham Under-19s were crowned Dr Pepper Dallas Cup champions on Sunday following an impressive 5-1 defeat of Kashiwa Reysol.

The Whites opened the tournament in the famous Cotton Bowl Stadium seven days ago, and closed the event in the same arena in style.

Coritiba, LA Galaxy, Eintracht Frankfurt and Fluminense had all been undone by Fulham's attacking, free-flowing football and whilst their Japanese opponents had also caught the eye en route to the Final, they found Steve Wigley's charges a handful from the off. 

Muamer Tankovic set his side on the way inside 10 minutes, smashing the ball home following Sean Kavanagh's delightful cross from the left. Cauley Woodrow, Ryan Williams and Lasse Vigen Christensen also played their part in the build up.

Fulham had the perfect chance to double their lead on 20 minutes after Woodrow was felled in the box. Unfortunately, though, the striker picked himself up only to see the Reysol goalkeeper make a great save from the spot.

Emerson Hyndman and Christensen tried their luck from distance, before the latter went even closer when moving the opposing goalkeeper into a superb sprawling stop on 30 minutes.

Reysol wrestled control away from Fulham as the first-half drew to a close, with the Japanese side impressing with their clever movement and ambitious passing. Marek Rodak had to be alert to two strikes from the edge of the box and another that edged on to the post following a deep free-kick from the left.

The Whites regrouped at the break, and their intent was rewarded when Woodrow swept the ball home from close range on 48 minutes. Fifteen minutes later, Woodrow made it 3-0 when meeting Kavanagh's sublime pass and finishing smartly.

However, Reysol responded positively to remind Fulham of their threat, breaking through and making it 3-1 moments later.

Wigley's team didn't waver, though, and showed their undoubted spirit by pushing forward once more. As a result, three soon became four when substitute Jordan Evans (pictured) stepped off the bench to slot in following Josh Passley's surging run and cross from the right on 78 minutes.

Fellow substitute George Williams got in on the act too, finishing coolly to make it 5-1 on 84 minutes and capping a fabulous presentation of football.

As the game edged to a close, Reysol looked totally shell-shocked, with little answer to the onslaught that had been waged against their goal. Victory and the subsequent trophy were wholly deserved, as captain Jack Grimmer led his side to this prestigious accolade.

Fulham's youngsters have won back-to-back domestic honours, now they had proved they were a force to be reckoned with against the best from overseas – becoming the fourth English club to be crowned Dallas Cup champions following West Ham United (1992), Nottingham Forest (2002) and Liverpool (2008).

Fulham U19s: Rodak (Oberschmidt 86); Passley, Grimmer, Arthurworrey, Kavanagh; Christensen (Banya 86), Sambou (Minkwitz 75), Hyndman; Tankovic (Evans 75), Woodrow (Islamovic 80), R Williams (G Williams 70)



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/april/01/dallas-cup-final?

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Giorgos Karagounis: "We will take nothing for granted" against Queens Park Rangers

Fulham midfielder Giorgos Karagounis believes that his side will have to be at their best against relegation fighting Queens Park Rangers later today.

The Cottagers are undefeated in their last four Premier League games and beat Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 last time out.

Karagounis told the club's official website: "We've played some great matches lately. We have managed to get a good run of form together, and as a result, we have rhythm – which is important.

"However, we can't rest on that, because every game has its own story to tell and we will take nothing for granted.

"We know that they [QPR] need the points, they're a team that are fighting for their Premier League survival. They really want, and need points."

Fulham are 10th in the Premier League, six points clear of the relegation zone.


http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/fulham/relegation-battle/news/karagounis-we-will-take-nothing-for-granted_77142.html