Monday Fulham Stuff (08/04/13)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Newcastle 1 Fulham 0: Papiss Cisse's dramatic late winner sinks Fulham



When the moment that took almost 93 minutes to come, and a whole region rocked, Alan Pardew ran.

An explosion of energy took place in the body of Newcastle's manager as Papiss Cisse, three minutes into injury time, weaved late magic, that meant he had to move, quickly. So he ran. He ran with the wild abandon of a happy child, arms outstretched, screaming in relief, over an advertising hoarding and into the arms of supporters who were delirious. Not happy, delirious. He was engulfed, and he did not move.

Further down the line, in the corner of St James' Park, Cisse also ran, jumped a barrier and hugged a man, and then another man, and then more men. Moussa Sissoko, from Le Blanc-Mesnil on the outskirts of Paris, raced to join him, as did Adam Campbell, from North Shields. Sylvain Marveaux lay prone in the penalty area with cramp. Yohan Cabaye limped to join the celebrations that were everywhere you looked after whacking his foot in a tackle. In the stands, energy crackled like lightning, a roar from the well of the stomachs of 51,000 Geordies, creating a cacophcony of noise. This is what relief looks and sounds like. Chaos reigned around the Newcastle dugout. Clenched fists. Roars. Hugs that squeeze the life out of you. High fives. Kisses. Probably. That was from the staff. Pardew was dragged from the crowd by a steward, like a molested rock star, tucking his shirt into his pants. Two more stewards were ushering Sissoko, Campbell and Cisse back from the hearts of supporters. Cisse stopped when he made the pitch and looked to the stands in wonderment, at what, who knows? His goal, which was excellent? The fact it was the third home game running he has won it in time for injuries? Or at the ferocity of the reaction? The wound of relegation has not healed in these parts. They still remember the agony of that fateful day at Villa Park in 2009. Damien Duff was the player who deflected an effort into his own goal. He is still jeered whenever he returns to St James' Park, not for the goal, for the perception he never understood what a football club means to its people. His misplaced pass, in the 93rd minute, as Fulham rocked on the ropes, gasping for air, went to Yohan Cabaye. From 25 yards out, Cabaye shot low, it found Cisse, who flicked the ball into the air and in the blink of an eye crashed a right footed shot into the corner of Mark Schwarzer's goal. Ninety two minutes and 37 seconds of forgettable football were forgotten then.

"I don't think I can put into words the importance of that goal," said Pardew."I couldn't hear the roar of the crowd, someone's arm was battering my ears at the time. I knew how much it meant though because our fans are intelligent. They know how important that was, how important for this week in front of us now. The goal changed the mood. I've been in situations where a goal makes a season. The spirit of the group was very evident today."

The opening 45 minutes were awful. Then, over the public address system came this: 'Chelsea nil, Sunderland one.' It was met by a collective groan.  Newcastle rallied without impressing but the drama was saved for the 93rd minute. To those in black and white, it was worth the wait.



http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/newcastle-1-fulham-0-papiss-cisses-dramatic-late-winner-sinks-fulham-8563452.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Eyong's Dismay

Eyong Enoh was disappointed to last just 51 minutes on his full debut for Fulham against Newcastle United, but the midfielder was more upset to see his side succumb to a last-gasp Papiss Cisse winner.

The on-loan Ajax man had looked assured in the opening 45 minutes at St James' Park, but a late challenge early in the second period by Moussa Sissoko meant he had to be replaced by Emmanuel Frimpong.

"The doctor checked it and my ankle is really swollen," Eyong told fulhamfc.com after the match. "That's why I couldn't continue the game, so on Monday we're going to see what it looks like and then the doctor can say what the situation with my ankle is.

"I got the opportunity to make my full debut and start a game for the first time for Fulham and I really wanted to give everything in the game.

"I was helping the team to do well in the first half and also at the start of the second half so it was not the best feeling for me when I had to come off when the team needed me."

The Whites looked set to depart Tyneside with a hard-earned point, only for Cisse to net in the third minute of stoppage time with a clinical finish.

It was a devastating blow for Fulham who had kept Newcastle at bay throughout, and Enoh admits it was a bitter pill to swallow as he felt his side deserved to take a result back to London.

"It was very deflating," he said. "Especially with the guys putting in such a good defensive display in the last few minutes. They were defending as a team and putting a lot of good blocks in, so to concede a goal in the final few minutes was very frustrating but, at the same time, we have to put our heads together and start focusing on the next game.

"Honestly, if you look at the first half, Newcastle didn't create that many chances. We had a few chances of our own that were clearer which we could have capitalised on in the first half.

"They put more pressure on us in the second half but I think it would have been fair if we had come home from this game here with a point at least."

And the Cameroon international says that despite the defeat, Fulham can be proud of their performance in the North-East on Sunday afternoon.

"The positive we can take is that we showed that we've got a lot of quality in the team," he stated. "Even when we're playing away we can still play football. We put them under a lot of pressure and created chances – so we have to take that as a positive. We just have to make sure we capitalise on the chances we get, especially when we're away from home."

Fulham's next outing is, again, away to relegation-threatened opposition in the guise of Aston Villa and it's an outing that Eyong knows will provide another stern test for Martin Jol's men.

"We have to be very prepared for that game and it starts from now," Enoh explained. "Everybody's head has to be up again and then we have to start working during this week to get ourselves set for that game.

"It's really going to be a tough nut to crack but I believe we have got the potential to come out of that game with a result."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/april/07/eyongs-dismay?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham suffer late heatbreak at Newcastle United

Newcastle United 1-0 Fulham

FULHAM made the long trip home from Newcastle with nothing after Papiss Cisse's stoppage-time winner stole the points for the Magpies.

Cisse netted with almost the last kick of the game at St James' Park to inflict a first defeat in six games on Martin Jol's Whites.

Dimitar Berbatov had gone close for Fulham in either half but the former Manchester United striker couldn't find a way through on the day.

Vurnon Anita and Yoann Gouffran hit the post before Cisse secured victory for the hosts at the death.

It brings Fulham's three-match unbeaten away run to an end and leaves the men from Craven Cottage in 10th place in the Premier League table.

Jol's boys will be looking to bounce back with three points at Villa Park next Saturday as they take on an Aston Villa side fighting for their lives.



Read More http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/fulham-fc/2013/04/07/82029-33132569/?#ixzz2PqDHUbUD

[WhiteJC]

 
Martin Jol: Reading and QPR have problems, we need a win to make sure we're not the third

Fulham manager Martin Jol believes his side are safe, but is taking nothing for granted.

The Whites had their moments, initially as early as the fourth minute when Dimitar Berbatov struck a shot from 20 yards with the outside of his right foot that only just cleared the angle of crossbar and post.

Midway through the second half it was Berbatov again with a header to a John Arne Riise free-kick that had Tim Krul making the save of the game.

The defeat, ending a run of five unbeaten games, leaves Fulham stuck on 39 points and potentially still looking over their shoulder.

He said: "There are two clubs who have a problem - Reading and QPR.

"So it's all about the third club, otherwise the results today were good for us, good for Newcastle as well.

"I don't think we're in trouble, but then 10 years ago you needed 44 points to stay up, a couple of seasons ago a club needed 42, but then five or six seasons it's been 36 points.

"I think you need a lot of points this year to be safe, but I think we are fine, although you never know.

"At least we've a very good goal difference compared to other teams, so that is important, but of course we would like a few more wins."



http://www.london24.com/sport/fulham/martin_jol_reading_and_qpr_have_problems_we_need_a_win_to_make_sure_we_re_not_the_third_1_2007473

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham deserved more against Newcastle, says Jol

The Dutchman has rued Papiss Cisse's late strike at St James' Park after an "almost perfect" first-half display appeared to contain the Magpies and frustrate the home supporters

Fulham manager Martin Jol has rued Papiss Cisse's last-gasp winner for Newcastle United, insisting his side deserved at least a point.

The Senegal international scored a stoppage-time volley to lift the home side five points away from the relegation zone, as Fulham remain tenth.

However, Jol has hoped a similar approach to that which was successful in their previous away triumph against Tottenham would reap similar rewards against Newcastle.

"I thought we controlled the game in the first half, it was almost perfect," Jol told reporters. "We kept the ball and they could not dominate us, and the crowd were getting frustrated.

"At Spurs we limited them and then scored, and that was our intention today, and it almost came off. We didn't score, so 0-0 would have been OK as they kept on coming at us. Compliments to Newcastle, but we should have had a bit more today."

Fulham were on a five-game unbeaten run ahead of Sunday's loss against the relegation-threatened Newcastle, and Jol has dismissed his own team getting dragged into a battle for top-flight survival.

"I don't think we have to look down, but it's disappointing not to get at least a point today," added Jol.



http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2896/premier-league/2013/04/07/3886232/-?

[WhiteJC]

 
Stan's Verdict

Fulham defender Stanislav Manolev felt Tim Krul's performance was the difference in Sunday's 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United at St James' Park.

Newcastle's Dutch goalkeeper made a staggering stop to deny Manolev's Bulgarian compatriot Dimitar Berbatov in the 68th minute, after the Fulham striker glanced a John Arne Riise's floated free-kick goalwards.

Krul had already denied Manolev in the first half, saving a close-range effort after the 27-year-old had swivelled on a clever knock-down.

"We had chances, and after dominating the first half I think we were very unlucky," said Stanislav to fulhamfc.com. "Mark Schwarzer made some good saves too, but the one that Krul made from Berbatov made the difference.

"Most of us thought it was going in, but somehow he tipped the ball out for a corner – it was an incredible save. For me, that gave Newcastle the confidence to push on. Had that goal gone in, I think it would have been difficult for them to come back.

"People talk about strikers, but goalkeepers can be match winners too. To be fair, Papiss Cisse's winning goal was equally as good, he took it really well. To have conceded so late in injury time was frustrating – with less than a minute on the clock it was difficult to respond.

"It shouldn't have got to that, though, because we had our own chances to win. Sometimes it just doesn't go your way. Newcastle were determined throughout; they needed the points and in the end they got them."

The Bulgaria international, who joined on loan from PSV Eindhoven in January, made his second appearance for the Whites and impressed in a more advanced right midfield position.

"It was good to play, it's just a shame about the result," he said. "It's nice to be involved and I tried to help both defensively and offensively. People recognise me as a right-back, but I'm comfortable in midfield too. In fact, more recently, that is a position I have played for my country."

Manolev insists that despite the defeat at St James' Park, Fulham can return to winning ways this Saturday (3pm) when they make the trip to Aston Villa.

"Nothing changes because of the result against Newcastle," added Stanislav. "We want to finish in the top half of the table and that's still very possible. There's seven games to play, so that's plenty of points on offer.

"The aim is to finish in the top 10, and I think we can still do that – the defeat was hopefully just a blip. We had been on a great run going in to that game, so it's all about getting back to where we want to be – and that starts all again at Villa on Saturday."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/april/08/stans-verdict?

[WhiteJC]

 
Martin Jol still needs convincing that Fulham are safe from drop

Newcastle 1-0 Fulham

Fulham boss Martin Jol believes Fulham are already safe, despite suffering a last gasp defeat at Newcastle yesterday.

Their defeat at St James' Park and Wigan's equally dramatic late equaliser at Queens Park Rangers means they sit eight points above the relegation zone, and have still to reach the coveted 40-point target.

Fulham probably need to find another victory to be mathematically sure of securing their Premier League status and Jol's frustration was that they had their opportunities to do that against a Newcastle side who were out of sorts for long periods.

However the 93rd minute goal from Papiss Cisse, which allayed Newcastle's own concerns about relegation, means there is still work for Jol and his men to do, despite remaining in 10th position.

When he was asked if Fulham were still in trouble, Jol said: "I don't know. I don't think so. Ten years ago you needed 44 points and a few years ago it was 42 points. Five or six seasons ago you needed 36 points. I don't know. You need a lot of points this year to be safe.

"I think we are fine but you never know. We have a very good goal difference compared to the other teams at the bottom, that is important. Of course, we would like to have more wins.

"The players are disappointed because they thought this was our day. "Do we have work to do? It depends on the situation with the third club. You have Reading and QPR and the third club going for over 30 points, today the results were good for us and Newcastle. The only thing a point would have given us is 40 points. "That was our first target. Then try to get as high as possible in the league. It was disappointing. We controlled the first 70 minutes. We lost in the final minute. Cisse did that three or four times. He is a very sharp player. He always looks for the possibility to score, otherwise we get way with three points.

"We had the same last year, we had a similar amount of points. We have down ever so well this year. I can't complain. We wanted to get a result at Newcastle. It isn't easy. It is amazing Newcastle are in the position they are. They have very good players for them."

Newcastle's goalkeeper Tim Krul produced an outstanding save to deny Dimitar Berbatov in the second half before Cisse struck. The Newcastle manager Alan Pardew ran into the crowd such was the relief at winning the game in such dramatic fashion.

"It is a hard one to take. Especially from what happened in the first half. We frustrated the crowd. The Newcastle crowd is always behind the team and they weren't happy. The only thing we needed was a break. We should have scored from our opportunities and we could have done that to be fair. Even before the goal we had a pop with Hugo losing his balance and there was a great save from Krul to deny Berbatov. if you don't do it you have to soak up the pressure. We couldn't clear the ball. All compliments and credit to them. They kept coming at us but I think it was a perfect situation for us to get away with three points."



http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/martin-jol-still-needs-convincing-that-fulham-are-safe-from-drop-8563995.html

[WhiteJC]

 
U21s Take On Toffees

Fulham's Under-21s return to action on Monday night (7pm) when they face group leaders Everton at Southport's Merseyrail Community Stadium.

The Whites haven't played since a 1-0 home defeat to Blackburn Rovers back on 14th March. That afternoon, substitute Osayamen Osawe's second-half header saw Rovers leave Motspur Park with all three points.

In February, the Whites went down by the same scoreline at home to Everton after Conor McAleny's 19th-minute strike.

The Toffees, led by former Blues defender Alan Stubbs, are currently unbeaten in 10 games and sit three points clear at the top of the Barclays Under-21 Premier League Group 1 table.

The fixture with Everton is the second in a week for Kit Symons' side, who host Middlesbrough at Motspur Park on Thursday (7pm).



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/april/08/u21s-take-on-toffees?

[WhiteJC]

 
Future is bright for Jol's Fulham

FanZone's Fulham blogger Robert Hopping says the future is bright for the Cottagers, with a string of young stars waiting in the wings.

The average age of the Fulham starting line-up in their 1-0 defeat to Newcastle United on Sunday afternoon was 31.3, one of the highest in the Premier League.

Pundits and rival fans alike have been quick to voice the opinion that the ageing squad will start to slow down and struggle in the coming seasons and that Fulham will then find themselves a more serious candidate for relegation.

Scratch beneath the first-team surface, however, and you will find Fulham have a rather more youthful future to look forward to.

On July 30 2012, Fulham announced that the Fulham Academy had been awarded Category One status under the new Elite Player Performance Plan, (EPPP) a Barclays Premier League initiative with the aim of revitalising youth football by improving coaching, education, welfare and medical care and providing better opportunities for young players to progress. Fulham join the ranks of the more established and successful youth systems, (West Ham United and Manchester United to name just two) in providing top-of-the-range facilities and coaching to young players.

The results from this are self-evident. Fulham are now at the forefront of Academy level football, having won their respective league title for the past two years and the national final last season. Youth players are also stepping up to the next level, with Alex Kacaniklic and Kerim Frei both impressing greatly when playing for the first team in the past 12 months.

Marcello Trotta and Dan Burn are also playing superb football whilst on season-long loans at Brentford and Yeovil Town respectively and this will only benefit Fulham when they return to Motspur Park in the summer. Matthew Briggs (now on loan at Watford), Neil Etheridge and Lauri Dalla Valle are three more exciting young prospects who have come through the Fulham Academy and are now on the verge of the first-team squad and offer just a glimpse of the potential Fulham now have to offer beyond your Dimitar Berbatovs and Damien Duffs.

The recent win in the Dallas Cup in Texas also highlights the strength in depth Fulham have at youth level. Steve Wigley led the Under-19s to an historic win in the tournament and Fulham now join the likes of Real Madrid, Liverpool and West Ham United in having become champions.

Other clubs involved in this year's tournament included Manchester United, LA Galaxy and Eintracht Frankfurt and it is a huge credit to the players, management staff and Huw Jennings, the Fulham Academy director that the Whites returned to England with the trophy.

Notable players to have played in the Dallas Cup in their younger days are David Beckham, Wayne Rooney, Maicon, Raul, Michael Owen...the list goes on. This shows the strength of the competition and how seriously the competing clubs take it and so for Fulham to win it is not only a fantastic achievement but proves how good a youth set-up the club actually has.

In a recent interview, Martin Jol acknowledged the good work the Academy was doing and how the long-term plan was to make Fulham self-sufficient. Jol stated: "As a club which is moving all the time, which is fashionable, which is young and energetic...we will have youngsters in the future which will make Fulham stay at the highest level.

"We've got great people in the Academy, we've got great medical staff, we've got great people in all departments of this club...We can't expect the Chairman to keep on spending millions and millions of pounds on players when the investment in the Football Club includes the Academy and bringer younger players through."

The above words from Jol will be pleasing to many Fulham fans' ears. Fulham are never going to be one of the big spenders, splashing out £30million plus every transfer window - but what they are now becoming is a club that produces decent, hard-working Premier League-standard players from their own top-drawer Academy.

Fulham may be the most 'experienced' squad in the league at the present time, but in a few years the average age will have dropped considerably. And it will be no surprise to anyone at the club to find Fulham still in a healthy position in the league, pushing for the top 10 and beyond.



http://www.teamtalk.com/fanzone/15164/8625606/Future-is-bright-for-Jol-s-Fulham?

[WhiteJC]

 
The View from South Texas — Newcastle United v. Fulham FC

by HatterDon

Fulham So Close to Stealing a Point at St. James's

If there is a team that Fulham can feel confident playing away, it's Newcastle United. If there's a team that Newcastle do NOT want to play with relegation in the conversation, it's Fulham. Add these two sentences to one pointing out that Fulham are in the best form in three seasons, and you figure that the Barcodes are going to be in for long day. And they were.

Fulham started calmly and efficiently – challenging everywhere on the pitch and stringing together passes in the double digits. Berbatov, who has been in choice form himself, had Fulham's and the game's first opportunity to score after 5 minutes. He slapped a shot with the outside of his right boot that beat the keeper but not the cross bar. Fulham had a couple of other "almost" chances for a goal, both involving Berbatov. The first came from a cross from Riether that only a single toe of an extended boot stopped from rolling to our unmarked striker. Another chance came with a cross from Duff that looked to be cleared by a Newcastle defender. Berbatov saw this and moved quickly to challenge for the second ball, only to see the defender miss it and the ball fall exactly where he'd been standing.

And then there was the goalmouth scramble that resulted in a close-in save from a stabbed effort by Manolev. Mostly, though, and especially in the second half, the story was about wasted opportunity after wasted opportunity for Newcastle. Cisse and Gouffran were especially profligate. Eventually, 3 or so minutes into 5 minutes of injury time, Cisse finally converted from close range and the match was settled. Fulham's unbeaten run is over.

Fulham's run of good play is NOT over. The team in Godawful Orange dominated the midfield and played the more stylish football. From the beginning of the match, Newcastle were the more physical side. Cisse had no fewer than four fouls called for "clattering a Fulham player from behind" in the first 10 minutes, and committed at least three more fouls before finally getting a yellow card – for leaping into a crowd of happy Geordies.

What Newcastle did not do well was to capitalize on occasional lapses from Fulham's midfield and defense. The final shot total was 28-5 in favor of The Barcodes, with the shot-on-target total reading 5-2. On another day, Berbatov converts all of his chances and Fulham win 0-3. On another day, Schwarzer, Hangeland, Riise, and the woodwork DON'T combine to keep Newcastle scoreless for 93 minutes. It was a fair result, and there was nothing in Fulham's play that should upset any of their supporters – but you KNOW that there will be plenty of fingers pointed in the cyber world.

Fulham began the match with two new starters – Stanislav Manolev, who the announcer kept saying was making his league debut [ignoring the fact that he'd already done that down the road a piece] and Eyong (Brian) Enoh. Manolev did fairly well on the right side of midfield, but he was replacing Fulham's most improved AND improving player, Ashkan Dejagah, and so looked substandard by comparison. He did NOT hurt the team at all, but his play wasn't of as high a level as that of  Enoh who was replacing the suspended Steve Sidwell. He was an excellent contributor to Fulham's first half domination and anchored the midfield well. He left with an injury five minutes into the second half, and Fulham never got control of the match thereafter. Emmanuel Frimpong came on to replace him and played well enough, but he didn't have Enoh's bite. I hope his injury isn't so severe that we don't see him again. Fulham's other substitute, Hugo Rodallega, might have stolen the match for The Whites in Orange shortly after he came on, but he was wasteful of a brilliant pass from Berbatov, showing the same hesitation and confusion that every attacker in black and white stripes showed the entire match ... until minute 93.

So, we didn't win and, in the process, gave up points to several other sides near us. But there should be no shame in this. You can't win them all, and Fulham really didn't deserve a point, never mind three.

Hatter Don's Man of the Match is Captain Brede Hangeland. Yes, Tha Big Aussie had some great saves. Yes Riise shut Newcastle's attacks down the right time and again. Yes, Berbatov was by many miles the classiest player on the pitch, and yes, Ruiz really has added strength to his game. But the one phrase I kept hearing over and over again today was, "and Hangeland clears." He was little short of awesome today. It was a good enough shift to compare to any he's turned in since Roy Hodgson brought him here.

Next up? Aston [gulp] Villa at Villa Park. As Watt used to say, "Oh well, what the hell."


http://www.friendsoffulham.com/wordpress/?p=266

[WhiteJC]

 
Jol insists that Fulham are not taking safety for granted

Martin Jol insists Fulham are safe from relegation – but the Cottagers boss is still taking nothing for granted.

Despite being beaten 1-0 at Newcastle on Sunday, Fulham's odds for the drop have lengthened after Wigan Athletic could only draw with ten-man QPR later in the afternoon.

Fulham have 39 points – eight points more than the 18th-placed Latics – and Jol's side possess a superior goal difference with only seven games to go.

The Dutchman said: "I don't think we're in trouble, but then 10 years ago you needed 44 points to stay up. A couple of seasons ago a club needed 42 points, but for five or six seasons it's been 36 points.

"There are two clubs who have a problem – Reading and QPR – so it's all about the third club. I think we are fine, although you never know. At least we have a very good goal difference compared with the other teams.

"That is important, but of course we would like a few more wins."



http://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/fulham/jol-insists-that-fulham-are-not-taking-safety-for-granted?