Friday Fulham Stuff (19/04/13)...

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Fulham youngsters issued with challenge

Fulham manager Martin Jol has urged the club's youngsters to prove they are worthy of a first-team place.

Winger Alex Kacaniklic, 21, returned from a loan spell at Burnley on Thursday, while 22-year-old defender Matthew Briggs is currently on loan at Watford.

Other youngsters such as the exciting Kerim Frei are on the fringes of the senior side and Jol is keen for them to progress.

The Dutchman said: "I've got a few youngsters but they have to do well – they have to work hard and develop themselves.

"Briggs is a youngster and is playing for loan clubs but he has to do well. If he doesn't, you can't expect me to play him in the first team.


Kacaniklic was recalled by Jol from his loan spell.

"Kacaniklic is another one – he did okay. Kerim Frei is one of them, Chris David is another one.

"But they have to be good enough to play in the first team. How many players in England who are 18 or 19 years old can play in the first team?

"They have to prove they are as good as someone who is already in the squad, so it's not an easy one."

Jol added: "I am 100% certain with the academy we've got, which is maybe one of the best in England, that Fulham will have one or two [youngsters], but it's not easy.

"I'm always happy and respectful to my older players."


http://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/fulham-youngsters-issued-with-challenge?

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The Ex-Files

He may have only managed five games for Fulham as a player, but Brian Talbot, now a scout at the Club, has first-hand knowledge of what it takes to make it at the Cottage. And he knows a thing or two about this weekend's opposition as well.

Talbot made over 250 appearances for Arsenal and became the first player to ever win the FA Cup with back-to-back clubs in 1979 when his opening goal helped to defeat Manchester United 3-2, just a year after he had moved to North London from previous champions Ipswich Town.

"It was fantastic for me as I had just signed for Arsenal in the January and in the May we went to Wembley and won the trophy," Talbot told the official website. "So it was a good beginning for me. Obviously it was a special occasion and was extra special because we beat Man United who are a massive club. Arsenal had lost the cup the year before, but bounced back with a win."

Known for his stamina, fitness and tackling ability, the midfielder had made quite an impact when he arrived at Highbury in January 1979 for a record fee of £450,000. Joining from Ipswich, the club who had beaten the Gunners in the 1978 FA Cup Final, Talbot took over the number four shirt from David Price and helped them to a respectable seventh-place finish. But it was his efforts in the FA Cup that made him a legend in the Arsenal fans' eyes. Indeed, he was named the club's 23rd best player of all-time in a poll by their official website in 2008.

"It was a special time for me, unfortunately you take it a little bit for granted and it goes so quickly," he added. "It seems a long time ago now, but at the time it was amazing.

"I really enjoyed my time at Arsenal - I had a great seven seasons there. The second season I played in every game [a grand total of 70 matches - including all 42 league games - as the Gunners finished fourth] which is still a record, but we lost two cup finals: one in Europe and one on the home front. But it was a time when I was fit and I loved playing at the club."

The North Londoners rarely dropped out of the top seven during Talbot's time at Highbury, and when he left for Watford in 1985, they were in the ascendancy - eventually claiming the league title in 1989. Now, the Gunners are set to go eight seasons without a trophy, but Talbot believes that they can still find success if they finish in the top four.

"I think they are in a bit of a transitional period at the moment," he said. "They have brought in a number of young players and Arsene Wenger is trying to develop them. They've gone a long time without a trophy and people go on about it a lot, but those people also say what a fantastic season that Tottenham Hotspur have been having and yet Arsenal are above them in the league. I know it's a North London rivalry, but if they qualify for the UEFA Champions League then I think it will have been a successful season for them."

Following his short spell with the Hornets, Talbot arrived at Fulham after time at Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion. But, even though he managed just five games in the Whites' fight against relegation from the Third Division in 1990/91 under Alan Dicks, it is a period he remembers fondly.

"It was a time when Fulham were nothing like we are today," he said. "But it has always been a lovely football club. I'd really retired when Alan asked me to play and help them out. It was amazing because I went training with them, and I wasn't expecting to play for the first XI, then all of a sudden I played a few games and even scored a goal against AFC Bournemouth.

"It was a testing time at Fulham; obviously the money wasn't what it is today. We didn't have the facilities or the Training Ground, so it's remarkable how we've turned our fortunes around. And it's all credit to the Chairman obviously."

After hanging up his boots in 1992, Talbot took the managerial route with West Brom, Aldershot Town and Hibernian, while he secured Rushden & Diamonds promotion to the Football League, getting them into the Third Division before he left to manage Oldham Athletic and later Oxford United. But he would not stay away from SW6 for long as he returned to the Club as a scout in February 2011 to help the Whites' search for new talent in England and all over Europe.

"Barry Simmonds [Head of Scouting] rang me a little bit out of the blue," he said. "I wasn't expecting his call but he invited me to come and talk with him when I was working at Blackburn Rovers in a similar role and I wasn't really happy there after Sam Allardyce was sacked. I was lucky really, when he offered me a position, because I couldn't have joined a better Club.

"They look after people, they run the Club superbly and the facilities are first class. My job sees me travelling abroad a lot to check on players who have been recommended and Barry runs the department brilliantly."

Based on such good foundations, Talbot has been hugely impressed how the Club have managed to cement their place in the Barclays Premier League - sitting in 10th place with five games left - and especially after such a disruptive summer ahead of this season.

"Fulham have done exceptionally well," he said. "After losing two of our first XI near to the deadline day [Mousa Dembélé and Clint Dempsey to Tottenham], Martin Jol has done brilliantly. He was lucky enough, or good enough, to bring in [Dimitar] Berbatov who is a pleasure to watch and has contributed with his 13 goals. After losing so many important players, it's all credit to the staff and the players."

With his old club, Arsenal, coming up at the Cottage on Saturday, Talbot is sure that the Whites can secure at least a draw and hinder the Gunners' push for Europe.

"I think it's going to be tight," he added. "It was a difficult game on Wednesday night [against Chelsea], but we didn't play badly. I think Arsenal are desperate for points and we are keen to finish on a high. We played at the Emirates this season and were unlucky to come away with a draw, even though Mark Schwarzer saved a penalty, but we should have won the game and hopefully it will be the same situation this weekend."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/april/19/the-ex-files?

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Looking Back

Fulham defender and ex-Arsenal man Philippe Senderos is the cover star and main interview in the official matchday programme for Saturday's visit of the Gunners.

The centre-back, a regular fixture in the side of late, spent seven years with Arsenal, before his switch to SW6 in June 2010.

It comes as little surprise to hear Philippe talk positively about his time at this weekend's opponents but despite his previous connection, there is only one outcome he wants to see come 5pm on Saturday.

"I spent a long time at Arsenal, and it's always a little strange when you play against a former team," he said. "I loved my time there, I can't deny that - they were my first English club and gave me an amazing opportunity as a teenager.

"Of course, I like to see Arsenal do well, but on Saturday there is only one outcome that I want to see and that is a victory for Fulham."

Read the full interview with Senderos in Saturday's programme.

Elsewhere in the only matchday magazine that matters - which is available to download digitally from 9am on Saturday – are interviews with Martin Jol, Emmanuel Frimpong, Luis Boa Morte, George Graham, Santi Cazorla and Les Strong.

Jol pens his regular Manager's notes, on-loan Arsenal man Frimpong takes the Fulham 50 challenge, while Strong sums up the season in his final Legends column of the campaign.

Former Arsenal player and manager Graham runs the rule over the Cottage encounter, while current Gunners midfielder Cazorla assesses his impressive debut season in England.

We also speak to ex-Arsenal and Fulham winger Boa Morte who recalls his eventful stint in SW6 in our 'Cult Heroes' feature.

As well as this, there's also the chance to win two tickets for the England versus Ireland game at Wembley and two tickets and Official Coach travel to Fulham's fixture at Everton next Saturday.

With all the usual news and views from in and around the Club, plus much more besides, the official Fulham programme really is the essential matchday accessory. Priced £3.50, the 84-page publication is available from various sellers on Stevenage Road from two hours before kick-off. Fans can also order copies online by heading here.

The digital edition of the programme is available from 9am on Saturday. Click here for details on how to download your digital edition.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/april/19/looking-back?

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Fulham v Arsenal: Gunners to prevail as both sides find net
Arsene Wenger's side's need for points is more pressing than that of their London neighbours

Given that they haven't lost to Arsenal in the past four encounters between the teams, there is a case to be made for Fulham in double chance markets when the sides clash at Craven Cottage.

The hosts are 21/20 to win or draw the match, with 4/1 the price regarding a home victory, and 5/2 odds attributed to the sides playing out a fourth stalemate within their last five meetings opposing each other.

But despite the Cottagers recent impressive efforts against the Gunners, it is the 8/11 visitors who appear most worthy of investment in match betting markets, especially in light of their terrific recent form.

Indeed, Arsene Wenger's side have won five of their last six matches in all competitions, with seven victories and only one defeat emanating from their past nine Premier League outings.

With more than half of those games featuring goals from either side too, value can be found in a repetition of those circumstances here.

Both teams have registered on each of the last five occasions these sides have crossed swords, with 13/20 the price that they each find the net again here.

But at 12/5, there looks to be real value in the possibility of Arsenal winning a match in which they concede, a scenario that has come to fruition in eight of their 17 league wins throughout the campaign thus far.

Meanwhile, high-scoring Gunners triumphs have been a prominent feature of their campaign so far, with three or more goals emerging from 10 of their Premier League victories this term.

13/8 is a very appealing price that Wenger's charges again prevail from a match featuring at least 2.5 strikes, and such a bet would have also paid off in Arsenal's last two wins over Fulham.

Also, with both teams expected to find the net, a wider scope of first scorer options are available to punters.

Dimitar Berbatov's five goals in his last seven appearances will make him a popular 6/1 shot amongst punters, whilst Olivier Giroud, who hit the opener in the reverse fixture earlier this season, may be worth chancing as a 5/1 hope to break the deadlock.

All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.



http://news.ladbrokes.com/en-gb/football/premier-league/fulham-v-arsenal-gunners-to-prevail-as-both-sides-find-net_150496.html

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U18s Take On Chelsea

Fulham's Under-18s compete in our second SW6 derby in four days on Saturday when they face Chelsea at Cobham (11am).

Following the First Team's midweek defeat against the Blues, Steve Wigley's charges will be hoping for a more positive outcome as they look to cement their place at the top of the Barclays Under-18 Premier League Elite Group.

The Whites enter the encounter on the back of two straight league victories, the last of which came against Bolton Wanderers last Saturday, where Moussa Dembele, Jordan Evans, Patrick Roberts and Lyle Della Verde were on target in a comfortable 4-1 win. 

Della Verde's late strike was Fulham's 32nd goal of phase two, with the team notching an impressive 38 times in 12 games during the first phase of fixtures.

Opponents Chelsea were the team to beat during that first phase, topping National Group 3 and finishing four points above second-placed Fulham.

However, the Blues have struggled to find their momentum in the second half of the domestic league campaign and currently occupy seventh place in the eight-team group - taking five points from their nine fixtures with one win and two draws. Last Saturday, Chelsea went down 3-0 at Reading.

That said, the Blues have impressed in the cups, reaching the Final of the NextGen Series and the Semi-Final of the FA Youth Cup. Having lost the European showpiece 2-0 against Aston Villa, they do have one foot in the Final of the FA Youth Cup following last Friday's 2-0 First-Leg defeat of Liverpool.

Chelsea face the Reds in the Second-Leg at Stamford Bridge on Friday night (7.45pm) and, as a result, their squad to take on the Whites on Saturday is expected to be made up of a number of the club's Under-16s.

In the reverse fixture at Motspur Park in February, Fulham ran out convincing winners with Muamer Tankovic (2), George Williams, Dembele and Roberts scoring in the 5-0 victory.

In the first phase of matches, Fulham lost 2-1 at Cobham, before seeing the Blues off by the same scoreline at home.

Overseen by Adi Viveash, England youth internationals Jay Da Silva and Dominic Solanke are amongst the Blues' players to watch, as is bright prospect Kasey Palmer.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/april/19/u18-v-chelsea?

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Fulham Focus - Tame Chelsea collapses shows Cottagers still need surgery

For all the credit that has come Fulham's way after they reached 40 points in the Premier League following an impressive run of form, manager Martin Jol seemed to realise what was coming from the West London Derby with Chelsea when he remarked that the Cottagers "remained in need of major surgery to their squad at the end of the season."

So it proved as a Chelsea side that had only won once away from home in the Premier League since the turn of the year, losing three on the bounce coming into the clash at Craven Cottage, convincingly triumphed 3-0 over a tame Fulham side.

Jol's side certainly started well and could have been a couple of goals up bar for some poor finishing from the likes of Dimitar Berbatov, Bryan Ruiz and John Arne Riise. For the Costa Rican, the match represented another frustrating outing.

Quite clearly full of maverick, creative talent, Ruiz has only scored three goals so far this season, adding to the two he netted in the prior campaing. For a player that cost the club £10.6m and who made his name in the Netherlands as a goal scorer in a successful FC Twente side, his Fulham record has simply been unacceptable.

However, what will probably disappoint Jol and the supporters more is the way the side lacked any sort of fight once David Luiz had fired the visitors into the lead. Some may point to Fulham's safe league position, which rendered their ambitions for the match rather meaningless compared to Chelsea's on-going fight for a place in the top four.

But that would simply paper over the cracks of a side that has long shown a tendency to produce such limp performances against the league's bigger sides, particularly away from home.

Indeed, with another match against a Champions League-chasing side in Arsenal coming up at the Cottage on Saturday, Jol will be hoping for a more rousing performance for his troops. Certainly, a repeat of the display that saw Fulham almost take a famous victory at the Emirates earlier this season, only to be pegged back for a 3-3 draw, would be just the tonic.

Looking forward to next season, though, the Dutchman's pre-match suggestions that strengthening his midfield would be the club's main summer objective will come as no surprise to anyone who has watched Fulham this season.

Aside from the departure of the quite colossal Moussa Dembele, the Cottagers' midfield can lack pace, drive and invention. The likes of Steve Sidwell, Chris Baird, Giorgos Karagounis and Emmanuel Frimpong have all done well in patches but for a club that has the likes of Berbatov and Ruiz up front, a more threatening midfield presence is really necessary if they are to begin seriously troubling sides like Chelsea on a more regular basis.



http://www.adifferentleague.co.uk/p6_0_19688_-.html#.UXE39b-_wds

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Fulham v Arsenal

By Steve Wilson
BBC Match of the Day commentator

BARCLAYS PREMIER LEAGUE
Venue: Craven Cottage Date: Saturday, 20 April

Fulham's Steve Sidwell is available again after completing a three-match ban, but winger Damien Duff is set to miss out with a thigh strain.

Alexander Kacaniklic is back from a loan spell at Burnley and may feature, but Ashkan Dejagah and Mahamadou Diarra are out for the season.

Arsenal are without goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianski because of a cracked rib, so Wojciech Szczesny replaces him.

Midfielder Tomas Rosicky (hamstring) faces a fitness test.

MATCH PREVIEW

The game at the Emirates between Arsenal and Fulham in November was one of the most entertaining I've seen all season.

Dimitar Berbatov was the best player on the pitch and gave something of a masterclass in controlling a game without actually moving very much; helping Fulham come from 2-0 down to lead 3-2. After another Arsenal goal and then a last-minute Mikel Arteta penalty miss, the teams shared the points and six goals between them.

You may remember Arsene Wenger's rather startled expression in his post-match interview on Match of the Day with my colleague Jonathan Legard, who asked the Arsenal boss why he had not tried to sign Berbatov himself. It was a great question, to which Wenger gave the less than convincing response that he hadn't known that Berbatov was available.

Five months on and Fulham's job is really done for another year. Forty points on the board with five games to spare represents a success and they look set for their usual upper mid-table finish.

To be so consistent without spending ridiculous money is a testament to sensible management of the squad and of the business by Martin Jol and chief executive Alistair Mackintosh, both of whom wisely choose to allow the chairman to take the lion's share of the credit.

Arsenal's win at Jol's old club Bayern Munich (for whom he made Bundesliga appearances in 1978-79) may not have kept them in the Champions League, but it certainly seems to have galvanised them for the last few weeks of the Premier League.

That win in Germany followed a defeat at Spurs in the derby - since then, Arsenal have taken 13 points whilst Spurs have taken four, albeit from one fewer match.

It's been a season of frustration, introspection and some dissent at Arsenal. They have been out of the Champions League qualifying positions for most of the campaign, but seem to have timed their run to perfection, leaving Spurs most likely to miss out. Arsenal fans would see that as a very sweet twist to a rather sour season.

MATCH FACTS

Head-to-head
Fulham are unbeaten against Arsenal in their past four meetings. Arsenal's last win was 2-1 at home in December 2010.

The Gunners last triumphed at Craven Cottage in September 2009, Robin van Persie scoring the only goal.

Arsenal have won 15 of the 23 Premier League meetings between the two clubs. Fulham have only won three of them.

Fulham
Fulham have only taken one point from their last three matches, having been unbeaten in the previous five.

The Cottagers have picked up 11 points from London derbies this season. They have only fared better in 2002-2003 (13 points).

They have benefited from five own goals this season, a league-high with Manchester United.

Dimitar Berbatov has scored five goals in the club's last seven matches. Ten of his 13 goals this season have been scored in the first half.

Arsenal
Arsene Wenger's side have won seven of their last nine league games (W7, D1, L1).

The Gunners have scored 18 goals in the final 15 minutes of games this season, by far the most in the top-flight.

Ten of Olivier Giroud's 11 Premier League goals this season have come at the Emirates.

Mikel Arteta has scored five successive penalties in the Premier League since missing a last minute spot-kick against Fulham in November.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22133449?

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LAWRO'S PREDICTION


Fulham v Arsenal
Fulham were soundly beaten 3-0 by local rivals Chelsea on Wednesday, but they were doing well for 30 minutes until they were unhinged by the quality of the opening Blues goal, scored by defender David Luiz.

Up until that loss, Martin Jol's men had been on decent run - only one defeat in seven.

They face an Arsenal side whose manager Arsene Wenger made me smile the other day following their 0-0 draw against Everton.

The Frenchman wasn't happy with Everton's robust tacking. It made me think of the days when the Gunners had Tony Adams, Steve Bould, Lee Dixon, Nigel Winterburn, Martin Keown, Patrick Vieira, Emmanuel Petit and Ray Parlour - what Wenger would give to have a couple of those players in his squad right now.

Having said that, I still think Arsenal will win at Craven Cottage.

Lawro's prediction: 1-2

Lawro on Olivier Giroud
Arsenal striker Olivier Giroud was wasteful against Everton and got some stick again. The problem for him is that he is playing in the shadows of Thierry Henry, Robin van Persie and Ian Wright. Giroud's a good player but not in the class of the aforementioned trio. The Gunners bought him to replace Dutchman Van Persie but the France international is a very different player. A lot of Premier League clubs would still happily take him though



http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22199585

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Swedish international star's return could damage Arsenal

Fulham are pulling out all the stops to try and score a win over Arsenal tomorrow.

Fulham are the type of team clubs like to play at this time of year - They are safe from relegation, yet European qualification is beyond them.

Nothing to play for then? Not quite, not in the mind of manager Martin Jol, who will be extra keen to take points off Arsenal this weekend, the club who beat him to a Champions League place when he was Tottenham boss.

To give them an extra chance, Jol has recalled Swedish international Alex Kacaniklic from loan, who could go straight into the squad to face the Gunners at Craven Cottage tomorrow.

After their limp 3-0 defeat to west London rivals Chelsea in midweek, Jol is keen to mix things up, and Kacaniklic is just the player to do it.

He scored against Arsenal in the pulsating 3-3 draw at the Emirates earlier this season, a game in which Mikel Arteta had a chance to win late on only to miss a penalty.

Kacaniklic enjoyed a superb start to the season, pulling the strings in Fulham's opening day 5-0 win over Norwich, and bagged three goals in 15 games.

He also made his Sweden international debut this season, and only 21 is an excellent prospect.

He picked up a hamstring strain in November and on his return found it more difficult to get a run of games, and when Jol brought in reinforcements in January on loan, Kacaniklic himself ended up being loaned to Burnley so that he would keep playing regular football.

He made six appearances at Turf Moor, but the recent injury to Damien Duff has left Fulham short of left-sided midfielders, and so the Swede was recalled.

There is no doubt he will have a point to prove, and feel like he will want to show he never should have been dropped or loaned out in the first place.

For Arsenal his return may have been very badly timed.

Can Kacaniklic be a difference maker tomorrow?


http://hereisthecity.com/2013/04/19/swedish-international-stars-return-could-damage-arsenal/?

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Enoh up for a scrap in 'must-win game' against Arsenal

Eyong Enoh has urged Fulham to be aggressive against Arsenal tomorrow.

Fulham were brushed aside by Chelsea on Wednesday and Enoh knows they have to improve when Arsene Wenger's side visit Craven Cottage.

The Arsenal boss was unhappy with Everton's physical tactics as Arsenal's pursuit of Champions League qualification faltered with a 0-0 draw on Tuesday and Enoh said: "We need to be more aggressive tomorrow.

"We could have put more pressure on Chelsea. We have to quickly clean the slate concerning the Chelsea game, pick the things we did and focus on them.

"This is a must-win game now, we can't think otherwise."



http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/enoh-up-for-a-scrap-in-mustwin-game-against-arsenal-8579649.html

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Winger blow for Fulham

Winger Damien Duff is out of Fulham's home clash with Arsenal but Alexander Kacaniklic is available after being recalled from Burnley.

Republic of Ireland man Duff is again set to miss out against the Gunners with an adductor strain but Kacaniklic, who could replace him on the wing, is back at Craven Cottage after boss Martin Jol opted to recall him from his spell in the Championship with the Clarets. Elsewhere, Steve Sidwell is available again after serving his three-match suspension, while fellow midfield duo Ashkan Dejagah (ankle) and Mahamadou Diarra (knee) are sidelined for the remainder of the season.


http://www.clubcall.com/fulham/winger-blow-for-fulham-1578262.html?

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Fulham v Arsenal: Five key stats you won't have seen
Olivier Giroud's penchant for scoring in derbies is one of a handful of intriguing facts and figures unveiled by Ryan Forrester ahead of Saturday's clash at Craven Cottage.

Arsenal's goalless draw at home to Everton on Tuesday evening dealt their chances of a top-four finish a minor blow as it allowed Chelsea to leapfrog them into third, while Tottenham sit two points behind, and both clubs have a game in hand over the Gunners.

Arsene Wenger's men will be eager to get back to winning ways this weekend as they travel to a Fulham side who have little to play for in the closing stages of the season having reached the 40-point mark with a 1-1 draw at Aston Villa last Saturday.

Arsenal head into the game undefeated in their last five league matches, four of which ended with victory, and they are 67/100 favourites to secure maximum points against the Cottagers, with the draw at 14/5, while just a second ever victory for Martin Jol against the Gunners can be backed at 15/4.

Before placing your bets on the match, here are some facts to take into consideration.

5: In the last five meetings between the two clubs, both sides have managed to get themselves on the scoresheet. A similar outcome this weekend can be backed at 3/5.

6: Olivier Giroud has netted 11 league goals for Arsenal since his summer move from Montpellier and six of those have come against London clubs. The Frenchman is 7/5 to score at any time.

11: The number of Fulham's league matches which have involved over 2.5 goals this season, with five of their six home defeats seeing at least three goals. The Gunners are 29/20 to win a game of over 2.5 goals.

17: The number of times Wenger's men have won the second period in 33 league matches this campaign. It is evens for them to do so against the Cottagers.

42: Of the 64 league goals the Gunners have notched this season, 42 have come after the break. They are priced at 6/5 to score more goals in the second half than they manage in the first half.

Top bet: Arsenal to win and over 2.5 goals @ 29/20



http://bwinbetting.com/leagues/premier-league/fulham-arsenal-key-stats,39656.html?

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Fulham are the Premier League penalty kings... but why have Chelsea been given nine spot-kicks and Spurs none?

With just five matches to go, the Premier League pressure cooker is reaching maximum heat, with outstanding issues at the top and bottom of the table set to be resolved.

And as games become more and more frenetic, referees will find themselves under ever greater pressure to point to the penalty spot whenever a player falls down in the box.

The burden of expectation will then shift to the nominated taker to take advantage of the golden opportunity - but who has been the calmest so far this season?

Well, according to the Opta stats, it's Fulham who are the steeliest, with all six penalties converted.


Unnerved: Fulham have a 100 per cent conversion rate from their six penalties in the Premier League this season, with Dimitar Berbatov scoring four of them, including this one against Arsenal


Source: Opta

Of these, Dimitar Berbatov has proved faultless when put on the spot, converting against West Brom, Arsenal, Sunderland and Queens Park Rangers, while Steve Sidwell and Mladen Petric also netted earlier in the season.

With games against Arsenal and Everton still to come, Fulham could have a big say on the Champions League race - particularly if awarded a penalty.

Chelsea have been awarded the most this season - nine - and have taken advantage on seven occasions.


Spot on... Frank Lampard scores one of Chelsea's nine Premier League penalties this season, against Arsenal at Stamford Bridge


...and off: But Lampard saw his spot-kick at Manchester City brilliantly saved by Joe Hart

The Blues benefited from a spot-kick on the very first weekend of the season, when Frank Lampard scored to put Chelsea 2-0 up against Wigan as early as the 7th minute.

They then had two penalties in their next two games, helping towards a strong start to the campaign under Roberto Di Matteo, but then had to wait until Christmas.

The most significant in the context of the season was Lampard's against Arsenal, a goal which proved the match winner in a 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge, but the England midfielder was also guilty of squandering an important one at Manchester City a month later.

By contrast, Swansea and Tottenham still haven't been awarded a penalty this season, while Norwich missed their only one, when Southampton's Artur Boruc dramatically saved from Grant Holt in stoppage time last month.

Perhaps Gareth Bale's occasional simulation in the box has counted against Spurs.


Not convinced: Sunderland's Craig Gardner remonstrates with Gareth Bale after he falls easily in the box - Spurs have not been awarded a league penalty this season

Champions-elect Manchester United, perhaps surprisingly, have converted just half of their six penalties.

£24m man Robin van Persie was the culprit when his attempted Panenka went awry against Southampton on the second weekend of the season, while Javier Hernandez missed against Wigan and Wayne Rooney dragged one wide against Arsenal.


Wide of the mark: Wayne Rooney squandered this penalty against Arsenal at Old Trafford

In other competitions, Nani failed to convert against Galatasaray and Rooney again failed against West Ham in an FA Cup replay.

West Ham and Sunderland have 100 per cent records (four from four), while Aston Villa, Reading, Southampton, Everton and Wigan have yet to feel any penalty pain in the league this season.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2311613/Premier-League-penalty-Statistics--Fulham-100-record-Chelsea-awarded-Tottenham-none.html#ixzz2Que0cWyS
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Head-To-Head

Fulham will be looking to ease the pain of Wednesday's defeat by Chelsea in our second successive London derby at the weekend when Arsenal visit the Cottage.

Martin Jol will be looking for a positive response against the in-form Gunners, and he welcomes Steve Sidwell back into the reckoning. The tough-tackling midfielder could face a battle to reclaim his starting spot following his suspension, though, with loanee Eyong Enoh impressing in his absence.

Damien Duff is out for the Whites after limping out of the game at Villa Park last Saturday, while Ashkan Dejagah and Mahamadou Diarra will not play again this season. Emmanual Frimpong is not eligible to face his parent club, and Sascha Riether is a doubt after picking up a knock against Chelsea. The full-back will undergo an assessment ahead of the match.

Our guests on Saturday will be without Lukasz Fabianski who is suffering from a rib problem, meaning Wojciech Szczesny will keep his place between the sticks. Tomas Rosicky is a doubt after watching his side draw at Everton in midweek from the substitutes' bench. Santi Cazorla, Jack Wilshere and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain face fitness tests but manager Arsene Wenger is optimistic they will all be fit for Saturday's London derby.


The opposition

Arsenal arrive in South-West London on the back of a five-game unbeaten run in the Barclays Premier League. After losing to local rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the beginning of March, the Gunners responded with victories over Swansea City, Reading, West Bromwich Albion and Norwich City, before being held to a goalless draw by Everton at the Emirates on Tuesday.

It's good form coming at the right time for Wenger's men, but it's also completely necessary if they want to secure one of the available UEFA Champions League spots. While Manchester City look set to take second place behind their neighbours United, third and fourth remain up for grabs, with two of Arsenal, Spurs, Chelsea and Everton likely to occupy those positions come the end of the season.

After Saturday's trip to the Cottage, Arsenal host Manchester United, before taking on the relegation-threatened trio of Queens Park Rangers, Wigan Athletic and Newcastle United. With the 2012/13 campaign failing to yield a trophy for the eighth successive year, securing one of those Champions League places will be vital if they want to avoid the season being labelled a failure.


Last time out

Arsenal 3-3 Fulham 10.11.2012

In what was one of the most thrilling matches of Fulham's season, we came away from the Emirates in November with a richly deserved point from a topsy-turvy football game.

The Whites started strongly but after Arsenal had raced into a two-goal lead with just 23 minutes on the clock, Fulham fans were left fearing that it could be another one of those grisly away days.

Olivier Giroud had headed the Gunners in front when he met Theo Walcott's corner, before Lukas Podolski punished some slack marking from 10-men Fulham to make it two. Kieran Richardson was on the sidelines as the German doubled his side's lead having pulled up with a hamstring problem, although his replacement - Alexander Kačaniklić – proved a worthy substitution.

Fulham showed great fight, though, with Bryan Ruiz pulling the strings in behind Dimitar Berbatov, and the duo combined to halve the deficit within six minutes. After the Whites had won a corner, Ruiz's dangerous in-swinging delivery was met by Berbatov's forehead on the six-yard line to nod beyond Vito Mannone in the home goal.

And five minutes before half-time, we found the equaliser. Sascha Riether played Berbatov in down the right and Fulham's number nine afforded himself a quick glance before dinking a cross over which Kačaniklić met with a downwards header 16 yards from goal. The accuracy of the effort saw it creep just inside the post, despite the best intentions of the scrambling Mannone.

An outrageous outside of the boot pass from Ruiz in first-half stoppage time then sent John Arne Riise free down the left, but his teasing delivering couldn't quite be steered home by Ashkan Dejagah or the arriving Berbatov.

Fulham did complete the turnaround, though, on 67 minutes, with Ruiz again the orchestrator. After catching Mikel Arteta in possession, he burst into the box before being hauled down by the desperate Spaniard, leaving referee Phil Dowd with little option but to give a penalty. Berbatov stepped up to nonchalantly pass the ball beyond the static Mannone to give his side the lead in front of the travelling fans.

Sadly, the lead would last for less than two minutes as Giroud headed beyond Mark Schwarzer from Walcott's cross, having seen his left-footed shot come back off the upright mere seconds earlier.

The summer signing from Montpellier almost grabbed his hat-trick with 10 minutes remaining with a venomous strike from range, but Schwarzer got down quickly to his left to palm it away for a corner.

With 93 minutes and 30 seconds on the clock, it looked as though the Whites were going to be denied their point when Dowd harshly ruled that Riether had handled, despite the right-back doing his best to withdraw his arm before the ball reached him from a yard away. Thankfully, Schwarzer pulled off a remarkable stop down low to his left to deny Arteta from the spot, in what was the last action of the game.


Players to watch

Aaron Ramsey: Starting the last four Premier League games for the Gunners, the Welsh midfielder has been used in a variety of positions but is finally settling down in central midfield and looks to have won Arsene Wenger's confidence. A highly-rated youngster with a good engine, he has yet to score in the league this season but his industry has been key to getting Arsenal back on track in the race for Europe.

Olivier Giroud: The French striker has been criticised for missing too many opportunities in his debut season at the Emirates - most notably in their last fixture against Everton - but his 11 league goals in 32 matches compares favourably with his peers and his link play ensures that he brings his teammates into the game more.

Wojciech Szczesny: The Poland international has lost his place in the first team of late, but has been handed a chance to win it back after a rib injury to fellow countryman Lukasz Fabianski. Szczesny is still only 23 years old, but has displayed confidence beyond his years and will now be looking to cement his number one spot for the rest of the season.


Magic numbers

4 Fulham are unbeaten in their last four Premier League meetings with Arsenal, drawing three and winning one.

1 The Gunners have won just one of their last four trips to Craven Cottage in the Premier League (D1 L2), losing their last trip there in January 2012 (1-2).

2 There has been a red card given in both of the last two PL meetings between these two sides at Craven Cottage - Johan Djourou (Arsenal) and Zoltan Gera (Fulham).

1 The Gunners have lost just one of their last 11 Premier League games, winning eight (W8 D2 L1).

6 Since the beginning of February, Arsenal have conceded only six goals in nine Premier League games, keeping four clean sheets during this run.

1 Martin Jol has won just one of his 10 Premier League meetings with Arsene Wenger (L4 D5).

3 Since the start of 2010, Arsenal have won just three of their 13 London derbies away from home in the Premier League, losing eight and drawing two.

1 Fulham have only kept one clean sheet in their last 12 home games in the Premier League.

5 The Whites have accrued a joint league-high five own goals this season, but are yet to concede one themselves.

6 Mikel Arteta has taken (six) and scored (five) more penalties than any other player this season.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/april/19/head-to-head

[WhiteJC]

 
STATS: Duff's crossing for Fulham vs Wilshere's dribbles for Arsenal

Fulham v Arsenal, Saturday 15:00

- Fulham were soundly beaten 0-3 by a resurgent Chelsea side at Craven Cottage in midweek, the Cottagers falling victim to some clinical attacking from the Blues.

- Even at 34 years of age, Damien Duff remains a force to be reckoned with on the Fulham flank. Duff has now delivered 48 crosses this season, which, according to the EA SPORTS Premier League Index is the highest in the Premier League squad and also makes him the old player to have surpassed the 40 cross-mark this campaign.

- Fulham will need Brede Hangeland's steady influence this weekend against an Arsenal side packed with attacking talents. Hangeland has registered 175 interceptions this season, one every 15.9 minutes, and you can expect this number to rocket given the Gunners' tendency to engage in intricate passing moves around the opposition box.

- Although regarded as an out-and-out striker, Bryan Ruiz has demonstrated a distinctive ability to drop back and receive the ball in the pocket before taking on opposition defenders with their backs to goal. Ruiz has now racked up a squad-high 17 dribbles and 8 assists, highlighting his importance as a another attacking option to Dimitar Berbatov.

- Arsenal's winning run of form was halted on Tuesday evening as they played out a goalless draw with Fulham. They could have claimed another three points though had several of their players not been somewhat wasteful with the chances presented to them in front of goal.

- Club captain Thomas Vermaelen may have been struggling for form in recent weeks but his commitment has certainly not dipped. No Arsenal player has been more willing to throw his body in the line of fire than Vermaelen, his 16 blocks the highest in the Gunners' squad. His passion and leadership could well be key for Arsenal in what will no doubt be a tense London derby with Champions League implications.

- Arsene Wenger admitted this week that he had perhaps rushed Jack Wilshere back into action prematurely in recent weeks. However the Frenchman can be forgiven for wanting his star player back in action, given the level of influence Wilshere has on proceedings when on the field. He is the youngest man in the top 10 players for lowest minutes per pass rate according to the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index (2.51). Wilshere has also completed more dribbles than any other member of the same top 10 (19) showing his willingness to drive play forward rather than playing the safe pass.

- Lukas Podolski will be desperate to get on the pitch and show his manager what he is capable of this weekend, giving a frustrating run of starting on the bench. Podolski clearly has the skill to trouble Fulham should he get the chance to play a role, his 71.4% shot accuracy rate from 42 attempts the best in the Arsenal squad.


http://www.byfarthegreatestteam.com/posts/stats-duffs-crossing-for-fulham-vs-wilsheres-dribbles-for-arsenal/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Jol: Frei will not be leaving Fulham

Fulham manager Martin Jol has ruled out the possibility of Kerim Frei leaving the club this summer.

The 19-year-old Turkey international has been linked with a move to Galatasaray but Jol says Frei has a long-term future at Craven Cottage.

The Whites boss said: "No, I don't want to release him.

"He is one of my youngsters, he is developing, he went out on loan and then he was injured for four or five months.

"He's trying to get back to full fitness. He is my player now and will be in the future."


http://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/jol-frei-will-be-not-be-leaving774744-fulham-f?

[Bassey the warrior]

Good news about Frei, let's hope that Mo doesn't sell and that Frei doesn't want to leave.
Pleasing to see we have a 100% penalty conversion rate. It was one worry I had about Murphy leaving as he was our penalty specialist. Just think of the difference those 6 goals have made.