Thursday Fulham Stuff (25/04/13)...

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U18s Defeat Palace

Fulham Under-18s returned to winning ways on Wednesday afternoon following a 2-1 defeat of Crystal Palace.

Goals from Muamer Tankovic and Emerson Hyndman, either side of a Palace strike, cemented the Whites' position at the top of the Barclays Under-18 Premier League Elite Group as our young hopefuls eye a third consecutive league title.

Steve Wigley's side set the tone early on, with Patrick Roberts and Josh Passley tormenting the visitors down the right. Linking with ease, the pair carved open a number of openings with Cauley Woodrow and Tankovic going close from two teasing deliveries.

With the momentum, Fulham pushed Palace back and were rewarded after just 15 minutes when Roberts flicked Solomon Sambou's delicate chip into the path of Tankovic. The Swedish forward kept his cool, rolling the ball home with a confident close range finish.

Fulham should have added to their lead, with Hyndman seeing one chance blocked and Woodrow racing through and firing wide. Clever on the deck and imposing in the air, Woodrow led the line with admirable assurance throughout.

Tankovic also went close, while Lyle Della Verde saw a golden opportunity come and go with the goal in sight.

Somewhat against the run of play, Palace levelled, with Fulham failing to clear a corner from the right and we were punished by a stooping header on 40 minutes.

The Whites started the second-half in positive fashion. Another intelligent move from deep freed Roberts, but the young winger saw his strike at goal blocked expertly by a Palace defender.

Roberts then lost his marker with an exquisite twist and turn before forcing the visiting 'keeper into a fine diving stop. Moments later, Woodrow was next to test the reactions of the Eagles' stopper following a powerful effort from the edge of the box.

As the second-half progressed, Palace began to frustrate Wigley's charges, with Liam Donnelly and Stephen Arthurworrey making key interceptions to keep the Palace attack at bay.

A few nervy moments ensued, before Fulham responded with a vibrant final 15 minutes. Substitute Moussa Dembele glided beyond his marker before chipping narrowly over, while a sublime turn and strike from Tankovic also tested the Palace goal.

The Whites refused to give in and, when the ball fell to the feet of Hyndman following a goalmouth scramble, the American midfielder kept his cool to slot home a composed finish on 82 minutes.

Fulham finished the game on top to claim a deserved three points and victory.

Speaking after the match, Academy Director Huw Jennings told fulhamfc.com: "We have played a huge amount of football this season and I think I am right in saying that some of our boys have been involved in more than 50 games.

"Today, we had two Under-16 boys that played the full 90 minutes so naturally that is very pleasing. They were up against tough opposition too, because Crystal Palace are difficult team.

"We've played them four times this season, and every game has been a battle. So much effort and energy is needed for these matches. So a lot of credit should be given to our players, who kept going right to the end and were eventually rewarded when that opening appeared.

"We know that we can play good football, but sometimes you have to grind a result out, and that's what we had to do today. We will play better, that's certain, but you have to outmanoeuvre your opponents.

"It was important that we didn't panic, and kept our heads. Our play was very thoughtful and positive at all times. Let's not forget that some of the boys were involved in the Under-21 game against Aston Villa on Sunday, so to see their application and commitment was terrific.

"There's only two games of the league season left now, so we're getting closer and closer. I won't talk about where we are in the league right now, because we take one game at a time.

"Next up is Manchester United at Motspur Park on Tuesday (kick-off 7pm) and it's a match that we are all looking forward to. It will be a fantastic game, I think, because we will see two teams who show good quality coming together."

Fulham U18s: Rodak; Passley, Arthurworrey, Donnelly, Richards; Sambou, Hyndman; Roberts, Tankovic, Della Verde (Dembele 65); Woodrow. (Subs not used): Oberschmidt, Baba, O'Reilly.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/april/24/fulham-palace?

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Fulham prepare £10m double swoop for Villa full-back Lowton and Roma keeper Stekelenburg

Fulham are plotting a summer move for Aston Villa's highly-rated defender Matthew Lowton.

Martin Jol will face competition from Arsenal, who have watched the versatile 23-year-old extensively in recent weeks, but is willing to offer around £5million for the former Sheffield United full-back.

Lowton's performances have been a rare bright spot for Paul Lambert's side this season and his future at Villa Park depends on whether Villa stay up.


Promising: Matthew Lowton has been a rare plus point in a poor season for Aston Villa

His displays have alerted Arsenal scouts in recent weeks but Fulham's interest is at a more advanced stage putting them in pole position.

Fulham remain in talks with Roma over a move for goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg and hope to reach agreement on a £5million transfer next month.


Fulham bound? Maaten Stekelenburg is a long-term target of boss Martin Jol


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2314350/Fulham-prepare-swoops-Matthew-Lowton-Aston-Villa-Roma-Maarten-Stekelenburg.html#ixzz2RRTxyCk5
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Rumour Mill: Chris Baird set for Baggies?

Fulham player Chris Baird once again linked with West Bromwich Albion for summer move


Fulham defender Chris Baird

The Express newspaper are reporting that Chris Baird could sign for West Bromwich Albion in the summer.

The 31-year-old midfielder is out of contract and the Baggies are known admirers of the Northern Ireland international.

They made a move for him on January deadline day but the move collapsed.


http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/rumour-mill-chris-baird-leave-3000205?

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West Ham and Hull want £4m Fulham keeper David Stockdale

FULHAM are set to sanction the £4m sale of goalkeeper David Stockdale to help fund their move for Roma shot-stopper Maarten Stekelenburg.


Fulham are intending to sell David Stockdale to Hull or West Ham for as much as £4m

Stockdale was once considered a potential for the Fulham number one jersey, but he has spent the majority of the season on loan at Hull City.

Cottagers boss Martin Jol is believed to be in talks with Roma's Maarten Stekelenburg after an initial asking price of £5.1m was met, and is looking to fund the bid by selling Stockdale.

Hull would be keen on permanently signing the 27-year-old if they achieve promotion to the Premier League, and are currently on course to do so in second place in the Championship.


The Cottagers will use the proceeds from that deal to fund the signing of Maarten Stekelenburg

However, West Ham may offer the Tigers competition for Stockdale, with Hammers keeper Jussi Jääskeläinen beginning to show his age this season.

Jol and Fulham are hopeful of auctioning of Stockdale for as much as £4m, as he has been adjudged as surplus to requirements at Craven Cottagers.

40-year-old Mark Schwarzer's contract is due to run out at the end of the season.



http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/394408/West-Ham-and-Hull-want-4m-Fulham-keeper-David-Stockdale?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+daily-express-sport-news+%28Daily+Express+%3A%3A+Sport+Feed%29

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Dan Burn Getting Premier Rehab

Yeovil Town manager Gary Johnson has said that keeping central defender Dan Burn at his parent club whilst he recovers from ankle ligament damage will give him the best chance possible of playing some part in the League One play-offs. The Fulham loanee suffered an injury in a recent away match against Stevenage, and although he had already picked up a two match suspension during that game, the problem would have kept him out of the last two games anway.

Burn returned to Craven Cottage to get his treatment from Fulham's medical staff, and speaking to BBC Somerset this week, Gary believes the player is getting a level of rehabilitation that he could never have got at Huish Park:

"Dan Burn is getting Premier League treatment at Fulham. He wouldn't get it here! But they've got all of the proper equipment that a Premier League club has. So he's got much more of a chance being rehabilitated at Fulham. So he's down there, and he's desperate to play in the play-offs. Fulham want him to play in the play-offs, and that's good news for us. They're doing all they can to make sure that he's fit."

Since arriving at the club last September, Burn has been a regular in the Yeovil Town starting line-up, having notched up 38 appearances for the club - all as starts. Having previously only experienced first team football with Darlington, that's been a big leap for him in his aims to ultimately break into his parent club's first team. Johnson felt that it was unfortunate timing that having been such a prominent part of Yeovil's success this season that he was in danger of missing the best bit:

"He was very unlucky. It was the third from last game of the season, when he took his knock at Stevenage. Yet he'd played all season. He'd played very well and he got our Young Player of the Year. So the fans took to him, and he's taken to the club, to us and our tactics. Fulham have been very happy with the whole situation. So of course when you come to the end of the season you want to see it through. To play in the play-offs, and maybe a Wembley Final is fantastic for a 19 or 20 year old."

Speaking about a couple of the other injuries reported upon earlier in the week, Gary explained that Nathan Ralph's knee damage was a repeat of the problems that had seen him out for three months at the tail end of 2012. Given that it had flared up again, Gary said that was why Ralph was unlikely to make it back in time for the play-offs:

"Nathan Ralph's was an injury that he collected earlier on in the season, and he's been out for quite some time. We're trying to get him back in, but he had a little bit of a relapse with his injury, and I don't think he'll be anywhere near the play-offs."

Finally, Gary said that Byron Webster's hamstring problem had been something that they'd been monitoring for a couple of weeks, but that he hadn't done too much damage to it in Saturday's home game against Crewe Alexandra. Gary said that they would wait until the end of the week before deciding whether to put him into the squad for the trip to Bury:

"Webby was only a slight hamstring and we're hoping that he should be okay by the time the play-offs come around. We don't know if we will definitely rest him this weekend. We're going to wait and see how he is. He's felt a little bit tight on his hamstring for a couple of weeks. We've taken him out of training, so now we'll decide whether we take him out of the game, or whether we need to play him in the game."



http://www.ciderspace.co.uk/ASP/news/news.asp?NewsItemId=19380

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Howard: Record Counts For Nothing

Tim Howard says Everton's dominant home record against Fulham will count for nothing when the two sides meet at Goodison Park on Saturday.

The Cottagers have won just twice when visiting the Blue half of Merseyside in their history and never in the league.

Since David Moyes took charge of the Toffees, the Goodison record between the two clubs reads 13 games played, 12 Everton wins and one draw.

But despite history indicating another home success this weekend, Howard insists his side must take nothing for granted.

"The record sounds good and hopefully we can add to it," the goalkeeper told evertontv. "But I think every game is its own single entity. Those [past] games aren't going to really matter when the whistle blows on Saturday.

"It's nice to see that [record] and it gives maybe an extra incentive and motivation. But for the most part, it means nothing."

Another plus for Everton could be Fulham's relatively comfortable position midway up the Premier League table.

Though not mathematically safe, Martin Jol's side sit nine points clear of 18th-placed Wigan in 11th, having already reached the fabled 40-point mark.

Howard, however, doesn't expect the visitors to be lax in their approach, nor does he see them surrendering meekly to what would be a third straight league defeat.

"The way the Premier League is designed, the way fans have such high expectations of their players and their club, it's very hard to take your foot off the gas," said the American.

"I know we're coming to the end of the season and if you're safe, or close to being safe, you can kind of breathe a sigh of relief, but it never works out that way.

"You still get there on the day and you've got a team who is eager and hungry to perform and everyone's got different things to play for. I think they'll turn up and have certainly the right attitude."

"We've been in good form, good spirit, and we're not going to let one setback [against Sunderland] knock us," he added. "We will get back to business and it's at home, and we have to perform at home, we know that.

"Fulham will present their own problems to us and they've got some really talented players. But when you're on your home pitch you have to push the tempo and get the result."

Tickets for Saturday's game against Fulham are on general sale now. To join us at Goodison Park, click here or call 0871 663 1878*. Alternatively, visit the Park End Box Office, Everton Two in Liverpool One or TicketQuarter in Queen Square.


http://www.evertonfc.com/news/archive/2013/04/25/howard-record-counts-for-nothing?

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Family Fun Day

Family Fun Day is back in Bishops Park - join us from 11am before Fulham versus Reading on Saturday 4th May for some free activities!

We've got plenty going on, including the EA Sports DUGOUT, a 5-a-side inflatable pitch, Kicking Distance Monitor, and the Chipperoo. You can find out more about what we have planned here.

Tickets for Fulham against Reading are still available to buy on General Sale. You can buy yours online, or by visiting or calling the Ticket Office on 0843 208 1234 (Option 1).



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/april/25/family-fun-day?

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Premier League Preview: Everton v Fulham

Everton will be aiming to keep their European dream alive when they host Fulham on Saturday.

David Moyes' side have failed to win their past two in the league - hence falling out of contention for the UEFA Champions League, and are five points off Tottenham in fifth.

Everton must overhaul Spurs to gain entry into next season's UEFA Europa League, but with just four games left that appears an unlikely outcome, especially with the London club having a game in hand.

However, it is the only meaningful thing either side has to play for at Goodison Park - with Fulham dwelling in 11th position on 40 points.

Moyes conceded the continent's second-tier competition was their only goal in the run-in.

"We are going to try and qualify for the Europa League," he said.

"As soon as we lose a game then everyone is going to say 'Everton can't make the get us there.

"But with the people we are trying to overtake that becomes really difficult. But it is a good effort that we are still talking about Champions League in mid-April."

Fulham have only scored once in their last four matches and Martin Jol's men have little left to play for but pride.

Compounding things for the London club is the suspension of midfielder Steve Sidwell, who was sent off in their loss to Arsenal last time out - incurring a three-match ban.

Damien Duff (groin), Mahamadou Diarra (knee) and Ashkan Dejagah (ankle) will all miss out, while Sascha Riether is in line to return from an ankle injury.

Phil Jagielka (ankle), Darron Gibson (hip) and Victor Anichebe (hamstring) should all be absent from Moyes' matchday squad, however Tony Hibbert (calf) can come into contention after recovering from injury.

Fulham's history on Merseyside, and against Everton overall, has been poor.

The Cottagers last beat their upcoming opponents in September 2009, but have beaten them in a top-flight fixture away from home.

In the Premier League era, Fulham have failed to take even a point from a trip to Everton in 12 visits.



http://uk.soccerway.com/news/2013/April/25/premier-league-preview-everton-v-fulham/?

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Head-To-Head

Fulham travel to our official bogey ground on Saturday for our penultimate away match of the 2012/13 Barclays Premier League season, looking to bounce back from consecutive defeats at Craven Cottage last week.

Everton's Goodison Park has proven to be a barren venue for the Whites since our return to the top flight, with each of our previous 11 visits ending in defeat – and Martin Jol will know his side face a battle against a side chasing a European spot.

The fitness of Sascha Riether and Damien Duff will be assessed before the trip to Merseyside after the pair missed Saturday's slim defeat by Arsenal, while Steve Sidwell will definitely be absent following his red card against the Gunners. Emmanuel Frimpong is available again having been ineligible to play against his parent club.

Everton will also be giving fitness tests to some key players of their own, with Phil Jagielka, Darron Gibson and Victor Anichebe all doubts for the weekend's game. Jagielka missed the Toffees' last match at Sunderland, while Gibson and Anichebe both limped off at the Stadium of Light.

The opposition

Until recently, Everton were very much in the running for one of the available UEFA Champions League spots. Winning just one of their last four Premier League matches has all but ended those aspirations, but the current season has still been a successful one for David Moyes and his team.

They started the campaign perfectly with a 1-0 win over Manchester United at Goodison and followed that up with an impressive run of just one defeat in the subsequent 10 league matches – form which saw them sitting fourth in the table.

Defeat to Sunderland in their most recent outing has seen the Toffees slip six points behind fourth-placed Chelsea, and the fact that the Blues – and Tottenham Hotspur in fifth – have a game in hand means that a UEFA Europa League spot is almost certainly the best Everton can hope for come the end of the season.

They've shown that they are more than capable of competing with the sides above them, though, as is evident by their record against the top teams this season – they're unbeaten in matches with Arsenal, Spurs and Manchester City in 2012/13, taking 10 points from a possible 18 against the sides.

Last time out

Fulham 2-2 Everton 03.11.2012

Deemed by many as the best away side to turn out at Craven Cottage this season, Everton could perhaps feel aggrieved to have only left SW6 with a point back in November.

The visitors started the match the brighter of the two teams, but it was Fulham who took the lead after only seven minutes. Dimitar Berbatov was fouled by Everton skipper Phil Neville several yards outside the area and Bryan Ruiz stepped up to curl the free-kick into the back of the net. The strike was initially ruled to be a Tim Howard own goal after it had found its way into the net via the goalkeeper, but the Dubious Goals Panel later decided to award the effort to Ruiz.

Jagielka, John Heitinga and Marouane Fellaini all went close for Everton, before they did find the equaliser 10 minutes into the second half. Seamus Coleman played in Kevin Mirallas down the right and the Belgium international cut the ball back to his compatriot Fellaini who made no mistake from close range.

And little over quarter of an hour later the Toffees were in front, with Fellaini again the scorer. The bulky midfielder tussled with Aaron Hughes in the penalty area – fairly according to the referee – before firing beyond Mark Schwarzer at his near post.

Everton had chances to kill the game through Fellaini and Steven Naismith who saw efforts hit the post and cleared off the line respectively, but they were left to rue their missed opportunities when substitute Sidwell popped up in the 90th minute to earn his side a point.

Riether's low cross was meant for Berbatov and although the Bulgarian couldn't make a decent connection, it mattered little as Sidwell was following up at the far post to tap in.

Players to watch

Marouane Fellaini: Everton's top scorer this season enjoys playing against the Whites, scoring two against us in the last campaign, in addition to his brace at the Cottage back in November. His powerful frame makes him a difficult man to dispossess, and he matches his excellent aerial ability with a clinical shot, too. The 25-year-old is a regular in the Belgium midfield and has amassed 40 caps to date.

Kevin Mirallas: Another Belgian import now plying his trade in the Premier League, Mirallas has impressed in his first season in English football. Comfortable playing as a striker, it's often the wide positions where Moyes has opted to play Mirallas – a move which has paid dividends on numerous occasions with his penetrating runs into the middle. A summer arrival from Greek outfit Olympiakos, he's notched seven goals so far for the Merseyside club.

Victor Anichebe: He may have spent the majority of his Everton career as a squad player, but Anichebe is currently enjoying a fruitful run in the line-up, starting their last six matches. Another physical presence in the team, the Nigeria international is something of an Everton veteran having made his debut for the first team more than seven years ago when he came on as a late replacement for current Fulham man Simon Davies.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/april/25/head-to-head?

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Jol's Everton Preview

Martin Jol insists there will be no end-of-season feel to Fulham's play as the Whites go into the final four matches of the Barclays Premier League campaign – starting with a difficult trip to Goodison Park on Saturday (3pm).

The Whites currently sit on 40 points but Jol dismissed any suggestion his players are already thinking about their holidays, pointing to our most recent performances as evidence.

"People ask me 'is it easy to inspire your players or to motivate each other?'" Jol said in his pre-match press conference. "But if you saw us play against Chelsea and Arsenal you saw that we were very dedicated and very energetic to try to get results. [But] we didn't, for other reasons.

"Everton is not an easy team for us. For Fulham, it's not an easy ground so we have to try to do some things differently and try to come up with a result. They are a very consistent team and, of course, rely on the big players. Marouane Fellaini, for example, if he's there they've got a little something extra.

"Of course they've got that style with these full-backs, being very compact and very organised, so I feel that they've had a season that is more consistent than before probably.

"They're always in the top eight – the top seven sometimes – but now they're getting stronger and stronger. I think that Everton could end up in the top five - they were even in contention to be in the top four."

Jol also delivered the latest team information ahead of the trip to Merseyside, with the most positive news the return of Damien Duff – scorer of the winning goal the last time we defeated the Toffees.

"There are a few players back," our Manager confirmed. "Damien Duff will be back and Emmanuel Frimpong will be back because they're fit for selection.

"Ashkan Dejagah is out, as you know, until the end of the season. Mahamadou Diarra is still out with an injury.

"Simon Davies has had a problem with his hip for weeks now so he won't be fit for selection in the next couple of weeks. We will have a look again at Sascha Riether on Friday morning and Mesca [Tue Na Bangna] has got a knock on his knee so he won't be involved."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/april/25/jols-everton-preview?

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Villa defender interest emerges

Fulham and Arsenal are interested in Aston Villa's highly-rated defender Matthew Lowton - who could be angling for a new contract.

Cottagers boss Martin Jol has been alerted to the possibility of snapping up the Villa right back if Paul Lambert's team suffer relegation at the end of the season. Jol will face competition from Arsenal, who have watched the versatile 23-year-old extensively in recent weeks, but an offer of around £5million for the former Sheffield United full-back would hand Villa a £2million profit on the player. Lowton has impressed scouts with his ability to link up in attack and his two stunning volleys this season have raised his profile further. He was a relative unknown when he signed for Villa last summer and an offer of a new, improved, contract from the powers that be at Villa Park could make all this recent transfer speculation go away. Fulham are still on the lookout for a right back because on-loan Koln defender Sasha Reither's future is still up in the air with talks expected to resume in the summer.


http://www.clubcall.com/fulham/villa-defender-interest-emerges-1581341.html?