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Friday Fulham Stuff (07/06/13)...

Started by WhiteJC, June 07, 2013, 07:26:57 AM

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WhiteJC

 
Johnson holds out for Burn

Yeovil boss Gary Johnson is hopeful that Fulham centre-back Dan Burn will return to Huish Park next season.


Dan Burn: Wanted by Glovers

The 21-year-old made 41 appearances last season and grabbed the goal that sent the Glovers to the second tier for the first time in their history.

And with a number of established internationals blocking Burn's path to Martin Jol's starting XI Johnson is looking at borrowing the defender for another season.

"Quite rightly they (Fulham) are saying they need everyone to come back for pre-season to work with them," Johnson said.

"We'd like to get things done early but we are holding to Fulham as they pull all the strings. What I do know is that Danny Burn would be very comfortable with coming back to us, that is the main thing.

"We are sure that his agents and his representatives do as well so with a bit of luck and a bit of negotiation hopefully we will get him back."

Burn was the only loanee in the starting line-up that clinched promotion against Brentford at Wembley and Johnson is focusing on adding new signings to his squad before turning his attention to the loan market.

"You try to get in the permanent ones first," he added. "Any loan I get will be a long-term loan anyway."

Meanwhile Johnson confirmed that Seth Nana Ofori-Twumasi, a player he managed at Northampton and Peterborough, will join the Glovers in pre-season in a bid to prove his fitness.



http://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/article/419/8760237/-?

WhiteJC

 
Schwarzer confirms summer exit from Fulham

The 40-year-old goalkeeper is now keen to look for opportunities elsewhere after the arrival of Maarten Stekelenburg from Roma, but has ruled out a move to the A-League

Veteran Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has confirmed he will leave the club this summer following the arrival of Maarten Stekelenburg from Roma.

The 40-year-old's contract expires in the summer, bringing an end to five years at Craven Cottage, having moved to west London on a free transfer from Middlesbrough in 2008 and says he will now be looking for first-team opportunities elsewhere

"I've been hearing that for a while," he told reporters in reaction Stekelenburg's signature. "It's no great surprise and I'll be looking for another club.

The Australian is currently back in his homeland with the national side, and expects to sort out his future after the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against Jordan and Iraq, but has ruled out the possibility of joining an A-League club.

"Nothing has been sorted at the moment, the Japan game was the most important thing on the agenda so I'm worried about the Australia games now.

"Not at this stage, no. My family's settled and the kids are in school and I wouldn't (move) my family anyway."


http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2892/transfer-zone/2013/06/06/4030180/-?

WhiteJC

 
Keeper Signed
   
Speculation that Fulham Football Club were looking to sign the Dutch keeper, Maarten Stekelenburg, proved spot on.

The thirty year-old Dutch keeper, put pen-to-paper on a FOUR year deal yesterday, at Craven Cottage.

Speaking about joining Fulham, Stekelenburg is quoted as having remarked,

"It`s good that I`ll be joining Martin again."

Whilst Jol is quoted as having commented,

"I know Maarten from my time at Ajax. He has great quality."

The move does, however, put huge doubts as to whether Mark Schwarzer will remain at Craven Cottage now, or move on.

Schwarzer, a loyal servant to Fulham Football Club, has previously intimated that to put pen-to-paper on a new deal he`d want a guarantee that he`d be the first choice keeper but, I suspect that our new signing hasn`t come to our part of West London merely to sit on the bench and I`d suspect that his salary is befitting a first choice keeper.

Do you agree or disagree with the above philosophy?



Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=321268#ixzz2VVdvacOJ


WhiteJC

 
Lasse's Denmark Lift

Lasse Christensen continued his good form for Denmark at the UEFA Under 19 European Championships as they beat Bulgaria 5-0 on Thursday night.

The Fulham midfielder played all 90 minutes in an easy game for the Danes, who made it two wins from two (both 5-0) in the competition after Bulgaria were reduced to nine men in the closing stages.

Denmark went ahead 2-0 in the first half with both goals from FC Nordsjaelland's Kristian Lindberg. The striker bagged his hat-trick shortly after captain Christian Nørgaard had increased the lead just after half-time and substitute Mads Nielsen put the finishing touches on the win in the 88th minute.

In the night's other game involving Fulham youngsters, Noe Baba played the full 90 minutes as the Republic of Ireland were pegged back 2-2 against Switzerland, but Sean Kavanagh was an unused substitute.

Sam Byrne and Kieran Sadlier had put the Irish in a commanding position after Baba had an early chance, but the Swiss hit back before half-time through Michael Frey and then Samuele Campo grabbed an equaliser.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/june/06/lasse-denmark-lift?

WhiteJC

 
Foreign bodies are bad news for English patient as Fulham are forced to shop abroad

Fulham used five English players in the Premier League last season. Two of them — Matthew Briggs and David Stockdale — started five games between them, and defender Alex Smith played for one minute as a substitute.

Kieran Richardson and Steve Sidwell were the only Englishmen to reach double figures.

In two years at Craven Cottage, Dutch manager Martin Jol has signed only three English players: Richardson, 28, Dan Burn, 21, and Tom Donegan, 20.


Tricky: Martin Jol has approached English players but balked at their high fees


Struggle: David Stockdale has barely featured for the west-London club this season


Fulham have won the Barclays Under 18 Premier League for the last three years but the star striker is a 16-year-old Frenchman called Moussa Dembele.

Sportsmail also understands Jol has irked respected coaches at  Fulham's respected academy by showing little interest in bringing young players through to the first team.

It seems a shocking indictment of a very traditional club that boasts a statue of Johnny Haynes.

But the reason Fulham struggle to promote homegrown talent is a familiar one and the prohibitive cost of English footballers is the over-riding factor. Fulham enquired about Dwight Gayle, a 22-year-old striker who scored 13 goals for Peterborough on loan from Dagenham.

They were quoted '£5-10million' and promptly walked away.

Fulham were also interested in signing Scott Sinclair from Swansea City but he went to Manchester City for £6.2m to earn £50,000 a week.

Last summer they looked at Jordan Rhodes, too, but the 23-year-old striker joined Blackburn Rovers for £8m. Fulham responded by bringing in the experienced Dimitar Berbatov for £5m and he was their player of the season.

'When you are looking within the UK, the clubs price their players at ridiculous levels, plus their wage demands are too expensive,' said a Fulham source. 'But if you are looking at a player in Holland, for example, you can pay them a pretty average Premier League wage of around £20,000 a week and they are absolutely delighted.'


Another import: Holland goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg completed his move to Fulham this week

 
English representatives: Kieran Richardson (left) and Steve Sidwell (right) have reached double figures


Shopping abroad: Fulham brought in Dimitar Berbatov after missing out on Jordan Rhodes


There are fears the Premier League's new financial fair play rules could make the situation worse by encouraging clubs to try to extract even more money when they sell players because there will no longer be an unlimited pot of money with which to pay them.

The loan system, whereby only two players be signed from inside the top flight, also works against British talent. It is easier — and cheaper — to bring players in from abroad instead.

Fulham right back Sascha Riether, for example, excelled last season after joining on a season-long loan from Cologne on 'relatively low' wages before signing a permanent deal.

'Everyone would love to have an English spine to their team,' a Fulham source said, 'but we want the best value — and that comes from abroad.

'We would like more  English players but not at inflated prices. Look at what  Liverpool had to pay to sign Jordan Henderson and Andy Carroll (£35m). Fulham can't compete with that.'


Inflated: Liverpool shelled out £35million for Andy Carroll from Newcastle



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2337112/Fulham-forced-look-abroad-sign-players.html#ixzz2VVepSU7l
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

WhiteJC

 
Brede Hangeland: I want to lead Fulham to another Europa League final


Target: Brede Hangeland wants more European success with Fulham (Picture: Getty)

Brede Hangeland is the captain of Fulham and Norway and has spent five seasons at Craven Cottage. In an exclusive interview with Metro, the centre-back talks about life with the Cottagers after recently signing a new contract.

You recently extended your contract at Fulham until 2015. Presumably this was something you had been hoping to sort out for a while?

'Definitely, it was always my hope we could come to an agreement so I could stay. I enjoy it here a lot and it's nice to know I'm here for at least two more years.'

For a player to stay at a club for five seasons is rare these days. What has kept you at the Cottage?

'Signing the new deal shows how much I enjoy it here. The quality of life is very important for me too and the club have always been great with me, this really is a nice part of town. I could live in London for a lifetime and not get bored.'

You seemed to settle in straight away when you joined.

'I felt at home from day one. The fans are great and we have a special bond. It's not really like anywhere else, Fulham is a special club. It makes a big difference to feel you have that extra connection to a club.'

QPR have gone down despite big signings and a huge outlay on high-profile players. Why are Fulham different?

'For quite a few of our players it's not about the money, there's a bigger picture. It's about the enjoyment too.'

You lost Clint Dempsey, Mousa Dembele and Danny Murphy last summer. Are you pleased with how the campaign went considering the changes in personnel?

'There's been a lot of change and the process has been quite challenging. But the guys who have come in have done well.'

Bringing in Dimitar Berbatov was a real coup. What's he like off the field?

'It was great to get a player of his calibre. I was worried when we lost Clint, Mousa and Danny but Dimitar was a massive signing. He's quite a character – not your typical footballer. He's a quiet man but on the pitch we can all learn from him. His technical ability – I haven't seen something like that very often.'

How do you rate the season?

'You can always say that with better luck and better performances you would be higher up the table but we were happy to get to 40 points.'

You reached the Europa League final in 2010 under Roy Hodgson. Can you see Fulham getting into Europe again?

'I would love to repeat that. The time I have had here is full of wonderful memories and the ambition is to create new ones. Next season we'd love a cup run and maybe another European adventure in the future.'



http://metro.co.uk/2013/06/06/brede-hangeland-i-want-to-lead-fulham-to-another-europa-league-final-3831964/?


WhiteJC

 
Cheerio Mark, hallo Maarten

Forgive me for sounding somewhat underwhelmed by Maarten Stekelenburg's arrival. The deal for AS Roma's number one has been so 'protracted', one wondered if communication was being conducted via carrier pigeon. But Martin Jol has finally got the man he wanted.

Of course, the Dutch international was all set to step off the plane and sign in January, but right at the death Roma failed to line up a replacement and the deal went on ice. Perversely, from that point on in the season Fulham looked to tighten up defensively, with custodian Mark Schwarzer turning in a series of near-flawless performances.

Now that Stekelenburg's signature has been confirmed (fee 4.7 million pounds) under a four-year deal, Fulham's popular and dependable Aussie admits he will look to move away before the new season.

Schwarzer is convinced he's good enough to play another season at the top. His appetite for the game, and racking up the air miles flying the globe to appear for the Socceroos, remains undiminished, as does his determination to retire on his own terms. Big Mark wants to bow out at the top with a final swan song at the 2014 World Cup. So he ain't quitting yet!

However, Fulham were not prepared to give him that option, nor would they concede in contract talks to guaranteeing Mark the number one slot. It's a sad way to sign off for the man Roy Hodgson bagged on a free from Middlesborough in 2008. Tributes to Mark have been flooding the Fulham forums since Schwarzer himself told reporters the "writing has been on the wall since January" and that he would of necessity now look for a new club. Fittingly, in the final-day win at Swansea, he was man of the match.

Football, as we know, has little time for sentiment. Family life, schooling, friendships and routines get ripped apart at a moment's notice. So we turn the page and look forward.

The lines above should not mask a major act of faith by the club. Just as they did in 2002, Fulham have waved the cheque book to entice a keeper of outstanding pedigree to the Cottage. What's not to like about having a player who kept goal in the last World Cup final now representing the Whites?

As with Edwin van der Sar, this is a signing that says "we mean business". Naturally, Jol knows his man inside out from their time together at Ajax. At 30, he's 10 years younger than the man he replaces. Like Schwarzer, Maarten is a rock-solid and unflappable character who will actually "boss" his penalty area with more authority than Schwarzer, who we all know hated coming out to punch, and who in his final seasons lost distance on his punted clearances.

Sentiment aside, progressive steps have been made to cement Fulham's defensive spine. Stekelenburg will be a big obstacle bolstered by the presence of Fernando Amorebieta and Brede Hangeland in front of him, along with the combative endeavour of Derek Boateng in midfield.

Now let's see how Jol plans to invigorate other areas of the squad in support of main man Dimitar Berbatov up front. Plenty of names are being bandied about, while news of those heading for the exit door should emerge as contracts expire this month.

Mark surely will find a club, even if it's on a 'pay-as-you-play' basis. But whither Mr Stockdale now if Steve Bruce decides he can find better? Back to the bench at Fulham?

Follow Phil on Twitter >@fulhamphil



http://espnfc.com/blog/_/name/fulham/id/1101?&cc=5739

WhiteJC

 
As Stekelenburg adds to Fulham's Foreign Legion, here's one fan's view on the lack of English talent at Craven Cottage

Sportsmail's James Andrew, a season ticket holder at Craven Cottage, gives his opinion on Fulham's Foreign Legion.

Dutch goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg became Martin Jol's 14th major signing at Fulham in his two seasons at the club.

Of those signings, 13 have been from overseas with Kieran Richardson being the solitary English addition.

And the signing of Stekelenburg effectively closes the door on another English player, goalkeeper David Stockdale.

So is Jol going wrong when looking overseas for his recruitment?


Introducing: Maarten Stekelenburg became the 13th foreign signing of Martin Jol's reign at Fulham


Closed door: The move effectively ends the Fulham career of English goalkeeper David Stockdale


As a fan I would love to see more English players in the Fulham squad and not just English players but local players.

Players who come from the local area, come through the youth ranks and progress into the first XI.

Sean Davis was the last player to do this, joining as a YTS when he was 16 and playing in all four divisions for the club.

And looking past the first team, it does seem the future is bright. Steve Wigley guided the U18s to the league title this season and also the U19s won the Dallas Cup, so there is young talent at the club, but it needs to be given a chance.


Local lad: Sean Davis was the last local player to come through the ranks at Fulham


Loyal: Davis played in all four divisions for the club


Then there is Dan Burn, the defender who scored the winning goal in the League One play-off final for Yeovil last month, on loan from Fulham. He may not be local, but he is English and by all accounts highly thought of.

But buying English players is expensive. Take the England U21 squad of two years ago as an example.

Of Stuart Pearce's squad the following players have all moved clubs: Phil Jones (£16.5m), Jordan Henderson (£16m), Jack Rodwell (12m) Scott Sinclair (£6.2m), Daniel Sturridge (£12m) and Connor Wickham (£8m).

 
Expensive: Young English talent is at a premium and comes at a cost well out of Fulham's reach

The reality is, these fees plus wages do not fit into Fulham's budget.

But looking at the sort of players Fulham have signed in the Premier League era, fans have been treated to the talents of: Steed Malbranque, Edwin van der Sar, Louis Saha, Clint Dempsey, Zoltan Gera, Mark Schwarzer, Brede Hangeland and now of course Dimitar Berbatov.

Had any of these players had a British passport then they would not have played at Craven Cottage. It is as simple as that.

 
Cheap: Stars such as Edwin van der Sar and Dimitar Berbatov would never have played at Fulham had they been English - the fees and wage demands would be much too high for the club to afford

So as a Fulham and England fan I would love to see more homegrown players come through the club and play in the first team and go on and win England caps.

But with the financial pressures of staying in the Premier League, can Jol afford to turn to the youth team and ditch shopping in the foreign markets?

I'm not so sure he can. But it is important for the future of the club and English football in general that those players in the youth teams are given a chance to progress and hopefully break through into the first team squad.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2337189/Fulhams-Foreign-Legion--fans-view.html#ixzz2VVgN4Jz9
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

WhiteJC

 
Sweden look to Cottagers star Kacaniklic

WORLD CUP QUALIFYING GROUP C:
Austria v Sweden
Ireland's World Cup fortunes have often been affected by a quirk of fate and tomorrow evening could be another occasion.


Alexander Kacaniklic (left) battles for the ball with Seamus Coleman during the Ireland v Sweden qualifier in March. Picture: INPHO/Donall Farmer
By David Shonfield


Forget about beating the Faroe Islands for a minute.

Sweden take on Austria in Vienna knowing a win will make them clear favourites for the runners-up position in Group C. As ever, they will be looking to their star man, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, to make the difference. But the player who could swing their match their way is a young man who was seen as a possible successor to Damien Duff when Fulham signed him.

Alexander Kacaniklic, like Ibrahimovic, is another Swede with a mixed Balkan background. His father Zoran comes from a Serbian family who lived in Skopje, now capital of Macedonia — the former Yugoslav republic. At 16, Alexander was spotted by Liverpool when playing for Helsingborgs, and the whole family moved to Merseyside, Zoran taking a job with Ikea.

"Like Theo Walcott, only faster," is how Malcolm Elias, formerly Liverpool's director of recruitment, described him. Elias moved to Fulham and one year later Alexander followed him, as part of the deal which took Paul Konchesky to Anfield.

Three years on, Kacaniklic is beginning to make an impact. Called up by Sweden for a friendly against Brazil last August, he played a significant role for Fulham early last season and hit the headlines back home when he came on a substitute against Germany and helped inspire Sweden to their extraordinary four-goal recovery in Berlin.

For both club and country, he has played in midfield as well as on the wing, but his pace makes him a real threat out wide. In Monday's warm-up match at Malmo, he was man of the match, scoring the only goal against his father's homeland Macedonia and modestly refusing to celebrate. It was a match Sweden could have won by three or four, but some goalkeeping heroics and a slightly laid-back performance from Ibrahimovic kept the score down.

Nevertheless the captain was very positive after the game. "The cooperation with Alexander Kacaniklic will only get better and better," said Ibrahimovic. "We haven't had a player like that for a long time, a left-footed player on the wing who also can score goals."

Monday's starting 11 was more or less the side expected to play against Austria, with the possible exception of Cagliari's Albin Ekdal who played in midfield. There has been some friction in the camp about the non-availability of Manchester City striker John Guidetti, recently on loan at Feyenoord.

"There has been a lot to read about him, but not so much about him on the pitch," said Ibrahimovic. However Guidetti's agent insists he has been suffering from an injury. Sweden manager Erik Hamren has also been under pressure from journalists to explain his star player's neglect of defensive duties.

"Zlatan is so immensely important to our attacking play that it's acceptable he rests a bit while the others take care of defensive work," says Hamren. "Then again he does the work very well for spells, although he is allowed rest more than the others."

Sweden have a huge incentive, going into this game level on points with Austria and Ireland but with their game in hand against the Faroes to follow next week.

"A win against Austria would be perfect," says Ibrahimovic.

"Decisive, I don't know, but if we get a point, it would be great. And of course it would be a delight to get two wins ahead of the holidays."

On recent showing, Sweden are probably just favourites to do that, although they did go 4-0 down to the Germans and Austria were worth a draw when they played Germany in Vienna last September.

Austria have a decent home record over their past 10 matches and Sweden's away record is nothing special. And Austria have their own rising star in Philipp Hosiner, who has matched Ibrahimovic almost goal for goal this past season. Austria is of course a weaker league than France, but 32 goals in 36 games means he's a player Sweden will have to watch. And in turn the Austrians will have an eye out for young Alexander of Macedon.

© Irish Examiner Ltd. All rights reserved



http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/sweden-look-to-cottagers-star-kacaniklic-233511.html?


WhiteJC

 
Hodgson Being Failed By One Of His Ex-Clubs

The curtain fell on England's international season in the Maracana on Sunday night and even though they played out a satisfying 2-2 draw with Brazil, the large possibility of Roy Hodgson's men failing to return next year for the World Cup still lingers. A disjointed performance against Ireland followed a stuttering qualifying process that has so far only yielded victories against San Marino and Moldova, whilst Brazil were much superior on Sunday until Hodgson altered things from the bench.

He will be glad of the 2 month break with Scotland next up in August as again criticism has been levelled against his tactics that many see as arcane, it was Gary Lineker that baited Hodgson into a staunch defence in the aftermath of the 1-1 draw with Ireland. Hodgson's main line of security is the ever-declining quota of talent he can pick from and at a time when both the under-19s and under-21s are competing elsewhere, it especially resonates as a valid excuse. Though last week, the FA's incoming chairman Greg Dyke seemed to sum the hopelessness of the battle Hodgson faces by hinting towards a 60% English player-ruling with each Premier League club.

At the moment, England are best represented at Norwich who boast a 60.7% quota of England players, but at the other end of the scale lie Fulham who tally a meagre 14.3%. Out of the 30 players that represented Fulham last season, only 5 were English; the uncapped Steve Sidwell played 24 times, Kieron Richardson, who was capped 8 times 7 years ago, made 14 appearances whilst Emmanuel Frimpong, David Stockdale and Alex Smith managed a total of 7 appearances combined. Stockdale was called up to the squad twice during the Fabio Capello era and has proved himself an able deputy to Mark Schwarzer when the Australian has been injured, yet Fulham have this week closed in on the signing of Mark Stekelenberg, the Netherlands goalkeeper who has been capped 54 times.

Fulham will reportedly pay Roma £4 million for Stekelenberg, a goalkeeper with a wealth of experience, including playing in a World Cup final, ensuring Martin Jol is well-prepared for life after the 40 year old Schwarzer. For Stockdale, 27, it means further years of playing number 2 at Craven Cottage or leaving in order to find first team football. The latter scenario will mean Fulham lose one of their extremely sparse England contingent but that is unlikely to bother Jol and his band of multi-cultural players, already added to this summer with the Venezuelan Fernando Amorebieta and the Ghanaian Derek Boateng. In a first team squad made up of 28 players at Fulham, there are now 22 different nationalities.

It is this extent of foreign influx that Dyke acknowledges is compromising England's chances of ever genuinely competing on the international stage again. Currently, only 36% of the Premier League are eligible to be called up to Roy Hodgson's squad, a pale comparison to the 61% Vincent Del Bosque has to chose from with world champions Spain in La Liga. France's Ligue 1 stands at 60% home-grown, Italy's Serie A at 46% whilst Germany, who provided both Champions League finalists at Wembley last week, stands at 47%. Hodgson, who was managing Fulham just three years ago, is being let down by clubs like the Cottagers who are unfortunately not prioritised with the safeguarding of England's international future. Dyke knows this and Hodgson, who was forced into picking the unfit Danny Welbeck and Jermain Defoe for these recent friendlies because of a dearth of alternatives, does too.

Since Hodgson left Fulham for Liverpool in the summer of 2010, there have been 28 players arriving through the door at Craven Cottage and only 5 of that total have been English. The counter-argument is that English players are simply not good enough to be trusted with the responsibility of representing a club competing to stay in a league where financial rewards are gargantuan. However, both Norwich and Southampton avoided relegation with squads made up of 60% English quotas, the former even finishing above Jol's Fulham by a point. The harsh truth is that Jol can find young, cheap overseas talent like Sascha Reither, Alexander Kaciniklic and Kerim Frei due to a multi-national coaching staff and flood his squad with players of that ilk, without any responsibility or threat of binding.

Under current ruling, Fulham are entitled to do just that and perhaps it is unfair to focus on their squad of multi-nationals as an explanation for England's failure, but Dyke's words need to be heeded or else the same rhetoric will be spun for the considerable future. Below Norwich and Southampton who both break Dyke's target of 60%, no Premier League deserves credit as the decline sets out from West Ham's 51% quota of native players. At the very bottom we find Fulham who are preparing to welcome Mark Stekelenberg with open arms, the future of David Stockdale provides the microcosm of the Englishman's fate, an afterthought to the exotic nature of the domestic league.



http://www.soccersouls.com/2013/06/hodgson-being-failed-by-one-of-his-ex-clubs/?

WhiteJC

 
If Stekelenburg Can Use Fulham as van der Sar Did, He'll Have Been a Bargain

On August 1, 2001, Edwin van der Sar joined Fulham following two mostly disappointing seasons at Juventus.

The Dutchman—a four-time Eredivisie champion and 1995 Champions League winner with Ajax—had failed to win any major silverware in Turin, and after back-to-back second-place finishes in Serie A and a group-stage exit in the Champions League he was replaced by Gianluigi Buffon, who had arrived at the club for a world-record fee for a goalkeeper.

And so van der Sar, 30, moved to Craven Cottage, where over the next four seasons he would revitalize his career to the point that Manchester United would offer to make him their No. 1 'keeper ahead of the 2005-06 campaign.

He could hardly refuse, and by the time he hung up his boots in 2011, another four league titles and a Champions League winner's medal had been added to his trophy case.

Those four years at Fulham were a godsend to van der Sar, but the club—who were able to employ a top talent in transition—benefited from them as well. And after signing Maarten Stekelenburg from AS Roma on Wednesday, the modest London outfit is no doubt hopeful history is about to repeat itself.

The €5.6 million Fulham spent to land Stekelenburg (h/t Football-Italia.net) represents only a small financial risk, and with Mark Schwarzer out of contract and set to turn 41 in October, the Cottagers were always going to be in a market for a goalkeeper this summer anyway.

Enter Stekelenburg—the Netherlands No. 1 who, like van der Sar, headed to Italy after an illustrious spell at Ajax only to jump to the Premier League after two years. And, like his countryman, Stekelenburg arrives at Fulham at the age of 30, having failed to make much of a mark in Serie A.

But will he provide an upgrade on Schwarzer, the popular veteran who might have agreed a new contract had a replacement not been sought out?

This past season Schwarzer took points from 20 of the 36 matches he started, stopped 89 percent of the shots he faced and recorded an impressive eight clean sheets.

Stekelenburg, by comparison, took points from 14 of the 19 matches he started (he spent much of the season injured), stopped 88 percent of the shots sent his way and shut out his opponents three times.

Statistically (all stats courtesy of TheScore.com), Schwarzer had the slightly better season, and when Stekelenburg takes his place between the sticks, his teammates will find a goalkeeper significantly less confident on set pieces—particularly corner kicks—than what they got used to with the Australia international.

What Stekelenburg will offer, however, is excellent ball distribution and a chance that he just might rediscover the highs he hit while at Ajax, where he worked under current Fulham manager Martin Jol.

Stekelenburg has already expressed his delight at linking up with his former boss, telling Fulham's official website that Jol understands the abilities he brings to the table.

There will also be at least one new face in the Fulham defense next season—Venezuela international Fernando Amorebieta, who joined the club on a free transfer from Athletic Bilbao back in May (h/t Telegraph).

Looking at Fulham's summer transfer activity as a body of work (which has also included the acquisition of Ghana midfielder Derek Boateng from Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk), they have managed to sign a goalkeeper and starting central defender for the grand total of €5.6 million—moves that might represent some of the smartest business conducted over the next few months.

Of course, Fulham would prefer to see all their new players—and Stekelenburg in particular—play well above their valuations.

Stekelenburg, for his part, will be looking to replicate what van der Sar did at this club. If he takes the opportunity, there could still be big things waiting for him.


http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1664768-if-stekelenburg-can-use-fulham-as-van-der-sar-did-hell-have-been-a-bargain?

WhiteJC

 
MAARTEN STEKELENBURG FOLLOWS EDWIN VAN DER SAR'S STEPS TO FULHAM

FULHAM new boy Maarten Stekelenburg says Dutch goalkeeping great Edwin van der Sar will be his inspiration for life in the Premier League.

Stekelenburg, 30, will become Fulham's new No.1 after arriving from Roma on a four-year deal this week.

Van der Sar quit Serie A to launch his career in England with Fulham in 2001 before making the switch to Manchester United.

Stekelenburg said: "The Premier League is one of the biggest in the world and I am finally happy to be here.

"It's also well known that the biggest goalkeeper from Holland played here. So I will follow Edwin's career maybe, which would be no bad thing."



http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/319039/?


WhiteJC

 
A Message to Fulham Fans
by CHRIS GILBERTSON on JUNE 7, 2013

This coming Tuesday, a delegation from the Fulham Supporters Trust is meeting with Fulham Football Club at Motspur Park, the team's training ground. The purpose of the meeting is to foster the links between the club and the supporters, as represented by the supporters trust, and to highlight any issues fans have that are connected to this great club of ours.

The meeting is a serious opportunity to have issues that matter to you raised with the club at a senior level, with the club's Chief Executive Officer and Communications Director both expected to be in attendance.

The Fulham Supporters Trust would like to canvass fans, through mediums such as Hammyend.com, so that all issues, no matter how big or small, can be brought forward for discussion with the club.

We have seen, through the trust's original work with the Back to the Cottage campaign and, more recently, by publicly and privately supporting the planning application for the proposed Riverside Stand redevelopment, that a constructive relationship between a club and its fans is highly beneficial to both sides. You only have to look at the debacle up at Everton with their redesigned crest to appreciate the value of this relationship.

Aside from on-pitch affairs, to which every fan is want to have an opinion, what matters to you, the Fulham fan?

Would you like more clarity on the Riverside Stand start date? Would you like Fulham to explain the club's stance on football governance issues such as Financial Fair Play or Safe Standing? How about a cheaper matchday programme or a different selection of pies?

Please let the Fulham Supporters Trust know what you would like to change at Fulham, or indeed what you wouldn't like to change and what the club does well.

You need not be a member, just a fan, with an opportunity to have a voice. Either comment at the bottom of this article, comment on our facebook page or tweet us.

Alternatively, please feel free to get in touch with the Fulham Supporters Trust directly before Tuesday, again, via facebook or twitter.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2013/06/a-message-to-fulham-fans/?

WhiteJC

 
Arsenal, Spurs & Fulham All Linked With Vydra Move



A host of London's Premier League sides have been linked with a move for Watford striker Matej Vydra.

According to the Express north London rivals Arsenal and Tottenham are interested in signing the Udinese striker, as are Fulham.

"I can't imagine him playing Championship again right now," Vydra's agent Ondrej Chovanec told regional newspaper Evening Standard.

"We discussed it with the boy and he would like to play with the top players on the top level. It's difficult because he was very happy at Watford, but if you get the opportunity to play Premier League or German Bundesliga would you say no?

"He is the number one Czech international striker and he would like to play the same level competition as Petr Cech is doing."



http://www.sportsvibe.co.uk/news/football/arsenal-spurs-and-fulham-all-linked-with-vydra-move-25671/?

WhiteJC

 
Parma Friendly Announcement

The Club can confirm the following First Team friendly fixture ahead of the 2013/14 campaign:

Fulham FC v Parma FC

Fulham FC's First Team will play Parma in a pre-season friendly at Craven Cottage on Saturday 10th August (3pm kick-off).

Tickets will be available to buy on Tuesday 11th June.

Prices: Early Bird: £10 Adults / £5 Senior Citizens / £5 Students (Valid Student ID will need to be shown) / £1 Juniors (Under 8) / £20 Family (two adults and up to three Juniors).

On the Gate: £15 Adults / £10 Senior Citizens / £10 Students (Valid Student ID will need to be shown) / £5 Juniors.

Further ticket information and purchasing details to follow.

Keep an eye out on fulhamfc.com for further pre-season friendlies which will be published as soon as they are confirmed.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/june/07/parma-friendly?


WhiteJC

 
Community Club Visit

We were delighted to welcome our Surrey FA Community Clubs to Motspur Park on Wednesday evening. Coaches from Ashtead Colts, Horsley FC, Epsom & Ewell FC and Walton Casuals attended the third session of its kind this season, which was led by Under-14s coach Kevin Betsy - a former Fulham player, now plying his trade at Woking FC.

First, Kevin gave our guests some background on the Academy's approach and ethos towards youth coaching. He went on to stress the importance of their younger players still playing for their local clubs in conjunction with being on Fulham's books.

He then described the thinking behind the session that the coaches would be observing, before taking them across to watch the theory put into practice on the training pitch.

The Surrey coaches then watched our Under 14s and 15s being put through their paces, whilst taking notes and posing questions throughout to allow them to instil some of the drills and coaching principles with their own clubs.

"The coaching staff made a great effort to discuss exactly what they were doing, whilst the individualised practice session 'Attacking in the Final Third' was relevant as we didn't score many last season and were looking for inspiration," said Iain Kirkpatrick, coach of Walton Casuals Under-15s.

Richard Trevarthen of Ashtead Colts added: "The observational coaching sessions have been superb and a great opportunity to allow our grassroots coaches to learn what the professionals do. All of our 12 coaches that attended have come away feeling revitalised and have been given some ideas to keep them going."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/june/07/community-club-visit?

WhiteJC

 
3 reasons why Fulham should be worried about their Premier League status next season

Not many Premier League clubs ended last season in worse form than Fulham, and although they managed to jump to 12th on the final day of the season with a win over Swansea City their fans still have cause for concern in regards to their topflight status next year. Here are three reasons why.

Abysmal parking of the bus

Flicking through the Fulham backline is more like reading a comic than a squad list, and the claim is backed up when you consider that they conceded the same amount of goals as the club who finished at the foot of the table this year, Queens Park Rangers (60).

Whilst Martin Jol has already working on rectifying that with the signings of Fernando Amorebieta on a free transfer and goalkeeper Marten Stekelenburg coming in from Roma, the heart of their back four looks incredibly feeble.

Brede Hangeland has been a giant for the Cottagers in the past few years and had another sound campaign, but with Aaron Hughes and Philippe Senderos alongside him they have struggled to contain the more fleet footed forwards in the league.

Boring, boring Fulham

There are few things more exciting in football than those so technically blessed that every stroke of magic looks effortless, and there are few who pull it off as well as Dimitar Berbatov. However, when you're most creative outlet is at the spearhead of your team you are restricted in the middle of the park and it ultimately cuts off supply to your goalscorer, in this case Berbatov.

Fulham lost both Mousa Dembele and Clint Dempsey to Tottenham in the summer and have not replaced the crisp imagination in midfield. In fact, relegated Wigan Athletic created more chances (382) than the Whites (324) last term.

Apart from Bryan Ruiz, who compliments Berbatov beautifully, and Damien Duff on the wing, no Fulham player has created more than 24 chances in the entire season. When you consider Dembele and Dempsey made 88 between them for Spurs you realise how much Fulham need a maestro in their midfield.

"You might as well go home"

Fulham are notoriously poor travellers in the Premier League and have struggled to change that. Their form at Craven Cottage has been pivotal in the success they have had over the past few years and although their results away from home haven't been an anomaly from those sitting around them in the table, they will certainly need to improve on them if they want to push on next season, especially as two of the three promoted clubs in Cardiff City and Crystal Palace are known for their sturdy home performances.

The fact that they lost more games at home than they have away in the season just gone, although not as many points, tells you that they know just how vital a draw away at the Wigans can be, but with four wins, seven draws and eight losses away from Craven Cottage they will be unable to reach the European places where they want to be.



http://www.footballfriendsonline.com/blogs/2013/6/7/3-reasons-why-fulham-should-be-worried-about-their-premier-l.html?

WhiteJC

 
Roberto Donadoni coming to Fulham

FULHAM warm up for the 2013-14 Premier League season by taking on Italian aces Parma at Craven Cottage on August 10.

The Serie A side managed by former Italian star Roberto Donadoni, who also managed the Italian national team, will be decent test of pre-season preparations by Martin Jol, new keeper Martin Stekelenburg (pic), and the rest of the squad for their first game the following week.

Premier League fixtures are announced June 19.

Ticket prices for the Parma game start at £10 for adults in advance (£15 on the gate) and £5 concessions. Kick off 3pm.



Read more: Fulham Chronicle http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/fulham-fc/2013/06/07/82029-33441462/?#ixzz2VWbkntXn


WhiteJC

 
CaughtOffside 2012/13 Report: Fulham – Season Review, Best Player, Worst Player & Grade

A look back at Fulham's 2012/13 season.

After a strong finish of 9th place in 2011/12, it was likely to be something of a tense summer for Fulham fans, with two of their key players being eyed up by bigger clubs after impressing so greatly at Craven Cottage. In the end, both Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembele were sold to Tottenham for £6million and £15million respectively.

Dempsey's 23 goals of the previous season would be difficult to replace, but manager Martin Jol managed to lift spirits at Craven Cottage with the signings of three strikers – Hugo Rodallega on a free transfer from Wigan, Mladen Petric from Hamburg, and most notably, Dimitar Berbatov from Manchester United for what looked a bargain price at £4million. Berbatov first made a name for himself under Jol in their time together at Tottenham, and the prospect of them linking up again was certainly an exciting one.

Things started very brightly indeed as Fulham were top of the Premier League at the end of the opening day, as they crushed Norwich 5-0. New signing Petric made quite an impression with two goals and two assists to get the Cottagers off to a flyer.

Their next game was at Old Trafford, and they gave a good account of themselves in a narrow 3-2 defeat to Manchester United. Damien Duff gave the visitors the lead after just three minutes, though they were quickly 3-1 down before half time. Still, Fulham forced a second goal with Nemanja Vidic putting through his own net to give United a nervy finish. Despite the defeat, there was plenty for Fulham fans to be optimistic about.

However, things did not go so well as they were knocked out of the Capital One Cup in the opening round in a shock defeat to Sheffield Wednesday. This was then followed up by a poor showing in a 3-0 defeat to West Ham in the Premier League. They bounced back with wins over West Brom and Wigan, but then won only once in their next ten games as they hit a very poor patch. However, this run did include thrilling 3-3 draws away to both Reading and Arsenal, suggesting perhaps that they were not getting their just reward for some fine attacking play due to mistakes at the back.

They ended their poor run with a much-needed 2-1 win over fellow strugglers Newcastle at Craven Cottage, though more disappointment followed as they lost by the same scoreline to the Premier League's bottom side Queens Park Rangers and were thrashed 4-0 by Liverpool at Anfield.

Although still mid-table, Fulham's poor form was not encouraging and their position papered over some cracks as they were not that far ahead in terms of points from the league's relegation fighters, as much as it was generally thought that they would have the quality to stay up. This was shown with wins at West Brom and at home to West Ham, though they exited the FA Cup rather limply with a 4-1 defeat to Manchester United inbetween these results. In the January transfer window, a number of loan signings were brought in to help stop the rot, with Urby Emanuelson arriving from AC Milan, and Emmanuel Frimpong from Arsenal.

They gave a better account of themselves in their league game against United, losing only 1-0 at home, with a quality winner from Wayne Rooney making the difference. They followed this up by going five games unbeaten in the league and looking close to securing safety, as they beat fellow relegation strugglers Stoke and QPR and claimed a major scalp against Tottenham with a 1-0 win at White Hart Lane, the winner coming from former Spurs star Berbatov.

However, despite seeming safe at this point, their form then catapulted again and they ended the season terribly with five defeats in a row and six in their final eight games. They faced some difficult opposition, find themselves outclassed at home by Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool, but were also beaten by Newcastle and suffered a 4-2 home defeat to already-relegated Reading. Due to poor results from the teams below them, they managed to stay up, and a final day win over Swansea earned them a final position of 12th in the league, though only seven points ahead of relegated Wigan in 18th.



Best player: Dimitar Berbatov

An obvious choice for the club's best player, Dimitar Berbatov's quality made the difference on a number of occasions. The Bulgarian did the job of replacing Clint Dempsey well, scoring 15 times in the league and improving Fulham's quality of football with his all-round ability, helping to make his team-mates look better than they are. A signing well made, as without him they might well have gone down.

Worst player: Philippe Senderos

The slow and error-prone centre-back has more or less confirmed that he isn't good enough for Premier League level. The Swiss defender was a flop at old club Arsenal and was certainly culpable on a number of occasions for Fulham this season. The solid Brede Hangelaand deserves a better defensive partner and this is a position Jol must look to improve on in this summer's transfer window. A notable mention as well for Hugo Rodallega, who did not make the desired impact since joining from Wigan.

Final grade: D

The feeling now will be that Fulham are glad to have stayed up and can begin to rebuild for a better season next year, but there is a lot of work to be done at the club to establish itself as a safe mid-table side again. Jol has them playing some good football, but they have too many passengers and haven't truly replaced Dembele in midfield. Defenders are also a must as they concede far too many goals. They must also aim to keep Berbatov after losing two star players last summer, or they will continue to go backwards.


http://www.caughtoffside.com/2013/06/07/caughtoffside-201213-report-fulham-season-review-best-player-worst-player-grade/?

WhiteJC

 
Sour Grapes
   
Yesterday Dave Richards was voted into the position of Life President of the Football Association./b>

His ascent to this role was championed by every Premier League club apart from one, us!

It would appear, if the red-tops have got their evidence sorted, Fulham opted not to vote for his ascent into this position as we`re still pretty sore over his, reputed, interference in the deal to bring Peter Crouch to Craven Cottage back in 2009.

If this is the case, although in a way I admire our club for sticking to their principals, I have to ask if it might be the time to let it go and just get on with life instead of continuing to stick our finger in the dam and trying to hold back the tide!

Does anyone else have similar thoughts or have I gauged this one wrong?


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=321319#ixzz2VX2NgOCV