Monday Fulham Stuff (10/06/13)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham close in on £2m PSV star

Fulham boss Martin Jol is close to agreeing a £2m deal for PSV Eindhoven attacker Ola Toivonen, according to reports from the Sunday People.

The Swedish international is a former target of the likes of Liverpool, and is widely regarded as one of the Eredivisie's top talents.

However, a contract dispute with his current employers has plunged the 26-year-old's future into doubt, opening the door for Fulham to pounce.

Jol is keen to bolster his attacking options this summer after watching his side slump dangerously close to relegation during the latter half of last season.

But, the Dutchman will have limited funds to do so, making a £2m offer for Toivonen an attractive proposition.

The PSV man is capable of playing as the focal point of the attack, or dropping deeper, and could forge a strong relationship with talismanic hit-man Dimitar Berbatov.

Toivonen has gained a reputation for his goalscoring prowess in Holland, netting 59 goals in just 129 appearances for his current employers.

The former Malmo man has also been impressive on the international stage, notching 33 caps.

He is seen as an ideal replacement for Mladen Petric, who left Fulham last week after his contract expired.



http://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/fulham/fulham-close-in-on-2m-psv-star?

[WhiteJC]

 
Tottenham keen on £7m Swede

Tottenham manager Andre Villas-Boas is preparing a summer move for Fulham winger Alex Kacaniklic, according to reports from the Sunday People.

The Portuguese coach is willing to spend up to £7m on the talented Swede, who joined the Cottagers from Liverpool in 2012 as part of a deal for Paul Konchesky.

AVB may also offer Tom Huddlestone in exchange to sweeten any deal, with the west London club thought to be keen on the imposing midfielder.

The White Hart Lane outfit are believed to have made attacking reinforcements their main priority this term, with injuries to the likes of Aaron Lennon exposing a lack of depth last season.

Kacaniklic is believed to meet AVB's list of requirements, and the former Chelsea boss is confident that he can slot seamlessly into his squad.

The 21-year-old really announced himself in the Premier League this season, turning in a number of impressive displays to help Fulham secure a solid midtable finish.

Despite his young age, Kacaniklic has already made nine senior appearances for Sweden, and is regarded as on of the nation's rising talents.

He was deemed to be surplus to requirements at Liverpool, but has blossomed after being given a chance of regular first-team football under Martin Jol.



http://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/tottenham/tottenham-keen-on-7m-swede?

[WhiteJC]

 
AVB's winger move sparks Hudd move talk

Spurs have made Fulham's Alex Kacaniklic their top midfield target after losing out to Borussia Dortmund for Brazilian winger Bernard. Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas is on the lookout for a new wide player and has been impressed by Kacaniklic, 21, who rediscovered his form of the previous season with a strong end to the last campaign at Craven Cottage. Villas-Boas' top scout Daniel Sousa saw the ex-Liverpool youth team player impress in Sweden's friendly against Macedonia on Monday as he scored and hit the bar in a 1-0 win in Malmo. Spurs are ready to pay £7million for the winger but Fulham are unlikely to agree to a deal at that price with Kacaniklic under contract for another two years in south west London. Tom Huddlestone is a player who Spurs know Martin Jol is interested in, however, and reports that he could be used as bait in a deal for Kacaniklic may not be too far wide of the mark. Huddlestone is under contract until 2015 but is desperate to play regular first-team football in a bid to force himself into the England reckoning ahead of the World Cup. Meanwhile, claims that Spurs are trying to lure Brazilian winger Bernard from Atletico Miniero are old and it appears Champions League finalists Borussia have all but sealed the deal for the diminutive 20-year-old. The German club have had the deal in place for the best part of a month and are ready to announce it after Atletico's participation in the Copa Libertadores comes to an end, which will be a couple of weeks after the Confederations Cup.



Read more at: http://www.clubcall.com/tottenham-hotspur/avbs-winger-move-sparks-hudd-move-talk-1598162.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
Mark Schwarzer unsure over future

Former Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has revealed that he has no plans regarding his future.

The veteran Australian recently confirmed that he would be leaving the Cottagers this summer following a five-year spell with the club.

"I haven't got any plans at this stage at all," Schwarzer told The Sydney Morning Herald.

"I've got another nine or 10 days [on international duty] and hopefully we qualify for Brazil and then after that's all over with, I'll think about what I'll do with my club."

Schwarzer joined Fulham from Middlesbrough in 2008.



http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/fulham/transfer-talk/news/schwarzer-unsure-over-future_88242.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Schwarzer- The Ideal Signing

With all the rumours about Cavani, Schurrle, Hulk, etc, there hasn't been much talk about what Chelsea are going to do with the current goalkeeping situation.

As we just found out, Chelsea have released goalkeepers Ross Turnbull and Henrique Hilario following the expiration of their contracts. So this leaves the question, who will José Mourinho bring in as the new #2?

The possibility of Thibaut Courtois returning was dismissed this afternoon after Courtois himself confirmed that he would be returning to Atletico Madrid for one more season during a press conference with the Belgian National Team. I think it`s safe to come to the assumption that Jamal Blackman is not quite ready to step into the first team picture. However, he should provide decent cover as a third string keeper.

So now that just leaves the number 2 spot vacated. Enter Mark Schwarzer.

The 40 year old is currently on international duty with Australia as he aims to help his country seal a spot in next summers` FIFA World Cup. Having just been released by Fulham, Schwarzer is seeking a new club as in intends to lead his country out one more time in the World Cup before hanging up his boots for good.

There has been talk of a return to the A-League but in a recent interview with Sky Sports, Schwarzer stated:

'It's no great surprise and I'll be looking for another club'

'Not at this stage, no, continued Schwarzer, when asked about a return to Australia.

'My family's settled and the kids are in school and I wouldn't (move) my family anyway.'

With Schwarzer looking to stay close to home, a move to Chelsea would be perfect as this would enable him to stay in his current residence with his family and play in a decent amount of games (ie FA Cup, Capitol One Cup) giving him adequate preparation for the summer.

By signing a 1-year contract, this would give Chelsea a world-class back-up to Petr Cech and allow room the subsequent season for the potential return of Thibaut Courtois.



Read more: http://www.chelsea.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=535538#ixzz2VmSsErCG

[WhiteJC]

 
Memory Lane

A local of SW6, Malcolm Macdonald would become one of the country's best strikers over the course of his career but he has the influence of Sir Bobby Robson to thank for giving him a chance during his time at Fulham.

Macdonald played for Luton Town, Newcastle United and Arsenal, as well as knocking in six goals (five of them coming in the same game against Cyprus) in 14 appearances for England, but it was at Craven Cottage where he honed his predatory skills after initially being fed on a diet of Fulham football as a young boy.

"I was born in Finlay Street, so my first direct contact with the Club was when, in the depths of winter, my father came home on Saturday lunchtime and said 'come on son, put your winter woollies on, I'm going to take you to your first football match.'" Malcolm told the official website. "And he took me to see Fulham versus Blackburn Rovers in about 1954. We were in the Putney End, quite a way up, and as more and more people came in we ended up down at the bottom and I watched the whole game through the net and the keeper's legs.

"I fell in love with the game and I thought that it was what I wanted in my life; from that day on, I strived to make sure that it was a part of my life."

Having made the decision early to follow the football path, it was a chance meeting with then-Fulham Manager Robson in 1958 that confirmed his ambition.

"When I was eight years old, in the school holidays, I used to put my autograph book in my pocket and walk up Finlay Street, turn left and would wait at the bus stop for the footballers," he said. "There was only one player at the Club then who had a car at the time, and this was before the maximum wage was got rid of. One day, off the bus came Bobby and I said 'Mr Robson, can I have your autograph please?' He took my book and I took his bag, so he could write. But then he asked me to walk along with him.

"We walked along Fulham Palace Road and along Finley Street, and we continued walking; all the way he kept talking football. He was full of questions about me: 'Do you play football?' he asked. I said: 'Yes, I do, I play for my school.' Then came: 'Are you right or left footed?' I replied: 'Left'. 'Oh, you're a rare one,' he said. 'Left footers have always got a chance of making it in the game because they're so rare.'

"He just kept asking me questions: what position did I play; what kind of a player was I? He got me to describe myself as a footballer and, for the first time, somebody really made me think about me and my game together. By then we reached the gates of Craven Cottage and he took his bag off me, patted me on the head and gave back my autograph book - duly signed - before heading in to training."

What happened next is almost beyond belief, but speaks volumes for the man Robson was. Ten years later, after beginning his career with Tonbridge Angels, Macdonald was brought to Craven Cottage as a full-back for £1,000 and, a decade older, was still a familiar face to one of the most famous managers of all-time.

"I was at Tonbridge and Crystal Palace wanted to take me on," he said. "Everything was agreed, but Bobby Robson stepped in and, after meeting him, he was one of my boyhood heroes; Fulham was the Club of my heart so I turned Palace down.

"I arrived with my former manager Harry Haslam. He had been my manager at Tonbridge, but he left and became the Chief Scout under Bobby at Fulham. I went upstairs to the reception area at the Cottage and the lass told me to go along the corridor and knock on Bobby's office door.

"I went in and there was Bobby sat at his desk, looking at a sheet of paper. I walked up to him and, after a few seconds, he looked up at me. Then he looked again, narrowed his eyes and said: 'I know you. You're that eight-year-old who used to meet me at the bus stop to carry my bag down to Craven Cottage and you never kept quiet the whole time!"

Macdonald was delighted to be given a chance to fulfil his Fulham dream and, while it would ultimately not be what he would have hoped, he was able showcase his skills in the position he would come to dominate throughout the rest of his career: centre-forward.

"What Bobby then did was give me the opportunity. I think that's the most important thing of all; to just give someone a chance to prove themselves," he added. "My history in the Fulham First Team was a brief one but the stats (five goals in 13 games) are a little misleading. Bobby bought me as a full-back and played me in the Reserves, but there were a lot of injuries to the forwards and the team was having a nightmare after being relegated from the First Division. So he put me up front and I started scoring goals in the Reserves. Then there were more injuries and Fulham were left with one fit centre-forward, which was Frank Large, and myself.

"So I got a chance in the First Team and we played our first match against Oxford United. I scored two, but they were both disallowed for offside. The following game was Crystal Palace and I scored the only goal of the game – then, after two more games, I scored for the next four consecutive. And after that Bobby was sacked and I was dropped. I was the leading scorer, but I was dropped by the Caretaker-Manager which was Johnny Haynes, who happened to be my boyhood hero. After that I just kept my head down and stayed in the wilderness until pretty much the end of the season when we were already relegated."

It was a disappointing end to a brief Fulham career, but the writing was on the wall for Macdonald once Robson was sacked with the team struggling towards the bottom of the Second Division.

"The new Manager, Bill Dodgin, gave me a few games here and there, but it wasn't what I wanted," he said. "Bobby was given the responsibility of clearing out the old guard, and was keen to play the kids, but he was sacked by Chairman Tommy Trinder when he tried. I was given a chance to play in the First Team, but after Bobby went, I went back into the Reserves again with no hope. It didn't matter how well we did, we weren't going to get another chance unless there were a lot of injuries.

"At the end of the season, when I had finished the Club's second top scorer (two behind Brain Dear) despite hardly getting a game, I just wanted to go somewhere and play. I didn't know what to expect next season so I went to see Bill Dodgin, then I demanded to see the Chairman. It was a real nervous time for me but times were changing and if scoring goals wasn't making an impact for them then I wanted to go. After a heated discussion, he let me. Thankfully Harry Haslam was at Luton and he said that if I didn't want to stay at Fulham I could move there - and Fulham got a nice profit of £17,500 for me too."

After leaving Craven Cottage, Macdonald embarked on a career that would see him revered as one of the best strikers of his era but he never forget where he started off.

"Bobby Robson steeled me," he said. "Through him and the times we experienced together - plus the fact that he had the faith to stick with me at centre-forward - he made me realise that my life was not as a defender, but as a forward. He was a great influence for me."

Join us next week for the second instalment of Memory Lane with Malcolm Macdonald, as SuperMac reveals how legendary Fulham boss Alec Stock helped to shape his own managerial career.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/june/09/memory-lane

[WhiteJC]

 
Misery For Lasse

Lasse Vigen Christensen's Denmark narrowly missed out on qualifying for the Under-19 European Championship on Sunday evening.

The talented midfielder had already played his part in impressive 5-0 defeats of Bulgaria and Czech Republic, ahead of their clash with Portugal who had seen off their Group Three opponents in similarly convincing fashion.

Ahead on goal difference, hosts Portugal started brightly in Barcelos, and could well have taken an early lead when Denmark goalkeeper Oliver Korch was dismissed for a foul on Helder Costa after just five minutes. The highly-rated Bruma missed from the subsequent spot kick.

Both teams had chances to break the deadlock, with 10-man Denmark showing resilience to keep Portugal at bay.

As the game wore on and with the pressure building, the Danes saw their chances of progression come undone, with Yussuf Poulson presenting the hosts with their second penalty of the night.

With two minutes left on the clock, Bruma made amends for his earlier miss by slotting home a confident finish beyond the reach of Casper Radza to send Portugal through to the Finals which will start in Lithuania later this month.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/june/09/misery-for-lasse?

[In the Enclosure]

Yes really pi@@es me off that one of the best goalscorers of that generation was a local boy and Fulham fan and yet we sold him for a pittance.
Don't think things were run properly under Trinder.
We got ripped off for both Marsh and Mcdonald.
Even Alan Clarke was sold fairly cheap considering how good he was.
What a trio of strikers !

[bucksfulham]

Yes really pi@@es me off that one of the best goalscorers of that generation was a local boy and Fulham fan and yet we sold him for a pittance.
Don't think things were run properly under Trinder.
We got ripped off for both Marsh and Mcdonald.
Even Alan Clarke was sold fairly cheap considering how good he was.
What a trio of strikers !

Allan Clarke didn't go cheaply. We sold him to Leicester for £150,000 which was a RECORD transfer fee. They sold him to Leeds a year later for £165,000.

[bill taylors apprentice]

Yes really pi@@es me off that one of the best goalscorers of that generation was a local boy and Fulham fan and yet we sold him for a pittance.
Don't think things were run properly under Trinder.
We got ripped off for both Marsh and Mcdonald.
Even Alan Clarke was sold fairly cheap considering how good he was.
What a trio of strikers !
[/quote
Allan Clarke didn't go cheaply. We sold him to Leicester for £150,000 which was a RECORD transfer fee. They sold him to Leeds a year later for £165,000.

£150,000 maybe, but a big chunk of that fee was made up by the inclusion of Frank Large, valued at around£50,000. Poor old Frank was rubbish for us.

[gerrys]

Yes really pi@@es me off that one of the best goalscorers of that generation was a local boy and Fulham fan and yet we sold him for a pittance.
Don't think things were run properly under Trinder.
We got ripped off for both Marsh and Mcdonald.
Even Alan Clarke was sold fairly cheap considering how good he was.
What a trio of strikers !
[/quote
Allan Clarke didn't go cheaply. We sold him to Leicester for £150,000 which was a RECORD transfer fee. They sold him to Leeds a year later for £165,000.

£150,000 maybe, but a big chunk of that fee was made up by the inclusion of Frank Large, valued at around£50,000. Poor old Frank was rubbish for us.

It was a bit like swapping Ribot for a cart-horse.....