News:

Use a VPN to stream games Safely and Securely 🔒
A Virtual Private Network can also allow you to
watch games Not being broadcast in the UK For
more Information and how to Sign Up go to
https://go.nordvpn.net/SH4FE

Main Menu


Thursday Fulham Stuff (13/06/13)...

Started by WhiteJC, June 13, 2013, 04:33:45 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

WhiteJC

 
Norwich to rival Fulham for Sweden striker Nils Ola Toivonen

NORWICH want to pip Fulham to the signing of Swedish hitman Nils Ola Toivonen this summer.


Sweden striker Nils Ola Toivonen shoots against England under pressure from Leighton Baines

Toivonen, 26, has come to the attention of Premier League clubs after a solid season with Dutch side PSV Eindhoven and the Swedish national team.

And while reports had suggested that Fulham boss Martin Jol was set to secure the former Malmo forward for £2 million, Norwich are ready to trump their offer.

Canaries manager Chris Hughton is eyeing up further attacking signings to add to his squad, having brought in £8.5 million-rated Ricky Van Wolfswinkel from Sporting Lisbon already.


The PSV forward is wanted by Norwich and Fulham this summer

But with Grant Holt attracting interest from Australia, Hughton wants another striker and Toivonen fits the bill.

"It is always interesting," Toivonen said recently of the interest from England. "I don't know, it's hard to say (what league would suit him). It depends on which team you come to.

"There are teams who like to play long balls and those who like to play by the ground. I prefer the latter."

"The policy of PSV has changed and that's bad for me. I didn't start all this. But the asking price is too high. I've said it before and I continue to say it."



http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/407001/Norwich-to-rival-Fulham-for-Sweden-striker-Nils-Ola-Toivonen?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+daily-express-sport-news+%28Daily+Express+%3A%3A+Sport+Feed%29

WhiteJC

 
All in for training



The long-awaited first arrivals of our 2013/14 adidas range are finally here!

Brede and the boys have already been training in their brand new kit ahead of the new season, and now you can too.

Shop online now to make your selection from adidas' range of high-quality Fulham training gear such as the red training jersey, as worn by our Captain (pictured).

An everyday football style that keeps you cool and dry even when the heat is on - thanks to climacool® ventilation - this jersey also features mesh vent inserts with the Fulham crest to the left chest.

Have a look through the Gallery below to see how our players look, view the rest of the range online and shop today!



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/june/12/new-training-kit?

WhiteJC

 
Us or Norwich?
   
Transfer rumours, on the Fulham front, have been sparse and that has led to, and we can only apologize for this, a cut-back in the number of articles on the site.

But this morning we do have a snippet for you.

According to speculation printed in the Daily Mirror, Fulham are rivals with Norwich when it comes to signing the Swedish forward Ola Toivonen.

Toivonen, who moved to Dutch football to play for PSV Eindhoven, has scored 59 goals in 125 appearances and the twenty-six year old is seen as somebody who could make an impact in the Premier League.

So, if the rumours are correct, who do you reckon he will plump for?



Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=321642#ixzz2W41R1frr


WhiteJC

 
Swansea City & Fulham Among Premier League Quartet Chasing England Under 21 Starlet Nathan Redmond



Birmingham teenager attracting Premier League attention.

Birmingham City are likely to sell star youngster Nathan Redmond this summer after his performances for the England Under-21s have seen enquiries come in from four Premier League clubs, according to the Daily Mail.

Newly-promoted Crystal Palace are chasing a winger, and were said to have made an offer of around £1million last week, which Steve Clark's side may have to accept due to Redmond only having one year remaining on his current contract at St Andrew's. Palace have also shown a strong interest in another young England star playing in the Championship, Blackpool winger Tom Ince.


The other Premier League sides chasing Redmond are said to be Swansea, Fulham and Norwich, and Birmingham will be hoping that the number of interested clubs will see them able to set an asking price closer to £3million.

The 19-year-old scored two goals for the club in the Championship this season, and seven the season before as he made his first-team breakthrough, establishing himself as one of the most exciting young players outside of England's top flight.

He took his fine form to the Under-21 European Championships, where large numbers of scouts watched him, though Stuart Pearce's England team were eliminated after losing all three games in the group stages.



http://www.caughtoffside.com/2013/06/12/swansea-city-fulham-among-premier-league-quartet-chasing-england-under-21-starlet-nathan-redmond/?

WhiteJC

 
Three Peaks Challenge



Last weekend, a team of staff from Fulham FC, the Foundation and Barclays took part in a challenge to climb the three highest peaks in the UK within 24 hours. The Three Peaks Challenge was in support of the Club's Official Charity Partner for the 2012/13 season – Shooting Star CHASE, as well as the Fulham FC Foundation.

The climb began in the Scottish Highlands, with a 4,409ft climb from sea level to the top of Ben Nevis – the largest of the three peaks. The group tackled steep inclines, long, winding uphill climbs and, towards the summit, 10 inches of snow. They made the ascent and descent within a respectable time of five hours and 30 minutes.

The challenge took on a new twist when the team re-boarded their vehicles to travel five-and-a-half hours south to the Lake District for the next peak – Scafell Pike. Standing at 3,209ft, it is widely regarded as the most challenging climb, with the steep route littered with large, jagged rocks and loose stones underfoot. The team took on Scafell Pike at 8.30pm, reaching the peak within two hours, but then had to descend in treacherous conditions and returned to level ground at 1am before heading to Wales for their final test.

Arriving at Mount Snowdon at 5.30am, the group wearily picked up their backpacks for the final time to take on Mount Snowdon. Tired and sore, they showed real mental strength to ascend and descend in five-and-a-half hours - 30 minutes quicker than the average six hours.

After a total round trip of over 1,300 miles and more than 26 miles of uphill climbs, the group arrived back at the Club's Motspur Park training ground exhausted, sore and, in many cases, injured, on Sunday afternoon at around 5pm having successfully raised over £5,000 for the two charities.

Shooting Star CHASE is a children's hospice charity that raises money to support children with life limiting conditions. Fulham FC Foundation is a leading community sport charity that aims to build better lives through sport, running projects that span education, health, employability, sport and social inclusion.

Though the event is over, you can still sponsor the team at: http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/FulhamFC

We've put together a gallery below with some of the images from the weekend.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/june/11/three-peaks?

WhiteJC

 
Fulham Summer Transfer Targets Part 2 – Central Midfield
by CHRIS GILBERTSON on JUNE 12, 2013

It's been a tremendous start to the transfer window at Craven Cottage. We have our new starting goalkeeper in Maarten Stekelenburg and a new starting centre back in Fernando Amorebieta, while Derek Boateng has joined to provide much needed central midfield depth and Sascha Riether has completed his permanent transfer at right back. The benefit of getting all this shopping done early in the window, more time to focus on what we really need; a new midfield maestro.

The problem with writing a scouting report on possible midfielders is that there's just so many out there. Finding a gifted Premiership central midfielder can be a bit like finding a needle in a haystack. Midfielders can be scouted at length, yet until they get their chance in the middle of a Premiership pitch it is hard to know how they'll fare.

Marcel Gecov was an emerging star at the European Under 21 championships in 2011 yet he failed to last a year in England. At the other end of the spectrum, Mousa Dembele was signed as a young, lively and somewhat raw winger, yet has gone on to become one of the league's best and most dynamic central midfielders, and the one we're still trying to replace.

So here below are a few of the midfielders who could potentially help solve our problems in the middle of the park:

Vive La France

Whether it's the 3 Michelin starred gastronomic temples of Paris or the wine aisles of Carrefour in Calais, our Gallic neighbours seem to produce something for everyone and its no different when it comes to midfielders.

Étienne Capoue

A move for Toulouse midfielder Capoue is not out of the question for Fulham this summer. The 24 year old is represented by Martin Jol's agent Mino Raiola, who has a history of doing business with Fulham over Jol's tenure. With 6 French caps to his name, Capoue is a lung-busting midfielder who scored 7 goals in Ligue 1 last season; previously linked to Arsenal, he had formed an intimidating partnership with Moussa Sissoko before his move to Newcastle in January. A price-tag of over £10m would likely be required to bring Capoue from France but he'd be the perfect addition to the Whites midfield this off-season. Not the creative tour de force we're after, but St Etienne's Joshua Guilavogui is another Ligue 1 player to watch, the 22 year old was an ever present in Les Verts run to a Europa League spot.

Toulouse midfield Capoue is destined for big things
Younes Belhanda

23 year old Morocco international Belhanda is undoubtedly one of the brightest young creative talents in all of Europe. Having helped Montpellier to their maiden domestic crown in 2012, he scored 10 and assisted 5 in a stuttering campaign for the reigning French champions this season. Linked heavily to Turkey, the playmaker has spoken of a desire to move to England, with Aston Villa surprisingly the first team to make their move. A hefty eight-figure fee would probably be required, but Belhanda would be just the player to provide the spark we need. Teammate at Montpellier Remy Cabella would be a cheaper but similarly creative option, at 23, he scored 7 with 7 assists last season, and has racked up an impressive 17 caps for the French Under-21 side. Lille's highly rated 26 year old Dimitri Payet has been linked, along with Paris St Germain's Clement Chantome.

Cabella and Belhanda – Premeirship bound?
Adel Taarabt

Like Belhanda, Taarabt is a fellow Moroccan international; unlike Belhanda, Taarabt has swathes of experience in English football, having left Lens as a teenager. Taarabt is certainly not everyone's cup of tea, he has an ego the size of Shepherds Bush (and the bus it takes to get there), but his talent is undeniable. 5 goals and 5 assists, including both goals in the December victory over Fulham, is a good return from QPR's dismal season, not least because despot former manager Mark Hughes refused to use his best creative asset for most of the season prior to his dismissal. Whether you love him or hate him, Taarabt would be a talented addition to our midfield. Besides, when Berbatov's around, everybody, even Taarabt, might keep his ego in check. Teammate Alejandro Faurlin suffered the ignominy of being relegated with 2 teams last season (having spent the latter half on loan at Palermo) despite himself being a classy link player and the key to QPR's promotion and subsequent survival in their first season up.

Morgan Amalfitano

Heavily linked with a loan switch to Craven Cottage in the first weeks of the transfer window, Marseille's Morgan Amalfitano could well be on his was to South West 6. At 28 he's no spring chicken, but his ability to play both centrally and on the right flank could provide some much needed depth and versatility. Undoubtedly talented (he's better than his brother Romain at Newcastle), whether he's the star we're after or a potential squad player would remain to be seen. Lyon's Clement Grenier would be such a star, but at 22 he's likely destined for higher pastures.

The Netherlands

Oranje arrival?
Adam Maher

At 19, AZ prodigy Maher is currently being seen starring for the Netherlands in the European Under-21 championships. A centre mid who likes to attack, he our fits the job description almost to the word. 7 goals and 6 assists in the Eredivisie last season is some return for a youngster playing his first full season. Fulham Under-21 midfielder Chris David was signed in the Maher mold back in January, but having a pair of up and coming Dutch talents would be to nobody's angst, although calling Maher up and coming is selling his vast talent short. Seeing as Mousa Dembele came from AZ, another raid on Alkmaar would be just fine. Norwegian playmaker Markus Henriksen is another AZ player who could prove a possible Premier League target over the coming seasons.

Leroy Fer

Twente's combative midfielder Fer was a failed medical away from signing for David Moyes' Everton in January. 23 league appearances for the Enschede club with a last injury lay off back in November suggest such troubles are behind him. Despite the spell on the sidelines, he netted 5 times with 4 further assists last season, and scored the winner for Holland off the bench in their Euro Under 21 opener v Germany, as well as a follow up in the next game. Feyenoord duo Jordy Clasie and Tonny Vilhena would also be worthy additions, and two players very much to watch out for.

Kevin Strootman

The break the bank option from the Netherlands, PSV Eindhoven's Strootman is a future world-class talent. Signed from Utrecht with similarly gifted wideman Dries Mertens (a player destined for superstardom who scored 16 and assisted on 17 from left wing last season) Strootman is a centre mid with that perfect blend of defensive steel and attacking instinct. 6 goals and 10 assists for the 23 year old quantifies his undoubted talent. Ajax captain Siem De Jong would be another welcome addition from the Eredivisie as erstwhile wunderkind and now superstar Christian Eriksen is surely well above our reach and off to one of Europe's elite clubs from the Dutch capital.

Big money man Strootman
Junior Malanda

Not exactly Dutch, but short of dedicating a whole segment to the Belgian Pro League, Junior Malanda had to fit in somewhere. The young powerhouse was heavily linked with Fulham in January when he and his team, Zulte Waregem were both largely unheralded. Having now played 39 times in a season where Zulte achieved their highest ever finish, coming second to Anderlecht on the last day of the season, Malanda will now be a tad more expensive. A box-to-box athlete of some prowess, Malanda would be a welcome addition. William Vainquer of Standard Liege has also been linked.

Southern Europe

Antonio Candreva

Candreva is a bona fide talent who's star lit up Lazio's run to the Coppa Italia. His cross in the final provided the assist for Senad Lulic's winner. At 26, Candreva is in his prime and could star for Fulham on the right wing or as a central midfielder. He scored 7 and assisted on 13 last season. A complicated co-ownership situation with Udinese mean a transfer would be virtually impossible, though he's a player to watch nonetheless. Cagliari's Belgian international Radja Nainggolan is another to be linked with a move to Fulham, as is 22 year old Romanian Adrian Stoian, who is currently co-owned by Roma and Chievo.

A bit of Roman style?
Beñat Exterberria

Real Betis' 26 year old Basque maestro Beñat had a breakout season in Spain last year. Teammate Jose Canas, Sevilla's Jesus Navas and Celta's Iago Aspas have already sealed moves to England, so there is no reason Beñat could not follow suit. He's a deadball wizard who scored 4 and with 7 assists for Seville's second club last season. Sevilla's Ivan Rakitic and Gary Medel could also be available following their parent club's financial woes.

Raul Garcia

26 year old Atletico Madrid midfielder Raul Garcia has been linked to Fulham several times in recent transfer windows. The Spaniard, who has one year left on his contract at the Vicente Calderon, would likely cost somewhere between £5m – £10m should he fancy the move to West London. He would also become the latest opponent from our 2010 run to the Europa League Final to join Fulham, having played all 120 minutes in the final (not that we'd hold that against him!).

Europa League winner
Selçuk Inan

28 year old Galatasaray vice captain Selçuk was linked to Fulham in the early days of this window around the time Gala showed interest in Kerim Frei. There is little chance of Fulham securing the popular set piece specialist from the Turkish capital, but at 28 he'd provide an experience edge to Fulham's creative core.

Northern and Eastern Europe

Keisuke Honda

Japanese midfield magician Keisuke Honda currently plies his trade with CSKA Moscow, however the gifted 26 year old is a free agent at the conclusion of this Russian season in December. Linked heavily with Liverpool, Honda would be open for a switch to the Premier League and his contract situation will make him more financially available. A true star should he follow in Junichi Inamoto's footsteps and move to Craven Cottage. Another non European option could be St Gallen's 27 year old Argentine Ezequiel Scarione, who scored a hefty 21 goals from midfield to lead the Swiss league last season.

Honda – The Impossible Dream
Magnus Wolf Eikrem

Yes, its true, part of the reason anyone wants to sign Molde midfielder Eikrem is the fact he's named Wolf. However, the former Manchester United youngster is one of the brightest talents to emerge from the Norwegian Tippeligaen in recent years. Out of contract in December, the midfielder, who can operate centrally or on the right, has a cultured nature about his play, and could follow former teammate Vegard Forren (now of Southampton) in moving to England. Several of Germany's top clubs are already sniffing around this talented 22 year old.

Håvard Nordtveit

Like Magnus Eikrem, Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder Nordtveit is one of several emerging Norwegian talents lighting up the European Under-21 championships in Israel this summer. Nordtveit is a deep lying central midfielder with a rocket shot who has English experience having spent some of his formative years in Arsenal's academy. Unfortunately Nordtveit signed a contract extension at Gladbach in December, so any transfer would be costly, but expect to see him return to these shores someday. Teammate at Gladbach, Granit Xhaka, would likely be more available having failed to make an impact since his big money move from Basel last summer, the Swiss midfielder making just 15 Bundesliga starts last summer. Perhaps a central midfield pairing with Pajtim Kasami would push both Swiss talents to where they should be.

Stefan Johansen

Stromsgodset's 22 year old central midfielder Johansen has shone to the fore for Norway's exceptional Under-21 side in recent weeks. Along with international teammate and skipper Stefan Strandberg, (the Rosenborg centre back I'd fly to Motspur Park myself) Johansen is one of the premier Norwegian players still playing in his domestic league. With a contract expiring in Decemebr, I'd expect that to change once Norway's spell in Israel comes to an end. Valarenga's Mohammed Fellah could also be ready for the move to England. Rennes Anders Konradsen is another to watch but having only moved to France in January (as a replacement for reported near Fulham signing Yann M'Vila) he's unlikely to move again just yet.

Yevhen Konoplyanka

Dnipro midfielder Konoplyanka is not exactly what Fulham need this summer, however, that won't stop me singing the praises of the 23 year old. Having lit up his home tournament for Ukraine at last summer's Euros along with Dynamo Kyiv's Andriy Yarmolenko, it is hopefully a matter of time before we see Konoplyanka in Western Europe. He'd cost a fortune, and after the Derek Boateng saga I'd be surprised if Dnipro were too keen to speak to Alistair Mackintosh and Martin Jol again in a hurry. [N.B. latest reports suggest Konoplyanka is on the verge of an hideously over inflated petrodollar funded move to Shakhtar Donetsk] Shakhtar's Armenian Henrikh Mkhitaryan is another reported Premier League target.

England

James McCarthy

Irish international midfielder McCarthy was a consistent shining light in Wigan's turbulent season that saw them lift the cup before suffering relegation later the same week. Roberto Martinez may well look to take McCarthy with him to Everton, however should he decide to look elsewhere, there will be a not so orderly queue of Premiership teams looking to steal him away from the DW Stadium. Another relegated midfielder, Jem Karacan, deserves a second shot at the top flight following Reading's relegation to the Championship.

Cup winner McCarthy
Tom Huddlestone

It seemed impossible to leave Spurs midfielder Huddlestone off this list. Perhaps the least glamorous of all the names, "Thud" is somehow still only 26. Persistent queries about his fitness have blighted the Nottingham born player's career, but his most productive spell was as a youngster under Martin Jol. He's a scorer of spectacular goals and of forty yard passes, so provided the fee wasn't too steep, a move for Huddlestone would not seem a terrible move. Personally I'd prefer we moved for Gylfi Sigurdsson, the spectacularly talented Icelander failing to hold down a regular spot in Andre Villas-Boas' side last season. Fulham could and should offer him a cemented starting spot and wait for the creative genius that would follow for years to come. Youngster Tom Carroll is another option with Spurs potentially willing to loan out the promising 21 year old.

The perfect signings??
Liam Bridcutt

The final profile is that of 24 year old Brighton midfielder Bridcutt. A former Chelsea trainee, Bridcutt is out of contract following Brighton's run to the playoff semi finals. A combative all action centre midfielder, Bridcutt should be given his top flight opportunity having narrowly missed out on promotion with the south coast club. Current Chelsea academy graduate Nathanial Chalobah, who spent the season with Watford, will have potentially impressed any Fulham scouts sent to watch Matthew Briggs during his loan spell at Vicarage Road. Leicester's Anthony Knockaert is another destined for better things, though the striker come attacking midfielder would probably benefit from another year in the Championship following his move from France last summer.

Whoever we sign, its another exciting summer in store.

COYW


http://hammyend.com/index.php/2013/06/fulham-summer-transfer-targets-part-2-central-midfield/?


WhiteJC

 
Fulham set to battle Newcastle for Darren Bent now Aston Villa are ready to sell

England striker bought for £18million can go for just £6m PLUS Denmark defender Okore jetting in for Villa talks


Together again? Villa's Bent played for Fulham boss Jol at Spurs
Neville Williams


Fulham are set to rival Newcastle's interest in Darren Bent.

Cottagers boss Martin Jol is keen to boost the west London club's firepower and is ready to move for England striker Bent, who he previously signed for Spurs in 2007.

Bent is understood to be willing to take a pay cut from his £70,000-a-week wages to revive his career after being frozen out at Villa under first-year boss Paul Lambert.

Villa want £6m for a player they signed from Sunderland for £18m in 2011, and are ready to listen to offers now that Denmark forward Nicklas Helenius is poised to join them from Aalborg.

The Villans are aiming to close out the Helenius deal for an initial £1.2m, potentially rising to £2m, by the middle of next week.

"I hope that AaB will show enough co-operation and not demand too much money for me," said Helenius, 22. "The market is not ready for big transfers at the moment.

"I have already secured the club a lot of money through my goals, and I am on my first professional contract. So I am not making an awful lot of money."

And Villa chief Paul Lambert hopes to make it a Danish double as Denmark defender Jores Okore is to jet in for talks over a £4m move.

FC Nordsjaelland star Okore, who is licking his wounds after the national team's 4-0 drubbing by Armenia in a midweek World Cup qualifier, is to join Villa, subject to a medical and agreeing personal terms.


On the big stage: Okore in Champions League action against Chelsea
Shaun Botterill


Signing the 20-year-old, who was linked with Manchester United in January's transfer window, would be a coup for Villa.



Check out all the latest News, Sport & Celeb gossip at Mirror.co.uk http://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/aston-villa-transfers-darren-bent-1948877#ixzz2W42sfA1Y
Follow us: @DailyMirror on Twitter | DailyMirror on Facebook

WhiteJC

 
How much difference does one player make anyway?



Just goes to show, doesn't it?

When you think about it, football has to be all about the team, right?

For a team like Fulham, how many points a season do you suppose even our best player is worth?

If we win 50 points all year and use 11 players does that mean they're all worth 4 and a bit point each? How much could we expect that to improve if we upgraded someone? It's hard to think of a single player being able to make that much difference, isn't it?



http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2013/06/13/how-much-difference-does-one-player-make-anyway-2/?

WhiteJC

 
Real Betis Friendly Announcement

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

Fulham FC v Real Betis

Fulham FC's First Team will play Real Betis in a pre-season friendly at Craven Cottage on Monday 5th August (8pm kick-off).

Tickets are available to buy from 9am on Friday and supporters can save on the price by purchasing in advance.

Adult tickets are just £10 in all areas, with Juniors Under 16 priced at £5 and Juniors Under 8 just £1. Further savings can be made thanks to our Family Package which is £20 for two adults and two juniors, Family Packages cannot be purchased online, please call 0843 208 1234 (Option 3) and quote "Family Pack".

Prices will rise to £15 for adults, £10 for Juniors Under 16 and £5 for Juniors Under 8 on matchday.

Ticket Bundle: You can also buy a ticket for both the Betis and Parma games and save even more. A ticket for both matches is only available via the ticket office but is priced at £15 for adults and £30 for the Family Pack (two adults, two juniors). Please call 0843 208 1324 and quote "Pre-Season Bundle" (only available from 9am on Friday).

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/13/betis-announcement?