Thursday Fulham Stuff (18/07/13)...

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Fulham join Crystal Palace in race for Peter Odemwingie
Martin Jol is keen to add West Brom forward Odemwingie to his ranks

Fulham boss Martin Jol has joined the race to sign 31-year-old Peter Odemwingie from West Bromwich Albion, according to the Daily Mirror.

Crystal Palace have been linked with the striker recently, and are due to offer in the region of £1.5million for his services.


Though it is thought that the Midlands club are holding out for nearly double that figure, despite the Nigerian having just one year left on his contract.

It is clear the hitman has no future at the club, after he attempted to engineer a move himself to Queens Park Rangers in January which was described as 'total lunacy' by boss Steve Clarke.

After Wilfried Zaha was sold in January, boss Ian Holloway has cash to spend to bolster his forward line, and has already added former Peterborough man Dwight Gayle to his ranks.

They are also keen on Odemwingie - who has played in the Premier League for three years - in hope that he would be the perfect partner for 23-year old Gayle.

Fulham have expressed an interest but that remains casual, as it is unclear how much money is available after their takeover was completed this week.

They remain most likely for his signature along with the Eagles, although Hull, West Ham United and Sunderland have also been linked recently.

Odemwingie had established himself as a Premier League striker since his move from Lokomotiv Moscow in 2010, and hit the headlines with a hat-trick in the Black Country derby last year, in a match his side triumphed 5-1.

He has set his sights on staying in England's top division and he shouldn't be short of offers with a host of clubs looking to add strike power ahead of the new season.

However, his bad boy attitude may work against him, after launching a tirade of abuse at his club on Twitter - potential suitors may think twice about submitting a bid.

The antics were not limited to club level either, despite 55 caps for Nigeria, he was involved in a spat with his national coach Stephen Keshi, after being left out of the African Nations Cup this year.



http://www.givemesport.com/360168-fulham-join-crystal-palace-in-race-for-peter-odemwingie?

[WhiteJC]

 
Schalke end pursuit of Fulham defender

Transfer news: Schalke have given up on their slim chances of signing Fulham full-back Sascha Riether, according to the Bundesliga outfit's general manager.

The defender had been on a season-long loan with the Whites but penned a permanent deal to keep him in west London until 2015.

But Schalke had still harboured hopes that they could tempt the former Frieburg and Wolfsburg ace back to his homeland.

Now they appear to have ended their pursuit after Horst Heldt told German newspaper Ruhr Nachrichten: "We are starting the campaign with the squad we currently have.

"We will only look at incoming transfers again if our first-team squad is hit by injuries. If not, we will not spend further [on new players]."



http://www.london24.com/sport/fulham/schalke_end_pursuit_of_fulham_defender_1_2282577

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Moussa Signs New Deal

The Club is delighted to announce that Under-18 striker Moussa Dembele has signed a new deal to stay in SW6 until 30th June 2015.

Moussa joined the Club from Paris Saint-Germain in the summer of 2012 and has now turned from Scholar to Professional on a deal that also gives Fulham the option to extend it by a further year.

The striker – who has only just turned 17 – impressed for the Under-18s in his debut season and helped them to win their second consecutive Barclays Premier League Under-18 title when he scored a hat-trick in the 3-0 win over Reading in the Final at Craven Cottage.

The news follows last week's announcement that a further seven Fulham youngsters have committed their futures to the Club.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/july/17/moussa-signs-new-deal?

[WhiteJC]

 
Youngsters Prevail In Portugal

Fulham's Under-21 and Under-18 sides began their tour of Portugal in style on Tuesday, as they both secured comfortable victories in their opening matches.

Steve Wigley's U18s were in action first against Vitoria Setubul, and they stormed into a 4-1 lead before half-time. George Williams got the rout underway early on when he finished well after collecting a brilliant pass from Emerson Hyndman, before Patrick Roberts made it two as Fulham began to dominate proceedings.

The goalscorers then combined as Roberts showed great skill to find Williams for 3-0, and the former MK Dons youngster grabbed his hat-trick shortly after.

Setubal pulled one back following a set-piece routine before the interval, but Williams grabbed his fourth of the afternoon in the second half to make it 5-1, as Fulham kept possession of the ball with ease in the closing stages.

The Under-21s faced 'the Jogadores' in the later kick-off and came away with a decent 3-0 scoreline in their favour. Cauley Woodrow, fresh from scoring the winner in the first pre-season game against Sutton United on Saturday, gave his side the lead with another header after he'd been found from a free-kick.

The striker then doubled the advantage in style with a scorcher from outside the box, before Ryan Williams put the icing on the cake for Kit Symons' lads with the third following some excellent football.

The Under-21s' next opponents are FC Porto on Saturday in what should be an exciting match between two attacking sides, while the U18s take on VSC Guimarães on Sunday.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/july/17/youngsters-prevail-in-portugal?

[WhiteJC]

 
Tamworth FC swoop to land Fulham striker

Tamworth FC have completed a major coup by agreeing to sign Fulham's Welsh under-21 striker Richard Peniket.

The ex-Walsall forward has been a target of Dale Belford's for the whole summer, after being deemed surplus to requirements by the Cottagers.

But Lambs boss Belford had all but given up hope of signing the forward after he was targeted by Championship side Doncaster.

Wycombe were also keen but neither side followed up their interest and Tamworth have capitalised.

"This is a major coup for Tamworth Football Club," said Belford. "You don't play for Fulham if you don't have quality.

"He was my number one target from day one and we had all but given up hope of getting him.

"But we have perserved and have been rewarded.

"He's a great lad, someone who is very highly rated.

"He's a target man, 6ft 3ins and someone who scores goals. He's also very quick for a big man.

"We are more than delighted to have him on board."

Tamworth play Leyton Orient tonight (kick off 7.30pm).



http://www.tamworthherald.co.uk/story-19530657-detail/story.html?

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Fulham to bid £1.5m to free Odemwingie from his nightmare at West Brom

Fulham are expected to table a £1.5million bid to end Peter Odemwingie's West Brom nightmare.

The 32-year-old has been frozen out at The Hawthorns since the debacle of his collapsed move to QPR in January.

And although it was thought he was close to a move to Crystal Palace, with Ian Holloway understood to have prepared an offer, sources close to the Nigeria forward have told Sportsmail that Martin Jol wants the player.


Frozen out: Peter Odemwingie spent most of the second half of last season on the banch

Odemwingie, who has one year remaining on his contract, has been ostracised by manager Steve Clarke.

He was left at home this week as the rest of the first-team squad departed for a tour of Austria, while last week he was forced to train with the club's academy.   

Cardiff City are also interested.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2366693/Fulham-set-bid-1-5m-West-Brom-forward-Peter-Odemwingie.html#ixzz2ZMhtW9I4
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Riise Focused On Fitness

John Arne Riise says he is settling well into life on tour in Costa Rica and is focused on improving his fitness levels before the 2013/14 campaign starts.

Riise and his Fulham teammates have enjoyed a warm welcome in San Jose and won their first match 3-0 against C.S. Cartagines on Sunday. The Norwegian played 45 minutes and believes it was a good start to pre-season.

"It is always difficult in that first game, but you focus on your fitness and I think we did well," he told the official website. "We have had a good pre-season so far. Obviously it is difficult to get over the jet-lag when you first get here, but we are working hard and getting used to everything here. The humidity is hard to train in, but during the match my legs were feeling good and hopefully I'll just build on that."

With Costa Rica captain Bryan Ruiz in the squad, the fans have turned up in force to see the Fulham players and Riise has been impressed by the support so far.

"The Costa Rica fans were incredible, it was impossible to talk during the warm-up as there was music and banging and shouting," he said. "They are here to have fun. I think they are enjoying the fact that a Premier League club is here. They are so friendly to us and the atmosphere so far has been great."

With the Club training and playing just over 1,000 metres above sea level in San Jose, altitude is playing its part in the fitness preparations.

"I felt really good in my legs, I felt like I could run all day," Riise added. "But when you are running up and down the flanks it is hard to breathe and recover the oxygen you need. That is the hard part, but it makes it easier when you get back to the UK and start training again as you're going to feel the benefits."

Riise is also pleased to welcome the new additions to the squad, Maarten Stekelenburg, Derek Boateng and Fernando Amorebieta.

"If you speak English then it's quite easy to come into this group," he said. "Obviously Fernando doesn't, so it's a bit harder for him but he'll get used to us and he'll find we're a really friendly group. We always take people in and have fun, when we're on the pitch we are focused on that but off the pitch we have fun together."

The defender is certainly keen to use the summer tour to help some of the younger players in the squad and ensure that the Club is well placed to surpass last season's achievements.

"The senior players have to give advice to the younger ones and make them feel welcome," he said. "As long as they show they are here to work hard and don't get too bigheaded, then they will do well.

"The atmosphere in the camp is great and we're all working hard together and trying to make sure that we do better than last year. Obviously we finished in 12th place, but this season we want to start well for the new owner and show what we can do."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/july/17/riise-focused-on-fitness?

[WhiteJC]

 
Move Stalled
   
One transfer that has been in the pipeline for what seems weeks now is that of Bakary Sako.

The winger, currently on the books of Wolverhampton Wanderers, was supposed to be one of our first summer acquisitions with the Frenchman verbally expressing a desire to come to Craven Cottage.

But now we hear that the waters are getting a little muddy with Wolves and Fulham haggling over the proposed transfer fee, with an offer of £4 million, for the 25 year-old, being the figure banded about.

Reading between the lines, I get the impression that Wolves want Fulham to increase their offer with their new manager, Kenny Jackett, telling the media,

"You want to keep your best players but there is interest in him."

Could the haggling be due to the fact that our new owner has a bob or two or am I just being cynical?


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=325242#ixzz2ZMiYcGY6

[WhiteJC]

 
Arsenal supremo and new Fulham owner have history

Stan Kroenke and Shahid Khan wrestled for control of NFL franchise the St Louis Rams in 2010.

Fulham FC are now yet another Premier League team owned by an American businessman after auto-parts mogul Shahid Khan purchased the club from Mohammed Al Fayed.

Khan, as we all know by now, is already the owner of another sporting franchise; the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL. The Pakistani-born businessman acquired the Florida franchise in 2011 from Wayne Weaver.


But this was not the first time he had tried to buy a NFL franchise; which brings me to Stan Kroenke.

Kroenke is the largest shareholder in Arsenal Football Club and has often been the subject of a bitter war of words between himself and Alisher Usmanov.

It is also fair to say that Kroenke is not the most popular man amongst Arsenal fans.

And other than a rivalry for two of the greatest moustaches in the land these two went at it for control of the St Louis Rams back in 2010.

Khan attempted to buy the 60% of shares at the Rams that was not then controlled by Kroenke. His bid to purchase the majority shareholdings in the franchise was greeted warmly by Chip Rosenbloom and Lucia Rodriguez.

But Khan didn't bet on old Stan fighting back; and that he did.

Despite NFL rules against owning teams in other markets (Kroenke is also owner of the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Rapids, Colorado Avalanche and Colorado Mammoth) Kroenke had it written into his contract with the Rams that he had the right to match any offer made for the remaining 60% and have first refusal on those remaining shares.

He quickly changed the name on the ownership of his Colorado sporting franchises to that of his son Josh Kroenke and took up the remaining 60% on the Rams; leaving Khan in the cold.

In the end Khan got his NFL wish with the Jaguars but you just wonder if there are any hard feelings between the pair... well apparently not.

Just this week Khan said he spoke to Kroenke at length about buying a Premier League team and he was given sound advice from his former nemesis.

After all, the Rams saga would have been nothing personal; just business.



http://hereisthecity.com/2013/07/17/arsenal-supremo-and-new-fulham-owner-have-history/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham's new owner is American, but that isn't a bad thing

Sixteen years ago, a rich outsider purchased Fulham when it was bobbing in the depths of the English football league. The outsider made aggressive promises about a planned ascendency, and then delivered on them, pushing the club from the nation's third division to the Premiership in just four years. Mohamed Al Fayed then oversaw a long period of consolidation, funding the club's now 13-season stay in the top league in the land, the eighth longest current stretch of any club.

Despite initial reticence about a wealthy, eccentric Egyptian buying into England's most provincial boys club -- soccer team ownership -- Al Fayed turned out to be a consummate throwback owner: dedicated and passionate, understanding of his role as guardian of the club, willing to put his money where his mouth was, but not intrusive or controversial (Michael Jackson statue aside). When he sold the team last week to Pakistani-born Shahid Khan, the media reports and message board tributes were unilaterally positive. How many clubs in the modern era would be able to say that about their outgoing chairman?

Given Al Fayed's success, his open endorsement of Khan, and Khan's initial public words about the takeover, the amount of media blowback from the other side of the pond was somewhat perplexing.

The English have a well-documented level of self-propriety about the sport they created, but it's not even clear they know exactly what their issue is with respect to Khan, even as he's billed as the latest example of the globalization that's supposedly ruining British soccer.

Outlets immediately lamented the further infiltration of U.S influence on their league, one in which six clubs are now owned by current or former NFL owners or other Americans. But although he attended college in the United States and amassed his billions here, Khan spent the first 16 years of his life in Pakistan, a note not missed by that nation's soccer governing body, which already is leaning on Khan to look there for developing talent.

So maybe it's the NFL thing, with our country's brand of money-fueled football serving to further influence England's. Well, to this point, Khan isn't like any of the other American Premiership owners. He hasn't leveraged his club to the hilt like the Glazers. He's not yet been labeled as content with profitable status quo, like some Arsenal fans do with Stan Kroenke. He hasn't disappointed anyone yet like Randy Lerner at Aston Villa. He's not a financier or a Middle East oil scion. He's an engineer who carved out a mega-fortune in the extremely competitive U.S. automotive market, and now wants to apply similar business tactics to sport.
After Kroenke exercised his right of first refusal on the Rams after Khan's attempted purchase of the franchise in 2010, Khan ended up being approved to buy the Jaguars in Jacksonville, one of the toughest markets in the NFL. He's spent his initial time there overhauling processes and implementing new-era strategies. The team went 2-14 last season and fired its first-year coach, yet every Jags fan that reached out to me (openly a Fulham fan for the past decade) after last week's deal was announced loved him as an owner. They said he hasn't yet put a foot wrong down there, even as he has committed to moving one of his home games in each of the next four years to London.

What of the possible use of Fulham as corporate synergy, as a lever through which Khan and the NFL can keep ramming a decidedly American sport down the decidedly ethnocentric gullets of the English public? There's nothing wrong with using one company you own to promote another. Fulham in past seasons has sported odd-looking green kits in tribute to Harrod's, Al Fayed's previously-owned superstore, and orange ones last season in deference to Dutch manager Martin Jol. Would it be so horrible if the club accented its normal away black with some Jaguars teal at some point down the road, or showed Sunday NFL games on a screen at Craven Cottage?

The rapidly increasing international flavor of the Premier League -- on the field and in the owners' boxes -- combined with the ongoing mediocrity of the English national team and the regular overrating (and overpricing) of English prospects has made any further change like this a flashpoint. But it seems with Khan, the complainers don't even exactly know what they're actually complaining about. It's just easier to fit him into a predetermined box and gripe about it as part of the macro effect that is impacting the league. Whether Khan is anything like Roman Abromovich or Sheik Mansour is besides the point. He's rich, he's not British, and he owns an NFL team. How dare he want in (on the relative cheap) on a league with exploding TV rights fees and a massive global audience, with the opportunity to further entrench himself in the London sports market.

Sixteen years ago, there was similar trepidation about Mohamed Al Fayed, even without these huge, current-day benefits incentivizing ownership. Now virtually every club in the land would have gladly taken his stewardship. With everything Khan has shown so far, both with his actions for decades before this purchase and his words so far after it, Fulham seems to have found its way into the right successor's hands. Another Al Fayed with more money? The denizens of Craven Cottage could only be so lucky, even if many of their countrymen would remain aghast at the prospect.



Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/soccer/news/20130717/fulham-new-owner-shad-khan/#ixzz2ZMjDVeYL

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Was signing for Chelsea the right decision?

The Premier League has seen many long-serving keepers in its time. However, having become only the second stopper in the history of the top flight to reach 500 appearances in the league; Mark Schwarzer is one of the most recognisable in football.

Following his release by Fulham at the end of the 2012/2013 season, local rivals Chelsea have signed the Australian on a one-year contract. Despite his advancing years, he has successfully proven to Jose Mourinho the potential he still possesses. However, has he made the right decision to move to a club where many people believe he will act as no more than a back-up to Chelsea number one Petr Cech?

Personally, I feel that this is a good decision from the Aussie. Granted he won't play as many matches as he has been used to at Fulham or Middlesbrough, however as a player nearing the conclusion of what has been a remarkable career, this may not be a hugely detrimental outcome. Nevertheless, he will be involved more than the previous Chelsea second keeper Ross Turnbull, who Schwarzer has been bought in as a replacement for. With the vast amount of experience, coupled with his proven ability in stress-filled situations he will actually be one of the first keepers in the past few seasons to offer any real competition to Cech, and this could prove to bring interesting results in the starting line-up at Stamford Bridge.  While I believe many people, including Schwarzer himself still feel Cech is in the driving seat for the first-team place, it would be foolish to discount this experienced stopper.

Another factor that is likely to have strongly influenced the decision of the veteran keeper is the chance to finally be involved in Champions League football. Having been part of both Middlesbrough and Fulham's heroics in the Europa League, the one challenge left to tackle is that of top tier European competition, and at Chelsea, he is offered the chance to live that dream.

It is not merely the desire of potential Champions League football that has lured Schwarzer down the road though, but also his unequivocal yearning to compete for Australia in the 2014 Brazil World Cup, which the Socceroos have already qualified for.

"I've got a big fight on my hands at the club but I've also got a great opportunity to work with some fantastic players," the former Fulham keeper told Sky Sports Radio.

"I've got every confidence in my own ability ... to get the games that I need to make sure I'm right for the World Cup, which is also vitally important to me."

At 40, this will be Schwarzer's last chance to be involved in a competition of this prestige, and quite clearly this is an important element in his decision to move to Chelsea.

However, would there have been another opportunity for Schwarzer to take, which would have guaranteed him first team football? Is playing in cup games and the occasional Premier League game, assuming Cech does maintain his first team role, enough to convince Aussie national team coach Holger Osieck, that Schwarzer has had enough game time to line up at their first match of the tournament in 2014?

If a club such as Chelsea felt the Aussie still had enough quality to play in their first team, it is almost a certainty that another team would have come along and acquired his services. Perhaps this team would have offered a guaranteed first-team role, and ensured Schwarzer does gain his desired place on the plane to Brazil.

Not only may the move mean less first team games, but it could also lead to the Socceroo ending his career sitting on the bench. It would be fitting for the romanticists in football if Schwarzer is to retire on the back of yet another remarkable season between the sticks, however it may well transpire that he becomes a forgotten man, who after this season's conclusion of acting as number 2two retires without the send off he truly deserves.

Despite these possibilities, I still remain confident in my opinion that Schwarzer may well surprise a lot of people with his impact at Chelsea. There is sure to be competition every week for a place in that starting line-up and Cech is not going to have it his way all the time.

When it comes down to the final verdict, if this was a young player, at the beginning of their career, this move would be a silly one. A young and inexperienced player would find themselves wasting away on the bench for a few seasons. Scott Sinclair is a perfect example of this at Manchester City. However Schwarzer is at the other end of this spectrum. Experienced, and still comfortably good enough, he will get some game time, and save Chelsea on countless occasions.

Evidently, Schwarzer's main aim is to ensure he is in Australia's squad in Brazil in one year's time, and with their coach giving his blessing to the new Chelsea keeper for his move, despite the possibility of less playing time, it certainly seems like it would be foolish to deny this Premier League legend one final hurrah.



http://www.footballfancast.com/premiership/chelsea/was-signing-for-chelsea-the-right-decision?

[WhiteJC]

 
Meireles poised for Premier League return as Di Canio wants more Sunderland arrivals

Sunderland are considering a move for former Chelsea and Liverpool midfielder Raul Meireles, 30, who is unsettled at Fenerbahce.

Fulham are also interested in the central midfielder, who signed for Liverpool from Porto in a £12million deal in 2010, before moving to Chelsea for the same fee the following season, helping the Blues to their Champions League triumph.


Premier League return: Raul Meireles could seal a move to Sunderland after becoming unsettled at Fenerbahce


Return: Fulham are also interested in the midfielder, who last played in England for Chelsea

Meanwhile, Sunderland face competition from Feyenoord for Manchester City striker John Guidetti and Lazio have made an enquiry for Black Cats midfielder Sebastian Larsson.

Mackems boss Paolo Di Canio is looking to completely revamp his squad at the Stadium of Light, having already signed nine players, including a £8.6million swoop for Juventus midfielder Emanuele Giaccherini.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2367532/Raul-Meireles-sign-Sunderland.html#ixzz2ZMjqszqM
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