Friday Fulham Stuff (19/07/13)...

[WhiteJC]

 
L.D. Alajuelense 1 Fulham 3: Ruiz marks homecoming with second-half strike

Fulham's pre-season preparations gathered pace on Wednesday night as they recorded their second win of their tour of Costa Rica.

Fresh from Shahid Khan's takeover, Martin Jol's men edged out L.D. Alajuelense thanks to goals from Steve Sidwell, Bryan Ruiz and a penalty from Dimitar Berbatov.

Allen Guevara had equalised for the home side before the Premier League club re-established their lead in the penultimate game of the trip.


Main man: Bryan Ruiz celebrates after scoring for Fulham against L.D. Alajuelense in Costa Rica

The players warmed up during an electrical storm as lightening bolts flashed across the sky.

And Fulham struggled to settle in the early stages as their hosts seized the initiative with Kevin Sancho's shot almost catching out Maarten Stekelenburg.

Cristian Oviedo almost caught out the Dutch keeper with a dipping shot before Alfonso Quesada saved well from Sidwell.

Ashkan Dejagah curled a 25-yard free kick inches wide of the post midway through the half but although the visitors ended the opening period on top, they couldn't find a way to make their dominance count as both Sidwell and Ruiz were denied.

But that changed just after the hour mark when the same two players combined for the opening goal. Ruiz, back in his homeland, crossed for Sidwell to head home.

The lead lasted just 10 minutes however as Guevara curled the ball past Stekelenburg.

The second half was far from a classic but Fulham did enough to earn victory in the final stages. A penalty was awarded when Alexander Kacaniklic was sent tumbling by Elías Palma and Berbatov converted from 12 yards.


Spot on: Alfonso Quezada is beaten by Dimitar Berbatov's penalty as Fulham won their second friendly

The Bulgarian was then replaced before, fittingly, Ruiz completed the scoring against his first professional team, firing home at the near post following a fine solo run.

Fulham complete their tour of Costa Rica on Saturday when they take on Deportivo Saprissa before flying to Germany to take on Werder Bremen a week later.

Home friendlies against Real Betis and Parma complete the pre-season preparations before the Cottagers' Premier League opener against Sunderland at the Stadium of Light on August 17.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2368080/L-D-Alajuelense-1-Fulham-3-match-report.html#ixzz2ZSUcd7Ul
Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham to hand West Brom's Peter Odemwingie a way out with £1.5m bid

FULHAM are preparing a £1.5million offer for West Brom striker Peter Odemwingie.

Crystal Palace and Cardiff are also interested in the Nigerian, who became an outcast after attempting to force a move to QPR on January transfer window deadline day.

Since then, Odemwingie, 32, has not started a game and has been omitted from Steve Clarke's first-team squad.

Meanwhile, Sascha Riether is set to stay at Fulham after Schalke ended their pursuit of the full-back.



http://www.express.co.uk/sport/football/415598/Fulham-to-hand-West-Brom-s-Peter-Odemwingie-a-way-out-with-1-5m-bid?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+daily-express-football-news+%28Daily+Express+%3A%3A+Football+Feed%29

[WhiteJC]

 
O-Zone: Honing the craft

JACKSONVILLE -- Let's get to it . . .

Jim from Jacksonville:
The relationship between the Jaguars and FFC London should provide amazing synergy on both sides of the "pond." Youth soccer is hugely popular, so the excitement here will be huge. Jaguars practicing at the Cottage and the Whites playing exhibition matches at EverBank will be exciting. This may even influence an NASL team coming to JAX. What say you?

John: I say I have a few thoughts. First, since the announcement Friday that Jaguars Owner Shad Khan had purchased the Fulham Football Club, response among readers of this column – yes, both of them – has been overwhelmingly positive. They seem to get the spirit of this issue, and that's that Khan purchasing Fulham is not about moving the Jaguars to London or in any way jeopardizing the team's future here. The second thought is there are a lot of Jaguars fans who seem to have been interested in following the English Premier League, and many seem ready to adopt Fulham as their team. Finally, the overall reaction to the move just seems to be that the time is right for it. Perhaps not all Jaguars fans are quite versed in EPL, but the majority seems to see it as another part of the dynamic of a forward-thinking, international-minded owner. As for an NASL team coming to Jacksonville, we'll see. There seems to be more of a legitimate interest in that possibility than I ever imagined there being, and it's not out of the question that this could be the impetus for such a happening.


http://www.jaguars.com/news/article-theOzone/O-Zone-Honing-the-craft/7b9e3a08-18af-4883-9ad4-3fd02ea49efb?

[WhiteJC]

 
Richard Peniket: Ex-Fulham forward joins Tamworth



Richard Peniket has joined Conference Premier side Tamworth on a one-year deal following his release from Fulham.

The 20-year-old striker was let go by the Premier League side in June having failed to make a first-team appearance at the club.

However, Peniket, who has one cap for the Wales Under-21 side, has had loan spells at Hereford, Kidderminster, Telford and Farnborough.

He came through the ranks at Walsall before moving to Fulham in 2011.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/23359432?

[WhiteJC]

Peruzzi seals Sunderland move as Fulham swoop for Bardsley

SUNDERLAND hope to clinch the signing of Gino Peruzzi today – bringing one right-back into the club just as another prepares to leave.

Argentine defender Peruzzi is on Wearside after flying over from Buenos Aires yesterday.

And is expected to swiftly tie up a £3.3m deal before travelling onwards to Hong Kong to compete in the Barclay Asia trophy with his new team-mates.

Two officials from his club Velez Sarsfield made the trip with him, as Peruzzi arrived to complete a medical and finalise personal terms.

Negotiations now are not expected to be long and drawn out, with agreements fully reached between the two clubs and Peruzzi happy with Sunderland's improved terms.

Once the deal is agreed, the 21-year-old will become Sunderland's new first-choice right-back - replacing Phil Bardsley in that role.

Peruzzi's signing will confirm the end of Bardsley's five year stay at the Stadium of Light.

The 28-year-old, a former Sunderland Player of the Season, has been ostracised by head coach Paolo Di Canio since photographs emerged of a late-night casino session in the run-up to the final game of the season at Spurs in May.

Bardsley was fined and dropped for that game, and did not travel with the team for their pre-season training camp in Italy, nor was included in the squad for the Hong Kong trip this weekend either.

Instead, he played for Sunderland's Under-21 development side yesterday in a goalless pre-season friendly against Southampton at the Academy of Light.

It has been a chastening experience for the defender but Fulham are now expected to bring an end his miserable last few months on Wearside.

Fulham boss Martin Jol is expected to capitalise on the situation by agreeing a cut-price deal for a player who has made close to 150 starts for Sunderland since being signed by Roy Keane in January 2008.



http://www.shieldsgazette.com/sport/football/sunderland-afc/peruzzi-seals-sunderland-move-as-fulham-swoop-for-bardsley-1-5865382

[WhiteJC]

 
Foundation Collaboration

On Tuesday 2nd July, the Fulham FC Foundation facilitated the launch of a new £16.8m partnership between the Premier League and Sport England at Evelyn Grace Academy in Brixton. The collaboration, which will enable the growth of two community programmes – Premier League 4 Sport (PL4Sport) and a rebranded Kickz project - will engage young people in a wide variety of sporting activities including handball, netball, badminton and volleyball.

Participants from both the Kickz and PL4Sport projects took part in coaching drills with the likes of Great Britain basketball captain Drew Sullivan, England netball star Sasha Corbin, GB table-tennis player Darius Knight, as well as Great Britain sprinter Adam Gemili. During the formal press conference Gemili stated that "it is so important to really invest and to put time into the next generation," and this is what the two programmes aim to do.

Kickz is a football-based scheme that has developed through the Premier League and the police. It is based around professional club coaches taking football and other activities to the young people in the community, using local facilities such as parks to reduce barriers to participation. The programme, which has been running since 2006, has to date helped 71,500 young people in some of the most disadvantaged areas of the country become involved in sport.

PL4Sport, launched in 2009, is delivered by the Premier League, Sport England and the Youth Sport Trust. The ultimate aim of PL4S is to transition young people between the ages of 11-18 from the introductory 'Satellite Clubs' hosted at school facilities, into Community Sports Clubs, such as Richmond Volleyball Club – keeping them retained in sport after they reach 16 years of age.

Leanne Dingle, Head of Development at Fulham FC Foundation, stated that "the Fulham Football Club Foundation is extremely pleased to be part of these fantastic programmes and it will help us to reach our goal of building better lives through sport. We will be working with local partners in the communities we serve to promote fun, safe and educational opportunities for young people."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/july/18/foundation-collaboration?

[WhiteJC]

 
Dembele New Deal
   
One Moussa Dembele may have left Craven Cottage last season, to move to Spurs, but another Moussa Dembele appears very happy to remain at the Cottage.

17 year old Moussa Dembele, a valuable part of our U18 title winning side, has agreed to a new deal that will keep him at Fulham Football Club until 2015.

Fulham acquired the youngster from Paris St Germain and the acquisition is fast appearing to look like a more than decent one!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=325352#ixzz2ZSWcoaKn

[WhiteJC]

 
Ruiz scores on return to boyhood club in Costa Rica

Friendly: L.D. Alajuelense 1 Fulham 3

Bryan Ruiz enjoyed an emotional return to former club Liga Deportiva Alajuelense, scoring as Fulham picked up their second victory of their Costa Rica pre-season tour.

It is a decade since he signed for his boyhood side and he capped off a 3-1 win with the final goal three minutes from time.

"It was nice to meet my friends again," he told Fulham's website. "Of course it's nice to be here in Costa Rica and play against this team.

"Many of them I know because of the national team and some of them were playing here with me in Alajuelense and we still keep in contact.

"Ten years has passed already and I still have many good memories of this team. We were champions here and we did a great job when I was here and I'm really happy about that.

"It was nice play with them again."

After a goalless first half Steve Sidwell opened the scoring, heading in Ruiz's 62nd minutes cross.

The hosts levelled 10 minutes later through Allen Guevara but the Londoners' lead was restored by Dimitar Berbatov from the spot after Alexander Kacaniklic was fouled in the penalty area.

Ruiz then struck late on.


http://www.london24.com/sport/fulham/ruiz_scores_on_return_to_boyhood_club_in_costa_rica_1_2286276

[WhiteJC]

 
Pre-season friendly: Bryan Ruiz shines against former club as Fulham beat Alajuelense 3-1


Bryan Ruiz: On target for Fulham in 3-1 win against his former club Alajuelense

Bryan Ruiz scored against his boyhood club as Fulham continued their pre-season tour of Costa Rica with a 3-1 victory over Liga Deportiva Alajuelense.

In his first game against his former team since leaving for European football seven years ago, Ruiz's Fulham were initially frustrated in a goalless first half.

But the returning hero made his mark in the second half by setting up the opening goal for Steve Sidwell to head home his corner in the 62nd minute.

Allen Guevara drew the home side level ten minutes later after finding space in the box to fire past summer recruit Maarten Stekelenburg, but Fulham quickly restored their lead.

A penalty was awarded for a foul on Alexander Kacaniklic after he was brought down by Elias Palma, and Dimitar Berbatov stepped up to coolly tuck away the spot-kick.

Ruiz then produced a fitting finish to the game when the Cottagers launched a swift break in the 87th minute and he struck at the near post.



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/8829930/?

[cmg]

Jim from Jacksonville:
The relationship between the Jaguars and FFC London should provide amazing synergy on both sides of the "pond." Youth soccer is hugely popular, so the excitement here will be huge. Jaguars practicing at the Cottage and the Whites playing exhibition matches at EverBank will be exciting. This may even influence an NASL team coming to JAX. What say you?

http://www.jaguars.com/news/article-theOzone/O-Zone-Honing-the-craft/7b9e3a08-18af-4883-9ad4-3fd02ea49efb?

Dear Jim from Jacksonville,

It is most encouraging to hear how excited you are at the newly-forged relationship between our two teams. We, on this side of the ocean, are also looking forward to some interesting devlopments and in furthering friendly relationships.

Oh, by the way, if you EVER again refer to this great club as 'FFC London', I shall personally come over, dredge all the tea from the bottom of Boston Harbor, take it to Florida and stuff the lot down your throat.

Have a nice day, y'all.

[Admin]

Jim from Jacksonville:
The relationship between the Jaguars and FFC London should provide amazing synergy on both sides of the "pond." Youth soccer is hugely popular, so the excitement here will be huge. Jaguars practicing at the Cottage and the Whites playing exhibition matches at EverBank will be exciting. This may even influence an NASL team coming to JAX. What say you?

http://www.jaguars.com/news/article-theOzone/O-Zone-Honing-the-craft/7b9e3a08-18af-4883-9ad4-3fd02ea49efb?

Dear Jim from Jacksonville,

It is most encouraging to hear how excited you are at the newly-forged relationship between our two teams. We, on this side of the ocean, are also looking forward to some interesting devlopments and in furthering friendly relationships.

Oh, by the way, if you EVER again refer to this great club as 'FFC London', I shall personally come over, dredge all the tea from the bottom of Boston Harbor, take it to Florida and stuff the lot down your throat.

Have a nice day, y'all.

0001.jpeg

[Bokonon]

As Bostonian, believe me, dredging the harbor would do more ill to you than you could do to anyone else. :)

[tslyon]

Jim from Jacksonville:
The relationship between the Jaguars and FFC London should provide amazing synergy on both sides of the "pond." Youth soccer is hugely popular, so the excitement here will be huge. Jaguars practicing at the Cottage and the Whites playing exhibition matches at EverBank will be exciting. This may even influence an NASL team coming to JAX. What say you?

http://www.jaguars.com/news/article-theOzone/O-Zone-Honing-the-craft/7b9e3a08-18af-4883-9ad4-3fd02ea49efb?

Dear Jim from Jacksonville,

It is most encouraging to hear how excited you are at the newly-forged relationship between our two teams. We, on this side of the ocean, are also looking forward to some interesting devlopments and in furthering friendly relationships.

Oh, by the way, if you EVER again refer to this great club as 'FFC London', I shall personally come over, dredge all the tea from the bottom of Boston Harbor, take it to Florida and stuff the lot down your throat.

Have a nice day, y'all.

0001.jpeg

Feel better now?  :-)

[cmg]

Actually, although a born and bred Londoner, I've always hated tea - so perhaps I'll leave it alone.

Anyway I always feel better after a Friday lunchtime rant.   092.gif

[IranianCottager]

Ashkan Happy To Return

Now that he is back from injury, midfielder Ashkan Dejagah is pleased to be playing a part in our pre-season tour of Costa Rica.

Dejagah suffered ankle ligament damage in the 3-2 win over Queens Park Rangers on 1st April, which ruled him out of the remainder of the season. But he returned to training earlier this month and proved himself fit enough to travel with the team to Costa Rica and participate in both games so far.

"It is good so far," he told the official website. "The weather is nice and we are working hard here. I think the games have been good and we won, but we can always play better and we have time to improve."

The Iran international has shown no signs of being behind the pace on his return to the side, and thinks that he can further improve his fitness out on tour.

"It has been very hard for me as it was my first big injury," he said. "After three months it is not easy to come back, but I am working hard and trying my best and hopefully I have shown I am ready to play in these few games.

"When I returned to training in London, I felt good. The breathing is hard for me here, but I think in two or three weeks then I will be up to the same level as everyone else.

"I am very happy to come back and play on the pitch. I enjoy my football and I love the Premier League, Craven Cottage, the fans and everything. I try and play my best."

Dejagah joined on transfer deadline day in August from German side VfL Wolfsburg, and is now looking forward to preparing himself fully for the season ahead.

"I think it will help me to have a full pre-season with the team. It is very important," he said. "This year I can train for the whole summer and play some games, and hopefully I can be ready for the new season. I am looking forward to being a part of the side in 2013/14."