Monday Fulham Stuff (05/08/13)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Darren Bent Set to Remain at Aston Villa after Fulham Refuse to Meet £6m Asking Price

Englishman is now facing an uncertain future in the Midlands.

Unsettled Aston Villa front man Darren Bent's hopes of a move to either Fulham or Newcastle United this summer now appear dead in the water, leaving the Englishman facing the very real prospect of once again spending next season on the substitutes' bench at Villa Park, according to reports in the Sunday Mirror.

The England international has already been informed by Villa head coach Paul Lambert that he has no future in the Midlands and will not be part of his first-team plans at the club next season, with Bent having been made to train with the reserves and fellow Villa outcasts Shay Given and Stephen Ireland after returning to training earlier this month.

However, the 29-year-old had been hoping to seal a move to either Fulham or Newcastle before the summer transfer window slams shut once and for all for the year on Sept 2.

Those plans though are now in tatters after the Magpies sealed an £8 million move for Olympique Lyonnais striker Bafetimbi Gomis last week, and now the Cottagers are understood to be unwilling to meet Villa's £6m valuation of their forward.

So far, Fulham boss Martin Jol has lodged two bids with Villa for Bent, who has scored 25 goals in 64 appearances for the club, the second of which was worth £5m, but the west London club are refusing to go any higher than their last offer.

And that means that Bent is heading for another campaign being sidelined at Villa, unless the two clubs can come to some sort of agreement over his sale.



http://www.caughtoffside.com/2013/08/04/darren-bent-set-to-remain-at-aston-villa-after-fulham-refuse-to-meet-6m-asking-price/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Newcastle have 'thrashed out a deal' with Fulham target Bent and wil talk to Villa

Transfer news: Joe Kinnear has revealed that Newcastle have agreed a deal with Aston Villa's Darren Bent and warned that he is "not letting go" despite reported interest from Fulham.

The director of football says the Magpies are now talking to the Villans about a deal and feels they are in pole position to sign the former Sunderland forward.

"We were with Darren's agent for two or three hours, we thrashed out a deal," Kinnear told Sky Sports.

"We are still in negotiations with Aston Villa so there is a really strong possibility there.

"Again I hear the latest is that somebody else has all of a sudden shown interest in the player so we have competition from various clubs around the country, but I am not letting go."

Newcastle believe they are also closing in on QPR striker Loic Remy and Kinnear added: "These are players that me and Alan [Pardew] have spoken about. These are players that we've all agreed at the club are the type of player we want to bring to Newcastle."


http://www.london24.com/sport/fulham/newcastle_have_thrashed_out_a_deal_with_fulham_target_bent_and_wil_talk_to_villa_1_2316728

[WhiteJC]

 
Clint Returns Stateside
   
Clint Dempsey, who parted company with Fulham in a sad way following such a good time with the club, has now parted company with British football entirely!

Having left Fulham for Spurs for £6m, after trying to force through a move to Liverpool and being close to one to Villa, he has lasted just one season at White Hart Lane. Not a bad season mind to be fair.

Seattle Sounders have managed to lure him back to the MLS for a similar fee and he'll link up with fellow former Craven Cottage dwellers, and American national teammates, Marcus Hahnemann and Eddie Johnson.

Now 30 I'd be surprised to see Dempsey grace the English game again having done so, successfully I might add, for pushing on for seven-years.


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=327354#ixzz2b41XjySo

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham closing in on Taarabt loan deal?
by DAN on AUGUST 4, 2013



Sky Sports News are reporting this evening that Fulham are close to concluding a loan deal to bring QPR midfielder Adel Taraabt to Craven Cottage.

The Moroccan international has been on the periphery at relegated Rangers since being sent home from their pre-season training camp in Devon by Harry Redknapp having turned up late for training. Redknapp has been keen to ease Taraabt off the Championship club's wage bill, but had previously insisted that he would only consider permanent offers for the former Tottenham midfielder. Martin Jol, who was Spurs' manager when Taarabt joined the north London club in 2007, is still looking for a creative midfielder, having only signed the more defensively-minded Derek Boateng on a free transfer this summer.

The 24 year-old had two loan spells at Loftus Road – the rest being interrupted by injury – before signing for QPR from Tottenham on a permanent deal worth £1m in August 2010. He scored 19 goals in 44 league appearances as Rangers won promotion to the Premier League, being named the Championship Player of the Year in recognition of his outstanding season.

The midfielder had a fitful first season in the top flight, scoring twice in thirty appearances, as Rangers avoided relegation on the final day and his mercurial talent was mostly prodigiously displayed in QPR's first win of the following season when the Moroccan produced an inspired performance scoring both goals in the 2-1 defeat of Fulham at Loftus Road last December. Whether Taarabt's outdoubted talent could triumph over his famed temperament – he was photographed waited for a bus after being substituted at half-time during Fulham's 6-0 thumping of QPR in 2010 – remains to be seen.

Sky Sports News claim that the clubs are close to agreement on a season-long loan with a few to a permanent transfer.



http://hammyend.com/index.php/2013/08/fulham-closing-in-on-taarabt-loan-deal/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Darren Bent: Should he sign for Fulham or Newcastle?


The attacker is wanted by both of the Premier League clubs, but where is he likely to be more successful?

Darren Bent's future looks like being decided in the next week, with the player's agent said to be in talks with both Fulham and Newcastle over a potential transfer. After suffering from prolonged injuries last season and having to play second fiddle to Christian Benteke at Aston Villa, the next move is a critical one for Bent as he looks to get his career back on track.

Martin Jol wants Bent to join the Cottagers as a strike partner for Dimitar Berbatov, while the St James' Park side are keen to bolster their options in attack after the sale of Demba Ba in January.

The latest development in the saga has seen Newcastle director of football Joe Kinnear reveal that the Geordies are closing in on an agreement to sign Bent.

"We were with Darren's agent for two or three hours; we thrashed out a deal. We are still in negotiations with Aston Villa so there is a really strong possibility there.

"Again I hear the latest is that somebody else has all of a sudden shown interest in the player. So we have competition from various clubs around the country. But I am not letting go. These are players that me and Alan (Pardew) have spoken about. These are players that we've all agreed at the club are the type of player we want to bring to Newcastle."

Kinnear also revealed that the North East club were also in advanced talks with QPR over the potential to sign Loic Remy, with a deal even being sown up on Monday or Tuesday. With Lyon also confirming that they have agreed a fee to sell Bafetimbi Gomis to the Magpies, the club's problems with a lack of options in attack seem likely to end very soon.

For Bent, he must look at Newcastle as a chance to move to a club capable of helping him to get back on track, with a fanbase that would love him if he started to get on the scoresheet regularly.

However, given that there is potential for Bent to have to compete for a starting berth with Gomis, Remy and Papiss Cisse, his chances of increasing his amount of regular first-team football at Newcastle do not look good. Cisse is the main man at the club, while both France internationals are players of quality, who will not be happy spending prolonged periods on the bench.

This is why it makes more sense for Bent to choose a switch to Fulham if given a choice. He would be much more likely to play at the London club, has former boss Jol there to work with again and the guile and creativity of Dimitar Berbatov to play alongside.

Newcastle would also be wise to assess whether they really need Bent. If they were to sign all three of the new forwards that they are in talks with, they would have four strikers with speed, a physical approach and an aerial threat. They would also have four strikers that were relatively similar in the way they play the game.

For Bent, although he would be confident in his abilities of being first-choice at Newcastle, a move to St James could see him in a situation very similar to the one that he finds himself in currently at Aston Villa.




http://hereisthecity.com/2013/08/04/darren-bent-should-he-sign-for-fulham-or-newcastle/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Coasting back into the league that propelled Clint



In our age of money-grabbing myopic footballers, transfer windows have never failed to surprise football fans worldwide. Amidst the transfer saga clichés of Bale or Rooney, sometimes a club may be able to go under the radar to come away with a gem of a player. Case in point: the Seattle Sounders.

To swipe Dempsey, when all eyes are on their prized Welshman, under the nose of Everton must have put a smile on Sigi Schmid's face. The Sounders' head coach must be counting his lucky stars as he figures out how to slot the versatile Dempsey into his attack with Obafemi Martins and Eddie Johnson. But to credit the Sounders alone for this deal would be too superficial.

After Bale took centre stage in the middle of the park and Sigurdsson hitting a timely purple patch last season, Dempsey was quickly overlooked by Andre Villas Boas. Coupled with the signings of Paulinho and Soldado this summer, Dempsey was becoming surplus to requirement. Everton came knocking and looking at Dempsey's Fulham statistics, there were probably a couple of other European clubs that could have used his versatility and quality.

The decision to choose Sounders might be perplexing to some but it could actually be a well-informed decision by the 30-year-old. Everton with the new Robert Martinez, is a club in transition, and right now, that's the last thing the American needs. It would be a huge gamble for him to sign at Everton now, especially with the way he struggles to find his footing in his first seasons in both Fulham and Tottenham.

What he needs right now is regular playing time and a clean bill of health to carry him into 2014. Considering that Brazil is probably his last World Cup, Dempsey needs to find his scoring boots soon and what better way than to do it than to link up with his possible national team strike partner Eddie Johnson.

Many footballers past their peak live in denial until their bodies and performance show a certain dreadful decline. While Dempsey might still have a few years of top flight European football in him, his injuries and struggles at Tottenham is a stark reminder of the flip side. But there is certainly no denying his level of talent, as shown by the ripples his transfer has made in the MLS.

"Major League Soccer is thrilled to have Clint Dempsey, arguably one of the best players the United States has ever produced, return to the league to play for the Sounders," MLS Commissioner Don Garber said in a statement.

By moving to the MLS, not only will he have a guaranteed first eleven spot, he will be back in a familiar territory, a league in which he made a name for himself, winning the Honda Player of the Year award in 2006. More importantly, a league in which he knows, he will be given the chance to shine.

The one party that will most probably benefit from this is the US national team. Jurgen Klinsmann might have told the Wall Street Journal that Clint Dempsey "hasn't made s***" a couple of years ago when he was at Fulham. But even he must be relieved that his captain will be getting regular playing time after he fell out of favour at Tottenham and playing alongside Eddie Johnson can only be good for the US national team.

No matter how you look at it, this move is a career masterstroke for the attacker. If his form picks up perfectly during the World Cup — the shop window for the biggest clubs in the world — he might get one final shot at European football. If he doesn't, he is already settled in and ready to coast in style back into the league that propelled him to the very stage he just left.



http://afootballreport.com/post/57341263397/coasting-back-into-the-league-that-propelled

[WhiteJC]

 
New teammates Dempsey and Johnson have special relationship

After every goal that Obafemi Martins scores, Seattle fans lose their minds as the Sounders FC striker celebrates with his signature backflip.

On Saturday night at CenturyLink Field, those same fans got a taste of another celebration that they will love just as much. After Eddie Johnson netted his fifth goal of the season in the 22nd minute of a 3-0 win over FC Dallas, he turned toward the west side of the stadium where Clint Dempsey was sitting with his family at suite level. Pointing toward his new teammate, Johnson mimed slapping hands twice, then saluting, a celebration the duo has made its own in its time together with the U.S. National Team and at Fulham.

Thus, the Johnson-Dempsey era in Seattle has begun.

"I'm happy for him. I'm happy for the league. It just shows you where soccer is in this country," Johnson said. "Having guys like that come back says a lot about how much the league has grown and how much better the soccer is here in America. It's going to only attract many other good football players throughout the world."

Their celebratory salute is borne of a longstanding friendship that dates back to their days together on the U.S. U-20 National Team in 2002 and includes spells with the U.S. National Team, where the two have been roommates for most of their international careers, and at Fulham in the English Premier League.

They've been spending more time together of late, as Johnson has revitalized his international career with a solid showing in the 2012 season with Sounders FC.

While Johnson was asking Dempsey about his move to Tottenham over the last year, Dempsey was also probing about Major League Soccer. And, more specifically, Seattle, where Johnson was playing in front of record-setting crowds each week.

Then when the U.S. came to Seattle to face Panama in a World Cup qualifying match on June 11, the wheels started spinning a little faster. Dempsey spent some time in the city and praised the city's immense soccer culture. But there was much more to it, according to Johnson.

"It suited him," Johnson said.

Dempsey told Johnson that he would love to come play in Seattle someday.

"A couple more years in Europe," he said, then MLS would be back in his plans.

Then, he took the pitch at CenturyLink Field. 40,847 fans, mostly donning the red, white and blue of the U.S.A., greeted the team with the type of support that shifts the landscape of soccer in America.

What started with a whisper was soon blasted through a megaphone as Dempsey sought a move from Tottenham. Sounders FC stepped to the plate and it wasn't long before Dempsey was raising a Sounders FC scarf alongside Majority Owner Joe Roth, Owner and General Manager Adrian Hanauer and President Peter McLoughlin.

The ovation he received on Saturday night was just a taste of things to come.

Now reunited in Seattle, Johnson envisions many celebrations with his newest teammate at CenturyLink Field as the duo bask in the glow of Sounders FC success surrounded by upwards of 40,000 fans each week.

"We're going to see a lot of saluting this year," he said through a sparkling smile.



http://www.soundersfc.com/news/articles/2013/08-august/dempsey-and-johnson-have-special-relationship.aspx?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Sounders+%28Sounders+FC+%28Features%2C+Blogs%2C+YouTube%2C+SFC+Weekly%29%29

[WhiteJC]

 
Dan Burn: "I think everyone is ready if we end up playing 3-5-2, or if we play other formations that we have worked on as well."

Birmingham City: Dan Burn says Blues squad are comfortable being flexible


Birmingham's Dan Burn puts in a challenge on Robbie Brady

Birmingham City players must be prepared to be Lee Clark's flexible friends this season.

Clark is seeking to change Blues system to a 3-5-2 or, alternatively, 4-3-3.

Nothing will be set in stone week in, week out, as the manager will assess the personnel available and the opposition.

But the days of a regular 4-4-2 seem to be a thing of the past.

Dan Burn, who has been utilised as one of three centre-halves in pre-season, said modern players had to be able to adapt to whatever is asked of them.

"Yes, I think you have to in this day and age. It's changed from when every team played 4-4-2, there's loads of different formations now.

"I think with the 3-5-2 you've really got to practice it and got to do it every day because it can either be an amazing formation or it can be the worst thing you've ever done. We've been working on it and have become really confident, every player knows his role now. That's some of the starting lands and some of the lads who aren't going to play.

"So I think everyone is ready if we end up playing 3-5-2, or if we play other formations that we have worked on as well."



http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/birmingham-city-dan-burn-says-5433051?

[WhiteJC]

 
Clint Dempsey Returns To MLS | Analysing His Time in England

Over the past weekend, the whole world of soccer was immersed in celebration as MLS side Seattle Sounders made history through the signing of Tottenham Hotspur forward Clint Dempsey.

Major League Soccer (MLS), the most prestigious league for clubs from the United States and Canada, was formed in 1993. Back then, if you were to have said that in two decades time, a boisterous and fanatical crowd would one day sell-out a stadium for the unveiling of a player, nobody would have believed you.

But on Sunday, it happened. The current coach of the USA national side and also ex-Spurs striker, Jürgen Klinsmann, declared seven days ago that soccer in America is now "unstoppable" and will only get better with time. The arrival of Dempsey, undoubtedly one of the greatest players the country has ever produced, indicates that the 49-year-old was indeed correct.

Debatably, since the arrival of David Beckham, the MLS has been growing at an astonishing pace that has surprised us all. For an MLS side to pry Dempsey away from the powerhouse league that is the Premier League, it is quite remarkable.

In all fairness, American football, baseball, basketball and hockey will still be the dominant sports for the next few of years, but Dempsey's presentation in front of the cameras, and an adoring and rapturous fan base, was almost similar to what a legendary rock star would receive when walking onto stage to perform and that speaks volumes about the work being done to get soccer up to same level as the others.

Dempsey, 30, is still at a good enough age to play in the Premier League, but having already given six-and-a-half-years of his career to both Fulham and Tottenham respectively, with the World Cup 2014 also vast approaching, moving to Seattle is a sensible move for him and the reception he got showed that.

The USA captain moved to Fulham from New England Revolution in January 2007 and in his first two seasons at the club, Dempsey scored 7 goals in total as the Cottagers narrowly avoided the drop zone in the Premier League on both occasions.

From the moment their top flight status was secured at the end of the 2007/8 season under Roy Hodgson, Dempsey would later go on to become one of the club's most consistent players in a variety of positions under Hodgson's management, and didn't always get the recognition he unquestionably deserved.

Hodgson drastically improved Fulham from perennial strugglers to a sustained and comfortable mid-table side, with Dempsey becoming a key man in that rise. He can play on either flank and his creativity for the team is a strong trait to his game, but ultimately, Dempsey is renowned for scoring all different types of goals, whether that be with either foot or his under-appreciated aerial ability.

In the 2008/9 Premier League season, Fulham finished ten places higher than the previous year and qualified for the UEFA Europa League in seventh. Dempsey displayed his poacher-like qualities, as all of his seven goals came from inside the box and he was also involved in a goal for Fulham every 288.4 minutes, claiming two assists from the 39 goals scored at Craven Cottage in the league that year.

Just like he has done by completing a move to Seattle, Dempsey helped create history as Fulham defeated the likes of Shakhtar Donetsk, Juventus and Hamburg on route to the 2009/10 Europa League final and the club also reached the FA Cup Quarter-Finals in a groundbreaking year for everybody connected with the club.

Dempsey showed his creative spark and was heavily influential in the success of Bobby Zamora, who had such a solid season upfront (19 goals in all comps). He was also amongst the goals himself, scoring twice on the road to Germany.

The long journeys across the world didn't take too much wind out of Fulham's sails and they were still able to record a respectable twelfth-placed finish in the Premier League. Dempsey equalled his tally of seven goals from the season before but managed to get one more assist (3), overall being involved in a goal for the team more quickly (239.7 minutes).

Although he was mainly positioned just outside the box behind Zamora, six out of his seven goals (85.71%) came from inside and further highlighted his capability to arrive unmarked onto chances and slot home.

He was originally a surprise candidate for the job, but after guiding Fulham to the brink of European success on a relatively small budget, the Hodgson magic was never going to go unnoticed and the glamour of managing Liverpool was too much for him to turn down when approached.

Fulham replaced him with Mark Hughes, saddened to see the 65-year-old depart, but with Dempsey getting better, added with the arrival of highly-rated Belgium international Moussa Dembele, there was plenty of optimism for the supporters ahead of the 2010/11 season.

That season saw more reliance on Dempsey to score the goals and that paid dividends for everybody at the club, as he scored 12 times in the Premier League and one solitary strike also came against Port Vale in the League Cup.

Under Hughes, Fulham scored a total of 49 goals in the league and Dempsey continued to get better during his time in England, taking just 206.5 minutes to be involved in a goal (with 3 assists).

His liveliness in and around the box was unrelenting, with 11 of the 12 goals he scored (91.67%) coming from inside and it also proved to be his best ever campaign for headed goals in the Premier League, scoring a reputable five (41.6%).

After just one season in charge of the club, Hughes left Fulham over the board's "lack of ambition", with Aston Villa and Chelsea both looking for a manager at the time although he wasn't offered either position, and the Welshman was soon replaced by Martin Jol in the dugout.

Jol stated from the off that it was his desire to keep Dempsey in the attacking role that he had been flourishing in of late and after the goals kept on coming, 23 in all competitions to be exact, it eventually led to him being chased by Liverpool, Aston Villa and Tottenham in the summer of 2012.

In 2011/12, Dempsey was the fourth top goalscorer in the Premier League, just behind Robin Van Persie (30), Wayne Rooney (27) and Sergio Aguero (23) with 17 goals and the addition of six assists. The technique it took to score the goals was broadened, with 9 (52.9%) coming from his right foot, 2 (11.7%) with his left and 4 (23.5%) from his head.

He netted 15 (88.2%) from inside the box and was involved in a goal every 144.4 minutes, as Fulham again secured a top-half place but finished just one position lower than the previous campaign in ninth.

Liverpool and Aston Villa were serious about signing Dempsey, who was in the final year of his contract, but Tottenham beat both clubs to his signature, with Dempsey later admitting it was desire to one day play in the UEFA Champions League and that Spurs were his best shot at reaching that dream.

The majority of the supporters at White Hart Lane have wished Dempsey all the best for the future but admitted he never quite fitted into Andre Villas-Boas' system, although he proved a decent acquisition at £6m by scoring 12 goals in all competitions, with seven of those coming in the Premier League and the bonus of four assists was astute.

He made 29 appearances last season and was involved in a goal every 188.6 minutes, as Spurs and Dempsey narrowly missed out on a Champions League berth to arch-rivals, Arsenal. Dempsey was used more as a wide player in games, whilst star-man Gareth Bale took centre stage just behind the striker. 3 (42.8%) of his seven league goals came from outside the box, but he wasn't utilized in his normal poacher role that worked at Fulham and therefore struggled to make late bursts into the box, scoring no headed goals.

If you would have told the man that has made the headlines in his native America that he would play in the three different formats of the Europa League, score 57 Premier League goals and create 18 assists during his time in England, he would have taken right away before he made the move and his presence has now been ingrained on English football fans' minds as the USA international that 'made it'.

Spurs will remember him for the winner he grabbed at Old Trafford, burying a 23-year wait to secure a win on Manchester United's turf, whilst Fulham will cherish every goal their number '23' either created or scored in their rise to Premier League well-being. A new chapter in his life now begins, as American soccer welcomes back a hero.



http://www.eplindex.com/epl-news/36441/clint-dempsey-returns-mls-analysing-time-england.html?

[WhiteJC]

 
CRYSTAL PALACE AHEAD OF FULHAM AND NEWCASTLE IN BATTLE FOR ASTON VILLA'S DARREN BENT

Premier League newcomers Crystal Palace are the new frontrunners in the race for Aston Villa striker Darren Bent.

The England international was expected to join Newcastle, but that deal broke down after a meeting with Magpies director of football Joe Kinnear.

Fulham then became the 29-year-old's most likely destination. But despite an improved bid, the Cottagers were still not prepared to meet Villa's £6m asking price.

That has allowed the Eagles to swoop in. They will now aim to finalise a deal that would see Bent return to his south London roots.

That would see him form a potential strike partnership with Arsenal's Marouane Chamakh, who is expect to complete his loan move to Selhurst Park later today.



http://www.offthepost.info/blog/2013/08/crystal-palace-ahead-of-fulham-and-newcastle-in-battle-for-aston-villas-darren-bent/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+offthepost%2FTLAa+%28Off+The+Post%29

[WhiteJC]

 
Queens Park Rangers midfielder Adel Taarabt set to join west London rivals Fulham on season-long loan

Fulham are expected to complete the signing of Queens Park Rangers midfielder Adel Taarabt on a season-long loan.

The Morocco international had been unsettled at Loftus Road and is keen to make an instant return to the Premier League.

The deal, which will see Fulham cover Taarabt's wages, could be completed as early as today.

Taarabt's arrival at Craven Cottage will be a welcome boost for manager Martin Jol, who had made just three signings this summer after a dismal end to last season.

The Dutchman worked with Taarabt during his time as manager of Tottenham and had twice made unsuccessful attempts to buy him since leaving White Hart Lane.



http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/fulham/10222642/Queens-Park-Rangers-midfielder-Adel-Taarabt-set-to-join-west-London-rivals-Fulham-on-season-long-loan.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Loan Round-Up

Dan Burn's Birmingham City career didn't get off to the ideal start on Saturday, with the Blues falling to a 1-0 home defeat by last season's Play-Off Finalists Watford.

Making his Sky Bet Championship debut, Burn can take heart from his performance though, with the tall centre-back looking assured in defence, in addition to twice coming close to grabbing what would have been a deserved equaliser for the Blues.

After Troy Deeney had handed Watford an early lead, the visitors relied heavily on goalkeeper Manuel Almunia to preserve their slender advantage when he made a super save from Wade Elliott's deflected strike. And the former Arsenal stopper was at it again when Burn did well to hook an effort goalwards after the ball had dropped behind him following a corner.

Burn had one further opportunity later on when he connected with Shane Ferguson's corner, only to see his header drop inches wide of the post. Birmingham are next in action on Tuesday evening when they host Plymouth Argyle in the Capital One Cup.

Meanwhile, in League Two, Ryan Williams was an unused substitute as Oxford United comprehensively defeated his former club Portsmouth 4-1 at Fratton Park.

Patrick Agyemang had put the south coast side in front, only to see quickfire goals from Alfie Potter and Deane Smalley turn the game around. The duo then each grabbed another goal in the second half to send United joint top of the table.

In Norway, Josh Pritchard helped Tromso come from two goals down to draw with Valerenga in the Tippeligaen. First half strikes from Mohammed Fellah and former Wigan Athletic man Kristofer Haested had put Valerenga in control of the match, but Remi Johansen and Morten Moldskred earned Tromso a point, before Pritchard was withdrawn with little more than 10 minutes remaining.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/august/05/loan-round-up?

[WhiteJC]

 
Urgent Reinforcements Needed at the Cottage

The season kicks off in just under two weeks. Where do Fulham stand? To be honest, the new season is still a bit of an unknown, with the squad looking far from complete. Shahid Khan has been owner for a few weeks now, and from the outside, not much has changed.

The team still needs strengthening, and most Fulham fans would appreciate some money being thrown at the squad, after a few transfer windows of free transfers, loan signings or bargain buys. Up front still looks thin, Hugo Rodallega and Dimitar Berbatov are the recognised forwards with Premier League experience. Marcello Trotta has a lot of potential, but he is still far from being Premier League quality. The link to Darren Bent will not go away, but he would surely want to play week in, week out, and unless he played wide, there is not much space in the starting eleven for Bent, with Berbatov playing the lone striker in the 4-2-3-1 that was used last season and in pre-season this year.

Martin Jol was quoted by fans at the under-21 pre-season friendly against Dartford as saying that Fulham were after Bent or Loic Remy, someone who would fit much better into Fulham's team, despite the QPR links. He could play wide, as well as up front, like Rodallega, and would add some much needed pace to what is a slow Fulham team. It does, however, look like Remy is off to Newcastle.

The main issue, however, is still central midfield. Fulham only have three players who can play in the two deeper lying midfield roles in the 4-2-3-1 formation: Steve Sidwell, Derek Boateng and Giorgos Karagounis. There is hope that Jol could transform Bryan Ruiz into excelling there, as he did with Mousa Dembele, but he has struggled playing in a deeper role. Chris David is a bright prospect, but he is still currently too young. A full squad needs at least two players for every position, so at least one more midfielder is needed. Adel Taarabt has been linked, but he is more in the Ruiz mould than the deeper midfielder needed. A loan move for Nathaniel Chalobah would be perfect, with the Chelsea midfielder excelling at Watford last year, and needing to prove himself in the Premier League.

The squad has been strengthened over the summer, but it is still looking thin after numerous departures. With less than two weeks until the season starts, it is time for Fulham to start strengthening, or else the Shahid Khan era might not get off to a positive start.



Read more: http://pickourteam.com/premierleague/fulham/news/05-08-2013/urgent-reinforcements-needed-at-the-cottage/840727?#ixzz2b6gfQ2e3

[WhiteJC]

 
Transfer news: Fulham winger Ryan Williams joins Oxford United on loan

Oxford United boss Chris Wilder has expressed his delight at the loan capture of Fulham winger Ryan Williams.

The Australia Under-20 international has joined the U's on a deal until January and was an unused substitute for Saturday's 4-1 League Two victory away to Portsmouth.

Williams began his career in England with Pompey before switching to Fulham in January 2012. Last season he was sent on loan to Gillingham but failed to make an appearance under Martin Allen.

In the summer, the 19-year-old represented his country at the U20 World Cup in Turkey and then played for Oxford in pre-season before agreeing terms.

Wilder told the club website: "Ryan is a good player and will give us competition in an important area.

"He has a good pedigree, has pace, and is very highly thought of at Fulham, a club we have an excellent relationship with. He has a really good attitude and I am sure will do very well here."



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/8855571/?

[WhiteJC]

 
New Term, New Programme



Goalkeeper David Stockdale is the cover star and main interview in the new-look official matchday programme for Monday evening's pre-season friendly with Real Betis (8pm).

Now one of Fulham's longest-serving players, Stockdale has a new battle on his hands in the shape of incoming stopper Maarten Stekelenburg – but the 27-year-old is relishing the competition for a First Team place.

"Just because Mark Schwarzer was number one for all those years, doesn't mean that I was easing off and letting him be there," Stockdale told the matchday programme. "Sometimes I like to look at it that I was pushing him to be as good as he was. Obviously he's as good as he is anyway, but you need to keep the competition.

"Now Maarten has come in and he's very good too. He's relaxed, he's laid back, he's calm and collected and he has fitted straight in with the lads, but I'll make whoever's in front of me work for their job. That's what I'm going to do – make it hard for them.

"For me, every day I have the chance to show the Manager what I'm capable of. When you're fighting to get into the First Team you've got to really fight to get in there and then you can't stop fighting – you've got to fight every day."

Read the full interview with Stockdale in Monday night's official matchday programme.

Other highlights in the only matchday magazine that matters - which is available to download digitally from 9am on Monday – are:

Martin Jol's exclusive Manager's notes
Buomesca Tue Na Bangna takes the Fulham 50 challenge
Terry Angus looks back at pre-seasons of the past
An A-Z of Fulham's Spanish connections
The full lowdown on our visitors
Quizzes for fans both young and old
Back by popular demand, we take a trip down memory lane in our Rewind feature
And Fulham's media coverage over the summer months is analysed in Black, White & Read All Over
Priced £3, the 64-page publication is available from various sellers on Stevenage Road from two hours before kick-off. Fans can also save money by taking out a season subscription for just £55 for the campaign - that's a saving of £11.50 if you were to purchase each edition individually. Head to www.programmemaster.com for more details.

The programme is also available as an app with added video content, so whether you're at home or away, you need never be without it on your iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, PC or Mac via Apple's Newsstand. The programme is also available via the Pocketmags app on Kindle Fire and Blackberry Playbook. You can subscribe for the whole season for the digital edition for just £24.99 or buy a single issue for £1.99.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/august/05/new-season-new-programme?