Saturday Fulham Stuff (07/09/13)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Kasami Stars For Swiss

Pajtim Kasami was on target as Switzerland Under-21s won 2-0 in Latvia in a European Championship Qualifying match on Thursday evening.

The Fulham youngster, who was handed the captain's armband for the game, put his country ahead in the Group Five match in the 24th minute, with Darko Jevtic adding the second on 36.

In Group One, Jesse Joronen made a couple of fine saves as Finland's Under-21s earned a 1-0 victory away to leaders Lithuania. The win moves Finland up to second place.

In Group Three, Jack Grimmer was an unused substitute as Scotland Under-21s were thumped 4-0 by the Netherlands.

Finally, Noe Baba and Dean O'Halloran both featured as the Republic of Ireland Under-19s defeated Slovenia 2-0 in a friendly.

Baba started the game and was replaced by his Fulham teammate O'Halloran in the 74th minute as goals from Alex O'Hanlon and Kevin Toner secured the win for Ireland.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/september/06/kasami-stars-for-swiss?

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Briggs' Season Hope

Matthew Briggs admits the 2013/14 campaign is a massive season for him as he looks to nail down a regular First Team place at Fulham.

Briggs, who is the Club's longest-serving player having made his debut back in 2007 at the age of 16, has been used regularly so far this campaign as injuries to Kieran Richardson and Sascha Riether have seen him play at both right and left-back.

"I was a bit surprised [to play at Sunderland in the opening day win] because I didn't feature in pre-season," he said. "I performed well when I came on for 70 minutes. We were solid and kept a clean sheet. I thought I would've been in the team again for the next game, but maybe the Manager didn't want to burn me out."

Over the years, the defender has found First Team games hard to come by at the Cottage and has been sent out on loan four times in three seasons, most recently when he almost helped Watford seal promotion to the top flight in the 2013/14 Championship Play-Off Final.

"It's been difficult to nail down a spot because we've also got John Arne Riise and Kieran Richardson," he said. "I have to work hard and fight for my place and, if not I'm happy, I'll go on loan.

"I've played in the Under-21s for five years, so I need competitive football to push on. If I go out again I've got to perform to my maximum. I want to be playing week in, week out. That's what I need to develop.

"No disrespect to Peterborough United and Bristol City, but they were struggling at the time so it was difficult to go there and play to the best of my ability. When I went to Watford they were pushing for promotion, so that spell stands me in good stead."

Briggs, though, wants to be playing in the Fulham side in the 2013/14 Barclays Premier League and admitted it's still a dream of his to cement his place in Martin Jol's plans.

"This season's massive for me," he said. "I came through the Academy here and feel at home. It's still my dream to play regularly in the Premier League for Fulham. We haven't spoken about a new contract but, of course, I would love to stay on."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/september/06/briggs-season-hope?

[WhiteJC]

 
Bursaspor Land Fulham Youngster Kerim Frei

Turkish side Bursaspor have signed young Fulham midfielder Kerim Frei for a reported fee of £2.5m, beating Besiktas to his signature in the process, the Daily Mail reports.

Galatasaray had apparently also shown an interest in landing his signature, but Bursaspor acted the quickest and managed to utilise the Turkish transfer window's extended deadline to bring the 19-year-old on board.

Bursaspor have agreed a £2.5m fee with the Cottagers and Frei is expected to sign a four-year contract before Friday's deadline.

Frei arrived at Craven Cottage in 2011 having previously come through the youth set up at Grasshopper Zurich. He made a total of 25 appearances in his debut season with the club, scoring one goal, but he couldn't replicate the same sort of form last term and made just seven starts before being shipped out on loan to Cardiff City to aide their promotion push.

Born in Austria, he was raised in Switzerland, whom he represented at various youth international levels before switching allegiances to Turkey last year. He has already gone on to win four full caps with the national side, but this summer was called up into the under-20 squad that hosted the Under-20 European Championships.



http://www.caughtoffside.com/2013/09/06/bursaspor-land-fulham-youngster-kerim-frei/?

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Fulham U21s 2-2 Ipswich Town U21s

Dino Islamovic scored twice as Fulham's Under-21s drew 2-2 with Ipswich Town in a behind-closed-doors friendly at Motspur Park on Friday afternoon.

The Tractor Boys went in front in the third minute when their powerful striker rose to head home a cross from the left.

But Fulham were level two minutes later. Islamovic met a cross from Tom Richards but saw his header saved by the Ipswich goalkeeper. Lying prostrate on the ground, Islamovic somehow managed to bundle home the rebound.

Ipswich were back in front in the ninth minute when their winger controlled a cross from the right before poking the ball through the legs of Neil Etheridge.

At the other end, Ronny Minkwitz fired over in the 26th minute after meeting Sean Kavanagh's cross, before Lyle Della Verde saw a long-distance shot saved. Charles Banya picked up the loose ball but his cross was headed wide by Ange-Freddy Plumain.

The unmarked Islamovic missed a good chance to level the scores just before the break, nodding wide from Kavanagh's corner. The striker did, however, make it 2-2 on 49 minutes. Minkwitz's long-range effort crashed back off the post but hung in the air for Islamovic to nod home the rebound.

Just after the hour mark, Minkwitz fired straight at the goalkeeper after meeting Islamovic's pull-back, before Etheridge made a good stop from an Ipswich striker.

With five minutes remaining, an Ipswich substitute raced onto a ball over the top, clipped a shot past the onrushing Etheridge but saw his effort go wide of the far post.

In what proved to be the last chance of the match, another Ipswich replacement then headed wide with three minutes left after losing Mananga Jonathan Buatu at a free-kick.

Fulham: Etheridge, Passley, Arthurworrey (Buatu 46), O'Reilly, Kavanagh (Trialist 66), Banya, Minkwitz, Plumain (Elworthy 52), Richards, Della Verde, Islamovic.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/september/06/fulham-u21s-2-2-ipswich-u21s?

[WhiteJC]

 
Frei Departs

Fulham Football Club can confirm that Turkey winger Kerim Frei has joined Besiktas on a permanent transfer.

Frei joined Fulham's Academy in 2010 and in 2011/12 made 25 appearances for the First Team in all competitions, including stand-out performances against SW6 neighbours Chelsea.

In October 2012, Frei joined Cardiff City on a one-month loan deal which saw him play three games for the Welsh side. But a run of injuries and competition for a First Team place meant Frei wasn't able to hold down a spot in the side on his return to Fulham and he chose to move to Turkey just after the 2013 English summer transfer window closed.

Manager Martin Jol said: "Kerim has progressed well through his time in the Academy and into the fringes of the First Team, which enabled him to play for the Turkish national team, which is a big thing for him.

"But for him to continue this progression and to really fulfill his potential he needs to play week in, week out, and I couldn't offer him that as part of the First Team here, so we decided to accept the offer from Besiktas.

"He's sure to have a big impact back in Turkey and I know that on a personal level it's a good option for him. As a Club, because of the structure of the deal, we are still invested in his future and what we believe he'll be able to achieve in time. I know he'll be much happier playing, so we wish him all the best."

Frei added: "I've really enjoyed my time at Fulham and I'm grateful for all of the support I received both as a young player in the Academy and with the First Team. It's a great Club, with good people and great fans and it helped me a lot with my progression.

"Now it's time for my next step and I'm very excited about playing for Besiktas, and in Turkey, where I know that I'll be really happy."

The Club thanks Kerim for his contribution and wishes him well for the future.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/september/06/kerim-frei-departs?

[WhiteJC]

 
Debunking the Myth - Strongest Fulham Side

If you read the various blogs and forums across the Fulham universe, you'll see "this is the strongest Fulham side we've had" quite often. Much like in politics, sometimes a statement is made over and over enough that it begins to take root as fact. I submit that's the case here. On paper, yeah, it probably should be. However, upon closer inspection, when you factor in age and production, maybe it really isn't. While the differences in approach to offense muddies the comparison, I submit that Mark Hughes' 2010-2011 side was the better one. Lets take a look at it position by position.

GK - Schwarzer (Stockdale) v Stekelenburg (Stockdale) - Despite his distribution issues, I give the edge to Schwarzer. Mark posted 11 clean sheets and 94 saves in 31 starts. Due to injury, we only have one game from Stekelenburg to draw an opinion. His highest clean sheet total at Roma was 7 in 29 starts. ADV - Schwarzer

RB - Paintsil/Baird v Riether - Baird had 25 starts in various positions, but mostly at rb. Paintsil started 10 matches. Regardless, I don't think this one is close. ADV - Riether

CB - Hangeland/Hughes v Hangeland/Hughes/Amorebieta - I don't think any combination of cb's from the current squad can trump the Thames Barrier in their prime. In their prime, many argued they were better than some of the big 4's cb pairings. ADV - H&H 2010/11

LB - Salcido v Riise/Richardson/Briggs - This one is interesting. If you want to call it a wash, I could accept that. Salcido was slated for his defense and inability to get back quickly. When you look at this group, maybe Richardson is better defensively? But he can't stay healthy. Offensively, Salcido had one of the best crosses I've ever seen from a Fulham fb. So for me, it's: ADV - Salcido

RM - Duff/Davies v Dejagah/Ruiz/Duff - I'm going to include Bryan at rm since that's where he's playing when Bent and Berba both start. Dejagah has gotten a lot of praise for his ability to link with Riether and push the attack. However, for all his effort, he's got 0 goals and 1 assist to show for it. Ruiz has been awol when deployed on the right. Duff has offered little other than defensive cover of late. 2010/11 Damien Duff still had a little pace and was effective cutting in. In 22 starts, he had 4 goals and 2 assists. While Simon's 25 starts demonstrate that he didn't only play on the right, he made most of his appearances there and added 4 goals and 4 assists. Both had a far superior cross to Dejagah, both were better passers and Duff had a cannon for a shot. ADV - Duff/Davies

LM - Dempsey v Taarabt/Kacaniklic - Dempsey's 12 goals and 3 assists in 35 starts make this a no contest. I think both Taarabt and Kaca have the potential to offer something similar to what Dempsey provided if given the same free role, in time. But there's nothing to suggest they are there yet. Taarabt has 7 goals in 51 Prem starts. ADV - Dempsey

CM - Murphy/Etuhu v Parker/Sidwell/Boateng - This one is tough b/c it's early days for judging Parker and Boateng. From what I've seen, Boateng is no better at busting up the opposition attack than Etuhu. Whether he contributes more offensively remains to be seen. Dickson did notch 2 goals and 2 assists that year. Parker and Murphy are both expected to qb the offense and provide leadership. Murphy did it by spraying passes all over the park while Parker is more of an engine and will push the ball forward through runs and shorter passing. I thought Parker would be the better defender & more mobile, but so far that hasn't been the case. There are too many unknowns to make a solid call, imo, but due to Murphy's invaluable leadership, I'm going with: ADV - Murphy/Etuhu. If you didn't want to lump the cm's together, I wouldn't argue a split decision.

ST - Dembele/AJ/Zamora/Gera v Berbatov/Bent/Ruiz - On paper this should be a no-brainer. Bent and Berbatov have scored more goals than the other collection by a wide margin at other stops and Berbatov tallied 15 for us last season. Bent already has 1 in 3 appearances. Our inability to get the ball forward will likely hamper their totals this year though. Ruiz has been at this best for Fulham as a #10, but has struggled when partnering Berbatov at times. He did manage 5 goals and 7 assists last year though. The question for the current strike force is how Jol is going to deploy them. As for the other group, Dembele had yet to be converted to a cm and as a cf he scored 3 goals with 3 assists in 22 starts. AJ had 15 starts and came on 12 times as a sub as he recovered from injury. He added another 3 goals and 3 assists. Zoltan was better known for his successes in Europe and the cups, but he added another goal and assist. The interesting part of this is Zamora. Bobby entered 2010/11 in excellent form but saw his season derailed by injury. In just 9 starts and 5 subs, he notched an impressive 5 goals and 5 assists. His holdup play was vital for Fulham when he was in form. Had he stayed healthy that season, this could have been a much more compelling comparison. We don't know if Berbatov or Bent will have injury issues and even though I think perceptions of both live on past laurels to a point, I'm still going with: ADV- Berbatov/Bent.

So that's 8-3 in favor of Hughes' 2010-11 team. I feel it was the better one, not only from an individual talent perspective, but moreso from a team perspective. It certainly benefitted from a better style of play.



- See more at: http://www.fulhamusa.com/index.php/news/item/202-debunking-the-myth-strongest-fulham-side?#sthash.S5TgeekP.dpuf

[WhiteJC]

 
International Watch

by Frankie-Peter Taylor

I usually do a weekly loan watch but I thought I'd give you an International update.

So far, Pajtim Kasami scored a penalty in Switzerland's 2-0 win over Latvia, and Kerim Frei scored the 3rd in Turkey's 4-0 win over Malta, both under 21 European Championship qualifiers.

To add, Jack Grimmer was an unused substitute in Scotland u21s 4-0 loss to the Netherlands. And finally, Jesse Jorenen captained Finland's u21s to a 1-0 win over Lithuania.

Noe Baba started Ireland u19's 2-0 win over Slovenia, playing 79 minutes until Fulham team mate Dean O'Halleron's came on for him.

Brede Hangeland started for Norway vs Iceland, winning 2-0 in the process.

Lasse Vigen Christensen was an unused substitute for Denmark's u21 side as they won 6-0.

Josh Pritchard wasn't in the match day squad as Wales u21s lost 1-0 to San Marino's u21s. Yes, you read that correctly.

Giorgos Karagounis came on in the 67th minute for Greece to collect his 126th cap in a 1-0 win over Liechtenstein.

Philippe Senderos was an unused substitute in Switzerland's 4-4 draw with Iceland.

New boy Elsad Zverotic started and played 90 minutes as Montenegro draw 1-1 with Poland, which is a nice result for England.

Alex Kacaniklic played all 90minutes in Sweden's crucial 2-1 win over the Republic of Ireland.

Coming up (both in the early hours of the morning):

- Bryan Ruiz playsfor Costa Rica against the United States in a top of the table clash.
- Fernando Amorebieta, who obviously we are yet to see this season has travelled with the Venezuela squad for their game against Chile.

Lastly, Dimitar Berbatov will take part in a charity football game in honour of Stan Petrov. Also taking part will be John Terry, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Jamie Redknapp, Roy Keane and Robert Pires. Also taking part, Louis Tomlinson from One Direction and comedian John Bishop.



http://www.friendsoffulham.com/wordpress/?p=410

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Former Fulham striker Petric on Reading's radar while Frei completes move to Besiktas

Reading are considering reviving interest in former Fulham striker Mladen Petric, 32, who is a free agent.

Winger Kerim Frei has completed his move from Fulham to Besiktas.

The 19-year-old Turkey international, who joined the Craven Cottage club in 2010, has decided to return to his home country in a bid to get regular first-team football.


Free transfer: Former Fulham striker Mladen Petric is being considered by Reading

Manager Martin Jol said: 'Kerim has progressed well through his time in the Academy and into the fringes of the First Team, which enabled him to play for the Turkish national team, which is a big thing for him.

'But for him to continue this progression and to really fulfill his potential he needs to play week in, week out, and I couldn't offer him that as part of the first team here, so we decided to accept the offer from Besiktas.

'He's sure to have a big impact back in Turkey and I know that on a personal level it's a good option for him.'

Jol added on Fulham's official website, www.fulhamfc.com: 'As a club, because of the structure of the deal, we are still invested in his future and what we believe he'll be able to achieve in time. I know he'll be much happier playing, so we wish him all the best.'


Midfielder: Kerim Frei has completed his move to Turkish club Besiktas


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2414451/Former-Fulham-striker-Mladen-Petric-Readings.html#ixzz2eAsNfnR3
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Uwe Rosler: Lay off Trotta
UWE ROSLER has told Brentford fans to lay off Marcello Trotta.

Trotta rejoined The Bees for another loan spell this week - just months after costing them automatic promotion.

The Fulham striker, 20, disobeyed orders not to take a stoppage-time penalty against Doncaster at the end of last season - and crashed his spot-kick against the bar.

Doncaster then went back up the other end and scored the goal that clinched promotion for the Yorkshire club.

Now some Brentford fans have bombarded social media sites to question his return.

Impact But Brentford boss Rosler said: "It's important everyone gives Marcello a chance.

"He knows some people have not forgotten. Of course, people still remember him for that penalty.

"I remember the impact he made for the club. We should judge him on that."

Following their play-off final defeat to Yeovil, Trotta could be excused for wanting to see the back of the west Londoners.

But Rosler reckons he has shown character in heading back to the club.

"Marcello has come to fight for his place and play," he said.

"I feel he is a good solution for us. He bounced back from that Doncaster game and I expect him to help us achieve our goal this season."

And ahead of today's clash at Bradford, Trotta revealed he is still haunted by his miss.

He said: "I know I need to prove myself to some people.

"I still think about that penalty miss sometimes but I have to get over it."



http://www.dailystar.co.uk/sport/football/337149/Uwe-Rosler-Lay-off-Trotta