Monday Fulham Stuff (09/09/13)...

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The Summer of Mixed Emotions
by CHRIS GILBERTSON on SEPTEMBER 8, 2013

Football fans are prone to mood swings. The occasional bout of emotion fuelled over-exaggeration comes as standard. There is not a fan in the land that hasn't called for a manager's head in a sudden burst of anger following a defeat, or proclaimed their player should start for England after a particularly good game. What Fulham fans are now feeling after the summer transfer window is not a fleeting emotion, but the collective response to 13 months of spiraling mediocrity.

It is easy for clubs to forget that football is a game based on emotion in the modern world of transfers, tv rights and the business of high level sport.

Since Shakid Khan's takeover of Fulham back in July, talk has been focused on sustainability. The only tangible plan seemingly in place at the moment is that of the pre-existing Riverside Stand redevelopment.

The problem with this is that football doesn't stand still. Ambitious plans off the field have been met with a puzzling lack of ambition on it.

The summer transfer window just gone was a perplexing one for Fulham fans. Enough to intrigue and infuriate in equal measure, any talk of realistic top ten ambitions can be seen rather more as a pipe dream than a modus operandi for the here and now. Survival, it seems, is the plan once again.

On the face of it Fulham had an ok transfer window. It was a player recruitment window where the focus was on bulk additions of game ready veterans rather than looking to the long term with any incisive incomings of players approaching their prime. Seven new first teamers joined the club, with energizer bunny Sascha Reither additionally arriving on a permanent deal and Greek man of war Giorgos Karagounis re-signing for a further year.

The national football publications will no doubt conclude that our window was positive. To see it as such though, shows a remarkable lack of appreciation for the situation as a whole. It is rather like buying the ingredients for a nice supper without having the kitchen in which to cook it. Indeed the Telegraph called it for what it really was; a 5/10 nod to muddling through.

Long-term gaps at left back and central midfield were left unfilled, deadwood was not moved on, while the squad became stockpiled with an influx of nonchalant attacking enigmas and aging defensive midfielders.

On the whole, the signings showed a lack of strategy, and that sustainability remains a piece of blue sky thinking rather than anything we can move towards on the field.

This is perhaps not wholly unexpected. The new chairman arrived amongst much fanfare, but quite understandably shows signs of wanting to assess the situation for longer than 6 weeks in the summer prior to any en-masse pocket dipping. With the whole takeover reportedly concluded within the space of a month, it is no surprise Mr Khan wants a period of basic continuity before any radical changes. The path of sustainability is indeed the one we want to take; we just don't yet have the map to get there.

Indeed, why give a manager more funds than he needs to survive when he may not be the man who you eventually entrust your credit card to?

Have we spent enough to stay in the league? If our short-term goal is simply to survive whilst a plan to execute long-term strategy is formulated, will we?

The yearlong on-field malaise since the departures of several stars last summer suggests we are not guaranteed anything. Home form at Craven Cottage has taken the trajectory of the Lusitania while our overly static defense looks more and more fragile with every passing week. Fulham have been playing without anything resembling consistent tactics, desire and creativity for the better part of a year, whilst the summer signings appear as square pegs in round holes designed to paper over some significant cracks.

It is going to be a long hard season for Fulham fans. We were not given anything to overwhelmingly excite us over the summer months and performances have remained uninspired. Time is on our side for now, but it will soon be staring us in the face.

There is a focus within the club on how to improve away attendances. A coherent performance resembling anything close to entertainment might be a start. Should our home form not improve, the focus may be forced to shift to wondering whether an expensive new stand is such a good idea.

The grains of sand in the egg timer of Martin Jol's tenure in SW6 are reaching the bottom. Whether there will be anyone there to turn it over remains to be seen. Should the insipid performances continue and results fail to materialise, it would be foolish of Fulham to stand idly by.

Of the summer signings, only two, Elsad Zverotic and Fernando Amorebieta, show the hallmarks of a legacy signing – one that the club and not the manager engineered on the basis of the higher recruitment strategy. Michael Calvin's immensely readable book The Nowhere Men highlights this practice at Fulham, where Roy Hodgson rejected the chance to sign Mousa Dembele from AZ Alkmaar and it was only once he had left the club that Mark Hughes signed off on the deal. Whilst Scott Parker has never before played under Martin Jol he was still widely known and Derek Boateng had played against Fulham for Dnipro two years ago in one of Martin Jol's first games in charge. Adel Taarabt, Maarten Stekelenburg and Darren Bent are all former charges of the excuse-making Dutchman.

Whether they can gel is squarely on Jol's shoulders. Having met Alistair Mackintosh and been thoroughly impressed, not least by his ability to mix passion with objectivity, and having heard and read nothing but positive things about our CEO from within the game, I am most surprised that he facilitated such a summer of fraternal patronage.

This is it though; it has been a summer of mixed messages at Craven Cottage. We have the best academy in the country but the oldest first team. We speak of targeting a place in the top ten but have but have been in the bottom five of spending for the second summer in a row. We target sustainability yet sign not a single first team player with sell-on value in mind. We have a manager preaching offensive football yet led the league in long balls last season.

Is it any wonder the fans don't know what to think?

For a team entering its 13th consecutive season in the top flight, where fans will regularly spend over £1000 a season following their team, the prospect of another year looking over our shoulders is a hard one to stomach.

Below the first team, the summer again showed our growing reputation. The most pivotal deal of the summer might be 17-year-old French striker Moussa Dembele signing a new contract. After his hat trick in the academy final there were doubtless bigger clubs considering a move for the most exciting player in our youth set up. The recruitment of 15-year-old Yaya Toure impersonator Foday Nabay from the fringes of the Birmingham City first team could also prove significant in years to come.

At senior level though, our rivals have out spent or out performed for too long. Newcastle fans are justifiably irate with their management at the lack of a single penny spent in anger, but at least they deserved their 3 points against us last weekend.

The summer of disenchantment ended with the sale of fans favourite Kerim Frei to Besiktas on Friday. The 19-year-old winger who was shunned by Martin Jol has left without even an explanation as to why. A player who 18 months ago was seen as the jewel in our crown has left for a marginal fee without so much as a goodbye. One suspects this sale was more to do with Frei, who having been showered with too much praise and a four year contract at an early age may have forgotten the hard yards had yet to be done. It is though, another mark of disappointment for a fanbase devoid of energy.

The threat of relegation looms large and is not one the club can afford to ignore. When the Jacksonville Jaguars season comes to an end in January it could be too late. With no room to manoeuvre in the transfer market, all eyes will now be on management. Can an ageing and piecemeal squad come together and play as a united force? I'm not convinced and I'm not sure who is.

COYW


http://hammyend.com/index.php/2013/09/the-summer-of-mixed-emotions/?

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Senderos Almost Joined Parma!
   
Our out of favour centre-back, Philippe Senderos, almost joined Parma in the transfer window.

It`s being inferred that Fulham tried to engineer a deal whereby Senderos would have joined Parma with their centre back Yohan Banalouane coming to Craven Cottage.

However, it appears the deal fell through at the last minute leaving Senderos stranded at Craven Cottage and having to fight to get his first team place back.

Talking about doing just that the Swiss defender has remarked,

"It`s never easy when you are not playing. But it`s up to me to fight to change that situation."

"If nothing happens between now and January I will need to seek another solution."

"There`s not much I can say other than that I am still a Fulham player."

For me, I`m of the opinion that Senderos will be moved on, as surplus to requirements, in January, how about you?


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=331677#ixzz2eMgUTcmZ

[WhiteJC]

 
Kerim Frei moves to Besiktas

Fulham have announced on their official website that midfielder Kerim Frei has been sold to Besiktas.

The Turkish giants completed the deal just before the summer transfer deadline in Turkey and seem to have landed a player with huge potential.

Kerim Frei arrived at Fulham youth academy from Grasshoppers and he didn't need a lot of time to break into the first team set up.

The Turkish winger went on to make no less than 16 Premier League appearances during the 2011/2012 season, but was then farmed out on loan at Cardiff in October 2012.

Frei featured in another 7 Premier League games since returning from Wales, but he fell further behind the pecking order at the start of the new season.

As a result, the Cottagers decided to accept an offer from Besiktas, but they have pointed out that they could still profit from the player's performances in the future.



http://www.soccernews.com/kerim-frei-moves-to-besiktas/127393/?

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Emotional scenes at Celtic Park as Petrov is overwhelmed by support at charity game alongside Berbatov, Dalglish, Larsson, Terry, Lambert and the rest

There weren't many dry eyes in the house. Stan Petrov was addressing supporters inside Celtic Park after his charity match on Sunday and it all became too much.

'You've made today special for me, my family and for all these players. Thank you very much,' Petrov - in remission from acute leukaemia - said.

Glasgow erupted. 'You'll Never Walk Alone' blasted out aptly. Petrov's sons ran to the pitch for a family embrace. That set Stan off: he wept in the arms of his wife Paulina as those in the stands passionately cheered one of the most likeable men in football.

It was an almost indescribable 10 minutes after the final whistle. Nobody left. Nobody wanted to.

VIDEO  Scroll down to see the moment that Terry and others arrived at Celtic Park plus One Direction's Louis getting clattered by Agbonlahor


All together: Dimitar Berbatov and Paul Lambert were alongside Stiliyan Petrov for his charity game


Overwhelmed: Petrov acknowledged the crowd in the 19th minute


Emotional: Petrov's wife Paulina couldn't hold back the tears

The former Aston Villa midfielder was deservingly the star of the show. The match between a #19 Legends side and a team of Celtic heroes was a huge success for him and his charity.

The emotion started early on. When the clock hit the 19th minute - his squad number - the entire sell-out crowd stood up as one to show their appreciation for the 34-year-old.

'I said I wouldn't cry but I couldn't hold it. It was an absolute privilege,' he told BT Sport. 'I'm just happy to see my family every day.'



Star-studded: Kenny Dalglish and John Terry were among those who turned out

The Bulgarian stood in the centre circle, waved at the crowd and pinched between his eyes to hold back the tears.

Villa supporters have a ritual of clapping for 60 seconds in the 19th minute, but Petrov was still overcome with emotion.

'It is just great. I nearly started crying but I held it. I was in a dark place a year-and-a-half ago,' he said.

'They have always been brilliant to me. It's been amazing. Today I'm here with all these friends and the Celtic family. It's incredible.'

After the time Petrov has endured, it was only fitting that those closest to him within the game were there to shown an outpouring of support for one of football's most humble individuals.


Welcome home: Petrov shares a moment with ex-Celtic striker Henrik Larsson



Subbed: Petrov was taken off in the 31st minute by Dalglish


1D: Louis Tomlinson shows off his Celtic strip before the game



Petrov's former manager at Aston Villa, Paul Lambert alongside Neil Lennon, who lasted 35 minutes before being replaced. The Celtic boss said: 'The turnout is fantastic - especially from some of the players. Stan deserves it.'

Dimitar Berbatov, Gareth Barry, Henrik Larsson and John Terry all played in the game.

The Chelsea defender even hit the post with an audacious lob from his own half before the break.

Berbatov netted a hat-trick, while Henrik Larsson scored for Celtic as Petrov's XI won 5-3.

Asked about his friendship with Petrov, Terry said: 'It's blossomed over time. We were both captains and have become great friends who stay in touch.

VIDEO: One Direction's Louis takes a sore one from Agbonlahor

Stars including John Terry arrive at Celtic Park in support of...


Blossomed: John Terry, right with Jackie McNamara, revealed he's close to Petrov


Comfortable hotseat: Martin O'Neill managed the Celtic XI


Like old times: Larsson lobs Shay Given to score


Here for Stan: Chris Sutton (left) and Pierre van Hooijdonk before the game

Martin O'Neill, a man so synonymous with Petrov's career in British football, managed the Celtic XI.

'He's had a really tough time over the last couple of years. He's fought that and is coming through. It's great news,' O'Neill said.
'I think he's overwhelmed by the turnout.'

Central defender Bobo Balde mustn't have been told about the friendly nature of the fixture, clattering into Robert Pires early doors, drawing laughter from the crowd.

'It's never going to an easy ride with Bobo around,' laughed O'Neill.


That one's for you! Larsson celebrates scoring in front of the adoring Celtic fans



Lambert wasn't surprised by the attendance and the reception afforded to the former central midfielder.

'This is what you expect from the Celtic crowd,' the Villa manager said. 'I had eight great years here. There are a lot of lads I haven't seen for years. It seems like yesterday when we all got back together.

'What Stan's battled through has been incredible. Nobody can comprehend what that's like.'


Joker: John Bishop perhaps should have stuck to the funnies on the touchline

Petrov received rapturous applause when he came on for the Celtic XI with five minutes remaining.

Not everyone had a great time of it though.

Comedian John Bishop found it tough after entering the fray in the second half - missing a penalty and a gilt-edged chance to howls from the 60,000 watching.

WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

One Direction's Louis Tomlinson also struggled and was clattered by Gabriel Agbonlahor, with the thousands of pop fans in the crowd wincing.

The singer writhed around on the floor in agony, before getting to his feet as Agbonlahor patted him on the head as he ran off.

It wasn't long before the star was hauled off moments prior to being physical sick as he was spared any further rough treatment.

When O'Neill was asked about the condition of Tomlinson he said: 'Agbonlahor smashed into him and he picked himself up and he was ill at the dressing room area.

'He has rushed off now but I think he is fine - he doesn't know where he is but I think he is fine.'

Agbonlahor said he would apologise: 'It was one of those things. I'll apologise to Louis when we meet up with everybody after the game.

'I know he enjoyed playing in the game and it's fantastic that he took time out to be here, and the same with everyone else who played.'


Too much: Louis' lunch was only heading in One Direction



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2415414/One-Directions-Louis-Tomlinson-hurt-Gabby-Agbonlahor-Stiliyan-Petrovs-emotional-charity-match-Celtic-Park-John-Terry-Henrik-Larsson-Dimitar-Berbatov.html#ixzz2eMhQIeYA
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Philippe Senderos Issues Fulham Quit Threat

Swiss demands recall or he will depart Craven Cottage in 2014.

Experienced Fulham defender Philippe Senderos wants to leave the west London club in the January transfer window unless he can regain his place in the Cottagers' first team between now and the turn of the year, according to reports in the Sun on Sunday.

The Switzerland international is currently out of favour at Craven Cottage under head coach Martin Jol, and has not played a single match the club so far far in the new Premier League season.

In fact, the 28-year-old even rejected the opportunity to move to Serie A side Parma on a season-long loan deal during the recent summer transfer window, with Senderos preferring instead to remain at Fulham and fight for his place in the first team.

However, the former Arsenal, AC Milan and Everton central defender has now told Jol that he will depart the capital when the transfer window reopens at the start of next year if he is not brought back into the first-team fold before then.

Senderos has been at Fulham since June 2010 when he arrived at the club from Premier League rivals Arsenal on a free transfer, with the Swiss agreeing a three-year deal, before them signing a one-year contract extension with the Cottagers last March.



http://www.caughtoffside.com/2013/09/08/philippe-senderos-issues-fulham-quit-threat/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Berba Scores For Stan

Dimitar Berbatov played for just over an hour and scored a hat-trick as he helped raise money for Stiliyan Petrov's cancer foundation at Celtic Park on Sunday.

Petrov, who is in remission from acute leukaemia, played for Celtic during his career and called upon the likes of current players such as John Terry, Gareth Barry and Gabriel Agbonlahor; retired stars Henrik Larsson, Jamie Redknapp and Robert Pires; a host of celebrities including One Direction singer Louis Tomlinson, comic John Bishop and former Westlife singer Nicky Byrne; and former international teammates Berbatov and Martin Petrov to help raise money for his cancer foundation.

As one of the only players still in action in the Barclays Premier League, Berbatov's class told as early as the first minute as he chested down a long ball in the box, shrugged off a challenge and slotted home with his left foot for the opening goal.

Larsson netted a penalty to equalise for the Celtic XI shortly after, then Berbatov was involved in the build-up as the ball found Martin Petrov on the wing and the Bulgarian slotted into the far corner for 2-1.

Berbatov got his second just before the break as a burst of pace saw him get beyond the defence to slide a cross home with ease and the Stiliyan XI went in 3-1 leaders.

Our striker showed he wanted more as some breathtaking control on the edge of the box saw him hammer a shot off the woodwork in the 52nd minute and then his vision opened the door for Gabriel Agbonlahor but the Aston Villa man also hit the post.

Berba was not to be denied however as a couple of nice passes then saw him find space in the box and, although he was tripped and lost his balance, he managed to prod the ball under the advancing Rab Douglas for his hat-trick.

There was time for one more effort on goal as a volley went whistling past the post, before Berbatov was brought off just after the hour mark. Former Celtic striker Pierre Van Hooijdonk then put home a rebound to make it 4-2 after comedian John Bishop had missed a penalty and substitute Warren Brown scored with ten minutes left to close the gap to 4-3.

Having played for the Stiliyan XI in the first half, the man himself came on again for the final moments in the Celtic XI colours to a rapturous reception from the fans at Celtic Park. However, Byrne made it 5-3 as the seconds ticked down to deny Stan a win, although the score mattered little.

If you want to help Berba's former teammate you can DONATE to his foundation online by clicking here



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/september/08/berba-scores-for-stan?