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Friday Fulham Stuff (20/09/13)...

Started by WhiteJC, September 20, 2013, 07:55:18 AM

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WhiteJC

 
Fulham man looking forward to derby



Fulham winger Alex Kacaniklic says he cannot wait to face Chelsea despite his side's current bad run of form.

The Whites have just four points from their opening four games and were booed off last weekend after they conceded a stoppage-time equaliser at home to West Brom

But ahead of Saturday's west London derby at Stamford Bridge, the Sweden international said: "I'm looking forward to it.

"A derby game always adds a bit of extra spice. To play against Chelsea is always good.

"They've got some good young players as well as some experienced ones and what Jose Mourinho has done has proven himself to be one of the best."



http://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/fulham-looking-forward-to-chelsea-clash?

WhiteJC

 
Fulham's Warmest Welcome

Fulham Football Club is to be presented with the VisitFootball Warmest Welcome award for providing top customer service to our fans.

A panel of industry experts from the tourism, football and customer service industries voted that Fulham's staff should win the award for being "a club where all departments are working towards a common goal of improving every supporter's day out."

The awards are part of a national scheme that aims to improve standards of fan experience at football stadia, and VisitFootball is a joint venture between the Premier League and the national tourism board VisitEngland.

VisitFootball has been assessing the care that customers receive at football grounds since August 2010 and gives out annual awards for those who deliver outstanding customer service. It has adapted VisitEngland's 'Visitor Attraction Quality Assurance Scheme', which is used to assess other tourist attractions such as theatres and museums, specifically for football stadia. All 20 clubs in the Barclays Premier League were judged by a professional tourism assessor across eight areas of the supporter match experience, such as ticketing, stewarding, catering, toilets and the club shop.

There were four awards in total, with Manchester United winning Club of the Year, Liverpool awarded Best Fan Innovation, and Wigan Athletic presented with the Unsung Hero accolade. For the awards, the panel brought together the marks and comments of the assessors from Live Tourism to determine which clubs and personnel offered the highest quality for Premier League football fans. The judges' comments explaining why Fulham were awarded Warmest Welcome are as follows:

"The Warmest Welcome Award is about how supporters are treated across every aspect of a football club, from the moment they arrive to the final minute when they leave. What is abundantly clear at Fulham is that this is a club where all departments are working towards a common goal of improving every supporter's day out.

"Staff at Craven Cottage have a friendly can do attitude, balancing hope with reality in managing expectations. Their stewarding is often outstanding, and we loved the team of stewards who have access to an iPad, ensuring not only that fans can get the right information but that they can support their fellow stewards who may not know or have all the answers. Add in reduced catering service times, two new giant video screens and family stand branding and you can see why Fulham provide the warmest of welcomes."

Richard Scudamore, Premier League Chief Executive, said: "Premier League clubs are working harder than ever to ensure that when supporters come to a match they receive excellent service. The passion and commitment of the fans is an integral part of the Premier League's success and English football culture. The VisitFootball Awards won by Manchester United, Liverpool, Fulham, and Wigan demonstrate that not only do our clubs take looking after their fans very seriously, but they are extremely good at it."   

James Berresford, VisitEngland Chief Executive, said: "The Premier League has already been playing its part over the last three years to improve its football welcome and they should be congratulated for taking this so seriously and the progress made so far. It's also important that football clubs continue to build on these improvements and we have certainly seen that with Manchester United, Liverpool, Fulham and Wigan."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/september/19/fulhams-warmest-welcome?

WhiteJC

 
Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shahid Khan has big plans for his struggling NFL team


Shahid Khan: Invested heavily in the Jaguars

Jacksonville owner Shahid Khan is determined to raise the profile of his NFL franchise in the UK when the Jaguars play at Wembley Stadium next month.

The Jags take on last season's Super Bowl runners-up San Francisco in the second of two International Series NFL clashes in London on October 27.

Khan signed a deal for the Jaguars to play one "home" match at Wembley in each of the next four years, while he also has big plans for EverBank Field in Florida.

The Fulham owner has already invested $10m in state-of-the-art locker rooms and training facilities which he hopes will help the team bounce back from the worst season in their history.

"We want to have the world's largest scoreboard - 304 feet wide by 54 feet high - and then a level of swimming pools complete with palm trees, cabanas and the whole Florida experience," he said.

Sales

He also revealed that a recent trip to London revealed a surprise in the sales of replica Jaguars shirts and other merchandise.

"There are stores now that are selling NFL merchandise in London, and I walk in and look for the Jaguars and couldn't find anything.

"I asked the lady in the store about it, and she said 'that's our new home team - we're sold out'".

Jacksonville have lost the opening two games of this season, but Khan is confident they will have found their form in time for the daunting clash with the 49ers next month.

Star running-back Maurice Jones-Drew also insisted that Khan was a rare "hands-on" owner who often visits the locker room to talk to players.

"We see him more than most teams see their owners," said Jones-Drew. "He's a good guy, really down-to-earth and want to talk and have a good time and it's rare that you see that."



http://www1.skysports.com/american-football/news/12118/8929546?


WhiteJC

 
The Night the Lights Went Out in Fulham


Lights Out at Cottage     mirror.co.uk

I have been wondering for a while now if I have allowed the prejudices of others regarding Fulham's play to cloud my own judgment on the state of football currently on display at the Cottage. If you do any amount of reading regarding the state of Fulham Football Club you will most certainly see a distinct divide about what is happening in the here and now down by the River Thames. As an American Fulham fan I want nothing more than to sit back on a Saturday morning and watch the Whites roll to an impressive win over the days opposition but I have no preconceived notion that I will not come away on as many Saturdays ruing a missed shot or a breakdown in the defense as I will celebrating a superb winner or stunning game preserving save by the keeper. I am well aware that Fulham are not among the entitled and I do try to keep my expectations firmly grounded in hoping for the squad to put in a good shift, for them to cause their fair share of trouble to the opposition's defense and for them to pull out the occasional brilliant performance. In short, I don't expect displays equivalent to those of either Manchester United or the QPR of last season. Somewhere in between will keep me on the up and sitting on the edge of my sofa.

However, of late I have found myself growing rather listless when tuning in on Saturdays. Throughout the week I look forward to match day but as kickoff time approaches I find myself more apprehensive about how Fulham will perform than excited about the possible performance at hand. Unfortunately, I seem to have become pessimistic that Fulham are capable of functioning as an attacking offensive unit. I know I am not the only Fulham fan to hold that point of view but the question I posed to myself this week is whether or not I am being reasonable in my expectations. There are many ways to approach the game and while I have a certain expectation of what I would enjoy seeing Fulham do on the pitch it does not mean the squad cannot be effective playing a style that is not pleasing to my eye. Given that beauty is in the eye of the beholder I started digging into the numbers this week to see what they had to say about Fulham's form over that past two plus years.

To be honest I did not expect to see some line drawn in the sand where you could clearly see that Fulham's on-field direction had taken a dramatic change. I did not expect to be able to point to a date on the calendar and ask what happened in the week leading up to a particular match. I did not expect to see anything to be honest but I did. When you examine the numbers it looks like in the week leading up to the match against Stoke on November 24, 2012 someone flipped off the switch to Fulham's offense and the lights went out FFC's attacking abilities. I will admit that if you look at both the away match to Stoke on 11-24 and the subsequent away match to Chelsea on 11-28 that a dreary 1-0 loss to the Potters and a nil-nil draw to the blue side of Fulham are nothing to cringe about in isolation but when placed in the big picture something happened during this time period, be it intentional or unintentional, that has never been undone.

Fulham started off the 2012-2013 season in rare form. In the twelve matches prior to playing Stoke away the squad had averaged almost 15 shots per contest and nearly six shots per match on goal. In a full 75% or 9 of 12 matches Fulham had put a minimum of 5 shots on goal and taken no less than 11 shots. Now I will admit this was rare air for the Fulham faithful and we all knew it wouldn't last forever but to keep things in perspective for the entire of the 2011-2012 season Fulham put at least 5 shots on goal in 58% of their matches and averaged just over 14 shots per match with just over 5 shots on goal.

The overall trend for last season is not too disturbing when taken as a whole. For the 2012-2013 season the overall shots on goal per game only dropped by one to just over 4 per match and total shots per match dropped by two to just over 12 per match. While that is a trend nobody wants to see it is reasonably understandable given the loss of personnel with the departures of Murphy, Dembele and Dempsey in particular. While the excuses may have grown old as the year wore on during press conferences I will concede that Mr. Jol was right to miss those that left. For me there is also nothing overly disturbing about these trends until you draw a line on the calendar above the November 24th match with Stoke and begin to examine what happened after that date.

I am not trying to examine Martin Jol's qualities as a manager and I cannot say that as I fan I noticed some seismic shift on during the performance against Stoke but the numbers say that there was a change that occurred at Fulham prior to this match and from an offensive perspective it was not for the better. Fulham had been both scoring goals and leaking goals in its first twelve matches with an over 2 goals scored per match average and an over 1.8 goals against per match average going into the matchup with Stoke. For reasons that were perhaps tactical or due to injury or whatever they were it was in the Stoke match that Martin Jol introduced the 4-3-3 for the first time on the season with Baird, Sidwell and Karagounis sitting behind Dejagah, Berbatov and Petric. Perhaps it was a shift to a more defensive way of thinking, perhaps it was a tactical change for just that match and the Chelsea match to follow or perhaps Jol's thinking was somewhere else entirely but whatever happened in those two weeks has carried forward from that point in time with the squad's offensive production spiraling consistently downward.

Including Stoke, in the thirty matches since November 24, 2012 Fulham have only managed to put at least 5 shots on goal 9 times which totals the same number of times they did it and the first twelve matches of 2012-2013 and the under 30% rate is roughly half the rate at which they did it for the 2011-2012 season. During those thirty matches Fulham's average shots per match as fallen to just 10.5 shots per match with just over 3.5 shots per match on goal and if you extrapolate those statistics out to this season Fulham are only averaging 9 shots per match with 3 on goal which are equivalent numbers to the final ten matches of last season.

If you theorize that the purpose of the shift in play was to put a more defensive game plan into action then the numbers would show that the shift has only been mildly effective. For baseline purposes I will say that Fulham averaged 1.26 goals for and 1.34 goals against in the 2011-2012 season but you can take from that what you will. The numbers do show that Fulham managed to reduce the 1.8 goals against average from the first twelve matches of the season to just under 1.5 goals against over the remaining twenty-six matches but they did so at a cost of scoring only 1 goal per match in the final twenty-six compared to 2 per match in the first twelve. This season's small sample size shows 0.75 goals for average compared to a 1.25 goals against average for what it is worth.

Where does this leave Fulham and Martin Jol? In a malaise that must be broken out of. I won't pretend to know what the perfect lineup is or which formation best suits Fulham but I do know the numbers say Fulham needs to find a way to put shots on goal. The performance against West Bromwich was encouraging to some and I will admit the movement was at least a little better but until Fulham finds a way to consistently put shots on goal I will not be convinced that brighter times are ahead and I will continue watching apprehensively expecting the worst instead of hoping for the best.



- See more at: http://www.fulhamusa.com/index.php/news/item/206-the-night-the-lights-went-out-in-fulham?#sthash.IL6nXwaG.dpuf

WhiteJC

 
Fulham fans are behind Martin Jol ... for now, insist Supporters' Trust

Martin Jol has the backing of Fulham fans despite chants from a small section of supporters calling for the manager to go after Saturday's draw with West Brom.

Cries of "Jol out" could be heard by a vocal minority at the end of the game at Craven Cottage, with some home fans clearly unhappy with their slow start to the season.

Fulham have four points from their opening four Premier League games and Jol, who has one year left on his contract, was forced to defend his record at the club.

Dan Crawford, of the Fulham Supporters' Trust, says the Dutchman has the support of most fans but warns that the consensus of opinion might change if results do not improve.

"The manager has to take some responsibility but calling for his head on the basis or three or four games is a bit of an instant reaction," he said.

"Jol has the backing of the majority of fans but that could change on future results.

"There are a lot of Fulham fans who are uncertain about Jol and the next few months are his audition to take hold of the reins at the club for some time to come.

"The performances of late have not been great but you have got to look at what the alternative [managerial options] are — and there is not an attractive option."

It is understood that new owner Shahid Khan does not want to replace Jol, who has been in charge since replacing Mark Hughes in 2011. Fulham face Chelsea in a  west London derby at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

"Everyone will recognise that  the West Brom result was disappointing," said Crawford.

"The manner of their equaliser and the manner of a couple of the performances, particularly towards the end of last season and the late defeat at Newcastle, have people a little bit worried. But it is incredibly early in the season. There is one way for Jol to answer those critics, win at Stamford Bridge and he would write himself into Fulham folklore."

Meanwhile, Fulham have won the VisitFootball Warmest Welcome award for top customer service.

A panel of experts in tourism, football and customer service chose Fulham for being "a club where all departments are working towards a common goal of improving every supporter's day out".

VisitFootball is a joint venture between the Premier League and VisitEngland, the national tourism board.



http://www.standard.co.uk/sport/football/fulham-fans-are-behind-martin-jol--for-now-insist-supporters-trust-8826442.html

WhiteJC

 
Michael Jackson statue set to be removed from Fulham stadium Craven Cottage at Mohamed Al Fayed's request
The former Cottagers owner wants to take the statue to another of his properties

The Michael Jackson statue installed at Craven Cottage by former Fulham owner Mohamed Al Fayed is set to be removed.

It appears the former Cottagers owner, who sold the club during the summer to American Shahid Khan, has decided he wants to take the tribute to his former friend to one of his other properties.

The statue was installed in 2011 to commemorate the Thriller singer who Fayed insisted was a fan of the Thames side team (despite only being spotted in SW6 once).

However, the decision to install it at the back of the Hammersmith Stand inside the grounds of Craven Cottage was met with ridicule by many supporters of Fulham.

Fayed paid little attention, telling anyone who didn't like the statue, which includes an inscription from Dickson Etuhu and Jackson lyrics, to "go to hell".

Not all Fulham fans disliked the tribute though, with some seeing the entertaining and eccentric side to its instalment.

A Fulham spokesperson said: "The statue is not part of the Riverside development of the stadium and will be returned to the former chairman in due course."

The decision of Fayed to take the statue, rather than it be be removed by the new owners, will come as a relief to Khan after Fayed threatened to chop his moustache off if he did.



http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/michael-jackson-statue-set-to-be-removed-from-fulham-stadium-craven-cottage-at-mohamed-al-fayeds-request-8826503.html


WhiteJC

 
Dembele thinks he is 'underrated'- So can Fulham loanee down Tottenham?

Mousa Dembele rates Josh Pritchard - Who could play against him for Tromso IL tonight.

On paper Tottenham Hotspur will be looking at their Norwegian opponents tonight and thinking ... routine win. Indeed, Tromso IL were in fact beaten by Besiktas in the qualifying, only for the Turkish side to be disqualified from the Europa League for match fixing charges.

So here they are, one of the most northern teams in European football travelling down to London to take on Spurs at White Hart Lane.

But for one Tromso player London will not be unfamiliar territory.

Former Manchester United starlet Josh Pritchard is currently on loan at Tromso from Fulham until the end of the season. After initially struggling he is now a regular in the side, playing in various positions, with the central midfield role becoming his new stomping ground.

Arsenal's Aaron Ramsey is 'Rambo' - Exclusive pic

Because of his technical ability and stamina he was adapted into this role at Craven Cottage, and one central midfielder who has made the switch from Fulham to Spurs in recent years is reportedly a fan of Pritchard - according to the youngster.

When speaking to Norwegian source VG Nett yesterday, he made it clear that the Belgian was one fan of his in South West London. When asked about who he looked forward to facing tonight, Pritchard stated:

''Of course Mousa Dembele, because he thinks I'm underrated. It's because I know him from Fulham. It would be a big task, but I do not think he plays. The fight is huge for me. It gives me a chance to prove to the coaches in Fulham that I can play in the Premier League. I hope Tottenham have their best team on the pitch, but they probably play with the bench. Uses the players Jermain Defoe, Erik Lamela, Lewis Holtby, but is doesn't matter who we meet.''

Pritchard is ready to prove something that Dembele reportedly sees - that he has not reached his limit at Fulham. It is fantastic to see a young English talent decide to move to another country in order to adapt their game, in Pritchard's case following a former coach at United in the form of Jon Hil.

It shows ambition, and his ambition knows no bounds - tonight he is not ready to simply lay down and accept defeat...

''Why can we not beat them? It's only football we are talking about.''

But while the result might be important, his performance could be of more significance if he is to break through the ceiling at Fulham Football Club.



http://hereisthecity.com/2013/09/19/mn-dembele-thinks-he-is-underrated-so-can-fulham-loanee-down-tot/?

WhiteJC

 
Cox: Mata should start against Fulham

One of the more peculiar developments in Jose Mourinho's second spell at Chelsea has been his apparent distrust of Juan Mata.

The Spanish playmaker, widely regarded as Chelsea's best performer last season, has started just two of the six fixtures under Mourinho so far, and has been withdrawn in both.

Chelsea fans, as well as neutrals who admire Mata's clever positioning and pinpoint through-balls, are desperate for him to be given another chance. However, he didn't impress in last weekend's 1-0 defeat to Everton – where he started in a central attacking position as Chelsea sat deep, but contributed little, appearing uncomfortable at launching counter-attacks.

In fact, Mourinho essentially used Mata in completely the wrong way at Goodison Park. Mourinho wasn't to know the course the match would take, with Everton going ahead shortly before half-time, but essentially Mata was on the pitch when Chelsea were attempting to play on the break, and on the bench when Chelsea were attempting to break down a packed defence.

His talent clearly lends itself to the latter, and Chelsea lacked creativity as they searched for a late equaliser.

Mata was once again a substitute for the shock 2-1 defeat to Basel in midweek, with Oscar, Eden Hazard and new signing Willian favoured in the three attacking roles behind main striker Samuel Eto'o.

Oscar had a good first half, scoring the opener – and he's the one Chelsea player you can understand Mourinho favouring over Mata, given his adaptability and ruthlessness on the break – but overall Chelsea were poor in the final third.

This weekend would be a good opportunity to give Mata another chance in the first team. In the derby against Fulham at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea are likely to be facing a defensive-minded, passive side that puts two banks of four behind the ball and defends solidly.

Mata might not be a fine counter-attacker, but he's the Chelsea player most likely to threat a through-ball between defenders, or find a pocket of space between the lines.

If Mata doesn't start this weekend, you wonder when Mourinho will deem it necessary to play him.




Read more: http://pickourteam.com/premierleague/chelsea/news/19-09-2013/cox-mata-should-start-against-fulham/847485?#ixzz2fPkKlEZR

WhiteJC

 
Berbatov is a doubt for Chelsea clash

Fulham striker Dimitar Berbatov is a doubt for Saturday's west London derby against Chelsea because of a hamstring problem.

Berbatov was forced off with the injury in the second half against West Brom last weekend and manager Martin Jol says the Bulgarian will be assessed ahead of this weekend's game.

"We will assess Berbatov tomorrow with his hamstring," Jol confirmed.

"He's got a tightness there but hopefully he will be okay."

Darren Bent has recovered from a hamstring problem, however, and is available for selection.

And there is good news for Fulham regarding Bryan Ruiz.

The Costa Rican's ankle injury, suffered in the draw with West Brom, is not as bad as first feared, although he will miss the derby.

"Darren is back and hopefully Ruiz will be back next week," Jol added.

"The ankle injury is not as bad as we first thought – it was just one ligament and it has been getting better and better."

Defender Aaron Hughes, goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg and left-back Matthew Briggs are still unavailable because of their respective injuries.



http://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/berbatov-is-a-doubt-for-chelsea-clash


WhiteJC

 
Fulham suffer Briggs blow

FULHAM full-back Matthew Briggs faces three weeks on the sidelines after undergoing a hernia operation.

The young defender, who has featured twice this season, had surgery in Munich this week.

Boss Martin Jol said: "He's had a hernia operation. He will will be out for at least three weeks."



Read more: Fulham Chronicle http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/fulham-fc/2013/09/19/82029-33862695/?#ixzz2fPl0LgGm

WhiteJC

 
Fulham boss regrets hitting out at fans

Fulham manager Martin Jol has admitted he regrets hitting out at supporters who barracked him at the weekend.

Some of the Craven Cottage crowd turned on the Dutchman after his team conceded a stoppage-time equaliser against West Brom.

He responded after the 1-1 draw by describing them as "disappointing" and subsequently suggested their expectations are too high.

"I think it's better not to talk about it – I did and I shouldn't have," Jol conceded.

"The supporters pay us to play football for them. They've got an opinion and are entitled to express themselves.

"But to concede in the 93rd minute was very disappointing, not only for them but for me and the club as well."

He added: "I talked about the fact that expectations can make you very unhappy and they can at any club – even the big clubs like Chelsea and Manchester United.

"Seven new players were not even there last week so we still have to find the balance and it's not easy. I think there are 10 or 11 other teams who are not settled either.

"But what I mean is as soon as we gel I think we will be fine."



http://www.westlondonsport.com/fulham/fulham-boss-regrets-hitting-out-at-fans?

WhiteJC

 
LAWRO'S PREDICTION

Chelsea v Fulham (17:30 BST)

Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho has not had a good week, with defeats by Everton in the Premier League and then Basel in the Champions League.

They had lots of chances against Everton but, against Basel, I just thought they were trying to be too cute.

You wonder if one or two people are now starting to realise what a good job Rafa Benitez did at Stamford Bridge last season.

Mourinho's first problem is trying to get all of his wonderful attacking midfield players into his system, because he really is spoilt for choice.

His other issue is that none of them are much good to him when they have not got the ball.

Although I still think they will be too strong for Fulham, it could be that he has to try to balance his team differently.

Chelsea have an excellent record in this derby, though, and I cannot see that changing this weekend. If Fulham do win, then some Chelsea fans might be crying for Benitez to come back.

Meanwhile, Fulham boss Martin Jol is coming in for some criticism, which I think is harsh.

I just hope their new owner Shahid Khan was not sitting there listening to chants of 'Jol out' during their draw with West Brom - the Dutchman is a good manager.

Prediction: 2-0


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24152623


WhiteJC

 
Beat Chelsea and we will love you forever, Fulham fans tell under-fire Martin Jol

Fulham manager Martin Jol has been told he can ease the growing unease over his position at Craven Cottage by piling the pressure on Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho.

Former Tottenham and Ajax boss Jol has been backed by the Fulham Supporters' Trust (FST) despite a slow start to the new Premier League season which has led to criticism from a vocal minority of fans.

Mourinho's return to Stamford Bridge for a second spell in charge has stumbled in the last week with a Premier League defeat at Everton followed by a surprise Champions League loss at home to Basle last night.

The two neighbours meet this weekend when Fulham make the short trip to Stamford Bridge and FST spokesman Dan Crawford said: 'The manager has to take some responsibility but calling for his head on the basis or three or four games is a bit of an instant reaction.

'Jol has the backing of the majority of fans, it is incredibly early in the season. There is one way for him to answer those critics, win at Stamford Bridge and he would write himself into Fulham folklore.'



http://metro.co.uk/2013/09/19/beat-chelsea-and-we-will-love-you-forever-fulham-fans-tell-under-fire-martin-jol-4055619/?

WhiteJC

 
Jol's Chelsea Preview

Martin Jol is hoping Fulham can extend their good recent record at Stamford Bridge when they face Chelsea on Saturday afternoon (5.30pm).

The previous three SW6 derbies at the Bridge have all ended in stalemates (although Chelsea emerged victorious from the first courtesy of a penalty shoot-out in the League Cup), and the Fulham Manager hopes that statistic breeds confidence among his squad.

"I have to put it in the minds of my players that we had good results [there]," Jol said in Thursday's press conference. "I don't know what that means to have good results in the away matches against them but we still know the way we played against them so maybe that will help.

"I can remember a few games; the penalty kick with Pajtim Kasami that we should have won, but that was for the cup. We had a few situations last year in the away match where we could have scored in the last 10 minutes, so we could have had a win. It's a good thing that we haven't lost, although remember that we lost at home [to Chelsea] a couple of months ago.

"We had three draws there so we did particularly well. It's 10 minutes from our place so it's the same as a home game almost. We've got good support from our supporters, and hopefully we can do something nice.

"We're in the Fulham area with Chelsea and their stadium is in the Fulham area so that's why it's a big and important derby. If you look at the support we always get at Chelsea from our away fans, it's terrific."

Chelsea brought former boss Jose Mourinho back to English football in the summer, but Jol says the managerial change won't affect how his side approaches the game.

"They changed managers, although he [Mourinho] plays almost a similar system now to Rafa Benitez. Before he played a different system in a 4-3-3," he explained. "He changed it a bit so that's different but we're quite confident.

"With or without Mourinho, this is the best league in the world, but I'm happy that he's back. He's almost like a friend to me – he's a very nice guy so we've got a little connection with each other."

The Blues go into the match on the back of a four game winless run, with their most recent fixtures both ending in defeat as they lost 1-0 to Everton in the Barclays Premier League, and 2-1 at home to Basel in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday.

Jol was quizzed as to whether or not that poor run of form will work in Fulham's favour, and the Dutchman admitted that Saturday's derby is already a significant fixture for our hosts.

"I think if we beat them it will be the first time that they've lost three games in a week," he said. "So it puts a little bit more pressure on them, but I don't know if it's an advantage or not.

"When they lost against Everton, it put pressure on them in the Champions League, so they had to win that game. To talk about must-win games, I think that for Chelsea it's a must-win game against us because they want to be champions in England.

"I won't say there's nothing to lose when we go there because it's a difficult game, but I think the last two or three away matches against Chelsea we did quite well."

There could be a significant change to the Fulham starting XI from the one that drew with West Bromwich Albion last Saturday, with Dimitar Berbatov requiring a fitness test on Friday, while Bryan Ruiz will certainly miss out.

"Berbatov will have an assessment on his hamstring which is a bit tight and hopefully he'll be fine," Jol stated. "Bryan Ruiz is out and will be back probably next week. He had a traumatic ankle injury but not as bad as we thought. It's one ligament and it's getting better and better so he'll hopefully be back next week.

"Aaron Hughes has still got a problem with his thigh and Maarten Stekelenburg will be out for the next couple of weeks with his right shoulder. Matthew Briggs had an operation on a hernia so he'll be out for at least three weeks."

At the end of Saturday's 1-1 draw with the Baggies, a smattering of the Cottage crowd directed a series of boos in Jol's direction. Our Manager made some comments about those fans in his post match press conference, although now insists that such action was perhaps a mistake. He did, however, reaffirm that he shared the disappointment of the supporters at not winning the game.

"I think it's better not to talk about it, but I did, and I shouldn't have because they're entitled to express themselves," he said. "They pay us to play football for them and they've got an opinion and to lose [two points] in the 92nd minute was very disappointing, not only for them but for me and the Club.

"I talked about the fact that expectations can make you very unhappy at any club; Chelsea, even Manchester United, big clubs, smaller clubs, and especially at Fulham as well. We feel that we've got good players but five of the seven new players were not even there last week so we still have to find a balance.

"It isn't easy but I think there are probably 10 or 11 other teams that are not settled and play with different players, new players. So what I mean is that as soon as we gel together we'll be fine."

Our Manager also commented on recent media reports stating that former Manchester United coach Rene Meulensteen was set to become part of his backroom staff at Fulham; a notion he denies.

"It's the same with 90 per cent of players – it's speculation," Jol explained. "There's nothing in it whatsoever. I know him and he's an excellent coach. We will always look to strengthen with players and with coaches but, now, it's speculation."

Cheer on the Whites in the South-West London derby! Tickets are on sale to all supporters with a Booking History, (max. 4 per person).



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/september/19/jols-chelsea-preview?

WhiteJC

 
Dimitar Berbatov a doubt for Chelsea clash
The Bulgarian has an injured hamstring

Fulham are sweating on the fitness of key striker Dimitar Berbatov ahead of the West London derby with Chelsea, according to The Fulham and Hammersmith Chronicle.

The Bulgarian limped out of last weekends 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion at Craven Cottage.

The hamstring injury he sustained is now threatening to leave the Cottagers without, arguably, their best striker for the short trip to Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

The 32-year-old signed for Fulham from Manchester United at the start of last season and has scored 15 Premier League goals in 36 appearances.

Berbatov has forged a reputation for being one of the most skilful and clinical finishers in England.

In 2008, United shelled out £30 million to lure him from Tottenham Hotspur.

In total Berbatov has 90 goals in seven years playing in England, therefore his manager Martin Jol will be hoping for a speedy recovery.

However, in the event that his main striker is ruled out, the Dutch boss will be boosted by the news that loanee Darren Bent is fit to return to the line-up.

Other attacking options include Hugo Rodallega, Bryan Ruiz, Adel Taarabt and Ashkan Dejagah.

The West London derby will provide both clubs with the opportunity to get back to winning ways.

Fulham haven't won in the Premier League since the opening day and Chelsea are without a win in their last three games in all competitions.

Write for GiveMeSport! Sign-up to the GMS Writing Academy here: http://gms.to/130seMa

DISCLAIMER: This article has been written by a member of the GiveMeSport Writing Academy and does not represent the views of GiveMeSport.com or SportsNewMedia. The views and opinions expressed are solely that of the author credited at the top of this article. GiveMeSport.com and SportsNewMedia do not take any responsibility for the content of its contributors.



http://www.givemesport.com/382243-dimitar-berbatov-a-doubt-for-chelsea-clash?autoplay=on


WhiteJC

 
Premier League: Fulham's Alex Kacaniklic confident of Chelsea upset in weekend derby


Alex Kacaniklic: Looking forward to Fulham's clash with Chelsea

Alex Kacaniklic is relishing the prospect of taking on Chelsea and believes Fulham can spring a surprise at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea slipped up against Everton last weekend and then suffered a shock home defeat against Basel in the UEFA Champions League on Saturday.

Fulham have also been on a poor run, failing to win in three Premier League games since the victory over Sunderland on the opening day, but Kacaniklic is hopeful they can upset the odds.

"Maybe we'll get the three points next week [against Chelsea], you never know. I'm looking forward to it," Kacaniklic told the Fulham Chronicle.

"What he [Mourinho] has done has proven himself to be one of the best.

"I'm looking forward to that game. To play against Chelsea is always good and they've got some good young players themselves, as well as some experienced ones, so I'm looking forward to it."

Kacaniklic, who has made four appearances for Martin Jol's side this term, admits there will be added spice because it is a derby game.

"Of course it always does," he said. "We want to go there and get some points."



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/8930036/?

WhiteJC

 
New adidas Mens Leisurewear


Shop from our brand new adidas mens and premium collections today to be in with a chance of winning one of three pieces of adidas luggage!*

Featuring must-haves such as the adidas Essential Black Polo (pictured, £27.99) with FFC crest made from CLIMALITE® COTTON, as worn by one of our brightest young stars, George Williams.

Up for grabs is the large trolley bag (worth £129.99), the small trolley bag (£99.99) or the messenger bag (£44.99), and we have one of each to give away.

Just make a purchase online from the adidas mens collections before midnight on Thursday 26th September to be in with a chance. Check out the ranges online and shop today!

*One entry into the draw will be made per order. Promotion valid for online orders only. 1st prize: adidas large trolley bag, 2nd prize: adidas small trolley bag, 3rd prize: adidas messenger bag. Promotion ends midnight Thursday 26th September. Winners will be notified via email on Friday 27th September when their prize will be despatched from the warehouse.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/september/19/new-adidas-mens-leisurewear?

WhiteJC

 
Beat It: Fulham to return Michael Jackson statue to Mohamed Al Fayed
• Fayed insisted late singer was a fan of the club
• Statue not part of Riverside development of stadium

Fulham are to return the statue of Michael Jackson outside Craven Cottage to the club's former owner Mohamed Al Fayed.

The sculpture was installed at the back of the Hammersmith stand in 2011, in tribute to the late singer, whom Fayed insisted was a fan of the west London club.

Fulham were bought by the American Shahid Khan in a £150m deal during the summer, and initially it had appeared the Jackson statue would remain in place.

However, it now appears Fayed will take the statue to one of his other properties as the club press on with plans to revamp their home on the banks of the Thames.

A Fulham spokesperson said: "The statue is not part of the Riverside development of the stadium and will be returned to the former chairman in due course."



http://www.theguardian.com/football/2013/sep/19/fulham-michael-jackson-statue


WhiteJC

 
Fulham boss Jol piles pressure on Chelsea ahead of derby clash

MARTIN Jol has turned up the heat on Chelsea ahead of Saturday's west London derby.

The Blues have suffered back-to-back defeats going into the game following Saturday's loss at Everton and last night's shock Champions League reverse against Basel.

And Fulham boss Jol has heaped more pressure on their rivals in the build up to the Stamford Bridge clash.

"For Chelsea it's a must-win game against us because they want to be champions," said the Dutchman.

"I was thinking yesterday if they lost a second game in a week it could be difficult.

"It puts a little bit more pressure on them, but I don't know whether that's an advantage or not."

Jol came under fire from a section of Fulham fans following last weekend's 1-1 draw with West Brom, which extended their winless streak at Craven Cottage to six games.

But the Whites manager insists they will come good when their summer signings start to click.

He added: "We have good players, but five of the seven new players were not there last week, so it's not easy.

"There are 10 or 11 teams who have not settled, but as soon as we gel together we will be fine.

"Sometimes you have to put things in perspective. We're doing better in this transitional period over the past couple of years than people give us credit for."



Read more: Fulham Chronicle http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/fulham-fc/2013/09/19/82029-33863992/?#ixzz2fPoI00MV

WhiteJC

 
Chelsea v Fulham preview: Team strengths, tactics and stats
Check out all the vital statistics ahead of this
weekend's Premier League meeting at Stamford Bridge



Ahead of this
weekend's Premier League meeting, between Chelsea and Fulham, see how the sides
compare on possession, pass accuracy, tactics and much more.



http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/premier-league/chelsea-v-fulham-preview-team-strengths-tactics-and-stats-8827313.html