Friday Fulham Stuff (18/10/13)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Consistent. Articulate. Intelligent. And Roy is the most caring boss I've ever played for

Roy Hodgson is the most articulate and intelligent manager I've worked with. He would regularly make references to things that some of the players sometimes didn't understand but that was because he wasn't predictable; he didn't say the obvious thing.

Like Gerard Houllier, Roy used to take time out to reflect and think about his delivery.

That makes a difference because sometimes the obvious thing is to come in at half-time and rant and rave about what's gone wrong, rather than look for solutions.

 
Comparison: Danny Murphy said that Roy Hodgson (left) and Gerard Houllier are both very thoughtful managers

Roy kept information realistically short and worthwhile. He didn't dwell on the negatives.

There was no talking for the sake of talking and he would give you past examples that were relevant to what you were experiencing as a team or individually. Good managers do that.

At half-time Roy always gave you the opportunity to compose yourself, too. He could occasionally lose it but only when it was justified.

The anger would come out when he was frustrated at a lack of discipline or an inability to put into practice what we had done in the days before. But he was usually calm, whatever the result. He remained focused on improving.

When we were finishing in the top half of the table and getting to the Europa League final, Roy's consistency was paramount to our success. He didn't get carried away or too despondent. When he came to Fulham he won one of his first seven matches but he did not change his philosophy. That takes strength.

Roy's not just a manager, though, he's a coach as well.


Involved: Hodgson doesn't just manage but also gets involved with the coaching side as well

At Fulham, he would be out on a Monday doing a session with the lads who hadn't been picked for the first team while the other players did their warm down.

The players feel like he cares — and he does.

If you look at the celebrations when England qualified on Tuesday night, the players were embracing him and that's not false. I learnt from Roy in so many ways. It doesn't surprise me that he's referencing unusual stories because he's bright.

He's also one of the most inoffensive managers I've worked under. He's very aware of players' feelings. He is one of the best man-managers because he treats you like a man and he's honest. He keeps it simple and doesn't ask for more than you can give.

I was often fascinated by Roy's wisdom, even away from football. He would happily talk about any subject and he would always have an opinion.


Back in the day: Murphy played under Hodgson at Fulham and called him intelligent, articulate and inoffensive

I liked his passion for whatever he was talking about, but particularly football because his enthusiasm was infectious.

At Fulham, Roy was more than happy to open his door and you could chat to him about anything.

I remember him having a conversation with David Healy and Roy basically said: 'You're a really good player, we like you and we're more than happy for you to stay and fight for a place but, at the moment, these players are ahead of you and if you want to leave and take another opportunity then we're more than happy.'

I remember thinking, 'What more can you want from a manager than to give you that honesty?'

Healy had a choice to make and he knew where he stood. It's a simple story of good management.


Option: Hodgson told David Healy that he could fight for his place or look for a new opportunity


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-2465551/Danny-Murphy-Consistent-Articulate-Intelligent-And-Roy-caring-boss-Ive-played-for.html#ixzz2i3f0hRd4
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Clint Dempsey returns to face FC Dallas as MLS' top-paid player but has yet to settle in



Clint Dempsey's road to becoming one of Major League Soccer's "saviors" has been a rocky one, but history says the Texas-born star can handle challenges pretty well.

"His story is pretty impressive when you know where he came from and what he has battled," said Doug Allison, Dempsey's coach at Furman. "He's never been given anything, he's always earned it, so I'm sure we're going to see that same Clint Dempsey back here in the States."

Dempsey truly is a Cinderella story. Coming up from humble family beginnings in Nacogdoches, he earned a scholarship at Furman, a place in MLS, a stint in the English Premier League and the captaincy of the U.S. men's national team. His skill and star power were so bright that they created an opportunity to return home this year.

The soccer power brokers in the United States engineered a deal in August that moved Dempsey from Tottenham in the EPL to Seattle of MLS with the thought that Dempsey could help one of the nation's most popular teams and create a buzz around the sport.

That hasn't happened so far. Dempsey — the highest-paid player in MLS — has been held without a goal in seven contests, has missed time with a hamstring problem and now is battling a shoulder injury as the Sounders (15-11-6, 51 points) head into Frisco on Saturday still fighting for a playoff spot in a key match against FC Dallas (10-11-11, 41 points). Dempsey's status for Saturday is uncertain.

While Dempsey's return has been less than dynamic, his impact in Seattle should be significant for the league. The Sounders' average home attendance of 42,907 is almost double that of second-place Los Angeles (22,523). What's more, Dempsey's position as one of the key players on the U.S. team will create marketing synergy for MLS during next year's World Cup.

Dempsey made three-hour car rides from Nacogdoches to Dallas to play club soccer in his youth and often watched videos on the trip that featured his favorite player, Diego Maradona. He played in his local men's Mexican league and learned a style of soccer that was more South American than European.

"He has a flair to his game," said Farshid Niroumand, Dempsey's coach at Nacogdoches High School. "I think it's where he feels he can show that side of his personality. I look at how he plays, and I think that's why he will be so good in his return here. He wasn't able to show that South American style in England, but they need that here; they want him to play that way here."

To England and back
Dempsey's time in England is checkered. He had a spectacular six-year run with Fulham that started in 2006, when he became the most expensive transfer from MLS up to that point at $4 million. He went on to set club scoring records for Fulham and posted an impressive 23 goals in 46 contests in 2011-12.

Amid questions of whether his style fit at Fulham, Dempsey followed his breakout season by angling for a move to a bigger club — one where he might get a shot at Europe's prestigious Champions League. He sat out the opening weeks of the 2012-13 season, forcing Fulham's hand and leading to a move to Tottenham Hotspur just before the transfer deadline.

With Spurs, however, playing time was harder to come by as Dempsey struggled to fit into a talented midfield. After scoring 12 goals in 43 games, he was ready for another move.

This time, though, the move was back home. Seattle and MLS anted up to get a star in his prime, and Dempsey at age 30 fits the bill. He said that signing a four-year deal (reported at $5 million a season) with the Sounders is good for his wife and their two children, but it's just as much about the soccer.

"It's been good for us," he said. "It's a great environment, and I feel good to have the kids here, going to school here. It feels right. But the reason I'm here is to help this team win. They've put their faith in me, and I want to come here and help them win a championship."

Searching for a title
Championships have eluded Dempsey in his pro career. Debbie Dempsey said her son has had so many near-misses — including two losses with New England in MLS Cup finals — that he badly wants to finally hoist a trophy.

"Some of the times he has lost in the last game, those were heart-breaking," she said. "I know in talking to him, he wants the silverware. It drives him."

Enough to try to play through a shoulder injury, or any other obstacle. Dempsey left Seattle last month to play for the U.S. in World Cup qualifiers. But with team already qualified for next year's tournament in Brazil, Dempsey sat out the recent qualifiers against Jamaica and Panama. For now, U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann said he wants his captain to concentrate on the Sounders.

"The challenges that he faces are ice-cold water," Klinsmann told MLSsoccer.com this week. "They're different, because now they expect the world from him.
"He wants to be one of the guys carrying the league forward, pushing it forward and inspiring the next generation, guiding the locker room in Seattle based on what he went through in the Premier League at two different clubs," Klinsmann added. "That's why I made him captain, to tell younger players how to approach training, how to approach their daily lives."

It's a lesson that was born on the dirt fields of Nacogdoches, on those three-hour car rides and on the soccer fields of North Texas with the Texas Longhorns and Dallas Texans club teams.

"It's good to come home," Dempsey said last week in anticipation of a trip to Frisco. "It's always good to come home."

IN THE KNOW
Clint Dempsey
Born: March 9, 1983, in Nacogdoches
Height, weight: 6-1, 170
Position: Midfielder/forward

Team: Seattle Sounders FC
Notable: Grew up in Nacogdoches but played youth soccer in the Dallas area with Dallas Texans and Texas Longhorns. ... Earned scholarship to Furman in Greenville, S.C., in 2001 and played three seasons for Paladins. ... Drafted eighth overall in MLS by New England Revolution in 2004. Earned MLS Rookie of the Year honors and helped Revolution to two MLS Cup finals, losing both. ... Transferred to Fulham in English Premier League in 2006. Spent six seasons with Cottagers, scoring 60 goals in 225 games overall. ... Transferred to Tottenham of EPL in August 2012. Had 12 goals in 43 matches. ... Transferred to Seattle of MLS in August 2013. Has not scored in seven contests.
Big investment

Clint Dempsey became the highest-paid player in MLS after his acquisition from Tottenham this year. The top five, listing guaranteed salaries and the percentage of their team's payroll:
Player 
Team 
Salary 
Percentage 
Clint Dempsey 
Seattle 
$5.04 mil. 
52.1 percent
Thierry Henry 
New York 
$4.35 mil. 
43.5 percent
Robbie Keane 
Los Angeles 
$4.33 mil. 
47.4 percent
Tim Cahill 
New York 
$3.63 mil. 
36.3 percent
Landon Donovan 
Los Angeles 
$2.5 mil. 
27.4 percent

Sources: MLS Players Union/NBC Sports



http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/more-sports/soccer/headlines/20131017-clint-dempsey-returns-to-face-fc-dallas-as-mls-top-paid-player-but-has-yet-to-settle-in.ece?&nclick_check=1

[WhiteJC]

 
Owner of Jaguars and Fulham Seeks Football Fusion


Fusing Teams as Never Before: Shahid Khan, the owner of Fulham Football Club and the Jacksonville Jaguars, has plans to integrate his teams in ways no other owner has done.

LONDON — The mile-long walk from the Putney Bridge tube stop to Craven Cottage, the home of Fulham Football Club, is among the most scenic in English soccer. On game days, fathers and sons, young couples and hardened fans amble together through Bishop's Park past rose bushes, stone sculptures and the Thames.

The pastoral parade is a world away from Jacksonville, Fla., where most Jaguars fans arrive at their team's games by car or truck in search of parking spots for their card tables, barbecues and coolers. The scenes had little in common until July, when Shahid Khan, the owner of the Jaguars, bought Fulham for an estimated 200 million pounds (about $319 million), creating an unlikely sports tandem. Less than two decades old, the Jaguars are one of the N.F.L.'s youngest franchises and play in one of the league's smallest markets, with only occasional success.

Fulham, by contrast, dates to 1879, and while it lacks the winning tradition of, say, Manchester United, it has produced great players like Johnny Haynes and Bobby Robson. Archibald Leitch, a renowned architect, designed part of its stadium, a landmark in an upscale section of London.

Khan, an auto-parts magnate, wants to fuse the teams in ways no owner of American and English teams has done. He committed the Jaguars to playing home games in London the next four seasons — including on Oct. 27 against the 49ers — fueling talk that they may move there. Fulham will play friendlies in Florida. Khan has hired marketers to win sponsors on both sides of the Atlantic and has told his teams to share tips on everything from catering to ticketing.

"They are two separate entities, but there is common ground where two plus two equals five," he said. "It's kind of saturated in the U.S., so the growth will be internationally."

To date, most owners of American and English teams have viewed their clubs as too distinct to integrate. While the N.F.L. has a salary cap, Premier League clubs can spend without limit for players. American stadiums are like theme parks, dominated by luxury boxes and food courts; British stadiums are frequently minimalist, with fans doing most of their eating and drinking in nearby pubs. While American teams seek stadium naming partners, shirt deals in England are often more visible, and more lucrative.

The most prominent combinations of teams have little to do with one another, including Manchester United and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which are owned by the Glazer family; and Arsenal, the St. Louis Rams and the Colorado Rapids of Major League Soccer, which are owned by Stan Kroenke. Randy Lerner, who owns Aston Villa and sold the Cleveland Browns, did little to fuse his teams.

The owners of Manchester City are likely to collaborate with the M.L.S. team they bought this year, which expects to begin play in New York in 2015. The Fenway Sports Group has created cross-border links between Liverpool and the Boston Red Sox, though baseball is barely played in Britain.

Khan seeks to go further. Because the Jaguars will play in London regularly, the N.F.L. gave them extra marketing rights that are starting to generate more income for a team that is last in the league in revenue per ticket sold. Khan is promoting Jacksonville to British fans in the hope they will visit to see a Jaguars game. To whet their appetites, he sent the Jaguars' cheerleaders to perform at a Fulham match, and a British lingerie company created a calendar for them. The newly formed Union Jax Jaguars fan club in Britain has about 17,000 members.

"Mr. Khan said we're not the Fulham Jaguars," said Laura Oakes, who was hired to find sponsorships for the Jaguars in Britain. "But in terms of raising our profile, Fulham is a wonderful icebreaker."

Despite the focus on the N.F.L. in London, the bigger opportunity could be in selling Fulham to American fans: on a per-capita basis, English soccer is more popular in the United States than American football is in Britain, said Steven Gans, a principal at Professional Soccer Advisors. The latest deal to carry Premier League games in the United States was three times as large as the previous contract, one sign of the sport's growing prominence.

"It's validated our theory, which is, Americans want high-quality soccer," said Gans, who helped Fulham seek business ties in the United States several years ago. "The growth here has been consistent for people who love high-quality soccer."

Having Fulham tour the United States in its off-season could bring in millions of dollars. While the club does not have the stature of Real Madrid or Chelsea, it has a following in the United States because national team stars like Clint Dempsey and Brian McBride once played for the team, earning it the nickname Fulhamerica.

"I love any time I see someone with a Fulham jersey or scarf," said McBride, who was captain during his nearly four years at Fulham and is now an analyst for Fox Sports. "When an American fan goes over there to go to some games, there are some special stadiums, but Fulham has character."

Getting executives five time zones apart to work together is easier in theory than in practice. And some things, like selling tickets more efficiently, will do only so much to offset a terrible player contract, missing the playoffs or being relegated. Some owners, including the Glazers, have also taken heavy criticism from fans who suspect them of using profits from United to subsidize the Buccaneers.

For now, Khan is getting high marks from fans in Jacksonville, where he is treated like a rock star, and in London, where he removed a deeply unpopular statue of Michael Jackson installed by the previous owner. But losing breeds discontent, and the winless Jaguars may need a financial boost if they are to turn around their fortunes on the field. Khan also agreed to pay about one-third of a $63 million upgrade to EverBank Field in Jacksonville and will spend even more to upgrade Craven Cottage. Fulham, which is one spot above relegation before this weekend's matches, must compete with free-spending clubs across Europe for top players.

Because of the N.F.L.'s healthy revenue-sharing program, the Jaguars earned an operating profit of $15.5 million last year, even though they were the second-least valuable franchise in the league, according to Forbes. English soccer clubs share less of their revenue, but Fulham can tap into the wealthy London market for new sources of revenue.

Indeed, Fulham plans to spend about 30 million pounds (nearly $50 million) to expand its stadium, which has only 25,000 seats and is hemmed in by a park, the Thames and its landmark grandstand. The team wants to add new lounges, 4,300 club seats, and a cafe and restaurant that will be open on nongame days.

"It's a very important part of our business plan," said Alistair MacIntosh, Fulham's chief executive. "There is a trend towards being self-sustaining."

With its small stadium and modest ambitions, Fulham is unlikely to challenge for the Premier League title or regularly qualify for the European tournaments that might bring in more revenue, even though the team's previous owner, Mohamed Al-Fayed, once vowed to turn the club into the "Manchester United of the South."

Yet the Cottagers, as the team is known, have been good enough to avoid relegation the past dozen years. Last year, Fulham had nearly $130 million in revenue, a total that was 10th in the 20-team Premier League but only one-quarter of what Manchester United earned. The team still lost $30 million before taxes.

"Balancing the books is the goal," said Alexander Thorpe, who works in the Sports Business Group at Deloitte, which produces an annual financial review of the Premier League. "If everyone is getting a big chunk of television money, the difference is how much commercial revenue teams earn."

Like all teams, Fulham has a devoted following. But many fans, including transplants to London, consider the club their second team. Craven Cottage is a rarity in that it has neutral zone seats for fans of any affiliation. It is also considered family friendly, at least by British standards. Fulham's former cheerleaders, the Cravenettes, were replaced by a mascot, Billy the Badger, who once received a yellow card for his sideline antics.

Fulham's best asset might be its tradition. It is one of England's oldest clubs, and its cozy stadium evokes Fenway Park along the Thames. The famed Johnny Haynes Stand includes wooden seats installed more than a century ago, and a two-story brick cottage doubles as a dressing room. Unlike rowdy crowds elsewhere, Fulham's fans, who include the actor Hugh Grant, appear content simply to be playing in England's top division.

"Fulham will never compete with Chelsea," its more powerful neighbor, said Steve Nutley, a lifelong Fulham supporter whose London taxicab is adorned with team paraphernalia. "There's no animosity between the teams. That's how we grew up."

Fans ultimately want to watch a winner, and the lack of a salary cap in the Premier League means Khan can spend heavily on players if he wants. But he is more likely to take advantage of new financial fair play rules in European soccer that will tie the amount a club spends to what it earns. The rules could help rein in owners who have bankrolled losses in their search of the best talent, and give Khan some time to figure out ways to generate more money from his teams.

The goal for Fulham, just as it is for the Jaguars, is that it "should not depend on the benevolence of its chairman," Khan said.

"It should become a sustaining business," he added, "a virtuous cycle where you are bringing money in and spending on players."


http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/18/sports/owner-of-jaguars-and-fulham-seeks-a-football-fusion.html?_r=0

[WhiteJC]

 
Attack May Be The Best Form Of Defence Against Fulham

Morning all.

With the return of league football almost upon us, the thoughts of the British sporting public are gradually edging away from the idiotic furore over Roy Hodgson's space monkey references and back onto the matter of the game itself.

Whilst newspapers and phone-ins have been busying themselves in debate over the fall-out to Roy's ill-conceived NASA analogy, the vast majority of British football fans have been readying themselves for the return of normality to their weekend routine, not in the slightest bit bothered by the potential tension the England manager's words have provoked.

From our own perspective, this weekend brings a fixture with a sense of expectation attached. Having struggled to assert any level of authority on our previous four opponents, we as a club are looking upon the visit of Fulham as an opportunity that must be grasped with both hands. Given our league status only five months ago, it does seem somewhat perverse to view a fixture which could see us pitted against a strike partnership of Darren Bent and Dimitar Berbatov as a gilt-edged chance for three points, but given the standard of opposition we've met so far, it's become painfully clear that we will need to exploit the lesser sides in the division, particularly when on home turf, if we are to survive.

Having used both Marouane Chamakh and Dwight Gayle from the start in a number or our games so far this season, I have a hunch that Holloway will sacrifice one the aforementioned pair in a bid to get a balance of pace and width into the side as we look to break. Although it's impossible to know, I would guess that Chamakh may be the man to lose his place, with Bolasie starting on one flank and Kebe or Puncheon occupying the other.

As we demonstrated on countless occasions last season, it is with balance on the wings and pace in the right areas, that you can force the opposition to sit deep, thus ensuring a far lesser level of pressure on your own goal in pivotal defensive moments, as the defenders tasked with keeping our attacking trio quiet, refuse to fully commit to any form of positional risk for fear of the recriminations that may follow.

Were we to implement a system that involved two out and out wide men, feeding into Dwight Gayle in a central strikers role, backed up by Barry Bannan floating in central midfield and kept in shape by Jose Campaña and Mile Jedinak in front of the back four, I would be confident in our ability to retain possession for prolonged spells, along with the capability to mount attacking moves with vigour and invention.

Given the importance attached to the fixture, it would be understandable to see certain members of our squad retreating into their shells somewhat against the Cottagers, but we must use the opportunity afforded to us by Fulham's shaky start to our advantage. If we can begin to cement ourselves as the dominant force in terms of possession early on, we could be looking at a second win of the Premier League campaign.

Of course, it's easy to talk a good game, with the true test of our readiness being demonstrated by the performance we provide, nothing more, nothing less. The time has come for this group to demonstrate their collective worth, in a tie which should allow them to display their attacking prowess, accompanied by a committed defensive display.

It won't be easy, but then nothing worth waiting for ever is.

Until tomorrow.



http://hltco.org/2013/10/17/attack-may-be-the-best-form-of-defence-against-fulham/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Juventus plot January move for Fulham star Kasami



The Serie A champions are keen on the midfielder with a view to a winter bid, but could loan the player to Parma or Sassuolo to give him further experience in Italian football

EXCLUSIVE
By Romeo Agresti

Juventus are considering a January move for Fulham midfielder Patjim Kasami, Goal can reveal.

Kasami's agent Mino Raiola has strong ties with the Bianconeri, while the Serie A side's director Fabio Paratici is understood to be a big fan of the Switzerland international, who could immediately be loaned to Parma or Sassuolo should he complete a move to Turin.

The 21-year-old joined the Premier League outfit in 2011 making 17 appearances in his debut campaign but spent the second half of last term on loan with Swiss side FC Luzern.

However, the midfielder is enjoying a breakthrough season at Craven Cottage this term - starting six of the Cottagers seven top-flight games.

The youngster's strong start to the campaign has also seen him called up to the full Switzerland squad for their World Cup qualifiers against Albania and Slovenia, the Swiss winning both to top Group E.

Interest from Juventus will be another blow for Martin Jol, who has seen his squad struggle for form this season - picking up just seven points from their opening seven games - leaving them 17th in the table.

Kasami has previous experience in Italy, having spent a one-year spell at Palermo, but the youngster struggled for games and was sold to Fulham for a fee in the region of £5 million.


http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2892/transfer-zone/2013/10/18/4340511/-?