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Tuesday Fulham Stuff...(11/05/10)

Started by WhiteJC, May 11, 2010, 07:33:13 AM

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WhiteJC

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/10052010/58/premier-league-hodgson-named-lma-manager-year.html
Premier League - Hodgson named LMA manager of year

Fulham's Roy Hodgson has been named as the manager of the year by the League Managers' Association.

Hodgson has been recognised by his peers after steering the Cottagers to the Europa League final for the first time in their history as well as taking the London club to 12th in the Premier League on a limited budget.

Fulham, who also reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, will have played 63 games this term after their prestigious clash with Atletico Madrid having started their European campaign last July.

Tottenham's Harry Redknapp took this season's Premier League manager of the year award after guiding Spurs to fourth place but LMA Chairman Howard Wilkinson believes Hodgson's efforts since taking over an ailing Fulham in December 2007 make him a worthy winner of the overall prize.

"Since joining Fulham, Roy has transformed the club's fortunes," said Wilkinson. "He initially saved them from the brink of relegation then took them to their highest ever league position last season. This year he has capitalised on that platform, achieving remarkable success in this season's Europa League.

"He is highly respected by the LMA members and also on an international level where he has worked his miracles in no fewer than seven countries. He is a great role model for all aspiring managers and coaches and is fully deserving of this recognition."

WhiteJC

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1276832/Fulhams-miracle-man-Roy-Hodgson-named-boss-year-Europa-League-heroics.html?ITO=1490
Fulham's miracle man Roy Hodgson named boss of the year after Europa League heroics


Roy Hodgson has been named the League Managers' Association Manager of the Year.

The prestigious award is voted for by managers from the top four leagues in England and last night the Fulham boss won by the most significant margin in the award's 18-year history.

Hodgson, 62, has taken Fulham from the brink of relegation to tomorrow's Europa League final against Atletico Madrid since taking over at Craven Cottage in December 2007.

This season, Fulham secured Barclays Premier League football for the 10th successive year, reached the quarter-finals of the FA Cup and could yet win the Europa League.
LMA chairman Howard Wilkinson said: 'Since joining Fulham, Roy has transformed the club's fortunes. He is highly respected by the LMA members and also on an international level where he has worked his miracles.

'He is a great role model for all aspiring managers and coaches and is fully deserving of this recognition.'

Magic moment: Zoltan Gera sends Fulham to the Europa League final
Ahead of the Europa League final, Hodgson is still sweating on the fitness of top scorer Bobby Zamora, who continued his comeback from an achilles tendon injury by training yesterday.

The striker had a pain-killing injection to play 52 minutes of the semi-final second leg against Hamburg two weeks ago.

Paul Konchesky (ankle), Brede Hangeland (knee), Aaron Hughes (groin) and Damien Duff (leg), who were all rested for Sunday's 4-0 defeat by Arsenal, are all expected to be fit.



Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1276832/Fulhams-miracle-man-Roy-Hodgson-named-boss-year-Europa-League-heroics.html?ITO=1490#ixzz0nbOLtic2

WhiteJC

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2557/news/2010/05/11/1918747/fulham-boss-roy-hodgson-lma-manager-of-the-year-is-the
Fulham boss Roy Hodgson: LMA Manager of the Year is the greatest honour of my career
Englishman has led Cottagers to Europa League final

Fulham manager Roy Hodgson acknowledged that being named the LMA Manager of the Year is the  'greatest award' of his career.

Hodgson was honoured by his peers for leading the Cottagers to a 12th place finish in the Premier League, the FA Cup quarter-finals and the Europa League final this season.

Fulham will take on Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final in Hamburg on Wednesday.

Hodgson was pleased that his fellow managers have recognised his work with Fulham this season.

"There's no greater acknowledgement in football than an award that comes from people who are in the same profession as you and who are facing the same difficulties day after day as you," Hodgson told Sky Sports.

"When they look at the criteria and it's the guy who makes the most out of the material he's got, when they say it's you, all you can do is humbly bow your head and thank them for the award.

"It's certainly the greatest award I've had in my career."

When Fulham take on Atletico will the Cottagers 63rd game of the season and Hodgson hopes that his squad are able to give him one more good performance on Wednesday.

"It's 62 games long already and what the team has shown is an enormous consistency, enormous resilience and enormous dedication.

"These are great qualities for any football player or any football team to show.

"I'm hoping desperately that we are going to take them into the 63rd game of the season."


WhiteJC

http://www.dailystar.co.uk/football/view/134747/Danny-Murphy-I-nearly-walked-out-on-Fulham-s-European-dream-/
DANNY MURPHY: I NEARLY WALKED OUT ON FULHAM'S EUROPEAN DREAM

DANNY Murphy last night ­revealed how he nearly walked out on Fulham's European dream.



The Black and Whites skipper could not take any more after watching Juventus take the lead against Fulham at Craven Cottage in the last 16 of the Europa League.



Murphy did not play because he was ­suspended after foolishly getting sent off against Shakhtar Donetsk.

And when David Trezeguet scored he thought Fulham's amazing journey was over.



Murphy revealed: "I thought that was it when I was sitting in the Cottage and Trezeguet scored after two ­minutes. Yes, I really did think it was over.


"I contemplated going home at that point. It was 4-1 on aggregate at that stage. I felt like leaving the ground."


Winners



But Fulham then pulled off the performance of the season to score four goals and scramble their way into the quarter-finals en route to the greatest night in the club's history.



It was hard for the Fulham ­players to believe they could ­really reach tomorrow's Europa League final in Hamburg, where they face Atletico Madrid.



Murphy added: "I think when you get through the Shakhtar tie and then you draw Juve, you think, 'It is another big team, can we do it again over two games, especially against a side of such quality?'

"I think they had four or five World Cup winners in that Juve side that night.



"Sitting in the stands watching the lads ­exceed everybody's expectation with that game at the Cottage was something that will live in the memory and was probably the night where everyone started to ­believe it could be a special year in this competition.



"I think that night in particular has been pivotal in this journey.


"I did sense a belief after that game that we could go on and win it."



Murphy admits that getting through that incredible tie made the players believe they can lift the trophy.

The midfielder added: "There was a sea change in the players' thinking ­after that game.



"Rather than just going into the games and enjoying the experience and thinking this could be the end, we were actually going into the games after that thinking, 'Hold on, we've just beaten Juve, we can beat anyone here'.
"That mentality changed a little bit so that night was pivotal."



Murphy played in the incredible 2001 UEFA Cup final for Liverpool where they beat Alaves 5-4 in extra-time with a golden goal. And he does not mind if that is the score again against Atletico Madrid as long as Fulham are the winners.



He added: "If it went to us, I wouldn't mind.


"The memory of that was funny because we had played Arsenal in the FA Cup ­Final at the weekend and we couldn't celebrate that because we had Alaves coming up.



"Obviously with Liverpool's big squad we changed the team around a little bit.


"I remember thinking when we were 3-1 up that we had won it.



"It's a very stupid mentality to have because obviously we nearly threw it away in the end.


"There was a golden goal, then Gary McAllister whipped in a great free-kick and it got deflected in. The ­relief and pleasure of knowing the game was over when the ball hit the net was a fantastic feeling.



"I look back on that with great fondness. Winning trophies, whether it is expected of Liverpool or unexpected, it is the memories you will carry with you for the rest of your life."

WhiteJC

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/may/11/mohamed-al-fayed-fulham-interview
Mohamed Al Fayed on why he will always try to run Fulham the right way
The Fullham owner has cashed in on Harrods, but says he could never sell his team short like some owners do


Mohamed Al Fayed says he would not block an approach for Roy Hodgson from England, but Liverpool would get 'two fingers'. Photograph: Ian Walton/Getty Images

Are you a Fulham fan?" Mohamed Al Fayed barks cheerfully as a way of introduction. The chairman and owner of Fulham rocks back in his chair when he hears the name of a different club as an answer. "Oh no, oh no," he chortles while waiting for the qualification that soon follows. In recent months it has been easy to claim Fulham as a second favourite team – at least on those giddy nights at Craven Cottage when, in the often derided Europa League, the London club have pulled off some outrageous victories on their way to the final of tomorrow night's competition.

Fulham now face Atlético Madrid in the culmination of an extraordinary journey. It also marks another highpoint in a momentuous week for Fayed. Three days ago he sold Harrods for £1.5bn. But it is a sign of his commitment to Fulham that, in the midst of completing the sale, Fayed sets aside time to discuss his club.

He stresses that, despite ending 25 years of ownership at Harrods, "it all remains the same at Fulham. Fulham is not being sold". An earlier analogy has already been made, suggesting that the sale of your house does not automatically trigger the sale of your car. But Harrods has been his "home" for so long that his departure will leave a huge hole in his life – that perhaps only his family and Fulham can fill. Tomorrow's final will offer him the sweetest diversion.

Fulham's European adventure began last July, spanning two qualifying rounds as well as group and knockout matches totalling 18 games and covering seven countries, as they also defeated Shakhtar Donetsk, the holders, and Wolfsburg, the German champions. Their win over Juventus in the last 16 was especially unforgettable. After conceding early in the second leg, they needed to score four unanswered goals against a famous old Italian club with six World Cup winners in their squad that delirious night.

Inspired by an admired English manager in Roy Hodgson, and a fevered crowd in a comfortable corner of west London, Fulham pummelled the Italian giants until the winner was scored with a chip of exquisite delicacy from Clint Dempsey.

Fayed was not quite as delicate before the semi-final second leg against Hamburg last month. As is his way, the 76-year-old walked around Craven Cottage before kick‑off, waving his scarf while relishing the applause of Fulham supporters who acknowledge the stability he has brought to the club over 13 years. A typical Fayed moment soon unfolded. As he approached the away end he stuck up two fingers at the Hamburg supporters. "When I passed them they started shouting at me," Fayed says amid hearty laughter. "What can you do? You want to go and punch them and not give them two fingers?"

It is less a question than a statement of defiance. Fayed chuckles again when asked if he was taunted by the visiting fans. "I don't know what they were singing. They were German you know. It's a language which makes you feel terrible when you hear people talking it."

Fayed will have ample opportunity over the next two days to consider the cadences of German speech. He flies to Hamburg this morning in preparation for an emotional final that, ironically, will be played in the home stadium of those fans who received his dismissive salute.

Any late move to install the tubby septuagenarian as Germany's World Cup mascot will not be boosted by a pre-match walk around the pitch. "It's not my club," Fayed says, "so I will just go where my fans are and say hello to them. I will be with the players and fans as much as I can."

In a season when the fractured relationship between supporters and owners has plummeted to a new low – especially in the embittered situations at Manchester United and Liverpool – the comparative warmth Fulham fans feel towards Fayed is striking. If there were concerns about his motives when he bought the club in 1997, with fears that he would sell Craven Cottage and plunder the profits, Fayed has emerged as a surprisingly benign and even popular chairman.

"I'm always bonding with the players and fans," Fayed says, having attended "80 or 90%" of Fulham's staggering 63 matches this season. "It's part of my love for the club. I am involved with all aspects – and it's important the players and manager see I am always encouraging them. I'm also always with the fans."

There would be a terrible threat of violence, and even worse, if any of the Glazer family tried to mingle with justifiably furious supporters after their purchase of the club saddled United with debts of £700m that have already cost over £325m in interest payments alone. The same brooding backdrop applies at Anfield as another set of American businessmen, Tom Hicks and George Gillett, try to sell off Liverpool after also using dubious methods to buy the club which is now £350m in debt.

Fayed might be an eccentric man, haunted by conspiracy theories and derided across large sections of the country, but he can be cherished at Fulham. He invested £200m of his own money in the club during his first 10 years of ownership – and his astute appointment of Hodgson has transformed fortunes on the pitch. His enthusiasm for Fulham is palpable.

"If you own a football club you have to be really involved and committed," Fayed says. "That is very important and it's the same in any business. You have to be really caring and show people you are really interested. I come out before the matches because it's important the fans see I am in a good mood. When I get to the club my mood is always lifted. You can be in a terrible mood but once you are at Fulham you are happy. I am also a fan. And so I have a tremendous feeling of being committed and helping give pleasure to all the supporters and players."

The Glazers, and some other new owners, are accused of pure greed. Is Fayed concerned about club ownership in the Premier League? "Yes, it is a pity. This is a British league and for people who own clubs they have to be really committed and care about the players and fans."

Fayed believes there is now a sustained threat to the health of the English game. "Absolutely. It all depends on the owners. Do they really love the game? Do they really love the club? Or are they just there for other causes? This is why clubs falter. It's difficult to show that love if you are far away. And it's not a good example if people own clubs just to make money or show off. If people are really keen about football and are not only thinking of a club as a way to make money it's fine. But if they are only thinking about money the whole attitude changes. It is not the right approach."

He might be a bit of a show-off himself but, as he insists Fulham act prudently and have built a team that, devoid of stars, works together as a coherent whole, Fayed becomes almost breathless with exuberance. "When you see our players, and how they work together in one unit, it is like art. Sometimes you also need to look to the sky so God helps us. But a lot depends on the team's mood. And so much comes down to the manager. He co-ordinates everything by studying the opposition and how best to beat them. It is also art – being a successful manager. It takes a lot of time and effort and I know personally Roy has done this study."

Who should be manager of the year – Hodgson for taking Fulham to the brink of European glory while patiently accepting his chairman's frequent visits to the dressing room or, just down the road, Carlo Ancelotti, who could complete the double in his first season with Chelsea? "It must be Roy," Fayed says. "I hope so. He deserves it."

There have been suggestions that Hodgson could become England's next manager or that he would be a practical alternative to Rafael Benítez at a floundering Liverpool. "If it is England I don't mind having to sacrifice Roy. It is important England do well. When England came for Kevin Keegan [in 1999 when he managed Fulham to promotion from Division Two] I didn't have any objection. It gave us pride that England was led by an ex-Fulham manager."

Fayed must hope Fabio Capello prospers at the World Cup. "Of course but, anyhow, if they want Roy for England I don't mind." What about those Liverpool fans who would welcome the appointment of Hodgson at Anfield? "I will go there and give them those two fingers," Fayed laughs.

When he turned to Hodgson just after Christmas in 2007, Fulham were reeling. It took Hodgson eight matches before Fulham won under his tenure; and two years ago this month the club were embroiled in a desperate fight. On the last day of the season they needed to beat then high-flying Portsmouth away to secure their Premier League status on goal difference.

"It's difficult when the players are faltering and not lifting themselves up," Fayed says. "It's a tremendous responsibility as an owner if you are facing relegation. You try your best to raise their feelings so they can deliver. I spent a lot of time at the training ground that week. You need that commitment if you own a club. But I'm always talking to the players. I'm saying, 'Are you happy? Do you have any complaints?' It's important to be human and be a father figure to them."

Has Fayed done the same this week as Fulham prepare for the most important game in their history? "Definitely. All week I have been with them. If they have the will they definitely can win it. But whatever happens you must smile. If you win it's wonderful. If it's bad you must still understand – it's football."

Fulham have been on such an exhilarating journey that, at least for one night, football fans across the country can support a team that Fayed and Hodgson have created in singular fashion. "I feel the warmth of the neutral fans," Fayed says. "This is such a beautiful club that is available to everybody who loves football. Change your team to Fulham. It is going to be difficult but everything is possible. We have learnt that this season."


WhiteJC

http://www.cityam.com/sport/relief-fulham-supporters-club%E2%80%99s-battle-extra-final-tickets-bears-fruit
Relief for Fulham supporters as club's battle for extra final tickets bears fruit

FULHAM fans have until 5pm this afternoon to snap up the last few tickets for tomorrow's Europa League final after the club succeeded in increasing its allocation.

Supporters besieged the Cottagers with complaints after the initial supply of tickets sold out within hours of going on sale last week.

Fans were unhappy that the club had allowed season ticket-holders to buy four seats each for the historic showdown with Atletico Madrid in Hamburg.

Chiefs in turn pleaded with governing body Uefa to provide more tickets – and that request bore fruit yesterday when hundreds more were put on sale to Craven Cottage regulars.

Season ticket-holders who missed out on the first batch can now purchase one each for the club's first European final. Although they are available by telephone, officials are encouraging anyone interested to buy in person from the box office, due to the shortage of time until the final.

The ticket chaos follows concerns that the team's travel to Germany would be disrupted once again by volcanic ash.

l Meanwhile, Cottagers boss Roy Hodgson was last night named Manager of the Year by the League Managers' Association.

Hodgson received the award – voted by coaches and managers from all 92 member clubs – by a record margin.

LMA chief executive Richard Bevan said: "He is highly respected within the game and held in the highest regard in the family of football."


WhiteJC

http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/174407/Tony-Gale-story-needs-fairy-tale-ending/
TONY GALE STORY NEEDS FAIRY-TALE ENDING

TALES of homespun warmth and humanity spill out of ­Fulham as naturally as the River Thames flows by ­Craven Cottage.


But in this momentous week, there is a unique magic about Tony Gale's recollections of how the club's players used to know all the regular fans by sight. And most of them by name.

There were so few of them, you see. No more than 5,000 or so when the team flitted around the old Second and Third Divisions in the Seventies and Eighties and were heading perilously close to bankruptcy and extinction.

"It's a ground where the stands are very close to the pitch," said Sky TV pundit Gale, who played 277 times for the club and has the place imprinted deeply on his soul.

"So you could recognise most of the people because they stood in the same place every week. You would also meet them at service stations travelling to and from away matches, so you'd get to know each other.

"It couldn't happen now of course. But this was football in a different era. A very different era." This is the modern English game's greatest you-couldn't-make-it-up story, so the point of Gale's remembrances is obvious. No club have diced so dangerously with financial extinction and penury, only to clamber upwards and onwards, all the way to the European final they will contest against Atletico Madrid in Hamburg tomorrow.

At a rough estimate, it has cost the chairman, Moham ed Al Fayed, £200million over 13 years in charge to haul Fulham from the precipice. Charter jets have taken the team across most of the 30,000 miles and nine away legs they have played to get to the Europa League final.

But to reach Hamburg for the first leg of the semi-final they travelled by coach because of the volcanic ash cloud, which prompted another memory of how things used to be.

Ray Lewington, assistant to Roy Hodgson and the man who embodies the club's spirit like no other, recalls how during one of his many spells as boss, player-manager, caretaker and No2, the pre-match meal was usually eaten on the team bus. A bowl of cornflakes for all, which presumably meant a lot of spilled milk.

"Roy rightly gets a lot of credit for this but, of course, it wouldn't have happened without people like Ray Lewington and Mike Kelly on the coaching staff," said Gale.

"Mr Al Fayed's money has done so much but, without Ray and his family, there probably wouldn't even be a Fulham. No man could represent more powerfully what the club are all about and he's as good a coach as he was a player for the club too.

"But you don't hear any of them blowing their own trumpets. It's not the Fulham way. It's not their way."

By this stage of the build-up to this match, Fulham's fans might be entitled to ask everyone to stop ruffling their hair so lovingly. It ought to be remembered that it is relentless training-ground drilling and serious hard work which has propelled the team on this journey, not fairy dust.

Yet it is so difficult to avoid lauding the club and the supporters for maintaining a sense of old-fashioned decency at the very top of a brutally rapacious business.

Whoever did not fancy a beer by the river and an afternoon among funny and committed followers of the game in the Cottage's bucolic old stands? There is a good reason TV's Minder made Terry McCann a Fulham supporter; not as some Cockney cliche but because the place is a real staple of London life.

Gale, a former apprentice who was at the club between 1977 and 1984, hails Al Fayed for defying every expectation that he bought Fulham on the make.

"It has been the opposite," said Gale. "This is the man who appointed as a director Dennis Turner, fan and the club historian. It shows he understands and appreciates what Fulham are all about." Even ahead of a major final like this, the special spirit made its mark. Gale and fellow members of the side who won promotion from Division Three under Malcolm McDonald in 1982 – including Lewington, Ray Houghton and Paul Parker – gathered for a fundraising night for cancer-stricken former team-mate Roger Brown.

" More than 250 people came and we raised £10,000," said Gale. "And among them I recognised a load of those old faces I used to see from the pitch, all these years later. That's why people love Fulham."'Without Ray there wouldn't be a Fulham'

WhiteJC

http://www.goal.com/en-gb/news/2557/news/2010/05/11/1918813/atletico-madrid-striker-sergio-aguero-fulham-do-not-have-the
Atletico Madrid striker Sergio Aguero: Fulham do not have the pedigree to defeat us in the Europa League final
But Argentine believes his team must still respect Cottagers

Sergio Aguero believes that Fulham do not have the history to defeat Atletico Madrid in the Europa League final.

Atletico were in the Champions League group stage earlier this season, and were winners of the old European Cup Winners' Cup in 1962.

The Argentina international has warned his team that anything can happen in a final, but still insists that Atletico should beat the Cottagers in Hamburg on Wednesday.

"If we analyse the history and the statistics in Europe, Atletico are superior to Fulham," Aguero told The Daily Star.

"This is no guarantee in the final, I respect Fulham because they have defeated Juventus, Wolfsburg and Hamburg.

"They will fight for the ball, but they are not Chelsea, Manchester United or Arsenal."

Atletico advanced to the final after an extra-time Diego Forlan goal in the semi-final second leg at Anfield saw the Spanish club eliminate Liverpool on the away goals rule.

WhiteJC

http://www.dailyexpress.co.uk/posts/view/174405/Danny-Murphy-will-rely-on-his-faith/
DANNY MURPHY WILL RELY ON HIS FAITH

FULHAM'S incredible journey to their first European final has stunned football – not least skipper Danny Murphy, who was ready to give up the ghost the night his team-mates staged their amazing comeback to topple Juventus.


He sat suspended, frustrated, in the stands after being sent off in stoppage-time of the previous round at Shakhtar Donetsk, and thought Fulham's great adventure was over in the last 16.

Murphy, who has been an integral part of the success story which has taken them to tomorrow's final against Atletico Madrid in Hamburg, said: "David Trezeguet scored after two minutes and I thought that was it. I contemplated going home at that point. It was 4-1 on aggregate and I felt like leaving the ground."

But Murphy stayed, and was glad he did as he witnessed one of the great recoveries when Clint Dempsey's late strike earned a 5-4 triumph.

"That was something that will live in the memory and was probably when everyone started to believe it could be a special year," he added. Fulham used that belief against Wolfsburg and Hamburg, and will do so again against favourites Atletico.

Murphy said: "Rather than just going into the games and enjoying the experience and thinking, 'This could be the end', we were actually thinking, 'We've just beaten Juventus, we can beat anyone'."

There was good news for Fulham yesterday when Bobby Zamora (Achilles) and Damien Duff (leg muscle) both trained.


WhiteJC

#29
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1276830/Roy-Rover-Fulham-boss-Hodgsons-incredible-journey-Sweden-Middle-East-Milan-Fulham.html?ITO=1490
Roy the Rover: Fulham boss Hodgson's incredible journey from Sweden to the Middle East, Milan and Fulham


Roy Hodgson has honed his managerial skills on a remarkable odyssey that has taken him to 12 clubs in six countries (plus three spells in charge of national sides).

Sportsmail looks back at a 34-year coaching career that will reach another pinnacle in Hamburg on Wednesday night.















WhiteJC

http://www.goal.com/en/news/166/europa-league/2010/05/11/1918859/atletico-madrid-striker-kun-aguero-focused-on-defeating
Atletico Madrid Striker Kun Aguero Focused On Defeating Fulham
Argentinian says the Copa del Rey final can wait...

Atletico Madrid striker Kun Aguero is hoping his side can capture a double cup success but insists the primary focus for his side is the Europa League final against Fulham in Hamburg on Wednesday.

A week later they face Sevilla in the Copa del Rey final at Camp Nou but the Argentinian insists there will be plenty of time to think about that game after the European game.

"Since January we made a huge sacrifice. Now we have two finals and hopefully both titles. I am anxious for the first one to arrive. It's my debut in a final with a club," he said in an interview with El Pais.

"We must approach it as if it were the game of the century. We have to enjoy it and give it our all. If we win, it will give us a boost before the Copa final.

Aguero is wary of the threat Fulham possess and expects a tough challenge for his side, particularly from set pieces.

"They've knocked out several big teams. Juventus, Wolfsburg, Hamburg and in the group stages faced Roma. English football will guarantee strong players who are doing very well at the top. Their best weapon is the dead ball, just where we are weak. Almost all the goals that come this way and Bobby Zamora is not your typical big man. He knows how to move and open up spaces. We must be alert to their counterattack, which is also dangerous," he noted.

"We will celebrate if there is something to celebrate for sure. There will be days to prepare the match against Sevilla but first we must think about the Europa League. If we win, we will obviously have to celebrate."

WhiteJC

http://www.tribalfootball.com/collins-happy-seeing-fulham-boss-hodgson-receive-due-recognition-830331
Collins happy seeing Fulham boss Hodgson receive due recognition

Former Fulham star John Collins is delighted to see Roy Hodgson getting due recognition for his success at Craven Cottage.

Hodgson leads Fulham into the Europa League final against Atletico Madrid tomorrow night.

"Roy has improved almost every club he has been at," Collins told The Herald. "He took Inter to the Uefa Cup final and second in Serie A. If you ask people in Scandinavia, everyone knows him. Maybe he did not have much experience as a player, but everyone knows that and management are two very different jobs. Arsene Wenger took the same path. Roy and Arsene are great teachers. If you listen to them, they are thoughtful coaches who do not bawl too often – you must have communication skills to be a good manager.

"Roy has reinvigorated people at Fulham whose careers were drifting elsewhere, such as Danny Murphy and Damien Duff, who now look to be at their best, while lots of people questioned spending £6 million on a striker like Bobby Zamora, but now he could go to the World Cup finals with England."


WhiteJC

http://www.independent.ie/sport/soccer/duff-gives-fulham-europa-boost-2174927.html
Duff gives Fulham Europa boost

DAMIEN DUFF gave Fulham a Europa League final boost by coming through a training session yesterday.

Bobby Zamora, Fulham's other main injury concern, also trained but manager Roy Hodgson has yet to decide whether the striker, who has been struggling with an Achilles problem, is fit enough to start against Atletico Madrid in Hamburg tomorrow night.

"The more time Bobby needs, the more difficult it makes my team selection because he had not trained or played since coming off against Hamburg in the semi-final," said the Fulham boss.

Paul Konchesky (ankle), Brede Hangeland (knee), Aaron Hughes (groin) and John Pantsil also came through training yesterday -- as did Bjorn Helge Riise, who had to be substituted against Arsenal on Sunday because of stomach cramps.

Fulham expect no disruption to their travel plans after fears that the volcanic ash would play spoilsport eased.

The club, who had drawn up alternative arrangements in case the situation deteriorated, expect to fly to Hamburg from London as scheduled this morning.

As a precaution, Atletico departed for Germany yesterday -- 24 hours earlier than planned.

- Jamie Holland

Irish Independent

WhiteJC

http://www.tribalfootball.com/murphy-biggest-trophy-chance-fulham-history-830601
Murphy: Biggest trophy chance in Fulham history

Fulham captain Danny Murphy says leading the club to Europa League glory would be the biggest moment of his career.

Murphy helped Liverpool win the 2001 UEFA Cup but insists Fulham's European adventure is a greater achievement.

"There's a big difference - at Liverpool you're expected to be in finals every year," said the 33-year-old midfielder.

"When we started out on this campaign even the die hard fans probably didn't anticipate such a wonderful run to get to the final.

"This is a different type of satisfaction. The expectancy hasn't been there and the underdog tag has stuck with us throughout the competition.

"A good analogy is that the other day Liverpool were talking about winning the Europa League as a consolation.

"We're talking about it being the best trophy in the club's history."

Fulham are waiting for injury updates on striker Bobby Zamora and winger Damien Duff, who face a race against time to be fit from their respective Achilles and leg problems.

"Hopefully Bobby and Damien will be fit," said Murphy. "It would be a shame if either of them were to miss out because they've contributed so much to this season.

"They've been two of our best players so it's fingers crossed because you want your best team available."

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Fulham star gunning for revenge against Madrid

BREDE Hangeland won't get a wink of sleep until Fulham face Atlético Madrid tomorrow evening.

The giant Norwegian has suffered sleepless nights since his missus gave birth to his second daughter that coincided with their Europa League semi-final win over Hamburg.

But Hangeland admitted it's not just the four-hour feeds during the night that are keeping him awake - it's a chance to get his own back on the Spanish side.

The defender wants revenge for a 2-0 defeat inflicted by Madrid when he played for FC Copenhagen in the old UEFA Cup.

He said: "I could do with a bit more sleep - but we won against Hamburg so maybe I can't complain too much.

"Atlético are a great side, and on their day not far behind Real Madrid and Barcelona.

"I'm not worried they will be favourites. I don't think that's an issue - we're Fulham, aren't we? So the other team are always favourite."

There will be a medal of some sort to show baby Ella - but before that, Hangeland has had to stave off 'friends' that have appeared out of the woodwork hoping for a ticket.

He said: "I'll have to check my phone again - no doubt there are a few more texts. And yeah, Fulham getting to the final is a little bit of consolation for Norway not going to the World Cup."


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Atlético Madrid v Fulham: Danny Murphy savours Uefa Europa League final script
Danny Murphy says winning the Europa League final with Fulham on Wednesday would surpass anything he achieved during seven years at Liverpool.

Murphy, the club captain, has plenty of experience of magical European occasions at Liverpool – not least their 5-4 golden goal win over Alaves in the 2001 Uefa Cup final – but even this most battle-hardened of footballers finds himself shaking his head in wonderment at Fulham's achievements.

"If you go from two years ago when we played Portsmouth on the last day of the season, the transformation since then has been film-like really," he said. "If you had written it as a book or made it as a film, you would just laugh really at the speed and surrealism of it."

There was nothing more surreal than the second leg of Fulham's last-16 tie against Juventus. Murphy was suspended, meaning he could only watch from the stands and when David Trezeguet scored after two minutes he thought all hope had gone.

"I contemplated going home at that point," Murphy said. "It was 4-1 on aggregate and I felt like leaving. Juventus had four or five World-Cup winners. What happened will live in the memory and was probably the night where everyone started to believe it could be a special year. That night has been pivotal in this journey."

If any player has come to represent Fulham's journey, it is Murphy. Having left Tottenham in 2007, his career appeared locked on a downward spiral as Fulham looked certainties to be relegated back into the Championship. Roy Hodgson had replaced Lawrie Sanchez in December 2007, yet still needed to mastermind five wins in their final five league matches to ensure survival.

"I was at a crossroads with Tottenham," Murphy said, "and I knew there was a new adventure around the corner. Roy doesn't like all the plaudits but he has deserved them because he has turned the club around. It has been a classic Italian mentality."

That mentality has placed Fulham on the brink of an achievement against Atlético Madrid in Hamburg that Murphy says would top his achievements at Liverpool.

"The trophies I won at Liverpool, including the Uefa Cup, were kind of expected," he said. "I remember thinking most, when we were 3-1 up against Alaves, that we had won it, that we had done it. It was a very stupid mentality to have because we nearly threw it away. Winning trophies, whether it is expected of Liverpool or unexpected, is the memories you will carry with you for the rest of your life."

Fulham expect no disruption to their travel plans after fears over the volcanic ash cloud subsided on Monday


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Fulham's 'fingers crossed' over Zamora

Fulham's Aaron Hughes believes it is crucial that Bobby Zamora wins his fitness battle for the Europa League final against Atletico Madrid.

Zamora is struggling with an Achilles injury and is a doubt for the biggest match in the Cottagers' 131-year history.

A clearer picture over his availability should emerge today and Hughes feels it is imperative the team's top scorer features after playing such a central role in helping Fulham reach the Hamburg Arena.

"Bobby's desperate to play. It's a European final and he's contributed so much the club," said the Northern Ireland defender.

"This season he's had the goals to go with his hard work whereas last season he didn't get the recognition he is now for scoring.

"Everyone's delighted that he's been able to get the recognition he deserves. He's such an important part of our team.

"If he doesn't play we'll miss him but fingers crossed he'll be fit and if he is that's definitely a plus for us."

Atletico are clear favourites to prevent Fulham lifting their first major trophy but Hughes insists there is one last effort left in their fairytale season.

"We've done it the hard way in getting to the final and that shows our character more than anything," he said.

"We kept believing in ourselves and the way we play and that's got us to where we are. There's no reason why we can't win it.

"Atletico are such a big name with such big players that we have to be the underdogs

"It's a fine line because anything can happen in the final. It's impressive to get this far but it would be great to win it."

Hughes lavished praise on manager Roy Hodgson, who has become hot property after masterminding Fulham's spectacular campaign.

"Roy's about hard work, about getting across his principles on style of play. Everyone knows their job and their position," he said.

"He's seen it all in his career so is very composed - he knows how to deal with situations.

"He's pretty calm and that transfers to the players. You don't see us panicking much in games, we just stick to the plan.

"He stresses that win or lose a lot can be made of one game when in fact you play 38 in the league alone."

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Beware Bobby Zamora says Atletico keeper David de Gea

ATLETICO MADRID goalkeeper David de Gea is wary of the threat posed by Fulham striker Bobby Zamora.

The 29-year-old has had a breakthrough season with Fulham and still hopes to be fit to face the Spaniards in tomorrow's Europa League final despite an Achilles injury.

De Gea is wary of the threat posed by the Cottagers on the break – and Zamora in particular.

He told Marca: "They are very physical and will have to defend very well to stop us scoring and I will have to be very careful to stay on my game.

"In addition Zamora is a great player and I'll have to be aware of him."

At the start of the season, De Gea, 19, could not have imagined he would have a pair of finals to look forward to, with Atletico also facing Sevilla in the Copa del Rey.

"I don't know if this is the season of my life, but it is so far, because it's been very good in that I played in the Primera Division," he said. "Playing finals is a dream. Hopefully we can win both."


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Fulham v Atletico Madrid

DAMIEN Duff and Bobby Zamora have handed Fulham a massive boost ahead of tomorrow night's Europa League final with Atletico Madrid.

The Irishman missed Sunday's defeat to Arsenal with a calf problem, while Zamora hasn't featured since limping out of the semi-final win against Hamburg with a recurrence of an Achilles injury.

But the duo returned to training yesterday and are both set to start against the Spanish side.

However, Whites boss Roy Hodgson is still sweating on the fitness of John Pantsil (thigh) and Bjorn Helge Riise (ill).

The pair were substituted in the 4-0 drubbing at the Emirates, and face a race against time to be fit for the final.

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Fulham defender Aaron Hughes banking on Bobby Zamora being fit to face Atletico Madrid

Fulham's Aaron Hughes believes it is crucial that Bobby Zamora wins his fitness battle for Wednesday night's Europa League final against Atletico Madrid.   

Zamora is struggling with an achilles injury and is a doubt for the biggest match in the Cottagers' 131-year history.   

A clearer picture over his availability should emerge today (Tuesday) and Hughes feels it is imperative the team's top scorer features after playing such a central role in helping Fulham reach the Hamburg Arena. 

'Bobby's desperate to play. It's a European final and he's contributed so much the club,' said the Northern Ireland defender. 

'This season he's had the goals to go with his hard work whereas last season he didn't get the recognition he is now for scoring.   

'Everyone's delighted that he's been able to get the recognition he deserves. He's such an important part of our team.   

'If he doesn't play we'll miss him but fingers crossed he'll be fit and if he is that's definitely a plus for us.'
Atletico are clear favourites to prevent Fulham lifting their first major trophy but Hughes insists there is one last effort left in their fairytale season.   

'We've done it the hard way in getting to the final and that shows our character more than anything,' he said. 'We kept believing in ourselves and the way we play and that's got us to where we are. There's no reason why we can't win it.   

'Atletico are such a big name with such big players that we have to be the underdogs.

'It's a fine line because anything can happen in the final. It's impressive to get this far but it would be great to win it.'
Hughes lavishes praise on manager Roy Hodgson, who has become hot property after masterminding Fulham's spectacular campaign.   

'Roy's about hard work, about getting across his principles on style of play. Everyone knows their job and their position,' he said.   

'He's seen it all in his career so is very composed - he knows how to deal with situations.   

'He's pretty calm and that transfers to the players. You don't see us panicking much in games, we just stick to the plan.   

'He stresses that win or lose a lot can be made of one game when in fact you play 38 in the league alone.'


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