Wednesday Fulham Stuff (03/12/13)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Berbatov back on Serie A radar

Dimitar Berbatov could be heading to Serie A in January after his agent announced he'll seek a Fulham exit.

With only two goals this season, the Bulgarian international is prepared to leave Craven Cottage with six months left on his contract.

"I don't usually speculate as nobody knows what will happen in January but what I can tell you is he is not happy at Fulham," Berbatov's agent Emil Dantchev told The Mirror newspaper.

"He would like, if possible, to find another option."

He was signed from Manchester United in August 2012 for €5m after agreeing terms with both Fiorentina and Juventus.

The Viola were famously livid that they had paid for his flight to Florence for a medical, but he never turned up, instead stopping off in Munich and a few hours later announced he'd signed for Fulham.

The 32-year-old had been very close to two Serie A clubs before opting for Fulham, so both Fiorentina and Juventus could be looking for a new centre-forward.

Berbatov has also been linked with Inter and Roma, who are both looking for forwards in the January transfer window due to injuries.

However, his famous turnaround with Fiorentina has tarnished his reputation in Italy and he could well not be wanted.



http://www.football-italia.net/42457/berbatov-back-serie-radar?

[WhiteJC]

 
Berba wants to leave, or Pretty in White

It feels like the plot of an 80s teen movie. The star jock dates the slightly awkward but really beautiful underneath it all girl next door type but treats her badly for too long and in the end she has had enough. In front of all his friends, who are probably wearing those white sleeved jackets and maybe sitting in a convertible, she dumps him.

This he cannot believe. HE should be the one doing the dumping here. HE was lowering himself to go out with her! What the love? (they wouldn't have said this in the 80s of course).

This is rarely the end of the story though. The jock, faced with this unwanted p**** to his ego, reevaluates his life and, prompted by the power of good, pleads with the girl-next-door to take him back. He will stop hanging out with his hangers on and devote time to being a proper person, a good boyfriend.

The girl-next-door is by now on the verge of starting something with her best friend, the geek who hadn't dare tell her his true feelings until now, but such are the mechanics of these things that this relationship wasn't really meant to be either, and the geek gallantly encourages the girl-next-door to follow her heart and go out with the jock after all.

At this point the geek ends up with his own surprisingly attractive date, but by now the metaphor is lost and we have literally no idea where Dimitar Berbatov fits into the story. Is he a good guy misled or a bad guy who briefly managed to act like a good guy?

If there is a moral here we must try to see the good in everyone. If the jock acted like an idiot, well maybe he's been top dog all his life and has never had to learn humility. If the Prom Queen is a conceited bitch (we haven't mentioned her until now but she had designs on the jock at one point and so hated the girl-next-door, but this didn't seem pertinent to our story) then perhaps that's because for her whole life people have been blinded by her beauty and she has never had to be particularly nice.  Is that really her fault?  We are all the products of our environment, one way or another.

The girl-next-door and the geek have never experienced such levity, knowing instead unrequited love and inferred rejection. They are only too aware of how cruel life can be, which makes any entanglements in this story potentially thorny, but if things work out nicely everyone can learn from everyone else. If the jock and the girl-next-door are really from different worlds then, try as they might, perhaps it never will work after all, in which case it's best for everyone to find a situation that works better for them, whatever the rights and wrongs of the situation.



http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2013/12/04/berba-wants-to-leave-or-pretty-in-white/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham: City striker eyed as Berbatov replacement

Manchester City striker John Guidetti could be lined up by Fulham as a replacement for Dimitar Berbatov if he leaves the club this January.

With the Cottagers already struggling in the relegation zone, they could be dealt the further blow that their star forward Berbatov will move on in the middle of the season, leaving them short of attacking options.

New manager Rene Meulensteen is already thought to be on the lookout for replacements for the Bulgarian, and SportsDirect News understands that City youngster Guidetti is one of the names on his shortlist.

The 21-year-old has been at the Etihad Stadium since 2010, but has made only one appearance for the club's senior side, and seems likely to be on his way out in the near future as he seeks first-team football.

The likes of Liverpool and Aston Villa have been linked with him in the past, and Fulham could now be ready to step up their interests in the promising Sweden international.


http://www.sportsdirectnews.com/football-transfer-window/36836-fulham-city-striker-eyed-as-berbatov-replacement.php#.Up9cyqUcKbA

[bobby01]

Berbatov wants Fulham exit, says agent

Dimitar Berbatov wants to leave Fulham in the January transfer window, according to his agent.

Berbatov signed for the West London club from Manchester United back in August last year for £5 million, but after scoring 15 times for his new side during the previous campaign has struggled this season, with only two goals to his name so far.

The Mirror had earlier reported that newly-appointed manager Rene Meulensteen, who has been placed in charge following the sacking of Martin Jol on Sunday, is determined to help Berbatov "rediscover his goal-scoring touch".

However, with six months left on his contract at Craven Cottage, the striker is looking to move on from the club, who have lost their last five games and find themselves 18th in the Premier League, and already the new manager faces a battle to keep hold of the Bulgarian.

"I don't usually speculate as nobody knows what will happen in January but what I can tell you is he [Berbatov] is not happy at Fulham," said the player's agent Emil Dantchev.

"He would like, if possible, to find another option."

Turkish side Trabzonspor are monitoring the 32-year-old, with their president saying: "Berbatov has been on our agenda. We want better and better quality and are endeavouring to add that to our squad."

"I cannot comment [on whether there has been any approach] but the priority is to find a solution to stay in England," Dantchev added.
Fulham have refused to comment on the situation.



Read more at http://www.espn.co.uk/football/sport/story/263265.html#pbgccZsK3dMlMTt7.99

Did we really pay 5 mill for him, I am flabbergasted if we did

[WhiteJC]

 
Head-To-Head

The return of Sascha Riether to the Fulham squad is a timely boost for Rene Meulensteen in what is the Head Coach's first game in charge against Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday evening.

Riether has now served his three-match ban and will return to contention, while Dimitar Berbatov has recovered from the illness which ruled him out of the defeat at Upton Park on Saturday. Moussa Dembélé made his Whites debut late on in that game but the Frenchman is a doubt for the clash with Tottenham at Craven Cottage after hurting his hamstring.

The visitors will be without Emmanuel Adebayor after the striker picked up a knee injury in training and he will join Christian Eriksen, Danny Rose and Harry Kane on the treatment table. Aside from that quartet, Spurs have a full complement of players to choose from for the London derby.

Tickets are still available for home fans to purchase from the Ticket Office on Stevenage Road.


The opposition

Spurs go into the match on somewhat patchy form in the Barclays Premier League, with no wins from their last four matches. Indeed, they have scored just twice in that run – both of which came in their most recent outing versus Manchester United.

The campaign began strongly enough, with four wins from their first five matches – a defeat at Arsenal the only dropped points in that spell. But back-to-back London derbies saw Andre Villas-Boas' men stutter slightly, as clashes with Chelsea and West Ham United at White Hart Lane yielded just one point.

Things seemed to be back on track following consecutive wins over Aston Villa and Hull City, but November couldn't have gone much worse for the North London outfit, despite beginning modestly enough with a respectable point against Everton at Goodison Park.

However, a frustrating defeat at the Lane by Newcastle United immediately followed – not the sort of result a side chasing the UEFA Champions League spots should be achieving on home soil. That loss paled into comparison with the subsequent result, though, as title-chasing Manchester City thumped them 6-0 at the Etihad.

Pride was restored at the weekend when City's local rivals visited the capital, although Spurs twice threw away the lead to draw 2-2 with United. The result leaves them ninth in the table, but they are enjoying success elsewhere in both the Capital One Cup and the Europa League.


Last time out

Tottenham Hotspur 0-1 Fulham 17.03.2013

Fulham secured their first win at White Hart Lane in almost a decade the last time they faced off with Tottenham.

It was a hard-fought clash that was won through former Spurs striker Berbatov's effort, although the Whites relied heavily on the form of Mark Schwarzer in the closing stages.

The best chance of the game early on fell the way of the home side and Fulham had Riether on the line to thank when he managed to clear Gareth Bale's goalbound header after the Welshman had connected well with a Gylfi Sigurdsson corner.

Speculative efforts from future Whites midfielder Scott Parker and Bale arrived later in the first half, but both cleared Schwarzer's crossbar by some distance, before Steve Sidwell did likewise at the other end.

Six minutes into the second period Bale shot too close to Schwarzer, with the goalkeeper then launching a counter-attack for his side that culminated in the game's opening goal. Riether played an excellent one-two with Ashkan Dejagah – the Iranian showing great skill to beat his man before playing the ball back to his teammate – and Berbatov was on the end of the subsequent cross to slot an effort beyond Hugo Lloris and inside the far post.

Taking the lead had given Fulham a real confidence boost and Captain Brede Hangeland should really have doubled the advantage shortly after when he headed marginally wide at the far post after Bryan Ruiz had flicked on Giorgos Karagounis' corner.

Schwarzer then parried from Jermain Defoe with 20 minutes remaining and made a world class reaction stop from the same player as stoppage time approached. Defoe met Bale's cross from point-blank range but the veteran goalkeeper showed superb reflexes to deny the England man and earn his side a valuable away win.


Players to watch

Paulinho: The Brazil international already has 18 appearances to his name following his reported £17m transfer from Corinthians. An excellent all-round midfield player, Paulinho combines power and strength with an ability to get forward and make things happen for his team. Central midfield is an area where Spurs have an embarrassment of riches, and Paulinho has formed a good partnership in there with his compatriot Sandro. He has scored three goals for Tottenham to date, including a 90th-minute winner against Cardiff City back in September.

Aaron Lennon: Now in his ninth season at White Hart Lane, it's easy to forget that Aaron Lennon is still only 26. A foot injury has limited his impact this season, but the winger has been back in the starting line-up for Spurs' previous two league matches. Good on the ball and with a rapid turn of pace, Lennon will be desperate to recapture his form and get a successful season with his club under his belt as he is still well in contention of nabbing a spot in Roy Hodgson's World Cup squad.

Andros Townsend: As it happens, one of the men currently standing in Lennon's way of a place in Brazil is his teammate Andros Townsend. After spending time out on loan at seemingly every club in the Football League, Townsend is now flourishing after catching the eye during a temporary spell with Queens Park Rangers last term. Now a regular in the Tottenham team, his form earned him a first call-up to the national side where he went on to score on what was a dazzling debut. Confident in possession and capable of hitting shots from range, the 22-year-old is doing an admirable job of trying to fill Bale's boots following his record move to Real Madrid.


Magic numbers

6.3 - Tottenham have scored with a lower percentage of their shots than any other team in the top flight this season (6.3%).

4 - Spurs have gone four Premier League games without a win (D2 L2) - they haven't gone five without a victory since March 2012.

106 - Fulham have mustered fewer shots than any other team in the top flight this season (106) – 25 less than any other side.

4 - Tottenham have kept four clean sheets in their last six Premier League away games, although they conceded six last time on the road when they lost to Manchester City.

1 - Fulham have scored exactly one goal in each of their last seven Premier League games on home soil.

1 - Fulham have won just one of their last 10 Premier League games at Craven Cottage (W1 D1 L8).

3 - Fulham have scored just three goals in their last nine Premier League meetings with Tottenham.

100 - This will be Tottenham's 100th London derby played away from home and so far they have won just 25 of the previous 99.

6 - Fulham's win at White Hart Lane in March 2013 ended a run of six straight defeats against Spurs.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/december/04/head-to-head