Friday Fulham Stuff (13/12/13)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Premier League: Fulham boss Rene Meulensteen unsure on Adel Taarabt's future

Fulham boss Rene Meulensteen has admitted that he will have to assess his squad in January as he considers whether Adel Taarabt can return to Queens Park Rangers.

The Moroccan playmaker is at Craven Cottage on a season-long loan deal but has struggled to break into the Fulham side so far, making just three Premier League starts and 11 appearances in all competitions.

Meulensteen has only recently replaced Martin Jol in charge of Fulham and will spend the next few weeks carefully casting his eye over his players as he ponders what needs to be done in the January transfer window.

He has been impressed by Taarabt in his early days and would love to unlock his potential, but he is not sure what will happen at this stage.

"Whether Taarabt will stay or go is something to discuss in January," Meulensteen said.

"It comes down to what we need in the squad and if there are certain areas we need to address.

"Adel is a very talented player and so far I have worked with him well. I hope I can help him to fulfil his potential."



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/9069928/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Everton vs Fulham – Match Preview by Paddy Howlin

After an amazing week where the Toffees secured 4 points in away games with Manchester United and Arsenal for the first time since the 1986/87 season (when we last won the title), we return to a more routine fixture as we face struggling Fulham at Goodision Park on Saturday afternoon.

Before I review this week's fixture, I'd like to thank James Hollis for stepping in for me with a fantastic match preview ahead of last weekend's 1-1 draw with top of the league Arsenal. Hopefully my technical issues are sorted out now, but thanks for covering me last week James!

Everton will welcome the Cottagers to Merseyside at the weekend, knowing that their opponents have a dreadful record at Goodison Park, where the Toffees have managed to win the last 20 consecutive games at home against the West London outfit and in all league games the best Fulham have managed is 4 draws.

Given our excellent record in the Premier League thus far in the season, and our excellent performances on the road at Old Trafford and at the Emirates, this is the type of game we should be winning as a matter of course as we look to force our way in to the top four, and potentially go second in the Premier League table ahead of Liverpool's game at Spurs on Sunday afternoon.

However, the natural pessimism and over 30 years of hurt of following Everton kicks in and you start to wonder something is about to go wrong when you combine Fulham's abysmal record on Merseyside and their poor form this season, that has seen them sack manager Martin Jol.

Roberto Martinez has so far bucked a number of trends with his positive approach since walking through the gates of Goodison Park for the first time in June, so perhaps the time is coming for a shift in thinking from supporters like myself? After all if Everton avoid defeat on Saturday, it will be 18 games undefeated at Goodison and our best unbeaten run at home in the Premier League era.

Fulham arrive in slightly better form, on the back of last weekend's 2-0 win at home against Aston Villa, which was new manager René Meulensteen's first win since being appointed to replace the axed Martin Jol at the start of this month.

Prior to last weekend, the Cottagers had dropped in to the relegation zone after six straight defeats and picking up just three wins and one draw in their first 14 games of the season.

It is this shocking form that makes it even more difficult to phantom out how Fulham managed to knock the Toffees out of the Capital One Cup at the end of September.

Since then both sides fortunes have changed somewhat, with Martinez's Everton side really starting to take shape, particularly since the last international break in November.

Whilst the result and largely the performance at Old Trafford was magnificent, the footballplayed at the Emirates on Sunday was up there with one of the best Everton performances in over 30 years, particularly in the first half where we had total domination against a side 5 points clear at the top of the Premier League.

The fact that we out passed and outperformed the best footballing side in the league at present, whilst having the resistance and strength of character to come back from an undeserved goaldown, is a testament to Roberto Martinez's ability to put his footprint on his Everton squad so quickly in to his tenure in charge, whilst also maintaining the tenacity associated with the previous manager's reign.

Such was the quality of the performance, that even the national media in the UK have had to take notice and provide due praise to both the Toffees and Martinez, and for once Everton Football Club is receiving the credit it deserves. Long may it continue.

Saturday's game does offer a very different test for Martinez and his side, and expect Fulham to try and park the bus and have no greater ambition but to walk away from Merseyside with a point, which most sides in the league will now view as a point well earned.

Thus far we have had a mixed bag of results against sides with a similar approach and lack of attacking intent. Last time out at Goodison we annihilated a very poor Stoke City side and also defeated Hull City who had very limited ambitions on their visit to Merseyside. However poor performances resulting from our inability to break down the likes of Cardiff and Crystal Palace still live in the memory.

Everton will go in to Saturday's game having to make one enforced change, after James McCarthy finally succumbed to his 5th Yellow Card of the season at Arsenal and is suspended. Leon Osman is likely to return to the starting line-up as his replacement.

The manager will then have to decide if he starts with Kevin Mirallas, or if last weekend's goal-scoring hero Gerard Deulofeu has done enough to earn a starting place.

Fulham will travel to Goodison hoping that Dimitar Berbatov continues to show the improved form demonstrated in the victory against Aston Villa, after a fairly poor season to date which has led to speculation that the Cottagers may look to offload the Bulgarian in the January transfer window.

Fulham's most notable absentee on Saturday will be giant centre-half Brede Hangeland who has been injured since the victory against Crystal Palace at the end of October and is likely to be out until the Christmas fixtures with a leg injury.

So with second place in the Premier League up for grabs and a chance to get revenge for our early (but traditional) Capital One exit against a struggling team, it is a fantastic opportunity to head in to the Christmas fixtures in its strongest position since those great mid eighties sides. Let's just hope we don't trip up in a oh so familiar Everton way!

Win this and many more in the media and in and around Goodison Park may start believing that a top four finish is a realistic aim for Everton this season.

COYB's!!



http://www.followtonians.com/?p=9845

[WhiteJC]

 
Modern football is rubbish

http://metro.co.uk/2013/12/12/worst-christmas-present-ever-fulham-add-official-plasters-to-their-club-shop-4229022/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Fulham can't find it in their hearts to stock valuable and important Ashwater Press products (nor indeed my own book for that matter) but they sell crap like this.


http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2013/12/12/modern-football-is-rubbish/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Sassuolo and Fulham interested in Belfodil

Ishak Belfodil's future could be in another club than Inter. According to Sky Sport the Algerian hasn't convinced Mazzarri and Sassuolo are negotiating with Parma at the moment to buy 50% of the player. If Sassuolo manage to buy Parma's 50% of Belfodil they might get him on a loan from Inter. If Sassuolo can't get Belfodil from Parma, Sky Sport reports that Fulham are interested in loaning the Algerian striker from Inter.

Source: Fcinternews.it



http://www.sempreinter.com/2013/12/12/sassuolo-and-fulham-interested-in-belfodil/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Three Questions for Everton with Royal Blue Mersey

This week's three questions is with Calvin from Royal Blue Mercy. Be sure to go back there to read the Q&A I did with them as well.

I'm working on day four of a fever. So forgive me for the brevity of this intro. Let's get right to the questions.

CC: With the success that Everton have had this year under Martinez, and the struggles Moyes has had with United, there seems to be a narrative starting that perhaps Moyes was over rated all those years at Everton. Is there something to this, or is it just crazy talk?

Royal Blue Mersey: There is no doubt that when Moyes was hired, he was the right man for the job, and he did a damned fine job too. Everton were wallowing in the relegation spots, and he dragged the team into the top half of the table. He instilled a sense of confidence in the team and gave them a gritty, tough identity.

However, towards the last few years of his tenure, it looked like he had hit his ceiling and would only be able to take the club so far, somewhere between positions 5-8. Part of this could be due to the limited budget he had to work with. Which is why fans were very curious to see what success he attains at United, which would put to rest the theories that all that was holding Everton back under him was the tight purse-strings. Martinez has a different philosophy. He brings swagger to the team. He is not reactive as Moyes was, and wants to impose the team's style of play no matter who they are playing against. Let's see how that works out.
CC: A big part of Everton's success this year has come from the outstanding players that are there on loan. Does it worry you that you're going to have to send them back next year? Or do you think that Martinez has the kind of stature and plays the kind of football that will allow him to constantly bring in excellent players on loan?

RBM: Sounds like you've been talking to some of the Everton fans, because this very question is one of the hottest topics in Toffee forums everywhere. We have Gareth Barry, Romelu Lukaku and Gerard Deulofeu here on loan, and all three are key cogs in the works. Barry is out of contract at the end of the season and has said he would like to stay. Lukaku and Jose Mourinho have had some unpleasant exchanges and it'll be interesting to see if The Special One will swallow his pride and welcome the Belgian back, because they certainly need his skill set. It'll take a very large amount of money for Everton to buy him outright, money they don't have. As for Deulofeu, news has recently come out that Everton and Barcelona had discussed a loan extension for a second year if he is not required back at Nou Camp immediately. We'll see how that shakes out depending on how Barca do this season.

One thing we do have to say about Martinez - he is far more likely to attract a better class of player to Everton (even on loan) than Moyes ever did. Skilled players know they have a place in the Everton system and they will get a chance to play depending on form, unlike with the Scotsman who was very prone to playing favourites over form.
CC: Everton are currently one point out of the top four, and only seven points off the lead. Is this about as good as you could have expected the season to go? What was your realistic goal before the season started and what are your goals now?

RBM: Oh we'd have taken this with open hands had we known at the beginning of the season this is where we would be! Manager changes are always fraught with uncertainty and after the pretty dour start to Martinez's tenure, we are very well place now for what could end up being a successful season. The goals really remain the same - a spot in Europe at the end of the season (Champions League is of course the preferred destination) and a long Cup run (it'd have to be the FA Cup, after the Blues go ko-ed by you guys from the League Cup).
Projected lineup, and score prediction

RBM: The starting lineup should be very similar to the past few weeks, with the only change being James McCarthy, who is suspended for this one after picking up five yellows. Howard in goal, and in defence from left to right Oviedo, Distin, Jagielka and Coleman. Barry and Osman as the holding midfielders. Pienaar on the left wing, Mirallas on the right and Barkley orchestrating from the middle, with Lukaku the sole striker upfront. After the pair of high-pressure away matches at Old Trafford and the Emirates, I worry that the team will have a letdown game and fully expect Fulham to score in the first half - Berbatov usually finds a way to beat Howard. After that it'll be a siege on the Cottagers defence, with Mirallas nabbing one late and the game ending 1-1.



http://cottagersconfidential.sbnation.com/2013/12/12/5205202/three-questions-for-everton-with-royal-blue-mersey?

[Twig]

Modern football is rubbish

http://metro.co.uk/2013/12/12/worst-christmas-present-ever-fulham-add-official-plasters-to-their-club-shop-4229022/?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

Fulham can't find it in their hearts to stock valuable and important Ashwater Press products (nor indeed my own book for that matter) but they sell crap like this.

:plus one: :plus one: :plus one:


http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2013/12/12/modern-football-is-rubbish/?