Tuesday Fulham Stuff (31/12/13)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Back In The Fold

Sidelined by Martin Jol, the resurrection of John Arne Riise under René Meulensteen has coincided with an upturn in form and fortunes for the Whites. After four months on the outside looking in, Riise is back and determined to stay put.

Pretty much a regular in the side since his arrival from Roma in 2011, the left-back found himself firmly out of favour under Jol at the start of this term.

All that changed when Meulensteen took charge of First Team duties, with the Head Coach turning to Riise for his first game at the helm against Tottenham Hotspur - a full 103 days (he's counted them) since the Norwegian's last Barclays Premier League match. It's been a long road back for the 33-year-old - but his determination and desire never wavered.

"It wasn't just one or two games, it was four months and that was tough," stated Riise. "I was out - proper out. I had the odd cup game but I knew no matter how well I played, I wouldn't keep my place for the next league match.

"I had to find a mental strength I hadn't used before; four months without a league game is a long time. For the first time in my career I wasn't involved on a matchday and that was tough. I was used to playing and being a first choice and suddenly I wasn't involved."

But Riise found himself back in the fold when Meulensteen turned to the defender immediately after Jol's departure.

"When René came I could see a difference in training," said Riise. "I thought, 'I like this guy. This is my kind of coach.' I liked his philosophies and the way he trained - from day one I loved his sessions. When René took over completely he told me I'd be playing again and I got goosebumps as I was so happy. It was such a pleasure to be back in the side and it meant all the hard work I'd done over the last four months wasn't for nothing."

To read the full interview with Riise, pick up an official matchday programme ahead of the crucial New Year's Day clash with West Ham United.

Other key content in the only matchday magazine that matters - which is available to download digitally from 9am on Wednesday - include:

Rene Meulensteen's programme notes
Alexander Kačaniklić takes the Fulham 50 challenge
Alan Mullery recalls a League Cup win against West Ham in 1974
Former Hammers winger Mark Ward assesses Wednesday's game
Ex-teammates of Bobby Moore recall the former West Ham and Fulham legend
We look back at 2013 in pictures
Young striker Dean O'Halloran is profiled in Through The Ranks
And Tony Gale is Yesterday's Hero
Priced £3.50, the 84-page publication is available from various sellers on Stevenage Road from two hours before kick-off. Fans can also order copies directly from www.programmemaster.com

The programme is also available as an app with added video content from 9am on Wednesday via Apple's Newsstand or Pocketmags. You can subscribe for the whole season for the digital edition or buy a single issue for £1.99.

Tickets for Wednesday's important fixture are on General Sale so get down to the Cottage to cheer the Whites on in their first game of 2014.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2013/december/31/programme-plug?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham v West Ham – Premier League preview

Fulham will be looking to put Saturday's embarrassing 6-0 defeat to Hull City behind them with a win over fellow strugglers West Ham United on New Year's Day. The Whites suffered their heaviest Premier League defeat at the KC Stadium on Saturday, meaning that Rene Meulensteen's side will begin 2014 in the relegation zone.

However, things are worse for London rivals West Ham United – who are bottom of the Premier League's form table with just two points from their last six games. In fact, the Hammers have secured just one win from their previous 12 Premier League matches – form which has seen manager Sam Allardyce head the top-flight sack race betting.

On the plus side for the visitors that one win came against Fulham back in November when Mohamed Diame, Joe Cole and Carlton Cole were on target at Upton Park. The last time the Hammers did a league double over the White was in 2008/09 Premier League season, when they won 2-1 at Craven Cottage followed by a 3-1 victory at home.

Fulham won this fixture last season with goals from Dimitar Berbatov and Hugo Rodallega plus a Joey O'Brien own goal outweighing Kevin Nolan's strike. A win for either side in this tie will be massive in their fight to remain in the Premier League, with this match being a genuine six-pointer. The price for a home victory is 2.45 while three points for the away side is 3.25.

Team news

Team news to follow.



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