Thursday Fulham Stuff (09/01/14)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham result bigger than United win for Sunderland – Borini

FABIO BORINI insists Sunderland's trip to Fulham on Saturday is BIGGER than the League Cup semi-final.

Sunderland will take a one-goal lead into the Capital One Cup semi-final second leg at Old Trafford in a fortnight's time after Borini's penalty sealed a 2-1 victory over reigning Premier League champions Manchester United last night.

The Black Cats now have a real sniff of reaching a first major final since 1992.

But on-loan Liverpool striker Borini says Sunderland's priority has to be remaining in the Premier League, with the Black Cats heading to fifth bottom Fulham this weekend, looking to bounce back from the defeat to Aston Villa in their last top flight outing.

Borini told the Echo: "I think the Fulham game is bigger.

"For me, it's bigger because it's more important to stay up.

"That's a longer fight, instead of just two games.

"This is a short fight when anything can happen, but during 38 games in the league, it's harder.

"The Aston Villa game was really disappointing because we needed to keep going with positive results and keep them close to us.

"But we've got another chance against Fulham, who are very close to us.

"It's a good advantage to take to Old Trafford. But we don't need to win just these games against the big teams.

"It's the games that count for three points which are important for us; starting on Saturday."

While Man United were below-par last night, David Moyes will hope to have injured big-hitters Wayne Rooney and Robin van Persie back for the second leg.

Borini realises that the job is only half done in the tie, but says it is crucial that Sunderland are heading to Old Trafford with their noses in front.

"We played the first half last night and the second half is at Old Trafford, which should obviously be a bit harder," said the Italian.

"Rooney will probably be back, and van Persie.

"But we'll go there and play our games, as we always do.

"It's only a little advantage. But it will give us confidence for the league and the second leg."

Borini's second half penalty, after Nemanja Vidic had cancelled out Ryan Giggs' own goal, was his third in Sunderland colours.

And the 22-year-old admits he fought off the claims of Ki Sung-Yeung to take the penalty after the South Korean netted from the spot at Everton last month.

Borini added: "Ki took it at Everton, but I said I'll take this one!

"I'm a striker, I want to score and take penalties. I've always done that in the past."


http://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport/sunderland-afc/fulham-result-bigger-than-united-win-for-sunderland-borini-1-6358555

[WhiteJC]

 
West Ham news: No Fulham bid for Morrison

West Ham United have received no formal bid from Fulham for midfielder Ravel Morrison.

Despite reports that Fulham have moved in with a £5 million bid for the England Under-21 midfielder we can reveal that there have no formal inquiries.

A source close to Upton Park revealed that while Craven Cottage coach Rene Meulensteen likes the player, he has yet to make a move.

And were he to, he will find himself in competition with at least two other outfits with Newcastle United boss Alan Pardew very interested along with Paul Lambert at Aston Villa.

Reports in national newspapers had indicated that Morrison had made it known to the club that he wanted a move to south west London but that has been rubbished by a source close to the midfielder.

We were told that it would be a "big surprise" if there's no bids for the 20-year-old within the next week to ten days but at this stage West Ham have received no formal inquiry or bids."

He said: "The idea that a player will tell his current club which club he wants to join and where is nonsensical – it's down to talks between two clubs and the player's agent.. It's not even as though there has been a transfer request.

"There may be offers on the way but we are only six days into the transfer window and the business doesn't usually get done until later on anyway.

"I think a few people out there are getting a little hyped up and perhaps should take a breather for now."


http://www.sportsdirectnews.com/premier-league-news/38025-west-ham-news-no-fulham-bid-for-morrison.php#.Us5hA_0cKbA

[WhiteJC]

 
Burn First Team Debut Nets Non-League Club Cash Windfall

Former Yeovil Town loanee Dan Burn netted his former club Darlington a major windfall over the weekend, after he made his first team debut for Fulham. The 21 year old was recalled by his parent club from a long-term loan deal with Birmingham City, with the Premier League club exercising a break clause during the January transfer window.

That allowed the West London side to field him in their FA Cup match against Norwich City at Carrow Road, that finished in a 1-1 draw. Fulham fans on the internet praised Burn for his performance as he put in a full 90 minutes - with the game going to a replay, there's a fair chance of his next appearance not being too far away.

Burn moved from Darlington to Fulham in April 2011 for a basic fee of £350,000, but the deal included a clause that provided another pay-out if he made a first team appearance for the club. The complication has been that the 'Darlington FC' that existed at that time no longer exists, having collapsed in 2012, with Darlington 1883 rising from the ashes as their replacement.

With the reformed Darlington club purchasing assets from the previous club's administrator, Harvey Madden has confirmed that Darlington 1883 will receive a proportion of that windfall, of which £75,000 will go to the former club's creditors, whilst £75,000 will go to the new club who are playing in Northern Premier League Division One North this season. Madden confirmed to the Northern Echo newspaper:

"I can confirm that Dan Burn's appearance in the FA Cup did trigger the first payment to Darlington FC 2009. It was agreed that there would be a 50/50 split with Darlington 1883. I have already invoiced Fulham and would expect Darlington FC to invoice me for their half. It's a real fillip for the club."

The administrator is also inspecting Burn's transfer agreement to see if/when Darlington 1883 or the former club's creditors are entitled to further payouts if the centre-back continues his current progress at Craven Cottage.



http://www.ciderspace.co.uk/ASP/news/news.asp?NewsItemId=20921

[WhiteJC]

 
Norwich On General Sale

Tickets for our FA Cup with Budweiser Third Round Replay on Tuesday 14th January (7.45pm) are now available to buy on General Sale.

Season Ticket Holders' regular seats have now been released for other supporters to buy.

Season Ticket Holders are reminded that Cup tickets are not included as part of their Season Ticket unless they have signed up for the Home Cup Tie Scheme.

Tickets for this match are priced at just £15 for adults, £10 for over-65s and £1 for Under-17s.

Find out more here.

Please note that:

Season Ticket Holders will be issued paper tickets for this match.
Members will have their tickets loaded onto their Membership cards.
General Sale purchasers will also be issued paper tickets.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/january/08/norwich-on-general-sale?

[WhiteJC]

 
Meulensteen has high hopes for Fulham youngster

Dutchman David made his debut in Saturday's FA Cup draw with Norwich


Rising star: Chris David
Rene Meulensteen reckons there's plenty more to come from Fulham youngster Chris David following his debut at the weekend.

The 20-year-old impressed in midfield in Saturday's FA Cup draw at Norwich, and could get another chance to impress in next week's replay.

And Dutch boss Meulensteen has heaped praise on his fellow countryman after his performance at Carrow Road.

He said: "Chris did well. He's been waiting for this sort of chance. He's the sort of play who you're not sure what position he suits best, which is one of strengths.

"He's versatile – you can play him off the front or on a wide area coming in. He's got a very good left foot and he's decent with his right as well. I was very pleased."



http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/transfer-news/meulensteen-high-hopes-fulham-youngster-6479930?

[WhiteJC]

 
Foppe involved with Meulensteen course

Foppe assisting with Meulensteen coaching course Dutch Football

Renowned football academy Meulensteen are presenting a series of four Dutch Football symposiums around South Africa in January and February 2014.

Based on the methods and philosophy of Dutch coach Rene Meulensteen, currently head coach at Fulham United, and formerly an assistant coach to Alex Ferguson at Manchester United, the symposiums will focus in particular on improving coaching strategies around one-on-one situations.

Former Ajax Cape Town coach Foppe de Haan will present lectures as well as on-field training drills throughout all the course dates.

The costs of the course vary from venue to venue, for more information visit www.socceractive.com.

Course dates and venues:
25 January: Johannesburg, Wits University/Bidvest Wits training ground
26 January: Durban, Moses Mabida Stadium/AmaZulu Training Ground (TBC)
1 February: Cape Town, Athlone Stadium
15 February: Polokwane, University of Limpopo


http://www.kickoff.com/news/40328/foppe-assisting-with-meulensteen-coaching-course-dutch-football?

[WhiteJC]

 
Lead Out The Teams!

Two junior supporters can win the chance to become mascots for the evening when the Whites return to Craven Cottage for our FA Cup with Budweiser Third Round tie against Norwich City (Tue 14th Jan, 7.45pm) next week!


One Junior Season Ticket Holder and one Fulhamite (0-10 years) or Formation (11-15 years) Member will be selected at random, and the winners will enjoy the experience of walking out with the teams as they embark onto the famous Cottage turf.

What's more, we'll supply you with our adidas home kit to wear, and provide tickets to enjoy the match, for both you (the winner) and one parent. Any additional tickets for friends or family may be purchased separately.

To be in with a chance of winning this great prize, all you have to do is submit the form below – make sure you're either a Junior Season Ticket Holder or signed up to a Fulhamites or Formation Membership. Deadline for submissions is 3pm Friday 10th January. Winners will be selected and contacted by Monday 13th January.

There's still time to become a 13/14 Half Season Ticket Holder or Member – find out more about our packages, and sign up today!

Enter Now!



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/january/08/mascot-competition?

[WhiteJC]

 
Ruiz On The Move?
   
Our Costa Rican, Bryan Ruiz, is a wanted man.

Since the arrival of Rene Meulensteen, as the replacement for the axed Martin Jol, the midfielder / attacker has only featured in one Premier League game.

The player, brought to Craven Cottage from Dutch football by Meulensteen, appears, on the surface, to be surplus to requirements.

Previously, we`ve reported interest from the Belgian club Anderlecht for his services.

Today though there appears, according to the media, to be interest from Spain with struggling Real Betis looking at acquiring the services of the twenty-eight year-old.

Will Bryan Ruiz still be at Craven Cottage come the end of the January transfer window?

That remains to be seen!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=344702#ixzz2ptCP7BVb

[WhiteJC]

 
Portsmouth target Fulham youngster

Fulham starlet Sean Kavanagh is attracting admiring glances from League Two side Portsmouth.

The 19-year-old is already an Under-21 international for the Republic of Ireland and has made the left-back spot his own in Fulham's Under-21 side.

As well as being a solid defender, Kavanagh is attracting attention thanks to his ability to combine that with his desire to get forward and deliver crosses.

The teenager's progress has been rapid as the 2011/12 season was his first at a professional club following his transfer from Irish club Belvedere.

Portsmouth, managed by Richie Barker, are perilously close to tumbling out of the football league and their financial frailties mean canny loan deals are their best chance of signing players that might keep them up.

Kavanagh is currently out of action with an injury but is likely to be the subject of an offer once he has regained full fitness.


Read more at http://talksport.com/football/portsmouth-target-fulham-youngster-14010874750#TOcGxE2X4eVYWlI5.99

[WhiteJC]

 
Fuham's John Arne Riise keen to sign new contract and full of praise for Rene Meulensteen

John Arne Riise has set his sights on a new deal at Fulham after regaining his place in the side under Rene Meulensteen.

The Norwegian left-back, 33, will be out of contract in the summer and his future appeared uncertain after struggling to hold down a regular spot in Martin Jol's team earlier in the season.

However, he has returned to favour since the appointment of Meulensteen and insists he would love to remain at Craven Cottage.

Riise's main interest is playing as much as possible and he hopes to be a key part of the manager's plans for the rest of the campaign and beyond.

"Rene has been brilliant for me," Riise said in the London Evening Standard. "As soon as he came in, I said to myself that he is my type of coach.

"The way he takes training and the way he talks to the players, I knew that he was good. He has given me the confidence that I need from a manager to perform to my highest level. He put me back in the team and I have been in there since."

"I have always been committed to the club, even when I was not playing. The reason I wanted to leave is because I was not playing and I had to think of my career.

"I am at the age where I need to play. The Fulham board know I want to stay. Hopefully we can talk about a new deal because if Rene wants to keep me on, then I want to stay."

Riise is proud of the way he kept working hard when he was on the fringes of the team, but admits it was a difficult time.

He recalled: "I went almost four months without playing and that is very frustrating for a player who has played almost every game his whole career.

"I could have moaned and not trained well but I kept my head down and worked hard. I have got that enjoyment back now and really love playing football here."



http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11661/9106739?

[WhiteJC]

 
£10 Ticket Deadline

The Whites play Sunderland on Saturday 11th January and Season Ticket Holders have until 5pm on Thursday 9th January to secure additional £10 tickets.

A limited number of £10 tickets can be purchased in the Putney End or Hammersmith End by Season Ticket Holders – saving £25 on the adult price and £5 on the junior price.

So round up your friends and family for an afternoon at the Cottage!

Find out more and buy online today.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/january/08/10-pound-ticket-deadline?

[WhiteJC]

 
FANS' 'GREAT SUPPORT' HELPS TROTTA

Marcello Trotta looking to repay management and fans' belief in him after signing extension of loan deal from Fulham
Marcello Trotta said he wants to give something back to the fans and staff at Griffin Park and thinks that helping The Bees to win promotion to The Championship would be the perfect gift.

The Fulham-loanee extended his spell at Griffin Park to the end of the season this morning having re-joined The Bees in September after scoring nine goals on loan in the 2012/13 season.

The 21-year-old didn't find the net in his first six games back at Brentford but has since scored seven goals in a 15 game spell which has seen The Bees win 13, draw one and lose just once.

Marcello scored three goals over the Christmas period as The Bees won all four games to move three points clear at the top of Sky Bet League One.

Speaking to Bees Player after signing his loan extension Marcello thanked the fans for their support something which he wants to pay them back for: "We are doing really well at the moment and I think I have to give something back to this club."

"They showed belief in me and I want to pay them back by doing well and hopefully going up.

"I came here not in my best shape so I couldn't show my best to start with.

"Now hopefully the Club and the fans realise that I am here to try and help the team as much as I can and do my best.

"It has been great; the last ten games have been brilliant.

"Christmas time, with all the games we have won, has been a fantastic time for all the fans.

"The fans give great support when you play at home.

"They really push us on at home and give us that bit extra.

"That is really important as they give us the lift to go and attack every time and we create more chances to score."

Marcello said he arrived at Griffin Park lacking match fitness and needed a few weeks of training to get back into top condition.

Now that he is in top shape he said he is only concentrating on helping The Bees to achieve their promotion aim for the end of the season.

"At the beginning I was not 100 per cent fit and ready to play," said Marcello.

"Training every day at a high level has got me fit and the team has helped me as well.

"I was only thinking about playing for Brentford as I didn't know what was going to happen at Fulham.

"It is important personally for me to focus on what I am doing here.

"I want to stay here and help the team and hopefully we can get promoted to The Championship as a team."

The Bees have adapted well to the change in manager following Uwe Rösler's move to Wigan Athletic in December.

Mark Warburton has won his first five games in charge and The Bees sit top of Sky Bet League One.

For Marcello there are differences between the two styles of manager but he said the way both Uwe and Mark want their sides to play football remains the same.

"Mark and Uwe are two different people so there are differences," said Marcello.

"The style and the way we want to play attacking football is the same.

"They have different approaches and Mark is doing really well now.

"Hopefully we can keep going like this."



Read more at http://www.brentfordfc.co.uk/news/article/marcello-trotta-loan-07.01.14-1281207.aspx?#Feo2lU2XpIZ5vGbU.99

[WhiteJC]

 
Academy Progress

This week we caught up with Academy Director Huw Jennings, who discussed the progress of the Club's young talent and the Under-18s' trip to Göttingen in Germany.


Huw, you were at the game at Carrow Road last Saturday. It must have been great to see four of our young players make their senior debuts?

It was fantastic, and I think they did the Club proud. I've watched Dan Burn while he has been out on loan at Birmingham City and he's really come on this season. I thought he was excellent against Norwich City, he looked at ease. Chris David was another to start from the off and he showed what he could do. Ange-Freddy Plumain and Lasse Vigen Christensen came off the bench and their performances in the second half were encouraging as well. We've already seen Buomesca Tué Na Bangna and Moussa Dembélé make their First Team bows this season; to have six of them make the step up is a real achievement.

The Under-21s face Arsenal in the Under-21 League Cup on Thursday night, while the Under-18s take on Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Youth Cup later this month. It's an exciting few weeks of football for the Academy isn't it?

It's a busy period for us now, having had a little break over Christmas. It was important for the boys to recharge their batteries, particularly as we started on 1st July. They worked incredibly hard during the first phase of the season, and having gone away for a short amount of time, they've come back with a renewed focus. There's some important matches for both groups and lots, we hope, to play for.

Our Under-18s are currently out in Germany where they take part in the Sparkasse and VGH Cup in Göttingen. It's an indoor five-a-side tournament, and a competition that has really become a fixture in the boys' winter programme hasn't it?

It has, and it works for us. It's a unique competition, with 3,000 odd spectators around the indoor pitch - so you get a fantastic atmosphere. Players are put under pressure and we like that. It's a different situation for them and it's a chance for us to see how they react. The games are fast and furious, and it's a great way to restart the campaign after the Christmas break. We have six matches in the first group stage from Thursday to Saturday, then a minimum of two second group stage games before the knockout phase on the Sunday. They'll be training on top of that, too, so it can be intense.


Moussa Dembélé in action at last year's tournament in Gottingen.

The tournament itself is now in its 25th year. This will be Fulham's fifth year of participation - the standards are extremely high aren't they?

The competition always features top German and European clubs as well as some very talented young players. This is an excellent tournament, and one that's very highly regarded. We got to the Semi-Final two years ago, so this time we want to go further and hopefully bring home the trophy. It's a strong level of opponent; we have Hannover 96 and FC Schalke in our group, while the likes of Borussia Dortmund, Hamburger SV, VfL Wolfsburg and Borussia Mönchengladbach are also involved. Celtic and PSV Eindhoven are two of the European participants, while we'll also go up against some very good regional German clubs. These teams are used to playing this type of football, while we have to adapt very quickly once a year - but that's all part of the challenge. Indoor football is also very tactical, every player has to be switched on at all times - because very quickly you can get punished. It's sharp for the body and for the brain.

This kind of football and competition is very popular in Europe; it's a big part of their young players' development. We know that the Academy has a real focus on technique, a positive use of the ball and player movement - this certainly helps with that doesn't it?

It's always been levied at English teams that we don't have individuals with real technical quality. For me, that's a load of rubbish. This country has lots of talented young players coming through, ones that are as a good as any throughout Europe. They can compete, make no mistake about that. Fulham have demonstrated that in the past, underlined by our triumph in Dallas Cup. It's a different style of football, but we're hoping that our players pick it up very quickly. If we can do that, we'll be a match for anyone in Göttingen.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/january/08/huw-jennings-gottingen?

[WhiteJC]

 
Liverpool Update

Fulham face Liverpool at home on Wednesday 12th February (8pm).

Tickets for this match are now only available to Members with 6 or more Loyalty Points (max 4 tickets per person), and Season Ticket Holders.

Find out more here or buy your Liverpool ticket online at fulhamfc.com/tickets or by calling the Ticket Office on 0843 208 1234.



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/january/08/liverpool-update?

[WhiteJC]

 
FULHAM PREPARING BID FOR CHELSEA DEFENDER

The Cottagers are preparing a bid for a defender from their local rivals' ranks...

Fulham head coach Rene Meulensteen is preparing to enter negotiations with local rivals Chelsea in a bid to bolster his squad.

According to The Guardian the former Manchester United coach has enquired about the availability of left-back Ryan Bertrand and is keen on bringing in the 24-year-old as part of his January transfer business.

Bertrand has been on Chelsea's books since leaving Gillingham as a youth player in 2006 but has rarely featured for the Blues.

Loan spells at Bournemouth, Oldham, Norwich, Reading and Nottingham Forest have given the player enough experience to make him an attractive option but he remains surplus to requirements at Stamford Bridge.

With César Azpilicueta battling Ashley Cole for a first team berth Jose Mourinho looks set to allow Bertrand to pursue other avenues and with Craven Cottage just a short distance away from the Bridge the move seems to make sense.

The Cottagers have had a turbulent season thus far with former gaffer Martin Jol being replaced by Meulensteen after a run of bad results.

However, the managerial switch has not had the instant impact many desired and the west London outfit find themselves just two points above the drop zone – a position that may not prove too enticing for a man with two England caps and a desire to remain in the top flight.

However, the new Cottagers number one is well regarded thanks to his efforts under Alex Ferguson at Old Trafford and if Bertrand can be persuaded to make the switch expect the 7/4 on Fulham to be relegated to drift as the weeks go on.

Meulensteen is also said to be keen on Brondby striker Simon Makienok but faces competition from London rivals Crystal Palace.

The 23-year-old has netted 28 times in 60 games since joining the Danish club in 2012 and could be available for around £3m.

Fulham will be in need of a striker if Dimitar Berbatov ends his stay at the Cottage as expected and at 6ft 7" the Dane would certainly provide something different for the Lilywhites going forward.


http://sportingpreview.com/football2013-3/2013538.php?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham left back 'attracting admiring glances'
   
Left backs are all the rage with Pompey at the moment it would seem!

Not only do we have one, and a former England international at that, in the shape of Nicky Shorey currently training with us we are being 'linked' with another one.

Well, at least these are the claims (as per my headline 'Fulham left back 'attracting admiring glances') from TalkSport...

These were made in connection with Sean Kavanagh, described as a 'starlet'.

Other thoughts about him that they shared were the 19-year-old is already an Under-21 international for the Republic of Ireland and has made the left-back spot his own in Fulham's Under-21 side.

As well as being a solid defender, Kavanagh is attracting attention thanks to his ability to combine that with his desire to get forward and deliver crosses.

Sounds impressive enough...

At the risk of sounding like a broken record I would still like to see Dan Butler given another run in the side but it has already been made clear by Richie Barker that he wants 'two players for each position' in his squad, so another left back does need to be decided.

Currently we have Marcos Painter under contract, but this contract does end next week I think so his place could be under threat from either Shorey or Kavanagh?

Follow @VitalPortsmouth.

PLAY UP POMPEY!


Read more: http://www.portsmouth.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=539817#ixzz2ptFyXI6N

[WhiteJC]

 
FULHAM FC ACHIEVES NETWORK GOALS WITH EXPONENTIAL-E

The English Premiership football club increased network capacity tenfold with multi-site WAN upgrade.

Fulham Football Club (Fulham FC) is the oldest of London's first class clubs. Its long history began back in 1879 with some Sunday-school boys knocking a ball around on a long-forgotten park pitch. All a far cry from the international players that make up the Premier League team of today.

Challenge
Fulham FC was experiencing increasingly frequent network failures which were impacting on its application performance. The existing network was proving slow and increasingly inadequate to cope with the demand of Wi-Fi for fans and media on match days, and Internet access for delegates at the many corporate events the club holds.

Fulham FC began to look for alternative solutions that would provide network resiliency, reliability and sufficient bandwidth to cope with increasing capacity demand.

The new network not only needed to support corporate applications, but also third parties who needed to access the network whilst providing a high level of resilience to ensure the network didn't suffer outages.

Another important consideration was the addition of new Cloud services the club was looking at adopting services such as CCTV and corporate governance solutions which would allow the club to improve its current services, while minimising capital expenditure costs.

Solution
Fulham FC recognised increased bandwidth capacity on its Wide Area Network (WAN) would be a high priority and sourced a partner which could provide high-speed, quality Internet access for all its new services.

Exponential-e was chosen to design and deploy a new WAN for Fulham FC after being selected following a rigorous process including proposals from two Tier-1 WAN providers. The deciding factors were Exponential-e's ability to converge multiple services across the WAN and the simplicity of the network solution put forward.

Exponential-e worked closely with Fulham FC to deploy a three site WAN that connects Fulham FC's Craven Cottage Stadium with the Motspur Park training facilities and the club's third party ticketing partner.

"What made Exponential-e different was the ability to securely separate and converge, multiple services across one connection. The solution was simple and offered us real flexibility and was something no one else was able match " explains Spencer Haywood, head of IT, Fulham FC.

Exponential-e's Layer 2 Virtual Private LAN Service (VPLS) provides Fulham FC with a highly resilient platform that enables multiple services to seamlessly converge over a single network -- offering a simple and easy-to-manage design.

The new high-bandwidth connection and added network resilience immediately addressed the Club's issues with network reliability while network capacity was increased tenfold. The extra capacity gives Fulham FC the scalability to take forward plans to deploy new applications and services across the network such as VMware, Guest Wi-Fi and IP CCTV.

VPLS technology enabled the Craven Cottage and Motspur Park sites to be backed up with diverse connections to provide additional resilience against network outages. Should an unforeseen event occur, an automated failover to secondary circuits will take place, reducing downtime and ensuring Business Continuity.

Security was also a key consideration for Fulham FC as it needed to ensure safe and secure transfer of private and transactional information for fans and customers.

The Club decided to connect to its ticketing partner's network via a centralised firewall which sits in the Exponential-e Cloud and provides an additional buffer for the club's network -- further mitigating the risk of a network breach. Hosted from secure Tier III data centres, the centralised firewall is not only highly secure, but allows Fulham FC's IT team to change security policies and routing themselves from one central point, providing the club with complete control over its security.

By using separate VLANs for Internet, data backup and ticketing, Exponential-e was able to maintain separacy of each service and provide Fulham FC with additional security, while removing complexity from the solution.

The simplicity of the network design also enables the Club to provide controlled access to its network in support of third party events held at the club, increasing the quality of service it provides to its fans, patrons and corporate customers.

Benefits
Fulham FC now has a state-of-the-art three site WAN with increased capacity and resiliency. The club has enjoyed 100% uptime on the network since the deployment. The additional bandwidth and network simplicity has allowed Fulham FC to securely scale up network bandwidth for third party events such as the UEFA Cup Women's final and Socceraid.

Results
- Tenfold increase in network capacity
- Network topology designed to provide seamless connectivity between three sites
- Robust centralised firewall security
- Extra resilience mitigating the risk of network downtime


http://www.cbronline.com/news/tech/networks/networking/fulham-fc-achieves-network-goals-with-exponential-e-4157328

[WhiteJC]

 
The Tony Gale Column

We've played three Barclays Premier League matches since the last time I wrote for this column and before those I said that five points was the minimum return that we needed, so to get six is good. The Norwich City game on Boxing Day was a great way to win, with a late goal from Scotty Parker. I do believe that if we can keep Scott and Steve Sidwell fit from now until the end of the season, they're going to be our way out of trouble. They're exactly what we need in that midfield area – they've got the right spirit and that, of course, drives other people along. Not just that, they've got their skill as well, and Siddy is always contributing a goal. He's a little bit underrated but now that the system has been changed slightly, it's given him more freedom to break into the box, which he's good at. Scotty scoring is a bit of a rarity so that was great to see at Norwich. That was a superb result away from home, not least because it was a win against a team around us.

The Hull City result came out of the blue for everyone. Friends of mine went up for the trip because they were bored over Christmas and they came back wishing they hadn't bothered because it put them on a bit of a downer. But it's how you bounce back after a defeat like that which is important, and we did, which was vital.

In the West Ham United game I thought Fulham were the better side throughout. I thought West Ham got a goal out of nothing really – defending the long, high ball was the only aspect of their game we had problems with and for their goal, Jussi Jaaskelainen kicked it as long and as high as he could and Mohamed Diame latched onto it to put them one-up. The only way that West Ham would score against Fulham was going to be from a long ball. But in fairness to Fulham, we kept playing our football. I was commentating on the game and I think the possession stats were almost 80 per cent in Fulham's favour at one point. Admittedly a lot of that was in the second half after the sending off but, as I said, I think Fulham were the better team throughout. It was just the goal that set us back because it came a little bit against the run of play. Again, it was a win against a team who's going to be in and around the relegation places, so it was another six pointer. 


I love the attitude of some of the players late on in the West Ham game; the Hammers had a corner and our players were going round rallying each other saying that we've got to get this one clear. This is what it's all about in a relegation battle; you can't give silly goals away. We've got to brush up on our unforced errors really at the back, that's something that we've got to get back into our game. Sometimes Fulham are conceding easy goals and whilst René Meulensteen's introduced a higher tempo to the game and we're playing some much better football – and all Fulham fans would agree with that – he knows that we need to tighten up at the back.

We then had a little break from league action as we returned to Norfolk in the FA Cup and we made quite a few changes for the game which gave important run-outs for players. I think what we didn't need, though, was a Replay and Norwich will agree with that as well. But if you take the game for what it is, it's an important 90 minutes for the likes of Darren Bent, Elsad Zverotić and Dan Burn. It was good to see Dan getting a game, as it was for the other lads who have come up through Kit Symons' Under-21s. It's important that these kids from the development squad get the odd game here and there. So it's another good chance for René to play a few players in the Replay next Tuesday. I know the priority is to stay in the Premier League and the team selection will show you that, but it does no harm to have a good little run and that will be good for confidence.

Every Whites supporter dreams of Wembley, but the only problem with that would be having to listen to Viva El Fulham all over again! That would be the only positive of not getting to Wembley, to avoid having that song replayed! I was only a kid in '75, I was just signing my apprenticeship for next year, and after hearing that song I thought, 'corr bloody hell, if this is what being a footballer's about then I don't think I want it!' There are some questionable vocals on that record, with Les Strong being one! But let's not get ahead of ourselves, if we do progress against Norwich then Sheffield United will still be a difficult game. Up there they'll probably have a full house which will be good, and hopefully we'd take a good following as well. If we do beat Norwich, though, you would still fancy our chances because even with not all the First Team players playing, we've got enough quality to progress. 


We're back in league action on Saturday when Sunderland visit the Cottage and that's a big match, a really big match. Everyone admires Gus Poyet – I don't know anyone who doesn't like him. If you've met him you'll know that he's a really good guy, he loves his teams to play good football, and he won't compromise in any way. But it's a good chance for us and maybe we can do a little bit of pressing on them and nick the ball in important areas and be straight in on them, because Sunderland will try to play football, without a doubt. I still think they're a side that at the end of the season will go down, but it's a big, big game for us.

Finally, I'd like to mention what good appointments Alan Curbishley and Ray Wilkins are. I admire René and he's done well to get a bit of Premier League nous in. Curbs has been there, seen it, done it in his managerial roles at Charlton Athletic and West Ham, so he's going to be a good shoulder to lean on for René. And also Ray down there on the touchline will have the respect of the players. He worked alongside me at Sky – as did Curbs – and Ray will have the respect of players instantly and knows the Premier League inside out – in fact, both of them do.

Although René had a lot of experience under Sir Alex Ferguson, it's important that you talk to experienced guys. I look at our backroom staff of Alan Curbishley, Ray Wilkins and Kit Symons and I see three good football people that you can trust and you think will be Fulham people. There's Jonathan Hill as well who René knows from his time at United, so it's good that he's got one of his own men, who he's worked with before, in as well.

Tickets for Saturday's game at home to Sunderland are still available to buy and are priced from £35 for adults and £15 for juniors.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/january/07/the-tony-gale-column

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Dimitar Berbatov should snub Arsenal for Fulham stay, says Alex Kacaniklic

EXCLUSIVE: Alex Kacaniklic has insisted Fulham want Dimitar Berbatov to stay and help the Cottagers fight for Premier League survival.

The 22-year-old appealed for his team-mate to stay put at Craven Cottage amid rumours he will leave in this month's transfer window.

A possible Berbatov exit appeared to take a step closer when Fulham left him out of their squad at Norwich on Saturday, seemingly in a bid to prevent him from being cup-tied for a new club.

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has distanced himself from a move for the former Tottenham man but it seems there would be no shortage of clubs interested in the 32-year-old.

His continued presence in west London is undoubtedly key for new manager Rene Meulensteen as he attempts to guide the Cottagers away from danger in the top flight.

But, with Fulham linked with West Ham's Ravel Morrison, speculation persists that Berbatov will leave the club this month – and it's clear that would not be a popular choice among his team-mates.

'Of course, we need him, he's a good player who scores goals and creates goals, he's important for us, especially as we need to stay up,' said Sweden winger Kacaniklic.

'It is up to him what he wants to do but we need the best players to make sure we stay in the Premier League and Berba is one of them.'

Kacaniklic also admits he relishes playing alongside Berbatov for his club and Zlatan Ibrahimovic for his country for the sheer quality they add to any team.

'It's great, of course,' he adds. 'They can certainly find you with a pass! They are very different people but similar in some respects on the pitch.

'There are lots of great players with experience like Berba – Damien Duff, John Arne Riise and now Clint Dempsey, who I can learn from.'

The Cottagers host Sunderland on Saturday aiming to improve on three wins from ten at home in the league and Kacaniklic said: 'We're out of the bottom there, which is where we feel we should be, but we probably haven't performed as we should have this season and need to keep winning.'

Tickets are on general sale for Fulham v Sunderland at Craven Cottage this Saturday and can be bought by visiting http://www.fulhamfc.com/tickets or calling 0843 208 1234



http://metro.co.uk/2014/01/08/dimitar-berbatov-should-snub-arsenal-for-fulham-stay-says-alex-kacaniklic-4255361/?

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Transfer news: No Fulham bid for Manchester City defender Joleon Lescott

Sky sources understand that Fulham have not made an enquiry or made a formal offer for Manchester City's Joleon Lescott.

The 31-year-old has been linked with a number of clubs, with West Ham and Turkish outfit Besiktas amongst those understood to be keen on the England defender.

Fulham had also been linked, but Sky sources understand that they are not lining up a move for Lescott.

Lescott's current deal is due to expire in the summer and City boss Manuel Pellegrini has long insisted Lescott is not leaving.

"He is not going for the moment," the City boss was quoted as saying.

"Joleon Lescott is a very important player for us. He finishes his contract in June. We will see what happens in the future."


http://www1.skysports.com/football/news/11095/9107162/transfer-news-no-fulham-bid-for-manchester-city-defender-joleon-lescott?