Tuesday Fulham Stuff (04/09/12)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Anyone Remember - Giles Barnes
   
Barnes has a spell at Fulham whereby it was hoped that he`d rediscover the form that he showed as a talented youngster.

Unfortunately, it never really happened for Barnes, at Craven Cottage, and his loan deal was never turned into a permanent one.

Today, it is being reported that Barnes is set to leave English football by moving to the MLS and playing for Houston Dynamo.

We`d like to offer him our best wishes.



Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=292464#ixzz25T7J5DeN

[WhiteJC]

 
The King is Dead, Long Live the King
   
One Moussa Dembele may have left for White Hart Lane but another Moussa Dembele is doing just fine.

This Moussa Dembele, a French youth international signed from Paris St Germain, scored a hat-trick for the U18 side, against Crystal Palace.

A sign of good things to come we hope.



Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=292463#ixzz25T7Xq6Pe

[WhiteJC]

 
Keeping His Cool!
   
Having landed his man, before the transfer window slammed shut, Martin Jol has come up with an interesting revelation.

It transpires that Dimitar arrived at Fulham believing that he`d be playing alongside Moussa Demble, or as Jol puts it,

"He really looked forward to playing with Dembele. The first thing he said to me was, 'Where`s Dembele going?` and I had to say, He`s going to Spurs. He was disappointed.

"He was told that before his medical, but luckily we managed to keep him in the building!"

"We`re going to play through Berbatov. He will be at the end of things in the box."

"You build teams around good players - and Berbatov is excellent."

He looked excellent when he came on for the second half, let`s hope it is a sign of things to come.


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=292465#ixzz25T7kqssX

[WhiteJC]

 
Dimitar Berbatov blasts Alex Ferguson over treatment at Man United
Dimitar Berbatov has fired a parting shot at Manchester United after leaving for Fulham this week, accusing manager Sir Alex Ferguson of showing a lack of respect.


Mistreated: United's old striker Dimitar Berbatov (Picture: AFP/GettyImages)

Berbatov, who is currently back in his native Bulgaria, moved to Fulham on transfer deadline day after demanding to leave United following the arrival of increased competition in the form of Robin van Persie.

The decision to bring in the Dutchman for £24 million was the final straw for Berbatov, who says he has lost respect for former boss Ferguson after he was mislead over first-team opportunities.

'I don't think I deserved such treatment at United - not playing in the last year,' Berbatov said.

'I went more than 10, probably 15, times to ask the coach if they need me. And every time I was told that I'm an important player and should not leave, but then again I was not in the team.

'Maybe I should've gone when Ferguson left me out of the squad for the Champions League final (in 2011). I know he's the boss, but he has lost, to some extent, my respect because of the way he treated me.'

The 31-year-old turned down a late move to Fiorentina to join the Cottagers for £5 million last week, but in a late twist, Berbatov's agent Emil Danchev has revealed a return to Tottenham was on the cards right up until the contract in West London was signed.

'We were in touch with Tottenham at the last moment,' Danchev admitted.

'Other than that, I've also spoken with three Turkish clubs, three Italian clubs, three English clubs, and three German clubs.'

Berbatov, who has signed a two-year-deal at Craven Cottage, will hope to show Ferguson what he's missing when Fulham face United on the 2nd February.


Read more: http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/football/910630-dimitar-berbatov-blasts-sir-alex-ferguson-over-treatment-at-manchester-united#ixzz25T88DRhc

[WhiteJC]

 
Prisms

This post has taken me four days to write. And I'm still not certain it's good enough.

How does an American write about Clint Dempsey? Especially one that is a soccer fan, and a Fulham fan at that? How do I write about a player that has meant so much to this club and to this fan, when it all ended so messily and murky?

I can attempt it, but only through the selfish prism of an American fan of Fulham Football Club.

If Brian McBride was the player that made Americans aware of Fulham, Dempsey was the player that made the club everyone's second favorite team. Impartial, casual footy fans statside (the type that follow the domestic leagues loosely, but watch every Euro/World Cup match) would often ask me, "How'd Dempsey do?" without caring for the result or whatever else was going on. He was one of the few athletes that caught everyone's attention.

So when he jettisons our club for Tottenham, a club that many footy fans in America choose to follow because they wish to be "unique" more than anything (Bill Simmons is a fan after all: Manchester United used to, but now City get all the glory hunters; Liverpool draw the fans that care about 'history'; Arsenal draw the ones that care about the means not the end; Chelsea still mostly get the assholes), it stings. Probably more so than Dembélé leaving.

Perhaps it's a bit of jealousy that my friends will now "care" about Spurs like they used to "follow" Fulham, perhaps it's my disdain toward Spurs (and this is all without Harry Redknapp as their manager); but this move didn't have to end like this.

Especially for someone that time and again forced his way into the starting XI through hard work, determination, and that cliche "never say die" attitude that Americans pride themselves on. This just felt so heavy-handed. It hasn't undone everything he's accomplished here, but there is now a stain.

We all have our thoughts and suspicions on just how everyone got here but writer Ty Duffy has the best answer I've heard yet:

Why this move? Why did it take so long? Well, it went much as we predicted heading into the summer. Dempsey was in the Donovan/MLS trap. He had no leverage. At 29 with a year left on his contract, he was worth more to Fulham than Fulham could command on the open market. He would have to force a move and the buyer would have to overpay for him. Tottenham would. Liverpool would not.

Dempsey held out and only got rewarded at the last minute for his behavior (if only that worked for the rest of us.) He is currently getting paid 2.5 times as much as he made at Fulham. Whereas before I had valued Dempsey at an easy 10m, I possibly viewed that as a Fulham fan. He was worth 10m to me. To others? For Liverpool it was 3m, or whatever derisory amount. Spurs spent 6m.

Months of drama ended in only 30 minutes or so. Late on Friday, we lost the leading scorer in our Premier League history, a feat that probably won't be matched anytime soon, to a club a few miles away.

Clint last played for Fulham on May 6; scoring a wonderful free kick goal in the penultimate match of the season against Sunderland. It would be his 23rd in all competitions, and be a new record. He would never wear our laundry again. Since then, we've lost Andy Johnson to QPR, Danny Murphy and Dickson Etuhu to Blackburn, and Moussa Dembélé to Spurs as well.

Sure, we brought in Berbatov. But this move reminds me of when a baseball team trades away a promising pitcher and a stalwart shortstop...and signs an aging but star slugger that'll bat DH. It'll excite the fan base. It'll get words typed from the press. Several friends (one's that are actually "real" fans) even sent me congratulatory texts.

But for the first time since January 27, 2004, there isn't an American in Fulham's first team. For the first time since January 11, 2007, Clint Dempsey isn't with the club. And this is going to take some getting used to.

Dempsey once famously said "once you can't do it for the game anymore, the game don't care."

Too bad us fans still will.


http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2012/09/03/prisms/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Marco Tardelli hoping Damien Duff can be tempted out of retirement

Damien Duff could return to the international fold just 10 days after announcing his retirement, according to Republic of Ireland assistant manager Marco Tardelli.

Duff called time on his 100-cap career in the Republic's last game of Euro 2012 and vowed never to return to the international arena.

The Republic, who also lost Shay Given to retirement this summer, will begin their World Cup qualifying campaign in Kazakhstan without Duff this week, but Tardelli hopes the Fulham man could be persuaded to come back for the country's next qualifier against Germany in October.

"I know he has said he has retired, but I hope he will be back for the Germany game. It is possible," Tardelli said.

"I don't know if he will or not, but I always see him during Fulham's matches and I think it is possible, why not?
"He is a very good player. He said he has stopped but I hope he will come back."

There has been no hint that Duff would consider a recall - he said recently that he was looking forward to watching Friday's game in the pub - but the 33-year-old's experience would help the nation's embattled manager Giovanni Trappatoni.

Trapattoni is under pressure after watching his team flop at Euro 2012 where they lost all three games and scored just one goal.

The Italian has also had to deal with an unwelcome barb from Everton midfielder Darron Gibson, who joined Kevin Foley in making himself unavailable for this week's game, and the friendly against Oman on Tuesday, due to his disappointment at being left on the bench for the whole of Euro 2012.

Tardelli, who has worked under Trapattoni during his four years in charge, has hit out at his compatriot's critics and claims that the 73-year-old is more determined than ever to lead the Republic to success despite the recent criticism.

"Giovanni wants to work always every day. He is full of enthusiasm, just like he was the first time I met him," Tardelli added.
"I don't understand why Giovanni is (being criticised)... because he achieved good results."

Although skipper Robbie Keane has committed himself to the Republic for the Brazil 2014 qualifying campaign, Trapattoni heads to Kazakhstan on Friday without Given, Duff and Richard Dunne, who is injured.

The Republic will also have to contend with playing on the unfamiliar Astroturf surface of the Astana Arena on Friday evening - something which Stoke utility man Marc Wilson is not looking forward to.

Wilson, who could slot into the midfield position Gibson was expected to occupy, has seen fellow team-mates suffer injuries from playing on the surface and admits he would have much preferred to play on grass.

"I have played on them a few times for the last three summers and they're not very good," Wilson said.

"It's not very good for your knees and a couple of the lads got injured when we played on it a couple of years ago when I was at Portsmouth. One of them did his ankle ligaments and the other injured his knee.

"We would prefer to play on a grass pitch but we have no say in it."

Questions have been asked whether Gibson, who has impressed since moving to Everton, will make himself available for the Republic while Trapattoni is in charge, but Wilson is sure the midfielder will not prolong his exile from the international scene.

"I know Darron quite well. I think he will be back again," Wilson said.

"I hope he does because he is a good player and I think he could be really good for the team.

"I could see why he would be disappointed (that he didn't play at Euro 2012).

"He is a good player, but the manager selects the team and you have to respect his decision and just get on with it."

Sunderland duo Keiren Westwood and James McClean both missed training today due to mild colds but should be available for tomorrow's session in Dublin.



http://www.rte.ie/sport/soccer/irish/2012/0903/336125-tardelli-hoping-duff-can-be-tempted-back/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Dempsey speaks about Fulham saga, looking ahead

MIAMI (AP) — Clint Dempsey started Monday with some fitness testing, then spoke eagerly of training for a few more hours in South Florida's sweltering heat and humidity.

It sure beats the waiting game he's been playing the last few months.

The U.S. forward finally has matches to prepare for again. He hasn't played in a competitive game since June, a streak he hopes to see end Friday when the Americans head to Jamaica for the start of a home-and-home World Cup qualifying series that could go a long way toward which nation gets to take control of Group A.

And it all comes not long after his status in Europe was finally sorted out — with him now playing for Tottenham after more than five years with Fulham.

"I'm very relieved. Looking forward to getting back to playing," Dempsey said. "I think the new team is a perfect fit. They qualified for a place last season for Champions League but missed out on a technicality. But it's still in London. My family doesn't have to move far. My daughter, she can go to another international school and be on the same curriculum. It couldn't have worked out any better in that regard."

The Americans will train in Miami until flying to Jamaica on Wednesday.

Dempsey led Fulham with 23 goals last season, and has long spoken of his desire to play at the highest level — which, for him, means Champions League. Tottenham finished fourth in the Premier League last season, but missed out on getting into the Champions League after Chelsea won the title and England's last qualifying spot, the "technicality" Dempsey spoke of.

For weeks, it seemed like Dempsey was headed to Liverpool. Talks broke down, and it wasn't until the trade window was nearly closed before Fulham struck a deal with Tottenham.

In his eyes, whether Tottenham is actually in the elite tournament field or not, Dempsey sees himself now as part of a Champions League-caliber club.

"I'm disappointed in the way I was portrayed, in the end, with Fulham," Dempsey said. "I always wanted to play at the highest level possible. That was never a secret. That's something I always said. It would be a dream of mine to play Champions League and you want to play on the best team possible to try to get there. That's definitely a team with a lot of quality in it, but now it's all about the team that I'm with."

The saga started over the summer, when Dempsey — who was in the last year of his Fulham deal — first was linked to Liverpool when Reds coach Brendan Rodgers acknowledged inquiring about his availability. Fulham coach Martin Jol later said Dempsey refused to play for the club, one of the salvos in a back-and-forth that led to Dempsey tweeting that there were two sides to the story.

On Monday, Dempsey said he was simply relieved to look ahead.

"There were some things that were said that weren't true," Dempsey said. "That's in the past now. It's about looking toward the future and like I said, I'm looking forward to playing with Tottenham. It's a great team, a great club. I want to thank the fans of Fulham. It's been 5½ great years. Some of my best memories in football have been there. I want to thank the chairman for taking a chance on me from MLS and I wish them well in the future."

Of course, his future — his immediate future, anyway — is wearing the red, white and blue against Jamaica over the next couple weeks.

U.S. coach Jurgen Klinsmann says if Dempsey is physically ready, he'll play Friday, when the Americans look to secure their hold on the top spot in the group. Dempsey said his baseline testing Monday went well, and that the break from matches might actually prove to help him.

"Ready to get going. Excited," Dempsey said. "Feel like I've gotten a good rest because I have been going nonstop for a number of years now. It's been kind of nice to let my body heal up, because I was pretty beat up after last season."

The U.S. and Jamaica have 1-0-1 records in Group A qualifying for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. The Americans have never won a World Cup qualifier in Jamaica, adding plenty of emphasis to Friday.

"Any time you play World Cup qualifying games in another country, it's always going to be difficult," Dempsey said. "The fans are going to be really up for the game, so the players are going to be really up for the game and it's going to be a challenge."



Read more: http://newsok.com/dempsey-speaks-about-fulham-saga-looking-ahead/article/feed/428469#ixzz25T9vYezC

[WhiteJC]

 
Manager Reaction

The appearance of Dimitar Berbatov was the sole positive for Martin Jol on a disappointing afternoon at West Ham United.

With the Hammers leading 3-0 at half-time, deadline-day signing Berbatov was introduced from the substitutes' bench for the start of the second period.

And the Bulgarian showed glimpses of the quality he possesses to suggest the future looks rosy for the striker at Craven Cottage.

"The only positive for me was to see Berbatov again, to see his class and quality, I've missed it," said Jol afterwards.

"We agreed beforehand that he'd get 20 minutes if necessary or he'd stay on the bench. But I told him at half-time that we needed him. I thought he looked good.

"He brought others into play and that is his quality. Hopefully with Bryan Ruiz available in the next game and some work on the training ground we can go into the next match feeling positive. The only problem is the players now go off for international duty and don't come back until next Thursday. We will try and get the balance right for the next match."

The Hammers were galvanised with the loan signing of Andy Carroll, with the England international causing the Fulham defence all manner of problems.

"We knew that they would play the long ball and look for knock-downs so the first goal was disappointing as we'd spoken about that," said Jol.

"The second goal came from a corner kick and for the third we didn't pick up the second man and they scored.

"If you're five foot eight or five foot 10 then maybe you've got a problem but we should have coped with Carroll."

Berbatov's introduction saw an improvement in Fulham's play, although the game was effectively over with West Ham leading 3-0.

"It was better but we'd almost destroyed ourselves," said Jol. "We missed a few players in the creative role behind the striker. That is a worry as we have to find a balance for the future. I think we will be fine.

"We missed out on a couple of players on Friday but in the end you have to be happy you have Berbatov, Hugo Rodallega and Mladen Petric.

"I really thought Mousa Dembele would stay as it was a big clause. But Tottenham Hotspur paid up and they always do in the last week. I think we have the players to play a different sort of system. We will come up with something."

Jol also handed a debut to another deadline-day signing in Kieran Richardson, with the former Sunderland man deployed in something of a central role.

"It was not easy for him," stated Jol. "He hadn't trained for the last three or four days but he will be fine for the future. I don't really see him as a winger, I see him more as a central midfield player or even a number 10. He can play left-back as well."



http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2012/september/01/manager-reaction?

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