Wednesday Fulham Stuff (09/04/14)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Moussa Dembele made his allegiance to Fulham and PSG clear last night.



It has been an eventful couple of weeks for Fulham youngster Moussa Dembele. He bagged a hat-trick for the Fulham youth team in the FA Youth Cup semi-final v Reading in order to send his side into the final - while it has also been a fortnight of firsts.

He started his first ever Premier League game recently - an impressive showing against Everton than followed.

And the 17-year-old also shared his first ever Tweet with the world last night...and the Frenchman certainly didn't forget his allegiances when doing so.

His new account on the site started yesterday - not long after he seemingly visited Stamford Bridge to watch Chelsea pull off a fabulous comeback against Paris-Saint Germain in the Champions League quarter final.

Demba Ba's late goal saw Chelsea win 3-3 on away goals - and they now await their next opponents in the final four with Real Madrid.

But Dembele's Tweet was not congratulatory to the Twitterverse - instead he gave Chelsea a good old trolling.

Being a Fulham player makes him an enemy of their west London rivals anyway - but the fact he was a PSG prospect before moving to London would not have helped when he posted this amusing Tweet.

Much to the delight of many Cottagers' fans.



http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2014/04/09/fulham-starlet-trolls-chelsea-with-his-first-ever-tweet/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Stockdale: 'Character' can keep us up
by DAN on APRIL 9, 2014

David Stockdale believes Fulham's character will play a crucial part in their relegation run-in and feels the squad has enough quality to beat the drop.

The Fulham goalkeeper, now firmly established as the club's number one after replacing Maarten Stekelenburg last month, knows that the club still faces a real battle to get out of the relegation zone – despite climbing off the foot of the table following Saturday's win over Aston Villa. He feels his team-mates are in the right frame of mind as they approach a pivotal game against 17th-placed Norwich City at Craven Cottage this weekend.

There's some fight in that dressing room and we've believed all along. When things fall into place we might win these games comfortably but for now we've just got to keep playing.

The character is there. The players are there. The ability is there. We all know that, but we just need things to click into place for us.

There's five more games now and we're still five points adrift so we carry on. Nothing has changed really because we've won at Villa. We're still five points adrift and we need to catch Norwich.


http://hammyend.com/index.php/2014/04/stockdale-character-can-keep-us-up/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Goal Machine

Fulham's goal hero from Monday night revealed his pleasure at firing our Under-18s to their first ever FA Youth Cup Final following a 5-4 aggregate win over Reading.

Moussa Dembélé claimed the match ball after netting a treble in the Second Leg, with the winner arriving in unusual fashion when a Royals defender crashed a clearance into his outstretched leg which saw it fly beyond the goalkeeper in the 90th minute.

"The final goal was a bit lucky but it's still a goal if it hits the back of the net," Dembélé told fulhamfc.com. "It feels good to qualify for the Final. That's the first time that the Club has got this far and I'm happy to be part of the squad that's achieved this.

"It will be difficult games in the Final whether it is against Chelsea or Arsenal, but it should be an open game whoever we get and we'll definitely be ready."

There was a sense of déjà vu at the Cottage on Monday as 10-man Reading rallied to go 2-1 up against Fulham, echoing the Whites' efforts at the Madejski the previous week when Steve Wigley's troops came from two down to draw, despite their man disadvantage.

"That's football for you," Dembélé stated. "Sometimes you are stronger with 10 men than you are with 11. Reading showed a good resilience on Monday – they put us under pressure but we knew we had the quality so we just kept our heads up and kept working and we got our rewards.

"Even when we were losing I was still confident that we could come back and win it because I knew we were the better team. If we were just patient and didn't panic then I knew we would win the game."

The Royals must be sick of facing our French striker by now, as he has 11 goals from his six games against the Berkshire side.

He stated: "That was the third hat-trick that I've scored against them so you could say I enjoy playing Reading. Hopefully in the future I will keep scoring hat-tricks against them, and other teams as well!"

Dembélé has seen his stock rise significantly in 2013/14 with a number of assured performances for Fulham's top three sides, and he is keen to finish the campaign on a high.

"It's been a good season," he said. "It could have been better but I'm happy with how this season has gone. Now the perfect end to it would be to win the Youth Cup with the 18s and for Fulham to stay in the Premier League."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/april/09/goal-machine?

[WhiteJC]

 
5 Greece players to watch at the World Cup

ATHENS, Greece - (AP) -- With few famous players, Greece will rely heavily on a handful of team members who had a decisive role in qualifying for the World Cup.
The captain and team motivator is 37-year-old Giorgos Karagounis, one of the few surviving members of the squad that won the 2004 European Championship.
One of the best of the younger players is Kyriakos Papadopoulos, a Schalke defender who was a key player in the national team's run to the quarterfinals at Euro 2012.
Here are five players to watch:
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GIORGOS KARAGOUNIS
With 132 national team appearances, Giorgos Karagounis has the most caps in Greek history and remains a presence that can still turn a game.
Karagounis can score from distance and serve up the set pieces that are key to many of his team's low-score victories.
In 2012, Karagounis took his inexhaustible energy to struggling Premier League club Fulham, and says he's delighted to take his career past his mid-thirties and give Greeks joy as they struggle through financial crisis.
"People wanted this (World Cup qualification) so badly," Karagounis said. "Some may not recognize it, but our team has talent, and going to Brazil is a dream for every player and every fan. As a player, I feel blessed."
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KOSTAS MITROGLOU
The camera-shy but physically powerful Kostas Mitroglou has had a difficult time since joining Giorgos Karagounis at Fulham this season. But the 26-year-old striker was instrumental in maintaining Olympiakos' domestic dominance before his departure, scoring 14 goals.
Mitroglou also scored three times in the 4-2 aggregate win over Romania in the World Cup playoffs.
The German-born forward, nicknamed the "Gunslinger" in the Greek media, gives coach Fernando Santos better options in attack, as other young strikers have failed to make an impact and goal-scoring standbys Dimitris Salpingidis, 32, and Fanis Gekas, 33, could lose pace.
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KYRIAKOS PAPADOPOULOS
Greece coach Fernando Santos has frequently gambled on young players, but most have failed to live up to their promise in the national team. The big exception is Kyriakos Papadopoulos, the defender who was a standout for Greek team at Euro 2012.
The 22-year-old Schalke player attracted Liverpool's attention before a knee injury kept him on the sidelines for 13 months. Still a fitness worry, his partnership with dependable center back Sokratis Papastathopoulos would be a major relief for Greece as they take on faster World Cup opponents in Japan, Colombia and Ivory Coast.
"I'm not the kind of person who gives up easily," Papadopoulos said. "I have to work hard to get back, and that's what I'm doing."
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GIANNIS FETFATZIDIS
In Greece's last warm-up match on home soil, the team slumped to a 2-0 loss against South Korea, with players looking like they lacked motivation to prepare for the World Cup.
It was a performance that ironically revived the fortunes of attacking midfielder Giannis Fetfatzidis, whose presence as a late substitute reinvigorated the home side, confirmed his reputation for being fast and flexible, and made him a likely choice for the World Cup squad.
The 23-year-old Fetfatzidis' recent goal against Lazio for Serie A club Genoa didn't hurt him either.
Greece's big clubs spotted and fought for the player before he was in his teens, and he was eventually signed by Olympiakos before moving to Italy.
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ORESTIS KARNEZIS
Greece is famous for its defenders, but also has no shortage of reliable goalkeepers -- enough to trouble coach Fernando Santos for his choice for three on the squad.
Despite his move from Panathinaikos, 28-year-old Orestis Karnezis started in all 10 of Greece's qualifiers -- conceding only four goals -- and was also picked for the two playoff matches.
On loan to Granada from Udinese, Karnezis' lack of game time remains a worry, but he is looking forward to playing in Brazil.
"The dream of a lifetime," Karnezis said. "We had a target and we reached it. We have a full squad and we deserve to be there."


http://www.newsday.com/sports/5-greece-players-to-watch-at-the-world-cup-1.7651750?

[WhiteJC]

 
U18 Fixture Changes

The Club can now confirm dates for our two postponed Under-18 fixtures.

The young Whites will face Everton on Saturday 12th April (11am) and Arsenal on Wednesday 16th April (12pm).

Both games will be played at Motspur Park.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/april/09/u18-fixture-changes?

[WhiteJC]

 
Trotta's Bees Cameo

Marcello Trotta was a late substitute as Brentford edged closer to promotion from Sky Bet League One with a 1-0 win over Crawley Town on Tuesday night.

Brentford went in front in the 58th minute at Griffin Park when Crawley keeper Paul Jones let Jonathan Douglas' header slip through his hands and into the net.

It proved to be the only goal of the game and the result means Brentford are now nine points clear of the chasing pack in second place with just five games to go.

They need seven points from those remaining games to ensure promotion.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/april/09/trottas-bees-cameo?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham star backs 'top class' Magath to lead club to safety

Fulham midfielder Kieran Richardson believes his side will stay up thanks to the signing of manager Felix Magath.

The west London side looked doomed before the weekend but a win away at Aston Villa lifted them off the bottom and they face Norwich and their new boss Neil Adams at Craven Cottage on Saturday.

"We're very confident we can beat Norwich," Richardson said. "We're always confident at home, we have great support.

"In our last four games, we've picked up two wins. We lost against Everton in our previous home match but we played some good football. We're in form and hopefully we can beat Norwich.

"There are a lot of points to play for. It may go to the last game. But we can play football, we can mix it. We're confident in the changing room, but we'll be wary of Norwich.

"The manager is top class, from the get go he's come in and done a good job. I'm not worried. I do believe we'll get out of it because we have the quality."


Read more at http://talksport.com/football/fulham-star-backs-top-class-magath-lead-club-safety-14040986701#S4UweOBcI2syEgC6.99

[K33NY]

Oh i so hope we stay up so we can sign Holtby! I didnt know there was a 8m clause to the loan deal! Bu if we survive, he is a MUST keep!!