Thursday Fulham Stuff (22/05/14)...

[WhiteJC]

 
Arsenal to move for Fulham keeper Maarten Stekelenburg

Premier League side Arsenal are pondering over a move for Dutch international goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg according to footballdirectnews.com.

The Fulham goalkeeper has fallen out of favour with the club and after being replaced by David Stockdale, the Holland international could be on his way out of Craven Cottage.

He joined Fulham from Italian giants AS Roma for an undisclosed fee on a four-year contract. However, just a year into it he wants to leave following his snub in the World Cup squad.

With current second choice goalkeeper Lukasz Fabianksi leaving the club, it seems that manager Arsene Wenger has added Stekelenburg to his shortlist of goalkeepers which already features Alex McCarthy of Reading and Kasper Schmeichel of Leicester City.

It is thought that a deal to bring Stekelenburg to the Emirates would be a cheap one following Fulham's relegation to the Championship as their wage bill will need to be slashed to ensure the club's financial safety.



http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/arsenal-to-move-for-fulham-keeper-maarten-stekelenburg/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Baird Update!
   
Whilst we contemplate the awfulness of life in the Championship, having crashed through the Premier League trapdoor, someone we let go is set to make the reverse journey.

The popular Chris Baird is set to be offered a permanent deal by newly-promoted Burnley after helping them achieve promotion back to the Premier League.

Baird, still a spring chicken at 32 years of age, joined Burnley, on loan, from Reading back in March and his efforts in achieving the Lancashire clubs goal of returning to the Premier League have, obviously, paid dividends.

If Fulham are to climb back into the top-flight, at the first attempt, I can`t help thinking that we`re going to need a few players like Chris Baird to satisfy that ambition!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=359547#ixzz32NH1eXyR

[WhiteJC]

 
Zamora eyes new QPR deal

Former Fulham frontman wants Premier League return with Rangers

Bobby Zamora hopes he can fire QPR back to the Premier League and earn another contract at Loftus Road.

The former Fulham frontman has scored just 10 goals in 58 games since his switch from Craven Cottage in January 2012.

Zamora has been restricted to a bit-part role in W12 this season after having an operation to fix a niggling knee injury in September.

Boss Harry Redknapp admitted in January that he was willing to let the 33-year-old move on, but Zamora came off the bench to inspire QPR to victory in the play-off semi-final against Wigan.

And with a Wembley showdown with Derby at the weekend, Zamora is hoping he can show that he can still cut it at the top level.

He said: "Fingers crossed I can help QPR into the Premier League and get another contract here.

"I would like to stay but it is good timing that I am doing well at the moment and people are watching.

"It is good to get myself back out there to let everybody know that I am fit and healthy.

"My body feels good and the last couple of months have been brilliant for me. I have a lot of experience as well, so I could still do a job in the top flight."

Zamora is one of a string of QPR players who see their deals expire next month.

And he admits their futures could hinge on whether they win promotion back to the Premier League.

He added: "I know it could be my last game for QPR but you have to get on with it. I have to do well for myself and for the team. It is make or break for a lot of us.

"There are a lot of players who could be given a new contract if we go up. If we miss out, we may have to go elsewhere. For a lot of the players, it will make a difference to our futures."



http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/zamora-eyes-new-qpr-deal-7149340?

[WhiteJC]

 
Still Got It

Barry Hayles believes a striker never loses his instincts in front of goal after scoring twice for Fulham's All Stars at Craven Cottage last weekend.

The former Whites forward was presented with the Man of the Match award after leading the line alongside Louis Saha, as a team of Fulham legends ran out 9-3 winners against Sealand All Stars in the annual charity match in aid of Shooting Star Chase.

Hayles, now 42, scored 55 goals in 206 appearances between 1998 and 2004 for the Club and proved a popular player down on the banks of the Thames. Coming into the professional game relatively late, he scored for fun at non-League level, signing for Fulham for a then-record £2m in November 1998.

"Bristol Rovers gave me an opportunity to move into league football, and I was extremely grateful of that," said Barry. "But Fulham took a chance on me, too; that was a lot of money for the Club at the time. I like to think I repaid that faith by scoring some of the goals that helped the team to the Division Two title that season.

"I had a good record in front of goal at Fulham, but wherever I played I scored a decent amount of goals - that's what I was in the team to do. For a lot of players, that's something you're born with, and I don't think it really ever leaves you.

"The legs might have gone a bit, but I still like to think if a chance presents itself then I'll stick it away. It was great to play at the Cottage again, and it was nice to get my name on the scoresheet.

"I even managed to grab a header which didn't happen that often, before a typical striker's finish for my second. It's still an incredible feeling, something that's very difficult to put into words."

His goals would have brought fond memories flooding back to those fans that were in attendance. So, too, would his link up play with Saha and Luis Boa Morte – Fulham's lethal attacking triumvirate of the 2000/01 campaign.

"We had a great partnership, a real understanding out on the pitch," explained Barry. "That team had a lot of goals in it, Boa and I hit 18 each and Louis scored 27. A lot of that was instinctive, but at the same time, we worked hard on making things gel like they did.

"People tell me the team was a joy to watch, which is great to hear. But it was also a joy to play in. We knew where to run, what time to move, we just knew each others' game inside out. And when things clicked, at times we were unstoppable.

"With the players we had creating chances behind us, we knew we'd get the opportunity to score – and more often than not we'd take them.

"It was brilliant to be out there with some of the boys again, particularly Boa and Louis, just purely because of the partnership we had back then. We had a lot of fun, and I think that bond was evident 13 years later."

Hayles has regularly been spotted taking in games at Craven Cottage, where he is as popular as ever. In attendance on the final day of the 2013/14 campaign, our former frontman is hopeful the Whites will return to the top flight as quickly as possible.

"It was sad, and I can only imagine how the fans felt when that whistle went and relegation was confirmed," he said. "It was an end of an era, one that I played a little part in. I felt that pain, but I think the Club will be back.

"In the final game of the season against Crystal Palace we saw two fantastic strikes from two players who have the potential to play their part – Cauley Woodrow and Chris David. They'll be given their chance to progress, but they'll also be given time.

"It's about finding the right balance next season, but there are positives to be seen and I believe the Club can bounce back, and quickly.

"We received an incredible welcome when we returned to the Cottage last Saturday, everyone that was in the Fulham All Stars side played their part in one way or another over the years.

"For players like myself, Louis, Boa, Sean Davis, Andy Melville, Rufus Brevett and Kit Symons, it was because of what we did during those promotion years. But now there is a chance for a new group of players to make a name for themselves; and if they can do that I'm sure they'll get a similar response in years to come."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/may/21/still-got-it?

[WhiteJC]

 
Clean Sheet For Neil

Neil Etheridge kept a clean sheet as the Philippines drew 0-0 with Afghanistan in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Challenge Cup in the Maldives on Tuesday.

After kick-off in the Group B encounter was delayed for 90 minutes because of a thunderstorm, Etheridge made a couple of good stops to keep the scores level when matters finally got under way. Afghanistan did beat Etheridge late on, only for a header to come back off the crossbar.

The winners of the eight-team event will qualify for the Asian Cup. The Philippines also face Laos in Hithadhoo on Thursday, before traveling to the National Stadium in Male to play Turkmenistan on Saturday.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/may/21/clean-sheet-for-neil?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham's U17 Connections

With the 2014 European Under-17 Championship reaching its climax on Wednesday evening, we look back over the history of the competition to see how players with Fulham links have fared over the years.

Having been an Under-16 competition since the early 1980s, the inaugural European U17 Championship took place in the summer of 2002, and featured a number of players who would go on to represent Fulham later in their careers.

Collins John was the Netherlands' main striker for the tournament, and quickly went about vindicating the decision to give him the number nine shirt with two goals in the opening game against host nation Denmark.

That eventful game finished 4-4, but John was unable to replicate his goalscoring prowess in the following outing as England earned a 2-0 win, with a certain Wayne Rooney on the scoresheet.

That result effectively confirmed the Netherlands' elimination, although they restored some pride with a 6-1 thrashing of Finland, with a John hat-trick taking his tally to five goals in three matches.

The striker joined Fulham just 20 months later and went on to notch 23 goals in 108 appearances. He was the Club's top scorer in the 2005/06 season with 12, including an absolutely stunning volley against Middlesbrough.

In the Netherlands' 4-4 draw with Denmark, William Kvist was on target for the hosts, as he was in their subsequent 6-0 triumph over Finland. He featured in the final group game – a goalless draw with England – and scored his third of the competition in the 2-2 Quarter-Final clash with Spain who emerged victorious on penalties.

The England squad that faced both Denmark and the Netherlands featured two men with Fulham connections; Wayne Routledge, who would later take in a loan spell at Craven Cottage, and Sean Doherty who was a member of the Whites Academy at the time.

The pair both featured in England's 3-2 win over Finland, with Doherty heading in the winner after coming off the bench, although Routledge was the only one of the two to appear in the subsequent three matches.

Doherty did come on again in the Semi-Final, although England went down 3-0 to a Switzerland side that had Philippe Senderos at the heart of its defence.

Senderos played every minute of every game as Switzerland won all their matches to secure the trophy – following a penalty shoot-out win over France in the Final – and scored their first goal of the competition in a 3-1 victory over Ukraine.

Former Academy midfielder Chris James was an integral part of the England side that came fourth in 2004 after losing on penalties to Portugal in the Third-Place Play-Off.

James played in all but one of England's five matches, starting three, and was joined in the squad by Nathan Ashton who played all but a few minutes of the Three Lions' campaign.

Ashton was signed three years later by Lawrie Sanchez and ran out once for the Whites in a 3-1 win over Reading, while James – who now represents New Zealand, his country of birth, at international level – departed without making a First Team appearance.

In that 3-1 victory over the Royals back in 2007, Ashton was one of two young English full-backs playing for Fulham. The other, Elliott Omozusi, also played for England Under-17s at the European Championships – in 2005.

It was a disappointing campaign, though, with England exiting the competition at the Group Stage. A promising start saw them defeat Belarus 4-0, but subsequent defeats by eventual winners Turkey and Italy saw them knocked out.

Omozusi – who ended up making 11 appearances for Fulham – played every minute of England's campaign.

We fast-forward three years to the next Fulham connection, when future loanee Gael Kakuta helped France reach the Final in 2008.

The winger was ever-present for Les Bleus as they came through a group featuring Spain, Switzerland and the Republic of Ireland, before drawing with Turkey 1-1 in the Semi-Final. Kakuta was on target in the subsequent penalty shoot-out as they progressed, but Spain emerged comfortable 4-0 winners in the Final.

A year later, current Whites midfielder Ryan Tunnicliffe featured in England's first two matches of what proved to be a disappointing campaign, as a solitary draw and two defeats meant they finished bottom of Group B.

Christopher Buchtmann – who would join Fulham from Liverpool for a brief spell the following year – was in the Germany squad in 2009 and ended the campaign with a winner's medal. The midfielder started all but one game, and scored in their Group Stage win over Turkey.

The most recent participant at the competition with Fulham links – Patrick Roberts aside – is Lasse Vigen Christensen who was part of the Denmark squad in the summer of 2011, a matter of months before joining the Whites.

Christensen played in every match as Denmark impressed in the Group Stage by beating Serbia, England and France to finish top, before eventually going down to a couple of late goals in the Semi-Final against Germany.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2014/may/21/fulhams-u17-connections?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham youngster Chris David hints at FC Twente return

Fulham youngster Chris David has suggested that he could return to former club FC Twente this summer.

The 21-year-old midfielder joined the Cottagers from the Dutch side in January, but a lack of first-team chances have seen him reconsider his future.

"If [I could play more] at Fulham that is fine, otherwise I have to look further," David told Voetbal International. "Both clubs have been in touch, but I will hear from my agent.

"FC Twente is also a nice club, and I know the coaches well. Besides that I have many friends and family in the region."

David made three appearances in all competitions for Fulham during the 2013-14 campaign.


http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/fulham/transfer-talk/news/fulham-youngster-hints-at-twente-return_156262.html