Saturday Fulham Stuff (10/07/10)

[WhiteJC]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/worldcup2010/article-1293312/WORLD-CUP-2010-Premier-Leagues-foreign-legion-harming-England-claims-Spanish-football-chief.html
Premier League's foreign legion is harming England team, claims Spanish football chief

The president of Spain's Primera Liga claims English football is suffering as a consequence of Barclays Premier League clubs' over-reliance on foreign talent.   

The fallout from England's dismal World Cup campaign has led to scrutiny of the national game at its grass roots, with concerns over the limited first-team opportunities afforded English players in the top flight held up as a key issue. 

Jose Luis Astiazaran, head of Spain's Liga Nacional de Futbol Profesional, is critical of the English model, which has led to around 40 per cent English representation in the Premier League, a figure almost half that experienced in Spain's top league.

Spain, the reigning European champions, will contest Sunday's World Cup final against Holland, and Astiazaran believes his country is reaping the rewards of a system that encourages the development of home-grown talent.   

'In La Liga there are 77.1 per cent Spanish players, 16.7 per cent European and 6.7 per cent non-European,' Astiazaran said.   

'Our strategy is to work very hard with young home-grown players and to try to have a mix between them and experienced players.   

'Why is it not a high number of foreign players in La Liga? Because we invest more and more in young Spanish players than in young foreign players. 

'England has many times taken young players from outside who are 14, 16 years old. These kind of players are not English. This is one of the most important differences between Spain and England. We invest in young Spanish players.   

'In Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester United there are a lot of young Spanish, French and Italian players - maybe this is why at the moment you are not creating young English players.'
Meanwhile, the former boss of youth development at the Premier League claims an overhaul of the system is needed if England are to challenge on the world stage.   

Huw Jennings is critical of the current youth system, which is presided over by three bodies - the Premier League, the Football League and the Football Association.   

He has called for an independent, single entity to assume responsibility for player development.   

'In football regulation, three is a crowd,' Jennings, who is now academy director at Fulham, said. 'We need to take youth development away from the three organisations. Of course the FA and the Premier League should be represented but if you appoint separate governance you have a better chance of making progress.   

'At the moment we haven't got the concerted campaign and joined up thinking to make the radical change that is needed. 

'Let's get rid of the difficulties, differences and politics and have one single body for the governance of youth development with the power to license and reward.'


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/worldcup2010/article-1293312/WORLD-CUP-2010-Premier-Leagues-foreign-legion-harming-England-claims-Spanish-football-chief.html#ixzz0tG5IJVPj

[WhiteJC]

http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/July/FirstFriendMatches.aspx
Next Week's Action


Fulham kick-off their preparations for the 2010/11 Barclays Premier League season against Brentford and Bournemouth next week.

The Whites travel to Griffin Park on Wednesday evening before travelling South to Dean Court on Saturday afternoon. Tickets are now on General Sale for both fixtures.

Brentford Tickets
Pre-season Friendly
Kevin O'Connor Testimonial
Wednesday 14 July
Kick-Off 20:00 

Tickets are now on General Sale (max 6 tickets)
Loyalty points: 2

Prices:
Terrace (Brook Road Lower)
- Adults £12.00
- Seniors £5.00 (60+)
- Juniors £5.00 (under 18, ID to be shown at the turnstiles)

Unreserved Seating (Brook Road Upper)
- Adults £12.00
- Seniors £5.00 (60+)
- Juniors £5.00 (under 18, ID to be shown at the turnstiles)
Tickets will also be available at the turnstiles on the day of the match.


Bournemouth Tickets
Saturday 17 July
Kick-Off 15:00

Tickets are now on General Sale (max 6 tickets)
Loyalty points: 3

Prices:
- Adults - £10
- Concessions - £5 (U16, Over 65 & Full-time Students)
Student tickets are only available in person from the Ticket Office on production of a valid NUS card.

Tickets can be purchased online| (24/7) or by phone on 0870 442 1234 (option 3) Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; non-match day Sat 10am-12pm. Alternatively tickets can be purchased in person from the Ticket Office: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; non-match day Sat 10am-12pm.





Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/July/FirstFriendMatches.aspx#ixzz0tG5oxSTL

[WhiteJC]

http://hammyend.com/?p=7341
Change is as good as rest
by Tor on July 9, 2010

New pitch, some early transfer activity, new sponsors, new kit manufacturers... There's no denying that the Club have been busy over the summer. Is it correct to say that this is the end of an era? No more smiley LG face everywhere, no more discreet Nike tick on the shirts... The kit is now made by Kappa so we'll have this logo to contend with;


I'll be honest, I was worried when the new manufacturer was announced. I had visions of enormous logos all over the shop and bright, garish colours á la Portsmouth at their FA Cup Final. I'm not sure pink is Schwarzer's colour anyway... The club, in their oh-so-mysterious way, have given a snippet, a morsel if you will, of the new kit on the website;



It's not as bad as I'd imagined. The logos are the right way up and not all that large either. Plus, it's all white. Yay! Of course we have yet to see the front or back but let's face it, it'll still have to go some way to beat the wondrous Dabs.com kit of the 2004 era.

So if we don't have the LG winking smiley, which I had grown quite fond of, what whizzy logo will we have plastered everywhere? This;



Not all that whizzy really is it? The eagle-eyed amongst you will have noticed it gracing fulhamfc.com already. Who are these people anyway? So I did a bit of digging (ie Googled it and went to their website). They're a City-based outfit offering trading accounts so the likes of you or I can trade foreign exchange or tricky financial instruments. Boooooring. And I work in the financial industry. But more excitingly they have a section about their other sponsorships: Aston Villa FC, the new Virgin Racing Formula 1 team, and the World Rally Championships. Wow. That's quite an impressive bit of sports sponsorship pedigree going on there. That can't be a bad thing.

I don't want to say it's the end of an era, losing all these familiar sights, because that gives it a pessimistic tone and that's not how I'm feeling about it. I think change is a good thing. It breathes new life in, and with it the smell of hope and opportunity. Change isn't something to fear, as long as it's managed well. We've experienced change before – that's what football's like. Wenger and Ferguson aside, how many managers stay with clubs for more than a few years? Likewise players, apart from a few such as Terry, Carragher and so on, it's like musical chairs. Some people thrive on change and I'd like to think the club see it as just another challenge to be overcome, like the extra games last season or that blasted ash cloud.

I found this quote by a previous Secretary of the State of Conneticut, Pauline R Kezer;

Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights.

Beautiful isn't it? Roll on the new season and everything that comes with it.

[WhiteJC]

http://www.surreyherald.co.uk/surrey-sport/afcwimbledon/2010/07/09/dons-eye-former-fulham-midfielder-86289-26819516/
Dons eye former Fulham midfielder

AFC Wimbledon have handed a trial to former Fulham youngster Reece Jones.

The 17-year-old midfielder was released by the Whites this summer, but has been training with Terry Brown's boys.

Jones has represented Wales at youth level, and will feature for a Dons XI at Sandhurst Town tonight.

He will be joined by Slough Town midfielder Adam Martin, goalkeeper Tommy Smith and forward Tyrone Sealey, who played for Stevenage Borough before starting last season at Slough.

The rest of the team will be made up of Marcus Gayle's reserve squad.

[WhiteJC]

http://www.sportingpreview.com/premnews/09100348.php
NEXT FULHAM MANAGER: CURBISHLEY TO THE COTTAGE?

Roy Hodgson's move to Liverpool has left a vacancy at Premier League outfit Fulham, and our man Mike Norman believes a good old fashioned Londoner is the man to take the hot seat.

Approximately four weeks ago I predicted that Roy Hodgson was the man most likely to follow in the footsteps of Rafa Benitez by becoming the Next Liverpool Manager. Thankfully I called that one right, but Hodgson's appointment at Anfield has left a vacancy at his former club Fulham, and it's fair to say I'm somewhat less confident about predicting who will get this particular job.

There's certainly no shortage of candidates queuing up to take over a club that has made giant strides in recent seasons, but I've narrowed it down to just four men who realistically stand a chance of being appointed.

It's no surprise to see Sven Goran Eriksson heading the Next Fulham Manager market at 3.4; it's even less surprising to read that Eriksson has declared an interest in taking over at Craven Cottage.

It begs the questions, is there any job that this man won't consider? No disrespect to Fulham, it's a great football club, but our enigmatic Swede appears to throw his hat in the ring whenever a job is available. Since his departure from Manchester City in 2008 he's held down positions at Mexico, Notts County and Ivory Coast as well as publicly declaring an interest in other high profile jobs, including the Liverpool vacancy just recently.

Eriksson is of course well equipped to do the job. His major tournament achievements with England (three quarter finals) read a little better now in light of recent events, and his record at Man City (before they were rich) is non too shabby either. But I have my reservations about Sven, so without having the benefit of any inside knowledge I have a hunch that Fulham will look elsewhere.

Lee Clark (5.7) has been mentioned in some quarters for the vacancy and continues to attract support in this particular market (he's been matched at all rates down from 70.0).

I'm all for seeing young English managers given a chance at the highest level but I can't help but feel that the job has come a little too soon for the 37-year-old former Cottagers midfielder.

Clark cut his teeth as a coach/assistant to Glen Roeder at both Newcastle and Norwich before taking the hot seat at Huddersfield Town in December 2008. He appears to be a very intelligent and calm manager for one so inexperienced and I have no doubt that he will make the 'step-up' before too long. But the fact that he has committed his future to Huddersfield in recent days suggests he is staying put, which makes his current short odds rather surprising.

Ex Fulham manager Kevin Keegan is available to back at 60.0 and that wouldn't be the worst price in the world if we had any indication that he wishes to return to club management, but the two men most likely to be top of Mohamed Al-Fayed's shortlist are Alan Curbishley (3.9) and Mark Hughes (7.6).

Curbishley has been out of management for almost two years after resigning from West Ham because of the way players were being sold without his permission. He saved the Hammers from almost certain relegation (winning seven of their last nine games) when first joining the club before guiding them to a top ten finish the season after. His remarkable achievements with unfashionable club Charlton Athletic prior to his West Ham stint single out Curbishley as a manager of great ability, and one that will be very much at home if left to his own devices at the Cottage.

As I've previously mentioned elsewhere, Hughes is a manager who has gained many admirers during his spells as the Wales, Blackburn and Man City boss, and just like Eriksson and Curbishley he is more than capable of doing the job.

But I have a theory, and it's that Al-Fayed, a man who has made hay in London and calls Britain his home, would love nothing more than to appoint a true Londoner to manage his football club. Curbishley fits the bill in ever sense as far as I can see, in fact, it could be a match made in heaven.

Recommended Bet: Back Alan Curbishley @ 3.9

[WhiteJC]

http://www.fulham-mad.co.uk/news/tmnw/schwarzers_ready_for_arsenal_move_536321/index.shtml
Schwarzer's Ready For Arsenal Move

Goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer's proposed move to London rivals Arsenal is expected to completed next week. 

News emerging from the UK, particularly from the Daily Mail, suggests that the Australian number one will sign a $6m (£3.5m) early next week after recently passing a medical at the Emirates Stadium.

Schwarzer moved to Fulham from Middlesbrough in May 2008 and helped the Cottagers to the Europa League final last season but is now set to move on.

Fulham are reportedly targeting England veteran David James as Schwarzer's replacement. 

[WhiteJC]

http://www.fulham-mad.co.uk/news/tmnw/roberto_di_matteo_latest_link_for_fulham_job_536320/index.shtml
Roberto di Matteo Latest Link For Fulham Job

West Bromwich Albion boss Roberto di Matteo is being linked with Fulham. 

The Daily Mail report that Di Matteo, who took Albion back into the Premier League in his first season, is not impressed by the lack of money at his disposal at the yo-yo Midland club who have long ensured they don't overspend during their periods in the top flight.

And Di Matteo's frustration might interest Fulham who are taking their time looking at options before appointing a successor to Roy Hodgson.

[WhiteJC]

http://www.clubcall.com/fulham/fulham-ace-hopes-for-new-boss-soon-1076488.html
Fulham ace hopes for new boss soon

Fulham star Zoltan Gera remains hopeful that the search for Roy Hodgson's replacement will not last too much longer.

The Cottagers are yet to find a successor for Hodgson, who opted to join Liverpool earlier in the summer, but Gera hopes they will have a new man soon and believes the successes achieved under Hodgson can continue despite his departure.

"Hopefully we will get the new manager in soon and achieve the same level of success over the next few seasons," Gera told the club's official website. "The expectations for next season are high - we had a great season last year and if we could finish back in the top 10 this season that would be perfect for us."

A number of names have been linked with the Craven Cottage hot-seat in recent weeks, with Alan Curbishley, Sven-Goran Eriksson, Mark Hughes and Roberto Di Matteo all mooted as possible candidates to take the reins in west London.

[WhiteJC]

http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/July/WebbFinalsHonour.aspx
Final Honour


The Club would like to congratulate English Referee Howard Webb, for his selection to officiate over the World Cup final in Johannesburg on Sunday evening.

Webb will be joined by fellow Englishmen Darren Cann and Michael Mullarkey and it is the first time an Englishman has been in charge of a World Cup Final since Jack Taylor in 1974.

Fulham Director, Mark Collins, who is currently in his fourth consecutive year on The F.A Council and is a member of the FA Referees' Committee, said:

'We are absolutely thrilled that Howard has been selected to preside over the proceedings on Sunday night. He has had an excellent World Cup so far and I am confident that he and his team will ensure that it proves to be the thrilling encounter we all look forward to.

'Howard, Darren and Michael have proven time and time again with consistent performances in the Premier League and in the UEFA Champions' League, including this season's final, that we have some of the best Referees in the World today and this, ultimate accolade, is extremely well deserved.'



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/July/WebbFinalsHonour.aspx#ixzz0tG9V9PFN

[WhiteJC]

http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=204310
Fulham - Play the Game Lads!
It`s starting to wind me up!

(Sir) Roy has been gone for a week now and all we hear about a possible replacement is a little bit of tittle-tattle from the media, nothing confirmed or nothing denied from the club itself.

The silence is deafening!

Each day we seem to add another name to the list, Friday saw Slaven Bilic join a supposed short-list which already contains the names or Alan Curbishley and Sven Goran Eriksson and yesterday another name was added to the list, that of Roberto Di Matteo.

Apparently Di Matteo, who has established himself as a fine upcoming manager with his achievements at MK Dons and West Bromwich Albion, isn`t too impressed with the paltry amount of spending money he`s been given since getting West Brom promoted.

Now the above may be total garbage, it may not but all I`m asking is for someone at Craven Cottage to step forward and give us the odd clue of what`s going on.

Is it too much too ask for? I mean we`re only the supporters, the life-blood of the club!




Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=204310#ixzz0tH79K45J

[White Noise]

http://www.sportingintelligence.com/2010/07/10/eleanor-preston-whether-sven-is-a-genius-or-a-blagger-is-one-of-the-great-pub-discussions-along-with-how-a-man-who-looks-like-mr-burns-from-the-simpsons-was-able-to-pull-ulrikkaka-johnson/


ELEANOR PRESTON: 'Whether Sven is a genius or a blagger is one of the great pub discussions, along with how a man who looks like Mr Burns from the Simpsons was able to pull Ulrik(kaka) Johnson'

By Eleanor Preston

10 July 2010

Now that South West London has waved a reluctant goodbye to Roy "Woy" Hodgson, Fulham fans are left with a confusing mixture of gratitude for the work he did and deep regret at losing him to Liverpool. We are also left with the vexing problem of who on earth is going to manage a team which even the most optimistic amongst us believe could be in for a trying and turbulent season.

Sven Goran-Eriksson appears to be the favourite to become the next Fulham manager and, according to the footballing oracle that is the Fulham Chronicle is one of a three-man shortlist.  I will put my hands up right now and tell you that, somewhat unusually for this terribly well-informed website, I know absolutely nothing. I have no more insight into who is coming to Fulham than any other Five-Live listener or avid scanner or the back pages.

What I do know, however, is that Sven once had a song about him reach quite high (there's that journalistic grasp of detail again) in the pop charts and that huge swathes of the population once judged him to be in possession of both wise footballing insight and tactical genius.  Granted, the longer Fabio Capello goes on boring us to tears with his dysfunctional collection of over-paid prima donnas the better Sven looks, but I can't help thinking that the only reason we ever thought he was clever was because he wore glasses and talked like Benny and Bjorn from Abba.

Whether Sven is a genius or a blagger is one of the great pub discussions, along with how a man who looks like Mr Burns from the Simpsons was able to pull Ulrik(kaka) Johnson, but I have a sneaking suspicion that he might be mostly genius. He was, as Mr Capello as ably illustrated, actually rather a good England manager who got the team through successful qualification campaigns and to the quarter-finals of the European Championships and the World Cup. He is also, as his impressive CV shows, an outstanding club manager. Just as the English public and – it must be said, even though it pains me – the media punished Sven for not meeting their absurdly unrealistic expectations for the team, so Manchester City sacked him for not going from relegation candidates to Premiership title contenders in a handful of months. Should either be regarded as a black mark on what must count as one of the most impressive CVs in football management?

For all that, though, will I welcome him with unreserved joy and optimism? Er, no, not really. The biggest marks against Eriksson are wage demands that would make Lebron James blush and the suspicion that his head is likely to be turned the moment a bigger and better job becomes available. I do not blame managers for going where their bank balance and business advisors tell them too – and this certainly isn't a dig at St Woy, who would have been mad not to take the Liverpool job – but I would far rather have an Alan Curbishley or a Mark Hughes take the helm with the intention of staying on long enough to build a team and watch it flourish.

There is every likelihood that we could lose the cream of Fulham's squad this summer, with the ridiculously talented Mark Schwartzer strongly linked with a move to Arsenal and Clint Dempsey reportedly in AC Milan's sights. Any new manager will want to bring in new faces and they, in turn will take time to bed in which might dash hopes of a top-of-the-table finish. Two seasons ago Fulham finished seventh – yes, seventh! – in the Premiership and last year the team put together a giant-killing run to the Europa Cup final which still seems like one of those dream sequences they occasionally go in for on Home and Away. I don't like to be the voice of doom, but I for one am not expecting the Black and White faithful to have nearly as much to sing about in the coming months.

Come to think of it, that brings to mind another important consideration. It is one of the more endearing habits of the Fulham faithful to insert the manager's name into a chant which goes something like this: "(insert name here)'s black and white army".  "Tigana's black and white army" worked well, so did "Chrissy Coleman's black and white army" and no-one ever sang anything that polite about Lawrie Sanchez. "Eriksson's black and white army" might just work.

So that's that then. The song fits so the Swede  can come to Fulham with my blessing. As someone very clever once wrote: Mamma Mia, here we go again.