Thursday Fulham Stuff (05/02/15)...

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Fulham boss hails 'excellent' Whites star despite game-changing Sunderland mistake

Fulham manager Kit Symons hailed goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli despite his bizarre error which lead to Sunderland's 3-1 win at Craven Cottage in the FA Cup last night.

It looked to be Fulham's night when Hugo Rodallega gave them a 28th-minute lead against the run of play, but Sunderland got some luck when home goalkeeper Marcus Bettinelli scored an embarrassing own goal.

It proved to be the game-changing moment at Craven Cottage, where Ricardo Alvarez's fine strike and a Jordi Gomez penalty secured the Black Cats a 3-1 win and fifth-round trip to giant-killing Bradford.

Fulham boss Symons was understandably disappointed to exit the FA Cup on home soil, but quickly jumped to the defence of Bettinelli after he fumbled Patrick van Aanholt's deflected cross.

"Goals are generally defining moments in games," he said. "It was obviously a mistake, but Marcus has been excellent for us.

"I am certainly not going to point any blame at him. He'll be all right, he is a very strong character and he has been absolutely superb for us this season.

"One mistake like that won't affect him too bad. He is disappointed, obviously, and a bit upset, but these things happen.

"He will dust himself down and get on with it."


http://www.london24.com/sport/football/clubs/fulham/fulham_boss_hails_excellent_whites_star_despite_game_changing_sunderland_mistake_1_3942639

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham Tickets Go On Sale To Season Ticket Holders

Tickets for Derby County's away game at Fulham at the end of February are now on sale to Season Ticket Holders.

Derby will travel to Craven Cottage on Saturday 28th February 2015 (3pm).

The General Sale will start on Wednesday 11th February.

Ticket Prices - Standard Tickets

£25 Adults
£20 Senior Citizens
£20 Under 21s
£15 Under 16s

Ticket Prices - Restricted View

£23 Adults
£18 Senior Citizens
£18 Under 21s
£13 Under 16s

Supporters can buy their tickets in person at the Unite the Union Ticket Office at the iPro Stadium, by calling 0871 472 1884 (option 1) or by logging on to www.WeAreDerby.com.

To become a Membership Holder for the 2014/15 campaign and ensure you're in line to purchase away tickets first, visit www.WeAreDerby.com.

For more ticket and travel information, head to the Away Tickets section of dcfc.co.uk by following this link: http://www.dcfc.co.uk/tickets/away_tickets.aspx.



Read more at http://www.dcfc.co.uk/news/article/fulham-tickets-go-on-sale-to-season-ticket-holders-2242401.aspx#YDFIKhewHfetzO05.99

[WhiteJC]

 
Grimmer Rues Missed Opportunity

Jack Grimmer was frustrated with the Whites' performance after they went out of the FA Cup following a Fourth Round Replay defeat to Sunderland at Craven Cottage.

"We just didn't get going at all," the Scottish defender told fulhamfc.com after the match. "They changed their system, which didn't really suit us as well as we thought it would. But we didn't really play well. And you can definitely say that we should have taken our chance in Sunderland."

The Whites started the match with confidence following a good showing up at the Stadium of Light in the first outing of the FA Cup Fourth Round, where they secured a 0-0 draw to force the Replay.

"I think everyone can safely say we were the better team up at Sunderland and deserved to get more than what we got," said Grimmer. "People were saying well done for getting a draw but a club of Fulham's stature shouldn't be happy with that. So definitely coming into the Replay we were confident, but it just didn't go our way."

Despite Sunderland dominating possession in the first half, the Whites walked off the pitch at half-time 1-0 up thanks to a Hugo Rodallega goal that came after Cauley Woodrow's effort was blocked.

"Even though we didn't play really well, we came in at the end of the first half 1-0 up," said Grimmer. "That's just the way football is. There was definitely belief that we could do it because we just didn't think that they would score

"Around us we always felt secure, and I thought we were going to win 1-0, or maybe even 2-0. But they showed their quality in the end and managed to get themselves back into the game and eventually they managed to go and get the win."

Grimmer says the team must now 'knuckle down and move onto the next game' which comes this weekend against Birmingham City at Craven Cottage (3pm).

"Everyone thinks we're going in the right direction," he insisted. "There are maybe a couple of ups and downs. We'd been having a good run before the games and Sunderland and Blackburn, but that's just the way a Championship season goes.

"You're never going to win every match but we spoke about it after the Blackburn game and everyone thinks we're doing the right thing, so hopefully we go into the next game very confident. They [Birmingham] have managed to turn their season around as well so it's sure to be a good match."

With the recent arrival of Jazz Richards on loan from Swansea City, it's also a match where Grimmer will be fighting for his spot in the team.

"Jazz has come in and done well, and he's fitted right in," said Grimmer. "Even though we're competing for a place, it doesn't really matter to me.

"He's still one of my teammates and if he comes in and helps the team do well then so be it. But it definitely keeps you on your toes in training. You need to show every day why you deserve to play and then it's just down to the Manager who he thinks is going to do the best job.

"You pretend not to think about that side of things when you're going out to play, but you can't lie and say it's not in your mind. But it can be a good thing because it can make you work harder."

Grimmer also thanked the fans who came out on a cold London night to support the Whites against the Black Cats.

He stated: "It was great that the fans had a real buzz about them – a buzz from being back against a Premier League team. But we showed over the two games that the gap isn't nearly what people might have thought it was."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/february/04/grimmer-rues-missed-sunderland-opportunity?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham players show the softer side of football after goalkeeper's own goal


Many will focus on Marcus Bettinelli's howler - but they should watch how his teammates responded to the mistake

It may not be the finest moment in Marcus Bettinelli's career - but it was one of the finest displays of team camaraderie.

During last night's FA Cup fourth-round replay between Fulham and Sunderland, there was a moment when the championship side were 1-0 up and dreaming of another possible cup upset.

However, a Sunderland cross took a seemingly meaningless deflection and found its way to goalkeeper Bettinelli. The Englishman, despite having no opposition players fighting him for the ball, fumbled the catch and hit the ball over the line. It brought the game to 1-1 and the Black Cats went on to secure a place in the fifth round with a 3-1 victory.

Fulham Keeper Embarrassing Own Goal

Yet the keeper's Fulham teammates treated him with the utmost respect following his mistake.

Bettinelli held his head in his hands as the goal was given to Sunderland, pulling his jersey up over his face. Yet while the defenders around him were at first shocked by the mistake, they quickly ran to comfort Bettinelli. Nikolay Bodurov and Shaun Hutchinson both gave the keeper a pat on the back, with Hutchinson whispering a few words of encouragement into Bettinelli's ear. Ryan Tunnicliffe then walked over and gave the keeper a gentle touch on the head, with Bettinelli evidently still distraught with the mistake.

In an age of hot-headed tweets, immature behaviour and wads and wads of cash, it's nice to be reminded that football is a team sport that is usually played by decent men who stick together and try to be better than the some of their parts.

Fulham manager Kit Symons also backed the no 40:  "It was obviously a mistake, but Marcus has been excellent for us. I'm certainly not going to point any blame at him. He'll be all right, he's a very strong character and has been superb for us this season."


http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football/fa-league-cups/fulham-players-show-the-softer-side-of-football-after-goalkeepers-own-goal-10022969.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham still waiting on FIFA for Bryan Ruiz confirmation

Fulham manager Kit Symons has revealed that the club are still waiting on FIFA to ratify Bryan Ruiz's move to Levante.

The Costa Rican international looked to be on his way to Spain when Levante announced on Friday that they had agreed to sign him on loan until the end of the season.

Symons also confirmed that the move would take place, but question marks remain over whether Levante completed their paperwork in time.

"Well, the paperwork was all done on Friday evening and we're just waiting for confirmation from FIFA that is has all gone through," Symons told reporters following his side's FA Cup defeat to Sunderland.

"It was close to the 12 o'clock deadline, which is the Spanish deadline, and certainly from our side the FA are happy that all the paperwork went through.

"We are just waiting for confirmation from FIFA that the Spanish paperwork all went through in time."

Ruiz joined the Cottagers for £10.6m in 2011 but spent the second half of last season on loan at PSV Eindhoven.


http://www.sportsmole.co.uk/football/fulham/transfer-talk/news/fulham-still-unsure-on-ruiz-future_203475.html

[WhiteJC]

 
Referee confirmed for Fulham game

Fred Graham will take charge of Saturday's Sky Bet Championship game between Fulham and Blues at Craven Cottage.
The Essex-based official has refereed just seven games so far this season, during which he has produced a total of 16 yellow cards but no reds.

The last time Blues game he refereed was our Championship fixture against Yeovil Town at St. Andrew's in January 2014, which Blues lost 2-0.

Just one Yeovil player was booked on that occasion

Mr Graham will be assisted by Mathew Buonassisi and Alan Dale.



Read more at http://www.bcfc.com/news/article/fulham-birmingham-city-fred-graham-2247654.aspx#ehJkVHiEpWH2Ittc.99

[WhiteJC]

 
Birmingham Tickets

The Whites are back in league action this Saturday (7th February, 3pm) when they take on Birmingham City.

Join us at the Cottage as Fulham look to bounce back from their FA Cup defeat and do the double over Birmingham. 

Prices for the clash start from £25 adults and £15 juniors.

Secure your seats online today, buy in person, or call the Fulham Ticket Office on 0843 208 1234 (option 1).
Buy Online
A number of Matchday Hospitality packages are also available for supporters to purchase.

Spend your day in comfort, with our London's Original in McBride's package on sale, priced from £75 per person (+VAT). You'll spend the day enjoying a lively atmosphere, before taking your seats to watch the Whites from some of the best views in the house.
Buy Online


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/february/04/birmingham-tickets?

[WhiteJC]

 
Clint 'Deuce' Dempsey: When I used to rap, my brother would say 'Damn, shut up man!'

Jack Hummel chats to the United States skipper about his not-so-secret vice behind a microphone...
By now we're sure you're well aware of the former Fulham and Tottenham star's penchant for spitting bars, but now some pesky Statesiders are trying to spark 'beef' between 'Deuce' and American rapper Lupe Fiasco.

Well, sort of. Before the World Cup, Chicago-born star Fiasco – 'music director' of the USMNT for Brazil, which is apparently a thing – appeared on television promising Dempsey some lines on his new album Tetsuo & Youth.

Yet when the album dropped last month, the Seattle Sounders man's dulcet tones were nowhere to be found (Ed Sheeran, though? Straight in). An outrage!

Back in November 2014, FourFourTwo chatted to Deuce about his experiences in 'the game' (the rap one, of course)...
"You know, when I was growing up the first car I had didn't have a radio in it," he said. "So I would freestyle whenever I would drive, and my younger brother used to always tell me 'damn, shut up man!' But we didn't have anything to listen to.

"I grew up listening to Houston rap; my friends and I would freestyle over beats. When I went to college I was the new kid, and they rapped – that was part of your initiation. And when I went to MLS, and I was the new kid, they knew I rapped and so that's what I did.

"That actually allowed me to do one track with Big Hawk for Nike called Don't Tread before the 2006 World Cup. About three or four months after we did that, he was killed (shot to death in 2006 by an unknown attacker). So that kind of put me off rap a little bit.

"When I went to England, they were talking about it: 'Hey, you're a part time rapper blah blah' and I was like, 'Nah, I play soccer, I only wanna focus on my soccer.'

"When I came back to the States, the opportunity came up before the 2014 World Cup and I wasn't sure. But then when I was hurt, in my down time, I just worked on it for fun and it actually became an album.

"I wasn't really thinking anything of it, it was just for fun, and the proceeds are going towards East Texas Food Banks.

"For me it just to get away during that time when I was hurt in the off-season, just to put my mind on something else. I was frustrated with the fact that my body was breaking down and I was injured, so it was an outlet."



Read more at http://www.fourfourtwo.com/features/clint-deuce-dempsey-when-i-used-rap-my-brother-would-say-damn-shut-man#Csc0lAB73qYSXQQW.99

[WhiteJC]

 
Cherries Fixture Televised

The Club can confirm that our home match against AFC Bournemouth will now take place on Friday 6th March (7.45pm), and will be shown live on Sky Sports.

The meeting with the Cherries was initially scheduled for Saturday 7th March.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/february/04/cherries-fixture-televised?