Friday Fulham Stuff (27/03/15)...

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Fulham's Matt Smith sends message to Middlesbrough-bound Fernando Amorebieta

Former Leeds United forward Matt Smith wishes his Fulham teammate Fernando Amorebieta the best of luck at Middlesbrough.

Fulham forward Matt Smith has taken to social networking site Twitter to wish Fernando Amorebieta the best of luck at Middlesbrough.

Venezuela international defender Amorebieta has joined Middlesbrough from Fulham on loan for the rest of the season, as confirmed on the club's official website.

The 29-year-old centre-back moved to London outfit Fulham in the summer of 2013 on a free transfer after leaving La Liga club Athletic Bilbao.

Amorebieta made 23 appearances in the Premier League last season, scoring one goal, creating four chances and winning 19 out of 36 tackles in the process.

So far this campaign, the hugely experienced defender could only feature in seven Championship matches, scoring one goal and creating seven chances and wining five out of 11 tackles in the process.

Smith, who joined Fulham from Leeds in the summer of 2014, hopes that Amorebieta succeeds at Middlesbrough.


Middlesbrough are currently third in the Championship table with 72 points from 39 matches, just a point behind leaders Bournemouth.


http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2015/03/25/fulhams-matt-smith-sends-message-to-middlesbrough-bound-fernando/?

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Pompey weighing up defender loan extension

POMPEY are weighing up extending Josh Passley's loan stay.

The right wing-back's youth loan from Fulham is scheduled to expire following Saturday's visit of Shrewsbury.

With play-off aspirations all but over and only seven fixtures to play following this weekend, Andy Awford must decide whether to attempt to keep the 20-year-old.


Passley has impressed at Fratton Park in his nine appearances to date, although injury recently sidelined him for two matches.

He returned as an unused substitute at AFC Wimbledon, with Danny East starting in the role.

The Craven Cottage product featured for the reserves in their 3-1 win over Leyton Orient on Tuesday.

And reserve boss and first-team coach Paul Hardyman has been impressed with Passley's input.

He said: 'Awfs is dealing with that at the moment, there are decisions to be made.

'We need wing-backs and with Andy Barcham not quite right we will have to see how it goes.

'That's a conversation for Andy, Kit (Symons), Pompey and Fulham.

'He came in for the Wycombe game and from there the club went on a decent run which he was a part of – and you want to keep that going.

'For the reserves on Tuesday we were encouraging him to get forward, his quality was there a lot of the time, although there were also a couple of moments you felt he could have done better.

'But that is what those games are for, keeping working at it and he put in fantastic ball for Paul McCallum's second goal.

'You want as many good players available as you can.'


http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/sport/pompey/pompey-weighing-up-defender-loan-extension-1-6654262

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Ex-Athletic Bilbao defender reunited with Middlesbrough boss a decade on

Former Athletic Bilbao defender Fernando Amorebieta has left Fulham to join former teammate Aitor Karanka at Middlesbrough.

Former Athletic Bilbao defender Fernando Amorebieta has left Fulham to join former teammate Aitor Karanka at Middlesbrough on loan through the end of the season.

On Wednesday evening, Middlesbrough announced that the soon-to-be 30-year-old Venezuelan international would be joining the team until the end of the season from Championship rivals Fulham, with full-back James Husband moving in the other direction.

Aitor Karanka has bolstered his defence with the loan signing of Fulham centre-back Fernando Amorebieta, who will stay with Boro for the rest of the season.

Meanwhile, Boro full-back James Husband has switched to Craven Cottage in a similar loan deal until May.

Amorebieta recently returned to the Fulham squad at the beginning of march, after a knee injury left him sidelined for four months and the centre-back struggled to get back into the starting XI.

Meanwhile, Boro were desperate for reinforcements on their backline after the injuries to both Jonathan Woodgate and Daniel Ayala.

Amorebieta and Karanka played together during the 2005-06 season with Athletic Club Bilbao as the young centre-back was just beginning his professional career and the former Real Madrid assistant closing out his time in Spain before finishing his career with MLS side Colorado Rapids.


http://hereisthecity.com/en-gb/2015/03/26/ex-athletic-bilbao-defender-reunited-with-middlesbrough-boss-a-d/?

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Fulham striker hopes loan club's plea releases him from Cottage torment

Greek club want to take Whites hitman home - provided price is right


Unhappy: Kostas Mitroglou
Kostas Mitroglou has told friends he hopes Fulham let him go for a knockdown fee - while his loan club are ready to fan the flames of the Greek striker's discontent.


Rare outing: Mitroglou (L) in Fulham white takes on Steven Caulker, then with Cardiff
Mitroglou was the misfit signing of the January 2014 transfer window - but a hugely expensive one at a reported £12 million to go with a four-and-a-half year deal.

He sat through an initial injury spell, and ended up with a solitary three appearances in white, none of which yielded a win as the club plummeted out of the Premier League. Even so, he was selected for Greece's World Cup squad last summer.


Worry: Fulham's Mitroglou feels World Cup pain
Fulham want to recover as much of their outlay as possible, but Olympakios, from where he came and returned on loan, are hoping to tug at west London heartstrings and get him back on the cheap.

Pier Isa, Olympiakos technical director said: "Mitroglou's home is here at Olympiakos. He has scored some important goals this season for us. We always stood by him when he had problems in England. He's part of our family."

The Greek giants are understood to be paying all his year's salary at close to £2.5 million - but will be hard pressed to add a hefty fee while continuing to honour his contract next season.


Unfit: Kostas Mitroglou has struggled to adapt to Premier League football
Olympiakos manager Vitor Pereira wants him which is no great surprise: Mitroglou has hit the back of the net 16 times for loan club and country in 31 appearances.

Whites boss Kit Symons was cagey about chances of the player's return, and admitted he has yet to speak to Mitroglou this term.

"Some of my staff have been in touch with him; text messages and that," said the gaffer. "We know he's been scoring goals at Olympiakos and fitted in well.

"But as for his return, I've not thought that far ahead, and those will be discussions needed to be had come the end of the season, and we'll work out the best way of dealing with it."

Mitroglou has been in the wars again this week when forced to withdraw from the Greece squad to play Hungary in the Euro 2016 qualifiers on Sunday through injury.


http://www.getwestlondon.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/fulham-striker-hopes-loan-clubs-8921048?

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Fulham, Wolves, Watford and Ipswich in for Palace star

A CLUTCH of Championship clubs have made loan enquiries for Crystal Palace midfielder Jonny Williams.

The Welsh international is now back in full training after a groin injury and could make a temporary exit from Selhurst Park for the remainder of the campaign.

Wolves, Ipswich, Watford and Fulham have all made enquiries over Williams' availability.


http://www.southlondon-today.co.uk/Sport.cfm?id=28722

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RICHARDS EXTENDS LOAN DEAL

Aldershot Town have extended the loan of Fulham defender Tom Richards until the end of the season.

The 20 year-old Guildford-born full-back has made four substitute appearances since joining The Shots on 20 February.


http://www.theshots.co.uk/richards-extends-loan-deal/?

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International Whites

We take a look at which Fulham players could feature for their respective teams over the international period.

Nikolay Bodurov's Bulgaria host Italy in a Group H qualifying match for the 2016 European Championships. Bulgaria face a tough task having started the group slowly, picking up just four points from four games, whilst Italy are joint top of the group and unbeaten after the same number of fixtures.

Goalkeeper Gabor Kiraly is away representing Hungary as they have a home tie against Greece in Group F on Sunday. Hungary have made a promising start to the campaign sitting third with seven points from four games whilst their opponents have endured a disastrous start sitting bottom with just one point to their name. Gabor may come up against teammate Kostas Stafylidis who is in the Greece squad.

Playmaker Bryan Ruiz is in the Americas with his Costa Rica side for a double header of friendlies. On Thursday they host Paraguay before travelling to Panama City to take on Panama on Tuesday.

Fernando Amorebieta – who recently departed on loan to Middlesbrough – is also involved in back-to-back friendlies. On Friday his Venezuela side are away to Jamaica before they travel to Miami to face Peru on Tuesday.

Fulham number one Marcus Bettinelli is away on duty for the Three Lions having been called up to the England Under-21 squad. The keeper will be hoping for a debut and will just be competing against Watford's Jonathan Bond after Jack Butland was promoted to the senior squad. Gareth Southgate's side travel to Prague to play Czech Republic in a friendly on Friday, before taking on old rivals Germany at the Riverside Stadium on Monday evening. Marcus is joined by Cauley Woodrow who was a late call-up to the squad and he will be looking to add to his impressive record of two goals in five games for the national side.

The Australian U23 squad boasts a strong Fulham presence with three Whites representing the Socceroos. Adam Taggart, Ryan Williams and out-on-loan Cameron Burgess will be hoping to get their 2016 AFC Championship qualification campaign off to a good start as they play Hong Kong, Chinese Taipei and Myanmar in the space of five days.

Left-back Jordan Evans is away with Wales Under-21s as they get their 2017 UEFA U21 Championship qualifying campaign underway with a home tie against Bulgaria at the Cardiff City Stadium.

Sean Kavanagh is in the Republic of Ireland with the U21 squad as they also open up their qualifying campaign with a home game against Andorra. The Dublin-born player will be looking to make his first start for his country with his family watching on in the stands.

Fit again Emerson Hyndman is away with the United States U20 squad but remains close to home. They take on Tottenham Hotspur U21s at Spurs' training ground on Friday before travelling to Plymouth to play England U20s at Home Park on Sunday.

Noe Baba is on duty for the Ireland U19 squad for their UEFA U19 Championships Elite Qualifying Round matches. They have a busy schedule in Germany as they play Czech Republic on Thursday before facing Germany on the Saturday and then taking on Slovakia on the Tuesday.

Also competing in the Elite Round, Patrick Roberts is part of the England U19 party for their trio of matches. The Young Lions play all their games in France, starting with Denmark before playing Azerbaijan and finishing with a clash against Les Bleus.

Also in U19 Elite Round action is goalkeeper Marek Rodák who is in the Slovakia squad in Germany. They play the Germans first before taking on Czech Republic, and then Rodák could be up against teammate Baba in the last of the three games as they take on Ireland.

Magnus Norman is part of the England U18 squad for the first time as they play Switzerland twice this week. They play in a behind-closed-doors game on Thursday before taking them on again on Saturday at Walsall's Bescot Stadium.

Lastly, Tayo Edun will be looking to help England U17s in their UEFA Elite Qualifying Round game against Romania at Burton on Thursday. They sit top of the group with a perfect record whilst their opponents are yet to register a point.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/march/26/international-whites?

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The Craven Corner: Reasons for Fulham fans to be positive despite nightmare season

Our Fulham blogger takes a look at the positives...

It's safe to say this season hasn't really gone to plan and in recent articles I, like many other fans, have suggested wielding the axe on Kit Symons. But, after having a think, maybe it's time to look at the situation and his job from another perspective.

Firstly, he's been handed a fairly average squad of foreign imports and players who are new to this country and league. Apart from Michael Turner and Jazz Richards, all of the players were signed by Felix Magath and previous bosses. So, it's safe to say he hasn't been able to build a side that suits his philosophies or football ideas, he's just trying to string results together with the hand he has been dealt. It was pretty clear that in January it was a matter of saving costs after our objective of promotion was unachievable, so spending money in that window wasn't an option. Symons has already stated that there will be a summer overhaul in terms of playing staff, and he's right in saying so. There has to be a stronger recruitment drive with players who are based in this league.

Magath was out of his depth when he came to the club, his methods were outdated and while he boasted a tremendous CV, his ideas weren't suited to the club or league. While Symons doesn't have the experience of Magath or other managers in the country, what he does have is knowledge of the Under-21s and that's shown with him being key to tying down new deals for Dan Burn, Jack Grimmer, George Williams and potentially Patrick Roberts – a tremendous achievement considering our season and the interest from bigger clubs. Those are positive signs for next season.

I do think Symons will need a lot of help during the summer as it will be his first transfer window where he will get funds to build a squad to his liking. Should that be from Alan Curbishley or someone else, we will have to see. But, I do get the impression that he will be using more youth next season, especially the players he has extended deals for. In all honesty, looking at the two players he has recruited on loan during his reign, he's done a good job. While Richards hasn't set the world on fire in a Fulham shirt, he's a highly rated, young defender from a decent Premier League side. Michael Turner, meanwhile, was very impressive at Norwich City earlier in the season. If he continues his recruitment drive in this sort of manner, maybe we can start to be ambitious next season, but there is still a long way to go. Obviously, big earners will be moved on and the likes of Hugo Rodallega, Bryan Ruiz, Fernando Amorebieta and Maarten Stekelenburg will find new clubs, which will free up wages to bring in new faces. While it will be sad to see Bryan Ruiz go, some reports suggest that Fulham have an option to extend his deal by another year. While I'd love for him to stay, I think the Costa Rican wants to play at a higher level and deservedly so. With him in the team we are much better.

There's also the return of Adam Taggart, a forward who has been rather impressive in the Under-21s and due to injury hasn't been able to make his debut. When he does he's sure to make an impact as a prolific forward who is still very young. He will provide another outlet up top. Despite the horrendous season, there's still a lot to look forward to this summer. A few players are returning from loan spells abroad and it will be interesting to see how Symons deals with those; the mercurial Chris David, Thomas Eisfeld and record signing Kostas Mitroglou. Will they have a future at the club? You'd like to think so as they would bring creativity to the midfield and proven experience up top, but if the right offer comes in I'm sure the board would consider selling up.

Maybe I've been too quick to judge Symons on his development as a manager and the analysis of the squad. I'm going to stop jumping to conclusions and see how the club finish the campaign and support Symons in rebuilding a squad in the summer. We need a huge finish to the season where we must win a least three games to stay in the league, so let's get behind our beloved club and look forward to the summer.


http://www.london24.com/sport/football/clubs/fulham/the_craven_corner_reasons_for_fulham_fans_to_be_positive_despite_nightmare_season_1_4010375

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Fit Taggart a boost for depleted Olyroos

Young sensation Adam Taggart will be fit for the Olyroos' opening game on Friday as the Australians begin their campaign to qualify for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.

The Olyroos kick-off their Asian Football Confederation Under-23's qualifying campaign against Hong Kong in Taiwan on Friday at 7pm AEDT.

Australia, who failed to qualify for the 2012 London Olympics, are expected to ease through their preliminary group against Hong Kong, Myanmar and Chinese Taipei.

Coach Aurelio Vidmar has selected a strong squad for the three matches coming up over the next five days, although Taggart has been under an injury cloud.

The 21-year-old World Cup Socceroo has endured an injury cursed 2014-15 season following a groin injury and strained his hamstring at Fulham training earlier this month.

"He's fine - he moved around quite freely yesterday," Vidmar said ahead of the team's final training session in Kaohsiung on Thursday.

"He seems to be fine and hasn't pulled up sore.

"We'll go through our last paces this morning but the way he looks at the moment, he's in good nick."

The 2013-14 A-League Golden Boot winner's fitness is a major boost for Vidmar who is without injured duo Terry Antonis and Kwame Yeboah.

Lazio teenager Chris Ikonomidis is also unavailable due to Socceroos duty and Vidmar insisted there was a clear link between impressing at Olyroos level and a senior call-up with the current set-up led by Ange Postecoglou.

"I keep telling them 'everything you're doing here always gets reported back to Ange, gets reported back to the federation," Vidmar said.

"They know they're being watched and monitored on a daily basis.

"If they've got serious ambitions about being an international footballer with the Socceroos, this is the next step.

"They know they're only one step away from getting a phone call."

Beyond immediate Socceroos ambitions, Vidmar knows the importance to a footballers' development of quality under-age international football.

Vidmar scored twice at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics as Australia took a shock 2-0 lead over Spain, before losing 3-2 and bowing out.

Having been in charge when the Olyroos missed qualification in 2012, Vidmar is determined to right the wrongs of the past campaign and give this generation the experience he had almost 20 years ago.

"It's always fantastic going to the Olympic games and playing at that level," Vidmar said.

"We were only a few minutes away from qualifying for the quarter-finals. Unfortunately we conceded very very late.

"We had three very tough international games there. Hopefully if we can qualify, these guys will get this experience.

"It's an extremely important part of their development. Qualifying will give them that.

"We're hoping qualifying past this stage, we're able to give these players some more international experience which can harden them up as footballers and in preparation to succeed at international level."



Read more at http://www.fourfourtwo.com/au/news/fit-taggart-boost-depleted-olyroos#SYd7XbZMWJFAWy3t.99

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Fulham sign Brentford's Richard Lee and Reading's Danny Guthrie

Fulham sign Brentford's Richard Lee and Reading's Danny Guthrie

Championship side Fulham have signed Brentford goalkeeper Richard Lee and Reading midfielder Danny Guthrie on loan until the end of the season.

Former Watford keeper Lee, 32, has featured just once for the Bees this season, with his sole outing coming in the League Cup in August.

Guthrie, 27, began his career at Liverpool and joined the Royals from Newcastle in the summer of 2012.

He has made 11 appearances for the Berkshire club this season.

Lee, who has played 87 games since joining Brentford in 2010, has announced he will retire at the end of the season.

The Bees have an option to recall Lee after 28 days of his loan spell at Craven Cottage.


http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/32077785

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Swansea City defender Jazz Richards out of Wales squad

JAZZ Richards has withdrawn from the Wales squad to face Israel on Saturday through injury.

The Swansea City full-back was included in Chris Coleman's group for the match after impressing during a loan spell with Fulham.

But he has been forced to pull out with a calf problem and will be replaced by Cardiff defender Declan John.

Richards is one of few absentees for the crunch Group B clash as Chris Coleman has the luxury of selecting from a position of strength.

Hull defender James Chester is the biggest loss, while Paul Dummett, George Williams and Emyr Huws are others to miss out.

But there is good news regarding Sam Vokes, who is included for the first time this campaign after recovering from rupturing his cruciate ligament.

The Burnley striker has started the last two matches for his club and could be asked to lead the Wales line in Haifa, with Gareth Bale playing in behind.

"We've all seen how much Gareth's evolved as a player and he's world-class now," said Vokes.

"We know that he brings a lot to us for our games and on a personal note there is nothing better than to play with those sorts of players.

"As a striker my last few goals for Wales have come off the back of him putting crosses into the box and getting down the line.

"It's always going to help me as a player to play alongside someone like that.

"Ashley Williams is a great captain but Balo leads in a different kind of way, from the experience of playing European football week-in week-out. The lads listen to him when he talks.

"You see that leadership coming in at the end of games when we've picked up victories."

Meanwhile, striker Robert Earnshaw has announced his retirement from international football.

Earnshaw, who won 58 caps, made the announcement after signing a one-year deal for Major League Soccer side Vancouver Whitecaps.

The 33-year-old scored 16 goals for Wales — ranking him joint sixth on the country's all-time list of scorers with Cliff Jones and Mark Hughes — and won his last cap in a 2-0 friendly home defeat to Bosnia-Herzegovina in August 2012.

"It has been a dream come true to have the opportunity to walk out in front of the whole nation and represent Wales in so many important games," said Earnshaw.

"I am honoured and proud to play for my country for over a decade. I am also extremely thankful for the support I've received over the years from all my Welsh team-mates, coaches, and staff and will be forever grateful because I know I've been in a position that millions dream of."



Read more: http://www.southwales-eveningpost.co.uk/Swansea-City-defender-Jazz-Richards-Wales-squad/story-26237379-detail/story.html?#ixzz3VWCa2aIf
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More than 6,000 tickets sold for Fulham - only restricted view remain

Tickets on General Sale but time running out to buy
More than 6,000 tickets have now been sold to Brentford fans for the Sky Bet Championship West London derby away to Fulham and only restricted view seats remain.
The Bees will travel to Craven Cottage for the derby on Good Friday, April 3.
The match will kick-off at 3pm.
Brentford have an allocation of around 6,200 tickets and only a few remain.
Ticket sales moved through the 6,000 barrier today, Thursday March 26, and only restricted view tickets remain.
These are for sale at a lower price and details can be seen here.
Tickets are now on General Sale with no restrictions on the number that can be bought.



Read more at http://www.brentfordfc.co.uk/news/article/fulham-v-brentford-ticket-news-2359296.aspx#Uo2SFumHChoifMo7.99

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Magath criticises Premier League

Former Fulham manager Felix Magath has criticised Premier League clubs for overlooking youth development, claiming that is the reason why there are no English clubs in the last eight of the Champions League and Europa League this season.

Former Fulham manager Felix Magath has criticised Premier League clubs for overlooking youth development, claiming that is the reason why there are no English clubs in the last eight of the Champions League and Europa League this season.

While Magath acknowledges that the Premier League is one of the world's most attractive divisions, he says failing to ensure solid foundations is now being reflected in their clubs' results on the continent.

"A tendency was recognisable and for there to be no Premier League side in the quarter-finals is too little, but you can't talk about it being misfortune," Magath told Sport1.de.

"English football has structural deficiencies in the youth area. It's astonishing that a footballing nation like England lets the gloss of the Premier League blind them.

"Of course the Premier League is more popular around the world than the Bundesliga, but that's superseded by the fact English football has had very little to show in the form of national team success for many years.

"Maybe they can learn something from our world champions in this area, but please don't think it's all about gathering data because gathering more and more data in football, particularly in England, doesn't really help."

Magath believes English clubs are making the wrong kind of investments in this area.

"Of course [having] money is not a disadvantage, but it's being used in the wrong way in England," added the 61-year-old.

"They're creating machinery which is overrated. Many English clubs now have a performance director who has a whole manner of data over each player and, with that, he's meant to decide what should be trained and when, even though he's not even at the game and seen how the player performed or what sort of situation he's in."

Magath's own stint in English football was not particularly successful.

He took charge of Fulham in February 2014 but was unable to prevent them from being relegated to the Championship.

In September, he was relieved of his duties with Fulham having gone 11 league games without a win.

"I don't regret it at all," Magath said. "Of course it wasn't such a joyful time in a sporting sense, but the reasons for that were deep-rooted.

"Fulham had big problems in February 2014 - they were bottom of the table without me.

"I thought I could have had more influence in forming the team, but that wasn't the case. That just reinforced my belief that it's better to be coach and manager in one so that you can have the responsibility for what happens."


http://sport.bt.com/sport-football/news/magath-criticises-premier-league-S11363971285179?

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The Sean Davis Column

That was an important victory over Huddersfield in our last outing, and it probably came as a bit of a relief to a lot of people, too. Earlier in the week we lost to Leeds and I then went to the supporters' club meal and there were a lot of worried people there, but I told them I thought the team was capable of winning the games we needed to keep us up. I also said we'd probably need a little bit of luck because sometimes when you're down there you don't tend to get that. But you have to create your own luck sometimes and work hard and get through it. Obviously we had a lot of luck against Huddersfield, but we'll take that, a clean sheet and three points, and it just puts everyone at a little bit of ease, compared to this time last week.

There's no arguing that Huddersfield were the better side on Saturday, but sometimes in games you just have to put your head down, work hard and whatever happens, happens. The players worked hard, they scrapped, they fought. They would have been disappointed after the Leeds game because we deserved to win that. I missed the game through illness but having watched it back we started really well only to miss a host of chances and end up losing. So to then go away from home and get the three points is fantastic and it gives us that little bit of breathing space, especially going into the international break as well, which is massive. If we'd have lost then going into this period would have been a tough, tough couple of weeks for the lads.

I've been involved in games like that before, where you're under the cosh throughout but come away with a result. I remember going to Highbury with Fulham and we ended up drawing 0-0 with Arsenal. Edwin van der Sar was unbelievable on the day. We got absolutely battered but then we could have nicked it when I put a cross in to Steed Malbranque and he missed a golden opportunity. That day we half felt like there'd been a robbery at the ground because we didn't deserve anything out of the game. But we still worked hard, we still put in tackles and blocks, but Edwin was too good for Arsenal and got us a point. So those days do happen, but just not very often.

Motspur Park will be a quiet place at the moment as there's a lot of players away on international duty, including Cauley Woodrow and Marcus Bettinelli who have joined up with England Under-21s. That's fantastic and a very timely boost for those boys. I've been a big fan of Cauley, I think he works his socks off, he makes good runs and he's physically strong. He's had opportunities and he's come in and done well. With Marcus, I was speaking to someone about him the other day and saying that although we've conceded a lot of goals, the amount of saves he's pulled off this season has been unbelievable. His call-up is truly deserved.

If you're playing well it's always good to get recognised for the Under-21s. I remember when I first got called up, Fulham weren't in the Premiership so that was a good buzz for me. I went in there and the other lads were mostly in top-flight sides. The following year we got promoted and I ended up playing in the Under-21 European Championship which was a highlight for me in my career, so hopefully Cauley and Marcus can go on and be part of a squad that goes to a tournament and get that experience.

When everyone is back in the camp we'll be looking towards our next match which sees Brentford visit the Cottage, and how we'd love to put a dent in their promotion bid. We can't escape the fact they've had a better season than us, which is disappointing. I know Gentleman Jim will be very, very nervous before the game because he lives in Brentford and most of his pals are Bees supporters. So I'm going to have to calm him down beforehand! But they've done well, they are where they are on merit. They score goals, they're an attractive side.

We'll be looking for payback after losing at Griffin Park earlier in the season, although I thought we should have won that game seeing as we were leading going into the final 10 minutes. Hopefully the players will start on the front foot and give the crowd something to cheer about which will make for a good atmosphere. A little bit of pressure should be off the lads now. Some of them will have been away on international duty so they'll come back and be eager to play the game and get the three points.

We may not have been at our best in our win at the John Smith's Stadium, but don't underestimate what digging that result out will have done for confidence. That's the main thing at this stage of the season, it's not about style and how you play. You'd like to play nice football in games but if you'd asked any Fulham fan before the Huddersfield match 'would you take the win and be absolutely dominated and battered?' and they'd have said yeah. The three points were massive but we can't rest there. Even though I think we only need one more win to keep us safe, we still need to try and finish the season on the front foot. Then we can have a rest and come back next year and do a lot better. Next season is a big one for us.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/march/26/the-sean-davis-column?

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Passley Loan Extension

Josh Passley's loan spell at Portsmouth has been extended until the end of the season.

The 20-year-old, who also spent time on loan with Shrewsbury Town earlier in the campaign, has made nine appearances for Pompey since initially joining in January.

In other loan news, Tom Richards' deal at Aldershot Town has been extended by a further month.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/march/26/passley-loan-extension?

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PASSLEY EXTENDS POMPEY LOAN

Fulham defender to remain with Blues

Josh Passley has extended his loan deal at Pompey until the end of the season.

The 20-year-old Fulham defender has made nine appearances since arriving at Fratton Park in January.

Blues boss Andy Awford said: "Josh wanted to stay and we were keen to keep him, so we're grateful to Fulham for allowing him to remain here."

Passley has featured twice for the Cottagers first team and had a spell with Saturday's opponents Shrewsbury earlier in the season.



Read more at http://www.portsmouthfc.co.uk/news/article/portsmouth-extend-loan-of-fulham-defender-josh-passley-2360037.aspx#10gYhPVOiS2Zw3WD.99

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Duo Arrive On Loan

The Club is delighted to confirm the arrivals of Danny Guthrie and Richard Lee on loan from Reading and Brentford respectively until the end of the season.

Guthrie began his career at Liverpool and made a handful of appearances before joining Newcastle United, for whom he played 114 times and scored nine goals, one of which was a screamer at Craven Cottage in January 2012.

After four years on Tyneside, the central midfielder joined Reading and has since made 69 appearances for the Royals, prior to joining the Whites.

Goalkeeper Lee began his career at Watford, where he spent time under former Fulham player and coach Ray Lewington.

After eight years in and around the first team at Vicarage Road, he joined Brentford in the summer of 2010 and went on to be named Supporters' Player of the Year in his first season.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/march/26/duo-arrive-on-loan?

[WhiteJC]

 
Guthrie to Craven Cottage

Fulham have signed Reading midfielder Danny Guthrie on loan until the end of the season.

Guthrie's contract is set to expire at the end of the campaign, and he today travelled to West London to put pen to paper with Fulham.

The 26-year old central midfielder has made 9 appearances for the Royals this season, with 7 of which coming from the bench.

Reading manager Steve Clarke said: "It is very clear to all concerned that Danny's time at Reading Football Club is coming to an end this summer. When this opportunity presented itself it was only right to allow Danny the chance to play some matches."

Fulham are currently 20th in the league, 8 points clear from safety.


http://the72.co.uk/23437/guthrie-to-craven-cottage/?

[snarks]

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