Tuesday Fulham Stuff 20.07.10

[os5889]

http://www.clubcall.com/fulham/old-boss-set-for-defender-swoop-1078910.html

Old boss set for defender swoop
Fulham, 15:12, July 19, 2010

Liverpool are reportedly showing an interest in Fulham left-back Paul Konchesky as they seek a replacement for Emiliano Insua.

The News of the World claim former Cottagers boss Roy Hodgson is planning to raid his old club to plug the gap left vacant by Insua's departure to Fiorentina for £5m.
Konchesky has been a long-time target for Birmingham City after refusing to sign a new deal at Craven Cottage and with him entering his final year of his contract with Fulham, Hodgson could pick him up relatively cheaply.
It's believed the 29-year-old would be available for a cut-price £2m and the Reds are prepared to move quickly to secure his signature despite Hodgson's reluctance to break up his old team.

[os5889]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/fulham/7899354/Martin-Jol-keen-to-be-reunited-with-Robbie-Keane-at-Fulham.html

Martin Jol keen to be reunited with Robbie Keane at Fulham
Martin Jol is believed to have identified Robbie Keane, the Tottenham striker, as his primary target should he, as expected, be appointed as Fulham manager in the next 48 hours.



The Craven Cottage club are thought to be close to agreeing a compensation package with Jol's current employers, Ajax, and the former Tottenham manager is expected to be in place to take charge of Fulham's pre-season friendly with Halmstads on Thursday.
Jol still owns a house near London and is known to be keen on a return to the Premier League, while Fulham would be able to offer the Dutchman considerable spending power as they look to bolster a squad which made an unexpected appearance in the Europa League final last season.

Should the deal go through, Jol is expected to launch an immediate bid to beat Aston Villa and Celtic to the signature of Keane, the Irish international who is considered surplus to requirements at Spurs.

Keane returned to White Hart Lane for £13 million in January last year just six months after joining Liverpool for £20 million but was loaned out to Celtic for the second half of last season, scoring 12 goals.

The Scottish Premier League side are keen to extend that loan for another season, while Villa manager Martin O'Neill is believed to be considering offering Spurs £6 million for the former Coventry, Wolves, Leeds and Inter Milan forward.

Keane, though, would like to remain in the capital and a forward will top Jol's to-do list should he replace Roy Hodgson after Andy Johnson, who has endured an injury-plagued two years since moving to Fulham from Everton, suffered another set-back in his return from a knee complaint.

Johnson made just 13 appearances last season and has not featured in either of Fulham's two warm-up games so far this summer.
West Bromwich midfielder Graham Dorrans has turned down a move to West Ham and has instead signed a new four-year deal with the club.

Fellow midfielder Borja Valero, the club's £4.7 million record signing, has agreed a loan switch to Villarreal.
Liam Lawrence has confirmed he could leave Stoke before the new season. Celtic and Wolves are keen.

[os5889]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/scottishpremier/rangers/7899276/Teenager-Krister-Wemberg-keen-to-impress-during-Rangers-trial.html

Teenager Krister Wemberg keen to impress during Rangers trial
Rangers have brought Norway Under-19 defender Krister Wemberg to Glasgow with a view to signing the Moss FK player

By Ewing Grahame.
Published: 9:28PM BST 19 Jul 2010
The 18 year-old has already undergone unsuccessful trials with Everton in 2008 and Fulham earlier this year.
Ironically, manager Walter Smith and his players leave on Tuesday for Australia to compete in a four-team tournament with Blackburn Rovers, AEK Athens and hosts Sydney FC, so Wemberg will be assessed by coaches at the club's Murray Park training complex.

[os5889]

Inter Milan tell Manchester City to pay £34m for Mario Balotelli
By SIMON CASS
Last updated at 8:51 PM on 19th July 2010



Pastures new? Mario Balotelli won't be an Inter player much longer
Inter Milan will demand £34million from Manchester City  for Mario Balotelli with new manager Rafa Benitez ready to cash in on the temperamental striker.
A City delegation was in Milan last week to thrash out a deal for the striker, 19, although an opening offer of £20m was rebuffed.
A renewed effort to reunite Balotelli with former Inter coach Roberto Mancini is expected this week, although City are likely to offer less than the European champions' asking price, with the remainder payable in performance-related instalments.
Progress has stalled because Balotelli's agent Mino Raiola has been busy sorting out Martin Jol's move from Ajax to Fulham.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1296078/Manchester-City-told-pay-34million-Inter-Milan-ace-Mario-Balotelli.html?ito=feeds-newsxml#ixzz0uAGxXbfI

[os5889]

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11688_6270623,00.html

Swans to open Pratley talks

New boss Rodgers hoping to convince midfielder to stay put



Swansea will open fresh contract talks with highly-rated midfielder Darren Pratley in an attempt to keep him at the Liberty Stadium.

Pratley has attracted interest from a number of clubs in recent times with Championship rivals Nottingham Forest reportedly having a £1million bid for the 25-year-old turned down.

City chairman Hew Jenkins denied the club had received an offer from Forest and assured supporters that every effort will be made to keep Swansea's top players at the Liberty Stadium.

The Swans recently appointed Brendan Rogers as their new manager following the departure of Paulo Sousa to Leicester City.
Pressure

And Jenkins is hoping the new man in charge can persuade Pratley to remain in south Wales.

"Now that our new manager (Brendan Rodgers) is in place, we will be looking to start discussions with Darren Pratley over a new contract," Jenkins told the club's official website.

"I had a private conversation with Nottingham Forest a few weeks ago which, as we agreed, will stay private.

"I assume that today's story is an attempt by agents to put pressure on us. It is certainly not a new story, so I am very disappointed. But I can state quite categorically that we will not be pressurised or bullied by anyone.

"We will deal with things the right way for our football club. I can assure supporters that nobody will leave this club unless the deal is right for us and every other option has been exhausted."

[os5889]

Fulham manager-elect Martin Jol given £20m and he's Keane on Tottenham striker Robbie

By Simon Cass Last updated at 10:11 PM on 19th July 2010

Fulham manager-elect Martin Jol is eager to bring Tottenham striker Robbie Keane to Craven Cottage after being promised a £20million transfer kitty by club owner Mohamed Al Fayed.

Jol spent Monday afternoon in Holland with Fulham officials finalising his move from Ajax, despite the Dutch side making a last-ditch attempt to keep him.

Also present were the former Spurs and Hamburg manager's agent Mino Raiola and his brother Cock Jol, who is expected to join the staff at Craven Cottage.

And once his expected move to west London is rubber-stamped, Jol is ready to spend a large chunk of his transfer windfall, far more than was given to Roy Hodgson, to engineer a reunion with Keane, 30.

The pair worked well at White Hart Lane, and with Harry Redknapp ready to listen to offers for the striker, who spent the back end of last season on loan at Celtic, Jol will try to pip Aston Villa to his signature. Spurs would be willing to listen to offers in the region of £5m.

Steve Sidwell's £2m move from Villa to Fulham should be completed once Jol's appointment as manager is official. The Dutchman could also be in the market for a goalkeeper if Arsenal complete the signing of Australia No 1 Mark Schwarzer.
Jol's move back to England has been smoothed by the fact that a release clause was included in his contract, allowing him to return to a Barclays Premier League club in return for compensation of around £1m.

The 54-year-old's basic salary will be around £1.5m a year, with a wide range of performance-related bonuses. Jol is said to have fallen out with Ajax's board over the sale of the club's top stars.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1296100/Fulham-manager-elect-Martin-Jol-given-20m-hes-Keane-Tottenham-striker-Robbie.html?ito=feeds-newsxml#ixzz0uAQqhCLr

[Lighthouse]

AJAX BEG MARTIN JOL NOT TO LEAVE THEM FOR FULHAM  - Express



Martin Jol was in talks with Ajax as the club tride to dissuade him from leaving for Fulham
Tuesday July 20,2010
By Tony Banks  Have your say(0)
MARTIN JOL was locked in talks with Ajax last night as the club made a last-ditch effort to persuade him not to leave for Fulham.


Jol, who has been promised a £25million transfer budget by ­Fulham owner Mohamed Al Fayed and had already targeted Tottenham misfit Robbie Keane and England keeper David James, has presented Ajax's under-fire board with a list of demands he insists are fulfilled if he is to stay.

Former Spurs manager Jol, 54, wants guarantees that if top stars such as Luis Suarez and Gregory van der Wiel are sold he will get cash to replace them. But the club lost £12m last year and have to sell.

Fulham are still confident they can lure their man from Amsterdam and are hoping to unveil him in the next 24 hours.

Jol had earlier said: "On Thursday evening Fulham contacted me. They said they wanted me as their new manager and contacted Ajax. The Premier League is the best competition in the world, and I like London very much. Fulham is a great opportunity.


The Premier League is the best competition in the world, and I like London very much. Fulham is a great opportunity. 
Martin Jol


"The way it is going at Ajax we cannot play for the title, or the biggest prizes. For the past two weeks I have been very worried about what is going to happen. In the past they have paid too much for not so good players and now they have no money to invest in the squad."

Jol, who also had further talks with Fulham chief executive Alistair Mackintosh yesterday, will be handed the biggest transfer war chest provided for a Fulham manager if the deal is done – dwarfing those made available to Kevin Keegan and Jean Tigana earlier in Al Fayed's time at the helm of the club.

Compensation for Jol is likely to work out at about £1m. He has a get-out clause in his Ajax contract, which has two years left to run, that he could leave for a set amount to a Premier League club.


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He would be on a basic £1.75m a year at Craven Cottage but will receive bonuses if he can get the club into Europe, achieve a top-six place, or win a cup. If he can manage one or more of those his total income would top the £2.5m a year he earns at Ajax.

Fulham's No1 priority is a strikerand Keane – who is also a £6m target for Aston Villa – had some of his best years at Tottenham under Jol between 2004-07. The need is all the more urgent as £12m Andrew Johnson has suffered a setback in his recovery from knee ligament surgery, and has flown to the USA for specialist treatment after making just 13 appearances last season.

James is another target as Australia's World Cup keeper Mark Schwarzer is set to join Arsenal in the next few weeks while West Ham's Robert Green is another option.

Jol wants to take his brother Cornelius, who acts as his personal adviser, to Craven Cottage with him, along with fitness coach Mike Lindemann, if a deal can be done.

Former Ipswich and Holland star Arnold Muhren, who was a youth coach under Jol at the Amsterdam Arena last season, said: "I know Martin is unhappy because he wants to buy some new players but the club won't let him because money is tight.

"They won't buy anyone without selling players first. There is no other money to spend.

"I wouldn't blame Martin if he left. Fulham are a good club. They play good football and reached the Europa League final last season. Maybe he is thinking that there are better prospects for him back in London."

Fulham leave for a pre-season tour of Sweden today, with the first game at Halmstad on Thursday night.'I am worried about the future here – and I like London'

[os5889]

http://www.sportinglife.com/others/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=others/10/07/20/manual_075627.html

Also: Martin Jol has been promised he will have around £20m to spend on new players should he become the Fulham manager. The Fulham board yesterday continued to negotiate with Ajax over compensation for Jol, whose potential departure from the famous Dutch club has caused outrage in the Netherlands.

[os5889]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/7899750/Premier-League-Transfer-Talk-Club-by-club-Football-Transfers-Football-Rumours-19-July.html

Fulham
Martin Jol will be unveiled as Fulham's new manager tomorrow. (Sun)
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he isn't looking to sign goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer. (Sky Sports)
... But Fulham have lined up Rangers' Allan McGregor just in case the Australian does leave Craven Cottage. (People)
Aston Villa midfielder Steve Sidwell has rejected West Ham to join Fulham in a £2 million deal. (Mail)

[os5889]

http://www.thisisbristol.co.uk/lifestyle/Steve-spot/article-2433074-detail/article.html

Steve was spot on
S TEVE Coppell's analysis of England's shameful performance in the World Cup was spot on and increases my admiration of him.

Sadly, his prediction that nothing will change will probably prove correct. Big money will see to that and the FA will be impotent against the moguls. Like the banks, failure and incompetence is highly rewarded.

The whole charade was started by Tommy Trinder as the chairman of Fulham, who decided to pay Johnny Haynes £100 per week when everyone else got £10. He was a comedian.

The Premier League managers who control the quality of the England squad, paradoxically, have no interest in the national team, their only concerns being the Saturday league fixture and their club's position in the table.

Capello should be retained; he picked the best squad available. The humiliated fans must now vote with their feet. If Alex Ferguson and co came out to a crowd of 5,000 in the first match of the season things would change. Otherwise I fear the beautiful game will become just another victim of the poisonous philosophy of capitalism.

Dave Macnab,

Whitchurch.

[Tom]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/7899750/Premier-League-Transfer-Talk-Club-by-club-Football-Transfers-Football-Rumours-19-July.html

Fulham
Martin Jol will be unveiled as Fulham's new manager tomorrow. (Sun)
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger says he isn't looking to sign goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer. (Sky Sports)
... But Fulham have lined up Rangers' Allan McGregor just in case the Australian does leave Craven Cottage. (People)
Aston Villa midfielder Steve Sidwell has rejected West Ham to join Fulham in a £2 million deal. (Mail)

Good work and good finds os5889. Btw, love your oics and keep them coming!

[Tom]

http://www.sportinglife.com/others/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=others/10/07/20/manual_075627.html

Also: Martin Jol has been promised he will have around £20m to spend on new players should he become the Fulham manager. The Fulham board yesterday continued to negotiate with Ajax over compensation for Jol, whose potential departure from the famous Dutch club has caused outrage in the Netherlands.

I read somewhere that it would be 25m to spend.

[os5889]

http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/fulhambound-jol-keane-to-take-robbie-to-cottage-14881008.html#

Fulham-bound Jol Keane to take Robbie to Cottage
Tuesday, 20 July 2010

Martin Jol has made Republic of Ireland captain Robbie Keane his No 1 target if, as expected, he takes over as Fulham manager.

Such a move would also benefit Republic manager Giovanni Trapattoni, as Keane would be likely to play regularly at Craven Cottage, where he would dovetail with international colleague Damien Duff.

Jol made Keane his captain when the pair were together at Tottenham, and the manager still holds the Dubliner in high regard; the £6m fee on his head is unlikely to put off the Cottagers.

There is likely to be stiff competition from Aston Villa for the 30-year-old's signature, but the prospect of being able to stay in London should make Fulham the most attractive option for a player who has spent much of his career on the move.

The fee would represent a significant chunk of the £20m which Jol has been promised to bring in new recruits this summer should he take over.

Fulham yesterday continued to negotiate with Ajax over compensation for Jol, whose potential departure from the famous Dutch club has caused outrage in the Netherlands.

Jol also spent hours in talks with Ajax, who hope they can convince him to stay. The likelihood, however, is that a Fulham deal will be announced today.

The Dutchman could also have to find a new goalkeeper should Mark Schwarzer move to Arsenal, with David James a short-term option.



Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/international/fulhambound-jol-keane-to-take-robbie-to-cottage-14881008.html##ixzz0uCiTV8SZ

[os5889]

http://www.espnstar.com/football/premier-league/news/detail/item469513/Jol-eyes-Keane-reunion-at-Fulham/

Jol eyes Keane reunion at Fulham
Soon-to-be Fulham manager Martin Jol is eager to bring Robbie Keane to Craven Cottage after being promised a £20 million transfer kitty.
According to The Daily Mail, the former Tottenham boss spent the entire Monday afternoon finalizing the deal that would see him abandon Ajax Amsterdam and go on board the vacant managerial position left by Roy Hodgson at Fulham.
Once the move is completed, Jol is set to spend the majority of his transfer kitty given by Fulham owner Mohamed Al Fayed to engineer a reunion with Keane at Craven Cottage.
Both Keane and Jol worked well at White Hart Lane and with Harry Redknapp willing to offload the 30-year-old, Jol is ready to pounce on his former player but will have Aston Villa to compete with.
It is believed that Spurs are willing to listen to offers within the range of £5 million.

[os5889]

http://www.southasiablog.com/2010/07/arsenal-coach-wenger-is-still-unable-to.html

Arsenal Coach Wenger is Still Unable to get a Top Class Goalkeeper

When it comes to finding top class players, Arsene Wenger is surely second to none in World Football. He took quite a few young players and turned them to world class footballers. Now, he needs to find a top class goalkeeper for Arsenal so that the club can mount a serious challenge both in England and in Europe.
Last season, goalkeeping was one of the major problems that the club faced. Both Manuel Almunia and Łukasz Fabiański were inconsistent. A few weeks ago, Arsenal was linked with a number of goalkeepers playing in European leagues. Just a few days ago, it seemed that the joining of Australian national football team and Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer was just a matter of time.
Now, it is almost clear that Fulham will not sell       Mark Schwarzer just the way Arsenal is not prepared to sell Cesc Fabregas.
Fulham midfielder Jonathan Greening has requested the club not to sell the goalkeeper. He said to Fulham Chronicle, "Mark's one of the best keepers I've ever played with. His quality's there for all to see and he was a big part of our European campaign last season. He's a massive player and we must do all we can to keep him."
Of course, there are still a few weeks to go before the summer transfer window will close. Even there are almost 4 weeks before the start of new EPL season. So, Wenger has enough time in his hand.

[os5889]

http://www.tribalfootball.com/sean-davis-delighted-bolton-playing-comeback-985331

Sean Davis delighted with Bolton playing comeback

20.07.10 | tribalfootball.com
READ MORE NEWS ON: Bolton, Fulham

Sean Davis was delighted with his playing return for Bolton Wanderers yesterday.

The midfielder was given 45 minutes against Charleston Battery.

"It's great to be back," Davis told the Bolton News. "The hard part was when you're on crutches for 12 weeks, you can't run, can't do anything until the injury has started to run its course.

"It has been really tough at times but there have been a lot of people who have helped me out, and I owe them a lot.

"It takes time and I've got to be sensible about it. The main thing is to be fit for the Fulham game on August 14 – but I'm on track, and that's really encouraging at the moment."

[os5889]

http://blogs.bettor.com/Diego-Forlan-a-constant-ray-of-light-for-country-and-club-a17517

Diego Forlan: a constant ray of light for country and club

Forlan is in the form of his life. The former Manchester United man is enjoying the form of his life, scoring 29 times for his nation, the Celeste. He scored twice in the Europa league final, to record a historic win for his club. He is also a two time winner of the Pichichi Trophy and has once captured the European Golden Shoe.
Forlan is known for his marvellous technical impressive finishing abilities. He is known to be two footed, meaning he can score with both feet with ease. The quality of being ambi-dextrous is rare itself but being able to do that with feet is a skill on a whole new level. Owing to his height and agility, he is a lethal threat in aerial battles, and not many defenders can cover him up when he jumps for the ball.
Football was in Forlan's blood, as his father was a regular in Uruguay's World Cup campaign of 1966 and 1974. His maternal uncle was the coach of Chile in 1962. He was a tennis player up till the age of 14 but all that changed soon and his fame plummeted upwards when he caught attention of the eyes of Manchester United coach Alex Ferguson after he scored 40 goals in 90 appearances, therefore in 2002, he joined the Red Devils.
However he could not quite, adjust in United, and scored only 17 goals in 98 appearances. He was a fan favourite when he sunk Liverpool due to his 2 strikes at Anfield, because of which United won the memorable decider for the title as of a 2-1 victory. His striking partner, Ruud Van Nistelrooy, greatly shadowed his capabilities as he had scored 150 goals in 210 appearances. He however won the league three times in his time at United. Eventually it was speculated that he will be sold out and indeed he was sold, with Wayne Rooney signing for United in the same month.
He headed to Villarreal in August 2004, where he was back with what he was known for; scoring goals. He scored 25 times for the Spanish side, where he topped La Liga's goal scorers as well as winning the European shoe. He spent two successful seasons with Villarreal, and then moved to Atletico Madrid; Spanish style of football perhaps suited him and he again was in top form.
He bagged 23 goals in 07/08 season and further 35 goals in the next one and was regarded as one of the top strikers in Spain as well as in Europe. He played a major role in Atletico Madrid's hunt for the Europa League. His single goal was enough to stop Liverpool at home in the semi finals. In the away fixture, Liverpool looked like winning the bout at a score of 2-1, when Forlan scored again, and Ateltico Madrid reached the final. There they met Fulham, and Forlan scored both goals for his side to lift the coveted trophy. It was Atletico Madrid's first European Trophy.
Forlan's international career has also been successful. He has scored 27 times for his country, and has scored in both the 2002 FIFA World Cup as well as the 2010 FIFA World Cup. He scored his first goal in a friendly against Saudi Arabia, which his team lost.
He scored the equalising goal against Senegal from a volley for Uruguay, but were eliminated in the group stages. He was then promoted to a first choice striker and scored six times in the Germany 2006 qualifiers. He then scored another 7 goals in 13 appearances for his side in the 2010 qualifiers.
In 2010 World Cup, he formed a formidable partnership with Luis Suarez, and scored in almost all matches. He scored twice against the host nation, one from the penalty spot and the other from a long range shoot. He scored the equalising goal for Uruguay in the match against Ghana in the quarter finals. The match ultimately came to penalty shootouts where Uruguay won, sending Ghana out of the World Cup. He also got the best footballer award at the end of the tournament.
The 30 year old front man is on the top of his game, and uses his superior abilities and lethal finishing tormenting any defence he is placed against. He is athletic, strong and fearless, and can score goal from free kicks and headers as well. With these skills a long and lustrous career can be expected of him.

[os5889]

http://blog.thestar.com.my/permalink.asp?id=31647&cat=26

Chris Smalling set to impress
Posted by: Sri9532
Manchester United's new gun, Chris Smalling seems to be making a great impression so far, this after his recent move from Fulham.

Smalling is young (20), talented and has fresh legs, but with the strength and amount of good players at United, I wonder how much of a chance he will get to play.

Of course now he can enjoy himself with United's tour of North America, and this without the likes of Rio and Vidic, which will probably allow him the chance to feature in a few games. But what happens when they get back. How much will he play.

That's the case with United. It's a hard fact to assimilate but that's the situation. A lot of the young stars only get to feature in matches that do not bear much relevance. 

[os5889]

Boro target Dawson submits another transfer
Middlesbrough target Craig Dawson is believed to have handed in a second transfer request at Rochdale.

The former Manchester City trainee is regarded as one of the best young defenders in the lower divisions and helped the Spotland club to promotion from League Two last term.

However, he submitted an unsuccessful first transfer request in June after Boro had a reported £400,000 offer turned down.

But it would seem that the 20-year-old is still keen to move on and a second request to leave the club has now followed.

Meanwhile, it is understood that Boro's original offer currently remains on the table, although with both Fulham and Tottenham Hotspur previously interested it may still have to be increased.


Read more: http://www.middlesbrough.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=205356#ixzz0uCjoJILw

[Tom]

http://blog.thestar.com.my/permalink.asp?id=31647&cat=26

Chris Smalling set to impress
Posted by: Sri9532
Manchester United's new gun, Chris Smalling seems to be making a great impression so far, this after his recent move from Fulham.

Smalling is young (20), talented and has fresh legs, but with the strength and amount of good players at United, I wonder how much of a chance he will get to play.

Of course now he can enjoy himself with United's tour of North America, and this without the likes of Rio and Vidic, which will probably allow him the chance to feature in a few games. But what happens when they get back. How much will he play.

That's the case with United. It's a hard fact to assimilate but that's the situation. A lot of the young stars only get to feature in matches that do not bear much relevance. 

Is this suppose to be a joke or something?