Thursday Fulham Stuff (13/08/15)...

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Rotherham release five
Rotherham boss Steve Evans has began his preparations for next season by releasing five out-of-contract players and offering new deals to Craig Morgan and Ben Pringle.

The Millers, who signed 31 players throughout the 2014/15 Championship, have not offered fresh terms to Tony Thompson, Richard Brindley, Mat Sadler, Rob Milsom and Mark Bradley.

Former England Under-21 goalkeeper Scott Loach and midfielder Connor Newton, both under contract, have been told they are free to find new clubs.

Evans has offered new contracts to skipper Morgan and midfielder Pringle, who both had influential seasons as the Millers survived relegation in the Sky Bet Championship.

Both men have intimated they would like to stay at the club, but Morgan will only do so if his terms bring him in line with the top earners at the club.

Evans said: "It has been nothing short of a long, informative and strange sort of a day, but as always with football at this stage of the season, some tough decisions have to be made.

"It goes without exception that I would like to place on record my sincere thanks and gratitude for every Millers player who has appeared in our colours this season.

"I have in the last few minutes met with our chairman who has in turn approved in full the above decisions, and I now look forward to working with and for him as we go forward to build our squad for next season.

"I will speak later in the week about individual decisions so that our valued supporters can understand the decisions, which have been unanimous with all the football staff at first-team level."

Goalkeeper Thompson did not feature for the Millers while Sadler only played 71 minutes of a Capital One Cup game in August following a summer move from Crawley.

Brindley featured four times this campaign but spent time on loan at Scunthorpe, Oxford and Colchester while Milsom made eight appearances following injury.

Bradley has not played since suffering a serious knee injury in March 2014.


http://www.football365.com/rotherham-united/9838188/-?

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Wycombe 0 Fulham 1: View from the Press Box

What more did we learn from last night's 1-0 Capital One Cup exit to Fulham?

Jon Batham was at Adams Park last night to watch Wycombe's Capital One Cup exit to Fulham , and gives his view on the back four and new faces.

Scrooge-like in defence
Ainsworth's back four, assembled on a shoe-string in comparison to their Championship cousins from down Fulham Palace Road, and missing lynchpin Aaron Pierre were largely untroubled.

Ross McCormack's effort ruled out for offside late in the first half and Kacaniklic's counter-attack goal which knocked them out were the only two occasions where they were inconvenienced. So good in fact was their screening of the penalty area keeper Matt Ingram did not make a telling save in the 90 minutes.

Jombati is a monster of a man to have at right-back, surprisingly mobile for one so big and a tremendous physical presence for set pieces at both ends of the pitch.

Anthony Stewart seems to have returned with real appetite for the scrap while Danny Rowe proved a capable deputy for Pierre and Jacobson looks one of he best around at this level on the left, providing extra threat going forward and as a free-kick specialist.

The impression given is opposition sides won't get too many gifts from this unit.

Quality imports...
The performance of Stephen McGinn suggests shrewd use of budgetry resources by Ainsworth. You would expect a man who was playing Scottish Premier League football last season to bring something to the party at this level and McGinn lived up to those expectations.

Tough in the challenge, disciplined and he looks like a talker as well. With Luke O'Nien having advanced his case on debut on Saturday and Matt Bloomfield still to feature this season there is good competition for places in the engine room.

...but quantity remains a concern
While the quality looks good, budget constraints mean Ainsworth has had to limit himself to 17 outfield options including QPR loanee Michael Harriman .

As a result, as was the case on Saturday against York, he was unable to field a full bench against the whites and this is August.

Bloomfield was among the six replacements, but having been ill Saturday was never really a viable option, while Ainsworth suggested in the post-match press conference Pierre's return for Saturday's visit to Barnet is by no means a given and Max Kretzschmar is also being nursed along at present.

So while quality is not an issue, the battle to get bodies on the pitch is going to be a constant battle for Ainsworth, so while no more loan deals are imminent, more are a must if Wycome are to emulate last year's playoff ambitions.


http://www.getbucks.co.uk/sport/football/news/wycombe-0-fulham-1-view-9840129?

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Tottenham slap £15m price tag on Moussa Dembele after Sunderland link

A whopping £15m price tag has been slapped on Tottenham midfielder Moussa Dembele in a bid to warn off suitors - including Sunderland.

The 28-year-old has been linked with a move to the Stadium of Light, while West Ham United and Chelsea have also been touted as having a strong interest in the creative midfielder.

Spurs paid £15m for his services from Fulham three years ago and chairman Daniel Levy wouldn't let him go for anything less, report the Daily Star.

Rumours have circulated for several weeks crediting Sunderland with an interest in Dembele, as the Black Cats look to boost their ranks with a new attacking midfielder before the end of the transfer window.

But it seems increasingly likely that Dembele will stay at White Hart Lane this summer.

Dembele has another two years to run on his Spurs contract and has spoken with boss Mauricio Pochettino about his place in his plans during pre-season.


http://www.sunderlandecho.com/sport/sunderland-afc/tottenham-slap-15m-price-tag-on-moussa-dembele-after-sunderland-link-1-7405669

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Fulham confirm two-year Coral deal

English soccer club Fulham have agreed a two-year sponsorship deal with Coral.

The bookmaker will become the official betting and gaming partner of the London-based Championship side, with its branding visible on the big screen, on LED pitchside advertising hoardings and on interview backdrops at Craven Cottage. Coral will also provide matchday betting services for Fulham supporters.

"We are thrilled to announce our partnership with Fulham Football Club," said Coral brand director Matt Prevost. "We look forward to offering Fulham fans the very best service for online, retail and mobile betting as well as in-stadia betting kiosks at Craven Cottage."

Fulham began the 2015/16 season in England's second tier with a draw away to Cardiff City last weekend.


http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/fulham_confirm_two_year_coral_deal?utm_source=feedburner&utm_campaign=Feed%253A+SportsProDailyDeal+%2528SportsPro+Media+-+Latest+News%2529&utm_medium=feed

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O'Hara hits the ground running
by DAN on AUGUST 12, 2015

Back in July, there were plenty of people casting aspersions about the wisdom of signing Jamie O'Hara on a free transfer. The reasons ranged from the fact that he had played for a Blackpool side that almost permanently occupied the relegation spots in last season's Championship, his double relegation with Wolves, his reputation as a bit of a playboy or simply the assumption that he was washed up. O'Hara's arrival, initially on trial, was treated by some as a microcosm of what they considered to be penny-pinching from Shahid Khan regardless of the midfielder's attributes as a player.

Never mind, of course, that O'Hara had an outstanding season for a dysfunctional Blackpool side whom he joined after being frozen out at Wolverhampton without having had a full pre-season. The full context of his move to Craven Cottage was detailed in a revealing Daily Mail interview last weekend, where the player himself admitted he worked hard to persuade Kit Symons that he was worthy of consideration. Talking the talk is one thing – but O'Hara's determination to prove a point to the doubters who had written him off seems to have fired a fine start to the season, which has seen him take to the deep-lying playmaker role at the base of Fulham's midfield impressively.

There are similarities with Danny Murphy, who also arrived at Fulham with people questioning whether his legs had gone, and – although it is still far too early to compare the new arrival with a man whose impact at this club cannot be understated – there is no doubt that his experience and example in training can only be a positive around Motspur Park. Far from assured of a place in the starting eleven when he converted that summer trial into a one-year contract, O'Hara's organisational ability, energy and fine range of passing has promptly turned him into one of Symons' first names on the team sheet.

More of a passer than a stopper in his Premier League days, O'Hara isn't a natural fit for the spot that's proved most troublesome to fill for Symons since he took over from Felix Magath last September. He's certainly not afraid to put his foot in, as evidence on plenty of occasions at Adams Park last night, and his hard work in screening an under-pressure back four was one of the key factors in two much more assured defensive performances to start the season. Just as crucially, he's a dependable passing option in an area – twenty five yards from our own goal – where Fulham frequently surrendered possession far too meekly last term.

What is most encouraging about O'Hara's excellent start is that he hasn't allowed his additional defensive responsibilities to dilute his effectiveness as a progressive distributor of the ball. So assured has his start to his Fulham career been, it's difficult to see where club captain Scott Parker fits in once he returns from injury. Time and time again last night, O'Hara was slipping a forward ball to the feet of a white shirt and spreading the play wide to orchestrate another attack. With the likes of Tom Cairney, Ben Pringle and Ross McCormack – all themselves perceptive passers of a ball – in front of him, O'Hara's ability to step forward from a deeper position allows Fulham to manipulate possession at pace, and allied with the interchangable nature of that midfield quartet, poses serious problems for the opposition.

For someone who has faced questions about his fitness, O'Hara's engine has purred along nicely so far. Like Sean Davis – who became so crucial during Fulham's Championship winning season all those years ago – he has a happy knack of popping up around the edge of the box to offer another option that defences can't easily nullify. A couple of shots at Wycombe last night were wayward but you feel as if he might be able to chip in with a couple of crucial goals during the course of the season.

First impressions can of course, be deceptive, but O'Hara's early contributions have been telling. He was voted man of the match by the travelling fans on Saturday, which was telling, because much of his work was the unheralded hassling and harrying and positional play that goes unnoticed for the most part. Against a League Two side last night, O'Hara was peerless – often covering team-mates effectively, but he also looked to have time on the ball, even in the most congested parts of the field. One wag sitting near me described him as 'the Putney Pirlo,' a tag which might be a trifle overdone, but there's no doubting his importance to this new-look Fulham side. That speculative summer signing now looks like a masterstroke.


http://hammyend.com/index.php/2015/08/ohara-hits-the-ground-running/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Fulham follow clubs like Burnley, Birmingham and Hull with short term shirt deal

Championship side Fulham have partnered with credit management company Qualco for the rest of  2015/16 season.

The new deal will run for a ten-month period and see the two parties collaborate on various promotional campaigns.

A Fulham statement said the new deal is designed to help Qualco 'to expand into new industry sectors, engage with a wider audience and enhance brand recognition.'

"This is an important milestone for the business and runs in tandem with our strategic goals over the next 12 months," said Qualco managing director Christian Jacob.

"It's important that Qualco is able to align itself with a market-leading brand with a strong identity, of which this deal does exactly that. Furthermore, Fulham FC offer a highly sought-after fanbase which we're looking forward to engaging with over the coming season."

It is part of a recent trend for former Premier League clubs in the Championship to cover their bases with short term deals. as well as Fulham a further 8 Championship clubs, including Burnley, Hull and Birmingham have short term shirt deals.

FTD's John Booth said:

'We have looked at the shirt sponsorship market in the top two flights amd whilst Premier League clubs can command longer term deals those relegated to the Championship are finding it tougher. There is also a huge differenec in the market value and a 1 or 2 year deal gives clubs options if they get promoted again.'


http://www.footballtradedirectory.com/news/2015/august/fulham-follow-clubs-like-burnley-birmingham-and.html?

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BOLTON REJECTS MORE TIM REAM BIDS FROM FULHAM, QPR

Tim Ream is a hot commodity these days, and Bolton Wanderers will only let the versatile defender depart on its terms.

Bolton manager Neil Lennon revealed Tuesday that Ream has been the subject of bids from fellow Championship sides Fulham and Queens Park Rangers, but Lennon also added that the two submitted offers did not meet the club's value for the U.S. Men's National Team player.

"We have had two bids, one from QPR and one from Fulham," Lennon said after League One Burton knocked Bolton out of the Capital One Cup. "Obviously (they are) not the valuation we see the player at so it is as you are. If and when a bid comes in that satisfies the club, we have a decision to make.

"You always make contingency plans," Lennon added. "Every player has his price but at the moment we are in no panic to sell."

Ream, who has won Bolton's Player of the Year award each of the last two seasons, has missed the first two games of Bolton's season while recovering from this summer's Gold Cup. However, Lennon insists that the defender could appear as soon as Saturday against Middlesbrough despite his uncertain future.

Queens Park Rangers reportedly submitted an initial offer for Ream as recently as a couple of weeks ago.


http://www.sbisoccer.com/2015/08/bolton-rejects-fulham.html?

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Fulham - Defender Wanted
   
Last night, over at Wycombe, Kit Symons shuffled his starting eleven as Fulham Football Club eased into the second round of the Capital One Cup.

Fulham remain unbeaten this season but it appears that the club still has a desire to strengthen the side.

With the quest to bring the Brighton and Hove Albion defender, Lewis Dunk, to Craven Cottage seemingly going nowhere, this morning The Sun has Fulham linked with another defender.

The defender in question is Tim Ream.

Ream, a 27-year-old American international, is currently on the books of Bolton Wanderers.

However, our quest to bring the player to Craven Cottage could be hampered by the interest of another West London club with it being inferred, by our referenced source, Queens Park Rangers are also interested in acquiring the defender.

As they say, let the best team win!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=409009#ixzz3ig2neJf2

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Kačaniklić Off The Mark

Alexander Kačaniklić was pleased to see the Whites get their first competitive win of the season against Wycombe Wanderers. The Sweden international scored the only goal of the game in the Capital One Cup tie and was glad to progress to the next round.

"It was good for us to get our first competitive win," he said. "I think we played well at times. It was a tough game to play in. They weren't bad at all, so we're happy with the win."

The Whites dealt with the direct approach posed by the opposition well, and the 23-year-old paid credit to the opposition.

"It was pretty much as we expected," he stated. "They were pretty direct at times with big strong players and they worked really hard as a team. They made it pretty hard for us."

The winger got the winner in the 69th minute when he superbly finished off a fluid Whites counter-attack and the midfielder was impressed with his side's forward play.

"I had a couple of chances and a couple of crosses and a goal," he mused. "It was a quick break, Ben [Pringle] crosses and I score into the top corner. It was a very good break and a nice goal.

"It was good ball from Ben. I think we linked up pretty well at times, me and Ross [McCormack] and Ben, Tom [Cairney] and Jamie [O'Hara] so I think at times the attacking football was really good."

The Whites have made an encouraging start to the season, drawing at Cardiff City on Saturday before Tuesday night's victory and Kačaniklić has been pleased with the beginning and the team's resoluteness.

"The Cardiff game, I think the draw was probably a fair result, we had a couple of chances and we could have finished it off and we let in a goal late," continued Alex. "But anyway, a point in the first game isn't bad. But it was important to get a win and keep a clean sheet against Wycombe. We didn't keep too many last year so I think we looked pretty strong at the back."

The Whites will be in the hat for the Second Round draw of the competition, which takes place on Thursday evening and although the side are back in league action on Saturday against Brighton & Hove Albion, Kačaniklić believes the Capital One Cup is still important for the Club.

"Every game is a chance to win and improve and especially with the cup, you can win something," he added. "I'm not saying that we're the team that's going to win it, but we're going to give it a go and see what happens.

"It was a good pre-season. As you can tell everyone's really up for it; really fit and strong. We're just getting started. We're ready for Brighton."


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/august/12/kacaniklic?

[WhiteJC]

 
Kacaniklic delighted with winner
by DAN on AUGUST 12, 2015

Alex Kacanaklic was delighted to score Fulham's winner at Wycombe Wanderers in the Capital One Cup last night – and get off the goalscoring mark for the Whites this season.

The Swedish international's clinical finish from a swift Fulham counter-attack settled a close contest at Adams Park in the Championship side's favour and the winger felt there were plenty of positives that the squad could take from the victory.

It was good for us to get our first competitive win. I think we played well at times. It was a tough game to play in. They weren't bad at all, so we're happy with the win.

It was pretty much as we expected. They were pretty direct at times with big strong players and they worked really hard as a team. They made it pretty hard for us.

I had a couple of chances and a couple of crosses and a goal. It was a quick break, Ben [Pringle] crosses and I score into the top corner. It was a very good break and a nice goal. It was a good ball from Ben. I think we linked up pretty well at times, me and Ross [McCormack] and Ben, Tom [Cairney] and Jamie [O'Hara] so I think at times the attacking football was really good.

Kacaniklic, who was something of a peripheral figure last season until Kit Symons recalled him from a loan spell with FC Copenhagen, has been encouraged by Fulham's start to the season, which began with a spirited draw at Cardiff on the opening weekend.

The Cardiff game, I think the draw was probably a fair result, we had a couple of chances and we could have finished it off and we let in a goal late. But anyway, a point in the first game isn't bad. But it was important to get a win and keep a clean sheet against Wycombe. We didn't keep too many last year so I think we looked pretty strong at the back.


http://hammyend.com/index.php/2015/08/kacaniklic-delighted-with-winner/?

[WhiteJC]

 
Get Kitted Out For Brighton

With the new 2015/16 Home Kit on sale, make sure you're ready as the Whites kick-off their home campaign against Brighton & Hove Albion this weekend.

Inspired by the classic 1975 jersey that saw Fulham reach the FA Cup Final, this season's shirt also boasts Climacool properties, providing ventilation and moisture management for your body to stay cool and dry, whilst optimising comfort and performance.

With squad numbers released for the new campaign, fans also have the opportunity to personalise the back of their shirt with their favourite player. For those supporters attending this weekend's fixture, our online store has a click and collect option to allow you to pick up your new shirt on the day, at the Stadium Store.

Adult shirts are priced at £44.99, with junior shirts £34.99. For our youngest Whites supporters, Mini Kits are also available to buy at £39.99.

Secure your kit today online or instore - there's no better time to show your colours for the 15/16 campaign!


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/august/12/get-kitted-out-for-brighton?

[WhiteJC]

 
Middlesbrough and Norwich City set to lose out on deal for Championship striker?

Sky Bet Championship outfit Fulham are set to open talks with star striker Ross McCormack over an extension to his existing contract, subsequently meaning Boro and Norwich will miss out, according to the Daily Mail.

McCormack joined the West Londoners from Leeds United last summer and netted 17 goals last term as the Cottagers improved vastly under boss Kit Symons.

Despite penning a four-year contract when he joined last summer, his form last season has seen interest from top-flight clubs intensify and the club are keen to offer fresh terms to the player.

Fulham are thought to want to make the Scotland international one of the highest paid players at the club in order to deter interest from Norwich City and Middlesbrough.

McCormack played 90 minutes in his side's 1-1 opening day draw with his former club Cardiff City and is set to retain his place in the side for Tuesday night's Capital One Cup game with Wycombe Wanderers.

Tying one of their prized assets down long-term would be a real step in the right direction for the Cottagers as they look to push on towards a play-off place during the 2015/16 season.


Read more at http://footballleagueworld.co.uk/middlesbrough-and-norwich-city-set-to-lose-out-on-deal-for-championship-striker/?#kdtiS3FbBMOYE2fH.99

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Capital One Cup Draw

Fulham will be seeded for Thursday evening's Capital One Cup Second Round draw.

The Whites have been allocated ball number eight, and cannot be drawn against a Barclays Premier League side, or the majority of the Sky Bet Championship clubs in the draw.

The draw will take place after the Doncaster Rovers versus Leeds United First Round match.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/news/2015/august/13/capital-one-cup-draw