Sunday Fulham Stuff (22.08.10)

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http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/premiership/aaron-hughes-still-craven-fulham-glory-days-14919648.html


Aaron Hughes still Craven Fulham glory days

Aaron Hughes has been through more managerial changes than he cares to remember.

The Northern Ireland captain worked under four big names — Kenny Dalglish, Ruud Gullit, Bobby Robson and Graeme Souness — while at Newcastle United.

David O'Leary took him to Aston Villa, before Martin O'Neill sold him to Fulham two years later.

He's now onto his third manager at Craven Cottage, after Roy Hodgson — who replaced Hughes' former international boss Lawrie Sanchez beside the Thames — left Fulham for Liverpool in the summer.

Namesake Mark Hughes is now calling the shots and he can boast a special achievement as the former Manchester United striker goes up against his old club tomorrow.

Of all the players who have gone from working under Sir Alex Ferguson to taking him on as a manager, Hughes is the only one yet to get the better of his old boss — during his days at Blackburn Rovers — and Hughes the manager and Hughes the player would love that to be repeated at Craven Cottage this time having beaten United 2-0 last season.

Hodgson masterminded that triumph, but Cookstown-man Hughes is looking forward with his new boss rather than back to what the old one achieved — even if he is still getting over the Europa League final defeat at the hands of Atletico Madrid in May.

"Not too many of us have had the chance to speak to him (Hodgson) since he moved to Liverpool ,but obviously everyone here wishes him the best. I'm sure he'll do a fantastic job up there," said Hughes.

"I think his (Mark Hughes) approach has been good ever since he arrived.

"Obviously we've been doing well these last couple of years so we don't want to change everything, but there are little things that he thinks he can introduce to improve the side.

"I've been impressed with how training has been and what he's been trying to do, so hopefully we can keep moving forward."

It was no surprise that a bigger club came looking for Hodgson. He lifted Fulham from the doom of being relegation battlers to a team that made Europe sit up and take notice.

They beat the likes of Juventus on their way to the Europa League final, but came up against an in-form Diego Forlan, who scored both extra-time goals for Atletico before going on to be voted the best player at the World Cup.

"Last season was an exceptional season," said Hughes.

"I wouldn't call it a one-off as I'd like to think it could happen again, but it doesn't come along very often.

"It'll stand out in the memories of a lot of people for a long time.

"It was the first time I'd played in a final like that.

"I still haven't got over it to be honest. Every time I see something that reminds me of it I still get that sick feeling.

"Once we get over that horrible feeling that we lost it, it will be something we can be incredibly proud of.

"Getting to a European Final doesn't happen very often, but we enjoyed it and we've got good memories of it.

"You look at the World Cup Final and Spain scored three minutes from the end of extra time. It happens and that was us three months ago, so we know how it feels.

"I'm sure all the lads will get over it in time and when it settles down it will be something to be really proud of."

The challenge for Hughes and his Fulham team-mates — who include his Northern Ireland colleague Chris Baird — is to get back into Europe.

Being sacked in the middle of last season meant that Mark Hughes didn't get any of the credit for Manchester City qualifying for this season's Europa League, but his reputation is still very

much intact and he will be desperate to prove that he is capable of leading teams into Europe.

"It will be hard to better last season, it's a different challenge that lies ahead — obviously we're not in Europe, so the league is the main priority," said Aaron, who will again form a solid backline with Brede Hangeland this season.

"I think the aim has to be another solid league finish. We'd be very happy with that.

"A successful season for us again would be to finish in the top ten. To do that would be a great achievement and I think that's the case every year.

"We've got to look to do what we did the season before and be in that mid-table region for a good, solid finish.

"If we can get anything higher than the top ten then that would be fantastic.

"We know what's brought us success over the last couple of years and what works for us."


Read more: http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sport/football/premiership/aaron-hughes-still-craven-fulham-glory-days-14919648.html#ixzz0xHaRJ1wf

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Murphy: England's loss was United's gain with Scholes

Published 23:00 21/08/10

By Steve Stammers



Danny Murphy ­believes England's loss has been Manchester United's gain when it comes to Paul ­Scholes.

Fulham midfielder ­Murphy may be the man United least want to see at Craven Cottage today – but Murphy would be more than ­happy if ­Scholes was still ­sharpening up from World Cup exertions in South ­Africa.

In his Liverpool days, Murphy was a constant menace to United with a series of winning goals.

He even scored for ­Fulham against them. But to Murphy, the 35-year-old he will be up against is a threat to all opposition.

Murphy, who won nine caps for England, said: "The best comparison for me where Paul ­Scholes is ­concerned is Xavi.

"He does for United what Xavi does for Barcelona and Spain.

"If England had built a team around Scholes... well, we might have done a lot better.

"When Barca are playing well, Xavi is on the ball. When Manchester United are playing well, Scholes is at the hub of it."

Scholes spurned the chance for a ­last-minute call-up and Murphy ­acknowledges that ­Fulham could pay for it.

"He's benefiting from it," said Murphy after watching Scholes's ­mesmeric performance in Monday's 3-0 defeat of ­Newcastle.

"It could be a huge factor in the season that he did not go to the World Cup – but England missed out not having him there.

"England made their own bed. Before, they stuck him on the left and messed him about.

"I don't blame him for his decision about the World Cup.

"Fabio Capello's ­assistant rang him a few days ­before the squad was decided and you don't treat Paul Scholes like that. It was a complete lack of ­respect."

Murphy added: "Paul is such an intelligent ­footballer. You know if you go after him and close him down, he will just play balls around you."

Murphy, who is ­promoting EA SPORTS' FIFA 11, had ­first-hand experience of Scholes's talent during one of the first England training ­sessions.

He said: "We would ­always finish with one- or two-touch games and Paul Scholes and David ­Beckham were outstanding – Scholes especially.

"Paul still has hunger and desire to win.

"When the game is on a ­knife-edge, when you need someone in midfield to get hold of the ball, makes things happen and calm people down in front of a 70,000 or 80,000 crowd in a hostile environment, who would you want more than him?"



Read more: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Danny-Murphy-believes-Paul-Scholes-would-have-given-England-more-of-a-chance-at-the-World-Cup-article560315.html#ixzz0xHj0JOdg
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City to block Given move - Exclusive


Published 23:00 21/08/10

By Simon Mullock


Manchester City are refusing to allow Shay Given to team up with former boss Mark Hughes at Fulham – wrecking Mark Schwarzer's hopes of joining Arsenal.

Given, who flew to Germany after being used as an unused substitute in City's 1-0 Europa League win over

FC Timisoara on Thursday night for specialist treatment on a back problem, is upset at losing his place in Roberto Mancini's side to Joe Hart.

The Republic of Ireland star spoke to Mancini this week and was told that he remains crucial to City's plans. The City boss told him to wait until the transfer window reopens in January before making any decisions about his future.

City's stance could change if Given asks for a transfer.

Schwarzer is wanted by Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger, but Fulham want the Gunners to double their initial £2million offer.



Read more: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Transfer-news-Shay-Given-will-not-be-allowed-to-leave-Manchester-City-meaning-Mark-Schwarzer-s-move-to-Arsenal-may-be-in-jeopardy-article560231.html#ixzz0xHjITMAt
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http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/aug/22/wayne-rooney-fulham-stomach-bug

Wayne Rooney likely to miss Fulham match with stomach bug

• Manchester United do not want infection to spread

• Striker has not travelled to London with the squad

   (14)Tweet this (13)Nick Duxbury

guardian.co.uk, Sunday 22 August 2010 00.01 BST Article history



He has not scored in 18 hours of football and Wayne Rooney will have to wait at least another 90 minutes if he is unable to overcome a stomach bug to play at Fulham today.

The Manchester United striker, who last scored in March and endured a woeful World Cup with England, reported sick at United's training ground yesterday and did not travel with the team to London. The club's medical staff ordered Rooney home, fearing he could pass on the infection to the staff and players.

It is unlikely that Rooney will have recovered sufficiently to join his team-mates today, which will mean a first start for new signing Javier Hernández, who was outstanding in pre-season and replaced Rooney after 63 minutes of United's opening 3-0 win against Newcastle United at Old Trafford.

Rooney's absence will also be a blow for England, with Fabio Capello desperate to see if Sir Alex Ferguson's appraisal that there is nothing fundamentally wrong with the player is correct.

England start their European Championship qualifying campaign against Bulgaria at Wembley a week on Friday.

Rooney found the net 34 times for United last season before his touch deserted him – his last goal came five months ago in the Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich.

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Zamora Backs the Bid


Sunday 22nd August 2010

Fulham FC News





Bobby Zamora supports 'Backing the Bid Week' (August 23-29) by launching British Airways' electronic board in its Galleries lounge in T5.

Hundreds of signatures collected will be replicated on the official aircraft taking the England 2018 Bid to FIFA in December.

Zamora said: "I'm delighted to show my support, along with British Airways and thousands of fans to Back the Bid.

"Football is such a huge part of English culture and after recently winning my first international cap, I'm even more excited at the prospect of welcoming the football world to England.

"It was my dream to pull on the England shirt, and in 2018 I'll be dreaming just like the millions of English fans to see the boys lift the World Cup – what better place to do it than England!"
.

Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/August/ZamoraBackstheBid.aspx#ixzz0xJJe3Ze7

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http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/194754/Bobby-Zamora-is-no-longer-in-Wayne-Rooney-s-shadow-

BOBBY ZAMORA IS NO LONGER IN WAYNE ROONEY'S SHADOW  


Sunday August 22,2010


By Colin Mafham and Neil Fissler 


TWO years ago Wayne Rooney and Bobby Zamora were worlds apart... but not anymore.

Just 11 days after Zamora upstaged the Manchester United star for England against Hungary, Fulham are banking on him doing the same this afternoon.

Zamora's emergence on the international stage is one reason team-mate Aaron Hughes is hopeful that Fulham can complete a third successive victory over Manchester United at Craven Cottage.

Hughes said: "Strikers are judged on goals, which is why a lot of the work Bobby did went a bit unnoticed, but a lot of our good play runs through him. It was great for him to score so many goals last season (19 in 48 games), and he finally got the credit he deserved for the two years' hard work he put in beforehand.

"His England call-up is fully deserved and now we have a top striker at the club as well." But Hughes insists Fulham will not underestimate the threat Rooney poses, even though he has now gone 13 matches for club and country without a goal. The last time he scored was on March 30 in the Champions League quarter-final against Bayern Munich.

"I don't think you can have an easy game against Rooney," said the Irishman. "He is clever enough to do other things that affect you. Look at the runs he makes and his touches that bring others into the game. It's always the way that when you think he's having a bad run he knocks three in.

"You just have to treat him the same as if he had scored 10 goals. He has that hunger to win. What's happened to him happens to all strikers. Before you know where you are, he'll score two a game for two or three games and then he's back again."

One Fulham player who knows the score when it comes to doing well against United is Danny Murphy, who has grabbed five goals against the Old Trafford giants during his career. But Sir Alex Ferguson's side have always posed one problem he has found tough to solve – how to get the better of fellow midfielder Paul Scholes.



   

Murphy will face Scholes again this afternoon but admits he may leave the marking of the United star to a younger team-mate with fewer miles in his legs. "Scholes ran the game against Newcastle the other night and he's the type of player you can't help but admire. He's got such quality," said Murphy.

"Clever players like Scholes are the hardest to play against because you never know what they are going to do. The players who are athletes are a bit more predictable. You know their strengths and what they will do because they don't do anything else. But Scholes has that fl exibility in his game. He can murder you from anywhere. You get after him and he'll keep flicking it around corners all day.

"If you sit off him he'll hurt you with his long-range passing. It just underlines what a good player he is. You can never give him a minute off. You have to be on him all the time, so I might pass him over to someone younger!"

But United know they will also have to keep an eye on 33-year-old Murphy. He has hurt them in the past and is capable of coming up with another match-winning goal today. "United are one of those clubs that have been kind of lucky for me down the years," he said. "I scored against them three times at Liverpool and then twice with Fulham.

"Most players can't say that, I suppose, so I've been quite lucky in that respect."

Danny Murphy appears in EA SPORTS' FIFA 11. FIFA 11 is out on October 1 in all formats. Visit www.youtube.com/easportsfootball to see the unveiling of FIFA 11's latest signing

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http://www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/murphy-not-afraid-to-shoot-from-the-hip-2307322.html

Murphy not afraid to shoot from the hip

Fulham's pass master reveals his deep respect for Paul Scholes and cold contempt for Capello's England, writes Barney Ronay

Sunday August 22 2010

There are certain assumptions that are tempting to make -- and many have -- about Danny Murphy: Fulham captain, Liverpool fan and in recent seasons a renascent force as one of the Premier League's more studied English meddlers.

Chief among these assumptions are that he hates Manchester United (fuelled by unsuccessful teenage trials at Old Trafford, as mentioned on his Wikipedia page and elsewhere); and also that United hate him right back just as vehemently.

It only takes a few moments in Murphy's company ahead of Manchester United's visit this afternoon to Craven Cottage to establish that, in fact, none of this is close to being true. As a teenager Murphy "went round a lot of clubs" but never United. The last time he saw Alex Ferguson ("a lovely, lovely man") they had a long and friendly chat about football; and currently his favourite topic of conversation is the enduring excellence of United's most luxuriously high-spec midfielder, Paul Scholes, not to mention the United man's ongoing mistreatment by successive England managers, including Fabio Capello.

Were he a slightly less lovely man Ferguson would be justified in feeling just a tiny bit irked by the sight of Murphy, who has been a persistent thorn on the pitch. As a Liverpool player he scored the winning goal in 1-0 victories at Old Trafford three times in four seasons between 2000 and 2004. Over the past two seasons he has been at it again, scoring the opening goals in Fulham's refreshingly vibrant 2-0 and 3-0 defeats of the then champions at Craven Cottage.

With Murphy, Chester born but a Liverpool fan since the age of eight when he started going to Anfield with his father, there has always been a suspicion of inspired partisan mischief around such elevated deeds. "It's just a coincidence," he says now, dismissing the issue outright and getting straight back to the main business of a passionate and detailed homage to the gifts of his opposite number this afternoon, gifts already showcased compellingly in United's swatting aside of Newcastle at Old Trafford on Monday night.

"Paul Scholes is just such a talent. He's a genuinely nice man, really unassuming. But when a game's on a knife edge and you need someone in midfield to get hold of it and make things happen in a 70,000-80,000 people hostile environment, who would you want more than him?"

Murphy is something of a connoisseur of the attacking-midfielder-turned deep-lying-prompter role, having spent his 13-year, four-club top-flight career performing a kind of Scholes-understudy role, a peripatetic shadow version of the Premier League's most revered English playmaker. There are similarities between the two players: both were occasionally deployed as a second striker in their youth before retreating into a more reserved central position; both remain artful and precise, always groping for the gently teased killer pass.

There are also obvious differences, and not just in terms of depth and scope of achievement. While Scholes stands alone as the most awkwardly taciturn superstar footballer of the modern era, off the field Murphy is brimful with vinegary opinion and almost alarmingly eloquent, not least when it comes to expressing some criticisms of England's summer World Cup campaign.

"We could have built a team around Scholes. He does a very similar thing to what Xavi does for Barcelona and Spain. They're not exactly the same. Scholes has probably got better long-range passing than Xavi. But every time Manchester United are playing well he's on the ball. He could have made a big difference for England in that role."

It is a vision undimmed by the fact that Scholes entered a self-imposed exile from international football six years and three major tournaments ago. "England made their own bed in that respect. They started playing him on the left and messing him about and he probably thought, 'can I really contribute from here, do I want to be left out of the team when England start experimenting?'

"I didn't blame him for making that decision and I also didn't blame him for not coming back in for the World Cup. Capello's assistant rang him a few days before. You don't treat Paul Scholes like that. It's a complete lack of respect."

At 33 Murphy presumably feels his own midfield talents are some way off being recognised by the current manager (the last of his nine caps came in November 2003) and he is equally scathing of England's tactical set-up during their dismal four-match stay in South Africa.

"If you play 4-4-2 on that stage against the better teams you're going to struggle," he says with the shop-talk fluency of a man who still speaks regularly to his first manager, Dario Gradi, the track-suited tactical doyen of Crewe Alexandra. "It's all very well saying we played it in qualifying. Playing average teams you can play what formation you like, every one of your players on the pitch is better than their players. But you look at teams who have done well in major tournaments and how they played. You can call it 4-3-3, 4-5-1 or 4-4-1-1. One thing's for sure: it's not 4-4-2, is it?"

It was time spent enjoying Roy Hodgson's variations on these more fluid midfield shapes that brought the best out of Murphy during his late-career bloom of the last three Premier League seasons, a period that included his Fulham-folklore headed goal in the last match of the 2007-08 season, a victory that prevented relegation from the Premier League.

Hodgson's departure for Liverpool has prompted a certain amount of wistful talk of a potential late-career return to Anfield for a player who remains a crowd favourite, perhaps as much for his own unapologetic fandom as his successes during a seven-year spell at the club that reached a high water mark with 47 appearances and 10 goals during the 2000-01 season, when Liverpool won the League Cup, FA Cup and UEFA Cup.

If this seems unlikely, Hodgson's departure has raised other more immediate questions. Today's game is only Fulham's second under Mark Hughes, but Murphy believes the new manager will continue to adopt the kind of patient, passing game that has also allowed fellow mercurial semi-veteran talents Damien Duff and Zoltan Gera to shine.

"We won't change in that respect. He [Hughes] wants us to play. He certainly doesn't want us going out there and whacking it. Off the ball maybe we're trying to win it a bit higher up the pitch, maybe take a few more risks. With Roy we tended to drop off more and fill in the gaps. It might make us a little bit vulnerable but it might make us score more goals, too."

Not that Fulham fans will be expecting anything too adventurous this afternoon, as Murphy admits: "You've got to play to your absolute maximum and hope they have an off day. But we're no mugs. We can dig in and fight and make ourselves hard to beat. We'll go out there and give it a damn good go."

Fulham fans -- and maybe even, in spite of it all, Liverpool ones too -- would expect nothing less.

Observer

Sunday Independent

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http://www.people.co.uk/sport/football/news/2010/08/22/stay-given-keeper-rages-as-manchester-city-insist-he-s-going-nowhere-102039-22504401/

Stay Given: Keeper rages as Manchester City insist he's going nowhere


Aug 22 2010


By Alan Nixon, The People

MANCHESTER CITY have blocked Shay Given from leaving Eastlands.

The dramatic move by City will leave the Republic of Ireland keeper fuming and disappoint the three clubs chasing him.

Given, 34, is desperate for first-team football and Celtic were keen to take him on a loan deal immediately, leading the hunt ahead of Fulham and Arsenal.

But the SPL giants will have to wait until the next window for Given, whose exit is being blocked by Brian Marwood, the City wheeeler-dealer who insists he cannot move anywhere.

Friends of the Irishman say he will 'explode' at the news and cause City the kind of major headaches they suffered from Craig Bellamy and Stephen Ireland.

Celtic boss Neil Lennon is desperate to get Given on board and the Parkhead club know the former Newcastle star is interested in a move.

Given is a Celtic fan, played for the club as a kid and has a Glasgow-born wife.

He was hoping to have the final say in the move and there was optimism that he would head over the border.

But now Given faces a few months of watching England No.1 Joe Hart perform before looking at his position again in the New Year.

Given made no secret of his interest in moving out, but City feel they are better with him in their squad and have turned down several approaches for potential replacement goalkeepers.

It is a crushing blow for Given, but there is little he can do and he will just have to knuckle down and pray City have a change of heart after Christmas.

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http://www.people.co.uk/sport/football/news/2010/08/22/danny-murphy-rants-at-fabio-capello-you-messed-with-paul-scholes-and-ran-wayne-rooney-into-ground-102039-22504339/


Danny Murphy rants at Fabio Capello: You messed Paul Scholes about!

Aug 22 2010

By Dean Jones, The People


Danny Murphy has blasted England boss Fabio Capello, claiming he showed a complete lack of respect towards Paul Scholes.

Former England midfield man Murphy, who skippers Fulham against Manchester United today, claims Old Trafford hero Scholes has been mistreated by the national boss.

Murphy insists:

● Capello deserves all he got for messing about Scholes.

● England should have built their team around Scholes like Spain did with Xavi.

● Capello wrecked Wayne Rooney's World Cup chances by running England's players into the ground before the ­tournament.

Scholes, 35, has started the season in sensational style with outstanding performances against Chelsea in the Community Shield win at Wembley and the 3-0 Premier League defeat of Newcastle on Monday.

But Capello did not ­approach him about a place at the World Cup until the 11th hour. And Scholes, who ­retired from international football in 2004, would not budge.

Murphy said: "Scholes is such an ­intelligent player and when a game is on a knife-edge he can calm people down in a ­hostile environment.

"England lost out on him, but they made their own bed in that respect.

"They messed him about and I don't blame him for making that initial decision to retire – and I also don't blame him for not ­coming back into the World Cup.

"Capello's assistant rung him a couple of days before they announced the squad ... but you don't treat Paul Scholes like that. Anyone knows that. It's a complete lack of ­respect.

"But I do think that if he had gone he could have made a big difference for us. The best comparison you can give him is that he does a very ­similar job to Xavi for ­Barcelona and Spain.

"And if we had built our team around Scholes, who knows? We missed out there and he's probably benefiting from it physically now. It will be a huge factor in the season for Manchester United."

Murphy has nine ­international caps and has faced Scholes many times over the years for Liverpool, Spurs and Fulham.

He said: "One of the first times I remember him was in an England squad ­early on. I looked up to him and David Beckham. We'd play one and two-touch games in training and those two were streets ahead, especially Scholes.

''The fact he has maintained such a humility in the way he conducts himself over all those years of success is a credit to him."

Quick to stand up in support of Scholes, Murphy is also wary of the criticism that has headed in the direction of Wayne Rooney in recent times.

The forward has not scored competitively for club or country since March, but Murphy ­realises that can change very quickly and has used Capello's failings to try to ­explain the current troubles of his Scouse counterpart.

Murphy said: "If you take the end of the last season and the number of games Rooney played on top of that injury he got, it was always going to be difficult to maintain his ­scoring rate.

"Obviously the World Cup was highlighted but that was only four games.

"And if you play 4-4-2 on that stage, as England did, you are always going to struggle.

"I also heard that in Austria ­before the tournament the lads got run stupid.

''If you are ­running players into the ground when they have had long ­seasons in the Premier League ... well, you have to realise it's not like other leagues.

''They need a breather ­because there is no league like it. It's so fast and physical."

Murphy, 33, has extra ­motivation to derail United's early-season momentum. He is a diehard Liverpool fan and has an impressive record against United – including goals against them in ­successive wins at Craven Cottage over the past two seasons.

And he is adamant there could still be an upset around the corner under Fulham's new boss Mark Hughes.

He said: "It's a challenge – we all have points to prove. We are not mugs.

"The great thing about the Cottage is it's tight and ­narrow, and you can get after teams. We've beaten a lot of the big teams in the last couple of years – including United – and it is a great place to play.

"And I do have a good record against United.

''The United fans probably hate me, but all I can do is take that as a compliment."

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http://www.people.co.uk/sport/football/news/2010/08/22/sir-alex-ferguson-gives-fulham-boss-hughes-full-marks-for-his-job-at-manchester-city-102039-22504344/

Sir Alex Ferguson gives Fulham boss Hughes full Marks for his job at Manchester City


Aug 22 2010

By Steve Bates, The People


SIR ALEX FERGUSON has defended the job Mark Hughes did at Manchester City.

Manchester United manager Ferguson faces new Fulham boss Hughes at Craven Cottage today – and has every sympathy for the way his former striker was dumped by City.

He said: "I spoke to Mark last Monday at the manager's meeting in London and I think he is philosophical about what happened.

"Mark's got enough experience to know these things happen and it sums him up that he said it wasn't the owners who appointed him who sacked him. It's the same as a manager going into a club and wanting to bring in their own coaches.

"Mark's done that at Fulham and it's the scenario that happens every time a manager goes to a new job.

"I'm sure he was disappointed more than hurt at City because it seemed he was in line for where they ended up in fifth place, for instance.

"Roberto Mancini's done a good job but Mark was doing a good one himself.

"New owners want to have their own person in so I think that's got more to do with it, not necessarily his performance. But I am sure he will do well at Fulham.

"He's got a good squad. The back four are all solid, in midfield he has the experience of Danny Murphy, who is young enough to play for a few seasons yet, and up front they've got Gera and Zamora. He's taken over a good club."

Meanwhile, Ferguson has insisted that Dimitar Berbatov will prove his critics wrong.

The Bulgaria striker, 29, has suffered constant sniping that he has not lived up to expectations since his £30million move from Tottenham two years ago, and there were rumours that United were ready to sell him. But Ferguson dismissed that notion out of hand and, with Berbatov in scintillating early-season form, said: "When we sign a player for a lot of money, there's a huge expectation.

"But Dimitar has got good belief in himself and a strong confidence in his ability. If you've got that confidence and you can express it then there's not a lot wrong with you. He does that in every game.

"His control, balance and vision in the game is excellent.

"We just want him to carry on because we are pleased with him and his contribution."

Berbatov's goal against Newcastle on Monday was his 28th in 88 games for United, but Ferguson said his overall contribution was of greater value to the team than simply goals.

He said: "Last season, I could point to a lot of games in which he played very well. He has got great talent and he remains here – there's no question about that."

Berbatov has quit international football and Ferguson believes the striker's desire to be a big-hitter at Old Trafford has never been stronger.

"Dimitar wants to succeed here and maybe giving up playing for Bulgaria is one of the reasons. He's beaten their goalscoring record and caps total, so maybe he feels he wants to concentrate on his club career.

"Paul Scholes quit at his age and we have seen the benefits that can bring in terms of a player prolonging their club career and improving their performances."

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http://www.people.co.uk/sport/football/news/2010/08/21/arsene-wenger-gives-up-his-summer-long-pursuit-of-fulham-keeper-mark-schwarzer-102039-22504540/


Arsene Wenger gives up his summer-long pursuit of Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer


Aug 21 2010

By Dean Jones, The People


Arsene Wenger is ready to give up on signing keeper Mark Schwarzer.

The Gunners have gone back to Fulham with a £2million offer, the same bid they made when Roy Hodgson was in charge.

New Fulham boss Mark Hughes is desperate to keep Schwarzer, though, and may get his wish.

Wenger said: "We will never force anybody to sell a player. If we make an offer, the club says yes or no. It may not be enough, but when another regime comes in, you make an offer that is the same."

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http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11681_6329141,00.html

Hughes backs keeper switch


Fulham defender does not begrudge keeper a move


Last updated: 22nd August 2010   


Aaron Hughes understands why Fulham team-mate Mark Schwarzer is hoping to join Arsenal before the transfer window closes.

The Gunners have tried to land the veteran Australia international from Craven Cottage this summer without success.

Their £2million offer has been rejected by Fulham's hierarchy as they are not looking to loose their number one shot-stopper just weeks into the new season.

Hughes, though, knows it is a great opportunity for Schwarzer to play for one of the Premier League's top four clubs, even though Mark Hughes' side would be weakened by his potential departure.

"It's a great opportunity for him," said Hughes.

Fantastic
"It's not often you get the chance to go and play for one of the top four teams in the country, especially when you're down to the last few years of your career.

"You can understand why Arsenal want to take him and why it's important for him. If he went we'd miss him, but we wish him well. It's a fantastic opportunity."

Aaron Hughes believes Schwarzer has been one of the Premier's League best keepers in recent seasons and that much of the club's success under ex-boss Roy Hodgson was down to the shot-stopper.

"Mark has been one of the top three keepers in the league for the last two years," he continued. "He's been very important to us.

"Some of his saves kept us in games. Sometimes if you have a successful season it's harder afterwards and you almost find yourselves hanging onto your players rather than trying to build on your success."

[White Noise]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/aug/22/danny-muprhy-interview-fulham-united


Danny Murphy full of respect for Paul Scholes - unlike Fabio Capello

Danny Murphy says that England, and their 'disrespectful' manager, missed a big chance in the World Cup


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Barney Ronay The Observer, Sunday 22 August 2010



There are certain assumptions it is tempting to make – and many have – about Danny Murphy, the Fulham captain, Liverpool fan and in recent seasons a renascent force as one of the Premier League's more studied English meddlers. Chief among these assumptions are that he hates Manchester United (fuelled by unsuccessful teenage trials at Old Trafford, as mentioned on his Wikipedia page and elsewhere); and also that United hate him right back just as vehemently.

It only takes a few moments in Murphy's company ahead of Manchester United's visit this afternoon to Craven Cottage to establish that, in fact, none of this is close to being true. As a teenager Murphy "went round a lot of clubs" but never United. The last time he saw Sir Alex Ferguson ("a lovely, lovely man") they had a long and very friendly chat about football; and currently his favourite topic of conversation is the enduring excellence of United's most luxuriously high-spec midfielder, Paul Scholes, not to mention the United man's ongoing mistreatment by successive England managers, including Fabio Capello.

Were he a slightly less lovely man, Ferguson would be justified in feeling just a tiny bit irked by the sight of Murphy, who has been a persistent thorn on the pitch. As a Liverpool player he scored the winning goal in 1–0 victories at Old Trafford three times in four seasons between 2000 and 2004. Over the past two seasons he has been at it again, scoring the opening goals in Fulham's refreshingly vibrant 2-0 and 3-0 defeats of the then champions at Craven Cottage.

With Murphy, Chester born but a Liverpool fan since the age of eight when he started going to Anfield with his father, there has always been a suspicion of inspired partisan mischief around such elevated deeds. "It's just a coincidence," he says now, dismissing the issue outright and getting straight back to the main business of a passionate and detailed homage to the gifts of his opposite number this afternoon, gifts already showcased compellingly in United's Scholes-inspired swatting aside of Newcastle at Old Trafford on Monday.

"Paul Scholes is just such a talent. He's a genuinely nice man, really unassuming. But when a game's on a knife edge and you need someone in midfield to get hold of it and make things happen in a 70,000-80,000 people hostile environment, who would you want more than him?"

Murphy is something of a connoisseur of the attacking-midfielder-turned deep-lying-prompter role, having spent his 13-year, four-club top-flight career performing a kind of Scholes-understudy role, a peripatetic shadow version of the Premier League's most revered English playmaker. There are similarities between the two players: both were occasionally deployed as a second striker in their youth before retreating into a more reserved central position; both remain artful and precise, always groping for the gently teased killer pass.

There are also obvious differences, and not just in terms of depth and scope of achievement. While Scholes stands alone as the most awkwardly taciturn superstar footballer of the modern era, off the field Murphy is brimful with vinegary opinion and almost alarmingly eloquent, not least when it comes to expressing some related criticisms of England's summer World Cup campaign.

"We could have built a team around Scholes. He does a very similar thing to what Xavi does for Barcelona and Spain. They're not exactly the same. Scholes has probably got better long-range passing than Xavi. But every time Manchester United are playing well he's on the ball. He could have made a big difference for England in that role."

It is a vision undimmed by the fact that Scholes entered a self-imposed exile from international football six years and three major tournaments ago. "England made their own bed in that respect. They started playing him on the left and messing him about and he probably thought, can I really contribute from here, do I want to be left out of the team when England start experimenting? I didn't blame him for making that decision and I also didn't blame him for not coming back in for the World Cup. Capello's assistant rang him a few days before. You don't treat Paul Scholes like that. It's a complete lack of respect."


At 33, Murphy presumably feels his own midfield talents are some way off being recognised by the current manager (the last of his nine caps came in November 2003) and he is equally scathing of England's tactical set-up during their dismal four-match stay in South Africa.

"If you play 4-4-2 on that stage against the better teams you're going to struggle," he says with the shop-talk fluency of a man who still speaks regularly to his first manager, Dario Gradi, the track-suited tactical doyen of Crewe Alexandra. "It's all very well saying we played it in qualifying. Playing average teams you can play what formation you like, every one of your players on the pitch is better than their players. But you look at teams who have done well in major tournaments and how they played. You can call it 4-3-3, 4-5-1 or 4-4-1‑1. One thing's for sure. It's not 4-4-2 is it?"

It was time spent enjoying Roy Hodgson's variations on these more fluid midfield shapes that brought the best out of Murphy during his late-career bloom of the last three Premier League seasons, a period that included his Fulham-folklore headed goal in the last match of the 2007-08 season, a victory that prevented relegation from the Premier League.

Hodgson's departure for Liverpool has prompted a certain amount of wistful talk of a potential late-career return to Anfield for a player who remains a crowd favourite, perhaps as much for his own unapologetic fandom as his successes during a seven-year spell at the club that reached a high-water mark with 47 appearances and 10 goals during the 2000-01 season, when Liverpool won the League Cup, FA Cup and Uefa Cup.

If this seems unlikely, Hodgson's departure has raised other more immediate questions. Today's game is only Fulham's second under Mark Hughes, but Murphy believes the new manager will continue to adopt the kind of patient, passing game that has also allowed fellow mercurial semi-veteran talents Damien Duff and Zoltan Gera to shine.

"We won't change in that respect. He [Hughes] wants us to play. He certainly doesn't want us going out there and whacking it. Off the ball maybe we're trying to win it a bit higher up the pitch, maybe take a few more risks. With Roy we tended to drop off more and fill in the gaps. It might make us a little bit vulnerable but it might make us score more goals, too."

Not that Fulham fans will be expecting anything too adventurous this afternoon, as Murphy admits: "You've got to play to your absolute maximum and hope they have an off day. But we're no mugs. We can dig in and fight and make ourselves hard to beat. We'll go out there and give it a damn good go." Fulham fans – and maybe even, in spite of it all, Liverpool ones too – would expect nothing less.

[WhiteJC]

http://www.metro.co.uk/sport/838708-fulham-v-manchester-united-key-battles-hangeland-v-berbatov-zamora-v-vidic-duff-v-evra?
Fulham v Manchester United key battles: Hangeland v Berbatov, Zamora v Vidic, Duff v Evra
New Fulham boss Mark Hughes will be hoping to mark his first home match with victory over his former club Manchester United. Key battles in the game include Brede Hangeland v Dimitar Berbatov, Bobby Zamora v Nemanja Vidic and Damien Duff v Patrice Evra.

Team news
The Cottagers may welcome back Liverpool target Paul Konchesky after he missed the opening day 0-0 draw at Bolton Wanderers, but Mark Schwarzer is still struggling with a back problem.

New signing Moussa Dembele, a £5 million arrival from AZ Alkmaar, is likely to start on the bench, despite Andy Johnson's long-term knee problem.

Manchester United, looking to build on Monday's comfortable 3-0 win over Newcastle United, are likely to be without Wayne Rooney, who has a stomach bug.

Sir Alex Ferguson must decide whether to bring in Javier Hernandez or Michael Owen to partner Berbatov, or to use the Bulgarian as a lone striker

Brede Hangeland v Dimitar Berbatov
Hangeland's physical presence and coolness in possession helped him to enjoy a fine 2009-10 season and attract admiring glances from Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger.

However, he faces a testing afternoon against Berbatov, who carried his outstanding pre-season form into the Red Devils' opener against Newcastle.

His movement and link-up play gave the Magpies' defence endless problems and a similar display at Craven Cottage could leave Hangeland chasing shadows.

Bobby Zamora v Nemanja Vidic
After finally making his England debut at the age of 29, Zamora will be looking to prove that last season's form was not a one off.

His combination of pace, movement and ability in the air make Zamora one of the toughest forwards to mark in the Premier League, but he will be up against one of the best defenders.

Vidic is unlikely to be concerned about Zamora's physical presence or aerial threat, but could be troubled if the Cottagers striker is given space to run at him.

Damien Duff v Patrice Evra
Duff may lack the pace of his Blackburn Rovers days, but given time and space he remains one of the best crossers of the ball in the Premier League.

However, he faces the prospect of an afternoon of defensive work as Evra will look to push forward at every opportunity.
Evra's attacking raids regularly create chances for United, but they also leave space for teams to hit them on the break and Fulham will look to exploit those gaps.

[WhiteJC]

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11681_6329236,00.html?
Hangeland has no exit plans
Centre-half still enjoying life at Craven Cottage

Brede Hangeland has reiterated his commitment to Fulham, insisting that he is perfectly happy at the club.

The Norwegian centre-half has established quite a reputation since arriving at Craven Cottage in January 2008, leading to inevitable speculation regarding his future.

Arsenal and Liverpool are believed to be among his many admirers, with potential big-money moves often touted.

Hangeland, though, refuses to read too much into the speculation and continues to remain fully focused on his duties at Fulham.
He is enjoying life with the capital club and insists he has no reason to leave while he is playing regularly and maintaining a high level of performance.

"Some people in football are too keen to move on all the time," Hangeland told The Sunday Times.

"When you come to a club and think, 'This is a nice place, good people, good fans, doing well', those should be reasons to stay."

Change

Fulham's recent success, including last season's run to the Europa League final, has also helped to convince Hangeland that the Cottagers can help him to fulfil his ambitions.

Highly-rated coach Roy Hodgson may have moved on to Liverpool this summer but, with Mark Hughes drafted in as his successor, the outlook still appears to be bright on the banks of the Thames.

"Apart from changing clubs, the biggest change you can experience is a new manager," added Hangeland.

"It's a new start for everyone, you have to be on your toes and take on board new ideas and I'm looking forward to the new season.

"Training is different. Under Roy Hodgson we did a lot on team shape and organisation whereas now we do more 4 v 4s, small-sided games - proper football sessions, some might say.

"It was important to get a big manager because we did so well under Hodgson and it's good the club showed it intends achieving more."

[HatterDon]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/aug/22/danny-muprhy-interview-fulham-united


Danny Murphy full of respect for Paul Scholes - unlike Fabio Capello

Danny Murphy says that England, and their 'disrespectful' manager, missed a big chance in the World Cup


   

So the gist of this is that if Capello had called Scholes himself, Paul would have accepted a slot in South Africa.

Well, I may be an interfering Yank here, but if you're so indifferent to the fortunes of your national team that you stamp your feet and refuse to help out because "an underling" asked instead of His Italianess, then

WHO NEEDS YA, YA SELF-IMPORTANT GIT?

"I'll only play for the three lions if Fabio asks me personally, and then in the form of a rhyming Valentine." What a special one idiot.