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Sunday Fulham Stuff (07.02.10)

Started by White Noise, February 06, 2010, 06:49:11 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

White Noise

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/f/fulham/8502031.stm?

Manchester United move down to Roy Hodgson - Smalling  

Smalling has only made three Premier League starts for Fulham

Fulham defender Chris Smalling says he has manager Roy Hodgson to thank for his dream move to Manchester United.

The 20-year-old, who will join United this summer, was playing for non-league Maidstone until Hodgson brought him to Craven Cottage in July 2008.

"It's all down to the coaches and how well Roy Hodgson and Billy McKinlay have brought me up over the years," Smalling told BBC London 94.9.

"To have a manager like him show faith in you, it just gives me confidence."

Smalling was not used to full-time training until he joined the Cottagers.

"I was only training a few times a week at Maidstone," he said.

But after a meteoric rise at Fulham, which has seen Smalling make 10 appearances this season, including four starts in the Europa League, the young defender is thrilled to be moving to Old Trafford next season.

"To be mentioned with Manchester United and for Sir Alex Ferguson to take an interest in how I've been doing this season is a dream come true," he continued.

"I'm just going to go there, work hard and repay that faith they have shown in me."

Despite his excitement, Smalling knows he has to concentrate on finishing the season with Fulham.

"I think it is very flattering, but now I'm trying to take it all in my stride and carry on from where I left off," he added.

"Every time I step on the field I try my hardest and give 100% and hopefully I can carry that on when I join them."


White Noise

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/8493719.stm


Bolton   0 - 0   Fulham


By Jamie Lillywhite 



There was little thoughtful play on offer at the Reebok Stadium
Bolton dropped to one place off the bottom three after failing to break down Fulham in a goalless encounter.

Mark Davies saw a shot diverted on to the crossbar, one of a number of vital saves by Fulham keeper Mark Schwarzer.

The closest the visitors came was when Nicky Shorey's free-kick was deflected on to the roof of the net.

In the final moments, Bolton's Johan Elmander shot wide when clean through, while Kevin Davies harshly had a goal ruled out for an alleged push.

The omens were there before the game, Bolton having won only two of their last 13 and Fulham none of their last 11 away games.

But the fact that Bolton had only one clean sheet in their last 24 and Fulham had lost their last four on their travels suggested goals would come.

The visitors looked rather threadbare in attack, however, with Andy Johnson out for the season and Bobby Zamora suffering from illness.

David Elm, starting his first league match of the season, might have done better with an early chance when Jonathan Greening's corner fell to him at the far post but at full stretch he could only divert over the top.


Roy Hodgson delighted to hold back Bolton
Fulham offered some guile through the midfield but it was the more forceful Bolton who had the better opportunities.

Sam Ricketts flicked a Matt Taylor free-kick straight at Schwarzer, who also blocked a Fabrice Muamba effort, the ball ricocheting to Mark Davies, who was unable to bring it under control.

Davies was involved again when the ball fell invitingly to him from a knockdown by namesake Kevin but his fierce shot struck Schwarzer's ankle, then the bar before flying away to safety.

Bolton failed to establish any momentum at the start of the second period despite the exhortations of their supporters, who understandably became exasperated by their side's lack of invention.


606: DEBATE
Fulham offered nothing to the game whatsoever but we didn't deserve the three points either (despite Davies scoring a perfectly good goal at the end)

Jimbo
The Trotters continued to press, however, and Tamir Cohen threaded a neat pass through to Chung Yong Lee, only for Schwarzer to claw the ball away from the Korean midfielder.

Having lost three of their last four matches Bolton's need was greater than mid-table Fulham, and they roused themselves to dominate the final quarter of the contest.

After working the ball across the Fulham defensive line, Muamba arrived with perfect timing but did not connect properly with his volley and it went wide.

The final five minutes produced more excitement than the rest of the match put together, and Kevin Davies slipped an astute pass to find Elmander, who should have done better.


Coyle questions disallowed goal
Then in the final minute of normal time Kevin Davies, making his 500th league appearance, looked to have taken all three points when he headed Lee's corner powerfully into the top corner.

Referee Mark Clattenberg thought otherwise, to the dismay of the home contingent, decided that the veteran striker had pushed Brede Hangeland when leaping above the defender.



--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Bolton manager Owen Coyle:

"I think it is fair to say we certainly didn't get what we deserved from the game.

"I can't be evasive - we have scored a very good goal in the game. Everyone in the stadium knew it was a goal, bar one man.

"That is hard to take, that leaves a bad taste in the mouth. It was clearly a terrific goal. The referee has deemed Kevin has pushed the defender with two hands. I knew at the time there was no contact and I've seen the re-run - certainly not any two hands that I've seen.

"Every point is a good point in the Premier League but the galling thing is we were deserving of three."

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson:

"They had by far the better goal chances in the game but we have got a very good goalkeeper and a resilient, hard-working and determined team.

"I congratulate the referee on the strength of his decision and having watched the video I think Brede was just about to head the ball when he felt the push.

"Of course I don't think you'd expect me to say anything other than it was a good decision and I don't think I'll be expecting Owen Coyle to say anything other than, 'We was robbed'.

"But I don't think in 2010 we have had an awful lot of luck with decisions and deflections and things like that."

White Noise

http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2010/feb/06/bolton-wanderers-fulham-premier-league?


Bolton miss out after Kevin Davies's last-minute strike is overruled

David Hopps at the Reebok Stadium

guardian.co.uk,

Saturday 6 February 2010 17.27 GMT


The Bolton midfielder, Mark Davies, left, fends off the tackle of Fulham's Danny Murphy. Photograph: Andrew Couldridge/Action Images

looked to have grabbed victory for Bolton in the last minute only for the referee, Mark Clattenburg, to rule out his close-range header from Lee Chung-Yong's free kick because of a push. It looked harsh – a decision given largely on Davies' reputation.

At least it will give Bolton's manager, Owen Coyle, something to get angry about, because so far the statistics do not quite stack up. Coyle satisfied local rivalries when Bolton overturned his old club, Burnley, but he has had a daunting start and Arsenal, twice, and Liverpool proved too strong.

A stalemate against Fulham, who tend to approach away matches as daintily as a course in flower arranging, is the most disappointing yet.

If Bolton had produced such a nondescript display under Gary Megson, the protests would have rained down. As it is, Coyle is still seen a saviour. They are so furious over his departure down the road in Burnley that he must be a prize catch. Mustn't he?

Bolton's lumbering striker, Johan Elmander, should have also won it for Bolton in the last minute, but put through by Kevin Davies, he shot wide.

Fulham will be happier with this stalemate. Already short of strikers they lost Bobby Zamora, their top scorer, to illness so David Elm made his first Premier League start of the season; Greter Steinsson was a last-minute withdrawal because of illness for Bolton.

The match ambled along inconsequentially for 24 minutes, at which point Matt Taylor's free kick from the right did at least allow Sam Ricketts's header to give Mark Schwarzer a gentle catch.

Bolton gradually took control and, in the last six minutes of the half, twice came close to taking the lead. First, ­Fabrice Muamba forced his way past Murphy and his deflected drive fell to Mark Davies, who Bolton could not touch it past Mark Schwarzer. Then Bolton came even closer, Mark Davies's shot skidding off Schwarzer's legs and against the foot of his right-hand post. Davies should have buried it.

Only in the last 20 minutes did Bolton briefly lift the crowd's mood. Tamir Cohen's little chip on the edge of the area gave Lee a chance to skip around the goalkeeper, but he got a strong hand to the ball and Fulham survived.


White Noise

#3
http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/match/1350887

Bolton Wanderers v Fulham

Match Facts

Saturday 6 February 2010 15.00

  Score line 
Final score  Bolton Wanderers  0 – 0 (HT 0 – 0)  Fulham 
Bolton Wanderers's Percentage Fulham's Percentage
Corners 2 28%  5 72% 
On target 8 100%  0 0% 
Fouls 9 39%  14 61% 
Offside 1 50%  1 50% 
Bolton Wanderers Jussi Jaaskelainen, Paul Robinson, Zat Knight, Sam Ricketts, Andy O'Brien, A (Chris Basham, 64), Fabrice Muamba, Matt Taylor (Vladimir Weiss, 71), Mark Davies, M (Johan Elmander, 57), Tamir Cohen, Chung-Yong Lee, Kevin Davies, K 
Fulham Mark Schwarzer, Brede Hangeland, Chris Baird, Nicky Shorey, Aaron Hughes, Danny Murphy, Damien Duff, Jonathan Greening, Kagisho Dikgacoi (Dickson Etuhu, 55), Erik Nevland (Chris Smalling, 76), David Elm (Stefano Chuka Okaka, 76) 
Referee Clattenburg, M
Venue Reebok Stadium
Attendance 22,289

White Noise

Bolton 0 Fulham 0: Davies denied 500th celebration as Hodgson's men hang on

By Sportsmail Reporter

Last updated at 5:31 PM on 06th February 2010


Kevin Davies had a late winner disallowed as struggling Bolton missed the chance to beat out-of-form Fulham this afternoon.
 
The Trotters captain saw his last-minute header ruled out for a push in a dramatic end to a dreary Barclays Premier League clash at the Reebok Stadium. 

Moments earlier the much-maligned Johan Elmander had also spurned a glorious opportunity by shooting wide when well placed.   

In the first half Mark Davies saw a shot deflected onto the woodwork by Mark Schwarzer but otherwise the game lacked inspiration.   

Both sides badly needed a cutting edge and Fulham could have done without the loss of their top goalscorer Bobby Zamora for the fixture.   

Fresh from learning Andrew Johnson could miss the rest of the season through injury, Fulham suffered another attacking blow as Zamora succumbed to injury.

The former West Ham forward was conspicuous by his absence as Fulham, searching for form despite ending a five-game losing streak in midweek, looked toothless with Erik Nevland and David Elm up front.   

But that no doubt came as a relief to Bolton as manager Owen Coyle was forced to make two changes to his rearguard.   

Andy O'Brien was brought in after Gary Cahill suffered a shoulder injury while Gretar Steinsson pulled out ill after being named on the teamsheet and was replaced by Paul Robinson.
 
The tone for a laboured affair was set early on and it took 10 minutes for either side to create even a half-chance. 

That fell Fulham's way when a corner reached Elm at the back post but the outstretched Swede stabbed over. 

Kevin Davies, making his 500th league appearance, tried his luck from distance for Bolton but Aaron Hughes blocked.   

The hosts' first serious opportunity came after 19 minutes when Mark Davies teed up a volley for Tamir Cohen but the Israeli sliced over.   

Bolton tested Schwarzer for the first time midway through the first half when a curling Matt Taylor free-kick was met by the head of Sam Ricketts but the goalkeeper was not troubled.   
Fulham found an opening soon after as Kagisho Dikgacoi got forward and shot from 25 yards but his low effort missed the target.   

Yet such was the lack of incident it was almost half-time before either side threatened again.   

A powerful run by Fabrice Muamba pushed Fulham back but his shot was deflected into the path of Mark Davies, and he in turn was unable to make the most of an unexpected opportunity.   

Mark Davies almost made up for that two minutes before the break as Bolton created a gilt-edged opportunity out of keeping with what had gone before. 

Lee Chung-yong's ball was nodded down by Kevin Davies and Mark Davies' first-time shot was deflected by Schwarzer onto the woodwork and clear.   

It was a rare moment of quality and the second half began at a familiar pedestrian pace.

Fulham were forced into a change after 55 minutes when Dikgacoi limped off. Dickson Etuhu was sent on in his place.   

Taylor shot into the wall from a free-kick and Mark Davies was withdrawn soon after as Bolton attempted to add firepower by introducing Elmander.
 
Taylor had their next opportunity with a volley that was comfortably dealt with by Schwarzer while a Kevin Davies effort also failed to trouble the keeper.   

At the other end Jussi Jaaskelainen could not claim a Jonathan Greening cross but no Fulham players were on hand to pounce.   

The substitution that really threatened to change the game was made by Bolton as on-loan Manchester City youngster Vladimir Weiss was sent on with 20 minutes remaining.   

The Slovakian immediately got into the action and cut inside from the left but his shot was deflected over for a corner.   

Fulham's on-loan player, Nicky Shorey, attempted to break the deadlock from a late free-kick but his curling effort was deflected narrowly over.
 
Remarkably the game burst into life in the final three minutes as Kevin Davies played Elmander through on goal but the striker contrived to shoot wide from six yards.
 
Bolton summoned up another late rally but Kevin Davies' firm header from Lee's corner was adjudged to have come after a push by the home skipper. 


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1248987/Bolton-0-Fulham-0-Davies-denied-500th-celebration-Hodgsons-men-hang-on.html?ITO=1490#ixzz0emzxOIRX

White Noise

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/leagues/premierleague/7173718/Bolton-Wanderers-0-Fulham-0-match-report.html?


Bolton Wanderers 0 Fulham 0: match report


Read a full match report of the Premier League game between Bolton Wanderers and Fulham at the Reebok Stadium on Saturday Feb 6 2010.

By Bruce Maxwell

Published: 5:45PM GMT 06 Feb 2010


Johan Elmander and referee Mark Clattenburg conspired to continue the relegation concerns for Bolton Wanderers and their new manager Owen Coyle in an otherwise uneventful goalless draw with Fulham at the Reebok Stadium.

Swede Elmander, signed for £10 million by former manager Gary Megson, was played clean through by Kevin Davies in the 87th minute only to steer his shot wide before Clattenburg ruled out Davies' 89th minute "goal" from a corner for a push by the Bolton forward.

Manchester United go top after Bolton winA drab first half only really came to life in its concluding five minutes as the home side finally carved out a couple of chances, both falling to midfielder Mark Davies.

In the 40th minute, Fabrice Muamba's shot was deflected into the path of Davies who failed to make clean contact on the ball and only succeeding in guiding the ball to Mark Schwarzer.

The closest the first half would come to a goal followed three minutes later with the same Bolton midfielder involved.

This time, Chung-Yong Lee's ball found the head of target man Kevin Davies who took advantage of Brede Hangeland's slip and nodded down for his namesake.

Mark Davies struck a fierce shot on target, forcing Schwarzer into a superb reflex block that turned the ball onto the bar.

Similarly, the second half took a long time to generate much interest, the arrival of Bolton substitute Vladimir Weiss, on loan from

Manchester City, providing a large impetus for the home team's attacking play, at least.

First, Tamir Cohen and Lee exchanged passes at the end of a flowing Bolton move, the former advancing and only being halted when Schwarzer saved at his feet. Then Slovakian winger Weiss cut in from the left for a crisp shot that deflected just over the Fulham goal.

Nicky Shorey's free kick for the visitors took a similar deflection over the Bolton crossbar and substitute Stefano Okaka steered a tame header at Jussi Jaaskelainen as the game continued in stalemate.


White Noise

Cox volleyed in his eight goal of the season from eight yards and but for an 84th minute penalty save by home keeper David Stockdale, on loan from Fulham, Albion may have won by a larger margin.

Stockdale – who had already brilliantly denied Bednar in the 36th minute following a superb breakaway attack, instigated by man of the match Cox – guessed the right way to deny Dorrans from the spot after David McNamee had fouled fellow substitute Luke Moore.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1249034/Plymouth-Argyle-0-West-Brom-1-Three-wins-games-gives-Albions-promotion-hopes-boost.html#ixzz0en2rn1ih

White Noise

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11681_5922313,00.html?

Hodgson happy with his week


Cottagers boss happy with Reebok point


Last updated: 6th February 2010   

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson is pleased that his side have got their season back on track this week.

The Cottagers had lost five consecutive Premier League games prior to beating Portsmouth and drawing with Bolton.

Fulham were far from their best in Lancashire, but kept their shape at the back and held out a lively Bolton attack.

Hodgson knew it would be a tough encounter at the Reebok Stadium and was pleased with his side's character and mental strength.

Pleased

"I'm pleased. Of course I am. These were two very tough games," he told Sky Sports.

"Today we were coming here against a rampant Bolton side. They play their football well and put you under pressure

"They are good at keeping the ball in and around the box. I'm delighted with the goalless draw

"We consider ourselves fortunate, but it was a brave performance. I'm really quite satisfied. We have an awful lot of players missing. I thought the lads who came in did really well.

"We were lucky today that (Mark) Schwarzer was in magnificent form and that the back four were very strong.

"I was pleased with the determination and the character to get the points."

Right decision

Kevin Davies thought he had scored a late winner only for referee Mark Clattenburg to rule out the goal for a push on Brede Hangeland.

After reviewing the effort on a video replay Hodgson felt the correct decision was made.

"I do honestly believe having seen the video that it was a good decision," he continued. "They will consider themselves had done by."

White Noise

http://www.skysports.com/football/match_report/0,19764,11065_3150887,00.html

Bolton denied late win


Davies' header controversially ruled out

Last updated: 6th February 2010   



Man of the Match - Mark Schwarzer
An assured display and only made one mistake throughout the match.

Controversy of the Match - Disallowed goal
Kevin Davies had the ball in the back of the net late on, but referee Mark Clattenburg saw something no one else did.

Miss of the Match - Johan Elmander
Elmander could, and should, have won it for Bolton after firing wide from Davies' through-ball

Save of the Match - Schwarzer
Schwarzer someone gets a hand on the ball as Lee is just about to roll home from close range.

Kevin Davies had a late header controversially disallowed at the Reebok as Bolton's clash with Fulham finished goalless.

The experienced striker thought he had secured the points late on, only for referee Mark Clattenburg to rule out the goal for a push on Brede Hangeland.

There was little to excite the home fans in the first half with Mark Schwazer's fine save from Mark Davies' shot the best chance of the half.

The introduction of Vladimir Weiss lifted the home side in the second period with Johan Elmander squandering their best chance with only Schwarzer to beat.

Bolton finished the game in the ascendancy and might have claimed a deserved three-point haul had Clattenburg allowed Davies' header.

The tone for a laboured affair was set early on and it took 10 minutes for either side to create even a half-chance.

That fell Fulham's way when a corner reached David Elm at the back post but the outstretched Swede stabbed over.

Kevin Davies, making his 500th league appearance, tried his luck from distance for Bolton but Aaron Hughes blocked.

First chance

The hosts' first serious opportunity came after 19 minutes when Mark Davies teed up a volley for Tamir Cohen but the Israeli sliced over.

Bolton tested Schwarzer for the first time midway through the first half when a curling Matt Taylor free-kick was met by the head of Sam Ricketts but the goalkeeper was not troubled.

Fulham found an opening soon after as Kagisho Dikgacoi got forward and shot from 25 yards but his low effort missed the target.

Yet such was the lack of incident it was almost half-time before either side threatened again.

A powerful run by Fabrice Muamba pushed Fulham back but his shot was deflected into the path of Mark Davies, and he in turn was unable to make the most of an unexpected opportunity.

Mark Davies almost made up for that two minutes before the break as Bolton created a gilt-edged opportunity out of keeping with what had gone before.

Lee Chung-yong's ball was nodded down by Kevin Davies and Mark Davies' first-time shot was deflected by Schwarzer onto the woodwork and clear.

It was a rare moment of quality and the second half began at a familiar pedestrian pace.

Limped off

Fulham were forced into a change after 55 minutes when Dikgacoi limped off. Dickson Etuhu was sent on in his place.

Taylor shot into the wall from a free-kick and Mark Davies was withdrawn soon after as Bolton attempted to add firepower by introducing Elmander.

Taylor had their next opportunity with a volley that was comfortably dealt with by Schwarzer while a Kevin Davies effort also failed to trouble the keeper.

At the other end Jussi Jaaskelainen could not claim a Jonathan Greening cross but no Fulham players were on hand to pounce.

The substitution that really threatened to change the game was made by Bolton as on-loan Manchester City youngster Weiss was sent on with 20 minutes remaining.

The Slovakian immediately got into the action and cut inside from the left but his shot was deflected over for a corner.

Fulham's on-loan player, Nicky Shorey, attempted to break the deadlock from a late free-kick but his curling effort was deflected narrowly over.

Remarkably the game burst into life in the final three minutes as Kevin Davies played Elmander through on goal but the striker contrived to shoot wide from six yards.

Bolton summoned up another late rally but Kevin Davies' firm header from Lee's corner was adjudged to have come after a push by the home skipper.


Bolton Wanderers
Team Statistics
Fulham

0 Goals
0

0 1st Half Goals
0

6 Shots on Target
0

6 Shots off Target
4

7 Blocked Shots
3

2 Corners
5

9 Fouls
14

1 Offsides
1

0 Yellow Cards
0

0 Red Cards
0

70.5 Passing Success
72.2

24 Tackles
19

83.3 Tackles Success
78.9

49.1 Possession
50.9

57.6 Territorial Advantage
42.4




White Noise

http://www.skysports.com/football/user_ratings/0,19768,11065_3150887,00.html

Fulham Player ratings 


Player Our Rating Your Rating Rate player
Mark Schwarzer
Man of the Match  8 7.3  Rate 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 
Brede Hangeland
Someway off his best  6 4.8  Rate 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 
Aaron Hughes
No problems  7 4.7  Rate 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 
Chris Baird
Did a job  7 4.8  Rate 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 
Nicky Shorey
Quietly went about his business  7 5.2  Rate 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 
Jonathan Greening
Got stuck in  7 4.2  Rate 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 
Kagiso Dikgacoi
Worked hard  7 4.2  Rate 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 
Danny Murphy
Kept things ticking over  6 4.1  Rate 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 
David Elm
Little impression  5 4.0  Rate 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 
Erik Nevland
Poor  4 4.1  Rate 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 
Damien Duff
Didn't really threaten  6 4.6  Rate 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 
Chris Smalling
(Sub)
Showed his versatility  6 4.1  Rate 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 
Dickson Etuhu
(Sub)
Replaced Dikgacoi  6 4.0  Rate 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 
Stefano Okaka
(Sub)
Fresh legs 

White Noise

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11672_5922215,00.html?


Coyle baffled by decision


Bolton boss felt Davies' goal should have stood


Last updated: 6th February 2010   


Bolton Wanderers manager Owen Coyle was left perplexed after Kevin Davies had a late goal disallowed against Fulham.

Davies headed home late on what appeared to be a deserved winner for Bolton at the Reebok Stadium.

However, referee Mark Clattenburg felt Davies pushed Brede Hangeland and gave Fulham a free-kick.

Coyle was surprised to see the effort ruled out and felt his side were deserving of the three-point haul.

Bizarre

"It was a very good goal. It's a great delivery. He's jumped cleanly and it's been ruled out bizarrely," Coyle told Sky Sports.

"We were well worth the three points today. There are a lot of positives.

"If the referee sees something that's not happened then that's the outcome.

"I had a very good view of it, but couldn't see anything wrong, so we have to accept it.

"It's resulted in us getting one point instead of three. We were deserving of the three points today

"They say the breaks even themselves out and if that's the case we've got a load to come, but that wasn't the case today.

"We really could have and should have put the game to bed."

White Noise

Our Resilience


Saturday 6th February 2010


Fulham FC News


Following Saturday afternoon's draw against Bolton at the Reebok Stadium, Roy Hodgson highlighted the character shown by his Team to take a point back to SW6 on Saturday.

"We've got a point from a very difficult place today and I think it's right to put that down to resilience and determination," said Hodgson.

"The players really worked hard to keep our shape and do the right things even if the ball doesn't like us as much at the moment as it has in the past.

"It was a tough one for us - I thought Bolton did what they do well. There seemed to be an awful lot of projectiles flying towards the penalty area and we had to stand firm and rely very heavily of course on our outstanding goalkeeper to come and punch and catch the ball.

"I don't think we were able today to really get the ball down and played as I'd of really liked to have seen us do.

"Having said that the pitch didn't help in that respect and furthermore the opposition played the ball forward so early when it was cleared. They hit it forward into the area so often that I thought it was a war of attrition for large parts of the game.

"That's the way the game pans out here and if you want to get something from the game you have to accept that and make sure you don't succumb and luckily we were able to do that."

Fulham's injury situation didn't improve on Saturday when the outstanding Kagisho Dikgacoi was forced from the field of play with what appeared to be an ankle injury. Hodgson's squad is currently stretched to the limits and Fulham's Manager is looking forward to welcoming back some First Team regulars over the coming weeks.

"To lose Bobby Zamora was a blow and to lose Dikgacoi so early in the second half, when in the first half he'd been arguably one of our better players, it did seem to be contriving against us. It was good to see Dickson Etuhu back.

"I fear that our injury toll will worsen because I don't see Dikgacoi playing for a while. I can only hope that we get one of Davies, Gera or Zamora back because we are running very short of players.

"February is going to be a very difficult month. We've got to keep fighting, battling, working hard and doing all the things we do on the Training Ground. If you want to see the Fulham we are capable of being it's going to be March or April - when the likes of Konchesky, Davies, Gera and Zamora come back."


Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/February/RoysboltonReaction.aspx?#ixzz0en655st1


White Noise

Fulham v Burnley

Barclays Premier League

Tuesday 9 February

Kick-Off 20:00

Book your tickets now|   

On Tuesday 9th February (Kick-Off 8pm) , the Whites take on Brian Laws' Burnley side and your support is absolutely vital.

Your magnificent support at Craven Cottage this season has played an integral part in the Team's impressive run home games and Roy Hodgson's side will be looking to build on a fantastic first half of the season with victory over Burnley.

Now under Brian Laws' guidance, Burnley will provide a stern test and your support can make all the difference in the Whites' quest to better last season's achievement of a highest ever finish and qualification for European competition.

Season Ticket Holders and Members can now take advantage of our fantastic ticket offers below.

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Prices
Category C prices apply to this match.

  Stand (Grade C)   Block   Adult   Conc   Junior 
Riverside   S, Z   £35   £20   £5 
J Haynes   D, DL, G, GL   £35   £22   £10 
Hammersmith / Putney   All Blocks   £30   £20   £10 
J Haynes  B, BL, C, CL J, JL, H, HL    £30   £20   £5 
J Haynes   A, K, AL, KL   £25   £15   £5 


Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Tickets/Games/FulhamvBurnley.aspx#ixzz0en75a8TK

White Noise

Bolton 0 - 0 Fulham

Fulham were without several First Team regulars for Saturday's fixture at the Reebok Stadium, including striker Bobby Zamora.

Roy Hodgson handed David Elm his first start for the Whites alongside Erik Nevland. Fulham's Scandinavian double act were up against former Fulham centre half Zat Knight.

For Bolton, Gary Cahill was the one noticeable absentee from Owen Coyle's starting eleven, with Andy O'Brien partnering Knight in central defence.

Goalscoring opportunities were few and far between during the first half as Fulham produced a calm, assured performance to keep the Reebok Stadium noticeably subdued.

In fact, the only noteworthy effort during the opening ten minutes of play came when Cohen met Taylor's cross from the left flank. However the midfielder's tame, looping header was collected by Schwarzer with ease.

David Elm almost made an early impact after 11 minutes of play, stretching to meet Greening's corner at the far post. The Swedish striker was beaten by the pace of the ball and failed to send his right-footed effort goalwards.

After 15 minutes of play Fulham began to dominate possession with some free-flowing passing moves. Dikgacoi was certainly offering plenty of bite in midfield, showing impressive energy levels alongside Danny Murphy.

The home side certainly offered no threat during the opening exchanges to the home crowd's obvious frustration. Bolton did however manage to create the first opening of the game after 17 minutes of play. The chance fell to Cohen on the edge of the area but his volleyed effort ballooned over the bar.

After 22 minutes of play Greening's over-exuberant challenge on Muamba offered Bolton a free-kick 30 yards from goal down Fulham's left flank. The resulting set piece, delivered by Taylor, found Ricketts in the area and Schwarzer need to be alert to make the save.

On the half hour mark Kagisho Dikgacoi tried his luck from distance after powering his way through midfield. The South African midfielder burst through the centre of the park before unleashing a powerful right footed drive which blazed just wide of Jaaskelainen's post.

As half time approached the tempo of the game increased and on 38 minutes Mark Davies stabbed the ball towards goal from eight yards. Once again Schwarzer was in fine form - smothering the ball in an instant.

At the other end Fulham probed with two successive corners before the Whites rode their luck in extreme when Schwarzer tipped Mark Davies' shot onto the post right before the break. The ball looked destined for goal before rolling across the six-yard box to safety. It was the final piece of action from what was otherwise an uneventful first half on Saturday.

Bolton got the second half underway and took the attacking initiative, penetrating Fulham's area with deep crosses from the flanks. However Bolton lacked a cutting edge and Schwarzer dealt with the home side's predictable approach with ease.

Ten minutes into the second half Fulham's desperate injury situation worsened when Dikgacoi, who had enjoyed a fine game, was forced from the field of play, with what appeared to be an ankle injury. Dickson Etuhu entered the fray as Roy Hodgson was forced to make his first change of the game.

Just minutes later Brede Hangeland took a heavy blow to the head but much to the relief of Fulham's travelling fans the Norwegian stopper recovered to return to the fray following treatment.

Owen Coyle made two substitutions in quick succession with half an hour remaining, introducing Elmander in attack and Basham in defence.

Brede Hangeland produced a superb sliding tackle to deny Elmander a clean shot on goal only minutes after the striker had been introduced. Kevin Davies played the striker clean through with a superb through ball but Hangeland read the move to intervene with an impressive last ditch challenge.

After 72 minutes of play Fulham had Schwarzer to thank for keeping the Whites on level terms. After Chung-Yong had skipped past Fulham's defence on the six-yard line he appeared to have rounded Schwarzer before the Aussie stretched out to tip the ball away from the midfielder.

Roy Hodgson reacted to Bolton's bout of pressure by making a double substitution. Stefano Okaka replaced David Elm whilst Chris Smalling was introduced for Erik Nevland. Both players certainly offered Fulham a hefty presence in attack.

Smalling and Okaka certainly made their presence felt in the later stages of the game. Immediately after his introduction, Okaka earned Fulham a free-kick 30 yards from goal. The resulting set piece, taken by Shorey, deflected just over the cross bar. It was the closest Fulham were to come to a goal in the second half.

There was controversy in the dying minutes when Kevin Davies powered a close range header past Schwarzer, only for Mark Clattenburg to rule the goal out for an apparent obstruction in the area.

It would have been a cruel end to what was a resolute, determined performance by Roy Hodgson's side. After four minutes added time the draw was confirmed by Referee Clattenburg's whistle and Fulham returned to SW6 with a point.


Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/MatchAndTeam/MatchCentre/Matches/0910/Premiership/BoltonAway.aspx#ixzz0en7mKabu

White Noise

Elm Starts

Saturday 6th February 2010

Fulham FC News

Fulham's attack will be a Scandinavian double act this afternoon after Roy Hodgson named David Elm and Erik Nevland as his front pairing to face Bolton Wanderers at the Reebok Stadium.

Swedish striker Elm has been waiting patiently for his opportunity to impress after joining the Whites in the summer of 2009 and is hoping to extend his stay beyond the current season, as he explained ahead of this afternoon's game.

"I'm here until the end of the season and then we'll have to see," said Elm. "I love it here and want to stay at Fulham. There's a big difference between Swedish football and English football and it took me a few months to adjust to the tempo and the pace of it. Now I'm starting to get hold of it.

"It's a more physical game here and a different type of strength from the players. The pace of the game is much faster so it takes time to adjust. There are some very good players so it's tough here but I knew that when I signed.

"It wasn't a difficult decision to make coming to Fulham and I feel like I'm developing all the time around such good players. I'm just working as hard as possible and hopefully I'll take my chance."

Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/February/ElmStarting.aspx#ixzz0en86FiUA


White Noise

http://www.boltonwanderers-mad.co.uk/rprt/mtch/bolton_wanderers_0_fulham_0_492667/index.shtml

Bolton Wanderers 0 Fulham 0

by Footymad


Match report of this afternoon's home draw in the clash against Fulham

Struggling Bolton were controversially denied three points against Fulham when Kevin Davies' winner was disallowed in the last minute to ensure the match ended 0-0.

The Wanderers captain - making his 500th career appearance - looked to have won it for the hosts when he planted a firm header past Mark Schwarzer.

But referee Mark Clattenburg mysteriously spotted a foul as Chung-Yong Lee's free-kick came over and chalked off the late 'winner'.

It was one of the few moments of interest in a woeful 90 minutes of football which leaves Owen Coyle's men one place above the relegation zone.

Injury-hit Fulham, without Bobby Zamora, Andy Johnson, Clint Dempsey, Zoltan Gera and John Paintsil, had ended a run of six Premier League games without a win by beating Portsmouth in midweek, but they looked to have come to the Reebok Stadium for a point from the start.

The game's first opportunity came after just three minutes when Paul Robinson picked out Tamir Cohen but the midfielder's header lacked the power to trouble Mark Schwarzer in the Cottagers goal.

Without his first-choice strike duo, Roy Hodgson handed a first start to David Elm and the Swede went close when he turned over Jonathan Greening's corner on 11 minutes.

The best chance of the first half fell to Mark Davies when his namesake Kevin headed back across the six-yard box but the midfielder's attempt cannoned up off Schwarzer's leg and onto the underside of the crossbar.

The second half proved even more disappointing than the first as both sides struggled to carve out clear-cut opportunities.

The closest Fulham came was when Nicky Shorey's deflected free-kick flew just over, much to the relief of a wrong-footed Jussi Jaaskelainen.

Substitute Johan Elmander wasted a superb opportunity to win it with a minute left when Kevin Davies sent him clear but the Swede failed to hit the target.

Kevin Davies then thought he had saved the day for Bolton but Clattenburg's whistle came to Fulham's rescue.

White Noise

http://fulhampatsfan.blogspot.com/2010/02/fulham-fortunate-to-get-point-in-0-0.html?

Fulham fortunate to get a point in 0 - 0 match at Bolton


Roy Hogdson is probably very happy to leave Bolton with a point. Fulham and Bolton ended the game 0 - 0 at Reebok Stadium. Fulham were given a blow before the game as Bobby Zamora was out in today's match. On the broadcast they mentioned that Zamora was out with a sickness. I am sure there will be more news on Zamora later this week.

In the first half there were not many chances by either team. However, Bolton had a good chance for a goal. Mark Davies took a shot that was deflected off the goal by Mark Schwarzer. The first half ended 0 - 0.

In the second half, Bolton seemed to control the ball better than Fulham. Late in the game in the Johan Elmander of Bolton had a good shot that missed. In the last minute before stoppage time off of a corner kick, Kevin Davies of Bolton headed the ball into the net by Mark Schwarzer. The goal was not allowed as Davies was pushing off. Honestly, Fulham were very fortunate for the foul as Schwarzer was clearly beat. The game ended 0 - 0.

On the positive for Fulham, Nicky Shorey really seemed to push the ball up and was solid on defense. It was great to see Dickson Ethuhu come back in as a substitute. He will be a big help in the midfield The final moves were Stefano Okaka and Chris Smalling as substitutes late in the game. Chris Smalling actually came on as a striker. Okaka I thought had a very nice run late in the game.

Again, it is good to get a point and come back home for the next match against Burnley. It should be interesting to see who will be the strikers starting in this upcoming match.

Posted by Fulham-Pats Fan at 12:21 PM 



White Noise

Bolton 0 Fulham 0

Published: Today


OWEN COYLE was left fuming after Kevin Davies was denied a last-gasp winner.
The burley forward - playing his 500th match - headed home in the dying seconds but it was ruled out for a dubious push on Brede Hangeland.

Johan Elmander and Tamir Cohen also wasted good chances as Bolton remained just outside the relegation zone.

Coyle raged: "I think it is fair to say we certainly didn't get what we deserved from the game today.

"I can't be evasive - we have scored a very good goal in the game. Everyone in the stadium knew it was a goal, bar one man.

"That is hard to take, that leaves a bad taste in the mouth.

"It was clearly a terrific goal. Kevin has jumped among a group of players and planted a great header in the corner.

"The referee Mark Clattenburg has deemed Kevin has pushed the defender with two hands.

"I knew at the time there was no contact and I've seen the re-run - certainly not any two hands that I've seen."

Fulham boss Roy Hodgson was pleased to take a point as his team struggle to get their campaign back on track.

Hodgson said: "It was a barrage of projectiles at some stages.

"You need people to stand up and you need the shape of your team to be right, especially now as we aren't playing as well as we did earlier in the season.

"That is understandable because we have seven players missing at the moment and some of those are our most talented players.

"Bolton put us to the test today and I am delighted we rode our luck a bit.

"They had by far the better goal chances in the game but we have got a very good goalkeeper and a resilient, hard-working and determined team."

The opening exchanges did not make for gripping entertainment and suggested the game could be a laboured affair.

Fulham had the first attempt on goal from a corner but David Elm stabbed over at the back post.

Kevin Davies tried his luck from long distance for Bolton but Aaron Hughes blocked.

Bolton's first serious chance came after 19 minutes when Mark Davies teed up a volley for Tamir Cohen but the Israeli sliced over.

A Matt Taylor free-kick was met by the head of Sam Ricketts but keeper Mark Schwarzer was not troubled.

Fulham found an opening soon after as Kagisho Dikgacoi got forward and shot from 25 yards but his low effort missed the target.

The game was lacking incident and it was almost half-time before either side threatened again.

A powerful run by Fabrice Muamba pushed Fulham back but his shot was deflected into the path of Mark Davies.

The midfielder was unable to make the most of an unexpected opportunity though.

He almost made up for that two minutes before the break as Bolton created their best chance of the game.

Lee Chung-yong's ball was nodded down by Kevin Davies and Mark Davies' first-time shot was deflected by Schwarzer onto the woodwork and clear.

Fulham were forced into a change 10 minutes into the second half when Dikgacoi limped off. Dickson Etuhu was sent on in his place.

Taylor shot into the wall from a free-kick and Mark Davies was withdrawn soon after as Bolton attempted to add firepower by introducing Johan Elmander.

Taylor had their next opportunity with a comfortable volley that was comfortably dealt with by Schwarzer.

A Kevin Davies effort also failed to trouble the keeper before Johan Elmander should have won it in the dying minutes.

The Swede had a clear chance at goal and although he beat Schwarzer, he crashed the ball against the post.

And Kevin Davies was denied the winner in added time when he had the ball in the net, only for it to be ruled out for a foul on Hangeland.

Bolton: Jaaskelainen, Robinson, Andrew O'Brien (Basham 63), Knight, Ricketts, Lee, Mark Davies (Elmander 57), Muamba, Cohen, Taylor (Weiss 71), Kevin Davies. Subs Not Used: Al Habsi, Samuel, Gardner, Wilshere.

Fulham: Schwarzer, Baird, Hughes, Hangeland, Shorey, Duff, Dikgacoi (Etuhu 55), Murphy, Greening, Elm (Okaka 76), Nevland (Smalling 76). Subs Not Used: Zuberbuhler, Kelly, Riise, Stoor.

Att: 22,289

Ref: Mark Clattenburg (Tyne & Wear).


Read more: http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/football/2842489/Bolton-0-Fulham-0.html?OTC-RSS&ATTR=Football#ixzz0enC1qX04

White Noise

http://www.newsoftheworld.co.uk/sport/721060/BOLTON-v-FULHAM-CLATTS-A-STROKE-OF-FORTUNE-FOR-ROY.html

CLATT'S A STROKE OF FORTUNE FOR ROY

Bolton 0 Fulham 0



By Greg Gobere, 06/02/2010

ROY HODGSON looked to the heavens and paid homage to the football gods for the divine intervention of Mark Clattenburg.

Then he looked down at the Premiership table at realised he should probably be more worried about the teams below him rather than those above from now on.

Fulham were let off lightly yesterday when an enlightened referee saw a push that no one else caught wind of.

Kevin Davies was denied a goal right at the end of his 500th league appearance and Owen Coyle was so livid at the decision, he marched the width of the pitch to confront Clattenburg at the final whistle.

But the Bolton manager could still afford to flash that familiar beaming smile at the press conference afterwards.

His side dropped down one place to 17th in the table but Coyle knows they are doing okay.

Defeats to Arsenal twice and Liverpool a week ago has put a negative spin on their standing but in every game so far the former Burnley boss has seen enough to be confident of pulling away from the chasing pack.

But for the visitors it is a totally different story. Fulham offered nothing. Not a spark. Not even a glimmer of fight as their midweek win over doomed Portsmouth was put in perspective.

And Hodgson's priority will be nursing virus-hit Bobby Zamora back to health.

Then I'd imagine he will get him a copy of Arnold Schwarzenegger's 'Pumping Iron' dvd, lock him in the Motspur Park gym and keep him there until he piles on some serious muscle.

Why? How else will the Cottagers top striker shoulder the ridiculous goal-scoring burden on him for the remainder of the season?

Andy Johnson's knee injury puts him out for at least six months and Diomansy Kamara has teamed up with Tottenham reject Robbie Keane at Celtic.

Roy Hodgson himself has pretty much written off Stafano Okaka's chances of making impact.

Phrases like "it's going to take lots of work," "he's not the man to look to in place of AJ" and "he doesn't speak a word of English" sound more like a weatherman's prediction for a drought ahead.

Add to that the cheerful fact that Fulham's injury list of seven first-teamers yesterday became eight when Kagisho Dikacoi hobbled off and you see the depth of problems the Londoners have to deal with.

They are still competing in the FA Cup and Europa League so visions of European qualification this time round are fast being replaced with more realistic hopes of a decent Cup run and mid-table obscurity.

But both teams were clearly reading from the same script to begin with.

It would not have come as much of a surprise if Mark Clattenburg had blown his whistle said, 'that's it lads', and walked off the pitch in protest after what he painstakingly bore witness to in the first half.

You couldn't work out whether you were watching a training exercise or a friendly kickabout with the lack of quality on show. Misplaced passes and a severe lack of desire was the charge and both sides were guilty as sin.

Sections of the crowd were even laughing at the volleyball match they had paid to watch until Tamir Cohen's close volley produced a glimpse of worthwhile action.

Erik Nevland tried his best to imitate the neat flick-ons and physical influence that Zamora musters with ease on a bad day, but it was all to no avail for the forward.

Dikacoi rightly felt he had to step in so he ambled into space and had a pop from range. His effort was tame but he was the first Fulham player to force Jussi Jaaskelainen to move. The Finnish keeper was at serious risk of developing a case of deep vein thrombosis from the lack of action before then.

After that, Fulham were as spent as a certain defender down the Fulham Road must be from all of his extra-curricular exertions.

It only took Owen Coyle ten minutes into the restart realise that he was in no danger of extending Bolton's lowly defensive record of just one clean sheet in 24 games so he sacrificed midfielder Davies for a striker.

But I mean striker only in the strict sense of the word. Johan Elmander has only scored seven league goals in a season and a half and when he had THE best chance of the game late on, he bottled it.

Davies slipped the forward in on the right and the not-so-hot shot dragged painfully wide of the far post. If only the Bolton players' roles had been reversed in the build-up.

Coyle cottoned on with 20 minutes to go and gave young Vladimir Weiss his chance to shine where Roberto Mancini at Manchester City could not.

His impact was instant. He gave Chris Baird the fright of his life when he tore down the left wing seconds after coming on. He then cut inside and created a scramble of Fulham players putting their bodies on the line to deflect his 18-yard shot.

Coyle's side deserved more but unfortunately the fixture list has never been the most merciful. Man City are next and few will expect them to lie down so easily.