Sunday Fulham Stuff (17.10.10)

[White Noise]

Fulham 1 - 2 Tottenham Hotspur


Diomansy Kamara and Mousa Dembele were selected to lead the line for the Whites for Saturday's visit of Tottenham to the Cottage. Jonathan Greening replaced the injured Dickson Etuhu in the centre of midfield.

The visitors made a strong start, winning two early corners and seeing Roman Pavlyuchenko drilling a sixth minute shot just wide of Mark Schwarzer's left hand post. Cordeiro Sandro was next to try his luck but saw his shot from distance sail wide of the mark.

Diomansy Kamara, who had made a promising start to the game, glanced a fine headed opportunity just wide of the post after he was left unmarked for Simon Davies' corner on 14 minutes. The Senegal international certainly looked up for the game.

There were loud appeals for a penalty on 17 minutes after Mousa Dembele's cross resulted in Simon Davies and Benoit Assou-Ekotto tussling for contention in the penalty area.

By the 20 minute mark, Fulham had taken some of the sting out of Tottenham's early attacking play and were applying their own pressure. Aaron Hughes out-jumped Brede Hangeland at the back post to just place his header over Heurelho Gomes' crossbar following a fine cross from Danny Murphy.

The action continued at a frantic pace as Carlos Salcido cut in from the left wing a let fly with a curling right-footed effort which just faded away from the top corner.

Fulham took the lead on 30 minutes following a fine attacking move. Clint Dempsey took the ball down well in the Spurs penalty area before firing a low pass across the face of the six yard box, leaving Diomansy Kamara with a simple tap in at the far post.

But the Whites' lead lasted only a matter of seconds before Spurs netted the equaliser. An attempted chip from Rafael Van der Vaart over Mark Schwarzer struck the crossbar and landed kindly for Roman Pavlyuchenko to tap over the line from close range.

Gomes then produced a superb reaction save on 42 minutes to deny a fiercely struck effort form Kamara following an excellent piece of instant control from the Fulham forward.

Mark Schwarzer needed to be alert early in the second-half when Van der Vaart latched on to a dangerous cross six yards out only to see his goal-bound effort saved by the foot of the Fulham keeper.

Danny Murphy was replaced by Stephen Kelly on 51 minutes in a switch that saw Chris Baird move into central midfield and Kelly take up the right-back position. Baird forced an acrobatic save from Gomes on 55 minutes when he rose highest in the Spurs penalty area to direct a header towards goal.

Tottenham looked a more solid unit in the second-half, applying pressure well when not in possession and making it difficult for the Whites to make forward progress. As a result the pace of the game slowed as the Whites looked to find the telling pass. Chris Baird certainly played his part in that, distributing the ball well in the middle of the park.

Tottenham took the lead in somewhat controversial circumstances on 63 minutes. Tom Huddlestone's low drive from 25 yards beat Mark Schwarzer however the goal was apparently ruled out by the Assistant Referee for offside against William Gallas. However, following a conversation between Referee Dean and his assistant, the initial decision was overruled and the goal was awarded.

Fulham rode out a spell of Tottenham pressure following the goal before the game settled back into a familiar pattern. Mark Hughes replaced Mousa Dembele with Zoltan Gera as he looked to get the Whites back on level terms.

The Fulham equaliser almost came in the 78th minute when Gomes came for a cross, only to touch the ball into the path of Carlos Salcido, whose quickly-hit right footed shot swerved just wide.

Mark Hughes made his final substitution of the day, replacing Jonathan Greening with Eddie Johnson. Unfortunately, Spurs managed to hold out until the final whistle and claim all three points.


Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/MatchAndTeam/MatchCentre/Matches/1011/Premiership/TottenhamHome.aspx#ixzz12Z1Tua7e

[White Noise]

A Matter of Luck

Saturday 16th October 2010


Fulham defender Chris Baird insists his side were unlucky in suffering their first Premier League defeat of the season.

London rivals Tottenham came out on top in a game the Whites could well have won, with Tom Huddlestone's controversial strike snatching three points for Harry Redknapp's side.

Baird told fulhamfc.com: "We were unlucky today there is no doubt about that. We played some very positive football and created a number of chances.

"On another day we could well have taken something. It's never nice losing, but when you play well and still come away with nothing it's doubly disappointing."

Fulham impressed with their attacking intent and clever use of the ball and were deservedly rewarded courtesy of Joe Kamara's cool finish. However, Mark Hughes' team were immediately pegged back following Roman Pavlyuchenko's close range strike.

"We were very positive and the goal was more than deserved," said Baird. "Joe took his goal well and it was good to have him back. He's a goalscorer and that's what he gives you.

"But having taken the lead there was no excusing conceeding so quickly. I still thought we had the better of the chances to see the game through and that was probably the difference.

"Of course, they added a second and when you go behind against a side like Tottenham it's always going to be difficult.

"We've watched that second goal back and we all agreed that Tottenham were a little fortunate. For me, it shouldn't have been allowed.

"But that's football, we now have to make sure we react accordingly and do well in our upcoming matches. This was our first defeat of the season and it would have been nice to keep that run going a bit longer - but there's plenty of football to be played."
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Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/October/BairdSpursReaction.aspx#ixzz12Z3dAqsi

[White Noise]

Hughes' Spurs Reaction

Saturday 16th October 2010


Fulham lost their unbeaten Barclays Premier League record on Saturday afternoon after an exciting encounter at Craven Cottage was settled by a controversial Tom Huddlestone strike in the second-half.

The Spurs midfielder beat Mark Schwarzer from distance but the goal had apparently been ruled out by the Referee's Assistant, who had raised his flag - only for his decision to then be overruled by the referee following some discussion between the pair.

"We're disappointed with the awarding of the goal obviously," said Fulham Manager Mark Hughes after the match. "The initial shot went through a lot of bodies and Gallas is clearly offside as the ball is struck. The linesman flagged for offside correctly but for whatever reason he [the referee] had to go and discuss the award of the offside.

"We're disappointed with that because it enabled Spurs to get in the lead – they're away from home and they're going to get bodies behind the ball and make it difficult for us and play on the counter-attack – which is how the game panned out. We found it difficult to break them down in the period after that goal.

"In the first-half I thought we more than matched what they produced and I thought we were the better side and well worth the lead. Unfortunately, from our point of view, we switched off almost immediately and conceded after we scored. If we had kept the lead to half-time we would have grown in strength and stature in the second-half.

"I thought in terms of chances created and general play, we created more than Spurs did. Joe Kamara scored one and could have had a hat-trick to be fair. So all in all, it's a frustrating day with a lot of good things but a number of things we need to look at as well."
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Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/October/HughesSpursReaction.aspx#ixzz12Z3rfPpZ

[White Noise]

Spurs Photo Special

A selection of photos from Saturday's dramatic Barclays Premier League match against Tottenham at Craven Cottage.


http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/October/SpursPhotoSpecial.aspx

[White Noise]

http://www.ealinggazette.co.uk/sport/football-ealing/fulham-fc-ealing/2010/10/16/fulham-robbed-of-a-point-against-spurs-82029-27486389/


Fulham robbed of a point against Spurs

Oct 16 2010



By Jacob Murtagh

Fulham 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur

FULHAM'S unbeaten run came to an end in controversial fashion against Spurs.

With the scores locked at 1-1, Tom Huddlestone hammered the ball home from the edge of the area, but the linesman flagged for offside as William Gallas was standing in front of Mark Schwarzer.

However, referee Mike Dean overruled his assistant, despite the protests of the Fulham players, as Harry Redknapp's side went on to edge it.

Spurs dominated the early exchanges, but it was Fulham who came closest to taking the lead.

Simon Davies whipped in a corner from the right and Diomansy Kamara, making his first start of the season, rose highest to head the ball agonisingly wide,

Mark Hughes's men grew in confidence as the half wore on, with Aaron Hughes glancing a header inches over and a Carlos Salcido long-ranger hitting the side netting.

And they eventually got their noses in front on the half-hour mark following a fine move.

Davies chipped the ball into Clint Dempsey, and he swivelled before teeing-up Kamara to slam into an empty net.

But Spurs hauled themselves level inside 60 seconds.

Rafael Van Der Vaart's deft chip sailed over the stranded Schwarzer and came off the crossbar, only for Roman Pavlyuchenko to fire home the rebound.

The hosts came close to restoring their lead just before the break, but Heurelho Gomes spectacularly turned Kamara's goal-bound rocket round the post.

Chris Baird had a thumping header tipped over after the break, while Schwarzer denied Van der Vaart at the other end.

Even after Huddlestone's hotly-disputed goal, the Whites had chances to snatch a point.

Kamara was guilty of squandering two golden opportunities as the hosts slipped to their first league defeat of the campaign

[ron]

For the life of me I don't understand how the fact that Baird may have touched the ball on its way through should make any difference to the decision that the goal was offside. If a player was interfering with play and in an offside position at the moment that the ball was kicked, surely the offence of offside had been committed before the ball has even touched anyone else...?

But, hey, what do I know? The offside law has been tampered with so much lately, no one knows what is right or wrong. I've already had a rant on the subject on another thread...and that was before I'd been to the pub.   

[White Noise]

http://www.people.co.uk/sport/football/football-hotline/2010/10/17/sven-goran-eriksson-tests-market-with-bids-for-craig-eastmond-and-david-elm-102039-22639021/

Sven Goran Eriksson tests market with bids for Craig Eastmond and David Elm

Oct 17 2010 by Hotline, The People

LEICESTER boss Sven Goran Eriksson wants Arsenal midfielder Craig Eastmond and Fulham's Swedish striker David Elm on short-term deals.

Nottingham Forest defender Brendan Moloney is also on Eriksson's wish list.

[White Noise]

http://www.people.co.uk/sport/columnists/chris-waddle/2010/10/17/can-roy-hodgson-survive-the-red-shocks-at-liverpool-102039-22639757/

DANNY MURPHY really stirred up a hornet's nest with his comments about managers sending out players so wound up that bad injuries are inevitable.

It's sure to lead to some verbals and maybe Danny ending up on his backside once or twice when he plays against Blackburn, Stoke and Wolves, the teams he singled out.

But he's entitled to his opinion – as are the aggrieved managers. I've never known a manager tell a player to go out and "do" someone and I'd be astonished if Sam Allardyce, Tony Pulis or Mick McCarthy have ever done so.

Danny has played under Dario Gradi at Crewe and for Liverpool, Charlton, Tottenham and Fulham – clubs who all like to play football. But it takes all sorts in the Premier League ... and that's what makes English football the one everyone wants to watch.

[White Noise]

http://www.people.co.uk/sport/football/match-reports/premier-league-match-reports/2010/10/17/fulham-1-2-tottenham-cottagers-left-raging-by-ref-justice-102039-22639731/


Fulham 1-2 Tottenham: Cottagers left raging by ref justice

Oct 17 2010

by Dave Kidd, The People

NICE guys, it seems, come last.

Danny Murphy struck a blow for decency with his strident attack on the violent-tackling epidemic – the sort of comments which would have won him friends in the refereeing community.

Yet his Fulham side saw their ­unbeaten Premier League record torched by whistler Mike Dean, who controversially over-ruled his linesman to allow Tom Huddlestone's winner.

Spurs head to the San Siro to face European champions Inter Milan with an excellent three points tucked into their back pockets – but Fulham were left seething.

As soon as Huddlestone had drilled home a 20-yarder in the 63rd minute, linesman Martin Yerby flagged against William Gallas, who was ­standing five yards in front of keeper Mark Schwarzer in an offside position.

Dean disallowed the goal but was then persuaded by Huddlestone to confer with his assistant.

For reasons best known to himself, Dean – who refused to explain his decision to the media – then changed his mind and allowed the goal to stand.

So a crowd of 25,000 were left ­completely in the dark about the ­crucial moment of their expensive afternoon's entertainment. Fulham boss Mark Hughes suggested refs should be miked up to give supporters some inkling of what is happening. Spurs chief Harry Redknapp simply championed a return to the old law – if you are in an offside position, you are offside.

Either way it was a deeply ­unsatisfactory way to settle a belting game of football between two sides who play under Murphy's Law – fast, flowing football with little time for violence.

Diomansy Kamara gave Fulham the lead and Roman Pavlyuchenko ­equalised a minute later thanks to another moment of sorcery from the wonderful Rafael van der Vaart.

How the suspended Dutchman will be missed when Spurs face Inter in their Champions League red-letter day on Wednesday.

Ledley King will not be there, after injuring his groin yesterday, but Spurs have deep resources these days – ­frequently naming the strongest subs' bench in the Premier League, with half-time sub Aaron Lennon tilting the balance of the match towards Tottenham yesterday.

And as Redknapp pointed out: "That's the third time this season we've gone behind and won. We have a lot of options but we are still running short of numbers in defence. Ledley will be out for some time now and William Gallas hadn't trained all week but he has to play in Milan."

Spurs had started crisply, with Pavlyuchenko turning Aaron Hughes and drilling wide across the face of goal – then Fulham seized ­control for much of the first half.

Kamara and Hughes were both off target with free headers and Carlos Salcido, a full-back with the build and ­attacking intentions of Roberto Carlos, cut inside to bend a 25-yarder just wide.

And the hosts deservedly grabbed the lead on the half-hour when Hughes fed Simon Davies who held the ball up brilliantly before slotting a pass through King's legs for Kamara to ­finish with ease at the far post.

Yet within a minute Spurs were level, thanks to the majesty of Van der Vaart. The Dutchman span off Hughes and chipped deliciously against the bar, leaving Pavlyuchenko with the simplest of tasks to stab home from two yards.

Murphy's strident ­comments have been making headlines for 10 days now – and Spurs new boy Sandro was guilty of the one dodgy challenge, earning a yellow card for a rash assault on Davies.

King was forced to limp off before half-time but it was Redknapp's second substitution, replacing the hapless Sandro with Lennon, which did the trick as the rocket-propelled winger exposed Salcido's defensive ­weaknesses throughout the second half.

And Fulham's creativity was blunted when Murphy (left) was forced off six ­minutes into the second half – presumably suffering from an acid tongue.

Gomes tipped over a Chris Baird header before all hell broke loose on 64 minutes.

Gareth Bale's corner was headed clear by Moussa Dembele as far as Huddlestone, who arrowed home a 20-yarder, only for Spurs' celebrations to be delayed by the flag of Yerby.

Dean, though, had other ideas and stole centre stage in 1966 style, having a lengthy conflab with Yerby before awarding the goal.

Now it's Inter v Spurs, the sort of fixture Lane fans have dreamed of for a lifetime. Let's just hope it isn't ­decided by a hare-brained referee.

[White Noise]

http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2010/10/16/fulham-1-2-tottenham-hotspur/

Fulham 1-2 Tottenham Hotspur


Filed under: Match reports — chopper68 @ 8:47 pm

This is a team in transition. Gone is the precision organisation of Hodgson's side. At times we seemed to be chasing shadows as we endeavoured to regain our shape. The brave new, attack minded, world of Hughes is yet to be fully unleashed. We've got a good group of players but their struggling to adapt to a new direction. Spurs weren't a great deal better but they had a clearer idea of how to construct an attack and I can't say we deserved a lot more from the game.

The match was frustrating to watch. Threatening to burst into life at any moment but never quite sustaining it. A mixed bag of inspired attacking moves, shambolic defending, poor passing and erratic performances.

Clint Dempsey made some surging runs early on but, in a preview of how his game was going to pan out, they came to nothing. He ran down blind alleys, found himself with no passing option or just gave the ball away. Clint didn't give up, last season things would have eventually turned around for him, but not today. He gave the ball away again and again (Rich might chalkboard this when he gets back). He picked out poor passing options. He pulled Assou-Ekotto back by his ponytail and finally saw his frustrating day capped with a yellow card in the 85th minute.

Despite all this Clint still played a vital role in our goal. We'd been having a good spell going forward. Kamara headed a Simon Davies corner just wide of the right hand post. Dempsey, Dembele and Salcido were combing well down the left and created a couple of half chances. Baird played a short pass forward to Davies who lobbed a ball into the box and Dempsey, coming in off the left side, collected it with his chest. Running across the area and away from goal Clint managed to squeeze a reverse pass beyond the feet of the Spurs defence to find Diomansy in space and able to side foot home under little pressure.

My mind was elsewhere as Spurs found a very rapid response. I looked up from sending a text update to Richard in time to see van der Vaart clip a shot over Schwarzer and against the crossbar. A short moment to breath a sigh of relief before Pavlyuchenko popped up to tap home from short range. It seemed I was the only one with my mind briefly elsewhere. The stats tell us that teams are not as vulnerable after scoring as the pundits would have you believe but this was as clear an example of a team switching off as your likely to find.

Half time arrived and our matchday experience got even more bizarre as the Bodog girls strolled on to become some sort of human roulette wheel. Some supporters had seemingly picked a number each and stood next to the appropriate girl as the sponsors annoucing explained the winner would get a trip to Las Vegas. The scoreboards flashed up a spinning wheel and the number was called out. Que man in number 6 t-shirt celebrating wildly as he hared off towards the away end. This was humerous enough but when the entire posse of Bodog girls set off after him this surreal moment of Benny Hill-esque comedy was complete. A half time to compare with Micheal Jackson's visit and Al Fayed's rap with The Gay-venettes.

Spurs brought on Lennon at half time and things were about to get a lot harder for our Mexican left back. Time and again Lennon would scorch down the touchline leaving Salcido horribly exposed. Thankfully it seemed that for all his pace Lennon didn't have a clue what to do with the space he created. He made life difficult though and when Danny Murphy departed a mere 5 minutes after the restart we knew it was unlikely to be our day.

Murphy and Greening had been excellent in the middle. Murphy pulling all our strings and looking a lot better than the last time I'd seen him. Greening might just have had his best game in a Fulham shirt. He filled in for Etuhu perfectly, playing simple passes and providing Murphy with an easy option whenever he was required. He even managed a few longer passes forward. With Murphy gone we lost our conductor and whilst Bairdinho did his best we didn't have the same attacking verve.

Spurs began to raise the tempo and when Huddlestone recieved the ball from a half cleared corner we failed, not for the first time this season, to properly close him down. Huddlestone's got a shot on him and he sent back a rocket, that elluded the legs of both Fulham and Spurs players before nestling into the right hand corner of the net. We almost got away with it as the linesman had his flag raised for offside. After a long discussion with the lino Mike Dean decided to give the goal after all and the game was all but up.

As the game came to a scrappy conclusion Kamara, who put in a typically erratic performance, wasted two decent chances to bring us level. Gera replaced Dembele and Eddie Johnson replaced Jonathon Greening in a final desperate throw of the dice but it was never going to be enough. We continue to miss Zamora up front and must hope that Murphy's injury is not too serious if we're going to get to grips with Hughes new template sooner rather than later.

[White Noise]

Fulham 1-2 Tottenham: Sunday Mirror match report

Published 21:00 16/10/10


By Steve Stammers

(1)Recommend

It will rank as one of the most controversial decisions of the season. It left Harry Redknapp both baffled and elated while Mark Hughes was fuming.

And the outcome of referee Mike Dean's award of a Tottenham goal in the 63rd minute meant the end of Fulham's unbeaten record in the Premier League and the perfect boost for Spurs as they prepare for a Champions League trip to the San Siro where they meet holders Inter-Milan on Wednesday.

Hughes was clearly enraged when Dean overruled his assistant Martin Yerby after Tom Huddlestone's 20-yard effort had whistled past Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer.

Yerby immediately put up his flag to signal for offside and video replays indeed showed William Gallas standing in front of Schwarzer as the ball came in. He even made a vain attempt to divert it past the Australian.

But Dean opted to debate the matter with his assistant, had a brief conversation and then gave a goal. Tottenham rejoiced, Fulham could not believe it. Nor could Redknapp.

"One minute I was thinking goal and then I saw the flag and thought no goal. So I sat down," said Redknapp.

"I would be lying if I said I understood the offside rule now. It would be better if we went back to the old rule.

"Everybody knew it. If you were in an offside position, you were quite simply offside."

The match was anything but the colourless kind of affair that pepper the fixtures between London clubs when defeat is a sin.

And, probably to the delight of Fulham captain Danny Murphy, not a malicious tackle in sight.

Fulham took the lead on the half-hour when Clint Dempsey gathered and crossed for Diomansy Kamara to score from close range. The celebrations lasted a mere 60 seconds and Rafael van der Vaart showed once again that he is one class act. He brought the ball down and on the turn chipped Schwarzer.

The ball hit the bar and Roman Pavlyuchenko was perfectly placed to tap home the equaliser.

Tottenham then lost Ledley King with a recurrence of a groin injury and Redknapp has no idea when he will be back. "His problem is he can't train," said Redknapp. "And because of that he is more likely to get pulls and strains. When he is fit he is real quality."

Sebastien Bassong did well as his replacement to keep out a Fulham side driven by the lively Simon Davies and the powerful Mousa Dembele but it was a change implemented by Redknapp that was arguably the most influential. "We weren't getting behind them enough," said Redknapp who brought on Aaron Lennon who proceeded to take Carlos Salcido apart.

And the news did not get better for Hughes who lost both Murphy and Dembele with injuries. It never rains and all that.



Read more: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Fulham-1-2-Tottenham-Sunday-Mirror-match-report-Harry-Redknapp-both-baffled-and-elated-by-controversial-Tom-Huddlestone-strike-article602621.html#ixzz12aztOq

[White Noise]

Why Ramsey and Bellamy could embarrass England and honest Danny Murphy should be applauded


By Michael Calvin

Published 23:30 16/10/10

(1)Recommend (3)

The witch hunt is under way.

Danny Murphy has been found guilty in a show trial, staged by fembots on Sky Sports News.

A roadie from Showaddywaddy, claiming to be former England captain Gerry Francis, led the attack.

The usual suspects piled in behind him, promoting the myth Murphy was "well out of order"

He simply told the truth. Pumped up players are unguided missiles.

He's a role model pro, whose honesty shames his accusers.



Read more: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/columnists/michael-calvin/Michael-Calvin-column-Why-Aaron-Ramsey-Craig-Bellamy-and-Wales-could-embarrass-England-and-honest-Danny-Murphy-should-be-applauded-for-tackling-stand-article601743.html#ixzz12b0HzQn0