Monday Fulham Stuff (01/11/10)...

[thinwhiteduke]

http://tribalfootball.com/redknapp-fulham-ace-dempsey-best-american-play-england-1217641?

Redknapp: Fulham ace Dempsey best American to play in England

Former Tottenham and Liverpool star Jamie Redknapp has described Fulham ace Clint Dempsey as the best American to play on English shores.

Dempsey struck twice in victory over Wigan Athletic and Redknapp wrote in his Daily Mail column: "Clint Dempsey is the best American to have played over here.

"Consistently, he performs well, scores goals and can either lead the line, play deeper, or play wide. He scored two on Saturday in a big win for Mark Hughes and Fulham. He is trying to make them more adventurous, but they had slipped towards the wrong end, and Dempsey won them three points."

[Mr Fulham]

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11681_6480594,00.html

'Bionic' Johnson glad to be back
Striker impressed with manager Hughes as comeback continues

Injury-plagued Fulham forward Andy Johnson feels like a 'bionic striker' after spending 14 months battling for fitness.

The 29-year-old has previously confessed to more than a year of mental torment suffered in battling back from shoulder, groin and knee injuries.

But Johnson came off the bench for the last 10 minutes in Saturday's 2-0 win against Wigan as he made his second appearance of the season.

And the former Birmingham, Crystal Palace, and Everton striker now admits that he feels almost robotic after his successive rehabilitation programmes.

Johnson said in The Sun: "That's how I feel, like a bionic striker. It's like a London bus, you wait hours for one and then they all come along together - that's how my injuries have been.

"I've had an unlucky 14 months."

Fantastic

Fulham have undergone a change of management during Johnson's time on the sidelines, with Mark Hughes succeeding Roy Hodgson, and he is impressed with his new boss.

Johnson said of Hughes: "I didn't see much of him over the summer with my injuries and then the first part of the season I was in the gym.

"Any player who gets a new boss is eager to prove what they can do and the manager has put me on in the last two games.

"He has been fantastic. He told me to take my time and not to rush back.

"And his training routines have been brilliant, too. He has really helped me get fit quicker because of the intensity of the training.

"Hopefully, in four weeks' time you will see me super match fit ... back to how I was."