Tuesday Fulham Stuff (09/11/10)...

[WhiteJC]

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/blogs/laptop-martin-lipton/Martin-Lipton-lunchtime-read-Does-Tony-Pulis-have-a-point-do-big-clubs-get-the-big-calls-from-referees-article624941.html

Does Tony Pulis have a point: do big clubs get the big calls from referees?

You can, almost, understand where Tony Pulis is coming from.

The Stoke manager, a man who clearly feels he has been on the wrong end of too many bad decisions, argued that Premier League bosses should judge officials, with the worst ones relegated back to the Championship list.

"I'd like to see a system put in place where every club has a vote on the performance of referees," said Pulis. "Then they will have a responsibility towards the smaller clubs as well as the bigger clubs."

It is an age-old gripe and based on the truth - that the big clubs get the big calls more often than their lesser brethren.

That has, of course, always been the case, although, to a degree, Pulis has the right to moan as he can point to bad calls going against his side on FIVE different occasions already this season.

It started in the home defeat by Spurs, when Peter Crouch cleared from well behind the line. Then there was the blatant handball by Bolton's Zat Knight at the Reebok and Gary Neville escaping a second yellow for a hack on Matthew Etherington in the defeat by Manchester United.

Next, in the narrow loss at Everton, Tuncay's "opener" was harshly chalked off for a far from obvious foul on Leighton Baines with the sense of conspiracy compounded by Lee Cattermole's great escape for Sunderland, keeping out Kenwyne Jones' header with his right arm not once but twice in the same movement.

If decisions balance themselves out, then Stoke are due a windfall over the next few months and, having been denied at least eight points, and maybe more, Pulis has reason to fear that the referees and their assistants are conspiring against him.

Mind you, if Pulis was using the mistakes to pick out the referees who should be for the drop, he would have more than just two or three in his list.

For the decisions that have irked him so much have been made by no fewer that referees. Chris Foy missed the Crouch incident, Peter Walton was on duty at Bolton, Andre Marrinet let Neville off, Lee Probert saw the Goodiosn foul missed by the rest of the stadium and Martin Atkinson took the role of Mr Magoo on Wearside.

It all might add to Pulis' feelings that his side are being picked on, paying the price for the comments lobbed in their direction by Arsene Wenger and Danny Murphy.

The trouble for the referees is that it is hard to feel sympathy for them when they compound their mistakes by refusing to acknowledge them.

Mark Clattenburg at Old Trafford the other week was a case in point, although if Spurs thought they were hard done by there - which they were - they will be thankful for the swingback theory of decisions coming into instant operation.

That Tom Huddlestone stamped on Jonas Elmander at Bolton on Saturday was pretty clear from first viewing, only confirmed as the incident looked worse at every slow-motion play-back.

Foy missed it, allowing play to continue. But when asked by the FA to confirm the obvious, the referee - one of the more approachable of whistlers - told Wembley chiefs he had seen the incident at the time and decided it warranted no further action.

Ridiculous, of course. But instead of starting a three-game ban against Sunderland this evening - as he doubtless should have been - Huddlestone will be playing.

No wonder, when you get decisions like that, that clubs routinely go down the appeals route.

Arsenal have asked the FA to overturn Laurent Koscielny's red card against  Newcastle on two grounds.

Manager Arsene Wenger has convinced himself that the foul did not prevent an obvious goalscoring opportunity as Nile Ranger was prevented from bearing down on the unprotected goal - the argument might, just, have been valid if Franco Di Santo was the striker involved - and that Sebastian Squillaci, who could not have come close to making a tackle unless Lukasz Fabianski has saved the initial shot, was also covering.

Should either claim be upheld it will make the FA's disciplinary rulebook even more of a joke and this is a case where the disciplinary panel should not only uphold the original decision but add an extra one match ban to the two the defender faces for a frivolous appeal.

The same beaks will also sit on judgement on Manchester City's Mario Balotelli in another case that makes little sense.

FA sources were explaining yesterday that City accepted the red card - believing the incident was worthy of a second yellow - but not the automatic sanction, meaning the striker might just serve a one-game ban at Eastlands tomorrow.

City themselves have denied that - mixed messages, for sure - but whatever the intent of the City man, he kicked out in frustration. Again, the decision must be upheld.

If either Koscielny or Balotelli do get off, it will add further fuel to the Pulis fire. Just as in the real world, footballing justice needs to be blind.



Read more: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/opinion/blogs/laptop-martin-lipton/Martin-Lipton-lunchtime-read-Does-Tony-Pulis-have-a-point-do-big-clubs-get-the-big-calls-from-referees-article624941.html#ixzz14mtWROvC
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[WhiteJC]

http://blogs.soccernet.com/fulham/archives/2010/11/time_to_take_on_the_champions.php?

Time to Take on the Champions

Fulham face their toughest examinaton of the season so far against the Champions from just down the road. But don't expect it to be a neighbourly affair after both sides came up short at the weekend.

There never can be a good time to visit Stamford Bridge. Fulham at Chelsea is one of those games I approach with a certain equanimity, a bit like away trips to Arsenal or Old Trafford - expecting zilch and then delighted if we nick the occasional point.

That doesn't happen too often at the Bridge, and wins there for the Whites are as rare as an intelligent insight from Alan Shearer. You don't need to be a bookie to know the odds are stacked against Fulham. When Spartak poked home a consolation last week late on in the CL tie it was the first home goal conceded by Cech in nearly 16 hours of football.

The Blues are currently on their longest run of shutouts at home in the Prem - eight straight. They've won five and drawn three of our last eight encounters. Add to that of course our own barren run of 23 games away without a win, and you'd have to think a miracle of biblical proportions will be needed on Wednesday night.

Having said that, recent games between us have been pretty close. Last Christmas we led for a long time through Gera's 4th minute goal and Chelsea's winner that day was a flukey OG off Smalling on his debut after Pantsil departed with a bad knee injury. For those with short memories Chelsea were booed off at half-time.

The previous season at home Clint scored twice in an all-action 2-2 draw and back in 2007 Baird nullified Drogba to the point of total frustration that saw the Ivorian sent off as we held them at their place to a 0-0 draw. It was another point for the Whites in 2006 - a 2-2 draw marked by our opener from Moritz Volz, the 15,000th goal in the Premiership incidentally that afternoon.

Main man Didier is of course the one to keep quiet if possible. He can energize the side and change any game when in the mood. He's scored in the last three games between us. Lampard luckily is missing, another who often scores against us. Still, there's no need to pinpoint individuals, the whole squad bristles with quality internationals.

Hughes himself has played in far bigger games than this. He'll know what to expect, and in truth our own squad all have the big match temperament, so there's no reason for the Whites to go out there and feel intimidated. I'm at a loss to understand how it all went so horribly wrong on Saturday against Villa, one reason for handing over to our 'guest' contributor.

Let's hope that acts as a wake-up call. With Salcido out I won't be in the least bit unhappy to see Pants restored to our back four. I hope he has a strong game. Two seasons great service, robbed of a place in the Europa Cup Final team by injury, and recently benched for two uncharacteristically poor games at the start of the season. He's done his penance.

As to how we shape up the midfield and front two to get amongst them, thank God that's Mark's problem, not mine. We basically have nothing to lose if we go gung-ho at them. Chelsea themselves have just turned in two sub-par performances in the league. That damned elusive away win has got to come sometime...

We'll take whatever result we get on the chin. With just 7 weeks till the end of the year the speculation is going to grow day by day as to player movements in the January window. Until then the only prediction I can make is the unpredictability of Fulham results between now and then. If we can get into January clear of the bottom six I'd take it.

COYW - it only happens once a year, so let's march up the Fulham Road and make some noise! Twitter@fulhamphil

Fulham FC - the only team in the borough

[WhiteJC]

http://www.cottagersconfidential.com/2010/11/9/1799952/cautionary-tale-regarding-fake-twitter-accounts?

Cautionary Tale Regarding Fake Twitter Accounts

Twitter is a wonderful social media tool. I spend a good amount of time on twitter every day. However, there are situations using this tool that everyone should be aware of. There are people impersonating celebrities and athletes.  I have a cautionary tale regarding fake twitter accounts.

I had been following twitter accounts of Fulham footballer Bobby Zamora and his wife for over one month. There were many Fulham fans that were following these accounts.

Now, I was skeptical from the beginning because these accounts were not verified as authentic by twitter. Many famous people and athletes have this done so you know you are following the real person. So, I guess you can say I should have known better.


As I started reading the tweets of "Bobby Zamora and his wife" they were so detailed that I thought they had to be real. Many fans like myself started interacting with these accounts. The more fans I saw contacting them the more comfortable I became. I let my guard down.

One day I noticed that "Bobby Zamora and his wife" were tweeting about possibly doing a Q & A with fans. I decided that I would contact them and offer to do a Q&A on my site if they wanted. I was not expecting a response. Next thing I knew, "Bobby Zamora's wife" tweeted me that she was interested in setting up a Q&A with me on my site.

Now, I will stress that I should have known better, and should have checked with the team if these twitter accounts were authentic. I want to mention that I always planned on confirming these accounts with the team before posting anything on Cottagers Confidential.

After messages went back and forth for weeks I was told by  "Louise Zamora" that they wanted to do a story with me on my site. I would ask them the questions through email.

About 10 days ago I  received an email from "Bobby Zamora" who told me his intentions for this story. "He" wanted to come across as a typical family guy who happened to play professional soccer. I followed up by sending over 30 questions. Questions I spent a lot of time developing. As of this posting, I have not received the answers to those questions.

Late last week I started to see tweets from other Fulham fans indicating that the Bobby and Louise Zamora twitter accounts were probably not authentic. The next thing I knew both of these accounts were suspended by twitter.

It is pretty obvious that these twitter accounts of Bobby and Louise Zamora were fakes. I wasted a good amount of time with these people. Many Fulham fans also wasted their time.

I don't know what these people gained by doing this, but if their goal was to embarrass me they definitely succeeded. If there goal was to have me write a story about them they failed. There was no way I was running this story on my site without confirming these accounts. It is my fault that I didn't check with the press office of Fulham.   

The real Bobby Zamora and his family did not deserve this fraud. Also, the fans of Fulham that followed them did not deserve to be lied to. 

I decided to write about this because I don't want anyone to go through what I have experienced from these fraudulent accounts. I would tell anyone that decides to follow an athlete or a celebrity see if they have that check mark next to their account which means the account is authentic. If you do not see this check mark it doesn't mean they are not real. It just means to be skeptical until that account is confirmed as real. Please do not make the mistake I made.                     

[WhiteJC]

http://www.sport.co.uk/news/Football/46528/Murphy_We_are_preparing_for_a_battle_at_the_Bridge.aspx?

Murphy: We are preparing for a battle at the Bridge

Fulham captain Danny Murphy captain has revealed on Absolute radio that he is ready for a battle at Chelsea, however the 33-year-old did cheekily admit that if he was offered the draw before the game he would take it in a flash.

Murphy has been rejuvenated since moving to Craven Cottage from Tottenham Hotspur in 2007 and the skipper is raring to lead Mark Hughes' men into battle on Wednesday.

Danny Murphy was speaking to Christian O'Connell on the Absolute Radio Breakfast show as part of the Who's Scoring Christian Campaign:
"Yeah, well just what you need, just what you need, a nice easy game away at Chelsea after a tough game against Villa at the weekend.

"But it's a big game for us because obviously they're our local rivals and whenever you play Chelsea its tough, but we'll go there and give it a go. You've got nothing to lose, no one expects you to get anything when you go to Chelsea, so we can play with a nice
freedom.

"Well if I'm honest, if you offer me a draw I'll take it now.  It's a tough game, Chelsea, and just to rub salt on the wounds they've gone up to Liverpool and got beaten at the weekend so they're going to be a bit wounded." He continued.

"Ideally, if they'd have won, maybe they'd have taken their foot off the gas, but no, it'll be tough, but we nearly got result there last year so plenty of fight, plenty of determination. We've got a few injury problems at the moment but we will see if we can prepare ourselves for a battle at the Bridge"

[WhiteJC]

http://www.sport.co.uk/news/Football/46529/Murphy_The_lads_couldnt_believe_gaffers_volleying_technique.aspx?

Murphy: The lads couldn't believe gaffer's volleying technique

Fulham captain Danny Murphy has revealed manager Mark Hughes still has the ability to take the breath away on the training ground, suggesting the Craven Cottage supremo has lost none of the class that that made him a Manchester United legend in the late 1980s and 1990s.

Hughes was one of the most revered strikers in Europe during his illustrious playing career, enjoying spells at Manchester United, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Chelsea amongst others, and Murphy suggests the Welshman has on occasion left his Fulham players dumbstruck by his quality.

Murphy recalls a recent incident at the club's training ground during a volleying session, claiming Hughes showed up the playing staff by tearing a volley into the top corner from the edge of the box.

When asked if Hughes had displayed any of the skills that made him an Old Trafford hero, the Fulham skipper told Absolute Radio: "Oh its funny you say that, the other day, a quick story, we were doing some finishing and you could see him hovering around the edge a bit trying to get involved,
"It was volleying, and you know Mark Hughes and his volleying, and he has one go and you wouldn't believe that his first one went straight in the top corner."

"That's a true story.  The lads couldn't believe it.  You know when you just want someone to mess up, but no, he's still got it.

"You don't play for Barcelona, Man United and Bayern Munich do you unless you're a talented man."

[WhiteJC]

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1328075/Chelsea-v-FULHAM-Carlos-Salcido-ruled-ankle-injury.html?

Chelsea v FULHAM: Carlos Salcido's derby disappointment as defender nurses ankle injury

Fulham's Mexican defender Carlos Salcido is sidelined for three weeks with ankle ligament damage suffered in the 1-1 draw against Aston Villa at the weekend.

The Cottagers will also be missing Chris Baird at Chelsea after the defender suffered a thigh tear that is expected to keep him out for 10 days.

However, he could return for the match against Manchester City.

Team (from): Schwarzer, Kelly, Hangeland, Hughes, Duff, Davies, Greening, A Johnson, Murphy, Gera, Dembele, Dempsey, Stockdale, Pantsil, Etuhu, E Johnson, Briggs.


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-1328075/Chelsea-v-FULHAM-Carlos-Salcido-ruled-ankle-injury.html?#ixzz14nlJJnVy

[WhiteJC]

http://www.teamtalk.com/fulham/6496902/Chelsea-v-Fulham-preview?

Chelsea v Fulham preview

Team news for Wednesday night's Premier League clash between Chelsea and Fulham at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea have fresh injury doubts over defender Alex (knee) and Nicolas Anelka (back) in the run-up to the West London derby.

Midfielder Frank Lampard remains sidelined with a tendon problem but Michael Essien has recovered from the toe injury that kept him out of the Liverpool game on Sunday.

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba will play despite being diagnosed with a bout of malaria.

Fulham defender Carlos Salcido is sidelined for three weeks with ankle ligament damage suffered in the 1-1 draw against Aston Villa at the weekend so misses Wednesday night's clash with leaders Chelsea.

Fulham will also be missing defender Chris Baird who has suffered a thigh tear and is likely to be out for 10 days.

However, he could return for the match against Manchester City.

Chelsea (from): Cech, Ivanovic, Terry, Alex, Cole, Obi, Essien, Ramires, Zhirkov, Drogba, Anelka, Kalou, Malouda, Drogba, Turnbull, Van Aanholt, McEachran, Borini, Bruma, Ferriera, Sturridge, Kakuta.

Fulham (from): Schwarzer, Kelly, Hangeland, Hughes, Duff, Davies, Greening, A Johnson, Murphy, Gera, Dembele, Dempsey, Stockdale, Pantsil, Etuhu, E Johnson, Briggs.

[WhiteJC]

http://sport.virginmedia.com/football/article/2010/11/09/alex_and_anelka_could_miss_fulham_clash?

Alex and Anelka could miss Fulham clash
Chelsea have fresh injury doubts over defender Alex (knee) and Nicolas Anelka (back) in the run-up to the west London derby against Fulham at Stamford Bridge.

Midfielder Frank Lampard remains sidelined with a tendon problem but Michael Essien has recovered from the toe injury that kept him out of the Liverpool game on Sunday.

Chelsea striker Didier Drogba will play despite being diagnosed with a bout of malaria.

[WhiteJC]

http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-news/football/premier-league/2468/9/fulham-boss-hughes-battling-defensive-crisis?

Fulham boss Hughes battling defensive crisis

Fulham boss Mark Hughes admits he would settle for a point at Stamford Bridge on Wednesday as his side cope with an injury crisis that has seen both full-backs ruled out of action.

Fulham last won a top-flight league game at their west London rivals back in 1964, and head into this clash without Carlos Salcido and Chris Baird.

Mexican international Salcido has been ruled out for up to a month with ankle ligament damage, while Baird has a thigh strain that will sideline him for ten days.

Hughes is likely to force Damien Duff into emergency action at left-back, with Stephen Kelly coming in on the right.

And with Fulham not having won on the road in the Premier League for almost 15 months, Hughes admits a draw at the champions would be a superb result.

"Carlos is a big loss for us, and Chris is touch and go for the Manchester City game (on November 21)," said Hughes.

"We all know Chelsea are an outstanding side, but we are looking for a positive performance and result, and we go there with the intention of being positive.

"We have had too many draws, but a draw against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge, given our record (there), is absolutely a good result, but we would like to think we are capable of more."

[WhiteJC]

http://www.sportinglife.com/football/news/story_get.cgi?STORY_NAME=soccer/10/11/09/SOCCER_Fulham_Nightlead.html&TEAMHD=soccer

NO FEAR FOR FULHAM

Mark Hughes will send out his Fulham side against Chelsea on Wednesday night urging them to show no fear.

Fulham have never beaten league leaders Chelsea in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge and their last victory there against their closest London rivals came in 1979.

But Hughes, who spent three years at Stamford Bridge as a player, said: "You have to be positive. Too many teams go to the likes of Stamford Bridge and Old Trafford and they are beaten before they go on the pitch. That is not the attitude or the mentality that I want from my team.

"I had a great three years there (at Stamford Bridge). I left Manchester United and everybody would say you were on the way down and that was the end of your career.

"But I went to the right club and was able to win three trophies in three years. The club had started to move in the right direction. I played a small part in where they are today and I am proud of that."

Hughes has problems in defence where Mexican defender Carlos Salcido is sidelined with ankle ligament damage suffered in the 1-1 draw against Aston Villa at the weekend. He will be out for three to four weeks. Damien Duff is likely to come in.

Fulham will also be missing defender Chris Baird who has suffered a thigh tear and is likely to be out for 10 days.

But while Hughes accepts it will be a tough night he is confident his side can show the same character which saw them rescue a draw against Villa at the weekend with a late, late goal from Brede Hangeland.

Hughes said: "Chelsea have got a spine of players who have been there a long time and know what it takes to win Premier League games. They can bring from the bench similar quality. They have that strength of character you need to regularly win trophies.

"They have the mentality when they are not particularly playing well to still have the individual talent to win games.

"A draw at Stamford Bridge given our record against Chelsea is a good result but we would like to think we are capable of more.

"My side never know when they are beaten. They keep going to the end and that's what you want from your players."

Chelsea, however, have yet to drop a point at home this season, although they did lose a Carling Cup tie to Newcastle by the odd goal in seven.

Hughes warned his players to expect a backlash from Chelsea's defeat against Liverpool at the weekend.

"They are going to be hurting because of the events of the weekend and they will want to get back on track. That's another thing we are up against. But it is about our performance level."

[WhiteJC]

http://football.fanhouse.co.uk/2010/11/09/chelsea-v-fulham-preview-carlo-ancelotti-looking-for-an-instant/?

Che!sea v Fulham Preview: Carlo Ancelotti Looking for an Instant Reaction

Defeat against a resurgent Liverpool may be difficult enough to take for Chelsea, but if they come up short against Fulham on, it will give the likes of Manchester United even more hope that the title is not a foregone conclusion.

Two weeks ago Chelsea were five points clear at the top of the Premier League, with United down in sixth. Now, after their second defeat of the Premier League campaign, Carlo Ancelotti's men are just two points ahead of the Old Trafford outfit, who are in second.

Ancelotti will look for an immediate reaction to Sunday's defeat when they face Fulham, who regard their west London neighbours as their biggest rivals – even if the feeling is not mutual – will head to Stamford Bridge looking to kick their opponents when they are down.

Sadly for Mark Hughes's men, the omens do not look good. Apart from the worrying statistic that Fulham have not won away since the opening day of last season, they last beat Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in 1979, when both sides were in the second tier of English football.

In fact they have only beaten Chelsea once since then, when Luis Boa Morte's goal was enough to beat Jose Mourinho's reigning champions at Craven Cottage.

But Hughes, a former Chelsea player, is slowly making his mark on Fulham and has instilled a sense of organisation and communication between his midfield and his forward line.

If they can keep possession and stay organised, they have a chance of getting something out of the trip to the Bridge.

Key Match-up: Michael Essien v Clint Dempsey. Chelsea midfielder Essien has been doing what he does best since returning from injury; breaking up opposing team's attacks and quietly distributing the ball to the Blues' formidable attack.
Dempsey operates as a forward in Hughes's team due to the absence of Bobby Zamora and Andy Johnson's gradual return to the first XI, but he is adept at getting his hands dirty in the midfield area, where he usually plays. Both players are skilled at pushing the boundaries without drawing the attention of the referee's whistle.

Form Guide: Until Sunday's defeat at Anfield, Chelsea were on a seven-match unbeaten run in all competitions. They are yet to concede at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League this year. Fulham, however, travel to Stamford Bridge with a mediocre away record, having drawn four and lost one of their league fixtures on the road this season – and last won on their travels on August 15 2009.

Odds: Chelsea 1/5, Fulham 14/1, Draw 11/2

[WhiteJC]

http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/November/ReservesvReading.aspx?

Reserves 1-0 Reading

A second-half goal from Kerim Frei handed Fulham Reserves the win on Tuesday afternoon, with a youthful and skilful Fulham overcoming a strong and resilient Reading.

A young Fulham started brightly with Alex Kacaniklic impressing down the flank; a position of the pitch from which the Whites saw their best chances stem from.

As the game settled, centre-back Cheick Toure saw an early chance come and go, although the young defender did make amends at the other end blocking one decent opportunity for the visitors.

From a positive opening 15 minutes, Fulham could well have made the breakthrough but seemingly lacked the killer touch in the final third.

Kacaniklic forced a routine save from Reading goalkeeper Alex McCarthy, after captain Rob Milsom was hauled down on the edge of the box following a clever turn.

The Whites flashed three teasing deliveries across the face of goal. Lauri Dalla Valle volleyed one high and over the bar, with Kerim Frei volleying another straight at the Royals' stopper.

Having dominated the majority of the half, Neil Etheridge was called into action on the half hour mark, diving low to claw out Nicholas Bignall's close range header. The Fulham 'keeper also made a brave punch when meeting a deep delivery from the right.

Both Milsom and Matthew Saunders saw shots from distance charged down, while Kacaniklic almost opened the visiting defence up on his own, beating three players before losing his footing.

Fulham certainly created the better chances during the opening period, although it was the visitors who started the second-half the more confident.

A foul on Cristian Marquez-Sanchez brought a moment of sanctuary, and it was from Kacaniklic's subsequent set-piece that saw Aaron Pierre crash a header against the Reading crossbar.

Etheridge came out to deny Lawson D'Ath a chance on goal with a confident dive at the midfielder's feet, before denying Bignall with a smart instinctive block.

Fulham hit back however, and from another Kacaniklic break down the left, the Swedish winger stepped away from two challenges and pulled back for Frei to squeeze home a first time finish on 70 minutes.

Saunders went close to a second when his 25-yard free-kick curled narrowly wide of the upright, while Kacaniklic teased in a half chance for Dalla Valle.

Fulham showed their resilience late on, with Reading finishing the game on top. Firstly, Toure cleared one low cross to safety, while Etheridge denied Bignall with a super diving save before bravely keeping out Ivar Ingimarsson.

FULHAM: Etheridge; Marquez-Sanchez (Barroilhet 70), Toure, Pierre, Smith; Milsom (Pritchard 45), Saunders, Kacaniklic, Marsh-Brown; Frei, Dalla Valle. (Subs not used): Joronen, Brister, Maloney.

Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/November/ReservesvReading.aspx?#ixzz14nninPaY