Thursday Fulham Stuff (11/11/10)

[WhiteJC]

http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/newcastle-united/nufc-news/2010/11/11/shola-ameobi-a-doubt-for-fulham-clash-72703-27639927/?

Shola Ameobi a doubt for Fulham clash

SHOLA AMEOBI is a doubt for Saturday's home encounter with Fulham.

The six-goal striker came off at half-time of Newcastle's defeat to Blackburn with what the club describe as a "minor hamstring injury".

Ameobi had been in fine form for the Magpies, but United say he will be assessed ahead of the game with the Cottagers.

Hughton confirmed the blow and told the Chronicle: "Yes, Shola was injured and Nile Ranger had to come on for the second half.

"He's been in very good form, but we'll assess that one and see.

"We've had two games in three days, and the most important thing is that the players recover and recover well."

Should Ameobi miss out then Ranger would be the favourite to start against Mark Hughes' side at St James' Park, with Peter Lovenkrands also in the frame – while Hughton could also opt to revert to 4-4-1-1 and play Kevin Nolan behind Andy Carroll.

Meanwhile, Cheik Tiote will not pick up a one-game ban despite reaching five yellow cards for the season.

The Ivory Coast star was booked for the fourth time in the Premier League, but his yellow card for FC Twente in the Dutch League will not count.



Read More http://www.chroniclelive.co.uk/newcastle-united/nufc-news/2010/11/11/shola-ameobi-a-doubt-for-fulham-clash-72703-27639927/?#ixzz14yr7f52h

[WhiteJC]

http://www.talksport.co.uk/sports-news/football/premier-league/transfer-rumours/2549/4/juventus-ready-launch-big-money-bid-fulham-star?

Juventus ready to launch big-money bid for Fulham star


Fulham are bracing themselves for a big-money January offer from Juventus for their key defender Brede Hangeland.

The Norway international, 29, has become one of the Premier League's most consistent performers following his arrival from FC Copenhagen in 2008.

And, after rumours linked Hangeland with a move away from Craven Cottage last year, he committed his future to Fulham by signing a contract that will keep him at the club until 2013.

But, according to reports in Italy, Juventus have been watching Hangeland closely and could be ready to stump up the asking price - thought to be around £6m.

The defender has been linked with a move to AC Milan since the summer, but it appears that Juve are now the most likely Serie A side to launch a bid in January.

[WhiteJC]

http://www.teamtalk.com/blackpool/6500706/Hughes-defends-Ollie-s-actions?

Hughes defends Ollie's actions

Mark Hughes has supported Ian Holloway after the Blackpool boss risked a Premier League punishment for making 10 changes at Aston Villa.

The Premier League confirmed this morning they were investigating Holloway's actions, which could be perceived as fielding a weakened side.

A precedent was set last year when Wolves were hit with a suspended £25,000 fine after manager Mick McCarthy made 10 changes to his side to face Manchester United.

McCarthy admitted resting players to give his side the best possible chance of beating Burnley in the following game, but Holloway yesterday insisted his side was not weakened and he had no choice because of the promoted club's busy schedule.

Fulham manager Hughes backed Holloway's decision this afternoon, saying: "I think he needs to be allowed to manage.

"Only he and his staff know the current state of his team and his players and if he feels that certain players need a rest and he could still put out a team that can compete at Premier League level - which they undoubtedly did at Villa last night - I think he's very much in his rights to do that.

"I think it'd be wrong if people start stepping in and telling managers who they should be picking."

Hughes reckons the Premier League would be wrong to punish Blackpool.

"They have to tread very carefully," he said.

"I know Ian and he's very passionate about his football club and his team.

"And if he makes a decision, I would imagine it's in the best interest of the group of players that he has.

"So if people on the outside want to influence that, I would say that would be incorrect."

[WhiteJC]

http://www.sport.co.uk/news/Football/46647/Top_Three_Cult_Kits_Fulham.aspx?

Top Three Cult Kits: Fulham

There are good kits, there are bad kits, and then there are cult kits. The ones that linger in the memory long after they have been discarded and replaced by a newer money-spinning version. They might be classic, they might be flash, they might even be downright dodgy, but for whatever reason they end up with an eternal place in every supporter's memory. Here we look at cult kits worn down the years by players of Fulham...



1983-84 Home
Fulham have only ever had a pinstripe kit for one year of their entire history, and this shirt therefore earns its place in the Cottagers' history. It retains the classic black and white colours worn throughout Fulham's entire history while using the omnipresent v-neck of the early 80s.

2001-02 Home
Top flight football returned to Craven Cottage after a 33 year hiatus in 2001, and Fulham ran out having abandoned the frankly rubbish sponsor Demon Internet in favour of fast food mega power Pizza Hut. They also added red to shirt, shorts and socks, a colour long linked to the club.

1990-91 Third
Yellow away strips have been repeatedly used by Fulham sides in the past decade, but the origins of this trend come from the 1990-91 season, when the Cottagers' red away shirt, accompanying their white home kit, meant that this third kit saw a lot of action. The strip became something of a collectors' item and is still remembered most fondly by Fulham fans.

[WhiteJC]

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_6500732,00.html?

Hughes hails Briggs
Youngster wins backing from Hughes

Fulham defender Aaron Hughes has hailed Matthew Briggs following his impressive showing against Chelsea.

Highly-rated Briggs made his first start for the club at Stamford Bridge as a replacement for the injured Carlos Salcido.
Hughes was impressed by the England Under 21 international and he believes the full-back has a bright future ahead of him

"We see him [Briggs] everyday in training so we know he's got a lot of potential," Hughes told the club's official website. "He's a big, strong player who's really comfortable on the ball and that's why the manager had no problem putting him in a game like this.

Better

"He showed everybody exactly why the manager showed faith in him against Chelsea. He's got a good head on his shoulders, he works hard and over time he's only going to get better and that's good for us."

Hughes was disappointed to see his side go down 1-0 to Chelsea and is hoping they can bounce back to winning ways against his former club Newcastle this weekend.

"We stuck to our task against Chelsea and we feel a little bit unlucky not to be leaving without anything to show for it," he added.

"It would be nice to win on Saturday against Newcastle but we know they're on a high after winning three on the bounce. They've been doing really well and causing teams a lot of problems whilst working very hard and grinding out good results."

[WhiteJC]

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

Weekend Preview

After two games in five days, Mark Hughes' side go into Saturday's encounter with Newcastle United determined and looking to secure a vital victory away from the Cottage.

Fulham have met Aston Villa and league leaders Chelsea in the past week, and travel to St James' Park to face fifth-place Newcastle this weekend.

Speaking to fulhamfc.com, the Manager said: "Obviously we have a session tomorrow [Friday], but as it stands we have no new injury concerns and it will be the same group of players available that we had on Wednesday.

"We've had two games in a short space of time so of course, we will look at the players' freshness before making any decision on who will start. We've had some good sessions throughout this week and I have to say, the boys look in good shape.

"The trip to Newcastle will be a difficult one. They are a very good side, and I watched them against Arsenal on Sunday and I was very impressed by what I saw. I thought they worked exceptionally hard for each other and you can see quite clearly that they have a great team spirit.

"They also have arguably the Barclays Premier League's in-form striker in the form of Andy Carroll. For his general play and the goals he is scoring, they have a talented player on their hands.

"People will be talking about how Brede Hangeland will go about stopping him [Carroll], because it's an obvious match-up. We're talking about two guys that are playing very well at the moment, so it will be an interesting one.

"We're aware of the areas that Carroll likes to attack, so hopefully we can stop his supply. But when the ball is played into our box, it goes without saying that we want the likes of Brede to be able to compete and show his own strength in the air.

"He enjoys that challenge, and it will be another test at the weekend as it always is in a league like our one."

A win away from home is still eluding the Whites, although as the Manager highlights they have secured some valuable points on the road.

"We're away from home and as I have said before, our form on our travels is something that I want to improve on," he said. "But we will go to St James' Park and try and ask questions of Newcastle.

"For whatever reason, their form there hasn't been as strong as it has been away from home, so we like to think that we can exploit that.

"We're aware of our current record, and it's not something that sits well with any of us. Certain areas of our play away from home do need to improve and that is something we have been working very hard on.

"But we have picked up some important points away this season though, and that has given us some confidence – we have to take the positives. But that said, we do need to step up to the mark and get three points because it's been too long.

"We need to get out there on Saturday, forget any thoughts of how our away form has been and just express ourselves. If we can do that, then there is no reason why we can't come away with that long-awaited win."

Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/November/HughesNewcastlePreview.aspx?#ixzz14zcYjpo2

[ScalleysDad]

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

Bleak House at the Bridge

All rather predictable as the Whites return empty handed from their trip to Stamford Bridge, or do we take solace from the fact we ran the Champions close? Cut it any way you like, a loss is a loss.

Mark Hughes felt his side deserved a point for their 2nd half display. Really? I think he's being disingenuous at best or naive at worst - and I'm certain Sparky's seen too much professional football for it to be the latter.
Why not turn in a solid 90 minutes? How many sides would expect to get something from a game against the Champs by only performing at 50%? We got precisely what we deserved - nowt. Chelsea, way below their best, should have been out of sight before we had our first decent shot on goal. Two off the line, Schwarzer getting in the way of a close-range fizzer he knew nothing about, Kalou and Malouda both guilty of failing to finish when clean through.

The tragedy of our fruitless endeavours, an inability to ask any questions of a below par Chelsea. I could have played centre-back alongside John Terry, who was clearly struggling by the end. Terry's suspect back is going to bring a premature end to his career I'm certain. Not once did Duff test his pace against Boswinga. With both he and Davies continually checking back inside and passing square, or back into midfield, these two need a spell on the bench.

Davies was our most dangerous player. There was danger every time he conceded possession or delivered a hospital pass to another white shirt - I gave up counting them. We manufactured nothing from our four corners or free-kicks into the box. Invariably, if you review the video, they acted only as springboards for rapid Chelsea counter attacks. When you're playing a top side like the leaders away it's unlikely you will enjoy more of the possession. You must therefore maximise any opportunities you get to hurt the opposition. This is what sides like Stoke and Blackburn do so well. We are abject in this department.

Let's turn the microscope on our attacking game plan. Was there one? Knowing your talismanic striker is out long term you ask, where are the goals coming from to keep you afloat in the league? I genuinely don't recall either Duff or Murphy putting in a threatening shot to date with a third of the season gone. Davies too can lash a ball from distance. Take Essien's winner. Who from our midfield four ever charges the near post for flicks, headers and feints to unsettle defenders? Etuhu on the odd occasion maybe. Wing backs? Salcido shows willing, but Kelly can't offer that - even debutant Briggs showed more ambition to go forward.

We had two real efforts on goal in the last 20 minutes as we belatedly realised Chelsea were running out of steam. Who hits the 2nd with his first touch? Why is Hughes not starting last season's Player of the Year. Gera was poor against Villa...but who wasn't? He is the one front player with vision and some intelligence. He has a good shot, he's strong with his head, knows his abilities and rarely over-elaborates.

Dembele, Dempsey and AJ are running around like headless chickens. When Andy was introduced, far from unsettling Terry, the ball never got to him for 10 minutes. Dembele in August ghosted past defenders with the ball seemingly tied to his laces, now he's running up cul-de-sacs, his touch gone. Coming back into a lop-sided and struggling side fills me with foreboding for Andy's prospects of getting back on the goal trail with so little to feed off. I sense opposition teams will find Fulham pretty toothless till January at least.

Apart from Hughes strange assertion we 'deserved a point' was his brusque response in saying he was not concerned by our current form. Thousands of supporters I suspect might disagree. In the last month I note WBA, Bolton, Blackburn, Everton, Blackpool and now Stoke all playing better football than us. Wolves have turned in some exceptional performances with absolutely no luck...West Ham and Wigan are showing flashes of spirit...while we slide ever closer towards the bottom three, a position likely to be compounded should the winless streak away from home continue at Newcastle.

Having shunted nice guy Ray into the sidings and surrounded himself with his own team, Mark may be developing a bunker mentality reminiscent of Sanchez at the same stage of the 2007 season - and we all know how that ended. I hope I'm wrong, and this is not an over-reaction to a narrow 0-1 loss to the league leaders, but the worry beads are out of the draw...

Please tell me I'm wrong! To finish on a note of optimism. Bravo for Briggs, our next Chris Smalling. Hope he gets a chance to shine.
Twitter@fulhamphil

I have read most of the threads on the board regarding the game yesterday and is'nt it amazing how opinions differ. However I think I was at this game and well done for sticking to the key points. Its a good read.