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Wednesday Fulham Stuff (10.02.10)

Started by White Noise, February 09, 2010, 10:10:34 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

White Noise

http://uk.eurosport.yahoo.com/10022010/63/cherries-deserved-kevan.html

Cherries deserved it - Kevan

Wed, 10 Feb 10:20:52 2010

       
Notts County caretaker manager Dave Kevan admitted Bournemouth were worthy winners after watching his side suffer a 2-1 defeat at Dean Court.

Danny Hollands scored twice in the opening 35 minutes to put the Cherries on course for their first home win of the year and rekindled their automatic promotion prospects.

Playing their seventh match in 21 days, County only had a solitary strike from Neal Bishop to show for their efforts.

The Magpies face Fulham in the sixth round of the FA Cup on Sunday and Kevan hopes his players will be refreshed by the time they travel to Craven Cottage.

"It was a poor goal to concede so early in the game and meant we were playing catch-up for the whole match," conceded Kevan. "But to be fair to Bournemouth, they played some excellent football and deserved their success.

"Our lads need a rest now to recharge the batteries for Sunday, which will be a great occasion for us. We've played a lot of games and done a lot of travelling in the past three weeks. The lads are tired, but we've got games in hand and are still very much in the play-off frame."

White Noise

http://blog.sport.co.uk/Football/598/Top_Ten_Im_not_playing_Get_me_out_of_here.aspx

4. Diomansy Kamara (Fulham)

The Senegal International has played just 40 league games in three years at Fulham. Whilst admittedly injuries have played their part, Kamara has never established himself as a Fulham regular since his move from West Brom. He is currently 4th choice behind Bobby Zamora, Andy Johnson and Erik Nevland, and with Stefano Okaka brought in on loan in January from AS Roma, Kamara ended up loaned out to Celtic. Will it become a permanent one on the summer?

White Noise

Off The Mark


Wednesday 10th February 2010


Fulham FC News

Roy Hodgson described David Elm as a "revelation" during his post match press conference on Tuesday night following Fulham's three-nil win over Burnley at the Cottage.

Elm marked another impressive performance with his first league goal for the Club against Burnley and the Swedish striker was clearly delighted to have opened his account for the Whites.

"It was a really nice feeling scoring my first goal and I hope I can experience the same feeling again soon," said Elm following Tuesday night's win. "It's always good as a striker to score.

"We knew it would be a tough game because there are no easy teams in the Premier League but we got a really nice start and played very well in the first-half."

Elm admits that whilst moving from Kalmar FF to Fulham last summer was an easy decision to make, he has had to prove his worth on the Training Ground to earn the opportunities that have come his way in recent weeks. 

"I didn't know the Manager before I came to Fulham but I knew he was a great coach because I'd heard so many good things about him. It wasn't a hard decision for me to come to Fulham.

"It took four or five months just to settle down and adjust to the tempo and the pace of the play. It was hard in the beginning but you just have to work as hard as you can and do your best. Now it's starting to feel like I can do something here.

"We have many good players at Fulham and it's going to be tough but I just have to keep on working as hard as I can."


Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/February/ElmBurnleyReaction.aspx#ixzz0f8SlUNOu


White Noise


http://www.tribalfootball.com/fulham-hero-elm-chasing-new-contract-633941


Fulham hero Elm chasing new contract

11.02.10 | tribalfootball.com


Elm struck his first goal in the Premiership in last night's win over Burnley.

The 27-year-old striker was brought from Swedish league champions Kalmar FF as an understudy for Bobby Zamora and although he initially found it hard to adapt to English football, he hopes to win an extension to his one-year contract.

He told the London Evening Standard: "It has been difficult coming from Sweden to the Premier League. There is a big difference in the tempo of the game here and it is more aggressive but I have been patient and I took my chance when I got it against Burnley.

"Fulham told me before I joined that I was an interesting player and it would be exciting to see if I could make the step. I knew it was going to be tough but I never had any second thoughts. I love it here. The dream scenario is that I can get a lot of time playing here."

White Noise

http://www.clubcall.com/fulham/hodgson-reveals-priority-season-1021073.html


Hodgson reveals priority for season


Fulham, 15:04, February 10, 2010

Roy Hodgson has promised to field a strong side against Notts County in the FA Cup at the weekend after seeing Fulham overcome Burnley.

Hodgson's team lifted themselves up to ninth place in the table thanks to a comfortable 3-0 success over strugglers Burnley - their eighth win of the season at Craven Cottage.

Fulham will now turn their attention to Sunday's FA Cup fifth round clash against League Two side County before they face Shaktahr Donetsk in the Europe League next week but Hodgson insists he will continue to field weakened line-ups in Europe.

"We will attack the FA Cup," said Hodgson. "But I'm not going to change by mind about the Europa League. My priority is still the league and the FA Cup."

White Noise

Tell Your Story

Wednesday 10th February 2010


Fulham FC News

Do you fancy the chance to see the lads play with an all-expenses paid trip for two including all travel and hotel.....from anywhere in the world?

Not all fans can get to Craven Cottage itself but many still go to extraordinary lengths to follow their favourite team. Now Barclays 'Around the world in 90 minutes' is looking for the ultimate fan's match-day experience.

From the pubs of Pretoria to the beaches of Goa to the homes, pubs and clubs a mere corner-kick away from the the Hammersmith End, fans have created their own spiritual homes outside of the Barclays Premier League stadiums to support their beloved teams, and Barclays wants to hear all about them.

Barclays, wants to find the best match-day experience in the world. With matches reaching an estimated 500 million homes in 211 countries, Barclays 'Around the World in 90 Minutes' wants to know about the venues, locations, viewing rituals and football superstitions that make your experience the best.

Submit your entry by going to www.barclaysfootball.com|  to upload videos, photos and tell the judges why you should win.

The closing date is 22 March 2010 and terms and conditions apply. The best 25 runners up will win a team shirt of your choice.


Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/February/BarclaysComp.aspx#ixzz0f9KOpTPT


White Noise

Fulham v Notts County


FA Cup


Sunday 14 February


Kick-Off 15:00

On-sale dates
General Sale  9am Friday 29 January
Season Ticket Holders: Seats will be held until 5pm on Monday 1st February. 

Season ticket holders who are on the Home Cup Tie Scheme will automatically have their ticket loaded onto their Season Ticket Access Cards.

Advance Booking Prices   
Adults £15
Concessions £10
Juniors £5
Matchday Prices
Adults £20
Concessions £15
Juniors £5
How to Buy tickets
buy tickets online  - 7 days a week, 24 hrs a day. Save on booking fees by booking online*
by phone on 0870 442 1234 (option 1) - 7 days a week, 24 hrs a day
in person from the Ticket Office: Mon-Fri 9am-5pm; non-match day Sat 10am-12pm
by fax 0207 384 4810 (download printable form )
by postal application to FFC Ticket Office, Stevenage Road, Fulham, SW6 6HH enclosing a stamped addressed envelope (download printable form )
Seatwave - the official fan-to-fan ticket exchange
Thomas Cook - match breaks for all Fulham FC home games
* Lower booking fees compared to telephone booking


Junior - under 16
Consessions: Young Person - under 21
Concessions: Senior - over 65


Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Tickets/Games/FulhamvNottsCounty.aspx#ixzz0f9KhAllV

White Noise

http://blogs.soccernet.com/fulham/archives/2010/02/fulham_football_club_looked_to.php


Cottagers Seem to Be Back on Track......Random Thoughts

Posted by Tom Wille

2 hours, 41 minutes ago


Fulham Football Club looked to be in crisis mode at the end of January. Not only did the Cottagers lose four straight league matches, but they were also dealing with an assortment of injuries that would test the team's depth during one of the busiest and most important times of the year. Little was expected of Roy Hodgson's club entering February and perhaps that is how he likes it as Fulham has responded well with two wins and a draw in their last three matches. The most recent, a 3-0 drubbing of Stoke City at Craven Cottage put the Cottagers back into 9th place on 34 points.


Fulham definitely seems to be back on the right track after playing extremely poor in January. While the two wins and draw came against weaker opponents in the aforementioned Stoke City, Portsmouth and Bolton, the fact remains that Fulham did what was needed to get positive results at a critical time when the team could have packed up the tent and mailed it in as other clubs have done in years past.

This team is resilient and after some patchy play in defense, the staple of this team, the Cottagers have found some form and played much better at the back. Brede Hangeland looks to be healthy once again and Aaron Hughes is as solid as ever. Mark Schwarzer is back on his game and the addition of Nicky Shorey in the back has been a nice addition to a team that has been without John Pantsil and Paul Konchesky of late. The club did a nice job identifying Shorey as a player that could step right in and help the team and the former Reading man has done just that. He has and will continue to be a nice piece of the Fulham puzzle as the season progresses.

Up front and in the midfield, there was no doubt that players would have to step up in the absense of Clint Dempsey and Andy Johnson who are both out for quite some time with injuries. One player that has taken advantage of his opportunity is striker David Elm. The lanky 27-year-old Swedish striker might not be the quickest or have the best touch, but he is creating problems for opposing defenses. On Tuesday, Elm recorded his first goal in league play for the Cottagers and played a key role in assisting Danny Murphy in the opening goal of the match.

Elm, like Peter Crouch, is tall and looks a bit awkward out on the pitch. However, he can hold the ball up and can get into scoring positions. I am not sure he will be the long term solution for the Cottagers offense, but his height alone makes for defenses to have to know where he is at all times and he poses a threat on set pieces as well. He is not as good as Peter Crouch, but he plays similar to him. He is a change of pace attacker that can compliment Bobby Zamora, Stefano Okaka and others well for the Cottagers.

I am pleased with the direction the team is headed after hitting a bump in the road during January. However, the rest of February will be a busy month for the Cottagers. Not only do the Cottagers have a fifth round FA Cup home tie with Notts County, but they also return to the Europa League for a home and home tie with defending champions Shakhtar Donetsk as well as league matches against Birmingham City and Sunderland. Three competitions and a possible six matches over the next 18 days is a lot for any team.

It has been a few weeks since I last wrote in my blog. I apologize for this as my wife was sick and then my child was sick which kept me from writing and keeping this blog current. For those of you with children, I am sure you understand. Anyways, I have some random thoughts I wanted to share you with you regarding Fulham.

- Stephen Kelly is not a Premier League player. He has been lackluster in the back for the Cottagers and the sooner he is not playing regular first team football, the better things will be for Fulham.

- Losing John Pantsil for the season has been possibly the biggest loss of the season injury wise. He played with energy and was a vocal leader in the back for the club. The aforementioned Stephen Kelly is nowhere near as good as Pantsil. My hope is that when Paul Konchesky returns to full fitness that Nicky Shorey will play in the right back role, Konchesky will play on the left and Kelly will no longer be needed. It's tough to watch him out there.

- I was pleased with Fulham's deals during the January transfer window. Both Stefano Okaka and Nicky Shorey will make solid contributions for this team. Seeing as both players joined on loan, the Cottagers did not break the bank for them.

- Could this be the year Fulham makes a serious run in the FA Cup? It's been since 1975 the last time Fulham made it to Wembley and the FA Cup final. With big dogs Arsenal, Manchester United and Liverpool out of the competition and Fulham facing lowly Notts County on Sunday in the fifth round, there is a distinct chance the Cottagers will advance to the Final eight. I guess it all depends on the draw going forward, but if the ping pong balls bounce the right way and the Cottagers can avoid Chelsea, I would say they have as good a chance as any other remaining team to make it Wembley. Exciting times ahead for the Cottagers in the FA Cup if they can get past Notts County.

- I am not really disappointed in the loss of Andy Johnson through injury. I have waited the better part of a year and a half for Johnson to do something productive on a consistent basis and my wish has remain unfulfilled. Rather than see him being unproductive on the pitch I would rather him get fully healthy and be ready for next season. I also think this gives others like David Elm and Stefano Okaka the opportunity to step in and show the manager and the supporters that one, the other, or both can score goals consistently for the club.

- I like Dickson Etuhu. He may not score a lot of goals and may not do anything flashy but he simply gets the job done. He is a strong, physical presence in the middle of the park that can go toe to toe with opposing players. His presence on the pitch will not allow the Cottagers to get run over physically in midfield. I hope he can continue to improve and play a role for Fulham.

That's all for now. Let me know what you think about David Elm, Dickson Etuhu and the team in general? Do you think the struggles in January are a thing of the past? Can Fulham make it to Wembley and the FA Cup final for the first time since 1975? Have your say. I would love to hear from you.

White Noise

http://www.givemefootball.com/premier-league/fulham-3-burnley-0-manager-reaction

Fulham 3 Burnley 0: Manager reaction

Fulham boss delighted as problems mount for Brian Laws



By Dave Smith  February 10, 2010


 
"I thought the victory lay in the hard work and the quality of our defending," said Hodgson. "We gave them very little time and space to play and we used the ball wisely.

"We got everything right tonight - the defending and attacking - and on a night like that, we would have been a tough nut to crack for any team."

Hodgson was also delighted to see Swedish striker David Elm claim his first goal for the club.

"It was really good to see David score," added Hodgson. "He's been a bit of a revelation. At the time he came in we had a lot of strikers, but he has moved up the pecking order and deserves to be where he is."

Fulham now face Notts County in the FA Cup fifth round on Sunday and then Shakhtar in the Europa League next week.

"We will attack the FA Cup," said Hodgson. "But I'm not going to change by mind about the Europa League. My priority is still the league and the FA Cup."


Brian Laws


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


Burnley boss Laws felt his side were the victims of two offside goals. "Luck has not been on our side," said Laws. "We did not play particularly well but I thought their first two goals were offside.

"The TV replays show the referee and linesman got it wrong. They are important decisions for us. We need any help we can get. Our performance was not up to the standard we set on Saturday against West Ham.

"We shot ourselves in the foot with the first goal because we could have cleared our lines, but the second phase of play was offside.

"But if the referee and linesman get it right, it is no goal. One or two heads dropped but we cannot carry anybody.

"The two goals coming in quick succession, knocked the stuffing out of us. We know our away form is not great but we will just have to pick ourselves up.

"Psychologically it will start to affect the players," conceded Laws.

"We have to change the mind set. We put in a magnificent performance against West Ham on Saturday and we have not had time to enjoy that because there was another important game against Fulham."


White Noise

http://www.clarets-mad.co.uk/rprt/mtch/another_day_another_away_defeat_494021/index.shtml

Another day, another (away) defeat

by Pete Waters


Fulham 3 Burnley 0


A magnificent show of support from the travelling fans was not rewarded with a similar performance on the pitch as Burnley were comfortably beaten at Craven Cottage.

Andre Bikey - probably our best player

It was a familiar story away from home and in truth we never looked like ending our winless run against a strong, mobile and organised Fulham side.

Three poor refereeing decisions did not aid our cause but it would be folly to put the blame solely at the officials' door in a game in which we never got going.

We had started brightly enough having the bulk of possession in the first fifteen minutes. But other than a snapshot from Fletcher we didn't fashion any chances.

Soon we were made to pay and it started with a mix up from Mears and Jensen. A lack of communication resulted in a needless corner and within sixty seconds we were picking the ball out of the net.

We had failed to clear the corner properly when Shorey picked out Elm who, from an offside position, nodded it down for Murphy and he confidently swept the ball past Jensen.

Fulham were now on top and effectively sealed the win just ten minutes later as Zamora broke clear, checked inside and fired a deflected shot straight at Jensen who could only spill it to the onrushing Elm to tap home from six yards. Yes, Zamora was clearly offside but he was allowed too much time to get his shot away and Jensen will be disappointed with his part in the goal.

This prompted Laws to replace Cort, clearly carrying a knock, with Eagles while Fox retreated to left back and Edgar replacing Cort at the heart of the defence.

We tried to force a way back in the game before half time with Mears clipping the bar from a set piece and Fox firing tamely at Schwarzer but Fulham were looking more like extending their lead as Zamora and Elm were pulling our defence apart.

The second half continued in much the same way as Zamora ghosted behind our defence but could only tamely shoot at Jensen who easily palmed the shot away. However, he wasn't to be so wasteful next time as he won a debatable free kick after going down from a challenge by Edgar. It looked very dubious but the result was anything but as he planted his shot past the hapless Jensen into the bottom corner. Again, the goalkeeper will surely be disappointed with his contribution.

Just minutes later, Fulham could have extended their lead as Okaka raced past Carlisle but this time Jensen saved well with his legs.

Burnley tried to salvage something from the game, giving an impressive Jack Cork his debut but only had a tame effort from Eagles and a weak header from Fletcher to show for their efforts.

The game petered out with Fulham looking content to hold on to what they already had and Burnley realising the game was up.

Nevertheless the superb away support continued unabated throughout the half and beyond the final whistle. Although the football was, for the most part, dire it was a joy to be in the away stand to witness the support.

Back to the game though and we need to forget this one and move on to the Villa game where, if we play anything like this, will suffer an equally disappointing fate.

There were few positives from tonight where nobody fared particularly well, the defence was wide open, the midfield overrun and the attack toothless. Our best player was probably Bikey, who, although not up to his recent form still showed a physical presence in an otherwise poor midfield performance.

Other than Bikey, Carlisle turned in a reasonable performance and both Eagles and Cork showed some energy and some nice touches when they came on but in reality this is clutching at straws on a very disappointing evening.

Sometimes you have to give the opposition credit though and apart from the opening fifteen minutes Fulham controlled this one with ease. They look a solid and well organised outfit and will certainly beat better teams than us before the season is out.

So we move on to Aston Villa, still searching for that elusive first away win. Hopefully the trip to Portugal will have the players refreshed as we now have thirteen games left to preserve our status in the best league in the world.

White Noise

http://cravencottagenewsround.wordpress.com/2010/02/10/next-day/


Next day


Filed under: General — weltmeisterclaude @ 1:38 pm

Just as playing against a good team highlights any weaknesses, playing against a bad team emphasises strengths. So last night we saw several encouraging signs:

Dickson Etuhu, as discussed last night, seems to make Murphy play better. Hard to assess whether this was just the Burnley factor or the two of them working brilliantly as a combination, but something clicked. Murphy must have spent more time in the attacking third than he has in all other games combined this season. His goal, well taken, was a reaction to a nice Elm knockdown, but how often do we see him make those runs? Hardly at all. It wasn't just then though, he got in the box all game. Etuhu, for his part, was swaggering about the place. He looked leaner than I remember him, and moved quickly, passed accurately, and got stuck in to an amusing degree (the yellow card slowed him down on this front).

David Elm, says Roy Hodgson, has been a pleasant surprise. Indeed. Dan highlighted this the other day with some chalkboard work, but he seems a lot more involved in buildup play than most forwards. He doesn't look a natural footballer in the way that Shorey does, but he's effective enough, and has a nice portfolio of skills. You'd say that he's a 6/7 out of 10 in enough areas to be a useful squad player: good enough in the air to win high balls, alright at holding the ball up, tidy enough to pass the ball around, seems to have decent instincts in the area (he's effectively scored twice now in not much time on the pitch), and will work for the team. No 'wow' factor, but solid. Compare this with Nevland, who is a deadly finisher but has a poor first touch and is not a good passer. Not wishing to kick a man when he's down or anything, but it's an interesting contrast, I think.

Zamora was phenomenal. When he plays like this few defenders can stop him. The trick is to get bodies around him to take advantage, and we more or less achieved this. Damian

Duff was too good for Burnley. Even when things were messy Duff was playing well. He get go left and right, can cross or shoot, and was a menace and a half to a sub-par Burnley defence. He is now, I think, our best player.

The defence, with Baird and Shorey on the flanks and Etuhu standing guard, looked phenomenal. Schwarzer really had very little to worry about. Nicky Shorey could not have played better in his first two home games. At this rate Konch is going to be very worried about his place. Shorey seems to be a natural attacking left-back: the step up from fielding Baird or Kelly out of position to Shorey is enormous.

Finally, nice to see Simon Davies back. He had a quietish game, but he's a definite plus when he's fit and we'll need him in the weeks ahead.

White Noise

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11661_5930978,00.html

Elm hoping to grow at Fulham

Swedish striker hoping to pen contract extension with Cottagers



By Kent Hedlundh   Last updated: 10th February 2010   

Elm: Has generated interest

David Elm's agent claims his client would be more than happy to prolong his association with Fulham.

The Swedish striker's current contract at Craven Cottage is set to expire in the summer, but there is an option for both sides to agree a two-year extension.

Elm is said to be keen on penning fresh terms, having forced his way into Roy Hodgson's plans of late, and his representative is confident a deal can be struck.

"Clubs from across Europe have called, but Fulham have got the option to keep him for another two years," Patrick Moerk told Sportbladet.

"He is enjoying himself at the club and feels that he has got Hodgson's confidence."

Elm, who joined Fulham from Kalmar last summer, scored his first goal for the Cottagers in Tuesday's 3-0 win over Burnley and claims he now feels settled in England.

"It was good fun," he said on his showing against the Clarets.

"Everything went well. I am really enjoying myself now."


LBNo11

...you have to laugh at Elm's agents 'agentspeak'  "having forced his way into Roy Hodgson's plans of late" = most of the usual first team are injured and if that was not the case he would still be playing in the reserves!

"Clubs from across Europe have called" = I have called several contacts offering him for sale, so that I can generate a Dutch auction!

Don't get me wrong, he has impressed in his last two games and I want him to get better and fight for a first team place, I just get annoyed at the inferences...
Twitter: @LBNo11FFC

TonyGilroy

Quote from: LBNo11 on February 10, 2010, 04:29:24 PM
...you have to laugh at Elm's agents 'agentspeak'  "having forced his way into Roy Hodgson's plans of late" = most of the usual first team are injured and if that was not the case he would still be playing in the reserves!

"Clubs from across Europe have called" = I have called several contacts offering him for sale, so that I can generate a Dutch auction!

Don't get me wrong, he has impressed in his last two games and I want him to get better and fight for a first team place, I just get annoyed at the inferences...

Maybe but Roy's been quick to ditch underperforming full backs.
Elm's got his chance through injury but he has something to offer and to that extent has forced his way in. We had Okaka and a probably unfit Nevland on the bench with Elm picked ahead of them. He's doing enough to deserve to stay in

Tktd

Quote from: LBNo11 on February 10, 2010, 04:29:24 PM
...you have to laugh at Elm's agents 'agentspeak'  "having forced his way into Roy Hodgson's plans of late" = most of the usual first team are injured and if that was not the case he would still be playing in the reserves!

"Clubs from across Europe have called" = I have called several contacts offering him for sale, so that I can generate a Dutch auction!

Don't get me wrong, he has impressed in his last two games and I want him to get better and fight for a first team place, I just get annoyed at the inferences...


Please - please , please use your brain... I know you have one... why are you trying to manipulate what he's saying.... what would be the point in saying his client really likes Fulham, wants to grow at Fulham under Roy and then to say clubs from across europe have called - with you giving a reason as to why its said to insinuate that he has called several contacts offering him for sale?!... He wouldn't have Elm as a client if he went against Elms wishes, Elm would be moving to a worse league -If he can make it in the premiership - which he's showing signs of being able to, then why go back to the Dutch league soo soon! You really haven't thought it out!... :-\ :-X ???