Friday Fulham Stuff (03/12/10)...

[WhiteJC]

http://www.sport.co.uk/news/Football/47670/Wenger_To_go_to_the_final_of_the_Europa_League_is_fantastic.aspx?

Wenger: To go to the final of the Europa League is 'fantastic'

Arsene Wenger believes his Arsenal side face a tough task breaking down Mark Hughes' Fulham at the Emirates on Saturday and lauded the Cottagers for their surprising run in Europe last term.

The Gunners have already lost three times at home in the Premier League this season with defeats to Tottenham Hotspur, West Bromwich Albion and Newcastle United costing the north London side nine points which could have seen them sitting pretty at the top of the table.

Speaking ahead of another vital domestic clash, French coach Wenger told Arsenal TV Online that he expects another stern test from the Cottagers.

"I believe they are a similar style [to last season]. They are a team who play good football, who tries to build from the back and who are very efficient. They lost one or two players through injuries but overall they are still a similar style with some players who are at the heart of the game like [Danny] Murphy who are very influential.

Reflecting on last season's European campaign, which saw Roy Hodgson lead Fulham to the Europa League final, Wenger continued:
"That is a tremendous success I feel for Fulham. To go to the final of the Europa League is of course a fantastic achievement for them. They have good players and they managed to keep all their strong players.

"They added to their squad, they added [Carlos] Salcido who is a very good player and added [Moussa] Dembele who is a very good player; we faced him [last season] against FC Twente. Fulham have a very strong squad."

[WhiteJC]

http://thepremierleagueowl.com/2010/12/03/premier-league-betting-arsenal-vs-fulham/?

Premier League Betting: Arsenal Vs Fulham

The Bookies are as tentative as you might expect for this one.

2/7 on the home win reflects both Arsenal's shakey home form, but also Fulham's perceived inability to punish them for it. Even without Cesc Fabregas, Arsenal should have far too much for their London neighbours – 3/1 on the home team winning by two goals looks to be good value.

Early team news suggests that Andy Johnson will play for Fulham, but the ex-Birmingham, Palace and Everton man has looked a pale imitation of himself since returning from injury – and is without the physical foil of long-term absentee Bobby Zamora. Disappointingly for Arsenal, clanger-merchant Phillipe Senderos is also not fit to make his Fulham debut – but good news in that impressively physical midfielder Mousa Dembele will also miss the trip across town.

Samir Nasri to score first at 5/1 could reap dividends.

[WhiteJC]

http://www.fcbusiness.co.uk/news/article/newsitem=810/title=fulham+take+premier+league+chairman+case+to+court+of+appeal?

Fulham take Premier League chairman case to Court of Appeal

Fulham Football Club's fight to oust Sir David Richards as Premier League chairman was taken to the Court of Appeal on Wednesday after they challenged a High Court judgment for their dispute with him to be settled by arbitration.

It's understood that Mr Justice Vos granted Richards and the Premier League a stay on the legal action taken against them by the Cottagers, who want the former removed for allegedly scuppering their bid to sign Peter Crouch in July 2009.

However, the judge also gave Fulham leave to appeal the verdict, which they confirmed in a statement.

"The High Court today ruled that Fulham could not proceed by way of court action in respect of the matters complained of by Fulham in its Unfair Prejudice Petition, issued in April this year, against Sir David Richards and the Premier League.

"Although it ruled that Fulham must pursue its complaints by way of private arbitration under the Premier League and Football Association rules, the High Court also gave Fulham permission to appeal to the Court of Appeal, recognising that there was a previous High Court decision in another case that came to a different conclusion on similar issues, and that an important point of law was involved.

"Fulham intends to take its case to the Court of Appeal so that this important issue can be resolved in its favour."

Granting Richards and the Premier League a stay, Mr Justice Vos said: "The arbitrators will have adequate powers to deal with Fulham's complaint properly, fairly and satisfactorily, and it would be extremely desirable for all concerned if they were permitted to do so without further delay."

Richards' removal is one of two possible outcomes sought by Fulham, the other being a ban on his involvement in future transfers.

Fulham are claiming that Richards interfered with their bid to buy England striker Crouch, who ended up joining Tottenham for £9million, £2million less than they were reportedly willing to pay.

Richards allegedly intervened because Spurs were prepared to offer Portsmouth a lump sum up front at a time when the south-coast club's very existence was under threat, while Fulham were thought to be planning to pay in instalments.

Fulham believe Richards broke both Football Association and Premier League rules and failed to act fairly by promoting the interests of one club over another.

[WhiteJC]

http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/December/HughesOnArsenal.aspx?

Make It Count

Fulham's ground staff worked overtime this week and deserve a special mention for successfully protecting and delivering the training facilities required by the Team ahead of Saturday's match against Arsenal, despite the adverse weather conditions stacking the odds against them.

As a blanket of arctic weather brought much of the UK to a grinding halt, Mark Hughes and his players were able to continue training thanks to the support of those working at the Training Ground.

"We haven't been able to have full scale training this week," explained Hughes. "It's not been ideal but we've got the work done that we wanted to do and it's happening to everyone in all walks of life across the country."

Fulham currently reside in 17th place in the League table, but with only a five point deficit from seventh place, Hughes is well aware that the Club's current position is very much temporary once the Team take maximum points in quick succession.

"Everyone is very close in the Premier League at the moment and teams are taking points and winning games they're not expected to win, so the mid-table is very condensed. We're obviously at the lower end of that table but one or two wins, back to back, can you move you very quickly up to the other end of the table."

A positive result at the Emirates would be a welcome boost and whilst Hughes highlighted the evident danger that will be posed by the home team, he firmly believes his men can create the opportunities to cause an upset against the Gunners on Saturday.

"When you watch them [Arsenal] in full flow, they are a very exciting and dynamic team. I've probably seen then more times this season than any other team and the quality they have on occasions is excellent.

"However at other times defensively they have been caught out and we will use that as a positive on Saturday. There is no doubt in my mind that we can create situations that will ask questions of them.

"It's about getting the balance right against Arsenal on Saturday. You can't allow them to get into the rhythm of their play and the rhythm of their passing, because when they do, they're very adept at picking the right option at the right time and, more often than not, scoring an outstanding goal.

"We understand what we're up against but there'll be opportunities. We need to recognise when we can attack and take our opportunities when they present themselves. And when you do have get a chance against Arsenal – you have convert it."



Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/December/HughesOnArsenal.aspx?#ixzz173TEAdQ6

[WhiteJC]

http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/December/SaturdayClubsCancelled.aspx?

Saturday Clubs Cancelled

Supporters should note that the Fulham Foundation Saturday Clubs will not be running this Saturday (4th December).

Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/December/SaturdayClubsCancelled.aspx?#ixzz173TTAhPv

[WhiteJC]

http://www.eatsleepsport.com/fulham/aj-back-for-gunners-date-1128956.html?

AJ back for Gunners date

Fulham should be boosted by the return of striker Andrew Johnson for this weekend's trip to face London rivals Arsenal at the Emirates.

Johnson missed last week's 1-1 draw against his former club Birmingham City at Craven Cottage with the slight hamstring strain he suffered the week earlier when he made his first start after a 10-month injury lay-off against Manchester City.

However, the Everton old boy is expected to feature against Arsene Wenger's Gunners.

Cottagers boss Mark Hughes is without Carlos Salcido, who has an ankle problem, while Moussa Dembele is absent due to a similar injury. Bobby Zamora and Rafik Halliche are missing with thigh problems, while Fredrik Stoor and Philipe Senderos are also unavailable with respective groin and Achilles injuries.

[WhiteJC]

http://arsenal.theoffside.com/team-news/arsenal-fulham-preview-2.html?

Arsenal – Fulham Preview

Fulham
Position: 17th, 2-9-4 (15 points, -3 goal differential)
Away Form: 0-5-2 (-2 goal differential)
Recent Form: DLDLD
Last Meeting: Arsenal 4 – Fulham 0 (May 9, 2010)



Back in league action tomorrow against Fulham, and this is a match we could very easily lose points from.

Fulham are a very weird team. Sitting in 17th, just 1 point above the drop, and winless away from home, would make you think this should be a relatively easy one. But Fulham are actually very, very tough to beat. They've lost 4 times, the same number as us. Only 4 teams in the Premiership have fewer losses than than the Cottagers. They're sitting so low because they get so many draws and can't win, but a draw is 2/3 of a loss, so it would be a bad result for us. But a lot of teams have seen Fulham come into their house and take a point home — they've drawn 5 out of their 7 away matches, taking a point from Bolton, Blackpool, Blackburn, West Ham, and Newcastle. They lost by 1 goal to Chelsea and West Brom in the other two, and have not conceded more than 2 away from Craven Cottage this season.

In short, then, this is going to be a tight one. They'll be parking the double decker bus and making it hard for us to get through. We won't have a ton of chances, so it will be critical that we not be as profligate as we have all too often lately with the chances we do create. It will be equally important to stay tight at the back, since our chances of winning will go down dramatically if we fail to keep a clean sheet. So Flaps will need to be mistake-free, as will the center halves, full-backs, and Song.



There's no real mystery about Fulham, who are playing largely the same way under our old friend Mark Hughes as they did under Roy Hodgson. They've got a solid goalkeeper in Mark Schwarzer — you may have heard that name once or twice before.

They have a very strong, experienced, coordinated pair of center halves in Northern Irishman Aaron Hughes and giant Norwegian Brede Hangeland. They're very tough to break down. They've got solid fullbacks in Mexican international Carlos Salcido and Chris Baird.

Their midfield isn't good, exactly, but it they do have a group of scrappy veterans. What they lack in skill and talent they try to make up for in savvy and hustle. Nigerian Dickson Etuhu will try to shield the backline in the holding role. They are captained by former Liverpool and Spurs midfielder Danny Murphy. He's not the player he once was, but he can still put in a good shift and hold the midfield together, and he's scored enough huge goals in big games that he won't be intimidated a bit by Arsenal or the Emirates. He'll be joined by Hungarian playmaker Zoltan Gera. Welsh winger (and former Spurs player) Simon Davies and American badass Clint Dempsey play down the wings. Dempsey in particular is a worry, as he has a tendency towards clutch goals (a brace against Chelsea, the goal that kept them in the Premiership a few seasons ago, and a wonder goal to knock Juventus out of the Europa League last season), and he is their leading goalscorer in the league this season with 5. And up front, we catch a break as last season's talisman Bobby Zamora is injured, which means a start for the much less threatening Diomansy Kamara.



In team news for us, the long-termers are still out: Vermaelen, Diaby, and Frimpong. Cesc is still out with a hamstring injury.

Nasri picked up a knock on his knee in his substitute appearance Tuesday night, but Wenger said he would probably recover in time to be available for this match. Here's my best guess at a lineup:

Flaps
Sagna-Koscielny-Squillaci-Clichy
Song-Wilshere
Nasri-Rosicky-Arshavin
Chamakh

Bench: Wojo, Gibbs, Djourou, Denilson, Bendtner, Theo, van Persie

Flaps will start, as will Sagna and Clichy (despite Gibbs's recent good performances). Squillaci will come back into the team, but the question is who will be alongside him. Djourou has probably played better lately, but Wenger seems to prefer Koscielny there so I think he'll get the nod.

Given how well it worked last week, I think the midfield will stay the same as it was last weekend. Song at the back, Wilshere alongside him, Rosicky in the advanced role. And the forward line could be unchanged as well — Nasri on the right, Arshavin on the left, and Chamakh up top. If Nasri is still hurt and Wenger decides not to risk him, then Theo or van Persie (or possibly Bendtner, I guess) will likely come into the squad for him. I suppose it's possible that Theo could start on the right and push Nasri into the middle, or van Persie could play either on the right or in the middle, pushing Rosicky out of the lineup. And Theo and van Persie are both great players, but given how well Rosicky has been playing lately, especially how well he played in the Cesc role last week, I don't see how Wenger can justify taking him out of the lineup at the moment.

In terms of who makes the bench, apparently Almunia is still having "arm issues," and will not be fit for this one, so it will be Wojo. It'll be interesting if there's a place for Eboue on the bench. Wenger likes having Eboue's versatility as an option, but looking at the other players I have listed on the bench, I'm not sure there's anyone who doesn't deserve his place more than Eboueman. Vela and JET also have their merits as bench players, but I just can't see anyone I've listed being bumped in favor of those two.



Also, all squad members have agreed to donate their wages from this match to Centre Point, Arsenal's charity of the season. It's an organization that helps homeless teenagers, and is certainly a worthy cause. So big ups to the players and the club for that.

This is a big one. We're just 2 points behind United, and tied with Chelsea. 3 points ahead of City, and 4 ahead of Spurs. Spurs have a trip away to Birmingham, Chelsea host Everton, City host Bolton, and United are away to Blackpool. Anything can (and has) happen on any given week, but I don't see too many of our immediate competitors dropping points, which means we really need to get 3 points to at least keep pace with everyone. It will be tough, but if we can stay focused, stay tight and disciplined at the back, and be aggressive and take our chances going forward, we should be able to do it.
Come on Arsenal.

[WhiteJC]

http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/london-sport/fulham-fc/2010/12/03/john-pantsil-makes-shock-fulham-claim-82029-27763002/?

John Pantsil makes shock Fulham claim

JOHN Pantsil intends to try his luck as a right-winger if it gets him into the Fulham team.

The Ghana World Cup player is deadly serious when he claimed he could move up from his normal right-back position. And he was just as straight-faced when he revealed he wants to end his career at Craven Cottage.

The 29-year-old made his first appearance in nearly two months when he came on as a first-half sub in the 1-1 draw against Birmingham at the weekend after a torrid time in the wilderness.

Pantsil's contract is also up at the end of the season. But the player has vowed to try and win another – even if the right-back spot has Stephen Kelly and Chris Baird equally determined to make it their own.

Pantsil said: "I can play other positions – and you can't be selfish about where you want to play. I can play right wing if wanted, as well as centre-back.

"But I think I have a future here at Fulham. When I came here I said to myself here's a club where I want to finish my career, or finish my contract in the UK. But I still have to keep going and fight for a position."



Read More http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/london-sport/fulham-fc/2010/12/03/john-pantsil-makes-shock-fulham-claim-82029-27763002/?#ixzz173resmw5

[WhiteJC]

http://www.footballfancast.com/2010/12/football-blogs/arsenal-v-fulham-–-betting-tips-odds-and-specials?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+ffc_liverpool_blogs+%28FFC_Liverpool_Blogs%29

ARSENAL V FULHAM – BETTING TIPS, ODDS AND SPECIALS

On the big Emirates pitch Fulham may find it tough to stay compact if Arsenal get in to their passing grove. Robin Van Persie will have benefitted from the run-out against Wigan and he showed enough to suggest that he could start against Fulham, as did Theo Walcott. Their pace will cause problems and open space and with the less wasteful Chamakh back in the side, this has the potential to be a big scoreline for Arsene Wenger's side.

The Cottagers have yet to win away from home this season and though they've lost just four games home and away from fifteen played, all of those losses have come in their last eight games. A run which has seen them pick up just six points from a possible twenty-four.

This should be an open invitation for Arsenal to go all out in attack. Having started the season with sixteen goals in their first three home games in all competitions, things have been a little tighter since, especially in the league but if the manager sets them on the offensive from the start they could rack up a few against a struggling Fulham.

The pace of Walcott could be very effective down the wings and if he does start, he's well priced at 6/1 to score first. The England international has started just three games and has scored the opening goal in two of them. Samir Nasri is enjoying his best spell since joining the club and has been one of the stand-out performers this season. He has scored the first goal twice this season and has already equalled his best league total in an Arsenal shirt with six goals in eleven starts. At 5/1 to break the deadlock and 13/10 to score anytime, the French midfielder could continue to be a money-maker.

The form guides say this will be tight, if you agree then Arsenal 1-0 at 6/1 and 2-1 at 7/1 are the bets for you. However, something seemed to click in the second half against Aston Villa and if the home side go for the jugular we could be looking at 4-0 at 12/1 or maybe even 5-0 at 25/1.

[WhiteJC]

http://www.sport.co.uk/news/Football/47705/Wenger_Im_pleased_for_Schwarzer.aspx?

Wenger: I'm pleased for Schwarzer

Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has passed on his best wishes to Fulham goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer after the Australian international was rewarded with a two year contract extension at Craven Cottage. The decision to put pen-to-paper on the new deal effectively rules the former Middlesbrough man out of a January move to the Emirates after months of speculation.

Arsenal are known to have had two bids for the veteran stopper rejected by the Cottagers during the summer as uncertainty about the Gunners number one spot forced Wenger to scour Europe for potential new recruits.

Speaking ahead of his side's match with Fulham, a match which Schwarzer will play in, Wenger made clear:
"I can understand that decision [to stay at Fulham] because at his age a two year contract is a great deal for him. It shows a great confidence of the club in him. I don't have a problem with that.

"I believe that before a game like this, we should focus on the squad and the players we have. I'm pleased for him and his extension of his contract. All the rest is history."

Having seen Polish international Lukasz Fabianski take over from the injured Manuel Almunia for the last two months, the French coach also stressed that he would not be turning his attention to other options in the New Year, despite the opening of the transfer window.

"He [Almunia] had another setback but that will not be for a long time. We have Wojciech [Szczesny] coming up very quickly. We have Fabianski who has proven in the last two months that he has the quality.

"At the moment we are not on the market.

"I always had [belief in Fabianski], I have even more now. He has shown in the last two months that he has the quality to play for Arsenal Football Club."

[WhiteJC]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/9239604.stm

BBC: Arsenal v Fulham

TEAM NEWS
Arsenal's Samir Nasri and Sebastien Squillaci have both recovered from slight knee injuries.
Goalkeeper Manuel Almunia suffered a fresh elbow injury in training and will again be absent, along with captain Cesc Fabregas.

Fulham's Andrew Johnson has overcome the hamstring strain that saw him miss last weekend's draw with Birmingham.
However, defender Carlos Salcido is out after suffering a recurrence of an ankle problem in the same match.

Arsenal
Injured: Almunia (elbow), Diaby (ankle), Fabregas (hamstring), Frimpong (knee), Vermaelen (Achilles)

Fulham
Injured: Dembele (ankle), Halliche (thigh), Salcido (ankle), Senderos (Achilles), Stoor (groin), Zamora (leg)

MATCH PREVIEW
Arsenal is dedicating this match to its 2010/11 good cause (Centrepoint) and charity has begun at home in other ways for the Gunners recently.
   
We are in a strong position in every single competition - that means overall, the attitude is right, the spirit of the squad is right
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger

Their record at the Emirates is usually rock-solid but their three league wins in November were all away while their two home matches ended in defeat.

But despite those blips - one of which was throwing away a 2-0 lead against local rivals Tottenham - Arsenal are second in the form table over the last eight matches.

In Fulham, they face a side who are second to bottom of that form table, fourth from bottom of the real thing and who haven't won away from home since the opening day of last season.

Manager Mark Hughes has overseen just two league wins since his summer appointment and may be forgiven some trepidation as the festive season comes round again, particularly as last year he was sacked by Manchester City the week before Christmas.

The new month holds no fears for Arsenal, however - they are on a run of 15 unbeaten league matches in December, stretching back to 2007.

MATCH FACTS
Head-to-head
• Arsenal have never lost at home to Fulham in any competition (D3, L21).
• Brede Hangeland's winner at Craven Cottage in August 2008 is the only goal Fulham have scored against Arsenal in the last five meetings.

Arsenal
• The Gunners have lost their last two home league matches and are hoping to avoid losing three in a row at home in the Premier League for the first time. The last time they lost three consecutive home league matches was February-March 1977 against West Ham, Ipswich Town and West Brom.
• Arsenal have had more shots on target this season than any other Premier League team - 147.
• Robin van Persie scored in both matches against Fulham last season.

Fulham
• Fulham have drawn nine matches in this season's Premier League, more than any other team.
• Fulham have not won away from home for 25 matches - their last success on the road came at Portsmouth on the opening day of last season.
• This is Fulham's second long run without an away victory. They hold the Premier League record of 33 away matches without a win.

LEADING GOALSCORERS

Arsenal
Chamakh: 10 goals (7 league); Nasri: 9 goals (6 league)

Fulham
Dempsey: 6 goals (5 league); Dembele: 3 goals (2 league)

MATCH OFFICIALS
Referee: Chris Foy
Assistant referees: Darren Cann & Bob Pollock
Fourth official: Mark Halsey

LAST LEAGUE MATCH LINE-UPS
Arsenal (W4-2 v Aston Villa, a): Fabianski, Sagna, Squillaci, Koscielny, Clichy, Rosicky (Djourou 90), Song, Wilshere, Nasri (Gibbs 85), Chamakh, Arshavin (Denilson 85). Subs Not Used: Szczesny, van Persie, Walcott, Bendtner.

Fulham (D1-1 v Birmingham, h): Schwarzer, Baird, Hangeland, Hughes, Salcido (Pantsil 24), Davies (Eddie Johnson 73), Murphy, Etuhu, Dempsey, Gera, Kamara. Subs Not Used: Stockdale, Kelly, Duff, Dikgacoi, Greening.