Saturday Fulham Stuff (04/12/10)...

[WhiteJC]

http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/December/Advent4-Maximuscle.aspx?

Special Maximuscle Offer

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Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2010/December/Advent4-Maximuscle.aspx?#ixzz178184UFG

[WhiteJC]

http://www.sportingpreview.com/columns/10110229.php?

THE MIKE NORMAN COLUMN
SATURDAY'S PREMIER LEAGUE MATCHES

Arsenal [1.31] v Fulham [14.0]; The Draw [5.8]

It has certainly been a yo-yo season so far for the Gunners; it's either back-to-back defeats they're recording or back-to-back wins. Thankfully, for them at least, it's the latter going into this game with Fulham after beating Villa last weekend and Wigan in midweek. Arsenal's home form must improve, and surely it will against a Fulham side that hasn't recorded an away win all season.

Adding further confidence to a home victory is the fact that Arsenal have never lost at home to the Cottagers, winning 20 and drawing three of their 23 league encounters. The Gunners are also on an unbeaten run of 15 games in the month of December, so the only bet I can have in this game is Arsenal/Arsenal at [1.86] in the Half Time/Full Time market.

[WhiteJC]

http://www.sportingpreview.com/matches/10111227.php?

WENGER SAYS FIFA DECISION WAS FROM THE MIDDLE AGES

Arsene Wenger has blasted FIFA's snub for England's 2018 World Cup bid as a decision from the Middle Ages.

The Arsenal manager insists FIFA must now drag their decision-making process into the 21st century after Russia were awarded the tournament.

Wenger said: "I'm very sad because I supported that bid as much as I could.

"I am sad for the people who have a passion in England for football. I don't believe FIFA was conscious of how much it meant to people here. I watched as well how much the people worked for this bid and they put some unbelievable quality work in."

Wenger believes future World Cups must be allocated on a more scientific basis, taking in the relative merits of the technical bids.

He said: "It looked to me a little bit of a Middle Age way to decide. You would like to have much more technical criteria than human criteria.

"You could have 100 criteria for example with a different weight and you put that in a computer and the best comes out.

"It doesn't look right in modern life that people have to go over there and lobby and say 'please believe in us.' I would like to see it be more technical.

"You have to work in the modern life to get all suspicion out. Is the suspicion right or wrong I don't know, but you don't want a vote of that importance to be the subject of suspicion."

Wenger was mystified at how England could poll just two votes from the 22 FIFA members.

"I personally cannot understand that," said Wenger. "I was a great supporter of that bid. You have to take it on board and get on with it.

"It has not been played here for a long, long time and this country created the sport. That's why I say you should have 100 criteria, the technical, commercial, the fact that the country never had the competition before could be one of them and give them a different weight and decide.

"That criteria cannot be the only one that is taken into consideration before a decision of that magnitude is made. Russia is a good candidate and congratulations to them. But we all do not know why the England bid has failed so much."

On the effect of the media investigations into FIFA members, Wenger added: "Did it help? Certainly not."

[WhiteJC]

http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Arsenal-v-Fulham-Mark-Hughes-will-use-his-Blackburn-blueprint-to-thwart-the-Gunners-again-article643475.html

Hughes: Way of the Rovers will thwart Gunners again

Mark Hughes will use his old Blackburn blueprint as he seeks a needed Fulham away win at Arsenal today.

The Welshman has a good record against the Gunners after twice beating them with Manchester City last season and knocking them out of the FA Cup with Rovers.

His disruptive tactics infuriated Arsene Wenger after draw at Ewood Park in 2007 when the Frenchman claimed Blackburn showed "a desire for violence".

Hughes has admitted he wants to add more "devil" to the team he inherited in the summer from Roy Hodgson.

And although the Fulham admitted Arsenal were title contenders in a wide open race, he insisted his relegation struggler's can succeed by stopping Arsenal's rhythm today.

"Over the years, at all the clubs I've been at, I've always aimed to cause them problems or take points of them, or beat them in cup competitions," he said.

"I've had success in the past and hopefully that'll be the case again.

'We look at every opposition teams and look for weaknesses and it's obviously no different against Arsenal. Certain things in the way they play will give you encouragement and they're the things you try and emphasise to your team.

"When you watch them when they are in full flow they are a very exciting team and a very dynamic team. The quality they have on occasions is excellent.

"You can't allow them to get into the rhythm of their play and rhythm of their passing. But on other moments at times defensively they have been caught out. We will use that as a positive. There is no doubt in my mind that we can create situations that will ask questions of them. It is up to us to take the chances that present themselves.

"You've got to be able to ask questions of Arsenal at times.

Hughes claimed Fulham will enjoy a "psychological boost" after goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer signed a new deal at the club.

The 17th-placed Whites have not won away since the opening day of last season - a run of 24 games.

"We have an away record that needs addressing so it will be a decent place to go to get a positive result," Hughes added.



Read more: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Arsenal-v-Fulham-Mark-Hughes-will-use-his-Blackburn-blueprint-to-thwart-the-Gunners-again-article643475.html#ixzz1782WM2x4
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[os5889]

http://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/hangeland-happy-arsenal-target-schwarzer-penned-new-fulham-deal-1298311

Fulham defender Brede Hangeland is delighted Mark Schwarzer has signed his new contract.

Schwarzer was interesting today's opponents Arsenal before committing to his new contract.

Hangeland told Absolute Radio: "Yeah, if that's the case then of course its great news for us. I would love for Mark Schwarzer to play here for a long time, he's by far the best keeper I've worked with, so the more games we can keep him the better for us."

Asked if Schwarzer's situation unsettled the Fulham dressing room, Hangeland added: "No, I think its part of football. I think it was more for Mark perhaps not knowing where he was going to play and that's always a bit hard for any player, but its part of football and since it was decided he's staying here he's been as good as ever and he's putting in a top-class performance every week."

[os5889]

http://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/fulham-defender-hangeland-never-counting-arsenal-move-1297951

Fulham defender Hangeland never counting on Arsenal move

Fulham defender Brede Hangeland insists he was never going to Arsenal before penning his new contract.

Hangeland was linked with the Gunners in the summer.

But he told Absolute Radio: "I think it was more talk from the press, and I've said all along I'm happy to play for Fulham and I have been ever since I came here so I'm in no hurry to go anywhere."

[os5889]

http://fansonline.net/arsenal/article.php?id=544

10 Reasons why we will beat Fulham

1..We've got Cesc ermm ok we haven't another game he will miss due to both hamstrings now dodgy..

2..Fsbianski will prove he is younger, fitter and a better keeper better than Schwarzer (well one out of three isn't bad)

3..Squillaci should be fit, and I'd rather he was joined by Djourou rather than the hapless Koscielny, whilst Vermaelen is out

4..Sami nananan Nasri should be fit after a knee injury

5..Song and young Jack should make up the midfield with Nasri

6..Dave Gooner Eve "Van Persie is fit again, and Wenger may partner him up front with Marouane Chamakh"

7..Jake Gowan "Wengers stopped banging that dorris and is now focusing on training"

8..Fulham have NEVER won at our ground

9..Stuart McLaughlin "Arshavin has learned from the Russian bid team, and been throwing bungs left, right and centre at the Cottagers"

10..Wenger knows,"Now nasty November is over, a diligent December just might set them on their way" Arsenal.com

[WhiteJC]

http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=223635

Fulham - Hughes Master Plan!
This afternoon we attempt to end our horrific run whereby we`ve not won away from home for twenty-five games, in the Premier League.

We`re at a venue where away wins are normally considered to be a no-no, however Arsenal have already lost at home three times in the Premier League this season with Newcastle, West Brom and Spurs all leaving with the three points.

Mark Hughes, speaking ahead of the clash, has his own views on how Fulham can get at Arsenal and beat them, declaring to the assembled press,

"Over the years I have always aimed to cause them problems and I`ve had success."

"You can`t allow them to get into the rhythm of their play and passing. But at times defensively they have been caught out. We can ask questions of them."

Now wouldn`t a Fulham win be a great way to set up an ideal Saturday night!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=223635#ixzz178eSBiSI

[WhiteJC]

http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=223636

Fulham - Pundit Watch!
An away fixture at Arsenal, a fixture that should, in theory be ahome win, but we fancy our chances today but do those who make the predictions in the tabloids feel the same way?

Apparently not!

Mark Lawrenson, writing in the Daily Mirror reckons this afternoon will see our run of Premier League away games stretch to 26 with Fulham going down by 2-1.

Jeff Stelling, writing in The Sun, predicts a similar fate with Fulham losing 2-0.

Come 17:00 hours tonight we`ll see who was right shan`t we!


Read more: http://www.fulham.vitalfootball.co.uk/article.asp?a=223636#ixzz178eh48HJ

[WhiteJC]

http://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/fulham-defender-hangeland-says-big-differences-between-hughes-and-liverpool-boss-hodgson-12?

Fulham defender Hangeland says big differences between Hughes and Liverpool boss Hodgson

Fulham defender Brede Hangeland says there's big differences between manager Mark Hughes and Roy Hodgson.

Hughes succeeded Hodgson after the latter left Fulham for Liverpool in the summer.

Hangeland told Absolute Radio: "Well obviously he has an entirely different approach to football and there's always going to be changes when you change manager, and we're working as hard as we can to put those things onto the pitch. So at the moment I think we're moving in the right direction and hopefully we'll move up that table as soon as possible.

"He definitely wants us to get at teams a bit more and not sit back and concede ground, as we did under Roy Hodgson, so we're a little bit more on the front for now and trying to engage teams higher up the pitch."


Listen to Arsenal v Fulham on Absolute Radio extra - on DAB Digital Radio, 1215AM and online in the UK from 1.30pm. Tune in for the full Brede Hangeland interview. For more go to absoluteradio.co.uk/extra.

[WhiteJC]

http://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/fulham-defender-hangeland-hoping-liverpool-success-hodgson-1297971?

Fulham defender Hangeland hoping for Liverpool success for Hodgson

Fulham defender Brede Hangeland hopes Roy Hodgson can enjoy success at Liverpool.

Mark Hughes succeeded Hodgson after the latter left Fulham for Liverpool in the summer.

Hangeland told Absolute Radio: "Well yeah, of course I'd like him to do well up there, he's a great manager and he deserves success, but I think also he was well aware going to Liverpool that there's a bit of added pressure compared to Fulham."

[WhiteJC]

http://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/hangeland-confident-fulham-soon-climbing-table-1297981?

Hangeland confident Fulham soon climbing table

Brede Hangeland is confident Fulham will soon start climbing the table.

The Norway defender hopes to get a result at Arsenal today.

Hangeland told Absolute Radio: "Well definitely we'd like to be higher in the table than we are now.

"I'm well aware that it's a really tight League and it's difficult to say that you're going to be in the top half or you're going to finish this and that, but I would like to think we're good enough to try and avoid the relegation battle, hopefully very soon."

[WhiteJC]

http://arsenalarsenal.wordpress.com/2010/12/04/stand-up-if-you-hate-mark-hughes/?

Stand Up if you hate Mark Hughes
Two certainties this afternoon. Firstly, that Sparky will be telling his midfield to "let them know you're there" and secondly, that Mark Schwarzer will have an outstanding game. In my opinion, it is upon these two personalities the game will hinge.

Hughes is man under pressure, having seen his team fall to one point above the relegation zone. However they are the draw Kings of the PL having won none of their away fixtures but drawing 5 out of 7.  In fact Fulham have only won twice this season and I remain sure they will not add that that tally today. Fulham have a nasty injury list, longer than ours (for once) and Bobby Zamora's broken leg has seriously blunted their attacking threat.

This being a purely personal pre-match and not representing the ethos of the site, I can give vent to my dislike of Mark Hughes. He was a spiteful, dirty player who specialised in kicking the ankle tendons of the opposition and feigning innocence when challenged. He was all I hate in Man Utd (and then Barca where he sank ignominiously). A quiet assassin whose pretence of being a fair and honest player was pure sham. Then into management and  you will not be surprised to learn that his Blackburn team finished bottom of the Fairplay league the 4 seasons he stayed. Upon moving to Man City he proceeded to freely spend the Arab money – €25m for the totally erratic and troublesome Adebayor was great business for us, and the €32m he wasted on Robinho was another example of his poor purchases. At the same time he bought Ben-Haim, Kompany, De Jong, Bellamy and Barry to make sure the team had a violent edge to it. He had 2 wins from 11 before being sacked and has continued his good form with Fulham who have now won 2 out of 15. The man gets paid millions for results like that –  he must have the best interview technique and agent!!

And then there is Schwarzer. Hughes has openly stated that Mr.Wenger was trying to sign him right up to the point Schwarzer signed his contract this week. I do not blame Hughes for wanting to hold onto his player, and it is to the Aussies credit that he was not bitter about being held back from achieving his ambition to play CL football. What I don't like is the glee with which Hughes thwarted both AW and his goalkeeper, it was the actions of a small, petty man.

Which brings us onto his spat with our beloved Captain. Hughes took umbrage at Cesc's assertions that Blackburn's football ethos had nothing whatsoever to do with what Sparky learned at Barca. Then he went public – not something that did him any good at all, after all everyone who saw the game had to agree with Cesc. Hughes demanded respect from Cesc who apologised (under pressure from AW), but if Hughes wants respect then he has to earn it – fans, players, and managers respect people who adhere to the traditions and artistry of the game, not a man who sends out teams with instructions to kick the lunch out of the opposition (apart from a few notable exceptions Fat Sam, Pulis etc)

Enough of my rant ..... onto the Arsenal.

Can we continue to scrape wins or will Fulham get the draw they will come for? If Fulham score first (and with our leaky defence it is a reasonable assumption), we could be in for a long, frustrating afternoon. But our midfield sans Cesc looked great at Villa and with AA and Chamakh on form, we have lots of firepower.

My team:

Bench. Chesney, JD, Gibbs, RvP, Theo, Denilson, NB

I see this game being a classic attack v defence, with many Arsenal attacks floundering on the head and feet of Hangelaand and Aaron Hughes, and Schwarzer desperate to show us what we missed. But we are on the verge of something special with this Arsenal team. Fewer and fewer people believe me but a poor half against S***s doesn't preclude us from winning the League, and as we have already seen all the top sides have lost points to inferior opposition – let us hope today is not another example.

COYRRG

p.s. Sorry about the rant

[WhiteJC]

http://www.tribalfootball.com/articles/hangeland-happy-arsenal-target-schwarzer-penned-new-fulham-deal-1298311?

Hangeland happy Arsenal target Schwarzer penned new Fulham deal

Fulham defender Brede Hangeland is delighted Mark Schwarzer has signed his new contract.

Schwarzer was interesting today's opponents Arsenal before committing to his new contract.

Hangeland told Absolute Radio: "Yeah, if that's the case then of course its great news for us. I would love for Mark Schwarzer to play here for a long time, he's by far the best keeper I've worked with, so the more games we can keep him the better for us."

Asked if Schwarzer's situation unsettled the Fulham dressing room, Hangeland added: "No, I think its part of football. I think it was more for Mark perhaps not knowing where he was going to play and that's always a bit hard for any player, but its part of football and since it was decided he's staying here he's been as good as ever and he's putting in a top-class performance every week."

[WhiteJC]

http://arseblog.com/2010/12/fulham-preview-kill-that-home-hoodoo/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+arseblog+%28Arseblog+-+It%27s+loving%27+excellent+-+an+Arsenal+blog%29

Fulham preview: kill that home hoodoo

Morning all and it's back to league action with a home game against Fulham and normally there wouldn't be such trepidation. Obviously all games are taken seriously but given our form at the Grove this season there's probably a little more fear in the air than there would usually be.
Arsene has been trying to play down the issue of our home form saying it's all down to how you play, whether at home or away. Which is all well and good but at home we've played like a pack of Carlton Palmers a bit too often and we've lost three games in the league already. I suspect he's trying to play it down in the minds of the players lest they feel more pressure but there really is a problem. Psychological it may be but it's real, you don't just lose three home games in the league without there being something to it.
The team news is that Samir Nasri is fit, as it Sebastian Squillaci, while Cesc, Vermaelen, Diaby and Almunia remain out. It's hard to know what kind of team he's going to pick today. In the pre-game press conference he spoke about accommodating van Persie and Chamakh, saying:
We can play Chamakh and Van Persie together. We can play Chamakh up front and Van Persie behind. What is interesting is that we can play all kinds of formations with the two.
I don't want to get bogged down with potential formations but it will be interesting to see how, and if, he plays them together. It's hard to see Chamakh change his role too much. His effectiveness comes as the target man, who can hold it up, who can win headers etc, but van Persie, should he stay fit, has the quality to do more, perhaps operating in a free role just behind the Moroccan.
Players not involved on Tuesday like Arshavin and Rosicky are likely to be in contention too. If I had to guess I think he'll keep Robin on the bench today and go with: Fabianski – Sagna – Squillaci – Koscielny – Clichy – Song – Wilshere – Rosicky – Arshavin – Chamakh – Nasri
There's a bit of an extra edge to today's game because of the history between Wenger and Mark Hughes and the Schwarzer saga that rumbled on for most of the summer. Fulham made their displeasure quite public, Schwarzer made it clear he wanted to join us, and in the end nobody got what they wanted. To be fair though it's all worked out for the best, I reckon, but I'm fearful of the Australian having one of those 'haha, you should have spent a bit more money on me' games.
Fulham are looking to exploit our defensive weaknesses too, Hughes says:
At times, defensively, they have been caught out. We will use that as a positive. There is no doubt in my mind that we can create situations that will ask questions of them.
To me that means Fulham are going to be physical and Gael Clichy is going to be tested, perhaps with a left footed player like Damien Duff on the right to whip in crosses having been allowed come back inside on his good foot. And if our central defenders don't keep an eye on guys like Hangeland and Clint Dempsey, the American Tim Cahill (without the face you want to set fire to), they could certainly get some joy from us. Koscielny was good against Villa but I do wonder if we might benefit from the extra height and physicality of Johan Djourou. Whatever happens we can't say we weren't warned.
With United's game called off it's another chance for us to go top of the league. Last time we had this chance at home we blew it spectacularly. We simply cannot afford to do that again. Fulham are a good side, we have to take them seriously, but if we perform then there's no reason why we can't take three points today. Last time we played them it was end of season fare and we beat them 4-0. There's a lot more to play for today, for both sides.
–
In other news Arsene's planning a career away from football as a stand-up comedian based on his comments about Robin van Persie:
I think that maybe he won't be injured again now for one or two years I hope. He is not injury prone in my opinion, no.
It's kinda deadpan humour, I like that. Arsene as the new Jack Dee. I suppose 'injury prone' could mean the kind of player who picks up the same kind of injury again and again. At least with Robin you get plenty of variety. I do think he's been unlucky but the bottom line is the unlucky injuries are threatening to spoil what should be a fantastic career. I do hope he stays fit, I think if he does he can really prove his talent, but there aren't odds good enough for me to put any money on it.
Lee Dixon on the Carling Cup campaign.
–
Final word to Arsene this morning on what lies ahead:
We want to take off now. This is where the race starts and we are in a good position to start the race. If you look at the fixture list – Manchester United, Chelsea, Tottenham – they all play each other this month. It is a defining moment in the season.
It could be a big week or so. A win today could send us top and we could stay there depending on the scoreline. Then we've got to book our place in the Champions League knock-out stages against Partizan on Wednesday, then it's a trip to Old Trafford on Monday week. Daunting but entirely in our own hands.
As a wise man once said 'the heat is on'. But this time it's not on the street, it's on the pitch. Can this team feel it? We shall see.
Three points today please. Come on Arsenal.

[WhiteJC]

http://hammyend.com/index.php/2010/12/next-up-arsenal-a/?

Next up: Arsenal (a)
by TOR on DECEMBER 4, 2010

With the prospect of sitting in temperatures below freezing and with the memory of the last day of last season still reasonably fresh, you'd forgive most Fulham fans for not really looking forward to today's match. In fact, we've never beaten Arsenal away from home. To be fair, we've hardly beaten them at home either with only 7 wins in Fulham's favour, 7 draws and 32 Arsenal league wins since 1913. When we beat them 6-1 at Craven Cottage. Those were the days eh?

The BBC preview has provided some interesting stats, although those of a nervous disposition may wish to look away now;

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 have had more shots on target this season than any other Premier League team – 147.
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.
It's not looking promising, is it? The injury list doesn't help much either with Dembele, Salcido and Halliche joining long-term absentees Zamora and Senderos. So who will play at left back? We may see Matthew Briggs come in against another top team, or we could see one of our many right backs playing on the "wrong" side. Pantsil could well make a start at right back after his phenomenal reception back onto the pitch at Craven Cottage last week, leaving Stephen Kelly free to cover the left side should Hughes feel Briggs isn't up to the challenge of containing Walcott or Chamakh. Not a prospect I'd relish, I have to say. On the plus side, Andrew Johnson has shaken off his hamstring strain and should hopefully feature today, perhaps with Clint Dempsey who's certainly doing a good job of scoring us some much-needed goals.

Arsenal have their own injury problems to contend with though; Almunia is still out with an elbow injury leaving Fabianski to cover in goal. Insert your own jokes here. Vermaelen is still out and has been joined by Fabregas and Diaby, whilst new signing Squillaci is a doubt as is Nasri as they recover from knee injuries. It's also worth noting that Arsenal's home form has been a little shaky so far this season, as they have won 4 but lost 3 League games at the Emirates so far in this campaign, including throwing away a two goal lead against their deadly rivals. This could either work in our favour, with low confidence levels from the boys in red, or against us with the need to prove themselves as title contenders.

There has been some good news during the week though – the news that Fulham Number One, Mark Schwarzer, has signed an extension to his contract, providing us with his outstanding service for at least another year, possibly two. This must surely perk the team up as Hangeland suggested in his interview with the Evening Standard yesterday.

I'll be honest, I'm not overly confident. The Beeb's Football Expert Mark Lawrenson and Prime Minister David Cameron have both predicted a 2-1 home win today which struck me as not bad. We are the League's draw specialists this season though and I wonder if we may just scrape a point.

My starting XI: Schwarzer, Briggs, Hangeland, Hughes, Baird, Gera, Murphy, Greening, Davies, Dempsey, A Johnson

Who would you have starting, and what would your tactics be?