Monday Fulham Stuff (17.01.11)

[White Noise]

http://www.wigantoday.net/sport/wigan-athletic/we_should_have_won_1_2937510

We should have won!


Gary Caldwell in action against Fulham

Published on Mon Jan 17 11:19:20 GMT 2011

SKIPPER Gary Caldwell says Latics only have themselves to blame for being held at home by fellow strugglers Fulham.

Latics had the three points well within their grasp after taking the lead through Hugo Rodallega, but the Colombian squandered three other gilt-edged opportunities to hammer home his side's advantage.

And Wigan were made to pay a harsh penalty when Fulham substitute Andy Johnson bagged a scrappy equaliser with just four minutes remaining.

"We have to look at it as two points dropped," Caldwell told the Evening Post.

"Anytime you get in front like we did, you want to hold on and see the game out.

"To be fair to Fulham, they kept pressing and got the goal that they'll feel they deserved, but we feel we could do a whole lot better in holding out."

Caldwell had an unwitting hand in the Fulham equaliser, the Scot trying in vain to block Johnson's shot but succeeding only in deflecting it over Ali Al Habsi despite the goalkeeper's best efforts to claw it out.

"It was an unfortunate goal to concede," he acknowledged.

"The ball nicked off my calf and seemed to spin up in the air for an eternity, which seemed to deceive Ali.

"He's managed to get a hand on it but unfortunately for us it's dropped in.

"We know Johnson plays on the shoulder of the last defender, and we gambled and tried to play him offside. But we didn't get the break.

"You know that when teams are behind in the closing stages, they are going to throw men forward and put you under pressure.

"We have to deal with that much better and learn how to pass the ball better when we are under pressure.

"We gave them too much space and allowed them to come at us after we took the lead, and you can't afford to do that at this level."

Despite torrid conditions and a difficult playing surface, Latics managed to create some decent chances, especially after the break.

"The gaffer told us at half-time that we needed to get the ball forward quicker, to try and play the game in their half more," Caldwell revealed.

"We changed the formation a bit, which seemed to help us and allowed us to get on the front foot.

"We played pretty well in the second half. We scored the goal and we could have scored more. The goal was a great finish, and Hugo worked really well all afternoon. It was a good reward for the shift he put in.

"We all feel we deserved more, but this league seems to get tighter every week.

"All we can do is concentrate on our own jobs, and if we can do that then we'll be fine."

[White Noise]

http://www.wiganlatics.co.uk/page/NewsDetail/0,,10429~2268869,00.html

[White Noise]

Away Days


Monday 17th January 2011



Fulham defender Aaron Hughes felt Fulham deserved all three points at the DW Stadium last weekend but was evidently delighted with the way his Team responded to secure a point thanks to Andrew Johnson's strike four minutes from time.

"I thought we should have got more out of the game on Saturday," Hughes told fulhamfc.com. "We worked hard, battled hard and had control for most of the game.

"We were disappointed by the goal but we kept battling and kept our heads. We could have actually come away with a win after being one-nil down.

"The thought, 'is it going to be one of those days,' crosses your mind, but to be fair, everyone kept digging in and working until the end.

"Once we got the goal back we had to be a little bit more sensible - having got back into the game we didn't want to throw it away. I wouldn't say we eased off but we were more sensible.

"Even though we drew the game on Saturday we were disappointed we didn't take more from it. It could have been three points if a couple of decisions had gone our way but I think overall, for the work ethic and character we showed, we definitely deserved a point."

Fulham return to the Cottage this weekend to take on Stoke City| before travelling to Anfield the following week and the Team's confidence away from home has clearly been boosted by recent results on the road. 

"The away form has been good over the past few weeks," Hughes explained. "We had a good win at Stoke, we were unlucky not to get anything from the Spurs game and on Saturday we picked up a well earned point."

Get behind the Team on Saturday at the Cottage when the Whites take on Stoke City (KO 3pm). Tickets are now on General Sale.

Read more: http://www.fulhamfc.com/Club/News/NewsArticles/2011/January/AaronOnWigan.aspx#ixzz1BKFJLx2P

[White Noise]

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,12876_6667653,00.html



Monaco call on Mbokani



Striker summoned to training base despite desire to secure switch


By Patrick Haond   


Last updated: 17th January 2011   


Mbokani: Looking to leave


Monaco have summoned want-away striker Dieumerci Mbokani to their winter training camp.

The Congolese frontman recently informed the club of his desire to leave, having struggled to settle at Stade Louis II.

A switch to England has been widely touted, with Everton, Fulham and West Ham believed to hold an interest in the 25-year-old.

Monaco have yet to sanction a deal, though, with their efforts having been focused on managerial changes of late.

Plans
Guy Lacombe has been replaced by Laurent Banide at the helm, offering a clean slate for those on the fringes of the fold.

That includes Mbokani, who was initially left out of the Ligue 1 club's plans for the mid-season break.

Banide is keen to keen a look at the striker, though, and has called on him to link up with the rest of the squad, regardless of his desire to secure a switch elsewhere.

He told L'Equipe: "I know he wants to leave, but for the moment he is a Monaco player and there is no reason why he would not come with us."

[White Noise]

http://hammyend.com/index.php/2011/01/gatesys-roundup-that-has-moved-the-tea-alert-level-to-orange/

Gatesy's Roundup That Has Moved The Tea Alert Level To Orange


by gatesy on January 17, 2011

Do you remember what you were up to on 20th August 2009?  No? Well that was the day Andrew Johnson last scored for us. Until last Saturday.

After a scrappy first half the game came alive in the second half with disallowed goals, decent football and Johnsons equaliser making the trip worthwhile for the traveling Cottagers.


the past we've had mud slung at us in the press for poor attendances, yet Wigan were offering two tickets for £20 for our visit this year and still had swathes of empty seats. So far this season they've struggled to get above 60% of their ground filled. Similar with Brum. In their biggest crowd puller for supporters they attracted a little over 22,000 supporters – their second lowest of the season so far. Yet a bumper crowd of Whites made the trip up the West Coast Mainline to Greater Manchester.

If you're excited about news of us being linked with wingers who can't buy their way into a starting XI, have bundles of pace and can't cross a ball then you are in luck today, my friend. According to the massed ranks of the press we're one of a number of clubs after Shawn Wright-Phillips Also queuing up to pay his £90,000 a week salary while he ponces round on loan for the remainder of the season with us are Newcastle, Birmingham and Bolton.
A year ago on Wednesday a new chairman and director team walked into Upton Park saying:

"West Ham were actually in a worse state than Portsmouth when we took over. We were £110m in debt and Portsmouth were only £70m in debt...It is caused by exactly the same thing by bringing in players on wages the size of the club cannot afford...whilst we all want to put the best team out there and we hope to sign players to improve the team, we have to do it with prudence to sort the mess out."

They too can't wait to throw money in the direction of the ex-England man. Which, of course is on top the cash mountain sent to loanee Wayne Bridge weekly. Hopefully they'll get a reduction for all the time Bridge will be out injured, as Mancini sums it up nicely:

"The problem he has is he is always injured. Every game he plays he cannot finish"

Perhaps after his debut, they'll be hoping the sooner he's crocked the better... The plan was Bridge would add some stability to the sponge-like defence at the Boleyn. It didn't work. Looking thoroughly the beaten team, even before Arsenal put three past them, you don't imagine the stories plastered all over the papers of Grant being a dead man walking helped the side much.

It was quite the day for derbies in the Premier League on Sunday. David Bentley made his Birmingham debut in the one all draw against Villa. Hoping to reignite his career in the midlands he spoke of how he's never stopped trying:

"Sometimes people think I don't want to play but I love waking up in the morning, coming to work and sometimes it can get lost that I toss things off"

Hilariously for all concerned, all is not going as was planned for Liverpool. After sacking, sorry agreeing to part ways with Uncle Roy, King Kenny is continuing to balls things up. Although he got praise for a much better team against Man Yoo in the cup (we shant mention that it was actually Uncle Roy's selection and Kenny hadn't seen the team till just before kick off). The draw against Everton on Sunday keeps the Reds down in the relegation dogfight though many fans reckon their too big a side to be troubled by the drop. Not so according to the footballing demi-god Lawrie Sanchez.

"Liverpool are no longer a big club. You hear Liverpool fans going on and on about being a big club but they haven't won the Premier League and it's been going 18 years. They won the Champions League by default. It's a great achievement but when you are 3-0 down at half-time. They just had one of those days when everything went right after going wrong. They lost 17 games that season. I remember the days when they were a big club. When they would win the league and go on to win the European Cup in the same season. Those were the days when they were a big club"

I suspect Sanchez wont be making his grand return to management at Anfield anytime soon...


Sanch attempts to conceal a belch.
Nolan scored his tenth goal of the season in the norf-east derby. A late equaliser from the Black cats means although only having two shots on target in the game the Magpies have taken four points off their nearest neighbours this season. Gyan scored the late equaliser for the home side, seeing them in sixth place in the table.

Man Yoo remain unbeaten after taking a goalless draw at White Heart Lane and saw Rooney return to action. Though United had to play the last 16 minutes without Rafael who received a second yellow card and was sent off. But Redknapp Jnr still found time to praise the defender:

"He's young and you have to admire him for it"

Yes, well done for being born in 1991. But the result see's United stay top of the tree and Spuds in fifth spot. Though 'Arry doesn't reckon the unbeaten run will continue til May.

"It would be a miracle if Alex got them through the season unbeaten"

he said after the game.

Blackpool impressed despite losing at West Brom. Although playing entertaining, or as Paul Merson says, "Blackpool play extra-time football". The game finished 3-2 to the home side, but by all accounts the real winner was football. The Baggies boss seemed relieved after the game:

"It was a rollercoaster of emotions and it wasn't our best game of the season but we're pleased to get three points."

While Holloway said:

"It was two good teams having a go at each other and it could have been 6-5, unfortunately we came out on the wrong end of it.

Despite their defeat Charlie Admas continues to catch the eye, with Villa being linked with a £3.5m move for the Scotchman. Though The Sea-siders gaffer is determined to keep hold of his man, having previously said:

"I would love Charlie Adam to stay for a long time and get us in the top four, maybe Champions League places, maybe winning the Champions League. You might think I am crazy but I am not. I have watched games over the last few days and I have watched my team play"

Since the end of November Wolves have alternated between wins and defeats in the league. They won their last match, so guess what happened this week... Since swapping sides of Manchester Tevez has scored 37 goals in 52 starts for City and he managed another couple this weekend. The sides shared seven goals with new boy Dzeko chipping in an assist on his debut and helping then win the points.

Ancelotti has aid he thinks 80 points will be enough to clinch the title this season, and that lot down the road went three closer to that mark with a two nil win over Rovers. While Bolton continued their miserable run of aweay results with a two nil loss at Stoke.

Next up for our boys is Saturday afternoons visit of Stoke City. Currently we sit in 15th place and another win against the Potters and their charming fans could see us climb as high as 12th.

[White Noise]

http://www.skysports.com/story/0,19528,11681_6668769,00.html


Samp wanted Kamara

Serie A club were tracking Cottagers marksman


By Simone Bargellini   

Last updated: 17th January 2011   


Kamara: Interested Sampdoria


Diomansy Kamara's agent says Sampdoria were interested in signing the Fulham striker on loan prior to capturing Federico Macheda.

The Serie A club, who are currently 10th in the standings, wanted to bolster their strike force in January and had earmarked the Cottagers ace.

However, his agent Fabrizio Ferrari insists the terms of the loan were not right, leading the club to turn to the Manchester United youngster.

"They wanted Kamara on loan for six months, but there weren't the right conditions for the successful conclusion of the deal," he told calciomercato.com.

Kamara has made 10 Premier League appearances for Mark Hughes' team this season while Macheda has now joined Samp on loan until the summer.