Posts Tagged ‘Danny Murphy’

Fulham’s Midfield Revival

Posted: February 25, 2013 by Kyle Bonn in Opinion, Player/Manager
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Giorgos Karagounis and the rest of the Fulham midfield have, despite age, revitalized a seemingly dire situation into a reliable unit.

It wasn’t long ago that Fulham fans were bemoaning a midfield which to describe as “thin” would be generous beyond recognition. Moussa Dembele and Clint Dempsey were no longer an asset on the Fulham FC books, Mahamadou Diarra’s injury left a gaping hole in front of the back 4, and Danny Murphy’s ability to dictate the pace and direction of play in the center of the pitch was a role left unfulfilled.

Fast forward to now. The club has picked up 7 points in their last 4 matches, and while there is still an obvious gap in the creativity department, Martin Jol has figured out how to position his players to utilize each one’s best attributes and scrape by despite the missing cog between midfield and striker.

More importantly, he’s taken rusty old parts and shined them up like new to revitalize careers.

It’s already been mentioned numerous times here how Steve Sidwell’s career has flourished once again now that the Dutchman has moved Ginger Iniesta a touch further back and charged him with running the defensive midfield department. Since Diarra’s transfer to the physio room, Sidwell has performed admirably, and one could argue the knee injury to the Malian is one of the better things to happen to Sidwell’s career. Sidwell’s made 76 tackles this season, which is up there for most of anyone at any position in the Premier League.

Speaking of rusty old parts, Martin Jol plucked Giorgos Karagounis off the free transfer market from Panathinaikos and has turned the 35 year old into Danny Murphy 2.0. Even Jol admitted, “Giorgos is not the youngest at 35 but I miss him every game I play the other players.” In a sense, Jol admits Karagounis has played his way into the starting lineup, not just by what he brings when he plays, but what the team misses when he sits. More gaffer on the Greek, “against Stoke I knew that we needed someone, who could play and make us tick in midfield and I think he did that.” Seriously think to yourself, when was the last time Fulham fans have been able to say that about a midfielder? Hasn’t been since Danny Murphy.

Karagounis’s performance in the Stoke match was fantastic. 67/71 passing (94%!), and not only was he spot on, he distributed his passes in a way that kept the Stoke defenders completely off guard. 22 forward passes, 26 backwards passes, and 23 square passes. With that kind of distribution, it’s obvious Karagounis was running the offense, deciding where the next attack would come from. Check out his dashboard:

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The Greek’s heart, desire, and most of all work rate are second to none, and it’s obvious by this dash. Look how all over the pitch he was! He was concentrated a bit on the left simply because that’s the side of the midfield he played on (Sidwell was on the other) but he ended up just about everywhere. In fact, Karagounis was involved in 3 of the top 4 highest passing combinations in the match. He sent it to John Arne Riise 17 times, to Ruiz 13 times, and got the ball from Hangeland on 11 occasions.

And when needed, Chris Baird has filled in admirably, using his skills as a defender in conglomeration with pinpoint passing, which is the theme under Martin Jol’s possession scheme. Passing success this season as a whole: Baird: 84%, Sidwell: 85%, Karagounis: 91%, Diarra: 90%, Frimpong: 90%, Richardson: 86%. For the type of game Jol likes to play, those numbers are perfect fits.

The wing play has been fantastic as well recently. Damien Duff just got his new contract (and deservedly so) and once again has shown quality on touch. His 7 assists are his highest single-season total since his Chelsea days, and we’re only in February. In addition, 4 of those assists have come in his last 9 matches, which shows he didn’t pad his assist stats early in the season when Fulham were banging in goals left and right. They have come more so since the goals have somewhat dried up for the team.

On the other end, Ashkan Dejagah has impressed in his last few starts. The Iranian has struggled to stand out in his first season in the Premier League, but most recently against Stoke, he was fantastic on the offensive end. He created 5 chances, and completed 91% of his passes (40/44), including 22/26 in the attacking third. He provided linkup play on the right side, noted by the fact that Sascha Riether passed to Dejagah 14 times, good for the 2nd most effective passing combination in the match.

While the situation isn’t ideal, and there’s still a long way to go, the overall state of Fulham’s midfield isn’t as dire as was once thought. Though reinforcements have been brought in in the forms of Emmanuel Frimpong and Urby Emanuelson, just about the time they’ve gotten here the players already in place have stepped things up. Once Diarra returns, Martin Jol is going to have a real selection situation on his hands. Against the next 4 opponents Sunderland, Chelsea, Tottenham, and QPR, the midfield will become even more important, hopefully these guys can keep up their good form or it could be even more of a tough stretch than it already looks.

Giorgos Karagounis Signs For Fulham

Posted: September 11, 2012 by Kyle Bonn in Transfer
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Looks like it was a touch windy at Motspur Park, and those trade winds blew in Giorgos Karagounis from Greece.

Fulham have announced the signing of midfielder Giorgos Karagounis on a free transfer from Panathinaikos until the end of the season.

Given the current state of the midfield, Karagounis is an excellent signing with a wealth of experience, and looks set to gain a significant amount of playing time.  While he’s 35, and certainly isn’t bringing down the average age of the club, that’s not what this signing is about.

With an obvious lack of midfielders, the club right now needs bodies and this is an experienced and quality body.  Obviously Jol didn’t plan to be this short in the middle of the pitch, and people complaining about how Danny Murphy’s a better option than Karagounis are just flat out ignorant.

While Martin Jol is partly to blame for the midfield situation, some of the things that happened couldn’t be helped, and now we’re left looking to move forward.

Remember this as well: Karagounis’s deal runs until the end of the year. That’s what Fulham wanted to give Danny Murphy as well, until Blackburn swooped in and gave him a second year. So this is essentially what Jol wanted.

Karagounis has 120 appearances for his national team as well as many memorable moments there as captain.  He’s been referred to as “a dogged worker in midfield and a deliverer of fine set plays” which will play perfectly into this club.  While he’s not the creative mind we need, I doubt someone like that exists on the free transfer market and this will have to do in that department until January when Jol can find a few more long-term solutions.

Aaron Ramsey Targeted Again

Posted: June 25, 2012 by Kyle Bonn in Transfer
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Aaron Ramsey has been linked with Fulham before, but this time it makes a lot of sense.

With Danny Murphy gone and a midfield rock needed who can both defend and attack, Martin Jol has looked to a man rumored to be interested in a move to Craven Cottage in the past, Aaron Ramsey.

Last year, Mark Hughes tried to secure a season-long loan deal for Ramsey, with an option to buy at the end, but ultimately Arsene Wenger didn’t bite.

Now, despite starting 27 matches and appearing in 7 more last season, it seems that with Mikel Arteta and Jack Wilshire set to be healthy (they hope), plus Arsenal are the leading candidates for Yann M’Villa. With those three men ready to go by the start of the season, it could see Ramsey bow out of the Gunners starting lineup.

Thus, as footballers are always looking for playing time to stay sharp and show the world what they’re capable of, Ramsey may be interested in joining Fulham to secure regular playing time, of which he’d see a lot of, with the departure of Danny Murphy.

According to a very reliable source on Twitter, Fulham are set to make Arsenal an initial offer of £5.5 million, with a maximum of £4 million more possibly tacked on depending on appearances, cup and league finishes, etc. Also, Fulham would offer Ramsey around £45,000 a week base salary, plus a lot of incentives which could see that go way up depending on how he performs.

Editor’s note: NOTHING HAS BEEN OFFERED YET. These are preliminary figures and just a possibility. Fulham are just in initial talks at the moment. That is all we know for now.

Another distinct possibility is that Fulham could take Ramsey on a season-long loan. That’s what Mark Hughes tried to get last year, but he wanted a permanent option at the end of it and Wenger wouldn’t give it to him. We’ll see if Jol tries to take the same route.

Seeing a player drop ranks like this isn’t something that happens every day, so I wouldn’t all get your hopes up as if this is a done deal. However, it makes a good deal of sense from the perspective of both parties, and apparently Ramsey has already had an initial meeting with Martin Jol and Alistair Makintosh, meaning that, if true, there’s a good deal of promise to this deal.

This deserves monitoring, as it’s nothing concrete, but there’s some sense to what is being said here.

One more thing to close this out: as you may know, I don’t post transfer rumors on here too often, because 95% of them are rubbish and there are bull-you-know-what rumors out there every day. If you are a Fulham fan, be wary in the next few weeks. With Danny Murphy having left, lazy journos are going to start linking Fulham with every midfielder out there who’s having even the slightest bit of trouble with his club. Be careful what you read when it comes to midfielder links in this transfer market. I only know this one is legitimate because the source is very reliable. Keep your guard up!

Fulham Exodus: Is It Too Much Too Fast?

Posted: June 24, 2012 by Kyle Bonn in Opinion
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Martin Jol has told Danny Murphy and others that Fulham won’t pony up the money or years other teams are willing to, allowing them to walk and sign elsewhere

Martin Jol is certainly looking to make his mark on the Fulham squad patrolling Craven Cottage next year during his first full summer transfer window with the club.  His first step is to allow three players, Andy Johnson, Pavel Pogrebnyak, and the captain Danny Murphy to leave.

You could make valid arguments for letting go all three of those players.  AJ was old and injured often, and hadn’t contributed much compared to what was expected of him after making a highly-touted move to Fulham.  Pogrebnyak was a force upon entering Craven Cottage, but faded down the stretch as teams figured out how to remove him from a game.  Danny Murphy is 35 years old, and was becoming less and less capable of making it a full 90 minutes.

However, put these three moves together, couple them with the fact that Fulham are still not out of the hot water when it comes to Clint Dempsey and Moussa Dembele, and this roster needs some serious overhaul this summer.  While there are some very capable youth ranks who could step in and make an impact (most notably I would expect Alex Kacaniklic to see serious playing time in place of Danny Murphy, although he’s more of an attacking mid), they’re young and untested, and entrusting a youth squad with filling this many holes is very unwise.

I don’t doubt that Martin Jol has a plan, but whatever it is, all we the fans have been privy to watch is the exodus that could quite easily become even worse if the Dempsey and Dembele situations worsen.

In addition, the men he’s allowing to leave are significant contributors from last year.  Between those three men, Jol is allowing 68 appearances, 12 goals, and 10 assists from just this past season go.  And that doesn’t count the possible departure of more production: the 73 appearances, 19 goals, and 10 assists courtesy of Dempsey and Dembele.

And it’s not just what he’s letting go. It’s when they’re coming out.  The news broke that these three men were leaving just five days apart. It’s a bit of a shock to Fulham fans, who now see their club completely barren at the striker position (Ruiz/Dempsey/Dembele their best goal threats now, none of which are true strikers; best true strikers at the moment are Orlando Sa and Marcello Trotta) as well as without their constant at midfield.

So how are you feeling after the shock? Were these the right decisions? Are you glad they’re all gone at once? If anything, it sure does open up some great wage room.

End of an Era: Danny Murphy to Sign With Blackburn Rovers

Posted: June 23, 2012 by Kyle Bonn in Player/Manager, Transfer
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Call the ambulance, the Fulham lifeblood is bleeding out.

This is without question the most difficult post I have had to do since starting this site.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a player who’s given more to the Fulham community than Danny Murphy. He leaves Craven Cottage a Fulham legend.

It’s being reported this morning/afternoon that the only thing between the Fulham captain and Ewood Park is a medical which will take place shortly (slash may have already happened).  Murphy, now 35 years old, is a free agent at the end of the month and, like Andrew Johnson and Pavel Pogrebnyak before him, has not been able to come to a new contract agreement with Martin Jol and the Fulham brass.

The move comes as a bit of a shock, considering he had these words to say in April:

I have spoken to the club [Fulham] a couple of times but there’s no great urgency with me because I’m happy and they are happy with me. I’d be surprised if it didn’t get sorted.

It’s a move that tells us a LOT about what Fulham/Martin Jol are thinking, as well as what Danny Murphy ultimately wants, for the sole reason that there’s only one possible scenario that makes any sense here.

It tells us the following:

1) Martin Jol wouldn’t give Murphy more than a 1-year deal, and Danny wants a 2-year deal for security.
2) Danny Murphy wants to play every game as many minutes as possible, and still thinks his body can handle the beating.  Unfortunately for him, not only Martin Jol, but every other Premier League boss, doesn’t agree.  This tells me that as much as I think he’s got a bit left in the tank (which I have said multiple times), no other Premier League team thinks he does, and that’s telling.  Maybe I’m wrong.
3) What Danny Murphy ultimately wants is to stretch out his career as long as possible to provide for his family, while getting as much playing time as possible.  If this means dropping a league to the Championship, then so be it.
4) Martin Jol is REALLY serious about getting younger that he’s even willing to risk allowing the captain, midfield glue, and fan favorite on the club to leave.

It’s also a risky move for the following reason: if Blackburn Rovers aren’t promoted after this coming season, you can pretty much kiss any chance Danny Murphy has of playing in the Premier League goodbye.  He’s not going to get signed by a team at 36 years old coming UP a league unless he somehow bangs in a Dempsey-like goal total from the midfield, which we all know isn’t happening.  But obviously that risk is worth it to Murphy to secure consistent playing time.  If he signed with Fulham, he’d be a first-choice midfielder no doubt about it, but Jol clearly thinks he would need ample rest, and Murphy doesn’t agree.

This is also a risky move by Martin Jol.  Letting Pogrebnyak and Johnson leave on free transfers is one thing.  Letting Danny Murphy go is a whole other animal.  Now, if the club struggles out of the gate next season, people have something directly to point to when criticizing the manager.  Immediate results are now needed to keep Jol out of the frying pan or fire.  It’s just the nature of the beast.  Let a legend walk, and you better damn well know what you’re doing or the fan base is going to ignite.  I’m not saying Jol doesn’t know what he’s doing; he sure has access to a lot more information than we do. But this is a move he cannot afford to get wrong, or it could possibly be one he never recovers from.

One last note, I’m expecting Brede Hangeland to move into the captain’s role. That would be the logical choice, as any time Murphy came off for a substitute it was Hangeland who received the armband.

Now that we’ve successfully dissected the move, I’d like to take a moment to reflect on Murphy’s Fulham career.

The Captain will no longer be directing the midfield at Craven Cottage.

Murphy signed for Fulham in 2007 after spells with Liverpool, Tottenham, and Carlton Athletic.  He’d been hailed during his time with Liverpool by assistant manager Phil Thompson as the “most tactically aware player that we have” and won the Reds’ Player of the Year award in 2002/2003.

His time with Fulham included many ups and downs, but during his spell at Craven Cottege, when he made 210 appearances and scoring 29 goals.  The most defining moment was his header goal against Portsmouth in May 2008 to secure Premier League status for the following season, completing “The Great Escape” that year.

His work rate and ability to direct on the pitch, as well as his leadership abilities off the pitch, have shown an incredibly unique combination perfect for the role of captain, and those qualities will be quite difficult to replace.

No player is above the team or the game, and Fulham F.C. will move on without Danny Murphy.  But it will be a very, very different place, and there no doubt will be a massive void which Martin Jol will have great difficulty finding a viable replacement.  We’ll miss Danny greatly, and like I said before, Martin Jol better damn well know what he’s doing.  As a fan I’m not angry or upset, but red flags are starting to pop up.  Fulham’s loss is Steve Kean’s gain.  Good luck to Danny, and we’ll miss you.

Fulham fan or not, what are your thoughts on Murphy’s departure? Was it time? Or should Jol have given him another year or two?

#FulhamRetirementHome: Andy Johnson Joins Bobby Zamora at QPR

Posted: June 18, 2012 by Kyle Bonn in Player/Manager, Transfer
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That was quick: AJ’s already taken to promoting his move across London

As many of us have predicted over the course of the last few months, the first move Martin Jol has made this offseason has been to not make a move, thus allowing Andy Johnson to sign with QPR on a free transfer thanks to the expiration of his contract.  The club has confirmed his departure, making it official, and thus he will join up with Bobby Zamora, his former Cottage strike partner, once again.  It’s a move that makes me think about a few things a bit, but also a move that’s not in the least bit surprising.

We knew he was leaving.  He’s 31, and just flat out doesn’t fit Martin Jol’s vision for the club.  That, and the fact that he was hurt for not just much of last season, but much of his entire Fulham career, and that kind of liability just isn’t worth it for a team that is looking for higher things.  So it was smart for Jol to let him walk.

Here’s the interesting part of it that really makes me think: for all the grief we give Mark Hughes (rightly so) for basically giving our club the middle finger, the players seemed to like him when he was in SW6 and obviously still have a liking for him now.  Bobby Zamora certainly did, as he made it clear he wanted to join Hughes at QPR, and now Andy Johnson has said the same thing.

“I have worked closely with Mark Hughes before and there are also players here that I have played with previously, including Bobby Zamora and Shaun Derry. Those were factors in me joining, but this is a big, big club. I have spoken to the chairman and Mark, who both have great ambition for QPR, and it is something that I wanted to be a part of. Mark told me about the plans for a new training ground and how the club wants to go forward. That really excited me.”

It’s clear Mark Hughes, as a manager, is a likeable guy. That doesn’t mean I hate him less for giving us the bird, but it’s something to keep in mind.  Whatever he did at Fulham was obviously well-liked.  I know that before he went all Benedict Arnold on the Cottage, I was a fan of his as well.

AJ enjoyed a good career with Fulham, and I’m glad he was here.  Overall, he scored 13 goals in 86 total appearances.  He just didn’t really excel the way people had hoped when he moved to Craven Cottage for £10.5 million, mainly due to a struggle to keep his body healthy on a regular basis.  Also, I would probably say that, given his scoring record, Fulham overpaid for him a bit at the time as well.  It would have been nice to have sold him in January, but it’s not the fault of the Fulham brass, as Johnson rejected a deal to send him to West Ham.  Fulham also offered him a one-year deal this season, most likely to sign him then deal him, but he wanted 2 years, and Martin Jol very smartly refused to give that to him.  QPR did though, and they get what they need: their short-term stopgap, as well as insurance to Zamora, to help them avoid relegation for another year.

The mission now for Jol is to replace Johnson and, if necessary, the Pog and Dempsey as well.  We’ll see how things sort themselves out, but those contracts expire at the end of June, so things are going to have to happen sooner rather than later.  It helps that Pogrebnyak is back from the Euros now with Russia’s embarrassing collapse, and Danny Murphy is back from his holiday as well.  So we may see some movement in the next week or two.  I sure hope so.

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