Posts Tagged ‘Dickson Etuhu’

Cowardly Dickson Etuhu Sends Fulham Fans Into Frenzy via Twitter

Posted: August 29, 2012 by Kyle Bonn in Opinion
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As if Fulham fans weren’t dealing with enough confusion at the moment (Dembele off, Ruiz injured, loss to Sheffield Wednesday), Dickson Etuhu decided to kick a fanbase while they’re down today by tweeting the following:

“Ask yourself? Why is everyone leaving or want to leave??? Hhmm”

And of course, that wasn’t enough, so he followed it up with,

“And I am not referring to Blackburn ..”

So a loved former Fulham favorite taking a jab at fans at the worst possible time out of spite for the terms he left the club on.  Really classy move, Dickson. I’ll tell you why he got this one wrong on so many levels.

  1. The fan base is already reeling from a flurry of events that’s happened so fast, it’s taken a lot of time for many to process what happened in the last few days.  Add that to the Clint Dempsey saga, and everyone’s already in a state of confusion.  Finally fans were getting a cooling-off period before the transfer window closed, and Dickson used this opportunity to kick fans when they’re down.  That’s so easy, it’s cowardly.  Sure, add to the fire. Anyone can do that. What takes guts is to come out and talk about what you mean, discuss the situation, do an interview on how you left on great terms with the fans but poor terms with management.  Tell the whole story.  But instead Dickson took the low road and took an opportunity to sucker punch the fans who did nothing but support him his whole time at Fulham. Shame on you, Dickson.
  2. By tweeting this stuff instead of taking it to the media, he attacks the fans directly. No doubt his anger was towards the Fulham management, so why take it out on the forum of the fans? It will serve absolutely zero purpose to take this to Twitter except to directly anger the fans who supported him his entire spell at Craven Cottage. If he takes his issues to the media, he can be less vague, and attack those he really wants to attack. Things will get brought to light, people can then choose who they wish to support.  He’s perfectly capable of doing that, he’s not tied to Fulham anymore, players speak out against former managers/teammates all the time.  What’s stopping him from doing the same? Oh right, he’s a coward, and instead only has the guts to speak out on Twitter where he can hide behind a computer or smartphone and take pot shots at reeling fans who in the end have zero power.

Sure this makes me wonder about what’s really going on at Fulham, since he’s certainly not the first one to take this route. (See: Dempsey, Clint). But this was totally the wrong way to go about things.  When your real target is the front office of a club, the last thing you want to do is direct your vague anger at the fans, only raising more questions than answering.  Lost a lot of respect for Dickson after this whole affair.

The club won’t be battling relegation this season, you can be assured of that.  Let’s wait and see what happens in the next 3 days before we all lose faith.

Jol Speaks on Adding Players, Other Topics

Posted: August 8, 2012 by Kyle Bonn in Player/Manager
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There’s only a little more than a week to go before the season.

Wait………what was that? I’m sorry, I thought I said there was a week to go before the season started, I must be dehydrated or somethi…….what’s that? There IS a little more than a week to go before Fulham open against Norwich at home?

Wow. Let that one sink in for a bit.

Well, with that out of the way, the club still looks a bit thin heading into week 1.  They can get by for a game or two like this, but soon depth will become a serious issue.  So, with that in mind, Martin Jol spoke at length to a few media outlets about a number of different subjects.

On adding players this window:

“If everything stays as it is I am pretty satisfied, and we are still working to get two or three players in. We need at least a midfield player, in the midfield area. Up front, we lost four strikers – Orlando Sa went, Bobby Zamora, the Pog, and Andy Johnson went. We have got two, Rodallega and Petric, so at least we need one or two strikers as well.”

If it were up to me, I’d think we need two midfielders and one striker (four isn’t really necessary with the formation Jol plays, but midfield depth is an issue).  But either way, this is incredibly exciting news to hear.  Obviously rumors are abound about multiple names we’ve heard over the last few weeks, but the club continues to be incredibly leak-resistant, so we just have to wait and see what the front office chooses to do in this area.

On James McFadden:

“That’s ridiculous. We never react so they link us with these players but it’s not true as usual.”

Thank god.

On the exit of Dickson Etuhu:

“I read in the paper we had a fall out again. Everyone who leaves us seems to have a fall out, it’s not true. He wanted to play games. He’s 30-years-old, they offered him a long contract so good for him. They will probably play him every week and he was not playing in our team every week. That was a problem for him, not just the past few weeks but the last four or five months. He was really frustrated and wanted to play. He could’ve stayed but when Blackburn came in we decided to let him go.”

That’s about what everyone expected. I never believed for an instant that Etuhu got angry with Jol, it’s not like him.  I can understand his frustration with being a squad player.  The club really could use him in that role this season, but understandably he wanted to play more, and with a familiar face in Danny Murphy at Blackburn, it was too much for him to resist.  Wish him all the best.

On the new signings:

“From what I have seen so far, they look really good. Sascha is a strong defender while, further forward, Mladen has done well too. He has scored a lot of goals so far, and hopefully he can continue to do so. It can be difficult joining a new club so if I can help the players that have come in after me then I will. There are a few new faces in the dressing room already and in Sascha and Mladen we have two very important additions. Hugo has come in as well, and we’re looking forward to seeing him in action. He did well in his time at Wigan and, as a result, has Premier League experience. He’ll be hoping he can make an impact too, and I’m sure he will be a success. It’s nice to welcome new players. The spirit of the team is really good and we are all looking forward to getting the season started. We had a good year together last season, and we want to do good things again.”

This doesn’t say much, it’s mostly coach-speak and fluff. I mean, what’s he going to say? “Yea guys after 2 weeks with the club I obviously blew that signing.” No, of course not.  But either way, it’s nice to hear him speak so highly of those additions.  It’s clear Petric is settling in well, and although we clearly can’t expect the pace of goal-scoring success he’s having this preseason to continue, I think it’s clear he’s working very well in the system.

I said it on Twitter and I’ll say it again, the policy the club has of keeping doors closed stinks for fans and media (nothing to write about!) but it’s great for the club to keep negotiations away from the public.  Nobody NEEDS to know the discussions that go on, and sometimes when things get out certain teams get put at a disadvantage negotiation-wise.  So we’ll all just have to deal! That’s why Fulham were so upset when Brendan Rogers talked about enquiring about Dempsey.

Bids-A-Plenty: Dembele and Etuhu Receiving Interest

Posted: August 2, 2012 by Kyle Bonn in Transfer
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Seems that Fulham have received a flurry of bids in the recent going.

First, reports say Steve Kean at Blackburn is attempting to nick Dickson Etuhu off Fulham to go along with his Danny Murphy signing earlier this window.  With Murphy gone and no midfield replacement signed yet by Martin Jol, Etuhu is currently an important member of the defensive midfield at Craven Cottage, and I’d be surprised to see Jol let him go, at least until he brings someone in (which I fully expect him to).  The 30 year old Etuhu made 22 appearances last season with Fulham (13 of them substitute appearances), and it remains to be seen what his role this season will be.  Dickson has previously said he’s unhappy with his playing time, but every time he gets a bit disgruntled he seems to win some more time on the pitch.

Also, there’s been a row of Moussa Dembele bids.  According to his agent Jan de Visser, “Real Madrid have contacted us and asked about Moussa Dembele’s availability. They are not the first big club to make enquiries about Moussa this summer, though.”  I tend not to trust a lot of things agents say, especially like this, because often times they’re just trying to drive his price up or show their client is a hot commodity.  It’s still newsworthy, however, in the slight chance it’s true.

Not only that, but Fulham also have reportedly turned down a bid from Manchester United for Dembele, apparently in the £7 million region, which to me is not enough.  If you recall, Fulham paid about £5 million for him, so they’ll definitely want to at least double that.

Offseason Preview: Roundtable

Posted: April 25, 2012 by Kyle Bonn in Opinion, Transfer
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Martin Jol looks to improve the Fulham squad at a reasonable price once this season is over.

So I thought it would be a really fun idea to get a bunch of people together to preview this offseason, since even Martin Jol said himself, it’s hard to find motivation to finish out the rest of the season strong when there’s not much on the line. So I figured I’d jump right in to the offseason! I sent a bunch of questions to a few people who’s opinion I value (and you should too). Here’s our guest roundtable:

Nick MacNee (@themetaknight) – Loyal Twitter follower and blogger at Power to the Fulham.
Chris Cohen (@Chris_Cohen) – TV presenter and comedian, and most notably to me, guest analyst on Sports Tonight Live where I frequent. The only impartial view on the panel, not being a Fulham fan (he’s actually a Chelsea fan, but we’ll give him a pass for taking the time to be on the panel. Even a blind squirrel sometimes gets a nut, right?).
Russ Goldman (@Russ_Goldman) – American Fulham overlord and host of Cottage Talk. He interviewed Aaron Hughes a week ago, that’s kind of a big deal.
Austin Beacham (@beachama) – my new sidekick here at Fulham’s Finest.

So, without further ado, let’s get right into this coming offseason:

Question 1: The big question surrounding Fulham, what will happen with Clint Dempsey?

Clint Dempsey has given Fulham fans a lot to be thankful for. We should give him a thumbs up no matter what he decides.

Kyle - I get to go first, because I get those powers when I own the site. Comes with the territory. As for Dempsey, I was originally convinced that he would stay, because I’ve heard he loves London and doesn’t have to move his family, especially overseas, and most of the Champions League sides in England he might not break the first team anyways. However, there are many things happening with Fulham that are convincing me otherwise. There are certain….disadvantages to playing with a mid-table side. The refereeing is skewed towards the bigger clubs. The season awards are skewed towards the bigger clubs (let’s face it, if Clint scored 16 goals from the midfield for any top-4 club, he’d no question be on that PFA Player of the Year list). And to me, that’s got to be a factor. He deserves to get recognized for his efforts, and he’s not been. And the only option that has everything he wants is Arsenal. I see him moving there, and I’m ok with it. He’s given so much to this club, Fulham fans should be happy for him if he moves on. However, look at the most recent successful Cottagers to move on for contract reasons recently: Woy, Zamora, Smalling, Mark Hughes (well, he wanted to go to a bigger club LOL), Van Der Sar. Very mixed results. Even consider Jimmy Bullard. Sure some of them went on to be very successful, but its not a guarantee, and Dempsey may want the safer bet.

Nick – Dempsey has a strange situation at the moment. He has listed his desire to go and play for a club in the champions league, which almost everyone knows by now. But if he were to go to a top club (say, Arsenal as the reports have it), he can not be sure of a 1st team place there, like he is at Fulham. There could also be pressure from the fans and staff at the club to score at least 10-15 goals a season, which will not be at Fulham. I believe that if Dempsey wants 1st team football AND champions league football, his best option is to move to another country like Germany or Italy. And even then, Dempsey has stated that he is settled in England and does not wish to move to another club. I believe that Dempsey will stay at Fulham, where the situation and club are perfect for him. But it all depends at what happens at the end of season with the situation with his contract.

Chris – Clint, in my opinion should think long and hard about this decision. Without doubt he’s had his best season at Fulham but it’s sometimes all too easy to crave for a move to a bigger club, one that plays Champions League and for things to not work out. It’s not always down to lack of talent either. It can be a different style of management, a rotation system that seems him not playing so regularly or a different style of football that can cause what seemed like a dream move to end in tears. The players around him at Fulham and the manager and his style of play will all be a big part of why he’s had such a tremendous season and if I were Clint, I’d maybe stay one more year at Fulham and progress with the team under Jol before making this call.

Russ – The question is not an easy one to answer as it could go either way. I could make an argument on both sides. I could see him staying because I think Martin Jol and Fulham will do whatever they can to hold on to him. I think it would have to be a significant amount of money to force their hand in selling him.
I can see why Dempsey would have a desire to play in the Champions League. However, he has to weigh the desire to play at that level, with the chance that he could be a squad player. He knows if he stays at Fulham he will play regularly. I think the risk of playing time with some clubs could be real. It would have to be the right team, and in my opinion I think if he needs to go, he might be better off in Italy or Germany.
In the end, I say he stays at Fulham as I feel the club will not make it easy for him to go, and will make the price tag possibly too high for a move.

Austin – Like I said in my longer article, I think it depends on who comes in for him, and their position in their respective league. If a big club like Arsenal comes in for him, then he’ll go, or perhaps someone like Schalke or Lille abroad. It’s a unique situation because he is such a relatively “late-bloomer” – his age may throw some clubs off, and it will probably make it more difficult for Fulham to get the price they want for him. It will be interesting to see what happens this summer, but if I had to make a prediction, I’d say – despite his love of London and his (deserved) loyalty to Fulham, he’ll go. It’s been a great journey for him, and I think he’s earned his chance in the Champions League. This summer may be his last opportunity, so if he gets a real chance that’s good for him and Fulham, he’ll leave.

Question #2: Who else will leave the Cottage this summer?

Andy Johnson could have seen his last significant action at Craven Cottage for the home side.

Kyle – Andy Johnson’s a goner, as he doesn’t fit the bill for Martin Jol’s plans for the club. Jol is adamant about getting younger (I love it) and almost didn’t even make an exception for Danny Murphy. No chance he keeps AJ around, as he’ll probably look for striker depth in the youth ranks. Fulham have a few in-house, and I expect him to make a play for a few from overseas as well. I think Dembele stays, because for one I don’t think Jol can afford to let him and Dempsey leave, but also Jol seemed to have a mancrush on him when he first took the managerial job. I love his buildup play.

Nick – I will not be surprised and unhappy if Andy Johnson leaves as he is inconsistent, old and good to get off the wage bill. I wouldn’t also mind if we sell Moussa Dembele for some good cash. Despite his superb dribbling and passing skills, Dembele still lacks a killer finishing instinct and constantly loses the ball in dangerous situations. He could be that ‘ultimate player’ but it is still far away. I also expect Chris Baird to leave, which is unfortunate, as he seems to be a fantastic utility player and great at tackling. Likewise with Simon Davies, who is becoming old, and our fringe players such as Rafik Halliche and Bjorn Helge Riise. Dickson Etuhu should be another who i expect to leave.

Chris – It’s an interesting one this, I wouldn’t expect a mass exodus from the Cottage this season but there’s no question that some teams will be in for the likes of Dembele and maybe even the Pog.. but I think these players may have just seen enough of Jol’s new approach and style of play to perhaps want to stick it out for another season. Whether the club react differently when a large sum of money is thrust under their nose I don’t know, but I think it’s important, if Fulham want to progress, that they keep hold of these key players.

Russ – I think Andy Johnson will leave Craven Cottage as he has value to the club, but he might be better off with another club that can give him more playing time.
I think Fulham will hold on to Mousa Dembele as Jol knows how valuable he is to the club and probably would like to build around him.

Austin – Personally, I hope Andy Johnson leaves. He has never impressed me at Fulham – three league goals this season, and all in one game, just isn’t good enough. I hope he moves on, and if the alleged interest from West Brom is there, Fulham would be foolish to not cash in.
Since I said that Clint would move on, I’m going to say that Dembele won’t. He’s the other player that could probably fetch a pretty high price on Fulham, but the owner nor the manager would want to see both leave in one summer. I’ve heard commentators say that Dembele wouldn’t look out of place in a top four side, and while that has become more true since his move to center mid, I still don’t think there’s enough end product in his game to warrant big big money being spent on him. He’ll stay.
Dickson Etuhu is another I could see leaving. He’s basically be our go to “let’s see the game out” sub, and while he’s been effective at that role, he doesn’t seem happy with his lack of starts. His tweets and general demeanor hint at unhappiness, and he may be happy to move on , even if it’s to a Championship-level side. With reported interested (again) in Derek Boateng, I could see Jol moving Etuhu on.
Chris Baird is another who hasn’t been getting many chances, which is something that he wasn’t used to under other managers. He is versatile, though, so Jol may want to keep him for that. However, if another fullback is purchased (as I see as likely), Baird may get even less chances and so may want to seek other pastures.
As for players outside the first team, Bjorn Helge Riise seems likely to leave, due to his age and total lack of first team action. Rafik Halliche also doesn’t seem to be anywhere near the first team, so he may leave too if the opportunity arises.
I’m sure I’ve missed some players, but those seem the biggest to me.

Question #3: Rank order the biggest needs for Fulham in this summer’s transfer market.

Pavel Pogrebnyak might be pointing to Martin Jol to help the Pog get some backup

Kyle -1) Striker depth. Pog’s a beast, but you need a few guys behind him. With AJ probably out, the Russian and Orlando Sa are it at the moment, unless Jol dives into the youth ranks and calls up someone like Lauri Dalla-Valle.
2) Right back. Chris Baird may leave as well, and he’s really the only true right back this club has besides Stephen Kelly, who to me isn’t good enough to be a regular starter. Fulham have a bunch of defenders, but most of them are center-backs, (Hughes, Hangeland, Senderos) and Aaron Hughes shouldn’t be moved to RB, as we’re all well aware. Grygera actually technically is a RB I guess, but he also seems more suited for the middle to me, and even if he settles at RB, he needs depth as he’s not young and obviously can have injury issues.
3) Replacement for Clint Dempsey. This is the hardest of any hole to fill by far, but if he leaves, we’ll need someone to support Pog behind him. He clearly works best in a tandem, and Dembele to me doesn’t have the goal-scoring ability to fit this role.
I don’t see midfield as a big issue. While it’s a bit thin, Dembele will stay, so is Murphy, and you also have Sidwell and Diarra plus youngsters Kacknaclic and Gecov who are talented there as well.

Nick - 1) A striker.
2) A Right Back.
3) A Central Midfielder

Chris – As a neutral I probably have different views to Fulham fans, but I think the first biggest need is, as I said above, to keep the players you have. Secondly, without doubt, is a striker. I’d also like to see a player who can act as another link from midfield to attack.

Russ – The number three biggest need is central midfielder. I think Fulham need to find the player that will someday take the place of Danny Murphy.
The number two need is right back. Zdenek Grygera did a nice job, but got injured early in his Fulham career. Stephen Kelly is really better as a substitute. They really need a young solid right back that can push up front with pace.
The number one need is striker and hopefully Pavel Pogrebnyak will re-sign. Regardless if he does sign, they need to get more goals from this position, and probably need one or two strikers.

Austin - 1) Right Fullback – Jol has elected to play Stephen Kelly in this position, and he’s looked consistently out of his depth there throughout the season. He occasionally has a good game, but isn’t strong enough one on one against tricky players, and offers little going forward besides an occasional passing outlet. I’d like to see a strong, quick fullback brought in to offer both width and defensive solidarity.
2) Backup for the Pog – With Dempsey possible leaving and Andy Johnson simply needing to be replaced, we’re once again looking short up front. There has been speculation in the striker market, which hopefully means the Club has seen a need there as well. We’re looking thin in the goal department again, so hopefully this spot will be addressed.
3) Midfield – this seems a funny and I can’t exactly pinpoint where in midfield works needs to be done, but I think something needs to change. Ideally, I’d see Ruiz move to a sort of center forward position right behind Pog, with Murphy and Dembele as the two central mids behind him. This means that we’d have room for some actual wingers out wide, and would give more opportunities to guys like Kacaniklic and Frei. Duff’s not getting any older, so a new wide midfielder that can stay wide and provide supply would be a nice purchase in my opinion.

Question #4: For the spot you tabbed as the biggest need, who are some guys who you think are likely candidates for Martin Jol to snag this window to fill that need?

Burak Yilmaz is a major name connected with Fulham in the coming transfer market.

Kyle – Just kidding! I’m going last on this one.  Mwahaha.

Nick - For strikers, i believe that the German Bundesliga is the closest match to the Premier League in terms of style of play. The bundesliga has a whole group of talent in strikers from almlost all the teams there. It is 3rd in the UEFA rankings and decidedly so.

1: Mohammed Abdellaoue: The 26 year old Norwegian (yeah, i bet you couldnt have guessed that from his name) has had an impressive season with Hannover 96, scoring 11 goals until a medial collateral injury put him out for 3 weeks. Now 11 goals may not be as good as Dempsey but this kid has all the characteristics of a hungry, greedy goal poacher, which is exactly what Fulham could do with at the moment. Hannover bought Abdellaoue for around 1.6 million from Valarenga so expect a fee of maybe around 6 million or more to get him in this goalscoring form. However,i fear that if Hannover were to get into the Europa League again, then Abdellaoue may not be interested in a club that is not will not be in Europe next season. Abdellaoue is rated at 6.6 million euros by Transfermarkt.com

2: John Guidetti: Guidetti, 19 years of age, has ripped up the Evedivise scoring charts for feyenoord, on loan from Machester City, with an incredible 20 goals for a kid of his age. Guidetti has stated that if he is not given a place in the Starting XI for Manchester City, then he will leave the club. Could this be on loan or on a permanent transfer? Either way, its unlikely that he will with the talent that they have up there, as well as the money. Fulham could go in for him but i have no doubt that there would be a big struggle to get him. Guidetti is rated at 3.5 Million pounds by Transfermarkt.com

3: Mario Mandzukic: The big 25 year old Croat, currently playing at VfL Wolfsburg, has bagged up 12 goals this season for the Wolves, along with 8 assists to go to his name. This means that he has had a role in just under 50% of the goals that Wolfsburg have scored. Mandzukic, signed from Dinamo Zagreb for 8 million euros, could be quite a costly buy, as he is rated by transfermarkt.com at 8.8 mil, and with his goalscoring form, this could be much further. Mandzukic would be good and exciting buy but also a very costly one.

Chris – I like Josh McEachran (being a Chelsea fan) and he has lacked opportunity at Chelsea and at Swansea, finding it hard to make his way into an already established midfield. But there is no doubting the kid’s quality and he plays exactly the style of football Jol promotes. As for up front, I’d say there are plenty of options to choose from if the money is there. There is talk already of Berbatov making his way, and what a snag that would be! He’s shown he can perform at the highest level but perhaps prefers being a bigger fish in a somewhat smaller pond (no offence Fulham fans) so we’d certainly see the best of him if this move came to fruition. Dirk Kuyt may be on his way out of Liverpool and I think, given a proper arm round his shoulder and a bit of Dutch encouragement from countryman Jol, he could turn into the quality goal scorer he once was.

Russ – The three guys I would like Jol to snag are Andre-Pierre Gignac, Hugo Rodallega, and Burak Yilmaz. There have been many rumors surrounding Yilmaz as he is a prolific scorer this season scoring 34 goals in all competitions for Trabzonspor. He is the player I really want them to sign.

Austin – Abdoulaye Bamba – there was reported interest from Fulham earlier in the season, and while I haven’t seen any of the young full-back in action, it would fit Jol’s policy of lowering the squad’s age to bring in someone like Bamba.
That’s about all I could find in terms of actual interest. It’s hard to just think of right-backs for the club to go after, so that’s about all I have in that department.

Kyle – I’m bummed that Russ took the air out of my sails, because I was going to bring up Gignac. I was really excited about him last time he was rumored to be coming to the club on loan, until it was scrapped at the last minute. I hope Fulham make another play for him, because with his size, strength, and scoring ability, having him and Pog up front will be simply too much for most central defenders to handle.
Another interesting rumor I just saw recently is Romulu Lukaku. Apparently he’s PO’d with Chelsea and wants out, but wants to stay in London, so he could come on loan. I love that Chris brought up Berbatov. His value couldn’t possibly be lower than it is right now, and he would do wonders for that front. He can both score and support Pog effectively. You might hear a squeal or two of joy if Jol lands him. Not sure how realistic it is, but I don’t really see any major hurdles.

Question #5: Are there any other players outside that area of need specified in #4 who you think are good bets to be brought in by Martin Jol?

Nick – One last player I would like to quickly throw out there that we have been linked to is Sercan Sararer of Greuter Furth in the 2nd Bundesliga, who are currently top and look set to be promoted to the normal Bundesliga. Although the 2.Bundelisga may not be an impressive division, the 22 year old German has got 8 goals and 12 assists to his name, along with his rating of 1.5 million.

Chris – (Chris sat this one out, he was busy celebrating being in the Champions League final despite their captain pulling a Metta World Peace. Can’t say I blame him)

Russ – I still think Jol will bring in Nacer Chadli who is a 22 year old winger for FC Twente that Fulham were rumored to have interest in the past. He could be the type of player that Jol targets again this summer.

Austin – I hope the interest in Burak Yilmaz is legitimate. From the highlight videos I’ve seen online, he seems like he could form a strong partnership with Pogrebnyak, a make a physical, clinical front two to complete the chances created by the technical midfield behind them.
Isaac Vorsah is another I’d be happy to see. He can play defensive mid and center back, and would either provide cover or take the place of the aging Aaron Hughes and the unimpressive (for the most part, he’s not that bad) Philippe Senderos.

Kyle – Like Austin said earlier, right back is a thin position, and to be honest I’m not so sure why Chris Baird has been pushed into obscurity. Always thought he got the job done well. Jol is apparently interested in Jack Hunt from Huddersfield Town. He’d be a relatively cheap option.

Question #6: Anything else you’d like to add about this summer?

Austin – Generally, I’d like to see Jol continue to lower the age of the squad while keeping us competitive and moving in an upwards direction. I’m pretty pleased with the speculation so far, and I think this summer will be an exciting one for Fulham Football Club.

Kyle – I actually expect Jol to use the beginning of next season to begin his poaching of our youth system. Expect to see Frei, Kasami, Kacknaclic, Trotta, Dalla-Valle, and maybe even Donegan, Burn, Della-Verde, and more all get somewhat significant time. I’m incredibly excited about that prospect too, because there are so many talented players in our system.

MASSIVE thank you to all those who participated in the roundup! Feel free to leave a comment to leave your two cents as well! (Or more money’s worth if you’re in a giving mood).

Wolves 2-0 Fulham: Ill-Advised Changing of the Guard

Posted: August 21, 2011 by Kyle Bonn in Postgame
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Kevin Doyle atones for his earlier blunder by giving Wolves their first of 2 goals

As one Tweeter put it, “one of the worst losses for Fulham I’ve seen in a long time.”  Couldn’t have put it better myself.  There’s a lot to break down here, and I’ll get into more specifics later, but boy, a I’m putting a lot of the blame here today on new manager Martin Jol.  A disasterous lineup card and still his refusal to make something happen now in the transfer market as far as a goal scorer is concerned has left Fulham still goalless in the Premier League and the defense more porous than a sponge on a cactus (I just made that up).  And not only was the lineup an issue, but the entire team looked like there was no overall game plan, no overriding strategy.  It was more of reactionary soccer than proactive play, and that lies directly on the coach.  More in a bit.

The better: (today there was no “good” only some play that was slightly better than the rest.  Have to go with the relative term here)

-Steve Sidwell: There’s not much to put here, but I think when Sidders came on he made a difference.  There was at least a little more flow and pressure, as well as the possession improved a touch.  But not enough to make too much of an impact on the overall run of the game.

-Mark Schwarzer minus 10 seconds: Schwarzer played incredibly well and kept the game from getting any more out of hand than it already was.  He made a lot of not incredibly difficult but still very important saves that gave Fulham somewhat of a fighting chance.  He was key to at least keeping it a bit close, except for one moment…

-Wolves effort and desire: I give Wolves a lot of credit here.  They pounded and pounded and pounded and didn’t back down, even when already up 2-0.  I predicted them to stay up this season, unlike many other writers, and we saw why today.

The bad:

-The attack: Look, the one thing I DON’T blame Martin Jol for is sitting Bobby Zamora.  The guy has a broken hand for crying out loud, and now has apparently picked up an ankle knock as well.  To top it all off, he hasn’t been himself the last few matches, especially against Dnipro on Thursday, and a frustrated Bobby was relatively ineffective.  So I really don’t fault Martin for leaving him out and giving him some time off.  What I DO blame Jol for here is we are still without that third striker to go along with Zamora and AJ incase one of them is injured, or to inject some life into the offense should a sub be needed.  Dembele, while effective in helping keep possession, still does not have the hunger for the back of the net that a striker should, and Dempsey is clearly out of position up front.  An addition is needed badly.

-10 seconds of Mark Schwarzer: As well as he played, Schwarzer was directly responsibe for the second goal scored by Wolves.  As much as the defense was poor all day, he never should have come out for the punch attempt he pretty much whiffed on, leaving the goal wide open for Jarvis to put Wolves 2 up.  As awful as the defense was, without this blunder by Mark it’s a much different 1-goal match rather than the Mt. Everest that Fulham was looking up at being down 2-0.  He played well, but this mistake was very costly.  Such is the life of a goalkeeper.

-Dickson Etuhu: I was angry when I saw him in the lineup, but many Twitter followers reminded me we needed a basher and bruiser in the mid to counteract the physical play of Wolves.  That’s actually a great point, and I went with it.  But again today, he was awful.  As one Tweeter put it: “At least Etuhu is consistent today…consistently a poor passer.”  The possession play was a disast as er today all around, and Etuhu was in the center of it.  Jol noticed it too and pulled him at halftime in favor of the much better Sidwell, but it was too late then.  Etuhu’s effective as a physical defensive midfielder today, and he was ineffective at his strong point.  It’s time to take him out of the lineup for good, because in a match where his presence was supposed to be a plus for the side, it wasn’t.

The ugly:

-The defense as a whole:  John Arne Riise was the toughest and most brave defender today, but it wasn’t close to enough as Wolves mounted attack after attack, finally breaking Fulham for the 2 goals just before halftime.  Philippe Senderos played relatively well as well, but his presence alone was the issue.  For whatever reason, to much dismay of many Fulham supporters, Martin Jol has insisted on breaking up the pairing of Aaron Hughes and Brede Hangeland in the center, which has been hailed by many journalists as possibly the best center back pairing in the Premier League.  As a result, Aaron Hughes has looked lost on the right hand side, and Hangeland was not himself in the center with Senderos.  Hangeland actually was probably the worst defender today, with the most glaring mistake coming on the missed Kevin Doyle empty net shot about 10 minutes before he atoned and scored the first goal.  Brede was flat out 1-on-1 beat by Doyle on a break, forcing Schwarzer to come out early and left Doyle with the empty net that he inexplicably missed.  Also, Jol doesn’t even have fan favorite and natural right back Chris Baird on the bench, refusing to give him time in favor of Senderos and Stephen Kelly.  It’s not working.  Time to change things up Martin.  Which brings me to my next point…

-Martin Jol:  As my title of the post suggests and as I eluded to in the last paragraph, the new Fulham manager has decided to make his mark on the club not by adding a difference-maker up front, but by changing the pairing in back just to do it.  It’s a disaster and needs to be fixed.  I won’t beat a dead horse anymore.  Not only this, but Baird is gone, Etuhu is still starting, Dempsey’s out of position up front, and there’s no striker on the bench or on the pitch to go along with Andy Johnson now that Zamora’s on the bench, even though Bobby’s had a broken hand for two weeks already.  What frustrates me the most is how Jol has made a few cheeky offers, but once they’re (usually predictably) rejected, he refuses to go any higher.  It’s like he’s tossing out offers just to say he tried, but in actuality none of them had any seriousness from the get go.  I know we’re supposed to be patient on this stuff, I realize that.  But when it’s visibly hurting the club on the pitch, I’m no longer able to be patient.  It needs to happen really soon.  Martin deserves most of the blame for this loss in my eyes, as many of us on Twitter predicted this result, and not only that, but accurately pinpointed the reasons why it would happen before it did.  And everything came true.

Finally, something else I’d like to touch on before moving on is Jol’s attitude.  Everyone’s managerial strategy is different, and I realize that.  Not all managers are the fiery, passionate guys we saw from someone like Mark Hughes.  Him kicking a water bottle last time out at Monlieux was funny, but in all honesty I liked it and praised it for the attempt to inject some life into his players.  Often, a manager’s attitude is reflected in his team’s play.  Now, I don’t want to suggest Martin Jol’s demeanor on the sidelines and in the clubhouse is the reason why we lost, far from it.  In fact, we haven’t seen nearly enough from Jol with this club to suggest he needs to get more passionate.  But it’s just interesting to note that the team played with an obvious lack of intensity and passion today, and Jol was very passive and quiet on the sidelines.  Not something to get worked up about, but definitely something to monitor.

Hats off to: The entire Wolves team, especially Doyle and Jarvis.  Fitting those guys got the goals, they were the most effective.  They mounted effective and demoralizing attacks for up to 10 minutes at a time, and then sat back and played frustrating and flawless defense when Fulham tried to meakly counter.  I give this tenacious club and Mick McCarthy a lot of credit.  They may not be the favorite of many Fulham fans for their style of play, but I think you’d be a sore loser and nothing more to not give this club credit for the 3 points.  They earned their points today.

Something else that’s getting frustrating for both me and I’m sure my readers out there is seeing me post about the same things day in and day out.  I hate having to reiterate 300 times a week we need another striker.  But it’s things like that that are frustrating me most about Jol.  Just last week I posted how Martin Jol has continued to impress me.  He has, no doubt.  I’ve loved a lot of things he’s brought to this club, and I’m certainly not jumping off his ship or anything.  But today was a rude awakening that there’s still a lot to be done, and if Jol wants to completely win over the fans, he needs to act pretty fast to fix what happened today.  Wolves took advantage of a lot of Fulham weaknesses, which this early on in the season could actually, down the road, be a positive for the club.  But in order to turn this into a positive, things need to change, and it starts at the top.

Finally, one more plea……PLEASE don’t sell Chris Baird, and please, for the love of Michael Jackson, put Hughes and Hangeland back in the middle.  I’ll update this post in a few hours with Jol’s reaction and quotes once they come in, so be sure to check back in for that.

Fulham 0-0 Aston Villa: More Questions Than Answers

Posted: August 13, 2011 by Kyle Bonn in Postgame
Tags: , , , , , ,
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Bobby Zamora fighting off the Villa defense in the 0-0 draw today

Ugh. Draws. Why must we be subjected to the mindf*** that is the draw so often? This one at home to open the season was more disappointing than anything, especially after the flurry of shots that opened the 2nd half for Fulham.  Multiple chances were either blazed high or sent back from whence they came by Aston Villa’s Man of the Match for sure Shay Given.  It was promising to see the bright attack from Fulham, but there are probably more questions raised in this match by the home side than answered, and that’s the focus of today’s postmatch post (I need a better name for that, sounds really stupid).

The good:

-John Arne Riise: Showing why the first major signing by Martin Jol is going to be a good one, JAR proved valuable in both defense and in buildups.  His crosses were good, and his help on the wings in the attack was bright.  His stinging shot just over the bar in the first half may very well have been the best chance all game for either team. I’m excited to see what he brings to this club.

-Damien Duff: Duff on the wings was great, and he had a few close shots as well.  Both his crosses and his corners were placed in places where the attack had great opportunites to finish them.

-Andy Johnson: Continuing on his run of good form to start the season, AJ had a few close shots as well as some great touches to Zamora and the like that made me happy.  I was hoping his good form in the Europa League was genuine and not just because Fulham were playing some lower level clubs, and although it will take a few more matches to confirm it, I’m liking where this is heading.

The bad:

-Martin Jol: I was really disappointed with how passive off the bench Jol was today.  It was obvious that players who will feature in just a moment were needing of a substitution, and it never came.  Sidwell and Baird off the bench could have both provided a spark and shored up some holes, but that never happened.  Both those guys should start over the next two players coming up, and Jol needs to get more actively involved in the game.  A little too lazy today.

-Dickson Etuhu: Towards the end of last season and even into the start of this year’s Europa League campaign, I’ve been impressed with Etuhu’s tenacity and strength on defense, stopping many a buildup dead in its tracks.  But his value pretty much stops there, and on days he doesn’t have it (like today), he REALLY doesn’t have it.  Dickson’s passing was a disaster, and because of it, Etuhu led to more Fulham buildups dead than he did Villa ones.  Should have been subbed off for the dangerous Sidwell, but the Red Headed Wonderboy was left on the bench, leaving many fans scratching their heads. Let’s hope Jol makes this change (better late than never) come next match.

-Philippe Senderos: While I don’t think he was awful, as well noted by a few of my Twitter followers, he was behind on many plays in the Fulham box, like he was chasing the play at times.  Also committed a few stupid fouls.  He is a good bench player for Fulham to bring on late to hold a lead, but certainly should not be starting over Bairdinho.  Not only does starting Baird get Senderos out of the lineup, but also allows Hughes to move back to the middle with Hangeland, which is good for 2 reasons.  1, those two are MUCH more effective together in the middle, as was evident today. Hughes was not on top of his game.  2, Baird is way better than Aaron at buildups in the wide areas.  Having JAR on one side and Baird on the other is so dangerous while the ball is in the attacking half.

Hats off to: Shay Given.  In his Villa debut, the guy played out of his mind, showing why there’s no reason he should have been stuck on the bench at Man City. Multiple quick reaction time saves kept Villa in the game, or else Fulham would have won by more than one goal.

I’ll get you manager and player postgame reaction as it comes.  Something to remember though, it could have been worse. Wayyyy worse (heh).

Update: Jol quotes:

“The first half, I thought they kept the ball better than we did and we looked nervous. We didn’t keep the ball well enough for a home game. But the second half, especially the first 20 minutes, was good. We had three good chances but, for a home match, I would like to have more control, more initiative and we have to score at first. So, 0-0 at home, you can’t say that is a very good result.”

“In the second half I felt that we did (do enough to win), in the first half I didn’t because we were nervous or we were sloppy or whatever and you lose the ball and you can’t take the control and you can’t take the initiative on the pitch.  The second half was a lot better, but of course you would like for the fans and for ourselves to get 3 points on the board.”

Also, he said, “Hopefully, we can do something in the next few weeks” talking about a possible transfer.

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