Posts Tagged ‘Fulham’

Schalke confirm interest in Sascha Riether – still a longshot

Posted: June 18, 2013 by Kyle Bonn in Player/Manager, Transfer
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Sascha Riether could be heading back to Germany.

Schalke manager Horst Heldt has confirmed the club’s interest in Fulham right-back sensation Sascha Riether, but warned “if the demand is too high, it will not materialize.”

The Bundesliga club wants the former Koln defender as cover for current right-back Atsuto Uchida.

Just because he’s on their wish-list doesn’t mean this is going to happen, and it seems Schalke have a very strict evaluation of the 30-year-old, but it’s a possibility.

He has just signed a new 2-year deal with Fulham, turning his season-long loan deal permanent with a €1.4 million transfer fee to Koln.

That makes this even more unlikely, but word is the two teams are already in discussions.  How serious those discussions are remains to be seen.

I believe this move is relatively a longshot, because of how cautious Schalke are per Heldt’s quote, and I would assume Fulham would wish to make a decent profit on the defender before the rid themselves of last year’s Player’s player of the year.

Therefore, I would imagine the two clubs would have very different valuations of Riether, and I can’t imagine the two come to an agreement.

However, if they do, it will be incredibly hard to replace Riether, and Fulham will have a tough time finding someone who can fill his shoes.  Let’s hope this doesn’t come off, because I can’t imagine the club will profit that greatly from his sale.

This isn’t the first time Schalke have tried to pull off a deal for a player who just signed a contract with their club.  In 2011 they purchased Austrian left-back Christian Fuchs just after he had signed a permanent deal with FSV Mainz following a season-long loan there.

Report: Fulham brand 34th most valuable brand in the sport

Posted: June 3, 2013 by Kyle Bonn in Club
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According to a fascinating and well-written report, Fulham are the 34th most valuable brand in soccer.

The report, done by UK-based brand valuation company BrandFinance, values the Fulham brand at $75 million (£49 million) which is increased from $65 million (£42.5 million) at this time last year.

BrandFinance also gave Fulham an A+ brand rating, which falls on a scale from AAA+ to D. They describe “brand rating” as similar to credit rating.

The report also discusses the growing importance of sponsorship and kit deals, a financial comparison between the Premier League and Bundesliga, and the Glazer family who owns Manchester United.

BrandFinance gave Bayern Munich the top ranking, valuating their brand at $860 million (£562 million), which allowed them to jump Manchester United who led last year.  The report valued United at $837 million (£547 million), which dropped 2% from last season due to the retirement of Sir Alex Ferguson and their failures in the Champions League.

Rounding out the top 10 in order are Real Madrid ($621/£406 million), Barcelona ($572/£374 million), Chelsea ($418/£273 million), Arsenal ($410/£268 million), Liverpool ($361/£236 million), Manchester City ($332/£217 million), AC Milan ($263/£172 million), and Borussia Dortmund ($260/£170 million).

I highly suggest taking 15 minutes of your time and glossing over this report, it’s extremely factual and gives a very comprehensive overview of what makes a brand in the sport of soccer.

Show Your Stripes: Fulham Release 2012/2013 Home Kit

Posted: July 13, 2012 by Kyle Bonn in Club
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Well, there it is! Not too much to write about, but what are your thoughts? In my opinion, I really like it.  Stripes can be very overpowering and distracting, but the pinstripes here are clearly not the case.  It’s designed in such a way that the stripes are NOT the dominating part of the jersey, the logo and sponsor still dominate.  They’re crisp and clean, and I like how they combined last year’s plain white look with the change of the pinstripes.  I know some still wish they stuck with last year’s, but that’s no fun!

Also, what’s gotten into Brede Hangeland and modeling? He’s rockin this home kit pretty well now. Guess he has a career after footballing is done!

 

Breaking Down Fulham’s 2012/13 Fixtures

Posted: June 18, 2012 by Kyle Bonn in Club, Previews
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If you haven’t seen the fixture list yet, which was released today, do yourself a favor and check out the path Fulham will look to traverse next season as they take on their Premier League foes in the 2012/13 season.  Martin Jol is setting out on another full campaign that is sure to be littered with peaks and valleys, euphroia and heartbreak, celebration and controversy.  This year is the first in many that Fulham will be starting the season with the same manager they ended the previous one (knock on wood, hopefully Martin Jol doesn’t pull another Mark Hughes that no one saw coming. Not saying he will, just saying no one saw the last one coming).  So with the road paved, now all Fulham have to do is perambulate the meandering path of the Premier League.  To me, there are three sections of the fixtures that Fulham must conquer to have a successful season.  The definition of “successful season” for the upcoming year is also up for debate (another post? I think so!) but whatever that goal is, these two portions of the season must end in Fulham’s favor.  Let me explain:

Section 1: The first 2 months

Fulham have been notorious in the past 2 seasons at least of getting off to some pretty crummy starts, having fans question the manager, then beasting in the second half and finishing strong.  Now, imagine last year that the club hadn’t needed the break-in time with a new manager in the beginning of the year. Imagine they started how they finished.  9th doesn’t seem so good anymore does it? They could have finished 7th, or even better, and all the fans know it.  Well, this year, there’s no break-in time.  Sure the club will have new signings to get settled in, but who doesn’t?  That’s why this year the stretch of the first 8 games is ESSENTIAL to this season’s success.  If progress is to be made, they need to perform where they didn’t last year, and that’s in the beginning.

The first 8 matches are as follows:

(H) Norwich City
(A) Manchester United
(A) West Ham
(H) West Brom
(A) Wigan
(H) Manchester City
(A) Southampton
(H) Aston Villa

The way I see it, best case scenario we finish with 18 points from that stretch.  That’s best best case scenario obviously, so it’s slimly realistic.  But it’s attainable.  There are 5 winnable matches in that stretch.  You know what we need to do to maximize points from this stretch? WIN AWAY.  It’s time, folks.  This club showed at the end of last season that the monkeys may be off our back.  But to do this they need to start early.  Fulham won 3 of their final 7 away matches last year.  While that’s not great, it’s better than it has been. We’ve gone SEASONS with 3 away wins.  If you look at that stretch, there are 6 winnable matches of the 8.  3 of those 6 are away.  If Fulham is to separate themselves from the middle of the pack and step into an upper echelon of clubs such as the Evertons and the Newcastles, this is where it’s going to get done.

Section 2: December

If Fulham finishes off the first half of the season on a good note, the wins will come in the second half, bottom line.  Also, there are some huge matches against teams that Fulham are looking to emulate the success of, and these matches will be vital tests to see if the club has indeed reached that level.  This month will be the busiest for the staff at Craven Cottage, as there are four, yes that’s FOUR, home games in the month of December, and 6 matches overall.  That includes an exhausting stretch at the end of the month where there are 3 matches in 8 days.  Here’s the month of December fixtures:

Dec 1: (H) Spurs
Dec 8: (H) Newcastle
Dec 15: (A) QPR
Dec 22: (A) Liverpool
Dec 26: (H) Southampton
Dec 29: (H) Swansea

Yikes.  The first 4 are the roughest, although the stretch of Saturday, Wednesday, Saturday matches to end the month will be brutal for the players.  Think about this though.  Last year, Spurs finished 4th, Newcastle finished 5th, and Liverpool finished 8th.  If Fulham are to progress into the top 7 consistently in the table and challenge for a Europa League spot on a yearly basis, they need to prove they can challenge these clubs.  Last year, Fulham lost to Spurs at home 3-1, destroyed Newcastle at home 5-2, and beat Liverpool away 1-0.  To me, that’s competing.  However, this is a new year.  If Fulham are to once again have those kind of results, they need this stretch badly.  It’s going to be tough.

Section 3: April

Just like they need to start strong, this club is going to have to finish strong to have a shot at the top 7.  I don’t need to tell you any more about Fulham’s away form for you to get where I and just about every other fan stands on the subject. With that in mind, take a look at April:

(A) Newcastle
(A) Aston Villa
(H) Arsenal
(A) Everton

Yikes.  That’s a tough way to bring the season to a close.  May isn’t as difficult, but this has the potential to bring the club to a screeching halt.  They need to perform well here to not ruin any good form they had leading up to it.  If they can navigate this month with 6 points, I’d consider it successful.

So what are everyone’s thoughts?  Are there other areas of concern or stretches where the Cottagers should excel? What are your expectations for this season?

Tottenham vs. Fulham: Ending 2011-2012 with a Bang or a Clang?

Posted: May 11, 2012 by Austin in Previews
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Fulham will look to get a better result than the home fixture against Spurs this season, a 1-3 defeat

Tottenham invites Fulham to White Hart Lane on the final day of this wonderfully unpredictable season, with the hosts certainly having more on the line that the visitors. Depending on which Fulham team shows up, this could be a really exciting match or a horribly frustrating “away-day obligatory appearance”, in which Fulham fulfill their away fixtures without showing any real desire to actually play them.

However, given our current form and the fact that this window could see a lot of movement in the squad, I don’t think the latter will be the case. Players will either want to prove that they still have something to give to the club, or look their best for other clubs scouting them (hopefully not that for the two D’s), so we should see a committed, attacking performance. Well then, on to the preview proper!

State of Fulham:

Not in a bad way, coming off of the exciting 2-1 win over Sunderland and the rather painful but still extremely satisfying 1-0 win over Liverpool. The team looks motivated, happy, and focused, which is positive and should carry into next season. Obviously the away form hasn’t been the best, but a very interesting statistic from Opta reveals that Fulham average 1.58 Premier League points away from home in May, compared to 0.76 overall, so with some luck we’ll make our favorite travel month count!

Dempsey of course continues to look dangerous, and Dembele may be interested in adding another goal, so look for him to shoot a little more in addition to his stellar midfield play. Overall, the squad is in form and seems to genuinely want to perform despite the relative meaninglessness of these last few fixtures.

Edit: It’s been revealed that Dempsey will actually miss the match with a hamstring injury. Read into that what you will, but hopefully he doesn’t end his Fulham career on the sidelines, injury or not.

On the line for the Cottagers is prize money for finishing in a certain place, so the club in general will have that to play for.

Lastly, I think the team will want a bit of revenge for the reverse fixture, a rather unjust 3-1 defeat in which we dominated the second half and couldn’t break down the Spurs defense. Going even further back, the fixture at White Hart Lane last season was a strong performance that again offered no points. We can play well against Spurs, so perhaps we’ll find the finishing touch this time.

State of Tottenham:

Like Liverpool, Tottenham have had an interesting season to say the least (for a non-fan at least, one might even call it amusing). Their early season brilliance faded as ‘Arry for England rumors picked up, and the wheels well and truly came off after that incredible 5-2 Arsenal match in February. They went from “title challengers” (at least in their manager’s head, it never really looked possible in truth) to barely clinging to a Champions League berth.

More specific – and relevant – to the Fulham game was the farcical choke at Aston Villa last weekend. Arsenal had lost the day before, meaning Spurs just needed three points against one of the dullest and low-morale sides in the Premiership. Instead, they draw 1-1 and give the initiative back to the Gunners. In addition, they lost their backup full-back to a red card, meaning that the third choice will have to fill in there. Look for Fulham to attack the right flank often. Tottenham doesn’t seem to deal well with intense pressure, and they’ll certainly have that Sunday. If they win, they’re in the Champions League, assuming Bayern beat Chelsea in the final. Talk about pressure.

So, I’m predicting a nervy performance in front of a tense and impatient home crowd. They’ll want goals, and hopefully that will play right into Fulham’s hand. However, if Fulham come out lackluster, Spurs will no doubt pounce, and an early home goal could spell doom.

Prediction:

Spurs have struggled through the home stretch, while the Whites have gotten stronger and stronger throughout the spring. However, three points may be a little too optimistic – it is a Fulham away game after all – so I’m going with a 2-2 draw, with Pog and someone different (think Riise/Hangeland/you get the idea) getting the Fulham goals. A little on the optimistic side, but hey – we drew at Chelsea and Arsenal, two other sides reeling a bit at the time.

Liverpool vs. Fulham: Let’s Make This Trip to Merseyside a Little Better

Posted: May 1, 2012 by Austin in Previews
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So our last trip up to Liverpool on Saturday didn’t go so well, but hey – Everton is the better side in the city right now.

Just as a side note before we get started, can I mention how entertaining the fact that Everton are above Liverpool in the table is? 35 mill on Andy Carroll, 20 mill for both Henderson and Downing, and 7.5 mill for Charlie Adam. Compare that to Everton’s total lack of finance. Loanees and cheap buys have been the answer for them this season, as well as the mid-season pickup of Jelavic, and I’m happy to see a cash-strapped club doing well, especially when it means the table-jumping of an intense rival.

That being said, I don’t dislike Liverpool as a club and, truth be told, I’m a bit jealous of Everton for their success. I sometimes feel as if Fulham could and perhaps should be doing something similar. But I digress, there’s a preview to be made.

State of Fulham:

Could be better. The thrashing at the hands of Everton was unexpected and a bitter pill to swallow. I wasn’t expecting a result from one of our bogey away teams but we could have made a much better effort than we did. It was another limp away performance, and doesn’t bode well for the rest of the season. However, I think the players will go into this game feeling optimistic for two reasons:

1. They beat Liverpool at the Cottage, and it could have been by more than one goal. That’ll give them encouragement and hopefully they’ll play with a little less fear than otherwise.

And 2. Anfield has fallen from a fortress to not much more than a playground. Liverpool have won just five home matches this season, drawing nine and losing three. We only lost by an own goal from The King of Own Goals, John Paintsil (may his Fulham career be remembered for better reasons) last season, and I think a decent result is there for the taking.

Overall, Fulham really have nothing to play for, but neither do Liverpool, and I think Jol should hope and try to improve away performances (as Kyle talked about in his Everton preview). With Sunderland at home and Tottenham away coming up (what a hilariously capitulatory season Spurs have had as well), any sort of result would be welcome to build confidence ahead of two tough fixtures.

State of Liverpool:

Basically, who knows? They’ve been terrible at home this season, decent away, but overall incredibly disappointing in the league when compared to the Cups and when their monetary outlay and pre-season expectations are considered. They’ve just come off of a dominant performance against a fading Norwich side – it seems like the end of the season can’t come soon enough for them – and will be confident heading into this match. However, they have the FA Cup Final this weekend, and hopefully will be resting many of their key players. And by that I mean Steven Gerrard and Luis Suarez. I watched a lot of the Norwich game and those two seem to be the only players really trying on offense – the rest looked to be saving themselves for the final I guess. Overall, they’re in decent form but will be distracted by what’s to come.

Prediction:

I’d love to say that Fulham will upset the Reds and cause another day of misery at Anfield, but with that tragic Everton performance and the general away-day hoodoo around the club, I don’t see three points on the cards. A draw, however, isn’t asking too much, given Liverpool’s troubles at home and their rather large and trophy-shaped distraction on Saturday. I’m calling a 1-1 draw, with either Dempsey or the Pog scoring (brave I know), and hopefully an assist for Dembele. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for an unlikely win, but I don’t see it happening. Also, I hope Suarez won’t play. He’s terrifying.

Thanks for reading and please comment with your thoughts!

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