Posts Tagged ‘Pajtim Kasami’

Fulham Deadline Day Recap: Loans, Hotel Internet, and Fiorentina’s Revenge

Posted: January 31, 2013 by Kyle Bonn in Transfer
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Well, it would seem that, barring anything crazy last minute (which is certainly possible given the craziness already having taken place), Fulham are done with their deals for the January transfer window.  It’s been a crazy day, so I thought I’d put everything down here in one place for your viewing pleasure.

Completed deals IN:

-Urby Emanuelson: Season-long loan, probably no option to buy
The 26-year-old Dutch international was an expected deal, as he’d fallen out of the Starting XI at AC Milan and was looking for first-team action until the possible sale of Robinho in the summer, which would give him a bit more of a shot at the first team.  Emanuelson is capable at left back, but even better at left wing or attacking midfield.  He’s a very versatile player.  Read more about him here.

-Stanislav Manolev: season-long loan with option to buy on 2-year deal
Manolev joins Fulham on a very low-risk deal from PSV Eindhoven.  The right-back provides cover for Sascha Riether, something Martin Jol specifically mentioned was on his wish list yesterday after the West Ham match.  Manolev didn’t get very good reviews from what I saw on Twitter, but that’s not a massive issue, because he’s only a squad player at this point and only really has to be better than Stephen Kelly to be successful.

-Eyong Enoh: season-long loan with option to buy on 2-year deal
It hasn’t been confirmed by the club yet, but reports are abound that it’s a done deal.  The defensive midfielder comes from Ajax, where he’s made 88 league appearances (149 overall).  He’s from Cameroon, and came to Ajax from their feeder club in Cape Town.  He’s hardly played for Ajax this season, just making 3 league appearances (2 as a sub), and 4 in the Champions League (3 as a sub).
UPDATE: Confirmed by Ajax, nothing from Fulham yet
ANOTHER UPDATE: Fulham now confirms.

Completed deals OUT:

None.

Failed deals IN:

Maarten Stekelenburg – In one of the craziest stories from Deadline Day, Stekelenburg had long been linked with Fulham ever since he’d been dropped to second-string at Roma.  Reports were abound saying he’d completed his move to Fulham, and had gotten on a flight to London earlier today.  However, apparently Roma was banking on replacing Stek with Emiliano Viviano from Fiorentina. Let’s pause for a moment – what’s the connection with Fiorentina and Fulham? That’s correct, Dimitar Berbatov was set to go to Fiorentina, before he decided not to board a plane and instead went to Fulham! Remember how angry they were? Fast forward to today. Stek’s about to head to London to complete the deal, when low and behold, Fiorentina back out of the Viviano deal less than a half hour before the Italian window closed, leaving Roma high and dry on a backup and forcing them to cancel their deal with Fulham for Stekelenburg.  Unfortunately for the big Dutchman, he’d already taken off, despite his current side’s attempts to catch him before he left, so he flew to London for nothing. Revenge by Fiorentina? Possibly.  But also what it seems a bit of poor planning and also poor form by Roma to cancel the deal once it’d pretty much been agreed to. Fulham can’t catch a break with Italian football (more on that later).

Tom Huddlestone – Both Martin Jol and Andre Villas-Boas confirmed yesterday that Fulham were in the mix for Huddlestone, but Jol said he’d been trying for 5 weeks now and nothing had happened, so he wasn’t optimistic.  It seemed the deal had a chance to be completed today, but Huddlestone ultimately wasn’t up for the move to SW6, and then Fulham reportedly went all-in for a foreign striker, and the Huddlestone deal had to be sacrificed to provide the money.  That striker was rumored to be…

Bafetimbi Gomis – A name who briefly popped up on Deadline Day in the summer as well, reports flew around today as well that Gomis was on Fulham’s wish list, and they threw everything they had at him, sacrificing the chance at Tom Huddlestone. I find it interesting how everything is connected. The rumors just kind of died out, didn’t hear much about it after the initial reports.

Nikola Maksimovic – There have been reports that the young Yugoslavian central defender had been signing with Fulham, but a last-minute attempt at a work permit failed, scuttling the deal.  Unfortunate, as Maksimovic has featured well at Red Star Belgrade and, at only 21, could have had a good future at Fulham as a long-term replacement for an aging bunch had he played well.  We need CB depth badly.

Failed transfers OUT:

Chris Baird – West Bromwich Albion had been talking to Baird most of the day, but nothing materialized for whatever reason.  Good, because we need all the midfielders we can get.  Don’t want the Bairdinho headed elsewhere! I also think West Brom may have had their attention elsewhere……(*cough*Odemwingie*cough*).

Pajtim Kasami – Another ridiculous story out of the Deadline Day mayhem, apparently Kasami was on his way to make a permanent transfer to Pescara in Italy, but the paperwork failed to arrive in time because of faulty hotel internet and the window closed in Italy.  For whatever reason Italian soccer teams can’t get better than hotel internet.  Unfortunate for Kasami, who’s unhappy with his lack of playing time under Martin Jol.  This was no more obvious (and a little depressing) when he tweeted just a bit ago:

It’s depressing because Kasami seems like a hard-working kid who just wants to get a chance.  He’s shown a good deal of promise in his little time at Fulham, but I can understand him being frustrated at Jol not giving him a chance.  We’ll see if he gets loaned somewhere.

Recap:

Fulham got a very highly-rated versatile lefthand player in Emanuelson, a backup right back, and a relatively unproven defensive midfielder.  The positive? They’re all well under 30.  The negative? There’s still holes at goalkeeper and striker, and the midfield’s still a bit thin. Don’t forget though that we did also get Frimpong a few days ago.  The squad is still thin, but 4 signings in January helps a whole lot.  Also don’t forget Chris David, who signed in the beginning and will probably be an important piece in the future.

Also, stay tuned to my Twitter account for more information as the window closes.  Most journalists saying Enoh is the last of Fulham’s signings, but you never know! Especially with Stekelenburg stuck in London for the night…

Fulham vs. Sunderland: Clint’s Cottage Climax?

Posted: May 4, 2012 by Kyle Bonn in Previews
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Is Fulham’s home tie with Sunderland the last time the Hammersmith End will see Clint Dempsey in a Fulham shirt?

Clint Dempsey.  One of the most well-liked players on the club.  One of the most coveted players on the club.  And someone who quite possibly could be playing his final match at Craven Cottage in home white.  It’s a sad reality that I haven’t exactly wrapped my head around just yet.  As an American, Clint’s a major – not the only, but a big – reason why I began to support Fulham.  To think that he could be moving on is heartbreaking to be honest.  But I know that Clint will always be a Cottager.  Always.  If he goes, I’ll support him wherever he chooses.  I’m a Clint Dempsey fan for life.

So now that we’ve gotten that out of the way and cast a horribly depressing shroud over this preview post, we might as well get into the nitty gritty of the standalone match.

State of Fulham:

The Cottagers just came off one of the most roller-coaster trips to Merseyside ever, getting thrashed by Everton at Goodison Park, then turning around and winning for the first time all-time at Anfield against Liverpool.  The Reds played horrible and the Toffes played exceptional, so they’ve seen the spectrum.

The Cottagers are just four points away from their highest Premier League point total ever (53 in the 08/09 season).  It’s been a season of change and a season of future promise for the club that deserves to be capped with a strong finish.  However, these games really don’t have a lot of meaning, and I would love to see some youngsters get some playing time.  Martin Jol recently said he wants to get younger but he also isn’t going to hand the team to undeserving youth, so here’s the perfect time to give Alex Kacaniklic, Kerim Frei, Pajtim Kasami, David Stockdale, etc the chance to prove they belong.

Craven Cottage is a fortress, and a 9-5-4 record at home this season with a +9 goal differential shows how they’ve taken advantage of most opportunities at home.  This should play into the match as well.

State of Sunderland:

In 11th place with 45 points, the Black Cats have an equally dismal road record this season as Fulham at 4-5-9 with a -9 goal differential (which oddly enough happens to be the EXACT opposite of Fulham’s home record stated above. Statistical anomaly alert!) and coming to a place like the Cottage should prove to be anything but easy.  They played Fulham at the Stadium of Light earlier this season to a horribly boring 0-0 draw.

Speaking of horribly boring draws, Sunderland has drawn in 5 of their last 6 matches, including 3 0-0 draws. YAWN.  The only non-draw during that span was a 4-0 drubbing at the hands of Everton (where have we heard that befo……..ohhhhhhh….)

They could have a mass exodus during this transfer window, which is just as similarly important to them as it is to Fulham.  Nicklas Bendtner could be moving on (although he did say a return to Arsenal is pretty unlikely).  Stephane Sessegnon has been linked with PSG and Arsenal and could be on his way out, with it rumored he’s not happy in the Sunderland area of England.  Asamoah Gyan, on loan to UAE side Al Ain who just won the Pro League title with Gyan’s help, has made it look like he’s going to stay there.  Youngster Ryan Noble, on loan to Hartlepool United, has said he might want to stay there. Unfortunately on this note, Martin O’Neill was told he has to sell before he buys, so that could pose some problems replacing these exits.

Prediction:

This seems like a pretty easy fixture, given both Sunderland’s poor away and recent form.  However, Fulham never make the easy ones look easy, do they? I’m going to go out and say 2-1 to Fulham, but 3-1 could be likely as well.  Then again, don’t be surprised with a draw, seeing as the Black Cats sure do love their draws.  You have a prediction?

Final note:

I would like to ask all those going to the match a massive favor.  Because I won’t be there, I have to garner support on the interwebs.  Please, for the love of god, cheer Dempsey as loud as you can every time he gets the ball.  I don’t care if every Fulham fans leave without a voice.  That’s how it should be.  If he does in fact leave, I want his last time at the Cottage in a home white to be one of the most memorable days of his life.  Make his REALLY rethink leaving, if he’s leaning that way.  And if he’s leaning towards staying, remind him what staying would mean to us fans.

Folks, you have to realize, if Clint Dempsey decides to stay with Fulham, it means we’ve turned a corner.  It means we’ve become a desirable club where the positives outweigh the lack of Champions League football.  It means we have some of the best fans in the league – which we do – but we need to show it.  Please, cheer your lungs out for the man.  He’s given more to this club than we could ask for, and let’s make him know we appreciate it.

Final final note:

It’s my birthday for this fixture, so let’s get a win for that too :)

The Fine Line: Why Crappy Journalism Make Footballers’ Lives Hell

Posted: October 6, 2011 by Kyle Bonn in Opinion
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Pajtim's missed penalty in the Carling Cup tie with Chelsea caused a swarm of media rumors...none of which had any merit.

A story came out a few days before  Fulham played QPR that Bobby Zamora had a bust-up in training with Martin Jol that could cause the striker and fan favorite to be leaving as soon as the January transfer window.  Then Fulham rocked QPR’s world with a 6-0 annihilation of epic proportions, and everything seemed right in SW6.

Then, another story came out.  It didn’t focus on the 3 points Fulham desperately needed and came through with in sparkling fashion.  It didn’t focus on how things seemed right with the club.  Its focus was a week earlier, when Pajtim Kasami banged a penalty off the crossbar against Chelsea in a Carling Cup tie Fulham eventually lost.

The story’s headline: “Fulham fury after Martin Jol fines Pajtim Kasami for missing a penalty.” However, the story suggested that, according to a ‘Fulham insider’ (whatever that means), Fulham manager had angered the club by fining Kasami for taking a penalty when he shouldn’t have.  The article states that Jol had assigned Orlando Sa to take the penalties in that game, but Kasami had stepped up and taken one.

Wait a minute…..didn’t the headline say he was fined for missing the penalty? Well, later in the article, it goes on to quote its ‘Fulham insider’ saying “Kasami wouldn’t have been fined had he scored it.”  Aside from the fact that apparently this ‘Fulham insider’, as we would learn later, is an idiot, if he/she even exists, we are led to believe by the title that Kasami was directly fined for missing a penalty, which would be absolutely nonsensical.  However, the real reason for the fine is buried in the article.

Not only is this headline absurdly misleading, but the entire article itself is built on a false premise.  If the real reason for the fine (the fact that Kasami wasn’t even supposed to take the penalty in the first place) had been brought forward, the entire premise of the article (to criticize Jol for silly fines) would be lost.  Because I think most of us would agree that if a player disobeys a manager’s orders on who should take penalties, a fine, especially one as petty as 500 quid, is an appropriate course of action.

THEN, the story took a really weird twist when it came out that Jol had FINED HIMSELF for failing to inform anyone but Orlando Sa that Orlando Sa was supposed to take penalties.  Wait….what?  So that shed some doubt on a lot of things, until Kasami himself came out to the media (on the Fulham official website, nonetheless) to dispel any unrest rumors.  Which was good because if anyone would be upset about a potentially problematic fine, it would be the person who got fined.  But Kasami said everything was just peachy. AND, it was also reported later that Brede Hangeland was going to talk to the PFA about the possibility of a violation with the fine.  But Brede said that was news to him, and it also ended up being untrue.

So what is my point on all this?

Well, there was really no reason that Pajtim Kasami should have to come out and rubbish rumors like this.  All articles like this do is cause publicity and emotional issues for players and managers alike.

My message to the masses is the following: please hold journalists accountable for idiotic stories like the original one The Sun posted.  Call the publication.  Write a letter.  Do something to stop this sensationalism.

I’m a little biased, I will admit.  Not only did I graduate from a university with a journalism degree, but I come from a country where NONE of this would fly.  For example, look at ESPN lacrosse analyst Quint Kessinich.  2 years ago, a player on the Virginia University men’s lacrosse team was charged with murdering his girlfriend, a member of the Virginia women’s lacrosse team.  When the story broke, Quint tweeted (not even wrote an article, he TWEETED!) incorrectly that Virginia lacrosse was cancelling the rest of the season.  Now, granted, a story like that would cause a little more emotional unrest than most because it involves a death.  However, it still falls under the category of misleading and incorrect breaking news that causes emotional unrest.  Because of this, Quint deleted his twitter account, fell into a few months of obscurity, and almost lost his job.  All because of a tweet.

Please, consumers of Premier League media, I beg of you: hold your newsbringers accountable.  Laud them when they break stories that end up being true, and chastise them and their employers when they break silly, misleading, and untrue stories like this one.  And maybe we can make a difference in things like this from happening.

There’s no reason Pajtim Kasami should ever have had to come forward and rubbish these rumors.  There’s no reason why Martin Jol, time and time again, should have had to come out and rubbish transfer rumors during this past summer of swirling ridiculousness.  And there’s no reason why this bad reporting should continue. And don’t tell me “that’s just the way it is and has been.”  That’s the telltale excuse of someone who is perpetuating the problem.

And finally…let us enjoy our 6-0 derby win without worrying about bust-ups and untrue fines! Sheesh!

/rant