Posts Tagged ‘Philippe Senderos’

This Summer: Deciding Regression or Revival

Posted: May 10, 2013 by Kyle Bonn in Opinion
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Fulham’s decisive 3-0 win on the road at Swansea moved the Whites up to 12th in the final Premier League table, but it can’t hide the shroud over the final quarter of the season.  It was a limp down the stretch, one that saw them even become mired in the relegation talks for about 2 weeks in the final month.

Given the bright starts to both the beginning of the season and the new calendar year, it was a disappointing way to close out the season.  During it, just about every single one of Fulham’s squad weaknesses were exposed.

This summer, Martin Jol is tasked with starting over…again.

The sale of Clint Dempsey and, more importantly, Moussa Dembele shredded Jol’s plans for building a long-term improvement at Craven Cottage to continue the groundwork begun by Roy Hodgson. Now, he must find a new foundation to structure his squad around.

That solution was thought to be Bryan Ruiz, but it seems his inconsistencies have caused Jol (and much of the fanbase) to reconsider.

The Dutchman in charge can’t be blamed for the exits of two cornerstones of his plans for success at Fulham.  However, it is now his responsibility to move on and build anew.

This season was a struggle, forced by the departures to be a bridge rather than a step up.  Jol had to piece together short-term stopgaps such as Giorgos Karagounis and Philippe Senderos.  Karagounis will most likely move on (although his passion will be missed by many), and Senderos has signed another 1-year deal.  These are not options for the future success of Fulham, however.

With the youth squads having another outstanding season and the budget still strained, it’s not going to be easy for Jol to make high profile purchases.  The board may be instead focused on bridging the gap to when the young guns are ready for the big stage.

But this summer, with new pieces required in the central midfield, central defense, up front and even between the sticks, the duty for Martin Jol is a big one.

Will the squad recover enough to continue the slow climb up the Premier League table into established top-10 consistency? Or will financial restraints and a lack of action cause the squad to squander the progress made by managers past? It hangs seriously in the balance, and Martin Jol may indeed hold the key to whether Fulham can continue to work towards the long-term goal or whether relegation is in the conversations of the near future.

Fulham 0-1 Manchester United: It’s Not The Size Of The Dog In The Fight…

Posted: February 2, 2013 by Kyle Bonn in Postgame
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Bryan Ruiz battles for a dribble

Just a week ago, this was 4-1. Just a week ago, it looked like it was 22-on-11, it looked like nobody cared, it looked like 11 players rather than 1 team.

Not anymore.

A week after the most boring 4-1 match in history, we had the most exciting 1-0 match in history. 5 posts hit in the first half.  32 shots overall.  49 crosses overall. 13 corners.  What a game.

The good:

The creativity – I put this here because no one single person stood out to me.  At any point, new players stepped up to make fantastic passes or runs.  Ashkan Dejagah was a joy to watch, although he needs to improve on his first touch.  Bryan Ruiz’s passing was poor in the first half, but he played so much better in the second and was a key player in the crazy charge in the final minutes.  Damien Duff also reappeared in the second half.  Hugo Rodallega ran things from the front, and made some fantastic cutting passes in the box and just outside it.  Sascha Riether played a key role on the right, especially after Rooney scored.  Urby Emanuelson came on in the 68th minute and showed his pinpoint long passing.  Nobody stood out to me, but everyone certainly contributed. Just ask Sir Alex Ferguson:

“I think it was really determined performance. It wasn’t easy because Fulham played their part”

Sascha Riether – Once again, the man stood out in defense.  Many are saying he’s our clear-cut player of the year, and I can’t disagree. A must-buy for Jol after the season.

Chris Baird – Also fantastic defensively in the midfield, with Sidders out Baird filled in admirably.  Happy he didn’t go to West Brom, yes? I know I am.

Mark Schwarzer – We’ve said here for a while that this may be Schwarzer’s last season as Fulham’s first choice keeper, and deservedly so.  But today, he matched David De Gea in quality, as both were fantastic between the sticks.  He made a ridiculous save inside the first 10 minutes, and kept up the performance the whole match.

The bad:

Philippe Senderos – I honestly don’t have much to put here, so I have to single out the man who made the mistake that led to the goal. Maybe I’ve been too harsh on Senderos this season, but he’s flat out not good.  He stayed too long under a header he had no chance of winning, and by the time he realized he’d been beaten, it was too late to recover, and Aaron Hughes was no match for Rooney that close to goal on his own.  Brede Hangeland left at halftime, and I hope he’s ok because I don’t know how much more of Senderos I can take. He’s good off corners, that’s about it.

The lights -

Some of the best jokes on Twitter included MAF forgetting to pay the electric bill despite pulling the club out of debt, Peter Odemwingie trying to tunnel into Loftus Road and hitting a main, and blaming David De Gea because everything’s his fault anyways.  Well done folks.

Man of the Match: This is tough for me, because like I said before, nobody really stood out to me.  I would have gone with Hangeland because he was doing excellent at the back before getting injured.  I’m going to go with Sascha Riether because he once again proves how valuable he is on the right, making tackle after tackle and providing lots on the attacking end as well.

What now?: This result was expected, just not in the way it happened. Of course it’s frustrating to not get anything from this match, but after last week, who honestly expected points here? It’s a great match to build from, and Martin Jol’s tactics were spot on.  With the added players from the transfer window into the ranks, it’s promising looking ahead.  We have Norwich away, Stoke home, Sunderland away in our next 3, and that’s a bit tougher of a stretch than it may sound off the bat given this team’s away record.  However, if we can manage at least 5 points from those 3 fixtures and not lose, it will be a successful period to me ahead of back-to-back games against Chelsea and Tottenham.

Remember: No points were earned from this match.  So the only way the valiant effort benefits us is if we build on it in the future.  If we take a step backwards in the next few games, this effort is all for nothing.  If we can build on this, it becomes a stepping stone and possibly a turning point in the season.  That all depends on what the club does going forward. COME ON YOU WHITES!

Martin Jol postgame:

“According to Jol, Brede Hangeland’s Achillies tightened up, nothing to play around with. Said it’s not serious, but may miss a few weeks”

UPDATE: Jol also said Brede Hangeland’s achillies tightened up, and although it’s not serious, he may miss a few weeks.  That’s a massive blow to a team with just 3 center backs on the roster, although Chris Baird can play back there in an emergency.

Fulham 3-1 West Ham: Winning the First “Must-Win”

Posted: January 30, 2013 by Kyle Bonn in Postgame
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Hugo Rodallega provided the winner as Fulham grabbed a massive 3 points at home

Martin Jol said 5 or 6 wins are going to be needed to guarantee we stay away from the relegation zone, and the club are 1 win closer to securing not only safety but a respectable finish.

The birthday boy headed home the first goal of the night (he was offsides, shhhhhhh), and Hugo Rodallega, who’s got 3 massive goals this year, banged home the winner just after West Ham equalized.  It was a very exciting back-and-forth match, but showed the weakness in defense for both clubs.  Fulham are going to have to weather poor defense for the rest of the season, and it isn’t going to be fun against better clubs.

That being said, this win is massive in terms of confidence.  It got Berbatov back on track (on his birthday, no less), it slotted Fulham up to 12th in the table for the time being, and picked up some kind of points ahead of a challenging stretch of 6 games or so.

The good:

Hugo Rodallega – The offseason transfer has been a statistical nightmare this season, but Rodallega provided pace, cutting edge, and fantastic passing as he led the charge up front for Fulham.  He seemed to dictate terms with the West Ham defense, and made some excellent runs that the Fulham midfielders mostly were able to pick out.

Dimitar Berbatov – The birthday boy picked a great game to bounce back from a run of poor form.  He’d probably have been better had he not been hampered by a hamstring problem most of the match, and he pulled up lame at the end to cap it off.  Hopefully this gives him some more confidence as well. Confidence is going to be a huge thing for more than just Berbatov going forward.

Sascha Riether – By far Fulham’s most consistent defender this season, he’s making a big case to be made permanently a Fulham player at the end of the season.  His tackles are spot-on, and he provides pace down the wing.  Most importantly, though, he’s made so massive tackles this year, and that’s what Fulham are lacking at the back.  It’s hard to beat him one-on-one.  Fulham absolutely need to throw everything they’ve got at keeping him beyond this year.

The bad:

Bryan Ruiz – This one’s not on Ruiz.  It’s solely on Martin Jol.  Ruiz isn’t a winger, and clearly can’t perform well in that position.  Ruiz has played out of position since Dembele’s departure, stuck farther back in the midfield than is suited to him.  He was stuck out of position today even worse, as Jol tried to stick Berbatov in more of Ruiz’s spot.  Dejagah came on for Ruiz and played very well in his spot, so I wouldn’t expect to see the Costa Rican on the wing much more, if at all.

Philippe Senderos – He made a few good plays, but mostly he failed miserably at his job again, and even got away with a blatant handball towards the end of the match after Fulham’s third goal had been scored.  Aaron Hughes has slipped mightily, but he’s still a much better option than Senderos.  Then again, so is a cucumber.

Man of the Match: Damien Duff, without question.  His passes were incredible, crosses were on point (something Fulham’s been missing this season), and even took a few great strikes on goal, coming just wide/high on them.  Alex Kacaniklic, who was left out of the side altogether today, is going to have a real struggle to get back into it, with Duffer now at 7 assists in 19 matches, and Urby Emanuelson – who will most likely slide into either left back or left wing – heading to Craven Cottage imminently.

Last words: Fulham were lucky that West Ham were somewhat off target today and Andy Carroll only played 15 minutes, but they got the job done, and 3 points in the bank.  We’re now in 12th place and 8 points ahead of the drop, which by no means is safe, but it’s a good enough distance for a slip-up or two against the top teams, which is probably bound to happen, especially this Saturday.  West Ham, meanwhile, are in a real troubling position in 13th, just one point below Fulham but their defense looks extremely poor and attack not as good as advertised.  Getting Carroll back will be huge.

There’s also word now that not only has Tom Huddlestone’s name popped up again, but Andre Villas-Boas has confirmed Fulham have spoken with the midfielder and he’s at Craven Cottage to discuss a possible transfer.  We’ll see where that’s headed.  Happy 3 points everyone! COYW!

Chelsea 0-0 Fulham: Frantic but Effective

Posted: November 28, 2012 by Kyle Bonn in Postgame
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Apparently every camera at Stamford Bridge was trained on either Rafa Benitez or Fernando Torres, so this is what I have for you. Somewhat funny to see the new man in charge so flabbergasted.

In one of the more tactically exciting 0-0 games (at least the second half, if not the first), Fulham were able to grab a point at Stamford Bridge against one of the better teams in the league.  The last 10 minutes were very back and forth, and Fulham did well to not let one fall in under very heavy pressure. I’ll take it.

In the last 6 matches, Fulham have gone DLLDDD. They haven’t won since the 1-0 win at home over Villa. They’ve won 1 match in their last 9. And yet, this one match on its own, it’s a good result.

The defense was frantic and required lots of last minute clears that weren’t incredibly effective, but did the job.  There were chances on the other end, including a volley that Riise completely flubbed, but I’m not mad we didn’t convert.  Getting any points at Stamford Bridge are a positive.

Remember, this is still “survive till January” mode and with all the injuries and depth issues, so it’s not the end of the world where we are.  The losses to Stoke and Sunderland were killer, but the situation isn’t unredeemable, even though Fulham have now dropped out of the top 10.

The good:

The center-back partnership – Aaron Hughes in particular was good, after a few matches where he’s been below par. He and Senderos were serviceable today, especially after the last match where the Swiss was an abomination.  The wing backs were good too; Riise piled up blocks and Riether was his usual rock solid self.  Good showing without Hangeland.

The senior squad – Karagounis and Diarra were excellent in the middle today, and despite giving way for the final quarter of the match after clearly being winded, they were excellent in slowing down the attacks and allowing the defense time to regroup after each assault.

Hugo Rodallega – I was very impressed with Rodallega’s defending.  It was obvious Jol told Hugo he would be needed in the back, and that he would be up on counter attacks.  His numbers shocked me (1/5 clearances), but I thought he looked solid helping out.  His ariel play was great, despite being 0/3 in ariel clearances, and 2/4 in ariel duels.  However, clearance numbers are misleading to me, because a successful clear will sometimes fall back to the attacking team, but it still helps at least delay the attack enough to stave off the pressure.

The bad:

The finishing – typical Fulham finishing.  They only had precious few chances in this match, which is to be expected, but they didn’t convert anything. Riise absolutely botched Fulham’s best chance of the game by almost whiffing on a volley and then losing the ball over the back line after.

The clearing – Fulham defended very well, and cleared very poorly. We could have had way more chances had the clearing been effective in alleviating pressure much quicker.  They’re a bit lucky to have not allowed a cheap goal on a failed clearance falling to a Chelsea striker in a good position.

Where from here?:

December is SO VITALLY important coming up.  There are a ton of winnable fixtures that Fulham must take advantage of.  They weren’t able to do this against Sunderland and Stoke, they couldn’t finish against Reading, they couldn’t finish against Southampton.  They’ve shown today they can hang with a team like Chelsea, so it’s time to get a point at home to a surging Spurs, and then pick up 3 points against a reeling Newcastle club, QPR, and Southampton and Swansea at home. They’ve dropped points in the last 2 months, and it’s time to man up. Every club, even the champions, have stretches where they don’t play their best.  Top 10 teams learn from their mistakes and in the end use that to beat the teams they should.  That’s this time for Fulham. Jol knows it too. More reaction below, but here’s the quote that struck me from his reaction, and it pertains to what I was just talking about:

“I am a little frustrated. The team is well organised and created chances against a team that works hard, so you can see us going forward, but still we have to improve…We have the players who can change the game and we need to link with them and do it quicker, but overall I think we are watching things that are positive. We have to play with a higher tempo for the players that we have up front.”

Jol’s reaction to Chelsea:

On Riise’s miss:

“Our shape was good, they had a lot of pressure but we have three or four good chances – nine times out of ten we would have broken them. John Arne Riise’s miss was disappointing. I told him that he should have shot across the goalkeeper and into the bottom corner. He covered 80 or 90 yards and not to score was disappointing.”

On players returning:

“We had a lot of players coming back; Mahamadou Diarra was playing his first game, Giorgos Karagounis was lacking a bit of rhythm, and we leave here thinking we could have nicked it.”

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).

Fulham 1-1 FC Twente: King of “We Shoulda Won…But We Didn’t”

Posted: September 15, 2011 by Kyle Bonn in Uncategorized
Tags: , , , , , , , ,
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Luuk de Jong celebrates his equalizing goal against Fulham in today's match.

Martin Jol is turning Fulham into the kings of “We shoulda won…but we didn’t.”  Since Fulham’s pretty promising start in the early rounds of the Europa League, Fulham has floundered.  Their home form has escaped them.  Their goalscoring ability has escaped them.  Since the Premier League season started on August 13, Fulham has 1 win, 3 draws, and 3 losses in all competitions.  Worst of all, they have 3 draws in their 4 home matches, where they are usually strong.  And their 3 away matches since then have all ended in disappointing losses, totaling 1 goal in those 3 matches.  It’s been a really rough stretch, filled with uncharacteristic mistakes, disasterous misses, and head-scratching managerial moves.  Today was no different.  If not for the awful mistake by Tiendalli in the 19th minute that Andy Johnson capitalized on, Fulham may have actually lost 1-0 despite controlling most of the match, including almost all of the 1st half.

The good:

Zdenek Grygera – The defender making his Fulham debut showed he’s obviously not the best attacking defender of all-time, but he was very very solid on defense, which is obviously his main job.  There were many times that I remember thinking, “wow thank god Grygera’s there or that could have been a lot worse.”

Moussa Dembele – EVERYONE STOP THE PRESSES.  HOLD THE PHONES.  MOUSSA DEMBELE TOOK A SHOT!! I don’t believe my eyes! It was an awful shot from about 32 meters out on the left side…..but it was a shot! In all seriousness though, Dembele not only showcased his incredible dribbiling skills on multiple occasions, but the important part is he wasn’t as gunshy. There were a few moments where I thought he could have shot, but most of em were scrums that were difficult to really get a good touch anyways.  He played very well in place of Ruiz and Zamora.

Mark Schwarzer – The defense was once again off its game tonight, and if it weren’t for Schwarzer, who made a bunch of solid saves (nothing spectacular but he did everything he could this match), Fulham may have conceded more than just one goal.  There was nothing Mark could do on the lone goal by Twente, as he was falling one direction off the first header, only to be caught on the 2nd header.  It was a central defensive lapse.

The bad:

Brede Hangeland – Is it just me, or does it seem like Hangeland plays awful when he doesn’t have Aaron Hughes as his CB partner?  Baird missed an assignment on the first de Jong header that Schwarzer saved, and Hangeland missed his assignment on the goal.  I’m sorry, but when you’re 6 foot a thousand, you should NEVER give an opponent a free header in your zone.  Brede has no excuse.

Fulham’s fair play – What’s with all these silly yellows? Danny Murphy picked up a stupid one, so did Dempsey, and finally Senderos, whose yellow came literally 3 minutes after coming on. Speaking of Senderos coming on……

Martin Jol – Are you serious Jol? I was a fan of subbing AJ out, as his good play was quickly disentigrating.  I was happy bringing in Duff, even with Kasami having another quality match of his young Fulham career.  But then you bring in a defender at the 80th minute of a 1-1 match at home that you should be winning, and you have Orlando Sa, a young striker from Porto on the bench? Do you WANT to win? Or are you playing for a draw? Because that’s what it looks like.  One twitter follower tweeted at me and said it seems like Jol scripts his substitutions the night before, and you know what? I can definitely see that.  It’s really frustrating.  Off the pitch in the transfer window Jol has excelled, making this squad much better.  But on the pitch so far in his short stint at Fulham, he has severely disappointed me and a lot of other Fulham fans.

Hats off to: I got two here.  First, Twente’s defender Douglas played an outstanding match.  It’s funny, I bought him in my Fulham FIFA 10 franchise and he was an absolute beast in the middle, and he showed me today why he’s like that in real life as well.  Guy played a great match in a game that a draw for his club is a great result.  Also, hats off to Twente manager Co Adriaanse, who managed an impressive draw without bringing all 11 guys back like Steve Kean did on Sunday for the last 20 minutes of the match.  In fact, it was Twente who had the best chances to go ahead in the last 10 minutes of the match.

Tonight’s facepalm moment: When Andy Johnson banged the ball into the goalkeeper’s chest from about 3 meters out completely wide open.  Need I say more?

Where does Fulham go from here?: You know what? I don’t know.  Martin Jol needs to use his club to its strengths, which he hasn’t done in a while.  I don’t mind him experimenting a bit with what he has, but when it consistently gives negative results, continuing to make the same mistakes has no excuse.  Aaron Hughes is not a right back.  We’ve seen examples of this plenty, there is no other reason to put him there.  Bringing in a defender in the 80th minute of a tie game at home makes no sense.  He needs to play to his club’s strengths, otherwise Fulham is in some deep trouble.

All in all, this result isn’t as bad as I’m making it out to be.  In fact, they took 1 point from the technically top team in the group.  But it’s the accumulation of disappointing results over the past few weeks that’s making me feel this way.  Bottom line, Fulham should have won this match.  But….they didn’t.

 Martin Jol:

“It was the same story. Again we were the better team, but when you don’t score after that kind of pressure it’s always disappointing. To draw at home again is disappointing – especially when you see the quality of the players we have up front. I feel, especially at home, that we need to take the game to the opposition and score goals, which is what we tried to do. We played good football in the first half, but in the second we tried to force the issue and that left space at the back for them to counter attack.”

This bullcrap isn’t gonna help either:

“I felt that we couldn’t do more than we did the first half. Everything went well, we were pressing at the right times and we scored a goal. We were playing good football though in the second half it was different. We tried to force the issue and we gave them space to hit us on the break, which they did a couple of times. If you don’t score goals easily enough, you have to try and keep your shape.”

“Three home matches and three draws and I have to say that we were the better team every time.”

How about you stop giving us shoulder shrugs and start giving us wins? I hate to be so harsh this early but it’s frustrating.

Final note: the Twente goal was counted as an own goal against Mark Schwarzer, which is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard (aside from Ruiz not being able to play in Europe of course).  That was a beautiful header that just happened to tip off of Schwarzer, who was off-balance from the header assist before it.  There was nothing Schwarzer could do.  For those who didn’t watch the match, it wasn’t an own goal, so don’t be fooled.

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