Posts Tagged ‘Stephen Kelly’

Stephen Kelly Signs a New Contract

Posted: July 24, 2012 by Kyle Bonn in Breaking News, Player/Manager
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Stephen Kelly, last year’s first choice right back with Martin Jol, has signed a 2-year contract extension with the club. Making 33 appearances (24 league) last year, Kelly took over for an injured Zdenek Grygera last season and dug himself firmly into the first team. The 28 year old told the club’s website after signing:

I’m delighted that it’s sorted now and I can hopefully continue on from last year. It was a really good end to the season with the way we finished off, the way we were playing and I just hope we can continue on with that again. Last season was fantastic for me, playing pretty much every game from Christmas onwards and to cement myself as the number one right-back was great and hopefully I can continue on with that this season. To sign another contract here is fantastic. I’m delighted to be staying at the Club and I just want to carry on with the progression I’ve made over the last year or so.

Stephen Kelly may feature much this year like he did last year.

Fans have mixed opinions on Kelly, and with Sascha Riether now on loan, it remains to be seen who will be at right back for the majority of the season. I, for one, will definitely admit I have my doubts about Kelly, especially in one-on-one situations, as he was beat time and time again leading directly to goals. I haven’t seen Riether yet, but it’d be nice if the club can get a more full-time right back to cement himself, much like Riise has done on the left. We’ll see how the spot plays out, but it’s an important one and one I still feel is a need, despite the fact Jol probably feels this suffices for now.

The last note on the right back spot: a lot of people have asked me in the last few weeks what the situation with Grygera is. From my understanding (and please someone if you know for sure I’m wrong, correct me) he is out of contract and not officially signed with the club. However, Jol said he’d have the chance to prove himself on the training ground that he’s fit and healthy to earn a new contract. So don’t be surprised to see Grygera resigned either this offseason or early into the season. But, if Jol determines he’s not fit or he doesn’t think he’ll stay healthy, he’ll probably leave on a free.

Gecov departs:

Something I failed to mention on the blog yesterday was the departure of Marcel Gecov. Not too much to say, other than the club most likely netted the same £750,000 they paid for him. He was sold to Belgian club KAA Gent, the same one Bryan Ruiz came from before Twente. The 24 year old Czech midfielder only made 2 appearances for Fulham, amounting to a whopping 7 total minutes played. It was a low-risk experiment and Martin Jol felt the time was up, and I’m sure Gecov did too. He was a promising talent but we wish him all the best in Belgium.

Who Next to Fill the Fulham Right Back Position?

Posted: July 4, 2012 by nikitangoffc in Transfer
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Editor’s note: The following is guest poster @themetaknight‘s solution to the major hole at right back currently facing Martin Jol. The hole at the striker spot has been much chronicled over the past few weeks as the transfer window opened, but the right back position is a much less talked about – and a much more difficult to monitor – situation.  We’ve seen how right back is a very fickle position and they are often at the mercy of a manager’s preference, and with Fulham going through so many managers in the recent times, it’s been a position of little consistency. I would like to thank Nick a ton for putting in the hard work this post required.

The Fulham right back position has gone through many changes over the past couple of years. Under Roy Hodgson, John Pantsil was the man to run down the flanks and assist usually Damien Duff. Pantsil worked well until Hodgson left for new pastures and Mark Hughes stepped in, often suffering the calamities of own goals many times, resulting in Hughes dropping him and a contract not renewed. Chris Baird managed to step in and perform to a high standard for Hughes, getting himself two goals and a place on ‘The Times’ unsung first XI along with a certain Clint Dempsey. But another managerial change occurred with Martin Jol replacing Hughes, citing ‘ambition’ as his reason for his departure. In came Jol and out came, curiously, Chris Baird. Baird has disappeared since, only making a couple of cameo appearances, with rumours about that he’s having problems with personal life, etc. Jol brought in Zdenek Grygera, who quickly established himself in the team with the same role as Baird had done. But Grygera would soon suffer an awful ACL injury, ruling him out for the Euros and the season. Stephen Kelly, surprisingly, was the man sent in to step in for him and it remained this way as the season went on. Although Kelly improved as the season went on, it was still clear to us that new right back was needed. One who was younger, could develop more and would be there for a long time. So, without a doubt, I present you @themetaknight’s guide to the right back position for this summer

Danny Simpson

Simpson had a solid season at Newcastle.

Danny Simpson has been an interesting option. Out of contract next summer, Simpson has refused to sign a new contract with Newcastle. Simpson has put in some good performances over the course of the season, including a crucial one for them against Manchester United at Old Trafford. However, despite these good performances, Simpson is likely to be offered out to other clubs, with Mathieu Debuchy likely to be his replacement. Simpson would cost around £3-5 million because of the time left on his contract.

Nathaniel Clyne

Clyne is a big youth prospect for the future.

Nathaniel Clyne. Heralded as the right back for the future and held in awe by Palace fans. Offensively and defensively good, Clyne’s talent is there to see and it is clear that he will become a star in the future. There just lies another problem though. Other clubs. Manchester United and Newcastle are all rumoured to be interested in him, with the latter said to have bid for the 18 year old, which Crystal Palace have fervently denied. It could be a big summer for the 18 year old either way, with premier league clubs sure to be looking at him and his talent.

Lorenzo De Silvestri

De Silvestri was linked with Fulham earlier in the season.

Lorenzo De Silvestri of Fiorentina was linked with us back in January at the same time that the Maxi Lopez rumours were abound, with lots of Italian reports claiming that a deal had been struck with the Italian side. De Silvestri has been touted as the next big thing for Italy’s right back position and has huge potential. However, at Fiorentina, De Silvestri has still not realized this potential and is stuck behind in the Fiorentina line-up. Is this man with potential worth the investment? I’d price him around £3-4 million.

Albin Ebondo

Ebondo now plays for Saint-Etienne.

Albin Ebondo, 28 years of age, plays for ASSE in ligue 1 after a transfer from Toulouse. Ebondo made 22 appearances last year for Saint-Etienne, getting two assists for the club. The French and Congolese dual citizen was linked with a move to Newcastle a couple of seasons ago, which collapsed. He’s now out of contract and available for a free. Is he worth a transfer? I think so.

So these are my suggestions for the right back position. But are they the ones who you would take? Or would you take someone else? Thanks all for reading and I will hopefully see you next time.

Euro 2012: Fulham Watch Update 2

Posted: June 16, 2012 by Austin in Uncategorized
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Spain romped to a 4-0 win over Kelly and Duff’s Ireland, eliminating any chance of them advancing in the tournament

Again, not much to discuss in this Fulham Watch Update. Pogrebnyak again failed to see the field as Russia drew 1-1 with co-host Poland – a result that they’ll probably take against a nation that always play tough against them. Russia struggled to create as easily as in the Czech Republic game, but then again, the Czechs left themselves more open than Blackpool at the back, so that’s to be expected. It’s looking increasingly likely that the draw will be kind to the Russians in the quarterfinals, with the Netherlands continuing to struggle, and one of either Portugal or Denmark waiting if the Dutch fail to win by more than a goal against Portugal. Group B is looking incredibly exciting heading into the last round of matches, which it should, being the group of death.

Ireland’s dream, sadly, has ended. Their support has been fantastic throughout the tournament, and the singing towards the end of the Spain game, while losing 4-0, was simply goosebump-inducing. It’s a shame to see them go, but hopefully they’ll be able to bring their brand of jovial self-effacement to the World Cup in Brazil. It’s hard to even say anything about Duff in this match, because Ireland simply had so little of the ball. I remember him making one good run and pass in the first five minutes, but that’s honestly about before he was subbed in the 75th. The Republic of Ireland was simply overwhelmed by a Spanish side that look like continuing to improve in this tournament.Spain is still the team to beat in my opinion, although Germany look mighty impressive themselves. Final Duff note: that was his 99th cap, meaning Italy will likely be his 100th. What an accomplishment for the man, and hopefully he’ll play well to mark the occasion.

So, that’ll about do it for the Fulhamish Euro stuff. Brief word about the Lassan Diarra rumors I’ve seen on Twitter. This would be an incredible steal for Fulham if it’s actually pulled off, but I’d be shocked to see it happen, unless he just really really wants a starting place almost guaranteed. I haven’t seen much of him in his limited playing time in La Liga, but based on the Clasicos and against Valencia, he has an incredible knack for not getting carded despite near-constant fouling. Given how strict Iberian refereeing is, that’s some accomplishment. I’d love to see him at Fulham, but I’m certainly not getting my hopes up. Also, it would give us the chance to play two Diarras at once, and that would be awesome. Just sayin’.

Lastly, I feel a few words about England-Sweden are appropriate here. It was a fantastic game, with England seeming to abandon the soul-sucking defensiveness of its match with France in favor of aiming for Andy Carroll’s head as much as possible (at least early on). Kidding aside, it was a good performance and it showed great character to claw back from that 2-1 deficit. There was a bit of fortune in the two fight-back goals but sometimes a team needs that. England should take confidence from that game moving into the match against Ukraine, but the co-hosts are going to be motivated and raring to go for that one. I wouldn’t be surprised to see England behind again; we’ll see how they deal with the pressure of facing an inspired side with rabid fans behind it. Then again, Ukraine could put in a meek performance and wilt under pressure; that’s the beauty of this tournament so far – it’s unpredictable!

Thanks for reading and please comment with your opinions about anything Euro, Fulham, or football/soccer related!

Euro 2012: Fulham Watch Update (and other thoughts)

Posted: June 12, 2012 by Austin in Uncategorized
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Damien Duff and Ireland endured a disappointing opening to Euro 2012, a 3-1 loss to Croatia

So, the first round of matches for our mighty Cottagers came and went, and all in all there wasn’t too much to talk about. Pogrebnyak sat on the bench and watched Aleksandr Kerzakhov miss chance after chance, before the man picked ahead of the Pog to replace him, Roman Pavlyuchenko, scored a fine goal of his own. For the record, I thought Kerzakhov’s play other than shooting was brilliant; he played the role of dropping back to combine with Dzagoev and Arshavin brilliantly. However, even if he is benched next game for his wastefulness in front of goal (Opta provided the hilarious statistic that he is the first player to ever have seven shots off target at the Euros), it looks like Pavlyuchenko will be the one to step up, so don’t expect much time for Pavel unless injury or suspension hits.

As a side note, I was quite pleased with Russia, having decided to adopt them as my team to support during this tournament – due to Andrey Arshavin being one of the strangest people I’ve ever watched, the Pog, and Russia being an interesting place in general to me. They looked confident and fluid, but we’ll see how they do against a big side (assuming they make it out of the group, which they should).

On to our Irish representatives. Damien Duff played the whole ninety minutes against Croatia, and generally put in a pretty disappointing display, considering he is one of Ireland’s main attacking outlets. His crosses were decent, but he wasn’t consistently involved. That said, he worked hard on defense and made a couple of well-timed tackles and clearances. At Fulham, unfortunately, that isn’t what he’ll be judged on, so it wasn’t the best outing. He won a few free kicks, but his one shot I can remember was well wide (which should sound familiar). I’ve never quite understood managers playing him on the right when he’s clearly more comfortable and better at getting to the by-line and crossing with his much stronger left foot, rather than cutting in and shooting. There’s probably something I don’t know, but that’s my opinion based on what I’ve seen.

Stephen Kelly, the final Fulham player, didn’t make the field in Ireland’s loss, with John O’Shea appearing a lock in his position. Given Kelly’s unimpressive one-on-one defending most of the time this season and Trapattoni’s defensive tactics, I can’t say I blame the manager. Unfortunately for Ireland, their plan went awry early on with that strange headed goal, and they never quite looked like getting anything from the game – apart from a few minutes after their equalizer. Croatia’s cross-heavy tactic and two-forward system seemed to take Ireland by surprise. They pushed hard, but I honestly see them leaving pointless from this tournament. Their fans have still been fantastic, as was expected, and it’s a shame to see them likely leaving early.

Well, that’s about that for the Fulham update. Hopefully next time will have some more to talk about. Here’s some other random thoughts about the tournament so far:

First a little about the coverage from ESPN, so skip this if it doesn’t apply to you. Overall it’s been fantastic (presentation-wise), but I have several gripes.
Alexi Lalas is a pompous, egotistical know-it-all whose predictions thus far have consistently made me laugh out loud. Seriously, he’s said already that this tournament will see the “withering of Spain” and that the Dutch “have peaked”. Let the ball be kicked before you start throwing stuff like that around. He could end up being right (I sincerely hope not), but he seemed to be doom-saying just to doom-say.
Michael Ballack is a great addition. His insight and experience with a large portion of the tournament field give him a unique perspective, he’s got a nice sense of humor, and he looks sort of like Matt Damon. He’s struggled a bit with the English, but I think he’ll get better and better as the tournament progresses.
Kasey Keller cannot pronounce names. This was infuriating. His overall commentary was okay, but his absolute butchering of pronunciations was frankly embarrassing. Dzagoev: jay-go-ev (most annoying one in my opinion). Varela: Villa (with an “l” sound, naturally). Akinfeev: ah-ken-feh-nov (seriously!? Where did that come from?!). I’m sure there were more, especially from the Russia-Czech Republic game. I really don’t understand why he doesn’t just listen to Derek Rae and say things the way he does.

About the games themselves:
I thought the commentators were way too critical of Spain in the Italy match. It was always going to be a tight game, and their main issue seemed to be that the striker-less formation wasn’t creating chances, which is just plain wrong. That had at least six legitimate chances in the first half, and actually worked the goalkeeper on almost all of them. On comes Torres, who – credit where it’s due – created chances, but his finishing was even worse. Spain won’t be panicking, and none of their supporters should either; it was a decent performance, and I predict they’ll only get better from here.
The Czechs look weak at the back. They can pass well and create chances, but looked extremely vulnerable. I don’t see them getting out of Group A.
The Netherlands just seemed off. Their passing wasn’t crisp, and no one seemed on their game apart from Wesley Sneijder – to the point that the deadliest striker in the Premier League failed to even make contact with the ball on a great chance. They’d better shape up fast; if Germany and Denmark both win their next matches (which is entirely possible), they’re out.

So, hope you enjoyed this entry, please comment with any thoughts, criticisms, comments, corrections, knock-knock jokes, etc.

Fulham Watch: Euro 2012 Preview

Posted: May 29, 2012 by Austin in Player/Manager, Previews
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Throughout this summer’s tournament, I’ll be keeping track of the Fulham players involved in the action. Expect a quick recap after each game involving a Fulham player, detailing the squad member’s performance (and any other impressions I got thrown in, most likely). So, to begin with, here’s a quick run-down of each and – hopefully – every Fulham player involved in play. If you spot an omission, please comment and I’ll add them to the list; it seems to be a pretty thin list, though.

Group A

Russia - Pavel Pogrebnyak

The Pog’s squad will be favorites to escape this relatively weak group, but they’ll have to work harder than some may think. A slightly-aging and domestic based squad could be the surprise of the tournament (again), or could crash and burn. Pogrebnyak’s generally been a non-starter for his nation, but he started their most recent friendly against Uruguay, so take that for what you will. It should be noted, however, that he was substituted and his replacement scored. Playing time is likely, but not guaranteed, for the big man.

Group B

No representatives from Group B, unfortunately, but Jol will, according to reports, be watching Luciano Narsingh of the Netherlands (if he makes the pitch), so you may want to do the same.

Group C

Republic of Ireland - Stephen Kelly and Damien Duff

Ireland’s Euro dream may only last three games, but Fulham boasts two players in this squad that will look to bring some pride to their nation, if not a knock-out round appearance. Kelly doesn’t seem to be a regular for the team, based on their past few matches, but depending on the game and any unforseen injuries, he could get some time. At the very least, he should be a bit-part player at least, but he may have played himself into a starting role towards the end of the season.

Damien Duff, on the other hand, will look to be one of the team’s star men. He’s been in pretty good form internationally lately from what I’ve seen, and he’ll want to do his absolute best as this could be his international swansong (at least in matches of any huge significance). Look to him to work the wing in a similar manner as at Fulham, but most likely with much more defensive responsibility due to Ireland’s tactics and the strength of their opponents. Ireland probably won’t go far, but at least they’re here at all. That’s an accomplishment in and of itself.

Group D

No one in Group D either, with David Stockdale unlucky to not make the England team over a teenager that’s only ever played in League Two, but I suppose Woy wanted to give the youngster an experience since he doesn’t forsee game time for him anyway. There were also rumblings about Kacaniklic sneaking into Sweden’s squad to add some depth at wing, but alas that didn’t happen either.

So, only three players to watch by my count, but I’ll also be watching and reporting on Dempsey’s performances for the USA once World Cup qualification starts later in June. I’m very excited for this tournament and the summer as a whole for Fulham. Hopefully it will provide good soccer and good transfers!

Till next time, and as I said, feel free to comment with corrections, omissions, or opinions.

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).

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