Posts Tagged ‘Sunderland’

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 :)

Gignac Disappointed He’s Denied Cottage Love

Posted: September 2, 2011 by Kyle Bonn in Uncategorized
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Andre-Pierre Gignac is very disappointed he couldn't come to Fulham

Andre-Pierre Gignac finally got to speak with the media after being denied a loan move to Fulham.  It’s an interesting story, one that’s good for Fulham, and speaks volumes to the job Martin Jol and his crew have done to make players want to come to Fulham.  It’s promising.  An unfortunate story, but a promising one.  Here’s APG in his own words:

“Last Tuesday I was asked by the club to come and talk with my agent. We were told about Olympiakos and Fulham. I decided to listen to the London side. We went there and immediately we felt their interest was concrete and serious. We were interested. We spent the evening with coach Martin Jol and his wife. On Wednesday we had a medical. It was a wonderful welcome. So on Wednesday it was all okay. Fulham agreed with l’OM. At 11.30 pm they called me to say I have to go back to Marseille because my forward replacement would not come. I was in London so called to help l’OM sign a forward, but it could not be resolved. Three minutes after calling me to come back to Marseille, I was called again as there was an opportunity to go to Sunderland. I could not reply yes to Sunderland and no to Fulham, because l’OM just made the decision of a swap deal with Gyan.”

Here’s the important and promising part:

“At Fulham they wanted me. I didn’t see anyone at Sunderland. I’m not a mercenary. I’m not angry, but I have a bitter taste in my mouth.”

To me, like I said earlier, as disappointing as it is that we weren’t able to seal Gignac, it wasn’t our fault (it was OM’s for failing to get their replacement), and it shows us Jol’s ability to make players feel personal and wanted at Fulham, and in turn get them to join.  It’s incredibly promising.  I hope it comes back to help us later in the future.

Sunderland 0-3 Fulham: Wake Me Up When…Wait, We Won?

Posted: April 30, 2011 by Kyle Bonn in Postgame
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This picture, of the scoreboard at the Stadium of Light, is thanks to Fulham fan in Sunderland @simco_ffc on Twitter! Thanks bud

Well that was one of the more overall boring matches of the year, but I don’t think Mark Hughes cares, and quite frankly neither do I. This match was a clear strategy, whether intentional or not, of defend and counter-attack, which doesn’t make for such exciting soccer but it worked out very well for Fulham. Fulham pull out the big win, and while I hate the phrase “3 important points” because let’s be serious, is there such thing as “unimportant points” (unless you are in 1st and mathematically have already won?) these were 3 big points because in such a tight table, this brings us within a point of Bolton at 8th, within 3 of Everton at 7th, and within 8 of Liverpool at 6th (who have yet to play this week). Also, this gets a big monkey off our back, as it’s Fulham’s first away win since Stoke City at the end of December, and those 2 are the only 2 away wins on the season.

Our bitter rival Carlo Ancelotti, after his controversial win over Spurs, had a gem of a quote that I believe sums up this match for Fulham extremely well. He said:

“A top club is more than 11 players.”

I think Mark Hughes absolutely buys into the same belief, and is one of the reasons he’s making a last ditch effort to keep Zoltan Gera at Craven Cottage. Well, guess who scored for us today? One by Gael Kakuta, and two (well, technically 1 but I’m calling it 2) by Simon Davies, 2 guys who have rode the bench for much of 2011.

The match was great from the start, with a brilliant lineup giving Davies, Kakuta, Gudjohnsen, and Senderos a chance to shine while giving Dempsey, Hangeland, and Duff much needed rests.  And it only got better.

The good:

-Simon Davies: Guy has been overshadowed the last 2 matches where he’s started both. First, he was overshadowed by the baffling benching of Zamora, and then he was overshadowed by a superb Clint Dempsey. Today was his day. His passing was perfectly on target, he had a few money crosses, and his defense wasn’t anything to scoff at either. He’s been stellar in the last 3 matches, and I think we can officially say Fulham has a logjam at midfield. Duff and Dempsey got the day off, but besides those 2, Murphy, and Sidwell who usually start, add Davies to the mix of guys who all deserve to start. Go back to Carlo’s quote!

-Mark Schwarzer: While he wasn’t really worked too many times, the few he was were great stops by him, with one beautiful stop to each side. He earned the clean sheet for sure.

-Gael Kakuta: Gotta give him some lovin here. He wasn’t mind-blowing by any means, but his goal deserves mention, it was a great job beating the defender.

The bad:

-Eidur Gudjohnsen: He was off-target all day, missing crosses and, in one horrible passing instance, completely blew a two-on-one chance when the match was still 0-0, sailing the ball over Zamora’s head. He has gotten 3 chances to show he’s worth something to the team, and he hasn’t done so in my opinion. Don’t forget, he has all of 1 goal in his last 50 appearances…

That’s all I really have in the bad section. The defense should get credit too, because they kept Sunderland from taking many chances at all, but part of that was also due to the fact that Sunderland had zero strikers, and it really showed. The midfielders up front for them seemed really out of place, and made a few moves that trained strikers would have probably done a lot better.

Man of the Match: Simon Davies. Like I said before, he’s been very good, but this was his official coming out party.

Moving forward, we have Liverpool at home next, and while we’ll have to play our best, we are certainly capable of taking a point from that match, if not 3. Then, we have an extremely winnable match at Birmingham City, and another winnable match at home vs. Arsenal in the finale. Arsenal won’t be really playing for much, and they’ve sucked at best recently anyways, so while I don’t think it will happen, it’s certainly not out of the realm of possiblities. Liverpool is next Monday so this gives a little more time for guys like Duff to get healthy.

Here’s some postgame from Mark Hughes:

“I wasn’t too happy with the first-half performance. We were 1-0 to the good but we understood we needed to play better in the second half to ensure we took the game away from Sunderland. Thankfully we did and we saw the game out very comfortably. Obviously the second goal was key from our point of view and I never felt under pressure that we were going to lose the game.”

“We haven’t had that many wins on the road and sometimes you can be a little bit apprehensive and try to protect what you’ve got and that can lead to a problem but we didn’t really demonstrate any tension in our second-half performance.”

“It was difficult for Sunderland, obviously they have got injuries and are struggling for strikers themselves. But even so, the way we played today, certainly in the second half, we would have gone away with the win.”

Sunderland vs. Fulham: Can We Play Like That Away? Please?

Posted: April 29, 2011 by Kyle Bonn in Previews
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Mark Hughes will look to keep things going on the road after the 3-0 drubbing of Bolton at the Cottage on Wednesday.  Unfortunately, it’s away. That’s been the MO this season for Fulham.  For some godforsaken reason, they are really good at home, and really bad away.  It’s something that’s hard to get away from, and every time I think we’re playing a club that’s easily beatable, we blow it for no other reason than it’s away.

Is there any way we can play well here, at the Stadium of Light, too? Maybe? (Courtesy mcfc.co.uk)

Clint Dempsey because Fulham’s all-time leading Premier League scorer, passing both Brian McBride and Steed Malbranque, against Bolton.  And guess who’s on the other side for this match! Mr. Malbranque will be.  Dempsey will look to continue his run of good form, and the club’s, here against Sunderland and the man whose record he broke.  And, as was the case against Wolves (and we all know how that went, ugh), the home side that Fulham will be visiting are devastated by injuries.  I’ll get into that in a bit.  First, on our team.

State of Fulham:

Fulham now, after the win on Wednesday, sit at 42 points, good for 9th in the table.  And they have all the talent in the world to finish there, or maybe higher.  However, it’s going to be the away matches that will determine the outcome.  The final 4 fixtures for Fulham are interestingly laid out.  The 2 easier clubs, Sunderland and Birmingham City, are both away.  The 2 more difficult fixtures, Liverpool and Arsenal, are both home.  Do those even out to all being relatively difficult? We’ll have to find out.

Lineup-wise, I really only have one important thing to say: PLEASE MARK HUGHES, FOR THE LOVE OF GOD, START BOBBY ZAMORA.  I don’t think I can handle another away disaster because he’s not in the lineup.  Otherwise, keep an eye on Duff and Senderos.  I would expect Duff would be back, but it would actually make some sense to take it easy with him, resting him against Sunderland plus the 2 weeks coming up before Liverpool to give him a chance for a full recovery.  So if he’s not in the lineup, don’t be surprised.  I also don’t expect Senderos to be back either, but you never know.  Nothing’s really changed, he’s still “close to return” just like he was a month ago.  So we’ll have to keep an eye on that.  Otherwise, I don’t see any major injury concerns.  As far as lineup choices go, it will be interesting to see who will be paired with Zamora (because he’s going to be in the lineup, right Mark? Right? Please tell me I’m right).  Dembele could use some time off, although he improved drastically from the last few matches where he was below par to a pretty good effort against Bolton, so maybe Hughes goes with the hot/improving hand there.  No goals for a long time still though.

These last 4 matches I believe are going to be very character-defining for the team.  Fulham have a chance to really make a good end of the year showing and put themselrves way higher on the table than they would have expected a few months ago.  It would be huge for moral, not to mention the cash reward, which could go to further improving the club this summer (although I’m hearing rumors that MAF is possibly making £20 million available for Mark Hughes to tinker with).

State of Sunderland:

Their injury situation is bad, to give you the short version.  To give you the long version, it’s pretty freakin bad.

Ok seriously, I’ll show you.  Their strikers are basically non-existent.  Asamoah Gyan, Danny Welbeck, and Frazier Campbell are all known to be out, and then news came out that 19-year old Ryan Noble limped off a practice match and is doubtful for Saturday’s match.  They will be forced to put Stephane Sessegnon up front, and then place midfielders Malbranque and Jordan Henderson in a more attacking midfielder position to support Sessegnon.  That’s rough.

As far as Sunderland’s situation is concerned, it’s looking a little more dire as well.  Sunderland are in 12th position with 41 points, just one point behind Fulham and Stoke City, and tied Newcastle, losing to them at the moment on differential. Sunderland’s differential happens to be a dismal -10, which is 10 worse than anoyone above them.  However, at the moment they seem pretty safe, as the distance between the mid-tier clubs and the relegation zone is lengthening a little.  The top relegation club (Wigan) owns 34 points, so Sunderland doesn’t look to be in too much danger at the moment.

Match facts:

Some statistics for all you number-loving fiends.

-Sunderland leads the all-time series with 22 wins and 16 draws, with 15 matches going for Fulham
-The last 5 matches between these clubs have all ended with one side being shut out.  In fact, only 2 goals total have been scored in those 5 matches.
-In an ominous stat for Fulham, the away team has not scored in the aforementioned 5 matches
-For Fulham, only 2 clubs have conceded fewer away goals, but only 2 clubs have scored fewer away goals.
-Fulham have lost 3 and drawn 3 of their last 6 away matches.

Fulham will win if:

They get this ridiculous away match monkey off their back and play like they’re capable of playing, especially in the attacking side.  They showed vs. Bolton that they have the talent to be a goal-scoring threat even without Zamora, but on the road for whatever reason they’ve been unable to do the same.  It’s unsettling to say the least.

Prediction:

I want to say our boys will take this one, because especially with the injuries to Sunderland up front, they are the better side, but like so many times before, they have been unable to take advantage of that fact.  I am going with the same prediction I did against Bolton, because this away monkey is just too much for me to pick against.  They will break the one-side-being-shut-out streak, but it will end in a 1-1 draw, which honestly wouldn’t be the end of the world.  I would be much more upset if Fulham were to end up losing.  I would take a point.  But it would be less than they’re capable of, surely.

Don’t forget to make your prediction heard! You can either leave it here as a comment, or go to my Facebook page and respond to the poll with your prediction! Or, you know, just do both, because you’re just that cool