A Rivalry Suddenly Finds Itself With Common Ground

This pained look on the face of Mark Hughes became a staple at Loftus Road until recently.

Fulham are set to face winless Queens Park Rangers at Loftus Road on Saturday. These two teams don’t like each other. These two fan bases don’t like each other. However, this Saturday, these two clubs and supporter groups will go into the matchup this weekend with something they’ve never experienced before.

Thanks to recent developments this season, it’s hard to determine which fanbase likes Mark Hughes less. Now unemployed, the “Ambitious One” has managed to alienate both clubs, one by choice and the other by a failure to produce results.

Intentional or not, Mark Hughes is a London outcast.

During his time at Fulham, he gave the club a boost it had been looking for for a few years. His sights set on the top 10, he took the foundation Roy Hodgson built and crafted the house in which to live in consistently. He was a well-liked, albeit hotheaded, figure who seemed to be on his way to bigger and better things in a few years once he had firmly planted Fulham in the Top 7 conversation, which many fans believed they were headed.

That all came crashing down when he announced his resignation from the position, and in the process describing to Fulham fans how his ego was far too big for the dressing rooms of Craven Cottage (which, to be fair, are quite small), and that his ambition too big to fit in Mohammed Al Fayed’s wallet.

Alienation 1 complete, Hughes moved on to phase two, at newly-promoted Queens Park Rangers, where Tony Fernandes provided the cash to satisfy Hughes’ desires. Fulham’s Anakin Skywalker, now fully transformed to the Darth Vader of the Premier League, began his wage bill conquests. He sent Real Madrid £9 million and Esteban Granero pocketed €2.5 per year. He sent Manchester United £2.5 million and sent £65,000 per week the way of Ji-Sung Park. He shipped £4 million off to Nancy in exchange for Samba Diakite. And that’s just the beginning.

Anytime you sign an older veteran from a major club, it’s going to be expensive on the wages. So in addition to Granero from Real and Park from United (who fit that bill perfectly), consider the following: Jose Boswinga from Chelsea. Julio Cesar from Inter. Add on £70,000 a week for Bobby Zamora, £50,000 per week for benchwarmer Robert Green, and over £40,000 for oft-injured Andy Johnson, and the wages start to bulge.

The club came out of the gates in August immediately at rock bottom, and this hilarious article aside, stayed there until after 14 winless weeks into the 2012-2013 season, Hughes was no longer employed in West London.

The situation these two clubs now find themselves in this Saturday is suddenly an intriguing one. The main storylines read as follows: QPR will be looking for their first win of the season, and Fulham will be set to build on Monday’s long-awaited 3 points to regain their early-season Top 10 form.

But in the back of everyone’s minds, both home and away supporters, will be the mutual feeling of betrayal planted by a former Manchester United striker destined for managerial greatness……or so he thought. The poison may have been applied differently, but its effects were felt the same on both ends; a nauseating feeling of confusion, frustration, and disdain for a fiery but egotistical man.

The two sides can, for at least a moment, relate.

#FulhamRetirementHome: Andy Johnson Joins Bobby Zamora at QPR

That was quick: AJ’s already taken to promoting his move across London

As many of us have predicted over the course of the last few months, the first move Martin Jol has made this offseason has been to not make a move, thus allowing Andy Johnson to sign with QPR on a free transfer thanks to the expiration of his contract.  The club has confirmed his departure, making it official, and thus he will join up with Bobby Zamora, his former Cottage strike partner, once again.  It’s a move that makes me think about a few things a bit, but also a move that’s not in the least bit surprising.

We knew he was leaving.  He’s 31, and just flat out doesn’t fit Martin Jol’s vision for the club.  That, and the fact that he was hurt for not just much of last season, but much of his entire Fulham career, and that kind of liability just isn’t worth it for a team that is looking for higher things.  So it was smart for Jol to let him walk.

Here’s the interesting part of it that really makes me think: for all the grief we give Mark Hughes (rightly so) for basically giving our club the middle finger, the players seemed to like him when he was in SW6 and obviously still have a liking for him now.  Bobby Zamora certainly did, as he made it clear he wanted to join Hughes at QPR, and now Andy Johnson has said the same thing.

“I have worked closely with Mark Hughes before and there are also players here that I have played with previously, including Bobby Zamora and Shaun Derry. Those were factors in me joining, but this is a big, big club. I have spoken to the chairman and Mark, who both have great ambition for QPR, and it is something that I wanted to be a part of. Mark told me about the plans for a new training ground and how the club wants to go forward. That really excited me.”

It’s clear Mark Hughes, as a manager, is a likeable guy. That doesn’t mean I hate him less for giving us the bird, but it’s something to keep in mind.  Whatever he did at Fulham was obviously well-liked.  I know that before he went all Benedict Arnold on the Cottage, I was a fan of his as well.

AJ enjoyed a good career with Fulham, and I’m glad he was here.  Overall, he scored 13 goals in 86 total appearances.  He just didn’t really excel the way people had hoped when he moved to Craven Cottage for £10.5 million, mainly due to a struggle to keep his body healthy on a regular basis.  Also, I would probably say that, given his scoring record, Fulham overpaid for him a bit at the time as well.  It would have been nice to have sold him in January, but it’s not the fault of the Fulham brass, as Johnson rejected a deal to send him to West Ham.  Fulham also offered him a one-year deal this season, most likely to sign him then deal him, but he wanted 2 years, and Martin Jol very smartly refused to give that to him.  QPR did though, and they get what they need: their short-term stopgap, as well as insurance to Zamora, to help them avoid relegation for another year.

The mission now for Jol is to replace Johnson and, if necessary, the Pog and Dempsey as well.  We’ll see how things sort themselves out, but those contracts expire at the end of June, so things are going to have to happen sooner rather than later.  It helps that Pogrebnyak is back from the Euros now with Russia’s embarrassing collapse, and Danny Murphy is back from his holiday as well.  So we may see some movement in the next week or two.  I sure hope so.

Offseason Preview: Roundtable

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).

QPR Preview: Mark Hughes Just Doesn’t Get It, Does He?

Mark Hughes still doesn't get why Fulham fans dislike him

With Fulham heading to their cross-town rivals today, there’s a tension in the air you could cut with a knife.  At the forefront of that tension is QPR manager Mark Hughes (that still sounds weird to type, but at the same time somewhat fitting).  Hughes, who very publicly quit Fulham for not being ambitious enough, was left jobless for a while before settling back in London at Queens Park Rangers.  Now, after everyone’s had time to think, he still says he doesn’t understand why Fulham fans feel any kind of ill feelings towards him.

“I’d back my record at Fulham against anyone else’s,” he said. “eighth in the Premier league was an outstanding job. That’s not a lack of success. It seems to be quite difficult to leave Fulham and stay on good terms. That’s a shame because I enjoyed my time there, it’s a great club. I will shake hands with Al Fayed if he is there. Fulham have done a great job in the Premier league for 11 years, QPR have had only eight months. We have to get up to speed very quickly. The importance of staying up cannot be underestimated. But if you look at what Fulham have done, we need to emulate that and, with a fair wind, hopefully surpass it.”

I’ve come to the conclusion that some people just have an inability to see things from other people’s perspectives.  It’s not your record that we were upset with Mark.  In fact, I think a lot of Fulham fans had really taken a liking to you simply because you HAD such a good record at Fulham.  I even wrote a post a while back saying how I thought you were the right man for the job.  No Mark, it’s not your record we had an issue with.  You say it’s not easy to leave Fulham on good terms.  Let me say fix your sentence for you: “It seems to be quite difficult to leave Fulham without notice, say you’re better than the club and insult the club’s future intentions, and sign with their bitter rivals a few months later and stay on good terms.” Had you said that, we’d all be in agreement.  Fair?

/rant.  Now let’s get into the little thing that’s happening called a match.

State of Fulham:

Fulham come into this match on the heels of a much-needed and strong showing against Stoke, winning 2-1.  That win could be even more important when you look at their next 3 matches against QPR, vs Wolves, and at Villa, all 3 of which will be tough but certainly winnable.  These next 3 matches, plus the Stoke one, present the opportunity for Fulham to cement their rise up the table to the top 10.  In fact, if you take out the Manchester City match, Fulham’s Premier League form has been very good of late.  Wins against Newcastle and Arsenal show this team has the ability to win at any time, they just need to take care of the winnable matches like these, which have sometimes given them issues.  If they play their cards right, Fulham shouldn’t be in 12th for much longer.

State of QPR:

Not so good. After starting the season strong, they’ve fallen of late.  However, they certainly have a bone to pick with Fulham.  Not only is Mark Hughes their manager, but Bobby Zamora is now on the enemy’s side as well.  Fulham and QPR fans alike certainly also remember the last time these two faced off, a 6-0 drubbing by Fulham at Craven Cottage (although Hughes wasn’t manager yet and Zamora was on our side).  So it’s a grudge match for the ages.  QPR are in 16th place and in a freefall Mark Hughes is hoping to avoid.  If I’m a betting man, I don’t see a reason why this side should get relegated, but wouldn’t be surprised to see them finish where they are now.  The 4 sides below them (Blackburn, Wolves, Wigan, and Bolton) are all pretty bad and are the ones who should be going down (except Bolton who I expect to climb out), but QPR will have their hands full fending them off if they keep playing like they have.

Prediction:

I’m keeping this prediction short, as I’m currently vacationing in Bali in a beautiful hotel room.  I’m expecting a draw, simply because of the style Martin Jol has Fulham playing of late with Andy Johnson injured and a shortage of strikers brought on by that injury plus a lack of activity in the transfer window.  I’m surprised with Marcello Trotta playing so well they sent him out on loan instead of kept him, since it’s the ideal time for him to get first-team action, but I’m not in charge.  Andy Johnson will be back for this match, and I say he and Pogrebnyak both play, but Jol’s style is defend and counter at the moment, and I think that nets these clubs a 1-1 draw, especially with it being on the road.

Fulham 1-3 Everton: Fulham In A Deep, Dark Place

Clint Dempsey, like many Fulham players, had a great match. Story of the season though, they didn't get the result.

After a match that tested the peaks and troughs of my emotional roller coaster, I don’t have much in the way of words that I can do to describe what just happened or how I am feeling.  I can only do my best to put down on “paper” what my feelings are going forward for this club.  And it’s not good. The 6 goal outburst against QPR feels like a distant memory, doesn’t it?

Now, let it be known that I am the last person to overreact, to things like this, and just so we know, that’s not what I’m doing here.  But I would be lying to you if certain thoughts weren’t creeping through my head.

It’s been well documented how much I have backed Martin Jol.  Well, maybe backed isn’t the proper word, nor is supported.  But I have defended him, saying he needs more time.  Saying things he’s being blamed for aren’t his fault.  And it’s true, I still stand by those statements.  However, I can’t help but think to myself that, after what is obviously the most important match of the young season and of his Fulham tenure, and a match that, whatever happens later in the season, you can look back on and point to, saying it was a defining match, he failed to come through in the most gut-wrenching way possible.  And for that, maybe he isn’t the right person to get the best out of the squad.  Did he do anything obvious in this match to cause me to blame him for the loss? Absolutely not.  Hell, he brought in Bryan Ruiz, who played brilliantly, scored the equalizer, and shone for the first time in White.  He brought on Aaron Hughes, who all Fulham fans know is one of the best defenders on the club (if not THE best) despite a slight knock to the knee.  Could he be blamed for when Hughes was beat for the winner by Saha? Of course not.  Who would have seen that coming? A psychic maybe, but no other.  But maybe it’s time the chatter turns to the fact that, like Jol or not, blame him or not, the results aren’t there.  And at the end of the day, those are what matter.

The other thought running through my head is even worse.  Fulham are dropping points left and right.  And from here, the gauntlet is only beginning.  With such matches as away at Wigan, Sunderland, and Arsenal as well as home vs Spurs and Liverpool on the horizon, thoughts of the worst are dancing through my head like sugar plums.  How far will they fall? Seeing as we can’t beat anyone on the road, even Wigan seems like a daunting task.

Finally, is this not one of the most unlucky stretches you can remember? Zamora converts that simple chance 999 times out of 1000.  He did so incredibly well to find himself in that position, only to kick the game away over the bar.  The phantom red cards, the unlucky misses (Riise hitting the corner post against Krakow, anyone?), despite the chance of a jinx, all this season needs is one or two serious injuries to completely set it up for a rubbishing.  The gods seem to be conspiring against us.

So where does the club go from here? The feeling around me right now is just about as dark, low, and sunk that is physically possible this early in the season.  Suggestions on changes that are needed should be left in the comment box.  Certainly Jol has to change SOMETHING to get this club going.  Or maybe they just ride out the string of bad luck until it turns around? Who even knows.  I think the term “gutted” sums up how I feel right now perfectly, and I don’t have any desire to look ahead.  Especially when it feels like the tunnel Fulham are in has a looooooooooong way to go before the light peeks through.

/depressing blog post
/overreaction

Am I really overreacting though?

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

Pajtim's missed penalty in the Carling Cup tie with Chelsea caused a swarm of media rumors...none of which had any merit.

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

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

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

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

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

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

So what is my point on all this?

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

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

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

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

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

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

/rant