Darlingtons David Stockdale har skiftet fast fodbold i League 2 ud med et ophold på bænken i Premier League. Den 22-årige engelske målmand udtaler ifølge Fulhams officielle hjemmeside:

I am delighted that my move to Fulham has finally been made official as it has always been a dream of mine to play in the Premier League

Ja ja... To keepere indtil videre, så det er nok ikke der, vi får problemer i næste sæson...

Fulhams amerikanske hitman Brian McBride oplyste i går, at han vender tilbage til hans fødeland, hvor han i sin tid startede sin professionelle karriere i Milwaukee Rampage!

Hvor han nu skal garne sine mål er på stående fod uvist, men en ting er sikker; han bliver aldrig glemt i Fulham FC.

Kærligheds historien om McBride og Fulham startede tilbage i januar 2004, da han blev hentet i Colombus Crew for den minimale sum af 700.000 engelske pund.

I sin første kamp for klubben valgte McBride at banke en kasse ind mod Spurs, og hans dedikation til spillet gjorde, at supporterne hurtigt forelskede sig i den hårdtarbejdende angriber.

I de følgende sæsoner scorede McBride regelmæssigt, og den sympatiske amerikaner skød sig hurtigt op som den mest populære spiller (Måske sammen med Moritz Volz) i Fulhams trup.

I sin sidste sæson i Fulham blev McBride gjort til anfører for holdet, men måtte, allerede i august, udgå med en alvorlig knæskade efter at have scoret en kasse mod Boro.

Tabet kunne mærkes i Fulham truppen, og de sank hurtigt i tabellen, hvilket bl.a. kostede katastrofen Lawrie "Dirty" Sanchez jobbet som træner...

Da McBride vendte tilbage til Premier League, i Februar 2008, hed manageren Roy Hodgson, og Fulham lagde under stregen via en særdeles ringe formkurve...

Den kurve forsøgte McBride dog at vende med et par vitale mål, bl.a. i en 1-0 sejr over Everton i marts, og det lykkedes gudskelov Fulham at redde sig i allersidste runde i en hektisk slutfase..

En værdig afsked for en legendarisk fyr både udenfor og indenfor kridtstregerne.

Da jeg i 2004 var praktikant i klubben, mødte jeg faktisk Brian McBride, og en flinkere fodboldspiller skal man lede længe efter.

Jeg ønsker ham alt muligt held og lykke i fremtiden, og jeg håber, han har nogle år på fodboldbanen i sig endnu..

Brian McBride Facts

Født: 19. juni 1972 i Arlington Heights, Illinois, USA

Højde: 183 cm

Position: Angriber

Force: Hovedspillet og målnæsen

95 landskampe og 30 mål for USA

Tidligere klubber: St. Louis University, Milwaukee Rampage, Wolfsburg, Preston (lån), Everton (lån) og Colombus Crew

Købt til Fulham fra Colombus Crew i januar 2004 for 700.000 pund

139 kampe

32 mål

Danny Murphy scores in the 76th minute and Kasey Keller makes a tremendous save in the final play of the game.  Fulham 1 - Portsmouth 0.  Reading defeats Derby 4-0 and Birmingham takes down Blackburn 4-1 but it's not enough as all Fulham needed was a win to stave off relegation.  Roy Hodgson and the Cottagers survive and get a proper crack at the Premeirship next season.

Mit vækkeur ringede.. Højt og grusomt, syntes jeg selv...

Jeg klaskede min knyttede næve ned over det lille SWATCH-ur og åbnede mine øjne, så godt som jeg nu kunne..

Det var middag, og jeg kunne godt mærke, at jeg havde siddet oppe til klokken 3 i nat...

Jeg rejste mit dvaske kadaver fra sengen, og begyndte at klæde mig på...

Sløvt gik jeg langsomt ned af trappen, og indtog en plads i køkkenet..

Jeg var dagen forinden taget hjem til de gamle, da jeg skulle have lidt afstand fra alle distraktionerne (jf. øl, kabeltv og Football Manager) i Dobbelt A, så jeg kunne blive færdig med mit teori til P4 projektet på Uni..

Anspændtheden var tydelig i mine skuldre denne morgen, og min mimik viste en smule nervøsitet, mens jeg slubrede mine cornflakes ned i mavesækken..

Jeg sad og stirrede lidt tomt ud i luften, og mest af alt lignede jeg en fjernstyret robot, der i takt løftede og sænkede skeen gang på gang..

Det var lørdag den 3. maj 2008, og Fulham skulle møde Birmingham i Premier League..

En vigtig kamp i den engelske bundstrid, og en af de vigtigste kampe i Fulhams historie..

Begge hold lå under nedrykningsstregen, og med en sejr kunne Fulham, hvis alt flaskede sig, rykke op over den røde streg..

Jeg varmede lidt op til bundbraget med kampen mellem Manchester United og West Ham, hvor "De Røde Djævle" klart var deres modstander overlegen..

Jeg sad selv og håbede på samme scenarie i Fulham kampen, men tvivlen lagde stadig i baghovedet..

Klokken var nu 15.46, og stillingen var 4-1 til Manchester United, der, selv med en mand i undertal, havde forholdsvis let spil mod et svækket West Ham mandskab, der dog bed godt fra sig i dele af kampen...

Tilbage i Kanal 5 studiet sad Claus Thomsen og indikerede, at han ikke troede på Fulhams overlevelseschancer, mens Jacob Laursen høfligt mente det modsatte..

"Bare Jacob Laursen får ret", tænkte jeg, hvorefter jeg søgte mod køleskabet for at finde en lille let snack til kampen..

Tilbage i lænestolen med et par leverdrenge i mit skød, var jeg nu klar til dagens helt store brag: Fulham versus Birmingham på Craven Cottage..

Kampen havde påtaget sig klart mest opmærksomhed i de engelske medier, da det var en kamp mellem liv og død, og man kunne næsten føle nervøsiteten gennem skærmen fra alle involverede...

Fulhams startellever havde fået selskab af tomåls-skytten fra sidste weekends meriterende comeback mod City, Diomansy Kamara, mens David Healy havde taget plads på bænken..

På slaget fire fløjtede dommer Chris Foy kampen i gang, og jeg kunne nu se frem til 90 neglebidende minutter i selskab med to hårdt kæmpende mandskaber i bunden af verdens bedste liga.

Brian McBride - GOOOOOAAALLLL

Fulham var altdominerende i startfasen af kampen, og man fornemmede, at de virkelig prøvede at vise deres fans, at de fortjente deres plads blandt de bedste..

Flot flydende spil langs jorden førte til flere gode chancer for Fulham, der kulminerede i Brian McBrides hovedstød på overliggeren allerede efter fem minutter, som dog fejlagtigt blev dømt offside.

Efter tyve Fulham dominerede minutter, begyndte Birmingham at komme bedre med i kampen. Brede Hangeland kom godt imellem et par halvfarlige Birmingham forsøg, og den gigantiske midtstopper viste rigtigt format i denne hektiske fase af matchen.

I det 42. minut kunne det dog være gået galt, da James McFadden, efter et Jimmy Bullard boldtab på midten af banen, fandt en fri Mikael Forssell oppe i front, men en befriende fod fra nordirske Aaron Hughes reddede Fulham fra at komme bagud..

De to hold måtte gå til pausen med stillingen 0-0, men man fornemmede stadig en opløftet stemning på et fyldt og larmende Craven Cottage.

"Pyha...", tænkte jeg, "... jeg er sgu for gammel til det her pis", mens mit hjerte langsomt begyndte at optage en normal hastighed efter hektiske 45 minutter.

Et hurtigt kvarter senere gik de to hold på banen til anden halvleg, og pludseligt røg mit signal på computeren... "NEEEEEJJJ", råbte jeg, mens jeg bandede og svovlede...

Jeg spurtede ind og hev kablet til modemmet ud, som man nu gør, når Internettet ikke virker... Men intet skete, og forbindelsen var stadig ikke at se nogen steder... "Argggh.. Det er ikke fair", småhulkede jeg, mens jeg forbandede alt og alle...

"GOD DAMMIT YOU F*CKING PIECE OF CRAP"

"Det er ikke fair, det er ikke fair, det er ikke fair", blev jeg ved med at gentage, alt imens jeg rodede rundt med ledningerne bag i computeren...

Efter 7 minutters frustrationer var signalet på mystisk vis tilbage, og jeg hoppede ind i det 50. minut...

Bare to minutter senere sendte Jimmy Bullard et frispark ind i feltet, hvor Brian McBride dukkede op med sin amerikanske skal, og gjorde det til 1-0!!

"JAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!", råbte jeg højlydt, mens min mor var ved at tabe både potter og pander... "Du var ved at give mig et hjerteanfald", vrissede hun, mens jeg hoppede rundt i køkkenet som en kænguru på speed...

Troen var for alvor tilbage, og det var da også Fulham, der stadig havde teten.. Bare få minutter efter havde Kamara en ganske god chance for at afgøre kampen, men hans flade skud voldte ingen problemer for den tidligere Fulham-keeper Maik Taylor.

Mellem det 70. minut og det 80. minut begyndte Fulham at have lige lovligt mange boldtab, som dog ikke førte til det helt store for modstanderholdet, der kvitterede med selv at smide bolden tilbage i Fulhams sort/hvide favn.

I Fulhams højreside fortsatte  walisiske Simon Davies med at voldtage Birminghams venstreback med mange gode raids op af kanten.

Bagved ham fortsatte, den i Tottenham, lånte Paul Stalteri med at overbevise ledelsen om, at han ikke skulle have en permanent kontrakt.. Jeg ved ikke selv, hvor mange gange jeg råbte: "Hvad Fanden laver du Paul Stalteri din canadiske retarterede skovhugger"!!!

Klokken rundede nu de 85 minutter..

Frustrationerne hos Birmingham-spillere og tilhængerne var nu brudt ud i lys lue, mens Fulham fansene optimistiske sad og svingede med flag, scarfs og hvad de ellers havde i hænderne..

Ude på sidelinjen stod træner Roy Hodgson og var eftertænksom, mens ejer Mohammed Al-Fayed så mere rolig ud med et uldtæppe foldet hen over sine ben.

Fulham har dog i denne sæson indkasseret mange mål i de sidste ti minutter, så jeg sad stadig og borede mine negle ned i egetræsbordet foran mig.. Desuden har Fulham været foran i 13 kampe og kun vundet tre, så intet under at dette sad i baghovedet...

Erik Nevland - Pure Class

Men ud af det blå kom forløsningen i det 87. minut...

Venstreback Paul Konchesky hoofer en lang hold op af banen, hvor Birminghams venstreback, den tidligere Fulham-mand Frank Queudrue, ser ud til at have styr på begivenhederne..

Men Queudrue går håbløst galt i byen, og får slet ikke kontrol over bolden, hvorefter indskiftede Erik Nevland hugger den lille runde kugle og udplacerer Taylor i Birmingham målet..

Mine øjne blev større end tekopper (Lige en lille intertekstuel reference til Fyrtøjet), og jeg gryntede højt i triumf, som boede jeg i en hule sammen med Osama i Afghanistans bjergrige sydvestlige region... Jeg strakte begge arme op i luften, knyttede mine næver og skrålede: "FULHAAAAAAAAM... YAAARRRRRRHHHH"..

Min mutter fik igen et chok, men undlod at kommentere på det, andet end: "Nå, nu står der to nul eller hva?"... Jeg havde store bloklys i øjnene, og smilet fyldte hele mit lalleglade fjæs, for hun havde ret..

2-0... Nu kunne det ikke gå galt... Og det gjorde det da heller ikke...

Chris Foy fløjtede af efter fire minutters overtid og alle supporterne holdte deres "Come On You Whites" skilte op mod himmelen..

Klasse perfomance med gude spillere, som Martin Birn sikkert ville have udtrykt det!

Samtidig tabte Reading til Spurs, og det betyder, at Fulham selv kan afgøre sin skæbne mod Pompey på udebane i næste uge.. En gyser af dimensioner!

Portsmouth har ikke noget at kæmpe for samtidig med, at de har en pokalfinale få dage senere... Fulham har naturligvis ikke den bedste udebanestatistik, men med to udebanesejre i træk er formen god, og jeg håber naturligvis på et hattrick...

"Cheer Up Roy, you old buggar, We got a fucking Victory"

Come On You Whites

Das Zimmer direkte fra Craven Cottage blandt eufori og pure class!

» Lees verder op Goal.com

It was pure shite all the way through...

To lose 3-1 at home to another mediocre side is just plain awful, and I am slowly losing all hope, that we will stay up...

The first half was pretty dull, and we were mostly hoofing up balls towards McBride, which didn't suit the crowd at the Cottage.. And in the final minute of the first half Sunderland scored, when Danny Collins - who have scored about 4 times in his career - headed home a Daryl Murphy cross...!

God dammit...

In the second half Fulham did well to push Sunderland back, but it was still Sunderland who grabbed their second goal, when substitute Michael Chopra lobbed Kasey Keller in the 54th minute...

At this time I was shouting vulgarity out the window....!

Suddenly a beam of hope appeared with 17 minutes remaining, when another subsitute David Healy scored from 25 yards out...

But that hope was shattered just two minutes later, when striker Kenwyne Jones killed of Fulham with his killer finish...

Crap, crap and another crap... A miracle has to happen if we are to remain in the Premier League, and I doubt it will happen...

See ya in the Championship...

COYW

Das Zimmer Live from The Cottage among shite and crap...

The Twat Halsey

I cannot say I have fond memories of saturdays ref Mark Halsey...

I actually don't like this fella one bit... He is dodgier than most refs, and his erratic performances on the pitch are somewhat disgraceful at times...

One of the first games I saw at the Cottage was Fulham-Arsenal on September 11th 2004, and I couldn't quite believe what the ref was doing...!

In the first half Andy Cole was brought down in the penalty area by Ashley Cole, and Halsey correctly judged, that it was a penalty... Naturally the Arsenal players did'nt agree, and they surrounded the "poor" Halsey, while shouting abuse at him...

Suddenly.... Something went terribly wrong in Halseys chicken brain, and he underuled his own decision... WHAT!!! People at the stands were totally confused, and there was almost completely silence, when Halsey was running around like a confused beaver in the penalty area...

My boss Daniel Jacquart looked at me and said: "I think he just overruled his own decision", while looking quite upset, which of course was because of that moron on the pitch..

Afterwards he underruled a perfectly good goal from Fulham, and Fulham could have had a 2-0 lead... But then Fulham just fell apart (Maybe because the ref was a freaking twat), and they went on to lose 0-3 to three quick goals...

After the match Halsey stated that he disallowed the penalty because of the reaction of the Fulham and Arsenal players. What the fuck...! The Fulham players were ready to take the penalty... Did any of them walk up to Halsey to protest the penalty decision?? No, I don't think so!..

Well today he is at the Cottage once more.. Since the infamous Arsenal match, he has made lots of dodgy decisions at the Cottage (and every other stadium in the UK), and we'll all hope for a better performance in the crucial match against Sunderland, which might decide our destiny!

Night-time image of Putney Riverside from the Bridge

EXIF:
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Aperture: f/11
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GOALSCORERS:

Owen Hargreaves '15
Park Ji-Sung '44
Simon Davies (og) '72

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

[vodpod id=ExternalVideo.482881&w=425&h=350&fv=docId%3D-1745739182599302444%26playerMode%3Dsimple%26hl%3Den]

MATCH WALLPAPER

All statistics come from the UEFA Champions League.

In the surprising event that United manager Sir Alex Ferguson lacks inspiration for his team talk before the Champions league clash with Lyon, he could do worse than refer to the recent comments of his opposite number Alain Perrin.

The Lyon coach could not hide his disappointment after a late Carlos Tevez goal had salvaged a draw for United at the Stade de Gerland last month. Amid talk of the huge challenge awaiting his side at Old Trafford in the return match, Perrin eyed the conditions upon which a French triumph was possible.

"It isn't every day that you get the feeling you should have beaten Manchester United," Perrin argued. "The draw puts us in a position to be eliminated but places them in just as uncomfortable a position."

"They may feel they have already qualified. That can make them lazy, and we can go and surprise them at Old Trafford. One-nil is okay, for example. It will be enough for us to score in the last minute."

Perrin’s logic rings true. If Ferguson’s team plays with the caution that ran like a watermark through its performance some two weeks ago, United will be vulnerable to the kind of smash and grab raid that had Porto’s former manager Jose Mourinho leaping up and down the touchline in celebration after a Champions League match four years ago.

The onus is thus upon United to extinguish the hopes of their visitors early enough to make qualification a formality.

Sir Alex and his players are now so much better informed about the qualities of their opposition and must know that United at their best are too much for Perrin’s side.

In a recent interview, Ferguson named the Lyon players who worry him most, with the striker Karim Benzema unsurprisingly topping the list.

"He's the goalscorer in the team, him and Juninho from set-pieces," said the United boss. "They are a 100 per cent threat to us and we have to be aware of that."

The strengths of the two-footed Benzema – pace, individual brilliance, quick brain – will always give Lyon a chance. If United’s defenders remain alert to his danger throughout the contest, guard against Squillaci’s menace at corners and Juninho’s accuracy at free-kicks, then Ferguson’s Moscow dream will remain alive.

However, a fit and in form Giggs, or the fast-improving Nani, has the beating of Réveillère. On the evidence of the first match, Grosso may be a weak link. Who knows in what mood Govou will be at match time? Will it be the wide man who gave Brown a torrid opening half hour in France or the careless wastrel snubbed by all the European heavyweights down the years?

Exploiting the weaknesses of a team of toilers might not be enough if Sir Alex’s conservatism on European nights clouds his judgement. The return match at Old Trafford is no place for 4-5-1. Rooney should have Tevez or Saha alongside him if United are to be sufficiently armed for the contest.

To that end, Sir Alex has maintained a careful husbandry of his goal scorers in the run up to the match. The rout of Newcastle last Saturday was little more than a training ground turkey shoot. The 3-0 weekend romp at Craven Cottage allowed the manager to rotate all of his strikers. Eight goals with only one reply is exactly the kind of form to generate confidence for the stern test ahead.

Lyon arrive having recovered their poor form of late with a win over Lille. This should encourage Perrin, who in recent days has learned that Lyon’s chairman was touting the manager’s job to Jose Mourinho last year.

Media speculation suggests that Perrin my not be long for the coaching job in France’s second city. Victory over Manchester United, however, would increase his job security immensely.

For his part, the former Sochaux boss will hope to surprise United with a combination of defensive resilience and forward ruthlessness.

The team’s 4-3-3 formation easily converts to 4-5-1, a set-up which confounded United for large chunks of the first match. Moreover, it was used effectively by Manchester City at Old Trafford last month to ruin United’s on-field Munich tribute.

Midfield workhorse Jeremy Toulalan will have an important role in stopping United gaining any fluency and Boumsong, if selected, must not suffer any recurrence of his worst days at Newcastle, if a refreshed Rooney and Ronaldo are to be reined in.

Having achieved some famous victories on the road, Lyon will not lack courage and the longer the game goes without United being able to claim an advantage, the more away spirits will rise.

TEAM NEWS

Manchester United

United are still missing long term casualties Gary Neville, Mikael Silvestre and Ben Foster. Otherwise, Sir Alex will field his strongest side. That means a return to the starting line up for Vidic, Giggs, Rooney and Ronaldo.

Home coach Sir Alex Ferguson will look for a balanced midfield performance, although it's clear from the probable selection of Ronaldo, Tevez and Rooney that he has no intention of sitting back.

Olympique Lyonnais

The suggestion that captain Cris, out since last August with knee trouble, could be poised to take his place at centre half might not be just kidology. The defender started against Lille at the weekend, part of strong line-up that Perrin sent out to do battle against a team in mid-table. Benzema played an hour and Govou and Juninho for less than 80 minutes. Bodmer was preferred in midfield to Källström who was held back along with Grosso.

Lyon report no injuries after the Ligue 1 match and Perrin will in all likelihood look to start with the same side that was three minutes from victory over United last month, although Hatem Ben Arfa could take part. Benzema should move up front after angrily playing out of position in that Lille encounter.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Wayne Rooney (Manchester United): Before his October injury, Rooney didn’t miss when offered a sight of goal. Since his return, the England forward has not been quite so unerring but has shown his usual commitment to the cause, to the point where he delights the crowd by tracking back to his own penalty area to dispossess an opponent. Ferguson will demand the player does his best work in front of Coupet’s goal. If the manager’s instructions are heeded, United will qualify.

Jeremy Toulalan (Olympique Lyonnais): Lyon’s striker Benzema claims all the headlines with his scoring prowess but the key to French success could lie with the ability of Toulalan to triumph in the contest for midfield supremacy. The player was exemplary as a defensive screen at the Stade de Gerland. Together with Källström, he will need to put in a similar performance if Lyon are to have any chance.

PREDICTION

A European night at Old Trafford. An evenly poised game. The chance of European glory 50 years after Munich. Can there be any other outcome but the continuance of United’s Treble quest?

Manchester United 2 -0 Olympique Lyonnais

'15 Owen Hargreaves
'44 Ji-Sung Park
'72 Simon Davies

A rotated Manchester United eased to victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage to cut the gap to Arsenal to a single point

United controlled proceedings for virtually the whole game and took the lead through Owen Hargreaves’ free-kick.

Park Ji-Sung doubled the Red Devils’ advantage shortly before the break before a 72nd minute Simon Davies own goal compounded Fulham’s misery.

United had seemed all set to reclaim top spot in the league on goal difference, but will have to settle for a one-point deficit thanks to the late developments at the Emirates.

Sir Alex Ferguson rested Giggs and Carrick and put Ronaldo, Rooney and Anderson on the bench, probably with Lyon and Portsmouth in mind. A diamond in the middle of the pitch saw Hargreaves holding and Scholes attacking. O’Shea came in for Vidic, with Brown moving to centre-half, while Saha started against his former club. For Fulham, Volz, Davies and Johnson replaced Dempsey, Kamara and Andreasen.

United had the first chance as Saha blasted wide after Scholes’ quickly-taken free-kick. Clean through, he should have scored before Tevez was thwarted by Niemi. Murphy then forced a full-stretch save from Van der Sar at the other end: it was a lively start and it got livelier in the fifteenth minute as Owen Hargreaves curled a free-kick beyond the Fulham wall and into the net. A super strike, his first in United colours, and reminiscent of the goals he used to score for Bayern Munich.

Fulham were poor in the final third, their fans audibly frustrated at their inability to put the visitors under pressure. Comfortable, United continued to largely have their own way. Niemi did well to save a bullet of a header from Scholes, who looked back to his best as United’s diamond midfield quartet won all the key battles.

Murphy’s header was as good as it got for the Cottagers in the first half before a late rally saw the Red Devils increase their lead. First Tevez drilled wide, then a fluid stretch of play released Scholes down the right channel. A precise cross into the box was headed home by Park Ji-Sung on 44 minutes. United were cruising – playing when they had to, otherwise taking things easy.

Fulham were far brighter immediately after the re-start, giving the game a more balanced feel. Yet still it was Manchester United who had the first attempt on goal as Nani forced a catch from Niemi.

Fulham were at least asking questions now, however, and Bullard’s left-footed curler wide was followed by a useful drive from Volz that deflected behind for a corner. Eddie Johnson then blazed wide to the left of goal and Davies’ optimistic effort registered no danger. Just as Fulham sensed there may have been a way back into this match, Ferguson countered by sending on Rooney and Ronaldo.

Minutes later the game was finally up: instead of a wonderfully crafted strike from one of United’s substitute megastars it came from the unlikely source of O’Shea and Davies. Irish defender O’Shea overlapped down the right flank and delivered a cross into the box which the helpless Davies could only deflect into his own net. 0-3 and three points for Manchester United.

There may have been around 20 minutes to go, but both sides had lost interest, Fulham clearly beaten and United thinking of Olympique Lyonnais. Stalteri’s and Bullard’s weak shots were all the Cottagers could muster as the visitors passed the ball around the park at their leisure.

The gulf between the sides was massive and Sir Alex Ferguson proved that rotation can and does work: neither of United’s goalscorers or John O’Shea, who made the third, have been regular starters or scorers for the Red Devils in recent weeks. Fulham may not have expected a result today, but time is running out in the battle to avoid the drop.

All statistics come from the Barclays Premier League.

With league survival hanging by a thread, perhaps the last team Fulham would wish to meet on Saturday is Premiership champions Manchester United, who are desperate to boost an impressive goal difference advantage.

Privately, Fulham's manager Roy Hodgson might expect to take nothing from the match. Publicly, he cannot give such a defeatist impression and plans for his team to stop the United juggernaut.

"We need to win," he said. "We need to win our home games and some away games as well."

"There is an element of luck and sometimes you can play well and lose, or play badly and win. I am very much aware that wins are the order of the day for us and if we don’t get some soon then our predicament will worsen."

So how can Fulham claim victory against United, a side which broke Tyneside hearts with an irresistible display of pace and power just last Saturday?  

Scoring consistently has been a problem for the division's second worst side. Keeping the ball out of the Fulham net has proved even more problematic for a defence which has leaked 45 goals this season. The chances of toppling Sir Alex Ferguson's side, which has the best goal difference and the meanest rear guard in the division, would seem bleak indeed.

However, Fulham will hope that Sir Alex's worst tinkering excesses come to the fore. United are certain to play a weakened team with half a mind on Tuesday's Champions League clash against Lyon. The importance of that game, and Ferguson's Euro-obsession, could affect the mindset of United's defenders.

It is also true that Fulham are due some luck. Last week's controversial loss to West Ham was a terrible blow. There have been other moments this season, notably at the Emirates Stadium, where Fulham have played well only to suffer a late collapse in concentration and be punished accordingly by a more ruthless team.

The lower reaches of the Premiership however, are awash with similar hard luck stories and what is clear is that Fulham are now at serious risk of being relegated due to sloppy trading, poor decision-making and instability.

Fulham's board must sorely regret sacking Chris Coleman and hiring Lawrie Sanchez, a man who plainly lacked Premiership experience, as a replacement.  

Sanchez rid the club of old established pros and was given more than £25 million to spend on new and mostly unproven players. "Fifteen in and 15 out," he calls it. "The Premiership can be an unforgiving place for a manager so daring."

Under the former Northern Ireland boss, Fulham tried to create a ‘club-Ireland’ mentality, played some decent football at times, drew too many matches and lost even more.  

Chairman Mohammed Al Fayed saw the error of his ways and dispensed with Sanchez. Then, bizarrely, he hired another international manager of some repute but who had no recent experience of the carnivorous environment that is the Premiership.

Roy Hodgson is not lacking in confidence and knowledge, but does he have the players who can haul the club to safety?

Talents like goalkeeper Niemi, Konchesky in defence, Bullard in midfield and McBride up front do give reason for some hope. Any team capable of beating Aston Villa, as Fulham did recently,  is worthy of respect. Yet Hodgson will need all his coaching ability and motivational skills, honed at Malmo and Inter Milan, among many other European boltholes, to coax a limited squad towards survival.  

United will run out at Craven Cottage hoping to accelerate still further Fulham's retreat from the top division and arrest a sequence that has seen Sir Alex Ferguson’s team fail to win in London for the past year.

The match is exactly the sort of present the United boss hopes the fixture computer will deliver at this time of the season.

Ferguson will be mindful of the partisan crowd and committed opposition that his team will face at a small ground. But surely he must be confident that his players will profit from the strong likelihood that Fulham will fail to concentrate for the full 90 minutes.

Fulham’s statistics this season confirm the manager’s reasons for optimism. The Cottagers have lost the lead in 11 matches. Some 25 points have been squandered from winning positions too. Fulham have managed only three clean sheets and failed to score in 11 games.

The match is there for the likes of Darren Fletcher and Michael Carrick to shine and underline their service to the team. It also offers Ferguson the chance to rest Cristiano Ronaldo and perhaps Wayne Rooney or Carlos Tevez.

Yet again, Sir Alex has been talking up the latest Louis Saha revival. The Frenchman scored in the blitz of Newcastle last week and Ferguson would like nothing more than to see the former Fulham hitman to show his best form on his old stamping ground.

"Louis Saha coming back is a big bonus for us," said Ferguson. "He gives us strength and penetration and is different to everyone else. It was good that Louis has come back and scored."

United have stuttered in the league in recent weeks against Spurs and Manchester City but will hope that last Saturday’s rout of Newcastle represented a corner turned. The performance at Fulham will offer further clues.

TEAM NEWS
 
Fulham

Midfielder Simon Davies is likely to return to the Fulham side after suspension. Striker Diomansy Kamara could find himself named as a substitute. Boss Hodgson told Fulham TV this week that he's relishing the prospect of having 'two full teams' to select from as the Cottage injury situation clears up: only Litmanen is out injured, while Andreasen is out suspended.

Squad: Niemi, Keller, Stalteri, Hughes, Konchesky, Hangeland, Murphy, Davies, Bouazza, Bullard, Nevland, Kamara, Bocanegra, Volz, Stefanovic, McBride, Smertin, Healy, Seol.
   
Manchester United    
 
United have slight doubts about the fitness of defenders Vidic and Evra. Otherwise, Sir Alex can chose from a full strength squad but is likely to hold back his more senior players for the Lyon test in midweek. Giggs should recover from his leg injury suffered against Lyon but should expect to be kept in reserve.

Squad: Van der Sar, Brown, Vidic, Ferdinand, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Fletcher, Hargreaves, Nani, Rooney, Tevez, Scholes, O'Shea, Saha, Kuszczak, Anderson, Park, Simpson, Eagles.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Niemi (Fulham): The goalkeeper will need to be at his best and inspire those around him to produce their finest performances of the season too, if Fulham are to stand any chance. The Cottagers will, in all likelihood, sit deep to guard against United’s speed and counter attacking power which means Niemi is likely to be in for a very busy afternoon.

Carrick (United): The quiet man seems to be hitting his best form just at the right time for United. Looks better with runners either side of him and Ferguson may well oblige by fielding Anderson and Fletcher in a line-up similar to the one that trounced Arsenal. The manager knows he is spoilt for choice when his midfielders are fully fit. Carrick will hope to make that selection dilemma even more difficult by giving a dominant performance against the Premiership strugglers.  
 
PREDICTION
 
Early March is an opportunity for Ferguson’s side to keep up the pressure on Arsenal by recouping maximum points from matches against teams from the lower reaches of the division. Fulham know that their Premiership future will not depend on results against teams like United but will hope to play to their capacity and catch the visitors when they are distracted by the Champions League. By 5.45pm, United ought to have demonstrated the folly of such an idea.

Fulham 0 - 3 Manchester United 

While we were in London a few years ago my husband and I attended a Fulham football match at Craven Cottage.  I wasn't looking forward to watching players run around a field aimlessly for a couple hours but decided to make the most of it.  As soon as we stepped out of the Tube tunnel we were bombarded with fans sporting their teams' jersey.  Corner pubs were filled to overflowing with football fans.  It was obvious by the patrons clothing which team was the favorite at each pub, and that it probably wouldn't be a good idea to challenge that opinion.  Brian and I joined the crowd walking along the banks of the Thames River.  I thought this would be the highlight for me, just seeing more of London. 

When we entered the stadium I was impressed by the incorporation of old and new construction.  Fulham is one of London's oldest football clubs and Craven Cottage has been around for over 100 years.  Fulham fans are said to have a special bond with the actual cottage of Craven Cottage.  The original "cottage" was built in 1870 by William Craven and the surrounding wooded area was part of Anne Boleyn's hunting grounds. 

 But, back to the football match.  It was hard not to get caught up in the excitement of all the fans.  Old and young alike were singing, cheering and waving banners.  And of course everyone yelled GOOAALL!!!!! when Fulham scored.  Although I ended up enjoying the match, I don't think I'll go as far as one devoted fan who refused to attend her daughter's wedding if the date conflicted with a Fulham match . . .

Craven Cottage SW6

Date: 27/11/2005   —   Free   —   Other

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I had been looking forward to this game for a long time. A couple of months ago I was given the inside track on a competition to win 2 tickets to see Fulham play Bolton which I then went and won! What’s more it was for full corporate hospitality, lunch in the lounge and seats for the game in the directors box.

The last football match I attended was in 1988 when I watched Wimbledon defeat Liverpool in the FA Cup Final at Wembley along with another 93,000 people. It was always going to be a little tricky to live up to that and after Wimbledon’s demise I wondered if I’d ever go to a game again. Fittingly the man who lifted the FA Cup that day was the Wimbledon goalkeeper Dave Beasant who is now a Fulham coach and was evident on the touchline for much of the match.

I was actually born in SW6 (on the Fulham/Chelsea border) so this was something of a homecoming, I went to school just across the river from Craven Cottage and frequently rowed past the ground. But supporting Fulham was something I came to later in life, tho’ it seems I made the right choice.

After my usual forgetting something incident I was forced to drive a little quicker to the ground but made it in good time, parked in the director’s parking area in a local school near the ground and got in the minibus which drove us to the ground along with some of the other guests and old pros. All locals tho’, you could tell by the accents, it’s an accent I haven’t heard in a long time.

I was expecting a cold buffet lunch, cucumber sandwiches and all that, and fairly bog standard hospitality but I was very pleasantly surprised, we received a glass of champagne on arrival and lunch was Lancashire Hot Pot with potato gratin and carrot and swede mash, it was bloody top, washed down with a glass of cabernet sauvignon and followed by bread pudding.

At 2pm we went out to watch the game, perfect position just by the half way line at a good height to see but near enough to be close to the game. I had forgotten how much I enjoy the atmosphere. The only problem was the weather which was bitter and because the ground is right next to the river you get a chill breeze.

We were all buoyed by a Brian McBride goal in the 4th minute, perfect start, gets the crowd going and everybody’s happy, except the away fans but we don’t really care about them! Fulham were in fluid mood and the game was exciting and all one way traffic. It wasn’t a surprise when McBride doubled the lead and his tally on 19 minutes. A second goal is always a relaxer, you feel you have a buffer and with this and Fulham playing well the crowd were in good voice and everything seemed right with the world, at least for most of the near 20,000 crowd.

With Bolton you always expect a pretty physical game and that proved to be the case, it was at times very scrappy in midfield but by and large they didn’t cause us any problems in the first half and their only attacking opportunities came from dubious free kicks. We could have had more goals and played well enough to deserve them but none were coming and we went in 2-up at half-time.

Whilst many went to find burgers and hot dogs at half time, we got to go back into the warm at the lounge and were served with tea and coffee. The second half was a rather different game, Bolton played aerial and we were just seemingly content to break up their attacks, there was little panache to much of the half and that seemed to suit them far more than us. There were a lot of stoppages and Bolton players seemed to go over very easily whilst Fulham players scrapped for balls, this could be my subjective view from the halfway line!

Our keeper whilst a good shot stopper didn’t seem to have a decent strategy for goal kicks, constantly hoofing up to Brian McBride and making it all seem predictable. Fulham do not have the height up front to merit such a strategy and we lost the chance for a lot of attacks this way.
You could kind of see a goal coming, although on the few occasions we attacked we looked far more dangerous than Bolton did. But it just felt like one of those game where we would concede. The fact that it was an own goal was irritating, that it came in the 90th minute at least made only for 4 agonising minutes before we were put out of our misery.

All in all I enjoyed the game, I have been long used to defending my side for playing scrappy but effective football and grinding out the results against sides that were far better on paper. In Fulham there is more flair when they use it and they can be genuinely skilful and entertaining to watch. But the infuriating aspect of letting leads slip and a shaky defence is no stranger to my football memories and I do feel that this is a club where I can feel at home.

Mark Crossley - 6 - Solid enough in shot-stopping but kicks were often wayward and punts downfield were usually a hiding to nothing.
Moritz Volz - 7 - Pressed forward and looked like a good old-fashioned wing-back, possible question marks about his ability to track back in defence though.
Carlos Bocanegra - 7 - Didn't have an awful lot to do but looked reliable and secure.
Alain Goma - 6 - At times looked a little slow but due to a lack of Bolton attack not troubled much.
Liam Rosenior - 6 - Quiet and never put under much pressure.
Papa Bouba Diop - 7 - No booming long shots but physically strong and towering in the air.
Tomasz Radzinski - 7 - Set up the first goal and always tried hard, had a very quiet seond half
Steed Malbranque - 9 -Returning to proper form this season Steed ran everything at the midfield, tries for every ball, dogged, skillful, Fulham's talisman and best player on the pitch.
Luis Boa Morte - 6 - The captain looked a little flat, did nothing wrong but not his usual powerful self, subbed due to injury after an hour
Collins John - 7 - Tried hard, lots of pace made a lot of runs and space that sadly Crossley didn't pick up.
Brian McBride - 9 - Scored both goals and caused the Bolton defence all sorts of problems, linked up with Collins John and Steed Malbranque well.
Sylvain Legwinski - 5 - Came on for Boa Morte, looked slow and indecisive, would be harsh to blame him too much for the own goal but typified his day really.
Heider Helgusson - 6 - Only had about 5 minutes and I'm not sure he touched the ball.