Stoor Stoor nummer...

Efter at være sat i forbindelse med EM-spillerne Simunic og Sverkos, er en skandinav nu inde i billedet i form af svenske Fredrik Stoor fra Rosenborg...

Dele af de engelske medier rapporterer om, at Rosenborg skulle acceptere bud på 7 millioner pund, hvilket jo er et latterligt beløb for en okay højre back fra den norske liga... Andre medier påstår, at et mere realistisk beløb på 1,5 millioner pund er nok til at fravriste Rosenborg svenskeren...

1,5 millioner pund er da en ganske udmærket pris for en habil højreback, men flere andre klubber skulle dog også have vist interesse for den skaldede back, så igen er vi nødt til at kæmpe for sagen...

Men hvis de 7 millioner pund skulle være Rosenborgs krav, må vi nok hellere trække følehornene til os igen, for det er langt ude i hampen, og det kan Roy Hodgson forhåbentlig også se!

To be continued.... Hopefully....

Hey, vent lige to sekunder... Ham fik vi da allerede permanent i januar... Troede jeg i hvert fald, og jeg tror også mange andre Fulham-supportere var i samme tro...

Men nej... Vi havde åbenbart kun lånt den finske landsholdsspiller i schweiziske Young Boys, og nu er aftalen altså gjort permanent efter stor succes i Kallios første halve år i klubben (0 kampe!)....

Lad os håbe den tårnhøje Kallio har tilpasset sig det engelske, så han eventuelt kan opnå debut inden hans kontrakt udløber... Og lad os håbe, at han ikke er en tro kopi af en anden Hightower i form af Zat Knight(mare)

Profil

Navn: Toni Kallio

Nationalitet: Finsk

Født: 9. august 1978 i Tampere, Finland

Højde: 194 cm

Position: Central/Venstre forsvarer, Venstre midtbane, Venstre Wing

Tidligere Klubber:

TPV (18 kampe/6 mål)
FC Jazz (1 kamp/0 mål)
HJK Helsinki (123 kampe/17 mål)
Molde (52 kampe/6 mål)
Young Boys (16 kampe/2 mål)

Selvfølgelig var det "Dirty Sanchez", der langede beløbet ind over desken, og selvfølgelig levede Kamara overhovedet ikke op til prisen (Dog havde han en fod eller to med i den meriterende udebanesejr over Manchester City)...

Han gjorde sig heller ikke mere populær ved at prioritere Senegal over Fulham allerede kort tid efter, han ankom til klubben...

Og nu hvor Roy Hodgson måske så sit snit til at skaffe sig af med humørspilleren, er Kamara lige blevet knæskadet i et halvt år....

Og det skete naturligvis i en landskamp for Senegal...

Så mareridtet fortsætter og Kamara forsvinder sikkert næste sommer for en brøkdel af den pris, som vi betalte for ham... 

Danny "Superman" Shittu

Nigerianske Danny Shittu bliver nu rygtet til Craven Cottage, men der er hurtigt blevet tvivl om en handel, da Shittu ser ud til at foretrække Champions League bold med Glasgow Rangers (For pokker... Rangers, Rangers, Rangers... De er over det hele!)

Bomstærke Shittu, der sikkert kunne stille op i "Verdens Stærkeste Mand" hvis ikke han var fodboldspiller, har været fast mand i Watford de seneste sæsoner, og scorede endda ni mål i den netop afsluttede sæson.

Den store nigerianer er prismæssigt sat til omkring 3 millioner pund, men jeg er heller ikke sikker på, at han er svaret på vores problemer...

Mon ikke Rangers løber med nigerianeren, så vi kan vende vores øjne mod mere ambitiøse indkøb..

Bobby Zamora var også på vej fra London rivalerne West Ham sidste sommer, og igen er vi nævnt som en mulig ny arbejdsgiver efter han er blevet bedt om at finde en ny klub... Efter legendariske McBrides exit mangler vi en targetman, og Zamora kunne være en mulig afløser. I West Hams comeback sæson til Premier League var han topscorer i klubben, men siden da er det gået ned af bakke for den høje englænder. Om han er svaret er svært at sige, men til en fornuftig pris vil jeg da påstå, at han er et udmærket køb. Alt over 2 millioner pund er dog rent landevejsrøveri...

Den 26-årige østrigske hitman Ronald Linz er en anden angriber på Roy Hodgsons velfungerende radar. Efter to mål mod mægtige Malta! i sidste uge, har han fanget engelske klubbers opmærksomhed (Mon ikke de var opmærksomme inden da!). M'boro og West Ham har også tentaklerne ude efter den østrigske landsholdsspiller, så det kan måske blive lidt af en udfordring at lokke ham til de hvide i det sydvestlige London. Hvis han imponerer i det forestående EM, kan Linz koste helt op til 5 millioner pund, hvilket måske også er i overkanten.. Men spændende bliver han at følge på den helt store scene.

At elegantieren Zoltan Gera skulle være på vej, er måske det mest hårdnakkede rygte... Allerede i går rapporterede flere medier, at han allerede var i London for at skrive under med The Cottagers, men det skete dog ikke... Det forlyder, at Gera har afvist flere Premier League rivaler for at skifte til Fulham (deriblandt den sovende gigant Newcastle og de blå fra Everton), hvilket jo er ganske fornøjeligt, da han er transferfri. West Brom fans undrer sig over Geras valg, da de mener, at Fulham formodentlig vil være blandt West Broms rivaler i bunden næste sæson, men de får sig en overraskelse, når FFC ender i top 13:p 

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

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!

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!

16:00 Premier League: Newcastle United vs. Fulham FC

April 2007 - Lawrie Sanchez bliver hentet til Fulham som korttids-afløser for Chris Coleman, og en kolossal nedtur venter forude 

Sommeren 2007 - Sanchez får en transfersum på ekstravagante 25 millioner pund at handle for, og det ligner lysere tider på The Cottage, som i de senere år havde oplevet en mindre nedgangsperiode..

Syv måneder senere ser virkeligheden ganske anderledes ud.. Fulham ligger i øjeblikket på en lidet flatterende 19. plads, og manager Lawrie Sanchez er for længst skiftet ud med, den af danske fans bekendte, Roy Hodgson..

Formøbling af en formue

Det begyndte allerede at gå ned af bakke under Chris Coleman, men det tog for alvor til under nordirske Sanchez. 25 millioner engelske pund skød Fulham op som et af de mest spenderende hold under sommeren 2007, da Sanchez gik på shoppingtur indenfor især Nordirske "esser" og middelmådige Championship spillere.

Man kan argumentere for, at Chris Coleman aldrig fik de helt store midler at begå sig med på transfermarkedet, og derfor finder undertegnede det især besynderligt, at en inkomepetent primitivt-spillende manager som Lawrie Sanchez blev bevilliget 25 millioner pund (Prøv at spørg om jeg er Sanchez-fan)..

En lille hjerneblødning af ejer Mohammed Al-Fayed, og selvom jeg så en nedadgående spiral under Coleman, var det ikke svært at se skriften på væggen, da Sanchez f.eks. valgte at spendere 6 millioner pund på floppet Diomansy Kamara, som tidligere, uden succes, havde forsøgt sig i Premier League...

Derudover valgte Sanchez at hive hele fire nordirere ind i form af Aaron Hughes (A.Villa), David Healy (Leeds), Steven Davis (A.Villa) og Chris Baird (Southampton)... Davis lignede et udmærket køb, men har vist sig slet ikke at kunne gøre en forskel i motorrummet på Fulhams midtbane, og er nu lejet ud til Glasgow Rangers.

Chris Baird har overhovedet ikke kunne følge med i tempoet, og har gjort sig vældig upopulær ved at koste op til flere mål samt komme i kambolage med publikumsyndlingen Jimmy Bullard.. "Bomberen" David Healy er simpelthen bare overmatchet, og har langt fra vist samme målform som for det nordirske landshold..

Til gengæld har Hughes, sammen med Danny Murphy (Som ironisk nok var gratis), været blandt de bedre indkøb, men for andre folk som sydkoreanske Seol Ki-Hyeon (Med verdens laveste bundniveau), kantspilleren Hameur Bouazza, skildpadden Dejan Stefanovic og evigt skadede Lee Cook har succesen været til at overse..

The New Guy On The Block

Efter at Fulhams dårligste manager nogensinde har forladt Craven Cottage, er, som nævnt før, Roy Hodgson kommet til.. Den garvede brite har heller ikke fået den bedste start, men det lykkedes da at vinde en kamp for første gang i evigheder, da Villa blev sendt hjem til Birmingham med et 1-2 nederlag!

Desuden har man også set betydelig fremgang på transfermarkedet, selvom Hodgson fik en mindre pose penge at handle for... Danske Leon Andreasen og norske Brede Hangeland er blandt de nye ansigter på træningsbanerne ved Motspur Park, og de er da også begge gået direkte ind i startopstillingen med en anden attitude en f.eks. den skotskbundne Steven Davis..

To nye angribere (Eddie Johnson & Erik Nevland.red) er også hentet ind til en meget formsvag frontkæde.. Dog er jeg lidt bekymret over, hvorfor vi hentede tudsegamle Jari Litmanen til London, men han kan jo sikkert dele ud af sin erfaring, og så var han jo gratis..

Men siden sejren over Villa, er vi løbet ind i det ene nederlag efter det andet, og Fulham ligger nu seks point under stregen, hvilket f.eks. fik Kanal 5's fodboldspeaker til at dømme dem som sikre nedrykkere sammen med bundproppen Derby...

Så det ser lidt sort ud, og Fulham kan kun redde sig ved at vinde nogle særdeles vigtige nøglekampe i et slutprogram, der inkluderer følgende kampe:

Blackburn Ude (Spilles i dag, og Fulham er ikke engang bagude efter 30 minutter!)

Everton Hjemme (Måske en hjemmesejr, men det bliver svært)

Newcastle Ude (Hvis Newcastle fortsætter sin krisesæson, kan der vente 3 overraskende point)

Derby Ude (Skal simpelthen give 3 point, hvis der skal gøre forhåbninger om at blive blandt de bedste)

Sunderland Hjemme (Samme som mod Derby)

Reading Ude (Endnu en nedrykningskandidat, men en svær udebanekamp - Uafgjort er nok mit bedste bud)

Liverpool Hjemme (Ikke mange chancer her selvom Liverpool er stinkende dårlige til tider - Torres "voldpuler" formodentlig hele forsvaret, så jeg håber, han er skadet)

Manchester City Ude (Ikke meget håb, da City samtidig kæmper for europæisk deltagelse)

Birmingham Hjemme (3 point skulle være muligt, men det kan allerede være slut på det her tidspunkt)

Portsmouth Ude (Pompey har måske ikke noget at kæmpe for på dette tidspunkt, og derfor kan man håbe på en sjælden udebanesejr)

Der forekommer nemme kampe på papiret, men Fulham skal virkelig oppe sig, hvis de skal stå distancen...

Jeg håber stadigvæk, men håbet svinder for hver runde uden point..

COYW!

Das Zimmer direkte fra Craven Cottage blandt spillemæssige kriser og højtråbende managers!

The only other Greek team left in the UEFA Cup, Panathinaikos, face Rangers FC in Scotland. Interestingly, the Rangers seem to have dropped American DeMarcus Beasley from their UEFA Cup campaign and added Steven Davis, a midfielder on loan from Fulham FC. Panathinaikos, for their part, have Dimitrios Papadopoulos at their disposal. Papadaopoulos is one of the leading scorers of the current UEFA Cup campaign.

The older you become, the harder it is to believe in Father Christmas. I was 7 when I began to question his existence, and it took some twenty years for my faith to be restored. In that time, I did watch Ernest Saves Christmas on numerous occasions, and it's pretty damn convincing, I must admit. In this masterful 1980s movie, Ernest P Worrell explains the science behind Santa's Christmas Eve mission succinctly:

You take the International Date Line, multiply it by the Time Zones, divided by the accelerated rotation of the earth... uh, carry the 1, and, uh, allowing for the Vernal Equinox on the Tropic of Cancer, he might just pull it off. 

I figure that believing in Santa Claus is no less plausible than believing in God, and there was certainly something divine about the delivery of my Christmas wish this year. When the inept and out-of-his-depth Lawrie Sanchez was appointed manager of Fulham in May of last year, I told anyone who'd listen that I wished him to be gone by Christmas. It's not that I get pleasure in seeing a man made unemployed, but Sanchez knew next-to-nothing about managing a Premier League club, and under his stewardship we risked dropping down a division, stuck as we were in a rut of dull and depressing football.

My fears were proved right when we made a catastrophic start to the 2007/08 season. With just two victories between August and December, and £25 million spent on players who could barely control the bell let alone score with it, the writing was on the wall. But Fulham's chairman Mohamed Fayed was rather preoccupied with the inquest into the death of his son, Dodi, and Princess Diana. I had a horrible feeling he wasn't keeping his eye on events at Fulham, which were fast spiralling out of control.

But Santa heard my early Christmas wish, and duly delivered. Sanchez was kicked out a week before Christmas. What happened next proves that this wasn't merely coincidence, but part of Santa's master plan to make me happy. I had clearly been a good boy in 2007.

One of my heroes is a 60-year-old man from Croydon called Roy Hodgson. He is a fellow Scandophile, having lived and worked in Sweden, Denmark, Finland and Norway as a football manager. When I lived in Sweden, I wrote the odd football report or two, and so often Swedish football fans and journalists would tell me how great a manager Roy Hodgson was. He had won everything there was to win in Sweden, and is widely credited with leading a roots and branch overhaul of the way Swedes play football.

In England, he's rather less respected by casual football observers who haven't paid close attention to his extraordinary CV. But the journalists who know their stuff - admittedly few and far between - have long defended him.

I've spent the last seven years or so banging on about Hodgson, about how much of an over-achiever he is (rather like Sweden itself). I would fantasise about him becoming Fulham manager, knowing deep down that was about as likely as George W Bush holding his hands up and saying "You know what? I'm out of my depth. I resign. Party on, America!" Hodgson had been rejected by his homeland once before, after an uneasy time as coach of Blackburn Rovers, and he was snubbed in favour of Swede Sven Goran Eriksson for the England manager's job in 2001. Not only that, but in November of last year he accepted an executive job at one of Europe's footballing giants, Inter Milan.

But so it came to pass that my Christmas wish - and the final bit of Santa evidence - appeared a couple of days after Christmas. Roy Hodgson ha changed his mind about Inter Milan and been appointed Fulham manager. He got the phone call offering him the job whilst on holiday in Torquay.

Within hours of the announcement, I received a flurry of text messages from friends who know I have a lot of love for the Hodge. My friend John jokingly wondered if I'd had some sort of influence on the decision. This was a monumental event and it made absolutely no sense.

It may not seem much to you, and I do often lose all rationality and reason when it comes to football, but Hodgson's appointment is my idea of a dream-come-true and on Saturday the Hodgson Revolution truly began. This was the first time the Hodge fielded a team featuring a number of his own signings - three Scandinavians - and the team put in a gutsy, committed performance. The result was our first win since early November, against a team more than 20 points above us in the league table. It was heroic stuff, and more than that - I won £26 from a £5 bet that Fulham would win, and win 2-1. This rare betting success will almost cover my ticket to watch the team play Everton in a few weeks' time.

There's a long way to go, and Fulham are still very much stuck at the wrong end of the table, but all the players are falling over themselves to compliment the new boss, gushing about his experience, skill and motivation skills. Whether he can motivate a squad comprised largely of mediocrity remains to be seen, but one of the most successful English managers in football history is leading my club, and I'm thanking Santa for the honour.

Sticking to this Christmas theme (we need something cheery to get us through the dark and dismal February) take a look at this video. It's a tutorial I made for making a gingerbread house. Pictures of the completed house are available on the left of this page, in my Flickr profile. Enjoy!

Very happy to see Bullard back on track after a long and painful injury/recovery process. He's just the kind of player who makes football worth watching: always hustling, always creating opportunities and, occasionally, scoring game-winning goals in exciting fashion.

 http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/7210618.stm

Speaking of back from injury, welcome back to Brian McBride, American international and Fulham striker.

So let's break everything down, starting tonight:

Rugby: IRB New Zealand Sevens-Day 2
Day 2 kicks off tonight (or very early tomorrow depending on where you live) and the USA Eagles are in the Bowl Quarterfinals. They will take on France. I'm fairly confident our boys will get a victory. Frankly France is playing like shit at the moment and we defeated them in South Africa back in December, which at the time seemed like an upset. I'm going to predict the Eagles make it to the Bowl Finals before losing. I hope I'm wrong but they always seem to stumble a bit on Day 2 of any given 7's tournament. I'm picking Fiji or New Zealand to win it all as both squads seem pretty unstoppable at the moment.

Live coverage in the United States will begin at 12:30 am Eastern on Setanta Sports. I will attempt to "Live Blog" the matches tonight, although I make no promises that I will be able to stay up until 4am. I'm a 32 year old trapped in a 72 year old body.

Rugby: 6 Nations-Saturday
The 2008 RBS 6 Nations begins tomorrow around 9am Eastern with Ireland hosting Italy. Ireland should easily defeat Italy as I feel the other squads will defeat Italy easily as well. I could be wrong though, it's not like Ireland had a stellar performance at the 2007 Rugby World Cup. The match will air in the U.S. on Setanta Sports at 11:30 pm ET on Sunday, which basically means I will probably flip back and forth between the match and UFC 81. UFC takes priority here because I'm paying for that.

Wales travels to Twickenham to take on England at 11:30 am Eastern. I'm going to have to avoid spoilers until Sunday when the match airs on Setanta at 3pm ET. I'm really looking forward to this match. I feel Wales is much improved and England is considered by most to be the favorites to win the 6 Nations this year. Last year, Wales gained their only victory over England but I don't see that happening this year. Look for England to win a close one.

UFC 81-Live on Pay Per View
I caught shit via email the last time I mentioned the Ultimate Fighting Championship on this "rugby & soccer" blog. Being of a libertarian mind, all that did was motivate me to plug it again. I love the UFC and I'm really looking forward to the Pay Per View on Saturday night. Former WWE superstar Brock Lesnar makes his UFC debut as he takes on former UFC Heavyweight Champion Frank Mir. I'm a Brock Lesnar fan and make no apologies for it. He's a legit fighter and I feel he will destroy Frank Mir in the 1st round. I hope I'm right, I'm going to feel good gloating. Its funny because if you look at the forums, everyone seems to be talking shit about how Mir will defeat the "fake" wrestler, yet in all the polls I've seen, Brock is a heavy favorite to win. Perhaps some people are shit talking on the forums just to talk shit? Who knows. Tim Sylvia is taking on Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira. I hate Tim Sylvia and couldn't give a fuck less about this bout. Here's hoping Nog ends it early and wins the Interim Heavyweight Title. The other bout I'm looking forward to is Jeremy Horn vs Nate Marquardt. I like both fighters but I'm going to place my bet on Jeremy Horn as that guy has some sick submissions. UFC 81 airs on PPV in the U.S. at 10pm Eastern.

Soccer (or "Football"): Fulham vs Aston Villa
On paper it would seem that Aston Villa should be the clear cut favorites to take all 3 points at the Cottage. They are currently sitting 5th in the table and with the way Liverpool has been performing, it's possible that by the end of the season, you could see Villa finish in the Top 4, which would be huge for that club.

Fulham needs a victory, bottomline. A couple days ago I stated that we need draws away and victories at home if we are to avoid relegation. So, the boys must step up and secure a victory this weekend. I have no idea what Roy Hodgson plans on doing this Sunday, however if I were to give him some advice, I would make Eddie Johnson available to come off the bench. I wouldn't start him at this point because I feel Eddie probabl lacks fitness. However, I do believe our favorite "Grown Ass Man" could provide the second half spark we currently lack. In order to avoid relegation we must be able to finish off matches. I'm going to say Fulham pulls off the "upset" and takes 3 points at home. Let's go with 1-0 and once again, I'm going to pick Jimmy Bullard to score our goal. I'll probably pick Jimmy to score in every match until he actually scores. I just really want to see the guy complete his comeback. The match will air Live at 11am on Fox Soccer Channel.

Football (or "Football"): Super Bowl XLII-Patriots vs Giants
Yes I love American Football just as much as I love rugby, soccer or mixed martial arts. But for the first time in my life, I couldn't give a shit less about the Super Bowl. I hate the Patriots (even though you did give my Fighting Irish Charlie Weiss, thanks!) and hate the New York Giants even more. I honestly couldn't give a rats ass about this game and I'm not entirely sure if I'll watch it or not. I am looking forward to tuning in to Spike TV during halftime to watch the latest Major League Eating (MLE) competition. I think I missed my calling. I could have been the Hot Wings champion or something. Not sure what those athletes will be chowing down but I do know it sickens my wife, so that is entertainment in of itself. Back to the Super Bowl, I'm predicting Patriots-31 Giants-10 and Jason-bored.

Rugby-RBS 6 Nations-Sunday
Scotland vs France will kick off at Murrayfield at 10am Sunday and will air in the U.S. at 11pm Sunday night on Setanta. France should win but don't count out Scotland at home. I see something like 24-13, with the first half being really close and France pulling away in the second.

So there you have it. Another kick ass, sports filled weekend for yours truly. Remember, I will attempt to "live blog" Day 2 of the IRB New Zealand Sevens tournament tonight, starting at 12:30 am.

Fulham played pretty well in the first half but seemed to lack spark in the attack in the second. I feel that will be what Eddie Johnson can provide. He wasn't dressed for the match yesterday but as soon as he gets fit, I feel that will be his role. I don't expect him to start but he will be a great late game substitute. If we expect to avoid relegation, we must finish off matches, which has been our problem this season.

Hats off to Antti Niemi, he played really well in goal last night. I've been critical of him at times this season but don't be fooled, he earned our point yesterday. The Cottagers return home Sunday to take on Aston Villa. Very important to get a win. I'll take away draws as long as we can begin winning at home.

On a side note, Brian McBride may be close to his return. He played all 90 minutes for the reserves recently, which is a great sign. I don't feel Brian will carry us to the promise land this season, but he is a key player to help keep us up.

Thats what makes soccer in many leagues great. In the U.S., if you are near the bottom of the table, the only thing you have to play for is respect or tank a season on purpose for a better draft pick. I love relegation. It gives the bottom clubs something to play for. So for Fulham, our "championship" will be staying up in the premiership for another season.  There is much to play for.

With a "new" season comes new players. Fulham have been quite busy during the transfer period, adding new strikers & defenders. Two of our new faces should see action today (Leon Andreasen and Brede Hangeland) as Fulham looks for their 3rd victory of the season and their first road victory in almost a year and a half.

Fulham got their first victory of the season back in August when they defeated Bolton 2-1 at the Cottage. I remember that match well. We were coming off a tough 2-1 loss to Arsenal to kick off the season and after defeating Bolton, I figured we were on our way to my predicted Top 10 finish. It was a good way to start off THAT new season, unfortunately we know what ended up happing. A victory over Bolton today will do much to kick off THIS new season in a positive manner. The road to the 2008-2009 Premiership season begins at the Reebok today.

I think Jimmy Bullard is due to have a big match. I see him scoring today. The road blues end today with a 1-0 victory and a renewed confidence heading into the home fixture versus Aston Villa this weekend.  Speaking of Aston Villa, I heard on TV last night that they may be close to signing USA standout Brad Guzan.  The good news is, even if Villa signs the talented goalkeeper, he won't be ready to go until after the match at Fulham.

COYW!

Here's what Roy Hodgson had to say:

‘I am delighted to be able to welcome Erik to Fulham. He is a player that I know well and I am confident he will contribute to the squad to assist us in this, and further, campaigns. Erik has great attributes and played an important part in keeping FK Viking in the Norwegian First Division.

"After joining FC Groningen he quickly established himself as a firm favourite both with the fans, and with the management, and it has been no easy task securing his signature at Fulham. However, Erik’s desire to play in the Premier League and to find a new challenge has enabled us to bring him to the Club, and it is very pleasing that we have been able to do so.’

Nevland is 30 years old, which to most people means his best soccer is behind him. But I have trust in Roy Hodgson and if he feels Nevland would be a key to keeping us up, hell, the guy has my support. Welcome to the Cottage Erik!

Here are some quick notes & random thoughts to kick off your Monday:

-Fulham returns to the pitch tomorrow as they take on Bolton. This is a match we should win. It will be interesting to see how different the starting 11 looks. The match is at the Reebok and will be televised on tape delay in the U.S. at 5pm, which is perfect for me because I get off work around 5pm. I might miss the first 5 minutes of the match is all. Just gotta avoid spoilers prior to five.

-The London Wasps lost to Gloucester this weekend 18-17. I was following the match online and at half time, Wasps were down 12-3. A great comeback for the Wasps but they fell just short. They remain in 7th I believe in the table. By the way, the tables will be updated later today here at Try Gol.

-I asked my wife this morning what Tiger Woods does with all of his trophies. I mean, he must have a wing of his house dedicated to awards. My wife's theory is that he just chucks them into a big pile in his basement.

-The USA Sevens rugby team returns to action and have a busy 2 weeks a head of them. First up is the New Zealand Sevens and the Eagles have a nice draw as they will take on Argentina, Scotland & Tonga on the opening day, which are all winnable matches. I'll have complete New Zealand Sevens coverage this week, with a preview on Thursday & match results on Friday & Saturday. Hopefully the Eagles can put forth another great effort ahead of the USA Sevens a week later. Their draw for that tournament is much tougher.

-We (Cilla & myself) spent the weekend working on the "new" Try Gol. I think it could end up being ready sooner than I thought. It's looking pretty sweet so far. After we launch the new blog I will then shift my attention to creating a weekly podcast.

Thats it for now. Oh yeah, check out "A pilgrimage for George" as George H. writes about his first trip to Craven Cottage. Good stuff.

*Como já havíamos anunciado, Eddie Johnson é oficialmente um jogador do Fulham FC, da Premier League inglesa, e sua contratação já está no site oficial do clube. Apenas lhe faltava o visto de trabalho para poder ser anunciado. Tomara que ele consiga ajudar o Fulham a fugir do rebaixamento.

Eddie Johnson sobre sua transferência para o Fulham:

*Invasão sul-americana no DC United! Pelo visto, a experiência com latinos foi boa em Washington e o DC anunciou mais 3 reforços sul-americanos:

-O argentino Marcelo Gallardo. Já foi confirmado no ESPN Deportes que o meia-atacante, ex-River Plate e Monaco, que estava no Paris Saint-Germain vem para DC. Gallardo, de 32 anos, já fez 44 jogos pela seleção argentina, tendo participado de duas Copas do Mundo. Com certeza, uma contratação de peso, que veio para substituir o goleador Christian Gómez, que está de saída, provavelmente para o Colorado Rapids. Seu salário ficará na casa dos US$ 1,3 milhões por ano;

-O zagueiro colombiano Gonzalo Martinez, ex-Millonarios e com passagens pela seleção, que já foi inclusive anunciado no site oficial;

*E o atacante argentino Franco Niell, ex-Argentinos Juniors, por empréstimo de um ano.

*Como se não fosse suficiente, segundo o repórter Steve Goff, o DC United estaria negociando com o goleiro peruano Jose Carvallo, que deve ser anunciado ainda nessa semana.

*O Colorado Rapids também está se reforçando: foi anunciada a contratação do zagueiro americano Chase "El Gringo" Hilgenbrinck McDonald, que defendia o Ñublense, do Chile(!).

Can't wait till he scores his first goal so all the haters can shut up about this. I remember in some forums last year, Dempsey got hated on until he became Fulham's savior. I doubt we'll wait that long for Eddie to score.

By the way, I added Life As A Cottager to my "Fulham Blogs" section to the left hand side of the website. Looks to be another great FFC blog.

The following was nicked from the Fulham FC website:

Following a hearing at a tribunal held in London earlier today, Fulham Football Club is pleased to announce that Eddie Johnson has been granted a work permit. The US international striker has signed a three-and-a-half year deal from The MLS that will see him remain at the Club until the summer of 2011.

23 year-old Johnson joined the Kansas City Wizards in the 2006 season and scored on his debut. He received his first cap and scored his first goal for the senior US national team against El Salvador on 9 October 2004, becoming one of an elite group of American players to get his first international goal in a World Cup Qualifier. He then scored a hat-trick in his second appearance, all in a 17-minute span against Panama, just four days later. Johnson scored a total of seven goals in his first six World Cup Qualifiers and has been the source of much speculation linking him with a move to the Premier League.

Roy Hodgson said:

"I have made no secret of the fact that I believe the squad lacks a certain balance in specific areas of the team and following the loss of Brian McBride to injury, this is true of our strike force.

"At 6’1'' inches tall Eddie has the presence that will complement the other forwards within our squad and he has the ability to offer us another dimension to our attacking play. I am delighted that he has joined us and am grateful to the representatives from the Home Office for granting him the work permit which will enable him to play for us as soon as possible."

I'm beyond thrilled to hear this news. I think Eddie is a great fit for the squad and will provide speed that our club currently lacks. I've argued at length with fellow supporters regarding this move and in most cases, people shouted me down. I'm telling you, Eddie will be a great addition to this squad and a year from now, I will say "I told you so" every chance I get.

Welcome to Craven Cottage Eddie!!!

The conditions at Bristol's Memorial Stadium were terrible and at the end of regulation and overtime, we went to penalty kicks (Yes, I said "Penalty Kicks", blow me). Bristol would beat us 5-3 on pk's to advance to Round 4.

Sometimes you need to hit rock bottom before you can turn things around. Hell that happened in my personal life and I can tell you, I'm a better man for it. I feel Fulham are at that stage right now as a club. We have like 4 months to avoid relegation. Time to kick it into high gear or we will be chilin' in the Championship next season.

Starting with the Norwegian, Fulham are close to signing a deal with striker Erik Nevland.  Nevland played for Roy Hodgson when Roy was the head man at Viking FC.  He's scored a ton of goals for his current club, FC Gronigen and apparently Roy feels Erik will be a nice fit for the club. Not sure how I feel about this seeing as how I never watch Norwegian soccer but at this point, it can't get any worse at the Cottage, so, whatever.

Roy also seems impressed with South Korean striker Cho Jae Jin. He currently plays for Shimizu S-Pulse. He's been having trials at Craven Cottage for the past week. I guess other European clubs have shown interest in the past but S-Pulse seems to want to hang on to the guy. Not sure this deal will happen.

I'm still waiting to hear about the situations with Marlon King & Eddie Johnson. Marlon failed a physical and Johnson has a hearing apparently this week to find out if he can get a work permit or not.

Should be another fun week. Remember, the FA Cup replay with Bristol is tomorrow. From what I've been able to gather, there is no TV coverage in the U.S., so I'm going to have to follow a match cast from work or something.