25 Years

[CFuller]

JUNE 2011

With my first season as Fulham manager now in the books, I had a bit more freedom to rebuild the set-up at Craven Cottage. I began by taking a closer look at my backroom staff.

 

Long-time coaches Dave Bentley and Colin Greenall both departed the Cottage by mutual consent. Technical coach Paul Tisdale - who left Kidderminster shortly after I did - shacked up in west London and was delighted to be working with me once again.

 

Sadly, none of my other lieutenants from either Kidderminster or Dagenham & Redbridge were interested in any reunions, so I had to source another coach from elsewhere. That man was master tactician Gavin Dykes - a 43-year-old Irishman who had been a coach at Sligo Rovers for nine years, having previously captained them to victory in the FAI Cup in 1994.

 

In terms of the playing staff, Fulham's summer exodus began with Idan Tal completing his free transfer to Beitar Jerusalem, back home in his native Israel. Box-to-box midfielder Gary McDonald dropped down to Division 2 with newly-relegated Dagenham & Redbridge, who also bought our reserve winger Michael Christie for £250,000.

 

Veteran defender Kevin Christie (no relation to Michael) and holding midfielder Karl Brookes also departed on free transfers, having seen out their contracts in the reserves. Winger Kenny Hay - who spent half a season on loan with Farnborough - and Scotland Under-21s striker Diego Guerra were two younger players who had not done enough to earn new contracts.

 

Right-back Kevin Dawson returned to Aston Villa at the end of his loan. Though the 29-year-old Yorkshireman had put in some solid performances during his nine-game stay with the Cottagers, a permanent transfer was never on the cards.

 

After two years in west London, Bo Svensson moved to much warmer climes. The 31-year-old Danish centre-back had been too erratic for my liking, so when Salamanca of the Spanish Segunda División offered us £500,000 to sign him, I was happy to take the money.

 

However, there was one defender I was not happy to see go out the Craven Cottage door.

 

As the season reached its end, I was informed that George McCartney's present contract - which he signed back in May 2008 - was no longer protected. This meant that he was free to discuss terms and sign for another club, with the transfer fee being agreed by a tribunal.

 

Naturally, I decided to try and sign my captain and left-back down to a new long-term contract at the Cottage. Negotiations were at an advanced stage when George's agent suddenly delivered a bombshell. Arsenal had renewed their interest in McCartney... and the former Premiership champions had offered him a better deal than we could give him.

 

This was devastating news. Back in December, I had batted away a £5million offer from Manchester City - and then a £2million offer from Arsenal - for McCartney. Now, after nine years of loyal service to Fulham, the Northern Irishman was heading to Highbury without my consent... and the tribunal set the transfer fee at just £1.5million.

 

Of course, I was furious... with myself. My stubbornness and lack of foresight had cost the club its inspirational leader AND a potential financial windfall. It was THE biggest mistake of my 10-year managerial career so far.

 

I certainly didn't want to make any more mistakes on the contract front, so I tied the talented young midfielder Tom Mølby to a new long-term deal. We also finally agreed fresh terms with centre-back Curtis Davies, who backed down on his wage demands and agreed to stay on until 2015.

 

In terms of new signings, I was given £4million by the Fulham board to spend on new players. Naturally, a good chunk of that would go on buying a new left-back.

 

That man was Arnar Guðmundsson - a 22-year-old Iceland international who had been at Hibernian since he was a teenager. Hibs had agreed to send him to us on a season-long loan, but Arnar wanted a permanent transfer after warming the Easter Road bench for years. Eventually, we agreed to pay Hibs £1.5million - and gave Guðmundsson a six-year contract worth £15,000 per week.

 

We also forked out £400,000 for Wolves centre-back Jerel Ifil. As well as being a strong aerial presence, Ifil is an aggressive and intelligent stopper. Though the 29-year-old plays for Saint Lucia internationally, he is originally from west London, so I'm sure many Fulham fans will be pleased to see another local lad in the team.

 

Then, having lost a defender to Arsenal, we decided to bring in a defender from Highbury. Peter Mitchell is a 24-year-old Scot who had just been released by the Gunners after six years on the fringes of the first-team. This is Mitchell's second spell at Fulham, having previously been sent here on loan during the 2008/2009 season.

 

Mitchell might be a natural centre-back, but I plan to retrain him as a right-back. He's quick, he distributes the ball well, and his crossing ability is pretty handy as well.

 

And then there is Florian Schneider. No, he isn't the fella from Kraftwerk. He's a DM, and he's looking good.

 

A tough-tackling but technically-skilled defensive midfielder, Schneider started his career at hometown club Aachen and made nearly 200 appearances between 2003 and 2010. He was also part of the Germany Under-23s team who won gold on home soil at the 2008 Berlin Olympics. After missing the whole of the 2010/2011 season due to injury, the 26-year-old was now ready for a fresh challenge in England.

 

We also welcomed a couple of young prospects to our reserves. Promising 18-year-old midfielder Colm Ryan was promoted from the youth team, while Derek McIntyre - a 16-year-old left-footed forward - arrived on a free transfer.

 

Lastly, congratulations to Paul McVeigh, who was voted the Fulham Fans' Player of the Year after hitting 26 goals in all competitions. It's the fourth year in a row that McVeigh has won the award - an impressive club record that underlines his status as a Fulham favourite.

 

Can the ageing Ulsterman keep up that excellent form for one more season? More importantly, can our younger talents and new signings back him up - and help us launch a serious challenge for promotion?

[CFuller]

ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL...

• Barcelona win their eighth La Liga title in nine years, finishing just two points clear of Valencia. They secure the title with a 1-0 final-day victory over Las Palmas, in which Lionel Messi scores his 31st goal of the season - his 40th in all competitions.
• England are among the first teams to qualify for Euro 2012. Celtic midfielder John Eustace scores on his debut as the Three Lions triumph 2-1 in Iceland to top their group with six straight victories. Roma left-back Ashley Cole leads by example after taking over as captain, despite an incident at the Bisham Abbey training base, where Cole accidentally shoots the young Sheffield Wednesday keeper Jonathan Berry.
• Matthias Sammer - the manager of Bundesliga mid-tablers Borussia Mönchengladbach - watches the Aussie TV soap "Neighbours", in which Serbian forward Milan Jovanovic is named "one of the greatest soccer players in the world". Sammer is so inspired that he pays £8.75million for Jovanovic, who netted 21 goals this season... for Unterhaching, in Germany's second division.
• Manchester United rebuild their squad after another trophyless season, signing Juventus centre-back Martín Demichelis for £12million and Real Madrid midfielder Frank Lampard for £3.8million. United also recruit the newly-capped 23-year-old France forward Gilles Borbiconi, who scored 11 goals in Ligue 1 for Marseille.
• After scoring 28 goals in 35 Premiership matches for Arsenal, Patrick Kluivert decides that one season in England is enough for him. The 34-year-old striker returns to Holland and becomes player-manager of Eindhoven. No, not PSV - that’s FC Eindhoven, who’ve just been promoted to the Eredivisie.

 

IN OTHER NEWS...

• Cows across the world rejoice as the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization announces that rinderpest - described as the cattle plague - has been fully eradicated. It is only the second disease (after smallpox) to be wiped out worldwide.
• Two months after a spectacular final-round collapse at the Masters, Rory McIlroy bounces back to win the first major title of his golf career. The 22-year-old from Northern Ireland wins the US Open by eight strokes - and with a record low score.
• After their "Party Rock Anthem" becomes a worldwide smash hit, electronic 'music' duo LMFAO release their second studio album and say "Sorry For Party Rocking". Apology rejected, guys. Now go away and never come back!
• Just one more thing. Did you know that Columbo died? Peter Falk - who played the modest murder detective on screen across five decades - passes away aged 83 following a battle with Alzheimer’s disease.

[CFuller]

SEASON REVIEW 2010/2011

ENGLAND

NOTE: All goals and assist records relate to league matches only.

 

PREMIERSHIP

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st  C  Chelsea                         38   15   3    1    46   11   12   4    3    43   23   88   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2nd     Leeds                           38   13   2    4    37   15   12   3    4    31   17   80   
3rd     Liverpool                       38   14   5    0    32   8    9    5    5    21   16   79   
4th     Man Utd                         38   14   4    1    45   12   10   1    8    34   31   77   
5th     Southampton                     38   14   4    1    26   7    5    7    7    20   24   68   
6th     Arsenal                         38   13   3    3    40   19   5    4    10   26   36   61   
7th     Coventry                        38   12   4    3    35   21   4    6    9    21   29   58   
8th     Stoke                           38   9    7    3    22   13   4    4    11   14   30   50   
9th     Everton                         38   10   5    4    30   19   3    5    11   16   34   49   
10th    Bolton                          38   12   2    5    27   12   1    7    11   12   29   48   
11th    Crystal Palace                  38   8    7    4    37   26   5    2    12   14   36   48   
12th    Sheff Wed                       38   11   3    5    32   21   2    5    12   20   39   47   
13th    Newcastle                       38   14   0    5    42   26   1    2    16   15   45   47   
14th    Middlesbrough                   38   8    3    8    34   29   4    5    10   21   33   44   
15th    Ipswich                         38   11   3    5    36   21   2    2    15   17   43   44   
16th    Burnley                         38   11   3    5    42   26   2    2    15   7    35   44   
17th    Bradford                        38   10   1    8    37   34   4    1    14   16   34   44   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18th R  Man City                        38   8    6    5    25   18   2    4    13   23   46   40   
19th R  Wolves                          38   7    3    9    39   42   2    0    17   19   54   30   
20th R  Blackburn                       38   4    3    12   13   27   2    2    15   17   43   23   

 

Top Goalscorer - Patrick Kluivert (Arsenal): 28.

Most Assists - Lee Bowyer (Leeds): 13.

Highest Average Rating - Cristiano Ronaldo (Chelsea): 8.52.

 

PFA Player of the Year - Cristiano Ronaldo (Chelsea).

PFA Young Player of the Year - not awarded.

 

DIVISION 1

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st  C  Crewe                           46   18   3    2    51   19   9    4    10   27   33   88   
2nd  P  Torquay                         46   16   5    2    48   19   8    6    9    32   36   83   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd     Charlton                        46   10   9    4    32   17   11   9    3    27   16   81   
4th     Swindon                         46   15   4    4    34   16   7    8    8    31   30   78   
5th  P  Grimsby                         46   13   8    2    42   21   7    8    8    24   24   76   
6th     Birmingham                      46   14   3    6    46   34   9    3    11   52   61   75   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7th     West Ham                        46   12   8    3    31   14   7    8    8    21   20   73   
8th     Fulham                          46   14   4    5    37   22   7    6    10   33   37   73   
9th     Notts Co                        46   13   5    5    44   25   8    4    11   37   43   72   
10th    Sheff Utd                       46   14   4    5    59   36   6    6    11   33   43   70   
11th    Preston                         46   16   4    3    47   25   5    3    15   18   40   70   
12th    Huddersfield                    46   10   5    8    29   24   8    10   5    24   20   69   
13th    Nottm Forest                    46   16   2    5    51   34   5    4    14   27   46   69   
14th    Chesterfield                    46   11   5    7    35   25   8    6    9    38   48   68   
15th    Norwich                         46   14   4    5    52   31   5    4    14   30   52   65   
16th    Tottenham                       46   14   3    6    45   28   4    6    13   30   44   63   
17th    W.B.A.                          46   11   4    8    41   36   6    6    11   24   32   61   
18th    Sunderland                      46   9    8    6    25   20   4    4    15   17   32   51   
19th    Kidderminster                   46   10   7    6    29   20   4    2    17   21   42   51   
20th    Aston Villa                     46   9    6    8    36   37   3    6    14   23   39   48   
21st    Carlisle                        46   12   6    5    45   32   0    3    20   11   58   45   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22nd R  Dag & Red                       46   6    11   6    14   13   3    5    15   13   28   43   
23rd R  Millwall                        46   9    6    8    31   28   0    6    17   15   46   39   
24th R  Bristol City                    46   3    4    16   18   41   1    1    21   9    52   17   

 

DIVISION 2

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st  C  Gillingham                      46   16   3    4    44   23   10   5    8    40   43   86   
2nd  P  Macclesfield                    46   19   4    0    69   28   6    6    11   33   45   85   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd     Peterborough                    46   15   3    5    32   17   9    5    9    30   30   80   
4th     Hull                            46   17   5    1    47   21   5    5    13   32   44   76   
5th  P  Darlington                      46   11   7    5    43   25   11   2    10   35   33   75   
6th     Tranmere                        46   15   7    1    33   12   4    9    10   25   30   73   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7th     Rotherham                       46   13   6    4    42   22   7    6    10   25   32   72   
8th     Derby                           46   11   6    6    37   30   8    8    7    33   34   71   
9th     Doncaster                       46   14   5    4    41   21   4    10   9    26   33   69   
10th    Wrexham                         46   11   10   2    22   8    7    5    11   23   30   69   
11th    Northampton                     46   13   5    5    53   38   7    3    13   43   56   68   
12th    Luton                           46   11   7    5    25   15   5    8    10   17   19   63   
13th    Cardiff                         46   12   4    7    48   34   6    3    14   31   42   61   
14th    Leicester                       46   14   1    8    32   27   3    9    11   26   41   61   
15th    Shrewsbury                      46   12   5    6    40   31   4    5    14   25   40   58   
16th    Cambridge Utd                   46   11   7    5    41   33   5    3    15   23   41   58   
17th    Rochdale                        46   14   2    7    44   37   3    5    15   31   51   58   
18th    Barnsley                        46   7    4    12   47   51   9    5    9    36   36   57   
19th    Leyton Orient                   46   12   6    5    28   16   3    6    14   17   33   57   
20th    Oxford                          46   9    6    8    44   44   7    0    16   37   49   54   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21st R  Brentford                       46   10   8    5    43   40   4    3    16   23   47   53   
22nd R  Mansfield                       46   10   5    8    29   22   3    7    13   21   38   51   
23rd R  Reading                         46   7    6    10   32   34   4    4    15   36   53   43   
24th R  Q.P.R.                          46   6    3    14   30   56   3    3    17   17   46   33   

 

DIVISION 3

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st  C  Oldham                          46   14   2    7    37   23   16   3    4    37   20   95   
2nd  P  Northwich Vics                  46   15   3    5    47   20   11   3    9    34   31   84   
3rd  P  Wigan                           46   16   4    3    48   23   10   1    12   31   33   83   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4th  P  Blackpool                       46   13   7    3    46   24   9    7    7    32   29   80   
5th     Wycombe                         46   13   5    5    44   34   10   6    7    35   26   80   
6th     Stockport                       46   12   3    8    41   31   10   4    9    38   35   73   
7th     Watford                         46   13   7    3    34   19   8    3    12   31   37   73   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8th     Rushden                         46   11   6    6    35   26   8    8    7    28   30   71   
9th     Scunthorpe                      46   12   5    6    32   29   9    3    11   39   39   71   
10th    Bristol Rovers                  46   13   7    3    38   18   7    3    13   27   33   70   
11th    Portsmouth                      46   14   4    5    42   25   5    5    13   19   38   66   
12th    Colchester                      46   9    6    8    26   22   8    8    7    26   24   65   
13th    Stalybridge                     46   11   8    4    33   28   5    7    11   30   38   63   
14th    Bury                            46   12   5    6    35   29   6    4    13   26   40   63   
15th    Hartlepool                      46   10   8    5    26   22   6    6    11   29   33   62   
16th    Exeter                          46   9    9    5    26   19   4    10   9    18   23   58   
17th    Bournemouth                     46   11   6    6    21   13   3    9    11   11   24   57   
18th    Telford                         46   7    8    8    19   23   5    9    9    13   19   53   
19th    Swansea                         46   10   6    7    29   26   1    8    14   16   36   47   
20th    Plymouth                        46   9    4    10   28   27   2    8    13   6    21   45   
21st    Port Vale                       46   6    8    9    25   30   4    7    12   28   42   45   
22nd    Scarborough                     46   6    4    13   28   37   6    3    14   22   43   43   
23rd    Walsall                         46   9    4    10   29   32   1    6    16   20   53   40   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
24th R  Lincoln                         46   5    7    11   21   37   2    5    16   21   43   33   

 

CONFERENCE

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st  C  Morecambe                       42   15   4    2    46   19   13   4    4    42   29   92   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2nd     Bath City                       42   13   6    2    41   23   12   4    5    45   30   85   
3rd     Boston Utd                      42   14   6    1    49   23   11   3    7    31   28   84   
4th     Worksop                         42   13   6    2    40   20   11   5    5    37   27   83   
5th     Wimbledon                       42   11   5    5    35   28   10   3    8    43   43   71   
6th     Cheltenham                      42   14   2    5    37   25   7    5    9    24   27   70   
7th     Canvey Island                   42   12   2    7    40   27   7    8    6    36   27   67   
8th     Harrow Borough                  42   10   8    3    32   21   6    6    9    26   29   62   
9th     Barnet                          42   10   5    6    33   31   7    5    9    25   30   61   
10th    Yeovil                          42   11   4    6    49   45   6    4    11   35   43   59   
11th    Hereford                        42   8    9    4    35   23   6    7    8    27   29   58   
12th    Farnborough                     42   8    6    7    31   28   5    6    10   22   31   51   
13th    Nuneaton Borough                42   9    2    10   33   41   5    6    10   28   33   50   
14th    Brighton                        42   6    7    8    28   30   5    8    8    34   40   48   
15th    Salisbury                       42   11   4    6    33   31   1    7    13   22   42   47   
16th    Margate                         42   8    5    8    26   30   4    5    12   26   44   46   
17th    Clevedon                        42   8    6    7    33   23   3    6    12   17   31   45   
18th    Slough                          42   9    2    10   32   32   2    7    12   20   32   42   
19th    Merthyr Tydfil                  42   7    7    7    27   30   3    5    13   26   40   42   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20th R  York                            42   9    6    6    26   20   1    5    15   16   42   41   
21st R  Colwyn Bay                      42   6    5    10   24   26   4    1    16   16   37   36   
22nd R  Ilkeston Town                   42   5    6    10   33   43   3    3    15   21   49   33   

 

Promoted to Conference: Burton Albion, Kingstonian, Runcorn.

 

FA Cup: Ipswich 2-0 Chelsea.

League Cup: Bolton 2-1 Newcastle.

Community Shield: Liverpool 1-0 Arsenal.

Football League Trophy: Gillingham 2-1 Hartlepool.

[CFuller]

OTHER LEAGUES

 

FRANCE

Ligue 1

Top Three: Nantes (1st), Toulouse (2nd), Marseille (3rd).

Relegated: Rennes (18th), Sochaux (19th), Lens (20th).

Promoted from Ligue 2: Lusitanos (1st), Ajaccio AC (2nd), Dijon (3rd).

 

Top Goalscorer - Fabio Biagi (Lille), Alexandr Shirko (Nantes): 19.

Most Assists - Néstor Fabián Canobbio (Monaco): 12.

Highest Average Rating - Francisco Salazar (Toulouse): 8.21.

 

Coupe de France: Nantes 1-0 Grenoble.

Coupe de la Ligue: Nantes 2-0 Paris-SG.

 

GERMANY

1. Bundesliga

Top Three: Dortmund (1st), VfB Stuttgart (2nd), Werder Bremen (3rd).

Relegated: Ahlen (16th), Frankfurt (17th), St Pauli (18th).

Promoted from 2. Bundesliga: Bielefeld (1st), Unterhaching (2nd), SVW Mannheim (3rd).

 

Top Goalscorer - Milan Baros (Hertha BSC), Javier Saviola (VfB Stuttgart): 17.

Most Assists - Wesley Sneijder (1.FC Köln): 17.

Highest Average Rating - Javier Saviola (VfB Stuttgart): 7.76.

 

DFB-Pokal: VfB Stuttgart 2-1 Schalke 04.

DFB-Liga Pokal: VfB Stuttgart 2-0 Nürnberg.

 

HOLLAND

Eredivisie

Top Three: PSV (1st), Ajax (2nd), Feyenoord (3rd).

Relegated: Cambuur (16th), MVV (17th), De Graafschap (18th).

Promoted from Eerste Divisie: Volendam (1st), Eindhoven (2nd), NAC (3rd).

 

Top Goalscorer - Mateja Kezman (PSV): 23.

Most Assists - Brett Emerton (Feyenoord): 15.

Highest Average Rating - Mateja Kezman (PSV): 8.32.

 

KNVB Beker: Ajax 4-1 PSV.

 

ITALY

Serie A

Top Three: Roma (1st), Lazio (2nd), Milan (3rd).

Relegated: Vicenza (15th), Bari (16th), Fiorentina (17th), Fiorenzuola (18th).

Promoted from Serie B: Napoli (1st), Genoa (2nd), Cosenza (3rd), Chievo (4th).

 

Top Goalscorer - Sergio Zani (Roma): 20.

Most Assists - Mauro Capuano (Roma): 11.

Highest Average Rating - Andriy Shevchenko (Inter): 8.00.

 

Coppa Italia: Milan 3-1 Roma (aggregate).

 

PORTUGAL

Primeira Liga

Top Three: Porto (1st), Sporting (2nd), Vitória Setúbal (3rd).

Relegated: Leiria (16th), Braga (17th), Campomaiorense (18th).

Promoted from Segunda Liga: Salgueiros (1st), Ovarense (2nd), Barreirense (3rd).

 

Top Goalscorer - Rogério Batista (Académica): 26.

Most Assists - Deco (Porto): 14.

Highest Average Rating - Saeed Nasrullah Al-Kuwari (Estrela Amadora): 8.15.

 

Taça de Portugal: Maia 2-0 Braga.

 

SCOTLAND

Premier League

Top Three: Rangers (1st), Celtic (2nd), Aberdeen (3rd).

Relegated: Hearts (12th).

Promoted from Division 1: Dundee (1st).

 

Top Goalscorer - Gordon Weir (Celtic): 21.

Most Assists - Alex (Rangers), Arjen Robben (Rangers): 10.

Highest Average Rating - Gordon Weir (Celtic): 8.14.

 

Scottish Cup: Rangers 4-1 Aberdeen.

League Cup: Rangers 4-0 Aberdeen.

 

SPAIN

La Liga

Top Three: Barcelona (1st), Valencia (2nd), Real Madrid (3rd).

Relegated: Villarreal (18th), Córdoba (19th), Real Sociedad (20th).

Promoted from Segunda División: Extremadura (1st), Oviedo (2nd), Málaga (3rd).

 

Top Goalscorer - Lionel Messi (Barcelona): 31.

Most Assists - Xavi (Barcelona): 14.

Highest Average Rating - Lionel Messi (Barcelona): 8.61.

 

Copa del Rey: Oviedo 2-1 Barcelona (aet).

 

CONTINENTAL & INTERNATIONAL

 

CLUB

Champions League: Dortmund 2-1 Barcelona - in London.

UEFA Cup: Marseille 2-0 Atalanta - in Amsterdam.

Super Cup: Celtic 2-1 Barcelona.

 

Intercontinental Cup: Barcelona 4-0 Flamengo.

 

FIFA World Player of the Year - David Trezeguet (Dortmund & France).

World Footballer of the Year - Cristiano Ronaldo (Chelsea & Portugal).

African Player of the Year - Samuel Eto'o (Dortmund & Cameroon).

European Player of the Year - Djibril Cissé (Man Utd & France).

South American Player of the Year - Falcao (River & Colombia).

Oceania Player of the Year - Harry Kewell (FC Bayern & Australia).

 

LEADING TRANSFERS (Premiership)

DATE       NAME                        POSITIONS     FROM                TO                  FEE
25/06/11   Martín Demichelis           D C           Juventus            Man Utd             £12M
07/07/10   Maicon                      D R           Porto               Man Utd             £10.75M
04/08/10   Carlos Arturo Marinelli     AM LC         River               Chelsea             £9M
23/07/10   Ledley King                 D C           Rangers             Liverpool           £8.75M
05/07/10   Stephan Lichtsteiner        D/M R         Sunderland          Leeds               £8.5M
19/07/10   Paul Hill                   DM C          Notts Co            Southampton         £8.25M
05/08/10   Michael Carrick             DM C          Man City            Bolton              £8.25M
07/07/10   Kevin Hofland               D C           PSV                 Man Utd             £8M
11/07/10   Sebastian Larsson           M LC          Sunderland          Bradford            £6.75M
10/08/10   Nick Ball                   DM C          Everton             Middlesbrough       £6.25M

 

LEADING TRANSFERS (not including Premiership)

DATE       NAME                        POSITIONS     FROM                TO                  FEE
17/07/10   Tomas Rosicky               AM/F RC       VfB Stuttgart       Dortmund            £19M
24/07/10   Pablo Aimar                 AM C          Schalke 04          Hertha BSC          £13.75M
15/12/10   Gabriel Milito              SW/D C        Juventus            Barcelona           £12.5M
22/07/10   Kaká                        AM/F LC       São Paulo           Lazio               £12.25M
17/01/11   Nihat                       F RC          Besiktas            Rangers             £12.25M
30/07/10   Rafael                      DM C          Cruzeiro            Porto               £12M
15/12/10   Anthony Reveillère          D RL          Arsenal             Barcelona           £12M
30/11/10   Ji-Sung Park                DM RC         Schalke 04          VfB Stuttgart       £10.75M
15/12/10   Hugo Valdir Da Cunha        AM C          Benfica             Marseille           £10.25M
02/01/11   Matteo Brighi               DM LC         Milan               Lazio               £10.25M

[CFuller]

JULY 2011

My first full season at Fulham was on the horizon, and I had a good feeling about this one. Having taken the Cottagers to within a couple of points of the Division 1 play-offs, I believed that we could now go a step further.

 

The Fulham board didn't fancy our chances quite so much. Their expectations were simply to "stay clear of relegation", having finished in 21st place in each of the three campaigns prior to my mid-season arrival last November. That negative mindset was something I would look to change over the coming months.

 

Ahead of the new campaign, I had started to build a team that I believed could realistically challenge for promotion to the Premiership. The new defensive trio of wing-back Arnar Guðmundsson and centre-halves Jerel Ifil and Peter Mitchell would strengthen a rather shaky Cottagers backline that had been significantly weakened by captain George McCartney's shock departure to Arsenal.

 

Defensive midfielder Florian Schneider was the only other major addition to the squad, though I did bring in a handful of young prospects. These included a couple of Norwegian talents, who arrived just before we began our pre-season training camp in northern Scotland.

 

The skilful 16-year-old attacking midfielder Atle Iversen signed on a free transfer, having recently been released by Lillestrøm. We then paid an initial £150,000 to second-division side Clausenengen for Henning Numme - a 17-year-old holding midfielder who had coveted interest from Lyon in Ligue 1.

 

Meanwhile, backup goalkeeper Mike Edwards was sold for £230,000 to Carlisle. Edwards had spent part of the previous campaign on loan at Hartlepool in Division 3, and although the 28-year-old was a pretty capable shotstopper, he was not quite of the same quality as first-teamers Wayne Hudson and Jimmy Wilkinson.

 

I was now pretty happy with my squad and was in an optimistic mood when we arrived in the Highlands for our opening two friendlies. The first of them was against Scottish Division 2 side Elgin City, who were managed by a certain former Fulham boss. Yes, unbelievably, Kevin Keegan was still in charge at Borrough Briggs, and had been for almost a decade now!

 

For this match, I decided to try out a new variation of the 4-1-4-1 - with the two wingers pushed up into the attacking midfield strata to provide more support for the lone striker. I would love it if this tactical switch worked... LOVE IT!

 

19 JULY 2011: Elgin City vs Fulham

Though some sloppy passing gave Elgin far more possession than we would have liked, we were still far too strong for the hosts. Anestis Agritis opened the scoring with a 17th-minute scorcher after some good build-up play from midfielder Neil Danns.

 

Two debutant midfielders then linked up to double our lead early in the second half. Florian Schneider's free-kick was finished by a header from 17-year-old Henning Numme, who celebrated his first Fulham goal by dancing to a cheesy Moldovan pop song. Kevin Keegan did not love it.

 

Elgin City - 0

Fulham - 2 (Agritis 17, Numme 56)

Friendly, Attendance 2,611

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-1-4-1 Attacking): Hudson (Price); Mitchell (Edwards), Davies, Piccolo (Ifil), Guðmundsson (Magnusson); Schneider (Núñez); Danns (Gibson), Numme; Iversen (Smith), Cable (McIntyre); Agritis (McVeigh). BOOKED: Guðmundsson.

 

While our pre-season was off to a good start, the smile was wiped off my face the next morning... when Mitchell was absent from training. I eventually found the Scottish defender fast asleep in his hotel after a night of heavy drinking. Furious, I sent him home - and warned him that any further misconduct would not be tolerated.

 

A few days later, we faced Inverness Caledonian Thistle, who finished 2nd in Division 1 last season - narrowly missing out on a first-ever promotion to the Scottish Premier League.

 

23 JULY 2011: Inverness Caledonian Thistle vs Fulham

I'll be honest with you - this match was absolute garbage. Neither team could string together more than a few passes at a time, and the only shot on target was a very tame free-kick from Fulham winger Michael Gibson late on. Those poor souls at the Caledonian Stadium all deserved a refund after sitting through 90 minutes of misery.

 

Inverness Caledonian Thistle - 0

Fulham - 0

Friendly, Attendance 2,115

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-1-4-1 Attacking): Wilkinson (Hudson); Bowater (Edwards), Richardson, Thatcher (Piccolo), Magnusson (Guðmundsson); Schneider (Smith); Mølby (Núñez), Numme (Gibson); Ormerod, Bouchiba (Cable); Butler (McVeigh).

 

That match was quickly forgotten, and focus turned towards our next friendly match away to Derby. Then the League Cup Round 1 draw took place, and we were drawn away to... erm, Derby.

 

While it was tempting to use this friendly match as a dress rehearsal for the cup game, I spoke with Derby's manager Steve McClaren, and we agreed that it didn't make sense to go ahead. The friendly was cancelled, and we instead had a full week of training to prepare for our first home fixture of pre-season.

 

The first visitors to Craven Cottage this summer were the back-to-back League Cup holders Bolton. How would our new-look 4-1-4-1 look up against Bruce Grobbelaar's low-block defence?

 

30 JULY 2011: Fulham vs Bolton Wanderers

This was slightly livelier than our last game. Bolton forward Jermaine Johnson forced three very good saves out of our goalkeeper Wayne Hudson, while the rest of our defence did a great job of frustrating the Trotters to keep another clean sheet. Things didn't look so good, as playmaker Tom Mølby had a 32nd-minute goal disallowed, and our attackers struggled to find the target for the next hour. Another bore draw.

 

Fulham - 0

Bolton Wanderers - 0

Friendly, Attendance 4,180

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-1-4-1 Attacking): Hudson (Wilkinson); Mitchell (Bowater), Davies, Ifil (Thatcher), Guðmundsson (Magnusson); Schneider (Núñez); Mølby (Gibson), Danns; Ormerod (Hughes), Bouchiba (Cable); Agritis (McVeigh). BOOKED: Schneider.

 

Good news... we've worked out how to defend! Hudson was inspirational in goal once again, and there was no doubt that someone with his consistency and leadership was the right man to take over the Fulham captaincy full-time.

 

Now... if we could figure out how to start scoring again, that would be great!

[CFuller]

ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL...

• Having led Southampton to their first top-five finish in 36 years, Guus Hiddink shaves off his moustache and retires from management aged 64. Hiddink is succeeded by ex-Ajax boss Bob Bradley, who becomes the second American to coach a Premiership club - following in the footsteps of Newcastle's Brian Quinn.
• Manchester United add even more experience to an ageing team, as they sign Porto striker Miroslav Klose and Blackburn goalkeeper Alex Manninger. 34-year-old Phil Neville also returns from Celtic to be reunited with his older brother... until Gary leaves to become Wycombe's new player-manager a few weeks later. Phil is gutted.
• After winning zero trophies in nine years, Zlatan Ibrahimovic's ego grows too big for Newcastle - and Rangers' new manager Bernd Krauss brings him to Ibrox for £10.75million. Meanwhile, bitter rivals Celtic smash their transfer record with the £17.5million purchase of Spain and Mallorca winger Joaquín.
• Italy goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon ends an eight-year spell at Liverpool and returns home in an £11.25million transfer to Lazio. Across the eternal city, Roma focus on strengthening their frontline, poaching Real Madrid legend Raúl and Toulouse's French goal machine Frédéric David on Bosman free transfers.
• Argentina win their first Copa America title since 2003, overcoming holders Brazil 2-1 in the Final in Asunción, Paraguay. Hertha BSC midfielder Pablo Aimar scores the winner in the 80th minute, after captain Gabriel Milito's early opener is cancelled out by Brazil defender Ricardo.

 

IN OTHER NEWS...

• Norway is rocked by two terrorist attacks on 22 July. Eight people are killed by a car bomb in central Oslo, before another 67 are shot dead at a youth summer camp on the island of Utøya. A 32-year-old far-right extremist is arrested in connection with the attacks.
• One of Britain's best-loved musicians dies suddenly at a tragically young age, leaving their legions of fans distraught. Rest in peace, Würzel - guitarist of heavy metal legends Motörhead.
• It is reported that journalists from “News of the World” - the Sunday tabloid owned by Rupert Murdoch’s News International - hacked the phones of British soldiers’ relatives, 7/7 London bombing victims, and murdered schoolgirl Milly Dowler. The scandal quickly leads to the paper’s closure, after 168 years in print.
• There isn't a dry eye in the clubhouse at Royal St George's when Darren Clarke wins his first major golf title at the Open Championship. This had been the 20th attempt at winning the Open for the popular Northern Irishman, who lost his wife Heather to cancer five years ago.

[CFuller]

Fulham squad - Start of 2011/2012 season

 

GOALKEEPERS

1. Jimmy Wilkinson - GK, age 22, English

A product of Fulham’s academy, Wilkinson is a brave, consistent and competent goalie. Unfortunately, he is overshadowed by an even better one.

 

14. Wayne Hudson - GK, age 26, English

Nobody at this club deserves the captaincy more than Hudson. He is an exceptional and almost undroppable shotstopper who always comes big when it matters.

 

DEFENDERS

2. Graham Bowater - D R, age 27, English

Former Peterborough right-back Bowater was one of last season’s surprise packages. Though he isn’t great technically, he is very solid defensively.

 

3. Ben Thatcher - D LC, age 35, Welsh [33 caps, 3 goals]

Thatcher’s experience is unrivalled at Fulham, with over 600 senior games to his name. The hot-headed stopper loves a crunching tackle but is also strong in the air.

 

4. Walter Piccolo - SW/D C, age 23, Italian

I’m starting to think that Piccolo is not a centre-back. The technically-gifted sweeper is being retrained as a holding midfield to atone for his lack of height.

 

5. Jerel Ifil - D C, age 29, Saint Lucian [4 caps]

Ifil is brave and authoritative in the air, which should make our defence tougher to beat. The former Watford and Wolves ace also has a positive attitude.

 

12. Peter Mitchell - D C, age 25, Scottish [capped at Under-21s level]

Mitchell arrives from Arsenal for a second spell at Fulham. Though he is reliable enough at centre-half, his crossing ability could be more useful at right-back.

 

15. Arnar Guðmundsson - SW/D/DM RLC, age 22, Icelandic [14 caps]

Guðmundsson is my most expensive signing so far at £1.5million. The Icelander is quick, strong, two-footed, and surely destined to be a top-class wing-back.

 

18. Curtis Davies - D C, age 26, Sierra Leonean [3 caps]

Davies signed a new contract this summer but question marks remain over him. Can the energetic and intelligent centre-back be relied upon in aerial challenges?

 

31. Nigel Proffitt - D LC, age 18, English

Left-back Proffitt works hard, is strong in the tackle, and made 12 appearances last season. That said, he probably needs to go out on loan to reach the next level.

 

MIDFIELDERS

6. Mark Smith - AM/F RC, age 21, Welsh

Despite playing over 50 games for Fulham already, Smith is still not established at Fulham. The pacey winger might benefit from another loan.

 

7. Scott Brough - AM RLC, age 28, English

Brough is a versatile winger who showed plenty of technique and creativity at points last season. Sadly, he broke his leg in March and a return is still some way off.

 

8. Neil Danns - AM RC, age 27, Guyanese [18 caps, 2 goals]

Danns isn’t the most gifted midfielder, but he’s a handy and committed team player. The Liverpudlian’s best attributes are his pace, stamina and creative vision.

 

13. Michael Gibson - M RC, age 18, English

Gibson looks to have a bright future as either a right-winger or central midfielder. The set-piece specialist is looking to kick on after a promising debut season.

 

19. Florian Schneider - DM LC, age 26, German [capped at B level]

Schneider is the no-nonsense midfield general this team lacked last season. He is strong, defensively responsible, and blessed with fine technique on both feet.

 

20. Elbekay Bouchiba - M L, age 32, Dutch

Bouchiba got 4 goals and 10 assists last season after arriving from Dagenham & Redbridge. The flying Dutch-Moroccan’s contract expires next summer.

 

21. Wayne Cable - AM L, age 17, Welsh

Speedy trickster Cable is the latest left-wing sensation to come out of Wales. He showed glimpses of his talent last term but is he ready for regular senior football?

 

22. Vicente Núñez - DM RC, age 20, Spanish

Núñez is a tireless midfielder whose all-round skills could take him to the top. My first Fulham signing has already played 14 times since joining the team in December.

 

28. Tom Mølby - AM C, age 19, Danish

Mølby made a huge breakthrough under my leadership, getting 3 goals and 6 assists. The classy attacking midfielder has the world at his feet if he can become more consistent.

 

FORWARDS

9. Paul McVeigh - S C, age 33, Northern Irish [9 caps, 1 goal]

The evergreen McVeigh had his best-ever season last term, bagging 26 goals in 44 games. He is now the club’s all-time top scorer, and hopefully there’s still more to come.

 

10. Anestis Agritis - S C, age 30, Greek [2 caps]

Explosive striker Agritis tends to get frustrated at not being a regular starter. But he does take his chances when they come, scoring 11 times in his first Fulham season.

 

11. Brett Ormerod - F RC, age 34, English

Ormerod’s 10th season at the Cottage will surely be his last. After 107 goals in 362 games, can the popular and hard-working marksman sign off in style?

 

17. Michael Butler - S C, age 17, English

Butler is a quick, tall and selfless forward, but he needs to be more clinical to make the grade. The youth graduate is still waiting for a first senior goal after 25 games.

 

RESERVES

GOALKEEPER: Craig Price (16)

DEFENDERS: Graham Edwards (18), Gary Hogg (17), Halldór Magnusson (19), Stephen Richardson (20), Dave Taylor (21)

MIDFIELDERS: James Hughes (23), Atle Iversen (17), Henning Numme (17), Colm Ryan (18)

FORWARDS: Jamie Davey (20), Derek McIntyre (16)

Edited March 29 by CFuller

[CFuller]

AUGUST 2011

Our early pre-season results had shown plenty of promise... at least on the defensive side of things. We had yet to concede a goal in three matches, though I was more concerned that we had only scored two at the other end - both against Elgin City.

 

While our new 4-1-4-1 system was clearly making us more defensively stable, I wanted to show a bit more ambition and look at alternatives. For the short trip to Division 3 side Watford, I went back to a 4-4-2 - with Paul McVeigh and Brett Ormerod continuing their long-time strike partnership.

 

2 AUGUST 2011: Watford vs Fulham

Okay, so maybe 4-4-2 isn’t the answer to our prayers. We needed to talk about Kevins in the 12th minute, when journeyman winger Kevin McLeod volleyed in a cross from striker Kevin Russell to give Watford a surprise lead. We narrowly avoided falling further behind and eventually drew level 11 minutes into the second half. Tom Mølby played a one-two with Paul McVeigh and then stung the Hornets with a lovely curler, but it wasn’t enough to spark a full-on comeback.

 

Watford - 1 (McLeod 12)

Fulham - 1 (Mølby 56)

Friendly, Attendance 8,171

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-2): Wilkinson; Bowater (Mitchell), Piccolo, Ifil (Davies), Magnusson (Guðmundsson); Gibson (Danns), Núñez (Mølby), Schneider (Numme), Bouchiba (Cable); Ormerod (Agritis), McVeigh. BOOKED: Schneider.

 

Good grief. If we’re this blunt in competitive games, there’s no chance we’re going up!

 

While I considered bolstering my attacking options even further, we looked ahead to our penultimate friendly - at home to a Crystal Palace team who finished 11th in the Premiership last season.

 

6 AUGUST 2011: Fulham vs Crystal Palace

Youth and experience combined with devastating effect in the 4th minute, when a fresh-faced Wayne Cable crossed for an evergreen Paul McVeigh to head home. Crystal Palace never recovered from that, as our high-intensity attacking game meant that they could never take it easy.

 

Joe Royle’s family got another kick up the proverbial three minutes into the second half, when a dropped catch from goalie Patrik Eklund allowed McVeigh to score again. Rounding off a dominant Fulham display was 17-year-old midfielder Atle Iversen, who came off the bench and headed in the third and final goal.

 

Fulham - 3 (McVeigh 4,48, Iversen 73)

Crystal Palace - 0

Friendly, Attendance 13,183

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-1-4-1 Attacking): Hudson; Mitchell (Bowater), Davies, Thatcher (Ifil), Guðmundsson (Magnusson); Schneider (Núñez); Mølby (Iversen), Danns; Ormerod (Gibson), Cable (Bouchiba); McVeigh (Agritis).

 

Huh. Well, that shut me up!

 

Okay, so we could do it against Crystal Palace, but could we also hack it on a cold Tuesday night in Nottinghamshire? Our final warm-up match for the new season was at Field Mill, as we faced a Mansfield team who were recently relegated to Division 3.

 

9 AUGUST 2011: Mansfield Town vs Fulham

This was a miserable game, as play frequently got bogged down in midfield, resulting in both teams managing just a single shot apiece. Ours from Michael Gibson in the 13th minute was not very lucky, deflecting off the Mansfield wall and going wide. By contrast, Stags striker Richard Fenton unleashed a perfect shot on the hour mark, soundly beating Jimmy Wilkinson with the hosts’ only effort of the game. Typi-bloody-cal.

 

Mansfield Town - 1 (R Fenton 60)

Fulham - 0

Friendly, Attendance 2,949

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-1-4-1 Attacking): Wilkinson (Price); Mitchell (Bowater), Ifil (Piccolo), Thatcher, Guðmundsson (Magnusson); Núñez (Schneider); Mølby (Iversen), Danns (Ormerod); Gibson, Cable (Bouchiba); Agritis (Butler).

 

[Sigh] I don’t know what to expect from us anymore.

 

So that’s six games played, six goals scored, two goals conceded. We only deliver the finest entertainment in this corner of west London.

 

That disastrous result against Mansfield probably didn’t bode well for the new season. Our first five competitive matches of the new campaign would all be against teams from the Midlands.

 

First up, we headed deep into the Black Country... and into the Wolves’ lair at Molineux. The Wanderers conceded 96 goals en route to another Premiership relegation last season, but in one-cap England striker Shola Ameobi, they had a bona fide goal machine who could tear up Division 1. This would not be an easy start to my first full season at Fulham.

 

13 AUGUST 2011: Wolverhampton Wanderers vs Fulham

Both goalkeepers were called into action in the first 10 minutes. Wolves goalie Michael Phillips - once of Manchester United - caught a very early header from Wayne Cable shortly after kick-off. Fulham counterpart Wayne Hudson then denied home striker Emmanuel Olisadebe - erstwhile of Northampton - in the 8th minute.

 

After an open start to this match, it was Wolves who edged in front. Former England Under-21s midfielder James Edge knocked the ball down for defender Dave Duffy, who made an unexpected run towards goal and then fired home. It was only the 26-year-old centre-back’s second senior goal, because of course it bloody was.

 

Things almost got worse for us in the 28th minute, when our new German midfielder Florian Schneider narrowly avoided a debut red card for a dangerous two-footer on Poland international Olisadebe. Schneider escaped with just a yellow, but he returned for the second half... and almost got an assist in the 52nd minute. Unfortunately, Brett Ormerod could only fire Florian’s cross into Phillips’ hands.

 

Shola Ameobi then had three chances to secure victory for Wanderers. The first two of these were saved by Hudson, but there was nothing Wayne could do about the third. With 15 minutes to go, Ameobi skipped past Ormerod, Ben Thatcher and then Tom Mølby before blasting a stunner into the top corner - a strike worthy of winning any match.

 

Wolverhampton Wanderers - 2 (Duffy 16, Ameobi 75)

Fulham - 0

Division 1, Attendance 13,238 - POSITIONS: Wolves 8th, Fulham 20th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-1-4-1 Attacking): Hudson; Bowater, Davies (Mitchell), Thatcher, Guðmundsson; Schneider (Núñez); Mølby, Danns; Ormerod, Cable; McVeigh (Agritis). BOOKED: Schneider.

 

I never expected much from that game, but the fact we never looked competitive was a major concern. Could we actually rely on 19-year-old Tom Mølby to be our playmaker this season, or was he not ready for such a big responsibility?

 

Mølby was one of three players who were dropped from the starting XI for our first home league game of the season against West Brom, who also lost 2-0 on the opening day (against Notts County). Curtis Davies and Brett Ormerod also made way, with Jerel Ifil, Michael Gibson and 21-year-old winger Mark Smith all coming into the side.

 

Smith had reached a pivotal point in his Fulham career. The Wales Under-21s international had already made 54 appearances for the Cottagers after coming through the academy, but his development had stalled and he spent the second half of last season on loan at Farnborough in the Conference. If Mark was ever to become a regular starter at Craven Cottage, he needed to show it now.

 

20 AUGUST 2011: Fulham vs West Bromwich Albion

Though West Brom tried to attack from the outset, they barely troubled Wayne Hudson in the first 20 minutes. Indeed, the deadlock would be broken at the other end in the 23rd minute, when Paul McVeigh unleashed a fierce and accurate shot from just outside Albion’s penalty area. 1-0 to Fulham!

 

Four minutes later, however, the Baggies found their bounce. Midfield maestro Wade Elliott escaped from Florian Schneider to deliver a killer cross to striker Neil Mellor, whose lethal header levelled the scores.

 

The momentum was now with West Brom, but with Hudson between the sticks, we didn’t have too much to worry about. Captain Wayne turned away a couple of efforts from Elliott either side of half-time and remained as resolute as ever, also thwarting my former Kidderminster midfielder Danny Gould.

 

Our own attacks were far from convincing, so a 1-1 draw looked to be on the cards... until substitute winger Elbekay Bouchiba won a corner off West Brom keeper Daryl Maughan in the 90th minute. Another sub - Spanish midfielder Vicente Núñez - floated a fantastic delivery into the box, and McVeigh outjumped Maughan to head in a dramatic winner! The Northern Irishman’s 100th league goal for Fulham couldn’t have come at a much more critical time!

 

Fulham - 2 (McVeigh 23,90)

West Bromwich Albion - 1 (Mellor 27)

Division 1, Attendance 14,252 - POSITIONS: Fulham 15th, West Brom 21st

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-1-4-1 Attacking): Hudson; Bowater, Ifil, Thatcher, Guðmundsson; Schneider (Agritis); Gibson (Núñez), Danns; Smith, Cable (Bouchiba); McVeigh.

 

Our league campaign was underway, but how far would we go in the League Cup? A tough test awaited us in Round 1, when we went to Pride Park to face a resurgent Derby side who had already stormed to the top of Division 2.

 

At risk of almost guaranteeing another cup upset, I tried another tactical experiment - and returned to an attack-minded 5-3-2 system that had served me well at my previous clubs.

 

23 AUGUST 2011: Derby County vs Fulham

Playing in an attacking midfield role seemed to suit Tom Mølby to the ground, as the Danish teenager opened the scoring from Arnar Guðmundsson’s cross after just seven minutes. With Wayne Hudson getting the night off, Arnar was wearing the captain’s armband - and even though the Icelander was only 23, he was already showing great leadership qualities.

 

Taking Hudson’s place in goal was the equally reliable Jimmy Wilkinson, who kept out a couple of potential quick equalisers from left-back Matthew Taylor and striker Michael Symes. Unfortunately, Jimmy could do little to stop a powerful header from right-back Darren Way, which drew Derby level in the 13th minute.

 

The next half-hour was action-packed, with both teams producing chances to move 2-1 ahead. Come the half-time whistle, however, Derby boss Steve McClaren was in a happier mood than I was. A mistake from Fulham midfielder Michael Gibson gave the ball away to his Rams counterpart Jimmy O’Connor, and the 20-year-old Scot took full advantage to put the hosts in front two minutes before half-time.

 

Thankfully, Gibson went from zero to hero just six minutes into the second half. Michael’s hanging-ball corner was headed in by Greek frontman Anestis Agritis, and the scores were back level... until Derby’s attacking midfielder Craig Disley restored their advantage in the 67th minute.

 

County’s second lead was even shorter-lived than their first, lasting just a couple of minutes. Guðmundsson chipped in a second assist, Agritis volleyed in his second goal, and now it was 3-3! But a crazy game then took ANOTHER turn in the 78th minute, when Taylor thundered in a free-kick after a foul from Walter Piccolo, putting Derby back ahead for a THIRD time!

 

With captain Rudi Coleano and the rest of the Rams backline defending deep, it would take a big effort for us to equalise once again. Our last chance to save our League Cup skins came deep into injury time, when Vicente Núñez nodded a Gibson corner goalwards. Derby keeper Norbert Ernst tried to deflect the ball away... but Ben Thatcher thrashed in the rebound with as much aggression as one of his trademark tackles! FOUR-FOUR!

 

Having played through over 90 minutes of breathtaking football, both teams looked out on their feet before extra-time, let alone half an hour later! A gruelling game eventually took its toll on one of our players, with professional hardman Thatcher coming off six minutes from the end because he’d stubbed his toe. The 35-year-old Welshman would play no part in the penalty shoot-out that would decide the outcome of this League Cup epic.

 

After the first four rounds of penalties, the scoreline in the shoot-out was exactly the same as it was in regulation time - 4-4. Sadly, this unblemished record ended when an anxious Mølby screwed his penalty wide, giving Derby the chance to secure victory. Norwegian midfielder Ole Talberg stepped forward... and then blazed the ball over Wilkinson’s crossbar! Sudden death!

 

Following Mølby’s let-off, another teenager took our sixth penalty. Alas, Cable’s effort was no match for Ernst, who put the Rams on the brink of victory once again. This time, Taylor made no mistakes, and Pride Park erupted with joy as our League Cup exploits came to an agonising end.

 

Derby County - 4 (Way 13, J O’Connor 42, Disley 67, Taylor 78)

Fulham - 4 (Mølby 7, Agritis 51,69, Thatcher 90)

[after extra-time, Derby County win 5-4 on penalties]

League Cup Round 1, Attendance 17,389

PENALTY SHOOT-OUT (Fulham, Derby): Gibson 0-1, Mair 1-1, Agritis 1-2, Elliott 2-2, Núñez 2-3, J O’Connor 3-3, Davey 3-4, S O’Connor 4-4, Mølby missed, Talberg missed, Cable saved, Taylor 5-4.

FULHAM LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Wilkinson; Piccolo, Davies (Magnusson), Thatcher; Bowater, Guðmundsson (Cable); Gibson, Núñez; Mølby; Ormerod (Davey), Agritis. BOOKED: Bowater.

 

It really was the worst outcome. We were out of the League Cup, and several key players were knackered for our next two league games, which Ben Thatcher would definitely miss with a stubbed toe.

 

Birmingham’s entertainers were next up for us at St Andrew’s. Wayne Cable was still a little cut up after his crucial penalty miss against Derby, so the more experienced left-winger Elbekay Bouchiba made his first start of the season. I also gave a competitive debut to 17-year-old Atle Iversen on the right wing.

 

27 AUGUST 2011: Birmingham City vs Fulham

I knew all about Birmingham’s firepower, so I absolutely feared the worst when they found the net after just nine minutes. Grant McCann wheeled away in delight after flicking home defensive midfielder Richard Murphy’s through-ball, but the Northern Ireland star’s celebrations were cut short when an offside flag was raised against striker Andy Johnson.

 

Nonetheless, the tone was set for a match that the Blues pretty much dominated. They frequently carved our defence open and had NINE shots on target, including SIX from Johnson, who found the net 26 times last season. However, the hosts were consistently kept at bay by Wayne Hudson, who even by his ridiculously high standards was goalkeeping out of his skin! No prizes for guessing who the Man of the Match was!

 

That said, Birmingham’s keeper Matt Bates was no slouch either, twice keeping Paul McVeigh off the scoresheet. I eventually replaced him with Anestis Agritis - another substitution that would pay huge dividends late on. With eight minutes to go, left-back Arnar Guðmundsson sent a free-kick into City’s box, where Agritis produced a stunning header to silence St Andrew’s!

 

Immediately after Agritis’ strike, I brought on Vicente Núñez for fellow midfielder Neil Danns. Núñez was my third and final sub... and with impeccable timing, centre-back Jerel Ifil went down clutching his knee just two minutes later. Having to defend a slender lead with 10 men against a striker of Johnson’s quality was a daunting task, but we somehow managed to hold on.

 

Birmingham City - 0

Fulham - 1 (Agritis 82)

Division 1, Attendance 23,355 - POSITIONS: Birmingham 14th, Fulham 6th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-1-4-1 Attacking): Hudson; Bowater, Ifil, Piccolo, Guðmundsson; Schneider; Mølby, Danns (Núñez); Iversen (Smith), Bouchiba; McVeigh (Agritis).

 

Another league win... but another injury to a defender. Ifil’s twisted knee kept the Saint Lucia international on the sidelines for our Bank Holiday Monday match, at home to a mighty Notts County team. Walter Smith’s Magpies were not only undefeated; they had not yet conceded a goal in their opening fixtures.

 

29 AUGUST 2011: Fulham vs Notts County

Wayne Hudson immediately carried on from where he left off, tipping away a first-minute header from Notts County striker Sebastián Cobelli. The one-time Argentina international tried again in the 34th minute, only to be denied once again. Nobody else would come close to scoring in an otherwise mediocre first half.

 

We certainly never looked like opening the scoring - so when we did just that six minutes into the second half, it was very much against the run of play. Making just his 11th senior appearance, 17-year-old winger Wayne Cable skilfully dribbled past the experienced Magpies right-back Kevin McNaughton and then crossed into the box. Anestis Agritis then showed why he deserved to start ahead of Paul McVeigh, nodding in his fourth goal in as many games - and giving Wayne his first senior assist!

 

Walter Smith urged his team to push forward relentlessly for the final half-hour. Cobelli had a third shot saved by Hudson, who also frustrated Notts County’s attacking midfield substitute Ilias Androutsos. The pressure eventually paid off on 87 minutes, when a header from veteran striker Neil Harris gave us a taste of our late-goal medicine - and took a point back to the Midlands.

 

Fulham - 1 (Agritis 51)

Notts County - 1 (Harris 87)

Division 1, Attendance 12,691 - POSITIONS: Fulham 9th, Notts County 6th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-1-4-1 Attacking): Hudson; Bowater, Davies (Mitchell), Piccolo, Guðmundsson; Schneider; Gibson (Núñez), Danns; Ormerod (Smith), Cable; Agritis. BOOKED: Davies.

 

A cruel way for our month to end, but I’m quietly confident about what’s to come. If we can come out of our shell and counter-attack with more confidence, we have the makings of a very good team.

Edited March 29 by CFuller

[CFuller]

DIVISION 1 TABLE (End of August 2011)

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st     Blackburn                       4    2    0    0    4    0    2    0    0    5    1    12   
2nd     Man City                        4    1    1    0    5    3    2    0    0    7    5    10   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd     Wolves                          4    2    0    0    4    1    1    0    1    4    5    9    
4th     Nottm Forest                    4    2    0    0    4    1    1    0    1    2    4    9    
5th     Norwich                         4    1    1    0    4    2    1    1    0    3    1    8    
6th     Notts Co                        3    1    0    0    2    0    1    1    0    4    1    7    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7th     Swindon                         4    0    1    1    3    5    2    0    0    5    1    7    
8th     Gillingham                      4    1    1    0    3    1    1    0    1    3    3    7    
9th     Fulham                          4    1    1    0    3    2    1    0    1    1    2    7    
10th    Birmingham                      4    1    0    1    3    1    1    0    1    4    4    6    
11th    Carlisle                        4    1    0    1    1    2    1    0    1    2    2    6    
12th    West Ham                        4    1    0    1    1    1    1    0    1    1    2    6    
13th    Chesterfield                    4    1    0    1    4    4    0    2    0    6    6    5    
14th    Charlton                        4    1    0    1    3    3    0    2    0    2    2    5    
15th    Sheff Utd                       4    0    1    1    6    7    1    0    1    3    3    4    
16th    Kidderminster                   4    1    0    1    4    4    0    1    1    3    4    4    
17th    W.B.A.                          4    1    1    0    5    3    0    0    2    1    4    4    
18th    Darlington                      4    1    0    1    4    3    0    0    2    1    3    3    
19th    Tottenham                       4    1    0    1    4    3    0    0    2    1    3    3    
20th    Aston Villa                     4    1    0    1    3    3    0    0    2    3    7    3    
21st    Sunderland                      4    1    0    1    5    5    0    0    2    1    5    3    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22nd    Huddersfield                    4    1    0    1    2    4    0    0    2    2    6    3    
23rd    Macclesfield                    4    0    1    1    5    6    0    1    1    3    4    2    
24th    Preston                         3    0    0    2    0    5    0    0    1    2    4    0    

 

ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL...

• Barcelona’s dream team becomes even more formidable with the signings of Hertha BSC midfielder Pablo Aimar and PSV striker Mateja Kezman for a combined £20.5million. Kezman makes an instant impact, as the Serbian and his Croatian strike partner Ivica Olic each score twice to destroy Celtic 4-0 in the Club World Championship Final in Istanbul.
• Ipswich are beaten 3-1 by Chelsea in the season-opening Community Shield... but the mood at Portman Road is soon lifted by a new signing. 36-year-old England centurion David Beckham signs a season-long deal with the Tractor Boys after leaving Leeds. Meanwhile, Victoria Beckham pursues a new career making designer overalls for farmers.
• Manchester United lose 3-0 at Panathinaikos in the Champions League qualifiers, and face a humiliating demotion to the UEFA Cup. That is until the return leg at Old Trafford, where two Frank Lampard penalties and a Thierry Henry hat-trick send United through with a 7-0 win! By full-time, PAO’s goalkeeping captain Antonis Nikopolidis is looking more like George Galloway than George Clooney!
• Sulking striker Djibril Cissé leaves Old Trafford and joins Lazio for £5.75million. Another French international on the move is winger Franck Ribéry, who swaps Marseille for Glasgow in an £11.75million transfer to Rangers. Meanwhile, Zlatan Ibrahimovic makes a slow start at Ibrox, being outscored by Gers team-mates Alan Smith and Daniel Bierofka.
• Ex-Manchester United forward Ruud van Nistelrooy - now 35 - scores five goals in five games as Bordeaux race to the top of Ligue 1 under new coach Tom Prahl. Prahl isn’t the only Swede to captivate France’s top flight, as 24-year-old striker Carl Shkulqi also opens the season with five goals for 2nd-placed Lille, including two against former club St-Etienne.

 

IN OTHER NEWS...

• Six months into Libya’s civil war, rebel forces take control of the capital city Tripoli and overthrow Muammar Gaddafi’s government. Colonel Gaddafi and his family flee east to his home city of Sirte, which remains loyal to him.
• Mark Duggan - a 29-year-old black man - is shot dead by police in Tottenham. His death triggers days of violent clashes and rioting across London (and subsequently other English cities), leading to five deaths and £200million worth of property damage.
• Cher Lloyd - the 18-year-old X Factor reject and Cheryl Cole knock-off - has her first (and hopefully only) UK Number 1 single with “Swagger Jagger”. A couple of weeks later, “Moves Like Jagger” by Maroon 5 and Christina Aguilera cracks the top three. In completely unrelated news, The Rolling Stones consider going on yet another world tour.
• Is there life on Mars? We still don’t know, but NASA says that its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has photographed what appears to be liquid water on the red planet…

[CFuller]

SEPTEMBER 2011

Fulham’s youth academy has produced a few gems in recent years… and it looks like two more young talents might be about to emerge.

 

The first of our two new promotees to the reserve team was Seán Lynch - a 17-year-old Irishman who could play anywhere across the defensive line. With his pace, crossing ability and work rate, his long-term future would most likely be as a right-back.

 

Hopes are also high for Douglas McNeil - another 17-year-old who can play in attacking midfield or up front. The Scotsman is quick, hard-working and has exceptional passing ability.

 

Meanwhile, a star of Fulham’s present was getting a little irritated. Anestis Agritis had started the season well with four goals in five games, though he’d only started twice. Ahead of our home game against struggling Sunderland, the 30-year-old Greek wanted to know why he wasn’t starting regularly.

 

Agritis was undoubtedly a class striker with a keen eye for goal, but during my first nine months as Fulham manager, he had been overshadowed by a resurgent Paul McVeigh. Paul had not exactly slowed down in the early stages of this campaign - scoring an impressive brace to beat West Brom - but Anestis’ form was hard to ignore.

 

I therefore decided to give Agritis an extended run in the starting XI, beginning with the visit of Sunderland. The Mackems narrowly avoided back-to-back relegations last season, but new manager David Mitchell had thus far won only one league game at the helm. Perhaps he was pining for Robert Webb?

 

10 SEPTEMBER 2011: Fulham vs Sunderland

The first 20 minutes were no laughing matter for yours truly. After watching Brett Ormerod head over an early chance to put Fulham behind, we fell behind to Sunderland’s first shot of the match. Jochen Berger swung in a near-post cross, which journeyman midfielder Michael Stewart easily gobbled up.

 

Sunderland captain Darren Bent nearly doubled their lead in the 33rd minute, when his header was met by a strong fingertip save from Cottagers skipper Wayne Hudson. Bent had another moment to forget on 41 minutes. The striker was easily beaten for pace by our left-back Arnar Guðmundsson, whose cross was flicked in by Anestis Agritis for a timely equaliser!

 

Three minutes later, Guð turned bad, as Arnar fouled Berger dangerously close to our penalty area. The Icelander then watched his compatriot Armann Smári Bjørnsson whip in a free-kick to Sunderland forward Michael Dunwell, whose header restored the visitors’ lead just before half-time.

 

I switched to a 4-4-2 for the second half, bringing on Paul McVeigh and Michael Gibson for Ormerod and the booked Florian Schneider respectively. That did us a fat load of good, as the Black Cats benefited from a huge stroke of luck seven minutes into the second half. Gavin Mahon’s free-kick delivery to Dunwell was passed on towards, and although our right-back Graham Bowater managed to intercept the pass, he succeeded only in diverting it into his own net. 3-1 to Sunderland.

 

After Agritis spurned a couple of chances to get us back in contention, Dunwell killed off the contest in the 75th minute. Guðmundsson gave away yet another free-kick - this time copping a yellow card for pushing Bent. Mahon’s free-kick found the head of Dunwell, who outjumped Vicente Núñez and condemned us to a 4-1 deficit.

 

McVeigh did pull a goal back in the 80th minute, converting a killer cross from substitute right-back Peter Mitchell. The Ulsterman was denied a second goal six minutes later by Mackems keeper James Jowsey, though youngster Tom Mølby stabbed in the rebound to make it 4-3. Unfortunately, we had left it too late to launch a proper comeback.

 

Fulham - 3 (Agritis 41, McVeigh 80, Mølby 86)

Sunderland - 4 (Stewart 20, Dunwell 44,75, Bowater og52)

Division 1, Attendance 16,013 - POSITIONS: Fulham 13th, Sunderland 17th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-1-4-1 Attacking): Hudson; Bowater (Mitchell), Piccolo, Thatcher, Guðmundsson; Schneider (McVeigh); Mølby, Núñez; Ormerod (Gibson), Cable; Agritis. BOOKED: Schneider, Guðmundsson.

 

I’m struggling to think of another game where we were so shocking defensively. Heads had to roll after such a shambolic display - and I singled out Walter Piccolo for his inability to assert himself aerially. If anyone offered us £1million for the Italian stopper, I would take the money in a heartbeat.

 

Another player who’d massively disappointed me was 17-year-old winger Wayne Cable, who turned up late for training the next morning and obviously looked like he’d had a pint or two. He received a strong warning about his conduct and was dropped from the squad that travelled to Chesterfield in midweek.

 

In a more positive development, we finally welcomed right-winger Scott Brough back into the fold, over five months after he broke his leg in training. The 28-year-old was obviously too short of match fitness to start straight away, so he took his place on the bench as 18-year-old Michael Gibson got another chance to shine.

 

14 SEPTEMBER 2011: Chesterfield vs Fulham

After finding the net in four straight games, this game marked the end of Anestis Agritis’ scoring streak. The Greek god pounced on a poor goal kick by Chesterfield skipper David Lucas in the third minute but could only thunder it against the bar. He would not have another shot at goal before he picked up a yellow card and was substituted at half-time.

 

As the game went on, Chesterfield looked the more likely team to break the deadlock. Despite some brave defending from our German anchor man Florian Schneider, the Spireites would muster four shots on target - two each from striker Lars Iver Strand and midfielder Chris Carruthers. Wayne Hudson remained resolute in the Fulham goal, saving everything that was fired his way.

 

While Hudson was on his way to just a second clean sheet this season, we launched a counter-attack in second-half stoppage time. Chesterfield’s defence had been weakened by an 80th-minute injury to left-back Paul Boertien, and our two half-time subs took full advantage. Midfielder Neil Danns’ through-ball picked out Paul McVeigh, who swept past teenage sweeper Simon Piper and then rifled in yet another late Fulham winner!

 

Chesterfield - 0

Fulham - 1 (McVeigh 90)

Division 1, Attendance 5,972 - POSITIONS: Chesterfield 20th, Fulham 9th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-1-4-1 Attacking): Hudson; Bowater, Davies, Thatcher, Guðmundsson; Schneider; Mølby, Núñez (Danns); Gibson (Brough), Bouchiba; Agritis (McVeigh). BOOKED: Agritis, Schneider.

 

That was our third win of the season - and in all of them, we’d scored the final goal in the last 10 minutes! Can you not leave it so late next time, lads? I don’t think my ticker can take the stress!

 

Fellow mid-tablers Norwich were the next team to visit Craven Cottage, doing so off the back of a four-game winless run. Could we take advantage of their poor form and register another win - ideally with time to spare?

 

17 SEPTEMBER 2011: Fulham vs Norwich City

We might have been brilliant at finishing matches, but we clearly weren’t so hot when it came to starting them. After just two minutes, Norwich striker Darren Kelly stung the palms of Wayne Hudson with a blistering volley. Hudson’s best efforts to keep it out were in vain, as former England midfielder Gavin McCann broke the deadlock from the rebound.

 

That early setback shook us into life, and we created several equalising chances throughout the first half. Paul McVeigh’s attacking instinct got him into some great scoring positions, but he was consistently frustrated by some brave goalkeeping from Norwich’s 20-year-old shotstopper Lee Pike. McVeigh could have had even more chances if Canaries centre-back Wayne Thomas hadn’t been so imperious in the air and won countless headers.

 

While we struggled to figure out just how to break open this rock-solid Norwich defence, Tim Breacker’s visitors broke through again in the 61st minute. Two more Canaries youngsters delivered the goods, as Iceland forward Stefan Jónsson’s cross was finished by a well-crafted strike from Scotland Under-21s midfielder Thomas Sinclair.

 

Then, in the 69th minute, it looked like we would fall THREE goals behind for the second home game in a row. Only Florian Schneider’s goal-line clearance stopped Phil Porter from making it 3-0 Norwich. Florian’s midfield colleague Neil Danns then initiated a Cottagers counter-strike, hoofing the ball up for substitute Anestis Agritis to break away and drive it past Pike!

 

At only 2-1 down, the game was alive and kicking again, with Agritis and McVeigh teaming up to try and get us back level. Anestis’ cross in the 73rd minute was met by a strong header from Paul... and an even better save by Pike, who was determined to preserve City’s lead. Agritis then spurned one more chance to save a point in the 87th minute as we slumped to another narrow defeat.

 

Fulham - 1 (Agritis 69)

Norwich City - 2 (McCann 2, Sinclair 61)

Division 1, Attendance 12,343 - POSITIONS: Fulham 10th, Norwich 8th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-1-4-1): Hudson; Bowater (Mitchell), Davies, Thatcher, Guðmundsson; Schneider; Brough (Gibson), Mølby (Agritis), Danns, Bouchiba; McVeigh.

 

Back-to-back home defeats suggested that we still had serious problems to address. You can’t expect to win many matches if you give away eight shots on target on your home ground against a team of similar quality.

 

I certainly wasn’t going to blame Wayne Hudson for our defensive frailties. Our goalkeeping captain had recently asked me for a new contract, and I was happy to reward his recent form with a hefty pay rise - £10,000 per week until the summer of 2016.

 

After sitting out the last two games, Cable returned to the starting line-up when we visited 6th-placed Sheffield United at Bramall Lane. Centre-half Jerel Ifil was also back after recovering from a knee injury, but left-back Arnar Guðmundsson was ruled out with a sprained ankle.

 

24 SEPTEMBER 2011: Sheffield United vs Fulham

The early stages showed that Sheffield United had established themselves as one of the most dangerous attacking teams in Division 1. Wing-back Danny Butterfield was denied a 3rd-minute opener by the post, and striker Mark McCormick got a shot on target in the 13th. The Blades’ breakthrough came in the 16th, when playmaker Willie Howie blasted home after Fulham right-back Graham Bowater had miscontrolled the ball on the edge of our area.

 

Following Howie’s opener, another Scot inflicted misery on us at the other end. Midway through the first half, goalkeeper Derek Bruce kept out a series of headers from Anestis Agritis, Curtis Davies and even Wayne Cable. We might have had better luck if we’d kept the ball on the ground, but ah well.

 

Cable showed great endeavour to try and set up an equaliser in the 58th minute. However, his ambitious long ball towards substitute Paul McVeigh was brilliantly intercepted by United defender Indriði Sigurðsson. The Iceland international then played the ball up to the marauding Italian left-back Raffaele Mazzocco, who drove in the hosts’ second goal.

 

We then started to put up more of a fight, with Agritis furiously hammering in a goal back just three minutes later - his fifth goal in six matches, by the way. Sadly, McVeigh didn’t look quite so potent, never coming close to adding to his 103 Fulham league goals.

 

Sheffield United secured victory 10 minutes from full-time, and the Bramall Lane faithful got the chance to salute a centurion of their own. Billy Paynter’s header from a Scott Hughes cross was his 100th league strike for United since signing from Portsmouth in 2005. All those goals had come in Division 1, but who’s to say that Paynter and his Blades comrades won’t be playing Premiership football next term?

 

Sheffield United - 3 (Howie 16, Mazzocco 58, Paynter 80)

Fulham - 1 (Agritis 61)

Division 1, Attendance 21,248 - POSITIONS: Sheff Utd 4th, Fulham 16th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-1-4-1 Attacking): Hudson; Bowater (Mitchell), Davies, Ifil, Thatcher; Schneider; Mølby, Danns (McVeigh); Gibson (Brough), Cable; Agritis. BOOKED: Mitchell.

 

Eight games into the new season, and already our promotion challenge was falling apart at the seams.

 

Drastic action needed to be taken before we went to Nottingham Forest for our final match of the month. Agritis and Paul McVeigh played up front together for the first time this season as I switched to a 4-4-2 narrow diamond - with Cable playing as a makeshift attacking left-back.

 

28 SEPTEMBER 2011: Nottingham Forest vs Fulham

Anestis Agritis was particularly determined to continue his latest goalscoring run. His 5th-minute volley might have been kept out by Forest goalkeeper Matthew Ramsey, but he went much closer a few moments later. Agritis latched onto a flick-on from winger Michael Gibson, and then unleashed a powerful strike that home defender Scott Wilson could only divert into his own goal.

 

There was a hint of good fortune about our lead, so it probably wasn’t that surprising that it didn’t last long. Nottingham Forest were back level by the 8th minute, courtesy of a header from striker Beli Moumouni Dagano. The assist came from 19-year-old midfielder Wayne Tucker, who was actually making his Football League debut after signing from non-league Wimbledon just 24 hours earlier!

 

Despite his inexperience, Tucker ran the midfield like a grizzled general, and the hosts went from strength to strength. Then, five minutes from half-time, Forest’s overlapping wing-backs combined to give them the lead, as 18-year-old Johnny Henriksson’s left-wing cross was scored by the more experienced Jamie Smith.

 

Facing a fourth defeat in five games, I must confess that my mind turned to soup in the second half. I tried every act of tactical desperation to try and spark a fightback - switching to John Beck-style long-ball tactics, bringing on Brett Ormerod as a third striker, even playing Scott Brough as a right-back!

 

As the match neared its end, we unsurprisingly looked like a complete mess - and we once again had to rely on Wayne Hudson just to keep the scoreline down to 2-1. There was a loud chorus of boos from the visiting Fulham fans at full-time... and I’m pretty sure one or two of them were calling for a new manager as well. Uh-oh.

 

Nottingham Forest - 2 (Dagano 8, J Smith 40)

Fulham - 1 (Wilson og5)

Division 1, Attendance 7,021 - POSITIONS: Nottm Forest 7th, Fulham 16th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Hudson; Bowater (Brough), Davies, Ifil, Cable; Schneider (Piccolo); Gibson, Núñez; Mølby (Ormerod); McVeigh, Agritis. BOOKED: Agritis.

 

Six points adrift of the play-off zone... and just two above the relegation zone. This was not in the script at the start of the season.

 

I needed to turn around our fortunes quickly, otherwise the next head to roll would be mine.

Edited March 29 by CFuller

[CFuller]

DIVISION 1 TABLE (End of September 2011)

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st     Blackburn                       9    4    0    0    13   2    3    0    2    10   8    21   
2nd     Charlton                        9    3    0    1    9    5    3    2    0    9    4    20   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd     Man City                        9    2    2    1    13   8    3    0    1    12   12   17   
4th     Notts Co                        8    3    0    0    8    1    2    1    2    9    5    16   
5th     Wolves                          9    4    0    1    9    3    1    1    2    8    10   16   
6th     West Ham                        9    2    1    1    5    4    3    0    2    6    5    16   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7th     Nottm Forest                    9    4    0    1    9    5    1    1    2    4    8    16   
8th     Birmingham                      10   4    0    1    13   4    1    0    4    8    13   15   
9th     Swindon                         9    1    3    1    11   12   3    0    1    9    4    15   
10th    Sheff Utd                       9    2    2    1    16   12   2    0    2    8    8    14   
11th    Norwich                         9    2    1    1    9    7    2    1    2    8    7    14   
12th    Carlisle                        9    3    1    1    6    4    1    1    2    3    5    14   
13th    W.B.A.                          9    3    1    0    9    3    0    3    2    4    7    13   
14th    Gillingham                      9    2    1    2    8    9    2    0    2    7    8    13   
15th    Huddersfield                    9    2    1    1    6    5    2    0    3    7    14   13   
16th    Aston Villa                     10   2    1    2    8    10   1    1    3    11   15   11   
17th    Fulham                          9    1    1    2    7    8    2    0    3    4    7    10   
18th    Kidderminster                   9    3    0    1    8    6    0    1    4    3    10   10   
19th    Sunderland                      9    2    1    1    8    7    1    0    4    7    14   10   
20th    Tottenham                       9    3    0    2    10   8    0    0    4    2    8    9    
21st    Darlington                      9    2    1    2    7    6    0    1    3    4    8    8    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22nd    Chesterfield                    9    2    0    3    9    9    0    2    2    7    13   8    
23rd    Preston                         8    1    0    3    5    9    0    2    2    6    10   5    
24th    Macclesfield                    9    0    1    4    7    13   0    1    3    4    10   2    

 

ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL...

• Arsenal start their Premiership campaign in ominous fashion, scoring 19 goals to win their first six matches. Francis Jeffers and his new strike partner Falcao get 11 goals between them, including three in an impressive 4-2 comeback win at Torquay. And with no European football to distract them, who’s to say the Gunners can’t regain their title?
• Europe certainly proves to be a distraction for Nigel Winterburn’s Liverpool. Despite outclassing the mighty ÖIS and Lokomotiv Moscow in the Champions League group phase, the Reds lose their first four Premiership matches - and then chuck away a win at Coventry after notorious hotheads Xabi Alonso and Michael Owen are both sent off.
• Ryan Giggs is sacked as Nice manager after they lose five of their first six Ligue 2 matches, scoring just one goal. Amazingly, Giggs’ disastrous 11-month reign in France doesn’t deter the Premiership’s bottom side Bradford, who appoint the former Welsh wizard to replace Garry Hill - apparently after a strong recommendation from Roy Keane.
• Roma suffer surprise defeats to both Werder Bremen and Leeds in the Champions League, but bitter rivals Lazio are much more convincing as they win their first seven games in all competitions. The Biancocelesti strengthen their squad even further by spending £10.5million on Marseille midfielder Sebastian Deisler, which might be bad news for Barry Ferguson.
• Borussia Dortmund and VfB Stuttgart look set to contest the Bundesliga crown once again, each boasting 100% records after their first five matches. Stuttgart are especially potent after scoring 20 goals - including six from Brazilian forward Robinho, who signed for Felix Magath’s side last Christmas.

 

IN OTHER NEWS...

• Thousands of protestors occupy Wall Street in New York City, as part of a movement called… Occupy Wall Street. Using the slogan “We are the 99%”, they campaign against economic inequality and political corruption. Their encampment will last for two months.
• Former “Canadian Idol” contestant Carly Rae Jepsen meets a hot, half-naked guy and gives him her phone number, then says, “Call Me Maybe”. Sadly, the fella isn’t interested in her. At least Carly will get a big worldwide hit single out of it...
• After a glittering 30-year career, alternative rock legends R.E.M. all go back to where they belong and announce their separation. Fronted by Michael Stipe, the Georgia four-piece enjoyed their greatest successes in the early 1990s, with hit singles such as "Losing My Religion", "Shiny Happy People" and "Everybody Hurts".
• As Britons become obsessed with Scandinavian crime dramas such as “The Killing”, another Nordic noir series makes its debut. “The Bridge” stars Sofia Helin as Saga Norén - an autistic Swedish murder detective who works with her Danish counterparts when a body is found on the Øresund Bridge between Malmö and Copenhagen. “Passera popcornen.”

[CFuller]

OCTOBER 2011

After September passed by with four defeats in five matches, October had become a crucial month for my tenure as Fulham manager. If we didn’t fix our defensive issues or become more potent on the counter, our slide down the Division 1 table would continue - and Fulham would be plunged into yet another relegation battle.

 

Cottagers fans had suffered so much misery over the past five seasons, so I knew that they could easily turn against me if the slump continued. That made avoiding a third straight home defeat even more critical when we welcomed Swindon, who reached the play-offs last season and were looking like challengers again.

 

1 OCTOBER 2011: Fulham vs Swindon Town

We didn’t have much luck in front of goal in the first half. Florian Schneider’s diving header in the fifth minute glanced just wide, while Anestis Agritis’ effort in the 23rd minute was stopped by Swindon keeper Calle Nyman. Agritis appeared to twist his ankle while attempting another shot 15 minutes later, ending his game just before half-time.

 

After a goalless first period, it was Swindon who looked most likely to break the deadlock in the second. Captain Alex Revell volleyed just over the bar in the 50th minute, though Leon Knight was rather less accurate in the 72nd. The Robins team also included former Newcastle and Atlético Madrid midfielder Clarence Acuña, who was booked for a clumsy challenge on Schneider.

 

As a goalless draw loomed, I decided to freshen up our midfield and replace youngster Vicente Núñez with the more experienced Neil Danns. That change paid dividends after 78 minutes, when Danns’ ball into the Swindon area was half-volleyed home by teenager Tom Mølby!

 

Having finally broken the deadlock, we grew in confidence - and then doubled our lead in stoppage time. Having taken around an hour to warm up after replacing the injured Agritis, Paul McVeigh caught fire, dribbling past two Swindon defenders before blasting in an excellent left-footed finish!

 

Fulham - 2 (Mølby 78, McVeigh 90)

Swindon Town - 0

Division 1, Attendance 10,757 - POSITIONS: Fulham 15th, Swindon 12th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-1-4-1 Attacking): Hudson; Bowater, Ifil, Davies (Mitchell), Thatcher; Schneider; Mølby, Núñez (Danns); Ormerod, Bouchiba; Agritis (McVeigh).

 

This team is so frustrating right now. Even when we win matches, we make very hard work of it.

 

Fortunately, Anestis Agritis’ ankle injury wasn’t as bad as it was first feared. The Greek goal machine would still miss at least our first two matches following the international break, but club legend Paul McVeigh was more than capable of filling the void.

 

Meanwhile, our promising 18-year-old midfielder Michael Gibson was attracting interest from Premiership clubs. Chris Kamara had offered me £400,000 - and then £500,000 - to add Gibson to a Torquay team who were battling bravely in their first ever top-flight season. It would take a lot more than that to convince me to sell.

 

Our next game was at home to Gillingham, who won the Division 2 title last season and were now flying high in 10th. The Gills’ rise was even more impressive, seeing as they were reportedly in huge debt and on the brink of bankruptcy. Still, any team which has Peter Reid as its manager and Kevin Muscat as a coach is sure to show plenty of fighting spirit.

 

Despite keeping a clean sheet last time out, I decided to reshuffle my defence, with left-back Arnar Guðmundsson returning form injury, and Peter Mitchell making his first Fulham start at right-back. I also gave another start at right wing to Brett Ormerod, who was about to turn 35, and who needed to show that his best years weren’t yet behind him.

 

15 OCTOBER 2011: Fulham vs Gillingham

Gillingham’s intense attacking game put us on the back foot during the first half-hour. Gills midfielder Hugh Davidson might have failed in his attempt to chip Wayne Hudson in the 20th minute, but he did set up the opening goal seven minutes later. A slide-rule pass was expertly finished by attacking midfielder Inácio Piá - a former Italy Under-21s international of Brazilian descent.

 

And then it got worse. Just two minutes after Gillingham took the lead, they went 2-0 up courtesy of Richard Sadlier. The Republic of Ireland striker outjumped the hopeless Jerel Ifil to head in a cross from his fellow frontman Veigar Páll Gunnarson.

 

At the other end, a point-blank save from Gills captain Colin Hunwick denied Neil Danns the chance to halve our deficit before half-time. Facing a heavy home loss at the break, I made two substitutions on the right flank. Peter Mitchell was struggling at full-back and was replaced by Graham Bowater, while 17-year-old winger Atle Iversen made just his second appearance in place of Brett Ormerod.

 

15 minutes into the second half, the comeback was on. Florian Schneider’s long ball into the area found left-winger Elbekay Bouchiba, who knocked it down for Paul McVeigh to finish!

 

But just nine minutes after playing an important role in that goal, Schneider’s game was over. The German got into an argument with Gillingham substitute midfielder Graham Finnegan, who’d just been booked for tripping Tom Mølby. Finnegan lashed out at Schneider, who then shoved Simon Colosimo out of the way when the Gills defender tried to break them up. The referee then intervened - red-carding both Finnegan and Schneider, and reducing both teams to 10 men!

 

The game then began to open up, as substitute Wayne Cable had a couple of chances to get us back level. However, it was another young winged wonder who would make the difference in the 84th minute, as Iversen’s killer cross was headed in by McVeigh to make it 2-2! Our penchant for late goals had saved us yet another point!

 

Fulham - 2 (McVeigh 60,84)

Gillingham - 2 (Inácio Piá 27, Sadlier 29)

Division 1, Attendance 13,965 - POSITIONS: Fulham 14th, Gillingham 10th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-1-4-1 Attacking): Hudson; Mitchell (Bowater), Ifil, Thatcher, Guðmundsson; Schneider; Mølby, Danns; Ormerod (Iversen), Bouchiba (Cable); McVeigh. SENT OFF: Schneider.

 

Despite a great comeback, I was far from happy with Florian Schneider losing his temper. The German defensive midfielder was fined two weeks’ wages and banned for our home game against Manchester City on 29 October. He would also play no part in our next away fixture.

 

In midweek, we travelled to my old Aggborough stomping ground to take on a much-changed Kidderminster team. Despite their shocking end to last season, Tony Adams’ Harriers had so far stayed clear of relegation and were only behind us by a single goal.

 

18 OCTOBER 2011: Kidderminster Harriers vs Fulham

David Collins’ status as a Kidderminster legend was exemplified just three minutes after kick-off. The evergreen 31-year-old - who’d recently been promoted to captain by Tony Adams - lost his marker Curtis Davies to fire in a landmark goal from Billy Berntsson’s right-wing cross. That was Collins’ 100th goal for the Harriers, scored in just his sixth season at Aggborough!

 

Since our last meeting, Adams had finally concluded that Kent Ivarsson was... ahem, not a very good goalkeeper. He had now replaced him with Jamaican international Donovan Ricketts, who looked much more assured between the sticks. Ricketts kept out a couple of dangerous efforts from wingers Elbekay Bouchiba and Kent Iversen to preserve Kidderminster’s lead at the break.

 

Though Albert Mulder had not turned into the heavy scorer Kidderminster fans were probably expecting when I bought him last year, the Dutch youngster had still delivered 11 goal contributions in 14 matches this season. Mulder put a 65th-minute free-kick just over the crossbar after his Italian team-mate Nunzio Pepe had been felled by Neil Danns.

 

Norwegian midfielder Henning Numme had come on to make his league debut at half-time, while compatriot Iversen was replaced with Mark Smith midway through the second period. But with six minutes to go, and Fulham still trailing 1-0, I went for broke. On his 35th birthday, Cottagers legend Brett Ormerod got the call to come on for the closing stages and grab us an equaliser.

 

Barely a minute later, it seemed that Brett had read and rehearsed the script perfectly. Though he wasn’t as quick as he used to be, he found some space in the Kiddy box and perfectly timed his run onto Arnar Guðmundsson’s left-wing cross. A tidy finish delivered his 100th league goal for Fulham - and, more importantly, earned us yet another late point!

 

Kidderminster Harriers - 1 (Collins 3)

Fulham - 1 (Ormerod 85)

Division 1, Attendance 7,215 - POSITIONS: Kidderminster 15th, Fulham 14th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-1-4-1 Attacking): Hudson; Bowater, Davies, Thatcher, Guðmundsson; Piccolo (Numme); Mølby, Danns (Ormerod); Iversen (Smith), Bouchiba; McVeigh.

 

While birthday boy Ormerod was being congratulated on becoming our latest league centurion, another player’s Fulham future was coming under serious threat.

 

Curtis Davies’ mistake for Kidderminster’s opener was the latest that the centre-back had made in a disastrous season, in which he had posted an average rating of just 6.33 across nine matches. It seemed that Curtis’ new contract had gone to his head, so he was banished to the reserves until he sorted out his attitude.

 

Reserve winger Mark Smith - who came on as a substitute at Aggborough - was soon heading out on loan again. The Welsh youngster would spend the rest of the season on loan at mid-table Conference side Harrow Borough, and I made it clear that he needed to deliver the good there if he had a long-term future with us.

 

We were now eight points adrift of the top six, so our next home fixture against fallen giants Tottenham really was ‘must-win’. New manager Roy Keane seemed determined to relegate another club, as Spurs had already lost eight of their first 12 league matches - including all seven of their away games!

 

22 OCTOBER 2011: Fulham vs Tottenham Hotspur

Brett Ormerod’s late equaliser at Kidderminster was rewarded with a start, partnering Paul McVeigh in front of a midfield diamond. The oldest player in our first-team was on target after 21 minutes, thanks to a fabulous assist by our youngest. Iversen showcased his prodigious talent once again with a perfectly-lofted ball to Ormerod, who did the rest.

 

Tottenham couldn’t muster an equaliser before half-time, so they resorted to the kind of dirty tactics their manager was renowned for in his playing days. Northern Ireland stopper Mark Clyde was especially rough, copping a yellow card for knocking Ormerod to the ground in the 40th minute. In fairness, Clyde would not mistime another tackle, and his rock-solid defending was perhaps the biggest reason why we wouldn’t add to our lead.

 

The second half was a scrappy affair, in which Spurs also struggled to hit the target. Their best effort - from Italian midfielder Enzo Maresca in the 49th minute - was brilliantly turned away by Wayne Hudson, who didn’t have that much to do otherwise. Remarkably, this would be our first victory this season in which we didn’t need to score in the final 15 minutes!

 

Fulham - 1 (Ormerod 21)

Tottenham Hotspur - 0

Division 1, Attendance 16,901 - POSITIONS: Fulham 13th, Tottenham 22nd

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-2 Diamond): Hudson; Mitchell, Ifil, Thatcher, Guðmundsson (Magnusson); Schneider; Gibson, Danns (Numme); Iversen; Ormerod, McVeigh (Agritis).

 

After his second goal in as many games, Ormerod was suddenly in demand. Division 2 Oldham had made a £45,000 offer to bring the veteran back to his native Lancashire, but you can probably understand why I wasn’t ready to see him leave just yet.

 

We finished off the month with yet another match at Craven Cottage - this time against Manchester City. The Citizens sacked Trevor Francis after being relegated from the Premiership in May and appointed Graeme Souness, who led Crewe to the Division 1 title. Souness was perhaps having some regrets about that, as City were leaking goals left, right and centre and had recently fallen out of the play-off places.

 

Having set up Brett’s winner against Spurs, winger Atle Iversen was rewarded with another start, while fellow Nordic teenager Tom Mølby returned after being too tired to play in that last game. Schneider served his one-match suspension, which meant another chance in defensive midfield for Walter Piccolo.

 

29 OCTOBER 2011: Fulham vs Manchester City

In the early stages, our defence seemed to be confused about how to deal with Manchester City’s similarly-named striker Matt Jansen and midfielder Damien Johnson. Jansen scooped Johnson’s through-ball over the bar in the 11th minute, but Johnson fared better just two minutes later to head in the opening goal.

 

City almost doubled their lead on the half-hour mark, with Wayne Hudson needing to make two shots in two minutes to thwart both Johnson and the visitors’ other striker James Beattie. We then got a chance to draw level in the 42nd minute, after a foul from the Sky Blues’ anchor man Andreas Schwarz gave us a free-kick 20 yards from goal. This was the perfect range for set-piece specialist Tom Mølby, who curled it past the wall and keeper Bogdan Lobont to level the scores!

 

Graeme Souness clearly fired up his team in the dressing room, as they looked much meaner after the break. It was our Nordic youngsters who bore the brunt of their aggression. Johnson was booked in the 49th minute for a holding foul on winger Atle Iversen, who was so unnerved that he was subbed shortly afterwards. Mølby would not finish the game either - the Danish playmaker being carried off with a knee injury on 66 minutes.

 

City then resorted to aggression of a different kind, and despite Hudson’s best efforts to keep the scores level, the visitors won the game 15 minutes from half-time. Jerel Ifil’s attempt to clear away Johnson’s whipped corner only went as far as Cameroon midfielder Eric Djemba-Djemba, whose chip over Hudson was so good that they named him twice. Drat, drat.

 

Fulham - 1 (Mølby 42)

Manchester City - 2 (Johnson 13, Djemba-Djemba 75)

Division 1, Attendance 20,705 - POSITIONS: Fulham 13th, Man City 6th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-1-4-1 Attacking): Hudson; Mitchell, Ifil, Thatcher, Guðmundsson; Piccolo; Mølby (McVeigh), Danns; Iversen (Gibson), Bouchiba (Cable); Ormerod. BOOKED: Ifil.

 

Unfortunately, Mølby would now miss the next two weeks with a twisted knee. The Danish starlet would be a major loss, having produced four goals in 12 matches so far this term.

 

But as we enter the middle part of the season, it’s clear that the team as a whole is not fulfilling its potential - certainly not at the Cottage, where we’ve already lost three times so far. Perhaps another change of tactic is needed?

Edited March 29 by CFuller

[CFuller]

DIVISION 1 TABLE (End of October 2011)

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st     Blackburn                       14   7    0    0    21   6    4    0    3    16   13   33   
2nd     Notts Co                        14   7    1    0    17   3    3    1    2    13   8    32   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd     Charlton                        14   6    0    2    20   11   3    2    1    10   7    29   
4th     Norwich                         14   5    2    1    19   13   3    1    2    10   8    27   
5th     Gillingham                      14   5    1    2    19   12   3    1    2    12   11   26   
6th     Man City                        15   3    2    2    16   11   5    0    3    19   20   26   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7th     Nottm Forest                    14   4    1    1    11   7    4    1    3    10   12   26   
8th     Sunderland                      14   6    1    1    17   10   2    0    4    10   15   25   
9th     West Ham                        14   4    1    1    9    6    3    2    3    8    9    24   
10th    Wolves                          14   5    0    1    11   4    2    2    4    14   17   23   
11th    Birmingham                      14   5    0    1    17   6    2    0    6    14   20   21   
12th    Carlisle                        15   5    1    2    12   8    1    1    5    6    12   20   
13th    Fulham                          14   3    2    3    13   12   2    1    3    5    8    18   
14th    Swindon                         15   2    3    2    14   17   3    0    5    10   12   18   
15th    Sheff Utd                       15   2    2    3    20   19   3    0    5    11   16   17   
16th    Huddersfield                    14   3    1    3    8    8    2    1    4    10   18   17   
17th    Kidderminster                   14   4    2    1    12   8    0    2    5    6    14   16   
18th    Chesterfield                    15   4    0    3    14   10   0    4    4    16   25   16   
19th    Preston                         15   2    3    3    14   16   1    4    2    12   15   16   
20th    Aston Villa                     15   3    2    3    14   16   1    1    5    12   19   15   
21st    W.B.A.                          14   3    2    3    14   14   0    3    3    6    11   14   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22nd    Tottenham                       15   4    1    2    11   8    0    0    8    4    18   13   
23rd    Darlington                      14   2    1    3    8    8    0    1    7    5    15   8    
24th    Macclesfield                    14   0    1    5    10   17   1    2    5    11   18   6    

 

ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL...

• Falcao and Francis Jeffers continue to rip up the Premiership as Arsenal storm to an eight-point lead. With Manchester United suffering a shock 5-1 defeat at Liverpool, and Chelsea also struggling to keep up the pace, it is newly-promoted Grimsby who emerge as surprise title challengers. It must be all the fishfingers...
• World Cup finalists Spain and Wales both secure their places at Euro 2012, but an injured Cristiano Ronaldo is in tears as Portugal fail to qualify. A 5-0 win over Latvia kept alive the Seleção’s slim hopes of finishing 2nd in their group behind Switzerland and reaching the play-offs... but they also needed Denmark to lose to a Malta team ranked 204th in the world. You can probably guess how that turned out.
• Silvio Berlusconi’s policy of sending his Milan players to a brothel every time they win a Champions League game proves detrimental to their league form. While the Rossoneri qualify from the second group phase in the CL, they lose six straight Serie A games and fall into relegation danger... until captain Andrea Pirlo inspires them to a 2-1 derby win over Inter.
• After just 81 days at Wycombe, and having led the Chairboys to the giddy heights of 18th in Division 3, Gary Neville leaves Adams Park for a new challenge in Germany. The former England right-back is poached by 2. Bundesliga club Fortuna Köln - and instantly inspires his new team to a 3-2 comeback win over Stuttgarter Kickers.
• Barcelona’s pursuit of yet another La Liga title hits its first bump, as their dream team lose 1-0 at home to Sporting Gijón - with Peru forward Pedro Ascoy scoring from the visitors’ only shot. Meanwhile, David O’Leary works his usual magic at Sporting CP, who slip to 7th in the Primeira Liga after being towelled 4-0 by champions Porto.

 

IN OTHER NEWS...

• Libya’s deposed leader Muammar Gaddafi is captured and killed by rebel forces in Sirte. Gaddafi is shot several times and his body dragged through the streets as a brutal eight-month civil war comes to an end. Barack Obama calls it a "momentous day", but warns that the north African nation "has a long and winding road towards full democracy".
• Occupy Wall Street inspires another anti-capitalist movement in London, as over 500 protestors set up camp outside St Paul’s. The cathedral is forced to close its doors to visitors for the first time since World War II.
• 24 years after winning the first Rugby World Cup, New Zealand are on top of the world once again. Richie McCaw captains the All Blacks to a nervy 8-7 win over France in the Final match at Eden Park, Auckland.
• Apple founder and chairman Steve Jobs passes away in California aged 56. Jobs battled pancreatic cancer for eight years, but sought alternative medicine instead of conventional treatment. The charismatic entrepreneur oversaw the creation of the iPhone and the iPad, and transformed Apple from near-bankruptcy into a billion-dollar empire.

[Navelgazer]

Lovely to see Spurs heading towards Division Two, even if it is early days 

[CFuller]

3 hours ago, Navelgazer said:

Lovely to see Spurs heading towards Division Two, even if it is early days 

I have to agree. It is hilarious. 

[CFuller]

NOVEMBER 2011

This coming month would mark my first anniversary as Fulham manager, but it was hard to see whether the team had made any meaningful progress. The Cottagers were 11th in Division 1 when I took over on 22 November 2010... but as we rolled into November 2011, we actually found ourselves two places worse off.

 

While being in mid-table was a positive for a Fulham board who’d become used to overseeing relegation dogfights, I was not satisfied.

 

The attacking 4-1-4-1 I’d been using for the first few months this season was not working as well as I’d expected. At Craven Cottage, we had won only three of our eight matches and were conceding far too many goals. Confusingly, we had the opposite problems away from home, where we were rather more solid at the back but struggled to hit the target.

 

I thought back to my first few months at the Cottage, when we were flying so high that we were briefly dreaming of automatic promotion to the Premiership. I was using several variations of a 4-4-2 back then, and I wondered if it was worth going back to the basic principles that had served us so well last winter.

 

For the time being, I tried something a bit less dramatic, dropping the two wingers back to form a standard 4-1-4-1. It was this tactic which I took into the London derby at Upton Park, against 9th-placed West Ham.

 

2 NOVEMBER 2011: West Ham United vs Fulham

West Ham’s recent form was arguably just as inconsistent as ours, but they were certainly not erratic here. Striker Simon Lynch flicked a very early header just over the bar, while defender John Wilson hit the woodwork in the 34th minute.

 

Then, five minutes from half-time, the Hammers finally managed to nail in their opener. Former Celtic forward Lynch dribbled past our holding midfielder Florian Schneider and then skinned defender Ben Thatcher to leave him one-on-one with Wayne Hudson. As good as our goalkeeping captain was, he had no hope of keeping out Lynch’s drive.

 

And that was the match there and then. We never looked like getting an equaliser until Paul McVeigh came off the bench in the closing stages, and almost immediately hit a fantastic low shot that stung Shay Given’s palms. The long-time Hammers keeper had precious little else to do during what in the end was a routine West Ham win.

 

West Ham United - 1 (Lynch 40)

Fulham - 0

Division 1, Attendance 33,725 - POSITIONS: West Ham 8th, Fulham 16th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-1-1): Hudson; Mitchell, Ifil, Thatcher, Guðmundsson; Iversen (Gibson), Danns, Schneider, Bouchiba (Cable); Ormerod (McVeigh); Agritis. BOOKED: Iversen.

 

The points between us and the play-off places was now into double figures. The alarm bells were now ringing very loudly... and we know what that means.

 

It means... they’re just jealous, ‘cos they’ll never do the things they wish that they could do so well. No, obviously, it means I’m switching back to the 4-4-2. Razorlight haven’t been relevant since 2006, for goodness sake.

 

Fireworks were expected on Guy Fawkes Night, when we visited a Blackburn team who were top of the table - with a 100% record at Ewood Park. Much of their success was credited to their 22-goal strike partnership of Marcus Bent and Shehab Ahmed Al-Olaqi, though I was relieved to see that the so-called ‘Prince of Dubai’ had been dropped to the bench. (That’s Al-Olaqi, not Bent.)

 

5 NOVEMBER 2011: Blackburn Rovers vs Fulham

Of course, we had our own fearsome front two in Paul McVeigh and Anestis Agritis - but that duo would also be split up. Anestis didn’t quite make it to the 20-minute mark before a searing pain in the groin forced him off. I’ll need to have a word with Mrs Agritis about that.

 

Brett Ormerod came on to replace our joint-top scorer, but it was Blackburn who looked the most likely team to score in the first half. Marcus Bent’s pot-shot forced Wayne Hudson into an important save after just three minutes, while German left-back Michael Kümmerle came close about half an hour later. By half-time, I was simply relieved to see that the scoreboard still read 0-0.

 

The beneficiary of Blackburn boss Danny Wilson’s surprise decision to drop Shehab Ahmed Al-Olaqi was a 23-year-old Geordie forward named Dean Hutchinson. Wilson’s faith in him paid off seven minutes into the second half, after Wayne Cable conceded a free-kick 25 yards from our goal. Hutchinson clearly loved a set-piece, as the former Newcastle and England Under-21s starlet rocketed it over our wall and beyond a perplexed Hudson.

 

Blackburn were 1-0 up, and once Al-Olaqi came into play, the outcome looked a foregone conclusion. But then, after 69 minutes, Fulham’s old guard gave us renewed hope. McVeigh played the ball out left to Elbekay Bouchiba, teeing up the Dutch winger to curl a cross into the Rovers area. Ormerod then outjumped home captain James Collins to head in an equaliser!

 

After our recent poor form, I was happy just to take a point away from Ewood Park, so I soon subbed off McVeigh for a defensive midfielder in Vicente Núñez. Four minutes from full-time, that conservative substitution almost backfired. Blackburn pushed to regain their lead as Bent crossed to Hutchinson, who flicked the ball against the crossbar. The rebound then fell invitingly to substitute midfielder Mark Rees... but Hudson kept out the follow-up.

 

But the drama didn’t end there! As the game ticked into stoppage time, we went for the ultimate smash and grab. Michael Gibson picked up the ball from Ormerod’s flick-on, took it up the right flank, and then looked to find a red shirt in a packed Blackburn box. He found midfielder Neil Danns, whose volley stunned the home fans - and completed ANOTHER late Cottagers comeback!

 

Blackburn Rovers - 1 (Hutchinson 52)

Fulham - 2 (Ormerod 69, Danns 90)

Division 1, Attendance 28,006 - POSITIONS: Blackburn 1st, Fulham 14th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-2): Hudson; Mitchell, Ifil, Thatcher, Guðmundsson; Gibson, Danns, Schneider, Cable (Bouchiba); McVeigh (Núñez), Agritis (Ormerod).

 

WOW! Where did THAT come from?!

 

As Neil Danns and his team-mates celebrated a potentially season-changing result, my thoughts turned towards Anestis Agritis. The Greek striker had been ruled out for the next three weeks with a groin strain.

 

Agritis’ injury meant that 18-year-old striker Michael Butler was promoted to the squad for a Friday night home game against Carlisle. We would leapfrog the Cumbrians in the table with a victory, but that would not be a simple task; in our last meeting, Nicky Law’s side put FOUR goals past us in the first half-hour!

 

11 NOVEMBER 2011: Fulham vs Carlisle United

This match pitted us against our former goalkeeper Mike Edwards, who had now established himself as Carlisle’s number 1. Edwards tipped away a low drive by his old team-mate Brett Ormerod in the 36th minute, and then watched Ormerod send a rather less impressive effort wide a minute later.

 

This would not be Brett’s night, but the other old fella leading Fulham’s attack fared better six minutes into the second half. Paul McVeigh received a cross from our Ewood hero Neil Danns, which he headed past Edwards for his eighth goal of the season!

 

Five minutes later, it was 2-0 to the Cottagers. Holding midfielder Florian Schneider made a swift impact after coming off the bench, striking a brilliant effort that deflected in off Carlisle counterpart Hayden Mullins. Schneider’s wait for his first Fulham goal wasn’t quite over, though he was happy to take at least some credit for this one.

 

We then started to lose our discipline, with Ormerod and Schneider both going into the book before Jimmy Davis pulled a goal back for Carlisle in the 69th minute. Davis almost struck again in the 80th, but Wayne Hudson’s goalkeeping once again atoned for some shaky defending. Following that narrow escape, we just about clung onto another win.

 

Fulham - 2 (McVeigh 51, Mullins og56)

Carlisle United - 1 (Davis 69)

Division 1, Attendance 13,192 - POSITIONS: Fulham 12th, Carlisle 13th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-2): Hudson; Mitchell, Ifil, Thatcher, Guðmundsson; Gibson (Schneider), Danns, Núñez, Bouchiba; Ormerod (Butler), McVeigh (Piccolo). BOOKED: Ormerod, Schneider, Thatcher.

 

Just for once, I’d like to see us win a match without making it look like coding a complex sports simulation video game! Is that too much to ask, fellas?

 

Things got even more complicated over the next few days, when Michael Gibson twisted his ankle and Peter Mitchell did the same to his knee. Gibson was ruled out for a month... and Mitchell was sidelined for two weeks, which meant I called off a deal to sell our other right-back Graham Bowater to Swindon.

 

Meanwhile, reserve defender Stephen Richardson went out on loan to Conference side Farnborough until the end of the season. I also rejected a couple of £150,000 offers from Manchester City and Torquay to sign goalkeeper Craig Price and right-back Graham Edwards respectively.

 

Edwards was rated particularly highly by our reserve coaches, and the 19-year-old joined the squad for the short trip to 2nd-placed Charlton. Hey, if we could defeat the league leaders on their own ground, why not these guys?

 

19 NOVEMBER 2011: Charlton Athletic vs Fulham

Graham Bowater could have been heading to Swindon, but an even worse fate awaited the right-back after just 14 minutes. A mistimed tackle ended with Bowater twisted his knee and being stretchered off for treatment, which meant young Graham Edwards had to come on much earlier than expected.

 

There was very nearly a double whammy, as only the woodwork prevented Glenn Crowe from giving Charlton the lead just moments after Bowater’s exit. We would then benefit from some luck at the other end four minutes from half-time. Addicks goalkeeper Paul McDonald made a fantastic save to stop Brett Ormerod from heading home, but a deflection off a defender ricocheted the ball towards Jerel Ifil, who thundered in his first Fulham goal!

 

Alan Curbishley would be an even more frustrated man in the Charlton dugout just before half-time. Ben Thatcher clearly sent the home midfielder Craig Saunders crashing to the turf with a cynical challenge in our penalty area... but the referee waved it away! Having previously been a victim of some terrible refereeing at The Valley when I was managing Kidderminster, it was quite strange to be benefitting from a bad decision at the same ground.

 

The Addicks tried to channel their anger more effectively after the break. Scottish forward Ross Gallacher had a couple of promising shots saved by Wayne Hudson, who also did very well to stop 18-year-old midfielder John Ross from equalising late on. Nothing was getting past Hudson, though Ifil also put in some vital tackles to make sure he was our hero at both ends.

 

Charlton Athletic - 0

Fulham - 1 (Ifil 41)

Division 1, Attendance 26,467 - POSITIONS: Charlton 3rd, Fulham 12th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-2): Hudson; Bowater (Edwards), Ifil, Thatcher, Guðmundsson; Danns, Mølby (Brough), Schneider, Bouchiba; Ormerod, McVeigh (Magnusson). BOOKED: Mølby.

 

With our third straight win, we had cut the deficit between us and the play-off spots from 11 points to a more respectable 6. Our goal difference was back level too.

 

It wasn’t all great news, as Bowater’s twisted knee ruled him out for the next fortnight. I was impressed enough with Edwards to start the teenager in the next game, but we were still short of quality options.

 

Fortunately, Manchester City were happy to loan us their Austria Under-21s right-back Markus Saler until the end of the season. The tough-tackling 19-year-old was tall, pacey, and could also play on the right wing if required.

 

Saler’s versatility would come in handy, especially after Scott Brough to sold to Sunderland for £650,000. The enigmatic 28-year-old winger had produced plenty of goal contributions during my first few months at Fulham, but he had not been the same force since breaking his leg in March.

 

A day after officially celebrating my first anniversary as Fulham manager, I took my Cottagers up to West Yorkshire to face 18th-placed Huddersfield. The Terriers were without a manager after parting company with Glenn Hoddle the previous weekend.

 

23 NOVEMBER 2011: Huddersfield Town vs Fulham

Huddersfield’s caretaker boss Joe Jordan gave a professional debut to 20-year-old keeper Darren Carter. By half-time, it looked like Carter would emulate Gordon Banks and David Seaman by becoming Yorkshire’s next great goalie. Fulham midfielders Neil Danns and Tom Mølby each had shots saved in the first period, as did Ifil, who narrowly missed out on scoring in back-to-back games.

 

Then came a familiar sight in the 42nd minute, as a right-back went down injured. It wasn’t our right-back, for once. George Blay had picked up a groin strain, and as one of Huddersfield’s top performers this season, the Ghanaian international’s influence would be a huge miss in the second half.

 

After another frustrating first half, things picked up for us in the 62nd minute. Carter showed his first signs of inexperience when a cross from Florian Schneider slipped through his hands, leaving Wayne Cable with the easiest of tap-ins. That was the 17-year-old Welshman’s second senior goal... but would it be the winner?

 

With Ben Thatcher looking surprisingly shaky in our defence, I had my doubts. The veteran gave away a potentially costly free-kick in dangerous territory after 87 minutes. Terriers centre-back Hayden Foxe fired a powerful set-piece against the Cottagers’ wall, and the deflection looped gratefully into Wayne Hudson’s hands. I wish our victories weren’t always this tense, but I was still happy to take them however they came.

 

Huddersfield Town - 0

Fulham - 1 (Cable 62)

Division 1, Attendance 11,179 - POSITIONS: Huddersfield 18th, Fulham 11th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-2): Hudson; Edwards, Ifil, Thatcher, Guðmundsson; Danns (Saler), Mølby, Schneider, Cable (Magnusson); Ormerod, McVeigh (Butler). BOOKED: Guðmundsson, Thatcher.

 

Three away wins on the spin! Who could have imagined that a few weeks ago?

 

Of course, we also needed to be better at Craven Cottage, which meant that beating rock-bottom Darlington was a must if we were serious about making the play-offs.

 

26 NOVEMBER 2011: Fulham vs Darlington

Graham Edwards had shown plenty of potential in his first two senior outings this season... and his third would see a major breakthrough in the 19-year-old’s career. Just before the half-hour mark, Edwards latched onto Florian Schneider’s long ball and then delivered the cross that delivered his first senior assist. I doubt Graham expected it to be for his opposite full-back Arnar Guðmundsson, whose powerful diving header opened the Icelander’s Fulham account!

 

We now had the freedom to attack Darlington and blow them away... or at least that was the plan. Paul McVeigh and Schneider both sent efforts wide just before the break, but perhaps they were just getting warmed up?

 

Three minutes after the restart, our need to warm up became a tad more urgent. Neil Danns lost his cool when he pushed Darlo forward Thijs Sluijter and conceded a close-range free-kick, which was blasted home by Sluijter’s strike partner Delapo Olaoye. That was one Quaker who definitely had his oats!

 

Having let our lead slip, there was now a nagging fear that we would soon be the victims of Darlington’s first away league victory this season. Nordic midfielders Tom Mølby and Henning Numme each tried to allay those fears, only to see their shots saved by visiting keeper Stefan Postma. Incidentally, 17-year-old Numme was a substitute for a substitute, as Markus Saler’s cameo was cut short by a gashed leg after just 15 minutes.

 

There would be no last-gasp Fulham winner this time. Indeed, after 82 minutes, it seemed that Darlington would pull off a shock result. Olaoye’s strike from just outside the area was blasted wide, thus sparing us from defeat, but I was certainly not a relieved man at full-time.

 

Fulham - 1 (Guðmundsson 29)

Darlington - 1 (Olaoye 48)

Division 1, Attendance 12,069 - POSITIONS: Fulham 11th, Darlington 24th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-1-4-1): Hudson; Edwards, Ifil, Piccolo, Guðmundsson; Schneider; Danns (Saler (Numme)), Mølby, Núñez (Ormerod), Bouchiba; McVeigh. BOOKED: Danns.

 

All that momentum we built up from beating two of the best teams in the league, and we threw it away with a tepid performance against the worst team. Fulham Football Club, ladies and gentlemen.

 

Despite that, we finish the month just five points adrift of 6th-placed Nottingham Forest... and 2nd-placed Wolves are only one further point ahead. The race for promotion is hotting up, and we are determined to play our part.

Edited March 29 by CFuller

[CFuller]

DIVISION 1 TABLE (End of November 2011)

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st     Blackburn                       20   9    0    1    30   11   6    0    4    25   21   45   
2nd     Wolves                          20   9    0    1    24   10   2    4    4    18   21   37   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd     Gillingham                      20   7    1    2    23   13   4    3    3    17   17   37   
4th     Man City                        20   5    3    2    23   16   6    1    3    21   21   37   
5th     West Ham                        20   6    3    1    13   7    4    3    3    13   11   36   
6th     Nottm Forest                    20   6    2    2    21   19   5    1    4    15   18   36   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7th     Birmingham                      20   8    0    2    27   11   3    1    6    20   25   34   
8th     Charlton                        20   7    0    3    21   12   3    4    3    12   11   34   
9th     Notts Co                        20   7    2    1    19   6    3    1    6    19   21   33   
10th    Norwich                         20   5    3    2    22   19   4    1    5    17   17   31   
11th    Fulham                          20   4    3    3    16   14   5    1    4    9    10   31   
12th    Sunderland                      20   6    3    1    20   13   3    1    6    20   29   31   
13th    Sheff Utd                       20   5    2    3    28   21   4    1    5    15   19   30   
14th    Carlisle                        20   6    1    3    17   13   1    2    7    8    16   24   
15th    Preston                         20   3    4    3    17   18   2    5    3    18   22   24   
16th    Swindon                         20   4    3    3    21   22   3    0    7    11   16   24   
17th    Chesterfield                    20   6    0    4    23   17   0    5    5    18   28   23   
18th    W.B.A.                          20   4    3    3    18   16   1    3    6    11   18   21   
19th    Kidderminster                   20   5    3    2    17   13   0    3    7    6    16   21   
20th    Huddersfield                    20   3    2    5    8    10   3    1    6    16   26   21   
21st    Aston Villa                     20   3    2    5    18   22   2    2    6    15   24   19   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22nd    Tottenham                       20   4    4    2    16   13   1    0    9    7    23   19   
23rd    Macclesfield                    20   3    1    6    19   21   1    2    7    13   23   15   
24th    Darlington                      20   2    2    6    10   14   0    2    8    7    18   10   

 

ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL...

• La Liga leaders Real Madrid suffer a shock early exit from the Champions League, after losing their decisive group game 1-0 at Dortmund - Samuel Eto’o scoring the winner from Andrés Iniesta’s assist. Real drop into the UEFA Cup and battle to a 1-1 home draw with ÖIS, who won the Allsvenskan in 2010... and then finished bottom of Sweden’s top division 12 months later!
• Arsenal lose their unbeaten Premiership record to bogey team Bolton but continue their march towards another title. A midfield masterclass from Craig Ward secures an impressive 2-0 win over Leeds. There’s also plenty of praise for 17-year-old Robbie Lynch, who after some early wobbles is now established as the Gunners’ first-choice goalkeeper.
• Rangers slump to 4th in the Scottish Premier League and are soundly beaten 3-1 by Serie A leaders Parma in the second group phase of the Champions League. Things only get worse when Gers captain Arjen Robben breaks his leg in a robust challenge on Motherwell left-back Paul Konchesky.
• Denmark - who reached the Quarter Finals of the 2010 World Cup - won’t be at Euro 2012. The Danes suffer an agonising Playoff defeat to Russia, for whom Alexandr Kerzhakov scores a 90th-minute winner in Copenhagen. Greece also endure late heartbreak, as Leverkusen’s Dimitar Berbatov scores deep into extra-time to send Bulgaria into their first tournament for 12 years.
• Portugal’s failure to qualify for the Euros costs head coach Augusto Inácio his job, as he is replaced with Jorge Costa - most recently manager of German third-tier side Hannover 96. Meanwhile, the Republic of Ireland finally dismiss Mick McCarthy and replace him with his old mate Roy Keane, who was recently sacked by Tottenham.

 

IN OTHER NEWS...

• Former world heavyweight boxing champion Joe Frazier dies from liver cancer aged 67. Smokin’ Joe was the first pugilist to defeat the great Muhammad Ali, but he is also remembered for losing to Ali in the legendary ‘Thrilla In Manila’ in 1975.
• Amid an economic decline, Silvio Berlusconi resigns as Prime Minister of Italy for a third (and probably final) time. The media tycoon vows to spend even more time at the San Siro, prompting Andrea Pirlo to reconsider his future at Milan.
• Swedish indie developer Mojang Studios officially releases its first video game “Minecraft” - a charming title where you can build pretty much anything you want. And who knows, maybe you will meet the love of your life as well…

[CFuller]

DECEMBER 2011

20 games into the Division 1 campaign, the various league tables showed just how weird our season had been so far. We had the 3rd-best away record (behind only Manchester City and leaders Blackburn)... but in terms of home form, we were 18th.

 

If a strong home record was the backbone to success for most promotion-winning teams, we looked like invertebrates. Witnessing four wins, three draws and three defeats at Craven Cottage was not something that would encourage Fulham fans - and neither would the fact that only one of those victories had been by more than a single goal.

 

Turning the Cottage into a fortress was my priority in December, as four of our remaining six matches this year would be in the familiar surroundings of SW6.

 

The first of those was against Aston Villa, who kicked off the month sitting just above the drop zone. If Villa’s appointment of ex-England centre-back Chris Perry as manager was supposed to have fixed the holes in their defence, it wasn’t working, as their 46 goals conceded was the highest in the league. Brett Ormerod and Paul McVeigh were already licking their lips.

 

3 DECEMBER 2011: Fulham vs Aston Villa

The opening goal came midway through a very cagey first half. Just three days before his 34th birthday, Paul McVeigh showed enough pace and skill to get past long-time Aston Villa left-back Jlloyd Samuel and deliver a cross to the near post. Wayne Cable then came forward and headed in his second goal of the season!

 

Villa’s latest relegation battle was turning even their most placid players crazy. Five minutes later, giant striker Peter Crouch - who had recently rejoined the Villans after a year away from football - inexplicably stuck a finger in Arnar Guðmundsson’s eyeball! He was very lucky to escape with only a yellow card.

 

Meanwhile, Cable continued to put in an outstanding, confident attacking display that belied his 17 years. An impressive dribble up the left flank ended with his cross being powered home by Brett Ormerod, which gave us a 2-0 lead at half-time. The second half should have plain sailing, right?

 

Turns out that Villa had a nippy left-winger of their own. Steve Sutton’s fancy footwork made a mug out of Florian Schneider in the 50th minute, and he then drilled the ball across our half for his more experienced right-wing counterpart Ryan Williams to finish. Incidentally, that was William’s 50th goal for the visitors.

 

That goal made the rest of the match nervier than it should have been. Villa’s finishing deserted them when they had a couple of chances to equalise, while their goalkeeper John Reed pulled off some quality saves to stop McVeigh and Ormerod from restoring our two-goal cushion. In the end, though, a one-goal lead was indeed enough.

 

Fulham - 2 (Cable 23, Ormerod 33)

Aston Villa - 1 (Williams 50)

Division 1, Attendance 15,265 - POSITIONS: Fulham 10th, Aston Villa 22nd

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-2): Hudson; Edwards, Ifil, Thatcher (Mitchell), Guðmundsson; Danns, Mølby (Numme), Schneider, Cable; McVeigh (Agritis), Ormerod. BOOKED: Thatcher.

 

This felt like a coming-of-age performance from 17-year-old Wayne Cable. A goal and an assist showed that the winger - who had recently made his Wales Under-21s debut - was ready to establish himself as a regular starter at club level.

 

The emergence of another exciting talent in 18-year-old right-back Graham Edwards was bad news for a former regular. After a season-and-a-half at Craven Cottage, Graham Bowater packed his bags and headed off to Luton in a £475,000 transfer.

 

One player I did not want to sell was goalkeeper Wayne Hudson. Our captain played for Sheffield Wednesday earlier in his career, and under-pressure Owls boss Martin O’Neill offered me £2.6million to take him back to Hillsborough. I couldn’t hang up the phone fast enough.

 

Next on the agenda was another home game against another team battling relegation. Division 1 newcomers Macclesfield were second-from-bottom, but they had a surprisingly good record against teams fielding a 4-4-2 formation - as we found out to our cost in last season’s FA Cup. I therefore switched to a 3-5-2, with Cable and Arnar Guðmundsson playing as attacking wing-backs.

 

10 DECEMBER 2011: Fulham vs Macclesfield Town

We’d recently made a habit of starting matches slowly, and this wasn’t much different. Luckily for us, captain Wayne Hudson was wide awake in the 15th minute, brilliantly saving a fierce shot from Macclesfield skipper Stephen O’Neill. Five minutes later, Hudson produced another vital save, this time to deny striker Ben Ellis.

 

By the half-hour mark, the rest of the Fulham team had woken up. Vicente Núñez had not enjoyed the best of seasons, but the young Spanish midfielder managed to play a superb square ball to Anestis Agritis, who lost his marker and broke the deadlock!

 

The introduction of veteran Dutch striker Dennis Schulp midway through the second half briefly put a bit more zip in Macclesfield’s attacks, but the Silkmen struggled to break through a resilient Fulham defence. One of our top performers was centre-back Jerel Ifil, whose game was sadly ended after 70 minutes, when he suffered a knee injury.

 

Despite losing Ifil, victory was never really in doubt - certainly not after the 78th minute. Brett Ormerod’s initial header from Arnar Guðmundsson’s cross might have been well saved by Macc goalie Russell Howarth, but our experienced frontman made light work of the rebound. 2-0, game over!

 

Fulham - 2 (Agritis 30, Ormerod 78)

Macclesfield Town - 0

Division 1, Attendance 10,640 - POSITIONS: Fulham 9th, Macclesfield 23rd

FULHAM LINE-UP (3-5-2): Hudson; Ifil (Piccolo), Mitchell, Thatcher; Guðmundsson, Cable (Saler); Danns, Schneider, Núñez (Mølby); Agritis, Ormerod. BOOKED: Schneider, Núñez, Thatcher.

 

After back-to-back home wins, we were now only two points off the play-offs. Unfortunately, centre-back Jerel Ifil had twisted his knee and would be sidelined until after Christmas. Meanwhile, midfielder Florian Schneider’s fifth booking of the season earned him a suspension for our Boxing Day match at West Brom.

 

The FA Cup Round 3 draw took place the following afternoon, and we were again given a home tie against lower-league opposition. This time, our would-be upsetters were Paul Merson’s Morecambe, who were enjoying their first ever season in the Football League.

 

Lancastrian opposition would also be on our minds the following weekend, as we faced mid-table Preston at Deepdale. David Moyes’ Lilywhites had drawn more matches than any other team in the division, but they had also lost only once in the last three months.

 

17 DECEMBER 2011: Preston North End vs Fulham

The opening six minutes set the tone for a match which Preston almost completely dominated. A couple of early speculative strikes from attacking midfielders John Murray and Dave Marsh both needed top-quality saves from Wayne Hudson, who would be given few moments to breathe by a relentless Lilywhites attack.

 

Peter Mitchell had recently moved back into centre-half after a failed experimentation as a right-back, but the Scot looked a shaky presence in our defence. Fortunately, any slip-ups from Mitchell were spared either by Hudson or by the crossbar, which kept out shots from David Healy and Murray just before half-time.

 

That’s not to say it was a quiet afternoon for Preston’s goalkeeper/captain Stephen Bywater. The 30-year-old saved three Fulham shots - all of which came from Brett Ormerod, which was perhaps a sign of how one-dimensional and predictable our attacks were. Suffice to say, we wouldn’t get on the scoresheet...

 

...and neither would North End. Hudson was as unbeatable in the second half as he was in the first period, and he saved perhaps his best stop for last. The young Welsh striker Gareth Evans outjumped Mitchell to win a point-blank header, which Hudson somehow managed to turn away to save us a point.

 

Preston North End - 0

Fulham - 0

Division 1, Attendance 21,565 - POSITIONS: Preston 15th, Fulham 10th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-2): Hudson; Edwards, Mitchell, Thatcher, Guðmundsson; Danns, Mølby (Núñez), Schneider, Cable (Piccolo); Agritis, Ormerod (McVeigh). BOOKED: Guðmundsson, Mitchell.

 

Though we lost a little ground on the top six, I was happy with the result - and also our defensive resilience.

 

Our last match before Christmas was a big one in the play-off race - at home to a high-scoring Birmingham team who were three points ahead of us in 5th. Midfielder Michael Gibson returned from a month-long injury lay-off and was eager to get himself an early present on the night before his 19th birthday.

 

21 DECEMBER 2011: Fulham vs Birmingham City

We made an unusually nippy start, with Paul McVeigh almost heading home the opening goal in the 8th minute. Indeed, we would only have to wait a few more moments to break the deadlock. Birmingham defender Domenico Palmieri might have brilliantly cleared Neil Danns’ strike off the goalline, but he was powerless to stop Wayne Cable’s follow-upf rom finding the net.

 

Cable nearly doubled his tally in the 30th minute, when his half-volley from Arnar Guðmundsson’s long ball hit the woodwork. By then, Birmingham had been rocked by an injury to Tom Youngs, who was now their main goal threat following Andy Johnson’s £1.1million move to Leeds last month. Youngs was replaced by the Norwegian international winger Håvar Valved.

 

The Blues would have to look to their midfield for an equaliser. Nine minutes before half-time, Grant McCann played an impressive assist for Richard Murphy, whose blistering 20-yarder was too much even for Wayne Hudson.

 

Two fingertips from City goalkeeper Matt Bates either side of half-time stopped Paul McVeigh and Michael Gibson from reinstating our lead, but a certain Welsh teenager would soon get the better of him again. Cable’s outstanding form continued in the 57th minute, when his header from Danns’ cross put him on the cusp of a hat-trick.

 

Before Cable got a chance to secure the match ball, though, Birmingham struck back once again. Valved’s header from a 65th-minute McCann corner fell to right-back and captain Lewis Buxton, who levelled the scores with his first Blues goal!

 

In the 87th minute, though, Buxton went from hero to zero. He was already on a yellow card when he shoved Gibson, leading to a second yellow, followed by a red! City had already lost Valved to another injury by then, so any aspirations they had of stealing all three points had to make way for preserving a draw.

 

As full-time neared, we went all-out to try and score a decisive third goal. A rapid counter-attack deep into stoppage led to a great chance for Danish substitute Tom Mølby, but the 20-year-old’s drive was pushed behind by Bates. McCann then cleared Gibson’s whipped corner, at which point the ref called time on a 2-2 thriller!

 

Fulham - 2 (Cable 8,57)

Birmingham City - 2 (Murphy 36, Buxton 65)

Division 1, Attendance 13,727 - POSITIONS: Fulham 10th, Birmingham 5th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-2): Hudson; Edwards, Mitchell, Thatcher, Guðmundsson; Danns, Gibson, Schneider (Mølby), Cable (Bouchiba); Agritis (Ormerod), McVeigh. BOOKED: Thatcher.

 

Ben Thatcher was the latest Cottager to pick up a suspension after picking up too many bookings. The former Wales defender would sit out our first match of 2012, away to Notts County on 4 January.

 

Schneider’s suspension came into effect for our Boxing Day fixture away to West Brom, who’d slipped into the relegation zone after four straight defeats. 17-year-old midfielder Henning Numme and loanee right-back Markus Saler both made their first Fulham starts.

 

26 DECEMBER 2011: West Bromwich Albion vs Fulham

We gave West Brom’s defence a real scare after just seven minutes. Replacing an exhausted Wayne Cable on the left wing was the experienced Elbekay Bouchiba, whose cross to Paul McVeigh was flicked on towards Neil Danns at the far post. Unluckily, Danns’ desperate slide to turn the ball home ended in narrow failure.

 

On that one moment, the whole match shifted. A relieved West Brom went on the attack for the next half-hour before eventually breaking through in the 37th minute. Midfielder Mark Wilson’s chip was met by a delicate flick-on from Wade Elliott, and then a ruthless finish from Danny Webber. Things could only get better for us in the second half, surely?

 

No, they couldn’t. Webber followed up his late first-half goal with an even better assist just three minutes into the second. The former Manchester United and Blackpool striker found the young Norwegian attacking midfielder Bjarne Strand in space, and Wayne Hudson was left Strand-ed in the Fulham goal.

 

A 2-0 lead to the Baggies increased to 3-0 just after the half-hour mark. Defensive midfielder Ross Lee’s half-volley put an end to any slim hopes we had of salvaging anything from the game. Lee was fast becoming a nemesis of mine - that was only his third goal in senior football, with his first two coming for Coventry against my Kidderminster team almost exactly two years ago!

 

The whole Fulham defence was in disarray, and loanee right-back Markus Saler looked utterly hopeless in the 81st minute. Saler failed to close Wilson down before he delivered a devastating cross, which Neil Mellor flicked on for Italian substitute Luigi Fioretti to complete a 4-0 demolition.

 

West Bromwich Albion - 4 (Webber 37, Strand 48, Lee 61, Fioretti 81)

Fulham - 0

Division 1, Attendance 15,574 - POSITIONS: West Brom 21st, Fulham 11th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-2): Hudson; Saler, Ifil, Thatcher, Guðmundsson; Danns (Agritis), Gibson, Numme, Bouchiba (Mølby); Ormerod, McVeigh. BOOKED: Gibson.

 

Well, that was a Boxing Day disaster. In fact, Saler’s performance was so disastrous that his first Fulham start would also be his last. The Austrian teenager was sent straight back to Manchester City with his tail between his legs.

 

Another defender left the club soon after, as reserve Nigel Proffitt went on loan to Division 2 strugglers Northampton until the end of the season. The 19-year-old had made 28 career appearances for Fulham so far, but had not yet featured this season.

 

After three matches without a win, we were desperate to finish 2011 on a high by taking maximum points on New Year’s Eve. That would not be easy, as Nottingham Forest arrived at Craven Cottage with a five-game unbeaten run that had propelled them into an automatic promotion berth.

 

31 DECEMBER 2011: Fulham vs Nottingham Forest

The first half was all about the goalkeepers. Nottingham Forest’s shotstopper Matthew Ramsey was especially impressive, keeping Paul McVeigh, Neil Danns and Anestis Agritis off the scoresheet. At the other end, there were a couple of fine stops from Wayne Hudson, who had well and truly put his West Brom woes behind him.

 

Four minutes into the first half, though, the deadlock was broken. Forest midfielder Tonton Zola Moukoko’s slide tackle on Wayne Cable succeeded only in knocking the ball on to Danns, who perfectly weighted a long ball into the Albion box. On the other end was Tom Mølby, whose header put us 1-0 up.

 

But having made heavy weather of nearly all our victories this season, and having failed to win our last three games, we never looked confident about killing off the game. Agritis skied a couple of efforts well off target and was eventually replaced with Brett Ormerod, who hardly fared any better.

 

With Jerel Ifil delivering a defensive masterclass for the ages, we should have at least held on for a 1-0 win... but when Ben Thatcher carelessly lost possession in the 85th minute, the victory went with it. Moukoko took control of the loose ball and then floated in a cross that was headed home by René Kaiser.

 

I would have predicted a riot at Craven Cottage if Forest scored another goal. Everyone connected with Fulham held their breaths when Moukoko played another excellent delivery in stoppage time... but winger Bernard Hofstede’s shot clipped the outside of Hudson’s left-hand post. But for a few inches, we would have lost at home for the fourth time already this season.

 

Fulham - 1 (Mølby 49)

Nottingham Forest - 1 (Kaiser 85)

Division 1, Attendance 14,853 - POSITIONS: Fulham 11th, Nottm Forest 2nd

FULHAM LINE-UP (3-5-2): Hudson; Mitchell, Ifil, Thatcher; Guðmundsson, Cable (Edwards); Mølby, Schneider (Gibson), Danns; Agritis (Ormerod), McVeigh. BOOKED: Schneider.

 

For goodness sake! Why do we always make life so difficult for ourselves?!

 

Cable’s fantastic performances throughout December rightly earned him the Division 1 Young Player of the Month award, but it was hard to find any other positives in another frustrating month.

 

If we were to challenge for promotion this season, I would need to have a long, hard look at this team early in the new year - and I would need to make some very difficult decisions.

[CFuller]

DIVISION 1 TABLE (End of December 2011)

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st     Blackburn                       26   11   0    3    38   18   6    2    4    29   25   53   
2nd     Nottm Forest                    26   9    2    2    34   25   6    3    4    22   24   50   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd     Wolves                          26   11   1    1    27   10   3    4    6    21   28   47   
4th     Birmingham                      26   10   1    2    35   14   4    3    6    24   28   46   
5th     West Ham                        26   9    3    2    26   12   4    4    4    15   14   46   
6th     Gillingham                      26   8    2    2    26   15   5    4    5    22   22   45   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7th     Norwich                         26   7    3    2    27   21   5    4    5    25   24   43   
8th     Charlton                        26   7    2    5    26   20   5    4    3    18   13   42   
9th     Man City                        26   6    4    2    28   18   6    2    6    28   34   42   
10th    Notts Co                        26   8    4    1    25   11   3    3    7    22   27   40   
11th    Fulham                          26   6    5    3    23   18   5    2    5    9    14   40   
12th    Sunderland                      26   7    3    2    25   16   4    2    8    30   41   38   
13th    Chesterfield                    26   8    0    6    28   22   2    5    5    23   31   35   
14th    Preston                         26   5    6    3    23   21   2    6    4    20   25   33   
15th    Sheff Utd                       26   5    4    5    32   30   4    2    6    17   23   33   
16th    Swindon                         26   6    3    3    27   25   4    0    10   14   23   33   
17th    Carlisle                        26   6    2    4    20   17   3    2    9    13   20   31   
18th    Huddersfield                    26   6    3    5    22   18   3    1    8    19   32   31   
19th    Kidderminster                   26   7    4    3    21   16   0    4    8    7    20   29   
20th    W.B.A.                          26   6    3    4    25   21   1    3    9    13   25   27   
21st    Aston Villa                     26   4    4    5    22   24   3    2    8    20   30   27   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22nd    Tottenham                       26   4    5    3    18   16   3    1    10   17   32   27   
23rd    Macclesfield                    26   4    2    6    26   25   1    2    11   14   33   19   
24th    Darlington                      26   2    2    8    11   17   0    3    11   8    27   11   

 

ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL...

• Chelsea forward Cristiano Ronaldo storms to the top of the Premiership’s Golden Boot race with 12 goals in December, including FOUR at Middlesbrough. Even so, the champions cannot keep up with Arsenal, who seal a hat-trick of three-goal home wins over Manchester United, Crystal Palace and Coventry... and also lose 4-1 at David Beckham’s Ipswich.
• A last-minute winner from Javier Saviola earns VfB Stuttgart a 2-1 comeback win over HSV and extends their lead at the top of the Bundesliga. Joe Cole opens the scoring for Hamburg after completing a club-record £16.75million transfer from Leverkusen. Perhaps Cole doesn’t realise that ‘Die Rothosen’ are battling against relegation.
• Joe’s England namesake Ashley Cole is also on the move, ending his five-year stay at Roma to join Barcelona for £13.75million. It’s fair to say that Barça’s players aren’t thrilled to see a former Real Madrid player in their ranks. Ashley is awkwardly ostracised in the team photo before making his debut in a 1-1 home draw against... Real Madrid.
• As Marseille’s bid to regain their Ligue 1 title flounders, under-pressure manager Terry Yorath jumps to Serie A side Venezia before he is pushed. The Welshman is succeeded at the Stade Vélodrome by Edgardo Bauza, who recently led former Champions League semi-finalists Club Brugge into the Belgian Pro League’s relegation zone. That’s a good omen.
• Parma go four points clear in Serie A, as substitute Danilo Mancini’s winning goal against champions Roma extends their unbeaten start. However, the Gialloblu remain in a huge financial crisis and are forced to sell their Ferrari - that’s Italy defender Matteo Ferrari - to Milan for £6.5million.

 

IN OTHER NEWS...

• North Korea’s totalitarian supreme leader Kim Jong-Il is taken ill on a train, and is later pronounced Kim Jong-Dead from a massive heart attack. The 69-year-old - who had ruled the secretive communist state since the death of his father Kim Il-Sung in 1994 - is succeeded by his son Kim Jong-Un.
• Jade, Jessy, Leigh-Anne and Perrie - aka Little Mix - become the first group to win ITV talent show “The X Factor”. In unrelated news, the Irish singer-songwriter Damien Rice is brutally murdered on British national television.
• Manx cyclist Mark Cavendish - who won the green jersey at this year’s Tour de France - is voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year, beating golfer Darren Clarke and athlete Mo Farah. Imagine if a Brit wins the yellow jersey in 2012!
• The Pacific island territories of Samoa and Tokelau move from the east of the International Date Line to the west, for trading reasons. This means they move straight forward from 29 December to New Year’s Eve - skipping 30 December entirely! Meanwhile, Boston in Lincolnshire decides to go back in time - to 1973.

[CFuller]

JANUARY 2012

The new year began with me struggling to work out why this talented Fulham team was still struggling to launch a play-off challenge. As I looked at the league table and the player statistics, I came to a startling revelation.

 

Despite being 11th in the Division 1 table on points, and despite having the 2nd-best defensive record after West Ham, we also had scored the 3rd-fewest goals in the division - just 32 goals from 26 matches. Only rock-bottom Darlington and my former club Kidderminster had found the net less frequently.

 

The goalscorers list also made for uncomfortable meeting. There were 23 players had scored at least 10 goals in the division, but none of them played for Fulham. Our top three scorers Anestis Agritis, Paul McVeigh and Brett Ormerod had netted just 19 goals between them - three fewer than Chesterfield’s Lars Iver Strand had scored on his own!

 

McVeigh and Ormerod were now 34 and 35 years old respectively. This long-standing Fulham strike duo - with 210 league goals between them - had sadly passed its peak, and both men would be allowed to leave when their £30,000-per-week contracts expired in the summer.

 

There were question marks over Agritis too. At 30 years old, the Greek international was no spring chicken either, and his current deal ran until the end of next season. Considering that Agritis’ blistering early-season form had petered out, and that he was still annoyed about not being an automatic starter, his future was also up in the air.

 

This ageing Fulham frontline needed fresh blood. Our most exciting young striker - 18-year-old Michael Butler - was unfortunately struggling with a recurring knee injury, but Jamie Davey’s recent scoring record for the reserves was promising. The energetic 20-year-old forward was promoted to the senior set-up, so that I could have a closer look at him.

 

Having finished 2011 with a frustrating home draw against Nottingham Forest, we kicked off 2012 with an away trip to their city rivals. Notts County were only ahead of us on goal difference, having tumbled down the table after winning just one of their last 12 matches.

 

4 JANUARY 2012: Notts County vs Fulham

Walter Smith’s hosts were determined to get an early goal early on... but Wayne Hudson was just as determined to stop them. A couple of strong saves in the first 15 minutes kept Argentine striker Sebastián Cobelli and Scottish cult icon Mark Kerr off the scoresheet. Hudson also narrowly averted what would’ve been a humiliating own goal from Florian Schneider.

 

The Magpies’ attacking game slowed down after half an hour, allowing us to launch a couple of counter-attacks just before the break. A stunning half-volley from Tom Mølby in the 34th minute needed a fingertip save from County keeper Mark Heath. Four minutes later, Anestis Agritis miscued a shot that he would have easily fired home back in the autumn.

 

The second half saw plenty more shots at both ends, though it was Notts County who looked most likely to come out on top. Had it not been for even more classic goalkeeping from Hudson, we would surely have faced back-to-back away defeats. Sadly, with none of our strikers managing a single shot on target between them, the best we could hope for was a 0-0 draw.

 

Notts County - 0

Fulham - 0

Division 1, Attendance 9,528 - POSITIONS: Notts County 10th, Fulham 11th

FULHAM LINE-UP (3-5-2): Hudson; Mitchell, Ifil, Piccolo; Guðmundsson, Cable (Edwards); Mølby (Gibson), Schneider, Danns; Agritis, McVeigh (Davey). BOOKED: Guðmundsson.

 

That was our fifth straight game without a win. Three days later, we were desperate to bring that barren run to an end.

 

Football League newcomers Morecambe arrived at Craven Cottage looking to bridge a two-division gap in the pyramid. Paul Merson led the Shrimps to the Conference title last season, and they were on course to retain their Division 3 status, sitting 12 points clear of danger in 18th place.

 

Merse was certainly in a confident mood before kick-off, randomly crowing that he could win the Greek league with Olympiakos. To be fair, Olympiakos have won the Greek league every year since 2007…

 

Anyway, I fielded a strong line-up against Morecambe, but also gave opportunities to a few fringe players. One of these was centre-back Curtis Davies, who made his first appearance since mid-October. Backup goalkeeper Jimmy Wilkinson featured for just the second time this season.

 

7 JANUARY 2012: Fulham vs Morecambe

With Wayne Cable having taken his place in our regular starting line-up, veteran winger Elbekay Bouchiba came out with a point to prove. In the 16th minute, the flying Dutchman’s cross was headed against the bar by an unfortunate Tom Mølby. Five minutes later, Bouchiba managed to hit the target, breaking the deadlock with a direct free-kick which he had won off Morecambe midfielder David Gardner.

 

Despite falling behind, Morecambe didn’t give up easily. Mark Nicholls - the former Torquay and Bradford striker who was now their player/assistant manager - headed a Nathan Edwards cross over the bar just before half-time.

 

We clearly needed another goal to settle us, and Brett Ormerod obliged three minutes into the second half. The 35-year-old was quickest to Bouchiba’s corner delivery, which he flicked home for 2-0. Morecambe’s goalkeeper Michael Bingham then made a couple of saves to stop us running into an even more commanding lead.

 

The Shrimps did pull one goal back in the 63rd minute, courtesy of a close-range header from striker Darren Burgess. They also finished the match strongly, and they thought they should’ve had the chance to force a replay when Neil Danns scythed Gardner down in our penalty area. Thankfully, the ref waved their protests away, and then called full-time to send us through.

 

Fulham - 2 (Bouchiba 21, Ormerod 48)

Morecambe - 1 (Burgess 63)

FA Cup Round 3, Attendance 6,415

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-1-1): Wilkinson; Edwards, Davies, Thatcher (Magnusson), Guðmundsson; Gibson, Piccolo (Danns), Núñez, Bouchiba; Mølby; Ormerod (Davey). BOOKED: Mølby.

 

After barely beating Morecambe’s part-timers, our ‘reward’ was a Round 4 tie at home to either Premiership side Bradford or Conference side Hereford. No prizes for guessing which team I was hoping for.

 

Vicente Núñez had played in that last match, but I sensed that something wasn’t right with the 21-year-old Spanish midfielder. Even after a full year in England, he was still struggling to communicate with his team-mates or get to grips with the British lifestyle.

 

Later in the week, I had a long chat with Núñez, who revealed through a translator that he was feeling homesick. Vicente was a very talented defensive midfielder that I really didn’t want to lose, so I allowed him to return home to Spain for a fortnight. Hopefully some time away from the club would ease his mind.

 

In terms of easing my mind, a home win over Wolves in our next league match would do wonders. If we could rediscover our golden touch against the amber-clad Wanderers, we could potentially move within two points of the play-offs.

 

14 JANUARY 2012: Fulham vs Wolverhampton Wanderers

Michael Gibson could have fired us into the lead after just nine minutes, when an excellent free-kick unfortunately came back off the crossbar. That narrow miss would come back to haunt us just two minutes later. Wolves striker Chris Worthington played an incisive cross perfectly for the onrushing midfielder John Perkins, whose fierce drive broke the deadlock for the visitors.

 

Pretty much nothing went our way after that early setback. Another Gibson free-kick in the 18th minute was even further off target, while Anestis Agritis’ point-blank header was caught by Wolves goalie Alistair White in the 22nd. Agritis did find the net a minute later from Arnar Guðmundsson’s free-kick... but not before Tom Mølby had strayed into an offside position.

 

After being thwarted at one end by one White, it was another White who heaped further misery on Fulham’s men in white five minutes from half-time. Ex-Sunderland midfielder Keith White doubled Wolves’ lead with a powerful strike from Craig Strachan’s through-ball. Strachan’s assist will no doubt have brought a smile to the face of his dad Gordon, who was sacked as Hull’s manager just three days earlier.

 

17-year-olds Wayne Cable and Henning Numme came on at half-time to freshen up an out-of-sorts Cottagers team. It seemed to work, as a magnificent strike from Agritis in the 64th minute pulled us back to 2-1.

 

Sadly, there would be no Fulham fightback. Florian Schneider’s holding foul on Worthington in the 78th minute cost him a booking, and us another goal. Steven Rogers’ short free-kick to Perkins set up a powerful strike which was deflected in off Jerel Ifil, whose former club left the Cottage with a 3-1 victory.

 

Fulham - 1 (Agritis 64)

Wolverhampton Wanderers - 3 (Perkins 11, K White 40, Ifil og78)

Division 1, Attendance 14,587 - POSITIONS: Fulham 11th, Wolves 3rd

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-1-1): Hudson; Edwards (Mitchell), Ifil, Davies, Guðmundsson; Gibson, Danns (Numme), Schneider, Bouchiba (Cable); Mølby; Agritis. BOOKED: Schneider.

 

Embarrassing. I completely lost my temper with my team at full-time. Wayne Hudson and Neil Danns had infuriated me so much that they were each fined a week’s wages and dropped from our next game at Norwich.

 

I was still in a pretty foul mood by the time Bradford travelled to Hereford for their FA Cup replay, which would decide who would face us in Round 4. I fully expected Ryan Giggs’ Premiership strugglers to crush Hereford before steamrollering over us.

 

Imagine my surprise, then, when Hereford ran out 2-1 winners - becoming the first non-league team to knock a top-flight club out of the FA Cup since Sutton United scalped Coventry in 1989! That meant the Bulls would travel to Craven Cottage on 28 January.

 

Before that, though, we had Norwich to worry about. While we had not won any of our last six league matches, the Canaries were undefeated in their last eight. Surely there would only be one outcome at Carrow Road?

 

21 JANUARY 2012: Norwich City vs Fulham

After just nine minutes, Anestis Agritis was getting ready to tear up the form book. The Greek god’s 10th goal of the season came from a fantastic cross by Elbekay Bouchiba, which Agritis thundered past a stranded Lee Pike in the Norwich goal.

 

Within seven minutes, however, the whole complexion of the match had changed. Canaries captain Darren Kelly volleyed in an excellent equaliser in the 13th minute, which caused our frustrated player to lose their cool. Florian Schneider and Jerel Ifil both picked up yellow cards... and Jerel paid an even bigger price for tripping Kelly, whose stunning free-kick put Norwich 2-1 up after 16 minutes.

 

After a groin injury accounted for our attacking midfielder Tom Mølby in the 24th minute, our afternoon lurched from bad to wrose in the 29th. Goalkeeper Jimmy Wilkinson looked incredibly rusty in his first league match of the season, as he fumbled a tame shot from Norwich midfielder Gavin McCann and then watched defender Mike Simpkins score the rebound. 3-1 to City.

 

I was so frustrated with Wilkinson that I subbed our official number 1 off at half-time - and gave another chance to our actual first-choice keeper. Wayne Hudson’s first meaningful task was to try and save a 53rd-minute penalty from Isaiah Rankin, who was upended in the area by a naive Graham Edwards. Hudson could not do it, as Rankin extended the hosts’ lead to 4-1. No photographs, please.

 

At the same time that I hooked Wilkinson for Hudson, I also replaced Ifil at centre-half with Peter Mitchell. The 25-year-old Scotsman hadn’t enjoyed a great start to his second stay at Fulham, but there was a moment to remember after 56 minutes. Mitchell gave us renewed hope by scoring from Michael Gibson’s deflected corner kick, getting his first goal of the season.

 

We looked a totally different team over the last half-hour. Teenage midfielder Henning Numme almost got his name on the scoreboard after 66 minutes, only being denied by the crossbar. Then, in the 81st minute, Agritis scored his second goal of the afternoon - again from a Bouchiba cross - to pull it back to 4-3. But I’m afraid our second-half revival ended right there, as we still left Norfolk with no points.

 

Norwich City - 4 (Kelly 13,16, Simpkins 29, Rankin pen53)

Fulham - 3 (Agritis 9,81, Mitchell 56)

Division 1, Attendance 19,013 - POSITIONS: Norwich 4th, Fulham 11th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-1-1): Wilkinson (Hudson); Edwards, Ifil (Mitchell), Thatcher, Guðmundsson; Gibson, Numme, Schneider, Bouchiba; Mølby (Ormerod); Agritis. BOOKED: Schneider, Ifil.

 

Eight points off the play-offs, seven games without a league win, and Tom Mølby out for three weeks with a groin strain. Brilliant.

 

24 hours after our latest defeat, Davies packed his bags and headed to Bristol City on a free transfer. I could probably have got a reasonable fee for a player of Curtis’ defensive capabilities, but his moaning and entitled attitude was stinking the place out, and I just wanted him gone.

 

On the positive side, I was pleased to see Núñez return to Fulham after his leave of absence. The 21-year-old returned to the starting line-up for our FA Cup Round 4 tie against Hereford, in which young left-back Halldór Magnusson made his first start of the season. Could we avoid the same humiliating fate as Bradford and make it through to the last 16?

 

28 JANUARY 2012: Fulham vs Hereford United

We immediately took the game to Hereford, with Norwegian teenagers Atle Iversen and Henning Numme each getting shots on target in the first 16 minutes. Sadly, neither could beat Hereford’s goalkeeper Steven Gray... and Iversen would not get another chance, as a dead leg ended his match shortly afterwards.

 

We then had a brief scare, with Ben Eaton hitting the woodwork for Hereford after 24 minutes. Gray’s goal frame was even less forgiving, as Paul McVeigh struck the post in the 28th minute AND the bar in the 39th. McVeigh had only scored one goal in the past three months, and the 34-year-old’s killer touch showed no sign of coming back.

 

For all their bravery, Hereford’s defence was barely holding on... and the Bulls’ task got even tougher three minutes from half-time. Centre-half Michael McNaughton denied Anestis Agritis a clean run on goal by pulling on the back of the Greek’s shirt collar - and his cynical actions deserved a straight red card.

 

Paul Sturrock’s underdogs now had to play the entire second half with 10 men... but two of those men were particularly determined to keep us at bay. There was James Dawson - the 22-year-old homegrown right-back whose aggressive tackling frequently frustrated Wayne Cable. Then there was Gray, whose constant run of magnificent saves belied the fact that he spent four years rusting in Carlisle’s reserve team before Sturrock saved him from the scrapheap!

 

With Gray putting in the kind of world-class performance that had shocked Bradford just 10 days earlier, we knew that it would take something special to break Hereford’s resistance. Midway through the first half, Numme took it upon himself to create that magical moment, dribbling at the Bulls backline before arrowing a 20-yarder beyond Gray’s despairing dive!

 

Hereford’s defence might have finally been breached, but they toughened up and kept the outcome up in the air right up until the final whistle. Numme also had a couple more chances to double our lead. In the end, his maiden competitive goal for Fulham would be the one that fired the Cottagers into Round 5 for the first time since 2006.

 

Fulham - 1 (Numme 69)

Hereford United - 0

FA Cup Round 4, Attendance 11,789

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-2): Hudson; Guðmundsson, Ifil, Thatcher (Mitchell), Magnusson; Iversen (Ormerod), Numme, Núñez, Cable (Bouchiba); McVeigh, Agritis.

 

Despite making heavy weather of it (again), our FA Cup dream was still alive. The cup gods gave us another home tie in Round 5, though we would need to get past either Manchester City or Newcastle to reach the Quarter Finals.

 

But once again, questions have to be asked about our lack of firepower, and it’s not something I can live with any longer. It’s time to delve back into the transfer market...

Edited March 29 by CFuller

[CFuller]

DIVISION 1 TABLE (End of January 2012)

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st     Blackburn                       29   12   0    3    42   18   6    3    5    32   30   57   
2nd     Nottm Forest                    29   10   3    2    39   28   6    4    4    24   26   55   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd     Wolves                          29   12   2    1    32   13   4    4    6    24   29   54   
4th     Norwich                         29   9    3    2    34   25   6    4    5    27   25   52   
5th     West Ham                        28   10   3    2    28   13   4    5    4    16   15   50   
6th     Gillingham                      29   9    3    2    31   18   5    4    6    22   23   49   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7th     Birmingham                      29   10   2    3    37   18   4    4    6    26   30   48   
8th     Charlton                        29   8    2    5    27   20   5    5    4    22   18   46   
9th     Man City                        29   7    5    2    31   20   6    2    7    29   36   46   
10th    Notts Co                        29   8    5    1    25   11   4    4    7    27   31   45   
11th    Fulham                          29   6    5    4    24   21   5    3    6    12   18   41   
12th    Huddersfield                    29   7    3    5    25   20   5    1    8    23   32   40   
13th    Chesterfield                    29   8    1    6    28   22   3    5    6    27   35   39   
14th    Sheff Utd                       29   6    4    5    36   31   5    2    7    19   26   39   
15th    Sunderland                      29   7    3    4    26   20   4    2    9    31   44   38   
16th    Preston                         29   6    6    3    26   22   2    7    5    22   28   37   
17th    Carlisle                        29   7    2    5    22   20   4    2    9    14   20   37   
18th    Swindon                         29   6    4    4    31   30   4    0    11   14   27   34   
19th    Aston Villa                     29   4    4    6    23   26   5    2    8    24   31   33   
20th    Tottenham                       29   6    5    3    23   18   3    1    11   19   35   33   
21st    Kidderminster                   29   7    4    4    21   17   0    5    9    8    22   30   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22nd    W.B.A.                          29   6    4    4    28   24   1    3    11   16   32   28   
23rd    Macclesfield                    29   4    3    7    27   27   1    3    11   14   33   21   
24th    Darlington                      28   2    2    9    11   19   0    3    12   9    31   11   

 

ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL...

• After just four months as Bradford manager, Ryan Giggs is already on the brink of the sack. The Bantams fall 16 points adrift of Premiership safety after losing 5-1 to Sheffield Wednesday, 4-0 at Everton and 5-0 to leaders Arsenal... and also suffer a shock FA Cup exit at the hands of non-league Hereford. Giggs is also accused of cheating on his wife with his brother’s missus, which sounds tame by comparison.
• As Parma continue their march towards the Serie A scudetto, Lazio decide that they need another striker to compete. Joining Djibril Cissé, Didier Drogba and young Spain superstar Alberto Teixeira at the Olimpico is Romanian veteran Adrian Mutu, who completes his £4.1million transfer from HSV... and immediately fails a drugs test.
• With 16 La Liga goals apiece, the three superstars competing for the Pichichi award this season are Lionel Messi, Mateja Kezman and... Andrew Mukasa?! Zaragoza’s 31-year-old Ugandan striker draws level with the Barcelona duo after scoring a hat-trick in a 5-1 thrashing of Celta, which lifts Los Maños up to 4th.
• Mark Hughes resigns as Montrose manager after three-and-a-half years to concentrate on his Wales international duties. The Scottish Division 1 side bring in another big name, luring David Seaman back into management after a stint on Dortmund’s coaching staff.
• David O’Leary’s disastrous reign at Sporting ends in a humiliating Taça de Portugal defeat to second-tier Covilhã. After leaving the Leões 13 points behind Porto in the Primeira Liga, O’Leary phones up his former Leeds striker Mark Viduka - now player-manager of Stranraer - and tearfully grovels for forgiveness.

 

IN OTHER NEWS...

• The Costa Concordia cruise liner runs aground off the coast of Tuscany in Italy and capsizes, killing 33 people. Captain Francesco Schettino abandons his ship and - going against the orders of a very angry coast guard - refuses to turn back. The cowardly shipmaster is subsequently charged with manslaughter.
• Belarus’ Victoria Azarenka claims her first Grand Slam tennis singles title, defeating Russia’s Maria Sharapova to win the Australian Open. There is so much grunting and screaming that the match can only be broadcast after the watershed.
• There really is no money left. UK government debt rises to £1trillion for the first time in history, prompting Chancellor George Osborne to consider more… austere measures to cut it down.
• R&B singer Etta James dies from pneumonia in California. The 73-year-old - real name Jamesetta Hawkins - was known for her deep and powerful voice, showcased on the 1960s hit singles “At Last”, “I Just Want To Make Love To You” and “I’d Rather Go Blind”.

[oche balboa]

Do you run every league? 

[CFuller]

56 minutes ago, oche balboa said:

Do you run every league? 

I have loaded every league except the Swedish lower divisions, which crash the game on the database I'm using.

Most competitions are still running well 10 years into the save, but some leagues and cups (notably in Australia and Ireland) were broken early on. The Confederations Cup 3rd-placed play-off also bugged out in 2009, so that competition doesn't get scheduled anymore either.

[CFuller]

FEBRUARY 2012

Despite making steady progress in the FA Cup, our league form had fallen apart. We had picked up just four points from our last seven matches, leaving us eight points adrift of the Division 1 play-off spots. It was time to make changes before we slipped even further down the table.

 

To strengthen the third-least prolific attack in the league, I brought in Peter Devlin on loan from Aston Villa until the end of the season. The 24-year-old Irishman wasn’t the most natural finisher, but he was extremely quick, and his off-the-ball intelligence was very good too.

 

Devlin went straight into the starting XI for a home game against Chesterfield, who were two points and two spots behind us. Spireites striker Lars Iver Strand was the leading scorer in Division 1, with 22 goals and eight assists to his credit.

 

4 FEBRUARY 2012: Fulham vs Chesterfield

I gave another chance at left-back to Halldór Magnusson... and the 20-year-old Icelander responded by getting his first Fulham assist after just four minutes. Magnusson’s low cross to the far post was stabbed in by the onrushing Neil Danns for an early lead!

 

Ben Thatcher narrowly escaped a red card in the 12th minute, after apparently swinging an elbow into the face of Chesterfield midfielder Matthew Christensen. Less than a minute later, another Welshman gave the Spireites even more reason to be annoyed. Wayne Cable’s purple patch continued with a fantastic cross to the near post, where Anestis Agritis headed home.

 

Agritis’ new strike partner Peter Devlin almost joined him on the scoresheet three minutes before half-time, but a pot-shot only found the side netting. While there would be no debut goal for Devlin, Agritis would double his tally five minutes into the second period. The Greek goal machine got his head to another devastating Cable cross, leaving young Marcos López Álvarez helpless in the Chesterfield goal.

 

We settled for three goals, which as many shots as our visitors had in a very one-sided game. The only one to even trouble Wayne Hudson in the Fulham was an effort from South Korean wing-back Chong-Goog Song midway through the second half. Other than that, Bryan Robson’s team looked every bit the mediocre mid-table team.

 

Fulham - 3 (Danns 4, Agritis 13,50)

Chesterfield - 0

Division 1, Attendance 17,841 - POSITIONS: Fulham 11th, Chesterfield 15th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-2): Hudson; Guðmundsson, Ifil, Thatcher, Magnusson (Mitchell); Danns, Núñez, Schneider, Cable (Bouchiba); Agritis, Devlin (McVeigh). BOOKED: Thatcher, Magnusson.

 

A clinical performance for once! I didn’t see that coming.

 

Newcastle defeated Manchester City on penalties in their FA Cup replay in midweek, which meant that Brian Quinn’s Magpies would travel to Craven Cottage for Round 5. That tie would take place after our next away league game.

 

We arrived at Priestfield fielding exactly the same starting line-up that had so emphatically dismantled Chesterfield. Gillingham would surely provide a much tougher test, as Peter Reid’s side had serious play-off ambitions in their first season back up.

 

11 FEBRUARY 2012: Gillingham vs Fulham

Gillingham’s attacking threat was obvious from the start. Richard Sadlier’s 2nd-minute volley was well saved by Wayne Hudson, who then watched Inácio Piá’s 7th-minute effort hit the woodwork. Hudson also saved from Veigar Páll Gunnarson in the 10th minute, but the Northern Irish midfielder Gareth Graham blasted in the rebound to break the deadlock.

 

The Gills continued to pepper shots at goal (without much success) before we launched our first counter-attack in the 29th minute. Young playmaker Vicente Núñez drove an excellent direct ball ahead of Wayne Cable, whose low strike appeared to have given us an equaliser. Unfortunately, an offside flag against Neil Danns said otherwise.

 

Another big chance came our way three minutes before half-time. Gillingham defender Trevor Sinclair (no, not that one) jumped unfairly with Anestis Agritis in the penalty area, and the referee awarded us a spot-kick. Our main penalty taker Jerel Ifil ran confidently to the spot... but Colin Hunwick’s goalkeeping was spot-on, and we remained behind at the break.

 

Speaking of Hunwick, do you guys remember when he was a reserve at Kidderminster and I called him "a non-league keeper at best"? Well, I sure looked like a right mug when Colin continued to frustrate us in the second half, saving a couple of strikes from Agritis and Peter Devlin. Agritis then headed a Brett Ormerod cross against the bar in the 69th minute, summing up a disastrous night in front of goal.

 

Ormerod would create one more chance for our other frontman in the 81st minute. A first-time delivery into the box found Devlin, and the Irish loanee volleyed past Hunwick to break his Cottagers duck! What a goal to save us a point!

 

Gillingham - 1 (Graham 10)

Fulham - 1 (Devlin 81)

Division 1, Attendance 5,555 - POSITIONS: Gillingham 7th, Fulham 12th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-2): Hudson; Guðmundsson, Ifil (Mitchell), Thatcher, Magnusson; Danns, Núñez, Schneider, Cable (Ormerod); Agritis (Bouchiba), Devlin. BOOKED: Thatcher.

 

Following another episode of "The Late Late Fulham Show", the curtain came down on Walter Piccolo’s Cottagers career. The out-of-favour Italian centre-back was sold to Sheffield United for £1.1million, after making 122 appearances in five-and-a-half years.

 

Would our FA Cup adventure also be drawing to a close? Newcastle’s recent form heading into our Round 5 meeting might not have been great, but their counter-attacking abilities could not be underestimated.

 

18 FEBRUARY 2012: Fulham vs Newcastle United

Newcastle had two chances to assert their authority over us within the first three minutes. England forward Tommy Smith volleyed a shot against the post before Shunsuke Nakamura’s free-kick forced a save out of Wayne Hudson.

 

Somehow, we held on through the difficult early stages... and then, in the 24th minute, we put the cat amongst the Magpies. A fantastic Fulham team move ended with Arnar Guðmundsson curling a first-time cross through the Newcastle box for Neil Danns to finish.

 

We then looked to double our lead in the 31st minute, after Paul McVeigh was pushed by his former Northern Ireland team-mate Aaron Hughes on the edge of Newcastle’s area. Florian Schneider elected to take the free-kick, even though he hadn’t yet scored for Fulham... or at least he hadn’t until he blasted in an unstoppable 20-yarder! 2-0 Fulham!

 

By the 41st minute, we were in dreamland. Thousands of Cottagers were doing the ‘Numme, Numme’ dance after 17-year-old Henning Numme dribbled past three United players and rocketed a screamer into the top corner! The Norwegian sensation who had got us past Hereford in Round 4 had now put us on the brink of an FA Cup Quarter Final!

 

Newcastle were now in utter disarray, no more so than when an attempt to pull a goal back in the 68th minute went horribly wrong... or horribly right, if you’re a Fulham fan. Smith’s close-range half-volley was blocked off the line by Jerel Ifil, and Numme hoofed it deep into the Newcastle half, where Agritis had only the goalkeeper to beat. Sven Winter was right on the edge of his own penalty area, so Agritis audaciously lobbed the ball over the German and into an empty net! FULHAM 4, NEWCASTLE 0!

 

Magpies boss Brian Quinn was so discontent with Winter’s performance that he subbed him off, with backup Paul Brown going in goal for the closing stages. His team’s FA Cup adventure did end on a somewhat bright note, with Switzerland striker Marcel Ceccaroni scoring an 87th-minute penalty after Ifil fouled Smith. We then lost winger Elbekay Bouchiba to a serious groin injury, though neither of those events mattered very much once the full-time whistle blew.

 

Fulham - 4 (Danns 24, Schneider 32, Numme 41, Agritis 68)

Newcastle United - 1 (Ceccaroni pen87)

FA Cup Round 5, Attendance 13,726

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-2): Hudson; Edwards, Ifil, Thatcher (Mitchell), Guðmundsson; Danns, Numme, Schneider, Cable (Bouchiba); McVeigh (Devlin), Agritis. BOOKED: Thatcher, Cable, Bouchiba.

 

No, you read that correctly. Fulham were in the Quarter Finals of the FA Cup!

 

Having made it all the way to the last eight, we now believed that anything was possible, especially after the Round 6 draw was made. Once again, we were drawn at home - and once again, we would have to wait to learn who we would face. Either our play-off rivals Birmingham or Division 2 strugglers Millwall would be heading to the Cottage next month.

 

Unfortunately, there was a sad epilogue to an extraordinary result. A scan on Elbekay Bouchiba’s groin the following afternoon confirmed a muscle tear, which would need three months to heal. Bouchiba’s season was all but over - and with his contract expiring at the end of the season, he had almost certainly made his last appearance for the club.

 

We now needed another left-winger to provide competition for Wayne Cable, so I brought in another Dutchman to replace Bouchiba. A deal was agreed with Arsenal to take 25-year-old Björn Willems on loan for the rest of the season.

 

We also added some more depth at centre-back, signing 35-year-old Spaniard Unai from my old club Kidderminster for £35,000. This obviously wasn’t a long-term deal - only running until the summer of 2013 - but I brought him in mainly to help his compatriot Vicente Núñez settle into the British lifestyle.

 

In midweek, we travelled to the Stadium of Light, for what was sure to be a thrilling rematch with a Sunderland team who beat us 4-3 back in September. Could we continue our resurgence and claim another big north-east scalp?

 

21 FEBRUARY 2012: Sunderland vs Fulham

Sunderland goalkeeper James Jowsey was a busy man early on, thwarting a couple of efforts from Neil Danns. While Neil wouldn’t score his third goal in four games, another in-form midfielder fared better in the 12th minute. Jowsey’s awkward save from Anestis Agritis’ header fell invitingly to the German Florian Schneider, who efficiently converted his second goal in back-to-back matches!

 

We had benefitted from a slight goalkeeping mishap... but 15 minutes later, it was Sunderland’s turn to profit from one. Wayne Hudson could not make a clean catch from Michael Stewart’s volley, and that allowed another Mackems midfielder - the much-travelled Ben Rix - to score the rebound.

 

A couple more Jowsey saves just before half-time frustrated our efforts to get back in front. While we clearly looked flustered in the second half, our hosts gradually grew more confident. By the 61st minute, it was the Black Cats who held a 2-1 lead, courtesy of Rix’s header from a brilliant cross by captain Gareth Barry.

 

Jowsey’s continued heroics in the Sunderland goal were bettered only by some resilient defending from centre-half Barry - a 33-cap England international who had no business being down in Division 1. Fittingly, it was Barry who secured victory for the hosts in the 89th minute, converting a penalty after being fouled by Vicente Núñez.

 

Sunderland - 3 (Rix 27,61, Barry pen89)

Fulham - 1 (Schneider 12)

Division 1, Attendance 41,978 - POSITIONS: Sunderland 12th, Fulham 13th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-2): Hudson; Edwards, Ifil, Thatcher, Guðmundsson; Danns (Gibson), Mølby (Núñez), Schneider, Cable; Devlin (McVeigh), Agritis. BOOKED: Guðmundsson.

 

Same old wasteful Fulham. We had now slipped into the bottom half - 10 points adrift of the play-offs. Arnar Guðmundsson had also picked up his 5th booking of the season, which meant one of our top performers would have to miss the home game against Kidderminster next month.

 

To make matters worse, Paul McVeigh suffered a groin strain in training and was ruled out for several weeks. I know he hadn’t scored in ages, but he was still a useful team player whose experience was invaluable.

 

Four days after the Sunderland defeat, we faced a tricky London derby at home to 2nd-placed West Ham. Willems made his Cottagers debut after missing the trip to Wearside with a gashed head.

 

25 FEBRUARY 2012: Fulham vs West Ham United

Wayne Hudson was called into action in the very first minute, saving a header from West Ham striker Simon Lynch. He wouldn’t be so fortunate against the Hammers’ other frontman Dave Nugent in the 9th minute. 36-year-old Ben Thatcher’s lack of pace was horribly exposed by the pacey Scouser, who brushed past the defender and then blasted home.

 

West Ham continued to pile pressure on us throughout the opening half-hour. However, the momentum shifted significantly when their veteran midfielder - and former Cottagers favourite - Luis Boa Morte was forced to come off with a thigh injury. Without Boa Morte’s creativity and skill, the Hammers lacked that extra spark they needed to take control of the game.

 

Then, just before half-time, we struck back. Tom Mølby played a clever one-two with Peter Devlin before flicking the ball on to our newest goalscoring sensation - Florian Schneider, who netted for the third match in a row!

 

West Ham’s goalkeeper Shay Given was so annoyed at conceding that equaliser that he was on a mission for the second half. Pretty much every shot we had after the break was stopped by Given, who made even the most unlikely save look routine. Schneider was denied twice, while Agritis and substitute Henning Numme were also left wondering what they had to do to beat the Irishman.

 

After all those chances, it would have been really galling had West Ham scored a late winner. Homegrown youngster Daniel Cooke blazed a shot over the bar in the 85th minute, but Lynch got much closer in stoppage time, nodding left-back Barry Kelly’s flick-on against the bar. Had that been a few inches lower, our poor home record would have got even worse...

 

Fulham - 1 (Schneider 45)

West Ham United - 1 (Nugent 9)

Division 1, Attendance 22,175 - POSITIONS: Fulham 12th, West Ham 2nd

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-2): Hudson; Guðmundsson, Mitchell, Thatcher (Unai), Magnusson; Danns, Mølby, Schneider, Willems (Numme); Agritis, Devlin (Butler).

 

It’s so infuriating when your attackers frequently make opposition goalkeepers look like Gordon Banks. At least defensive midfielder Florian Schneider had found the target for the third time in three games, having been goalless in his first 28 matches!

 

February ended with the rarest of spectacles - a Leap Day fixture. We received a visit from 17th-placed Sheffield United, who were looking to make a giant step towards safety.

 

29 FEBRUARY 2012: Fulham vs Sheffield United

Sheffield United struck the first blow after just three minutes. Blades left-back Mike Holland lifted an indirect free-kick into our penalty area, where striker Billy Paynter rose high above Jerel Ifil to head in the opener.

 

In the 15th minute, though, we levelled through a set-piece of our own. Tom Mølby whipped in a corner to loanee Peter Devlin, who flicked in his first home goal for the Cottagers!

 

A bright start to the match then got even better for us, with Neil Danns bagging TWO goals within the next 11 minutes. The Guyana midfielder got on the scoreboard in the 18th minute, converting the rebound after United goalkeeper Mark Goodlad had parried a header from Anestis Agritis. Goodlad certainly wasn’t good enough to keep out a long-range strike from Danns eight minutes later.

 

We were now in a 3-1 lead... at least until the 33rd minute, when Raffaele Mazzocco got the Blades back in contention. The silky-smooth Italian attacker skinned Peter Mitchell and Graham Edwards in the Fulham defence before a skilful left-footed shot halved our advantage.

 

Neither goalkeeper had covered themselves in glory in the first half, but Wayne Hudson looked much more alert in the second half. The Cottagers captain made a brilliant fingertip save in the 52nd minute to prevent Mazzocco from getting Sheffield United back on level terms.

 

Things then got a bit spicy between the 66th and 82nd minutes, when the referee dished out SIX yellow cards - including TWO to the same player. This was Walter Piccolo’s first match back at Craven Cottage since his sale to United, and the Italian defender was a bit too eager to make an impression. After tripping Devlin for one yellow card in the 71st minute, Piccolo then dove in two-footed on Danns just a couple of minutes later. The second yellow card preceded the red, and Walter was walking!

 

Piccolo wasn’t the only player to see red. As the game went into stoppage time, Paynter surged through our defence to go one-on-one with Hudson... or at least he would’ve had our anchor man Florian Schneider not pushed him over. It was a cynical foul AND Schneider was the last man, so there was no doubt - Florian had to go as well!

 

Schneider’s sending-off levelled the scores in terms of players, but Sheffield United now had one last opportunity to get an even more important equaliser. Mazzocco lined up a free-kick about 25 yards from the Fulham goal, went straight for it... and fired well wide. Our 3-2 half-time lead had stayed intact at the final whistle, but only just.

 

Fulham - 3 (Devlin 15, Danns 18,26)

Sheffield United - 2 (Paynter 3, Mazzocco 33)

Division 1, Attendance 13,179 - POSITIONS: Fulham 12th, Sheff Utd 17th

FULHAM LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Hudson; Mitchell (Thatcher), Ifil, Unai; Edwards, Guðmundsson; Danns, Schneider; Mølby (Cable); Agritis, Devlin (Núñez). BOOKED: Mitchell. SENT OFF: Schneider.

 

...and breathe.

 

Schneider’s red card was his second of the season, and it meant he would have to serve a FOUR-match ban from 14 March. If we didn’t have Núñez and Henning Numme on hand to provide adequate cover in defensive midfield, we would be right royally screwed.

 

Meanwhile, Birmingham battled past a brave Millwall team to book an FA Cup Quarter Final date with us on 10 March. Schneider will be available for that, which is just as well, considering all the attacking riches that the Blues have! If only we could - ahem - borrow some of those riches...

Edited March 29 by CFuller

[CFuller]

DIVISION 1 TABLE (End of February 2012)

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st     Blackburn                       33   14   0    3    46   19   7    3    6    35   35   66   
2nd     West Ham                        34   12   3    2    34   14   6    6    5    22   20   63   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd     Wolves                          33   14   2    1    38   13   4    5    7    27   35   61   
4th     Norwich                         34   11   4    2    40   29   6    4    7    28   29   59   
5th     Birmingham                      33   11   3    3    42   21   6    4    6    30   32   58   
6th     Gillingham                      34   11   4    2    37   19   5    5    7    23   26   57   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7th     Nottm Forest                    34   10   3    4    42   33   6    5    6    26   31   56   
8th     Charlton                        34   9    4    5    36   25   5    6    5    22   20   52   
9th     Notts Co                        34   10   6    1    32   15   4    4    9    29   37   52   
10th    Man City                        34   8    6    2    34   20   6    4    8    37   45   52   
11th    Huddersfield                    33   9    3    5    29   21   6    2    8    28   36   50   
12th    Fulham                          34   8    6    4    31   24   5    4    7    14   22   49   
13th    Sunderland                      34   8    4    5    31   24   5    3    9    35   47   46   
14th    Chesterfield                    34   10   1    6    32   23   3    5    9    28   42   45   
15th    Carlisle                        34   9    2    5    28   22   4    2    12   17   28   43   
16th    Preston                         34   7    7    4    32   28   2    8    6    23   31   42   
17th    Sheff Utd                       34   6    5    6    37   33   5    3    9    24   33   41   
18th    Aston Villa                     34   6    5    6    30   31   5    2    10   24   35   40   
19th    Tottenham                       34   7    5    4    26   22   4    2    12   24   40   40   
20th    W.B.A.                          34   8    4    5    35   28   2    3    12   19   36   37   
21st    Swindon                         34   7    4    5    35   33   4    0    14   16   35   37   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22nd    Kidderminster                   34   8    5    5    25   20   0    5    11   8    27   34   
23rd    Macclesfield                    34   5    3    8    32   31   1    3    14   15   41   24   
24th    Darlington                      34   4    3    9    15   20   1    4    13   14   36   22   

 

ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL...

• As leaders Arsenal begin to splutter, could Chelsea retain their Premiership title after all? Cristiano Ronaldo scores four goals in a 5-1 thrashing of fellow title challengers Leeds, and then kick-starts a 2-1 comeback win at Manchester United. Ronaldo is already on 30 league goals for the campaign, with an unbelievable average rating of 8.76!
• Underdogs Togo advance to their first African Cup of Nations Final in Casablanca, Morocco. A 98th-minute strike from Palermo striker Mohamed Kader puts Les Éperviers on the brink of a shock victory, but South Africa captain Aaron Mokoena equalises in the 116th to take the game to penalties. Togo duo Thomas Dossevi and Eric Akoto both miss their spot-kicks, as Bafana Bafana romp to a 4-2 shoot-out win - and a record-equalling 4th AFCON title.
• Juventus slump to 12th in Serie A after losing five straight games, including a 3-1 defeat to leaders Parma. Meanwhile, 2nd-placed Lazio pull 12 points clear of Roma, having gone from strength to strength since poaching veteran defender Walter Samuel from their bitter rivals.
• Despite reports that Lionel Messi and Mateja Kezman have both fallen out with manager Carlos Bianchi, Barcelona stretch their La Liga lead on Real Madrid to nine points. Kezman and Messi are particularly impressive in a 4-0 Champions League home win over Milan... who then thrash Barça 4-0 at the San Siro a week later.
• After just 15 days as Montrose manager, David Seaman leaves to become the new head coach at Benfica. The former England boss admits it was a very tough decision to decide whether to stay in the Scottish Highlands or move to Lisbon.

 

IN OTHER NEWS...

• American superstar singer Whitney Houston tragically drowns in her bathtub at a Beverly Hills hotel, aged just 48. Best-known for hit singles such as "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" and "I Will Always Love You", Houston released her comeback album in 2009, following years of drug abuse and a turbulent marriage to Bobby Brown.
• Trayvon Martin - a 17-year-old black teenager - is shot dead by a Hispanic man in Sanford, Florida. George Zimmermann claims that he shot Trayvon in self-defence, but when police decline to arrest him immediately, a huge debate ensues about racial profiling - and Florida’s stand-your-ground law.
• French black-and-white comedy drama “The Artist” wins five Oscars at the 84th Academy Awards, including Best Director (for Michel Hazanavicius) and Best Picture. The film’s cast are speechless.
• “21” by Adele wins Best Album at the Brit Awards, but her acceptance speech is cut short after Blur’s Damon Albarn rambles on for two hours straight. Adele responds by giving the organisers the middle finger, smashing up a load of crockery, and setting fire to the O2 Arena.

Edited December 6, 2023 by CFuller

[CFuller]

MARCH 2012

March really was a make-or-break month for Fulham. The next six league matches would go some way to determining whether we could get back into play-off contention - or if we would instead have to contemplate a season of mid-table mediocrity. Oh yes, and let’s not forget we had an FA Cup Quarter Final too!

 

We opened up the month at White Hart Lane against Tottenham, who were hopping in and out of the relegation places before new manager Steve McClaren pulled them closer to safety. 19-goal striker Mikael Forssell was a particularly potent threat for Spurs, though they were missing their creative star Enzo Maresca through suspension.

 

We had a couple of selection headaches of our own. Centre-back Jerel Ifil and midfielder Neil Danns were both in the Caribbean, playing in World Cup qualifiers for Saint Lucia and Guyana respectively.

 

3 MARCH 2012: Tottenham Hotspur vs Fulham

Despite being without two regular starters, we looked the better team throughout the first 15 minutes. Peter Devlin and Tom Mølby registered a shot on target each, while Florian Schneider was frustrated by the bar in the 9th. Bearing that in mind, can you guess which team actually broke the deadlock?

 

That’s right... Tottenham. After 17 minutes, Schneider picked up his customary yellow card - his ninth of the season - and handed Spurs a free-kick about 25 yards from goal. This was a fantastic opportunity for Richard Graham, which the Northern Ireland midfielder snatched with an excellent strike.

 

Then, in the 33rd minute, it got even worse. Dutch wing-back Danny de Jong whipped in a devastating corner, which former Oxford defender Peter Clark headed in to break his Spurs duck. 2-0 to the hosts.

 

Graham fired over an opportunity to give Tottenham a 3-0 half-time lead, and then a glimmer of hope came our way just before half-time. Schneider made amends for his earlier error with a clever square ball to Peter Devlin, whose tidy finish halved our deficit to 2-1.

 

Tottenham made a bright start to the second half, but some fine goalkeeping from Wayne Hudson just about kept us in contention. By the 61st minute, we were more than just in contention - we were back level! Anestis Agritis’ cross was nodded on by Mølby towards the delightfully devilish Devlin, who half-volleyed in his second of the night.

 

Sadly, the comeback ended there, and there would be no hat-trick for Devlin, who had three other shots saved by Spurs keeper Dean Lewis. Hudson was just as formidable at the other end, and so a match that saw an incredible 30 shots at goal - 18-12 in Spurs’ favour - ended in a thrilling 2-2 draw!

 

Tottenham Hotspur - 2 (Graham 17, Clark 33)

Fulham - 2 (Devlin 45,61)

Division 1, Attendance 34,893 - POSITIONS: Tottenham 18th, Fulham 12th

FULHAM LINE-UP (3-5-2 Defensive): Hudson; Mitchell, Thatcher (Cable), Unai; Edwards (Magnusson), Schneider (Núñez), Guðmundsson; Mølby, Numme; Agritis, Devlin. BOOKED: Schneider, Mitchell.

 

This latest result left us 10 points behind the play-off places, with 11 matches to play. Time was running out.

 

Next up was a must-win home game against third-from-bottom Kidderminster, who had won just once so far in 2012. If we were to push my old club into deeper trouble, we would need to do it without our suspended wing-back Arnar Guðmundsson.

 

7 MARCH 2012: Fulham vs Kidderminster Harriers

Kidderminster had become a rather negative team under Tony Adams in recent months, and their young Dutch sensation Albert Mulder was left rudderless up front. Indeed, the Harriers were so poor that Wayne Hudson didn’t have to make a single save all match long.

 

At the other end, it was a very different story. Peter Devlin hit the post in the 2nd minute, and then missed the target in the 23rd minute, but the Irishman’s third effort would be the charm. Once he drove in a low cross from Wayne Cable 10 minutes before half-time, we were in complete control.

 

Devlin’s strike partner Anestis Agritis would not get on the scoreboard, unluckily hitting the woodwork in the 77th minute. Seven minutes before then, however, he had set up the goal that practically secured victory. A clever knockdown was met by a stunning volley from - of all people - our teenage right-back Graham Edwards! Nobody saw that coming, and certainly not Kiddy’s hapless goalkeeper Kent Ivarsson!

 

Fulham - 2 (Devlin 35, Edwards 70)

Kidderminster Harriers - 0

Division 1, Attendance 12,752 - POSITIONS: Fulham 12th, Kidderminster 22nd

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-1-1): Hudson; Edwards, Ifil, Unai, Magnusson; Danns, Núñez, Schneider, Cable (Willems); Mølby (Agritis); Devlin (Gibson).

 

After scoring his first goal in senior football, 19-year-old Graham Edwards was duly rewarded... by being dropped for our next game. In fairness to Our Graham, it was a big one.

 

Having knocked out Newcastle in Round 5, we welcomed Birmingham to Craven Cottage for the FA Cup Quarter Finals. Paul Lambert’s Blues were 3rd in Division 1 and on a two-month unbeaten run, so this would be our toughest challenge yet.

 

10 MARCH 2012: Fulham vs Birmingham City

This was Florian Schneider’s last match before he would be forced to serve a four-match suspension. The German was eager to make his mark, and he got a great chance after just two minutes, following a foul on Tom Mølby. Schneider loved a close-range free-kick, which he confidently fired beyond Birmingham keeper Matt Bates to break the deadlock.

 

Incidentally, the player who fouled Mølby for that free-kick was City’s centre-back and captain Domenico Palmieri, who was booked in the 9th minute following another trip on our young Danish playmaker. Palmieri’s Italian compatriot Fabio Campese posed a very different threat at the other end, sending a volley just over the bar in the 35th minute.

 

Meanwhile, Birmingham’s dirty play yielded a few more Fulham free-kicks, though Schneider could not recreate his earlier magic. Peter Devlin also had a couple of efforts saved by Bates, whose impressive goalkeeping warned us that we couldn’t book our Semi Final tickets just yet.

 

Birmingham had suffered a major setback just before half-time, when their top assist-maker Grant McCann suffered a shin injury. In McCann’s absence, the role of creator-in-chief fell to the skilful South African Benedict Vilakazi, who set up several equalising chances for the Blues. Even so, our defence held firm and kept us on course for another famous win...

 

...until the 66th minute. A left-wing cross from Vilakazi was punched away by Wayne Hudson, but only as far as Campese, whose follow-up drive was just too powerful for our goalkeeper. Birmingham had drawn level, which meant we would have to go back to their place to settle this Quarter Final.

 

Fulham - 1 (Schneider 2)

Birmingham City - 1 (Campese 66)

FA Cup Quarter Final, Attendance 17,043

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-1-1): Hudson; Guðmundsson, Ifil, Unai (Thatcher), Magnusson; Gibson (Danns), Numme, Schneider, Willems; Mølby (Agritis); Devlin.

 

While it was frustrating that we couldn’t finish Birmingham off in 90 minutes, we would at least have a second bite at the cherry - at St Andrew’s on 21 March. The winner of that match would face Crewe at a neutral venue in the Semi Finals, while Bolton and Blackburn would face off in the other Semi.

 

Unfortunately, Florian Schneider would now miss the replay - and all our remaining fixtures this month - as the German anchor man started a four-match ban. That run of fixtures began at the County Ground, against a struggling Swindon team.

 

14 MARCH 2012: Swindon Town vs Fulham

Peter Devlin was fast becoming a new Fulham hero, and his reputation only grew after three minutes. The Irishman met Tom Mølby’s through-ball with a powerful and clinical finish, which should have put us on track for a straightforward win. If only.

 

Things started to go wrong in the ninth minute, when Vicente Núñez - the man who replaced Florian Schneider in our midfield anchor role - pulled up with a knee injury. That meant 17-year-old Henning Numme had to come on to protect our defence, which went about as well as you’d expect. Swindon were back on level terms by the 27th minute, as ex-Cambridge striker Demba Traore scored a penalty after being knocked down by Graham Edwards.

 

Swindon now had the advantage in the midfield battles, so we resorted to an all-out attacking strategy. Despite racking up multiple shots on target before half-time, our attackers were constantly denied by some smart saves from Nicky Weaver.

 

We were now looking rather dishevelled - Edwards especially. The young right-back made another costly foul five minutes into the second half, when he upended Clarence Acuña 20 yards from goal. Graham somehow escaped without a yellow card and lined up in the defensive wall... but Leon Knight punished him again with an excellent direct free-kick. 2-1 to Swindon.

 

Things only got worse on 69 minutes, with a foot injury to Jerel Ifil further weakening a suspect Fulham defence. Three minutes later, Robins substitute Matt Gray made a mockery of our Schneider-less midfield to set up a fantastic strike for Nigeria wing-back Abiodun Agunbiade. We were now 3-1, and it was surely game over... surely?

 

Then things got interesting. Weaver had been almost unbeatable in the Swindon goal until he lost focus in the 79th minute, when he strayed from his line and left himself horribly exposed to a Devlin centre, which was headed in by Wayne Cable. Could we now find another late goal to somehow snatch a draw?

 

The stage was set for Fulham substitute Michael Butler to finally make his mark. The 18-year-old striker had made 28 senior appearances without scoring, and when he hit the crossbar nine minutes from time, it looked like that drought would continue. But Michael got another chance to pop his cherry three minutes later - and when he popped Arnar Guðmundsson’s left-wing cross into the net, the unbridled joy on his face was clear to see! Butler to the rescue!

 

Swindon Town - 3 (Traore pen27, Knight 50, Agunbiade 72)

Fulham - 3 (Devlin 3, Cable 79, Butler 84)

Division 1, Attendance 11,474 - POSITIONS: Swindon 20th, Fulham 12th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-2): Hudson; Edwards, Ifil (Mitchell), Unai, Guðmundsson; Danns, Mølby, Núñez (Numme), Cable; Agritis (Butler), Devlin. BOOKED: Unai.

 

That was the kind of match which showed how much we relied upon Schneider to protect the defence. To make matters worse, our other defensive midfielder Vicente Núñez was now out for three weeks with strained knee ligaments. Centre-back Jerel Ifil would also face a spell on the sidelines with a damaged heel.

 

A week later, it was time for Take 2 of our FA Cup Quarter Final. Could the Cottagers finally get past Birmingham and move one step closer to Wembley... or would this be the end of our cup journey?

 

21 MARCH 2012: Birmingham City vs Fulham

Benedict Vilakazi was our nemesis in the second half of the first meeting - and the South African attacking midfielder haunted us again in the first half of the second game. Vilakazi sent a shot inches wide in the 10th minute... but his talents were best used for creating chances, not taking them. A clever through-ball to Fabio Campese was met by a cool low finish from the young Italian forward, and Birmingham led 1-0.

 

The Blues moved further ahead in the 40th minute, as Henning Numme’s weaknesses in the ‘Schneider role’ were left horribly exposed. Though the enthusiastic teenager made a fine tackle to dispossess Vilakazi, he left a wide open space for Campese to run the loose ball into. Within moments, Campese’s lay-off to Richard Hughes was finished by Stephen Cooke - a former Aston Villa youth striker who was now thrilling the St Andrew’s faithful.

 

Mind you, we also had a striker with strong Villa connections. When our on-loan Villan Peter Devlin trapped Wayne Cable’s low cross and thrusted it into the net, he was greeted with a chorus of boos from the Bluenoses in the crowd. More importantly, the travelling Cottagers had been given renewed hope in time for the second half.

 

Sadly, that hope would be snatched away in the 63rd minute. Despite being injured in the original tie, Grant McCann had recovered quickly enough to reclaim his place in Birmingham’s midfield. The Northern Ireland ace delivered a fantastic cross that right-back Lewis Buxton headed home for his second goal of the season. Yes, his first goal was also against us...

 

But maybe there were a few more twists to come? Three minutes later, Dutch winger Björn Willems - who replaced a booked and fatigued Cable at half-time - crossed to his fellow loanee Devlin in City’s six-yard box. Bates managed to save Devlin’s initial effort, but not the rebound, which pulled us back to 3-2.

 

Our hopes were raised even further in the 78th minute, when two quickfire yellow cards led to Hughes’ dismissal - and Birmingham going down to 10 men. Alas, we couldn’t create anything meaningful in what time remained, and so our FA Cup run ended right there. Instead, it was Paul Lambert’s Blues who moved within 90 minutes of Wembley.

 

Birmingham City - 3 (Campese 26, Cooke 40, Buxton 63)

Fulham - 2 (Devlin 45,66)

FA Cup Quarter Final, Attendance 27,499

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-2): Hudson; Guðmundsson, Mitchell, Unai, Magnusson; Danns, Mølby, Numme (Gibson), Cable (Willems); Agritis (Butler), Devlin. BOOKED: Cable.

 

There was little doubt Birmingham deserved to win the tie, but it felt like a huge opportunity had been missed. This season’s FA Cup had been blown wide open by a number of major shocks, and this could have been Fulham’s best chance to reach a first Final since 1975.

 

Anyway, we now had to dust ourselves off and focus on getting back in the play-off race before it was too late. Taking maximum points from Brunton Park against Carlisle would be vital to achieving that.

 

28 MARCH 2012: Carlisle United vs Fulham

The 13th minute was particularly unlucky for us, as a reunion with an old colleague of mine turned sour. Carlisle broke the deadlock nice and early when midfielder Jamie Ingledow lashed home a deft flick-on from teenage striker Stephen Pearce. And yes, that is the same Stephen Pearce who came out of Kidderminster’s youth academy when I was still at Aggborough.

 

Three minutes later, it was 2-0 to the Cumbrians, as Pearce got on the scoresheet. However, it was Keith Pearce (no relation to Stephen) who made the run from midfield to finish a clever move from the experienced Hayden Mullins. For once, our usually solid goalkeeping captain Wayne Hudson was looking a bit shaky.

 

Carlisle’s high-tempo attacking game continued to cause problems after the break. In the 53rd minute, captain Jimmy Davis exchanged passes with the talented 17-year-old right-winger Stephen Knight and then got free in the penalty area, where he put a third Cumbrian goal past Hudson.

 

At that point, Carlisle were so comfortable that manager Nicky Law could afford to sub off his star defender - a certain Roque Júnior. The idea of a former Brazil international wanting to call Brunton Park his home seemed quite amusing to me, but our performance certainly wasn’t. We could only manage a couple of shots at goal in the entire match, and neither Peter Devlin nor Henning Numme got particularly close.

 

Carlisle United - 3 (Ingledow 13, K Pearce 16, Davis 53)

Fulham - 0

Division 1, Attendance 15,088 - POSITIONS: Carlisle 11th, Fulham 13th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-2): Hudson; Edwards (Ifil), Mitchell, Unai, Guðmundsson; Iversen (Danns), Mølby, Numme, Willems; Agritis, Devlin (Butler). BOOKED: Ifil.

 

And with that result, we can probably kiss goodbye to the play-offs...

 

To finish off yet another frustrating moment in a season which has turned me into a trichotillomaniac, we hosted 10th-placed Charlton at the Cottage. Irish teenagers Seán Lynch and Colm Ryan were both named on the bench as I started to shift my focus towards developing our younger players.

 

31 MARCH 2012: Fulham vs Charlton Athletic

Speaking of Fulham youngsters, anyone who was hoping to see some magic from a certain Welsh wizard would be left bitterly disappointed. 17-year-old Wayne Cable could only manage six minutes before his knee gave way, forcing me to bring on Björn Willems as a very early substitute.

 

Once Cable was cut from the game, our confidence seemed to go with it. Charlton’s attackers gave us a few close calls throughout the first half before eventually breaking through on 38 minutes. Peter Devlin was booked for conceding a free-kick, which Addicks defender Colin Burns swung in for striker Richard May to fire home. That was May’s 17th goal of this campaign - as many as the Charlton stalwart had netted in the previous five seasons combined.

 

Trailing 1-0 at half-time, I decided to shake things up... and took off Devlin. In his place, I brought on our record scorer Paul McVeigh for his first appearance in over a month. Meanwhile, Charlton boss Alan Curbishley gave a run-out to a rather less experienced frontman - 21-year-old Norwegian Frode Vartomten, who was making just his second senior appearance.

 

One of those substitutes would score the all-important second goal after 56 minutes... and it wasn’t McVeigh. Vartomten was pretty nippy, and he impeccably timed his run to connect with a cross from Addicks captain Tranquillo Barnetta and fire it home. In all fairness, Vartomten’s shot wasn’t great, and Wayne Hudson really should have saved it.

 

There was more frustration at the other end, as Charlton’s defence resolutely kept out everything we could throw at them. Goalkeeper Paul McDonald and centre-half Damien Delaney were both very impressive, but the ‘man of the match’ award went to Barry Buxton - a 19-year-old left-back who would soon be named Division 1’s Young Player of the Month for a second time. It was hard not to feel jealous about our London rivals’ youth academy...

 

Fulham - 0

Charlton Athletic - 2 (May 38, Vartomten 56)

Division 1, Attendance 24,910 - POSITIONS: Fulham 13th, Charlton 10th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-2): Hudson; Guðmundsson (Lynch), Mitchell, Unai, Magnusson; Gibson, Mølby, Numme, Cable (Willems); Agritis, Devlin (McVeigh). BOOKED: Devlin.

 

In just a few weeks, it has all gone horribly, horribly wrong. We’re out of the FA Cup, our play-off dreams are dead in the water, Wayne Hudson has forgotten how to use his hands... and now Wayne Cable is injured for the next three weeks.

 

Frankly, I can’t wait until it’s the off-season, so I can tear this team up and start from scratch.

[CFuller]

DIVISION 1 TABLE (End of March 2012)

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st     Blackburn                       39   16   1    3    53   23   8    5    6    39   37   78   
2nd     Wolves                          40   17   2    1    49   19   6    5    9    34   43   76   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd     West Ham                        40   13   5    2    38   16   8    6    6    26   23   74   
4th     Birmingham                      38   13   3    3    48   22   8    5    6    39   36   71   
5th     Norwich                         39   13   4    2    44   30   7    4    9    36   38   68   
6th     Gillingham                      40   12   4    4    41   24   7    6    7    28   29   67   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7th     Nottm Forest                    40   12   4    4    50   37   7    5    8    31   37   66   
8th     Man City                        40   10   7    3    43   26   7    5    8    42   49   63   
9th     Huddersfield                    39   11   3    6    36   27   8    3    8    33   38   63   
10th    Charlton                        40   10   4    6    38   27   6    8    6    26   25   60   
11th    Carlisle                        40   12   3    5    36   23   6    2    12   20   29   59   
12th    Notts Co                        40   11   6    3    36   19   4    4    12   32   45   55   
13th    Fulham                          39   9    6    5    33   26   5    6    8    19   30   54   
14th    Sunderland                      40   9    5    6    35   28   6    4    10   39   52   54   
15th    Chesterfield                    39   11   1    7    34   25   4    5    11   32   47   51   
16th    Preston                         40   9    8    4    36   29   2    9    8    25   37   50   
17th    Aston Villa                     39   8    5    7    35   34   5    3    11   25   38   47   
18th    Sheff Utd                       40   7    7    6    40   34   5    3    12   25   39   46   
19th    W.B.A.                          40   10   4    6    40   33   3    3    14   23   41   46   
20th    Tottenham                       40   7    7    6    30   29   4    4    12   27   43   44   
21st    Swindon                         40   7    6    7    42   43   4    1    15   16   37   40   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22nd    Kidderminster                   40   8    6    6    26   23   0    5    15   9    35   35   
23rd    Macclesfield                    40   6    3    10   35   36   1    3    17   15   46   27   
24th    Darlington                      40   5    4    10   18   23   1    4    16   15   42   26   

 

ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL...

• Parma’s unbeaten Serie A record is snapped in the 24th match, as Alberto Teixeira’s 37th-minute strike inspires Lazio to victory. As Parma suffer another defeat at Genoa a few weeks later, Lazio reel them in - moving just a point behind with a game in hand. Meanwhile, Juventus sack their manager Bum-Kun Cha and poach Napoli boss Alberto Malesani in a desperate bid to stave off relegation to Serie B.
• Champions League holders Dortmund crash out at the second group stage, after their must-win final game at home to Barcelona ends in a 1-0 defeat. Bundesliga leaders VfB Stuttgart are the last German team standing in the Quarter Finals, with Liverpool and Celtic flying the flag for the UK.
• It’s turning into a sensational season for Hibernian, who go top of the Scottish Premier League and reach the UEFA Cup Quarter Finals. Swedish youngster Denis Adolfsson secures a famous win at the Santiago Bernabéu as Hibs thrash Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate in Round 4... only to be knocked out by Belgian side Lommel in the next round.
• The Premiership’s bottom three all replace their managers as the relegation battle heats up. Bradford finally realise that hiring Ryan Giggs was a mistake and appoint Peterborough’s Gary Butterworth as their third manager of the season. Coventry dismiss John Toshack and bring in Steve Bruce from Nottingham Forest, while Mark Hughes takes over at Crystal Palace after Joe Royle quits for a second time.
• There are also big changes in Berlin, where Rafa Benítez is named Hertha BSC’s new manager. For his first experiment, Benítez decides that star striker Júlio Baptista should play as a defensive midfielder against Rostock. Hertha lose 2-0.

 

IN OTHER NEWS...

• “Kony 2012” - a short documentary about the Ugandan general and war criminal Joseph Kony - goes viral upon its release. Celebrities such as George Clooney and Oprah Winfrey use the film to bring awareness to the abuse and killing of children across East and Central Africa at the hands of Kony.
• Job-swapping doesn’t just happen in football. Prime Minister Vladimir Putin returns to the Kremlin after winning the Russian presidential election by a landslide, while former President Dmitry Medvedev is named as the new PM. Huh.
• After 12 years of subjecting her contestants to withering put-downs and razor-sharp remarks, BBC presenter Anne Robinson says her last goodbye on "The Weakest Link". The battle to replace Robinson as the nastiest gameshow host on British TV ends in a huge fist fight between Alexander Armstrong and Bradley Walsh.
• The Encyclopædia Britannica goes out of print after 244 years, and will only be available online from now on. Or at least that’s what Wikipedia says.

Edited December 8, 2023 by CFuller

[CFuller]

APRIL 2012

Even by our standards, March was a pretty miserable month. Our last seven matches had yielded three defeats, three draws, and a single win against a tragic Kidderminster team who should soon be joining Macclesfield and Darlington on the bus back to Division 2.

 

While the famously pessimistic Fulham board were "delighted" that we were well clear of relegation, our poor form had killed off any realistic hopes we had of sneaking into the Division 1 play-offs. That meant our final seven games of the season were all about pride... and making plans for the next campaign.

 

I had big plans to freshen up the Cottagers squad with some new blood from across Europe. That meant there would be a pretty brutal culling of our older players, and I wanted to start it as early as possible.

 

We currently had six players aged 30 or over, of which only centre-back Unai and striker Anestis Agritis would continue to play regularly. Long-time strike partners Brett Ormerod and Paul McVeigh would get one last run-out together in our final home game of the season. As far as hardman defender Ben Thatcher and injured winger Elbekay Bouchiba were concerned, however, they would never pull on a Fulham jersey again.

 

Meanwhile, I would take a closer look at those younger players who had the potential to become first-team regulars. Halldór Magnusson and Graham Edwards would get more chances to establish themselves at full-back. Winger Atle Iversen and striker Michael Butler could expect a few more run-outs, while the promising midfield runner Colm Ryan would be integrated into the senior set-up.

 

Opportunity also knocked for backup goalkeeper Jimmy Wilkinson. The 23-year-old replaced the out-of-form Wayne Hudson in goal when we hosted 9th-placed Huddersfield. This match would also mark a 50th senior appearance for another Cottagers youth graduate - 19-year-old midfielder Michael Gibson.

 

4 APRIL 2012: Fulham vs Huddersfield Town

Michael Gibson almost marked his half-century with an assist after just four minutes. His corner delivery to Anestis Agritis was well saved by Huddersfield keeper Demba Touray, who also kept out the rebound from Björn Willems.

 

We struggled to threaten Touray again in the first half, with neither Agritis nor Peter Devlin looking particularly potent in front of goal. Indeed, it was the Terriers who came closest to scoring in the 27th minute, when Graham Francis hit the bar.

 

By the 60th minute, though, we were back to our best. Willems showed some Dutch courage to take on Huddersfield captain Paul Anthony and take the ball to the bline. He then put in a pinpoint low cross to Devlin, whose hot streak continued with an emphatic finish!

 

We then spurned several chances to consolidate our lead... and by the 76th minute, it was gone. Francis got his head to a cross from Northern Ireland forward Sean Doherty and powered it past Jimmy Wilkinson to steal one point. The Terriers might even have got away with two more, but a potential 86th-minute winner from Hayden Foxe was kept out only by the post.

 

Fulham - 1 (Devlin 60)

Huddersfield Town - 1 (Francis 76)

Division 1, Attendance 12,932 - POSITIONS: Fulham 13th, Huddersfield 8th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-2): Wilkinson; Guðmundsson, Ifil, Unai (Edwards), Magnusson; Gibson (Iversen), Danns, Schneider, Willems; Agritis (Butler), Devlin. BOOKED: Unai.

 

Björn Willems had produced a brilliant assist in that match, so I was disappointed to find out afterwards that he had broken his toe in the process. He was out for three weeks - and with Wayne Cable also on the sidelines, we now found ourselves without a left-winger. Great.

 

Oh, and I forgot to mention that Tom Mølby had damaged his shoulder in the pre-match warm-up, so he too was out for three weeks. Double great.

 

It seemed like Peter Devlin was the only player in this team capable of scoring consistently. Imagine my delight when he reported for duty on Saturday morning with a bruised jaw, having "run into Ben Thatcher’s fist" on a Friday night out. Naturally, he could not join us on the coach trip to Manchester. Great, great, BLOODY GREAT!

 

Manchester City were one of only five teams to have beaten us at home this season, and they would be even tougher opposition at Maine Road. The play-off chasers had a significant goal threat in 34-year-old James Beattie, who had bagged 20 goals and 11 assists in 33 league matches.

 

7 APRIL 2012: Manchester City vs Fulham

Three weeks after finally breaking his Fulham duck, Michael Butler was on target for us again. An excellent solo strike from the 18-year-old in the 7th minute gave us a very early lead over Manchester City... at least until former England striker Matt Jansen pulled them level just two minutes later.

 

The rest of the first half saw plenty of attacking action, but nothing good enough to turn the tide in either team’s favour. The Citizens probably created more chances before the break, though Butler had the best of ours in the 41st minute, when a powerful left-footer was well stopped by Romania goalkeeper Bogdan Lobont.

 

Lobont denied Butler again in the 53rd minute, conceding a Fulham corner. Arnar Guðmundsson’s delivery found Florian Schneider, and though Lobont managed to parry the German’s effort, he could not respond quickly enough to the rebound shot. And our goalscoring hero? It was the veteran centre-back Unai, with just his second goal in English football!

 

Six minutes after restoring our lead, Unai found the net again... only it was our net this time. City’s defensive captain Andreas Schwarz unleashed a fierce strike was blocked by Unai, who accidentally turned it past Wayne Hudson for an unlucky own goal. Our 2-1 advantage was up in smoke, and now the momentum was with the visitors...

 

By the 69th minute, I was regretting my decision to put Hudson back in the posts. Just four minutes after making a great save to stop Jansen from scoring again, Hudson ruined that good work by reacting far too late to a strike from Israeli attacking midfielder Yossi Benayoun.... or "Benny-Noon", as a certain David Pleat might call him.

 

Little did I know that I would soon be celebrating a dramatic late goal on the Maine Road pitch, just like Pleat did back in 1983. Okay, so Unai’s equalising goal wasn’t quite as crucial as Raddy Antic’s winner for Luton 29 years ago, but it was still a great moment. Teenage midfielder Colm Ryan marked his senior debut with a fantastic corner assist for our Spanish defender, who completed an unlikely brace and salvaged a draw!

 

Manchester City - 3 (Jansen 9, Unai og59, Benayoun 69)

Fulham - 3 (Butler 7, Unai 53,81)

Division 1, Attendance 26,382 - POSITIONS: Man City 6th, Fulham 14th

FULHAM LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Hudson; Mitchell, Ifil, Unai; Edwards (Magnusson), Guðmundsson; Danns, Schneider; Iversen (Ryan); Agritis (Davey), Butler. BOOKED: Edwards.

 

Wayne Hudson had now conceded eight goals in his last three games. Our captain wasn’t just experiencing a blip - this was a full-blown crisis in confidence.

 

This could not go on any longer. I reluctantly dropped Hudson to the reserves for a few weeks and gave Wilkinson an extended run in the team.

 

Wilko would face a tough challenge in our next home game against league leaders Blackburn, who’d scored 93 goals in 41 games so far. Rising star Ryan got his first senior start, while I decided to try Vicente Núñez out as a right wing-back.

 

14 APRIL 2012: Fulham vs Blackburn Rovers

Midway through the second half, it seemed that our kids were struggling to handle a rather more experienced Blackburn team. Ex-Scotland midfielder Nick Montgomery headed Rovers into the lead after just 18 minutes, and then played a supporting role in their second goal for Marcus Bent just three minutes later.

 

If there was any crumb of comfort after such a terrible start, it was that Montgomery soon had to come off with a toe injury, stopping Blackburn’s momentum in its tracks. By the 28th minute, we were back in the contest. Colm Ryan’s trickery drew a foul out of Bent, and the subsequent Florian Schneider free-kick was headed in by Michael Butler for the teenager’s first home goal!

 

Rovers went back on the offensive after the break, but they found Jimmy Wilkinson to be in top form. Wilko was determined to establish himself as our first-choice goalkeeper, and a couple of brilliant saves from Lee Williams and Dean Wilkinson just before the half-hour certainly gave me much to think about.

 

As Wilkinson continued to frustrate Blackburn, our youngsters showed more confidence going forward. Three minutes from full-time, defender Halldór Magnusson chipped a long ball ahead of Butler, who could have easily gone for goal himself. Instead, he selflessly squared the ball to substitute Michael Gibson, whose tap-in got him off the mark for this campaign. Another game, another late Fulham leveller!

 

Fulham - 2 (Butler 28, Gibson 87)

Blackburn Rovers - 2 (Montgomery 18, Bent 21)

Division 1, Attendance 14,576 - POSITIONS: Fulham 14th, Blackburn 1st

FULHAM LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Wilkinson; Mitchell, Magnusson, Unai; Núñez, Guðmundsson (Taylor); Ryan (Numme), Schneider; Iversen (Gibson); Devlin, Butler. BOOKED: Butler.

 

That comeback was sadly not enough to keep alive our slim mathematical hopes of making it to the play-offs. Results elsewhere meant that, with only four games to play, we were now 13 points behind 6th-placed Gillingham.

 

The pressure was now off our shoulders... and the same could be said of our next opponents. Darlington’s relegation had already been confirmed by the time we arrived at Feethams to play the basement-dwelling Quakers on Bank Holiday Monday.

 

16 APRIL 2012: Darlington vs Fulham

Despite an impressive double save from Jimmy Wilkinson in the 22nd minute, some poor defending two minutes later seriously undermined our goalkeeper. Graham Edwards, Henning Numme and Jerel Ifil all tried and failed to close down the Darlington youngster Scott Francis, who dribbled past them with ease before smashing in the opening goal. Did I mention that Francis was a centre-back?

 

In the 35th minute, the worst team in the league made us look like amateurs again. A through-ball from Scottish midfielder David Scott was confidently drilled in by Irish striker Ciarán Quinn, who left us facing a 2-0 deficit at half-time.

 

I gave my players both barrels in the dressing room, and to be fair, they did show a bit more fight after the break. 17-year-old winger Atle Iversen rifled a decent shot at goal in the 54th minute but couldn’t quite beat the Quakers keeper Duncan Aitchison. Perhaps it would be up to our more experienced players to get us out of this mess?

 

Fresh hope came in the 70th minute, as Jerel Iifl scored a fierce rebound shot after Florian Schneider’s free-kick came back off the Darlo wall. Sadly, that would be a false dawn. Save for a tame half-chance from Anestis Agritis in the 89th minute, we hardly gave Aitchison anything to do in the closing stages.

 

Darlington - 2 (Francis 24, Quinn 35)

Fulham - 1 (Ifil 70)

Division 1, Attendance 8,963 - POSITIONS: Darlington 24th, Fulham 15th

FULHAM LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Wilkinson; Mitchell (Taylor), Ifil, Unai; Edwards, Guðmundsson; Numme, Schneider; Iversen (Gibson); Devlin (Butler), Agritis.

 

For heaven’s sake, just end the season now!

 

Five days later, Craven Cottage opened its doors for the final time this season, welcoming a Preston side who were also mired in mid-table mediocrity. This match would mark a curtain call for Cottagers legends McVeigh and Ormerod, who recreated their famous strike partnership for the final time.

 

21 APRIL 2012: Fulham vs Preston North End

Anyone who arrived at the Cottage hoping to see Paul McVeigh turn back the clock would leave disappointed. The 34-year-old received an excellent through-ball from Florian Schneider in the 26th minute, but the quality of finish was what you’d expect from someone who hadn’t scored since November.

 

Two minutes later, Preston gatecrashed our strikers’ big farewell party. Their wing-backs surged effortlessly through our defence before Dave Marsh’s low cross from the left flank was finished from the right by Gareth McGlynn. 1-0 to the Lilywhites was how it stayed at half-time.

 

Another horrific miss from McVeigh in the 55th minute was followed by another Preston goal in the 59th. Substitute winger Gary McAuley played a clever flick-on to striker Colin Morrison, who was given far too much time and space by our defence and beat Jimmy Wilkinson with ease.

 

Midfielder Vicente Núñez felt particularly guilty for that, having failed to intercept McAuley’s flick-on. The Spaniard set out to repair the damage six minutes later, feeding an excellent pass for Brett Ormerod to pull one goal back. At least one of our departing veterans was finishing their Craven Cottage career on a high...

 

Sadly, Brett’s strike could not kick-start another late Fulham fightback. A thigh injury to Jerel Ifil in the 76th minute further weakened an already suspect Fulham defence, which leaked another goal six minutes later. Morrison’s half-volley from Olivier Deschacht’s cross was worthy of winning every game, but Wilkinson’s despairing dive summed up another embarrassing performance from the Cottagers.

 

Fulham - 1 (Ormerod 65)

Preston North End - 3 (McGlynn 28, Morrison 59,82)

Division 1, Attendance 12,533 - POSITIONS: Fulham 15th, Preston 14th

FULHAM LINE-UP (3-5-2 Attacking): Wilkinson; Magnusson, Ifil (Edwards), Unai; Núñez, Guðmundsson; Numme, Schneider (Gibson); Danns; Ormerod, McVeigh. BOOKED: Schneider.

 

What should have been a celebration of two great Fulham strikers instead ended in a chorus of boos across Craven Cottage. We had now gone 11 games without a win, and for the first time since becoming manager, I was seriously starting to question my future.

 

If we were to finish the campaign on a positive note, we would surely need to take maximum points in our penultimate game, at Moss Rose. Macclesfield’s league-worst defence had shipped 88 goals en route to an inevitable relegation.

 

The good news was that both Willems and Cable, with the Dutchman getting the nod on the left wing. Hudson regained his place after Wilkinson’s howlers against Preston, and the Cottagers captain would be desperate to show that his best days weren’t behind him.

 

28 APRIL 2012: Macclesfield Town vs Fulham

Wayne Hudson came under pressure as early as the 17th minute, when he needed to produce a fantastic fingertip save to deny Ben Ellis a great goal for Macclesfield. It looked like another great save would thwart Michael Rogers six minutes later, but Macc’s midfielder and captain fired the rebound in off the post.

 

As former Aston Villa striker Darius Vassell spurned a couple of chances to give Macclesfield a 2-0 lead, I struggled to find new words to lambast my team with at half-time. Come the 40th minute, I was staring at a water bottle on the touchline, and wondering if I should use that as a projectile. As I heard a huge roar from the away end, I switched my focus just in time to see Björn Willems finish off a sublime solo goal and draw us level!

 

Willems’ strike had spared his team-mates from some half-time dodging practice, though it was too late to save the disappointing Neil Danns from being subbed off for Henning Numme. I would have to make another change in the 56th minute, as striker Michael Butler picked up a foot injury and was replaced by Peter Devlin.

 

Having gone off the boil in recent weeks, Devlin had to deliver the goods again if he was to earn a permanent transfer from Aston Villa. 11 minutes after coming on, the Irishman did exactly that, skilfully dribbling past Silkmen defender James Austin en route to scoring his 10th goal in 17 games!

 

But just as it seemed as we would hold on for our first victory in 12 games... Macclesfield struck back five minutes before half-time. Rogers provided the assist for Vassell, whose rocket beat a despairing Wayne Hudson in the Fulham goal. We were now heading for a disastrous dozen games without a single win...

 

...until this match took another late twist in the 88th minute! After finding the net twice in the FA Cup, Numme got his first goal contribution in the league, as the 17-year-old midfielder’s low cross was finished by Devlin! With that, we had finally secured our first win since 7 March - and our first away victory since 23 November last year!

 

Macclesfield Town - 2 (Rogers 23, Vassell 85)

Fulham - 3 (Willems 40, Devlin 67,88)

Division 1, Attendance 6,211 - POSITIONS: Macclesfield 23rd, Fulham 15th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-1-1): Hudson; Guðmundsson, Mitchell, Unai, Magnusson; Danns (Numme), Núñez, Schneider, Willems (Cable); Mølby; Butler (Devlin). BOOKED: Unai, Danns, Mølby, Numme.

 

In truth, I was more relieved than delighted when the final whistle blew.

 

The season was nearly over. Just one more match, and then the summer rebuild could begin in earnest.

Edited March 29 by CFuller

[CFuller]

DIVISION 1 TABLE (End of April 2012)

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st  P  Blackburn                       45   17   2    4    57   27   9    7    6    45   40   87   
2nd  Pl West Ham                        45   16   5    2    47   17   8    6    8    28   28   83   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd  Pl Wolves                          44   19   2    1    53   20   6    6    10   38   48   83   
4th  Pl Birmingham                      45   15   3    5    56   28   9    5    8    43   43   80   
5th  Pl Norwich                         45   15   4    3    52   36   8    4    11   40   44   77   
6th     Nottm Forest                    45   14   4    5    57   42   8    6    8    35   40   76   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7th     Gillingham                      45   13   4    5    43   26   8    6    9    32   37   73   
8th     Carlisle                        45   13   4    5    41   27   8    2    13   26   34   69   
9th     Charlton                        45   10   5    8    40   31   8    8    6    31   26   67   
10th    Sunderland                      45   11   5    6    40   31   8    4    11   44   57   66   
11th    Man City                        44   10   8    4    47   31   7    6    9    44   52   65   
12th    Preston                         45   11   8    4    41   30   5    9    8    33   40   65   
13th    Huddersfield                    45   11   3    9    39   36   8    5    9    35   44   65   
14th    Notts Co                        45   12   7    3    43   22   5    5    13   38   51   63   
15th    Fulham                          45   9    8    6    37   32   6    7    9    26   37   60   
16th    Chesterfield                    45   13   2    8    42   31   4    6    12   35   53   59   
17th    Sheff Utd                       45   8    9    6    46   38   7    3    12   30   40   57   
18th    W.B.A.                          45   10   4    8    41   39   5    3    15   27   44   52   
19th    Aston Villa                     45   9    5    8    38   37   5    5    13   28   44   52   
20th    Tottenham                       45   8    8    6    36   31   4    4    15   31   51   48   
21st    Swindon                         45   8    6    8    45   45   5    2    16   19   41   47   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22nd R  Kidderminster                   45   8    7    8    28   28   0    5    17   12   41   36   
23rd R  Macclesfield                    45   7    4    11   41   42   2    3    18   18   49   34   
24th R  Darlington                      45   7    4    11   23   26   1    4    18   15   49   32   

 

ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL...

• Everton win the League Cup for the first time, as Paul Hayes, Kevin Hilton and Pontus Farnerud score the goals in a 3-0 Final thrashing of arch-rivals Liverpool - whose team includes Pontus’ younger brother Alexander. The Toffees board are so delighted with manager Dermot Keely that they sack him 10 days later and give his job to former Atlético Madrid boss Héctor Raúl Cúper.
• After exiting the Champions League to Parma, and falling behind Hibs in the Scottish Premier League title race, the pressure gets too much for Celtic boss John Collins. The 44-year-old leaves Parkhead for a fresh challenge in Spain, replacing Cúper at Atlético. Keely then completes the job-swap triangle by taking the Celtic vacancy.
• Barcelona’s dreams of reaching a fourth straight Champions League Final are left in ruins, as Dirk Kuijt scores a Quarter Final winner for newly-crowned Bundesliga champions VfB Stuttgart. Juan Roman Riquelme’s extra-time goal for Lazio sees them past Liverpool, but Roma are overwhelmed by the tinkering of Valencia boss Claudio Ranieri.
• Bayern München (remember them?) also endulge in a bit of job-swapping. After their beleaguered manager Vegard Skogheim jumps ship to Deportivo, Bayern decide to hire the coach who had just been sacked by the former La Liga champions. Spanish winger José Antonio Reyes is so shocked and upset by Jim Jefferies’ appointment that he agrees a deal to join Marseille for £10million.
• Despite struggling to stay clear of the Bundesliga relegation zone, HSV look set to win their second UEFA Cup in five seasons. Nicola Ventola scores a decisive double in the first leg of their Semi Final with Porto. Hamburg’s opponents in the Final will be Dutch outsiders Fortuna, who knock out Nantes, Toulouse and Lommel to continue a fairytale run.

 

IN OTHER NEWS...

• The University Boat Race is halted when an anti-establishment protester swims into the River Thames in front of the competing Oxford and Cambridge boats. The Australian man is arrested by police and asked, "Who do you think you are? David Walliams?"
• 16 years after he was murdered, Tupac Shakur comes back to life at the Coachella festival in California… kind of. Snoop Dogg performs alongside a ‘hologram’ of the legendary West Coast rapper at the end of his set with Dr Dre.
• German supermodel Heidi Klum files for divorce from British soul singer Seal, seven years after they got married. Seal is in a magnanimous mood, conceding that the marriage was never gonna survive unless they got a little crazy.
• Ceremonies are held across the world - including in Southampton and in Halifax, Nova Scotia - to mark the 100th anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic. Céline Dion is explicitly not invited.

Edited December 11, 2023 by CFuller

[CFuller]

MAY 2012

Going into the final day of the Division 1 season, the race to secure promotion to the Premiership was still on... but Fulham were nowhere to be seen.

 

Blackburn’s promotion had already been confirmed, and they would go up with automatically with either West Ham and Wolves. Whoever missed out would have to contest the play-offs with Birmingham, Norwich, and either Nottingham Forest or Gillingham. At the other end of the table, Division 2 already beckoned for Darlington, Macclesfield and [sigh] Kidderminster.

 

We went into the final day down in 15th place, and the best we could hope for was 14th. A dramatic 3-2 victory at Macclesfield on the previous weekend had snapped an eight-game winless run in the league, which had destroyed any slim hopes we had of getting into the play-offs.

 

That meant we had nothing riding on our final game of the season - away to an Aston Villa side who were well clear of relegation in 19th place. Chris Perry had not enjoyed a great first full season at Villa Park, though his team’s fortunes had slightly improved since he drafted in former England team-mate Robbie Fowler as his assistant manager.

 

We had our own Fowler-esque goal machine in the form of Peter Devlin, who was on loan from Aston Villa. The Football League didn’t have any rules stopping loanees from playing aginst their parent clubs, so Devlin would face the Villans in his final match for the Cottagers... for the time being, at least.

 

6 MAY 2012: Aston Villa vs Fulham

It was Aston Villa who made the more positive start to this dead rubber, taking the lead within three minutes. After forcing Wayne Hudson into a very early save, beanpole target man Peter Crouch set up the opening goal with an impressive cross that was headed in by Irish defender Clive Clarke.

 

Five minutes later, though, Villa’s lead was put in jeopardy by one of their own. Peter Devlin’s run into the box was halted by a crunching tackle from his... er... ‘team-mate’ Indriði Sigurðsson, and the referee awarded Fulham a penalty. Michael Gibson’s spot-kick sent goalkeeper John Reed the wrong way, and we were back level!

 

The next half-hour saw plenty of excitement at both ends, but it was the hosts who made the next breakthrough. After 31 minutes, Crouch used his head to knock a weak Unai clearance back into our penalty area, where Wales Under-21s midfielder Gareth Davies smashed in his first senior goal.

 

Three minutes later, Gibson’s clumsy trip on Crouch won Aston Villa a free-kick 20 yards from goal. Sigurðsson struck the free-kick over the wall and forced a great fingertip save out of Hudson... but the ref ordered a retake because of encroachment from Tom Mølby. At the second attempt, Sigurðsson drove a shot through the wall, catching Hudson unawares to give Villa a 3-1 lead!

 

Despite that, we would have the last laugh just before half-time. Neil Danns’ far-post cross was headed in by winger Wayne Cable, and so we ‘only’ trailed 3-2 at the break. Could we now go on and launch yet another comeback in the second half?

 

Seven minutes after the restart, things were looking good. Cable headed in another goal, this time outjumping Villans midfielder James Graham to get a connection to Gibson’s corner delivery and flick it past Reed. Wayne wouldn’t celebrate his 18th birthday until the end of the month, and he finished his first full senior season with 13 goal contributions in 32 games.

 

That would also be the final goal of our season. Devlin could not find the net against his employers, though current Villa striker Adam Muller almost won the game for them in the 87th minute. Muller rifled in a half-volley from Graham’s cross, but another fine Hudson save ensured that we signed off with a 3-3 away draw - just like 12 months ago!

 

Aston Villa - 3 (Clarke 3, Davies 31, Sigurðsson 34)

Fulham - 3 (Gibson pen8, Cable 45,52)

Division 1, Attendance 37,159 - POSITIONS: Aston Villa 19th, Fulham 15th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-4-1-1): Hudson; Edwards (Lynch), Magnusson, Unai, Guðmundsson; Gibson, Danns, Schneider, Cable (Willems); Mølby (Núñez); Devlin.

 

Despite producing another Fulham fightback, it was hard to deny that our end to the season had been a bitter anti-climax. In our final 10 matches, we took just eight points - and just one narrow victory against a poor Macclesfield team. That is relegation form.

 

There were several reasons why our play-off challenge had fallen apart at the seams. First and foremost was our form at Craven Cottage; you cannot expect to be promoted if you only win nine home games out of 23. We also scored only 37 goals at home - a worse tally than everyone else in the division except Kidderminster and Darlington.

 

Goals were very hard to come by in general, with only the bottom four failing to outscore our 66 league goals. That was four fewer than we managed last season.

 

To further underline our profligacy, not a single Fulham player cracked the top 40 of the Division 1 goal charts. Anestis Agritis was bubbling under in joint-41st with just 11 league goals (he also scored another three in the cups). Devlin scored nine league goals and two FA Cup goals after arriving on loan from Aston Villa in January - he was the only other Cottager to hit double figures in all competitions.

 

Though our defence shipped significantly more goals than last season, it was still relatively solid - our 72 goals conceded was actually the 8th-best record in Division 1. Even so, we finished the season with a negative goal difference - yet another sign of a team that cannot realistically strive for promotion.

 

You really couldn’t put much blame on Wayne Hudson, who despite his late-season dip still had the best average rating among Division 1 goalkeepers (7.19). Our captain will remain a vital part of this Fulham team going into next season, but he needs stronger protection in the defence.

 

My constant chopping and changing of tactics can’t have helped much either. It’s probably my biggest weakness as a manager that I tend to switch between formations whenever things go wrong, and that is no doubt a big reason behind our consistency (or lack thereof).

 

My goals for the summer are to ship out the dead wood, bring in some fresh blood, find a tactic that produces more attacking output... and, most importantly, stick with that tactic. Not a lot, really.

 

After a promising first year at Fulham was followed by a second-season slump, I know full well that I HAVE to get it right at the third time of asking.

[CFuller]

DIVISION 1 TABLE (End of 2011/2012 season)

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st  C  Wolves                          46   20   2    1    55   20   7    6    10   40   48   89   
2nd  P  Blackburn                       46   17   2    4    57   27   9    8    6    47   42   88   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd     West Ham                        46   16   5    2    47   17   9    6    8    30   28   86   
4th     Birmingham                      46   15   3    5    56   28   9    5    9    44   46   80   
5th  P  Nottm Forest                    46   14   4    5    57   42   9    6    8    39   43   79   
6th     Norwich                         46   15   5    3    54   38   8    4    11   40   44   78   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7th     Gillingham                      46   14   4    5    45   27   8    6    9    32   37   76   
8th     Charlton                        46   10   5    8    40   31   9    8    6    32   26   70   
9th     Carlisle                        46   13   5    5    43   29   8    2    13   26   34   70   
10th    Sunderland                      46   12   5    6    42   32   8    4    11   44   57   69   
11th    Man City                        46   10   8    5    50   35   7    6    10   44   54   65   
12th    Preston                         46   11   8    4    41   30   5    9    9    35   43   65   
13th    Huddersfield                    46   11   3    9    39   36   8    5    10   36   46   65   
14th    Notts Co                        46   12   7    4    43   23   5    5    13   38   51   63   
15th    Fulham                          46   9    8    6    37   32   6    8    9    29   40   61   
16th    Sheff Utd                       46   8    9    6    46   38   8    3    12   34   42   60   
17th    Chesterfield                    46   13   2    8    42   31   4    7    12   37   55   60   
18th    W.B.A.                          46   11   4    8    44   41   5    3    15   27   44   55   
19th    Aston Villa                     46   9    6    8    41   40   5    5    13   28   44   53   
20th    Tottenham                       46   8    8    7    38   35   4    4    15   31   51   48   
21st    Swindon                         46   8    6    9    45   47   5    2    16   19   41   47   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22nd R  Macclesfield                    46   8    4    11   44   43   2    3    18   18   49   37   
23rd R  Kidderminster                   46   8    7    8    28   28   0    5    18   13   43   36   
24th R  Darlington                      46   7    4    12   23   28   1    4    18   15   49   32   

 

ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL...

• Leeds are crowned champions of England for the first time in 20 years. Captain Rio Ferdinand lifts the Premiership trophy at Elland Road, after a late-season surge sees Alex McLeish’s Whites finish two points clear of Chelsea and Manchester United. Bolton win their first FA Cup since 1958, as Thorsten Helstad’s double at Wembley sees off Crewe.
• Chris Kamara’s Torquay complete an unbelievable Premiership debut by winning their final two home games to avoid relegation. After 19-year-old winger Tony Flynn bags a late winner against Manchester United, midfielder Kevin Allan scores a 34th-minute screamer against Newcastle that ultimately sends the Magpies down. Coventry are also relegated, while Bradford’s bantamweights finish with a pitiful 12 points and a goal difference of -71.
• There are wild celebrations in the green half of Edinburgh, as a 1-0 win at Dundee United sees Hibernian win their first Scottish league championship for exactly 60 years. Celtic have to settle for 2nd, while Rangers limp home in 4th behind Aberdeen. Gers boss Bernd Krauss flees to Milan, pursued by a mob of angry teddy bears.
• Both major European trophies are on their way to Germany. VfB Stuttgart follow up their Bundesliga triumph by beating Lazio in the Champions League Semi Finals, and then beating Parma 1-0 at Wembley. Javier Saviola’s 42nd-minute strike secures a famous triumph for Felix Magath and ‘Die Roten’. Meanwhile, HSV brush Fortuna 3-0 aside in the UEFA Cup Final, thanks to goals from Lincoln, Joe Cole and American defender Kelly Gray.
• Parma’s Champions League heartache comes after a shocking collapse in Serie A, as they fall to 3rd place (behind Roma on head-to-head) and finish 10 points adrift of Lazio, who cruise to their 7th scudetto in 11 years. Lille regain the Ligue 1 title after a six-year wait, while Ajax retake the Eredivisie in Javier Zanetti’s first season as manager. Barcelona prove that some things never change - and win La Liga once again.

 

IN OTHER NEWS...

• Nicolas Sarkozy is ousted as France’s president, losing the election to his socialist rival François Hollande. It is clear that the French public want a competent and popular leader whose love life won’t make the tabloid headlines.
• There’s a feeling of "Euphoria" across Sweden when Loreen storms to victory at the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku, Azerbaijan. 76-year-old Engelbert Humperdinck is wheeled out to represent the United Kingdom, but ‘The Hump’ suffers the humiliation of being outvoted by Irish twins Jedward.
• It’s an otherwise sad month for popular music, as three hugely influential performers lose their battles with cancer. Disco diva Donna Summer passes away aged 63, while Robin Gibb - one-third of the Bee Gees - was 62, and Beastie Boys rapper Adam ‘MCA’ Rauch was just 47.

Edited December 13, 2023 by CFuller

[CFuller]

FULHAM PLAYER STATISTICS (2011/2012)

Goalkeepers                    Apps     Con    Asts   Yel    Red    MoM    Av R
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
14  Hudson, Wayne              45 (1)   66     0      0      0      2      7.22   
1   Wilkinson, Jimmy           7        16     0      0      0      0      6.71   

Outfield Players               Apps     Gls    Asts   Yel    Red    MoM    Av R
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
10  Agritis, Anestis           31 (9)   14     1      2      0      5      7.15   
20  Bouchiba, Elbekay          15 (7)   1      4      1      0      1      6.91   
*   Bowater, Graham            13 (1)   0      0      1      0      0      6.71   
*   Brough, Scott              1 (4)    0      0      0      0      0      6.40   
17  Butler, Michael            3 (8)    3      1      1      0      1      6.91   
21  Cable, Wayne               24 (8)   7      6      2      0      4      7.19   
8   Danns, Neil                38 (5)   5      7      2      0      0      6.91   
27  Davey, Jamie               0 (4)    0      0      0      0      0      6.75   
*   Davies, Curtis             11       0      0      1      0      0      6.55   
18  Devlin, Peter              16 (2)   11     2      1      0      2      7.22   
30  Edwards, Graham            18 (5)   1      1      1      0      0      6.74   
13  Gibson, Michael            18 (12)  2      4      1      0      0      6.60   
15  Guðmundsson, Arnar         48       1      10     5      0      1      7.31   
5   Ifil, Jerel                33 (1)   2      1      3      0      3      6.88   
35  Iversen, Atle              10 (2)   0      2      1      0      0      6.33   
38  Lynch, Seán                0 (2)    0      0      0      0      0      7.00   
33  Magnusson, Halldór         13 (7)   0      1      1      0      0      6.85   
9   McVeigh, Paul              21 (10)  8      1      0      0      4      7.16   
12  Mitchell, Peter            22 (14)  1      1      4      0      1      6.83   
28  Mølby, Tom                 34 (3)   5      6      3      0      1      6.84   
34  Numme, Henning             11 (9)   2      1      1      0      0      7.00   
22  Núñez, Vicente             17 (10)  0      3      1      0      0      6.59   
11  Ormerod, Brett             18 (9)   7      1      1      0      1      6.85   
*   Piccolo, Walter            9 (4)    0      0      0      0      0      6.69   
36  Ryan, Colm                 1 (1)    0      1      0      0      0      6.00   
*   Saler, Markus              1 (3)    0      0      0      0      0      6.25   
19  Schneider, Florian         41 (1)   4      4      10     2      2      7.14   
6   Smith, Mark                4        0      0      0      0      0      6.75   
23  Taylor, Dave               0 (2)    0      0      0      0      0      6.00   
3   Thatcher, Ben              32 (2)   1      0      8      0      0      6.85   
2   Unai                       15 (1)   2      0      4      0      0      6.88   
7   Willems, Björn             5 (4)    1      2      0      0      0      7.11   

* [Player not currently at club]

[CFuller]

JUNE 2012

With the 2011/2012 season coming to a disappointing end, I only afforded myself a short break before returning to my office at Craven Cottage. I was planning a major rebuild of the Fulham squad, and time could not wait.

 

I retained all our backroom staff from last season, with assistant manager Peter Grant among those to sign new contracts. My current contract would expire next summer, which meant I had one last chance to build a team that could win promotion to the Premiership... or at least finish in the play-off places.

 

Those plans would, of course, not involve either Paul McVeigh or Brett Ormerod. Despite scoring a combined 226 goals (112 for Paul, 114 for Brett), our veteran strikers were the first players to leave us this summer.

 

McVeigh - our top league goalscorer this century - headed north to play for Kilmarnock in the Scottish Premier League. Ormerod - our record scorer across all competitions in the modern era - ended his decade-long stay at Craven Cottage to join my old club in the West Midlands. The 35-year-old’s next challenge was to try and get Kidderminster back into Division 1 at the first attempt.

 

Welsh hardman Ben Thatcher also moved on a free transfer to another of my old clubs, joining a Dagenham & Redbridge team who just missed out on the Division 2 play-offs. Another departing veteran was Dutch winger Elbekay Bouchiba, who stayed in Division 1 and signed for Manchester City.

 

After scoring six goals on loan at Harrow Borough, Mark Smith’s next move from Fulham was a permanent one. The former Wales Under-21s winger was sold to Tottenham for £100,000. Fellow right-wing youth product James Hughes had his contract terminated, after making only seven senior appearances in eight years.

 

We also allowed 19-year-old midfielder Michael Gibson to leave the nest. Despite playing 54 games in just two years, and despite all his athleticism and finishing ability, I wasn’t sure he would ever develop the technique or the tactical game to reach the top level. Middlesbrough boss Alan Cork perhaps thought otherwise, bringing Gibson to the Riverside for £425,000 plus a 10% sell-on fee.

 

Lastly, we bade a sad farewell to the 2011/2012 Fulham Fans’ Player of the Year. Anestis Agritis’ contract was now unprotected, and he was unwilling to renew it, so we cashed in on a man who netted 14 goals in 40 matches for us this term. FA Cup winners Bolton took a punt on the 31-year-old Greek international, paying up £900,000 in compensation.

 

One player I did not want to lose was goalkeeper and captain Wayne Hudson. ‘Big’ Sam Allardyce was so desperate to bring Hudson to Burnley that he made three offers for his services. The last offer went up to £1.9million, which was still a pittance as far as I was concerned. Hudson wasn’t going anywhere.

 

Those sales, combined with an influx of TV money, left me with a transfer budget of around £6million.

 

Steven Weir - an 18-year-old Scottish defender who can play at right-back or centre-half - joined our reserve team on a free transfer. 16-year-old local boy Justin Clark was promoted from the youth team, and he looks like he has the pace and technique to become our next left-wing sensation.

 

In the short term, we needed to find a winger who could be as effective on the right flank as Wayne Cable is on the left. I eventually plumped for the vast experience of Carlos Edwards, who made 324 Premiership appearances during his decade-long service for Bolton.

 

At 33, Edwards is perhaps past his top-flight prime. Even so, he is still very quick on his feet and can use either of them equally well. The Trinidad & Tobago international also has the flair and creative spark that our team perhaps lacked this season.

 

Meanwhile, we signed left-winger Jordan Hall from Division 2 side Oxford for £60,000. Hall is 28 and maybe lacks the star quality of a super talent like Cable, but he has exceptional crossing and dribbling abilities, and his tendency to cut inside on his right foot could give our attacks an extra dimension.

 

Further afield, our scouts found a couple of talented young Swiss midfielders who caught my eye. The one I was most desperate to sign was the 19-year-old defensive midfield wünderkind Reto Minder, but Luzern would not let him go under any circumstances - not even for £2million.

 

Thankfully, Sion were more willing to part with their 20-year-old central midfielder Adrian Disler. We only needed to pay £200,000 for Disler, who is more attack-minded than Minder and possesses a silky-smooth first touch.

 

Up front, there was only one target I really wanted... and you know who he was.

 

After 11 goals and two assists in 18 matches, I’m delighted to announce that Peter Devlin is staying at the Cottage - for good! We paid Aston Villa £550,000 to convert the 24-year-old striker’s loan into a long-term deal, which runs until June 2018. Perhaps Devlin could follow in the footsteps of McVeigh and George McCartney, and become Fulham’s next Irish stalwart...

 

Lastly, we come to one of our problem positions this season. I brought in THREE full-backs to provide stiffer competition from vice-captain Arnar Guðmundsson, who had excelled on both the left and right flanks since joining last summer.

 

Arnar mainly plays on the left, and his new backup there will be an old friend of mine. Terry Simpson was itching to leave Kidderminster following their relegation, and I was reunited with the intelligent 24-year-old for a cut-price £325,000. Though Terry’s form hasn’t been great since my departure from Aggborough, I’d like to think I can get the best out of him.

 

Swedish right-back Thomas Friberg arrived from his hometown club Rasta - the 20-year-old costing just £20,000. Friberg is a consistent performer and a strong man-marker, and he might well be a better RB prospect than Graham Edwards, who faded badly in the final weeks of last season.

 

Neither Friberg nor Edwards were ready to be our starting right-back for the new season. I needed someone with rather more experience and quality - and after scouring several options, I eventually went all-in on Dagenham & Redbridge’s Luke Liddle.

 

For me, the 26-year-old Yorkshireman had that dream combination of athleticism, teamwork and defensive intelligence. The Daggers clearly didn’t want to let him go on the cheap - and following weeks of back-and-forth negotiations, we eventually agreed on a fee of £1.4million. That was clearly no small price to pay, so let’s hope Liddle makes a big impact at the Cottage.

 

So that’s seven new additions to the first-team, with perhaps one or two more to come. And with the old guard now gone, Fulham fans can finally look forward to a brighter, younger future...

[CFuller]

ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL...

• Benfica players are confused when Chelsea captain John Terry shows up at their end-of-season party, dressed in a full red-and-white Águias kit. Head coach David Seaman shrugs, "Might as well sign him now," and pays £11million for the England defender, who will play with Paulo Ferreira, Maniche and Raúl Meireles at the Estádio da Luz next term.
• Euro 2012 takes place in Norway, where the hosts whimper out without winning a game... but at least they’ll get another chance when they co-host the 2014 World Cup with Sweden. Current world champions Spain also exit early, as a 2-1 defeat to France and a 1-1 draw with Russia mean that victory over Belgium isn’t enough to get them out of the group. The thing about Spain is that they always try and walk it in...
• England and Wales both survive the group phase, only to fall short in the knockout rounds. Everton’s Wayne Rooney gives England an early lead before Holland blow them away 4-1 in the Quarter Final. Wales battle past Russia to reach another Semi Final, where they too are downed by the Dutch, courtesy of Wilfred Bouma’s first-half free-kick.
• Holland’s last destination will be a repeat of the Euro 2008 Final against their old nemeses Italy. At his first tournament, 25-year-old Bologna poacher Agostino Piccolo scores three consecutive braces against Wales, France and underdogs Poland as the Azzurri storm through to their FOURTH European Championship decider in a row.
• Gary Neville officially retires from playing to concentrate on managing Fortuna Köln. The 37-year-old finishes on 124 England caps - one shy of Peter Shilton’s national record. Former Italy right-back Gianluca Zambrotta and ex-Liverpool midfielder Ludovic Giuly also hang up their boots.

 

IN OTHER NEWS...

• The United Kingdom celebrates Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee, marking her 60 years on the throne. The celebrations include a huge boat pageant on the River Thames, and a concert outside Buckingham Palace organised by Gary Barlow.
• Looks like LeBron James’ decision to "take [his] talents to South Beach" in 2010 has paid off! LeBron wins his first NBA championship as the superstar forward inspires Miami Heat to defeat Oklahoma City Thunder 4-1 in the NBA Finals.
• Lonesome George - the last living Pinta Island tortoise - dies at the Galápagos National Park in Ecuador, at just over 100 years old. One of the most heartfelt tributes comes from Sir David Attenborough, who first met George as a hatchling when David was 27.
• Another big-name Hollywood couple splits up, as Katie Holmes divorces from Tom Cruise. It is stated that Holmes wants to protect their daughter Suri from the Scientology cult - and that she is also fed up with Cruise constantly jumping on the furniture.

[CFuller]

SEASON REVIEW 2011/2012

ENGLAND

NOTE: All goals and assist records relate to league matches only.

 

PREMIERSHIP

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st  C  Leeds                           38   17   1    1    47   10   7    5    7    22   25   78   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2nd     Chelsea                         38   13   4    2    46   13   9    6    4    40   30   76   
3rd     Man Utd                         38   15   3    1    43   6    8    4    7    32   34   76   
4th     Arsenal                         38   14   3    2    45   15   8    2    9    36   35   71   
5th     Sheff Wed                       38   13   5    1    38   14   6    6    7    26   29   68   
6th     Bolton                          38   14   1    4    30   12   4    9    6    16   19   64   
7th     Liverpool                       38   12   5    2    33   13   6    3    10   26   29   62   
8th     Grimsby                         38   11   3    5    29   17   5    3    11   22   34   54   
9th     Middlesbrough                   38   8    7    4    32   25   6    4    9    29   41   53   
10th    Southampton                     38   12   2    5    45   29   4    3    12   15   37   53   
11th    Crystal Palace                  38   9    6    4    33   26   5    3    11   24   40   51   
12th    Crewe                           38   12   5    2    46   27   2    3    14   17   44   50   
13th    Stoke                           38   10   3    6    35   25   3    3    13   17   38   45   
14th    Everton                         38   9    5    5    39   26   2    6    11   24   37   44   
15th    Burnley                         38   8    7    4    41   31   2    7    10   21   33   44   
16th    Ipswich                         38   9    6    4    28   21   1    6    12   20   41   42   
17th    Torquay                         38   8    5    6    31   28   3    4    12   20   40   42   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
18th R  Newcastle                       38   9    3    7    28   25   2    5    12   18   38   41   
19th R  Coventry                        38   5    6    8    28   38   2    2    15   9    35   29   
20th R  Bradford                        38   2    5    12   14   41   0    1    18   8    52   12   

 

Top Goalscorer - Cristiano Ronaldo (Chelsea): 37.

Most Assists - Matthew Turner (Sheff Wed): 14.

Highest Average Rating - Cristiano Ronaldo (Chelsea): 8.77.

 

PFA Player of the Year - Cristiano Ronaldo (Chelsea).

PFA Young Player of the Year - not awarded.

 

DIVISION 1

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st  C  Wolves                          46   20   2    1    55   20   7    6    10   40   48   89   
2nd  P  Blackburn                       46   17   2    4    57   27   9    8    6    47   42   88   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd     West Ham                        46   16   5    2    47   17   9    6    8    30   28   86   
4th     Birmingham                      46   15   3    5    56   28   9    5    9    44   46   80   
5th  P  Nottm Forest                    46   14   4    5    57   42   9    6    8    39   43   79   
6th     Norwich                         46   15   5    3    54   38   8    4    11   40   44   78   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7th     Gillingham                      46   14   4    5    45   27   8    6    9    32   37   76   
8th     Charlton                        46   10   5    8    40   31   9    8    6    32   26   70   
9th     Carlisle                        46   13   5    5    43   29   8    2    13   26   34   70   
10th    Sunderland                      46   12   5    6    42   32   8    4    11   44   57   69   
11th    Man City                        46   10   8    5    50   35   7    6    10   44   54   65   
12th    Preston                         46   11   8    4    41   30   5    9    9    35   43   65   
13th    Huddersfield                    46   11   3    9    39   36   8    5    10   36   46   65   
14th    Notts Co                        46   12   7    4    43   23   5    5    13   38   51   63   
15th    Fulham                          46   9    8    6    37   32   6    8    9    29   40   61   
16th    Sheff Utd                       46   8    9    6    46   38   8    3    12   34   42   60   
17th    Chesterfield                    46   13   2    8    42   31   4    7    12   37   55   60   
18th    W.B.A.                          46   11   4    8    44   41   5    3    15   27   44   55   
19th    Aston Villa                     46   9    6    8    41   40   5    5    13   28   44   53   
20th    Tottenham                       46   8    8    7    38   35   4    4    15   31   51   48   
21st    Swindon                         46   8    6    9    45   47   5    2    16   19   41   47   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22nd R  Macclesfield                    46   8    4    11   44   43   2    3    18   18   49   37   
23rd R  Kidderminster                   46   8    7    8    28   28   0    5    18   13   43   36   
24th R  Darlington                      46   7    4    12   23   28   1    4    18   15   49   32   

 

DIVISION 2

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st  C  Bristol City                    46   16   6    1    51   23   15   4    4    51   35   103  
2nd  P  Rochdale                        46   17   3    3    55   26   10   6    7    45   39   90   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd     Luton                           46   16   6    1    39   15   8    10   5    31   26   88   
4th  P  Blackpool                       46   11   6    6    44   35   10   4    9    40   44   73   
5th     Oldham                          46   15   6    2    38   17   4    9    10   19   25   72   
6th     Derby                           46   17   1    5    52   28   5    3    15   25   50   70   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7th     Dag & Red                       46   11   8    4    33   19   6    8    9    34   38   67   
8th     Barnsley                        46   9    8    6    44   33   8    6    9    31   39   65   
9th     Leyton Orient                   46   14   4    5    45   24   5    4    14   22   40   65   
10th    Doncaster                       46   12   2    9    45   42   8    2    13   24   35   64   
11th    Tranmere                        46   11   9    3    31   12   3    12   8    16   26   63   
12th    Millwall                        46   10   6    7    39   31   7    4    12   35   36   61   
13th    Leicester                       46   14   3    6    42   31   3    7    13   24   43   61   
14th    Oxford                          46   14   6    3    46   24   3    3    17   17   42   60   
15th    Hull                            46   16   2    5    43   24   2    3    18   23   60   59   
16th    Peterborough                    46   10   7    6    30   18   4    8    11   18   29   57   
17th    Cambridge Utd                   46   11   9    3    36   23   3    4    16   23   48   55   
18th    Wigan                           46   10   5    8    31   21   4    7    12   17   30   54   
19th    Shrewsbury                      46   11   3    9    30   25   4    5    14   20   39   53   
20th    Wrexham                         46   14   4    5    47   25   2    1    20   15   53   53   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
21st R  Rotherham                       46   11   7    5    37   32   2    6    15   18   52   52   
22nd R  Cardiff                         46   8    9    6    25   19   4    5    14   28   40   50   
23rd R  Northampton                     46   9    5    9    32   34   3    6    14   19   45   47   
24th R  Northwich Vics                  46   11   4    8    48   36   2    2    19   22   49   45   

 

DIVISION 3

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st  C  Brentford                       46   18   2    3    50   23   16   3    4    52   27   107  
2nd  P  Stalybridge                     46   17   4    2    44   20   8    7    8    29   34   86   
3rd  P  Reading                         46   15   3    5    50   34   11   3    9    46   44   84   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4th     Wycombe                         46   15   4    4    51   29   9    5    9    46   38   81   
5th     Q.P.R.                          46   17   4    2    57   28   7    5    11   45   55   81   
6th  P  Bristol Rovers                  46   17   2    4    51   28   7    4    12   39   50   78   
7th     Bury                            46   12   4    7    42   33   11   4    8    34   36   77   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
8th     Mansfield                       46   10   6    7    30   34   11   6    6    33   26   75   
9th     Hartlepool                      46   13   5    5    39   20   8    5    10   23   34   73   
10th    Scunthorpe                      46   13   2    8    46   35   8    5    10   41   51   70   
11th    Stockport                       46   13   3    7    51   39   7    6    10   40   43   69   
12th    Bournemouth                     46   11   8    4    23   14   4    7    12   19   29   60   
13th    Colchester                      46   8    5    10   32   40   8    7    8    30   30   60   
14th    Watford                         46   10   7    6    48   43   6    3    14   33   48   58   
15th    Port Vale                       46   7    9    7    32   29   6    7    10   26   34   55   
16th    Plymouth                        46   11   5    7    32   22   4    5    14   16   32   55   
17th    Rushden                         46   11   5    7    39   30   3    6    14   24   43   53   
18th    Morecambe                       46   9    4    10   37   39   5    6    12   33   38   52   
19th    Swansea                         46   10   7    6    36   27   3    5    15   30   53   51   
20th    Telford                         46   7    7    9    16   19   4    9    10   10   18   49   
21st    Portsmouth                      46   8    7    8    34   29   3    5    15   18   40   45   
22nd    Exeter                          46   5    9    9    25   32   4    5    14   12   28   41   
23rd    Walsall                         46   8    8    7    31   27   2    1    20   12   47   39   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
24th R  Scarborough                     46   6    4    13   22   34   2    5    16   17   40   33   

 

CONFERENCE

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st  C  Canvey Island                   42   14   3    4    47   23   12   6    3    40   27   87   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2nd     Cheltenham                      42   15   3    3    46   22   11   6    4    35   26   87   
3rd     Hereford                        42   14   4    3    40   13   9    5    7    26   27   78   
4th     Boston Utd                      42   11   5    5    34   17   11   6    4    48   25   77   
5th     Lincoln                         42   8    11   2    33   25   13   3    5    27   20   77   
6th     Nuneaton Borough                42   13   4    4    41   21   9    3    9    39   39   73   
7th     Harrow Borough                  42   9    4    8    30   24   10   5    6    33   27   66   
8th     Wimbledon                       42   11   8    2    49   31   6    7    8    27   37   66   
9th     Bath City                       42   10   4    7    38   30   7    8    6    35   29   63   
10th    Worksop                         42   8    6    7    30   27   8    9    4    31   25   63   
11th    Slough                          42   12   5    4    47   34   5    7    9    31   39   63   
12th    Brighton                        42   9    6    6    33   25   7    5    9    19   31   59   
13th    Burton Albion                   42   9    3    9    35   32   7    6    8    28   28   57   
14th    Clevedon                        42   9    7    5    26   17   5    4    12   27   36   53   
15th    Merthyr Tydfil                  42   7    8    6    26   24   4    7    10   23   34   48   
16th    Barnet                          42   10   3    8    35   37   3    5    13   25   53   47   
17th    Salisbury                       42   8    7    6    26   24   3    4    14   20   31   44   
18th    Farnborough                     42   5    11   5    33   30   3    5    13   20   38   40   
19th    Runcorn                         42   9    3    9    29   29   1    3    17   14   37   36   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
20th R  Kingstonian                     42   8    2    11   29   35   1    6    14   23   46   35   
21st R  Yeovil                          42   5    3    13   30   50   3    3    15   28   54   30   
22nd R  Margate                         42   2    4    15   24   51   4    1    16   22   52   23   

 

Promoted to Conference: Billericay, Dorchester, Gainsborough.

 

FA Cup: Bolton 2-1 Crewe.

League Cup: Everton 3-0 Liverpool.

Community Shield: Chelsea 3-1 Ipswich.

Football League Trophy: Hull 3-2 Brentford.

[CFuller]

OTHER LEAGUES

 

FRANCE

Ligue 1

Top Three: Lille (1st), Nantes (2nd), Toulouse (3rd).

Relegated: Ajaccio AC (18th), Caen (19th), Strasbourg (20th).

Promoted from Ligue 2: Rennes (1st), Niort (2nd), Le Havre (3rd).

 

Top Goalscorer - Ruud van Nistelrooy (Bordeaux): 25.

Most Assists - Damián Manso (St-Etienne), Yaroslav Nehaychik (Bordeaux): 14.

Highest Average Rating - Fabio Biagi (Lille), Francisco Salazar (Toulouse), Ruud van Nistelrooy (Bordeaux): 7.89

 

Coupe de France: Toulouse 2-1 Lille.

Coupe de la Ligue: Lille 3-2 Paris-SG (aet).

 

GERMANY

1. Bundesliga

Top Three: VfB Stuttgart (1st), VfB Stuttgart (2nd), Nürnberg (3rd).

Relegated: Rostock (16th), Unterhaching (17th), SVW Mannheim (18th).

Promoted from 2. Bundesliga: Frankfurt (1st), Babelsberg (2nd), Ahlen (3rd).

 

Top Goalscorer - Javier Saviola (VfB Stuttgart): 19.

Most Assists - Hossein Kaebi (1.FC Köln): 16.

Highest Average Rating - Björn Ackermann (Wolfsburg): 8.18.

 

DFB-Pokal: SC Freiburg 2-1 VfB Stuttgart (aet).

DFB-Liga Pokal: Dortmund 2-0 VfB Stuttgart.

 

HOLLAND

Eredivisie

Top Three: Ajax (1st), Feyenoord (2nd), PSV (3rd).

Relegated: NAC (16th), Volendam (17th), Helmond (18th).

Promoted from Eerste Divisie: MVV (1st), Willem II (3rd), De Graafschap (10th).

 

Top Goalscorer - Van Linh Tô (Excelsior): 23.

Most Assists - Max Houttuin (Sparta): 15.

Highest Average Rating - Rob de Haan (Ajax): 7.85.

 

KNVB Beker: PSV 4-0 Fortuna.

 

ITALY

Serie A

Top Three: Lazio (1st), Roma (2nd), Parma (3rd).

Relegated: Palermo (15th, lost play-off), Cosenza (16th), Chievo (17th), Venezia (18th).

Promoted from Serie B: Fiorenzuola (1st), Udinese (2nd), Bari (3rd), Perugia (4th, won play-off).

 

Top Goalscorer - Vinicio Espinal (Atalanta), Sergio Zani (Roma): 15.

Most Assists - Daniele De Rossi (Atalanta): 11.

Highest Average Rating - Didier Drogba (Lazio): 7.90.

 

Coppa Italia: Lazio 3-0 Parma (aggregate).

 

PORTUGAL

Primeira Liga

Top Three: Porto (1st), Benfica (2nd), Sporting (3rd).

Relegated: Barreirense (16th), Belenenses (17th), Ovarense (18th).

Promoted from Segunda Liga: Braga (1st), Campomaiorense (2nd), Leiria (3rd).

 

Top Goalscorer - Grafite (Benfica): 24.

Most Assists - Hugo Valdir Da Cunha (Benfica): 16.

Highest Average Rating - Grafite (Benfica): 8.25.

 

Taça de Portugal: Beira-Mar 2-0 Belenenses.

 

SCOTLAND

Premier League

Top Three: Hibs (1st), Celtic (2nd), Aberdeen (3rd).

Relegated: Dundee (12th).

Promoted from Division 1: Inverness CT (1st).

 

Top Goalscorer - Alan Stewart (Livingston): 23.

Most Assists - Wesley Hoolahan (Hibs): 15.

Highest Average Rating - Gordon Weir (Celtic): 8.03.

 

Scottish Cup: Kilmarnock 2-1 Rangers.

League Cup: Rangers 1-0 Dundee Utd.

 

SPAIN

La Liga

Top Three: Barcelona (1st), Real Madrid (2nd), Zaragoza (3rd).

Relegated: Mallorca (18th), Valladolid (19th), Extremadura (20th).

Promoted from Segunda División: Toledo (1st), Compostela (2nd), Tenerife (3rd).

 

Top Goalscorer - Lionel Messi (Barcelona): 25.

Most Assists - Johnny Andersson (Alavés): 12.

Highest Average Rating - Lionel Messi (Barcelona): 8.28.

 

Copa del Rey: Barcelona 2-0 Betis.

 

CONTINENTAL & INTERNATIONAL

 

CLUB

Champions League: VfB Stuttgart 1-0 Parma - in London.

UEFA Cup: HSV 3-0 Fortuna - in Wien.

Super Cup: Dortmund 2-1 Barcelona.

 

Intercontinental Cup: San Lorenzo 1-0 Dortmund.

Club World Championship: Barcelona 4-0 Celtic.

 

FIFA World Player of the Year - Lionel Messi (Barcelona & Argentina).

World Footballer of the Year - Cristiano Ronaldo (Chelsea & Portugal).

African Player of the Year - Didier Drogba (Lazio & Ivory Coast).

European Player of the Year - Sergio Zani (Roma & Italy).

South American Player of the Year - Guilherme (Corinthians & Brazil).

Oceania Player of the Year - Patrick Kisnorbo (Zaragoza & Australia).

 

LEADING TRANSFERS (Premiership)

DATE       NAME                        POSITIONS     FROM                TO                  FEE
22/06/12   Dean Hutchinson             F C           Blackburn           Crystal Palace      £7.75M
26/10/11   Jan Prochazka               D/M RC        Notts Co            Burnley             £7.5M
07/07/11   Nicky Hunt                  D RC          Preston             Bolton              £7.25M
20/08/11   Shola Ameobi                S C           Wolves              Coventry            £7.25M
26/09/11   Uche Aikhomogbe             AM/F RC       Newcastle           Burnley             £6.75M
11/09/11   Igor de Camargo             S C           Guarani             Man Utd             £5.75M
28/06/12   Phil Jagielka               D/DM C        Newcastle           Burnley             £5.75M
04/07/11   Elpys José Espinal          AM/F RLC      Tottenham           Bolton              £5.25M
09/10/11   Clarke Carlisle             D C           Blackburn           Southampton         £4.8M
16/11/11   Liam Ridgewell              D C           Notts Co            Sheff Wed           £4.7M

 

LEADING TRANSFERS (not including Premiership)

DATE       NAME                        POSITIONS     FROM                TO                  FEE
08/07/11   Joaquín                     AM R          Mallorca            Celtic              £17.5M
15/12/11   Joe Cole                    AM RLC        Leverkusen          HSV                 £16.75M
09/08/11   Pablo Aimar                 AM C          Hertha BSC          Barcelona           £14M
26/09/11   Fernando Zaniratto          D RC          Barcelona           Roma                £13.75M
15/12/11   Ashley Cole                 D LC          Roma                Barcelona           £13.75M
01/06/12   Rob de Haan                 AM/F LC       Ajax                Porto               £12.5M
19/08/11   Franck Ribéry               AM RLC        Marseille           Rangers             £12.25M
18/08/11   Roque Santa Cruz            F C           FC Bayern           Werder Bremen       £11.5M
01/07/11   Gianluigi Buffon            GK            Liverpool           Lazio               £11.25M
24/12/11   Fikret Özer                 F RC          Bursaspor           Ankaragücü          £11.25M

Edited December 17, 2023 by CFuller

[CFuller]

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP REVIEW: NORWAY 2012

GROUP 1

9 June (Oslo)

Norway - 0

Holland - 2 (Andy van der Meyde 9, Sander Emanuelson 16)

 

11 June (Molde)

Austria - 0

Poland - 3 (Tomasz Orlinski 40,52, Marek Kowalski pen55)

 

14 June (Oslo)

Holland - 0

Austria - 1 (Herbert Rauter 61)

 

16 June (Oslo)

Poland - 2 (Pawel Brozek 47, Tomasz Orlinski 61)

Norway - 0

 

19 June (Molde)

Holland - 2 (Sander Emanuelson 54, Frans van Adelberg 59)

Poland - 1 (Grzegorz Rasiak 50)

 

19 June (Oslo)

Norway - 2 (John Carew 4, Trond Fredrik Ludvigsen 44)

Austria - 2 (Roman Wallner 67, Michael Ivanschitz pen80)

 

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st  Q  Holland                         3    2    0    1    4    2    6
2nd  Q  Poland                          3    2    0    1    6    2    6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd     Austria                         3    1    1    1    3    5    4
4th     Norway                          3    0    1    2    2    6    1

 

GROUP 2

10 June (Stavanger)

England - 0 (Rio Ferdinand s/off35)

Germany - 1 (Stephan Winter 36)

 

11 June (Kristiansand)

Switzerland - 2 (Alexander Frei 38, Tranquillo Barnetta 43)

Finland - 3 (Keijo Huusko 10, Mikael Forssell 24,52)

 

14 June (Stavanger)

Germany - 2 (Stephan Winter 58, Hamit Altintop 86)

Switzerland - 0

 

16 June (Kristiansand)

Finland - 1 (Mikael Forssell pen32)

England - 2 (Seth Johnson 32, Michael Owen 55)

 

19 June (Stavanger)

Finland - 0

Germany - 2 (Stephan Winter 30,37)

 

19 June (Kristiansand)

Switzerland - 0

England - 4 (Michael Owen 29, Jermain Defoe 69,74,89)

 

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st  Q  Germany                         3    3    0    0    5    0    9
2nd  Q  England                         3    2    0    1    6    2    6
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd     Finland                         3    1    0    2    4    6    3
4th     Switzerland                     3    0    0    3    2    9    0

 

GROUP 3

10 June (Trondheim)

France - 2 (Gilles Borbiconi 40, Patrick Vieira 55, Patrice Evra s/off60)

Spain - 1 (Alberto Teixeira 77)

 

12 June (Tromsø)

Russia - 2 (Igor Morev 15, Eugeny Trofimov 34)

Belgium - 2 (Emile Mpenza 44, Igor de Camargo 56)

 

15 June (Trondheim)

Belgium - 1 (Steed Malbranque 81)

France - 3 (Bernard Aristouy 5,13, Djibril Cissé 41)

 

17 June (Tromsø)

Spain - 1 (Francisco Gallardo 81)

Russia - 1 (Igor Morev 34)

 

20 June (Trondheim)

France - 1 (Wilfried Dalmat 9)

Russia - 2 (Artem Bezrodny 5, Alexandr Kerzhakov 63)

 

20 June (Tromsø)

Spain - 2 (Raúl 62, Francisco David Sousa 83)

Belgium - 0

 

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st  Q  France                          3    2    0    1    6    4    6
2nd  Q  Russia                          3    1    2    0    5    4    5
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd     Spain                           3    1    1    1    4    3    4
4th     Belgium                         3    0    1    2    3    7    1

 

GROUP 4

10 June (Oslo)

Romania - 0

Italy - 2 (Sergio Zani 36, Lorenzo Venturini 81)

 

12 June (Bergen)

Bulgaria - 0

Wales - 3 (Craig Bellamy pen31, Robert Evans 54, Mark Lloyd 85)

 

15 June (Oslo)

Italy - 3 (Sergio Zani 18, Franco Semioli 45, Alberto Gilardino pen67)

Bulgaria - 0

 

17 June (Bergen)

Wales - 3 (Craig Bellamy 10, Robert Evans 37,40)

Romania - 0

 

20 June (Bergen)

Bulgaria - 1 (Stanimir Zagorcic 18)

Romania - 1 (Tiberiu Ghioane 79)

 

20 June (Oslo)

Wales - 3 (Jason Koumas 7, Arron Davies 37, Rob Griffiths 85)

Italy - 3 (Agostino Piccolo 18,23, Franco Semioli 25, Giorgio Chiellini s/off65)

 

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st  Q  Wales                           3    2    1    0    9    3    7
2nd  Q  Italy                           3    2    1    0    8    3    7
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd     Romania                         3    0    1    2    1    6    1
4th     Bulgaria                        3    0    1    2    1    7    1

 

QUARTER FINALS

23 June (Stavanger)

Germany - 0

Poland - 0

[after extra-time, Poland win 4-1 on penalties]

 

23 June (Oslo)

France - 1 (Sidney Govou 15)

Italy - 2 (Agostino Piccolo 78,82)

 

24 June (Trondheim)

Wales - 2 (Paul Roberts 33, Andy Brown 89)

Russia - 0

 

24 June (Molde)

Holland - 4 (Kevin Hofland 26, Dirk Kuijt 59, Ton de Vries 85, Rafael van der Vaart pen89)

England - 1 (Wayne Rooney 16)

 

SEMI FINALS

27 June (Molde)

Holland - 1 (Wilfred Bouma 45)

Wales - 0 (Arron Davies s/off76)

 

27 June (Stavanger)

Poland - 0 (Dariusz Grosz s/off51)

Italy - 2 (Agostino Piccolo 17,pen52)

 

FINAL

1 July (Oslo)

Italy - 2 (Filippo Sarti 35, Agostino Piccolo 73)

Holland - 1 (Sander Emanuelson 6)

ITALY (4-1-3-2): Gianluigi Buffon; Fernando Zaniratto, Matteo Ferrari, Cristiano Vigano, Giorgio Chiellini; Mauro Capuano; Franco Semioli (Daniele De Rossi), Filippo Sarti (Agostino Piccolo), Francesco Totti [C]; Giacomo Cipriani, Sergio Zani.

HOLLAND (4-5-1): Jelle ten Rouwelaar; John Heitinga, Frans van Adelberg, Kevin Hofland, Wilfred Bouma; Dirk Kuijt, Wesley Sneijder, Sander Emanuelson, Rafael van der Vaart [C], Marc Van Roosmalen (Robin Van Persie (Mike Zonneveld)); Ton de Vries.

 

Top Goalscorer - Agostino Piccolo (Italy): 7.

Most Assists - Wesley Sneijder (Holland): 4.

Highest Average Rating (at least 4 matches) - Wilfred Bouma (Holland): 8.83.

Edited December 17, 2023 by CFuller

[CFuller]

JULY 2012

In the 2010/2011 season, Fulham finished 8th in Division 1 with a healthy 73 points. The following season, we finished seven places and a dozen points worse off.

 

I was now about to begin the third and final season of my original Fulham contract - and I needed to turn our fortunes around sharply. The board were still pre-occupied with simply avoiding relegation, but having sacked three managers in the last five years, I was aware that my job would be on the line if we continued to decline.

 

I had invested heavily in the squad over the summer. Thomas Friberg, Luke Liddle and my former Kidderminster player Terry Simpson would all give us extra depth at full-back, while Jordan Hall and Carlos Edwards were expected to improve our productivity on the wings. Swiss youngster Adrian Disler gave us another attack-minded midfield option, and the permanent signing of Aston Villa striker Peter Devlin after a successful loan spell was sure to excite our fans.

 

Devlin's decision to stay was especially crucial, particularly following the departures of long-time strike partners Paul McVeigh and Brett Ormerod. This would be Fulham's first season without Ormerod in the team since 2001/2002, and with several other stalwarts having also departed, we now needed to look forward rather than back.

 

But couldn't simply achieve a top-six finish just by recruiting better players. I needed to find some tactical consistency.

 

During pre-season, I would test out a new 4-2-3-1 that I felt would play to our defensive strengths while making us more potent on the break. We would use two defensive midfielders to protect the back four - plus two wingers and a central midfielder who would all push up into attack to support our lone striker during breakaways.

 

Despite the board's traditionally low expectations, I was aiming high. After making sweeping changes to an overrated, overpaid and underperforming squad over the past 18 months, I would accept nothing less than a serious play-off challenge. Another finish outside the top six would be considered a failure.

 

The players shared my confidence, and spirits were high as we headed into pre-season. But although we now had over £7million in the bank, our travel budget didn't stretch to a continental tour, so we had to make do with a two-week sojourn in the rugged valleys of south Wales. Tidy.

 

Our first match was in Newport against the second-division club Garw AFC. If there was one thing my teams loved, it was a shock pre-season defeat against a ragtag bunch of minnows... but after working hard on our fitness, I believed we would be sharper from the first whistle.

 

17 JULY 2012: Garw AFC vs Fulham

We dominated possession in the first half - as you would expect - but annoyingly couldn't turn that into goals. It wasn't until reserve striker Jamie Davey replaced the misfiring Peter Devlin that we eventually got our act together. Davey bagged himself a brace - thanks to a couple of assists from fellow youngsters Tom Mølby and Justin Clark - before the more experienced Carlos Edwards secured victory by smashing in a debut goal.

 

Garw AFC - 0

Fulham - 3 (Davey 59,65, C Edwards 74)

Friendly, Attendance 1,474

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Hudson (Wilkinson); Liddle (Friberg), Ifil, Unai (Mitchell), Guðmundsson (Magnusson); Núñez (Numme), Schneider; C Edwards (Danns), Disler (Mølby), Hall (Clark); Devlin (Davey).

 

A positive start to pre-season, but I felt we still needed a bit more star quality in the team. I had lined up three more signings for the new season... and the first of them arrived just in time for our next game.

 

Alan Stewart was one of the best strikers to come out of Scotland in recent years, having scored 145 goals in 348 matches since making his Livingston debut in 2004. He was the top scorer in the Scottish Premier League last season, bagging a whopping 23 goals.

 

Despite Stewart's excellent scoring record, Livi had never finished higher than 7th - and at 28 years old, the flamboyant frontman had decided it was time for a new challenge. He was exactly the quality finisher we needed, and I was delighted to sign him to a three-year deal worth £22,500 per week.

 

Our new number 10 hoped to hit the ground running at Cwmbran, who finished a respectable 6th in the Welsh Premier League last season.

 

21 JULY 2012: Cwmbran Town vs Fulham

Adrian Disler didn't need much time to settle into the team, blasting in the opening goal after just seven minutes. Cwmbran then substituted their goalkeeper very early, bringing on a German fella who played like Oliver Kahn for the next hour or so. Volker Krutsch's shotstopping against a persistent Fulham attack would be in vain, however, as teenager Michael Butler served us with a second goal just before full-time.

 

Cwmbran Town - 0

Fulham - 2 (Disler 7, Butler 90)

Friendly, Attendance 1,117

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Wilkinson (Hudson); Liddle (G Edwards), Mitchell (Ifil), Unai, Guðmundsson (Simpson); Núñez (Schneider), Numme; C Edwards (Iversen), Disler (Mølby), Cable (Hall); Stewart (Butler).

 

After a 2-0 win that should have been more comfortable, we woke up to news about the League Cup Round 1 draw. Awaiting us next month would be a home tie against Port Vale, who were mid-table in Division 3 last term.

 

Later that day, we announced our next two signings - both familiar signings from my Kidderminster days.

 

The first of them was 33-year-old centre-back and defensive midfielder Markus Heikkinen. The hard-working Finn had just left the Harriers on a free transfer after four seasons at Aggborough, and though Markus' best years were behind him, I felt he could still provide useful defensive cover for the next few years.

 

I also brought in my former Harriers loan star John Forde on a permanent transfer from Newcastle. The 23-year-old goalkeeper was now a senior Republic of Ireland international, though he had been deemed surplus to requirements by the Magpies, who let us have him for just £400,000.

 

Though Forde knew he would initially be just a backup to our first-choice keeper Wayne Hudson, he was still happy to come to Craven Cottage. His arrival meant that there was no longer a place for Jimmy Wilkinson, who was sold to newly-relegated Bradford for £180,000. So long, Jimmy.

 

Forde and Heikkinen both took their places in a largely second-string Fulham team for our last match in Wales. We were in Port Talbot to take on Afan Lido - the semi-professional team who finished rock-bottom of the Welsh Premier League last term. No pressure, lads.

 

24 JULY 2012: Afan Lido vs Fulham

If we thought that last opposition goalkeeper was annoying, we hadn't seen anything until Afan Lido's James Courtnage came along. It had been seven years since Courtnage last played in the Football League for Northwich, but somehow managed to save THREE shots from Scottish Golden Boot winner Alan Stewart. Lido just sat back, soaked up our attacks, and watch Courtnage do everything he could to keep Stewart and co off the scoresheet. Typical.

 

Afan Lido - 0

Fulham - 0

Friendly, Attendance 795

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Forde; Friberg (Liddle), Mitchell, Weir (Richardson), Magnusson; Heikkinen (Numme), Núñez (Schneider); Danns (Iversen), Ryan (Devlin), Cable (Simpson); Stewart.

 

We couldn't go through a pre-season tour without screwing something up somehow, couldn't we?

 

To be fair, that wasn't our strongest line-up. When we hosted Premiership big boy Sheffield Wednesday, I made sure to put out my best players. We were only missing Carlos Edwards and Jerel Ifil, who were off in the Caribbean playing in some poxy World Cup qualifiers...

 

28 JULY 2012: Fulham vs Sheffield Wednesday

Our goalscoring frustrations continued on this Saturday afternoon against Wednesday, who defended as well as you would expect a high-end Premiership team to. This was actually a pretty even game, though we had the slight edge on possession and shots...

 

...until the 87th minute, when Markus Heikkinen scored the winning goal. Sadly, it was a winning goal for the visiting Owls, as the flying Finn accidentally turned Steve Bates' cross past the otherwise excellent Wayne Hudson. Dammit.

 

Fulham - 0

Sheffield Wednesday - 1 (Heikkinen og87)

Friendly, Attendance 4,284

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Hudson; Liddle (G Edwards), Mitchell (Heikkinen), Unai, Guðmundsson (Magnusson); Numme (Schneider), Núñez; Stewart (Cable), Mølby (Disler), Hall; Devlin (Butler).

 

Maybe the 4-2-3-1 is not the right tactic for us. Or maybe our attacking issues run deeper than I thought they did. Whatever it is, another season of mid-table mediocrity awaits if we cannot sort it out.

Edited March 30 by CFuller

[CFuller]

ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL...

• Holland make a great start to the Euro 2012 Final, as Inter forward Sander Emanuelson scores against Italy after just six minutes. However, that only makes the Azzurri even more determined to become the first team to successfully defend the Henri Delaunay Trophy. Parma youngster Filippo Sarti draws level just before half-time, and then Agostino Piccolo's 7th goal of the tournament secures yet another major title for Italy.
• Spain sack their World Cup-winning coach Mario Garai after a disappointing Euros. His successor is the little-known Agustín Elduayen, who recently led Toledo to the Segunda División title. Former France centurion Lilian Thuram is named as Les Bleus' new manager, as Sylvain Legwinski steps down. Meanwhile, Niels Veltman's reward for leading Fortuna to the UEFA Cup Final is to take over the Holland job from Louis van Gaal.
• Real Madrid legend Raúl makes an emotional return to the Santiago Bernabéu after a single season with Roma... only to be released four weeks later. Real just can't resist spending £7.5million on Liverpool and England striker Michael Owen - and they even complete the transfer without giving him a medical first!
• Frédéric David also ends a brief stay at Roma, as the 25-year-old France striker returns to Ligue 1 and joins Nantes for £5.5million. David's international team-mate Philippe Mexès makes a surprise £12million move to Barcelona, despite the centre-back winning the Champions League in his only season at VfB Stuttgart.
• Chelsea decide that the perfect man to replace departed captain John Terry is... Celtic defender Chris Riggott, for £1.6million. Three days later, Jean Tigana has second thoughts... and buys Titus Bramble from Ipswich as well. Meanwhile, England goalkeeper Richard Wright returns to Arsenal after six-and-a-half years at Bolton.

 

IN OTHER NEWS...

• After a 40-year search, and nearly four years of experiments at the Large Hadron Collider, CERN announce they have discovered a particle that might be the Higgs boson - a key particle that can explain how matter attains mass. It is named after the English physicist Peter Higgs - not the former Cheltenham goalkeeper Shane Higgs.
• Murray wins Wimbledon... no, wait, Marray wins Wimbledon! Before a tearful Andy Murray loses his first men's singles Final at SW19 to the great Roger Federer, his fellow Briton Jonathan Marray takes the men's doubles title alongside Danish partner Frederik Nielsen.
• There is further British sporting success across the Channel, as Bradley Wiggins becomes the first UK cyclist to win the yellow jersey at the Tour de France. Wiggins’ win inspires children across the country to listen to The Who, wear Fred Perry polos, and beat up rockers.
• After producing two children in their 14 years together, Johnny Depp packs his bags while Vanessa Paradis makes a call to Joe le Taxi. At least Depp's film relationship with Tim Burton is still strong and successful... er, let's just pretend "Dark Shadows" never existed.

[CFuller]

Fulham squad - Start of 2012/2013 season

 

GOALKEEPERS

1. Wayne Hudson - GK, age 27, English

Captain Hudson is a determined and strong shotstopper who is usually incredibly reliable. I'm hoping his dip in form last season was just a minor blip.

 

13. John Forde - GK, age 23, Irish [6 caps]

I know all about Forde's agility and ball-handling skills from our time at Kidderminster. The former Newcastle trainee has a great future ahead of him.

 

DEFENDERS

2. Unai - SW/D C, age 35, Spanish [1 cap]

Unai helped tighten up our defence after joining from Kidderminster in February. The veteran Basque sweeper is brave and aggressive, but obviously isn't the fastest.

 

3. Terry Simpson - D L, age 24, English

Simpson is another Kidderminster alumnus who moved to the Cottage this summer. I've always admired the left-back for his robust tackling and expert positional awareness.

 

4. Markus Heikkinen - D/DM C, age 33, Finnish [22 caps, 2 goals]

The last of my ex-Harriers, Heikkinen comes to Fulham with so much experience. The strong central defender will mainly be used as defensive midfielder in my current system.

 

5. Jerel Ifil - D C, age 30, Saint Lucian [13 caps]

Ifil's aerial prowess and technical skills have never been in question. Unfortunately, I have some issues with his inconsistency and poor anticipation.

 

12. Peter Mitchell - D C, age 26, Scottish [capped at Under-21s level]

My attempts to retrain Mitchell as a right-back ended in failure. The former Arsenal star is now attempting to establish himself as a ball-playing centre-back.

 

15. Arnar Guðmundsson - SW/D/DM RLC, age 23, Icelandic [19 caps]

Vice-captain Guðmundsson was a revelation last season, grabbing 10 assists from wing-back. My only issue with the pacey and versatile youngster is his lax attitude to training.

 

20. Luke Liddle - D RC, age 26, English

Yorkshireman Liddle comes in from Dagenham & Redbridge as our new right-back. He is a committed team player with a great tactical mind.

 

26. Thomas Friberg - D RC, age 20, Swedish

Friberg was a £20,000 signing from the Swedish lower leagues. If this strong man-marker can work on his athleticism and technique, he could be worth so much more.

 

30. Graham Edwards - D R, age 19, English

Edwards was a regular at right-back last season before his form nosedived. Though he still has a lot to learn tactically, he works hard in training and looks to have a bright future.

 

33. Halldór Magnusson - D LC, age 20, Icelandic [capped at Under-21s level]

Magnusson has also had plenty of senior opportunities, either at left-back or centre-half. I would like to send the energetic youngster out on loan if I can.

 

MIDFIELDERS

6. Florian Schneider - DM LC, age 27, German [capped at B level]

Defensive midfielder Schneider is an almost guaranteed starter when available. The tough-tackling destroyer picks up a lot of bookings but protects our backline incredibly well.

 

7. Carlos Edwards - AM R, age 33, Trinbagonian [47 caps, 1 goal]

Right-wing was a weakness last season, but Edwards could change that. The Trinidad & Tobago star showed plenty of flair and creativity during a decade at Bolton.

 

8. Neil Danns - AM RC, age 28, Guyanese [22 caps, 2 goals]

Danns is a useful backup midfielder who can also play on the right wing if needed. But does he have the incisive quality passing game that we need in his position?

 

11. Jordan Hall - AM/F L, age 28, English

Hall is a right-footed left-winger with exceptional dribbling and crossing skills. He was playing non-league football at Enfield before breaking into the professional game with Oxford.

 

16. Adrian Disler - M C, age 20, Swiss [capped at Under-21s level]

Disler may be pretty tall, but he's more of an attacking midfielder than a defensive one. Our new signing from Sion is very skilful, agile and hard-working.

 

18. Tom Mølby - AM C, age 20, Danish

Mølby has the talent to be a real star if he is prepared to work for it. The Danish playmaker got five goals and six assists last season, but his off-the-ball intelligence is... not great.

 

19. Henning Numme - DM C, age 18, Norwegian

I've got high hopes for Numme, who's an energetic box-to-box player. The long-shot specialist bagged a couple of screamers in the FA Cup last season.

 

21. Wayne Cable - AM L, age 18, Welsh [capped at Under-21s level]

Cable showcased his incredible talents with 15 goal contributions last season. I'm expecting even more from this explosive, flamboyant winger as he becomes a regular starter.

 

22. Vicente Núñez - DM RC, age 21, Spanish

Núñez has the potential to be an exceptional deep-lying playmaker. Sadly, his struggles to settle into British life off the pitch have hampered his performances on it.

 

FORWARDS

9. Peter Devlin - S C, age 24, Irish [capped at B level]

Devlin reinvigorated our attack last season, scoring 11 times while on loan from Aston Villa. The rapid Irishman striker is now staying at SW6 and ready to become the next Paul McVeigh.

 

10. Alan Stewart - F RC, age 28, Scottish [9 caps, 1 goal]

Stewart is an intelligent right-winger and centre-forward with a great all-round game. I have no doubt that the SPL Golden Boot winner can be a success in England.

 

17. Michael Butler - S C, age 18, English

Butler ended his long wait for a first senior goal last season and could really kick on now. That said, he is much more of a burly target man rather than a pacey poacher.

 

RESERVES

GOALKEEPER: Craig Price (17)

DEFENDERS: Gary Hogg (18), Seán Lynch (18), Nigel Proffitt (19), Stephen Richardson (21), Dave Taylor (22), Steven Weir (18)

MIDFIELDERS: Justin Clark (16), Atle Iversen (18), Colm Ryan (19)

FORWARDS: Jamie Davey (21), Derek McIntyre (17), Douglas McNeil (18)

[CFuller]

AUGUST 2012

August began with some big news. 18-year-old reserve right-back Seán Lynch was going on a season-long loan to Runcorn in the Conference.

 

Oh, and our new star winger Carlos Edwards strained his groin in training and would miss the first month of the season. Great news! [Sigh]

 

Carlos had to stay behind when we went to Division 3 Northampton for our next pre-season friendly. The 4-2-3-1 was not producing the high-scoring football I hoped it would, so I once again turned to my usual 4-3-3 formation - or '4-1-4-1 Attacking', if you prefer.

 

1 AUGUST 2012: Northampton Town vs Fulham

This was yet another game where the goalkeepers were on to. It was our own John Forde who played the starring role, saving twice from Kevin Richards and once from Andy Kirk to keep a clean sheet.

 

At the other end, Northampton defender Warren Kenna was sent off for a professional foul on Tom Mølby in the 55th minute. But despite playing almost the whole second half against 10 men, we still couldn't break through, thanks to Wayne Henderson. The Cobblers keeper is married to a former contestant from "The Apprentice"... and quite frankly, I wish I could have told him, "You're fired!" at full-time.

 

Northampton Town - 0

Fulham - 0

Friendly, Attendance 3,940

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-1-4-1 Attacking): Forde (Hudson); Friberg (G Edwards), Mitchell (Unai), Ifil, Simpson (Guðmundsson); Schneider (Núñez); Mølby (Disler), Numme; Danns (Stewart), Cable (Hall); Butler (Devlin).

 

What is wrong with this team? WHY CAN'T WE SCORE?!?!

 

After somehow failing to beat bloody Northampton, I didn't hold much hope going into our last friendly of pre-season. We were at home to Southampton - probably the most mid-table of mid-table Premiership teams.

 

4 AUGUST 2012: Fulham vs Southampton

Naturally, after waiting over 270 minutes to see a Fulham goal, Alan Stewart set up TWO goals for Peter Devlin inside the first nine minutes. They came either side of a bizarre cross-shot goal from Southampton striker Rune Rasmussen Lind in what was an insane start to this match!

 

Devlin then thought he'd completed a hat-trick in the 22nd minute, but the referee had blown up for a foul from Unai. The Saints marched to a second equaliser just before half-time, when Rasmussen Lind's cross was headed home by former Nottingham Forest forward Beli Moumouni Dagano.

 

That only fired up Devlin even more, and he would indeed seal his treble from a Jordan Hall cross nine minutes into the second half. And instead of blowing a lead for a third time, Michael Butler came off the bench to double it - completing an incredible 4-2 win over Bob Bradley's visitors!

 

Fulham - 4 (Devlin 6,9,54, Butler 71)

Southampton - 2 (Rasmussen Lind 8, Dagano 43)

Friendly, Attendance 4,263

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Hudson (Forde); Liddle, Ifil (Friberg), Unai, Simpson (Guðmundsson); Núñez (Numme), Schneider (Disler); Stewart, Danns (Mølby), Cable (Hall); Devlin (Butler).

 

My players are a bunch of hoots, I tell you. We got three straight games without scoring - and then we put FOUR goals past a Premiership team!

 

What wasn't such a laughing matter was the injury to Jerel Ifil. A scan revealed a torn groin muscle, and our best central defender wouldn't play again until November at the earliest.

 

In more positive news, we welcomed a promising 17-year-old youth player to the reserve team. Phil Sturridge is athletic, brave and a great team player. Though he is naturally a left or central midfielder, I reckon his defensive abilities could lead to him being retrained as a left-back.

 

Focus soon turned to our opening match of the Division 1 season. We kicked off at Craven Cottage against Tottenham, who barely escaped relegation last term under Steve McClaren. It was a balmy 34 degrees Celsius in west London, where the heat was literally on from the first whistle.

 

11 AUGUST 2012: Fulham vs Tottenham Hotspur

Both teams' main men up front had chances to break through early on. Tottenham’s captain Mikael Forssell was the first to have a pop, driving a 30-yarder just over the bar in the 3rd minute.

 

Six minutes later, it was our own Peter Devlin’s turn to go close. Devlin hit the crossbar just moments after Florian Schneider had smacked the post. We then had a THIRD opportunity through Wayne Cable, but the teenager's hopeful effort was parried by Spurs keeper John O'Dowd.

 

We continued to put the visitors under pressure until the 20th minute, when we eventually found a way past O'Dowd. Alan Stewart's centre from the right wing was knocked down by left-winger Cable into the path of our attacking midfielder Tom Mølby, who swivelled on the ball before blasting home.

 

The Dane's great strike was countered just four minutes later. Finnish veteran Forssell got free in our penalty area, and a cool low strike from winger Paul McAreavey's flick-on got Tottenham back level. Indeed, that was his 50th goal for Spurs in just two-and-a-half years.

 

The scoreline remained 1-1 at half-time, though both teams missed chances to edge in front. Then, five minutes into the second half, came the game's defining moment. Schneider picked up the ball deep in Tottenham territory and hit the ball into the box, where Devlin's deft diving header restored our advantage!

 

And 2-1 was how it stayed. Schneider's sterling work in defensive midfield helped prevent Spurs from getting another sniff at our goal, while Wayne Hudson was dependable in goal whenever the visitors did threaten to score again. After losing last season's opener to Wolves, we were delighted to be off the mark straight away!

 

Fulham - 2 (Mølby 20, Devlin 50)

Tottenham Hotspur - 1 (Forssell 24)

Division 1, Attendance 16,592 - POSITIONS: Fulham 7th, Tottenham 17th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Hudson; Liddle, Mitchell, Unai, Guðmundsson (Simpson); Núñez (Heikkinen), Schneider; Stewart, Mølby, Cable (Hall); Devlin.

 

As our players celebrated a winning start to the season, another reserve defender went out on loan. Right-back Dave Taylor would spend the season at Harrow Borough, who were one of the better teams in the Conference.

 

Another London derby was next on the agenda, as we headed east to West Ham. The Hammers started their season with an impressive 4-1 win at Huddersfield, in which Dave Nugent and Simon Lynch scored twice apiece. We would need to be careful.

 

18 AUGUST 2012: West Ham United vs Fulham

Wayne Hudson showed in the opening stages why he deserved to be our official number 1. Between the 13th and 14th minutes, captain Hudson made THREE saves - two from West Ham striker Simon Lynch, and then another from the hosts' former Leeds and Dagenham & Redbridge midfielder Nunzio Pepe.

 

After surviving the Hammers' early blows, we put together a counter-attack in the 37th minute. Wayne Cable's long ball from the left wing sent Peter Devlin clean through on goal, and after the Irishman's first shot was parried by goalkeeper Darren Trigg, the rebound was expertly tucked away.

 

Sadly, we couldn't quite take that lead into the interval. After winger Benjamin De Ceulaer hit the post in the 39th minute, Pepe went a step better on the stroke of half-time. The skilful Italian volleyed in a lofted ball from midfield playmaker John Nicol, and now all the momentum was with Steve Bull's Hammers.

 

By the 57th minute, the match had been turned on its head. Lynch got ahead of our left-back Arnar Guðmundsson to head in a right-wing cross from De Ceulaer, and we were now facing a 2-1 defeat.

 

We struggled to get back in the game until I replaced a tiring Cable with new signing Jordan Hall in the 76th minute. Five minutes later, the former Oxford winger got his big opportunity, after Devlin was fouled in West Ham's penalty area by their captain Vangelis Nastos. Hall certainly had his oats, as Jordan confidently dispatched the penalty past Trigg and saved us a precious point!

 

West Ham United - 2 (Pepe 45, Lynch 57)

Fulham - 2 (Devlin 37, Hall pen81)

Division 1, Attendance 34,959 - POSITIONS: West Ham 3rd, Fulham 7th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Hudson; Liddle (Friberg), Mitchell, Unai, Guðmundsson; Heikkinen, Schneider; Stewart, Mølby (Disler), Cable (Hall); Devlin. BOOKED: Unai.

 

Four points from two games - against two of the biggest clubs in the division. Not a bad start, eh? In fact, this was the first time Fulham had avoided defeat in their opening two matches of a league season since 2000!

 

Could we keep that good run going in the League Cup? I named a rotated line-up for our Round 1 tie at home to Port Vale, who were bottom of Division 3.

 

21 AUGUST 2012: Fulham vs Port Vale

There looked to be a huge gulf between the teams in the first half, when we enjoyed 67% possession and could have easily steamrollered over Port Vale. Our youngsters opened the scoring after 18 minutes, when Michael Butler's selfless chip to Atle Iversen ended with the 18-year-old winger scoring his first competitive Fulham goal.

 

The visitors could have rolled over at that point... but in the 36th minute, they lived up to their Valiants nickname. Manager John Gregory made two very early substitutions - one of whom was the 23-year-old Northern Irish forward Paul Stevenson. 'Stevo' dribbled past three Cottagers before blasting an excellent strike beyond our debutant keeper John Forde.

 

Port Vale were later forced into their final substitution because of an injury to defensive midfielder Andy Gerrard, but they were undeterred. A strong start to the second half resulted in them taking a surprise lead in the 56th minute, when teenage forward Danny Gray's cross was volleyed home by the more experienced striker Robert Gill.

 

Just before Gill's stunner, I had brought on both Vicente Núñez and Alan Stewart to try and inspire us. Immediately after that goal, I had to make my final change, as winger Jordan Hall pulled up with strained knee ligaments. That meant an unexpected appearance for 16-year-old youth graduate Justin Clark, who made his senior debut under serious pressure.

 

That pressure only increased in the 59th minute, after Núñez tripped Gill about 25 yards from our goal. Left-back Cédric Kaissi powered in a magnificent free-kick, and we were now two goals behind - against a team two divisions below us! Was this to be yet another early cup exit?

 

Ten minutes later, however, we were back in the game - thanks to three summer signings. Left-back Terry Simpson's cross was flicked on by midfielder Adrian Disler into the path of Stewart, who broke his Fulham duck with a skilful lob over Vale keeper Duncan Aitchison!

 

Alan was off the mark, and he struck again in the 79th minute. Stewart's initial header from Disler's cross was saved by Aitchison, but the Scot made no mistake from the rebound. The game was now tied at 3-3, and a couple of late saves from Forde ensured that it would go on for at least another 30 minutes.

 

Extra-time failed to produce a winner, so it all came down to penalties, which was where Derby knocked us at this round last year. For a while, it looked like we would avoid a repeat, as Port Vale wasted two of their first three penalties. Adrian Disler could have given us a 4-3 win from our fifth penalty... but it was stopped by Aitchison, who then kept out another potential winner from Iversen after Vale missed again.

 

Port Vale got their first match point when Alan O'Hare scored their seventh penalty, but Peter Mitchell held our nerve to keep our hopes alive. 19-year-old right-back Mark Lowe then bravely stepped up for the Valiants... but Forde saved to give us our third winning opportunity. That was when Núñez finally ended our agony by sending Aitchison the wrong way - and sending a relieved Fulham team into Round 2!

 

Fulham - 3 (Iversen 18, Stewart 69,79)

Port Vale - 3 (Stevenson 36, Gill 56, Kaissi 59)

[after extra-time, Fulham win 5-4 on penalties]

League Cup Round 1, Attendance 5,729

PENALTY SHOOT-OUT (Port Vale, Fulham): Jarju 0-1, Stewart 1-1, Kaissi saved, Heikkinen 2-1, Stevenson missed, Simpson saved, Gill 2-2, Friberg 3-2, Gray 3-3, Disler saved, Price saved, Iversen saved, O'Hare 3-4, Mitchell 4-4, Lowe saved, Núñez 5-4.

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Forde; G Edwards, Friberg, Mitchell, Simpson; Numme (Núñez), Heikkinen; Iversen, Disler, Hall (Clark); Butler (Stewart). BOOKED: Simpson.

 

Can you PLEASE not cut it so fine next time, lads? I'm sick of us making meals out of lower-league opponents in cup competitions. Anyway, we got away with a win... and awaiting us in Round 2 was an away trip to Coventry.

 

Fresh from scoring his first two goals for Fulham, Alan Stewart was among the big boys returning to our starting line-up when we hosted Bradford. After being relegated with the worst record in Premiership history, the Bantams' decline had continued with defeats in their first two games back in Division 1.

 

25 AUGUST 2012: Fulham vs Bradford City

This match looked like it was ours for the taking... but with our former keeper Jimmy Wilkinson in the Bradford goal, things wouldn't be quite so easy. Wilko was eager to make an impression back at Craven Cottage, and he certainly made a couple of impressive saves, thwarting Arnar Guðmundsson and Alan Stewart at either end of the first half.

 

Otherwise, the first half was a scrappy affair, with Peter Mitchell and Wayne Cable among the three players to go into the referee's book. Things calmed down in the second period, though Bradford looked more concerned with keeping a clean sheet rather than aggressively going for an away win.

 

Wilkinson's game was cut short in the 60th minute by a groin injury... but his replacement Mattias Berglund turned out to be even better. The man who conceded 28 goals in 13 Premiership matches last season played out of his skin for the final half-hour, beating away several great efforts from Stewart and Peter Devlin. In fact, Berglund's heroics would see him named 'man of the match' at the end of a frustrating stalemate.

 

Fulham - 0

Bradford City - 0

Division 1, Attendance 14,389 - POSITIONS: Fulham 7th, Bradford 22nd

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Hudson; Liddle, Mitchell, Unai, Guðmundsson (Magnusson); Núñez, Schneider; Stewart, Mølby (Disler), Cable (Butler); Devlin. BOOKED: Mitchell, Cable.

 

A disappointing draw, but we were still unbeaten... for another 48 hours at least.

 

On Bank Holiday Monday, we visited a Manchester City team who were already looking for a new manager, having sacked Graeme Souness after a slow start. Our last trip to Maine Road ended in a breathless 3-3 draw.

 

27 AUGUST 2012: Manchester City vs Fulham

All our senior wingers were either tired or injured, so I switched to a 3-5-2 for this match. The tactical change paid off after just 15 minutes, when wing-back Arnar Guðmundsson stormed up the left flank and cut the ball across Manchester City's penalty area. That was where Peter Devlin popped up and drove in his third goal in four games!

 

It took City eight minutes - and a barrage of shots - to produce a response. Fulham captain Wayne Hudson bravely kept out back-to-back strikes from Citizens strikers Graham Marchant and Darren Reid, but then Marchant made it third time lucky.

 

Despite losing our lead, our wing-backs continued to torment the hosts. Guðmundsson almost got another assist from the left on 26 minutes, but his cross was met by a poor diving header from striker Michael Butler. Ten minutes after this, Luke Liddle charged forward from the right flank to blast in a loose ball - and score just his fourth goal in 125 senior matches!

 

Luke's laser sent us into the interval with a 2-1 advantage, but City came out for the second half with renewed energy. Marchant fired a ferocious shot over the bar in the 53rd minute after being pressured by Liddle. His next effort on 61 minutes fared rather better, as he evaded challenges from our Nordic duo Markus Heikkinen and Henning Numme before driving in his second equaliser.

 

This was a thrilling contest, which both teams could have won later on. Midfielder Florian Schneider almost gave us the lead once again on 66 minutes, but his free-kick was saved by Citizens goalie Bogdan Lobont. At the other end in the 76th minute, Wayne Hudson brilliantly held onto a long-range drive from substitute Darius Vassell - a save which ultimately secured us a third consecutive league draw.

 

Manchester City - 2 (Marchant 23,61)

Fulham - 2 (Devlin 15, Liddle 36)

Division 1, Attendance 25,426 - POSITIONS: Man City 17th, Fulham 11th

FULHAM LINE-UP (3-5-2 Defensive): Hudson; Mitchell, Heikkinen, Unai; Liddle, Schneider, Guðmundsson; Mølby, Núñez (Numme); Butler (Stewart), Devlin.

 

That was another missed opportunity to claim a win, but there are still plenty of positives to take from this month. This team is starting to gel together, and goalscoring doesn't seem to be such an issue anymore. I'm cautiously optimistic about what lies ahead...

Edited March 30 by CFuller

[CFuller]

DIVISION 1 TABLE (End of August 2012)

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st     Notts Co                        4    2    0    0    5    0    2    0    0    2    0    12   
2nd     Norwich                         4    2    0    0    4    1    1    1    0    5    3    10   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd     Newcastle                       4    2    0    0    4    0    1    1    0    2    1    10   
4th     Coventry                        4    1    0    1    3    1    2    0    0    2    0    9    
5th     Rochdale                        4    2    0    0    7    1    0    1    1    3    4    7    
6th     Sunderland                      4    2    0    0    4    0    0    1    1    1    2    7    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7th     Birmingham                      4    2    0    0    6    2    0    1    1    1    3    7    
8th     Gillingham                      4    2    0    0    4    1    0    1    1    3    5    7    
9th     Carlisle                        3    2    0    0    6    1    0    0    1    0    2    6    
10th    Tottenham                       4    1    0    1    2    2    1    0    1    5    4    6    
11th    Fulham                          4    1    1    0    2    1    0    2    0    4    4    6    
12th    West Ham                        4    0    2    0    3    3    1    0    1    4    2    5    
13th    Charlton                        4    1    1    0    5    3    0    1    1    2    4    5    
14th    Chesterfield                    4    1    0    1    4    4    0    2    0    2    2    5    
15th    Aston Villa                     4    1    1    0    5    4    0    0    2    1    4    4    
16th    Bristol City                    4    1    1    0    2    1    0    0    2    3    8    4    
17th    Man City                        4    1    1    0    5    3    0    0    2    0    7    4    
18th    Blackpool                       3    1    0    0    4    2    0    0    2    2    5    3    
19th    Sheff Utd                       4    1    0    1    3    2    0    0    2    1    5    3    
20th    Swindon                         4    1    0    1    4    4    0    0    2    1    7    3    
21st    Bradford                        4    0    1    1    0    1    0    1    1    1    3    2    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22nd    W.B.A.                          4    0    2    0    5    5    0    0    2    2    7    2    
23rd    Preston                         4    0    1    1    1    2    0    0    2    2    4    1    
24th    Huddersfield                    4    0    1    1    2    5    0    0    2    0    4    1    

 

ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL...

• Leeds lift the Community Shield at Wembley, as Robbie Keane scores the winning penalty after a 0-0 bore draw against Bolton. The Premiership champions then open their campaign with shock defeats at Southampton and Stoke, prompting the media to speculate that this ageing United team has now peaked.
• Manchester United are busy in the transfer market once again, signing veteran Lazio midfielder Barry Ferguson on a Bosman before spending £6.75million on Burnley wonderkid Matt Harvey. The 19-year-old scores just six minutes into his Old Trafford debut, in a 3-0 win over... Burnley.
• Chelsea decide to raid Rangers, signing winger Franck Ribéry and striker Nihat for a combined £15.5million. The Gers get one-time England striker Marcus Tudgay in return... but new manager Trond Sollied isn't exactly thrilled.
• VfB Stuttgart's Bundesliga defence gets off to an inauspicious start, as they lose 1-0 at home to 10-man Kaiserslautern... and then fall to a 2-1 defeat at Werder Bremen. Head coach Felix Magath immediately takes away his players' boots and forces them to run 400 miles barefoot back home to Stuttgart.
• After an ill-fated return to Real Madrid, Raúl moves to Japan and becomes the new player-manager of J-League 2 side Purple Sanga. The Spaniard lasts just two games and two matches before he is on the move AGAIN - and takes charge of Dutch giants PSV. In unrelated news, Raúl hires ex-Argentina striker Ariel Ortega as his agent.

 

IN OTHER NEWS...

• The Summer Olympics take place in Rome, and it's a surprisingly successful Games for the Great Britain team. Heptathlete Jessica Ennis, long-distance runner Mo Farah and long-jumper Greg Rutherford are among the British gold medallists on 'Super Saturday', when you could be mistaken for thinking they were actually competing in London!
• Australian-born activist Julian Assange is granted political asylum by Ecuador, two months after taking refuge in their London embassy. The WikiLeaks founder has been the subject of an international arrest warrant since 2010, in relation to alleged sexual offences committed in Sweden.
• Neil Armstrong - the first man to take one small step on the Moon - makes one giant leap to the other side. The American astronaut, who was the commander of the historic Apollo 11 mission in 1969, passes away aged 82.
• Film director Tony Scott - whose works included “Top Gun” and “Beverly Hills Cop II” - takes his life after jumping off a bridge in Los Angeles. The Northumberland-born 68-year-old was the younger brother of fellow director Sir Ridley Scott.

[mark wilson27]

As always Chris top notch work from yourself. Loving the story and always look forward to your updates

[CFuller]

SEPTEMBER 2012

There were mixed feelings about the start of our season. On the plus side, we had played five matches and were still undefeated. On the other hand, our only victory within 90 minutes had come on the opening day against Tottenham. Since then, we had drawn three league games and barely scraped past Port Vale on penalties in the League Cup.

 

While our players' early performances had been solid - especially from Peter Devlin, who'd scored three goals in four games - we knew we had to do better at closing out matches and finishing off opponents.

 

I was also hoping to get more out of marquee signing Alan Stewart, whose first four league games had produced no goals or assists. In fairness, the Scotland forward had been mainly used out of position on the right wing, as Carlos Edwards had been out with a groin injury. But with Carlos now returning to fitness, Alan would soon get to play a more central role - literally - in our promotion challenge.

 

Nonetheless, spirits were high in the Fulham camp as the full squad reconvened after the international break. Vice-captain Arnar Guðmundsson was looking especially bright, having scored his first goal for Iceland in a World Cup qualifier against Portugal. Unfortunately, our other Icelandic left-back Halldór Magnusson suffered a serious ankle injury on Under-21s duty and wouldn't play again for a month.

 

Our first game back was a Friday-nighter at 4th-placed Coventry, who opened their season with three straight wins before slipping up against Newcastle. This wouldn't be our only trip to Highfield Road this month, as we would shortly visit the Sky Blues again in the League Cup.

 

7 SEPTEMBER 2012: Coventry City vs Fulham

Coventry didn't take long to get going. Just six minutes after the kick-off, young left-back Paul Rowland drilled a low cross to the near post, where former England Under-21s striker Lomana Lua-Lua hit a finish that was so good, they named him twice. The somersault celebration wasn’t bad either, to be fair.

 

The Sky Blues struck again just four minutes later. This time, the cross came from Patrick Zoundi on the right wing, and Lua-Lua's Scottish strike partner Kenny Miller headed it home. Two shots, two goals - not a great start for Wayne Hudson in the Fulham goal.

 

We needed to re-gather our thoughts after those early set-backs, though it took us until the end of the first half to come up with a meaningful response. Coventry midfielder Adam Howell mistimed a tackle on Peter Devlin to concede a free-kick in a promising position for Florian Schneider. The German set-piece specialist floated it past the wall and into Dennis den Ouden's net, halving our deficit just in time for the interval!

 

Carlos Edwards came on for the second half to try and inject some extra energy into our attacks. Unfortunately, we couldn't really get going at all after the break - with our best chance coming when Wayne Cable was denied by den Ouden right at the end. At least Hudson had regained enough composure to save several Cov shots (including two more from Miller) to keep the final score down to a respectable 2-1.

 

Coventry City - 2 (Lua-Lua 6, Miller 10)

Fulham - 1 (Schneider 45)

Division 1, Attendance 8,990 - POSITIONS: Coventry 2nd, Fulham 11th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Hudson; Liddle, Mitchell, Unai, Guðmundsson; Núñez (Heikkinen), Schneider; Stewart, Mølby (C Edwards), Cable; Devlin (Butler). BOOKED: Mølby, Heikkinen, Unai.

 

Our first defeat of the season - and honestly, we probably deserved it.

 

At least I had a better weekend than Tony Adams. My successor as Kidderminster manager was finally sacked after a 2-2 draw with Darlington left the Harriers 15th in Division 2. I'm sure they'd love to have me back at Aggborough... but maybe now's not the time.

 

I decided to shake things up for our next home game against Gillingham. Leading scorer Devlin was relegated to the bench, as Stewart went up front, Carlos got his first start on the right wing - and attacking midfielder Neil Danns featured for the first time this term. This was only Neil's third full season at the club, but he was now one of our longest-serving players!

 

12 SEPTEMBER 2012: Fulham vs Gillingham

Alan Stewart's wait for a first Football League goal continued in the 11th minute, when he skewered a shot way off target after being played through by Neil Danns. Four minutes later, though, left-winger Wayne Cable did open his account for the season - doing so with a deft header from Carlos Edwards' right-wing cross.

 

After that strong opening, we should have utterly dominated Gillingham, whose defence looked as structurally sound as tissue paper. Naturally, their goalkeeper Simon Mason played out of his skin to stop us from running riot. Mason would keep out two more shots from Stewart - plus one from Edwards - to ensure that we couldn't add to our lead.

 

At the other end, Gillingham had just no luck going forward. Record scorer Richard Sadlier was replaced in the 57th minute by Veigar Páll Gunnarson... who immediately sprained his ankle and had to be substituted himself! It was another sub - winger Jon-Paul McGovern - who registered the Gills' only shot on target in the 70th minute, but Wayne Hudson's magnificent fingertip save secured us a shutout win.

 

Fulham - 1 (Cable 15)

Gillingham - 0

Division 1, Attendance 20,592 - POSITIONS: Fulham 12th, Gillingham 7th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Hudson; Liddle, Mitchell, Unai, Guðmundsson; Heikkinen (Núñez), Schneider; C Edwards, Danns (Devlin), Cable (Disler); Stewart.

 

After a welcome return to winning ways, attention quickly turned to The Valley. We won on our previous visit last season, and we were quietly optimistic about a repeat result against a Charlton team who were down in 17th.

 

15 SEPTEMBER 2012: Charlton Athletic vs Fulham

In the first half of this match, I felt like I was watching a repeat of our last away game against Coventry. Charlton scored from each of their first two shots on target - and it was a brace for Scotland striker Graeme McCulloch, whose 11th-minute header was followed by a fierce 23rd-minute drive. Wayne Hudson, what the hell were you doing?

 

And just like in the Midlands, we pulled back a goal just before half-time. In fact, Alan Stewart got his first league goal... contribution, when his low cross was driven in by the prolific Peter Devlin. Having once again pegged our opponents back to 2-1, could we launch a second-half comeback this time?

 

Not on the Addicks' watch. Their defence was brilliant to a man - Damien Delaney was unbeatable in the air, Barry Buxton looked every bit a future England left-back, and Shaun Goodall was unbelievable in goal - at 17 years old! Goodall made two especially good stops to deny Schneider in the 80th minute and Devlin in the 90th, as we faced back-to-back away defeats.

 

Charlton Athletic - 2 (McCulloch 11,23)

Fulham - 1 (Devlin 40)

Division 1, Attendance 22,810 - POSITIONS: Charlton 13th, Fulham 14th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Hudson; Liddle, Mitchell, Unai, Guðmundsson; Núñez (Numme), Schneider; Stewart, Danns (Mølby), Cable (Hall); Devlin.

 

I think we might need to take a different approach to away games, because the 4-2-3-1 just isn't doing it for us right now...

 

For our second match at Highfield Road in the space of a fortnight, I reverted to a more cautious 4-3-3 - with Guðmundsson taking on the captaincy in a rotated Fulham team. Could we exact swift revenge on Coventry and secure a place in Round 3 of the League Cup?

 

19 SEPTEMBER 2012: Coventry City vs Fulham

We went on the attack almost instantly and won a penalty after just two minutes! Coventry captain Steve Cole got carried away with a two-footed lunge on Alan Stewart in the box and was rightly shown the red card. Up stepped Jordan Hall to take his second penalty already this season - and this one was as successful as his first!

 

Already a goal and a man down, Steve Bruce's Sky Blues were now facing a real uphill battle. Dutch goalkeeper Dennis den Ouden bravely resisted a number of chances to double our lead, but the on-loan Sheffield Wednesday youngster would eventually be beaten again. A first Fulham goal from midfielder Adrian Disler after 41 minutes put us in a commanding position at the break.

 

Disler then helped another midfielder to get on the scoresheet two minutes into the second half. 18-year-old Henning Numme breezed past his City counterpart Ian Herring to latch onto Adrian's flick-on and drive home his third goal for the club - all in cup competitions!

 

Another Disler assist four minutes later earned Hall his first Cottagers goal from open play, giving us an insurmountable 4-0 advantage. With our place in Round 3 safely wrapped up, I decided to bring on three teenage talents for the closing stages. Winger Atle Iversen - who scored against Port Vale in Round 1 - got another run-out, along with midfielder Colm Ryan and striker Michael Butler.

 

Coventry City - 0

Fulham - 4 (Hall pen2,51, Disler 41, Numme 47)

League Cup Round 2, Attendance 7,901

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-1-4-1 Attacking): Forde; Guðmundsson, Friberg, Heikkinen, Simpson; Schneider (Ryan); Disler, Numme; C Edwards (Iversen), Hall; Stewart (Butler).

 

Yeah... that'll do!

 

While we eagerly awaited the Round 3 draw, we planned for what was sure to be another high-scoring thriller against 8th-placed Birmingham. This was our first meeting with the Blues since they broke our hearts in the FA Cup back in March.

 

22 SEPTEMBER 2012: Fulham vs Birmingham City

Grant McCann fired an early warning shot for Birmingham, skimming the crossbar after just six minutes. Fulham captain Wayne Hudson clearly needed to be on high alert, and he certainly was in the 23rd minute, parrying away a great chance from Blues playmaker Benedict Vilakazi.

 

A few more Birmingham attacks followed before they eventually broke through on 34 minutes. Long-serving forward Tom Youngs sent in a corner that found Jamaica centre-back Claude Davis, who outjumped a shaky Luke Liddle to head it home.

 

Liddle's nightmare continued in the 40th minute. The right-back was skinned by South African star Vilakazi, who blasted in a brilliant shot that Wayne Hudson had no hope of getting a glove onto.

 

After Peter Devlin scooped over a shot late in the first half, our slim chances of getting back into the game evaporated 13 minutes into the second half. It was another Youngs corner that did the damage, with Blues captain Lewis Buxton skilfully flicking it beyond Hudson's reach. By the way, that was Buxton's fifth goal for Birmingham - his THIRD against Fulham.

 

Craven Cottage emptied quickly over the next half-hour as we slowly succumbed to a 3-0 defeat - my heaviest home loss as Fulham boss. It was a miserable display all round, with the only saving grace being that Schneider's robust tackling had almost certainly prevented Birmingham from scoring even more goals.

 

Fulham - 0

Birmingham City - 3 (Davis 34, Vilakazi 40, Buxton 58)

Division 1, Attendance 14,499 - POSITIONS: Fulham 17th, Birmingham 5th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Hudson; Liddle (Friberg), Mitchell, Unai, Guðmundsson; Numme, Schneider; C Edwards, Stewart (Mølby), Hall (Cable); Devlin. BOOKED: Numme.

 

[Sigh] Games like this make me worry that this Fulham team may never be good enough to go up. On their day, Birmingham are a class above us - and they're probably not favourites for promotion either.

 

I was now having serious doubts over whether Wayne Hudson should be our first-choice goalkeeper, let alone our captain. The number 1 had ended last season quite poorly, and his recent form hadn't exactly convinced me that he was back to his best.

 

I decided to drop Hudson to the bench for a few weeks, with John Forde being given the chance to establish himself as a regular starter. Meanwhile, Guðmundsson would share captaincy duties with holding midfielder Florian Schneider, whose average rating of 7.56 had highlighted his inspirational leadership.

 

Norwich were the next visitors to Craven Cottage - and despite a very strong start to the campaign, they arrived on a three-game winless streak. This was a match that had a very 'make-or-break' feel to it.

 

26 SEPTEMBER 2012: Fulham vs Norwich City

The Craven Cottage faithful were getting restless, so scoring the first goal was vital. After 19 minutes, veteran winger Carlos Edwards gave the home fans exactly what they were after, as a brilliant diving header from Florian Schneider's cross broke his Fulham duck!

 

Alan Stewart had missed the target twice before then, though Edwards' opener should have given him a bit more confidence. Three of the Scotsman's next four shots were on target... but Norwich goalkeeper Nicky Reynolds somehow managed to save them all. Poor Alan felt like he was cursed!

 

Reynolds' brilliant shotstopping efforts were more than making up for a slow Canaries defence who just couldn't keep up with a pacey Fulham frontline. The fastest of them all was Peter Devlin, who came off the bench to volley in the game-clinching second goal after 72 minutes.

 

Schneider had set up both our goals, but his defensive intelligence was just as crucial to our victory. Norwich couldn't create many scoring chances against a well-protected Cottagers backline - and even when they did, league debutant John Forde had no problems keeping them out. A few more games like that, and Wayne Hudson might never get back in goal!

 

Fulham - 2 (C Edwards 19, Devlin 72)

Norwich City - 0

Division 1, Attendance 13,143 - POSITIONS: Fulham 14th, Norwich 6th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Forde; Friberg, Mitchell, Unai (Liddle), Guðmundsson; Heikkinen, Schneider (Disler); C Edwards, Mølby (Devlin), Cable; Stewart. BOOKED: Unai.

 

Even after such a dominant performance, I still couldn't believe how many chances we'd missed to win even more comfortably. Scoring just two goals from nine shots on target just isn't good enough.

 

And for all the hype about him being the top scorer in the SPL last season, Stewart had now played nine English league matches for Fulham without scoring. I'm not sure how much longer I can keep faith in him, especially with Devlin in such fine form.

 

The following afternoon, we finally got word of who we would be facing in Round 3 of the League Cup. We were drawn at home... against a little provincial club called Manchester United. That should be fun!

 

More immediately, we were concerned about a rather less glamorous club from the north-west. Young Swiss midfielder Adrian Disler made his first league start as we went to Preston, who began the weekend in the relegation zone.

 

30 SEPTEMBER 2012: Preston North End vs Fulham

I'd be lying if I said this was a classic. Preston's former Kidderminster striker Jamie Berry had a hopeful shot saved by John Forde in the 9th minute, but that was as close as the Lilywhites would come to breaching our defence.

 

From then onwards, Berry and his partner David Healy were expertly man-marked by Fulham centre-backs Unai and Peter Mitchell respectively. Right-back Thomas Friberg also had a great game - indeed, the young Swede would be named 'man of the match'. That £20,000 we'd paid for Friberg was now looking like an enormous bargain compared to the £1.4million we spent on Luke Liddle!

 

I wish I could be so enthusiastic as our attack. It was a particularly frustrating afternoon for left-winger Wayne Cable, who could hardly create anything before injuring his knee on the stroke of half-time. We couldn't muster a single shot on goal - Peter Devlin missed the target twice, and substitute Jordan Hall's only effort fared no better. 0-0 it was, then...

 

Preston North End - 0

Fulham - 0

Division 1, Attendance 20,741 - POSITIONS: Preston 23rd, Fulham 14th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-1-4-1 Attacking): Forde; Friberg, Mitchell, Unai, Guðmundsson; Schneider; Disler (Núñez), Danns; C Edwards, Cable (Hall); Devlin (Stewart). BOOKED: Schneider.

 

Unfortunately, the news about Wayne Cable's injury was not great. The Welsh sensation was out for the next three weeks with strained knee ligaments. If we weren't heading straight into an international break, and if Jordan Hall hadn't started the season so positively, he would have been a big miss.

Edited March 30 by CFuller

[CFuller]

DIVISION 1 TABLE (End of September 2012)

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st     Notts Co                        10   4    0    1    9    3    3    1    1    7    7    22   
2nd     Newcastle                       10   4    0    1    8    3    2    2    1    8    6    20   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd     West Ham                        10   1    4    0    4    3    4    0    1    10   5    19   
4th     Birmingham                      10   3    1    1    14   9    2    2    1    6    4    18   
5th     Sunderland                      10   3    2    0    8    1    1    2    2    6    7    16   
6th     Chesterfield                    10   2    1    2    8    9    2    3    0    11   8    16   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7th     Man City                        10   2    3    0    10   7    2    1    2    7    11   16   
8th     Norwich                         10   3    0    2    7    6    1    3    1    9    9    15   
9th     Tottenham                       10   3    0    2    9    7    1    2    2    9    9    14   
10th    Gillingham                      10   3    1    1    9    4    1    1    3    6    9    14   
11th    Coventry                        10   2    2    1    10   7    2    0    3    5    8    14   
12th    Carlisle                        9    2    1    2    9    7    2    0    2    7    6    13   
13th    Rochdale                        10   3    0    2    8    6    0    4    1    5    6    13   
14th    Fulham                          10   3    1    1    5    4    0    3    2    6    8    13   
15th    Charlton                        10   2    3    0    9    6    0    3    2    4    7    12   
16th    Sheff Utd                       10   3    0    2    11   8    1    0    4    5    10   12   
17th    Swindon                         10   3    1    1    11   7    0    2    3    5    12   12   
18th    Bradford                        10   1    2    2    3    5    2    1    2    4    6    12   
19th    Huddersfield                    10   2    2    1    9    10   1    0    4    5    11   11   
20th    Aston Villa                     10   1    3    1    8    8    1    0    4    2    6    9    
21st    W.B.A.                          10   1    3    1    9    9    1    0    4    4    10   9    
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22nd    Blackpool                       9    1    2    1    8    7    0    3    2    5    8    8    
23rd    Preston                         10   1    2    2    3    5    0    2    3    4    8    7    
24th    Bristol City                    10   1    1    3    4    7    1    0    4    8    12   7    

 

ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL...

• England make a terrible start to the 2014 World Cup qualifiers - and almost lose to Azerbaijan! The Three Lions play the second half with 10 men after Arsenal midfielder Craig Ward commits a professional foul on Anatolij Ponomarev, who scored the opener in Baku. Sammy Lee's side are only saved by an 89th-minute equaliser from Michael Owen, whose 43rd England goal puts him just six behind Sir Bobby Charlton's record.
• Cristiano Ronaldo scores his 50th goal in 70 Portugal caps during a 2-1 win in Iceland. He carries this form into the Champions League, scoring two goals in each of Chelsea's opening group games - against Nantes, Basel and Nürnberg! Meanwhile, Aberdeen bring back memories of 1983, as a Michael Lamey goal stuns Real Madrid at Pittodrie!
• Lionel Messi also cannot stop scoring, as an imperious Barcelona team make perfect starts to their La Liga and Champions League campaigns. Over in Italy, Milan's new coach Bernd Krauss puts his old Rangers allegiances aside and signs Celtic winger Joaquín for £11.25million. However, the Rossoneri struggle to keep up with Serie A pacesetters Parma, who look better than ever after luring Andrea Pirlo from the San Siro.
• The Neville brothers have mixed fortunes on the managerial front. Gary is sacked by Fortuna Köln but falls into a better job at Belgian giants Club Brugge, while younger sibling Phil begins his managerial career at Division 2 strugglers Kidderminster. Meanwhile, Scottish Premier League strugglers Clyde unveil Oliver Kahn as their new manager.
• After just two games and two weeks as PSV manager, Raúl decides that Eindhoven isn't exotic enough for his tastes. The 35-year-old moves to São Paulo to take on his THIRD coaching job of the summer - at Guarani, who are bottom of the Brasileirão. He is greeted at the airport by left-winger Júlio César, striker Júlio César, and chief scout Júlio César.

 

IN OTHER NEWS...

• Just weeks after his Wimbledon heartache, Andy Murray defeats Novak Djokovic to win the US Open at Flushing Meadows. Murray is the first Briton to win a Grand Slam singles title since Virginia Wade in 1977, and the first British men's champion since Fred Perry in 1936. Of course, we'll start calling him 'Scottish' again when he starts losing again...
• Europe retain golf’s Ryder Cup after an incredible comeback to beat the USA. Trailing 10-6 going into the final day’s play, the European team win eight of the final 12 games and prevail 14½-13½. A win for Martin Kaymer - and a draw for Francesco Molinari against Tiger Woods - secure the crucial points to complete the ‘Miracle of Medinah’.
• Excavators claim to have found the remains of King Richard III, who was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field in 1485. The monarch’s skeleton is discovered underneath a car park in Leicester, along with an old scroll that predicts a momentous event for the city in 2016.

Edited January 8 by CFuller

[Navelgazer]

Really enjoying reading this. The nostalgia is great as is the alternative universe I'm now invested in. Its no consolation but your struggles with Fulham I'm feeling !

[CFuller]

On 09/01/2024 at 09:28, Navelgazer said:

Really enjoying reading this. The nostalgia is great as is the alternative universe I'm now invested in. Its no consolation but your struggles with Fulham I'm feeling !

Thank you. The struggles are frustrating as a CM player, but they're more fun as a storyteller. 

[CFuller]

OCTOBER 2012

We need to talk about Vicente Núñez. Again.

 

After 49 matches in nearly two years at Fulham, the 21-year-old Spanish midfielder was still having problems with consistency - and, more importantly, with settling into the English lifestyle. During the October international break, he came into my office and asked to go back home to Pamplona for a fortnight.

 

I sighed and said, "This is the second time now, Vicente. I'll let you go home again if it helps... but we cannot keep doing this over and over again. We've already moved heaven and earth to try and accommodate you - we've signed another Spanish player, paid for your English lessons - but nothing seems to be helping.

 

"You need to be honest with me, Vicente. If you don't like it here in England, please tell me - and I'll try to arrange a permanent transfer."

 

Núñez insisted that he still wanted to play for Fulham, and that he would try to settle down once he had returned from his two-week break. In the meantime, he would miss our next two league games against Sheffield United and West Brom.

 

While one talented young defensive midfielder's Fulham career was in serious doubt, another's was just beginning. 19-year-old Chris McDonald from Northern Ireland joined our reserve team after impressing our youth scout. McDonald is a tireless ball-winner who is pretty tough and strong for his age.

 

Meanwhile, I decided to take a closer look at 16-year-old Justin Clark and 17-year-old Derek McIntyre - two left-footed forwards who had both been in impressive form for our reserves. With first-choice left-winger Wayne Cable still nursing a knee injury, Clark and McIntyre would each get chances in the first-team.

 

Clark had already played once for the senior team, getting an assist in the League Cup against Port Vale. He was in line to make his league debut off the bench when we resumed our campaign at Bramall Lane against an out-of-form Sheffield United team. Jordan Hall got the start on the left wing, where I hoped he would assist Alan Stewart to finally break his league duck.

 

13 OCTOBER 2012: Sheffield United vs Fulham

As if our start to the season couldn’t get more frustrating, Sheffield United stormed into the lead after just five minutes. Fulham keeper John Forde initially made a great save to keep Delroy Facey off the scoresheet, but the agile Dutch midfielder Dick van den Heuvel quickly buried the rebound.

 

In the 30th minute, Dick van den Heuvel comically fell over and picked up an injury. I wasn't exactly laughing, mind you. United had doubled their lead to 2-0 just three minutes earlier, as Grenada striker Facey leapt up to head in a cross from left-winger Tom Strand.

 

The half ended with another Sheffield United goal, as centre-back and captain Per Hissing fired the hosts into a commanding 3-0 lead at the break. Our opponents were hardly breaking sweat, and I was so furious with my team's lifeless performance that I brought on two subs at half-time. Right-back Luke Liddle and striker Peter Devlin came on as the respective replacements for Thomas Friberg and Alan Stewart.

 

Those changes didn't seem to help much, as we didn't even threaten Gordon Ross in the United goal until he saved a tame Devlin shot in the 74th minute. With the game now beyond our reach, I gave Justin Clark his first league run-out - just two days before his 17th birthday.

 

Sheffield United - 3 (van den Heuvel 5, Facey 27, Hissing 33)

Fulham - 0

Division 1, Attendance 20,349 - POSITIONS: Sheff Utd 13th, Fulham 17th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-1-4-1 Attacking): Forde; Friberg (Liddle), Mitchell, Unai, Guðmundsson; Schneider; Mølby, Danns; C Edwards, Hall (Clark); Stewart (Devlin). BOOKED: Unai.

 

Thanks to that absolute disgrace of a performance, we found ourselves five points off the play-offs - and only four above the relegation zone.

 

Four players - John Forde, Tom Mølby, Florian Schneider and Hall - received strong written warnings after their particularly poor performances. The heaviest punishment was reserved for Stewart, who was fined a week's wages for yet another toothless display up front.

 

As for the rest of the team, I warned them that I wouldn't be afraid to dive back into the transfer market if they continued to underperform. Every Fulham player - even the newcomers - was now playing for their career.

 

Next up for us was a midweek home game with West Brom - and failure would not be tolerated. The Baggies had won just twice in 11 league matches this term and were struggling to boing out of the drop zone.

 

16 OCTOBER 2012: Fulham vs West Bromwich Albion

17-year-old Derek McIntyre made his league debut from the start... and the left-winger made a memorable impact after just nine minutes. Alan Stewart curled a first-time cross into the far post, where his pacey Scottish compatriot converted a dream debut goal!

 

Two minutes later, Stewart screwed wide his latest chance to finally get on a Football League scoresheet. It didn't really matter, mind, as a fabulous solo goal from Peter Devlin doubled our lead in the 32nd minute. The Irish hotshot skilfully dribbled past West Brom midfielders Bradley Howe (formerly of Kidderminster) and Wade Elliott before applying a great finish with his 'weaker' left foot!

 

At 2-0 up, we seemed to take our feet off the gas in the second half. By contrast, West Brom were showing plenty of aggression and spirit - they picked up four yellow cards - and had several chances to get back in the game.

 

When Baggies striker Dexter Blackstock smashed in a low cross from Elliott in the 77th minute to make it 2-1, the atmosphere at Craven Cottage grew quite tense. The home fans were holding their breaths when Albion attacked again deep into stoppage time. Fortunately, defender Markus Heikkinen put Neil Mellor under just enough pressure to volley off target, and we held on for a narrow win.

 

Fulham - 2 (McIntyre 9, Devlin 32)

West Bromwich Albion - 1 (Blackstock 77)

Division 1, Attendance 15,582 - POSITIONS: Fulham 17th, West Brom 23rd

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Forde; Liddle, Mitchell, Heikkinen, Simpson (Magnusson); Numme, Schneider (Disler); Stewart, Danns, McIntyre (Mølby); Devlin. BOOKED: Schneider.

 

After the match, West Brom's manager Lawrie Sanchez received the dreaded 'vote of confidence' from his board... which meant that he would almost certainly be sacked sooner or later. As for my Fulham players, they had avoided the axe - for now.

 

Of course, we now needed to follow it up... but doing that at Sunderland wouldn't be easy. The Black Cats were 3rd in the Division 1 table, with just nine goals conceded in a dozen games.

 

Núñez was now back in training and ready to join us on the long journey to the north-east. Vicente was also speaking basic English with a bit more confidence, which told me he was at least attempting to adapt to British life.

 

20 OCTOBER 2012: Sunderland vs Fulham

The dream start to Derek McIntyre's senior career continued after just 13 minutes. Showing the confidence of a much more experienced attacker, Derek weaved his way past a challenge from Sunderland right-back Danny Wells and then smashed in an excellent low strike.

 

Peter Devlin almost gave us another goal in the 18th minute, but he was denied by a strong catch from Sunderland’s Swiss goalkeeper Massimo Nzati. At the other end, John Forde's cat-like reflexes denied Black Cats captain Darren Bent an equaliser in the 33rd minute.

 

Both Devlin and McIntyre were too tired to return to the second half, and neither Jordan Hall nor Alan Stewart could reinvigorate our attack after the break. Stewart certainly wasn't going to score his first Fulham league goal in his unlucky 13th game; the closest he came was with a 55th-minute volley that Nzati pushed away.

 

The Mackems eventually unlocked our defence on 68 minutes, as winger Stephen Beck dribbled past Cottagers skipper Florian Schneider before his cross was headed in by Bent. The visitors then finished the game very strongly, and we only had Forde and Unai to thank for keeping us level at full-time.

 

Sunderland - 1 (Bent 68)

Fulham - 1 (McIntyre 13)

Division 1, Attendance 41,887 - POSITIONS: Sunderland 3rd, Fulham 16th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Forde; Liddle, Mitchell, Unai, Magnusson (Guðmundsson); Heikkinen, Schneider; C Edwards, Mølby, McIntyre (Hall); Devlin (Stewart). BOOKED: Devlin, Magnusson.

 

Two goals in two games for Derek McIntyre! Do Fulham have a new hero?

 

All eyes were on the Scottish starlet ahead of our next home game, against a Chesterfield team who'd recently slumped out of the play-off places into 12th. That being said, Bryan Robson's Spireites were still unbeaten on the road.

 

23 OCTOBER 2012: Fulham vs Chesterfield

Swedish right-back Thomas Friberg was back in the starting line-up... but his game ended after just 10 minutes, thanks to a thigh strain. That was a disappointing start to another frustrating match where nothing seemed to go our way - certainly not on the attacking front.

 

Peter Devlin and Alan Stewart led the attack pretty well, to be fair, but they each had a couple of shots saved by Chesterfield's young goalkeeper Marcos López Álvarez. An equally impressive part of the Spireites' rearguard was their centre-back Christopher Doig, who was seemingly unbeatable in the tackle and in the air.

 

Meanwhile, Florian Schneider - one of three Cottagers to go into the book - protected our defensive line brilliantly alongside Markus Heikkinen. Goalkeeper John Forde did have to produce a few fine saves - most notably from newly-capped Norway striker Lars Iver Strand in the 63rd minute - but the deadlock remained intact.

 

Fulham - 0

Chesterfield - 0

Division 1, Attendance 18,824 - POSITIONS: Fulham 16th, Chesterfield 14th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Forde; Friberg (Liddle), Mitchell, Unai (Núñez), Guðmundsson; Heikkinen, Schneider; Iversen, Stewart, McIntyre (Hall); Devlin. BOOKED: Devlin, Unai, Schneider.

 

After picking up his fifth booking of the season, Unai would soon have to serve a one-match ban. Thomas Friberg had strained his thigh and would miss our final league game of the month.

 

That match was at Huddersfield, whose leaky defence had left them perilously close to the relegation zone. As far as our line-up was concerned, centre-back Jerel Ifil made his first appearance of the season after recovering from injury. Cable was also back in action, replacing McIntyre on the left wing.

 

27 OCTOBER 2012: Huddersfield Town vs Fulham

Huddersfield suffered a potentially fatal setback after just five minutes, when star midfielder Paul Anthony suffered a serious ankle injury. Under-pressure Terriers manager Patsy Freyne would then be given another headache in the 17th minute. After playing a clever one-two with midfielder Adrian Disler, Peter Devlin flicked in the opening goal for Fulham.

 

Devlin's effort remained the difference at the end of an otherwise edgy first half. Things livened up in the 50th minute... particularly for Huddersfield. Fulham goalie John Forde managed to pound the away from Town wideman David Pounder, but midfielder Simon Clist furiously fired the rebound into the top corner. 1-1.

 

The Terriers tormented us again five minutes later. Record scorer Graham Francis appeared to go down softly under a challenge from Unai, but the referee still decided there was enough contact to award Huddersfield a penalty. I was fuming even more when Spanish winger Francisco Ruiz scored the penalty, giving his team a 2-1 lead that they probably didn't deserve.

 

And that was that, as our clueless attackers couldn't even get close to testing Geoffrey Nijs in the Huddersfield goal over the final half-hour. Incidentally, Belgian gloveman Nijs was on loan from nearby Leeds - his EIGHTH loan spell at an eighth different club since moving to Elland Road in 2004.

 

Huddersfield Town - 2 (Clist 50, Ruiz pen55)

Fulham - 1 (Devlin 17)

Division 1, Attendance 12,586 - POSITIONS: Huddersfield 17th, Fulham 16th

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-1-4-1 Attacking): Forde; Liddle, Ifil, Unai, Guðmundsson; Heikkinen; Disler (Danns), Schneider (Numme); Stewart, Cable (McIntyre); Devlin. BOOKED: Schnider, Devlin, McIntyre.

 

After winning just one of our last six league matches, spirits were quite low as we headed into Round 3 of the FA Cup. Frankly, there was more chance of me going on a date with Rachel Riley than there was of us defeating Manchester United's megastars.

 

31 OCTOBER 2012: Fulham vs Manchester United

This was captain Wayne Hudson's first game in the Fulham goal since mid-September... and it couldn't have got off to a worse start. Manchester United roared into the lead in the very first minute, when Brazilian forward Zé Roberto headed in a magnificent cross from the evergreen Joseba Etxeberría.

 

Six minutes later, however, another Brazilian put United's lead in jeopardy. Centre-back Juan mistimed a tackle on Alan Stewart, who lifted the subsequent free-kick into the Red Devils' box. Peter Devlin selflessly played it across to Carlos Edwards, and a fierce strike from the veteran winger got us back on terms!

 

Of course, we expected United to hit back sooner or later. After 21 minutes, left-winger Rodrigo Taddei - the third Samba star in Hélio dos Anjos' starting line-up - hit a 30-yard ball to captain Frank Lampard, whose volley was parried by Hudson. At the other end, Simon Ellis made a similarly fine save to stop Henning Numme from firing us into a surprise 2-1 lead.

 

Meanwhile, the Fulham fans were taking great glee in taunting former Chelsea midfielder Lampard whenever he had the ball. Sadly, 'Fat Frank' would silence them seven minutes from half-time, when he drove the ball home after an excellent assist from... Philip Mulryne? No, I can't believe Philip Mulryne is back at Manchester United either.

 

Some great defensive performances - most notably from midfielder Florian Schneider and left-back Terry Simpson - helped keep our deficit down to a single goal for a while. Unfortunately, Simpson's foul on Etxeberría in the 65th minute would kill our slim hopes of getting back in the game. Lampard doubled his goal tally direct from the free-kick, and the Red Devils ultimately cruised through with a 3-1 win.

 

Fulham - 1 (C Edwards 7)

Manchester United - 3 (Zé Roberto 1, Lampard 38,65)

League Cup Round 3, Attendance 13,425

FULHAM LINE-UP (4-2-3-1): Hudson; Liddle, Mitchell, Heikkinen, Simpson; Numme (Núñez), Schneider; C Edwards, Stewart, McIntyre (Hall); Devlin.

 

Our League Cup campaign had met a valiant end, which meant we now had a bit more time to focus on league affairs. It was still too early to rule us out of the promotion reckoning, but we really needed to start scoring regularly again.

Edited March 30 by CFuller

[CFuller]

DIVISION 1 TABLE (End of October 2012)

Pos     Team                            Pld  Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Won  Drn  Lst  For  Ag   Pts
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1st     Newcastle                       15   6    1    1    18   6    4    2    1    14   8    33   
2nd     Notts Co                        15   5    1    1    14   6    5    2    1    15   10   33   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3rd     Sunderland                      16   5    3    0    16   4    2    4    2    14   14   28   
4th     Gillingham                      16   6    1    1    15   7    2    2    4    13   15   27   
5th     Norwich                         16   4    1    3    10   10   3    3    2    16   13   25   
6th     Birmingham                      15   4    2    2    18   12   2    3    2    7    8    23   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7th     Sheff Utd                       16   6    0    2    18   9    1    2    5    9    16   23   
8th     Rochdale                        16   5    1    2    15   9    1    4    3    7    11   23   
9th     Man City                        15   2    3    2    13   14   4    2    2    12   14   23   
10th    Tottenham                       15   4    1    2    15   11   2    3    3    15   14   22   
11th    Bradford                        15   4    2    2    10   7    2    2    3    5    8    22   
12th    Chesterfield                    16   2    3    3    12   14   2    6    0    14   11   21   
13th    Charlton                        15   4    4    0    13   6    0    4    3    8    13   20   
14th    Carlisle                        15   4    1    2    16   9    2    0    6    11   19   19   
15th    West Ham                        15   1    4    3    5    8    4    0    3    11   9    19   
16th    Fulham                          15   4    2    1    7    5    0    4    4    8    14   18   
17th    Huddersfield                    15   4    3    1    16   14   1    0    6    7    18   18   
18th    Coventry                        15   3    2    3    16   15   2    0    5    7    15   17   
19th    Blackpool                       16   3    3    2    16   14   0    4    4    11   16   16   
20th    W.B.A.                          16   2    3    3    11   15   2    1    5    8    14   16   
21st    Preston                         15   3    3    2    14   9    0    3    4    7    13   15   
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
22nd    Aston Villa                     15   1    5    1    11   11   2    0    6    4    10   14   
23rd    Bristol City                    15   1    3    3    9    12   2    0    6    9    15   12   
24th    Swindon                         15   3    1    3    12   12   0    2    6    7    22   12   

 

ELSEWHERE IN FOOTBALL...

• Premiership champions Leeds play four home matches in a row - and draw them all. The low point comes in a 1-1 draw against Torquay, where Leeds duo Stephan Lichtsteiner and Lee Bowyer are both sent off after trying to pick fights with Gulls boss Chris Kamara and his assistant Phil Thompson.
• Referee Mike Gibson whistles to start Chelsea's Premiership match against Grimsby, and then gets clobbered by Blues wing-back Anthony Reveillère, who accuses him of blowing too loudly! Reveillère receives a straight red card and a three-month ban. Nonetheless, Chelsea win 2-0, with goals from Jonathan Fortune and Richard Knopper.
• Though Parma remain top of Serie A and unbeaten, Milan keep the pressure on thanks to some prolific goalscoring from Dutch frontman Ton de Vries. The Rossoneri also spend £11million on HSV's Germany midfielder Hamit Altintop... and play him at right-back.
• Who knew that Jim Jefferies would be the man to take Bayern München back to the top of the Bundesliga? Bayern go on a five-match winning run - with Maksym Tsyhalka scoring five goals - to leapfrog Dortmund and VfB Stuttgart into 1st place. They are galvanised further by the return of veteran strike David Trezeguet after two years with BVB.
• England stumble again in the World Cup qualifiers, as Israel midfielder Yossi Benayoun scores an 80th-minute penalty to snatch a 1-1 draw in Tel-Aviv. Germany suffer a shock 1-0 loss to Greece, while Wales miss the chance to go top of the FIFA World Rankings after conceding a late equaliser in Slovakia. Mark Hughes is so distraught that he tries to coax 54-year-old Neville Southall out of retirement.

 

IN OTHER NEWS...

• The Nobel Peace Prize is unanimously awarded to the European Union, for contributing to “advancement of peace and reconciliation, democracy and human rights in Europe” for over six decades. Nigel Farage is fuming.
• Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner becomes the first person to go faster than the speed of sound - without machine assistance. Baumgartner skydives out of a balloon 120,000 feet above New Mexico and reaches a maximum velocity of 833 miles per hour. Beat that, Tom Daley!
• The aptly-named James Bond film "Skyfall" makes its world premiere, with Daniel Craig reprising his role as 007. There's a huge shock at the end when [SPOILER ALERT] Bond's boss M is killed off, allowing veteran actor Dame Judi Dench to concentrate on her fish-and-chips business.
• Also premiering this month is “Lincoln” - Steven Spielberg’s biographical drama about the 19th-century US President Abraham Lincoln. Everyone agrees that they should just give Daniel Day-Lewis another Oscar already.

Edited January 12 by CFuller

[oche balboa]

I'm surprised you have not kicked on with Fulham. Perhaps a look abroad is what you need to refresh your career