Despite being on the bench last Sunday it looks as though Riise the Younger is leaving - http://www.ealinggazette.co.uk/sport/fulham-fc-ealing/2012/05/17/riise-set-for-fulham-exit-64767-30992169/ With the early agreement on Diarra's 1 year extension clause and now this probable move, you get the feeling that Jol is aiming to get his 'ducks in a row' before the Euros.
I'm not surprised, but I can't help but feel things could have gone differently for him with us. I remember he looked our best player in the first half at home to Roma (up against his big bro - whatever happened to him?). I think he had a lot of potential which he never managed to realise for us. Good luck, Riise the Younger, wherever you end up.
My thoughts exactly, I thought he'd feature more for us as he had a great cross on him. Never mind, I hope he finds regular football elsewhere.
Same here, I thought he would settle in better, his crossing was the best part of his game. May be it was because he wasn't first choice and always had cameo roles and never got a good run. Apart from Portsmouth I think he also had a loan out to Sheffield United.
Not terribly surprising but the next one up is Dickson - http://www.clubcall.com/fulham/cottage-chief-eyes-midfielder-solution-1430317.html And interest beginning on Riise the Younger, but a step down - http://www.clubcall.com/fulham/riise-in-bees-move-link-1430321.html
The problem for little Riise was that he plays the same position as Ruiz, Davies and Duff, but he was never good enough to cut it in the EPL. I liked his competitiveness and pace, but his touch wasn't up to par and he gave ball away too often. Losing Etuhu is a shame, but he and the others need to be playing somewhere so I think they're better off with another team rather than warming the pine during the prime of their playing careers. For the same reason, Davies, Johnson and Sa ought to be looking or a way out, if you ask me. I can't remember the last time I saw Sa play.
He was injured for a while, wasn't he? Anyway, he's only 23, I reckon he should stay. We're not exactly flush with strikers.
From a sentimental point of view I would be sad to see Dickson go - he was part of the Europa team (and he scored the vital away goal at Juve) and he seems to have been around for a long time and contributed a lot. But from a strategic point of view I won't be too disappointed and certainly he deserves to play every week which just isn't going to happen with us. Hope he ends up somewhere that suits him and with fans who appreciate him.
The latest rumour is about Chris Baird. This particular article is about whether Chris plays in next month's friendly for NIreland v Netherlands but it includes very specific comments by Michael O'Neill about Chris's future at Fulham - http://www.newsletter.co.uk/sport/football/baird-takes-time-out-to-consider-his-future-1-3867031 It would be strange for the NI manager to disclose this if the two of them hadn't seriously discussed it. Whatever the ups and downs he had last year, Chris is one of the 'old team' that I just don't think we can afford to lose.
I'd be sorry to see Bairdinho go, but at present he's second or third in line for several positions. Jol clearly prefers Kelly at right back. If Grygera stays or if we sign anyone he'll be third in line for that. He's clearly behind Hangeland, Hughes and Senderos for the two centre back positions, with youngsters like Burn and (maybe) Briggs pushing to get ahead of him in the queue. He'd be great in midfield, but he's behind Murphy and Diarra for the starting positions, and competing with Sidwell, Gecov, Kasami etc even to be back up. In other words, he needs two or three people to get injured in any one position for him to have a realistic chance of getting into the starting eleven at the moment. He's been used so little that he wouldn't be a great loss to the team, as well as he's done before and as much as we all like him. I hope he stays, and I hope he gets some more gametime (I'd play him alongside Brede ahead of Hughes and Senderos, personally) but I think if it was going to happen it would have happened by now.
Agree with Captain about Baird. I see both him and Dickson as very much Roy Hodgson type players, but Jol's philosophy is that everyone except the goalkeeper and two centre halfs should be able to contribute to attacking play.
I don't think Jol would rule out the centre-backs on that, which is one of the reasons I would play Bairdinho there - his distribution is way ahead of Hughes and at least on a par (if not better) than Senderos. Maybe Jol has seen something that I'm missing, but I would have thought Baird would have been his kind of player as a central midfielder or central defender.
Looks like valj's prediction (got it right this time Captain) was correct and Danny Hoesen will stay in Holland. Papers there are repoting that, as well as his current (on loan) club Fortuna Sittard, VVV Venlo are also v. interested. PS any word on valj guys ??
Chris Baird, again, I'm afraid - http://www.fulhamchronicle.co.uk/fulham-fc/2012/06/15/82029-31189731/
I'd love it if Baird were to stay here. He is the ultimate utility man. I'd much prefer we got rid of one player in each position he can play in (Right back - Grygera, centre back - Halliche, central midfield - Etuhu, Gecov (loan))
Black Friday Fulham FC today announced the release of Simon Morgan Sorry it was of course in 2001 - all the talk of Chris Baird got me reminiscing.
Loved it when Morgs came on with 15 minutes to go against Wolves towards the end of our promotion season to the Prem. Every pass and throw in was greeted with massive cheers and he was duly named man of the match. Very Fulhamish.
The reality transfer show starts on Monday and (I think) clubs officialy published their 'released players' list tomorrow, 30th June. Should be an interesting insight into Jol's thinking. Just as a reminder, the following have contracts ending tomorrow and have, as yet, to be offerred new deals - Alex Kacaniklic - Summer 2012 (2 years) Alex Smith - 25th June 2012 (3 years) Buomesca Tué Na Bangna - Summer 2012 (1 year with option of a further year) Danny Hoesen - Summer 2012 (1 year with option of a further year) Jesse Joronen â 30th June 2012 (3 years) Jonathan Cosgrove - 30th June 2012 (2 years) Richard Barroihet - Summer 2012 (1 Year) Stephen Kelly - 1st July 2012 (3 years) Zdenek Grygera - Summer 2012 (1 year with option of a further year) And then of course there is the rash of player with 1 year left.
Find it very strange that neither Kelly or Kaka have been offered new deals, but I haven't seen any clubs linked with them so no news is good news.
