I'm one of the 'with yous' Captain, and rate Fletcher. Yes there is the the question of money (and I said earlier I thought £10m too high) but the other side of the coin is, do you pay for a player with a proven PL track record or for one from abroad who may fit in and/or take a year to adjust. Put it this way, at this time would your first choice be Fletcher or Ruiz? Still, the bottom line for Jol should not be whether a player is on a free (Rodellaga) or good (Fletcher) but whether he will do the job that Jol wants him to do.
Good point about whether a player will do the job Jol wants, Cottager. As for Fletcher or Ruiz, It depends on what position you're talking about: as a main striker, Fletcher every time; as a winger or second striker, Ruiz - this is going to be his year (I think!).
The Mirror has us linked with Rodallega. He'd be great for us, he's nippy and I think he'd do well in our system. Plus, he's free. If we paid any more than £7/8m for Fletcher I'd think we've been had. So I'm with everyone else, sorry El Capitano!
Fletcher is an interesting player, yes he did well for a struggling Wolves team but I am not sure he is the player that we need at the Cottage. We need an instictive striker who is willing to run the channels and take gambles. I would rather see Defoe than either Fletcher or Rodellega. We have great passers of the ball and a selfish goal hungry striker is what we desperately need. As for Jarvis, very good winger and performed very well last season. However, if we are taking about a replacement for Dempsey than I cannot help but feel we have 2 good replacements already in Kaca and Frei. We do not need Jarvis.
Mark Davies We're being linked with the young(ish) Bolton midfielder. Along with others, so it's probably the usual journo factor - http://www.clicklancashire.com/sport/bolton-wanderers-fc/1212939-reading-and-fulham-chase-liverpool-target-davies.html
Just in news links us with Carroll - the difference is that it's purchase not loan. I don't get that. Liverpool may be prepared to cut their losses since Rogers obviously doesn't see Carroll fitting in with his style of play, but to a degree we could afford? http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/football/teams/liverpool/9393684/Liverpools-Andy-Carroll-interests-Fulham-Aston-Villa-and-West-Ham-United.html#
Don't get me wrong I would absolutely love it if we could get Carroll but can't see it happening. Liverpool aren't going to sub his wages given the loss they will make on him and I can't see him taking a pay cut. Are we going to pay 100K/week wages. I'd love it if we did but I can't see it.
Mark Davies ... never heard of him, Bidley. The Bolton kid I like is Stuart Holden, a half Scot, half American middle midfielder, but I think Coyle is wisely hanging onto him. I'm excited by the link to Rodallega. whom I've always coveted. Pace and youth - just what we need. He'll fill the AJ role nicely, running the slants and opening up the pitch for us.
Hugo Rodallega According to Columbian press we have signed him in a 3 year deal - http://www.futbolred.com/colombianos-exterior/noticias/julio2012/tengo-todo-arreglado-para-firmar-con-el-fulham-hugo-rodallega/12021608
Ah that's it. Ignore me then, DR! I'll take that! Well he said he'd leave for Champions League football. Now, as you well know, you can't offer that to him. Can you give him that next season? Doubtful. He's 29, so he won't be a long term fix. I've no doubt Rodgers will get you playing well and you'll probably progress, but since you broke away from the CL places it got a lot harder, there are 6 teams not including yourselves fighting for those places. Saying this, I wouldn't be surprised if he does go to you. I would really like to think more of him but he's a modern footballer, and unless Arsenal or a team abroad come in for him, Liverpool is probably the best offer he'll get, and he'll probably take it. To be fair I just want his and Dembele's future sorted one way or the other. Clint has given his best and will always be loved here at CC, so we won't be dismayed if he does move, as we have players coming through who can take his place. As many have said though, Dembele would be a bigger miss.
Dempsey, albeit the legend that he is, would go down in my opinion if he went to Liverpool. He said he was happy here and the only reason would look to leave is to play in the CL. Liverpool won't have this for the season ahead and like Bidley says unlikely for the season after, so the reasons for moving there would be very interesting to hear. He doesn't strike me as a money motivated individual but there are few other reasons to assume why he would move from a club not in the CL to another club not in the CL. By the time Liverpool actually qualify for the CL, Clint will be in his early 30's and would be nothing more than a bit part player for them.
If Clint goes to Liverpool, I won't think less of him. I take Bandit's point about saying he wanted Champions League football, but in the absence of someone actually offering it making him an offer Liverpool are probably his most likely chance. He's more likely to get it at a club that is likely to regularly qualify for the Europa League and aspires to Champions League than with us, who regularly finish in the top half and aspire to regularly play Europa League (being realistic). A move to Liverpool isn't his dream move, but it's still a move up and if it's the best he can get then fair enough. He's more likely to play in cup finals and win trophies at Liverpool than with us (not that I'm ruling us out of getting to another final or winning something, just saying that most people would agree there's more chance of that at Liverpool). If we made Carroll coming on loan part of the deal... Hmmmm, that could be astonishingly good, but only if the team plays in a way that suits Carroll. I've got the impression that he thrives in a team with proper wingers who bang in early crosses, which isn't really what we've been about under Jol. It would also be a short-term (single season) solution, so it may be unwise to completely remodel our style of play for a player who won't be here this time next year. Any permanent transfer would be unlikely due to Carroll's expectations for wages. Talking of which, I'm reading today that Everton have dropped out of signing Rodallega because he's asking for £70,000 a week. If we're willing to pay that kind of wage - which I don't think we are - I would hope it would be for someone a lot better than Hugo Rodallega. Something about all this just isn't adding up to me. Of course, it's hugely possible that the newspaper reports about wages are way off, but if the club is holding the line on sensible wages, then even with Everton's financial limitations it seems unlikely that we're offering a lot more than them for someone who has done all right in the Premier League without ever really setting it on fire. Also (sorry - this is turning into a very long post) Junior Hoillet's move to Borussia Moncheungladbach has fallen through, and we're one of the teams supposedly in for him. That sounds more plausible to me, although we're one of many rather than the favourites as far as I can tell.
Junior Hoillet would be the kind of signing I'd hoped for. The rumour mills however have him close to a deal with QPR, wages being the stumbling block. On which, the amount being bandied about for Rodellaga is Agent babble.
Etien Velikonja Fulham‬ are expected to announce the signing of Etien Velikonja from ‪Maribor‬ within the next couple of days. The Slovenian club are holding a press conference shortly. Fulham is his expected destination. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Etien_Velikonja Not bad stats, one in two for Maribor but I'd hope he isn't our main striker next season.
Yes, Captain, that's two interesting rumors to chew on. Dempsey as trade bait for Carroll seems a little far fetched, and since it came from The Sun, I'm even less convinced. But two things seems clear: Liverpool has its eyes on Dempsey and the new gaffer at Anfield has little interest in Andy Carroll. So while I doubt Dempsey and Carroll will swap shirts any time soon, it's worrisome to me that these Liverpool rumors persist. I wouldn't mind seeing Carroll play for us, though. On his day, he's fantastic. And given the lowered expectations that Fulham would have for him - unlike Liverpool, which expects instant results - I think he could grow into his role as a Fulham player and regain the confidence he showed at Newcastle. The other rumor actually seems plausible: that Rodallega is asking for 70K / week. That would certainly explain a few things concerning Wigan's apparently lack of interest to hang onto him. Wigan can't afford wages like that any more than we (or Everton) can. -- Concerning Bandito's assertion, I understand your point. But to me, if Dempsey doesn't leave I'll think less of him. Every player, I think, should strive to success has the highest level he can, and while I'd HATE to see him leave The Cottage, I think it's safe to say he's done everything possible at our level. The only way for him to test his mettle further would be to move up a notch in competition for a spot on a bigger team's roster. Remember, he was a star in the MLS when his ambition gave him the nerve to jump to the next level, though success in the EPL was certainly not guaranteed. If his ambition bought him to us, you can't fault him if his ambition takes him away. It's not like he played here half-heartedly, made a bundle of money and caught the first bus out of town. He's been our most durable and consistant non-defensive player for at leat the last three years. I don't want him to leave, but if he doesn't, he'll forever be a big fish in a small pond.
