My nickname for Clint has been 'The Ghost' as for me one of his biggest assists is he may not be doing great in a game, but then he will just Ghost into the area or run through from midfield and just set up a goal or score himself. Last season Jol gave him more of free role in going forward, but I think his defensive qualities aren't the best, as Riise was put under more because he didn't track back as often.
Clint was great for us - however yesterday, with Kaca on the left, we actually had some width and he was tracking back to fill in for Riise's forward runs. The team looked balanced, the centre wasn't crammed as it has been previously. If he ends up at WH it will be such a waste.
Just listening to 5 Live, and there was a lot of talk of Dempsey, but lots of choice quotes too. What I gathered; (I've just typed this from memory so I can't promise I got it word-perfect, but that's the gist.) Also, there was a quote from the Liverpool owner, Tom Werner; So things are still clear as mud then. I wonder if any incoming tranfsers we have arranged are dependant on Clint going?
Nope, money is available. But, as Jol said, only if the player is better than those we already have. I would not be at all surprised if we announced a new signing in the next 24 hours.
Another centre forward is the only thing I would say we genuinely need, but it would be nice to get some cover in for both our wingers and our central mid as well. I'm not convinced that Sidwell is ready to be that first reserve, after so long out of the team.
Could have posted this in one of a number of threads. Anyway, Jol has come out and said that the timing of the transfer window is all wrong - I couldn't agree with him more - http://www.football365.com/fulham/8004988/Fulham-boss-wants-window-change?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter
I think I said this on another thread, but I don't think we need any more cover on the wing. I'd definitely like a new centre forward and a new midfielder, although after Saturday it's hard to see how any major signings would get into the team! I'm not sure that we need players anywhere else. My choices would be Hooper (or Rhodes) and Ramsey.
I don't disagree with that particularly, Captain. When I say wingers, it's because I think Ruiz will play through the middle this season. The issue comes from the fact that I don't think Jol is really positive about Davies as a winger. If/when we do see Davies this year, I think he will more likely drop back into midfield. Duff likely can't play 38 games in a season, so I'd want some competition/cover for him. That said, if we could get someone like Hooper to rotate in the middle with Ruiz/Petric, Ruiz could also then cover Duff. The other wing is covered with our youngsters (Kaca/Frei/Mesca). I would love someone like Ramsey or Huddlestone to groom in CM, but I think they are both likely to be unavailable/out of our price range.
I'm not so sure that Jol won't play Davies out wide, but assuming that you're right Mesca - I think - can play on either flank, and plenty on here have said they'd like to see Frei play on the right sometime. Kasami looked decent when he came on for Duff on Saturday (admittedly, against already tired and demoralised opposition). Even if you take Davies out of the equation, we're still well stocked for wingers. As for Ramsey, when this rumour started a couple of weeks back, I thought it was likely - Arsenal seemed to be signing lots of attacking midfielders and strikers and I could see Ramsey getting pushed further and further back in their pecking order. A price of £6m was quoted somewhere, which seemed within our reach. Now that they are selling Song, I think it's less likely that they'd let Ramsey go right now.
The way Jol has been talking up Mesca we'll certainly see him getting games. In the reserves (as was) he played out in the right. So I think you're correct Captain. Based on Jol's latest comments apart from a 'new Zamora', he's looking for one or two wide mid-fielders rather than wingers. Huddlestone and Bentley keep coming up as possibles but I think Jol will stick to his normal approach and look abroad (Belgium seems to be popular at the moment.)
I think Fulham fans aren't used to this kind of drama from it's players, but Dempsey is just using the same tactics employed most recently by RVP at Arsenal and Modric at Tottenham, all players with a year on the their contracts and problems getting their respectives teams to move forward with a trade. Van Persie barely trained with his team this summer and Modric hasn't shown his face yet at White Hart Lane. I'm not excusing Dempsey, but the tactics he's employing are hardly new. They're just new to us. The situation for Dembele is different in one important respect: Dembele is 26 (I think). Dempsey is 29 and looking at 30 before the end of the season. Dempsey knows that his chances of securing a hefty, long-term contract with a bigger team hinges on him getting that contract (like RVP, also 29) before he hits that magic number. Managers have harder time making a case for big contracts when players >=30. So Dembele has time - Dempsey does not.
Sad thing is, Dempsey might want out- but nobody wants him in. At this point we're either going to let him go to LFC for £3-5m or to WH for £5-8m. Maybe another suitor will come in- but he's not really in the shop window any more.
Actually found myself feeling a bit sorry for Dempsey this morning - or as sorry as you can feel for a 29 year old who's already made enough money that he could probably retire tomorrow if he wanted to. It's now being reported on Merseyside that Liverpool are no longer interested. http://www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/live...ot-interested-in-signing-him-100252-31646558/ If true, then where does that leave Clint? He's left with the choice of serving out his contract at Fulham and hoping a bigger club's willing to take him on a free at the end of the season, or moving to Everton or West Ham where he'll be tied to a contract that will last pretty much until the end of his career.
I think Dempsey's agent better be looking at teams who are willing to take him on loan for the season. As there do not seem to be the Champions League teams queuing up to buy him. They probably think the asking price for one of last seasons Premier attacking midfield scorers is too high and too much of a gamble.
Well, that's the issue isn't it SBM? We don't think £8m is unreasonable; RVP is also 29, was also in the last year of his contract, was also the leading scorer for his team and had the added bonus of a poor injury record. In our opinion, Dempsey is certainly worth at least 1/3 the value of RVP. Liverpool have screwed Dempsey over impressively. I doubt he'd get paid more at Everton than here, and signing to West Ham for 4 years is going to have a dubious appeal for him. It's a sad situation, but Dempsey has to accept that his actions (based on whatever he was told by whomever he spoke to) have left him in this situation.
If no one offers a reasonable fee for him, he'll play out the season with us - and I don't doubt he'll do so wholeheartedly - and then move on a free in the summer (assuming no one makes an offer in January). There are plenty of Champions League clubs out there, not necessarily in England, who would jump at the chance of signing him without a transfer fee. He'll be all right, and so will we. I'd rather get a decent fee for him now than have it strung out though.
I think Dempsey played his cards all wrong. Liverpool is hardly the club they were 5 years ago. No chance of CL football there. Arsenal bought outside PL once more. None left for him. Although he is a good player he is in danger of moving out of Fulham and failing... Good luck to him, I hope he stays with us on a better contract which he still deserves!
I don't think the last card's been played yet. Liverpool and Tottenham have no points, both teams lacking power up front this weekend. Arsenal, too, could only manage a draw at home. So I think there's time yet for a deal. And if all else fails, he spends another year at The Cottage before possibily moving on.
At this point I hope he doesn't stay. Grateful for his contribution over the years but with Diarra and Dembele linking well in the middle and Ruiz dropping deep the last thing we need in another player operating in the middle. Kaca showed what a genuine left sided player can do for team balance and also allowing Riise to break forward- Duff could also play that role. On the right we've got Frei & Davies (with Duff as back-up). If he were to stay it would have to be as a striker, I prefer Ruiz in the creative position and Roda or Petric leading the line. Unless we build our system around Dempsey he can't just slot in.
