Blimey... "Adel Taarabt has been recalled by Morocco nine months after being asked to apologise for insulting the coach. The midfielder, on loan at Fulham from QPR, is in the squad for a friendly against South Africa on 11 October Link to the full story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/24339572
Didn't like Taarabts attitude and disrespect to Senderos during the subs kick about at half-time. He was deliberately kicking the ball away from Senderos, trying to make him look a fool running after the ball, and then laughing behind his back when Senderos had to collect the ball, didn't do it just once, did it several times, to the point of it becoming momentous, made himself look the idiot, not professional and very childish. Even tried to get Zverotic to do the same to Senderos, but luckily he was more professional.
Young prospect Pat Roberts is in the England U17 squad of 18 for the Euro qualifier against Armenia later this month. Source: http://www.thefa.com/england/mens-u17s/News/2013/qualifying-round-squad-announced-011013
Strangely the Club haven't posted details of which players have been called up, though there is something this morning about Karagounis being with the Greek squad. We know about Taraabt and that Big Phil and Kasami are with the Swiss national team but the rest ? I was particularly interested to hear whether Hangeland was fit enough to go with Norway. There are bits and pieces dottted around about some of the younger players: Liam Donnelly is with N Ireland U21; Noe Baba and Dean O'Halloran with Rep of Ireland U19; Cameron Burgess with Scotland U19; and Emerson Hyndman and Moussa Dembele are playing in an U18 tournament in France.
The Tank got a hat trick as Sweden U19s beat Bosnia-Herzegovina 4-1 http://us.soccerway.com/matches/2013/10/10/europe/uefa-u19-championship/bosnia-herzegovina-under-19/sweden-under-19/1574506/
Belatedly the Club has posted details. The good news is that Brede Hangeland and Ashkhan Dejagah are both fit to play for there country. The not so good news (not mentioned in the Club post) is that Aaron Hughes was ruled out of the NI squad because of injury. One to watch is Elsad Zverotic in the game against England tonight. Here is the full roll-call: "Pajtim Kasami has been rewarded for his fine form this season with a first call-up to the full Switzerland squad for their World Cup Qualifiers. Fulham teammate Philippe Senderos has also travelled as the Swiss face Albania in Tirana on Friday, before returning home to take on Slovenia on Tuesday. Just one point should be sufficient to see them qualify for the Finals next year, as they currently sit five points clear at the top of Group E with a vastly superior goal difference to the teams below. In the same group, Brede Hangeland and Norway still harbour hopes of nabbing second spot. They currently sit fourth in the table but are set to play the two sides directly above them, so six points from their clashes away to Slovenia and against Iceland in Oslo will give them a good chance of securing that runners-up position. Elsad Zverotić is set to play in one of the most important matches of his career to date when his Montenegro side face England at Wembley. Roy Hodgson’s men currently sit a point ahead of Zverotić’s nation so there’s everything to play for in Group H, with Ukraine and Poland also in contention to make it to Brazil. Montenegro then face Moldova on home soil next week. Giorgos Karagounis will be expecting his Greece side to take maximum points from their two home matches against Slovakia and Liechtenstein as they aim to avoid the need to navigate the World Cup Play-Offs. They will be looking for Bosnia-Herzegovina to slip up as well, though, as their Group G rivals – while on the same number of points – boast a far more enviable goal difference. Sweden can still mathematically win Group C but they face a tall order to catch Germany with just two matches remaining. First up for Alexander Kačaniklić and his teammates is a home game against Austria, before they host the table-toppers four days later. There is a good chance the match will be a dead rubber for the unbeaten Germans by that point, though – depending on how Friday’s fixtures pan out. Over in the South American Qualifying Section, Venezuela’s hopes of a spot in Brazil are mathematical only as they go into their final match. Fernando Amorebieta is in the squad but his side will need to beat Paraguay on Friday, whilst hoping other results go their way in addition to a significant goal-swing falling in their favour. Bryan Ruiz’s Costa Rica have already guaranteed a place at Brazil 2014 so the pressure is off to an extent for their final two matches in the CONCACAF qualifiers. They have an away game in Honduras first, before rounding off their campaign when they welcome Mexico to San Jose next week. Away from World Cup action, Ashkan Dejagah has recovered from injury in time to meet up with Iran for their Asian Cup Qualifier against Thailand in Tehran. Iran currently sit top of Group B, while their opponents are bottom with no points after two games. [BAdel Taarabt[/B] is back in the Morocco squad and could feature in their friendly match with South Africa in Agadir on Friday, while Neil Etheridge is in the Philippines party for their Peace Cup games against Chinese Taipei and Pakistan. Three players are due to take part in European Championship qualifiers for their Under-21 sides. Lasse Vigen Christensen is in the Denmark squad for their games against Slovenia and Russia, and Josh Pritchard has received a call-up to the Wales team for the home matches with Lithuania and San Marino. Jesse Joronen’s Finland face a trip to Moldova on Tuesday." And, Muamer Tankovic who as mentioned earlier scored three for Sweden U19 last night. I believe there are other younsters also playing U19/U18 games
Really pleased for Roy, and Lew. Thought Zverotic did well. Unlucky with the one that hit the bar; takes up good positions, making himself available and supporting the front men;bit of pace. He's not a world beater but don't see anybody better in our right midfield at the moment. How can Jol not play him?
And here is the Club round-up of how the lads got on last night: "Philippe Senderos and Pajtim Kasami were celebrating as the final whistle blew in Tirana as Switzerland confirmed their place at the World Cup with a 2-1 victory over Albania. The Whites' Swiss pair were both unused substitutes as goals from Granit Xhaka and Michael Lang gave Ottmar Hitzfeld's side an unassailable five points lead in Group E to clinch a place in Brazil 2014. A late Zlatan Ibrahimovic goal kept Alexander Kačaniklić's Sweden in pole position for a playoff in Group C. With Germany having already qualified, a victory over Austria was crucial to keep Sweden ahead of their rivals. Kaca started and played an important role in the comeback as the Swedes won 2-1 in Stockholm to go three points clear in second place. Greece continued their pursuit of group leaders Bosnia-Herzegovnia as Giorgos Karagounis appeared in the 76th minute to close out a 1-0 home triumph over Slovakia after Martin Skrtel's own goal. The Euro 2004 winners are level on points at the summit of Group G but have a vastly inferior goal difference, meaning a playoff awaits unless the leaders slip up in the final round of matches. Elsad Zverotić played 90 minutes at Wembley as Montenegro suffered a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Roy Hodgson's England to end their chances of progression, and a hat-trick from Slovenia's Milivoje Novakovic consigned Brede Hangeland's Norway to a 3-0 loss, leaving the Norweigan's playoff hopes hanging by a thread. Already-qualified Costa Rica were beaten by neighbours Honduras, who secured their spot in Brazil with a 1-0 victory, with Bryan Ruiz playing 61 minutes and Fernando Amorebieta came through 90 minutes as Venezuela's fate was confirmed in a 1-1 draw with Paraguay, with both teams missing out on the South American qualification places. Neil Etheridge kept goal as the Philippines were stunned in a 2-1 defeat to Chinese Taipei in their Peace Cup opener, and Adel Taarabt made his return to international football as a second half substitute as Morocco were held to a 1-1 draw on home soil by South Africa in a friendly on Friday. In U21 action, Lasse Vigen Christensen was involved for 90 minutes as Denmark came from two goals behind to draw with Slovenia, and Tromso loanee Josh Pritchard played the full match with Wales beating Lithuania 2-0."
The pair were on the winning side beating Sweden U19 1-0 this afternoon and top their qualifying group.
A reminder about the guys playing today. The one to watch tonight is Iceland taking on Brede's Norway in Oslo - could be a big shock in store. "Giorgos Karagounis has the most at stake of the Fulham players on international duty on Tuesday evening in terms of World Cup qualification, with Greece desperate to see Bosnia-Herzegovina slip up. The two nations remain locked on the same points at the top of Group G, but Greece will need to better their rivals’ result to avoid the Play-Offs. Karagounis and co host Liechtenstein in Piraeus, while Bosnia have an arguably trickier tie in Lithuania. Switzerland may have secured their place in Brazil next summer, but they will no doubt be going for the win against Slovenia that could see them allocated a top seeding place at the tournament. Victory for Philippe Senderos and Pajtim Kasami’s side, coupled with one of Italy, Uruguay or Colombia dropping points, would see them join Brazil, Argentina, Germany, Spain and Belgium as a top seed. Sweden face Germany in Solna but the outcome of the match will have no bearing whatsoever on Group C, with the nations already guaranteed second and first place, respectively. Alexander Kačaniklić played a key role in the remarkable 4-4 draw in the reverse fixture as Sweden fought back from four goals down in Berlin, and will be keen to help his side end the campaign strongly ahead of next month’s Play-Offs. Brede Hangeland and Norway now just have pride to play for after Friday’s defeat to Slovenia extinguished any lingering hopes they had of qualifying for Brazil. They face Iceland in Oslo, a side that need to win to guarantee their spot in the Play-Offs. Elsad Zverotić is another Fulham man who knows he won’t be at the global showpiece next year as Montenegro were comfortably beaten by England at Wembley last week. Mathematically, they could still qualify but it’s nigh on impossible as they would need Ukraine to lose heavily to San Marino, coupled with their potential victory over Moldova. Leaving Europe, Bryan Ruiz’s final Qualifier from a hugely successful campaign sees Costa Rica take on Mexico in San Jose. Ruiz has skippered his nation to the World Cup, while their opponents need to take three points from the clash and hope Honduras lose in Jamaica in order to qualify automatically. Ashkan Dejagah could be involved in Iran’s Asian Cup Qualifier against Thailand in Tehran having recovered from the injury that ruled him out of Fulham’s recent matches, while Neil Etheridge will likely keep goal for the Philippines in their Peace Cup match against Pakistan. In Under-21 European Championship Qualifiers, Jesse Joronen’s Finland travel to Moldova, Lasse Vigen Christensen and Denmark are in Russia, while Josh Pritchard’s Wales side host San Marino in Bangor. Earlier in the day,Noe Baba and Dean O’Halloran could feature for the Republic of Ireland in their Under-19 European Championship Qualifier against Bosnia-Herzegovina. Muamer Tankovic’s Sweden are in the same group and face Azerbaijan, with a point likely being enough to take his side through to the Elite Round, alongside Ireland who have already secured their place."
Our guys got amongst the goals last night, with Kara, Kaca and Bryan all scoring, and Pajtim Kasami made his debut for the Swiss. And well done Iceland, qualifying for the play-offs for the first time albeit at the expense of Brede's Norway. Here is the full round-up from the Club: "Giorgos Karagounis scored a fine free-kick as Greece defeated Liechtenstein 2-0 on Tuesday, but it proved to be in vain as Bosnia-Herzegovina scraped a narrow victory over Lithuania to top Group G on goal difference. please log in to view this image For a while, the Greeks were planning their flights to Brazil next summer following Dimitris Salpingidis’ early goal, as they had to better Bosnia’s result to top the group. Karagounis and his colleagues did what was asked of them, with the captain – who played the full 90 minutes – bending an excellent free-kick into the back of the net via the post in the 81st minute, only for them to later learn that they would need to navigate the Play-Offs following Bosnia’s hard-fought 1-0 win. Another Fulham man was on the scoresheet for his country, too, as Alexander Kačaniklić played his part in a second consecutive eight-goal thriller between Sweden and Germany. In the reverse fixture in Berlin, Sweden had come back from four goals down to draw, but this time it was the Scandinavian side who took control of the tie. Tobias Hysen got the home nation off the mark with a composed finish after just six minutes, and Kačaniklić doubled the advantage three minutes before the break. The Fulham winger latched onto a delightful throughball before hitting a powerful first-time shot that had too much venom for Manuel Neuer as it flew into the corner of the net after brushing the German stopper’s fingertips. Arsenal’s Mesut Ozil pulled one back just before half-time and then Germany ran riot after re-emerging from the dressing room with three goals in 14 minutes as Mario Gotze and Andre Schurrle (2) put them 4-2 up. Hysen nabbed his second in the 69th minute to reduce the deficit – with Kačaniklić withdrawn shortly afterwards – but Chelsea’s Schurrle secured his hat-trick to conclude a remarkable tie that finished 5-3. Pajtim Kasami made his debut for the full Switzerland national side as a 71st-minute substitute in their 1-0 victory over Slovenia. Fulham teammate Philippe Senderos played the full 90 and within three minutes of Kasami’s introduction his side had taken the lead when Granit Xhaka crashed the ball in from 20 yards. The result meant the Swiss finished an impressive seven points clear at the top of Group E, whilst simultaneously ending Slovenia’s hopes of a Play-Off spot. In the same group, Brede Hangeland played the entirety of Norway’s 1-1 draw with Iceland in Oslo as the visitors – who are looking to qualify for their first-ever major tournament – bagged a place in the Play-Offs. Kolbeinn Sigthorsson collected Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Gylfi Sigurdsson’s pass in the 12th minute and slotted home from inside the area, but Daniel Braaten’s effort on the half-hour mark ensured the points were shared. Elsad Zverotić played 90 minutes as Montenegro’s campaign finished on a dour note as they were humbled 5-2 at home by Moldova. Alexandr Antoniuc gave the visitors the lead just before the half-hour mark, with Manchester City forward Stevan Jovetic netting the equaliser from the penalty spot 11 minutes after half-time. But goals from Igor Armas, Eugen Sidorenco, Artur Ionita and another from Antoniuc put Moldova firmly in control of the game, with a stoppage-time strike from Jovetic proving little consolation for the hosts. Bryan Ruiz scored a sublime goal as Costa Rica ended their qualifying campaign in style with a 2-1 victory over Mexico in San Jose. The captain latched onto a chipped ball over the top and showed brilliant initiative to flick a reverse header back in the opposite direction – bamboozling two Mexican defenders in the process – before meeting the ball with a thumping volley that left the goalkeeper with no chance whatsoever. Oribe Peralta equalised for the visitors four minutes later but a second-half strike from Alvaro Saborio – who came on as a substitute for Ruiz in the 49th minute – ensured Los Ticos finished qualifying with an impressive 18 points from their 10 matches played. Away from the World Cup, Iran defeated Thailand 2-1 in their AFC Asian Cup 2015 Qualifier, with Ashkan Dejagah seeing 65 minutes of action. Jalal Hosseini and Reza Ghoochannejhad struck within minutes of each other to hand the home side a commanding lead in Tehran, although an 80th-minute effort from Thailand’s Teerasil Dangda ensured a nervy finale. Iran held on, though, and now top Group B by two points. Neil Etheridge was in goal as the Philippines retained the Peace Cup title following their 3-1 victory over Pakistan. Kallem Ullah had given Pakistan the lead, but strikes from Patrick Reichelt, Chris Greatwich and Stephan Schrock ensured the Azkals topped the three-team table on goal difference. In Under-21 action, Jesse Joronen was in goal for Finland’s 1-0 defeat by Moldova, while Lasse Vigen Christensen played the full 90 minutes of Denmark’s impressive 2-0 triumph in Russia. Josh Pritchard was an unused substitute for Wales’ 4-0 win over San Marino. Republic of Ireland Under-19s emerged from their initial European Championship qualifying group unbeaten following a 1-1 draw with Bosnia-Herzegovina, with Dean O’Halloran playing the entire match and Noe Baba coming on at half-time. In the same group, Muamer Tankovic played 83 minutes of Sweden’s 5-1 win over Azerbaijan as they secured second spot.
Two of our youngsters score in today's European U17 qualifier games: "England were in action against Armenia in the first of their UEFA European Championship qualifiers, with Pat Roberts handed a starting berth on the right-hand side of a front three. The tricky winger needed less than three minutes to give the Young Lions the lead. In a week where Fulham players are making headlines for scoring magnificent goals, Roberts certainly continued the trend. Having received the ball 10 yards inside the opposition’s half, he showed a great burst of pace to advance forward and beat the Armenia left-back before cutting inside and slamming the ball into the back of the net from 18 yards out. The fact that the effort was on his weaker left foot only added to the quality of the strike which flew into the top right-hand corner of the goal. Adam Armstrong – who featured for Newcastle United Under-21s in their recent 2-2 draw with Fulham at Craven Cottage – then doubled the lead for England just after the half-hour mark, before a late effort from Chelsea’s Dominic Solanke made the game safe. There was still time for Armstrong to add some gloss to the scoreline, though, as the Young Lions made an ideal start to their campaign with a 4-0 win. Also in Group 7, Shane Elworthy starred for the Republic of Ireland as they too secured an impressive opening victory with a 4-1 win over Gibraltar. The international newcomers actually took an early lead but Ireland responded within 10 minutes to equalise through Manchester City youngster Tom Holland. Elworthy then took over proceedings as he grabbed two goals in six minutes to put daylight between the sides. The winger had a golden chance to make it a hat-trick in the second half but saw his penalty saved by the Gibraltar goalkeeper, although the fourth goal did arrive later on courtesy of Steven Kinsella’s effort. All the matches of the mini-qualifying tournament will take place in Armenia, with England facing Gibraltar and Ireland taking on the hosts on Saturday. The sides will then face each other in what’s likely to be a top-of-the-table clash on Tuesday as the two young Fulham wingers go head to head."
Here is a video clip of the Pat Roberts Wonder Goal against Armenia: [video=youtube;l7waGkJwTCM]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l7waGkJwTCM&feature=player_embedded [/video]
Patrick Roberts continued his goalscoring form as England Under-17s won their European Championship First Qualifying Round Group at an absolute canter. Following the 4-0 win over Armenia in their opening game, England U17s emphatically defeated Gibraltar 8-0 on Saturday, with Roberts coming on as a 53rd-minute substitute. By that point, the Young Lions were already well in the ascendency as goals from Adam Armstrong (2), Seyi Ojo, Dominic Solanke, Tom Brewitt and Isaiah Brown had given them an unassailable lead. Roberts then made it seven when he controlled a throughball on his chest and calmly placed a shot beyond the goalkeeper, before Solanke grabbed his second to conclude a fine afternoon’s work by the teenagers. And because Republic of Ireland had defeated Armenia 2-0 on the same day – with Shane Elworthy playing the full 80 minutes – it meant Tuesday’s clash between the sides would decide who topped the group, although both nations had already sealed their passage to the Elite Round of qualifying. As it transpired, England were comfortable in their victory, with Pat Roberts again influential as he was included from the off, as was Shane Elworthy, and both players saw a full game of action. Brown got the rout under way after 18 minutes, before good play from Roberts eventually saw the ball worked to Armstrong who made it 2-0 on 36, with the striker nabbing his second and England’s third shortly after the restart. Brown joined Armstrong on a brace in the 52nd minute having collected and finished from Jordan Rossiter’s fine throughball, before Roberts got in on the act moments later to grab his third goal in as many games. Fulham’s bag of tricks winger was then felled in the penalty area in stoppage time, with captain Ryan Ledson stepping up to convert the spot-kick and condemn Ireland to a 6-0 beating.
