Bent at No. 12??? With the new season just days away, the Club can confirm the official squad numbers for the 2013/14 Barclays Premier League campaign, with notable changes for Bryan Ruiz and Alexander Kačaniklić. Ruiz has taken the illustrious number 10 shirt following the departure of Mladen Petrić â the number that he wears internationally when he captains Costa Rica. He follows in a long line of popular Fulham faces to wear number 10, most famously our greatest player Johnny Haynes, in addition to the likes of Rodney Marsh, Ray Houghton and Gordon Davies (in his second spell at the Club). Kačaniklić, meanwhile, will now occupy the number 11 jersey â the traditional digits for a left-winger. Having broken into the Fulham First Team midway through the 2011/12 campaign, Kača has made no secret of his desire to nail down a First Team berth, and heâs seemingly on the right track having been awarded the shirt previously worn by Tosh Chamberlain, Luis Boa Morte and Zoltan Gera. Our new midfield enforcer Derek Boateng takes 23, a number first made famous at Craven Cottage by another box-to-box workaholic, Sean Davis. Since the local boy left Fulham in 2004, the shirt was worn almost solely by Clint Dempsey and has been vacant since his departure to Tottenham Hotspur a year ago. Adel Taarabt will take the number 19 shirt, the same jersey he wore when he made his debut in English football with Spurs, while Fernando Amorebieta adopts 35 to become the first centre-back to sport that number since Ian Pearce, who coincidentally also wore 19 during his time in SW6. Maarten Stekelenburg has worn the same number as Edwin van der Sar at Ajax and with the Netherlands, and he follows suit at Fulham, too, as he unsurprisingly will wear the No.1 shirt throughout the season. In the only other squad number changes, Marcello Trotta has dropped 10 digits to wear 29, while Chris David has moved from 32 to 30. Jack Grimmer, Muamer Tankovic, Buomesca Tue Na Bangna and Charles Banya have all retained the same numbers they were allocated last season. Full list of Fulham squad numbers: 1. Maarten Stekelenburg 3. John Arne Riise 4. Philippe Senderos 5. Brede Hangeland 7. Steve Sidwell 8. Pajtim Kasami 9. Dimitar Berbatov 10. Bryan Ruiz 11. Alexander Kačaniklić 13. David Stockdale 14. Giorgos Karagounis 15. Kieran Richardson 16. Damien Duff 17. Matthew Briggs 18. Aaron Hughes 19. Adel Taarabt 20. Hugo Rodallega 21. Kerim Frei 23. Derek Boateng 24. Ashkan Dejagah 27. Sascha Riether 29. Marcello Trotta 30. Chris David 35. Fernando Amorebieta 36. Buomesca Tue Na Bangna 38. Neil Etheridge 42. Charles Banya 43. Muamer Tankovic 44. Jack Grimmer
If that were the case, you'd worry about Reither and Amore too. It always seems odd to me that first team numbers are missing. No 2 or 6?
Riise says on Twitter....he keeps number 3...that's a good sign. However I hope we get rid. I think im asking too much.
it doesn't matter what number you give Ruiz... He is going to be as big a let down this season as he has the last 2.... Number 10 or not.
That's a bit unfair. Of course it matters what number you give him. If you give him the right number might end up somewhere else
Earlier though he was twittering on about wanting the No 6 - his old number at Liverpool. Happily the Club did not indulge him and are, hopefully, saving it for our new midfielder! Wonder if Trotta moved his number to accommodate Bent? "Darren Bent's exit from Aston Villa looks like it could be a step closer after the striker had his squad number switched from number nine to 39."
I doubt there's anything in Riise's number. If he goes, the number will be free for any new signing in his position. I think we've just got a bit more class than Villa, shutting players out in the cold and publically undermining them by taking low numbers away and replacing them with high ones.
Couldn't agree more - Alan Hutton has been ordered to train alone until he finds himself a move, for no other reason than because he's not part of Lambert's plans. That's a bit draconic!
Since he's gone to Villa, Lambert has struck me as having a problem with established big name players (erm, and Alan Hutton). He seems to favour young, hungry players or (looking back at his Norwich signings) players who are moving up to a higher division, both of which are less likely to challenge his authority and more likely to look up to him as the all-knowing manager. The fallout with Bent is the perfect example of this. Surprisingly for such a good manager, Lambert seems a little insecure in his relationships with senior pros.
Interesting squad numbers - someone needs to let the Club Shop online store know about these. Some of the options under the personalisation of new shirt are: 1 Schwarzer 2 Kelly 6 Baird 10 Petric 21 Frei 22 Somogyi 23 Dempsey 30 Dembele 32 Halliche It's £12 extra for any name and number, so I'm gonna get value for money and go for 30 Dembele!
