Lørdag aftens ubestridte hovedperson

Jeg stod op denne morgen med en dundrende hovedpine efter en lang nats udskejelser i Jomfru Ane Gade, men smilet var ikke blevet mindre efter en glimrende sejr over et amputeret Arsenal-hold lørdag aften.

Jeg havde inviteret et par venner over til en gang bold fra den bedste engelske række, og skulle som sædvanligt høre på en del venligt "mobberi" omkring mit tilhørsforhold til en af de mindre klubber i Premier League.

Men mobberiet forstummede hurtigt, da kampen gik i gang, og Fulham tog teten på Craven Cottage.

I forsvaret havde Toni Kallio afløst skurken fra sidste kamp, Paul Konchesky, der var røget helt ud af truppen, og det skulle Roy Hodgson heller ikke fortryde, da Kallio spillede en glimrende kamp.

Den indledende fase bød på et par halv-chancer til Bobby Zamora, men den store angriber havde ikke den fornødne skarphed med et halvsvagt lob i det 8. minut og en tabt duel til lille Gäel Clichy kort efter.

Signalet gik så pludseligt i sort på Kanal 5, og jeg måtte ty til andre metoder at følge kampen på de næste ti minutter.

Først i det 12. minut viste Arsenal tænder i kampen med et fladt skud forbi mål, signeret Emmanuel Adebayor, som endnu engang spillede pivringe oppe i Arsenals frontkæde.

Fulham fortsatte dog de fine takter, men kunne nemt være kommet bagud i det 18. minut, da Robin van Persie brændte på det skammeligste efter et godt gennembrud på højrekanten af Theo Walcott.

Bare et minut senere var det så Fulham, der kom foran, da Brede Hangeland, under en smule forvirring inde i feltet, kunne gøre det til 1-0 mellem venner og fjender efter et Jimmy Bullard hjørnespark.

Lyden var på dette tidspunkt forsvundet fra Kanal 5, og jeg var egentlig i tvivl om der overhovedet var mål! Men inde midt i menneskemængden, havde store Brede rigtigt nok fået netmaskerne til at blafre.

Få minutter senere kunne Mark Schwarzer ånde lettet op, da Adebayor, på oplæg af Bacary Sagna, ramte stolpen med et velplaceret hovedstød.

Angrebsivrige Fulham kørte videre i samme gear, og The Cottagers brugte hurtigt pasningsspil, et velkendt Arsenal-våben, til at køre rundt med de forvirrede Gunners-spillere.

Som afslutning på en god første halvleg, begik Kallio et lidt klodset frispark uden for feltet, men van Persie havde tydeligvis ikke skruet fødderne ordentligt på denne lørdag, da hans frispark røg håbløst langt op på tribunen.

Mon ikke Roy Hodgson kun havde roser i pausen, da Fulham klart spillede bedre end i sidste uges kamp mod Hull.

Arsenal kom ud fra pause-teen med en smule mere tro på tingene, men de små vævre Gunners-spillere havde svært ved at nedbryde et bomstærkt Fulham-forsvar med Brede Hangeland som en primær protagonist.

I det 60. minut brød en hårdtarbejdende Seol Ki-Hyeon igennem på venstrekanten, men hans fine flade indlæg blev ikke behandlet efter fortjeneste, da Zamoras ufarlige forsøg røg langt over mål.

Modstanderne fra Arsenal skulle tydeligvis have brugt mere tid på skudøvelser, da The Gunners havde større held i at få testet reklamebanderne end australske Schwarzer i Fulham-målet.

I det sidste kvarter skulle Fulham dog kæmpe hårdt for at holde Arsenal fra chancer, da The Gunners påbegyndte et stormløb mod Fulhams banehalvdel uden dog for alvor at blive farlige.

Dette gav naturligvis huller bagude, men Fulham formåede ikke at udnytte mulighederne, hvor især Clint Dempsey ødelagde en god kontrachance i en overtalssituation.

Men efter et nervepirrende sidste kvarter og uudholdelige fire minutters overtid, kunne Fulham fortjent strække armene i vejret efter en glimrende indsats, som var en klar forbedring fra fadæsen mod Hull.

Arsenal skal håbe, at Cesc, Rosicky, Diaby og Eduardo hurtigst muligt bliver klar til kamp, da det ikke virker til reserverne er oppe i helt samme gear.

I front havde Arsenal masser af skudforsøg, men hovedparten var ganske harmløse, og det virker slet ikke til, at Adebayor er i nærheden af kampformen, mens RVP også syntes at være en smule rusten.

Men for at fokusere på Fulham, var det en god kollektiv indsats, og Roy Hodgson virkede da også veltilfreds efter kampen, men den britiske træner havde da også et par punkter, som kunne forbedres:

"I thought we played well for 70 minutes but perhaps in the last 15 or 20 we were guilty of trying too hard to just cling on to the lead and moved away from the style.

"I can understand that. Perhaps we got tired because there was a lot of pressure, but we have to be realistic and say it is the consistency to play well for 90 minutes that we need.

"It is dangerous to invite teams - especially teams of this quality - on to you. But that's what we did in the end. The ball was in and around our penalty area far too much.

"I don't want this to sound too critical, though. I've seen the best defensive performance by us since I've been here - but I like best the Fulham that can compose itself quite well and pass the ball well.

"To be fair it's heartening that when our backs are against the wall we can produce the necessary fighting spirit."

Roy Hodgsons modpart, Arséne Wenger var forståeligt ikke helt så tilfreds, men var dog storsindet nok til at rose Fulham for en god indsats:

"We were not sharp enough in the first half, and our passing was certainly not as good as we expect it to be. I don't know why.

"You have to give credit to Fulham; they played very well and they started sharper than us.

"Of course it is a setback. But the result is there, and we have to make up for it by winning the next match. We have a big game on Wednesday in the Champions League and need to improve.

"We paid a big price for the mistake on their goal. We should be able to cope with a corner when it comes in at low level like that."

Så skal dette glimrende resultat følges op i næste uge mod Leicester City i Carling Cuppen, som formodentlig er den eneste chance for et trofæ i denne sæson.

Kampstatistik

 Kilde: Soccernet.com

Dommer: Martin Atkinson

Tilskuertal: 25.276 

Karakterer

(Karakterer følger den nye karakterskala) 

Fulham

Mark Schwarzer 7 - Gjorde sit arbejde til UG og var enevældig ude i feltet
Toni Kallio 7 (Udskiftet: 74. minut) - Solid kamp af den høje finne, der lukkede godt af i venstre side
John Paintsil 7 - En glimrende kamp defensivt og offensivt, men et par halvgrimme tacklinger tæller ned
Brede Hangeland 10 - Den norske mur tog fuldstændig brodden af Arsenals angrebsduo
Aaron Hughes 7 - Solid uden de helt store dikkedarer
Simon Davies 4 - Ikke en af Davies' bedste kampe
Zoltan Gera 7 - God defensiv indsats og knap så fremtrædende offensivt
Jimmy Bullard 10 - Var her, der og alle vegne; altid spilbar
Danny Murphy 7 (Udskiftet: 82. minut) - Lignede næsten en Danny Murphy i velmagtsdagene
Seol Ki-Hyeon 7 (Udskiftet: 77. minut) - Entutiastisk og hårdtarbejdende
Bobby Zamora 4 - Prøvede og prøvede, men kom ikke frem til det helt store

Bænk
David Stockdale IB
Chris Baird 7 (Indskiftet: 74. minut) - Overraskende solid i det defensive, hvor han gjorde sin pligt
Fredrik Stoor IB
Robert Milson IB
Andranik UB (Indskiftet: 82. minut) - Var tæt på at koste et mål og så meget ufit ud
Clint Dempsey 02 (Indskiftet: 77. minut) - Forholdsvis anonym og smed en kæmpe kontrachance væk
Erik Nevland IB

IB - Ikke benyttet
UB - Uden for bedømmelse

Arsenal

Manuel Almunia
Gaël Clichy
Bacary Sagna
Kolo Toure (Udskiftet: 77. minut)
William Gallas
Theo Walcott (Udskiftet: 65. minut)
Samir Nasri
Denilson
Emmanuel Eboue
Emmanuel Adebayor
Robin van Persie

Bænk
Lukasz Fabianski
Alexandre Song (Indskiftet: 77. minut)
Johan Djourou
Kieran Gibbs
Jack Wilshire
Aaron Ramsey
Nicklas Bendtner (Indskiftet: 65. minut)

Let's have a look at Saturday's matches in slightly less detail:

Stoke City 3-2 Aston Villa

Villa came crashing back to earth after demolishing Man Shitty last week, conceding an injury time goal to lose to their first away game of the season. In contrast, this game saw two milestones for Stoke as they won their first ever game in the Big League, and apparently fielded eleven players all called Faye.  Rory Delap Faye was in the middle of things, being fouled by Martin Laursen at the thirty-fourth attempt to win a penalty which was converted by Liam Lawrence Faye. John Carew scored a fine equalizer after good work from internet onanist Ashley Young, before Ricardo Fuller Faye surprised everyone by showing a touch of the Denis Bergkamps in flicking the ball round a stationary Villa defender to collect it on the other side and fire a low shot past Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel - after Tugay, possibly the world's second oldest man. Martin Laursen continued his fine goalscoring record, walking past a Stoke City defence that were wandering about like a collection of zombie extras in a George A. Romero film to tap the ball in from about three inches out. Rory Delap Faye's long throws continually troubled a Villa defence that always seemed to be worried about when Gareth Barry would next give the ball away, and it was no surprise when Mamady Sidibe Faye couldn't get his back out of the way of another long throw and it bounced off him and past Freidel's mobility scooter to score the winner.

Fulham 1-0 Arsenal

Little Britain star Matt Lucas was in the crowd for this one, and just like his TV shows there was nothing funny about Arsenal's poor performance. Surprise new signing Mikael Silvestre was not playing but his influence certainly extended to the pitch, as the Gooners looked as sloppy and uncoordinated as a walrus wearing boxing gloves trying to drink a milkshake on a rollercoaster -  Man Utd fans know exactly what I mean. Hair Bear Bullard notched his second assist in as many games, whilst Silky Oon gave such a terrific performance that he even inspired Bobby Zamora to play like an actual footballer. Unfeasibly named centre-back Brede Paulsen Hangeland crept in at a set-piece to stab home the only goal, which took a colossal effort on Arsenal's part not to notice him as Hangeland is about thirteen feet tall. Adebayor continued the season as he started it, playing like he had bovine spongiform encephalopathy and being unable to hit a grain silo with sitar.

Liverpool 2-1 Middlesbrough

Rafa Benitez surprised the Anfield crowd by selecting Dirk Kuyt instead of a footballer, whilst Boro surprised the Anfield crowd by looking much more like the home team for long periods. The Teeside club has handed a massive vote of confidence to Egyptian burger-lover Ahmed Mido by changing their away strip to Inter Milan-like stripes in an attempt to make him look thinner, and this seemed to inspire him enough to score a goal he actually meant this week with a terrific turn and shot. You'd think that the Liverpool defence would actually look less sluggish with Sami Hoopya not playing, but that certainly wasn't the case as Boro looked dangerous up front the whole game. Jamie Carragher sent the unemployed masses in the stands into raptures with a deflected shot in the 86th minute, his fifth goal in five hundred games for the club and a strike rate that both Kuyt and Andriy Voronin would be proud of.  Minutes later the crowd all had to calm down when hubcap-stealer-in-chief Steven Gerrard lashed home a satisfyingly route-one winner deep into stoppage time. Gerrard looked slightly more effective than he did on Wednesday against the Czechs, but frankly that's only the same as saying you'd sooner sleep wth Michelle McManus than Rik Waller.

Spurs 1-2 Sunderland

Whilst it might have worked for Mido, no amount of stripes is going to make Sunderland midfield wildebeest Andy Reid look any less gigantic. That didn't seem to trouble the Wearsiders as they brushed aside a sloppy and unfocused Spurs team. Kieran Richardson scored a terrific opener, smashing a shot past that rarest of objects - a Brazillian international footballer that no-one's ever heard of - with his weaker foot. Gareth Bale showed what an astute judge of players Sir Alex is by missing a host of sitters - thank the Lord United didn't sign him - whilst upfront Darren "broken, not just" Bent toiled unsuccessfully like - well, like Darren Bent. Aaron Lennon wafted a succession of trademark "pinpoint" crosses thirty feet over the heads of his team-mates whilst the poor man's Steven Gerrard, Jermaine Jenas, did whatever it is he does on a Saturday afternoon and still manages to get paid for in scoring the equalizer. Sunderland knew that as long as the Spurs team remained on the pitch a winner wouldn't be long in coming, and sure enough debutant substitute Lord Frodsham couldn't get out of the way of a Darryl Murphy cross and the ball hit his head to register the winner. It was notable that Dimitar Berbatov wasn't even on the bench for this game, leaving Spurs with no recognised strikers and only Darren Bent to pretend he's one. One has to go back the heady days of Bontcho Guentchev for a Bulgarian striker to go missing like this - he regularly did it on the pitch whilst playing for Ipswich. The other noteworthy news is that Diouf now hasn't been booked in two games.

West Brom 1-2 Everton

At the Hawthorns the Boing Boing Baggies Baggies were unlucky to go down to a second straight defeat to an Everton side who weren't particularly good. Worringly for Boing Boing boss Tony Mowbray observers keep saying how unlucky they are to be beaten when they've played so well - if their confidence and form goes, they could be on the wrong end of some proper tonkings. Even more worrying is the current premier league trend for away strips that look like highlighter pens - Wigan last week, Everton this week, Chelsea have one too - but then it's not like anyone expects Chelsea to have any style. By contrast West Brom's strip is very retro - they haven't whored out the space covering their man-boobs to an evil giant corporation like everyone else, so kudos to them. By the way, they're having a car boot sale next week to raise funds for three new players, and all are welcome (it'll be in the church hall if it's raining). Yakubu had a hand in both goals, allowing a defender to disposess him easily only for the defender to give the ball away to Mikel Arteta who crossed for Leon Osman to score. Yakubu then scored his hundredth goal in English football by running in a straight line and bouncing the ball off his head. Roman Bednar scored a penalty consolation after Everton skipper Phil Neville matched his twin sister's skills with the ball in hand - unfortunately he was in his own penalty area at the time, and not playing goal attack like Tracey has for the England netball team at two commonwealth games. By the way, did you know that Gary, Phil and Tracey's dad is called Neville Neville?

Newcastle 1-0 Bolton

Empty seats galore at St. James' Park as 4767 fans came to their senses and didn't bother turning up for this borefest between long-ball merchants Bolton and "big club" Newcastle - that's despite Mike Ashley giving away pre-game free drinks and tickets being available on the day for cash. Seriously, it's bad enough having to watch Newcastle at any time, but if the oppostition is the Ginger Mourinho's route-one specialists, even that grouting starts to look attractive. The game was notable only for the aforementioned Nolan's ineptitude, and little Michael Owen showing Gareth Bale how to score a headed goal from three feet out. Owen came on as substitute for his first appearance ofthe season, replacing Ola Bambi Martins who entered the record books for being the first player in premier league history to be substituted because of boredom.

Blackburn 1-0 Hull City

Hull City continued their impressive pig-headedness by refusing to change their hideous strip. Moreover, they refused to change their unbeaten start by coming from behind to gain a point at Ewood Park and are now a point above Arsenal in the table - oh that we could say that come next May! Jason Roberts scored the opener, being unable to miss despite being Jason Roberts, whilst some Australian called Garcia scored for comeback kings Hull just 90 seconds later. What's up, not good enough to play cricket?

The final installment and, as it's a Friday, its about football. I live in Putney and became a season ticket holder to Craven Cottage last year and, despite Fulham's Premiership survival going to the wire, it's great.

With a host of summer signings being made By Roy Hodgson, particularly Andy Johnson, Mark Schwarzer and Bobby Zamora, complementing the likes of Jimmy Bullard, I can't wait for the new season to begin.

I get my Fulham fix everyday with Craven Cottage Newsround - an excellent blog that is updated regularly with the latest news, stats and general musings of being a Fulham supporter. Have a good weekend everyone.

Read the blog here.

Premier League ins and outs

Courtesy BBC

Ins: Aaron Ramsey (Cardiff, £5m), Samir Nasri (Marseille, undisclosed), Amaury Bischoff (Werder Bremen, undisclosed).

Outs: Gilberto Silva (Panathinaikos, £1m), Alexander Hleb (Barcelona, £11.8m), Jens Lehmann (Stuttgart, free), Mathieu Flamini (AC Milan, free), Kerrea Gilbert (Leicester, loan).

Ins: Steve Sidwell (Chelsea, £5m), Curtis Davies (West Brom, undisclosed), Brad Friedel (Blackburn, £2m).

Outs: Thomas Sorensen (released), Patrik Berger (Sparta Prague, free), Luke Moore (West Brom, £3m).

Ins: Robbie Fowler (Cardiff, free), Paul Robinson (Tottenham, £3.5m), Carlos Villanueva (Audax Italiano, loan), Danny Simpson (Manchester United, loan).

Outs: Stephane Henchoz (released), Bruno Berner (released), Peter Enckelman (Cardiff, free), Brad Friedel (Aston Villa, £2m), David Bentley (Tottenham, £15m).

Ins: Johan Elmander (Toulouse, £10m), Fabrice Muamba (Birmingham, £5m), Mustapha Riga (Levante, undisclosed).

Outs: Daniel Braaten (Toulouse, undisclosed), Andranik Teymourian (Fulham, free), Stelios Giannakopoulos (released), Ivan Campo (released), El Hadji Diouf (Sunderland, £2.5m).

Ins: Jose Bosingwa (FC Porto, £16.2m), Deco (Barcelona, £8m).

Outs: Steve Sidwell (Aston Villa, £5m), Ben Sahar (Portsmouth, loan), Ryan Bertrand (Norwich, loan), Slobodan Rajkovic (FC Twente, loan), Claude Makelele (Paris St Germain, free), Khalid Boulahrouz (Stuttgart, £4m), Tal Ben Haim (Manchester City, undisclosed), Shaun Cummings (MK Dons, loan).

Ins: None.

Outs: Lee Carsley (Birmingham City, free), Stefan Wessels (VfL Osnabruck, free).

Ins: John Pantsil and Bobby Zamora (West Ham, £6.3m), Tony Kallio (Young Boys Bern, undisclosed), Andranik Teymourian (Bolton, free), Zoltan Gera (West Brom, free), David Stockdale (Darlington, undisclosed), Mark Schwarzer (Middlesbrough, free), Fredrik Stoor (Rosenborg, undisclosed).

Outs: Dejan Stefanovic (Norwich, undisclosed), Nathan Ashton (Wycombe, nominal fee), Elliot Omozusi (Norwich, loan), Ricardo Batista (Sporting, undisclosed), Tony Warner (Hull City, free), Carlos Bocanegra (Stade Rennais, free), Brian McBride (Toronto, free), Philippe Christanval, Jari Litmanen, Simon Elliott, Kasey Keller (all released).

Ins: Peter Halmosi (Plymouth, £2m), George Boateng (Middlesbrough, £1m), Tony Warner (Fulham, free), Bernard Mendy (Paris St Germain, free), Geovanni (Manchester City, free), Craig Fagan (Derby, £750,000), Anthony Gardner (Tottenham, loan).

Outs: Michael Bridges (Carlisle, loan), Henrik Pedersen (Silkeborg IF, free), David Livermore (Brighton, free).

Ins: David Ngog (Paris St Germain, undisclosed), Emmanuel Mendy (Murcia Deportivo, free), Diego Cavalieri (Palmeiras, undisclosed), Andrea Dossena (Udinese, undisclosed), Philipp Degen (Borussia Dortmund, free), Robbie Keane (Tottenham, £20.3m).

Outs: Jack Hobbs (Leicester, loan), Godwin Antwi (Tranmere, loan), Adam Hammill (Blackpool, loan), Scott Carson (West Brom, £3.25m), Peter Crouch (Portsmouth, £11m), Harry Kewell (Galatasaray, free), Paul Anderson (Nottingham Forest, loan), Anthony le Tallec (Le Mans, undisclosed), John Arne Riise (Roma, £4m), Besian Idrizaj (Wacker Tirol, free), Danny Guthrie (Newcastle, undisclosed), Robbie Threlfall (Hereford, loan).

Ins: Jo (CSKA Moscow, £18m), Tal Ben Haim (Chelsea, undisclosed).

Outs: Georgios Samaras (Celtic, undisclosed), Andreas Isaksson (PSV Eindhoven, undisclosed), Geovanni (Hull, free), Emile Mpenza and Paul Dickov (both released), Sun Jihai (Sheffield United, free), Matthew Mills (Doncaster, £300,000).

Ins: None.

Outs: Adam Eckersley (AC Horsens, free), Gerard Pique (Barcelona, £5m), Tom Heaton (Cardiff City, loan), Chris Eagles (Burnley, £1m), Danny Simpson (Blackburn, loan)

Ins: Didier Digard (Paris St Germain, £4m), Marvin Emnes (Sparta Rotterdam, £3.2m).

Outs: George Boateng (Hull City, £1m), Fabio Rochemback (Sporting, free), Lee Dong-Gook (released), Mark Schwarzer (Fulham, free), Steve Thompson (Port Vale, free), Lee Cattermole (Wigan, £3.5m).

Ins: Danny Guthrie (Liverpool, undisclosed), Jonas Gutierrez (Real Mallorca, undisclosed).

Outs: Emre (Fenerbahce, undisclosed), David Rozehnal (Lazio, £2.9m), Peter Ramage (QPR, free).

Ins: Peter Crouch (Liverpool, £11m), Ben Sahar (Chelsea, loan), Glen Little (Reading, free), Omar Alieu Koroma (Banjul Hawks, undisclosed).

Outs: Sulley Muntari (Inter Milan, £12.7m), Omar Alieu Koroma (Norwich, loan).

Ins: Seyi George Olofinjana (Wolves, £3m), Dave Kitson (Reading, £5.5m).

Outs: Marlon Broomes (Blackpool, free).

Ins: Pascal Chimbonda (Tottenham, undisclosed), David Meyler (Cork City, undisclosed), Nick Colgan (Ipswich, free), Teemu Tainio (Tottenham, undisclosed), El Hadji Diouf (Bolton, £2.5m), Steed Malbranque (Tottenham, undisclosed).

Outs: Andrew Cole (Nottingham Forest, free), Greg Halford (Sheffield United, loan), Ian Harte and Stephen Wright (both released), Ross Wallace (Preston, loan).

Ins: John Bostock (Crystal Palace, £700,000), Heurelho Gomes (PSV Eindhoven, undisclosed), Luka Modric (£15.8m), Giovani dos Santos (Barcelona, £4.7m), David Bentley (Blackburn, £15m).

Outs: Pascal Chimbonda (Sunderland, undisclosed), Paul Robinson (Blackburn, £3.5m), Teemu Tainio (Sunderland, undisclosed), Joe Martin (Blackpool, undisclosed), Robbie Keane (Liverpool, £20.3m). Anthony Gardner (Hull City, loan), Steed Malbranque (Sunderland, undisclosed), Jake Livermore (Crewe, loan).

Ins: Scott Carson (Liverpool, £3.25m), Marek Cech (FC Porto, £1.4m), Gianni Zuiverloon (Heerenveen, £3.2m), Luke Moore (Aston Villa, £3m).

Outs: Kevin Phillips (Birmingham, free), Curtis Davies (Aston Villa, undisclosed), Martin Albrechtsen (Derby County, free), Zoltan Gera (Fulham, free), Luke Daniels (Shrewsbury, loan).

Ins: Valon Behrami (Lazio, £5m), Balint Bajner (Liberty Salonta, undisclosed), Jan Lastuvka (Shakhtar Donetsk, loan).

Outs: John Pantsil and Bobby Zamora (Fulham, £6.3m), Richard Wright (Ipswich, undisclosed).

Ins: Amr Zaki (Zamalek, loan), Olivier Kapo (Birmingham, £3.5m), Daniel de Ridder (Birmingham, free), Lee Cattermole (Middlesbrough, £3.5m).

Outs: Andreas Granqvist (Groningen, £600,000), Julius Aghahowa (Kayserispor, undisclosed), Salomon Olembe (Kayserispor, free), Josip Skoko (Hajduk Split, free), David Cotterill (Sheffield United, undisclosed).

Craven Cottage havde besøg af hele 16.000 tilskuere denne lørdag, hvoraf størstedelen var larmende Celtic-fans, så stemningen var i top.

Roy Hodgson startede med flere af de nye spillere på banen, og han havde knapt sat sig, før Erik Nevland gav Fulham en tidlig føring allerede efter to minutter.

Celtic pressede derefter på for en udligning, men unge David Stockdale stod en glimrende kamp i Fulham målet.

Netop da man skulle tro, at Celtic ville udligne, slog nyindkøbte Bobby Zamora til med en fremragende helflugter fra kanten af feltet. En drømmedebut for den engelske angriber.

Lige før pausen kom reduceringen så, da Barry Robson sendte et frispark ind bag den velspillende Stockdale, hvorefter de to mandskaber gik til pause.

Anden halvleg blev en lidt usammenhængende kop te med mange indskiftninger fra begge hold, men Fulham kom alligevel på tavlen ved danske Leon Andreasen, der scorede et glimrende mål fra distancen.

Ganske lovende for den nye sæson, selvom det "kun" var en venskabskamp og at når man kiggede på Celtics trup, var det ikke just de store navne, der sprang en i øjnene.

Af andre positive ting kan nævnes, at Roy Hodgson efter kampen udtalte, at han i øjeblikket kigger efter en angriber, en defensiv midtbane og en central forsvarsspiller, så vi kan se frem til flere nye navne til den kommende sæson. Vi venter med spænding!

FulhamDavid Stockdale, Paul Konchesky, John Pantsil, Brede Hangeland, Andranik, Erik Nevland, Zoltan Gera, Aaron Hughes (C), Jimmy Bullard, Simon Davies, Bobby Zamora

Bænk: Neil Etheridge (GK), Moritz Volz, Seol Ki-Hyeon, David Healy, Danny Murphy, Eddie Johnson, Lee Cook, Clint Dempsey, Leon Andreasen, Toni Kallio

Celtic

Mark Brown, Andreas Hinkel, Lee Naylor, Stephen McManus (C), Gary Caldwell, Scott MacDonald, Scott Brown, Massimo Donati, Barrry Robson, Chris Killen, Aiden McGeady

Bænk: Scott Fox (GK), Bobo Balde, Georgios Samaras, Paul Hartley, Mark Wilso, Shinsuke Nakamura, Cillian Sheridan, Koki Mizuno Darren O'Dea, Paul Caddis, Paul McGowan

HIGHLIGHTS: http://en.sevenload.com/videos/HkV8wOx-Pre-Season-Friendly-Fulham-vs-Celtic-19th-of-July-2008-SSN-Highlights

John Paintsil - Ny mand på højreback

Rygterne om, at John Paintsil og Bobby Zamora skulle være på vej til Fulham, viste sig at være sande, da de for et par dage siden rykkede fra det østlige til det vestlige London. Lejrene på begge sider er delte omkring klubskifterne, og jeg er også splittet i to sind, må jeg indrømme...

På den ene side er det udmærket at få en høj habil targetman og en solid højreback, men på den anden side havde de ikke den store succes i sidste sæson, og så er fem millioner pund for Bobby Zamora mindst to millioner for meget...!

Argumentation følger:

Først og fremmest var Zamora reserve i West Ham, og burde egentlig ikke være fem millioner værd grundet hans manglende spilletid... For det andet er hans spillemæssige kvaliteter ikke fem millioner værd, da han ikke er andet end en middelmådig angriber set med Premier League øjne (Hvilket jeg selvfølgelig håber, at han modbeviser...).. Og for det tredje... Øhmmm... er han ikke noget boost for den kommercielle afdeling af organisationen...! (Okay, dårligt argument, men der skulle jo komme et tredje...)

Hvis priserne virkelig er så høje på reserver, burde Alexei Smertin næsten blive solgt for 3 millioner pund en af dagene til Wigan...

Paintsil kan til gengæld vise sig at være alle 1,3 millioner pund værd, da hans fremadrettede kvaliteter er en ekstra trussel på højrekanten udover Simon Davies' farlige raids... Paintsils defensive forcer er solide, så jeg ser ingen problemer i den stærke ghanesiske landsholdsspillers check-in på The Cottage.

Jeg håber naturligvis, at Bobby Zamora viser sig at være alle pengene værd, men jeg kan ikke undgå at få flashback til sidste sommer, hvor en vis Kamara ankom til Fulham med et prisskilt på seks millioner pund...

Som en lille fodnote blev Tony Warner skibbet afsted til nyoprykkerne fra Hull... Held og lykke til Tony-boy, og lad os håbe på et par drops i den indledende runde mod de hvide, hvis han formår at slå Boaz Myhill af holdet... Han er jo trods alt god for et par målmandsfejl i løbet af en spillerunde...

Bobby Zamora - Profil

Nationalitet: Engelsk / Trinidad & Tobago

Født: 16. januar 1981 i London, England

Højde: 185 cm

Position: Angriber

Tidligere Klubber:

Bristol Rovers (4 kampe/0 mål)
Bath City (Lån - 6 kampe/8 mål)
Brighton & Hove Albion (125 kampe/76 mål)
Tottenham Hotspurs (16 kampe/0 mål)
West Ham (130 kampe/30 mål)

England U21 (6 kampe/0 mål)

John Paintsil - Profil

Nationalitet: Ghanesisk

Født: 15. juni, 1981 i Berekum, Ghana

Højde: 178 cm

Position: Højreback

Tidligere Klubber:

Berekum Arsenal
Liberty Professionals
Widzew Lodz
Maccabi Tel Aviv (46 kampe/ 0 mål)
Hapoel Tel Aviv (42 kampe/3 mål)
West Ham (19 kampe/ 0 mål)

Bobby Zamora had been at West Ham since 2004 but only played 14 games last season.

Zamoras pris på 6,5 millioner pund skulle ikke have afskrækket Fulhams pengemænd, selvom jeg dog forbeholder mig retten til at være en smule skeptisk... 6,5 millioner pund for en mand, der var skadet halvdelen af sidste sæson, og som kun scorede et mål i 14 kampe.....

Til Zamoras forsvar skal det dog siges, at han ikke fik den store tillid af Alan Curbishley i de 14 kampe, hvoraf de fleste var indskiftninger... Zamoras spillemæssige kvaliteter er dog også udmærkede.. Han er ganske habil i hovedspillet og overraskende god med fødderne, mens hans højde ikke påvirker hans hurtighed. Men jeg ville da være mere positivt stemt, hvis prisen var omkring det halve, da det virker mere hensigtsmæssigt i forhold til Zamoras position som reserve i West Ham...

Jeg er dog ikke sikker på om ghanesiske John Paintsil er med i prisen, for så forholder det sig jo en smule anderledes, selvom Paintsil ikke har imponeret hos The Hammers. Paintsil har gjort mest opmærksom på sig selv ved at protestere mod stavningen af hans navn på West Hams trøjer (Pantsil i stedet for Paintsil, da det stod i ghaneserens officielle rejsedokumenter!!)..

Han imponerede dog for Ghana ved VM 2006, hvilket gjorde, at han skiftede til West Ham kort efter, så hvis han kan finde VM-formen igen, ligner det da et udmærket køb. Paintsil opererer mest på højrebacken, hvor vi måske også er ved at få Fredrik Stoor... Kan dog ikke lige se pointen i at bruge transferpengene på to højrebacks...

Vi bliver klogere i løbet af et par dage..

Bobby Zamora var også på vej fra London rivalerne West Ham sidste sommer, og igen er vi nævnt som en mulig ny arbejdsgiver efter han er blevet bedt om at finde en ny klub... Efter legendariske McBrides exit mangler vi en targetman, og Zamora kunne være en mulig afløser. I West Hams comeback sæson til Premier League var han topscorer i klubben, men siden da er det gået ned af bakke for den høje englænder. Om han er svaret er svært at sige, men til en fornuftig pris vil jeg da påstå, at han er et udmærket køb. Alt over 2 millioner pund er dog rent landevejsrøveri...

Den 26-årige østrigske hitman Ronald Linz er en anden angriber på Roy Hodgsons velfungerende radar. Efter to mål mod mægtige Malta! i sidste uge, har han fanget engelske klubbers opmærksomhed (Mon ikke de var opmærksomme inden da!). M'boro og West Ham har også tentaklerne ude efter den østrigske landsholdsspiller, så det kan måske blive lidt af en udfordring at lokke ham til de hvide i det sydvestlige London. Hvis han imponerer i det forestående EM, kan Linz koste helt op til 5 millioner pund, hvilket måske også er i overkanten.. Men spændende bliver han at følge på den helt store scene.

At elegantieren Zoltan Gera skulle være på vej, er måske det mest hårdnakkede rygte... Allerede i går rapporterede flere medier, at han allerede var i London for at skrive under med The Cottagers, men det skete dog ikke... Det forlyder, at Gera har afvist flere Premier League rivaler for at skifte til Fulham (deriblandt den sovende gigant Newcastle og de blå fra Everton), hvilket jo er ganske fornøjeligt, da han er transferfri. West Brom fans undrer sig over Geras valg, da de mener, at Fulham formodentlig vil være blandt West Broms rivaler i bunden næste sæson, men de får sig en overraskelse, når FFC ender i top 13:p 

If I may be so bold Sir Glenn, I highlighted some potential striker signings for you a couple of weeks ago, so you might want to read this.

PS. The main switchboard number at Wolves is 0871 880 8442.

Bobby Zamora (West Ham United).

What's the story? The former City trainee has missed most of the season with a serious ankle injury, and is only now making a return to first-team duties at Upton Park.

Zamora shot to fame at Brighton and Hove Albion where his impressive goalscoring record of 76 goals in just 125 games persuaded then Spurs boss Glenn Hoddle to fork out £1.5m for his services in the summer of 2003. The following January he joined the club he supported as a boy as part of the deal that saw Jermain Defoe move to White Hart Lane.

27 year-old Zamora has scored a total of 113 career goals in 271 games - a ratio of 2.4 games per goal.

How much would he cost? Weekend reports linked Birmingham City with a £4m move for the man rejected by the Canaries as a youngster. So that seems to be the going rate.

Verdict: If that £4m figure is about right there's a snowball's chance in hell that Zamora will make his way to Norfolk - and that's even before trying to convince him that his immediate future lies outside the Premier League. Unlikely then.

Shola Ameobi (Newcastle United).

What's the story? The 26 year-old Nigerian-born striker has been continually linked with a loan move to Carrow Road this season, and has hardly played for Kevin Keegan's struggling Toon Army.

Ameobi has been at the club since the age of 13 when he was spotted playing for his local youth side, and made his debut for the Magpies in September 2000 against Chelsea at St James Park.

He has scored 28 career goals in 168 games - a disappointing ratio of 6 games per goal, although many of those appearances have come from the substitute's bench.

How much would he cost? A difficult one to forecast as Premier League strikers seem to be going for ridiculous money these days. I would think somewhere around the £2.5m mark would be reasonable but it could easily be anywhere between £1.5-£3.5m.

Verdict: Ameobi could be lethal at Championship level, and I can see him as a potential replacement for Dion Dublin. If the transfer fee itself wasn't a problem, his wages probably would be. Has anyone seen his house on MTV Cribs? It's massive.

Freddy Eastwood (Wolverhampton Wanderers).

What's the story? The former Southend United star was linked with a move to Norwich before joining Wolves, but for some reason has failed to establish himself in Mick McCarthy's side.

The Welshman has 6 caps and scored 24 goals for the Shrimpers in the Championship a couple of seasons ago. He has scored a total of 84 career goals in 178 games which a ratio of 2.1 games per goal - although that does include his time at non-league Grays Athletic.

Eastwood is famously a member of the Romani community and was often seen exercising his horse on the A127 in Essex on the morning of a match day when playing for Southend.

The 24 year-old Welsh international got off to a blistering start at Molineux, picking up the Player of the Month award for August, but since then has fallen behind Andy Keogh, Jay Bothroyd, Kevin Kyle and Sylvan Ebanks-Blake in the pecking order.

How much would he cost? I reckon a bid of around £2m would get the attention of McCarthy for a player signed for £1.5m last summer.

Verdict: I see Eastwood as the perfect long-term replacement for Jamie Cureton, but could the two play in the same side? I don't see any reason why not.

Martin Paterson (Scunthorpe United).

What's the story? Paterson started his career at Stoke City, and after a successful loan spell at Grimsby Town was signed by Scunthorpe last summer to replace Billy Sharp.

The Canaries reportedly had an £850k bid for 20 year-old Paterson rejected in January, prompting their Chairman to say that it would take a bid of "£5m" to prize-away his main asset.

In November, Northern Ireland manager Nigel Worthington included Paterson in his squad for the friendly matches against Denmark and Spain.

Paterson has scored 12 goals for Scunthorpe this season and a total 19 career goals in 63 games - a ratio of 3.3 games per goal.

How much would he cost? Somehow I don't think it would take that £5m to nab Paterson - especially if the Iron are relegated to League One. Somewhere around £1.5m should do it.

Verdict: He has proven his worth at Championship level, and could be another replacement for Cureton.

And the best of the rest:

Izale McLeod (Charlton Athletic). Another linked with a move to Norwich this season, McLeod has struggled to settle at the Valley and could be a cheaper alternative at around £1m.

Shefki Kuqi (Crystal Palace). The former Ipswich man has been transfer listed for allegedly making naughty gestures at his own supporters when he was substituted against Wolves recently. I suspect he could be picked up for less than £1m - but would supporters be able to forgive and forget his Tractor Boy past?

Ched Evans (Manchester City). The general consensus of opinion is that The Ched will be heading back to Eastlands at the end of the season. Sven Goran Eriksson has some pretty impressive strikers already in his locker though - and you can bet your bottom dollar he'll be adding to them over the summer, so why not go back in for Ched? I've no idea how much he would cost, but it's got to be worth the question hasn't it?

So there you have it Glenn, I hope that helps. For what it's worth I'd try and get Freddy Eastwood and Ched Evans, but if it wasn't obvious before it seems fairly certain now that a big, big investment is going to be needed over the summer to fill the many vacancies left in the City squad.

Chairman Roger Munby has come out this week and promised to back Roeder in the market this summer, so it's bound to be an exciting time.

And we'll be getting a new kit. I'm looking forward to the summer already.

Until next week...

OTBC

City boss and future knight of the realm Glenn Roeder has made it clear that a proven goalscorer is right at the top of his list of priorities when he begins his summer restructure at the club.

Always one to try and help out where possible, in this week's Guru's Goat column for the Vital Norwich site I've put together a bit of a shortlist of potential targets for him to work through with Messrs Smith, Jones, Turner and Doncaster.

You can read it here...