Aussie teenager Williams joins Fulham

Updated February 01, 2012 11:26:36

Australian teenager Ryan Williams has joined English Premier League club Fulham on the final day of the transfer window, as Middlesbrough rejected a $8.96 million offer from Bolton for his older brother Rhys.

The younger Williams will link up with Socceroos star Mark Schwarzer at the London club after completing his move from Portsmouth on a two-and-a-half year deal.

The 18-year-old winger has made six appearances off the bench for the cash-strapped club this season and was transferred for an undisclosed fee, although reports earlier put it at around the $74,700 mark.

Meanwhile EPL battlers Bolton made another bid for the services of Socceroos defender Rhys Williams, who is currently playing a key role in Championship side Middlesbrough's push for promotion.

Bolton is in serious danger of being relegated and the elder Williams is expected to push for a transfer during the northern summer if Middlesbrough fail to make the EPL next season.

Meanwhile Ryan Williams said joining Fulham was a "big step forward".

"It's been a long few days actually, finding out whether or not I was going to be signing," he said.

"But I've signed a two-and-a-half-year deal here so I'm really happy to be part of the club, it's a good club.

"It's such a big move coming to a Premiership club.

"It's just really for my footballing education and playing more games, playing for the reserves and stuff like that."

AAP

Tags: english-premier, soccer, sport, united-kingdom, australia, england

First posted February 01, 2012 10:54:12

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Schwarzer to stay at Fulham until 2013

Updated January 19, 2012 07:49:40

Australia international Mark Schwarzer has signed a one-year extension to his Fulham contract which will keep him at the club until 2013, it was confirmed Thursday morning.

The 39-year-old goalkeeper, widely regarded as one of the most reliable shot stoppers in the Premier League, joined the Cottagers on a free transfer in 2008 following a long stint with Middlesbrough.

Schwarzer said he hoped to prolong his club career at least until the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

"I love playing and want to continue for as long as possible as long as the performances are there," he said.

"I like to set myself targets and the 2014 World Cup is my goal without a doubt.

"I'm enjoying my football as much as ever and I try to maximise every opportunity I get. The saying I use is 'I'll be a long time retired', so I want to do the best job I can.

"There's plenty of time to feel tired when you're retired - now is the time to enjoy it."

Schwarzer, who is currently injured, said he had taken inspiration from Tottenham goalkeeper Brad Friedel, the 40-year-old US international earning plaudits for his performances at Spurs.

"I look at Brad Friedel and he's older than me so I'll keep going as long as he's going!" he told Fulham's official website.

"He said to me he's going to play for at least another two seasons so I've got at least that."

AFP

Tags: english-premier, soccer, sport, england

First posted January 19, 2012 07:49:40

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Zamora sinks Arsenal as Fulham fight back

Updated January 03, 2012 08:50:40

Bobby Zamora struck an injury-time winner as Fulham stunned 10-man Arsenal 2-1 to derail the Gunners' recent Premier League resurgence on Tuesday morning.

Zamora swept home the winning goal in the third minute of stoppage time at Craven Cottage after Steve Sidwell had struck an 85th-minute equaliser to cancel out Laurent Koscielny's 21st minute opener.

Arsenal paid the price for failing to capitalise on a dominant first half when it carved out a series of clear chances only to be denied by some superb keeping from David Stockdale.

Fulham's grandstand finish came after Johan Djourou was sent off for a second bookable offence 12 minutes from time, a red card which encouraged the Cottagers to swarm forward in pursuit of an equaliser.

Furious Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger blamed his team's profligacy and refereeing decisions for the defeat.

"We missed many chances and had some bad decisions from the referee today. The two together made the difference," Wenger said, decrying Djourou's dismissal as a "joke."

"I felt the referee got it all wrong," he said. "It's very difficult to swallow because I don't think we deserved to lose today."

The defeat was only Arsenal's second reverse in 13 games and saw Wenger's men drop down to fifth after Chelsea scored a dramatic late win at Wolves, Frank Lampard striking an 89th-minute winner in a 2-1 win.

A feisty encounter saw Chelsea take the lead through Ramires on 54 minutes, and Chelsea's players celebrated by racing over to embrace under-fire boss Andre Villas-Boas in a show of support for the Portuguese manager.

However Wolves looked to have grabbed a share of the points when Stephen Ward struck six minutes from time only for Lampard to rescue Chelsea at the death.

"It's a massive win. Everyone knows we are having a tough time but the determination shone through and I think we deserved it," Lampard said.

"The character showed as we battled through to the end and that is what the players are all about."

Villas-Boas meanwhile refused to single out Lampard for praise.

"The players were magnificent today, no matter who scores," Villas-Boas said. "It's a good solid team win."

Elsewhere, Blackburn was brought down to earth following its away win over Manchester United at the weekend after suffering a 2-1 defeat to Stoke at Ewood Park, Peter Crouch scoring twice for the visitors.

Blackburn looked to have got off to a dream start only for Christopher Samba's early effort to be ruled offside.

Stoke then went ahead with Crouch netting his 100th league goal from close range after Blackburn failed to deal with Dean Whitehead's chip forward.

Crouch then doubled Stoke's lead with his second of the match on 45 minutes to leave Rovers staring at their eighth home defeat of the season.

David Goodwillie scrambled one back in the 69th minute to give Rovers hope but the home side was unable to find an equaliser.

Aston Villa's feelgood factor from its win at Chelsea was also shattered, with newly promoted Swansea scoring a 2-0 win at Villa Park.

Swansea went ahead after only four minutes, Nathan Dyer punishing some slack defending from Stephen Warnock to dart forward and finish past Brad Guzan.

Former Villa old boy Wayne Routledge then doubled Swansea's lead two minutes after the restart, punishing a poor clearance from Guzan after Danny Graham's shot crashed back off the post.

QPR captain Joey Barton was hero and villain at Loftus Road as Rangers crashed to a 2-1 loss to Norwich, a defeat that edged Neil Warnock's side ever closer to the relegation zone.

Barton shot Rangers ahead on 11 minutes, drilling in a low finish from Clint Hill's cross.

But Barton's joy turned to despair on 36 minutes, when the midfielder was sent off for an apparent head butt in a confontation with Bradley Johnson.

It got worse for Rangers moments later, Anthony Pilkington netting his fifth goal of the season to level it for Norwich.

The knockout blow from Norwich came seven minutes from time, substitute Steve Morison grabbing the winner to end a desperate rearguard action from Rangers.

Barton later accused match officials of being "conned" into sending him off.

"Well feel for the officials, they've been conned. Admitted to me at HT they never saw it. I was pulled back 1st, then kicked 2nd!," Barton wrote on Twitter shortly after the final whistle.

AFP

Tags: english-premier, soccer, sport, england

First posted January 03, 2012 08:08:39

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Fulham knocked out of Europa

Updated December 15, 2011 12:03:23

Fulham was knocked out of the Europa League this morning (AEDT) as a last-minute goal from Djiby Fall secured a 2-2 draw for Odense, denying the 2010 finalists the win it needed to guarantee qualification for the round of 32.

Clint Dempsey and teenager Kerim Frei put Fulham 2-0 up but Hans Henrik Andreasen pulled a goal back midway through the second half and then much-travelled Senegalese forward Fall headed home for the Danish side with the last touch of the game.

Socceroos 'keeper Mark Schwarzer was unable to help his side as a neck injury suffered at the weekend is likely to keep him out until February.

Wisla Krakow pipped Fulham to second place in Group K courtesy of a 2-1 win over already-qualified Twente Enschede. Wisla finished with nine points, one more than Martin Jol's side.

The other Premier League side in action, Stoke City, saw its unbeaten run end to Besiktas which finished top of Group E after a 3-1 victory.

The Turkish side accumulated 12 points, one more than Stoke and five more than Dynamo Kiev which squandered a two-goal lead and finished with nine men in a 3-3 draw at home to Maccabi Tel Aviv.

Elsewhere, David Beckham suitors Paris St Germain went out of the Europa League despite a 4-2 win over Athletic Bilbao losing its place to fellow big spenders Salzburg which fought back to win 3-2 at Slovan Bratislava.

Athletic finished Group F on 13 points, Salzburg and PSG had ten-apiece but the Austrian side go through due to a superior head-to-head record.

PSG, backed by Qatari investors, spent over 80 million euros ($107.76 million) on new players before the start of the season and its elimination is a setback for coach Antoine Kombouare after he appeared to have got back on track domestically.

Italian giants Lazio and former European champions Steaua Bucharest also qualified for Friday's draw for the knockout stages which will include Manchester United after their Champions League elimination last week.

Two goals in the last 20 minutes from Stefan Nikolic gave Steaua, European Cup winners in 1986, a 3-1 win over AEK Larnaca which secured them second place in Group J behind Schalke 04, whose 3-0 win at Maccabi Haifa ended the Israeli team's chances.

Libor Kozak and Giuseppe Sculli scored in each half to give Lazio a 2-0 win over Group D winners Sporting and a second-placed finish behind the Portuguese outfit.

Vaslui, which needed to equal Lazio's result to qualify on its head-to-head record against the Italians, blew its chance by losing 2-0 at previously winless FC Zurich.

Reuters

Tags: uefa-cup, soccer, sport, england, united-kingdom

First posted December 15, 2011 11:52:17

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Suarez charged over Fulham gesture

Updated December 08, 2011 07:39:58

Liverpool striker Luis Suarez has been charged with improper conduct during its English Premier League defeat by Fulham.

Uruguay forward Suarez was charged, the Football Association (FA) said "in relation to an alleged gesture made towards the Fulham fans at the end of the fixture".

Suarez has until Tuesday (AEDT) to respond to the charge.

Liverpool was also hit with a separate charge of failing to ensure its players conducted themselves in an orderly fashion, following the sending off of midfielder Jay Spearing in the same match at Craven Cottage.

A Liverpool statement said: "Liverpool FC today (Wednesday) received notification from the Football Association of their decision to charge both the club and Luis Suarez following the game against Fulham.

"The club will take the appropriate time to properly review the documentation sent to us before making any further comment."

Fulham won 1-0 thanks to a late Clint Dempsey goal after Liverpool had been reduced to 10 men.

Suarez, who was charged by the FA in November with racially abusing Manchester United's Patrice Evra, had a goal disallowed and also felt he should have had a penalty.

"We'll look after Luis as best we can, and I think it's about time he got a bit of protection from some people," said Liverpool manager Kenny Dalglish, who admitted he had not seen the incident involving Suarez and the Fulham fans, after the match.

Suarez also had to contend with chants of "cheat" from Fulham fans convinced he wad going to ground too easily when challenged.

But Dalglish, who said the chants aimed at Suarez were "scandalous," insisted: "His integrity is impeccable. He can look in the mirror and go to bed at night and sleep soundly."

Spearing was shown a straight red card by referee Kevin Friend for a tackle on Mousa Dembele where he won the ball but caught his opponent in the follow through.

Liverpool's players reacted angrily to the decision

"Jay will be upset, obviously. But we will look at it and see if it's worth while appealing," Dalglish said.

"You need to ask the referee what his interpretation is. What the level of acceptance is. Jay never had another thought in his mind but to win the ball, and he did win it."

AFP

Tags: english-premier, soccer, sport, england, united-kingdom

First posted December 08, 2011 07:39:58

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Riise returns to England with Fulham

Updated July 14, 2011 14:23:16

Fulham has completed the signing of former Liverpool defender John Arne Riise from Italian side Roma for an undisclosed fee, the English Premier League club announced Wednesday.

Riise has signed a three-year contract and his arrival at Craven Cottage will see him linking up with brother Bjorn Helge.

The Norwegian has spent past the three season in the Italian capital after leaving Anfield in 2008.

Riise, a 30-year-old left-back who made more than 230 appearances for Liverpool after joining them from Monaco in 2001, said it was great to be back in England.

"I'm delighted to have completed my transfer to Fulham this morning and am looking forward to playing in the Premier League once again," he told Fulham's official website.

"Fulham is a club that I have been following as my brother, Bjorn, plays here and he speaks very highly of the club and the staff.

"Obviously I also played against the club in the Europa League group stage when they went on to reach the final of the competition.

"I know that the club is ambitious and continues to make good progress each year, under the guidance of the chairman, Mohamed Al Fayed.

"I am looking forward to working with Martin Jol and the rest of the squad when I report to training next week."

Riise is the second signing made by Dutch manager Jol since he arrived at the west London club following Hungarian goalkeeper Csaba Somogyi, who joined earlier this week.

"John Arne Riise is an experienced international left-back, who will bring a number of qualities to our squad and provide more options for me," said Jol.

"He is used to performing at the very highest level for both club and country and is an accomplished player defensively, who can also contribute to our attacking play.

"I am extremely happy that we've been able to add him to our squad, and believe that he will prove a valuable addition as we progress."

Fulham finished eighth in the Premier League last season.

- AFP

Tags: english-premier, soccer, sport, england, united-kingdom, norway, italy

First posted July 14, 2011 07:51:43

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Schwarzer wants fresh Fulham success

Updated July 13, 2011 09:03:32

Socceroos goalkeeper Mark Schwarzer has said Fulham cannot afford to stand still but must build on its impressive achievements of recent seasons if they are to enjoy future success.

Although one of London's smaller top-flight clubs, in terms of ground capacity and tradition, Fulham have twice finished in the Premier League top 10 over the past three seasons and also made it to the Europa League final in 2010.

Schwarzer has been a cornerstone of the Cottagers' team in that time.

"We've just got to keep backing up what we've been doing over the last few years," he told Fulham's website on Tuesday.

"The last three seasons have been -- for Fulham Football Club and a lot of us personally - fantastic.

"It's possibly been the best three years in a lot of our careers. We need to continue that run.

"We believe that we belong in the top half of the Premier League and we like to think that we can mix it in Europe every couple of seasons.

"The expectation levels are always higher. When I first came here, the club had just avoided relegation with 15 minutes to spare so anything above that was a bonus.

"To then finish seventh, then have such a great run in Europe and finish eighth last year means the expectations are there.

"We, as players, acknowledge that and we know that we need to live up to them.

"So far it's been a great challenge. If you look at the history of the club and how much has been accomplished, particularly in the last three years - it's been outstanding."

Schwarzer also praised the contribution of Fulham chairman Mohamed Al Fayed, the former owner of London's Harrods department store.

"The chairman's been 100 per cent supportive and the club wouldn't exist in the position it is now without the support of the chairman," he added.

"He's always been there and he's always been rock-solid for the club. He's always looked to progress.

"In the years that I've been here, I've seen a lot of progression."

- AFP

Tags: socceroos, sport, soccer, english-premier, england, australia

First posted July 13, 2011 06:50:39

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Jol named new Fulham boss

Posted June 7, 2011 19:00:00

Experienced Dutchman Martin Jol was named the new manager of Premier League side Fulham, replacing Mark Hughes who resigned last week after one season in charge.

The 55-year-old former Tottenham boss has agreed an initial two-year contract with the option of a further 12 months.

Jol, who was sacked by Spurs in 2007, was linked with the Fulham role last year but Dutch club Ajax refused to release him from his post as head coach.

He has been out of work since quitting Ajax last December and said he was excited at returning to England.

"I am very happy to join Fulham football club, a wonderful traditional club," he told Fulham's website.

"It is a club with good, solid foundations and a great fan base.

"I am looking forward to being part of the Fulham family and thank the chairman for the trust he's shown in me."

Fulham is owned by Mohammed Al Fayed, the multi-millionaire former owner of the Harrods department store.

Hughes guided Fulham to an eighth-place finish last season before quitting.

Although the Welshman immediately brushed off speculation linking him with the vacancy at fellow Premier League club Aston Villa, it is believed he is now in contention for the job.

-AFP

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Hughes quits Fulham, denies Villa approach

Updated June 3, 2011 07:06:00

Mark Hughes resigned as manager of Fulham on Thursday and immediately brushed off speculation linking him with the vacancy at Premier League rivals Aston Villa.

Birmingham club Villa was left without a manager after former France boss Gerard Houllier stepped down on Wednesday following a heart scare.

Fulham finished eighth, one place above Villa, last season and Hughes was immediately touted as the man to replace Houllier.

However the former Manchester United, Barcelona and Wales striker said in a statement: "I hope the supporters and all those connected with the club will understand I wish to move on to further my experiences.

"I would also like to take this opportunity to clarify that neither myself nor my representative have approached or have been approached by another club."

"This decision to leave Fulham has not been influenced by any outside party," added Hughes, who began his managerial career with Wales before spells with Premier League sides Blackburn Rovers and Manchester City.

However, it would be astonishing if Hughes had quit Fulham with absolutely no plans of any kind for another job.

The 47-year-old enjoyed a successful first season at Fulham that also saw the London club earn a return to Europe via the Fair Play League and was understood to have a good relationship with chairman Mohamed Al Fayed.

He said: "I would like to thank the chairman, directors, players and fans of Fulham Football Club for their support over the last 12 months and wish them every success in the future.

"I believe my management team and I have done a good job and the club has a strong foundation from which they can go forward.

"I have especially enjoyed our excellent relationship with the chairman and chief executive (Alastair Mackintosh).

"I sincerely wish Fulham a successful campaign in the Europa League next season and for their continued progress on and off the field."

A brief Fulham statement said: "Fulham Football Club can confirm that Mark Hughes has provided notice, under the terms of his contract, to leave the club at the end of June.

"After discussions with Mark the club has agreed to accept this notice."

- AFP

Tags: sport, football, english-premier-league, united-kingdom, england

First posted June 3, 2011 06:53:00

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Fulham given Europa League berth

Posted May 27, 2011 10:03:00

Fulham will play in the Europa League next season after being awarded a place under the Premier League's Fair Play League.

England received an additional Europa League place for next season after finishing second in UEFA's national fair-play table.

Chelsea finished top of the Fair Play League but had already qualified for the Champions League and Fulham was in second spot.

Mark Hughes' side had just one player sent off in league matches all season - that happened in the very last game leading to suggestions that relegated Blackpool could pip them to the spot.

The Premier League said in a statement: "Fulham FC has finished the season as the highest placed club in the 2010/11 Fair Play League that has not already qualified for UEFA competitions via the 2010/11 Barclays Premier League.

"The club will take the additional European place awarded to England and compete in next season's UEFA Europa League."

- AFP

Tags: sport, football, english-premier-league, uefa-cup, united-kingdom, england

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Maxi hat-trick leads Fulham thumping

Updated May 10, 2011 08:48:00

Maxi Rodriguez notched his second hat-trick in three matches as Liverpool thumped Fulham 5-2 at Craven Cottage to boost its chances of qualifying for the Europa League.

Maxi grabbed his first goal 31 seconds into the match before the Argentine struck again in the seventh minute. Dirk Kuyt then made it 3-0 when he scored for the fifth successive match.

Shell-shocked Fulham pulled one back in the 57th minute through Moussa Dembele but Maxi, who also recorded a treble against Birmingham City on April 23, slammed in a fantastic long-range shot 13 minutes later and Luis Suarez added a fifth.

Steve Sidwell scored late for Fulham but it did not change anything for Liverpool (58 points), which climbed above Tottenham Hotspur into the Europa League spot in fifth position before Spurs (56) travel to fourth-placed Manchester City (62) tomorrow.

"It was just one of those days for us," Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher told Sky Sports.

"We've been playing well of late, confidence is good, we are looking forward to games."

While Suarez's nippy runs and deft touches were at the heart of many Liverpool surges, Fulham's Australian keeper Mark Schwarzer had much to answer for as the visitors went three up in 16 minutes.

Schwarzer kicked Suarez's deflected cross into the path of Maxi for the opener and then made a poor error at his near post for the second, but his worst blunder was for the third goal when he let Kuyt's soft effort slip past him.

He could not do anything about Maxi's third, a stunning strike from 25 metres, while at the other end Sidwell's consolation goal into the top corner was of a similar class.

Since Kenny Dalglish took over the reins at his old club in January, Liverpool has turned its season around and has in the past month recorded two 3-0 wins and a 5-0 victory.

"We have done fantastically well since January, that's great credit to the players and ... the backroom staff," Dalglish said.

"We'll just keep going and see what happens."

A miserable first half of the season had put Liverpool close to the relegation zone and qualification for the Europa League would salvage something from the campaign and increase the already loud calls for Dalglish to be offered a permanent contract.

The Scot was tight-lipped over whether talks about his future were ongoing, saying: "When we've got something to tell you, we'll tell you".

While a Champions League place is still a mathematical possibility, Liverpool would need Spurs to win in Manchester and for the results in the final two matches of the season to go its way.

-Reuters

Tags: sport, football, english-premier-league, united-kingdom, england

First posted May 10, 2011 08:26:00

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