Jason's Cottage

COME ON YOU WHITES!!!

Sat, 9 Feb 2008 04:39:42 +0000

BEAT BORO!!!

I’m going to be forced to follow the match online at UK Eurosport. I’ll attempt to give my halftime and post match thoughts.

COYW!!!

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How Long Will This Feeling Last?

Tue, 5 Feb 2008 14:17:24 +0000

With one boot to the ball, Jimmy Bullard became an instant Fulham legend. The upset at the Cottage this past Sunday brought jubilation to thousands for Fulham supporters world wide. This could mark the turning point of the season!

Or was it just a win?

It’s easy to get caught up in the moment, hell, I’m guilty of it myself. After the match, I screamed out “We’re staying up!” but one victory certainly doesn’t save our season, but it’s a good start.

It’s Tuesday which means “back to reality” for yours truly. Time to put my emotions behind me a bit and look a head, as we have five (possibly six) tough fixtures a head of us, starting with a trip to “The Riverside” this weekend.

Every match from here on out is huge for Fulham and even though Middlesbrough sits in 13th, I’m not all that impressed with their club. That being said, it will be at “The Riverside” which of course means this is an away fixture and we all know how much trouble we’ve had winning road games. I’m hoping the boys will keep their confidence up and steal a victory but I’m afraid it will end in a draw or a loss. I’m hoping for a victory but I’d settle for a draw. Middlesbrough defeated Fulham at the Cottage 2-1 back in August.

Fulham’s Next 7 Fixtures

Here are your fixtures through the end of March. I personally feel that if Fulham are to stay up, we need as many points as possible through the end of March. If we are still in the bottom 3 at the end of March, “staying up” may be tough.

2/9/08-Middlesbrough-Away

2/23/08-West Ham-Home

3/1/08- Manchester United-Home

3/8/08- Blackburn-Away

3/16/08- Everton-Home

3/22/08- Newcastle-Away

3/29/08- Derby-Away

So as you can see, it will be tough. Sure, we should be able to beat Derby & Newcastle…BUT…both of those are away fixtures (and an away fixture at Blackburn for good measure). At home we have tough matches versus Manchester United, West Ham & Everton. I stated that in order for us to stay up, we needed road points (wins or draws) and home wins. Getting those home victories will be very tough, so I suppose I need to re-think my math a bit.

The joy I’m feeling after last Sunday can’t be described. But how long will it last?

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Finally!!! Thank You Jimmy!!!

Sun, 3 Feb 2008 18:32:40 +0000

All I have to say is “THANK YOU JIMMY!” Bullard scored the game winner in the 86th minute as Fulham wins their first match since November 2-1 over Aston Villa at the Cottage.

Bullard fired off a bender that found the back of the net from about 25 yards out. I literally jumped from my couch with a scream that could have been heard 90 miles away in Chicago. In my preview earlier this week, I said Bullard would score and he did! (to be fair, I’ve picked Bullard to score each of the last couple of matches, I just love the guy)

Villa put much pressure on our boys in the second half and you almost got a feeling they were going to walk way with the victory, especially after Aaron Hughes’ own goal in the 68th minute following a lousy Villa corner. But for once the boys in white didn’t fold. Five minutes later, Jimmy Bullard found Simon Davies and the Welsh International scored the equalizer. That was the spark Fulham needed as they played very inspired football from that point on.

A much needed 3 points versus a top 4 club.

On another positive note, Brian McBride saw some playing time for the final 22 minutes and although he didn’t get many touches, he did seem fit. Look for our captain to get more playing time next week. Also look for Eddie Johnson to suite up as well.

GREAT JOB BOYS!!! Man this feels good. I believe Villa drops down to 6th after the defeat. Fulham now sits with 19 points, 3 away from climbing out of the relegation zone.

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Fulham vs Villa: Halftime Thoughts

Sun, 3 Feb 2008 17:02:42 +0000

Well at kick off, the score was 0-0. Forty five minutes later, the score remains 0-0. For the most part, Fulham played pretty well in the first half. We had great attacking opportunities and a couple chances a goal. Second half pace has been an issue all season, so we’ll see if we can step up the attack in the final 45 minutes.

The Cottagers played pretty well on defense, although Chris Baird nearly served up a Villa goal on a silver platter after a sloppy clearance. I had my nervous moments and that was one of them.

Brian McBride is on the bench so there is a chance our captain may make his return today. He could provide some spark. We need a victory, so COME ON YOU WHITES! I’ll be back at the end of the match to re-cap.

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Fulham vs Villa! "Come On You Whites!"

Sun, 3 Feb 2008 15:12:02 +0000

We are about an hour away from Fulham vs Aston Villa. I can’t think of a better way to kick off “Super Bowl Sunday” in the U.S. than to see my Cottagers hopefully pull off a bit of an upset today. We need a win badly but considering Villa is near the top of the table, I would take a home draw versus such a quality team.

Any chance at all that we see Brian McBride return today? I doubt it and I also doubt Eddie Johnson will be involved. What I do know is that both men are close to being fit enough to play and once they do return, it will give us a much needed boost.

I’ll be back at halftime for a bit of an update.

COYW!

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Fulham Earn A Point At Bolton

Wed, 30 Jan 2008 18:08:26 +0000

When you sit at the bottom of the table, you’ll take any point you can get. We needed a victory but settled for a draw yesterday at the Reebok, as both clubs fought to a 0-0 draw.

Fulham played pretty well in the first half but seemed to lack spark in the attack in the second. I feel that will be what Eddie Johnson can provide. He wasn’t dressed for the match yesterday but as soon as he gets fit, I feel that will be his role. I don’t expect him to start but he will be a great late game substitute. If we expect to avoid relegation, we must finish off matches, which has been our problem this season.

Hats off to Antti Niemi, he played really well in goal last night. I’ve been critical of him at times this season but don’t be fooled, he earned our point yesterday. The Cottagers return home Sunday to take on Aston Villa. Very important to get a win. I’ll take away draws as long as we can begin winning at home.

On a side note, Brian McBride may be close to his return. He played all 90 minutes for the reserves recently, which is a great sign. I don’t feel Brian will carry us to the promise land this season, but he is a key player to help keep us up.

Source: Try Gol

Fulham: A "New" Season Starts Today

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 13:19:10 +0000

Time to forget what happened the first half of the season and look forward to the future. You can’t do a thing about the past and despite their position in the table, over the final 15 matches, Fulham have something to play for.

Thats what makes soccer in many leagues great. In the U.S., if you are near the bottom of the table, the only thing you have to play for is respect or tank a season on purpose for a better draft pick. I love relegation. It gives the bottom clubs something to play for. So for Fulham, our “championship” will be staying up in the premiership for another season. There is much to play for.

With a “new” season comes new players. Fulham have been quite busy during the transfer period, adding new strikers & defenders. Two of our new faces should see action today (Leon Andreasen and Brede Hangeland) as Fulham looks for their 3rd victory of the season and their first road victory in almost a year and a half.

Fulham got their first victory of the season back in August when they defeated Bolton 2-1 at the Cottage. I remember that match well. We were coming off a tough 2-1 loss to Arsenal to kick off the season and after defeating Bolton, I figured we were on our way to my predicted Top 10 finish. It was a good way to start off THAT new season, unfortunately we know what ended up happing. A victory over Bolton today will do much to kick off THIS new season in a positive manner. The road to the 2008-2009 Premiership season begins at the Reebok today.

I think Jimmy Bullard is due to have a big match. I see him scoring today. The road blues end today with a 1-0 victory and a renewed confidence heading into the home fixture versus Aston Villa this weekend. Speaking of Aston Villa, I heard on TV last night that they may be close to signing USA standout Brad Guzan. The good news is, even if Villa signs the talented goalkeeper, he won’t be ready to go until after the match at Fulham.

COYW!

Source: Try Gol

Fulham Sign Nevland (finally)

Mon, 28 Jan 2008 20:53:12 +0000

At one point this seemed like a done deal. Then the deal was off for good…or was it? This morning the forums lit up again as rumors swirled that Fulham had finally reached a deal to sign striker Erik Nevland and as of a few minutes ago, everything is official.

Here’s what Roy Hodgson had to say:

‘I am delighted to be able to welcome Erik to Fulham. He is a player that I know well and I am confident he will contribute to the squad to assist us in this, and further, campaigns. Erik has great attributes and played an important part in keeping FK Viking in the Norwegian First Division.

“After joining FC Groningen he quickly established himself as a firm favourite both with the fans, and with the management, and it has been no easy task securing his signature at Fulham. However, Erik’s desire to play in the Premier League and to find a new challenge has enabled us to bring him to the Club, and it is very pleasing that we have been able to do so.’

Nevland is 30 years old, which to most people means his best soccer is behind him. But I have trust in Roy Hodgson and if he feels Nevland would be a key to keeping us up, hell, the guy has my support. Welcome to the Cottage Erik!

Source: Try Gol

Not Fulham Related But I Wanted To Pass This Info On

Sat, 26 Jan 2008 18:56:30 +0000

I know some of you who visit "Jason's Cottage" also visits my other blog, Try Gol. That blog covers both rugby & soccer news. Well anyways, the previous URL to that site was http://trygol.wordpress.com but within 24 hours, that will change.

The new URL will be www.TryGol.com. For the time being, that address will point to my current Wordpress.com blog but I'm switching everything over in the next month to my own web space. It will allow me to create a bigger & better blog in my opinion, as I'm a bit limited at the moment.

Now "Jason's Cottage" will remain unchanged. I will still use this blog for the Fulham specific posts from TryGol.com. I've met some cool people here at OleOle.com and want to keep the Fulham specific blog right here.

So again, bookmark www.TryGol.com as that URL will be live within the next 24 hours.

Coming To A Pitch Near You...

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 16:59:43 +0000

Great Stuff. COYW!!!

Props: Life as a Cottager & Oz City (source of the graphic)

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